Game Preview: Game 48 @ Kamloops
SETTING IT UP: The Raiders (19-25-3-0) head to Kamloops tonight to take on the Western Conference’s third ranked Blazers. Prince Albert is fresh off of a 4-1 win over the Vancouver Giants on Wednesday night, which extended their winning streak to four games. The win brought the Raiders to within six points of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, thanks in part to the Tri-City Americans beating the Swift Current Broncos, who hold the eight seed, 6-1 on Wednesday night. The Blazers also picked up a win on Wednesday, beating the Portland Winterhawks 5-1 on home ice. Not only does Kamloops sit in third place in the Western Conference, they also sit first in the B.C. Division with a 28-10-4-2 record, and hold a comfortable 20 point lead over the Vancouver Giants and Prince George Cougars in the division. The last time these two teams squared off in Kamloops was back on January 18, 2019, when the Raiders walked away as 4-1 winners. It’s a battle between two teams playing good hockey as of late, with one team fighting for a playoff spot, and the other getting ready for a Memorial Cup hosting year.
| 2022-23 Head to Head |
| February 3, 2023 @ KAM |
| 2022-23 Regular Season Leaders |
| Goals — S. Stanick, K. Sorensen (17) |
| Assists — L. Kosior (26) |
| Points — S. Stanick (42) |
| Power-Play Goals — K. Sorensen (9) |
| Game-Winning Goals — Multiple tied (3) |
| Penalty Minutes — T. Goldsmith (77) |
| Plus/Minus — K. Sorensen (7) |
| Wins — T. Chaika (11) |
| Goals-Against Average — T. Chaika (3.27) |
| Save Percentage — T. Chaika (.893) |
WEDNESDAY RECAP: The Raiders continued their perfect run through the B.C. Division on Wednesday night with a 4-1 win in Vancouver. For the first time on the road trip, the Raiders opened the scoring. Niall Crocker, the hometown kid, gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead at the 6:45 mark of the first period. Vancouver tied it up six minutes later, and it would be a 1-1 tie heading into the second frame. Keaton Sorensen scored the lone goal in the second period on a Raider powerplay to put the green and gold up 2-1. In the third period, Landon Kosior and Evan Herman each scored to make it a 4-1 final. Between the pipes, Max Hildebrand stopped 23 of 24 shots in the win for Prince Albert.
ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Prince Albert’s Ryder Ritchie was named the WHL Rookie of the Month for January on Wednesday. The 16-year-old winger was on a point per game clip, registering 12 points in 12 games. In 40 regular season games, Ritchie has 31 points (13G-18A).
KEEP THE STREAK: With the win in Vancouver on Wednesday, the Raiders matched their season high four game winning streak. If they pick up a win tonight in Kamloops, it will be the first time since October 25-November 5, 2019 that the Raiders have won five in a row.
UP NEXT: The Raiders wrap up their B.C. swing with a game in Kelowna on Saturday night. They will then head back home for a few days, before hitting the road again for a game in Swift Current on February 10th. On the 11th, they return home for the second half of a home and home set with the Broncos. After that, they get set to host Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats for the final time this season on Friday, February 17.
