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.
