Max Hildebrand makes a save in the second period as the Broncos pour on the offence. (Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Nick Nielsen

Raiders lose 9-4

Slow start for Raiders snaps winning streak

Nov 2, 2024 | 9:22 AM

With the Prince Albert Raiders looked like they had finally found some momentum after two big wins in a row over Seattle and Regina, and they were excited to welcome back former Raiders captain Eric Johnston to the Art Hauser Centre as he brought the Swift Current Broncos. The Raiders got off to a bad start and could never recover, losing 9-4 in the end.

The Broncos made the Raiders pay for a turnover at the Raider blueline, and a quick passing play saw Brady Birnie score at 1:46. The Raiders then got the game’s first powerplay, but after failing to score the Broncos would attack right away with Clarke Caswell picking up the goal at 4:59.

The Broncos would score again at 7:36 thanks to a cross ice feed from Johnston over to Sawyer Dingman who had way too much time and space to shoot. The final goal of the period saw Brady Birnie score his second of the game at 14:47.

The Raiders would get a powerplay at the end of the period that they wouldn’t score on, but it would carry over to the second.

After 1: Raiders 0 – 4 Broncos, shots 17-13 Broncos

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The second period started off well when the Raiders scored on the powerplay 51 seconds into the period. from the point, Tomas Mrsic sent the puck around the wall and behind the net for Niall Crocker. With some space, Crocker centered the puck for Aiden Oiring, and he sent the puck into the back of the net for his sixth of the season.

That was all the life the Raiders would show for a while as they Broncos scored the next four. To make matters worse, it was the Raiders former captain Eric Johnston who scored the eventual game winner at 4:10 as he drove the net for a backdoor tap in. Birnie would complete the hat trick at 8:14.

The Raiders would pull Max Hildebrand to bring in Cooper Anderson, but that only stopped the bleeding for a little bit. At the 15:42 mark, another defenceman Grayson Buryzinski would step up into the play to score, and the Broncos would then get a break off a dump in that Anderson thought he had covered, but the puck squirted free to Carlin Dezainde crashing the net and he potted it for the 8-1 lead.

From there, the Raiders started to show life despite the lopsided score. Ty Meunier found the puck outside the slot in the offensive zone, and he cut towards his left. A fake shot would force the goaltender to react, causing Meunier to disappear behind the screen in front and fire the puck into an open cage for his second of the season at 17:35. Justice Christensen and Aiden Oiring picked up assists.

After 2: Raiders 2 – Broncos 8, shots 18-7 Broncos, 35-20 Broncos overall

The third period belonged to the Raiders, but it was too little too late. 15-year-old defenceman Brock Cripps earned his first point as a Raider when he sent a pass to Justice Christensen in his own zone, and Christensen fed a streaking Brayden Dube. He sped down the right side of the ice, and Dube fired the puck fivehole at 5:37 to score.

Then on the powerplay once again, which went 2/5 on the night, Aiden Oiring would send a puck to the point for Tomas Mrsic, and he’d fire the puck on net. The shot was stopped, but Niall Crocker found the rebound and tucked it home for his eighth point in three games at 13:49.

The Broncos would score one last goal at 16:16 thanks to Clarke Caswell’s wrist shot, and the game would end in a disappointing effort for the Raiders.

FINAL: Raiders 4 – 9 Broncos, shots 13-7 Raiders, 42-33 Broncos overall

The Raiders have the rest of the weekend off before they head to Regina on Tuesday to take on the Pats.