Jackson Kostiuk (right) goes to hug Riley Boychuk who set up Kostiuk for his first goal in the WHL. (Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Nick Nielsen

Turtle Power!

Raiders start three games in three nights with win over Saskatoon

Jan 25, 2025 | 6:59 AM

With a four game winning streak before the game began and the game serving as the last of a four game homestand, the Prince Albert Raiders entertained their biggest crowd of the season Friday night when they welcomed the Saskatoon Blades. A wild first period got the Raiders an early lead and they never looked back as they won 6-3 to extend the win streak to five games and move into first place in the East Division.

The first period started with a bang. Just 2:31 seconds into the game, Aiden Oiring got the puck on the right point and made a nice play to cycle the puck to Tomas Mrsic. He took the puck down right wall and found a cross ice feed to Daxon Rudolph who blasted the onetimer to score his fourth of the season and extend his point streak to 10 games.

Then at 5:42, Oiring and Mrsic both picked up assists again as Brayden Dube fanned on Oiring’s onetimer pass. Dube then followed the puck below the goal line and quickly turned and banked it off the back of the goaltender, and the puck bounced high in the air before landing in the crease and spinning into the net for Dube’s 20th of the year.

At 13:34, the Raiders got their biggest lead of the game. Evan Smith started the play with a hold at the right point that he quickly played up the wall and into the corner. Ty Meunier corralled the puck and quickly sent it to the front of the net for Riley Boychuk in tight to the goal, and Boychuk flipped the puck over the blocker for his eighth of the year.

Then at 14:07, the Blades got on the board with a bit of a weird one. After the puck was dumped in, Cooper Williams found the puck below the Raiders goal line and he noticed Raiders goaltender Max Hildebrand wasn’t as tight to the post as he thought he was. Williams’ shot snuck between the close side post and Hildebrand, hitting the far side post and in.

Community Support

Poutine Fest raises nearly $9K for Big Brothers Big Sisters

6h ago

2025 wildfires

Members of St. Louis Fire Department receive Premier's Commendation award

6h ago

Affordable housing

First 18 Métis Nation homes to be ready this fall in Prince Albert

7h ago

The final 1:10 of the first period was the most wild sequence of the game. At 18:50, the Raiders scored again when Dube read a pass behind the net and cut the lane off. He’d get pinned to the wall with the puck in his skates, but Dube made a great play to kick the puck to his stick and send it out front, setting up Aiden Oiring for a great onetimer and his 19th of the season.

The Blades would storm back just 26 seconds later when Tyler Parr took the biggest hit of the game from Matteo Fabrizi, but Parr was still able to send the puck ahead to set up a 2-on-1. Hayden Harsanyi carried the puck and shot it to score at 19:16.

The Blades then got back to within one at the 19:48 on another 2-on-1, this time after a turnover at centre. Cooper Williams took the puck down the left and sent it to the right for Hunter Laing, and his quick shot found the back of the net.

After 1: Raiders 4 – 3 Blades, shots 18-10 Raiders

After a track meet of a first period, the second period was the exact opposite. The Blades put on the pressure and at one point hit a cross bar and the rebound shot had a look at an open net, but the Raiders managed to keep the Blades off the board.

After 2: Raiders 4 – 3 Blades, shots 16-5 Blades, 26-23 Blades overall

The third period was tense after it started off with a full two minutes of 4-on-4. The Raiders killed off a penalty early, going 3/3 on the penalty kill on the night, but even with the one goal lead the Art Hauser Centre still felt like something was coming.

At 15:44, the Raiders faithful finally got that moment they wanted to cheer. A great effort from Boychuk took the puck away from the Blades defence as they were trying to breakout, and Boychuk took two steps down the left wall before dropping the puck back to Jackson Kostiuk streaking in. Kostiuk’s first shot was stopped, but he battled for the puck and put his own rebound in, scoring his first goal as a Raider to thunderous applause.

The Raiders added one more on the empty net from Tomas Mrsic to complete the victory at 19:24, and the Raiders would take first place in the Eastern Division.

FINAL: Raiders 6 – 3 Blades, shots 9-9, 35-32 Blades overall

With the win, the Raiders move into first in the Eastern Division, tied with the Blades at 51 points, and the Raiders still have games in hand over everyone in the Eastern Conference except Swift Current in eighth.

Each member of the line of Aiden Oiring, Brayden Dube, and Tomas Mrsic recorded a goal during the game, combining for a total of 3G-5A on the night.

16-year-old defenceman Daxon Rudolph continues to be on tear. With the goal on the night, Rudolph extends his point streak to 10 games with 2G-11A in that time.

Jackson Kostiuk’s first goal in the WHL comes against the team that drafted him. Kostiuk was originally drafted 218th overall by the Blades in 2021.

The Raiders will continue their three games in three nights stretch Saturday when they head to Regina to take on the Regina Pats. The game begins at 6:00 p.m. with the pregame show on 900 CKBI starting at 5:30 p.m.