WHL Saskatoon Blades

Blades Hope To Enter Holiday Break On Winning Note

Published on December 19, 2009 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Saskatoon Blades News Release


The Saskatoon Blades welcome the Prince Albert Raiders to Credit Union Centre tonight for the back-half of a home-and-home series between the two clubs. Game time is 7:05 pm.

Head-to-Head The Blades and Raiders have met three times this season. The Raiders took the opening match on October 2nd by a 2-1 score in a shootout. On November 7th the Blades took the rematch again in a shootout, this time by a 4-3 score. Finally, last night in Prince Albert, the Raiders doubled up on the Blades 4-2.

Derek Hulak (Saskatoon, SK) leads the Blades' charge against the Raiders with two goals and an assist in the three contests. Adam Morrison (White Rock, BC) has started two games against the Raiders, making 82 saves on 86 shots, while putting together a 0-1-0-1 record. Steven Stanford (Calgary, AB) started one contest against the Raiders and earned the victory after turning aside 24 of 27 shots.

Justin Maylan, Mark McNeill, and Jordan Rowley all have had three points against the Blades so far this season to lead the Raiders. Garrett Zemlak has started two games against the Blades and has a 2-0 record after stopping 73 of 76 shots. Dalyn Flette lost in a shootout in his lone start in which he stopped 44 of 47 shots.

Saskatoon Blades The Blades (23-7-1-3, 50 points, T-1st in East Division, T-2nd in Eastern Conference) saw their two-game winning streak come to an end with last night's loss to the Raiders. Randy McNaught (Nanaimo, BC) and Hulak scored the Blades' goals in the defeat while Morrison made 43 saves in a losing cause.

Hulak, an overage forward, continues to lead the Blades in scoring this season with his 14 goals and 26 assists for 40 points. Fellow overager Walker Wintoneak (Flin Flon, MB) is second in team scoring with 17 goals and 21 assists for 38 points. Stefan Elliott (North Vancouver, BC) is third on the team and tops amongst the team's defensemen with 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points, putting the third-year player in a tie for seventh amongst WHL rearguards.

Wintoneak leads the team in goal scoring this season with 17 markers.

McNaught is tops on the team and second in the WHL with 108 penalty minutes this season. Darian Dziurzynski (Lloydminster, AB) is second on the team and third in the league with 101 penalty minutes this season.

Two Blades remain in the WHL top 10 for plus/minus this season. Elliott and Sam Klassen (Watrous, SK) are both tied for 6th in the league with a +22 rating.

In between the pipes, Morrison has made 20 appearances now on the season and has compiled an 11-6-0-3 record with a 2.81 goals against average (9th in the WHL) and a.910 save percentage (9th in the WHL). Stanford, meanwhile, has made 17 appearances and sports a 12-3-1-0 record to go along with a 2.29 goals against average (2nd in the WHL) and a.914 save percentage (T-5th in the WHL).

The Blades enter tonight with the 18th-ranked power play in the WHL, having converted at a rate of 18.1% this season. The team's penalty kill is ranked 4th in the WHL, having killed off 84.1% of shorthanded chances.

Prince Albert Raiders The Raiders (20-15-1-2, 43 points, 3rd in East Division, 5th in Eastern Conference) enter tonight's game on a two-game winning streak, which includes last night's win over the Blades.

Craig McCallum is on top of the Raiders' scoring list with 17 goals and 27 assists for 44 points this season. Brandon Herrod is second on the team with 23 goals and 17 assists for 40 points on the campaign. Igor Revenko, away from the team as a member of Team Belarus at the 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships Division I tournament, is third with 19 goals and 20 assists for 39 points. Rowley leads the team's defensemen and is 6th for WHL defensemen with 4 goals and 29 assists for 33 points.

Herrod now has 23 goals, the most on the team and is tied for 8th most in the WHL in that category.

Ryan Harrison leads the Raiders in penalty minutes with 80 on the season.

The Raiders have two players in the WHL top 10 for plus/minus. McCallum is 2nd in the league with a +26 rating, while Herrod is tied for 4th in the league with a +24 rating.

In goal, Zemlak has an 18-12-1-1 record on the season with a 2.86 goals against average and a.915 save percentage (4th in the WHL) in 32 appearances. Flette has played in 4 games this season and has a 2-1-0-1 record with a 3.67 goals against average and a.896 save percentage.

The Raiders are ranked 15th in the WHL in power play efficiency, working at a 19.1% rate on the season. The team is ranked 8th in the league on the penalty kill, preventing 81.0% of shorthanded chances.

Blades vs Raiders For both the Blades and Raiders, this is the final game before the WHL Christmas Break. Game time is 7:05 pm. During the second intermission of the game, one lucky fan will win a pair of tickets to the Gold Medal Game of the 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships as part of the Home Depot "Race Around the World Contest". Tickets for tonight's contest can be purchased over the phone at 938-7800, online at Ticketmaster.ca, or at any Ticketmaster outlet.

Fans can still purchase season tickets for the remainder of the season beginning at just $229 for adults and $90 for youth. Stop by the Blades' sales booth tonight located at the top of Section A for more information.

Check out the Saskatoon Blades Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from December 19, 2009


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