Bad puck luck dooms Raiders in 3-2 loss to Wheat Kings
Trailing 3-1 late in the third period for the second straight game, the Prince Albert Raiders were able to score on goal in the last minute to get back into it, but couldn’t find a tying goal in the dying seconds, as the Brandon Wheat Kings held on for a 3-2 win on Thursday night at the Art Hauser Centre.
Similar to the last time these two teams met, the Wheat Kings struck first early, this time scoring 26 seconds into the game. After Prince Albert couldn’t get the puck out of their own end, Jayden Wiens was able to locate a loose puck in the Raider crease and bury his 18th goal of the season to give Brandon a 1-0 lead.
The Raiders couldn’t find an answer in the first period, despite being given a four minute powerplay, which was eventually negated by a penalty of their own. The shots after 20 minutes favoured Prince Albert 11-7, but they would head into the second period trailing by a goal.
Harrison Lodewyk had a chance to tie the game early in the second period, as the Raider forward was awarded a penalty shot after being taken down on a breakaway. However, as Lodewyk tried to make a move on Brandon netminder Carson Bjarnason, the puck rolled off his stick and went wide, keeping it a 1-0 game.
There wasn’t a ton of high quality chances for either side in the second period, but every shot that was put on goal was stopped by both goalies in the middle frame. Hildebrand was the busier goalie in the second period, stopping 13 shots, while Bjarnason stopped all nine that came his way, as Brandon took their 1-0 lead into the third period as well.
Matteo Michels gave the Wheat Kings a 2-0 lead 2:02 into the third period. After Dominik Petr won a faceoff to the right of Hildebrand, Michels came into the circle, found the puck, and wired a shot top corner over Hildebrand’s blocker.
The Raiders responded less than five minutes later, bringing themselves right back into the game, as Aiden Oiring cut into the deficit. After Krzysztof Macias set Sloan Stanick up for a one timer in the slot, Oiring tipped the shot home for his 13th goal of the season, making it a 2-1 game.
Michels scored his second goal of the night with 9:30 left in the third, as Brandon turned nothing into something. After a puck battle along the boards at center ice, the puck was chipped ahead to Nolan Flamand. All of a sudden, the Wheat Kings had a two on one, with Flamand and Michels bursting into the Raider zone. Flamand gave Michels a pass in the slot, and the right handed shooter was able to pick the top corner, this time over Hildebrand’s glove. His second of the night and 14th of the season gave the visitors a 3-1 lead.
With the net empty, the Raiders cashed in on a 6 on 5, as Niall Crocker made it a 3-2 game. Ryder Ritchie gave a pass to Justice Christensen at the point, and the Raider defenceman fired a shot on goal. Parked in the low slot was Crocker, who got a stick on it to deflect it past Bjarnason, picking up his 20th goal of the season to make it a one goal game with 14 seconds left in regulation.
This Raiders comeback fell just short, however, as Brandon would hold on to win by a 3-2 final.
These two teams are back in action on Saturday night for Prince Albert’s Kid Takeover Night at the Art Hauser Centre. Puck drops at 7pm.
