Blades’ Determination Stops Bullfrog Winning Steak at 7

First-year Coach Mark Hardy has made a lot of changes this season with the Blades, trying whatever he could to get his team into playoff contention while learning roller hockey himself.

Give the Blade coach credit, superstitious or not, he kept trying, he kept learning.

The Blades beat the Bullfrogs, 5-4, Tuesday night at the Forum and now are couple of victories and a little luck away from clinching the second and final playoff spot in the Pacific Division.

All that seemed impossible when the Blades (11-11-1) began the year 1-7-2.

“Every time out we have to take it game by game,” said Hardy, a longtime NHL defenseman.

“You have to skate with a lot of confidence and we haven’t been that way from the start. But this winning gives us confidence and we now have to maintain an even keel.”

The Blades won it with tough defense. The Bullfrogs, whose seven-game winning streak ended, scored one goal in the final 26 minutes 35 seconds. They surrendered a 3-1 halftime lead and lost for only the fourth time in 25 games.

Blade goaltender Jeff Ferguson stopped 42 shots and dropped his league-leading goals-against average below 5.00. Kory Karlander put the Blades up for good, 4-3, with 6:07 to play and Shayne Arsenault got an empty-net goal for a two-goal advantage with a minute to go.

Glenn Stewart cut the lead to 5-4 with 29 seconds remaining, but that was the only mistake Ferguson made in closing this one out.

“He was the difference tonight,” Hardy said of his goaltender.

Bullfrog Coach Grant Sonier agreed. But he was also ruffled about an apparent score by Stewart late in the first quarter that referees washed out after the goal judge ruled it went in.

“I don’t want to speculate on what won the game for them tonight,” Sonier said.

The rejuvenated Blades have won four straight and seven of their last 11.

They remain in third place, two points behind Oklahoma, which beat San Jose, 7-3, Tuesday. It was only the fourth time in 16 games that the Blades beat the Bullfrogs.

“They played very solid defensive matchups with us tonight. Give the credit to Mark,” said Bullfrog Victor Gervais, who had two goals and an assist.

“He’s been in the NHL. He knows the game really well and now he’s adapting it to this league.”

Notes

Bullfrog assistant coach Brad McCaughey is a candidate to become the coach of a new West Coast Hockey League franchise in Tucson, Ariz., he confirmed Tuesday. . . . The Bullfrogs have rescheduled the date of their first Pacific Division playoff game to Monday, Aug. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Pond, owner Stuart Silver said. The date became available when a boxing show at the Pond was canceled.