Thursday’s fifth and deciding playoff game against the Leduc Oil Kings was a thriller for the fans, but it ended in major disappointment for the St. Albert Raiders.
The midget AAA north division semifinal went down to the wire, and lasted two additional periods of play, before Leduc defeated the Raiders 3-2 at Akinsdale Arena.
After the Raiders tied the game late in the third off the stick of Luke Mahura, there was no scoring in the first overtime frame. But late in the second extra period, Leduc scored off a seemingly harmless play to end St. Albert’s season.
“We definitely let it slip away from us. It could’ve gone either way but they just got a good bounce,” said Raiders’ captain Shane Brolly. “We could’ve controlled [the series] if we played a full 60 minutes every game but we took some periods off and that’s the way she goes, I guess.”
While the play may have bounced heavily in Leduc’s favour, head coach Sandro Pisani said there were other factors in the loss.
“I believe our power play let us down today. We had a power play in overtime and we just didn’t cash in,” said Pisani. “We had some opportunities but we just never scored and that was the difference.”
After the Raiders gained an early goal in the first by Evan Warmington, Leduc respond in the second with two unanswered markers.
“Our first and our third periods were obviously our best, and in the first overtime we really took it to them,” Pisani said. “[In the second OT] it was just a broken play, where the puck goes to the net and they jammed it in for the win.”
The Raiders were down nearly six players due to injuries, sickness and suspensions, but Pisani believes a team has to overcome adversity to be successful.
“We had some guys who should’ve been in our line-up but weren’t, who we felt could’ve made a difference but that’s hockey,” he said.
This is the second year in a row Leduc eliminated the Raiders in five games in the north semifinals.
After opening the playoff round with a 4-1 win on home ice, the Raiders lost game two in Leduc and game three in St. Albert by identical 3-2 scores. They evened the series with a 4-2 win Tuesday in Leduc.
In the north standings the Raiders (20-10-4) finished second and Leduc (17-11-6) was third.
“When you lose in the playoffs and you’re not playing anymore, you’re never happy. Obviously we wanted more,” said Pisani.
Even though the season ended earlier than expected for the Raiders, they were impressed to see the massive turnout of fans that packed the Akinsdale barn. It meant a lot to the club, said Brolly.
“It was great. All the support was awesome and thanks to everyone that came out.”
