Raider fans celebrate while the Raiders gather around Braeden Cootes, who had just scored his second goal of the game and taken a hit behind the net for his efforts. (Image Credit: Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Nick Nielsen

Raiders lead series 1-0

Raiders start playoffs with inspired win over Rebels

Mar 28, 2026 | 1:24 AM

On Friday night, the 2026 WHL Playoffs officially arrived to the Art Hauser Centre as the Prince Albert Raiders welcomed the Red Deer Rebels for the first game of the series. Despite an early big personel loss for the Raiders, but they’d turn that into an inspired effort to earn a 4-1 win.

With the crowd roaring and a gritty start to the game right from the opening faceoff, the air was sucked out of the building. On the first shift of the game for Max Heise, he was tied up on the wall in a puck battle when Rebels forward Owen Dewitt came in from the slot and threw a hit that knocked Heise to the ice for an extended period of time. The Raiders took the puck down the ice for a chance, but Heise was still down when the Rebels collected the puck. Heise was helped to his feet, but skated off the ice under his own power, and upon Heise showing his frustrations in the tunnel, the Raiders fans did the same and boos rained down. He didn’t return to the game.

From there the game calmed down a bit and there was a feeling out process in the middle portion, but by the end the Raiders were starting to take over. On their second powerplay, Daxon Rudolph would work the puck from the left point to Brock Cripps in the middle, and Cripps had the choice to go back to Rudolph for a onetimer, or to his right for Braeden Cootes with a lane into the slot. Cripps went with Cootes, and Cootes ripped a wrist shot around the screen for the first goal of the playoffs at 14:43.

After 1: Raiders 1 – 0 Rebels, shots 11-9 Raiders

After starting the period with a powerplay, mutual roughing calls from Evan Smith and Beckett Hamilton less than two minutes in caused some 4-on-4. On an offensive zone draw, Aiden Oiring won the puck backward, Brandon Gorzynski came in from the wing to give it back to Daxon Rudolph at the blueline, and he drove down the right wall. Below the goal line, Rudolph passed out front for Gorzynski, but he tipped his shot wide. Rudolph collected the rebound, went around behind the net, then banked it in off the goaltender and in for his first of the playoffs at 2:03.

Raiders lead series 1-0

Raiders start playoffs with inspired win over Rebels

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Later in the period, Justice Christensen put the Art Hauser Centre on their feet by putting a man on his head. After the Raiders cleared the puck off the glass to centre, Alexsai Chichkin caught the puck right in front of the Raider bench. Chichkin had time to drop the puck and play it away before Christensen stepped in with a big hit that sent Chichkin head over heels into the Raiders bench.

Kalder Varga got sprung on a breakaway in the late part of the second, but Michal Orsulak would make another big save.

After 2: Raiders 2 – 0 Rebels, shots 20-7 Raiders, 31-16 Raiders overall

The Rebels scored a big goal in the early goings of the third period on the powerplay. It took some luck, but the Rebels set up Poul Anderson on the left point for a onetimer. His shot was blocked, but he fired it hard enough that it went off one defender into the slot, off a skate, and between Orsulak’s legs before anyone could react at the 7:35 mark.

The Raiders would answer shortly though starting with a pass from Brock Cripps out from his own blueline to the right side of the Rebels blueline to Brayden Dube. He skated in down the right wall, then made a short pass towards Braeden Cootes. He hit the bottom of the right circle, and Cootes fired for his second of the night at 10:58.

Then to put a cap on the night, Jonah Sivertson helped cycle the puck to Braeden Cootes again. Cootes worked back up the wall towards the right point, and he protected the puck like he was going to move to the middle, but instead he dropped it at the point for Brock Cripps skating in. Cripps walked into the slot, then fired a great wrist shot for his first career playoff goal at 16:46.

FINAL: Raiders 4 – 1 Rebels, shots 8-7 Raiders, 39-23 Raiders overall

Raiders lead the series 1-0

Michal Orsulak was excellent in his first game against the Red Deer Rebels. Along wiht some big saves on the penalty kill, the earlier mentioned save on Kalder Varga on the breakaway came at a time when the Raiders only had a one goal lead, and they’d end up with a powerplay shortly afterward.

The Raiders powerplay went 1/4 on the night, while the penalty kill gave up one goal on three opportunities.

Game 2 goes Saturday night at the Art Hauser Centre.