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Kelly lands final blow as Raiders dethrone Oil Kings

Feb 24, 2018 | 11:28 PM

A four-goal second period, and a slump-busting tally from Parker Kelly in the third period helped lift the Prince Albert Raiders to their third straight win on Saturday night, dropping the Edmonton Oil Kings 5-4.

Coming into the contest with back-to-back wins in Lethbridge and Red Deer to kick off the three-game Alberta swing, the Raiders fell behind early as the Oil Kings struck twice in the opening 5:47, once at even strength and once on a 5-on-3 to jump ahead 2-0 and put the visitors on their heels.

The two-goal margin carried into the second, when the Raiders got on the board with a power play marker on a one-time blast from Vojtech Budik just over five minutes in. The goal was the Czech defenceman’s 10th of the season.

It seemed that Budik’s tally opened the floodgates for Prince Albert as the scoring continued 34 seconds later when Curtis Miske took a feed from Justin Nachbaur and lifted it over Oil Kings goaltender Josh Dechaine to tie the game. A native of nearby Beaumont, AB, Miske was playing in his final WHL game in Edmonton.

Less than a minute later, the hottest stick on the Raiders kept it rolling as Brett Leason found the back of the net for his sixth straight game, capping off a run of three goals in 1:21 to put Prince Albert in front.

However, the Oil Kings were dug in for a fight and responded with a quick goal of their own just 28 seconds later as Trey Fix-Wolansky threw a puck towards the goal from the left wall, finding a tip from Edmonton defender Wyatt McLeod and a favourable bounce off a Raider player and past goaltender Ian Scott to knot the game at 3-3.

The wild second period continued with Leason tagging his second of the game after finding himself all alone on Dechaine, but the Oil Kings answered back before the end of the second.

On a late period power play, Oil Kings forward David Kope centred a puck from behind the net, and once again it rebounded off a Raider player and past Scott to draw even at 4-4 which is how the second period ended.

The scoring frenzy dried up in the third as Parker Kelly was the lone player to find the back of the net, redirecting a cross-ice feed from Regan Nagy past Dechaine just seconds after an Oil Kings penalty expired, putting the Raiders back in front for good. The goal was Kelly’s first since February 10th, busting a five-game slump.

Miske, Leason, Nagy, Kelly, and Kody McDonald all ended up with two points each, while Scott picked up his third straight win as the Raiders finished a perfect 3-0 on the Central Division swing.

The Raiders now have two days to reset before another busy week, with home dates against Brandon on Tuesday and Lethbridge on Saturday, and a road trip to Swift Current on Friday.

As of Saturday night, the Raiders find themselves just two points back of the Saskatoon Blades for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and six points back of the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Double century night for Kelly

Saturday night was Kelly’s 200th career game, playing in the city closest to his hometown of Camrose, AB.

“It’s pretty special. I’m not thinking too much about it but I guess it’s a nice feather in your cap. I’ve been fortunate to play this many games,” commented Kelly ahead of the milestone night.”

Kelly pulled through with the game winning goal and an assist on the night, finishing the road trip with one goal and four assists in three games.

Ahead of the game, the Ottawa Senators prospect said he expected a lot of family and friends in the building.

“My Grandma has a charter bus full of 60 people coming to watch today, so this will probably be the record for most people here to see me tonight.”

This has become a once-per-year tradition when the Raiders roll through Alberta, but Kelly thought this was the first time the bus was filled right up.

Scoring Summary

First Period

1-0, Oil Kings, Trey Fix-Wolansky from Matthew Robertson, 1:44

2-0, Oil Kings, Conner McDonald (PPG) from Trey Fix-Wolansky and Kobe Mohr, 5:47

Second Period

2-1, Raiders, Vojtech Budik (PPG) from Curtis Miske and Regan Nagy, 5:18

2-2, Raiders, Curtis Miske from Justin Nachbaur, 5:52

3-2, Raiders, Brett Leason from Kody McDonald, 6:39

3-3, Oil Kings, Wyatt McLeod from Trey Fix-Wolansky and David Kope, 7:07

4-3, Raiders, Brett Leason from Parker Kelly and Kody McDonald, 12:04

4-4, Oil Kings, David Kope unassisted, 18:34

Third Period

5-4, Raiders, Parker Kelly from Regan Nagy and Brayden Pachal, 8:35

 

trevor.redden@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Trevor_Redden