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Week one of Saskatoon Blades camp wrapped up Sunday with the completion of an intra-squad tournament.
Team Clark beat Team Green 4-1 to capture the first ever Kirkness Cup, earning bragging rights in the dressing room.
Competition was the theme of the week, with the split-squad teams pitted against each other throughout the first few days at camp. The competitive feeling in the early stages of camp resonated well with the players involved.
“All the guys were going and bought into the team system and did the little things right, worked really hard and got rewarded at the end,” said Ryan Graham, a veteran forward and member of the Kirkness Cup winning Team Clark.
The cup was named after Blades staffer Bobby Kirkness, who battled leukemia last season.
Winner of Kirkness Cup Team Clark– @ryangraham_19 speaks to media after winning 4-1 @BladesHockey @CKOMNews #yxe pic.twitter.com/sYG0wpo94s
— JT Marshall (@jtmarshallCKOM) August 28, 2016
As much as the players enjoyed the tournament, and the atmosphere surrounding it, so too did head coach Dean Brockman.
“Just to see our guys compete, the smiles around the rink and the atmosphere that we’re gonna create and we have to keep it going,” Brockman said.
The games also gave the head coach a chance to evaluate a roster of 54 players in a game situation.
“Some guys separated themselves in terms of looking like WHL players, and some didn’t,” he said.
Head coach of @BladesHockey Dean Brockman talking about camp #yxe @CKOMNews pic.twitter.com/spIobTzAFM
— JT Marshall (@jtmarshallCKOM) August 28, 2016
Players who impressed Brockman enough to stick around found themselves on a list of 33 names continuing through the next week of camp. Twenty-one players were let go Sunday night.
“There’s guys that gotta go back to their teams and try out for their teams too,” Brockman said.
The Blades get their first real test of the pre-season this week, heading to Regina for a series of exhibition games. They open up the schedule against Moose Jaw on Thursday.
