The Saskatoon Blades' reign of terror over the Medicine Hat Tigers came to an end Tuesday after a 6-4 loss at Co-op Place. It marks five years to the day since the Blades last suffered a regular-season loss to the Tigers, ending a 15-game win streak against their Eastern Conference rival.
Tuesday’s result wasn’t from a lack of trying on the Blue and Gold’s part. Saskatoon erased three Medicine Hat leads throughout the night, but rookie forward Markus Ruck’s game-winner late in the third period was too much to overcome. The 2008-born forward finished the night with two goals and two assists, combining for seven points alongside his twin brother Liam.
Blades forward Misha Volotovskii led the way offensively for his club with two assists in the loss. The Calgary, AB native has three assists in his last six games and ten points (3G, 7A) in 28 contests this season.
Veteran winger Brandon Lisowsky moved within one goal of alumnus Josh Nicholls on the Blades’ all-time goal-scoring list with his 16th of the season. The Port Coquitlam, BC native extended his point streak to six games, scoring six goals and four assists in that span. Lisowsky has 30 points in 23 games during his graduating WHL season.
18-year-old netminder Evan Gardner faced plenty of rubber in the loss, stopping 37 of 42 Medicine Hat shots. The Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick’s record falls to 13-6-2-0 in his sophomore season.
The Blades still hold a three-point cushion on first place in the Eastern Conference over the Tigers with 38 points.
Former Prince Albert Raider Ryder Ritchie scored with 1:48 remaining in the first period to put the Tigers up 1-0. The Minnesota Wild prospect has goals in back-to-back games against the Blades and three points (2G, 1A) in the season series. Ritchie has six goals and six assists in 16 games this season, failing to record a point in one game since returning from injury on November 15.
Rookie defenceman Jordan Martin channelled his inner Bobby Orr to tie the game for Saskatoon 5:11 into the middle frame. The 6-foot-2 defender jumped past the Tigers blue line and cut in for his third goal of the season. Martin’s recorded two goals in his last four games and has six points in 26 outings this season.
Markus Ruck regained the Tigers lead 3 02 later with his fifth season goal. Ruck’s twin brother, Liam, assisted on the powerplay goal, the first of several times the Blades suffered from twin magic in the game.
The Blades’ first pick of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, Zach Olsen, tied the game on the powerplay just over five minutes later. The rookie winger had a wide-open cage near the lip of the crease to boost his season totals to five goals and 11 points in 23 games.
Less than 90 seconds later, Liam Ruck scored his ninth goal of the season to make it 3-2 Medicine Hat. Markus recorded the primary assist on the goal, putting the Blades down one heading into the final 20 minutes of play.
Liam Ruck potted his second of the night on the powerplay 54 seconds into the third. The primary assist went to his twin once again, giving both men three points so far on the night.
A spirited battle continued throughout the third, resulting in a penalty shot opportunity for Blades forward Ben Riche. The Bethune, SK product’s shot trickled into the net to bring the Blades within one. Extracurricular activities before the penalty shot put the Blades on the penalty kill afterward.
Shortly after the Blades killed the Medicine Hat powerplay, Lisowsky tied the game with 4:37 left in regulation. The fifth-year Blade scored his 16th goal of the season on a one-timer on a 2-on-1.
Markus Ruck collected his fourth point of the night with his second goal of the game to make it 5-4 Tigers. The 2008-born rookie’s sixth of the season stood as the game-winner with 2:09 remaining in the third. Calgary Flames prospect Andrew Basha put his eighth goal of the year into the empty net, capping off a two-point night for the 19-year-old forward.
What’s Next?
The Blades are back in action Wednesday at VisitLethbridge.com Arena against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Puck drop is 8:00 p.m. CST.
