Saskatoon Blades swept by Winnipeg Ice in conference final, but season still memorable

Courtesy: CHL TV

Officially, they'll go down as being swept in the third round for the playoffs, but the Saskatoon Blades have achieved much to be proud of this season, even though their playoff run came to an end in the conference finals. 

The Blades faced a tough Winnipeg Ice team in game four of their playoff series Wednesday night. Facing another 0-3 deficit, a comeback was not to be. The Blades proved they could compete with a stacked Winnipeg Ice team in the regular season, beating them at Sasktel Centre. But the odds proved to be too great in the playoffs, as the Blades were swept 4-0 in their best-of-seven series.

In game four, the Blades opened the scoring with a goal from Aiden De La Gorgendiere. But the Ice got two un-answered goals, both from Connor McClennon, to give the road team a 2-1 heading into the third period.

Goaltender Austin Elliott faced all kinds of pressure throughout the night, but the Blades failed to produce the offensive spark that has characterized this team throughout the season.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Blades had been eliminated from the playoffs with a 3-2 loss at the hands of the Ice. Though they lost, the blue and gold had a memorable season that has re-energized hockey fans, and given hope for the future.

The Blades finished the regular season with the third best winning-percentage in team history, the most wins in a 68-game season, and netted over 100 points in the standings for only the fifth time in franchise history.

In the playoffs, the Blades bounced the Connor Bedard-led Regina Pats in seven games in the first round. They then came back from a 0-3 series deficit in the semi-finals against Red Deer to win 4-3, becoming only the third WHL team ever to achieve that feat. This season was the first one in 29 years that saw the Blades reach the conference finals. Head Coach Brennan Sonne was named WHL Coach of the year - the first time a Blades coach has won that honor since Lorne Molleken in 1994.

The future could be a bright one for Saskatoon. The Blades top three scorers this season - Trevor Wong, Yegor Siderov and Brandon Lisowsky - are 19 and 18 years of age, and could be back next season. There's also a good chance defencemen Charlie Wright and Tanner Molendyk will also be back. In goal, Austin Elliot and Ethan Chadwick could be another dynamic duo between the pipes. The experience of getting deep into the playoffs could also help as well.