Raiders Snap Red Deer's Nine Game Winning Streak with 4-3 Overtime Win
January 31, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince Albert Raiders News Release
For the fifth straight time at home, the Prince Albert Raiders would need a shootout to find a winner. On Wednesday night, they were able to cool off the red hot Red Deer Rebels, winning by a 4-3 final at the Art Hauser Centre.
The Raiders took a 1-0 lead on a poweplay goal thanks to Niall Crocker 3:23 into the first period. In the final seconds of the man advantage, Jacob Hoffrogge was able to keep the puck in at the blue line, chipping it along the half wall to Sloan Stanick. Stanick then fed a pass rink wide to Krzysztof Macias at the right circle, and the Polish forward fired a shot on goal. Parked in front of the net was Crocker, who was able to tip home his 15th goal of the season to give Prince Albert a 1-0 lead.
Aiden Oiring doubled the Raiders' lead with 9:05 left in the opening frame. After the Rebels tried to clear the puck out of their own end, Terrell Goldsmith pinched on the play to keep the play alive in the offensive zone. From there, Crocker chipped a pass to some open ice in the slot, where Oiring happened to be parked. The centerman corralled the puck and had time to pick an open spot past Rhett Stoesser's blocker to fire home his 12th goal of the season to give the home side a 2-0 lead.
With 1:50 left in the first period, Red Deer was able to cut into the lead with a powerplay goal. With Oiring in the box serving a double minor high sticking penalty, the Rebels scored on the second half of their man advantage. Kai Uchacz converted on a tic tac toe play in front of the net, as former Raider Carson Latimer fed Kalan Lind down low. Lind one touched a pass to the low slot for Uchacz, who quickly blasted a one timer past a sprawling Max Hildebrand. Uchacz collected his 29th goal of the season on the play, making it a 2-1 Raider lead after 20 minutes of play.
Prince Albert scored the only goal of the second period, and it was their second powerplay goal of the night that gave them a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes. With even less time on the clock on the man advantage compared to their first powerplay marker of the game, Sloan Stanick set up Krzysztof Macias in tight. Speeding down the left wing, Stanick found Macias crashing the net, and sent a ridiculous spinning backhand pass down low to the Polish forward. Macias caught the pass on his backhand and roofed a shot past Stoesser, snapping a six game goal-less drought with one second left on the powerplay.
The goal was the 16th of the season for Macias, and it gave the Raiders a two goal lead heading into the third period.
The Raiders saw their lead cut to one at the 9:43 mark of the third period, as Frantisek Formanek chipped in for the Rebels. From the left wing, Formanek caught Hildebrand a little too far off his right post, and placed a shot far side past the Raider netminder to make it a 3-2 game.
Red Deer was in the Prince Albert end for the majority of the second half of the third period, and they were rewarded with another goal, this time coming with 35 seconds left in regulation. After Stanick just misses setting up Crocker for an empty net marker in the final minute, the Rebels quickly turned play the other way. After a scramble in the Raider crease, Lind was able to bury home the game tying goal, his ninth tally of the season. The third period comeback from the visitors forced overtime at the Art Hauser Centre.
After a relatively quiet overtime frame, the Raiders and Rebels went off to a shootout. It became the fifth straight home game that would require a shootout for the Raiders.
Aiden Oiring started the shootout off with a goal for the Raiders, while Jhett Larson was stopped by Hildebrand in the first round, giving Prince Albert the early edge.
Sloan Stanick mimicked Oiring's effort, scoring in the second round to put the Rebels on the brink. However, Uchacz stepped up and delivered a goal for Red Deer, extending it to a third round.
After Macias was stopped on his attempt in the third round, the pressure shifted to Samuel Drancak to try to extend it for the Rebels. Drancak confidently attempted a one handed tuck, but put his shot just wide past the left post, as the Raiders won by a 4-3 final.
In those five straight shootout games on home ice, Prince Albert has gone 4-1. They improve to 21-23-1-3 on the season. The club is back in action on Friday night in Moose Jaw. Puck drops at 7pm.
The Raiders are back at home this Saturday, February 3rd when the Medicine Hat Tigers come to town. Puck drop for that contest is also at 7pm.
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