2014 TELUS Cup

GOALTENDERS SHINE, MINTOS AND GRENADIERS SETTLE FOR DRAW

DAVID BRIEN

MOOSE JAW, Sask. – The goaltenders stole the show Tuesday as the Prince Albert Mintos and Grenadiers de Châteauguay skated to a 1-1 tie in the first game of the day at the 2014 TELUS Cup.

Prince Albert netminder Lane Michasiw finished with 35 stops; his Châteauguay counterpart, Ryan Coughlin, stopped 23 of 24.

Dakota Boutin had the lone goal for the Mintos (1-0-1), his second in two games, while Justin Doucet answered for the Grenadiers (0-0-2); both goals came on the power play.

Coming off a 4-1 win over Toronto on Monday, the Mintos – the lone team to earn two points on Day 1 – came storming out of the gate, outshooting Châteauguay 14-6 and forcing five straight penalties from the Quebec champions in the opening 20 minutes.

Prince Albert capitalized on their third man advantage of the period; Loch Morrison hammered a shot from the point that Boutin was able to reach behind his back to redirect past Coughlin for a 1-0 lead.

The second period proved to be the reverse of the first, with the Mintos giving the Grenadiers five power plays in the middle frame and Châteauguay holding a lopsided advantage in shots, 17-4.

Doucet, an imposing figure in front of the net at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, pulled his team even with just 20 seconds left in the period, tipping a Danick Crête point shot off the post and past Michasiw for the 1-1 goal.

The Grenadiers continued to apply the pressure in the third period, outshooting Prince Albert 13-6, but Michasiw turned them away time and time again, securing the single point for the Mintos.

Not surprisingly, both Michasiw and Coughlin, who didn’t play in their teams’ opener on Monday, were named Player of the Game for their respective teams.

Châteauguay will play the early game Wednesday, taking on the Halifax McDonald’s at noon MT, while Prince Albert looks to stay unbeaten when it faces the Okanagan Rockets at 4 p.m. MT.