ICE to face Blades in 2023 Eastern Conference Championship presented by Nutrien

A pair of East Division rivals will meet in the 2023 WHL Eastern Conference Championship presented by Nutrien, as the Winnipeg ICE get set to face the Saskatoon Blades.

The series was confirmed Tuesday after the Blades won their Second Round series versus the Red Deer Rebels. Winnipeg had previously advanced to the Eastern Conference Championship by virtue of a six-game series win over the Moose Jaw Warriors.

The ICE and Blades finished 1-2 in the East Division during the regular season; both Clubs earned more than 100 points in the standings, and the two sides combined for 105 regular season wins.

Winnipeg and Saskatoon’s paths to the Eastern Conference Championship contrasted starkly, though. The ICE swept the Medicine Hat Tigers in the First Round before rallying with three straight victories to defeat the Warriors in the Second Round.

The Blades went the distance, and came from behind in each of their first two series. Saskatoon erased a 2-0 series deficit in the First Round versus the Regina Pats, winning a seven-game thriller thanks in part to home victories in Games 5 and 7.

Saskatoon then became just the third team in League history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit in a seven-game series, eliminating the Rebels on the strength of four straight triumphs.

Buffalo Sabres prospect Matthew Savoie has set the pace for Winnipeg during their post-season run, scoring nine times and totalling 18 points over his 10 playoff appearances. Arizona Coyotes draftee Conor Geekie, who like Savoie was selected in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft, put up 10 of his 13 playoff points during the Second Round against Moose Jaw.

The Blades’ 1-2 punch has come in the form of forwards Trevor Wong and Egor Sidorov; the Belarussian leads the team with nine goals, while Wong’s 14 assists are tied for second-most among WHL skaters during the 2023 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien.

The two sides met six times during the regular season; the ICE won four of the six encounters, though the home side ran out victorious in all but one of the six regular season chapters. The most recent meeting, a 3-2 Saskatoon victory, took place on February 4 at SaskTel Centre.

2023 NHL Draft prospect Zach Benson and 20-year-old blueliner Ben Zloty shared the Winnipeg scoring lead in the season series, posting seven points (2G-5A) apiece. Forwards Connor McClennon and Ty Nash each found the back of the net four times for the ICE versus the Blades during the regular season.

The aforementioned Sidorov led the way for Saskatoon with five goals during the regular season series. Wong and defenceman Charlie Wright chipped in with four assists each.

In goal, Daniel Hauser earned three of the four regular season wins for Winnipeg against the Blades, posting a .917 save percentage over his four starts.

Ethan Chadwick earned the bulk of the workload for Saskatoon in the season series, posting a 2-2-0-0 record to go along with a 2.54 goals-against average and .923 save percentage.

The two franchises have met only once in the WHL Playoffs. The ICE earned a four-game, Second Round sweep over the Blades in 2011 en route to the Club’s most recent WHL Championship.

Game 1 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Championship presented by Nutrien between the Winnipeg ICE and Saskatoon Blades is scheduled for Friday, April 28 at 6:00 p.m. CT in Winnipeg (Wayne Fleming Arena). The series will shift to Saskatoon for Game 3 on Tuesday, May 2 at 7:00 p.m. MT (SaskTel Centre).

2023 WHL PLAYOFFS – SERIES M SCHEDULE

Game	Date	Away	Home	Time
1	April 28, 2023	Saskatoon	Winnipeg	6:05 p.m. CT
2	April 29, 2023	Saskatoon	Winnipeg	4:05 p.m. CT	#
3	May 2, 2023	Winnipeg	Saskatoon	7:00 p.m. MT
4	May 3, 2023	Winnipeg	Saskatoon	7:00 p.m. MT
5	May 5, 2023	Saskatoon	Winnipeg	TBD	*
6	May 7, 2023	Winnipeg	Saskatoon	4:00 p.m. MT	*
7	May 9, 2023	Saskatoon	Winnipeg	7:05 p.m. CT	*

* – if necessary
# – subject to change