Corkish hatty puts Raiders one win away from WHL final

Tigers fall 6-3 in Game 5 of Eastern Conference final

The Raiders celebrate a hat trick goal from Owen Corkish (#32).

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Owen Corkish capitalized on his moment to be the x-factor for the Prince Albert Raiders.

On Friday night playing before a raucous sellout crowd of 3,299 spectators at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre, Corkish, who is an 18-year-old rookie left-winger, delivered his first WHL hat trick in either regular season or post-season play. The Cottage Grove, Minnesota, product’s three-goal night powered the host Raiders to a 6-3 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers in Game 5 of the WHL Eastern Conference Championship Series.

With the Raiders clinging to a 4-3 lead late in the third period, Corkish fired home a shot from his own zone into an empty Tigers net with 2:31 remaining in the third period to complete his hat trick. Following that tally, hats rained down from the Raiders faithful at the Hauser in celebration of that goal.

Owen Corkish (#32) breaks away from Noah Davidson (#39).

“I just put one and one together and tried to go for it and see what happens,” said Corkish. “Fortunately, it went in.”

If there was going to be any other drama, Raiders 20-year-old right-winger Brayden Dube wrapped home an empty-net tally with 1:29 remaining in the third to round out the 6-3 final score in favour of the Prince Albert side.

With the win, the Raiders take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven set with the Tigers. They will try to close the series out in Game 6 on Sunday at 6 p.m. local time at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat.

Before looking forward to Game 6, Corkish said his hat trick performance in Game 5 ranks up there with the biggest hockey games he has ever had.

Owen Corkish sets to score his long distance empty-net goal.

“It is definitely one of them,” said Corkish. “I’m fortunate enough to have the night I had with the guys around me.

“I couldn’t have done it without those guys. We have such a tight group and such an amazing group that it could have been any one of those guys tonight. I’m just proud to be a part of this group.”

The Raiders came storming out of the gate. At the five-minute mark of the opening frame, standout 17-year-old right-winger Jonah Sivertson had the puck in the left corner of the Medicine Hat and passed it to linemate Alisher Sarkenov in front of the goal. Sarkenov quickly blasted the puck home to put the host side up 1-0.

Prince Albert outshot Medicine Hat 16-3 in the opening 20 minutes, but the Tigers were able to force a 1-1 tie before the stanza came to a close. With 2:50 remaining in the first, Tigers star 19-year-old defenceman Jonas Woo popped home a puck close in at the left side of the Prince Albert net for the equalizer.

Jonas Woo scored the Tigers first goal on Friday.

“We let them get off to a great start, which we can’t do in their building,” said Tigers legendary head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins. “We were so lucky to come out 1-1.”

While 18-year-old rookie netminder Carter Casey came up big in the opening frame, he couldn’t keep the Raiders at bay forever.

Just 22 seconds into the second period, Corkish tipped home a point shot from Raiders captain Justice Christensen to give the hosts a 2-1 lead. Raiders 16-year-old rookie right-winger Ben Harvey then tapped home a puck at the right side of Medicine Hat net to push Prince Albert’s advantage to 3-1 at the 8:57 mark of the frame. Harvey converted a beauty setup pass from linemate Maddix McCagherty from the left side boards in the Medicine Hat zone.

Alisher Sarkenov scored the Raiders first goal on Friday.

With 6:24 remaining in the second, Corkish picked up his second goal of the contest banging home the rebound of his own shot in front of the Medicine Hat net. Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald was pleased with the play of the line of Corkish, 20-year-old star centre Aiden Oiring and Dube calling them dynamic. Dube finished with an assist to go with his goal, while Oiring had one helper.

“I thought their line did a great job tonight,” said McDonald. “They were on the right side of pucks.

“They checked really well. They got their offensive chances, and they capitalized on them and really used their speed tonight.”

The Tigers proceeded to battle back in the third. 

Just 1:55 into the frame, a shot from Tigers 19-year-old left-winger Cam Parr deflected off the skate of 20-year-old right-winger Ethan Neutens into the Prince Albert net to cut the Raiders lead to 4-2.

Ethan Neutens scored for the Tigers on Friday.

At the 9:19 mark of the third, Tigers right-winger Carter Cunningham put a shot on goal from the left side of the Raiders net that was stopped by Raiders star import netminder Michal Orsulak. The puck rebounded to the right side of the net to Tigers 20-year-old rearguard Josh Van Mulligen. Van Mulligen fired home the rebound to trim the Raiders advantage down to 4-3.

While the Tigers have posted their share of comeback victories this season, they weren’t able to rally back any further on this night. The tallies by Neutens and Van Mulligen set the stage for the Raiders two empty-net markers to close the contest out.

Desjardins was pleased to see his squad battle back to make the contest a one-goal game again in the third.

“We got the first one,” said Desjardins. “You knew you had a chance.

Ben Harvey had a goal for the Raiders on Friday.

“Then, we got the second. We had some looks to get the third as well. We just didn’t get it.

“They bent a little bit, but they didn’t break. They stayed with their game plan, and they were able to pull it out.”

McDonald was happy to see there was no panic coming from his Raiders side after the Tigers pulled to within 4-3.

“They’re a good team,” said McDonald. “You can’t give them chances.

“They have the ability to put them in the back of the net. I really liked our guys’ calmness tonight. They got those two in the third, and guys were even keel.

“We just continued to go about our business and continued to win our battles and lock it down.”

Brayden Dube had one goal and one assist for the Raiders.

Orsulak stopped 25 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Casey turned away 41-of-45 shots to take the setback in net for the Tigers.

Prince Albert also held a 49-21 advantage in the faceoff circle.

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

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

The Tigers enjoy a goal from Josh Van Mulligen (#22).

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

The winner of the Eastern Conference final will face the Everett Silvertips in the best-of-seven WHL Championship Series. The Silvertips swept the Penticton Vees 4-0 in the Western Conference Championship Series. Everett was rated first in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

Looking towards Game 6, Desjardins wants his team to be better in a couple of areas.

Fans at the Art Hauser Centre cheer on the Raiders.

“We’ve got to be more aggressive,” said Desjardins. “They’ve got lots of speed and the worst thing with speed is to back up.

“You’ve got to be aggressive on speed and gap up and handle it. We’ve got to be better in the faceoff circle too. They were really good in the faceoff circle.

“Give them credit, but they’ve got to win another one.”

The Raiders celebrate their win on Friday.

While the Raiders will try to clinch the series and the Eastern Conference title on Sunday, Corkish said his squad has to focus on business as usual on the ice.

“I think there is nothing we’ve got to overcomplicate,” said Corkish. “I think we’ve just got to simplify our game and keep doing what we’re doing, and it is going to turn out good.”

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Raiders in command of Eastern Conference Semifinal

Prince Albert takes 2-0 lead in series with rival Blades

The Raiders celebrate a winning goal from Owen Corkish (#32).

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The Prince Albert Raiders are in the driver’s seat.

On Saturday playing before a raucous sellout crowd of 3,299 spectators at the 2,580 seat storied and historic Art Hauser Centre, the Raiders blanked their archrivals the Saskatoon Blades 3-0 in Game 2 of a WHL Eastern Conference Semifinal Series while also holding a 37-15 edge in shots on goal. Combined with their convincing 6-1 victory in Game 1 on Friday before another sellout crowd at the Hauser, the Raiders hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set.

The series now switches over to Saskatoon. Games 3 and 4 will be held Tuesday and Wednesday at the SaskTel Centre for a 7 p.m. start time on both nights.

Owen Corkish does a flyby after scoring for the Raiders.

Going into those two upcoming contests in Saskatoon, the Raiders are feeling good about where they are at.

“It feels amazing,” said Raider 18-year-old rookie right-winger Owen Corkish. “It feels really good.

“We’re not going to get too overwhelmed. We’re going to stay simple and keep doing the things we need to do, and that is what is going to lead us to success.”

In Saturday’s clash, the two sides played through a scoreless first period, where the Raiders held an 11-3 advantage in shots on goal. Prince Albert’s shots were put up via a more gradual pace due to the Blades doing a little better job of getting to pucks in their own zone and transitioning up ice.

Evan Gardner mades one of his 34 saves in goal for the Blades.

The Blades looked like they were going to get the biggest first break of the contest when Raiders star 20-year-old right-winger Brayden Dube was given a double minor for high sticking. That infraction will be automatically reviewed by the WHL Office for a possible suspension, which is a standard practice by the circuit.

The visitors weren’t able to create any dangerous scoring chances on those two power-play chances due to the Raiders stellar work on the penalty kill.

With 10:05 remaining in the second period, a fight developed between two unlikely combatants in Raiders standout 16-year-old rookie defenceman Brock Cripps and Blades 17-year-old rookie centre Ben Bowtell. The two combined for 48 penalty minutes during the regular season. Both players got a couple of good shots in before the two players ended up wrapped up together after the short bout.

A Raiders fan has sympathy for Blades goalie Evan Gardner.

That set the stage for the Raiders to break onto the scoreboard. With about 6:30 remaining in the second, the Blades broke into the Prince Albert zone and Blades sophomore star centre Cooper Williams appeared in prime shooting position with the puck in front of the Raiders net.

Raiders star centre Max Heise stole the puck from Williams and passed the puck to Raiders star defenceman Daxon Rudolph to start a rush up ice. Rudolph passed the puck up to Raiders standout left-winger Maddix McCagherty, who entered the Saskatoon zone jetting down the left wing.

McCagherty dropped the puck back to Rudolph at the top of the left faceoff circle. Rudolph fired a drive on goal that deflected off Blades star netminder Evan Gardner, bounced off Corkish and went into the Saskatoon net to give the host side a 1-0 lead.

Brock Cripps (#12) tangles with Ben Bowtell (#71).

“I saw Rudolph about to shoot the puck there on the net,” said Corkish. “I thought I should stand in front of the net and see what happens, see if there is a rebound.

“Luckily, it went off me and then in the net, so it was nice.”

With 2:04 remaining in the second, the Raiders pushed their lead out to 2-0. Blades defenceman Jack Kachkowski was trying to hold the puck in the Prince Albert zone at the left point, when he had the puck taken away from him by Raiders standout import rookie left-winger Alisher Sarkenov.

Sarkenow passed the puck to Raiders standout 17-year-old rookie right-winger Jonah Sivertson to start a two-on-one break into the Saskatoon zone. Sivertson ripped his first of the post-season to the top left corner of the Saskatoon net to give the Raiders their two-goal advantage.

Michal Orsulak made 15 saves to pick up a shutout win.

Just 61 seconds into the second, Sivertson was working with the puck along the left boards of the Saskatoon zone. He passed the puck to 19-year-old import shutdown defenceman Matyas Man, who one-timed home his first of the post-season to give the Raiders their 3-0 edge.

“I was pretty confident not that I am going to score, but that I am going to hit the net,” said Man. “I was like a little bit surprised that I scored.

“I am not there to score the goals. We have a lot of other players to score too.”

The Raiders proceeded to cruise to victory from that point.

Michal Orsulak stopped all 15 shots he faced to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Raiders. It was the second shutout of the post-season for Orsulak. Gardner turned away 34 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades.

Daxon Rudolph had an assist for the Raiders.

“I thought it was a better effort from our group for sure,” said Blades head coach Dan DaSilva. “We asked them to simplify our game, play a little bit harder, a little faster and a little more north-south.

“I thought that we did that for the most part. We were right there over halfway through the second period 0-0. We take a chance on a rush, a four-on-three, we don’t execute, and they come back and put it in the back of our net.

“It was a better effort from our group for sure. It is going to be a tall task. We know that, but I think it was a step in the right direction.”

During the first two games of the series in Prince Albert, Gardner has been the target of heckles from the Raiders faithful. DaSilva has no complaints about how his puck stopper, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets, has played.

The faithful in the Art Hauser Centre cheer on the Raiders.

“Evan (Gardner) has been great,” said DaSilva. “He has given us everything he has back there.

“He has made some huge saves, especially early in the second period there. He stopped a couple of net front scrambles, made a couple of good pad saves and gave us an opportunity to keep on fighting. That is all you can ask of your goalie.

“I thought he has handled himself really well so far in this series.”

Going into this rivalry series, the Raiders were the favourites.

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

Jonah Sivertson (#28) celebrates scoring for the Raiders.

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

Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald has been pleased with how his club has played in their first two games of their post-season series with the Blades and how his squad battled in Game 2.

“I thought our guys did a tremendous job,” said McDonald. “We stuck with it.

Matyas Man was named a named the game’s second star.

“It took a period and a bit to get the first one. They (the Blades) came out hard. They pushed.

“We pushed back and continued to play fast, continued to play up the ice and play north and got our opportunities. The P.K. did a great job with a big kill at the end of the first and the second. We just continued to create our push from there.”

Now the series switches over to the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, and Man believes the Blades will come out with their best effort of the series in those contests.

“I think it is going to be harder,” said Man, who was a plus-three in the plus-minus department on Saturday. “They are going to have their fans, so as players, I think we just need to stick with what we are good in.

The Raiders salute their fans at the Art Hauser Centre.

“We just need to stick to our game.”

NOTE – The Raiders 50/50 jackpot drew a ticket where a team record $100,025 goes to the winner. As of the time this post went life, the jackpot had not been claimed. The winning number is C-115039.

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Gorzynski works overtime magic for Raiders in 4-3 win

Prince Albert takes first round series over Red Deer 4-1

Brandon Gorzynski (#29) and the Raiders enjoy their OT win.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The Prince Albert Raiders weren’t going to be denied in their second shot to advance out of the first round of the WHL Playoffs.

On Friday, the Raiders took on the visiting Red Deer Rebels in Game 5 of a best-of-seven first round series at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre. The Raiders could close out the set with a win, while the Rebels were trying to drag everything back to Red Deer for a Game 6 on Sunday.

With the Raiders holding a 3-2 lead, Rebels rookie defenceman Nate Yellowaga, who turned 18 in March, banked home the equalizer off the skates of Raiders captain Justice Christensen to force a 3-3 tie with 46.3 seconds remaining in the third period and overtime for the first time in the series.

Brandon Gorzynski (#29) reacts to scoring the OT winner.

The Raiders weren’t deterred by the break that didn’t go their way. At the 2:21 mark of overtime, Raiders star left-winger Brandon Gorzynski picked up the rebound from a shot taken by linemate Brayden Dube at the left side of the Red Deer net. Gorzynski proceeded to skate in behind the net and wrap home the winner into an open cage to give the Raiders a 4-3 victory before a raucous standing room crowd of 3,134 spectators at the 2,580 seat rink.

The victory allowed the Raiders to take the series 4-1 and eliminate the Rebels from the post-season.

Brandon Gorzynski (#29) gets set to be mobbed by his teammates.

“Obviously, it feels pretty good, kind of a weight off the shoulders,” said Gorzynski about the winning goal. “I mean they are a good team.

“They pushed us hard, but we didn’t want to go back to Red Deer. It felt amazing, and to get it with those guys. We worked so hard.

“I think we dominated that series, and I think we deserved that one.”

Gorzynski’s winner prevented Rebels star 18-year-old rookie netminder Matthew Kondro from stealing a second straight game. Kondro turned away 48 shots to take the setback in the Red Deer net on Friday giving his squad every chance to win the contest. In Game 4 on Wednesday in Red Deer, Kondro made 35 saves as the Rebels rallied from deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 to pull out a 4-3 victory to keep the series alive.

The Raiders OT victory celebration ends up along the glass with their fans.

Just when it seemed Kondro might steal another contest on Friday, Gorzynski potted the overtime winner with his second tally of the post-season. Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald was pleased his side pulled out the series-clinching win on Friday.

“The guys worked hard all game, played the right way, got pucks behind and were relentless,” said McDonald. “Again, it was no different there (on Gorzynski’s overtime winner).

“It was just a great play getting the puck underneath and then getting that shot and then grabbing that second opportunity and wheeling that puck around. He (Gorzynski) did such a great job, and he used his body all night. He was physical, got to the inside, got his looks, and it was nice to see him get rewarded.”

The Raiders faithful celebrates their team’s overtime winner.

Raiders 16-year-old rookie defenceman Brock Cripps picked up the second assist on Gorzynski’s winner by making the first pass that started the club’s rush up ice that resulted in the winning tally. Cripps finished the contest with one goal, two assists and a plus-three rating in the plus-minus department. He said the feeling was euphoric, when Gorzynski netted the winner.

“I was really excited,” said Cripps. “All the guys on the bench were pretty pumped.

“(We) finally get the job done and move on to the next series.”

Cripps got things going for the Raiders scoring at the 5:49 mark of the opening frame to give his club a 1-0. He came straight down the middle of the Red Deer zone with the puck and ripped a mid-range shot past Kondro for his third tally of the post-season.

Matthew Kondro makes one of his 48 saves in goal for the Rebels.

“It was definitely nice to put one in the back of the net there to get our team going,” said Cripps. “It was a good pass by my D-partner Benett Kelly.

“I think he set me up in a good spot there. It was just good to put the puck in the net.”

Just when it seemed momentum was rolling the Raiders side, the Rebels evened the score at 1-1 on their fifth shot of the contest, when star centre Beckett Hamilton fired home a mid-range shot at the 11:38 mark of the first.

With 55.7 seconds remaining in the first, Dube thought he had scored on a wraparound. The officials blew the play dead, and after a video review, it was ruled the puck did not cross the goal line.

Brock Cripps sets to fire home the Raiders first goal on Friday.

Just 2:08 into the second, Raiders 18-year-old rookie left-winger Owen Corkish put a mid-range shot from the front of the Red Deer net past Kondro to put the Raiders up 2-1.

With 5:34 remaining in the second and the two sides playing four skaters versus four skaters due to offsetting minor penalties, Raiders defenceman Linden Burrett, who turned 20 in early February, broke into the Red Deer zone on a two-on-one break. Burrett proceeded to fake a pass and put a backhand shot past Kondro for a nifty tally that gave the Raiders a 3-1 advantage.

Still, the Rebels didn’t quit, and that has been a traditional trademark of that franchise. Rebels 17-year-old left-winger Kohen Lodge had the puck at a sharp angle to the left side of the Prince Albert goal and fired home a slick shot to the top left corner of the net to cut the Raiders lead to 3-2 with 2:32 remaining in the second.

Beckett Hamilton had the Rebels first goal on Friday.

That set the stage for the dramatics at the end of the third with Yellowaga’s equalizer and Gorzynski’s winner in overtime.

“They (the Rebels) are definitely a team that plays hard and doesn’t take a shift off, which is hard to play against,” said Cripps. “Respect to them, they are a good hockey club there, and I think we just stayed with it.”

Michal Orsulak stopped 20 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders.

Dube and Evan Smith collected two assists each for the Raiders. Kalder Varga had a pair of assists for the Rebels, while Lodge had a helper to go with his goal for Red Deer.

McDonald was proud of the resilience of his squad, especially after the Rebels got the equalizer from Yellowaga that went off Christensen’s skates. The Raiders bench boss said resilience is a strength with his group of players.

Owen Corkish had the Raiders second goal on Sunday.

“We stay even keel,” said McDonald. “Our leadership group does an absolute tremendous job right down to the youngest guy on the team.

“We just continue to go about our business no matter what happens. The guys came back that next shift after that one went in. We marched down, and we got a couple opportunities right before the final buzzer went.

“We just continued to play the right way and got rewarded over time.”

The Raiders finished first in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and second overall in the league with a 52-10-5-1 record. They were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The Rebels finished eighth overall in the Eastern Conference with a 26-36-4-2 mark.

The Raiders and Rebels take part in the handshake line after Game 5.

While the Raiders were the definite favourite in the series, they faced a good challenge in a Rebels side that refused to quit. Now, the Raiders wait to see how the rest of the first round of the WHL Playoffs plays out to see who they will play in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series. Prince Albert could still play the Calgary Hitmen, Regina Pats or Saskatoon Blades depending on how the rest of the first round plays out.

For now, Gorzynski wants to let the reality of his overtime winning moment to sink in. Having been acquired by the Raiders in a trade with the Hitmen near the midway point of the regular season on December 15, 2025, Gorzynski is pleased to help his Prince Albert teammates. He said he will always look fondly on his overtime series winner against the Rebels.

The Raiders salute their faithful at the Art Hauser Centre.

“It is the most fun feeling one,” said Gorzynski. “Coming here as the new guy on the team and stuff like that, it feels extra good.”

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Raiders post second statement victory over Tigers

Prince Albert continues to lead Eastern Conference with 5-1 win

Brandon Gorzynski had two goals and an assist for the Raiders.

It felt like a post-season game in January.

Along with that, the Prince Albert Raiders were out to prove that the one time wasn’t an accident. Just seven days ago on January 17, the Raiders ventured into Medicine Hat and downed the host Tigers 8-5 at Co-op Place to end the Tabbies team record 19-game winning streak.

In the first two head-to-head clashes between the two squads in the first half of the current 2025-26 campaign, the Tigers claimed victory. In the first meeting on November 29, 2024, the Medicine Hat edged Prince Albert 3-2 at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre. In the second clash on December 3, 2025, the Tigers rolled to a 7-1 victory over the Raiders at Co-op Place.

On Saturday at the Hauser, the Raiders and Tigers went at it for their final meeting in the regular season as they are locked in a tight race for first place in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. In an encounter that had a feel of a contest meant for the WHL Playoffs, the Raiders would post a solid 5-1 victory before a standing room crowd of 2,892 spectators at the 2,580 seat facility that has been the lone home rink for the Prince Albert side.

The win allowed the Raiders, who have won seven straight games, to improve to 35-6-4 and push their Eastern Conference lead over the Tigers to four points. The Tigers fell to 32-8-3-3 with the setback. Prince Albert sits second overall in the WHL and is rated second in the CHL Top 10 Rankings, while Medicine Hat is third overall in the WHL and is rated fifth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings.

The Raiders win over the Tigers on Saturday also completed a stretch where the Prince Albert side played three games in three nights in three different centres.

Saturday’s clash did have its momentum changes as the Raiders built a 2-0 lead in the first period, held off a big Tigers push back in what ended up being a scoreless second frame before the hosts put the contest away in the third. Overall, the Raiders put together a night that sent their faithful home happy.

Early in the contest, Raiders star 20-year-old captain Justice Christensen sent the intensity tone laying a big hit on Tigers breakout rookie import left-winger Yaroslav Bryzgalov.

Aiden Oiring has two goals for the Raiders.

Right at the 10-minute mark of the opening frame, the Raiders went ahead 1-0 off a style of goal you don’t often see. Christensen fired a shot from the point that deflected off the stick of 18-year-old right-winger Owen Corkish and then was deflected home by star 18-year-old left-winger Brandon Gorzynski.

Gorzynski wasn’t done there. Just 3:48 later, Gorzynski netted his second of the night to account for the Raiders first power-play goal of the contest. On a rush going into the offensive zone, Raiders star 18-year-old centre Braeden Cootes rushed with the puck down the right wing and centred a pass to Gorzynski. Gorzynski deflected home the puck to give the Raiders a 2-0 edge.

The Raiders exited the opening frame holding their 2-0 lead while posting a 12-7 edge in shots on goal.

The Tigers mounted a big push back in the second period and started the frame with a couple of early power plays. They held zone time for extended stretches in the stanza.

Medicine Hat had a 15-4 edge in shots on goal for the frame but couldn’t solve Raiders star import rookie netminder Michal Orsulak. Orsulak played one of his best periods of the campaign to ensure the Raiders took their 2-0 lead into the third period.

At the 3:17 mark of the third, the Raiders thought they had delivered a knockout blow. Applying pressure inside the Medicine Hat zone, Gorzynski had the puck at the left side boards and put a pass across the front of the Tigers net to Raiders star 20-year-old centre Aiden Oiring positioned by the right post.

Oiring’s first shot attempt was stopped by Tigers standout netminder Jordan Switzer, but the puck deflected high in the air. Oiring proceeded to tap the puck out of the air into the Medicine Hat net for his 20^th goal of the season to push the host’s lead out to 3-0. The Calgary product now has scored 20-or-more goals for three straight seasons.

Just 75 seconds later, the Tigers answered back on the power play to cut the Raiders lead to 3-1. Tigers star 20-year-old centre Andrew Basha had the puck at the right faceoff circle and put a pass across the front of the Prince Albert net to Tigers star 17-year-old right-winger Liam Ruck positioned by the left post. Ruck tapped the puck home for his 27^th goal of the campaign to get the visitors back into the contest.

Liam Ruck had the Tigers lone goal on Saturday.

The Raiders proceeded to slam their foot on the gas at that point to seal the win. Working on the power play just 2:25 after Ruck’s tally, Raiders rookie 16-year-old defenceman Brock Cripps fired a point shot that deflected off a Tigers player into the Medicine Hat net to give Prince Albert a 4-1 advantage.

With 3:09 remaining in the third, Oiring potted his second of the night to round out the 5-1 final score in favour of the Raiders. Oiring one-timed home a puck from a sharp angle from the right side of the Medicine Hat net converting a sweet setup pass from Raiders 19-year-old star centre Max Heise. Oiring’s second tally accounted for the Raiders third power-play goal of the game.

Orsulak stopped 27 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Switzer 26 shots to take the setback in net for the Tigers.

Christensen, Cootes and Daxon Rudolph picked up two assists each for the Raiders.

The Raiders converted on 3-of-5 power-play chances, while the Tigers were 1-for-3 with the man advantage.

Both sides also had big absences due to injury. Raiders star 20-year-old right-winger Brayden Dube is out day-to-day with a minor injury, while standout 19-year-old defenceman Linden Burrett injured his left knee in a 3-2 road victory after a tiebreaking shootout over the Warriors in Moose Jaw on Thursday.

The Tigers were without star 19-year-old captain Bryce Pickford, who was out with an upper body injury for a second straight contest.

The Tigers return to action this coming Tuesday as they return home to host the Saskatoon Blades (7 p.m. local time, Co-op Place).

The Raiders also get back at it this coming Tuesday when they travel to Moose Jaw to take on the 17-23-3-2 Warriors (7 p.m., Temple Gardens Centre).

Braeden Cootes had two assists for the Raiders on Saturday.

The Raiders and Tigers conclude their regular season series with each side claiming two regulation wins and each side scoring 16 goals each in those encounters. If there is a meeting between these two clubs in the WHL Playoffs, that potential encounter would decide the ultimate overall series winner in the 2025-26 campaign.

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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.”

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Opportunistic Oil Kings give Raiders slip in 5-3 win

Miroslav Holinka (#92) soaks in scoring the winner for the Oil Kings.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The Edmonton Oil Kings proved that if you give them an inch they can take a mile.

On Saturday playing before a standing room crowd of 2,817 spectators at the 2,580 Art Hauser Centre, the Oil Kings, who were rated sixth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings release on Tuesday, took on the host Prince Albert Raiders, who were rated third in the CHL Top 10. The clash was viewed as a heavyweight showdown coming just past the midway point of the WHL regular season.

The Raiders outshot the Oil Kings 37-21 in the contest, but the visitors skated away with a 5-3 victory for their eighth win in a row, which brought an end to Prince Albert’s six game winning streak. 

Miroslav Holinka has points in 11 straight games.

With the victory, the Oil Kings improved to 29-7-3-1 to sit two points up on the Raiders, who fell to 28-6-4, for second overall in the Eastern Conference. The Raiders, who have two games in hand on the Oil Kings, still sit comfortably in first place in the East Division.

The Oil Kings trail the Eastern Conference leading Medicine Hat Tigers by one point for first overall in the conference. The Tigers downed the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes 7-4 in Medicine Hat on Saturday night improving to 29-6-3-2 with their 17^th win in a row. Medicine Hat’s winning streak equals a team record set back in the 2006-07 campaign, when the Tigers won their fifth of their six total WHL titles.

“You’re always continuing to build throughout the season,” said Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald. “We’re just after Christmas.

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

“Every game is important. I really liked our effort. I thought we were very relentless.

“In the second period, they had their push. They had some areas that they took advantage of. Again, we answered right back, and that third period, I thought we continued to put our foot on the gas.”

The two sides entered the third period locked in a 3-3 tie.

At the 7:34 mark of the third, Oil Kings 20-year-old star import centre Miroslav Holinka roofed a shot to the top left corner of the Prince Albert goal with a chance alone in front of the net to put the visitors up 4-3. Holinka converted a beauty setup pass from Oil Kings captain Gavin Hodnett that came from behind the Raiders goal.

Ethan Simcoe made 34 saves in goal for the Oil Kings.

With an assist earlier in the game and the goal, Holinka improved his consecutive game points streak to 11 contests netting 12 goals and 11 assists over that time.

The Raiders pressed to get the equalizer outshooting the Oil Kings 15-5 in the frame. Prince Albert’s arguably best chance to even the score came with 1:50 remaining in the third when breakout star right-winger Max Heise fired a drive from the right faceoff dot that was swallowed up by Oil Kings star netminder Ethan Simcoe.

With 12.9 seconds remaining in the third, Oil Kings star 19-year-old import right-winger Max Curran sealed the victory for the visitors with an empty-net goal.

Owen Corkish does the fly by after scoring the Raiders first goal.

“I think we just didn’t get the bounces, and it goes that way,” said Raiders star centre Braeden Cootes. “They’re a really good team over there.

“That is a playoff-type game and a potential playoff series. It stings, but we’ll learn from it. We’ll just get better.”

Saturday’s clash was the first time the Raiders and Oil Kings went at it since the passing of the WHL trade deadline on Thursday and since the world juniors wrapped up on Monday. Cootes was playing his second game for the Raiders since being acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Thunderbirds on Tuesday. Star defenceman Carter Sotheran was skating in his third game for the Oil Kings since being acquired in a trade with the Portland Winterhawks earlier that same day.

Raiders mascot PIMS makes his rounds at the Art Hauser Centre.

The Raiders came out on fire outshooting the Oil Kings 12-4 in the opening frame. The hosts finally broke through on the scoreboard with 1:49 remaining in the first when rookie 18-year-old left-winger Owen Corkish potted home a shot from the front of the Edmonton net.

At the 5:39 mark of the second, the Raiders pushed their edge up to 2-0. Cootes tipped home a shot in front of the Edmonton net that came in from the point off the stick of 19-year-old defenceman Linden Burrett to give the hosts their two goal edge. That tally was Cootes first goal as a member of the Raiders.

“It is always nice to score, obviously, and get more comfortable,” said Cootes, who made his Raiders debut on Friday in a 6-1 win over the Swift Current Broncos at the Hauser. “I thought it was a lot better today.

Lukas Sawchyn (#95) does the fly by after scoring for the Oil Kings.

“Yesterday was kind of a pretty crazy day getting here and just trying to get going. Today kind of felt more normal, just a normal game day. I got to have a normal sleep and a nap, so it felt better out there.

“It was nice to get the first one.”

The Oil Kings proceeded to go on a tear scoring the next three goals in the frame to go ahead 3-2. Lukas Sawchyn, Blake Fiddler and Noa Ta’amu all had singles for Edmonton in the surge. Sawchyn scored from the left side boards, Fiddler with an on ice shot from the point and Ta’amu with a screen shot from midrange.

Blake Fiddler scored the Oil Kings second goal on Saturday.

With 73 seconds remaining in the second, Heise potted a laser from close in at the right side of the Edmonton net to even the score at 3-3. That set the stage for the dramatics in the third period.

Michal Orsulak turned away 16 of 20 shots to take the setback in net for the Raiders. Simcoe stopped 34 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Oil Kings.

The two sides went at it twice earlier in the season with each contest being decided in overtime. On October 18, 2025, the Oil Kings slipped past the Raiders 3-2 in extra time at the Art Hauser Centre. On December 7, 2025, the Raiders edged the Oil Kings 4-2 in overtime at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

Going forward Cootes is looking to build more chemistry with his new team.

“You get better each day, and we want to peak at the right time,” said Cootes, who had an assist to go along with his goal on Saturday. “That is obviously the playoffs.

Max Heise scored the Raiders third goal on Saturday.

“I just have to come in here and do my part and try to be the best player I can be and be a good leader. I just try to keep getting better and get more chemistry with them. Once we get a few weeks and a month as just a team, I think we’ll do a lot of damage.”

The Raiders return to action on Tuesday when they host the Brandon Wheat Kings (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

The Oil Kings get back it on Wednesday when they return home and host the Medicine Hat Tigers (7 p.m. local time, Rogers Place).

The Raiders and Oil Kings will go at it once more in the regular season. That last encounter will take place on Sunday, March 8 at 4 p.m. local time at Rogers Place.

Ethan MacKenzie (#47) chases Maddix McCagherty (#17).

Looking back and noting the two sides met in the first round of the 2025 WHL Playoffs where the Raiders took the set with a 5-0 win in a series deciding Game 7, McDonald said there is not a lot separating the two clubs.

“I think these two teams have played each other a lot over the last four or five or six months,” said McDonald. “We’re very familiar with the group over there.

The Oil Kings celebrate their win on Saturday night.

“Again, these are two really good teams slugging it out. The margins are very thin as you continue to go through the game. It is all about just continuing to strive for that 60 minutes.”

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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