Raiders fall in overtime to trail Tigers 2-0 in second round series
We were entertained with overtime action on Sunday night at Co-op Place, but the Prince Albert Raiders couldn’t quite get the job done, as they fell 5-4 to the Medicine Hat Tigers. The Raiders now trail their second round best of seven series 2-0 as it shifts back to Prince Albert for games three and four.
The Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes, scoring both on the powerplay and shorthanded. Oasiz Wiesblatt opened the scoring with 3:36 left in the first period to give the home side a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. 6:51 into the middle frame, Gavin McKenna scored the goal of the season shorthanded, making an incredible individual effort in the offensive zone before sniping home his fourth goal of the playoffs.
At the 9:46 mark of the third, the Raiders got on the board. After Evan Smith won an offensive zone faceoff, Linden Burrett took a point shot through traffic that beat Jordan Switzer clean to make it a 2-1 game. Mathew Ward would score just over a minute later to restore Medicine Hat’s two goal lead to make it 3-1.
Harrison Lodewyk would respond for the Raiders with 7:43 left in the third, as he struck on the powerplay to make it 3-2. After a shot from Justice Christensen was stopped, Riley Boychuk found the rebound and gave a nice backhand pass to Lodewyk, who was able to blast a shot home past Switzer, who was out of position after making the initial stop.
The back and forth action would continue, as the Tigers scored again to go back up by a pair. Skating down the left wing shorthanded again, McKenna beat Max Hildebrand five hole to score his second goal of the night to make it a 4-2 Tigers lead.
With under two minutes to go, Rilen Kovacevic scored a pair of goals to tie things up. His first of the night came on the powerplay, as he wheeled around from the left wall and ripped a shot home to make it 4-3. 35 seconds later, Kovacevic found the back of the net again with the Raiders net empty. From nearly the same spot he scored his first goal, the 20-year-old spun and fired a shot through traffic, making it his sixth goal of the postseason.
When it looked like the Raiders were down and out, two goals in the final stages of regulation would send things to overtime.
8:42 into the extra frame, Harrison Lodewyk took a boarding penalty, setting the Tigers up on the man advantage. It only took them eight seconds to score, as Bryce Pickford ripped a shot from the right faceoff circle, tipped home by Liam Ruck. Ruck’s second goal of the playoffs was the game winner, as it lifted the Tigers to a 5-4 victory.
Prince Albert has some work to do to get back into this series, as the scene changes to the Art Hauser Centre for Game Three on Wednesday night. Puck drops at 7pm.
