nivek_wahs
02-14-2007, 05:06 AM
http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/sports/story.html?id=9ac7f83d-bec9-4a17-ad17-04d66cf2a211&k=64188
Wanted: Blades' D-men
Saskatoon forced to shuffle lineup as injuries leave three healthy defencemen
Cory Wolfe, The StarPhoenix
Published: Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Gaelan Patterson usually centres the maroon line at practice, while Colton Gillies leads the grey group.
On Tuesday, both wore black.
That's the colour reserved for defencemen and that's what Patterson and Gillies have become for the injury-riddled Saskatoon Blades.
Both players have prior blue-line experience.
"Colton played defence the year before his (bantam) draft and Patterson was a defenceman off and on, even in his draft year," said Blades coach-GM Lorne Molleken, whose team faces the East-leading Brandon Wheat Kings tonight at Credit Union Centre.
The Blades' back end has been thinned by injuries throughout the season. As far back as November, the team played with just four rearguards. Now it's even worse. Doctors diagnosed Joe Logan with a concussion after last Thursday's 4-1 loss to Prince Albert. That leaves Saskatoon with just three regular defenceman: Brad Cole, Sam Klassen and Brett Ward.
Molleken had been patching his defence corps through a series of call-ups, but even that well has run dry. Cameron Canart and Jared Friesen, both 16, filled in for three games last week but they've returned to their Manitoba midget teams. Saskatoon product Mitch Berg is unavailable because he's already played the five games he's allowed as a 15-year-old.
List players Mike Clements (Delta Ice Hawks, B.C. junior B) and Colton MacPherson (Estevan Bruins, SJHL) might be called up sooner than later, but both are recovering from injuries.
"We've got a number of injuries throughout the whole system," Molleken said with a shrug. "You deal with it and move on."
Logan, who was checked from behind by Prince Albert's Milan Jurik, is expected to miss at least two weeks of action. He joins fellow defencemen Teigan Zahn (broken jaw), Ryan Funk (inflamed pubic bone) and Bohdan Visnak (shoulder) on the sidelines. Funk and Visnak are both done for the season and Visnak leaves today for his native Czech Republic where he'll undergo surgery.
Somehow, the Blades still have a shot at catching Prince Albert and Swift Current for the East Division's final playoff berth.
"We're not generating a whole lot 5-on-5," said Molleken, "but when our specialty teams are good and our goaltending is even better, then we have a chance to win."
Patterson, 16, and Gillies, who turned 18 Monday, are not far removed from being defencemen.
"My brother (Kyle) was a defenceman so I kind of followed him. Then as I got older, I just wanted to score goals," Patterson said with a grin.
"I started playing some forward and then it was half and half when I got older."
Gillies grew up as a puck-rushing defenceman in Surrey, B.C. He didn't play forward until three years ago, so he's comfortable with taking a turn on defence with the Blades.
"It's nice that we have a couple of forwards who know how to play defence," said Gillies. "(Derek) Hulak has some defensive experience, too, so if by chance I go down with some mysterious defenceman injury like all of the other guys, he can step in."
Gillies is already spewing the cliches of a defenceman.
"I just have to keep a close gap and play the body, not the puck," he said with a smile.
BLADE BITS: The Blades expect Zahn back in the lineup Feb. 20 versus Calgary, but the next day, he and Patterson leave for Whitehorse where they'll represent Saskatchewan at the Canada Winter Games. Blades' defence prospect Stefan Elliot, who just turned 16, is part of Team B.C.'s roster . . . Like Zahn, Blades LW Rastislav Konecny (broken jaw) is tentatively scheduled to play Feb. 20.
cwolfe@sp.canwest.com
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2007
Wanted: Blades' D-men
Saskatoon forced to shuffle lineup as injuries leave three healthy defencemen
Cory Wolfe, The StarPhoenix
Published: Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Gaelan Patterson usually centres the maroon line at practice, while Colton Gillies leads the grey group.
On Tuesday, both wore black.
That's the colour reserved for defencemen and that's what Patterson and Gillies have become for the injury-riddled Saskatoon Blades.
Both players have prior blue-line experience.
"Colton played defence the year before his (bantam) draft and Patterson was a defenceman off and on, even in his draft year," said Blades coach-GM Lorne Molleken, whose team faces the East-leading Brandon Wheat Kings tonight at Credit Union Centre.
The Blades' back end has been thinned by injuries throughout the season. As far back as November, the team played with just four rearguards. Now it's even worse. Doctors diagnosed Joe Logan with a concussion after last Thursday's 4-1 loss to Prince Albert. That leaves Saskatoon with just three regular defenceman: Brad Cole, Sam Klassen and Brett Ward.
Molleken had been patching his defence corps through a series of call-ups, but even that well has run dry. Cameron Canart and Jared Friesen, both 16, filled in for three games last week but they've returned to their Manitoba midget teams. Saskatoon product Mitch Berg is unavailable because he's already played the five games he's allowed as a 15-year-old.
List players Mike Clements (Delta Ice Hawks, B.C. junior B) and Colton MacPherson (Estevan Bruins, SJHL) might be called up sooner than later, but both are recovering from injuries.
"We've got a number of injuries throughout the whole system," Molleken said with a shrug. "You deal with it and move on."
Logan, who was checked from behind by Prince Albert's Milan Jurik, is expected to miss at least two weeks of action. He joins fellow defencemen Teigan Zahn (broken jaw), Ryan Funk (inflamed pubic bone) and Bohdan Visnak (shoulder) on the sidelines. Funk and Visnak are both done for the season and Visnak leaves today for his native Czech Republic where he'll undergo surgery.
Somehow, the Blades still have a shot at catching Prince Albert and Swift Current for the East Division's final playoff berth.
"We're not generating a whole lot 5-on-5," said Molleken, "but when our specialty teams are good and our goaltending is even better, then we have a chance to win."
Patterson, 16, and Gillies, who turned 18 Monday, are not far removed from being defencemen.
"My brother (Kyle) was a defenceman so I kind of followed him. Then as I got older, I just wanted to score goals," Patterson said with a grin.
"I started playing some forward and then it was half and half when I got older."
Gillies grew up as a puck-rushing defenceman in Surrey, B.C. He didn't play forward until three years ago, so he's comfortable with taking a turn on defence with the Blades.
"It's nice that we have a couple of forwards who know how to play defence," said Gillies. "(Derek) Hulak has some defensive experience, too, so if by chance I go down with some mysterious defenceman injury like all of the other guys, he can step in."
Gillies is already spewing the cliches of a defenceman.
"I just have to keep a close gap and play the body, not the puck," he said with a smile.
BLADE BITS: The Blades expect Zahn back in the lineup Feb. 20 versus Calgary, but the next day, he and Patterson leave for Whitehorse where they'll represent Saskatchewan at the Canada Winter Games. Blades' defence prospect Stefan Elliot, who just turned 16, is part of Team B.C.'s roster . . . Like Zahn, Blades LW Rastislav Konecny (broken jaw) is tentatively scheduled to play Feb. 20.
cwolfe@sp.canwest.com
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2007