Prince Albert gets on its feel for the playoffs!!!

paNOW Staff:

The Raiders will host Saskatoon tonight in front of a standing room only crowd at the Art Hauser centre which will see its first WHL playoff hockey in four years.

Raider Co-Captain Nathan Deck can hardly wait.

“It's going to be a great feeling coming on to the ice before O'Canada and hear the fans cheering…it's going to be great hearing all the noise and seeing all the fans…it's going to be awesome”

Even former Raider and current Blades goalie Steven Stanford who has given up just three goals in the first two games in Saskatoon figures the fans are going to play a role.

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“I experienced the tie breaker game two years ago and I think that was a playoff atmosphere…the fans are great there…when the team is winning…it's going to be a great atmosphere”

Deck feels the team continues to grow as it experiences playoffs for the first time in four years. Although he is a four year veteran, Deck is a playoff rookie and was surprised just how ramped up the speed and intensity is in the post season. However, The 20 year old defenseman says they now know what to expect and will not be caught by surprise.

“The intensity raises a lot. I was tired during my first shift in game one. It's a big boost… a big change but we are all ready for it now”

The Raider power play went 1-for-12 through the first two games after finishing the last 15 games of the regular season scoring at a clip of almost 30%. Coach and GM Bruno Campese says they need to be more efficient with the man advantage against a Blades penalty kill that applies intense pressure.

“I think we've got to keep it simple.. we've got to keep is smart…we've got to get puck volume to the net…We've tried some plays that have been very effective. Now we have got to put more puck volume to the net and I think we will be rewarded”

The Line of Jonathan Parker-Justin Maylan-and Igor Revenko went without a point in the first two games and was a combined -10.  Their resurgence is a big key if the Raiders are to succeed on home ice.

The Raiders will also have to deal with a balanced Saskatoon attack. The Blades have 16 players who have scored at least one point in their two wins over the weekend at Credit Union Centre. Trailling two-games-to-none makes game three a virtual must win for the Raiders.

There is also a Co-op tailgate party starting at 4:30 with a Bash-the-Blades fund raiser for the SPCA in front of the Art Hauser Centre. Opening face off tonight is at 7pm. You can catch 900 CKBI's Zepp Hockey broadcast starting at 6 O'clock.

dwilson@rawlco.com