Boychuk’s patience and grit pays off for Raiders

Winger nets third period winner against Wheat Kings

The Raiders celebrate a winning goal from Riley Boychuk (#23).

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Riley Boychuk made sure the Brandon Wheat Kings weren’t able to get out of Prince Albert with a steal.

On Tuesday, the Raiders found themselves holding a 2-1 lead over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings after two periods in a WHL regular season clash played before 2,392 spectators at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre. The Raiders were holding a 27-8 edge in shots on goal including a huge 20-1 edge in the second period.

At the 5:29 mark of the third, Wheat Kings 20-year-old offensive-defenceman Grayson Burzynski scored with a shot from the left wing to force a 2-2 tie. Wheat Kings 19-year-old netminder and Prince Albert product Jayden Kraus had seemingly turned into Calgary Flames legend Miikka Kiprusoff and was denying tonnes of glorious scoring chances.

Riley Boychuk had one goal and was a plus-two on Tuesday.

Just 2:06, Boychuk had the puck at the right side of the Brandon net with Kraus sprawled out to make another save. Boychuk deked around the goalie and tapped home a backhand shot to put the Raiders up 3-2.

That tally would hold up as the winner and sparked a surge as Raiders wingers Owen Corkish and Brayden Dube added singles to cement a 5-2 victory for the host side in a game that had its rougher moments. The win allowed the Raiders to improve to 4-0 in head-to-head meetings with their East Division rivals this season.

“I think it was a complete game all around,” said Boychuk, who has nine goals and 34 assists in 39 regular season outings in the current campaign. “I think, obviously, we played them lots.

Riley Boychuk has nine goals and 34 assists in 39 games.

“They are a big rival with us. It is going to get rough out there, getting intense, division rivals. Our first (period), we kind of let them into it a little bit. I think the second we had a lot of chances.

“I think the credit to their goalie (Kraus) he played really well. I think credit to us though we stuck with it. In the third, it kind of opened up there.”

Boychuk, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 165 pounds, showed off a bit of a feisty edge too on Tuesday night. That was best seen in a scrum that occurred with 3.6 seconds remaining in the third period.

The scrum escalated when Wheat Kings star 20-year-old right-winger Luke Mistelbacher punched Raiders 17-year-old right-winger Jonah Sivertson to the ice. Boychuk jetted immediately into the fray with teammates following suit. The officials quickly got the situation under control and Boychuk received a roughing minor and a 10-minute misconduct among the off-setting penalties that were handed out.

Luke Mistelbacker gave the Wheat Kings an early 1-0 lead.

During those feisty moments, Boychuk kind of mirrored the playing style of his head coach Ryan McDonald, who built a reputation as a feisty forward that could score during his WHL playing days with the Regina Pats and Raiders from 2004 to 2009.

“First, it is a big compliment to be in the same mention as him (McDonald),” said Boychuk, who was a plus-two in the plus-minus department on Tuesday night. “I think it is just trying to add that to my game.

“That situation there, Sivy (Sivertson) is a great guy on the team. I know he’d do the same for me. He (Mistlebacher) has got to get his punch in, especially at the end of the game, right?

Jayden Kraus makes one of his 39 saves on Tuesday.

“You want to stick up for your teammates, and that is not just me doing that. It is everybody that game in. If anybody else was on the ice, it would be the same for all of us.”

McDonald appreciated the effort Boychuk put in during Tuesday’s victory over Brandon.

“Chucky (Boychuk) is a tremendously smart hockey player,” said McDonald. “He has tremendous vision.

“You saw his patience on the goal. He has a fantastic defensive stick. At the end coming to the aid of a teammate and mixing it up a little bit, that is what our group does.

“They stick up for one another.”

Daxon Rudolph had the Raiders first goal on Tuesday.

The Wheat Kings broke on to the scoreboard first in Tuesday’s clash at the 6:50 mark of the opening frame. Wheat Kings 16-year-old rookie left-winger Prabh Bhathal sprung Mistlebacher in on the Prince Albert goal with a sleek pass. Mistlebacher snapped his 21^st of the season past Raiders star import netminder Michal Orsulak.

The Raiders evened the score at 1-1 while working on a two-man advantage at the 9:51 mark of the opening frame. Raiders star 17-year-old defenceman Daxon Rudolph sniped a seeing-eye shot past Kraus for the equalizer and his 19^th tally of the campaign.

In the second, Kraus was putting on a clinic denying waves of Raiders scoring chances that came his way. With 7:18 remaining in the second, Raiders 19-year-old defenceman Linden Burrett cut to the front of the Brandon net with the puck and slid home a backhand shot underneath Kraus to put the hosts in front 2-1. Burrett’s goal was the 16^th shot on net in the frame for the Prince Albert side.

Linden Burrett scored for the Raiders in the second period.

That set up the dramatics in the third period.

Heading into the third, Boychuk said the Raiders were focused on pushing forward. After Burzynski scored the third-period equalizer for the Wheat Kings, Boychuk said the Raiders kept pushing forward ultimately resulting in his goal.

“I think it started with the second (period),” said Boychuk. “I thought we were playing well.

“We only let up one shot in the second right there, so our message in the room was to keep going and don’t let up there. I thought that we did a really good job at the start of the third. They got a good shot there, lucky bounce, good shot, so on the bench, we just said stick with it.

Grayson Burzynski had the Wheat Kings second goal on Tuesday.

“I think that was a big goal there to get that momentum back.”

McDonald was pleased Boychuk ultimately netted the winning goal and that the effort of his squad never wavered at any point on the night.

“We just continued to build the game, and it was just a fantastic 60-minute effort from our group,” said McDonald. “The guys just stuck with it.

“They just kept inching forward and pushing forward and pushing and pushing until it finally broke. Chucky (Boychuk) scored with a fantastic patient opportunity where he gets the puck and is able to work around the goaltender.”

Orsulak stopped 15 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders, who improved their East Division leading record to 29-6-4. The Raiders are also rated fifth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings that were released on Tuesday. Kraus turned away 39 shots to take the setback in net for the Wheat Kings, who have lost five straight falling to 22-17-1.

Owen Corkish had the Raiders fourth goal on Tuesday.

The Wheat Kings get back at it on Wednesday when they travel to Saskatoon to take on the Blades (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

The Raiders return to action on Friday when they travel to Lethbridge to take on the Hurricanes (7 p.m. local time, VisitLethbridge.com Arena).

Before heading on the road to Lethbridge, McDonald thought it was great for his Raiders to get a nice bounce back win on Tuesday after dropping a tough 5-3 decision to the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings on Saturday at the Hauser.

“This is a group that any time we leave points on the table they are not happy,” said McDonald. “It is a very determined group.

“We had a real good practice yesterday. It was very snappy. It was very direct.

“We did some great learning in video, and guys went out there and applied it tonight. We got to our pace and got our skating legs in a real hurry. We just kept pushing and kept wearing them down until it finally went.”

Riley Boychuk, left, gives a young fan a souvenir stick.

McDonald likes the resilience his players have displayed this season.

“That is the real power of our group is we don’t change, (and) we don’t waver,” said McDonald. “We just continue to play the same way.”

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 win, everyone pitches in

Man nets first WHL goal, Heise picks up winner

The Raidcrs celebrate a first career WHL goal from Matyas Man (#5).

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Matyas Man was pumped to finally slam the first goal monkey off of his back.

On Friday playing in front of a standing room crowd of 2,942 spectators at the 2,580 Art Hauser Centre, the Prince Albert Raiders import rookie 19-year-old defenceman was in search of his first career WHL goal playing in his 19^th regular season game. Just 4:50 into a clash with the Brandon Wheat Kings, Man received a pass at the top of the left faceoff circle from Raiders rookie 16-year-old right-winger Ben Harvey.

Man drove a shot past Wheat Kings netminder Jayden Kraus to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. From that point, the Raiders would skate on to post a solid 4-1 victory to improve their WHL East Division leading record to 16-1-4.

Matyas Man scored the Raiders first goal on Friday.

“The first thing that goes in my head was like, finally, after 19 games I finally scored my first goal,” said Man, who also has three assists and a plus-11 rating in the plus-minus department on the campaign. “I was happy, and I don’t know what to do like how to celebrate and what I should do.

“I just turn around and wait for the boys. That is probably the first feeling after the goal that I scored.”

While it took a little time for him to get his first goal, Man said he has enjoyed his first season with the Raiders after coming over from the Czechia. He said his teammates on the Raiders are great in ensuring his spirits stay high.

“I think the boys are supportive,” said Man. “They always support me.

Max Heise tipped home a power-play goal for the Raiders.

“They cheer me, when I’m not going great. They cheer me up. I’m happy to be here.”

Man’s goal allowed the Raiders to hit high gear in Friday’s contest. Just 43 seconds after his tally, the Raiders struck on the power play to go ahead 2-0. Raiders sophomore 17-year-old right-winger Riley Boychuk took a shot from above the right faceoff circle that was tipped home by rookie 19-year-old centre Max Heise to give the hosts their two-goal edge.

The tally was the 10^th goal of the campaign for Heise, who wasn’t sure at first if he actually got the power-play marker.

“They kind of left me alone in front of the net, and I saw Chuck (Boychuk) rolling down high,” said Heise. “He made a good play to me.

Jayden Kraus stopped 28-of-31 shots for the Wheat Kings.

“I thought he kind of scored it. I felt it off my stick, but I wasn’t sure if it went in. Then, I just heard the crowd and saw him (Boychuk) celebrating and pointing at me.

“It was nice to get one.”

The Raiders proceeded to keep peppering the Brandon net with shots only to be kept at bay by Wheat Kings netminder and 19-year-old Prince Albert product Jayden Kraus, who was acquired in a trade with the Victoria Royals in the off-season. Kraus, who was stellar last season with the Royals, continued to keep the Raiders at bay in the second.

With 8:17 remaining in the second, the Raiders got a break off a positive bounce play. After pinning the Wheat Kings in their own zone, Raiders star 20-year-old centre Aiden Oiring had the puck behind the Brandon net.

Brock Cripps netted the Raiders third goal on Friday.

Oiring centred a pass that deflected off the skate of Wheat Kings defenceman Max Lavoie right to Raiders 16-year-old rookie defenceman Brock Cripps, who pinched down from the point to the front of the Brandon net. Cripps wired home a shot for his second goal of the season to push the Raiders advantage out to 3-0.

Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald liked the persistence his team showed on that third tally.

“I think you look at the goal, and you look how it was scored,” said McDonald. “The shift was sustained by just some tremendous work underneath the tops of the circles.

“I think we reset it two or three times underneath and just continued to keep grinding. We were able to suck them away from the net front, and then Cripsy comes down off that backside and gets rewarded.”

Luke Mistelbacher gave the Wheat Kings life with a power-play goal.

The Wheat Kings were able to create some suspense for a short moment in the third. While working on a two-man advantage, Wheat Kings star centre Luke Mistelbacher wired home a mid range shot from the front of the Prince Albert net to trim the Raiders lead to 3-1.

The host side stayed composed, and with 60 seconds remaining in the third, Boychuk fired home a long-distance empty-net goal to seal the 4-1 victory.

Heise said he has enjoyed the fact that everyone on the Raiders roster is contributing to the team’s success in the first third of the regular season, and that characteristic showed through again on Friday.

Michal Orsulak stopped 18 shots in goal for the Raiders.

“I think that defence wins championships, and we have four really balanced lines,” said Heise. “You need deep teams to win.

“That is what we have, and it is a great group.”

The rivalry between the Raiders and Wheat Kings did show itself with some various chippy moments. That included a big scrum at the end of the first period that saw Heise and Wheat Kings rearguard Nigel Boehm draw fighting majors.

Wheat Kings star centre Jaxon Jacobson left the game after the first period and did not return with an undisclosed ailment.

At the 11:04 mark of the second, Raiders centre Ethan Bibeau took on Wheat Kings centre Carter Klippenstein in a short bout, where Klippenstein was able to tackle Bibeau down to the ground.

Riley Boychuk had an empty-net goal for the Raiders.

“They’re a team that plays hard,” said McDonald. “They play heavy.

“They play straight lines. That is a playoff style game where you’re fighting for inches out there. Again for us, we have to be making sure you’re checking with your feet, not with your sticks and making sure that they’ve got to turn and get pucks every time that we have it.”

Michal Orsulak stopped 18 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Kraus turned away 28-of-31 shots to take the setback in net for the Wheat Kings (10-10-1).

The Wheat Kings return to action on Saturday when they travel to Saskatoon to take on the Blades (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

The Raiders salute their faithful at the Art Hauser Centre.

The Raiders are off until Friday, November 28, when they travel to Brandon to face the Wheat Kings (7 p.m. local time, Assiniboine Credit Union Place). McDonald admitted it was a bit different to have a Saturday and Sunday off before playing again this coming Friday.

“It is an opportunity for us to continue to make sure that rest and recovery is top of mind,” said McDonald. “We came off a real extensive grind on that U.S. road trip in four (games) in five (days) to finish it off.

“You operate on the bus after playing a couple games back-to-back, and the lactic acid is built up in your legs for an 18-hour bus ride home. I am real proud of our effort out here tonight, and our game in total. It just gives us another opportunity to make sure that we’re ready for our peak performance level come (this coming) Friday.”

Mesenchuk, Twyver join Raiders Wall of Honour

Bob Twyver, centre left, and Wayne Mesenchuk, centre right, are honoured.

Wayne Mesenchuk and Bob Twyver were named as the two latest additions to the Prince Albert Raiders Wall of Honour.

The two builders were officially inducted to the Raiders Wall of Honour in a pre-game ceremony on Friday at the Art Hauser Centre before the Raiders downed the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings 4-1 in a WHL regular season clash. Both Mesenchuk and Twyver have long links with the Raiders and have played key roles in ensuring the franchise could continue to exist over the long term in “Hockey Town North.”

Mesenchuk became part of the Raiders general membership in 1985. He served as the team’s president for two years, vice-president for three years and governor for three years.

During the 1993-94 campaign while serving as president, Mesenchuk initiated a task force that had a mandate to study the long term viability of the Raiders as a non-profit community owned organization in a small market. The final report was completed in the spring of 1994 and many of the report’s recommendations were implemented in the years following that have resulted in the Raiders being a thriving franchise in the current day and a valued partner in the WHL.

Bob Twyver and Wayne Mesenchuk displays on the Raiders Wall of Honour.

Twyver has been a season ticket supporter for over 50 years, and he became the club’s director of business operations in the 2001-02 campaign. He was elected to the Raiders board of directors from 2002 to 2007 and was a founding member of the “Bring Back the Magic” campaign during 2003 to 2006.

That project saw the expansion and modernization of the Art Hauser Centre to meet WHL standards.

Twyver served as the Raiders education advisor from 2003 to 2010. During that time, the Raiders were awarded the WHL Scholastic Team of the Year Award in 2009.

Hockey Canada chose Twyver as the U-18 Team Canada education advisor for the 2006 world championships in Sweden, where Canada finished fourth. He served as the education advisor for the U-18 Team Canada squad in 2008, where Canada won gold at the world championships in Russia.

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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