By Jeff D'Andrea

Raiders drop first regulation loss to Winterhawks

Oct 13, 2012 | 12:14 AM

Well, it had to happen sooner or later.

The Prince Albert Raiders lost their first game in regulation Friday and see their seven-game winning streak come to a halt with a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Portland Winterhawks.
It was a clash of two of the best teams in the Canadian Hockey League as the sixth-seeded Raiders, off to the best start in Canadian major-junior, and the Winterhawks who are ranked eighth in this week’s CHL Top-10.

The Winterhawks have won back-to-back WHL Western Conferences and still have plenty of firepower to be contenders this year, so Raiders head coach Steve Young sees the Winterhawks as a benchmark and the loss as a valuable lesson.

“That’s where we want to be. They’re a team that’s got great experience, they’ve been to the final twice (in a row) and I thought they pushed the pace,” said Raiders head coach Steve Young. “We did some good things against them, but the key now is rebounding tomorrow.

“You’re never happy with losing but Portland is a very good hockey club and we can learn a lot from tonight’s game,” added Young. “The message is to get ready for tomorrow in Moose Jaw.”

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They certainly have some big names in defenceman Seth Jones, who could be the first overall pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, D Derrick Pouliot, chosen eighth overall last year by Pittsburgh Penguins, and Ty Rattie, who had 57 goals last year as an 18-year-old and is a second-round choice by the St. Louis Blues.

Although he acknowledged the names, Raiders forward Dakota Conroy believes his club is certainly good enough to be a side as good as Portland’s.

“Their top-six, they have a lot of big names and the top of their D-core is phenomenal but I think we have a really deep team and we can outplay them throughout the lines,” said Conroy. “Tonight we just got outplayed and they out-chanced us.”

Although Jones, Pouliot and Rattie all scored for the Winterhawks, the biggest name on the Winterhawks was overaging goaltender Mac Carruth who made 26 saves—most of which were point blank or just outside his goal mouth.

“I thought we had some opportunities right in tight and I thought (Carruth) made some key saves at the right time,” said Young. “As a group, we have to make sure that we’re burying those opportunities.”

“They got their chances and we got ours, it seemed they got their goals and we got robbed a few times,” said Conroy. “It’s kind of what you expect, an offensive duel with a team like that—always offence. They’re a carrying team, they carry the puck well and control the puck well and make good plays.

“It’s just a back and forth game and they put their chances in more than we did.”

It’s only Carruth’s second game of the season for the Winterhawks after failing to make the Rockford Icehogs, Chicago Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate, out of training camp this year. His first was a 26-save shutout against the Saskatoon Blades on Wednesday. He’s let in just two goals in his first 54 shots for a .963 save percentage and has been a welcomed but unexpected addition to the Winterhawks.

“It was a surprise to us, but Chicago felt they had a number of goaltenders there,” said Winterhawks general manager and head coach Mike Johnston. “He’s a guy that’s been with us for three-and-a-half years and a guy who has a lot of playoff experience and I just think he’s maturing so much in the league, from when he came into the league as a young kid to now, I see a big difference in him.”

It was a standing-room only kind of night in the Art Hauser Centre, and there wasn’t much of that as 3,143 boisterous Raider fans packed the house and gave the game a playoff-like atmosphere—something rare to experience in October.

The Raiders and their fans were psyched before the game, but so were the visitors.

“I said to the guys, this is a huge challenge. You know Prince Albert has been rolling, you know they’re going to be up for us,” said Johnston. “This is a great challenge for us, and for the young guys that haven’t been around, this is going to be a big game.”

The Raiders have been the big story of the league so far, with their 7-1-0-1 start despite finished last in the Western Hockey League. Johnston can relate to the drastic turn around as before his Winterhawks got to those two final appearances in the last two years, they went through some tough times.

The Winterhawks finished last in both 2006-‘07 and ‘07-‘08, then finished second-last in ‘08-’09.

“(Raiders general manager) Bruno Campese’s done an incredible job building this group, I really like the group there,” said Johnston. “I know at times over the last year or two, you have to be patient if you want to have a good team like this.

“He’s got a good team for this year and a good team for next year.”

Raiders defenceman Davis Vandane scored his second goal in just his third game with the Raiders, opening the scoring six minutes into the game. Jones tied the game ten minutes later while former Moose Jaw AAA Warrior Pouliot and former Saskatoon Contact Taylor Leier scored in the second.

Conroy’s shorthanded goal gave the Raiders some life seven minutes into the third but Adam De Champlain and Ty Rattie each scored to put the game out of reach late.

Luke Siemens made 35 of 40 saves in goal for the Raiders.

The Raiders will travel to Moose Jaw Saturday to take on the Warriors who are 3-3-1 overall but 3-0-1 at home this season.

jdandrea@panow.com

On Twitter: @jeff_dandrea