Raiders’ captain leads way in bounce back win

Vitelli’s three-point effort powers 4-1 victory over Blades

Reece Vitelli had two goals and an assist for the Raiders.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The captain ensured his Prince Albert Raiders left the stumble against the Swift Current Broncos in the rearview mirror.

Going into their WHL regular season clash on Saturday against the visiting Saskatoon Blades, the Raiders aimed to bounce back from a disappointing effort in a 6-3 setback against the Broncos at home last Wednesday night.

Captain Reece Vitelli provided the spark the Raiders needed. The 20-year-old centre collected a pair of goals and an assist to power the Raiders past the archrival Blades 4-1 to the delight of the standing room crowd of 2,721 spectators at the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre outside of a small contingent of Blades fans.

Vitelli scored his second goal of the contest into an empty net with 2:24 remaining in the third period to round out the 4-1 final. That allowed the Raiders faithful to indulge in the playing of The Guess Who’s “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” for an extra long period of time.

Reece Vitelli and the Raiders played a strong game on Saturday.

“Whenever we beat the Blades, it is awesome,” said Vitelli, whose team wore special alternate uniforms on Saturday. “The crowd was unreal tonight.

“It was one of the biggest crowds this year definitely. They were loud and in it, so it was awesome.”

For the Raiders who are in a heated race for the last two playoff berths in the WHL’s Eastern Conference, the bounce back win was the biggest thing on Saturday, and the fact that victory came over the Blades was a bonus.

Reece Vitelli, right, battles past a Blades defenceman.

“We knew we had to be committed and be better from last game,” said Vitelli. “We need (the standings) points.

“We were just moving our feet and playing together as a team. Guys stepped up, and it was awesome.”

The Raiders came out of the gate bringing the physical play with right-winger Dallyn Peekeekoot and defenceman Terrell Goldsmith throwing big hits.

The hosts held a 15-5 edge in shots on goal over the opening 20 minutes and had the three best scoring chances in the frame. The first chance came from left-winger Sloan Stanick who couldn’t bury a goal during a net scramble where Blades overage star netminder Nolan Maier slipped down on the ground.

Vladislav Shilo scored for the Raiders on Saturday.

Prince Albert left-winger Keaton Sorensen tried to score on a wraparound chance with about 30 seconds remaining in the first, but he was stopped by Maier. In the final seconds of the opening frame, Raiders standout defenceman Nolan Allan drove a midrange shot off the post of the Saskatoon goal.

Just 1:51 into the second, the Raiders jumped ahead 1-0 when Vitelli slipped home a shot from a bad angle by the right side boards.

Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid said Vitelli’s goal at that point in the contest was huge. The veteran star bench boss added the Blades could have turned the game on its ear had they gotten the first goal after the Raiders had carried the play to that point in time.

Josh Paulhus had the Blades lone goal on Saturday.

“It was one of those games where the first period was pretty dominant,” said Habscheid. “The start of the second was too.

“Then if they (the Blades) happen to sneak one in, all of sudden they get belief, and we maybe get on our heels a little bit. We knew that first goal was important especially going into the second period. We got it.

“Then, we really seemed to carry the period from there.”

The hosts extended their edge to 2-0 just 77 seconds later on a goal from import right-winger Vladislav Shilo. Shilo had the puck alone in front of Maier at the right side of the Saskatoon goal, made a toe drag move and lifted home a high shot for his fifth tally of the season.

The Raiders celebrate a goal from Landon Kosior, centre.

The Blades caused a pause to the Raiders run at the 10:01 mark of the second, when Saskatoon left-winger Josh Paulhus floated in a shot on a rush down the right wing to cut the host’s lead to 2-1.

Just 82 seconds later, the Raiders restored their two-goal edge going ahead 3-1 with offensive-defenceman Landon Kosior fired home a seeing-eye shot from the right point.

Vitelli said it was big for Kosior to come through in that moment after the Blades had trimmed the Raiders lead to one goal.

“He (Kosior) has been a rock back there,” said Vitelli, who picked up his assist on Kosior’s goal. “He has been our best defenceman.

Dallyn Peekeekoot played a strong physical game for the Raiders.

“He controls the play so well out there, and he skates so well. He has an unreal shot. He has 16 goals this year as a defenceman.

“Whenever that guy is shooting from anywhere, it has a good chance of going in. We’re all confident in him, and he has been playing very well.”

The Raiders were able to clamp down the game defensively in the third to set the stage for Vitelli to get his empty netter.

Tikhon Chaika stopped 25 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders (24-29-3-1). Nolan Maier turned away 31 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades (33-21-3-1).

Habscheid said he thought the Raiders were pretty dominant on Saturday night. He liked how his players responded after falling to the Broncos last Wednesday and believed they would have a better outing against the Blades.

The Raiders and Blades scrum it up.

“You never doubt their character for sure,” said Habscheid, whose Raiders are 5-1-1 in their last seven games. “They were ticked off.

“Everybody was ticked off about it. When you watch the tape, it just wasn’t a good effort. Sometimes, we had some chances to score tonight, and they didn’t go in.

“Guys try so you can’t get upset with that. With effort, togetherness and attention to detail, those are non-negotiable when you put on the Raiders jersey. Tonight, they did that.”

Centre Evan Herman takes care of the puck in the defensive zone.

The Raiders return to action on Tuesday when they host the WHL East Division leading Winnipeg Ice (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

The Blades get back at it on Wednesday when they host the Ice (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

The Raiders have won three out of their five head-to-head meetings so far this season with the Ice. Before even thinking about the Ice, Habscheid said he wanted his team to enjoy the win over the Blades for the night.

The Raiders salute their fans after their win on Saturday.

“I haven’t even thought about it (the game with the Ice),” said Habscheid. “They (the Ice) are good.

“We’re just going to take this, enjoy it and worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.”

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