This past weekend, the Blades experienced their first, non-showcase three game weekend against the Minnesota Blue Ox and Ironwood Fighting Yoopers. The Blades dropped the first game of the weekend to the Blue Ox, but were able to win the final two games of the weekend, outscoring the Yoopers, 9-6.

Friday night, the Blades traveled to Coon Rapids to take on the Minnesota Blue Ox. The Blue Ox have given the Blades fits so far this season. The hungry Blades team came to Coon Rapids looking to turn the tides in their favor. The first period remained scoreless as Blades goaltender, Vincenzo Capezza, stopped all eight recorded shots that he faced. Going into the second period, the Blades liked where they were sitting against the team that sits in the first spot in the division. The tides turned slightly in the second half of the game as the Blue Ox netted three goals in the second, including two goals within two minutes. The Blades were unable to beat the Blue Ox goaltender in the third, while the Blue Ox found a way to net another goal before the game ended. The Blades dropped their first game of the weekend with a final score of 4-0, with shots in favor of the Blue Ox, 38-23. Blades Head Coach Nick Adamek, had this to say after the game, “We played well, but not well enough to get the win. At this point, there are no such things as moral victories. We, as a team, need to find a way to pull out wins in these situations. We are getting better, but getting better does not count for anything in the standings.”  

For the remaining two games, the Blades traveled to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to face division foes, the Ironwood Yoopers. This was the first time that the Blades and Yoopers have met this season. On Saturday, the game went into the second period before anyone was able to find the back of the net. The Blades were able to strike first on a goal from Cody Arbelovsky. From this point, the Blades remained in control of the scoreboard in this tightly contested game. Before the end of the period, Blades forward, Santeri Piha, found the back of the net on the powerplay, with assists going to Zach Bettmeng and Cody Arbelovsky. Early into the third, the Yoopers got onto the board cutting the score to 2-1, but the Blades were able to respond quickly. Just over four minutes later, Zach Bettmeng tallied his second point of the night on a goal, with the primary assist going to Kory Potach. The game would remain 3-1 until the dying minutes of the game, when the Yoopers were able to score and cut the lead to 3-2, but it was too late for the Yoopers. The Blades notched their first win in three weeks with a final score of 3-2.

On Sunday, the Blades, still riding high from getting back to their winning ways, looked to take two more points from the Yoopers. The Blades fell behind the eight-ball early and spotted the Yoopers a 3-0 through the first minute and a half of the second period. The resilient Blades had the reinvigorated taste of winning and did not want to let this slip away. Shortly after the third goal, the Blades scored one of their own on a goal from Santeri Piha, with Tanner Booth and Zach Bettmeng receiving the assists. Nearly five minutes after the Piha goal, the Blades struck again on a goal from Zach Bettmeng, with Tanner Booth and Jake Friese receiving the assists. The Yoopers popped another goal on a rush nearly three minutes later to extend their lead to 4-2. This lead would remain until the third period. From the drop of the puck in the third, it was the Blades game to lose. The Blades scored four goals in the third to tie the game and eventually take the lead. The Blades first goal of the period came from Zach Bettmeng’s second goal of the game, with Kaleb Combs and Tristan Klewsaat chipping in the helpers. Shortly after, Blades forward Tanner Booth netted another, with Zach Bettmeng finding the scoresheet again with an assist. The game would remain tied for a few minutes until Kory Potach netted his second goal of the weekend with Nick Privitera and Kaleb Combs receiving the assists. For good measure, the Blades netted another goal in the closing minutes of the game on a goal from Cody Arbelovsky, with Kyle Wadden and Tanner Booth chipping in assists. The Blades showed their resiliency in this game as they were able to overcome a three goal deficit and a separate two goal deficit.

The Blades are back in action this weekend at home against the same two teams, the Minnesota Blue Ox and Ironwood Fighting Yoopers. The Blades take on the Blue Ox on Friday, November 10th at 7:30 PM and the Yoopers on Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 PM and 3:00 PM, respectively. Bring your friends and family and jam pack the Four Seasons Centre to cheer your Blades on to victory!