Junior hockey makes triumphant return to Landmark
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This article was published 29/10/2022 (829 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Fans of junior hockey in Landmark got their money’s worth Oct. 22, as the Landmark Blues returned to the Hanover-Tache Junior Hockey League (HTJHL) fold.
While the home team couldn’t deliver a win in their home opener, they did stage a dramatic third period comeback to force overtime, before falling to the Red River Mudbugs on a Braden Hildebrand goal.
Landmark was down 5-3 heading into the third period, but managed to score three times to temporarily take the lead, including back to back goals from Brandon Slobozian and Jackson Reimer just 23 seconds apart.
Reimer scored his second of the game to give the Blues a 6-5 lead, but Lucas Dyck was able to even the score for the visitors with under three minutes to play.
Landmark’s first two games back in the league have went to overtime, as they won their first game of the year against Niverville 3-2 in a shootout.
Matt Piett is the head coach of the Blues, and as a former player in the HTJHL, is happy Landmark is back in the league.
“It’s been pretty good, it’s been a while since we’ve had hockey in town,” he said after the game against Red River.
“Everybody’s been looking forward to this date.”
Piett wasn’t just a passive observer, as the Blues looked like a brand new team after the second period. Even before tying the game, Landmark looked dangerous, with several pucks finding their way behind Mudbugs goalie Cole Einarson but not crossing the goal-line.
“I made a few adjustments, and (the players) started coming hard at the net,” Piett said.
“They showed up to play after making those changes.”
The Blues are keeping their goals managable this season, hoping to bring high-stakes hockey back to Landmark this spring.
“I’m hoping we can make it to the playoffs, but we have to take it one game at a time,” Piett said.
“We have not seen every team yet. The first two teams, we’ve paired up with them at the right level. We’re hoping to take it farther if we can.”
In the early goings of the HTJHL season, only one team has played three games, with Niverville leading the standings with a 2-0-1 record. There will be a full slate of games this week, as Landmark will host the Steinbach Huskies for their second HTJHL game of their re-born franchise Oct. 28. Games will also be played around the league on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Wednesday.
The league’s full schedule can be found at HTJHL.com.