Ashley Messier builds hockey legacy with sights on PWHL, Olympics
5h ago
Mark Messier is her distant cousin, but this Sask. hockey product is carving her own path.
The Saskatoon Blades managed to navigate itself through another multi-goal deficit to comeback and beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 4-2 Saturday at SaskTel Centre.
Facing a 2-0 deficit entering the third period, the Blades stepped to the ice with newfound energy to score three goals in less than eight minutes for the win.
Blades head coach Mitch Love feels a habit of playing in one-goal games suits this team.
“We’ve played in so many one-goal games this year that we feel comfortable in those scenarios that we’re not really out of it if whether we’re up or we’re down. We just kind of stuck to the game plan and one (puck) had to cross the line,” Love said.
Saskatoon narrowly avoided playing in its 14th one-goal game of the year when Kyle Crnkovic scored an empty-net goal with 39 seconds remaining, but the Blades’ approach in the third period was the difference on Saturday.
“Our guys came out with a tonne of juice for some reason,” Love said, mentioning he liked what he saw throughout the game.
After Majid Kaddoura opened the scoring on a long-distance shot that went untouched through traffic in front, it was Cyle Cyle McNabb capitalizing on a rebound following a Aidan De La Gorgendiere point shot to even the game at 2-2.
That’s when 20-year-old defenceman Nolan Kneen finished off the comeback with shot that was blocked to send the puck flying 20 feet into the air before coming down behind Wheat Kings goaltender Jiri Patera and into the net.
Kneen doesn’t feel this one will make the career highlight reel.
“I took a shot, and I thought it got blocked and then I saw a little rainbow and somehow it ended up in the net,” Kneen plainly said following the game.
The Wheat Kings’ Jonny Hooker opened the scoring a little more than halfway through the first period on a penalty shot after he was hauled down on a breakaway.
Ty Thorpe extended the lead in the final minute of the second period. He was able to beat a Blades defenceman on a bouncing puck in front of the net after Blades goaltender Nolan Maier dove for a shot that hit the post and trickled into the slot.
Saskatoon completed its weekend home sweep after beating the Red Deer Rebels 3-1 on Friday.
The team will now make way for the CIBC Canada-Russia Series that lands in Saskatoon on Wednesday. The all-star game pits the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) best players against a Russian junior all-star team. Captain Chase Wouters, goaltender Nolan Maier and Love will all be on the WHL bench Wednesday. The series moves to Prince Albert for Thursday.