Tomas Mrsic celebrates one of his three goals as he collected his first ever hat trick in a 5-3 win over the Tri-City Americans. (Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Nick Nielsen

Raiders win 5-3

Raiders end Americans’ 12 game winning streak in weekend opener

Nov 16, 2024 | 9:05 AM

With their last two wins coming in overtime, the Prince Albert Raiders looked to make it three in a row Friday night when the Tri-City Americans came to town. Not only had the Americans won their last 12 games coming into the action, but the game also marked the return of Grady Martin, Nathan Preston, and Terrell Goldsmith to the Art Hauser Centre.

In one of the best games of the season so far, the Raiders battled to win 5-3 and end the Americans’ winning streak.

Tomas Mrsic wasted no time starting the scoring. Just 44 seconds in, Mrsic got the puck in his own zone and skated through the middle of the ice, and he burned three defenders before using the fourth as a screen and he lasered his wrist shot into the back of the net for his ninth of the season. Aiden Oiring and Lukas Dragicevic both picked up assists.

The Raiders would score again at the 15:01 mark when Oli Chenier entered the zone with a nice move between his legs. He circled the back of the net and went back towards the point on the right wall before a backhand feed gave Dayce Derkatch a lane to shoot. Derkatch fired, Ethan Bibeau tipped it for his seventh, and the Raiders had the two goal lead.

After 1: Raiders 2 – 0 Americans, shots 14-8 Americans

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The Raiders pressed in the early goings of the second period harder than any other portion of the game, but former Raiders goaltender Nathan Preston played a really strong period. He had some help, Dragicevic hit the inside of the post and almost bounced it in against his former team, Mrsic hit the outside of the post, but the Raiders couldn’t score in the second.

The Raiders had the only penatly in the first period and they killed it off. In the second, it happened twice where the Raiders got a powerplay, then had a penalty called on the Raiders to take the powerplay away, only to have another penalty called on Tri-City. So while the Raiders went 0/4 on the powerplay in the second, actual time wise it was more like 0/2.

After 2: Raiders 2 – 0 Americans, shots 14-9 Raiders, 23-22 Americans overall

The Americans came out in the third period hungry to keep their streak going, and Jake Sloan scored just 25 seconds in to make the comeback happen. After an offensive zone opportunity for the Raiders, the puck bounced out to centre for a 2-on-1 with Sloan on the right, but he did it himself with a wrist shot.

Then at the 4:44 mark, the Raiders tried to clear the puck out of their own zone but it was blocked by Nick Anisimovicz, and he took a shot that was blocked, but it bounced in the air, Hildebrand couldn’t see it through traffic, and he looked to his left as the puck arched over his right into the net to tie the game.

Max Hildebrand then made his best save of the night. A pass in tight to the goal gave Jordan Gavin a chance on his forehand, and Hildebrand laid out to try and cover as much of the bottom of the net as possible. Gavin pulled back from the crease to try and lift the puck over Hildebrand, but the Raiders netminder scorpion kicked his leg in the air to keep the puck out.

Then at the 11:05 mark, Brandon Whynott extended his point streak to 13 games when he got the puck on the right wing, and he put a hard wrist shot on net to give the Americans the lead.

The Raiders tied it quickly after, and it was their powerplay that got it done thanks to a double minor for crosschecking to former Raider Terrell Goldsmith. With a four minute double minor to work with, the Raiders didn’t score in the first two minutes, but a great cycling play saw Dragicevic at the top of the blueline feed Oiring to his left, and Oiring went across the slot for Krzysztof Macias on the right, and he onetimed it home for his third of the season at 14:11.

With the game tied, Tyrone Sobry took an elbow up high that gave the Raiders a full five minutes of powerplay to work with at the end of the game. The Raiders powerplay took a slower, methodical pace to their powerplay in the last five minutes, managing possession as the Americans tried to get aggressive and break the tie.

Tomas Mrsic would get the game winner on the man advantage within the first two minutes. At 17:00, Mrsic got the puck at the blueline and fired into traffic, this time got a tip from an American stick, and it hit the back of the net for Mrsic’s second of the game, Macias and Dragicevic on the assists.

Mrsic then scored his first career hat trick on the empty net at 19:33, which also served as his second powerplay goal of the game and his leage leading ninth of the season.

FINAL: Raiders 5 – 3 Americans, shots 18-8 Americans, 41-30 Americans overall

Despite going 0/4 on the powerplay in the second period, the Raiders powerplay went 3/7 on the night thanks to the long late game penalties.

Aiden Oiring, Lukas Dragicevic, and Tomas Mrsic were all named as the top stars of the game, and they also are a big reason the Raiders powerplay has been so dominant. Mrsic has nine goals on the powerplay for the league lead, while Dragicevic leads the league in powerplay assists with 14, and Oiring is third in powerplay assists at nine.

The third goal of the night for the Raiders marked two important occasions. With Macias scoring his third of the season, he snapped his longest goal drought since he’s come to North America at eight games, and Oiring picking up his second of three points on the night officially brought him to 100 points in his WHL career.

With the Raiders win and the Edmonton Oil Kings losing in Saskatoon on Friday, Saturday’s matchup between the Raiders and the Oil Kings will be for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.