Rangers run over Rockets 5-0 to open Memorial Cup

WHL squads once gain face “Curse of the Drop”

The Kelowna Rockets managed to stay afloat for 51 minutes until the dam burst.

On Friday playing before a sellout crowd of 6,007 spectators at Prospera Place, the Rockets opened play at the Memorial Cup taking on the OHL champion Kitchener Rangers. Kelowna is the host squad for the event that crowns a CHL champion.

In Friday’s preliminary round clash, the Rangers took a 2-0 lead into the final 10 minutes of the third period. Kitchener proceeded to fire home a surge of three goals to claim a 5-0 victory.

The Rockets came into this contest as sizable underdogs. They finished third in the WHL’s Western Conference and seventh overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a solid 38-21-6-3 record.

Kelowna swept the rival Kamloops Blazers 4-0 in a best-of-seven first round series in the WHL Playoffs. The Rockets then fell 4-1 in a Western Conference Semifinal Series to the eventual WHL champion Everett Silvertips. Before Friday’s clash with the Rangers, the Rockets last outing was a 2-1 overtime loss to the Silvertips at the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett back on April 17.

The Rockets are making their first appearance at the Memorial Cup since last winning the WHL championship in the 2014-15 campaign. They made it to the Memorial Cup tournament championship game held in Quebec City falling to the OHL champion Oshawa Generals 2-1 in overtime.

The Rangers topped the OHL’s Western Conference and finished second in the OHL’s regular season standings with a 47-14-5-2 mark. Kitchener motored through the OHL Playoffs posting an impressive 16-2 record to win their first league title since the 2007-08 campaign. The Rangers were rated seventh in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

Kitchener had a little bit of a rest coming into the Memorial Cup. The Rangers closed their sweep of the OHL Championship Series on May 12, when they downed the Colts at the Sadlon Arena in Barrie 4-2.

During Friday’s opening contest of the Memorial Cup, Rockets 18-year-old star netminder Harrison Boettiger put in a gallant performance to keep his squad in the game by turning away 34 shots in the loss. Rangers 19-year-old rookie netminder Christian Kirsch stopped all 24 shots fired his way to pick up the shutout win.

Dylan Edwards and Jack Pridham each had one goal, one assist and posted a plus-two rating in the plus-minus category for the Rangers. Defenceman Alexander Bilecki had a pair of assists and was a plus-two.

Edwards opened the game’s scoring at the 4:38 mark of the opening frame. He received a positive bounce off the board behind the Rockets net and got possession of the puck close in at the left side of the Kelowna goal. Edwards, who is a star 20-year-old left-winger, popped the puck home off Boettiger to put the Rangers up 1-0.

With 6:24 remaining in the opening frame, Rangers defenceman Jared Woolley took on Rockets left-winger Dawson Gerwing in a short bout. The fight was short with Gerwing ending the affair by tackling Woolley to the ice.

Woolley would hit the scoreboard offensively with 2:27 remaining in the second. Pridham had the puck behind the Kelowna net and passed the puck to Woolley at the left side of the goal. Woolley quickly fired home the puck to push the Rangers lead out to 2-0.

Just 2:30 into the second, spirited fight took place between Campbell and Rockets defenceman Nate Corbet. The bout occurred shortly after Campbell nailed overage Rockets offensive-defenceman now turned utility player Mazden Leslie in the open ice just inside the Kitchener zone. Campbell and Corbet traded heavy shots until the official broke the battle up.

While the Rockets got an energy boost for a short moment, it didn’t stop the Rangers from putting the contest away.

With 8:28 remaining in the third, Pridham scored off a breakaway to increase the Rangers advantage to 3-0. Just 82 seconds later, star centre Sam O’Reilly, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, scored to make the Rangers lead sit at 4-0. Just 80 seconds after O’Reilly scored, centre Haeden Ellis tallied to round out the 5-0 final in favour of Kitchener.

For the superstitious types, the Rockets and the WHL champion Everett Silvertips are trying to overcome the “Curse of the Drop” at the Memorial Cup. That event took place on May 25, 2008 after the WHL champion Spokane Chiefs downed the host Rangers in Kitchener 4-1 in the Memorial Cup tournament’s championship game. After receiving the trophy, Chiefs captain Chris Bruton had the Memorial Cup fall apart in his hands as he attempted to give it to veteran defenceman Trevor Glass.

Since that drop, the WHL has only won the Memorial Cup once coming with the Edmonton Oil Kings win in 2014. In 2014, Edmonton captured the WHL and CHL titles that year playing to honour the memory of former player Kristians Pelss, who was with the Oil Kings 2012 WHL championship team and passed away in June of 2013 due to a recreational diving accident.

In the championship game of the 2014 Memorial Cup tournament played in London, Ont., on May 25 of that year, the WHL champion Oil Kings downed the OHL champion Guelph Storm 6-3. At the moment, that marks the last time a team from the WHL has won the Memorial Cup to become CHL champions. The WHL is currently in its longest drought as a league when it comes to winning the Memorial Cup.

The preliminary round of the Memorial Cup continues on Saturday at Prospera Place as the Silvertips face the QMJHL champion Chicoutimi Sagueneens (7 p.m. Saskatchewan time, TSN).

The Silvertips topped the WHL regular season standings, the Western Conference and the U.S. Division with a 57-8-2-1 record and were rated first in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. Everett’s 57 wins and 117 standings points are team records. The Silvertips motored through the WHL Playoffs posting an impressive 16-2 to capture their first league title in team history.

The Sagueneens finished second overall in the QMJHL’s Eastern Conference and second overall in the QMJHL regular season standings with a 49-10-3-2 mark. They advanced through the QMJHL Playoffs posting a stellar 16-4 mark to win their first league title since the 1993-94 campaign.

The Sagueneens last played in the Memorial Cup tournament back in 1997, when the event was held in Hull, Quebec. Chicoutimi went to the Memorial Cup as the QMJHL finalist. The host Hull Olympics won the QMJHL title and the Memorial Cup championship in that campaign.

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 season was a special one, traction moment eluded them in WHL final

The Raiders contemplate the end of their season last Friday.

The longer a team plays during a season the more the end will hurt unless you win it all.

The Prince Albert Raiders special 2025-26 campaign came to an end last Friday, when they dropped a 7-2 decision to the visiting Everett Silvertips in Game 5 of the WHL Championship Series at the Art Hauser Centre. With the win, the Silvertips took the best-of-seven set 4-1 to claim their first WHL championship in team history.

As everyone with the Raiders deals with the emotional aftermath of falling in the WHL final, the realization does hit that it was a special season. Prince Albert topped the Eastern Conference, claimed the East Division title and finished second overall in the WHL with a 52-10-5-1 mark. The Raiders were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

For everyone who is linked to the Raiders, they have nothing to hang their heads about. They experienced a campaign that created many special memories that players, coaches, managers, staffers and fans with the team can carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Prince Albert also fell to a quality organization in the Silvertips. Everett topped the WHL regular season standings, the Western Conference and the U.S. Division with a 57-8-2-1 record and was rated first in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The Silvertips 57 wins and 117 standings points are team records.

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

Captain Christensen will forever cherish his Raiders days

Justice Christensen salutes the Art Hauser Centre faithful on Friday.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Justice Christensen didn’t want to think about his time ending with the Prince Albert Raiders until that moment actually happened.

That moment came to pass on Friday before a sellout crowd of 3,299 spectators at the storied and historic 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre. The Raiders dropped a 7-2 decision to the visiting Everett Silvertips in Game 5 of the WHL Championship Series. With that win, the Silvertips took the best-of-seven set 4-1 and will play in the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup.

Christensen wanted the final goodbyes to come after a WHL title win, a trip to Kelowna, B.C. for the Memorial Cup and a championship win at that event. Instead, Christensen took a final lap in front of the Raiders faithful being named to the game’s three stars along with Raiders overage star forwards Brayden Dube and Aiden Oiring.

“It has been incredible,” said Christensen, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 191 pounds. “I think the reason why I’m so emotional right now is because of the memories and the journey I’ve been through to get here.

Justice Christensen played all four of his WHL seasons with the Raiders.

“To spend four years on the same team is something not many people get to say. That I was able to spend four years here and be a captain for two and just have so many memories, it was great. I couldn’t say a bad thing about my time in P.A.”

Christensen arrived with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent before the start of the 2022-23 campaign. The reliable defenceman was named the team’s captain before the start of the 2024-25 season.

The Red Deer, Alta., product played four full seasons with the team appearing in 263 career regular season contests recording 148 points off 55 goals and 93 assists to go with a plus-22 rating in the plus-minus department. Christensen suited up for 36 career games in the WHL Playoffs recording 20 points coming off six goals and 14 assists to go with a plus-one rating.

In the 2025-26 campaign, Christensen skated in 63 regular season contests posting 48 points off 18 goals and 40 assists to go with a plus-36 rating. His totals in assists, points and plus-minus were all career highs. Christensen suited up in all the Raiders games in the 2026 WHL Playoffs recording 14 points coming off five goals and nine assists to go with a plus-seven rating.

Justice Christensen marks scoring his final WHL goal on Friday.

As captain, Christensen helped the Raiders win an East Division title in 2024-25 posting a 39-23-5-1 mark in the regular season. In 2025-26, Christensen played a key role in helping the Raider win another East Division title and place second overall in the WHL with a 52-10-5-1 mark in the regular season. In the post-season, the Raiders won their first Eastern Conference title since 2019, but they were unable to duplicate the WHL championship win from that campaign.

Christensen said the Raiders returning players will come back with a tremendous experience from the deep run in the 2026 WHL Playoffs.

“It is a huge thing to learn from,” said Christensen. “Obviously, right now, we’re experience the heartbreak.

“Everything in this championship series from media and all the kind of perks and flying to the games in Everett, things like that, it is something you’ll never forget. It is a really good experience for the guys. To get through here to the fourth round is pretty special for those guys, and they’ll be able to build on that for sure.”

The Art Hauser Centre faithful cheer Justice Christensen’s final goal.

For Christensen, his best memories of the run came from beating the then defending WHL champion Medicine Hat Tiger in six games in the Eastern Conference final. The Tigers swept the Raiders in an Eastern Conference semifinal series in the 2025 WHL Playoffs. The rearguard said one unique aspect from the WHL final stands out for him.

“I think being able to fly to Everett,” said Christensen. “That is kind of what we’ve always talked about.

“We bus all year, and then, we get to fly in the finals. To go through that, I think that is a huge memory and beating out Medicine Hat. They took us out last year and went on to win it.

“For us to beat them in the third round to get into the finals was a big one as well.”

Justice Christensen had 148 points in 263 career regular season games.

Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald appreciates everything Christensen brought to the team. McDonald was a Raiders assistant coach when Christensen joined the team and got to see the blue-liner become a career WHL member with the team.

“He is the ultimate warrior,” said McDonald. “He is a tremendous leader.

“His compete level is second to none. The way he prepares, the way he treats his body, recovers, the way he plays the game out there, he plays extremely honest. It has just been a pleasure to coach him for the last four years.

“He is just an absolute tremendous young man. He is going to continue to do bright things in the future.”

Justice Christensen starts a final lap at the Art Hauser Centre.

On April 9, Christensen signed a two-year contract with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, who are an affiliate with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. He attended Red Wings training camp in the fall of 2025 before returning to the Raiders for his final major junior campaign.

As his hockey journey will continue in the professional ranks, Christensen will always have a soft spot for the Raiders faithful. Prince Albert picked up the “Hockey Town North” nickname thanks to the support the Raiders got from their fans and that nickname spread to all levels of the game in that northern Saskatchewan centre.

“The support that you guys have, the community that is built here in P.A. and the way you guys rally around our team, it has been incredible,” said Christensen, who scored his final WHL goal in Friday’s loss. “Thank you guys.”

Christensen said he wanted to take some time making some final rounds in Prince Albert before departing to Red Deer.

“I’ll spend some time here,” said Christensen. “(I have) lots of memories and stuff with billet families and all the teammates that have been here and lots of friends and family and whoever will still be here.

Justice Christensen gives fist bumps to young fans along the glass.

“I’ll definitely stick around for a couple of days to see them.”

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Silvertips would not be denied first WHL championship

Everett downs Raiders 7-2 in Game 5 to clinch league title

The Silvertips raise the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The Everett Silvertips were not going to let an opportunity go to waste, and as a result, they are Western Hockey League champions for the first time in team history.

On Friday night before a sellout crowd of 3,299 spectators at the 2,580 seat storied and historic Art Hauser Centre, the visiting Silvertips downed the Prince Albert Raiders 7-2 in Game 5 of the WHL Championship Series. With the win, the Silvertips, who have never missed the WHL Playoffs since entering the league in the 2003-04 campaign, claim the best-of-seven series 4-1 to capture the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions.

The Silvertips begin celebrating their WHL title win.

“It is hard to put into words to be honest with you,” said Silvertips head coach Steve Hamilton. “The support we’ve had in Everett it is just an unbelievable franchise.

“It is an unbelievable fan base, and this has been just a team above all. I couldn’t ask for more from them. It has been a special group and a special year, and I just have all kinds of love and respect for them.”

The Silvertips have gone to the league final twice previously in their history. They got there as an expansion team in 2004 and again in 2018 and weren’t able to come up with a WHL title on either occasion.

The Silvertips captains receive the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

Silvertips star defenceman Landon DuPont said everyone on this year’s team was pretty pumped to win the club’s first WHL title in the franchise’s history.

“We worked all year for this,” said DuPont. “To do it with this group of guys, for these coaches, the leadership group and all the 20-year-old, it is unreal.”

Like they have done all series, the Silvertips started fast and succeeded in scoring the first goal in all five games of the set. Just 68 seconds into Friday’s contest, Silvertips 20-year-old centre Zackary Shantz broke down the left wing of the Prince Albert zone and put a backhanded pass across the face of the Raiders net to 18-year-old left-winger Shea Busch.

Anders Miller skates with the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

Busch popped home what would be his first of three goals on the night. He said his first tally that put the Silvertips up 2-0 on their second shot on goal of the contest was key in starting the squad on the path to victory.

“We wanted to do that just set the tone,” said Busch. “I think that is what we’ve been trying to do all year.”

Everett would proceed to control play for much of the opening frame holding a 14-5 edge in shots on goal. 

With 4:03 remaining in the first, Silvertips 19-year-old defenceman Mattias Uyeda fired home a shot through a screen from the top of the left faceoff circle to put the visitors up 2-0.

The Raiders mull over falling in the WHL final.

The Raiders started the second with a full two minute power play, but the Silvertips got to show how good they are at protecting their end of the ice. Raiders star defenceman Daxon Rudolph was denied on a prime scoring chance due to a shot block from Silvertips sturdy defensive-defenceman Luke Vlooswyk.

“I think it was a big momentum shift in the game,” said Vlooswyk. “Obviously, it didn’t feel too good.

“It is the finals, and I know anyone on this team is willing to block a shot with their teeth. It was great.”

Shea Busch had a hat trick for the Silvertips.

The Raiders did use their spirited start of the second period to get on the scoreboard. At the 3:38 mark of the second, Raiders star 20-year-old right-winger Brayden Dube popped home a rebound at the front of the Silvertips net to trim Everett’s lead to 2-1.

While the Raiders pressed, the Silvertips would close the second frame with a couple of dagger goals to push their advantage out to 4-1. Everett standout defenceman Brek Liske scored with 5:09 remaining in the second. Busch potted his second of the contest with 43.5 seconds left in the stanza putting a shot on goal that banked off Raiders defenceman Linden Burrett into the Prince Albert net during a power play.

Busch would complete his hat trick at the 6:17 mark of the third. On a set play off an offensive zone faceoff, Shantz won a draw to Busch who fired home a shot from the top of the right faceoff dot to make the Silvertips lead sit at 5-1. Busch almost couldn’t believe he got a hat trick in the Silvertips WHL title clinching game.

Zackary Shantz had three assists for the Silvertips.

“It was pretty special,” said Busch. “I wasn’t thinking about me too much.

“I knew we were up a lot. I was just waiting for the clock to go down.”

Just 50 seconds after Busch scored his hat trick goal, Silvertips 20-year-old centre Nolan Chastko scored to make the visitor’s lead stand at 6-1. At that point in the contest, Raiders 20-year-old captain and star defenceman Justice Christensen admitted he felt like things were getting away from his team.

“They got up 6-1, and I looked up at the clock,” said Christensen, who exhausted his major junior eligibility with Friday’s loss. “Not that we would ever quit, but it was looking like this was going to be my final game in my Western League career.

Brayden Dube scored the Raiders first goal on Friday.

“That was tough to kind of think about and kind of wrap my head around that this would be my final game. Overall, I’m really happy with how the guys handled themselves today and went about our business.”

Christensen proceeded to score on one last “Juice Bomb” with a point shot on a power-play goal with 8:56 remaining in the third. That tally trimmed the Silvertips lead to 6-2. Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald appreciated the fact his team kept battling against a tough foe.

“Give them (the Silvertips) credit, they played hard,” said McDonald. “They capitalize on their opportunities.

“I look at our group. We kept fighting. We kept battling no matter what the score was.

Brek Liske had the Silvertips third goal in Game 5.

“The guys played for the crest on the front of the jersey and laid it right on the line until the final buzzer went.”

DuPont proceeded to tally on the power play with 4:10 remaining in the third to round out the 7-2 final score in favour of the Silvertips.

Anders Miller stopped 22 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Silvertips. Michal Orsulak turned away 29 shots to take the setback in net for the Raiders.

Shantz finished the game collecting three assists for the Silvertips.

As the final two minutes of the third period ticked away, Vlooswyk said the reality of what his team was going to celebrate in winning a WHL title started to sink in.

“It was pretty crazy,” said Vlooswyk. “You have to still think the game is not over, but in the back of your head, you’re already celebrating.

Nolan Chastko scored the Silvertips’ sixth goal in Game 5.

“It was so cool, and I’ll remember this moment for the rest of my life.”

Busch said he had a lot of thoughts running through his head during the final two minutes of the contest.

“I mean you’re thinking about all the guys on your team and everybody who has helped you out throughout the way like your parents, your grandparents and like everybody in your family too,” said Busch. “It is a special thing.”

Silvertips star import centre Julius Miettinen was named the most valuable player of the WHL Playoffs. While he was held pointless in Game 5, Miettinen appeared in all of Everett’s 18 post-season contests recording 27 points off 14 goals and 13 assists to go with a plus-21 rating in the plus-minus department.

Justice Christensen (#7) enjoys his final goal with the Raiders.

Going into the WHL final, there was no clear cut favourite.

Everett topped the WHL regular season standings, the Western Conference and the U.S. Division with a 57-8-2-1 record and was rated first in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The Silvertips 57 wins and 117 standings points are team records.

Prince Albert topped the Eastern Conference, claimed the East Division title and finished second overall in the WHL with a 52-10-5-1 mark. The Raiders were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

The Raiders and Silvertips went head-to-head once in the regular season, where Prince Albert posted a 4-1 victory on November 11, 2025 at the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett.

Landon DuPont scored the Silvertips final goal in Game 5.

On the key injury front, the Silvertips were without star defenceman and captain Tarin Smith with an upper body injury. He was injured in Game 4 of a 6-3 victory over the Winterhawks in Portland as Everett closed out the first round series between the two clubs at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The Raiders scratched star right-winger Brandon Gorzynski due to an undisclosed injury. He returned to play Game 4 and scored a goal in that setback for his team having missed the previous seven contests due to injury.

When it comes to the WHL final, the Raiders have made two previous trips to the league championships series in their history coming up with title wins in 1985 and 2019. Prince Albert went on to win the Memorial Cup as CHL champions in 1985. Friday’s game marked the first time the Raiders weren’t able to win a WHL title after reaching the WHL Championship Series.

Zackary Shantz enjoys a WHL title win with his family.

Now, the Silvertips will turn their attention toward the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup. The newly crowned WHL champions will open play in the Memorial Cup on Saturday, May 23, when they face the champion of the QMJHL at Prospera Place in Kelowna, B.C.

In the QMJHL championship series, the Chicoutimi Sagueneens downed the Moncton Wildcats 7-6 in Moncton in Game 5 of that league’s championship series on Friday. The Sagueneens lead that best-of-seven set 3-2 and will look to close that series out in Game 6 on Sunday in Chicoutimi.

Lukas Kaplan (#12) gets hugs going with his family.

The Kitchener Rangers have won the OHL championship sweeping the Barrie Colts in that circuit’s best-of-seven title series.

The Kelowna Rockets are the host team for the Memorial Cup, and they have been practicing since falling to the Silvertips 4-1 in a Western Conference Championship Series.

The Rockets and Rangers go at it in the first game of the Memorial Cup tournament on Friday, May 22 at Prospera Place. The Memorial Cup championship game is slated for Sunday, May 31.

The Silvertips enjoy their WHL championship win.

DuPont is looking forward to playing in the Memorial Cup.

“We still have lots of hockey left,” said DuPont. “Hopefully, we can celebrate this for a few days and then get back to work and hopefully have a good Memorial Cup.”

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Raiders wise to focus on Game 5 of WHL Championship Series

Questionable third period calls in Game 4 left in past

An officials’ conference takes place in Game 4 of the WHL final.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Prince Albert Raiders turned the page as soon as their post-game presser on Wednesday night.

That feeling was reinforced in media interviews during an off day on Thursday.

No matter how you cut it, the Raiders are in the classic cliché “do or die” situation in their best-of-seven WHL Championship Series with the Everett Silvertips. With a 5-2 victory in Game 4 on Wednesday at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre, the Silvertips took a commanding 3-1 lead in the series having won the last three straight contests in the set. Everett has also scored first in every game of the series.

Game 5 is slated for Friday at 7:30 p.m. local time at the Hauser. At the moment, the Raiders can only look towards the game Friday.

They can go into the contest with a key motivating factor. They do not want that game to come to a conclusion where the Silvertips are being presented the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions. If that situation materializes, the Raiders will find out one of the hardest things they will experience in sports is seeing an opponent celebrate a league championship in their own home rink and home city.

In the older era of the WHL and even into the early 2010s, teams that made the WHL final did not want to see an opponent enjoy a championship celebration on their home rink. If the Raiders prevail on Friday, they will force the series to head back to Everett for Game 6 on Sunday at 7 p.m. local time at the Angel of the Winds Arena. The last WHL final to go to a Game 6 came in 2022, when the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Seattle Thunderbirds in six games.

In Game 4 of this year’s WHL final, frustration ensued for the Raiders and their fans as an official’s mistake snowballed on the host side. Raiders fans might not believe this, but there was a game in this year’s WHL Playoffs that snowballed worse due to an official’s mistake. That contest will be brought up a little later, but first the focus goes to the third period in Game 4 of the WHL final.

The fans first got upset when Silvertips star right-winger Carter Bear scored on the power play at the 4:24 mark of the third to put the visitors up 3-1. A replay shown in the building after the goal was scored showing the play was close to being offside on a zone entry. Before the 2023-24 campaign started, the WHL made a rule change eliminating offside plays from a coach’s challenge.

A short time later, Raiders captain Justice Christensen scored to cut the Silvertips lead to 3-2. That set the stage for the biggest controversial play of the contest.

With 11:33 remaining in the third, Raiders star centre Aiden Oiring tried to wrap the puck home at the right side of the Silvertips net. Silvertips star netminder Anders Miller made the stop, but a mad scramble ensued at the right side of the goal.

The puck bounced around a maze of skates and sticks and shot out to Raiders rookie defenceman Benett Kelly in front of the Everett net. Kelly appeared to blast home the equalizer causing the crowd at the Hauser to momentarily erupt.

The officials blew the play dead having lost sight of the puck. They disallowed the goal due to the quick whistle causing the crowd to turn irate. About two or three people ended up throwing debris on the ice.

The officials did a short video review and still held up the no goal call.

That quick whistle was a mistake, and the Raiders should have been in a tie game at that point. What fans often forget in the WHL is that the circuit is a development league for the officials as well as the players. You do run into a handful of fans in every WHL market thinking everything should be executed at an NHL level, which is great to hope for but unrealistic to expect.

On seemingly the next shift with 10:40 remaining in the third, Raiders standout sophomore Riley Boychuk appeared to fire home another equalizer. That goal was waved off as the officials correctly ruled a Raiders player had knocked a Silvertips player into Miller causing inadvertent contact that prevented the netminder from making a save.

The officials got that call right. Still, there were Raiders fans that were mad that goal didn’t count.

The snowball effect carried on.

With 9:40 remaining in the third, the Raiders suffered a bad break that didn’t have anything to do with the officials. While attempting to break out of their zone, Raiders star 20-year-old centre Aiden Oiring and Christensen both blew tires causing the puck to be turned over to Silvertips 20-year-old centre Zackary Shantz along the right boards in the Prince Albert zone.

Shantz passed the puck across the front of the Prince Albert net to linemate in 18-year-old left-winger Shea Busch. Busch popped the puck home to push the Silvertips lead out to 4-2. Matias Vanhanen proceeded to add an empty-net goal to round out the 5-2 final score in favour of the Silvertips.

This wasn’t the only game that went off the rails due to an official’s mistake. An even worse one took place earlier in the current WHL Playoffs on April 15 at the CN Centre in Prince George, B.C.

On that night, the host Prince George Cougars went into Game 4 of a Western Conference Semifinal Series against the Penticton Vees holding a 2-1 lead in that best-of-seven set. The two sides were locked in a 2-2 tie in a very entertaining contest heading into the final six minutes of the third period.

With 5:50 remaining in the third, Cougars defenceman Corbin Vaughan nailed Vees centre Ryden Evers with a shoulder to the chest bodycheck in the centre ice zone. Evers fell face first to the ice and was cut by his visor.

The officials in that game gave Vaughan a major penalty for head checking and a game misconduct. It was clear reviewing the video that no head check occurred on the play.

All of a sudden, the snowball happened. A short time later, Cougars defenceman Arsenii Anisimov cleared the puck over the glass from his own zone resulting in a delay of game penalty.

Vees captain Nolan Stevenson scored on that two-man advantage with 4:16 remaining in the third to put Penticton up 3-2. A handful of Cougars fans were so upset they threw debris on the ice.

After play resumed, a couple of other Cougars fans threw debris on the ice while play was in progress. That caused the officials to blow the play dead with 3:40 remaining in the third and give the Cougars bench a penalty due to the actions of the fans. That is a rule that rarely gets put into action, but that was the right time to call that penalty.

Vees defenceman Ethan Weber scored on that two-man advantage with 2:29 remaining in the third to push the Vees lead out to 4-2. The Cougars penalty box parade continued resulting in Vees left-winger Brady Birnie scoring third power-play goal on a two-man advantage with 51 seconds remaining in the third to round out the 5-2 final score in favour of Penticton.

That ultimately was the contest that saw the Cougars get fined $1,500 on April 17 by the WHL for inadequate security. Vaughan did not receive any further discipline for his hit on Evers. Cougars left-winger Aiden Foster was given a two-game suspension for receiving a head checking major and a game misconduct in the second period of that contest.

In both the Raiders Game 4 situation in the WHL final and the Cougars Game 4 development in their Western Conference semifinal, the fans speak from Raiders and Cougars supporters online was fairly standard regarding how bad the officials were. The men wearing the referee armbands in both games got singled out heat from some fans.

There were some Raiders fans that did not like referees Jeff Ingram and Ward Pateman who worked Game 4 of the WHL final. There were some Cougars fans that did not like referees Bryan Bourdon and Bobby Jo Love who worked Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinal in Prince George.

You also had fans going the conspiracy theory route saying the league was trying to set up some sort of match up or help certain teams win. Every team in the WHL has at least a couple of fans like that, and they’ve kind of said those lines for at least three decades. Those types of fans have a passion in a place where you can’t change their mind.

Switching sports to the world of the NFL, there are still fans out there who believe that league did everything they could to ensure the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII on February 11, 2024, because Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was the boyfriend of icon of all music icons in Taylor Swift. There are fans that believe the NFL went out of their way to make sure “Goddess Taylor” was happy because of all the fans she brought to the viewership of the game helping the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ERS 25-22 in overtime.

None of those fans said anything when the Chiefs lost Super Bowl LIX the very next year 40-22 in an absolute drubbing handed out by the Philadelphia Eagles. That contest also happened to be attended by the President of the United States of America in Donald Trump, which marked the first time a sitting U.S. President attended the Super Bowl.

Back to the WHL, the Cougars would ultimately lose their Western Conference Semifinal Series to the Vees in six games. Going into Game 5 in Penticton, both teams left what happened in Game 4 of that series in the past and moved forward focusing on controlling what they can control.

When the puck drops for Game 5 of the WHL final on Friday at the Hauser, you can bet both the Raiders and Silvertips will have left what happened in Game 4 of their series in the past. Teams won’t always agree with what the officials call, but there is a realization they are developing and gaining experience too.

For myself, I have actually been fine for the most part with the officiating in the WHL Playoffs outside of a handful of hiccups here and there.

As for the Raiders, they are facing their biggest adversity of the campaign, and their test will be to see how they respond to that adversity. They have taken the first step on that path in focusing on the future.

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“Wild” West Wednesday at the Hauser rocks Raiders

Silvertips one win away from WHL championship

Daxon Rudolph, left, battles with Carter Bear.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – If the Prince Albert Raiders didn’t have bad luck with officials’ calls, they would have no luck at all.

That seemed particularly true when they took the ice for Game 4 of the WHL Championship Series against the visiting Everett Silvertips at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre. After a fairly well played first 40 minutes, the Raiders entered the third period trailing the Silvertips 2-1.

When the third period finished, the Raiders found themselves on the wrong end of a 5-2 final score in favour of the Silvertips thanks to a series of tough luck calls. The sellout crowd of 3,299 spectators at the 2,580 seat facility voiced their displeasure. A sizable portion of the crowd bolted for the exits after Silvertips star import left-winger Matias Vanhanen scored into an empty net with 2:25 remaining in the third to round out the 5-2 final in favour of the Everett side.

Anders Miller covers up a puck during a scrum.

With the win, the Silvertips take a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, and they are one win away from capturing their first WHL title in team history. They will try to close things out in Game 5 on Friday at 7:30 p.m. local time at the Hauser.

Despite all the tough breaks on Wednesday, Raiders captain Justice Christensen said he expects his team to keep pushing. In the first round of the 2025 WHL Playoffs, the Raiders overcame a 3-1 series deficit against the Edmonton Oil Kings to rally back and take that set 4-3. Christensen believes this year’s Raiders team is capable of a similar comeback.

“We’re a very resilient team,” said Christensen. “We never quit.

Alisher Sarkenov, left, battles Matias Vanhanen.

“You can talk to anyone in that room, and this series isn’t over, not even close to over. Drawing from the experience last year, it was the same thing. There was no quitting in that group, and that is the way the Raiders play.

“That is the culture that has been built here and how we like to play. We’re just going to keep pushing, and there will be no quit in our group.”

Entering the third period holding a 2-1 lead, the Silvertips pushed their advantage out to 3-1 at the 4:24 mark of the third, when star right-winger Carter Bear fired home a mid-range shot through a screen from the front of the Prince Albert net. A replay shown in the building after the goal was scored showing the play was close to being offside on a zone entry. Before the 2023-24 campaign started, the WHL made a rule change eliminating offside plays from a coach’s challenge.

The Raiders responded just 2:19 later when Christensen fired home a shot from the right side boards to trim the Silvertips lead to 3-2.

Julias Miettinen scored 32 seconds into Game 4.

That set the stage for the play the Raiders faithful really got worked up over. With 11:33 remaining in the third, Raiders star centre Aiden Oiring tried to wrap the puck home at the right side of the Silvertips net. Silvertips star netminder Anders Miller made the stop, but a mad scramble ensued at the right side of the goal.

The puck bounced around a maze of skates and sticks and shot out to Raiders rookie defenceman Benett Kelly in front of the Everett net. Kelly appeared to blast home the equalizer causing the crowd at the Hauser to momentarily erupt.

The officials blew the play dead having lost sight of the puck. They disallowed the goal due to the quick whistle causing the crowd to turn irate. About two or three people ended up throwing debris on the ice.

The Raiders celebrate a goal from Brandon Gorzynski (#29).

The officials did a short video review and still held up the no goal call. Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald thought his players continued to battle after that bad break.

“I really like their response,” said McDonald. “I thought we came out, we were direct, we were hard, got lots of pucks to the paint and bodies to the paint.

“For us, you have to control what you can control. Ultimately, I have really no comment on what he (the referee) might have seen from behind the net, and it was unfortunate that the whistle went as quick as it did. The puck was on our stick again.

“Again, that is hockey. You have to move on from it and look for your next opportunity.”

On seemingly the next shift with 10:40 remaining in the third, Raiders standout sophomore Riley Boychuk appeared to fire home another equalizer. That goal was waved off as the officials correctly ruled a Raiders player had knocked a Silvertips player into Miller causing inadvertent contact that prevented the netminder from making a save.

Brandon Gorzynski returned from injury to rejoin the Raiders.

Silvertips head coach Steve Hamilton liked how his players stayed even during those crazy moments.

“Everybody wants what is best for the team, but anxiety and stress is part of sports,” said Hamilton. “I don’t care what anyone says.

“At the highest levels of any sport, that is something you have to conquer and deal with. It is just a fact. When you feel those moments, we talk a lot about talking, so you’re out of your own head and breathing so your heart rate comes down.

“Those are the two things that we constantly come back to on the bench is talk and breathe and be in a good place and commit to what we’re doing.”

With 9:40 remaining in the third, the Raiders suffered a bad break that didn’t have anything to do with the officials. While attempting to break out of their zone, Oiring and Christensen both blew tires causing the puck to be turned over to Silvertips 20-year-old centre Zackary Shantz along the right boards in the Prince Albert zone.

Rylan Gould scored a key power-play goal for the Silvertips.

Shantz passed the puck across the front of the Prince Albert net to linemate in 18-year-old left-winger Shea Busch. Busch popped the puck home to push the Silvertips lead out to 4-2. That set the stage for Vanhanen’s empty-net tally to close out the stanza.

Busch was pleased he was able to contribute offensively.

“I just have to credit my linemate Shantzy (Zackary Shantz) there,” said Busch. “He makes a good play, and I was lucky enough that I got it to go in the back of the net.

“I have to do what the team needs.”

The Raiders entered the contest with lots of excitement as they had star defenceman Daxon Rudolph back after a one-game suspension and star right-winger Brandon Gorzynski returned from an undisclosed injury. Gorzynski was injured in Game 2 of the WHL Eastern Conference Championship Series that the Raiders dropped 5-0 to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers at the Hauser.

Carter Bear scored a power-play goal at the 4:24 mark of the third.

The Silvertips came out and immediately buzz killed the home crowd. Just 32 seconds into the opening frame, the Silvertips entered the Prince Albert zone on a rush.

Vanhanen took a shot from the right wing that rebounded off Raiders star rookie netminder Michal Orsulak to the front of the net. Everett star import centre Julius Miettinen got to the rebound and popped the puck into the Prince Albert net to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

With that tally, the Silvertips have scored first in all four games of the series so far.

The game’s momentum changed in the second. Early in the frame, star centre Braeden Cootes and Christensen both had shots that deflected off posts of the Everett net.

Justice Christensen scored the Raiders second goal in Game 4.

At the 9:53 mark of the second, Raiders defenceman Linden Burrett took a shot from the point that deflected off a couple of bodies and landed beside Gorzynski at the left side of the Everett net. Gorzynski popped home the equalizer to force a 1-1 tie score. The Scottsdale, Arizona, product was pumped to come back and score.

“Obviously, it is a championship (series),” said Gorzynski. “Everybody wants to play in games like this, so it was special for that goal to go in.”

The Raiders would outshoot the Silvertips 17-8 in the second period, but the Silvertips would find a traction moment before going into the second intermission. While working on the power play, Miettinen had the puck by the right post of the Prince Albert net, and he passed the puck across the face of the goal to 20-year-old left-winger Rylan Gould. Gould tapped the puck home to put the Silvertips in front 2-1 with 1:17 remaining in the second with his sixth goal of the post-season and all those tallies have come on the power play.

Part of the Art Hauser Centre faithful cheer on the Raiders.

“He (Gould) is a hard-nosed player,” said Silvertips star defenceman Landon DuPont, who had two assists in his team’s win. “Obviously, we have some really skilled guys on the unit.

“He (Gould) drives the net, and he is never scared to get in there. He’ll take a few cross-checks. He has got a good hand to eye around the net tipping.

“It seems like he is always in the right spots. I am happy for him that he got one tonight that was big for us, and I’m sure it will keep going.”

Orsulak turned away 30-of-34 shots to take the setback in net for the Raiders. Miller made 31 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Silvertips.

Shea Busch scored the Silvertips fourth goal.

Going into the WHL final, there was no clear cut favourite.

Everett topped the WHL regular season standings, the Western Conference and the U.S. Division with a 57-8-2-1 record and was rated first in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The Silvertips 57 wins and 117 standings points are team records.

Prince Albert topped the Eastern Conference, claimed the East Division title and finished second overall in the WHL with a 52-10-5-1 mark. The Raiders were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

The Raiders and Silvertips went head-to-head once in the regular season, where Prince Albert posted a 4-1 victory on November 11, 2025 at the Angel of the Winds Arena.

Michal Orsulak stopped 30-of-34 shots for the Raiders.

On the key injury front, the Silvertips were without star defenceman and captain Tarin Smith with an undisclosed injury. 

He was injured in Game 4 of a 6-3 victory over the Winterhawks in Portland as Everett closed out the first round series between the two clubs at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Now, the Silvertips will try to make good on the first of three chances to win their first WHL title as the Ed Chynoweth Cup will be in the Hauser for Game 5 on Friday.

“I think it is the opportunity you play for,” said Hamilton. “We talked about not playing like we have a parachute or a cushion.

The Silvertips celebrate a Matias Vanhanen (#37) empty-net goal.

“Our job is to play the game that is right in front of us. I think that is what has made us a really good, consistent team throughout the season. Home or away, we show up, we find a way, and that is a big part of our identity.

“It is our next chance. It is our next opportunity. It is our next game.”

As for the Raiders, they will try to work their way to a series comeback like they did in the first round against the Oil Kings in the 2025 post-season.

“You always look to your experience, and you always draw from it,” said McDonald. “For us, it is taking it one shift at a time, one period at a time (and) one day at a time.

The Silvertips celebrate their Game 4 win on Wednesday.

“The next most important thing is getting our best recovery in and having a good day of preparation tomorrow and then be ready to go for Friday.”

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Silvertips cash in on Raiders bend in 3-2 Game 3 win

Everett takes 2-1 lead in WHL Championship Series

Julius Miettnen (#17) does a fly by after his game-winning goal.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Michal Orsulak couldn’t stop everything.

That was the belief the Everett Silvertips had as they fired piles and piles of pucks at the rookie import star netminder of the Prince Albert Raiders in Game 3 of the WHL Championship Series on Tuesday night at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre. Entering the third period locked in a 2-2 tie, it appeared Orsulak was going to force the contest to go to overtime as the visiting Silvertips held a 21-8 edge in shots on goal.

Everett broke through with 4:28 remaining in the third. Silvertips standout sophomore defenceman Brek Liske took a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle and the puck rebounded off Orsulak’s left pad to the right side of the Prince Albert net.

Julius Miettinen scored the winning goal for the Silvertips.

The rebound landed right on the stick of Silvertips star import centre Julius Miettinen. Miettinen put a backhand shot into the open right side of the Prince Albert net to give the Silvertips a 3-2 lead.

The Silvertips then had to close out the third by surviving a buzzer-beating shot attempt by Raiders standout sophomore right-winger Riley Boychuk. With the final seconds ticking away in the third, Boychuk found himself in position for a mid-range shot off to the left of the Everett net. Boychuk’s drive just missed going into an open top right corner of the Everett net allowing the Silvertips to hold on to a 3-2 victory to the disappointment of almost all the sellout crowd of 3,299 spectators at the 2,580 seat facility.

“The puck just kind of came out to my stick, and I had an empty net,” said Miettinen, who leads the current WHL Playoffs with 13 goals. “I can’t really miss those when I get a chance.”

Matias Vanhanen had the Silvertips first goal on Tuesday.

The win by the Silvertips gives them a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven set. Game 4 is set for Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. local time back at the Hauser.

Miettinen centres the Silvertips top line that includes star right-winger Carter Bear and star import rookie left-winger Matias Vanhanen. They accounted for two of Everett’s three goals as Vanhanen opened the game’s scoring at the 11:45 mark of the first period by jetting into the Prince Albert zone on a solo effort and wiring a shot from just above the left faceoff circle past Orsulak.

Bear had assists on both Miettinen’s and Vanhanen’s markers. In the three games of the WHL final, Miettinen had three goals and four assists, Bear had three goals and two assists, and Vanhanen had one goal and two assists.

Michal Orsulak turned away 41 shots in net for the Raiders.

“I think we just outworked the lines we were playing against,” said Miettinen. “We crashed the net, and we have a lot of rebounds.

“We have three great players on the same line, and I feel like you can’t really match that line.”

After Vanhanen gave the Silvertips a 1-0 lead, the Raiders pulled even while working on the power play. With 1:41 remaining in the first, Raiders star centre Braeden Cootes passed the puck to star centre Max Heise at the top of the left faceoff circle, and Heise one-timed home his fourth tally of the post-season to even the score at 1-1.

Just 1:59 into the second frame, the Raiders jumped ahead 2-1 as Ben Harvey from the front of the Everett net tipped home a mid-range shot from Raiders captain Justice Christensen. At that point in the contest, the action was fairly tight checking as the shots on goal were even at 8-8.

Braeden Cootes had an assist for the Raiders.

Harvey was pleased to be able to help manufacture a goal at that point in the contest to put his team ahead.

“Obviously, it was a big moment in the game,” said Harvey. “We just have to continue to stick with it, and finish off the full 60.”

From that point in the contest, the Silvertips really started to pepper Orsulak. Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald said you could feel the game turn at the midway point of the second.

“I thought we played a really good first 30 minutes,” said McDonald. “We were quick, (and) we were direct.

“We got pucks behind and got to work. Then, they were able to tilt the ice on us. Discipline has to be a big key for us, and you’ve got to stay out of the penalty box and not give them some opportunities on the power play.

Max Heise had the Raiders first goal on Tuesday.

“I thought our penalty kill did a great job when they were out there, but again, those are hard minutes that you’ve got to play. For us on the power play, we just got to look to capitalize on our opportunities and continue to keep inching that shot clock up. Again, we have an opportunity for us to reset, refocus and get ready for tomorrow.”

For a moment, it looked like the Raiders were going to escape the second period with the lead. That all changed with 1:53 remaining in the second, when Silvertips defenceman Luke Vlooswyk, who turned 19-years-old in January, fired a point shot through a screen to the top right corner of the Prince Albert net to even the score at 2-2. That goal was Vlooswyk’s first career tally in WHL post-season action.

“It was pretty exciting to get that monkey off the back,” said Vlooswyk. “It felt unbelievable.

Ben Harvey (#20) gave the Raiders a 2-1 lead early in the second.

“(It was a) big goal, and I think we got a lot of energy off of it.”

At the start of the third, the Raiders killed off two Silvertips power plays, which included playing 68 seconds where Everett held a five-on-three advantage. The Raiders proceeded to get back-to-back power plays, but they were unable to take the lead. That set the stage for Miettinen’s winner and the dramatics in the final seconds of the third.

Silvertips head coach Steve Hamilton said the two penalty kills his team got in the third were big for his side and gave credit to Silvertips star netminder Anders Miller for ensuring those penalty kills were successful.

“It was pivotal in the game,” said Hamilton. “I’d prefer we didn’t have to see it at that time in the game, but the guy’s bench talk was good.

Justice Christensen (#7) had an assist for the Raiders.

“There was a sense of confidence and a sense of purpose, when you’re going into those moments. Let’s be honest. The game hangs in the balance in those types of moments.

“Guys dug in and got key blocks. Your best penalty killer is always going to be your goaltender. I thought Anders (Miller) was excellent tonight.”

Orsulak turned away 41 shots to take the setback in net for the Raiders. Miller stopped 18 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Silvertips.

Liske finished with two assists for Everett.

The Raiders were 1-for-5 on the power play, while the Silvertips were 0-for-6 with the man advantage.

The Raiders were without star defenceman Daxon Rudolph on Tuesday, because he was sitting out a one-game WHL league imposed suspension for receiving a cross-checking major and a game misconduct near the end of Silvertips’ 6-2 victory in Game 2 on Saturday in Everett. Rudolph was in a battle with Bear and would end up cross-checking the Silvertips forward in the head.

Luke Vlooswyk reactions to getting the equalizer for the Silvertips.

Prince Albert’s coaches placed Linden Burrett on the top defensive pairing with Christensen to take the spot Rudolph normally occupied. Hubert Clarke, who is an 18-year-old rookie, dressed for his first career game in the WHL Playoffs playing on the Raiders blue-line. Clarke played with Brock Cripps, while 19-year-old import rookie Matyas Man was paired with Benett Kelly.

Burrett thought the juggling on the back end went well for his squad, and he felt ready to shoulder extra responsibilities on the Raiders top defensive pairing.

“Obviously, I’m willing to take the role,” said Burrett. “It is something I honour.

Carter Bear had a pair of assists for the Silvertips.

“I’m just trying to go out there and play my game as best I can. “Juice” (Christensen) is obviously a good player, so that is not very hard to adapt to.”

Going into the WHL final, there was no clear cut favourite.

Everett topped the WHL regular season standings, the Western Conference and the U.S. Division with a 57-8-2-1 record and was rated first in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The Silvertips 57 wins and 117 standings points are team records.

Prince Albert topped the Eastern Conference, claimed the East Division title and finished second overall in the WHL with a 52-10-5-1 mark. The Raiders were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

The Raiders and Silvertips went head-to-head once in the regular season, where Prince Albert posted a 4-1 victory on November 11, 2025 at the Angel of the Winds Arena.

Anders Miller makes one of his 18 saves in goal for the Silvertips.

On the key injury front, the Raiders were without star left-winger Brandon Gorzynski with an undisclosed injury. 

He was injured in Game 2 of the WHL Eastern Conference Championship Series that the Raiders dropped 5-0 to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers at the Hauser.

The Silvertips were without star defenceman and captain Tarin Smith with an undisclosed injury. 

He was injured in Game 4 of a 6-3 victory over the Winterhawks in Portland as Everett closed out the first round series between the two clubs at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Brek Liske had a pair of assists for the Silvertips.

After the dust settled from Game 3 on Tuesday, Hamilton was pleased his squad took the series lead.

“We got it done,” said Hamilton. “Sometimes, how you want it scripted and how it gets scripted are two different things.

“We took the hand we were dealt there, and we really got it over the line. I was proud of our group in that third. (We are) one step further down the road.”

McDonald is looking forward to his team battling back. The Raiders trailed the Eastern Conference Championship Series 2-1 against the Medicine Hat Tigers before rallying to take that set in six games.

“It is never easy here in the finals,” said McDonald. “No games are ever easy.

The Silvertips celebrate their Game 3 win on Tuesday night.

“You just have to keep fighting. You have to keep striving for that consistent 60-minute effort and keep making sure that our details and our habits are tight and keep inching forward.”

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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