The Raiders three graduating players from this season: (l to r) Evan Herman, Keaton Sorensen, and Landon Kosior. (Keith Hershmiller/Regina Pats)

By Rob Mahon

Raiders Season Ends

Full bags and empty lockers: emotional day as Raiders say farewell

Mar 26, 2023 | 3:31 PM

The Art Hauser Centre, one of the loudest buildings with the most boisterous atmosphere in the WHL, has gone quiet.

The Prince Albert Raiders have cleaned out their stalls and are beginning to disperse back to homes across western Canada and beyond with their season now officially over. The 68th and final game, a 5-3 victory over the Regina Pats, came on Saturday, March 25.

On Sunday, as they prepared to journey home, three 20-year-old players cleared out their lockers for the last time.

“It’s definitely a different feeling,” said captain Evan Herman, who scored the final goal of the season that night in Regina. “It’s one of those things that doesn’t quite feel real yet. Everyone says time flies by, but I didn’t think it was going to fly by this fast.”

Through 68 games, the Raiders amassed a record of 28-37-3-0, finishing 11th in the conference and missing the playoffs. This was despite the fact they finished with the same number of wins as last year.

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“It’s obviously really hard, not making the playoffs,” said 20-year-old forward Keaton Sorensen. “But it was a great year with a great group of guys. I couldn’t have asked for a better group.”

That group steered the Raiders to some memorable moments despite missing the playoffs. From a come-from-behind win over Saskatoon where they erased a 5-2 deficit in the third period, to a three-game winning streak to start their British Columbia road trip, there were plenty of positive memories to wade through for the departing players.

“I thought I was going to be more sad than I was,” said defenseman Landon Kosior, who finished his junior career on Saturday against Regina. “I was caught up in the game still (in Regina). It got to a close game so I was more worried about protecting the lead there. I was happy, reflecting on my career as the game ended.”

Kosior, Sorensen, and Herman will move on to other levels of hockey, whether that be the professional ranks or a team in Canadian university hockey, but the rest of the Raiders are all eligible to return. The future of the team seems bright as the entire top line of Sloan Stanick, Aiden Oiring, and Ryder Ritchie (who all had multi-point efforts in Regina) can all come back.

For now, however, the team moves on to homes they haven’t spent much time in since the end of August. For the management team, the work doesn’t stop as the WHL draft approaches and the Raiders hold three first-round picks.

The WHL playoffs begin on March 31.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP