The Prince Albert Raiders return home wasn’t quite the one they were hoping for.

The Raiders dropped the second half of their home and home set with the Moose Jaw Warriors 4-1 on Friday night at the Art Hauser Centre. Raider coach Marc Habscheid was not happy with his team’s performance after the game.

“We got schooled. I didn’t like our forward group one bit”, Habscheid said. “Our four defenceman are as good as anyone in the league, and we couldn’t get out of our own end. There was no forecheck. It was one and done.”

Ozzy Wiesblatt opened the scoring for the Raiders as he tallied a shorthanded marker on a wraparound beauty past Warrior goalie Carl Tetachuk 4:12 into the game.

Although he did score the only goal for the Raiders on Friday, Wiesblatt still wasn’t happy with his performance.

“We just have to be better in all areas, and it starts with our compete level,” he said after the game. “We weren’t competing at all today, and that starts with guys like me. I have to be a lot better.”

After giving up the opening goal, the Warriors seemed to have tied the game at the 8:28 mark in the opening frame. Jagger Firkus looked to have netter a goal for the visitors, but after a video review lasting over three minutes, the goal call was overturned because the net had come off before the puck entered the net.

The Raiders would go on to have two consecutive powerplays midway through the first period. They moved the puck around well and Raider captain Kaiden Guhle looked to be in mid season form manning the point.

However, they would fail to find the back of the net on both man advantages, keeping the game at 1-0 after the first twenty minutes. The closest chance the Warriors got to beating Carter Serhyenko was when Denton Mateychuk drilled the post on a Moose Jaw powerplay with just over a minute left in the period.

The lone goal in the second came at the 7:37 mark, when Martin Rysavy was just able to put a shot past Carter Seryhenko to tie the game at 1-1. Later in the period, the Warriors were controlling the puck in the Raider zone, when a point slapshot hit Kaiden Guhle in the foot. Guile laboured through the rest of his shift, but would shake it off and head to the bench during the next stoppage.

The third period was more of the same story. Moose Jaw dominated and had the puck in the Raider zone for much of the final frame. The Warriors would take the lead on a Brayden Yager shot from the corner that somehow snuck between the pads of Serhyenko on a crazy bounce. Just three minutes later, the Warriors scored an insurance goal on a giveaway in the Raiders zone. Ryder Korczak took full advantage ripping a shot past Serhyenko’s glove.

Moose Jaw wasn’t finished there. Just 38 seconds later, Mateychuk redeemed himself after his post shot in the first. He sniped a shot to put the Warriors up by three with under ten minutes left in regulation.

Frustration started to show on the Raiders side, as they were unable to really develop any chances in the Moose Jaw end for much of the third period, and Habscheid recognized that.

“Our forwards were just not good tonight,” he said. “They didn’t create anything and tried to do everything on their own. Couldn’t make a pass, couldn’t catch a pass.”

“We have to play the right way,” Habscheid said, ahead of their preparation for Saturday’s game against Medicine Hat. “If we’re going to have a chance, we’ve got to play together. We just have to play better.”
Wiesblatt added what the team would have to do to bounce back on Saturday.

“We just have to try and go along with how we played in our last game against Moose Jaw. We were working hard all game (on Wednesday), and it came down to breakouts and stuff like that. And our forwards also have to be a lot better too.”

The Raiders will be back in action Saturday night at the Art Hauser Centre in a date with the Medicine Hat Tigers. Puck drop is at 7 pm.

Around the WHL

Arshdeep Bains scored a hat trick in Red Deer’s 8-1 thrashing of the Calgary Hitmen. Connor Ungar put in a great performance, stopping 32 of 33 Hitmen shots that came his way.

The Saskatoon Blades conitniued their hot start to the 2021-22 campaign. Kyle Crnkovic scored twice as the Blades took down the Tigers 4-0 at SaskTel Centre.

The Winnipeg Ice remain as the lone undefeated team in the Eastern Conference, as they handled the Regina Pats by a 4-2 score. A somewhat surprising story is that Connor Bedard was held off the scoresheet in the loss.

The Edmonton Oil Kings used the help of two goals from Luke Prokop to take down the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday night. Detroit Red Wings prospect Sebastian Cossa turned aside all 25 Hurricanes shots for his first clean slate of the season.

It’s been over a year in the making, and on Thursday night curlers from all over Saskatchewan got a taste of tournament action at the Prince Albert Golf and Curling Club.

Among those competing was PA’s own Brad Bibby. His rink fell 7-3 in their opening match, and for him, it took a bit of getting used to stepping onto the pebbled ice again.

“It was a challenge getting back on the ice having not played in almost a year,” Bibby said. “It was tough, but we played pretty well.”

Playing on a stage as big as the provincial championship can be stressful enough for these competitors, but Bibby said he didn’t let the big stage impact his game.

“There wasn’t much pressure at all coming in,” he said. “We’re not necessarily the favorites to win, but we are here to win, and we’re here for a good time, and no, we didn’t feel any pressure tonight.”

The mixed tournament saw Bibby and his wife Patricia, paired up with Kara and Steven Thevenot, who they have known and played with for a couple of years. Bibby said the chemistry was nice to have playing alongside two friends.

“We’ve played bonspiels before with them in Birch Hills and Shellbrook, and we always have a good time. We’re good friends with them so it’s always fun.”

The overall playing conditions for Bibby, as well as the rest of the teams were a challenge to adapt to in the early goings, with the ice being the main concern.

“The ice was pretty tricky, there were a lot of straight spots. There wasn’t as much curl as we were hoping. It definitely dictated the game, so we had to play a little quieter, and there weren’t as many draws because the rocks weren’t curling as much.”

Bibby’s squad will get set for a Friday morning game, and even with the ice playing how it is, there won’t be much of a change of plan for their team.

“I don’t think there will be a change in our strategy very much,” he said. “I think we are going to be as aggressive as we can, but at the same time being cautious because we don’t want to give up a big end.”

They will play against Pat Daley of Christopher Lake and his team at 10am Friday morning.

Meanwhile another local team hit the pebbled ice for the late game on Thursday night. Prince Albert’s Jordan Henry and Matt Mann played in the nightcap game against a team led by Dean Grindheim of Martensville. Grindheim’s team was victorious, winning by a 9-6 score. Henry’s team will play on Friday at 1:30.

It was a welcome sight for the Prince Albert Raiders on Wednesday night as captain Kaiden Guhle returned to the lineup for the first time since the hub season.

It was a game that saw a 3-0 third period lead dwindle into a 3-2 nail biting win for the Raider squad, as they picked up their first victory of the season after an 0-4-0-0 start to the year. Guhle recently returned to the lineup after spending the start of the year at Montreal Canadiens training camp. It was an impressive performance in his return, as he tallied a pair of assists in the win. Guile said it was all about keeping it simple on the ice.

“I didn’t want to go out there and try and do too much just because the pace is a little bit different,” he said on Thursday. “We all tried to keep it simple, and the team did well. We had a really good game and came out with the win, so that was huge for us last night.”

Guhle returned to play with an experienced defensive core that includes Remy Aquilon, Nolan Allan, and Landon Kosior, as well as the new additions like Terrell Goldsmith. He gave credit to the rest of the group for playing a sound game against Moose Jaw.

“We had a good defensive core before I was here, and I think we were just excited last night to finally get our whole lineup back in,” he said. “It was a good team win. Obviously we weren’t happy with our first four games, so I think we needed that one last night, and we did well.”

Guhle spent his summer in Montreal after being selected 16th overall in the 2020 NHL draft. He got experience playing with and against veteran NHLers, and he said it prepared him for the upcoming season after getting some advice from the leaders on the team.

“Those guys brought me in with open arms and taught me a lot about being a pro and what it takes to be in the NHL,” Guile said. “It was a good experience for sure. Obviously those guys are a world class skill (level), and if you make a mistake the puck will end up in the back of your net. You’ve got to be consistent all the time, and you have to make sure you don’t make the little mistakes when you go up against those big guys.”

Guhle wasn’t the only Raiders defenceman who took part in an NHL training camp. Nolan Allan, who was selected 32nd overall in the 2021 entry draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, also spent time on the professional stage where he played with high calibre NHL’ers, like Blackhawk’s defenceman Connor Murphy.

“I think talking to some of the guys there and seeing what they do and picking their brain helps a lot, but you know, (so does) watching what they do and how they carry themselves,” Allan said. “(Connor) Murphy is a good defenceman over there for the Hawks and he’s a leader over there. He showed me a couple of things over there, and he was good to work with.”

Allan said the Raiders focused on their own play against the Warriors on Wednesday night, and that’s a big reason why they won.

“I think we were just playing more of our game out there,” he said. “We weren’t really worried about what they were doing. It was just kind of getting back to our game and focusing on ourselves. We had some things to clean up and I thought we did a good job of that last night.”

The Raiders went into the third period with a comfortable 3-0 lead, but Moose Jaw climbed back in, scoring twice with under five minutes left in the game. Allan pointed out the sense of urgency his team responded with after it became a one goal game late in regulation.

“You obviously don’t want to let the other guys score in the last minute to tie it, but we were confident in our penalty kill and our guys to do the job and block the shots,” he said. “I don’t think we were too worried.”

Allan also pointed out how big it was to have Guhle return to help out on the back end.

“He’s huge, not only to have on the ice, but in the room too. He’s our captain and our leader, so that was huge to get him back, and he helped us out in all areas,” Allan explained.

Meanwhile, Ozzy Wiesblatt has been the Raiders best forward to start the season, with two goals and two assists in the first four games this year. For Ozzy, it’s been a good start personally as he gets used to playing with some of the new guys on the team.

“It’s nice to get started again,” he said. “There’s some new faces, new guys on the team, so you’ve got to build some more chemistry, and I think it’s all starting to wrap up here, so I’m just looking forward to these next few games here.”

Wiesblatt said the preparation heading into the second game of their home and home series with the Warriors will remain unchanged.

“We just have to play hard and play as a team,” he said. “I think that’s where we’re most successful. Just keep it going, and keep doing what we’re doing right.”

Having Guhle back in the lineup was a big boost for Wiesblatt, and overall for the team to build more confidence.

“It builds more chemistry and confidence in the whole team, knowing that you have another great defenceman to add back on the team,” Wiesblatt said. “Kaiden’s a special player, and it really gives you that confidence that you have a solid d-man back there. It helps a lot.”

The Raiders are back in action on Friday night for the second game of their home and home series with Moose Jaw, and for Guhle, the plan is to build on their success after their win on Wednesday.

“We’re just going to do what we did last (game). We’re going to try and outwork (them). We never get outworked here, so we just have to work hard and everything will fall into place, so that’s really all our mindset is for our next game,” he said.

Puck drop is at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Art Hauser Centre.

Raider news and notes

Prince Albert traded overage forward Eric Pearce to the Brandon Wheat Kings in exchange for a sixth round pick in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft on Thursday.

The Regina product had seven goals and nine assists in 24 games last season. He was orginally drafted by Prince Albert in the second round of the 2016 prospects draft.

“This was a difficult decision with a four-year Raider, a leader, and a champion,” Raiders GM Curtis Hunt said. “We believe this is a great opportunity for Eric. We thank him for his commitment to the Raiders on the ice and in the community, and we wish him the best.”

The Raiders also announed their 2021-22 leadership group on Thursday. Kaiden Guhle will wear the “C” for a second straight year, while Remy Aquilon, Reece Vitelli, and Ozzy Wiesblatt were named the three alternates.
Vitelli and Wiesblatt were also assistants last season.

Guhle is the 44th captain in team history.

The Prince Albert Mintos took both games of a back to back weekend set with the Estevan Bears, picking up a 5-3 win on Sunday at the Art Hauser Centre.

Both teams made their presence felt in the second of four straight meetings, with a fast and physical tone being set all game.

Danton Cox opened the scoring for the Mintos, shorthanded on a jam play in front of the net, and also picked up an assist in the win. He totalled four points over the weekend, after also picking up two assists in Saturday’s win.

“The boys played hard and pushed through a lot of adversity, and we came out with the win”, Cox said after the game.

Marshall Light tied the game for the Bears with 2:10 to go in the opening frame on a shot that beat Minto goalie Jayden Kraus high on the blocker side. The Bears would take a temporary lead in the second period on a Tucker Buhay goal five minutes in, before Rhett Ravndahl ripped a point shot through traffic on the powerplay to tie the game at two.

Just four minutes later, Chase Hansen walked in and let go of a shot that beat Estevan keeper Jackson Miller to put the Mintos on top by one.

It was also a game full of penalties, misconducts, and straight up nastiness, and it was at its worst in the second period, where a line brawl saw three misconducts and three roughing penalties handed out to each team with 1:18 left to play in the middle frame. The altercation started after a hit from behind penalty and game misconduct was assessed to Estevan’s Kole Keen.

Cox said the message in the second intermission after the rough end to the period was to keep grinding away.

“We just had to come back and play hard after that, and we didn’t give up,” he said.

Ashton Tait had no problem receiving the message, as he scored 31 seconds into the third period to put the Mintos on top by two. However, with 15:05 to go, Cade Cole made it close again, scoring for the Bears to make it a one goal Minto lead. It would only remain that way for about forty seconds however, as Jacob Cossette scored his fifth goal of the year to put PA back up by two.

Jayden Kraus shut the door the rest of the way, turning away a barrage of chances from Estevan, as he stopped 19 of 22 shots in the win. Miller turned aside 31 of 35 Minto shots in a losing effort for Estevan.

PA will head into Estevan next weekend for another back to back set against the Bears, and Cox thinks his team will be ready to go once the puck drops.

“We know what’s about to happen with their systems, and we just have to work hard this week,” he said. “We’re looking forward to next weekend. We’re going to dial in our systems and we’ll be ready to go.”

Puck drop for next Saturday’s game in Estevan is 4:00 pm.

Scoring Summary

1^st Period

PA: Danton Cox, SHG: 10:17

EST: Marshall Light (Cole): 17:50

2^nd Period

EST: Tucker Buhay: 4:46

PA: Rhett Ravndahl, PP (Cossette, Cox): 6:43

PA: Chase Hansen (Ravndahl): 10:53

3^rd Period

PA: Ashton Tait (Cossette): 0:31

EST: Cade Cole (Gutzke): 14:55

PA: Cossette, PP (Blanchette): 15:39

SOG: 36-22 PA

Ryan Lepitzki scored twice as the Prince Albert Mintos picked up a 5-1 win over the Estevan Bears Saturday night at the Art Hauser Centre.

The Mintos notched their third win of the season, as well as their first ever victory against the newly instated Bears team. 

“We had a good week of practice, really just got our systems down,” Lepitzki said after the game. “We had to make sure that we executed well, and we did tonight.”

The Mintos walked into the dressing room with a 3-0 lead after the first period thanks to goals from Lepitzki, Karson Blanchette, and Jacob Cossette. Lepitzki said that gave them a lot of energy heading into the second frame.

“It felt good, the boys were a little loose, and the energy was going all night,” he said.

Although the margin of victory was large, the Mintos ran into some penalty trouble, and were forced to kill off two five-on-three Estevan powerplays.

Jacob Cossette, who picked up his second of the night early in the third, said the bench came alive after killing both penalties off.

“It’s always a real boost, to kill a five-on-three without a goal scored on,” Cossette said. “We were just hyped up and we got it going on offence and I thought we handled it pretty good.”

Cossette also gave a large amount of credit to the play of goalie Ty Shumanski, who made 30 saves in the win.

“We can’t thank him enough. He played great and he’s a big body in there and we really appreciated him bailing us out.”

Tucker Buhay scored the lone goal for Estevan with just over 12 minutes to play in the third period. Kaden Perron made 35 saves for the Bears in a losing cause.

It will be a quick turnaround, with the two teams squaring off again on Sunday afternoon. Lepitzki knows his team will have to be ready to go.

“We’re going to have to come back prepared tomorrow,” he said. “It’ll be the second of four coming up so it’s going to be big.”

Puck drop on Sunday afternoon is at 1:30.

The annual Canadian Tire Classic football game between cross town rivals Carlton Crusaders and St. Mary Marauders has been cancelled.

Both teams found out just hours before kickoff on Friday that they would not be playing on Max Clunie Field because of a COVID case connected to one of the teams.

Kickoff was slated for 6:30, but now it is in the air as to whether there will be a game at all between the two teams. Both team’s coaches (Curt Hundeby of St. Mary, Lindsay Strachan of Carlton) said a discussion is taking place for a possible rescheduling for the game.

This would have been the ninth annual under the lights classic between the two schools.

The Prince Albert Mintos came into the Art Hauser Centre Saturday night looking to sweep their season-opening series with the Warman Wildcats, but it was the visitors who left with the win, and some revenge after a 5-3 setback on Wednesday.

The Wildcats outshot, outchanced and outscored the Mintos, leaving Prince Albert with a 4-0 victory.

Wildcats goaltender Alex Worthinigton shut the door on all 25 Minto shots. Meanwhile, Minto goalie Jayden Kraus did his best to keep his team in the game, turning aside 41 of 45 shots that came his way.

Minto captain Rhett Ravndahl spoke highly of Kraus after the game.

“He played amazing,” Ravndahl said. “He’s a great goaltender, and I wouldn’t ask for a better goalie to play with.”

The Minto captain also commended the play of the Wildcats, saying “they’re a tough team to play against.”

Prince Albert came into this game sporting a 2-1 record, with an opening game 7-2 shellacking of the Swift Current Legionnaires, followed by a 5-3 upset by the Regina Pat C’s, and the aforementioned 5-3 victory over the Warman Wildcats.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats came into this one with a 2-1 record in the early stages of the season, thanks to hot starts in back to back wins against the also newly inaugurated Estevan Bears, before dropping a 5-3 contest on the road in PA.

It was a pretty even battle for the opening 15 minutes until Dustin Renas opened the scoring for the visitors with 4:28 left in the opening frame. From there on, it became a battle that the Mintos were losing, especially in the shot department, and it eventually started to show on the scoreboard.

The second period saw three more goals added, all to the Warman side. Dustin Renas found the back of the net twice more in the middle frame to make it a 3-0 Wildcats lead, and Connor Gabriel added an insurance goal just 8 seconds after Renas’ hat trick tally to make it a 4-0 Warman advantage.

“They came out strong,” Ravndahl said. “They’re a good team. We just couldn’t capitalize on our chances and they did.”

Saturday’s loss drops the Mintos to 2-2 on the season. They’ll face the Estevan Bears at the Art Hauser Centre in their next game on Oct. 9.

When asked how the team would prepare for Estevan next Saturday, Ravndahl said they’re looking at it game by game.

“They’ve played a few games, so we’re going to look at some film in these next few practices, learn how they play and go off of that,” he said.

Puck drop is 7 p.m.