WHL Prince Albert Raiders

Raiders Rally To Beat Pats 6-5 In Front Of Sold Out Crowd

Published on February 17, 2023 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince Albert Raiders News Release


Regina opened the scoring 4:37 into the first period, and it was Washington Capitals prospect Alexander Suzdalev who scored the highlight of the night. After a loose puck was bouncing around behind the net, Suzdalev tracked it down. The import forward scored a lacrosse goal, over Max Hildebrand's head and in to give the Pats an early 1-0 lead on the individual effort.

Four minutes later, the Pats doubled their lead on the opening powerplay of the game. From the point, Connor Bedard received a drop pass from Stanislav Svozil. From there, Bedard fed a pass across the ice down low for Tanner Howe, and the Prince Albert product did the rest, beating Hildebrand in close to make it 2-0.

The Raiders got on the board with 7:16 left in the opening frame. After Easton Kovacs and Owen Boucher played catch at the point, Boucher fired a shot on goal. Parked in close, Brayden Dube was able to get a stick on the shot and tip it home past Drew Sim. Dube's fifth goal of the season made it a 2-1 Pats lead.

Regina restored their two-goal lead with 30 seconds left, as Bedard found his way onto the goal sheet. Behind the net, the Regina captain took a shot that went off of Hildebrand's helmet and in for his 49th goal of the season. The late goal gave Regina a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes, while they also held a 15-7 lead in shots on goal.

The Raiders went on a scoring flurry early in the second period, scoring three times in a span of 4:12. Carter Anderson started things off with a seeing eye backhand shot from the slot that made it a 3-2 game.

Ryder Ritchie tied the game with a powerplay goal, firing his signature shot from the top of the right circle through traffic. The rookie's 15th goal of the season was the first of two powerplay goals in the middle frame for the green and gold.

1:31 after Ritchie tied it, Keaton Sorensen gave the Raiders their first lead of the night. From the left circle, the overager also beat the traffic in front of the net, and the netminder Sim, burying his 19th goal of the season to give PA a 4-3 lead.

However, with 2:59 left in the second, Regina tied things up, and it was Bedard who found the back of the net for the second time in the contest. Bedard fired a shot from near the point through bodies in front of the net and past Hildebrand for his 50th goal of the season to make it a 4-4 game.

Late in the period, the Raiders took two penalties in a row, giving the Pats a 5 on 3-man advantage to start the third.

Regina was able to capitalize on that powerplay in the third period, scoring 1:30 into the final frame. It was Suzdalev who picked up his second goal of the night, giving the Pats a 5-4 lead with their third powerplay goal of the night.

After that, the Raiders found an extra jump in their step and found a way to take the lead once again. First off, it was Grady Martin who scored his first WHL goal, burying a shot from the crease 5:19 into the third to tie things up at 5-5. His celebration was getting the monkey off his back, as the 16-year-old scored his first career WHL goal.

Exactly four minutes later, the Raiders took the lead once again. After being solid on special teams and relentless on the puck, Aiden Oiring was rewarded with a goal, his ninth of the season, to put the Raiders up 6-5 midway through the third.

From there, it was shut down mode. Prince Albert survived a 17-shot bombardment from the Pats, allowing just the early goal, as they were able to hang on for the 6-5 win.

The Raiders improved to 21-28-3-0 with the win, and will look to pick up another win tomorrow night with the Moose Jaw Warriors in town. Puck drop is 7pm.

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Western Hockey League Stories from February 17, 2023


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