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Witala sets milestone, Raiders win

Chase Witala cut a new record but the Prince Albert Raiders found the more satisfying groove.
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Chase Witala cut a new record but the Prince Albert Raiders found the more satisfying groove.

They outscored Witala's Prince George Cougars by a 3-1 count Wednesday night in Prince Albert to hand the Cats their second loss in four games on their WHL East Division tour.

Witala's goal, his 32nd of the season and 112th of his WHL career, 12:21 into the third period, set a Cougars' team record -- one more goal than former Cougar captain Eric Hunter collected in five seasons with the team, from 2002-07.

From that point on the Cougars came on strong looking for more, but it wasn't enough.

With Cougars goalie Nick McBride on the bench, Reid Gardner beat Tate Olson to a loose puck and dumped it into the empty net for his 32nd of the season to put the game on ice with 68 seconds left.

The win improved the Raiders' record to 28-17-5-1, while the Cougars dropped to 31-19-2-1, the first time in four games on their six-game trip they failed to leave the rink with at least one point.

Former Cougar Jordan Tkatch opened the scoring 10:56 into the game, using Cougar defenceman Sam Ruopp as a decoy as he let go a low shot, which found the net just inside the post.

The Raiders had a chance to add to their lead 17:21 into the first period when captain Tim Vanstone got hauled down on a breakaway. On the ensuing penalty shot, Vanstone tried to go 5-hole on a deke but McBride got his pad on the puck and made the save.

Vanstone picked up his sixth goal of the season on a delayed penalty 14 minutes into the second period, tipping in Reid Gardner's one-timer from the slot.

McBride, a former Raider, made 27 saves for his first shutout of the season in Tuesday's 7-0 win in Saskatoon, and picked up where he left off. He was spectacular at times against the Raiders, keeping his team within striking distance. McBride (11-5-0-1) made 29 saves and was at his best in the second period, when the Raiders peppered him with 13 shots.

His counterpart in the Raider nets, Rylan Parenteau (6-2-0-3), also earned his keep, stopping 26 of 27 shots he faced.

The Raiders went 1-for-4 on the power play. The Cougars were 0-for-2.

The Cats continue their roadtrip with a game Friday against the Eastern Conference-leading Brandon Wheat Kings, followed by a date with the Regina Pats Saturday in Regina.

The Cougars return to CN Centre for games next week against the defending WHL-champion Kelowna Rockets.