Trojans sweep Blackhawks, move on to semi-finals

A defensive zone turnover lead to Ryland McNinch outwaiting Trojans goaltender Tanner Martin for the Blackhawks’ first goal. It was an offensive zone turnover which led to a two-on-one rush the other way finished by Teagan Koehler, and a faceoff loss after an icing call while on the power play. This resulted in McNinch scoring his second goal shorthanded and a 3-1 Blackhawks lead.

Darrell Mann, Trojans head coach, told northeastNOW the first period was frustrating because his team gave the coaching staff a strong start like they wanted, but still ended up down by two goals.

“We had some shots on net, but it just seemed like we had three real bad breakdowns and all three ended up in our net,” Mann said. “It’s frustrating but our guys came in and we regrouped.”

A long stretch pass from defenceman Landon Kosior lead to Kalen Ukrainetz scoring 25 seconds into the middle frame, and the Trojans quickly cut the deficit to 3-2.

The Trojans quickly found themselves back to where they were at the end of the first period. Down by two goals after Holden Knights’ backhand shot was perfectly placed top shelf on a Blackhawks power play.

Kosior began the Trojans pushback again two minutes later with a heavy slapshot before Wiens put home the rebound for his second goal of the night. Another two minutes passed and this time the Trojans would get offence from an unlikely source.

Luke Arndt, the captain and stay-at-home shutdown defenceman, flicked a seeing-eye wrist shot top corner from the blue line to tie the game 4-4.

“I’ve been working on my shots on the point and overall just trying to add a little more to the offensive part,” Arndt said. “I try and do my part. Get the shots through and hope for a couple of bounces, but that one was just a nice screen up front and luckily it went in.”

Arndt had two goals in 83 games as a Trojan prior to game three. Mann said having Arndt score specifically encouraged his team more than a regular tying goal.

“Arny means so much to our hockey club, he’s just an absolute great leader for our team,” he said. “He’s a warrior every night. He doesn’t get the recognition that some of the other D-men get because he has to do most of the dirty work – killing penalties and playing against other team’s top lines. For him to get rewarded with a goal is just fantastic for our team; our bench erupted when he scored.”

Twenty minutes away from a sweep, the Trojans couldn’t get many chances on net as the Blackhawks were fighting for their season’s life.

A roughing penalty to Ukrainetz seemed to have given the Blackhawks a glorious opportunity to re-take the lead and keep their season alive.

Fourteen seconds later, Jayden Wiens, the 15-year-old rookie who is quickly becoming the emerging star in the Trojans playoffs, took the puck away from Blackhawks goalie Tyler Peterson and scored shorthanded to take a 5-4 lead.

It was the Trojans first lead of the night, and it was the only one they needed, as they hung on and won 5-4.

There was some pushing and shoving after the final whistle, as both teams had to settle down from the final seconds.

Arndt was on the ice defending the lead and participated in the postgame activities, although he said nothing too serious transpired.

“I saw Wiens was trying to keep the puck and hold it down, but he was getting a little tussled there,” he said. “I tried to come in and grab a couple of guys off but of course they’re going to come at us, they’ve got nothing to lose.

“Overall, I was looking forward at the second round already, so I didn’t really care. I was just grabbing that game puck and already going to shake hands. They were respectful after, said it was a good series.”

The Trojans earned a few extra days off before the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League (SMAAAHL) semi-finals begin. No dates were announced, although Mann hinted postgame the Trojans could host game one of the semi-finals as early as Monday, March 11.

The Tisdale Trojans shake hands with the Beardys Blackhawks, as is hockey tradition after the end of a playoff series (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff).

As the second seed in the playoffs, the Trojans will face the third seed Saskatoon Blazers if they win their best-of-five series against the sixth seed Prince Albert Mintos. They could also play the winner of the Notre Dame Hounds versus Swift Current Legionnaires series if the Mintos win and move on to face the first seed Regina Pat Canadians.

No matter who the Trojans face next, Mann said his team knows it’ll be a tough series.

“When you get to the final four it’s tough,” he said. “We knew that coming in and we’re just really proud of our guys to give ourselves an opportunity to host round two. That’s something our guys should be proud of. We know it’s going to be a battle but I think our guys are up for the fight.”

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow

by Aaron Schulze

Trojans sweep Blackhawks, move on to semi-finals

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