WHL Saskatoon Blades

Blades Travel To Red Deer To Conclude Trip

Published on December 5, 2009 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Saskatoon Blades News Release


The Saskatoon Blades conclude their road trip tonight in Red Deer with a matchup against the Rebels. Game time at the Enmax Centrium is 8:30 pm (Saskatchewan time).

Head-to-Head

This is the second meeting of the season between the Blades and Rebels. On October 9th, Walker Wintoneak (Flin Flon, MB) had a goal and three assists while Derek Hulak (Saskatoon, SK) and Gaelan Patterson (Saskatoon, SK) each had a goal and two assists as the Blades defeated the Rebels 6-3 on the road. Burke Gallimore (Edmonton, AB), Jyri Niemi (Hameenkyro, Finland), and Sam Klassen (Watrous, SK) also scored for the Blades and Steven Stanford (Calgary, AB) made 14 saves between the pipes to earn the victory. Nathan Green, Willie Coetzee, and Andrej Kudrna replied for the Rebels while Darcy Kuemper made 35 saves in the Red Deer net.

Saskatoon Blades

The Blades (21-5-0-3, 45 points, 1st in East Division, T-1st in Eastern Conference) enter tonight's contest on the heels of a 2-1 shootout victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers last night. Gallimore scored the lone Blades' goal in regulation while Hulak sealed the win in the shootout. Stanford earned the victory in goal after stopping 25 of 26 shots sent his way during the game and all four attempts in the shootout.

Hulak continues to sit on top of the Blades' scoring list with 13 goals and 24 assists for 37 points on the campaign. Wintoneak, with 15 goals and 18 assists for 33 points, is second on the team. Defenseman Stefan Elliott (North Vancouver, BC) is third on the team with 10 goals and 18 assists for 28 points and is fifth in scoring amongst WHL defensemen.

With his 15 goals, Wintoneak continues to lead the team in that category.

Randy McNaught (Nanaimo, BC) leads the team and is second overall in the WHL with 96 penalty minutes on the season. Darian Dziurzynski (Lloydminster, AB) is second on the team and third in the league with 90 penalty minutes.

Elliott (T-2nd - +21), Hulak (T-4th - +20), Sam Klassen (Watrous, SK) (T-7th - +19), Wintoneak (T-7th - +19), and Patterson (T-7th - +19) all are in the WHL top 10 for the plus/minus category.

In between the pipes, Adam Morrison (White Rock, BC) leads the team in appearances with 17 this season. The Philadelphia Flyers draft pick has put together a 10-4-0-3 record with a 2.67 goals against average (6th in the WHL), and a .912 save percentage (T-6th in the WHL). The 19-year-old Stanford has made 15 appearances this season and sports an 11-3-0-0 record with a 2.19 goals against average (3rd in the WHL) and a .919 save percentage (4th in the WHL).

The Blades feature the 18th-ranked power play in the WHL, currently working at a 16.7% clip this season. The penalty killing unit is ranked 2nd in the WHL this season, having killed off 86.2% of shorthanded chances.

Red Deer Rebels

The Rebels (14-14-0-0, 28 points, 4th in Central Division, 10th in Eastern Conference) enter tonight's game following a 4-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes last evening.

The Rebels are led in scoring by the 19-year-old Coetzee who has 11 goals and 28 assists for 39 points on the season. Freshman Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is second on the team with 15 goals and 14 assists for 29 points, which puts him tied for fourth in rookie scoring in the WHL. Kudrna is third on the team with 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points. Cullen Morin leads the team's defensemen with 1 goal and 15 assists for 16 points on the campaign.

Nugent-Hopkins leads the team in goal scoring with 15 markers so far this season.

Josh Cowen has 66 penalty minutes to lead the team in that category.

Defenseman Aaron Borejko is a +6 to put him at the top of the team's plus/minus list.

In goal, Kuemper, a Saskatoon product, comes into tonight's game with a 9-13-0-0 record with a 3.44 goals against average and a .891 save percentage in 23 games played this season. Kraymer Barnstable, meanwhile, has made 10 appearances this season and sports a 5-1-0-0 record to go along with a 3.49 goals against average and a .888 save percentage.

The Rebels feature the 14th-ranked power play in the WHL, currently working at a 19.9% rate on the season. The Rebels are ranked 19th in the league while shorthanded, killing off 75.0% of situations while a man down.

Blades vs Wheat Kings

Tonight's game can be heard live on 92.9 The Bull with "The Voice of the Blades" Les Lazaruk. Fans can also tune in and view the game on WHL WebTV.

The Blades are next in action on Wednesday evening, December 9th, when the Brandon Wheat Kings pay a visit to Credit Union Centre. Game time is 7:05 pm.

We are just days away from the fifth annual GlobalTV Toque Toss and $5 Ticket Night which is taking place this year when the Kelowna Rockets are in town on Wednesday, December 16th. The game is also the first Budget Car & Truck Rental Raincheck Night of the year. Fans can bring any unused season tickets to the game and can get in for just $2.

Check out the Saskatoon Blades Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from December 5, 2009


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