Saskatoon And Sanvido Meet Burns And Broncos
The Saskatoon Blades open up a two game in two night weekend tonight by travelling to meet the Swift Current Broncos. The Blades are coming off of a 6-4 loss on Wednesday night to the Eastern Conference leading Hitmen. Newcomer Adam Tambellini led the charge for Calgary, posting a goal and 3 assists in his WHL debut. For Saskatoon, Nikita Scherbak continued his torrid pace, scoring his 23rd and 24th goals of the year. Ryan Graham scored a shorthanded goal while Brett Stovin added his 10th of the year. Troy Trombley made 46 saves, extending his streak to 12 games of having at least a .900 save percentage.
2013-14 Season Series
Tonight’s game marks the sixth meeting of the season between the Blades and Broncos. Saskatoon currently sits at 2-3-0-0 in the first five games of the season against Swift Current. The season series has shaped up as follows:
October 2nd – Blades 3 – Broncos 5 – Ryan Coghlan, Nikita Scherbak posted 2 points each in the loss
October 11th – Broncos 1 – Blades 2 – Nathan Burns posted 1G, 1A while Alex Moodie made 29 saves for the win
November 1st – Broncos 5 – Blades 3 – Matt Revel had 1G, 1A while Troy Trombley made 34 saves in goal
November 2nd – Blades 6 – Broncos 7 – Matt Revel had 3G while Collin Valcourt had 2G, 2A in the loss
January 1st – Broncos 3 – Blades 6 – Dylan Busenius, Nick Zajac, Nikita Scherbak each had 3 points in the win
Facing Former Teammates
Tonight’s game marks the first time that the Blades meet the Broncos since a trade between the two teams that saw centre Nathan Burns head to Swift Current and Connor Sanvido head to Saskatoon. Also included in the deal was prospect Wyatt Sloboshan heading to Saskatoon along with a 2nd round pick in 2014 and a conditional 3rd round pick in 2015. Burns appeared in 99 regular season and playoff games during parts of two seasons with the Blades. During that time he registered 30 goals, 86 points and 93 PIMs while also being an alternate captain with the club.
Goodbye To Captain Craig
The Saskatoon Blades announced a trade with the Prince Albert Raiders prior to their game on Wednesday against Calgary. The deal saw the Blades acquire 1995-born defenceman Tyler Dea, 1993-born defenceman MacKenzie Johnston, a 3rd round pick in 2015 and a 5th round pick in 2015. In exchange for the package, the Blades dealt captain Graeme Craig to Prince Albert, along with a pair of picks. Dea is in his 1st full WHL season, posting 2 assists in 11 games prior to the deal. Johnston is in his 5th full WHL season, having posted 13 points in 38 games this year with the Raiders.
Revel Heads West
The Blades also announced a trade with Kamloops following their game on Wednesday. The deal saw them acquire 1996-born centre Mitch Lipon, a 1st round pick in 2015 and the rights to 1996-born defenceman Jordan Thomson. Heading to Kamloops was centre Matt Revel, a 3rd round pick in 2016 and a conditional 2nd round pick in 2014. Lipon is a 5’8 centre from Regina. He’s currently in his first WHL season, posting 2 goals, 7 points and 14 PIMs in 31 games. Thomson is the former 4th overall selection in the 2011 Bantam Draft by the Blazers. He appeared in 20 games this year, putting up 7 assists and 20 PIMs.
Trombley Stands Tall
The Blades have been getting solid goaltending from Sherwood Park, Alberta product Troy Trombley since the start of December. The 6’6 goaltender has put up at least a .900 save percentage in each of his past 12 appearances. Over the stretch, he’s posted a 3.02 GAA and a .929 save percentage. Included in that are starts in each of the Blades four games of 2014, registering two wins, two losses and a shootout loss to go with a 2.95 GAA and .932 save percentage.
Upcoming Schedule
Regina Pats @ Saskatoon Blades – January 11th
Prince Albert Raiders @ Saskatoon Blades – January 17th
Brandon Wheat Kings @ Saskatoon Blades – January 18th
If you can’t make it to tonight’s game, you can still stay up to date. Watch with WHL Live, listen along on 92.9 The Bull or follow @bladeshockey on Twitter for all the game updates.
Following tonight’s game, the Blades are back on home ice tomorrow to meet the Regina Pats. You can find tickets for that game by clicking here.
