Melville Bolsters Lineup

The Melville Millionaires have once again looked to the Western Hockey League to bolster there lineup as they have added 1988 born forward Levi Lind from the Regina Pats. Lind, a Saskatoon native, spent his entire WHL career with the Pats. Lind was in his third seasn with the Pats and has 26 career points in 151 games played along with 192 penalty minutes. Lind made his Melville debut tonight in there game versus the Melfort Mustangs.

SJHL.ca story about Red Wings!

(courtesy of sjhl.ca)

AGE NOT A FACTOR IN WEYBURN

Only the most astute Weyburn Red Wings fan can recall when the last time was the Wings were in a full-blown youth movement. Oh sure, the Wings had teams that started out young and struggled through the first half of the season, only to take on a much different identity after Christmas, usually one full of 20-year-olds, that made a push toward a Credential Cup.

But, this year’s Weyburn Red Wings club is different. They have just two 20-year-olds (defenseman and captain Kyle Haines & scoring forward Josh Bray) following the trade departures of Jared Smale, Sean Bassingthwaite, and Kyle McConnell. And, yet here are the usually slow starting Wings challenging for first place in the Sherwood Conference; and it is only November!Long time General Manager Ron Rumball doesn’t remember an undertaking quite like this year. “It was just a situation where we had a high number of 88s (19-year-olds) coming back and not a high number of 87s. Some of the 87s we did have didn’t want to be in Weyburn, so the necessary moves were made. Bringing in some of the people we did, we ended up getting younger, quality people that also give us an extra year lease on the program. So, it wasn’t a move we set out to make by design, but the quality of the people coming back was the big factor and we think we’ve made a good investment.”

Last month’s trade of McConnell left the Wings with two 1989 born goaltenders. Rumball admits Weyburn doesn’t usually carry two goalies the same age, let alone two goalies who are both in their first year of Junior ‘A’. “We had Boyd Ballard and Geoff Derouin in 1997-98 when we went to Summerside for the Royal Bank Cup and they were both 19. I don’t recall ever having two 18-year-olds, but my memory could be failing me,” joked Rumball, indicating age does not appear to be a factor at all when looking at the equation in the crease. And, it probably shouldn’t be. AJ Whiffen has played with the poise and presence two years older than what he really is. Privately, Newfoundland hockey people will tell you Whiffen was the best 1989 born goaltender in the province last year and he may have been the difference maker for a team at the Telus Cup if he had been given that opportunity. And, then there is local product Tanner Erickson, who is much less heralded, but not a whole lot less thought of in Rumball’s eyes. “We knew Tanner had a great season at AA last year and he was the best goalie at SaskFirst. We had a lot of confidence in his ability to step in and perform at this level.”“When we saw AJ was ready to be a starter, we didn’t hesitate to go in that direction. At the same time, Kyle McConnell’s importance to our organization shouldn’t be forgotten. He joined us last year at a time when we were desperate for goaltending. Aric Renchko quit over the Christmas break and Jason Lindner had vision problems that resulted in puck stopping problems. Kyle stepped in and his play is why we played in the playoffs last season,” said Rumball.

Rumball has seen the makings of numerous championship teams in Weyburn and yet this one doesn’t remind him of any of the years past. Even the 97-98 club with Ballard and Derouin between the pipes had some unbelievable skill with the likes of Wes Dorey, Jean Dufour, Mark Hartigan, Darcy Verot, and Kevin Schurack. “We do have Preston Shupe (top fifteen in SJHL scoring), Torrey Lindsay, and Josh Bray,” said Rumball, who also claims to be impressed with a re-dedication Bray made to his hockey career prior to the season. “He said he was coming back a better hockey player and the numbers indicate he’s done that,” says Rumball. “I think it is simply uncharacteristic of the Red Wings to have this kind of make-up where we may not have the best talent on paper, but we have a very cohesive group. We know we need more experience on the back end to help our powerplay and we would like to add more 20-year-olds. We are not shy about doing that. But, they are hard to get without giving up some of your best young talent. We are on the cusp of being a serious contender and a couple of additions could put us over the top. It doesn’t matter if he’s 19 or 20; but usually that experience is what gets you through some long stretches in January.”Of course adding a prominent 20-year-old likely means a current member of the Red Wings will have to accept a lesser role down the stretch and for some teams, a trade for a veteran can upset the apple cart and result in turmoil. When the Yorkton Terriers won their second championship in 2005-06, Head Coach Ed Zawatsky was adamant that he would not bring in players to displace the likes of defensemen Brett McRuvie and Dustin Nehring after the two had to accept lesser roles as 19-year-olds when Perry Faul and Josh Garbutt arrived from the Western Hockey League and became key contributors to their 2004-05 league title. The non-move paid off in spades. “That is a management dilemma,” says Rumball. “I think it was Bob Seger that once said you are standing on the shore and you can head out or head in. Which journey costs you more?”

Couple of Upsets on Tuesday Night!

There were three games tonight in the SJHL as another week of action kicked off and a couple of surprise results.

We will start in Estevan, where the Bruins hosted the Notre Dame Hounds in the lone Sherwood Conference game tonight. The Hounds got on the board first at 3:23 of the second period as Rylan Schwartz got a power play marker from Chris Bratina and Kyle Ireland. The Bruins responded just under six minutes later as Liam Brennan picked up the goal from Niko Grose and Garrett Lasko, also a power play goal. The Bruins went up 2-1 at the 4:25 mark of the third as Riley Tetreault got the eventual game winner from Payden Benning and Kyle Ermel. This would complete the scoring for the night in a game dominated by the goaltenders. Karsten Felske, who was well rested coming into the game, picked up the win as he stopped 43 Notre Dame shots. Mark Currie was even busier at the other end as he stopped 48 shots. Either the shot keepers were being generous tonight or it was a wide open game as it is rare to see both teams with that many shots. The Bruins move closer to the pack in the Sherwood as they improve to 12-10-2-0 and only five points now separate first place Melville from the fifth place Bruins. Despite the solid effort, the Hounds fall to 7-17-1-0.

The Battlefords North Stars picked up a character win tonight as they surprised the Flin Flon Bombers 3-0. John Midtdal, Jesse Lebreton and Jason Walker (empty netter) scored for the Stars who held off a very good offensive team in the Bombers. Shaun McNulty chipped in with two assists against his former team. John Dalton, Nickolaus Dvorak and Kirk Moore also had assists for the Battlefords. Ryan Kerpan made 26 saves for his first career shutout. Carsen Chubak made 36 saves in the Bombers goal. The Stars improve to 3-20-1-1 with the win while the Bombers fail to gain on second place Melfort and fall to 13-9-0-1.

The other upset of the night was in Nipawin where the Hawks held on for a big 2-1 win over the visiting Humboldt Broncos. Blair Toms put the Hawks up on the power play in the first period with assists going to Torrie Dyck and Steve Mason. Jordan Schindel tied the game for the Broncos at the 7:00 mark of the second period with assists going to Brayden Klimosko and Mitchell Stretch. The Hawks got the winner on a late third period power play goal by Adam Schwark to seal the victory. Taylor Thiessen and Kyle Cowan assisted on the goal. Derek Kleinsteuber, the reigning SJHL goaltender of the week, had another great game as he stopped 45 Humboldt shots. Andrew Bodnarchuk got the start for the Broncos and made 24 saves.

Tonight's Three Stars:

* Derek Kleinsteuber - Nipawin Hawks (45 saves in win over Humboldt)
** Ryan Kerpan - Battlefords North Stars (26 saves for shutout win over Flin Flon)
*** Karsten Felske - Estevan Bruins (43 saves for win over Notre Dame)

A rare goaltending sweep. Mark Currie of the Notre Dame Hounds also deserved consideration tonight.

SJHL News: The Yorkton Terriers were delivered a blow on Monday when it was announced that forward Carter Smith was going to give another shot at the WHL, this time with the Red Deer Rebels. Smith has previous WHL experience with the Moose Jaw Warriors and Everett Silvertips. This comes at a tough time for the Terriers as they are also currently playing without the services of Bryan Hull, who is injured. It is expected that if things don't work out for Smith in Red Deer, he would then return to the Terriers.

Rumors that Flin Flon forward Dustyn Clegg had been traded to the MJHL turned out to be false, at least for now, as he played for Flin Flon tonight in North Battleford. There were rumors circulating that Clegg was headed to the Selkirk Steelers.

SJHL Wednesday:

Melfort @ Melville
Flin Flon @ Kindersley
Nipawin @ La Ronge

- Brad M.

My interview with illegalcurve blog

I recently had the opportunity to be interviewed by Kyle Kosior of illegalcurve.blogspot.com, one of the fastest growing hockey related blogs on the net, and here is an excerpt of the interview:

"Narrowing the focus to your hometown Weyburn Red Wings, who is leading the team this year and do you expect any them to move on the NCAA?
In Weyburn, I feel we have a well balanced team. Preston Shupe, a hometown product, is currently our leading scorer and comes to play every night. Torrey Lindsay has also fit in well since being acquired from the OPJHL in the summer. Brayden Nargang, a former Portland Winter Hawk, has been a point a game player for us since returning from WHL camp. Youngster Rhett Bly, a former Regina Pat Canadian, has also impressed as of late. On defense, Kyle Haines, who played on Team Canada West last year, is our team captain and leader on defense. Stephen Simms, one of three Newfoundlanders on the team, is one of the best offensive defenseman in the SJHL. Our rookie goaltender AJ Whiffen is amongst the league leaders in all goaltending statistics. I should note that we only have two twenty year olds on the roster at this time - Haines and forward Josh Bray.As for NCAA opportunities, I would think Haines should garner some interest, as well as Shupe, Simms and Whiffen in the future, although perhaps not this year. "

To see the entire interview please visit www.illegalcurve.blogspot.com.

It was nice to get the opportunity to give the SJHL some exposure on this site. I hope you all enjoy the interview.

- Brad M.

SJHL Players of the Week!

(article courtesy of sjhl.ca)

SJHL FORWARD OF THE WEEK

Winner: Josh Bray, Weyburn Red Wings

Highlights: Bray has re-dedicated himself this season and the results are showing. Through 23-games, Bray has 14-goals and 11-assists and the Balgonie SK native added to those totals last week. He had 4-goals and 2-assists in 3-games, including a hat trick performance against Kindersley on Friday night. He also scored the next night as part of a Red Wing comeback against Melville. He started the week with two assists against Battlefords on Tuesday.Runners-up: Brody Haygarth & Kyle Stroh, Estevan; Laurent Benjamin, Humboldt; Jordie Johnston, La Ronge.

SJHL DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK

Winner: Gabriel Carle, Estevan Bruins

Highlights: Carle, a rookie SJHL blueliner, had 6-assists in 2-games last week to enjoy an offensive coming out party. His big game was on Thursday night when he set up five Estevan goals as part of a 13-0 wipeout of the Battlefords North Stars. He also had an assist one night later against the Kindersley Klippers. The Gatineau PQ product has 1-goal and 12-assists in 23-games this season.Runners-up: Scott Linnell, Kindersley; Tanner Vandesype, Notre Dame; Stephen Simms, Weyburn.

SJHL GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Winner: Derek Kleinsteuber, Nipawin Hawks

Highlights: A frequent winner of this award last year, this is the first of its kind for Kleinsteuber this season as he led the Hawks out of a slump by compiling a 2-and-0 ledger to go with a 1.61-GAA and .952-SPCT. He had 36-saves against Yorkton on Sunday in a 4-1 win to cap the week. For the season, Kleinsteuber has a 3.81-GAA and .887-SPCT, but he played through illness late last month in an effort to try and help the club when they were struggling. However, he is 8-5-0-and-1 in the won-loss column and the Hawks are just 1-and-6 when he doesn't play.Runners-up: Taylor Nelson, Humboldt; AJ Whiffen, Weyburn; David Ritz, Estevan.

Note: Congratulations to Josh and also to Stephen and AJ for being runner ups in their categories. Good job guys!

- Brad M.

Power Rankings (for the week ended Nov. 11)

Another addition of my weekly power rankings and this week Weyburn and Nipawin see themselves on the rise, while Yorkton and La Ronge are taking steps back.

1. Humboldt Broncos (18-3-0-0) LW: 1

All the Broncos do is continue to win. The Broncos won a pair of divisional games at home over Flin Flon and La Ronge to maintain the top ranking. Laurent Benjamin continues to lead the Broncos in scoring as he had a four point night against La Ronge. Russ Nielsen has been huge on the power play for the Broncos from the blue line. Taylor Nelson continues to make it tough for teams to find a chink in his armor as he leads the SJHL in most goaltending categories. The Broncos will have some tough divisional games on the road this week as they head to Nipawin, Flin Flon and La Ronge.

2. Melville Millionaires (15-5-1-0) LW: 3

Despite only playing once this week, the Millionaires jump up a spot after they defeated Weyburn in overtime on Saturday night. Kale Dolinski has been on fire after missing the early part of the season with an injury. Dolinski has 15 points in 12 games since returning. Kyle Cantlon has had an MVP type season in the Melville goal. The Millionaires will have a challenging week as they host the red hot Melfort Mustangs on Wednesday before a weekend home and home with their rival Yorkton Terriers.

3. Melfort Mustangs (15-7-0-1) LW: 4

The Mustangs continue to win as they went 3-0 this week with wins over La Ronge, Nipawin and Yorkton. Ilia Ejov has brought stability to the Mustangs goaltending situation as he is an unbelievable 9-0-0-1 in ten starts since arriving in the SJHL. What is most impressive of the Mustangs unbeaten streak is they have done a lot of it without the services of defenseman Tommy Brown who has has been competing at the World Junior A Challenge in B.C. The Mustangs venture out on the road this week for mid-week games in Melville and Yorkton.

4. Weyburn Red Wings (13-8-2-2) LW: 8

The Red Wings had a great week as they collected 5 out of a possible 6 points with wins over Battlefords and Kindersley and a hard fought overtime loss to the Melville Millionaires. Also a plus was that the power play has looked much better as of late. Josh Bray had a big week as he had four goals in three games. Bray and Stephen Simms have largely been responsible for the power play turnaround as of late. The Wings have also seen some improved play from defenseman such as Connor Krukowski, Ethan Gardner and Andrew Perrault which has helped in moving the Wings into second place in the Sherwood. Of course, the goaltending of AJ Whiffen has also been integral in the team's recent success. It should be a fun weekend as the Wings will have a home and home with the Estevan Bruins.

5. Kindersley Klippers (13-9-0-2) LW: 5

The Klippers had a good road trip through the Sherwood this week as they won games in Notre Dame and Estevan and were in the game for most of the night in Weyburn despite losing 4-1. Ryan Sawka has soared into the league's top 10 scoring with his fine play of late. Brett Leedahl has also been much improved as of late and is returning to the form he displayed in his rookie season in the SJHL. Scott Linnell continues to be the workhouse on the blue line and is easily one of the league's elite defenseman. Ryan Nieszner continues to be pushed for rookies Matt Weninger and Randy Willis for playing time as all three goalies have played well for Kindersley. This week the Klipper will host Flin Flon on Wednesday before a weekend home and home set with the Battlefords North Stars.

6. Flin Flon Bombers (13-8-0-1) LW: 6

The Bombers also had a good week posting wins over Yorkton and La Ronge and losing a close game to the Humboldt Broncos. Barrett Penner has been scoring at a point per game basis since arriving in Flin Flon as he plays on the second line with Tommy Castonguay and David Linsley. Myles Masse is one of the better offensive defenseman in the league and has put up some numbers for the Bombers. Calvin Bartel has played well since returning from injury as he appears to have reclaimed the starting job away from rookie Carsen Chubak. The Bombers hit the road for games in Battlefords and Kindersley before hosting Humboldt on Friday.

7. Yorkton Terriers (12-9-2-2) LW: 2

I am not sure if there is a team that has had as many rise and falls in the power rankings as the Terriers. The Terriers could only manage 1 out of 6 possible points this week as they had an overtime loss to Melfort while also losing to Flin Flon and Nipawin. The Terriers clearly miss Bryan Hull from the lineup as they have had a hard time scoring goals as of late. Lynden Sammartino has been spectacular at times and ordinary other times. The Terriers need him at 100% every night if they are going to challenge for the Sherwood title this season. The Terriers will have a tough three games in three nights as they host Melfort on Thursday before a home and home with the Millionaires on the weekend.

8. Estevan Bruins (11-10-2-0) LW: 9

The Bruins sent Guillaume Perusse packing this week and the team seemed to rally behind the move on Thursday night as they shutout the Battlefords North Stars 13-0 before falling to Kindersley on Saturday. David Ritz, acquired from Melfort as started the last two games for the Bruins. It is expected Ritz and Karsten Felske will share the goaltending duties the rest of the season. The Bruins best forwards as of late maybe a couple of rookies in Brennan Wrigley and Brody Haygarth. Haygarth already has 10 goals this season which is not bad for a first year player. The Bruins host Notre Dame on Tuesday before a home and home with the Red Wings on the weekend.

9. Nipawin Hawks (9-11-0-1) LW: 11

The Hawks rebounded for a respectable week as they defeated La Ronge and Yorkton and lost a close game to Melfort. Torrie Dyck has been the provider of a lot of the offense for the Hawks. Adam Schwark and Brent Ottmann also are relied upon to put points up. After some struggles, Derek Kleinsteuber seems to have picked up his play as of late. The Hawks host Humboldt on Tuesday and head to La Ronge on Wednesday night.

10. La Ronge Ice Wolves (11-12-1-1)

Inconsistency again plagues the Ice Wolves as they picked up only 1 out of 8 possible points this week. This was all despite the return to the lineup of goaltender Jonathan Jobin. Jarrid Dowhay has been on fire as of late as he is putting up at least 2 points a game on most night. Defenseman Tyler Karst has also added an offensive element to his game as of late. I never count out La Ronge with wily Bob Beatty behind the bench but you never know which Ice Wolves team will show up on any given night. The Wolves host Nipawin and Humboldt this week.

11. Notre Dame Hounds (9-11-0-1) LW: 10

The Hounds fought back to win a close one over the Battlefords before losing to Kindersley. Tanner Vandesype continues to provide offense from the blue line as he leads all SJHL defenseman in scoring. Rookie Travis Janke has also been fun to watch this year. The Hounds have a game in Estevan on Tuesday night and will then get a nice long break in the schedule as they will have 9 days off before returning to action on Nov. 22 against Melville.

12. Battlefords North Stars (2-20-1-1) LW:12

I think the record explains enough. 13-0 loss to Estevan was icing on the cake so to speak for the dismal season in North Battleford. The Stars host Flin Flon on Tuesday and then have a home and home with Kindersley on the weekend.

- Brad M.

Congratulations Mac!

The Weyburn Red Wings are very proud of the achievements of head coach Dwight McMillan in his illustrious career and you can add one more as Team Canada West won their second consecutive World Junior A Challenge title with a 4-1 win over Team Canada East. This was Dwight's second consecutive title with the team as an assistant coach. The team also featured defenseman Tommy Brown of the Melfort Mustangs.

Way to go Mac! We are all proud.

- Brad M.

Hawks, Broncos Win on Sunday!

Well most of the province, including myself, were totally focused on a certain football game, there actually were a couple of SJHL games on Sunday night. MEMO to SJHL teams when doing your scheduling - don't book Sunday night games during the CFL playoffs.

Anyways to the action: In Nipawin, the Hawks scored three unanswered goals in the third period en route to a 4-1 victory over the Yorkton Terriers. Brent Ottmann and Torrie Dyck each had a goal and an assist to pace the Hawks. Steve Mason and Cody Wutzke also scored for the Hawks. Mike Rey added two assists for Nipawin. Rylan McDonell had the lone goal for the Terriers assisted by Greg Coburn and Evan Neibrandt. Derek Kleinsteuber had a great night as he made 36 saves in the Nipawin goal. Lynden Sammartino stopped 33 of the 37 shots he faced. The Hawks improve to 9-11-0-1 while Yorkton is now 12-9-2-2.

In Humboldt, a tough week continued for the La Ronge Ice Wolves as they were dumped by the Broncos 10-2. Laurent Benjamin (2 goals, 2 assists) and Jordan Schindel (1 goal, three assists) led the way for Humboldt. Steven Schroeder and Mitchell Stretch each added a goal and three assists. Josh Garneau added two goals while Justin Stoski, Matthew Kirzinger and Bryce Walker also scored for Humboldt. Brayden Klimosko chipped in with three assists while Brady Wacker had two assists. Jarrid Dowhay and Everette Lerner scored for the Wolves. Taylor Nelson made 27 saves to pick up the win. Jonathan Jobin played the first 33:15 for the Ice Wolves but was pulled after giving up 5 goals on 27 shots. Brian Kaval went the rest of the way allowing 5 goals on 23 shots. The league leading Broncos are now 18-3-0-0 while the slumping Ice Wolves fall to 11-12-1-1.

Tonight's Three Stars:

* Laurent Benjamin - Humboldt Broncos (2 goals, 2 assists)
** Jordan Schindel - Humboldt Broncos (1 goal, 3 assists)
*** Derek Kleinsteuber - Nipawin Hawks (36 saves, 1 goal allowed in win over Yorkton)

The SJHL is idle on Monday night but will return tomorrow with three games: Notre Dame @ Estevan, Flin Flon @ Battlefords and Humboldt @ Nipawin.

- Brad M.

Wings Fall Short in Overtime

It was a first place showdown tonight at the "Vault" in Melville and it turned out that everyone got there money's worth as the Mils downed the Red Wings 4-3 in overtime. Kale Dolinski scored the overtime winner on a mixup in the Weyburn end just a 1:13 into the extra frame. Matt Kinnunen had a goal and an assist for the Millionaires while Curtis Beech and Brad Johnston added singles. Jordan Reeve also had an assist for Melville. Luke Johnson, Josh Bray and Scott Doody (who forced overtime with 3:25 to go in the third) replied for the Wings. Rhett Bly, Stephen Simms and Connor Krukowski all added assists. The Wings were playing without the services of captain Kyle Haines as he was a bit banged up and his status was not immediately known. Kyle Cantlon turned aside 34 Weyburn shots to pick up the win. AJ Whiffen was also busy at the other end as he made 36 saves. The Millionaires are now one point up on the Wings for first in the Sherwood. The Mils improve to 15-5-1-0 while the Wings are now 13-8-2-2.

In Estevan, the Kindersley Klippers scored with a 1:35 to go in regulation and skated out of Estevan with a 4-3 victory. Jayde Dunser and Ben Ritchie each had a goal and an assist to pace the Klippers. Brett Leedahl and Kendall Holmes also scored for Kindersley. Jeremy Beller added two assists. Brody Haygarth, Riley Tetreault and Kyle Stroh replied for the Bruins. Matt Weninger got a rare start for the Klippers and did not disappoint as he made 38 saves for the win. David Ritz got his second start in consecutive games since joining the Bruins and was forced to make 41 saves. This is twice as many shots as he was facing when with Melfort. The Klippers are tied with the Terriers for third in the Sherwood as they improve to 13-9-0-2. The Bruins drop to 11-10-2-0.

In Melfort, the Mustangs keep finding a way to win as they downed the Yorkton Terriers 3-2 in overtime. Kyle Fraser was the hero for Melfort as he scored an unassisted marker 3:23 into the extra frame. Donavon Chow and John Payne also scored for Melfort. Jock Sutter had a goal and an assist to lead the Terriers. Kyle Block had the other Yorkton goal. Ilia Ejov improved to 9-0-0-1 since joining the Mustangs as he made 16 saves. Lynden Sammartino made 37 saves in the Terriers net. The Mustangs have moved to within three points of first place Humboldt as they improve to 15-7-0-1. The Terriers pick up a single point and are now 12-8-2-2.

In the battle of the North, the Flin Flin Bombers won for the first time in La Ronge in a long time as they downed the host Ice Wolves 4-3. Pierre-Luc Boucher had three assists to lead the Bombers offensively. Dominic Martel, Dennis Kubat, Reid MacLeod and Cole Wilson scored for the Bombers. Myles Masse added two assists. Tyler Karst, Adam Moar and Bruno-Pier Gosselin scored for La Ronge. Jarrid Dowhay added two assists for the Wolves. Calvin Bartel made 26 saves to pick up the win. Jonathan Jobin got the start for the Ice Wolves and stopped 37 of 41 Flin Flon shots. The Bombers are now 13-8-0-1 while the Ice Wolves drop back to .500 with a record of 11-11-1-1.

Saturday's Three Stars:

* Pierre - Luc Boucher - Flin Flin Bombers (3 points to lead Bombers to win over La Ronge)
** Ben Ritchie - Kindersley Klippers (2 point night, scored game winner late in third)
*** Kyle Cantlon - Melville Millionaires (34 save performance in win over Weyburn)

Sunday in the SJHL:

La Ronge @ Humboldt
Yorkton @ Nipawin

All in all I must say it was a good week for the Wings. The guys played hard all week and were able to pick up five out of six points. It looks like things are going in the right direction. The Wings will now get a bit of a break before getting ready for a weekend home and home versus Estevan on Friday and Saturday. It should be an important couple of games with the Sherwood standings so tight right now.

As I sign off. Go RIDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Brad M.