Terrell Goldsmith gets the better of Justin Lies in a first-period scrap at the Art Hauser Centre. (Submitted Photo/Mark Peterson Media)

By Rob Mahon

Raiders Drop Home Opener

Tough third sinks Raiders in opener vs. Blades

Sep 24, 2022 | 8:47 AM

In a bizarre bit of repetition, there were seven goals scored between the Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades for the second game in a row on the night of the Raiders’ home opener. For the second game in a row, all seven were scored at one end of the ice, and for the second game in a row, the Blades had the better of the scoring.

Trevor Thurston and Terrell Goldsmith both scored, but it wasn’t enough as the Raiders surrendered three goals in the third period to fall 5-2. Yegor Sidorov struck twice for the Blades, who also got goals from Aiden De La Gorgendiere and Charlie Wright before Vaughn Watterodt hit the empty net.

Period number one favored the Blades in shots and goals as they outshot the Raiders 11-9 and got two past Tikhon Chaika. On the first, De La Gorgendiere crept in from the point and took a feed from Brandon Lisowsky, snapping it home for the first goal of the WHL season. On the second, Sidorov pulled up, waited for his defender to slide past him, and snapped one top-corner.

Before the second period was over, however, the Raiders had squared the score. Sloan Stanick danced his way across the offensive zone, shielding the puck as he went, and fed Thurston for a back door tap-in to cut the lead in half.

Stanick was at it again on the power play. This time, after a goalmouth scramble he took the puck behind the net and waited for an opening as Goldsmith lost himself in coverage. Stanick put it on a tee for Goldsmith, who made no mistake from the bottom of the left circle to tie the game.

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The third period nearly brought the first Raiders lead as Niall Crocker rang one off the glove of Ethan Chadwick and the post from in tight, but the puck somehow stayed out. At the other end, the Blades made good on another shot by Sidorov, this one low to the glove side on Chaika.

From there the Blades did an excellent job of locking things down. By the time Wright’s seeing eye shot found its way past Chaika, it was already down to fewer than three minutes to play.

Nonetheless, the Raiders got Chaika out, but the Blades made them pay before Chaika had even taken his spot on the bench. Watterodt took the puck through the neutral zone and found the bulls-eye to salt away the win.

Redemption could come quickly for the Raiders as they travel to face the Blades tomorrow. Puck drop is at 7:00 from Saskatoon.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP