Raiders rally past Blades in Valentine’s Day heart stopper

Prince Albert takes tiebreaking shootout 2-0 and contest 5-4

The Raiders celebrate their win on Saturday night.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Sometimes the Prince Albert Raiders have to live out the phrase, “Just win baby.”

The Raiders found a way to do just that in taking on their archrivals the Saskatoon Blades in a regular season clash on Saturday, which was also Valentine’s Day. The contest was likely both thrilling and hard on the hearts for the fans of both squads. The hosts took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission only for the visitor to score four straight in the first 7:42 of the second to surge ahead 4-2.

Prince Albert proceeded to rally back by scoring once during the remaining time in the second and the equalizer in the third to force a 4-4 tie. After the two sides played through a scoreless three-versus-three overtime period, 20-year-old centre Aiden Oiring and star centre Braeden Cootes scored as the first two shooters in the tiebreaking shootout to allow the Raiders to take that session 2-0 and the overall game 5-4 to the delight of most of the 2,892 spectators at the 2,580 seat storied and historic Art Hauser Centre.

Aiden Oiring (#19) puts the shootout winner past Evan Gardner.

The win came off the heels of the Raiders dropping a 4-3 decision to the Wheat Kings in Brandon on Friday. That setback saw Raiders 19-year-old import defenceman Matyas Man be given a suspension with a length to be determined for his part in a second period fight with Wheat Kings 18-year-old right-winger Joby Baumuller, who was injured in the bout.

Man was given a roughing minor, an unsportsmanlike conduct minor, a fighting major and a game misconduct for that fight, while Baumuller was given a fighting major.

Aiden Oiring had an assist in regulation time on Saturday.

After the eight hour bus trip back to Prince Albert, Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald was pleased his side found a way to take Saturday’s clash with the Blades.

“Guys dug deep,” said McDonald. “You know what, we had some tough travel coming back, no excuses, and that is what that room does in there.

“They dig deep right till the end, and it took us 65 plus to get the two points, and those guys played hard right till the bitter end.”

The Raiders, who are rated second in the latest CHL Top 10 Rankings, built their 2-0 lead in the opening 20 minutes with goals coming off the sticks of Ben Harvey and Brandon Gorzynski. Harvey, who is a 16-year-old rookie right-winger, deflected home a backhand shot rookie 18-year-old import left-winger Alisher Sarkenov at the 3:47 mark of the first.

Brayden Klimpke had a pair of assists for the Blades.

Gorzynski put an off-speed shot from the point home through a screen with 25.4 seconds remaining in the opening frame to give the Raiders their two-goal edge.

The Blades quickly erased that advantaged by scoring four straight goals in the first 7:42 of the second to take 4-2 lead. Hunter Laing, with his 21^st goal of the campaign, David Lewandowski, Ben Bowtell and captain Tyler Parr all had singles in the surge. 

Parr capped the goal explosion scoring on a breakaway. With that tally, Parr now has goals in four straight games.

“I think some of our puck management and our risk management started to go a little bit,” said McDonald. “We got under some pucks.

“They started flying some guys out of the zone, and they started getting some rush opportunities. Give them credit, (because) they capitalized on some of our mistakes. Halfway through the second period, the guys snapped back in, and were getting strong through the middle.

Justice Christensen had a pair of assists for the Raiders.

“We had numbers in the picture. We were able to kill those rush opportunities for them and get pucks going back into the other direction.”

Just 51 seconds after Parr’s goal put the Blades in front 4-2, the Raiders got a key traction marker from sophomore right-winger Riley Boychuk, who tipped a puck home from the front of the Saskatoon net. Boychuk got his stick on a shot taken by Gorzynski from the left side boards in the Saskatoon zone.

“It was huge,” said Oiring of his linemate’s goal. “They had a couple of quick ones back to back there.

“When we went out there, we had to shift the momentum a little bit, just put her deep. We got a lucky bounce to put her in the net.”

The Raiders celebrate a first period goal by Ben Harvey (#20).

At the 5:22 mark of the third, the Raiders evened the game’s score at 4-4, when 17-year-old right-winger Brandon Sivertson shoveled home the puck from the front of the Saskatoon net collecting a rebound from a shot he took. Sivertson’s tally was his 19^th goal of the campaign.

“Everyone in our group, we battle right to the end,” said Sivertson. “It is important for everyone to battle hard.”

Both teams had their chances to pull ahead through the remainder of the third. In overtime, Blades 18-year-old centre Kazden Mathies was stopped by Raiders star netminder Michal Orsulak on an early breakaway. That was the Blades only shot on goal in overtime, while the Raiders couldn’t find the back of the Saskatoon net with their seven shots on goal.

Hunter Laing had the Blades first goal on Saturday.

That set the stage for the tiebreaking shootout, where Oiring and Cootes both fired home goals low to the stick side on Blades star netminder Evan Gardner. 

Oiring, who had an assist in regulation time, said the Raiders coaches do scouting work to give the players options on what to do in the shootout.

“We definitely have an idea in our head, and we have a plan A going down,” said Oiring, whose team is 2-0 in tiebreaking shootouts this season. “If we see it, we execute it, but if not, there is a plan B that we are thinking off.

“I think both the shooters really stuck with plan A there.”

Orsulak stopped 18 shots over 65 minutes and both shooters he faced in the shootout to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. 

Tyler Parr scored the Blades fourth goal on Saturday.

Gardner turned away 32 shots over 65 minutes and didn’t turn away any shooters in the shootout to take the extra time setback in net for the Blades.

Raiders captain and star defenceman Justice Christensen finished with two assists and a plus-three rating in the plus-minus department. Blades offensive-defenceman Brayden Klimpke finished with two assists and a plus-one rating.

With the win, the Raiders improved to 41-8-5 to remain first in the Eastern Conference and second overall in the WHL. The Blades remained sixth overall in the Eastern Conference as their record moved to 27-22-4-2.

The Raiders return to action on Monday when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors (2 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

Brock Cripps brings the puck up ice for the Raiders.

The Blades also get back at it on Monday when they travel to Brandon to face the Wheat Kings (2:30 p.m., Assiniboine Credit Union Place).

After the Raiders tied Saturday’s game in the third, McDonald was pleased his players didn’t get discouraged when they couldn’t take the lead in the rest of that frame or win it in overtime. The bench boss liked how his players continued to battle.

“Sometimes it takes longer than 60 minutes,” said McDonald. “In this case tonight, it took 65 plus, but that is our group.

The Raiders salute their faithful at the Art Hauser Centre.

“We just keep pushing and pushing and pushing until we find a way to get it done.”

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