Excitement high in P.A. as Raiders vie for WHL title

It’s exciting times in Prince Albert.

The city’s junior hockey team is appearing in the Western Hockey League final for the first time in 34-years.

The series between the Raiders and Vancouver Giants begins Friday night at the Art Hauser Centre.

“This has been a big positive for us and we’ve embraced it,” said Mayor Greg Dionne, who greeted the Giants when their plane touched down at the Prince Albert Airport on Thursday.

“(The city) is so excited and all they’re talking about is the Raiders.”

Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne made a point of being at the airport personally to welcome the team. @princealbertnow @CKBI @Power99fm @XfmRocks @PARaidersHockey pic.twitter.com/e3KihtYcVP

— nigel maxwell (@nigelmaxwell) May 2, 2019

To help support the Raiders team, every city facility has a Raiders flag. As well, both the city’s truck at the airport and Dionne’s truck, which helped escort the Giants’ bus back to the city, were equipped with flags.

“I wanted them to know we are a friendly city and we are a welcoming city, and at the end of the day, we are glad they are here,” he said.

Giants leading scorer Davis Koch was among the first players to exit the plane and said he was feeling excited about the upcoming series with the Raiders.

“I have never flown to a game before so to have this opportunity is pretty awesome,” he said.

The Art Hauser Centre is one of the league’s oldest buildings and if you ask Dionne, it’s one of the toughest places to play because of the old style coliseum seating.

“We’re actually right on top of the players. So the noise level is just unbelievable,” said Dionne.

“When you talk to the players afterwards they’re just shocked by how the noise echoes in the rink.”

Friday and Saturday has been proclaimed Raider Days. Dionne encouraged everyone in Prince Albert and the surrounding area to show their pride.

-With files from paNOW’s Nigel Maxwell