Rebels forward Cameron Kuzma gets a onetimer away as the Rebels earn a win in Game 4 to extend the series. (Image Credit: Taylor Lachance/Red Deer Rebels)

By Nick Nielsen

Raiders lead series 3-1

Raiders fooled by Rebels in Game 4

Apr 2, 2026 | 12:05 AM

With gritty win on Tuesday to take a 3-0 series lead, the Prince Albert Raiders were poised to earn the first round sweep Wednesday night against the Red Deer Rebels. The Raiders played two great periods but would run into some bad luck that lead a tie heading to the third, but the Rebels would slow the game down in the third and take a 4-3 win to extend the series.

The Raiders came out to play early, and they took the lead early. Just 4:35 in, Linden Burrett put the puck down low below the goal line and Brayden Dube picked it up behind the net. He came out the left side and looked for a pass across the ice. Instead, his pass was deflected by a skate right to Brandon Gorzynski who hammered a onetimer for his first of the playoffs.

Then on the powerplay, the Raiders scored just six seconds in. At the 8:00 mark, Aiden Oiring won a faceoff but wasn’t credited for an assist, and the puck came to Brock Cripps. He passed to the wall for Daxon Rudolph coming in to the middle, and Rudolph fired for his third of the playoffs and a 2-0 lead.

In the final minute of the period though, the Rebels got their first bit of good luck. At the 19:12 mark, Cameron Dillard fired a shot from the left point that found it’s way around a screen that found its way into the back of the net.

After 1: Raiders 2 – 1 Rebels, shots 12-4 Raiders

Raiders lead series 3-1

Raiders fooled by Rebels in Game 4

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The Rebels got their second bit of good luck on their first shot of the period at 2:45. Again it was Cameron Dillard, but this time his shot came from the right point, but it deflected off a Raiders defender and into the back of the net.

From there, the Raiders took control of the rest of the period and didn’t allow the Rebels another shot for almost 12 minutes. In the middle of that, Riley Boychuk received a pass at the right side of the Rebel blueline, and he passed into the middle for Ben Harvey on the rush. He went side by side down either side of the slot with Connor Howe, Harvey fed Howe, and Howe fired a wrist shot for his first playoff goal at 8:15.

At the 14:31, the Rebels got their second shot of the period, again from the point, and again it found the back of the net. This time it was forward Beckett Hamilton curling off the left wall and into the middle, and he fired a shot that Michal Orsulak got a piece of, but not enough and the Rebels had tied the game again.

After 2: Raiders 3 – 3 Rebels, shots 22-4 Raiders, 34-8 Raiders overall

With their second powerplay of the game 30 seconds into the third, the Rebels got the go ahead goal. This time Hamilton made a pass into the middle of the slot for Kalder Varga, and he fired to give the Rebels the lead at 1:24.

From there, the third period slowed right down to dump and chase hockey as neither team could carry the puck over centre ice. The Raiders would eventually get Michal Orsulak pulled out of the net and create some chances 6-on-5, but it was too little too late and the Rebels took Game 4.

FINAL: Raiders 3 – 4 Rebels, shots 5-4 Rebels, 38-13 Raiders overall

While Braeden Cootes was held off the board for the first time this series, Daxon Rudolph’s goal extends his playoff point streak to four games with 3G-4A so far in the first round.

The Raiders return home for Game 5 on Friday to try and close out the series at the Art Hauser Centre.