Mintos forward Chase Bertholet battles for a puck with Trojans defenceman Nicholas Andrusiak. Jeff D'Andrea/paNOW Staff

By Jeff D'Andrea

Crazy 8

Mintos off to perfect start through eight games

Oct 13, 2019 | 4:10 PM

Statistically speaking, the Prince Albert Mintos couldn’t be off to a better start.

They’re starting the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League with a perfect 8-0 record, after defeating the Tisdale Trojans 4-1 on Sunday at the Art Hauser Centre.

It’s not like the Mintos have beaten up on the league’s weaker teams. They’re responsible for the Saskatoon Contacts’ only defeat in their eight games, and both Saskatoon Blazers’ losses in their 5-2 start. They also have wins over third place Regina Pat Canadians and fourth place Swift Current Legionnaires.

Mintos head coach Danton Danielson had a straightforward answer as to why his team’s gotten off to the start they have.

“We have a good group of players, that’s first and foremost. Usually when you see teams put wins together, they have good players. It’s not rocket science,” Mintos head coach Danton Danielson. “We’ve been able to survive a little bit early on, on our skill, our work ethic and our compete. As we’ve been learning to play more as a team, now we’re starting to see the team play come on too.”

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There’s certainly plenty of skill, especially in their past six games when they welcomed Gabe Klassen back to the lineup. Klassen’s scored eight goals already after coming back from the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks.

“He’s been playing really well,” Danielson said. “It’s like what I’ve said with some of the other players return in the preseason and at the start of the season, he’s a really big piece of our puzzle here. He knows that, we know that.”

Mintos 4 Trojans 1

Chase Bertholet led the way for the Mintos with a goal and an assist.

Ty Bahm and Dawson Brace scored their first Midget AAA goals of the season.

The Trojans struck first, as Mackenzie Carson got things going for the visitors. A point shot from Mario Fortier hit the chest protector of Mintos goaltender Joel Favreau and rolled up his shoulder and off his back. Carson located the puck behind Favreau and tipped it in.

But it was all Mintos after that. Before the first period ended, Bertholet settled down a flip pass and was sprung on a 2-on-1 rush, and set up Bahm in front for the goal.

In the second period, Gabe Klassen scored his eighth goal of the year in just his sixth game, after furious pressure from his line of Ashton Ferster and Dawson Springer.

Chase Bertholet then weaved his way around and through the Trojans defence, finishing off the play with a pretty backhanded deke to score the third consecutive Mintos, giving the Mintos a 3-1 lead midway through the second period.

The score stayed that way until late in the third, when Dawson Brace got his first Midget AAA goal with 3:44 left in the third period. Cooper Chisholm had a chance in the crease, was stopped, but managed to get the puck across the crease to Brace.

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW