Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Chelios to speak at Kinsmen Sportsman Dinner Saturday

Nathan Reiter
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Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Chelios to speak at Kinsmen Sportsman Dinner Saturday

Chris Chelios enjoyed a long successful career in the National Hockey League, but not many people know that Saskatchewan played a major role in the early days of his career.

Chelios played two seasons for the Moose Jaw Canucks in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) from 1979-1981 followed by two seasons with the University of Wisconsin, before breaking into the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens. During his time with Moose Jaw, Chelios posted 35 goals and 95 assists in 107 games.

Chelios will be in Prince Albert on Saturday to serve as the guest speaker at the 2024 Kinsmen Sportsman Dinner hosted in the Ches Leach Lounge at the Art Hauser Centre.

Although the Raiders weren’t his favorite opponent to play against, Chelios says he is excited to return to Hockeytown North.

“I’m looking forward to it. I’ve been back to Saskatchewan a few times now over the last couple of years and basically that’s where it all started for me. In Moose Jaw, not the fondest memories in Prince Albert playing the Raiders. We lost both years in game seven and I think they went on to win the Centennial Cup.”

“It was just a great place to play, great atmosphere. I do have some friends throughout the years in the NHL that I’ve played with Dave Manson, guys that I know are from that area. Nothing but great memories from of my days in Saskatchewan.”

Chelios was selected in the second round, 40th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. Chelios played 1651 career NHL games, posting 185 goals and 763 assists from the blue line.

Chelios won a trio of Stanley Cups in his career with the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings and broke the record for most playoff games on April 12, 2008, passing Patrick Roy’s record.

The funds raised at the Kinsmen Sportsman Dinner will go towards the Grand Slam Rebuild Project which is organized by the Prince Albert Minor Baseball Association with the aim of the project to rebuild the complex of three diamonds at Crescent Acres.

Chelios says one of the main reasons he is making the trip to Prince Albert is to give back to a community that he played in at the start of his career.

“In the hockey world, it’s nice to come back and see people, how much they appreciate you and the support they give you. The money goes to great events. I’ve dealt with youth hockey, raising money for youth hockey or some other worthy cause, whether maybe a children’s foundation for make-a-wish. When you’re in a position to give back a little bit, you feel obligated.

“I don’t think I’d go to Ontario or anywhere like that, but because I have some ties in Saskatchewan and PA, I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of people that (I) have run across over the years. I enjoy that. I really enjoyed my experiences in Canada when I was playing in Montreal and Moose Jaw.” At the banquet, Bruce Vance will be honored with the Sportsman of the Year. Gage Grassick will receive the Female Athlete of the Year award with Tazmin Smith-Windsor earning the Male Athlete of the Year.

Gage Grassick named Kinsmen Female Athlete of the Year

Nathan Reiter
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Gage Grassick named Kinsmen Female Athlete of the Year

It’s been a career year for Gage Grassick.

The former Carlton Crusader has posted a career season with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team, and on Saturday, she will be honoured as the Prince Albert Kinsmen Female Athlete of the Year at the upcoming Kinsmen Sportsman Dinner.

“It’s a super big honor.” Grassick said. “I like to refer to Prince Albert as kind of a smaller community, but with a big heart. We have so many great athletes, future and present. It’s super amazing to be able to share this award.”

The Huskies sit on top of the Canada West standings with a perfect 12-0 record. Grassick, in her third season at the USPORTS level, has been a huge piece for the team as she has averaged over 30 minutes per game, averaging 14.8 points, 3.4 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game.

Grassick says the quality of competition she faces forces her to be at her best every night.

“I’m super fortunate to play in Canada West. We’re probably one of the most competitive leagues. So being able to play against good competition every single game, you kind of raise your expectations of yourself and your teammates and being able to go on the court each game and give it your all.”

Growing up in Prince Albert, Grassick says she never thought that she would receive an award like the Kinsmen Female Athlete of the Year and she credits her role models in Dalyce Emmerson and Erica Gavel in helping her reach her goals.

Herald File Photo. Gage Grassick, pictured here playing for the Carlton Crusaders in this file photo from 2018, attempts to drive to the basket during a game against Regina Riffel.

“I don’t think growing up, (it) crossed my mind. I remember watching players like Dalyce Emmerson and Erica Gavel growing up and they were such a big inspiration to me because they kind of paved the way for young athletes like myself who gave us inspiration that we could do it.”

Before her time as a Huskie, you would often find Grassick involved in any sport she could find the time for. She says her biggest advice to any athletes is to give everything a try.

“Growing up I was a multi-sport athlete, volleyball, basketball, track, soccer, you name it, I was involved in it. For younger athletes, I would say play as many sports as you can, try out as many things as you can. Basketball growing up was never really my number one sport. I was kind of focused on other things and having that diversity in all the sports really helped me when it came down to it, making that decision to go play university basketball. It really solidified my decision because I spent so much time playing every sport. I kind of knew what I was missing out on was not playing basketball.”

Grassick will not be in attendance on Saturday night as she will be in Brandon with the Huskies.

sports@paherald.sk.ca

Tazmin Smith-Windsor named Kinsmen Male Athlete of the Year

Nathan Reiter
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Tazmin Smith-Windsor named Kinsmen Male Athlete of the Year

Tazmin Smith-Windsor is no stranger to the gridiron and will be honoured for his achievements on the field at the Kinsmen Sportsman Dinner this weekend after being named the Kinsmen Male Athlete of the Year.

“I definitely wasn’t expecting it.” Smith-Windsor said. “It kind of caught me off guard, but I got a call from Jared Devers and he said (that I) won the award. I was happy (and) I just felt grateful to be recognized by the club and happy to represent my city.”

Smith-Windsor was a standout on both sides of the ball as a defensive back and running back during his time with the Carlton Crusaders. He committed to the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football program in the fall of 2022 and is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in biomedical sciences.

Although Prince Albert boasts the nickname of ‘Hockeytown North’, Smith-Windsor says football is gaining traction within the community.

“I think it kind of goes to show how football is a growing sport in Prince Albert.  Personally for me, it means a lot that a football player won the award. PA is a big hockey town, not to take anything away from them, but I think it’s good that football is growing as a sport and the people that run the programs up here (are) doing a good job and making sure that everybody gets the opportunity to go far and succeed in whatever sport they want to.”

Smith-Windsor was often on the gridiron representing the province of Saskatchewan. Most recently, he suited for Team Sask at the U18 Football Canada Cup where he won Defensive MVP in the gold medal game.

“It’s awesome.” Smith-Windsor said about the experience. “It’s different for sure, playing on the team and most of the guys are from bigger schools in Saskatoon like St. Joe’s and Holy Cross and then again from Regina powerhouses like Miller. Half the players in the team are from there.”

After being an impact player with Carlton in his high school career, Smith-Windsor redshirted with the Huskies this past fall. Smith-Windsor says the jump in competition from high school to collegiate football is significant.

“It’s a night and day difference. It’s a step up for sure. Everyone’s driven, everyone’s motivated, everyone’s bigger, faster, stronger. You hear it all the time. Everyone’s bigger, faster, stronger at the next level. But you don’t really realize until you’re on the field with these guys. There are no bad players anymore. Everyone’s good. You have got to fight to earn your spot on the team and earn your spot as an active player for sure.”

The Huskies finished the 2023 Canada West Football season with a 5-3 record and fell in the semi-final to the University of Alberta Golden Bears 40-17. Heading into the offseason, Smith-Windsor says he is focused on improving to become a fixture in the Huskie lineup next season

“I got to work on my speed a little bit. This game is so much faster at this level. I’m going to have to work with my trainer in the off season, making sure I get my speed up and just getting a little bit more used to the defensive system.”

“It is so much different. It’s complex. You need to be smart to excel in that kind of defense, so that’s something I’m going to have to do. Like in the film room, watch a ton of tape and get into the playbook and make sure that I have all that dialed in ready to go for the season.”

The 2024 Kinsmen Sportsman Dinner takes place this Saturday, Jan. 20 at the Ches Leach Lounge at the Art Hauser Centre. Bruce Vance will be named Sportsman of the Year with Gage Grassick receiving Female Athlete of the Year honours. The guest speaker is former NHLer Chris Chelios.

sports@paherald.sk.ca

TSN’s Jay Onrait to speak in Kinistino for Hockey Day in Saskatchewan on Friday

Nathan Reiter
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TSN’s Jay Onrait to speak in Kinistino for Hockey Day in Saskatchewan on Friday

Saskatchewan has a special place in Jay Onrait’s heart. Not only was Saskatchewan the place where Onrait began his highly successful career in sports media, it is also the place where he has plenty of childhood memories.

Onrait grew up in the town of Athabasca, Alta. but spent a lot of time in small town Saskatchewan as a kid. Onrait’s parents are originally from Balcarres and growing up, Onrait would often find himself in Saskatchewan visiting his grandparents from both sides of the family.

“I always love coming to small town Saskatchewan.” Onrait says. “I spent a lot of my youth traveling back to small town Saskatchewan in the summertime to visit grandparents and relatives. I just love being in the 306 area code. It’s always a good feeling, and I’ve always been welcomed and embraced in Saskatchewan. We’ve done so many different things, so I’m really looking forward to getting to Kinistino and having a terrific night. It’s going to be a great one.”

Onrait began his on-air career in Saskatoon in 1998 with Global and has since gone on to become one of the most recognizable voices in sports broadcasting across Canada. Onrait will be the featured guest speaker at the Hockey Day in Saskatchewan banquet in Kinistino on Friday evening.

Onrait says he is looking forward to making the night memorable for anyone in attendance.

“I love any banquets. I’m a huge banquet guy. Everyone in Saskatchewan takes pride in any of the players who come from the province and the teams in the SJHL and the WHL. I’m really looking forward to getting on stage and talking a little bit about my career and to talk a little bit about the sport and just in general, having a really great night and celebrating Hockey Saskatchewan and everything that they’ve accomplished over the past year.

“It’s going to be so much fun. I’m going to talk to anyone who wants to chat. I’ll take pictures with anybody who wants to take pictures. We’ll have a terrific night into the wee hours of the morning and at the end of the night,when they add up all the receipts, we’ve made a nice chunk of change that will go to the arena. It’s just extremely gratifying to not only have a chance to meet some people in person and talk to some people who watch me on a night-to-night basis or have watched me over the course of my career, but also contribute in some small way to helping a community like Kinistino continue to have a great place for hockey players to play of all ages.”

Hockey Day in Saskatchewan was founded in 2008 when the town of Unity raised over $20,000. Since then, more than fifteen towns across the province have gotten to host and have raised funds to improve arenas across the province.

According to the Hockey Day in Saskatchewan website, one of the goals of the event is to “By uniting with the surrounding communities, Hockey Day in Saskatchewan aims to generate the necessary funds to help construct, upgrade or rebuild local arenas, leaving a lasting legacy for future generations of hockey enthusiasts.”

Onrait says he is proud to be able to speak at an event which helps support the grassroots movement in hockey.

“That’s the fundamental foundation of the sport in our country. I know there’s always more and more sophisticated ways to train kids to play hockey (with) hockey schools and all that. Ultimately, the crux of the sport is small towns in our country, kids playing in these small towns and learning the way that I learned.

“I’m living in the big city now, and it’s not that different. I just took my five year old son for skating lessons yesterday and I was just saying to my wife, when we were at the rink in downtown Toronto it looked exactly like the rink I grew up with in small town Alberta and probably not that different from the rink in Kinistino. I love that everybody in our country kind of starts that way.”

During his time with TSN, Onrait traveled across the country as part of the Kraft Celebration Tour that donated funds to various community projects across Canada.

“The Saskatchewan stops were the most fun.” Onrait recalled. “It wasn’t just that the people were amazing, it was that you could tell they truly were embracing this opportunity that we had given them and Kraft had given them. Not only to get this money from Kraft, usually to improve the arena or sports facility.

“It was just such an amazing thing to be able to do. This Hockey Day banquet in Kinistino is so similar. I sincerely appreciate Hockey Saskatchewan, inviting me and having an interest in having me come out and meet everybody.”

Doors open for the banquet at 5 p.m. with the supper and Onrait’s speech to begin at 6 p.m.

sports@paherald.sk.ca

Pair of third period goals sink Raiders in Brandon

Nathan Reiter
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Pair of third period goals sink Raiders in Brandon

A trio of Brandon Wheat King goals in the third period proved to be the difference as they defeated the Prince Albert Raiders 6-4 on Sunday afternoon at Westoba Place.

“I thought that we battled hard. Coming back to 3-3. I thought, we’re right there. We were carrying the play in the second period and we had opportunities in power plays to maybe help our cause a little bit, but we didn’t capitalize and  the penalty kill gave up a couple and these are the deciding factors right now.”

Brandon would open up the scoring at the 2:52 mark of the first period. Rylen Roersma would strike for his 15th goal of the season on the power play. Quinn Mantei and Nolan Flamand picked up the assists

Just under five minutes later, Carter Klippenstein would double the Brandon lead with his sixth goal of the season. Joby Baumuller and Charlie Elick picked up assists on the play.

The Raiders would strike back at the 11:19 mark. Newcomer Dustin Renas would strike for his fourth goal of the season and first as a Prince Albert Raider. Luke Moroz and Jacob Hoffrogge assisted on the play.

In the dying seconds of the opening frame, Luke Moroz would knot the score going into the intermission with his third goal of the campaign at the 19:27 mark. Justice Christensen and Turner McMillen assisted on the play.

“His puck game was so good, his awareness was good.” Truitt said about the former first round pick Moroz. “He managed the puck the right way and he had it skating, he was darting in and out, showed his true skill set here and it was an impressive effort by him for sure.”

Grady Martin would redirect a Terrell Goldsmith point shot past Ethan Eskit for his second goal of the season at the 16:26 mark. Oli Chenier would pick up the lone helper.

Just thirty seconds later, Hayden Wheddon would respond for Brandon with his third goal of the season. Carter Klippenstein and Joby Baumuller assisted on the play.

Truitt says the Raiders need to do a better job on clearing traffic in front of the net.

“We competed hard. We carried the play at times, but we’ve got to get more consistent in getting more shots on the net and traffic there. Defending the front of our net is key as well. Tonight, I thought that we were loose there. They had a couple of bang-bang plays at the net that they scored on.”

The Raiders would take a penalty in the dying seconds of the second period and the Wheat Kings would capitalize to start the third.

Nolan Flamand would strike just 1:21 into the final frame with his 10th goal of the season. Luke Shipley and Rylen Roersma assisted on the play.

Matteo Michels would be sprung on a breakaway later in the frame and he would make no mistake for his ninth goal of the season at the 9:21 mark. The goal was unassisted.

Quinn Mantei would pick up an empty netter at the 18:24 mark for his fourth goal of the season. Jayden Wiens had the assist

Doogan Pederson would pick up his first WHL goal at the 19:58 mark. Luke Moroz would add a helper.

Nathan Preston made 19 saves for the Raiders in his WHL debut. Ethan Eskit made 32 stops for the Brandon Wheat Kings.

“I’m sure that there were some nerves. There’s no doubt about that. But I thought that he handled himself very well. He came up with some real good saves for us. He didn’t look out of place at all.”

Subhead: Raiders fall in Regina

The Prince Albert Raiders couldn’t complete a third period comeback falling 4-3 to the Regina Pats on Saturday night at the Brandt Centre.

Jaxsin Vaughan would open the scoring at the 10:55 mark of the first period with his 10th goal of the season.

The lone goal of the second period would go the way of the Pats as Sam Oremba picked up his 10th of the season. Ty Gibson and Tanner Howe received credit for the assists on the play.

It wouldn’t take long for the Raiders to respond in the third period. Just 1:20 in, Krzysztof Macias wired home his 15th goal of the season to bring Prince Albert within a single tally. Niall Crocker and Sloan Stanick assisted on the play.

Sloan Stanick would strike against his former team with his 18th goal of the season at the 3:22 mark to knot up the score at 2-2. Brayden Dube assisted on the play.

Tye Spencer would break the tie on the power play with his 11th goal of the season at the 5:35 mark of the third period. Braxton Whitehead and Tanner Howe provided helpers.

Anthony Wilson’s fourth goal of the season at the 18:17 mark provided a crucial insurance goal for the Pats. Carson Haynes and Kelton Pyne assisted on the play.

Brayden Dube would bring the Raiders back within one at the 19:05 mark with his 10th goal of the season.

Prince Albert couldn’t solve Kelton Pyne to find the equalizer who made 26 stops in the victory. Max Hildebrand made 24 saves for the Raiders.

THe Raiders return to action next Friday when they take on the Edmonton Oil Kings at Rogers Place. Puck drops at 8 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

sports@paherald.sk.ca

Kinistino to play host to Hockey Day in Saskatchewan starting Tuesday

Nathan Reiter
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Kinistino to play host to Hockey Day in Saskatchewan starting Tuesday

The hockey spotlight will shine on Kinistino starting on Tuesday.

Over the course of five days, the town will play host to several events and hockey of all different levels including U18 AAA Male and Female games and the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

Kris Babbings, who is a member of the host committee for Hockey Day in Saskatchewan, says the event will be a celebration of the sport of hockey and for the town.

“It’s a fantastic thing for our community and more importantly for our sports complex. Ours, like a lot of small-town arenas, it is in need of work. This gives us an opportunity to raise some much needed funds for our sports complex at the same time bringing the community together and celebrating, not just hockey, but the community of Kinistino, our history and the great people that we have here.”

Last year, Martensville played host to the event where they raised $72,511 to put towards arena improvements. Babbings says the rink in Kinistino needs work in several areas and funds will be used to keep the facility open and active.

“They did raise over $70,000. Our goal is $100,000 is what we would like to raise over the weekend. Our ice plant needs significant repairs. The arena in general, the roof, there’s a number of things. We’ve just had to put in a new fire suppression system. There’s no shortages of expenses that this will go towards to cover and realistically, there’ll be a number of things that it will be able to fix in the near future.”

Hockey Day in Saskatchewan dates back to 2008 when the town of Unity hosted the event and raised over $20,000 for the town.

Babbings says the province of Saskatchewan is very fortunate to have huge support in hockey from areas both urban and rural and that Hockey Saskatchewan has been doing all they can to support the sport in smaller communities.

“Working with Hockey Saskatchewan who’ve been fantastic, it’s clear that this is a big priority for them. They want to be involved and they want to make sure that hockey (and) its grassroots in Saskatchewan continues to thrive and grow. They understand that the only way that that happens is to do fundraisers like this and support it with their connections and just to ensure that it’s maximized and so that one town every year in Saskatchewan gets a chance to have this.”

Saturday will be the highlight of the event with a unique tripleheader on the schedule. Stryker Zablocki, who recently returned from the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship in Switzerland and the Regina Rebels will take on the Prince Albert Northern Bears at 1 p.m. The Prince Albert Mintos will host the Battlefords Stars at 4 p.m. before the SJHL will take center stage with a 7:30 matchup between the La Ronge Ice Wolves and Nipawin Hawks.

“It’s a great thing for people of all ages to be honest, to be able to see the level of hockey that we’re going to have here.” Babbings says. “I think there’ll be a number of people that are going to get to go to their first U18 AAA boys or girls’ hockey game and just see the level of talent. For the young kids, they’re going to be able to be able to just come out as well, but they’re going to have a chance to see players and teams that they’ve never seen before. Plus, see some local kids play at the AA and AAA level, which again gives them an idea that anything’s possible and if they just work hard and do the right things, that could be them at some point in time.”

A banquet and cabaret will take place on Friday night featuring guest speaker Jay Onrait, who is most well known for his work on Sportscentre on TSN.

Babbings says he is looking forward to meeting Onrait.

“I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. I think anybody who’s tuned in to watch Sportscentre knows what type of personality he has. He’s the kind of person that can light up a room. I can only imagine the story that he’s going to be able to tell. The other thing too, he is originally from Alberta. If anybody’s ever seen him here at a Grey Cup here in Saskatchewan, he absolutely loves this place from everything I can tell.”

See Wednesday’s edition of the Daily Herald for a full story on Jay Onrait and what is looking forward to most about coming to Kinistino.

A full schedule can be found at hockeydayinsask.ca. Hockey Day in Saskatchewan will officially kick off at 7 p.m. on Tuesday with an autograph session with the Prince Albert Raiders at the Kinistino Sports Complex lobby.

sports@paherald.sk.ca

Raider great Manny Viveiros reflects on return to old stomping grounds in Prince Albert

Nathan Reiter
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Raider great Manny Viveiros reflects on return to old stomping grounds in Prince Albert

It’s been nearly 40 years since the last time Manny Viveiros was an active player for the Prince Albert Raiders, but the current head coach of the Vancouver Giants still holds the city in high regard.

“It’s always special here. My wife is from Prince Albert and we have a lot of family here and still a lot of friends from the area too.” Viveiros says. “It’s always (nice) to come back. The building, it’s been upgraded but it certainly still has that atmosphere of one of the toughest places to come into if you’re a visiting team, but it’s always real special coming back to Prince Albert.”

Viveiros spent parts of four seasons as a Prince Albert Raider from 1982-1986. In 251 regular season games, he posted 321 points. In 39 postseason games, he added 42 points in the playoffs.

He was selected in the sixth round, 106th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. Following his time in Prince Albert, Viveiros would go onto to have a long pro career with time spent in the NHL, Germany, Italy and Austria.

Viveiros has been around the Western Hockey League in the coaching circuit with stops in Swift Current, Spokane and most recently, the Vancouver Giants where he is in his first season behind the bench.

Viveiros says the Giants are poised to be a contender in the Western Conference in the very near future.

“We got a really young hockey team with a lot of good skill set and also we got some really talented veteran players too. It’s a good mix between both of them too. We’re kind of like Prince Albert where this team also is going to be a really good team in a couple years or so too.”

A former teammate of Viveiros with the Raiders also held a huge role in helping the team return to the Memorial Cup more then 30 years after the team won it all in 1985.

Curtis Hunt took over as general manager for the Prince Albert Raiders prior to the 2015-2016 campaign and helped construct the team that won the Ed Chynoweth Cup in a thrilling seven game series over the Vancouver Giants in 2019.

After getting a long look at the Raiders from behind the bench in a 6-5 shootout win on Tuesday night, Viveiros says the Raiders won’t have to wait long for another deep playoff run under Hunt’s leadership.

“Curtis has done an outstanding job here. Obviously, they won the championship a few years back, but you can see where the team is right now again, and the team is going to be really good in a couple of years. They’ve got good young talent on that team, and they’re going to be really good again. I expect the Raiders to be challenging for a championship in the next couple of years again.”

Earlier this season, the Raiders honored a franchise legend in raising Dan Hodgson’s number 16 to the Art Hauser Centre rafters. Viveiros played alongside Hodgson for three seasons in Hockeytown North.
Although he wasn’t able to attend the retirement ceremony in Prince Albert, Viveiros was still happy to see his old teammate honoured.

“Dan, at that time in that era, he was probably one of the best junior hockey players (in Canada) and certainly was in our league.” Viveiros recalled. “He made our team go and he’s a big reason why we won the Memorial Cup.”

Raiders top Royals in shootout

Nathan Reiter
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Raiders top Royals in shootout

For the third consecutive game, the Prince Albert Raiders went to a shootout defeating the Victoria Royals 4-3 in a shootout on Friday night.

Raider head coach Jeff Truitt says he was happy the team pulled out the two points.

“I thought in the second period we got a lot better and then pucks which is great. You’re up 3-1. Disappointing part about it is that you got to be able to lock it down in the third. Up 3-3 to come back to 3-3/ Turn the page again to a shootout. We get it. Two points. We’ll take it for sure.”

Coming off a hat trick on Tuesday night, Oli Chenier would continue the good times rolling. The 16-year-old Winnipeg product would open the scoring for the Raiders at the 9:55 mark with his eighth goal of the season. Turner McMillen and Justice Christensen provided helpers on the play.

Reggie Newman would respond for Victoria with his 13th goal of the season coming at the 13:33 mark to knot the score at 1-1.. Justin Kipkie and Tanner Scott provided assists on the play.

Shots favored the Raiders 12-11 after the first period.

Late in the second period, Prince Albert would score a pair of goals in a 23 second span.

Sloan Stanick would wire his 17th goal of the season past Jayden Kraus to give the Raiders the lead at the 18:23 mark. Niall Crocker and Luke Moroz provided the helpers.

Justice Christensen would serve as the judge, the jury and the executioner at the 18:50 mark as he would rifle home his eighth goal of the season at the 18:50 mark. Crocker and Stanick each picked up their second points of the night with helpers on the play.

Tyson Laventure, who originally started his WHL career as a Raider, would score his 16th goal of the season at the 16:40 mark to cut the Prince Albert lead to just one. Jaren Brinson and Tanner Scott got the helpers.

The Royals would tie the score at the 18:00 mark as 16-year-old Cole Reschny would pick up his 16th goal of the season to tie the game. Justin Kipkie and Dawson Pasternak assisted on the play.

Sixty minutes and overtime would solve nothing so the Raiders would head to the shootout for the third consecutive contest. It is the longest overtime/shootout streak for Prince Albert since the five game streak the team set in January 2020.

Aiden Oiring and Sloan Stanick would score for the Raiders, while Max Hildebrand would stop Cole Reschny and Dawson Pasternak to earn the win.

“I haven’t been in too many shootouts in my career so far.” Hildebrand said. “I think that was the fourth one. But, yeah, we work on a lot in practice, and it’s been paying off for me a little bit. And it’s finally starting to pay off for the forwards, too.”

The Raiders return to action on Saturday night when they take on the Regina Pats at the Brandt Centre. Puck drops at 7 p.m.

sports@paherald.sk.ca

Call on Cey: Overtime winner lifts Bears past Battlefords

Nathan Reiter
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Call on Cey: Overtime winner lifts Bears past Battlefords

For the second time in their last three games, the Prince Albert Northern Bears picked up an overtime victory downing the Battlefords Sharks 5-4 at the Art Hauser Centre on Thursday night.

Head coach Steve Young says Prince Albert knew the Sharks would provide a tall test.

“I think going into this game we knew was going to be a tough game. These guys play a type of game against us where their forwards go top end so we knew that was coming tonight. We knew we had to take advantage of our chances and I thought we did that tonight.”

An early turnover by the Northern Bears would prove to be costly. Danika Dureau would intercept a pass at the Prince Albert blueline and deke her way past several defenders to open the scoring with her fifth goal of the season with 17:41 to go in the opening frame. The goal was unassisted.

After a puck would bounce around behind the Prince Albert net, Cambree Legge would get credit for her third goal of the season with 13:31 to go in the opening frame. Amber Renkas would pick up the lone helper making it 2-0.

The Prince Albert power play would cut the deficit in half with 7:39 to go in the opening frame. Ella Clarke would find twine on a rebound for her fifth goal of the campaign. Tristyn Endicott and Elizabeth Udell would assist on the play.

Tristyn Endicott would knot the score at 2-2 with 2:14 left in the opening period. She would find a loose puck in the crease and put it past Sharks netminder Mackenzie Seth for her fourth goal of the season. Mikiya Anderson assisted on the play.

Shots favored Prince Albert 11-8 after one period of play.

A power play goal by Sarah McNabb would restore the Battlefords lead with 7:58 to go in the middle frame. Danika Dureau and Anekka Aspaas assisted on the play.

Zayda Summach would strike for the Northern Bears with 13:27 left to go in the third period with her second goal of the season. Caprice Harder also assisted on the play.

It was the first goal for Summach against her former club as she posted four points in 28 games for the Sharks last season.

Less than a minute after Summach’s goal, Trisan Todosichuk would strike for her third goal of the season to give the Sharks the lead once again. Aidyn Konechny provided the lone helpers.

Bears captain Julia Cey would tie the game with her 10th goal of the season with 12:26 in the third period. Tristyn Endicott had the lone assist.

60 minutes would solve nothing between the two sides and it wouldn’t take long for the Bears to capitalize in overtime.

Cey would score the overtime winner just 17 seconds in to the extra frame. Elizabeth Udell provided the lone assist.

“I don’t really remember what happened.” Cey said about the overtime winner. “It was kind of out of body. I just know everyone started cheering and then I want to the flyby.”

The Bears return to action on Jan. 18 when they travel to take on the Saskatoon Stars. Puck drops at 7 p.m.

Raider GM Curt Hunt reflects on 2023-24 WHL Trade Deadline

Nathan Reiter
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Raider GM Curt Hunt reflects on 2023-24 WHL Trade Deadline

The WHL trade deadline has come and gone and the Prince Albert Raiders are looking to make a push down the stretch.

Raider general manager Curtis Hunt spoke to season tickets holders during the team’s annual ‘Breakfast with The Brass’ hosted by the team at the Ches Leach Lounge on Thursday morning.

There was no shortage of major trades throughout the league with several teams in the Eastern Conference making additions including Saskatoon acquiring Alexander Suzdalev and Fraser Minten, Moose Jaw acquiring Matthew Savoie and Swift Current picking up Conor Geekie.

Hunt says he enjoyed watching the major moves from afar, but says the Raiders will look to see improvement from players on their active roster down the stretch.

“There’s a fan in me somewhere and it’s fun to watch the transactions from afar. It’s interesting to see how different teams manage their group or what they value based on how we value things. As a GM, (we’re) wanting to get better every year. I like where we’re at. I think we’ve had an opportunity here and in this short time we’ve had a couple players away to see some young players in some good situations. I think they’ve risen to the challenge. I think we’ll put a lot of pressure on our older players to continue to build their game, to continue to build their leadership and continue to drive the bus in terms of getting us into that postseason.”

The Raiders made only one trade on deadline day, sending 19-year-old centreman Hayden Pakkala to the Lethbridge Hurricanes in exchange for a 2027 third round pick. Pakkala was originally acquired by the Raiders on Sept. 27, 2021 from the Winnipeg ICE in exchange for a ninth round pick.

Pakkala played 166 games as a Raider, posting 23 goals and 36 assists during his time in Hockeytown North.

Hunt says the Raiders were able to move Pakkala due to the ability of other players on the roster to play the center position.

“I think when you look at our group, (Harrison) Lodewyk has played some center, We think (Turner) McMillen can jump in and play a bit of center. I think Cole Peardon has been fantastic since he moved to the middle. I think his game is really starting to come. Luke Moroz is a natural center as well, (I’d) love to see Luke move to the middle and get more comfortable there. Once Ryder (Ritchie) gets healthy, there might be an opportunity to try him in the middle as well. We’re looking for that internal competition. We want those climbers and those kids that want to come out and compete and earn it.”

The Raiders’ other major move was the re-assignment of 20-year-old netminder Chase Coward, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Red Deer Rebels.

Coward appeared In 16 games with the Raiders posting a 6-8-0-1 record, a 3.52 Goals Against Average and an .882 save percentage.

Due to Max Hildebrand’s breakout campaign, Coward was not seeing regular playing time between the pipes for the Raiders.

Hunt says Coward took the news about the move in stride.

“As anyone can imagine, you rip a band-aid off quickly. I’m not one to beat around the bush with it. It’s just a matter of fact. He’s a 20-year-old man. He was very mature about it, and I think he knew it himself. I don’t think any one of us wants to be in a position where we’re given something we haven’t earned. It was hard because he’s such a quality person. That’s always the hard part and it’s something we pride ourselves on here in Prince Albert is having quality people. He took some time. We believe he’s going to start his education process at the University of Saskatchewan, which is fantastic, and we’re excited for him.”

Thirty-nine games into the regular season, the Raiders sit in the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot  with a 18-18-0-3 record, three points up on the Calgary Hitmen.

The Raiders have been a better team away from the Art Hauser Centre, posting a 10-9-0-1 record on the road while being below the .500 clip with an 8-9-0-2 record on home ice.

Hunt says the Raiders are hopeful they will punch their postseason ticket and make some noise in the playoffs.

“The first thing is we control our own destiny. We play the majority of our games at home. We’re sitting here (at) .500. We hold the final playoff spot, and we want to be climbers. The expectation, or the things I’d like to see, is especially our 19 and 20-year-old players is managing risk in the game a little better. They’ve done a terrific job leading. But those guys are the guys that are going to be our go -to guys, whether it’s through their play or their support.”

“We need to take care of business at home. That’s just a fact. We’ve got a terrific fan base. We’ve got a great building. It’s loud. It’s energizing. It’s exciting. For those fans who haven’t been here for a while, it’s a great game day experience beyond the game itself. Our players need to take advantage of that and get ourselves into the dance. Because once you get there, anything can happen.”

The Raiders begin the post trade deadline portion of their schedule on Friday night when they welcome Jayden Kraus and the Victoria Royals to the Art Hauser Centre. Puck drops at 7 p.m.

sports@paherald.sk.ca

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