GAME 15 PREVIEW | Riche returns to Victoria as Blades battle Royals

Tonight

The Saskatoon Blades (10-3-1-0) hit the ice at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre for a matinee against the Victoria Royals (8-4-1-1).

Today marks the second game of the Blades’ five-game BC road trip. The Blades were bested by the Vancouver Giants Friday in a 7-6 loss at the Langley Events Centre. Saskatoon’s won four straight meetings against the Royals, needing overtime twice to do so. 20-year-old forward Brandon Lisowsky scored the overtime winner in a 5-4 victory against the Royals last season at SaskTel Centre.

Despite beginning their road trip on a loss, the Blades remain atop the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 10-3-1-0 record.

Who to Watch

Today marks 19-year-old forward Ben Riche’s return to Victoria since the Blades acquired him via trade in May in exchange for overage forward Vaughn Watterodt. The Bethune, SK product enters tonight on a seven-game point streak (5G, 8A). The 5-foot-10 speedster dished two helpers in Friday’s loss to the Giants. Riche leads the Blue and Gold in scoring with nine goals and 14 assists in 14 games.

NHL draft-eligible forward David Lewandowski was named second star Friday against Vancouver with a two-goal performance. The German import has four goals and two assists in seven games since signing with the team October 8.

Alternate captain Tyler Parr scored in his third straight game Friday after a powerplay goal in the second period. The La Salle, MB native has four points in his last three games, giving him five goals and nine assists in 12 appearances this season. Parr’s averaging 1.17 points per game with his previous career-high at 0.52.