WHL Saskatoon Blades

Game Preview: Blades at Broncos

April 14, 2021 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Saskatoon Blades News Release


Saskatoon Blades (12-2-2-0) @ Swift Current Broncos (3-12-1-0)

Date | Time Wednesday, April 14th | 4:00pm MT

Place Brandt Centre, Regina, SK

Video Stream WHL Live

Radio 98 COOL FM | Pre-Game Show w/ Les Lazaruk @ 3:45pm MT

Mobile App Apple | Android

What's Next Thursday, April 15th vs. Regina Pats (4:00pm MT)

Social Media @BladesHockey| Facebook | Instagram

Tonight

The Saskatoon Blades (12-2-2-0) look to reclaim first place in the East Division, battling the lowly Swift Current Broncos (3-12-1-0) for the third time this season.

Saskatoon has won three straight, and have collected seven of a possible eight points over their last four games to sit tied with the Brandon Wheat Kings for top spot.

Brandon defeated the Moose Jaw Warriors Tuesday night to reclaim a share of the lead with Saskatoon, despite falling to the Blades 3-2 on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, the Broncos will try to buck out of a five-game losing skid, scoring just eight goals in that time.

Tale of the Tape

Saskatoon has won both previous contests against the Broncos, earning a 4-2 victory to open the season on March 13, followed by a last-minute comeback on March 24th to win 6-5 in overtime.

The Blades trailed Swift Current 5-3 with less than four minutes remaining, but a late rally with goals from forward Blake Stevenson and defenceman Aidan De La Gorgendiere forced overtime.

Forward Kyle Crnkovic fired a long pass to San Jose Sharks prospect Tristen Robins early in the extra frame, who fired home the game-winner.

https://twitter.com/BladesHockey/status/1374948512291418112

This is the third of four meetings between the two, with their series finale set for Saturday night.

Dating back to the 2018-19 season, the Blades have won eight straight against the Broncos, having not lost since a 5-4 overtime decision on January 26th 2019.

Who to Watch

Speedy winger Kyle Crnkovic is joining Tristen Robins, who's out with a lower body injury, on the WHL's East Division Team of the Week after picking up multi-point performances in three straight games. The swift-moving winger leads the team with 15 assists and sits tied for 5th in league scoring with 22 points (7G-15A).

https://twitter.com/BladesHockey/status/1381444156589961225

Captain Chase Wouters rekindled his scoring touch last game, scoring his 6th goal of the campaign late in the first period. The pending WHL graduate sits third in team-scoring with 16 points (6G-10A) in 13 games. For the complete game notes package, click here.

On the Record

#73 | Nolan Maier

Head coach | Mitch Love

Higher for Maier

Veteran goaltender Nolan Maier inked his name into Blades lore on March 31st, 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 27 starts away from catching Braden Holtby's record for most games played (177).

The 2001-born netminder collected his 88th career victory most recently on April 11th, stopping 42 of 44 shots in a 3-2 win over Brandon.

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



Western Hockey League Stories from April 14, 2021


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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