After dropping the first two games of the series against the Medicine Hat Tigers, there isn’t a sense of panic for the Prince Albert Raiders.
The Tigers took care of business on home ice taking the first two games of the series at Co-op Place. Medicine Hat took Game 1 by a 6-4 final and took Game 2 5-4 in overtime holding off a late Raider comeback.
Raider interim head coach Ryan McDonald says there were positives for Prince Albert in the first two games.
“As the games went on, we continued to build our game and we know they’re a team that transitions fast. Making sure that we get pucks all the way in behind them and they have to come 200 feet through us is extremely important. For us, taking advantage of our opportunities when we get them too and making sure that we get pucks inside the dots and make them have to defend the net front.”
It’s not the first time the Raiders have trailed in a series this playoff run. Prince Albert erased a three games to one deficit to eliminate the Edmonton Oil Kings in the first round in seven games.
McDonald says that experience from the first round will pay dividends for Prince Albert moving forward.
“We’ve been learning the whole playoff experience. Our group has done a great job taking things game by game, and that mentality doesn’t change. For us, the most important thing is game three that’s coming up here. We’re focused and we’re determined, and we’re building on our gameplan.”
One of the Raiders with the most playoff experience on the roster is 20-year-old Rilen Kovacevic. Last season, Kovacevic won a WHL championship with the Moose Jaw Warriors.
Kovacevic says his message to the younger players on the Raiders is to get ready for more of the same as they get deeper into the playoffs.
“It only gets harder. It’s not the regular season, that’s for sure. You can play nine games in 16 days, or whatever we did in the regular season, and you won’t feel it. It’s much different right now and we’re starting to figure that out, but it’s just a grind and you have to persevere.”
The Raiders battled in both of the first two games of the series. Prince Albert trailed 5-1 after forty minutes in Game 1 and overcame a two goal deficit in the third period of Game 2.
“It’s been a lot of hockey,” Kovacevic says. “They were rested and that could go both ways. You could look at it that we’re in game shape. But I think we were a little bit banged up and tired. We had a couple of days off and there’s nothing like playing in the Hauser.”
The old cliche is hockey is that you aren’t in trouble in the playoffs until you lose at home. During a mid-season player’s poll done by the WHL, the Art Hauser Centre was ranked as the second most difficult rink to play in behind Everett’s Angel of the Winds Arena.
Kovacevic says Prince Albert is excited about the opportunity to play on home ice again.
“I like just feeding off the crowd in general. I don’t really care who they’re cheering for as long as it’s a good atmosphere. The Hauser is the best in junior hockey that I’ve ever seen. We expect it and we definitely get it from the fans here and we use that to our advantage.”
The Raiders had home ice advantage in the first round, which proved to be crucial in the deciding Game 7. Kovacevic says the Raiders were fuelled by the home crowd in that game.
“It’s a huge advantage. We saw that in Game 7 against Edmonton. We weren’t going to lose that game. There wasn’t a chance that we were going to fall short there. A big part of that is being on home ice. It might be a different result if we aren’t at home there.”
Puck drop for Game 3 is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday night.
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