Blades & Warriors Live From Saskatoon On Rogers Sportsnet

January 27, 2010 - Western Hockey League (WHL) - Saskatoon Blades News Release





The Saskatoon Blades host the Moose Jaw Warriors tonight at Credit Union Centre in a game that can be seen live on Rogers Sportsnet West. Game time is 7:00 pm.

Head-to-Head The two clubs have faced off three times already this season with two more games remaining after tonight's contest.

The Blades have opened the season series with three straight wins. In the opening match on October 31st at the Moose Jaw Civic Centre, the Blades came away with a 4-3 victory. Just four days later at Credit Union Centre, the Blades took the second straight one-goal game between the clubs with a 2-1 win. The Bridge City Bunch won its third consecutive game against the Warriors on November 20th at the Crushed Can with a 4-1 victory.

Stefan Elliott (North Vancouver, BC) and Walker Wintoneak (Flin Flon, MB) share the lead in scoring for the Blades against the Warriors this year with three goals and one assist for four points so far.

In goal, Adam Morrison (White Rock, BC) has started two of the three games and has made 62 saves on 66 shots. Steven Stanford (Calgary, AB) got the call in the most recent game and made 26 saves on 27 shots for the victory.

Veteran forward Brendan Rowinski leads the Warriors' charge against the Blades this season with one goal and two assists for three points.

Jeff Bosch has taken the defeat in goal in all three contests after making 59 saves on 78 shots. Brandon Glover has seen one period of action in net and turned aside all three shots he faced.

Saskatoon Blades

The Blades (32-11-2-3, 69 points, 1st in East Division, 1st in Eastern Conference) come into tonight's game winless in their last three games. The team was last in action on Saturday evening and dropped a 5-2 decision to the Brandon Wheat Kings at home. Darian Dziurzynski (Lloydminster, AB) and Marek Viedensky (Handlova, Slovakia) scored the goals for the Blades while Stanford stopped 26 shots in a losing cause.

Derek Hulak (Saskatoon, SK) remains atop the Blades' scoring list with 20 goals and 36 assists for 56 points this season. Wintoneak is second on the team with 20 goals and 31 assists for 51 points. Elliott, third in team scoring, has 18 goals and 27 assists for 45 points and is tied for sixth amongst WHL defensemen this season.

Hulak and Wintoneak share the team lead in goals scored with 20 markers each on the campaign.

The Blades feature a pair of players near the top of the WHL penalty minutes list. Curt Gogol (Calgary, AB) and Randy McNaught (Nanaimo, BC) both have 133 penalty minutes this season and are tied for fourth overall in the Western Hockey League.

Elliott sits second on the league plus/minus list with a +34 rating this season. Sam Klassen (Watrous, SK) is tied for third at +31. Hulak, meanwhile, is in a four-way tie for eighth at +26.

In between the pipes, Stanford has an 18-5-2-0 record with a 2.53 goals against average (2nd in the WHL) and a.909 save percentage (T-7th in the WHL) in 27 games played this season. Morrison has made 26 appearances and has compiled a 14-8-0-3 record with a 3.06 goals against average and a.900 save percentage.

The Blades are ranked 19th in the WHL for power play efficiency, working at a 15.8% clip this season. While shorthanded, the team has killed off 83.4% of chances, putting them 5th overall in the league.

Moose Jaw Warriors

The Warriors (25-17-3-3, 56 points, 3rd in East Division, 6th in Eastern Conference) come into tonight's game on the heels of a 3-2 overtime loss to the Swift Current Broncos last night.

Quinton Howden leads the Tribe in scoring this season with 21 goals and 31 assists for 52 points. Rowinski is second on the team with 26 goals and 23 assists for 49 points. Overage forward Jason Bast is third with 23 goals and 23 assists for 46 points. Ryan Stanton leads the team's defensemen in scoring with 6 goals and 25 assists for 31 points.

Rowinski leads the team in goals scored with 26 this season.

Defenseman Dylan McIlrath has 127 penalty minutes to lead the team in that category.

Bast is tops on the team in the plus/minus category with a +25 rating, putting him in a tie for tenth in the WHL.

In goal, Bosch has an 18-13-3-2 record with a 3.06 goals against average and a.905 save percentage in 37 games this season. Glover has seen action in 17 games this season and sports a 7-4-0-1 record to go along with a 3.42 goals against average and a.881 save percentage.

The Warriors have the #5-ranked power play in the WHL, currently working at a 25.6% clip on the season. With a man down, the Warrior are ranked 16th in the league at 77.5%.

Blades vs Warriors For a free child's admission to tonight's game with the purchase of an adult seat click here.

Keep an eye out for tons of tasty treats pitched into a pair of lucky sections with the "Cadbury Sweetest Section" and the "DQ Grill & Chill Ice Cream Toss".

Tonight's game will be available on Rogers Sportsnet West at 7:00 pm and a tape delay on Rogers Sportsnet Pacific at 12:00 am.

Tickets are available for tonight's game at Ticketmaster.ca, by calling 938-7800, or by stopping by any Ticketmaster location.

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