For the first time in over a month, the Prince Albert Mintos have won a Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League game at the Art Hauser Centre.
With a 6-1 triumph over the Yorkton Maulers Friday, the Mintos picked up their first victory in Prince Albert since a 7-1 affair against the Battlefords Stars on Nov. 8 and ended a five-game losing skid on home ice in the process.
“We’re starting do more of the little things,” Mintos forward Dawson Springer said. “We’re focussing more on the hard work that we need to do to win games, instead of making fancy plays.”
Although the Mintos held a 51-22 shot advantage during the contest, it took them a little bit to get rolling on offence.
“I thought we were a little tentative in the first and it wasn’t our best period, but the guys started to get things going and a number of players stepped up their level of play in the last 40 minutes,” Mintos head coach Ken Morrison said.
“We had a lot of shots on the power play tonight as well, which is why the shot total ended up being like it was.”
Chase Freidt-Mohr led the way for the Mintos with a goal and two assists, while Ashton Ferster and Springer each lit the lamp twice.
“They got the first goal of the game during the start of the second period and that really woke us up,” Ferster said.
“We were a little shaky early but once we started to play as a team, we were all clicking out there.”
Marek Schneider, Jake Huska and Andrew Schaab all had two assists for the hosts, who improved their record to 13-11-1-0 and are now in sole possession of seventh place in the standings.
Carter Woodside made 21 saves to the earn the win, with his lone blemish coming on a Massen Ziola shot in the second frame.
Aiden Elmy stopped 45 shots for the Maulers, who are at the bottom of the league table with a 4-24-0-0 mark.
As the Mintos prepare for a 1:30 p.m. clash with the 13-6-2-1 Notre Dame Hounds on Sunday at the Art Hauser Centre, they will do so without the services of four players.
Cohner Saleski, Alex Von Sprecken and Turner McMillen are all sidelined due to injuries, while Ethan Ironside has two games left in a six-game suspension for a gross misconduct penalty he took against the Saskatoon Blazers on Dec. 6.
“Alex’s injury is a day-to-day thing, so there’s a chance he could play on Sunday or on Thursday (against the Beardy’s Blackhawks), but everyone else won’t be back until after the Christmas break,” Morrison said.
