DUBNetwork Game of the Night: Red Deer Rebels (14-20-1-3) @ Saskatoon Blades (18-17-1-2) 7 PM CST
With 30 games left on both team’s schedules, this is an important game. Red Deer is chasing the Blades for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Saskatoon holds a seven-point lead.
The two teams met last Saturday in Red Deer and for all intents and purposes, the game was about as exciting as it gets. The game required overtime and it was the Blades taking a 4-3 victory. They lead the season series with a 2-1-0-0 record. Red Deer is 1-1-1-0. Saskatoon won the last time these two teams met on the ice at SaskTel Centre by a 3-1 score.
For both teams it will be the final contest before the trade deadline, there is a good chance that some players will be gripping their sticks just a touch tighter. Red Deer has made a move recently, sending 20-year-old Brett Davis to the Lethbridge Hurricanes for a draft pick.
On the ice, the Rebels are coming off a 6-5 overtime win of their own, after taking on the Prince Albert Raiders. The win was just the team’s fourth in their last 10 games, despite the recent improvement in their on-ice play. The Blades are coming off a 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Edmonton Oil Kings on Sunday afternoon. They will welcome back their gold-medal-winning head coach Mitch Love.
The Rebels boast a line up with seven players producing over 20 points this season but they have just one player to hit the 30 point plateau. That player is Arshdeep Bains, he scored twice last night to hit 15 goals and 15 assists. The leading goal scorer for the red and black is Josh Tarzwell, he added a marker in the win over Prince Albert and now has 19 tallies on the season. 19-year-old Chris Douglas has nine goals and 17 assists.
Saskatoon also has seven players with 20 or more points but they have two players with more than 30 points. Tristen Robins (12G, 19A) and Chase Wouters (16G, 14A) have eclipsed 30 points, with Wouters leading the team in goals. 20-year-old Riley McKay rounds out the top three with 13 goals and 14 assists, and a team-leading 62 penalty minutes.
On the back end, the Blades have a one-two punch with Scott Walford and Nolan Kneen putting up decent numbers. Both defenders see time on the power play and are a handful for the opposition. Walford leads the way with 24 points while Kneen has 22.
Red Deer also has a one-two punch of their own as captain Dawson Barteaux and Ethan Sakowich patrol the blueline. Barteaux contributes 23 points to the Rebels cause, while Sakowich has 21, which is a career-high for him.
Ethan Anders has started the last two contests for the Rebels, but the team could also go with Byron Fancy. While neither goalie has outstanding numbers this season, Fancy carried the team while Anders was out with injury. Nolan Maier has been the number one netminder all season, but it was just announced that he is injured and will miss about 2 weeks. That means that Koen MacInnes is likely to see game action for the 11th time this season.
In other WHL action:
Edmonton Oil Kings (27-7-5-2) @ Moose Jaw Warriors (11-22-2-0)
Mark O’Leary will suit up for his first game as the new head coach of the Warriors. The two teams are at the opposite ends of the spectrum, Edmonton leads the Central Division while Moose Jaw occupies last place in the East Division.
Prince George Cougars (10-22-2-3) @ Regina Pats (11-21-3-2)
Two teams near the bottom of the league standings duke it out for draft lottery positioning. Both teams have four wins in their last 10 games but are far from the playoff picture. Might be the last game these teams see some of their key players as the trade deadline looms.
Medicine Hat Tigers (25-12-1-1) @ Winnipeg ICE (24-14-1-0)
Now for two teams near the top of the standings in the Eastern Conference. Winnipeg and Medicine Hat are separated by just three points in the standings. The ICE have come on strong in their last 10 games, they have a 7-3-0-1 record. Comparatively the Tigers are 5-4-0-1 over their last 10.
Victoria Royals (21-13-2-0) @ Kelowna Rockets (21-14-1-2)
The battle continues in the BC Division as the second and third place team clash in a potential first round playoff matchup. Victoria leads the season series by the slimmest of margins, they needed extra time in one of their three victories and have lost two in regulation to the Rockets.
