The Saskatoon Blades earned a 5-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders in their final home game of the regular season but it was not enough to get them back into the Western Hockey League playoffs for the first time since 2013.
Moments after the final buzzer sounded, the Calgary Hitmen finished off a 6-1 win over the Kootenay Ice, officially eliminating Saskatoon from postseason contention.
The Blades needed to win both halves of a season-ending home-and-home set with the Raiders, and have the Hitmen lose their final two contests, in order to make the playoffs.
Facing a must-win situation the Blades looked tentative to open Friday’s game, with team MVP Logan Flodell making several big saves to keep his team in it before Cavin Leth eventually broke through to give Prince Albert a 1-0 lead.
However that seemed to wake Saskatoon up, as shortly afterward Jesse Shynkaruk scored on a two-on-one rush to level the game.
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The Bridge City Bunch looked much sharper in the second period, scoring three straight goals to take a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes. Rookie Chase Wouters assisted on all three markers.
The Raiders clawed their way back in the final frame but Josh Paterson sealed the victory with an empty net goal in the final second of regulation. However, the celebration was subdued as news of Calgary’s win quickly spread.
Saskatoon still has one game remaining on its schedule. A victory in Prince Albert on Saturday will give the Blades 67 points this season, which would be an 11-point improvement over the 2015-16 campaign.
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