Raiders forward Parker Kelly scored 41 seconds into Game 3, the start of a huge seven-goal snowball for the Raiders. Submitted photo, Rik Fedyck.

By Jeff D'Andrea

Fast starts

Scoring first has been key so far in the WHL final series

May 8, 2019 | 2:09 PM

Whoever scored the first goal so far in the 2019 Rogers WHL Championship Series has won the game.

Giants defenceman Dylan Plouffe drew first blood in Game 1, scoring 4:20 into the first period. The Giants quickly added to the lead for an early 2-0 advantage, and went on to win 5-4.

Then in Game 2, it was Dante’s inferno to start the game as Dante Hannoun opened the scoring halfway through the first period for the Raiders. Prince Albert ended up with a 4-0 victory to tie up the series.

And Raiders forward Parker Kelly scored just 41 seconds into Game 3, on the way to a 7-0 Raiders lead in the first period—one of the best periods in WHL playoff history. The Raiders went on to win the game 8-2 and their first lead in the final series over the Giants.

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“Obviously, it was kind of lucky that it went in, but you’ll take them,” Kelly said. “It was a good start for the boys. It started us off on the right foot.”

Getting early leads has been huge for both teams so far in the playoffs. The Raiders have the best record in the playoffs when leading after the first period, at 8-1. The Giants aren’t far behind at 7-1.

And both teams are .500 when trailing after the first: Raiders are 2-2, Giants are 3-3.

Starts are key for every hockey game, but they’ve been paramount in this series. Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid recognizes that the start isn’t the be all and end all to a game, but it is important.

“You have to play the whole game, but obviously that helped,” Habscheid said. “We kind of knew what their plan was with their starting lineup, so we knew what was in mind. We didn’t really pay any attention to that, we wanted to start fast.”

The Giants started the game with 6’5″, 227-pound defenceman Landon Fuller at forward. Before the series started, he hadn’t played a WHL game since Jan. 2.

The All-Important Game 4

Game 4 will be tonight, Wednesday at the Langley Events Centre. A Raiders win will put give them a 3-1 advantage in the series and put them on the brink of claiming their first league championship in 34 years. A Giants win would even the series at 2-2.

The Raiders have outscored the Giants 12-2 in the past two games heading into Wednesday night’s affair.

Trevor Redden and Martin Ring will have your call, with pre-game coverage starting at 7 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW