East Division recap

 

More bad breaks for battered Blades 

There was no shortage of news in the East Division this week. There was also a full slate of games though the headlines were reserved for stories beyond wins and losses.

Saturday night, the Saskatoon Blades (21-26-5-1) beat the Red Deer Rebels 4-2, but did so at a high cost.

Blades defenceman Jake Kustra was knocked out of the game after he was hit by former teammate Cam Hausinger midway through the third period. Hausinger was given a checking-to-the-head major and a game misconduct after he hit Kustra into the end boards as he appeared to lose an edge and stumble. Hausinger subsequently also received a two-game suspension for the changed penalty of charging from the league office.

Kustra was stretchered off the ice and taken to hospital before being released that same evening.

With 30 seconds left in the game, Rebels defenceman Colton Bobyk caught Blades leading-scorer Braylon Shmyr with his head down in the neutral zone and left him crumpled on the ice. Bobyk wasn’t penalized.

The night before — in a 5-2 loss to Regina — Pats forward Jeff de Wit sent the Blades Russian defenceman Mark Rubinchik head-first into the end boards. de Wit picked up a checking-from-behind major and a two-game suspension. Rubinchik was uninjured.

The big hits on Saturday underscored a testy contest that saw the coaches exchanging heated opinions towards each other’s benches. While the fireworks drew a lot of attention, the injuries could deliver a sizable blow to the Blades playoff hopes. They hold down the final wild card position, one point ahead of Calgary.

Saskatoon had been besieged by injuries all season and have lost 193 man-games this season heading into the weekend.

Cameron Hebig — who had 69 points in 59 games last season — hasn’t played at all this season. Mason McCarty, who was the Blades leading scorer at the time of his injury on Nov. 25, hasn’t played since.

Kustra and Shmyr now join McCarty, Hebig and Lukas McKenzie — injured in a fight in the Red Deer game — as week-to-week. Markson Bechtold, who has only played three games since being acquired from Spokane in mid-December is day-to-day.

On the bright side, last year’s second overall pick Kirby Dach, could be with the Blades sooner than later. Dach’s Fort Saskatchewan midget AAA team are at the bottom of the AMHL’s Dodge Division. They’re four points out of a playoff spot with three games left. The regular season concludes on Feb. 18 and the six-foot-two forward is free to join Saskatoon as soon Fort Saskatchewan’s season concludes. Mason McCarty might be available tonight for the game against Moose Jaw after missing 27 games.

Mumps, a double-header and more OT with Moose Jaw 

While the Blades injury woes mounted, an entirely different menace befell the Brandon Wheat Kings (26-20-5-2).

The Wheat Kings were forced to scratch three players — Reid Duke, Caiden Daley and Cole Reinhardt — Wednesday night after they contracted the mumps. Wheat Kings head coach David Anning returned to the bench after missing the two previous games due to illness.

The rare, yet contagious virus hit the NHL in 2014 with Sidney Crosby missing a pair of games after contracting the mumps.

The mumps outbreak was a footnote in the first double-header in league history as the Wheat Kings and Moose Jaw Warriors finally concluded the Fog Bowl.

When fog adversely affected the ice conditions during the Wheat Kings’ home opener on Sept. 24, the league halted the game in the second period with the Warriors holding a 2-1 lead.

Those goals came from Brayden Watts and Nikita Popugaev — two players no longer with the Warriors — and were scored on Brandon goalie Jordan Papirny who was starting for the Swift Current Broncos in Edmonton while the game he started reached its conclusion.

The first game began at 6 p.m. and after the final 5:37 of the second period was completed, the teams took a two-minute break, changed ends and began the third period.

The Warriors surrendered the lead before rallying for a 4-3 overtime win thanks to a Thomas Foster goal.

The second game of the evening also went to overtime and Nolan Patrick’s second goal of the night was the overtime winner as the Wheat Kings beat the Warriors 4-3.

Each team earned three points on the night which is par for the course — all six of the teams’ meetings have been settled in overtime.

The Wheat Kings opened their week with a 6-3 win over Edmonton and followed that with a 4-1 loss in Swift Current.

Warriors and Canes turn back the clock

The Warriors (32-15-7-1) opened their week with a 6-2 in in Kootenay before they gave up two empty net goals in a 3-0 loss in Lethbridege.

The Hurricanes were honouring their 1997 WHL championship team and the current editions engaged in a little “Shockey hockey” befitting the rough and tumble 97 champs, engaging in a five-on-five line brawl after a centre ice face-off in the waning seconds. Both teams were fined for the incident.

After hitting a cold spell, Jayden Halbgewachs is back lighting the lamp for the Warriors. He has four goals in his last four games and had a four-point night in Cranbrook.

Pats defence tightening 

Here’s a scary thought for the rest of the league: the Regina Pats (38-6-6-1) might just be starting to hit their stride.

After dominating the WHL with an explosive offence and wide-open style, the Pats are riding a nine-game winning streak and doing it with some stifling defence added to the formula.

They allowed 20 shots in a 5-2 win in Saskatoon and only 18 shots against in a 7-1 win over the struggling Edmonton Oil Kings.

Tyler Brown made 28 saved to backstop the Pats to a 4-0 win in Calgary Wednesday.

Broncos win three straight to stay in third

The Swift Current Broncos (28-17-3-5) are also finding their stride as they beat Brandon 4-1 and Edmonton 3-2 to extend their winning streak to three games.

While that pales in comparison to the division leaders, it does come on the heels of a four-game losing skid and keeps them five points ahead of Brandon who continues to try to narrow the gap in the race for third place in the East.

Papirny seems to be settling in with the Broncos. He has won his last three starts and has a .949 save percentage in those three wins.

Stallard out for the season

The Prince Albert Raiders (13-37-3-2) weren’t able to build on their successful January as they lost 6-3 to Red Deer and then 3-2 in Medicine Hat in a solid performance that saw goalie Ian Scott make 36 saves.

The Raiders learned that 19-year-old forward Jordy Stallard will miss the rest of the season following shoulder surgery. Stallard played eight games with the Raiders after being acquired from Calgary.