Good Friday afternoon’s game at the Subway WHL Hub had two teams looking to get back on track.
The Prince Albert Raiders have been outscored 11-1 in their previous two games and have lost four of their last five. The Winnipeg ICE have lost three of their last four including their previous game in which they lost 3-2 to the Saskatoon Blades.
In their previous meeting, Winnipeg came from behind to tie the game with a goal in the last five minutes. Connor McClennon ended it 35 seconds into overtime for a 3-2 ICE win.
Max Paddock returned to the Raider lineup after missing the last four games with an injury. Gage Alexander draws into the ICE goal for this battle.
Alexander made 31 saves for his first career shutout as the ICE beat the Raiders. Cole Muir, Owen Pederson, and Michael Milne scored in a 3-0 victory.
The Raiders thought they took the lead 6:45 in when Ozzy Wiesblatt danced his way through to the ICE net. The shot squeaked through Alexander’s pads and into the net. The goal was waved off after what the ICE thought was a quick whistle.
Still no scoring halfway through the first period when the Raiders were penalized for the second time. The powerplay is short-lived as the Raiders took their own minor nullifying the powerplay. The ICE failed to score on the short powerplay of their own.
In a very even first period, neither team found the back of the net (one that counted anyway). Not many chances in the period but each team did manage a couple of quality chances. The Raiders led 10-6 on the shot clock.
Just 1:46 into the second period Dallyn Peekeekoot received a five-minute major for charging as he absolutely destroyed Jakin Smallwood.
Just over a minute in at 2:51 of the period the ICE capitalized. Muir batted the puck out of midair past Paddock to give Winnipeg a 1-0 lead. Muir’s goal was his fourth of the season.
Winnipeg took a minor which made the game 4-on-4 before they went back to the powerplay for the last 1:19 of the major.
The ICE connected again on the major. Pederson deflected a pass from McClennon past the Raider goalkeeper to give Winnipeg a 2-0 lead ad Pederson scored his sixth of the season.
Winnipeg made Prince Albert pay with a pair of goals on the disjointed major penalty.
The second frame ended with Winnipeg up 2-0 but down 21-12 on the shot (11-6 in the period).
Winnipeg made it 3-0 when Milne finished off an odd-man rush with a one-timer goal at 3:33. It was Milne’s first game of the campaign.
The Raiders pushed late in the game but Alexander and the ICE held them off the board for a 3-0 shutout.
The Raiders outshot the ICE 10-6 in the frame and 31-18 overall.
Just notes: Prince Albert owned the dot winning 39 of 55 face-offs. The ICE deservedly swept the three stars as Alexander (first), Pederson (second), and Milne (third) collected honors. Paddock made 15 saves in the loss. The ICE went 2-for-3 on the powerplay while killing off all five of the Raiders’ opportunities.
