Power Rankings (for the week ended Jan. 6)

There is not a lot of movement in the rankings this week as for the most part the teams expected to win did just that.

1. Humboldt Broncos (32-8-0-1) LR: 1

The Broncos have won 12 games in a row and have only one loss since acquiring Tanner Van de Sype and Eddie Gale from the Notre Dame Hounds on December 1. The Broncos rattled off three wins this week over division rivals Flin Flon, Nipawin and La Ronge. Jordan Schindel and Matt Kirzinger are amongst the players that have been hot offensively as of late. Van de Sype has been also putting up a lot of points from the blue line. Taylor Nelson has maintained a GAA lower than 2.00 and a save percentage over .920 for the majority of the season and was rightfully named the Itech Conference starting goaltender for the upcoming all star game. The Broncos have a friendly schedule this week with three home games against the same three teams they defeated this past week - Flin Flon, Nipawin and La Ronge.

2. Weyburn Red Wings (24-11-2-4) LR: 2

The Red Wings won a pair of games this past week as they swept the home and home with the Estevan Bruins by winning New Year's Day and following that up with an impressive 3-0 win over the Kindersley Klippers on Friday night. AJ Whiffen now has five shutouts and an amazing .932 save percentage which remarkably is not good enough for an all star selection in the eyes of the opposing SJHL coaches. The trio of Preston Shupe, Torrey Lindsay and Rhett Bly has provided a bulk of the offense as of late. Stephen Simms has been moved up to forward for the games since Christmas. Towering defenseman Shawn Courtney is quickly becoming a fan favorite in Weyburn and was awarded the Rock' em Sock' em award for the month of December. The Red Wings have a golden opportunity to extend there lead in the Sherwood Conference this week. The Wings will host Melfort on Tuesday night and then head out on a three game road trip that takes them to Kindersley, the Battlefords, and then back to Kindersley on Sunday night. The two games against the Klippers in Kindersley will be key this week.

3. Melfort Mustangs (27-12-1-1) LR: 6

The Mustangs did go 2-0 this week with wins over the Stars and Millionaires. Both wins were far from certain as they trailed the Stars 4-0 before coming back to win and scored the winner against Melville late in the third. The Mustangs got a boost this week as both Taylor Watt and Clint Olson were back in the lineup. Ilia Ejov's numbers have slipped a bit but he is still providing solid goaltending for the Mustangs. Former North Stars Jason Walker and Nick Kalnicki appear to be getting more comfortable in their new surroundings as both have picked up there play as of late. The Mustangs will have a busy week as they head south for games in Weyburn and Estevan before a weekend home and home series with the Nipawin Hawks.

4. La Ronge Ice Wolves (24-15-2-3) LW: 5

I was probably more impressed with the Ice Wolves shootout loss to Humboldt then I was with the win over Notre Dame and that is why La Ronge moves up one spot in the rankings. Jordie Johnston, Jarrid Dowhay and Bruno-Pier Gosselin continue to consistently deliver points while Tyler Karst and Dustin Stevenson amongst others have given the Ice Wolves steady play on the back end. Jonathan Jobin is the key player for the Ice Wolves. When he is on, the Ice Wolves are tough to beat. When he is off, they can be a vulnerable team. The Wolves are one of the few teams with a light schedule this week as they just have a road trip to Humboldt.

5. Kindersley Klippers (24-15-0-2) LR: 3

The 3-0 loss to Weyburn on Friday night maybe brought the Klippers back to reality but they did regain the offense on Saturday when they downed Estevan in a shootout. There is no doubting the talent in Kindersley as they have three forwards (Leedahl, Sawka and Redlick) amongst the top 10 scorers in the SJHL. If the Klippers are searching for anything come January 10 it may be some experience on the back end. Although the defense as played relatively well, they are young and do not get a lot of offensive punch from the back end. Ryan Nieszner has struggled somewhat lately and needs to be better if the Klippers are going to challenge for the Sherwood title. The Klippers will have a true test this week as they host Weyburn on Friday and Sunday. They also will head to Yorkton for a mid week game.

6. Melville Millionaires(23-15-2-0) LR: 7

The Mils had a decent week as they had wins over Yorkton and Nipawin but lost to Melfort. The biggest thing for Melville down the stretch maybe keeping everyone happy. During the season at least four players I can think of - Brenden Sobchuk, Otto Ruszkowski, Adam Tuffs and now apparently Jarret Fisher have left the team. That being said the replacements for most of these players have been more than adequate - in particular Levi Lind and Jordan Wilson. I would think the Millionaires may be shopping for some help on the blue line before the deadline but trades will not be had easily as the deadline approaches. The Millionaires host the Stars and the Bombers this week and then head to Estevan for a date with the Bruins.


7. Flin Flon Bombers (24-14-1-1) LR: 4

I thought the Bombers would have put up a better game against Humboldt this week, particularly with the game in Flin Flon and that is part of the reason why the Bombers take a bit of a dip in this weeks rankings. I still think they have a good mix and although they were knocked earlier in the year for lack of secondary scoring, Cole Wilson, Dustyn Clegg and Barrett Penner just to name a few have all been putting up decent numbers. The key for the Bombers may end up being how well the goaltenders play. Neither Calvin Bartel or Carsen Chubak have huge numbers this year but both were highly touted coming out of midget hockey and are still capable of making the big saves when called upon. The Bombers will have a tough three game road trip this coming weekend as they head to Melville, Yorkton and Humboldt.

8. Estevan Bruins (19-19-2-2) LW: 8

The Bruins lost a couple of games they probably should have won this week as they outshot Weyburn 44-20 and had 10 power play opportunities but could only score once on the power play and actually also surrendered a short handed goal. They then squandered a lead against Kindersley on Saturday and ran into penalty trouble as they only picked up one point against the Klippers. Estevan's best player this season in my opinion has been defenseman Kealin Wong. The Bruins have a great chance this week to get out of their slump as they play three times at home - Melfort, Melville and Yorkton all visit the Civic Auditorium.

9. Yorkton Terriers (18-17-2-3) LW: 10

Although the Terriers still have not found their offense I move them up as they defeated Nipawin this past week and therefore deserve to move ahead of the Hawks in the rankings. The Terriers have a chance to win every night is Lynden Sammartino and the defense show up. That combination can on many nights make up for the lack of scoring. It will be interesting to see if the Terriers decide to move guys at the deadline or if they go with the philosohy that good defense and goaltending can win championships. The Terriers have a good week to show what they are made of as they have home games versus Battlefords, Kindersley and Flin Flon before closing out the week in Estevan.

10. Nipawin Hawks (14-20-1-4) LW: 9

The Hawks had trouble scoring goals this week as they dropped games against Humboldt, Yorkton and Melville. Derek Kleinsteuber played well enough for the Hawks to win a couple of there games this week but they could not produce offensively. I will watch the situation in Nipawin keenly this week as there are many rumors surrounding the future home of Hawks defenseman Blair Toms. Of course Dave Hrysky could decide to keep Toms if he feels the Hawks have a chance to upset a couple of teams in the playoffs. Blair Toms would be a good addition to any lineup as he is a very physical defenseman who also has an offensive element to his game. I know the Redvers product would look good in Red and White but there are also other teams out there I am sure that would love to add a player of his calibre for a playoff run. The Hawks host Notre Dame and Melfort this week and travel to Humboldt and Melfort for games.

11. Notre Dame Hounds (12-29-1-0) LW: 11

Scoring goals has not been the issue for Notre Dame as of late as they are scoring four of five goals a game on most nights. Preventing them on the other hand does appear to be a problem. I don't expect the Hounds to be that busy on this week in the trade department although I would expect that possibly 20 year old Chris Bratina could be moved. The Hounds have road games in Nipawin and the Battlefords this week. This would be a good chance for the Hounds to gain some ground on the fifth place Terriers this week as there games are both against other sub .500 teams.

12. Battlefords North Stars (4-30-2-3) LW: 12

The Stars had a light schedule this past week, there only game a loss to the Melfort Mustangs. The Stars can expect to be without Tony Oak for a few games after a gross misconduct was assessed against him in the Melfort game. The Stars will likely be quiet on January 10 as there moves have already been done. One player who may garner some interest for a contender is reliable 20 year old defenseman Matt Restoule. The Stars can start playing the role of spoilers as they hit the road to Yorkton and Melville this week before hosting Notre Dame and Weyburn over the weekend.

Hope everyone has a great week as we all eagerly await January 10.

- Brad M.