Raiders react to winning Eastern Conference Championship

“Smitty couldn’t have placed it any more perfectly on the chip and then I saw it was a two-on-one with Howie. I was thinking a little bit of pass, but I saw the back checker was kind of on him, So luckily, I held it a little bit and made a move, luckily got the shot off and it went in,” Boychuk said.

For Raiders captain Justice Christensen, he’s proud to see the effort put in by the team that plays around him. But, there’s one player missing from the celebration on the ride home, and that’s Brandon Gorzynski. He was injured in the second game of the series and has not played since. There’s no word on his return yet, but giving him a chance to return to the lineup has served as motivation for the team.

Christensen said the group is excited to celebrate with him as a whole team once they return to Prince Albert.

“Definitely excited. He’s been a huge part of our team and having him go down there in Game 2 was tough, but yeah. We’re definitely looking forward to seeing him and celebrating with him.”

For Raiders Head Coach Ryan McDonald, this is the third banner his team has added to the rafters of the Art Hauser Centre in two seasons. First, an East Division banner last year when McDonald was still the Interim Head Coach, and now another East Division banner and an Eastern Conference Championship in his first full season as head coach.

More than anything, he’s proud of his group and the way they battled through a tough series with the defending WHL Champions.

“Really, really proud of our group. You work tremendously hard all year to give yourself an opportunity to play in the last series, and our guys have done a tremendous job with it.”

While the fans (and this broadcaster) felt the tension growing in the midst of the Tigers third period comeback, McDonald said the group was calm and collected on the bench knowing what was on the line.

“Again, we bent a little bit we didn’t break. I thought our guys did a great job of staying even keel. Any time they got a goal or got something, we lined back up at centre ice, we marched straight back down to their end, and we had some great response shifts right after that. Our guys dug in right until the end,” he said.

Now the Raiders move on play the Everett Silvertips in the WHL Final, a matchup between the two top teams in the league. For the first time this year the Raiders will now be the underdogs going into the series without home ice advantage.

In the one meeting this season between the Raiders and Silvertips, back on November 11 in Everett, the Raiders came away with a 4-1 win before adding the likes of Maddix McCagherty, Brandon Gorzynski, and Braeden Cootes. To the Silvertips’ credit however, they were tired heading into that game after just returning from Vancouver the night before, and were playing their fourth game in five nights.

While that one win is well in the past for the Raiders, McDonald said there are still some things to learn from that game going into this playoff series.

“You put a little bit of stock in the game we played. I mean, you watch the film and take little pieces from it. But again, I think that was early on in the season and both teams have changed since then. For us, we’ll get to the pre-scout and see what we need to accomplish.”

The group as a whole is excited, but they’re well aware that the job isn’t done yet. The group took the Eastern Conference Championship Trophy to the corner section where all the Raider fans in Medicine Hat were to celebrate, but Boychuk said there’s a bigger celebration still to come.

“Felt great. Felt great with everybody and with the boys, just to get that series over with and get it done. But, we realize that we have four left and we’ll be off to Everett. It was good, but not the overall celebration that we’re looking for. We’re not done yet.”

According to Christensen, the focus now shifts to recovery and preparation for the toughest series yet.

“I think just take a couple days to reset, making sure we’re feeling good physically and mentally, and then once we get into Everett, making sure we’re ready to go for puck drop on Friday.”

For McDonald, the next week is filled with anticipation and excitement getting ready for the final battle for the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

“Excited. This is something you work all season for, to play in that last series, and I’m real excited for our group.”

The Raiders return to Prince Albert late Monday afternoon, will fly out on Wednesday, and will take on the Everett Silvertips on Friday for Game 1. A full series preview will be available later this week.

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Nick.Nielsen@pattisonmedia.com

by Nick Nielsen

Raiders react to winning Eastern Conference Championship

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