By Jeff D'Andrea

Red-hot Rylan running Raiders in 5 game win streak

Nov 27, 2014 | 3:53 PM

Rylan Parenteau is having too much fun to relax and put his feet up. 

The Prince Albert Raiders are riding a five game winning streak and Parenteau played every second of the run. He’s also won the three road games in the last four nights this week, including Wednesday’s 2-1 win over the Calgary Hitmen, a day after beating the Edmonton Oil Kings 4-3.

Parenteau has been excellent during the streak. He’s picked up all five wins, a .929 save percentage and 2.20 goals against average. He’s also won the last seven games for the Raiders, with a 7-1 record in his last eight starts.

“It’s just awesome. Anytime you’re winning games, it’s the funnest part of hockey,” said Parenteau. “Just to be part of the team and how the team is coming together, it’s just a great feeling.”

But instead of getting some extra rest which he certainly deserves, Parenteau headed right back to school with the rest of the Raiders that still attend school. The team departed from Calgary and arrived in Prince Albert early in the morning and shipped the school-aged players right back to classes.

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“With being still in school, we had to go straight up, pretty much from the (Calgary Saddledome) to the school without any sleep in our own beds,” said Parenteau at the Art Hauser Centre during the Hockey Canada Century Tour exhibition. “It definitely makes for a long day, but it’s worth it.”

All the extra hockey action is nothing new to Parenteau. Last year while playing in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (Junior A) for the Weyburn Red Wings, Parenteau saw quite a lot of ice-time. Despite being a 17-year-old rookie, Parenteau appeared in 41 games, tied for fourth most in the league, and ranked third in saves with 1,410. He also posted a not-too-shabby .926 save percentage for the year. Parenteau said seeing all that puck last year in the junior has helped him this season.

“That definitely has,” said Parenteau. “That experience as a starter has definitely helped me be able to ride on each win and not get too high or too low from the outcome of the games, take each game as it is and just fight for a win every day.”

Of course, it’s not all just Parenteau. He’s had a lot of help, and he’ll be the first to tell you, too. Case in point, the Raiders surrendered only 18 shots against the Calgary Hitmen in their 2-1 road win on Wednesday to extend the team’s winning streak to five wins.

“I think the biggest thing we’ve turned around is our D-zone, we’ve cleaned that up a lot,” said Parenteau. “And from that, we’ve been able to produce a lot more offence.

“Overall, we’ve just been growing as a team and being able to work as a unit.”

A lot of Raiders have seen upticks in their offensive production during the streak, especially sniper Reid Gardiner who is on an absolute tear. Gardiner has 10 points (six goals, four assists) in his last five games, and is riding a six-game point streak where he’s scored 12 points.

Gardiner’s centreman Gage Quinney has three goals and three assists during the streak, including a goal and an assist in Wednesday’s 2-1 win. Simon Stransky also has a goal and five assists in the last five, and Jayden Hart has scored five goals.

The Raiders will host the beasts of the East, the Brandon Wheat Kings on Saturday before embarking on a seven-game road trip starting Dec. 3 against the Prince George Cougars, and ending Dec. 13 against the Medicine Hat Tigers. Their next home game after Saturday’s will be Dec. 17’s contest against the Moose Jaw Warriors.

jdandrea@panow.com

On Twitter: @jeff_dandrea