WHL Saskatoon Blades

Rhinehart's First Career Hat-Trick Leads Blades to Victory over Pats

April 15, 2021 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Saskatoon Blades News Release


REGINA, SK - There might not have been a single hat tumble onto the ice, but Rhett Rhinehart's first three-goal night was one to remember.

The defender lit the lamp three times, including the eventual game-winner, and the Saskatoon Blades beat the Regina Pats 4-1 to push their win streak to five games on Thursday.

Saskatoon (14-2-2-0) is now two points clear of the Brandon Wheat Kings for first place in the Eastern Division and Conference. They haven't lost since an overtime setback to Winnipeg on April 6th.

Not only is it Rhinehart's first hat-trick, it's the first multi-goal game of his career, which also helped snap an 11-game scoring drought. The 6-foot-4 defender, who's commonly nicknamed 'Rhino' is up to three tallies on the campaign.

Forward Kyle Crnkovic finished off the game's scoring with an empty-netter late in the third, extending his scoring

Meanwhile, Regina (6-9-2-1) falls for a third straight game, and remains tied for fourth in the East Division.

Blades goaltender Koen MacInnes stopped 19 shots to improve to 4-1-1-0 while Roddy Ross allowed three goals on 33 shots in defeat.

Rhinehart opened the scoring 8:07 into the first period. The Lloydminster, AB product fired a long shot from just inside the blue line that was initially stopped by Pats goaltender Roddy Ross. The puck bounced high in the air, overtop of Paddock, before kicking off the netminder's skate and over the goal line.

Less than four minutes later, Rhinehart lit the lamp again, this time with a little more finesse.

With Colby Watton of the Pats in the penalty box, Rhinehart corralled the puck on the left-wing boards, circled towards the slot, and ripped a snapshot off the post and in.

Saskatoon took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission, outshooting the Pats 12-8.

Regina broke MacInnes's bid for a shutout just over three minutes into the second frame, but not for a lack of effort from the Blades netminder. MacInnes stopped Logan Nijhoff on a clear-cut breakaway, but the rebound deflected off Rhinehart's leg and in.

The 223-pound defender more than made up for the slight blunder, throwing his name on the scoresheet for the third time with just over a minute to play in the second.

The goal came mere seconds after a face-off win by Evan Patrician in the attacking zone. The puck was won straight back to Kyle Crnkovic, who one-touched the pass to Rhinehart. From there, he fired a high shot top-corner on Ross, sending virtual hats flying.

Saskatoon is now up to a league-leading 14 wins on the season to go along with their five-game winning streak. They're also 3-0 against Regina this year, and will close out the season series next Tuesday.

The Blades will get a day off tomorrow before returning to the Subway WHL Hub on Saturday, playing as the home team against the Swift Current Broncos at 8:00pm MT.

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Western Hockey League Stories from April 15, 2021


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