Raiders allow three second-period goals in 5-3 loss to Saskatoon Blades on Friday night
A three-goal second period was the difference on Friday night as the Saskatoon Blades bested the Prince Albert Raiders by a 5-3 score at the SaskTel Centre.
“Two periods were great and one period wasn’t,” Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid said.
“From the goaltender out, everybody just made some mistakes and took some bad penalties and it just went from there.”
P.A. was first on the scoreboard, with overage player Cavin Leth scoring his 23rd goal of season in the second-to-last game of his WHL career. The Raiders held on to the lead for five minutes, after which Saskatoon’s Jesse Shynkaruk scored the equalizer to knot the game at 1-1.
The Blades’ offense picked up in the middle frame. Braylon Shmyr scored on the power play, Michael Farren scored at even-strength and Gage Ramsay scored while shorthanded as Saskatoon jumped to a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes. Centreman Chase Wouters notched an assist on each of the three second-period tallies. Farren’s goal would mark the end of the night for P.A. netminder Nicholas Sanders, who allowed three goals on 14 shots. Goalie Ian Scott finished the match.
The Raiders answered back in the third period, with Parker Kelly scoring a shorthanded goal of his own to cut the Saskatoon lead to 4-2. Spencer Moe would also chip in to bring P.A. to within one goal of tying the game.
Despite a fierce final push in the final minutes of the game, the Raiders could not beat Blades goalie Logan Flodell. With one second left on the clock Blades forward Josh Patterson fired the puck into the empty Raider cage to seal the game for the home team.
The Blades needed the win in order to gain ground on the Calgary Hitmen for the final wildcard playoff spot, but shortly after the game the Hitmen defeated the Kootenay Ice 6-1 to clinch their ticket to the postseason.
“We played as good a first period as we’ve done all year and played a strong third period, we just didn’t play a very good second period and that happens but these guys are dialed in. They want to win,” Habscheid said.
The Raiders will have an opportunity to get back at the Blades tomorrow night when the teams wrap up the 2016-17 season at the Art Hauser Centre. Game time is 7 p.m.
Game Summary
Saskatoon 5, Prince Albert 3
First Period
- Prince Albert, Leth 23 (unassisted) 8:13
- Saskatoon, Shynkaruk 31 (Shmyr, Rubinchik) 13:49
Second Period
- Saskatoon, Shmyr 35 (Wouters, Rubinchik) 2:05 (pp)
- Saskatoon, Farren 8 (Wouters) 6:21
- Saskatoon, Ramsay 9 (Wouters) 10:21 (sh)
Third Period
- Prince Albert, Kelly 21 (unassisted) 4:53 (sh)
- Prince Albert, Moe 6 (Martin) 8:39
- Saskatoon, Paterson 17 (unassisted) 19:59
Goalies: Prince Albert – Ian Scott, 10 saves (L, 11-31-3-0); Saskatoon – Logan Flodell, 36 saves (W, 22-20-4-0).
Three Stars: 1. Bryton Sayers; 2. Jesse Shynkaruk; 3. Markson Bechtold.
