Oil Kings face Prince Albert in first round of the WHL Playoffs

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It’s been three years since the Edmonton Oil Kings went through the WHL playoffs, backing their magical journey with the current NHLERS NHLERS DYLAN GUENTHER, JAKE NEIMERS and KAIDEN GUHLE.

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Since 2022, several days have been wasted and nights have been wasted in their reconstruction.

But now they are back to the Raiders who started playing Prince Albert on Friday, in the dubbing raucous building Art Hauser Center, where 3,386 fans are big, proud, proud, and at the top of your list, and also compete with the league’s busiest, perhaps hottest goalkeeper Max Hildebrand, who had a season with .918 savings percentage and 2.87 per game with a 2.87 average average.

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On paper it’s looks to be even fight, even if the Raiders are No. 2 seed and the Oil Kings No. 7, because the Raiders, with 84 points, played in an easier Eastern division with two very weak teams, Moose Jaw and Regina, piling up seasonal points, while the Oil Kings, at 78 points, were in the tough Central with statistically two of the three best WHL teams, Medicine Hat Tigers and Calgary Hitmen.

“The Oil Kings can win this, but the PA has a goalkeeper and he almost stopped everything. He’s really good.” A NHL amateur Scout who asked not to be named said he was very keen on Hildebrand, who set out to Bemidji State U after the season but also admitted that Edmonton had an in-depth forward team.

Oil Kings head coach Luke Pierce is Brad Lauer’s assistant and now WHL Spokane’s assistant after winning the WHL championship in 2022?

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“It’s exactly what you think. It’s a roller coaster,” Pierce said. “You never imagine that things will be as good as they were when they won, and you never imagine that it will be as bad as they were when they lost.”

In trying to win the Memorial Cup and starting with 37 wins of the season, the fall from grace is usually a huge sensation in junior hockey. “You know this and then talk about it, prepare to be patient, but we’re still competitive and it gets older when it loses almost every night,” Pierce said.

“It’s hard for your emotions, making you question yourself as a coach and what you’re doing with the group. The whole organization…I think we’re struggling with rebuilding, but paying tribute to Kirt (GM Hill) (GM Hill) and Mike (Scout Director Chan), but we stick with it and paying the price.”

Pierce won 27 games last season and won a long battle in the playoffs until he was absent. “We might be a playoff team at that time. We had a tough start and couldn’t get enough ground,” Pierce said.

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“Plus Grace (Sawchyn, who played for Seattle in the 2023 Memorial Cup) certainly helped Seattle and Gaff (Hodnett) last season, and he took off…plus the leadership of Marc Lavoie and Ty Nash. They really pushed our guys. They made our guys make younger players better like Blake Fiddler,” Pierce said.

Now, they are locked, at least competitive playoff enemies if not loaded.

“I don’t think we’ve lost more than three games in a row this season,” Pierce said, who said his young team had very little postseason experience, but shrugged. “We do have Gracyn and (defensive) Josh Mori who went to the WHL final with Portland last season. Cole Miller was with us in 2022. RylenRoersma played in some playoff series, and our goalkeeper Alex Worthington also played in the Memorial Cup with us in 2022 and saw the emotion.”

Florida’s second-round pick in 2023 Sawchyn accompanied his brother Lukas to his Oil Kings (WHL) rookie, possibly the NHL later draft pick. He knew the team could rely on him, and it was his last kick can for his junior year as he could play on the Panthers AHL team next season.

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“I’m kind of like someone people can rely on.” Sawchyn said he weighs only 160 pounds but is wealthy, winning 78 points in 54 games. “I rely on a lot of things and I think it’s good for me and the team. Hopefully I can help others learn and play this role next year.”

“This team is very close, like in Seattle. I’m glad these guys experience the playoffs and how fun it is, getting into the grinding and fighting. Until you join in, you get the ice packs, something you haven’t felt.

“I know our guys are so excited about their electric barn, playing on Art Hauser. The ice may get smaller,” Sawchyn said.

So, the first two and the third and fourth games in Saskatchewan and the first two games in Rogers Place on Wednesday started at Prince Albert’s barn.

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Before the personal collapse, the special team: The Oil Kings were fined against 891 PIMS, the league ranked fifth, and it was the worst team in the playoffs. The Raiders have a 756-minute fine. The oil king must definitely be more disciplined.

The Raiders had two forwards in the A-point game, center Tomas MRSIC, who scored 90 points, while winger Aiden Oering scored 85 points. Sawchyn led the Oil Kings with 78 points. Hodnett scored 62 in 61 games, Jecho had 53 out of 56, Holinka had 45 in 47 games, Lukas Sawchyn scored 55 points, and Roan Woodward had 53 points, so they had a lot of offensive balance.

“Their goalkeepers lead the league in minutes this year, and he has a lot of numbers. He has played in the playoffs before and has been in the league for a long time. It’s definitely a challenge,” Pierce said. He doesn’t have to worry about his goalkeepers, but that’s more about the percentage savings with Worthington’s .902’s .902’s and Ethan Simcoe’s .911.911.

“Their first 2 days (Justis Christenson and Lukas Dragicevic) are a major threat, they get the hockey on the hockey. They create a lot of offense from there. High-end skills.” Pierce said he had 24 goals on his defense, while Tiddler led by 10.

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