SASKATOON BLADES @ MOOSE JAW WARRIORS  

Tonight’s game is the third of eight regular season meetings this season between the Saskatoon Blades (24-7-0-1) and the Moose Jaw Warriors (18-12-0-2).  In their first meeting this season back on Oct 9^th in Saskatoon, the Blades’ Stefan Elliott scored with less than a minute to play in regulation and Darian Dziurzynski completed a hat trick with an empty net marker 12 seconds later as the Blades defeated the Warriors by a score of 6-4. In the second meeting of the season between these top two teams in the East Division, the Blades opened the scoring but then surrendered the next 5 goals as the Warriors evened the season series at one game apiece with the 5-1 win.      

Darian Dziurzynski leads the Blades offensive charge vs. the Warriors having picked up 4 points (all goals) in the 2 games played against Moose Jaw this season.  Braeden Johnson has 3 points (all assists) and Matej Stransky has 2 points (both assists) to help compliment the Blades offense against the Warriors.  For the Warriors, Dylan Hood has picked up 2 goals and added 3 assists vs. the Blades this season. 

Connor Cox will be playing in his first game against his former team when he takes to the ice tonight.  Cox was acquired by the Blades from Moose Jaw on November 11^th in exchange for a 2^nd round draft pick.  The 18 year old has picked up 2 goals, 2 assists, and is +7 in his time with the Blades. 

Blades Last Game

Rookie Alex Elliott picked a very good time to score his first WHL goal. The Boxing Day baby...he'll turn 17 the day after Christmas...broke a 1-1 tie early in the second period and the Saskatoon Blades didn't look back in doubling up Kootenay 4-2 last night. A rain-check night crowd of 4,709 at Credit Union Centre saw the Bridge City Bunch make it five straight home wins. Stefan Elliott, Marek Viedensky and Brent Benson also scored for the 24-7-1 Blades, who moved four points ahead of the Ice atop the Eastern Conference standings.

Blades Banter   

- On Saturday the Saskatoon Blades and the Lethbridge Hurricanes completed a trade which saw the Blades acquire a 6^th round bantam pick in 2011 in exchange for 18 year old defenseman Tyler Kizuik.  Kizuik was in his 2^nd season with the Blades and had appeared in 60 games for the Bridge City Bunch, picking up 2 goals and 7 assists to go along with 21 PIM’s

- The Blades will be without the services of their leading scorer Curtis Hamilton tonight who is in Toronto participating in the Team Canada’s National Junior Team try-outs.  Hamilton is one of 31 players who remain in camp after two days of practices and intra-squad games.      

- The Saskatoon Blades in partnership with former player Kelly Chase and his figure skating partner Kyoko Ina were pleased to present the Children’s Hospital Foundation with a cheque for $145,000 during the 3^rd period of the Blades game on Sunday night. A portion of the Blades ticket sales from the night as well as the 50/50 revenue from Sunday’s game were added to other contributions made that night and to the money the pair had won on the reality show “Battle of the Blades”.  

By The Numbers

- Stefan Elliott enters tonight’s game riding a 4 game goal scoring streak.  Elliott is 2^nd in the league in goals scored by a defenseman with 12 and is tied for 1^st in the league with 6 game winning goals.  Elliott’s strong defensive play also has him ranked 3^rd in the WHL in +/- stats as he enters tonight’s game with a +23 mark.       

-  Tonight’s game will be Darian Dziurzynski’s 200^th career WHL regular season game.  The Blades leader in goal scoring this year with 16, has picked up 43 goals, 41 assists and 331 PIM’s in his WHL career thus far.