The Mac's AAA tournament in Calgary has been moved to early April. (File Photo/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Mac's Tournament Returns

Mac’s back, but will Mintos be? Team mulls over prestigious tournament

Feb 7, 2022 | 5:00 PM

After a slew of tournament cancelations over Christmas from the World Juniors to the Women’s Under 18s, some tournaments have been finding new dates to get going in 2022. One of those could feature a prominent Prince Albert hockey team.

The prestigious Mac’s AAA tournament, traditionally hosted in Calgary over Christmas, announced today they would be bringing the tournament back from April 6-10 in Calgary. The Prince Albert Mintos U18 AAA team was originally slated to take part in the tournament, but they’re not sure yet whether they’ll be part of the rescheduled event.

“We’ve kind of talked it over and I don’t think we’ve made a plan yet one way or the other,” said Mintos head coach Tim Leonard. “We haven’t really had time to discuss it. We’ve been busy here playing, so probably in the next day or two we’re going to have to decide.”

Timing is part of the issue for the Mintos, whose regular season wraps up on Feb. 21 and whose playoffs will begin shortly after. The usual time for the tournament, the week of Christmas, is preferable for many.

“I’m glad that they’re going to run, I just kind of myself don’t agree with the timing of it,” Leonard said. “Most guys are going to be done their season and some guys might not have much ice to practice on to train before you go there.”

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The new time, however, is just one part of a strange series of hoops teams have had to jump through in order to have a hockey season this year. Whether they attend this event or not, the Mintos have had a truly unusual season.

“We got hit with COVID there and had to shut it down for about a week,” Leonard said. “It kind of went through the dressing room but since then we’ve been good. We abide by all the rules.”

As the Mintos are in the midst of their playoff push, the Mac’s Tournament is a bit of a back-burner issue for them right now. They sit seventh in the 12-team league but nipping closely at the heels of the next two teams ahead of them.

“We’re kind of finding our groove and getting an identity,” Leonard said. “The kids are getting better. We hope to move up in the standings. It would be nice to get home ice in the first playoff round, but even if we don’t we’ll take on anybody that’s on top there.”

The Mintos next game is on home ice on Wednesday night against the Saskatoon Contacts at 7:00 p.m.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP