NOVEMBER 16, 2016 - Entering this weekend, the Steele County Blades will have played the least amount of games of any team in the USPHL Elite division. Their opponents for the weekend, the Forest Lake Lakers and Chicago Cougars have played 20 and 17 games respectively. The impressive part of the games played differential is that the Blades only sit four points the aforementioned teams and only six points behind the second place Dells Ducks. With that being said, it is time for the Blades to play catch up. They will finish November with five games in the matter of 10 days.
The first game of the weekend with be a familiar foe, the Chicago Cougars, who were just in town for a two game series. The Blades and Cougars split last weekend, each team walking away with a win and a loss. Cougars’ defensemen Anthony Beltrame is riding a bit a hot streak, registering eight points in his last six games and being held of the scoresheet only once during the stretch. Blades center Kyle Wadden, not to be outdone by Beltrame, has his own eight point streak to boast, doing the same in his last four games. Wadden and Beltrame are not alone in terms of production as Blades winger Jake Freise has found the back of the net in the last three contests.
The Blades will need to continue to challenge the Cougars power play, holding them to only one goal in nine opportunities last weekend. The Blades also look to continue their success on the powerplay, having scored on three out of their eight power plays (37.5% success rate) against the Cougars. Puck will drop at 7:30 PM at Four Seasons Centre.
On Saturday evening, the Blades and Lakers will face off for the first time this season. The Lakers bested the Blades in seven out of their nine games last season. The Lakers roster does not feature any returning players from the previous season but does boast former Chicago Cougars goaltender Jessie Heisz. Heisz has been relied upon heavily this season, sitting among the division leaders in minutes, saves and shots. The Blades will have to find a way to expose Heisz and keep the Lakers sputtering. Forest Lake has lost five out of their last six games, including dropping their last four games in a row.
First year Blades defensemen Tristan Klewsaat is looking forward to the opportunity to gain some ground in the standings. “Both Chicago and Forest Lake are teams standing in the way of where we want to be. It is one of the biggest weekends of the year to this point. We have played less games than everyone else and with our season about to ramp up, we need to bring our best for the remainder of the year.”
Head Coach Nick Adamek reiterated Klewsaat’s sentiments. “We are excited to get back on the ice this weekend and finish three games in a row against the Chicago Cougars. Although, we are not looking past Chicago, it will be the first time we get to play the Forest Lake Lakers Saturday and Sunday. Being an alumni of the Lakers, I always circle these days on the calendar. We are planning on playing three hard, fought games this weekend and are doing what we can to prepare against two good hockey teams."
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