Oh how sweet it is – Huskies capture Canada West title

Dogs claim first conference championship since 2020

Justin Ball goes for a spin with the Dr. W.G. Hardy Trophy.

It was the spark that helped the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Men’s Hockey Team surge to a Canada West championship.

On Sunday at Merlis Belsher Place, the Huskies found themselves in a scoreless deadlock in the third period with the Mount Royal University Cougars in a series deciding Game 3 of the Canada West Championship series. The Cougars had gotten the record crowd of 3,013 spectators at the Huskies state of the art rink to fall into a hush.

At the 10:09 mark of the frame, the Huskies got a rush that turned the game around. 

Vince Loschiavo scored the winning goal for the Huskies.

Second-year offensive defenceman Landon Kosior got the puck to fourth-year left-winger Chantz Petruic at the left side of his own blue-line. Petruic made seeing-eye pass up the centre of the ice to fifth-year right-winger Vince Loschiavo to spring him into the Mount Royal zone on a one-on-one rush.

Loschiavo jetted up the left wing, took a shot that deflected off the stick of Cougars defenceman Michael Ladyman into the Mount Royal net to put the Huskies up 1-0 and almost blow the roof off Merlis. That started a three-goal surge that allowed the Huskies to take the game 3-0. With the win, the Huskies claimed the best-of-three set 2-1 to capture their first conference crown since 2020.

Vince Loschiavo reacts to score at the 10:09 mark of the third period.

Both Huskies and the Cougars will play in the U Sports Championship Tournament – the David Johnston University Cup. It is slated to be held at TD Place in Ottawa, Ontario, from March 20 to 23, and it will be played in elite-eight format.

“I’m so happy for our guys,” said Huskies head coach Brandin Cote, who was named the Canada West Conference coach of the year this season. “They put in so much work.

“They bought in, and that is what good teams do. They are so close and so tight. We’re going to enjoy this, but we also got nationals to be ready for as well, so we’re not done yet.”

The Huskies celebrate a third period goal from Vince Loschiavo (#18).

The Huskies captured the Canada West title for the 19^th time in team history with 12 of those wins coming in the conference’s modern era that started in 1972.

For the first 40 minutes in Sunday’s game, it seemed like the Huskies were stuck in a mud bog. While they had their spurts of offence, the Cougars pinned the hosts in their own zone for extended stretches.

Mount Royal had a 12-4 edge in shots on goal after the first period and 24-11 advantage in the same department heading into the second intermission. While the Cougars had their chances, they couldn’t solve Huskies fourth-year netminder Roddy Ross, who claimed honours as the Canada West goaltender of the year for the current campaign.

Part of the crowd of 3,013 spectators cheer the Huskies first goal.

Kosior said Ross’s performance helped give the Huskies traction.

“Roddy (Ross) was making saves,” said Kosior. “I think that just gave us so much belief.

“We knew that he is not letting anything in. We just knew that we had to get one. Once we got it, it was all gas.”

Huskies second-year right-winger Keaton Sorensen thought his team’s effort was there for the first 40 minutes and the intensity of the contest was high. He said all his squad had to do was get a touch more composure.

Roddy Ross made 30 saves to pick up the shutout win on Sunday.

“We just took it period by period every five minutes,” said Sorensen. “Sometimes, we got revved up.

“We just got calm and collected. We just got it done today.”

The game’s momentum shifted drastically in the third when Loschiavo got the Huskies on the scoreboard. Kosior was pumped to see the rush that he started get finished off by Loschiavo.

“That was unbelievable,” said Kosior. “That was a feeling I won’t forget.

“We celebrated, and then knew there was nine minutes left or whatever it was. We had to refocus and finish the game out.”

Shane Farkas stopped 24-of-26 shots in goal for the Cougars.

Following Loschiavo’s goal, the Huskies got the puck deep in the Mount Royal often and were hard on the forecheck. That pressure resulted in a key insurance goal with 5:55 remaining in the third.

Cougars third-year defenceman Remy Aquilon had the puck deep in his zone, and he was forced to cough it up after he was floored by a big hit from Huskies fourth-year right winger Jarrett Penner. After the hit, the puck squirted to Huskies third-year centre Ethan Regnier, who was all alone in front of the Mount Royal net.

Regnier tucked a shot between the legs of Cougars netminder Shane Farkas to push the Huskies lead out to 2-0.

“Penn (Jarrett Penner) is my linemate there,” said Regnier. “He is always hard on the puck, so you always have to be ready.

Ethan Regnier scored the Huskies second goal on Sunday.

“You never know what is going to happen. It just came out to me. I tried to make a quick move, and luckily, it went in.”

Regnier was pumped his Huskies prevailed in Game 3 to capture the conference title.

“I’m pretty speechless,” said Regnier. “To do it in front of the crowd and the support we have here, it is awesome.”

With 1:16 remaining in the third, fourth-year defenceman Ty Prefontaine sealed the victory with an empty-net tally that rounded out the 3-0 final score.

Ross stopped all 30 shots sent his way to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Huskies. Farkas turned away 24-of-26 shots to take the setback in net for the Cougars.

During the regular season, the Huskies topped the Canada West standings with a 23-5 record, and they were rated second in the final U Sports Top 10 Rankings. 

The Huskies pour off their bench after winning the Canada West title.

The Cougars were second overall in Canada West at 22-6, and they were rated fourth in the final U Sports Top 10 Rankings.

Kosior was elated his squad claimed the conference title.

“It feels unreal,” said Kosior. “At the start of the year, this was our goal.

“To accomplish it, it is the best feeling in the world.”

Sorensen contributed some gritty minutes to help the Huskies cause. With 3:34 remaining in the third, he drew a tripping penalty from Cougars rookie right-winger Justin Lies that help keep the momentum on the Huskies side.

Ty Prefontaine (#9) reacts to getting his Canada West gold medal.

When the third period clock expired, Sorensen was over the moon excited about the fact his team won the conference title.

“It is awesome,” said Sorensen. “There is no better feeling than winning.

“It is just awesome. We have a great group of guys. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of guys.”

The 3,013 spectators the Huskies drew for Game 3 matched the record total they attracted for Game 2 of the series on Saturday at Merlis, which the Cougars claimed 2-1 in overtime. In the Huskies 6-3 victory in Game 1 of the series on Friday, 2,980 spectators packed into Merlis, which was the attendance record for the building until Games 2 and 3 of the series were played.

Landon Kosior raises the Dr. W.G. Hardy Trophy.

Kosior played before some lively crowds during his WHL career as a member of the Prince Albert Raiders at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre in “Hockey Town North.” He loved how the Huskies faithful brought the noise and the energy in the Canada West final.

“The crowd has been amazing,” said Kosior. “It is unbelievable.

“I can’t even put it into words. We’re just so thankful with how good our crowd was.”

Now the Huskies turn their attention to trying to win their second U Sports championship in team history. Their lone U Sports title came from their legendary 1982-83 squad that was coached by Dave King and captained by Willie Desjardins.

Kosior said his squad is looking forward to what awaits then at the David Johnston University Cup.

The Huskies celebrate their Canada West title win on Sunday.

“We’re excited,” said Kosior. “We will celebrate this, and then, we will come back and be ready to go and be looking forward to nationals.”

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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Raiders’ grad Kosior is cool with school

Landon Kosior in action for the Huskies in February of 2024.

Landon Kosior is in the post-season groove.

The graduate of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders is looking forward to his second go in the playoffs in the U Sports ranks skating on the blue-line of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Men’s Hockey Team. The Huskies topped the Canada West Conference regular season standings with a 23-5 record and will host the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in a best-of-three conference semifinal series.

Games 1 and 2 will go Friday and Saturday respectively with a 7 p.m. start time on each night at Merlis Belsher Place. If necessary, a series-deciding Game 3 is set for Sunday at 6 p.m. at Merlis. The Thunderbirds finished fourth overall in Canada West with an 18-8-0-2 mark.

“Coming into the year just with the guys that we were bringing back, we kind of knew that we should have a pretty good team,” said Kosior, who stands 6-feet and weighs 190 pounds. “I think it has gone just as we had hoped.

“That being said, the playoffs are coming up. That is the main goal of the year is to win a championship, so the real season starts now.”

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

Raiders’ grad Kosior leads P.A. connections that power Huskies

Landon Kosior in action for the Huskies in February of 2024.

Landon Kosior and a number of other Prince Albert connections have put the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Men’s Hockey Team on quest to capture Canada West Conference and U Sports national titles.

Last Saturday at Merlis Belsher Place on the University of Saskatchewan campus, the Huskies concluded their regular season downing the University of Manitoba Bisons 4-2. That win allowed the Huskies to improve to 23-5 and lock up first place in Canada West and home ice advantage through the conference playoffs. The last time the Huskies pulled that feat off was back in the 2018-19 campaign under now retired legendary head coach Dave Adolph.

U of S is also rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings.

The Huskies roster includes Kosior and Keaton Sorensen, who are grads of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders. U of S’s roster includes Rhett Rhinehart, who started his WHL career with the Raiders, and Ty Prefontaine, who played the first three games of his WHL career with the Raiders before playing most of his major junior career with the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Josh Pillar and Ashton Ferster are grads from the Prince Albert Mintos under-18 AAA team who are skating with the Raiders. Prince Albert product Ethan Regnier came up through Prince Albert’s minor hockey system and found his way to the Huskies after playing in the WHL with Swift Current Broncos and Everett Silvertips.

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

Christensen takes on offensive load on back end for Raiders

Justice Christensen picked up the back end offence for the Raiders.

Justice Christensen has been the answer to one of the Prince Albert Raiders question marks heading into the current season.

After Landon Kosior graduated following the completion of the 2022-23 campaign, the Raiders faced a question of where would the offence come from on the back end?

Playing out his 20-year-old season on the Raiders defensive unit, Kosior finished second in team scoring with 63 points coming off 17 goals and 46 assists to go with a plus-three rating in the plus-minus department in 60 games. In 2021-22, Kosior also topped the Raiders in defence scoring with 45 points coming off 18 goals and 27 assists to go with a minus-four rating appearing in all of the team’s 68 regular season games.

When he exhausted his major junior eligibility, the Raiders had a crater sized hole to fill when it came to offensive production from their back end. Current Raiders captain Eric Johnston finished second in team scoring from the blue-line with 17 points coming off three goals and 14 assists to go with a plus-six rating in 2022-23.

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

Learning curve makes Raiders prospects bright for 2023-24

Ryder Ritchie had 55 points in 61 games with the Raiders.

The struggles in 2022-23 will make the Prince Albert Raiders reach bigger goals in 2023-24.

Actually for a reloading campaign, the Raiders did alright this past season. They posted a 28-37-3 record to finish 11^th overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and 10 points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers (30-29-8-1) for eighth place and the final playoff berth in the conference.

The 28 victories was the same win total the Raiders posted in the regular season in 2021-22, where they made the WHL Playoffs. In 2021-22, the Raiders posted a 28-35-4-1 record to finish eighth overall in the Eastern Conference taking the conference’s final playoff berth.

The Raiders in 2022-23 had two fewer standings points than in 2021-22. Of course in 2021-22, WHL teams just played a full 68 game regular season against conference foes, while there was cross-conference play in 2022-23. Ultimately, that shuffled the wins around in a way that the Raiders made the post-season in one campaign and missed out with almost the same standings points total in the next campaign.

The biggest thing the Raiders were able to deliver in the 2022-23 was hope that seasons in the near future have the potential to be bright ones. Their younger players grew by leaps and bounds and the experience they gained will be a big asset in future campaigns.

The two players that really stood out were left-winger Ryder Ritchie, who was a 16-year-old rookie, and centre Aiden Oiring, who was a 17-year-old rookie. Ritchie finished third in team scoring with 55 points coming off 20 goals and 35 assists in 61 games.

It isn’t often 16-year-old rookies almost score a point per game in the WHL and hit the 20-goal plateau. Ritchie, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 157 pounds, has the potential to be one if the circuit’s elite players in future campaigns as he follows in the strides of his father Byron Ritchie, who starred with the Lethbridge Hurricanes from 1993 to 1997.

Aiden Oiring gained lots of opportunities with the Raiders.

Oiring was acquired by the Raiders on December 31, 2022 in a trade with the Winnipeg Ice that saw right-winger Carson Latimer head to the Manitoba capital. Buried on a deep Ice roster, Oiring, who stands 5-foot-7 and weighs 164 pounds, had five goals and three assists in 26 games with Winnipeg. He was given a lot more opportunities with the Raiders including lengthy stretches as the first line centre and recorded seven goals and 16 assists in 31 appearances with Prince Albert.

Young forwards like Cole Peardon and Grady Martin, who were skating through their 16-year-old rookie seasons, showed glimpses that they could have greater potential in future seasons. Various forwards from the Raiders 18-year-old group this past season showed well at different times in Hayden Pakkala, Gabe Ludwig and Carter Anderson.

During the second half of the season, 18-year-old right-winger Niall Crocker, who was the Raiders first round selection in the then 2019 WHL Bantam Draft, started to pick up points on a more frequent basis. He might still find the scoring touch he had growing up in minor hockey as a late bloomer in the WHL.

One of the returnees that is pegged to take a 20-year-old spot next season is left-winger Sloan Stanick. Stanick led the Raiders in scoring this past season posting career highs in goals (31), assists (33) and points (64) in 67 appearances, and he has potential to be a really good 20-year-old.

On defence, the Raiders six potential returnees should give them a good base in Eric Johnston, Seth Tansem, Justice Christensen, Easton Kovacs, Terrell Goldsmith and Owen Boucher. Johnston and Goldsmith could make up a top pairing, and Christensen turned heads with his physical play.

Sloan Stanick put up a career high 64 points in 2022-23.

Netminder Tikhon Chaika will take up both a 20-year-old spot and an import spot, but he will give the Raiders comfort in net. As the Raiders went with a more youthful roster, Chaika’s statistics took a hit from the season before, but they were still respectable as he posted a 17-23 record, a 3.28 goals against average, a .894 save percentage and one shutout in 45 appearances.

Barring trades, he has the potential to continue to form a strong tandem in net with Max Hildebrand, who will be in his 19-year-old season in 2023-24. In 32 appearances in 2022-23, Hildebrand posted an 11-14-3 record, a 3.71 goals against average and a .871 save percentage, but those number don’t show the improvement he made.

The Raiders will miss their 20-year-old class from this past season. Star offensive-defenceman Landon Kosior and captain Evan Herman were regulars at the start of the 2019-20 season and hung in with the Raiders during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic shutdowns.

Centre Keaton Sorensen was acquired in a trade on August 17, 2021 with the Red Deer Rebels, and along with Kosior and Herman, he helped lead the Raiders back into an era of full 68-game regular seasons and once again playing in front of supportive crowds in their storied home rink in the Art Hauser Centre.

Kosior, who was named a second team East Division all-star on Tuesday, finished second in team scoring with 63 points coming off 17 goals and 46 assists to go with a plus-three rating in the plus-minus department in 60 appearances. Sorensen finished fourth in team scoring posting career highs in goals (25), assists (28), points (53) and plus-minus (plus-five) in 64 games. Herman was fifth in team scoring posting 38 points coming off 18 goals and 20 assists in 64 games.

Niall Crocker started to produce more offence for the Raiders.

Next season, players who were apart of the Raiders WHL Prospects Draft class in 2022 will get a chance to make positive impact on the team. 

Forward Luke Moroz was selected in the first round and 15^th overall in that draft by the Raiders, and he put up 16 goals and 31 assists in 40 regular season games with the Regina Pat Canadians under-18 AAA team this past season. There is anticipation to see what Moroz can do sporting a Raiders jersey on a full-time basis.

For future seasons, the Raiders found out on Wednesday in the WHL Prospects Draft Lottery held in Calgary that they will have the first and second overall selections in the WHL Prospects Draft slated to be held online on May 11. 

The first overall selection was acquired in a trade with the Edmonton Oil Kings. The Raiders will also pick in the seventh overall spot having acquired that selection in a trade with the Kelowna Rockets.

In the U.S. Priority Draft Lottery that was held on Wednesday in Calgary, the Raiders found out they will be selecting fifth overall in the U.S. Priority Draft to be held online on May 10. Those selections will likely allow the Raiders to strengthen their depth for the future.

Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt and head coach Jeff Truitt have to feel good about where their team is positioned.

The Raiders celebrate a win on February 11.

Of course when the 2023-24 campaign comes around, the WHL roster deck will see some shuffling. The Raiders are in position to take a decent step upwards.

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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Raiders’ 20-year-old class kept club on track

Helped team navigate pandemic rough waters

Landon Kosior in action for the Raiders on March 14.

Evan Herman, Landon Kosior and Keaton Sorensen had a special commitment that helped the Prince Albert Raiders navigate unforeseen rough waves that were beyond the team’s control.

Actually, the entire WHL should be thankful for the overage class of 2022-23. This group of players felt the effects that came with the various stops and starts when the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic gripped the world in earnest in March of 2020. Thanks to the commitment of this season’s 20-year-old player class, the WHL got to experience its first what can be termed normal season since the 2018-19 campaign.

Last Saturday, the Raiders were officially eliminated from post-season contention with a 4-1 loss to the WHL leading Ice in Winnipeg. While there was disappointment among the Raiders faithful there would be no action in the WHL Playoffs in 2023, a youthful Raiders squad fought hard enough that the team would only experience three games where it would be playing out the string.

After Sunday’s 6-1 loss to the Ice in Winnipeg, the Raiders have two games left on their regular season schedule. On Friday, they will host the Moose Jaw Warriors at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre. On Saturday, the Raiders wrap up the 2022-23 season traveling to Regina to take on Connor Bedard and the Pats.

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

Birthday boy Johnston nails two firsts in Raiders win

Prince Albert downs Moose Jaw 5-2 for third straight victory

Eric Johnston gets pumped up after scoring for the Raiders.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – After getting his first WHL career power play-goal and game-winning tally under his belt, it was cake time for birthday boy Eric Johnston.

Ice cream cake time that is.

On Saturday night playing before 2,389 spectators at the Art Hauser Centre, Johnson drove home a power-play goal from the point through a screen to give his Prince Albert Raiders a 3-1 advantage on the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors at the 10:44 mark of the second period. That tally ultimately held up as the winner as the Raiders skated to a 5-2 victory in the WHL regular season clash.

That marked the first time Johnston scored both a power play and winning goal in his WHL career. As a bonus for the sophomore defenceman, it all happened on his 19^th birthday.

The Raiders celebrate Eric Johnston’s power-play goal.

When the game wrapped up as a third straight win for the Raiders, Johnston had his mind set on enjoying some birthday cake time at his billet home.

“I’m doing it tonight,” said Johnston, who is from Regina, Sask. “I’m pretty pumped about that to get some ice cream cake in me.”

Johnston’s power-play goal came off an offensive zone faceoff with 10 seconds remaining in the Raiders third chance with the man advantage. With the draw in the left faceoff circle, Raiders captain Evan Herman drew the puck back to the left point to 20-year-old offensive-defenceman Landon Kosior.

Kosior fed a pass over to the right point that Johnston one-timed past Warriors netminder Jackson Unger.

Jagger Firkus was unable to score on a first period penalty shot.

“I loved it,” said Johnston. “It wouldn’t have happened without (Landon) Kosior.

“He made a great pass. Luckily, it (the puck) went through his (Unger’s) glove. It was good to get that one in.”

After downing Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats 6-5 on Friday before the first sellout crowd of 3,299 spectators of the season at the Art Hauser Centre, the Raiders got off to a sluggish start on Saturday. The Warriors recorded the first four shots on goal in the game including a penalty shot at the 2:30 mark of the opening frame.

Warriors star right-winger Jagger Firkus was awarded the penalty shot after he got a couple of strides ahead of Kosior on the break towards the goal and took a slash from the Raiders rearguard. On the penalty shot attempt, Firkus tried to put on a series of deke moves, but he was run out of room by Raiders import netminder Tikhon Chaika, who turned away the scoring opportunity.

Niall Crocker scored a pair of goals for the Raiders.

The Raider didn’t register a shot on goal until they got their first power-play chance at the 9:12 mark of the first. Just 39 seconds later, the Warriors took another minor infraction, and while the Raiders were unable to score on those power plays, the host side did build momentum.

Playing at even strength, Raiders right-winger Niall Crocker opened the game’s scoring at the 14:19 mark of the first period firing home a short range shot from the front of the Moose Jaw goal. Raiders captain Evan Herman poked the puck off the stick of a Warriors player to Crocker, who was able to shoot it by a startled Unger.

Just under two minutes later, Warriors star centre Brayden Yager, who turned 18-years-old in early January, potted his 24^th of the season to send the teams into the first intermission locked in a 1-1 tie. Yager jetted into the Prince Albert zone down the right wing on a two-on-one break and roofed home a shot to the top right corner of the Raiders goal over Chaika’s shoulder on the short side.

Brayden Yager scored the Warriors first goal on Saturday.

The tally allowed Yager to increase his consecutive games goal scoring streak to four contests and consecutive games point scoring streak to five contests. Over his last five games, Yager has four goals and four assists.

“I didn’t like our first period at all,” said Raiders head coach Jeff Truitt. “I thought there was an emotional letdown (after beating the Pats 6-5 on Friday night).

“I thought that we were slow. I don’t what they were thinking, but we weren’t at the top of our game. It was a grind it out type of game from there on in.

“It certainly wasn’t pretty. There were lots of turnovers and misplays and missed coverages. Sometimes, that does happen with a group that comes off an emotional win like that.”

Aiden Oiring had a goal for the Raiders on Saturday.

Even with the auspicious start, the Raiders were able to jump ahead 3-1 in the second period. Just 1:41 into the second, the Raiders took a 2-1 lead on a goal from 17-year-old rookie centre Aiden Oiring, who blasted home a mid-range shot from the front of the Moose Jaw goal. Raiders standout 16-year-old rookie Ryder Ritchie went in on the forecheck in right corner of the Moose Jaw zone, and a pass by a Warriors player deflected off Ritchie to Oiring.

Oiring made no mistake firing a shot past a once again startled Unger. The young forward came to the Raiders in a trade with the Winnipeg Ice on December 31, 2022.

In 18 games with the Raiders, Oiring’s 10 points coming off five goals and five assists has surpassed the eight points he put up in 32 career games with the Ice. With the Ice having a stacked roster that has allowed them to post a WHL leading 43-7-1 record, Oiring wasn’t seeing that much Ice time with the Winnipeg side.

Ryder Ritchie had three assists for the Raiders on Saturday.

He is getting more opportunities with the Raiders including playing first line minutes with left-winger Sloan Stanick and Ritchie.

“It is amazing developing a bit more with all the ice time,” said Oiring. “Just the players, I feel I got more chemistry, especially with this top line with Stanick and Ritchie.

“We know where we are going, and we’re passing the puck well and putting it in the net.”

After Johnston’s tally put the Raiders up 3-1 heading into the second intermission, the host side appeared to be set to cruise to victory.

The Warriors came out with a push back effort in the third, and with 8:15 remaining in the frame, Warriors 19-year-old centre Josh Hoekstra potted an off-speed shot from the point to cut the Raiders lead to 3-2.

Josh Hoekstra had the Warriors second goal on Saturday.

The Raiders sealed the game with goals from Kosior and Crocker to close out the frame. With 2:59 remaining in the third, Kosior scored with a backhander from close in to give the Raiders a 4-2 advantage.

Just 31 seconds later, Crocker scored a power-play goal shooting the puck home from the red line to account for his second tally of the contest. When Crocker scored that second marker, Unger was trying to skate to the Warriors bench for an extra attacker and tried to skate back to make a diving attempt to unsuccessfully get to the veteran winger’s shot.

Chaika stopped 21 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders (22-28-3). Jackson Unger turned away 18 shots to take the setback in net for the Warriors (33-18-0-3).

Landon Kosior (#12) had a goal and an assist for the Raiders.

Ritchie finished the contest collecting three assists for the Raiders.

The Raiders return to action on Monday when they travel to Brandon to play the 22-24-7 Wheat Kings (2:30 p.m. local time, Westoba Place).

The Warriors get back at it on Tuesday when they host the Lethbridge Hurricanes (7 p.m., Moose Jaw Events Centre).

Following the completion of Saturday’s games in the WHL, the Raiders sat 11^th in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and six points back of a playoff position. The Pats (25-24-2-1), the Swift Current Broncos (25-24-1-2) and the Medicine Hat Tigers (22-22-8-1) sit tied for seventh to ninth in the Eastern Conference standings with 53 points.

Sloan Stanick jets up ice for the Raiders on Saturday.

The conference’s top eight teams qualify for the WHL Playoffs.

The Wheat Kings sit 10^th in the Eastern Conference four points ahead of the Raiders and two points back of the Pats, Broncos and Tigers. 

While the Raiders pulled out a win on Saturday, Truitt is looking for a better effort from his club against the Wheat Kings on Monday.

“We’ll obviously take a look at the video here tomorrow morning before we go to Brandon,” said Truitt. “We’ll put in their heads the corrections that we have to make.

The Raiders salute their fans after their win on Saturday.

“That is a team we are chasing, and that is a game we have to have. We have to be able to win on the road, so if you can’t get up for that one, there is something wrong with you.”

NOTES – The Raiders wore old school retro reverse jerseys for their clash with the Warriors on Saturday. The jerseys were designed by team photographer Mark Peterson and were reverse retro uniforms from the ones the club work in the late 1970s and early 1980s while playing in the junior A ranks. The Raiders raised over $10,000 in an online jersey auction of those jerseys with the proceeds going to President’s Choice Children’s Charity.

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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If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Raiders make B.C. trip most memorable part of 2022-23 so far

Landon Kosior in action for the Raiders on December 27, 2022.

It would be understandable if the Prince Albert Raiders and their fans got a little greedy thinking the team could have won all the games on their B.C. Division road trip.

Still, the Raiders posted a 3-2 record on a trip that saw them play those five games over eight days with extensive travel through the mountains. For the reloading Raiders youthful roster, it was a big accomplishment to post a 3-2 mark.

It also isn’t a stretch to say that the Raiders played well enough they could have won every contest on that trip. The Raiders won the first three games of the swing against the Prince George Cougars, Victoria Royals and Vancouver Giants outscoring those foes 14-5. The Prince Albert side dropped the last two games falling 6-4 to the Memorial Cup hosting Blazers in Kamloops on Friday and a 4-0 decision to the Rockets in Kelowna on Saturday.

In the loss to the Blazers, the Raiders held a 3-2 lead after 20 minutes and were up 4-3 at one point in the second period. The Blazers scored late in the second and netted the only two goals in the third to pull out the win.

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

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.

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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Raiders big underdogs versus Ice in WHL Playoffs

First round series classic David versus Goliath match up

Evan Herman and the Raiders are set for the playoffs.

Marc Habscheid is well aware of the daunting task his Prince Albert Raiders face in the first round of the WHL Playoffs.

On Friday, the Raiders open a first round best-of-seven series against the Ice in Winnipeg (7 p.m. local time, Wayne Fleming Arena). On paper, the series is a classic David versus Goliath matchup.

The Ice finished first overall in the WHL posting a 53-10-3-2 record and are rated second in the CHL Top 10 rankings. Winnipeg posted a 13-0-1-1 record in the month of March playing those 15 contests in a span of 28 days.

The Ice were an impressive 18-1-1-1 in their 21 regular season outings leading into the post-season.

The Raiders posted a 28-35-4-1 mark to finish eighth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and take the conference’s final playoff berth. Prince Albert had to win its last two straight games to sneak into the playoffs.

“We’re up against it,” said Habscheid, who sits fifth on the WHL’s career regular season head coaching wins list with 582 victories. “We know that.

“We’ll just figure out a way and try and get it done. Like I said, we’re up against it. They’re a good team.”

Due to challenges relating to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world, no WHL Playoffs were held in 2020 and 2021 and there was no Memorial Cup tournament to crown a CHL champion in either of those years also.

When the WHL Playoffs were last held in 2019, the Raiders captured the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champions. During that post-season, the Raiders created the most memorable moment in the history of their storied home rink – the Art Hauser Centre.

The 2019 WHL Final between the Raiders and the Vancouver Giants went to a series-deciding Game 7. With 1:35 remaining in overtime, overage centre Dante Hannoun scored to deliver the Raiders to a 3-2 victory.

During the 2018-19 campaign, the Raiders topped the WHL regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2. The Raiders had a deep team where they could roll all four forward lines, had a stellar starting six on defence and received a CHL goaltender of the year award winning performance from Ian Scott.

Keaton Sorensen wants his squad to focus on team play.

This season the Ice are the deep team that can roll four lines, have seven strong options to use on their six defensive spots and have received superstar goaltending from Daniel Hauser, who turned 18-years-old in January.

The Raiders are skating through a transition type reload year. They captured a post-season berth due to the fact their team play has improved as the campaign has gone on.

To close the regular season, the Raiders faced basically two must-win games when it came to making the playoffs. They played arguably their two best games of the campaign downing the Broncos in Swift Current 4-1 last Friday and dumping the Brandon Wheat Kings 5-1 last Saturday at the Art Hauser Centre.

“I’ve said it all year we’ve got a good group, a hard working group,” said Raiders veteran left-winger Evan Herman. “(We have) a bunch of great guys in there.

“I’m just super excited that we got those two must wins. That is just more experience now going down the road as we head into playoffs here.”

Raiders veteran centre Keaton Sorensen said his squad showed how strong they can be when they are focused on team play in their two regular season ending wins.

“When everybody is rolling and everybody is doing their jobs, it is really important,” said Sorensen. “When we just keep to the structure, it all works out.”

The Ice had eight players put up 50 or more points during play in the regular season, while the Raiders only had one skater hold that distinction.

Centre Matthew Savoie led the Ice in scoring with 90 points coming off 35 goals and 55 assists. He had a plus-54 rating in the plus-minus category.

Veteran right-winger Connor McClennon topped the Ice with 43 goals to go along with 38 assists and a plus-46 rating. Veteran left-winger Mikey Milne appeared in all of the Ice’s 68 regular season contests posting 38 goals, 43 assists and a plus-56 rating.

Captain Reece Vitelli led the Raiders in scoring this season.

Veteran defenceman Ben Zloty led all Ice rearguards in scoring recording eight goals, 56 assists and a plus-38 rating in 62 regular season appearances.

In goal, Hauser posted a 34-3-1 record, a 2.00 goals against average, a .914 save percentage and eight shutouts. The Chestermere, Alta., product’s shutout total was tops in the WHL, and he equaled Kamloops Blazers star Dylan Garand for the most goaltending victories on the circuit.

The Ice get steady guidance from head coach James Patrick, who played defence for the Raiders way back in the 1980-81 campaign when they were still in the junior A ranks and won the Centennial Cup as national junior A champions.

Overage captain Reece Vitelli led the Raiders in scoring with 51 points coming off of 25 goals and 26 assists to go with a plus-five rating. Herman topped the Raiders with 28 goals to go along with 19 assists appearing in all the team’s 68 regular season games.

Sloan Stanick, who is an 18-year-old right-winger, posted 49 points coming off of 22 goals and 27 assists appearing in 66 games between the Regina Pats and the Raiders. The Raiders acquired Stanick in a trade early in the season with the Pats.

Veteran 19-year-old defenceman Landon Kosior led all Raiders blue-liners in scoring collecting 18 goals and 27 assists appearing in all of the Raiders 68 games. Standout rearguard Nolan Allan, who has a signed entry-level contract with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, had a strong campaign for the Raiders recording seven goals and 34 assists in 65 appearances.

Import netminder Tikhon Chaika, who became the Raiders starter as an 18-year-old rookie, improved steadily as the season progressed. He posted a 22-21-4 record, a 2.79 goals against average, a .904 save percentage and three shutouts.

Chaika was named the WHL’s goaltender of the week for the week ending on Sunday for his performance in the Raiders last two regular season wins.

In the eight head-to-head regular season meetings between the Raiders and Ice, the Raiders were able to win three of those contests. Sorensen believes his team can make some noise against the Ice.

“I think we have good chances when everybody comes to play and everybody is focused and everybody knows the structure,” said Sorensen. “We’re a good team, and the easy part of the year is over and the hardest part starts now.”

With star right-winger Ozzy Wiesblatt out for the rest of the campaign due to injury, the Raiders have no holdovers who were regulars from the 2018-19 WHL Championship winning season. Herman and Allan are the only current Raiders who saw action in regular season games during that league title winning season.

The Raiders aim to play spoiler against the Ice.

Herman saw some of the Raiders post-season games in that 2019 championship run, and he remembers the home crowd at the Art Hauser Centre giving the Prince Albert side a lift. The speedy winger said the Art Hauser Centre faithful have been giving the club an energy boost throughout the season, and he expects that will continue when the Raiders play at home in this year’s WHL Playoffs.

“In (2019), it (the Art Hauser Centre) was an unbelievable place to be, and it still is,” said Herman. “The fans here, I don’t have a work to describe how awesome they are for us.

“You know what? I think we look forward to playing in front of them every night. We’ll I guess we will continue to see that here as we move on now.”

Pats’ Bedard exits WHL campaign with a roar, other notes

Connor Bedard posted 51 goals and 49 assists for 100 points this season.

Regina Pats 16-year-old phenom centre Connor Bedard turned heads nationally one last time before his 2021-22 WHL campaign came to an end.

On Sunday playing before 5,545 spectators at the Brandt Centre, Bedard collected two goals and three assists to power the Pats a 7-4 victory over their archrivals in the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors in the regular season finale for both sides. The North Vancouver, B.C., product finished the campaign posting 100 points coming on 51 goals and 49 assists to go with an even rating in the plus-minus department in 62 appearances.

The Pats finished the regular season with a 27-36-3-2 record to sit two points back of the Prince Albert Raiders for eighth place and the final playoff berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. The Warriors finished fourth overall in the Eastern Conference with a 37-24-4-3 mark.

Bedard became the youngest player to ever score 50 goals in one WHL regular season. There were stories about his performance on Sunday by a number of national media outlets.

Before Sunday’s game, Bedard took home a number of Pats team awards including player of the year, the Torchey Schell top scorer award and the three star award.

On Monday, the accolades kept coming for Bedard. He was named the WHL’s player of the week for the week ending on Sunday.

He was also named to Canada’s roster for the world under-18 hockey championship tournament, which begins on Saturday and runs through to May 1 in Landshut and Kaufbeuren, Germany.

• Red Deer Rebels overage left-winger Arshdeep Bains led the WHL in scoring during the regular season with 112 points coming off 43 goals and league high 69 assists. He also posted a plus-35 rating. Bains finished seven points ahead of teammate in 19-year-old centre Ben King. King collected 105 points on 52 goals and 53 assists to go with a plus-36 rating. King’s goal total was a league high.
• Pats left-winger and Prince Albert product Tanner Howe had a stellar 16-year-old season with the Pats. Howe recorded 69 points coming off 27 goals and 42 assists to go with a plus-three rating in 64 appearances. He made Canada’s roster for the world under-18 hockey championships. Howe claimed the Pats Nick Papas rookie of the year team award.
• Victoria Royals 17-year-old defenceman and Clavet, Sask., product Kalem Parker earned a spot on Canada’s roster for the world under-18 championships. Parker appeared in 66 games this season with the Royals posting two goals and 18 assists.
• The Swift Current Broncos had six players named to Canada’s roster for the world under-18 championships. The Broncos contingent included four forwards in Josh Davies, Josh Filmon, Mathew Ward and Connor Hvidston. Defenceman Owen Pickering and netminder Reid Dyck will also suit up for the Canadian side. The Broncos have a seventh player heading to under-18 worlds as defenceman Rayan Bettahar will play for Germany.
• I have to admit it is fun seeing the excitement of a couple of young sportswriters as the WHL Playoffs near. Kyle Kosowan will be covering his first WHL post-season covering the Prince Albert Raiders for the Prince Albert Daily Herald. Logan Lehmann will be working his first WHL post-season writing about the Saskatoon Blades for the team’s website. For an old veteran like me, I enjoy seeing that first time excitement again. I hope both of them enjoy the moment in the present.
• The WHL Playoffs officially begin with one game on Thursday. The Lethbridge Hurricanes will travel to Edmonton to face the Oil Kings in Game 1 of a best-of-seven first round series at 7 p.m. local time at Rogers Place. The Oil Kings finished second overall in the WHL with a 50-14-3-1 record, while the Hurricanes were seventh overall in the Eastern Conference with a 33-30-4-1 mark.

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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If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.