Contacts forward Tye Spencer celebrates his 3OT winning goal on Thursday at the Art Hauser Centre. Jeff D'Andrea/paNOW Staff

By Jeff D'Andrea

Mintos Hockey

Contacts’ Spencer scores hat trick in 3OT win over Mintos

Feb 27, 2020 | 11:44 PM

Tye Spencer was breaking hearts in Prince Albert on Thursday, as he scored the triple overtime winner to give his Saskatoon Contacts a key 4-3 OT win over the Prince Albert Mintos at the Art Hauser Centre. More importantly, the Contacts’ win pushes the Mintos to the brink of elimination down 2-0 in the best-of-five series.

Spencer ended the game after being sprung on a breakaway by rookie Brayden Yager, and scored on a hesitating forehand deke to win it.

“Lot of pressure on that, but I’m glad the boys pulled through,” Spencer said. “Honestly, I just wanted to catch that and get a good shot off at least. Luckily I chose that shot and it went in.”

Spencer scored his first two goals in regulation on tip shots. He tipped in Matthew Hodson’s pass from the corner into the net in the first period, before tying the game with 6:10 left in the third period on a tip in front while up a man.

“He has unbelievable hand-eye coordination. He’s not the biggest player but he competes hard every night and he skates really well, even the big boys,” Contacts head coach Marc Chartier said. “He had a good night, to finish off with a hat trick is pretty amazing. It’s something he won’t forget.”

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On the Mintos’ side will have to lick their wounds and look to regroup and get back in the series. But Mintos head coach Danton Danielson loved the effort from his team they showed for all the 99 minutes the game lasted.

“We played a great game and we deserved to win, 100 per cent. That’s the game that we play, hockey. There’s more luck in this game than any other game. We got unlucky, I think,” Mintos head coach Danton Danielson said. “On the last play, maybe a missed assignment, we should have been on the defensive side of [Spencer] and he gets a breakaway. But there’s countless other plays, we had chances to win it multiple times and it could’ve went that way too.”

It was clear that the Mintos were fired up to start the game. Tuner McMillen scored just 1:39 into the game, then set up Dawson Springer 2:24 later to give the Mintos an early 2-0 lead.

Spencer got his first goal, to get his team on the board halfway through the second.

Gage Helm restored the Mintos’ two-goal lead 6:26 into the second period, as he bodied off a check from the end boards and slid on his knees in front of the net to score and put the Mintos up 3-1.

The Contacts were able to come back in the third, as Riley Heidt was able to bury one from the high slot as the Mintos were trying a long stretch down the ice that was kept in. Spencer then tipped in his second goal of the game, on the power play, with six minutes remaining to force overtime, eventually setting up his hat trick.

Game 3 is back at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon on Saturday. If the Mintos are to come back and reverse-sweep the Contacts, it will have to start there.

“Being down 2-0 is never a spot you want to be in. We have a best-of-five for a reason, you got to win three. We’re going to give every effort in Saskatoon on Saturday. There’s a lot to build on tonight’s game. We should’ve won. The series should be 1-1 right now, for sure, and we’ll take that positive and the process on the ice and look to replicate it on Saturday—and probably have a better result.”

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW