WHL Saskatoon Blades

Blades Rebound To Get Back In The Win Collum

Published on March 5, 2016 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Saskatoon Blades News Release


SASKATOON, SK - Though Kootenay was a much different team than Brandon and Lethbridge, the Blades still played the way a team should play through 60 minutes. With good puck possession and doing all the right things.

"I thought we did a lot better things tonight. The second period we kind of got away fro what we did in the first and got a little bit cute but sometimes you do that when you have a lead early like that but the third period we did the little things you need to do, making smart decisions and managing the puck and didn't give them a chance to gain anything," says Bob Woods on the way the team earned their 25th win of the year.

The game started off at a very good paced with a lot of back and forth action as the first whistle of the game didn't go until 8:47 into the first period.

Saskatoon scored first from a Wyatt Sloboshan pass behind the net to Logan Christensen who went short side on Hobbs for his fourth of the year that gave the Blades a 1-0 lead.

Ryan Graham got the loose puck from a Colton Waltz shot as it was initially stopped by Hobbs but it went out to graham to got a second effort on the attempt back hander with less than three to go in the first

Late in the first, Colton Waltz's shot is blocked as Hobbs tried to dive out for the poke check but couldn't recover and Ryan Graham backhanded the loose puck in front to make it 2-0 Blades.

Nine minutes into the second period, Saskatoon with the man advantage as a dump in attempt by Waltz around the boards but Gay couldn't keep it in and Zak Zborosky picked it up and went away down the wing and went high blocker side on Hamm getting Kootenay on the board with a shorthanded goal for a 2-1 score.

The Blades generated lots of good chances but Declan Hobbs kept the Ice in the game for the most part as it could have been a lot higher score for Saskatoon.

Past the half way point of the third, some great patience by Shmyr with the shot is stopped but Shmyr again picked it up for a wrap around but it's stopped by Hobbs and Ryan Graham kept whacking away at the pads of Hobbs and eventually managed to get it in past the goal line giving the Blades a 3-1 lead.

"It was a great shift. I was out there with Shmyr and Zajac not my usual line we were working hard keeping the puck in, felt like we had possession of it for a while and Shmyr took it to the net and I was just whacking away at it and luckily one of them went in. It was a big goal getting that lead for a comfortable lead it just felt good," added Graham on the Blades third goal of the game.

Connor Gay would get the empty net goal with ten seconds left in the hockey game for the Blades 25th win of the season as they ended their three game losing streak.

With the win the Blade are now 7 points out of a playoff spot and have one of their biggest games of the year on Monday night as they face the Edmonton Oil Kings who hold the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

"We're seven points back and playing them we needed to win the game at hand and we're going to have to find a way to win those games down there. Guys still believe and we're still in it until that changes we just have to keep plugging away," added Woods on the magnitude of the next game against Edmonton.

Next game is Monday night at Rexall Place where the Blades will play their for the final time as the fight for their playoff hopes continue in Alberta.

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 5, 2016


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