The East St. Paul Gators split a demanding stretch of Hanover Tache Junior Hockey League action last week, opening with a dramatic overtime road win before dropping back-to-back games against two of the league’s top teams.
East St. Paul earned a 5–4 overtime victory over the Red River Mudbugs on Wednesday, Jan. 28, at St. Jean Arena. The Gators jumped out to a 3–1 first-period lead on goals from Jonah Chaulk, Carter Reid and Cole Philion, but Red River rallied to take a 4–3 advantage midway through the third.
Adam Frick scored twice late in regulation to force overtime, including the tying goal at 15:55, before the Gators sealed the win in the extra frame. Caleb Hofer added two assists in the comeback, while Preston Laschyn stopped 24 shots to earn the victory in goal. East St. Paul finished 1-for-5 on the power play, while holding Red River scoreless on four opportunities.
The Gators were unable to carry that momentum into Saturday’s home game, falling 7–3 to the Mitchell Mustangs at the East St. Paul Community Centre. Mitchell built a 4–1 lead in the opening period and added three more goals over the final two frames. East St. Paul goals came from Chris Tataryn on the power play, Ethan Lukianchuk and Luka Burgess. Laschyn and Aiden Poseluzney shared the goaltending duties in the loss.
East St. Paul then closed the week with an 8–1 loss to the undefeated Macdonald Swarm on Sunday night at the Sanford Recreation Centre. Macdonald scored five unanswered goals over the first two periods to take control. Caleb Hofer scored the lone Gators goal late in the second period, with assists from Adam Frick, while Poseluzney made 54 saves under heavy pressure. East St. Paul went 0-for-2 on the power play.
Following the three games, the Gators sit ninth in the HTJHL standings with an 8-18-0 record and 16 points. They trail Red River by five points in the race for eighth, while Macdonald continues to lead the league with a perfect 27-0 record.
East St. Paul returns to action Tuesday night with a road game against Macdonald, followed by home games Wednesday against Red River and Saturday versus Grunthal, before travelling to Niverville on Sunday.
