Dave Leaderhouse
Herald Staff
Prince Albert NAPA Raiders are one game away from advancing to their second straight Saskatchewan Hockey Association Pee Wee Division provincial final after posting a 5-3 triumph over Saskatoon in the opening game of the north final on the weekend.
Ethan Regnier, with two goals, Owen Ozar, Jake Koroluk and Brayden Dirks scored for the Raiders, who will take the two-goal lead into the second game of the two-game, total-goal series on Thursday in Saskatoon.
The NAPA Raiders are also moving on in the Centre-Four Hockey League playoffs after trouncing Humboldt 9-3 and 12-2 on the weekend.
Ben Zultok led the Raiders’ attack with four goals in the opening game of the two-game, total-goal series with Tanner Hendricks and Dirks chipping in with two each. Dillon Saworski completed the scoring with a single marker.
It was Dirks and Hendricks with a hat-trick each in the second game while Brayden Schneider, with two, Regnier, Ozar, Koroluk and Zultok also scored for the Raiders.
Prince Albert will face either Lloydminster or West Central in the next round of the CFHL playoffs with that set of games likely to take place next weekend. Should the Raiders hold off Saskatoon on Thursday, they will then face the southern representative in the provincial final later this month.
Liteway Electric Raiders
Prince Albert Liteway Electric Raiders are off to the second round of the Centre-Four Hockey League Midget Division playoffs after holding off Humboldt 6-5 in the two-game, total-goal opening match-up.
Liteway Electric won the first game of the series 3-2 on goals by Jack Green, Travis Filteau and Chris Stubbs with the second contest ending in a 3-3 draw. Riley Dupre, Austin Odnokon and Zach Hurd scored for Prince Albert in the finale.
A second-round opponent has yet to be determined.
Venice House Raiders
There was no tomorrow for the Prince Albert Venice House Raiders when they travelled to Moose Jaw on Sunday, but thanks to a 6-4 victory they get to play another day in the Saskatchewan Bantam AA Hockey League playoffs.
Venice House was eliminated from the championship side of the playoff draw on Thursday when they lost 7-3 in the third and deciding game of a best-of-three first-round series to the Battlefords Barons and in the first game of the best-of-three consolation-side affair with Moose Jaw on Saturday, Prince Albert was dealt a stunning 5-3 setback.
That set the stage for Sunday’s do-or-die game and captain Drew Warkentine led the offense with three goals while Josh McDougall, Reid Manson and Tanner Fiddler added singles.
In the loss to the Barons it was Warkentine with a pair of markers and Jake Hobson with one while in the opening defeat to Moose Jaw it was Warkentine once again notching a pair while McDougall had one.
The third and deciding game against Moose Jaw will be played next Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Kinsmen Arena.
House level provincials
A number of northern finals in Saskatchewan Hockey Association playoffs were held in Prince Albert on the weekend with local teams getting the upper hand in two of the match-ups.
In Bantam II it was the Prince Albert Rebels defeating the Saskatoon Wild Outlaws 5-3 and in Pee Wee II the Prince Albert Rangers edged the Saskatoon Viper Aces 4-3. The other two tilts were resounding victories by Saskatoon teams as the Prince Albert Rangers fell 10-4 to the Saskatoon Red Wing Roughnecks in Bantam III action while the Saskatoon Renegade Outlaws blasted the Gene’s Sports Canadians 6-1 in a Pee Wee III contest.
All games were the openers of two-game, total-goal affairs with the finales for each series set for Saskatoon next weekend. The winners of these matches will move on to the provincial finals in each of their respective divisions.
