The Saskatoon Blades secured a victory against the Red Deer Rebels with a final score of 4-1. The game took place at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, SK, with an impressive attendance of 8,355. Additionally, Blades forward and Team Canada Captain Fraser Minten played a significant role in the victory, scoring two goals and winning 18 of 24 faceoffs.
Fraser Minten opened up the scoring for the Blades at 8:32 of the first period with the assists on the goal going to Grayden Siepmann and Brandon Lisowsky.–Minten opened the scoring just under halfway through the first period with his second of the postseason. The 19-year-old centre deflected a Grayden Siepmann point-shot, the first of Siepmann’s two assists on the evening. Minten’s goal marked the sixth time in as many games the Blades opened the scoring in a game. The Blades lead stood at 1-0 heading into first intermission.
Shots on goal in the first period were 6-3 for the Blades
Carson Birnie tied the game up for the Rebels at 5:29 of the second period with the assists going to Carson Latimer and Mats Lindgren.–Carson Birnie nodded the game up at 1-1 at the 5:29 mark of the second. The Arcola, SK product has two goals and three points in six games this postseason.
Vaughn Watterodt made it a 2-1 game at 8:59 of the middle frame with the helpers going to Fraser Minten and Grayden Siepmann.–Vaughn Watterodt was a bit fortunate when Fraser Minten threw the puck into the crease and as Jhett Larson dove to knock it away he slid into Red Deer goaltender Chase Wutzke, allowing Watterodt to slide the puck into an open net.
Fraser Minten scored his third goal of the playoffs on the Power Play at 13:02 of the second period with the assists going to Charlie Wright and Alexander Suzdalev.–Minten gave the Blades a 3-1 lead as he one-timed a shot from the right circle under the bar while on the power play at 13:02 of the middle stanza.
Shots on goal in the second period were 10-8 for the Blades.
Brandon Lisowsky made it a 4-1 game for the Blades when he put the puck in the empty netwith 49 seconds remaining and the helper went to Trevor Wong.–Brandon Lisowsky tucked the puck into an empty net at 19:11 of the third period to round out the scoring on the night.
Shots on goal in the third period were 8-6 for the Blades. The Blades outshot the Rebels 24-17 in the game.
Evan Gardiner made 16 saves on the 17 shots that he faced for the win for the Blades. Chase Wutzke made 20 saves on the 23 shots that he faced for the Rebels. Rhett Stoesser is out for the Rebels after an injury this week in practice. Taylor Tabashniuk is called up and backing up Wutzke. Tabashniuk has been called up before by the Rebels he is a 2007 born goalie from Regina who played this season with the Regina Pat Canadiens in the SMAAAHL. Tabashniuk was a 6th round pick of the Rebels in the 2022 WHL Bantam Draft.
Three Stars of the game were 1) Fraser Minten 2) Vaughn Watterodt 3) Evan Gardiner
Attendance In Saskatoon was 8,355
Rebels next game is game #2 Sunday April 12th at 4pm in Saskatoon. The Rebels next home game is Game #3 on Tuesday April 14th in Red Deer.
Around The League
Landon Dupont, a 14-year-old defenseman from Edge School Prep’s Under-18 team, has been granted exceptional player status by Hockey Canada, making him eligible to play all of next season in the Western Hockey League as a 15-year-old. This status is a rare and significant achievement, as he is only the second player in WHL history to be granted this status, following Connor Bedard. This decision by Hockey Canada and the WHL allows him to play the entire season in the league in 2024-25, a year earlier than typical eligibility.
Landon is expected to make a significant impact in the WHL, considering his exceptional performance at Edge School, where he scored 19 goals with 62 points in 30 regular season games and captured the CSSHL U18 title and championship MVP honors. His exceptional status and the early entry into the WHL suggest high expectations for his performance and development within the league. Regarding the NHL Draft, Landon is eligible for the 2027 NHL Draft.
