The Tisdale Trojans embrace in victory for the first time since their second game of the season, following their 5-1 home victory over the Saskatoon Contacts. (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff)

By Aaron Schulze

Trojans Snap Skid

Trojans end seven-game skid, beat Contacts 5-1

Oct 17, 2019 | 12:32 PM

Two weeks ago, Tisdale Trojans Head Coach Dennis Kubat said after his team’s 3-2 loss to the Saskatoon Contacts that it’s always great to face adversity early in the season.

For a Trojans team with a new coaching staff, general manager, and only five returning players (10 who have never played a Midget AAA game before this season), they’ve faced a lot of it.

A seven-game losing streak, two devastating injuries to center Keagon Little and defenceman Cole Tanchuk and losing two projected top players in center Jayden Wiens and goaltender Carter Serhyenko. And it’s only been 10 games into the regular season.

All of it made the Trojans’ 5-1 win over a top team such as the Contacts on Oct. 16 at the Tisdale RECplex more important.

Goaltender Hunter Lolacher stopped 29 shots in the win, and he couldn’t hide his relief post-game.

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“It feels great,” Lolacher told northeastNOW. “We needed that win, the boys worked hard all week in practice. We deserved it.”

The Trojans went back and forth with the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League’s (SMAAAHL) best offence in the Contacts, outshooting them 11-10 after the first period. They escaped the first with a 1-0 lead after Trenton Curtis tipped in Zac Robins’ shot from the point.

The Contacts hit the Trojans with everything but the kitchen sink to tie it up. Riley Heidt, the 14-year-old phenom forward, was stopped on a partial breakaway and on a wide-open net on the power play. Fellow 14-year-old phenom Brayden Yager and Heidt set up numerous scoring chances that their teammates couldn’t get a stick on, and Ty Albrecht hit the post on a breakaway.

Weathering the storm, the Trojans received a four-minute power play thanks to Riley Girod’s charging and unsportsmanlike double minor and didn’t waste the opportunity.

Mackenzie Carson put back defenceman Drayton Hvidston’s rebound and Robins roofed his wrist shot to give the Trojans a 3-0 lead after two periods.

Kubat admitted post-game that the two quick powerplay goals changed his Trojans’ vibe going into the dressing room.

“They care so much about getting that win… we’re almost gripping our sticks we’re so tense,” Kubat said. “We want to do so well for our fans and program. Things weren’t working out how we wanted and you could see our confidence after the second. The boys were chatting away and talking about hockey, it made a big difference.

“Every night our goal is to be at worst even on the special teams. Tonight, we were plus two and that’s huge. That being said, we still give up a breakaway on a power play. That’s unacceptable. There are still things we’ve got to work on but as long as we go back and show the boys the video, we’ll learn from that.”

With his second line center Little out for four to six weeks with a knee injury, Kubat adjusted his forward lines. He split up his consistent scoring duo of Curtis and Kalen Ukrainetz to balance the scoring, meaning two 15-year-olds in Carter Briltz and Jordan Normand got added opportunities.

Normand scored his first career SMAAAHL goal centering Ukrainetz and Noah Wills, while Briltz scored two assists playing with Curtis and Carson.

Kubat said he and the coaching staff had a meeting with their 15-year-olds about adjusting from Bantam AA to Midget AAA hockey.

“They all work hard,” he said. “I thought all, not even just [Normand] but Briltz, [Kylynn Olafsson], [Kayden Ostrom], Andrusiak, all our 15-year-olds really stepped up tonight and that’s good to see for the future. These guys can play in this league. I look at Jayden Wiens who started last year as a third liner, didn’t play a lot, and he ends up being one of our top guys. That’s what we hope to see out of our 15-year-olds and if they keep working this way they’re only going to get better.”

The Trojans host the Yorkton Secon Maulers at the Tisdale RECplex on Friday, Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. before they begin a 10-day break.

Scoring Summary

First Period

1-0, Trojans, Trenton Curtis (4) from Carter Briltz (2) and Rylan Donald (3), 8:07

Second Period

2-0, Trojans, Mackenzie Carson (6) from Drayton Hvidston (2) and Mario Fortier (8), 16:37 (PPG)

3-0, Trojans, Zac Robins (1) from Kalen Ukrainetz (7) and Mario Fortier (9), 18:31 (PPG)

Third Period

4-0, Trojans, Jordan Normand (1) from Ethan Lang (2) and Kalen Ukrainetz (8), 14:46

4-1, Contacts, Tye Spencer (2) from Logan Bairos (6) and Adam McNutt (5), 15:44

5-1, Trojans, Drayton Hvidston (2) from Nicholas Andrusiak (4) and Carter Briltz (3), 17:58

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow