Party is on in P.A. – Raiders blank Oil Kings 5-0 in Game 7

The Raiders begin to celebrate their series win on Tuesday night.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Lukas Dragicevic will always have a place in his heart for the fans of the Prince Albert Raiders.

The 19-year-old star defenceman loves how the fans in “Hockey Town North” always have his team’s back. Having been traded by the Tri-City Americans to the Raiders before the 2024-25 campaign began on July 24, 2024, Dragicevic has given the Raiders faithful plenty of thrills, and the Richmond, B.C., product has taken that up a level in the post-season.

After the Raiders fell behind 3-1 in a best-of-seven first round series to the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL Playoffs, Dragicevic delivered game-winning goals in Games 5 and 6 to help the Raiders even the series 3-3. On Tuesday night, he came up with another big game in a series-deciding Game 7.

Part of the sellout crowd of 3,293 spectators salutes the Raiders.

Dragicevic recorded one goal, three assists and a plus-two rating in the plus-minus department to help power the Raiders to a 5-0 victory over the visiting Oil Kings before a raucous sellout crowd of 3,293 spectators at the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre, which is the Prince Albert side’s storied and historic home rink. The win allowed the Raiders to claim the series 4-3.

“I don’t even know what to say about the fans,” said Dragicevic. “It is crazy.

“I saw a video today of a school in my neighbourhood, actually, and there were about 10 to 15 kids that were all wearing Raiders jerseys. They were lining up and chanting ‘go Raiders go,’ and stuff like that. We go to Tim Horton’s down the street, and we see a bunch of guys, and they’re all just like, ‘we believe in you.’

The Raiders and Oil Kings take part in the handshake line.

“They’ll buy us coffees and stuff like that, so it is unbelievable the support that we have every single day, not even game days, just every single day, practice days and off days. We run into fans all the time, and just the support that we have is unbelievable.”

Dragicevic, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 196 pounds, played a major part in the Raiders series comeback. In the Raiders three straight wins they put together to take the series, Dragicevic posted four goals, four assists and a plus-four rating.

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

The rally marked the first time the Raiders came back to win a series after trailing 3-1 since 1996. In 1996, the Raiders trailed the Regina Pats 3-1 in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series. Prince Albert rallied for three straight wins to take the set 4-3 which included a 5-1 victory in Game 7 at the Art Hauser Centre, which was then known as the Comuniplex, on April 10^th of that year.

While he had a huge last three games and series, Dragicevic said everyone on the Raiders played a big part in the series victory over the Oil Kings.

“We play a full team game,” said Dragicevic, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Seattle Kraken. “That has been kind of our motto all year is depth and everybody contributes.

Lukas Sawchyn (#95) is checked by Harrison Lodewyk (#29).

“I’m an offensive guy. I have to put up points or else what am I doing out there, right? I’m so fortunate to play with great players that help me score goals and help me set up plays.

“It is not all me. It is not me at all. It is the other guys that are contributing offensively and putting themselves in good spots for me to hit them, and they’re burying it. It is a lot to them as well.”

Shortly after the opening faceoff, it looked like the visiting Oil Kings would get the jump on the host Raiders. Oil Kings overage defenceman Josh Mori brought the puck into the Prince Albert zone on an offensive rush and rang a shot off the crossbar.

A young fan cheers on the Raiders.

The Raiders proceeded to open the scoring at the 7:40 mark of the opening frame right as a power play expired. Dragicevic fired a shot on goal from the left point that Oil King rookie netminder Ethan Simcoe, who turned 19-years-old in March, turned away with a pad save.

The puck proceeded to rebound out to Raiders 19-year-old star centre Aiden Oiring at the right side of the Edmonton net. Oiring pushed the puck past a fallen Simcoe and it just trickled over the goal line to give the Raiders 1-0 lead.

Just over six minutes later, Oil Kings captain Gavin Hodnett bobbled receiving a pass in his down zone causing the puck to land on the stick of Raiders 16-year-old rookie right-winger Ty Meunier. Meunier skated to the front of the Edmonton goal and roofed a shot to the top right corner of the net to push the Raiders lead out to 2-0. The St. Albert, Alta., product enjoyed playing a part in the Raiders series win.

Aiden Oiring scored the Raiders first goal on Tuesday.

“It is pretty special to be winning the first round as a 16-year-old and experience this whole playoff atmosphere as a first year,” said Meunier. “I just hope it continues.”

The teams played through a fairly even second period, but the Raiders came up with a big dagger in the frame. With 1:28 remaining in the stanza, Dragicevic floated a point shot at the Edmonton goal, which ended up in the back of the net to extend the Raiders lead to 3-0.

The hosts proceeded to round out the win with a pair of power-play goals in the third. With 9:16 remaining in the frame, a Dragicevic point shot was tipped home in front of the Edmonton net by Raiders star 20-year-old left-winger Niall Crocker to give the Raiders a 4-0 advantage.

Ty Meunier had the Raiders second goal on Tuesday.

With 5:31 remaining in the third, Dragicevic and breakout rookie defenceman Daxon Rudolph combined to set up 20-year-old right-winger Rilen Kovacevic for a one-time shot, which he buried from the left side of the Edmonton net to round out the 5-0 final score.

Shortly after Kovacevic’s tally, Oil Kings right-winger Landon Hanson and Raiders rookie centre Ethan Bibeau engaged in a short fight.

Still, Kovacevic’s tally really got the part going in earnest by the Raiders faithful. Raiders interim head coach Ryan McDonald said the atmosphere in the Hauser is special.

“As a kid born and raised in Prince Albert, I mean it is exciting in this rink,” said McDonald. “It is electric.

Max Hildebrand covers up one of his 30 saves for the Raiders.

“We know how passionate our fans are and how supportive our fans are. We just can’t thank them enough for their support.”

The bench boss was impressed by the performance of Dragicevic in the Raiders three straight wins that allowed them to take the series.

“He (Dragicevic) is just taking his game to another level,” said McDonald. “He is just continuing to elevate.

“Big players shine in big moments, and he did a tremendous job for us again tonight.”

Niall Crocker tipped home a power-play goal for the Raiders.

Max Hildebrand stopped all 30 shots he faced to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Raiders. Simcoe turned away 18 shots in to take the setback in net for the Oil Kings.

The Raiders were 2-for-5 with the power play, while the Oil Kings failed to score on three chances with the man advantage.

Hildebrand did make a number of highlight reel saves for the Raiders. Overall, the star netminder thought his side played a fairly complete game.

“I thought it was very clean,” said Hildebrand. “When you play a team that many times especially in a row like that, it is kind of just you’re bound to know kind of what is coming.

“I thought we did a great job with our systems tonight and played hard. This one for the most part, the P.K. came up huge. Obviously, the power play was very big again for us.”

The Raiders celebrate a goal from Rilen Kovacevic, centre.

The Raiders entered the series having won the WHL’s East Division title with a 39-23-5-1 mark. The Oil Kings were seventh overall in the Eastern Conference with a 37-27-2-2 mark.

Prince Albert took the regular season series against Edmonton claiming three regulation victories in five head-to-head encounters.

The Raiders were without star left-winger Tomas Mrsic for a second straight contest having suffered a skate cut late in the first period of the Raiders victory in Game 5. Raiders breakout 19-year-old star right-winger Brayden Dube was also out of the lineup with a nagging injury he tried to play with in Game 6 but was used sparingly in that contest.

The Raiders pour off their bench to celebrate their series win.

The Oil Kings had rookie star right-winger Lukas Sawchyn, who turned 18-years-old in February, back on the ice after missing two games with an undisclosed ailment.

The Raiders now advance to a best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Medicine Hat Tigers. Game 1 of that series is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. local time at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat.

The Tigers topped the Eastern Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season with a 47-17-3-1 mark.

McDonald said his team’s ability to persevere will key as the Raiders go forward in the post-season. On top of battling back to win the series against the Oil Kings, McDonald remembers his club started the regular season 2-7-2 after going on a road trip through B.C. and rebounded to win a division title. He appreciates his team’s ability to grind.

“We have a really resilient group,” said McDonald. “We’ve fought the fight since October to get to where we are.

The Raiders salute their faithful at the Art Hauser Centre.

“(We have) the brotherhood in there and the compete and the willingness to continue to just stick to it no matter what happens. We play until the final buzzer goes, and we’ve been doing that for years and years and years. It is great to see the guys get rewarded.”

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Get ready for another classic Game 7 Tuesday

The Raiders celebrate Dante Hannoun’s OT winner on May 13, 2019. 

How many Prince Albert Raiders fans remember Dante Hannoun’s overtime goal?

The above query is a rhetorical one for most in “Hockey Town North.” If a Raiders fan has trouble remembering the Dante Hannoun goal, they were either not born yet, recently began following WHL hockey or are living under a rock.

The moment came in what was arguably the most exciting Game 7 played in the history of the WHL. It occurred in the league championship series in 2019 at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre.

You don’t even need to see video footage to picture it. For most Raiders fans, that scene is ingrained in their memory.

The Raiders were locked in a 2-2 tie in overtime with the Vancouver Giants. The winner was going to the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup.

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

Raiders veterans come up clutch in 4-3 win in Game 6

Prince Albert forces series-deciding Game 7 with Oil Kings

Lukas Dragicevic scored the Game 6 winner for the Raiders.

Lukas Dragicevic, Rilen Kovacevic, Aiden Oiring and Max Hildebrand are trying to live up to a cliché that says, “Legends are made in the playoffs.”

The four veterans had monster efforts on Sunday to ensure their Prince Albert Raiders would stave off elimination from the WHL Playoffs for a second straight game. Locked in a 3-3 tie with the host Edmonton Oil Kings late in the third period of Game 6 of a best-seven-series first round series in the WHL Playoffs, Oil Kings overage defenceman Josh Mori would take a hooking penalty with 63 seconds remaining in the frame.

Working on the ensuing power play, Kovacevic, who is a star overage right-winger, passed the puck from the right wing to Dragicevic, who was positioned on the point just inside the centre of the blue-line. Dragicevic, who is a star 19-year-old defenceman, one-timed home a shot with 52.2 seconds remaining in the frame to put the Raiders up 4-3.

The Raiders proceed to kill of the rest of the time in the frame to make the 4-3 score hold up as the game’s final outcome to the disappointment of most of the 5,052 spectators in attendance at Rogers Place.

With the win, the Raiders even up the best-of-seven series at 3-3. They force a series-deciding Game 7 that is set back at their storied and historic home rink in the Art Hauser Centre for Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The winner of Game 7 will advance to a best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series to take on the Medicine Hat Tigers. The Tigers topped the Eastern Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season with a 47-17-3-1 mark.

Dragicevic netted the winning goal for the second straight game for the Raiders. In Game 5 on Friday night at the Art Hauser Centre, Dragicevic netted two goals including the winner, one assist and a plus-two rating in the plus-minus department in a 4-2 win on that night.

The Raiders were trailing their series with the Oil Kings 3-1 before rallying to win the last two contests to even the series up at 3-3.

Prince Albert will be attempting to rally and win a series they were down 3-1 in for the first time since 1996. In 1996, the Raiders trailed the Regina Pats 3-1 in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series. Prince Albert rallied for three straight wins to take the set 4-3 which included a 5-1 victory in Game 7 at the Art Hauser Centre, which was then known as the Comuniplex, on April 10th of that year.

Aiden Oiring had a pair of goals for the Raiders.

In Sunday’s win over the Oil Kings, Kovacevic had one goal, three assists and a plus-two rating. Oiring had a pair of goals and a plus-one rating. Hildebrand, who is the Raiders star 20-year-old netminder, made 30 saves to backstop the Prince Albert side to victory.

Breakout rookie defenceman Daxon Rudolph, who turned 17-years-old in March, had a pair of assists to aid the Raiders triumph.

The Game 6 clash started out as more of a tight-checking affair. The Oil Kings exited the first period with a 1-0 lead thanks to a power-play goal coming from overage centre and ace agitator Marshall Finnie. Finnie deflected home a shot from Oil Kings captain Gavin Hodnett to give the host side a one-goal lead with 2:14 to play in the opening frame.

The Raiders had a goal disallowed at the 10:17 mark of the first, when it was ruled 16-year-old rookie right-winger Ty Menuier deflected home a tally with a high stick. The officials went to a video review to confirm the call.

At the 8:34 mark of the second, the Raiders evened the score at 1-1 with their first power-play goal of the night. Kovacevic had the puck on the right-wing boards and fed a pass across the face the Edmonton goal to Oiring, who was positioned by the left post. Oiring tapped home the equalizer for the only tally of the frame.

After a tight checking first 40 minutes, the third period turned into a wide open 1980s style game.

Just 58 seconds into the frame, Kovacevic sniped home a breakaway tally short-handed to put the Raiders up 2-1. At the 6:19 mark of the stanza, Oiring netted his second of the contest lifting a shot to the top left corner of the Edmonton net close in at the left side of the goal to give the visitors a 3-1 edge.

The Oil Kings answered back just 13 seconds later. Oil Kings 20-year-old left-winger Rylen Roersma potted a rebound from Landon Hanson shot that rebounded out to the left faceoff circle to cut the Raiders lead to 3-2.

Hanson than fired home the equalizer on a shot from a right-wing rush just 61 seconds later to force a 3-3. The Oil Kings second-year right-winger snuck a shot between the legs of Hildebrand.

Daxon Rudolph had two assists for the Raiders.

It looked like all the momentum was going to go in the host side’s favour after Raiders 20-year-old left-winger Niall Crocker took a double minor for high-sticking with 8:26 remaining in the third. Crocker’s infraction will be automatically reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

Oil Kings star left-winger Adam Jecho hit the post early in the four-minute power-play chance. The Raiders proceeded to get a big penalty kill to change the momentum of the contest once again.

That set the stage for Dragicevic to score his winner with Crocker providing a screen in front of Oil Kings rookie netminder Ethan Simcoe, who turned 19-years-old in early March. The officials video reviewed the goal checking for possible incidental contact by Crocker on Simcoe, but the video showed Crocker contacted Simcoe after the puck from Dragicevic’s shot entered the Edmonton net.

Simcoe turned away 19 shots to take the setback in net for the Oil Kings.

The Raiders entered the series having won the WHL’s East Division title with a 39-23-5-1 mark. The Oil Kings were seventh overall in the Eastern Conference with a 37-27-2-2 mark.

Prince Albert took the regular season series against Edmonton claiming three regulation victories in five head-to-head encounters.

Both sides are starting to deal with their issues on the health front too. Raiders star left-winger Tomas Mrsic was lost to a skate cut late in the first period of the Raiders Game 5 victory. The Oil Kings were without rookie star right-winger Lukas Sawchyn, who turned 18-years-old in February, with an undisclosed ailment for a second straight contest.

The Raiders and Oil Kings have played highly competitive and even series, so it seems fitting the set goes to a winner-take-all Game 7.

The last time the Raiders played a Game 7 in the WHL Playoffs came back on May 13, 2019 in the WHL Championship Series. On that night at the Art Hauser Centre, Dante Hannoun scored his famed overtime winner to give the Raiders a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants and helped the Raiders capture the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions.

Max Hildebrand made 30 saves in goal for the Raiders.

Now, we get to see who will shine in the upcoming Game 7 between the Raiders and Oil Kings and add to the WHL’s post-season lore.

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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Dragicevic, Raiders drag series back to Edmonton

Prince Albert stays alive with Game 5 win over Oil Kings

The Raiders celebrate their Game 5 on Friday night.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Lukas Dragicevic is dragging everyone back to Edmonton.

With his team facing elimination from the WHL Playoffs, the Prince Albert Raiders star defenceman came up with a monster effort scoring a pair of goals and collecting an assist to go with a plus-two rating in the plus-minus category. Thanks to his big Friday night, Dragicevic powered the Raiders to a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings in Game 5 of a best-of-seven first round series before an ecstatic standing room crowd of 3,222 spectators at the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre.

Lukas Dragicevic had two goals and an assist on Friday.

The win allowed the Raiders to cut the Oil Kings lead in the series to 3-2. Game 6 is set to be held at Rogers Place in Edmonton at 4 p.m. local time on Sunday.

“It was huge,” said Dragicevic. “Obviously, we knew what was at stake.

“We talked about that in the room. Leading up to the game, we knew what was at stake. We pushed, and we had a great team effort.”

Having been traded by the Tri-City Americans to the Raiders before the 2024-25 campaign began on July 24, 2024, Dragicevic has taken the Raiders faithful to heart. The Richmond, B.C., product loves the support his Raiders receive from the folks in “Hockey Town North” that fill the Hauser on a nightly basis.

Max Hildebrand stopped 36 shots in goal for the Raiders.

“They’ve been by our side all year,” said Dragicevic. “They’ve showed up every single night.

“To win for them is great. We’re going to force a Game 7, and we’re going to be back in front of them.”

If the Raiders win Game 6 in Edmonton on Sunday, they will force a series-deciding Game 7, which is set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. back at the Hauser. To start that journey to get to a potential Game 7, the Raiders had to take care of business in Game 5 first on Friday.

The Oil Kings came out with some early zip getting the first six shots on goal in the contest, but they were stoned by Raiders star 20-year-old netminder Max Hildebrand. Hildebrand denied Oil Kings overage centre and ace agitator Marshall Finnie close in twice on one sequence and turned away a toe drag snipe shot from Edmonton captain Gavin Hodnett on another.

Tomas Mrsic had the Raiders first goal on Friday.

The Raiders proceeded to push back at that point resulting in an offensive zone faceoff just over six minutes in the opening frame. Raiders star centre Aiden Oiring won the draw back to 19-year-old import defensive-defenceman Vojtech Vochvest, who passed the puck to Dragicevic at the right point.

Dragicevic fed the puck down to star left-winger Tomas Mrsic, who was skating through the right faceoff circle. Mrsic put home a backhand shot through a screen to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead at the 6:17 mark of the frame.

Unfortunately, the Raiders would lose Mrsic for the night with about four minutes to play in the opening frame while working on the power play. Mrsic was in the left corner of the Edmonton zone when he was accidentally cut in the face area by the skate of a falling Oil Kings player.

Ethan MacKenzie had the Oil Kings first goal on Friday.

Mrsic left the game and didn’t return. Raiders interim head coach Ryan McDonald didn’t have an update on the status regarding the skilled forward at game’s end.

Moments after Mrsic left the game and the Raiders still working the power play, the hosts entered the Edmonton zone on a rush. Dragicevic received a pass from star 20-year-old left-winger Niall Crocker and roofed home a shot from the right faceoff dot to the top left corner of the Edmonton net to push the Raiders lead out to 2-0.

While the Raiders held that two-goal edge going into the first intermission, Dragicevic said his squad knew the rest of the game would still be a battle.

“Obviously when we get up 2-0, we know that they’re going to push, and they did,” said Dragicevic. “We pushed harder, and we ended up winning.”

Landon Hanson had the Oil Kings second goal on Friday.

Early in the second, Raiders physical defensive-defenceman Matteo Fabrizi did his best impression of former NHL star offensively gifted rearguard Nicklas Lidstrom. Fabrizi jetted down the left wing with the puck cut across the front of the Oil Kings net and put a backhand shot on target.

Fabrizi’s shot slipped through Oil Kings rookie netminder Ethan Simcoe, who turned 19-years-old in March, and the puck was slowly sliding towards going into the Edmonton net. Oil Kings sophomore 17-year-old defenceman Blake Fiddler stopped the puck just before goal line and slid it under Simcoe to get a stoppage in play.

From that point, the Oil Kings mounted a push back. At the 11:59 mark of the second, Oil Kings 18-year-year old defenceman Ethan MacKenzie drove home a midrange shot through a screen from the front of the Prince Albert net for a power-play goal that cut the Raiders lead to 2-1.

Blake Fiddler made a big defensive play to prevent a goal.

With 3:37 remaining in the second, Dragicevic wired home his second of the contest to the top left corner of the Edmonton net to push the Raiders lead out to 3-1. McDonald was pleased to see Dragicevic come up with a clutch performance.

“He (Dragicevic) was fantastic,” said McDonald. “He made a great entry play on the power play and had a great shot.

“His second one he just came down off the point, and what a shot to be the goalie. He is moving pucks quick and making sure he is playing north and jumping in the rush when he has opportunities.”

The visitors responded with 93 seconds remaining in the second when Oil Kings right-winger Landon Hanson jetted into the Prince Albert zone on a rush down the right wing and wristed home a shot to the top right corner of the Raiders net to trim the host side’s lead to 3-2.

Aiden Oiring (#19) had an empty-net goal for the Raiders.

The Raiders ensured the Oil Kings wouldn’t comeback all the way. With 82 seconds remaining in the third, Oil Kings star right-winger Gracyn Sawchyn was coming up ice the with the puck and blew a tire and went down on his own in front of the Raiders bench.

Oiring pounced on the gift of a loose puck and sent it into the Edmonton goal for a long empty-net tally that sealed the 4-2 final outcome in favour of the Raiders.

The contest did end with a big scrum in the Prince Albert zone that was calmly broken up by the officials.

Hildebrand stopped 36 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Simcoe turned away 22-of-25 shots to take the setback in net for the Oil Kings.

Matteo Fabrizi created excitement with an offensive rush.

Oiring had a pair of assists to go with his empty-net goal in the win.

Both sides are starting to deal with their issues on the health front too. Raiders breakout star right-winger Brayden Dube participated in warm up but didn’t play in Friday’s contest due to an undisclosed ailment. When Mrsic was lost to a skate cut late in the first, the Raiders were without their two players who surpassed the 30-goal plateau during the regular season.

The Oil Kings were without rookie star right-winger Lukas Sawchyn, who turned 18-years-old in February, with an undisclosed ailment.

McDonald was impressed how his players raised the level of their game when they had teammates have to leave the lineup due to injury.

Niall Crocker had an assist for the Raiders on Friday.

“It just speaks to the character in that room,” said McDonald. “The guys, they battle, and they battle hard.

“They play the right way and manage pucks. It is the next man up mentality. They cheer each other on, and they battle hard for each other.”

The Raiders entered the series having won the WHL’s East Division title with a 39-23-5-1 mark. The Oil Kings were seventh overall in the Eastern Conference with a 37-27-2-2 mark.

Prince Albert took the regular season series against Edmonton claiming three regulation victories in five head-to-head encounters.

The Raiders and Oil Kings scrum it up to end Friday’s game.

The winner of the series between the Raiders and the Oil Kings will advance to face the Medicine Hat Tigers in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series. 

The Tigers, who finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 47-17-3-1 mark, eliminated the Swift Current Broncos in five games in a first round series between those two clubs. 

The Tigers claimed a 3-2 victory in Game 5 on Friday in Medicine Hat.

The Calgary Hitmen, who were third overall in the WHL regular season standings with a 45-17-3-3 mark, will face the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who were sixth overall in the league during the regular season with a 42-21-3-2 record, in the other Eastern Conference semifinal. 

The Raiders faithful cheer on their team.

The Hurricanes beat the visiting Wheat Kings 5-2 in Game 5 on Friday in Lethbridge to close out that first round series.

Starting in the second round, the conference brackets in the WHL Playoffs reseed via regular season standing points. The division winners are given the top two seeds in the first round.

For the moment, the Raiders focus is on winning Game 6 of their series with the Oil Kings on Sunday in Edmonton to continue to stay alive in the WHL post-season.

The Raiders salute their faithful at the Art Hauser Centre.

“We’re in a one-game series again,” said McDonald. “We’re working on the next one, and that is the next game in Edmonton.”

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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Hitmen sweep away Blades, roll to 6-2 victory in Game 4

Blades captain Ben Saunderson (#2) takes part in the handshake line.

Ben Saunderson plans to be watching his Saskatoon Blades proudly as an alumnus.

On Wednesday,  the Blades 20-year-old captain’s WHL career came to an end as his squad fell 6-2 to the visiting Calgary Hitmen in Game 4 of a best-of-seven first round series of the WHL Playoffs. With the win, the Hitmen sweep the set 4-0 and advance to a best-of-seven Eastern Conference Semifinal Series.

Following the game, Saunderson took a skate where he was saluted by the 5,228 spectators in attendance at the SaskTel Centre. Saunderson gave applause back to the Blades faithful.

The Hitmen celebrate their series win on Wednesday.

The Carberry, Man., product joined the Blades on a full-time basis back in the 2020-21 campaign, when Saskatoon club played a shortened 24 game season in a bubble environment at the Brandt Centre in Regina due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that gripped the world. From that beginning, Saunderson helped the Blades advance to WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship Series for two straight years in 2023 and 2024.

A year ago, the Blades entered the playoffs having topped the WHL standings with a 50-13-2-3 mark and were loaded with a lot of star veterans. They advanced to the Eastern Conference Championship series where they fell 3-2 in overtime in Game 7 at the SaskTel Centre to the eventual WHL champion Moose Jaw Warriors.

Ben Saunderson (#2) and Grayden Siepmann hug post-game.

The 2024-25 campaign ended up being a reload season for the Blades, who traded a number of veteran stars before the WHL’s trade deadline back on January 9 acquiring needed draft capital and younger players. Even with those moves, the Blades still comfortably landed in a position to qualify for the WHL Playoffs.

With that knowledge, Saunderson said his squad still wanted to have some success in the post-season. He believes this younger Blades squad took big strides in the 2024-25 campaign.

“It is a really good hockey team over there,” said Saunderson, who had four goals, 32 assists and a plus-15 rating in the plus-minus department in 67 regular season contests in the 2024-25 campaign. “I thought every game we elevated ours.

“Obviously, we didn’t get the result we wanted. Our motto every day this year was just to get better every single day. I’m so proud of our group.

Ben Kindel had a hat trick for the Hitmen.

“Our young guys have stepped up tremendously. There is a very bright future for this team, and it is definitely something I’ll be following.”

The Hitmen entered the series as favourites having finished third overall in the WHL with a 45-17-3-3 record. They were also rated ninth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings that were released on March 25.

The Blades finished sixth overall in the Eastern Conference standings with a 37-23-4-4 mark. They entered the WHL Playoffs with the second youngest roster out of the 16 teams that are playing in the circuit’s post-season with an average age of 17.9 years.

Still, an upset seemed possible. The Blades actually won the season series in the regular season between the two sides recording two regulation wins and one overtime setback in four head-to-head encounters.

Grayden Siepmann (#21) and Ben Kindel (#11) battle for a puck.

The two sides met twice after the trade deadline. The Hitmen posted a 4-1 victory at home on January 10, and the Blades claimed a 6-3 victory at home on February 14.

For the entire series, Calgary was without the services of star overage netminder Daniel Hauser, who holds the WHL record for career regular season goaltending victories at 123. Hauser is out day-to-day with a lower body injury.

Anders Miller, who is an 18-year-old rookie, was solid as Calgary’s starting netminder in the series, and he made 27 saves to pick up the win in goal on Wednesday. In the four games against the Blades, Miller had a 1.50 goals against average and a .933 save percentage. Eric Tu, who is a 16-year-old rookie, is serving as Calgary’s backup netminder.

Tanner Howe had three assists for the Hitmen on Wednesday.

The Blades had a big absence too as they were without 20-year-old left-winger Tanner Scott for a fourth straight post-season game with an upper body injury. Scott last suited up in the Blades final regular season contest when they fell 4-3 to the Raiders in Prince Albert on March 22.

Blades first year head coach Dan DaSilva said his squad faced a big challenge playing the Hitmen because they are a really good hockey team.

“We’re on two different ends of the spectrum, if we’re being honest,” said DaSilva. “They loaded up to go for it, and we sold off to rebuild and then go for it in a couple of years.

“That is the truth, but our guys never shied away for a second. They showed up, (and) they gave everything they had. What else can you ask for as a coach is for guys to just absolutely leave it all on the ice.

Zach Olsen had the Blades first goal on Wednesday.

“Anyone who tries to tell me otherwise is wrong, and I will argue that until the day I die. I’m extremely proud of this group.”

The two sides played through an even opening frame with the Hitmen holding a 14-11 edge in shots on goal. Blades star netminder Evan Gardner and Miller came up big for their respective sides.

The second period was totally the opposite of the opening frame breaking into a 1980s style firewagon type contest. Just 75 seconds into the stanza, the Hitmen jumped ahead 2-0. Gritty veteran centre David Adaszynski scored 38 seconds into the period and star centre Ben Kindel followed with his own tally 37 seconds later.

At the 6:19 mark of the second, Hitmen star defenceman Carter Yakemchuk got the puck at the right point, zipped up the right boards, cut across the front of the Saskatoon net and tucked home a backhander to give the visitors a 3-0 edge.

Hayden Harsanyi had the Blades second goal on Wednesday.

“I give Calgary credit,” said DaSilva. “That is a great example for our guys in a year or two years of what a championship team looks like and how they compete and how they play together and how fast they play and how strong defensively they are.

“It is a great example and a great learning lesson for our guys. I hope we can take something from that.”

The Blades responded with some quick strikes of their own. At the 9:25 mark of the second, rookie right-winger Zach Olsen, who turned 17-years-old in March, fired home a shot from the right faceoff circle in the Calgary zone to cut the Hitmen lead to 3-1. Just 44 seconds after Olsen’s tally, Blades centre Hayden Harsanyi slipped home a shot from in close by the right side of the Calgary net to cut the Hitmen’s advantage to 3-2.

Carter Yakemchuk scored a highlight goal for the Hitmen.

Following Harsanyi’s tally, the crowd at the SaskTel Centre was rocking, but that wouldn’t last long. Just 11 seconds after that marker, Hitmen star right-winger Tanner Howe zipped into the Saskatoon zone on a two-on-one break with Kindel.

Howe passed the puck across the front of the Saskatoon net to Kindel at the right side of the goal. Kindel buried his second of the contest to put the Hitmen up 4-2.

In the third, Hitmen star left-winger Oliver Tulk tallied once during four-versus-four action after offsetting penalties and Kindel completed his hat trick with a short-handed empty-net goal to round out the scoring in the contest.

“Ben (Kindel) is a special talent,” said Hitmen head coach Paul McFarland. “He is one of the best players in this league.

David Adaszynski scored the first goal for the Hitmen.

“I’d love to tell you I was surprised by the hat trick, but that is kind of what we expected out of that player. That top line along with the Adaszynski line I thought for us were the difference in the series.”

Howe finished the contest with three assists. He recorded two goals and seven assists and a plus-six rating in the series.

Evan Gardner turned away 30-of-35 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades.

While the Blades ever held a lead in any of the post-season contest against the Hitmen, Saunderson said he believed his squad put up a good battle on the ice and never gave up when things got tough.

Ben Saunderson played in his final WHL game on Wednesday.

“There was no rollover in the room, on the ice or on the bench,” said Saunderson. “No one was every giving up.

“We fought until the very end every single night. We knew they were a really good team over there, and you’ve got to give credit where credit is due. They are a hell of a hockey team, but we never quit.”

The Hitmen are the first team to win a first round series in this year’s WHL post-season. They now wait to find out who their opponent will be for an Eastern Conference Semifinal Series. McFarland said it will be big for his team to get a lengthy rest period.

“You don’t want to play extra games, obviously, at this time of year,” said McFarland. “It is not easy to sweep anybody.

“We have a tonne of respect for that team and that program. We said it at the start of the series. They have got a winning pedigree over there.

The Blades give their fans a final salute for the 2024-25 campaign.

“We were, obviously, because of that taking this series very serious and not lightly whatsoever. I give our players a lot of credit to get the job done.”

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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Hitmen ready to bring on the brooms against Blades

Calgary claims 4-1 victory in Game 3 in Saskatoon

Tanner Howe (#9) skates off after scoring the Hitmen’s second goal.

Tanner Howe landed a couple of counter punches the Saskatoon Blades couldn’t recover from.

On Tuesday, Howe and his Calgary Hitmen found themselves locked in a 1-1 draw in the second period with the host Saskatoon Blades in Game 3 of a best-of-seven first round series in the WHL Playoffs. At the midway point of the frame, the Blades had a glorious chance to take the lead.

Blades 16-year-old associate player call up right-winger Kohen Lodge received a backdoor pass at the right side of the Calgary net. Lodge fired a puck to what appeared to be an empty cage only to be robbed by Hitmen netminder Anders Miller, who slid across the crease to deflect the puck away with his left skate.

Tanner Howe had one goal and one assist for the Hitmen.

Lodge had been playing with his hometown Red Deer Chiefs under-18 AAA team before joining the Blades for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign. Had he scored on that backdoor opportunity, he would have given the Blades their first lead in any game to date of their current post-season series with the Hitmen.

Just moments later with 8:38 remaining in the second, the Hitmen jumped ahead 2-1, when Howe, who is the Hitmen’s start 19-year-old right-winger, put a backhand shot home from the front of the Saskatoon net.

Only 85 seconds later, Hitmen import defenceman Axel Hurtig passed the puck from the left corner in his own zone up the left wing boards to Howe, who was position right before the red-line. 

David Adaszynski scored the Hitmen’s first goal on Tuesday.

Howe proceeded to redirect puck across the ice to Hitmen 17-year-old centre Ben Kindel, who was jetting into the Saskatoon zone along the right wing. Kindel zipped past the Blades defence on the outside, cut across the front of the Saskatoon net and put home a backhand shot to give Calgary a 3-1 advantage.

The Hitmen would cruise from that point to claim a 4-1 victory to disappoint most of the 5,206 spectators in attendance at the SaskTel Centre. With the win, Calgary takes a 3-0 lead in the series.

The Hitmen will try to close the series out in Game 4 slated for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the SaskTel Centre.

The odds are very long that the Blades will be able to make a comeback winning four straight games. Since the WHL started in 1966-67, only three teams have rallied back from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series to claim the set.

Anders Miller made 20 saves for the Hitmen on Tuesday.

The Spokane Chiefs, who were guided by Mike Babcock as head coach, trailed the Portland Winterhawks 3-0 before rallying to take a first round series 4-3 in 1996. The Kelowna Rockets fell behind the Seattle Thunderbirds 3-0 in 2013 before rallying back to claim that first round series 4-3. The Blades fell behind the Red Deer Rebels 3-0 in an Eastern Conference semifinal series in 2023 and stormed back to take that series 4-3.

Out of the three games the Blades and Hitmen have collided in during the 2025 post-season, Tuesday’s contest was the best effort that was turned in by the Saskatoon side in the set.

The teams played through a fairly even opening frame with the Hitmen finishing the stanza with a lot of late pressure. With 53.2 seconds remaining in the frame, gritty Hitmen centre David Adaszynski tipped home a shot from captain Carson Wetsch to put the visitors up 1-0. Calgary had a 10-5 edge in shots on goal after 20 minutes thanks to their late offensive pressure.

David Lewandowski scored the Blades lone goal on Tuesday.

The Blades came out with some jump in the second period. Just 2:31 into the frame, import rookie left-winger David Lewandowski, who turned 18-years-old in February, blew home a power-play goal from the right faceoff dot to even the score at 1-1.

Following Lewandowski’s goal, Blades star right-winger Tyler Parr, who turned 20-years-old in January, was denied in close by Miller. That set the stage for the robbery Miller made on Lodge and the Hitmen goals that followed from Howe and Kindel that gave the visitors a 3-1 advantage.

The Blades outshot the Hitmen 10-8 in the second period, while Calgary had the edge in total shots on goal 18-15 after 40 minutes.

Tyler Parr was denied on a key second period scoring chance.

The third period was controlled by the Hitmen, who held a 12-6 edge in shots on goal for the frame.

Hitmen star 20-year-old right-winger Connor Hvidston put to bed the competitive part of Tuesday’s contest scoring with 8:27 remaining in the third to push the Calgary lead out to 4-1. Hvidston had the puck in close in front of the Saskatoon net and put a shot past a Blades defenceman to the top left corner of the goal for his first of the post-season.

Evan Gardner turned away 26 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades. Miller stopped 20 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Hitmen.

The Blades were without 20-year-old left-winger Tanner Scott for a third straight post-season game with an upper body injury. 

Ben Kindel scored the third Hitmen goal on Tuesday.

Scott last suited up in the Blades last regular season contest when they fell 4-3 to the Raiders in Prince Albert on March 22.

For the first three games of the post-season, Calgary has been without the services of star overage netminder Daniel Hauser, who holds the WHL record for career regular season goaltending victories at 123. Hauser is out day-to-day with a lower body injury.

Eric Tu, who is a 16-year-old rookie, is serving as Calgary’s backup netminder.

The Hitmen entered the series having finished third overall in the WHL with a 45-17-3-3 record. They were also rated ninth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings that were released on March 25.

The Hitmen celebrate a goal from Connor Hvidston (#21).

The Blades finished sixth overall in the Eastern Conference standings with a 37-23-4-4 mark. They enter the WHL Playoffs with the second youngest roster out of the 16 teams that are playing in the circuit’s post-season with an average age of 17.9 years on their roster.

A year ago, the Blades entered the playoffs having topped the WHL standings with a 50-13-2-3 mark and were loaded with a lot of star veterans. They advanced to the Eastern Conference Championship series where they fell 3-2 in overtime in Game 7 at the SaskTel Centre to the eventual WHL champion Moose Jaw Warriors.

The 2024-25 campaign ended up being a reload season for the Blades, who traded a number of veteran stars before the WHL’s trade deadline back on January 9 acquiring needed draft capital and younger players. Even with those moves, the Blades still comfortably landed in a position to qualify for the WHL Playoffs.

The Hitmen enjoy their win on Tuesday.

Now, they will need a major effort on Wednesday in order to continue to be part of the WHL post-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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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.