Raider forward Spencer Moe played in his final WHL game on Wednesday. Keith Hershmiller/WHL
Thanks Lil' Moe, Nacho and Padds

Raiders win the last one for Moe, Nachbaur and Paddock

Apr 28, 2021 | 11:46 PM

Justin Nachbaur’s WHL hockey career came full circle on the same day it ended.

Back on Nov. 3, 2017, the then-Prince Albert Raider rookie scored his first WHL career goal in a win over the Swift Current Broncos.

Then on Wednesday in his final game, Nachbaur scored his last WHL goal against the same Broncos in the Raiders’ 6-5 overtime victory to officially end the WHL East Division season in Regina.

“It’s funny how the world works like that,” Nachbaur said. “It’s obviously awesome to win your last game, that’s was the goal for today.”

Nachbaur’s goal was 45th in his career in 216 WHL games, all with the Prince Albert Raiders dating back to 2017.

Max Paddock’s career also ended on Wednesday night, but in a much more unusual way. Paddock was ejected after receiving a match penalty for striking Bronco forward Josh Davies with his blocker after Davies gave Paddock a snow shower and ran into the Raider goaltender in the third period.

But instead of sulking about it in the showers, Paddock nervously watched from the tunnel in the hopes that the group of guys he became so close with since last year’s trade deadline could pull off the victory.

“They’re my brothers out there. Unfortunately, I took a penalty that got me out of the game, but I wanted to be there to support them. We spend every single hour of the day together for the past two months, you’ve been playing video games—we’re always hanging out. They’ve grown to be my brothers in that dressing room, so I just wanted to be there for them and support them any way I could. Fortunately, they pulled it off.”

By far the longest-serving Prince Albert Raider of this year’s group was Spencer Moe, Spencer Moe played his 286th career game on Wednesday, all with the Raiders over the course of five full seasons (six if you count a game in his 15-year-old season back in 2015-16). That’s the sixth-most games played in Raider franchise history.

“It means a lot to me. Coming in at 16, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, making the team or not,” Moe said. “Ever since making that team at 16, wearing this Raider logo has meant so much to me. There’s so much tradition, so much culture here that the logo just reflects on what the Raiders organization is all about.”

Moe and Nachbaur were both on the 2019 Ed Chynoweth Cup-winning side, and make up two of the four players that were on that roster that played on Wednesday.

Raiders forward Ozzy Wiesblatt scored the overtime winner 54 seconds into the extra frame. Reece Vitelli had a pair of goals and an assist for the Raiders. Tyson Laventure and underaged defenceman Terrell Goldsmith also scored for the Raiders in the contest.

The Raiders finished the Subway Hub Centre season with a 9-11-3-1 record.

Scoring Summary

First Period

1-0, Broncos, Raphael Pelletier from Josh Davies and Caleb Wyrostock, 6:42

1-1, Raiders, Reece Vitelli from Ozzy Wiesblatt and Spencer Moe (power play), 13:21

2-1, Raiders, Terrell Goldsmith from Reece Vitelli, 18:46

Second Period

2-2, Broncos, Bode Hagan from Karson King, 6:48

3-2, Raiders, Tyson Laventure from Remy Aquilon and Evan Herman (power play), 17:48

Third Period

4-2, Raiders, Justin Nachbaur from Eric Pearce and Michael Horon, 0:16

4-3, Broncos, Carter Stebbings from Michael Farren and Sam McGinley, 1:39

5-3, Raiders, Reece Vitelli (unassisted), 7:03

5-4, Broncos, Mathew Ward from Cole Nagy and Michael Farren (power play), 10:53

5-5, Broncos, Cole Nagy from Michael Farren, 18:57

Overtime

6-5, Raiders, Ozzy Wiesblatt from Eric Pearce and Remy Aquilon, 0:54

Jeff.dandrea@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW

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