Rebuilding Pats win third in a row, best Blades after shootout

Zack Smith reacts to scoring his shootout winner for the Pats.

    The rebuilding Regina Pats are playing like the games matter.

    The Pats are skating through just their second season since host the CHL championship tournament - Memorial Cup – in May of 2018. They went all in making a number of trades to make their roster an experience veteran one in the 2017-18 campaign.

    Due to going all in, they are still going through the stages of a major rebuild, but when they hit the ice, they are trying to play like a playoff berth is one the line. That approach is resulting in some wins.

    On Wednesday night before 2,850 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, the Pats downed the host Saskatoon Blades 3-2 after a tiebreaking shootout for a third straight victory. The visitors took the tiebreaking session 2-1.

Zack Smith helped the Pats win their third straight game.

    In the shootout, Carson Denomie scored in the first round for the Pats, and overage left-winger Riley McKay tallied in the second round for the Blades.

    With the teams even at 1-1 in the tiebreaking session, Pats rookie 18-year-old right-winger Zack Smith had the final shot in the third round. The Martensville, Sask., product put a backhand shot past Blades netminder Nolan Maier to give the Pats the win.

    “Strucher (Pats head coach Dave Struch) really stressed that we play the right way and play as a team and don’t play selfish,” said Smith. “I think we did that really well tonight.

    “That is the kind of team we are. We have to just chip pucks and go forecheck hard. That is what we did tonight.”

Riley Krane scored the Pats first goal on Wednesday.

    Due to the fact his hometown is just outside of Saskatoon’s northern border, Smith had his share of family and friends in attendance on Wednesday. He was proud of his shootout winner.

    “I just went in, gave the goalie a little fake, he bit a little bit and pulled to my backhand,” said Smith. “I pretty much had a lot of the net open, so I just put it there.

    “It felt good.”

    The win allowed the Pats to improve to 16-26-3-2. They started the campaign with a 1-10 record but have gone 15-16-3-2 over their last 36 games.

    While not mathematically eliminated from post-season contention, their chances of making playoffs are extremely slim.

Martin Fasko-Rudas scored the Blades first goal on Wednesday.

    They trail the Blades, who saw their record move to 25-20-2-3, by 18 points in the standings for the second wildcat position and the final playoff berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

    With that noted, Struch believes his side is building a lot of character playing like a playoff position was on the line.

    “We want to get into the race,” said Struch. “We got off to a real difficult start this year for whatever reason.

    “We wanted to chase the race not that it was a playoff race. We wanted to try and get into it. Every night for us is a playoff game.

    “Every practice for us is a playoff game, so our guys have been doing this for five months already. It seems like it is easy for our guys to do it.”

Pats C Drew Englot screens Blades G Nolan Maier.

    The Pats struck 44 seconds into Wednesday’s contest when right-winger Riley Krane blew a shot past Blades netminder Nolan Maier.

    The Blades had a big chance to even the score at the 8:30 mark, when left-winger Alex Morozoff was hooked down on a break to the Regina goal by Pats defenceman Steven Zonneveld.

    With 52.5 seconds remaining in the first period, Blades overage defence Nolan Kneen engaged Krane in a good tilt.

    The Blades evened the score at 1-1 at the 13:04 mark of the second period on a power-play goal from import Slovakian right-winger Martin Fasko-Rudas. 

The Blades celebrate a third period goal from Jayden Wiens.

    Fasko-Rudas gathered the rebound of a point shot from overage defenceman Scott Walford and tucked the puck behind Pats netminder Donovan Buskey.

    Just 1:22 later, the Pats jumped back out in front 2-1. Pats import Czech winger Jan Cikhart got the puck in the right side of the Saskatoon goal on the forecheck and centred a pass to 17-year-old centre Drew Englot.

    Englot fired in a shot that Maier got a piece of, but the puck trickled into the goal to put the Blades ahead.

    The Blades evened the score at 2-2 at the 3:34 mark on the third on a positive bounce play. A shot from Blades left-winger Braden Plaschewsky deflected off linemate Jayden Wiens, who was hooked down by a Pats player, into the Regina goal.

    Overall, Struch was pleased with the effort of his players even when mistakes were made.

    “This is the way we play,” said Struch, whose Pats have won both their encounters with the Blades this season in extra time. “That is every single game.
    “Yeah, we make mistakes. Some nights we make more than others. Tonight, it is just a matter of our identity.

Riley McKay turns up ice for the Blades.

    “These guys play hard for each other.”

    Before the midway point of the third, the Pats had a good chance to go ahead on a power play, but defenceman Ryker Evans wired a point shot off the post.

    Late in the frame, Maier made a key left pad stop on Pats captain Austin Pratt to keep the two sides even on the scoreboard.

    In overtime, both sides had big chances to net the winner. Fasko-Rudas had the last big chance, but his shot right before the buzzer was turned away by Buskey.

    That set the stage for the Pats to win it in the tiebreaking shootout.
    Maier stopped 23 shots in goal for the Blades through 65 minutes and one of three shooters in the shootout. Buskey turned away 23 shots in goal for the Pats and two of three shooters in the shootout.

The Pats celebrate their win on Wednesday night.

    The Pats return to action on Friday, when they travel to Swift Current to take on the Broncos (7 p.m., Innovation Credit Union i-Plex).

    The Blades get back at it on Saturday, when they travel to Moose Jaw to take on the Warriors (7 p.m., Mosaic Place).

    Smith said his club is feeling good going into the weekend.

    “I think we are all pretty confident right now,” said Smith. “We’ve won three in a row.

    “We’re just going to keep this confidence going into Swift Current and hopefully beat them a few times on the weekend and see where we can go from there.”

Wouters chipping in, challenges others to join in faceoff charity

Captain Chase Wouters (#44) gets set to take a draw for the Blades.

    Saskatoon Blades captain Chase Wouters is chipping and challenging others to join him in the Nutrien Faceoff for Hunger.

    Since the start of the season, Nutrien has said it will donate $10 to the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre for every faceoff Wouters wins this season. After Wednesday’s action, Wouters lead the WHL with the most faceoffs at 665.

    Last Thursday in a video posted on his Twitter account, Wouters said he would donate $1 out of his own pocket for every faceoff he won over the Blades final 21 regular season games for the Nutrien Faceoff for Hunger to go to the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre.

    Wouters challenged anyone who saw the video to join him in donating a dollar for every draw he won over the Blades final 21 regular season games. The fourth-year veteran had 625 faceoff wins when the Blades entered the final 21 regular season games.

    Over Twitter, Blades play-by-play voice Les Lazaruk, Saskatoon Police Chief Troy Cooper and Saskatoon city councillor Troy Davies have said they have accepted Wouters’ challenge and will join in on the charitable endeavour.

Hey #BladeCity, I am challenging you to join me in the @NutrienLTD face-off for hunger! Jump on board https://t.co/bZnjMhZ2hV pic.twitter.com/YwrgrKJ636

— Chase Wouters (@wouters_44) January 31, 2020

    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 deliver energized home faithful big win over rival Blades

The Raiders celebrate an empty-net goal from Cole Fonstad, centre.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The Prince Albert Raiders delivered an ending their supporters will never get tired of.

    On Friday before a season high 3,130 spectators at the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre, the Raiders rallied back from a 2-1 deficit to down their archrivals the Saskatoon Blades 4-2. With 9.1 seconds remaining in the third period, star left-winger Cole Fonstad took a pass from linemate Noah Gregor and fired home an empty-net goal to seal the win.

    After Fonstad’s tally, the packed crowd did their best to raise the roof off the building as the Guess Who’s “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” echoed through the Art Hauser Centre’s rafters.

    “The building was alive,” said Raiders netminder Donovan Buskey, who team won their fifth straight game. “Both teams competed so hard.

Netminder Donovan Buskey makes one of his 34 stops for the Raiders.

    “It was a great atmosphere in there and two good rivals for sure. It feels good to come in and hopefully do a bit better for these guys. They work really hard for me every night, so I need work hard for them.”

    With star goalie Ian Scott playing for Canada’s world junior team in Vancouver and Victoria, B.C., Buskey took on the temporary role as the Raiders starter before the Christmas break. He had some rough outings and was pulled after allowing four goals in the Raiders final game before the Christmas break on Dec. 15, which they eventually won 7-5 over the Swift Current Broncos at the Art Hauser Centre.

    The 18-year-old Calgary product had a strong performance on Friday making 34 saves to help the Raiders improve their WHL leading record to 33-2-0-1 and improving their undefeated record at home to 17-0.

Noah Gregor fires home his second period equalizer.

    Prince Albert is rated first in the CHL’s Top 10 Rankings.

    With the Blades holding a 2-1 lead, Buskey came up with a huge save with under 30 seconds to play in the second period. Blades star 17-year-old centre Kirby Dach gathered a loose puck and got in alone in front of the Raiders net looking to score a highlight reel goal, but Buskey came out of his crease and made the pad stop.

    Raiders defenceman Zack Hayes got a hold of the puck and sprung Gregor on a breakaway. The star overage centre roofed home his second goal of the game and 23^rd of the year with 20.3 seconds remaining in the second to square things up at 2-2.

    “It was pretty crazy,” said Gregor. “I had a break before, and then they went back and Bus (Buskey) makes a huge save.

    “I go back the other way and tie it up. That was huge save for Bus.”

    In the third, import centre Aliaksei Protas took a pass from offensive defenceman Max Martin on a rush and wired a mid-height shot past Blades netminder Dorrin Luding with 9:27 remaining in the frame.

Aliaksei Protas had the winning goal for the Raiders.

    That set the stage for Fonstad to cement the win with his empty-netter.

    While the Raiders finished off the win, the third period was fairly evenly played with the hosts holding a 10-8 edge in shots on goal in the stanza.

    Blades left-winger Gary Haden thought his team responded well after Gregor tied the contest late in the second period following Buskey’s big save.

    “There are turning points throughout every game,” said Haden. “If Kirby (Dach) scores that highlight goal, it is probably on plays of the year, and we are up 3-1 going into the third.

    “You have to give him (Buskey) credit, he made a big save. (Noah) Gregor has an NHL shot. It is just the way the game goes.
    “I thought we responded pretty well from it. We didn’t get too down on ourselves. We came out and played a hard third.”

    The Blades also played a hard opening frame too. They went ahead 1-0 at the 5:25 mark of the first period, when Haden knocked home a power-play goal at the right side of the Prince Albert net.

    The Raiders drew even at 1-1 just 20 seconds into a five minute major penalty assessed to Blades defenceman Brandon Schuldhaus. Gregor got the puck in the left slot and wired home his 22^nd goal of the season.

Raiders C Brayden Pachal (#8) and Blades D Dawson Davidson scrum it up.

    Schuldhaus was given a kneeing major and a game misconduct after colliding with Martin. Martin left for the remainder of the opening frame but returned after the first intermission and set up the Raiders winning goal in the third period.

    Schuldhaus’s hit will be automatically reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

Before the opening 20 minutes ended, the Blades went back in front 2-1, when Norwegian import left-winger Kristian Roykas-Marthinsen potted his ninth of the year from in front of the Raiders net.

    The big hits, scrums and some rough stuff continued in the second period. Raiders centre Kody McDonald received a double minor for high sticking Blades defenceman Seth Bafaro and drawing blood in the second frame.

Kristian Roykas-Marthinsen (#24) celebrates scoring for the Blades.

    McDonald’s infraction will also be automatically reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

    Haden, who came to the Blades in a trade with the Medicine Hat Tigers earlier this season, was impressed the intensity that exists in the rivalry between Saskatoon and Prince Albert.

    “Everybody kind of warned me when you go to P.A. it is a war, and I got the first taste of that,” said Haden. “If things work out, hopefully, we get them in the playoffs, and it would be quite the series to be a part of.”

    Luding turned away 32 of 35 shots to take the setback in goal for the Blades, who fell to 21-11-5.

Spencer Moe looks to make a centering pass for the Raiders.

    With his two goals and one assist on Friday night, Gregor has points in his last five straight games recording nine goals and four assists over that stretch. Fonstad finished with a goal and an assist on Friday to allow him to also have points in five consecutive games. He has two goals and 10 assists over that stretch.

    With star right-winger Brett Leason playing for Canada at world juniors, Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid was pleased with the offensive production those two veterans have had playing on a line with rookie 16-year-old right-winger Ozzy Wiesblatt.

    “I think that line on its own has a little bit of synergy,” said Habscheid. “Fonstad has really come back after Christmas with an extra step.

    “That line has just played well. We’ve needed them. We’re out two pretty good players.

    “We just keep trying to find a way to win.”

The Raiders celebrate their win on Friday over the Blades.

    The Raiders return to action on Sunday, when they host the Regina Pats at 6 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre. The Blades return to action on Sunday, when they travel to Swift Current to take on the Broncos at 4 p.m. at the Credit Union i-Plex.

    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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Pachal plays role of hero in Raiders OT comeback win

Blades fall 4-3 at home to archrivals in back-and-forth clash

Brayden Pachal, left, celebrates scoring the OT winner for the Raiders.

    Captain Brayden Pachal took his turn to be a hero for the Prince Albert Raiders.

    On Thursday night before 4,631 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, the Raiders entered the third period trailing the host Saskatoon Blades 3-2. At the 6:28 mark of the third period, Pachal, who is a defenceman, drove to the Saskatoon net and fired home the equalizer for the Raiders to tie things up at 3-3 and ultimately force overtime.

    Just 33 seconds into overtime, Pachel gathered the rebound from a shot taken by Raiders star left-winger Cole Fonstad at the left side of the Saskatoon goal and slid home the winning tally between the legs of Blades netminder Nolan Maier to give the Raiders a 4-3 victory. Thursday’s WHL regular season clash was also the first contest for both sides since returning from their respective Christmas breaks.

Brayden Pachal scored twice for the Raiders on Thursday.

    “They are our biggest rival, and we get up for these games every time,” said Pachal. “It was a huge game to get the first one after Christmas.

    “Fonny (Fonstad) made a great play cutting to the middle there, and he got the shot off. I was lucky enough to slide the rebound home.”

    The win allowed the Raiders to improve their WHL leading regular season record to 32-2-0-1. The Raiders, who are rated first in the CHL’s Top 10 rankings, have had different players step up to be difference makers in building their impressive record game after game.

    They kept piling up the wins despite missing rookie 17-year-old import centre Aliaksei Protas and 19-year-old import defenceman Sergei Sapego for a short time as they represented Belarus at the world junior division 1, group A tournament that wrapped up Dec. 15 in Fussen, Germany.

    Since December 10, the Raiders have been without star right-winger Brett Leason and star netminder Ian Scott, who first departed for the main selection camp for Canada’s world junior team and are now playing for Canada at world juniors currently taking place in Vancouver and Victoria, B.C.

Brayden Pachal, right, celebrates this third period equalizer for the Raiders.

    Pachal was pleased he was able to cash in on his opportunities to deliver another victory to the Raiders.

    “It was good,” said Pachal. “I think everyone has stepped up lately.

    “We’ve been missing guys before the break. Now, we are missing Scotty (Ian Scott) and (Brett) Leason. Obviously, they are two of our best players.

    “All the young guys and everyone that has been getting their opportunities have stepped up so far.”

    The Blades, who saw their record move to 21-10-5, opened the scoring on Thursday, when rookie left-winger Kyle Crnkovic wired home a power-play goal at the 12:59 mark of the first period.

Raiders C Noah Gregor, left, and Blades RW Josh Paterson fight for the puck.

    Just 38 seconds later, the Raiders tied things up at 1-1, when star overage centre Noah Gregor wired home his 20^th goal of the season to the top right corner of the Saskatoon goal.
    The opening 20 minutes included a quick fight between Blades defenceman Nolan Kneen and Raiders centre Carson Miller.

    At the 2:52 mark of the second, Gregor potted his second goal of the night converting a back door feed from linemate Ozzy Wiesblatt to give the Raiders a 2-1 advantage.

    Eric Florchuk netted the equalizer for the Blades to force a 2-2 tie at the 4:28 mark of the second.

    Saskatoon jumped ahead 3-2 scoring a five-on-three power play, when overage right-winger Max Gerlach wired home his 20^th goal of the season from the front of the Prince Albert net completing a tick-tack-toe passing play from offensive defenceman Dawson Davidson and left-winger Gary Haden.

Kyle Crnkovic scored on the power play for the Blades.

    That set the stage for Pachal to deliver in his two critical moments to give the Raiders the comeback win.

    Going into Thursday’s game, the Blades had connected on 27-of-152 power-play chances for a 17.8 per cent success rate to rank 16^th in the WHL. 
    Blades head coach Mitch Love was pleased his team cashed in on two-of-five power-play chances on Thursday and successfully killed off the Raiders one power-play opportunity, which after Prince Albert tied things up at 3-3.

    While the Blades bench boss would have liked to have pulled out the win, he took solace in his club’s success on the power play and penalty kill.

    “We had a little more urgency, a little quicker puck movement, more of a shot first mentality there tonight, and they got rewarded for it,” said Love. “Our penalty kill held us in the game tonight.

Raiders LW Parker Kelly (#27) shields Blades C Kirby Dach from the puck.

    “Even though we only had one kill, it was a big kill in the third period, and that is what you are looking for. We just ended up on the wrong side (of the scoreboard).”

    Maier turned away 27 shots to take the setback in goal for the Blades. 
    Donovan Buskey stopped 23 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders.

    The two teams go at it again on Friday in Prince Albert at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre. 
    The Raiders are a perfect 16-0 at home this season.

Brayden Pachal (#8) bats home the OT winner for the Raiders.

    Love said his side faces a big challenge in Friday’s rematch.

    “I expect their team to be probably better than they were tonight even,” said Love. “I would attest that their staff probably didn’t think that was their best game.

    “I didn’t think it was our best game. Them playing in front of a soldout crowd in their own building I am sure they will have a little bit of extra life and energy there. There will be better execution on both sides.

    “We’re going to have to go in there and play our best game of the season, if we are going to want to try and beat a team that hasn’t lost on home ice.”

    The Raiders have won three out of the four head-to-head games between the two sides this season.
    Pachal believes Friday’s clash between the two rivals will be a contest the fans won’t want to miss.

    “It is going to be a good game again,” said Pachal. “I expect nothing less.

The Raiders celebrate their OT win on Thursday night.

    “We battle hard against each other. We don’t like each other, so it will be a great game I am sure.”

    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 outgun Broncos 7-5, head into Christmas 31-2-0-1

Sean Montgomery, centre, celebrates the Raiders teddy bear goal.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The Prince Albert Raiders didn’t have it easy, but they kept going full steam ahead in what has been a remarkable WHL campaign.

    On Saturday night at the Art Hauser Centre, the Raiders outgunned the majorly rebuilding Swift Current Broncos 7-5 in a WHL regular season contest before a packed standing room crowd of 2,809 spectators at the 2,580 seat facility. With the win, the Raiders remained undefeated at home at 16-0 and improved their spectacular WHL leading regular season record to 31-2-0-1.

    With star right-winger Brett Leason and star goaltender Ian Scott unavailable to the Raiders due to taking part in camp activities with Canada’s world junior team, the Raiders have found a way to put together a three game winning streak heading into their WHL Christmas break.

Jakob Brook, right, and the Raiders help with the teddy bear clean up.

    Having downed the Broncos 6-4 in Swift Current on Friday night, Raiders overage right-winger Noah Gregor said it was important for his club to find ways to win without their two star players.

    “These past two days have been probably not the way we want the game to go,” said Gregor. “Probably, it was entertaining for the fans.

    “At the end of the day, we got two big wins for us, and that is a great way to go into the break.”

    Saturday’s contest was the Raiders teddy bear toss game, and overage centre Sean Montgomery wired home the teddy bear goal at the 4:48 mark of the opening frame on a beauty set up by left-winger Parker Kelly. Montgomery’s tally gave the host side a 1-0 edge.

Overage C Sean Montgomery is having a career season for the Raiders.

    Having first joined the Raiders on a full-time basis as a 16-year-old rookie, Montgomery has put up career highs in goals (16), assists (19) and points (35). He had never scored the teddy bear toss goal, so he was happy to net that tally on Saturday.

    “There were a lot more people than I think we’ve had in other years, so it was great,” said Montgomery. “I guess the fifth time is a charm.”

    From that point, Saturday’s game turned into an old fashioned 1980s style shootout.

    The two teams exited the first period locked in a 2-2 draw. Justin Nachbaur scored his first of the night for the Raiders, while Dawson Springer and Ethan O’Rourke replied with singles for the Broncos.

Overage RW Noah Gregor scored twice for the Raiders on Saturday.

    Springer, who is a 16-year-old associate player call up from the Prince Albert midget AAA Mintos, was playing in his first career WHL regular season game, so of course, his tally for the Broncos was his first career goal in the major junior ranks.

    By the 6:08 mark of the second period, Joona Kiviniemi and Matthew Culling potted singles for the Broncos to give the visitors a 4-2 edge.

    Raiders starting goalie Donovan Buskey was pulled after the Broncos fourth goal. He stopped six of 10 shots sent his way.

    Associate player call up Brett Balas played in his first WHL game making the relief appearance. The 17-year-old, who was playing in the junior A ranks with the Calgary Canucks, stopped seven of eight shots sent his way to ultimately pick up his first career WHL victory.

Dawson Springer (#37) celebrates his first career WHL goal.

    Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid was pleased his club could pick up the win despite his side having some struggles in between the pipes. He hopes to get a little better effort from his netminders going forward in Scott’s absence.

    “It is all about the win,” said Habscheid. “Some nights, you are going to have little areas that (struggle) whether it be the power play not going or the PK or certain lines, individuals or whatever, you have to find a way.

    “You need your goaltender to stop pucks. That is just the way it is. You win as a team, you lose as a team, but in the end, your goaltender is the most important player.

    “It is difficult with Scotty (Scott) away, because he is our guy. It gives the other guys opportunities too. When they get their opportunities, you want them to perform for sure.”

Justin Nachbaur (#29) watches his second goal of the game go in.

    After making the goaltending change, the Raiders hit their high gear offensively scoring four straight goals before the second period ended to go ahead 6-4.

    Nachbaur started the surge scoring his second of the night. Ozzy Wiesblatt, who is a 16-year-old rookie centre, potted the equalizer at the 12:38 mark of the frame.

    Gregor netted two straight goals to complete the surge for the Raiders. He tipped home a pass from linemate Cole Fonstad for the first goal and scored the second marker on a wraparound.

    “You don’t want to be down going into the third, so we knew that we had to come with a strong push going into the end of that second period,” said Gregor. “We did a great job of that.

    “I think every game I am trying to be a leader and trying to be an offensive guy for this team. With (Brett) Leason being out, he is a huge part of the offence. I try to push myself to try and do even more.”

Ozzy Wiesblatt had a goal for the Raiders on Saturday.

    The Broncos cut the Raiders edge to 6-5, when left-winger Alec Zawatsky scored at the 3:31 mark of the third.

    Raiders power forward Parker Kelly rounded out the game’s scoring with an unassisted marker.

    Joel Hofer turned away 49 shots in goal for the Broncos. Having won the WHL title last season, the Broncos went through a major turnover in their roster, coaching staff and hockey operation staff during the off-season.

    Now placed in a position where they are rebuilding from near scratch, the Broncos sit last in the WHL at 6-24-1-1 heading into their WHL Christmas break.

Montgomery said it was key for the Raiders to ensure Saturday’s game didn’t slip away.

    “It is probably not the way we drew it up, but we got the win,” said Montgomery. “We’re not going to complain about that.

Broncos goalie Joel Hofer gives Raiders C Spencer Moe a shot.

    “We’ve had contributions from all four lines lately. Guys are stepping up and playing up to their potential I think. It has been a really good team effort the last few games.”

    The Raiders return to action on Thursday, Dec. 27, when they travel to Saskatoon to face the Blades (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre). The Broncos get going again on Thursday, Dec. 27, when they travel to Moose Jaw to face the Warriors (7 p.m., Mosaic Place).

    Going into the break, Habscheid said his Raiders are taking time to reflect on the fact they have built a stellar record to this point in the campaign to be rated first in the CHL Top 10 rankings.

    “You might as well talk about it,” said Habscheid. “It is 31-2-0-1. It is crazy.

The Raiders celebrate their victory on Saturday night.

    “It is something we never would have thought of halfway through the season to have that record. Like we talked in there, be proud of that, but the most fun part of any hockey season is the second half.

    “They can be proud of that, go home, enjoy it and forget about the game and enjoy the record so far. We haven’t won anything yet, and we still have a lot of things we want to accomplish. The next three, four months or five months should be real interesting.”

    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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