Flyers Edge Blues in OT
 
For the third straight game, the Blues headed to the extra frame, but once again gained only a point as the Flyers won the game 7-6 in overtime.
 
The Blues came out flying once again in the opening period, and were rewarded midway through when Jason Gardiner and Ben Morgan broke in 2 on 1.   Morgan slid a nice feed over to Gardiner who calmly sent the puck under the crossbar giving the Blues a 1-0 lead.
 
Mike Wilgosh would tie it for the Flyers on the powerplay with 1:35 left in the first period, but the Blues would answer right back with their own powerplay goal.  Paul Bonar let a shot go from the point that hit a Winkler stick and eluded Flyer netminder Peter Alexander.  And the Blues lead the Flyers 2-1 after the opening frame.
 
In the 2nd the Flyers would once again tie the game on a powerplay as Jory Mullin was able to have three free whacks at the puck beside the Blues net and finally put the 4th past Blues goalie Brett Martyniuk to even things up at two.
 
The Blues would answer quickly yet again.  With a delayed penalty coming up to the Flyers and the extra man on the ice, Evan Gravenor fed a nice cross ice pass to Peter Logan who put the puck past Alexander to restore the Blues lead.
 
The back and forth affair would continue a couple minutes later when Daniel Fainman skated into the Blues zone, dropped the puck to Kyle Wells in the slot who let a nice wristshot go that beat Martyniuk and the game was knotted at 3.
 
Winkler would take the lead for the first time in the hockey game midway through the period as Matt Loopkey let a shot go that deflected off a Blues stick and found it's way behind Martyinuk to give the Flyers a 4-3 lead after 2.
 
The Blues would tie the game early in the 3rd as Dustin Bruyere sent a pass looking for Adam Stoykewych who was streaking to the Flyers net.  Winkler goalie Alexander got his stick on the pass, but it deflected up and hit Stoykewych and bounced in the net, tying the game at four.
 
Midway through the third Evan Gravenor would score a beauty.   Gravenor picked up the puck just outside the Flyers blue line with speed.  He then split the two Flyer defencemen, and while falling down managed to put the puck up and over Alexander to give the Blues the lead once again.
 
The game was far from over though, and just over 3 minutes later Mike Riffell let a shot go from the point, and once again it hit a stick, and managed to find it's way through a maze of players and into the back of the Blues net.  5-5.
 
With under three minutes to go, Winkler decided it was their turn to take the lead again, and Blair Osiowy fired a slapshot from just inside the blue line and gave the Flyers a 6-5 lead.
 
It stayed that way until late in the third.  With Martyniuk on the bench for an extra attacker, the Blues swarmed the Flyer net and the puck ended up on the stick of Gardiner who knocked home the loose puck with 29 seconds left,  and the Blues were heading to the extra frame for the third time in 3 games.
 
The game looked like it was destined for a shootout when the Flyers stole the puck at the Blues line, broke in 2 on 1, and Chapen LeBlond ended it for the Flyers.
 
Final score 7-6 Flyers.
 
Next action for the Blues is Thursday night when the Portage Terriers come to town.   Puck drop is set for 7:30.

Bill Burfoot - Director of Media Relations Winnipeg Blues

You can follow Bill on his Blog  winnipegblues.blogspot

Bill Burfoot - Director of Media Relations Winnipeg Blues

You can follow Bill on his Blog  winnipegblues.blogspot

Steelers Spoil Blues Home Opener
 
Jason Gardiner had an opening night to remember, but it wasn't enough as the Blues fell to the Selkirk Steelers 4-3 in a shootout.

Gardiner tallied all 3 goals for the Blues in front of a large crowd at the MTS Ice Plex.

The Blues came out flying in the first period, and at the midway point of the first were outshooting the Steelers 10-3, but couldn't get the puck behind Steeler netminder Joey Rewucki, who made several key saves in the early going to keep his team in the game.

Finally at 14:40 of the first, Gardiner notched his first with a backhand over the left shoulder of Rewucki, and gave the Blues a 1-0 lead.

Gardiner would get his second with 1:27 to go in the period to give the Blues a two goal lead heading into the dressing room.

In the second it was the Steelers turn to come out flying, and 1:13 in they got on the scoreboard as Derek Gingera deflected home a shot from the point, and the Steelers were within one.

Less than two  minutes later Gardiner once again would bend the twine, this time with a delayed penalty coming up to the Steelers.    Gardiner went outside on the defender, and fired a backhand that found it's way behind Rewucki, and the Blues had their 2 goal lead once again.

The Steelers thought they'd come within a goal once again midway through the period, as a shot from the point took a funny deflection, went high in the air, and found it's way in the back of the net.  But the goal was disallowed because Blues goalie Brett Martyniuk was interfered with by Gingera.   Gingera ended up disputing the call, and in the process took a 10 minute misconduct, and was ejected from the game.

The Steelers would get within one before the period was out, as Micheal Hay took a nice pass from Tyler Grove at the side of the net, and had nothing but daylight as he fired his shot behind Martyniuk making the score 3-2 after two periods.

In the third the Blues found themselves 2 men down, and the Steelers made them pay as Colan Jackson fired a slapshot from the point that beat Martyniuk, tying the game at 3.

It stayed that way through the period and into overtime.  With less than 2 minutes to go in OT, Ben Morgan got called for hooking, and the Steelers had a 4 on 3 powerplay for the remainder of overtime, and the Blues penalty killers did a great job sending the game to a shoot out.

In the shootout, Blues Andrew Emmons and Jason Gardiner both were foiled by Rewucki, while Colan Jackson and Jory Geddes both found the back of the net for the Steelers, giving them a 4-3 win to open up the season.

These 2 teams will face off against each other again tonight (Saturday) this time in Selkirk.  Puck drop is set for 7:30.

Bill Burfoot - Director of Media Relations Winnipeg Blues

You can follow Bill on his Blog  winnipegblues.blogspot

Blues Wrap Up Pre Season With A Win

The Blues hit the ice for their final pre season game this afternoon in front of close to 200 fans at the MTS Ice Plex, and left the ice with a 4-1 win over the Fort William North Stars (SIJHL).

Dustin Bruyere continued on from his 2 goal performance a night earlier, and added one more in the win.

As well newcomer Paul Bonar, who the Blues acquired from Yorkton to complete the futures deal for Troy Smukowich, added a single, as did David Laflechu.

Now the Blues can focus on getting ready for the regular season which opens up this Friday night at home against the Selkirk Steelers.

Puck Drop is set for 7:30 at the MTS Ice Plex.

Bill Burfoot - Director of Media Relations Winnipeg Blues

You can follow Bill on his Blog  winnipegblues.blogspot

Blues vs Pistons
 
Exhibition game number 6 for the Winnipeg Blues went down last night at the MTS Ice Plex.  And for the second straight game, the game ended in a tie.

The Blues got off to a great start, when Jeff Borse put a nice shot over the left shoulder of Pistons netminder Brenden Edie to open the scoring just under 5 minutes into the first.

The Pistons would tie it midway through the first when Brett Fargher went five hole on Blues goalie Tyler Denchuk, and knotted the game at 1.

It would stay that way until the 2nd, and the Blues struck early.  Nineteen seconds in to be exact, Patrick Henderson slipped one past Edie, to get the lead back for the Blues.

Ben Morgan would give the Blues a 2 goal cushion five minutes later on the powerplay, tapping home a rebound as Winnipeg wrapped up a two man advantage, and the Blues would head into the third with a 3-1 lead.

The Pistons had a strong third period, and just under 7 minutes in, 1994 defenceman Stefan Hak would get Steinbach within one after his shot from the point hit a body and found it's way behind goaltender Isaiah Plett, who came in midway through the 2nd period. 

Midway through the 3rd, the Pistons would tie it as Tanner Harms would bulge the twine, and once again, the Blues would be heading to overtime.

Overtime was fast, exciting, and had chances at both ends.  I don't believe there was even a whistle for the entire 5 minutes.   The best chance of overtime went to Conor Stephenson who was sent in alone and beat netminder Bryan Tait, but rang it off the crossbar.
 
All in all i think the close to 400 fans that were inside the Ice Plex saw a pretty good hockey game.

Next action for the Blues is tonight (Saturday) when they'll travel to Steinbach to once again face the Pistons.  Puck drop is set for 7:30.

Bill Burfoot - Director of Media Relations Winnipeg Blues

You can follow Bill on his Blog  winnipegblues.blogspot

Blues vs Pistons ROUND 2
 
For the 2nd time in as many nights, the Blues and Steinbach Pistons faced off against each other in exhibition action.
 
And for the 2nd time in as many nights, the two clubs would go to the extra frame.
 
The Pistons opened the scoring in front of their home crowd as Mitch Chagnon beat Blues tender Charlie Poque.
 
It looked like it would stay that way until the end of the period, but Andrew Emmons tied the game with 8 seconds left in the period to send the teams to the dressing rooms locked at 1.
 
The Blues would take the lead thirteen minutes into the 2nd as Dustin Bruyere fired a shot past Pistons goaltender Addison Herosian, giving the Blues a 2-1 lead.
 
Tyler Lazuruk tied it for the Pistons shorthanded late in the 2nd, and once again the game was tied heading into the final frame.
 
In the 3rd, Tanner Harms scored his second in as many nights giving the Pistons a 3-2 lead.   With just under 5 minutes to go Dustin Bruyere would add his second of the game, and send this game to overtime tied at three for the second straight night.
 
Again, some chances at both ends during the 4 on 4 OT, but with a 1:10 left on the clock,  Trent Genyk would end it, giving the Pistons a 4-3 win.
 
Dustin Bruyere had a pair of goals, while Jeff Borse and David Laflechu each had a pair of helpers in the game for the Blues.
 
The Blues next action is today (Sunday) at 2:00 at the MTS Ice Plex where they'll face the Fort William North Stars (SIJHL).  
 
It's the final Pre Season game for the Blues before opening up the regular season next Friday night at home against the Selkirk Steelers.

Bill Burfoot - Director of Media Relations Winnipeg Blues

You can follow Bill on his Blog  winnipegblues.blogspot

The Blues finally played someone other than the Saints and Steelers. 

In their 5th exhibition game of the pre season, the Blues met up with the Portage Terriers at the MTS Ice Plex.

And the coaches of both teams sure had a good look at their special teams last night.  The penalty box door could have stayed open throughout the night it seemed, as both teams took their share of penalties.

Portage opened the scoring just over 5 minutes in on a 2 man advantage.

The Blues, not to be outdone, scored on their own 5 on 3 power play to even things up at one.

1:15 later the Blues would take the lead, also on the power play and before the period was done, they'd add a third, and went to the dressing room up by 2.

The Terriers would cut the lead to one only 1:28 seconds into the second on a nice deflection by Riley Hay, but the Blues would regain their 2 goal lead less than a minute later.

The Terriers would add one before the period was over, and the Blues would begin the third with a 4-3 lead.

The Terriers, who'd scored first in each of the first 2 periods continued that trend in the third, tying the game 3:50 in.

But it only took the Blues 23 seconds to regain their lead on a delayed penalty call to once again hop in the driver seat.

The see-saw battle would continue as Paul Zysco fired a slapshot from the half wall and tied the game for the Terriers.

Overtime would solve nothing, and the game would end 5-5.

Next action for the Blues is this coming Friday night when they'll welcome the Steinbach Pistons to the Ice Plex.  Puck Drop is set for 7:30.

Bill Burfoot - Director of Media Relations Winnipeg Blues

You can follow Bill on his Blog  winnipegblues.blogspot

The Week That Was
 
It was quite a busy week for the Blues, as they skated in 4 exhibition games.  
 
The Blues hit the ice last Tuesday and opened up their pre season against the Winnipeg Saints.   The Saints got the better of the Blues by a score of 10-2.
 
Two nights later the Blues hosted Selkirk, and downed the Steelers 9-2.
 
The Blues renewed aquaintances with the Saints on the 3rd, before wrapping up the week's schedule in Selkirk on Sunday night with a 2-2 tie.

The Week Ahead
 
It'll be another busy week for the Blues, as they have another 4 games, and will wrap up their pre season this Sunday as well.
 
This week's schedule looks like this
 
September 7th Portage Terriers @Winnipeg Blues         MTS Ice Plex - 7:30
 
September 10th Steinbach Pistons @ Winnipeg Blues    MTS Iceplex - 7:30
 
September 11th Winnipeg Blues @ Steinbach Pistons     Steinbach - 7:30
 
September 12th Fort William North Stars (SIJHL) @ Winnipeg Blues   MTS Iceplex - 2:00
 
Tickets are only 7 bucks to get in to the games at the Ice Plex.   

Bill Burfoot - Director of Media Relations Winnipeg Blues

You can follow Bill on his Blog  winnipegblues.blogspot

Blues News

Oct9^th, 2009

Welcome to this year’s annual League Showcase Showdown!  And what a start it was for the Blues. In front of a capacity crowd for their opener at the Dakota Community Centre, the Blues played a hard nosed game against a feisty Wolverines team. Both teams came out playing seemingly nervous hockey feeding off the crowd’s energy in the early parts of the first.  Things didn’t take long to escalate either as a fight broke out not even a minute into the game.  Hard hitting Steve Zacharias dropped the mitts with Wayway’s Zach Sweet after Zacharias tripped up a cornered Wolverine along the boards. Brendan O’Donnell also got called for tripping so the Wolverines would go on a five on three not quite two minutes in.

      Things would settle down however for a little bit until the Wolverines would get another opportunity to mark the game’s first goal.  They would once again take it to the Blues on their second lengthy five on three of the period. Two big power play’s and two big kills. The Blues would barely escape the Wolverine’s attack.  But with 2:25 left in the first, the Blues would get a chance to go to the power play and they would not disappoint.  Zacharias, would make a great no look pass from behind the net to wide open Evan Gravenor who would make no mistake upstairs, and help his team take the lead into the first intermission.

       In the second, the momentum would swing in the Wolverines direction for the first half of the period.  But that would all change when Steven Zacharias would complete the Gordy Howe hat trick just passed the game’s halfway mark.  He and Gravenor would switch roles on a similar looking play from the first. This time Zacharias would be the recipient of a great pass from behind the goal line to put the Blues up by two.  Not a minute later, the Wolverines Ryan Duhaime would take the action to the net and an open Niko Grose would slide it by a helpless Jordan Dreger. 

     It would continue to be a tight checking affair until on the power play with six minutes left in the second, the Blues Zach Franko would take the puck around the net and feed a wide open Connor Cleverley who would snap one by a stunned Carey Dyck.

     Just three minutes into the third, Zach Franko would once again show off his speed and blow pass the Wolverine’s defender while sneaking one in on the short side putting the Wolverine’s down a field goal.  However, the Blues undisciplined play would give the Wolverine’s numerous power play opportunities for the remainder of the game.  The Wolverine’s would go on another four power play’s including their third five on three of the game.  But once again, Blues tender Jordan Dreger made the stops when needed as the Wolverines would fall short losing 4-1 while outshooting the Blues 33 to 27.  Brent Poplawski and Adam Stoykewych also had a pair of assists in the game while Shawn Crawford and Patrick Henderson would also finish with each an apple.  The Blues remain in second place after the victory only one point shy of the first place Saints, and still only one ahead of the Winkler Flyers who defeated the first place Dauphin Kings 3-2 in overtime.  The Blues will now take their two game winning streak against a hungry Portage team Saturday night at 6:00pm.  The game will once again be played at the Dakota CC in front of what is sure to be a capacity crowd on day two of this year’s Showcase Weekend!!