By Jeff D'Andrea

Mintos win a wacky one in OT

Nov 28, 2017 | 8:56 PM

Prince Albert Mintos rookie Josh Pillar can shoot the puck as hard as anybody in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League, but he didn’t need to on Tuesday in a 4-3 overtime victory over the Beardy’s Blackhawks at the Art Hauser Centre.

With just 5.1 seconds remaining in the overtime period, Pillar received a pass in his skates from Mintos forward Kishaun Gervais—one of Gervais’ three assists in the game. Pillar shot it anyways and it fluttered over everybody, including Blackhawks goaltender Shaemus McLeod and into the net.

“Kishaun passed it to me, it was kinda really fast and kinda in my feet so I just swung at it,” Pillar said after the game. “It kinda popped up and the goalie didn’t see it, I guess… I think it went just straight in.”

It may not be how he drew it up, but Pillar has scored at will. He has an active four-game scoring streak on with three goals and five points in that span, ranking second in Mintos scoring with 11 goals and 11 assists in 19 games. Just Gervais had more points, with 11 goals and four more assists in two less games. 

Despite being one of the 15-year-old rookies on the team, Pillar is one of the calming influences on the team according to assistant coach Bryan Swystun.

Missing pet

'She means the world to our family': Woman seeks help in finding missing pet parrot

5h ago

BE CAREFUL ON THE ROADS

Semi flips outside P.A.; one of dozens of incidents on Sask. roads due to winter weather

5h ago

NO GO FOR BUSES

School bus routes outside P.A. canceled due to spring snowstorm

10h ago

“We seem to get frustrated at times, Josh as well, when you play teams like this. How many posts did we hit tonight? How many empty nets did we miss? We’re working on keeping that even keel and Josh is one of those players we look for when times get like that,” Swystun said. “We get frustrated when the puck’s not going in, but he’s the type of kid that just keeps working hard. It’s nice to see him rewarded tonight.”

Speaking of frustrations, Mintos head coach Ken Morrison probably could have used Pillar’s even-keel approach late in the game.

After an offside call with just 1:06 left in regulation in a 3-3 game, Morrison and referee Jordan Carriere got in a bit of an argument. As officials normally do, Carriere declared himself the winner and gave Morrison a bench minor for unsportsmanlike for his troubles. Since the Mintos killed off the penalty then won in overtime, they had no problem joking about it afterwards.

“I think they were just exchanging recipes, and I don’t think he liked the recipe that Kenny gave him,” Swystun said.

The Blackhawks opened the scoring in the first, after Griffen Ryden found a loose puck in a crowded Mintos’ crease 3:02 into the game.

Tanner Robin and Kevin Ledoux both quickly scored for the Mintos to give them a 2-1 lead just four minutes later. But before the opening period expired, the Blackhawks equalized with a seeing-eye wrist shot from Troy Kozmynka tied the game.

After all the fireworks were set off in the first, that didn’t leave a whole lot left for the remaining 40 minutes.

Parker Fofonoff gave the Mintos a 3-2 lead in the second period on a great passing play by the Mintos. Defenceman Turner Rea found Kishaun Gervais on a ricochet pass off the boards. That sprung Gervais and Fofonoff on a 2-on-1, and Gervais found Fofonoff cross-crease for the lead.

It stayed that way until 2:48 was left in the third period. Blackhawks’ Talon Thomas blocked a shot at the point, sprung himself on a breakaway and scored five-hole on Mintos’ goaltender Carter Woodside to tie the game and force overtime before Pillar ended it seconds before a shootout.

The Mintos will have another two games at the Art Hauser Centre this weekend, Saturday night against the Regina Pat Canadians and Sunday against the Swift Current Legionnaires.

Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW