WHL Saskatoon Blades

Chiasson's Late Goal Not Enough for Blades to Rally Past Rebels

April 15, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Saskatoon Blades News Release


Saskatoon Blades' Tanner Molendyk in action
Saskatoon Blades' Tanner Molendyk in action
(Saskatoon Blades)

Saskatoon, SK - A completely different series appears to be on the horizon.

Forward Jake Chiasson rallied late for the Saskatoon Blades, but it wasn't enough as the Red Deer Rebels grinded out a 3-1 victory in Game 1 Friday at SaskTel Centre.

La Salle, MB. product Tyler Parr made his long-awaited return to the Blades lineup from injury, the 5-foot-11 winger's first taste of action since Dec. 13th vs the Medicine Hat Tigers. The 18-year-old right-handed shot finished the night with one shot on goal while providing a jolt with his workhorse play.

Rookie netminder Austin Elliott had a much better series-opening game than in Round 1 vs the Regina Pats, stopping 17 of 19 shots in defeat.

The Blades are far from out of this series, trailing 2-0 vs Regina only to storm back and win in seven games. Saskatoon tries to avoid history repeating itself Sunday by not going on the road for games 3 and 4 trailing 2-0.

High-paced, action packed, and free-flowing are ways to describe Round 1 vs Regina.

This game showcased the complete opposite.

Friday's contest was a 60-minute slog with neither team finding the scoresheet after the first period. Shots up to that point were only 7-5 in favour of the visitors.

The ice broke 4:28 into the middle frame as Rebels forward Jhett Larson snuck his second of the postseason past Elliott. The NHL draft-eligible winger has four points in six games throughout the 2023 playoffs.

Adding to their lead with just under six-minutes to go in the game was Grand Prairie, AB. native Jace Isley. The 6-foot-2 WHL senior was held pointless in Round 1 vs the Calgary Hitmen but is one of the club's most lethal scorers with 30 during the regular season.

Down but not out, Edmonton Oilers prospect Chiasson tapped home his third of the postseason into a wide open cage. The 6-foot-2 winger was parked outside of of the Rebels crease and buried his linemate Egor Sidorov's rebound. Chiasson showed clutch and poise vs the Pats scoring the overtime goal in Game 4 to tie the series 2-2 and also netted the series-clinching goal in Game 7. The Abbotsford, BC. product's tally gave hope for a tie with 1:52 remaining on the clock.

No comeback presented itself this time as WHL Defenceman of the Year nominee Christoffer Sedoff flung a puck into the empty-net with four-seconds left in the contest. The 2002-born defender's third goal of the playoffs sealed a 3-1 victory for the Rebels.

What's Next?

Round 2 (3)

The Blades are back in action Sunday for Game 2 at SaskTel Centre, looking to even the series one-a-piece before heading out on the road for games 3 and 4.

Doors open at 2:30, puck drop is 7:00pm.

It's a series between two final-calibre teams, so don't regret on missing out on elite hockey this weekend!

Check out the Saskatoon Blades Statistics




Images from this story

Saskatoon Blades' Tanner Molendyk in action
Saskatoon Blades' Tanner Molendyk in action
   



Western Hockey League Stories from April 15, 2023


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