The Prince Albert Raiders kicked off the 2026 WHL playoffs with a solid 4-1 win over the visiting Red Deer Rebels in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series Friday night at the Art Hauser Centre. A big crowd of over 3,000 was on hand as the top-seeded Raiders built a 1-0 lead after the first period and stretched it to 2-0 after two, thanks in large part to a strong defensive effort and some timely scoring. The Rebels pushed back in the third to make it 2-1, but Prince Albert answered with a couple more goals down the stretch to put it away. Braeden Cootes had a big night with a pair of goals and an assist, while the Raiders outshot Red Deer 39-23 overall. Both teams picked up a power-play goal in the contest; Matthew Kondro turned aside 35 shots for the Rebels, and Michal Orsulak stopped 22 for the home side.
Game 2 goes tonight back in Prince Albert before the series heads to Red Deer for Games 3 and 4 early next week. The Rebels showed some fight, but the Raiders looked sharp and in control for most of the night.
Vancouver Canucks 2025 1st rounder Braeden Cootes made it a 1-0 game for the Raiders on the Power Play at 14:43 of the first period. The assists on the goal went to Brock Cripps and Lacombe native Daxon Rudolph.
Shots on goal in the first period were 11-9 for the Raiders
Daxon Rudolph gives the Raiders a 2-0 lead at 2:03 of the second period. The assists on the goal went to University of Nebraska-Omaha commit Aiden Oiring and Dallas Stars 2025 4th rounder Brandon Gorzynski.
Shots on goal in the second period were 20-7 for the Raiders
Poul Andersen gets the Rebels on the board to make it a 2-1 game at 7:35 of the third period while on the Power Play. The assists on the goal went to Beckett Hamilton and Patrick Sopriaz.–Midway through the third period, the power play unit finally clicked. Poul Andersen ripped a shot from the left slot that deflected off a couple of bodies and beat Raiders goaltender Michal Orsulak.
Braeden Cootes scored his second goal of the game to give the Raiders a 3-1 lead at 10:58 of the third period. The helpers on the goal went to Brayden Dube and Brock Cripps.
Brock Cripps made it a 4-1 game at 16:46 of the third period. The assists on the goal went to Braeden Cootes and Jonah Sivertson.
Shots on goal in the third period were 8-7 for the Raiders. The Raiders outshot the Rebels 39-23 in the game.
Michal Orsulak made 22 saves on the 23 shots that he faced for the win for the Raiders. For the Rebels Matthew Kondro stopped 35 of the 39 shots that he faced.
Three Stars were 1) Braeden Cootes 2) Daxon Rudolph 3) Michal Orsaluk
Attendance in Prince Albert was 3078
Rebels next game is Saturday March 28th against the Raiders for Game #2 in Prince Albert
