Tickets for Tuesday's game sold out in 6 minutes Monday morning. (PA Raiders/Facebook)

By paNOW Staff

do or die

‘We’re going home!’: Raiders radio broadcaster amped up for Game 7

Apr 7, 2025 | 3:25 PM

It’s a game Prince Albert Raiders fans have been waiting for since 2019.

That’s the last time the team hit the ice for a Game 7 series finale and fans are pumped.

In fact, seats for Tuesday night’s game at the Art Hauser Centre sold out within six minutes Monday morning leaving only standing room options.

The series shifted back to Prince Albert after a 4-3 win against the Edmonton Oil Kings on Sunday. Lukas Dragicevic scored with 52.2 seconds left on the clock to put the Raiders ahead 4-3. It was the biggest goal of Dragicevic’s WHL career so far and one of the biggest calls the voice of the Raiders has got to make in his broadcasting career so far.

“Let’s go home! Let’s go home!” Nick Nielsen screamed across the airwaves; it was a phrase he’d been keeping in his back pocket.

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“It was used by the broadcaster Kenny Smith on ESPN in reference to Vince Carter’s 2000 NBA dunk contest,” laughed Nielsen. “Last minute powerplay goal to win it and bring it back to the Hauser felt like the right moment to pull it out.”

Nielsen will be scrambling for more phrases while resting his voice during the quick turnaround for Game 7.

“In Edmonton, it is eerily quiet. I want to give Oil Kings fans a little but of credit because when the fans are there, they make noise, they’ve got their signs out and they’re supporting their boys well. But there’s a difference between a few thousand people in an 18,000 person venue and having a sold-out crowd at the Art Hauser Centre,” said Nielsen.

“I’ve been hearing about the playoff atmosphere of the Art Hauser Centre all season – and long before I got here.”

Friday’s Game 5 happened in front of 3,222 people which is just 70 spots shy of a complete sellout.

“It completely blew anything I had heard about out of the water. This is one of the most special atmospheres I have ever been in to call a game before, and I have not slept yet thinking about going into the Hauser for Tuesday.”

Raiders play-by-play broadcaster Nick Nielsen joined the team last July after working in the SJHL. (Submitted photo/Nick Nielsen)

Sunday’s game ended up being a huge night for Rilen Kovacevic, who scored a goal and added three assists, picking up points on all four Raider goals. Nielsen said there were a lot of people looking at him to produce. In January, the team traded 20-year-old forward Krzysztof Macias, 17-year-old forward Luke Moroz, and a fourth round pick in 2027 for Kovacevic.

“He didn’t produce as much as fans and himself would have liked to go through part of the season here, but he was injured in the last five games of the regular season and I think he’s been doing great during the playoffs,” said Nielsen. “I interviewed him before the game on Sunday and he told me that he wasn’t happy with his production so far. After the game, you know he puts up three primary assists and a shorthanded goal, I asked him, are you feeling happy now? And he said, ‘No, not until we win.’ So, if that doesn’t tell you how much these guys want this series, I don’t know what will.”

Puck drops at 7 p.m. Tuesday night for the deciding Game 7 to see who will play the Medicine Hat Tigers in round two. You can catch all the action with Nielsen on 900 CKBI – the home of Brandt Raider radio with the pre-game show starting at 6:30 p.m.

The Raiders organization is encouraging fans to attend the game early. Doors will open at 6 p.m. They also reminded the public that the Hauser is a City of Prince Albert facility and as such, does not allow the use of any standing devices such as boxes, crates or ladders to enter the building.

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