Hype builds in Prince Albert as Raiders head into Eastern Conference final

(Jasmine Pelletier / CTV News)

The Prince Albert Raiders are gearing up for the Eastern Conference final best-of seven series against the Medicine Hat Tigers, and the entire community is getting excited.

Raiders captain Justice Christensen says the fans have been getting louder the further the team gets in the playoffs.

“Each round, each game, especially against Saskatoon with the rivalry,” he said. “Our fans were amped up, and it was loud.”

The first two games of the series are this weekend at Art Hauser Centre and tickets to both games were quick to sell out. Seats for both games were gone after about 30 minutes.

Fifty fans even tried their luck at a ticket lottery hosted by the Lake Country Co-Op on Tuesday morning. Director of Marketing and Community Relations Brittney Rosenberg said about half left with tickets.

“Twenty-two people got selected,” she explained. “When they would come forward, they were just beyond excited to have their number called and go to the games this weekend.”

On Thursday afternoon, the Raiders shared on Facebook that “the Medicine Hat Tigers have graciously returned 60 tickets for Fridays Game 1,” and said the Raiders office would start selling the tickets immediately.

The tickets were sold out in just a few hours.

As momentum builds for the Raiders, the 50/50 pot has been growing too, with Business Manager Mike Scissons saying the lucky winner walked away with $100,000 from the last 50/50.

“Around three quarters of the sales are online, and they are from anywhere in Saskatchewan,” said Scissons.

“We’ve covered hundreds of towns and communities that have bought, all the way from the US border, all the way up to the top of Saskatchewan… I’d like to think we’re converting them to Raiders fans, but I think we got a lot of 50/50 fans going on right now.”

Both the Raiders and the Tigers swept their second-round playoff series, so players will be well rested for Game 1, which starts at 7 p.m. on Friday.