Raiders top line beats Hitmen 5-2

The Prince Albert Raiders started a tight game with four unanswered goals in a 5-2 win over the Calgary Hitmen at Scotiabank Stadium on Friday.

The Raiders overcame a one-goal deficit with two goals in second and two goals in third to secure their fourth straight win. Coach Jeff Truitt said the team flipped a lot of pucks in the first period, but in the second and he was much more disciplined and consistent in the third.

“I thought we lost momentum in the first period[with turnovers]but I thought it got better as the game went on, especially when we were trying to keep things a little tighter in the third,” Truitt said. . “The offense clicked for us and gave us room to breathe. It was nice to see them improve as the match went on.”

The win raised Prince Albert’s season record to 9-12-2-0. Truitt said the Raiders are starting to come together as a team and that’s paid off in the last four games.

“The chemistry that starts here is really good,” he said. “We’ve learned lessons along the way about what can be avoided and what can’t be avoided. I was a little worried about my discipline early in the season, but now it seems to be a little better. Me We’re playing a little bit better, we still have a long way to go in everything, but we’re seeing improvements in the lines as well as the individuals.”

Lines of Keaton Sorensen, Evan Harman and Sloan Stannic wreaked havoc on the Calgary side of the ice every game. Sorensen led with his two goals and his one assist, while Harman recorded his two assists and his 50th goal in his WHL career.

Stanick had four assists that night, including the first assist to defenseman Randon Kosior’s game-winner.

“You expect that from top-end guys,” said Truitt. “This line has really caught fire in the last few days. The chemistry is there. to expect.”

Trey Patterson and Zach Funk scored for the Hitmen, who were playing their first game back home after a five-game trip in the WHL’s US Division. Tikhon Chaika made 32 stops to give Prince Albert the win, while Braden Peters made 23 saves for Calgary.

Defenseman Owen Boucher scored at 6:43 in the first period. Boucher sneaked unnoticed from the left point and fired a cross ice pass from Stannic over Peters’ outstretched arm to make it 1-0.

Patterson tied it near the first halfway point with a backhand that beat Chaika over the shoulder. Calgary then took the lead in the first minute of the second when Funk deposited a cross-krease pass from Tyson Galloway to make it 2-1.

The Raiders equalized at 10:49 on the first day from Sorensen and then took a 4-4 lead. Sloan Stanick carried the puck into his Calgary zone and found Koyser on his one side of the net to make it 3-2. It was the second time Prince has scored after his Albert defense showed up in front of Calgary’s net.

Sorensen added an insurance marker to the power play at 5:19. Herman added some more insurance thanks to a nice saucer pass from Stanick about four and a half minutes later.

The Raiders will put their four-game winning streak to their toughest test yet on Saturday against the second-placed Red Deer Rebels. The Rebels are on a three-game losing streak, though he boasts a record of 16-4-0-3. Most recently, on Friday, he lost to Medicine Hat in a 3-2 shootout. Pack drop is at 8pm CST.