WHL Championship spirit continues on in Prince Albert

 

When Dante Hannoun redirected the puck into the net in overtime of Game 7 in the 2019 Rogers Western Hockey League Championship, a mighty roar went out through the third-largest city in Saskatchewan.

Like the feeling for the Swift Current Broncos in 2018, the Prince Albert Raiders had overcome a decades-long drought to stand atop the league they had been a part of since 1982.

“As a kid, you dream about it,” Hannoun said of the moment back in May. “Game 7, overtime of the championship; there’s nothing better than that.”

Hannoun’s goal completed a four-year arc where the team went from worst to first. As good as the Raiders’ offence was, scoring 307 goals in the regular season and 79 more in the playoffs, it came down to that final goal.

Even in the team’s unprecedented success, there was still uncertainty. Uncertainty as the Raiders faced a 2-2 tie in Round Two against the Saskatoon Blades, uncertainty as the Edmonton Oil Kings took a 2-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference Championship, and uncertainty once more as the Vancouver Giants quickly erased a three-to-one series deficit to force the seventh and final game of the series.

Through it all, the Raiders got stronger. Behind them was the driving force of a fanbase that held town celebrations when the team left for a road game or returned late at night from a matchup. Those same fans also lined up in their best winter clothing at all hours to grab what few tickets remained and even stood upon milk crates to get a better view of the action.

“For these guys, it’s an unknown what it feels like,” said Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid of his team in the post-game celebration. “The euphoria of winning, the raising of the cup. It’ll stay with them for the rest of their lives. It’s something that is defining. It’s something that they can always take with them is that they’re a champion.”

The celebration is on at the Art Hauser Centre! @hannoun19 wins the 2019 @Rogers #WHLChampionship Series for @PARaidersHockey in overtime! pic.twitter.com/JXqTrzMLZm

— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 14, 2019

Of course, regular season success is one thing while playoff success is another, something the Raider faithful know all too well. Three years into joining the WHL, the Raiders stood atop the 14-team league, posting a league-best 58-11-3 record while spreading 481 goals over the 72 games.

After that magical run, the Raiders couldn’t quite replicate that playoff success, making a few appearances in the Conference Championship, but never advancing beyond that point. For more recent memories, the team only had extended summers or first-round exits to reflect on.

For life-long members of the community, hope didn’t need restoring. They were out there like they are every year, waving the team’s flag while adorning appropriate shades of green and quickly shunning even the closest resemblances to colours of their rivals.

Like there was in 1985, heroes emerged for the Raiders at each position throughout the season.

Up front, the Raiders boasted one of the most-talented forward cores in the league. A breakout season by Brett Leason saw him lead the team in scoring while off-season overage acquisition Noah Gregor, a San Jose Sharks prospect, led the team with 43 goals. Montreal Canadiens prospect Cole Fonstad was second on the team in scoring. Ottawa Senators prospect Parker Kelly also brought in a scoring flair while Sean Montgomery, import Aliaksei Protas, and Hannoun, the mid-season acquisition, were strong offensive presences as well.

Captain Brayden Pachal led the team’s defence while Sergei Sapego, Max Martin, and Zack Hayes provided experience to the team’s blue line. Playing for the same team as he older brother, 2017 WHL Bantam Draft first-overall selection Kaiden Guhle began to carve out a role as a regular in the team’s lineup.

In net, the WHL Goaltender of the Year, CHL Goaltender of the Year, WHL goal scorer, and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ian Scott was simply outstanding. The Calgary, Alta. faced his fair share of rubber as the Raiders took their lumps in previous year, but stood tall when it mattered the most.

This year, the Raiders will return a roster evident of change. Gone are the likes of Gregor, Hannoun, and Montgomery due to their age while Leason, Kelly, Sapego, and Scott all appear headed to the professional ranks.

In turn, this will give the chance for the Raiders to develop their depth. Protas, Ozzy Wiesblatt, and Jakob Brook will take on larger roles while Fonstad returns as one of the team’s top offensive forwards.

Guhle will take on a bigger leadership role on the blue line while Boston Bilous looks to step into the starter role between the pipes.

A generation after he had won a WHL Championship with the Raiders in 1985, Curtis Hunt hoisted the trophy once more, this time as the team’s general manager. He’s back, along with Habscheid, to keep the team in contention.

While the team enters the 2019-20 WHL Regular Season with different expectations, nothing can take away the memory of May 2019 and the magical season that played out in the months before.

As Hunt so eloquently put it when talking about the contributions to get to that point, only so many names may get listed by the team, but a countless list of supporters came together to raise their team and city to the top once more.

“Today, we’re all champions.”