Gavin McKenna scores his second shorthanded goal of the game as the Tigers would take game two 5-4 in overtime. (Randy Feere/Medicine Hat Tigers)

By Nick Nielsen

Raiders down 2-0 in series

Electric comeback brings Raiders to overtime, fall short to Tigers

Apr 13, 2025 | 11:21 PM

After dropping game one of the series where the Prince Albert Raiders were still trying to figure out the Medicine Hat Tigers, the Raiders contended and even outplayed the Tigers during game two. Still, the Raiders would trail most of the game and have to fight back late to tie it, but the Tigers would get the game winner in overtime 5-4 to take a 2-0 series lead headed back to Prince Albert.

The Raiders would get a grade A chance in the first period when Aiden Oiring was sprung on a breakaway early, but he’d hit the cross bar with his backhand. After that, both teams traded unsuccessful powerplays.

With the Tigers second powerplay, they’d open the scoring at the 16:24 mark. From the point, Bryce Pickford would fire towards the goal and Oasiz Wiesblatt would tip it between the outstretched legs of Max Hildebrand into the back of the net.

After 1: Raiders 0 – 1 Tigers, shots 7-7

The Raiders got a powerplay early in the second, but instead it was Gavin McKenna who would shine on the penalty kill. He’d steal the puck in his own zone and go down the ice on a routine 2-on-2 rush. McKenna, a lefty, cut in from the right, backhanded the puck behind his back towards his right, then spun the opposite direction towards his forehand to pick up his own ‘pass’, then continued to spin towards his forehand and fire a dart through a screen and into the back of the net at 6:51.

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The rest of the period was played fairly even, including the full two minutes of 4-on-4 where the Raiders continued to skate with the speedy Tigers team. It would set up a wild end to the game in the third.

After 2: Raiders 0 – 2 Tigers, shots 11-8 Tigers, 18-15 Tigers overall

It took a while, but the Raiders finally cracked the goose egg in the third. Evan Smith won a faceoff back clean to Linden Burrett at the right point, and he didn’t hesitate to fire around a screen, off the post, and into the net for his first career playoff goal at 9:46.

The Tigers would get it right back though at 10:58 when Kadon McCann won a puck battle in the corner and sent it out front for Mathew Ward. He had too much space to get to the goal, and he made a move around Hildebrand before tucking it into the back of the net on the backhand.

Then at 12:17, the Raiders scored again. This time on the Raiders fifth powerplay of the game, Justice Christensen sent a puck towards the goal. The rebound came to Riley Boychuk at the side of the net, and he’d send it out front for Harrison Lodewyk to swat home his first of the playoffs.

With the Raiders down a goal, the Tigers scored with less than three minutes left to go and it looked to be the final blow. Again with the Raiders on the powerplay, Gavin McKenna got the puck and hustled down the left wall. This time he kept it simple with a wrist shot fivehole for his second shorthanded goal of the game at 17:45.

The Raiders refused to die though, and on that same powerplay with Hildebrand pulled, Daxon Rudolph on the left point put the puck ahead for Brayden Dube on the wall, and he sent a pass into the low slot for Rilen Kovacevic. He turned, fired, and scored at 18:23 for his fifth of the playoffs.

Then at 18:58, with Hildebrand still at the bench, Oiring sent the puck into the middle for Kovacevic again, this time in the high slot, and he fired through traffic for his second goal in 37 seconds, his sixth of the playoffs, and to send things into overtime.

After 3: Raiders 4 – 4 Tigers, shots 15-13 Raiders, 31-30 Tigers overall

In overtime, the Raiders managed to generate just a single shot early before the Tigers started to cycle. Lodewyk would step up for a hit at centre that got called boarding at 8:42, and the Tigers powerplay only needed eight seconds to find the back of the net.

Off the faceoff, the puck would come to Pickford at the right point, and he’d fire a hard shot towards the goal that was intended for the back door tip of Liam Ruck, and he nailed it for his second of the playoffs and the overtime winner.

FINAL (OT): Raiders 4 – 5 Tigers, shots 7-1 Tigers, 38-31 Tigers overall

Raiders trail the series 2-0

The Raiders powerplay went 0/4 through the first two periods, but they’d end the night with a more than respectable 2/6 or 33.3% on the night.

Game three is set to go at the Art Hauser Centre on Wednesday.