PA Raider fans stay loud and proud even as team faces 3-1 deficit in WHL Final

With just one home game left in the WHL final, fans of the Prince Albert Raiders have been making the most of the series. Jasmine Pelletier reports.

Prince Albert Raiders fans packed Art Hauser Centre again Wednesday night as the community turned out to fully support their team in Game 4 of the WHL finals.

Though the team lost on Wednesday, kids were excited to see their favourite players in action.

One young fan said he went to the game hoping to see a “juice bomb” from Raiders Captain Justice Christensen, while another told CTV he was looking forward to watching his favourite player Daxon Rudolph.

The Raiders’ playoff run has led to ticket lineups and some standing room-only sections during games. The atmosphere has been loud, with many fans decked out in team gear and cheering at the top of their lungs.

“I wear stripes on my face cause when I wear stripes we win,” said Raiders fan Michael Ball. “We won against the Hat [and] against the Blades.”

Some fans have been supporting the team since the team’s founding.

“Since 1971,” recalled Raiders fan Cora Malenfant.

“We were the originals. Well, part of the originals.”

But it wasn’t just Raiders fans in the house this week, as the rival Everett Silvertips had some family support in the stands.

Everett supporter Ezra said he was at the game to watch his cousin, Silvertips forward Jesse Heslop.

“My cousin’s on there and he’s pretty great,” he said.

Wednesday night’s game didn’t end the way most of the Prince Albert crowd wanted it to, with the Silvertips now one game away from a series win.

The Raiders have a do-or-die home game Friday night, and fans are hoping the team will push the series to games 6 and 7.

It’s safe to say that no matter what the rest of the week holds, the Prince Albert Raiders are a longstanding source of pride for the city and its community members.