Editor’s Note: The Prince Albert Raiders and Everett Silvertips hit the ice for Game 3 Tuesday night. The final score not available by press time. Game 4 is scheduled for Wednesday.
After two games as the villains, the Prince Albert Raiders look forward to being hometown heroes.
The Raiders and Everett Silvertips arrived in Prince Albert on Sunday to continue the best-of-seven WHL Final. The two teams split Games 1 and 2 at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, a rink visiting players have frequently name as one of the toughest to play in.
Fans in Everett didn’t hesitate to let the Raiders know they were in enemy territory the first two games. Now, the Raiders looking forward to hearing their own fans return the favour.
“It’s going to be loud,” Raiders forward Aiden Oiring said during an interview with the WHL’s Cami Kepke. “We don’t have as many fans as they do. They get a lot of fans and it’s super loud there, but this (the Art Hauser Centre) is a different type of loud.”
The Raiders expect the string of sellout crowds to continue this week. The club announced on Monday they had “a slim amount of tickets” left for Games 3 and 4, with Game 5 tickets set to go on sale Thursday morning.
The enthusiasm surprises nobody on the Raider roster.
“I think we have the best fans in the league for sure,” Raider goaltender Michal Orsulak said. “Every game is a full house so for us, it’s good support.”
“They get up and they cheer us on lots,” Oiring added. “I think they (Everett) will be surprised.”
The Raiders have been solid at home this playoff, losing just once in eight tries. That lone defeat came in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final, when Prince Albert fell 5-0 to the Medicine Hat Tigers.
The Tigers beat the Raiders again in Game 3, but the Raiders rattled off three straight victories, including a 6-3 win at home in Game 5, to take the series.
The Raiders were equally tough at home in the regular season. They lost just eight times at the Art Hauser Centre, with four of those defeats coming in either overtime or the shoot-out.
“Here, the fans are right there on top of you,” Silvertips head coach Steve Hamilton said. “It’s a smaller barn so it’s packed and energized. Both (the Art Hauser and Angel of the Winds) are electric places though, and (that’s) what it should be. I mean, we’re in the WHL final, so you should be playing in front of two passionate fan bases.”
Raider fans started the party early on Tuesday with a pre-game barbecue to raise funds for Prince Albert KidSport.
The Raiders that great pre-game atmosphere to carry over into Games 3, 4, and 5.
“Our fans do a tremendous job,” Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald said. “They’re very passionate and they come out and they cheer loud for us. We’re real excited.”
News and Notes
• The Raiders were without top defenceman Daxon Rudolph on Tuesday after he was suspected one game for a cross-check in the dying minutes of Game 2. Rudolph also received a five-minute major on the play.
• Game 4 is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Game 5 goes on Friday, also at 7:30. Game 6, if necessary, will be played on Sunday back in Everett.
editorial@paherald.sk.ca
