By Trevor Redden

Redden on the Raiders: Stallard ready for homecoming, McDonald feels at home

Feb 16, 2018 | 11:00 AM

Coming into weekend play, the Prince Albert Raiders sit six points behind the Saskatoon Blades for the final playoff spot in the East Division. The Raiders have lost three straight games, while the Blades have put together three straight wins.

Asked about the turn of events, captain Curtis Miske said it’s up to the team to get things back on track.

“It doesn’t do any good to watch the other teams out there winning,” Miske said. “We’ve got to focus on us and we’ve got to find a way to get our wins. Doesn’t matter how many they get if we’re not winning our own games. It was a bit of a frustrating weekend, but we’re reset and we’re ready to get back going this weekend.”

Of the three losses on the weekend, two were absolutely heartbreaking. The Raiders lost a third-period lead in Saskatoon and came back from a 5-3 deficit on Sunday against Swift Current, drawing even before giving up the deciding tally late in the game. Despite the losses, Miske says there are some positives to take away.

“We took one of the best teams in the country to 5-5,” Miske said of the loss to Swift Current. “We showed that resiliency coming back in a game like that. We didn’t have a shortage of scoring … We just have to shore up our defensive game a bit.”

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After allowing 17 goals in three games over the weekend, it will be critical for the Raiders to keep the puck out of the net moving into their home-and-home set with the Wheat Kings, a team that has had it’s share of offensive struggles lately. From the start of the season up to Jan 10, the Wheaties averaged an output of 4.1 goals per game, a rate only exceeded by Moose Jaw and Victoria. Since moving veterans Tanner Kaspick and Kale Clague at the deadline, Brandon’s offensive production has dipped to 2.7 goals per game in 15 contests.  

The Raiders host Brandon Friday night before returning to western Manitoba on Saturday.

Final homecoming for Stallard

Barring a playoff meeting between the Raiders and Wheat Kings this spring, Saturday’s game will be the final time Jordy Stallard plays a WHL game in his home town.

Back on Nov 8, 2014, Stallard suited up to take on the Wheat Kings for the first time as a member of the Calgary Hitmen. The Brandon native said this week he still remembers that moment.

“Time flies by in the blink of an eye, but I still find it just as exciting as the first time there,” Stallard said. “Each and every time I play there, friends and family are watching. I grew up watching [the Wheat Kings], grew up a season ticket holder, and it never gets old.”

At the end of that first season, Stallard’s Hitmen came up against the Wheat Kings in the Eastern Conference final, ultimately falling in five games. Despite being a rookie, the now-20-year-old said he felt fortunate to be in the lineup during each and every game, and remembers the intensity of that series well.

As for Saturday night, the Raiders’ leading scorer said he hasn’t put much thought into it yet, but is looking forward to what could be his last WHL game in Brandon.

“I’m sure when I get there it will probably be pretty emotional,” he said. “The WHL is what I dreamed of as a kid, growing up watching it my whole life. It’s definitely going to be a bittersweet feeling.”

McDonald feeling at home in Prince Albert

Following Sunday’s loss to Swift Current, we had Sean Montgomery and Kody McDonald as guests in the Ches Leach Lounge during the live postgame show. I didn’t know exactly what we would talk about after such a heartbreaking finish to cap off a brutal weekend for the Raiders.

To his credit, Sean Montgomery was fantastic. He’s typically a soft-spoken guy, but he had a lot to say about his confidence in the team moving forward and about the quality of people inside the dressing room. There was no sign of doom and gloom whatsoever, which I felt was a very positive sign from a leader like Montgomery.

Next up was Kody McDonald, another guy that brings seriousness and passion to the rink, and I wasn’t sure how much he would want to talk after a tough loss.

Just like Montgomery, however, McDonald was positive and in good spirits, but what really resonated was what he had to say when asked about his adjustment to Prince Albert after spending the better part of four years in Prince George.

“It’s been a great time here so far and I’m looking forward to the rest of my time here,” McDonald said. “It’s a good, tight-knit group and they always have good guys in the dressing room. It’s a small town, so it just seems like the guys here, they really bond together.”

Although I haven’t been here long myself, this seems to be a common sentiment amongst players that join the team.

Kelly returns

I thought the one-game suspension for Parker Kelly’s check from behind major on Kirby Dach was a fair assessment.

Kelly never meant to send Dach into the boards headfirst, but the responsibility ultimately lies with the checking player not to deliver a blow into the opponent’s back.

Things looked bad for Dach when he went down on Saturday night, but it was good to see him healthy enough to return to action Wednesday in Kootenay after missing Sunday’s game against Regina. With a goal and a pair of assists in a 3-2 win for the Blades, it seems the 16-year-old forward is back in fine form.

After sitting out against Swift Current on Sunday, Kelly will be eligible to return to the lineup Friday night against Brandon.

trevor.redden@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Trevor_Redden