Raiders forward Brett Leason gets onto the ice at the Art Hauser Centre before Game 2. (Jeff D’Andrea/paNOW Staff)

By Jeff D'Andrea

‘The Reason’ Leason heats up at an opportune time for the Raiders

May 7, 2019 | 2:00 PM

LANGLEY— Team depth has been a strength of the Prince Albert Raiders throughout the season, but they’ve been able to count on one particular line to fill the back of the net.

Brett Leason (seven goals, 18 points), Aliaskei Protas (11 goals, 17 points) and Sean Montgomery (eight goals, 11 points) have teamed up for 26 goals these playoffs. That amounts to 41.94 per cent of the Raiders’ post-season goals through the first 18 games, heading into Game 3 of the 2019 Rogers WHL Championship Series Tuesday. The Raiders and Vancouver Giants are tied at 1-1 after the first two games at the Art Hauser Centre.

Leason himself has heated up of late, scoring one goal in each of the first two games of the 2019 Rogers WHL Championship Series. He’s also on the longest current scoring streak in the playoffs, scoring four goals and six points in his last five games.

“I think the line’s been going,” Leason said. “We’ve been playing quick and getting on guys fast, causing lots of turnovers and getting odd-man rushes — that’s pretty much how it is. We’ve been burying our chances, that’s been huge.”

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Leason knows what it’s like to get hot. He had by far the longest scoring streak in the regular season—scoring in the first 30 games of the year, scoring 28 goals and 64 points. That’s 12 games longer than any other player managed in the WHL this season.

Protas also heated up with his four-game point streak. The Belarusian rookie has an assist in each of the first two games of the series, after scoring back-to-back hat tricks to end the Edmonton Oil Kings series.

“Protas had a great end against Edmonton that brought us to the finals, he’s been continuing his ways here,” Leason said. “That’s been great for the line and great from the team.”

The Langley Events Centre will be the home for the next three games of the series, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday for Games 3, 4 and 5. The Giants have been good on home ice all season. They are 7-1 in the playoffs and were 26-6-1-1 in the regular season. Both of those home records are second best in the WHL, only behind the Raiders.

After a nervy 5-4 setback in Game 1, the Raiders will hope to have built some momentum from the 4-0 victory in Game 2.

“I think we put together a really good game,” Leason said of Saturday’s win. “We put together a dominant game the whole time and we were really on to them. I think we have to continue that. You can’t give them too much time and space out there.”

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW