The Saskatoon Blades cleaned out their lockers on Wednesday after falling in game seven overtime against the Moose Jaw Warriors Tuesday night.
“The run we went on was something you dream of and it just ended in kind of a nightmare,” said Blades president and general manager Colin Priestner.
Priestner was emotional on Wednesday, feeling the loss. He said the Blades deserved to win the night before.
“The plug is just pulled so fast from the season… I just wish I was able to deliver a championship to this season to the people of this city because everybody believed in us and we did everything we could.”
This season was the most successful season in decades for the Blades before it came to a close.
“I’ve never seen a series like that,” said defenceman Ben Saunderson. “You’ve got to tip your hat, they are an unreal team and six out of the seven games going to overtime is something you don’t see every day.”
Graduating captain Trevor Wong cleaned out his locker for the last time on Wednesday and said being a Blade has meant everything to him.
“This is the best thing that has ever happened to me in my hockey career so far,” Wong said. “Being a Blade is everything to me and just embracing the culture and what it means to truly be a Blade, not just on the ice, but being a great person in the community and a great teammate.”
Graduating defenceman Charlie Wright also left the Blades locker room for the last time after a five-year run with the team.
“The group that we had in the room was truly special and really when it comes down to it, it’s the people that you are always going to remember,” Wright said.
Saskatoon’s core will likely see plenty of turnover with Wright, Wong and Easton Armstrong playing their last game in blue and gold and NHL- affiliated players like Fraser Minten and Egor Sidorov on pro radars.
Priestner said many of the players are going to go down as all-time Blades legends.
“They made such a difference in the community, they made such a difference to all our young players on the roster, all the young players that weren’t even dressed for games,” Priestner said. “I’m just going to miss all these guys.”
He said even though the season left on a sour note, there were still some positives for the team.
“This season wasn’t in vain,” he said. “It wasn’t a failure because we didn’t win a championship. We achieved so much for the greater good of the sport and this team and the city.”