Murray Wood: Kids and culture wars
The culture war crowd is in high dudgeon at students being exposed to what it deems blatant sexuality on a school trip t...
After a strong showing in 2026 WHL Championship Series Game 1 on the road, the Prince Albert Raiders were tasked with handing the Everett Silvertips their first back-to-back losses of the season on Saturday.
The Silvertips came out stronger in the first period, then fought off a Raiders comeback for two periods with two late goals delivering a 6-2 Silvertips win.
Read more:
- 2026 Saskatchewan Roughriders: Plenty of familiar faces return on offence
- Riders camp invite Thor Griffith making case as most interesting man in football
- Daily walks to Rider rookie camp helping Saskatoon fan heal after brain injury
Just 3:20 into the opening period, the Silvertips were on the board. On the rush, Julius Miettinen shot from the slot and was stopped. The puck bounced back into the slot and Miettinen had two more whacks at the puck that were blocked, but Carter Bear found the rebound and buried the rebound.
Then at 5:31, just 1:11 later, the Silvertips won a draw on the right side wall back to defenceman Kayd Ruedig, and he skated down the right wall as the screen in front formed. Then he fired the puck up top right corner to give the Silvertips their two-goal lead.
The Raiders started to push back through the middle of the period, but the Silvertips got the game’s first power play at the end of the period and they scored. At the 19:17 mark, Miettinen fired a shot off the back wall that bounced out to the other side of the goal for Rylan Gould, and he swatted in the rebound to give the Silvertips a big lead at the end of the first.
After 1: Raiders 0-3. Silvertips, shots 15-11 Silvertips
Early in the second, the Raiders got their first power play of the game, and they capitalized. Braeden Cootes skated down to the right corner before dropping the puck back to Daxon Rudolph, and he followed the same path to the corner. Rudolph sent a pass to the slot intended for Max Heise, but he let it go by him instead for Brock Cripps at the left point, and he one-timed it for his fourth of the playoffs at 4:24.
From there, the period was clearly in control for the Raiders. They had two power plays in the period, but Anders Miller made some great saves and the Raiders failed to capitalize on a couple of chances of their own.
At the 19:14 mark however, the Silvertips scored a momentum killer. From the right side, again it was Miettinen who set up the goal with a shot. This time it was a one-timer from the right side, and the puck bounced off the pad for Bear on the other side who scored his second of the night on the rebound.
After 2: Raiders 2-4. Silvertips, shots 15-9 Raiders, 26-24 Raiders overall
The Raiders came out hard in the third period, but the Silvertips were able to hold them at bay.
After a Silvertips power play in the first half of the period started to tilt momentum back in their favour, play was reduced to 4-on-4, and during that time a shot squeaked past Michal Orsulak, but he laid back, swatted the puck off the goal line with his glove, and the puck was cleared.
At the 9:46 mark, the Raiders defence scored again. Maddix McCagherty started the play but didn’t earn an assist when he battled a puck loose in the offensive zone, then sent it over to Aiden Oiring in the corner. Oiring sent it back to the right side of the blue line for Rudolph, and he quickly passed it across for a Justice Christensen one-timer into the back of the net for his third of the playoffs.
The Raiders would get Orsulak pulled and try to go on the attack, but after a couple of shots and faceoffs in the offensive zone for the Raiders, eventually the Silvertips got the puck over their own blue line and Miettinen scored his first goal and fourth point of the night at the 18:58. During the goal celebration, Rudolph threw a cross check that earned him a five-minute major.
The Silvertips got one more power play to finish the game, and at 19:59 Jesse Heslop was able to score with a one-timer down at the bottom of the right circle.
FINAL: Raiders 2-6. Silvertips, shots 14-13 Silvertips, 39-38 Raiders overall
The Silvertips have now tied the series after the first two games in Everett. The Raiders will spend the next three games back at the Art Hauser Centre.
Read more:
