New season, new journey and opportunity for Raiders

Connor Howe celebrates scoring a goal for the Raiders.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. - The slate is clean for the Prince Albert Raiders.

What happened last season was last season. The current 2026-27 campaign is a brand new journey.

The Raiders had a season to remember in 2025-26. They topped the East Division and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 52-10-5-1 mark. Going into the post-season, the Raiders were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

In the WHL Playoffs, Prince Albert won the Eastern Conference Championship Series in six games over the Medicine Hat Tigers. The Raiders then fell in five games in the WHL Championship Series to the Everett Silvertips.

The new season marks a new beginning for the Raiders.

“You’re always trying to write your own story,” said Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald. “This is a different group than it was last year.

“The nice thing about our returning guys is you learn from your experience. We have lots of guys in that dressing room with experience of playing in round three, Game 6 against Medicine Hat and playing in the finals against Everett here in Game 5. You lean on those experiences and those lessons that you’ve learned.

“They help teach the young guys in the next group coming in how to play and what is expected in certain situations. They’ve been in those pressure situations to lean on it and know what it feels like.”

Star netminder Michal Orsulak is a key returnee for the Raiders.

In the early stages of this season, the Raiders have started out with a 1-1 record. They downed the visiting Regina Pats 7-4 last Friday at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre.

One night later at the InnovationPlex in Swift Current, the Raiders fell 5-2. That contest was highlighted by a second period line brawl that saw the 10 skaters on the ice break off into five legitimate one-on-one fights. Last Monday, the WHL fined both the Raiders and Broncos $1,500 each for the brawl.

The Raiders could be involved with more rough stuff in their next two games, when they take on their archrivals the Saskatoon Blades (0-1-1) in a home-and-home series. 

The two sides go at it Friday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre and face each other again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. The Saturday clash will be the Blades regular season home opener.

The Raiders and Blades have already gone at it three times earlier this month in the pre-season with Prince Albert winning two of those encounters. Both sides will have some pretty good familiarity with each other.

Still, the Raiders enter the season with a number of key departures. At the conclusion of last season, they graduated one of their best 20-year-old groups in recent memory in captain Justice Christensen, centre Aiden Oiring and right-winger Brayden Dube.

Also gone are 19-year-old centre Braeden Cootes to the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, 20-year-old centre Max Heise and 18-year-old defenceman Daxon Rudolph – both- to the University of Denver Pioneers in the NCAA Division I ranks.

Darius Hordal is one of the Raiders new defencemen.

The Raiders do return 14 players from last season, and they will have all those returnees available when they face the Blades on Friday. On Tuesday, the Raiders got 19-year-old left-winger Brandon Gorzynski back from training camp activities with the NHL’s Dallas Stars. On Wednesday, 18-year-old right-winger Jonah Sivertson was returned to the Raiders after attending NHL training camp activities with the Vegas Golden Knights.

The rest of the returnees in the Raiders forward group include Maddix McCagherty, Ben Harvey, Evan Smith, Connor Howe, Riley Boychuk, import Alisher Sarkenov and Owen Corkish. The Raiders also return Benett Kelly, Hubert Clarke and Brock Cripps on the back end. Prince Albert brings back both goalies from a season ago in import and star Michal Orsulak and Steele Bass.

“Everyone is welcome, and I think we’re very good with just the vets speaking up to the new guys and the young guys,” said Howe, who has two goals and an assist in the Raiders first two games. “I think it is really good.

“We’ve got good leadership.”

The Raiders will be looking to newcomers like 16-year-old rookie right-winger Athens Shingoose and defencemen Liam Myhre and Darius Hordal to come through with contributions. Still, the Raiders will look to lean on their veterans who are back from last season.

“We have a lot of similar guys,” said Harvey, who has two goals and three assists in the Raiders first two games. “Our core is pretty similar from last year, and we’ve learned a lot off our success and off the loss at the end.

The Raiders enjoy their win last Friday at the Hauser.

“We want to take the things that we’ve learned and apply them this year and help teach the new guys the way it is to win and the winning culture we have 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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Raiders survive major scare by Pats’ Tabashniuk

Prince Albert claims 2-1 (SO) victory over Regina

An extremely hot goaltender almost threw a wrench into the Prince Albert Raiders chances for finishing first in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

On Saturday night, the Raiders traveled to Regina to face the Pats, and were almost stonewalled by Regina’s 18-year-old rookie netminder Taylor Tabashniuk. Tabashniuk was turning away everything including the kitchen sink and looked like he was going to steal a victory to the delight of the 5,558 spectators at the Brandt Centre.

Pats 17-year-old centre Zachary Lansard scored his 23^rd goal of the campaign with 2:13 remaining in the third to give the host side a 1-0 lead. With 50.3 seconds remaining in the frame and the Raiders having pulled star import netminder Michal Orsulak for an extra skater, Raiders star centre Max Heise popped home his 28^th goal of the season to even the score at 1-1 and force overtime.

After playing through a scoreless three-versus-three overtime session, the contest went to a tiebreaking shootout. Ben Harvey and Braeden Cootes scored for the Raiders in the shootout as the visitors took the tiebreaking session 2-0 and the overall WHL regular season contest 2-1.

The victory was a third straight for the Raiders, who improved to 49-10-5-1. They have the identical amount of standings points as the Medicine Hat Tigers at 104 in the race for top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Tigers won their third straight downing the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes 6-5 in overtime on Saturday night at Co-op Place to improve to 48-10-5-3.

Prince Albert holds the standings tiebreaker over Medicine Hat due to having more wins. The Raiders, who are fourth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings, have three games remaining on their regular season schedule, while the Tigers, who are fifth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings, have two games left on their regular season slate. If the Raiders win two of their final three games, they will lock up top spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Pats saw their record move to 25-30-7-2 picking up one standings point with the extra time setback to remain seventh in the Eastern Conference. They need to earn one more standings point over their last three games to lock up a berth in the WHL Playoffs.

Along with Tabashniuk’s play and the late rally by the Raiders, Saturday’s clash included a spirited fight near the end of the second period between Raiders 19-year-old import rookie defenceman Matyas Man and Pats 17-year-old rookie right-winger Shea Rollason.

After the Raiders were denied on countless scoring chances, Lansard received a cross-ice pass from linemate Mathis Paul at the right side of the Prince Albert net and popped home the go-ahead goal to give the hosts their 1-0 lead. Lansard’s marker came on the Pats second shot of the period and 14^th shot on goal in the contest.

With 50.3 seconds remaining in the third, Heise received a pass in front of the Regina net from the right corner of the Pats zone from linemate Brayden Dube. Heise fired a shot to the top right corner of the Regina goal to even the score at 1-1 and force overtime. Heise’s tally came on the Raiders 22^nd shot of the period and 51^st shot on goal in the contest.

In overtime, Orsulak allowed the Raiders to stay in the big game making three big saves coming off the sticks of Pats forwards Cohen Klassen, Ellis Mieyette and Ruslan Karimov. Karimov was denied during a power-play chance late in the stanza.

In the shootout, Harvey, who is a 16-year-old rookie right-winger, was the Raiders second shooter, and he scored a highlight reel goal that was absolutely sick. Cootes sealed the win as the Raiders third shooter snapping home a mid-height shot glove side on Tabashniuk.

Tabashniuk turned back 52 shots over 65 minutes and one of three shooters in the shootout. Orsulak stopped 16 shots over 65 minutes and both shooters he faced in the shootout.

The Pats return to action on Sunday when they travel to Moose Jaw to face the 23-35-5-2 Warriors (2 p.m., Temple Gardens Centre).

The Raiders get back at it on Tuesday when they return home to host the Pats (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

Tigers rally for 6-5 (OT) win over Hurricanes

The Medicine Hat Tigers nearly didn’t go 8-0 against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

On Saturday playing at home before 5,209 spectators at Co-op Place, the Tigers found themselves trailing the rival Hurricanes for most of the final WHL regular season clash between the two sides in the 2025-26 campaign. The Hurricanes were holding a 5-3 lead with 11:31 to play in the third after 17-year-old right-winger Kai Anderson scored his second goal of the contest.

With 10:06 remaining in the third, Tigers star centre Markus Ruck deflected home his 20^th goal of the season in front of the Lethbridge net to cut the Hurricanes edge to 5-4. Ruck got a smart stick on a point shot from import defenceman Veeti Vaisanen.

With 4:30 remaining in the third, Tigers 18-year-old left-winger Kade Stengrim potted his hat trick tally of the contest and 23^rd marker of the campaign to even the score at 5-5 and force overtime.

Tigers star right-winger Liam Ruck ended things scoring his second goal of the contest at the 1:56 mark of overtime to give the host side a 6-5 comeback victory.

Tomas Malinek, Oli Chenier and Kayden Longley all had singles for the Hurricanes.

Jordan Switzer stopped 12 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Tigers, who did indeed win all eight head-to-head meetings with the Hurricanes in 2025-26. Leif Oaten turned away 38 shots to take the setback in net for the Hurricanes.

The win was a third straight for the Tigers as they improved to 48-10-5-3 for 104 standings points. They have the same amount of standings points as the Prince Albert Raiders (49-10-5-1) in a battle for top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Raiders downed the host Pats in Regina 2-1 after a tiebreaking shootout on Saturday night.

Prince Albert holds the standings tiebreaker over Medicine Hat due to having more wins. The Raiders, who are fourth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings, have three games remaining on their regular season schedule, while the Tigers, who are fifth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings, have two games left on their regular season slate. If the Raiders win two of their final three games, they will lock up top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Markus Ruck finished Saturday’s game with one goal and two assists for the Tigers. He leads the WHL scoring race with 102 points coming off 20 goals and 82 assists. Liam Ruck, who is Markus’s twin brother, sits second in the WHL scoring race with 99 points coming off 43 goals and 56 assists.

The Tigers have also eclipsed their wins and standings points total from last season when they topped the Eastern Conference with a 47-17-3-1 mark for 98 points. They have also scored more goals this season at 331 than they did last season at 300.

Last season, the Tigers had superstar left-winger Gavin McKenna on their roster, and he took home honours as the WHL player of the year and the CHL player of the year. McKenna is currently playing in the NCAA ranks with the Penn State University Nittany Lions.

The Hurricanes record moved to 17-44-3-1 to sit second last in the overall WHL standings.

They return to action on Wednesday returning home to host the 25-34-4-2 Red Deer Rebels (7 p.m. local time, VisitLethbridge.com Arena).

The Tigers get back at it on Friday when they travel to Red Deer to take on the Rebels (7 p.m. local time, Marchant Crane Centrium).

Silvertips work over time to clinch first overall in WHL

The Everett Silvertips worked overtime to lock up first place overall in the WHL.

On Saturday, star import centre Julius Miettinen, who turned 20-years-old in January, scored his 32^nd goal of the campaign at the three-minute mark of overtime to deliver the host Silvertips to a 4-3 victory over the Penticton Vees to a raucous gathering of 8,249 spectators at the Angel of the Winds Arena. The victory allowed the Silvertips to increase their winning streak to nine games and improve to 54-7-2-1 to capture the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy for finishing first overall in the WHL’s regular season standings for a second straight year.

The Silvertips 54 wins and 111 standings points equaled team records that were set in the 2006-07 campaign. In 2006-07, the Silvertips posted a 54-15-1-2 mark to finish first overall in the WHL’s regular season standings.

Currently, the Silvertips are rated first in the CHL’s Top 10 Rankings.

In Saturday’s win over the Vees, Tarin Smith scored twice for the Silvertips, while Zackary Shantz had a single. Ryden Evers replied with a pair of goals for the Vees, while Matteo Danis had a single.

Anders Miller stopped 40 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Silvertips. Andrew Reyelts turned away 34 shots to take the setback in net for the Vees.

With the extra time setback, the Vees record moved to 41-14-6-4 to remain second overall in the Western Conference and fourth overall in the WHL. The Vees are rated eighth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings.

The Silvertips return to action on Sunday when they travel to Portland to take on the 29-29-6-1 Winterhawks (4 p.m. local time, Veterans Memorial Coliseum).

The Vees return to action on Tuesday when they host the 26-34-4-1 Tri-City Americans (6:30 p.m. local time, South Okanagan Events Centre).

The previous two times the Silvertips finished first overall in the WHL regular season standings in 2006-07 and 2024-25, they were eliminated in a Western Conference semifinal series both times in the WHL Playoffs.

Blades rebound with win over Broncos

One day after suffering a disappointment, the Saskatoon Blades rebounded against the foe that caused the disappointment.

On Friday at the SaskTel Centre, the Blades held a 3-1 lead early in the third period over the visiting Swift Current Broncos only for the Broncos to rally for three straight goals to pull out a 4-3 victory in overtime in a WHL regular season clash. On Saturday playing before 2,488 spectators at the InnovationPlex in Swift Current, those two squads met again, and the visiting Blades pulled out a 4-2 victory scoring twice inside the final two minutes of the third period.

Just 38 seconds into the first, rookie left-winger Carter Moen, who turned 17-years-old in late February, scored his 10^th of the season to give the Broncos a 1-0 lead. The Blades would score twice before the nine-minute mark of the opening frame to take a 2-1 lead with goals coming off the sticks of defenceman Jordan Martin and star centre Cooper Williams.

With 2:42 remaining in the second, Broncos 19-year-old right-winger Hudson Darby scored on a breakaway to even the score at 2-2.

The second period had an increase of feisty play with a couple of fights breaking out in the frame. With 7:01 remaining in the frame, Blades defenceman Jack Kachkowski took on Broncos centre Brock Burch. With less than a minute remaining in the third, Blades offensive-defenceman Brayden Klimpke took on Moen in a spirited bout.

In the third, Blades 17-year-old rookie left-winger Ben Bowtell scored the winner for the visitors with 6:44 remaining in the frame. Blades captain Tyler Parr scored an empty-net goal with less than 35 seconds remaining in the stanza to round out the 4-2 final score in favour of the visitors.

Associate player call up Taye Timmerman, who turned 19-years-old in late February, made his first WHL start and stopped 11 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Timmerman had been playing in the junior A ranks with the Warman Wolverines of the SJHL.

Archer Cooke turned away 34-of-37 shots to take the setback in goal for the Broncos.

Rowan Calvert, Hunter Laing and Klimpke each picked up two assists for the Blades in the win.

The Blades improved to 33-25-5-2 with the victory to remain sixth overall in the Eastern Conference. As the WHL Playoffs near, the Blades can’t finish any lower than sixth in the conference and the highest they can finish is fifth in the conference before opening up play in the post-season.

In order for the Blades to finish fifth in the conference, they need to win their remaining three games and would need the Brandon Wheat Kings (38-25-2) to lose all of their remaining three contests in regulation time.

The Broncos fell to 14-43-4-5 to sit last in the WHL.

The Blades return to action on Wednesday when they host the Wheat Kings (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

The Broncos get back at it on Friday when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors (7 p.m., InnovationPlex).

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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Not easy – Blades gut out 4-2 victory over Broncos

WHL basement dwellers make Saskatoon earn win

The Blades celebrate a third period goal from Elias Pul.

On paper, it appeared to be a “get right game” for the Saskatoon Blades.

In their last two outings on January 9 and Wednesday, the Blades dropped respective decisions to the Edmonton Oil Kings and Brandon Wheat Kings by identical 3-1 scores. The Oil Kings are sitting inside the top four in the WHL, while the Wheat Kings are in the top eight of the major junior circuit.

Looking to put an end to a two-game skid that came against quality opponents, the Blades welcomed the Swift Current Broncos to the SaskTel Centre for a WHL regular season clash. The Broncos sit firmly in the basement of the entire WHL. In their last outing, the Broncos were drubbed by the Pats in Regina 7-0 on Wednesday.

Elias Pul had the winning goal for the Blades on Friday.

However, the WHL is not NCAA college football where quality teams can get their collective confidence back by steamrolling a foe at the bottom of the standings. In the WHL, all teams can be competitive on any given night, so you can’t just pencil in a notch in the win column against foes near or at the bottom of the standings.

On Friday night, the Blades found themselves locked in a 2-2 draw with the lowly Broncos for much of the third period. Saskatoon entered the third holding a 2-1 lead, but that changed when Broncos 18-year-old centre Parker Rondeau scored 92 seconds into the frame.

Working on the forecheck in the Saskatoon zone, Rondeau threw the puck to the front of the Saskatoon net, got to the front of the net to retrieve the puck and scored the equalizer off a spin around shot. Rondeau’s goal came when both teams were playing four-versus-four hockey due to off-setting penalties.

Aiden Eskit stopped 32-of-35 shots in goal for the Broncos.

With 7:11 remaining in the third, Blades 19-year-old rookie import left-winger Elias Pul proved to be opportunistic at just the right time. As the hosts were applying pressure in the Swift Current zone, Pul pounced on a loose puck sitting in front of the Broncos goal and wired home his fourth of the campaign to put the Blades in front 3-2.

The tally was Pul’s first goal as a member of the Blades after being acquired in a significant trade with the Spokane Chiefs on December 9, 2025. Pul was playing in just his third game with the Blades after returning to the WHL having played for Germany’s entry at world juniors.

Saskatoon’s victory was finally sealed when captain Tyler Parr scored into an empty net with 42.2 seconds to play in the third to round out the 4-2 win to the delight of the 3,497 spectators in attendance. The win allowed the Blades to improve to 22-16-2-1 to sixth overall in the Eastern Conference.

Evan Gardner (#35) makes one of his 26 saves for the Blades.

The Broncos fell to 9-30-3 to continue to sit last in the entire WHL, and they are winless in their last five straight games recording four regulation losses and an overtime setback over that stretch.

When Friday’s contest started, it appeared an early good omen for the Saskatoon side might foreshadow a feel good night. The Blades jumped in front 1-0 just 1:48 into the first period as 18-year-old centre Kazden Mathies slid home his 12^th of the season from the front of the Swift Current net. The officials at first ruled no goal on the ice as Mathies drew contact with Broncos netminder Aiden Eskit.

The video review showed Mathies was guided into the Broncos puck stopper by a Swift Current skater, and the officials reversed the original ruling on the ice calling the goal good to allow the hosts take their one-goal edge.

Kazden Mathies had the Blades first goal on Friday.

Mathies’s tally did not spark a surge where the Blades would fill the Swift Current net with pucks. Instead, Eskit and Blades 19-year-old star netminder Evan Gardner played really sound. The Blades exited the opening 20 minutes with their 1-0 lead with the shots on goal being even at 11-11.

In the second period, the Broncos showed they weren’t going to mail Friday’s game in and evened the score at 1-1 at the 9:26 mark of the frame. Swift Current captain Hudson Darby gloved down a high Blades clear attempt at the Saskatoon blue line to create the scoring chance.

Darby skated in and put a shot on goal that was kicked out by Gardner. The rebound was directed out to Broncos rookie import left-winger Stepan Kuryachenkov. Kuryachenkov quickly potted home his eighth of the campaign for the equalizer.

Stepan Kuryachenkov scored the Broncos first goal on Friday.

Swift Current’s push back was strong enough to build a 21-16 edge in shots on goal with 10:17 remaining in the second.

However, momentum would jump back on Saskatoon’s side before the stanza came to an end. With 3:36 remaining in the second, the Blades pulled ahead 2-1 scoring on a two-man advantage.

Working the puck in the Swift Current zone, Blades standout centre Cooper Williams found himself with the puck off to the right of the Bronco net. Williams centred a pass to 20-year-old linemate Rowan Calvert in front of the Swift Current net. Calvert redirected the puck past Eskit for his team-leading 22^nd tally of the season for the power-play marker.

After 40 minutes, the Blades were still holding their 2-1 edge and had a 26-23 advantage in shots on goal. That set the stage for the dramatics in the third period.

Rowan Calvert netted a power-play goal for the Blades.

Gardner stopped 26 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Eskit turned away 32-of-35 shots to take the setback in net for the Broncos. The 17-year-old rookie netminder is still in search of his first career WHL regular season victory.

Pul had an assist to go with his goal. His assist came from a smart pass that helped set Mathies on a path to score the first goal of the contest. Blades 18-year-old import left-winger David Lewandowski, who was also a member of Germany’s entry at world juniors, picked up two assists in Friday’s win.

The Blades picked up the win they were expected to pick up on Friday, but improving to 4-0 against Swift Current head-to-head didn’t come easy. That has kind of been a bit of a theme for the Blades at home this season as they now have a 10-9-0-1 record at the SaskTel Centre. Saskatoon’s home record rates 16^th among the WHL’s 23 clubs.

On the road, the Blades are 12-7-2, which rates as the ninth best road record in the WHL. They hope their luck on the road will continue on Saturday, when they travel to Swift Current to face the Broncos again at 7 p.m. at the Innovationplex.

The Blades salute their fans after their win on Friday.

While the Blades have experienced some success on the road, the Broncos will likely do their best to make it difficult for the Saskatoon side to continue that success.

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 rally comes up just short in Wenatchee in 4-3 OT loss

Prince Albert wraps up roadie with 5-1-1 record

The Prince Albert Raiders could have adopted “Iron Man” as their theme song for being road warriors.

On Saturday, the Raiders wrapped up a seven-game road jaunt that included visits to every rink in the WHL’s U.S. Division with a 4-3 overtime setback to the host Wild at the Town Toyota Centre in Wenatchee, Washington. During the trip, the Raiders posted a 5-1-1 record. The Black Sabbath song “Iron Man” was used as the theme song of the professional wrestling tag team The Road Warriors made up of partners Animal and Hawk during their days in the now defunct AWA.

In the clash with the Wild played before 3,021 spectators, the Raiders entered the third period trailing 3-1. They received a single from 19-year-old centre Evan Smith with 10:15 remaining in the third and the equalizer from 19-year-old defenceman Linden Burrett with 3:25 remaining in the frame to force a 3-3 tie and overtime.

At the 1:54 mark of overtime, the Wild broke into the Raiders zone on a two-on-one break. Wild centre Caelan Joudrey wired a shot on goal that Raiders rookie import netminder Michal Orsulak got a big piece of, but the puck was able to get out from under the goalie and enter the Prince Albert net to give Wenatchee a 4-3 win.

In the first period, Blake Vanek and Luka Shcherbyna netted singles to put the Wild up 2-0. Late in the first, Raiders 16-year-old rookie defenceman Brock Cripps scored his first career WHL regular season goal to trim the Wild lead to 2-1.

Wild centre Maddix McCagherty had the lone goal in the second period to give the host side a 3-1 lead. That set the stage for the dramatics in the third period and overtime.

Orsulak turned away 25 shots to take the extra time setback in goal for the Raiders (15-1-4). Import rookie netminder Tobias Tyrznik stopped 39 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Wild (6-10-1-1).

The Raiders return to action on Friday, when they host the Brandon Wheat Kings (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

The Wild get back at it on Sunday when they travel to Portland to take on the Winterhawks (4 p.m. local time, Veterans Memorial Coliseum).

Wild head coach Don Nachbaur coached in his 1,413^th career WHL regular season contest on Saturday as he continues to build on his league record in that department. He has an all-time coaching record of 721-568-124 in regular season play.

Nachbaur set a new league record for career regular season games coached last Friday, when his squad fell 6-3 to the Winterhawks in Portland. That moved him one game ahead of the old mark of 1,411 games coached by WHL legend with the Winterhawks franchise in Ken Hodge.

Nachbaur, 66, had previously been the head coach of the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, Tri-City Americans and Spokane Chiefs in his coaching career.

Blades outgun Rebels 6-5

The Saskatoon Blades won their third straight on Saturday night when they outlasted the host Red Deer Rebels in a wild 1980s offensive type night.

Blades 17-year-old star centre Cooper Williams had two goals and one assist to power the Blades to a 6-5 victory before 4,736 spectators at the Marchant Crane Centrium. Rebels sophomore 19-year-old left-winger Jaxon Fuder had a hat trick and an assist in the setback.

The teams exited the first period locked in a 2-2 tie, and the Blades held a 3-2 edge going into the second intermission. The two squads found themselves locked in a 4-4 tie in the third before the Blades shot out to hold a 6-4 lead. The Rebels trimmed the Blades advantage to 6-5 with four minutes to play in the third, but Saskatoon hung on to ensure that was the game’s final outcome.

Rowan Calvert, Dominik Petr, Hunter Laing and Kazden Mathies all had singles for the Blades. Samuel Drancak and Beckett Hamilton picked up singles for the Rebels.

Evan Gardner stopped 18 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades (13-8-2). Matthew Kondro turned away 27 shots to take the setback in net for the Rebels (7-11-1-2).

The Blades return to action on Friday when they host the Swift Current Broncos (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

The Rebels get back at it on Friday when they host the Medicine Hat Tigers (7 p.m. local time, Marchant Crane Centrium).

Broncos fined $10,000, DeSilva resigns

A WHL dropped the hammer on the Swift Current Broncos that also saw the resignation of Broncos head coach Dean DeSilva over breaches the WHL Standards of Conduct.

On Friday, the WHL fined the Broncos organization $10,000 after an investigation of DeSilva over breaches of the WHL Standards of Conduct. The investigation found that DeSilva, in the process of administering player discipline, breached the Standards of Conduct during two separate on-ice incidents. One occurred during the Broncos 4-0 regular season road loss to the Raiders in Prince Albert on October 24, and the other occurred during a Broncos practice on October 27.

The WHL had previously suspended DeSilva on November 5. On Friday, the WHL finalized DeSilva’s suspension at five games, which finished up on Tuesday when the Broncos lost at home 4-1 to the visiting Saskatoon Blades.

After the disciplinary action was announced, the Broncos announced they had accepted the resignation of DeSilva effective immediately.

“Following careful consideration, it was mutually determined that in the best interest of both Dean and the organization, this is the right path forward,” said Broncos general manager Chad Leslie in a release. “The Swift Current Broncos are committed to providing a positive environment for all players.”

Broncos assistant coach Regan Darby had assumed the head coach role, when DeSilva was initially suspended. On Friday, Darby was officially named the team’s interim head coach.

This situation was brought to the WHL’s attention through its anonymous 1-800 WHL Respect line, which provides players, staff and others associated with the WHL with a confidential avenue to report concerns or incidents that may violate WHL standards.

In this situation, the WHL has imposed remedial measures that include supplementary education and support, enhanced monitoring and preventative steps to ensure there is no recurrence of similar conduct.

DeSilva, 57, was hired before the start of the current campaign. The Broncos parted ways with their previous head coach Taras McEwen on May 15 after the squad posted a 35-30-1-2 record and was eliminated in the first round of the WHL Playoffs by the eventual WHL champion Medicine Hat Tigers.

McEwen is currently the head coach of the Prairie Hockey Academy’s U18 Prep team. During his time with the Broncos, he moved from assistant coach to interim head coach on November 29, 2023 before becoming head coach without the interim tag.

McEwen took over the head coach role from Devan Praught. Praught had been suspended five games for violating the WHL Standards of Conduct. He parted ways with the Broncos the day McEwen was named the team’s interim head coach.

Praught is currently an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Hurricanes fined $10,000, GM suspended

The WHL dropped the hammer on the Lethbridge Hurricanes and the team’s general manager Peter Anholt.

On Friday, the WHL announced that Anholt has been suspended from his duties effective immediately and continuing through to Tuesday, November 25 and has issued a $10,000 fine to the Hurricanes organization. The sanctions come following a WHL investigation that found Anholt breached the WHL Standards of Conduct through the use of intimidating behavior and language during a post-game address to players in the dressing room following the team’s 8-6 home ice loss to the Edmonton Oil Kings on October 29.

Anholt will be eligible to return to his Hurricanes duties on Wednesday, November 26. The Hurricanes will have played five games during Anholt’s suspension.

Barclay Parneta, who is a senior advisor for the Hurricanes, will handle Anholt’s responsibilities in the interim.

“My behavior and language in addressing our team did not meet expectations,” said Anholt in a release. “The Lethbridge Hurricanes have always believed in providing a positive environment for our players.

“I accept the discipline issued by the WHL and will be committed to a higher standard moving forward.”

This situation was brought to the WHL’s attention through its anonymous 1-800 WHL Respect line, which provides players, staff and others associated with the WHL with a confidential avenue to report concerns or incidents that may violate WHL standards.

In this situation, the WHL has imposed remedial measures that include supplementary education and support, enhanced monitoring and preventative steps to ensure there is no recurrence of similar conduct.

Anholt, 65, has been part of the Hurricanes organization since the start of the 2014-15 campaign. He took over the general manager’s role part way through that campaign and saved a Hurricanes franchise that was so in trouble at that time its existence in Lethbridge was questioned.

During his many decades in hockey or when he held management positions outside the game, Anholt has often been viewed as one of the best guys to work for or play for. For myself personally, he will always be someone I will go to bat for. Anholt and his family are all great people.

Over his career in hockey, Anholt has always brought a great passion to the game. With how the world is in the current day, I suspect his passion is what got him in trouble in that post-game address on October 29.

Anholt, who is a former Raiders player and head coach, is always accountable, and I believe he will come out of this situation in a great form. If I owned a WHL team, I would take Anholt as a general manager, coach or any role he would like. Any hockey team is a better hockey team, if Anholt is a part of the club.

Stevens named top grad at Hilltops awards

Hilltops DT Johnathon Stevens with HC Tom Sargeant.

Johnathon Stevens will go down as one of the all-time greats in the history of the Saskatoon Hilltops, so it was no surprise he claimed one last big honour with the team.

On Friday, the Hilltops hosted the Saskatoon Hilltops Football Club Honours at the Roxy Theatre. For the third straight year, the Hilltops held an awards show similar in nature to awards shows hosted by the NFL and NHL. The storied and historic club was also celebrating the end of a campaign that saw the venerable squad with a 24^th CJFL title.

Last Sunday, the Hilltops edged the Okanagan Sun 21-18 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field in the CJFL Championship Game – the Canadian Bowl.

Stevens, who is the team’s star 22-year-old defensive tackle, was named the winner of the Drs. Landa-Doig Award as the team’s most outstanding graduate. In 2025, Stevens also claimed honours as a CJFL first team all-Canadian all-star, a PFC all-star and the PFC’s most outstanding defensive lineman.

During the regular season, Stevens recorded 11 solo defensive tackles, 18 defensive tackle assists, three quarterback sacks, one pass knockdown, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Steven also attended training camp for the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and was on the Roughriders practice roster until he rejoined the Hilltops for his fifth and final CJFL campaign.

The Past President’s Trophy as the team’s rookie of the year went to centre Matt Elash. Elash became the Hilltops starting centre in their third regular season game. He was named a PFC all-star and to the PFC’s all-rookie team.

Graduating defensive tackle Nahom Menghestab claimed the Ray Syrnyk Trophy as the team’s top lineman. He did a tonne of grunt work occupying two blocks to allow his teammates to make plays.

The Don and Jim Seaman Memorial Award for the top linebacker went to fourth year outside linebacker Rudolph Osborne. During the regular season Osborne recorded 26 solo defensive tackles, 11 defensive tackle assists, one special team solo tackle and two pass knockdowns.

Graduating right tackle Victoire Bikulo claimed the Ron Atchison True Grit Award. Bikulo became one of the most beloved players on the Hilltops to go with the stellar performances he put up on the offensive line.

The Jim Courtice Inspiration Award was taken by graduating middle linebacker Isaac Michayluk. Michayluk was a CJFL second team all-Canadian all-star and a PFC all-star. During the regular season, Michayluk finished second in the PFC with 116 defensive points having recorded 32 solo defensive tackles, 22 defensive tackle assists, one special teams solo tackle, four special teams tackle assists, three pass knockdowns, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and three interceptions.

Jace Mowles, who is a graduating cornerback, claimed The Blue and Gold Award for dedication and commitment. Mowles had 13 solo defensive tackles, one defensive tackle assist, three special teams solo tackles, three special teams tackle assists, four pass knockdowns and three interceptions in the regular season.

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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Regnier, fellow P.A. connections power Huskies to Canada West title

Ethan Regnier takes a lap with the Dr. W.G. Hardy Trophy.

Not so long ago, Ethan Regnier believed that his opportunities to score big goals in the U Sports post-season had flown by the wayside.

The Prince Albert product had been playing with the Mount Royal University Cougars Men’s Hockey Team. He decided that direction in life at that time wasn’t for him after his second season with the team wrapped up after the 2022-23 campaign. He left Calgary and returned to Saskatchewan playing senior hockey closer to home with the Rosthern Wheat Kings in 2023-24.

After Regnier left the Cougars, Brandin Cote, who is the head coach of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, came calling. The two were part of the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos together from 2018 to 2020 with Regnier playing forward and Cote serving as an assistant coach.

Regnier elected to join the Huskies. Last Sunday, Regnier found himself playing centre for the Dogs against the visiting Cougars in a series deciding Game 3 of the Canada West Conference Championship Series at Merlis Belsher Place on the U of S campus.

With 5:55 remaining in the third period, Regnier, who is a Prince Albert Minor Hockey product, potted a key insurance goal to give the Huskies a 2-0 advantage. The Huskies would go on to post a 3-0 victory before a record tying attendance of 3,013 spectators at their state of the art home rink.

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

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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Defence, goaltending come up big for Blades

Saskatoon downs powerhouse Hitmen 6-3

Ethan McCallum, right, begins to celebrate Friday’s win.

The Saskatoon Blades lived out the cliché that defence and goaltending wins hockey games.

On Friday night at the SaskTel Centre, the Blades young blue-line came up big on offence. Four different players on the backend had single goals to help Saskatoon down the powerhouse Calgary Hitmen 6-3 before a supportive crowd of 4,071 spectators that braved fictional planet Hoth like temperatures to attend the WHL regular season contest.

Out of the Blades defenders, sturdy standout 20-year-old veteran Grayden Siepmann had the biggest night recording one goal, two assists and a plus-one rating in the plus-minus department. Sophomore defenceman Jack Kachkowski, who turned 18-years-old in January, 17-year-old rookie blue-liner Isaac Poll and fellow rookie rearguard Jordan Martin, who turned 18-years-old in January, all picked up singles for Saskatoon.

Grayden Siepmann had one goal and two assists for the Blades.

Veteran netminder Ethan McCallum had a spectacular outing stopping 39 shots to pick up the victory in goal for the host side.

The win allowed the Blades to improve to 28-17-3-3 to keep pace in the race for first place in the WHL’s East Division. Their 62 standings points equals the total of their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders (29-18-3-1), but the Raiders hold the standings tiebreaker due to having more wins. The Brandon Wheat Kings (27-16-4-3) sit one point back of both the Raiders and Blades with one game in hand.

The Hitmen came out of the gates on fire outshooting the Blades 7-1, and they broke through on the scoreboard just 3:33 into the opening frame. Hitmen 20-year-old star centre Connor Hvidston got the puck in front of the Saskatoon net off a positive bounce and roofed his 16^th tally of the season to the top left corner of the net to put the visitors up 1-0.

Kalem Parker had a goal for the Hitmen.

The Blades got their wheels going and evened score 1-1 on the power play at the 8:36 mark of the first on a goal from Siepmann. Siepmann fired home a point shot for the equalizer with the man advantage.

Saskatoon took a 2-1 lead at the 7:34 mark of the second, when breakout 16-year-old rookie centre Cooper Williams wired home his 16^th marker of the campaign.

The Hitmen proceeded to even the score at 2-2 at the 10:40 mark of the second. Working in the Saskatoon zone, Hitmen 20-year-old offensive-defenceman Kalem Parker had the puck on the icing line to the right side of the Saskatoon net. He banked home the puck off McCallum’s stick into the Saskatoon net to force a tie game.

Jack Kachkowski had a goal for the Blades on Friday.

Just 11 seconds later, Hitmen standout 18-year-old right-winger Carson Wetsch thought he scored from the front of the Saskatoon net to put his side ahead, but the play continued. The officials from the timekeeper’s booth blew the play down seconds later for a video review.

The review showed Wetsch’s shot just crossed the goal line of that Saskatoon net, and the officials ruled a goal for Wetsch to officially put the Hitmen ahead 3-2.

As quickly as the momentum swung to the Hitmen, it swung back just as quickly to the Blades.

With 3:23 remaining in the second, Kachkowski wired home a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle to the top right corner of the Calgary goal to even the score at 3-3. 

Isaac Poll had the Blades fourth goal on Friday.

The tally was Kachkowski’s first goal as a member of the Blades having been acquired in a trade on January 6.

The Blades proceeded to go ahead 4-3 with 1:32 remaining in the second when rookie 17-year-old defenceman Isaac Poll slipped home a shot from the point through a screen for his second marker of the season.

Just past the midway point of the third, Martin jetted down the right wing into the Calgary zone and ripped a shot from the right faceoff dot to the top left corner of the Calgary net to push the Blades lead out to 5-3.

Blades 19-year-old left-winger Rowan Calvert sealed the victory scoring on the power play during a net scramble with 4:25 remaining in the third. 

Jordan Martin scored for the Blades on Friday.

Calvert’s tally was his 21^st goal on the season and 16^th marker on the power play.

Both Williams and Calvert each finished recording one goal and one assist for the Blades. Hvidston finished with one goal and one assist for Calgary. Daniel Hauser turned away 24 shots to take the setback in net for the Hitmen.

With the setback, the Hitmen fell to 33-14-3-2 to remain three points back of the idle Medicine Hat Tigers (35-16-3-1) for first place in the Eastern Conference. The Hitmen have three games in hand on the Tigers.

Due to the Lethbridge Hurricanes downing the visiting Regina Pats 6-5 in overtime, the Hurricanes improve to 34-16-2-1 and equal the Hitmen with 71 standings points. 

The Blades celebrate their victory on Friday night.

The Hurricanes hold second in the Eastern Conference due to having more wins than the Hitmen, but Calgary has one game in hand on Lethbridge.

The Blades head on the road on Saturday to Swift Current to take on the 27-22-1-1 Broncos (7 p.m., InnovationPlex).

The Hitmen also get back at it on Saturday traveling to Prince Albert to take the Raiders (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

Going forward, the Blades are hoping their young back end and McCallum can keep delivering big games. If that happens, Saskatoon can likely deliver a few more surprises as the WHL campaign continues.

Raiders surge past Broncos 6-1, other notes

Lukas Dragicevic had one goal and two assists for the Raiders.

A four-goal knockout shot in the third period allowed the Prince Albert Raiders to put away the Swift Current Broncos.

On Friday night at the Art Hauser Centre, the host Raiders took a 2-1 lead into the third period and piled up four goals in the third to surge past the visiting Broncos 6-1 to the delight of the 2,555 spectators in attendance. The win allowed the Raiders to improve to 29-18-3-1 and hold a slim edge for first place in the WHL’s East Division.

The Raiders have the same amount of standings points as the Saskatoon Blades (28-17-3-3) at 62, but Prince Albert holds the standings tiebreaker due to having more wins. The Brandon Wheat Kings (27-16-4-3) sit one point back of both the Raiders and Blades with a game in hand on both clubs.

Star defenceman Lukas Dragicevic opened the game’s scoring netting his 13^th of the season at the 4:01 mark of the opening frame ripping home a midrange shot from the left faceoff circle.

Tomas Mrsic had one goal and two assists for the Raiders.

With 5.8 seconds remaining in the first, Raiders 20-year-old left-winger Niall Crocker potted a power-play goal from the front of the Swift Current net to put the host side up 2-0.

In the second, Broncos 20-year-old centre Carlin Dezainde wired home a shot to the top right corner of the Prince Albert net from the front of the goal to cut the Raiders lead to 2-1. Dezainde converted a beauty setup pass from 19-year-old left-winger Rylan Gould from the left corner of the Prince Albert zone.

The Raiders opened the flood gates in the third. Tomas Mrsic, who is the team’s star 18-year-old left-winger, netted his 31^st goal of the campaign to push the Raiders edge out to 3-1. Brayden Dube picked up his 24^th goal of the season with his club working on the power play to give the Prince Albert side a 4-1 advantage.

Raiders captain Justice Christensen scored once at even strength and once on the power play to round out the 6-1 final score in Prince Albert’s favour. Christensen now had 18 goals on the campaign.

Justice Christensen scored twice for the Raiders.

Dragicevic and Mrsic each finished with one goal and two assists for Prince Albert.

Max Hildebrand stopped 31 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Joey Rocha turned away 33 shots to take the setback in net for the Broncos (27-22-1-1).

The Broncos return home on Saturday to host the Saskatoon Blades (7 p.m., InnovationPlex).

The Raiders also get back at it on Saturday as they host the Calgary Hitmen (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

• On Friday in Lethbridge, veteran centre Shane Smith scored at the 1:19 mark of overtime to deliver the host Hurricanes to a 6-5 victory over the Regina Pats. Hurricanes 19-year-old import right-winger Leo Braillard scored with 6.9 seconds remaining in the third period to force a 5-5 tie and overtime.
• On Friday in Kamloops, netminder Logan Edmonstone made 35 saves to backstop the host Blazers to a 3-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. Conner Radke, who is an 18-year-old right-winger, scored the winning goal for the Blazers in the second period. The win allowed Blazers head coach and general manager Shaun Clouston to pick up his 583^rd career WHL regular season head coach victory. He moves one win ahead of Marc Habscheid, who is best known for guiding the Rockets and Prince Albert Raiders as head coach, for fifth all-time on the WHL’s career head coaching wins list.
• On Friday in Victoria, the host Royals won their sixth in a row downing the visiting Vancouver Giants 5-2. Royals 19-year-old star left-winger Teydon Trembecky had two goals and two assists in the win. Victoria improved its B.C. Division leading record to 32-14-3-5.
• Also on Friday in the WHL, the Brandon Wheat Kings doubled up the Moose Jaw Warriors 6-3; the Everett Silvertips slipped past the Prince George Cougars 3-1; the Red Deer Rebels downed the Edmonton Oil Kings 3-1; the Tri-City Americans edged the Spokane Chiefs 5-4 after a tiebreaking shootout; and the Portland Winterhawks edged the Wenatchee Wild 6-5 in overtime.
• On Tuesday, Cami Kepke, who is the WHL’s manager of communications and content, put together a great story on Manny Viveiros rediscovering his love for hockey after battling two cancer diagnosis and depression. Viveiros was a legendary defenceman on the Prince Albert Raiders squad that won the WHL title and the Memorial Cup as CHL champions in 1985. He guided the Swift Current Broncos to a WHL championship as head coach in 2017-18, and he currently serves as the head coach of the Vancouver Giants. Kepke’s story on Viveiros can be found right here.
• On Sunday, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a feature on softball power hitter Olivia Prokopchuk. The 17-year-old first base infielder has signed on with the University of South Carolina-Union Bantams Women’s Softball team located in Union, South Carolina. She is also coming back from tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee. That piece can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that is anchored by pictures from the Saskatoon Valkyries Winter Camp. It also includes photos from baseball, football, 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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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.