Last night at the Brandt Centre in Regina the Prince Albert Raiders took to the ice for competitive hockey since the abrupt ending to last year’s COVID short year. With no exhibition games to be played and just a few practices under their belt, it was fair to say that fans were expecting a slower-paced game.
Unfortunately what wasn’t slow was the first injury of the season between the two clubs as Jakob Brook lost an edge driving to the Raiders goal and collided sharply into the end boards, he stayed on the ice in some considerable pain and was eventually assisted to the locker room and did not return to the game. Hopefully the Roblin, MB native can return to the Pats lineup sooner than later.
(Photo – Keith Hershmiller)
The Regina Pats were eagerly waiting to see what Connor Bedard, the WHL’s first-ever exceptional status player would do for them in his first-ever game, let me tell you, they would not have to wait too long as he took to driving to the net on his first shift only to be denied by former Pats’ goalkeeper Max Paddock. The Raiders were without a number of players including Ilya Usov who is still in the KHL but certainly were not without goal-scoring touch.
Ozzy Wiesblatt returned to the Raiders a week or so ago after gaining some experience with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL. It was very apparent that he was in game shape as he was the key to the Raiders’ offence all night long. Ozzy scored the first goal of the game early on in the first drawings assists from Reece Vitelli and Evan Herman. Reece Vitelli as well would prove to be locked in as the game progressed finishing the night with a goal and two assists. The Raiders finished the first period with a two-goal lead when Tyson Laventure scored just about halfway through the period.
Goaltender Max Paddock was kept very busy all night as his team was out-shot in every period facing a minimum of nine shots per period with the Pats buzzing the goal frequently. This continued in the second period but not before Matthew Culling scored his first of the season past a bewildered Roddy Ross who at times looked incredibly sharp for the home club. But then this happened…
Yes, the Connor Bedard Show began with two back-to-back responses from the fifteen-year-old. Bedard looked like a seasoned veteran out there and made a ton of dazzling plays including both of these goals, giving him his first-ever goals in the WHL and his first-ever multi-point game. Bedard, much like the Raiders Wiesblatt, looked in game shape especially because he had played a few games overseas for HV71 in Sweden playing for the J18 program and bumping up to the J20 squad before returning to North America.
His first goal was a powerplay marker which came on the Pats’ fifth opportunity up a man. While the Raiders were busy sending men to the penalty box a total of ten times their penalty kill unit was brilliant killing off nine total shorthanded disadvantages. In the third period, Captain Kaiden Guhle looked to have scored his first of the season on a shot from the blue line but after seeing it on replay it was awarded to the aforementioned Reece Vitelli who tipped the shot past a screened Roddy Ross to regain the Raiders two-goal lead.
Logan Nijhoff got the Pats back into the game with assists going to the Carter’s Chorney and Massier. Arguably this was the strongest period for Regina pouring on the pressure but only able to muster this goal past Max Paddock despite directing thirteen shots on goal against the besieged netminder. Max Paddock shone brightly in the third period showing his trademark calmness in goal regardless of how shorthanded his club was throughout the game.
Logan Danis scored an uncontested goal just over seven minutes into the final stanza off of a gorgeous setup from Wiesblatt, Roddy Ross had slim to no chance of stopping the puck which really was not on him, Ozzy was a magician and there was no stopping him. Regina Pats Kyle Walker and Wiesblatt got into a fight/tussle a short while later resulting in the Raiders star forward being given the extra two minutes for instigating the fight but it wasn’t served by him as he left the ice momentarily for repairs, instead Tyson Laventure served the extra time for him.
Evan Herman concluded the game with an empty netter making the final score Raiders 6 Pats 3. Many firsts were accomplished in this game, for the Pats Connor Bedard notched his first-ever two WHL goals and first-ever multi-point game in his first-ever game.
For the Raiders Ozzy Wiesblatt had his first multi-point night of the season and his first Gordie Howe hat trick of the year while Reece Vitelli and Evan Herman also had their first multi-point nights as well. You can catch the next Prince Albert Raiders game this Sunday at 8 pm on WHL Live on CHL TV.
