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WHL Saskatoon Blades

Game Notes: October 11 - Blades vs. Raiders

October 11, 2014 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Saskatoon Blades News Release


OFF THE TOP: The Blades (0-6-0) square off with the Prince Albert Raiders (3-3-0) in the third of eight meetings this season, and the second at SaskTel Centre. The Raiders are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Tri-City Americans on Tuesday, Oct. 7. Eric Comrie, a second round pick of the Winnipeg Jets (2013), stopped 43 of 44 shots, while Vladislav Lukin (2), Brian Williams and Parker Wotherspoon each contributed goals offensively, leading the Americans to victory. ... Craig Leverton leads the Raiders in goal-scoring with four, while Sawyer Lange has the edge in assists (six) and overall points (seven). ... The Raiders have won both meetings so far this season, sweeping a home-and-home set to open the season on Sept. 19 and 20.

50/50: To help celebrate 51 years of Blades hockey, tonight's 50/50 pot will start at $51,000.

"This is a fun way to celebrate our hockey history and raise money for charity at the same time," Blades President Steve Hogle said. "We can't wait to see how high that jackpot will go!"

MORE MORRISSEY: The Winnipeg Jets reassigned defenceman Josh Morrissey back to to the Raiders on Sunday, Oct. 5. Morrissey had 28 goals and 73 points in 59 games last season, finishing second in team scoring to Leon Draisaitl (38-67-105), who has since earned a spot with the Edmonton Oilers. Morrissey, 19, was once again named captain of the Raiders after being reassigned to the club earlier this week.

LAST TIME OUT: The Blades are coming off a heartbreaking 5-3 loss to the Tri-City Americans on Thursday night. Courtesy of Sam McKechnie, Cory Millette and Jordan Thomson, the Blades had a pair of two-goal leads by the midway point of the game, but couldn't hold off a strong, second-period surge from the visitors. Parker Bowles, Parker Wotherspoon and Rodney Southam each scored in the final 12 minutes of the middle frame as part of a run of four unanswered goals en route to the comeback win. As a result, the Blades fell to 0-6 and remain as the only winless club in the WHL.

BETWEEN THE PIPES: Alex Moodie is expected to get the call between the pipes tonight. Moodie is coming off a loss last week to the Medicine Hat Tigers in which he surrendered six goals on 25 shots as part of an 8-1 defeat. ... The 19-year-old was reacquired back on Wednesday, Oct. 1. He appeared in 28 games last season with the Blades, posting a 7-18-2 record, a 4.29 goals-against average and .894 save percentage. The product of Winnipeg, MB, was then dealt to the Spokane Chiefs in May for a conditional fourth round pick in the 2016 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft. The Chiefs exercised their option to return Moodie to Saskatoon, which also returns the draft choice back to Spokane. ... At the other end, Nick McBride is expected to start for the Raiders. In six appearances this season, the goaltender has faced 166 shots, posting a 3-3-0 record, along with a 3.05 goals-against average and .898 save percentage.

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN! The Blades announced their 2014-15 team captains on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at SaskTel Centre. Veteran winger Brett Stovin was named as the club's 55th captain in franchise history. Making his WHL debut in 2010, Stovin is currently in his fourth full season, appearing in 195 regular-season games - all with the Blades. The 19-year-old product of Stony Mountain, MB, has recorded a combined 38 goals and 76 points in his career. Stovin was originally drafted by the Blades in the fifth round - 90th overall - in 2009.

"Brett has proven himself as one of the most respected players in our locker room," Head Coach and General Manager Bob Woods said. "As a lifetime Blade, his commitment to our organization and to the city of Saskatoon is second to none. I could think of no one more deserving and I have no doubt he'll succeed in this role, continuing to speak up and provide unparralled leadership for our team both on and off the ice.

The Blades also announced that the alternate captaincy will be shared between Adam Henry, Nelson Nogier, Nick Zajac and Ryan Graham. Henry and Nogier will don the letters exclusively at home, while the latter pair will sport the A's on the road.

AT A GLANCE:

2014-15 LEADING SCORERS:

Wyatt Sloboshan: 6GP-2G-3A-5PTS

Alex Forsberg: 6GP-1G-2A-3PTS

Sam McKechnie: 6GP-1G-2A-3PTS

2014-15 SPECIAL TEAMS:

PP: 16.7% (14th); PK: 74.3.8% (20th)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS: Reacquired defenceman Ryan Coghlan from the Prince Albert Raiders (Oct. 5); claimed forward Landon Welykholowa off waivers from the Calgary Hitmen (Oct. 3); released forward Ty Mappin, who will report to the Olds Grizzlies of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (Oct. 2); assigned goaltender Trevor Martin to Melville of the SJHL (Oct. 2); acquired goaltender Alex Moodie from the Spokane Chiefs, returning a conditional fourth round pick (Oct. 1); acquired defenceman Adam Henry from the Seattle Thunderbirds in exchange for defenceman Turner Ottenbreit (Sept. 29); acquired defenceman Cole Bevan and a seventh round pick from the Swift Current Broncos in exchange for defenceman Ayrton Nikkel (Sept. 29); released defenceman Tyler Dea and 20-year-old pivot Chase Clayton (Sept. 29); acquired right-winger Sam McKechnie from the Seattle Thunderbirds in exchange for a conditional sixth round pick in 2015 (Sept. 25).

FABULOUS FIRSTS: Wyatt Sloboshan scored his first-career WHL goal on opening night at 13:25 of the second period. Sloboshan also recorded his first WHL assist, adding the lone helper on Turner Ottenbreit's tally's later in the game.

Not to be outdone, after a sensational pre-season in which he recorded five points in as many games (leading the Blades in exhibition scoring, along with Sloboshan), Amil Krupic got in on the action on Sept. 26 in Brandon. From the high slot, the 19-year-old sifted a slick shot five-hole, beating Jordan Papirny for his first-career goal at 3:07 of the opening period in his third WHL game.

Local product Alex Forsberg, acquired from the Prince George Cougars over the summer, scored his first goal as a Blade against Wheat Kings, slipping a backhand shot past Papirny at 13:00 (PP) of the third period.

HEAD COACH BOB WOODS: Hired on Jun. 2, 2014, Bob Woods made his Western Hockey League coaching debut on Sept. 19 in Prince Albert. He is still looking for his first WHL win from behind the bench. Woods, 46 and a product of LeRoy, SK, brings 13 years of experience and a championship-winning pedigree to the City of Bridges. He won a Calder Cup as an assistant coach with the American Hockey League's Hershey Bears back in 2006, and again in 2009 after being promoted to the head-coaching position. Joining the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League as an assistant later that spring, he helped guide the club to a pair of Southeast Division titles and the 2009-10 Presidents' Trophy with a 54-15-13 record for 121 points. As a player/assistant coach in 1999, Woods won a Kelly Cup with the ECHL's Mississippi Sea Wolves. Assuming the full-time head-coaching position back in 2001, he led the Wolves to 179 wins in 288 regular-season games, emerging as a championship contender in each of his four seasons behind the bench.

Woods was inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2012.

Reunited with Bruce Boudreau, with whom he'd be coaching for nearly a decade, Woods spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the NHL heavyweight Anaheim Ducks.

MILESTONES WITHIN REACH: The next regular-season win will be the Blades' 1600th in WHL franchise history.

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