Captain Christensen will forever cherish his Raiders days

Justice Christensen salutes the Art Hauser Centre faithful on Friday.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Justice Christensen didn’t want to think about his time ending with the Prince Albert Raiders until that moment actually happened.

That moment came to pass on Friday before a sellout crowd of 3,299 spectators at the storied and historic 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre. The Raiders dropped a 7-2 decision to the visiting Everett Silvertips in Game 5 of the WHL Championship Series. With that win, the Silvertips took the best-of-seven set 4-1 and will play in the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup.

Christensen wanted the final goodbyes to come after a WHL title win, a trip to Kelowna, B.C. for the Memorial Cup and a championship win at that event. Instead, Christensen took a final lap in front of the Raiders faithful being named to the game’s three stars along with Raiders overage star forwards Brayden Dube and Aiden Oiring.

“It has been incredible,” said Christensen, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 191 pounds. “I think the reason why I’m so emotional right now is because of the memories and the journey I’ve been through to get here.

Justice Christensen played all four of his WHL seasons with the Raiders.

“To spend four years on the same team is something not many people get to say. That I was able to spend four years here and be a captain for two and just have so many memories, it was great. I couldn’t say a bad thing about my time in P.A.”

Christensen arrived with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent before the start of the 2022-23 campaign. The reliable defenceman was named the team’s captain before the start of the 2024-25 season.

The Red Deer, Alta., product played four full seasons with the team appearing in 263 career regular season contests recording 148 points off 55 goals and 93 assists to go with a plus-22 rating in the plus-minus department. Christensen suited up for 36 career games in the WHL Playoffs recording 20 points coming off six goals and 14 assists to go with a plus-one rating.

In the 2025-26 campaign, Christensen skated in 63 regular season contests posting 48 points off 18 goals and 40 assists to go with a plus-36 rating. His totals in assists, points and plus-minus were all career highs. Christensen suited up in all the Raiders games in the 2026 WHL Playoffs recording 14 points coming off five goals and nine assists to go with a plus-seven rating.

Justice Christensen marks scoring his final WHL goal on Friday.

As captain, Christensen helped the Raiders win an East Division title in 2024-25 posting a 39-23-5-1 mark in the regular season. In 2025-26, Christensen played a key role in helping the Raider win another East Division title and place second overall in the WHL with a 52-10-5-1 mark in the regular season. In the post-season, the Raiders won their first Eastern Conference title since 2019, but they were unable to duplicate the WHL championship win from that campaign.

Christensen said the Raiders returning players will come back with a tremendous experience from the deep run in the 2026 WHL Playoffs.

“It is a huge thing to learn from,” said Christensen. “Obviously, right now, we’re experience the heartbreak.

“Everything in this championship series from media and all the kind of perks and flying to the games in Everett, things like that, it is something you’ll never forget. It is a really good experience for the guys. To get through here to the fourth round is pretty special for those guys, and they’ll be able to build on that for sure.”

The Art Hauser Centre faithful cheer Justice Christensen’s final goal.

For Christensen, his best memories of the run came from beating the then defending WHL champion Medicine Hat Tiger in six games in the Eastern Conference final. The Tigers swept the Raiders in an Eastern Conference semifinal series in the 2025 WHL Playoffs. The rearguard said one unique aspect from the WHL final stands out for him.

“I think being able to fly to Everett,” said Christensen. “That is kind of what we’ve always talked about.

“We bus all year, and then, we get to fly in the finals. To go through that, I think that is a huge memory and beating out Medicine Hat. They took us out last year and went on to win it.

“For us to beat them in the third round to get into the finals was a big one as well.”

Justice Christensen had 148 points in 263 career regular season games.

Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald appreciates everything Christensen brought to the team. McDonald was a Raiders assistant coach when Christensen joined the team and got to see the blue-liner become a career WHL member with the team.

“He is the ultimate warrior,” said McDonald. “He is a tremendous leader.

“His compete level is second to none. The way he prepares, the way he treats his body, recovers, the way he plays the game out there, he plays extremely honest. It has just been a pleasure to coach him for the last four years.

“He is just an absolute tremendous young man. He is going to continue to do bright things in the future.”

Justice Christensen starts a final lap at the Art Hauser Centre.

On April 9, Christensen signed a two-year contract with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, who are an affiliate with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. He attended Red Wings training camp in the fall of 2025 before returning to the Raiders for his final major junior campaign.

As his hockey journey will continue in the professional ranks, Christensen will always have a soft spot for the Raiders faithful. Prince Albert picked up the “Hockey Town North” nickname thanks to the support the Raiders got from their fans and that nickname spread to all levels of the game in that northern Saskatchewan centre.

“The support that you guys have, the community that is built here in P.A. and the way you guys rally around our team, it has been incredible,” said Christensen, who scored his final WHL goal in Friday’s loss. “Thank you guys.”

Christensen said he wanted to take some time making some final rounds in Prince Albert before departing to Red Deer.

“I’ll spend some time here,” said Christensen. “(I have) lots of memories and stuff with billet families and all the teammates that have been here and lots of friends and family and whoever will still be here.

Justice Christensen gives fist bumps to young fans along the glass.

“I’ll definitely stick around for a couple of days to see them.”

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Raiders ride Orsulak to Game 1 win in WHL final

Netminder makes 39 saves in 4-2 victory over Silvertips

Michal Orsulak made 39 saves in goal for the Raiders.

The more shots Michal Orsulak sees the better he plays.

In Game 1 of the WHL Championship Series, the star 18-year-old import rookie netminder of the Prince Albert Raiders had a sensational outing. Orsulak, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 220 pounds, stopped 39 shots to backstop the visiting Raiders to a 4-2 victory over the host Everett Silvertips before 7,697 spectators at the Angel of the Winds Arena.

The opener of the WHL final lived up to the hype of what would be expected of a championship series between two powerhouse teams.   

Everett topped the WHL regular season standings with a 57-8-2-1 record and was rated first in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The Silvertips 57 wins and 117 standings points are team records.

Prince Albert topped the Eastern Conference, claimed the East Division title and finished second overall in the WHL with a 52-10-5-1 mark. The Raiders were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

The Raiders and Silvertips went head-to-head once in the regular season, where Prince Albert posted a 4-1 victory on November 11, 2025 at the Angel of the Winds Arena.

Game 1 started with both teams bringing physical play that continued throughout the whole contest.

The Silvertips got on the board first at the 6:07 mark of the first period. Silvertips star rookie import left-winger Matias Vanhanen passed the puck from left side behind the Prince Albert net to the front of the goal to linemate and star right-winger Carter Bear. Bear fired home a shot to the top right corner of the Prince Albert net to put the host side up 1-0.

The officials checked out Bear’s goal with a lengthy video review looking for a puck being knocked down by a high stick at some point in the play. Once the review concluded, the goal was ruled as good.

Everett held a 12-8 edge in shots on goal after 20 minutes and had a territorial edge in play in the opening frame.

The Silvertips came out of the game flying trying to build on their lead. Early in the frame, star 16-year-old defenceman Landon DuPont wired a shot off the crossbar while working on the power play.

A short time later at even strength, Silvertips right-winger Jaxsin Vaughan, who turned 20 in January, was sprung in on a breakaway into the Prince Albert zone. Vaughan tried to go five-hole on Orsulak only to be denied by the Prince Albert netminder.

Braeden Cootes had one goal and one assist for the Raiders.

The host side then had a third golden opportunity a short time after that. Star import centre Julius Miettinen had an opportunity to score at the left side of the Prince Albert net only to be stoned by Orsulak.

Then at the 5:12 mark of the second, the Raiders evened the score at 1-1. Raiders star centre Braeden Cootes had the puck behind the Silvertips net and made a backhanded centring pass coming out of the right side of the goal. The puck came out to standout rookie right-winger Jonah Sivertson, who quickly potted the equalizer for the visitors.

Both teams played physically in Game 1, and some work in the physical department would lead to the Raiders second goal of the contest. With 5:56 remaining in the second, Raiders defenceman Linden Burrett nailed Bear with a big hit.

Silvertips standout defenceman Brek Liske, who turned 18-years-old in January, took exception to the hit, and he cross-checked Burrett. Liske was given a minor penalty for cross-checking.

On the ensuing power play, Cootes fired a seeing-eye shot through a screen along the ice for a tally that put the Raiders up 2-1 with 4:53 remaining in the second.

At this point, the Raiders offence was on a roll. Playing a spot of four-versus-four hockey due to off-setting penalties, the Raiders found themselves working the puck in the offensive zone.

Raiders star defenceman Daxon Rudolph passed the puck to captain and his defensive partner Justice Christensen in the left faceoff circle. Christensen wired home one of his “Juice Bombs” to push the Raiders advantage out to 3-1 with 2:10 remaining in the second.

The Silvertips came with a huge push in the third outshooting the Raiders 13-5 in the frame. Still, Orsulak stood tall keeping the host side at bay.

Silvertips star 20-year-old left winger Rylan Gould tried to resort to a pest measure to get Orsulak off his game. With about four minutes remaining in the third, Gould snuck in and got away with a slash to the back of the netminder’s leg. Orsulak was down on the ice for a moment before continuing in the contest.

With 2:23 remaining in the third, the Silvertips went to their fourth power play of the contest as standout 19-year-old rookie import defenceman Matyas Man was given a tripping minor.

Everett had star 19-year-old sophomore netminder Anders Miller pulled for an extra skater with the chance with the man-advantage. Just seconds into the ensuing power play, Miettinen jetted into the Prince Albert zone down the right wing and put home a backhand shot from the right faceoff circle with 2:09 remaining in the third for a power-play goal that cut the Raiders lead to 3-2.

Aiden Oiring had a long distance empty-net goal for the Raiders.

Now training by one goal, the Silvertips had Miller pulled again as they pressed in the Prince Albert zone. It appeared the Silvertips were going to have a glorious scoring chance as they moved the puck toward 20-year-old star centre Zackary Shantz at the left side of the Prince Albert net. Shantz wasn’t able to do anything as his stick was tied up by a backchecking Rudolph.

Raiders star 20-year-old centre Aiden Oiring got the puck and fired the puck down the ice for a long distance empty-net goal with 65 seconds remaining in the frame to round out the 4-2 final score in favour of the Raiders.

With 7.5 seconds remaining in the third, Man apparently didn’t forget about Gould’s slash to Orsulak about four minute earlier. As Orsulak froze the puck during a scramble around the Prince Albert net, Man took the opportunity to cross-check Gould down to the ice keeping him away from the Prince Albert puck stopper.

Miller turned away 22-of-25 shots to take the setback in net for the Silvertips.

Cootes finished the contest with one goal, one assist and a plus-two rating in the plus-minus department. He also had a key blocked shot early in the third period. Miettinen finished with one goal and one assist for the Silvertips.

The Raiders were 1-for-1 on the power play, while the Silvertips were 1-for-4 with the man advantage.

The Raiders were without star left-winger Brandon Gorzynski with an undisclosed injury. He was injured in Game 2 of the WHL Eastern Conference Championship Series that the Raiders dropped 5-0 to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre.

The Silvertips were without star defenceman and captain Tarin Smith with an undisclosed injury. He was injured in Game 4 of a 6-3 victory over the Winterhawks in Portland as Everett closed out the first round series between the two clubs at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Game 2 is set for Saturday at the Angel of the Winds Arena at 6 p.m. local time or 7 p.m. Saskatchewan time for those looking to catch the contest on TSN of Victory+ in “The Wheat Province.”

The pressure will be on the Silvertips to get a win in Game 2 to force a split in the first two contests of the series. If the Raiders win Game 2, they will hold a 2-0 series lead as the series shifts to Prince Albert for Games 3 and 4 and potentially Game 5 at the Hauser.

Game 3 is slated for Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. local time and Game 4 follows on Wednesday also at 7:30 p.m. local time. If necessary, Game 5 will be on Friday, May 15 at 7:30 p.m. local time.

Justice Christensen had the winning goal for the Raiders.

If the Silvertips aren’t able to win Game 2, they might find themselves in a hole that they can’t get out of. If Orsulak has a second straight stellar game, that might end up being the case.

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What a battle! What a finish!

Raiders take conference title, Tigers rally falls short

The story lines were plentiful as the WHL Eastern Conference Championship Series closed out.

In a battle of two powerhouse teams, the Prince Albert Raiders were out to show their time is now. The defending WHL champion Medicine Hat Tigers were not ready to give up their crown.

Going into Game 6 of the best-of-seven conference title tilt at Co-op Place on Sunday, the visiting Raiders were in position to advance with a win. The host Tigers were looking to force the series back to Prince Albert for a series deciding Game 7 back in Prince Albert set for Tuesday.

The Tigers brought in Oasiz Wiesblatt, who was the captain of last year’s WHL championship team, to fire up the 5,181 spectators at Co-op place with the “Whose House, Our House” chant pregame. Wiesblatt just finished his first season of professional hockey playing with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals.

When the dust settled, the Raiders prevailed 7-6 to take the series 4-2. They advance to the best-of-seven WHL Championship Series to take on the Everett Silvertips. That marks the first time the Raiders will play in the WHL final since they last won it in 2019.

Riley Boychuk had a pair of goals for the Tigers on Sunday.

The valiant Tigers took part in one last salute from their hometown crowd. Their overagers in right-winger Ethan Neutens, centre Andrew Basha and hometown product Josh Van Mulligen took a final bow. Basha finished the night with four assists, while Van Mulligen had one goal and once assist.

Medicine Hat’s Christian players did one final prayer at centre ice before departing to allow the conference trophy presentation to the Raiders. The Raiders had a quick moment with the Eastern Conference Championship trophy taking a team picture before departing to their dressing room.

The Tigers opened the contest with a big push. Early in the contest, Tigers star left-winger Markus Ruck started the contest in an uncharacteristic fashion throwing a rare bodycheck on Raiders defenceman Linden Burrett.

The hosts opened the scoring with 6:31 remaining in the first as star defenceman Jonas Woo wired home a mid range shot from the front of the Prince Albert net to the top left corner of the goal. That marked just the second time in the post-season the Raiders gave up the first goal of a game and both occurrences came at the hand of the Tigers. At the time of Woo’s goal, the Tigers were holding a 9-4 edge in shots on goal.

Josh Van Mulligen had one goal and one assist for the Tigers.

One of the many momentum changes occurred with 4:17 remaining in the opening frame. During a net scramble around the Medicine Hat net, Raiders standout right-winger Riley Boychuk found a loose puck at the left side of the goal and popped the puck home to even the score at 1-1.

The 1980s shootout then commenced in earnest at the start of the second period. Centre Noah Davidson scored on the power play just 75 seconds into the stanza to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead.

Prince Albert answered back quickly. Star centre Braeden Cootes tallied at the 3:47 mark of the second on the power play, and star defenceman Daxon Rudolph scored at the 5:39 mark of the frame at even strength to give the visitors a 3-2 lead.

At that point, the Tigers elected to pull starting netminder Jordan Switzer after turning away 10-of-13 shots. Carter Casey turned back 14-of-18 shots playing the rest of the way in relief. He ultimately took the loss in goal for Medicine Hat.

Daxon Rudolph had one goal and two assists for the Tigers.

Casey became Medicine Hat’s goalie of record on the scoresheet a short time after entering the contest. At the 8:31 mark of the second, Tigers standout right-winger Luke Cozens potted his first of the post-season to even the score at 3-3.

Momentum proceeded to jump behind the Raiders in a huge way. They closed out the second scoring three straight goals to go ahead 6-3 coming off the sticks of star 20-year-old centre Aiden Oiring on the power play, star right-winger Brayden Dube and standout 17-year-old rookie right-winger Jonah Sivertson. Dube’s tally came with 2:01 remaining in the second, and Sivertson’s came with 33.5 seconds remaining in the stanza.

During that goal surge, the Tigers appeared they might have lost star captain Bryce Pickford for the contest. With 2:46 remaining in the second, he was hit on his left side by Raiders feisty 16-year-old left-winger Connor Howe, while Howe’s stick also connected across the visor of Pickford’s helmet. No penalties were called on the play.

Pickford went down, and he then got up and proceeded to skate straight to the Tigers dressing room favouring his left shoulder. Miraculously, the rearguard returned for the start of the third period.

Noah Davidson had one goal and one assist for the Tigers.

His return seemed to inspire the Tigers. Kade Stengrim tallied at the 2:20 mark of the third, and Van Mulligen found the back of the net at the 6:59 mark of the stanza to cut the Raiders lead down to 6-5.

Medicine Hat pushed for the equalizer, but the Raiders came up with a key insurance goal with 7:01 remaining in the frame. Raiders centre Evan Smith made a high looping pass out of his own zone down the right wing to Boychuk springing him into the Medicine Hat end on a two-on-two rush.

Boychuk made a toe drag move around a Tigers defenceman, slipped down, got up and fired a shot to the top right corner of the Medicine Hat net to push the visitor’s edge out to 7-5.

The Tiger truly did battle to the bitter end. With 6.9 seconds remaining in the third, star right-winger Liam Ruck one-timed home a shot from the front of the Prince Albert net converting a beauty setup pass from Basha to cut the Raiders lead to 7-6. Medicine Hat couldn’t come up with a miracle play to get the equalizer to force overtime.

Michal Orsulak stopped 24 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Cootes and Rudolph each finished with one goal and two assists. Rudolph leads the WHL post-season in scoring with 23 points coming off nine goals and 14 assists to go with a plus-10 rating in the plus-minus department.

Braeden Cootes had one goal and two assists for the Raiders.

Woo, Davidson and Cozens each finished with one goal and one assist for the Tigers. Yaroslav Bryzgalov had a pair of assists for Medicine Hat. For the moment, Basha sits second in the scoring race in the WHL Playoffs with 21 points coming off three goals and 18 assists to go with a plus-one rating.

During the regular season, the Raiders topped the Eastern Conference, claimed the East Division title and finished second overall in the WHL with a 52-10-5-1 mark. They were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

The Tigers finished second in the Eastern Conference, captured the Central Division title and finished third overall in the WHL during the regular season with a 50-10-5-3 mark. They were rated fifth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. After losing a number of key players from their WHL championship club last season, the Tigers were not expected to do as well as they did at the start of the 2025-26 campaign.

The Raiders and Tigers met four times in the 2025-26 regular season. Each side claimed two regulation time wins including one victory at home and one the road. Each side scored 16 goals in those four head-to-head contests.

Jonas Woo had one goal and one assist for the Tigers.

In the Eastern Conference final, the Tigers were battling a big flu bug for the entire series. Tigers legendary head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins said at the end of Game 6 that his players who hit the ice for his team still were not at full strength, but he gave the Raiders credit for the series win. Desjardins said the Raiders are a really good team, and he wasn’t sure his squad would have won the series at full health but would have liked to have had that opportunity.

The Raiders will now face another tough foe in the Silvertips in the WHL Championship Series. The Silvertips swept the Penticton Vees 4-0 in the Western Conference Championship Series and will enter the WHL final after a long rest period. Game 1 of the WHL final is set for this coming Friday at the Angel of the Winds Arena with a start time still to be announced.

Everett topped the WHL regular season standings with a 57-8-2-1 and was rated first in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The Silvertips 57 wins and 117 standings points are team records. They are appearing in the WHL final for the first time since 2018, when they fell in the championship series in six games to the Swift Current Broncos.

Aiden Oiring scored for the Raiders on Sunday.

As for the now completed Eastern Conference final, it delivered the thrills that were expected and a memorable conclusion for both teams. The Raiders exited the series as a deserving conference champion, and the Tigers went down with the fight fitting a defending league champion.

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Switzer steals 2-1 Game 3 OT victory for Tigers over Raiders

Medicine Hat leads WHL Eastern Conference final 2-1

Jordan Switzer (#31) and Carter Casey celebrate an OT win.

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – So how good was Jordan Switzer?

The sophomore netminder for the Medicine Hat Tigers stole an overtime victory for his team in Game 3 of the WHL Eastern Conference Championship Series on Tuesday night at Co-op Place. Switzer had a spectacular outing making 37 saves as the Tigers downed the visiting Prince Albert Raiders 2-1 in extra time to the delight of most of the 5,204 spectators outside of a noticeable contingent of Raiders supporters.

With the win, the Tigers take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Co-op Place.

Legendary Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins admitted it might be accurate to say Switzer’s heroics on Tuesday were up there with Kevin Nastiuk’s work in the team’s run to a WHL title win in 2004, Matt Keetley’s performances in Medicine Hat’s 2007 WHL championship victory run and Harrison Meneghin’s work helping the Tigers take the WHL title last season.

Jordan Switzer (#31) stops Raiders D Linden Burrett. 

“We didn’t know we’d need that at the start, but once it got started, we knew we were going to need something big,” said Desjardins. “He (Switzer) was big.

“That was as good a performance as I’ve seen for a long time. It was the perfect time to have it.”

Switzer was excited to hear about the high praise about his work from his bench boss along with being mentioned in a name drop of legendary Tigers netminders from the past two-and-a-half decades.

Jordan Switzer made 37 saves to backstop the Tigers to victory.

“That is cool,” said Switzer. “He (Desjardins) has seen a lot of goalies play in his time, so to be in that conversation is pretty cool.”

With that said, Switzer said his team really did have to slug out Tuesday’s contest as the Raiders came in with a lot of jump and came at the host side in waves. He was pleased his club found a way to persevere.

“I think it was good for us,” said Switzer. “We stuck with it the whole way.

“We never got down on each other. Obviously, we found a way to win in the end, which was really good.”

Daxon Rudolph scored to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead.

The two club’s entered overtime locked in 1-1 tie after the Raiders played what might have been their best period of the contest holding a 10-2 edge in shots on goal for the third stanza. After 60 minutes, the Raiders held a 37-19 edge in shots on goal and played sizable stretches of time in Medicine Hat’s zone.

The rug was then pulled out from under the Raiders at the 4:07 mark of overtime. At that moment, Tigers 20-year-old star centre Andrew Basha took a shot from the point that changed direction on a deflection from star left-winger Liam Ruck.

Raiders star 18-year-old rookie import netminder Michal Orsulak stopped that shot, and the puck rebounded to sit beside the left post of the Prince Albert goal. Ruck collected the puck and tucked it into the Prince Albert net to give the Tigers their 2-1 victory.

Aiden Oiring had bad luck on some prime scoring chances.

Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald admitted Tuesday’s contest might be the story of the one that got away for his squad.

“I really liked our game,” said McDonald. “I thought we executed quite well.

“We had some really good looks that didn’t end up in the back of the net. I really liked our start, liked our pace, liked our hunt, liked our pucks to the paint and guys just didn’t get rewarded for it.”

Just seconds into the contest, Raiders star 20-year-old centre Aiden Oiring found himself alone in front of the Medicine Hat. He put on a deke, but slid a shot just wide of the left post.

That ultimately foreshadowed Oiring’s night as he would end up with about four other golden scoring opportunities and would be unable to find the back of the net.

Michal Orsulak made 19 saves in goal for the Raiders.

““O” (Oiring) brings a 200-foot game,” said McDonald. “He is a dog in the faceoff circle.

“He plays both sides of the puck from the penalty kill to the power play. He gets jobs on the defensive side plus the offensive side, and again, that is where he was earning his chances right inside the dots and you know those grade-A look situations. He got pucks off his stick and just didn’t get rewarded for them tonight.”

With 4:27 remaining in the first, the Raiders did break through on the scoreboard. Star defenceman Daxon Rudolph zipped into the left faceoff dot and his initial shot was stopped. He followed his shot and picked his own rebound close in and tucked home his sixth of the post-season to put the Raiders in front 1-0.

Kade Stengrim had the equalizer for the Tigers on Tuesday.

The Tigers evened the score at 1-1 with 3:53 remaining in the second, while working on the power play. Tigers 18-year-old standout rookie left-winger Kade Stengrim fired home a shot from the point through a screen for the equalizer.

About 5:40 into the third, the Raiders had a golden opportunity to go ahead. While holding pressure inside the Medicine Hat zone, Switzer got accidentally knocked out of his net by one of his own defencemen.

The Raider got the puck to captain Justice Christensen at the left point, who unloaded one of his “juice bombs” to what looked like an empty cage. Tigers import defenceman Veeti Vaisanen was able to get over to block the shot to allow the contest to remain tied.

Max Heise jets up ice for the Raiders.

As the rest of the third progressed, Oiring was stoned on two prime mid range chances and Raiders 18-year-old import left-winger Alisher Sarkenov was denied in close.

That set the stage for Ruck to come away with his winner in overtime. Orsulak turned away 19 shots to take the setback in net for the Raiders.

“It is nice to get it done,” said Ruck. “We know that wasn’t our best game as a group.

“Obviously, it shows a lot of character to find a way to get that win.”

During the regular season, the Raiders topped the Eastern Conference, claimed the East Division title and finished second overall in the WHL with a 52-10-5-1 mark. They were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

Veeti Vaisanen had a big shot block for the Tigers.

The Tigers, who are the defending WHL champions, finished second in the Eastern Conference, captured the Central Division title and finished third overall in the WHL during the regular season with a 50-10-5-3 mark. They were rated fifth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

The Raiders and Tigers met four times in the 2025-26 regular season. Each side claimed two regulation time wins including one victory at home and one the road. Each side scored 16 goals in those four head-to-head contests.

When the dust settled in Tuesday’s contest, Desjardins said his squad was able to come up with a steal of a victory.

“I think they outplayed us tonight for sure,” said Desjardins. “We hung in there.

“I think that is a big thing sometimes. You just have to find a way to win. Our guys battled hard.

The Tigers celebrate an OT winner from Liam Ruck.

“They got in shooting lanes and lots of stuff. “Switzie” Switzer was really good in net. We were fortunate to get that one, but we got her.”

In looking towards Game 4, McDonald said his Raiders just get back to the grind and work towards pulling even in the series.

“This is hockey, and that is why you are in playoffs,” said McDonald. “It is a seven-game series for a reason.

“We’ll take our time, reflect on it and wipe the slate clean and get ready to get back to work tomorrow.”

Desjardins would like to see his squad assert a little more control of the contest when the two sides meet in Game 4.

“We know it is going to be a hard game,” said Desjardins. “We’re going to have to be ready to go a little bit better than we were tonight.”

Liam Ruck (#12) gives a stick tap thanks to fans along the glass.

NOTE – While the Tigers and Raiders continue to battle in the Eastern Conference final, the Everett Silvertips are waiting to see which one of those two clubs will be their foe in the WHL Championship Series. On Tuesday in Penticton, the Silvertips downed the host Vees 4-2 in Game 4 of the Western Conference Championship Series. With the win, the Silvertips sweep the best-of-seven set 4-0 to advance to the WHL final for the first time since 2018. Everett fell in that WHL Championship Series in six games to the Swift Current Broncos.

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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Power of the Hauser – Raiders roll to 8-3 win over Tigers

Prince Albert claims opener of Eastern Conference final

The Raiders and their fans enjoy a goal from Brayden Dube (#15).

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The Prince Albert Raiders could feel the power of the Art Hauser Centre.

On Friday night, the Raiders were once again out to show home ice advantage is a real thing, when they skate in their storied and historic rink in Game 1 of the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship Series against the defending WHL champion Medicine Hat Tigers. In that clash, the Raiders scored first, led 2-1 after the first period, went ahead 4-1 at one point in the second before cruising to an 8-3 victory.

The victory came before a raucous sellout crowd of 3,299 spectators at the 2,580 seat facility.

“I thought we played well,” said Raiders captain Justice Christensen, whose squad will host the Tigers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Hauser. “We got to our pace and our hunt like we wanted to do early.

Part of the Hauser’s sellout crowd cheer on the Raiders.

“We scored some big goals there at some key times, and then we just continued to build. Overall, I was just happy with the game.”

Christensen, who has been a full-time member of the Raiders since the start of 2022-23 campaign, said the enthusiasm of the fans gave his team a boost. Throughout the day on Friday, it snowed steadily in “Hockey Town North” creating large snow banks and road conditions that were far from optimal. When looking out at the crowd at the Hauser, it appeared there were very few unused tickets, and Christensen said the players picked up on that.

“The atmosphere is great,” said Christensen, whose team is 6-0 at home in the current WHL post-season. “There is a lot of energy, and they are behind us.

Brock Cripps had three assists for the Raiders on Friday.

“Coming out to that kind of energy gives us a lot of energy, and it was a lot of fun to play in front of.”

During the pre-game, Raiders long time anthem singer and billet mom Carole Ring raised her microphone to the crowd to let the fans sing a large part of the national anthem. When the game got going, the Raiders hit the scoreboard first at the 6:39 mark of the first period.

On a Tigers rush up ice, Raiders 20-year-old star centre Aiden Oiring knocked the puck off the stick of a Tigers player at centre ice to Raider 18-year-old import left-winger Alisher Sarkenov. Sarkenov quickly got the puck back to Oiring to start a rush into the Medicine Hat zone.

Brayden Dube had the Raiders first goal on Friday.

Oiring passed the puck to star 20-year-old right-winger Brayden Dube on the right wing. Dube blew past the Tigers defence to get in alone on Medicine Hat rookie standout netminder Carter Casey. The Raiders forward tucked a backhand home five-hole on Casey to give the host side a 1-0 lead.

So far in this year’s WHL Playoffs, the Raiders have scored first in all 10 games they have played.

With 4:23 remaining in the first, the Tigers answered back. Tigers star left-winger Markus Ruck entered the Prince Albert zone on a two-on-one break jetting down the left wing. He blew a shot to the top right corner of the Prince Albert net past Raiders star rookie import netminder Michal Orsulak to even the score at 1-1.

Before the opening frame ended, Christensen fired home a point shot for his first goal of the post-season to put the Raiders up 2-1 heading into the first intermission.

Markus Ruck had the Tigers first goal on Friday.

Prince Albert kept rolling in the second, when head-turning 16-year-old rookie left-winger Ben Harvey put home a shot from the left point to push the Raiders lead out to 3-1 just 2:43 into the frame. With 6:07 remaining in the second, the Raider struck on the power-play when star centre Max Heise one-timed home a shot from the front of the Medicine Hat net to give the hosts a 4-1 advantage. At that point, it seemed like nothing could stop the noise at the Hauser hitting louder and louder heights.

“I had chills going out there tonight,” said Heise. “It is pretty cool to see this community and this town rally around our team.

“It is really special, and all the boys in there get fired up for it.”

Justice Christensen scored his first goal of the 2026 post-season.

The Tigers attempted to push back. With 3:02 remaining in the second, Tigers sophomore 17-year-old centre Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll redirected home a puck to the back of the Prince Albert net to trim the Raiders lead to 4-2 heading into the second intermission.

The Raiders proceeded to open the third with power-play goals coming off the sticks of Oiring and Sarkenov to surge the host side’s lead out to 6-2. Tigers captain Bryce Pickford off a mid-range shot to trim the Raiders edge to 6-3.

Prince Albert rounded out the game’s scoring with Oiring netting his second of the contest and Evan Smith potting home a single.

Max Heise (#14) does the fly by after scoring on the power play.

“I thought Prince Albert was better than us tonight,” said Tigers legendary head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins. “I thought they worked hard.

“I thought they won a lot of one-on-one battles. We knew it was going to be a tough building coming into, and we were right. It was a tough building, and it didn’t go the way we wanted.”

Orsulak stopped 21 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Casey turned away 31 shots to take the setback in net for the Tigers.

Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll had the Tigers second goal on Friday.

Raiders standout 16-year-old rookie defenceman Brock Cripps picked up three assists on Friday, while star centre Braeden Cootes and star defenceman Daxon Rudolph each had a pair of assists.

Also in the contest, the Raiders were 3-for-4 on the power play, while the Tigers didn’t see any time playing with the man advantage. Medicine Hat was without star defenceman Jonas Woo and 20-year-old right-winger Ethan Neutens with undisclosed ailments, and they are basically day-to-day.

The Raiders topped the Eastern Conference, claimed the East Division title and finished second overall in the WHL during the regular season with a 52-10-5-1 mark. They were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

Ben Harvey had one goal for the Raiders on Friday.

The Tigers, who are the defending WHL champions, finished second in the Eastern Conference, captured the Central Division title and finished third overall in the WHL during the regular season with a 50-10-5-3 mark. They were rated fifth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

During the 2025-26 regular season, the Raiders and Tigers met four times. Each side claimed two regulation time wins including one victory at home and one the road. Each side scored 16 goals in those four head-to-head contests.

Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald, who was born and raised in Prince Albert, loved the energy his team’s fans brought in Game 1 on Friday.

“This place is electric,” said McDonald. “I said in the pre-game media that I don’t think four feet of snow could have kept Raider fans out of this rink for this game tonight.

Raiders G Michal Orsulak pounces on a puck in a crowd.

“Our crowd and our fan base is extremely passionate, and they really rally our group.”

While the Raiders got a lift from their fans, Desjardins, who has seen pretty much everything in his coaching career, was not shaken by what happened on Friday. He said that before the Eastern Conference final with the Raiders started he had it in his mind that every game was going to be a hard game.

“Once a game is done, it is just done, and you move on to the next one,” said Desjardins. “It is just real simple.

“It doesn’t matter if you win. It doesn’t matter if you lose. They can win, and I believe we can win in this building.”

Aiden Oiring had two goals and an assist for the Raiders.

Desjardins said the Raiders a high-quality opponent, and with that said, he wouldn’t waiver in the belief he has in his player.

“I just think they’re a really good hockey team,” said Desjardins. “I have to believe that we’ll find a way to be better.

“We weren’t good enough tonight, and it is pretty simple. They were just a better team tonight.”

Looking towards Game 2 on Saturday, Heise said his Raiders just have to keep up the strong effort like they had in Game 1.

“We’ve seen these guys before a lot,” said Heise. “They’re really fast off the transition.

“We’ve got to get pucks under and just keep playing physical on them. They are a really good team over there. You’ve got to give them credit.

The Raiders salute their fans at the Art Hauser Centre.

“They’ll capitalize on chances too, so we’ve got to be stronger in the D-zone.”

NOTES – The Raiders had another huge 50/50 pot for Friday’s game with online sale combined with sales in the building. The take home prize was $98,450 and will go to the person with ticket number B-144538.

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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Raiders day – P.A. smashes Saskatoon 6-1 in Game 1

Prince Albert fans grill Blades goalie in series opener

Aiden Oiring (#19) celebrates scoring the Raiders first goal on Friday.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – So do you really want to fire up the Prince Albert Raiders faithful at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre?

Saskatoon Blades star starting netminder Evan Gardner discovered that might not have been the best thing to do. In his defence, Gardner might not have thought the fans in “Hockey Town North” were going to rally up, when he elected to say something to sum up the rivalry between the Raiders and Blades before the two sides faced each other in a best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference Semifinal Series.

Daxon Rudolph enjoys scoring the Raiders second goal on Friday.

“I genuinely hate the Raiders,” said Gardner during a media conference on Thursday in Saskatoon. “I think everyone in that room feels the same.

“Every time we play them, we have this fire in us, and it feels real. You really do hate them. You want to beat them so bad.”

It was pretty safe to say almost everyone that was part of the sold out crowd of 3,299 spectators at the 2,580 seat fabled home rink of the Raiders were aware of Gardner’s comments, when the two sides played Game 1 of the series in Prince Albert.

Even before the game started, hex chants for Gardner were raining down from the stands. Just 3:41 into the contest, Raiders star centre Aiden Oiring got the puck in the right corner of the Saskatoon zone, skated in close to the Saskatoon net and put home a shot short side on Gardner to put the host side up 1-0 to a huge eruption of cheers amongst the fans in the building.

Alisher Sarkenov (#24) hugs Braeden Cootes after scoring a goal.

Gardner tried to silence them a short time later making a glove save on Raiders star centre Braeden Cootes. That just seemed to stall the avalanche that was to come.

At the 5:17 mark of the opening frame, Raider standout left-winger Jonah Sivertson made a backhand centring pass from the right side boards in the Saskatoon zone to star Raiders defenceman Daxon Rudolph. Rudolph fired home a shot through Gardner’s five-hole to give the Raiders a 2-0 lead to bring the cheering of the team’s faithful up to another level. The hosts were rolling and holding a 9-0 edge in shots on goal at the time of Rudolph’s goal.

From that point, it felt like the Blades were playing against a crusade in Game 1. The Raiders pushed their lead out to 3-0 by the end of the opening frame holding a 19-2 edge in shots on goal. The host’s would push their edge to 4-0 by the end of the second period and would roll to a 6-1 victory.

The fans at the Art Hauser Centre cheer the Raiders third goal.

Gardner continued to be the target of heckles from the Raiders faithful. One Prince Albert fan even brought a big sign that showed a picture of a Raiders player scoring a beach ball on the Blades netminder, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The veteran puck stopper was pulled by the Blades following the second period. He stopped 27-of-31 shots fired his way to take the setback in net for Saskatoon. Ryley Budd, who is a 17-year-old rookie, played the third period in relief and turned away 9-of-11 shots sent his way.

A Raiders fan has a sign heckling Blades G Evan Gardner.

The Raiders pushed their advantage out to 6-0 at one point in the third period, and the fans at that moment started a chant of, “We want Gardner.”

Blades feisty sophomore right-winger Zach Olsen scored on the power play for the Blades with 9:18 remaining in the third to ruin the shutout bid for Raiders star 18-year-old rookie netminder Michal Orsulak. Orsulak would stop 16 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders.

When the Raiders faithful are stirred up and engaged in a game right from the outset, the players on the Prince Albert side can feel it. All of sudden, the players are drawing energy from their supporters, and in those moments, the Hauser becomes seemingly an impossible place to play in for the opposition.

The Raiders fans were on their game against the Blades.

Friday’s Game 1 felt eerily similar to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal Series played between these two sides back on April 5, 2019. Going into that series, then Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid accused the Blades of embellishment and taking dives in order to draw penalties. Habscheid knew what he said would get the Raiders faithful fired up, and the theatrics worked for Game 1 of that series.

The Raiders fans placed signs on the glass in the Blades end during warm up that basically said diving wasn’t permitted in the Hauser. The faithful were all over the Blades with their taunts and the Raiders rolled on that night to a 6-1 victory. Of course, the Raiders in the WHL Playoffs of 2019 would go on to win the WHL title.

Brandon Gorzynski sets to fire home the Raiders fourth goal.

Ryan McDonald, who is the Raiders head coach in the current day, didn’t have to say anything to get his team’s fans fired up. Gardner unknowingly did that during the Blades presser on Thursday.

With 4:02 remaining in the first in Friday’s clash, Cootes broke into the Saskatoon zone on a rush down the right wing. He put a pass across the face of the Saskatoon goal to import linemate Alisher Sarkenov. Sarkenov tapped the puck by Gardner to give the Raiders a 3-0 advantage.

Raiders star left-winger Brandon Gorzynski, who turned 19-years-old in March, wired a mid range shot past Gardner at the 12:01 mark of the second to make the host side’s lead stand at 4-0.

Just 91 seconds into the third, Oiring wired his second of the night from the low right side of the Saskatoon net on the power play to push the Raiders advantage out to 5-0. The Raiders struck again on the power play 63 seconds later when star 20-year-old right-winger Brayden Dube roofed a shot from the front of the Saskatoon net into the top right corner of the goal to make the Raiders lead sit at 6-0.

A couple of young fans cheer Brandon Gorzynski’s goal.

Rudolph and Gorzynski each finished the contest recording one goal, two assists and a plus-two rating in the plus-minus department. Raiders captain Justice Christensen recorded three assists and a plus-two rating just a day after signing a two-year AHL contract with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

The hosts seemed to hit home runs everywhere on Friday. They had a 50/50 draw where the winner took home $84,200. Oiring, who was the game’s first star, made a young little girl’s night by giving her a souvenir stick.

Prince Albert entered the series with Saskatoon as the favourites.

The Raiders finished first in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and second overall in the league with a 52-10-5-1 record during the regular season. They were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. In the first round of the playoffs, Prince Albert eliminated the Red Deer Rebels, who were eighth in the Eastern Conference, in five games.

The Raiders salute their faithful at the Art Hauser Centre.

The Blades were sixth in the Eastern Conference and placed 10^th in the overall regular season standings with a 34-27-5-2 mark. In the first round of the playoffs, they upset the Edmonton Oil Kings, who were third in the Eastern Conference and fifth overall in the WHL, in seven games taking Game 7 by a 3-2 score in overtime. In the seven games against the Oil Kings, the Blades played their best hockey of the 2025-26 campaign.

Game 2 of the series between the Raiders and Blades is slated for 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

The Blades have been resilient this season, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to expect the Saskatoon side will have a better effort in Game 2.

If the Raiders are able to continue to roll like they did in Game 1, they might sweep this best-of-seven series in three games.

A young fans is pumped to get a souvenir stick from Aiden Oiring.

At the moment, fans in “Hockey Town North” are celebrating a Friday that was the Raiders day.

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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