Raiders’ Bass grows getting into rivalry with Blades

Rookie netminder comes up clutch Sunday in 3-1 win

Steele Bass (#35) slams the door in goal for the Raiders.

Steele Bass wants to get to where Evan Gardner is.

On Saturday and Sunday, Bass, who is a rookie goaltender with the Prince Albert Raiders, faced Gardner, who is the star veteran netminder of the Saskatoon Blades, in both games of a regular season home-and-home series between the two clubs. The Blades claimed a 4-0 victory in the series opener on Saturday at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert.

Gardner stopped all 29 shots he faced to pick up the shutout, while Bass turned away 12-of-15 shots sent his way. The Blades fourth goal of the contest came into an empty net.

Steele Bass (#35) makes a stop on a second period breakaway.

On Sunday playing before 6,306 spectators at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, the Raiders claimed a 3-1 victory. Bass made 26 saves to pick up the win, while Gardner turned away 45-of-47 shots to take the setback. The Raiders third tally was potted into an empty net.

While Gardner, who turned 20-years-old on January 25, was playing like a superhero trying to steal a victory, Bass said he didn’t try to worry about what the Saskatoon puck stopper was doing to protect his net.

“If anything, I’m kind of looking down there, and I’m learning things from him at the same time where I’m picking things up,” said Bass, who turned 18-years-old on January 4. “That is a goalie that is pretty good.

Steele Bass made 26 saves in the Raiders win on Sunday.

“I looked up to him. I played at the same academy as him and got to get out on the ice with him sometimes. It is kind of cool to look down and see a goalie performing that well and give him kudos for that.”

Both Bass and Gardner came through the Rink Hockey Academy in Kelowna, and the two were there together from 2021 to 2023 on different age group teams. Gardner is the established star with the Blades who is well known throughout the WHL. He was taken in the second round and 60^th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft and has a signed three-year NHL entry-level contract with the team.

Gardner is having another solid year with the Blades. In 37 appearances, he has posted a 19-11-3 record, a 2.68 goals against average, a .911 save percentage and three shutouts.

Evan Gardner made 45 saves in goal for the Blades on Sunday.

Bass started this season with the Raiders before being sent to the junior A ranks with the Battlefords North Stars of the SJHL on October 2, 2025. In nine regular season games with the North Stars, Bass posted a 4-3-2 record, a 3.00 goals against average and a .924 save percentage.

He was recalled to the Raiders this past December when star 18-year-old import rookie netminder Michal Orsulak departed to play and help Czechia win silver at world juniors. When Orsulak returned from world juniors, the Raiders elected to with Orsulak and Bass as their goaltending duo ultimately sending 19-year-old veteran Dimitri Fortin to the junior A ranks with the Calgary Canucks of the AJHL.

Evan Gardner plays the puck during the second period on Sunday.

In nine games with the Raiders, Bass has posted an 8-1 record, a 1.56 goals against average, a .922 save percentage and one shutout. With Orsulak being out of the Raiders lineup day-to-day due to a minor undisclosed injury, Bass got the call to start both games of the home-and-home series against the Blades. He enjoyed facing Gardner in a game like the one on Sunday where the performance of the goaltenders ultimately determines victory.

“I think it is fun,” said Bass, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 166 pounds. “If anything, you kind of treat it as a game.

“You win your period, and that is what is important is to just take 20 minutes at a time and then those penalty kills two minutes at a time. He makes a big save down there, and you’re ready for the next one coming down on you. It is fun.”

Ben Harvey had the Raiders first goal on Sunday.

The Raiders and Blades went into the third period of Sunday’s game locked in a 1-1 tie. Prince Albert started the third working the final 39 seconds of a two-man advantage power play.

The Raiders started the third sending a flurry of shots Gardner’s way. Gardner did his best imitation of legendary NHL goalie Dominik Hasek and miraculously kept the puck out of the Saskatoon net.

After the Blades killed off those penalties, they proceeded to have a glorious chance to go ahead on the scoreboard. Blades import left-winger Dustin Willhoft broke into the Prince Albert zone down the left wing on a two-on-one break.

Willhoft passed the puck across the front of the Prince Albert net to Blades star import right-winger David Lewandowski for a huge backdoor chance. Lewandowski fired the puck at the Prince Albert net only to be denied by Bass sprawling across the crease to make a pad save.

David Lewandowski had the second period equalizer for the Blades.

With 8:10 remaining in the third, the Raiders jumped ahead 2-1 scoring on the power play. Raiders breakout star 19-year-old centre Max Heise had the puck in the right corner of the Saskatoon zone and passed the puck to the centre of the Blades net to star 20-year-old centre Aiden Oiring. Oiring snipped home his 22^nd goal of the campaign to give the visitors a one-goal lead.

Prince Albert sealed victory with 1:32 remaining in the third when star 18-year-old centre Braeden Cootes popped home a long distance empty-net goal for his 15^th of the season from the right boards in his own zone. Cootes’ tally rounded out the 3-1 final score in favour of the Raiders.

The Raiders celebrate a third period winner from Aiden Oiring (#19).

“I thought both goaltenders played extremely well tonight,” said Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald. “Our guy, Steele Bass, made some tremendous saves in there.

“I think in the third period on that two-on-one rush, the big pad save that he comes across to keep the game where it was. “Gards” (Gardner) made some big saves in there as well too. A goalie like that, you’ve got to make sure you’re getting to the paint, you’re getting pucks there, but you’re also getting the guys through there and getting into his eyes and looking for those second and third opportunities.”

McDonald thought Bass played well in the Raiders loss at home on Saturday to the Blades. The bench boss knows it is a different challenge for a goaltender to see limited shots in a game like on Saturday compared to a regular amount of work like on Sunday.

Aiden Oiring has scored 22 goals this season for the Raiders.

McDonald noted goalies face more of a mental challenge in games where they face fewer shots. Overall, he thinks Bass gained a lot of great experience in the home-and-home series against the Blades.

“You’re growing every day, especially for a young goaltender or a young player,” said McDonald. “You’re growing every single day.

“We’re big believers in you win or you learn. Our guys did a tremendous job, and Steele (Bass) did a tremendous job tonight as well too. That is a playoff style game where it is 1-1 going into the third, and you have to defend, you have to keep winning lines and you have to grind it out right until the bitter end.”

Braeden Cootes had an empty-net goal for the Raiders.

Bass said he plans to work harder and be more aware at staying mentally sharp in games where he isn’t seeing a lot of shots. He admitted it was easier to stay focused on the game on Sunday with the workload that came his way.

“It was good to get those shots, especially right off the start of the period,” said Bass. “You’re always just looking for that first one and make those first couple of saves.

“Then, you kind of get into the game, and you stay into it. It is just finding mental ways to do it too, visualizing those saves a little bit. It is nice to get those shots and not just face 10 shots sometimes.”

The Raiders opened the game’s scoring at the 5:34 mark of the opening frame, when 16-year-old rookie right-winger Ben Harvey slipped home a backhand shot in front of the Saskatoon net. The tally was Harvey’s fourth goal of the season.

Dustin Willhoft had an assist for the Blades.

At the 11:54 mark of the second, the Blades evened the score at 1-1 on a goal from Lewandowski. Breaking into the Prince Albert zone on a rush, Willhoft carried the puck down the left wing and passed the puck across the front of the Raiders net to Lewandowski. Lewandowski popped home his 12^th of the campaign for the equalizer.

That set the stage for the dramatics in the third period.

The Raiders, who are rated first in the latest CHL Top 10 Rankings, improved to 37-7-4 with the win to remain second overall in the WHL, first in the Eastern Conference and first in the East Division. They also need just one more standings point to officially lock up a berth in the WHL Playoffs. The Blades fell to 25-20-3-1 to remain entrenched for sixth in the Eastern Conference.

Daxon Rudolph controls the puck for the Raiders.

The Blades return to action on Tuesday when they host the Calgary Hitmen (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

The Raiders get back at it on Wednesday when they return home to host the Hitmen (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

Still, McDonald added it is always important for his club and his team’s fans to pick up wins over their archrivals in the Blades.

“You’re playing your biggest rival,” said McDonald. “You could ask them the same question, and I’m sure they would give you the same answer.

“These two teams they really get up to play each other. Tip your cap to them. They played a tremendous game tonight as well too, and it was a really good hockey game out there.

The Raiders celebrate their win on Sunday.

“That is a playoff style game where you’re fighting for every inch and right until the bitter end and a tight checking game that again the last shot won. You just have to keep itching forward and keep fighting for that inch.”

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