Raiders rookie Tyson Laventure. (Lucas Chudleigh/Apollo Multimedia)

By Jeff D'Andrea

Laventure's Adventure

Laventure finding his scoring touch

Oct 30, 2019 | 3:00 PM

When Tyson Laventure looks back and reflects on his WHL career, he’ll probably think about his second goal a little more than his first.

Laventure scored his first WHL career goal with just 4.9 seconds left of a 4-3 defeat to the Portland Winterhawks on Wednesday midway through the Raiders’ U.S. Division road trip. It was unfortunate timing for such a fun and important milestone, mere seconds away from a defeat.

“I was happy to get the goal, but in the end of that game, we didn’t get the win. That’s what we need to be focused on more. So the second one was better,” Laventure smiled.

So Laventure made sure to score at his very next opportunity. In the Raiders’ next game on Friday against the Tri-City Americans, Laventure scored the first goal of the game. That goal came in handy as the Raiders beat the Americans 3-2 in a shootout.

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“It felt really good to get that one in to start the game and get the momentum to help us win that win,” Laventure said.

Laventure is one of just two 16-year-olds on the Raiders this season, the other being defenceman Nolan Allan who will be representing Canada at the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Swift Current Nov. 2-9.

But as such, Laventure has had to make adjustments in his game. He’s been in the rookie rotation to get into the lineup, and has played in eight of the Raiders’ 14 games so far. If the U.S. road trip and his recent scoring is any indication, Laventure might be earning himself a little more ice.

“I think I’ve started to get used to the pace of the game and learning the systems. I’m working really hard to get stronger and faster so I can fit in better,” Laventure said.

Laventure was the Raiders’ second round pick in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft, and got a little opportunity last season with the team. He appeared in four regular season games and travelled with the team during their playoff run.

“That helped me a ton for sure,” Laventure said. “It showed me what I needed to do to get ready for this year to make the team, and a full-time jump into the league.”

After a two-week absence, the Raiders (9-2-3) are back playing on home ice on Friday against the Regina Pats (2-10-1) at the Art Hauser Centre. The Raiders will then head to Moose Jaw to face the Warriors (6-6-1) on Saturday.

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW