Raiders win sixth straight game 6-1 in Swift Current
There were a lot of goals and a lot more penalties handed out in Swift Current on Friday night. The Prince Albert Raiders were able to play through the frustrated play of the Broncos, as they won 6-1 for their seventh win of the season against their East Division opponents.
Jonah Sivertson scored the only goal of the first period, putting the Raiders up 1-0 through 20 minutes. Daxon Rudolph took a shot from the point that Sivertson tipped on the way through, and the puck just trickled past Archer Cooke. The Broncos netminder got a large piece of the shot, but it managed to barely trickle over the goal line for Sivertson’s 16th goal of the season.
It was a scoring gallery in the first five minutes of the second period, as the Raiders fired in three goals in a 3:25 stretch. Alisher Sarkenov opening the second period scoring just 1:02 in, and shortly after a successful Prince Albert penalty kill. Max Heise put in great work in the right corner of the Broncos zone, winning the battle for the loose puck against a pair of Swift Current players. Heise found Sarkenov in the slot, giving his winger a pass. The Kazakh import sniped a shot home for his 12th goal of the season, and scoring for the fourth time over the last five games.
Braeden Cootes added another goal in the middle frame after he took a pass from Justice Christensen. Cootes was looking for a pass option first, but decided to shoot the puck from long range. He let go of a blistering wrist shot from the top of the left circle, beating Cooke clean on the glove side for his 14th of the season to make it 3-0. Cooke saw his night come to an end in the crease, as Aiden Eskit took over in the Broncos net.
Hubert Clarke started a rush for Prince Albert shortly after, feeding Aiden Oiring up the ice for a two on one rush with Owen Corkish. Oiring was being checked by a Bronco, but he was able to make a terrific pass across for Corkish, who had a lane to the net. Corkish took the pass a little awkwardly, but was able to recover and bury a backhand shot for his 12th of the year to make it 4-0.
With 7:21 left in the second, Max Heise extended the lead to five. From the left wall, Jonah Sivertson saw Heise trailing in the slot and gave him a pass in the middle of the ice. Heise took the pass and ripped home his team leading 24th goal of the season to put Prince Albert up 5-0.
Daxon Rudolph scored the only goal of the third period, making it 6-1 Raiders with 5:11 left. A neutral zone faceoff was won by Evan Smith, and Justice Christensen shot the puck all the way down the ice. Rudolph went chasing after it and beat out the icing call, and fired a shot home from the right faceoff circle.
In a penalty filled game (32 handed out in total), the Raiders came out on the winning side, taking the 6-1 final. It’s back to back road wins now for the Raiders, who return home to take on the Medicine Hat Tigers at the Art Hauser Centre. Puck drops at 7pm.
