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Saskatoon Blades Continue Winning Ways

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The Saskatoon Blades 2008/09 season has exceeded the expectations of many fans and pundits around the league, but for the Saskatoon Blades their success this season comes as no surprise. Prior to the start of the season the team made a list of goals, one of which was to be first in the always competitive Eastern Division. For much of the season the Blades have held that top spot and they now have 25 games left to solidify that position.

A knock on the Blades has been that they are without a pure goal scorer on their roster, but the Blades have managed to score by committee and have scored 168 goals thus far, the third best total in the Eastern Conference. Captain, Derek Hulak, leads the offense with 20 goals and 25 assists, while 8 other players have reached double digits for goals scored this season. Break out seasons by Gaelan Patterson, Walker Wintoneak, Adam Chorneyko, and Curtis Hamilton have played a huge part in the Blades offensive success. Rookie forward Burke Gallimore has 19 goals, good for 2nd best among rookies, 6 of those goals have been game winners, which gives him the rookie lead in that category.

Defensively the club has allowed 125 goals against, which is the 4th best total in the entire league. The defensive core, considered to be one of the Blades biggest strengths, has been solid all season long. Veteran Colin Joe, who was acquired along with Milan Kytnar in the offseason from the Kelowna Rockets, leads the team with a +24 rating. Stefan Elliott, who recently participated in the CHL Top Prospects game, leads all Blades defensemen in scoring with 13 goals, 22 assists, and 35 points.

Between the pipes, Braden Holtby continues to add to his already formidable collection of Blades all-time goaltending records. The 19 year old 4th round draft pick of the Washington Capitals, who already held the Blades record for games played (155) and minutes played (8721), took over the career mark for saves by a Blades netminder with his 39 save performance against Regina last Tuesday. Including Saturday's 19 saves in Lethbridge, Holtby has now stopped 4020 shots in his career. Rookie netminder, Adam Morrison, is quietly having a great season as well. Morrison has not lost a game in regulation time with a record of 7-0-1-1 and also picked up 2 assists in one game against the Moose Jaw Warriors on January 10th.

Head Coach and General Manager, Lorne Molleken, became just the 11th coach in WHL history to reach the 400 win mark. Molleken, who already holds the Blades all-time coaching record, has also coached with the Moose Jaw Warriors and the Regina Pats.

The Blades have quickly become known as road warriors around the league. The Blades road record of 19-3-1 is the best in the WHL and is also approaching a Blades all-time best road record in a season of 21, held by the 1982/83 and 2002/03 editions of the Saskatoon Blades.

The Blades have picked up points in 9 straight games and are currently riding a 5 game winning streak. Tomorrow night promises to be a crucial game as the Blades play host to the Brandon Wheat Kings, one of the hottest teams in the WHL. The Wheat Kings trail the Blades by 8 points for first place in the East Division. The Blades will travel to Swift Current on Friday, return home on Saturday to face the Edmonton Oil Kings, and hit the road again on Sunday to visit the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Tickets to Saskatoon Blades home games can be purchased by calling 938.7800 or by visiting ticketmaster.ca. The team offers group ticket packages with adult prices as low as $12. Kids have the opportunity to be treated as VIP's with a Dairy Queen Birthday pack, Arctic Spa's Hot Tub pack, Canadian Tire Team pack, and more! For complete ticket information visit saskatoonblades.com, the team's official website featuring game highlights, photo galleries, special kid's zone, and much more.
 
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