Raiders late comeback falls short in 4-2 loss to Broncos
The Prince Albert Raiders nearly tied the game in the final minute after trailing 3-1 in the third, but the Swift Current Broncos survived to escape with a 4-2 win thanks to a late empty net goal. Conor Geekie had four points for the Broncos, while Krzysztof Macias finished the night as the Raiders leading scorer, picking up two assists.
“I thought we got off to a bad start in the first ten minutes, and then we got some traction,” head coach Jeff Truitt said. “We gained a little bit of momentum and battled hard. We had puck possession and made some pretty good plays. (Swift Current) likes to spread the ice out which gets you into a few races here and there, but I was happy with the effort, just couldn’t bury the one we needed.”
The Broncos opened the scoring 6:54 into the first period. After Conor Geekie got away with a hook on Justice Christensen in the Raider end, the play quickly turned around in front of Max Hildebrand. After Swift Current gained possession of the puck and went to work in the offensive zone, Mathew Ward found defenceman Peyton Kettles lurking at the point. Kettles took a pass and wired a shot past Hildebrand for his second goal of the season to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
With 4:28 left on the clock, Ryder Ritchie tied things back up for the Raiders. After a great forecheck in the offensive zone, Krzysztof Macias intercepted a pass in the slot and found a wide open Ritchie down near the crease. Ritchie took Macias’s pass on his forehand, but smartly pulled the puck to his backhand a slipped a shot into a wide open net with Reid Dyck committed to the forehand. Ritchie picked up his 18th goal of the season, and his fifth goal in his last five games to make it a 1-1 tie.
It was a high shooting affair, as Prince Albert held a 14-13 edge in shots, but both sides went into the second period tied at 1-1.
Swift Current scored the only two goals in the second period to take a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes. They scored their first goal of the period on a powerplay, as Conor Geekie found the back of the net. From behind the Raider goal, Josh Filmon found Geekie in front, and the Arizona Coyotes prospect fired a quick shot short side past Hildebrand. His 38th goal of the season gave the Broncos their second lead of the night, as it became a 2-1 game.
They added another goal late in the middle frame, as Luke Mistelbacher scored to make it 3-1. Taking a drop pass from Clarke Caswell near the point, Mistelbacher used a Raider defenceman as a screen, shooting between Terrell Goldsmith’s legs and beating Hildebrand high over the blocker. His 19th goal of the season was a late dagger, as it gave the Broncos a two goal lead heading into the third period.
Niall Crocker scored 6:25 into the third to make it a one goal game, bringing the Raiders right back in it. Entering the Broncos zone with Macias, Crocker took a drop pass from the Polish winger, and had time to pick his spot. The winger blasted a shot past Dyck, scoring his 23rd goal of the season to make it a 3-2 game. With the goal, Crocker picked up his third tally in his last three games.
Prince Albert poured on the pressure late in the game with the net empty, but could not find a late tying goal. Macias had a glorious chance on a rebound, but hit the side of the net, keeping it a 3-2 game. Off the next faceoff, the Broncos gained possession, and Geekie sealed the deal with an empty net marker for his second goal of the night to give Swift Current a 4-2 win.
“The comeback attempt was good,” Truitt said. “It’s not that it’s surprising, because we’ve been doing it an awful lot.”
The Raiders hit the road for two games this weekend, starting Friday night in Regina.
