Weekly Power Rankings

Another exciting week of SJHL hockey is in the books and with that, another edition of my power rankings. Please note that these rankings are for the week of September 24-30. Also, please give me some feedback and lets create some discussion, do you agree with my picks or do you think I am way off base - let me know.




1. Melville Millionaires

(7-0-0-0) Last Week: 1


Being perfect after 7 games, this made keeping Melville in first about my easiest decision of the week. The Millionaires defeated two division opponents in Kindersley and Weyburn. Dion Campbell has been unbelievable for the Millionaires and in my books is making an early case for SJHL MVP honors. The Millionaires play a tough home and home series this coming weekend with Highway 10 rival, the Yorkton Terriers.




2. Humboldt Broncos

(6-2-0-0) Last Week: 2


I had a tough decision to make at #2 but in the end I decided, despite the loss to Nipawin this week, the Broncos are probably playing as good of hockey as anyone in the league at this point. Jordan Schindel and Laurent Benjamin continue to tear up the scoresheets as they have had numerous multi-point games. The Broncos play twice at home this week as they welcome La Ronge on Wednesday and Weyburn on Sunday.




3. Nipawin Hawks

(5-3-0-0) Last Week: 5


The Hawks had a couple of huge victories this week over Weyburn and Humboldt, but did fall to Estevan. Despite the loss to the Bruins, I felt the Hawks deserved the jump of two spots in the rankings. Brent Ottmann had a five goal game against Humboldt and has been scoring at a frightening pace since being assigned to the team from the Prince Albert Raiders. The Hawks have a home and home series with the Melfort Mustangs this coming weekend.




4. Weyburn Red Wings

(5-2-0-1) Last Week: 3



The loss to Nipawin sees the Wings drop a spot in the rankings. Newcomers Torrey Lindsay, Luke Johnson and Joel Langevin have all been big additions to the offense this year. Scott Doody has also greatly improved his play from last season. The Wings have the busiest week of all of the SJHL teams as they play four times in the next seven days. The Notre Dame Hounds are in Weyburn on Tuesday before the Wings embark on a trip through the Itech Conference with stops in Kindersley, the Battlefords and Humboldt over the long weekend.




5. Melfort Mustangs

(4-3-0-0) Last Week: 9


The Mustangs had a good week going 2-0 in posting victories over the Stars and Bruins. The Mustangs strong defensive play has been a big reason for their success thus far. Four year veteran Jordan Morgan has provided much of the Mustangs offense this year. Rookie Gary Childerhose has also contributed. The Stangs meet up with the Hawks in a pair of games this coming weekend.




6. Flin Flon Bombers

(3-3-0-1) Last Week: 10


No one disputes the fact that the Bombers have offensive strengths - just see Saturday's 11-2 thrashing of the Notre Dame Hounds for proof. I think some wondered how the defense and goaltending would hold up and the Bombers proved against Estevan on Friday that they could also play that part of the game. Rookie Carsen Chubak may be seeing some more playing time in the Bombers net as he posted both victories this weekend. The Bombers play twice this week - hosting Yorkton Wednesday and then heading to the Battlefords on Friday.




7. Estevan Bruins

(5-4-0-0) Last Week:4


Although the Bruins drop three spots this week, don't let that fool you. They are for real. It was a mixed bag of results as they went 2-2 for the week. Guillaume Perusse and Karsten Felske have given the Bruins solid goaltending on a nightly basis. Kealin Wong is looking like he is on his way to an all star season on the blue line. Kyle Stroh has been on fire for the Bruins. If the Bruins had won the game in Melfort on Sunday they probably would have ranked a couple of spots higher this week. The Bruins have a light week as they only play once - next Sunday - when they host the Notre Dame Hounds.




8. Yorkton Terriers

(2-3-1-1) Last Week: 7


It was a light week for the Terriers as they only played once, an overtime loss to the Kindersley Klippers. The Terriers got some welcome news this week as Carter Smith has been reassigned to the team from the Everett Silvertips of the WHL. Other reports have the Terriers being assigned 17-year old goaltender Joel Danyluk from the Prince George Cougars of the WHL. Danyluk played his midget hockey with the Yorkton AAA Harvest. One would think if Danyluk is in the fold, Lynden Sammartino or Mark Currie would be on the move. I would bet they would move Currie before Sammartino although both have similar numbers this season. The Terriers play a tough home and home with the Melville Millionaires this week and also have a road game in Flin Flon.




9. Kindersley Klippers

(4-3-0-0) Last Week: 6


The Klippers went 1-2 this week as they defeated Yorkton but had losses to both Melville and the Battlefords. The Klippers have had some injury issues at the goaltending position and have used three different goaltenders so far. Ryan Nieszner was apparently shaken up in a game versus Yorkton last week but did return to action in a backup role versus Battlefords on Saturday night. The Klippers have a light week as there only game is a home game versus Weyburn.




10. La Ronge Ice Wolves

(3-5-0-0) Last Week: 8


I expected the Ice Wolves to be a bit higher up in the rankings at this point but inconsistent play on their part sees them ranked in 10th. The Ice Wolves did manage to defeat Notre Dame on Friday but have to be concerned that they let the Hounds come back from an 8-1 deficit only to have to score three times in the third to secure the win. The Wolves play a pair of road games this week with stops in Humboldt and Notre Dame.




11. Battlefords North Stars

(2-6-1-0) Last Week: 11


The Stars snapped a losing streak after defeating Kindersley on Saturday night. Nick Kalnicki had a four point night after starting the season slowly. Ryan Kerpan has definitely been the best of the Stars goaltenders. The Stars host Flin Flon and Weyburn on the weekend.


12. Notre Dame Hounds

(1-8-0-0) Last Week: 12


The Hounds better hope this past weekend was rock bottom or they are in for a long season. The Hounds allowed 28 goals in there three games this weekend. They need better goaltending from rookies Andre-Michel Guay and Antoine Desrosiers. Despite the record, the Hounds have produced offensivley with the likes of Bryan Hull, Rylan Schwartz and Eddie Gale as well as defenseman Tanner Vandesype putting up good numbers. The Hounds look to rebound this week as they have a home game versus La Ronge and road games in Weyburn and Estevan.


There you have it for another week. Here's hoping the Wings can score some goals on the Hounds on Tuesday night just like everyone else has been doing lately.

- Brad M.

Hounds Slide Continues

The Notre Dame Hounds completed their road trip to Hell as they dropped their third game in three nights, 6-2 to the Humboldt Broncos. The Hounds gave up 28 goals in the three games and saw there record drop to 1-8-0-0. The Broncos improved to 6-2-0-0 with the win. Jordan Schindel led the way for Humboldt as he had a hat trick. Josh Garneau, Brady Wacker and Matthew Rintoul also scored for the Broncos. Laurent Benjamin had four assists for the Broncos. Eddie Gale scored both Hounds goals. Andrew Bodnarchuk gave Taylor Nelson a night off and he stopped 17 of the 19 shots he faced. Antoine Desrosiers made 31 saves in the Hounds net. As I mentioned yesterday, one would have to think that the Hounds are starting to work the wire to find some more goaltending depth and help on the blue line. Scoring goals is not the issue in Notre Dame right now as much as preventing them is.







I will update the Estevan - Melfort game at its conclusion.





** Update **



It was a crazy finish in Melfort tonight as Cam Oliphant (pictured left) scored the winning goal with just one second remaining on the clock to give the Mustangs a 3-2 come from behind win over the Estevan Bruins. Jordan Morgan and Gary Childerhose also scored for the Mustangs. Childerhose and Oliphant also added assists while Brady Gordon also chipped in with a pair of assists. Brennan Wrigley and Kyle Garagan had the goals for the Bruins. David Ritz picked up the win for Melfort as he only faced 19 Estevan shots, turning away 17 of them. Karsten Felske was much busier at the other end and stopped 32 pucks. The Bruins go 1-2 on their three game northern road trip and now sit with a record of 5-4-0-0. The Mustangs are now 4-3-0-0.

Sunday's Three Stars:

1. Jordan Schindel - Humboldt Broncos (3 goals)
2. Laurent Benjamin - Humboldt Broncos (4 assists)
3. Cam Oliphant - Melfort Mustangs (2 points, game winner with one second remaining)

- Brad M.

Saturday Night Roundup!

For the second consecutive night, the Notre Dame Hounds surrendered 11 goals in a game, as they were clobbered by the Flin Flon Bombers 11-2. Dennis Kubat and Reid MacLeod (pictured left) each had two goals and two assists to lead the Bombers attack. Tommy Castonguay added two goals for the Bombers. Castonguay and Pierre-Luc Boucher both had three point games for the Bombers. Myles Masse, Jordan Cherney, Dustyn Clegg and Shawn McNulty also scored for the Bombers. Masse, Robert Beaudry, Cole Wilson, David Linsley and Jean-Michel Allard all had multi-point games for the Bombers. Steven Robinson, a former Bomber, had a goal and an assist for the Hounds. Eddie Gale scored the other Notre Dame goal. Carsen Chubak played the first two periods in goal for the Bombers stopping 14 shots. Riley Ross came in for the third period and also made 14 saves. It was a rough night for both Hounds tenders as Andre-Michel Guay allowed eight goals on only 28 shots in 36 minutes of play. Antoine Desrosiers was not that busy in the final 24 minutes of play but allowed 3 goals on 9 shots. The Bombers improve to 3-3-0-1 to move into third in the Itech Conference. The Hounds drop to 1-7-0-0 with the loss.

One has to think that Hounds head coach Mike Vandenberghe might be looking for some goaltending help after the two results so far this weekend. To make things tougher on the Hounds, they have to face the defending Credential Cup Champion Humboldt Broncos on Sunday night. It will be interesting to see how the Hounds respond to giving up 22 goals in the last two games.

The Estevan Bruins improved to 5-3-0-0 on Saturday night as they defeated the La Ronge Ice Wolves 6-3. Payden Benning, Kyle Ermel and Kyle Stroh (pictured left) all had a goal and an assist for the Bruins. Kyle Garagan added two goals, one of which was into an empty net. Vincein Scott was the other goal scorer for the Bruins as he had to eventual game winner at 8:14 of the second period. Kealin Wong added two assists for the Bruins. Jarrid Dowhay and Jordie Johnston each had a goal and an assist for the Ice Wolves. Calvin Fiddler also scored for the Wolves. Guillaume Perusse was in goal for the Bruins and made 30 saves. Brian Kaval stopped 32 shots in the La Ronge net. The Ice Wolves drop to 3-5 with the loss.

The Battlefords North Stars broke out of their losing streak as they defeated the Kindersley Klippers 6-4 on Saturday night. Nick Kalnicki (pictured left) made up for a slow start to the season as he had a goal and three assists for the Stars. Ryan Scheafer, Rick Cey and Jason Walker all had a goal and an assist for the Stars. Barrett Penner and Cory Demko also scored for the Stars who also got two assists from defenseman Matt Restoule. Kendall Holmes had a goal and an assist for Kindersley. Jeremy Beller, Jayde Dunser and Casey Rempel also scored for the Klippers. Ryan Kerpan made 31 stops to preserve the victory for Battlefords. Matt Weninger was chased from the net early in the first period after giving up 2 quick goals on 7 shots. Ryan Nieszner went the rest of the way for Kindersley and stopped 24 of the 27 shots he faced. The Stars are now 2-6-0-1. Kindersley drops to 4-3-0-0.

Saturday's Stars:

1. Reid MacLeod - Flin Flon Bombers (2 goals, 2 assists)

2. Nick Kalnicki - Battlefords North Stars (1 goal, 3 assists)

3. Tommy Castonguay - Flin Flon Bombers (2 goals, 1 assists)

There are two games on Sunday night in the SJHL as the Notre Dame Hounds complete their road trip in Humboldt and the Estevan Bruins finish up their three game trip in Melfort.

Be sure to check back tonight for updates on those games and updated power rankings.

Reminder: Wings next game is Tuesday night when Notre Dame is in town. Game time is 7:30. The Wings then head north on the long weekend with games in Kindersley, Battlefords and Humboldt.

- Brad M.

Wild and Crazy Night in the SJHL!

If you love goals, it was a fun night to watch hockey in the SJHL.

First off in Weyburn, the Red Wings picked up a single point in the standings after a 6-5 shootout loss to the Melville Millionaires. The Red Wings jumped out to an early 2-0 start as Brayden Nargang and Rhett Bly, with his first SJHL goal, scoring 35 seconds apart. Matt Kinnunen brought Melville within one at the 16:22 mark of the first period to make it 2-1 after a period of play. The Millionaires came out flying in the second period as Dion Campbell scored a power play marker just 10 seconds into the period. The Mils then took their first lead of the game only 1:07 later as Bryant Dyke found the back of the net, again on the power play. The Wings tied it up again three minutes later when Torrey Lindsay picked up his fourth goal of the season. The Mils then got consecutive goals from Otto Ruszkoski and Campbell to take a 5-3 lead, before Luke Johnson made it 5-4 with just 37 seconds remaining in the second period. It appeared that Melville was on there way to a regulation time victory before Stephen Simms' shot from the point eluded Kyle Cantlon with just 1:05 to play in the third period making it 5-5 headed for overtime. In the shootout, Campbell and Lindsay scored for their respective teams. Brad Johnston then shot for Melville and was stopped by Kyle McConnell. Scott Doody then shot for the Wings unsuccessfully. Daniel Hope was the third shooter for Melville and made a nice move on McConnell to put the Mils up in the shootout. Josh Bray then went for Weyburn but put the puck high over Kyle Cantlon. Cantlon made 30 saves to pick up the win for Melville. AJ Whiffen had a rough outing for the Wings as he only managed to stop 17 shots in almost two periods of play. Kyle McConnell went the rest of the way for the Wings and was perfect until the shootout. Melville improved to a whopping 7-0 with the win. The Wings are now 5-2-0-1 and continue to sit second in the Sherwood Conference.


Other games:
La Ronge 11 - Jarrid Dowhay, Joel Belair, Bruno-Pier Gosselin (4 points each)
Notre Dame 8 - Tanner Vandesype, Rylan Schwartz, Bryan Hull (3 points each)

Nipawin 7 - Brent Ottmann (5 goals) Torrie Dyck, Blair Toms (3 assists each)
Humboldt 3 - Evan Bryksa (2 goals), Matthew Rintoul (2 points)

Estevan 1 - Guillaume Perusse (32 saves), Kyle Stroh (goal)
Flin Flon 3 - Cameron McKinnon (game winner), Carsen Chubak (first SJHL win)

Three Stars Tonight (league wide)

1. Brent Ottmann - Nipawin Hawks (5 goals)
2. Jarrid Dowhay - La Ronge Ice Wolves (3 goals, 1 assist)
3. Dion Campbell - Melville Millionaires (2 goals, best player on ice tonight for either team)

Honorable Mention - Torrey Lindsay - Weyburn Red Wings (Torrey had a two point night and I thought was the best Red Wing on the ice.

Note: For those who did not realize that were at the game. Late in the second period I believe it was, referee Nathan Wieler had signalled a Melville penalty for high-sticking until he discussed with his linseman and they came to the conclusion that the Millionaire player had high sticked one of his own players, not a Red Wing. That was the reason why the penalty was not called.

- Brad M.

Wednesday Night Roundup!

The Melville Millionaires have improved to 6-0 after defeating the Kindersley Klippers 2-1. Dion Campbell scored the eventual winning goal just 46 seconds into the second period on a short handed effort. Bryant Dyke also scored for Melville. Campbell, Derek Edwards, Scott Hennings and Austin Krahenbil added assists. Brett Leedahl scored late in the second for the Klippers but it would not be enough as they fall to 4-2. Travis Bosch, making his second start of the season, stopped 33 Klipper shots. His counterpart, Matt Weninger, put in a strong rookie effort as well as he made 40 saves.

In Estevan, the Nipawin Hawks will have to settle for a split on the road after being hammered by the Bruins 5-1. The Bruins have won four consecutive games and are now 4-2. THe Hawks dropped to 4-3 with the loss. Niko Grose, Gabriel Carle, Kyle Stroh, Payden Benning and Brady Dew scored for Estevan. Chad Filteau added two assists. Steve Mason scored the lone goal for Nipawin. Karsten Felske improved his record to 3-0 as he made 34 saves. Derek Kleinsteuber took the loss turning aside 28 shots.

The Melfort Mustangs improved to 3-3 with a 4-1 victory over the struggling Battlefords North Stars on Wednesday night. The Stars have only 1 win in 8 starts. Riley Clark, Ryan Gareau, Gary Childerhose and Kyle Fraser scored for the Mustangs. Brody Malek replied for the Stars. Jesse Trach made the start for Melfort and turned aside 22 shots. Adrien Lemay stopped 32 of the 36 shots he faced for the Stars.

Reminder - Wings return to action Friday night when they look to be the first team to knock off the Melville Millionaires this season. Game time at the Colosseum is 7:30. Hope to see ya at the rink.

- Brad M.

Photo session held for the Wings!

This evening the Weyburn Red Wings made time in their busy schedule to head back down to the Colosseum to pose for some pictures that are soon to be on sale at the Red Wings Store.

Here is a quick sample of what the boys were up to tonight. Just a note to the Red Wings, if you would like original copies and extras sent to you via email. Just let Tanya at the Red Wings office know.

Lack of Offensive Punch Hurts Wings!

The Weyburn Red Wings played only there second game of the season on home ice and 1037 fans left disappointed as the Wings fell 2-1 to the Nipawin Hawks. A couple of soft goals were the difference in this game. This was unfortunate indeed as the Wings Kyle McConnell made 30 saves, some of the spectacular variety. The Wings could only muster 22 shots towards Danny Gagne, including only six on the third period. Luke Johnson put the Wings up 1-0 at 5:55 of the second period as Luke Johnson picked up his fourth goal of the season on a nice pass from Josh Bray. Craig Cornelsen also assisted on the goal. Kent Sauter tied the game up early in the third as he bounced a puck off a skate to pick up the goal. Mike Brodziak and Mike Rey assisted on the goal. Then with only one minute remaining in regulation, Brent Ottmann flipped a puck past McConnell to give the Hawks the victory. Torrie Dyck assisted on the winner. The Hawks improved to 4-2 with the victory while the Wings drop to 5-2 and return to action Friday night when they face the red hot Melville Millionaires. Game time is 7:30.

I would like to add that I was very impressed by tonight's officiating by Cam Kuffner tonight. He called what had to be called but for the most part let the team's decide. If only this was the case on a regular basis in the SJHL.

Elsewhere on Tuesday night, the Kindersley Klippers improved to 4-1 with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Yorkton Terriers in Yorkton. Ben Ritchie scored the winner 1:15 into the extra frame for the Klippers. Brett Leedahl and Kirk Pearce also scored for Kindersley. Corey Silverson and Evan Neibrandt replied for the Terriers who pick up one point in the standings despite the loss. Ryan Nieszner left the game after the Terriers tied it at two at the 8:16 mark of the third period. No word at the time of writing on whether an injury was involved or he was just pulled. He stopped 17 of the 19 shots he faced in 48:16 of play. Matt Weninger went the distance for the Klippers turning aside the eight shots he faced. Lynden Sammartino made 28 saves in the losing cause for the Terriers.

The Humboldt Broncos improved to their winning ways as they disposed of the Battlefords North Stars 6-1. Laurent Benjamin continued his hot play as he had a goal and two assists for the Broncos. Jordan Schindel had a goal and an assist. Steven Schroeder, Evan Bryksa, Josh Garneau and Spencer Hoehn also scored for the Broncos who also got two assists from Brayden Klimosko. Ryan Scheafer scored the lone goal for the Stars. Taylor Nelson was not very busy on the night only facing 18 shots. Ryan Kerpan was chased from the game after two periods as he gave up all six goals on 25 shots. Adrien Lemay faced 16 shots in the third period stopping all of them.

SJHL Three Stars of the Night:

1. Laurent Benjamin - Humboldt Broncos (1 goal, 2 assists)
2. Ben Ritchie - Kindersley Klippers (overtime winner)
3. Brent Ottmann - Nipawin Hawks (game winning goal, constant offensive threat)

- Brad M.

Leader Post Story on Nick Needham

Needham fits into the prairie lifestyle

Tim Switzer
The Leader-Post


Tuesday, September 25, 2007


Over the last three hockey seasons, Nick Needham has played in Denver and Weyburn.

Given the choice, he'll take Weyburn.

Coming from the town of Brookings, S.D., (population: 10,000), Weyburn is much more his style.

"There's no traffic jams here like in Denver," the 19-year-old Needham, a defenceman with the Weyburn Red Wings, said with a chuckle. "It's just more of a solid community than a big city. It's just peaceful and quiet."

The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League turned out to be his style as well. He first heard about the league in the spring, when a coach with the Rocky Mountain Wranglers suggested it would be a fit for Needham. The blueliner attended Weyburn's spring camp shortly thereafter and was hooked. He signed his card to join the team that same weekend.

"It was the style of hockey," said Needham, 6-foot-0 and 195 pounds. "There's more grit and competitiveness and it's not so much laidback."

So far, Needham has fit right into such a league. He is described as a stay-at-home defenceman who does little things routinely -- a fine way to play considering he is paired with an offensive-minded defenceman in Stephen Simms.

Needham is such a classical rearguard that he is becoming somewhat of a rarity in hockey today, said Red Wings head coach Dwight McMillan.

"He's close to 200 pounds and he's very strong -- all he's lacking is experience," said McMillan. "Simms plays with his feet so (Needham) is going to face some two-on-ones and he does it very well."

By the end of the season, Needham might just be the best conditioned player in the league as well. Because he is from the U.S. and doesn't have a work or student visa, he has to find something else to occupy his time besides a job or school. So between the Wings' morning skate and their afternoon practice, Needham spends about three hours working out in the gym.

"It makes for a tiring day," said Needham, one of just six players in the SJHL this season who list an American city as their hometown.

It's not like Needham wasn't already in good shape, though. Between winters playing hockey, he works on the family's 1,700-acre farm, where the Needhams raise pigs and cattle.

Given that, it's not a big surprise that Needham is hoping to find a university that offers animal science courses as he looks for a hockey scholarship.

He may end up spending another year in Weyburn before moving on to university, but he surely knows he wants to end up back in what he knows best -- a small town.

"There's some good things about the city," said Needham, "But I'm more used to smaller towns."

- - -

Players-of-the-week: Laurent Benjamin of the Humboldt Broncos is the SJHL player-of-the-week. Benjamin scored three goals and added four assists in three games last week as the Broncos went 2-1. His best performance came during the opening game of the September Showcase on Friday when he had a goal and two assists in a 5-0 win over the Kindersley Klippers.

The Estevan Bruins' Kealin Wong, a Regina product, is the defenceman-of-the-week. He had four points last week -- including a two-goal, one-assist performance in a 6-3 win over the Notre Dame Hounds on Thursday -- as the Bruins went 3-0.

Another Regina product, Humboldt's Taylor Nelson is the goaltender-of-the-week. He made 25 saves in the Broncos' 5-0 shutout over the Red Wings on Tuesday and stopped 22 shots against the Klippers on Friday.

- - -

Stat-of-the-Week: Weyburn's quick-strike offence.

Things were not going Weyburn's way Saturday against the Flin Flon Bombers at the September Showcase in Saskatoon. The Bombers had built a 2-0 early in the first period. Weyburn came back and eventually tied the game just 20 seconds into the second frame, but Flin Flon took the lead back 32 seconds later.

Then came the final few minutes of the second. Weyburn scored three times within the span of one minute 17 seconds to take the lead for good in what was a 7-5 Red Wings victory.

Torrey Lindsay opened the scoring surge at 14:36, Brayden Nargang followed that up at 15:21 and Josh Bray rounded it out at 16:53.

Needham and Luke Johnson assisted on Bray and Nargang's goals.

(SJHL Report appears Tuesdays throughout the SJHL season.)

© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007

Nargang just happy to contribute!

After Brayden Nargang's fout point weekend only days after re-joining the Weyburn Red Wings I sat down to get his thoughts on how he has been playing and what he hopes to do versus Nipawin.

TK: Was it good to get back out their with the guys this season?

BN: It felt really good to get back out their. As a player you just want to get out their and contribute and I am really glad I got the opportunity to do that and help the team.

TK: How did you feel you played during the weekend?

BN:Obviously their were mistakes that were made and had to be fixed but overall it was a good start and a good weekend to build from.

TK: In the couple games you have played have their been any rookies that have impressed you?

BN: Well I would say Whiffen in net looked good and my linemate Torrey Lindsay. I didn’t know anything about him before so I didn’t know what to expect but he is really quick on his feet and an great player. All the rookies have been looking good on the ice so it's hard to choose just one or two.

TK: How far do you think that this team can go this year?

BN:Well right now we are 5 and 1 and look like we can go pretty far, but time will tell. It just depends on how the team can deal with the bumps and bruises that come this year. I guess we will just have to see it all pans out.

TK: Do you think you can add another two point night versus the Nipawin Hawks tonight?

BN: Oh I hope so, I am gonna try but we will see how it goes tonight.

- Troy K

Coaches Corner with Coach McMillan

"It was just excellent to come out of the weekend with four points against two great teams, I am really proud of the guys and how they all stepped up this weekend." Those are the words of Coach Dwight McMillan, and as you can tell the Red Wings impressed him and the fans at the September Showcase in Saskatoon.

I went to visit coach McMillan this morning to get some comments and he was more than happy to speak even after he smashed into a deer during the drive home last night. I kid you not, but for more on that you will have to speak to Dwight yourself.

TK: Did you want to change up your gameplan after a very high scoring game against Flin Flon on Saturday?

DM: I was pleased to see our guys start scoring some goals but we wanted to tighten up our defence and we did that versus Battlefords and we got some help in net as AJ whiffen played outstanding for us in that game.

TK: Would you say AJ Whiffen is making Kyle McConnell work for his starting position?

DM: Oh no doubt, he is some great competition. AJ is a starter in the Junior A league. He has only allowed two goals in his first two games and it's not like they are weak shots either, he is making key saves.

TK: Did you like the look of Brayden Nargang during his first games back with the Red Wings?

DM: Definitely he played real well. Four points in two games is a great first outing and I think he is just going to get better. The line with Nargang, Shupe and Lindsay looked real good on the ice during the weekend.

TK: What are you going to do to get ready for Nipawin tomorrow night?

DM: Well we just got done living in motels for two nights and we played two tough games, so right now I am just deciding what to do with the boys on our day off. It's always a guessing game, you want the boys to be loose but you don't want them to get tired out from practicing too much so we will see how the day goes yet.

- Troy K

Big Bad Brad's Power Rankings (First Edition)

As everyone else seems to be getting into the business of doing power rankings for different sports I thought I would give it a try as well. Without further adieu - let the debate begin.

1. Melville Millionaires (5-0-0-0) - Outstanding goaltending from Kyle Cantlon and determined play by the likes of Dion Campbell and Bryant Dyke leave the Mils with a perfect start to the season. Add in great secondary scoring from the likes of Shane Stanicky and Matt Kinnunen and solid play of Derek Edwards on the back end make this team a force to be reckoned with. I look forward to the Melville - Weyburn matchup on Friday. Will be a great measuring stick for both teams.

2. Humboldt Broncos (4-1-0-0) - Taylor Nelson does not know how to lose hockey games. The Broncos goaltender was nearly flawless in his starts last season and is again off to a fine start in 2007-08. The Broncos boast a very balanced offensive attack with the likes of Jordan Schindel, Matt Kirzinger and Laurent Benjamin to name a few, finding the scoresheet on a nightly basis. The Broncos are also strong on the back end with the likes of Brady Wacker and Matt Rintoul providing a lot of minutes. Humboldt ranks ahead of Weyburn based on their 5-0 win over the Red Wings on Tuesday.

3. Weyburn Red Wings (5-1-0-0) - The Red Wings have won three in a row away from home ice with wins over Melfort, Flin Flon and Battlefords this week. Rookie goaltender AJ Whiffen had a great week for the Wings as he went 2-0 allowing only 2 goals in 120 minutes of action. The Wings found their offensive touch this weekend as Torrey Lindsay, Luke Johnson, Joel Langevin and Preston Shupe to name a few all had multi-point games. Brayden Nargang solidified the Red Wings attack adding four points this weekend in his return from the WHL. The Wings have been getting solid contribution from everyone on the back end and is hard to single out one or two players. The Wings will have a couple of tough games this week as they face the Nipawin Hawks on Tuesday and Melville on Friday. Both games are in Weyburn.

4. Estevan Bruins (3-2-0-0) - It was a great week for the Bruins as they managed to win three games in less than 72 hours. The Bruins got solid goaltending from both Guillaume Perusse and Karsten Felske over the weekend. Kyle Stroh and Payden Benning have been putting up big offensive numbers as of late. The Bruins also get a lot of offense from 20 year old defenseman Kealin Wong who has been solid. It is a busy week for the Bruins as they host Nipawin on Wednesday before heading north for three games in three nights with visits to Flin Flon, La Ronge and Melfort.

5. Nipawin Hawks (3-2-0-0) - The Hawks have been solid in all of their games so far and they could have went either way in every situation. Derek Kleinsteuber and Danny Gagne have split the goaltending duties to this point and there is not much to pick and choose between the two. The Hawks received a boost offensively when Brent Ottmann joined the team after being released by the Prince Albert Raiders. Ottmann will help complement Torrie Dyck and Adam Schwark who have put up good numbers so far. Blair Toms has anchored the defense for Nipawin. The Hawks have a tough southern road trip as they are in Weyburn and Estevan this week before returning home to face Humboldt on Friday. This is a week for the Hawks to show whether they are for real or not.

6. Kindersley Klippers (3-1-0-0) - As was the case last year, the Klippers have relied heavily on the play of goaltender Ryan Nieszner thus far this season. The Klippers had a weekend of mixed results as they were hammered by Humboldt before winning an overtime battle with Flin Flon on Sunday. Ryan Sawka has started off stong offensively for the Klippers who also rely on the likes of Brett Leedahl and Matt Sawa to name a few to put points on the board. Milo Miller and Scott Linnell lead the defense for the Klippers. The Klippers hit the road to Yorkton and Melville this week and then return home on Saturday to face Battlefords, a team they have already defeated twice this season.

7. Yorkton Terriers (2-3-0-1) - The Terriers started out slow but have now won two in a row including a win over the Itech Conference leaders from Humboldt. Lynden Sammartino and Mark Currie have split the goaltending duties so far with neither one really taking the upper hand as of yet. Jeff Steele has been a fine addition for the Terriers playing on a line with Kyle Block. Corey Silverson and Derek Serdachny amongst others lead the way offensively for Yorkton. Michael Trebish and Jordan Pawelec anchor the defense for the Terriers. The Terriers have a quiet week as they only play once - against Kindersley on Tuesday at home.

8. La Ronge Ice Wolves (2-4-0-0) - The Ice Wolves could be much better than 2-4 as goaltenders Jonathan Jobin and Brian Kaval have been sensational. Jordie Johnston, Jarrid Dowhay and Bruno-Pierre Gosselin have provided much of the offense to date. Calvin Fiddler has also been solid for La Ronge. The Ice Wolves host a pair of Sherwood Conference teams this week as Notre Dame and Estevan come to town.

9. Melfort Mustangs (2-3-0-0) - The Mustangs are not a flashy team, especially without Taylor Watt in the lineup - and he will be out until at least Christmas according to reports out of Melfort. The Mustangs acquired Cam Oliphant from the AJHL to help the offense. Clint Olson and Jordan Morgan will be expected to provide offense. Brady Gordon and Mike Kirby have chipped in from the back end. David Ritz and Drew Strandberg have been sharing the goaltending duties so far in Melfort. The Mustangs have home games against the Battlefords and Estevan this week.

10. Flin Flon Bombers (1-3-0-1) - There is no doubt the Bombers can score goals. Dennis Kubat, Pierre-Luc Boucher and David Linsley to name a few are as good an offensive trio as any team can boost. The back end is a bit inexperienced but Michael Young and Jean-Sebastien Bergeron have been good additions thus far. Calvin Bartel and Carsen Chubak need to be more consistent in goal in order for the Bombers to improve on their record. The Bombers host Estevan and Notre Dame on the weekend.

11. Battlefords North Stars (1-4-1-0) - The North Stars are a very young team and their is going to be some bumps on the road. For example, the 12-3 loss on opening weekend in Kindersley. Ryan Kerpan has looked strong in goal when he has played. On the flip side, Adrien Lemay has stuggled. 20 year old Jordan Kaczmar has also started a game for the Stars. A pleasant surprise for the Stars offensively has to be Barrett Penner who has seven points to start the season. Nick Kalnicki has to pick it up offensively for the Stars to score goals. The Stars are led on the back end by Cory Demko and Matt Restoule. Jesse Lebreton has also played well for the Stars from all reports.

12. Notre Dame Hounds (1-5-0-0). Much like the Stars, the Hounds are inexperienced but have shown signs of breaking out. Bryan Hull has had a great start offensively, with help from the likes of Rylan Schwartz and Travis Janke. Tanner Vandesype is the power play anchor and top defenseman on the team. Michel-Andre Guay has seen a bulk of the work in goal with Antoine Desrosiers getting in a couple of starts.

Opinions? Please feel free to comment. I will be posting every Sunday night after all games have been played for that week. Power rankings will not necessarily reflect the order of the standings, but rather the way a team is currently playing.

- Brad M.

Wings Improve to 5-1!

The Weyburn Red Wings are heading home from Saskatoon a happy bunch after defeating the Battlefords North Stars 3-1 this afternoon. AJ Whiffen making his second start of the season was sensational as he turned aside 42 shots. Brayden Nargang put the Wings up 1-0 with 4 seconds to go in the first period on a power play marker. Torrey Lindsay and Preston Shupe assisted on the goal. Following a rather uneventful second period, the Wings turned it on in the third. Luke Johnson made it 2-0 at 5:11 of the third period with the assists going to Joel Langevin and Josh Bray. With Michael Seib serving an extra two minutes after a fight with the Stars Barrett Penner, Stephen Simms managed to score a short-handed goal for his first of the season. Nargang and Lindsay each picked up their second points of the game on the goal as they assisted. Just 26 seconds after Simms' goal, the Stars got on the board as Scott Day scored to make it 3-1. Ryan Kerpan played well in goal for the Stars as he stopped 32 of 35 shots he faced. Nargang now has four points in two games since returning to the Wings from the WHL's Tri-City Americans. The Wings have tomorrow off now before returning to home ice on Tuesday night when the Nipawin Hawks come to town. Game time will be 7:30.

- Brad M.

Sunday at the Showcase

Game 1 is in the books for the day and it was a goaltenders battle which saw the Melville Millionaires improve to 5-0 with a 2-1 win over the La Ronge Ice Wolves (2-4). The star of the game though was goaltender Brian Kaval of the Ice Wolves who in his first SJHL start stopped 43 of 45 shots. The Wolves have an embarrassment of riches in goal with Jonathan Jobin and Kaval in the mix. They moved Dallas Ungarian to the Maritime league yesterday. It was a 34 second span in the second period which spoiled the day for the Wolves as Daniel Hope and Shane Stanicky scored in that span. Bryant Dyke, Derek Edwards and Kyle Cantlon had assists for the Mils who got 28 saves from Cantlon. Bruno-Pier Gosselin had the goal for La Ronge with assists going to Steve Charest and Sterling Bear.
** Update **

The Kindersley Klippers picked up there third win of the season as they defeated the Flin Flon Bombers 4-3 in a shootout on Sunday afternoon in Saskatoon. The Bombers led 2-0 after two periods before surrendering the lead in the third period and then having to tie the game with only 8 seconds to go in regulation. Ryan Sawka was the hero in the shootout for Kindersley. He also had an assist in the game. Kendall Holmes had a pair of goals for the Klippers while Casey Rempel added a single. Kirk Pearce chipped in with two assists. Reid MacLeod led the Bombers attack with a pair of goals. Dennis Kubat also had the other Bombers goal. Michael Young and Pierre-Luc Boucher each had two assists for Flin Flon. Ryan Nieszner got the win for Kindersley as he made 34 saves in the victory. Carsen Chubak is still looking for his first SJHL win as he made 36 saves in the loss.

The Yorkton Terriers won their second straight game as they downed the previous perfect Humboldt Broncos 4-3 in the final game of the Showcase tournament. Jeff Steele led the way for the Terriers as he had a goal and two assists. Kyle Block added a goal and two assists. Derek Serdachny picked up the winning goal for the Terriers with just over 4 minutes to play in regulation. Chris Bratina added two assists for Yorkton. Jordan Schindel, Laurent Benjamin and Brayden Klimosko each had a goal and an assist for the Broncos. Brady Wacker added two assists. Lynden Sammartino was solid in goal for the Terriers as he stopped 37 pucks. Andrew Bodnarchuk gave Taylor Nelson the night off and he stopped 21 of the 25 shots he faced in the Broncos goal. The Terriers improve to 2-3-0-1 while the Broncos are now 4-1.

- Brad M.

Wings take down the Bombers!

The Weyburn Red Wings managed to win the offensive battle versus the Flin Flon Bombers this night as they went on to win by a final score of 7-5.

The Red Wings fell behind early in the first period as the Bombers took a quick 2-0 lead before Michael Seib scored on the powerplay to pull the Wings within one after the first.

The Wings then took control of things in the second as they scored four goals, from Shupe, Lindsay, Nargang and Bray to take a 5-3 lead going into the third.

Neither team was done lighting the lamp just yet. Flin Flon got an early goal but again the Red Wings regained their commanding lead as Doody and Langevin added two more goals before the Bombers added the final goal of the night to make the score a respectable 7-5.

Kyle McConnell got the win for the Red Wings, facing 39 shots while Calvin Bartel suffered the loss for the Bombers facing 37 shots.

The Red Wings next action will be tomorrow verus the Battlefords Northstars in Saskatoon before heading back to Weyburn on Tuesday to face the Nipawin Hawks.

- Troy K

Millionaires and Broncos Each Improve to 4-0!

The Melville Millionaires won a 2-1 battle against the Nipawin Hawks at the Showcase tournament tonight in Saskatoon. Bryant Dyke (pictured left) continued his hot play for Melville as he picked up the eventual game winner at the 15:37 mark of the first period. Scott Hennings also scored for the Mils who got assists from Brad Johnston, Jeremie Houde and Derek Edwards. Torrie Dyck scored the lone goal for the Hawks with Taylor Thiessen picking up the assists. The real story of this game however was the goaltending. Kyle Cantlon stopped 37 pucks for Melville while Danny Gagne of the Hawks was even busier turning aside 39 of 41 shots. The Hawks drop to 2-2 with the loss.

The Humboldt Broncos are also a perfect 4-0 after hammering the Kindersley Klippers 5-0 on Friday afternoon. Kindersley was outshot 40-12 including 8-0 in the third period. Randy Willis started in goal for the Klippers but had to leave just after 7 minutes in after suffering an injury. Ryan Nieszner faced 33 shots the rest of the way. In a rarity, the Klippers had three goalies in the game as Matt Weninger got in to face only one shot. Taylor Nelson made 12 saves to post his second consecutive shutout. Jordan Schindel led the Broncos offensively scoring two goals and chipping in with an assist. Laurent Benjamin had a goal and two assists. Matthew Kirzinger and Brady Wacker also scored for Humboldt.

Also this afternoon, the Melfort Mustangs dominated the Notre Dame Hounds as they came away with a 6-2 victory. Brady Gordon scored two goals for Melfort. Clint Olson, Gary Childerhose, Tommy Brown and Ryan Gareau added singles for the Mustangs which saw Riley Clark play his former team for the first ever time. Grayson Brown and Marc-Andre Nadeau replied for the Hounds who got 28 saves from Andre-Michel Guay. David Ritz got the win for Melfort as he made 17 stops.

The Estevan Bruins and Battlefords North Stars meet in the night cap in Saskatoon tonight and we will have more details of that game later in the evening.

** Update **

The Estevan Bruins have won there second straight game after dumping the Battlefords North Stars 5-0 on Friday evening in Saskatoon. Karsten Felske picked up his second win in as many nights in making 32 saves enroute to the shutout. Kyle Stroh led the Bruins offensively with two third period goals. Chad Filteau and Niko Grose added a goal and an assist each for the Bruins while Davis Brown rounded out the scoring. Adrien Lemay took the loss for the Stars as he stopped 34 of the 30 shots he faced. Lemay has now allowed 17 goals in 120 minutes of play. As the Stars have rookie Ryan Kerpan and 20 year old Jordan Kaczmar in the mix, Lemay did not help his chances of sticking with the team. The Stars drop to 1-2-0-1 with the loss. The Bruins are now 2-2.

My Take on the Smale Situation!

As we all know this, is a blog and opinions are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the organization. That being said, I am going to take a bit of a different stance on Jared Smale's situation than what Troy's article did.
I for one, would like to thank Jared for his contributions to the organization over the past two seasons. It is no doubt that he had the talent to be a special player and in all likelihood would be a frontrunner to lead this team in scoring this season. I wish Jared and his family all the best in their future.
However, I also believe that this is a team game and not an individual game. There is no need to get into details on what occurred. The bottom line is that this sends a message that you play for the crest on the jersey, not the name on the back. I think this sends an incredible message to the young players we have on this team.
Again - I re-iterate this is a blog and blogs contain opinionated articles of the writers. We welcome comments from all readers and just ask that you remain courteous of fellow posters and refrain from foul language.

- Brad M.

*UPDATE*

Thanks for all the comments regarding the issue so far, I would like to let everyone know that you now do not have to create an account to leave a comment, but we would prefer you leave your name rather than an anonymous comment. We hope this will get more people to take part in the discussions! Thanks.

- Troy K

Thursday Night Action

There was only one game on deck in the SJHL tonight and it saw the Estevan Bruins win their first game of the season as they downed the Notre Dame Hounds 6-3 in Wilcox.

Kealin Wong, who was the game's first stat, led the Bruins with two goals and one assist. Payden Benning also had a three point night for the Bruins as he had a goal and two assists. Brody Haygarth, Kyle Stroh and Kyle Ermel into an empty net also scored for Estevan. Bryan Hull, Tanner Vandesype and Eddie Gale replied for the Hounds. Karsten Felske made his first start of the season for the Bruins and stopped 24 of the 27 shots he faced. Antoine Desrosiers made his second start of the season for the Hounds and made 32 saves in the loss. The Bruins improve to 1-2 while the Hounds fall to 1-3 to start the season.

The SJHL Showcase gets under way tomorrow in Saskatoon. Here is the schedule of games for the weekend:

Friday, September 21:
Humboldt vs. Kindersley 11:00
Melfort vs. Notre Dame 2:00
Nipawin vs. Melville 5:00
Battlefords vs. Estevan 8:00

Saturday, September 22:
Notre Dame vs. Nipawin 10:00
Estevan vs. Melfort 1:00
La Ronge vs. Yorkton 4:00
Flin Flon vs. Weyburn 7:00

Sunday, September 23:
Melville vs. La Ronge 10:00
Kindersley vs. Flin Flon 1:00
Weyburn vs. Battlefords 4:00
Yorkton vs. Humboldt 7:00

All games are played at Arena A at Harold Latrace Arena

Good luck to the Wings this weekend and hope a few people can make it up to Saskatoon to cheer the guys on. Myself, I will be cheering Saturday night from Section 28 at Mosaic Stadium so here's to a Riders and Red Wings victory on Saturday night.

- Brad M.

Catching up with the Coach

TK: What went wrong in the game versus Humbolt?

Dwight McMillan:Their powerplay was too much for our penalty kill, plain and simple. They had a great powerplay and scored great goals. We were pleased that we played well with them five on five but our powerplay wasn’t working so that’s just what happened.

TK: How did you calm the guys down and get them back on track to get a 2-1 victory versus Melfort?

Dwight McMillan: We just had to talk to the guys and tell them a loss like that early on isn’t the end of the world. Tomorrow is another day and they just have to get out there and work hard.

TK: How did you feel about the play of AJ Whiffen in his first SJHL game?

Dwight McMillan: He played real well and made some great saves. He didn’t have a lot of shots on him but he did make four or five great saves to keep us in the game.

TK: What do you think you can expect from Flin Flon during the weekend game in Saskatoon?

Dwight McMillan: They are a much improved team from last year, they have newly recruited players who can score. They are a team full of enthusiasm this year and are going to be a tough club to play this year.

Following my interview with Dwight I also caught up with goalie AJ Whiffen after his first SJHL victory to get some comments from him.

TK: Well you have that first win under your belt AJ, how did you feel going into the game versus Melfort?

AJ Whiffen: I was pretty nervous, but really excited at the same time.

TK: Do you think it was easier making your first start away from the hometown Weyburn crowd where you might not feel as much pressure to perform?

AJ Whiffen: That’s a tough question, Maybe it was, but there wasn’t as many fans in Melfort as we have at our games and I am used to our rink and used to the angles and bounces the pucks can take off of the boards.

TK: Did you hear from you family following your win?

AJ Whiffen: Yah. My dad called me in the morning and I also got a call from a news reporter back home.

TK: Are you looking forward to playing in front of a packed Weyburn Colosseum sometime?

AJ Whiffen: Yes I am.

- Troy K

Smale yah later!

1987 born forward Jared Smale is no longer with the Weyburn Red Wings due to disciplinary action. The Red Wings organization are currently entertaining trade offers for Smale at this time.

“We have put his name out there and we are looking at offers. So far we haven’t found an offer that works for us. Some teams have given us offers for a defenceman or a goalie that we just don’t need but we are continuing to listen in hopes of making our team better. Right now our team is fine and will continue to conduct just fine without Jared,” said coach McMillan.

The loss of Jared isn't a huge hit to the Red Wings offence as their team is steadily proving themselves this year and Brayden Nargang could be joining the team soon. One problem with that is the fact that coach McMillan is now having a hard time setting up the final roster due to impressive play of the youngsters in the organization.

- Troy K

Wings Rebound!

The Red Wings come home on a positve as they defeated the Melfort Mustangs 2-1 tonight at the Northern Lights Palace in Melfort. Torrey Lindsay got the winning goal for Weyburn in the second period. Josh Bray added a power play marker for the Wings. Joel Langevin, Stephen Simms, Eric Calibaba and Scott Doody added assists for the Wings. Matt Hill scored the lone goal for Melfort. A.J. Whiffen made his first career start for the Wings in earning the victory as he turned aside 17 of the 18 shots he faced. Drew Strandberg was also making his first career start for the Mustangs and he made 22 saves on 24 shots. The game was played relatively incident free until the 17:13 mark of the third period when Mustangs forward Kyle Fraser received a major penalty for checking to the head. Torrey Lindsay was named the games first star while A.J. Whiffen was the third star. Matt Hill of the Mustangs was the second star. The Wings improved to 3-1 on the season while the Mustangs fall to 1-2.

The Melville Millionaires improved to a perfect 3-0 as they defeated the La Ronge Ice Wolves by a score of 4-3. Bryant Dyke's second goal of the game scored on the power play with under four minutes left to play stood as the winning goal. Matt Kinnunen and Shane Stanicky each added a goal and an assist for Melville. The Ice Wolves got two goals from Jarrid Dowhay with Calvin Fiddler also adding a goal. Kyle Cantlon picked up the win for Melville as he stopped 31 of the 34 shots he faced. Jonathan Jobin was extremely busy in the Wolves net as he was forced to make 42 saves on 46 shots. Apparently Jobin even impressed the crowd in Melville as I think he was the first visiting player to get a game star in Melville in over three years.

No score was available from Flin Flon at the time of writing. For the second straight game in Flin Flon, the online scoring was not made available. Hopefully this problem will be rectified soon as this information needs to be more readily available to the fans. The Bombers were hosting the Battlefords North Stars tonight.

** Update **

The Battlefords Stars have won their first game of the season as they downed the Flin Flon Bombers 3-1. Ryan Kerpan was outstanding in goal as he faced 50 shots, including 24 in the first period, to secure the victory for the Stars. Barrett Penner had a two goals and an assist for Battlefords (one of which was into an empty net). Jason Walker also scored for the Stars. Dennis Kubat had the lone goal for Flin Flon who got 17 saves from Calvin Bartel. The Bombers fall to 1-2 on the season.

The Wings next action is Saturday night in Saskatoon when they face the Flin Flon Bombers. The Wings will then face the Battlefords North Stars on Sunday afternoon before returning home to face the Nipawin Hawks on Tuesday night.


- Brad M.

Closure for Hopkins Family

The body of a teenager who drowned two months ago has been recovered from Little Bonne Bay Pond, near Wiltondale, just outside of Gros Morne National Park. A husband and wife team from the United States used a remote-controlled submersible to locate the body of 19-year-old Stephan Hopkins of Deer Lake, who went missing on July 7th. RCMP divers and search and rescue teams tried for almost a week to find the teen's body after the canoe he and a friend were travelling in overturned. Family and friends of the young victim sent e-mails asking Gene and Sandy Ralston of Boise, Idaho to bring their submersible expertise to help. It was equipped with side-scan sonar technology. The body was found within an hour of launching the submersible vehicle.


The Weyburn Red Wings organization are very happy to see that the Hopkins' family can now find a sense of closure and wish them all the best through this difficult time.

- Brad M.

Nargang Reassigned

The Tri-City Americans have re-assigned Brayden Nargang to the Weyburn Red Wings. Welcome back to Brayden. This will add even more depth at forward for the Wings who have quite an impressive group of rookie forwards here as it is and will make things even more difficult for Coach McMillan in putting together his lineup.

As for Jared Smale, stay tuned.............

- Brad M.

Wings "Hum"bled by Broncos

It was a tough start to a mini two game road trip for the Weyburn Red Wings as they dropped a 5-0 decision to the Humboldt Broncos. Taylor Nelson had the shutout for the Broncos as he turned aside all 25 shots he faced. Matthew Kirzinger had two goals for Humboldt who got singles from Brayden Klimosko, Laurent Benjamin and Russ Nielson. Kyle McConnell made the start for the Wings and turned aside 27 of 32 shots. The Broncos went an impressive 4/13 in the power play while the Wings power play was shutdown as they went 0/11 on the man advantage. Jordan Schindel was given a major penalty for checking from behind for Humboldt and subsequently squared off with Wings captain Kyle Haines in a fight. Michael Seib and Eric Calibaba also dropped the gloves in a penalty filled first period. Jared Smale was not in the lineup for Weyburn tonight. No word as of writing this as to whether it was injury or illness related or for other reasons. The Wings return to action tomorrow night as they battle the Melfort Mustangs.

Elsewhere on Tuesday night, the Yorkton Terriers remain winless as they fell 2-1 to the visiting La Ronge Ice Wolves. Bruno-Pier Gosselin had two power play goals for the Wolves. Jordie Johnston, Calvin Fiddler and Jules Boucher chipped in with assists. Rylan McDonell with assists from Derek Serdachny and Kevin Stringfellow scored for the Terriers. Jonathan Jobin was on his game yet again as he made 30 saves for the Ice Wolves. Mark Currie was in goal for the Terriers and made 22 saves on 24 shots. Currie and Lynden Sammartino have rotated in goal so far to start the season for the Terriers.

In Nipawin, the Hawks won their second straight game as they doubled the Battlefords Stars 6-3. Torrie Dyck paced the Hawks attack with a goal and two assists. Blair Toms and Dean Prpick had a goal and an assist each while the Hawks also got goals from Andrew Georgeson, Derek Holenski and Taylor Thiessen. Adam Schwark had three assists for Nipawin who also got a pair of assists from Regean Carriere. Jason Walker, Trent Lizee and Scott Day scored for the Stars who got two assists from Barrett Penner. Derek Kleinsteuber pucked up the win in goal for the Hawks as he made 22 saves. Jordan Kaczmar made his first start for the Stars and was extremely busy as he faced 48 shots. Kaczmar is a 20 year old who has bounced around the junior A ranks over the last few seasons. The Stars are still winless on the season.

Tonight's Three Stars:

1. Bruno-Pier Gosselin - La Ronge Ice Wolves (2 power play goals)
2. Torrie Dyck - Nipawin Hawks (1 goal and 2 assists)
3. Taylor Nelson - Humboldt Broncos (25 saves - shutout)

Tomorrow Night:

As mentioned earlier, the Wings will look to rebound tomorrow night as they visit Melfort. Elsewhere on Wednesday, the La Ronge Ice Wolves will be in Melville to face the 2-0 Millionaires, and the Battlefords Stars will continue the quest for their first win as they visit the Whitney Forum in Flin Flon to face the Bombers.

REMINDER: The Wings are in Saskatoon this weekend for the SJHL showcase tournament. The Wings will face the Flin Flin Bombers on Saturday night and the Battlefords Stars on Sunday afternoon. If anyone is planning on heading to Saskatoon this weekend, all games are at the Harold Latrace Arena.

- Brad M.

Don't Forget!

Winger says, "Make sure you check out the newest action shots posted online. Just go follow the link on the right hand side of the page to see the newest pictures from the home opener versus Yorkton."

Or you can just click here!

Hounds Win Battle of the Dogs!

Their was only one game on the SJHL schedule on Monday night and it saw the host Notre Dame Hounds pick up there first win of the season as they snuck by the Yorkton Terriers 4-3. Travis Janke scored twice for the Hounds including the game winner at 18:54 of the second period. Tanner Vandesype and Eddie Gale also scored for the Hounds while Steven Robinson and Bryan Hull each had two assists.
Chris Bratina, Kyle Block and Jordan Pawelec all had a goal and an assist each for the Terriers who fall to 0-2-0-1 on the season. Andre-Michel Guay was solid in net for the Hounds as he picked up his first SJHL victory. Lynden Sammartino dropped his second start of the season to see his record fall to 0-1-0-1.

Monday Night Stars:

First Star - Travis Janke - Notre Dame Hounds (2 goals, GWG)
Second Star - Tanner Vandesype - Notre Dame Hounds (1G, 1A)
Third Star - Jordan Pawelec - Yorkton Terriers (1G, 1A)

Tuesday night in the SJHL:

There are three games on tap on Tuesday night as your Weyburn Red Wings will start there mini two game road trip in Humboldt. Both teams are 2-0 to start the season. Elsewhere, the Terriers will be looking for their first win of the season as they host the 1-1 La Ronge Ice Wolves. The other game will see the Battlefords Stars in Nipawin to battle the Hawks. The Stars are looking for their first win on the season while the Hawks are 1-1 to start the year.

- Brad M.

Wings get ready for the road!

Well as you know the Red Wings have started off the season a perfect 2 and 0, so I caught up with some of the boys before their afternoon practice and discussed how the past week went and how they feel the road trip up north is going to go.

TK: You have a nice 2 and 0 start to the season and things are looking good, but how has the team been clicking and what do you think the team needs to improve on?

Stephen Simms: The team did a good job of passing the puck around, I think we all clicked as a team, skated hard, used our size to our advantage and threw our weight around to create some scoring chances, we just have to keep doing that.

TK: Humbolt and Melfort are some tough competition coming up, what do you have to do to keep them on their toes and be effective against them?

Stephen Simms: We have to be physical and set the tone on the road. We just have to play our game, pass the puck, use our speed to our advantage and get the puck on the net because both teams have great goaltending.

TK: You had two strong starts seeing plenty of shots last week, how have you been feeling in the pipes and and what would you like to improve on?

Kyle McConnell: It felt good to get those wins, but the biggest thing has been to focus for 60 minutes. It only takes one bad shift to let a goal in. Preparation plays a key role in focusing. I have some pre-game rituals that I like to do to calm me down, like taping my stick the same way, shower before a game and things like that just to calm me down before a game.

TK: Are you looking forward to facing Humbolt and Melfort, who are both expected to be some stiff competition?

Kyle McConnell: Personally I have never played them, I am looking forward to it because I know they have had very good teams in the past and again this year. The next few games will show us how our team can compete and what we are really made of.

TK: How did it feel to notch your first goal with the Red Wings?

Torrey Lindsay: It felt pretty good to get that goal. It definitely happened a lot quicker than last year.

TK: Describe the goal for me.

Torrey Lindsay: It was really just a bangers goal. The puck hit my leg, then hit the ice and I whacked it in out of the air. It was nice to get that goal because before that I had about three or four good chances to get one.

TK: How do you feel you are fitting in with the Red Wings this year?

Torrey Lindsay: Things are going good, my line mates have been great. It has been great to play with Smale, he is fast, a great playmaker and I think we have been working well together. Calibaba is also awesome to play with, he is a big strong guy who opens up the ice for us and hopefully we can keep it going

-Troy K

New Link

www.illegalcurve.blogspot.com has been added as a link on our site. This is a blog created by a number of guys that is a fun read. It focuses a lot on the NHL but also has some information on major junior happenings. One of the contributors to the site is Fillmore native Kyle Kosior. It is a really fun read and I hope everyone checks it out.

- Brad M.

SJHL Saturday Roundup!

The home openers were held in six different centres last night which saw the home teams win four of the six games.

In Weyburn, the Wings rode a strong performance by goaltender Kyle McConnell, to skate away with the 2-1 victory in front of 1086 mostly happy people. Preston Shupe and Craig Cornelsen both scored their first goals of the season for the Wings. Scott Doody, Ethan Gardner, Joel Langevin and Kyle Haines chipped in with assists. Evan Neibrandt scored his first SJHL goal for the Terriers with Stephen Martinuk and Greg Coburn getting the assists. McConnell made 28 of 29 saves for the Wings, many of which were of the spectacular variety. Mark Currie played a strong game for the Terriers as he battles Lynden Sammartino for playing time. Currie stopped 28 of the 30 shots he faced.

In Wilcox, the Humboldt Broncos stole the show away from the home crew as they defeated the Notre Dame Hounds 4-2. Jordan Schindel paced the Broncos with a goal and an assist. Laurent Benjamin, Steven Schroeder and Evan Bryksa also scored for the Broncos while Russell Nielsen chipped in with a pair of assists. Travis Montgomery and Cody Mapes scored for the Hounds while Rylan Schwartz had two assists. Rookie Andrew Bodnarchuk was sharp in the Broncos goal turning aside 28 of the 30 shots he faced. Antoine Desrosiers allowed 4 goals on 37 shots for the Hounds.

The Bruins faithful went home unsatisfied Saturday night as there team fell 6-3 to the Melville Millionaires to drop to 0-2 for the season. Brad Johnston had a goal and two assists to lead the Millionaires. Daniel Hope and Dion Campbell each added two goals while Shane Stanicky also scored for the Mils. Bryant Dyke, Jarret Fisher and Curtis Beech each added two assists for Melville. Kyle Stroh scored twice for the Bruins with Kyle Ermel adding a single. Travis Bosch made his first SJHL start for the Mils stopping 33 of the 36 shots he faced. Guillaume Perusse had an off night for the Bruins as he made only 19 saves.

It was blowout night in Kindersley as the Klippers throttled the Battlefords North Stars 12-3. There were numerous multi-point players for the Klippers. Jonathan Redlick led the way has he scored 3 goals while adding an assist. Matt Sawa had two goals and two assists while Ben Ritchie had a goal and three assists. Defenseman Milo Miller also had a goal and three assists. Brett Leedahl added a goal and two assists for the Klippers. Also having multi-point games for Kindersley were Ryan Sawka, Travis Eggum, Jerrett Bicknell, Casey Rempel, Kirk Pearce and Jeremy Beller. Ricky Cey had a goal and an assist for the Stars who also got singles from Tyrell Schulko and Jesse Lebreton. Ryan Nieszner stopped 26 of the 29 shots he faced for the Klippers. Poor Adrien Lemay had to spend the entire game for the Stars and allowed the 12 goals on 39 shots. It should be noted that the Klippers scored five unanswered goals in the final five minutes of the game.

The Melfort Mustangs rebounded from a loss in Flin Flon on Friday to defeat those same Bombers 4-1 on Saturday night. John Payne, Kyle Fraser and Tommy Brown each had a goal and an assist for the Mustangs. Clint Olson added a goal. Reid MacLeod had the lone goal for the Bombers. David Ritz was not kept to busy on this night as he only was forced to make 17 saves on 18 shots. Carsen Chubak had his first SJHL start for the Bombers and stopped 22 of the 26 shots he faced.

The Nipawin Hawks also won their home opener as they battled the La Ronge Ice Wolves and won 3-2. Regean Carriere scored twice for the Hawks including adding the game winner with less than five minutes to play. Adam Schwark also scored for Nipawin while Steve Mason and Torrie Dyck chipped in with two assists each. Everette Lerner had a goal and an assist for the Wolves. Adam Moar also scored for La Ronge. Derek Kleinsteuber made 33 saves for the Hawks in the victory. Jonathan Jobin was sharp at the other end as he had to make 38 saves on 41 shots.

Saturday's Three Stars:

1. Jonathan Redlick - Kindersley Klippers (3 G, 1A)
2. Brad Johnston - Melville Millionaires (1G, 2A)
3. Milo Miller - Kindersley Klippers (1 G, 3A)

Honorable Mentions: Kyle McConnell (Weyburn), John Payne (Melfort), Regean Carriere (Nipawin), Daniel Hope (Melville), Andrew Bodnarchuk (Humboldt)

If I was the guy to pick the SJHL players of the week - my picks would be:

Player of the Week - Ryan Sawka - Kindersley Klippers
Defenseman of the Week - Milo Miller - Kindersley Klippers
Goalie of the Week - Jonathan Jobin - La Ronge Ice Wolves

After writing that I decided to go and see who the actual winners were and I must say I was fairly close.

Player - Dion Campbell - Melville Millionaires
Defense - Miller
Goal - Jobin

I did disagree with the fact that Kyle McConnell did not even receive an honarable mention for his performance this weekend after going 2-0 and looking exceptionally strong in a 2-1 win on Saturday.

Next action for the Wings is Tuesday night as they head out to Humboldt to face the Broncos. The Wings will be in Melfort on Wednesday night. Unfortunately due to the fact that the local radio station carries Blue Jays baseball (which is okay but sucks once the Jays are out of contention), the games will not be on the radio.

The Wings are off to Saskatoon next weekend where they face the Flin Flon Bombers and Battlefords North Stars at the Showcase tournament before returning home for a game against Nipawin on September 25.

Return Engagement Night in the SJHL!

Six games are on tap tonight on night two of the SJHL season.

In Weyburn, the Wings expect to have a big crowd as they host the Yorkton Terriers. The Wings won 5-4 in a shootout on Friday night.

Down in Estevan, the Bruins hope to avenge a defeat at the hands of the Melville Millionaires last night. v

Up the road in Wilcox, the Notre Dame Hounds will host the Humboldt Broncos. The Broncos laid a 6-1 drubbing on the young Hounds last night.

The Kindersley Klippers begin their home schedule as the Battlefords North Stars come to town. The Klippers defeated the Stars 3-2 in overtime on Friday night.

The Nipawin Hawks fans hope for a better effort from their club tonight as they welcome the La Ronge Ice Wolves.

In Melfort, the Mustangs will be looking to rebound from a 4-2 loss as the much improved Flin Flon Bombers come to town.

Three stars on night one of the SJHL season:

1st Star - Ryan Sawka - Kindersley Klippers (3 goals including OT winner)
2nd Star - Jared Smale - Weyburn Red Wings (shootout winner, 3 assists)
3rd Star - Jonathan Jobin - La Ronge Ice Wolves (33 saves for shutout)

Elsewhere in the SJHL!

Although not all scoring summaries are available, I have been able to obtain the out of town scores for all games. Of course, as reported in the prior post, the Wings defeated the Terriers 5-4 in a shootout.

In North Battleford, the Stars battled back in the third period from a 2-0 deficit before succumbing in overtime to the Kindersley Klippers. Ryan Sawka scored all three Klipper goals in the victory. Jayde Dunser added two assists for Kindersley. Ryan Nieszner made 29 saves for the win while rookie Ryan Kerpan took the loss for the Stars but did manage 34 saves on 37 shots for the young Stars squad.

In Melville, the Mils fans went home happy as Melville dumped Estevan 5-0 on opening night. Kyle Cantlon, making his first SJHL regular season start, made 28 saves to earn the shutout. Dion Campbell and Scott Hennings each had a goal and two assists for the Millionaires. Brad Johnston also had a goal and assist. Jarret Fisher and Matt Kinnunen also replied for Melville who peppered Bruins goaltender Guillaume Perusse with 47 shots.

Humboldt looked very strong on home ice on opening night as they trounced the Notre Dame Hounds 6-1. Taylor Nelson had his shutout bid stopped by Hounds rookie Thomas Williams late in the third period. Tory Allan led the Broncos attack with two goals, with Jordan Schindel, Matthew Kirzinger, Steven Schroeder and Evan Bryksa adding singles. Andre-Michel Guay started in goal for the Hounds allowing 5 goals on 29 shots before making way for Antoine Desrosiers who stopped 14 of the 15 shots he faced.

In La Ronge, the Ice Wolves skated away with a 4-0 shutout victory over the Nipawin Hawks. There was no goaltender statistics available although I would suspect Jonathan Jobin was in net for the Wolves. Calvin Fiddler, David Lawrence, Jordie Johnston and Adam Moar scored for La Ronge. Jarrid Dowhay returned from the WHL's Prince Albert Raiders and picked up an assist for the Wolves.

In Flin Flin, the Bombers won their first home opener in six years as they downed the Melfort Mustangs 4-2. Dominic Martel scored the game winner midway through the second period for the Bombers. Pierre-Luc Boucher, Robert Beaudry and Dennis Kubat also scored for Flin Flon. Ryan Gareau and Jordan Morgan replied for the Mustangs who begin the season without the talented Taylor Watt in the lineup. The Bombers made their shots count as they only mustered 21 shots at David Ritz. Calvin Bartel was not much busier as he stopped 22 of 24 shots fired his way.

Just a reminder that the Wings host the Terriers Saturday night in the home opener. The Family Place will be hosting a tail gate party outside the rink before the game. Be sure to save up some room for some tasty burgers and dogs.

Hope to see ya at the rink. Lets pack the Colosseum tomorrow night.

- Brad M.

Wings Win 5-4 in Shootout!

Thanks to CTV we now have a final score in the game. The Red Wings came out on top with a 5-4 shootout victory. Jared Smale was the hero on this night as he scored the shootout winner and added three assists. Luke Johnson, Joel Langevin, Eric Calibaba and Torrey Lindsay also scored for the Wings who blew a 4-2 third period lead before prevailing in the shootout. Please check the scoring summary below. Final goaltending statistics were not available but I can add that Kyle McConnell picked up the win for the Wings while Lynden Sammartino suffered the loss for the Terriers.

Scoring Summary:

First Period:

1. Yorkton - Cory Silverson 1 (Jordan Pawelec, Scott Jackson) 3:21 (PP)
2. Weyburn - Luke Johnson 1 (Stephen Simms, Josh Bray) 15:38

Second Period:

3. Yorkton - Scott Jackson 1 (Cory Silverson, Greg Coburn) 4:35
4. Weyburn - Joel Langevin 1 (Jared Smale, Torrey Lindsay) 10:21 (PP)

Third Period:

5. Weyburn - Eric Calibaba 1 (Jared Smale) 0:13
6. Weyburn - Torrey Lindsay 1 (Jared Smale, Eric Calibaba) 11:16
7. Yorkton - Cody Zubko 1 (unassisted) 12:25
8. Yorkton - Kyle Block 1 (unassisted) 14:42

- Brad M.

Former Wing To Join Radio Crew This Year!

AM1190 will have a new radio crew this year as Wayne Lazar joins as the new color commentator. Lazar is the father of Red Wings defenseman Ian Lazar. He has previous broadcasting experience and will be a welcome addition to the broadcasts. I wish Wayne all the best and know he will do an outstanding job. I look forward to listening to your insights on the game and your past experiences as a player.

I would like to thank everyone for all the nice comments regarding our broadcasts from this past season. I will miss calling the games tremendously as it even played a part in me moving back to Weyburn in the first place. I hope to be involved with broadcasts this season in some capacity with visiting radio stations and possibly Access Communications.

-Brad M.

2007/08 Roster updates

The roster for the Weyburn Red Wings is now up and ready for viewing
at www.weyburnredwings.ca

Some players may be released following this weekends games, the roster
will then be updated accordingly.

Player profile pictures are expected to be posted late next week with
new video footage being posted as well.

Also, don't forget to vote for Red Wings forward Torrey Lindsay on the survey at www.sjhl.ca

Wings prepare for Yorkton!

With only three days left until the regular season begins, the Weyburn Red Wings have been continuing to practice hard and mentally prepare for another tough season in the Sherwood Conference. I caught up with Red Wing Veteran’s Michael Seib, Kyle Haines and Preston Shupe before their morning skate to see how things look for the season opener on Friday.

TK: Are you ready to face off versus the Yorkton Terriers on Friday?

Kyle Haines: Yah, I can’t wait, I have been looking forward to it all summer. Yorkton always puts on a big show at home so hopefully we can come out and put a damper on things.

TK: With you being expected to be a leader defensively how do you feel training camp went for you personally?

Kyle Haines: I felt strong out there being a 20 year old. I wanted to do more offensively but I though I was in the play well and moved the puck real good. Hopefully I can just improve every game.

TK: How does the 2007/08 Red Wings team look this year?

Michael Seib: The team looks real good. We have a great bunch of strong new skaters and the returning guys are looking real good on the ice. It should be a good year all around.

TK: What challenges are you going to face out their on opening night?

Preston Shupe: We just have a lot of new faces so everyone will want to get those early jitters out. Everyone is gonna be pumped up to go out their and play but we have to get used to one another. Once that happens then all the other things will start clicking!

-Troy K