Raiders defenceman Linden Burrett dropped the gloves with Wheat Kings defenceman Giorgos Pantelas when the two teams faced off just a week ago in Prince Albert. (Image Credit: Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Nick Nielsen

Away Friday, Home Saturday

Weekend Preview: Raiders have chance to clinch East Division Title with games against Brandon and Saskatoon

Feb 13, 2026 | 1:34 PM

Last year, it took until the final game of the year for the Raiders to clinch the East Division title, and now they have a chance to earn that title with a full month left on the schedule. The Prince Albert Raiders will first travel Friday to take on the Brandon Wheat Kings, and then return home for Saturday’s game against the Saskatoon Blades.

First the clinching scenarios. If the Wheat Kings won every game they had left this year, they would reach 91 points, and the Raiders are currently at 85. That means if the Raiders win both games this weekend in regulation, they reach 89 points, they take two points away from Brandon’s potential, and the Raiders would clinch the East Division title.

The Raiders come into the weekend as the top team in the Eastern Conference with a record of 40-7-5 (Wins-Losses-Overtime Losses), and they have a seven point cushion between them and Medicine Hat behind them. The Raiders are four points back of first in the league and the Everett Silvertips.

Recently, the Raiders have played four games in a row at home, and won the last three. Those were 5-2 over Regina, 5-2 over Brandon, and 6-0 over Lethbridge, but then a 4-3 overtime loss to Calgary.

On special teams, the Raiders powerplay has started to find their groove again but still sits fifth in the league at 28.9%. Their penalty kill on the other hand is right in the middle of the league at 11th, operating at 77.7%.

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There’s a log jam at the top of the Raiders scoring with three players all seperated by one point. Aiden Oiring leads the way with 24G-33A-59P, then Daxon Rudolph is right behind him with 23G-35A-58P, and Brandon Gorzynski rounds out the top three with 24G-33A-57P. Max Heise sits just a few points back in fourth with 24G-27A-51P.

Scoring streaks:

• Braeden Cootes has 5G-5A in his last five games
  • Cootes has one goal in each of the last five games
• Brandon Gorynski has 1G-3A in his last four games
• Jonah Sivertson has 1G-5A in his last three games
• Alisher Sarkenov has 2G-3A in his last three games
• Justice Christensen has 1G-2A in the last two games
• Evan Smith has 0G-2A in his last two games
  • Smith’s line with Ben Harvey and Connor Howe has a combined 3G-8A in the last five games

In goal, the Raiders have run with the tandem of Michal Orsulak and Steele Bass. Orsulak has had the brunt of the work this season with a record of 18-4-3, his save percentage is back up to 0.901, his goals against average is second in the league at 2.42, and he has two shutouts on the year.

Bass has some impressive numbers as well in his short time, with a 9-1-1 record, a 0.912 save percentage, a 1.72 goals against average, and two shutouts this year. To qualify in the league’s goaltender stats, a goaltender needs to play 40% of the minutes of a team’s season. Bass has played 662 minutes for the Raiders this year, but he’d need 1,252.

Friday @ Brandon

On Friday the Raiders are in Brandon to take on the Wheat Kings for the sixth and final time this season. The Raiders have won all five previous matchups this year, first back on Sept. 27 on the road in overtime 5-4, then 4-1 at home Nov. 21, then Nov. 28 in Brandon 2-1, and the final two games in Prince Albert Jan. 13 and Feb. 7 where the Raiders won both with 5-2 scores.

The Wheat Kings are sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 29-22-1, six points back of Calgary in front of them and just two points ahead of Saskatoon.

Recently, the Wheat Kings played on Tuesday where they won 4-3 over Moose Jaw in overtime. Before that was the 5-2 loss to the Raiders that capped off a three game losing skid for the Wheat Kings.

On special teams, the Wheat Kings have been solid wth the ninth ranked powerplay in the league at 26.3%, and a penalty kill sitting 15th in the league at 75.4%.

Leading the Wheat Kings in scoring is Luke Mistelbacher with 31G-32A-63P, tied with Jaxon Jacobson 18G-45A-63P. Sitting third is Joby Baumuller with 36G-21A-57P, and in the fourth spot is Grayson Burzynski with 9G-39A-48P.

Scoring streaks:

• Prabh Bathal has 2G-1A in his last three games
• Nicholas Johnson has 1G-1A in his last two games
• Both Jimmy Egan and Joby Baumuller have 0G-2A in their last two games

Finally in goal, the Wheat Kings also have a solid tandem between 6’7 Czechian Filip Ruzicka and Prince Albert local Jayden Kraus. Ruzicka has a record of 19-10-0 on the year, a 0.900 save percentage, a 3.28 goals against average, and one shutout this year.

Kraus on the other hand has a record of 10-11-1, a 0.892 save percentage, a 3.76 goals against average, and two shutouts on the year.

The Raiders take on the Wheat Kings Friday night at 7:00 p.m.

Saturday vs. Saskatoon

After the Friday game, the Raiders will hop on the bus for the seven hour bus ride home to welcome the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday for the sixth matchup of eight this year. The final two games of the year will end the regular season.

In the previous five matchups, the Raiders are 3-2 against the Blades. The first game was Sept. 19 in Prince Albert where the Raiders won 4-2 in the season opener, then the Blades won the rematch Sept. 20 3-2 in overtime. The third game was Dec. 14 in Saskatoon where the Raiders won 5-4, then the fourth game the Blades did something no other team has done and shutout the Raiders 4-0 in Prince Albert Jan. 31, but the Raiders won the rematch Feb. 1 in Saskatoon 3-1.

Recently, the Blades lost on Tuesday 7-6 in overtime to Regina, then another loss to Lethbridge 4-2. The Blades last win came three games ago against Regina 4-3 in overtime. In their last ten games, the Blades are 3-6-1 and have not strung two wins in a row together.

Before the Saturday matchup with the Raiders, the Blades host Swift Current on Friday night.

Moving on to special teams, the Blades have the 11th ranked powerplay, right in the middle of the league, at 24.3%. On the penalty kill, their just below the halfway mark in the league at 76.3%, good for 13th in the league.

Leading the Blades in scoring is David Lewandowski with 13G-35A-48P. Sitting second is Cooper Williams with 18G-25A-43P, and then there is a tie for third between Rowan Calvert with 24G-16A-40P and Hunter Laing with 19G-21A-40P.

Scoring steaks:

• Kazden Mathies 2G-5A in his last three games
• Tyler Parr has 2G-2A in his last three games
• Jack Kachkowski has 0G-3A in his last three games
• David Lewandowski has 1G-1A in his last two games

Finally in goal, the Blades have relied heavily on Evan Gardner. This season, Gardner has a record of 19-13-4, a 0.903 save percentage, a 2.96 goals against average, and three shutouts this year.

Behind him is Ryley Budd, who has a 3-3-1 record along with a 0.903 save percentage, and a 2.79 goals against average.

The Raiders will take on the Brandon Wheat Kings first this weekend Friday night, and then the Saskatoon Blades back at home on Saturday. Both games are at 7:00 p.m. Saskatchewan time with the pregame show on 900 CKBI starting at 6:30 p.m. on Brandt Raider Radio.

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nick.nielsen@pattisonmedia.com