Blades force Game 7, look to complete comeback against Rebels

The Saskatoon Blades have battled back and now find themselves down to just one game to decide their season.

The Blades were down 3-0 in their best-of-seven WHL playoff series against the Red Deer Rebels but reeled off three straight wins — including a 5-3 win on Sunday on the road – to force a Game 7 on Tuesday.

Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. at SaskTel Centre.

“We believe in ourselves and believe in our team and we believe in each other and just holding each other accountable,” Blades forward Brandon Lisowsky told The Green Zone on Monday. “We knew there was only two teams to be able to come back from 3-0 and that was the vibe — we want to put our name in the history books.”

The last time a team came back from 3-0 in a WHL series was in 2013, when the Kelowna Rockets emerged victorious to oust the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Despite the Blades’ season being on the line in Game 4 — and down two goals after the first period — Lisowsky claims they still felt good in the locker room.

“There was no panic. I felt like our whole team was positive,” Lisowsky said. “(We were) just bringing that positivity on the bench and intermissions too.

“I think guys needed to play our game. I think the first three games we just weren’t ourselves.”

Lisowsky, who had two assists in Game 6, credits captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere with having a big role in their ability to get the series turned around.

“He has been an amazing captain over the last two years and he has been a guy that has just been really positive in the room and holding everyone accountable and doing their job,” Lisowsky said.

The Blades do find themselves in familiar territory. The team’s first-round series against the Regina Pats also went the distance, with Saskatoon winning 4-1 in the final game.

“That was my first Game 7, I think it was a lot of guys’ first Game 7,” Lisowsky said. “I think the experience part is huge. You can’t get too high or too low. It’s a win-or-go-home type game.”

And Lisowsky expects a physical affair on Tuesday against the Rebels.

“It was a more physical series than the Regina one and I expect both teams to come out hot,” Lisowsky said.

“I think both teams will want that first hit and kind of get a bump in and get a little physical. I think it’s going to set the tone for the game.”