Raiders split home and home with 3-1 win over Blades
The Prince Albert Raiders made up for a 4-0 loss last night against Saskatoon, as they beat the Blades 3-1 on Sunday at SaskTel Centre.
The Raiders got on the board on the road just 5:34 into the first period. Brock Cripps rimmed the puck around the boards that Evan Garder couldn’t handle behind his net, so Ben Harvey went to work to dig the puck free along the right wall. Harvey won the battle for it and skated into the slot. From there, the 16-year-old toe dragged his way free into the right circle and roofed a backhand shot over Gardner’s blocker. The highlight reel goal was Harvey’s fourth of the season, putting Prince Albert up 1-0.
The Raiders killed off all three penalties they were handed in the first period, including a Blades five on three. Steele Bass stopped all nine shots he faced in the opening frame, while Gardner made 11 saves on 12 shots. With 20 minutes drained, Harvey’s goal had the Raiders leading 1-0.
There was a two minute stretch of end to end action in the second period, with both sides generating great scoring chances. After the Raiders couldn’t cash in on back to back scoring chances, the Blades turned the play the other way. With 8:06 to go in the second period, Dustin Willhoft fed David Lewandowski on a two on one rush, and Lewandowski fired a one timer top shelf over Bass. He scored in back to back games against Prince Albert this weekend, scoring his 12th of the season to make it 1-1.
After 40 minutes, it was becoming a battle of the goalies, as it was a 1-1 tie, with the shots reading 25-22 in favour of the Raiders. At the end of the period, the Blades took two penalties on the same play, setting the Raiders up on a full two minute five on three. They were unable to score in the 1:21 that remained in the second period, with 39 seconds carrying over into the third.
Prince Albert couldn’t score on the remainder of the five on three to start the third, but they did strike on the man advantage with 8:10 left in regulation. Daxon Rudolph started a regroup in the neutral zone, sliding a pass ahead to Max Heise down the right wall. Heise spotted Aiden Oiring open in the slot and threw a pass in front to the 20-year-old. Oiring sniped a shot over Gardner, giving the Raiders an important 2-1 lead with his 22nd goal of the season.
Saskatoon pulled Gardner for the extra attacker late in the third, but Braeden Cootes scored into the empty net from his own side of the ice, putting the Raiders up 3-1.
That would round out the scoring, as Oiring’s powerplay goal stood as the game winner in a 3-1 Raiders win. Bass was incredible in goal for the Raiders, stopping 26 of 27 shots.
Prince Albert now gets ready to start a four game homestand, which starts on Wednesday night against the Calgary Hitmen. Puck drops at 7pm.
