Blades join rare company with Second Round comeback

The Saskatoon Blades are breathing rarefied air following an historic win over the Red Deer Rebels Tuesday.

The Blades, who at one point trailed three games to none in their Second Round series, completed the first reverse sweep in franchise history and the third of its kind in WHL history. Prior to their achievement, the odds-defying undertaking had not been achieved since 2013.

After falling behind in the series, the back-against-the-wall Blades needed to stay perfect through their remaining four games if they were to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

In Game 4, a resilient performance from the Saskatoon cohort would see them erase a two-goal deficit to take the win. The comeback triumph would end up being the spark the club needed to kickstart their resurgence, while wins in the fifth and sixth meetings would help sway momentum in Saskatoon’s direction.

By the seventh and final game of the series, the Blades were no strangers to must-win games. Along with a Game 7 triumph over the Regina Pats in the previous series, the Blades had collected an impeccable 4-0 record when facing playoff elimination this spring.

Their elimination game record remained intact Tuesday, as the Blades defeated Red Deer by a score of 5-2 in front of more than 9,000 fans at SaskTel Centre. Defenceman Spencer Shugrue and forward Conner Roulette scored goals 40 seconds apart to break a 2-2 tie early in the third period.

Both Shugrue and Roulette factored in with a pair of tallies in the historic triumph.

🎥HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT🎥

Mr. Game 7. @BladesHockey | #WHLHoN | #WHLPlayoffs@NutrienLTD | #FeedingtheFuture pic.twitter.com/tY3LvdChN2

— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 26, 2023

“You have to put your arms around each other instead of pointing fingers when you go down three-nothing,” Blades head coach Brennan Sonne said following the contest.

“They were full of belief and my god, am I proud of them.”

"They put their arms around each other as oppose to pointing fingers… they were full of belief and my god am I proud of them."

📽️ Head Coach Brennan Sonne pic.twitter.com/5EGNVcEGYo

— Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) April 26, 2023

While Saskatoon’s Second Round success was just the third time the WHL has seen the feat, the concept of the reverse sweep was not a new one.

The WHL was first introduced to the reversal 27 years ago by the Spokane Chiefs.

During the 1996 WHL Playoffs, the Chiefs found themselves trailing the Portland Winterhawks 3-0 in their First Round series. Four wins later — including two in overtime — the Chiefs advanced to the second round.

It was Darren Sinclair who was the overtime hero for the Chiefs in Game 7, capturing his third goal of the playoffs.

In a 1996 interview with The Spokesman-Review, Sinclair spoke about his overtime heroics and what scoring a goal of that magnitude meant to him.

“As a kid you dream of this,” he explained. “It’s a great feeling.”

The Chiefs team, who would progress to the WHL Championship Series that season, played home to future NHL talents Jan Hrdina and Trent Whitfield, as well as 1995-96 WHL Goaltender of the Year David Lemanowicz.

While Spokane established the reverse sweep in the WHL, the Kelowna Rockets held the most recent series win by fashion of the reverse sweep prior to Saskatoon’s win on Tuesday.

Their four-game reversal was notched in 2013 when the Rockets stormed back from a three-game deficit against the Seattle Thunderbirds in their first round series. This included overtime wins in Games 6 and 7.

In Game 7 at Prospera Place, forward Tyson Baillie would record a hat-trick which included the game-winner for the Rockets at 5:10 into the first overtime period.

Current New Jersey Devils blueliners Damon Severson, picked up an assist for the Rockets, while Thunderbirds teammates turned Vegas Golden Knights teammates, Shea Theodore and Keegan Kolesar, were held off the scoresheet.

All three WHL Alumni are currently participating in First Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs with their respective clubs.

The Saskatoon Blades, who find themselves in the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship presented by Nutrien for the first time since 1994, will continue their push for the WHL Championship Friday, April 28 as they take on the 2022-23 Regular Season Champions, the Winnipeg ICE.