Raiders defenceman Zack Hayes controls a bouncing puck in his return to the Raiders Friday against the Saskatoon Blades. Jeff D'Andrea/paNOW Staff

By Jeff D'Andrea

Tip your cap

Raiders get Maier’ed; Zack is back

Oct 4, 2019 | 10:14 PM

Sometimes you need to tip your cap to the opposing goaltender.

That’s what Prince Albert Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid did, even against his club’s biggest rivals.

Habscheid gave full credit to Saskatoon Blades goaltender Nolan Maier, who made 36 saves in the Blades’ 2-1 overtime victory Friday at the Art Hauser Centre. That’s the Blades’ second overtime win at the Hauser this year, after opening up the season with a 3-2 OT victory on Sept. 20. The Raiders are 3-0-2 to begin the campaign, the Blades are 3-3.

The Raiders had a 30-12 advantage in shots after 40 minutes of play, but were tied 1-1 at the time. The score stayed that way until Blades captain Chase Wouters ended the game in overtime.

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“Their goalie stole the game, there’s no doubt about that,” Habscheid said. “He was the first star. It wasn’t close for two and a half periods, really. He stole a point. We got a point, that was good. I liked our game a lot. I thought we played real well.

“They had a push in the third there, but all in all, it wasn’t close. We probably deserved a win, but their goalie stole the game.”

The Raiders have gone to overtime three times now this season, becoming the first WHL team to do so. All three came on home ice, including the two Blades meetings as well as Sept. 28’s 3-2 overtime win over the Winnipeg ICE.

Hayes returns, but Martin moves

It appeared for a moment that Zack Hayes wasn’t returning to the Raiders this year. After trying out for the Anaheim Ducks on a professional tryout, Hayes was actually inserted on the opening day roster for their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls the night before their season opener on Friday.

But despite all that, Hayes returned to Prince Albert to play with the Raiders.

“It’s exciting, but it’s bittersweet at the same time,” Hayes said. “You’re always hoping to make the jump to pro, but I’m happy to be back in Prince Albert with the guys.”

Hayes saw a ton of ice in his return, and was his usual vocal self by organizing his defence and playing alongside fellow big rig Jeremy Masella. Hayes also saw a ton of time in 3-on-3 overtime, and had a good chance to end it with a wrist shot from the slot.

“It’s good to be relied upon in those moments,” Hayes said. “I knew coming back I would be relied upon in big situations like that, that I may not have been last year or the year before. But you got to rise up.”

Though with the return of Hayes, that meant that a 20-year-old had to go as the Raiders already had Max Martin, Jeremy Masella and the newly added Brayden Watts filling their three overage spots.

Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt made that tough decision within a number of hours, sending Max Martin to the Kamloops Blazers for a pair of picks, a 2^nd rounder and a 6^th rounder in the upcoming draft earlier on Friday.

“Obviously [Hayes] is a presence. He’s a big body and a leader on our team. It’s good to have him back—but it’s a double-edged sword. It was a tough day today for sure,” Habscheid said. “Marty’s a good man, a big part of the culture, a big part of the team. It was a tough day for everybody, for Max and myself personally, it was a tough day. He’s an important guy, a good man, and I’m going to miss him.”

Scoring Summary

First Period

1-0, Raiders, Ozzy Wiesblatt from Aliaksei Protas and Brayden Watts, 1:52

1-1, Blades, Aidan De La Gorgendiere from Cyle McNabb and Libor Zabransky (power play), 6:21

Second Period

No scoring.

Third Period

No scoring.

Overtime

2-1, Blades, Chase Wouters from Riley McKay and Scott Walford, 3:57

Heads a bobblin’

The Raiders will take on the Regina Pats Saturday at the Art Hauser Centre on Ozzy Wiesblatt bobblehead night. Fans giving a donation of $2 or more can walk home with a Wiesblatt bobblehead.

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW