The Prince Albert Raiders couldn’t hold onto to an early lead against the top team in the Eastern Conference with a 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg ICE on Tuesday night.
It would be the Raiders to break the seal in the scoring. Landon Kosior would fire a wrist shot from the right circle and Cole Peardon would tip the shot over the shoulder of ICE netminder Daniel Hauser and into the back of the net. Grady Martin also picked up an assist on the play.
Peardon, who has been in and out of the lineup for the Raiders as a 16-year-old all season, says it is a good feeling to contribute on the scoresheet
“It’s awesome to contribute. Especially as a young guy, it’s nice to put up points. It’s good for the teams and I could not have done it without Kosior’s nice shot.”
With just 55.2 seconds to go in the opening frame, Sloan Stanick would lean into a slap shot that would sneak through ICE backstop Daniel Hauser. Landon Kosior and Aiden Oiring would receive assists on the play.
Truitt says the Raiders didn’t overcomplicate the game in the first period and it paid off.
“I was really happy with the way we generated speed. There weren’t a lot of turnovers in the neutral zone because we made simple plays. We didn’t overpass the puck or overthink things. We got pucks in deep and went to work. I thought that kept the flow for us in the first period.”
The ICE would come back surging in the second period with a trio of goals to take a 3-2 lead after forty minutes.
Just 2:45 in, Connor McClennon would get a shart handed tally, scoring his 43rd of the season to bring Winnipeg within one. Conor Geekie had the lone assist on the play.
Matthew Savoie would even the score just 0:46 late, the Buffalo Sabres prospect would weave his way through several Raider defenders before firing a wrist shot past Tikhon Chaika for his 36th of the campaign. Geekie picked up his second assist of the night.
In the dying seconds of the middle frame, Winnipeg would pull ahead. Nashville Predators prospect Graham Sward would strike for his third goal of the season to give the ICE a 3-2 lead. Geekie and Jonas Woo had assists on the play.
“We turned pucks over, we tried to get cute through the neutral zone and they turned into their transition game. They’re an explosive team and I told the guys they would be better in the second period and they were.”
A crowd would be drawn in front of the Raider net with just 1:23 to go in the period. ICE forward Easton Armstrong would fall hard and take down Raider netminder Tikhon Chaika.
Winnipeg outshot Prince Albert 14-6 in the second period and led the shots 23-19 after forty minutes of play.
Matthew Savoie would strike for the second time in the contest with his 37th of the season coming 3:15 into the third period. Ben Zloty and Owen Pederson assisted on the play.
The Raiders were down, but far from out. With the ICE on the power play, Evan Herman would be sprung on a breakaway and the captain would make no mistake for his 17th of the season to bring Prince Albert within one. Aiden Oiring had the lone assist on the play.
The Raiders return to action on Friday night when they travel to Brandon to take on the Wheat Kings. Puck drops at 6 p.m. Saskatchewan time.
News and Notes
Former Raider Carson Latimer was scratched Tuesday. Latimer suffered a lower body injury in a game against the Edmonton Oil Kings and is listed as month-to-month by the ICE. Latimer was traded by the Raiders on New Year’s Eve in exchange for Aiden Oiring and a pair of third round picks.
sports@paherald.sk.ca