Power Rankings (for the period from Nov.26 - Dec 9)

I apologize again for no rankings last week and would now like to present my power ranking for the two weeks ended December 9/07.

1. Humboldt Broncos (24-8-0-1) LR: 3

After a bit of a bump in the road, the Humboldt Broncos are back on top and in my opinion are the best team in the SJHL as the Christmas break approaches. The Broncos went 5-2 over the the last two weeks for 10 points which was better than any other team during that period. They also played some of these games without the likes of Eddie Gale, Matthew Kirzinger and Brayden Klimosko to name a few. Taylor Nelson has rebounded from a few tough starts to return to his early season form in goal. Tanner Vandesype becomes the power play anchor since his arrival from Notre Dame and has not disappointed since his arrival. The Schroeder brothers, Scott and Steven, have been amongst the Broncos best players as of late. Shawn Hunter has been adding a point per game since arriving from Drayton Valley of the AJHL. The Broncos will see what they are made of this coming weekend as they go on a southern road trip that takes them to Estevan, Notre Dame and Weyburn.

2. Flin Flon Bombers (20-12-0-1) LR: 6

The Bombers went 4-2 over the last two weeks but what impressed me was the margin that they defeated Weyburn and La Ronge by, two of the hottest teams in the league before going into the Whitney Forum on consecutive nights and getting blown out. Reid MacLeod and Pierre-Luc Boucher racked up big points over the weekend but maybe more impressive is that the secondary scoring from the likes of David Linsley, Dustyn Clegg and Barrett Penner to name a few has really improved as of late. Defensman Myles Masse makes up for some defensive miscues with his offensive ability. Calvin Bartel and Carsen Chubak continue to provide the Bombers with a solid 1-2 punch. It will be interesting to see how far this Bomber team can go with their young rookie head coach Mike Reagan. The challenge I would offer up to the Bombers now would be to see if they can win on the road as impressively as they have at home. The Bombers have a somewhat easy schedule this week as they play a home and home with the Battlefords North Stars and then head to Kindersley.

3. La Ronge Ice Wolves(20-13-2-1) LR: 7

If not for there lopsided loss to the Bombers I would have ranked the Ice Wolves a spot higher. The Wolves went 4-1-1-0 in their last six games and included in those wins were impressive victories over Melville and Weyburn. The line of Jordie Johnston, Bruno-Pier Gosselin and Jarrid Dowhay is currently the hottest line in the league as they have shredded up the ice every night as of late. The Ice Wolves of also got solid play out of their young defense which is anchored by veteran Tyler Karst. Jonathan Jobin has played much better as of late which has also helped the Ice Wolves up their climb in the standings. The Wolves have a tough schedule this week as they have a mid-week road trip to Melville and Yorkton before hosting Melfort on Saturday night.

4. Melville Millionaires (20-10-2-0) LW: 4

The Millionaires had a respectable 3-2 record over the last two weeks as they posted two wins over Kindersley as well as a shutout win over Humboldt. However they dropped games to La Ronge and Flin Flon. The Millionaires continue to be led offensively by veteran Dion Campbell while former Regina Pat Levi Lind has also been a good pickup. The Millionaires quite often use five forwards on the power play which makes sense when you look at their statistics as Derek Edwards is the only Mils defenseman with more than five points. Travis Bosch has made seven consecutive starts since starter Kyle Cantlon went down earlier in mid-November. With Cantlon almost set to return, it will be interesting to see how Jamie Fiesel splits the playing time between his two goaltenders. Melville has a couple of challenging home games this week as they welcome La Ronge and Weyburn to the Vault.

5. Estevan Bruins (18-14-2-1) LR: 8

Before people in Melfort, Weyburn and Kindersley give me too much flak, one cannot dispute that the Bruins were one of the best teams in the league over the past two weeks. They started to get more consistent play throughout the lineup and Karsten Felske has played as well as any goaltender as of late. The Bruins won games over Nipawin, Melfort, Flin Flon and La Ronge over the last two weeks while also picking up one points in a shootout loss to Nipawin. The only loss was a 2-1 decision in Yorkton where if not for a red hot Lynden Sammartino, the Bruins likely would have won.

6. Weyburn Red Wings(19-10-2-4) LR: 2

Yes I am giving the Wings a downgrade down the rankings due to lopsided losses in Flin Flon and La Ronge. That being said, they did stop the 16 game streak of the Melfort Mustangs last weekend and had a couple of wins over the Nipawin Hawks who have been playing better hockey as of late. The Wings continue to score by committee with no real bona fide superstars but rather a balanced attack. I believe the defense has been solidified with the addition of veterans Adam Feniak and Shawn Courtney. I think has the team approaches the break you will begin to see improvements all around. AJ Whiffen is maybe facing some adversity for the first time in his SJHL career but I don't think for a minute that he will let a couple of tough losses bug him that much. I boldly predict the Wings will pick up four points next weekend and Whiffen will be brilliant in Melville and steal a win against the Broncos on Sunday. I know I may eat some crow for saying that but I think the guys will be ready to play next weekend.

7. Melfort Mustangs(22-10-0-1) LR: 1

If these rankings were only based on a one week period I probably would have not dropped the Mustangs this far. However the facts are this - two wins were both over Notre Dame, lost twice to Humboldt and once to Weyburn. The trade to acquire Jason Walker and Nick Kalnicki has not paid dividends yet but it has only been two games. I think the Mustangs are a better team this year with the move but overall if Colton Graf stays in the SJHL, this trade will make Gary Clark look like a genius two years from now. Ilia Ejov has maybe faced his first bit of adversity since arriving in the league, but I think in the long run the Mustangs will be amongst the contenders come late March, early April. Ejov still has impressive numbers despite a few losses this past week. This week poses a good chance for the Mustangs to rebound as they play the Battlefords, Yorkton and La Ronge.

8. Kindersley Klippers (19-14-0-2) LW: 5

This drop in the rankings may be a bit harsh but with the way other teams played I saw no choice but to drop the Klippers. If they would have won one of the two games in Melville this past weekend I may have re-considered. If fairness to Kindersley, they did play three games without captain Matt Sawa and star defenseman Scott Linnell. Ryan Niesnzer has re-affirmed his grasp on the starting role in Kindersley. Matt Weninger rode the pine in all three games this past weekend. Weninger had his SJHL record shutout streak stopped by Notre Dame earlier in the week. Brett Leedahl, Jonathan Redlick and Ryan Sawka continue to fly under the radar but put up impressive numbers offensively. The Klippers play Notre Dame in Kyle this week and then host Flin Flon on Saturday.

9. Nipawin Hawks (12-15-1-4) LW: 9

I decided to keep the Hawks ahead of the Terriers for now partly because the Terriers only played two games over the past 14 days which did not give me a chance to really critique them that much. As for the Hawks, thank goodness for Brent Ottmann and Torrie Dyck. Without those two forwards this team would be in big trouble. The Hawks defense is solid with veterans Blair Toms and Taylor Thiessen leading the way. Derek Kleinsteuber has been consistently inconsistent and needs to be the Hawks best player most nights if they are going to be in hockey games. The Hawks have a home and home set with the Yorkton Terriers this week.

10. Yorkton Terriers (15-13-2-3) LW: 10

The Terriers have had a lot of time off as of late which has allowed forward Bryan Hull to heal and he is now back in the lineup. Hull will be asked to help bolster the anemic offense. This team will have to win a lot of 2-1 type games in order to have success. They have a solid veteran defense crew and the experienced Lynden Sammartino in goal which helps in this regard. The Terriers will have a busier week this week as they host Nipawin and La Ronge on consecutive nights before weekend games in Melfort and Nipawin.

11. Notre Dame Hounds (10-22-1-0) LW: 11

Although the Hounds overall have played better as of late, the horrid start to the season may have put them in to big of a hole to dig out of for this season. No doubt Mike Vandenberghe thought the same when he dealt Gale and Vandesype to Humboldt. Blayne Stevenson has brought depth to the defense as has another recent acquisition from Nipawin, Andrew Bzdel. I doubt it would ever happen due to academic reasons and such but would it make sense for a team to inquire about Rylan Schwartz since this is going to be his only season in an SJHL uniform? The Hounds host Estevan tonight (Monday) before heading down to Estevan for the return engagement on Tuesday. The Hounds will also play a pair of neutral site home games in Kyle (vs. Kindersley) and Gravelbourg (vs. Humboldt).

12. Battlefords North Stars (3-26-2-2) LW: 12

I hope the Stars have invested in name tags because with all the comings and goings as of late their will be a lot of new introductions. As I said earlier, I think Clark made a great trade with Melfort, particularly if Graf stays in the SJHL and does not try another shot at the WHL. The deals with Flin Flon earlier in the year also seem to have worked out alright for the Stars as both Shawn McNulty and Kirk Moore have fit in well with the Stars from all reports. The Stars will not make the playoffs this year but I am sure there fans would be happy with continued improvement by the young team and maybe the odd win along the way. This week gets no easier as they face the Bombers twice and Melfort once.

Okay there you have it. I promise we will be back to weekly rankings as of next week. I expect some critics this week so let me have it.

- Brad M.