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By Jeff D'Andrea

Raiders keep getting better; Return of the Mac

Nov 9, 2018 | 9:33 PM

The Prince Albert Raiders hit a pair of milestones with their 6-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos Friday night at the Art Hauser Centre.

The Raiders picked up their 10th straight win, which they have never done before in the Western Hockey League internet era. They also picked up their 17th win in 18 games for the first time.

Just to put that into perspective, the Raiders didn’t get their 17th win last year until Jan. 19. It wasn’t until Feb. 18 the year before. In fact, Raider fans have had to wait until after the holiday break for the team’s 17th win in 15 of the 22 years since the WHL kept online game-by-game records.

The Raiders already have more wins now—on Nov. 9—than they did in their entire WHL inaugural season.

Although Raiders’ head coach Marc Habscheid said Friday’s game wasn’t their best, citing missed passes and lack of speed at times, he’s been happy with how the Raiders have not allowed all their success and accolades get to their heads.

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“It’s just a good group,” Habscheid said. “I think we got a little away from our game tonight, but they’re a group that checks themselves pretty good and they’re just a humble group, with good leadership inside the room and they want to do the right thing.

“You get games like this, and I didn’t think it was our best game. But we won the game and that’s what matters.”

On Friday, all three 20-year-old Raider forwards scored two goals.

One of those was Kody McDonald (although one of those goals may have been tipped by Justin Nachbaur) who returned to the Raiders after an eight-game absence due to injury. He hadn’t played since Oct. 8 and was dying to get back into the lineup.

 “It was a good feeling,” McDonald said. “Watching the boys there going on a nine-game heater, it was tough being in the stands. But it’s good to be back.

“I felt pretty good. I was sucking a little wind in the first period, but after I recovered in the first intermission, I felt back to my old self.”

One guy that really liked to have McDonald return to the lineup was Noah Gregor. Gregor assisted both of McDonald’s goals, as part of his two-goal, five-point night.

“He’s a big part of this team and we definitely missed him,” Gregor said. “He sees the ice really well, he’s a skilled guy and also brings an edge. It’s really good to have him back.”

For Gregor, he’s starting to heat up in a big way. Gregor has now scored at least one goal in his last three games, giving him four in that span and eight on the year.

“I think you need to take them as they come, and take the opportunities and try to make the most of it. Tonight, we were able to capitalize on our chances,” Gregor said.

The other big scorer was snipin’ Sean Montgomery, who added two more goals to his stats. He’s also scored four goals in his past three games, giving him nine on the year and 23 points—which is second best on the Raiders. He played in his 296th career game with the Raiders, as well on Friday.

Leason scoring watch

We’re 18 games into the WHL season and Raiders forward Brett Leason can still say he’s scored at least one point in every game. He got an assist on Montgomery’s first goal, giving him a league-best 40 points. Leason had 33 points all last year.

Gimme Moar

Prince Albert’s Alex Moar played his second game at the Art Hauser Centre this year, with his second team.

The Broncos acquired him from the Everett Silvertips on Halloween. The Broncos went on their first winning streak of their season with Moar in their lineup, with overtime wins over the Lethbridge Hurricanes 5-4 Nov. 2 and the Edmonton Oil Kings 4-3 on Nov. 3.

Against the Hurricanes, Moar had a primary assist with 36 seconds left to tie the game and force OT.

Moar started the year with the Silvertips, who drafted him in the fifth round of the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft. But he only played in four of their first 15 games, including the Oct. 23 contest against the Raiders.

Scoring Summary

First Period

1-0, Raiders, Noah Gregor from Max Martin and Sergei Sapego, 9:46

Second Period

2-0, Raiders, Sean Montgomery from Brett Leason, 0:08

2-1, Broncos, Tanner Nagel from Ethan Regnier and Ben King (power play), 0:49

3-1, Raiders, Kody McDonald from Nolan Allan and Noah Gregor, 2:35

3-2, Broncos, Eric Houk from Owen Blocker and Ethan O’Rourke, 18:17

4-2, Raiders, Kody McDonald from Noah Gregor and Sergei Sapego, 18:31

Third Period

5-2, Raiders, Noah Gregor from Jeremy Masella, 2:11

6-2, Raiders, Sean Montgomery from Aliaksei Protas and Noah Gregor, 14:13

Back at the grind

After three straight weeks with just one game to play, the Raiders will get back on the grind.

The Raiders will play two home games at the Art Hauser Centre: the Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday, then play Prince Albert’s Riley Sawchuk and the Tri-City Americans on Friday. They’ll then bus out to Brandon to take on the Wheat Kings on Saturday.

 

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 10:52 a.m. on Nov. 10, 2018 to correct a typo.

Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW

by Jeff D'Andrea

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