The Prince Albert Raiders expect to see plenty of visiting fans in the seats for the duration of their second round playoff series with the Saskatoon Blades.
The Raiders and Blades will start their second playoff series in three years when they face off at the Art Hauser Centre on Friday. With only an hour and half separating the two cities, Raider captain Justice Christensen expects visiting fans to make their presence felt in both arenas.
He’s looking forward to the noise.
“We know when we’re playing at home that the fans are going to show up for us,” Christensen said. “They’ll be loud and they’ll be cheering us on so that will be awesome for us. Even when we go there, I know there will be lots of PA fans. Their fans are great for them too, so I’m expecting loud buildings.”
Visiting fans were a rare site in the opening round of the playoffs due to the nearly seven hour bus ride between Prince Albert and Red Deer. Saskatoon and Edmonton played in front of similarly one-sided crowds, although that didn’t seem to bother either squad. The road team won five of seven games in Blades-Oil Kings series, including the Game 7 overtime thriller.
Christensen said having a larger contingent of hostile fans in the building doesn’t impact how the team prepares, but it does make the games more enjoyable.
“I love playing against them (Saskatoon),” Christensen said. “It’s going to be a tough series, and they’re going to be ready for us too. I’m looking forward to it.
“They’re physical. Their tenacious. They’re hard on pucks,” the Raider captain added. “The PA-Saskatoon rivalry is a big one. Even with them going seven and us having the week to get ready and stuff, they’ll be ready to go. There will be a lot of energy in the building.”
Both teams head into the second round on an emotional high after overtime victories. Rowan Calvert’s powerplay marker 7:23 into overtime gave Saskatoon an upset Game 7 win over the third seeded Oil Kings. On Friday, Brandon Gorzynski’s goal 2:21 into the extra frame eliminated the Rebels in five.
Speaking before practice on Tuesday, Gorzynski said he was happy to see Saskatoon on the schedule, although the reasoning was entirely transit related.
“You only have to drive an hour instead of eight hours to Calgary, so that’s obviously nice,” the Scottsdale, Arizona product said with a grin. “Saskatoon’s always a fun game and a rivalry game. It should be good.”
Gorzynski’s overtime goal came after the pesky Rebels overcame a 3-1 deficit to force overtime. Nate Yellowaga’s goal with 47 seconds left in the third period could have been a game-breaker for the visitors. Thanks to Gorzynski, it was the final goal of the Red Deer season.
Gorzynski said that final Red Deer push, combined with a Rebel win in Game 4, showed that nothing will come easy in the 2026 WHL post-season. He said the Raiders will have that in the back of their minds when they faceoff on Friday.
“It’s the playoffs. It’s really intense. Teams aren’t going to go away,” Gorzynski said. “They’re not going to roll over and die, so we’ve just got to keep the foot down for 60 minutes.
“I think we (have to) just stick to our game plan,” he added. “We played these guys a bunch. We know them well. They know us well. Just play our game and play harder than them, and I think we’ll be okay.”
Award nominations piling up for Raiders
The Raiders are still focused winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup, and with it a berth in the 2026 Memorial Cup. However, the list of individual award nominations is growing.
GM Curtis Hunt and head coach Ryan McDonald were the latest Raiders to be recognized. Hunt is one of three Eastern Conference Finalists for the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s Executive of the Year, while McDonald is an Eastern Conference finalist for the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s Coach of the Year. The Raiders are also the Eastern Conference’s sole nominee for the WHL Business Award.
The WHL announced the nominees for all three awards on Tuesday. Hunt, McDonald, and the business team join Braeden Cootes (Most Sportsmanlike Player), and Brock Cripps (Rookie of the Year) on the list of 2026 award nominees.
@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca
Breakout Box: Playoff Schedule
Game 1: Saskatoon @ Prince Albert – Friday, April 10
Game 2: Saskatoon @ Prince Albert – Saturday, April 11
Game 3: Prince Albert @ Saskatoon – Tuesday, April 14
Game 4: Prince Albert @ Saskatoon – Wednesday, April 15
Game 5: Saskatoon @ Prince Albert – Friday, April 17*
Game 6: Prince Albert @ Saskatoon – Sunday, April 19*
Game 7: Saskatoon @ Prince Albert – Tuesday, April 21*
*if necessary
Breakout Box: Blow-by-blow: a short account of every 2025-26 regular season meeting between the Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades
The Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades met eight times in the WHL regular season, with the Raiders winning six of those contests. Daxon Rudolph and Riley Boychuk led all Prince Albert skaters with eight points against the Blades this season. Rowan Calvert led the Blades with six points in seven games against Prince Albert.
Sept. 19, 2025: Prince Albert 4 Saskatoon 2
• Aiden Oiring, Daxon Rudolph, Ty Meunier, and Oli Chenier all score as the Raiders open the 2025-26 regular season with a win at the Art Hauser Centre.
Sept, 20, 2025: Saskatoon 3 Prince Albert 2 (OT)
• Brayden Klimpke strikes 1:25 into overtime to give the Blades a win in their home opener.
Dec. 14, 2025: Prince Albert 5 Saskatoon 4
• Third period goals from Brayden Dube, Brock Cripps, and Justice Christensen help the Raiders erase a 3-1 deficit. Evan Smith scores the game winner with roughly 14 minutes to play in the third.
Jan. 31, 2026: Saskatoon 4 Prince Albert 0
• The Raiders outshoot the Blades 36-16 at the Art Hauser Centre, but can’t beat goaltender Evan Gardner, who records his third shut-out of the season.
Feb. 1, 2026: Prince Albert 3 Saskatoon 1
• The Raiders outshoot the Blades 23-5 in the third period. Aiden Oiring breaks a 1-1 tie with a power play goal, and Braeden Cootes ices the game with an empty netter.
Feb. 14, 2026: Prince Albert 5 Saskatoon 4 (SO)
• The Blades score four second period goals and lead 4-3 heading into the third before a Jonah Sivertson tally sends the game into overtime. After a scoreless extra frame, Aiden Oiring and Braden Cootes beat Evan Gardner in the shootout, while Michal Orsulak stops Hayden Harsanyi and Tyler Parr to preserve the win.
Mar. 20, 2026: Prince Albert 4 Saskatoon 0
• The Raiders jump out to a 2-0 first period lead and Michal Orsulak stops all 16 shots he faces as the Raiders clinch top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Mar. 21, 2026: Prince Albert 4 Saskatoon 0
• Brayden Dube scores twice and Steele Bass makes 30 saves as the Raiders close out the regular season with a second straight shutout win over Saskatoon.
