There is a glimmer of hope for the future after a long, disappointing season in Prince Albert.
The Raiders have won five of their last six games and are showing signs that their recent struggles may be short-lived.
Even the most ardent Raiders fan didn’t expect them to match last season’s second-place finish in the division, but few had Prince Albert penciled in as the league’s poorest team. With three 2000s and eight 1999-born players and a team that has a winning 5-4-2-0 record since the trade deadline, the Raiders feel they’re building a strong young nucleus. Their fans will hope next season’s team will be closer to the 2015-16 edition.
The Raiders (13-35-3-2) began their week by losing 5-4 to Lethbridge, but rallied to beat Moose Jaw 5-4 and beat Swift Current on the road 3-2 as they played their third game in three nights.
While Ian Scott was the Raiders goalie who earned an invite to the CHL Top Prospects game, it has been Nicholas Sanders who has been shining in the P.A. goal. Sanders has started six straight games for the Raiders and after failing to earn a win in his first 19 appearances with the Raiders he has now won five times in his last six appearances.
“It was a little bit frustrating, but you have to stick with the process and trust it,” Sanders told Jeff D’Andrea of PA NOW. “Know that the coaches know what they’re doing and everybody else is doing their best, too.
“You can’t think about that too much, you have to go out and play your game.”
Pats keep pulling away
The only team hotter than the Raiders in the East Division right now is the Regina Pats (35-6-6-1) who have won six straight games.
The Pats had a busy week that saw them skate away with a 6-5 overtime win in Calgary, a 4-1 win in Red Deer and a 2-1 win in Saskatoon against a Blades team that had been rolling as well. The Pats capped their week with a 4-3 win over the Moose Jaw Warriors at home.
Dawson Leedahl saw his seven-game goal-scoring streak come to an end in Red Deer.
Adam Brooks scored two goals in Red Deer as the Pats are finding different ways to win games.
The Pats welcomed Tyler Brown back to their net and after allowing only one goal in each of his first two games back he made 30 saves in he win over the Warriors. With he and Jordan Hollett both back, the Pats have a healthy goaltending tandem for the first time in two months.
Warriors lose close game to arch rivals
The Moose Jaw Warriors (30-14-6-1) opened their week by snapping Saskatoon’s five-game winning streak and extending their own streak to four wins in a row.
Prince Albert stopped that with a 5-4 win and then the Warriors gave up a goal with 24 seconds left to lose late in Regina.
Brett Howden has scored a goal in eight of the last 11 games he has played in. That has been an important source of production with Noah Gregor still out of the lineup.
Jayden Halbgewachs still leads the WHL’s in goals with 38, but the 19-year-old sniper hasn’t scored in eight games.
Steenbergen leads Broncos to win
Tyler Steenbergen from the Swift Current Broncos (26-17-3-5) is right behind Halbgewachs with 37 goals this season. Steenbergen continues to turn heads in his third season in the league.
He scored twice in a much-needed 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oil Kings. The win ended a four-game losing streak for the Broncos. It was Edmonton’s 14th consecutive defeat.
Steenbergen was selected 12th overall in the bantam draft and is enjoying a breakout season after scoring 20 goals a year ago.
The Broncos have played 15 overtime games and could still catch the 2007-08 Warriors who set the WHL record with 23 overtime games in a single season.
Duke leads Kings as they continue quest to retain crown
For the second week in a row, the Brandon Wheat Kings (24-19-4-2) split their slate of games for the week. This week, the Wheat Kings travelled to the Central Division where they lost 6-4 to Medicine Hat, beat Calgary 6-1 and then lost 4-3 in a shootout to Lethbridge.
Their steady play has helped them solidify themselves in their wild card position. They are now nine points ahead of Calgary and six behind Swift Current in the division.
Reid Duke scored four goals in their 6-1 win and added another goal the next night in Lethbridge. Duke has 31 goals and 56 points in 41 games so far this season.
Red-hot Blades cool suddenly
The Saskatoon Blades (20-25-5-1) lost three games this week, having been winners of five in a row coming in. They remain one point ahead of Calgary in the chase for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Blades did lose to Lethbridge, who have points in 12 straight games, plus Regina and Moose Jaw as they went through a tough stretch of games.
Saskatoon has been much more potent offensively after a rough patch in October, but they only managed four goals in their three games this week.
