Photo by Brandi Crowe
Prince Albert, SK (CKLQ) – The Prince Albert Raiders got revenge on the Brandon Wheat Kings, with a 7-1 win on Saturday night.
The Raiders, who rebounded after their two losses vs Brandon last weekend by rattling off a pair of victories this week jumped out to an early lead on home ice.
Noah Gregor slipped in behind the Wheat Kings defenders, broke in and snapped his 36th of the season past Jiri Patera just 2:37 into the game.
Midway through the period, the Raiders would add another. This time, Patera juggled a point shot and the rebound sat in the crease for Ozzy Weisblatt who poked home his 15th of the year.
The Wheat Kings would respond just 0:51 later. Vinny Iorio fired a seeing-eye point shot through a crowd in front that fooled Ian Scott and put Brandon on the board. The goal was the first of Iorio’s career.
The Raiders continued to roll in the 2nd period, scoring three unanswered goals to open up a 5-1 lead.
First, it was Jakob Brook, finding a loose puck in front and banging home his 6th of the season.
Moments later Noah Gregor snuck in behind the defense for the 2nd time on the night and made no mistake. Fourteen seconds later, Parker Kelly would add another for the Raiders and send the fans at the Art Hauser into a frenzy.
The Raiders outshot Brandon 23-4 in the 2nd period and chased Patera from the crease. The Czech import made 25 saves on 30 shots. Ethan Kruger came on in relief and made 15 saves.
The Raiders would add two more in the third to pick up win number 49 on the season and snap the Wheat Kings win streak at six games.
The win also clinches both the East Division and Eastern Conference pennants for the Raiders.
It was a tough night for Brandon who lost Stelio Mattheos, Lynden McCallum and Marcus Sekundiak to injury. The good news is, the busy schedule slows down. The BWK aren’t in game action again until Friday.
Brandon will now return home for a couple of days of practice before embarking on an 11-day Alberta Road trip with stops in all six Central Division cities. The first game goes Friday in Calgary (8:00 on QCountry Radio).
SCORING SUMMARY
1st PERIOD
PA – Noah Gregor (36) (Weisblatt, Fonstad) 2:37
PA – Ozzy Weisblatt (15) (Masella, Fonstad) 11:33
BWK – Vinny Iorio (1) (Daley) 12:24
Shots: 12-7 Prince Albert
2nd PERIOD
PA – Jakob Brook (6) (Pachal, Hayes) 4:27
PA – Noah Gregor (37) (Fonstad, Sapego) 12:04
PA – Parker Kelly (30) (Hannoun) 12:18
Shots: 23-4 Prince Albert
3rd PERIOD
PA – Sean Montgomery (27) (Hannoun, Weisblatt) 11:53 PPG
PA – Cole Fonstad (27) (Gregor) 14:55
Final Shots: 48-16 Prince Albert