Blades advance to second consecutive Eastern Conference Championship

For the second straight year, the Saskatoon Blades have advanced to the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship.

The WHL’s Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy champions punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference finale in emphatic fashion, dispatching the Red Deer Rebels in four games.

The Blades put an exclamation mark on their second-round triumph with a 7-0 victory over the Rebels in Game 4 Wednesday evening.

Anaheim Ducks prospect Egor Sidorov was the driving force in Game 4, registering a hat-trick for the ages, including a couple of jaw-dropping, highlight-reel tallies.

Rookie netminder Evan Gardner turned in a perfect performance, steering aside all 26 shots sent his way.

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Brandon Lisowsky also served as a key contributor for the Blades, recording eight points (3G-5A) over the four-game slate.

This represents the first WHL Playoff series sweep for the Blades since they ousted the Moose Jaw Warriors in four games during the first round of the 2019 WHL Playoffs.

This marked the second consecutive season the Blades and Rebels met during the second round of the WHL Playoffs. In 2023, Red Deer cruised out to a 3-0 series lead only to watch Saskatoon rattle off four straight victories to complete the reverse sweep.

The Blades are the first team to advance to the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship. They await the winner of the other Eastern Conference second-round series between the Moose Jaw Warriors and Swift Current Broncos.