Power Ranking (Week Ended Oct. 14/07)

Time for my weekly updated power rankings and this week will not see quite as much movement as last, but nevertheless, some will rise and some will fall but not much changes at the top.

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

The Millionaires, as I predicted they would last week, went 3-0 for the week as they won twice over Notre Dame and also defeated Melfort on home ice. Dion Campbell continues to play strong for the Mils while the return of Kale Dolinski from injury as boosted the offense. Kyle Cantlon and Travis Bosch have both been solid when called upon in goal. This week should be a good measuring stick for the Melville as they host Humboldt on Tuesday in what could be the game of the week before heading north for two games in La Ronge Friday and Flin Flon Saturday.

2. Humboldt Broncos (9-2-0-0) Last Week: 2

It was a fairly quiet week for the Broncos as they played only once, a win at home over the Yorkton Terriers. The Broncos have had injury problems this season with the likes of Brayden Klimosko, Justin Stoski and Scott Schroeder missing time, however they continue to dominate their opponents on most nights. The Broncos should have a challenging week as they host Flin Flon on Tuesday, travel to Melville on Wednesday and return home to host the Estevan Bruins on Friday. That is as tough of a three game stretch as you could have.

3. Estevan Bruins (8-4-1-0) Last Week: 7

The Bruins had a great week as they picked up five of a possible six points over the week. The Bruins posted a win over Notre Dame and then won an overtime decision in Weyburn before losing to the Wings in overtime at home on Saturday. Kyle Stroh continues to be scoring at a goal a game pace for the Bruins while Guillaume Perusse and Karsten Felske both continue to provide solid goaltending for the Bruins. The Bruins have a busy week as they host La Ronge on Tuesday and then head on a three game northern road trip that takes them to Humboldt, Kindersley and Battlefords.

4. Flin Flon Bombers (7-4-0-1) Last Week: 4

The Bombers had a decent week as they had big wins over Kindersley and Melfort and lost another to Kindersley. Pierre - Luc Boucher, Reid MacLeod and Dennis Kubat are 1-2-3 in SJHL scoring as their line proves to be the most dangerous in the league. Carsen Chubak picked up his first SJHL shutout against Kindersley this weekend to solidify the goaltending while Calvin Bartel continues to recover from injury. The Bombers can prove whether or not they belong in the upper tier this week as they travel to Humboldt and host Melville this week. This will be a good test for rookie head coach Mike Reagan and his squad.

5. Kindersley Klippers (7-4-0-0) Last Week: 6

The Klippers won 2 of three games on a northern road trip this weekend as they split a pair of games in Flin Flon before dumping Nipawin on Sunday night. The Klippers have been a team that seems to score by committee. Casey Rempel, Kirk Pearce and Matt Sawa all had big weekends for the Klippers offensively. Matt Weninger has proved to be a reliable alternative to Ryan Nieszner in goal when required as evidenced by his 46 saves performance on Sunday night. The Klippers host Yorkton and Estevan this week with a road game in Battlefords sandwiched between.

6. Nipawin Hawks (7-4-0-1) Last Week: 3

A huge loss to Kindersley on Sunday night sees the Hawks take a big drop in the power rankings this week. They did go 1-1 for the week as they did knock off the Battlefords North Stars earlier in the week. Danny Gagne will return from suspension after this weekend which should help out the Hawks as they will be able to give Derek Kleinsteuber a break. In a weird scheduling quirk, the Hawks do not play again until October 23. This gives them a long time to recover from the beating they received from Kindersley on Sunday night.

7. Weyburn Red Wings (7-5-1-1) Last Week: 8

It was a good weekend for the Wings as they picked up three of four possible points against there division rivals from Estevan. The Wings got scoring from a variety of different sources over the weekend. Nick Needham, who has recently converted to forward, scored two goals over the weekend including the OT winner in Estevan on Saturday. Both AJ Whiffen and Kyle McConnell have provided solid goaltending. The defense crew is also starting to come together again. Stephen Simms continue to provide offense from the blue line while greatly improving his defensive game this year. The Wings have a busy week as they host La Ronge on Wednesday and then have a home and home with the Yorkton Terriers on Friday (Weyburn) and Saturday (Yorkton).

8. Yorkton Terriers (5-5-1-2) Last Week: 9

The Terriers had a good week as they won games over La Ronge and Melfort but lost to Humboldt. Bryan Hull as been a welcome addition to the Terriers lineup. With Mark Currie now in Notre Dame, expect Lynden Sammartino to get the bulk of the work between the pipes. He is now backed up by 17 year old Joel Danyluk. The Terriers have one of the most solid defense crews in the league with Michael Trebish, Kirk Byzyncki, Jock Sutter, Greg Coburn, Jordan Pawelec and Stephen Martinuk and they have all helped out offensively this past week. The Terriers have a game in Kindersley on Wednesday before a home and home with the Red Wings on the weekend. The Red Wings swept the first home and home the two teams played on opening weekend.

9. La Ronge Ice Wolves (5-6-0-1) Last Week: 10

The Ice Wolves split a pair of game this week as they defeated Battlefords but lost to Yorkton. Bruno-Pier Gosselin, Jordie Johnston and Jarrid Dowhay all continue to post big offensive numbers while the play of Joel Belair on the blue line also has to impress head coach Bob Beatty. Jonathan Jobin has been solid all season with a few minor hiccups along the way. The Ice Wolves will be a bit short-handed as they head on the road this week. Joseph Cook is out with a five game suspension while Dustin Stevenson will sit out two games. The Ice Wolves are in Estevan and Weyburn this week before hosting Melfort on Saturday.

10. Melfort Mustangs (6-7-0-0) Last Week: 5

The Mustangs had a tough week but did end positively as they won an overtime thriller in Notre Dame. Dropping the Mustangs five spots is maybe a bit harsh but they have a chance to climb back this week as they have a road game in La Ronge. Scoring goals as not necessarily been the issue for Melfort lately. Taylor Watt has put up impressive numbers since returning from injury and players such as Matt Hill and Clint Olson have also been contributing. Rookie Tommy Brown has been impressive on the blue line. The Mustangs still require more consistent goaltending from David Ritz and Jesse Trach. One has to wonder if Darrell Mann is on the look out for depth at this position.

11. Notre Dame Hounds (2-13-1-0) Last Week: 12

Although the Hounds only managed one of a possible 8 points this week, Mark Currie has brought stability to the goaltending position. Chris Bratina has been scoring at a point per game pace since arriving in Notre Dame. The Hounds have a light week as they have only a road game in Melfort. One area where the Hounds may still be looking to improve is the blue line. Mike Vandenberghe has proven in the past that he is not afraid to make a huge trade to address needs with his club so we will have to see if anything transpires.

12. Battlefords North Stars (2-10-1-0) Last Week: 11

The Stars continue to struggle as they lost games to Nipawin and La Ronge this week. The Stars need more consistent efforts from veterans like Jason Walker, Barrett Penner and Nick Kalnicki if they are going to have success. Ryan Kerpan and Adrien Lemay continue to share the goaltending duties and neither has really put claim to the number one position. The Stars host Kindersley and Estevan this coming weekend.

There you have it for another week. Anyone disagree? Let me know.

- Brad M.