Raiders forwards Harrison Lodewyk and Zachary Wilson backcheck on ICE forward Chase Wheatcroft. (Zachary Peters/Winnipeg ICE)

By Jeff D’Andrea

Raiders Hockey

Raiders winless in Winnipeg, down 2-0 to start the opening WHL playoffs

Apr 23, 2022 | 9:14 PM

The Prince Albert Raiders were winless in Winnipeg this weekend, as they will head back to the Art Hauser Centre down two-games-to-zero to the Winnipeg ICE. The ICE won 5-2 in Game 2 on Saturday at the Wayne Fleming Arena, after Friday’s 3-1 defeat.

The first period of Saturday’s game was basically a condensed version of what happened in Game 1.

The ICE led 3-1 after the opening 20 minutes, the score the won with in Game 1. ICE captain Jakin Smallwood scoring an even-strength goal, and Owen Pederson also scored on the power play, just like they did on Friday.

The ICE also had a 2-0 lead that was cut to 2-1 by the Raiders, this time by Raiders’ closer Landon Kosior.

But yet another trend continued on Saturday, as the Raiders once again immediately took a minor penalty after their goal and allowed the ICE to score once again with the man-advantage and restore their two-goal lead. The only difference was there was a power surge in the rink, forcing some technical difficulties to both the online streaming service and the radio broadcasts.

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“We couldn’t get an awful lot established. In the first period again, we were down in shots on goal, opportunities and even puck possession. When we take a look at our players in important positions, we have to make sure that we’re at our best,” Raiders assistant coach Jeff Truitt said.

ICE forward Zachary Benson turned and fired from a bad angle, scoring the ICE’s fourth goal. That chased Tikhon Chaika from the game, giving up four goals on 15 shots. Max Hildebrand came in relief, and 1:10 in Hildebrand’s relief appearance, Conor Geekie dangled his way into the slot and roofed a shot high on the glove side to extend the ICE’s lead to 5-1. Geekie’s shot would be the only one that beat Hildebrand, as he finished the game with 13 saves on 14 shots.

“We needed some saves on our penalty kill. We needed some saves from some bad angles. It’s not only on the goaltender, but they sure change the momentum when you get them,” Truitt said.

After getting an assist on Kosior’s goal, captain Reece Vitelli scored in the third period to make it a 5-2 final. In the three goals the Raiders have scored in the opening two games of the series, Vitelli has scored two and got the primary assist on the other.

Back to the Hauser

The Raiders will get a couple of cracks at the ICE at home for the next two games, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Both games will held at 7 p.m.