Raiders forward Carson Latimer will look to keep making an impact, after getting an assist in his Raider debut on Friday. (Jeff D'Andrea/paNOW Staff)

By Jeff D’Andrea

Raiders looking to extend streak against Broncos

Dec 7, 2021 | 12:15 PM

The Prince Albert Raiders are on the verge of their longest winning streak since before the pandemic.

The Raiders (9-11-1) are looking for their fourth straight win when they take on the Swift Current Broncos (9-12-2-1) at the Art Hauser Centre. Like the Raiders, the Broncos have been up to winning ways as they are on a two-game winning streak and have won three of their last four games.

Back in February 2020, the Raiders won four straight games from Feb. 14 to Feb. 22 as they cemented their place in the top spot for the WHL East Division, just a few weeks before the season was scrapped due to the pandemic.

In the hub centre season last year, the Raiders had one three-game winning streak in 24 games from April 11-15, beating the Broncos 4-2, the Regina Pats 4-2, and the Moose Jaw Warriors 2-0.

The Raiders are coming off one of their more emotional victories to date, a 5-2 win over the Regina Pats. The team was mourning the loss of Prince Albert hockey figure Matt Swaby, who passed away the week prior, and had just traded captain Kaiden Guhle to the Edmonton Oil Kings.

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“We got through it. It was an emotional game with a lot going on; new players in, one player out, so the team dynamics is different but the guys found a way to get through it and get the win. And that’s what matters,” Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid said.

The Raiders did have something to laugh about after the game was over, as Nolan Allan’s own goal got national attention.

“It’s a funny game, those things happen. And he made TSN, so that’s awesome,” Habscheid said.

The Raiders have a much different roster than last year, especially with the additions of Carson Latimer and Eric Johnston from the Edmonton Oil Kings. Habscheid likes what he sees from the pair early, but doesn’t want to throw the entire playbook at them just yet.

“I’ve been through that as a player. It’s important to not overload them — give them some basic structure and let them play free and figure it out later,” Habscheid said. “They’re settling in and getting used to things, so you don’t want to critique them too much. They’re both good guys and they both have some individual traits that are pretty good.”

Eric Johnston won’t be playing his second Raider game as he will be forced to sit out one game. Johnston will serve his one-game suspension after a kneeing penalty on Pats’ forward Cole Dubinsky in Friday’s 5-2 victory. Johnston was given a minor penalty for the hit during the game but received supplemental discipline from the WHL following a review of the hit.

Catch Rob Mahon’s call of the action on CKBI, starting at 6:30 p.m.

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Jeff.dandrea@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW