Rudolph equals Raiders record held by Morrissey

Prince Albert romps over Moose Jaw 11-0

Daxon Rudolph scored his 28th goal of the season on Friday.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. - Daxon Rudolph wants to take things as they come when it comes to being the lone holder of a cool Prince Albert Raiders team record.

The star defenceman is happy to be sharing a Raiders team mark with one of the best playing along the blue-line in the current day. On Friday playing before a standing room crowd of 2,890 spectators at the 2,580 seat storied and historic Art Hauser Centre, Rudolph, who turned 18-years-old on March 6, had a goal and three assists helping his Raiders romp to an 11-0 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors in a WHL regular season clash.

With the Raiders holding a 1-0 lead entering the second, Rudolph tallied on the power play firing home a shot the front of the Moose Jaw net to the top right corner of the goal to put the Raiders up 2-0. That tally was Rudolph’s 28^th goal of the season and it equaled the Raiders team record for most goals in one regular season by a defenceman.

Daxon Rudolph equaled the one season record for goals by a D-man.

Josh Morrissey, who is a star defenceman with the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets, was the first blue-liner to score 28 goals in regular season for the Raiders, when he was the team’s captain in the 2013-14 campaign. During that season, Morrissey recorded 28 goals and 45 assists for 73 points in 59 regular season games to go with a plus-six rating in the plus-minus department. Morrissey’s 28 goals for one season a Raiders defenceman went unmatched until Rudolph picked up his 28^th tally on Friday.

“It feels good,” said Rudolph, who also had a plus-three rating on Friday. “I mean, obviously being named with a guy like (Josh) Morrissey is pretty special.

The Raiders celebrate Daxon Rudolph’s 28th goal of the season.

“He is having a tremendous career, and he is going to play for a lot more years to come. (It is) pretty cool for sure, and I hope to break it here in the next couple of games. I am just happy about the two points.

“The team played a really good game.”

In a game where seemingly everyone on the Raiders was having a good night, Rudolph’s accomplishment wasn’t lost amongst the team’s coaches and players. The rearguard also leads the Raiders in scoring with 74 points coming off his 28 goals to go with 46 assists and a plus-26 rating appearing in all of the team’s 64 games this season.

Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald said it has been special to watch Rudolph have the season he has had as a second-year player in the WHL. The bench boss said equaling the team record for most goals by a defenceman held by Morrissey makes Rudolph’s campaign even extra special.

Daxon Rudolph leads the Raiders in scoring with 74 points.

“It is impressive,” said McDonald. “You watch how he does his business out there.

“You just watch in the first period where he is getting pucks past the first layer of blocks that he did. He got pucks there (to the net) and shot with a purpose to create rebounds. When he got his opportunity, he was able to put it in the back of the net.

“His hockey I.Q. is through the roof defensively and offensively with how he does stuff like that.”

While Rudolph had a great night, Raiders 16-year-old rookie right-winger Ben Harvey had an even more memorable night. In the win, he led the Raiders in goals (three), assists (three), points (six) and plus-minus (plus-six).

Daxon Rudolph had three assists and a plus-three rating on Friday.

Harvey’s hat trick was his first in his WHL career. Still, he was pumped Rudolph equaled Morrissey’s Raiders record for most goals in one season by a defenceman. Harvey and Rudolph were part of the Northern Alberta Xtreme academy program for a couple of seasons from 2022 to 2024, so the young forward was pumped to see his long time friend equal a Raiders team record with one of the club’s most famous alums.

“It is obviously something that is very cool going up with him (Rudolph) and knowing him before I came here,” said Harvey. “He is obviously a very special player.

“He is going to do great things in his career. To tie a record put up by such a great defenceman (in Morrissey), I am not surprised. He (Rudolph) is a great player.

Ben Harvey celebrates his first of three goals on Friday.

“It is something very cool to be a part of.”

Harvey scored his first of the night just 21 seconds after Rudolph’s tally to give the Raiders a 3-0 advantage. The host side would proceed to surge out to 7-0 lead heading into the second intermission.

On the Raiders fifth goal that came at the 9:28 mark of the second period, Rudolph had the puck in prime shooting position at the left point. Instead of going for lone possession of the goals record there, he started a tick-tack-toe passing play that saw the puck go to star centre Braeden Cootes and then to breakout star centre Max Heise, who popped home his 27^th tally of the campaign.

Maddix McCagherty had two goals and two assists on Friday.

“I try not to think about it (the goals record) too much when I’m out there,” said Rudolph. “I just always try to make the right play.

“I saw Cootesy (Cootes) open there through the seam, and he fired one right back to Heise, who ended up putting it in the back of the net. (It was) a really nice play by our power play. I thought we were pretty good tonight.”

In the third with the Raiders rolling with a more than comfortable lead and ultimately adding four more goals in that frame, it was apparent that thoughts about helping Rudolph get the record came up. During a couple of offensive zone faceoffs, the Raiders lined up with a set play to give Rudolph a shooting chance, if they could execute on the draw.

Rudolph said his defensive partner and Raiders captain in Justice Christensen talked to him about getting the record in the third.

“Justice (Christensen) is a little bit bugging me on the bench about it and trying to get me another one,” said Rudolph. “He fired a pass to me I remember off the rush.

Braeden Cootes had one goal and three assists for the Raiders.

“I shot one, but it didn’t end up going in. Really, (it is) not the end of the day or not the end of the world. I’m not thinking about it a whole lot.

“It is cool, obviously, and you want to get another one. You are just trying to play hockey and make the right play.”

In Friday’s win, Raiders standout left-winger Maddix McCagherty had two goals, two assists and a plus-five rating. Cootes finished with one goal, three assists and a plus-three rating. Alisher Sarkenov, Jonah Sivertson and Brock Cripps all had singles for the Raiders.

Michal Orsulak stopped 17 shots to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Raiders.

Chase Wutzke turned away 19-of-24 shots starting in net and taking the loss for the Warriors. He was pulled after the Raiders fifth goal. Kyle Jones turned aside 18-of-24 shots playing the rest of the way in relief for the visitors.

The Raiders return to action on Saturday when they travel to Regina to take on the Pats (6 p.m., Brandt Centre).

The Raiders salute their faithful at the Art Hauser Centre.

The Warriors get back at it on Sunday when they return home and host the Pats (2 p.m., Temple Gardens Centre).

Going forward, McDonald said Rudolph has a pretty good shot at outright breaking Morrissey’s record as the Raiders continue to push for first overall in the Eastern Conference.

“For him (Rudolph), we got more games left in the holster here,” said McDonald. “He is going to get lots of opportunities to get that opportunity.

“He is a tremendous player, and he is a team first guy. That is where his mind is at.”

Odds and Ends:

Michal Orsulak picked up his third shutout of the season.

• With Friday’s win, the Raiders improve to 48-10-5-1 and remain tied with the Medicine Hat Tigers (47-10-5-3) for first in the Eastern Conference at 102 standings points. Prince Albert has a game in hand on Medicine Hat. The Raiders hold the standings tiebreaker due to having more wins.
• Orsulak picked up his third shutout of the season in Friday’s win. In 33 games in the 2025-25 campaign, the star rookie import netminder has posted a 25-4-4 record, a 2.27 goals against average and a .907 save percentage to go with his three shutouts.
• Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary is searching for one more win to become his team’s all-time leader in regular season head coaching victories. O’Leary is tied with Tim Hunter with 189 career wins.
• The Warriors fell to 23-35-5-2 with the loss and sit ninth in the Eastern Conference two points back of the Red Deer Rebels (25-34-3-2) for eighth place and the conference’s final playoff berth. Red Deer has one game in hand on Moose Jaw.
• Only four Raiders skaters were held without a point on Friday. They included Christensen, Riley Boychuk, Brandon Gorzynski and Owen Corkish.
• The Raiders were 2-for-3 on the power play on Friday, while the Warriors were unable to score on their one chance with the man advantage.
• The Raiders wore fan designed jerseys on Friday as part of CHL promotion. The jerseys were auctioned off online with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to President’s Choice Children’s Charity to help feed one-million children a year.

Stanks’ Three Stars

Ben Harvey had three goals and three assists on Friday.

1. Ben Harvey, (Raiders) – Had a career night with three goals, three assists and a plus-six rating. That is one of the most impressive outings seen by a 16-year-old Raiders rookie in recent years.
   
2. Daxon Rudolph, (Raiders) – Had one goal, three assists and a plus-three rating. He controlled play for the back end every time he stepped on the ice.
3. Maddix McCagherty, (Raiders) - Had two goals, two assists and a plus-five rating. He was one of many Raiders players who were rolling.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. This piece can also be found in the Prince Albert Daily Herald by clicking right here.

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Blades’ sheriff Calvert hauls in Warriors’ Wutzke

Saskatoon sinks Moose Jaw 5-2

Chase Wutzke, left, battles Rowan Calvert for the puck.

Rowan Calvert played the role of sheriff when Chase Wutzke tried to get away with grand larceny.

In a WHL regular season clash on Friday night at the SaskTel Centre, Wutzke, who is the star 19-year-old netminder for the Moose Jaw Warriors, looked for the longest time that he could potentially steal win despite his team being badly outplayed by the host Saskatoon Blades. Ultimately, Wutzke was handcuffed by Calvert, who is the Blades standout 20-year-old left-winger.

Calvert scored the Blades first goal, and with his side holding a slim 3-2 lead entering the third period, the long time WHL veteran closed out the contest completing a hat trick performance to give the Blades a 5-2 victory before a happy gathering of 4,843 spectators. He also now has exactly 30 goals on the campaign marking the first time he has hit the 30-goal plateau in his WHL career.

Chase Wutzke makes one of his 43 saves on Friday.

Wutzke deserved a better fate than being on the wrong end of the scoreboard, as he turned away 43-of-47 shots to take the setback in net for the Warriors.

The win was the second straight for the Blades who improved to 32-25-4-2 as they continue to build towards playing in the WHL Playoffs sitting sixth in the Eastern Conference. The Warriors fell to 21-34-5-2 to remain ninth in the Eastern Conference just, one standings point behind the Red Deer Rebels (23-34-2-2) for eighth place and the final post-season berth in the Conference. Red Deer has one game in hand on Moose Jaw.

The Blades stormed out of the gates in the first period holding a 20-3 edge in shots on goal. They exited the opening 20 minutes only holding a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal coming from Calvert.

Rowan Calvert had a hat trick to power the Blades to victory.

Calvert was working in his office right in front of the Moose Jaw net banging home a loose puck for his 28^th tally of the campaign. At the time of that tally, the Blades were holding a 7-1 edge in shots on goal.

While Wutzke was holding the fort in the opening frame making 19 saves for the visitors, Blades star netminder Evan Gardner, who turned 20-years-old in late January, had to come up with a big stop at the end of the stanza. With 47.3 seconds remaining in the first, Gardner swallowed up a close in chance from Warriors import left-winger Jan Trefny.

Rowan Calvert (#23) celebrates the first of his three goals.

At the 5:05 mark of the second, the Blades pushed their lead out to 2-0 when star sophomore centre Cooper Williams burst up the middle of the Moose Jaw zone in through traffic, got in a lone and roofed home a backhand shot for his 21^st goal of the campaign.

Just 39 seconds later, the Warriors 20-year-old star defenceman Aiden Ziprick fired home a point shot for a power-play goal that cut the Saskatoon lead to 2-1.

At that point, Wutzke was the main reason the contest didn’t get away from Moose Jaw. He would turn away Blades star import right-winger David Lewandowski, who was in alone on the Warriors net and attempted a backhand shot.

Wutzke would then stone Blades 18-year-old centre Kazden Mathies in close and reject Blades 17-year-old rookie centre Ben Bowtell on another in tight opportunity. Mathies would then get a breakaway opportunity only to be denied by a left pad stop by Wutzke.

Chase Wutzke (#35) stones David Lewandowski.

With 1:46 remaining in the second, the host side would break onto the scoreboard again. Blades 19-year-old import left-winger Elias Pul cut across the face of the Moose Jaw net and popped home a backhander for his 10^th goal of the campaign to push the Blades lead out to 3-1.

That two-goal edge didn’t last long. Just 42 seconds later, Warriors standout 20-year-old left-winger Pavel McKenzie was sprung on a breakaway and he fired a mid-height shot stick side on Gardner to trim the Saskatoon edge to 3-2. That tally was the 17^th marker of the season for McKenzie.

The Blades took that slim 3-2 advantage into the second intermission while holding a lopsided 35-10 edge in shots on goal.

Cooper Williams had the Blades second goal on Friday.

At the start of the third, Wutzke proceeded to come up with big saves on Blades rookie import left-winger Dustin Willhoft and Bowtell.

Saskatoon then proceeded to get the dagger tallies to lock down the win. With 2:59 remaining in the third and working on a power play, Williams had the puck in the right faceoff circle in the Moose Jaw zone and put a shot pass towards the Warriors goal. Calvert deflected the puck home for his second goal of the contest and 29^th marker of the campaign.

Just 23 seconds later, Calvert completed his hat trick firing a puck from his own zone into an empty Moose Jaw net for his 30^th goal of the season to round out the 5-2 victory for the Blades. Calvert finished with nine goals in the Blades six encounters with the Warriors in the current regular season, and that included Friday’s hat trick performance and a hat trick in a win back in December.

The Blades celebrate a hat trick goal from Rowan Calvert (#23).

Gardner stopped 14 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. The victory was the 24^th of the season for Gardner, which is a new career high in that department.

McKenzie had an assist to go along with his goal.

With his hat trick, Calvert now has goals and points in three consecutive games recording five goals and one assist over that time.

The only bad news the Blade encountered came shortly after they went ahead 4-2, when 18-year-old sophomore defenceman Isaac Poll tried to check McKenzie into the boards, when McKenzie was rushing into the Saskatoon zone. While pinning McKenzie into the boards, Poll accidently drove his own head into the glass and went down on the ice.

Poll, who has a lengthy history with injuries, was helped off the ice and didn’t return.

The Warriors get back at it on Saturday when they return home to face the Lethbridge Hurricanes (7 p.m., Temple Gardens Centre).

The Blades celebrate their win on Friday night.

The Blades are off until this coming Friday when they host the Swift Current Broncos (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

“The Bridge City Bunch” will be looking to build off of strong performances in their past two outings as they only have five more regular season games remaining before entering the 2026 WHL Playoffs.

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 vault to first in WHL’s Eastern Conference

Prince Albert downs Warriors in Moose Jaw after shootout

The Prince Albert Raiders will sit in first place in the WHL’s Eastern Conference for at least one night.

On Thursday night before an announced crowd of 3,546 spectators at Temple Gardens Centre in Moose Jaw, the visiting Raiders slipped past the host Warriors 3-2 in a WHL regular season clash following a tiebreaking shootout. Prince Albert took the shootout 1-0 with star 20-year-old centre Aiden Oiring netting the goal in the tiebreaking session.

The win was a fifth straight for the Raiders, who improved to 33-6-4 to vault into first place in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. The Raiders sit one point ahead of the Central Division leading Medicine Hat Tigers (32-7-3-2) and five points in front of the Edmonton Oil Kings (30-9-3-2). Prince Albert still has one game in hand on both of those clubs.

The Raiders also sit one point back of the Everett Silvertips (34-6-2-1) for first overall in the entire WHL.

In the CHL Top 10 Rankings that were release on Tuesday, the Raiders were rated second, the Silvertips were fourth, the Tigers were fifth and the Oil Kings came in at sixth.

The Warriors get an important standings point with the shootout setback to see their record move to 17-22-3-2. They sit three points up on the Red Deer Rebels (16-22-2-2) and the Regina Pats (15-21-5-1) for seventh overall in the Eastern Conference. The Rebels and Pats each have two games in hand on the Warriors.

Red Deer and Regina are tied for the eighth and ninth positions in the Eastern Conference. If the regular season stopped today, they would play a tiebreaking game to see who gets eighth place and the conference’s final playoff berth.

As for Thursday’s clash between Prince Albert and Moose Jaw, the Raiders came out flying taking a 2-0 lead in the first period while holding a 17-4 edge in shots on goal.

Prince Albert opened the scoring at the 2:36 mark of the opening frame scoring on an offensive zone rush while working on the power play. On the rush, Raiders star 19-year-old centre Max Heise fed a pass to star 18-year-old left-winger Brandon Gorzynski, who was skating towards the right post of the Moose Jaw goal.

Gorzynski fed a backhanded pass across the face of the Warriors net backdoor to star 18-year-old centre Braeden Cootes. Cootes popped home his 13^th goal of the campaign to give the Raiders their one-goal edge.

Shortly after the midway point of the first period, the Raiders pushed their lead out to 2-0. On an offensive zone rush, Oiring jetted down the right wing, swooped around behind the Moose Jaw net and put a pass across the crease of the Warriors goal to Gorzynski parked by the right post. Gorzynski popped his 20^th goal of the campaign to give the visitors their two-goal edge.

Just over four minutes after going ahead 2-0, Raiders rookie 19-year-old import defenceman Matyas Man faced Warriors 18-year-old right-winger Gage Nagel in a spirited fight that pleased the crowd. Man got the take down in the bout.

In the second, the Raiders carried play holding a 9-6 edge in shots on goal, but the stanza was a rough one for the visitors. With 8:12 remaining the period, Raiders standout defenceman Linden Burrett went into the boards awkwardly while engaged with a Warriors player. Burrett grabbed his left knee and exited the game at that point.

With 7:53 remaining in the second, the Warriors scored on the power play with 20-year-old centre Ethan Semeniuk potting a backhander from the left side of the Prince Albert net. The tally cut the Raiders lead to 2-1.

The host side evened the score at 2-2 with 2:05 remaining in the second when 16-year-old rookie defenceman Colt Carter drove home a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle in the Prince Albert zone.

The two sides played evenly through a scoreless third period where the shots on goal for the frame were tied at 11-11. The Warriors held a 4-1 edge in shots on goal during the three-versus-three overtime period, where they were denied on two glorious scoring chances.

Warriors 18-year-old centre Riley Thorpe had a breakaway opportunity only to be denied by Raiders rookie star import netminder Michal Orsulak. The second big scoring chance was a close-in opportunity by Warriors star 20-year-old left-winger Pavel McKenzie, but he was turned away by a left pad stop by Orsulak.

That set the stage for the tiebreaking shootout. Oiring scored on the Raiders first shooting opportunity in the tiebreaking session. Orsulak ended the session with a sweet glove stop on Warriors 18-year-old left-winger Steven Steranka.

Orsulak made 23 saves over 65 minutes and turned away all three shooters he faced in the shootout to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Chase Wutzke turned away 36 shots and one of two shooters in the shootout to take the extra time setback in net for the Warriors.

The Warriors get back at it on Friday when they host the 18-17-5-3 Victoria Royals (7 p.m., Temple Gardens Centre).

The Raiders continue a stretch where they are playing three games in three nights. On Friday, they travel to Swift Current to take on the 10-30-3 Broncos (7 p.m., InnovationPlex). The Raiders return home on Saturday when they host the Tigers (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

Prince Albert was without star 20-year-old right-winger Brayden Dube on Thursday, who is day-to-day with a minor injury. Dube was injured in the Raiders 12-2 home ice romp over the Royals on Tuesday.

Oil Kings’ Holinka is prime time player, other notes

Miroslav Holinka has 62 points in 41 games this season.

The second-year import bump has seen Miroslav Holinka jump up to being one the WHL’s best.

Last season, the skilled centre from Zlin, Czechia had a solid debut campaign for the Edmonton Oil Kings. He skated in 47 regular season games recording 19 goals, 26 assists and a plus-12 rating in the plus-minus department. He helped the Oil Kings post a 37-27-2-2 mark to make the WHL Playoffs for the first time since Edmonton last won the league title in the 2021-22 campaign.

Holinka, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 185 pounds, had been selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fifth round and 151^st overall in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The Leafs were pleased enough by Holinka’s first WHL campaign that they signed him to a three-year NHL entry-level contract on July 15, 2025.

The Leafs assigned Holinka to play a 20-year-old season with the Oil Kings for the current season. Skating in his second campaign in North America, Holinka has taken off.

In 41 games with the Oil Kings this season, Holinka has piled up 28 goals and 34 assists to go with a plus-26 rating in the plus-minus department. Holinka’s goal total includes seven game winners, which is one behind Medicine Hat Tigers captain Bryce Pickford for the league lead.

Along with his game-winning goal total, Holinka sits seven points behind Seattle Thunderbirds right-winger Cameron Schmidt for the WHL scoring lead at 69 points. Schmidt has put up his point total on 32 goals and 37 assists.

When import players like Holinka first come over to North American, they go through growing pains both on and off the ice. On top of adjusting to the North American style of play, import players have to work through learning a new language and culture. It is common for import players to show great improvement when they come back for a second major junior campaign.

Holinka has been on another level this season with the Oil Kings. Centering a line with Lukas Sawchyn on right-wing and captain Gavin Hodnett on left-wing, Holinka has hit the ice with a confidence that is through the roof this season.

He has become a difference maker for the Oil Kings, who sit fourth overall in the WHL with a 30-9-3-2 mark and are rated sixth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings that were released on Tuesday. Holinka has become a player who is worth the price of admission by his presence alone and is a player to watch.

If folks in the Alberta capital city can pull themselves away from watching superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl skate for the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, they will find themselves very much entertained watching the heroics of Holinka with the city’s major junior squad.

On that note, the Oil Kings are leading the WHL in attendance averaging 6,521 spectators per game at Rogers Place, which is a great accomplishment when you are a junior squad existing in the same city as the Oilers.

When opposing teams lose track of Holinka on the ice, they usually create an invitation to have the puck end up in the back of their own net.

Holinka’s skill shows up even when the Oil Kings lose. When they dropped a 4-3 decision at home on Wednesday to the Regina Pats, Holinka potted a short-handed goal where he scored on a backhander on a breakaway.

If you live in Edmonton or you see the Oil Kings are coming to your centre as the road team for the rest of the current campaign, you’d be wise to get out and see Holinka play out his final days before graduating from the major junior ranks at the end of the season. It won’t be long before you have to pay big NHL ticket prices to see show off his skills live.

• Kamloops Blazers 17-year-old right-winger JP Hurlbert still has the afterburners on in what has been an amazing rookie campaign. Hurlbert, who is from Allen, Texas, has recorded 29 goals and 38 assists to go with a plus-11 rating playing in all of the team’s 42 regular season games to date. He leads all rookies in scoring with his 67 points and sits second in the overall WHL scoring race.
• Medicine Hat Tigers 17-year-old sophomore centre Markus Ruck leads the WHL with 51 assists this season. Ruck also had 11 goals and a plus-20 rating appearing in all of his squad’s 44 games to date.
• Medicine Hat Tigers 19-year-old veteran defenceman Jonas Woo leads the WHL in the plus-minus department with a plus-48 rating in 37 games this season. Woo has also piled up 61 points coming off 24 goals and 37 assists.
• Medicine Hat Tigers 18-year-old sophomore netminder Jordan Switzer leads the WHL with 21 goaltending victories. In 30 appearances this season, Switzer has recorded a 21-4-3 record, a 2.70 goals against average, a .896 save percentage and one shutout.

• On January 9, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a feature on 16-year-old Shaurya Patel, who is one of Cricket Saskatoon’s elite junior players. In the piece, Patel talked about his journey in the sport of cricket and went through the process to try to make Cricket Canada’s Canadian under-19 World Cup team in 2025. The piece on Patel can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that is anchored by images from the John Sands Classic Long Track Meet hosted by the Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club. That post can be found by clicking right here.

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 win third straight as post-season nears

Prince Albert gets back to top of East Division for one day

Daxon Rudolph had the winning goal for the Raiders on Tuesday.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – It is all about playing the right way.

That is the message Prince Albert Raiders interim head coach Ryan McDonald has been preaching to his team. The Raiders are in a tight three way battle for first place in the WHL’s East Division, but the Prince Albert side doesn’t have control when it comes to landing in top spot in the division as the final week of the regular season progresses.

On Tuesday playing before a standing room crowd of 2,797 spectators at the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre, the Raiders posted their third straight victory downing the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors 3-1. On route to the triumph, the Raiders battled through a tightly contest opening frame and controlled play through the second and third periods holding a 43-23 edge in shots on goal.

Ryan McDonald, centre, works the Raiders bench as head coach.

For McDonald, the focus is on building momentum towards the playoffs and ensuring the players are sound in their team play.

“It is about continuing to build our game and play the right way and make sure we are on top of our checks,” said McDonald. “Our F3 (the third forward positioned high in the offensive zone) is an extremely important piece to our offence, but not only our offence, but our defence as well too.

“We have to make sure we’re on top of our checks and teams have to go 200-feet to get their opportunities.”

Tuesday’s win did allow the Raiders to improve to 37-23-5-1 to sit one standings point ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings (36-22-4-3) and Saskatoon Blades (36-22-3-4) for first in the East Division. Prince Albert’s division lead won’t last for long.

Lukas Dragicevic scored the Raiders first goal on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the Blades travel to Brandon to face the Wheat Kings at 7 p.m. local time at Westoba Place allowing both of those clubs to use up the game in hand they have on the Raiders. The winner of the clash between the Blades and Wheat Kings will hold first place in the East Division after that contest.

Following Wednesday’s game action, the Raiders, Blades and Wheat Kings will have two games remaining on their respective regular season schedules.

The Raiders close the regular season playing the Blades in a home-and-home series. The two sides go at it Friday in Saskatoon (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre) and Saturday in Prince Albert (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

Joshua Banini made 40 saves for the Warriors on Tuesday.

The Wheat Kings conclude their slate with a home-and-home series against the Regina Pats (16-42-5-3). Those two teams play Friday in Brandon (7 p.m. local time, Westoba Place) and Saturday in Regina (6 p.m., Brandt Centre).

Raiders standout rookie defenceman Daxon Rudolph, who turned 17-years-old earlier this month, said it is special and enjoyable to be playing in big games this late into the regular season.

“You want every game to have value, and these ones down the stretch really do,” said Rudolph. “Big players come up big in these times, and that is what it is all about.

“I think everyone in our locker room is ready for it, and we’re going to have a good weekend.”

Casey Brown scored for the Warriors on Tuesday.

As for Tuesday’s clash with the Warriors, the Raiders opened the scoring just 1:27 into the contest as star defenceman Lukas Dragicevic potted his 17^th of the campaign from the right side of the Moose Jaw net off a slick break into the Moose Jaw zone. Dragicevic was placed in a prime scoring spot after receiving a smart pass from 20-year-old star right-winger Niall Crocker.

At the 4:12 mark of the second, the Raiders pushed their lead out to 2-0 when Rudolph fired home a point shot through a screen. Rudolph’s goal happened to be the first stoppage in action for the frame.

“When you can contribute on the scoresheet and help the guys get some wins, that is all that matters,” said Rudolph, who has seven goals, 31 assists and a plus-12 rating in the plus-minus department in 62 games with the Raiders this season. “It is nice for myself to be chipping in here.

Tomas Mrsic (#26) had an empty-net goal for the Raiders.

“At the end of the day, it is all about the team, and we got the two points tonight.”

The Warriors cut the Raiders lead to 2-1 at the 7:19 mark of the third on a goal by 18-year-old rookie right-winger Casey Brown. Brown one-timed home a shot from the front of the Prince Albert net converting a sweet setup pass from 17-year-old centre Luke Moroz.

Raiders star left-winger Tomas Mrsic sealed victory potting his 33^rd goal of the season into an empty net to round out the 3-1 final score in favour of the host side.

Warriors 18-year-old rookie netminder Joshua Banini tried his hardest to steal the game turning away 40-of-42 shots fired his way. With how well Banini was playing, McDonald was pleased with his club’s persistence.

Max Hildebrand stopped 22 shots for the Raiders on Tuesday.

“I thought offensively our pace increased as the game went on,” said McDonald. “We did a really good job of getting pucks low to high, but also east to west and getting them to the net off the pass.

“We made sure we landed at the net with traffic. Their goalie made some real key saves for them tonight. I thought our guys did a good job of getting pucks to the paint and then finding those second and third opportunities.”

Max Hildebrand stopped 22 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. On the campaign, the 20-year-old star puck stopper has posted a 31-16-5 record, a 2.88 goals against average, a .918 save percentage and three shutouts.

While Hildebrand had another great outing for the Raiders, Rudolph said it was big for his club to overcome Banini having a stellar night in the Moose Jaw net.

Niall Crocker had an assist on Tuesday for the Raiders.

“I thought we played a good game, and obviously, he (Banini) did as well,” said Rudolph. “We put a lot of rubber at him, and he made some saves.

“I think second opportunities were there at time, and we almost banged them in. When you run into a hot goalie, it is what it is. You just have to find a way to win those games, and that is what we did.

“I think we played a really good 60 minutes here tonight and stuck with it.”

The Warriors will close their 2024-25 campaign with a home-and-home series against the Swift Current Broncos. Those two clubs go at it on Friday in Swift Current (7 p.m., InnovationPlex) and Saturday in Moose Jaw (7 p.m., Temple Gardens Centre).

The Raiders continue on with their final two regular season games against the Blades. Leading up to those contests, McDonald said the focus is to ensure his players are continuing put together good habits in preparation for those games.

The Raiders salute their faithful at the Art Hauser Centre.

“It is one game at a time,” said McDonald. “For us, the most important thing is tonight making sure that we get a good cool down in and get a good meal and get rested up so we can hit the game film tomorrow, and again, have another good day of preparation and just go for the weekend.”

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 outlast Oil Kings 4-1 for second straight win

Max Hildebrand made 32 saves in goal for the Raiders on Saturday.

The Prince Albert Raiders have a spark.

On Monday, the Raiders relieved 59-year-old head coach Jeff Truitt of his duties. While the Raiders were sporting a 34-22-5-1 record at the time, they had one win in their previous six outings posting a 1-3-2 mark over that stretch. In Truitt’s final two games as head coach, the Raiders lost both ends of a home-and-home series in regulation to their archrivals the Saskatoon Blades.

It seemed like the Raiders were repeating a trend from the previous campaign, where they went 2-9 over their last 11 games including action in the regular season and the WHL Playoffs.

The Raiders promoted 37-year-old assistant coach Ryan McDonald to interim head coach. McDonald is a Prince Albert product and played for the Raiders as a player from 2006 to 2009.

In the Raiders first 15 games after returning from their WHL Christmas break this season, McDonald served as interim head coach at that time as Truitt was on medical leave for eye surgery. Over those 15 games, the Raiders posted a 10-4-0-1 mark.

After making the moves on the coaching front, Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt told Nathan Reiter of the Prince Albert Daily Herald that he made the decision because he thought a new voice was needed in the dressing room.

With McDonald in his second stint as interim head coach for the campaign, the Raiders traveled to Lethbridge on Wednesday, held leads of 2-0 and 3-2, but fell to the host Hurricanes 5-3. On Friday, the Raiders made their way to Red Deer, fell behind 3-1 and rallied for a 4-3 overtime victory over the host Rebels. Star centre Aiden Oiring scored a hat trick including the winner in overtime.

On Saturday, the Raiders ventured to Edmonton for their latest WHL regular season clash to play the host Oil Kings before 12,142 spectators at Rogers Place. Riding a 32 save performance from star 20-year-old netminder Max Hildebrand, the Raiders posted a 4-1 victory for their second straight win.

Daxon Rudolph had the Raiders third goal on Saturday.

The two straight wins have the Raiders sitting second in the WHL’s East Division with a 36-23-5-1 mark. They almost pulled ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings for top spot in the division. The Wheat Kings snuck out a 5-4 overtime victory over the Warriors in Moose Jaw on Saturday night for a third straight win to improve to 36-22-4-3 to sit one standings point ahead of the Raiders.

The idle Blades (35-22-3-4) sit two points back of the Wheat Kings and one point back of the Raiders with a game in hand on both clubs. The Blades make up that game in hand on Sunday when they host the 15-41-5-3 Regina Pats (4 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

Prince Albert and Brandon have three games remaining on their respective regular season schedules. Saskatoon has four regular season contests remaining in the 2024-25 campaign.

In Saturday’s clash between the Raiders and Oil Kings, the visitors jumped out to a 1-0 lead with 3:21 remaining in the opening period. Breaking down the left wing into the Edmonton zone on a rush, Raiders 16-year-old rookie left-winger Ty Meunier flipped a smart pass over to fellow rookie Riley Boychuk to an open area by the right side of the Oil Kings net.

Boychuk, who turned 17-years-old in January, potted his 14^th of the campaign to give the Raiders their one-goal edge.

At the 4:36 mark of the second, Raiders star left-winger Tomas Mrsic made a backhand pass from behind the Edmonton net to breakout 19-year-old right-winger Brayden Dube in front of the goal. Dube one-timed home his 29^th tally of the campaign to push the Raiders lead out to 2-0.

With 68 seconds remaining in the second, Raiders rookie defenceman Daxon Rudolph, who turned 17-years-old earlier this month, wired home a shot from the left faceoff circle to the top right corner of the Edmonton net to allow the Raiders to hold a 3-0 advantage.

With 11.9 seconds remaining in the second, the Oil Kings struck on the power play when import centre Miroslav Holinka tipped home a point shot from start linemate Gracyn Sawchyn at the right side of the Prince Albert net. That goal cut the Raiders lead to 3-1.

The third period saw the Raiders kill off four Oil Kings power plays, while Edmonton killed off one Prince Albert man advantage. Prince Albert’s first infraction of the frame was a delay of game penalty to 18-year-old defenceman Tyrone Sobry for clearing the puck over the glass from his own zone. For the rest of the frame, it seemed the Oil Kings were going down easy trying to dive like a 1980s European hockey team which drew three other power-play chances.

Niall Crocker scored an empty-net goal for the Raiders.

After all those infractions were killed, Raiders 20-year-old left-winger Niall Crocker scored a long distance empty-net goal with 50.9 seconds remaining in the frame to round out the 4-1 final in favour of the Raiders. The final 50.9 seconds of the third elapsed with no drama.

Alex Worthington turned away 12-of-15 shots to take the setback in net for the Oil Kings who fell to 35-26-2-2.

The Raiders won three out of the five head-to-head encounters with the Oil Kings this season.

The Oil Kings return to action on Sunday, when they travel to Calgary to take on the 43-15-3-3 Hitmen (2 p.m. local time, Scotiabank Saddledome).

The Raiders get back at it on Tuesday when they host the 14-43-6-2 Moose Jaw Warriors (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

Wheat Kings get scare in Moose Jaw, prevail in OT

The Brandon Wheat Kings had to make a comeback and work overtime to continue to control their destiny in the race for first place in the WHL’s East Division.

On Saturday, the Wheat Kings found themselves trailing 4-3 to the host Moose Jaw Warriors in a WHL regular season contest played before 3,215 spectators at the Temple Gardens Centre. The Warriors are going through a big rebuild and sit last in the entire WHL after winning their first WHL championship last season.

With 5:14 remaining in the third, Wheat Kings 20-year-old offensive-defenceman Luke Shipley pounced on a loose puck in the right faceoff circle in the Moose Jaw zone and buried his 17^th goal of the campaign to even the score at 4-4.

Just moments into overtime, Warriors captain Lynden Lakovic got in on a short breakaway on the Brandon net. He put a backhand shot on goal that was swallowed up by Wheat Kings star 19-year-old netminder Carson Bjarnason.

A short time after that scoring chance, Wheat Kings star overage centre Nolan Flamand blew home the winner at the 44-second mark of the extra frame to give the visitors a 5-4 victory.

Brandon held a 3-2 lead after the first period only to see Moose Jaw pull ahead 4-3 going into the second intermission.

Roger McQueen recorded one goal, two assists and a plus-two rating in the plus-minus department for the Wheat Kings, who received singles from Marcus Nguyen and Matteo Michels. Lakovic, Casey Brown, Pavel McKenzie and Riley Thorpe replied with singles for the Warriors.

Bjarnason stopped 30 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Wheat Kings. Matthew Hutchison turned away 28 shots to take the setback in net for Moose Jaw.

With the win, the Wheat Kings, who have won three straight games, continue to lead the WHL’s East Division improving to 36-22-4-3. They hold a one standings point lead over the Prince Albert Raiders (36-23-5-1) and sit two points ahead of the idle Saskatoon Blades (35-22-3-4).

The Blades have a game in hand on both the Wheat Kings and Raiders. The Blades make up that game in hand on Sunday when they host the 15-41-5-3 Regina Pats (4 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

The Warriors saw their record move to 14-43-6-2 as they continue to remain last in the entire WHL. They return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Prince Albert to take on the Raiders (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

The Wheat Kings return home to host the Blades on Wednesday in a big late season contest at 7 p.m. at Westoba Place.

Tigers’ McKenna explodes for seven points, other notes

Saturday night was a banner night for Medicine Hat Tigers superstar left-winger Gavin McKenna.

The 17-year-old was in on all his team’s goals as the Tigers blasted the visiting Red Deer Rebels 7-3 in a WHL regular season clash before 5,645 spectators at Co-op Place. McKenna recorded a hat trick and four assists for seven points to go with a plus-three rating in the plus-minus category in the win.

Medicine Hat jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first period, held a 5-3 advantage after two periods and cruised to the 7-3 victory. The Tigers have won eight straight games improving to 45-17-3-1 to sit first overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and Central Division.

They sit two standings points ahead of the Calgary Hitmen (43-15-3-3). The Hitmen have two games in hand on the Tigers. Medicine Hat has two games remaining on its regular season schedule, while Calgary has four contests remaining.

After recording seven points against the Rebels, McKenna sits comfortably in second in the WHL’s scoring race with 121 points coming off 37 goals and 84 assists to go with a plus-54 rating in 54 games. He also has points in his last 38 consecutive appearances dating back to November 6, 2024. During that stretch, McKenna has piled up 92 points coming off 28 goals and 64 assists.

Tigers 20-year-old captain Oasiz Wiesblatt also had a big night in Saturday’s win. He recorded a hat trick and two assists for five points to go with a plus-two rating. The hat trick allowed Wiesblatt to surpass the 100-goal mark in his WHL career. In 282 career regular season games all with the Tigers, Wiesblatt has 101 goals, 184 assists, 285 points and a plus-42 rating.

Wiesblatt also has 100 points coming off 36 goals and 64 assists to go with a plus-42 rating in 64 games with the Tigers this season. That marks the first time Wiesblatt has hit the 100-point plateau for one season in his WHL career.

Star defenceman Tanner Molendyk had the Tigers first goal on Saturday. He also had an assist for a two-point night and posted a plus-one rating.

Tigers overage centre Mathew Ward had an assist in the win. With that helper, Ward has 250 points in his WHL career coming off 90 goals and 160 assists in 261 career regular season games.

Matthew Gard scored twice for the Rebels, while Ollie Josephson had a single.

Harrison Meneghin stopped 28 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Tigers. Peyton Shore turned away 19 shots to take the loss in net for the Rebels.

The Rebels, who will miss the WHL Playoffs, fell to 26-31-6-2. They return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Calgary to take on the Hitmen (7 p.m. local time, Scotiabank Saddledome).

The Tigers are off until this coming Saturday when they host the Lethbridge Hurricanes (7 p.m. local time, Co-op Place). The Tigers and Hitmen close their respective regular season schedules going head-to-head on Sunday, March 23 at 5 p.m. local time at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary.

• On Thursday, the Tri-City Americans announced defenceman Terrell Goldsmith was released from hospital late Wednesday night and is resting at home. He will continue to be monitored by the Americans medical staff. Goldsmith, who is a former member of the Prince Albert Raiders, was injured in a fight with defenceman Ashton Cumby of the Seattle Thunderbirds on Tuesday night in a game at the Toyota Centre in Kennewick, Washington. That contest was suspended after Goldsmith’s injury.
• On Saturday, 20-year-old defenceman Hunter Mayo recorded two goals, three assists and a plus-two rating in the plus-minus department to power the visiting Swift Current Broncos to a 7-5 victory over the Pats in Regina. The Broncos, who have a berth locked up in the WHL Playoffs, improved to 34-28-1-2 with the win.
• On Saturday, veteran right-winger Ethan Moore scored twice to power the visiting Calgary Hitmen to a 3-1 victory over the Hurricanes in Lethbridge. The Hitmen improved to 43-15-3-3 with the win, while the Hurricanes fell to 41-20-3-2. Both teams will have home ice advantage to for best-of-seven first round series in the WHL Playoffs.
• On Sunday, March 9, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a feature on ultra-busy track and field coach Jason Reindl. The 40-year-old has coaches the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Track and Field and Cross-Country Teams since the start of the 2017-18 campaign. He also has many other roles in the sport. The piece on Reindl can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that is anchored by pictures from the Saskatoon Nordic Ski Club to bid farewell to the winter sports season. It also includes photos from baseball, rugby, softball and speed skating. That post can be found by clicking right here.

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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Tigers win fourth straight, last two without McKenna

Oasiz Wiesblatt scored his 30th goal of the season on Saturday.

Adversity seems to be firing up the Medicine Hat Tigers.

On Saturday night, the Tigers won their fourth straight game blanking the Wheat Kings 5-0 before 3,264 spectators in Westoba Place in Brandon. The last two victories in Medicine Hat’s current streak have been accomplished without having superstar left-winger Gavin McKenna in the lineup.

The 17-year-old, who is the best player not only on the Tigers but in the entire WHL, has been serving a three game suspension for receiving a slashing major and a game misconduct in the Tigers 5-3 win over the Oil Kings in Edmonton last Sunday. McKenna has one game remaining on his suspension that will be served when the Tigers host the Kelowna Rockets on Tuesday (7 p.m. local time, Co-op Place).

With 4:39 remaining in the win over the Oil Kings, McKenna was hit high by Oil Kings 20-year-old defenceman Josh Mori near the Edmonton bench. The two spun towards the ice and McKenna swung his stick, with two hands, breaking his stick on Mori’s while the rearguard fell to the ice in a heap.

Mori left that game, but has played in all of Edmonton’s ensuing contests since the McKenna slash.

The incident has sparked lots of talk about the abuse McKenna has taken from opposing teams especially against the Oil Kings, who play a high tension and agitating style of hockey. Feisty overage centre Marshall Finnie often plays the role of top agitator on the Edmonton side.

The Tigers were also without standout defenceman Jonas Woo and Bryce Pickford, who are listed as week-to-week with upper body injuries. Tigers 19-year-old star left-winger Andrew Basha is out indefinitely with a lower body injury and last played in a 4-0 home ice win against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Ryder Ritchie had a goal in the Tigers win on Saturday.

Star centre Cayden Lindstrom, who turned 19-years-old in early February, is with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets as he rehabs a back injury. Lindstrom, who was selected in the first round and fourth overall by the Blue Jackets in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, is skating under the watchful eye of the NHL club. He hasn’t played a game in the 2024-25 campaign.

Still, the Tigers are overcoming all of these obstacles. With their win over the Wheat Kings, the Tigers continue to lead the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 41-17-3-1 mark, and they currently sit second in the overall WHL standings.

Medicine Hat opened the scoring at the 10:03 mark of the opening frame, when captain Oasiz Wiesblatt potted his 30^th goal of the campaign. That marked the first time in his WHL career the 20-year-old centre cracked the 30-goal plateau for one season.

The Tigers offence blew open the contest scoring three goals in the first 9:58 of the second to surge ahead 4-0. Mathew Ward, who is an overage centre, started the surge scoring on a spin-a-round shot from the point.

Star 18-year-old right-winger Ryder Ritchie picked up the second tally of the surge firing home a shot from inside the right faceoff circle to the top left corner of the Brandon net after a toe-drag move. The tally was Ritchie’s 25^th goal of the campaign.

Rookie right-winger Liam Ruck, who recently turned 17-years-old, completed the surge potting home a rebound from the front of the Brandon net that came from a shot by 18-year-old rookie winger Carter Cunningham. Ruck’s tally was his 19^th goal of the campaign.

Marcus Pacheco, who is a 19-year-old right-winger, rounded out the game’s scoring potting the Tigers final goal with 3:43 remaining in the third period.

Tigers star 20-year-old netminder Harrison Meneghin had an outstanding outing making 26 saves for his third shutout win of the season. Meneghin made a number of spectacular saves in the contest.

Harrison Meneghin made 26 saves in a shutout victory.

The Wheat Kings started 19-year-old star netminder Carson Bjarnason, who turned away 20-of-24 shots sent his way. Ethan Eskit played the third period in relief turning away 7-of-8 shots sent in his direction.

Brandon fell to 32-19-4-3 to sit one point behind the Prince Albert Raiders (33-20-5-1) for first in the WHL’s East Division. The Wheat Kings have one game in hand on the Raiders.

The Wheat Kings return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Red Deer to face the 23-28-5-2 Rebels (7 p.m. local time, Peavey Mart Centrium).

The Tigers are looking to continue their roll and keep building momentum over their final six regular season games heading into the WHL Playoffs.

Broncos rally to 4-3 OT win over Raiders

Hunter Mayo had a dream night for a defenceman.

The 20-year-old rearguard with the Swift Current Broncos scored the overtime winner, picked up an assist and was a plus-four in the plus-minus department in his team’s wild 4-3 comeback victory over the visiting Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday night. The Broncos erased deficits of 2-0 and 3-1 to the delight of most of the 2,510 spectators at the InnovationPlex.

After the two sides played through a scoreless first period, Raiders star 20-year-old right-winger Rilen Kovacevic had the only goal in the second frame giving the visitors a 1-0 edge.

At the 9:13 mark of the third while working on the power play, Raiders breakout star 19-year-old right-winger Brayden Dube potted his 27^th goal of the campaign to increase his squad’s advantage to 2-0.

Broncos 19-year-old right-winger Rylan Gould scored 45 seconds later to cut the Raiders edge to 2-1.

Prince Albert would score their second power-play goal of the contest coming off the stick of rookie right-winger Riley Boychuk, who turned 17-years-old in late January, to push their edge out to 3-1 with 6:55 remaining in the third.

With 3:49 left in the third, Broncos 19-year-old defenceman Grayson Burzynski scored to trim the Raiders lead to 3-2. Mayo picked up an assist on that tally.

Broncos 20-year-old centre Carlin Dezainde proceeded to pot his 31^st goal of the campaign with 57.8 seconds remaining in the third to even the score at 3-3. Swift Current netted that goal with netminder Reid Dyck pulled for an extra attacker.

In overtime, Mayo roofed the winner to the top right corner of the Prince Albert net with 1:24 remaining in the extra session to deliver the Broncos to a 4-3 victory.

Dyck stopped 33 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Broncos, who improved to 31-25-1-1. Swift Current’s magic number of standings points needed to clinch a berth in the WHL Playoffs shrank down to 10.

Max Hildebrand turned away 24 shots to take the extra time setback in goal for the Raiders.

The Raiders record moved to 33-20-5-1 to sit one point ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings (32-19-4-3) for first place in the WHL’s East Division. Prince Albert is two standings points away from clinching a berth in the WHL Playoffs.

The Raiders return to action on Tuesday when they host the 15-37-5-2 Regina Pats (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

The Broncos get back at it on Wednesday when they travel to Saskatoon to take on the Blades (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

Warriors wipe out 12-game skid with 6-2 win over Blades

After failing to collect a victory in the month of February, the Moose Jaw Warriors are one-for-one in the win department for the month of March.

On Saturday before 2,981 pumped spectators at the Moose Jaw Events Centre, the host Warriors dumped the visiting Saskatoon Blades 6-2. The win ends a 12-game skid for the Warriors, who dropped 11 games in regulation and one contest in overtime over that stretch.

Before Saturday’s victory, the Warriors last win came back on January 31, when they came up with a 4-3 victory on home ice after a tiebreaking shootout against the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Warriors 20-year-old import left-winger Krzysztof Macias recorded a hat trick in the win over the Blades on Saturday, while 19-year-old defenceman Aiden Ziprick picked up three assists. Moose Jaw netminder Matthew Hutchison had an outstanding night stopping 36 shots in the win for a Warriors side that sits last in the WHL with a 12-41-5-2 mark.

Macias and Warriors captain Lynden Lakovic scored to give the host side a 2-0 edge in the opening frame. Blades 18-year-old right-winger Hunter Laing scored before the first period ended to cut the Warriors lead to 2-1.

Macias added his second of the contest at the 1:33 mark of the second to put Moose Jaw up 3-1. Blades rookie defenceman Jordan Martin, who turned 18-years-old in January, tallied a goal at the six-minute mark of the second to trim the Warriors lead to 3-2.

Macias scored on the power play to complete his hat trick before the second ended to push the Warriors lead out to 4-2.

Moose Jaw rounded out the game’s scoring in the third with a power-play goal from 19-year-old left-winger Pavel McKenzie and Lakovic potting a marker into an empty net for his second goal of the contest. Lakovic had an assist for a three-point night, and McKenzie had two helpers to go with his goal in a three-point night.

Ethan McCallum turned away 16-of-21 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades.

The Blades fell to 30-20-3-4 with the loss, and their magic number of standings points to clinch a berth in the WHL Playoffs is seven. Saskatoon is five points behind the Prince Albert Raiders (33-20-5-1) for first place in the East Division and four points back of the Brandon Wheat Kings (32-19-4-3) for second place.

The Blades have two games in hand on the Raiders and one game in hand on the Wheat Kings.

Saskatoon returns to action in Sunday hosting the 33-22-2-2 Edmonton Oil Kings (4 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

The Warriors are off until this coming Friday when they host the Regina Pats (7 p.m., Moose Jaw Events Centre).

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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