Niall Crocker picked up his second goal in as many games during the Raiders 3-0 win over Lethbridge on Feb. 7, 2024. (Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Logan Lehmann

win column

Raiders blank Hurricanes in dominant showing

Feb 7, 2024 | 11:02 PM

The Prince Albert Raiders were firing on all cylinders on Wednesday night.

A dominant offensive and defensive outing combined with solid goaltending was the perfect mix to help the Raiders shutout the Lethbridge Hurricanes 3-0 at the Art Hauser Centre.

The win was the second in a row for P.A. as they downed the Medicine Hat Tigers 3-2 at home on Saturday.

“We had confidence in all four lines,” said Raiders Head Coach Jeff Truitt postgame. “There were a couple of situational plays where they won the matchup but our guys played well. Simple was better – I thought we had the puck an awful lot here tonight. We had good quality chances, we defended well, but the simplicity of the game tonight was what put us over the top. Penalty kill was good, power play gets one, the lines were rolling and I thought we dictated the tempo of the game.”

As a result of the win, the Raiders now sit in the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, one point ahead of Calgary in ninth and one point behind Lethbridge in seventh.

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“It’s a challenge every night,” continued Truitt, when asked what the win means heading into the weekend. “We want that challenge, we accept that challenge, and our group is getting better and better. That’s the biggest thing.”

Finding the back of the net for the Raiders was Niall Crocker, Brayden Dube, and Harrison Lodewyk while Sloan Stanick, Terrell Goldsmith, Cole Peardon, and Eric Johnston tallied the assists.

Collecting his second shutout of the season was Max Hildebrand who made 18 saves to help Prince Albert improve to 23-24-1-3 on the campaign.

In the opposite goal for Lethbridge was Harrison Meneghin who turned aside 37 and was handed the loss as the Hurricanes fall to 24-22-3-0 on the year.

COMPLETE BOX SCORE

The Raiders found themselves in the lead after the opening period, though just by one goal. While on the power play, a scrum for the loose puck ensued in front of the Lethbridge goal and after a couple of whacks at the puck from either side, Crocker was the lucky one who found the back of the net to put P.A. in front.

The 1-0 advantage didn’t last long into the second as the Raiders doubled it less than three minutes in. Peardon carried the puck up on the rush and dished a pass in front for Dube who was in the right place at the right time to tap home his third goal in the last two games.

Tempers began to flare towards the 15-minute mark of the period as Oli Chenier and Kale Tipler decided to duke it out. Tipler got Chenier off balance early in the tilt before Chenier landed a couple blows and eventually jersey’d Tipler to win. On top of the five-minute major penalties to either player, Tipler had to head to the locker room for some repairs.

Later in the frame, another scrum in front of the Lethbridge net resulted in a Raiders goal. This time, it was Lodewyk on the door step who jammed home the puck and extend the lead to three.

Despite not scoring for the remainder of the contest, the Raiders managed to stand tall on defense by allowing only four shots in the third period to hang on for the 3-0 victory.

The Raiders now get Thursday off before hitting the ice again on Friday when they travel to Saskatoon to visit the Blades in their eighth meeting of the season.

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com