Niall Crocker had an assist during the Raiders 4-3 loss in Regina on Saturday. (Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Logan Lehmann

Close finish

Pats defuse late comeback to down Raiders

Jan 13, 2024 | 11:17 PM

The Prince Albert Raiders dropped a physical contest on Saturday night, falling 4-3 against the Regina Pats at the Brandt Centre.

The loss comes a day after coming away with a 4-3 shootout win over the Victoria Royals at home.

With P.A. down 3-2 in the final two minutes of the contest, the Pats managed to extend the lead to two before Brayden Dube sparked some life into the Raiders with his tenth of the season with 55 seconds remaining on the clock. However, Regina was able to defuse the comeback attempt and hang on for the win.

Dube also potted an assist while Sloan Stanick finished with the same stat line of one goal and one assist. Krzysztof Macias was the other goal scorer while Niall Crocker was the only other assist getter.

Jaxsin Vaughan, Sam Oremba, Tye Spencer, and Anthony Wilson each lit the lamp for the Pats while P.A.’s Tanner Howe led the assist column with two. Ty Gibson, Braxton Whitehead, Carson Haynes, and Kelton Pyne all had one helper each.

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Max Hildebrand was in goal for P.A. and made 24 stops as the Raiders fall to 19-19-0-3 on the campaign.

Pyne was in net for the Pats and turned aside 26 shots to help Regina improve to 15-20-4-2 on the year.

COMPLETE BOX SCORE

The Pats got the party started midway through the first when Vaughan got the puck off a turnover and ripped it glove side on Hildebrand.

It remained a one-goal game through the first and into the second until Regina scored again on the powerplay. Gibson’s initial point shot was stopped, but Oremba was on the doorstep to double the Pats lead.

Finally in the early stages of the third, the Raiders broke the goose egg while on the man advantage. Stanick fired a shot from the blueline towards the goal that ended up hitting Crocker in front and going away from the goal. However, the deflected puck landed on the tape of Macias who beat a sprawling Pyne to re-establish the one-goal deficit.

Less than two minutes later, the game was back to even. Dube sprung Stanick on a breakaway who pulled off a nifty fake to bury goal number 18 on the year.

The Pats did have a response however as the powerplay was rewarded again. Howe’s shot was stopped by Hildebrand and the puck shot out to Whitehead who fanned trying to take shot. The puck had enough force on it though to make it to the front of the goal as Spencer was their to bury the loose puck, making it 3-2.

Regina added another with just under two minutes to go off the tape of Wilson in what looked like the final nail in the coffin. Not ready to give up yet, Dube lit the lamp for P.A. with 55 second remaining making it 4-3.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, Wilson’s marker was the final nail as Regina hung on for the narrow one-goal win.

The Raiders wrap up their three-in-three weekend on Sunday afternoon when they pay a visit to the Wheat Kings in Brandon for a 2:00 p.m. puck drop. Nolan Kowal will have the call on 900 CKBI with the pregame show beginning at 1:30 p.m.

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com