Saskatoon Blades shake off controversial OT loss ahead of Game 3

Watching on as the Edmonton Oil Kings celebrated Ethan MacKenzie’s overtime winner Sunday afternoon in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarter-finals, Saskatoon Blades head coach Dan DaSilva thought immediately back to 22 seconds earlier.

That was when a zone entry by the Oil Kings came incredibly close to being offside.

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On Monday, less than 24 hours after the Blades’ 4-3 overtime loss to Edmonton, DaSilva spoke about what he saw on the bench.

“We had an idea that it looked pretty close,” DaSilva said.

“The game happens fast, you’re not exactly sure. When we got into the dressing room afterwards, our video coach (Braedan Dahl) let us know that it was… I mean it was close.”

On second look well after the final buzzer, Oil Kings defenceman Carter Sotheran appeared to possibly drift just ahead of the play on the attacking zone entry as Miroslav Holinka carried the puck across the blue line — a play which the Blades won’t know if it was offside or not.

“We were on the bus on the way home and we saw it,” said Blades captain Tyler Parr. “That’s hockey, it is what it is. There’s no reviews, so nothing you can do about it. It’s a game of inches.”

Offside review was removed as an option for coaches to challenge in 2023 by the Western Hockey League, in part due to a lack of standardized camera equipment in some rinks across the WHL.

Speaking ahead of a pivotal Game 3 set for Tuesday night at SaskTel Centre, DaSilva said it’s not something the team is dwelling on but believes offside challenges should be revisited by the league.

“It’s unfortunate that it’s something that was in place a few years ago then taken away,” DaSilva said.

“You have a situation right there where potentially a game could have ended differently if we had a review. We’re not going to focus on that, but it would be nice to have it in place for sure just to get the calls right.”

The WHL did not respond for a request for clarification and comment on Monday.

Despite the heartbreaking end to Sunday’s game, the Blades returned home to Saskatoon feeling positive about their first two games of playoffs earning the opening weekend split against the Oil Kings.

“We believe we’ve been the better team in this series which is massive,” Parr said.

“We believe five-on-five, we’ve outplayed them. So when you say that, we can win this thing.”

The Blades opened their series in Edmonton on Friday with a 3-2 victory in a game which saw them out shoot the Oil Kings 17-9 in the third period, before Sunday’s Game 2 which included a wild comeback late to tie the game and force overtime.

“That’s a huge weekend for us,” said Blades forward Hayden Harsanyi.

“If there was any doubt in the room at all, I think that’s all gone. To get one on the road, obviously two would have been unbelievable, but it’s playoffs and you got to shake it off.”

Harsanyi had a breakout weekend for Saskatoon with three goals scored over the pair of games, including two goals on Sunday.

Battling injury over the last two seasons, Harsanyi has been aiming to find consistency in his game and said this past weekend was a strong step forward.

“I like to pride myself in being a playoff player,” Harsanyi said.

“I’ve always kind of been that through minor hockey, my U15 and U18. I think this is my best hockey I’ve played all season, for sure.”

For Saskatoon to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series on Tuesday night, they’ll need to shore up their special teams including a power play which was 1-for-11 in Edmonton.

Veteran forward Rowan Calvert said that combined with staying out of the box will be key, especially considering Edmonton’s three power play goals scored in Game 2.

“We really liked our game Friday and I thought we did a lot of those same things Sunday,” Calvert said. “We just got to be a little bit more disciplined and sharpen up the (penalty kill).”

On Monday, the Blades announced the signing of 2025 first round draft pick Kain Martinuik to a WHL standard player agreement.

Martinuik, who was drafted 15th overall by Saskatoon, starred at Shattuck St. Mary’s for the program’s U16 AAA squad, where he finished fourth in team scoring with 29 goals and 61 points in 50 games.

While he won’t be suiting up this playoffs for the Blades, DaSilva expects the 16-year-old to be a key piece to the team’s future as early as next season.

“First and foremost he seems like an unbelievable kid,” DaSilva said.

“Driven, smart, wants to be a player. Watched some of his highlights and watched some of his shifts over the course of the season too, he’s obviously a special player and a special talent.”

The Blades and Oil Kings will meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday for Game 3 of their first round series.

Read more:

• Regina Pats take Game 2 on the road, beat Medicine Hat Tigers 4-2
• Regina Pat Canadians claim SMAAAHL title for second straight season