Playoff Preview: Raiders and Rebels set for third playoff meeting

In 2019, the Raiders made quick work of the Rebels in the first round winning four straight games and outscoring the Rebels 17-9 in the series. The Raiders continued that run through the playoffs that year to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

In 2013, it was the opposite story with the Rebels sweeping the Raiders in the first round. The Rebels outscored the Raiders 12-5 in that series, but would go on to lose in seven games to Calgary in the second round.

The Raiders also defeated the Rebels in a tiebreak game for the final playoff spot in 2014.

Season Series

The Raiders and the Rebels split the season series this year 2-2; both teams had a win at home and on the road.

On Oct. 5, the Raiders hosted and scored early with Jonah Sivertson earning the game winner in a 4-1 Raiders victory.

On Dec. 6, the Rebels hosted and earned a 2-1 lead in the first, but the Raiders scored five straight goals through the second and third periods for a 7-3 win.

On March 3, the Raiders were at home with a 3-1 lead heading into the third, but the Rebels came back with three goals in the final seven minutes and captured a 4-3 win.

Finally, on March 7, the Rebels hosted and Matthew Kondro stopped 28 of 29 shots to help the Rebels to a 3-1 win, the final loss of the Raiders’ regular season.

Overall, the Raiders outscored the Rebels 15-11 in those four games this year.

Raiders forward Brandon Gorzynski leads the season series in scoring between the Raiders and Rebels, although all six points he had against the Rebels this year were scored as a member of the Calgary Hitmen before his trade to Prince Albert. Gorzynski didn’t have a point in the two games he played against the Rebels as a member of the Raiders.

That means the leader of the season series is actually Rebels forward Matej Mikes, who had 3G-2A-5P in three games against the Raiders this year.

In goal, Raiders goaltender Michal Orsulak never played a game against the Rebels this season, and Steele Bass was in net for two losses against the Rebels. Both Raiders wins over the Rebels had Dimitri Fortin in the crease.

For the Rebels, Matthew Kondro played stellar against the Raiders in the three games he played against them. On the season, Kondro posted a 0.892 save percentage in 44 games. In three games against the Raiders, Kondro posted a 0.916.

Looking at the stats, the home ice advantage might not matter too much in this series. In the four-game season series, the Raiders and Rebels both won one game at home and one game on the road.

Oddly enough, both teams also won the same amount of games at home this year compared to on the road. The Raiders won 52 games, split evenly at 26 at home and 26 on the road. The Rebels won 26 games this season, split evenly with 13 at home and 13 on the road.

During the season, the Raiders earned 786 penalty minutes (PIMs) to average about 11.6 PIMs per game, while Red Deer took 876 PIMs to average about 12.8 per game. In the four game season series however, the Rebels had 20 powerplays to the Raiders’ 18.

The Raiders come in as the eighth oldest team in the league with an average age of 18.3 years old, while the Rebels are the 14th oldest team in the league at an average age of 18.0.

Full Breakdown

Coming into the playoffs, the Raiders are on a six-game winning streak including two straight shutouts over Saskatoon to end the season and secure the top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Raiders are 8-2-0 (Wins-Losses-Overtime Losses) in their last 10 games, but both of those losses are to the Rebels.

On the other hand, the Rebels finished the season with two straight losses to Medicine Hat. The Rebels are 4-4-2 in their last ten games, including wins over Lethbridge, Brandon, and twice over the Raiders.

Looking at the special teams battle, the Raiders have the advantage when you look at the whole season, but the Rebels had much better special teams in the season series.

The Raiders powerplay finished fifth in the league at 28.3%, but against the Rebels this season the Raiders powerplay only went 3/20, or 15%. On the penalty kill, the Raiders penalty kill finished seventh in the league at 79.4%, but against the Rebels, the Raiders penalty kill dipped again to 72.2%.

As for the Rebels, their special teams elevated their play against the Raiders. The Rebels powerplay operated at 19.8% through the season to finish 17th in the league, but they elevated their play against the Raiders up to 27.8%. Same with the penalty kill – the Rebels were near the bottom of the league at 72.5% or 20th in the league, but against the Raiders they went up to 85%.

Daxon Rudolph finished the season as the Raiders leading scorer with 26G-50A-78P, followed up by a tie for second between Aiden Oiring with 28G-41A-69P and Brandon Gorzynski with 27G-42A-69P. Max Heise finished the season in fourth but led the Raiders in goal scoring with 29G-34A-63P.

Scoring streaks:

Alisher Sarkenov has 2G-3A in his last three games

Daxon Rudolph has 0G-4A in his last three games

Although not a true streak because of a pointless game two games ago, Brayden Dube has 3G-3A in his last five games

As for the Rebels, they were led this season by Beckett Hamilton with 24G-38A-62P. Behind him was former Edmonton Oil King Poul Anderson with 25G-21A-46P, then Talon Brigley, third with 20G-18A-38P, and former Kelowna Rocket Kalder Varga sitting fourth with 21G-16A-37P.

Scoring streaks:

Poul Anderson has 4G-3A in his last four games

Beckett Hamilton has 1G-4A in his last three games

Talon Brigley has 1G-2A in his last two games

In goal, Michal Orsulak finished the season with the fifth-best save percentage in the league at 0.907, the best goals against average in the league at 2.22, the second most shutouts with four, and his record of 28-4-4 has him sitting fifth in the league for wins.

Steele Bass earned his third shutout of the season in the last game of the season, elevating his record to 11-4-1, along with a 0.915 save percentage and a 1.94 goals against average.

As for the Rebels, it’s Matthew Kondro leading the way with a record of 19-19-5 on the year, a 0.892 save percentage, a 3.49 goals against average, and one shutout. As pointed out above though, Kondro’s numbers have been much better in the three games played against the Raiders this year.

Behind him is Peyton Shore, who has a 4-12-1 record this year, a 0.859 save percentage, a 4.71 goals against average, and one shutout on the year. Shore has not played since a March 6 loss to Medicine Hat.

The Raiders and Rebels kick off round one of the 2026 WHL Playoffs on Friday at the Art Hauser Centre. All times below are on Saskatchewan time.

Full Schedule:

Game 1: Fri. March 27 @ Prince Albert 7 p.m.

Game 2: Sat. March 28 @ Prince Albert 7 p.m.

Game 3: Tue. March 31 @ Red Deer 7 p.m.

Game 4: Wed. Apr. 1 @ Red Deer 7 p.m.

Game 5: Fri. Apr. 3 @ Prince Albert 7 p.m.

Game 6: Sun. Apr. 5 @ Red Deer 4 p.m.

Game 7: Tue. Apr. 7 @ Prince Albert 7 p.m.

You can listen in to every game of the Raiders 2026 WHL Playoffs run on 900 CKBI and Brandt Raider Radio, starting with the pregame show half hour before the puck drops.

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nick.nielsen@pattisonmedia.com

by Nick Nielsen

Playoff Preview: Raiders and Rebels set for third playoff meeting

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