Hot goalie helps Ice to victory

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This article was published 29/03/2021 (2012 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Ice depend on some high-profile veterans to serve as the engine of its offence but head coach James Patrick turned to one of his least experienced players, goaltender Daniel Hauser, to make life miserable for the Moose Jaw Warriors Sunday night.

The 17-year-old from Chestermere, Alta., making his third start in the WHL’s East Division hub, stopped 17 shots to backstop the Ice to a 4-1 win at the Brandt Centre in Regina.

If he was feeling any rookie jitters, Hauser didn’t show it. He weathered an early Moose Jaw push and three opposing power plays in the first period en route to his third win of the season.

The Ice snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 6-2-1-0 while the Warriors lost their fourth straight and dropped to 4-5-0-0.

While Hauser was keeping things tidy, Winnipeg got all the offence it would need in the first period on goals by Jakin Smallwood, with his team-leading eighth in nine games at 10:10, and Peyton Krebs, with his sixth 83 seconds later. Krebs extended his point-scoring streak to eight games and he finished the game with a goal and two assists.

At that point, after allowing two goals on four shots, Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary gave starter Boston Bilous the hook and replaced him with Brett Mirwald.

Mirwald was probably Moose Jaw’s best player from that point, stopping 22 of 23 shots he faced.

Left-winger Anderson MacDonald had a golden opportunity to give Winnipeg a three-goal cushion but his penalty shot with 24 seconds left in the middle period caromed off the crossbar, hit the goal-line and bounced out of harm’s way.

In the third, Moose Jaw sniper Eric Alarie rifled Tate Popple’s setup past Hauser at 10:35 of the third period. It was the Winnipegger’s sixth of the season.

Late in the period, overage centre Jackson Leppard ended his drought in the hub, scoring his first of the year into an empty net.

Next up for Winnipeg is a Wednesday matchup with the Saskatoon Blades. Game time is 9 p.m.

The Ice follow that with games against the Prince Albert Raiders and Regina Pats on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Both games start at 4 p.m.

BLUE-LINES: Winnipeg defenceman Carson Lambos and forwards Chase Bertholet, Rhys Raeside, James Form and Mike Milne were sidelined due to injury Sunday. With those absences, the Ice went with 11 forwards and seven defenceman for the second consecutive game. Goaltender Carl Stankowski was a healthy scratch… Warriors all-star defenceman Daemon Hunt missed the game with a one-game suspension. He was assessed a check-to-the-head major and game misconduct against the Prince Albert Raiders Saturday. No. 1 centre Ryder Korczack (upper-body injury) did not play… Moose Jaw went 0-for-5 on the power play. Winnipeg was 1-for-6… Three stars: 1. Peyton Krebs, Winnipeg; 2. Daniel Hauser, Winnipeg (17 saves); 3. Brett Mirwald, Moose Jaw (22 saves).

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14