Lethbridge, AB – Saskatoon's three-goal cushion was enough to hold off the Hurricanes third-period push as the Blades won 4-3 at Lethbridge.com Arena on Wednesday.
Calgary Flames draft pick Hunter Laing set the tone for Wednesday Night in the Dub, scoring two goals in the opening six minutes. The former Prince George Cougar was named the game’s first star, a night when the game was free for anyone to watch online. The Kelowna, B.C. native has eight goals and four assists in 16 games since being acquired by the Blades on January 8 and 34 points (18G, 16A) total in 52 games.
2007-born forward Kazden Mathies and Hayden Harsanyi were the other two goal scorers for Saskatoon, while captain Ben Saunderson assisted on both their tallies. 18-year-old netminder Ethan McCallum improved his record to 8-6-0-3 after a 29-save performance.
The Blades sit 29-18-3-4 with 65 points on the year, two back of the East Division’s top Brandon Wheat Kings. Saskatoon needs 10 points either earned themselves or lost by the Red Deer Rebels to clinch a playoff berth for the fifth straight season.
Laing scored the opening two goals of the game within the first six minutes of the opening frame. The six-foot-six centre almost had a natural hat-trick in the first period, but his third goal was waved off after being deemed in off a high stick. The Blades led 2-0 after 20 minutes.
Hurricanes forward Shane Smith brought his club within one with 6:41 left in the middle frame. The momentum was short-lived for the Hurricanes as the forward Kooper Gizowski committed a high-sticking minor to send the blades to their third powerplay of the night.
Martensville, SK native Kazden Mathies potted his seventh goal of the season to make it 3-1 Saskatoon. The former Seattle Thunderbird has two goals and three assists in 15 games since being acquired by the Blue and Gold at the beginning of January. The Blades went into the second intermission with another two-goal cushion.
Harsanyi gave the Blades a 4-1 lead 8:54 into the third with his 10th goal of the season. The Calgary, AB product is on a six-game point streak, scoring five goals and three assists in that span. Since being acquired by the Blades on January 6 from the Medicine Hat Tigers, the 18-year-old centre has nine goals and six assists in 16 games.
The Hurricanes pressed late with two goals in the final five minutes of regulation to put the Blades on their heels. Captain Brayden Edwards scored his 23rd goal of the season to bring the Hurricanes within a pair, followed by Gizowski’s 12th of the year with 1:48 left on the clock. A couple of big-shot blocks from the Blades and saves from McCallum helped the Blue and Gold secure their 29th win of the season.
What’s next?
The Blades visit the Peavey Mart Centrium on Friday for the final regular season meeting against the Red Deer Rebels. Puck drop is 8:00 p.m. CST.
