Goalie Austin Elliott, Blades blank Wheat Kings again

Saskatoon Blades forward Egor Sidorov continued to terrorize the Brandon Wheat Kings on Tuesday as the Belarusian forward scored three times and added an assist in a 4-0 victory in Western Hockey League action at Sasktel Centre.

John Babcock also scored for Saskatoon (46-12-2-3), while Austin Elliott earned his third shutout of the season against Brandon by making just 18 saves in front of a crowd of 3,422.

After Tuesday’s action, the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff race remains tight as four teams battle for three spots.

• Sixth-place Brandon (30-28-6-1, 67 points, three games remaining). They host the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday, the Moose Jaw Warriors on the following Thursday and travel to meet the Regina Pats next Friday.

• Seventh-place Lethbridge (30-27-5-0, 65 points, six games remaining). The Hurricanes host the Edmonton Oil Kings on Wednesday, have a home-and-home series with the Red Deer Rebels on Friday and Saturday and visit the Calgary Hitmen on Sunday. They finish up with a season-ending, home-and-home series with the Medicine Hat Tigers next Friday and Saturday.

• Eighth-place Prince Albert (30-28-2-3, 65 points, five games remaining). The Raiders fell 4-2 to the visiting Swift Current Broncos on Tuesday. They visit the Regina Pats on Friday, head to Brandon on Saturday, host Regina on the following Wednesday and finish up with a season-ending, home-and-home series with Saskatoon.

• Ninth-place Calgary (26-29-7-1, 60 points, five games remaining). They meet the host Edmonton Oil Kings on Friday in their next action, host Lethbridge on Sunday, visit Saskatoon next Wednesday and have a season-ending, home-and-home series with Swift Current.

During Tuesday night’s game, Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray said his club didn’t exactly have the start it needed by taking a penalty in the first minute and then promptly giving up a power-play goal.

“That’s a message we try to hammer home every night,” Murray said. “We took a penalty 25 seconds in and we’re down 1-0. That’s not ideal. I sound like a broken record, but it’s frustrating us for sure.”

The early penalty, which came just 24 seconds into the game was costly, because Sidorov scored on a wicked one-timer one minute 35 seconds into the game which beat Brandon goalie Carson Bjarnason.

The Wheat Kings responded with offensive pressure — including a chance when Caleb Hadland split the defence, but was unable to get a good shot off — although they couldn’t beat Elliott.

Late in the period, Sidorov was left all alone in front of the net, but was denied by Bjarnason, and Elliott stopped Hadland on a two-on-one at the other end.

The Blades may have gotten away with one 10:58 into the second period when Saskatoon forward Brandon Lisowsky picked Brandon defenceman Luke Shipley at the Wheat Kings blue-line and Sidorov stepped around them and fired a shot high into the net to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.

Three minutes later, just after a short Saskatoon power play, Sidorov scored a highlight reel goal when he danced in off the goal-line, beat a Brandon defender and scored his 49th of the season and eighth against the Wheat Kings this season.

Sidorov also had eight assists in the eight games.

“He’s arguably the best goal scorer in the league,” Murray said. “There are a couple out west who have more goals, but he’s just a natural goal scorer. He has the ability to jump the holes, but he can also slow the game down a little bit and make plays too.

“He’s a dangerous player, and if you get caught looking at the puck like we did last game in Brandon and then again tonight, you make the highlights, but not in the right way.”

The third period was entirely tilted towards the Brandon end, with Saskatoon outshooting the visitors 17-3.

Bjarnason had the satisfaction of denying Sidorov his 50th goal of the season when the goaltender made another terrific save on the Belarusian forward on a power play early in the third period.

The hosts also had a terrific chance to extend the lead 9:43 into the third period when defenceman Grayden Siepmann was tripped on a breakaway and awarded a penalty shot, but he sent the puck high and wide.

Bjarnason followed that up with another outstanding save on Easton Armstrong on the next shift, but he was beaten one final time 17:35 into the period when Sidorov found the big defenceman Babcock and he made it 4-0.

It’s the first time Brandon has been shut out six times in a season since 2012-13, although their record in the Internet era is seven in 1999-2000.

Saskatoon also earned 4-0 shutout victories on Jan. 1 and March 2, the first time Brandon has been blanked three times by the same team in a season in the Internet era. Murray noted it’s a blend of what the Blades did and what his team didn’t do.

“They play an in-your-face type game and they’re quick to jump on pucks,” Murray said. “For us, we didn’t execute very well, passing and making plays. When we did have chances, Elliott is a good goalie, but we seemed to hit him in the belly every time we had a decent look.”

ICINGS: Brandon skated without F Matt Henry (fifth of six-game suspension) and F Roger McQueen (upper body, day to day) … Bjarnason made 32 saves for the Wheat Kings … Brandon went 0-for-2 on the power play, with Saskatoon scoring once in four chances … On the shot clock, six Wheat Kings put two pucks on net … The game took two hours, 17 minutes to play … In the faceoff circle, Saskatoon won 31-28 … Brandon will induct two people into its Hall of Fame tonight at the team banquet … At the end of Saturday’s loss to the Swift Current Broncos, a wild melee ensued at the end of the game. As a result, the Wheat Kings were fined $750 and the Broncos $1,000. After fans rained down beer and trash on the Brandon bench at the end of the game, Swift Current was also fined $1,000 for having inadequate security in place. Finally, Broncos forward Caleb Wyrostok earned a five-game suspension as a repeat offender for taking a game misconduct … Moose Jaw signed head coach Mark O’Leary and general manager Jason Ripplinger to multi-year extensions. They announced the new deals on Tuesday.

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

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