Kovacevic’s playoff experience will help Raiders

Rilen Kovacevic was traded to the Raiders on Tuesday.

The Prince Albert Raiders have landed the Moose Jaw Warriors’ top gun.

In a significant trade on Tuesday, the Raiders sent import 20-year-old left-winger Krzysztof Macias, 17-centre Luke Moroz and fourth round selection in the 2027 WHL Prospects Draft to the Moose Jaw Warriors for 20-year-old right-winger Rilen Kovacevic. At the time of the trade, Kovacevic, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 182 pounds, topped the Warriors in goals (21) and points (40).

Kovacevic brings sizable post-season experience to a Raiders team that still carries a number of younger players. In helping the Warriors win their first WHL championship last season, Kovacevic played a sizable role appearing in all of the club’s 20 games in the WHL Playoffs recording four goals, 11 assists and a plus-seven rating in the plus-minus department.

With the WHL’s Eastern Conference being wide open, the Raiders have the potential to make some noise in the post-season. Kovacevic can help the Raiders younger players navigate the highs and lows of the post-season, while appreciating the passionate support teams located in small Saskatchewan cities receive from their fans.

This column of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click right here.

Raiders grit and perseverance delivers 4-3 victory

Fortin’s 39 saves holds off Hitmen

Niall Crocker, left, enjoys his winning goal with Aiden Oiring.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Head coach Jeff Truitt appreciated the battle of his Prince Albert Raiders.

On Friday night playing before 2,432 spectators at the Art Hauser Centre, the Raiders built a 3-0 lead on the visiting Calgary Hitmen and carried a 3-1 advantage into the third period. The Hitmen evened the score at 3-3 in the third, but the Raiders ensured the Calgary comeback was not to be.

With 4:08 remaining in the third period, Raiders 20-year-old standout right-winger Niall Crocker came up with one is his specialties. He banged home a gritty power-play goal from the front of the Calgary net on a four-on-three advantage to ultimately deliver the Raiders to a 4-3 victory.

“I really liked our compete,” said Truitt. “I thought that we skated real well.

Justice Christensen had the Raiders first goal on Friday.

“I thought that we were on pucks. I thought that we carried the speed quite a bit. I like a lot about our game and our physicality from time to time.

“We’re not going to get pushed around, and we showed that here tonight. It was kind of a team effort that way. We had to grind her out under some weird conditions in the third period and got her done.”

Raiders captain Justice Christensen opened the game’s scoring firing home a shot from the left point at the 9:56 mark of the opening frame. With Friday’s contest being the Raiders Toque and Teddy Bear Toss night, stuffed animals and mitts rained down on to the Art Hauser Centre’s ice surface after Christensen’s tally.

The players and off-ice staffers along with the game’s linesmen made sure the clean up was completed in rapid order.

The Raiders celebrate a Teddy Bear goal from Justice Christensen.

The Hitmen got into penalty trouble inside the final 92 seconds of the opening frame. First, they got unsettled after 19-year-old star offensive-defenceman Carter Yakemchuk was hit by Raiders 19-year-old centre Harrison Lodewyk in the right corner of the Calgary zone.

The Hitmen coaching staff argued loudly from the bench with the officials for a penalty for hitting from behind, and no infraction was called. Just 18 seconds later, Hitmen 20-year-old import left-winger Max Muranov forearm hit Raiders 16-year-old rookie defenceman Daxon Rudolph in the Calgary zone starting a big scrum. The Raiders came away with a power play with Muranov being given an interference minor making the difference in how the penalties were sorted out.

The Raiders show off some of the stuffed animals that were collected.

With 23.2 seconds remaining in the first, Hitmen star 20-year-old defenceman Kalem Parker was given a roughing minor to give the Raiders a two-man advantage for 69 seconds.

Just 33 seconds into second working that two-man advantage, Raiders star offensive-defenceman Lukas Dragicevic wired home a power-play goal from the left point to push the host side’s edge out to 2-0. For Dragicevic, that was his first goal since he tallied once in a 6-4 loss to the Royals in Victoria back on October 18.

His tally on Friday came on a Raiders power play that entered the day’s action leading the WHL with a 28.3 per cent success rate.

The Raiders and Hitmen engage in a first period scrum.

“It feels good,” said Dragicevic, who has two goals and 26 assists in 22 games with the Raiders this season. “Obviously, the power play has been really good this year.

“It just fits that I got it on the power play. I play with good players on that line. They set me up pretty good, and I just had to do the rest.”

At the 4:07 mark of the second, the Hitmen gave the puck away to Raiders 20-year-old right-winger Niall Crocker. Crocker got the puck to import left-winger Krzysztof Macias, who wired home a mid-range shot to give Prince Albert a 3-0 advantage.

Lukas Dragicevic scored the Raiders second goal on Friday.

The Hitmen stopped the bleeding at the 7:20 mark of the second when 19-year-old centre David Adaszynski sent home a mid-range off-speed shot through a screen for a goal to cut the Raiders lead to 3-1.

With 10:02 remaining in the second working on a power play, Hitmen star 19-year-old left-winger Tanner Howe thought he scored a goal during a mad scramble. The officials first called the play a goal, proceeded to have a conference over the call and waved the tally off on the ice.

The Hitmen thought they had another goal with 3:53 remaining in the second with a shot coming off the stick of captain Carson Wetsch. That goal was waved off as Hitmen 17-year-old centre Ben Kindel was given a minor penalty for goaltender interference.

Krzysztof Macias, left, enjoys scoring the Raiders third goal.

Just 62 seconds into the third, Hitmen 20-year-old star centre Connor Hvidston snuck a turnaround shot past Raiders 18-year-old netminder Dimitri Fortin to further trim the host side’s edge to 3-2.

The Hitmen evened the score a 3-3 with 5:21 remaining in third on a power-play goal from star 19-year-old right-winger Oliver Tulk. 

Tulk tipped home a puck from the front of the Prince Albert net that came from a pass by Wetsch.

That set the scene for Crocker to come through with the winning tally.

Dimitri Fortin made 39 saves in goal for the Raiders.

“We don’t give up,” said Dragicevic. “Maybe at the start of the year that is something that would have done, but we’ve grown as a team.

“We’ve grown as individuals. We knew we were going to get one on that power play. Our power play is too good to get stopped there.

“Crocks (Crocker) obviously banged that one home. It was a couple of passes before that one that led to that, and it was a nice goal.”

Fortin stopped 39 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders (12-9-3). Anders Miller turned away 27 shots to take the setback in net for the Hitmen (13-9-3-1).

Tomas Mrsic had a pair of assists for the Raiders.

Star 18-year-old left-winger Tomas Mrsic had a pair of assists for the Raiders.

Truitt has been pleased with how solid Fortin has been for the Raiders after joining the club in a trade with the Moose Jaw Warriors on November 27.

“Since he has come in, he has been calm and cool,” said Truitt. “He has just done his job.

“He has made some key saves, but he hasn’t had to make many circus saves here. He has been pretty good. The guys in front of him have been good as well, but he has been solid.”

The Hitmen return to action on Saturday when they travel to Saskatoon to take on the 17-6-1-2 Blades (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

The Raiders salute their faithful after Friday’s win.

The Raiders get back at it on Saturday when they travel to Brandon to battle the 13-8-3-1 Wheat Kings (7 p.m. local time, Westoba Place).

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 have fresh feel with new and familiar faces

Krzysztof Macias in action for the Raiders last season.

When the dust settles on the 2024-25 WHL season, Curtis Hunt might end up winning the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s executive of the year or that may come in near future seasons.

Of course, that is an impossible thing to predict as none of the WHL’s 22 clubs have hit the ice yet for a regular season game. The circuit’s regular season opens on Friday with eight contests including the Prince Albert Raiders hosting the Regina Pats at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

During this past off-season, Hunt, who is the Raiders general manager, did a great job of crafting on paper what has the potential to be a good roster. Of course, potential is a key word, but the Raiders could turn heads in a wide open East Division with a mix of new and familiar faces.

Hunt and the Raiders brass’s most inspiring move over the off-season was electing to keep Polish import left-winger Krzysztof Macias. As a 19-year-old import rookie last season, Macias recorded 22 goals, 25 assists and a plus-nine rating in the plus-minus department in 65 regular season games.

This column of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click right here.

Armstrong “Hulks up” for Blades

Scores hat trick and OT winner in Game 3 against Raiders

Easton Armstrong (#27) scores the OT winner for the Blades.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. - Easton Armstrong was 1980s Hulk Hogan, and his Saskatoon Blades followed his lead.

On Tuesday night at the Art Hauser Centre, Armstrong and the Blades took on their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders in Game 3 of a best-of-seven first round series in the WHL Playoffs. Like a 1980s Hulk Hogan match in the WWE, Armstrong and the Blades came out on fire.

Armstrong, the Blades star overage left-winger from Los Angeles, Calif., scored twice to push the Blades out to a 2-0 lead holding a 16-4 edge in shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes. Like a Hulk Hogan 1980s match, the opponent then takes control of the situation.

Easton Armstrong celebrates scoring the OT winner for the Blades.

The Raiders outscored the Blades 3-1 and shots on goal were even 17-17 over the next two periods. With 5:38 remaining in the third, Raiders 18-year-old centre Aiden Oiring slipped in the equalizer from just off to the right of the Saskatoon net to force a 3-3 tie and ultimately overtime.

At that point in a 1980’s Hulk Hogan match, Hogan “Hulks up,” hits his foe with three straight punches, either body slams or knocks his foe to the canvas with a foot to the jaw and proceeds to hit the leg drop for the win.

Armstrong and the Blades proceeded to “Hulk up” having 58 seconds of power play time to work with at the start of the extra session. Just 23 seconds into overtime, Blades captain Trevor Wong centred a pass from the left boards in the Prince Albert zone to Armstrong in front of the Raiders net. Armstrong deflected the winner past Raiders star netminder Max Hildebrand to give the Blades a 4-3 victory and a 2-1 lead in the series.

The Blades mob Easton Armstrong after he scores his OT winner.

With the Blades playing on the road in a rink where they are seen as the most hated visiting club, it felt like a victory by 1990s Hulk Hogan when he was leading the NWO in WCW. The standing room crowd of 2,930 spectators in the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre rained down boos.

The reaction was like 1990s Hulk Hogan in the NWO getting away with hitting an opponent in the head with a chair shot to pick up the victory.

Of course, the gathering of Blades supporters that made their way to the game were elated with the result. Had that outcome happened at the Blades home rink in the SaskTel Centre, the celebration would have been like a 1980s Hulk Hogan win in the WWE with Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing” playing in place of Rick Derringer’s “Real American.”

Easton Armstrong had a hat trick for the Blades on Tuesday.

Outside of the comparisons to the unreal world of professional wrestling, Tuesday’s game was a huge win for the Blades and a heartbreaker for the Raiders. 

The Raiders had to come away lamenting their errors and missed chances which could have easily reversed the result of the Game 3 clash and given the Prince Albert side that much more belief and extra gas in trying to manufacture a major post-season upset.

The Blades finished first overall in the WHL’s regular season with a 50-13-2-3 record and were rated sixth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings. The Raiders entered the WHL Playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 31-32-2-3 mark.

Krzysztof Macias had the Raiders first goal on Tuesday.

While the Blades controlled play in the opening 20 minutes, they build their 2-0 lead on two gaffs by Raiders players.

At the 5:56 mark of the second, Raiders veteran left-winger Niall Crocker put a blind backhand pass from the right boards down across his own blue-line, and the puck was picked off by Armstrong. Armstrong zipped into the Prince Albert zone and tucked home his second of the post-season to put the Blades up 1-0.

Just over three minutes later, the Blades were pressing in the Prince Albert zone on the forecheck. Blades star import right-winger Egor Sidorov was pressuring Raiders overage defenceman Jacob Hoffrogge.

Ryder Ritchie had the Raiders second goal on Tuesday.

Hoffrogge lost the puck to Armstrong, who was positioned at the right side of the Prince Albert net. Armstrong quickly popped his second of the contest to give the Blades a 2-0 at the 9:03 mark of the opening frame.

Late in the first, the Raiders almost got a traction moment. Blades 19-year-old defensive-defenceman John Babcock gave away the puck in his own zone to Raiders star 20-year-old left-winger Sloan Stanick. Stanick wasn’t able to cash in on the gift sliding a shot past the Saskatoon net.

Early in the second, Raiders 19-year-old import left-winger Krzysztof Macias came through with a big traction moment for his side. Macias broke into the Saskatoon zone down the right wing, cut around the Blades defence and the front of the Saskatoon net and popped home his first of the post-season to cut the Blades lead to 2-1 at the 2:51 mark of the frame.

Aiden Oiring had the goal that forced overtime on Tuesday.

The host side proceeded to even the score 2-2 at the 11:32 mark of the second on the power play. Stanick had the puck on the left wing boards, and he passed it across the front of the Saskatoon net to Raiders star 17-year-old right-winger Ryder Ritchie by the right wing boards. Ritchie wired home his second of the post-season for the equalizer.

Before the second period ended, the Blades went back out in front off another Raiders turnover. Raiders captain Eric Johnston had the puck behind his own icing line and was pressured by Armstrong.

Johnston put a blind backhand pass up the right wing, which was picked off by Blades captain Trevor Wong. Wong quickly fired home his first of the playoffs to put the Blades in front 3-2 with 2:47 remaining in the second.

Sloan Stanick had two assists for the Raiders on Tuesday.

Before Oiring potted his equalizer, the Raiders had a number of big chances to hit the scoreboard before that moment. Offensive-defenceman Justice Christensen was stopped alone right in front of the goal by Blades breakout rookie netminder Evan Gardner.

Ritchie proceeded to fire a drive off the post, Johnston was denied by a Gardner glove save on a screen shot attempt, and Gardner made a key pad save off Macias.

After Oiring tied the game, Stanick was hit with a tripping call with 62 seconds remaining in the third. 

The Blades power play that had been scoreless in five attempts to that point in the contest was due. 

Trevor Wong scored the Blades third goal on Tuesday.

The sixth time with the man advantage was the charm with Armstrong getting his well-executed winner in overtime.

Hildebrand turned away 31 shots to take the extra time setback in net for the Raiders. Evan Gardner stopped 18 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades.

Stanick had a pair of assists for the Raiders. Ritchie had a helper to go with his goal.

The Raiders were 1-for-5 on the power play, and the Blades were 1-for-6 with the man advantage.

The two squads go at it again in Game 4 on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

The thrill of sudden victory belonged to the Blades on Tuesday.

There could still be a long way to go in this rivalry series, and we will see who next will step into the hero’s role like Armstrong did on Tuesday night for the Blades.

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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Macias vaults to fan favourite in “Hockey Town North”

Krzysztof Macias has 12 points in his last six games with the Raiders.

The faithful in “Hockey Town North” will always take players to heart who give everything they have for the Prince Albert Raiders on a nightly basis.

That player could be a top scorer, a stellar goalie, a defensive-defenceman, a third line checking forward or an energy type player. No matter what role you take on with the Raiders, players that give an honest effort on a nightly basis will be remembered by Raiders fans forever.

Raiders rookie import forward Krzysztof Macias has become one of those players that will be remembered fondly by Raiders fans. He hasn’t put up crazy point totals like Dan Hodgson, Mike Modano or Leon Draisaitl, but Macias’s effort level is evident on a nightly basis.

The 19-year-old has improved as the season has gone along, and he has been rewarded recently on the scorer’s sheet for the work he has put in through the campaign. In his last six games with the Raiders, Macias has collected four goals, eight assists and a plus-three rating in the plus-minus department.

This column of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click right here.

Veteran star line breaks Blades out of skid with win in Brandon

Egor Sidorov had a goal and three assists for the Blades on Saturday.

A golden veteran line of stars busted the Saskatoon Blades out of a three-game skid.

On Saturday playing before 3,201 spectators at Westoba Place in Brandon, the Blades forward unit of centre and captain Trevor Wong, import right-winger Egor Sidorov and left-winger Brandon Lisowsky, who is a NHL Entry Draft selection of the Toronto Maple Leafs, combined for three goals and six assists to lift Saskatoon past the host Wheat Kings 4-0. The win in the WHL regular season encounter allowed the Blades to end a three-game losing streak where they were outscored 13-2 by their opponents and failed to score on nine power-play chances.

The win saw the WHL leading Blades, who are rated second in the CHL Top 10 Rankings, improve to 43-12-2-3. The Wheat Kings, who have lost three straight, fell to 29-25-5-1 to remain two points up on the Prince Albert Raiders (29-27-1-3) for sixth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

When the Blades were on their three-game skid, they held a combined 104-63 edge in shots on goal over their opponents. Offensively, the Saskatoon side went into a collective funk, and the team’s coaching staff started mixing up the lines to create a breakthrough on the scoreboard.

Going into Saturday’s clash with the Wheat Kings, the Blades reunited Wong, Sidorov and Lisowsky as a forward line. Since Wong was acquired in a trade with the Kelowna Rockets before the start of the 2021-22 campaign, he has played on a line with Sidorov and Lisowsky for the bulk of the time since arriving in Saskatoon.

Their chemistry as a trio proved to be enough to give the Blades offence a kick start. Sidorov posted one goal and three assists, Lisowsky had two goals and one assist and Wong has a pair of helpers.

Brandon Lisowsky had a pair of goals and an assist for the Blades.

At the 15:21 mark of the opening frame, that trio combined on a tick-tack-toe passing play that concluded with Lisowsky putting home a backhand shot to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

At the 3:35 mark of the second, Lisowsky passed the puck to Sidorov shortly after breaking into the Brandon zone. Sidorov dangled past Wheat Kings 19-year-old defenceman Luke Shipley and put home backhand shot for his 45^th goal of the campaign to push the Blades lead out to 2-0.

Saturday’s game had its share of rough stuff too. At the end of the second, Blades veteran right-winger Vaughn Watterodt, who turned 20-years-old in February, took on Wheat Kings 18-year-old defenceman Quinn Mantei in a fight. That seemed to foreshadow more high tensions later on in the contest.

The Blades proceeded to increase their advantage to 3-0 scoring on the power play at the 6:55 mark of the third. Lisowsky gathered a rebound in front of the Brandon net from a shot taken by Sidorov and popped home his second of the night to give the visitors their three-goal edge.

Just 80-seconds after that tally, another fight broke out this time between Blades veteran left-winger Tyler Parr, who turned 19-years-old in January, and Wheat Kings defenceman Rhett Ravndahl, who turned 19-years-old in February.

Things proceeded to get a little crazier on the ice just 18 seconds after that bout. Wheat Kings tough guy Matt Henry proceeded to cross check a Blades player in the head and followed that up by spearing Watterodt.

Henry was assessed a minor for cross-checking, a major for spearing and a game misconduct. These infractions will be automatically review by the WHL office for a possible suspension. Henry is a repeat offender having been suspended on four previous occasions this season for a total of 13 games.

On the ensuing power play, Blades star 19-year-old centre Fraser Minten tipped home a pass from Sidorov at the left side of the Brandon net to round out the 4-0 final in favour of the Blades.

Trevor Wong had a pair of assists for the Blades on Saturday.

Blades star netminder Austin Elliott stopped all 21 shots he faced to pick up his third shutout victory of the season. Wheat Kings star netminder Carson Bjarnason turned away 45 shots to take the setback in net for his squad.

Saskatoon went 2-for-5 on the power play, while Brandon failed to score on four chances with the man advantage.

The Blades dressed 15-year-old associate player call up Ryley Budd as their backup goalie on Saturday as Evan Gardner was out with an undisclosed ailment. Budd has been playing in Calgary with the Edge School’s under-18 prep team.

The Wheat Kings return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Medicine Hat to take on the Tigers (7 p.m. local time, Co-op Place).

The Blades are off until this coming Friday when they host the Tigers (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

Hurricanes hold off Raiders, other notes

Hayden Pakkala (#22) scored twice for the Hurricanes on Saturday.

The Lethbridge Hurricanes held off a Prince Albert Raiders comeback attempt to push their winning streak out the three games at the expense of the Raiders three-game winning streak.

On Saturday in a WHL regular season clash, the visiting Hurricane built up a 4-1 lead after two periods and held off a Raiders charge in the third to post a 4-3 victory to the disappointment of most of the 2,394 spectators in attendance at the Art Hauser Centre. The Hurricanes have won their last three straight, while the Raiders saw their three-game winning streak come to an end with Saturday’s setback.

Hurricanes breakout star 19-year-old centre Brayden Edwards scored to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at the 3:33 mark of the opening frame. Raiders star 17-year-old right-winger Ryder Ritchie answered back just under two-and-a-half minutes later to even the score at 1-1.

At the 8:14 mark of the first, Raiders rookie import right-winger Matej Kubiesa was given a major penalty for checking from behind and a game misconduct. Those infractions will be automatically reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

The Hurricanes cashed in at the tail end of that power play with a goal coming off the stick of former Raiders centre Hayden Pakkala to give the visitors a 2-1 edge. Before the opening frame came to an end, Pakkala added his second of the contest to give the Hurricanes a 3-1 advantage.

Lethbridge netted the lone goal in the second when 20-year-old right-winger Dylan Sydor tallied on the power play at the 6:12 mark of the frame.

The Raiders proceeded to mount a big push back in the third. Just 77 seconds into the frame, rookie import left-winger Krzysztof Macias scored for the host side to cut the Hurricanes lead to 4-2. Macias added his second of the contest with 6:40 remaining in the third to further trim Lethbridge’s advantage to 4-3.

The Raiders pressed hard in the final two minutes of the contest but were unable to net the equalizer.

Harrison Meneghin stopped 37 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Hurricanes. Max Hildebrand turned away 24 shots to take the setback in net for the Raiders.

The Hurricanes converted on 2-of-3 power-play chances on Saturday, while the Raiders didn’t have a single opportunity with the man advantage.

Saturday’s game marked the lone time the Hurricanes were able to beat the Raiders in the four head-to-head encounters between the two sides in the current campaign.

The Raiders fell to 29-27-1-3 to remain seventh in the WHL’s Eastern Conference one standings point ahead of the Hurricanes, who improved to 28-26-5. The Hurricanes hold down eight place and the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference sitting five points ahead of the ninth place Calgary Hitmen (24-27-7-1).

The Hurricanes return to action on Wednesday when they host the Medicine Hat Tigers (7 p.m. local time, Enmax Centre).

The Raiders get back at it this coming Friday when they host the Edmonton Oil Kings (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

• On Friday, Red Deer Rebels general manager, president and owner Brent Sutter announced the team and head coach Derrick Walser mutually agreed to part ways. The move came after the Rebels dropped a 7-5 decision at home to the Swift Current Broncos. The Rebels were 30-22-2-6 with Walser as head coach. The Rebels named Dave Struch the team’s interim head coach. Struch was behind the Rebels bench when they downed the visiting Calgary Hitmen 2-1 on Saturday.
• On Saturday, Jagger Firkus scored twice to power his Moose Jaw Warriors to a 4-2 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Washington. The Warriors 19-year-old centre leads the WHL in scoring with 105 points coming off 49 goals and 56 assists to go with a plus-21 rating in the plus-minus department. Firkus has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Seattle Kraken.
• Jordan Keller and Logan Bairos each had a goal and an assist to push the host Kamloops Blazers past the Vancouver Giants 3-2 on Saturday. The Blazers improved to 20-34-3-3 with the win, which means every team in the WHL has won at least 20 or more games.
• James Stefan scored 27 seconds into overtime to deliver the host Portland Winterhawks to a 5-4 victory over the Victoria Royals on Saturday. The Royals held a 3-1 lead early in the third period before the Winterhawks rallied for the win. The Winterhawks lead the B.C. Division with a 41-15-2-1 mark.
• Riley Heidt scored at the 2:03 mark of overtime to deliver the host Prince George Cougars to a 5-4 win over the Spokane Chiefs. The Cougars trailed 4-2 but scored twice in the final 63 seconds of the third period to force overtime. Prince George leads the B.C. Division and the Western Conference with a 41-15-1-3 record.

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 capitalize on power play, schedule quirk

Prince Albert does in short-staffed Wheat Kings 5-2

Sloan Stanick, right, scores his first of three goals on Saturday.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Jeff Truitt was pleased his Prince Albert Raiders took advantage of a good hand that was dealt their way.

On Saturday night, the Raiders went 4-for-9 nine on the power play and downed a short-staffed Brandon Wheat Kings side 5-2 in a WHL regular season clash before an appreciative 2,626 spectators at the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre. The Wheat Kings were also playing their third game in three nights all on the road.

Brandon slipped past the Raiders 3-2 when the two sides met Thursday at the Art Hauser Centre. The Raiders proceeded to have Friday night off, while the Wheat Kings went to Saskatoon and beat the WHL leading Blades 4-1.

The Raiders celebrate a second goal from Sloan Stanick, centre.

In Saturday’s clash between the Raiders and Wheat Kings, the Brandon side played with only 15 skaters. The Wheat Kings were three short of the full complement of 18 skaters due to injuries and one suspension.

Truitt, who is the Raiders head coach, said it was important his team took advantage of a scenario that lined up in his club’s favour.

“We needed it,” said Truitt. “We need to play desperate.

“We knew they had a tough schedule with three in three, which is always hard to play with a short bench as well. We had to take advantage of it, and we did.”

The Wheat Kings injuries included forwards Roger McQueen, Joby Baumuller and Hayden Wheddon, who were all listed as day-to-day with upper body injuries. Centre Nicholas Johnson is listed as week to week with an upper body injury, netminder Ethan Eskit is day to day with a lower body injury and import defenceman Andrei Maliaven was out with an undisclosed ailment suffered on Friday in Saskatoon.

Sloan Stanick had his third career hat trick on Saturday.

Veteran 19-year-old centre Rylen Roersman was out serving a suspension with a length that is still to be determined for being given a checking from behind major in the Wheat Kings victory in Saskatoon on Friday.

When the Raiders went ahead 5-2 with 6:21 remaining in the third on a hat trick goal from star 20-year-old left-winger Sloan Stanick, frustration seemed to boil over on the Wheat Kings side. The final 6:21 featured one big scrum and a few moments when the visitors were losing their cool.

“They are on big three in three,” said Stanick, whose team was wearing special jersey’s for the club’s Kid Takeover Night. “We knew we had to get on their defencemen, and they were down some bodies.

Dominik Petr scored both Wheat Kings goals on Saturday.

“They obviously got a little frustrated there, but it was just saying on the bench just play between the whistles here and let’s get two (standings) points that we really need. You obviously want to defend your teammates and stick up for each other for sure. We were just trying to stay between the whistles.

“You can’t control what they do. We just have to control what we can do.”

The Wheat Kings opened the scoring in Saturday’s contest scoring on the tail end of power play. With 3:55 remaining in the opening frame, Wheat Kings 16-year-old right-winger Brady Turko had the puck at the left side boards and passed it to the doorstep of the right side of the Prince Albert net to 18-year-old import centre Dominik Petr. Petr popped home his 15^th of the season to give the visitors a 1-0 edge.

Justice Christensen had three assists for the Raiders.

Before the first intermission came around, the Raiders scored on a power play of their own. With two minutes remaining in the opening frame, Raiders centre Aiden Oiring tipped home a point shot from offensive-defenceman Justice Christensen to even the score at 1-1.

At the 7:44 mark of the second, the Raiders jumped in front 2-1 when Stanick wired home his 25^th goal of the campaign with his squad once again working on the power play. The hosts really started to take over play territorially in the second holding a 9-4 edge in shots on goal for the frame after holding a 10-8 advantage in shots on goal in the first period.

Aiden Oiring had a goal and two assists for the Raiders.

Stanick said it was big for his club to have the success they did on the power play on Saturday.

“We’ve been working on it lots,” said Stanick, who now has three hat tricks in his WHL career. “It is something that is going to help us win games getting those power-play goals, and it felt good.

“We’re clicking right now - just knock on wood keep it going.”

In the third, Raiders overage centre Turner McMillen scored off a rush to push the host side’s lead out to 3-1 at the 4:38 mark of the frame. Just under four minutes later, Stanick smartly put home his second of the night placing home a shot through a screen with the Raiders working on a two-man advantage to give Prince Albert a 4-1 lead.

Krzysztof Macias had three assists for the Raiders.

With 6:46 remaining in the third, Petr scored short-handed for his second goal of the night to cut the Raiders lead to 4-2. That wasn’t able to spark a comeback.

Just 25 seconds later, Stanick fired home his hat trick goal with his squad still working on the power play to give the Raiders a 5-2 advantage. Stanick said it was big for his side to respond quickly after Petr scored his short-handed goal.

“It was a good shot from their player there,” said Stanick, who has 27 goals and 46 assists for a team high 73 points this season. “We just wanted to stay composed.

“We knew we could win the game. We just had to play our game and to get that one to make it 5-2 was really good.”

Max Hildebrand stopped 15 shots to pick in goal for the Raiders. Carson Bjarnason turned away 29 shots to take the setback in net for the Wheat Kings.

Saturday’s game in Prince Albert include some word exchanges.

Oiring had a pair of assists to go with his goal. Christensen and import left-winger Krzysztof Macias both record three assists each for the Raiders.

The win allowed the Raiders to improve to 27-26-1-3 to remain seventh overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference three points up on the eight place 25-26-5 Lethbridge Hurricanes and four points up on the ninth place 23-25-7-1 Calgary Hitmen. The Hurricanes and Hitmen each have a game in hand on the Raiders and will play each other on Sunday in Calgary.

The Wheat Kings fall to 29-23-5-1 to remain sixth in the Eastern Conference six points up on the Raiders.

The Raiders return to action on Wednesday when they host the Red Deer Rebels (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

Eric Johnston (#3) stands his ground defensively for the Raiders.

The Wheat Kings are off until Friday when the will host the visiting Raiders (7 p.m. local time, Westoba Place).

The Raiders play seven out of their last 11 regular season games at home, and Truitt wants his side to strive to play more consistently both at home and on the road.

“It gives you confidence that is for sure, but we’ve been up and down,” said Truitt. “We were great at home and then we weren’t great at home.

The Raiders salute the crowd after their win on Saturday.

“We were great on the road. It flip flopped. It is always an advantage to play at home there is no doubt about that.

“You have to be able to manufacture things. No matter where you play at home or on the road you have to be to play the right way and play with pace and play with sacrifice and structure and things like that. It is nice to win at home don’t get me wrong, but somewhere in the later on down the line too you have to win on the road.”

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Raiders wipe out Wheaties 7-3

Sloan Stanick had a pair of goals and an assist for the Raiders.

The Prince Albert Raiders are heating up at home.

On Saturday, the Raiders thumped the Brandon Wheat Kings 7-3 in a WHL regular season clash to the delight of 2,428 spectators at the team’s storied home rink in the Art Hauser Centre. The Raiders have now won six straight games at home.

With Saturday’s win, the Raiders improve to 24-25-1-3 and vault to seventh in the WHL’s Eastern Conference standings. Prince Albert sits one standings point ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes (24-23-3) and the Calgary Hitmen (22-21-6-1) who are tied for the eighth and ninth positions in the conference standings. The Hurricanes and Hitmen both have three games in hand on the Raiders.

Saturday’s clash between the Raiders and Wheat kings started out as a bit of a back-and-forth affair. Centre Nolan Flamand scored 10 seconds into the contest for the Wheat Kings to give the visitors a 1-0 edge.

The lead didn’t last long as Raiders 20-year-old right-winger Sloan Stanick scored at the 3:57 mark of the first to even the score a 1-1. Wheat Kings star 20-year-old left-winger Brett Hyland tallied on the power play at the 6:35 mark of the opening frame to put the visitors back out in front 2-1.

Raiders import left-winger Krzysztof Macias scored to force a 2-2 tie at the 8:30 mark of the third. Following Macias’s tally, Raiders rookie right-winger Oli Chenier, who turned 17-years-old in late January, potted his 10^th goal of the campaign with his squad working on the power play to put the hosts up 3-2.

At the 8:29 mark of the second, Raiders 19-year-old right-winger Niall Crocker scored short-handed to push Prince Albert’s lead out to 4-2. With 69 seconds remaining in the second, Wheat Kings import centre Dominik Petr tallied to cut the Raiders lead to 4-3.

The Raiders proceeded to pull away from there in the third. Macias, Crocker and Stanick all netted their respective second goals of the contest to round out the 7-3 final score in the Raiders favour. Macias, Crocker and Stanick all finished with three point nights each collecting two goals and one assist.

Max Hildebrand stopped 21 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Ethan Eskit turned away 38 shots to take the setback in goal for the Wheat Kings, who fell to 26-20-5-1.

The Raiders were still without star 17-year-old right-winger Ryder Ritchie. Back on December 15, 2023, Ritchie was on the receiving end of a knee-on-knee hit from Kelowna Rockets 19-year-old left-winger Max Graham in a 4-3 setback to the Rockets at the Art Hauser Centre. Ritchie is listed as being out week to week.

The Raiders were also without 16-year-old rookie centre Luke Moroz on Saturday. Moroz went down at the 8:21 mark of the third period of a 6-1 loss on Friday to the Blades in Saskatoon after being on the receiving end of a cross check from Blades captain Trevor Wong. Wong received a minor infraction on the play.

The Raiders are now off until this coming Friday when they travel to Medicine Hat to face the Tigers (7 p.m. local time, Co-op Place).

The Wheat Kings get back at it this coming Thursday when they travel to Moose Jaw to face the Warriors (7 p.m., Moose Jaw Events Centre).

Hansen lifts Blades to eighth straight win

Egor Sidorov scored the Blades first goal on Saturday.

Defensive centre Lukas Hansen put on the hero’s cape to deliver the Saskatoon Blades to an eighth straight win.

On Saturday playing in front of 2,610 spectators at the InnovationPlex in Swift Current, the Blades found themselves locked in a 2-2 tie against the host Broncos going into the final 10 minutes of the third period. At the 11:28 mark of the third, Hansen scored his 11^th goal of the season that ultimately delivered the Blades to a 3-2 victory. The tally was Hansen’s fourth winner of the season.

In the final seconds of the third, Hansen came up with a big shot block to help preserve the win for the visitors.

The eighth straight win allowed the Blades to improve their WHL leading record to 39-9-2-3. They also officially locked up a berth in the WHL Playoffs.

Saskatoon took a 1-0 lead over Swift Current in Saturday’s clash with a first period power-play goal from star import right-winger Egor Sidorov.

At the 5:20 mark of the second, Blades star overage centre Easton Armstrong was given a major penalty for goaltender interference and a game misconduct. That infraction will be automatically reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension. The Broncos were unable to score on that five-minute power play.

The hosts would even the score at 1-1 in the second with a tally from 18-year-old left-winger Brady Birnie.

At the 3:26 mark of the third, Blades star 19-year-old left-winger Brandon Lisowsky netted his 30^th goal of the season to put the Blades up 2-1. Lisowsky has now scored 30-or-more goals in three straight seasons for the Blades.

Broncos sophomore left-winger Clarke Caswell evened the score a short time later scoring at the 5:01 mark of the third to force a 2-2 tie.

That set the stage for Hansen to deliver his heroics to close out the contest.

Austin Elliott stopped 24 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Joey Rocha turned away 24 shots to take the setback in net for the Broncos, who fell to 26-19-4-2.

Blades captain Trevor Wong finished the contest with a pair of assists.

The Blades return to action this coming Friday when they travel to Lethbridge to face the Hurricanes (7 p.m. local time, Enmax Centre).

The Broncos get back at it on Wednesday when they host the Hurricanes (7 p.m., InnovationPlex).

Clark, Shirley have sweet homecoming, other notes

An Emily Clark hockey card.

Emily Clark and Sophie Shirley got the hometown salutes they so rightly deserved.

On Wednesday, the two skilled forwards dressed for Canada’s National Women’s Hockey team in Game 5 of their Rivalry Series against the United States at the SaskTel Centre in their hometown of Saskatoon. A total of 7,576 spectators came out to see the local products wearing Team Canada colours on home ice for the first time.

Clark, who is 28-years-old, has been a veteran with Canada’s senior national team dating back to the 4 Nations Cup in 2014. Shirley, who is 24-years-old, was called up to Canada’s roster just before the start of Game 5.

While they weren’t able to hit the scoreboard in Canada’s 4-2 win on Wednesday, both players had their highlight moments. Clark had a really energetic game that included getting stopped on a first period breakaway. Shirley showed her still getting a good scoring chance off a half toe-drag snapshot.

The win allowed Canada to cut the United States lead in the best-of-seven series to 3-2.

As the final seconds of the victory on Wednesday ticked away, Team Canada head coach Troy Ryan ensured both Clark and Shirley were on the ice at the same time to be saluted by their hometown crowd.

“It blew my expectations out of the water,” said Clark after Wednesday’s game. “I was feeling the love, our team was feeling the love, and I’m so proud of our group for getting that win for the crowd.

“We showed a lot of character, and this time last year, we had our backs against the wall. We’re just taking it one game at a time. I’m proud of our team and so happy the series is still going.”

“I had about 15 to 20 family in the crowd, and it was a super cool experience for me,” said Shirley on Wednesday. “I know I was called in late, but I just wanted to do my best every time I was out there.

“It was probably in my very first shift, as soon as I got out there, with the atmosphere and being at home with family made it even more exciting for me.”

Canada trailed 2-1 after 40 minutes on Wednesday before rallying for the 4-2 victory.

Brianne Jenner, Ashton Bell, Renata Fast and Laura Stacey netted singles for Canada. Hayley Scamurra and Gabbie Hughes replied with singles for the United States.

Ann-Renee Desbiens stopped 14 shots to pick up the win in goal for Canada. Nicole Hensley turned away 24-of-27 shots to take the setback in goal for the United States.

The hometown treatment for Clark and Shirley turned into warm home province treatment for Game 6 of the series on Friday night at the Brandt Centre in Regina. After playing through a scoreless opening 40 minutes, Canada exploded for three goals in the third to post a 3-0 victory and even the series 3-3.

Clark had Canada’s second goal in the third-period surge. Natalie Spooner had Canada’s first goal, and Sarah Nurse has the third goal for the host country.

Emerance Maschmeyer stopped 27 shots to pick up the shutout win for Canada. Maschmeyer now has 11 career shutouts playing for Canada. Aerin Frankel turned away 19 shots to take the setback in goal for the United States.

Fast played in her 100 career international game for Canada on Friday.

At game’s end Clark and Shirley took a victory lap in front of the Regina crowd.

Canada was down 3-0 in the Rivalry Series before rallying back for three wins. Game 7 is set for Sunday in St. Paul, Minn., (1 p.m. Saskatchewan Time, TSN4).

Last season, Canada trailed the Rivalry Series 3-0 before rallying back with four straight wins to take the set.

• On Saturday in Medicine Hat, the host Tigers trailed the Red Deer Rebels 4-1 after 40 minutes in a WHL regular season encounter. The Tigers roared back with three straight goals in the third and 20-year-old import defenceman Bogdans Hodass scored with 19.8 seconds remaining in overtime to give the hosts a wild 5-4 victory.
• Medicine Hat News sports reporter James Tubb laid out a compelling case for why the City of Medicine Hat and the Medicine Hat Tigers should bid for the 2026 Memorial Cup, which is the CHL’s annual championship tournament. That piece can be found by clicking right here.
• On Saturday in Kelowna, centre Emmitt Finnie scored four times for the visiting Kamloops Blazers as they dumped the host Rockets 7-3. The Rockets led the contest 2-1 after the first period. The Blazers scored three goals in the second to go up 4-2 and roll from there.
• On Saturday in Prince George, 20-year-old right-winger Zac Funk scored a hat trick for the host Cougars as they outlasted the visiting Victoria Royals 9-6. Funk leads the WHL with 49 goals so far this season.
• On Friday, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a story on the sport of cricket in Saskatoon and the growth that sport is seeing in “The Bridge City.” Officials with Cricket Saskatoon said new facilities are needed for cricket in Saskatoon to handle the surging interest in the sport. That piece can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that is highlighted by a visit from members of the Toronto Blue Jays to the Indoor Training Centre along with various winter happenings. That post can be found by clicking right here.

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 drop heartbreaker going into Christmas break

Iginla pots winner for Rockets with 21.7 seconds left in third

The scene as Tij Iginla (#11) scores the winner for the Rockets.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Old “Mo” turned out to be a Grinch to the Prince Albert Raiders.

On Friday night at the Art Hauser Centre, the Raiders were playing their final WHL regular season contest before heading off to their Christmas break. In a clash that saw many momentum swings, it appeared momentum would be on the side of the Raiders going down the home stretch.

Trailing the Rockets 3-2 late in the third period, Raiders import left-winger Krzysztof Macias scored a power-play goal off a net scramble to force a 3-3 tie with 2:41 remaining in the frame. The scramble was cause when Raiders 20-year-old star winger Sloan Stanick tried to score on a wraparound, and the puck squirted out to Macias during the frantic action and the product from Poland netted the equalizer.

The Rockets celebrate their winning goal from Tij Iginla (#11).

With 21.7 seconds remaining in the third, Rockets breakout star centre Tij Iginla netted the winner during a net scramble around the Prince Albert net. It appeared Raiders netminder Max Hildebrand had the puck momentarily covered, but the action continued allowing Iginla to score to give the Rockets a 4-3 victory. The result came to the disappointment of most of the 2,431 in attendance.

While the Raiders weren’t able head into their Christmas break on a winning note, head coach Jeff Truitt was pleased with his club’s effort in their final game before departing to enjoy holiday festivities.

“We battled,” said Truitt. “I thought the first period we really managed the puck real well.

Tij Iginla had a goal and two assists for the Rockets.

“I thought that there wasn’t a lot of turnovers on our part. I thought that we managed things. In the second period, it was a bit of a battle period.

“The temperature went up a little bit, which is good. They obviously weren’t going to budge. It was a battle.”

Truitt admitted it was tough for his side to see the game conclude with how Iginla’s winner unfolded.

“The third period the disappointing part about it was we battled back after they were up,” said Truitt. “We tied this thing up, and we have a call that the puck wasn’t covered.

“It was disappointing for sure, because we battled back to 3-3 and could have got a point, but we didn’t.”

Referee Brody McGrath discusses penalty calls after a scrum.

With the loss, the Raiders still go into the Christmas break holding a sound 17-15-0-2 record. They are getting an early start in entering their holiday period.

The WHL has a regular schedule of games set for Saturday and Sunday before everyone on the circuit will be on their respective breaks. No matter what the results are of Saturday’s and Sunday’s games, the Raiders will be sitting in a playoff position in the Eastern Conference entering the break.

Macias, who has 13 goals and five assists in 31 appearances so far this season for the Raiders, said it was tough to go into the break on a heartbreaking setback, but he and his teammates believe they put in a good effort.

Oli Chenier scored the Raiders first goal on Friday.

“It is not the best feeling to lose the game, even if we worked hard,” said Macias. “For sure, it is better to lose the game that way then to lose the game with no effort.

“That was our goal for all the season. No matter the score, we have to put 100 per cent effort every night. That situation happened today (on Iginla’s winner), it is hockey.

“It happens sometimes. We got unlucky. It happens to every team, and I think we will games the same way that we lost today.”

Iginla had a huge night for the Rockets recording a pair of assists and a plus-two rating in the plus-minus department to go with his goal. His first assist came on the Rockets first goal as they opened the game’s scoring at the 10:49 mark of the opening frame.

Justice Christensen had the Raiders second goal on Friday.

He put a shot pass in the direction of the Prince Albert net that was tipped into the goal by Rockets 19-year-old left-winger Max Graham.

Near the end of the opening frame, the Raiders nearly went into the first intermission having tied the game up, but a rocket drive by star 17-year-old right-winger Ryder Ritchie was denied by the glove hand of 19-year-old netminder Jari Kykkanen.

The Raiders pulled even at 1-1 at the 3:44 mark of the second on an unassisted goal from 16-year-old rookie left-winger Oli Chenier. Chenier got the puck in the right corner of the Rockets zone while in on the forecheck, skated into the right slot and potted his third tally of the season.

Ethan Neutens had the Rockets third goal on Friday.

At the 10-minute mark of the second, the Rockets jumped back in front 2-1 thanks to a power-play goal from right-winger Marcus Pacheco. Pacheco recorded his second marker of the season deflecting home a shot from Iginla.

Just under four minutes later, the Raiders pulled even on the scoreboard at 2-2, when offensive defenceman Justice Christensen potted a seeing-eye point shot on the power play.

At the 4:42 mark of the third, the Rockets jumped back in front 3-2 when 18-year-old right-winger Ethan Neutens floated home a shot from the left point.

Friday’s game had a fair share of high-tension type play, and things boiled over with 7:30 remaining in the third. After Graham nailed one of the Raiders players with a knee hit, he ended up engaging Christensen in a fight.

A scrum breaks out near the Raiders net.

Graham received a major penalty for kneeing, a fighting major and game misconduct. His kneeing major will be automatically reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

Christensen was given an unsportsmanlike conduct minor and a fighting major.

While the bout between Graham and Christensen was going on, a big scrum occurred on another part of the ice. That scrum resulted in Rockets 20-year-old defenceman Kayden Sadhra-Kang, Raiders 18-year-old defenceman Terrell Goldsmith and Raiders 18-year-old centre Harrison Lodewyk all receiving 10-minute misconducts.

Raiders D Justice Christensen, left, fights Rockets RW Max Graham.

Macias’s power-play goal came on the tail end of the power play resulting from Graham’s kneeing major. Iginla’s winner followed.

Hildebrand turned away 21 shots to take the setback in net for the Raiders. Kykkanen stopped 20 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Rockets, who improved to 14-15-2.

The Rockets return to action on Saturday when they travel to Saskatoon to take on the 23-8-1 Blades (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

The Raiders players all head their separate ways on their Christmas break, and will get back together as a team on Tuesday, December 26. They return to action on Wednesday, December 27 when they travel to Saskatoon to take on the Blades (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

Sloan Stanick’s wraparound attempt led to a Raiders equalizer.

Truitt said he told his players to soak in the holiday time.

“I just told them to enjoy the holidays,” said Truitt. “We’ve worked hard this first half.

“To be where we are at, we’re happy, but we’re not satisfied. We want to be better. We want to continue to grow and get better in the standings with point production.

“For right now, it is time for them to be with their families and enjoy the holidays for a bit – just be a young adult, because it is going to come quick enough. The second half is always harder than the first. When you get these breaks, you enjoy yourself, and we’ll come back strong on December 26th.”

The Raiders celebrate an equalizer from Krzysztof Macias (#34).

Macias said his team is satisfied first half of the season and has great anticipation for the second half of the campaign.

“The first half wasn’t bad that is for sure,” said Macias. “We are in playoff spot right now, so that is the most important thing.

“Obviously, we wanted more. We always want more. I think the second half will be even better for us.

“I think we will work every night going 110 per cent, because that is our identity. Our coach talks all the time about our identity to be tough to play against and to work hard every day. I think it pays off, so we have to stick together for the second half.”

The Rockets celebrate their win on Friday night.

NOTES – WHL outgoing commissioner Ron Robison visited Prince Albert on Friday night as part of a final tour to drop in on each of the circuit’s centres. He dropped the ceremonial faceoff before the start of the contest. Last June, Robison, who is 68-years-old, announced the 2023-24 campaign would be his last as WHL commissioner.  Dan Near, who is 43-years-old, has been hired as the WHL’s new commissioner, and he will begin transitioning into that role on January 1, 2024.

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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