Cale Sanders (16 on the ice) and Keaton Sorenson (20) have been big parts of the Raiders offensive attack lately. (Jeff D'Andrea/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Raiders vs. ICE

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Dec 14, 2021 | 1:18 PM

Only three teams in the WHL can boast that they’ve beaten the Winnipeg ICE this season. The Prince Albert Raiders are one of them, and they’ll get a chance to do it again tonight, this time on home ice.

In the last meeting between the two teams, the Raiders spoiled a then-perfect home record for Winnipeg, coming back from down 3-0 to force overtime before Sloan Stanick scored the winner. The Raiders are almost uniquely qualified to talk about how to beat Winnipeg, and it won’t be easy.

“You’ve got to, one, work as hard as you can,” said Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid. “The other thing is, you really have to play together. You’ve got to try to sort out what they do and try to put the other team in positions they’re not comfortable in, and get a few breaks.”

The Raiders did catch some breaks against Winnipeg in the last meeting, including a defensive breakdown that led to a two-on-none rush for Reece Vitelli and Keaton Sorenson, but they didn’t feel that defined the contest. Hard work, some fearless shot blocking, and a stalwart goaltending performance from Tikhon Chaika all contributed to the win.

“Last game, we deserved to win,” said Habscheid. “It wasn’t a fluke, our guys played great. They did a really good job playing together. Hopefully we can try to do it again.”

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Counting that game, the Raiders have had a lot more offensive success in their recent stretch. While they only scored twice in a road game against Regina, they’ve been getting it done at home, scoring four goals in two of their last three games and taking a 4-3 shootout win over Calgary in the third.

“You look at Sorenson and (Cale) Sanders they’ve really stepped up,” Habscheid said. “And good for them, they just work hard and play within the structure and they’ve been successful and we’re happy for them. Everyone pitches in. We’re getting contributions from different people.”

Winnipeg can lay claim to the top power play not only in the WHL but in the entire CHL, however, at 34.2 percent. The Raiders home penalty killing is excellent, ranked first in the league at 90.4 percent, but they’re ranked 21^st overall thanks to some struggles on the road.

Puck drop between the two teams is set for 7:00 p.m. You can catch all the action starting with the pregame show at 6:30, on 900 CKBI.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP