Raiders end regular season with 5-3 win in Regina

The Prince Albert Raiders ended their season on a high note, beating the Regina Pats 5-3 on Saturday night at the Brandt Centre. Sloan Stanick had a hat trick, while Aiden Oiring and Evan Herman rounded out the scoring for PA. Tikhon Chaika stopped 29 of 32 shots in the win.

The Raiders were forced to kill off a 5 on 3 penalty kill midway through the first period. Playing a huge part in the PK was defenceman Eric Johnston, who fearlessly blocked a one timer near the right circle.

After that, the Raiders got a 5 on 3 powerplay of their own, and they opened the scoring on a very weird play. Ryder Ritchie sent a pass that was deflected in front of the net. It popped in the air where it went off of Aiden Oiring’s head and in. The referee initially waved the goal off as he thought it was pushed off of Oiring’s glove, but a lengthy video review overturned the call, and the goal was confirmed. Oiring’s 12th goal of the season was good enough to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead after the first period.

Sloan Stanick scored twice in the second period to help improve the Raiders’ lead after 40 minutes. His first of the frame was converted on a 2 on 1 rush with Ryder Ritchie. Stanick fed a pass to Ritchie, who sent one right back to Stanick, and he waited patiently before burying his 29th goal of the season on the tic tac toe play.

Just over two minutes later, Stanick scored his second of the night shorthanded. Stealing the puck at the blue line, Stanick turned on the jets and had a breakaway in on Kelton Pyne. Stanick briefly lost the puck but regathered and tucked home a backhand shot for his second goal of the contest and his 30th of the season. The two tallies gave the Raiders a 3-0 lead heading into the third period. Tikhon Chaika made some big saves through 40 minutes, including a few scoring chances by Connor Bedard. The netminder was perfect through two periods, stopping all 19 shots he faced.

The Pats got on the board 2:59 into the third period, as Stanislav Svozil broke Chaika’s shutout bid. Svozil sniped a tight angle shot home for his 11th goal of the season to make it a 3-1 game.

It took just 4:15 into the third period for Stanick to complete the hat trick. Flying down the right wing, Stanick sniped a shot home for his 31st goal of the season to make it a 4-1 Raider lead.

8:54 into the final frame, Evan Herman extended the lead to 5-1. Streaking down the left wing, the Raider captain placed a perfect shot shortside past Pyne. Herman scored his 18th goal of the season in his final WHL game.

Tanner Howe and Connor Bedard scored late in the third period to make it a 5-3 game, but that’s as close as they would get, as the Raiders ended the 2022-23 season with a 5-3 win.