Darren Steinke
Stanks On Sports
How many Prince Albert Raiders fans remember Dante Hannoun’s overtime goal?
The above query is a rhetorical one for most in “Hockey Town North.” If a Raiders fan has trouble remembering the Dante Hannoun goal, they were either not born yet, recently began following WHL hockey or are living under a rock.
The moment came in what was arguably the most exciting Game 7 played in the history of the WHL. It occurred in the league championship series in 2019 at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre.
You don’t even need to see video footage to picture it. For most Raiders fans, that scene is ingrained in their memory.
The Raiders were locked in a 2-2 tie in double overtime with the Vancouver Giants. The winner was going to the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup.
If you are honest, it was a series where both teams played with a heart of a champion. The Raiders took a 3-1 series lead, and it looked like they landed the knockout blow posting 8-2 and 1-0 victories in Games 3 and 4 respectively at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, B.C.
The Giants got off the mat, dusted themselves off and evened the series at 3-3. They pulled out a 4-3 victory in Game 5 in Langley and claimed Game 6 at the Hauser 4-2 to set up the Game 7 showdown.
That led to the moment the Raiders faithful will forever cherish that came with 1:35 remaining in overtime in Game 7. Raiders 20-year-old centre Noah Gregor got a hold of the puck along the right-wing boards.
He jetted around behind the Vancouver net out to the left-wing boards at the edge of the faceoff circle. Gregor made a little spin and passed the puck across the face of the Vancouver goal to his 20-year-old linemate in Hannoun, who was set up beside the right goalpost.
Hannoun, who was playing right wing as opposed to his regular centre spot, tapped in the backdoor feed past Giants netminder David Tendeck. The Raider won 3-2, took the WHL title, and the sellout crowd of 3,289 spectators at the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre exploded like never before.
The cheers continued as Hannoun raced down the ice in celebration and jumped into the right corner boards of the Raiders zone where he was mobbed by his teammates. The on ice celebrations went on for about three hours.
In the history of the WHL, the only thing that could match what happened at the Hauser on May 13, 2019 took place in another storied and historic building that is no longer in use. Back on May 14, 2007, the Medicine Hat Tigers claimed a 3-2 double overtime victory over the Giants in Game 7 of the WHL Championship Series. Martensville, Sask., product Brennan Bosch scored the winner to set off the celebrations that night for the sellout crowd of 4,006 spectators at The Arena in Medicine Hat.
You could argue for weeks and months which contest was better. The fact is those were the only two nights to date the WHL title was decided in Game 7 in overtime, and both contests were all-time classics.
For the Raiders, their Game 7 overtime WHL title win marked the last time a Game 7 was played at the Hauser. That will change on Tuesday at 7 p.m., when the Raiders host the Edmonton Oil Kings in Game 7 of a first round series in this year’s WHL Playoffs.
Game 7s are exciting. While a league title is not normally on the line, enough energy gets built up from the fact the winner moves on and the loser goes home.
Game 7s don’t come around as often as you might think. There were 30 series played combined in the 2023 and 2024 WHL post-seasons and only three of those series went to Game 7.
In the first round of the current post-season, there will be two Game 7s for sure, and there could be a third, if the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the visiting Everett Silvertips on Monday night.
The Raiders last Game 7 was their WHL title winning game in 2019. Before that victory, the Raiders previous Game 7 came in the 2018 WHL Playoffs when they dropped a 5-4 decision to the Warriors in Moose Jaw. After that contest, the Raiders previous Game 7 came in the 2005 Eastern Conference Championship Series, where they dropped a 5-1 decision to the Wheat Kings in Brandon.
That came nine years after the Raiders previous appearance in a Game 7. On April 10, 1996, the Raiders downed the Regina Pats 5-1 in Game 7 of a WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series at the Art Hauser Centre then known as the Comuniplex. In the old smarty box seat configuration, a sellout crowd of 3,567 packed into the Raiders fabled home barn that night.
How long ago was that contest? Steve Kelly scored twice for the Raiders, while Jason Issel, David Van Drunen and Marian Menhart had singles. Rod Branch made 25 saves to pick up the win in goal, and Chris Phillips had one assist for Prince Albert.
The Raiders erased a 3-1 series deficit with their Game 7 victory that night. At the moment, that marks the last time Prince Albert has rallied back to win a series after trailing 3-1. That could potentially change against the Oil Kings on Tuesday, when the Raiders are again trying to complete a series win after trailing the set 3-1.
Since 1996, there have only been two Game 7s played at the Hauser and Tuesday’s contest will be the third. How the storyline of this one will play out remains to be seen. With two straight wins, the Raiders do enter the contest with a lot of momentum.
If fans don’t want to miss out on Game 7 excitement, they would be wise to get to The Hauser on Tuesday night. Who knows when the next one will come around.
Darren Steinke is a Saskatoon-based freelance sportswriter and photographer with more than 20 years of experience covering the WHL. He blogs frequently at stankssermon.blogspot.com.
