East Division recap

 

It was a bad news week for teams in the East Division as two contenders lost forwards to season-ending knee surgery.

The Regina Pats saw their forward depth take a hit when 17-year-old Jake Leschyshyn required knee surgery after being injured on Feb. 3.

The same day, the Swift Current Broncos announced that 20-year-old Ryan Graham was also out for the season, ending his WHL playing career. Graham had only played twice since Jan.11. Graham will stay in Swift Current and will join Emanuel Viveiros’ coaching staff for the rest of the season.

Pats hit the road with playoff spot clinched

The Regina Pats (41-7-6-1) became the first WHL first team to clinch a playoff spot.

They did see their 11-game winning streak snapped as the Everett Silvertips came into the Brandt Centre and earned a 4-2 win.

Regina opened the week with a 5-2 win in Edmonton and 4-3 overtime win in Red Deer. Jordan Hollett made 28 saves in Swift Current Wednesday to earn his first WHL shutout as the Pats prevailed 2-0.

The win in Swift Current was the first stop on a five-game tour to each of their division rivals’ home rinks.

Warriors missing production from Burke and Gregor

Without Noah Gregor and Brayden Burke in the lineup, the Moose Jaw Warriors (33-17-7-1) offence sputtered this past week.

The Warriors lost 4-2 in Saskatoon and were blanked 2-0 by Everett though Carter Hart deserves a lot of credit for that win. The Warriors rallied for a 3-1 win over Brandon on Valentine’s Day to snap a three-game losing skid and keep themselves comfortably in second place.

The Warriors held Brandon under 20 shots for the second time in two weeks. It was the first time in seven meetings that the game did not require overtime.

Gregor is close to returning to practice and Burke is listed as day-to-day. The Warriors did get Tristin Langan and Dimitri Zaitsev back from injury.

Ryan Graham in action earlier this season with Saskatoon.

Swift Current hanging onto third

The Swift Current Broncos (29-18-3-6) extended their winning streak to four games to open the week as they earned a quality 4-1 win in Red Deer. They lost 3-2 in a shootout to Calgary before being blanked by the Pats.

In addition to losing Graham, Lane Pederson is out a week with an upper-body injury and Conner Chaulk missed the Regina game due to illness.

Jordan Papirny is 3-1-0-1 in his last five starts in goal for the Broncos. He has a 1.48 goals-against-average and a .949 save percentage.

Wheat Kings lose three straight

The Brandon Wheat Kings (27-22-6-2) began the week by beating Everett 2-1 — a feat that has eluded the rest of the East Division so far — however they followed that with a 3-2 overtime loss in Saskatoon, plus losses in Moose Jaw and Prince Albert.

Goaltender Logan Thompson has started six of their last seven games as he cements his claim to be the team’s No. 1 goalie after they dealt Papirny and got Travis Child in return.

Stelios Mattheos is riding a six-game point streak for the Wheat Kings, while Nolan Patrick has points in nine straight games.

Blades solidify spot

The Saskatoon Blades (23-26-5-2) continue to beat the odds and pick up points. The banged-up Blades earned five out of a possible six points this week to take a three-point lead on Calgary for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

After beating Moose Jaw and Brandon, the Blades were able to take a point off Everett losing 2-1 in a shootout.

After winning five straight, the Blades lost four straight and are now on a four-game point streak.

Raiders move out of basement

The Prince Albert Raiders (15-38-8-2) also remain hot. They have won seven of their last 11 games which is especially impressive considering they had eight wins in 47 games before this run of strong play began.

After losing 4-2 in Lethbridge, the Raiders beat Kootenay 4-3 in a shootout and then beat Brandon 5-3. Those wins allowed them to pass Kootenay and move out of the Eastern Conference cellar.

Vojtech Budik has three assists in the win over Brandon and Curtis Miske is on a three-game goal-scoring streak.

Regina Pats, Moose Jaw Warriors, Swift Current Broncos, Brandon Wheat Kings, Saskatoon Blades, Prince Albert Raiders,