Blades avoid elimination after Game 4 win versus Rebels

The Saskatoon Blades will live to see another day, and another game.

On the brink of elimination, the Blades scored four unanswered goals for a 4-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels in Game 4 of a best-of-seven second-round series in the WHL playoffs.

Being down 3-0 in the series, it was win or go home for the Blades — and they won.

It didn’t look great at the beginning for the Blades, as forward Justin Lies was given a major for a hit to the head, giving the Rebels a five-minute man advantage.

Red Deer was able to score once on that power play after a nifty move in front of the net by Kai Uchacz.

Then the Rebels’ 50-goal scorer during the regular season closed out the period with his second of the night, as Uchacz split the Blades defence pairing on a dump in, giving Red Deer a 2-0 lead.

While it looked bleak for the Blades, they didn’t give up.

On Saskatoon’s second power-play opportunity of the game, captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere’s wrist shot from the blue line found the back of the net to cut Red Deer’s lead in half going into the third period.

That’s when the Blades’ offence took over and ensured there would be a Game 5 in Saskatoon.

Four minutes into the third, Jayden Wiens fired a wrist shot through traffic from the blue line that somehow found the back of the net to tie the game at two.

Then Blades defenceman Ben Saunderson made a beautiful stretch pass to a streaking Brandon Lisowsky, who made no mistake on the short breakaway to give Saskatoon its first lead of the game.

Tanner Molendyk gave the Blades a little bit of breathing room when he scored his first of the playoffs and created a two-goal lead with eight minutes left in the game.

Ethan Chadwick made 34 saves in the win in his first start of the series after Austin Elliott played the first three games.

With the Blades victory, it means they will live to see another day and play another game, although it will be a tough hill to climb being down 3-1 in the series.

Game 5 at SaskTel Centre goes Friday at 7 p.m.