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The Saskatoon Blades were back for redemption after falling 4-2 against the Prince Albert Raiders in their first game of the season on Friday.
When the rivals met for a rematch on Saturday, the Blades were determined to put an end to the Raiders’ winning streak at the SaskTel Centre home opener.
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Despite a third period collapse, the Blades were able to hold off the Raiders winning 3-2 in overtime.
It didn’t take long for the home crowd of 9,904 to get on their feet as Blades forward Rowan Calvert found the back of the net just 30 seconds into the first period.
“I saw a little bit of confusion, so I just thought there’s some guys there… so I stepped out and threw it there,” Calvert said. “Not always the play, but not all shots from inside are bad shots.”
Other than the quick goal, it was a fairly quiet first period. Blades forward Zach Olsen wound up in the box for a tripping penalty, but the Blades’ penalty killing unit held the Raiders to zero shots.
Rivalry is ALIVE pic.twitter.com/33z8WhgiTm
— Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) September 21, 2025
The second period held a bit more action for fans.
Rowan Calvert once again beat Raiders goalie Dimitri Fortin, making it 2-0 for the Blades.
With just over 12 minutes left in the second period, Raiders’ defence Linden Burrett collided with Blades defence Jack Kachkowski in what appeared to be a knee-on-knee hit.
Burrett was assessed a two-minute tripping penalty, but joining him in the box was Raiders forward Oli Chenier, who dropped the gloves with Blades forward Triston Mitchell-McElhone in response to the collision.
“I was pumped, I mean it was probably one of the longest tilts I’ve ever seen,” Calvert said. “He’s a big boy and he can chuck them, and it was really good to get the energy going.”
The Blades got close to extending their lead, but in the end, couldn’t put the puck past Fortin.
But when the two sides stepped onto the ice in the third period, it suddenly became the Raiders who sent wave after wave into the Blades’ zone.
Raider forward Brayden Dube beat Blades Goalie Ethan McCallum twice, tying the game at two late in the third period.
Despite having all the momentum, once the 3-on-3 sudden death overtime started, Prince Albert made no attempts to drive at the net.
Finally, Blades’ defence Brayden Klimpke forced a turnover, leading to the game-winning goal.
“It shows that we’re not just going to give up, I mean we didn’t want to go to overtime,” Calvert said. “But just learning how to manage a lead and little things like that, but at the end of the day, we came out with the two points.”
Blades head coach Dan DaSilva said it was a good hard fought win that shows the resiliency his group has.
“Credit to them,” he said. “To fight back and tie it up, credit to our guys for knowing that there’s nothing we can do about it and now we have to worry about what’s important next.”
The penalty killing unit was used too much throughout the game, but the unit had some huge kills that swung momentum back into the Blades favour.
“The penalty kill, I thought, was solid all weekend,” DaSilva said. “The commitment to blocking shots, the commitment to getting 200-foot clears, those are huge plays on your penalty, and then obviously our goaltender was solid in there.”
Goaltender Ethan McCallum got the nod to start between the pipes for the Blades with Evan Gardner away at the Columbus Blue Jackets National Hockey League camp.
It was also McCallum’s first home opener as a Blade, and he said he’ll never forget this crowd.
“It was pretty cool, Saskatoon has great crowds,” he said. “Even last year, we had a couple games with 8,000 and to have 10,000 in there, and they’re always yelling and screaming.”
One play on the penalty kill that stood out was Jordan Martin’s huge blocked shot. Martin would need some help to get off the ice, but stopped the puck from getting near his goalie, something McCallum appreciates.
“(I) gave him a little crisp handshake,” he said with a smile. “Just say ‘I love you,’ just give the boys some love.”
