By Jeff D'Andrea

Beardy’s back on top of SMAAAHL despite difficult preseason, beat Mintos 2-0

Nov 24, 2011 | 10:33 PM

The last time the Beardy’s Blackhawks were in the Art Hauser Centre, it was for their last preseason game Sept. 18, a 5-1 loss to the Prince Albert Mintos to cap off a 1-2 exhibition season.

Despite the regular season was to start in less than a week after that game, the Blackhawks had yet to play, or even skate in their home rink, the Willow Cree Memorial Sport Centre in Duck Lake as the Beardy’s Band failed to make back payments to maintain the rink. Those have since been cleared up.

Blackhawks head coach Dale Grayston said the team only skated four times in the preseason, but not as a group and their systems play and special teams was far from where it should have been heading into the season.

But yet, after their 2-0 win over the Mintos Thursday at the Art, Beardy’s moved back into first place in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League where they have been for most of the season with a 15-4-0-0 record.

Grayston said the Blackhawks, who have five Prince Albertans on their team, have been able to have the league’s best record due to some very valuable contributions from their core group of veterans not only on the ice, but to get help their young rookies develop.

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“They came together very quickly but I think a lot of that was our core guys, our veteran players really helped our young guys along, working in practice and learning the systems,” said Grayston.

He singled out his captain Landon Robin in being a leader and guiding the young players, especially early in the season. He’s made a long, lasting impression on the team despite missing the past five games with a separated shoulder.

Other key contributors, according to Grayston have been Elliot Peterson, who leads the league in points with 37 in 18 games, and Brett Boehm, who had 20 goals in 19 games and just two points back of Peterson.

But the Blackhawks best player on Thursday was their goaltender, Regan Santoro who stopped all 46 Minto shots on the game.

“There’s nights like tonight where Regan, you could see in his demeanour and his body language that he was a step above, just tracking the puck so well, seeing everything so well and smothering rebounds,” said Grayston. “The Mintos were working so hard, but it helps when the goalie is eliminating the rebounds.”

The Mintos piled on the shots and did just about everything put score, but Mintos head coach Tim Leonard believes his team could have done a lot more with their scoring chances. He and his coaching staff calculated the Mintos attempted 91 shots at the net, but just could not buy a goal.

“We got 46 shots, they blocked 22 and we shot 23 wide, so I guess we gotta go back to the old chalkboard there and figure out how to score some goals,” said Leonard. “I told the guys, at least we can look ourselves in the mirror and say we worked hard and did all we could do to a point.

“Getting that many shots and not getting a goal, it’s just how it goes sometimes in hockey.”

The Mintos are certainly had success this year, being a gritty, defence-first team, but they have struggled to score as of late. They have one goal scored in their last two games, and have scored two or less in four of their last six games.

“We’re struggling in goal scoring. We don’t give up a lot, but we’re having trouble finding the back of the net,” said Leonard. “We’ve had some good teams here over the years and had the same kind of scenario, we went through a period where we couldn’t score and I told the guys, ‘when they come, they’re going to come and going to come in bunches.’”

Mintos goaltender Tyrell King made 16 saves, but certainly couldn’t be blamed for the two Beardy’s goals.

Boehm finished off a beautiful tic-tac-toe play on an odd man rush with his creative linemates Peterson and Braden Oleksyn in the first period, and Oleksyn scored on a shorthanded breakaway after blocking Mintos defenceman Jordan Harris’ shot at the blueline.

The Mintos, now in fourth place with a 12-6 record, will be back at it Sunday when they will host the Notre Dame Hounds (6-11-3-0).

jdandrea@panow.com