The Prince Albert Mintos found themselves in a tough situation Tuesday at the Art Hauser Centre.
Not only were they facing a Tisdale Trojans side that is challenging for first place in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League standings, but they were doing so without three players (Alex Von Sprecken, Logan Cox and Cohner Saleski) due to suspensions and injuries.
Meanwhile, the team was also without head coach Ken Morrison, who was serving the second of a three game suspension for a game misconduct bench penalty he received against the Notre Dame Hounds on Nov. 24.
Despite those issues, the Mintos hung in all night long against the Trojans, but were not rewarded for their efforts as they dropped a 3-2 decision on home ice.
“We were worried about the compete level coming into this game, as our guys have been off for a little bit,” said assistant coach Bryan Swystun, who was referring to a 10-3 road loss the Mintos had nine days ago against the Saskatoon Blazers.
“They took care of any of those questions as they played hard and brought a good effort. We missed three breakaways, but that’s the way the games go sometimes. We played well against one of the better teams in the league.”
Although the final shots ended up being 38-19 in favour of the Trojans, that was partly due to the fact that the Mintos found themselves on the penalty kill on six occasions.
“Our penalty kill has been good as of late, but the odds can be stacked against you when you have to go against their power play that many times,” Swystun said.
“They gave us quite a lift on the bench with well they played tonight and the way they went about things. The shots were a little lopsided in their favour, but I don’t think that really reflects the level of play in this one.”
Prince Albert was able to get six power play chances of their own during the game, but they were only able to capitalize on a single chance.
The Trojans took the lead for good on the man-advantage with 10:27 left in the third, as Skylar Olson’s one-timer floated over Mintos goalie Carter Woodside and into the back of the net.
Tisdale’s penalty kill unit would come up big at the end of the game, as they killed off a six-on-four Mintos power play over the final 87 seconds after Dylan Ashe was called for hooking.
“Our main goal was to try and take shots away from them there, especially with (Mintos captain Alex) Ozar on the point, as he has one of the best shots in the league,” Trojans head coach Darrell Mann said.
“In the end though, we were able to get the puck out of danger and our goalie (Tanner Martin) had a clean look on their shots, which made the difference.”
Kalen Ukrainetz and Davis Chorney also scored for the 18-3-2-1 Trojans, who have won two straight games and are now just two points back of the Blazers for first place in the standings heading into a road game with the Beardy’s Blackhawks Thursday.
“It was kind of an up and down game as there were a lot of turnovers on both sides,” Mann said.
“I have to give Prince Albert a lot of credit as they really made us work for this win.”
Andrew Schaab provided the offence for the Mintos as he scored both of his team’s goals.
“He’s often setting things up for his teammates, so it was good to see him capitalize on a couple of opportunities,” Swystun said.
Dawson Springer, who had his Western Hockey League rights dealt by the Everett Silvertips to the Swift Current Broncos a day earlier, had assists on both of Schaab’s goals.
Woodside made 35 saves in a losing effort, while Martin stopped 17 shots for the visitors.
Next up for the 11-10-1-0 Mintos, who are in a four game losing streak and have a six-point lead over the Moose Jaw Generals for the final playoff spot in the league, is a road game Thursday against the Blazers.
They will then visit the Regina Pat Canadians Saturday and the Generals Sunday before hosting the Saskatoon Contacts next Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
Ian Scott and Brett Leason will have a chance to compete for a spot on Canada’s roster at this year’s World Junior Hockey Championship.
During a press conference that was televised nationally on TSN Monday afternoon, the Prince Albert Raiders teammates were among 34 players invited to the team’s selection camp, which will be held in Victoria, B.C. from Dec. 11-14.
“I was really hoping that I would get a chance to go to the camp and it’s an honour to get this opportunity,” Leason said. “Now it’s up to me to make the most of it.”
“It’s always been a dream of mine to play for Canada at the World Juniors and I’m looking forward to having the chance to be part of the team,” Scott added. “It’ll be great to have Brett coming along with me as we’ll be able to lean on each other as we go through this process.”
Canada’s final roster is expected to be announced on Friday, Dec. 14, with the tournament taking place from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Vancouver and Victoria, B.C.
Scott, a 19-year-old goaltender from Calgary, has put together a stellar campaign in his fourth year with the Raiders.
The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect leads the Western Hockey League in wins (22), goals against average (1.61), save percentage (.943) and shutouts (four).
He also has experience playing for Canada on an international stage, as he’s suited up for his country at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, Hlinka Gretzky Cup and World Under-18 Hockey Championship.
“I think being at those tournaments and the Canada Russia Series last month will help me out a lot,” Scott said. “You get a chance to know the guys that you can be playing with for Canada and you get to face some strong international competition.
“As a goalie, the main job is to stop as many pucks as you can and that’s the only thing they want you to focus on at a camp like this.”
Lucas Punkari/Daily Herald Prince Albert Raiders forward Brett Leason works his way between Everett Silvertips forwards Akash Bains and Reece Vitelli during a game earlier this season.
Although Scott is a familiar face to Hockey Canada, Leason has never been part of any major tournaments for his country.
The 19-year-old forward from Calgary is enjoying a career season with the Raiders, as he’s recorded a point in all 27 games this year and leads the WHL in points (60) and goals (27).
Leason, who has yet to be drafted by a National Hockey League team, is tied for third in assists (33) with Ty Smith of the Spokane Chiefs.
“They invited me for a reason so I plan to keep playing the way I have for the Raiders when I head out to Victoria,” Leason said.
“Having the chance to play at the Canada Russia Series was huge for me going into this camp. The games there were fast paced and each team had a lot of skill, so it gave me a good idea of what things will be like.”
The teammates are looking to become the first members of the Raiders to make Canada’s roster since blueliner Josh Morrissey took part in the 2014 tournament in Sweden.
Morrissey also competed at the World Juniors a year later, but was traded to the Kelowna Rockets shortly before the selection camp took place.
The team has had players competing at the last three tournaments for the Czech Republic, with Vojtech Budik playing for the team last year and Simon Stransky competing at the 2016 and 2017 events.
Scott and Leason, who will take to the ice Tuesday on the road against the Swift Current Broncos, will both be flying out to Victoria next Monday.
The Raiders are also expected to be without forward Aliaksei Protas and blueliner Sergei Sapego during that time, as they look to play for Belarus at the Division I World Juniors in Fussen, Germany from Dec. 9-15.
The other 32 players that earned invitations to the selection camp are as follows:
Goaltenders
Michael DiPietro (Windsor Spitfires)
Matthew Villalta (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
Defencemen
Calen Addison (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
Nicolas Beaudin (Drummondville Voltigeurs)
Jacob Bernard-Docker (North Dakota Fighting Hawks)
Evan Bouchard (London Knights)
Josh Brook (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Cameron Crotty (Boston Terriers)
Noah Dobson (Acadie-Bathurst Titan)
Pierre-Olivier Joseph (Charlottetown Islanders)
Jared McIsaac (Halifax Mooseheads)
Ian Mitchell (Denver Pioneers)
Markus Phillips (Owen Sound Attack)
Ty Smith (Spokane Chiefs)
Forwards
Jaret Anderson-Dolan (Spokane Chiefs – Currently sidelined with a wrist injury)
Shane Bowers (Boston Terriers)
Maxime Comtois (Drummondville Voltigeurs – Part of last year’s gold medal winning team)
Ty Dellandrea (Flint Firebirds)
MacKenzie Entwistle (Hamilton Bulldogs)
Alex Formenton (London Knights – Part of last year’s gold medal winning team)
Liam Foudy (London Knights)
Morgan Frost (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
Cody Glass (Portland Winterhawks)
Barrett Hayton (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
Alexis Lafreniere (Rimouski Oceanic)
Raphael Lavoie (Halifax Mooseheads)
Isaac Ratcliffe (Guelph Storm)
Jack Studnicka (Oshawa Generals)
Nick Suzuki (Owen Sound Attack)
Owen Tippett (Mississauga Steelheads)
Joseph Veleno (Drummondville Voltigeurs)
Gabriel Vilardi (Los Angeles Kings – Currently playing with the AHL’s Ontario Reign after missing the first half of the season due to an injury)
Forwards Robert Thomas and Michael Rasmussen could also be in the mix for a spot on the team, but it’s yet to be seen if they will be loaned to Canada from the St. Louis Blues and Detroit Red Wings respectively.
Notable by their absences from the selection camp roster were forwards Trey Fix-Wolansky (Edmonton Oil Kings) and Stellio Mattheos (Brandon Wheat Kings), along with blueliner Ryan Merkley (Guelph Storm).
Pre-Game Notes
Tuesday’s matchup in Swift Current is the second of the year between the East Division rivals, as the Raiders picked up a 6-2 win over the Broncos at the Art Hauser Centre on Nov. 9.
It also marks the first of three meetings before Christmas between the two teams, as they’ll play at the Credit Union iPlex on Friday, Dec. 14 and will meet up again a night later in Prince Albert.
The Broncos are currently in a three-game losing streak after a 5-2 setback at home to the Brandon Wheat Kings Saturday and reside at the bottom of the WHL standings with a 4-2-1-1 mark.
On Monday, the Broncos dealt their leading scorer Max Patterson to the Everett Silvertips in exchange for the rights to forward Dawson Springer, a fourth round pick in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft and a conditional sixth round pick in 2021.
Patterson, a 19-year-old from Kamloops, B.C., had 19 points in 27 games this year for the defending WHL champions.
Springer, a 16-year-old from Yorkton, was listed by the Silvertips earlier this season but has yet to sign a WHL contract.
He’s currently in his first season of Midget AAA hockey with the Prince Albert Mintos and leads the team in scoring with 25 points in 21 games.
Heading into a home game Tuesday with the Tisdale Trojans, Springer is tied with Holden Knights of the Beardy’s Blackhawks for the most goals in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League with 18.
On the health front, 17-year-old forward Eric Houk is expected to be out for the next three-to-four weeks with an undisclosed upper body aliment after he was injured against the Regina Pats on Nov. 10.
Sunday’s Scores
Medicine Hat 3 Regina 2 (James Hamblin – One Goal and One Assist)
Prince George 5 Victoria 3 (Vladislav Mikhalchuk – Two Goals)
Calgary 5 Moose Jaw 1 (Riley Stotts – Four Assists)
Lethbridge 5 Red Deer 4 (Nolan Jones Overtime Winner – Taylor Ross – Three Goals and One Assist – First Career Hat Trick)
Portland 10 Kootenay 2 (Joachim Blichfeld – Three Goals and Two Assists – Second Hat Trick This Season and Third Career)
Vancouver 4 Tri-City 2 (Milos Roman – One Goal and One Assist)
Around the WHL
The Moose Jaw Warriors added two players to the forward core Monday as they acquired Kjell Kjemhus from the Prince George Cougars for a seventh round pick in 2020 and picked up Luke Ormsby from the Everett Silvertips for a sixth round pick in 2022.
Kjemhus, a 17-year-old from Grande Prairie, Alta., had two assists in five games with the Cougars this season and put together a four-point campaign in 25 games last year.
He was a fourth round pick by the Regina Pats in the 2016 WHL Draft, but was traded to Prince George in January of this year in a deal that saw the Pats acquire Boston Bruins prospect Jesse Gabrielle.
Ormsby, a 19-year-old from Monroe, Wash., had six points this year for the Silvertips, who acquired from the Seattle Thunderbirds last November.
He has 24 points in 150 career games and has been to the league final in back-to-back seasons with the Thunderbirds and Silvertips.
With the 2019 New Holland Canadian Juniors taking place in Prince Albert in January, the chance to represent Saskatchewan at home is on the mind of young curlers around the province.
Among that group is Brooklyn Fahl, who skipped her Shellbrook based rink to a berth at this month’s junior provincials during the third and final qualifier event at the Prince Albert Golf and Curling Club Sunday.
“It means a lot to have that opportunity,” Fahl said. “We’re basically curling at home when we come here and to have the support of our family and friends means the world.”
Fahl, who is joined on her team by third Alexis Stochmanski, second Emma Beaulac and lead Kelsey Deptuck, earned their spot at the provincials with a 4-1 win over Rosetown’s Kelsey Sommerfeld in a ‘C’ event final.
In what had been a tightly contested match, the key turning point came in the ninth end as Sommerfeld jammed a takeout attempt on her last shot and allowed Fahl to make a hit to pick up two points.
“After a few blank ends in the first half, we just kept patient as we knew that we didn’t need to put a ton of rocks in play,” Fahl said.
“We wanted to keep things in control, which was an approach that we had all weekend and I think that allowed us to feel more confident on the ice.”
Joining Fahl in earning provincial spots Sunday were Savanna Taylor of Saskatoon and Elliot Martens of Moosomin.
Taylor, whose Sutherland Curling Club rink includes third Megan Kish, second Alana Huntington and lead Annika Steckler, earned her first trip to the Saskatchewan junior playdowns with a 9-2 win in the ‘B’ final over Jessica Farquharson of Saltcoats.
“We’re such a young team compared to many of the rinks here, so we certainly didn’t expect this,” Taylor said. “We’re 13 and 14 years old and we’re facing curlers that are 19 to 21 years old, so we were just looking to gain experience this weekend.
“Our goal honestly was to just win ends, so to be able to go to the provincials is awesome.”
After losing in the ‘A’ final to Moose Jaw’s Skylar Ackerman a night earlier, Martens bounced back in the ‘C’ final Sunday with a 5-3 win over Farquharson.
“We were feeling a little down after that game, but we had some time between draws today to really focus in on what we needed to do and we played a great game,” said Martens, who curls with third Hanna Johnson, second Reece Thompson and lead Brooke Armstrong.
“This is just our second year together and we’ve really picked up our play. Our skill level has improved a lot since last season, which was the first time that we had moved up to the competitive level.”
Lucas Punkari/Daily Herald Skip Brandon Zuravloff gives sweeping orders to teammates Jonathan Nagy and Cordell Struble Sunday afternoon.
The final three spots in the men’s junior provincial playdowns were also decided Sunday, as Yorkton’s Brandon Zuravloff, North Battleford’s Cody Sutherland and Weyburn’s Landon Field came away with key victories.
Coming off a tough loss to Saskatoon’s Tanner Kinaschuk in an ‘A’ final that saw him give up a three-ender in the 10th end Saturday, Zuravloff made good on his second opportunity with a 7-5 win over Sutherland in the ‘B’ final.
“We went back to the hotel last night and had a really good talk as a team about coming back today and doing what we do best,” said Zuarvloff, who curls with third Lane Zuravloff, second Jonathan Nagy and lead Cordell Struble.
“This is our first year as a team, so to see us bounce back like we did after a tough loss is a good sign going into the provincials.”
Sutherland, who is joined on his rink by third Doug Sroka, second Bruce Krepps and lead Jack Reid, also bounced back in his second chance to reach the provincials with a 7-3 win in a ‘C’ final over Riley Lloyd’s foursome from the Callie Curling Club in Regina.
“We were a little scared halfway through the game, as we ended up only playing with three guys after Bruce left in the third end because he was sick, which was really tough for us as we wanted to make sure that he was okay,” Sutherland said.
“I was able to make an in-off double in the sixth end that gave us three points, and I really think that helped us get back on track and got us to relax a bit more.”
Field, who plays with third Hunter Labbie, second Keegan Woodard and lead Gregg Wiens, turned in a impressive 10-0 performance in his ‘C’ final game against Wadena’s Jayden Bindig.
“It was a long weekend but we were able to pull out some wins in games that hadn’t gone our way at the previous qualifiers,” Field said. “It’s really exciting for us to earn a spot at the provincials, especially since this will be our first time there.”
A total of 12 rinks will be competing in the men’s and women’s event at the provincials, which will take place at the Sutherland Curling Club in Saskatoon from Dec. 27-31.
The winner will then represent Saskatchewan at the New Holland Canadian Juniors, which will be jointly held at the Art Hauser Centre and the Prince Albert Golf and Curling Club from Jan. 19-27.
The other eight teams that will be at the provincials are as follows:
Men’s Event
Daymond Bernath (Saskatoon Sutherland – 2018 Saskatchewan Winter Games Champion)
Although they both had perfect records this weekend at the Prince Albert Golf and Curling Club, the routes that Tanner Kinaschuk and Skylar Ackerman took to qualify for this month’s Saskatchewan Junior Provincial curling playdowns were very different.
For Kinaschuk, who skips a rink out of the Saskatoon Sutherland club, his 9-8 win over Brandon Zuravloff of Yorkton in Saturday’s ‘A’ event at the third and final junior qualifier locked him into the provincials for the first time.
“My brother (Reese, who is the third for the rink) and I have been to the Under-18 provincials and the Saskatchewan Winter Games, but we’ve never been to the juniors before,” Kinaschuk said.
“This is my last year of eligibility at the junior level, so to be able to make it to the provincials and have a chance to play in our home club is a wonderful opportunity.”
Meanwhile, Ackerman will be heading to her third junior provincial playdowns as her Moose Jaw Ford Curling Centre rink captured the ‘A’ event crown with a 7-2 win in eight ends over Moosomin’s Elliot Martens.
“We’re still one of the youngest teams at the provincials, so it’s always an exciting opportunity for us to be able to go there,” Ackerman said. “We played well all weekend and this will give us some nice momentum for the Canada Games Trials in North Battleford in a couple of weeks, which will also be a good tune-up for the provincials.”
Lucas Punkari/Daily Herald Skylar Ackerman makes a line call Saturday night at the Prince Albert Golf and Curling Club.
Ackerman, who is joined on her rink by third Madison Johnson, second Chantel Hoag and lead Samantha McLaren, was down 2-1 to Martens after three ends but was able to steal points in the last four ends to pick up the win.
“I think our steal of two in the fifth end was a real turning point for us,” Ackerman said. “We really started to get back to playing how we usually do in that end, and we just stayed patient the rest of the way.”
As for the Kinachuk foursome, which includes second Evan Schmidt and lead Andrew Mitchell, their ‘A’ final had a lot more drama to it.
After giving up a steal of two in the ninth end to trail 8-6 to Zuravloff, Kinachuk was able to use the hammer to his advantage in the final frame as he made a draw to the eight-foot to score three points and pick up the win.
“Our mindset going into the 10th was to get the two points and force an extra end,” Kinachuk said. “As things played out, we realized that we had a chance to get three, but we needed to capitalize on our opportunity.
“I was able to bump one of their rocks back on my first shot to sit shot stone, but it didn’t go as far back as I would have liked. Unfortunately for Brandon, he got a little bit unlucky on his takeout attempt, which left us with a chance to win the game.”
Three more spots in the men’s and women’s event at the provincials, which will be held at the Sutherland in Saskatoon from Dec. 27-31 and will see the winners represent Saskatchewan at the New Holland Canadian Juniors in Prince Albert next month, will be decided Sunday.
The ‘B’ event finals will take place at 2 p.m., while the ‘C’ event qualifiers will be held at 6 p.m.
Shellbrook’s Brooklyn Fahl is still in the mix for a provincial berth, as her rink will take on Jessica Farquharson of Saltcoast in a ‘B’ semifinal at 10 a.m.
Meanwhile, Prince Albert’s Bryden Tessier saw his event come to an end Saturday as his rink lost an 8-7 ‘C’ event matchup to Evan Lalonde of Saskatoon.
A slow start forced the Prince Albert Northern Bears to try and claw their way back from a deficit Saturday night.
After giving up two goals in the first period, the Bears had a strong effort for the rest of the evening at the Art Hauser Centre but ended up losing a 3-1 affair against the Saskatoon Stars.
“We were happy overall with how we played, but we need to play a full 60 minutes and not just have a strong 40 minute effort,” Bears coach Jeff Willoughby said. “We had some trouble handling the puck early on and find ourselves having to defend right away, which isn’t what you want in the first few minutes.
“We traded goals in the last two periods, but we just didn’t bury our chances and let them off the hook a little bit. With that said, it could have been a 4-0 lead for them after the first period.”
Although they were outshot 15-4 in the opening frame, the Bears had much better showings in the final two periods as they kept pace with a Stars side that has yet to lose a game in Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League play all season.
“Our goal in the last 40 minutes was to try and outwork them, which is what we did,” Willoughby said. “We had stronger starts and we stayed out of the penalty box, which allowed us to keep our energy level up.”
Brooklyn Anderson got the lone goal for the 7-5-1 Bears, while goaltender Lexi Beuker made 24 saves.
The Stars, who improved their record to 13-0, were led on offence by a two-point outing from Makena Kushniruk.
“It’s always a fun time when we play the Bears as Jeff always has them working hard,” Stars head coach Greg Slobodzian said.
“We had to simply things a bit as the game went on, but I was happy with how the girls played and I’m looking forward to the rematch tomorrow.”
Kaitlin Jockims and Grace Shirley also scored for the Stars, who received an 18-save showing from Arden Kliewer.
The two sides will square off again at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Art Hauser Centre.
While Canadian hockey fans wait to find out who will be invited to the World Junior Selection Camp Monday, two members of the Prince Albert Raiders will be looking to help their country return to the main tournament.
Forward Aliaksei Protas and defenceman Sergei Sapego will be competing for Belarus at the IIHF 2019 World Junior Division I Championship, which takes place from Dec. 9-15 in Fussen, Germany.
“We’re both so excited to get a chance to play at a big tournament and to represent our country,” Sapego said.
“It’s just an awesome opportunity and we both want to help move Belarus back to the main tournament.”
Belarus competed at the World Juniors last winter in Buffalo, which was an event that Sapego was in the mix to take part in before suffering an injury.
They finished at the bottom of Pool B with an 0-4 record and lost in the relegation round in two games to Denmark to fall out of the main pool.
In order to make next year’s main tournament, which will be held in the Czech Republic, Belarus will have to finish in first place in a round-robin format against Austria, France, Germany, Latvia and Norway.
Lucas Punkari/Daily Herald Aliaksei Protas makes a pass during a matchup against the Swift Current Broncos on Nov. 9.
The Raiders teammates have previous experience in international events, as Sapego took part in the 2017 World Under-18 Hockey Championship and Protas competed at the same event last April.
“I think that will help us a lot in knowing what to expect,” Protas said. “It was great to play against Canada and some other great teams from all over the world.
“Having him (Protas) with me for this experience should be great, especially since we are both from the same town (Vitebsk) and now we are playing for the same teams,” Sapego added.
The full roster for Belarus has yet to be announced, but Protas expects the squad to feature a number of players from the Western Hockey League and the Ontario Hockey League.
Before they venture overseas, Protas and Sapego will look to help the 25-1 Raiders keep their 18-game win streak going Saturday night as they pay a visit to the Regina Pats.
“We’re just playing together as a team and everyone is helping each other out to get better,” said Protas, who is second in WHL rookie scoring with 22 points in 26 games.
“Everyone’s so close with this group and it’s been a lot of fun so far,” added Sapego, who leads all Raiders blueliners with 23 points in 23 games.
Pre-Game Notes
Saturday’s contest is the third meeting of the year between the East Division rivals, with the Raiders picking up the victory each time out.
The Pats, who have an 8-18 record and are currently mired in a three game losing streak, parted ways with their top three scorers this week.
After sending overage defenceman Aaron Hyman to the Tri-City Americans for overage forward Brett Clayton and a draft pick, the Pats dealt Vegas Golden Knights prospect Jake Leschyshyn and Colorado Avalanche draft pick Nick Henry to the Lethbridge Hurricanes Friday for forwards Jadon Joseph and Ty Kolle, along with seven draft picks (Lethbridge’s first and third in 2019, Swift Current’s eighth in 2019, Swift Current’s first in 2020, Lethbridge’s fourth in 2022, plus conditional third round picks in 2021 and 2022).
Henry led the Pats in scoring at the time of the trade with 40 points in 25 games, while Leschyshyn had 32 points in 24 games.
Joseph and Kolle, who made their debuts in the Pats lineup along with Clayton on Friday, have 19 and 12 points respectively this season.
Duncan Pierce returned to action in Brandon, but fellow forwards Koby Morrisseau and Robbie Holmes remain sidelined with injuries.
Friday’s Scoreboard
Brandon 5 Regina 1 (Linden McCorrister – One Goal and One Assist)
Moose Jaw 3 Edmonton 1 (Adam Evanoff – 35 Saves)
Lethbridge 3 Swift Current 1 (Justin Hall – One Goal and One Assist)
Red Deer 6 Calgary 2 (Brandon Hagel – Two Goals and One Assist)
Kamloops 3 Saskatoon 2 (Quinn Schmiemann Overtime Winner – Connor Zary – One Goal and One Assist)
Seattle 7 Kootenay 4 (Zack Andrusiak – Three Goals and One Assist – Second Hat Trick This Season and Fourth Career – Peyton Krebs – Three Goals – First Career Hat Trick)
Everett 5 Spokane 4 (Connor Dewar Overtime Winner – One Goal and One Assist)
Around the WHL
The Red Deer Rebels bolstered their forward core on Friday afternoon as they acquired Dallas Stars draft pick Brett Davis and fellow 19-year-old Cameron Hausinger from the Kootenay Ice.
In return, the Ice picked up 18-year-old forward Austin Schellenberg, 17-year-old forwards River Fahey and Justin Svenson, along with 15-year-old forward Chase Bertholet, who has 16 points in 21 games for the Prince Albert Mintos this season but hasn’t signed a WHL standard player agreement.
The Ice also received the Rebels’ first, third and sixth round picks in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft, a second round pick in 2020 and a conditional third round pick in 2022.
Davis, who was taken in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL Draft by the Stars, has 19 points in 24 games this season and was second in scoring for the Ice at the time of Friday’s trade.
Hausinger, who played with the Rebels for 41 games during the 2016-17 season after a trade with the Saskatoon Blades, has 17 points in 27 games this year.
Schellenberg has had the most success of the three forwards with WHL experience that the Ice acquired Friday, as he’s picked up nine points over the last two seasons in Red Deer.
Fahey’s had four points over parts of the last two years, while Svenson hadn’t recorded a point in 19 career games before being sent down to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Swan Valley Stampeders, where he has 11 points in 15 games this season.
The Ice would make another deal later in the day as they acquired forward Jack Cowell from the Kelowna Rockets for a third round pick in the 2020 draft.
Cowell, a 19-year-old from Winnipeg, has five points in 26 games this season and recorded a career high 34 points last year.
In non-trade news, one-time Red Deer Rebels draft pick Cam York has committed to the NCAA’s Michigan Wolverines for next season.
York, a 17-year-old defenceman who a ninth round pick in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft, has five assists in eight USHL games for the US NTDP and is projected to be a first round pick at June’s NHL Draft.
The next three days will be important ones for junior curling rinks from around the province.
Eight women’s teams and 16 men’s teams will be taking to the ice at the Prince Albert Curling Club starting on Friday night, as they look to grab the final four spots in each category for the junior provincial championships, which will be held in Saskatoon at the Sutherland Curling Club from Dec. 27 to 31.
“You’ll really see a really mix of rinks from all over Saskatchewan during the next three days,” CurlSask executive director Ashley Howard said. “You’ll have teams that took part in our two qualifying bonspiels earlier this year in Saskatoon and Regina at the Granite and Callie clubs, plus you’ll some local rinks that have yet to try and lock their spot into the provincials.”
Prince Albert’s Bryden Tessier will be skipping a rink in the men’s event, while Shellbrook’s Brooklyn Fahl will be taking part in the women’s completion.
Eight teams have already locked themselves into each provincial field, with the majority of the rinks coming from Regina or Saskatoon.
Weyburn’s Emily Haupstein is the only skip to come from outside the two biggest cities in the province.
This year’s playdowns has an extra level of excitement to it; as the winners will go on to represent Saskatchewan at the 2019 New Holland Canadian Junior Championships in Prince Albert from Jan. 19-29.
“It means so much more when you are the home team, especially when you have the crowd cheering you on all week,” Howard said.
“We’ve seen that already this season from our junior rinks as they’ve reached the podium or won at events in Saskatchewan and in other provinces. They are all raring to go and we’re going to have a really good representative at the nationals.”
The men’s draw will get underway Friday at 4 p.m., with the opening women’s draw set for 8 p.m.
The first provincial qualifiers in both events will take place at 9 p.m. Saturday.
The ‘B’ and ‘C’ event qualifiers will be held at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday.
With a 6-6-1 record in the Saskatchewan Bantam AA Hockey League, the biggest thing that the Prince Albert Venice House Pirates have been looking for this year is a strong effort on a nightly basis.
They certainly did that this week, as they picked up a 6-1 win Monday over the Saskatoon Generals at the Art Hauser Centre and followed that up with a 4-1 triumph over the Humboldt Broncos at the Kinsmen Arena Wednesday.
“We came ready to play and we were focused on what we needed to do out there,” Pirates blueliner Cole Tanchuk said following Monday’s contest. “We hadn’t been doing that ever since we came back from the tournament in Medicine Hat earlier this month, so it was important for us to get into the right mentality again.
“We’re playing like a true team. There’s no fighting between one another in the dressing room…we all get along with one another.”
The back-to-back wins, which moved the Pirates into a tie for sixth in the North Division standings with the Broncos, was the step in the right direction that head coach Shawn Phaneuf was looking for.
“We’ve played a lot of hockey up to this point and I think that guys got complacent a little bit, especially compared to earlier this year where they were battling for spots on the team,” Phaneuf said. “We gave them a little reminder about that at practice this past week and it resulted in a good effort against Saskatoon.
“I think the biggest strength of this team is that they are a good group of kids. They want to learn and they give you everything they have even if the game isn’t going their way. That’s what you want to see when you are a coach.”
The Pirates have also had a chance to hit the tournament trail twice this season, as they competed in the Graham Tuer Bantam Challenge in Regina last month and the Medicine Hat Hockey Hounds Bantam Tournament in Medicine Hat two weeks ago.
“We had a really strong round-robin in Regina but we just lost out on the tiebreaker to finish first in our group,” Phaneuf said. “We ended up losing to Swift Current, but I felt like we played really in that game.
“It’s a little bit of a different level of play in Medicine Hat as you go against some of the prep schools, but we were in every game there except for one against St. George’s Academy from British Columbia.”
With their home tournament, which was to take place next weekend, being cancelled due to a lack of entries, the Pirates now have some time off before they go on the road for five games.
“The biggest thing we’re working on right now is on their skills, such as cycling the puck and chipping pucks out on defence,” Phaneuf said.
“We’re also making sure that we’re keeping our tempo going with some time off so that we are ready to go once the break ends.”
That road trip will begin in the provincial capital on Friday, Dec. 14 against the Regina Monarchs, with matchups the following two days in Swift Current and Moose Jaw against the Broncos and the Warriors
The Pirates will then visit the Martensville Marauders on Thursday, Dec. 20 and the Warman Wildcats a night later in their last game before Christmas.
They will return home on Wednesday, Jan. 9 to take on the Saskatoon Stallions at the Kinsmen Arena.
On a night where the two top scorers in the Western Hockey League squared off, the Prince Albert Raiders showcased their depth.
Five different players found the back of the net for the top ranked team in the Canadian Hockey League Wednesday, as the Raiders picked up their 18th straight victory and extended their road win streak to eight games after a 6-3 triumph over the host Edmonton Oil Kings at Rogers Place.
“I felt the way we played when the game was at even strength was very similar to how things went for us last night in Red Deer,” Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid said.
“Our transition game was really good and we moved the puck well, especially in the offensive zone. That created some havoc for their defence and allowed us to have some scoring opportunities.”
The only trouble the Raiders had Wednesday was in slowing down Oil Kings forward Trey Fix-Wolansky, who is in second in WHL scoring with 55 points.
The Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick provided all of the offence for his team as he picked up his second career hat trick.
“Wolansky has great offensive ability and he’ll make you pay if you let up out there,” Habscheid said.
“We had some let downs tonight that almost cost us, but once we got focused again, I felt like we played well.”
Parker Kelly had two goals and an assist in the opening period for the Raiders, as he extended his point streak to six games.
Brett Leason, who leads the WHL in points with 59, dished out three helpers during the contest and increased his league-best point streak to 26 games.
“When you combine them with (Sean) Montgomery, they can be tough to stop,” Habscheid said.
“However, we don’t want to be a one-line team and be relying on them all of the time. We’ve really prided ourselves on being a four-line team this year and your starting to see that a little bit more here lately.”
Blueliner Max Martin had a goal and an assist for the 25-1 Raiders, who also got goals from Brayden Pachal, Aliaksei Protas and Kody McDonald.
Ian Scott turned in a 31-save performance for his 21st win of the season, which is three off of his career high that he set last year.
Dylan Miskiw turned aside 29 shots for the 14-10-2-2 Oil Kings, who have lost three straight games but remain only one point behind the Red Deer Rebels for first place in the Central Division standings.
The Raiders will continue their seven-game road trip Saturday as they will pay a visit to the 8-17 Regina Pats at the Brandt Centre.
Post-Game Notes
The last Oil Kings player to record a hat trick against the Raiders was Curtis Lazar during a 9-1 win on Oct. 4, 2013 at the Art Hauser Centre.
Fix-Wolansky also became the first opposing player to put the puck in the Raiders net on three occasions since Max Gerlach accomplished that feat for the Saskatoon Blades on March 17.
Leason’s 26-game point streak is the third best in the WHL since the 1996-97 season, which is as far back as stats go on the league website.
It also matches the run that Jeremy Bracco had for the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers in the 2016-17 campaign and Angelo Esposito’s streak for the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts during the 2005-06 season.
Kelly’s six-game streak is the longest of his WHL career, as the Ottawa Senators prospect put up points five straight games on three separate occasions last year.
Defenceman Lane Kirk and forward Eric Pearce did not dress for the Raiders Wednesday, while the Oil Kings scratched goaltender Todd Scott, blueliners Jacson Alexander, Will Warm and Aidan Lawson, along with forward Jalen Luypen.
Wednesday’s Scores
Brandon 5 Swift Current 1 (Luka Burzan – Two Goals and One Assist)
Moose Jaw 3 Kootenay 1 (Josh Brook – One Goal and One Assist)
Medicine Hat 6 Red Deer 2 (Ryan Jevne – Three Goals and One Assist – First Career Hat Trick)
Vancouver 2 Kelowna 1 (Roman Basran – 32 Saves)
Spokane 4 Prince George 0 (Bailey Brkin – 27 Saves – Second Shutout This Season and Third Career)
Saskatoon 2 Victoria 1 (Dorrin Luding – 30 Saves)
Everett 4 Portland 1 (Connor Dewar – One Goal and One Assist)
Around the WHL
Prior to their 3-1 win over the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook, the Moose Jaw Warriors announced that 19-year-old forward Ryan Peckford had left the team and had returned home.
“He wasn’t having fun playing the game any longer,” Warriors general manager Alan Millar said to Discover Moose Jaw’s Marc Smith Wednesday, two days after he met with Peckford.
“It wasn’t fun for him to come to the rink and he’d lost some passion for the game.”
Millar also said that the team was caught off guard by Peckford’s decision and that he hasn’t requested a trade.
The Stony Plain, Alta. product was fifth on the team in scoring with 16 points in 20 games and was coming off a five-point showing on Nov. 18 in a 9-1 win against the Ice.
The Warriors acquired Peckford and a fourth round pick in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft (Josh Hoekstra) from the Victoria Royals last December in exchange for current Raiders forward Noah Gregor.
The Prince Albert Raiders earned a measure of revenge in the only place they’ve lost a game so far this season.
In the first trip back to the Enmax Centrium since a 4-3 loss to the Red Deer Rebels on Oct. 6, the Raiders flipped the script Tuesday with a 4-3 triumph of their own to win their 17th straight game and improve their record to 24-1.
“We grounded that one out,” Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid said. “We ran into some penalty trouble tonight that threw our momentum out the window, and our game plan changed even more as we lost ‘Monty’ (Raiders overage forward Sean Montgomery) for the third period after he got cross checked.
“They are a gritty group and they refuse to lose. They always bring everything they have to get the win.”
On a night where the Raiders set a franchise record with their seventh straight road win, surpassing a six-game run set by the 1985-86 squad, it was the penalty kill unit that made a huge difference.
The Raiders went six-for-seven when down a skater Tuesday, with their only blemish coming late in the third period on a goal by Jeff de Wit.
“This was an evening where special teams made all the difference,” Habscheid said. “They were able to find a way to help us win with a strong effort.”
Before the penalty trouble began, the Raiders dominated the opening nine minutes of play as Spencer Moe, Parker Kelly and Cole Fonstad all scored to chase Rebels starting netminder Ethan Anders out of the game.
“I thought our first period was really good as we were able to play our game early,” Habscheid said. “Then once we started to take those penalties, that kind of threw everything out of rhythm as some guys played more and other guys didn’t take to the ice as much.
“We’re going to work on taking less penalties as we get ready for Edmonton tomorrow and stick to playing like we have when it’s five-on-five.”
Sergei Sapego led the way on offence for the Raiders as the Belarusian blueliner had three assists.
“He’s just a consistent player,” Habscheid said. “He’s multi-dimensional and he’s able to succeed in any situation that we put him in.”
Noah Gregor dished out a pair of helpers in the win, while Brett Leason had a goal and an assist to extend his point streak to 25 games after being named the CHL’s player of the week earlier in the day.
Ian Scott turned aside 28 shots, with his best save coming in the third period as he slammed the door on Chicago Blackhawks prospect Brandon Hagel.
Defenceman Jacob Herauf had two assists for the Rebels, who have lost two straight games but remain in first place in the Central Division with a 16-7-1-0 record.
Zak Smith and Ethan Sakowich also scored for the hosts.
Anders made seven saves before he was pulled, while Byron Fancy stopped 17 shots in the remaining 49 minutes.
The Raiders will be back in action tomorrow night in Edmonton as they’ll take on the 14-9-2-2 Oil Kings.
Post-Game Notes
With his two-point showing Tuesday, Leason now has the third longest scoring streak in the WHL since 1996-97, which is as far back as stats go in the league website.
The longest runs were set last season when Swift Current Broncos teammates Aleksi Heponiemi and Glenn Gawdin had 28 and 27 game streaks respectively.
The Rebels were without Washington Capitals prospect Alexander Alexeyev Tuesday, as the Russian blueliner is day-to-day with an upper body injury.
Defenceman Hunter Donohoe and forward Blake Sydlowski were also not in the lineup for the hosts, while the Raiders scratched blueliner Lane Kirk and forward Eric Pearce.
Tuesday’s Scores
Vancouver 5 Saskatoon 3 (Davis Koch – Two Goals and One Assist)
Tri-City 5 Prince George 2 (Beck Warm – 39 Saves)
Pre-Game Notes
Wednesday’s matchup at Rogers Place will be the first of the season between the Raiders and the Oil Kings, and will feature the top two scores in the league with Leason and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Trey Fix-Wolansky.
Leason has 56 points to top all WHL players and holds a four-point advantage on Fix-Wolansky, in addition to leading the league in goals with 26.
Fix-Wolansky leads the WHL in assists with 37, while is Leason in third spot with 30 and is four helpers behind Portland’s Cody Glass.
The Raiders took three out of four meetings with the Oil Kings last year, with the Oil Kings’ lone win coming on Dec. 2, 2017 in a 4-1 affair in Edmonton.
The Oil Kings have lost their last two games but are only one point back of the Red Deer Rebels for first place in the Central Division.
They are currently without blueliners Jacson Alexander and Will Warm due to injuries.
