By Scott Fisher /

The Blades surprised everyone – except, perhaps – themselves this season.

They won’t be surprising anyone once the playoffs begin.

Everyone knows they’re for real.

The Blades finished off one of the most successful seasons in franchise history, piling up a 49-18-3-2 record.

The Blades secured their 49th win – the second-highest total in franchise history – in their final game of the season and will hoist the Eastern Division banner to the rafters next season.

Strangely, the Blades were most effective away from home.

Their 28-6-1-1 (.806) road record was the best in the league.

But when the Blades wrapped up the season with a 5-4 win over the Prince Albert Raiders on home ice, winger Curtis Hamilton said the Credit Union Centre fans were a big part of the club’s success.

“The fans have been coming out in numbers and we hadn’t been able to please them, so it was nice to do that for them,” Hamilton, who scored twice in the win over the Raiders, told the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.

The Blades will host the the defending Eastern Conference-champion Lethbridge Hurricanes, a team most view as a sleeping giant.

“We know what type of team they are and what they’re capable of doing,” Blades GM/head coach Lorne Molleken told the StarPhoenix. “Our focus this week will be getting ourselves ready to play a real tough series against a real good team.”

But the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed didn’t exactly roar into the post-season.

The Blades went 2-3-0-1 in their final half-dozen regular-season contests, including a 4-3 loss to the visiting Hurricanes March 7.

But the Saskatoon squad has plenty to feel positive about, in addition to their sparkling road record.

With two goals in the finale, Hamilton became the seventh Blade to reach the 20-goal plateau this season.

Saskatoon last had seven 20-goal scorers during the 1994/95 campaign.

Also, the Blades allowed just 195 goals this season, a franchise-best for a 72-game season.

The 1972/73 Blades allowed 184 goals in 
68 games.

BLADES BITS
Goaltender Braden Holtby was the big winner when the Blades held their year-end awards banquet. Holtby (40-16-2-2 record, 2.62 goals-against average, .910 save percentage) was named the team’s MVP, the most community-minded and also picked up the club’s three-star award. Captain Derek Hulak (30 goals and 76 points in 72 games) was handed the Dr. Pat Bobyn Award as the club’s top scorer. Teigan Zahn (62 GP, plus-5, 160 PIMs) was the top defenceman and Burke Gallimore (26 goals and 53 points in 71 games) was the top rookie. Other winners included Milan Kytnar (Brian Skrudland Trophy, top defensive forward), Stefan Elliott (Bentley Memorial Scholarship, 93.3 per cent avg.), Walker Wintoneak (most improved), Milan Kytnar (hardest working), Travis Toomey (most dedicated), Stefan Elliott (most gentlemanly), Gaelan Patterson (Diamond in the rough), Sam Klassen (hardest hitter), Colin Joe (top plus/minus; plus-38), Teigan Zahn (Star-Phoenix’s Fan’s Choice), Colin Joes (Jack McLeod Ambassador Award) and Alfie Wandler (Murray Lindberg Memorial Trophy as fan of the year).