It wasn’t for a lack of trying, but the Saskatoon Blades were held scoreless in Tuesday’s 2-0 loss to the Lethbridge Hurricanes at SaskTel Centre.
The opening 20 minutes of the hockey game were less than ideal for the Blue and Gold, trailing 1-0 and outshot 14-5. Lethbridge quickly made it 2-0 into the second, lighting a fire under the Blades for the remaining 38 minutes of the game. Saskatoon outshot the visitors 25-13 through the final 40 minutes of regulation, but Hurricanes netminder Jackson Unger stopped all 30 shots he faced to blank the Blades.
Blades goalie Ethan McCallum was no slouch in his crease, stopping 25 of 27 shots in his ninth consecutive start. The former Medicine Hat Tiger is 9-8-0-3 on the season with a 3.25 goals against average and .900 save percentage in 25 games. McCallum’s appeared in 20 games with Saskatoon, sporting an 8-6-0-3 record with a .907 save percentage and 3.15 goals against average.
Saskatoon’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot remains seven, either earned themselves or lost on behalf of the Red Deer Rebels. The Blades are 30-19-3-4 with 67 points, trailing the East Division’s top Prince Albert Raiders by three points.
Hurricanes forward Chase Petersen opened the scoring for Lethbridge 12:35 into the first period. The Mossbank, SK native, has two career goals in 45 games in his rookie season, both coming against the Blades. Petersen’s shot was the only tally to find the back of the net in the opening 20 minutes.
Lethbridge defenceman Logan McCutcheon, his club’s lead with his eighth goal of the year 2:14 into the second. The Blades outshot Lethbridge 14-4 in the middle frame, looking to spark momentum heading into the last regulation period.
No offence was found for the Blades in the remaining 20 minutes despite constant pressure int eh Hurricanes end. Saskatoon finished 0/6 on the powerplay, resulting in their second shutout loss of the season.
What’s Next?
The Blades are preparing for a pair of games this weekend. The Bridge City Buinch visit the Moose Jaw Events Centre on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. for the sixth and final meeting of the year against the Warriors.
