The St. Mary Marauders senior A boys are off to volleyball provincials in Saskatoon, after putting in a first place finish at regionals in Lloydminster over the weekend.

For the Marauders, they had two close matches in their opening pair of games, winning in three sets over Warman (25-21, 23-25, 15-8), and two sets against Lloydminster (25-22, 25-23). They also beat North Battleford in their third match (25-12, 25-12), before taking down the Crusaders in their final game of the tournament (25-16, 25-21).

St. Mary finished first in round robin play, going a perfect 4-0, locking in a spot in the provincial tournament. Coach Rene Quintal was satisfied with how his team played over the weekend, coming out on top against some tough competition.

“I thought we played at a pretty high level against Lloydminster in our second game, which pretty much guaranteed our berth in provincials,” Quintal said. “We did a good job following our game plan.”

The intensity ramped up over the weekend as the race to decide who moves on and who goes home stayed close. Quintal said his group did a good job of staying the course and playing their game.

“Overall we improved as the day went on,” he said. “I thought it took us a while to get into a flow offensively in our first game against Warman. We made a few too many unforced errors, but as the day progressed we were able to score more points on offence on a regular basis. I think that’s the reason we were able to go 4-0.”

Although the Marauders finished first in their pool, Quintal still knows that they will have to step up their game to have a shot at bringing home provincial gold. The St. Mary squad faces Centennial in their first game, followed by matches with Carlton, Regina Martin, and Swift Current.

“This weekend we have to come out and play every match to the best of our ability,” Quintal said. “We’re not going to be able to take a match off and expect to win. We put a lot of time and effort into this season, so we need to be prepared physically and mentally to compete.”

Meanwhile, the Carlton Crusaders squeaked their way into the provincial final after grabbing the third and final spot in regionals.

Carlton won their first two games on Saturday against North Battleford (25-12, 25-12) and Warman (25-17, 14-25, 15-12), while dropping their final two against Lloydminster (17-25, 17-25) and St. Mary (16-25, 21-25).

They finished the tournament with a 2-2 record, securing third spot and a berth at provincials in Saskatoon this weekend.

A preview of the Carlton Sr. Boys team will be in the Friday edition of the Daily Herald.

Special teams played a big factor in the Prince Albert Mintos 5-1 loss to the Blazers on Sunday in Saskatoon.

The Blazers scored three times on seven powerplay opportunities, while the Mintos went 0/7. Mintos head coach Tim Leonard said that’s what cost his team the game.

“Their powerplay is very efficient,” Leonard said. “Our penalty kill had been really good until Sunday, but when the effort isn’t there, it’s going to hurt you.”

Trae Wilke got the party started for the Blazers on the powerplay. He opened the scoring with his fourth goal of the season with 6:09 left in the first period. The Blazers extended their lead again with 1:58 remaining in the period. Wilke struck again on the power play for his fifth of the season, putting Saskatoon up 2-0.

The damage wasn’t done yet, as with just 10 seconds left in the opening frame, the Blazers brought the puck into Minto territory. Raiden Zacharias received a feed from teammate Cole Peardon, and put another one past Minto starter Ty Shumanski. Saskatoon took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission, leading in shots 14-8.

In the second period, the Blazers struck 6:30 in. Zacharias sent a pass to Mitch McEachern, who then fed Tyson Yaremko, who ripped a shot past Shumanski, putting the home team up 4-0 on their third powerplay goal of the game, and scoring his team leading 13th goal of the year.

Liam Rodman made it a 5-0 game with 5:45 left in the middle period, and the Blazers took that lead into the third period.

Carter Hanson scored the only goal for the Mintos on Sunday, taking a pass from Travis Swanson and burying a puck past Blazer keeper Alex Garrett. Hanson picked up his first goal of the season, finally getting the monkey off the back after 10 games with no goals and just one assist.

That’s as close as the Mintos would come, as the Blazers came out victorious with a 5-1 final. Saskatoon (10-2-0-0) leapfrogged Prince Albert (9-5-0-1) in the standings, and now sit one point ahead of the Mintos.

“We just didn’t come to play,” Leonard said. “We didn’t have a lot of jump, and we didn’t win many battles. Saskatoon is a highly skilled team, and we let them roam around.”

The Mintos are back in Saskatoon on Tuesday, but against a new opponent. They’ll take on the Contacts for the first time this season, and for Leonard, he wants to see a better jump from his group early in the game.

“If you’re not ready to go from the start, you’re going to pay the price,” he said. “That’s what happened against the Blazers. Hopefully we learned a lesson.

“Every team is a good team. We’ll show some video and hopefully we can figure it out and get rewarded, because it isn’t going to get any easier. Playing the Contacts in their barn is tough, so we’ll have a good skate in practice and sort things out.”

The Contacts (6-5-0-3) are enjoying a three game winning streak, including a 4-0 win in Regina, handing the Pat Canadians just their second regulation loss this season. It will be another tough test for this Mintos group, and they’ll look to get back in the win column on Tuesday night.

Puck drop from Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon is at 8:30 pm.

Twitter: @kyle_kosowan•sports@paherald.sk.ca

The Weyburn Wings got to drive home as tournament champions on Sunday, as they beat the Humboldt Broncos 6-3 in the gold medal game at the Ron Gunville Memorial Tournament at the Art Hauser Centre.

It was the best revenge imaginable for the Wings, as they were crushed by the Broncos 9-1 the night before, in the final game of round robin play.

Weyburn had to go through the host Prince Albert Vulcans in the semi final game on Sunday morning, winning 5-2, advancing them to the final. For the Broncos, their semi final matchup was against the Yorkton Terriers, and Humboldt punched their ticket to the final with a win at Kinsmen Arena.

Greysen Goudy opened the scoring in the first period for the Wings, and Ryker Watt added another in the opening frame, as Weyburn held a 2-0 lead after the first period.

The Wings and Broncos would exchange goals in the second period, as Tommy Ries scored for the Broncos, cutting the Wings lead to 2-1. Weyburn answered right back, as Grier Peterson put the Wings back on top by two heading into the third.

It was a goal fest in the third period, and Humboldt scored twice in succession to tie the game temporarily. Hayden Smart and Ty Sundholm scored 18 seconds apart, knotting the game at 3-3, silencing the Weyburn bench.

It looked like the Broncos had all the momentum on their side, until Karter Haupstein responded for the Wings. He ripped a shot that put Weyburn up 4-3, and they didn’t look back from there. Donavin Mellon scored on a breakaway for the Wings, as he raced down the ice, made a move in front of the net, and slipped a shot between the pad and the post, into the back of the net, giving the Wings a two goal lead.

Watt would later find his second goal of the night with just a couple minutes remaining in the game, eliminating any chance for the Broncos to mount a late comeback.

The Wings held on to win the game 6-3, and were presented with the championship trophy and banner, winning a well deserved tournament, after having problems with the officiating all weekend.

Meanwhile for the Prince Albert Vulcans, they tied their first game 3-3 against the Indigenous Sports Academy Eagles on Friday, before winning their last two games of round robin play on Saturday against Parkland 6-2, and Yorkton 8-1. They finished first in their pool, and played the Wings in the semi finals, after Weyburn finished second in pool B. The Vulcans couldn’t get much going against the Wings on Sunday, as they fell 5-2 to the eventual champs.

Twitter:@kyle_kosowan•sports@paherald.sk.ca

After suffering a 4-2 loss to the hands of the Red Deer Rebels Friday night at the Art Hauser Centre, the Prince Albert Raiders returned to the road and picked up a 4-1 win in Swift Current against the Broncos.

Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid was upset with his team’s effort in Friday’s loss, but was pleased with how his group responded on Saturday.

“Three things were missing last night. Work ethic, compete, and playing as a team,” Habscheid said. “That’s our foundation. I’ll live with anything, but won’t live without a foundation. Our foundation was good tonight, and we won.”

Dallyn Peekeekoot scored twice in the win, and while Habscheid’s message after the loss to the Rebels was for the veterans to step up and play their roles, he was impressed with how 17 year old Peekeekoot stepped up on Saturday.

“He’s a good kid,” Habscheid said of the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation product. “He’s young and still finding his way. He got a chance to watch the game (on Friday) and get a fresh outlook, and away he went, and he scored two important goals for us.”

Evan Herman got things started for the Raiders in the first period, sniping a shot from the slot bardown over Broncos goalie Reid Dick. Ozzy Wiesblatt sent a nice pass over to Herman, who was left alone, and he made no mistake, burying his third goal of the season, giving Prince Albert a 1-0 lead six minutes into the game.

Peekeekoot scored his first goal of the night at the 12:37 mark of the first period right after an offensive zone faceoff. The puck bounced off of Broncos defenceman Rayan Bettahar and right to Peekeekoot’s stick. He snapped a shot past Dick, doubling the Prince Albert lead.

The Raiders controlled the puck for most of the opening 20 minutes in the Broncos end, and went into the first intermission with a 2-0 lead, holding Swift Current to just four shots on goal, while mustering nine of their own.

Peekeekoot picked up right where he left off, extending the Raiders lead to 3-0 just 1:42 into the second frame. He parked himself in front of the net on a Raider powerplay, and Landon Kosior ripped a point shot that Peekeekoot redirected in front, and past Dick. That goal marked his first multi goal game in the WHL.

The Broncos responded with 10:59 to go in the second. Bettahar won a puck battle behind the Raider goal, and sent a pass to Josh Filmon near the right hash. Filmon faked a shot, freezing Carter Serhyenko, and sent a pass to the left circle for a waiting Owen Pickering. Pickering was left all alone, and scored past a diving Serhyenko, cutting the Raiders lead to 3-1.

That’s as close as the Broncos would get to coming back in the game, as Tyson Laventure sealed the game for the Raiders with an empty net tally with 23 seconds left in the third, putting the Raiders up 4-1 on his fourth goal of the season.

“Before you put the shingles on a house, you need to have the foundation,” Habsheid reiterated. That’s what we have to keep reinforcing every day.”

With the win, the Raiders all of a sudden find themselves tied for third in the East division with the Moose Jaw Warriors, improving to 6-9-0-1.

Prince Albert will stay on the road for two more games, as they travel to Edmonton to take on the Oil Kings on Friday, before heading to Red Deer for a date with the Rebels on Saturday.

The Raiders will also be looking for a bit of revenge on the road, as both the Oil Kings and Rebels beat Prince Albert 4-2 at the Art Hauser Centre on Wednesday and Friday.

Puck drop for both games is at 7pm.

@kyle_kosowan•sports@paherald.sk.ca

The first annual Ron Gunville Memorial Tournament kicked off on Friday at Kinsmen Arena.

The tournament was named in Gunville’s honour, as he passed away on December 11, 2018. For Ron’s wife, Sherry, it was an emotional day.

“Hockey was his passion,” Sherry said. “He just loved the game. It’s pretty humbling, and Ron would be very humbled to have this honour.”

Sherry was beyond happy to have this tournament become a reality in Prince Albert, and was thankful for everyone involved making it a success.

“It means a lot for all the people that made this happen,” she said. “Shawn Phaneuf (head coach of the Prince Albert Vulcans) was a huge part of it. Curtis Hunt with the Raiders and the Raiders organization and everyone else who played a part in this, it means a lot to us, and it would mean the world to him.”

A pregame ceremony was held before puck drop between the Prince Albert Vulcans and Indigenous Sports Academy Eagles. Members of Ron’s family took to the ice and were honoured, before Dana Dirks, a long time friend of Ron, took to the ice to deliver some words.

For Dirks, this tournament is more than hockey. It’s about spreading the word of Ron’s legacy.

“This is a pretty big deal,” Dirks said. “It’s a culmination of all of Ron’s work. He was taken too soon and all the great things he did in the community through coaching, scouting, and playing won’t be forgotten.

“It’s nice that you can see something like this given back to someone who really deserved it.”

Dirks also announced a $1,000 scholarship that his company, Caribou Transport Ltd. would be presenting in Gunville’s memory.

Dirks remembered Gunville as a great friend of many years, first as a teammate on the ice, and then in the front office.

“We were great friends,” Dirks said. “We travelled all over the western provinces together as teammates, and then it all came back and went full circle for us as scouts for the Raiders.

Scouting was something we talked about lots before we worked together. He got the job as director of personnel and phoned me right away and said ‘I want you on my staff’. We talked about wanting to bring a championship to Prince Albert, and thankfully we were able to do that before it was too late. It’s just fantastic to be a part of this. It’s awesome.”

Dirks said Gunville played a large role in Prince Albert hockey, but remained a friendly and respected person during the entire time.

“You’re not going to find a better guy in the hockey world than he was,” Dirks added. “He was probably the most well respected guy in the WHL and in general. He was always there shaking hands and always having a laugh with everybody, no matter who you were or how long you were in the scouting field. He was always the first one there to chat with you and give you any help that you needed.

“This is a really big deal for him, his family, and his legacy. I’m really happy to be a part of this, and very thankful that someone was able to pull this off in Ron’s name. It’s very deserving.”

The tournament will be at Kinsmen Arena in Prince Albert, ending on Sunday.

It was the same outcome for the Prince Albert Raiders on Friday night, losing 4-2 to the Red Deer Rebels at the Art Hauser Centre, but it was a different feel compared to Wednesday’s loss to the Oil Kings.

“We got exposed,” head coach Marc Habscheid said after the loss. “I didn’t like some of our older forwards, and if you can’t depend on them, that’s not good. Red Deer is a good team. They’re big, heavy, and some of our players were a little too careful out there tonight, and that’s not a good thing.”

It looked like it would be a promising night for the Raiders, as Hayden Pakkala opened the scoring 6:41 into the first period. Kaiden Guhle took a shot from the point that was blocked by Carter Anderson, who couldn’t get up after taking the shot right to the foot.

The Raiders controlled the puck again, and Cody Wilson sent a pretty pass to Pakkala from behind the net, and he buried a shot past Chase Coward, giving Prince Albert a 1-0 lead. With the assist on the play, Wilson grabbed his first WHL point.

Five minutes later, the Rebels tied the game back up. Overage winger Arshdeep Bains worked the puck along the right wall, before passing the puck to the point to Blake Gustafson. Gustafson walked into the slot and fired a wrister over Carter Serhyenko’s glove, knotting the game at 1-1.

Ben King gave the Rebels another goal just three minutes later. He walked along the left wing with the puck, before snapping a shot past Serhyenko, putting Red Deer up 2-1 with 5:04 left in the opening period.

The Rebels headed into the first intermission with the one goal lead, outshooting the Raiders 14-4 in the process.

“In the first period we came out flat,” Raider captain Kaiden Guhle said. “We were giving them momentum for the whole game. We just have to do better in the first period.”

Red Deer applied more pressure in the Raider end during the second period, and at the 6:06 mark, they were able to find the net for the third time. Jace Weir took a shot from the point that got past a screened Serhyenko, and put the Rebels up 3-1. That was the end of Serhyenko’s night, as Tikhon Chaika was put in to finish the game.

It was a rude welcoming into the game for Chaika, as on just the second shot he faced in the game, Ben King found the back of the net again. Chistopher Sedoff sent a gorgeous spin-o-rama pass across the ice to King, who worked left to right, opening the pads of Chaika, and slipping a shot through the five hole, putting the visitors up 4-1.

The Raiders found a late spark in the second period, when Nolan Allan was left all alone in the middle of the ice. Harrison Lodewyk sent a short pass across to the Raider blueliner, and he stepped in and ripped a shot bardown past Coward, cutting the Red Deer lead to 4-2 heading into the second intermission.

Prince Albert had plenty of chances in the third period, especially in the dying seconds with the goalie on the bench, but Sloan Stanick was denied twice near the Rebels crease, and Red Deer hung on, coming out with the 4-2 victory, handing the Raiders their second straight loss.

“This was a game that some guys didn’t want to play,” Habscheid added. “You’ve got to play the right way. We have some structure but we try not to overstructure, but you have to play how we ask you to play. Playing hard is not negotiable. Mistakes we can live with, but effort has to be there.”

Despite the loss, Guhle said the group is starting to gel both on and off the ice, now that they have had a consistent lineup over the last few games.

“It’s coming along good,” he said. “The guys are getting along and the young guys are hanging out with the old guys. The chemistry is coming along, and we’ve got a good group.”

The Raiders fall to 6-8-0-1 with the loss, but won’t have much time to think about it. The team travels to Swift Current to take on the Broncos on Saturday night, looking to get back into the win column and keep up in the East division.

Puck drop is at 7pm.

@kyle_kosowan•sports@paherald.sk.ca

The Prince Albert Raiders had their three game winning streak halted on Wednesday night, as they came out on the wrong end of a 4-2 final to the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings.

Despite the loss, head coach Marc Habscheid saw a lot of positives from his group on the ice.

“I was proud of our guys,” Habscheid said. “Edmonton has been ranked number one for a long time, and they came off of a tough loss in Saskatoon, so you knew they were upset. We had an interesting game. Structurally we got better, but more importantly, our believability got better. When those get better, now you can play.

“We started playing better, and at the end, we started taking the game over. It was a good lesson for us, good evolution for our group. But we don’t play to come close, we play to win, and our guys are getting used to that, because we have a winning mentality.”

The Oil Kings came into the Art Hauser Centre with a bitter taste in their mouths after blowing a 3-1 third period lead and losing 4-3 in overtime to the Saskatoon Blades on Tuesday.

They got on the board first on Wednesday when overage defenceman Simon Kubicek found the back of the net on the powerplay, putting the Oil Kings up 1-0 with 6:47 to go in the opening frame. Edmonton would continue to pressure the Raiders in their own end, outshooting them 13-5 in the period, but would head to the dressing room with just the one goal lead.

The Oil Kings continued to apply pressure in the Prince Albert end, and they were rewarded with two goals early in the middle frame. Another Edmonton overager, Carter Souch, found the back of the net for his third goal of the season, walking in on the left hash and ripping a shot past the blocker of Carter Serhyenko.

Souch picked off a pass behind the Raider goal just 28 seconds later and fed the puck in front of the net for Dylan Guenther. He made no mistake, placing a shot top corner over Serhyenko’s glove, making it a three goal lead for Edmonton.

Prince Albert dominated the rest of the second period after Guenther’s goal. Their best chance to score came from Keaton Sorenson, as he broke in towards Oil Kings goalie Sebastian Cossa, working right to left, trying to put a forehand shot in the bottom left corner. Cossa managed to stick out his right pad, denying Sorenson of his fourth goal of the year.

Edmonton would end the second period still up 3-0, while the Raiders outshot the Oil Kings 22-7 in the middle frame.

“We had a chance to either let it be a 6-0 game or fight our way back, and I think that was a critical point where our guys said no, ‘we’re going to keep playing,’” Habscheid added. “We worked our way back, and it was all about our mentality.”

The Raiders would find their first goal of the night at the 1:49 mark of the third period on the powerplay. Vlad Shilo sent a one timer towards Cossa, who made the save, but he gave up a juicy rebound in the crease, and Reece Vitelli pounced on it. He jammed the puck in with Oil Kings all around the net, pulling the Raiders back to within two.

“Getting the goal there was nice to help the team out,” Vitelli said. “It gave us a little life on the bench, and it gave us some hope. It was nice to score and see the guys rise together and try and make a comeback.”

With 2:24 left in regulation and the net empty, Prince Albert capitalized again on the man advantage. It was an unconventional powerplay, with three defenceman on the ice for the Raiders. Nolan Allan let a shot from the point go, and a rebound came right to the stick of Hayden Pakkala, and he roofed a shot top corner, making it just a one goal deficit.

With 13 seconds left in the game and the net empty once again, Landon Kosior lost a puck battle at the point, and Kaiden Guhle just missed intercepting a breakout pass, allowing Jakub Demek to pot an empty net marker for his eighth goal of the year, securing the win for the Oil Kings.

While Edmonton came away with the win, Vitelli said this was a game his team can build from.

“I knew coming into the year we had a really good team. We had a tough start, but we’re gelling together now, and I’m really excited for our group and what we can do this year,” he said. “Getting those two wins against Saskatoon on the weekend really showed what we can do in this league. Teams should really watch out for us, because we’re just getting started here.”

Cossa made 42 saves on 43 Raider shots, taking home first star honours. Meanwhile Serhyenko turned aside 34 of 37 shots thrown his way.

The Raiders fall to 5-8-0-1 with the loss, while the Oil Kings pick up win number ten this season, improving to 10-3-2-1, sitting first in the Central Division.

Prince Albert will get back at it on Friday night, as they welcome the Red Deer Rebels. Puck drop is at 7pm.

@kyle_kosowan•sports@paherald.sk.ca

The Prince Albert Raiders beat the Edmonton Oil Kings the last time the two teams met on Jan. 24, 2020, and the Raiders will look to continue that trend when they meet again on Wednesday.

The Raiders beat the Oil Kings 3-2 at the Art Hauser Centre during that last meeting. With three straight wins, they’re feeling good heading into a rare Wednesday night game.

“We’re on a good momentum swing right now,” said Raider forward Sloan Stanick, who recorded a hat trick in the Raiders 5-2 win in Saskatoon on Saturday.

“Edmonton’s a very good team in this league, and it’ll be a really good test for us. We’ve had a good couple days of practice, so we’ll be ready to go.”

With the four WHL divisions being split up and playing in their respective hub centers, these two teams did not meet last season. On Wednesday, the rivalry that the two clubs have built up over the last three seasons will continue. The Raiders best the Oil Kings in the Eastern Conference Final in 2019, on their way to winning their first WHL Championship since 1985.

Prince Albert is riding a three game winning streak, winning both games over the Saskatoon Blades last weekend, as well as picking up a win in Brandon on Oct. 30.

Raider goaltender Carter Serhyenko has played a big part in those wins for the Raiders, making 24 saves in all three wins, giving up just four goals on a combined 76 shots in that stretch. He also knows how big this game will be against the Oil Kings.

“It’s a big test for us,” Serhyenko said. “It’ll be good to see how we compare to them. I think if we do everything the right way and play how we have been playing, we’ll give them a good game and hopefully come out with the win.”

Meanwhile, Edmonton has played .500 hockey over their last four games, winning against Calgary and Lethbridge, but dropping a game against the Hitmen, as well as the Red Deer Rebels in overtime.

The Oil Kings are currently sitting first in the WHL’s central division, but not comfortably. They have a 9-3-1-1 record, holding just a one point edge over the Rebels.

Dylan Guenther, a ninth overall pick by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, has led the way for Edmonton so far this season. Six goals and eight assists have him in a three way tie for team scoring lead with Jalen Lumpen and Carter Souch. All three have 14 points.

If there is one thing that the Oil Kings hold bragging rights over the Raiders for, as well as the rest of the WHL, it’s that they are the only team to defeat the Winnipeg Ice this season, winning a 3-1 contest on Oct. 29 in Edmonton.

It’s the fourth time that the Raiders will play an Alberta team this season, and the second time they’ve hosted an Alberta team. They beat the Medicine Hat Tigers 3-2 in a shootout the last time a team from the Western border came to Prince Albert, so they will hope to grab another two points and continue rolling how they have been.

After the rough start the Raiders got off to starting the season, it seems as though they have found their stride again, now that they seem to have solidified the roster. They now sit just one point behind Regina for third spot in the East division, and have a chance to jump ahead of them with a win on Wednesday.

In the 2019-20 shortened season, Prince Albert went 3-0-1 against the Oil Kings. They’ll hope to have the same kind of success against their Alberta rival this season.

Puck drop on Wednesday from the Art Hauser Centre is at 7pm.

@kyle_kosowan•sports@paherald.sk.ca

Sturgeon Lake’s Caleb Ermine will have his childhood dream come true when he fights in a globally televised match in December.

Ermine will fight in the Battlefield Fight League, against the champion Ozhan Yalcin, and he is excited to get the opportunity to showcase his skillset.

“I was quite excited and nervous,” Ermine said. “They’re a high level group. Their champion (Yalcin) actually just made his UFC debut a couple weeks ago. So I think that’s the precursor for something big to happen. I’m just looking forward to giving them an exciting fight, and pull off a good win.”

Ermine says his training routine has been mixed up a lot with COVID, but it’s something that he was able to work around to continue fighting.

“It was going well and then we had to get rapid tests every three days just to train,” he explained. “I decided to get vaccinated so I could keep training and not have to pay for the rapid tests all the time. On Monday’s and Wednesday’s I train in Saskatoon, and on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday I’m with my main team at North Wake Martial Arts in Prince Albert.”

Ermine reflected on his childhood days, explaining where the dream to be a fighter originated.

“My grandfather was a boxer,” he said. “He was in the army too, so it was always my passion to compete on some type of stage, but I never thought it would be on this big of a stage.”

Ermine has a two fight contract with Battlefield Fight League (BFL). If he wins, the purse will get higher, if he loses, he will have to hope he impresses everyone to stay on board, or find another contract. Ermine says he will continue training hard in the time leading up to his first fight, noting wrestling as his main focus.

“I’m going to work on wrestling, because wrestling seems to be a big weapon used in mixed martial arts, and an effective weapon. I’m going to train as much as I can anywhere I can, and most of that will probably be in Prince Albert.”

While he got the inspiration from his grandfather to become a professional fighter, Ermine walked much of his current path solo. He had a falling out with his parents at a young age, but has rekindled that relationship.

“I’ve done this all on my own,” he said. “When I was 15, my parents didn’t let me live with them because I didn’t go to church. That kind of gave me some doubt in my life, and that’s kind of how this started for me. I created my own path, but my mom and dad are in my life again now, and I love that.”

The recent weeks have been emotional ones for Ermine. He has had to deal with the passing of five family members, and a brother is only just starting to recover from COVID-19.

“It affected him so bad that it put him in a coma,” Ermine said. “He actually just woke up yesterday, but he’s still disoriented and confused. It’s been tough for sure. But you know us men, we’ve got to deal with it.”

It’s been years of hard work and perseverance, but now Ermine, who is ranked number 28 in the Amateur Men’s Lightweight division in Canada, will finally get his chance to live his dream on December 3, fighting in the BFL.

@kyle_kosowan•sports@paherald.sk.ca

Three goals in the second and third periods propelled the Prince Albert Mintos to their third straight win, 7-1 over the Tisdale Trojans on Saturday night.

Ashton Tait and Matthew Cudmore scored twice, while Zach Bansley, Travis Swanson, and Jacob Cossette also had one goal each in the win.

The Trojans opened the scoring early when Simon Martin struck just 1:54 into the game, putting Tisdale on top 1-0.

Five minutes later, the 15 year old rookie Tait tied the game, sniping home his seventh goal of the season. The Mintos would have more chances to take the lead in the first period, but Trojans goalie Cody Wilson made some big saves to keep it a 1-1 tie after 20 minutes, making 15 saves in the opening frame.

It didn’t take long for Prince Albert to continue pouring on the pressure, as just 18 seconds into the second period, Zach Bansley let a shot go, beating Wilson, and giving the Mintos a 2-1 lead. It was his third goal of the year in his third game back with the team, after missing the start of the year with an upper body injury.

Tait added to that lead just a minute later, potting his second goal of the night just 1:16 into the middle frame, making it a 3-1 score. The Prince Albert product now has eight goals and 13 points in 11 games so far this season, leading the team in rookie scoring.

Prince Albert added one more goal in the second period, and it came from 17 year old Travis Swanson. He scored his third goal of the year, and the Mintos headed into the locker room with a 4-1 lead after 40.

Much like the second period, the third period got off to a quick start for the Mintos. Just 55 seconds into the final frame, Prince Albert’s leading scorer Jacob Cossette got in on the action, scoring goal number ten this year. He also added two assists on Saturday to go along with his third period tally.

Just six seconds after Cossette made it a 5-1 lead, Matthew Cudmore added to that lead, scoring his first goal of the night, putting the Mintos on top by five. He added another goal with 9:23 left in the game, making it a 7-1 final in Tisdale.

Despite heavily outscoring the Trojans , Tisdale still managed to put up 27 shots in the game. Jayden Kraus was solid all night on Saturday, turning aside 26 of those shots, and picked up his fourth win for the Mintos this season. At the other end of the ice, Cody Wilson was busy all night, as he faced 40 shots in the loss.

Prince Albert improved to 9-4-0-1 with the win, and sit fourth in league standings. Tisdale fell to 1-10-0-1, giving up six or more goals for the sixth time this season.

The Mintos are now off until Sunday, when they’ll visit the Saskatoon Blazers for the first time this season. Puck drop from Rod Hamm Memorial Arena is at 4pm.