Tikhon Chaika gets a snow shower from Tristen Robins as he holds the puck. (Submitted Photo/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Rob Mahon

51 Shots For Raiders

Raiders drop overtime contest with Blades

Mar 12, 2022 | 6:39 AM

The playoff mentality brought another strong effort from the Prince Albert Raiders against the Saskatoon Blades. Unfortunately, unlike in the last three games, they couldn’t turn that effort into a win, thanks in large part to some stellar goaltending at the other end.

Although the Raiders poured 51 shots on the Saskatoon net in a relentless attack, they lost 3-2 in overtime with Yegor Sidorov potting the winner. Hayden Pakkala got both Raider goals, while Tikhon Chaika stopped 30 of 33 shots he faced.

Though the Raiders outshot the Blades 16-10 in the opening frame, it was Saskatoon who opened the scoring. Josh Pillar threw the puck on net from below the goal line and it hit first the stick and then the arm of Terrell Goldsmith and dropped neatly at the feet of Vaughn Watterodt at the far side of the Raider net. With the net wide open, Watterodt made no mistake.

In the second period, those Raider chances began to turn into goals, thanks to relentless cycle work by the line of Pakkala, Cale Sanders, and Vladislav Shilo. On the first goal, Sanders bulldozed his way up the left wing boards all the way back to the point before spinning it toward the goal. It ended up right on Pakkala’s tape, and he backed off a step before spinning and firing home his eighth.

Pakkala scored a similar goal later on in the period with Sanders knocking down a point shot by Eric Johnston and steering it over to him. The rookie outwaited the veteran Nolan Meier and flipped it past his outstretched right pad to give the Raiders the lead.

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A golden chance to build on the lead came to nothing as the Raiders had 59 seconds of 5-on-3 that, despite some good looks, could not beat Maier for the third goal. After Saskatoon tied the score on a power play of their own, with Brandon Lisowsky sniping his 31^st, the Raiders appeared to get the go ahead goal when Remy Aquilon wrapped it around the net and fired home what would’ve been his fourth of the year. The goal was called off due to an offside review, however.

Still the Raiders pressed, piling up shots on goal but having no luck beating Maier. With another power play late in the third period as Tristen Robins was off for boarding, the Raiders still had no luck beating Maier. When they finally got a puck past him in overtime, Reece Vitelli hit the post.

Four on four play was still in effect when the Blades came back the other way, with Rhett Rhinehart driving the net to create a rebound for Sidorov that he buried. The two teams get right back at it in Saskatoon tomorrow. Puck drop is 7:00 p.m.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP