Prince Albert Raiders goaltender Max Hildebrand has been a steadying presence between the pipes this season. (Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Nolan Kowal

Max Mania

Hildebrand a big part of Raiders early season success

Nov 14, 2023 | 5:00 PM

It’s unlikely the Raiders would have 11 wins on the season without Max Hildebrand.

The third-yeard Raiders goaltender is having a rock solid campaign so far. He sports a 6-4 record with a 2.71 goals against average to go along with a .912 save percentage.

The 19-year-old netminder said he’s happy with his play so far despite a lower body injury that kept him out of the lineup for a couple of weeks earlier in the year.

“Obviously I was happy with my start and then I had a little injury there,” Hildebrand said. “Took me a few games to get back but I think I got my mojo back a little bit here and hopefully I can keep it rolling.”

The Martensville, Sask. native led the Raiders to a pair of wins over Lethbridge and Spokane to start their season-long seven game road trip. He also saw action Saturday in Tri-City in relief of teammate Chase Coward.

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“In Lethbridge they have a very structured team and we just knew if we played our game that we would have success against them,” Hildebrand said. “I got a lot of help that game. Couple mistakes I’d like to have back obviously, but at the end of the day we got two points there.”

“And then in Spokane, I think it was another slow start for us that we need to work on. But when we needed to we were at our best and that’s all that matters because we got two points there, too.”

Hildebrand has split the playing time in the crease so far with Coward, whom he said he shares a strong bond with on and off the ice.

“He’s a really good guy and a great teammate and he’s good to be around. It’s going to be a good year for us for sure,” Hildebrand said.

Hildebrand said the team is still finding ways to win despite not always being at their best.

“Not every night is going to be your best night but sometimes you’ve just got to find a way to win, and I think that’s how the road trip has gone so far,” he said.

As the Raiders continue their road trip south of the border this week, Hildebrand said he’s enjoying playing in the lively atmospheres of the American rinks and was impressed with the Spokane area. He’ll get to experience Seattle this week when the green and gold take on the defending champion Thunderbirds on Tuesday night.

“Really good fans here, I’ve heard nothing but great things about the fans in the States and they didn’t disappoint (in Spokane),” he said. “Obviously Seattle’s a really nice place. I was really surprised with the downtown Spokane area…got to walk around there a little bit and it was really nice.”

“Just being around the guys…there’s nothing better.”

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nolan.kowal@pattisonmedia.com