Justice Christensen wanted to see the Prince Albert Raiders come out flying in Game 1.
He got everything he asked for and more.
The Prince Albert Raiders outshot the Saskatoon Blades 19-2 in the first 20 minutes and scored three times before the first intermission on route to a 6-1 win at the Art Hauser Centre on Friday.
“We came out fast and hard like we wanted to do and kind of put them on their heels,” the Raiders’ captain said. “After they went seven games, we wanted to get after them early. I thought our start was good and we want to build on that.”
Game one was over almost before it started. The sixth seeded Blades were coming off an upset win over the third seeded Edmonton Oil Kings, but struggled to keep up with an unrelenting Raider attack.
“Give them credit, they were ready to go for Game 1 and I don’t know if we were ready enough,” Blades head coach Dan DaSilva said. “We need to do a better job preparing tomorrow, (and be) ready to play. They’re definitely at a different pace than what we saw with Edmonton, so we have to find another level in our game.”
Aiden Oiring opened the scoring when he beat Blades netminder Evan Gardner shortside just 3:41 into the first period. Daxon Rudolph added a second tally less than two minutes later sending the hometown crowd into a frenzy.
“I think tonight was probably the loudest I’ve ever heard it,” Rudolph said. “It’s fun to play in front of them. Hopefully we can keep going down the stretch.”
Alisher Sarkenov made it 3-0 when he chipped a Braedon Cootes feed past Gardner with less than five minutes to go in the first, and the rout was on.
In the second, Brandon Gorzynski beat Gardner with a wrist shot blocker side following a beautiful stretch pass from Rudolph. In the third, Oiring and Brayden Dube put power play goals past rookie Saskatoon netminder Ryley Budd, who replaced Gardner after the intermission.
“That’s been a real strength of our group all year—being able to wipe the slate from the period before and focus on the next one at hand,” Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald said. “I thought the guys did a tremendous job.”
Fans who expected a hotly contested series may have been surprised by the 6-1 outcome, but in all other aspects Game 1 lived up to expectations. The two teams combined for 26 minutes in penalties in the third period, several of which were off-setting minors in a chippy final frame.
Referees Adam Bloski and Ty Skene called only three infractions in the first 40 minutes, two of which were offsetting minors to Raider defenceman Matyas Man and Blades forward Zach Olsen.
The two officials were less lenient in the third, sending a steady stream of players to the Art Hauser Centre penalty box.
“I think it’s kind of expected,” Rudolph said when asked about the chippy play. “When you’re down it’s kind of what happens…. It tends to get a little more physical and I think we expected that. I think it’s definitely part of the playoffs. You know they’re always coming for us.”
Olsen broke Michal Orsulak’s shutout bid with a power play goal near the midway point of the third period. The Czech netminder was otherwise solid, stopping 16 shots and staying focused despite long periods of inactivity.
At the other end, Budd and Gardner combined to make 36 saves for the Blades, and were forced to spend lengthy periods of time tracking the puck as the Raiders circled the offensive zone.
The two teams won’t have much time to rest before renewing hostilities. Game 2 is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Art Hauser Centre.
News and Notes:
• Forward Max Heise was back in the Raider lineup for the first time since his first shift of Game 1 against the Red Deer Rebles. Heise had no points, but was a plus two and won nine of 13 face-offs he took. “Max does so many things right out there,” McDonald said. “He’s big and long down the middle of the ice. He’s dynamic in the face-off circle. He has so many good 200 foot details to his game which leads to us getting out of the defensive zone in a real hurry and getting offensive looks.”
• Despite the large number of minor penalties handed out, both teams only had three power plays all game.
• The announced crowd was 3,299.
• The 50/50 jackpot was $168,400, with the winner taking home $84,200.
• Christensen (three assists) and Gorzynski (one goal and two assists) led the Raiders in points.
