Sunday night at the Subway Dub Hub featured the Swift Current Broncos against the Prince Albert Raiders.
Prince Albert had lost their last three contests and was looking to get things going. Swift Current was hot off an 8-5 win over the Moose Jaw Warriors. The lowest scoring Raiders versus the last-place Broncos.
In the previous meeting between the Raiders and Broncos, Swift Current skated out with a 5-2 win. Carter Stebbings scored his first two WHL goals in the win.
Prince Albert turned to 20-year-old goalie Max Paddock for tonight’s contest. Swift Current went with Isaac Poulter between the pipes.
The hard-hitting contest saw four different Raiders (4-6-1-1) score and Paddock made 19 saves as they beat the Broncos (3-8-1-0) by a 4-2 score.
Here is how it went down:
The Broncos took a minor penalty within the first minute and the Raiders made them pay.
The Raiders capitalized as Dallyn Peekeekoot scored his first WHL goal 1:07 in. Justin Nachbaur’s shot hit Peekeekoot who was standing on the doorstep, bounced off the Bronco defenseman, and past Poulter. The Raiders had an early 1-0 lead.
The Broncos tied the game up in the latter half of the period. Sam McGinley’s first of the season at 15:46 tied the game at 1-1. His long wrister somehow eluded the glove hand of the Raider goaltender.
The Raiders’ powerplay was potent early as it connected again.
Less than two minutes after the Broncos tied it, Justin Nachbaur’s point shot on the powerplay beat Poulter. The Raiders now owned a one-goal cushion at 2-1. His third goal of the season made it 2-1 at the 17:10 mark of the first period.
Despite three goals being scored in the first period, the teams combined for just 12 shots. The Raiders led on the shot clock by a 7-5 count. Not many scoring chances through the first twenty minutes.
The second period was much like the first with neither team getting many chances.
Spencer Moe received a pass in front of the Raiders net. With time he was able to tuck a backhand under Poulter. His first goal of the campaign at 2:57 of the second period gave the Raiders a 3-1 lead.
The Raiders led 3-1 after the second and had a 10-7 shot lead in the period with a 17-12 overall advantage.
The Broncos came out skating to start the third period.
Rookie right-winger Josh Filmon out hustles the Raiders defense, grabbed the puck, and scored a nice goal on a breakaway. His second of the season made it 3-2 Raiders just 2:43 into the third.
For the most part, the third period was a pretty even matchup.
The Raiders took a penalty with less than three minutes left to give the Broncos the powerplay.
Prince Albert successfully killed the minor. Shortly after the kill, Eric Pearce scored his fifth of the season into the empty net. His goal gave the Raiders a 4-2 lead with just 47.5 seconds left on the clock.
The shots in the evenly played third frame were even at 9-9. Prince Albert finished with a 26-21 advantage.
Just notes: Prince Albert connected on 2-of-3 powerplays and killed off all four minor penalties. Wiesblatt (3A), Nachbaur (G, 2A), and Reece Vitelli (2A) were one, two, three in the three-star selections. Prince Albert’s next action is Monday at 8 p.m. against the Brandon Wheat Kings. Swift Current plays the Regina Pats in the 8 p.m. game on Tuesday.
