WHL Roundup: Raiders down Broncos 6-5 in OT in final game of season
April 28, 2021
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Ozzy Wiesblatt capped a season like no other for his team with a goal 54 seconds into overtime, and the Prince Albert Raiders edged the Swift Current Broncos 6-5 on Wednesday in the final Western Hockey League game of the year for both clubs.
Reece Vitelli struck twice while Terrell Goldsmith, Justin Nachbaur and Tyson Laventure also scored for the Raiders (9-11-4).
Raphael Pelletier, Bode Hagan, Carter Stebbings, Mathew Ward and Cole Nagy supplied the scoring for the Broncos (6-17-1).
Carter Serhyenko stopped 6-of-8 shots in 13 minutes of relief to earn the win for Prince Albert. He replaced Max Paddock, who made 21 saves before getting ejected at 8:04 of the third period for an attempt to injure major penalty.
Prince Albert Daily Herald
Moe, Nachbaur and Paddock wrap up WHL careers
The strangest season in Prince Albert Raiders history concluded on Wednesday night with one of the most bizarre contests the team has ever taken part in.
With the team holding a 5-3 lead over the Swift Current Broncos at the 8:01 mark of the third period, Raiders netminder Max Paddock was given a snow shower by Broncos forward Josh Davies and proceeded to pummel him in the face as both players were down in the crease during a post-whistle scrum.
As a result of the play, Davies was given a two-minute minor for unsportsmanlike conduct, but Paddock was given a five-minute match penalty and a game misconduct for what the officials deemed as an attempt to injure.
REGINA Members of the Saskatoon Blades are making history in the WHL hub, despite a shortened season and year unlike any other. The Blades are the top Saskatchewan team and tied for second with the Winnipeg Ice in the East Division hub with 31 points. The Brandon Wheat Kings are in sole possession of first, with 34 points. With less than a week left, the Blades are just three points away from claiming the top spot in the East Division for the first time since 2013. “They’ve all been must-wins here in the hub. Everything’s magnified with only 24 games. So these last three, we have to put our best foot forward,” Chase Wouters, the Blades’ captain, said.
Prince Albert Daily Herald
Photo Courtesy of Keith Hershmiller/WHL Ozzy Wiesblatt, left, and Evan Herman celebrate after Wiesblatt opened the scoring for the Prince Albert Raiders in Thursday s 4-0 win over the Saskatoon Blades.
While the Saskatoon Blades won this year’s season series over the Prince Albert Raiders, the Raiders were able to prevent their archrivals from sweeping all four of their meetings in the Western Hockey League’s East Division hub in Regina with an impressive 4-0 performance on Thursday afternoon.
“I’ve been a part of some pretty big wins here with the Raiders and this is right up there,” Raiders forward Ozzy Wiesblatt said.