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Trojans blank Macs at TELUS Cup

Jayden Wiens scores twice and Tanner Martin made 18 stops for the shutout as Tisdale improves to 2-1-0.
Dawson Schaff Brant King Liam Oxner
Tisdale's Dawson Schaff and Halifax's Brant King battle for position in front of Macs goaltender Liam Oxner on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 at the TELUS Cup at Fort William Gardens. (Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch.com)

THUNDER BAY – Tisdale Trojans coach Darrell Mann said Tuesday’s 2-0 triumph over the Halifax Macs was the biggest win for his team this season.

The triumph, powered by a pair of Jayden Wiens goals and an 18-save shutout performance from Tanner Martin between the pipes, put the West Region champions in the driver’s seat for a playoff berth at the TELUS Cup, knowing they can win their way into the next round without needing help from anyone else.

Nothing’s yet clinched, Mann said, but the Trojans are feeling pretty confident after picking up their second straight win at the six-team tournament, being played this week at Fort William Gardens.

“It was huge, the biggest game of the year for our hockey club. I thought our forward and our D really performed well and obviously in net, goaltender Tanner Martin gets the shutout,” Mann said.

It was as complete a defensive effort as any team has put in this week after three days of play at the TELUS Cup.

The Macs, who opened with a win, but have since dropped two straight to fall to 1-2, managed just three shots in a scoreless first and struggled to find quality shots, which were few and far between over the final two periods.

It was all about limiting chances, Mann said.

“We really did. I thought our forwards were great on the fore-check, our D-men were standing up. They had a couple of chances, but (Martin) made the saves, but all in all it was just a great effort by our hockey club,” he said.

Wiens provided all the offence the Trojans (2-1-0) would need.

He finally solved Halifax goalie Liam Oxner 2:20 into the second, one-timing a quick pass from line-mate Mackenzie Carson, giving the Trojans the only goal they’d need to secure their second win of the week.

“I was coming down the wing and my line-mate Mackenzie Carson was down in the corner and no one was one me. I just started yelling for it. He found me and I just put it low blocker,” Wiens said.

He added his second of the night, and third of the tournament, into an empty net, with 39 seconds to go in the third.

It’s a great feeling, he said.

“For any game to score two goals, it’s pretty surreal, especially in a high-calibre tournament like this. I hopefully can just carry it over to tomorrow,” said Wiens, a Carrot River, Sask. product.

Halifax coach Tim Boyce agreed his team isn’t in an enviable position, needing to win at least one of their final two games to advance to Saturday’s semifinal.

“They are very good at pressuring the puck. Our defencemen played 60 minutes with their face to the glass, pretty much, for the majority of the game. They just kept coming in waves,” Boyce said, adding he’s told his players to have a short memory and regroup for a key contest Thursday night against the host Thunder Bay Kings squad.

Cameron Brown had Halifax’s best chance to tie the game, rifling a quick shot at Martin on a late third-period power play, but the puck couldn’t find an opening.

Puck drop for the Kings and Macs is 7:30 p.m.

Tisdale takes on Calgary at noon on Thursday.

FIRST PERIOD
Scoring
: None. Penalties: Watt HFX (interference) 1:37, Olson TIS (hit to head) 4:46, Welsh (tripping) 7:48, Comeau HFX (hit to head) 14:28.

SECOND PERIOD
Scoring
: 1. Tisdale, Wiens 2 (Carson, Kosior) 2:20 pp. Penalties: McLeod HFX (cross checking) 1:35, Byard HFX (charging) 2:52, Vranai TIS (hit to head) 3:20, Welsh HFX, Vranai TIS (cross checking) 7:42, Kline HFX (cross checking) 8:59, Kosior TIS (slashing) 17:54.

THIRD PERIOD
Scoring
: 2. Tisdale 4 (Vranai) 19:30 en. Penalties: Samida TIS (hit to head) 1:56, Schaff TIS (boarding) 11:23.

GAME DATA - SOG - Halifax 3-8-7-18, Tisdale 7-14-8-29; Power plays (goals-chances) - Halifax (0-5), Tisdale (1-6); Goaltenders - Halifax: Liam Oxner, Tisdale: Tanner Martin.



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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