
The Prince Albert Raiders continued their winning ways with a 3-1 victory over the Red Deer Rebels at the Art Hauser Centre on Saturday night.
It was the third straight win for the Raiders after knocking off Portland Tuesday and Swift Current on Friday.
Raider interim head coach Ryan McDonald says Prince Albert is continuing to work on their habits each and every night.
“For us, it’s continuing to stick to those details and not trying to get above pucks and making sure we’re stopping on pucks, depositing pucks in behind their defense and getting our forecheck to work and those good solid habits.”
Less than two minutes into the game, the fireworks started. After playing a puck behind the net, Raider goaltender Max Hildebrand laid a big hit on Rebels forward Brett Calhoon while getting back to his crease earning an applause from the Raider faithful.
Hildebrand says he didn’t premeditate the play in any way.
“I went to catch the puck on the rim on the power play and it took a weird hop off the gate. I felt it hit my skate and I didn’t really know where it was. I knew I had pressure. I was just going to get back to my net and I saw him there and I didn’t really know what else to do, so I hit him.”
The Raiders would fire the opening salvo at the 7:46 mark of the opening frame. A wrist shot from Rilen Kovacevic from the point would go off the body of a Rebels player and past Chase Wutzke for Kovacevic’s 25th goal of the campaign. Daxon Rudolph assisted on the play.
After a holding call against Red Deer’s Luke Vlooswyk, the Raider power play would go to work. Tomas Mrsic would pick a corner with a wrist shot from the left circle for his 25th goal of the season at the 14:18 mark of the middle frame. Kovacevic and Lukas Dragicevic assisted on the play.
Prince Albert would run into some penalty trouble late in the second period. Dayce Derkatch would be called for a goaltender interference minor. During the ensuing kill, Justice Christensen would be sent off for a cross checking minor.
Less than twenty seconds into the 5-on-3 kill, Niall Crocker would take seven penalty minutes on the same play and be assigned a game misconduct for a check to the head.
During the 5-on-3 penalty kill, Beckett Hamilton would get the Rebels on the board with his ninth goal of the season at the 19:19 mark. Samuel Drancak and Nishaan Parmar had the helpers.
The Raiders would have more than five minutes on the penalty kill to start the third period. After several blocked shots and successful clears, Prince Albert would kill the penalty without surrendering another goal.
Hildebrand says his teammates did an excellent job at limiting Red Deer’s looks on the power play in front of him.
“It’s not something that you want to go through in a game, having that many penalties in a row there, but it does happen. It was a big kill for us and definitely a momentum shifter. Guys did an unreal job tonight getting blocks just from the perimeter and on one-timers.”
McDonald shared his goaltender’s sentiment when asked about the penalty kill.
“The guys did a great job. You never want to take that many penalties in the game, but give our PK a ton of credit. Especially coming out of that second period into the third period there. Just some tremendous blocks, guys were getting everything they could in front of pucks, the 200-foot clears and they just did a fantastic job.”
Tomas Mrsic would add an insurance marker for Prince Albert at the 11:50 mark of the third period as a good pass from Riley Boychuk would leave the St. Louis Blues prospect with a look at an open net that he did not miss for his 26th goal of the season. Lukas Dragicevic had the secondary assist.
Hildebrand made 32 saves to earn the win for the Raiders. Chase Wutzke made 16 stops for the Rebels.
Prince Albert returns to action next Friday when they take on the archrival Saskatoon Blades at the Art Hauser Centre. Puck drops at 7 p.m.
Around The WHL
Ryder Ritchie scored twice as the Medicine Hat Tigers forged a third period comeback and defeated the Calgary Hitmen 3-2 in a shootout at Co-op Place
Everett picked up a 4-1 win on home ice over the Prince George Cougars
Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Miroslav Holinka scored twice as the Edmonton Oil King shutout the Moose Jaw Warriors 7-0.
The Kelowna Rockets picked up a 5-2 road win over the Seattle Thunderbirds
Jordan Gustafson recorded a hat trick as the Lethbridge Hurricanes downed the Spokane Chiefs 4-2 on the road.
The East Division road trip for the Portland Winterhawks ended on a sour note as they lost 10-1 to the Swift Current Broncos at the InnovationPlex.
Third period goals from Deegan McMillan and Dawson Seitz helped Wenatchee defeat Tri-City 4-2.
Jayden Kraus made 23 stops as Victoria defeated Kamloops 7-1.