With the Prince Albert Raiders’ season coming to an end after a game five loss to the Winnipeg ICE, it also marked the end of Reece Vitelli and Remy Aquilon’s WHL careers.

The two overagers joined the Raiders via trades in the 2019-20 season, when Prince Albert was fresh off of their WHL championship. Vitelli says the trade that brought him from Everett to PA was the best thing that could have happened to him.

“Coming to PA, I didn’t know much,” Vitelli said. “I had never really been to northern Saskatchewan before. I knew they had just won, they had a great team, and they did a lot of great things. When I got the call, I didn’t really know what to expect.

“Honestly, it was the best decision that life could have handed to me.”

Before the Raiders championship run in 2019, Vitelli was a part of the Everett Silvertips team that reached the WHL final in 2018 against the Swift Current Broncos. However after moving to Prince Albert, his three seasons with the Raiders were full of life lessons.

“Hockey’s just a game, there’s a lot of life left,” he said. “Our coaches do a great job of giving us lessons and we leave as better men. In my experience in junior hockey, you’re a part of one big family. Everyone is together and pulling on the same rope. Whether it’s the front office, the coaches, the fans, the players, we all want the same thing. You meet different families and they become family to you, and that’s truly a great experience.”

Aquilon’s journey to Prince Albert was along a similar path. He joined the Raiders organization in a trade from the Victoria Royals early in the 2019-20 campaign, and quickly became one of the team’s most trusted defencemen.

Playing with Kaiden Guhle, Zack Hayes, Nolan Allan, Landon Kosior, and Jeremy Masella that season, Aquilon’s addition made the Raiders defense core one of the most formidable in the league.

After the trade that sent Guhle to the Edmonton Oil Kings this season, Aquilon saw his role with the club increase even more, as his ice time skyrocketed. He was also given the honour of serving as an alternate captain in 2021-22, the first time he has done so in the WHL.

“I learned quite a bit, especially from this coaching staff,” Aquilon explained. “There is a huge winning identity, but also winning in life. It was a big jump (after Kaiden left), he’s obviously a really good player and it’s hard to fill his shoes. I think not only myself but every one of our defensemen did a great job of stepping up to the plate after that.”

Aquilon was able to learn a lot in his time with the Raiders, and had some of the best guidance around. With both Guhle and Allan being picked in the first round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, he says even as an older guy on the team, it was nice to pick their brain about the game.

“It’s been really cool,” he said. “They’ve both been to NHL camps which is obviously a huge accomplishment. Learning from them and asking them questions, even if I am a little bit older, I try to soak in as much as they told me.”

As an undrafted player, Aquilon had to work his way through the ranks to even crack a WHL roster. After each season, the defenceman would set new career highs in points, finishing the 2021-22 season with 27. He says while his WHL career has come to an end, his options are still available for hockey in the future.

“I’m definitely going to keep every door open just in case. I’m excited for what the future has. I’m going to wait and see what happens, I want to use my WHL scholarship and their education package. I think it’s a very good thing that the WHL has put in place. I’d love to go pro as well. It’s a dream to pursue and play hockey, so we’ll see what happens.”

kyle_kosowan•sports@paherald.sk.ca

For the first time since 2019, a new WHL champion will be crowned. The defending Prince Albert Raiders were bounced in the first round of the playoffs following an 8-2 loss in game five to the Winnipeg ICE on Friday night at Wayne Fleming Arena.

“The guys were trying, but it was hard not to get frustrated,” head coach Marc Habscheid said. “Chaika broke a fingernail in warmups, so it seemed like that effected his play. We just didn’t recover from there. We were over matched, they’re a better team.”

The Raiders were able to kill off a penalty that Remy Aquilon took just 1:42 into the game, but the ICE opened the scoring 9:58 into the first period. Owen Pederson ripped a shot from the right circle that hit traffic in front, but the puck came loose in the crease. Jack Finley jumped on the rebound and knocked the second try home. For the fourth time in five games, the ICE jumped in front to take a 1-0 lead.

With 5:42 to go in the first, Zachary Benson extended Winnipeg’s lead to 2-0 during a two on one rush. Displaying patience in front of Chaika, Benson stick handled before taking a backhand shot after the Raider netminder was fooled by the initial deke. Benson’s fourth goal of the series doubled the ICE lead.

Winnipeg added another goal exactly one minute later, as Mikey Milne scored his team leading fifth goal of the postseason with 4:42 left in the opening frame. Jakin Smallwood threw a pass in front from behind the net and Milne was there to fire a shot to make it 3-0.

Jonas Woo made it 4-0 with 2:54 to go in the first, scoring his first playoff goal and registering his first playoff point in the process. On a breakaway and breaking down the left wing, the right handed shooting Woo sniped a shot far side beating Chaika’s glove. Scoring four goals in seven minutes, Winnipeg took a commanding 4-0 lead going into the second, also outshooting Prince Albert 13-1.

Connor McClennon made it a 5-0 lead 1:57 into the second period, which ended Chaika’s night for the third time this series. Finley and Pederson each registered their second points of the night with assists on McClennon’s third goal of the playoffs. Making 10 saves on 15 shots, Chaika was replaced in goal by Max Hildebrand.

On their third penalty kill of the game, the Raiders cut into the lead with a shorthanded goal from the stick of Reece Vitelli. His team leading third goal of the postseason made it a 5-1 ICE lead with 10:16 left in the second period.

Hildebrand stopped all 11 shots he faces in the remainder of the second period, as the ICE went into the third holding a 5-1 lead.

Benson and McClennon, as well as Matthew Savoie, each scored goals for the ICE in the third period, while Sloan Stanick was credited with Prince Albert’s lone goal in the third, as Winnipeg took game five by an 8-2 final.

“We beat Winnipeg three times in the regular season, and we were one of only two teams to do that,” Habscheid added. “They got healthy and loaded up for the playoffs. We got a game from them and really could have gotten two.

“The guys found a way to get into the playoffs, they battled all year. We got better and we scrapped and clawed and did it the Raider way.”

With the win, the ICE advance to the second round of the playoffs, joining the Edmonton Oil Kings, who were the first team to advance to the second round after sweeping the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

@kyle_kosowan•sports@paherald.sk.ca

With their backs against the wall and facing a must win situation, the Prince Albert Raiders staved off elimination with a 3-1 win over the Winnipeg ICE on Wednesday night at the Art Hauser Centre. The win meant Prince Albert avoided a first round sweep, and forced the series back to Winnipeg for game five, with the ICE holding a 3-1 series lead.

“I thought both goaltenders played really well,” head coach Marc Habscheid said. “We could’ve had more than two goals and an empty netter for sure. But we did what we had to do. Our penalty kill was good, we scored one on the powerplay and got a little lucky with our second one. We found a way. Winnipeg is 50 points ahead and they have a lot of goal scorers, but it doesn’t matter. Excuses don’t matter. You find a way.”

Both Tikhon Chaika and Daniel Hauser were incredible for both clubs in goal, making clutch saves to keep their respective teams in it. Chaika picked up his first WHL playoff win with a 26 save performance, while Hauser stopped 20 shots in a losing cause.

It was a much better start for the Raiders in game four, as they held the ICE scoreless after the first period. Both teams exchanged a pair of high quality scoring chances, as Sloan Stanick was denied on a breakaway, and Chaika made a huge breakaway save on Conor Geekie. Both teams failed to strike on their singular powerplays in the opening frame, as the two teams went into the second period still in search of a goal. Winnipeg held  the slight edge in shots 9-8 after 20 minutes.

1:53 into the second period, the Raiders flipped the script on their first round series, scoring the game’s opening goal on the powerplay. Vlad Shilo sent a pass from the right circle to the point for Remy Aquilon, who fired a shot on goal through traffic. Beating all the bodies in front, Aquilon’s laser beat Hauser and went in, giving the Raiders a 1-0 lead early into the middle frame. For the first time in the series, Prince Albert struck first.

A blistering pace was set all period long, with chance after chance for both teams to find goals. Chaika stood on his head, making 13 saves in the second, including multiple saves on odd man rushed. The Raiders nearly took a 2-0 lead, but a shot off the post kept things at 1-0.

Tempers would also flare in the second period, as a scrum during a Winnipeg powerplay lead to roughing calls assessed to Jack Finley and Nolan Allan. Reece Vitelli drew a charging penalty earlier in the period, and stared down the Winnipeg bench with a huge smile on his face, attempting to get in the heads of the visiting side.

After all was said and done when the buzzer sounded to end the frame, Prince Albert went to the dressing room clinging on to their one goal lead heading into period number three.

It took the Raiders just 1:06 into the third period to double their lead, and were a little fortunate to do so. Eric Johnston fired a shot from long range that deflected off of ICE defenceman Tanner Brown in front and bounced past Hauser and in. In his rookie season, Johnston scored the biggest goal of his young WHL career, putting Prince Albert up 2-0 early in the third.

“Going into the dressing room into the second intermission, we just said we have to win one more period,” Johnston said. “Luckily that shot went off of their defenceman, so that was a bit of a lucky goal there. The fans were definitely electric there and got the team a lot of momentum. Getting goals at the start of a period gets the fans engaged early, and it gets the building going. The boys love it.”

More back and forth action was held for much of the remainder of the third period, but the ICE found a goal with 1:09 left in regulation to make things interesting once again. On the powerplay and with the net empty, Mikey Milne buried a quick shot after taking a cross crease feed from Matthew Savoie. With just over a minute to go in the game, the ICE cut the Raiders lead to 2-1.

However, with the goalie pulled again in the final minute, the ICE got burned by Sloan Stanick, who cashed in an empty netter with 50 seconds to go, putting the game out of reach. Stanick restores Prince Albert’s two goal lead making it 3-1, and that was all she wrote, as the Raiders came away as 3-1 victors, surviving to play at least one more game.

The Great Wall of Chaika

After being pulled in two straight games, Tikhon Chaika put in a game of the year bid on Wednesday night. Out of his 26 saves, nearly half of them were game savers on odd man rushes. There were multiple two on one or three on one breaks for the ICE that the Raider netminder foiled. Chaika says it was a neat experience winning a playoff game at the Art Hauser Centre for the first time.

“It was awesome,” he said. “That was my first experience and it was incredible. It’s playoff time. After yesterday’s game, everyone just had a talk, and we were ready for today. We had a little bit of luck, and but we were better in our defensive zone. We scored on our opportunities.”

Chaika explained how he approached each shot in game four’s win, saying he did his best to stay calm in between the pipes. He did an excellent job of keeping his team in the game in all three periods, and thought he kept the game under control.

“I’m always trying to stay under control,” he said. “I’m always focusing on the game, and I just don’t think about it. We just needed to win every shift. Everybody thinks we can’t win this series, we’re down 0-3. But we played fantastic tonight. We just needed to win every shift, and we will see the result.”

With the win, the Raiders live to fight another day. The team will travel back to Winnipeg on Thursday morning to prepare for Friday’s game five contest. Puck drop for game five from Wayne Fleming Arena goes on Friday at 6 p.m.

@kyle_kosowan•sports@paherald.sk.ca

The score speaks for itself. The Prince Albert Raiders were behind the eight ball all game long, losing 10-1 to the Winnipeg ICE on Tuesday night at the Art Hauser Centre. The Raiders now trail their first round series with the ICE, and face a must win game on Wednesday night at home.

“You don’t want to lose that way,” head coach Marc Habscheid said. “I thought we started really good. Forget that first goal, and I think that might have changed the complexion a little bit and it would have given us some confidence. There were three penalties, two of which I thought were questionable (in the first period), and they scored on two of them. It is what it is.”

The Raiders entered game three’s matchup with the ICE in a near “must win” situation, trailing their opening round series 2-0. Their chances to pull a little closer in the series got a little better on Tuesday night, as forward Ozzy Wiesblatt made his return to the lineup.

While the Raiders had their chances to open the scoring early, it was the ICE that scored the first goal of the contest, as they got things rolling on yet another powerplay in the series. From the point, Carson Lambos fired a shot on goal that hit the traffic in front, but the rebound popped in the slot for Mikey Milne. Wasting little time with the puck, Milne buried Winnipeg’s fifth powerplay goal of the series to put the visitors on top 1-0.

The ICE kept their special teams rolling less than five minutes later on their second man advantage of the night. With Vlad Shilo in the box for holding, it took Winnipeg just 28 seconds to strike on the powerplay. Zach Benson jumped all over a rebound left in front of the net after a blocked shot from the point and buried it for his second goal of the postseason. 7:03 into the first, Winnipeg jumped ahead to a 2-0 lead.

Winnipeg wasn’t done there either, as just 5:05 later, Owen Pederson extended the lead to 3-0. A nice cross ice pass from Connor McClennon found the tape of Pederson on the doorstep, and he banged home a quick shot past Chaika. Pederson’s team leading third goal of the playoffs put the ICE up by a trio.

Just 30 seconds after that, Milne potted his second goal of the contest. Parked in the high slot, Milne deflected a Tanner Brown point shot that had Chaika moving the wrong way. The perfect tip gave Milne two goals on the night, putting Winnipeg up 4-0. Habscheid called a timeout after the goal, but Chaika remained in the game.

Outshooting Prince Albert 14-8 after 20 minutes, Winnipeg took their 4-0 lead into the second period. They also went 2/3 on the man advantage in the opening frame, and 6/10 overall in the series. Their third powerplay in the first was cut short after Benson took a penalty which turned into four on four action.

They have a lot of talent,” Habscheid said. “They dug out some rebounds and cashed them in. We can’t take penalties but it’s tough. There were a couple of penalties that we deserved, but it wasn’t like it was an out of hand game. Just let the guys play. They (the officials) called two marginal penalties that ended up in our net, and that’s tough to take, especially when you’re struggling a little bit.”

The Raiders were almost completely shut down in the second period, while the ICE continued to pour on the pressure in the offensive zone. Adding another powerplay goal and a shorthanded goal in the middle frame, Winnipeg’s special teams continued to kill Prince Albert. Benson kicked off the second period with a powerplay goal to make it a 5-0 game.

Chaika saw his night come to an end after Benson’s tally. It marked the second game in a row where Max Hildebrand made a relief appearance in the second period.

After that, the ICE scored three goals in under a minute to go up 8-0. McClennon started the mini scoring spree, while Jakin Smallwood scored his second goal of the playoffs. Conor Geekie capped off the goal explosion with his second of the playoffs.

Milne brought the second period to an end with a shorthanded goal with 26 seconds to go. A stretch pass from Benson left Milne all alone working in on Hildebrand, and he roofed a shot top corner over Hildebrand’s glove. Outshot 28-13 after 40 minutes, the Raiders were down 9-0, thankful to finally head to the dressing room, but possibly dreading what the third period might behold.

The Raiders finally got on the score board 1:40 into the third period, making it a 9-1 game. Niall Crocker was banging for the loose puck at the side of the net, and it came right out in front to Harrison Lodewyk. The Raider rookie shot into a wide open net to break Hauser’s shutout bid.

Skyler Bruce made it a 10 spot for the ICE 8:04 into the third period to make it a 10-1 Winnipeg lead. One goal was mercifully the only goal Winnipeg would find in the third period, as they took game three by a 10-1 final. Winnipeg became the first team to score 10 goals in a playoff game since the 2016 Brandon Wheat Kings, when they beat the Edmonton Oil Kings 10-3 in game six of their first round series.

The Raiders now have their backs against the wall, and will need to win game four on Wednesday to avoid the sweep and extend the series for a game five back in Winnipeg.

“They’ll be ready,” Habscheid said of his group. “Will we come back to win four straight, who knows. We’ll chip away. Raider pride. We’re still the defending champs, and we’re not going to go down without a fight. We’ll be ready tomorrow.”

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

@kyle_kosowan•sports@paherald.sk.ca

The Prince Albert Raiders gave up three goals in the first period, two of which came on Winnipeg powerplays, as they fell 5-2 to the ICE on Saturday night at Wayne Fleming Arena.

It was a short night for Tikhon Chaika, who got the hook after surrendering four goals on 15 shots through 22 minutes. Daniel Hauser made 18 saves for Winnipeg, as the ICE took a 2-0 series lead with the win.

After giving up two powerplay goals in game one on Friday night, the Raiders surrendered the opening goal of the game on an ICE man advantage just 2:51 into the game. With Tayem Gislason in the penalty box for cross checking, Winnipeg made good on their first shot of their first powerplay of the night. Nolan Orzeck got the ICE on the board with a quick shot from the right circle. His wrist shot beat a screened Chaika far side.

Jakin Smallwood added an even strength goal 11:58 into the first period to double Winnipeg’s lead. Smallwood worked his way down the right wing and sniped a shot short side past Chaika. His second goal of the series gave the ICE a 2-0 lead.

A power outage at Wayne Fleming Arena caused a stoppage in play late in the first period, giving the Raiders some extra time to talk things over. The lengthy delay proved beneficiary for Prince Albert, as Landon Kosior scored to make it a 2-1 game.

Much like Friday night, the Raiders took a penalty shortly after scoring, and once again it proved to be costly. Vlad Shilo was sent to the box for tripping, and the ICE struck with just four seconds left in the opening frame. It only took eight seconds for Winnipeg to strike on the man advantage, as Owen Pederson buried his second goal of the playoffs. After going 2/2 on the powerplay, the ICE took a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes.

Chaika saw his night come to an end 2:10 into the second period, when Zach Benson extended Winnipeg’s lead to 4-1. From behind the net, the ICE forward worked his way to the corner, spinning and firing a bad angle shot. Somehow it beat Chaika cleanly, and the ICE went up by three. Chaika was replaced in the Raider goal by Max Hildebrand after surrendering four goals on 15 shots.

Hildebrand was rudely welcomed into his first WHL playoff appearance by Connor Geekie, who put the ICE up 5-1. A nice toe drag move in the slot gave Geekie some extra room to work with, and he sniped a shot glove side past Hildebrand. Off to a quick start in the second period, Winnipeg scored twice in the opening 3:20 to take a commanding 5-1 lead.

Reece Vitelli scored the lone goal in the third period for the Raiders, taking a shot that went off the post and in. His second goal of the playoffs made it a 5-2 ICE lead.

Vitelli’s marker was the only goal in the third period, as Winnipeg won the game by a 5-2 final, and took a 2-0 series lead.

Prince Albert will now have to attempt a series comeback that they have not accomplished since 2005. That’s the last time that the Raiders came back after trailing a series 2-0 (they beat the Medicine Hat Tigers in six games).

Step one of that attempt will come in game three, which goes down on Tuesday night at the Art Hauser Centre. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.

@kyle_kosowan•sports@paherald.sk.ca