Ice hold off feisty Raiders

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This article was published 22/04/2022 (1497 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Prince Albert Raiders gave the Winnipeg Ice a heap of trouble during the 2021-22 regular season and nothing seemed to change as the WHL playoffs got underway Friday night.

The No. 1-seeded hosts, who had a 50-point cushion on the Raiders in the Eastern Conference standings, hammered out a hotly contested 3-1 victory over the No. 8 seeds at Wayne Fleming Arena.

“I thought we were dialed in right off the start. We knew how we had to play and I think we’ve been reviewing that all week and I think we came off the right way,” said overage forward Jakin Smallwood who put the Ice up 1-0 in the opening period.

The game featured only nine minor penalties but there was plenty of physical play.

“I thought it was typical first playoff game,” said Ice head coach James Patrick. “I thought there was some intensity, there was some nerves, there was a little bit of dislike and some jockeying with lines. But I liked how we played.”

One of Winnipeg’s best was blue-liner Carson Lambos, who did not the hit scoresheet but logged tons of ice time and played a punishing game on the back end.

“I think this time of year everyone’s more desperate and you’re gonna sacrifice yourself a little bit more than maybe you normally would,” said Lambos, blood still dripping from his chin after taking an errant stick in the third period.

“I think we have a group that everyone’s willing to do whatever it takes.”

Winnipeg’s victory, however, may have come at a serious cost.

Top NHL draft prospect Matt Savoie, the club’s co-MVP after a 90-point regular season, appeared to favour his left leg as he was helped to the dressing room early in the third period.

The 18-year-old forward did not return to the game.

“He took a puck and he’s going to be evaluated tomorrow,” said Patrick, confirming Savoie had a lower-body injury. “We’ll see where he is.”

The teams meet in Game 2 Saturday at 7 p.m.

After some tense moments early in the first period, Smallwood, playing his first career playoff game, helped settle the home team’s nerves by converting Cole Muir’s feed from behind the net.

Owen Pederson made it 2-0 for the hosts, beating goaltender Tikhon Chaika five-hole on a power play at 9:34 of the middle period but it was the ensuing four minutes that seriously impacted P.A’s fate.

With both Muir and Lambos in the penalty box, setting up a 5-on-3 power-play advantage for the visitors and Ice blue-liner Nolan Orzeck struggling to stay upright after being struck in the leg by a slapshot, Winnipeg goaltender Daniel Hauser and his teammates scrambled to maintain the two-goal lead.

“It looked a little grim obviously when five seconds into the kill he blocks a shot and you could see it was high in the leg — around the knee or thigh and I mean, we’ve all been there — it’s like your leg is dead — let alone (having to) skate and defend,” said Patrick. “It’s a challenge just to stand up. I thought the three guys out there did a great job. We gave up one great chance and Daniel made a hell of a save.”

Veteran Raiders forward Reece Vitelli struck for a goal at 1:45 of the third period to make it close but Winnipeg’s Connor McClennon, who has 92 career regular-season goals, sniped his first post-season marker less than two minutes later.

“We’ve been we’ve been in playoff mode for a while here and we don’t plan on stopping,” said Vitelli, a 20-year-old from Winnipeg.

Hauser finished the game with 19 saves.

Chaika, who had beaten Winnipeg three times during the regular season, had 27 stops.

Following Game 2 the teams will travel to Prince Albert for Games 3 and 4 of the series on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

Game 5, if necessary, would be back at Wayne Fleming Arena on Friday, April 29.

BLUE-LINES: Winnipeg was 2-for-4 on the power play. The Raiders went 0-for-5… Three stars: 1. Jakin Smallwood, Winnipeg (one goal); 2. Carson Lambos, Winnipeg; 3. Cole Muir, Winnipeg (one goal).

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14