ICE forward Zachary Benson celebrates one of his two goals Tuesday at the Art Hauser Centre. (Mark Peterson Media)

By Jeff D’Andrea

Raiders Hockey

Raiders’ backs against the wall after lopsided loss to ICE

Apr 26, 2022 | 10:01 PM

The Prince Albert Raiders returned dynamic scorer Ozzy Wiesblatt to the lineup on Tuesday at the Art Hauser Centre after missing 15 total games.

But even the injection of a fresh and motivated Crazy Train couldn’t give the Raiders the boost they needed, as they fell 10-1 to the Winnipeg ICE and face a 3-0 deficit in the best-of-seven series.

The last Western Hockey League team to score 10 goals in the postseason were the Brandon Wheat Kings, who defeated the Edmonton Oil Kings 10-3 on April 5, 2016.

The Raiders will look to stave off elimination starting on Wednesday at the Art Hauser Centre for Game 4.

“It’s difficult. It’s one game, whether you lose 10-1 or 1-0, but you don’t want to lose that way. I thought we started real good. If we get that first goal, it might have changed the complexion a little bit,” Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid said. “It might have given us some confidence. There were three penalties, two I thought were questionable, and they scored on those and some other little things. Then all of a sudden, they have four.”

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The Western Hockey League knew the ICE’s power play was good, as it was best in the WHL at 27.4 per cent, but nobody realized it was this good. The ICE have now scored seven power play goals on 12 attempts this series, clicking at 58.3 per cent. They scored on both of their first two power plays in Tuesday’s game during their 4-0 first period.

“They score on theirs, they have a bunch of talent, for sure. We kicked out some rebounds and they cashed them in. We can’t take penalties. It’s tough,” Habscheid said. “There’s a couple penalties we deserve, I think you know which ones they were. But the couple in the first, it wasn’t like it was an out-of-hand game, just let the guys play.”

It didn’t get much better in the second period, as Zachary Benson scored on the power play once again halfway through the frame, starting a five-goal second period. The ICE led 9-0 after 40 minutes.

Harrison Lodewyk, the hardworking Raider rookie from Red Deer, scored early in the third period to stop the bleeding and give what Raider fans remained in the rink something to cheer about. Linemates Niall Crocker and Dallyn Peekeekoot did well to win the puck and keep the play alive, leading to the Lodewyk chance in front of the net.

But the Raiders, like they have all series, took a penalty right after they scored. In three of the four goals the Raiders scored this series, they have taken a minor penalty within 1:45 of scoring their goal or less. The Raiders were shorthanded just 28 seconds after Lodewyk’s goal. In the other two, the ICE scored on the ensuing power play.

Skyler Bruce scored on even strength though to give the ICE a 10-spot. Mikey Milne ended the game with a hat trick for the ICE.

Game 4 looms just one day away, on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre. Despite the sizeable defeat, Habscheid knows his team will

“They’ll be ready. Will we come back four straight? Who knows. But we’ll chip away—Raider pride. We’re still defending champs. We’re not going down without a fight. We’ll be ready tomorrow.”

Game Summary

First Period

1-0, ICE, Mikey Milne from Carson Lambos and Jakin Smallwood (power play), 3:

2-0, ICE, Zachary Benson from Jack Finley and Connor McClennon (power play), 7:03

3-0, ICE, Owen Pederson from Connor McClennon and Carson Lambos, 12:07

4-0, ICE, Mikey Milne from Tanner Brown, 12:37

Second Period

5-0, ICE, Zachary Benson from Benjamin Zloty and Connor McClennon (power play), 10:30

6-0, ICE, Connor McClennon from Owen Pederson, 16:07

7-0, ICE, Jakin Smallwood (unassisted), 16:28

8-0, ICE, Conor Geekie from Benjamin Zloty and Zachary Benson, 17:07

9-0, ICE, Mikey Milne from Zachary Benson, 19:35

Third Period

9-1, Raiders, Harrison Lodewyk from Niall Crocker and Dallyn Peekeekoot, 1:40

10-1, ICE, Skyler Bruce from Mikey Milne, 8:04

Game 4

The Raiders will take on the ICE once more at the Art Hauser Centre, for Game 4 on Wednesday, 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre. Voice of the Raiders Rob Mahon will have the call of all the action on CKBI, with pregame coverage starting at 6:30 p.m.

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Jeff.dandrea@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW