The East St. Paul Gators endured a wild two-game HTJHL series against the Landmark Blues last week, dropping the first matchup 7-2 before bouncing back with an impressive 6-3 victory the following night.
The Gators ran into a sharp Landmark squad in the opener as the Blues built early momentum and never looked back. Landmark opened the scoring at 6:24 of the first period, and although East St. Paul generated chances, they entered the first intermission trailing 1-0.
The Blues extended their lead in the second period with goals from Noah Saunders and Kai Sharma. East St. Paul finally broke through in the third when Kaden Coughlin scored at 6:59, but by then Landmark had already added two more to build a commanding lead.
Brayden Alf added a late power-play marker at 14:24, but Landmark responded again less than three minutes later to round out the 7-2 final.
Gators goaltender Cole Fraser stood tall despite the scoreline, making 45 saves while facing relentless pressure. East St. Paul finished 1-for-5 on the power play, while Landmark went 0-for-4.
East St. Paul flipped the script in the rematch, powered by a hat trick from captain Luke Tyslau and a standout 48-save performance from goaltender Zacharie Grenier.
Tyslau opened the scoring at 7:39 of the first, and after Landmark tied it midway through the period, the Gators regained the lead when alternate captain Brayden Alf scored on a setup from Carter Reid and Tyslau.
The captain struck again early in the second to make it 3-1 before Landmark clawed back in the third. Reid restored the Gators’ two-goal cushion with a power-play marker at 12:12, which held up as the game-winner.
Caleb Hofer added insurance at 18:22 and Tyslau completed the hat trick just 32 seconds later, sealing a convincing win.
Grenier was outstanding between the pipes, turning aside 48 shots as the Gators improved their special-teams play by going 1-for-2 on the power play and shutting down all six Landmark opportunities.
Upcoming Game:
The Gators return home Saturday, Nov. 22 for a 7:30 p.m. matchup at East St. Paul Community Centre when they host the Macdonald squad.
