Chris Clegg
NPHL.com Writer
Isaiah Letendre’s third goal of the night at 2:15 of overtime gave the visiting High Prairie Regals a 6-5 win and spoiled the night the Grimshaw Huskies retired the sweater of #20 Terry Houlder.
Letendre’s goal came on the power play with Izaak Hudson off for holding.
It was also HP’s second straight visiting win over GRIM by the same 6-5 OT score [HP won in PR Dec. 29]. The two wins mark HP’s first regular season OT wins at GRIM since 1990 when HP won 5-4.
The teams have also played three OT games this season, GRIM winning in HP 9-8.
The win kept HP’s slim chances of catching GRIM for third place in the East Division alive. HP trails GRIM by six points [15-9] while GRIM pulled to within one point of second place MAN.
GRIM blew leads of 3-1 and 4-2 in the second period after a 1-1 first period tie. HP rallied to take a 5-4 lead late into the game but Bond Hawryluk tied the game with 2:53 left sending it to overtime.
Austin Doan scored his first two goals of the season for HP while Dakota Conroy scored his first. Ironically, each HP player who scored on this night did not score earlier this season, albeit Conroy and Letendre in limited action.
Other GRIM goals came from Sheldon Szmata, Ty Wiebe – his 20th of the season and short-handed two players – Lance Rapson and Kurt Konopelka.
All of HP’s three wins this season have come vs GRIM; HP is winless vs the rest of the NPHL. Should HP and GRIM tie at season’s, HP would currently win any tiebreaker.
HP has won five of the last games at GRIM.
Regals 6 at Huskies 5
Saturday, Jan. 12
First period
1. HP, Austin Doan 1 (Lawrence Anderson, Verny Cunningham) 9:38 (pp)
2. GH, Kurt Konopelka 5 (Colter Wiebe) 12:26
Penalties: Linden Jackson HP (holding) 2:50, Kale Helgeson GH (roughing) 8:14, Sheldon Szmata GH (hooking) 9:23.
Second period
3. GH, Lance Rapson 2 (Corson Fairless) 1:04
4. GH, Sheldon Szmata 2 (Ty Wiebe, Cole Diewert) 4:54 (pp)
5. HP, Isaiah Letendre 1 (Hector Lamouche) 8:28
6. GH, Ty Wiebe 20 (unassisted) 10:12 (sh)
7. HP, Dakota Conroy 1 (Hector Lamouche) 15:29 (pp)
Penalties: Lawrence Anderson HP (delay of game) 3:53, Verny Cunningham HP (check to the head minor, misconduct) 5:37, Izaak Hudson GH (interference) and Lance Rapson GH (check to the head minor, misconduct) 9:09, Clint Reid GH (tripping) 10:43, Jamie MacMinn HP and Lowen Lambert GH (roughing after the whistle) 13:35, Mark Simpson GH (cross-checking) 14:34, Damian Cardinal HP (slashing) and Jamie MacMinn HP and Lowen Lambert GH (fighting majors, game misconducts) 16:24.
Third period
8. HP, Austin Doan 2 (Kirk Ruecker) 7:39
9. HP, Isaiah Letendre 2 (Dakota Conroy) 13:54
10. GH, Bond Hawryluk 11 (Clint Reid, Brendan Hawryluk) 17:07
Penalties: Kyle Richardson GH (tripping) 00:45, Damian Cardinal HP (tripping) 14:04, Lawrence Anderson HP and Clint Polukoshko GH (fighting majors, game misconducts) 17:07.
Overtime
11. HP, Isaiah Letendre 3 (Linden Jackson) 2:45 (pp)
Penalty: Izaak Hudson GH (holding) 1:01.
Shots on goal:
High Prairie 18 13 10 4 -45
Grimshaw 18 16 17 1 -52 Goaltenders: Regals, Matt MacMinn; Huskies, Corey Houlder.
Power Plays: HP 3-7; GH 1-5.
Penalties in Minutes: HP 52; GH 58.