By Jeff D'Andrea

Mintos mired in four-game skid; lose 3-2 to Beardy’s

Dec 18, 2014 | 9:18 PM

Over the years, the Prince Albert Mintos have made the Art Hauser Centre a real tough building for their opposition to come in a get a win. But that hasn’t been the case lately.

The Mintos were beat 3-2 Thursday by the Beardy’s Blackhawks, their third consecutive loss at home and their fourth straight defeat.

The Mintos even outshot the Blackhawks 42-18 in the game and 34-11 in the final 40 minutes but still couldn’t get a result.

“That’s getting pretty frustrating—what do we have to do to bust this path that we’re in?” asked Mintos coach Todd Becker after the game. “The third period, if we can play with that kind of desperation, we’re going to be fine.

“Something’s going happen, something’s going to spring and break and change this for us—but it’s very frustrating.”

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Mintos captain Brody Reimer, one of the five returning members from last year’s Telus Cup winning club, said the adversity the team is facing now is no different than what they faced in the first half last year.

“We kind of went through the same thing last year with these ups and downs,” said Reimer. “It’s better to peak at the end of the season in the playoffs than the start—that’s what everyone says.

“I think that’s going to happen to us.”

Nick Shumlanski scored on the Blackhawks’ first shot on goal, 57 seconds into the game to give Beardy’s the early advantage. Ryan Rothenberger made it 2-0 late in the first period for Beardy’s.

“I think we were gripping our sticks a little too tightly in the start,” said Becker, added it could have been a carry-over from their recent defeats.

The Mintos pushed back in the second period and outshot the Blackhawks 17-9. Mintos forward Erik Gardiner got his team back in the game with a power play goal 3:13 left in the second. But with 25 seconds left in the third, Rothenberger was able to answer with his second goal the game with a power play goal of his own to restore Beardy’s two-goal advantage heading into the third.

The Mintos would answer with 1:35 left in the game as Jake Hobson’s point shot found a home through traffic.

That’s as close as the Mintos would get as they drop a 3-2 score to Beardy’s.

Tiringer the glass breaker

In the first period, Mintos forward Keegan Tiringer gave Blackhawks defenceman Isaac Jackson a ride into the glass. The pane shattered everywhere and the game was delayed for about 15 minutes to clean up the debris and replace the glass.

Swifty before Mac’s

The Mintos will host the Swift Current Legionnaries Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre, their last league game in 2014.

That will be huge for gaining confidence heading into the Mac’s.

“It’s nice to have some momentum going into that tournament because it’s a pretty big showcase for all the players on our team,” said Reimer. “It’s something the Mintos have never won before and something I look forward to. It would be a pretty big honour to break something like that, too.”

After a short break, the Mintos will be headed to the Mac’s Midget AAA Tournament in Calgary this holiday season.

The Mintos will be playing the German U17 Nationals in their opening game on Dec. 27, before taking on the Valley West Hawks on Dec. 28. The Mintos will cap off their round robin playing the Huron Perth Lakers on Dec. 29 and the Calgary Royals on Dec. 30.

They’ll resume league play on Jan. 7 in an away contest against the Saskatoon Blazers, before returning home Jan. 13 to face the Tisdale Trojans.

jdandrea@panow.com

On Twitter: @jeff_dandrea