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WHL Saskatoon Blades

Blades Finish Off Road Trip Against Ice

January 6, 2010 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Saskatoon Blades News Release


The Saskatoon Blades complete their six-game road trip tonight with a matchup in Cranbrook, BC against the Kootenay Ice. Game time at the Cranbrook Recreation Complex is 8:00 pm (Sask. time).

Head-to-Head

Tonight's game marks the second of four games between the Blades and Ice. The two clubs met for the first time this season on October 7th where Curtis Hamilton (Kelowna, BC) had two goals an assist to lead the Blades to an 8-4 win over the Ice. Jeremy Boyer (Saskatoon, SK) had a goal and two assists, Jyri Niemi (Hameenkyro, Finland) had two goals, and Burke Gallimore (Edmonton, AB), Gaelan Patterson (Saskatoon, SK), and Walker Wintoneak (Flin Flon, MB) added singles while Sam Klassen (Watorus, SK) and Derek Hulak (Saskatoon, SK) chipped in three assists to contribute to the win. Adam Morrison (White Rock, BC) got the call in goal and made 28 saves for the win. On the Kootenay side, Kevin King and Steele Boomer both had a goal and an assist while James Martin and Brock Montgomery had singles in a losing cause.

Saskatoon Blades

The Blades (29-7-1-3, 62 points, 1st in East Division, 1st in Eastern Conference) come into the game on a six-game winning streak and on the heels of sweeping the entire U.S. Division on this road trip. The team played last night in Spokane and edged the Chiefs 5-4. Josh Nicholls (Tsawwassen, BC) led the way with two goals and Randy McNaught (Nanaimo, BC), Travis Toomey (Leduc, AB), and Stefan Elliott (North Vancouver, BC) added singles. Morrison stopped 32 of 36 shots to earn the victory in goal.

Hulak is the Blades' leading scorer this season and sits 9th in the WHL with 18 goals and 33 assists for 51 points. Wintoneak is second on the team with 18 goals and 26 assists for 44 points.

Elliott, third in team scoring and tops amongst the team's defensemen, has 14 goals and 25 assists for 39 points and is tied for 4th amongst WHL defensemen in scoring.

Hulak and Wintoneak both have 18 goals to share the team lead.

McNaught has the team lead and is 3rd in the WHL with 119 penalty minutes. Darian Dziurzynski (Lloydminster, AB) is second on the team and tied for 4th in the WHL with 116 penalty minutes.

Elliott is tied for first overall in the WHL with a +30 rating. Klassen is second on the team and tied for 4th overall in the league with a +28 rating. Hulak is +22 on the season and is third on the team and tied for 6th in the WHL.

In goal, Morrison is the team leader in appearances this season with 23 and has a 14-6-0-3 record with a 2.95 goals against average and a.907 save percentage (10th in the WHL). Steven Stanford (Calgary, AB), meanwhile, is 15-3-1-0 with a 2.30 goals against average (1st in the WHL) and a.912 save percentage (5th in the WHL) in 20 games played.

Kootenay Ice

The Ice (22-15-1-2, T-3rd in Central Division, T-5th in Eastern Conference) comes into the game on a six-game winning streak and having earned points in seven straight games. The team was last in action one week ago and came away with an 8-4 victory over the Regina Pats.

Dustin Sylvester leads the Ice in scoring this season with 20 goals and 30 assists for 50 points. Boomer is second on the team with 14 goals and 26 assists for 40 points. Brayden McNabb is third and tops amongst the team's blueliners with 12 goals and 27 assists for 39 points, which puts him tied for 4th for WHL defensemen.

Sylvester leads the team in goals with 20 markers this season.

Drew Czerwonka has 73 penalty minutes to lead the team.

Boomer has the leading plus/minus rating for the Ice at +13.

In between the pipes, Todd Matthews leads the teams in appearances with 27 and has a 15-7-1-2 record with a 2.74 goals against average (7th in the WHL) and a.908 save percentage (9th in the WHL). Nathan Lieuwen has played in 18 games this season and has compiled a 7-8-0-0 record to go along with a 3.34 goals against average and a.890 save percentage.

Blades vs Ice

Tonight's game can be heard live on 92.9 The Bull with "The Voice of the Blades" Les Lazaruk. The game can also be purchased on WHL WebTV.

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Western Hockey League Stories from January 6, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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