Brockman Awarded for FIne Job With Broncos!

SJHL COACH OF THE YEAR

Winner: Dean Brockman, Humboldt Broncos

Brockman is the first SJHL coach ever to win the award, outright, in back to back years. Bob Beatty won in 2002-03 and in 2003-04, but he had to share it in ’02-03 with Don Chesney. Brockman led the 2007-08 Broncos to an unbelievable 48-9-0-and-1 record, besting last year’s 41-14-0-and-3. Humboldt enters the SJHL playoffs ranked number one in the CJAHL. This season, the Broncos finished first overall in the SJHL for the second year in a row despite losing their two top scoring forwards (Brady Heintz and Tyler Feakes), MVP netminder (Nathan Heinen), and top defenseman (Blair Wourms) from a year ago. The Broncos have also had to find a way to replace their heart and soul player from last season (Colin Wilson). This year’s version of the Broncos has been unstoppable since Brockman identified areas of need on December 1st and added defenseman Tanner Vandesype and forward Ed Gale from the Notre Dame Hounds as well as getting 1989 born forward Shawn Hunter in a steal from Alberta a few days later. Humboldt has had an SJHL season long winning streak of 16 games earlier in the year and just like last season, Brockman has managed to integrate a significant amount of youth into the program, hopefully ensuring a competitive club for years to come (goalie Andrew Bodnarchuk, defensemen Mitchell Peeke and Mitchell Stretch, forwards Hunter, Dane Lindskog, and Taylor Pillar to name a few). While votes for SJHL Coach Of The Year tend to be based on where a team finishes when compared to what the expectation level is at the beginning of the hockey season, consider that while the Broncos were expected to contend for the SJHL championship, they were hardly a shoe-in to run away with the Itech Conference and possibly approach 50 wins. In a league dominated by parity, the 2007-08 Humboldt Broncos are a special group. Brockman’s career coaching record in Humboldt is 132-73-5-and-13, including an incredible 89-23-0-and-4 record in the last two years.

Runners-up: Dwight McMillan, Weyburn Red Wings; Darrell Mann, Melfort Mustangs.

Millionaires Claim Selection Series; Wings likely to play Klippers!

The Melville Millionaires went into Kindersley tonight and came away with a huge 3-2 road victory over the host Klippers. The teams were scoreless after one, but Scott Hennings got things going for Melville just over a minute into period number two. Dion Campbell and Austin Krahenbil assisted on the goal. Kale Dolinski would put the Mils up by two just under four minutes later as he received a pass from Jordan Wilson. Matt Sawa would cut the lead in half before the period ended as he picked up the goal from Kirk Pearce and Casey Rempel. Matt Kinnunen would restore the two goal lead for the Millionaires just 2:08 into the third with an unassisted marker. The Klippers never gave up as Sawa would get his second of the game just over two minutes later from Ryan Sawka and Justin Perreaux. Both teams had some good chances down the stretch but could not beat the goaltenders. Joe Rodwell continued his hot play in the playoffs so far as he made 29 saves for the win. Matt Weninger took the loss despite making 32 saves for the Klippers. With the Millionaires win, they now have the right to choose their next opponent and all signs point to the winner of the Estevan/Yorkton series. It is quite likely that the fans in the Parkland will get another Terriers/Millionaires matchup this year which is always fun for the two cities separted by about a 25 minute drive. The Wings and Klippers, if that is the way the stars align would likely play Game 1 in Weyburn on Friday March 7, but we will let you know once we know.

Elsewhere tonight, the Yorkton Terriers have taken a stranglehold in the Sherwood conference elimination series as they snuck by the Estevan Bruins 2-1. Evan Neibrandt scored the winner on a breakaway with less than three minutes to play in the third period. Kyle Block assisted on the goal. Bryan Hull also scored for the Terriers. Chad Filteau had the lone Bruins goal with assists going to Brant Harris and Brennan Wrigley. Lynden Sammartino picked up the win as he made 21 saves. Karsten Felske got the start for the Bruins and stopped 29 of 31 shots he faced. The Terriers lead the series 3-1 with Game 5 going Saturday night in Estevan. Game six if necessary would go the following night in Yorkton.

The most exciting series is turning out to be the Itech conference elimination series as the Nipawin Hawks got back on even ground tonight with a 3-2 overtime win over the Ice Wolves. So far, the home team has won every game in this series. Torrie Dyck was the star of the night for the Hawks as he scored twice, including the overtime winner, and added an assist. Dean Prpick also scored for the Hawks. Taylor Thiessen, Brent Ottmann, Jordan Bourgonje and Blair Toms added assists. Everette Lerner continues his hot play for the Ice Wolves as he scored both of their goals tonight. Sterling Bear and Tyler Karst added assists. Derek Kleinsteuber got the win for the Hawks as he made 28 saves Jonathan Jobin was much busier stopping 51 of 54 shots he faced. The series is now tied at 2-2 with game five going Saturday night in La Ronge. Game six will be on Sunday night in Nipawin.

In the Itech conference selection series, the Flin Flon Bombers doubled up the Melfort Mustangs 4-2. With the Bombers win, the Humboldt Broncos will clinch the selection series with a win over Melfort on Saturday. Jordan Crone, Matt Dyck, Michael Young and Scott Day scored for the Bombers. Matt Restoule, Darcy Holfeld and Cole Wilson all added assists. Jordan Morgan and Harrison Tribble replied for the Mustangs with assists going to Tommy Brown and Matt Hill. Carsen Chubak got his first playoff start for the Bombers as he made 23 saves. Ilia Ejov stopped 27 shots in the Melfort goal. As mentioned earlier, the Mustangs host the Broncos on Saturday night. If necessary, Humboldt will travel to Flin Flon on Monday.

Tonight's Three Stars:

* Torrie Dyck - Nipawin Hawks (3 points, OT winner)
** Evan Neibrandt - Yorkton Terriers (huge goal to give Terriers the win over Bruins)
*** Jonathan Jobin - La Ronge Ice Wolves (51 saves in OT loss to Nipawin)

- Brad M.

The President speaks up

I asked some questions (via email) to SJHL President Laury Ryan this afternoon to see if he could clear up some questions people have had regarding the suspensions/fines to the Weyburn Red Wings. These were his answers.

1. Why didn’t Curtis Beech get suspended for leaving the penalty box as well? Shawn Courtney’s action earned him some heavy discipline while Beech got away with nothing.

Laury Ryan: A Quick Lesson,
leaving peanalty box - penalize the first one to leave, in fact Courtney phsyically handled the gate attendent to get out. Weyburn had 2 players leave the penalty box, like Beech no discipline to 2nd wing.

2. Needham, Krukowski and Calibaba weren’t fighting themselves so once again why was Melville not disciplined?

Laury Ryan: If an instigator of the situation is identified the other team is not penalized by our constitution.

3. Although fines were issued to the Millionaires they were meant to look like they did nothing in this brawl? Can you justify something like this? What did you base your final decisions on?

Laury Ryan: Weyburn (was the) instigator, they get fined as per constitution. I added the Melville fine because I did not like the actions there.

4. Is there a chance that the fines/suspensions may get looked at again to see if more discipine should be handed down upon either team?

Laury Ryan: No, investigation complete. If either team is involved in a situation in future, fines/suspensions will reflect that it is not the first time it has happened.



***** This final answer showed up in my junk mail box, I didn't notice it until now.

My Question: What about the trip on Krukowski? It started the second brawl, so why no instigator punishment taken towards them?

Laury Ryan: Instigator was deemed to be the leaving the penalty box.

- posted by: Troy K

Thoughtful donation to The Family Place

We have a winner for the final "Who am I" contest. It was Wendy Soare (Mick Pawlyshyn's Mom). She knew that the mystery Red Wing was Michael Seib.

Rather than keep the tickets for herself she told me that she would like to donate them to The Family Place as Mick has been working there this year.

I called Mick this morning to see if he was available to come down to the Family Place and he said no problem even after I had woke him up (sorry Mick). We then made our way down to the Family Place and presented ticket vouchers to Helen Stepp of the Family Place.

Thanks for the great donation Wendy and Mick.

- Troy K

The fines have come in!

* courtesy of SJHL.ca

FINES/SUSPENSIONS

February 27/08

The SJHL suspends Weyburn D Shawn Courtney for the balance of the Selection Series as well as Game 1 and Game 2 of the Sherwood Conference Semi-Final for leaving the penalty bench to participate in a multiple fight.

Weyburn players Connor Krukowski, Eric Calibaba, and Nick Needham are suspended for the balance of the Selection Series for participating in a multiple fight.

The Red Wings are fined $600 for being deemed instigators of the multiple fight by having a player leave the penalty box to participate in a fight. The Melville Millionaires are fined $400 for inappropriate team/player conduct on the bench during a multiple fight.

-posted by Troy K

At least we got some awards!

Wow, it was a rough night for the Weyburn Red Wings. On a night where numerous players and coach McMillan were awarded for their hard work during the regular season the Melville Millionaires took it to the Red Wings by beating them 6-0.

The game was close after the first period. The Millionaires grabbed a 1-0 lead on the powerplay. at 8:12, Jordan Wilson fired one from the point through a screened Whiffen to give them the early lead.

Things then opened up in the second period when the Millionaires scored two more goals in the period to make it 3-0. The Red Wings did put up 13 shots compared to their 5 shots in the first period, they just weren't burying their chances.

Finally the third period got underway and this is where things got interesting,,,, very interesting. Bryant Dyke opened things up at only 1:50 into the third with a shorthanded goal, unfortunately they weren't done. The Millionaires fired home two more goals before all hell broke loose. at 16:19 both teams got into things and let the fists fly. A Brawl broke out on the ice with Courtney(Weyburn) and Beech(Melville) leaving the bench to get into things. I will leave it at that because it looks like the Red Wings have some things to work out if they want to get back on track, and this is something they do not need right now!

- Troy K

Former ND Hound traded to Dallas Stars

* Article courtesy of cbc.ca

The Dallas Stars answered Colorado's acquisition of Peter Forsberg, picking up centre Brad Richards from the Tampa Bay Lightning before Tuesday's NHL trade deadline.

Richards, 27, waived his no-trade clause to complete the deal, which also involves goaltender Johan Holmqvist and a fourth-round draft pick going to Dallas. The Stars lead the Pacific Division with 83 points.

Heading to Tampa Bay is backup goalie Mike Smith, left-winger Jussi Jokinen and veteran centre Jeff Halpern.

The Stars, who lead the Pacific Division with 83 points, will assume Richards's contract, which has three years left at $7.8 million US annually.

"Dallas is a really good organization," Richards, a native of Murray Harbour, P.E.I., told cable sports network TSN. "They have a chance to win [the Stanley Cup] now. They have some great players that I'll be able to play with and learn a lot from."

The most valuable player of the 2004 playoffs, when Tampa Bay won the Stanley Cup, Richards was fourth in Lightning scoring this season with 51 points in 62 games, but has a minus-25 rating.

After scoring 91 points in the 2005-06 season, Richards dropped to 70 last season.

"It's been a great spot to play [in Tampa Bay] and I have a lot of great memories, but I'm also very excited," said Richards. "I think I need a new beginning.

"For whatever reason, this [Lightning] organization, I've seen it go from being so good to spiralling. I just don't want to be in another situation like that. I think there's a lot of stability in that [Dallas] organization."

In 552 career NHL regular-season games with the Lightning, Richards had 489 points (150 goals, 339 assists).

It's believed the Vancouver Canucks and Columbus Blue Jackets also submitted trade offers to Lightning general manager Jay Feaster.

Holmqvist has a 20-16-6 record this season with a 3.01 goals-against average and .890 save percentage.

Smith, now considered Tampa Bay's goalie of the future, is 12-9-0 with a 2.46 GAA and a .906 save percentage.

Jokinen has 28 points (14-14) in 52 games this season, while Halpern has 24 points (10-14) in 64 games.

Thanks!

I would just like to extend my thanks to the Weyburn Red Wings organization for nominating me for the Media of the Year Award. I had no idea they nominated me for this until receiving a call form Dwight McMillan yesterday morning.

It is a great honour to win this award especially since I have been doing this just for the fun of it and was only hoping to get some more references and work experience to put on my resume.

I couldn't have got this award without the help of all the Red Wings players who have always been more than helpful during pictures as well as interviews. A huge thank you goes out to Tanya Pohl at the Red Wing office as she pretty much sets up anything I ask for. Also I can't forget the coaching staff especially Dwight McMillan who put his trust in me to get things going this year. I would also like to thank the board of directors and last but not least, I must say thank you to Brad McNeil. I have learned so much from him and he is always there if I need a hand with something. Next year we are getting Brad that award!

Anyway, that is enough from me. I will be posting some comments from the other award winners later today and will be at the game tonight to get some pictures of Dwight and the players with their awards. Hopefully we can get some casual pics the next day with the guys and their awards.



- Troy K

SJHL Award Winners Announced!

- Courtesy of sjhl.ca

SJHL PLAYER OF THE YEAR


Winner: Jordie Johnston, La Ronge Ice Wolves (58-35-53-88)

Johnston is finishing up his third and final SJHL season with the Ice Wolves, having been a point per game performer for each of the last two. Coming up just shy of an SJHL scoring championship, Johnston is one of the SJHL’s most dangerous offensive performers as he has followed up a year in which he had 63-points in 53-games with one that has seen him compile 88-points in 58-games. La Ronge’s team captain, Johnston has excellent character that often has him as the comic relief in the dressing room when the chips are down, yet he also knows when to get serious and can be one of the most gritty players on the ice. Head Coach Bob Beatty says Johnston is a nightly competitor, who has an edge to his game. He plays in all situations and unlike other high scorers, his play without the puck is also exceptional. If you are searching for a player that demands the team come first, it is Jordie Johnston. Johnston is expected to play in the NCAA with Ferris State this upcoming Fall.


Runners-up: Ilia Ejov, Melfort Mustangs; AJ Whiffen, Weyburn Red Wings.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER


Winner: Ilia Ejov, Melfort Mustangs (28-8-2-2, 4SO, 2.01, .925)

If there was ever a player that arrived in the SJHL and immediately turned around his team’s fortunes, it might be Ejov. When the Mustangs secured his Junior ‘A’ rights, they were 5-and-8 and on the brink of languishing in the 4th and 5th spot in the Itech Conference. As soon as Ejov took over the crease, the Mustangs embarked on a streak of 17 straight games in which they picked up a point. Since
arriving, Ejov has appeared in 40 of 44 games, seldom showing signs of fatigue. He has racked up a 27-7-2-and-2 record with a 2.01-GAA and a .925-SPCT. Ejov also has four shutouts. He joined Humboldt’s Taylor Nelson in establishing a new SJHL single season GAA mark at 2.01, breaking the old mark held by former Weyburn goalie Russell Monette (2.25). Ejov’s future aspirations likely lie in the minor pro ranks or the CIS. He played 91-games in the QMJHL in the two years leading up to his tenure in Melfort.

Runners-up: Jordie Johnston, La Ronge Ice Wolves; AJ Whiffen, Weyburn Red Wings.

SJHL DEFENSEMAN OF THE YEAR:

Winner: Blair Toms, Nipawin Hawks (58-8-21-29)

Toms, a 1987 born product from Redvers, continues to excel and improve with each passing game. Toms is an ice time eater, recently being clocked at almost 36:30 in one particular 60-minute game. Toms is the first on the ice for powerplay time, first out on the penalty kill, always assigned to shut down opposing teams in the final minute of a close game, leads the Hawks in blocked shots, and is the top +/- player on the team. Toms gets high praise from Head Coach Dave Hyrsky, who marveled at the respect his captain has from the rest of the dressing room. Hyrsky, who has considerable experience coaching men, calls Toms the best captain he’s ever had. A dedicated athlete who hits the gym as early as 7:30 in the morning, Toms has pro potential and a couple of NCAA schools scouting him for possible enrollment in the Fall of 2008. In three SJHL seasons, Toms has never missed a game.

Runners-up: Kyle Haines, Weyburn Red Wings; Kealin Wong, Estevan Bruins.

SJHL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Winner: AJ Whiffen, Weyburn Red Wings (26-7-2-4, 6SO, 2.34, .931)



It’s not often that rookie goaltenders step into the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and dominate the way Whiffen has this year. All he’s done is tie Terry Denike and Taylor Nelson for the single season shutout record with six. He also has posted a league best save percentage of .932. On a Red Wing team that is rich in tradition, Whiffen is the first ever rookie Red Wing netminder to be handed a starting assignment pretty much from the beginning of the regular season right through to the end, all the while playing on a team that should be a Credential Cup contender. General Manager Ron Rumball credits Whiffen’s abundance of success to his veteran mentality. A hard worker with an unflappable personality, Whiffen didn’t even turn 18 until November 30th. Although he has two more years of junior eligibility, Whiffen is surely drawing NCAA interest already.

Runners-up: Rylan Schwartz, Notre Dame Hounds; Tommy Brown, Melfort Mustangs.

WILLIAM SHINSKE AWARD (Builder Of The Year)


Winner: Dwight McMillan, Weyburn Red Wings

McMillan has been associated with the Red Wings for 35-years and recently won his 1000th career regular season game. McMillan’s tenure has resulted in the Red Wings becoming a model franchise, not only in the SJHL, but in the CJAHL as a whole. McMillan has a tremendous amount of respect amongst his peers and currently serves as the SJHL Coach’s Advocate. His opinions and ideas carry a great deal of weight around the league boardroom and his longevity and tremendous amount of success has helped punctuate the SJHL’s place on the hockey map. He has also represented the SJHL on a national level in each of the last two years at the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge. He has promoted countless players on to various careers, not only in hockey but in all walks of life.

KRESSE KRUGER MANTYKA AWARD (Hockey & Academic Excellence)


Winner: Preston Shupe, Weyburn Red Wings

Shupe’s on-ice skills are evident to, even, the casual SJHL fan. He was Weyburn’s Rookie Of The Year in 2006-07 and played in the CJAHL Prospects Game. He was named to the Sherwood Conference All-Star Team and wears a letter with the Wings, further showing what his leadership means to the club. Off the ice, Shupe attained a 95% average in high school and received the Weyburn Comprehensive School Douglas Medal for academics and was named one of the Greystone Scholar--U of S academic awards. He scored 1690 on his SAT and is focused on pursuing a career in hockey at the university level.

GRAHAM CHRISTIE MEMORIAL AWARD (Leadership)


Winner: Russell Nielsen, Humboldt Broncos

Nielsen is a four year Bronco, who has a natural ability to compete at a high level and showcases a ‘win at all costs’ mentality/approach. This year’s captain of the Broncos; Nielsen led by example through playing despite injuries and not relenting in practice with a tremendous work ethic. Named to the SJHL All-Star Game, Nielsen was also an SJHL 2nd Team All-Star this season. A tireless worker, who can usually be found in the gym when not at the rink, Nielsen maintains a job, school, and numerous volunteer hours for the Broncos.


MEDIA OF THE YEAR: Troy Kramm, Weyburn This Week

A native of Milestone SK, Kramm does numerous articles each week—often accompanied by photos. He seldom misses a home game and attends numerous road games as well. The Red Wing website has been overhauled recently and Kramm deserves a lot of the credit for its new, highly interesting content. In fact, other junior teams have contacted Troy about specialty services for their websites. Troy is also the official webmaster, co-writer, and founder of the Weyburn Red Wing Blog. Troy goes about his tasks with high quality, high efficiency, and a great deal of enthusiasm. He also had an article on Wing Head Coach Dwight McMillan appear in the SJHL All-Star Game Program.


SJHL 1ST TEAM ALL-STARS

Goal - Ilia Ejov - Melfort Mustangs

Defense - Blair Toms, Nipawin Hawks
Defense - Kyle Haines, Weyburn Red Wings

Center - Jordie Johnston, La Ronge Ice Wolves
Right wing - Ryan Sawka, Kindersley Klippers
Left wing - Brett Leedahl, Kindersley Klippers

SJHL 2ND TEAM ALL-STARS

Goal - Taylor Nelson, Humboldt Broncos

Defense - Kealin Wong, Estevan Bruins
Defense - Russell Nielsen, Humboldt Broncos

Center - Jordan Schindel, Humboldt Broncos
Right wing - Reid MacLeod, Flin Flon Bombers
Left wing - Torrie Dyck, Nipawin Hawks

SJHL ALL ROOKIE TEAM

Goal - AJ Whiffen, Weyburn Red Wings

Defense - Tommy Brown, Melfort Mustangs
Defense - Jesse Lebreton, Battlefords North Stars

Center - Brody Haygarth, Estevan Bruins
Right Wing - Travis Janke, Notre Dame Hounds
Left wing - Rylan Schwartz, Notre Dame Hounds

SJHL Coach of the Year will be announced on Friday.

At this time I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate all winners and nominees and in particular those people involved with the Weyburn Red Wings organization - Dwight McMillan, AJ Whiffen, Kyle Haines, Preston Shupe and Troy Kramm - Congrats to you all on well deserved honors.

I would like to personally thank Troy for all his hard work with the Red Wings website, this blog and his top notch coverage in Weyburn This Week. (no he did not pay me to say this Ha Ha).

- Brad M.

Unmoderated comments to be brought back!

In order to get some good discussion going on the blog, we are going to bring back the option to leave comments without logging in. We just ask that you please be courteous of fellow posters and please be considerate of other posters and readers when posting. I feel this change will allow for some more interesting banter during the playoff run. Thanks everyone and lets make this work this time. I would still appreciate that you leave some kind of username or common sign off with your posts. Please try to refrain from anonymous posts.

- Brad M.

Coaches Corner!

TK: The selection series didn’t start out so well last week versus Kindersley. The boys looked flat in the first period and were getting hit hard, what happened out there?

McMillan: Honestly, I don’t know. We sure did come out flat for 40 or 50 minutes of the game. We played alright but not good enough to compete with them that night. I think we really outplayed them in the last ten minutes of the game but we just couldn’t capitalize on our chances and their goalie made some incredible saves during the game too. I give all the credit to Kindersley. They played an outstanding defensive game and shut us down.

TK: Was there any part of the team’s game that you felt was rather disappointing versus the Klippers?

McMillan: I was disappointed in our work ethic. It just wasn’t there that night. We had a good effort but good wasn’t going to cut it.

TK: How will you fix something like that?

McMillan: Well that is something we had to talk about. The boys do realize that they didn’t come out strong and they are learning from it. Something like that is a good learning experience for some of the boys. They know they played excellent during the last ten minutes of the game and now they realize that they have to play at that level all game if they want to win in the playoffs.

TK: You take on Melville tomorrow, so how do you prepare for a team like that compared to the Klippers?

McMIllan: They are very similar, they have speed and offence. Again we are going to have to work hard and check hard to beat them. We aren’t going to get any easy goals unless we work hard and create offence. We have to make things happen and when in our own end we have to bare down and be strong positionally.

TK: We know the team would love to win the selection series and get to choose their next opponent but, would you feel comfortable if you didn’t end up picking your team and ended up taking on a team who had to battle hard to get to their next round?

McMillan: It doesn’t matter who we face. We know that to get to the finals we have to take out whoever is in front of us so it really doesn’t matter. Any team that we face at this point is going to be playing at the top of their game and we have to as well.

Terriers, Hawks Take Game 2's on Home Ice!

The Estevan Bruins were looking to avenge a 7-1 defeat on Friday night with a better effort tonight in Yorkton. Although the effort may have been a bit better, it was not enough as the Yorkton Terriers took a 2-0 series lead with a 4-2 victory.

The Terriers would score just 5:35 into the opening frame as Chris Cook would beat Bruins goaltender Karsten Felske. Corey Silverson assisted on the goal. Ken Petkau, the former Chilliwack Bruin and Red Deer Rebel, gave the Terriers a 2-0 lead just under eight minutes later with Silverson and Cody Zubko getting the assists. The Bruins would cut the deficit in half before the end of the period as Kyle Stroh would score his first of the playoffs on a wraparound goal which eluded Lynden Sammartino. Payden Benning and Kyle Ermel picked up the assists. The Terriers would restore their two goal advantage at the 11:21 mark of the second period as Bryan Hull, the former Notre Dame Hound, made it 3-1. Kevin Stringfellow and Derek Serdachny notched assists on the goal. The Bruins would score at the 2:44 mark of the third to get back within one as Chad Filteau used his blazing speed to create the scoring play after being the recipient of a long stretch pass from Kealin Wong. However, Zubko would salt things away for the Terriers with a late unassisted goal with just 1:34 to play to make the final 4-2 Terriers. Sammartino was stellar for the second straight night but not as busy tonight as he was called upon to stop 27 of 29 shots (this after a 61 save performance on Friday night). Felske made 32 saves in the Estevan goal. Both teams suffered some injuries in the game as Bruins forward Nick Colliton did not finish the game and was seen limping off at the end of play. Terriers forward Derek Serdachny appeared to injure his left wrist in the game and did not return. Their was a late dustup after Bruins coach Karry Biette decided to put his tough guys on the ice for the last couple of shifts. A scrap ensued between Vincein Scott of the Bruins and Michael Trebish of the Terriers. No doubt Terriers coach Ed Zawatsky will not be to happy about that and I am sure there will be no love loss when the teams meet for Game Three on Tuesday night in Estevan.

Meanwhile, after a loss in double overtime on Friday night in La Ronge, the Nipawin Hawks rebounded quite well with a convincing 5-0 shutout win over the visiting Ice Wolves. After a scoreless first period, the Hawks turned it on in the second period with three goals. Brent Ottmann got things going at the 6:37 mark from Steve Mason. Mike Rey would make it 2-0 Hawks at 15:09 of the period from Cody Wutzke and Kenton Miller. The Hawks would go up 3-0 just a 1:11 later as Torrie Dyck scored his first of two on the night notching a short-handed goal with Jordon Miller getting the lone assist. The Hawks continued to keep the pedal to the metal in the third as Dyck would score his second of the game at 2:10 from Keldon Sanderson. Ottmann would then finish off the scoring with his second of the game with just under two minutes to play in the third to make it 5-0. Blair Toms assisted on the goal. Derek Kleinsteuber picked up the shutout for the Hawks as he made 29 saves. Jonathan Jobin started for the Ice Wolves and allowed 4 goals on 45 shots in just over 53 minutes of play. Brian Kaval came in for mop up duties and allowed one goal on six shots. The Hawks tie the series up at one a piece. The line of Jordie Johnston, Jarrid Dowhay and Bruno-Pier Gosselin has been kept off the scoreboard so far by the Hawks in the series. The teams return to action Tuesday night in La Ronge.

Tonight's Three Stars:

* Derek Kleinsteuber - Nipawin Hawks (29 saves for shutout)
** Cody Zubko - Yorkton Terriers (2 point night and solid game for young Terrier)
*** Brent Ottmann - Nipawin Hawks (2 goal performance)

There will be no games tomorrow night in the SJHL playoffs but things will get back at it with four games on Tuesday night. In the Sherwood conference selection series the Weyburn Red Wings will host the Melville Millionaires while in the Itech conference selection series will feature the Melfort Mustangs visiting the Humboldt Broncos. Meanwhile the two elimination series will also continue as the Bruins host the Terriers and the Ice Wolves will host the Hawks.

- Brad M.

Mils - Klippers Fit to be Tied!

The Kindersley Klippers looked to continue their good start to the selection series on the road as they headed to Melville to face the Millionaires.

After a scoreless first period, Jayde Dunser, with his second goal in consecutive nights, scored on the power play just 49 seconds into the second period. Justin Perreaux and Brett Leedahl would assist on the goal. Dion Campbell would tie things up for Melville just over six minutes later from Curtis Beech to make it 1-1. It would be Matt Weninger and Joe Rodwell taking things over from there as neither team would score again as the game goes into the books as a tie. Weninger made 27 saves for the win and definitely appears to be the Klippers starting goaltender for the playoff run. Joe Rodwell made 25 saves in the Melville goal. The Klippers lead the Sherwood conference standings with a record of 1-0-1. Melville has one point now while the Red Wings have 0 points. Melville returns to action on Tuesday night when they are here in Weyburn, pretty much a much win for the Red Wings if they want to win the selection series. The Klippers will host the Millionaires on Thursday.

In the Itech conference selection series a miserable weekend on the road ended for the Flin Flon Bombers as they were shutout for the second consecutive night, this time 4-0 by the Melfort Mustangs. The Bombers were outscored 10-0 in two games and will need to get things figured out before the real playoffs begin. Jason Walker opened up the scoring for Melfort at 12:53 of the first period from Nick Kalnicki and Matt Hill. The Mustangs would go up 2-0 at 1:51 of the second period as rookie John Payne scored his first SJHL playoff goal. Kalnicki and Mike Kirby picked up the assists. Hill would then score a power play goal at the 4:09 mark of the second from Walker to make it 3-0. This goal chased Bombers starter Calvin Bartel from the goal as he allowed three goals on only 13 shots in 24:09 of playing time. The Mustangs would make it 4-0 with just over 5 minutes left to play in the game as Brady Gordon scored his first of the playoffs from Tommy Brown on the power play. Ilia Ejov made 20 saves for the shutout. Carsen Chubak stopped 22 of 23 shots after coming in for relief of Bartel. The Mustangs tie the Humboldt Broncos for first in the selection series standings while the Bombers will have to have some miracles happen to have a chance of winning the selection series. The Mustangs will be in Humboldt on Tuesday and Flin Flon on Thursday night.

Tonight's Three Stars:

* Ilia Ejov - Melfort Mustangs (20 saves for shutout)
** Jason Walker - Melfort Mustangs (2 points, game winner)
*** Matt Weninger - Kindersley Klippers (27 saves performance to preserve tie on road)

Sunday night in SJHL:

The elimination series continue as the Yorkton Terriers will host the Estevan Bruins while the La Ronge Ice Wolves head to Nipawin to battle the Hawks.

- Brad M.

Vote Wilcox for Hockeyville 2008!

Wilcox - as all of you know is the home of the Notre Dame Hounds - and is one of 10 Canadian communities that is nominated for Kraft's Hockeyville 2008 on CBC. As Wilcox is the only Saskatchewan community in the Top 10 I encourage everyone to join other SJHL fans and vote for Wilcox. I know we don't cheer for the Hounds very often in Weyburn but this would be a good time to pull for a rival.
You can vote at www.cbc.ca/hockeyville.

Houndsville is Hockeyville!
Submitted by Del Pedrick, 2008-01-04

If you are a true hockey fanatic, then you haven't seen it all until you witness hockey in Wilcox at the Duncan MacNeill Arena. Home of the renowned Notre Dame Hounds, hockey is woven into the fabric of everyday life in Wilcox.

The Duncan MacNeill Arena is not only the biggest building in town, it is the hub of our community and a pillar of the Athol Murray College of Notre Dame. The Olympic size ice surface is home to 11 male and female teams from the bantam level right up to Junior A. As a result the rink runs from dawn past dusk for close to 10 months every year with kids jumping at every spare minute of ice that is available. There is always a buzz of excitement around this rink, whether it's a Hounds team working hard to impress their peers, or 300 screaming students all decked out in red & white with their faces painted showing their spirit during the famous "red & white" nights, the Duncan MacNeill is a sight to see!

Founded in 1927 by Father Athol Murray, Notre Dame has developed a legacy toward a commitment to excellence in athletics, academics and spirituality. Every year, close to 300 students from around world come to Notre Dame to further their development. One doesn't have to look far to see the success stories of Notre Dame - Hockey Night in Canada frequently mentions Notre Dame in relation to alumni such as Vincent Lecavalier, Curtis Joseph, Rod Brind'Amour, Brad Richards, Wendel Clark and more! The Wall of Fame in the Duncan MacNeill highlights hundreds of former Hounds who have made impressionable marks in their careers both on and off the ice. Everywhere our teams or staff travel we are constantly running into a number of former Hounds around the world who share their found & proud memories of Notre Dame.

It has been our pleasure as a family to be a part of the rich "Hound" tradition and experience the legacy Pere Murray has left in this Saskatchewan village. In my 30 plus years of association with the game, I have yet to come across a place that eats, sleeps and breathes hockey like Wilcox does. If there is a community who fully embodies the spirit of hockey and hometown pride, then "Houndsville is Hockeyville"!

- Submitted by Brad M.

Wings Pressure late but drop Selection Series Opener to Klippers!

Bus legs were not an issue for the Kindersley Klippers on Friday night as they opened up the Sherwood Conference selection series with a 3-2 win over the Red Wings.

The Klippers would score first as Brett Leedahl and Casey Rempel sneaking in behind the Red Wings defense for a 2 on 0 breakaway which saw Leedahl feather over a beauty pass to Rempel for the goal. Scott Linnell also assisted on the marker. Rempel would pick up his second of the night with a power play marker at the 16:37 mark of the first to put the Klippers up 2-0. Kirk Pearce and Mat Olson assisted on the goal.

The Klipper would take a 3-0 lead just under 5 minutes into the second period after Jayde Dunser took a harmless looking shot which seemed to change directions and fool Wings goaltender AJ Whiffen. Leedahl and Justin Perreaux assisted on the goal. The Wings however would capitalize on the power play just under 10 minutes later as Stephen Simms wound up his great shot from the point to put the Wings on the board. Rhett Bly and Preston Shupe picked up the assists. The Wings would cut the lead to one with a shorthanded goal at the 7:41 mark of the third. Brayden Nargang came streaking into the Kindersley zone and used great patience as he feathered a pinching Simms with a beautiful pass to make it 3-2. Josh Bray also assisted on Simms' second goal of the game. The Wings would get some pressure late but Kindersley goaltender Matt Weninger stood solid in the Klippers goal to preserve the win for Kindersley. Weninger would finish the night with 27 saves. Whiffen had some spectacular saves and kept his team in the game as he had 34 saves. There was a spirited second period scrap which featured Michael Seib of the Wings and Justin Wilkinson of the Klippers. Kyle Haines left the game late in the second period after going awkwardly into the board as he was tied up with the Klippers Ben Ritchie. Haines did not return and his immediate status was not known at the end of the game. The Wings look to get back on track when they host the Melville Millionaires on Tuesday night at the Colosseum. The Klippers will be in Melville tomorrow night as they look to take a stranglehold on the selection series.

In Estevan, the Yorkton Terriers got a dynamite performance from Lynden Sammartino and re-discovered their offense as they pounded the Bruins 7-1. The true star of the game was Sammartino who made an unbelievable 61 saves. Kevin Stringfellow scored twice for the Terriers. Ken Petkau and Bryan Hull each had a goal and an assist. Corey Silverson, Chris Cook and Kyle Block also scored for the Terriers. Defenseman Jordan Pawelec had a big night as he chipped in with four assists. Derek Serdachny added two assists with single helpers going to Kirk Byczynski and Rylan McDonell. Brody Haygarth scored the lone goal for the Bruins with assists going to Brant Harris and Riley Hughes. Karsten Felske was chased from the Bruins goal after allowing six goals on 36 shots in just over two periods of play. David Ritz came in for relief and stopped 9 of 10 shots. The Terriers take a 1-0 lead in the series as the series shifts to Yorkton for Game 2 on Sunday night.

The game of the night was in La Ronge tonight as the host Ice Wolves got by the visiting Nipawin Hawks 3-2 in double overtime. There were less than three minutes to play in the fifth period as Everette Lerner ended the game with a weird angle shot that alluded Hawks goaltender Derek Kleinsteuber. Lerner and Adam Moar would each get a goal and two assists for the Ice Wolves. Ryan Desjarlais added a goal and an assist for the Ice Wolves. Chris Jungwirth also scored for La Ronge. Ken Neufeld, Calvin Fiddler and Joel Belair all added assists. Torrie Dyck paced the Hawks with a goal and two assists. Jordan Bourgonje and Brent Ottmann also scored for Nipawin. Blair Toms added two assists for the Hawks who also got an assist from Jordon Miller. Jonathan Jobin made 50 saves for the win. Kleinsteuber was just as impressive as he stopped 62 of 66 shots he faced in almost five periods of hockey. The Ice Wolves take a 1-0 series lead as the series moves to Nipawin for Game 2 on Sunday night.

In the Itech selection series the Flin Flon Bombers paid a visit to the Humboldt Broncos but were no match for the #1 ranked team in the CJAHL as Humboldt cruised to a 6-0 victory. Jordan Schindel had a goal and two assists to lead the way for the Broncos. Laurent Benjamin and Brady Wacker each had a goal and an assist. Matthew Kirzinger, Tanner Vandesype and Shawn Hunter also scored for Humboldt. Russ Nielsen added two assists for the Broncos. Tory Allan, Josh Garneau and Brayden Klimosko also had assists for Humboldt. Taylor Nelson started the playoffs where he left off the regular season as he made 29 saves for the shutout. Calvin Bartel made 44 saves in the Bombers goal. The Bombers get right back at it tomorrow as they will be in Melfort to battle the Mustangs.

Tonight's Three Stars:

* Lynden Sammartino - Yorkton Terriers (61 save performance leading Terriers to game one victory)
** Everette Lerner - La Ronge Ice Wolves (Three point night, winner in double overtime)
*** Derek Kleinsteuber - Nipawin Hawks (62 saves in OT loss to La Ronge)

- Brad M.

Check this out! (the link works)

For all you goons out there. You might want to check out this site CLICK HERE. It is called Drop Your Gloves.

This site keeps track of fights that players have been in. It also keeps track of weekly stats such as wins or losses. You can also comment on the fights if you sign up. Once you sign up you can also add players to your favourite list.

It is just a fun little site that will take up some of your free time and give you a look at players across various leagues as well as the SJHL.

Enjoy.

- Troy K

Catching Up With Crockatt

I sat down with fan favourite Justin “don’t call me Davy” Crockatt before the team’s afternoon skate today to hear his thoughts on the upcoming playoffs among a couple of other things.

TK: When you first arrived we heard that you were going to be the guy to handle all of the ‘meatballs’ on the other teams, but I don’t think anyone was prepared for the impact you would truly have. With only 12 games played you have racked up 135 penalty minutes (3rd on the team). I want to know, what goes through your head on the ice? Does Justin Crockatt look for a fight or do you just let things happen?

Crockatt: I just go out there and use my size and I don’t let anyone go after our guys. I don’t think I am just out there to handle the ‘meatballs’. I create space for the smaller speedy players so they can have some room to go do their thing.

TK: Are you looking forward to the SJHL playoffs? They have reputation for being some long physical series that can really drain a team in a hurry are you prepared for it?

Crockatt: I am really looking forward to some long solid rounds. It should be a little different from SIJHL when it comes to the length of a series. It should be exciting with plenty of physical play that we all look forward to.

TK: This next question is from a fan who e-mailed me. They wanted to ask you who your toughest fight in the SJHL was so far?

Crockatt: Well Tony Oak(Battlefords) was pretty good. I thought that Beech(Melville) character was going to be a fun one but he was just too big to really get at. I also expected a lot more from that Thunder Chief(Kindersley) guy but he turned into a sponge when we got into it.

TK: How have you reacted to the fans that have quickly embraced you around Weyburn?

Crockatt: It has been great. I love the support and love to hear the fans making noise. That is what we need around here. We want people to come out and fill that barn for the playoffs.

TK: Is the team going to be well prepared for their first game versus Kindersley on Friday night?

Crockatt: We are all gonna be right ready to go. Some of the boys have been busy getting their injuries looked after while the others are ready and rested to go for the series.

Final Selection Series dates

* Courtesy of www.sjhl.ca

Itech and Sherwood Playoff Selection Series- February 22 – March 4- 2008

Itech Conference
Feb 22 Flin Flon at Humboldt, 7:30pm
Feb 23 Flin Flon at Melfort, 7:30pm
Feb 26 Melfort at Humboldt, 7:30pm
Feb 28 Melfort at Flin Flon, 7:30pm
Mar 1 Humboldt at Melfort, 7:30pm
Mar 3 Humboldt at Flin Flon, 7:30pm


Sherwood Conference
Feb 22 Kindersley at Weyburn, 7:30pm
Feb 23 Kindersley at Melville, 7:30pm
Feb 26 Melville at Weyburn, 7:30pm
Feb 28 Melville at Kindersley, 7pm
Mar 1  Weyburn at Melville, 7:30pm
Mar 3  Weyburn at Kindersley, 7pm

(All Klipper playoff home starts will be at 7pm)

The top 3 teams in each conference will play a home and home Playoff Selection Series for the right to pick their opposition in the Conference Semi Finals. The Playoff Selection Series will only be played until a series winner is decided and no games will be played if they do not impact on deciding the winner. Ties will stand in the Play-off Selection Round and no overtime will be played. Ties in the Playoff Selection Series Standings will be decided by the SHA Tie Breaking Regulation.

Conference Quarter Finals –February 22- March 4 -2008

Itech Conference
Feb 22  Nipawin at La Ronge, 7:30pm
Feb 24  La Ronge at Nipawin, 6:30pm
Feb 26  Nipawin at La Ronge, 7:30pm
Feb 28  La Ronge at Nipawin, 7:30pm
Mar 1    Nipawin at La Ronge, 7:30pm **
Mar 2    La Ronge at Nipawin, 6:30pm **
Mar 4    Nipawin at La Ronge, 7:30pm **

Sherwood Conference
Feb 22  Yorkton at Estevan, 7:30pm
Feb 24  Estevan at Yorkton, 7:30pm
Feb 26  Yorkton at Estevan, 7:30pm
Feb 28  Estevan at Yorkton, 7:30pm
Mar 1    Yorkton at Estevan, 7:30pm **
Mar 2    Estevan at Yorkton, 7:30pm **
Mar 4    Yorkton at Estevan, 7:30pm **

** denotes if necessary

Questions to be Answered - Part 2

At the beginning of the season, I made a post entitled "Questions To Be Answered." Now that the regular season is pretty much wound down I thought it would be fun to look back at that post and see what the actual answers should be to the questions.

Weyburn Red Wings - Is Kyle McConnell capable of handling a bulk of the work between the pipes this season?

As it turned out, McConnell would not be the answer. The play of rookie AJ Whiffen, who is now a nominee for SJHL goaltender of the year and the emergence of Tanner Erickson as a reliable backup, made McConnell expendable. McConnell was shipped to the Merritt Centennials of the BCHL and is now no longer playing junior hockey as he left Merritt back in January.

Estevan Bruins - Rumors from Estevan are that Guillaume Perusse will not be back in the black and gold this year. If that is the truth, will newly acquired Karsten Felske be able to handle the work?

It turned out that Perusse did start the season in Estevan, however he would later be moved to the OCN Blizzard of the MJHL. Perusse was not happy playing in a situation where he had to split his time with Felske and with Felske having the better numbers, Perusse was dealt. The Bruins ended up going the season with Felske and 20 year old David Ritz as the backup.

Notre Dame Hounds - Will the youth movement in Notre Dame allow them to qualify for the postseason in 2007-08?

It is now clear that the Hounds would not quite have enough to qualify for the postseason. That being said, the team should tremendous improvement as the season went on and have a good nucleus to start with in the 2008-09 season.

Melville Millionaires - Will the Mils be able to overcome the loss of MVP goaltender Anthony Heuer and last year's leading scorer Daniel Moriarty?

With the Mils starting the season 11-0, it looked like they would be fine. New goaltender Kyle Cantlon was playing great and the Millionaires were getting a lot of scoring from a variety of players such as Dion Campbell and Brad Johnston. The team did however show some adversity throughout the season with Cantlon having numerous injuries. Going into the playoffs, the Millionaires appear to be moving ahead without Cantlon as they now have Travis Bosch and Joe Rodwell as the goaltenders.

Yorkton Terriers - Will Carter Smith return to the Terriers?

Well, Smith did eventually return from Everett where he started the season and things looked promising in Yorkton as the Terriers acquired Bryan Hull from the Notre Dame Hounds to play with Smith. However, Smith got a call from the Red Deer Rebels back in November and decided to give the WHL another shot. Smith will be finishing the season with the Rebels.

Kindersley Klippers - Will goaltender Ryan Nieszner take his game to the next level?

Quite frankly, Nieszner seems to have had his game tail off as he gets older. Although he did make the Sherwood conference all star team, his numbers at the time did not really warrant an all star appearance and they have continued to fall since that time. He has lost a lot of playing time to rookie Matt Weninger. However, Nieszer will likely get a chance by coach Larry Wintoneak to make some starts in the playoffs and if he can play to his potential, the Klippers could have a good playoff run.

Battlefords Stars - Is this a rebuilding season in Battlefords?

All one has to do is look at the Stars final record and realize that yes, it was a rebuilding year. Gary Clark was fired as head coach late in the season and Blair Atcheynum took over on an interim basis. The Stars do have some decent young prospects in the system but they may be at least two seasons away from being a serious contender again.

La Ronge Ice Wolves - Will this team be able to take the next step in the postseason?

Although this question cannot really be answered yet, I would think it has to be somewhat disappointing in La Ronge that this team only finished fourth in the Itech. I really thought they would be in the top three and not have to play in the elimination series. If the Ice Wolves can get by the Hawks I still think they are capable of making some noise this season. They have a great goaltender in Jonathan Jobin and clearly one of the league's most exciting players in Jordie Johnston.

Nipawin Hawks - How will the Hawks fare under new head coach Dave Hrysky?

It has been up and down of sorts for coach Hyrsky in Nipawin this year. They went through a stretch where they could not seem to catch any breaks and made some roster moves (ie. the trade of Adam Schwark). However, as of late they have been playing some of their better hockey of the season and Derek Kleinsteuber has been on fire in the Nipawin goal. If the Hawks could manage an upset over the La Ronge Ice Wolves in the elimination series, I think the season for Hyrsky could be considered a success.

Melfort Mustangs - Will the Stangs overcome the loss of high scoring forwards Kurtis Astle and Andrew Wasmuth, and the departure of defenseman Dillin Stonehouse?

The Mustangs most certainly did overcome these losses. The biggest reason would be the goaltending acquisition by the name of Ilia Ejov. Ejov is far and away the MVP of the Mustangs and may be the difference between them finishing second versus fourth of even fifth. Taylor Watt also had a tremendous season and the acquisition of Riley Clark from the Notre Dame Hounds and the emergence of rookie Tommy Brown more than made up for the loss of Stonehouse.

Humboldt Broncos - Can the Broncos repeat as SJHL champions?

Although we cannot answer this question yet, being ranked as the number one team in the country going into the playoffs is a good start to making this goal reality.

Flin Flon Bombers - How will the Bombers respond to young coach Mike Reagan?

There were a few bumps on the road, but how about a third place finish for the rookie head coach. The team has played well for Reagan, particularly on home ice and are capable of putting up some good offensive numbers. Reagan also made a couple of good moves along the way to improve his club. Some would argue that he maybe should have even been a candidate for coach of the year. I have a feeling that Reagan will win one of two of them before his coaching career is over.

Well there you have it, an answer to some of my own questions that I posed in the very first week we started this blog. Boy how the season has flown by so far. Now is time for the real fun to begin. Hope to see everyone at the rink during the playoffs.

- Brad M.

Feniak named Dman of the Week!

* Courtesy of SJHL.ca

Monday, February 18, 2008

SJHL FORWARD OF THE WEEK
Winner: Rylan Schwartz, Notre Dame Hounds
Highlights: Schwartz helped the Hounds stay in the playoff hunt right up until the final few games as he paced the Hounds last week with 4-goals and 3-assists in 4-games played. In three of those contests, the Hounds emerged victorious. He had 2-goals and 1-assist in a crucial win on Valentine's Day. He also had two goals on Saturday night when the Hounds defeated the Weyburn Red Wings. Schwartz now has 62-points and will finish as the SJHL's leading point getter amongst rookies.
Runners-up: Kyle Ireland, Notre Dame; Rhett Bly & Luke Johnson, Weyburn; Dustyn Clegg, Flin Flon.

SJHL DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK
Winner: Adam Feniak, Weyburn Red Wings
Highlights: Feniak, a midseason addition to the Red Wing blueline, is rounding into fine form just in time for the second season. Feniak scored one goal and set up two others in four games played last week as the Wings continued their tune-up for the playoffs. Feniak has contributed 3-goals and 5-assists in 28-games for the Wings since joining the team from the AJHL.
Runners-up: Kyle Haines, Weyburn; Michael Young, Flin Flon; Blair Toms, Nipawin.

SJHL GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Winner: Derek Kleinsteuber, Nipawin Hawks
Highlights: For the second straight week, the 1988 born Kleinsteuber is the SJHL's best netminder. The Winnipeg MB native kicked out 79-of-81 shots in two starts, losing to Flin Flon 1-0 and beating Ilia Ejov and the Melfort Mustangs with 47-saves in a 3-1 decision on Saturday night. Kleinsteuber is 4-1, 1.39, .959 in the last two weeks.
Runners-up: Taylor Nelson & Andrew Bodnarchuk, Humboldt; Calvin Bartel, Flin Flon; Karsten Felske, Estevan.

Who am I?

Well this is the last one of the regular season for yah!

All you have to do to win two tickets to any Red Wings home playoff game is guess who this Weyburn Red Wing player is.

Send your answers to troy_kramm@yahoo.com

Good Luck!

- Troy K

Hounds get by Wings

The SJHL regular season came to an end on Saturday night in Notre Dame as the Hounds got by the Red Wings 6-4.
Kyle Ireland and Steven Robinson each had a goal and two assists to lead the Hounds. Rylan Schwartz scored two goals for the Hounds while Tommy Williams and Cody Mapes each had a goal and an assist. Travis Janke and Grayson Brown each added two assists for Notre Dame. The Hounds led 3-0 and 3-2 by periods. Michael Seib, Preston Shupe, Kyle Haines and Erick Ruud scored for the Wings. Eric Calibaba added two assists while also picking up assists were Brayden Nargang, Stephen Simms and Scott Doody. Andre Guay had a strong start in goal for the Hounds as he made 34 saves, many of them spectacular. AJ Whiffen got the start for the Wings as it was pre-determined before the game that he would play until a goal was scored by the Hounds. The reason for this was of course that Whiffen had a chance to set the SJHL single season shutout record. Tanner Erickson played from the 6:13 mark of the first period on as he made 24 saves on 28 shots. The Hounds will now face the Yorkton Terriers three times in three nights to close out the season. The Wings will have five or six days of preparation as they will open up the SJHL selection series next weekend with either the Melville Millionaires or Kindersley Klippers coming to town. We will let you know the schedule once it has been released to us.

Game notes: Justin Crockatt was handed 27 penalty minutes on one play in the second period as he received an elbowing minor, fighting major, misconduct and game misconduct. Crockatt was involved in a scrap with Kyle Ireland of the Hounds and then was ejected for throwing a towel in the direction of the referee. In 12 games as a Red Wing, Crockatt, an instant fan favorite, has amassed an incredible 135 penalty minutes. The game also featured Michael Seib annihalating Andrew Bzdel of the Hounds in a first period fight. Seib did most of the throwing and little of the receiving in that bout.

Elsewhere........

The Melville Millionaires clinched second place in the Sherwood without even having a game tonight as the Kindersley Klippers fell 4-2 to the Estevan Bruins. Chad Filteau scored twice for the Bruins who got a goal and an assist from Kyle Stroh and a goal from Kyle Ermel. Kealin Wong added two assists while also getting helpers were Colton MacPherson and Payden Benning. Steven Turner, a defenseman, scored both Klipper goals. Jonathan Redlick added two assists while Milo Miller and Scott Linnell also added assists. Karsten Felske made 30 saves for the Bruins in the win. Matt Weninger started for the Klippers and stopped 18 shots through two periods before making room for Ryan Nieszner who played the third period and allowed one goal on 5 shots. The Bruins now know they will face the Yorkton Terriers in the survivior series.

The Flin Flon Bombers clinched third in the Itech conference as they downed the visiting La Ronge Ice Wolves 3-2. Dustyn Clegg scored twice for the Bombers while Reid MacLeod added a goal and an assist. Pierre - Luc Boucher added two assists while also getting assists were Harley Garrioch, Dennis Kubat and David Linsley. Adam Moar had a goal and an assist for the Ice Wolves. Dustin Stevenson also scored for La Ronge assisted by Bruno - Pier Gosselin. Calvin Bartel had another fine start as he made 29 saves for the win. Jonathan Jobin stopped 29 of 32 shots for the Ice Wolves. The Bombers will play in the Itech conference selection series with the Humboldt Broncos and Melfort Mustangs. The Ice Wolves will be forced to meet the Nipawin Hawks in a best of seven survivor series.

In Nipawin, the Hawks defeated the Melfort Mustangs 3-1 as Melfort ended their regular season. Dean Prpick had a goal and an assist for the Hawks who also got goals from Jordan Bourgonje and Todd Panchyson. Mike Rey added two assists for Nipawin who also got assists from Jordon Miller, Brent Ottmann and Trent Rumpel. Matt Hill scored the lone goal for the Mustangs from Taylor Watt and Clint Olson. Derek Kleinsteuber was sensational in goal as he made 47 saves. Ilia Ejov make 28 saves in the loss for Melfort. The Mustangs move on to the selection series while as mentioned above , the Hawks will meet the La Ronge Ice Wolves.

- Brad M.

Wings Edge Klippers in OT!

The Weyburn Red Wings continued the winning momentum into the playoffs with a 4-3 overtime victory over the visiting Kindersley Klippers on Friday night at the Colosseum.

Rhett Bly (pictured) had another big night for the Wings as he picked up two goals before adding an assist on Adam Feniak's overtime winner. Eric Calibaba also scored for the Red Wings. Torrey Lindsay added two assists with single helpers going to Andrew Perrault (his first SJHL point), Craig Cornelson, Scott Doody and Stephen Simms. Brett Leedahl, Jonathan Redlick, and Milo Miller scored for the Klippers who got assists from Jordan Braid, Matt Sawa, Steven Turner, Casey Rempel and Kirk Pearce.

The Red Wings Justin Crockatt (pictured left) and Klippers Kalib Thunderchief had a spirited first period heavyweight battle which started as a result of some jawing back and forth during the pre-game warmup. The two did not disappoint as the Weyburn crowd was treated to a good tilt. Crockatt landed some unbelievable uppercuts and no doubt Thunderchief slept with ice packs as pillows last night.

AJ Whiffen had another strong start for the Wings as he made 32 saves, many of the spectacular variety. Matt Weninger made 21 saves in the Kindersley goal.

Elsewhere on Friday night ......

In Melville, the Notre Dame Hounds were looking to extend their playoff hopes while the Millionaires were looking to gain some ground over third place Kindersley. It was Melville who would show up to play on this night as they pasted the Hounds 8-1. Dieter Gillanders actually got the Hounds on the scoreboard at 5:24 of the first period to take a 1-0 lead but it was all downhill from there as the Mils would score only nine seconds after that before going on a rampage for the big win. Aaron Decorby had a big night for the Mils as he scored twice and added an assist. Matt Kinnunen, Jordan Reeve, Kale Dolinski, Bryant Dyke and Daniel Hope each had a goal and an assist for the Mils. Chris Shudo also had a goal for Melville. Levi Lind and Jordan Wilson each chipped in with a pair of assists. Travis Bosch picked up the win in goal as he made 20 saves. Mark Currie played the first two periods in goal for the Hounds and he was peppered with 37 shots stopping 31 of them. Andre Guay played the third period and allowed 2 goals on 7 shots. The Millionaires will clinch second place with either a Kindersley loss in Estevan on Saturday night or at least one point in their final game versus the Bruins on Monday.

The most important game of the night in the SJHL occurred in La Ronge where the Ice Wolves were hosting the Flin Flon Bombers in a huge game. The teams were separated by one point going into the game in the battle for third in the Itech. Of course whoever finishes third clinches a spot in the selection series and avoids the first round elimination series versus the Nipawin Hawks. The Bombers would show up to play on this night as they put on a solid road effort outshooting the Ice Wolves 51-35 enroute to a 5-3 win.
Dennis Kubat led the way for the Bombers as he scored twice, his second of which was the game winner, and added an assist. Harley Garrioch also scored twice for the Bombers for his first ever multi-goal game. Dustyn Clegg added a goal and an assist for Flin Flon. Reid MacLeod, who is second in league scoring, added two assists.
Calvin Fiddler had a goal and an assist for La Ronge. Jordie Johnston and Bruno-Pier Gosselin also scored for the Ice Wolves. Tyler Karst added two assists. Calvin Bartel, looking to solidify the number one goaltending job going into the playoffs, made 32 saves for the win. Jonathan Jobin stopped 47 Flin Flon shots but that would not be enough on this night. The two teams meet again Saturday night in Flin Flon and a win by the Bombers would clinch them third place. If the Ice Wolves can pull off the win, it will make the game on Tuesday night very important. (Nipawin @ Flin Flon, La Ronge @ Kindersley)

In Humboldt, the Broncos, who are preparing for the playoffs, met the Battlefords North Stars, who are preparing for next year. Justin Stoski led the way for Humboldt with a pair of goals. Jordan Schindel and Kendrew Friesen, a rookie AP, also scored for Humboldt. In fact the goal for young Friesen would be the game winner. Steven Schroeder and Voldy Dashko each had two assists for the Broncos who also got assists from Josh Garneau, Shawn Hunter and Taylor Pillar.
Joel Budd, Rick Cey and John Midtdal scored for the Stars. Jesse Lebreton added two assists. Single assists went to Adrien Lemay, Brian Sydiaha and Alexandre Leclerc. Andrew Bodnarchuk picked up the win in goal as he made 26 saves on the evening. Lemay stopped 40 shots in the North Stars goal.

The other game tonight that also had no impact on the final standings was played in Melfort as the Mustangs skated to a 2-1 lead over their rival Nipawin Hawks. Ryan Gareau and Taylor Watt scored for the Mustangs who got an assist from Gary Childerhose. Steve Mason had the lone goal for the Hawks with assists going to Dean Prpick and Brent Ottmann. Ilia Ejov was not busy on the night as he only faced 15 shots, stopping 14 of them. Daniel DiCamillo got the start for the Hawks and made 25 saves.

The SJHL Saturday night schedule sees two games of importance as Kindersley will be in Estevan to face the Bruins where the Klippers will be looking to gain some ground on the third place Melville Millionaires. Meanwhile the other huge game is in Flin Flon where the Bombers will be hosting the La Ronge Ice Wolves. A win by the Bombers would clinch them third in the Itech. Tonight's other games are less significant but allows teams to prepare for the playoff runs. Of course the Red Wings are in Notre Dame to battle the Hounds. The Wings will more than likely rest some guys tonight. Tanner Erickson is slated to get the start in goal. You can catch all the action on AM1190 tonight with the pre-game show at 7:20 with Kevin Smith and yours truly. The other game on the schedule tonight as the Nipawin Hawks hosting the Melfort Mustangs in the second game of a home and home.

We will let you know once the playoff schedule is available. In all likelihood the Red Wings will open up the selection series at home either on Friday the 22nd or Saturday the 23rd. They of course know it will be against either the Melville Millionaires or the Kindersley Klippers.

- Brad M.

Hounds Keep Slim Playoff Hopes Alive!

The Notre Dame Hounds have been hanging on by a thread but they continue to fight after doubling up the visiting Kindersley Klippers 4-2 on Thursday night at the Duncan McNeill Arena in Wilcox.
Super rookie Rylan Schwartz led the way for the Hounds with two goals and one assist including both the game winner and insurance marker. Marc-Andre Nadeau and Blake Peake also scored for the Hounds. Tommy Williams and Kyle Ireland each had a pair of assists for the Hounds who also got assists from Shane Gray, TJ Ahvenniemi and Blayne Stevenson. Kirk Pearce and Casey Rempel replied for the Klippers with assists going to Jeremy Beller, Scott Linnell, Jonathan Redlick and Mat Olson. Mark Currie was strong in goal for Notre Dame as he made 35 saves on the night. Ryan Nieszner suffered the loss as he stopped 22 of 26 shots. The Klippers remain two points back of Melville but still have a game in hand on the Mils. The Klippers are in Weyburn tomorrow night to face the Wings.

Looking at the remaining playoff races in the SJHL:

2nd place in Sherwood:

Melville Millionaires (56 GP - 32-22-2-0 -66 points)

The Millionaires have two games remaining, both at home, as they host Notre Dame on Friday and Estevan on Monday. (make up game). If the Millionaires win their two remaining games they will clinch second place as although the Klippers could go 3-0 and tie Melville in points, the Millionaires won the season series with 4 wins in six matchups.

Kindersley Klippers (55 GP - 30-21-1-3 - 64 points)

The Klippers have three games remaining. They are in Weyburn tomorrow night (Friday), Estevan on Saturday and then finish up at home on Tuesday versus the La Ronge Ice Wolves. The Klippers at a minimum would need at least three points in their final three games (combined with two Melville losses) to clinch second.

Sherwood Conference Race for Third:

Kindersley Klippers (see record above)
Estevan Bruins (56 GP - 28-24-2-2- 60 points)

The Klippers are not assured of finishing in the top three. If they were to lose there final three games combined with two Estevan wins, the Bruins could move into third and drop the Klippers to fourth. If this scenario was to occur, the teams would have the split in head to head wins, would be tied with 30 wins each which means the next criteria would be best goals against average which right now would belong to the Klippers. Although the Bruins chances of third is slim, they say a slim chance is better than none.

Fifth and Final Playoff spot in Sherwood:

Yorkton Terriers (55 GP -21-27-3-4 - 49 points)
Notre Dame Hounds (53 GP - 18-32-1-2 - 39 points)

If there were another month to go in the season I would say the Notre Dame Hounds would have a very good chance of catching the Terriers but with the schedule winding down the chances are virtually impossible. The Hounds will have to win five games in what will likely be six nights in order to clinch the final playoff spot. The Terriers only have three games remaining which ironically are all against the Hounds. Unfortunately for the Hounds they have to win games against the Melville Millionaires (Friday in Melville) and the Weyburn Red Wings (Saturday in Wilcox) before even having a chance coming into the games with the Hounds. If the Hounds are able to get all 12 of their remaining possible points, they would surpass the Terriers for the final playoff spot. Friday night will be one of those very rare times where you will see people from Yorkton cheering for the Melville Millionaires but that is exactly what they will do when the Mils host the Notre Dame Hounds.

The race for third in the Itech is also going strong as the La Ronge Ice Wolves and Flin Flon Bombers are fighting it out to try and avoid the survivor series versus Nipawin and get into the top three. The Ice Wolves have a one point lead over the Bombers going into the weekend with both teams having three games remaining. They will go to battle in a home and home series on Friday and Saturday night. If the Ice Wolves can manage to win both games this weekend they will clinch third in the Itech. The Ice Wolves finish up on Tuesday in Kindersley while the Bombers host the Nipawin Hawks the same night.

- Brad M.

Wings beat Yorkton 5-2. Erickson provides some stellar goaltending in place of Whiffen

With some of the regulars out due to injury or getting some needed rest for the playoffs, it was up to the entire team to step it up a notch. The boys looked good early on as Craig Cornelson scored at 5:32 on the powerplay to give the Red Wings a one goal lead. At 7:51 it was then the Terriers turn to strike on the powerplay. Jordan Pawelec fired a high blocker side shot past Tanner Erickson to tie the game at one a piece.

At 6:46 of the second period, the Terriers took a 2-1 lead on their second powerplay goal, scored by Jordan Menke. The Red Wings didn’t let them hold on to the lead for long. It was Craig Cornelson who scored his second powerplay goal of the night at 14:42 to tie things up at two with one period to go.

The Red Wings really opened the game up in the third. Josh Bray scored only 52 seconds into the period to regain one goal lead. Brayden Nargang would then score at 8:34 with the assists going to Bray and Johnson. That goal would chase Lynden Sammartino out of the net as he was replaced by Joel Danyluk. With the score 4-2, the Red Wings added one final empty net goal by Luke Johnson who along with Bray and Nargang finished the night with three points. Tanner Erickson stopped 27 of 29 shots for his second win in a row. His play as of late has helped coach McMillan give AJ Whiffen a rest for the playoffs as well as help the team feel even more confident in both goalies.

* I didn't stay for the whole game, sorry if I wasn't too in depth.

The next action for the Red Wings is on Friday, February 15 when they take on the Kindersley Klippers. The following night, they then travel to Wilcox to play their final game of the regular season versus the Notre Dame Hounds.

- Troy K

SJHL Major Awards Finalists!

* Courtesy of SJHL.ca

Monday, February 11, 20008
SJHL COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES

Dean Brockman, Humboldt Broncos

Brockman is the 2006-07 winner of this award and is completing his fourth season as Head Coach of the defending Credential Cup champions. While last season’s 41-14-0-and-3 record is hard to top, it appears as though Brockman’s 2007-08 team is going to do exactly that (44-9-0-and-1). This season, the Broncos will finish first overall in the SJHL for the second year in a row despite losing their two top scoring forwards (Brady Heintz and Tyler Feakes), MVP netminder (Nathan Heinen), and top defenseman (Blair Wourms) from a year ago. The Broncos have also had to find a way to replace their heart and soul player from last season (Colin Wilson). This year’s version of the Broncos has been unstoppable since Brockman identified areas of need on December 1st and added defenseman Tanner Vandesype and forward Ed Gale from the Notre Dame Hounds as well as getting 1989 born forward Shawn Hunter in a steal from Alberta a few days later. Humboldt has had an SJHL season long winning streak of 16 games earlier in the year and just like last season, Brockman has managed to integrate a significant amount of youth into the program, hopefully ensuring a competitive club for years to come (goalie Andrew Bodnarchuk, defensemen Mitchell Peeke and Mitchell Stretch, forwards Hunter, Dane Lindskog, and Taylor Pillar to name a few). While votes for SJHL Coach Of The Year tend to be based on where a team finishes when compared to what the expectation level is at the beginning of the hockey season, consider that while the Broncos were expected to contend for the SJHL championship, they were hardly a shoe-in to run away with the Itech Conference and possibly approach 50 wins. In a league dominated by parity, the 2007-08 Humboldt Broncos are a special group. Brockman’s career coaching record in Humboldt is 128-73-5-and-13.


Dwight McMillan, Weyburn Red Wings

Dwight McMillan once joked the big difference between he and fellow coaching legends Scotty Bowman and Brian Kilrea is that Bowman and Kilrea likely have no idea who he is. That is not likely the case if either of the other two long-time winning coaches have ever checked to see if there is a long serving bench boss who may eclipse (and then some) their winning standards. This past season, McMillan won his 1000th career regular season game and while that accomplishment alone may have gotten him a boat load of consideration for SJHL Coach Of The Year, there are plenty of other reasons to look at the modest McMillan for this honor in 2007-08 even if you were to, somehow, disregard his monumental milestone accomplishment. In McMillan’s 35+ years with the Red Wings, the team has never gone to war for a full season with a rookie netminder getting the lion’s share of the work. That changed this year when AJ Whiffen was handed the reins early on. The Wings, who usually load up with 20-year-olds in a contending year, have only five in the 2007-08 season that has seen them own first place in the Sherwood Conference for most of the year. Up until a couple of weeks ago, the Wings also iced a line-up that was failing to produce a player had a point per game clip. Last year, the Wings were within one point of missing the playoffs entirely. This year, they have jumped all the way to first while employing a great deal of players who were also on last year’s struggling club. Some of McMillan’s past accomplishments include SJHL Coach Of The Year Awards in 1984-85, 1989-90, and 1996-97. His teams have won six SJHL championships, five ANAVET Cups, two national championships, and he’s served as an Assistant Coach in each of the last two years for the two-time gold medal winning Canada West team from the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge.


Darrell Mann, Melfort Mustangs

43-year-old Darrell Mann is finishing his fourth season with the Mustangs, having taken the mantle in late October 2004. At the time, the Mustangs were 1-and-10, but went 17-21-2-and-4 the rest of the way under Mann’s guidance. In each season with Mann behind the bench, the Mustangs have improved as they went from 5th in 2004-05, to 4th in 2005-06, to 3rd in 2006-07 and into 2nd in 2007-08. Not coincidentally, the win totals have also gotten better with each passing year, going from 18 to 30 to 37 and this season they have 36 wins with two games remaining. Mann previously spent 10 years in the Saskatchewan Midget ‘AAA’ Hockey League with his hometown Tisdale Trojans. They won four provincial titles in those ten years and during the last four years when Mann was the Head Coach, the club won two provincial crowns and one national championship. An intense bench boss, Mann is often very animated when performing his craft and he also likes to use players who are most familiar with him. In the past, he has consummated trades that landed him the likes of Brady Gordon, Matt Hill, and Tommy Brown (all former Mann protégés in Tisdale). Former Trojan Taylor Watt left the ‘AAA’ Trojans, as a 17-year-old, the same time Mann did and joined the Mustangs with his coach. Never one shy to make a major trade to address major areas of need, Mann’s biggest move this season was to bring in Ilia Ejov, a 20-year-old puckstopper. The transaction turned the Mustangs from a sub-.500 team into a serious league championship contender. Mann’s career SJHL coaching record is 121-89-5-and-9.


These three individuals (listed above) were chosen as finalists based on a vote amongst all SJHL coaches.

SJHL Media will select the overall winner. Ballots will be sent in the coming days.


SJHL PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES
SJHL MOST VALUABLE PLAYER NOMINEES

(The same three players are nominated for both of the above trophies)

Ilia Ejov, Melfort Mustangs

If there was ever a player that arrived in the SJHL and immediately turned around his team’s fortunes, it might be Ejov. When the Mustangs secured his Junior ‘A’ rights, they were 5-and-8 and on the brink of languishing in the 4th and 5th spot in the Itech Conference. As soon as Ejov took over the crease, the Mustangs embarked on a streak of 17 straight games in which they picked up a point. Since arriving, Ejov has appeared in 38 of 41 games, seldom showing signs of fatigue. He has racked up a 27-7-2-and-2 record with a 2.01-GAA and a .925-SPCT. Ejov also has four shutouts. He is likely to join Humboldt’s Taylor Nelson in establishing a new SJHL single season GAA mark, which is currently held by former Weyburn goalie Russell Monette (2.24). Ejov’s future aspirations likely lie in the minor pro ranks or the CIS. He played 91-games in the QMJHL in the two years leading up to his tenure in Melfort.

Jordie Johnston, La Ronge Ice Wolves

Johnston is finishing up his third and final SJHL season with the Ice Wolves, having been a point per game performer for each of the last two. On the brink of an SJHL scoring championship, Johnston is one of the SJHL’s most dangerous offensive performers as he has followed up a year in which he had 63-points in 53-games with one that has seen him compile 32-goals and 50-assists in 54-games. La Ronge’s team captain, Johnston has excellent character that often has him as the comic relief in the dressing room when the chips are down, yet he also knows when to get serious and can be one of the most gritty players on the ice. Head Coach Bob Beatty says Johnston is a nightly competitor, who has an edge to his game. He plays in all situations and unlike other high scorers, his play without the puck is also exceptional. Johnston is expected to play in the NCAA with Ferris State this upcoming Fall.

AJ Whiffen, Weyburn Red Wings

It’s not often that rookie goaltenders step into the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and dominate the way Whiffen has this year. All he’s done is tie Terry Denike and Taylor Nelson for the single season shutout record with six. He also has posted a league best save percentage of .932. On a Red Wing team that is rich in tradition, Whiffen is the first ever rookie Red Wing netminder to be handed a starting assignment pretty much from the beginning of the regular season right through to the end, all the while playing on a team that should be a Credential Cup contender. General Manager Ron Rumball credits Whiffen’s abundance of success to his veteran mentality. A hard worker with an unflappable personality, Whiffen didn’t even turn 18 until November 30th. Although he has two more years of junior eligibility, Whiffen is surely drawing NCAA interest already.

SJHL DEFENSEMAN OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

Kyle Haines, Weyburn Red Wings

The 1987 born Weyburn SK native is the Red Wings’ captain and contributes to his team’s success in ways far beyond his statistics would indicate. While his 3-goals and 22-assists in 55-games are decent for a player who splits time quarterbacking a powerplay with three other players, Haines is a player that can, often, be found matched up late in a close hockey game against the opposition’s top forward line. And, with Weyburn sitting firmly in first place in the Sherwood Conference, it should be noted that Haines’ pairing often emerges as the winner of this in-game chess match. Haines sets a great example on the ice and has high team values. He is dependable in a number of different facets and is a quality role model. Haines is also hopeful of landing an NCAA scholarship.

Blair Toms, Nipawin Hawks

Toms, a 1987 born product from Redvers, continues to excel and improve with each passing game. Toms is an ice time eater, recently being clocked at almost 36:30 in one particular 60-minute game. Toms is the first on the ice for powerplay time, first out on the penalty kill, always assigned to shut down opposing teams in the final minute of a close game, leads the Hawks in blocked shots, and is the top +/- player on the team. Toms gets high praise from Head Coach Dave Hyrsky, who marveled at the respect his captain has from the rest of the dressing room. Hyrsky, who has considerable experience coaching men, calls Toms the best captain he’s ever had. A dedicated athlete who hits the gym as early as 7:30 in the morning, Toms has pro potential and a couple of NCAA schools scouting him for possible enrollment in the Fall of 2008.

Kealin Wong, Estevan Bruins


1987 born Wong is a model of consistency on the blueline for the Bruins and a fantastic leader by his on-ice and off-ice performances. On the ice, Wong is the first defenseman tapped for powerplay duty and one of the first to head out on the penalty kill. Head Coach Karry Biette says Wong is extremely mature and may be a couple of years ahead of his time. He spends a significant amount of time at the gym, sometimes attending more than once a day. He doesn’t rest on past laurels either as he is often one of the better players at practice. With 14-goals and 21-assists in 55-games, the Regina native ranks amongst the top ten in SJHL defensemen scoring. An Ivy League student, Wong has attracted interest from several NCAA schools.

SJHL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

Tommy Brown, Melfort Mustangs

Brown is a hockey marvel. The 5’9” 175 lbs native of Prince Albert SK is likely to finish in the top three in the SJHL rookie scoring parade. He may also be in the top three amongst all SJHL defensemen. Despite his rookie status, Brown was the lone SJHLer selected to play in the World Junior ‘A’ Hockey Challenge back in November. With 14-goals and 25-assists in 48-games, Brown has had no trouble adapting from the Midget ‘AAA’ ranks to the Junior ‘A’ game. His numbers are all the more impressive when you consider Melfort’s defense has four capable puck movers who all see significant powerplay time. Brown is the type of player who makes others around become better performers and with his recent scholarship announcement to Michigan Tech for the Fall of 2009, it is highly likely Brown will be back for one more tour of duty with the Mustangs. And, although he is a defenseman, he has to be considered an early contender for an overall SJHL scoring crown.

Rylan Schwartz, Notre Dame Hounds

Schwartz is an SJHL scoring rarity in that midget aged players do not walk into the best Junior ‘A’ hockey league in the country and become leading scorers. But, Schwartz has accepted his role with relative ease. He has been a point per game contributor right from the get go and is a shoe-in to lead the SJHL rookie scoring parade. In 49-games, Schwartz has 25-goals and 30-assists. The 1990 born native of Wilcox SK has a scholarship to Colorado College, which can begin as early as this Fall, but can also be deferred to the Fall of 2009. If his first, and possibly only, SJHL season is any indication, Schwartz may be ready to join the NCAA despite being the age of a first year junior ‘A’ player. Schwartz, who played in the CJAHL Top Prospects Game, got his first career hat trick last month and also had a 5-point game against Weyburn in October.

AJ Whiffen, Weyburn Red Wings

It’s not often that rookie goaltenders step into the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and dominate the way Whiffen has this year. All he’s done is tie Terry Denike and Taylor Nelson for the single season shutout record with six. He also has posted a league best save percentage of .932. On a Red Wing team that is rich in tradition, Whiffen is the first ever rookie Red Wing netminder to be handed a starting assignment pretty much from the beginning of the regular season right through to the end, all the while playing on a team that should be a Credential Cup contender. General Manager Ron Rumball credits Whiffen’s abundance of success to his veteran mentality. A hard worker with an unflappable personality, Whiffen didn’t even turn 18 until November 30th. Although he has two more years of junior eligibility, Whiffen is surely drawing NCAA interest already.

All player award finalists were nominated and voted on by the SJHL member teams. Winners will be revealed in the weeks ahead as part of the Showcase of Awards.