September 23, 2017 - Saturday night, the Blades faced off against the Minnesota Moose. This was the Blades first test of the 2017-18 season. The game came down to the wire, as the score remained tied until the closing minutes, with the Moose prevailing 3-2.

Game 1 saw the Blades take charge first. Only :23 into the 1st, forward Zach Bettmeng scored his 1st of the year, assisted by Kyle Wadden. Moose Forward Gavin Proeh would tie the game 1-1 at the 7:27 mark of the 1st period on a penalty shot. The game would stay knotted until 7:01 left in the period where the Blades’ Zach Bettmeng scored his second goal of the night on a pass from Cody Arbelovsky with Luukas Kallioinen getting the second assist.

The Blades appeared to run into a wall in the second period. They were outshot 18-7 in the period and were unable to beat Moose goaltender, Jacob Fry. While the Blades were unable to generate any consistent pressure in second, the score remained 2-1 going into the 3rd period. Blades goaltender, Nicholas Mizen was a brick wall in net, turning away every shot that came his way, including a two penalty kills.

Much like the second period, the young Blades team was unable to generate consistent offense. Early in the 3rd, Moose forward Gavin Proeh netted his second goal of the night, at the 1:34 mark of the third, to tie the game at 2-2. The game would remain tied, with both teams exchanging opportunities until the 10:03 mark of the 3rd. A Blades penalty gave the Moose a power-play where Moose forward Brendon Jones was able to capitalize on a bad bounce. The Blades fought hard and generated scoring chances all the way until a final buzzer rang.

The Blades are back in action Saturday, September 30th at the Four Seasons Ice Center West. The Blades look to settle a score dating back to last season, as they face the team that eliminated them from the playoffs in the Dells Ducks. As well, the Ducks are looking for their first wins of the year (0-2). Come support your Blades as they look to make their presence seen in their first home game of the 2017-18 season.