Six-goal second half from Zach Manns leads Sask. Rush to comeback victory
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Rush turned an 8-3 fourth quarter deficit into a 9-8 victory in its home opener.
The Saskatoon Blades push to solidify a higher playoff seed got a much-needed boost with a 4-2 win over the Prince Albert Raiders Friday at SaskTel Centre.
A powerplay goal a little more than 12 minutes in the first period started the scoring as Zach Huber picked his spot from the top of the slot for his 15th goal of the season for the 1-0 Blades lead after 20 minutes.
Ozzy Wiesblatt scored the equalizing goal 3:40 into the second period and pushed Blades goaltender Nolan Maier into making some difficult saves to preserve the tie until NHL draft prospect Tristen Robins came to life.
The 18-year-old scored a little more than halfway through the third period for his 30th of the year and then followed it up with his game-winning goal with 4:17 remaining in the third period for the 3-1 lead.
A Kyle Crnkovic empty-net goal would seal the win before Prince Albert’s Nolan Allan scored with four seconds remaining.
The win, combined with a 3-2 Brandon Wheat Kings win over the Calgary Hitmen and a fourth consecutive Winnipeg Ice loss means there is little wiggle room remaining in the East Division standings.
With 10 games remaining, the Blades still remain in the first wildcard spot in the East, but are just two points behind the Ice for third in the division, five points behind Brandon for second spot and six points behind the Raiders for the division lead.
The Blades and Raiders return to Prince Albert for a rematch Saturday at the Art Hauser Centre.