Pony Express Blog

Wayway-Winkler a great series

2011-03-09T11:54:00.001-08:00

Ten games into this year’s Manitoba Junior Hockey League playoffs, and it’s clearer than ever that this year’s tournament to determine a league champion will be tighter than ever.
Consider that after the first 10 games, every team had won at least one game. Entering Tuesday’s action, Portage and Waywayseecappo held a 2-1 series lead over Swan Valley and Winkler respectively, while Dauphin and OCN, as well as Selkirk and the Winnipeg Saints, were tied 1-1.
Five of those 10 games went into overtime, and eight of the first 10 games were decided by a single goal.
The most exciting series so far? The Waywayseecappo Wolverines vs. the Winkler Flyers.
The road team won the first three games in this series. And the last two featured dramatic goals to tie the game to send it into overtime.
In Game 2, the hometown Wolverines held leads of 3-0 and 4-2, but Winkler tied the game, and later, the series, thanks to two third-period goals.
First, Michael Wilgosh sliced the lead to 4-3 six minutes into the third period. Then, Matt Loopkey scored with only 11 seconds remaining to tie the game. Teammate Brad Haber scored at 10:44 of the second overtime to lift the Flyers to their first win of the series.
In Game 3, though, the Wolverines must have set some sort of record for the fastest, most dramatic goals in a game.
Trailing 2-0 late in third period on the road, the Wolverines finally got back in the game when Shane Goodrunning scored a power-play goal with 3:56 to play.
The Flyers, though, appeared to break the backs of the Wolverines, as Jake Rombach scored a power-play for the home team to restore the two-goal lead with only 1:23 left to play.
Then the unthinkable happened. First, Wayway’s Dave Williams scored with eight seconds remaining in the game to cut the lead to 3-2.
Too little, too late?
Not a chance. Incredibly, Ryan Duhaime scored with one second remaining – and seven seconds after Duhaime’s goal, to send the game into overtime.
Goodrunning completed the improbable comeback, handing Winkler their second devastating loss on home ice in these playoffs.
The Wolverines, who were the fifth-seeded team in the Sher-Wood Division, are giving the No. 1 seeded team in the Addison Division all they can handle. Having a crossover team defeat the top seed in another division would be the biggest upset since the fourth-seeded Portage Terriers ended the reign of the powerhouse OCN Blizzard with a four-game sweep years ago.
• Portage Terriers’ netminder Jason Kasdorf has been named the first MJHL Player of the Week for the playoffs, Commissioner Kim Davis announced.
Kasdorf is in a real goaltender’s duel with Swan Valley’s Jayson Argue. After three games, Kasdorf sports a 1.14 GAA and a .949 save percentage. Argue, meanwhile, has a 1.70 GAA and a .929 save percentage.
Kasdorf is no stranger to awards. He was recently named to the MJHL’s second team All-Star squad, has been outstanding all season, reflected in his 24-10 record, 2.53 GAA and .912 save percentage.
Also considered for this award was 18-year-old forward T.J. Constant of the OCN Blizzard and 19-year-old forward Shane Goodrunning of the Waywayseecappo Wolverines.
• The first suspension of the playoffs has already been handed out.
J.B. Voyer of the OCN Blizzard received a two game suspension for a gross misconduct penalty he was assessed on March 4 versus the Dauphin Kings.

Playoff predictions

2011-03-01T12:30:00.001-08:00

OK, let’s get right to it this week with my playoff predictions.
I’ll note I made these predictions on March 1 on the eve of the playoffs starting.
Sher-Wood Division
No. 4 Swan Valley vs. No. 1 Portage
The Terriers had made a living knocking the Swan Valley Stampeders out of the playoffs until last year, when the Stampeders “upset” the Terriers in five games. It was an upset in that Portage caught fire late in the season and edged past the slumping Stampeders to earn home-ice advantage, but the Stampeders were clearly older and built to make it through to the second round, which they did in five games. This year the Portage Terriers overcame a slow start and held off the Dauphin Kings to earn top spot in the division. They did it with one of the top netminders in the league in Jason Kasdorf. As a team, the Terriers tied the Blizzard for the fewest goals against. Portage also did it with youth, as their top scorers (Brent Wold, Brendan Harms), were also some of their youngest players.
Swan Valley, who flirted with first place until January, relied on strong defence, netminding, and timely scoring to lock down fourth place. Amazingly this team was 10 games above .500 while scoring less goals than they allowed. Shelby Gray and Ryan Marshall were their top two scorers, but the team also got a bunch of points from the blueline from guys like Clark Byczynski and Brent Wilson. Swan Valley also has their own youth movement – Landon Peel eats up a lot of minutes on the blueline, and call up Justin Valentino, who had three points in two games for the Stampeders this year, was the second-leading scorer in the Manitoba Midget AAA Hockey League this year. Could he be an X-factor in this series?
Both teams won four of eight starts this year, btw.
Prediction: Stampeders in seven.
No. 3 OCN Blizzard vs. No. 2 Dauphin Kings
Dauphin isn’t the powerhouse they were last year, and they’ll have a much tougher road to travel to repeat as league champions.
This series really is strength vs. strength – Dauphin sports the top point man and league MVP in Shane Luke, while OCN counters with the best goaltender in the league in Matt Krahn.
On special teams, Dauphin’s power-play efficiency of 35.24 per cent (second in the league) was only a bit better than OCN’s 31.53 per cent (fourth in the league).
That leads to more strength vs. strength, as OCN sports the best penalty kill unit in the MJHL at 80.54 per cent, while Dauphin was second at 76.12 per cent.
This series has seven games written all over it, and it will ultimately come down to special teams. Which strength will win in the end? Well, they say defence wins championships...
Prediction: OCN in seven.
Addison Division
No. 4 Waywayseecappo Wolverines vs. No. 1 Winkler Flyers
The Winkler Flyers were scorching hot in the last two months of the season, going 17-3-3 (including 9-1-2 in February). Their reward is a longer road trip in the first round against a team which was almost as hot down the stretch. Waywayseecappo went 14-8-2 in the final two months of the season, including a sizzling 9-3-1 mark in January. They might be the best fifth-place team in the MJHL since Swan Valley missed the playoffs with a 30 win season during the Del Pedrick years.
Waywayseecappo’s a hard-working team (seriously, what other team do you see running stairs after games?), and now that they’ve got a netminder in Ryan Benitez (11-6 since joining the team), they believe they can beat anyone.
But will a crossover team finally beat Winkler, a team which has had its share of playoff struggles in recent years? In a word, no.
Prediction: Winkler in six.
No. 2 Selkirk Steelers vs. No. 3 Winnipeg Saints
Selkirk lost their grip on top spot in the Addison Division, but they get a great runner-up prize – less travel in the first round of the playoffs, and an opponent who went ice cold down the stretch.
The Winnipeg Saints were battling with the Flyers and Steelers for one of the top two spots in the division until January. That’s when they put together a 10-13-0 run in the final two months of the regular season, including a 3-9-0 record in January.
The Saints are also changing rinks for the post-season, playing out of the Winnipeg Blues’ home arena – the new MTS Iceplex in Headingly. So much for home-ice advantage.
Selkirk might have sputtered down the stretch, but they should have enough in the tank to dispose of the Saints – better offence, defence and power play (best in the league). The only area the Saints have a statistical edge in is the penalty kill – Selkirk was 10th this season with a 65.87 success rate. Not that the Saints have much to brag about – they were ninth with a 68.22 per cent rate.
Prediction: Steelers in five.
That’s how I see it. How does the Dauphin Herald’s Doug Zywina see it?
Kings in five, Terrierse in six, Flyers in five, and Steelers in six.

Stamps earn all-star nods

2011-02-23T08:09:00.001-08:00

The Manitoba Junior Hockey League is in a giving mood these days.
They recently announced their major award winners: Dauphin’s Shane Luke (MVP, Hockey Ability and Sportsmanship); Dauphin’s Bryn Chyzyk (rookie of the year); OCN’s Matt Krahn; Swan Valley’s Clark Bzczynski (top defenceman); and OCN’s Scott McMillan (coach of the year).
The honours continued this week as the league announced their all-star teams.
The Sher-Wood Division dominated this year, taking five of six spots in both the first all-star team and the all-rookie team.
The forwards for the first all-star team are Luke, Swan Valley’s Shelby Gray and Waywayseecappo’s Paul Vandevelde.
The defence features Bzczynski and Selkirk’s Chris Delalande. Krahn is the team’s goaltender.
The second all-star team features forwards Brett Chartier from the Winnipeg Saints, as well as both Joel Ridgeway and Colan Jackson from the Selkirk Steelers.
On the blueline are Dale Warkentin from the OCN Blizzard, and Paul Bonar from the Winnipeg Blues.
The netminder is Jason Kasdorf from the Portage Terriers.
The all-rookie team features forwards Bryn Chyzyk from the Dauphin Kings, Brent Wold from the Portage Terriers, and Brett Pinkerton from the Waywayseecappo Wolverines.
On the blueline are Yvan Pattyn from the Portage Terriers and Landon Peel from the Swan Valley Stampeders.
The top rookie netminder is Reed Peters from the Winkler Flyers.
• Speaking of Peters, the Morden native was also recognized as the MJHL Player of the Week.
The rookie puck stopper kicked out 103 of 110 shots he faced, leading his team to three victories, including a key first-place showdown win against the Selkirk Steelers. That victory gives the Flyers the advantage as they try to secure top spot in the division for the first time in recent memory.
Also considered for this award was 17-year-old forward Brent Wold of the Portage Terriers and 19-year-old forward Jesse Hall of the Winnipeg Saints.
• There will be more awards handed out in the coming days and weeks. One of those races is to see who will be the league’s top scorer.
Unless Dauphin opts to rest Luke before the playoffs, he should win the scoring title. The league MVP had 86 points heading into the final week of the regular season, eight more than Selkirk’s Jackson.
Jackson is going to win the goal-scoring title, though. He has 44 entering action this week.
He leads Michael Wilgosh from the Winkler Flyers (36) and Gray from the Stampeders (35) in this category.
Who will be the penalty minutes leader this year?
Winnipeg Saints’ forward Tim Hayduk is a surprising leader with 118 PIMs heading into action this week. He’s two ahead of OCN’s Denis Restoule and four ahead of Neepawa’s Nate Thompson.
It’s interesting to note how small the PIM leader totals are this year. With players limited to five fighting majors this year, the days of 200 or even 300 penalty minutes could be gone for good.
Jordan Davies from the Winnipeg Saints leads all defenceman in scoring, heading into action this week with 11 goals and 33 assists for 44 points.
Right behind him is Kyle Rous from the Steinbach Pistons (13 goals, 30 assists), and Dylan Heide from the Winkler Flyers (eight goals, 32 assists).
In goal, Krahn’s GAA of 2.20 will likely hold up as the best in the MJHL, barring a terrible week for the league’s top netminder. He leads Ryan Benitez (who only has 18 starts since coming to the MJHL), who sports a 2.42 GAA.
Some consider the save percentage a more important statistic, and here too Krahn leads the way with a sizzling .927 save percentage. He leads Joey Rewucki from the Selkirk Steelers, who sports a .919 save percentage.
It wasn’t a great year for shutouts, as five puck stoppers are tied for top spot with two. They include Krahn, Kasdorf and his Portage teammate Kirk Coswell, Jayson Argue from the Swan Valley Stampeders, and Rewucki.

award nominees

2011-02-15T12:29:00.001-08:00

With the regular season almost over, the brain trust in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League has been working hard to come up with nominees and winners for the yearly individual trophies handed out annually at this time of the year.
The battle for the title of league MVP (the Steve “Boomer” Hawrysh Award) comes down to a prolific scorer and two puck stoppers. The nominees are Shane Luke of the Dauphin Kings (80 points heading into the second last week of the season), Jason Kasdorf of the Portage Terriers (leads the league with 20 wins) and Matt Krahn of the OCN Blizzard (league-best goals against average and save percentage).
Prediction: While I think this award should go to a forward, Krahn’s numbers are off the charts this year, so give the nod to the OCN puck stopper.
The league’s top defenceman (winner of the Brian Kozak Trophy) will be either Paul Bonar from the Winnipeg Blues, Chris Delalande from the Selkirk Steelers, or Clark Bzczynski from the Swan Valley Stampeders.
Prediction: Swan Valley and Winnipeg really lean on their candidates – I think Bzczynski edges Bonar.
The MJHL’s top rookie wins the Vince Leah Trophy, and this year I have to think Portage’s Brent Wold will take home the award. When you lead your team in scoring as rookie, I think that sort of makes you the front runner. Also up for this award is Dauphin’s Bryn Chyzyk and Waywayseecappo’s Brett Pinkerton.
Prediction: Wowk is all but a lock.
The “Windy” Lyndon Trophy goes to the player who shows the best hockey ability and sportsmanship (aka goons need not apply). The nominees are Joel Ridgeway of the Selkirk Steelers, Ryan Marshall of the Swan Valley Stampeders and Shane Luke of the Dauphin Kings.
Prediction: If Luke doesn’t win the MVP award, he might get this as a consolation prize.
Krahn and Kasdorf will also battle for the Top Goaltender Trophy. Joining them for this award will be Joey Rewucki of the Selkirk Steelers.
Prediction: Two awards for Krahn? I think so.
And who’s up for the Coach of the Year (the Muzz McPherson Award)? Scott McMillan from the OCN Blizzard, John Marks from the Winkler Flyers and Blake Spiller from the Portage Terriers.
Prediction: Portage winning the ultra-competitive Sher-Wood Division might be enough to give Spiller the award.
These awards will be handed out in the coming days in front of the player’s hometown fans.
• The MJHL player of the week is Winkler Flyers defenceman Brad Habet.
The Aldergrove, B.C., native had eight points (one goal, seven assists) in three games last week for the Flyers, who are vying for the Addison Division title.
Also considered for this award was 17-year-old goaltender Jayson Argue of the Swan Valley Stampeders and 20-year- old goaltender Brett Willows of the Dauphin Kings.
• Dauphin Kings defenceman Eddie Friesen was handed a two game suspension for receiving his third checking from behind minor penalty in the season.

All-Star thoughts

2011-02-01T06:38:00.001-08:00

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.

NEW RANKINGS

2011-01-25T11:52:00.001-08:00

Two MJHL teams find themselves in the top 20 in the nation.
The Portage Terriers were ranked ninth in the latest Canadian Junior Hockey League rankings, unchanged from the previous week. The Selkirk Steelers were ranked 14th, up from 16 in the previous rankings.
The Dauphin Kings, who are coming on hard of late, received an honourable mention. But if it were up to me, the Kings would be ranked higher.
Speaking of rankings, let’s see what the Hockey Insider thinks about the 11 MJHL teams heading into the stretch run.
1. Portage Terriers – Finally get on top, but are already looking over their shoulders at ...
2. Dauphin Kings – Hottest team in the MJHL. Loaded up on talent at the deadline. Are they now the favourite to win the Sher-Wood?
3. Selkirk Steelers – They don’t get challenged game in and game out the way Sher-Wood Division teams do, but the Steelers are comfortably in first in the Addison and look to stay there until the playoffs.
4. OCN Blizzard – Can Matt Krahn carry this team to the promised land? I bet Neepawa wishes they still had this tender on their roster.
5. Winkler Flyers – Southern most team is starting to pull away and lock down second place.
6. Winnipeg Saints – Only 5-5 in their last 10 games as of this writing. Only playing average hockey at this time.
7. Swan Valley Stampeders – From first to fourth in just more than a month, and if they don’t start scoring, they might end up in a crossover position.
8. Neepawa Natives – Even after all their deals, the Natives are still playing strong hockey and are threatening pull past the Stampeders.
9. Waywayseecappo Wolverines – They are running out of time to make a run at a playoff spot. They need to get hot.
10 Winnipeg Blues – Trading away the veterans means more ice time for the younger players – and they are responding.
11. Steinbach Pistons – Yet another year out of the playoffs for this franchise.
• OCN Blizzard goaltender Matt Krahn has been named the MJHL Player of the Week.
Krahn was once again brilliant in posting a 2-0 record last week. The Winnipeg native allowed only three goals on 64 shots on goal. He also leads all MJHL goaltenders with a sparkling 2.09 GAA.
Krahn, 19, has an overall record of 14-12 in 26 games played. His save percentage is a lofty .932.
Also considered for this award was Stephane Pattyn, 19, of the Portage Terriers, as well as 19-year-old goaltender Brett Gagnon of the Waywayseecappo Wolverines.
• No more trades to report for this year, but the league does seem to be handing out more suspensions of late.
Waywayseecappo Wolverine Matt Malenstyn and Neepawa Native Nate Thompson each received a one game suspension for participating in a multiple fight situation Jan. 14
Winnipeg Saints forward Tim Hayduk received a five-game suspension forechecking from behind in the game on Jan. 11 versus the Portage Terriers.
Swan Valley’s Shelby Gray got off a little easier after he was handed a two-game holiday for his hitting from behind major Jan. 8 versus the Winnipeg Blues.

Christmas break update

2010-12-21T13:02:00.000-08:00

Here’s a few notes, news and tidbits about the Swan Valley Stampeders, who are currently enjoying their Christmas break.
• • •
Quick, who leads the Swan Valley Stampeders in penalty minutes this year?
If you said Jesse Enns, bravo. The first-year Stampeder has 93 minutes heading into the break, slightly ahead of Brent Wilson, who has 85.
Wilson, who hails from Norway House, doesn’t have to carry the load from the back end as much as he has in the past. Last year he provided plenty of offence from the back end. This year Wilson is still producing (sitting sixth in points with 16), but with Clark Byczynski (31 points) and rookie Landon Peel (15 points) also contributing, Swan Valley has some serious blue line depth.
In fact, the Stampeders have three defeneman in their top seven scorers.
Regardless of who’s scoring, Wilson said this year the team is more focused on team-oriented goals.
“Right now we’re just trying to focus on playing a full 60,” said Wilson. “We want to grind out other team’s defence and come ready to play.”
Wilson, who has five goals and 11 assists this year, said he’s looking forward to a safe break this year, and wants to come back ready for a run at first place.
“I want to come back healthy and ready to go,” he said.
Observing Wilson during the past two seasons, the veteran appears to be tweaking his game. He still plays with an edge, and has the ability to get under the skin of his opponents. But he also knows officials seem to be looking at him most games, ready to blow the whistle and send him to the penalty box. But as he noted after Swan Valley’s win over Neepawa, he’s picking his spots better this year.
Despite perhaps fewer trips to the box of late, Wilson is still averaging 2.5 penalty minutes per game, right about his average from last year of 2.4.
But he and his team know he’s more valuable on the ice, and it seems as if the mobile defenceman is doing all he can to stay out of the sin bin this year.
• • •
Swan Valley has proven to be a pretty impressive bounce-back team. They have only lost four games by four or more goals this year, and after those games, they are 3-1.
They know how to put a bad loss behind them, as they did on their final game before the Christmas break.
“You know I think we have real character in the room, and those kind of games happen – it’s just unfortunate it’s happened to Dauphin twice this year,” said Jeff Peel. “We bounced back and had a pretty good offensive game.
Jeff Peel’s in his final year of junior hockey, and it hasn’t exactly gone according to plan. He’s dealt with numerous injuries this year, and has only played 17 of 40 games. But he’s strung together a few games now, and is inching closer to a point a game pace.
“It feels pretty good to get back in – it’s been pretty frustrating,” said the Virden product. “I’m just striving to play good defence and shut guys down, and getting my game back in shape as I’ve basically been off for two months.”
Getting healthy also means Jeff has the chance to play on the same team as his brother Landon for the first time ever – shinny games at the rink not included.
“It’s pretty different (to play with him),” said Jeff of his 16-year-old brother.
“You get pretty protective of him at times, but I haven’t been out there when he’s been hit too hard, so I haven’t have the chance to ‘snap’,” he added with a smile. “I think I finally tied him in points, so I can go home and not have him say too much.”
Jeff also said he plans to check out his brother in Winnipeg during the World U17 Hockey Challenge, before returning to Swan River on Dec. 30.
• • •
Swan Valley’s Shelby Gray entered the break in second place in MJHL goal scoring with 25 goals in 37 games. That’s five back of Colan Jackson from Selkirk, who had 30 in 37 games.
Gray’s 25 goals also makes up 22 per cent of Swan Valley’s (small) goal total this year. Factor in his assists, and he has figured in on 36 per cent of the team’s offence this year. No wonder head coach Dwayne Kirkup wants some more goal scoring added at the deadline.
Clark Byczynski leads all defenceman in scoring heading into the break. His 31 points put him second in Swan Valley scoring.
Netminder Jayson Argue is among the league leaders in GAA (fifth) and save percentage (third) heading in the break.
Other stats of note: Swan Valley has scored 42 goals in the middle frame – their most productive period. They have also allowed 47 goals against in that same period, the most in that category. Swan Valley has also scored 37 in the first period, 31 in the third period, and one in overtime. They have allowed 28 in the first period (meaning they like to build early leads), 36 against in the third period, and two goals in overtime.
Swan Valley is 17-6-2 when scoring first, and 6-9-0 when scored on first. They are 17-4-1 at home, 6-11-1 on the road, and a stellar 10-2 on Saturday nights.

Injuries a factor

2010-12-13T08:40:00.001-08:00

The Swan Valley Stampeders are one of the big surprises in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League this season.
Picked by many to be at best a fourth-place team, the Stampeders were still battling the Portage Terriers for top spot in the Sher-Wood Division in early December.
What makes their start even more impressive is the amount of injuries, suspensions, and lost time they have had to deal with.
Swan Valley’s top-10 scorers as of Dec. 7 missed a total of 67 man games.
That includes 16 for Ryan Marshall, 11 for Tony Partridge and 21 for Jeff Peel. If you count Marshall in the top 10 of team scoring (he was tied with Cramer Coulthart), Swan Valley’s top four scorers have missed 23.
(And, as luck would have it, leading scorer and ironman Shelby Gray only missed games this week. He missed three of four and left Saturday’s loss to the Saints after taking a hit to the head).
Compare that to Portage, who’s top 10 scorers have only missed 36 games. Also, their top four scorers have only missed two games total so far this year.
Similarily, the Addison Division-leading Selkirk Steelers’ top four scorers (who have racked up an impressive 152 points as of this writing) have only missed one game.
The same goes for the Winkler Flyers, who’s top four scorers have only missed one game total.
• The Selkirk Steelers are the only MJHL team to crack the top 20 in the latest Canadian Junior Hockey League top-25 rankings.
The Steelers, who are on top of the Addison Division, moved up to No. 16 in the most recent rankings. They were not ranked in the previous set of rankings.
The Swan Valley Stampeders also received an honourable mention.
• Anthony Nobili of Neepawa Natives recorded 10 points last week, earning him MJHL Player of the Week honours.
The Montreal native had four goals and six assists for the Natives.
Nobili’s outburst left him with 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) in 28 games.
Also considered for this award was forward Jon Gaudet, 18, of the Winnipeg Saints and Ryan Marshall, 19, of the Swan Valley Stampeders.
Gaudet, 18, had two goals and six assists in three games.
Marshall had two goals and four assists for the Stampeders, and had a point in all but one of their goals last week.
• An update on MJHL trades made in and around the Dec. 1 roster cutdown deadline.
In a deal announced two days after the deadline, the Waywayseecappo Wolverines acquired 18-year-old forward Brett Lafond from the Melfort Mustangs for future considerations.
The Muskeg Lake, Sask., product appeared in five games for the Mustangs this year.
In Dec. 1 deadline deals, the Swan Valley Stampeders traded 19-year-old forward Eric Rochefort to the Temiscaming Royals of the NOJHL for 20-year-old defenceman Randall Blackned and future considerations. It’s not clear if either player will report.
The Winnipeg South Blues acquired 18-year-old forward Ryan Elliot from the OCN Blizzard for future considerations. The Blues previously acquired Elliot from the Powell River Kings of the BCHL for future considerations.
The Winnipeg Blues also traded 18-year-old forward Dustin Bruyere and the MJHL list rights of 16-year-old defenceman Nicholas Bruyere to the OCN Blizzard for the MJHL list rights of 16-year-old forward Brett Stovin and future considerations.
Not done there, the Winnipeg Blues traded 19-year-old forward Ben Morgan and future considerations to the Notre Dame Hounds of the SJHL for 20-year-old forward Austin Lauder.
The Winnipeg Saints traded 19-year-old forward Richard Little to the Winkler Flyers for future considerations.
Also, the Waywayseecappo Wolverines have acquired 20-year-old goaltender Ryan Benitez from the Yarmouth Mariners of the Maritime Junior Hockey League for future considerations.

Czuba signs in France

2010-11-25T12:14:00.001-08:00

From the “Where are they now” file, former Stampeder sniper Tyler Czuba in now playing hockey across the Pond. Czuba was transfered by the Tulsa Oilers to Deuil-Garges, a professional hockey team in France. He joins a team with players from France, Canada, and Sweden. Czuba is the Stampeders all-time leading goal scorer (124). He also set the benchmark for goals in a season (60) and was named the MJHL’s MVP.

Peel makes Team West

2010-11-18T14:26:00.001-08:00

The MJHL is doing something the SJHL is not – sending players to the Under-17 World Hockey Challenge.
Swan Valley’s Landon Peel, a 16-year-old rookie defenceman (and brother of teammate Jeff Peel), along with Portage’s Brendan Harms, were both named to Team West (Saskatchewan and Manitoba) on Monday.
The event takes place Dec. 27 to Jan. 5 in Winnipeg.
There are only two junior A players on this team. The rest of the team is made up of players from the midget AAA and the major junior ranks.
Garth Mitchell, head coach of the Yellowhead Chiefs of the Manitoba Midget AAA Hockey League, will lead Team West this year. David Anning, bench boss of the Winnipeg Saints, will serve as one of three assistant coaches. The other two are from the SJHL – Bob Beattie from La Ronge and Kyle McDonald from Notre Dame.
After attending an evaluation camp this summer, Peel said he knew he had to have a solid start to this year to cement his position on the team.
“I was surprised when I got the call, but happy at the same time,” said the Virden native. “I first attended a camp in the summer with the top 40 (players from Manitoba and Saskatchewan), and they got it down to 25 or so, and then they said they would watch us throughout the year.”
Getting noticed was a bit tougher early in the year. Peel was good enough to start the year with the WHL’s Regina Pats, but due to a numbers game, he wasn’t getting into every game. Rather than have him sit in the press box, the Pats made the decision to reassign him to the Swan Valley Stampeders where he would dress every game.
Not only has the talented defenceman played every game, he’s also played key special teams minutes, and has chipped in offensively with three goals and an assist in eight games.
Peel said playing more minutes allowed the scouts to watch him.
“More ice time gave me a way better chance of making this team,” he said.
Several Stampeders have played on this team. Last year Evan Morden played in Timmins, Ont. And in 2004 trainer Graham Watt, coach Del Pedrick and forward Brodie Dupont took part in this event.
• Winkler Flyers’ netminder Peter Alexander is the latest puck stopper to be named the MJHL’s Player of the Week.
Alexander, who turned 20 last week, posted a 2-0 record and 1.92 GAA with an impressive save percentage of .948.
Also considered for this award was Cole Brunet, 19, of the Steinbach Pistons, and Evan Gravenor of the Winnipeg Blues.
Brunet, who hails from Morris, had five points in four games (two goals, three assists).
Gravenor, 20, registered six points (two goals, four assists) in three games last week for the Blues.
• Ryan Marshall (Swan Valley), Matt Krahn (OCN) and Mitch Van Teeling (Dauphin) did not medal at the World Junior A Challenge in Penticton, B.C., but they are saying it was a great experience.
“Any time you pull on the Canadian jersey it’s an honour,” Marshall told the MJHL. “The calibre of players in this tournament is really high.”
Canada’s Team West fell 8-3 to Switzerland in the bronze medal game.
Marshall – making his second straight appearance at the tournament – finished with two goals and two assists in five games and was tied for second in team scoring.
Van Teeling was held pointless in five games, while Krahn finished with a 2-3 record, a .873 save percentage and a 4.37 GAA.
The United States won this event for the second straight year, defeating Canada Team East in the gold-medal game.
• Some trades to report on this week, starting with the Portage Terriers, who traded 20-year-old defenceman Justin Minoletti and future considerations to the La Ronge Ice Wolves of the SJHL for 19-year-old defenceman Brett Adnum.
Minoletti, from Thunder Bay, Ont., had 28 points in 53 games for the Terriers last year.
Adnum, a native of Steinbach, wanted to be closer to place he could start university, and he told Laura Shantora Nelles from The Daily Graphic that while he was sitting at home, he wondered if he would ever get dealt.
“I said I wasn’t going to report (to La Ronge), and they called me six or seven times, asking me to reconsider, but I was hoping either to stay closer to home or go back to Alberta,” explained Adnum. “I sat at home for nearly a month ... and at one point, La Ronge hadn’t returned my calls in five days, so I thought they might just sit on me for a month.”
In the second part of this deal, the Winnipeg Blues traded 19-year-old defenceman and Saskatoon native Drew McDermott to the La Ronge Ice Wolves for Minoletti and 19-year-old forward Justin Remillard, who hails from Fort McMurray
As well, the Dauphin Kings acquired 19-year-old forward Luke Hannas (from Williams Lake, B.C.) from the Prince George Spruce Kings of the BCHL for future considerations.
The MJHL also handed out several suspensions last week.
Waywayseecappo Wolverines player Cale Horn was suspended for two games for receiving a major penalty for delivering a blow to the head Nov. 7 against the Winkler Flyers.
Dauphin Kings player Calvin Cairns and Neepawa Natives player Richard Kinderwas were both suspended three games for participating in a staged fight Nov. 6.

Blues rebuilding

2010-11-09T12:53:00.001-08:00

The Winnipeg Blues are off to a tough start this season. They entered the second week of November with only five victories in 22 games and sat in fourth place in the Addison Division. However, if the playoffs were to start today, they would lose out in a crossover situation.
Though the Blues had only won five of 22, they only had 11 regulation losses. The Blues had lost six games via shootout or in overtime – basically the difference between fourth and third place in their division.
“We just don’t have the mix we need yet,” said Blues head coach and general manager Don MacGillivray. “We have 10 or 11 new faces on our team, and several of them haven’t played junior A hockey before. So there’s a bit of an adjustment.
“We’ve played with everybody, we’re just giving up a lot of goals.”
The Blues went with a young team last season, and they were hoping to compete for a divisional crown this year. However, the departure of two of their outstanding rookies last year – Brendan O’Donnell and Peter Stoykewych – has hampered the team’s progress.
“That’s part of the process – we had some success last year with younger guys, and they were good players but they’ve moved on to a higher level.
“That’s what this level of hockey is all about, but unfortunately for our team this year, we have some gaps. We would have liked to have had at least one of those guys back, and maybe two.”
Instead, MacGillivray had to elevate other players into key spots O’Donnell and Stoykewych could have played in, leading to some growing pains.
“That’s the difference for us this year, we don’t have that guy for that key situation,” he said.
MacGillivray though feels that with time his team will be right in the thick of things. Considering how close most games have been this year, it wouldn’t take much of a winning streak to vault up a few spots in the standings.
• Speaking of the Blues, they were sure fired up on their northern trip through the Sher-Wood Division last weekend.
The Blues got into several scraps in both OCN and Swan Valley, and as a result, suspensions were handed out.
Winnipeg Blues players Dustin Pearson and Ben Sveinson were suspended two games for participating in a multiple fight Nov. 5 against the Blizzard. MacGillivray was also given a one-game suspension.
OCN Blizzard players Rory McKie and Erik Pushka were also suspended for two games for their role in the mini-line brawl.
Their coach Scott McMillan was also suspended one game.
On the trade front, the Neepawa Natives acquired 19-year-old defenceman Lane Werbowski from the Penticton Vees of the BCHL for future considerations.
Also, the Winnipeg Blues have traded 18-year-old defenceman Ryan Breen to the Waywayseecappo Wolverines for future considerations.
• Better late than never, here are the MJHL’s first players of the month for this year.
Selkirk Steelers’ forward Joel Ridgeway was been named the RBC Player of the Month.
Ridgeway, 20, had 26 points (13-13) after 18 games.
Also considered for this award Brett Chartier of the Winnipeg Saints and Shane Luke of the Dauphin Kings.
The Sher-wood Hockey Defenceman of the Month is Winkler captain Troy Kliever.
The 20-year-old player has been a pillar on the blueline for the Flyers. He entered the month of November with 19 points (two goals, 17 assists).
Also considered for this award was Clark Byczynski, from the Swan Valley Stampeders and Chris DelaLande from the Selkirk Steelers.
The Husky Energy Rookie of the Month is Brent Wold of Portage Terriers.
The 17-year-old from Lac du Bonnet led all MJHL rookies in scoring with 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) in September and October.
Also considered for this award was 16-year-old forward Brendan Harms of the Portage Terriers and 17-year-old goaltender Jayson Argue of the Swan Valley Stampeders.
The MJHL Goaltender of the Month is OCN’s Matt Krahn.
The netminder played so well he earned a spot on Team West at the World Junior A Challenge in Penticton, B.C.
The netminder, who has WHL experience, posted a 5-3-1-2 record with a 2.33 GAA and .923 save percentage to earn him this award.
Also considered for this award was 20-year-old Wendell Vye of the Neepawa Natives and 18-year-old Jason Kasdorf of the Portage Terriers.
Vye, who hails from Moncton, did win the MJHL Player of the Week honour. He posted a 3-0 record with a 1.67 GAA and .948 save percentage to take the weekly award.
Swan Valley’s Byczynski had eight points, including six assists in one game, to be considered for this award. The other runner up was 20-year-old forward Dave Williams of the Waywayseecappo Wolverines, who had six goals in four games.

Did you know...

2010-11-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

How important is team chemistry? Pretty important if you ask the Selkirk Steelers, the top team the Addison Division.
The franchise is perhaps in the best geographical position in the province in terms of attracting talent. As a large rural centre, they pack enough fans into their arena to be able to afford billeting players from outside the region.
However, they are also close enough to Winnipeg to have access to the largest talent pool in the province. It’s fairly well known how difficult it is to attract Winnipeg-based players to rural teams.
Looking up and down the Steelers’ lineup, there are several players from Winnipeg, and more from just outside the capital. These players all know each other, and most have previously played together.
“We’ve got a good group of guys, most of who have grown up together through minor hockey,” Steelers head coach Ryan Smith told Jennifer Pawluk of the Selkirk Journal. “We’ve worked the past two years to create this atmosphere, and the guys like to come to the rink and be around each other...of course when you’re winning it makes that so much easier.”
• A few MJHL trades to update fans on.
The Winnipeg Saints have traded 20-year-old defenceman Kael Peterson to the Abitibi Eskimos of the NOJHL for future considerations. Peterson, from Stonewall, was having some trouble cracking the starting lineup for the Saints this year.
The Dauphin Kings sent 20-year-old forward Travis Cech to the Battlefords Stars of the SJHL for 20-year- old forward Louis Labbe and future considerations.
Cech, who hails from Rocky Mountain House, Alta., had seven goals and 11 assists last year in 35 games, but only had a single assist in 13 games this year.
Labbe, who hails from Quebec City, Que., has been around Canada, having previously played with both the Flin Flon Bombers and the Trenton Golden Hawks from Ontario.
The Steinbach Pistons have traded 19-year-old forward Mike Collins to the OCN Blizzard for 18-year-old forward Cody Zulyniak and the MJHL list rights of 16-year-old forward Daniel Asham and 16-year-old forward Kurt Johnas.
Collins, from Victoria, B.C., has three goals and eight assists in 17 games this year.
• Swan Valley Stampeders’ forward Shelby Gray has been named the MJHL’s Player of the Week.
Gray, who hails from Invermay, Sask., had four goals and six points in three games.
The 20 year old is an important part of the Stampeders’ attack. He entered November having scored 26 per cent of the team’s goals, while being involved in 39 per cent of the team’s scoring.
Also considered for this award was Joey Rewucki of the Selkirk Steelers and Wendall Vye of the Neepawa Natives.
Rewucki, 19, was a perfect 2-0, compiling a 1.44 GAA and .966 save percentage.
Vye, 20, also went undefeated in three starts. He posted a 1.67 GAA and .943 save percentage.
• Did you know...
The Swan Valley Stampeders are a perfect 4-0 against both the Dauphin Kings and Steinbach Pistons this year?
With a minimum 250 minutes played, netminder Trent Michalick from the Selkirk Steelers has received the most offensive support at 4.29 goals per game. Matthew Krahn, who played his way onto Team West for the World Junior A Hockey Challenge, has the least with 2.51 goals per game. It’s tough to wins games with only two and a half goals per game, but when you sport a 2.33 GAA and a .923 save percentage, you help your team win five games and earn points in eight of 11.
Winnipeg’s Chris De la Lande from the Selkirk Steelers entered November on a 10-game point-scoring streak, collecting three goals and 10 assists during that stretch. That’s tops in the MJHL this year.
The next-best point-scoring streak is seven games, a mark shared by several players including OCN’s T.J. Constant, Waywayseecappo’s Shane Goodrunning, Winkler’s Jordan Neduzak, Waywayseecappo’s Paul Van De Velde, and Winkler’s Michael Wilgosh.
Adam Stoykewych from the Winnipeg Blues and Paul Crane from the Winnipeg Saints share the league lead for short-handed goals with three. Selkirk’s Colan Jackson leads the league with eight power-play goals, followed by Shane Luke and Bryn Chyzyk, both from Dauphin, who each seven.

Marshall makes Team West

2010-10-26T12:02:00.001-07:00

Three members of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League have earned the right to represent their country at the World Junior A Challenge Nov. 8 to 14 in Penticton, B.C.
Forwards Ryan Marshall (Swan Valley Stampeders) and Mitchell Van Teeling (Dauphin Kings) will be joining goaltender Matt Krahn (OCN Blizzard) on the Team West squad.
Trying out for the team, but not making the final cut, were Connor Clevereley (Winnipeg Blues) and Jordan Neduzak (Winkler Flyers).
Krahn, who wasn’t even invited to the tryout camp, becomes the first netminder from the MJHL to make this team. MJHL Commissioner Kim Davis weighed in on why he thought the Blizzard netminder was chosen.
“Matt was picked to the Team West squad based on his outstanding performance during the regular season,” Davis said of Krahn’s selection. “This selection reinforces the importance of players doing their best each and every game. Evaluators at various levels of hockey are always watching.”
The Blizzard will actually be missing two key people from their team – also joining Team West from the MJHL will be assistant coach Jomar Cruz of OCN Blizzard, a former netminder himself.
Team West is made up of players from the British Columbia Hockey League, Alberta Junior Hockey League, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, Manitoba Junior Hockey League and Superior International Junior Hockey League.
This year Team West will play in Group B, taking on Russia and Switzerland in the round-robin. Team East, will play Sweden and the United States in the other pool.
• Rookie Bryn Chyzyk of the Dauphin Kings was selected as the MJHL Player of the Week.
The Dauphin King forward had three goals and three assists in four games for his Kings, who posted a 2-2 record.
With his outburst, the 18-year-old moved into a tie for the rookie scoring lead with eight goals and 21 points in 18 games.
Also considered for this award was Evan Gravenor of the Winnipeg Blues and Cole Pruden of Winnipeg Saints. Both players are 20 years old.
Gravenor recorded five points (two goals, three assists) in two games for the Blues.
Pruden scored three goals and added two assists in two games for the Saints.
• In the most recent CJHL rankings, two MJHL teams cracked the top 20.
The Swan Valley Stampeders were ranked 15th, while the Selkirk Steelers were ranked 16th.
The Portage Terriers also received an honourable mention.
Given how close things are in the MJHL these days, don’t be surprised if new teams pop in and out of the rankings all season long.
• Some suspensions to announce, starting with the bench boss of the Dauphin Kings.
Head coach Marlin Murray was suspended for two games after receiving a gross misconduct penalty Oct. 23 in a game against the Winnipeg Saints.
Also, Winkler Flyer Daniel Fainman was been suspended two games after receiving a major penalty for a blow to the head Oct. 19 versus the Dauphin Kings.
In the trade department, the Kings made a pair of deals. They started by trading 20-year-old defenceman Jacob Harcoff to the Miramichi Timberwolves of the MJAHL for future considerations.
They also acquired 19-year-old forward Brendan Kotyk from the top team in Canada, the Humboldt Broncos of the SJHL, for future considerations.
In other deals, the Selkirk Steelers traded 20-year-old defenceman Brendan Boyle to the Manitoulin Islanders of the NOJHL for future considerations.
Also, the Steinbach Pistons have traded 19-year-old forward Hartwell Marable, as well as future considerations, to the Quesnel Millionaires of the BCHL for 20-year-old forward Sterling Bear. The Martensville, Sask., native has amassed a large number of penalty minutes in his junior career across Canada and will provide the Pistons with some real grit.
• As Western Hockey League teams pare down their rosters, there is a trickle-down effect which could benefit some MJHL teams.
The Swan Valley Stampeders just added another young player to their roster as the Regina Pats assigned 16-year-old defenceman Landon Peel to the junior A ranks.
The Pats are high on young Peel, who’s older brother Jeff also plays for the Stampeders. But they feel he needs to play more, and so they felt a year of junior A hockey would benefit him more.
The Stampeders have a long history of 16-year-old players who went on to be productive WHL players and even NHL draft picks. This long list includes Barry Brust, Walker Wintoneak, Brodie Dupont, Ricky Kozak and Justin Falk, who recently scored his first NHL point as a member of the Minnesota Wild.

Adjusting to new rules

2010-10-12T14:01:00.001-07:00

MJHL teams continue to adjust to the new rules about fighting and safety. So too do the officials – some of which are not even aware some penalties can lead to major suspensions and fines.
I’ve already heard rumblings from a few people in the MJHL saying they are not exactly pleased with pilot project thrust upon them by Hockey Canada.
Anyway, some more suspensions to report this week.
Swan Valley Stampeder Brad McDonald was suspended for two games after being assessed a major penalty for a blow to the head on Sept. 29 against Dauphin Kings.
In that same game, the Kings also lost a player to a suspension.
Dauphin’s Calvin Cairns was suspended two games after receiving a major penalty for checking from behind.
In another game, a key Portage veteran was handed a five-game holiday. Shaquille Merasty from the Terriers was suspended for five games after receiving a major penalty for a blow to the head. This blow resulted in an injury to a member of the Dauphin Kings during their Sept. 26 game.
• Netminder Dylan Wells of Swan Valley Stampeders has been named the MJHL’s Player of the Week.
Wells, 19, was nearly flawless, turning aside 77 of 79 shots, posting a 2-0 record and a 1.00 GAA against the Dauphin King.
Also considered for this award were Zach Mausolf of Neepawa Natives and T.J. Constant of OCN Blizzard.
Mausolf, 20, recorded seven points (two goals, five assists) for the Native. Constant, 17, had five points (two goals, three assists) in two games for the Blizzard.
• The Swan Valley Stampeders will host this year’s all-star game on Jan. 19.
The game will be much different from past all-star events. There won’t be a top prospect’s game or skills competition, and it won’t take place on a weekend (prime playing time for MJHL teams). The game will take place on a Wednesday night.
This will be the second time the Stampeders have hosted this event. They hosted it in their second-ever season as well.
“It’s been 10 years since we hosted this event and we wanted to give something back to our great fans,” said Derek Boychuk, past team president and Swan Valley’s All Star Committee Chair. “The organization is extremely happy to be showcasing our league as well as our beautiful Swan Valley.”
The two teams – the Sher-Wood and Addison Division squads – will be selected by voting conducted by the league’s 11 head coaches.
• From the trade front, the always busy Neepawa Natives have traded 19-year-old forward Ward Szucki and 19-year-old defenceman Tyson Kennedy to the Humboldt Broncos of the SJHL for 19-year-old forward Anthony Noibili and 18-year-old forward Ryan Magalas, as well as future considerations.
Both Kennedy and Szucki were previously acquired this season from the Winnipeg Blues and Estevan Bruins, respectively.
Not done, there, the Neepawa Natives traded 20-year-old defenceman Mike Dopko to the Nanaimo Clippers of the BCHL for future considerations.
That’s six 19 or 20 year old players the Natives have now traded since the start of the season.
The Swan Valley Stampeders did not pull the trigger on a deal, but they plan to soon. Defenceman Brent Wilson has gone back to Norway House and asked for a trade. The Stampeders report they are shopping him around and that there is some interest.
The Stampeders could use some warm bodies. Ryan Wigner, Dylan Trowell and Tony Partridge were all out with injuries last week, and with Wilson leaving, they had to juggle their lineup in their two games against the Dauphin Kings.
• The MJHL Showcase took place Thanksgiving weekend. Each team plays 30 home and away games, and two neutral site games( well, except for the Winnipeg teams) in Winnipeg for the Showcase. It’s a big weekend for players as the event is heavily scouted.
“There’s going to be a lot of clipboards in the stands, so hopefully I and my team do well this weekend,” said Wells, the reigning player of the week.
For many players it will also be their first look at the MTS IcePlex facility in Headingly. The new arena is already drawing rave revues, and it’s a definite improvement for a home rink for the Blues, who used to play out of the aging Century Arena in Winnipeg.

Comments

2010-10-07T09:59:00.000-07:00

Just noticed I actually have a few posts. Great to see.
I'm just doing the blog this year. The Stamps are doing the main site themselves.
As for Neepawa's "lean year" last year, they may have came on in wins late but they didn't win enough to avoid the Kings in the opening round. I wouldn't get too excited about my predictions, though. They are notoriously unreliable, but yet seem to really rile people up!

Suspensions hurting teams

2010-10-07T09:58:00.001-07:00

Marshall at Team West camp

2010-09-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

Five MJHL teams had to do without one of their better players last week after they were selected to attend tryouts for Team West at this year’s World Junior A Challenge.
Winnipeg’s Connor Clevereley (defenceman, Winnipeg Blues), Ste. Rose du Lac’s Ryan Marshall (forward, Swan Valley Stampeders), Virden’s Mitch VanTeeling (forward, Dauphin Kings), The Pas’ T.J. Constant (forward, OCN Blizzard) and Morden’s Jordan Neduzak (forward, Winkler Flyers) all spent part of last week in Penticton, B.C., for a Team West tryout camp. The city will also host the World Junior A Challenge Nov. 8 to 14.
Marshall was a member of last year’s team, while Neduzak played in the junior A top prospect’s game last year, giving both players some insight to the level of play expected at this event.
Also back is OCN Blizzard assistant coach Jomar Cruz .
The Canada West roster is comprised of players from the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) and Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL).
This year’s head coach is Kindersley Kippers bench boss Larry Wintoneak, father of former Swan Valley Stampeder Walker Wintoneak. It marks the first time a coach based out of Saskatchewan will head up the team.
Last summer at the NHL Entry Draft, a record 27 alumni from this event were selected by NHL teams, including the eighth overall pick, Alexander Burmistrov from Russia.
This event is growing in prestige and a good showing at this international event can go a long way in furthering one’s hockey career. But to do that, you first have to make the team. Final rosters will be announced later this month.
• Chapen Leblond of Winkler Flyers has been named year’s first MJHL player of the week.
The second-year Flyer had 12 points (three goals and nine assists) in the first 10 days of the season.
Also considered for this award was Brett Chartier of Winnipeg Saints and Brett Wold of Portage Terriers.
Chartier, 19, had 10 assists in six games. Wold, 17, had five points (three goals, two assists) in four games.
• Plenty of deals were made in the MJHL in the past week or so.
After sending him home before the season started, the Swan Valley Stampeders have finally traded 19-year-old goaltender and Grunthal product Caden Unger to the Steinbach Pistons for future considerations.
The Stampeders have sent netminders to the Pistons in the past, having shipped Swan River’s Josh Hohn there last year.
The Winnipeg Blues have traded 19-year-old defenceman Tyson Kennedy to the Neepawa Natives for future considerations.
The Neepawa Natives – who have been extremely busy this year when it comes to making deals – traded 20-year-old defenceman Eddie Friesen and 19-year-old forward Calvin Cairns to the Estevan Bruins for 19-year-old forward Ward Szucki.
Friesen, a native of Gladstone, and Cairns, a native of Snow Lake, were then quickly dealt back to the MJHL. The Dauphin Kings acquired the pair for 20-year-old defenceman Joel Kot from Moose Jaw. The Kings also receive future considerations.
Back to the Natives, they also shipped out 20-year-old forward Brett Suderman to the Steinbach Pistons for future considerations.
The Dauphin Kings also made another move, acquiring 18-year-old defenceman J.R. Krolik from the Penticton Vees of the BCHL for 20-year-old forward Bryan Warner and future considerations.
• There is also one MJHL suspension to report.
Tyler Wiwchar from the Winnipeg Saints was been suspended two games after receiving a major penalty for checking from behind on Sept. 23 versus the OCN Blizzard.

Anning back with the Saints

2010-09-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

The Winnipeg Saints have a new man behind the bench this season, but one who has plenty of history with the franchise.
Fresh off helping the Dauphin Kings place second in the country, David Anning take over as the head man on the bench with the Saints.
“I’m looking forward to it,” said Anning via telephone, as he took his team to Winkler to face the Flyers in the final MJHL preseason game of the year. “Leaving Dauphin wasn’t an easy decision, but I put a lot of thought into it and I was comfortable with the Saints’ organization. It felt like the right fit and I’m excited to be back with the team I played for.”
As a defenceman, Anning played four seasons with the Saints. In his final three years he scored 15 goals, added 59 assists and collected 165 penalty minutes in 179 games. He was also the team captain in the final two years.
The Winnipeg native quickly made the transition to coach, serving as an assistant coach with the Saints in the 2007-08 season before joining the Dauphin Kings as their assistant coach and marketing director in the next year.
Ironically, Anning’s first game of the year will be against his former team. The Saints open the season against the Dauphin Kings.
“That’s going to be nice – I get to see a lot of my friends up there who I got to know over the years,” said Anning. “But at the end of the day, it’s the Dauphin Kings and Winnipeg Saints players out there, and it’s not about me.
“But it’s a great facility and I love going back there.”
At home, the Saints will play out of St. Adolphe (just south of Winnipeg), a move which suits Anning just fine.
“It’s been excellent – a bit of a blessing in disguise,” he said. “Dakota (their former home rink) was good to us for a lot of years, but we’re moving on and St. Adolphe has been great for our organization. They’ve taken care of us, been flexible, and it’s really worked out so far.”
As for how the Saints will fare this year, Anning is optimistic.
“We have an older group returning here, and our younger guys are going to be able to contribute,” he said. “We’re happy with where our group’s at, but it’s tough to say where everyone else is at – a lot are still carrying 25 plus players.
“But I like our chances – I think we’ll be right in the mix.”
• The Portage Terriers will open their season in their new rink with a bang.
The Terriers – my early favourite to win the Sher-Wood Division this year – will play in the brand new PCU Centre this season. And to open the rink the right way, the Terriers hired Howling the Night Away Productions – a Brandon-based entertainment company specializing in sporting events – to handle the game-day entertainment.
“We figured, ‘Let’s do it right’,” said Terriers president Dale Deschouwer told Eric MacKenzie of The Daily Graphic. “It should be a good show to say the least, never mind a good hockey game.”
According to their website Howling the Night Away Productions know what they’re doing – clients include the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Manitoba Moose and Brandon Wheat Kings.
• The Dauphin Kings lost the services of netminder Brett Willows for three games after a scrap against a SJHL opponent.
Willows has been suspended three games for fighting on Sept. 10 versus Battlefords North Stars.
• The MJHL wants all fans who pack a camera to the rink to submit their best shots on a weekly basis.
Fans can email pictures to media@mjhlhockey.ca – and they might end up on the league’s website (www.mjhlhockey.ca).
They are looking for just about anything at the rink – bench shots, fan pictures, on-ice action – you name it.
The MJHL continue to reach out to their fan base. This is a great idea which could pay off for the league.

Predictions

2010-09-17T12:08:00.001-07:00

A few more trades to announce as teams begin to finalize their rosters for the start of the MJHL season.
The Neepawa Natives traded 20-year-old forward Maxime St. Pierre to the Abitibi Eskimos of the NOJHL for future considerations.
The Natives will be making another trade very soon, as they announced on their website that Jordan Hebert will not be playing with the Natives this years.
Hebert, the leading scorer in OCN last season with 45 points (26 goals, 19 assists), had “philosophical differences” with the coaching staff.
The talented forward was acquired in a deal involving Matt Krahn.
The Natives praised Herbert despite the parting of ways. There is no doubt going to be plenty of interest from other teams interested in acquiring the Ile des Chenes product.
In other moves, the Steinbach Pistons have traded 18-year-old defenceman Landon Hall to the Dauphin Kings for future considerations.
The Kings in turn are shipping Hall to the Grand Prairie Storm of the AJHL.
• Las year the Dauphin Kings were the easy choice as the top dog in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. As the hosts of the RBC Cup, they were inevitably going to ice an extremely strong team.
But what about this year? Who’s going to be the team to beat this year?
Here is but one man’s prediction...
Sher-Wood Division
1. Portage Terriers – This squad finished second in a “rebuilding year”, so they should have plenty of veteran talent. They are also opening up a new arena this year. Recall how a new rink in Dauphin improved their fortunes? I think the Terriers are in line for that sort of bump as well.
2. Dauphin Kings – Will the Kings have a hangover or will they be in the thick of things again this year? When you load up for a run at nationals, it means you graduate plenty of 20 year olds. But the Kings have a deep list, and they have plenty of skill returning. A second place finish isn’t out of the question.
3. Neepawa Natives – Perhaps the busiest team this off season, the Natives should be poised for a strong year. Whether head coach Bryant Perrier can channel all his new players and veterans in the right direction will be the big question.
4. Swan Valley Stampeders – Coming off a bounce-back season last year on the ice, the Stampeders will try to make it two years in a row in the playoffs. Gone is much of their offensive scoring punch from last year, but a strong defensive group should give them stability.
5. Waywayseecappo Wolverines – If the Wolverines were able to play as strong as they did at the end of last year, they would compete for first place. But despite having a young team last year, the Wolverines lost some of the key players who were key to their late-season play. Still they should compete for a playoff spot, either in the Sher-Wood or perhaps the crossover.
6. OCN Blizzard – It seems strange to pick the Blizzard to finish last. For years they were the strongest team in the league, but they have come across tough times both on and off the ice. There’s no quick fix for the Blizzard who now attract far fewer fans then they did in their heyday. Maybe they will surprise this year, but I think it will be another long year for the most northern team in the MJHL.
Addison Division
1. Selkirk Steelers – Arguably the strongest team in the Addison Division the past several years, the Steelers will be in the mix for top spot. Ryan Smith enters his second season coming off a 36-win campaign and a tough first-round loss to the Winkler Flyers. Expect the Steelers to bounce back this year.
2. Winnipeg Saints – Three teams will play in new rinks this year, though the Saints did not exactly ask to move. The Saints had to scramble to play in St. Adolphe. With that drama behind them, the Saints are now focused on the rink. With alumni David Anning now the head coach, what kind of team will the Saints be this year?
3. Winnipeg Blues – The Blues always seem to ice young, talented teams. But last year their most talented players were also their youngest players, and several of them have moved on to other leagues. Don MacGillivray isn’t used to icing teams which are not in the hunt for first place, and with so many local players to choose from, the Blues should be competitive. No word yet if they plan to call themselves the Headingly Blues in honour of their new home community, though I somehow doubt it.
4. Winkler Flyers – A new head coach in John Marks will mean some changes with the Flyers, who lost the divisional final last year. Still the Flyers will as always be in the mix in the Addison, which is generally fairly tight when it comes to the top four teams.
5. Steinbach Pistons – This is another team which was busy in the off season – but will it be enough to turn the team around? The Pistons’ franchise has, for whatever reason, placed the worst in the MJHL for the past number of years. And until they prove otherwise, they will continue to bring up the rear in the Addison.

MJHL update

2010-08-18T10:49:00.000-07:00

The Neepawa Natives have suffered through some lean years of late, but the junior A team feels this is their year to turn things around.
The team has been extremely active this off season, and they pulled off another deal last week when they acquired 20-year old goaltender Wendell Vye.
The overage netminder played with the P.E.I. Rocket of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last year. Due to a limit on the number of overage players at the major junior level, Vye is ready to play his final year of junior at the junior A level.
Last year, the Moncton, N.B., product finished first in save percentage in the Canadian Hockey League. He also finished third with a 2.20 GAA.
Neepawa Natives head coach Bryant Perrier told the MJHL website that Vye was “on our wish list”, though he admitted he had his doubts he could acquire the netminder.
“It was a pipe dream at times because we were fighting so many factors,” he said.”The team that owned his junior A rights was obviously not looking to move him. As well, with his ability, we were of the mind that he would be back in the QMJHL.”
Vye, who is not overly large at five foot 11 inches and 160 pounds, said he’s looking forward to playing for the Natives.
“The (Neepawa Natives) staff takes great pride in getting players to the next level and helping them out with their careers,” said Vye in a release. “I am very excited.”
In other deals, the Dauphin Kings have traded 17-year-old forward E.J. Faust to the OCN Blizzard for future considerations.
Not done there, the Dauphin Kings shipped 20-year-old forward Dale Hunt and future considerations to the Cowichan Capitals of the BCHL for 19-year-old forward Chris Daniels.
The Dauphin Kings also traded 20-year-old defenceman Mike Boese and future considerations to the Miramichi Timberwolves of the Maratime Junior A Hockey League for 20-year-old forward Keith Grondin and 19-year-old goaltender Leo Podolsky.
• The radio schedule for GX94 has been released, and the Swan Valley Stampeders will be on the air 15 times on the Yorkton-based radio station.
The first game is Sept. 29, when the Stampeders visit the Dauphin Kings.
GX94 will also broadcast 10 Waywayseecappo Wolverines games. Their first game will be on Sept. 19 against the Dauphin Kings.
In fact GX94 will carry five Wayway vs. Swan Valley games, three Wayway vs. OCN games, and two Wayway vs. Dauphin games.
Swan Valley’s other games include three against Dauphin, three against Portage, two against Neepawa and two against OCN.
GX94 isn’t planning to cover any Addison Division games this year.
You can see their full schedule at www.gx94radio.com.

A look at round two

2010-03-10T13:22:00.001-08:00

Swan Valley Stampeders forward Myles Stevens will go down in history as one of the franchise’s all-time greats. He cemented that status with a great first-round playoff performance against the Portage Terriers.
Stevens had nine points in five games to help lead the Stampeders to a five-game victory over the Terriers.
It marked the second time in three years that Stevens has raised his game in the post season. Back in 2008 when the Stamps and Terriers did battle, Stevens recorded 12 points in seven games (as a rookie no less), giving him 21 career points heading into the second round against the Dauphin Kings.
Stevens also moved into second place all-time in Stampeder playoff scoring. He is only slightly behind Shaun McIvor, who scored 22 points in 22 games over three seasons. Stevens enters the second round one point back. He also recently passed former scoring greats Trevor Derlago and Tyler Czuba.
As Swan Valley’s unofficial statistician Craig Zamzow notes, at most levels of hockey, point per game trends tend to decline significantly when tight-checking playoff hockey arrives. This doesn’t apply to Stevens, who has a 1.18 point per game average in the regular season, and a 1.75 point per game average in the playoffs. He’s been elevating his game in the playoffs.
• Speaking of playoff performances, the clutch performance of the playoffs so far has to belong to Winkler’s Nick Lazorko.
The talented forward must now own the MJHL record for most overtime winners in one series after he scored three straight game clinchers against the Selkirk Steelers, helping the Flyers get back into the second round. One of the overtime winners was short-handed, making the performance that much more impressive.
Consider how difficult it is to even get a playoff game into overtime, and then score the winner in not one game, but three straight, and it makes Lazorko’s performance even more remarkable. By comparison, the NHL all-time leader for overtime winners in the playoffs is Joe Sakic. He scored eight overtime winners in 172 games.
The performance was enough to earn Lazorko the MJHL’s Potters Distillers Player of the Week honour.
Also considered for this award was Stevens, and Selkirk’s Brendan Baumgartner, who had five goals in four games.
• The MJHL also recently handed out their monthly award winners.
Dauphin Kings’ veteran forward Shane Luke has been named the RBC Player of the Month.
Luke, who hails from Ste. Rose du Lac, had 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) in the final month of the regular season. His offensive outburst also clinched the Mike Ridley Trophy for Luke. The trophy is awarded to the league’s top point getter. Luke led all MJHL scorers this year with 101 points, two better than linemate Ryan Dreger.
Also considered for this award was Portage Terriers forward Tyler Moore and Wes Pawluk of the Neepawa Natives.
The Sher-wood Hockey Defenceman of the Month is Patrick Kozyra from the Dauphin Kings.
The Sherwood Park, Alta., native had 10 points and was solid on the back end for the Kings.
Also considered for this award was Kozyra’s teammate Steven Shamanski (the MJHL’s defenceman of the year) and Caleb Suderman of the Neepawa Natives.
The GDI Prairies Goaltender of the Month is Portage Terriers netminder Jason Kasdorf. The 17-year-old puck stopper had a memorable February, helping the Terriers win 11 in a row by going 5-0 record, sparkling 1.40 GAA and .939 save percentage.
He also played well in the first part of the playoffs against the Stampeders, but was pulled after losing three straight one-goal games.
Also considered for this award was Joe Caligiuri of the Dauphin Kings and Matt Krahn of the Neepawa Natives. Caligiuri recently was presented with the MJHL’s RBC $1,000 scholarship.
Stephane Pattyn, 18, of the Portage Terriers is the Husky Energy Rookie of the Month. The rookie had 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in aiding the Terriers in their undefeated month.
Also up for this award was David Conrad, 18, of the Winnipeg Saints and forward Brendan O’Donnell, 17, of the Winnipeg South Blues.
• Prediction time. After a perfect 4-0 record in the opening round, it’s now time for my divisional championship picks (made before the second round got under way).
Swan Valley versus Dauphin: The smart money is to take the Kings. As the RBC hosts, they built a team to win a national championship, so getting to the league final should be a formality. However, that’s why they play the games. Swan Valley and Dauphin actually split their eight games in the regular season, though Dauphin won the final two in convincing fashion. Swan Valley, though, seems to have shaken off their February funk and are playing great hockey. Swan Valley’s had to come from behind in these playoffs, and though they won in five games, most of their games were tight and competitive. Dauphin, by contrast, had an easier time disposing of the Neepawa Natives in four straight. I think this series will go six or seven, and I think fans are in for a treat. Both teams have dynamic scoring threats, so it will be up to the defence and netminders to hold the fort. These two franchises have never met in the playoffs before. The heart says Swan Valley in seven, while the brain says Dauphin in seven. Betting against the team you cover isn’t a great way to sell papers, but this is obviously one time where I’m hoping my heart knows something my brain doesn’t. Either way, it should be entertaining.
Prediction: Kings in seven.
Winkler versus Winnipeg Saints: Here’s another series where the top seed was barely challenged in the opening round, while the lower seed had to play their best hockey to advance. Winkler has to be full of confidence after three straight overtime wins to eliminate the Selkirk Steelers. The Saints might have the best goaltender in the MJHL in Justin Leclerc, but the Flyers have a clutch playoff performer to look to in Lazorko. Strength versus strength. And one intangible to this series – Winkler will likely have more fans at every game in this series, as a trip to Winnipeg isn’t much of a hardship for the Flyers faithful, and the Saints are not exactly the hottest draw in Winnipeg.
Prediction: Saints in seven.

2010-02-25T08:58:00.001-08:00

As promised, here are my playoff predictions, written a day before the playoffs were to get under way.
Winnipeg South Blues vs. Winnipeg Saints – Before the trade deadline, I would have called this a toss up. After the deadline, I have to go with the Saints. When they acquired Justin Leclerc, it was a game changer in the Addison Division. He’s 11-2 since joining the Saints. The Blues are well coached, but the Saints have depth they can’t compete with.
Prediction – Saints in five.
Winkler Flyers vs. Selkirk Steelers – Neither of these teams played particularly well heading into the playoffs, but something’s got to give here. Selkirk has the league’s MVP in Taylor Dickin, and both teams have netminders who were up for goalie of the year (Peter Alexander for the Winkler Flyers and Joey Rewucki of Selkirk Steelers). Selkirk’s not the overwhelming power they are accustomed to being, and some say they are a little soft. If this series goes deep, it could be Winkler’s year.
Prediction – Flyers in seven.
Neepawa Natives vs. Dauphin Kings – One team is highly talented, built to win a national championship. The other doesn’t care, and judging by their penalty total this year, are ready to make Dauphin pay for every goal in this series. Dauphin should win based on their netminding and scoring prowess, but the Natives could make this a series if they get Dauphin off their game. The downside to playing tough, aggressive hockey is that Neepawa could give Dauphin more power-play chances.
Prediction – Dauphin in five.
Swan Valley Stampeders vs. Portage Terriers – The Stampeders blew their chance for home ice advantage in this series, but perhaps that works in their favour a bit, as the pressure to win switches to Portage. Swan Valley has always played Portage tough in the playoffs, especially as the underdog. Though Portage finished on a tear, they’re not the overwhelming favourite in this series. There’s such a thing a peaking too early, and the long layoff probably didn’t help Portage. Is this Swan Valley’s year? If not this year, when will they win another playoff round?
Prediction – Stampeders in seven.
Take those pics for what they’re worth – just one man’s opinion.

2010-02-17T07:41:00.001-08:00

The Manitoba Junior Hockey League is going to be handing out some hardware during the final week of the regular season and possible into the start of the playoffs.
There are some outstanding nominees for the various awards the MJHL hands out at the end of each season.
They did away with a year end banquet, and instead now present the awards to the players (and coaches) in front of their fans.
First up, who is this year’s MVP? They will take home the Steve “Boomer” Hawrysh award. Nominees include David Aime from the OCN Blizzard, Steven Shamanski from the Dauphin Kings and Taylor Dickin from the Selkirk Steelers.
Aime might seem like an odd choice given the Blizzard are not likely to make the playoffs this year, but anyone who watched the Blizzard this year know he basically carried them on his back with his stellar netminding.
The top defenceman in the MJHL will capture the Brian Kozak trophy. Shamanski is also nominated for this award. Joining him are Dale Warkentin from the OCN Blizzard and Zach Tully from the Portage Terriers.
The Vince Leah trophy is handed out to the top rookie in the MJHL each year. This year the race is between Cole Brunet of the Portage Terriers, Brendan O’Donnell of the Winnipeg South Blues and Eric Coulombe of the Steinbach Pistons. While it’s great to see the Pistons franchise represented here, O’Donnell is the likely winner in this category.
The player deemed to show the most hockey ability and sportsmanship is presented the Lorne “Windy” Lyndon trophy. Players up for this award include Shane Luke from the Dauphin Kings, Chris Reimer from the Swan Valley Stampeders, and Blake Chartier from the Winnipeg Saints.
If Aime doesn’t win the MVP title, maybe he’ll win the top goaltender trophy. He’s up against Peter Alexander from the Winkler Flyers and Joey Rewucki from the Selkirk Steelers.
The final trophy to be handed out in the next couple of weeks is the coach of the year honour.
Either Ryan Smith from the Selkirk Steelers, Dwayne Kirkup from the Swan Valley Stampeders or Rich Gosselin from the Steinbach Pistons will win the “Muzz McPherson” award.
Then again, maybe none of them want it. Last year’s winner – Doug Hedley – was not brought back as head coach of the OCN Blizzard.
• Dauphin Kings forward Shane Luke is the Potters Distillers Player of the Week.
The 19 year old had eight points in two games, including six against the Swan Valley Stampeders in a 9-3 victory.
Also considered for this award was Shael Hechter of Winkler Flyers and Jason Kasdorf of Portage Terriers.
The 20-year-old Hechter had three goals and seven points last week, while Kasdorf, 17, went 2-0 while posting a 1.50 GAA and .944 save percentage. He also shut out the Swan Valley Stampeders.
• Speaking of that shutout, that win pretty much sealed second place for the Terriers in the Sher-Wood Division. Regardless of where it starts, the two teams will clash in the opening round of the playoffs this year. Portage has never lost to Swan Valley in a seven-game series before. Each team picked up four wins against each other this season – three of which went to a shootout. Portage is ending the season on a real hot streak, but the Stampeders know a little bit about that as well. In the 2005-06 season the Stampeders won 11 straight games down the stretch. It didn’t matter when the playoffs started – they lost in five games.
The other Sher-Wood series pits the Dauphin Kings against the Neepawa Natives. Neepawa finally earned a win against the Kings last week, but they will be hard-pressed to win four times in the playoffs against the RBC hosts. Dauphin might be more interested in escaping the opening round with as few bumps and bruises as possible.
In the other division the Winnipeg Saints came alive in February, blew past the Selkirk Steelers and claimed top spot in the division. As I write this column with a week to play, it looks as though the Saints will likely face the Winnipeg South Blues, who have all but clinched the final spot away from the OCN Blizzard, and are a bit too far away from Winkler for a realistic charge at third. An all-Winnipeg matchup probably suits the Saints just fine, as they (and their pocket book) were not likely too enthralled with the prospects of travelling to OCN for an opening-round playoff series.
The other series will see the Steelers host the Winkler Flyers. The strongest rural teams in the Addison will battle for a right to take on Winnipeg’s best team in the Addison Division final.
I’ll have my playoff predictions in next week’s column.

No more fighting?

2010-02-11T11:33:00.000-08:00

I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn here when I state that the average Manitoba Junior Hockey League fan enjoys a good fight.
MJHL Commissioner Kim Davis is a leader in this league, but he answers to those above him in the hockey hierarchy in Canada. And last November, Hockey Canada passed a motion to limit the number of fights a player can have in a game to one. This would be much like preseason rules – one fight and you’re tossed.
The motion which was passed reads as such – A Major Penalty should be imposed on any player who engages in fisticuffs for the first time in a game. A second offense would result in a Major Penalty and a Game Misconduct penalty. A player identified as the instigator in a fight shall be assessed, in addition to the Major for fighting, a Minor and a Misconduct penalty. Note: All players who engage in a fight will receive a Major penalty and a Game Misconduct. Rationale: This would discourage fighting and provide consistency within our playing rules.
“Essentially, it’s no fighting, since if you fight once, you’re out,” said Davis. “That’s been approved by the Hockey Canada board, but having said that, I and my counterparts from the other junior A leagues in the West, are doing what we can to see if we can clarify that, and see if we can have it changed or amended.”
The motion will be voted on at Hockey Canada’s annual general meeting in May.
There are other motions as well. Any player who gets in their third fight of the season would be suspended a game. Four fights? Two games. Five fights? Three games. Six? Indefinite suspension.
Apparently Hockey Canada wants to implement this as soon as next season. Davis acknowledges this is an extremely import discussion.
“This is about the future of not just our league, but other leagues like ours,” he said. “I’ve been working behind the scenes over the last few months.”
Davis said the MJHL is looking for some alternative arrangements for his and other junior A leagues.
“We’re in the business to operate (franchises) and attract fans,” he said. “And there’s other issues as well. When you make a big rule change, there’s reactions in other parts of the game as well.”
What do you, the fan, think? Is a no-fighting MJHL something you’re looking forward to? Or do you disagree with Hockey Canada’s plans? Send me a note at editor@starandtimes.ca and let me – and the policy makers at Hockey Canada – know.
• The battles in the MJHL are so tight this month (a refreshing change from other years) that several teams could feasibly end up tied when they’re done playing their 62 games.
If that’s the case, the MJHL has a set policy for tiebreakers.
The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record. As explained by the MJHL, “In the event that two or more clubs are tied with the same number of points, then the higher position shall be awarded to the club having won the greater number of games against each other”.
If that doesn’t break the tie, they then resort to the number of wins, and other categories.
“If the tie is still not broken, then the team with the greater number of wins shall be awarded the higher position. Should the clubs be tied in all the foregoing departments, then the higher position shall be awarded to the club using the following process: The greatest positive differential between goals scored for and against by the clubs having equal standing in games played between the clubs. If still tied, the method used will be the goal differential in the total league games played by the clubs with equal standing.”
The bottom line is, win the season series against the team you are battling, and you’ll win the tiebreaker.
Unless we’re talking about the crossover. The OCN Blizzard will have to do better than the Winnipeg South Blues if they want to earn that crossover spot.
“(The tiebreakers) do not apply for the crossover mechanism that the (MJHL) uses. In that case, the cross over team must have more points than the team it is trying to replace in the division. Having the same number of points in the standings is not good enough to qualify for eligibility to cross over.”
Most teams would rather settle things definitely and not have to worry about a tiebreaker. But if it’s needed, the MJHL has the policies in place to determine who gets to finish higher in the standings.
• Speaking of the playoffs, Davis said he’s excited about the league playoffs which are set to start at the end of February.
“Unlike some recent years, I think it’s wide open in terms of who could win the league championship,” he said. “Once we get the (playoff) matchups finalized, it’s going to be really exciting.”
Davis is also keeping tabs on Dauphin’s preparations for the RBC Cup.
“They have regular meetings with Hockey Canada reps and Hockey Manitoba, and they’re right on schedule in terms of what they need for infrastructure needed to host this event,” he said. “They’re doing a great job.”
And MJHL fans are excited about the potential prospect of having two MJHL teams take part in the RBC Cup. The MJHL initially hoped if Dauphin won the ANAVET Cup that the MJHL runner up would get in, but that isn’t the case. Still, if a MJHL team is able to knock off the Dauphin Kings (no easy task since they’ve set a franchise benchmark for wins this year) and beat the SJHL in the ANAVET Cup, the MJHL could have two teams in the year-end tournament.
• Dauphin Kings forward Devin Mitzner is the latest Potters Distillers Player of the Week.
The Strathmore, Alta., product scored four goals and added five assists in three games for the Kings.
Also considered for this award was Mitzner’s teammate Mitch Czibere and Portage Terriers’ goaltender Jordan Washburn.
Czibere also had four goals and nine points in three games, while Washburn went 2-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .962 save percentage.

Stretch run

2010-02-03T07:56:00.002-08:00

Swan Valley Stampeders head coach Dwayne Kirkup said early in the season that he saw a lot of parity in the MJHL this year.
He wasn’t kidding.
Recent results have shown there are no easy games in this league anymore.
Take a look at the Sher-Wood Division. The sixth-place Waywayseecappo Wolverines recently won eight of 12 games. They’re too far back to realistically catch teams for a playoff spot, but they’re playing the role of spoiler perfectly. Those wins have come against teams such as Dauphin, Selkirk, Portage and most recently, the OCN Blizzard.
The Sher-Wood has proven to be extremely tight down the stretch. In the span of a little more than a week, the Wolverines defeated the OCN Blizzard, the Blizzard defeated the Neepawa Natives, the Natives beat the Portage Terriers, the Terriers beat the Stampeders, and the Stampeders beat the Wolverines. And the top team in the division, the Dauphin Kings, well they set a team record for wins after being shutout by the top team in the Addison Division.
Speaking of the Addison Division, after the Steelers spanked the Saints in a battle for first place, they trailed off a bit while the Saints started winning again, leaving top spot in the division up for grabs.
The Saints and Steelers entered February two points apart, and this battle might come down to the final game of the regular season when they face each other.
Of course, first place might mean facing the OCN Blizzard in the opening round. The Blizzard have a slight lead on the Winnipeg South Blues for a potential crossover. Both teams schedules’ are similar to one another, so this could be a real photo finish.
If I had to guess, I would predict the following first-round matchups.
In the Sher-Wood, Neepawa vs. Dauphin, and Portage vs. Swan Valley.
In the Addison, OCN versus Selkirk and Winkler vs. the Winnipeg Saints.
• There are other races to follow this month as well.
Dauphin’s Ryan Dreger entered the month with 85 points, tops in the MJHL. Linemate Shane Luke and Selkirk’s Taylor Dickin were close behind at 80 points, with Dauphin’s Bryce Lamb is fourth with 79 points. One of these four will win the league’s scoring race.
Dreger should be a lock for the goal-scoring title, though, as he has 42 this year, best in the MJHL. Dickin is second with 36, followed by Swan Valley’s Ryan Marshall with 35. If anyone can catch him, it might be Dickin, but he would need to get hot and have Dreger cool off.
Luke leads the MJHL with 55 helpers, six better than Swan Valley’s Myles Stevens and seven better than Blake Chartier from the Winnipeg Saints.
The top MJHL players are posting strong numbers, but we’re not seeing players with over 100 points already or multiple 50-goal scorers, which is a good indicator the MJHL is of a better quality this year. The last-place teams are not rolling over and allowing 10 goals against a game, something which was all too frequent in past years.
Tim Hayduk from the Winnipeg Saints is the top penalty man with one month to play. He had 192 compared to 187 for Swan Valley’s Cody Straker. Portage’s Luke MacInnis is third with 176.
The top scoring defenceman is Dauphin’s Steven Shamanski with 54. Swan Valley’s Brent Wilson remained in second place despite missing all of January with an injury. He has 40, while Swan Valley’s Paul Bonar is third with 37.
The rookie scoring title is between Brendan O’Donnell from the Winnipeg South Blues (50 points), Eric Coulombe from the Steinbach Pistons (47) and Seth Ronsberg (46) from the Winkler Flyers.
Justin Leclerc from the Winnipeg Saints had the best GAA at 2.25, slightly better than Swan Valley’s Caden Unger who has a 2.35 GAA.
A more telling statistic for some goalie observers is save percentage. Both of those netminders lead this category as well .931 for Leclerc and .920 for Unger.
Of course, the best goaltender statistic is wins, and Selkirk’s Joey Rewucki had 27 wins entering February, three better than Dauphin’s Joe Caligiuri.
• Speaking of Leclerc, his 4-0 shutout victory over the Dauphin Kings helped him earn the MJHL Potters Distillers Player of the Week award.
Leclerc, 20, had a 0.50 GAA and a .983 save percentage in two games to earn the award.
Also considered for this award was Waywayseecappo Wolverines’ goaltender Brett Gagnon, 19, and Swan Valley Stampeders forward Shelby Gray, 19.

January players of the month

2010-02-03T07:56:00.001-08:00

No room for the MJHL players of the month in the hockey column this week, so we’ll kick off this column by recognizing the best in the MJHL from the month of January.
Winnipeg South Blues’ forward Brendan O’Donnell has been named January’s RBC Player of the Month. The 17-year-old rookie had 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 11 games last month.
Not shockingly, he was also named the Husky Energy Rookie of the Month.
Also considered for this award was Niko Grose, 20, of the Waywayseecappo Wolverines and Wes Pawluk, 20, of the Neepawa Natives.
Stephane Robidoux of the Waywayseecappo Wolverines was named the Sher-wood Hockey Defenceman of the Month. The Haywood product scored 15 points (two goals, 13 assists) to lead the Wolverines to an incredible month of January.
Other players considered for this award was Peter Stoykewych of the Winnipeg South Blues and Dale Warkentin of the OCN Blizzard.
The GDI Prairies Goaltender of the Month is Winnipeg Saints netminder Justin Leclerc. Arriving at the trade deadline, the former WHL netminder posted a 6-1 record, along with a 2.25 GAA and .931 save percentage. He also shutout the top team in the MJHL, the Dauphin Kings.
Also considered for this honour was Jason Kasdorf of the Portage Terriers and Matt Krahn of the Neepawa Natives.

MJHL all-star game - what's the point?

2010-01-28T14:29:00.001-08:00

The Manitoba Junior Hockey League put their best spin on their annual all-star game, but from all accounts it was not the showcase of the league’s top talent they had hoped for.
Oh, the offensive players shone – a bit too brightly perhaps – as the Addison Division defeated the Sher-Wood Division by a final score of 19-15.
That’s a total of 34 goals scored, more than one every two minutes.
Fans expect all-star games to be high scoring affairs, but 34 goals seems a bit excessive. It wasn’t so much a hockey game as it was a shooting gallery.
And one would have to wonder why any team would consent to having their netminder take part in this event. The netminders faced a combined 113 shots in this game.
Perhaps there needs to be some sort of incentive to turn this annual showcase into a game fans actually want to watch, and make the players take it somewhat more seriously. Maybe a prize package of some sort, or a reward for the winning division such as home-ice advantage in the MJHL final, would do the trick.
By comparison, the top prospect’s game would have been far more interesting to watch. The Addison Division won 6-5 – and there were even some penalties called in this one.
Some fans might also want the MJHL and SJHL to return to their inter-league all-star competition. But that would take some cooperation from the two leagues. Home-ice advantage in the ANAVET Cup would be quite the prize to play for, though.
What do you, the fans, think of the MJHL All-Star game? Is it fine the way it is? Would you like to see something new? Send me a note at editor@starandtimes.ca and I’ll (anonymously) print some of your suggestions.
• Neepawa Natives forward Wes Pawluk is the MJHL’s Potter Distillers Player of the Week.
The Natives went undefeated and are battling the Portage Terriers for third place in the Sher-Wood Division, who they defeated on the Sunday after the MJHL’s All-Star game. Both teams also have a chance to catch the Swan Valley Stampeders for second place, though they will need a lot of help to do that.
Pawluk, a 20-year-old from Petersfield, scored four goals and added two helpers in three games.
Also considered for this award was David Aime of OCN Blizzard and Ryan Marshall from the Swan Valley Stampeders.
Aime posted a 1-1 record last week, with a .942 save percentage and 2.50 GAA. His win was a 1-0 shutout over the Swan Valley Stampeders.
Marshall scored a goal and added three helpers in Swan Valley’s victory over the Blizzard in their return match.
• The Dauphin Kings have slipped to seventh in the nation according to the latest Canadian Junior Hockey League Weekly Top 20 rankings.
The Kings fell to seventh from fifth place, and they are the only MJHL team to crack to the top 20.
The Selkirk Steelers, though, do rate an honourable mention thanks in part to their convincing victory over the Winnipeg Saints in a game for first place in the Addison Division.
• Hey hockey fans. Do you enjoy free stuff? Are you planning to attend the RBC Championship in Dauphin this spring?
Then it’s probably not a bad idea to visit www.cjhlhockey.com and click on the RBC Cup survey.
There’s a chance to win some incredible prizes, including a customized RBC Cup 2010 jersey, two RBC Cup full event ticket packages, $100 in RBC Cup merchandise vouchers and two tickets to the Opening Night Celebration starring Charlie Major.
The survey only takes a couple of minutes, and it’s actually fairly informative.

Playoff races heating up

2010-01-21T08:33:00.000-08:00

The Portage Terriers are the two-time defending champions of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, but they’ll be in tough to repeat as champions this year.
That said, they’re not rolling over for anyone. Despite having a younger team this year, the Terriers went out and acquired some veteran talent to help bring along the younger players, and to make life extremely difficult for the team they will face in the playoffs – should they hold onto their spot (something which is all but certain).
One of the new players the Terriers acquired is bound to give his teammates more space on the ice. Michael Yovanic is a physical specimen, standing six foot seven inches and weighing 240 pounds. He towers over pretty much all other players.
Of course, with bigger and more physical players on the roster, the Terriers will also have to do their best to play on the edge and not over it. Giving your opponents more power-play time is the last thing any coach wants.
“It all depends on how (referees) call it – we would like to see some consistency,” said Terriers head coach Blake Spiller. “We’ll just have to make sure we adjust early in games.”
Despite not having the big goal scorers from a year ago – players such as Eric Delong and Riley Nixdorf – Spiller said they’re prepared to battle come the playoffs.
“We want to make the playoffs for sure – and there’s no guarantee there,” he said. “We brought some older guys in to help with the playoff stretch.
“And if you get in, you never know what’s going to happen,” he added. “A couple of years ago, (former Swan Valley netminder) Chris Ward almost stole one from us, so you just never know what’s going to happen in a seven-game series.”
• Speaking of playoff races, heading into the week before the all-star break, not a lot has been determined with a little more than a month remaining in the regular season.
The Dauphin Kings will finish first in the Sher-Wood Division. That’s pretty much a given.
Swan Valley is in a great position to finish second for the first time in their franchise’s history. It would take a real collapse, and a real impressive winning streak by Portage or Neepawa, to knock them out of second place.
The Terriers and Natives seem destined to battle for third and fourth place. The Terriers had a five-point budge on the Natives. But Neepawa had two games in hand. And with two games against each other, nothing is settled there.
The OCN Blizzard were in fifth place, five points back of the Neepawa Natives. However, the Blizzard were only two points back of the fourth-place Winnipeg South Blues – with five games in hand – so a potential crossover is also there for the Blizzard.
As for the rest of the Addison Division, the Selkirk Steelers and Winnipeg Saints were tied for first place, so the division title might come down the final game of the year, which just happens to pit these two divisional rivals against each other.
The Winkler Flyers are in third place, four back of the divisional leaders. But they both have games in hand on the Flyers, so it would take some kind of effort to catch either team – especially since the Flyers entered this week with only 11 games remaining.
So it looks as though there will be plenty of exciting races to follow down the stretch, setting the stage for an even more exciting playoff.
• The MJHL’s Potters Distillers Player of the Week is Niko Grose of the Waywayseecappo Wolverines.
Grose, 20, scored five goals and added an assist in four games.
The Wolverines knocked off the Addison Division-leading Selkirk Steelers twice thanks to Grose and his team putting in solid efforts despite the fact they will likely miss the playoffs this year.
The Wolverines did the same thing to the Portage Terriers the week before, sweeping a weekend home-and-home. Teams take the Wolverines lightly at their own peril these days.
Also considered for this award was Adam Stoykewych of the Winnipeg South Blues and Matt Krahn of the Neepawa Natives.
Stoykewych had seven points (two goals, five assists) in two games last week, while Krahn went 2-1 in goal for the Natives, with a .921 save percentage and 2.31 GAA.

Alumni update

2010-01-15T06:25:00.001-08:00

Former Swan Valley Stampeders star Stephan Vigier is the Sioux City Musketeers’ lone representative for the USHL All-Star Game.
The game will take place at the Pepsi Coliseum in Indianapolis, Ind., Jan. 26.
By all accounts Vigier has done quite well since leaving the Stampeders to play in the USHL. He is the team’s leading scorer this year with 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists).
It’s not going to happen, but Swan Valley fans still occasionally ask me the big “what if?” question. Look at how good Swan Valley is this year. Now add Vigier to the mix. I have no doubt they would be battling the Dauphin Kings for top spot in the division if Vigier had joined the team earlier this year. But by now everyone knows Vigier is not coming back.
Vigier was always a player who knew where he wanted to go in hockey. And he’ll continue that journey next year when he begins to play at Northern Michigan University. And I’ve no doubt he’ll find success there, just as he did here in the Valley.
• Let’s take a look at what another former Swan Valley Stampeder is doing.
Chris Ward, who was a big part of Swan Valley’s exciting seven-game series against the Portage Terriers two years ago (along with, ironically, Vigier) has settled in after being dealt to the Melfort Mustangs of the SJHL. It looks like it was one of those deals which ended up being win-win for everyone involved.
Ward is now 12-6 with a 2.76 GAA (eighth best in the SJHL) with a healthy .911 save percentage.
That’s a big improvement from his numbers here early in the season, so it actually looks like this is one of those situations where both teams benefitted from a deal.
• While we’re talking about former Stampeders, we might as well bring up former captain and the team’s all-time scoring leader, Ian Lowe.
The Stampeder star has appeared in this newspaper countless times, but that never generated the sort of buzz his most recent appearance made.
Lowe’s picture recently appeared in the New York Times. It was part of a story which ran in late December, noting how Bemidji State is hanging with the bigger teams in the NCAA ranks and continuing the success they enjoyed last year during their run to the Frozen Four.
The Beavers were 14-4-2 heading into the weekend, and were ranked 11th in the country.
Lowe’s come a long way in hockey. And to have your picture appear in the New York

Monthly award winners

2010-01-13T12:25:00.000-08:00

The Manitoba Junior Hockey League recently announced their monthly award winners for December.
Selkirk Steelers’ forward Josh Schappert has been named December’s RBC Player of the Month.
Schappert, a 20-year-old Winnipeg native, has put together a 12-game point streak, registering 10 goals and 26 points over that span.
In 10 games in December Schappert recorded 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists).
Also considered for this award was Colan Jackson, 19, from the Steelers and Blake Chartier, 20 of the Winnipeg Saints.
The Sher-wood Hockey Defenceman of the Month is Lucas Alexiuk of the Selkirk Steelers. Alexiuk, a Winnipeg product who joined the Steelers from the Winkler Flyers, had 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in December.
Other players considered for this award was Troy Kliever, 19, of the Winkler Flyers and Steven Shamanski, 20 of the Dauphin Kings.
The GDI Prairies Goaltender of the Month is Matt Krahn of the Neepawa Natives. The six foot one inch, 180-pound puck stopper posted a 5-4 record and 2.77 GAA in 607 minutes played in December. His save percentage was a very respectable .908.
The Natives, are battling not only the OCN Blizzard for fourth place in the Sher-Wood Division, but also have their eye on the Winnipeg South Blues for a potential crossover spot. And Krahn is a big reason why they are in the playoff hunt.
Other netminders considered for this award include Jordan Washburn, 19, of the Portage Terriers and Joe Caligiuri, 20, of the Dauphin Kings.
The Husky Energy Rookie of the Month is Brendan O'Donnell of the Winnipeg South Blues. O’Donnell has had quite a year. He suited up for Team West at Prospects Games in Winkler in December, played for Team West at World Junior A Challenge, where he came home with a silver medal, and is also the player of the week (see more on that later in this column).
O’Donnell, 17, who has committed to University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux, scored 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in nine games.
Also considered was Craig Scott, 18, of the Selkirk Steelers and forward David Conrad, 18, of the Winnipeg Saints.
• As noted earlier, O’Donnell, was named the MJHL’s Potters Distillers Player of the Week.
The Winnipeg product scored three goals and registered seven assists in three games.
The surge moved him to within seven points of rookie scoring leader Eric Coulombe of Steinbach Pistons.
Also considered for the award was David Conrad of Winnipeg Saints and Colan Jackson of Selkirk Steelers.
Conrad, 18, has seven points (four goals, three assists) last week.
Jackson, a runner up for player of the month, had three goals and three assists points in a victory over Waywayseecappo Wolverines – a game held at Winnipeg’s MTS Centre.
• Be sure to check out next week’s column, which will have a full rundown of trades made by MJHL teams at the deadline, which is Jan. 10.
One of the first early deals saw the Neepawa Natives, who are oh-so-close to being in the playoffs, acquired 18-year-old forward Stephan Gunner, from Chibougamau, Que., from the Fort William North Stars of the SIJHL.
In return, the Natives send 20-year-old forward Eli Halcrow to the Thunder Bay based North Stars.
The Neepawa bench boss could not be happier.
“Stephan is a guy we tried endlessly to acquire this season,” said Natives coach Bryant Perrier. “We burned up the phone lines time and time again but just could not get a deal done.
“We believe he will be a very good player for us this year and in the future as well.”
With the MJHL being as close as it is this year, the potential is there for many teams to be in the buying mood. Only the Dauphin Kings are all but assured of making the playoffs and earning the No. 1 seed.
Swan Valley and Portage look to fight for home ice advantage, while OCN, Neepawa and the Winnipeg South Blues appear to be battling for two playoff spots.
And the race for first in the Addison is exciting – only five points separate Selkirk, the Winnipeg Saints and the Winkler Flyers.
The Waywayseecappo Wolverines and Steinbach Pistons are looking to next year, and they will likely be in a selling mood if it helps their team for next year.