Mils "Spooked" by Hounds on Halloween Night!

The Notre Dame Hounds have been playing much better hockey as of late and that was proven again tonight as they shutout Sherwood division leading Melville by a score of 3-0. Mark Currie was the player of the game as he turned aside all 30 Millionaire shots. Chris Bratina also had a big game for the Hounds as he had two goals and an assist. Thomas Williams also scored for the Hounds. Eddie Gale, Rylan Schwartz, Travis Janke, Blake Peake and Marc Andre Nadeau also had assists. Kyle Cantlon got the start for Melville and made a respectable 30 saves. Contrary to what the SJHL website states, the Hounds improve to 6-15-1-0. The Millionaires drop to 13-4-0-1 with the loss.

In Yorkton, the Terriers completed the home and home sweep of the Estevan Bruins as they downed them 5-1. Scott Jackson had a big game for the Terriers as he had two goals and an assist to help pick up the slack for the injured Bryan Hull. Greg Coburn, Cody Zubko and Cam Hopkins also scored for the Terriers. Carter Smith added two assists for Yorkton. Bruins captain Kyle Garagan had the lone Estevan goal. Bruins defenseman Kealin Wong was ejected in the third period after receiving a double fighting major and a game misconduct. He was responding to a checking from behind penalty call on the Terriers Evan Neibrandt. Lynden Sammartino kept up his strong play allowing only one goal on 26 shots. Karsten Felske was chased from the Bruins goal after allowing three goals on only 7 shots in the first period. Guillaume Perusse went the rest of the way stopping 19 of 21 shots. The Terriers leap frog back into second place as they improve to 11-7-1-2 for 25 points. They are one point ahead of the Red Wings and now only two back of the Millionaires for first. The Bruins fall to 10-8-2-0 with the loss.

Meanwhile, they had a good old fashioned shootout in Kindersley which saw the Klippers pull out a 6-5 shootout victory. Ryan Sawka scored the shootout winner. Jonathan Redlick scored twice for the Klippers. Scott Linnell had a goal and an assist. Matt Sawa and Jeremy Beller were the other Kindersley goal scorers. Clint Olson led the way for the Mustangs with three assists. Taylor Watt and Brady Gordon each had a goal and an assist for the Mustangs. John Payne and Donovan Chow also scored for Melfort. Matt Hill returned to the lineup after serving a four game suspension and picked up an assist on Watt's goal. Ryan Nieszner picked up the win as he made 27 saves. Ilia Ejov did not hit the win column for the first time as the Mustangs starting goaltender as he will have to settle for the shootout loss. The Klippers have tightened the Sherwood Conference standings as they improve to 10-8-0-1 and are now just a point back of fourth place Estevan. The Mustangs, despite the loss gain a point up on Flin Flon as they now have a two point advantage over the Bombers as they go to 11-7-0-1.

There is a rare Thursday night game in the SJHL tomorrow night as the Humboldt Broncos visit the Estevan Bruins. Those same Broncos hit Colosseum ice on Friday night to battle the Wings. Game time Friday is the usual 7:30.

Tonight's Three Stars:
* Mark Currie - Notre Dame Hounds (30 save shutout performance over talented Melville club)
** Scott Jackson - Yorkton Terriers (3 point performance leads Terriers to victory over Estevan)
*** Chris Bratina - Notre Dame Hounds (Bratina continues to impress in a Hounds uniform as he has a goal and two assists.)

- Brad M.

What the Hell is Wrong with the SJ website!

I know sometimes people complain about how the Yorkton Terriers get a bit of extra coverage and such on the SJHL website and of course there is always talk to Laury Ryan's Notre Dame Hounds - how about this. Check out the latest SJHL standings from http://www.sjhl.ca/. Hurry fast before the mistake is noticed Ha Ha.

Apparently the Terriers had a 6 point victory tonight. Meanwhile, the Notre Dame Hounds have improved by an incredible 14 points tonight. Nice to see the league's statistics program working at its best yet again.

- Brad M.

SJHL News Update!

The Flin Flon Bombers have finalized a pair of deals.

The biggest is a trade with the Battlefords North Stars as they have acquired 20 year old forward Barrett Penner (pictured) in exchange for 19 year old forward Shaun McNulty, 18 year old defenseman Kirk Moore and list player Jason Spafford. Penner was the Stars leading scorer at the time of the deal with 5 goals and 9 assists for 14 points in 16 games. Penner, known for his tough and gritty style of play, also was amongst the league leaders in penalty minutes with 90. McNulty, from Campbell River, BC, has struggled somewhat this season as he has only 2 goals and 2 assists in 18 games. McNulty should benefit from increased ice time with the Stars. Moore is a young defenseman with a good upside. The Saskatoon product has 2 assists in 15 games. Spafford is playing midget with the Saskatoon Blazers.

Meanwhile, the Bombers have also acquired forward David Dykstra from the Nipawin Hawks for futures. Dykstra had one assist in limited action this season for the Hawks.

Meanwhile, the Yorkton Terriers and Humboldt Broncos have been disciplined for events that occurred in a game in Yorkton last Friday night. Travis Coghill and Corey Silverson of the Terriers and Thomas Frasz and Taylor Pillar of the Broncos have each been suspended three games for there actions which resulted in a multi-fight situation. Meanwhile, the Terriers were also fined $500 for failing to keep their team on the bench at the end of the game.

- Brad M.

We hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween. Make sure you stop by the Tribigers to see their Grim Reaper if your not too scared!

I will be looking for someone to set up a Red Wings Christmas picture in a couple months now, It's not too far away so let me know who's turn it is for that and we will make sure to have a Red Wing Christmas but until then best of luck boys and keep on winning!

-Troy K

Wings Stop Hounds Streak!

The Notre Dame Hounds were riding a three game winning streak coming into Weyburn on Tuesday night but the Wings had no plans of sending them home with another win as they took care of business and dropped the Hounds 4-2. The Wings led 2-0 after the first period on goals from Stephen Simms and Eric Calibaba. Simms picked up his second of the game just over two minutes into the second period on a pretty tic tac toe type play that caught Hounds goaltender Andre Guay out of position. Roy Farrer cut the deficit to two for the Hounds a bit later in the period as he slid a puck under the pads of Wings goalie AJ Whiffen. Travis Janke made things interesting as he brought the Hounds within a goal at the 2:31 mark of the third period. However the Wings added the insurance marker at the 13:48 mark of the third after Torrey Lindsay failed on a wraparound chance but the puck came out to the stick of Preston Shupe and he converted. Shupe and Lindsay each ended the night with three points as Shupe had a goal and two assists and Lindsay added three assists and in my opinion was the best player on the ice tonight. Stephen Simms also had a strong game with the two goals. Luke Johnson, Kyle Haines and Michael Seib also added assists for the Wings. The Houds got assists from Dieter Gillanders, Shane Gray, Chris Bratina and Tommy Williams. Whiffen made 28 saves in the Weyburn goal while his coounterpart, Guay stopped 36 shots at the other end. Darcy Pindus picks up the coaching win tonight as Dwight McMillan has left for the World Junior A Challenge in Vernon, BC where he is one of the assistant coaches. The Red Wings improve to 11-7-1-1 and have regained second place in the Sherwood, one point ahead of the idle Yorkton Terriers. The Hounds are now 5-15-1-0. The Hounds are 8 points back of fifth place Kindersley in the Sherwood.

In La Ronge, two struggling teams faced off with the Ice Wolves emerging as 5-3 winners over the Nipawin Hawks. Jordie Johnston had two goals and an assist to lead the way for La Ronge. Ryan Desjarlais added a goal and an assist while defenseman Kenny Neufeld contributed three assists in the win. Joel Belair and Tyler Karst, with the game winner, also scored for the Ice Wolves. Blair Toms, Derek Holenski and Graham Dyck socred for the Hawks. Torrie Dyck had two assists in the losing cause. Final shots were not available at the time of writing but I can tell you Brian Kaval picked up the win for La Ronge and Derek Kleinsteuber suffers the loss for the Hawks. La Ronge moves back to the .500 mark with a record of 9-9-1-0. The Hawks drop to 7-8-0-1.

In North Battleford, a depleted North Stars roster fought hard, byt were blanked by the red hot Melfort Mustangs 3-0. The Mustangs have yet to lose since the arrival of goaltender Ilia Ejov who had a light night saving 15 shots for the shutout. Clint Olson and Taylor Watt each had a goal and an assist for the Mustangs. John Payne had the other Mustang goal. Cameron Larson, Brendan Baumgartner, Brady Gordon and Riley Clark all added assists for the Mustangs. Ryan Kerpan got the start for the Stars and stopped 30 of 33 shots. The Stars were playing without Barrett Penner, Trent Lizee, Scott Day and Cory Demko, all who are rumored to have been traded. I will bring you details on these moves once they are released by the SJHL. The Mustangs, with their fourth straight win, move to 11-7-0-0 and have moved past Flin Flon into second in the Itech. The Stars are stuck at 2 wins as they drop to 2-15-1-1.

Tonights Three Stars:

* Torrey Lindsay - Weyburn Red Wings (3 assists, Wings best player)
** Jordie Johnston - La Ronge Ice Wolves (2 goals and an assist)
*** Stephen Simms - (2 goal effort for Wings veteran d-man - will have to receive consideration for SJHL d-man of the month for October, along with teammate Kyle Haines

Wednesday in the SJHL: Melville will look for more breathing room atop the Sherwood Conference as they head to Wilcox to face the Hounds; The Melfort Mustangs and Ilia Ejov will look to extend the winning streak as they head to Kindersley to meet the Klippers; and a big Sherwood Conference battle in Yorkton tomorrow night as the Terriers welcome the Estevan Bruins to town.

SJHL Notes:

The Yorkton Terriers will be without the services of forward Bryan Hull for at least a month as he suffered a broken bone in his hand in a recent game. The Terriers acquired Hull last month from the Notre Dame Hounds in a deal that saw Chris Bratina and Mark Currie shipped to Notre Dame.

In the Battlefords, the Stars look to be about to make a major roster overhaul. If anything occurs, we will let you know.

Trade rumors are flying around the league right now with just about every team at one time or another being mentioned. It will be interesting to see how things shake down in the next few weeks.

- Brad M.

Catching up with the coach!

Troy Kramm: First off in the game versus Flin Flon on Friday, the team played a defensively sound game and shut down the leagues top scoring unit of Reid MacLeod, Pierre-Luc Boucher and Dennis Kubat. What were the boys doing right in that game?

Dwight McMillan: I think the guys did a great job of shutting them down. I give credit to Calibaba who plays on the left side for shutting them down and I think Haines also did a superb job of shutting them down on left defense. The entire line of Calibaba, Bly and Needham shut down their big line and didn’t allow them much room on the ice, they were great for us out there.

TK: With Whiffen getting the shutout versus Flin Flon do you think you might go with him for the next few games rather than rotating him and Erickson?

McMillan: Oh you never know, but there is no doubt that he will be getting the start versus Notre Dame tomorrow.

TK: I am keeping this once nice and simple, I just want to know what went wrong versus Notre Dame on Saturday?

McMillan: We weren’t ready defensively. Notre Dame’s first three or four goals were ones that shouldn't have gone in, we just didn’t play very well in front of our goalie. We were only down 4-3 after the first then they scored two more in the second to take the wind out of our sails. The boys began to work hard but not smart which led to more scoring chances that they capitalized on. Overall I would have to say everyone from our goalie out just didn’t play well.

TK: Do you feel that nerves played a big role in Tanner Erickson’s performance as it was only his third SJHL start and with the trade of McConnell he may have felt pretty secure in his position?

McMillan: He wanted to prove himself and he did a good job at times, we didn’t play well in front of him on many of the goals he allowed and then there were some goals that he should have had. There are some things that we are going to work on in practice because we just let them get to our net way too much.

We got tied up in front and we can’t afford to tie ourselves up because you will get penalties that way, you just have to make sure you play from out in front.

TL: Speaking of penalties, do you feel the boys played undisciplined hockey in the third period or did they get unfair calls?

McMillan: Well I gotta say I think some of that was my doing, I told the ref that he was getting paid to screw up the game so I think he gave us a few more after that, but that’s how the game went.

TK: Are we going to see a completely different Red Wings team versus the Hounds on Tuesday?

McMillan: I hope so, I won’t be around to see it, I am leaving in the morning to Trail, BC for the World Junior A Challenge so Darcy (Pindus) will be running things here.

TK: How does the Team Canada West team look this year?

McMillan: It looks strong, we have a lot of great talent on the team but the Americans look strong as well. They have a lot of players from their major junior league this year and the Europeans are always tough as well.

TK: Are you looking forward to getting the chance to help coach in the Junior A Challenge again?

McMillan: It’s always a challenge when your playing world teams, I just hope I can learn some things and see what other teams are doing and bring some of what I learned back to the team.

-Troy Kramm

CJAHL Rankings

CJAHL TOP 15 as of October 27th, 2007

Team League Last Week
1. Camrose Kodiaks (AJHL) 1
2. Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL) 2
3. Woodstock Slammers (MJAHL) 5
4. Newmarket Hurricanes (OPJHL) 3
5. Portage Terriers (MJHL) 6
6. Markham Waxes (OPJHL) 4
7. Melville Millionaires (SJHL) 8
8. Humboldt Broncos (SJHL) 7
9. Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL) 10
10. Fort William North Stars (SIJHL) 11
11. Yarmouth Mariners (MJAHL) 9
12. Selkirk Steelers (MJHL) 13
13. Pembroke Lumber Kings (CJHL) 14
14. North Bay Skyhawks (NOJHL) 15
15. Les Inouk de Granby (LHJAAAQ) NR

Honorable mention goes to the Penticton Vees (BCHL), Olds Grizzlys (AJHL), Fort McMurray Oil Barons (AJHL), Estevan Bruins (SJHL), Dauphin Kings (MJHL), Dryden Ice Dogs (SIJHL), St. Michael's Buzzers (OPJHL), Vaughan Vipers (OPJHL), Smiths Falls Bears (CJHL), Brockville Braves (CJHL), Les Condors de Kahnawake (LHJAAAQ), and the Truro Bearcats (MJAHL).

Weekly Stats Pack!

Weyburn Red Wings Top 5:

1. Josh Bray (10G - 9A - 19P)
2. Preston Shupe (6G - 13A - 19P)
3. Torrey Lindsay (10G - 8A - 18P)
4. Brayden Nargang (9G - 7A - 16P)
5. Stephen Simms (3G - 11A - 14P)

SJHL Top 10 Scorers:

1. Reid MacLeod (Flin Flon) 22G - 18A - 40P
2. Pierre-Luc Boucher (Flin Flon) 10G - 22A - 32P
3. Dennis Kubat (Flin Flon) 13G - 18A- 31P
4. Rylan Schwartz (Notre Dame) 11G - 14A - 25P
5. Laurent Benjamin (Humboldt) 10G - 15A - 25P
6. Bryan Hull (Yorkton) 8G - 16A - 24P
7. Dion Campbell (Melville) 12G - 11A - 23P
8. Eddie Gale (Notre Dame) 11G - 11A - 22P
9. Clint Olson (Melfort) 10G- 12A - 22P
10. Payden Benning (Estevan) 7G - 15A - 22P

Top Five Defenseman Scoring:

1. Tanner Vandesype (Notre Dame) 7G - 12A - 19P
2. (tie) Brady Gordon (Melfort) 4G - 10A - 14P
Russ Nielsen (Humboldt) 4G - 10A - 14P
4. Stephen Simms (Weyburn) 3G - 11A - 14P
5. Kyle Haines (Weyburn) 1G - 13A - 14P

Top Five Rookie Scoring:

1. Rylan Schwartz (Notre Dame) 11G - 14A - 25P
2. Luke Johnson (Weyburn) 6G - 7A - 13P
3. Michael Young (Flin Flon) 2G - 10A - 12P
4. Steve Mason (Nipawin) 6G - 5A - 11P
5. Gary Childerhose (Melfort) 5G - 6A - 11P

Top Five Penalty Minutes:

1. Eric Calibaba (Weyburn) - 98 PIM
2. Cam Oliphant (Melfort) - 91 PIM
3. Barrett Penner (Battlefords) - 90 PIM
4. Michael Seib (Weyburn) - 84 PIM
5. Scott Day (Battlefords) - 69 PIM

Top Five GAA: (min. 7 starts):

1. Taylor Nelson (Humboldt) 1.64
2. Kyle Cantlon (Melville) 1.69
3. AJ Whiffen (Weyburn) 1.95
4. Lynden Sammartino (Yorkton) 2.64
5. Travis Bosch (Melville) 2.85

Top Five Save %: (min. 7 starts):

1. Kyle Cantlon (Melville) .942
2. AJ Whiffen (Weyburn) .938
3. Taylor Nelson (Humboldt) .925
4. Travis Bosch (Melville) .923
5. Jonathan Jobin (La Ronge) .920

Shutouts:
1. Cantlon, Jobin, Nelson, Sammartino (2 each)
2. Karsten Felske (Estevan), Carsen Chubak (Flin Flon), Whiffen (1 each)


- Brad M.

Power Rankings (for the week ended Oct. 28)

This week sees a lot of movement in the middle. The Yorkton Terriers and Notre Dame Hounds are amongst the teams on the rise, while the La Ronge Ice Wolves and Nipawin Hawks are on the decline this week. (sorry about the lack of presentation this week but kept getting errors trying to load team logos this week)

1. Humboldt Broncos (14-3-0-0) LW: 1

Although the Broncos were grounded a bit after a loss to the Terriers on Friday night, they did have a pair of big wins over Kindersley and are getting balanced scoring, great defense and steady goaltending which are all ingredients for a championship team. Players such as Dane Lindskog and Bryce Walker may not get all the press time but have been a very big part of the Broncos balanced attack. Veteran defenseman Russ Nielsen has been putting up a point per game type numbers. Taylor Nelson seldom has an off night in the Humboldt goal. The Broncos head out on the road for a couple of games this week as they are in Estevan on Thursday and Weyburn on Friday.

2. Melville Millionaires (13-3-1-0) LW: 2

The Millionaires returned to their winning ways this week as they posted big victories over the Battlefords North Stars and Nipawin Hawks. The Mils had Kyle Cantlon back this week and he won both starts. Dion Campbell has continued his strong play as of late as has Brad Johnston. Kale Dolinski has also been on top of his game. The Millionaires play three road games this week as they head to Notre Dame on Wednesday and then are off to North Battleford and Kindersley on the weekend.

3. Yorkton Terriers (10-7-1-2) LW: 10

The Terriers take the biggest jump I have ever had in my rankings but earned it with three huge wins this week including an impressive win over the Humboldt Broncos. The Terriers were also able to go into Estevan and beat the Bruins on home ice and also defeated the Battlefords on home ice. Lynden Sammartino was back in fine form this week as he played tremendous in the wins over Humboldt and Estevan. Kyle Block continues to produce for the Terriers and Carter Smith continues to be the Terriers best forward in my mind. The Terriers have a pair of home games this week against division rivals. The Estevan Bruins visit on Wednesday while Weyburn will be in town on Saturday, a team the Terriers have not been able to defeat so far this season.

4. Melfort Mustangs (10-7-0-0) LW: 9

The Mustangs had am impressive week as they posted wins over Kindersley and La Ronge. A big part of the Mustangs recent success can be attributed to the arrival of Russian born goaltender Ilia Ejov. Ejov has helped solidify the goaltending situation as he replaces the ineffective David Ritz. Taylor Watt has been amazing for the Stangs as he has averaged over two points a game. Clint Olson has benefitted the most since Watt returned from injury. The Mustangs will also have Matt Hill back in the lineup this week after he completes his four game suspension. Brady Gordon has been piling up the points as of late on the blue line. The Mustangs have three road games this week which should help prove where they really are at. They will travel to Battlefords, Kindersley and Nipawin this week.

5. Estevan Bruins (10-7-2-0) LW: 3

The Bruins lost a pair of home games this past weekend as they were on the wrong end of games with Flin Flon and Yorkton. That being said, they were in both games and had the opportunity to win both. The Bruins also played both games without leading scorer Payden Benning. Trevor Mock has been a nice addition as he has 10 points in 10 games for the Bruins. The Bruins will be tested this week as they travel to Yorkton on Wednesday and then return home for a game against Humboldt on Thursday.

6. Flin Flon Bombers (10-7-0-1) LW: 4

The Bombers had a pair of losses sandwiched between wins against Nipawin and Estevan this week. The trio of Dennis Kubat, Reid MacLeod and Pierre-Luc Boucher was shutout for a rare time on Friday night in Weyburn and obviously were angry as they took it out on the Bruins on Saturday night. The three combined for 12 points against the Bruins. I got an opportunity to see the Bombers for the first time this season on Friday and I get the sense that the real Bombers did not show up that night for whatever reason. An issue of concern for the Bombers may be the fact that the first line is responsible for most of the offense and that Carsen Chubak and Calvin Bartel have been inconsistent in goal. This team is going to be in a lot of 6-5 type games in my opinion. The Bombers will get a nice rest before returning to action on Saturday night when they host the Nipawin Hawks.

7. Weyburn Red Wings (10-7-1-1) LW: 6

Would the real Weyburn Red Wings please stand up? The Wings followed up arguably their best performance of the season with there worst as they pounded the Bombers before being embarrassed by the Hounds on Saturday. AJ Whiffen is now the undisputed number one goaltender and made good on Friday night as he picked up the shutout over Flin Flon. The Wings continue to get balanced scoring as Josh Bray, Torrey Lindsay, Preston Shupe, Brayden Nargang and the list goes on have all been lighting the lamp as of late. Kyle Haines is playing his best hockey of the season and in my estimation should be a unanimous selection for an all star starting spot this season. The Wings have a busy week as they host Notre Dame on Tuesday, Humboldt on Friday and then hit the road to Yorkton on Saturday.

8. Kindersley Klippers (9-8-0-1)LW: 8

Although the Klippers were 1-3 this week, they did lose a tough one to Humboldt on Sunday night after getting a late third period penalty. A positive for the Klippers has been the return of Scott Linnell on the blue line and the re-discovered offensive punch of Brett Leedahl. Ryan Sawka has also been hot as of late often having two or more points per game. Randy Willis appears to have won the backup job behind Ryan Nieszner. The Klippers have the benefit of three home games this week as they host Melfort, La Ronge and Melville.

9. La Ronge Ice Wolves (8-9-1-0) LW: 5

The Ice Wolves followed up one of their best weeks of the season with a bad one as they lost games to Melfort and Kindersley. The Ice Wolves have been without Jonathan Jobin as of late in what I am assuming is an injury situation. Brian Kaval and Kyle Jahrahaus have handled the goaltending duties. The Ice Wolves have also welcomed back defenseman Matt Smith from the Brandon Wheat Kings. The Wolves will look to rebound this week as they host Nipawin and have road games in Kindersley and the Battlefords.

10. Notre Dame Hounds (5-14-1-0) LW: 12

What a week for the Hounds as they posted wins over Weyburn, Flin Flon and Nipawin. Rylan Schwartz has been putting up huge numbers while Eddie Gale has quietly jumped into the league's top 10 scoring list. Hounds defenseman Tanner Vandesype leads all SJHL defenseman in scoring. Mark Currie has brought some stability to the Hounds in goal as they said goodbye to Antoine Desrosiers this week. Desrosiers has re-surfaced in Nipawin.

11. Nipawin Hawks (7-7-0-1) LW: 7

The Hawks had a really tough week as they dropped games to Melville, Notre Dame and Flin Flon. Goaltending is all of a sudden as issue in Nipawin as Derek Kleinsteuber struggled in a loss to Melville and Danny Gagne has apparently been sent home. Kleinsteuber, Mason Sawatsky, Jesse McDonald and Antoine Desrosiers all appeared in goal for the Hawks this past week. The Hawks will have to get more steady goaltending or defensive play or this slide could continue. The Hawks will look for redemption this week as they face La Ronge, Melfort and Flin Flon.

12. Battlefords North Stars (2-14-1-1) LW: 12

At this point, one would think that it may already be next year country in Battlefords. An inexperienced team, the Stars have struggled on most nights this season. The Stars only have one player, Barrett Penner, that has hit double digits in point totals. Ryan Kerpan and Adrien Lemay have both had their moments in goal - both good and bad. The Stars try to get back in the win column this week as they have three home games - Melfort, Melville and La Ronge will all visit.

What do you think of the rankings. How would you rank the teams? Please leave your comments.

Until next week.............

- Brad M.

Terriers, Broncos Win on Sunday Night!

There were a pair of games tonight in the SJHL to close out the another week of exciting SJHL action.

In Estevan, the Bruins dropped another game at home this weekend as the Yorkton Terriers came out on top by a score of 3-1. The Terriers penalty kill was responsible for two of the goals tonight as they scored two shorthanded goals. Derek Derkach and Chris Cook each had a short handed goal with each assisting on the others goal. Cody Zubko also scored for the Terriers with Jock Sutter and Jordan Menke adding assists. Kealin Wong had the lone Bruins goal assisted by Trevor Mock and Kyle Stroh, a power play marker. Payden Benning was again out of the lineup for the Bruins as he is suffering from a shoulder injury. Lynden Sammartino had another great start for the Terriers as he made 33 saves and in my opinion will be SJHL goaltender of the week. Guillaume Perusse was back in for Estevan tonight after a tough start against Flin Flon on Saturday night. Perusse stopped 28 of 31 Yorkton shots. The Terriers jump over Estevan and Weyburn for second in the Sherwood with a record of 10-7-1-2. The Wings and Bruins both have a game in hand on the Terriers. Estevan drops to 10-7-2-0.

In Humboldt, the Broncos won for the second time this week over the Klippers on a late power play goal by Dane Lindskog. Casey Rempel of the Klippers was called for roughing with less than two minutes to play in regulation and Lindskog made the Klippers pay. Scott Schroeder and Bryce Walker also scored for Humboldt. Mitchell Strech, Tory Allan, Spencer Hoehn, Cory Knaus, Russ Nielsen and Matthew Kirzinger all added assists for the Broncos. Brett Leedahl had both Klipper goals. Steven Turner, Jonathan Redlick and Ryan Sawka all had assists. Rookie Andrew Bodnarchuk had one of his better starts of the season as he made 23 saves in the Broncos goal for the win. Ryan Nieszner was much busier at the other end and stopped 43 of the 46 shots he faced. The Broncos are now a league leading 14-3-0-0. The Klippers remain in fifth in the Sherwood conference with a record of 9-8-0-1.

Tonight's Three Stars:

* Lynden Sammartino - Yorkton Terriers (33 saves in big win over Estevan)
** Chris Cook - Yorkton Terriers (shorthanded game winner, 2 points)
*** Brett Leedahl - Kindersley Klippers (2 goals despite loss, Leedahl has been picking up his play as of late)

The SJHL is idle on Monday night. Tuesday night action will see your Weyburn Red Wings hosting the Notre Dame Hounds, Nipawin heads to La Ronge as two slumping teams faceoff and the red hot Melfort Mustangs will be in North Battleford to face the North Stars.

- Brad M.

Ouch! Wings lose to Hounds!

(All entries in this blog are the opinion of the writer and not necessarily the opinion of the Weyburn Red Wings organization).

POST EDITED FROM ORIGINAL

*** Red Wings - Hounds Updated ********


The Hounds recorded a 10-4 victory over the Weyburn Red Wings in Radville. Credit to the Hounds for a big win, there third straight. Rylan Schwartz led the way for the Hounds as he picked up two goals and added three assists. Steven Robinson, Eddie Gale and Tanner Vandesype each had a goal and three assists for the Hounds. Alan Logue scored twice while Chris Bratina and Travis Janke each had a goal and an assist. Thomas Williams and Kyle Ireland also scored for the Hounds while Grayson Brown and Marc-Andre Nadeau each had two assists. Torrey Lindsay was one of the few bright spots for the Wings this afternoon as he had two goals and an assist. Preston Shupe had a goal and an assist with Luke Johnson scoring the other Wing goal. Stephen Simms, Michael Seib and Josh Bray all added assists. Tanner Erickson allowed ten goals on 45 shots. Mark Currie picked up the win for the Hounds. The Wings did win the fights as a consolation. Eric Calibaba on two occasions beat the crap out of Roy Farrer. Michael Seib did a number on Kyle Ireland (I believe it was) before being tossed for his second fight later on with Dieter Gillanders of the Hounds. The Wings drop to 10-7-1-1 but do not lose any ground in the standings as the Bruins also lost tonight. The Hounds with their third straight win are now 5-14-1-0.

My rant - I am sure Tanner Erickson would be the first to admit he had an off game. I say forget about it and lets move on. I have seen this kid play throughout midget hockey and limited SJHL action and really believe he is capable of filling the role. I know I could hear some of the fans on him but lets remember he was only making his third SJHL regular season appearance and was maybe a little too comfortable knowing now that Kyle McConnell is out of the picture. Also, Tanner did not have the benefit of the same defensive effort that AJ Whiffen had in front of him last night. Tomorrow is another day and I a believe the Wings will lay a payback licking on the Hounds on Tuesday night.


*** UPDATE ****

Although the scoresheet is not yet available for the Wings - Hounds game, there were three other games in the SJHL that are all now complete.

In Estevan, the Flin Flon Bombers rediscovered their offense as they downed the Estevan Bruins 8-6 in a wild game at the Civic Auditorium. SJHL leading scorer Reid MacLeod added to his totals as he had a goal and five assists. His linemate Dennis Kubat had a hat trick while other linemate Pierre-Luc Boucher had a goal and two assists. Myles Masse added a goal and two assists for the Bombers. David Linsley and Brennan Cox also scored for the Bombers. Brody Haygarth scored twice for the Bruins while Niko Grose had a goal and an assist. Liam Brennan, Brennan Wrigley and Trevor Mock also scored for the Bruins with Brant Harris and Chad Filteau adding two assists each. Calvin Bartel got the win in goal for the Bombers as he stopped 30 of 36 Bruins shots. Guillaume Perusse started for the Bruins and allowed 4 goals on 15 shots before being replaced early in the second period by Karsten Felske. Felske made 16 saves in relief, and allowed three goals. With the win, the Bombers jump back ahead of the idle Melfort Mustangs for second in the Itech with a record of 10-7-0-1. The Bruins drop to 10-6-2-0 and remain tied with Weyburn for second in the Sherwood, five points behind first place Melville.

Speaking of the Millionaires, they were at home tonight and annihalated the suddenly slumping Nipawin Hawks 10-2. Michael Jordan had a goal and three assists to lead the way for the Millionaires. Brad Johnston added two goals and an assist while Matt Kinnunen also had two goals for Melville. Daniel Hope and Dion Campbell each had a goal and an assist while Jarret Fisher, Jared Waldbauer and Aaron Decorby rounded out the scoring for Melville. Kale Dolinski also had three assists. Adam Schwark and Dean Prpick scored for Nipawin. Kyle Cantlon had 21 saves for the Millionaires to pick up the win. Derek Kleinsteuber was making his first start in awhile and had a rough outing as he allowed five goals on 17 shots in the first period. He was pulled for the beginning of the second and replaced by former Notre Dame Hound goaltender Antoine Desrosiers. Desrosiers went the rest of the way stopping 28 of 33 shots. All of a sudden the Hawks are on a slide and having goaltending issues as Danny Gagne is apparenetly injured. Desrosiers does add depth to the Hawks but has had a rough start to the season himself. The Millionaires increase their first place lead in the Sherwood by five points as they improve to 13-3-1-0. The Hawks remain fifth in the Itech as they drop to .500 with a record of 7-7-0-1.

In La Ronge, the Kindersley Klippers inched closer to the fourth place Yorkton Terriers as they posted a 5-4 win over the Ice Wolves. Ryan Sawka had two goals to pace the Klippers. Casey Rempel added a goal and an assist while Mat Olson and Scott Linnell, with the game winner, also scored. Brett Leedahl and Jonathan Redlick each had two assists for Kindersley. David Lawrence had a goal and an assist for the Ice Wolves. Ryan Desjarlais, Bruno-Pierre Gosselin and Matt Smith also scored for La Ronge. Ryan Nieszner picked up the win for Kindersley as he made 35 saves. Brian Kaval was pulled after the third Klippers goal scored 6:26 into the second period. Kyle Jahraus went the rest of the way and stopped 20 of 22 shots faced. Not sure what the issue is with Jonathan Jobin. Can any Ice Wolves fans out there let me know? The Klippers are now 9-7-0-1 and only two points back of the fourth place Terriers. The Ice Wolves drop to 8-9-1-0 with the loss.

Again, once the final stats are available, I will give you a better report on the Red Wing game.

Today's Three Stars:
* Reid MacLeod - Flin Flon Bombers (six point night in Estevan)
** Rylan Schwartz - Notre Dame Hounds (five point game, easily Hounds top player)
*** Michael Jordan - Melville Millionaires (four point night in big Melville victory)

Sunday in the SJHL: Yorkton @ Estevan; Kindersley @ Humboldt. Either the Terriers will jump over the Bruins and Wings into second or the Bruins will move two points up on the Wings tomorrow night.
Next action for Weyburn is Tuesday night at the Colosseum when the Hounds pay a visit. I am sure the Wings will have revenge on their minds.


- Brad M.

Wings Bomb Bombers!

The Weyburn Red Wings put together one of their most solid efforts of the season and were rewarded with a big 4-0 victory over the Flin Flon Bombers on Friday night at the Colosseum. AJ Whiffen was not overly busy in the Weyburn goal but made the saves when called upon as he picked up the shutout, making 25 saves. Josh Bray had Brayden Nargang each had big nights as Bray had the hat trick, while Nargang had a goal and two assists. Kyle Haines and Mick Pawlyshyn added assists for the Wings. The Wings also played a solid defensive game and were very sound on the penalty kill, including killing off a couple of 5 on 3 disadvantages. This is no easy task as they shut down the big line of Pierre-Luc Boucher, Dennis Kubat and Reid MacLeod. Carsen Chubak made the start for the Bombers and allowed all four goals on 22 shots before making way for Calvin Bartel early in the third. Bartel only faced 5 shots in the final 17 minutes of the third period. With the win, the Wings grab a share of second place as they move to 10-6-1-1 for 22 points and are now tied with the Estevan Bruins. The Bombers drop to 9-7-0-1 but remain in second place in the Itech Conference.

In Wilcox, the Notre Dame Hounds picked up their second straight win, a 3-1 victory over the Nipawin Hawks. Rylan Schwartz and Eddie Gale each had a goal and an assist to pace the Hounds. Kyle Ireland scored the eventual game winner for Notre Dame in the first period. Mark Roper, Chris Bratina, Blake Peake and Tanner Vandesype added assists for the Hounds. Dean Prpick scored the lone goal for the Hawks with assists going to Kyle Cowan and Adam Schwark. Mark Currie picked up the win for the Hounds as he stopped 22 of 23 shots. Jesse McDonald made his first start of the season for the Hawks and stopped 33 shots. The Hounds improve to 4-14-1-0 while the Hawks drop to 7-6-0-1.

In Yorkton, the Terriers upset the Itech leading Humboldt Broncos, 5-2. Kyle Block paced the Terriers with two goals. Scott Jackson added a goal (empty netter) and assist for Yorkton. Bryan Hull and Logan Dew had the other Terrier goals. Carter Smith, Chris Cook and Jock Sutter also had assists for the Terriers. Jordan Schindel and Scott Schroeder replied for the Broncos with assists going to Brayden Klimosko, Laurent Benjamin and Justin Stoski. Lynden Sammartino rebounded from a couple of tough starts to make 32 saves for the victory. Taylor Nelson had a tough night as he only stopped 16 Terrier shots. With the win, the Terriers improve to 9-7-1-2 for 21 points, one point back of the Red Wings and Bruins for second. The Broncos are now 13-3-0-0 and despite the loss still have a big lead over second place Flin Flon.

Finally, in Melfort, the Mustangs continue to win since the acquisition of Ilia Ejov as they doubled up the Kindersley Klippers 6-3. Taylor Watt continued his torrid pace as he scored two goals and added two assists. Clint Olson added two goals while Gary Childerhose had a goal and an assist. Donavon Chow added a short handed goal for the Mustangs. Brady Gordon added three assists from the point. Ryan Sawka scored twice for the Klippers. Kirk Pearce added a goal and an assist while Justin Perreaux and Matt Sawa each had two assists. Ejov made 27 saves to earn his third consecutive victory. Ryan Niesnzer allowed all six goals before being pulled just 24 seconds into the third in favor of Randy Willis. The Mustangs sit third in the Itech with a record of 9-7-0-0. The Klippers are firmly entrenched in fifth in the Sherwood with a record of 8-7-0-1.

Tonight's Three Stars:

* Josh Bray - Weyburn Red Wings (3 goals)
** Taylor Watt - Melfort Mustangs (4 point night)
*** Lynden Sammartino - Yorkton Terriers (32 saves for win over Humboldt)

Honorable Mentions - Rylan Schwartz (Notre Dame), Brayden Nargang (Weyburn), AJ Whiffen (Weyburn), Kyle Block (Yorkton), Clint Olson (Melfort)

Reminder - The Red Wings face the Notre Dame Hounds in Radville tomorrow afternoon at 3:00. This is a home game for the Hounds. As the game is being played in a non-SJHL arena, I am unsure if there will be online scoring available for that game. I will be sure to post a summary as soon as possible on my return to Weyburn tomorrow night. I should have something posted in the early evening tomorrow if all goes well.

- Brad M.

Good Luck Kyle!

The Weyburn Red Wings have settled their goaltending logjam for the time being as 20 year veteran Kyle McConnell was dealt to the Merritt Centennials of the BCHL on Wednesday evening for 1989 born defenseman Kyle Johns from Comox BC and future considerations. Johns had 1 goal and three assists in 11 games with Merritt this season.
McConnell was in his second season with the Red Wings after being acquired at the trade dealine last season from the Grande Prairie Storm of the AJHL. McConnell, from Fort McMurray, Alberta, had a record of 4-5-0-1 in 10 starts this season with a goals against average of 3.41 and a save percentage of .895. McConnell made his first start for Merritt on Thursday night and posted a 5-3 win in his first start in Merritt. We would like to thank Kyle for his service over the past two seasons with the Red Wings and wish him all the best in BC. Are the Wings done wheeling and dealing? Be sure to check back and watch for updates.

- Brad M.

On a quiet night in the SJHL

Here are a couple screen captures from the SJ This Week production for you to take a look at. Preston Shupe and Kyle Haines took time out to be interviewed by Brad McNeil.

Access Communications was kind enough to send a finished copy my way. Good job on the interviews Brad and I hope you all get a chance to check it out.

- Troy K

Wednesday Roundup!

We will start in Notre Dame, where the Hounds ended their losing streak with a big 4-3 victory over the visiting Flin Flon Bombers. Steven Robinson scored the winning goal against his former team just over the half way point of the third period. Chris Bratina, TJ Ahvenniemi and Dieter Gillanders also scored for Notre Dame. Travis Janke added two assists while single helpers went to Brendon Dault, Tanner Vandesype, Marc-Andre Nadeau, Roy Farrer and Eddie Gale. The Bombers, playing without Pierre - Luc Boucher, got their goals from Tommy Castonguay, Mitch Dougall, and Reid MacLeod. Robert Beaudry, Brennan Cox, Dennis Kubat and Dustyn Clegg added assists for the Bombers who drop to 9-6-0-1. The Hounds, now 3-14-1-0, got 19 saves from Andre Guay. Calvin Bartel was back in the lineup for the Bombers tonight and stopped 28 of the 32 shots he faced. The Hounds are 10 points behind Kindersley for the final playoff spot in the Sherwood but this win should give them some confidence moving forward.

In Melville, the Millionaires used a big third period to dispose of the Battlefords North Stars 6-2. The line of Bryant Dyke, Jarret Fisher and Daniel Hope combined for nine third period points to secure the win for the Mils. Dyke finished with 2 goals and an assist, Fisher had a goal and two assists and Hope added three assists. Adam Tuffs, Matt Kinnunen and Dion Campbell also scored for the Millionaires. Aaron Decorby and Brad Johnston added assists. Tyrell Shulko and Scott Day replied for the Stars. Brian Sydiaha added two assists for the Stars with single helpers going to Makstr Lacoursiere and Brody Malek. The Millionaires welcomed Kyle Cantlon back to the lineup tonight as he made 27 saves. The Millionaires fired 50 shots at Stars rookie goaltender Adrien Lemay, who made 44 saves. The Millionaires gain a three point cushion on second place Estevan as they improve to 12-3-1-0. The Stars woes continue as they drop to a league worst 2-14-1-1.

The La Ronge Ice Wolves paid a visit to Melfort tonight and the hosts were not very hospitable as they doubled up the Wolves 4-2. Brady Gordon and Taylor Watt each had a goal and an assist for the Mustangs. Cameron Larson and Kyle Fraser added singles. Riley Clark, Gary Childerhose, Clint Olson and Brendan Baumgartner all added assists. Jordie Johnston scored a goal and an assist for La Ronge while Jarrid Dowhay had the other La Ronge goal. Tyler Karst also had an assist for La Ronge. The Mustangs continue to be perfect since Ilia Ejov joined the team last week. Ejov made 18 saves on Wednesday night. His counterpart, Brian Kaval, made 26 saves for the Wolves. The Mustangs improve to 9-7-0-0 with the win and now trail second place Flin Flon by one point. The Ice Wolves drop to 8-8-1-0 with the loss. Note from this game: Jonathan Jobin was not dressed for the Ice Wolves as Kyle Jarahaus was listed as the backup tonight for La Ronge.

Tonight's Three Stars:

* Bryant Dyke - Melville Millionaires (2 goals, 1 assist)
** Steven Robinson - Notre Dame Hounds (Game winner against old team)
*** Jarret Fisher - Melville Millionaires (3 point night)

- Brad M.

SJHL Tuesday Results!

After a day off around the league, there were three games on tap tonight in the SJHL.

In Yorkton, the Terriers gave Joel Danyluk the start in goal as they downed the Battlefords North Stars 3-2. Michael Trebish, Cam Hopkins and Carter Smith scored for the Terriers. Bryan Hull and Kevin Stringfellow each contributed two assists with single helpers going to Trebish and Chris Cook. Makstr Lacoursiere and Barrett Penner replied for the Stars. Richard Cameron, Tyrell Schulko, Nickolaus Dvorak and Matt Restoule all had assists for the Stars. Danyluk made 22 saves on 24 shots to pick up his first SJHL victory. Ryan Kerpan made 26 saves for the Stars. Battlefords' Tony Oak was ejected for checking from behind just 8 seconds into the first period. Needless to say he should be well rested for the Stars game tomorrow night in Melville. The Terriers move to 8-7-1-2 with the win and leap past Kindersley for sole possession of fourth in the Sherwood conference with 19 points, one point back of Weyburn for third. The Stars continue to slide as they now drop to 2-13-1-1.

In Kindersley, the Humboldt Broncos won yet again as they posted a 4-1 victory over the hometown Klippers. Twin brothers Steven and Scott Schroeder scored 15 seconds apart in the first period to give the Klippers an early lead which they would never relinquish. The Schroeder's also assisted on each others goals. Brayden Klimosko and Laurent Benjamin, with an empty-netter, also scored for the Broncos. Russ Nielsen, Benjamin, Blayne Stevenson and Jordan Schindel also had assists for the Broncos. Matt Sawa scored the Klippers lone goal from Casey Rempel and Milo Miller. Taylor Nelson won another start as he made 22 saves. Ryan Nieszner was named the game's second star despite the loss and made 26 saves. The Broncos improve to 13-2-0-0 and have a 7 point lead on the second place Flin Flon Bombers in the Itech Conference. The Klippers sit fifth in the Sherwood with a record of 8-6-0-1.

If you like offense, Nipawin was the place to be tonight as the high flying Flin Flon Bombers piled on more goals tonight on their way to an 8-4 shellacking of the Nipawin Hawks. The Hawks were playing their first game in 10 days. Reid MacLeod, the SJHL's leading scorer, added to his totals has he had a three goal night. Dustyn Clegg added two goals for the Bombers who got singles from Dennis Kubat, Robert Beaudry and David Linsley. Myles Masse had two assists for the Bombers who also got helpers from Beaudry, Kubat, Jean-Michel Allard, Tommy Castonguay, Dominic Martel, Cameron MacKinnon, Cole Wilson, Linsley and Harley Garrioch. Somewhat surprising from this game was that Pierre - Luc Boucher was kept off the scoresheet for the Bombers even though they put up 8 goals. Steve Mason had a big night for the Hawks as he had three goals and an assist for the four point night. His linemates were the only other Hawk forwards to figure in on the scoring as Torrie Dyck had a goal and two assists and Brent Ottmann had two assists. Taylor Thiessen added an assist for Nipawin. Carsen Chubak made 31 saves in the Flin Flon goal. Mason Sawatzky, who has been in camp in the past with Weyburn Red Wings, got the start for the Hawks and stopped 33 of the 41 shots he faced. Not sure on what is going on with the goaltending situation in Nipawin right now. Can any Hawks fans out there fill me in? With the win, the Bombers improve to 9-5-0-1. The Hawks drop to 7-5-0-1 with the loss.

Tonight's Three Stars:

* Reid MacLeod - Flin Flon Bombers (3 goals)
** Steve Mason - Nipawin Hawks (4 point night including 3 goals)
*** Michael Trebish - Yorkton Terriers (goal and assist for Terrier d-man who has picked it up offensively as of late)

Wednesday night in the SJHL: Flin Flon @ Notre Dame; Battlefords @ Melville; La Ronge @ Melfort

Next Action for Red Wings - Friday night when they host the Flin Flon Bombers 7:30 at the Colosseum.

- Brad M.

SJ This Week on Access 7!

Be sure to tune into Access channel 7 on Thursday night at 7:30. I had the opportunity to interview Red Wing players Kyle Haines, Preston Shupe and Kyle McConnell. SJ This Week is a weekly show produced by Access Communications which is aired in every centre where Access has a Community Channel in Saskatchewan. This week's focus was on the Weyburn Red Wings. The show can be seen in Weyburn, Estevan, Regina, Yorkton, Melville, La Ronge, North Battleford and others.

The three guests all gave interesting insights and we even had a few fun and light-hearted moments.

One thing I have learned through taking over hosting this show is that I have a much better radio face than TV face. Ha Ha.

Hope you can all tune in and please give feedback after you have watched, both on the show and also other features you would like to see added to the show in the future. We want to produce a show that appeals to you, the viewers. Although SJ This Week only will be done periodically throughout the season, we hope to launch by early November a locally based show that focuses only on the Red Wings. I also welcome any suggestions for that show and as time comes closer will also run poll questions to see who you would like to see as guests on the show. Stay tuned for that.

- Brad M.

Kyle's Comments

I caught up with Captain Kyle Haines yesterday, just before the afternoon skate and right before he was announced as this week's SJHL Defenceman of the week. Here is what he had to say about his play on the weekend and what the team has to do versus Flin Flon on Friday.

TK: You had a break out night offensively versus Yorkton last Friday night, were you waiting for a game like this to happen?

Kyle Haines: I was hoping it would happen soon. I just put the puck on the net and my forwards banged in the rebounds for me during the game.

TK: Has wearing the ‘C’ for the Wings put any added pressure on you to perform this season?

Haines: Certainly there are expectations that come with the letter on my jersey. I am trying to meet those expectations and try to contribute each and every game. I am feeling more and more confident in my game and hope to get better as
I progress.

TK: How are you preparing for Friday’s game with the week off?

Haines: I am gonna get some rest, keep my focus, work hard at practice and make sure I am prepared mentally for the game.

TK: Prediction time, What’s going to be the score versus Flin Flon on Friday?

Haines: If we play our best, stay out of the penalty box and shut down their top line we can definitely beat them. I am going to say 4-2 for us.

- Troy Kramm

Captain Kyle Rewarded For Great Week!

(Courtesy of sjhl.ca)

SJHL FORWARD OF THE WEEK: Reid MacLeod, Flin Flon Bombers

Highlights: The 1988 born MacLeod continues to be an unstoppable offensive force after a week that saw him score 3-goals and 3-assists in 2-games. He leads the SJHL in scoring with 17-goals and 12-assists in 14-games. Seeing as how he has more points than any player chosen to Canada West for the WJAC, his absence from that team is a major mystery.
Runners-up: Payden Benning & Kyle Ermel, Estevan; Ryan Sawka, Kindersley; Preston Shupe, Weyburn; Kyle Block, Yorkton; and Taylor Watt, Melfort.

SJHL DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK: Kyle Haines, Weyburn Red Wings

Highlights: Haines, the 1987 born captain of the Red Wings, helped the team to two wins in three games and was also an integral part of the Wings keeping their goals against down to seven over the course of the three games. He also had a goal and four assists over the course of those three games to lend a hand to the offense.
Runners-up: Russell Nielsen, Humboldt; Kassidy Collins, Melfort; Tyler Karst, La Ronge.

SJHL GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK: Taylor Nelson, Humboldt Broncos

Highlights: Nelson went 2-and-0 with a 1.97-GAA and .922-SPCT over the last seven days. One of those wins came on the road, in Melville, against the top statistical teams in the SJHL at that point in time. At 8-and-1, 1.45, and .934 numbers for the season, Nelson is enjoying a year that is, actually, better than his past week in which he earned Goaltender of the Week honors.

Runners-up: Ilia Ejov, Melfort; AJ Whiffen, Weyburn; Tanner Erickson, Weyburn; Brian Kaval, La Ronge.

Other SJHL notes: Forward Matt Hill of the Melfort Mustangs was suspended four games for receiving a match penalty for checking to the head last week which caused an injury to the recipient. Hill has already sat out one game and is not eligible to return until October 31 when Melfort travels to Kindersley.

- Brad M.

Weekly Stats Pack!

Top Five Red Wing Scorers:

1. Preston Shupe (5 - 12 -17)
2. Torrey Lindsay (8 - 7 - 15)
3. Josh Bray (7 - 7 - 14)
4. Brayden Nargang (8 - 4 - 12)
5. Stephen Simms (3 - 9 - 12)

Weyburn goaltenders:

Kyle McConnell (633 MP, 3.41 GAA, .895 save pct., 4-5-0-1)
AJ Whiffen (340 MP, 2.29 GAA, .929 save pct., 3-1-1-0)
Tanner Erickson (60 MP, 2.00 GAA, .933 save pct., 1-0-0-0)

SJHL Top 10 Scorers:

1. Reid MacLeod - Flin Flon (17-12-29)
2. Pierre - Luc Boucher - Flin Flon (9-19-28)
3. Dennis Kubat - Flin Flon (9-14-23)
4. Laurent Benjamin - Humboldt (9-13-22)
5. Payden Benning - Estevan (7-15-22)
6. Bryan Hull - Yorkton (7-14-21)
7. Kyle Stroh - Estevan (13-7-20)
8. Dion Campbell - Melville (10-10-20)
9. Clint Olson - Melfort (8-11-19)
10. Jarrid Dowhay - La Ronge (6-13-19)

Top 5 Defenseman Scoring:

1. Tanner Vandesype - Notre Dame (6-7-13)
2. (tie) Russ Nielsen - Humboldt (4-8-12)
Kealin Wong - Estevan (4-8-12)
4. Stephen Simms - Weyburn (3-9-12)
5. Michael Young - Flin Flon (2-10-12)

Top 5 Rookie Scoring:

1. Rylan Schwartz - Notre Dame (8-10-18)
2. Michael Young - Flin Flon (2-10-12)
3. Luke Johnson - Weyburn (5-6-11)
4. Joel Langevin - Weyburn (3-8-11)
5. Nick Needham - Weyburn (4-6-10)

Top 5 Penalty Minutes:

1. Cam Oliphant - Melfort (91 PIM)
2. Barrett Penner - Battlefords (89 PIM)
3. Eric Calibaba - Weyburn (81 PIM)
4. Michael Seib - Weyburn (75 PIM)
5. Nick Kalnicki - Battlefords (61 PIM)

Top 5 Goals Against Average:
(minimum 360 Minutes played)

1. Taylor Nelson - Humboldt (1.45)
2. Kyle Cantlon - Melville (1.61)
3. Karsten Felske - Estevan (2.43)
4. Lynden Sammartino - Yorkton (2.81)
5. Travis Bosch - Melville (2.85)

Top 5 Save Percentage
(minimum 360 minutes played)

1. Kyle Cantlon - Melville (.947)
2. Taylor Nelson - Humboldt (.934)
3. Travis Bosch - Melville (.923)
4. (tie) Karsten Felske - Estevan (.918)
Jonathan Jobin - La Ronge (.918)

Bruins Inch Closer to First in Sherwood!

The Estevan Bruins completed their three game road trip tonight in North Battleford as they dumped the North Stars 5-2. Two of the newer acquisitions, Liam Brennan and Trevor Mock, each had two goals for the Bruins. Kyle Ermel added a goal and an assist for the Bruins who also got assists from Riley Tetreault, Kyle Garagan, Brody Haygarth, Brennan Wrigley, Niko Grose and Chad Filteau. Payden Benning, the Bruins leading scorer, was not dressed on Sunday night. John Midtdal, with his first SJHL goal, and Tony Oak scored for the Stars. Makstr Lacoursiere added an assist. Guillaume Perusse made the start on goal for the Bruins and turned aside 23 of 25 shots he faced. Adrien Lemay also made 23 saves for the Stars. The game saw it's share of power play opportunities but neither team did a lot with the PP on this night. The Bruins improve to 10-5-2-0 and are now only one point back of the Melville Millionaires for first. However, the Bruins have played two more games than Melville. The Stars struggles continue as they are now 2-12-1-1.

Power Rankings (For the Week Ended Oct. 21)

Another week of SJHL action sees a bit of moving and shaking this week. We see a new number one this week and big jumps by La Ronge and Melfort in the rankings. Perhaps unfairly, the Nipawin Hawks take a bit of a drop even though they were idle this week. That is the way the cookie crumbles sometimes though.

Without further adieu, here are my rankings:

1. Humboldt Broncos (12-2-0-0) Last Week: 2

It was a huge week for the high flying Broncos as they were a perfect 3-0 winning games over three pretty good opponents in Flin Flon, Melville and Estevan. The Broncos continue to get balanced scoring and this week saw Justin Stoski and Scott Schroeder return to the lineup. The only concern the Broncos may have is the depth at goaltending. If Taylor Nelson ever was to go down, the Broncos are a little thin at the backup position. Andrew Bodnarchuk has made a few starts with mixed results. That being said, he is young and should only get better with more experience. The Broncos play road games in Kindersley and Yorkton this week before returning home for a Sunday night game against the Klippers.

2. Melville Millionaires (11-3-1-0) Last Week: 1

The Millionaires find themselves out of the top position in the rankings for the first time this season. It was a tough week in Melville both on and off the ice. On the ice, the Mils could only manage to pick up one point in three games, an overtime loss to Humboldt. The Millionaires also lost road games in La Ronge and Flin Flon. Off the ice, they are dealing with an illness to goaltender Kyle Cantlon which has forced him to miss the last three games. He did not even make the northern road trip on the weekend. I am not sure of Cantlon's status at this time. I must say though that Travis Bosch did an admirable job of filling in for Cantlon. Although he lost all three starts this week, he faced over 40 shots/game on average and had a great save percentage for the week. Dion Campbell continues to be a force both offensively and defensively for the Mils. This week the Millionaires have home games against the Battlefords North Stars and Nipawin Hawks.

3. Estevan Bruins (10-5-2-0)Last Week: 3

The Bruins had a decent week as they went 2-1-1. Payden Benning continues to lead the way offensively. However, Benning did not dress for Sunday's night game in North Battleford. At this time, I am unsure of the reason for his absence in the lineup. Trevor Mock has been a nice pickup for the Bruins. Guillaume Perusse and Karsten Felske continue to split the goaltending chores. Will Karry Biette look to move a goaltender for an experienced d-men or more depth up front? In my opinion, the 19 year old Felske is going nowhere as he would still have another year of SJHL eligibility so if anyone was to go I would think it would be Perusse. The Bruins play at home twice this weekend as they host Flin Flon on Saturday and Yorkton on Sunday.

4. Flin Flon Bombers (8-5-0-1) Last Week: 4

The Bombers continue to bury their chances as the top line of Pierre-Luc Boucher, Reid MacLeod and Dennis Kubat seems unstoppable on some nights. Rookie defenseman Michael Young continues to play well while Carsen Chubak has started every game since Calvin Bartel was injured. One has to wonder if the rookie Chubak will get worn down with the large workload so early in the season. The Weyburn Red Wings hope so as they face Chubak and the Bombers on Friday night. The Bombers play four road games this week as they also head to Nipawin, Notre Dame and Estevan. The four games will be spread over five nights as they have Thursday night off.

5. La Ronge Ice Wolves (8-7-1-0) Last Week:9

Some people may think I am being to kind to the Ice Wolves by jumping them four spots in the ranking but I feel it is justified as they were able to win road games in two tough places to play - Weyburn and Estevan and followed that up with a huge home ice win over Melville on Friday night. The only blemish for the week was a 4-0 loss to Melfort on Saturday but not bad considering they played four games in five nights and spent a lot of time on the bus. Jordie Johnston had a good week for the Ice wolves who also have to be impressed with rookie Adam Moar who was named a game star twice last week. Jonathan Jobin remains steady between the pipes and Brian Kaval has proven to be a reliable backup to Jobin. The Ice Wolves have a lighter schedule this week as they play a road game in Melfort on Wednesday before returning home for a Saturday night tilt with the Kindersley Klippers.

6. Weyburn Red Wings (9-6-1-1) Last Week: 7

Although the Wings looked a bit sluggish on Wednesday versus La Ronge, they all but made up for it with a pair of impressive wins over the Yorkton Terriers on the weekend. Preston Shupe had a great week which saw himself move to the top of the team scoring list. The best player this week though had to have been defenseman Kyle Haines. Haines' defensive play was also rewarded this week with offensive statistics as he had six points in the two wins over the Terriers, doubling his season point totals. Kyle should be a shoo-in for SJHL defenseman of the week. I would not be surprised if Shupe was also not a strong candidate for player of the week. Is a goaltending controversy brewing in Weyburn as Tanner Erickson was given a start Friday and did not look out of place. AJ Whiffen has been spectacular in limited action and veteran Kyle McConnell adds experience to the position. It will be interesting to see what the Red Wings do at that position. The Wings play twice this week as they host the Flin Flon Bombers on Friday night before playing a rare Saturday matinee (3:00 start) as they meet the Notre Dame Hounds in Radville. This is a home game for the Hounds and should be interesting to see who the crowd gets behind as Radville product Tanner Vandesype plays for the Hounds and Radville's Eric Calibaba is a member of the Red Wings.

7. Nipawin Hawks (7-4-0-1) Last Week: 6

The only reason the Hawks drop is because they did not play. Nipawin will have had ten days off between games when they return to action Tuesday night at home versus Flin Flon. The Hawks head on the road for a pair of games on the weekend as they will be in Notre Dame and Melville. Danny Gagne should be back in the lineup for Nipawin after serving a five game suspension.

8. Kindersley Klippers (8-5-0-1) Last Week: 5

It wasn't so much that the Klippers had a bad week that sees them drop, but rather just not having as good of a week as some of the others. The Klippers won a game over the Battlefords North Stars and lost in a shootout to Estevan. They will also be the answer to a trivia question as they were the team that Yorkton goaltender Lynden Sammartino picked up his record breaking 9th career shutout against. Ryan Sawka had a great week offensively while Brett Leedahl seems to have regained his old form. The Klippers also welcomed back Scott Linnell to the blue line this week as he is arguably the Klippers top defenseman. The Klippers are similar to the Red Wings in that they have three goaltenders capable of playing at this level. I would suspect that Ryan Nieszner is untouchable so the Klippers may look to move one of Matt Weninger or Randy Willis. It;s a busy week for the Klippers as they host Humboldt on Tuesday and then embark on a three game road trip to Melfort, La Ronge and Humboldt.

9. Melfort Mustangs (8-7-0-0) Last Week:10

The Mustangs move up a spot as they went 2-0 for the week with wins over the Notre Dame Hounds and La Ronge Ice Wolves. The Mustangs have made a change at the goaltending position as Ilya Ejov joins the team after a couple of seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Ejov picked up a shutout in his second SJHL start. The Mustangs said goodbye to the personable David Ritz. Ritz struggled this season but here's hoping he gets a chance to redeem himself somewhere. Matt Hill, Taylor Watt and Clint Olson have been scoring at a dizzying pace recently which was an area the Mustangs were struggling in before the return of Watt from a concussion. The Mustangs have home games against La Ronge and Kindersley this week.

10. Yorkton Terriers (7-7-1-2) Last Week: 8

It was a bittersweet week for Terriers netminder Lynden Sammartino as he picked up the SJHL's all time shutouts crowd in a win over Kindersley before having a rough weekend against the Red Wings. Sammartino was pulled after allowing two goals on four shots on Friday night and then allowed six more goals against the Wings on Saturday in Yorkton. Ed Zawatsky has already pulled the trigger on a big trade this year as he acquired Bryan Hull from Notre Dame and I would not be surprised if more moves were on the horizon in Yorkton. Carter Smith has been superb for the Terriers since returning from Everett's camp and had provided a solid 1-2 punch with Hull. It is not panic mode in Yorkton yet but if Sammartino continues to struggle that may change. The Terriers host the Battlefords and Humboldt this week before heading to Estevan on Sunday night.

11. Battlefords North Stars (2-12-1-1) Last Week: 12

The Stars do move out of the basement of the ranking this week as they went 0-2-0-1 for the week. Decent outings against Yorkton and Estevan bumped the Stars ahead of the Notre Dame Hounds in the rankings. The Stars continue to struggle scoring goals as well as preventing them at times which of course is a recipe for disaster. That being said, the more this young team is together, the better they start to get. Goaltenders Ryan Kerpan and Adrien Lemay will continue to build confidence as they get more game action. The Stars have a tough mid-week road trip as they play in Yorkton and Melville.

12. Notre Dame Hounds (2-14-1-0) Last Week: 11

The Hounds only played once this week and they were hammered 7-3 by the Melfort Mustangs. Mark Currie had his first real rough outing for the Hounds in the game and head coach Mike Vandenberghe as to hope that was just a small blip on the radar. How long will the Hounds wait before starting to deal veterans? One has to wonder if veteran defenseman Tanner Vandesype and veteran forwards Eddie Gale and Chris Bratina will have the patience to stick with the rebuilding Hounds or desire to be moved to a contender. Vandenberghe has a history of making big trades so time will tell if he pulls the trigger again. The Hounds play 2 and a half home game this week. They host Flin Flon and Nipawin and then face the Weyburn Red Wings in Radville on Saturday afternoon.

There you have it for this week.

- Brad M.

Can we play the Terriers Every Game?

For whatever reason, the Weyburn Red Wings have the Yorkton Terriers number this year. Weyburn improved to 4-0 versus the Terriers this season following a 7-4 win Saturday night in Yorkton. For the second straight night, the Wings managed to get to Lynden Sammartino and tonight overcame a 4-3 deficit after two periods and scored four unanswered goals in the third on their way to victory. Brayden Nargang led the scoring attack for the Wings as he picked up goals #7 & 8 and now had 12 points in 13 games since his return from WHL training camp. Nargang's second goal proved to be the game winner. Preston Shupe, Torrey Lindsay, Luke Johnson and Nick Needham (empty netter) each had a goal and an assist for the Red Wings. Scott Doody also picked up a goal, his second of the season. Michael Seib, Josh Bray and Kyle Haines each chipped in with a pair of assists. Joel Langevin and Craig Cornelson each added an assist as the Wings as usual, spread the scoring around. Kyle Block had a goal and an assist for the Terriers. Michael Trebish, Carter Smith and Scott Jackson also scored for Yorkton. Chris Cook, Drek Derkach, Bryan Hull and Greg Coburn all had assists. Kyle McConnell got the start for Weyburn and made 23 saves. His counterpart, Lynden Sammartino also made 23 saves. As a side note to the game, Michael Seib and Eric Calibaba were involved in fisticuffs for the second consecutive game as both were involved in late first period tussles. Seib fought Michael Trebish while Calibaba battled with Kirk Byczynski. Apparently some bad blood most of boiled over from Friday's game. Just want to take this opportunity to congratulate the guys on a very well earned four points this weekend against a tough opponent whose goaltender happens to be the SJHL's alltime shutout leader. The Wings are now 9-6-1-1 and are tied with the Estevan Bruins for second place in the Sherwood with 20 points each. The Terriers drop back to fifth in the Sherwood as they are now 7-7-1-2.

The Estevan Bruins got back in the win column tonight as they got by the Kindersley Klippers 5-4 in a shootout. Kyle Ermel was the shootout hero for the Bruins and also had an assist in the game. Payden Benning led the way offensively for the Bruins as he had a goal and two assists. Brennan Wrigley and Riley Tetreault each had a goal and an assist for the Bruins while Trevor Mock also had a goal. Ryan Sawka had a pair of goals for Kindersley while Ben Ritchie and Jayde Dunser added singles. Brett Leedahl and Jonathan Redlick each had two assists for Kindersley. Karsten Felske made his second consecutive start for the Bruins and stopped 34 of the 38 shots he faced. Randy Willis made his second start of the season for Kindersley and this time made it through the entire game. Willis stopped 25 Estevan shots. The Bruins are now 9-5-2-0 while the Klippers now have a record of 8-5-0-1.

The Melville Millionaires have all of a sudden found themselves in their first slump of the season as they fell 7-4 to the Flin Flon Bombers at the always tough Whitney Forum. Complicating matters for the Mils is they continued to be without the services of Kyle Cantlon as the reins have been handed over to Travis Bosch while Cantlon recovers from illness. Pierre - Luc Boucher had a two goals and an assist to lead the way for the Bombers. He and his linemates combined for nine points as Reid MacLeod had a goal and two assists and Dennis Kubat contributed three assists. Dustyn Clegg added a goal and an assist for Flin Flon. David Linsley, Brennan Cox and Michael Young also scored for Flin Flon. Dion Campbell scored twice for the Millionaires who also got goals from Justin Klassen and Jordan Reeve. Carsen Chubak picked up the win as he made 16 saves for the Bombers. Bosch was much busier as he faced 45 shots at the other end, stopping 38 of them. The Millionaires drop to 11-3-1-0 and now only have a three point lead over the Bruins and Red Wings but do have games in hand on both clubs. The Bombers improve their record to 8-5-0-1.

Finally, in La Ronge, the Ice Wolves three game winning streak came to a screeching halt as they were shutout 4-0 by the Melfort Mustangs. The Mustangs addressed goaltending concerns recently with the addition of QMJHL veteran Ilya Ejov. The final shots were not available byt Ejov had stopped 12 shots through two periods and was made the games first star. Brett Slobodzian and Clint Olson each had a goal and an assist for the Mustangs. Kyle Fraser and Bo Lenard also picked up goals for the Mustangs while Kassidy Collins added two assists. The Ice Wolves' Sterling Bear was given a five minute major for cross-checking and a game misconduct later in the third period.Jonathan Jobin was in goal for the Ice Wolves and suffered the loss. The Mustangs are now 8-7-0-0 while the Ice Wolves are now 8-7-1-0.

Tonight's Three Stars:
1. Brayden Nargang - Weyburn Red Wings (2 goals including winner)
2. Ilya Ejov - Melfort Mustangs (first SJHL shutout for experienced goaltender)
3. Payden Benning - Estevan Bruins (goal and two assists)

There is only one game in the SJHL tomorrow night as the Estevan Bruins complete their road trip as they head to North Battleford to face the Stars. With a Bruins victory, they would move within a point of Melville for first in the Sherwood.

Reminder - Wings next game is not until Friday now as they get a bit of a break before welcoming the Flin Flon Bombers.

- Brad M.

The Mob Has Spoken!

Keep an eye out on www.weyburnredwings.ca for a story on AJ Whiffen. His newfie fans put him over the top in our latest poll and as a result I will sit down with AJ and interview him for a feature story that will be posted sometime next week.

I would just like to say, I thank everyone who voted and is still voting. I hope to have stories on almost every player if not all of them by the end of the year, so don't worry if your favorite didn't get selected this time.

- Troy Kramm

Wings Tame Puppies!

Two different nights - two different teams. The Wings were skating, hitting and playing smart hockey as they throttled the Yorkton Terriers 7-2 on Friday night. Dwight McMillan rewarded Tanner Erickson's patience by dressing and starting him in goal for the first time this season and he did not disappoint. Erickson made 28 saves to earn his first SJHL victory. The Wings chased SJHL all time shutout leader Lynden Sammartino from the net just over the half way point of the first period after he allowed 2 goals on only 4 shots. Joel Danyluk relieved Sammartino and went the distance. Kyle Haines had a huge game for the Wings as he was a leader defensively and also put up a career high four points with a goal and three assists. Preston Shupe had a goal and two assists for the Wings. Rhett Bly, Torrey Lindsay, Michael Seib, Josh Bray and Nick Needham also scored for the Wings. Stephen Simms had a pair of assists for the Wings who also got helpers from Needham, Connor Krukowski, Brayden Nargang and Luke Johnson. Corey Silverson and Jock Sutter each had a goal and an assist for the Terriers. The Wings special teams were deadly as they went an astounding 3/5 on the power play while potting a pair of short-handed goals (including the game winner by Lindsay). The Wings improve to 8-6-1-1 and leap frog the Terriers into a share of second place with the Estevan Bruins. The Terriers are now 7-6-1-2. The two teams renew acquaintances Saturday night in Yorkton. I should note that the game featured a spirited affair between Wings forward Michael Seib and Terriers forward Derek Serdachny which I will call a draw. The Terriers Kyle Block was ejected in the first period for a checking from behind infraction.

Side Note: If anyone was wondering why the Terriers were using a south side dressing room tonight, the reason was that the hot water was not working in the north side dressing rooms. This also affected the officiating crew as they were forced to use a dressing room in the Sports Arena.

*** UPDATE ***

In La Ronge, the Ice Wolves continued their winning ways of late as they knocked off Sherwood division leading Melville 3-2 in La Ronge last night. Jordie Johnston and Bruno - Pierre Gosselin led the way for the Wolves with a goal and an assist. Adam Moar had the game winner for the Ice Wolves, his second game winner in consecutive games. Jarrid Dowhay, Jules Boucher, David Lawrence and Joel Belair all added assists for La Ronge. Justin Klassen had a goal and an assist for Melville. Derek Edwards had the other Melville goal while Kale Dolinski added an assist. Brian Kaval got the start for La Ronge and stopped 26 of 28 shots he faced. Travis Bosch got the start again for Melville as Kyle Cantlon continues to recover from illness. Bosch was busy again tonight as he faced 39 shots. The Ice Wolves continued their climb up the standings as they now sit in second in the Itech with a record of 8-6-1-0. The Millionaires drop to 11-2-1-0.

In Humboldt, the Broncos outscored the Estevan Bruins by a score of 6-4. The Broncos led 5-1 at one point and had to hang on for the win. Evan Bryksa and Tory Allan each had a goal and an assist for the Broncos. Russ Nielsen, Scott Schroeder, Laurent Benjamin and Dane Lindskog also scored for Humboldt. Matthew Kirzinger added three assists while Justin Stoski and Steven Schroeder each had a pair of assists. Trevor Mock and Kyle Ermel each had a goal and an assist for the Bruins. Brennan Wrigley and Kyle Stroh also scored for the Bruins. Payden Benning contributed two assists. Andrew Bodnarchuk picked up the win for the Broncos as he made 18 saves. Karsten Felske started for the Bruins and stopped 34 pucks. The Broncos now have the SJHL's top record as they improve to 12-2-0-0. The Bruins are now 8-5-2-0 and tied with the Wings for second in the division.

In North Battleford, the Kindersley Klippers improved to 8-5-0-0 as they dumped the Stars 5-2. Ryan Sawka led the way offensively for the Klippers as he had four assists. Brett Leedahl scored a pair of goals for the Klippers. Jerrett Bicknell, Ben Ritchie and Milo Miller also scored for the Klippers. Scott Linnell added a pair of assists while other assists went to Casey Rempel, Miller, Matt Sawa and Jonathan Redlick. Nick Kalnicki and Brody Malek replied for the Stars. Ryan Nieszner stopped 29 of 31 shots faced to pick up the win. Ryan Kerpan made 22 saves for the Stars who drop to 2-11-1-1. One has to think that Stars boss Gary Clark is looking at moving some of his 20 year olds like Jason Walker or Barrett Penner to build towards the future much like I expect Notre Dame to do in the next little while as well.

Saturday's Three Stars:

1. Kyle Haines - Weyburn Red Wings (1 G, 3A, solid defensive game)
2. Ryan Sawka - Kindersley Klippers (4 point night)
3. Preston Shupe - Weyburn Red Wings (3 point night, strong offensive prescense in one of his best games of the year)

There are four games tonight in the SJHL as the Wings head up to Yorkton for the return game of the home and home. Meanwhile, Estevan continues there northern road trip as they are in Kindersley, Melfort heads to La Ronge to play the red hot Ice Wolves while Melville looks to rebound as they visit the Flin Flon Bombers.

- Brad M

Wake Me Up At the Buzzer!; Record Night for Sammartino!

Wow. That was painful to watch. Sloppy passes, lack of intensity, lack of creativity could all sum up the Red Wings performance tonight at the Colosseum. I will give kudos to a couple of players that I thought had superb games - Captain Kyle Haines was probably the best Wing tonight as he played solid on the blue line while goaltender AJ Whiffen made some great saves only being beat once. The La Ronge Ice Wolves got a good performance from goaltender Jonathan Jobin (pictured) as he made 43 saves in a 1-0 win over the Wings. The Wings tended to make it easy for Jobin though as many pucks were shot right into the center of his crest. Adam Moar had the lone goal for La Ronge with David Lawrence and Calvin Fiddler picking up the assists. The Wings did a good job of shutting down La Ronge star players such as Jordie Johnston, Jarrid Dowhay and Bruno-Pierre Gosselin but just could not beat Jobin. AJ Whiffen made 27 saves in the Weyburn goal. The Ice Wolves complete a successful southern road trip as they win two games in as many nights. The Ice Wolves are now 7-6-1-0 and are in a logjam with two other teams at 15 points and a share of second in the Itech Conference (the others being Nipawin and Flin Flon). The Wings are now 7-6-1-1 and have fell to fourth in the Sherwood as a result of Yorkton's win tonight. This sets up a very important home and home series between the two teams this coming weekend. Let's hope the Wings can come out with some spark on the weekend.

Speaking of those Terriers, they were 3-0 shutout winners over the Kindersley Klippers in Kindersley tonight. With the shutout victory, Lynden Sammartino (pictured) picked up his ninth career shutout which now gives him the all time SJHL record for shutouts. Sammartino passes several players including ex-Wing Terry Denike. Sammartino made 27 saves in the shutout victory. Kyle Block scored a pair of power play goals to lead the Terriers while adding an assist. Carter Smith assisted on both of Block's goals. Alfie Bear also scored for Yorkton. Ryan Nieszner made the start for Kindersley and stopped 22 of 25 shots. The Terriers moved into third place with the win, one point back of second place Estevan. The Klippers are now 7-5-0-0 and in sole position of fifth in the Sherwood but have three games in hand on both Weyburn and Yorkton.

The heavyweight battle took place in Melville tonight with the visiting Humboldt Broncos coming out on top after a 2-1 overtime victory. A side note to this game was the fact Melville goaltender Kyle Cantlon was taken to hospital last night with an undisclosed illness and was not available for tonight's game. All Travis Bosch (pictured) did in his place was make 42 saves, not a bad night for the backup tender. Taylor Nelson picked up the win in goal for the Broncos as he had a rare night facing over 30 shots as he made 34 saves. Nelson tends to face less than 20 shots a game on the average night. Matthew Kirzinger was the overtime hero for Humboldt as he scored 2:16 into the extra frame. Russ Nielsen also scored for the Broncos. Mitchell Stretch, Evan Bryksa and Dane Lindskog all added assists for the Broncos. Defenseman Curtis Beech had the lone goal for the Millionaires. Dion Campbell and Brad Johnston assisted on the goal. Millionaires forward Daniel Hope was ejected for checking from behind. The Broncos improve to 11-2-0-0 while Melville is now 11-1-1-0.

In Melfort, the Mustangs welcomed new goaltender Ilya Ejov, a Russian who played the last couple seasons in the QMJHL. Ejov made 24 saves to pick up his first SJHL victory as the Mustangs downed the Notre Dame Hounds 7-3. It was an interesting night to say the least for Mustangs forward Matt Hill (pictured) as he had a hat trick and added an assist for the four point night. However, he was ejected with a match penalty late in the third period and will now likely face a three game suspension from league disciplinarian Laury Ryan.Taylor Watt also had a four point night for the Mustangs (goal and three assists). Gary Childerhose (goal and an assist), Kyle Fraser and Cory Buffin were the other scorers for Melfort. SJHL player of the week Clint Olson added two assists. Tanner Vandesype had a goal and an assist for Notre Dame. Travis Janke and Eddie Gale also scored for the Hounds. Mark Currie had a tough night as he only stopped 22 of 29 shots faced. The Mustangs improve to 7-7-0-0 and are in fifth in the Itech, but only one point out of second in the tight division. The Hounds have fallen to a dismal 2-14-1-0 as the long season continues for the Hounds and their young roster.

Tonight's Three Stars:
1. Lynden Sammartino - Yorkton Terriers (record setting night)
2. Jonathan Jobin - La Ronge Ice Wolves (43 saves for shutout)
3. Travis Bosch - Melville Millionaires (42 saves in overtime loss, thrown into fire with illness to starter Kyle Cantlon)

Honorable Mentions - Matt Hill (Melfort), Taylor Watt (Melfort), AJ Whiffen (Weyburn), Kyle Block (Yorkton), Taylor Nelson (Humboldt)

- Brad M.