GAME 45 PREVIEW | Blades look to reclaim top spot in the East Division against Raiders
WHL REGULAR SEASON | GAME 45 | Saskatoon Blades (23-16-2-3) vs Prince Albert Raiders (24-15-3-1)
|
Tonight
The Saskatoon Blades (23-16-2-3) welcome the Prince Albert Raiders (24-15-3-1) to SaskTel Centre for the second half of a weekend home-and-home series against their Highway 11 rival. Saskatoon dropped Friday’s contest on the road at the Art Hauser Centre 6-3 in a wild contest which featured seven goals in the opening 20 minutes. Tonight’s the third game in as many days for Prince Albert, losing to the Regina Pats 3-2 in the shootout last night at the Brandt Centre. The Blades trail the Raiders by a point for the East Division lead, as the visitors come into tonight winners in five of their last six games.
Who to Watch
20-year-old defenceman Grayden Siepmann has one goal and four assists on his four-game point streak. The WHL veteran leads the Blades backend in points with five goals and a team-leading 27 assists. In 248 career WHL games, Siepmann has 23 goals and 96 assists for 119 points.
Rookie forward Cooper Williams collected a goal and an assist Friday against the Raiders. The 2008-born centre got the first of three Blades goals in a five-minute span of the first period. Williams has four goals and one assist in his last four games, sitting eighth in WHL rookie scoring with 31 points (13G, 18A) in 44 games.
Calgary Flames draft pick Hunter Laing has two goals and two assists on his current four-game point streak. The 6-foot-6 forward scored his 12th goal of the season Friday against Prince Albert to bring the Blades within one with 12 seconds left in the first period. Laing was acquired by the Blades on January 8 from the Prince George Cougars and has four points (2G, 2A) since arriving. In 42 games his sophomore season, the Kelowna, BC native has 12 goals and 14 assists with a +8 rating.
Our game day 50/50 is live! You can skip the line at the game and purchase your ticket online from anywhere in Saskatchewan. Give yourself a chance to walk home with some serious cash!