Ryder Ritchie battles a Spokane attacker in the neutral zone during the Raiders and Chiefs lone meeting last season on Dec. 17, 2022. (Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Logan Lehmann

Gameday Preview

Raiders visit Spokane Chiefs for first time since 2019

Nov 10, 2023 | 2:00 PM

The Prince Albert Raiders (10-8-0-1) are south of the border for the first time in four seasons for their U.S. Division road swing, and they kick off the trip with a contest in Spokane against the Chiefs (6-6-2-0).

The Raiders come into Friday night’s game after winning 4-2 in Lethbridge against the Hurricanes Wednesday night. The win ended a two-game skid for the Green and Gold, after a 7-2 loss to Saskatoon and a 5-0 loss to Prince George.

Spokane, meanwhile, enters the game after falling to Tri-City back on Saturday 4-3. The loss is the third in their last five games, which included a 6-2 loss to Everett and a 5-3 defeat to Vancouver. The Chiefs have played one other team from the East Division this season as Brandon visited Spokane on Oct. 14, resulting in a narrow 3-2 win for the Chiefs.

Last season, Spokane made the trip to the Art Hauser Centre for the first time since 2018 which saw the Raiders prevail 5-3 on Dec. 17.

Friday night is also a showcase of two of the best prospects in the upcoming NHL Draft with Raiders’ Ryder Ritchie going up against Spokane’s Berkley Catton. The two prospects are projected to be selected in the first round in the 2024 Draft. Ritchie so far has the edge this season in the points department, netting 23 (11g, 12a) in 19 games while Catton isn’t too far behind with 20 points (9g, 11a) in 14 games.

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Following tonight, it will be a quick turnaround for Prince Albert as they will travel south to Kennewick to meet the Tri-City Americans for a Saturday night clash.

How the league stands ahead of tonight’s interconference matchup.

Who to Watch

Ritchie tacked on a few more points to his season totals during Wednesday’s win in Lethbridge, scoring as well as picking up an assist. The 17-year-old will be looking for a repeat performance against the Chiefs as in his only game against Spokane last season, he potted a goal and an assist.

Defenceman Justice Christensen also collected a pair of points against the Hurricanes, lighting the lamp and potting a helper. The multi-point effort puts the Red Deer product at 13 on the season, already surpassing last season’s point total of nine.

Veteran Sloan Stanick filled the assist column in Lethbridge, collecting three to add to his already impressive senior season. The pride of Rapid City, Man. now has 22 points on the year while averaging a point per game thus far. His three-point performance inches him closer to a major WHL milestone as he now sits five points away from career number 150.

More information about tonight’s contest.

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com