Raiders End Drought Against Regina In Home Opener
Prince Albert, SK – It’s been a long time since the Prince Albert Raiders (1-0-0-0) have defeated the Regina Pats (0-1-0-0).
The Raiders ended a 15-game losing streak against the Pats with a 7-2 victory in the 2018-19 Home Opener Presented By 900 CKBI and Great Western Brewing on Friday night at the Art Hauser Centre.
Carson Miller paced the offence with his first career WHL hat trick. Cole Fonstad, Kody McDonald, and Sean Montgomery each had a pair of assists.
Brett Leason brought the crowd of 2,775 people to their feet with the first Raiders’ goal of the season at the 4:37 mark of the opening frame. With 1:39 to play in the period, Jakob Brook’s shot from the right wing beat Pats goaltender Max Paddock for the Roblin, MB product’s first career WHL goal.
In the second, the Raiders continued to fill the scoresheet. Miller tallied his first of the game on a pass from Aliaksei Protas, fighting off a check from the Pats defender. Later, Sergei Sapego buried a cross-ice pass from Spencer Moe to make it a 4-0 game after 40 minutes.
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The Pats fought back in the third period. Aaron Hyman broke Ian Scott’s shutout bid at the 6:18 mark of the frame. Five minutes later, Duncan Pierce cut the Raider lead in half with his first career goal.
It was as close as the Pats came on the evening. Less than a minute after Pierce’s goal, Miller took a crafty pass McDonald for the Raiders’ first power-play goal of the campaign. Late in the third, Eric Pearce converted on a rebound to put the Raiders up 6-2. With just 19 seconds to play in the period, Miller buried another pass from McDonald to complete the hat trick.
Scott finished the game with 19 saves to pick up the win. Paddock made 21 saves in a losing effort for the Pats.
Up next for the Raiders is a trip to Regina on Saturday night to take on the Pats to close out the home-and-home series at the Brandt Centre. Fans can come to the Rock And Iron Sports Bar for the official watch party for Raider road games featuring prizes from Rock And Iron, Great Western Brewing, and the Prince Albert Raiders. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Raiders return to the Art Hauser Centre on Friday, September 28 to tangle with the Medicine Hat Tigers. Tickets are available at raiderhockey.com and the Raider Office. Puck drop is 7 p.m.
Friday’s game is included in the Harvest Hat Trick flex pack. This three-game pack is only $50 and is valid for any combination of our two remaining September home games. Anyone who uses all three of the flex tickets will be entered into a draw for new pressure washer, courtesy of Farm World. For more information, visit raiderhockey.com/harvesthattrick.
