By Trevor Redden

Clinched

Raiders clinch playoff spot with 16 games to go

Feb 6, 2019 | 1:22 PM

It’s not often that a Prince Albert Raiders fan would be cheering for the Saskatoon Blades, but that may have been the case on Tuesday night.

With Saskatoon’s 7-3 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings, the Raiders became the first team in the WHL to clinch a playoff spot this year.

“It’s kind of cool to see that ‘X’ there by the name, but at the end of the day it doesn’t really mean too much, we’ve still got a job to do for the last 16 games,” said forward Sean Montgomery.

Forward Cole Fonstad specifically stressed the importance of continuing to refine their game over the remainder of the regular season.

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“Playoffs is all about the details I think. Everyone’s sharp, so you’ve got to be on top of your game all the time. I think we proved last year against Moose Jaw that any team can win, so we’re going to have to be ready for everyone,” Fonstad said.

According to Raiders’ manager of communications and community relations Brett Smith, this is the earliest that any team has clinched playoffs since the 2012-13 season, when the Portland Winterhawks earned a berth on Jan. 30 and the Kelowna Rockets did the same on Feb. 2.

The Raiders continue their three-game Alberta swing on Friday night in Calgary against the Hitmen before concluding Saturday night in Lethbridge.

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trevor.redden@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Trevor_Redden