Raiders begin Memorial Cup journey

The only other time the Raiders played in a Memorial Cup, they won the whole thing. That was back in 1985. Curtis Hunt, who’s pulling all the strings for the Raiders as its general manager, was on that team as a player.

Hunt will see if the players he’s assembled will find cup glory like his Raiders mates did 34 years ago, starting on Friday against the hosting Halifax Mooseheads. Despite the absolute whirlwind of a week it’s been, the Raiders players seem locked in.

“It should be real exciting. Great rink, we were out there for practice,” Raiders goaltender Ian Scott said. “It’s a great setup, we have all the support we need with people off the ice. It should be real fun.

“They’re obviously the hosts this year, so they’re a pretty good team. I know a few guys on there too, as well. They’re going to be a strong team, it’s going to be a good game.”

One Moosehead that Scott and fellow Raider Brett Leason are quite familiar with is defenceman Jared McIsaac. All three represented Canada at the 2019 World Junior Hockey Championships in Vancouver, B.C. this winter.

“They’re definitely two great players. Lease is a really good forward, big guy and uses his size well and Scotty’s a really good goalie, real athletic and can be a real game-changer,” McIsaac said. “He was for them all year. They’re two great players.”

But other than the odd connection between the players, both teams are very unfamiliar with each other.

This will be the Moosehead’s third Memorial Cup appearance, and their second time hosting after doing so in 2000. They won the Memorial Cup in 2013 in Saskatoon. Powered by Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin, they beat the Portland Winterhawks 6-4 in the finals.

This will be the first ever meeting between the Raiders and the Mooseheads, in any context.

“I saw a few games on the video, saw the [Raiders’] last one. They’re a big physical team. They can skate and they can do pretty much do anything out there,” said Mooseheads head coach Eric Veilleux, who won a Memorial Cup himself with Shawinigan in 2012. “They definitely and obviously had a great season. We’ll be ready for them.

“It comes down to us playing our style and playing our way—not so much adjusting to the opponents. In a short-term tournament like this, you need to rely on what you can do well and be able to apply it. That’s what we’re going to concentrate on.”

One of the biggest things the Mooseheads do well is give the puck to Raphaël Lavoie. Lavoie has been a scoring machine this year, getting 20 goals in 23 playoff games after accruing 32 goals in 62 regular season games. As a late-2000 birthday, Lavoie is eligible for the upcoming NHL draft, can score at will and has a big 6’4, 198-pound frame.

Samuel Asselin is another Moosehead to look out for. He was on the Memorial Cup-winning team last year with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. He’s put together by far his best season this year with the Mooseheads, scoring 48 goals and 86 points in 68 games.

The first game of the Memorial Cup starts at 8 p.m. Atlantic time, or 5 p.m. back in Prince Albert.

The Raiders will have the rest of the weekend off, and play on Monday against the Rouyn-Nouranda Huskies. They’ll save the Guelph Storm for last, playing them on Tuesday.

Fans can catch the game for free on the big screen at the Art Hauser Centre. Doors open at 4 p.m., concession will be open for those in attendance.

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW

by Jeff D'Andrea

Raiders begin Memorial Cup journey

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