WHL Saskatoon Blades

Blades Take To The Road In Moose Jaw

Published on February 24, 2010 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Saskatoon Blades News Release


The Saskatoon Blades hit the road for a divisional matchup against the Moose Jaw Warriors tonight. Game time at the Moose Jaw Civic Centre is 7:00 pm.

Head-to-Head

This is the fifth of what will be eight meetings this season between the two clubs. The Blades come into tonight's game with a 4-0-0-0 record in the season series while the Warriors are 0-3-1-0. Saskatoon has outscored Moose Jaw 14 to 8 thus far in the series.

Walker Wintoneak (Flin Flon, MB) leads the Blades' offensive charge this season against the Warriors with three goals and three assists for six points. Gaelan Patterson (Saskatoon, SK) is second with five assists.

Adam Morrison (White Rock, BC) is 3-0 in the Blades net against the Warriors with a 2.33 goals against average and a.926 save percentage. Steven Stanford (Calgary, AB) has made one start against the Warriors this season and secured the win after turning aside 26 of 27 shots.

Brendan Rowinski and Dylan Hood lead the Warriors' efforts versus the Blades this season with a goal and two assists for three points each.

Jeff Bosch has a 0-3 record in goal with a 4.38 goals against average and a.836 save percentage against the Blades. Brandon Glover is 0-0-1-0 with a 0.94 goals against average and a.974 save percentage in two appearances.

Saskatoon Blades

The Blades (41-14-3-4, 89 points, 1st in East Division, 1st in Eastern Conference) enter the game on the heels of a 5-4 shootout loss to the Chilliwack Bruins last night. Jyri Niemi (Hammenkyro, Finland), Derek Hulak (Saskatoon, SK), Randy McNaught (Nanaimo, BC), and Charles Inglis (Saskatoon, SK) scored for the Blades in regulation. Stanford stopped 21 shots in between the pipes.

Hulak remains atop the Blades' scoring list with 28 goals and 44 assists for 72 points this season. Wintoneak is second on the team with 23 goals and 44 assists for 67 points. Rearguard Stefan Elliott (North Vancouver, BC), third in team scoring, has 22 goals and 35 assists for 57 points, which puts him in a tie for fourth amongst WHL defensemen this season.

Hulak has the team lead in goals scored with 28 markers on the campaign.

Darian Dziurzynski (Lloydminster, AB) has the most penalty minutes on the team and is sixth in the WHL with 156 minutes. McNaught is second on the team and tied for seventh in the league with 153 penalty minutes.

Elliott and Hulak each have the top plus/minus on the team and are tied for second in the WHL at +36. Sam Klassen (Watrous, SK) is tied for tenth in the league at +31.

In goal, Stanford leads the team in appearances with 39 this season. The 19-year-old has compiled a 26-7-3-1 record with a 2.71 goals against average (T-9th in the WHL) and a.901 save percentage. Morrison, meanwhile, has a 15-9-0-3 record with a 3.22 goals against average and a.895 save percentage in 29 games played this season.

The Blades power play is working at a 15.9% rate and is ranked 19th in the WHL. The Bridge City Bunch is ranked 6th in the league on the penalty kill at 81.6%.

Moose Jaw Warriors

The Warriors (29-24-4-4, 66 points, T-3rd in East Division, T-7th in Eastern Conference) ended a two-game losing streak last night with a 4-3 win over the Regina Pats at home.

Quinton Howden leads the Tribe in scoring this season with 26 goals and 36 assists for 62 points. Rowinski is second on the team with 29 goals and 28 assists for 57 points. Jason Bast, an overage forward, is third on the team with 27 goals and 27 assists for 54 points. Ryan Stanton is tops amongst the team's defensemen with 8 goals and 28 assists for 36 points.

Rowinski has a team-leading 29 goals this season.

Dylan McIlrath has 159 penalty minutes to lead the team in that category and is fifth in the WHL.

Jason Bast has the team lead in plus/minus with a +25 rating this year.

In between the pipes, Bosch has a 21-18-3-2 record with a 3.27 goals against average and a.899 save percentage in 47 games this season. Glover has seen action in 23 games this season and sports an 8-6-1-2 record to go along with a 3.19 goals against average and a.895 save percentage.

The Warriors have the #5-ranked power play in the WHL at 25.1%. While shorthanded, the Warriors are ranked 16th in the league at 77.6%.

Blades vs Warriors

Listen to all the action tonight on 92.9 The Bull with Les Lazaruk. The game is also available for purchase on WHL WebTV.

The next Blades home game is Friday night and the annual "Faith Night" as the team takes on the Prince Albert Raiders. Two-time Grammy nominee "G.R.I.T.S." will perform both pre-game and post-game concerts during the night. Fans will also have the chance to take part in a free skate during the post-game concert. The pre-game festivities begin at 6:00 pm with puck drop at 7:05 pm. For more information on "Faith Night" visit www.bladesfaithnight.com.

Check out the Saskatoon Blades Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from February 24, 2010


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