Down to 4 Defencemen....

[Tidball]

Bohdan Visnak was injured VS Rebels.

Brad Cole
Sam Klassen
Joe Logan
Bret Ward

There is all of our healthy D.

[howley]

HAH! Will they have made a phone call to a AAA team or move one of the F's back?

How was Visnak injured?

[GOBLADESGO#3 (among other aliases)]

Yay, more injuries

[Shortys]

Tonight against the Hurricanes our D looked very tired out throughout the game. Gillies and Patterson played D for a few shifts. They did a decent job though. I don't think we can afford to loose any more D men, this is getting bad!!

[GOBLADESGO#3 (among other aliases)]

Can I ask where you sit? Any Blades season ticket holders, I would like to know so we could meet up some how and complain. I was in R seat 12 tonight and I mixed it up with some Canes fans haha.

[howley]

we will have two from mjhl next week. Forget their names, Friesen and someone. My heart sunk when Logan went down in the corner in the 2nd. I was thinking that was it. Health wise the defense doesn't look to improve any time soon. Funk is officially done for the season barring miracles. Zahn is 1-3 weeks away (according to pre game) but when he get's back he'll be gone right away again for the winter something or other (along with patterson) (under 17's? Someone help me out with this. What are they leaving for again) Lastly Visnak's shoulder again caused him trouble last night and will require surgery (or so I am told) and is likely gone for the year. (Again just an assumption heard around the rink tonight). So does that mean finishing out the year with five d-men (when Zahn returns) or converting Gillies back to defense and with doing so totally removing any chance he has of going in the first round. Or having these two manitoba kids battle for a roster spot. I am thinking the latter will be the case. Also, I was thinking that Berg and Elliot must have a couple games left to play? No more than 2 each. Anyways, big week next week. Here's hopin' Ryan Menei keeps killing penalties.

[GOBLADESGO#3 (among other aliases)]

Well theres Freisen, Mitch Berg, Stefan Elliot and I'm sure thers more, how about Stefan Doll...

[Triton]

Blades must have some defensive prospect or listed players playing in the SJ,MJ,AJ or the BCHL.

I imagine Lorne will fill those holes.

[GOBLADESGO#3 (among other aliases)]

We have tons of defencive prospects kickin around and plus I didn't get a chance to see Mitch, and Stefan when they came back a few months ago. As for you Raider fan....no.

[Trav]

like seriously, only four defensemen last nite? thats asking a lot outta Cole, Ward, Logan and Klassen. How hard is it to call up two more defensemen.

[Tidball]

Can I ask where you sit? Any Blades season ticket holders, I would like to know so we could meet up some how and complain. I was in R seat 12 tonight and I mixed it up with some Canes fans haha.

Section S row 8. Hopefully in a few weeks i'll be sporting my Schremp jersey.

[Tidball]

Are we allowed to keep him for the remainder of the season if he finishes his AAA season? If so then i dont see any reason not to start the Berg and Elliot days.

I saw Berg walking around at the last Blades game, this kid is freakin huge for a 15. I know Cowan is really tall, but hes super skinny too. Berg i believe has already surpassed the 200+ mark.

[GOBLADESGO#3 (among other aliases)]

Well Tidball I'm the guy that walks around in a white Blades Jersey with a white autographed Blades hat.

[howley]

Berg and Elliot can only play 4 games this season as 15 year olds.

[ramrod1]

it was Friesen and Canart they called up and for the person who mentioned Stefan Doll, he was in a tragic car accident before x-mass and is only now starting to talk. may never skate again.

[GOBLADESGO#3 (among other aliases)]

Oh wow, I just seen Doll and statted paying attention to him, that's too bad. and what about this Clay Litke??
League: B-AAA
GP: 22
G: 64
A: 22
PTS: 86
PIM: 62

And we took him in the 11th round? how come I've never heard of this guy?

And what about Ryan Marshall?
League: B-AA
GP: 42
G: 51
A: 32
Pts: 83
PIM: 20

9th round? someone explain this to me please...

[ramrod1]

i dont know marshall but i have seen litke and he's a pretty decent player. this year he's playing for Eastman AAA City midget. If you want some stats go to www.eastmanselects.com and click on junior selects. in the other selects site the provincal aaa team u'll find stats for blades prospects Jared Friesen and Jordon Hebert.

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/sports/story.html?id=310db6f0-8e89-4edb-b2db-3ed9638a404e


Blades skinny on defence, reduced to four blue-liners

Cory Wolfe, The StarPhoenix
Published: Monday, February 05, 2007

HURRICANES 4, BLADES 2

A season-high crowd of 6,211 showed up Saturday at Credit Union Centre.

The Saskatoon Blades' defence corps was much more sparse.

Because of injuries, the team dressed just four defencemen. The Lethbridge Hurricanes exploited that situation to earn a 4-2 victory.

"I'd put money on it that (Saturday) was the fi rst time I've played a game in this league with four defencemen," said Joe Logan, who joined Brad Cole, Sam Klassen and Brett Ward to form Saskatoon's defensive quartet. "You can't make excuses because we had a couple of forwards come back and help us, but it was defi nitely different." The Blades (20-28-2-1) squandered a chance to move up in the WHL East Division standings. They remain in fi fth place, eight points behind Swift Current (24-28-1-2) and Prince Albert (23-25-3- 2).

"It's disheartening that we have let these home games slip away after the way we played in Moose Jaw and Medicine Hat (earning three of four points)," said Blades coach-GM Lorne Molleken. "We'll get back to it. The guys care a lot. They're trying to do a little too much at times and it's getting us in some trouble." Forwards Colton Gillies and Gaelan Patterson took a couple of twirls on defence Saturday. They played well, but the Blades' blue-liners ran out of gas.

"We knew that (the Blades' defence was short-handed) right off the start from the scouting report," said Meadow Lake product Dwight King, whose second-period goal held up as the winner.

"We tried to get pucks behind them, get them turning and be physical on them." Zach Boychuk netted a pair for Lethbridge. In both cases, he turned on the jets and got behind the defence.

"If you give guys like (Boychuk) a bit of room, he'll do what he did (Saturday) -- two breakaways, two goals," said Logan.

"They exposed our defence and that was very evident," added Molleken. "We were going with four guys until we decided to throw Patterson and Gillies back there. . . . Guys like (Craig) Cuthbert, (Troy) Crowley and (Adam) Geric played with an awful lot of energy, but we got exposed on the back end and it cost us the game." Ryan Menei revved up the crowd by scoring short-handed 3:51 into the game. Just 20 seconds earlier, Menei had picked the pocket of Lethbridge defenceman Tomas Kudelka and the Saskatoon sniper rang one off the post.

Menei made the most of his second chance, though, as he beat Kudelka 1-on-1 and then fired the puck behind netminder Michael Maniago.

The Blades nursed that lead into the second period, but that's when the tide turned. Lethbridge fi red three unanswered goals in the frame. Two of them -- by Kris Hogg and King -- came during 4-on-4 situations.

Those markers sandwiched a pretty goal by Boychuk. The 5-foot- 9 forward squirted through a seam in the defence, fi elded a pass from Hogg and beat Garrett Zemlak with a backhanded deke.

Saskatoon cut the gap to 3-2 with Derek Hulak's power-play goal 2:46 into the third. The Blades pressed for the equalizer, but Boychuk scored his second of the night -- again with a back-handed deke -- to ice the match with 2:28 remaining.

"I scored with that same move (in the shootout Wednesday in Brandon), so I guess it's become my move," Boychuk said with a grin.

A healthy contingent of King supporters made the 21/2-hour drive from Meadow Lake.

"(Saskatoon) is the closest game for them," said King.

"There were quite a few of them out there and I saw the signs.

I appreciate the support." BLADE BITS: Three Saskatoon defencemen are sidelined by injuries: Bohdan Visnak (shoulder, day-to-day), Teigan Zahn (broken jaw, 1-2 weeks) and Ryan Funk (infl amed pubic bone, done for season). The Blades intend to restock their defence by calling up Cameron Canart and Jared Friesen from midget AAA teams in Manitoba.

cwolfe@sp.canwest.com

Prior to Saturday's game, the Blades honoured former head coach and general manager Daryl Lubiniecki who served the team from 1980-97.

Former Blades at the event included Kelly Chase, Tim Cheveldae, Brian Skrudland, Trent Yawney and the Clark brothers -- Donn, Kerry and Wendel.

Some quotes from the ceremony: * Former Blade Kelly Chase, after Lubiniecki and his wife, Lola-Mae, were driven on to the ice in a convertible: "Lubie, it's taken you a long time to get Lola- Mae in the back seat of a car again, but I'm proud of you." * WHL commissioner Ron Robison: "Major League Baseball and the New York Yankees may have Yogi Berra, but the Western Hockey League and the Saskatoon Blades are very fortunate to have their own entertainer, Mr. Lubie." * Lubiniecki, speaking to former Blades coach Jack McLeod, who is also part of the Blades' builders club: "Jack McLeod gave me my first chance at coaching with the Saskatoon Olympics, which was the farm team for the Blades. . . . Really, Jack, I appreciate it. I learned a lot from you. You're probably the best hockey man I know."

© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2007

[ramrod1]

good article.

[Tidball]

currently has 7 goals and 1 assist in 11 games played. Pretty good considering he just made the jump into AAA from AA. He leads his team with goals. Looks like Molleken is trying to get some pure goal scorers with that very strong D-core we'll have in a couple years.