The Prince Albert Raiders dominated through 20 minutes against the Red Deer Rebels on Tuesday, but it was their play in the last 20 minutes that cost them.
The Raiders built up a 2-0 first period lead while outshooting the Rebels 23-6, and went into the third holding a 3-1 edge. However, the visitors roared back with three third period goals on route to a 4-3 win.
“First period I thought we dominated them,” said forward Brayden Dube, who put the Raiders up 2-0 midway through the first period on a perfectly placed pass from Braeden Cootes. “(We) kind of fell asleep in the second. They got some momentum. (The) first 10 in the third was pretty good, and then I don’t know. We just fell apart in the last 10.”
Prince Albert appeared to have the game in hand when Maddix McCagherty put them up 3-1 with less than five minutes to play in the second. However, the Raiders couldn’t capitalize on a bevy of chances to extend their lead, and those misfires caught up to them in the third.
The toughest stretch came in the first two minutes of the final frame. With Patrick Sopiarz already in the box for cross-checking, officials called Red Deer defenceman Jake Missura for high-sticking just six seconds into the period.
That gave Prince Albert nearly two full minutes of five-on-three power play time, but they couldn’t beat Rebel netminder Matthew Kondro, who made 45 saves in a stellar first star performance.
“We had some opportunities to bury them and bear down and score and things just weren’t going for us,” Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald said. “You’ve got to capitalize on those opportunities when you get them.
“Our power play, we had a couple of really good opportunities to pull away—a five-on-three opportunity that we weren’t able to capitalize on and some five-on-four looks that we weren’t able to put in the back of the net. That’s a piece of the game we need to keep bearing down on and have that urgency with.”
Those missed opportunities came back to haunt Prince Albert. Beckett Hamilton made it 3-2 on a wrist shot that beat Raider starter Steele Bass blocker side, and Matej Mikes made it 3-3 when he knocked in a rebound while parked on Bass’ doorstep.
Cameron Kuzma completed the comeback just 13 seconds later when he beat Bass with a wrist shot glove side that clanked off the post and skittered over the goal line.
“I thought we came out roaring in the second and third periods,” Kuzma said. “I felt like a lot of guys stepped up too. A lot of guys were putting their bodies on the line for the simple things. It was a team effort to win that game, for sure.”
Kuzma’s goal came with 2:36 to play, and the Raiders never recovered. Frustration boiled over after the buzzer when Raiders captain Justice Christensen appeared to run into Kondro, sparking a 12-player melee and a chorus of boos from the fans, who continued to voice their displeasure as the Rebels celebrated while the Raiders left the ice.
“I think it was just tension from the whole game,” said Dube, who was one of six Raiders on the ice for the post-game fracas. “It was getting kind of chippy, but it happens.”
“Obviously, that happens some games, but it’s all a part of hockey,” Kuzma added. “We respect those guys. They had a hard game and they’re just playing hard. I totally respect that.”
After getting outshot badly in the first period, the Red Deer edged Prince Albert 30-25 in shots over the second and third. McDonald said the Raiders played and extremely dominant first period, but gave the visitors credit for shifting the momentum.
“That’s a group that pushed hard all game,” he said. “They created contact all over the ice. It was a playoff style game were you’re trying to truck through the mud.”
News and Notes:
• Braeden Cootes had two assists on the night, but didn’t take the ice in the third period. When asked about it after the game, McDonald said they didn’t have an update on his condition yet.
• Bass made his first appearance in the Raiders’ crease since Feb. 20 when he stopped 23 shots in a 6-2 win over the Moose Jaw Warriors. He made 32 saves during the loss on Tuesday.
• Alisher Sarkenov opened the scoring for Prince Albert less than two minutes into the first period. The Raider forward deposited a back-hand past a sliding Kondro following a beautiful cross-ice pass from Cootes on a two-on-one.
• Aleksey Chichkin scored Red Deer’s first goal 5:34 into the second period. The 6’5, 221 pound defenceman found himself all alone in front of the net with the puck after the Raiders failed to clear, and beat bass five-hole.
• The Raiders are off until Friday when they begin a three-game Alberta road trip in Calgary against the Hitmen. They then face the Rebels in a re-match on Saturday in Red Deer before ending their trip in Edmonton on Sunday with a matinee against the Oil Kings.
Daily Herald Three Stars
1 – Matthew Kondro (Red Deer) – the Raiders pelted the Rebels netminder with shots in the first period, but Kondro held his team in the game until they found their legs in the second and third.
2 – Braeden Cootes (Prince Albert) – was the best player on the ice in the first period, with two assists to show for it. The Raiders really missed him in the third.
3 – Cameron Kuzma (Red Deer) – beat Bass with a perfectly placed wrist shot to complete the Rebels’ comeback late in the third.
