Hildebrand stops 17 as Raiders shutout Rebels 3-0
Nothing got by Max Hildebrand on Saturday night, as the Prince Albert Raiders netminder stopped everything he saw, leading the green and gold to a 3-0 win over the Red Deer Rebels at Peavey Mart Centrium. The win snapped a three game losing streak, ending their Alberta road swing on a high note.
The Raiders opened the scoring 1:26 into the game on a powerplay, as Aiden Oiring struck first. After a shot hit traffic on the way through from the point, a handful of players were battling for the loose puck. It eventually came to Oiring, and he buried his 17th goal of the season to put Prince Albert up 1-0. The tally also marked Oiring’s 50th career WHL goal.
Midway through the first, the Raiders doubled their lead, as Rilen Kovacevic scored his first goal in green and gold. After Daxon Rudolph fired a shot on goal, Kovacevic found the rebound and beat Chase Wutzke with a shot from near the crease. His 22nd goal of the campaign continued the good start for Prince Albert, as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead.
The only goal in the second period was scored by Justice Christensen, as the Raider captain gave the visitors a 3-0 lead after 40 minutes. From the point, Rudolph swung a pass to Christensen at the left circle, and the blueliner powdered a one timer past Wutzke. His 12th goal of the season extended the Raider lead even further to three goals, while Jackson Kostiuk recorded his first WHL point, picking up a secondary assist on the goal.
The Raiders didn’t give up much in the third period, limiting the Rebels to just four shots on goal. Holding Red Deer off the scoreboard in the final 20 minutes, Max Hildebrand picked up his second shutout of the season, stopping 17 shots as Prince Albert ended their road trip with a 3-0 win.
Up next for the green and gold is a game against the Portland Winterhawks on Tuesday night. That will kick off a four game homestand at the Art Hauser Centre. Puck drops at 7pm.