Power Rankings (for the week ended Oct. 28)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- Brad M.

Terriers, Broncos Win on Sunday Night!

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

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

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

Tonight's Three Stars:

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

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

- Brad M.

Ouch! Wings lose to Hounds!

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

POST EDITED FROM ORIGINAL

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


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

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


*** UPDATE ****

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


- Brad M.

Wings Bomb Bombers!

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

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

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

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

Tonight's Three Stars:

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

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

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

- Brad M.

Good Luck Kyle!

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

- Brad M.

On a quiet night in the SJHL

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

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

- Troy K

Wednesday Roundup!

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

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

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

Tonight's Three Stars:

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

- Brad M.

SJHL Tuesday Results!

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

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

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

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

Tonight's Three Stars:

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

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

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

- Brad M.

SJ This Week on Access 7!

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

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

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

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

- Brad M.