John MacNeil
Daily Herald
Nash Coquet used his speed and shot to perfection to push the Battlefords Stars past the host Prince Albert Mintos 3-2 in opening-night action Wednesday at the Art Hauser Centre.
The Mintos had just killed off the first of their back-to-back penalties for head contact when the ever-dangerous Coquet darted down the left wing and broke a 2-2 tie with his even-strength, game-winning goal three minutes into the third period of the Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League game.
“I tried to use my feet to create space for me,” said Coquet, a 17-year-old forward now back for his third season of U18 AAA hockey after attending training camp with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings. “I just shot an open puck and took my chance and it went in.”
Coquet ripped a quick shot past Prince Albert goaltender Cohen Kuntz to account for the only offence of the final period. Stars goalie Cody Marciniuk picked up the lone assist on the deciding goal.
The Mintos had fought back from an early 2-0 deficit and scored twice to pull even in the second period.
In what’s known as a development league, Coquet is the U18 AAA circuit’s poster boy on how to make major progression from one year to the next. Last season with the Stars, he scored 53 more points than he had the previous year as a rookie with the Saskatoon Contacts.
“I just feel I didn’t have that opportunity in my first year,” he said. “It’s just the way it works out, being a rookie in the league. But I knew the Contacts wasn’t the spot for me. It just wasn’t where I would fit in. I knew coming to Battlefords would definitely benefit me. I think it sure did. Coach (Martin Smith) is amazing, the organization is amazing. We’re just hoping for a chance to make the playoffs and go from there.”
The Mintos, of course, are shooting for similar goals after missing the playoffs last year. They made more strides Wednesday but ran into penalty trouble and a fast-moving Stars team in the game-breaking third period.
“I think we’ve been steadily improving,” said Tyson Dallman, the Mintos’ new head coach. “We’re getting more practices under our belts and getting the group together and implementing some of the stuff we want to see.
“I thought tonight was a step forward in certain areas that we’ve been kind of preaching. We’ll continue to teach, continue to learn, and hopefully be ready for important (home) games this weekend. They’re all important. We haven’t seen Notre Dame yet, so I expect that they’re really good and we’re going to have to be ready to play.”
A vocal and colourful band of supporters back the U18 AAA Prince Albert Mintos for their season-opening game against the Battlefords Stars on Wednesday night at the Art Hauser Centre. The Stars won 3-2.
Prince Albert went into last night’s game without three roster players, including suspended defenceman Rhett Franklin, now ready to return. Also missing from the Mintos were two of their standouts from the pre-season, goaltender Will Shaw and forward Burke Whitter, both nursing injuries from Sunday’s 3-2 exhibition loss to the Contacts.
“A couple of guys banged up from previous stuff that we’re just trying to take care of now, rather than let it linger throughout the season,” Dallman said. “(Shaw) played really well in Saskatoon, and Whitter took an ugly hit and got a little bit banged up. So, it’s best to give them the time they need to heal up this early in the season. It’s too long of a year to be dragging injuries on all season long.
“We’ll get them healthy, hopefully for the weekend, and then move forward.”
Battlefords, unbeaten in three pre-season games, continued that trend in the regular-season opener, beginning with first-period goals from Kacy Tuberfield and Alex Kowalyk just 1:17 apart. Prince Albert responded with second-period tallies from Caleb Philp at the 49-second mark and Ethan Janzen with three minutes remaining.
On both sides, 15-year-old talents like Tuberfield and Philp are making a smooth transition to the U18 AAA league and showing why they were WHL draft choices last spring. Shellbrook’s Philp is fitting in well on a line with two experienced Mintos — returning forwards Linden Abercrombie and Max Cooper. The trio combined on the Philp goal, which wasn’t his first at the U18 AAA level. He reached that milestone last winter as a Mintos’ call-up from the U15 AA Prince Albert Pirates.
“I think it was great,” Philp said after scoring the Mintos’ season-opening goal Wednesday. “It just got everyone on the bench going and kind of built some momentum for us.
“The energy in the second period was unbelievable. We came out flying and got a couple of goals that really got the boys back in the game. It’s huge for us.
“We definitely gave it a great battle. It just came down to, in the end, we couldn’t put enough pucks in the net. But it was a great learning experience for the boys.”
Philp, a Swift Current Broncos’ prospect, finished off a three-way play with Abercrombie and Cooper to get the Mintos going.
“Abercrombie chipped it ahead on the boards, and Cooper picked it up and saw me in the slot,” the rookie said. “I got the puck, got a quick release off, found a post and in.
“It’s great playing with them. We were moving pucks really well and I’m excited to see what we can do the rest of the season.”
At every level, excitement abounds this time of the year. For the Stars, they gained an experienced defenceman when 17-year-old Aiden Harman of Meadow Lake joined Battlefords after playing last season with the U18 AAA Lloydminster Lancers.
“I had a couple of buddies that played here, and they shouted it out to me,” Harman said. “I had one last year, so I figured I might as well come to Battlefords, where I was originally playing for the first many years of my life.
“It’s been good. We’re from all over. We’re going to be a good team. We’re pretty old, but we’ve got some young guys, too. We’ve got a lot of experience. Our leadership is really good here, so it’s going to go a long way.”
Harman’s experience includes a stint with the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos this pre-season, during which he played an exhibition game against the Nipawin Hawks. “Then, I came back to Battlefords, looking for a big year.”
While with the Stars, Harman lives with the Kowalyk brothers — Aaron and Alex — and their mother.
The Kowalyks, with Hudson Bay roots, were photographed with the Mintos’ Cooper after Wednesday’s game. They’re friends from minor hockey.
Porcupine Plain’s Cooper was named the Mintos’ player of the game, while his cousin Janzen — a former Tisdale Trojan — was selected as Prince Albert’s hardest-working player.
In the absence of Shaw, Franklin and Whitter, the Mintos dressed three affiliated players — goaltender Kale Bell, defenceman Dawson Kehrig and forward Jack Ellis.
Marciniuk made 34 saves in the Battlefords net. Kuntz blocked 26 shots for Prince Albert.
