By Les Lazaruk
What worked in the third period on Sunday was maintained by the Saskatoon Blades Tuesday…with prolific results!
Linemates Cam Hebig and Kirby Dach each posted four-point games, pacing the Bridge City Bunch to a 5-3 victory over the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. Twenty-year-old Hebig is the centre. He had two goals and two assists. Sixteen-year-old Dach is the right winger. He tallied a highlight-reel winning marker and added three helpers. Left winger Brad Goethals chipped in the opening goal.
Assistant coach Ryan Keller said Blue and Gold head coach Dean Brockman gets the credit for shuffling the lines back on Sunday with the score tied 2-2 in a must-win battle with Prince Albert. The Blades went on to win 3-2 and the decision was made to stay with the changes against the ‘Canes.
Simply, a “genius” move!
“Yeah, it sure was,” answered the veteran Hebig when it was suggested to him that the goals he scored came easy with the set-ups he received from Dach. “I had some nice plays made to me and I just had to put it home. Yeah, nice to get those passes.”
As for the rookie Dach, he had this to say about what he gleans from being on a line with Hebig, “Just how to hold yourself…one and off the ice. He’s a great mentor for me to learn from for upcoming years on how to be a leader in the dressing room for sure. I think he’s one of our most vocal guys in the dressing room…steps up and tells us when we need to do better or we’re doing good at the time. And, I think that’s something I need to learn from him and take away from this year.”
Josh Paterson notched the other goal for Saskatoon, who scored on their second, fourth and sixth shots on Lethbridge goaltender Stuart Skinner in the first 10 minutes of the first period. To their credit, the Hurricanes didn’t roll over and quit…rallying to within 4-3 in the third period. But, they couldn’t overcome the Bridge City Bunch’s fast start.
Dylan Cozens, Calen Addison and Jake Elmer tallied for the 14-14-2 Canes, who were outshot 42-33. Their fourth-ranked power play was 0-for-4, with only two shots on goal. Conversely, the 13-16-3 Blue and Gold were 2-for-6 with the man advantage.
Coupled with Swift Current’s 2-1 win over visiting Prince Albert and the Blades are just two points back of the Raiders for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Saskatoon finishes up their pre-Christmas schedule with three games-in-three nights this weekend…Friday in Regina, Saturday at home to Kelowna and hosting the Pats Sunday.
Pacman Points – It was only the third time this season that the Bridge City Bunch have won back-to-back games.
Nolan Maier made his 11th straight start in goal for the Blue and Gold…his record during the run…5-4-1. He was backed up Tuesday by 19-year-old Ryan Kubic…cleared to return to action for the first time since suffering a knee injury November 18 at Moose Jaw.
Tuesday was the last outing with the Blades for Libor Hajek, for what he hopes will be a three-and-a-half week stay with the Czech Republic team at the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championship in Buffalo. Hajek leaves Wednesday morning to join the Czechs at their selection camp in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
The loss ended a run of four games posting points in the standings for Lethbridge. Their previous regulation loss was December 1…a 5-1 home loss to Brandon. The Hurricanes are 2-5-1 against East Division teams.
Three Canes players entered the contest on modest-sized points-scoring streaks, but only left winger Taylor Ross extended his run to four games with an assist on Cozens’ goal. Ross has five points, including four goals, in the four games.
Saskatoon were without a pair of 19-year-old veterans due to lower-body injuries…left winger Gage Ramsay and right winger Caleb Fantillo. Tyler Lees was a healthy scratch.
The Hurricanes were minus 19-year-old defenceman Brady Pouteau and 19-year-old centre Ryan Vandervlis…both with upper-body injuries. Vandervlis will be sidelined for the rest of the season. A pair of 17-year-old forwards, Russian Egor Zudilov and Brendan Stafford, were coaches decisions.
Former Regina and Red Deer right winger Lane Zablocki made his Lethbridge debut after being acquired from the Rebels for Josh Tarzwell and a pair of draft picks last week. The 19-year-old Zablocki was held off the scoresheet.
The ‘Canes won 41 of 74 faceoffs with Girogio Estephan leading the way by capturing possession for his team on 20 of 35 draws. Hebig was tops for the Bridge City Bunch, winning 16 of 24 trips to the dot.
The busiest individual shooters overall were Hebig for the Blue and Gold with eight shots on goal. Braylon Shmyr had six while 17-year-old defenceman Addison paced Lethbridge with five shots on goal.
