Jacob Hoffrogge and the Raiders will be on the road for the next two weeks. (Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Nolan Kowal

Road Warriors

‘This is a great trip’: Raiders excited for lengthy road swing

Nov 8, 2023 | 2:59 PM

The Prince Albert Raiders are set to kick off their longest road trip of the season today, a stretch of seven games in 12 days that begins in Alberta and detours south of the border through the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.

“This is a great trip…this is a unique trip for our guys,” said Raiders Head Coach Jeff Truitt. “A lot of our guys have not been in the States before in these buildings, bigger buildings, louder buildings, and they’re exciting.”

“The points are very important, especially if you take a look at our standings. But we also want our guys to enjoy this road trip, the different experiences we get in the States.”

The seven-game road trip begins Wednesday night in Lethbridge against the Hurricanes, followed by stops in Spokane and Tri-City this weekend. Then it’s on to Seattle, Everett, Portland, and finally Wenatchee.

“We’re all excited to go play all the U.S. teams…you don’t play them often, you play them once a year,” said Raiders forward Ryder Ritchie, who leads the team with 21 points. “Going to see all those rinks, I heard they’re pretty nice, so I’m pretty excited for that.”

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“You just have to prepare like you prepare for every other game. It’s a long road trip, so you’ve got to take care of your body.”

Ritchie’s linemate Sloan Stanick will be drawing on his experience from when he went on the American road trip as a member of the Regina Pats.

“It definitely is different…they’ve got some crazy fans down there, it’s pretty fun to play against them when they get the boos going,” Stanick said. “So it should be a good experience for everyone and we’re all getting pretty excited to go.”

He touched on the little things he and his teammates can do to stay fresh while on the road.

“Just trying to get rest when you can. Using the boots to make sure your legs are good, ice baths, whatever you can do. Stretching in your hotel room, and mostly just sleep’s your weapon, so definitely sleep,” Stanick said.

Finally, Raiders rookie Oli Chenier said he’s heard the chatter from his veteran teammates and is looking forward to making the trip for the first time himself.

“The boys are talking about it…said they had a great time (last time), so I’m really looking forward to it. I’m fired up, can’t wait,” Chenier said.

The Raiders enter the road trip with a 9-8-0-1 record, currently in the thick of the WHL’s Eastern Conference standings, and hoping to improve upon their 4-4 road record.

You can listen to every game of the road trip on either 900 CKBI or 101.5 Beach Radio.

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nolan.kowal@pattisonmedia.com