Raiders forward Aliaksei Protas had a game he won't soon forget on Friday. Jeff D'Andrea/paNOW Staff

By Jeff D'Andrea

Viper bites thrice

Protas pots hat trick to lift Raiders to Game 5 win; one win away from finals

Apr 26, 2019 | 10:37 PM

Hats and caps and cowbells flooded the Art Hauser Centre ice on Friday, and Aliaksei Protas will always remember it.

Protas, in his first taste of the WHL playoffs, scored a hat trick and got an assist as the Raiders won 4-0 over the Edmonton Oil Kings at the Art Hauser Centre.

The win puts the Raiders one win away from advancing to the WHL Ed Chynoweth Cup finals. They can close out the series in Game 6 Sunday, 2 p.m. at Rogers Place. Barring that, the Raiders will have another chance in Game 7 on Tuesday at the Hauser.

With just 24.9 seconds left in the game, Protas finished off his hat trick bid to flood the ice surface. Through all the debris, Protas’ Belarusian country-mate in Sergei Sapego was able to retrieve the puck for safe keeping.

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“It’s unforgettable for me. I was so happy,” Protas said of the moment. “Thanks for the boys, thanks for the fans. It was the biggest night for me, probably, in my career.”

The hat trick puts Protas up to eight goals and 12 points in 15 playoff games. Four of those goals have come in the series.

“He’s an intelligent player. He’s just smart. He’s still finding his legs, he’s still growing so his skating will come but he’s smart,” Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid said. “He’s good with the puck and he’s got a great shot as you saw. He compliments his other two [linemates] real well.”

Those linemates were Brett Leason and Sean Montgomery, like they have been for big stretches of the season. Leason had a great look at Protas’ contributions.

“He was everywhere today. He’s got a great shot, he let it fly,” said Leason, who now has goals in back-to-back games. “He got two goals like that. Another one was a lucky bounce, but they all go in. They all count. But he’s a great player, a great passer with a great shot. He showed that today.”

The only goal of the game that Protas didn’t score, he got the primary assist on. Protas send a long ricochet pass that sent Leason in on goal as he streaked up the ice and beat Oil Kings goaltender Dylan Myskiw to make it 3-0 early in the third period.

From the Oil Kings perspective, they didn’t mince words about their performance.

“It was embarrassing what we did today,” Oil Kings defenceman Matthew Robertson said. “We just need to come out and control what we can control.”

With the win, the Raiders take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference Finals series. They now have double life in the series, with two chances to find the victory that will advance them to the finals. Game 6 is at Rogers Place on Sunday at 2 p.m. If the Oil Kings win, the series will extend to Tuesday, 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

Scoring Summary

First Period

1-0, Raiders, Aliaksei Protas from Kaiden Guhle and Sergei Sapego (power play), 11:31

2-0, Raiders, Aliaksei Protas from Brett Leason, 17:03

Second Period

No scoring.

Third Period

3-0, Raiders, Brett Leason from Aliaksei Protas and Zack Hayes, 5:22

4-0, Raiders, Aliaksei Protas from Kaiden Guhle and Sergei Sapego, 19:35

Goalies

Raiders, Ian Scott, 24-24, third shutout this postseason, second in the series

Oil Kings, Dylan Myskiw, 26-30

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW