All-Star thoughts

Swan Valley fans should be applauded for turning out Wednesday for the MJHL all-star game. More than 500 people braved bone-chilling temperatures to support a celebration of junior A hockey in this province, which is slightly higher than what I was predicting – and certainly better than the Stampeders have been drawing this season (which is a whole other column itself).
The fans in the stands might also have witnessed the last all-star game for the forseeable future, as I can’t see many people wanting to continue on with what we witnessed last week.
To call this year’s game lackluster would be too kind. The young novice and squirt hockey players who have been playing scrimmages in between periods at recent Stampeder games put forth more effort than the all-stars did last Wednesday.
Ryan Marshall’s tip-in goal 40 some odd seconds into the game set the tone for what sort of game we were going to see. Players were moving at half speed, there was no hitting, and there was little in the way of defence.
There was one exception – Steinbach’s Addison Herosian stopped 26 of 29 shots he faced. This netminder deserves special recognition for putting forth the best performance of the evening, in my opinion anyway.
It got so bad that players were fishing the puck out of the net after they scored and quickly skating back to centre ice just to get the game over with.
Now I don’t put any blame on the players or coaches. They had no incentive, nothing to play for. Worst case scenario would be someone getting hurt, and they made sure that wasn’t going to happen.
That’s not to say there isn’t some way to spice up this game. Perhaps by putting something on the line, such as home ice advantage in the MJHL final, fans might get a better game. I even heard someone suggest a top prospect’s game would be a better idea. Or just have a skills competition, where players see who has the hardest shot, and who skates the fastest.
I walked around the rink quite a bit Wednesday night and not one person told me they thought they were watching an entertaining game.
The MJHL needs to take a hard look at this event. Yes, being named an all-star in this league is an honour, but if it means going through the motions in a nothing game, then put this event out of its misery.
• The Swan Valley Stampeders are preparing for a playoff run in early March, though they have yet to clinch a spot or find out who their first-round opponent is.
Regardless, the team’s board of directors was so pleased with the performance of the team that they announced a two-year extension has been offered and accepted by head coach Dwayne Kirkup. The team also holds an option for a third year.
This sets Kirkup up to potentially join Del Pedrick as men who have coached this team for four years.
Kirkup said he really wasn’t focused on getting a new deal, even though his current contract was set to end at the conclusion of this season.
“It’s good that it’s a done deal, but it wasn’t a real priority for me,” said Kirkup. “I didn’t want to be taking away from the team, as I was focused on that.
“But the board of directors felt it was time to do something, and I am pleased to be with the Stampeders for a couple of more years,” he added. “I just want to make sure this franchise moves forward and we can win some hockey games.”
After Saturday’s victory over the Portage Terriers, Kirkup sports a 59-40-2-8 record as head coach of the Stampeders. He also has one playoff series victory, and was named the MJHL’s coach of the year in his rookie season.
• The Winnipeg Blues’ Patrick Henderson is this week’s MJHL Player of the Week.
The 20-year-old forward recorded three points (one goal, two assists) in two games played for the Blues who sit fourth in the Addison Division but are not likely going to make the playoffs.
Henderson, who stans six-feet tall and weighs 180-pounds, leads the Blues’ in scoring with 11 goals and 34 points heading into the final week of January.
Also considered for this award was a pair of 20-year-old players – Michael Wilgosh of the Winkler Flyers and Guillaume Vallee of the OCN Blizzard.
• The Portage Terriers are now the only MJHL team in the top 20 of the CJHL weekly rankings.
The Terriers are now ranked No. 11 in the country, two spots down from the previous week.
The Selkirk Steelers fell completely off the charts as they are going through a rough patch, posting a 4-4-2 record in their last 10 games heading into the final week of January.
The Dauphin Kings, the hottest team in the MJHL, were given an honourable mention and are threatening to make it onto the list.
• One of the major goals for junior A teams is to get their players a scholarship And one of the best puck stoppers in the league has earned himself a place to play after his junior career is done.
Jason Kasdorf of Portage Terriers has committed to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York, beginning the fall of 2012. RPI competes in the ECAC conference.
Kasdorf, who hails from Winnipeg, sits second overall in the MJHL goaltending race with a 15-8 record, 2.42 GAA after 23 games. His save percentage is .914. He also took place in the MJHL all-star game.
Kasdorf follows in the steps of alumni Ryan Shields, who played with RPI from 2000-2004.