Chaika Earns First WHL Shutout in Win Over Hitmen
Published on February 23, 2022 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince Albert Raiders News Release
Calgary, Alta. - Tikhon Chaika stopped all 26 shots faced on Wednesday night to backstop the Prince Albert Raiders (18-26-2-1) to a 1-0 win over the Calgary Hitmen (18-22-5-1) at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
It was the first WHL shutout for the import goaltender from Minsk, Belarus, giving Chaika his 13th win of the season.
Evan Herman struck for the lone goal of the game at the 7:15 mark of the first period. A bouncing puck in the Hitmen's end was eventually settled down by a Calgary defender. Anton Astashevich tried to make a cross-zone pass, but Herman knocked it down with his stick. He corralled the puck then lifted a backhanded shot over Brayden Peters' pad and under the goaltender's glove to score his 19th of the season, giving the Raiders a 1-0 advantage after 20 minutes.
The Raiders had their chances to extend the lead in the second period. Just after a Raiders' penalty kill, Reece Vitelli and Sloan Stanick broke away on a two-on-one rush. Vitelli sent it over to Stanick, but the Rapid City, Man. product was denied by the glove of Peters.
Midway through the frame, Herman got around the Calgary defence to set up a partial two-on-none breakaway with Carson Latimer. Herman sent the pass over to Latimer for a one-timer, but Peters was able to slide over to take the goal away.
Just before the end of the middle frame, Landon Kosior nearly found Stanick with a backdoor tap-in. However, Stanick just missed the puck and it hit the boards to clear the zone.
Chaika and the Raiders were able to preserve the shutout in the third period with key blocks from Remy Aquilon and Ozzy Wiesblatt. In the waning seconds, Chaika made a final stop on Carter Yaremchuk with his glove hand to seal the game.
At the other end, Peters stopped 25 of 26 shots faced in the loss.
The Raiders continue their final trip through Alberta in the regular season on Friday night when they take on the Rebels in Red Deer at the Peavey Mart Centrium. Game time is 8 p.m. Catch the game on WHL Live on CHL TV, or head to The Rock and Iron Club House or Original Joe's to watch.
The next Raiders' home game is on Saturday, March 5 when they host the Winnipeg ICE at the Art Hauser Centre. Puck drop is 7 p.m. CST. Tickets are available at the Raiders Office during working hours and at SaskTix.ca.
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