'We view ourselves as a wolf pack': Saskatoon Blades set for playoff tilt against Raiders
The rivalry between the Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades is about to heat up.
Both teams are set to clash in the first round of the WHL playoffs, which begin Thursday night at SaskTel Centre.
And although the stakes are high, and emotion couldn’t be higher, Blades head coach Brennan Sonne said his team will be disciplined.
“It’s on our wall, it’s part of our values — we view ourselves as a wolf pack. We’re just going to keep coming and coming and coming. And we’re gonna run and hunt and chase, and run and hunt and chase. And were just gonna’ keep coming. And you do that between the whistles,” Sonne said Monday.
“It has nothing to do with ego, or the war of words. There is no Connor McGregors in here. We’re just a wolf pack that are going to run and chase and hunt and bite and keep goin.”
The Blades downed the Raiders 5-0 on Saturday, and 5-1 on Friday night, capping off the season with two convincing victories over the first round playoff opponent.
Saskatoon finished with the best record in the WHL, notching their first 50-win season since 2010-11.
Prince Albert finished the season with 67 points, staying ahead of the Calgary Hitmen for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The last time the Blades and Raiders met in the playoffs was in the second round of 2019 when the Raiders took the series in six games. That season, Prince Albert went on to win the WHL Championship, defeating the Vancouver Giants in seven games.
The Blades are coming off a conference final appearance last season. It was the first appearance in the third round for Saskatoon since 1994.
This season, expectations are high for the Blades to overcome that barrier, and one player who brings playoff experience is Fraser Minten.
“I think I’ve played almost close to 30 games now in the playoffs, the memorial cup, too, so I’m used to it and know how exciting it can be. And how emotional it can be, too. So, I think all good experiences to draw back on from trying to not get too high and not get too low; stay present; stay even keeled and focus on the game,” Minten said.
Defenceman Charlie Wright says he will be feeding off the crowd.
“You can feel the energy in the building with lots of people there. You definitely get a little bit more amped up yourself too for these big time games.”
Tickets for games one and two went on sale Monday morning, with several sections in the upper bowl at SaskTel Centre opened up for fans.
Puck drop for game one is 7:00 p.m. on Thursday night.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Latest updates on the major wildfires burning in Canada
The 2024 wildfire season has begun, and it's shaping up to follow last year's unprecedented destruction in kind, with thousands of square kilometres already consumed.
Veteran TSN sportscaster Darren Dutchyshen has died
Veteran TSN broadcaster Darren 'Dutch' Dutchyshen, one of Canada’s best-known sports journalists, has died. He was 57. His family says 'he passed as he was surrounded by his closest loved ones.'
Toronto man killed his mother and decapitated her — but it wasn't murder, lawyers argue
A ‘lifetime of abuse’ led Dallas Ly to snap and repeatedly stab his mother inside their Leslieville apartment in 2022 but he never intended to kill her, his defence lawyers argued during at his murder trial in Toronto on Thursday.
He had dreams of running for Canada in the Olympics, then he learned his family would be deported
A burgeoning track star says his dream of going to the Olympics is being derailed by a deportation order after Immigration officials rejected his family’s claim for asylum
Father charged with second-degree murder in daughter's stabbing death southwest of Montreal
A father has been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his 34-year-old daughter in southern Quebec.
Teen died from eating a spicy chip as part of social media challenge, autopsy report concludes
A medical examiner says a Massachusetts teen who participated in a spicy tortilla chip challenge died from ingesting a substance 'with a high capsaicin concentration.'
Kidnapped by her father and kept in a crawl space: Court documents reveal Montreal horror story
A Montreal father who kidnapped his daughter who has autism and lied to police when they asked where she was should serve three years in prison, a Crown prosecutor said.
Ontario calls on Toronto to drop 'disastrous' drug decriminalization request
The province’s health minister and solicitor general are urging Toronto to rescind its request to decriminalize simple possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use, calling the proposal 'misguided' and 'disastrous.'
Trudeau calls New Brunswick's Conservative government a 'disgrace' on women's rights
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has "issues" with the Progressive Conservative government of New Brunswick.