Leavitt Machinery Preview – Game 62 at Edmonton
RAIDER REVIEW: The Raiders (25-25-9-2) close out their Central Division trip tonight in Edmonton against the Oil Kings (18-34-5-2) at Rogers Place. Last night, the Raiders took down the Red Deer Rebels 3-2 on Friday night at the ENMAX Centrium. Kody McDonald opened the scoring early in the game and Jordy Stallard increased the lead late in the first. After the Rebels battled back to tie the game late in the second, Brett Leason scored for the fifth straight game to put the Raiders ahead for good. In the third, the Raiders killed off four straight Rebels’ power plays to preserve the win. Ian Scott stopped 29 shots, including 14 in the third period, to earn his 18th win of the year.
VS. EDMONTON: This is the third of four meetings between the Raiders and the Oil Kings. The home teams have won the previous meetings this season.
2017-18 SEASON SERIES RECAP
Dec. 2/17 at EDM | EDM 4 PA 1 | D. Koch (2g), D. Kope (2a), J. Stallard (1g)
Jan. 27/18 at PA | PA 9 EDM 2 | C. Fonstad (2g-1a), V. Budik (1g-3a), K. McDonald (2g)
Feb. 24/18 at EDM
March 7/18 at PA
Power play: Prince Albert – 2/12; Edmonton – 0/5
Leading scorer: Prince Albert – Cole Fonstad (2g-2a); Edmonton – Trey Fix-Wolansky (2g-1a)
MILESTONE MAN: Parker Kelly is set to play in his 200th game tonight in the closest rink to his hometown of Camrose. A seventh-round pick in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft, Kelly has 54 goals and 57 assists in the first 199 games of his career.
QUICK STARTS: The Raiders have been getting the jump on teams on this Central Division road trip. On Wednesday, Brett Leason scored 16 seconds into game; on Friday, it was Kody McDonald who found the back of the net 14 seconds into the contest. Eighteen of the Raiders’ 25 wins on the season have come after scoring the first goal. In total, the Raiders have an 18-7-3-1 record when recording the first goal.
CLOSING IN: Kody McDonald is closing in on another milestone. The Lethbridge product’s next point will be the 150th of his WHL career. Since joining the Raiders in January, McDonald has been on a point-a-game pace with 12 goals and 11 assists in 22 games. In four games against Edmonton this year, McDonald has scored three goals and added four assists.
NEXT UP: The Raiders return home on Tuesday, February 27 to wrap up the season series with the Brandon Wheat Kings. Tickets are available at raiderhockey.com, the Raider Office, or by calling 306-764-5348. Also, the Raiders are hosting Unplugged And On Tap With Chris Phillips on Friday, March 2 in the Ches Leach Lounge, presented by OK Tire and Lake Country Co-Op. Tickets are $25 each, or $200 for a table of eight and can be purchased at the Raider Office.