Raiders captain Kaiden Guhle puts his hip into Blades forward Tristen Robins. Jeff D'Andrea/paNOW Staff

By Jeff D’Andrea

Raiders Hockey

Raiders shut down the Blades’ top guys in big win

Nov 5, 2021 | 10:14 PM

The stats on paper did not favour the Prince Albert Raiders, as they headed to the Art Hauser Centre on Friday to take on the Saskatoon Blades.

Heading into the game, the Prince Albert Raiders were (3-7-0-1), had the last-ranked power play, and were ranked 19^th out of the 22 teams on the power play. The Saskatoon Blades (9-2-1-0) were ranked sixth in the CHL, and boasted the third-best power play and penalty kill.

But once the puck dropped, none of that mattered.

The Raiders killed off all seven penalties they took, scored on the power play as they beat the Blades 5-1 at the Art Hauser Centre.

“We’ve been getting better. It was a bit disorganized. Every day, you try to get more organized and get guys to understand the Raider way,” Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid said. “These guys [the Blades] have been playing good, they’re sixth-ranked in the country—but last time I checked, we’re still the defending champions. We got a taste of it, we don’t want to give it up.”

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The Raiders were able to shut down the likes of Tristen Robins and Kyle Crnkovic, who entered the game first and third in the WHL scoring race with 22 and 20 points respectively. Neither top-line Blades player registered a point in the game.

The Raiders defensive core was a big part of that, and they also scored three of the Raiders’ five goals in the contest. Nolan Allan scored the game-winner on the power play, Landon Kosior got the insurance marker, and rookie Terrell Goldsmith got in on the act late.

“It’s awesome. It’s what we look forward to. We love playing those guys over there,” Allan said. “It’s an intense rivalry, and those are the funnest games to play. It was fun.”

The Blades scored early to silence the Raiders faithful, 4:40 into the game. Carrot River’s Jayden Wiens potted a backhanded shot home shortly after the Raiders had killed off a penalty. But little did everybody in the rink know at the time, that would be the only offence the Blades would be able to muster all game.

Raiders goaltender Carter Serhyenko makes a save in close on Blades forward Jayden Wiens. Jeff D’Andrea/paNOW Staff

The Raiders tied it up 10:55 into the first frame, as Reece Vitelli flew down the middle of the ice as Tyson Laventure found him with a clean look. Vitelli scored on the breakaway with a quick snap shot.

Nolan Allan gave the Raiders’ the lead on their power play with a point shot that was screened for the 2-1 advantage after two periods of play. The Raiders thought they had a 3-1 lead, but Kaiden Guhle’s would-be power play goal was disallowed after a successful offside challenge by Blades’ head coach Brennan Sonne.

The Raiders would get the 3-1 goal eventually, as Landon Kosior scored on a 2-on-1 rush with Reece Vitelli on a 4-on-4 situation. Ozzy Wiesblatt scored on the empty net with 1:56 remaining, before Terrell Goldsmith scored the fifth and final goal with just over a minute to play.

Not to be outdone, Carter Serhyenko had arguably his best game of the season, making 24 saves on 25 shots, including this nice double on Crnkovic in the second period.

Scoring Summary

First Period

1-0, Blades, Jayden Wiens from Brendon Lee, 4:40

1-1, Raiders, Reece Vitelli from Tyson Laventure and Tayem Gislason, 10:55

Second Period

2-1, Raiders, Nolan Allan from Remy Aquilon (power play), 8:53

Third Period

3-1, Raiders, Landon Kosior from Ozzy Wiesblatt and Reece Vitelli, 6:38

4-1, Raiders, Ozzy Wiesblatt from Cale Sanders (empty net), 18:04

5-1, Raiders, Terrell Goldsmith from Tyson Laventure, 18:24

ICMYI

Raiders forward Harrison Lodewyk and goaltending coach Kelly Guard were named to the 2021 Capital City Challenge starting on Nov. 26. Lodewyk will get a chance to play against Canada’s National Women’s Team as part of the tournament, once the rosters are divided into three teams. Guard will be Team White’s goaltending coach.

Saturday rematch, and helping the community

Both teams will meet at the SaskTel Centre on Saturday for a 7 p.m. puck drop.

The Raiders will then host the Edmonton Oil Kings on Wednesday. For the game, the Raiders are holding a fundraiser through the Community Cares program. When purchasing a ticket on SaskTix.ca for the Wednesday game, entering a promo code will donate $5 from each ticket purchased to a charity. Type in “POPPY” to give $5 from the Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Fund, “BIG” for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Prince Albert, “SPCA” for the Prince Albert SPCA, “ROSE” for the Rose Garden Hospice and “SHARE” for S.H.A.R.E.

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Jeff.dandrea@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW