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Raiders fall to Blades in Warman shootout

Sep 8, 2018 | 10:54 PM

It took a shootout, but the Saskatoon Blades once again came out on top with a 4-3 preseason shootout victory over the Prince Albert Raiders at the Legends Centre in Warman on Saturday night.

Spencer Moe put the Raiders ahead in the opening minute, taking a feed from Justin Nachbaur in neutral ice and beating Koen MacInnes glove side off the rush to put the visitors in front. This came moments after Kody McDonald set the tone early on with a hard hit on Logan Christensen that sent the Blades veteran to the dressing room for the rest of the game.

Moe said the quick start was a focal point coming into the contest.

“We brought high intensity in the first period and the team was doing good together, getting tension a little high with the other team. If we keep continuing with that intensity [while keeping disciplined] our team could be unreal,” said Moe.

Minutes after Moe’s opening tally, McDonald extended the Raider lead to 2-0 with his first of the preseason.

Prince Albert dictated play for much of the first period, leading 8-3 on the shot clock midway through the frame. However, Saskatoon was able to push back and ultimately take a 15-13 edge in shots into the dressing room, with the Raiders holding the two goal lead.

In front of a lively crowd at the Legends Centre, the bad blood you may expect in the third preseason showdown between the two sides continued to show through. Late in the frame, Blades forward Riley McKay finished a hit on Kaiden Guhle behind the play, leading Raider defenceman Zack Hayes to take exception.

Hayes and McKay squared off in the neutral zone and exchanged blows with the Raider blueliner scoring the takedown. As per WHL preseason rules, both players were assessed game misconducts and wouldn’t return for the remainder of the contest.

It didn’t take the Blades long to strike back in the second period, aided by some penalty trouble for Prince Albert. With Carson Miller and Justin Nachbaur in the box, Kirby Dach got the home squad on the board on the two-man advantage.

Moments later, the Raiders regained their two goal lead with Lane Kirk zipping his first of the pre-season past MacInnes to make it 3-1 Prince Albert 2:54 into the middle frame.

From there, Saskatoon would continue to press, and ultimately drew even on a power play goal by Michael Farren and an even strength tally from Bradly Goethals, making it a 3-3 game through 40 minutes.

“I think our emotions got a little high. There were some players on the other team that got to our heads I believe,” said Moe who also acknowledged that the team did a good job of controlling that as the game wore on into the third period.

The final twenty saw a lot of back and forth action and two powerplay opportunities for each side. However, both goaltenders would keep the puck out of the net and send the game to extra time knotted at three.

In overtime, the Raiders directed five pucks on goal but were unable to beat MacInnes, while Saskatoon put three shots on netminder Donovan Buskey who kept a clean slate, setting up a shootout.

“I think we brought a lot of speed, a lot of creativity in overtime,” said Moe. “We handled the puck most of overtime which is what we want. All we can do is work on it and be better.”

To start the shootout, Dach narrowly missed the far post on his first attempt, while McDonald was turned aside on a five hole attempt to keep it 0-0 through one round.

In the second round, Bradly Goethals spotted the Blades a 1-0 lead when he beat Buskey glove side, and Brett Leason couldn’t find the answer when his backhand attempt was kept out by the right toe of MacInnes.

With the game on his stick, Michael Farren pulled the puck to his backhand and lifted it past Buskey to land the final dagger and give the Blades the victory.

Taste of the big leagues

While preseason continues for the Raiders, five veterans remain away as they take part in NHL rookie tournaments. Parker Kelly’s Ottawa Senators won both their games this weekend over the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. Ian Scott and Cole Fonstad will face off on Sunday as the Maple Leafs and Canadiens go head-to-head in Laval.

In Vegas, Noah Gregor skated with the San Jose Sharks rookies in a 4-0 victory over Arizona. The Sharks face the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday and Colorado on Tuesday.

Raider captain Brayden Pachal is taking part in rookie camp with the Calgary Flames, who see their first action Sunday afternoon against the Edmonton Oilers.

Scoring summary

First period

1-0, Raiders, Spencer Moe from Justin Nachbaur, 0:59

2-0, Raiders, Kody McDonald from Eric Pearce and Brett Leason, 5:23

Second period

2-1, Blades, Kirby Dach from Michael Farren and Bradly Goethals, 1:18 (PPG)

3-1, Raiders, Lane Kirk from Kody McDonald and Aliaksei Protas, 2:54 (4-on-4)

3-2, Blades, Michael Farren from Seth Bafaro and Dawson Davidson, 12:48 (PPG)

3-3, Blades, Bradly Goethals from Michael Farren and Kirby Dach, 17:23

Third period

No scoring.

Overtime

No scoring.

Shootout

(1-0), Blades, Bradly Goethals

(2-0), Blades, Michael Farren

 

trevor.redden@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Trevor_Redden