The Calgary Hitmen learned a valuable lesson from the Prince Albert Raiders on Sunday.
In a battle to get back into the Western Hockey League playoff picture, the Hitmen (17-21-8) lost 3-2 in overtime to the Raiders (11-34-5), a team mired in the basement of the Eastern Conference standings.
The Raiders went through a 10-game winless streak (0-7-3) before reeling off three straight road victories over the Red Deer Rebels on Friday, the Edmonton Oil Kings on Saturday and the Hitmen – in front of 7,722 fans at the Saddledome – on Sunday.
“You can’t take any team lightly in this league,” said Hitmen forward Jakob Stukel, who scored once and then set up linemate Matteo Gennaro’s game-tying goal with 46 seconds left in regulation.