Rough first period sinks Raiders in Saskatoon

Perhaps it was a sign of things to come when Prince Albert Raiders goaltender Chase Coward and defenceman Easton Kovacs got their wires crossed not even 30 seconds into the Saskatoon Blades home opener Sunday afternoon at the SaskTel Centre.

Coward and Kovacs were not on the same page as the puck slid in harmlessly on the Raider net. The result was a turnover right in front of the crease that Blades forward Vaughn Watterodt pounced on and tapped into the goal to give Saskatoon a 1-0 lead.

The Blades would add two more goals in the first period on their way to a 4-2 win. Both teams are now 1-1 on the season.

Coward made his first regular season start for the Raiders after a brief stint at Minnesota Wild training camp earlier in the month. Meanwhile, at the other end Blades goaltender Evan Gardner was sensational, particularly in the third period when he stopped 16 shots as the Raiders tried to mount a late comeback. Gardner, who was making his second start in two days, was given first star honours for his efforts after making 30 stops in the game.