Raiders fever taking hold in P.A.

“Since everyone here can remember having supported the P.A. Raiders regardless if they’re in the playoffs or not,” she said.

One of the ways the local Co-op is looking to show their support is by making some a limited number of shirts available to customers. Dumanski explained some of the proceeds from selling the shirts will go to support an important initiative.

“Five dollars from every shirt goes to the Raider education fund,” she said.

(Facebook/Lake Country Co-op)

Other local businesses are getting on the action as well. Lakeland Ford has been involved in a friendly rivalry with a fellow dealership in Saskatoon where each side painted up an old vehicle in their team’s colors.

The Raider car done up by Lakeland Ford (submitted photo/Lakeland Ford)

“We challenged each other, that if the Raiders won, their general sales manager will have to drive around Saskatoon with our Raider car and if the Blades were to win, our general sales manager would have to drive around Prince Albert with the Blades vehicle,” Scott Newsom, the managing partner with Lakeland Ford and Hyundai in Prince Albert said.

The competition was taken to another level recently when staff from the P.A. dealership decided to make a trip down to the bridge city in the Raider bus with the team’s mascot Riley, and pay a visit to their rivals.

“During business hours we ran through the dealership yelling ‘Go Raiders go’ and we had stickers, confetti and flyers that we littered the dealership with,” Newsom said.

However, the P.A. shop did see some blowback from the incursion as their Saskatoon counterparts decided to make a visit to the Gateway to the North during non-business hours.

“They actually parked their blades vehicle in our showroom and then ballooned up the showroom and put signs on the window,” Newsom said.

The Blades truck was left on the Lakeland Ford dealership floor (submitted photo/Lakeland Ford)

Newsom said the Saskatoon dealership made an error in leaving the truck behind on the floor as it allowed the P.A. shop to make some changes.

“We actually took that and re-painted that Blades truck now to be a Raider truck, so they’re going to have to get that truck back and re-paint it one more time,” he said.

The Blades truck is now a Raiders truck (submitted photo/Lakeland Ford)

Local watering holes are also excited to be getting in on the action. Original Joe’s will have TV’s broadcasting the games. Alan Greene, the operating partner at Original Joe’s said staff hope for a good turnout.

“I think that with the game being sold out people are going to be looking for a place to be that’s high energy and a good environment,” he said.

Greene said this year with the Raiders having a successful season on the ice they have been able to draw people when showing away games, but have noticed it being harder to draw people before home games as people are heading to the arena earlier.

“Just the general vibe in the community has been amazing,” he said.

Matt Sawatzky, the general manager of the Prince Albert Golf and Curling club said the Rock and Iron sports bar, which served as the official away game sponsors for the team this year expect decent crowds for the playoff run.

Sawatzky said this was the first year the bar has acted as the official away game sponsor and that the team’s success this year has helped them out.

“When we have the best team in the country it definitely helps business out for sure,” he said. “They don’t call it Hockey Town North for nothing.”

Fans take in a Raiders game at the Rock and Iron (submitted photo/Matt Sawatzky)

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn

by Michael Joel-Hansen

Raiders fever taking hold in P.A.

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