Raiders goaltender Carter Serhyenko makes one of his 32 saves on Sunday against the ICE. Keith Hershmiller/WHL

By Jeff D’Andrea

Serhyenko keeps his Raiders in it until OT against ICE

Mar 21, 2021 | 7:20 PM

The Prince Albert Raiders got a point on Sunday in a 3-2 overtime defeat to the Winnipeg ICE, and can largely thank sophomore netminder Carter Serhyenko for that.

He was under fire throughout the game, but Serhyenko stood tall to make 32 saves on 35 shots to keep his Raiders in the game before ICE forward Connor McClennon ended it 35 seconds into the extra frame.

Against the run of play, the Raiders had a 1-0 advantage thanks to Evan Herman’s goal. But in the second period, it was all ICE. They were able to tie the game after earning a 5-on-3 advantage as Benjamin Zloty equalized for the ICE. After the second period, the Raiders were getting outshot 27-12.

With the 24 WHL games being crammed together in the Subway Hub Centre as most teams are playing every second day, teams with two serviceable goalies will have a significant advantage. The Raiders have exactly that, with Serhyenko sporting a .933 save percentage through two games, and overager Max Paddock, who has been brilliant for the Raiders since he arrived last year from the Regina Pats.

“They’ve both been great for us, hats off to them. They’ve both been unbelievable, keeping us in the game,” said Herman, who also added an assist in the game. “I think up front, we need to be doing our job to make sure we’re making their lives easier. But they’re both kicking real good right now and they’re keeping us in these ones.”

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Raider forward Evan Herman had a goal and an assist in Sunday’s affair, giving him 6 points to start the year. Keith Hershmiller/WHL

The ICE earning that two-man advantage in the second period and scoring was a big turning point in the game, according to Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid.

“In the second period, the ice was tilted. Carter played good, he kept us in,” Habscheid said, adding he was mostly happy with the rest of the game. “The 5-on-3 and that power play, that was a momentum changer for sure. We never came close, and they generated momentum off of it.”

It only took Adam McNutt four games into his WHL career to get on the scoresheet. After jumping on the ice in the third period, McNutt gave the Raiders a 2-1 advantage midway through the third period with a blast from the point.

“It felt pretty good to get the first one out of the way and get the boys in the lead, there,” McNutt said. “It would have been better if we would have won the game, but it still means a lot to me… I came off the bench and I saw Hermy was coming up the wall there. I called for it, I stepped into it and it went in the back of the net.”

ICE forward Cole Muir tied the game up, shortly after a power play, with 4:22 remaining in the third period to force overtime. The win extends the ICE’s winning streak to four games as they move to 4-1 on the year. The Raiders are 2-1-1-1 through five games.

Mixing up the socks for a good cause

Both teams wore mismatched socks to support World Down Syndrome Day to help raise awareness. World Down Syndrome Day is on the 21^st day of the third month each year, to signify “the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome,” according to Down Syndrome International.

Scoring Summary

First Period

1-0, Raiders, Evan Herman from Ozzy Wiesblatt and Reece Vitelli, 8:04

Second Period

1-1, ICE, Benjamin Zloty from Connor McClennon and Peyton Krebs (power play), 11:06

Third Period

2-1, Raiders, Adam McNutt from Evan Herman and Ozzy Wiesblatt, 11:11

2-2, ICE, Cole Muir from Mike Ladyman and Conor Geekie, 15:38

Overtime

3-2, ICE, Connor McClennon from Nolan Orzeck, 0:35

Injury report

After leaving Game 3 against the Brandon Wheat Kings, Raider forward Logan Danis returned to the lineup to face his former team. Second-year forward Tyson Laventure sat to make room for the returning Danis. Raider captain Kaiden Guhle missed his third straight game with his hand injury.

Back it at

The Raiders will be back in the saddle on Monday, taking on the Swift Current Broncos at 4 p.m. for their first back-to-back situation of the season. The Broncos are 0-5 through their first five games and have been outscored 22-10 in that time.

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW