At last! “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” returns to the Art Hauser Centre

Raiders down archrival Blades 5-1 to delight of home fans

Raiders D Nolan Allan, left, sets to shoot home his winning goal.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The Prince Albert Raiders ensured their fans got to enjoy their classic guilty pleasure on Friday night.

Taking on their archrivals the Saskatoon Blades, the 2,402 spectators at the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre got to revel in the playing of the Guess Who’s “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” with their Raiders posting a 5-1 victory. The festivities got started inside of the final minute of the third period with the final outcome burned on the scoreboard.

It was a long wait for the Raiders faithful to renew that tradition. The last time they beat the Blades at the Art Hauser Centre was a 3-0 victory back on February 29, 2020.

The Raiders celebrate a power-play goal from Nolan Allan.

Previous to Friday’s encounter, that clash on February 29, 2020 was the last time the Raiders and Blades played a regular season game with fans in the stands and was the last contest the two sides played before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic gripped the world.

The 2019-20 WHL season was ultimately stopped on March 12, 2020. The Raiders and Blades played an abbreviated 24-game regular season this past March and April in a bubble environment in Regina with the WHL’s Saskatchewan and Manitoba based clubs to account for a 2020-21 campaign.

While the Friday’s game was a great night for Raiders fans, Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid said a lot of players on his team are still learning what the rivalry is about.

Reece Vitelli had a goal and an assist for the Raiders.

“You look at since we last played pre-COVID it has been a lot of players that have left and a lot of players that have come in,” said Habscheid, whose team will play the Blades 10 times this season. “I guess the rivalry isn’t at its peak right now.

“I’m sure after 10 games it will get there. It is still the two cities and the rivalry. A lot of players really don’t understand the intensity of it yet.”

Of course, the Raiders veteran players are well aware of what the rivalry is about. Standout 18-year-old defenceman Nolan Allan turned out to score the winning goal floating home a point shot for a power-play tally at the 8:53 mark of the second period.

He enjoyed the fact the Raiders faithful got soak in their special victory song tradition for encounters with the Blades.

Jayden Wiens had the Blades lone goal on Friday.

“It is awesome,” said Allan. “It is what we look forward to.

“We love playing those guys over there. It is an intense rivalry. They are the most fun games to play, so it was fun.”

The Blades looked like they were going to do their best to play spoiler early on. They drew first blood at the 4:40 mark of the opening frame when right-winger Brendan Lee got a smart pass to centre Jayden Wiens, who cut across the front of the Prince Albert net and slipped home a backhand shot between the legs for Raiders netminder Carter Serhyenko.

Just past the midway point of the frame, the Raiders evened things up a 1-1 on a beauty coast to coast break out into the offensive zone. Defenceman Tayem Gislason started the rush firing a pass up ice to right-winger Tyson Laventure.

The Blades celebrate a goal from Jayden Wiens (#9)

Laventure proceeded to spring overage centre Reece Vitelli on a breakaway, and Vitelli snapped the equalizer past Blades star overage netminder Nolan Maier.

The Raiders jumped in front 2-1 on Allan’s goal near the midway point of the second period. On that tally, Allan was trying to put a shot on goal that could potentially be deflected home by a forward.

“I was just trying to get pucks to the net,” said Allan. “That is a big thing that we want to do with our power play.

“I was just trying to get a puck on net.”

Landon Kosior scored a big insurance goal for the Raiders.

With 4:29 remaining in the second, it seemed the momentum was going all out in favour of the Raiders. They appeared to go up 3-1 when captain Kaiden Guhle scored on a point shot with his team on the power play.

The Blades challenged for a video review saying the Raiders were offside when they entered the offensive zone. After video review, the officials indeed ruled the play was offside and waved off the goal.

Shortly after that goal was waved off, the Blades went on the power play and had a couple of huge chances to head into the second intermission with a tie score in the game.

Blades star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic was set up and a perfect backdoor chance only to be robbed by a diving Serhyenko.

Ozzy Wiesblatt had a goal and an assist for the Raiders.

Serhyenko proceeded to stone Blades right-winger Brendan Lee on another backdoor chance to keep the Raiders in front 2-1.

Raiders finally did go up 3-1 with teams playing four-versus-four hockey at the 7:20 mark of the third.

During that stint of four-versus-four play, the Raiders got on a two-on-one. Vitelli passed the puck across the front of the goal in defenceman Landon Kosior who ripped a shot bar down into the Saskatoon net.

Habscheid was pleased with Vitelli’s play along with the outing star 19-year-old right-winger Ozzy Wiesblatt had. Wiesblatt also picked up an assist on Kosior’s goal.

Carter Serhyenko made 24 saves in goal for the Raiders.

“Your overage guys they have to be putting in quality time and be dominate players,” said Habscheid. “I think this was his best game.

“I think this was (Ozzy) Wiesblatt’s best game as well. (Blades star overage centre Tristen) Robins and him being drafted by the same team one round apart, so there is a little bit of I guess rivalry built in there. It was good.

“It was a good game.”

Wiesblatt scored an empty-net goal with 1:56 remaining in the third to put the Raiders up 4-1. Sophomore 16-year-old defenceman Terrell Goldsmith scored his second of the season blasting home a point shot 20 second later to round out the 5-1 victory.

Blades star LW Kyle Crnkovic was held pointless on Friday.

Serhyenko stopped 24 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders (4-7-0-1). Maier turned away 30-of-34 shots in net for the Blades (9-3-1), who are rated eighth in the CHL’s Top 10 rankings.

The Raiders went 1-for-6 on the power play, while the Blades failed to score on seven chances with man advantage.

Robins and Crnkovic were held pointless in the setback. Crnkovic had points in all of the Blades previous 12 games before Friday.

Habscheid thought Friday’s game might have been the Raiders most complete outing of the current campaign.

“We’ve been getting better,” said Habscheid, who guided the Raiders to the WHL championship the last time it was contested in 2019. “It was a bit of I guess disorganized, and then everyday you try and get more organized and get guys to understand the Raider way.

The Raiders salute their fans after Friday’s win.

“These guys (the Blades) have been playing good. Obviously, they are eighth ranked in the country. The last time I checked we are still defending champions.

“We got a taste of it, and we don’t want to give it up.”

The Raiders and Blades go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. Allan said his Raiders have to keep their intensity up in the second half of the home-and-home series.

“I think we are just going to have to stick to our game plan the same thing we did tonight,” said Allan. “We’re going to have to play a full 60 and play our hard, fast style of game.”

Raiders, Blades tabbed for Capital City Challenge

Harrison Lodewyk (#29) was selected for the Capital City Challenge.

The Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades with both have representation at the Capital City Challenge.

The Capital City Challenge is set to run Nov. 26 to Dec. 1 in Ottawa and will feature three men’s under-17 teams and Canada’s senior national women’s hockey team.

Hockey Canada announced on Friday a list of 66 players who will be split into three under-17 teams tabbed Team Canada Black, Team Canada Red and Team Canada White.

The Raiders will be represented by 16-year-old left-winger Harrison Lodewyk. He has appeared in all of the Raiders 12 games this season, and he is still searching for his first point.

He will be joined at that event by Raiders goaltending coach Kelly Guard, who will be the goaltending coach for Team Canada White.

The Blades will be represented by 16-year-old defenceman Tanner Molendyk. Molendyk has appeared in nine game for the Blades this season collecting a goal and three assists.

The McBride, B.C., product is currently out of the Blades lineup listed as being week-to-week with an upper body injury.

Also being named to the under-17 Canadian teams are Saskatoon area 16-year-old star forwards Brayden Yager and Riley Heidt, who play for the Moose Jaw Warriors and Prince George Cougars respectively.

Yager has seven goals and six assists in 12 games so far this season with the Warriors. Heidt has four goals and eight assists to lead the Cougars in scoring with 12 points in 10 games.

Raiders honour moms and billet moms before game

The Raiders players give their moms and billet moms roses.

Before their 5-1 victory over the Saskatoon Blades on Friday night at the Art Hauser Centre, the host Prince Albert Raiders resumed one of their long running traditions.

During a pre-game ceremony, the Raiders honour the moms and billet moms of the players. The moms and billet moms lined up on the ice, and the players brought out roses for them.

Raiders skills coach Mark Odnokon presented roses to long time Raiders billet mom Carole Ring, who sang O Canada before the opening faceoff. Ring was the billet mom for famous Raiders alums Mike Modano and Leon Draisaitl.

The Raiders weren’t able to do this tradition last season playing an abbreviated 24 game campaign in a bubble environment in Regina due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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