Raiders force Game Six with 4-2 win over Oil Kings
The Prince Albert Raiders didn’t want their season to come to an end on Friday night, as they took down the Edmonton Oil Kings 4-2 at the Art Hauser Centre. With the win, the Raiders send their first round playoff series back to Edmonton for Game Six.
Tomas Mrsic made his mark on the series 6:17 into the first period, scoring to give the Raiders an early lead. From the right point, Lukas Dragicevic gave his winger a pass in the slot, and Mrsic shoveled a backhand shot on goal. With Ethan Simcoe sliding to his right to track Mrsic, he was beat on the glove side, far side under his pad. After picking up a pair of assists so far in the series, Mrsic tallied his first goal of the postseason to put Prince Albert up by one.
After the green and gold killed off the first penalty of the game, they went to work on the man advantage with just under four minutes left in the opening frame. Regrouping in the neutral zone, Dragicevic brought the puck into Edmonton’s end leading a rush. He dropped a pass to the blue line to Niall Crocker, and got a return pass right away entering the offensive zone. With room to skate, Dragicevic released a shot from the right faceoff dot that beat Simcoe far side over his blocker. The Raider defenceman picked up his second goal of the postseason, and gave the home side a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
The Oil Kings got one back at the 11:59 mark of the second period, as Ethan MacKenzie cut the Raider lead to just one goal. On the powerplay, Adam Jecho sent a pass from the left wall to the slot for MacKenzie, and he was able to beat Hildebrand in an awkward spot under his glove and over his pad. The Edmonton forward picked up his second goal of the series to make it a 2-1 game.
Both sides took penalties at the 16:17 mark of the frame to make it four on four, and the Raiders were able to strike to take their two goal lead back. Aiden Oiring won the offensive zone faceoff back to the point, and Dragicevic took control. Skating from the point to the top of the circles, the defenceman ripped a shot home, beating Simcoe clean on the glove side for his second of the night to restore Prince Albert’s two goal lead as he made it a 3-1 game.
After Daxon Rudolph was caught behind in the offensive zone trying to spark another scoring chance, Edmonton was able to turn play the other way, as a two on one rush was created with Harrison Lodewyk being the lone Raider back. From the right wing, Landon Hanson unleased a shot that whizzed over Hildebrand, hitting the back bar and coming right back out of the net. The official had not called a goal initially on the ice with how quickly the puck came back out, but a swift video review confirmed the goal, giving Hanson his second goal of the playoffs.
With 40 minutes in the books, the Raiders took a 3-2 lead into the third period, looking to force a Game Six on Sunday.
The game would be sealed with 1:12 left in the third period, as Aiden Oiring scored an empty net goal to help the Raiders close out a 4-2 win.
Prince Albert forces a Game Six on Sunday afternoon in Edmonton. Puck drops at 4pm.
