WHL Saskatoon Blades

Blades Move North For Second Game Of Road Trip

December 31, 2009 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Saskatoon Blades News Release


The Saskatoon Blades continue their U.S. Division tour tonight with a battle against the Everett Silvertips. Game time at the Comcast Arena is 9:00 pm (Sask. time).

Head-to-Head Just like the rest of the U.S. Division, this will be the lone meeting of the season between the Blades and Silvertips. The two teams met on November 7th last season at Credit Union Centre. Former Blade Milan Kytnar scored 38 seconds into overtime in a goaltenders' duel as the Bridge City Bunch defeated the Silvertips 1-0.

Saskatoon Blades The Blades (25-7-1-3, 54 points, 1st in East Division, 2nd in Eastern Conference) enter the game on a two-game winning streak. Last evening, the Blades kicked off the road trip with a 4-3 decision over the Seattle Thunderbirds. Stefan Elliott (North Vancouver, BC), Josh Nicholls (Tsawwassen, BC), Walker Wintoneak (Flin Flon, MB), and Burke Gallimore (Edmonton, AB) scored for the road squad while Adam Morrison (White Rock, BC) made 31 saves to claim the win in goal.

Derek Hulak (Saskatoon, SK) continues to lead the Blades in scoring this season with 16 goals and 29 assists for 45 points. Wintoneak is second on the team with 18 goals and 22 assists for 40 points. Elliott leads all Blades' defensemen and is third on the team in scoring with 12 goals and 22 assists for 37 points.

The Blades are led in goal scoring by Wintoneak, who has 18 markers on the season.

Randy McNaught (Nanaimo, BC) and Darian Dziurzynski (Lloydminster, AB) both have 110 penalty minutes on the season, putting them both 3rd in the WHL.

Defensive partners Elliott and Sam Klassen (Watrous, SK) both lead the Blades in plus/minus with a +24 rating. Hulak is +22 on the season.

In goal, Morrison leads Blades' netminders in appearances this season with 21, compiling a 12-6-0-3 record with a 2.82 goals against average and a.910 save percentage. Steven Stanford (Calgary, AB) is 13-3-1-0 with a 2.27 goals against average and a.915 save percentage in 18 games played.

Everett Silvertips The Silvertips (19-15-2-1, 4th in U.S. Division, 5th in Western Conference) enter tonight having lost two straight games. The team was last in action on Tuesday night, falling on the road 1-0 to the Tri-City Americans.

Overage forward Shane Harper leads the Silvertips in scoring with 21 goals and 19 assists for 40 points. Tyler Maxwell is second in team scoring with 23 goals and 14 assists for 37 points. Kellan Tochkin is third with 12 goals and 22 assists for 34 points. Radko Gudas, currently away from the team at the World Junior Hockey Championships back in Saskatchewan, leads the team's defensemen in scoring with 7 goals and 13 assists for 20 points.

Maxwell, with his 23 goals on the season, leads the team in that category.

Gudas is first on the team in penalty minutes with 86 and in the plus/minus category with a +27 rating, which puts him first in the WHL.

In between the pipes, Thomas Heemskerk has a 10-8-1-1 record in 22 appearances with a 2.91 goals against average and a.908 save percentage. Sophomore Kent Simpson has played in 18 games this season with a 9-7-1-0 record to go along with a 2.34 goals against average and a.925 save percentage.

Blades vs Silvertips Fans can follow the action live tonight on 92.9 The Bull with "The Voice of the Blades" Les Lazaruk. The game can also be purchased on WHL WebTV.

Check out the Saskatoon Blades Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from December 31, 2009


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