The Raiders Jr. Hockey Club struck early and often Friday night, riding a four-goal first period to a 6-4 win over the third-place Charleswood Hawks at Seven Oaks SportsPlex.
Ryan Cromie opened the scoring just 78 seconds into the contest, setting the tone for a high-paced opening frame. After Charleswood captain Elliott Lewis tied it moments later, the Raiders responded with three straight goals.
Cole Kennedy restored the lead at 4:00 before Riley Kushnier scored shorthanded late in the period. Brennan Feschuk then added to the surge at 18:16, giving the Raiders a commanding 4-1 advantage after 20 minutes.
The Hawks clawed back in the second with power-play and even-strength markers from Ridley Ringor and defenceman Tate Dolinsky. But the Raiders matched their push. Logan Ashe made it 5-2 early in the frame, and rookie forward Zach Einarson netted his first MMJHL goal midway through the period to keep Charleswood at bay.
Lewis added his second of the night for the Hawks to pull them within two, but neither side found the back of the net in the third as the Raiders shut things down defensively.
Owen Savoie turned aside 13 shots for the win, while Charleswood split goaltending duties between Marc Samyn and Aidan Kuo. The Raiders outshot the Hawks 28-17.
The victory improves the Raiders to 6-5-2, moving them into fifth place in the MMJHL standings. They head on the road for their next two outings, visiting the Ft. Garry/Ft. Rouge Twins on Nov. 18 and the River East Royal Knights on Nov. 21, before returning home Nov. 23 to host the St. James Jr. Canucks.
