Dayna Fjord/Andy Devlin

Raiders force Game 7 against Warriors

On Easter Sunday, the Prince Albert Raiders’ playoff dreams were resurrected once more.

The Raiders stove off elimination for the second time in 24 hours and forced a Game 7 in their Western Hockey League Eastern Conference quarter-final series against the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Cole Fonstad’s second goal of the night with 8:26 left in the third period gave the Raiders a 5-4 win in front of 2,835 fans at the Art Hauser Centre.

Cole Fonstad

For the third time in the last four games, the Raiders opened the scoring.

Warriors defenceman Kale Clague turned the puck over at his blue line and Fonstad buried a feed from Jordy Stallard.

Brayden Burke tied the game late in the first period to set up a wild middle frame.

Curtis Miske’s power play goal gave the Raiders a 2-1 lead, but Burke replied with a power play goal before Jayden Halbgewach’s first of the post-season came less than two minutes later to give the Warriors a 3-2 lead.

The Raiders tied the game 44 seconds later — and with only 59 seconds left in the second period — as Sean Montgomery scored his fourth of the series.

Regan Nagy scored a power play goal for the Raiders 1:14 into the third period to put them ahead, but Brett Howden was able to score a power play goal of his own from a bad angle four minutes later to tie the game once again.

Fonstad redirected a Stallard shot for the game-winning goal.

Miske, the Raiders captain, had a four-point night. Stallard had a pair of assists.

Burke had two goals and two assists for the Warriors. Halbgewachs and Clague each had two points.

Before Sunday night, the Warriors had won five straight playoff games at the Art Hauser Centre dating back to the 2016 opening round series between the two teams. The Raiders are looking for their first playoff series win since 2005.

The Raiders out-shot the Warriors 32-20. Both teams were 2-for-4 on the power play.

The Warriors welcomed back Tristin Langan back into the lineup for the first time in the series. However, Ryan Peckford, who didn’t finish Game 4, but did play in Game 5, was out of the lineup for Moose Jaw.

It is only the second time that the Warriors will host a Game 7 in franchise history. The first was last year’s Game 7 loss to Swift Current. The Warriors are 1-3 all-time in Game 7s. Their only win was in the conference semifinal in 2006 when they beat Calgary. That was also the only time the Warriors won an Eastern Conference title.