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| The fans at the Art Hauser Centre cheer on the Raiders on April 16. |
As the series between the Raiders and Ice shifts to Prince Albert for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday respectfully at 7 p.m. both nights, the Ice players might get caught off guard about what awaits them at the Art Hauser Centre. It is unlikely they will know what the post-season atmosphere is like inside the Raiders storied home until they are skating on the Hauser’s ice surface.
It is safe to say Ice head coach James Patrick remembers what the playoff atmosphere in the Hauser is like. Patrick played one season for the Raiders back when the team was still in the junior A ranks of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
As a 17-year-old, Patrick starred on defence for the Raiders in 1980-81 and helped them win their third Centennial Cup as national junior A champions. Patrick, who is still viewed as one of the best ever to play defence for the Raiders, was then selected in the first round and ninth overall by the New York Rangers in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, but he never forgot how all of “Hockey Town North” got invested in the Raiders.
Even with Patrick’s experience, it is hard to describe the playoff atmosphere inside the Art Hauser Centre until you are experiencing it in person. That intangible might be the thing that gives the Raiders a boost to get back in their series against the Ice.
This column of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click the link right here.
