Tigers persevere with Ruck’s OT winner over Raiders

Medicine Hat takes 2-0 series lead over Prince Albert

The Tigers pile up top of Liam Ruck after he scores an OT winner.

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – The Prince Albert Raiders had to have had visions of the Art Hauser Centre running through their collective heads.

For a moment, it appeared the Raiders had the host Medicine Hat Tigers right where they wanted them on Sunday night. After Tigers superstar left-winger Gavin McKenna scored on a rush down the left wing for his second of two short-handed goals on the night with 2:15 remaining in the third period of Game 2 of a WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series, the Tigers held a 4-2 lead with the 5,242 spectators at Co-op Place quickly going into full celebration mode.

While the Tigers have showed they have potent offence so far in this series, the Raiders are showing they never say die. In a span of 35 seconds, Raiders 20-year-old right-winger Rilen Kovacevic scored twice to force a 4-4 tie and overtime.

The fans at Co-op Place cheer the Tigers overtime winner.

He tallied on the power play with a mid-range shot with 1:37 remaining in the frame and added the equalizer with 62 seconds remaining on the clock as the Raiders had 20-year-old star netminder Max Hildebrand pulled for an extra attacker.

Following Kovacevic’s second tally, it felt like Tigers rookie netminder Jordan Switzer, who turned 18-years-old in January, might have gotten a little shaky. Medicine Hat came out composed in the overtime period, and Prince Albert never really had a serious chance to test Switzer again.

Liam Ruck (#12) is all smiles after scoring the OT winner.

At the 8:42 mark of the extra session, Raiders gritty centre Harrison Lodewyk nailed Tigers offensive-defenceman Jonas Woo into the boards in the centre ice zone with a huge amount of force. Woo went down and had to be helped off the ice, and Lodewyk was give a minor penalty for boarding.

Just eight seconds into the ensuing power play, Tigers offensive-defenceman Bryce Pickford took a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle that was tipped home by super-rookie right-winger Liam Ruck to give the host Tigers a 5-4 victory. The crowd at Co-op Place exploded into a madhouse once Ruck’s goal entered the Prince Albert net.

The win allowed the Tigers to hold serve at home taking a 2-0 lead in the set, while the Raiders were left to lament they weren’t able to get the series back to their storied and historic home rink locked in a 1-1 tie. The series shifts back to Prince Albert for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. Those contests will be held at 7 p.m. both nights at the Hauser.

Rilen Kovacevic celebrates his second of two goals on Sunday.

In a players’ poll conducted earlier this season, the Hauser was voted as the second toughest road rink in the WHL to play in.

From a Raiders perspective, Game 2 ultimately was the “one that got away.”

Lodewyk, who turned 20-years-old in March, was having a good night until taking his boarding infraction. The Red Deer, Alta., product had goal and won 13-of-19 faceoffs.

For the most part, Game 2 of the series was fairly evenly played. The Tigers went 2-for-5 on the power play, and the Raiders were 2-for-6 with the man advantage. 

Medicine Hat got two short-handed goals from McKenna, while the Raiders didn’t have any short-handed markers.

Tanner Molendyk, left, battles Rilen Kovacevic for the puck.

The Tigers had the only goal in the first period where the shots on goal were even at 7-7. With 3:36 remaining in the opening frame, Tigers captain Oasiz Wiesblatt deflected home a shot from offensive-defenceman Bryce Pickford to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

At the 6:51 mark of the second, McKenna netted his first short-handed goal of the contest to put the Tigers up 2-0, and it was a highlight reel tally that is sure to be played on most major sports networks and will show up all over social media. It was a goal where you have to see the video to truly appreciate it.

McKenna entered the Prince Albert zone on what ended up being a two-on-two rush, he put a couple of moves on to tie Raiders star 19-year-old defenceman Lukas Dragicevic in knots and proceeded to use Dragicevic as a screen to roof a shot to the top right corner of the Prince Albert net.

Oasiz Wiesblatt had the Tigers first goal on Sunday.

That spectacular tally would allow McKenna to have points in his last 47 consecutive outings including action in the regular season and post-season.

The two teams proceeded to combine for six goals in the final 10:14 of the third period. With 10:14 remaining in the third, Raiders rookie defenceman Linden Burrett wristed a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle to the top left corner of the Medicine Hat net to cut the Tigers lead to 2-1.

Just 72 seconds later, Tigers overage centre Mathew Ward got in alone on Hildebrand, put on a deke move and tucked home his first of the post-season to put the Tigers up 3-1.

The Raider answered back working on the power play 79 seconds later Lodewyk potted his first of the post-season from the front of the Medicine Hat net to cut the Tigers lead to 3-2. Lodewyk converted a nice short pass from Tigers rookie centre Riley Boychuk, who had been positioned by the left side of the Medicine Hat net.

Gavin McKenna had two short-handed goals on Sunday.

That set the stage for the dramatics that happened in the final 2:15 of the third and in the extra session.

Hildebrand turned away 33 shots to take the setback in net for the Raiders. Switzer stopped 27 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Tigers.

The Tigers had a 31-30 edge in shots on goal after regulation and outshot the Raiders 7-1 in overtime.

Veteran Medicine Hat star defenceman Tanner Molendyk had three assists in the win.

The Raiders were without star left-winger Tomas Mrsic for a fourth straight contest having suffered a skate cut late in the first period of the Raiders victory in Game 5 in their first round series over the Edmonton Oil Kings. 

Linden Burrett had the Raiders first goal on Sunday.

The Tigers were without star forwards Andrew Basha and Cayden Lindstrom.

Basha last played in the Tigers 4-0 home ice victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes on December 28, 2024 and has been out with a lower body injury since that time. 

Lindstrom has been battling a back injury since December 16, 2023 and last suited up on April 5, 2024, when the Tigers fell 5-2 at home to be eliminated from the WHL Playoffs in Game 5 of a first round series against the Red Deer Rebels.

The Tigers topped the Eastern Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season with a 47-17-3-1 mark. They took out the Swift Current Broncos in five games in a best-of-seven first round series.

The Raiders won the WHL’s East Division title with a 39-23-5-1 mark. They overcame a 3-1 series deficit to down the Oil Kings 4-3 in the first round of the playoffs.

The Tigers celebrate a goal from Mathew Ward (#10).

In their last 41 games between the regular season and playoffs, the Tigers are an impressive 34-4-2-1. While the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinal between the Tigers and Raiders have been entertaining and could have gone either way, the Tigers did what they needed to do in winning twice on home ice.

Now, the pressure shifts to the Raiders to hold serve at the Hauser. They know they will get a boost from their faithful in “Hockey Town North.”

Will that be enough to derail the heater the Tigers have been on?

The Tigers enjoy their overtime victory on Sunday night.

No matter what happens, it is safe to expect the remaining games of this series will be must-watch hockey.

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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Dragicevic starts the party, Raiders win East Division title

Archrival Blades fall 4-3 before electric Art Hauser Centre crowd

The Raiders celebrate a winning goal from Lukas Dragicevic.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Lukas Dragicevic couldn’t help but let the emotions out.

On Saturday night playing before 3,264 spectators at the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre, the Prince Albert Raiders star 19-year-old defenceman blew home a power-play goal from inside the right faceoff circle to put his squad up 4-3 over the Saskatoon Blades. The tally was Dragicevic’s 18^th goal of the campaign and it came with 3:01 remaining in the third period in a winner take all match between the two sides for the WHL’s East Division championship.

The roar of the fans after the key tally almost blew the roof off the Art Hauser Centre in a contest where the Raiders and Blades closed their respective regular season schedules. The noise from that point of the game was surpassed when the final seconds of the third period clock expired during a mad scramble in the Prince Albert end.

Lukas Dragicevic had the winning goal for the Raiders.

When the final buzzer sounded, the 4-3 score held up as the game’s final outcome. The noise in the building got louder as the archrivals got into some scrum action shortly after the contest ended causing the officials to separate the two sides from each other.

After the officials got the Blades players back to their bench, Dragicevic and his teammates proceeded to skating to centre ice both saluting and hyping up the crowd at the same time. As is the Art Hauser Centre tradition when the Raiders beat the Blades, The Guess Who’s “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” blared through the building’s sound system.

With a fifth win in a row, the Raiders improved to 39-23-5-1 to become champions of the WHL’s East Division.

The mad scramble around the Raiders net at game’s end.

“It is unbelievable,” said Dragicevic, who remembered his team stumbled out of the gate to a 2-7-2 start. “Just the group that we have in there, you guys know what we’ve been through.

“We were almost last place in the CHL for a bit there, and then we climbed back and now we’re division champions. The work we put in this year just shows what kind of group we have and now much time and effort we put in every single day to claim that banner. Nobody is taking that away from us.

“We’re division champions in the Western Hockey League, so it is super cool. Just to see what we went through this year, I’m just so proud of everyone in there.”

The Raiders and Blades engage in scrums at the end of the game.

Dragicevic’s tally came on what would be just the Raiders second of two power-play opportunities in the contest. Raiders head turning rookie defenceman Daxon Rudolph had the puck at the left point and got a pass down to star centre Aiden Oiring in the left corner of the Saskatoon zone.

Oiring passed the puck up the centre of the ice to Dragicevic, who was pinching down from the right point. The rearguard proceeded to stride into the right faceoff circle where he blew home his winner. He was pumped to be in the right spot at the right time.

Lukas Dragicevic pumps up the Art Hauser Centre faithful.

“We were buzzing all night on the power play,” said Dragicevic. “We just couldn’t get one to go in, and then we finally got one to go in.

“I just let it go, and it happened to go in. Fortunately, it was me (who scored).”

In what was a back-and-forth game, the Blades broke through on the scoreboard first with 8:04 remaining in the opening frame. Blades rookie import left-winger David Lewandowski, who turned 18-years-old in February, had the puck in front of the Prince Albert net and passed it off to rookie linemate Cooper Williams positioned by the left post. Williams, who turned 17-years-old in February, potted his 21^st goal of the campaign to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

The fans at the Art Hauser Centre cheer on the Raiders.

The Raiders pulled even at 1-1 when gritty centre Harrison Lodewyk wired home his 11^th over the campaign with 64 seconds remaining in the first.

Just 62 seconds into the second, the Raiders jumped ahead 2-1, when Oiring wired his 29^th of the campaign home converting a drop pass from linemate Brayden Dube.

At the 11:18 mark of the second, Raiders rookie centre Ethan Bibeau made a long looping dump of the puck from his zone into the right faceoff circle of the Saskatoon zone. That created a race to the puck by Raiders 16-year-old right-winger Ty Meunier and Blades sophomore defenceman Jack Kachkowski.

Raiders players salute the fans and say farewell to the Blades.

Meunier fought off Kachkowski for the puck, did a turnaround in close in to the Saskatoon net and wired a shot past Blades star netminder Evan Gardner to put the Raiders up 3-1.

The Blades proceeded to battle back. Breakout right-winger Hunter Laing potted his 25^th goal of the campaign capitalizing on a power-play chance with 3:41 remaining in the second to cut the Raiders lead to 3-2.

At the 9:11 mark of the third just as another power-play chance had expired, the Blades evened the score at 3-3. Blades 20-year-old offensive-defenceman Grayden Siepmann put a backhand pass from the left side of the Prince Albert net across the front of the goal to Blades sophomore centre Hayden Harsanyi. Harsanyi preceded to one-time home the equalizer.

The officials direct the Blades down their dressing room tunnel.

That set the stage for the dramatics with Dragicevic’s winner and the scrum activities at the end of the game. The win allowed the Raiders to take the regular season series against the Blades winning five the the eight head-to-head encounters between the two sides.

“I am extremely proud of the group and just the way we continue to battle,” said Raiders interim head coach Ryan McDonald. “We start off and we have a really good start.

“We bend a little bit in the first period there. I think we just continued to take the game over as it went on and really simplified and got pucks in behind and used our speed to create our chances.”

Cooper Williams scored the Blades and the game’s first goal.

Raiders star 20-year-old netminder Max Hildebrand put in another spectacular performance making 34 saves to backstop the Raiders to victory. Hildebrand loved how his squad stayed composed even when the Blades rallied to tie the game.

“It is kind of something we’ve been talking about down the stretch here just staying even keel no matter what happens,” said Hildebrand. “If we give up a goal or get ahead by a few, you can lose leads fast, and you can get leads fast.

“It is a game of inches out there. I thought we stayed even keel and our power play came clutch like it has all year. That was the difference.”

Aiden Oiring had a goal and an assist for the Raiders.

Gardner turned away 28 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades. The Blades fell to 37-23-4-4 with the loss to finish third in the East Division two points behind the Raiders and one point behind the second place Brandon Wheat Kings (38-23-4-3).

Saskatoon placed sixth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. The Blades wait to find out who their opponent will be in the first round of the WHL Playoffs. They will face the team that loses in Sunday’s clash for top spot in the conference between the Medicine Hat Tigers (46-17-3-1) and the host Calgary Hitmen (45-16-3-3) at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Thanks to finishing first in the East Division, the Raiders will be the second seed in the Eastern Conference for the first round of the WHL Playoffs. 

Evan Gardner made 28 saves in goal for the Blades.

They will face the Edmonton Oil Kings (36-27-2-2) opening the first two games of a best-of-seven series at the Art Hauser Centre. Game 1 is Friday at 7 p.m., and Game 2 follows on Saturday, March 29 at 7 p.m.

McDonald is looking forward to seeing his squad play before the Art Hauser Centre faithful in the post-season. He said the fans gave the Raiders a big boost in Saturday’s win to claim the East Division title.

“They are just absolutely tremendous,” said McDonald. “Our fans, they’re second to none.

“They are the atmosphere in here. They keep our guys going. Their passion is exactly how we play on the ice.

Max Hildebrand stopped 34 shots in goal for the Raiders.

“As a Prince Albert born and raised young man, I’ve been coming to these games for a lot of years. It never ceases to amaze me the support that we have.”

Raiders star 20-year-old right-winger Niall Crocker was pumped to help his squad win the East Division title. 

The last time the Raiders claimed the division crown was during the 2019-20 campaign, which was shortened due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. That was the campaign before Crocker joined the team on a full-time basis.

This season Crocker had career highs in goals (27), assists (38), points (65) and the plus-minus department (plus-four) in helping the Raiders claim a division title.

A total of 3,264 fans packed the 2,580 Art Hauser Centre.

“It is unbelievable,” said Crocker. “From the start of the year to where we are now, I’m just so proud of these guys.

“Some guys counted us out at the start, but we kept at it. We battled. Now, we are East Division champions.

“I’m so proud of these guys.”

While Crocker soaked in the moment on Saturday night, he is looking forward to his last venture through the WHL Playoffs.

“We’ll just take it one game at a time,” said Crocker. “It is nice that we have the home ice advantage.

Max Hildebrand sends a souvenir stick to the crowd.

“I know it is my last year. We have the team to make a big boom here. I’m super excited and looking forward to it.”

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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Dube delivers winner takes all showdown with OT tally

Raiders/Blades meet for final East Division title battle Saturday

The Raiders pile on Brayden Dube after their overtime win.

Brayden Dube forced another big game.

On Friday night playing before a season high 10,990 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, Dube broke the hearts of the host Saskatoon Blades and their faithful. Locked in a 2-2 tie playing a three-versus-three overtime period, Raiders captain Justice Christensen put a shot on goal from the top of the right faceoff circle that was deflected home by Dube just 98 seconds into the extra session.

Dube’s tally, which was his second goal of the contest, delivered the Raiders to a 3-2 victory in the WHL regular season clash. Following the overtime goal, the Raiders poured of their bench to celebrate in the left corner of the Saskatoon zone to the appreciative cheers of their contingent of fans who were in the crowd.

Brayden Dube scored the OT winner for the Raiders.

The victory allowed the Raiders to push their winning streak to four games and improve to 38-23-5-1. They have 82 standings points which equals the Blades, whose record moved to 37-22-4-4, for first place in the WHL’s East Division. Prince Albert holds the standings tiebreaker due to having more wins.

That result created a situation where the Raiders and Blades will play one winner take all contest for the East Division title. Both squads close their regular season schedules playing each other on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert.

Prince Albert’s extra time win on Friday also knocked the Brandon Wheat Kings out of contention for first in the East Division. The Wheat Kings dumped the visiting Regina Pats 7-3 on Friday night at Westoba Place in Brandon.

The Raiders fan contingent soaks in the overtime win.

With the win, the Wheat Kings improved to 37-23-4-3 to sit one point back of both the Raiders and Blades. The Wheat Kings and Pats (16-43-5-3) close their respective regular season schedules going at it again on Saturday in Regina (6 p.m., Brandt Centre).

Dube’s overtime winner was his second goal of Friday’s contest. The 19-year-old right-winger from Roblin, Man., has had an amazing breakout season having set career highs in goals (31), assists (35), points (66) and the plus-minus department (plus-20). He has also appeared in all of the Raiders 67 regular season contests to date in the 2024-25 campaign.

Raiders G Max Hildebrand (#30) denies Blades C Hayden Harsanyi.

Dube got things rolling early for the Raiders scoring 24 seconds into Friday’s game to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. At the centre ice zone, Raiders star centre Aiden Oiring made a backhanded pass to the left wing to spring Dube into the Saskatoon zone.

He proceeded to jet past the Blades defence, cut across the front of the Saskatoon net, and tucked home his first marker of the night.

Just 73 seconds later, the Blades had a great chance to get the equalizer. Blades 18-year-old right-winger William James received a backdoor pass at the right side of the Prince Albert net. He put a shot on goal only to be robbed by Raiders star 20-year-old netminder Max Hildebrand, who slid across his crease to make the stop.

David Lewandowski had the Blades first goal on Friday.

The Raiders had a glorious chance to increase their lead while working on the power play. On a rush into the Saskatoon zone, Raiders rising star defenceman Daxon Rudolph, who turned 17-years-old earlier this month, received a backdoor pass at the right side of the Blades net. Rudolph quickly released a shot only to be denied by a left pad save from Blades star netminder Evan Gardner.

The Blades found the equalizer that forced a 1-1 tie with 4:43 remaining in the opening frame. Blades 18-year-old head turning right-winger Hunter Laing came down the right wing on a rush and put a shot on goal that Hildebrand stopped but rebounded out the left of the Prince Albert net.

Blades rookie import left-winger David Lewandowski jumped on the loose puck and put it into an empty cage to force the even score.

Zach Olsen had the Blades second goal on Friday.

At the 6:07 mark of the second, the Blades went on the power play after Oiring picked up an interference minor after hitting Saskatoon import centre Frantisek Dej from behind into the boards in the right corner of the Blades zone. Dej went down on the ice and had to be helped off the ice. He would quickly return to the game after getting to the Blades bench.

On the ensuing power play, Blades rookie centre Cooper Williams, who turned 17-years-old in February, directed a shot pass midrange from the left of the Prince Albert net to the right side of the visitors goal. Blades rookie right-winger Zach Olsen, who turned 17-years-old earlier this month, redirected the puck into an empty cage to put the host side up 2-1.

The Raiders celebrate an equalizer from Harrison Lodewyk (#29).

At that point, the rest of the second period seemingly became the Hildebrand show with the Raiders netminder making a number of big saves. Those included turning away Blades standout left-winger Rowan Calvert in close with a pad save and denying Blades centre Hayden Harsanyi with a blocker save close in.

From there, Hildebrand made a pair of diving stops on Laing and put up a wall on Blades 20-year-old offensive-defenceman Grayden Siepmann twice in close. The Blades had every opportunity to bury the Raiders, but thanks to Hildebrand, Saskatoon had only a one-goal edge heading into the second intermission.

When the third period got rolling, Hildebrand made key stops on Calvert, Blades star right-winger Tyler Parr and Lewandowski. That gave the Raiders traction to get on even terms.

Justice Christensen had an assist on the Raiders OT winner.

With 5:07 remaining in the third, Raiders star 20-year-old right-winger Niall Crocker had the puck in the right corner of the Saskatoon zone, and he centred a pass to gritty centre Harrison Lodewyk, who turned 20-years-old earlier this month. Lodewyk was stoned on his first shot by Gardner, but the veteran forward collected his own rebound at the left side of the Saskatoon net and put home the equalizer that forced a 2-2 tie and ultimately overtime.

The Raiders had the only two shots on goal in the extra session. Gardner made a glove stop off Raiders start left-winger Tomas Mrsic but was ultimately beat by Dube’s deflection goal.

Hildebrand stopped 35 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Gardner turned away 20 shots to take the extra time setback in net for the Blades.

At first, it was viewed that Friday’s game at the SaskTel Centre was going to be the biggest clash of the season for the two archrivals. Now, they will meet in what will be the biggest game of the campaign between the two sides on Saturday in Prince Albert as they battle for a prize only one can win in an East Division banner.

The Raiders celebrate their win on Friday night.

You can expect the Raiders faithful with make the Art Hauser Centre a madhouse as it not every day the Raiders and Blades play their respective final regular season games against each other in a winner take all clash for the division crown.

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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Lodewyk powers Raiders with Gordie Howe hat trick

Prince Albert knocks off visiting Pats 5-2

Harrison Lodewyk (#29) celebrates his Gordie Howe hat trick goal.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. - Harrison Lodewyk admitted he was oblivious at first to the fact he got a Gordie Howe hat trick.

On Wednesday night playing before 2,395 spectators at the Art Hauser Centre, the 19-year-old centre picked up one goal, one assist and one fighting major to power his Prince Albert Raiders past the visiting Regina Pats 5-2 in a WHL regular season clash. The win allowed the Raiders to improve to 26-15-3-1 to push their lead for first place in the East Division to four points over the idle Saskatoon Blades (23-16-3-3).

With the Raiders holding a 2-0 lead on the Pats in the second period of Wednesday’s contest, Lodewyk already had an assist coming on his club’s first goal and a fight. On a rush into the offensive zone, Lodewyk drove down the left wing to the net.

Harrison Lodewyk had a goal, an assist and a fight on Wednesday.

A linemate in 20-year-old left-winger Niall Crocker came with the puck down the right wing and put a pass across the face of the Regina net to Lodewyk. Lodewyk converted the backdoor tap to put the Raiders up 3-0 at the 10:36 mark of the frame and complete the Gordie Howe hat trick in the process.

“It didn’t pop in my mind right away,” said Lodewyk, whose goal ended up being the game winner. “I was just happy that my teammates made a great play, and I got the goal.”

The Red Deer product said he decided against trying anything fancy, which ultimately helped him get the goal to complete the Gordie Howe hat trick.

Harrison Lodewyk (#29) takes down John Babcock (#5).

“I was thinking maybe I’ll just pull it back and go backhand there, but then I know that is not my game,” said Lodewyk, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 193 pounds. “I just thought why don’t I just redirect it and hope for the best there.”

Lodewyk picked up his assist on the Raiders opening goal at the 13:34 mark of the opening frame that was banged home from the front of the Regina net by 19-year-old right-winger Brayden Dube. The tally was Dube’s 22^nd goal of the season and it came off the rebound of a Lodewyk shot.

With 4:28 remaining in the first, Lodewyk engaged Pats 20-year-old defenceman John Babcock in a fight. The bout was a quick one with both players throwing about a couple of shots each before Lodewyk got the take down.

Raiders HC Jeff Truitt, centre, returned after a medical leave.

“He (Lodewyk) does a lot of things for us,” said Raiders head coach Jeff Truitt. “He is a leader in our room.

“He is a guy who is one of the hardest workers that you’ll ever meet. He is very effective on the ice, faceoffs and penalty kills. He has got responsibilities that way.

“He can pitch in on the offence. He does a lot of everything. He is probably a very underrated player in our league.”

The feistiness of the contest continued early in the second period as Pats 17-year-old defenceman Reese Hamilton took down Raiders rookie left-winger Ethan Bibeau, who turned 18-years-old on January 1, with a high stick. Raiders rookie 18-year-old defenceman Linden Burrett immediately engaged Hamilton in a fight.

Brayden Dube scored the Raiders first goal on Wednesday.

Just over four minutes after that fight, the Raiders went ahead 2-0, when rookie 16-year-old right-winger Ty Meunier had the puck at the left side of the Regina net roofed home his 10^th marker of the campaign to the top right corner of the goal. Meunier converted a sweet setup pass from 16-year-old rookie right-winger Riley Boychuk on the play.

Lodewyk would record his Gordie Howe hat trick goal just 40 seconds after Meunier’s tally. The veteran, who has been with the Raiders since the start of the 2021-22 campaign, was pumped to pick up that milestone on Wednesday.

“It was pretty awesome,” said Lodewyk. “I mean you don’t go into a game hoping for those things.

Reese Hamilton, left, and Linden Burrett engage in a fight.

“You’re just hoping for the win and do the things you need to do to be successful. You’ve got to love the results.”

Before the second period ended, the Pats battled back with left-wingers Cohen Klassen and Keets Fawcett picking up singles to cut the Raiders lead to 3-2 heading into the second intermission.

Just 38 seconds into the third, Raiders had to kill off a double minor assessed to 20-year-old right-winger Rilen Kovacevic for high sticking.

Shortly after that kill, Raiders 18-year-old centre Evan Smith tipped the puck home from the front of the Regina net to give the host side a 4-2 advantage. Smith got his stick on a smart setup pass from linemate Oli Chenier to record his first goal as a member of the Raiders since being acquired in a trade with the Red Deer Rebels.

Ty Meunier had the Raiders second goal on Wednesday.

Raiders star centre Aiden Oiring rounded out the game’s scoring picking up his 20^th goal of the season with 2:28 remaining in the third period.

With 90 seconds remaining in the third, Boychuk picked up a double minor for high sticking, which the Raiders were able to kill off. The double minors for high sticking given to Kovacevic and Boychuk will be automatically review by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

Max Hildebrand stopped 31 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Ewan Huet turned away 32 shots to take the setback in net for the Pats (13-27-4-2).

Raiders 19-year-old defenceman Matteo Fabrizi picked a pair of assists in the win.

The Raiders celebrate a goal from Evan Smith (#21).

Wednesday’s game mark the first time Truitt was working behind the Raiders bench as head coach after missing 15 games for a medical leave to have eye surgery.  

He said it felt real good to be back behind the bench for his Prince Albert side.

“That is where you’re most comfortable is behind there and operating things and reading the game that way,” said Truitt. “The kids make it easy.

“It is just junior hockey. Sometimes, it gets a little hairy at times, but I like the way that we managed the puck, especially later on in the game. At times, we let teams back in.

“We didn’t let them back in. The two points is what we needed, and we got it.”

Aiden Oiring had the Raiders fifth goal on Wednesday.

With Wednesday’s game in the books, the Pats return to action on Friday when they host the Red Deer Rebels (7 p.m., Brandt Centre).

The Raiders get back at it on Saturday when they host the Wenatchee Wild (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

Truitt is looking forward to his team’s next game, and he said things are feeling normal for him now that he is back coaching.

“You’ve done it for so long that you get back in a comfort area, and that is where it is,” said Truitt. “You have prepared for the last couple of days the same way that we always have.

The Raiders salute their faithful at the Art Hauser Centre.

“Then, we have our meetings, and you are on the bench and you’re reading off of things and making sure that you’re getting the right guys out at the right time as much as you can. It wasn’t like it was totally different, but it just feels right.”

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Hurricanes’ Laventure finally finds luck in P.A.

Tyson Laventure celebrates scoring for the Hurricanes.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Luck finally went Tyson Laventure’s way in Prince Albert.

The Lethbridge Hurricanes veteran right-winger, who turned 20-years-old in late January, seemed to have a dark cloud hanging over him when it came to putting up points when he played with the Prince Albert Raiders. Taken by the Raiders in the second round and 31^st overall in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft, Laventure began playing with the Raiders on a full-time basis at the start of the 2019-2020 season.

Laventure brought a tonne of effort and energy creating various chances in the offensive zone, but the points followed at a trickle pace.  In 93 career regular season games with the Raiders, Laventure had 15 goals and 13 assists.

Tyson Laventure has career highs in goals (20) and points (42).

He was traded by the Raiders to the Hurricanes on December 31, 2021.

On Friday night, Laventure and his Hurricanes were in Prince Albert taking on the Raiders in a WHL regular season clash at the Art Hauser Centre. In that contest, luck finally went Laventure’s way.

With the teams locked in a scoreless tie, Laventure record his 20^th goal of the season on a positive bounce play to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at the 9:17 mark of the second period. Laventure had the puck at the right side of the Prince Albert net and made a backhanded pass across the front of the goal trying to find linemate Brayden Edwards backdoor.

Laventure’s pass deflected off the skate of Raiders 17-year-old centre Aiden Oiring into the Prince Albert net to give the visitors the lead. That tally held up as the winning goal as the Hurricanes came away with a 3-0 victory to disappoint most of the 2,445 spectators in attendance.

Tyson Laventure has enjoyed playing for the Hurricanes.

“Obviously, I’m playing my former team, so I really want to get the win,” said Laventure, who Hurricanes won three of their four head-to-head encounters with the Raiders this season. “Obviously, it was great to be able to help out my new team there and contribute with a goal in my old building.”

In 53 games with the Hurricanes this season, Laventure, who is from Lloydminster located on the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan, has 20 goals and 22 assists for 42 points to go with a plus-four rating in the plus-minus department. His goal, point and plus-minus totals are career highs.

He has also played 93 career regular season games with the Hurricanes putting up 26 goals and 39 assists for 65 points.

Brayden Edwards scored the Hurricanes second goal on Friday.

“I’m a little bit luckier like that one tonight,” said Laventure, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 190 pounds. “I think that I’ve just been playing a little bit of a harder game this year and scoring a lot more right in front of the net and staying a little bit out of the perimeter.

“I’m an older guy now, so I thought it was time to step up and start really helping the team out.”

Laventure had a huge following in attendance on Friday. His family, his Raider billet family, his girlfriend and her family were all part of his entourage. He was pumped to get a highlight with his good-luck goal.

While he enjoyed his time in Prince Albert, Laventure said the change of scenery did help kick start his game. He said he has enjoyed playing for Hurricanes general manager Peter Anholt, assistant general manager and assistant coach Matt Anholt and head coach Brent Kisio.

Tyson Zimmer had the Hurricanes third goal on Friday.

Under their guidance, Laventure said he has found his way towards being a more productive player.

“It has been awesome for me,” said Laventure. “Pete (Anholt), Matty (Anholt) and Brent (Kisio) are all great guys.

“They’ve really helped me improve my game. I’m really enjoying it in Lethbridge.”

Laventure and the Hurricanes got out to a good start in Friday’s game recording the first four shots on goal. They kept the Raiders off the shot clock until the 10:44 mark of the opening frame.

The host Raiders hit high gear in the final 9:16 of the first and exited the stanza holding an 11-6 edge in shots on goal. Prince Albert came out on fire in the second forcing Hurricanes 20-year-old netminder Bryan Thomson to make a trio of big saves on Raiders forwards Harrison Lodewyk, Oiring and Carter Anderson.

Bryan Thomson made 31 saves for a shutout win on Friday.

Thomson’s glove was working in prime form with the stops on Lodewyk and Anderson.

The contest’s complexion proceeded to turn on Laventure’s tally at the 9:17 mark of the second. The Raiders were outshooting the Hurricanes 17-10 at that point in the contest.

With 1:22 remaining in the second, the Hurricanes went up 2-0 on a smart play by Edwards. After the Hurricanes lost a draw in the left faceoff circle in the offence zone, Edwards quickly stole the puck from Raiders 20-year-old defenceman Landon Kosior and slid home his eighth of the season to give the visitors a two-goal edge going into the second intermission.

Harrison Lodewyk fires a shot on goal for the Raiders.

“That was huge,” said Laventure. “Obviously, it was completely an individual effort by Eddie (Edwards) there.

“It was a really nothing play that he made into a great scoring chance and scored going into the second intermission. That was obviously a huge goal for us going into the third period and in winning the game.”

Lethbridge sealed victory at the 5:04 mark of the third, when 18-year-old right-winger Tyson Zimmer slid home a shot between the legs of Raiders netminder Max Hildebrand to round out the 3-0 final score.

Terrell Goldsmith (#10) makes a rush up ice for the Raiders.

Hildebrand turned away 27 shots to take the setback in goal for the Raiders. Thomson stopped 31 shots to pick the shutout win for the Hurricanes. The shutout was the third of the season for Thomson.

“We didn’t compete hard enough,” said Raiders head coach Jeff Truitt. “I thought that we were light on pucks.

“I thought that we didn’t hustle to checks. We didn’t get to the front of the net enough. I thought we were pretty light out there tonight.”

The Raiders fell to 25-30-3 with the setback to sit 11^th overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with 10 games remaining on their schedule. They sit four points back of the 27-27-1-2 Swift Current Broncos for eighth and the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

Carter Anderson (#27) tracks a shot he put on goal.

Prince Albert begins its final 10-game stretch run on Saturday traveling to Moose Jaw to take on the 35-22-0-3 Warriors (7 p.m., Moose Jaw Events Centre).

Truitt said his players didn’t have the extra hustle that was needed on Friday as teams crank up their intensity as the post-season nears. He said his squad has to play a more playoff style game against the Warriors.

“You can’t have excuses this time of year,” said Truitt. “You can’t have a lack of urgency this time of year.

“It is disappointing especially when we know that we only have 10 games left now. It has to be desperation time. There wasn’t enough of it tonight.”

Miguel Marques set up in the offensive zone for the Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes improved to 32-21-3-3 with Friday’s win to sit fifth overall in the Eastern Conference. They sit three points back of the Warriors for fourth in the conference and the right to have home ice advantage for a first round best-of-seven playoff series.

Lethbridge will continue to make a push for that home ice spot traveling to Saskatoon on Saturday to face the 40-13-4-1 Blades (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

“Obviously, there are not many games left in the season,” said Laventure, whose Hurricanes have nine games remaining on their regular season slate. “We still think we are going to be pushing for the fourth place there and hopefully get home ice in playoffs.

“These are big games for us here. We’re hoping to move forward and have a great playoff run.”

The Hurricanes celebrate their win on Friday.

NOTES – Raiders veteran athletic therapist and equipment manager Duane “Puff” Bartley worked his 1,500^th WHL game with the team on Friday, and he was honoured during a pre-game ceremony. Bartley began his career with the Raiders at the start of the 2001-02 campaign. 

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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