Milligan, Anthony Lanier II return to Riders' lineup
10h ago
Some key players are back for the Riders as they get ready to host the Redblacks on Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Saskatoon Blades didn’t let a Swift Current Broncos goal in the opening minute spoil any game celebrations as the Blades rattled off eight straight goals to cruise to an 8-1 victory at SaskTel Centre.
Eight Blades players scored at least two points while rattling off 54 shots compared to the Broncos’ 18.
Blades head coach was pleased to see his team dominate all facets of the game.
“Those are tough games to play in some times, especially when the score gets ran up,” Love said following the game. “Our guys made some plays tonight. It’s nice, it gives you a bit of a confidence boost, especially offensively.”
Former Blade Matej Toman scored the opening goal 36 seconds after the opening puck drop. After that, it was all Saskatoon.
Goals from Chase Wouters, Alex Morozoff and Zach Huber would give the Blades a 3-1 lead at the first intermission. Martin Fasko-Rudas and a second Wouters goal would extend the lead to 5-1 after 40 minutes before Tristen Robins, Caiden Daley and second goal from Fasko-Rudas in the third would bring the onslaught to an end.
Aiden De La Gorgendiere led all players with four assists.
Making the victory that much sweeter was having extra fans in attendance. The Blades hosted each player’s parents and had the fathers announce the opening lineup in the dressing room.
“I know how much that meant to them and the players ultimately, so that was a cool experience,” Love said.
Picking up two points on Saturday was key to Saskatoon’s hopes at climbing the East Division standings after two losses to the Brandon Wheat Kings earlier this month.
With a Wheat Kings loss to the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday, Saskatoon is now two points behind the Wheaties and four points back from the Winnipeg Ice.
With 11 games remaining, Love knows the pressure is mounting if the team hopes to gain home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
“We talk about our playoff mindset right now. We’re striving to try and get top seed. We’re trying to get ourselves right so when we play Prince Albert and the Winnipeg, we’re ready to go,” Love said.
The Blades get a few days of rest before hosting the Prince Albert Raiders for the first game of a home-and-home series on Friday.
European import Fasko-Rudas is excited to play Prince Albert for the first time so close to the playoffs.
“Everyone is getting ready for playoffs. It’s getting more intense and more fun,” he said.
“I heard it’s a good rivalry, so it’s going to be fun, it’s going to be a good battle — I can’t wait.”
“We were trying to build throughout the year about trying to win a division title for the first time in a long time. We’re in that dog fight right now but we got a lot of games ahead of us,” Love said.