Raiders overwhelm Rebels with 5-goal second period outburst

For the first 20 minutes, the Red Deer Rebels stymied the Prince Albert Raiders.

For the next 20, they couldn’t stop them.

The Raiders poured on the offence at the Art Hauser Centre on Friday, scoring five goals during the second period and cruising to a 6-0 victory. The win puts them up 2-0 in the best-of-seven first round series with Game 3 scheduled for Tuesday in Red Deer.

“We just stuck with it,” Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald said when asked about the second period outburst. “The guys did a great job continuing to execute the game plan. Our ability to continue to get pucks underneath and get our offensive looks and get our o-zone time and get pucks to the paint got rewarded.”

The Raiders scored in almost every way imaginable during the middle frame. Ben Harvey tallied his first of the playoffs at even strength, and Daxon Rudolph scored his second of the post-season short-handed.

However, the Raider power play did most of the damage, torching the Rebels for three second period goals on three chances.

“First period I think we were all over them,” said Brayden Dube, who scored the last of Prince Albert’s three power play markers. “They were getting hemmed in their zone and I think their d-men and forwards were getting tired. You make mistakes when you’re tired, and we kept bringing it to them.”

“Everyone’s just playing the right way,” Harvey added. “We’re sticking to our game (and) playing fast.”

While Raider relentlessness played a major role, it wasn’t the only factor. With the game still tied at zero, Brock Cripps picked up the puck behind the Raider net and wheeled past the entire Red Deer penalty killing unit for a partial breakaway.

Rebels goaltender Matthew Kondro appeared to stop Cripps’ first attempt, but the rest of the Raider power play crashed the net looking for a rebound. With Kondro down on the ice, the official standing behind the net signalled a goal. A lengthy video replay proved inconclusive, and the call on the ice stood.

“I was on the ice, but on the video, I couldn’t see the puck in the net,” Dube said. “I think the ref saw it behind him (Kondo). It was in between his legs. I think it was in the net, but you can’t really tell on video.”

Cripps would receive credit for the goal, his second of the playoffs. The floodgates opened afterwards, as Harvey, Rudolph, Dube, and Riley Boychuk all cashed in.

“The beauty of sports is that at the end of the day we’re not the ones making the calls,” Rebels assistant coach Clayton Jardine said. “It is what it is. We’ve got to move on from it. I felt it (Cripps’ goal) didn’t rattle us, but unfortunately after that we gave up a few more—and a shorthanded one as well—but at the end of the day we’re going home.”

Jardine said the Rebels made some unfortunate mistakes, which cost them in the second. Despite the loss, the Red Deer assistant coach remained positive.

“We haven’t lost a game a home yet,” he said.

The goals weren’t the only fireworks fans saw in the middle frame. With time winding down in the second, Prince Albert product Conner Howe, who drew into the line-up in place of the injured Max Heise, dropped the gloves with Rebels defenceman Cameron Dillard.

Despite giving up 10 inches and more than 50 pounds to the 6’4 Dillard, Howe stood his ground, alternating between his left and right hands for a flurry of punches that eventually sent the Rebel defender to the ice.

The bout drew a bigger cheer from the 2,997 fans in attendance than any of the five second period goals.

“Howie played a tremendous game,” McDonald said. “He hunted hard. He was hard on the forecheck, possessed pucks in the middle of the ice, made some real good hard plays, and again, mixes it up at the end and gets the crowd really electric.”

Dube buried his second of the night roughly five minutes into the third period with a wicked wrist shot off the crossbar and in. The goal spelt the end of the night for Kondro, who finished with 30 saves on 36 chances. Peyton Shore stopped all four Prince Albert shots he faced in relief.

The two goal effort was enough to make Dube the game’s first star.

“(I was) just in the right spot at the right time, it felt like,” Dube said. “It was nice to get a couple.

“I know they’ll be better in Red Deer, so stick to our game and clean some things up,” he added. “Just keep going.”

News and Notes:

• Michael Orsulak stopped all 13 shots he faced for his first WHL playoff shutout. The Raider netminder also picked up an assist on Cripps’ second period goal.

• Forward Max Heise was not in the line-up after taking a hard check in the opening minutes of Game 1. On Saturday, McDonald said Heise was listed as day-to-day.

• Prince Albert finished 3/6 on the powerplay. The Rebels were 0/3.

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