Raiders defenceman Landon Kosior has 18 goals for the Raiders this season. (Jeff D'Andrea/paNOW Staff)

By Jeff D’Andrea

'The Closer'

Kosior closer to postseason spot and rare Raider milestone

Apr 6, 2022 | 4:00 PM

Prince Albert Raiders blueliner Landon Kosior has given opposing coaches headaches as they try to take away his scoring touch, but Kosior has always seemed to be an even pricklier thorn in the side of the Raiders’ biggest rivals—the Saskatoon Blades.

The Raiders will head to the SaskTel Centre to wrap up their 10-game season series on Friday. The Raiders have a 5-3-1 record against the Blades this season, and would love that trend to continue as they are two points back of the final playoff spot with four games remaining.

The Blades have been Kosior’s favourite target when it comes to scoring goals over his three years with the Prince Albert Raiders, as he has scored seven of his 27 career goals against the Blades.

Five of his 18 goals this year came against the Pacmen, while Kosior also scored once against the Blades in four games in the Regina hub last season. Kosior even scored his first WHL goal in his major junior debut on Sept. 20, 2019 with a quick wrist shot from the right circle against Blades’ backstop Nolan Maier.

“I think you like to play your biggest rival, and they are our biggest rival. There’s always some extra motivation for a game like that. Just that extra motivation and having a streak of luck against them,” Kosior said.

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In fairness, Kosior has been scoring goals against everybody this year in the regular season. In fact, he’s looking to join a select few members of the Raiders 20-goal club among defencemen.

In Raiders history, only three defencemen have ever broken the 20-goal plateau. Manny Viveiros, the top scoring defenceman on the 1985 Memorial Cup team, scored 22 goals in the regular season that year. Josh Morrissey has the single-season record, scoring 28 goals in the 2013-14 season. Jesse Lees is the last Raider defenceman to eclipse the mark, scoring 23 goals in the 2015-16 season. Even when the Raiders won the 2018-19 season, they didn’t have a 20-goal scorer on their blueline.

“It’s not really on my mind. The goals will come, but the most important thing right now is winning games,” Kosior said on the Raiders’ playoff push. “We have to get into the playoffs. That’s the number one goal right now.”

Kosior is still among the WHL’s best in the goal-scoring category this season. He’s tied for second in the WHL with goals by defencemen along with Portland Winterhawks’ rearguard Clay Hanus. He’s also just one back of Brandon Wheat King Chad Nychuk, who has the league lead for goals among defencemen with 19. Kosior is also tied for the WHL lead in power play goals (nine), along with Simon Kubicek of the Edmonton Oil Kings.

After Friday’s game, the Raiders will take on the Regina Pats at the Brandt Centre in Kosior’s hometown. Kosior scored his 18th goal of the season last Saturday in the Raiders’ 6-1 victory.

Check out voice of the Raiders Rob Mahon and his calls of the games on CKBI, with pre-game coverage starting at 6:30 p.m.

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Jeff.dandrea@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW