The Saskatoon Blades put their best effort forward Monday night and defeated Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats in a do-or-die game seven in the round one series of the WHL playoffs.
“Going down two-nothing at home, two overtime games after that, three total overtime games, right down to game seven,” said Blades head coach Brennan Sonne, giving an overview of the series.
“One goal lead, two minutes left, that’s as entertaining and as crazy as it gets.”
The Blades headed into the round-one matchup the favourite, after finishing 3rd in the Eastern conference with an overall record of 48-15-4. The Pats did not back down from the challenge.
“I think Regina surprised a lot of people with their healthy start and yet it was the better team in the end, although Regina fans may not agree with me, the better team in the end that endured and won in game 7,” said former Hockey Night in Canada producer John Shannon.
“Maybe people will reflect on it in Saskatchewan like one of those famous Calgary, Edmonton battles of Alberta,” Shannon added.
Over the seven-game series, SaskTel Centre and Brandt Centre sold out multiple times, the fans bringing an electric energy.
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“Yeah it’s a pretty special feeling in the building tonight (Monday). To have a sellout crowd in a game 7, I think it’s what every guy out there dreams of,” said Blades forward Jake Chiasson.
“Yeah it was crazy, you see all the fans standing up, cheering, everyone was so excited and so happy. Probably a feeling I won’t forget for a while here,” added Blades defenceman Aiden De La Gorgendiere.
When it comes to selling out crowds, it’s hard not to mention the Regina Pats generational talent, Connor Bedard. Bedard managed to put 20 points on the board over the span of the seven-game series.
“What Connor Bedard has done is not just set the western league on fire but he’s really set hockey on its ear, there hasn’t been this much discussion about a junior player since Connor McDavid,” said Shannon.
“What he did was he re-ignited junior hockey and re-ignited that great Blades, Pats playoff rivalry,” he added. “When you are a citizen of Saskatchewan, you know the rivalry between Saskatoon and Regina and what this playoff series, what Connor Bedard did with this playoff series just enhanced that.”
Blades head coach Brennan Sonne spent the series trying to find a way to shut down Connor Bedard, but also shared his great amount of respect for the Pat’s star forward.
“Such a massive fan, I am such a massive fan of Connor Bedard. He’s a winner, he’s a worker,” Sonne expressed.
“We’re both from the Lower Mainland in B.C. and we’ve heard about him since he was 12 or 13, right? He’s done a lot of people proud in the province of British Columbia.”
Blades players also took the chance to comment on playing against Bedard.
“What Connor did for this league is great, it made it exciting. Obviously this is a series a lot of people were looking forward to,” said Chiasson. “Just really grateful to play against him, go head-to-head with him, and I’m sure he’s going to have a long and good career coming up.”
The Saskatoon Blades now shift focus over to the second-round matchup against the Red Deer Rebels with the first game taking place at SaskTel Centre on Friday.
Connor Bedard will now wait until the NHL draft lottery on May 8.