By COLBY STOESZ
The Saskatoon Blades earned a nail-biting 4-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders Saturday night, September 14, as the Warman Home Centre Communiplex was packed to witness the overtime affair. The game marked Saskatoon’s final preseason game and third preseason match against the Raiders.
The opening period could not have gone worse for the Blades, as the Raiders found the back of the net twice in 25 seconds. After 13 minutes of play, Prince Albert’s Ty Meunier broke the ice, with Jonah Siverston giving his team a two-goal cushion just mere seconds later. The Blades put their penalty kill to the test, taking three trips to the box in the first period alone.
Saskatoon took matters into their own hands in the second period. A Prince Albert holding penalty gave the Blades their first man-advantage of the game, an opportunity they didn’t let go to waste. Defenceman Brayden Klimpke notched his first score of the pre-season, with Tyler Parr and Ben Riche assisting on the power play goal. Ben Saunderson tied the game with one second remaining in the period, and Riche picked up his second assist of the night.
The scoreboard stayed frozen at 2-2 for most of the third period. Three Prince Albert penalties went unpunished, and an extra period felt like a foregone conclusion. With two minutes to play in regulation, Raiders’ winger Luke Moroz broke the stalemate and gave Prince Albert a 3-2 lead.
Anxiety turned to despair as local fans began to lose hope, but with 18 seconds on the clock, another Ben Riche assist gave Hudson Kibblewhite his first goal of the preseason. The score was 3-3, and overtime was right around the corner.
The crowd was buzzing to start the extra frame, and a Raiders interference call gave them more reason to cheer. Having wasted their last three man-advantages, the Blades were determined to right the ship and leave the ice as victors. Moments into the power play, Ben Riche found the back of the net, picked up his fourth point of the night, and sent the Blades home with the win. Ben Saunderson and Tyler Parr assisted on the game-winning goal.
Saskatoon Blades forward Tyler Parr tries to handle the puck with the Raider goalie out of position. The right winger from Manitoba finished the game with two assists. (Colby Stoesz photo)
This victory was Saskatoon’s first of the preseason and will serve as a confidence booster as the regular season approaches. The Blades will travel to Swift Current on September 20 for a battle with the Broncos, who they will host on the 21 in their home opener.