Ice hold on to beat Blades

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This article was published 03/12/2021 (1709 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Ice followed up its only home-ice loss of the season with another collapse Friday night.

This time, however, the hosts held on — but just barely — for a 4-3 WHL win over the Saskatoon Blades at Wayne Fleming Arena.

Veteran goaltender Gage Alexander had a very good night, denying the Blades early and then shut the door with an extra attacker out in the final minute of the game. The 19-year-old finished with 26 saves as Winnipeg improved to an eye-popping 22-1-1-0 atop the East Division.

The Blades, who are second in the East, fell to 12-10-1-0. The teams meet again Saturday night at 7 o’clock.

Alexander made no apologies for the circumstances of the victory. Five days earlier, the Ice frittered away a 3-0 lead before dropping a 4-3 overtime decision to the Prince Albert Raiders.

“I thought it was a good game,” he said. “We had all four lines going and we played well in the D-zone and limited their chances from their top line… I think, all in all, it was a pretty successful night for bounce back.”

Mikey Milne scored his 18th of the season 50 seconds into the game while Jakin Smallwood, with his 15th, Conor Geekie, with his eighth, and Connor McClennon, with his league-leading 20th, also scored for the hosts.

Brandon Lisowsky, Kyle Crnkovic and Jayden Wiens replied with goals for the visitors, who chipped away after Winnipeg took a 3-0 lead midway through the game.

Nolan Maier made 25 saves in the Saskatoon net.

“We had lot of possession time in their zone (in the second period) but they’re so explosive and they’ll go the other way quick and and we got caught once and… they capitalized to make it 3-1,” said Ice head coach James Patrick. “And then it was a totally different game I thought from then on.”

The Ice, diminished in the last two weeks by injury and absence, welcomed two key players back to the lineup Friday.

Veteran left-winger Owen Pederson returned after a 10-game absence with an upper-body injury while sophomore left-winger Zach Benson was back after playing a starring role in Canada Black’s 5-4 overtime victory over Canada Red in Wednesday’s final of the Capital City Challenge in Ottawa.

The 16-year-old Abbotsford, B.C., product led the tournament with seven goals and 12 points in five games. His goal with 0.4 seconds left in the third period Wednesday forced extra time.

Both Pederson and Benson registered an assist against the Blades.

BLUE-LINES: Defenceman Omen Harmacy, who played two games as an affiliate player earlier this season, has joined the Ice on a permanent basis… Saskatoon went 1-for-3 on the power play. The Ice were 0-for-1. Three stars: 1. Jakin Smallwood, Winnipeg; 2. Conor Geekie, Winnipeg; 3. Kyle Crnkovic, Saskatoon.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14