Blackhawks score three goals in three minutes, top Mintos 5-4
The Beardy’s Blackhawks got back at the Prince Albert Mintos on Tuesday night.
Tian Rask scored three goals and added an assist to help lead the Blackhawks to a 5-4 victory over the Mintos at the Art Hauser Centre. The win comes three days after P.A. shut out Beardy’s 4-0 in Shellbrook.
“I thought we could have played a little better in the first two periods,” Mintos coach Ken Morrison said.
“I thought we gave a good effort, all things considered, in the third and we came close to tying it up. It would have been good for the boys to tie it up.”
The game was scoreless for the first half of the first period but then each team made up for offensive void by scoring five goals in under five minutes.
First it was the Blackhawks on the board with forward Rask scoring on the power play. Dodge Long added another one for the Blackhawks one minute later and Rask potted his second of the night shortly thereafter for the 3-0 lead.
The Mintos were quick to respond, with rookie player Caleb Grandfield scoring the first and second goals of his SMAAAHL career 21 seconds apart to bring his team to within one heading into the second period. Grandfield was playing in his second game since being called up from midget ‘AA’ to help fill in for injured and suspended players.
“He did well, he was Johnny-on-the-spot there a couple times. That was big for us, helped us kind of get back in the game at that point,” Morrison said of Grandfield.
“We were happy with his effort and (he) helped us out with a couple big goals.”
The Blackhawks added to their 3-2 lead in the middle frame. First it was Rask on the power play netting his hat-trick goal at the eight-and-a-half-minute mark, then it was team points leader Jared Hamm making good on the man advantage to give Beardy’s a 5-2 lead after 40 minutes of play.
The Mintos opened the third period on the board. Logan Barlage needed only 20 seconds to find the back of the net for the 25th time this season. Barlage added another goal in the last few minutes of play but the Mintos were unable to mount a comeback.
“We have five guys injured, we were down to three ‘D’ and of course we had a couple guys already serving suspensions, so we were a pretty short bench tonight,” Morrison said.
“I was happy with the guys that we had left in the game. I think they gave it all they had and (that’s) kind of all you can really ask for.”
The Mintos’ next game is on Friday when they take on the Swift Current Legionnaires at the Credit Union iPlex. Game time is 7 p.m.
Game Summary
Beardy’s 5, Prince Albert 4
First Period
- Beardy’s, Rask 13 (Hamm) 10:03 (pp)
- Beardy’s, Long 9 (Rask, MacDonald) 11:04
- Beardy’s, Rask 14 (Thomas, Bill) 13:28
- Prince Albert, Grandfield 1 (Barlage) 14:05
- Prince Albert, Grandfield 2 (Barlage, McMillen) 14:26
Second Period
- Beardy’s, Rask 15 (Bill, Hamm) 8:36 (pp)
- Beardy’s, Hamm 15 (Bill) 14:12 (pp)
Third Period
- Prince Albert, Barlage 25 (Zimmerman, Matechuk) 0:20
- Prince Albert, Barlage 26 (Lamotte, Zimmerman) 16:20
Goalies: Prince Albert – Carsen Schewaga, 31 saves (L, 0-1-0); Beardy’s – Shaemus McLeod, 28 saves (W, 7-13-0).
Stars of the Game: Home Star – Logan Barlage, Away Star – Tian Rask.
