(Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Nolan Kowal

Must win?

Raiders try to bounce back in pivotal Game 4

Apr 3, 2024 | 1:09 PM

Following an excruciating overtime loss to the Saskatoon Blades on Tuesday night, the Prince Albert Raiders will try to bounce back Wednesday night as their first round playoff series continues.

Saskatoon leads the best of seven series two games to one heading into Game 4 Wednesday.

Raiders Head Coach Jeff Truitt said his team will need a better start on Wednesday after giving up two early goals in the Game 3 loss.

“The start is huge…we’ve got to make sure that we come out with that desperate execution,” said Truitt. “It’s not like we didn’t come out desperate [in Game 3], it was intense right from the start, but we’ve got to execute plays, we’ve got to get pucks in deep, get our forecheck going.”

“We’ve got to make sure we’re on pucks and pressuring as much as we can.”

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NHL prospect Ryder Ritchie has been arguably the Raiders best player in the series, leading the team with five points. Sloan Stanick is right behind him with four points, although he has yet to score in the playoffs.

Another storyline to watch is the Blades goaltending. After starter Austin Elliott played and lost Game 1, Saskatoon has turned to rookie Evan Gardner for the last two games. Gardner was sharp in Game 2, but gave up three goals on just 21 shots in Game 3. Who the Blades go to in Game 4 remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, Max Hildebrand has carried the load in the Raiders crease, facing 109 shots through the first three games.

Game 4 starts just after 7 p.m. on Wednesday. You can catch all the action on 900 CKBI if you can’t make it to the rink. Another near capacity crowd at the Art Hauser Centre is expected.

Following Game 4, the series shifts back to Saskatoon on Friday for Game 5.

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nolan.kowal@pattisonmedia.com