The Prince Albert Raiders have made one thing abundantly clear throughout the season: never count them out under any circumstances.
Prince Albert erased a three games to one series deficit to defeat the Edmonton Oil Kings in the first round of the 2025 WHL playoffs, including a shutout 5-0 win in Game 7 in front of a capacity crowd of 3.289 at the Art Hauser Centre on Tuesday.
The way that playoff series went was eerily similar to how the regular season went in Hockeytown North. Through 11 games, the Raiders sat with a record of 2-7-2-0 and sat towards the bottom of the East Division standings while other teams in the division sprinted out of the gate.
On October 19, all hope seemed to be lost after the Raiders were pummeled 10-1 by the Vancouver Giants to close out a B.C. Division road trip that saw Prince Albert only win a single game and had several contests slip away from them.
Despite the lack of success early on, there was a sense that the Raiders had a chance to be something special. With several rookies getting their feet wet in the WHL early on and the likes of offseason trade acquisitions Tomas Mrsic and Lukas Dragicevic adjusting to their new surroundings, there were some growing pains for Prince Albert.
It would not have been easy to be in Curtis Hunt’s shoes early in the season. Whenever a WHL team gets off to a slow start, other general managers from across the league don’t hesitate to inquire about the services of top talent. Hunt never gave up on the group he assembled and the Raiders never backed down from the challenge.
After what had to be the most quiet and somber bus ride home from the west coast, something clicked in the Raider dressing room. Prince Albert slowly but surely started to find their winning ways and climb up the standings.
After jockeying for position atop the East Division for the majority of the second half, it all came down to the final weekend for the Raiders. After Saskatoon defeated Brandon on March 19, Prince Albert was in control of their own destiny: win their final two games against the archrival Blades and the division title was coming to Hockeytown North.
After Brayden Dube’s overtime winner helped the Raiders stun the Blades 3-2 in front of a crowd of 10,990 at the SaskTel Centre, it all came back to the Art Hauser Centre for the final game of the regular season.
It felt as close to a Game 7 that you could possibly get in the regular season. After the Blades came back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game, Lukas Dragicevic’s power play goal blew the roof off the Art Hauser Centre and proved to be the difference.
Looking back at the series against Edmonton, the Raiders had their backs against the wall after losses in Games 3 and 4 at Roger’s Place. Many fans from across the league thought it was only a matter of time before the Oil Kings advanced to the second round.
Despite the pressure of having their season on the line, there was a feeling that if any team in the WHL was going to erase a 3-1 series deficit, it would be the Prince Albert Raiders with the resiliency shown throughout the regular season..
After a 4-2 win at the Art Hauser Centre in Game 5, the Raiders had to go on the road to keep their season alive in Game 6 back at Roger’s Place.
Prince Albert would take a 3-1 lead just over six minutes into the third after goals from Rilen Kovacevic and Aiden Oiring. The Oil Kings would erase that deficit in just 61 seconds with markers from Rylen Roersma and Landon Hanson.
Edmonton had a prime opportunity to deliver a knockout blow to the Raiders later in the period after Niall Crocker was called for a high sticking double minor on Adam Jecho, who was cut despite wearing a full cage.
Led by Max Hildebrand, the ultimate competitor in net, the Raider penalty kill wasn’t going to break. With their season on the line, the Prince Albert penalty kill didn’t look like a unit that finished 18th in the league during the regular season.
After a successful kill, the Raiders would get a chance of their own on the power play with just a minute to go in regulation. For the second time in two weeks, Lukas Dragicevic would put the Raiders ahead with a key power play goal to send the series back to the Art Hauser Centre for the winner-take-all Game 7.
The sense of excitement around Prince Albert was palpable ahead of Game 7. After tickets went on sale at 9 a.m. on Monday, it took less than 10 minutes for all the available seats to sell out. If you had any plans of walking up to purchase a standing room ticket at the box office before the game, you’d be out of luck as the Raiders announced on social media that the game was completely sold out just before 1 p.m. on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s Game 7 was the first winner-take-all game at the Art Hauser Centre since Dante Hannoun’s championship winning goal back in Game 7 of the 2019 WHL Championship Series.
You would have been forgiven if you mistook the crowd of 3,289 for one more than three times the size. The Raider faithful brought the energy all night long and the team fed off it on route to a 5-0 win to send them onto the second round for the first time since 2019.
Heading into the second round, the Raiders will draw the Medicine Hat Tigers who finished atop the Eastern Conference during the regular season. Regardless of how the series finishes, one thing’s for certain. The Raiders will be in it until the very end.
sports@paherald.sk.ca
