WHL Prince Albert Raiders

Raiders End First Half Of Season With 5-3 Win Over Spokane

Published on December 17, 2022 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince Albert Raiders News Release


The Prince Albert Raiders put the brakes on a six-game losing streak on Saturday night, downing the Spokane Chiefs 5-3 at the Art Hauser Centre in their last game of the first half of the season. Sloan Stanick led the way offensively with two goals, while Max Hildebrand made 30 saves for his third win of the season.

The Chiefs opened the scoring 2:52 into the first period. Michael Cicek buried a wraparound goal, beating Max Hildebrand to the far post. The goal was originally waved off by the official behind the net, but after a quick replay, the call on the ice was overturned, and the goal counted. Cicek's first goal of the season gave the visitors the early 1-0 lead.

After that, the Raiders scored two unanswered goals. With 8:58 left in the first period, Sloan Stanick tied things up. Taking a feed from Evan Herman at centre ice, Stanick wheeled into the offensive zone down the right wing and fired a shot past Chiefs netminder Cooper Michaluk. His 11th goal of the season tied things up at 1-1 midway through the opening frame.

With 1:48 left in the first, the Raiders snapped their drought on the powerplay, as Landon Kosior gave the Raiders their first lead of the night on the man advantage. Taking a pass from Ryder Ritchie near the right circle, Kosior fired a shot from the top of the point. The puck beat the traffic in front, as well as a screened Michaluk, giving Kosior his 11th goal of the season.

For the first time in 12 games, the Raiders held a lead after the opening 20 minutes, 2-1 over the Chiefs, with the shots even at 11-11.

The Chiefs tied things up at the 8:17 mark of the second period. Blake Swetlikoff answered the Raiders' first period powerplay goal with a powerplay goal of his own. His shot on the man advantage was his third goal of the season, knotting things up at 2-2.

Just under two minutes later, the Raiders restored their one goal lead, as Ryder Ritchie cashed in after a bobbling puck came to him in the slot. An original pass from Gabe Ludwig was deflected away from the net, but another bounce found Ritchie's stick, and the rookie forward cashed in on his sixth goal of the season. The shot beat Michaluk five hole, giving the Raiders their second lead of the night, as they went up 3-2.

After that, the rough stuff happened, with seven roughing penalties handed out. Two different stoppages resulted in multiple players from each team sent to the penalty box, with Ty Cheveldayoff of the Chiefs being handed a ten-minute misconduct on top of that. However, Spokane's powerplay goal earlier in the frame was the only goal scored on the man advantage, while Ritchie's goal was the last scored in the middle frame.

After 40 minutes, the Raiders once again held the lead, as it was a 3-2 score heading into the final regulation stanza.

Like the second period, the Chiefs tied things up once again to start the third. It was Kooper Gizowski who finished a rush in the Raiders end. His fifth goal of the season made it a 3-3 game 4:43 into the final frame.

Just under four minutes later, the Raiders took the lead once again, and it was Carson Latimer who got it done. The Ottawa Senators prospect buried a puck from the low slot into a practically empty net with Michaluk scrambling, making it a 4-3 Raider lead with just under 12 minutes left.

Then with 4:43 left in the third, Sloan Stanick sealed the deal with his second of the night, burying his 12th goal of the season to make it 5-3. With under a minute to go, Stanick had a chance to complete the hat trick, but missed the empty net, which drew laughter from his teammates. It didn't end up mattering in the end, as 5-3 would be the final for the Raiders, who snapped a six-game losing streak with the win.

The Raiders improve to 11-19-2-0 on the season, and will return to play on December 27th in Saskatoon to take on the Blades.

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Western Hockey League Stories from December 17, 2022


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