Blades get revenge in home and home series with 4-3 overtime win over Raiders
The Prince Albert Raiders had a late lead, but the Saskatoon Blades were able to tie the game in the final minute of the third period, and would eventually go on to win 4-3 in overtime.
A pair of goals 25 seconds apart gave the Raiders a 2-0 lead after the first period. With 6:48 to go in the opening frame, Ty Meunier broke the ice for the visitors. Dayce Derkatch gave Meunier a pass at the Saskatoon blue line, and the winger was able to do the rest. Cutting in on goal, Meunier sniped a shot short side past Ryley Budd past his blocker. He collected his second goal of the preseason, giving Prince Albert a 1-0 lead.
On the very next shift, Jonah Sivertson chipped in with his team leading fifth goal of the preseason. A gorgeous look at the net led to the 16-year-old firing a backhand shot, perfectly placed in the top corner over Budd’s stick. With the goal, Sivertson not only extended his aforementioned team lead in goals, but also moved to the top spot in the WHL in preseason lamp lighters, giving the green and gold a two goal edge.
The three powerplays in the first period all belonged to the Raiders, but they weren’t able to generate much offence five on four, going 0/3 on the man advantage.
After 20 minutes, Prince Albert would ride their 2-0 lead into the second period.
Saskatoon scored two goals of their own in the second period to tie things up through 40 minutes. They were able to capitalize on their first powerplay of the game with Doogan Pederson in the box for holding, as Brayden Klimpke scored his first goal of the preseason. From the blue line, the Blades defenceman fired a shot through traffic. The puck found its way past all sorts of bodies in front of the net and over Max Hildebrand’s glove to make it a 2-1 game.
In the dying seconds of the middle frame, with 0.2 seconds left on the clock to be exact, the Blades tied things up. Veteran defenceman Ben Saunderson pulled Saskatoon even, as he worked his way around a Raider before ripping a shot past Hildebrand. His last second goal was a good time for his first of the preseason, as it would bring both sides into the third period deadlocked at 2-2.
With 2:07 left in the third, Luke Moroz scored to put the Raiders up 3-2. A perfectly placed shot top corner gave Moroz his first tally of the preseason.
The Blades pulled the goalie down by a goal, looking for an equalizer, and that’s exactly what they got with 17.9 seconds left in regulation. A scramble play in front of the net led to a handful of players reaching for the puck, and it would eventually find Hudson Kibblewhite’s stick. Kibblewhite was able to lift a shot top shelf over Hildebrand, tying the game for Saskatoon.
For the second straight game, a tying goal in the final minute sent the game to overtime.
Daxon Rudolph took an interference penalty in the offensive zone, giving the Blades a powerplay in the extra frame. Ben Saunderson fed a pass to the left circle for Tyler Parr who ripped a one timer that was fearlessly blocked by Justice Christensen. However, Saunderson got the puck back at the blue line and sent a pass to the right circle this time, finding Ben Riche. Riche blasted a one timer off iron and in, winning the game for the Blades, giving them their first win of the preseason.
The Raiders finished the preseason with a 3-1-0-1 record, and will shift their attention to Friday night, when they begin the regular season with the home opener against the Regina Pats. Puck drops at the Art Hauser Centre at 7pm.
