Raiders’ Dube gets confidence boost as regular season ends

Prince Albert blanks Saskatoon 4-0 heading into WHL Playoffs 

The Raiders celebrate the first of two goals from Brayden Dube (#15).

Brayden Dube got the goal-scoring tune up he was looking for heading into his final foray into the WHL Playoffs.

On Saturday, the 20-year-old star right-winger fired home a pair of goals to power his Prince Albert Raiders to a 4-0 victory over the host Saskatoon Blades before 10,861 spectators at the SaskTel Centre. Dube accounted for the Raiders final two markers, and they both came in the second period.

At the 3:45 mark of the second, the Raiders rushed into the Saskatoon zone and defenceman Linden Burrett had the puck just inside the top of the right faceoff circle. He passed the puck down to Dube at the doorstep of the left side of the Saskatoon net, and the Roblin, Man., product one-timed home his first tally of the night to give the Raiders a 3-0 advantage.

Brayden Dube had 24 goals and 27 assists in 55 regular season games.

Dube proceeded to pick up his second goal at the 10:14 mark of the second with his squad working on the power play. Raiders star left-winger Brandon Gorzynski had the puck just coming off the right side boards in the Saskatoon zone and passed the puck to Dube, who was positioned at the top of the left faceoff circle.

Dube one-timed home a laser beam to the top right corner of the Saskatoon net. That tally put the Raiders up by the game’s final score of 4-0.

“It felt really nice, especially before playoffs to get that confidence up,” said Dube, who finished the regular season with 24 goals, 27 assists and plus-20 rating in the plus-minus department in 55 regular season contests. “Hopefully, it leads into playoffs coming up.”

Brayden Dube will make his final foray into the WHL Playoffs.

The win allowed the Raiders to finish with a 52-10-5-1 record. They were locked into finishing first in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings entering play on Saturday.

The 52 victories allowed the current Raiders, who are rated fourth in the CHL’s Top 10 Rankings, to match their 1985-86 team for posting the third highest regular season win total in the club’s history in the WHL. The 1985-86 Raiders posted a record of 52 wins, 17 losses and three ties.

The Blades fell to 34-27-5-2 with the setback. They entered play on Saturday locked into finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference.

Hubert Clarke (#8) fights Triston Mitchell-McElhone (#25).

Having joined the Raiders in a trade with the Seattle Thunderbirds early into his rookie season in the WHL in 2022-23, Dube said the current campaign has been his most memorable major junior season. He has enjoyed being on a Raiders side this season where he has been one of nine players who has scored 20-or-more goals. The last time the Raiders had nine players score 20-or-more goals was back in the 1985-86 season.

“It is obviously nice,” said Dube, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 184 pounds. “We can just roll lines.

“Every line is just really, really good. Having lots of goal scorers, it is a good mixture. Every game someone else is having a game, and the next game someone else gets a couple.

Alisher Sarkenov had one goal and one assist for the Raiders.

“It just works out perfect.”

While Dube has been part of a large mix of Raiders players who have had good seasons in 2025-26, Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald does not downplay how big of a part the veteran forward has been for the team.

“He has been huge,” said McDonald. “I mean his pace, the way he skates, the way he can drive the puck inside the dots with his skating and his release is tremendous.

“He is very effective on the hunt and gets under sticks and is able to close on guys quickly on the forecheck. He can also take away time and space on the track and really push the track as well. He does a tremendous job with his battle and is just a big piece of our puzzle.”

Daxon Rudolph had a slick assist for the Raiders.

McDonald said it was great to see Dube find the back of the net twice right before the Raiders embark on their journey through the WHL Playoffs.

“It is about confidence,” said McDonald. “He missed a little bit of time there.

“(It is) really nice to stack up some games for him here towards the end. It is really nice to see him get rewarded.”

In Saturday’s game, the rivalry between the Raiders and Blades hit high-level intensity shortly after the opening puck drop.

Just 19 seconds into the contest, a fight broke out between Raiders 18-year-old rookie defenceman Hubert Clarke and Blades 17-year-old rookie centre Triston Mitchell-McElhone. The two players were tied up for much of the lengthy bout with Mitchell-McElhone getting in the majority of hard punches.

Jonah Sivertson had the Raiders second goal on Saturday.

The Blades came out with some good early jump holding a 6-3 edge in shots on goal early in the opening frame. The momentum changed at the 8:33 mark of the stanza.

Raiders starting netminder Steele Bass passed the puck to rookie defenceman Benett Kelly to start a rush up ice. Kelly drove into the Saskatoon zone and fired a shot on net that was turned away with a blocker stop from Blades star netminder Evan Gardner.

Raiders rookie import 18-year-old left-winger Alisher Sarkenov picked up the rebound in the left faceoff circle and drove home his 21^st goal of the campaign to put the Raiders in front 1-0.

With 5:18 remaining in the opening frame and working on the power play, the Raiders would score again on another offensive zone rush. Raiders star defenceman Daxon Rudolph made a backhanded pass in his own zone to Sarkenov to spring the import forward up ice on a rush.

Steele Bass made 30 saves to pick up the shutout win.

Sarkenov jetted down the left wing into the Saskatoon zone and passed the puck to the front of the Blades net to 17-year-old rookie right-winger Jonah Sivertson. Sivertson promptly fired home his 24^th goal of the season to push the Raiders lead out to 2-0.

When the first period ended, a scrum developed. While no big fights came out of the scrum, Bass and Gardner started skating towards centre ice to potentially have a goalie fight. Both netminders were intercepted by the officials and sent to their respective dressing rooms for the intermission.

“It is definitely a big rivalry,” said Dube. “Every time we play, it gets a little rough as you could tell.

“(There are) a couple of fights every game. Both sides want to win every time you play each other.”

Brandon Gorzynski had an assist on the Raiders fourth goal.

After Dube scored his second goal of the night in the second period, the Blades pulled Gardner. He stopped 20-of-24 shots to take the setback in net for Saskatoon. Riley Budd played the rest of the way in the Blades net in relief stopping all nine shots sent his way.

In the third, the two sides engaged in a major scrum with 1:44 remaining in the frame. Out of that scrum, a main event fight developed between Sivertson and Blades veteran defenceman Jack Kachkowski. Sivertson got the better of Kachkowski in that tilt and ended the bout with a takedown.

The two clubs proceeded to play a peaceful final 1:44 to end the contest.

Bass stopped 30 shots he faced to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Raiders. The shutout was the third of the season for Bass.

The Raiders and Blades scrum it up with 1:44 left in the third.

Kelly finished with two assists and a plus-one rating for the Raiders.

As the Raiders and Blades closed their respective regular season schedules on Saturday and couldn’t make any movements in the standings, they both scratched veterans and played younger lineups. McDonald was pleased with the effort of the players who took the ice for his side on Saturday.

“I thought the group did a great job,” said McDonald. “They pushed right off the start, and again, we answered.

“We continued to play fast. We continued to play north and got to our pace and got to our forecheck, which led to some offensive zone time and some chances for us. The guys did a great job capitalizing and just continued to stick with it and played a real simple road game.”

Jonah Sivertson (#28) fights Jack Kachkowski (#37).

Now both clubs turn their attention to the WHL Playoffs.

The Blades play a first round series against the Edmonton Oil Kings, who are locked into a third place finish in the Eastern Conference going into their final regular season contest hosting the Calgary Hitmen on Sunday. Game 1 of the best-of-seven first round series between the Blades and Oil Kings is slated for Friday at 7 p.m. local time at Rogers Place.

The Raiders will battle the Red Deer Rebels in a best-of-seven first round series. The Rebels finished eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 26-36-4-2 mark. Game 1 of that series is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert.

Reflecting on the upcoming post-season, Dube said he is looking forward to having a final playoff run with the Raiders and especially with fellow 20-year-olds and longtime teammates in star centre Aiden Oiring and captain Justice Christensen.

The Raiders celebrate their win on Saturday.

“I’ve been with them my whole career, and it has been an honour playing with them,” said Dube. “We’ve got a lot of games left, so it is going to be fun.”

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Raiders’ Bass grows getting into rivalry with Blades

Rookie netminder comes up clutch Sunday in 3-1 win

Steele Bass (#35) slams the door in goal for the Raiders.

Steele Bass wants to get to where Evan Gardner is.

On Saturday and Sunday, Bass, who is a rookie goaltender with the Prince Albert Raiders, faced Gardner, who is the star veteran netminder of the Saskatoon Blades, in both games of a regular season home-and-home series between the two clubs. The Blades claimed a 4-0 victory in the series opener on Saturday at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert.

Gardner stopped all 29 shots he faced to pick up the shutout, while Bass turned away 12-of-15 shots sent his way. The Blades fourth goal of the contest came into an empty net.

Steele Bass (#35) makes a stop on a second period breakaway.

On Sunday playing before 6,306 spectators at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, the Raiders claimed a 3-1 victory. Bass made 26 saves to pick up the win, while Gardner turned away 45-of-47 shots to take the setback. The Raiders third tally was potted into an empty net.

While Gardner, who turned 20-years-old on January 25, was playing like a superhero trying to steal a victory, Bass said he didn’t try to worry about what the Saskatoon puck stopper was doing to protect his net.

“If anything, I’m kind of looking down there, and I’m learning things from him at the same time where I’m picking things up,” said Bass, who turned 18-years-old on January 4. “That is a goalie that is pretty good.

Steele Bass made 26 saves in the Raiders win on Sunday.

“I looked up to him. I played at the same academy as him and got to get out on the ice with him sometimes. It is kind of cool to look down and see a goalie performing that well and give him kudos for that.”

Both Bass and Gardner came through the Rink Hockey Academy in Kelowna, and the two were there together from 2021 to 2023 on different age group teams. Gardner is the established star with the Blades who is well known throughout the WHL. He was taken in the second round and 60^th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft and has a signed three-year NHL entry-level contract with the team.

Gardner is having another solid year with the Blades. In 37 appearances, he has posted a 19-11-3 record, a 2.68 goals against average, a .911 save percentage and three shutouts.

Evan Gardner made 45 saves in goal for the Blades on Sunday.

Bass started this season with the Raiders before being sent to the junior A ranks with the Battlefords North Stars of the SJHL on October 2, 2025. In nine regular season games with the North Stars, Bass posted a 4-3-2 record, a 3.00 goals against average and a .924 save percentage.

He was recalled to the Raiders this past December when star 18-year-old import rookie netminder Michal Orsulak departed to play and help Czechia win silver at world juniors. When Orsulak returned from world juniors, the Raiders elected to with Orsulak and Bass as their goaltending duo ultimately sending 19-year-old veteran Dimitri Fortin to the junior A ranks with the Calgary Canucks of the AJHL.

Evan Gardner plays the puck during the second period on Sunday.

In nine games with the Raiders, Bass has posted an 8-1 record, a 1.56 goals against average, a .922 save percentage and one shutout. With Orsulak being out of the Raiders lineup day-to-day due to a minor undisclosed injury, Bass got the call to start both games of the home-and-home series against the Blades. He enjoyed facing Gardner in a game like the one on Sunday where the performance of the goaltenders ultimately determines victory.

“I think it is fun,” said Bass, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 166 pounds. “If anything, you kind of treat it as a game.

“You win your period, and that is what is important is to just take 20 minutes at a time and then those penalty kills two minutes at a time. He makes a big save down there, and you’re ready for the next one coming down on you. It is fun.”

Ben Harvey had the Raiders first goal on Sunday.

The Raiders and Blades went into the third period of Sunday’s game locked in a 1-1 tie. Prince Albert started the third working the final 39 seconds of a two-man advantage power play.

The Raiders started the third sending a flurry of shots Gardner’s way. Gardner did his best imitation of legendary NHL goalie Dominik Hasek and miraculously kept the puck out of the Saskatoon net.

After the Blades killed off those penalties, they proceeded to have a glorious chance to go ahead on the scoreboard. Blades import left-winger Dustin Willhoft broke into the Prince Albert zone down the left wing on a two-on-one break.

Willhoft passed the puck across the front of the Prince Albert net to Blades star import right-winger David Lewandowski for a huge backdoor chance. Lewandowski fired the puck at the Prince Albert net only to be denied by Bass sprawling across the crease to make a pad save.

David Lewandowski had the second period equalizer for the Blades.

With 8:10 remaining in the third, the Raiders jumped ahead 2-1 scoring on the power play. Raiders breakout star 19-year-old centre Max Heise had the puck in the right corner of the Saskatoon zone and passed the puck to the centre of the Blades net to star 20-year-old centre Aiden Oiring. Oiring snipped home his 22^nd goal of the campaign to give the visitors a one-goal lead.

Prince Albert sealed victory with 1:32 remaining in the third when star 18-year-old centre Braeden Cootes popped home a long distance empty-net goal for his 15^th of the season from the right boards in his own zone. Cootes’ tally rounded out the 3-1 final score in favour of the Raiders.

The Raiders celebrate a third period winner from Aiden Oiring (#19).

“I thought both goaltenders played extremely well tonight,” said Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald. “Our guy, Steele Bass, made some tremendous saves in there.

“I think in the third period on that two-on-one rush, the big pad save that he comes across to keep the game where it was. “Gards” (Gardner) made some big saves in there as well too. A goalie like that, you’ve got to make sure you’re getting to the paint, you’re getting pucks there, but you’re also getting the guys through there and getting into his eyes and looking for those second and third opportunities.”

McDonald thought Bass played well in the Raiders loss at home on Saturday to the Blades. The bench boss knows it is a different challenge for a goaltender to see limited shots in a game like on Saturday compared to a regular amount of work like on Sunday.

Aiden Oiring has scored 22 goals this season for the Raiders.

McDonald noted goalies face more of a mental challenge in games where they face fewer shots. Overall, he thinks Bass gained a lot of great experience in the home-and-home series against the Blades.

“You’re growing every day, especially for a young goaltender or a young player,” said McDonald. “You’re growing every single day.

“We’re big believers in you win or you learn. Our guys did a tremendous job, and Steele (Bass) did a tremendous job tonight as well too. That is a playoff style game where it is 1-1 going into the third, and you have to defend, you have to keep winning lines and you have to grind it out right until the bitter end.”

Braeden Cootes had an empty-net goal for the Raiders.

Bass said he plans to work harder and be more aware at staying mentally sharp in games where he isn’t seeing a lot of shots. He admitted it was easier to stay focused on the game on Sunday with the workload that came his way.

“It was good to get those shots, especially right off the start of the period,” said Bass. “You’re always just looking for that first one and make those first couple of saves.

“Then, you kind of get into the game, and you stay into it. It is just finding mental ways to do it too, visualizing those saves a little bit. It is nice to get those shots and not just face 10 shots sometimes.”

The Raiders opened the game’s scoring at the 5:34 mark of the opening frame, when 16-year-old rookie right-winger Ben Harvey slipped home a backhand shot in front of the Saskatoon net. The tally was Harvey’s fourth goal of the season.

Dustin Willhoft had an assist for the Blades.

At the 11:54 mark of the second, the Blades evened the score at 1-1 on a goal from Lewandowski. Breaking into the Prince Albert zone on a rush, Willhoft carried the puck down the left wing and passed the puck across the front of the Raiders net to Lewandowski. Lewandowski popped home his 12^th of the campaign for the equalizer.

That set the stage for the dramatics in the third period.

The Raiders, who are rated first in the latest CHL Top 10 Rankings, improved to 37-7-4 with the win to remain second overall in the WHL, first in the Eastern Conference and first in the East Division. They also need just one more standings point to officially lock up a berth in the WHL Playoffs. The Blades fell to 25-20-3-1 to remain entrenched for sixth in the Eastern Conference.

Daxon Rudolph controls the puck for the Raiders.

The Blades return to action on Tuesday when they host the Calgary Hitmen (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

The Raiders get back at it on Wednesday when they return home to host the Hitmen (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

Still, McDonald added it is always important for his club and his team’s fans to pick up wins over their archrivals in the Blades.

“You’re playing your biggest rival,” said McDonald. “You could ask them the same question, and I’m sure they would give you the same answer.

“These two teams they really get up to play each other. Tip your cap to them. They played a tremendous game tonight as well too, and it was a really good hockey game out there.

The Raiders celebrate their win on Sunday.

“That is a playoff style game where you’re fighting for every inch and right until the bitter end and a tight checking game that again the last shot won. You just have to keep itching forward and keep fighting for that inch.”

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Raiders caught in a trap

Gardner stops 29 to power Blades to shutout win

Evan Gardner, right, and the Blades get a big road win.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Can someone say trap game.

On Saturday night, the Prince Albert Raiders hosted their archrivals the Saskatoon Blades at their storied and historic rink in the Art Hauser Centre. The clash marked the fourth time the two sides went at it in the current WHL regular season.

The Raiders came into the contest riding an eight game winning streak and sat second in the WHL’s overall standings, first in the Eastern Conference and the East Division and were rated first in the CHL Top 10 rankings that were released on Tuesday.

The Blades had lost their last three straight with all those setbacks coming on the road, and they had been having some decent success on the road this season. They sat solidly holding a playoff position sitting sixth overall in the Eastern Conference and were looking to get any sort of positive momentum.

Evan Gardner plays the puck behind his own net.

With all signs trending towards a Raiders victory, what happens?

The Blades skated away with a 4-0 shutout victory before a standing room crowd of 3,044 spectators at the 2,580 seat facility.

Blades star netminder Evan Gardner, who turned 20-years-old earlier this week, made 29 saves to pick up his third shutout of the season. He also became the first netminder to collect a shutout win over the Raiders in the current campaign.

Gardner, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets, has quietly been having a solid season. In 36 appearances for the Blades in the 2025-26 campaign, Gardner has posted a 19-10-3 record, a 2.70 goals against average, a .909 save percentage and three shutouts.

Evan Gardner (#35) freezes the puck for one of his 29 saves.

He came up with a big night as Blades continue to have three regular defencemen out of the lineup due to injury. Saskatoon was without rearguards Derek Thurston and Kaden Allan due to upper body injuries and Jordan Martin due to a lower body injury. All three are not expected to return at any time in the near future.

The Raiders went into Saturday’s game without three very key players. Star 18-year-old import rookie netminder Michal Orsulak is out day-to-day with a minor undisclosed injury. Star 20-year-old right-winger Brayden Dube and standout 19-year-old defenceman Linden Burrett are still listed as day-to-day with lower body injuries.

Blades RW Hunter Laing (#27) fights Raiders RW Jonah Sivertson (#28).

Raiders rookie netminder Steele Bass, who turned 18-years-old earlier this month, made his eighth start for the club after picking up victories in his seven previous starts. Brady Holtvogt dressed as an associate player call up backup netminder for the Raiders coming in from the junior A Humboldt Broncos of the SJHL.

The two sides started Saturday’s clash transitioning up and down the ice, where the Raiders held a 5-1 edge in shots on goal 10:30 in.

With 7:19 remaining in the opening frame, a fight broke out between Raiders 17-year-old right-winger Jonah Sivertson and Blades 19-year-old right-winger Hunter Laing. The two unexpected combatants put together an even and fairly spirited bout, which the Blades seemed to get a lift from.

Benett Kelly starts a rush up ice for the Raiders.

With 4:20 remaining in the first, Blades 18-year-old import left-winger David Lewandowski had the puck off right of centre on the top of the edge of the right faceoff circle. He snapped a shot past Bass to give the visitors a 1-0 edge. Lewandowski’s goal came on the Blades second shot on goal in the contest.

Just 36 seconds later, the Blades pushed their advantage out to 2-0 striking on the power play. Blades star 20-year-old left-winger Rowan Calvert had the puck at the left side of the Prince Albert net and fed a pass across the face of the net to 17-year-old Blades star centre Cooper Williams at the right post. Williams tapped home his 17^th goal of the campaign to give the visitors their two-goal edge.

At the 4:50 mark of the second, Lewandowski had the puck to the left of the Prince Albert goal. He passed the puck across the face of the Raiders net to import rookie left-winger Dustin Willhoft streaking towards the right post. Willhoft popped home his third of the campaign to push the Blades out to 3-0.

David Lewandowski had one goal and one assist for the Blades.

The Raiders made a big push back for the rest of the second and a third period where they held a 14-5 edge in shots on goal for the frame. Raiders 17-year-old rookie defenceman Benett Kelly came the closest to getting the host side on the scoreboard by ringing a drive in the third period off the post of the Saskatoon net.

With 4:08 remaining in the third and having a faceoff in the Saskatoon zone, the Raiders pulled Bass for an extra skater. Any thoughts of a miracle rally were put to rest when Blades standout veteran centre Hayden Harsanyi scored into an empty net to round out the 4-0 final score in favour of Saskatoon.

Bass returned to the Raiders net to finish out the contest. He turned away 12-of-15 shots to take his first loss in goal in his WHL career. Bass has posted a 7-1 record, a 1.63 goals against average, a .915 save percentage and one shutout this season.

Dustin Willhoft had one goal and two assists for the Blades.

Willhoft had a pair of assists to go with his goal, and he was a plus-three in the plus-minus department.

The Blades improved to 25-19-3-1 with the win. The Raiders fell to 36-7-4 with the setback.

Heading into Saturday’s game, the Raiders and Blades had met three times previously in the campaign. They opened their regular season schedule playing each other on September 19, 2025, where the Raiders pulled out a 4-2 victory at the Hauser. 

The two sides went at it the next night in Saskatoon with the Blades claiming a 3-2 victory in overtime.

The two sides then went at it on December 14, 2025 at the SaskTel Centre where the Raiders edged the Blades 5-4.

The two squads go at it again on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

The Blades celebrate their win on Saturday.

When the Raiders and Blades get together, it is always a drama that is worth watching. These two clubs are always thorns in each others’ sides.

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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