Raiders beat Pats 5-1 for second straight win
A three goal third period was more than enough for the Prince Albert Raiders, as they cruised to a 5-1 win over the Regina Pats on Wednesday night at the Brandt Centre. Four Raiders had multi-point games, as the green and gold won their second game in a row.
The Pats had the first scoring chance of the game early on, but Max Hildebrand stepped up to make a huge save for his first of the night. Tanner Howe led a three on one rush into the Raider zone and gave Braxton Whitehead a cross crease pass. Whitehead fired a quick shot on goal, but Hildebrand pushed from his right to his left to make a huge glove save to keep the game scoreless.
Prince Albert came back with their best scoring chance of the first period just moments later, as Tomas Mrsic tried to find the back of the net. He took a pass in the slot and redirected a quick shot on goal, but Kelton Pyne slid across to make a great right pad save.
The Raiders outshot the Pats 15-5 in the first 20 minutes, with multiple great scoring chances, including a wraparound try from Brayden Dube that Pyne made another great save on.
Despite all of the shots, neither side found the back of the net in the first period, as it was 0-0 heading into the middle frame.
After being hemmed in their own zone to start the second period, the Raiders were able to turn things around to open the scoring 6:14 into the frame. In his first career game as a left winger, Tyrone Sobry found the back of the net. After a shot from the point by Doogan Pederson was kicked aside by Pyne, Sobry found the rebound in the slot and buried it for his second goal of the season, giving the Raiders a 1-0 lead.
With 1:26 left in the second, the Raiders doubled their lead, as Ethan Bibeau found the back of the net for the fourth time this season. Along the right wall, Niall Crocker showed great patience, waiting for Bibeau to separate himself from a Pats defenceman. Crocker flipped a soft pass into the slot, and Bibeau redirected the puck home, under the blocker and over the pad of Pyne to make it a 2-0 game.
As if his glove save in the first period wasn’t good enough, Hildebrand made a replica of it late in the second period. Kristian Lacelle took a cross crease pass in front, but the Raider goaltender slid across to make another robbery of a glove save, this time to keep it a 2-0 game.
Regina did find the back of the net with 30 seconds left in the second, as Howe beat Hildebrand for his second goal of the season. After being around almost all of Regina’s scoring chances earlier in the game, the Prince Albert product was able to find the back of the net, steering a shot from the low slot home.
After 40 minutes, the Raiders took a 2-1 lead into the third period.
Back to back powerplay goals to start the third period gave the Raiders a 4-1 lead. Niall Crocker buried a rebound following a shot from Dragicevic to make it 3-1 with his sixth goal of the year, while Mrsic sniped a shot from the left circle to open up a three goal lead, scoring his seventh of the campaign.
With 4:45 left in the third, Brayden Dube scored to open up a 5-1 lead. Flying down the right wing, Dube blasted a shot under Pyne’s glove for his fourth goal of the season.
At the other end of the ice, Hildebrand turned aside 32 of 33 shots for his fourth win of the season, coming in his 100th WHL game.
The Raiders (4-7-2-0) are back in action on Friday night at home against the Swift Current Broncos. Puck drops at 7pm.
