Raiders take big step playing full campaign in 2021-22

The Raiders get pumped up before their playoff game last Wednesday.

The Prince Albert Raiders’ biggest victory in the 2021-22 campaign might have been the fact everything felt normal by season’s end.

When the Raiders began the 2021-22 campaign, they were still traveling down an unknown highway that had some images of familiarity. After playing through a four-game pre-season schedule in September of 2021, the Raiders hosted the Regina Pats on October 1, 2021 at the Art Hauser Centre in the regular opener for both sides.

For the Raiders, they would be hosting their first regular season game since March 6, 2020, when they dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the Brandon Wheat Kings.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic would proceed to get its grips on North America to go along with the rest of the world. The 2019-20 WHL campaign was officially brought to an end on March 12, 2020.

No WHL playoffs were held in 2020 or 2021, and the Memorial Cup tournament to crown a CHL champion was nixed in both of those years too.

Reece Vitelli led the Raiders with 51 points.

Teams in the WHL had an abbreviated 2020-21 campaign. The Raiders took part in 24 regular season games in 2020-21 playing in a bubble environment in Regina against the league’s other four teams located in Saskatchewan and two clubs from Manitoba.

When the Raiders stepped on the ice to play the Pats on October 1, 2021, no one was certain the 2021-22 campaign would be played to a conclusion. The Raiders raised a banner for finishing first in the WHL’s East Division before falling 3-1 to the Pats in that contest played before 2,578 spectators at the Raiders storied 2,580-seat home rink.

As far as first impressions went, fans in “Hockey Town North” had to note this wasn’t the same Raiders team they last saw in person hit the ice in 2019-20 that topped the East Division with a 36-18-6-4 record. This was definitely not the same Raiders that finished first in the WHL’s regular season standings in 2018-19 with a dominant 54-10-2-2 record and went on to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champions in the post-season.

It was obvious the Raiders roster was in a transition type reload state. With that said, fans were just happy to have the chance to watch Raiders hockey at the Art Hauser Centre that night during the loss to the Pats.

There were no guarantees the Raiders would get in all their regular season games.

Ozzy Wiesblatt was a holdover from the 2018-19 WHL title winner.

Since March 12, 2020, it has been hard to almost impossible in some cases to grade how any team in the WHL has performed due to all the twists and turns and adjustments that had to be made due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For a two-week period at the start of this past January, positive COVID-19 tests caused major disruptions causing rescheduling that saw games go on for two weeks after the original April 3 end date of the regular season. The Winnipeg Ice and Brandon Wheat Kings also postponed a number of home games originally schedule in January and the first half of February due to capacity restrictions that were brought into Manitoba to combat COVID-19.

Still, the Raiders and the WHL were able to navigate all those hurdles to date. The Raiders played a completed 68 game regular season posting a 28-35-4-1 regular season record to finish eighth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and capture the conference’s final playoff berth.

Prince Albert proceeded to fall 4-1 in a best-of-seven first round series to the Winnipeg Ice, who finished first overall in the WHL regular season standings with a 53-10-3-2 mark and were rated second in the final CHL Top 10 rankings. The Raiders campaign ended with an 8-2 loss to the Ice in Game 5 of their series on Friday in Winnipeg.

Nolan Allan anchored the Raiders back end.

Credit goes to general manager Curtis Hunt and head coach Marc Habscheid and his coaching staff for their efforts ensured the Raiders remained a team that could make the post-season. In the process, Habscheid moved into fifth place on the WHL’s career head coaching regular season wins list current sitting with 582 victories.

Credit goes to business manager Michael Scissons and the office staff for fact the Raiders averaged 2,334 spectators over their 34 home regular season games and 2,605 spectators for the team’s two home playoff dates.

During the ups and downs of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Raiders office staffers took on unforeseen roles at various times to ensure there was a product on the ice and game days did happen.

At lot of good things happened on the ice for the team as well. The Raiders closed the regular season winning two straight must win games in order to qualify for the WHL Playoffs.

After star defenceman Kaiden Guhle was traded to the Edmonton Oil Kings on December 1, 2021, Nolan Allan, who was selected in the first round and 32^nd overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, assumed the role as the main force in the back end for the Raiders.

Landon Kosior, who is a 19-year-old veteran, broke out as an offensive defenceman collecting 45 points on 18 goals and 27 assists appearing in all the Raiders 68 regular season games.

Tikhon Chaika emerged as a legit solid starter.

Overage centre Reece Vitelli, who became the Raiders captain after Guhle was traded, had his most memorable season in the WHL. Vitelli topped the Raiders in scoring with 51 points coming off 25 goals and 26 assists, and all those statistical totals were career highs.

Overage defenceman Remy Aquilon provided a steady presence on the back end and posted career highs in goals (three), assists (24) and points (27).

Left-winger Evan Herman, who was playing through his 19-year-old campaign, showed he had a nose for the net leading the Raiders with 28 goals to go along with 19 assists appearing in all the Raiders 68 regular season games.

Rookie 18-year-old import netminder Tikhon Chaika, who is from Minsk, Belarus, emerged as a solid legit WHL starter. In 51 regular season appearances, Chaika posted a 22-21-4 record, a 2.79 goals against average, a .904 save percentage and three shutouts.

The Raiders do have a number of younger players that have the potential to take big steps in the future.

Do they have the roster that can win a WHL Championship or a Memorial Cup at the moment?

That answer to that is “no” for now. At the moment, those titles were still last awarded in 2019, and since March 12, 2020, no one could realistically determine when they would be awarded again.

The Raiders salute their fans at the Art Hauser Centre.

The immediate goal was to get on the ice and plan a complete campaign like the Raiders did.

Assuming world events don’t throw in any more curveballs, the steps to building a team capable of capturing the WHL and CHL titles can now start in a more honest fashion.

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Warriors whack Blades out of WHL Playoffs

Moose Jaw advances with 6-3 victory in Game 5

Jagger Firkus had two goals and an assist for the Warriors on Friday.

The Moose Jaw Warriors put on a performance that would have had the locals partying the night away at the Rocking Royal in the old days of “The Crushed Can.”

On Friday, the Warriors downed the visiting Saskatoon Blades 6-3 in Game 5 of a WHL first round playoff series between the two sides played before 3,364 pumped up spectators at Mosaic Place. The victory allowed the Warriors to claim the best-of-seven series against the Blades 4-1.

The Warriors now wait to see who they will play in an Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Back in the days when the Warriors skated in their old long time the Moose Jaw Civic Centre, which was also known as “The Crushed Can,” a Friday night series win would have had the locals in Moose Jaw scurrying off to the Rocking Royal bar located in the Royal Hotel to celebrate the victory well into the early hours of the next morning.

Both the Civic Centre and the Royal Hotel have long been demolished, but locals can still enjoy Friday’s victory moment in pubs that are in walking distance of the Warriors current downtown rink home.

While the Warriors took the series-clinching contest against the Blades by a comfortable margin on the scoreboard, the Game 5 clash between the two sides was an intense one that had a bit of a rivalry feel to it.

The Warriors came flying out of the gate to start Friday’s game. At the 5:55 mark of the opening frame, Warriors star centre Brayden Yager centred the puck from behind the Saskatoon goal to star right-winger Jagger Firkus, and Firkus blasted home the game’s first goal to give the host side a 1-0 edge.

Denton Mateychuk had the Warriors second goal in Game 5.

At the 9:08 mark, Firkus, who was celebrating his 18^th birthday on Friday, teamed with Warriors star right-winger Ryder Korczak to set up offensive-defenceman Denton Mateychuk for a power-play goal that gave Moose Jaw a 2-0 advantage. Mateychuk wired home his first of the post-season from just above the left faceoff circle in the Saskatoon zone.

Before the opening frame drew to a close, the Blades got a traction moment to get back into the game. While working on the power play, Blades standout left-winger Brandon Lisowsky fired a shot that was deflected by star centre Josh Pillar and then was accidently knocked into the Moose Jaw net by the hand of Warriors left-winger Calder Anderson.

Pillar ultimately got credit for the goal that cut the Warriors lead to 2-1 with 5:58 remaining in the first.

The Warriors restored their two-goal advantage at the 8:52 mark of the second. Mateychuk fired a shot from the point that rebounded out to Firkus at the left side of the Saskatoon goal. Firkus slipped in his second marker to increase the Warriors edge to 3-1.

The rivalry showed up 40 seconds after Firkus’s second tally of the contest as Blades left-winger Josh Paulhus engaged Warriors import left-winger Robert Baco in a fight.

With seven minutes remaining in the second, the Blades were buzzing in the Warriors zone. Blades import left-winger Egor Sidorov made a backhanded pass to Pillar, who was positioned for a midrange shot straight out from the left post of the Moose Jaw goal.

Tristen Robins had an assist for the Blades on Friday.

Pillar blasted a shot through a screen for his second marker of the contest that cut the Warriors lead to 3-2.

At the start of the third, the Blades found themselves on the penalty kill. During that kill, they had a huge chance to score the equalizer as centre Trevor Wong found himself on a short-handed breakaway, but he was stoned trying to shoot the puck between the legs of Warriors overage star netminder Carl Tetachuk.

Moose Jaw then got a goal from rookie right-winger Thomas Tien, who was skating in his first WHL playoff game. Tien corralled a long flip pass to get sprung into the Saskatoon zone on a breakaway.

He snapped home his first career WHL post-season goal at the 5:26 mark of the third to restore the Warriors two-goal edge at 4-2.

Again, the Blades wouldn’t back down. With 7:13 remaining in the third, Blades right-winger Noah Boyko had the puck in the left corner of the Moose Jaw zone. He centred the puck to Wong, who blasted home his first of the post-season to cut the Warriors lead to 4-3.

With 3:38 remaining in the third, the Warriors finally got the dagger goal that put the game away, when centre Atley Calvert knocked home his second of the playoffs from the front of the Saskatoon goal after collecting the rebound from a point shot taken by Mateychuk.

Baco rounded out the 6-3 final scoring a long range empty-net goal for the Warriors from his own blue-line with 1:51 remaining in the third.

Robert Baco scored a long range empty-net goal for the Warriors.

Tempers proceeded to flare up with the issue decided on the scoreboard as a scrum broke out with a minute remaining in the third. Out of that scrum, Wiens and Tien engaged in a fight.

Inside of the final seven seconds of the third, the officials gave Blades overage defenceman Rhett Rhinehart a 10-minute misconduct, when he started to get a little testy on the ice.

Tetachuk made 26 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Warriors. Blades star overage netminder Nolan Maier turned away 35-of-40 shots to take the setback in net for Saskatoon.

The loss brought an end to the WHL careers of Maier, Rhinehart and Blades overage captain Tristen Robins, who all age out of the major junior ranks. Robins picked up an assist in the Game 5 loss on Friday.

During the regular season, the Warriors collected 81 standings points to finish fourth overall in the Eastern Conference with a 37-24-4-3 mark. They just edged out the Blades, who finished fifth in the Eastern Conference with 80 standings points coming from a 38-26-3-1 record.

Saskatoon had won six of the eight head-to-head meetings in the regular season with Moose Jaw, but that type of result didn’t materialize in the playoffs.

The Warriors seemed to want the post-season series just a touch more than the Blades did, and it was noticeable on the ice. 

Nolan Maier made 35 saves for the Blades on Friday.

That little extra jump has the Warriors advancing onward on the WHL playoff trail.

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Raiders post-season life gets put on Ice

Winnipeg eliminates Prince Albert from WHL Playoffs

The Ice are all smiles to be moving on in the WHL Playoffs.

The stay of execution lasted one game for the Prince Albert Raiders.

The Winnipeg Ice had no intention of returning to the Art Hauser Centre in “Hockey Town North” with a further extension of the best-of-seven first round WHL playoff series between the two sides. In Game 5 of the series on Friday at the Wayne Fleming Arena in the Manitoba capital, the Ice stormed out to a 4-0 lead in the first period and rolled to an 8-2 victory to the delight of most of the 1,606 spectators in attendance.

The win allowed the Ice to take the series 4-1. They now wait to see who they will play in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Winnipeg took the first three contests of the series against Prince Albert. Facing their first elimination game, the Raiders posted a 3-1 victory in Game 4 on Wednesday at the Art Hauser Centre to make a Game 5 of the series back in Winnipeg necessary.

In Game 5, the Ice showed why they were massive favourites in the series in the runaway victory. The Ice topped the WHL’s regular season standings with a 53-10-3-2 record.

The Raiders won their last two regular season outings to finish eighth overall in the Eastern Conference and capture the conference’s final post-season berth with a 28-35-4-1 record. Prince Albert did win three out of the eight head-to-head meetings in the regular season with the Ice.

Connor McClennon scored twice for the Ice on Friday.

Including play in the regular season and post-season, the Ice, who were rated second in the final CHL Top 10 rankings, are 22-2-1-1 in their last 26 games.

In Friday’s series clinching win, the Ice came out of the gates on fire. Raiders rookie import netminder Tikhon Chaika did his best to hold the fort early, but the dam burst right before the midway point of the frame.

At the 9:58 mark of the first, Ice 19-year-old power forward Jack Finley popped home Winnipeg’s first goal from the front of the Prince Albert net after collecting the rebound of a shot from linemate Owen Pederson. The tally was Finley’s first of the post-season after having netted 27 goals in the regular season.

Ice star 16-year-old centre Zachary Benson potted a close in backhander to increase the Ice’s edge to 2-0 at the 14:18 mark of the opening frame. Just one minute later, Ice 19-year-old star left-winger Mikey Milne netted his fifth goal of the playoffs to extend the Ice’s lead to 3-0.

Before the first period expired, Ice 19-year-old centre Chase Wheatcroft made a smart backhanded pass in the centre ice zone to spring 15-year-old Ice defenceman Jonas Woo on a breakaway down the left wing.

Woo sniped his first career post-season goal low right side to the Prince Albert net to send the Ice into the first intermission holding a 4-0 lead. Winnipeg held a 13-1 edge in shots on goal after the opening 20 minutes.

Reece Vitelli had the Raiders first goal on Friday.

Just 1:57 into the second, the Ice upped their lead to 5-0. Pederson had the puck at the right side of the Prince Albert goal and found star 19-year-old right-winger Connor McClennon with a backdoor pass, and McClennon slipped home a backhand shot to give the Ice their five-goal lead.

Following that tally, the Raiders pulled Chaika, who turned away 10-of-15 shots to take the setback in the Prince Albert net. Max Hildebrand played the rest of the way in the Raiders net in relief turning away 17-of-20 shots sent his way.

The Raiders broke through on the scoreboard with a short-handed tally at the 9:46 mark of the second. With the puck in the Prince Albert zone, McClennon fired a shot from the left shot that missed the net and the puck rimmed around the boards out of the Prince Albert zone on the left wing.

Raiders veteran right-winger Evan Herman chased down the loose puck and zipped down the left wing into the Winnipeg zone. Herman passed the puck across the face the Winnipeg goal backdoor to Prince Albert overage captain Reece Vitelli.

Vitelli popped home his third of the playoffs to trim the Ice lead to 5-1 heading to the second intermission. The miracle comeback wasn’t to be.

The Ice started the third with a three-goal surge pushing their advantage out to 8-1 by the 8:17 mark of the frame. Benson started the surge with his second goal of the contest, star centre Matthew Savoie netted his first of the playoffs for the second tally of the surge and McClennon capped the outburst with his second of the contest.

Jonas Woo scored his first career WHL playoff goal on Friday.

Raiders right-winger Sloan Stanick concluded the game’s scoring tipping home a point shot from standout defenceman Nolan Allan to round out the 8-2 final in favour of the Ice. Raiders star right-winger Ozzy Wiesblatt also picked up a helper on Stanick’s tally.

Daniel Hauser stopped 11 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Ice.

During the five games of the series, the Ice outscored the Raiders 27-9. Winnipeg also posted a 10-1 blowout victory in Game 3 of the set, which was held on Tuesday at the Art Hauser Centre.

The last time a WHL Playoffs were held back in 2019 the Raiders captured the league crown with a powerhouse squad. They took Game 7 of the WHL Championship Series 3-2 in overtime at the Art Hauser Centre with Dante Hannoun scoring the extra time winner.

After the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic gripped the world in March of 2020, the WHL post-season set for that year and in 2021 were nixed.

Wiesblatt was the only regular left from the 2018-19 campaign still on the Raiders roster as Prince Albert was eliminated from the 2022 post-season. Herman and Allan are the only two other Raiders players who saw action during the regular season in the 2018-19 WHL title winning campaign.

The 2021-22 Raiders were in a reload campaign, so it was still big for them to make the post-season. Vitelli and overage defenceman Remy Aquilon both graduate after aging out of the major junior level for the Prince Albert side.

Ozzy Wiesblatt had an assist on the Raiders final goal.

As for the Ice, they move on in the WHL Playoffs as a powerhouse with incredible depth. They have a great opportunity to go all the way.

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Raiders stay alive with gutty 3-1 win over Ice

Winnipeg still leads WHL first round series 3-1

The Raiders celebrate Eric Johnston’s third period goal.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Is the dream alive like in 1979?

On Wednesday night at the Art Hauser Centre, the Prince Albert Raiders staved off elimination in the WHL Playoffs pulling out a gutty 3-1 victory at the Art Hauser Centre in Game 4 of their best-of-seven first round series against the Winnipeg Ice. Prince Albert’s victory trims the Ice’s lead in the series to 3-1.

Due to the Prince Albert win, the series now shifts back to Winnipeg for Game 5 on Friday set for 7 p.m. local time at the Wayne Fleming Arena.

With their triumph on Wednesday, the Raiders took the first step in trying to rally back from a 3-0 series deficit, which is something they have done once in team history back in their junior A days.

In the 1979 SJHL Playoffs, the Raiders trailed the junior A version of the Swift Current Broncos that existed at the time 3-0 in a best-of-seven second round series. The Raiders stormed back to take that series 4-3 and moved on to win the Centennial Cup as national junior A champions.

Eric Johnston scored the winning goal for the Raiders in Game 4.

Current Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid gave a smile when told about the historic note but pointed out that was a great chapter in team history written in a different time.

“That is ancient history for us,” said Habscheid, whose team received a warm standing ovation salute from the 2,568 spectators in attendance as the contest’s final seconds ticked away. “We’re just trying to win a game, and we’re just trying to win a shift and worry about that.

“We’re not going to Winnipeg to participate, so they get another home date. We’re going there to win. We have a little bit of momentum and believability, and when you have that, that is pretty powerful.”

Raiders RW Harrison Lodewyk, left, battles Ice RW Evan Friesen.

Habscheid’s Raiders face a loftier challenge than the junior A version of the club took on in 1979. Heading into the 1979 post-season, the Raiders topped the SJHL standings with a record of 44 wins, 13 losses and 3 ties.

Swift Current had the circuit’s second best record in that campaign with a 40-19-1 mark. Due to the fact the Raiders and the Broncos were both in the then North Division of the SJHL, the latest they could meet in the post-season was the second round of the SJHL Playoffs.

The current day major junior Raiders are massive underdogs in their series against the Ice. The Ice topped the WHL regular season standings with a 53-10-3-2 record, and they were rated second in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

Matthew Savoie sets to fire a shot on goal for the Ice. 

The Raiders squeaked into the WHL post-season taking eighth place and the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference with a 28-35-4-1 mark. One night earlier in Game 3 at the Hauser, the Ice romped to a 10-1 blowout victory over the host Raiders.

Habscheid was proud that his team put in the effort they did in Wednesday’s win to rebound from the drubbing they took one night earlier.

“It is the Raider way (you) find a way, character all the way,” said Habscheid, who sits fifth all-time on the WHL’s career regular season wins list. “We got shellacked last night, and guys came back and laid it on the line.

“We deserved to win.”

Tikhon Chaika made 26 saves for the Raiders in Game 4.

In Wednesday’s clash, both teams jumped out of the gate with an intense start that saw them play through a scoreless opening 20 minutes with the Ice holding a slim 9-8 edge in shots on goal.

Just over three minutes into the first, Raiders winger Sloan Stanick broke into the Winnipeg zone on a breakaway, but he was stoned by Ice star netminder Daniel Hauser.

Raiders rookie import netminder Tikhon Chaika came up big too for the Raiders in the opening frame. He stoned Ice star centre Matthew Savoie and star left-winger Mikey Milne on close in chances.

Daniel Hauser makes one of his 20 saves in goal for the Ice.

Savoie returned to the Ice lineup after being injured blocking a shot in the third period of his team’s 3-1 victory in Game 1 of the series last Friday in Winnipeg.

Along with those two saves, Chaika came up with a big glove robbery on a slot shot from Ice star 16-year-old centre Zachary Benson.

The Raiders opened the game’s scoring at the 1:53 mark of the second period, when overage defenceman Remy Aquilon blasted home a point shot through a screen for a 1-0 lead. Aquilon’s goal marked the first time in the series the Raiders held a lead.

Ozzy Wiesblatt sets to fire a shot on goal for the Raiders.

As the Ice pressed for the equalizer as the second frame moved on, both teams started trading firewagon chances over the final five minutes of the period. 

Chaika had to turn away Ice star centre Conor Geekie on a rush down the right-wing and stoned veteran Ice star right-winger Connor McClennon on a shot from the front of the Prince Albert goal off a three-on-one rush.

“I’m always trying to stay under control,” said Chaika. “I’m always focusing on the game and the puck, and I just don’t think about it. 

“After yesterday’s game, we just talk with everybody and decided to be ready today.”

Just 66 seconds into the second, Raiders defenceman Eric Johnston received a gift at the right wing boards in the Winnipeg zone as Ice defenceman Tanner Brown, who was behind his own goal, blindly passed the puck to the Prince Albert rearguard. 

Remy Aquilon had the Raiders first goal in Game 4.

Brown immediately tried to take up a defensive position in front of the Winnipeg net after the giveaway.

Johnston quickly fired the gift off Brown into the Winnipeg goal to push the host’s lead to 2-0.

“Going into the dressing room second intermission there, we just said we have to win a period here,” said Johnston. “Luckily, that one (his goal) went off their D-man, so a lucky goal there.

“The fans were definitely electric there and got the team a lot of momentum.”

After going up two goals, the Raiders really ground down the game defensively as the Ice held a slim 5-4 shots on goal advantage in the third period. 

The Ice celebrate a goal from Mikey Milne (#24).

Still, there were dramatics at the end of the frame.

The Ice received a power play with 2:58 remaining in the frame as Stanick was called for slashing. 

With Hauser pulled for an extra attacker, the Ice cashed in with a power-play goal with 69 seconds remaining in the third.

Geekie had the puck on the right wing, and he found Milne with a backdoor feed, and Milne potted his fourth goal of the post-season to cut the Raiders lead to 2-1.

With 49.3 seconds remaining in the third, Stanick iced the victory with an empty-net goal that rounded out the 3-1 final in favour of the Raiders. 

The fans at the Art Hauser Centre salute the Raiders.

Stanick’s tally went to a video review to determine if Raiders right-winger Evan Herman was offside, but the replay officials ruled that the tally was good.

Chaika stopped 26 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Hauser turned away 20-of-22 shots to take the setback in net for the Ice.

If the Raiders find a way to pull out Game 5 in Winnipeg, the series will return to the Art Hauser Centre for Game 6 on Sunday for a 6 p.m. start.

After the salute the Raiders received their Game 4 win wound down and after the time elapsed on the clock, Habscheid believes his players received an extra incentive to try and get another home post-season game.

The Raiders celebrate their Game 4 win on Wednesday.

“I think what is important for our guys is with 20 seconds left the whole building got up, and you could feel the energy of the crowd and the appreciation of the crowd for what these guys are doing and the effort that they are showing,” said Habscheid. “That gives them a lot of motivation to comeback for Game 6.”

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Ugly Warriors OT goal deals Blades near fatal blow

Moose Jaw takes massive 3-0 lead in WHL first round series

The Warriors celebrate Cordel Larson’s OT winner.

Cordel Larson’s overtime winner on an unassuming play drove a dagger through the hearts of the Saskatoon Blades.

With Larson’s visiting Moose Jaw Warriors locked in a 2-2 tie with the host Blades in overtime, the overage right-winger ended being the beneficiary of a positive-bounce break. The Weyburn, Sask., product skated with the puck from behind the Blades net and circled out of the left corner along the boards of the Saskatoon zone.

After getting a stride length in front of the icing line, Larson threw the puck to the centre of the Saskatoon goal. The puck deflected in off a Blades player to deliver the Warriors to a 3-2 victory in Game 3 of a WHL first round playoff series at the 9:40 mark of the extra session.

The Warriors start embracing Cordel Larson (#34) after his winner.

Larson’s goal disappointed most of the 3,544 spectators at the SaskTel Centre outside of a sizable vocal contingent of Warriors fans, who made the trek up for the contest from Moose Jaw.

The Warriors also take a stranglehold 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. That has turned out to be the norm for the first round of this year’s WHL playoffs, because six teams hold 3-0 leads in the eight first round best-of-seven series that are being played.

Moose Jaw will have a first crack to close out its series with Saskatoon in Game 4 on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Needing a win to get back into the series, the Blades came storming out of the gate on Tuesday and scored the contest’s first goal at the 3:20 mark of the opening frame while working on the power play. Blades right-winger Noah Boyko took a shot from the right side boards that got tipped home by centre Jayden Wiens to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

Carl Tetachuk made 27 saves in goal for the Warriors.

Saskatoon kept storming after that tally and held a 10-1 edge in shots on goal 10 minutes into the contest. Warriors star overage netminder Carl Tetachuk came up with a number of big saves to prevent the Blades from assuming an even bigger lead.

The Warriors proceeded to find their legs as the opening frame drew to a close, and they gave their goaltender some offensive support.

With 1:45 remaining in the first period, Warriors right-winger Eric Alarie got the puck at the right point of the Saskatoon zone. Alarie deked around a Blades forward, got close on the Saskatoon goal and sniped home his first marker of the post-season to even the score at 1-1.

Moose Jaw proceeded to go ahead 2-1 at the 4:43 mark of the second on a goal from import left-winger Martin Rysavy. Rysavy one-timed home a shot from the front of the Saskatoon goal for his first tally of the post-season.

Nolan Maier made 34 saves for the Blades.

Warriors right-winger Jagger Firkus made a beauty pass from the left corner of the Blades zone to set up Rysavy’s goal.

The Warriors kept building the pressure after Blades left-winger Vaughn Watterodt was given a double minor for slew-footing. That infraction will automatically be reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

The Blades killed off the double minor thanks to some outstanding saves by Blades star overage netminder Nolan Maier.

During that kill, Maier robbed Warriors centre Ryder Korczak on a backdoor chance, made a sprawling pad save on Alarie and stoned Firkus on a dangerous midrange drive.

Jayden Wiens (#9) scored the Blades first goal on Tuesday.

The Warriors kept bringing the pressure for the rest of the frame but were unable to beat Maier. Moose Jaw held a 16-4 edge in shots on goal in the second period.

The Warriors appeared set to close out the contest in the third period doing a pretty strong job clamping things down defensively.

That all changed with 3:21 remaining in the frame. Rysavy received a double minor for boarding after ramming Blades defenceman Ben Saunderson into the boards.

With 44.5 seconds remaining in the third and Maier pulled for an extra attacker, Blades standout left-winger Brandon Lisowsky banged home the equalizer during a net scramble in front of the Moose Jaw goal to even the score at 2-2 and force overtime.

Eric Alarie scored the Warriors first goal on Tuesday.

In overtime, the Blades were sloppy with the puck when they had control of it. Maier stoned Firkus on a rush down the right wing after Firkus got the puck when the Blades weren’t strong in handling it.

The veteran puckstopper proceeded to turn away Warriors left-winger Robert Baco on a drive from the front of the Saskatoon goal after the Blades turned the puck over in their own zone.

That set the stage for the Warriors to take the contest on Larson’s greasy overtime winner.

Maier turned away 34 shots to take the setback in goal for the Blades. Carl Tetachuk stopped 27 shots to pick up the win in net for the Warriors.

Blades star overage centre and captain Tristen Robins returned to his team’s lineup after missing the previous six games due to injury. He was listed as day-to-day in the Blades previous three contests with a lower body injury.

Brandon Lisowsky scored with 44.5 seconds in the third to force OT.

In Game 3 against the Warriors on Tuesday, Robins only took the ice for shifts on the power play, and he didn’t look effective. The Clear Lake, Man., product didn’t seem to be as speedy as he normally is and didn’t display much power when he tried to shoot the puck.

Robins still made see-eye passes in the offensive zone, but he wasn’t the same offensive threat that saw him finish second in Blades regular season scoring this season with 78 points coming off 33 goals and 45 assists in 62 games to go with a plus-four rating in the plus-minus department.

The Warriors have been without star defenceman Daemon Hunt so far for the series, because he is out week-to-week with a lower body injury.

The Blades fans cheer Brandon Lisowsky’s game tying goal.

Going forward in the series, the Blades face a long uphill battle. 

In the history of the WHL dating back to the circuit’s start in 1966-67, only two teams have rallied back to win a best-of-seven series having trailed the set 3-0.

The Spokane Chiefs, who were guided by Mike Babcock as head coach, trailed the Portland Winterhawks 3-0 before rallying to take a first round series 4-3 in 1996. 

The Kelowna Rockets fell behind the Seattle Thunderbirds 3-0 in 2013 before battling back to claim that first round series 4-3.

Tristen Robins returned from injury to only play on the power play.

Saskatoon trailed the Lethbridge Hurricanes 3-0 in a second round series in the 1990 WHL Playoffs before rallying back to tie the set at 3-3. In a series deciding Game 7 in Lethbridge, the Blades fell 4-3 in overtime with defenceman Neil Hawryluk netting the winning goal for the Hurricanes.

With the way the series between the Blades and Warriors has played out, Moose Jaw has to be given full marks for taking a 3-0 lead in the series, and it surprising considering the Blades won six out of eight head-to-head contests in the regular season between the two sides.

The Warriors 81 standings points and 37-24-4-3 record in the regular season just edged the Blades for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The Blades finished fifth in the Eastern Conference with 80 standings points coming off a 38-26-3-1 record.

The Warriors celebrate their overtime win on Tuesday.

It feels almost certain that Saskatoon is stuck in a hole that it won’t be able to dig out of.

EDITOR’S NOTE - The original version of this column credited Atley Calvert with scoring the overtime winner for the Warriors. Calvert was originally listed as the overtime goal scorer on the WHL’s online game summary. That was an error, and it has been corrected on the WHL’s official summary. A big thanks goes out to Warriors play-by-play voice and director of hockey administration James Gallo for the hard work he put in to ensure the information on the overtime winner was corrected.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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“Hockey Town North” faithful can give boost to Raiders

The fans at the Art Hauser Centre cheer on the Raiders on April 16.

The Prince Albert Raiders faithful might be able to give the Winnipeg Ice an education on what it is like to be on the road in the WHL Playoffs.

As the series between the Raiders and Ice shifts to Prince Albert for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday respectfully at 7 p.m. both nights, the Ice players might get caught off guard about what awaits them at the Art Hauser Centre. It is unlikely they will know what the post-season atmosphere is like inside the Raiders storied home until they are skating on the Hauser’s ice surface.

It is safe to say Ice head coach James Patrick remembers what the playoff atmosphere in the Hauser is like. Patrick played one season for the Raiders back when the team was still in the junior A ranks of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

As a 17-year-old, Patrick starred on defence for the Raiders in 1980-81 and helped them win their third Centennial Cup as national junior A champions. Patrick, who is still viewed as one of the best ever to play defence for the Raiders, was then selected in the first round and ninth overall by the New York Rangers in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, but he never forgot how all of “Hockey Town North” got invested in the Raiders.

Even with Patrick’s experience, it is hard to describe the playoff atmosphere inside the Art Hauser Centre until you are experiencing it in person. That intangible might be the thing that gives the Raiders a boost to get back in their series against the Ice.

This column of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click the link right here.

Warriors hold serve at home with 5-3 Game 2 win

Blades trail WHL playoff series 2-0 heading home to Saskatoon

Brayden Yager had three points for the Warriors on Saturday.

The Moose Jaw Warriors were out to prove what happened against the Saskatoon Blades in the regular season means nothing in the WHL Playoffs.

On Saturday playing before 3,290 spectators at Mosaic Place, the host Warriors slipped past the visiting Blades 5-3 in Game 2 of a WHL first round playoff series between the two sides. The victory allows the Warriors to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set.

During the regular season, the Blades won six out of the eight head-to-head meetings between the two sides. The Warriors gained home ice advantage for the first round playoff series collecting 81 points to finish fourth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 37-24-4-3 record.

The Blades finished fifth in the Eastern Conference one point back of Moose Jaw with a 38-26-3-1 mark.

In Saturday’s Game 2 encounter, the two sides skated through a scoreless opening frame with the Warriors holding a 15-8 edge in shots on goal.

Just 20 seconds into the second, Warriors star centre Brayden Yager, who turned 17-years-old in early January, entered the Saskatoon zone jetting down the right wing on a short-handed two-on-one rush. Yager fired a shot that rebounded off the right pad of Blades overage star netminder Nolan Maier and deflected into the Saskatoon net off Blades centre Trevor Wong to give the host side a 1-0 lead.

The positive bounce tally by the Warriors didn’t discourage the Blades. At the 14:20 mark of the second, Blades left-winger Brandon Lisowsky banged home his first marker of the post-season from the right side of the Moose Jaw goal during a mini net scramble to even the score at 1-1.

Just 1:53 after Lisowsky’s equalizer, Blades overage defenceman Rhett Rhinehart fired a point shot on the Moose Jaw net that was deflected home by Blades left-winger Vaughn Watterodt to give the visitors a 2-1 edge.

With 1:33 remaining in the second Yager shifted the momentum back on the Warriors side blowing home a point shot that got through Maier to even the score at 2-2.

Moose Jaw went ahead 3-2 with 4.7 seconds remaining in the second, when Warriors defenceman Lucas Brenton wired home a shot from just inside the left faceoff circle in the Saskatoon zone. A shot taken by Warriors star centre Ryder Korczak that got blocked by a Blades player came out to Brenton to be a perfect positive bounce setup for his goal.

In the third, Moose Jaw got a key insurance goal to go ahead 4-2 with 6:46 remaining in the frame, when Warriors left-winger Riley Niven popped home a loose puck in the crease of the Saskatoon goal.

Things proceeded to get really hectic inside the final 50 seconds of the third. With 45.6 seconds remaining in the third and Maier pulled for an extra attacker for Saskatoon, Lisowsky backhanded home his second goal of the contest to cut the Warriors lead to 4-3.

Brandon Lisowsky had a pair of goals for the Blades on Saturday.

The Blades proceeded to get the puck right back into the Moose Jaw zone after cutting the Warriors lead to one goal. During a cycle, Blades star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic was tripped down to the ice. During a mix up when Crnkovic was tripped, the puck came out to veteran Warriors left-winger Calder Anderson.

Anderson sealed the win for Moose Jaw potting a long range empty-net goal that rounded out the 5-3 final score with 21.9 seconds remaining in the third. The Blades player and coaches proceeded to protest what went on and the resulting protest saw the officials access Crnkovic a 10-minute misconduct penalty.

A short time later, there was a faceoff with 9.9 seconds remaining in the third, and the officials ruled that tensions got hot enough that they called for the final 9.9 seconds to be run off the clock with the Warriors holding a two-goal lead. WHL rules allow officials the digression to run out the final seconds of a game clock at the end of the third period, if they feel tensions had gotten too high and score dictated the contest was decided.

The Blades protested the run off of the final 9.9 seconds on the clock.

Star overage netminder Carl Tetachuk made 28 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Warriors. Maier turned away 33-of-37 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades.

Yager, who is a graduate of the Saskatoon Contacts under-18 AAA team, had an assist to go with his two goals for a three-point night. Warriors offensive-defenceman Denton Mateychuk had a pair of assists in the win.

Blades centre Jayden Wiens collected a pair of helpers in the setback.

The Warriors failed to score on six chances with the power play, while the Blades were unable to score on two chances with the man advantage.

The Warriors have been without star defenceman Daemon Hunt so far for the series, because he is out week-to-week with a lower body injury.

Blades star overage captain Tristen Robins missed both games of the series so far being listed day-to-day with a lower body injury. Robins did accompany the Blades to Moose Jaw.

The series now shifts to Saskatoon with Game 3 set for Tuesday and Game 4 following on Wednesday. Puck drop for each of those contests is set for 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Winnipeg counter surge puts Raiders on Ice in Game 2

Nolan Orzeck scored the Ice’s first goal on Saturday.

The Prince Albert Raiders saw their momentum slip away at the worst possible time.

On Saturday playing Game 2 of a WHL first round playoff series against the Ice in Winnipeg, the Raiders fell behind 2-0 to the host before the contest was 12 minutes old.

With 1:29 remaining in the first, Raiders offensive-defenceman Landon Kosior scored to cut the Ice lead to 2-1. Raiders captain Reece Vitelli and left-winger Cale Sanders picked up assists on the play.

After the visitors gained the momentum, Raiders import left-winger Vladislav Shilo picked up a tripping minor with just under 13 seconds to play in the opening frame. The Ice would capitalize on that infraction before the period expired.

With 4.8 seconds remaining in the first, a point shot from Ice offensive-defenceman Benjamin Zloty was deflected home by Ice left-winger Owen Pederson from the front of the Prince Albert goal to give the host side a 3-1 lead.

The Ice scored twice inside of the first 3:20 of the second period to increase their advantage to 5-1 and cruised from there to a 5-2 victory before a standing room crowd of 1,983 spectators at the Wayne Fleming Arena.

The win allows the Ice to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. They took Game 1 on Friday by a 3-1 final thanks to a storyline that was similar to what happened at the end of the first period in Game 2.

In Saturday’s clash, the Ice opened the scoring at the 2:51 mark of the first period while working on a power play. Ice overage defenceman Nolan Orzeck slipped a midrange shot from right boards by the right faceoff circle in the Prince Albert zone through a screened Raiders import rookie netminder Tikhon Chaika to give the host side a 1-0 edge.

With 8:03 remaining the first, Ice overage right-winger Jakin Smallwood came on a rush down the right wing to slip home a midrange shot from the right boards by the right faceoff circle to put the Ice up 2-0.

That set the stage for the dramatics at the end of the frame that saw Kosior score to cut the gap on the scoreboard to one for the Raiders and Pederson tip home his power-play goal right before the end of the frame to restore Winnipeg’s two-goal edge.

Momentum continued to avalanche against the Raiders at that point. At the 2:10 mark of the second, Ice star 16-year-old centre Zachary Benson slipped home a bad angle shot from the right boards just above the icing line to increase Winnipeg’s advantage to 4-1.

The Raiders proceeded to pull Chaika at that point in the contest. He turned away 11-of-15 shots to take the setback in goal for the Raiders.

Reece Vitelli had a goal and an assist for the Raiders on Saturday.

Max Hildebrand, who is a 17-year-old rookie, played the rest of the way in relief in goal for the Raiders turning away 13-of-14 shots sent his way.

The Ice beat Hildebrand just 70 seconds after he entered the contest, when Ice star centre Conor Geekie made a mini toe-drag move and roofed home a shot to give the hosts a 5-1 lead.

Despite being down by four goals, the Raiders did attempt to push back. With 4:22 remaining in the third, Sanders was able to flip a pass out to Vitelli in front of the Winnipeg net, and Vitelli blasted home his second of the post-season to round out the 5-2 final score in the Ice’s favour.

Ice star netminder Daniel Hauser stopped 18 shots to pick up the win in goal. Winnipeg defenceman Carson Lambos had three assists in his team’s win on Saturday.

The Ice were 2-for-3 on the power play in Saturday’s contest, while the Raiders failed to score on three chances with the man advantage.

In Saturday’s win, Winnipeg was without star centre Matthew Savoie, who turned 18-year-old on Jan. 1. Savoie left the third period of his team’s Game 1 victory at home on Friday favouring his left leg after blocking a shot.

Following the Ice’s victory on Saturday, Winnipeg head coach James Patrick told Mike Sawatzky of the Winnipeg Free Press that Savoie is day-to-day with a lower body injury.

Patrick said Savoie will travel with the Ice to Prince Albert for Tuesday’s Game 3 and Wednesday’s Game 4, which will be both played at the Art Hauser Centre. Puck drop for both of those contests is slated for 7 p.m.

The Ice, who posted a 53-10-3-2 regular season record, enter the series with the Raiders, who were 28-35-4-1 in the regular season, as big favourites. While the Ice’s record was way better than that of the Raiders, the Prince Albert side did give the Winnipeg side fits in eight head-to-head games in the regular season winning three of those contests.

Going into Game 3 in Prince Albert on Tuesday, the Raiders will be looking to get an emotional boost from their faithful as they try to get back in the series.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Ice hold off feisty Raiders, take series opener 3-1

Jakin Smallwood scored for the Ice on Friday.

The Winnipeg Ice were reminded that the Prince Albert Raiders won’t be an easy out.

Still, the Ice, who were the WHL’s top team during the regular season, used their special teams to pull out a 3-1 victory over the visiting Raiders in Game 1 of their best-of-seven first round WHL playoff series at the Wayne Fleming Arena. Winnipeg cashed in on two-of-four power-play chances and killed off all five power-play opportunities the Raiders had.

The Ice, who posted a 53-10-3-2 regular season record, enter the series with the Raiders, who were 28-35-4-1 in the regular season, as big favourites. While the Ice’s record was way better than that of the Raiders, the Prince Albert side did give the Winnipeg side fits in eight head-to-head games in the regular season winning three of those contests.

The host side came out on fire in the first period hold an 11-2 edge in shots on goal. Despite that momentum over opening 20 minutes, the Ice were only able to put one goal past Raiders rookie import netminder Tikhon Chaika.

At the 12:03 mark of the first, the Ice entered the Prince Albert zone on a rush. Ice centre Cole Muir took a bank pass off the boards from linemate Skyer Bruce and circled around the back of the Raiders net.

After coming out the left side of the Prince Albert goal, Muir fed a pass to overage right-winger Jakin Smallwood, who was position in front of the Raiders goal. Smallwood quickly pushed the puck past Chaika to give the Ice a 1-0 lead.

The Raiders pushed back in the second period that saw the teams come out even in the shots on goal department 7-7. The Ice got the frame’s only goal scoring on the power play to extend their advantage to 2-0.

Reece Vitelli scored for the Raiders on Friday.

While working with the man advantage, Ice star 16-year-old centre Zachary Benson had the puck on the right wing and fed it down low to the right side of the Prince Albert goal to left-winger Owen Pederson. Pederson banked a close in shot in off Chaika’s right pad into the net to give Winnipeg the two-goal lead at the 9:34 mark of the second.

Just 1:45 into the third, the Raiders broke through on the scoreboard when a midrange shot from right-winger Sloan Stanick deflected off the skates of Raiders overage captain Reece Vitelli into the Winnipeg net to cut the Ice lead to 2-1.

The visitors proceeded to receive a bad break just 15 seconds later when centre Hayden Pakkala received a minor penalty for high-sticking.

On the ensuing power play, Ice power forward Jack Finley found star 19-year-old right-winger Connor McClennon with a backdoor pass at the left side of the Prince Albert net.  McClennon buried the puck into an empty cage past a sprawling Chaika to give the Ice a 3-1 advantage.

The power-play goal by McClennon came 68 seconds after Vitelli’s goal. Benson picked up his second helper of the contest on McClennon’s tally.

During the final three minutes of the third, the Raiders had the pick in the Winnipeg zone for most of that span of time but couldn’t put any more pucks past Ice star netminder Daniel Hauser.

Hauser made 19 save to pick up the win in goal for the Ice. Chaika turned away 27 shots to take the setback in net for the Raiders.

Ice star centre Matthew Savoie left the game in the third period with his team up 3-1 and did not return after blocking a shot.

Both teams don’t have long to reflect on what happened in the series opener. Game 2 is slated for 7 p.m. local time on Saturday at the Wayne Fleming Arena.

Warriors wipeout Blades 5-1

Jagger Firkus had a highlight reel goal for the Warriors on Friday.

The Moose Jaw Warriors easily shook off any playoff opening jitters, and it spelled doom for the Saskatoon Blades.

Playing in front of a crowd 3,276 spectators made up mostly of their adoring faithful at Mosaic Place, the Warriors skated past the Blades 5-1 holding a 36-19 edge in shots on goal to take Game 1 of a best-of-seven first round WHL playoff series between the two sides.

The Warriors, who were 37-24-4-3 in the regular season, just edged the Blades, who were 38-26-3-1 in the regular season, by one standings point 81-80 in order to gain home ice advantage for the best-of-seven set. The friendly confines of Mosaic Place seemed to suit the Warriors just fine.

The host side stormed out of the gates holding a 12-6 edge in shots on goal and taking a 2-0 lead on a pair of stellar tallies.

Just past the midway point of the first, Warriors centre Atley Calvert tipped home a shot from linemate Martin Rysavy to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

With 5:04 remaining in the first, Warriors star right-winger Jagger Firkus put home a lacrosse style goal to the top right corner of the Blades net push the host’s lead out to 2-0.

The Blades appeared to get a spark 78 seconds in the second, when standout centre Josh Pillar fired home a shot from the front of the Moose Jaw goal to cut the Warriors lead to 2-1. Pillar was in the right spot at the right time as a point shot from veteran Blades defenceman Charlie Wright went wide and bounced off the right back boards right to Pillar in front of the Warriors net.

At that point, Pillar wasted no time in taking advantage of a positive bounce.

The Warriors restored their two-goal lead at the 11:21 mark of the second, when defenceman Maximus Wanner took the puck down the right wing, cut across the front of the Saskatoon goal and put home a backhand shot to give the hosts a 3-1 edge.

Nolan Maier was pulled out of the Blades net to rest in the third.

Moose Jaw rounded out the scoring in the 5-1 win with overage defenceman Majid Kaddoura scoring a on a point shot and star centre Ryder Korczak slipping home a shot from the front of the Saskatoon goal. Korczak netted his marker after receiving a great setup from standout left-winger Eric Alarie, who was positioned behind the Blades net.

After Korczak scored the Warriors fifth goal at the 8:54 mark of the third, the Blades pulled star overage netminder Nolan Maier. Maier turned away 21-of-26 shots to take the setback in goal for the Blades.

Rookie netminder Ethan Chadwick played the rest of the way in relief turning away all 10 shots he faced.

Overage star goalie Carl Tetachuk stopped 18 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Warriors.

Alarie finished with two assists for the Warriors, while offensive-defenceman Denton Mateychuk had two helpers for the Moose Jaw side. Korczak had a helper to go with his goal, while Firkus also had an assist to go with his tally.

The Blades were without star overage centre and captain Tristen Robins, who is still listed day-to-day with a lower body injury. Robins missed the Blades last games of the regular season due to injury.

In eight regular season meetings between Saskatoon and Moose Jaw, the Blades won six of those encounters. Game 2 of the series between these two sides is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place.

Blades’ Crnkovic picks up pair of East Division honours

Kyle Crnkovic picked up two WHL East Division awards. 

Saskatoon Blades star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic was a big award winner for his club picking up a couple of WHL East Division honours on Thursday.

The Chestermere, Alta., product was named the Most Sportsmanlike Player and a first team all-star for the East Division. Crnkovic appeared in all of the Blades 68 regular season games posting career highs in goals (39), assists (55) and points (94), while only collecting 20 minutes in penalties.

The WHL announced division award winners and all-stars as part of a massive news dump on Thursday. Blades star captain and overage centre Tristen Robins was named a second team East Division all-star.

Prince Albert Raiders rookie right-winger Harrison Lodewyk was named the Scholastic Player of the Year for the East Division, while the Raiders as a team was tabbed as the winner of the WHL Business Award for the East Division.

The WHL is slated to announce its overall league awards via livestream on June 1.

Also on Thursday, the Edmonton Oil Kings were the winners of the WHL U.S. Priority Draft Lottery.  The WHL U.S. Priority Draft is slated for May 18, and the Oil Kings will select first overall in that draft.

The Medicine Hat Tigers won the WHL Prospects Draft Lottery. The WHL Prospects Draft is scheduled for May 19, and the Tigers will have the first overall selection for that draft.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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