Author: Les Lazaruk
Blades finally get to use "It's only preseason" Excuse
Eastern Division September 16, 2018 by Les Lazaruk
By Les Lazaruk It took seven games for it to happen, but the Saskatoon Blades were finally able to use the, "it's only preseason" line when explaining a loss. The Prince Albert Raiders finally got the better of the Bridge City Bunch, upending the visitors 5-2 Saturday. The result […]
Andy Devlin
2018-19 WHL season previews: Saskatoon Blades
Eastern Division Season Previews: 2018-19 September 15, 2018 by Les Lazaruk
By Les Lazaruk 2017-18: For the fifth straight season, the Saskatoon Blades failed to qualify for the WHL playoffs. After hosting the 2013 Memorial Cup, the Bridge City Bunch dropped from 44 wins and 94 points to 16 wins and 37 points in 2013-14. Since then, the Blue and […]
Brian Liesse
Pats take their turn at big victory to force Game 7
Eastern Division WHL Playoffs March 31, 2018 by Les Lazaruk
By Les Lazaruk Playoff hockey is about nail-biting games with overtime added in for a little spice…right? The Regina Pats and Swift Current Broncos, obviously, didn't receive the memo with the post-season template. The Queen City Kids forced a seventh and deciding game in the best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference […]
Non-playoff season costs Brockman his job
Eastern Division March 18, 2018 by Les Lazaruk
By Les Lazaruk The Saskatoon Blades are in the market for the 21st head coach in franchise history after Dean Brockman was fired Sunday morning. That was less than 24 hours after the bridge city bunch finished a fifth consecutive season without qualifying for the playoffs, the last two of […]
Late win streak "small consolation" for Blades
Eastern Division Insight March 18, 2018 by Les Lazaruk
By Les Lazaruk The facts are a tough pill to swallow for the Saskatoon Blades. They will finish the 2017-18 WHL regular-season with more points than five of the six teams in the Central Division and with more wins than four teams that will compete in the playoffs, starting Thursday. […]
Steve Hiscock/Saskatoon Blades
"Old School" nasty revived in Blades victory in Prince Albert
By Les Lazaruk PRINCE ALBERT – The toughest guy affiliated with either team Friday was Raiders' Associate Coach Dave Manson. It almost seemed as if the Saskatoon Blades and P.A. decided to play a meaningless game in his honour – mean and nasty! In a game in which there […]
Late-season swing ends with Blades on outside, looking in
BRANDON – Newsflash: The Prince Albert Raiders finally lost a game! However, it came far too late to be of any help to the Saskatoon Blades. The hoped-for return to the WHL post-season came to an end Tuesday night in Western Manitoba when the Wheat Kings kept replying quickly […]
Bryan Heim
Brandon Clinches Playoff Spot; Blades Have "Tragic Number"
By Les Lazaruk It was another weekend evening that went totally against the Saskatoon Blades' way…only this time, one team clinched a playoff spot at their expense and the other put the Bridge City Bunch on the brink of elimination. Normally Brandon's back-up goaltender, Dylan Myskiw stopped 29 of 31 […]
Tyler Lowey
Very little goes the Blades way Friday
Central Division Eastern Division Insight March 9, 2018 by Les Lazaruk
By Les Lazaruk It was another Friday of watching a badly-wanted WHL playoff spot become even less likely for the Saskatoon Blades. Tristen Nielsen scored the winning goal on a breakaway in overtime – the third of the game for the 18-year-old product of Fort St. John, B.C., […]
Blades man advantage team powers past Oil Kings
By Les Lazaruk What was dormant for three games came alive and was responsible for a badly-needed Saskatoon Blades' victory Tuesday night. The bridge city bunch broke a string of 13 consecutive power play chances without scoring by notching four goals on seven opportunities in a wild and wooly […]