GAME 15 RECAP | Blades earn point in shootout loss to Royals
Victoria, BC – The Saskatoon Blades picked up their first point of the BC road trip after a 5-4 shootout loss to the Victoria Royals at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre on Sunday.
It’s only the second time this season Saskatoon’s dropped two contests in a row and have managed at least a point on both occasions. The Blades came up short Friday night at the Langley Events Centre against the Vancouver Giants 7-6, making them 0-1-0-1 on their five-game swing out west. Despite back-to-back losses, the Blades still sit atop the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 10-3-1-1 record.
Sunday marked 19-year-old forward Ben Riche’s return to Victoria since the Blades acquired him from the Royals in May in exchange for overage winger Vaughn Watterodt. Riche picked up an assist on the opening goal of the game, keeping him the team’s scoring leader with 24 points (9G, 15A) in 15 games.
Nashville Predators prospect Tanner Molendyk recorded his 100th career WHL assist in the defeat. The Blades’ 2020 fifth-overall pick in the WHL Prospects Draft has picked up four of those helpers in his past three games, giving him nine in as many games this season. Molendyk is two games shy of 200 in his WHL career, boasting 25 goals, 100 assists, and 125 points all while in a Blades uniform.
18-year-old netminder Ethan McCallum made his Blades season debut after being acquired from the Medicine Hat Tigers last week. The 6-foot-4 goalie turned aside 28 of 32 shots, dropping his record this season to 1-1-0-1.
20-year-old sniper Brandon Lisowsky opened the scoring 4:40 into the first period on the Blades’ first and only powerplay of the game. The Port Coquitlam, BC product pounded a shot past Royals netminder Spencer Michnik in the slot. The goal extended both Lisowsky’s and Riche’s point streaks to eight games. All of Lisowsky’s six goals and eight assists this season have come on his point streak, while Riche has five goals and nine assists during his run.
The Blades extended their lead to two thanks to 2005-born forward Tyler Parr’s sixth goal of the year with 3:43 left in the first. The La Salle, MB native extended his goal streak to four games, giving him four goals and an assist in his last four outings. In 13 games this season, Parr has six goals, nine goals, and 15 points.
Not long after, Riche was adamant his shot crossed the Royals goal line to make it 3-0 Saskatoon. The original call on the ice was no goal, and a lengthy video review resulted in the same outcome, giving the Blades a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.
Royals forward Markus Loponen brought the hosts back within one just under halfway through the contest. The Winnipeg Jets draft pick came through big later in the game to boost his stat line to six goals, four assists, and ten points in 13 games.
Blades captain Ben Saunderson responded immediately, making it 3-1 Saskatoon 31 seconds later. The 20-year-old defenceman picked the glove-side corner perfectly for this second of the season and second point of the evening.
Rookie forward Cooper Williams made it 4-1 Saskatoon 2:03 into the third. The 2008-born winger leads all Blades rookies in scoring with five goals and 12 assists in 14 games.
Things went downhill for the Blades from there.
NHL draft-eligible forward Cole Reschny kickstarted three unanswered goals for the Royals in the third period. The Macklin, SK product potted his fifth goal of the year with more than half a period to play.
Loponen brought the Royals within one with 3:03 remaining in regulation for his second goal of the game. Reschny tied the game 4-4 with his second of the game less than two minutes later, forcing extra time for the third time this season for Saskatoon.
Overtime solved nothing, but the Royals’ Logan Pickford scored the only goal in the shootout to complete the 5-4 comeback for Victoria.
What’s Next?
The Blades trek north to Prince George for a game Tuesday night against the Cougars.
Puck drop is 9:00pm CT.
