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Raiders captain Eric Johnston controls the puck last Saturday against Red Deer. (Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)
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Raiders host last-place Blazers as holiday break nears

Dec 12, 2023 | 11:00 AM

The Prince Albert Raiders are into the home stretch leading into the Christmas break.

The Raiders (16-14-0-2) play two more home games against Western Conference opponents beginning Tuesday with the Kamloops Blazers (7-18-3-2) visiting the Art Hauser Centre. It’ll be the only regular season meeting between the two teams this season. Kamloops is currently in last place in the Western Conference, while the Raiders currently occupy a playoff spot in the thick of the Eastern Conference standings.

The Raiders are 1-1 on their four-game homestand so far after a win over Calgary and a loss to Red Deer last weekend.

Who to Watch

Raiders forward Sloan Stanick scored again on Saturday and now leads the Raiders with 38 points. Stanick is up to 12 goals on the year and continues to be a threat every time he is on the ice.

Raiders forward Ryder Ritchie snapped an eight-game goalless drought on Friday when he scored against the Hitmen. The NHL prospect also added an assist on Stanick’s goal on Saturday and could be slowly coming out of a mini mid-season slump.

Raiders defenceman Terrell Goldsmith has been a physical menace in recent games. The Arizona Coyotes prospect loves to throw his weight around and always makes it tough on opposing forwards.

What’s Next

After Tuesday’s tilt with the Blazers, the green and gold finish up their first half schedule against the Kelowna Rockets on Friday at the Art Hauser Centre. That will also be the only regular season meeting between the two clubs.

Following that game, the Raiders will break for the holidays before returning to action on Dec. 27 in Saskatoon against the rival Blades.

nolan.kowal@pattisonmedia.com