Keaton Sorenson works the puck in the offensive zone against the Regina Pats. (Submitted Photo/Regina Pats)

By Rob Mahon

Raiders Revenge in Regina

Home cooking: Regina boys lead Raiders to road victory over Pats

Sep 10, 2022 | 10:38 PM

When the Prince Albert Raiders opened their preseason home schedule, they dropped a 3-2 contest at the hands of the Regina Pats. On Saturday, September 10, with a little help from some Regina-born players, they repaid the favor.

15-year-old Dayce Derkatch scored the winning goal and Eric Johnston and Trevor Thurston also scored as the Raiders took a 3-2 win out of Regina. Cooper Anderson and Tikhon Chaika split the duties in net. Connor Bedard scored twice for the Pats.

Anderson will never accuse the Raiders of letting him get used to WHL hockey gently. In his first game, he came in halfway through the contest and was greeted by a breakaway followed swiftly by a 5-on-3. In this game, he was greeted with one of the best young goal scorers in all of hockey, and Bedard showed it in the first period, striking twice.

That was the last time Bedard, or any other Pat for that matter, would solve Anderson, however, and the Raiders began to claw their way back into it in the second period. On the power play, Thurston wound up and blasted a puck through the screen of Niall Crocker to make it a 2-1 game.

In the third period, Johnston showed off his skating ability. He dangled past a defender for a quick shot off the wing but was denied, so he decided to score an even prettier goal instead. Beginning in his own zone, Johnston outskated several backcheckers, blew past a stumbling defenseman, and flipped a wrister off the far post and in to tie the game.

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Though the game appeared destined for overtime, the Raiders were determined it would not get there. Several of their young players (there were six 2007-born players in the game, including Derkatch and Anderson) had good chances in the final five minutes.

With just 1:37 to go, it was Derkatch, in the arena where his father’s jersey hangs in the rafters, who scored the winner. Jessiah Bennet came galloping in on an odd-man rush with the youngster and shot for a rebound, which he got. Derkatch swatted it home to give the Raiders the lead for the first time.

Regina managed to get the goaltender pulled for the extra man, and even got a decent look or two, but a few strong shot blocks and smart clears took care of most of their chances. When they were able to penetrate the Raiders’ defense, Chaika looked calm and collected, well-established in the game to that point, stopping everything.

The win moves the Raiders to 2-1 on the preseason. They’ve got two games left to go and both are against the Saskatoon Blades, the first of which is Friday, September 16 at the Art Hauser Centre.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP

by Rob Mahon

Home cooking: Regina boys lead Raiders to road victory over Pats

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