DUBNetwork Game of the Night: Prince Albert Raiders (28-15-5-4) @ Lethbridge Hurricanes (31-12-2-5) 7:00 PM CST
Two teams with similar traits face-off for the fourth and final time this season as the Raiders make their way to the Enmax Centre to take on the Hurricanes.
For the Raiders, the team will look to keep having the Hurricanes’ number as they are 3-0-0-0 against Lethbridge this season. Each game did feature an empty-net goal for the Raiders as they held a late lead.
Both teams are playing some of their best hockey of the season lately. Prince Albert has taken over the East Division lead with a 6-1-0-3 record over the last 10 games. Lethbridge has leaped over the Medicine Hat Tigers into second in the Central Division, going 8-2-0-0 over the previous 10 games.
The Hurricanes get things done with their potent offense. This season, the team is scoring at a 4.02 goals-per-game clip, putting them in the top-5 in the WHL. They are led on that front by none other than Buffalo Sabres first-round draft pick Dylan Cozens. Despite missing time for NHL training camp as well as the World Junior Championships, Cozens has scored at an incredible 1.66 points per game this season, just behind the WHL’s leading scorer, Adam Beckman (1.67).
Cozens does it all for the Hurricanes, but he scores at five-on-five especially. 23 of his 63 points came on special teams (three shorthanded goals). He has scored 29 times and added 34 assists in just 38 games. Import player Oliver Okuliar is also offensively gifted. He has 28 goals and 28 assists for the Hurricanes in 42 games.
Another exceptional area for the Hurricanes is on defense. Alex Cotton and Calen Addison are a force to be reckoned with. No other tandem in the WHL comes close to their point totals. Cotton has 54 points, tops in the WHL among defensemen. Addison is sixth with 41 points in just 37 games. Their 95 points are 17 ahead of Everett’s tandem of Wyatte Wylie and Jake Christiansen.
The Raiders though are no slouch. They have a pretty good tandem of forwards that are ready to pile pucks in the net. Aliaksei Protas and Ozzy Wiesblatt are those guys for the Raiders. Protas was among the league leaders in points before the World Junior Championships. He is currently ninth with 24 goals and 37 assists. Not far behind is Wiesblatt with 20 goals and 34 assists. In between those two players’ goal totals is Brayden Watts with 22 goals.
The Raiders are young on the blue line and it shows. Their top two defensemen combine for just 53 points. Kaiden Guhle leads the way with nine goals and 25 assists, while rookie Landon Kosior has five goals and 14 assists.
In net, the teams are pretty evenly matched. Lethbridge could go with either Carl Tetachuk or Bryan Thomson but expect them to go with the more experienced Tetachuk. He’s 17-8-1-5 this season with a 2.55 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. He has allowed three goals in each of his last three starts.
The Raiders are likely to counter with Max Paddock who has been nothing short of stellar since joining Prince Albert. Last night, he suffered his first regulation loss since joining the team. He is now 6-1-0-2 with a 1.63 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage with the green and gold. Overall his record is 16-14-3-4 this season.
There are no significant injuries to report from the Raiders. The Hurricanes’ last injury report had Addison listed as day-to-day with an illness as well as Nolan Boyko day-to-day with an upper-body injury. On the week-to-week list are defenseman Joe Arntsen (upper body) and forward Dino Kambeitz (lower body).
You can catch the action on WHL Live or you can listen to Trevor Redden on the Raiders broadcast HERE and the Hurricanes play-by-play voice Dustin Forbes can be heard HERE.
In other WHL action (all times local):
Saskatoon Blades (25-20-2-3) @ Moose Jaw Warriors (12-33-2-0) 7:00 PM
This is the fourth meeting between the two clubs. Saskatoon leads the season series with a 2-0-1-0 record. The Blades are four points behind the Brandon Wheat Kings for third in the East Division. The Warriors are just two points ahead of the Swift Current Broncos who currently reside in the Eastern Conference’s last position.
Swift Current Broncos (10-35-1-3) @ Regina Pats (17-26-3-2) 7:00 PM
Surprisingly, the Broncos lead the season series by a single point. In the previous five meetings, Swift Current is 3-2-0-0 while Regina is 2-2-0-1. Regina just passed Red Deer in the standings for tenth in the Eastern Conference. Swift Current is currently 14th.
Medicine Hat Tigers (33-15-2-1) @ Winnipeg ICE (30-19-1-0) 7:30 PM
Tonight marks the third meeting between the two teams. Medicine Hat won both contests by a combined 9-3 score. Medicine Hat is in a tight battle with Lethbridge for home ice in the first round, as both teams have 69 points. Winnipeg is four points behind the Prince Albert Raiders for the East Division title and has two games in hand.
Calgary Hitmen (28-16-4-1) @ Red Deer Rebels (17-28-2-3) 7:00 PM
This will be the sixth meeting between Red Deer and Calgary. The Hitmen have come away with points in all five games thus far as they are 4-0-1-0. Red Deer has just two points from those five games. Red Deer is in 11th place and all but guaranteed to be playing for a lottery draft pick. Calgary is eight points back of Lethbridge and Medicine Hat for a Central Division playoff spot. The Hitmen currently occupy the first wild card position.
Everett Silvertips (33-11-3-1) @ Seattle Thunderbirds (20-23-3-3) 6:05 PM
In the six times the teams have met previously, Everett has the advantage with a 4-2-0-0 record. Seattle has not been completely outmatched though, as they sport a 2-3-1-0 record. The Silvertips are hot right now with points in their last eight games. They are just nine points back of Portland for the US Division title with two games in hand. The Thunderbirds have a seven-point lead for the final playoff spot and are just three points back of Kelowna for the first wild card spot with a game in hand.
Prince George Cougars (16-26-3-4) @ Vancouver Giants (23-20-3-2) 7:00 PM
Pretty evenly matched through five games, the Giants have a 3-1-1-0 record against the Cougars (2-3-0-0). Prince George is seven points out of a playoff spot, chasing the Seattle Thunderbirds. Vancouver is currently in third in the BC Division, two points ahead of the Kelowna Rockets with two games in hand. With two games in hand on the Victoria Royals for second in the BC Division, the Giants trail Victoria by eight points.
Portland Winterhawks (36-7-3-4) @ Kelowna Rockets (23-24-1-2) 7:05 PM
Portland remains the only team to clinch a playoff spot, and they hold a nine-point lead on Everett. Kelowna is in the first wild card spot, three points ahead of Seattle. The Rockets trail the Vancouver Giants by two points but have two more games played. Portland has won all three games against Kelowna in regulation this season.
Tri-City Americans (15-29-4-1) @ Spokane Chiefs (28-17-4-1) 7: 05 PM
Tri-City’s downward spiral has continued. The team is currently residing in the Western Conference basement, 11 points out of a playoff spot. Spokane takes third in the US Division, nine points back of the Everett Silvertips with two more games played than Everett. Spokane is 5-1-1-0 against its division rival Tri-City this season. Tri-City is 2-5-0-0.
Kamloops Blazers (32-14-3-1) @ Victoria Royals (27-18-4-1) 7:05 PM
These two teams met in the game of the night last night. Victoria took the game 3-2 to close the gap on first place to nine points. Both teams have played 50 games. Victoria took the lead in the season series, 3-2-0-0 to Kamloops’ 2-3-0-0.
