Raiders’ Habscheid sits alone in sixth for WHL coaching wins

Prince Albert downs Swift Current 4-2 for victory 549

Marc Habscheid mans the Raiders bench in September of 2019.

During his coaching career, Marc Habscheid is often showered with praise from his players that might be greater than any championships he’s won or the victories he’s piled up.

After being guided by Habscheid, it is common for players to refer to him as the best coach they’ve ever had. Players will also say they couldn’t imagine playing for another coach after being coached by Habscheid or it was hard at first to play for another coach after playing under Habscheid.

When players start playing for another coach, they will at times have a habit of comparing what that coach was doing to what Habscheid would do in various circumstances often concluding Habscheid would handle things better.

On Saturday in a bubble environment without fans in attendance at the Brandt Centre in Regina, Habscheid hit another milestone in his coaching career. When his Prince Albert Raiders doubled the Swift Current Broncos 4-2, Habscheid picked up his 549th head coaching win of his WHL regular season career.

The victory allowed Habscheid to move one win ahead of Ernie “Punch” McLean to sit alone in sixth spot on the WHL’s all-time career regular season wins list. McLean is best remembered for being the head coach of the rough and tumble New Westminster Bruins teams that won the Memorial Cup as CHL champions in 1977 and 1978.

Habscheid took up coaching in the 1996-97 season when he became the head coach and general manager of the Melfort Mustangs in the junior A Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. The Swift Current, Sask., product’s coaching career came right after a lengthy playing career.

Marc Habscheid sits sixth on the WHL’s career wins list.

From 1979 to 1982, Habscheid played one partial season and two full seasons as a star centre for the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades piling up 107 goals and 169 assists for 276 points in 148 career regular season games. He was a member of the Canada’s first ever gold medal winning team at world juniors in the 1981-82 season.

In the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, he was selected in the sixth round and 113^th overall by the Edmonton Oilers, who had stars like Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier.

Habscheid played seven games with the Oilers in 1981-82 and would earn a full-time spot in the professional ranks the next season. His NHL stops included spending time with the Oilers, Minnesota North Stars, Detroit Red Wings and Calgary Flames.

Habscheid played his final professional season with the Augsberger Panther in 1995-96 before joining the Mustangs as head coach and general manager.

After one season with the Mustangs, Habscheid moved up to the WHL ranks as head coach and general manager of the Kamloops Blazers in 1997-98. During his career in the WHL, Habscheid would also serve stints as the head coach and general manager of the Kelowna Rockets and the Chilliwack Bruins/Victoria Royals franchise.

In Kelowna, Habscheid led the Rockets to a WHL title in the 2002-03 campaign and a Memorial Cup title as the tournament hosts in 2003-04. 

Marc Habscheid has coached with four different WHL franchises.

In the 2004 WHL playoffs, the Rockets advanced to the Western Conference Championship series before falling in a series deciding Game 7 to the Everett Silvertips, who were skating through a Cinderella expansion season.

Habscheid was hired as the Raiders head coach on November 1, 2014 as a midseason replacement for Cory Clouston.

When Curtis Hunt became the Raiders general manager before the start of the 2015-16 campaign, Hunt and Habscheid became a hockey power couple. They restored the luster of the Raiders franchise to a level that hadn’t been seen in some time.

Under their watch, the Raiders would finish first overall in 2018-19 WHL regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2 record. The Raiders advanced on to win their second WHL title in team history on Dante Hannoun’s epic Game 7 overtime winner in the WHL Championship series at the Art Hauser Centre.

Hannoun’s winner in May of 2019 gave the Raiders a 3-2 victory in Game 7 over the Vancouver Giants that will live forever in the hearts of the Raiders faithful.

In all of Habscheid’s coaching stops, the players he coach always turned out to be first class citizens. His teams won with class and lost with class, and it should be noted that winning was often the norm.

Curtis Hunt, left, and Marc Habscheid have made the Raiders go.

On the ice, the biggest thing he did was allow his players the play the roles they were suited for. Skilled players who scored were skilled players who scored and were encouraged to execute creative plays.

Defensive players played defence. In goal, Habscheid’s netminders usually had the confidence to shine in big moments.

Overall, Habscheid instilled confidence in his player that they could accomplish big things as long as they focused on getting better every day. He also makes coming to the rink enjoyable.

In Saturday’s win over the Broncos, the Raiders received an inspired performance from overage power forward Justin Nachbaur, who had a goal, two assists and engaged in a first period fight with Broncos overager defenceman Kaleb Bulych.

The goal, assist and the fight allowed Nachbaur to pick up the “Gordie Howe hat trick” for the night.

Dallyn Peekeekoot, who is a 16-year-old rookie centre from the Ahtahkakoop First Nation in Saskatchewan, scored his first career WHL goal tallying 67 seconds into the first period to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead.

After Broncos defenceman Sam McGinley evened things up at 1-1 at the 15:46 mark of the opening frame, Nachbaur scored with 2:50 remaining in the first to put the Raiders up 2-1.

Justin Nachbbaur had a “Gordie Howe hat trick” on Saturday.

Overage centre Spencer Moe scored early in the second to increase the Raiders advantage to 3-1.

Broncos rookie right-winger Josh Filmon, who turned 17-years-old in March, scored on a breakaway early in the third to cut the Raiders lead to 3-2.

Raiders veteran centre Eric Pearce sealed the 4-2 win scoring into an empty net with 47.5 seconds remaining in the third.

Overage netminder Max Paddock made 19 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders (4-6-2). Veteran 19-year-old netminder Isaac Poulter turned away 22-of-25 shots to take the setback in goal for the Broncos (3-8-1).

Star centre Ozzy Wiesblatt picked up three assists for the Raiders, while 19-year-old veteran centre Reece Vitelli had a pair of helpers.

The Raiders return to action on Monday in the Regina bubble against the Brandon Wheat Kings (8 p.m., 900 CKBI).

The bubble environment is being utilized due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

So far during the shortened 24-game developmental 2020-21 campaign, the Raiders have dealt with a rash of injuries. They also weren’t able to bring in bring veteran Belarusian forward Aliaksei Protas and Belarusian forward newcomer Vladislav Shyla to Canada due to how the COVID-19 pandemic has played out.

Marc Habscheid raises the Ed Chynoweth Cup in May 2019.

With all that noted, Habscheid has the patience to allow newcomers to learn and grow playing in the WHL. While he will be challenging and providing road maps for ways that players can improve and be better, Habscheid knows there will bumps in the road and won’t panic.

When the developmental season comes to an end, you can bet the Raiders players will depart for their respective homes believing they had never played for a better coach.

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Blades’ Maier, McKay up villain status in Prince Albert

Saskatoon gets fourth win in five tries versus Raiders

Riley McKay (#39) celebrates his game-winning goal for the Blades.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Like treatment reserved for WWE villains, boos rained down for Nolan Maier and Riley McKay from the fans in Prince Albert.
    On Friday, Maier made 32 saves and McKay scored two goals including the winner to deliver the Saskatoon Blades to a 3-2 victory in a regular season contest over the defending WHL champion Prince Albert Raiders. The result came to the dismay of a standing room crowd of 2,900 spectators at the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre.
    The encounter was the first game for both sides since returning from their respective Christmas breaks.

    The win marked the fourth win the Blades have recorded in five head-to-head meetings with the Raiders this season. Saskatoon has won all three head-to-head to games in Prince Albert.

Riley McKay (#39) had two goals for the Blades on Friday.

    Following the Blades latest win on Friday night, Maier and McKay were roundly booed by the faithful in “Hockey Town North” when they were named the respective first and second stars in the building. McKay, who has a huge reputation of being an agitator, received the overwhelming loudest boos, and he just smiled and gave applause to the crowd.

    “I find it is a fun barn to play in,” said McKay, who was also a plus-two in the plus-minus department in Friday’s win. “I love how loud it is in this barn, and I love when fans are giving it to me.

Aliaksei Protas had a goal and an assist for the Raiders.

    “It fuels me to play harder, so it is fun.”

    Maier has really haunted the Raiders this season. He has played in all five head-to-head meetings between the two sides turning away 135-of-142 shots sent his way in those contests.

    The Yorkton, Sask., admits he enjoys seeing how the fans in Prince Albert get into games.

    “I think they are a really passionate fanbase,” said Maier. “Obviously, it is really special to kind of be a part of this kind of rivalry.

    “I like it, especially with playoffs last year. I’m kind of used to it. It hasn’t been as much as I am kind of used to from last year.

    “It is always fun kind of playing in really high intensity games like tonight.”

    Maier played a key role in allowing the Blades to exit the opening frame locked in a 0-0 tie as his club was outshot 13-3. 

Colton Dach had a goal for the Blades on Friday.

    He came up with a big glove stop on Raiders star left-winger Ozzy Wiesblatt and robbed right-winger Spencer Moe on a backdoor chance.

    At the 7:51 mark of the second, the Raiders pressure finally resulted in a goal, when Moe deflected home a shot from import centre Aliaksei Protas to give the host side a 1-0 lead.

    The Blades evened the score just 14 seconds later at 1-1, when captain Chase Wouters won a draw to McKay, who wired home the equalizer on a set play.

    Just 44 seconds after that tally, the Raiders jumped ahead 2-1, when Protas tapped home the rebound of his own shot.

    The Raiders weren’t able to cash on a number of chances to extend their advantage from that point for the rest of the second frame.

    With 8.6 seconds remaining in the second, Blades 16-year-old rookie left-winger Colton Dach wired home an accurate bad angle shot to even things up at 2-2.

Spencer Moe had a goal for the Raiders on Friday.

    “I think that goal was huge,” said Maier, whose team improved to 16-15-1-2. “It kind of set us up for a really nice third.

    “I think we got more confidence as the game went on, especially in the third.”

    The Blades did a better job of limiting the Raiders chances in the third, as the host side held an 8-5 advantage in shots on goal for the frame.

    With 5:13 remaining in the third, McKay took a set up from Wouters and lifted home the winning goal to the top left corner of the Prince Albert net to put the Blades up for good 3-2.

    Boston Bilous turned away 12 shots to take the setback in goal for the Raiders.

    “We were better team,” said Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid, whose club fell to 20-10-3-1. “We just didn’t win the game.

Chase Wouters, left, had a pair of assists for the Blades on Friday.

    “Sometimes that happens. I thought their goaltender played well. I didn’t like any of our three goals (against) to be quite honest.

    “That’s what happens sometimes, and so it is.”

    Habscheid gave credit to Maier for coming up big for the Blades.

    “He (Maier) played well,” said Habscheid. “He was the difference for sure.

    “He made the saves when he had to, and he was key.”

    McKay, who is in his overage season, now has a career high 13 goals on the campaign breaking his previous high of 12 tallies set last season. The Swan River, Man., product likes the fact his Blades have won four out of five encounters with the Raiders.

Tristen Robins circles in the offensive zone for the Blades.

    “We know we can beat any team, and it is even nicer to beat our division rivals, especially P.A.,” said McKay. “It is always usually a rough, fun game to play, so it is nice that we are beating them.”

    Blades associate coach Ryan Marsh was pleased his side found a way to grind out a victory.

    “It wasn’t pretty early,” said Marsh. “I thought we were a step behind kind of early on in the game.

    “We stayed with it, and our third period was by far and away our best period. We’re fortunate we had some key saves and some key plays earlier on to allow us to have a chance to win the game in the third period.”

    Friday’s game included one scary moment with 2:19 remaining in the third after a scoring chance from Wiesblatt. Wiesblatt toe dragged around a Raiders defenceman and wired a shot on goal that was stopped by Maier.

The Blades celebrate their win on Friday.

    After shooting the puck, Wiesblatt was drilled with a high hit from Blades right-winger Zach Huber. Huber received a checking to the head minor penalty, but the Raiders weren’t able to net the equalizer with Wiesblatt playing on the power play.
    While Wiesblatt wasn’t injured, Habscheid didn’t like the hit his young 17-year-old forward took.

    “We’ll let the league deal with that, but that was a dangerous hit,” said Habscheid. “We’re trying to protect the players.

    “The head was targeted, and we will see what the league says about it.”

    The two sides go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon. Marsh hopes Friday’s win will help spark an inspired performance on Saturday.

    “Tomorrow, we need to generate more shots at the net,” said Marsh. “In order to do that, you have to play good without the puck to get it, and obviously, get your opportunities when you have it.

    “We’ll take a look at some things. Hopefully, we can knock off that rust, and we carry forward the traction that we got in the third period (on Friday night) into tomorrow’s game.”

Raiders, Broncos swap 18-year-old forwards

Cole Nagy in action for the Raiders last April.

    The Prince Albert Raiders and Swift Current Broncos exchanged 18-year-old depth forwards on Friday.

    The Raiders sent Cole Nagy, who stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 199 pounds, to the Broncos in exchange for Matthew Culling, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 170 pounds.

Nagy, who is from Saskatoon, is in his first full season in the WHL and had two goals and two assists in 25 games this season for the Raiders.

    Culling, who is from Regina, is in his second full season in the WHL. This season, he appeared in 31 games with the Broncos collecting three goals and one assist.

    During WHL career, Culling appeared in 104 regular season games netting 14 goals and 11 assists.      He played five games as a 16-year-old in the 2017-18 campaign with the Edmonton Oil Kings before being dealt to the Broncos.

    Both players were proficient scorers coming up through minor hockey, and a change of scenery might help ignite each player.

    Culling was a member of the Regina Pat Canadians club that won the prestigious Mac’s Midget AAA Tournament in the 2017-18 campaign.

    “We know Matthew (Culling) very well,” said Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt in a release. “He provides speed and tenacity in our lineup and can support our secondary scoring.”

    The WHL trade deadline is set for Jan. 10 in the new year at 4 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

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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Moe break out of rut, powers Raiders to 4-2 victory

Spencer Moe delivered a big two-goal night for the Raiders on Friday night.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Spencer Moe admitted he will play a little more free and easy going forward.

    On Friday, the 19-year-old right-winger potted his first two goals of the season including the winner to push his Prince Albert Raiders to a 4-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes in a WHL regular season contest at the Art Hauser Centre.

    Moe scored his winner with 4:51 to play in the third period to break a 2-2 tie and give the Raiders a 3-2 edge to the delight of 2,502 spectators in the building.

    His linemate in 18-year-old rookie centre Ilya Usau sealed the win with an empty-net goal with 17.2 seconds remaining in the third.

    Heading into Friday’s game, Moe had just two assists in the Raiders previous seven outings. He admitted he was gripping the stick a little too tightly.

The Raiders celebrate Spencer Moe’s first period goal.

    “It makes me relieved,” said Moe. “A lot of stress was building up on me.

    “I think with the two goals today it has kind of put me back to where I really wanted to be and how I really wanted to start the season.”

    Moe got out to a good start on Friday scoring at the 11:28 mark of the first period to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead. Taking a setup pass from Usau, Moe blasted home his first of the year from the front of the Lethbridge goal.

    The speedy Calgary product said he really could feel the stress lift at that point in the game.

    “I could feel it off my back,” said Moe, who stands 5-foot-7 and weighs 170 pounds. “I felt a lot better.

    “Just the fact the first one was out, I was hungrier, and I felt a lot better.”

    Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid was pleased to see Moe break out of his rut.

Spencer Moe looks for an opening to score on a second period breakaway.

    “I was happy for him,” said Habscheid. “He has been snake bit a little bit.

    “The first couple of goals of the year, so he’ll skate a little bit lighter tomorrow.”

    The Raiders, who are rated fifth in the CHL Top 10 rankings, ultimately needed Moe to break through on the scoreboard, because Friday’s contest with the Hurricanes was a battle.

    Lethbridge evened things up at 1-1 just under two minutes later when 16-year-old rookie left-winger Ty Nash fired home a backdoor setup from linemate Justin Hall. 
    The tally was the first WHL career goal for Nash.

Spencer Moe had just two assists this season entering Friday’s game.

    Prince Albert went ahead 2-1 with 3:38 remaining in the second when overage star defenceman Zach wristed home a point shot through a screen.

    Overage defenceman Koletrane Wilson pulled the Hurricanes even at 2-2 with 5:39 to play in the third.

    Moe netted his second of the night and the winner to put the Raiders up 3-2 just 48 seconds after Wilson’s tally.

    On an offensive rush, Moe converted a set up pass from left-winger Cole Fonstad to break the 2-2 tie.

    “We were just doing a normal neutral zone transition there,” said Moe, who was stopped on a second period breakaway chance. “I kind of caught up to the middle there and gave it to Fonny (Fonstad) on the side.

    “I beat my checks up the ice, and he just gave it to me right in the middle. I just happen to find the back of the net there.”

Cole Fonstad had three assists for the Raiders.

    The line of Moe, Fonstad and Usau combined for seven points. Moe had his two goals, Fonstad had three assists, and Usau had a goal and an assist.

    Entering Friday’s game, Fonstad had a goal and two assists, while Usau had two goals and an assist. Both had appeared in all of the Raiders first seven games along with Moe.

    “We’re building chemistry,” said Moe of the line that was formed this season. “It’s been growing every game.

    “We’ve been playing pretty good, but we haven’t been producing a lot. In the past couple of games, we’ve been producing, which is a good thing to see.”

    Last season, Moe played in 66 regular season games for the Raiders posting nine goals, 24 assists and a plus-14 rating in the plus-minus department. He centred the Raiders third line and was often utilized as an energetic checker during the team’s run to winning the WHL championship.

    Moe knows that his role is a lot different this season, as the Raiders graduated a number of forwards from last season.

Ilya Usau had a goal and an assist for the Raiders on Friday.

    “I am a fourth-year guy on this team,” said Moe. “I am supposed to be one of the veteran guys that the younger guys and everyone can lean on.

    “That wasn’t a role for me last year, especially with the players that we had, but now it is on all the other guys, older guys’ shoulders there. We just have to step up our game.”

    Boston Bilous made 32 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. The Raiders won their third straight improving to 6-0-2.

    Bryan Thomson, who is a 17-year-old rookie netminder, turned away 21-of-24 shots to take the setback in goal for the Hurricanes (3-3).

    Habscheid said the Hurricanes provided a big challenge for his side.

    “It was a struggle,” said Habscheid. “This game didn’t come easy.

The Raiders salute the Art Hauser Centre faithful after Friday’s win.

    “I thought Lethbridge worked hard. They played heavy. It was a good game for us to feel that, because we had to grind it out.

    “We had to find a way. We didn’t have our A-game for sure, but in the end, you have to find a way to win.”

    The Raiders return to action on Saturday when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors (5-2) at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

    The Hurricanes head to Saskatoon on Saturday to face the Blades (5-3-0-1) at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    Early on in the season, Moe likes the fact his Raiders will keep battling for a win no matter what challenges come their way.

    “We have a mindset now,” said Moe. “We’ve been through what happened last year winning a championship and knowing what it takes.

    “We’re hungry for it. We hate losing. It is something that will strive us for the rest of the season.”

Warriors add SFMAAAHL all-time great Howe to coaching staff

Olivia Howe stopped to chat with @mosaicincanada Warriors TV about being named our new Coaching Assistant. pic.twitter.com/QG7PfyqAom

— Moose Jaw Warriors (@MJWARRIORS) October 11, 2019

    The Moose Jaw Warriors turned a few heads in the hockey world on Friday with an outside the box coaching hire.

    The Warriors have added a Saskatchewan female hockey great to their coaching staff in Olivia Howe. Howe will be a coaching assistant with the team after serving as a guest coach during the club’s training camp.

    Howe will help out the Warriors with on ice practice sessions and being an “eye in the sky” during game days.

    It is believed Howe is the first female to be named to a WHL team’s main coaching staff. As an added bonus, the 25-year-old is a product of Moose Jaw as well.

    “It’s been really surprising the feedback and reaction I’ve got,” said Howe on a video interview posted on the Warriors Twitter page. “I’m really excited to start here.

    “It’s a great opportunity. Being from Moose Jaw, it’s just awesome.”

    In a video interview on the Warriors team website, Alan Miller, who is the club’s general manager, said Howe impressed during her stint as a guest coach. As a result, talks ensued with head coach Tim Hunter, associate coach Mark O’Leary and assistant coach Scott King about finding a way to keep Howe with the team.

    “She came in here, did a very good job and made a strong impression on our hockey staff and our coaching staff,” said Miller. “We wanted to find an opportunity to bring her on to our hockey staff.

    “Working with Mark O’Leary, Scott King and Tim Hunter, we’ve put together this job description and this position and this opportunity for Olivia to help our team. We believe that it is an exciting opportunity for her.

    “We think that she will do real well, and she is a great addition to our club.”

    Howe enjoyed the opportunity to work the Warriors training camp.

    “Alan (Miller) asked me to do the training camp, and it was really exciting,” said Howe. “I didn’t hesitate, obviously.

    “I just needed to get out there and be at this level of hockey working with the males out here. It has been really exciting. It is definitely a lot different coming from the female game, so there is a lot to learn.”

    Howe ripped up the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League for four seasons from 2008 to 2012 as a skilled forward with the Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox. She became the circuit’s all-time leading scorer piling up 107 goals and 100 assists for 207 points in 106 regular season games.

    Howe helped the Hounds win the Esso Cup in 2011 as Canadian national female midget AAA hockey champions.

    She also attended Hockey Canada’s female under-18 selection camps in 2010 and 2011.

    Following her time with the Hounds, Howe, who stands 5-foot-10, joined the NCAA women’s ranks and became a star with the Clarkson University Golden Knights for four seasons from 2012 to 2016. She appeared in 152 overall games posting 42 goals and 58 assists.

    She helped the Golden Knights win their first NCAA title in 2014.
    After graduating from Clarkson, Howe returned to Wilcox to become an assistant coach with the Notre Dame Hounds team that played in the Junior Women’s Hockey League. She has scouted the women’s game for Neutral Zone, which is a hockey scouting news site that identifies and ranks prospects for the NCAA and U Sports.

    “It is great to have another perspective in the dressing room and in the coaches’ office – a female, who has played at the highest level in the NCAA and won a national championship,” said Hunter in a video interview on the Warriors website. “She is a real tall girl, so she has a real presence on the ice.

    “She speaks loudly to the players (and very) direct. She’s got a good message, and we are excited for her.”

    The Warriors fell 4-1 on home ice at Mosaic Place to the visiting Vancouver Giants on Friday night.

    Howe isn’t the first female coach to join the staff of a high level hockey team on the men’s side in Western Canada over the last few months.

    In July, Venla Hovi, a former star with the University of Manitoba Bisons women’s team and Finland’s national women’s team, joined the staff of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets as a hockey development coach. Hovi helped the Bisons win a U Sports national title in 2018 and Finland win a silver medal at this year’s women’s world hockey championships.

    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’ core group enjoyed journey to WHL’s peak

Raiders LW Parker Kelly, right, always makes time for the fans.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Parker Kelly is in his element, when he is amongst the fans.

    The Prince Albert Raiders power forward, who recently turned 20-years-old, soaked in every moment of a rally held for the team on Thursday night at the Art Hauser Centre. The rally concluded with the Raiders players signing autographs for a lengthy stretch after the formal part of the program for the fans.

    Kelly was smiling away and being his jovial self, while greeting the team’s supporters. The Camrose, Alta., product was intent on signing every autograph request and satisfying every picture query.

Parker Kelly in action for the Raiders in the WHL final.

    Thursday’s rally attracted about 600 fans, but sometimes it was hard to pin down the estimate. It was obvious some of the team’s faithful came fresh from games at the neighbouring softball fields as young players were still wearing the uniforms of their local minor ball teams.

    Some came from the neighbouring track facility and were wearing their track and field gear.

    Kelly was happy to see all the supporters, who came down to celebrate what was a special and remarkable season for the Raiders.

    After going through a 13-year stretch where they missed the playoffs seven times and were eliminated in the first round six times starting in 2006, the Raiders had their season in the sun in 2018-19.

    They finished first in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2 record and were rated second in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

The Raiders faithful give their team a standing ovation on Thursday.

    They won the WHL final in a 3-2 victory in overtime in Game 7 against the Vancouver Giants with overage centre Dante Hannoun scoring the winner. With that win, the Raiders captured the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

    Prince Albert advanced to the Memorial Cup tournament in Halifax, N.S. and bowed out after posting an 0-3 record. The Raiders closed play at the Memorial Cup on Tuesday falling 5-2 to the OHL champions Guelph Storm.

    Kelly was pumped to see the turnout on the final night the 2018-19 Raiders would get together as some members of the team were slated to start returning home on Friday.

Raiders fans had their picture taken with the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

    “It is unbelievable,” said Kelly. “It is kind of starting to sink in now.

    “You see all the people here after a long work day coming to support us, a little celebration we had tonight, it is really cool to see all the support we have and how many people love coming to watch us play. We appreciate it so much.

    “It is such an underrated town. It has to be one of the best places to play, when it is packed. We really appreciate these guys.”

    Kelly was part of a core group of eight players that were with the Raiders in 2016-17, when the club finished third last in the WHL with a 21-44-5-2 record. The other members from that group included Brayden Pachal, who became the team’s captain this season, Zack Hayes, Max Martin, Spencer Moe, Cole Fonstad, Sean Montgomery and netminder Ian Scott.

    Together, they pushed the Raiders into the playoffs with a 32-27-9-4 regular season record in 2017-18, where they fell in a heartbreaking seven game first round series to the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Raiders centre Sean Montgomery, right, satisfies a fan request.

    That set the stage for the magical campaign in 2018-19, where the Raiders topped the WHL standings and won the WHL title for the first time since the 1984-85 campaign. The 1984-85 Raiders were able to capture the Memorial Cup as CHL champions.

    Kelly was part of the team’s WHL Bantam Draft class in 2014 with Scott and Hayes and was proud the core group from the 2016-17 campaign could grow and persevere.

    “I go back to what Habby (Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid) said in his interview about us getting sand kicked in our faces and us being made fun of,” said Kelly. “All I can just say is look at us now - we’re champs.

    “We’re going to have rings on our figures. I’ve been through thick and thin with those guys, and you know what, we’re going to be brothers for life.”

Sean Montgomery was a heart and soul career Raiders player.

    Montgomery is the elder statesman of the entire Raiders team. The Calgary, Alta., product was selected in the sixth round and 114^th overall in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft.

    He would go on to play a team record 345 career regular season games for the Raiders collecting 72 goals and 72 assists. Montgomery enjoyed sharing the ride with the core group of eight that has been together since the 2016-17 season.

    “That has been awesome,” said Montgomery. “We’ve had a few tough years, but we learned from those years and grew from them and now we won.”

    The Raiders acquired Pachal in a trade with the Victoria Royals on Jan. 9, 2017. Pachal remembered the taunts he first endured with the Raiders after joining them for the second half of the 2016-17 campaign.

    “We didn’t forget that, and now we are at the top,” said Pachal. “We lost with class, and now we’ve won with class.

Captain Brayden Pachal addresses the team’s faithful on Thursday.

    “It is an amazing feeling. Obviously, becoming close with all those core guys is amazing, but at the same time it is tough. There are a lot of us that won’t be back next year.

    “We played our last game as a group together. It is a tough one. It is bittersweet.”

    Habscheid has gotten emotional talking about his team since the club concluded play at the Memorial Cup. He has a big sense of pride for his players and what they accomplished this season.

    The veteran bench boss said it has been fun seeing the journey the core group of eight has been on together since the 2016-17 season.

    “We just stayed with it,” said Habscheid. “We just kept believing and kept working.

    “You know hard work pays off, and it showed. These guys are league champions, and they resurrected a franchise that needed a little shot in the arm. They provided that for the franchise and for the city.”
    Kelly admitted there were stretches this season where he was really locked in and focused on the task at hand.

A scene that will be remembered forever in Prince Albert.

    During those stretches where the team is working hard day after day, Kelly said he might have not taken enough time to reflect how fun the ride has been.

    The prospect of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators said events like the rally that was held for the Raiders on Thursday more than made up for the times he might have been too locked in.

    “You kind of miss how fun a whole season is with your brothers and playing with them every night, going to war with them,” said Kelly. “When you finally get to raise a trophy and have a celebration like this, it is unbelievable.

    “There are really no words to put it other than it is just so surreal right now. Like we always say, we’ll be brothers forever and we’ll walk together for the rest of our lives.”

Huskies punch ticket to all-QMJHL Memorial Cup title game

    The Memorial Cup’s title game will be a rematch of the QMJHL championship series.

    On Friday, the QMJHL champion Rouyn-Noranda Huskies slipped past the OHL champion Guelph Storm 6-4 in a Memorial Cup semifinal game before a sellout crowd of 10,595 spectators at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, N.S.

    The Huskies and Storm entered the third period locked in a 3-3 tie.

    Huskies centre Felix Bibeau scored the first two goals of the third to put Rouyn-Noranda up 5-3.

    With 73 seconds remaining in the third period, Storm captain Isaac Ratcliffe scored his second of two goals on the night to cut the Huskies lead to 5-4.

    Huskies captain Rafael Harvey-Pinard sealed victory for his side scoring into an empty net with 2.9 seconds remaining in the third. Harvey-Pinard had two assists to go with his goal.

    Alex Beaucage, Joel Teasdale and Tyler Hinam had singles for the Huskies. Jack Hanley and Cedric Ralph replied with singles for the Storm.

    Samuel Harvey stopped 34 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies. Anthony Popovich turned away 33-of-38 shots to take the loss in goal for the Storm.

    Huskies offensive defenceman Noah Dobson was stopped on a penalty shot.

    With the win, the Huskies will play for the CHL championship advancing to the Memorial Cup title game on Sunday to play the host Halifax Mooseheads (5 p.m. Saskatchewan time, Sportsnet).
    The only other time there was an all-QMJHL title game at the Memorial Cup came back in 2006, when the QMJHL finalists Quebec Remparts downed the host and QMJHL champion Moncton Wildcats 6-2 in 2006.

    The Huskies beat the Mooseheads 4-2 in the best-of-seven QMJHL final. The Huskies downed the Mooseheads 4-3 in a round robin game on Wednesday.

    The Huskies topped the QMJHL regular season standings with a 59-8-0-1 record and were rated first in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

    The Mooseheads finished first in the QMJHL’s Eastern Conference in the regular season with a 49-15-2-2 mark and were rated eighth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

    Friday’s game brought an end to a remarkable run for Guelph. The Storm finished eighth overall in the OHL’s regular season with a 40-18-6-4 mark.

    Guelph trailed the London Knights 3-0 in a best-of-seven second round series and rallied for four straight wins for a 4-3 series victory.

    In the best-of-seven Western Conference final, the Storm fell behind the Saginaw Spirit 3-1 before rallying for three straight wins to take the series 4-3.

    In the best-of-seven OHL final, the Storm fell behind 2-0 to the Ottawa 67’s before rallying for four straight wins to take the series 4-2.

    At the Memorial Cup tournament, the Mooseheads, Huskies and Storm all had 2-1 records in the round robin portion of the tournament.

    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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Gerlach ensures fond farewell for Blades overagers

Max Gerlach (#9) hugs Blades captain Evan Fiala (#47).

    Max Gerlach made sure the overage players for the Saskatoon Blades had a great send off. 

    The 19-year-old right-winger from Flower Mound, Texas, potted his second career WHL hat trick on Saturday night to lift the Blades to a 5-4 regular season victory over the Prince Albert Raiders before 9,624 spectators at the SaskTel Centre. With the Blades eliminated from WHL playoff contention, Saturday’s outing marked the final game for Saskatoon’s overage players in captain Evan Fiala, left-winger Braylon Shmyr and netminder Tyler Brown.

    “You have to take it all in,” said Fiala, who resides just outside of Saskatoon in Clavet. “I’m sure it is going to hit me a lot harder a little later.

    “As of right now, I am just trying to enjoy it all. During a game, you never look in the crowd. You just stay focused, and you kind of do your own thing.

    “I was just taking that second to kind of look around and take it all in.”

Evan Fiala scored the winning goal for the Blades on Saturday.

    The Blades built leads of 4-1 and 5-2 before Raiders import defenceman Sergei Sapego, who comes from Belarus, scored twice in the final two minutes of the third period to round out the final outcome.

    An empty-net goal by Fiala with 2:51 to play in the third period turned out to be the winning goal. The Raiders pulled netminder Curtis Meger with 4:10 to play in the third period for an extra attacker.

    “It is a lot of emotions out there for sure,” said Fiala, who plans to play in the East Coast Hockey League with the South Carolina Stingrays based in North Charleston, South Carolina, next season. “At the time, I didn’t think it was the game winner.

    “I was just enjoying it. I wanted it so bad. Thankfully, it took a couple of bounces and went in.

    “That was awesome. It was a blast.”

    Russian import defenceman Mark Rubinchik had the Blades other tally.

    Spencer Moe and captain Curtis Miske each netted singles for the Raiders. The Raiders were without standout power forward Parker Kelly on Saturday. He was serving a one-game league imposed suspension for taking a spearing major penalty in his team’s 2-1 loss in Prince Albert on Friday to the visiting Blades.

Braylon Shmyr led the Blades in scoring this season.

    When Saturday’s game finished, Shmyr finished the season as the Blades leading scorer appearing in all of the club’s 72 regular season games collecting career highs in goals (37) and assists (51). During a WHL career that included five complete regular seasons split between the Brandon Wheat Kings and the Blades, Shmyr appeared in 300 regular season games piling up 111 goals and 129 assists.

    The Calgary, Alta, product was happy his 300^th career and final WHL regular season game was a win.

    “It felt amazing to get my 300^th game tonight at home,” said Shmyr. “To get the win, you can’t say anything better. To go out like that, it means a lot to me knowing I had a great five years in this league.

    “I didn’t have any expectations or milestones at all. I just wanted to go out here every game to play my best hockey.”

    Before Fiala scored his empty-net goal, Shmyr, who was held pointless on Saturday, had a couple of chances to score into the empty cage but ultimately couldn’t muscle the puck home.

Tyler Brown won his last three starts in goal for the Blades.

    “Definitely, you want to score a goal in your last hockey game,” said Shmyr, who is still weighing his hockey options for next season. “I almost had it.

    “It was kind of funny when I had a couple of chances and couldn’t bury it. It is alright.”

    Brown turned away 31 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. The Winnipeg, Man., product started each of the Blades last three games and won them all.

    He was acquired by the Blades in a trade with the Regina Pats before the WHL trade deadline passed on Jan. 10. Brown spent three-and-a-half seasons with the Pats and backstopped them to Game 6 of the WHL championship series last year.

Max Gerlach had a hat trick for the Blades on Saturday.

    In the fall, Brown plans to join the U Sports men’s hockey ranks and suit up with his hometown University of Manitoba Bisons. When Saturday’s game ended, he was still processing the end of his major junior career.

    “That was bittersweet,” said Brown. “I had a lot of fun playing junior hockey, and I am excited to see what is next.

    “I really wanted to go out hot and just feel good about ending my career that way.”

    Meger turned away 27-of-31 shots to take the setback in goal for the Raiders.

    The Blades finished the regular season with a 35-33-3-1 record to actually sit seventh overall in the 12 team WHL Eastern Conference. Due to the WHL’s playoff format where the top three teams in each division and the two best records after that in each conference make the playoffs, the Blades missed the post-season finishing sixth in the East Division.

The Blades celebrate Evan Fiala’s empty-net goal.

    They finished three points behind the Raiders (32-27-9-4) for the second wildcard berth in the Eastern Conference.

    The Raiders will face the Moose Jaw Warriors, who finished first overall in the league with a 52-15-2-3 record, in a best-of-seven first round series. Game 1 is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw.

    Going into next season, Gerlach, who was acquired in a deal just before the WHL trade deadline on Jan. 10 from the Medicine Hat Tigers, said he likes the depth the Blades have. He was looking forward to seeing what standout rookie netminder Nolan Maier was going to look like next season as a 17-year-old sophomore.

    “I think it is a lot of good feeling in the room right now,” said Gerlach. “Obviously, we wish we could be stepping into the playoffs right now.

The Blades overage players pose for a picture with their teammates.

    “It feels really good right now to have so much confidence kind of going into the summer. I think we built a lot of chemistry throughout the lineup and a lot of confidence back there in our net with Nole (Nolan Maier). I think that there are going to be lots of hopes and a big opportunity next year to go far.”

    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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