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WHL Saskatoon Blades

Lazaruk Calls Career Game 2000 as Blades Visit Regina

February 2, 2022 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Saskatoon Blades News Release


Saskatoon Blades (21-15-1-1) @ Regina Pats (16-19-0-1)

Date | Time Wednesday, February 1st | 7:00pm CT

Place The Brandt Centre, Regina, SK

Video Stream WHL Live

Radio 600 CJWW Radio | Pre-Game Show w/ Les Lazaruk @ 6:30pm CT

Mobile App Apple | Android

What's Next Happy Hour | Friday, Feb. 4th vs Edmonton Oil Kings (7:00pm CT)

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Mr. 2000

It's a night of celebration for the one and only Les Lazaruk.

The longtime voice of the Saskatoon Blades will take the airwaves on 600 CJWW Radio in the calling of his 2000th game in the Western Hockey League - a feat matched only by a select few in history.

Banham, Holtby, Warrener, Schenn, Khudobin... Lazaruk has witnessed them all play, plus many more over the course of his 27+ year career with the Blue & Gold.

His signature goal calls have belted there way through the walls of Saskatchewan homes for parts of four different decades. From calling early playoff runs through the '90's, to Saskatoon's emphatic victory over Halifax in the 2013 Memorial Cup, Lazaruk has been there. Every goal, every save, every whistle.

He'll hop on the airwaves for his 2000th broadcast from the Brandt Centre, as the Regina Pats play host to the Saskatoon Blades.

Congratulations, Les Lazaruk, on reaching an unprecedented milstone fit only for a legend on the mic.

Tonight

The Saskatoon Blades (21-15-1-1) embark on Highway 11 South to challenge their provincial rivals the Regina Pats (16-19-0-1) at the Brandt Centre

It's the start of three games in four nights for the Blades, who are coming off a 3-0 shutout loss to the Brandon Wheat Kings (20-14-2-2) on Sunday. Regina also lost 4-1 to the Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday.

The Blades have won both meetings against the Pats this season. The first was back on October 22nd at the Brandt Centre, where Nolan Maier turned aside 37-of-39 shots to help lift Saskatoon to a 5-2 victory. Two nights later, Saskatoon defeated Regina once again, winning 4-1 at SaskTel Centre.

Saskatoon's powerplay has been lethal all season, currently sitting at 26.9% - good for second in the entire league.

Saskatoon mustered up goals on the man-advantage in each game against Regina, not giving up any short-handed in the season series. Head coach Brennan Sonne and crew hope to keep that trend going, as the Pats have the fourth-best powerplay in the league.

January was a good month for the Blades, going 4-2-0-0 and outscoring their opponents 28-13 in the process. Alternate captains Kyle Crnkovic and Tristen Robins were dynamite for the Blue and Gold, combining for 25 points over those six games. Starting netminder Nolan Maier also added three ticks in the win column, now up to 108 in his career. This positions the career-Blade 12 shy of the record-holder Tyson Sexsmith with 120.

Captain Aiden De La Gorgendiere and his teammates are trying to pull ahead in the race for second in the East Division. The Moose Jaw Warriors currently hold the position with 50 points, while the Blades and Brandon Wheat Kings trail with 44 points each. Saskatoon, however, has five games in hand over the Warriors, and hold the tiebreaker for third against Brandon.

Who to Watch

Blades alternate captain Kyle Crnkovic is third in WHL scoring. The 19-year-old from Chestermere, AB has 57 points in 38 games this season and leads the team with 23 goals. January was good to Crnkovic, who managed to record 13 points in the six games he played.

Fellow alternate Tristen Robins sits second in team scoring, with 52 points in 36 games. The San Jose Sharks prospect was also treated kindly in January, putting up 12 points in five games, and scoring a hat-trick against the Swift Current Broncos on January 14th. The WHL senior received the WHL Player of the Week honour between January 17th and 23rd.

Lloydminster, AB's own Rhett Rhinehart has been making his presence felt of the ice. The 6-foot-4 blueliner is not afraid to throw his body, and has the most career games under his belt on the team with 236. In 28 games this season, "Rhino" has registered 16 points.

Grab some grub and catch the game at Wendel Clark's Classic Grill, where they'll be live streaming all 34 away games this season! Look out for their gameday specials and enjoy the game at one of Saskatoon's finest establishments. Boston Pizza is also streaming Blades games throughout the season!

Saves for Hunger

This season, The Saskatoon Blades have partnered with Nutrien to launch the "Saves for Hunger" Campaign. For every save a Blades netminder makes this season, Nutrien is donating $5 to a local organization. Blades goaltenders have made 1084 saves so far, running the tally up to $5420 raised as the team heads to Regina.

Think you know who'll score our first goal? Look for our First Goal Prediction Contest, brought to you by Boston Pizza, on all of our social media platforms! Good luck!

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Western Hockey League Stories from February 2, 2022


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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