Prince Albert Raiders Win Game 1 of 2026 WHL Championship Series Presented by Nutrien
WHL Western Hockey League

Prince Albert Raiders Win Game 1 of 2026 WHL Championship Series Presented by Nutrien

Published on May 8, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release


Everett, Wash. - Vancouver Canucks prospect Braeden Cootes registered a goal and an assist as the Prince Albert Raiders stormed to a 4-2 victory in Game 1 of the 2026 WHL Championship Series presented by Nutrien on Friday at Angel of the Winds Arena.

"You want to win every game, but coming in here without home ice - to get the first one and have a good start is huge," Cootes said post-game. "We'll be looking forward [to Game 2] tomorrow."

Cootes, a 6-foot, 183-pound product of Sherwood Park, Alta., did all of his damage on offense during the second period. First, he set the stage with a jaw-dropping assist on a goal by Jonah Sivertson, before then registering a power-play marker to give the Raiders the lead. Prince Albert didn't look back from there. But the game didn't start that way.

Detroit Red Wings prospect Carter Bear registered the first goal of the 2026 WHL Championship - his fourth of the post-season. The product of West St. Paul, Man., found a quiet spot in the slot, where 2026 NHL Draft-eligible forward Matias Vanhanen hit him with a pass from below the goal line. Bear made no mistake, firing a quick wrist shot high blocker side past Raiders netminder Michal Orsulak to give Everett a 1-0 lead 6:07 into the first period. The opening goal sent the roof off Angel of the Winds Arena in downtown Everett, as the near-capacity crowd of 7,697 erupted.

"I felt like we were energized to start, did a lot of good things," said Steve Hamilton, Head Coach of the Silvertips. "I don't know if it was a little rust or if we were just a fraction of our best selves, but we're going to need to be our best selves against that team. They don't take a lot of shifts off. When we were urgent and played that way, I thought we carried the play at times."

Prince Albert mostly silenced the home crowd from there.

"I thought our guys came out fast, came out hard, pushed off the start," said Ryan McDonald, Head Coach of the Raiders. "I thought our guys had a great response, really settled into the game, got to our habits, got to our details and our puck decisions continued to get better as the game went on."

The Raiders got on the board 5:12 into the second period, as 2026 NHL Draft-eligible forward Sivertson found the back of the net with his third of the WHL Playoffs. As nice as the finish was from Sivertson, the 43rd ranked North American skater for the 2026 NHL Draft, it was the setup from Cootes that had jaws hitting the floor. The reigning WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player got in on the forecheck, retrieved a puck below the goal line and spun a blind backhand pass right on to the tape of Sivertson in the slot. A quick release from the 6-foot-3 Sivertson and the game was knotted 1-1.

Almost 10 minutes later, Cootes was at it again - this time on a power play, tallying his seventh goal of the playoffs to give Prince Albert a 2-1 edge with 4:53 remaining in the second period. From the left point, 16-year-old Brock Cripps dished a pass to Cootes on the right point, who slid a low shot through traffic to hit paydirt.

"Everyone was in the middle of the ice, so I thought I would throw an iceburner in there and I don't think he saw it," Cootes said. "Lucky enough, it went in."

Captain Justice Christensen was next to get in on the action, registering his second goal of the playoffs with 2:10 to go, padding Prince Albert's lead to 3-1. Christensen was the final recipient of beautiful puck movement across the zone, featuring Brayden Dube and Daxon Rudolph. When the rubber finally found Christensen, the Red Deer product fired it top shelf.

"Duber made a great play up high in the zone to get it to Dax and then Dax made a really great play to slide it across to me," Christensen said post-game. "I got good wood on it and it was able to find the net."

Seattle Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen helped the Silvertips claw back within one late in regulation. The native of Nokia, Finland, converted on a power-play opportunity, making it 3-2 with 2:09 to go. But the comeback attempt fell short as veteran forward Aiden Oiring deposited a puck into an empty net, restoring Prince Albert's two-goal lead.

Cootes was named first star of the game with a goal and an assist. Orsulak turned in a 39-save performance to earn second star honours, and Bear was named third star.

Despite the loss, Everett outshot the visiting Raiders by a margin of 41-26.

The Raiders were perfect on the man advantage, going 1-for-1, while Everett went 1-for-4.

The Prince Albert Raiders lead the best-of-seven WHL Championship Series presented by Nutrien 1-0. Game 2 of the WHL Championship Series is set for 6 p.m. PT on Saturday, May 9, at Angel of the Winds Arena in downtown Everett. The winner of the best-of-seven series will advance to the 2026 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota in Kelowna, B.C., which is scheduled for Friday, May 22, through Sunday, May 31.

All seven games of the WHL Championship Series are available in Canada on TSN. Viewers can also stream the entire series globally and for FREE on Victory+.

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Western Hockey League Stories from May 8, 2026


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