There have been few hotter groups within the Western Hockey League (WHL) than the Saskatoon Blades to kick off the 2024-25 season, going 4-0 of their first 4 video games and have been the primary group within the league to hit 10 wins, which they did so by recreation 13. Ben Riche was the proper addition to the younger squad, cruising to 21 factors in 13 video games, and after beginning the season lacking veterans Tanner Molendyk and Brandon Lisowsky, the 2 returned with out having missed a step, placing up 17 and 13 factors of their first 10 video games again with the Blades.
The Blades’ most up-to-date highway journey, nevertheless, was the polar reverse of their early season surge, coming away with simply three factors in 5 video games and a disappointing 1-3-1 report. Their struggles allowed the Swift Present Broncos and Lethbridge Hurricanes to slide forward of them within the Japanese Convention. Nonetheless, the journey wasn’t with out advantage, and the Blades realized lots about their group and what they should work on to stay a pressure within the WHL.
Blades Must Discover Consistency on the Street
The Blades have been among the finest groups at dwelling, sporting a 6-0-1 report over seven appearances in SaskTel Place and outscoring their opponents 30-16. Their solely loss got here by the hands of the West-leading Everett Silvertips, and even then, Saskatoon took the larger, stronger, quicker and extra skilled group into extra time.
On the highway, it’s been a distinct story. Following their B.C. journey, their report dropped to 5-5-1, and though a lot of their losses have been shut, they’ve struggled to keep up stress for the total 60 minutes. The Blades scored the primary aim of the sport in all however 5 of their highway video games this season. Of these 5, they solely received twice, beating the Calgary Hitmen 5-3 and crushing the Edmonton Oil Kings 6-2. So, whereas they’ll typically get began rapidly, they’ll’t end with the identical energy.
Nonetheless, there isn’t a straightforward repair for that. Whereas the Blades will face the likes of Calgary and Edmonton a number of occasions all through the season, they solely play towards the American and B.C. groups as soon as earlier than the playoffs, making home-ice benefit far more impactful. “The video games have been so shut, so intense from begin to end, and with all of the journey and every thing, it’s actually, actually laborious,” stated head coach Dan DaSilva on Wednesday after their first dwelling apply in almost a month. “To not make excuses, clearly we all know we will be higher in some areas, however I feel they realized it’s a very troublesome league to be constant and play laborious each single evening with back-to-backs and journey and all that.”
Blades Offense Shines All through Roster
Despite the fact that the Blades didn’t take dwelling many factors, the B.C. highway journey additionally proved this group shouldn’t be one to be trifled with. Each recreation was determined by one aim, two of which wanted further time to unravel. It wasn’t only one line that was placing up the factors, both; 10 of the group’s 13 forwards and 4 of eight defencemen ended up on the scoresheet, exhibiting how a lot of a bunch effort these video games have been.
“We realized lots about our group and what it takes to win,” stated Riche, who completed the journey with three objectives and three assists, “particularly towards good groups as a result of the B.C. is an efficient division this 12 months, however I feel general we realized that we will play with anybody and each a kind of video games we have been in, and we may have received at any level…I feel it was our resilience, whether or not we have been up after which misplaced the lead, or we have been down after which we crawled again into it. It’s our resilience, we don’t quit, we don’t quit on video games regardless of how they give the impression of being, and I feel that’s one of the best a part of this group.”
Together with Riche, six gamers completed with 5 or extra factors and 10 whole gamers chipped in a aim. The Blades’ huge weapons have been firing on all cylinders with Lisowsky scoring a team-leading six objectives, however so was German rookie David Lewandowski, who completed with two objectives and three assists and was solely held off the scoresheet as soon as through the highway journey. Lukas Hansen, who missed the primary 13 video games because of a private purpose, scored his first aim of 2024-25 within the Blades’ extra time win over the Cougars.
Saskatoon Continues to Lag within the Second
Regardless of the nice offensive numbers throughout the roster, Saskatoon struggled to keep up stress all through a full 60 minutes. The Blades began all however one recreation by scoring the primary aim, all of which occurred throughout the first 10 minutes and three video games noticed them rating within the first six minutes. The one drawback is that, in all however a kind of video games, the opposing group scored the subsequent aim in 11 minutes or much less to tie the sport. The Blades managed to maintain tempo, however they have been by no means capable of take a breather, which had opposed results on the end result of the sport.
“Clearly our report wasn’t what we’d wished to be at first of the highway journey, however all video games have been one-goal video games towards some fairly good groups on the market,” stated veteran Tyler Parr, who completed the journey with three objectives and 6 factors. “All these groups are very aggressive, so I feel what we realized is we will play with any group on this league once we’re on, however we’ve got received to be on for 60 minutes and I believed that was one thing that we may do higher was simply sticking to our recreation for 60 minutes. However we realized that we may play with any group and we beat Prince George, among the finest groups within the league, in order that’s fairly good things.”
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These issues got here again to chunk them on Friday evening when the Blades hosted the Oil Kings. After two fast objectives within the first interval, the group lagged a bit within the second, permitting the Oil Kings to even up the sport. Fortunately, they got here away with the win in regulation, but it surely was a lot nearer than it ought to have been. “We weren’t taking part in to our identification and that damage us just a little bit,” stated Riche. “I feel we have to clear up that space of our recreation and begin taking part in a full 60 minutes.”
“We simply received just a little comfy,” added Molendyk. “You’re up 2-0, I feel we sort of fell into that lure right here within the final couple of minutes the place we go up after which simply fall into their recreation and we’ve received to do away with that streak or else it’s going to begin beating us within the butt.”
However the basis is there for enchancment. The Blades have given up the second-least variety of objectives within the WHL up to now this season because of nice performances from throughout the roster and are virtually at all times capable of finding just a little further within the third interval to make up for his or her errors. If they’ll push by means of and placed on a extra constant effort for the whole recreation, this group might be one to observe come playoff time.
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