Prince Albert Raiders Open WHL Final With 4-2 Win Over Everett

The Prince Albert Raiders opened the WHL Championship Series with a 4-2 win over the Everett Silvertips on Friday, taking the first step toward a 2-0 series lead. Michal Orsulak stopped 39 shots as Prince Albert beat the league’s top regular-season team despite being outshot 41-26.

Orsulak Holds Everett To Two

Orsulak’s work in net gave Prince Albert the edge in a game Everett controlled on the shot clock. He made 39 saves, and the Raiders turned that into the series lead after Game 1.

Prince Albert scored three unanswered goals in the second period to swing the night. Justice Christensen, Braden Cootes and Jonah Silvertson all scored for the Raiders, while Aiden Oiring added an empty-net goal late to close it out.

Second-Period Surge

Cootes finished with a goal and an assist, and Daxon Rudolph picked up an assist as Prince Albert built enough cushion to survive Everett’s push. Julius Miettinen scored late in the third period for Everett, but the Silvertips could not get closer than two goals after that.

Carter Bear also scored for Everett, and Landon DuPont had an assist. Everett entered the final with a 57-8-3 record, while Prince Albert arrived at 52-10-6, so the Game 1 result gave the Raiders an early edge in a series between the WHL’s two best regular-season teams.

Game 2 And Prince Albert

Prince Albert can move within one win of the Ed Chynoweth Cup with Game 2 on Saturday night. The series then shifts to the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert for Game 3 on Tuesday, where the Raiders will try to carry a 2-0 lead home in front of a crowd that has already seen them win the trophy in 1985 and 2019.