by Jarod Fillion

Three Goal Second Propels Blades Over Wild, 4-2

The Wild started their Eastern road trip at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. This is the first time the Wild have faced Saskatoon on the road in franchise history. The Wild came into the game having lost their last two games, while the Blades had lost their previous three.

Blades Led 2-1 through 20 minutes of Play

The Blades got on the board first with a toe drag and shot by Calgary Flames draft pick Hunter Laing that beat Wild netminder Brendan Gee underneath the crossbar 4:52 into the first period. A few minutes later, the Wild tied the game on a 2-on-1 goal as Wild forward Shaun Rios fed a backdoor pass to Tye Spencer for his 12th goal of the season. With 2:01 left in the first period, Saskatoon would regain the lead back on a goal by Cooper Williams. Williams stole the puck off of Wild’s Rios and created a 1-on-1 opportunity against netminder Gee, beating him five hole to give the Blades a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes of play.

Blades Add Two More, Go Up 4-1 through 40 minutes

Saskatoon’s Tyler Parr gave the Blades some insurance with a backdoor tap-in from a pass by Hudson Kibblewhite at the 13:21 mark of the second period to double the lead. Saskatoon would add another with 1:45 left in the middle frame as Rowan Calvert would bang in the second chance opportunity to give the Blades a three-goal lead into the final period.

Wild Get One Back, Still Fall 4-2

The Wild cut the deficit to two goals at the 3:43 mark on the powerplay. Wild forward Dawson Seitz split the defense and beat Saskatoon netminder Ethan McCallum. For Seitz, it was his 12th goal of the season. That’s all Wenatchee would get as the Blades won 4-2. Saskatoon netminder McCallum picked up his fourth win of the season, stopping 25 of 27 shots. The Wild finished 1-for-3 on the powerplay and perfect on the penalty kill. The Wild moved to 17-25-3-1 with the loss, while the Blades climbed to 24-16-3-3.

Prince Albert’s Explosive Third Period Plays Difference, Wild Fall 5-2

The Wild headed north to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan to play the Raiders at Art Hauser Arena. Prince Albert came into the contest as the top team in the East division, with a record of 26-15-3-1.

Wild Start With A Bang, Lead 2-1 after 20 minutes

Wenatchee cracked the scoreboard first 3:16 into the first period as Wild forward Luka Shcherbyna banged in a backdoor pass from Shaun Rios to grab the early 1-0 lead. Wenatchee would double the lead with 2:02 left in the first period. Boston Tait collected his first WHL point as he fired a stretch pass to Shaun Rios, who fired a shot that beat Raiders netminder Max Hildebrand. Tait was the twelfth overall pick in the draft this past year. It was only his second ever WHL game for Tait, being only 15 years old. Prince Albert stole a goal back 16 seconds later, as captain Justice Christensen fired a one-timer that got past Wild netminder Brendan Gee to cut the Wild lead in half after one period.

Prince Albert Controls Remainder Of The Game, Raiders Win 5-2

Wenatchee killed a significant 5-on-3 penalty at the end of the second period to hold the lead at 2-1 through 40 minutes. Prince Albert wasn’t fazed as they erupted for four goals in the third. The first came at the 7:08 mark when Brayden Dube snuck in a second-chance rebound goal on the powerplay off a shot by Lukas Dragicevic, tying the game at 2-2. Raiders would grab the lead for the first time five minutes later as the Wild turned it over in their zone. Raiders forward Aiden Oiring forced the turnover and found Tomas Mrsic for a shot in the slot. Prince Albert finished the night with a Niall Crocker powerplay tap-in goal with 5:56 remaining and an empty net goal from Oiring with 4:04 to play to go up 5-2. Wenatchee thought they cut the deficit to two goals on a deflection from Caelan Joudrey on a point shot from Brendan Dunphy, but it was waved off because it was deflected with a high stick.

Wild Look To Bounce Back In Moose Jaw Tuesday Night

The Raiders' powerplay played a huge role, scoring two goals in the third period. As a result, the Wild fell 5-2 against the Prince Albert Raiders, resulting in a 0-2 start on Wenatchee's Eastern Conference road trip. Wenatchee’s road trip continues in Moose Jaw to face the Warriors. Puck drop is set for 5 pm PST Tuesday at Moose Jaw Events Centre.

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