Sign up for the paNOW newsletter
By Jeff D'Andrea

Raiders close out first half with a crazy teddy bear tossin’ victory

Dec 15, 2018 | 9:38 PM

The Prince Albert Raiders’ goaltenders combined for a 72.2 save percentage, but they were still came away with the full two points Saturday night at the Art Hauser Centre.

They defeated the Swift Current Broncos 7-5 on Teddy Bear Toss Night in a game where goaltending and defence didn’t matter a whole lot.

So coach, how did your team do it?

“Well, we scored more goals than them,” captain obvious Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid said. “It was pretty obvious, it was a tough time in net. You get those things. I thought our guys did a good job. When it was 4-2 [Broncos], it got a little interesting and it just seemed like they cranked it up a bit.”

For the first time this season, Habscheid had to pull his goaltender. Donovan Buskey surrendered four goals on 10 shots and made way for affiliate call-up Brett Balas, who made his first ever WHL appearance.

Lighting it up
P.A.'s Zablocki leads Regina to victory on Day 4 at Esso Cup
17h ago
WORLD SOFTBALL
Group stages officially set for Men's Softball World Cup in P.A.
Apr 24, 2024
Safety first
Safety concerns and tips surrounding discarded needles in P.A.
Apr 23, 2024

When Balas entered the game, the Raiders were trailing 4-2, but they went on to outscore the Broncos 5-1 on their way to victory. Balas made seven saves on eight shots in the final 33:52 and picked up his debut victory. The team stormed the crease to congratulate Balas on the accomplishment.

“It was incredible,” Balas said of that moment post-game. “It’s been a dream of mine and it’s kind of came true. It was really good for me.”

With that, that officially closes out the first half of the season for the Raiders. They will enter the break with the CHL-best 31-2-0-1 record, and a perfect 16-0 record at the Art Hauser Centre. At home, the Raiders won 15 of those in regulation and one in overtime.

“It’s crazy. It’s something we never would have thought of halfway through the season to have that record,” Habscheid said. “Like we talked in [the dressing room], ‘be proud of that,’ but the most fun part of a hockey season is the second half. So they can be proud of that, go home, enjoy it, forget about the game and enjoy the record so far.

“But we haven’t won anything yet. We still have a lot of things we want to accomplish.”

Snipin’ Sean Montgomery sends the teddy bears flying

In his fifth year as a Raider and in his last year of WHL eligibility, Sean Montgomery got his first and only Teddy Bear Toss goal. It came just 4:48 into the opening frame, after a nice set up from Parker Kelly.

“Yeah it was awesome. It was a lot more people than we’ve had in the last couple years, so it was great,” said Montgomery. “I guess the fifth time’s the charm.

Montgomery is now the fourth consecutive Raiders overager to score the Teddy Bear Toss goal. Curtis Miske had that honour last year, and was preceded by Austin Glover in the 2016-17 season, and Jesse Lees in 2015-16.

No Leason, no Protas, no Sapego? No-ah problem

The Raiders were without the services of Brett Leason and Ian Scott who are with Team Canada for their World Junior Selection Camp, as well as Aliaksei Protas and Sergei Sapego who are on international duty representing Team Belarus.

But the Raiders have still been able to produce offensively. One player that’s picked up the slack in a big way is Noah Gregor. Gregor scored five goals and seven points in his last three games, including a pair of goals in Saturday’s victory.

“I think every game I try to be a leader and be an offensive guy for this team, but I think Leason being out, he’s a huge part of the offence, so I took it upon myself to do a little more,” Gregor said.

Broncos with a ‘Spring’ in their step

Prince Albert Mintos sniper Dawson Springer made his WHL debut with the Broncos on Saturday at the Art Hauser Centre. It just took 13:46 into the first period to score his first goal.

Springer has been able to score at will this year with the Mintos, filling the net 21 times so far in 27 games. That leads the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League.

Undrafted in the WHL, Springer was listed by the Everett Silvertips despite not attending their camp. The Broncos acquired his rights in a trade, then signed Springer to play in Saturday’s game.

Scoring Summary

First Period

1-0, Raiders, Sean Montgomery from Parker Kelly (Teddy Bear Toss goal), 4:48

1-1, Broncos, Dawson Springer from Ethan Regnier and Alec Zawatsky, 13:46

2-1, Raiders, Justin Nachbaur from Kody McDonald and Kaiden Guhle (power play), 15:35

2-2, Broncos, Ethan O’Rourke from Ian Briscoe, 18:16

Second Period

3-2, Broncos, Joona Kiviniemi from Connor Horning, 2:14

4-2, Broncos, Matthew Culling from Joona Kiviniemi and Ben King, 6:08

4-3, Raiders, Justin Nachbaur from Carson Miller, 8:22

4-4, Ozzy Wiesblatt from Kaiden Guhle and Carson Miller (power play), 12:38

5-4, Raiders, Noah Gregor from Cole Fonstad and Ozzy Wiesblatt, 16:14

6-4, Raiders, Noah Gregor from Max Martin and Cole Fonstad, 19:12

Third Period

6-5, Broncos, Alec Zawatsky from Alex Moar and Connor Horning (power play), 3:31

7-5, Raiders, Parker Kelly (unassisted), 12:02

Belarusian beauties

Raiders Aliaksei Protas and Sergei Sapego finished in second place at the 2019 IIHF Under-20 Div. 1 A World Championships in Fussen, Germany. They ended with a 3-2 record, finishing one spot out of a promotion to the top tier World Juniors. The hosting Germany earned that with earning wins in all five games.

Protas scored the lone goal of Belarus’ 3-1 defeat to Austria Saturday. He finished with two goals and three assists for five points in as many tournament games. On the blueline, Sapego finished with a pair of power play goals in five games.

Back at it after the holidays

The Raiders will return to game action with a home-and-home series against the Saskatoon Blades Dec. 27-28. The Raiders’ home leg will be on the 28th.

 

Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW

by Jeff D'Andrea

What's Trending

Lighting it up
P.A.'s Zablocki leads Regina to victory on Day 4 at Esso Cup
17h ago
WORLD SOFTBALL
Group stages officially set for Men's Softball World Cup in P.A.
Apr 24, 2024
Safety first
Safety concerns and tips surrounding discarded needles in P.A.
Apr 23, 2024
Liquor stores must change hours
Prince Albert limits liquor store hours
Apr 23, 2024
skin care +
LUXE22 Clinic : Elevating Beauty with Expert Treatments
Apr 23, 2024