Sports stats



WHL Saskatoon Blades

Blades Open Alberta Road Trip in Red Deer

October 9, 2009 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Saskatoon Blades News Release


The Saskatoon Blades kick off two straight weekends on the road in Alberta tonight with a matchup in Red Deer against the Rebels. Game time is 7:30 pm.

The Blades' offense got back on track on Wednesday with an 8-4 victory over the Kootenay Ice at Credit Union Centre. Curtis Hamilton (Kelowna, BC), Derek Hulak (Saskatoon, SK), Sam Klassen (Watrous, SK), and the recently acquired Jeremy Boyer (Saskatoon, SK) all paced the Blades with three points each. The newly formed unit of Hamilton, Boyer, and Travis Toomey (Leduc, AB) combined for 8 points on the night. Adam Morrison (White Rock, BC) made 28 saves in goal for the win.

After 7 games so this season, last year's scoring leader Derek Hulak is back on top of the Blades scoring list with 2 goals and 7 assists for 9 points. Burke Gallimore (Edmonton, AB) sits just one point back with 4 goals and 4 assists for 8 points.

Adam Morrison has a 3-2-0-2 record in 7 starts this season with a 2.24 goals against average and .918 save percentage. Another recent addition to the Blades, Steven Stanford (Calgary, AB), who was acquired by the Blades from Prince Albert last Monday, will likely see his first action in a Blades' uniform this weekend.

On the other side, the Rebels enter tonight's game sporting a 3-5-0-0 record to kick off the 2009-10 season. The Rebels last played on Sunday, dropping a 4-2 decision to the Swift Current Broncos on the road.

Veteran forward Willie Coetzee leads the Central Division team in scoring with 4 goals and 8 assists for 12 points in 8 games played. The Rebels, meanwhile, have been encouraged with the exploits of 16-year-old Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The freshman forward has 6 goals and 3 assists for 9 points in 8 games so far this season and is second in team scoring.

In goal the Rebels have returned last year's starter Darcy Kuemper, a native of Saskatoon. The former Saskatoon Blazer midget has a 2-4-0-0 record to go along with a 3.30 goals against average and a .873 save percentage.

Fans can follow tonight's action live on 92.9 The Bull with Les Lazaruk or by purchasing the live video broadcast through WHL WebTV .

Following the game tonight, the Blades travel south to Lethbridge for a rematch encounter on Saturday with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. The Hurricanes upset the Blades in the first round of the last year's playoffs in a spirited seven-game affair.

The next home game for the Blades is not until Wednesday, October 21st with a clash against the Regina Pats at Credit Union Centre. Tickets for that night can be purchased online at ticketmaster.ca , by calling 938-7800, or by visiting any Ticketmaster location.

Check out the Saskatoon Blades Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from October 9, 2009


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.

OurSports Central