WHL Saskatoon Blades

Blades Welcome 2nd Place Brandon to Brandt Centre

Published on April 4, 2021 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Saskatoon Blades News Release


Brandon Wheat Kings (8-2-1-0) @ Saskatoon Blades (9-1-1-0)

Date | Time Sunday, April 4th | 6:00pm MT

Place Brandt Centre, Regina, SK

Video Stream WHL Live

Radio 98 COOL FM | Pre-Game Show w/ Les Lazaruk @ 5:30pm MT

Mobile App Apple | Android

What's Next Tuesday, April 6th vs. Winnipeg ICE (4:00pm MT)

Social Media @BladesHockey| Facebook | Instagram

Wendel Clark's Classic Grill Game Day Preview

On the heels of their first regulation loss of the season, the Saskatoon Blades will attempt to steer the ship back in the right direction Sunday evening.

The East Division-leaders were shutout by the Moose Jaw Warriors 4-0 on Friday night, ending an eight-game winning streak. The loss also snapped a six-game losing skid by Moose Jaw.

This is a battle of the top two teams in the division, with the Brandon Wheat Kings trailing the Blades by two points for first place.

Saskatoon will require a much fiercer effort tonight, considering the Wheaties bring a five-game winning streak into the Brandt Centre, and are two days rested following a huge 7-2 win over Regina on Thursday.

Tale of the Tape

This is the second of four matches between the two squads, with the Blades coming away with a hard-fought 6-4 victory to open the season series on March 22. Blades leading scorer Kyle Crnkovic was named the game's first star with two goals and an assist, including the game-winner.

The biggest takeaway from this night wasn't so much in the final score, but the number of trips to the penalty box between the two teams. A combined 68 penalty minutes were handed out, including 10-minute misconducts given to Blades defenceman Wyatt McLeod and Wheaties forward Reid Perepeluk.

Both teams stack up fairly evenly when comparing records of previous seasons, with the Blades going 2-2-0-1 against the Wheat Kings last season. Brandon holds a narrow advantage over the last five years, winning 11 of 20 meetings against Saskatoon.

Higher for Maier

Veteran goaltender Nolan Maier inked his name into Blades lore Wednesday night, earning his seventh victory of the season and record-setting 86th of his career.

This passes the previous record, set by Tim Cheveldae 33 years ago. This is far from the only record in reach for the Yorkton, SK product, however.

The career-Blade needs one more shutout to match Andrey Makarov's record of nine, and is 33 starts away from catching Braden Holtby's record for most games (177).

Who to Watch

Although held off the scoresheet the previous game, Blades leading scorer Kyle Crnkovic was given plenty of opportunities to light the lamp against Moose Jaw, firing eight shots on goal and given the game's third star. The former first-round pick by Saskatoon has 14 points (4G-10A) on the year, 11 of which over the last six games. Crnkovic also led the Blades in scoring against Brandon last season with four points (3G-1A).

Sturdy defender Rhett Rhinehart returns to the Blades lineup after serving a two-game suspension (supplemental discipline), stemming from last Monday's match against Prince Albert.

Filling the Void

The Blades will need a few players to step up tonight. Captain Chase Wouters will not be in the lineup for a third straight game due to a suspension following last Monday's win over the Raiders.

This is the final game the career-Blade is forced to sit out. He's expected back in the lineup on Tuesday against the Winnipeg ICE.

Three-year captain Wouters is currently second in team scoring with 13 points (5G-8A) in nine games, and is in his final year in the WHL.

The two-time Hardest Working Blade award winner sits 3rd among centremen in the WHL with 126 faceoff wins, boasting a team-leading 57.0% success rate.

Hailed as one of the greatest leaders in the WHL, Wouters is the only player in franchise history to wear the 'C' for three consecutive years.

Ecologik Game Day 50/50...

24 games mean 24 chances to win a hefty cash prize through our Ecologik Game Day 50/50!

Purchase your tickets online beginning 1 hour prior to puck drop for every Blades game during the 2021 season. Participants must be of legal age to purchase and live in the Saskatoon area to purchase. Tickets are:

1 for $10

10 for $20

30 for $30

You know the drill: winner takes half the pot and the other half goes towards the Saskatoon Blades Player Education Fund.

Need to Know

Love winning as much as we do? Download the Blades official mobile app, powered by SaskTel, and try your hand at some of our in-app games!

You have the chance to win a Hockey Gives Blood prize pack if you correctly predict the player who scores our first goal! Or put your puzzle-solving skills to the test with our photo scramble, featuring a new player and photo every game day.

The Blades official app has so much more to offer, giving our fans a new, interactive way to engage with their favourite team this season. It's available to download on Apple and Android devices!

Check out the Saskatoon Blades Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from April 4, 2021


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