Raiders sweep Blades to advance to Eastern Conference Final
The Prince Albert Raiders beat the Saskatoon Blades 5-3 on Wednesday night at SaskTel Centre in game four of their second round series. The Raiders sweep the Blades, and advance to the Eastern Conference Final, where they will take on the Medicine Hat Tigers.
The Raiders got off to about the best start they could have in game four, scoring three straight goals in the opening 6:12. Braeden Cootes scored his third goal in two nights, opening the scoring just 1:10 into the game. After a backhand shot from Linden Burrett was blocked on the way to the net, the puck bounced around in front before it was finally picked up by Cootes near the right corner. From beneath the goal line, Cootes banked a shot off the back of Evan Gardner and in. He was credited with his fifth goal of the postseason, giving Prince Albert an early 1-0 lead.
With 15:06 to go in the first, Maddix McCagherty got on the board with his first goal of the playoffs. All five Raiders on the ice had a touch on the goal, starting with Benett Kelly playing the puck down low from the point. He found Owen Corkish down low, who fed the puck to the high slot to Max Heise. Heise swung it to the right point for Brock Cripps, who let a shot go from the right wall. The puck deflected off McCagherty and in, as he was somehow able to get a piece of it with Jack Kachkowski standing in front of him. The friendly bounce gave the Raiders a 2-0 lead, as they came out firing on all cylinders.
Less than two minutes later, Matyas Man gave the Raiders a 3-0 lead. After scoring two goals all regular season, Man found the back of the net for the second time this series. Taking a pass from Riley Boychuk, Man skated from the blue line all the way down to the net with the puck, angling towards the left circle. The defenceman worked his way around two Blades in the circle, and lifted a perfect shot short side over Gardner’s right shoulder. The goal forced Saskatoon to take their timeout, looking for something to stop Prince Albert’s early momentum.
The break worked for Saskatoon, as they scored 23 seconds after Man’s goal. David Lewandowski fired the puck on goal, and got a friendly bounce, as it deflected off a Raider. The puck snuck past Michal Orsulak through his five hole, as Lewandowski was given his fourth goal of the playoffs to make it a 3-1 game.
Daxon Rudolph restored Prince Albert’s three goal lead with 2:57 to go in the first. Aiden Oiring teed him up for a one timer, and Rudolph pounded a shot that Gardner stopped. The puck trickled through the Blades goalie however, and was rolling slowly towards the goal line. Before a Raider could get to it, Blades defenceman Jordan Martin finished the job, as he put the puck into his own net. Rudolph was credited with the goal, his fifth of the playoffs, as the Raiders took a 4-1 lead into the second period.
The Blades came out firing in the second period, outshooting Prince Albert 16-9 in the middle frame. In the final 10 minutes of the period, Saskatoon got on the board twice to make it a one goal game. Hunter Laing made it a 4-2 game, as he banged home a rebound right in front of the net. After Orsulak couldn’t cover the puck up, a couple of Blades were looking for it, and Laing circled around the net, coming back in front and poking a shot five hole.
With 4:30 to go, Saskatoon’s captain scored on the powerplay. Tyler Parr leaned into a hard shot from the high slot, after wheeling all the way around the left circle with the puck. The 20-year-old beat Orsulak blocker side, scoring his fourth of the playoffs to make it a 4-3 game.
In the final minute of the frame, the Raiders stalled Saskatoon’s momentum, scoring to make it a 5-3 game. With 57 seconds left, Max Heise arrived. He dug up a loose puck between the benches at center ice, and displayed his speed down the left wing. Heise beat Garnder top corner with an absolute laser of a shot, scoring his first goal of the postseason. The goal from Heise was huge, as it gave Prince Albert a 5-3 lead heading into the third period.
The Raiders were able to keep the Blades off the scoresheet in the third period, including the final moments with Saskatoon’s net empty on the powerplay. Both Man and Justice Christensen pinned the puck along the boards in the final minute of the game to wind the seconds down, and Orsulak came up with some big saves at the end. The Raiders knocked off Saskatoon by a 5-3 final, sweeping their second round series against their bitter rivals.
Up next: the Eastern Conference Championship. Prince Albert will host the Medicine Hat Tigers with a spot in the WHL Championship series on the line. Stay tuned to the Raiders website and social pages for the schedule announcement.
