Mintos edge Contacts in OT thriller

Jason Kerr
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Mintos edge Contacts in OT thriller

The Prince Albert Mintos are one game away from sweeping the Saskatoon Contacts thanks to Mitchell Girolami’s overtime heroics on Sunday.

Girolami netted his first goal of the playoffs seven minutes into overtime, sending the Mintos home with a 3-2 victory, and a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

“It’s a pretty cool experience. I’m not going to lie. That’s probably one of the biggest goals I’ve ever scored before,” he said after the game. “Just to score in a big game, it means a lot. I was just glad I could do it for the boys.”

Alex Moar and Kyrell Sopotyk also scored for the Mintos in a penalty filled affair at the Art Hauser Centre.

Referees handed out a combined total of 17 power play opportunities during the game, with both teams scoring one power play goal each.

Cale Elder stopped 27 shots for the Mintos in a winning cause.

Prince Albert will have a chance to close things out on Tuesday, Feb. 28, when they travel to Saskatoon for Game 3 at Schroh Arena. Puck drop is 7 p.m.

 

Scoring Summary

First Period

No Scoring

Second Period

  1. PA – Moar (McMillen, Zimmerman) (PP) 13:07
  2. SAS – Hill (Beamin, Bairos) 3:28

Third Period

  1. PA – Sopotyk (Lamotte, Zimmerman) (19:23)
  2. SAS – Beamin (Vogel, Thackeray) (PP) (10:55)

Overtime

  1. PA – Girolami (Schneider) 3:36

Shots: PA – 44, SAS – 29

PP: PA 1/8, SAS 1/9

Bears sweep Sharks at Art Hauser

Jason Kerr
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Bears sweep Sharks at Art Hauser

The Prince Albert Northern Bears used their special teams and a deep bench to overwhelm the Battleford Sharks 7-3 at the Art Hauser Centre on Sunday.

Kate Ball, Ireland South, Hannah Koroll, Brooke Hobson, Camryn Amundson and Story Navrot all scored for the bears, who swept the Sharks out of the playoffs in decisive fashion.

Bears head coach Jeff Willoughby applauded his team’s effort, and said they got stronger as the series went on.

“The first game I think we were a little tentative, and Battleford came out strong in the first game,” he said shortly after Sunday’s victory. “We were lucky to come away with that win, but I think we’ve built up our game nicely in the last two games. It was just a combination of a lot of things.”

As they have all season, the Bears relied on offence by committee. The Bears also had five different scorers during their 5-0 victory in game two on Saturday, and Kate Ball was the only Prince Albert player to register two goals on Sunday.

Willoughby said that offensive depth has allowed them to have success all season, and made it difficult for opposing teams to key in on a few top players.

“Our scoring has come from many different players, and we want that,” he explained. “I think you’re a tough team to defend when scoring comes from all around. If it’s more of a focal point of one or two players, it’s a little easier for teams to defend.”

For the rest of this story, please see the Feb. 28 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.

Bears put Sharks on the brink

Jason Kerr
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The Prince Albert Northern Bears are one win away from heading to the second round of the SFMAAAHL playoffs.

Brook Hobson, Ireland South, Allie Soyko, Story Navrot and Brooklyn Anderson all scored for the Bears, who cruised to a comfortable 5-0 win over the Battlefords Sharks on Saturday.

The win put the Bears up two games to none in the best of five series, with game three scheduled for Sunday in Prince Albert.

Brooklyn Elek made 22 saves to get the shutout for Prince Albert, while Chantel Weller stopped 40 shots for the Sharks in a losing cause.

Game three will take place at the Art Hauser Centre on Sunday, Feb. 26. Puck drop is 1 p.m.

Scoring Summary

First Period

  1. Bears – Hobson (Ball) (PP) 8:07
  2. Bears – South (Parenteau) 0:50

Second Period

  1. Bears – Soyko (Kicia, Anderson) 3:46

Third Period

  1. Bears – Novrot (South) (PP) 17:38
  2. Bears – Anderson 6:40

Shots: Bears – 45, Sharks – 22

Power play: Bears 2/6. Sharks 0/9

Raiders down Blades in second half of home and home

Jason Kerr
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0
Raiders down Blades in second half of home and home

The Prince Albert Raiders gained a bit of revenge for Friday night’s defeat at the hands of the Saskatoon Blades.

Cavin Leth, Simon Stransky, Kolten Olynek and Curtis Miske all tallied for the Raiders, who downed the Blades 4-2 in front of 2,396 fans at the Art Hauser Centre.

“Our guys, they responded all year after a so-so effort, and we knew they’d respond again tonight,” Raider coach Marc Habscheid said. “It was a gritty effort.”

The Raiders out flying to begin the contest, outshooting the visiting Blades 14-6 in the opening frame. Cavin Leth got the home side on the board roughly halfway through the first, when he converted on a beautiful cross-ice pass from Cole Fonstad.

It was the 19th goal of the year for Leth, and his fifth on the power play.

“As a power play, we’ve kind of been struggling where we’re having a lot of good looks, but we’re not finishing, so it was nice that we finally got that finish,” Leth said.

The Blades came to life in the second period, forcing Raider netminder Ian Scott to make a pair of difficult saves before tying the score up at one. Michael Farren got the Blades on the board after his shot deflected past Scott at the 10:55 mark.

The Raiders had a chance to retake the lead with roughly three minutes left in the period, but Parker Kelly’s shot clanged off the post on a two-on-one.

Prince Albert took the lead for good early in the third, when Simon Stransky netted his 17th of the year on a quick shot that beat Blades goaltender Logan Flodell blocker-side.

Kolten Olynek padded the Raider lead with his 12th of the season less than two minutes later on a frantic goalmouth scramble. It was a sweet moment for the former Blade, who relished beating his old club.

“I played on their team, but I really don’t like those guys that much. I’ll be completely honest with that one,” Olynek said. “Whenever you can beat that team in your own rink here, obviously it’s a good feeling.”

The Raiders looked to be in control heading down the stretch, but ran into penalty trouble with just over five minutes left in the game.

With Cole Fonstad already in the penalty box for checking to the head, Kolten Olynek was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to put the Raiders down two men.

Both Habscheid and Olynek said it was an unfortunate misunderstanding.

“I was saying something to our bench, I wasn’t saying anything to the refs,” Olynek explained. “(The ref), he thought I was saying something to him, and I’ll just leave it at that.”

“(Olynek) basically said, ‘let’s beat those guys,’ and the referee thought he meant the referee,” Habscheid said. “He meant Saskatoon, not the referee. It was an honest mistake.”

The Raiders managed to kill off both penalties, but the Blades through a late scare into the Prince Albert faithful when Barylon Shmyr scored to make it a one goal game.

Saskatoon had good pressure during the final minute, but weren’t able to find the equalizer. Curtis Miske put the game out of reach with an empty netter to make it 4-2.

Ian Scott made 21 saves to earn the victory, while Logan Flodell stopped 23 shots in a losing cause.

The Raiders are back in action on Wednesday, March 1, when they continue their six-game homestand against the Medicine Hat Tigers. Puck drop is 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

 

Scoring Summary:

First Period

  1. PA – Leth (Fonstad, Budik) (PP) 10:05

Second Period

  1. SAS – Farren (Dach, Ramsay) 10:55

Third Period

  1. PA – Stransky (Olynek, Heid) 4:58
  2. PA – Olynek (Hayes) 6:52
  3. SAS – Shmyr (Shynkaruk, Paterson) 18:04
  4. PA – Miske (EN) 19:32

Shots: PA – 27, SAS – 23

PP: PA 1/2, SAS 0/7

Ready to rock

Jason Kerr
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Ready to rock

A new Prince Albert Winter Festival is set to begin.

Later tonight, 12 singers and six band members will kick off the first ever Rock Show Experience at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre.

The show was designed to give music lovers something different than the usual winter festival fare, and show producer Dennis Adams said they’re eager to hit the stage.

“The demographic that the show is catering too hasn’t really attended (the Winter Festival),” Adams said. “There hasn’t been an event for them to really attend … so that’s what we’re focusing on.”

The show will feature an all-local roster of performers singing some of the best known classic rock songs. Adams said Prince Albert is known more for its country music musicians and artists, so the show helps spotlight some lesser known acts.

“I do play, and I really do enjoy (country music), but there’s also a different group of people that go out and actually do this on weekends and really have never had the venue to show those abilities,” Adams explained. “I think people will be generally impressed with just how talented these people are.”

For the rest of this story, please see the Feb. 24 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.

Optimism on the rise says CFIB

Jason Kerr
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0
Optimism on the rise says CFIB

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) says optimism is slowly coming back to Saskatchewan’s business community.

According to the organizations Business Barometer, which surveyed 943 randomly selected CFIB members, optimism has reached its highest point among business owners since January 2015.

The barometer shows an index of 57.7 for February, a 2.7 point increase from a month ago.

Marilyn Braun-Pollon, the CFIB’s vice-president of prairie and agribusiness, said the results show business owners are starting to regain lost confidence after going through some tough times.

“It’s out best reading in more than a year, so we’re hoping we’re turning the corner and that this trend does continue,” she said.

Although the signs are good, Braun-Pollon said business owners aren’t out of the dark yet. The same survey also showed that only 10 per cent of Saskatchewan business owners surveyed had plans to increase hiring for full-time positions, while 12 per cent plan to shed jobs.

For the rest of this story, please see the Feb. 24 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.

Surprised and delighted

Jason Kerr
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0
Surprised and delighted

Hall of fame ceremonies are starting to become a regular occurrence for Lynda Monahan.

The local author and writing instructor was inducted into the Prince Albert Arts Hall of Fame last fall, and in March, she’ll become the latest member of the Prince Albert Council of Women’s Hall of Fame.

For Monahan, it’s been a humbling, but enjoyable experience.

“It’s an embarrassment of riches,” she chuckled during an interview on Friday.

Monahan said she was surprised and delighted to hear she was selected.

Appropriately enough, she was filling her tentative role as writer-in-the-community at the John M. Cuelenaere Library when she found out.

“I was meeting with somebody, and all of a sudden these women come in the door with a bouquet of flowers,” she said. “I was surprised and delighted of course.”

Monahan has published poems, short stories and had one of her works broadcast on CBC radio. However, she’s just as eager to teach writing as she is to put pen to paper.

During her time in Prince Albert, Monahan has set up workshops to help writers from all backgrounds tell their story. The workshops cover everything from helping create cookbooks at the Herb Bassett Home, to mentoring inmate authors at the Pine Grove Correctional Institute, to facilitating the Prince Albert Teen Writing Experience. She also spent time as a creative writing instructor at the SIAST Woodland Campus (now Saskatchewan Polytechnic).

For the rest of this story, please see the Feb. 18 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.

Playing with your food

Jason Kerr
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0
Playing with your food

Prince Albert Food Bank executive director Wes Clark always thought a food mini-golf course would generate a large community response, but even he was surprised by how it turned out.

On Thursday, the food bank officially revealed the inaugural Hole-in-one for Hunger fundraiser at Gateway Mall, and Clark said the community response exceeded all expectations.

“It’s just mind-blowing to really see all the efforts that have gone into all these different holes,” he said.

Local businesses and organizations from around the community were responsible for sponsoring and designing the 11-hole course, using everything from cans of soup to boxes of craft dinner to create the finished product.

All organizations involved were responsible for acquiring donations of food to be used in creating a hole. Once the fundraiser ends on Saturday, that food will also be donated to the food bank, along with any proceeds.

For sponsors like the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology (SIIT), being there for a local charity was the most important part. Having a chance to show off their creativity was a bonus.

Mintos use big first period to beat Blazers

Jason Kerr
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0
Mintos use big first period to beat Blazers

The Prince Albert Mintos struck early and often at Harold Latrace Arena on Wednesday, scoring five first period goals on their way to an 8-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blazers.

Braden Schneider and Kyrell Sopotyk both scored twice for the Mintos, who improve to 27-15-1 on the season.

Kyle Grad, Cael Zimmerman, Austin Lamotte and Layne Matechuck also scored for Prince Albert, while Cale Elder stopped 16 of 18 shots for the win.

The victory was the ninth straight for the Mintos, and helped them stay one point ahead of the Saskatoon Contacts, who beat the Regina Pat Canadians 4-1 on Tuesday.

The Mintos end their regular season this weekend, when they take on the Yorkton RawTec Maulers at the Art Hauser Centre. Game time is 7 p.m on Saturday, Feb. 18.

Raiders down Wheat Kings for second straight win

Jason Kerr
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0
Raiders down Wheat Kings for second straight win

The Prince Albert Raiders had a tough start to Wednesday’s game against the Brandon Wheat Kings, but a fantastic finish.

Despite giving up a goal in the first minute of the game, the Raiders rallied for a 5-3 victory on goals from five different players.

After the game, Raider coach Marc Habscheid said many newly acquired Raiders are starting to become more comfortable with their surroundings, and that’s paying dividends.

“It just seems like guys are more confident. There’s been a lot of transition. We had to do it, but with transition, guys aren’t used to one another. It takes a while,” Habscheid said. “Now we’ve been together for a while. Guys are used to one another, both personally and on the ice, and it does make a difference.”

Ty Lewis opened the scoring for the Wheat Kings, who were playing their second game in as many nights. He converted during a goalmouth scramble just 48 seconds into the first period.

The lead held until just over halfway through the frame, when Prince Albert’s Curtis Miske tallied on the power play to make it 1-1. The goal was the big winger’s fifth in his last seven games, and his ninth since being acquired from Spokane at the start of January.

“It’s just being in the right place at the right time,” Miske said after the game. “I’ve got some good linemates that are helping me out there, so I’m just looking to keep that going.”

Nolan Patrick helped Brandon regain the lead when he scored his 13th goal of the season with just 59 seconds left in the first. That lead was short-lived, however, as Raider captain Tim Vanstone tied things up a mere 32 seconds later.

“We got a really good bump up shift from Timmy’s line there,” Miske said. “That was really good for us, killed their momentum, and allowed us to get going for the rest of the game.”

A short-handed goal from Prince Albert’s Sean Montgomery and a power play tally from Brandon’s James Shearer sent both teams into the dressing rooms tied at 3-3 after two.

Parker Kelly broke the deadlock for good six and a half minutes into the third, when he scored after a great play from Kolten Olynek to beat out an icing.

Simon Stransky added some insurance with an empty netter later in the period.

“We seem to have a little bit of mojo right now,” Habschied said. “Guys are feeling good about themselves. They’re just playing, but they’re playing the right way. They’re playing with some enthusiasm and some grit, so it’s been good.”

Nicholaus Sanders stopped 22 of 25 shots to earn his ninth win of the season, while Thompson stopped 30 of 34 for the Wheat Kings.

The Raiders are off until Friday, when they take on the Everett Silvertips at the Art Hauser Centre. Game time is 7 p.m.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

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