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.

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