Weekend Schedule

FRIDAY

MJHL (4)
Wayway Wolverines @ OCN Blizzard 6:50 / 7:00 GX94
Winkler Flyers @ Swan Valley Stampeders 7:30
Selkirk Steelers @ Portage Terriers 7:30
Steinbach Pistons @ Winnipeg Saints 7:30

SJHL (4)
Kindersley Klippers @ Melville Millionaires 7:30
Nipawin Hawks @ Weyburn Red Wings 7:30
Notre Dame Hounds @ Flin Flon Bombers 7:30
Humboldt Broncos @ Melfort Mustangs 7:30

Western Canada Under-16 Challenge Cup
in Blackfalds, AB
B.C. vs Manitoba 4:00
Saskatchewan vs Alberta 7:00
(Yorkton Terriers' Coach Ed Zawatsky's the Head Coach for Team Sask)

Prairie Junior Hockey League (3)
Fort Knox @ Cypress Cyclones 8:00
Saskatoon Royals @ Tri-Town Thunder 7:30
Saskatoon Westleys @ Prince Albert Ice Hawks 7:30

South Sask Midget "AA" Hockey League
Pipestone Valley Jets @ Regina Wild 8:00

South Sask Bantam "AA" Hockey League
Swift Current @ Yorkton UCT Terriers 8:00 in Theodore

CIS Football
U of S Huskies @ U of R Rams 7:00

------------------

SATURDAY

The Co-operators Roughrider Football on GX94
Saskatchewan Roughriders @ Hamilton Tiger-Cats 11:00 / 12:00

Nine-Man Football Provincials
Swan Valley Tigers @ Rosetown Royals 1:00
Foam Lake Panthers @ Maple Creek Redmen 1:00
Delisle Rebels @ Lumsden Devils 1:00
Shaunavon Shadows @ Humboldt Mohawks 1:00

1A Six-Man Football Provincials
Meath Park Mustangs @ Kelliher Cobras 1:00
Carrot River Wild Cats @ Hague Panthers 1:00
Raymore Rebels @ Kerrobert Rebels 1:00

2A Six-Man Football Provincials
Preeceville Panthers @ Rosthern Junior College Blues 1:00
Aberdeen Crusaders @ Hudson Bay Riders 1:00

SJHL (4)
Kindersley Klippers @ Yorkton Terriers 7:30
Nipawin Hawks @ Estevan Bruins 7:30
Notre Dame Hounds @ La Ronge Ice Wolves 7:30
Flin Flon Bombers @ Melfort Mustangs 7:30

MJHL (3)
Winkler Flyers @ Swan Valley Stampeders 7:30
Dauphin Kings @ OCN Blizzard 7:00
Portage Terriers @ Selkirk Steelers 7:30

Western Canada Under-16 Challenge Cup
in Blackfalds, AB
Saskatchewan vs B.C. 12:00Alberta vs Manitoba 3:00
(Yorkton Terriers' Coach Ed Zawatsky's the Head Coach for Team Sask)

Prairie Junior Hockey League (2)
Ochapowace Thunder @ West Central Rage 7:00
Assiniboia Southern Rebels @ Delisle Chiefs 7:00

Saskatchewan Midget "AAA" Hockey League (4)
Battlefords Stars @ Yorkton Harvest 3:30
Prince Albert Mintos @ Notre Dame Argos 4:00
Saskatoon Contacts @ Regina Pat Canadians 7:30
Beardys Blackhawks @ Swift Current Legionnaires 8:00

Saskatchewan Female Midget "AAA" Hockey League
Weyburn Gold Wings @ Melville Fox FM Prairie Fire 8:00

South Sask Bantam "AA" Hockey League
Swift Current @ Melville 5:30

-------------------------

SUNDAY

World Junior 'A' Challenge
in Summerside, PEI
Canada West vs Russia 12:00
(Yorkton's Clarke Breitkreuz and Swan Valley's Ryan Marshall play for Team West. Wayway's Barry Butler's an Assistant Coach.)

Western Canada Under-16 Challenge Cup
in Blackfalds, AB
Bronze Medal Game at 12:00 SK time
Gold Medal Game at 3:00 SK time
(Yorkton Terriers' Coach Ed Zawatsky's the Head Coach for Team Sask)

MJHL (2)
Dauphin Kings @ OCN Blizzard 7:00
Winnipeg South Blues @ Steinbach Pistons 7:30

Prairie Junior Hockey League (3)
Cypress Cyclones @ Fort Knox 4:30
Ochapowace Thunder @ Saskatoon Westleys 5:00
Assiniboia Southern Rebels @ West Central Rage 2:30

Saskatchewan Midget "AAA" Hockey League (4)
Battlefords Stars @ Yorkton Harvest 2:00
Prince Albert Mintos @ Notre Dame Hounds 1:30
Beardys Blackhawks @ Swift Current Legionnaires 2:15
Moose Jaw Warriors @ Notre Dame Argos 4:30

South Sask Midget "AA" Hockey League
Melville @ Regina Avalanche 5:30

South Sask Bantam "AA" Hockey League
Balgonie @ Yorkton UCT Terriers 3:00
Regina Hurricanes @ Melville 5:30

South Sask Pee Wee "AA" Hockey League
Melville @ Yorkton 10:30 am

Zawatsky, Team Sask Open U-16 Challenge

The inaugural Western Canada Under-16 Challenge Cup starts today (THU) in Blackfalds, AB (just outside of Red Deer).

Yorkton Terriers' Head Coach & GM Ed Zawatsky's the Head Coach for Team Saskatchewan, and they open up this afternoon against Team Manitoba, which features Grandview product and Parkland Ranger Ryan Pulock.

Here's the tournament schedule.

Thu/Oct/29
Manitoba vs Saskatchewan @ 4:00
Alberta vs B.C. @ 7:00

Fri/Oct/30
B.C. vs Manitoba @ 4:00
Alberta vs Saskatchewan 7:00

Sat/Oct/31
B.C. vs Saskatchewan @ 12:00
Alberta vs Manitoba 3:00

Sun/Nov/1
Bronze Medal Game (3 vs 4) @ 11:00
Gold Medal Game (1 vs 2) @ 2:00

Team Sask Head Coach Ed Zawatsky

Terriers Grab 10th Win

Devin Peters made 28 saves as the Yorkton Terriers improved to 7-and-1 on home ice, and 10-and-6 overall, with a 4-1 win over the Melfort Mustangs.

Jordan Menke and Torey Stott each had a goal and an assist. For Stott, it was his team-leading 8th of the season. Kelly Leismeister scored his first career goal, and David Skagen added the Terriers' fourth and final goal.

Yorkton's very impressive shutout streak ended at 177 minutes, 57 seconds.

The Terriers host Kindersley on Saturday.

Van De Velde Dealt To Brandon

Looks like the Wolverines won't be seeing their potential first line centre this week afterall.

Voice of the Wheat Kings Bruce Luebke with the story.

Mils Continue To Roll, Above .500 / Wayway Wins

Think the Melville Millionaires are happy to have Austin Krahenbil back in the lineup after his 8-game suspension?

All the 20-year-old defenseman's done since returning is rack up 5-points (2g, 3a) in three games. Both goals, including the OT winner, came last night in a 5-4 overtime win over the visiting Melfort Mustangs. It marked the second time in five nights the Mils had beat the Mustangs in overtime, with Friday's 4-3 OT win on the road.

Logan Herauf had a goal and an assist, while Matt Kinnunen and Michael Rogoschewsky also scored. Zach Rakochy made 33-saves on 37 shots in the win. The Mils are now 5-0-1 in their last 6 games, grabbing 11 of a possible 12 points, and are .500 for the first time in a while, with a record now of 7-6-2-0.

-----------------

The Wayway Wolverines scored two early powerplay goals in the first period and held on to beat the Steinbach Pistons 2-1. Dan Kelsey and Stephane Robidoux scored the goals, while Jared McArthy had 2-assists, and Jayme Janzen stopped 26/27 shots. Former Swan Valley Stampeder Josh Hohn made 29/31 saves in his first start with the Pistons.

The Wolverines are on the air Friday night in OCN.

Terriers Go To School

Pictures and details from Tim Bomboir at Columbia School in Yorkton.

Hi Craig,
Here are the pictures of some Terriers visiting Columbia School last week. Thought you may want it for your blog.

----------------------------------------

As part of our Education Week activities, Columbia School invited 4 members of the Yorkton Terriers to come in and speak to students about goal setting and working towards goals in life.

The Terriers were Clarke Breitkreuz, Joel Danyluk, Matt Chomyc, and Riley Paterson. They visited each of the classrooms and spoke to all 300 students in one afternoon. Their message included setting, and working towards goals, as well as staying focused and making good choices in life. They were very well received by the students and staff. Joel Danyluk was a former Columbia Cougar, and went to Columbia school from Kindergarten through Grade 8.

Riley Patterson & Matt Chomyc

Clarke Breitkreuz & Joel Danyluk

Van De Velde Back in Wayway

Here's a GI-NOR-MOUS boost for an offensively-challenged Wayway Wolverines club.

The WHL's Everett Silvertips has re-assigned 1990 F Paul Van de Velde.

Here's the story.

Van de Velde was held pointless in 10 games this season with the 'Tips, after recording 4g-9a-13p in 52 games last season.

In my opinion, this instantly gets Wayway right back in the playoff race in the MJHL Sherwood.

Let's not forget, as a 17-year-old in 2007-08, Van De Velde was over a point-per-game player in Junior 'A', with 23-points in 19-games in Wayway, after being hurt for much of the season.

Paul could either play centre with Niko Grose and Ryan Regel and give the Wolverines a SCARY top unit, or, they could keep Ryan Duhaime up on the top line and build another line around Van De Velde. Good news for Wayway!

LEAFS WIN... LEAFS WIN... LEAFS WIN...!!!

MNF (Monday Night Feelings)

- My apolgies... well over 300 readers today, and no updates! What can I say, Monday's are slow. And I'm no where NEAR as ambitious as Roddy P to do anything like a "Monday Morning Goalie" segment. Maybe one of the reasons why he's where he is, and I'm, well, not.

- Still not sure what all you people see in the NFL. The Washington Redskins are one of the worst teams I've ever seen, and there are still a few teams out there with worse (winless) records than them. The Monday Nighter's no fun to watch so I'm bloggin' now.

- I hope no one reads into polls and public opinion. I just think polls are cool to have on here. But it looks like the majority of Yorkton Terrier fans want to see two local goalies stick around. As I'm typing this, voting for my latest poll is winding down, and 137 fans have voted for who they feel will be the last two Terrier goalies standing. 86 votes (62%) went to Joel Danyluk and Luke Boechler, 28 votes (20%) to Boechler and Devin Peters, 14 votes (10%) to Danyluk and Peters, and the remaining 6% to keeping one 19-year-old, and 17-year-old Warren Shymko, which doesn't look like will happen, with Shymko assinged to Jr 'B' last week.

- I'm putting up a new poll, just to figure out who's reading. Not WHO exactly, but where from, who you're a fan of, etc... just for curiousity sake. I do have a sitemeter but I'm not sure how accurate it is. For example it never says Swan River, but I get more comments about the blog while at the Centennial Arena than anywhere else. It also rarely says Melville, but some of my most faithful readers are in the Rail City. I think it often says "Regina" or "Winnipeg" when really it's a smaller rural town in the same province. Don't get it.

- Speaking of comments, if you're a parent, etc, please don't hesitate to come by the booth, no matter where it is, to say hello. During Wayway's game in Portage on Sunday, Carey Dyck's dad introduced himself, and I chatted with Steven Duda's father for the second time during the first intermission. And Ron, if you're reading this, I've tried to send Steven's interiew but it keeps bouncing back saying your inbox if full! If you're another Wayway parent reading this, please mention that to the Duda's so I can get them that mp3! Also during the same game someone walking by during the intermission yelled "STINER'S STALL! LOVE THE BLOG MAN!" Not sure if that was also a Wolverines' parent...? For those still unsure, it is pronounced STEEN, not STINE! I've got it my whole life so I'm used to it.

- Back to football real quick. Is anyone else drooling at the possibilty of the Riders hosting the West Final for the first time since 1976? First place won't be decided until the Nov/7 game between the Riders and Stamps, but a Rider win in Hamilton this weekend, OR a B.C. loss to Calgary would guarantee the Green Machine a home playoff game for the third straight season.

- Team Canada wearing green jersies at the World Junior Hockey Championships? Appreciate the Saskatchewan/Rider gesture... but I think it's messing with tradition a little too much. We're red and white when it comes to hockey. At first I thought it meant they'd wear green all tourney, but it looks like just for one pre-tournament game and one round robin game, which is ok I guess. I think that'll be my topic for my Tuesday morning Sports Scope at 7:45 am SK time.

- Not living in an apartment for the first time in my "grown up" life this year is making it a year of firsts. Never put up Christmas lights before. Should probably get on that soon! Never had to buy Halloween Candy before. SHOULDN'T have got on that so soon! Bought 2 boxes of 70 mini chocolate bars at Sobeys a couple weeks (if that) ago. Coffee Crisp, Smarties, Kit-Kat, Aero. The first box just has a few left at the bottom. I asked my wife how many she had. "Like four maybe. Why?" Oh no. What time do the little tykes come around on Saturday anyway? Riders and Tabbies at noon.

- Alright, bed time. Junior 'B' action on the air (Tuesday) night. Ochapowace Thunder @ Fort Knox at 8:00. Then it's just Wayway @ OCN on Friday for this week's games. Plus I think I'm helping with election coverage in some capicity on Wednesday night.

Have a good one.

Wayway 2 - Portage 3

After a snoozer of a first period that saw just 9 shots between the two teams combined, the Wayway Wolverines picked things up a little the rest of the way, but came up short in a 3-2 loss in Portage.

Ryan Duhaime and Joe Carney scored for the Wolverines, while Tanner Waldgovel had a goal an assist for the Terriers.

Mils Erupt in Nipawin, Perfect Roadie!

Mark Owen scored twice in his Mils' debut, as part of a 5-goal third period by the Millionaires in a 9-3 win in Nipawin Saturday night.

Aaron Decorby had a 5-point night (3g, 2a), while Logan Herauf (2g, 2a) added four points. That gives him 12 goals and 22 points on the season, tying him for the league lead in points in Flin Flon's Devin Mitzner.

Matt Kinnunen scored twice, and Tyson Melnychuk added one, while Derek Wasylyshen added a pair of helpers.

The game summary orginally had G Brady Wilyman scoring Melville's 9th goal, but it was eventually changed to Owen's second of the game. Owen came over in a trade with La Ronge earlier in the week.

Wilyman may not have scored a goal, but he only allowed 3 on 37 shots on the night, and appears to have his grasp firmly back on the #1 goalie job in Melville, having started and won the Mils' last three games.

The Millionaires are back to .500 at 6-6-2-0, and have 9 of a possible 10 points in their last 5 games. They've quickly gone from the Sherwood basement, into a third place tie with Kindersley. The Mils are back home against Melfort on Tuesday, and Kindersley on Friday.

Swan Valley, Foam Lake Advance to 9-Man Provincials

Thanks to Darren Dupont's top-notch 9-Man Football website, www.saskgridiron.com I was able to find out the weekend's East-Central 9-Man semi final scores.

Lumsden over Melville 53-20 on Friday

Swan over Sacred Heart 38-29 on Saturday

Lumsden gets the #1 seed from the conference and will host Delisle in Provincials on Halloweeen. Swan Valley gets the #2 seed and will travel to Rosetown. I'm not sure what MapQuest.ca says about that trip, but that's gotta be a huge hike! They're literally the width of Saskatchewan away from eachother. Still a neat story to see Swan River, MB, competing in Saskatchewan Provincials! They earned it. Crappy thing about the provincial draw is the Tigers will never host a game even if they go all the way to the final.

In the North East Conference, Foam Lake beat Nipawin 51-18, and will visit Maple Creek on Saturday. Wynyard was eliminated by Humboldt, 61-26.

So as far as our local area goes, it's basically just Swan and Foam Lake competing in Provs, but we'll keep a close eye on Lumsden, given that they're in the EC conference.

Selinger, Stamps Do It Again!

For a second straight night, the Swan Valley Stampeders had to come from behind to win on the road in a shootout.

The Steinbach Pistons stormed out to a 5-1 first period lead, but the Stamps notched two in the second and two more in the third to force OT and the SO. Carter Selinger, who played the hero on two occassions Friday night in Portage (see post below), scored the only goal of the shootout to give the Stampeders the 6-5 win, and now 4 of a possible 4 points on their road trip, which ends with arguably the toughest test, Sunday in Selkirk.

Chris Reimer scored 2 goals for the Stamps on Sunday, his 8th and 9th of the season.

WHEW!

In the Polo Park Mall in Winnipeg this morning, probably every third person was decked out in Bomber Blue & Gold. I felt so bad for them! But, to their credit, the Bombers went out and beat a (Anthony Calvillo-less) Montreal Alouettes' club.

I made it back to the hotel in Portage just in time to see the 4th quarter of the Riders and Lions... and I tell ya, these guys are hard on the heart! But what a huge win, 33-30 in overtime over B.C. to get back into a share of first place with Calgary. After a Rider FG on their first OT possession, the Lions were 8-yards away from a win, but Casey Printers (who was outstanding in his first action in almost a year), threw an interception in the endzone, picked by Rider DB James Patrick to seal it for the Riders.

So, Saskatchewan has guaranteed themselves a spot in the WEST DIVISION playoffs with the win. All four teams could still make it thanks to the cross-over, but fourth place Edmonton (7-9) can't catch either the Riders or Stamps (9-6-1), being 5 points back with 2 games left. BC's now third at 8-8, and can't finish first, as the Riders and Stamps meet in the last week of the season, and somebody's gotta win, meaning the Lions could pass one team but not both.

Remaining schedules:

Riders
@ Hamilton Sat/Oct/31
vs Calgary Sat/Nov/7

Stamps
@ B.C. Sat/Oct/31
@ Saskatchewan Sat/Nov/7

Lions
vs Calgary Sat/Oct/31
vs Edmonton Fri/Nov/6

By my math, regardess of what happens next week, the Riders and Stamps matchup at Mosaic Stadium on November 7th will still decide top spot. Let's say the Riders lose in Hamilton and Calgary beats B.C. The Stamps would be two points up, but a Rider win to wrap up the season would leave them tied in the standings, but whoever wins that final game will get the season series (tie breaker).

This is going down to the wire! The Riders are THIS CLOSE to hosting the West Final for the first time since 1976!

Successful Friday

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, MB-- What an exciting night around the local Jr 'A' ranks! Three of the four MJHL games went to shootouts, including the one I had on the radio with the Swan Valley Stampeders beating Portage 5-4 in a shootout. The Stamps were down 3-1 after the first and 4-2 after the second, before rallying with 2 goals in the third, including Carter Selinger with 17 seconds left to force overtime. Selinger went on to score the shootout winner. Catch the radio replays of both goals at the bottom of the post.

Unfortunately the Wayway Wolverines lost 3-1 to the visiting Neepawa Natives, otherwise our GX teams would have went a perfect 4-for-4 on Friday.

In the SJHL, the Melville Millionaires also went to overtime, where defenseman Justin Hollinger scored an unassisted goal to beat Melfort 4-3 (OT). The Mils were out-shot 34-18 on the night, but Brady Wilyman picked up another win, making 31 saves. Melville's now 3-0-1-0 in their last 4 games to get to within a game of .500. The Mils are in Nipawin tonight (SAT).

And Luke Boechler recorded his second consecutive shutout, this time a 27-save performance as the Yorkton Terriers beat the Nipawin Hawks 3-0. The Terriers now have shutouts in three of their last four games, and Boechler's shutout streak is at 127 minutes, 16 seconds. The Terriers are now 9-and-6, and have a little distance in 2nd place.

Swan Valley's Carter Selinger forces OT and gets the SO winner.




I'm staying in Portage/Winnipeg for the weekend and will have the Wayway Wolverines vs the Terriers Sunday night.

Shymko Re-Assigned

The Yorkton Terriers announced today that 1992 G Warren Shymko's be re-assigned to the Saskatoon Royals of the Prairie Junior Hockey League.

That still leaves three 19-year-olds in the Terrier crease, in Luke Boechler, Joel Danyluk, and Devin Peters.

Breast Cancer Awareness Night For Terriers

The Terriers look for 2 points and to raise some money for a great cause as they host the Nipawin Hawks tonight at 7:30.

Story on the Terriers' Website

Tough Exit For Raiders

A frustrating, and almost shocking end to the Yorkton Regional Raider Gridders' season last night in Regina... the Raiders falling 13-4 to the Luther Lions.

The Raiders led 3-0 at the half, and 4-0 mid-way through the fourth quarter, before a bad snap went over the head of quarterback Jorgio Karapanos' head, into the Raider Endzone, and a Luther Defensive lineman ended up with the ball to make it 6-4.

The Lions would add a late TD to make the final 13-4.

"We had to protect the ball and we didn't," lamented Raider Coach Roby Sharpe. "The game of football can be frustrating sometimes, and tonight it was. It was a mistake we made and it cost us the game, that's the bottom line. Our defense played so well, it was unbelievable. It was a shutout up until that point. Our defense did it all. And then we couldn't get anything going, it's very frustrating."

Raider RB Riley Hackman finished his final HS game with 89 yards rushing on 15 carries.

After talking to Coach Sharpe, I had a quick chat with the longest-serving graduating Raider, OL Logan Wilk.

Stamps Acquire Gray / Mils Add Forward

The Swan Valley Stampeders have traded 1990 F David Marmen to the SJHL's Weyburn Red Wings in exchange for 1990 F Shelby Gray.

Gray's from nearby Invermay, SK, and had 3-goals and 7-points in 29-games last season in Weyburn.

------------------------

The Melville Millionaires have acquired 1991 F Mark Owen from the La Ronge Ice Wolves.

Playoff Game Day For Raiders

The Yorkton Regional Raider Gridders hop on the bus at 1:30 this afternoon as they get set to battle the Luther Lions at Mosaic Stadium.

In the regular season, the Raiders lost 20-6 to Luther in Regina.

Yorkton finished the season with three straight losses to end up 3-and-4, good for 5th place in the RIFL, and face the 4th place (3-2-2) Lions today at 5:15.

I'm going to make the trip, and I plan on calling in a few reports, or at the very least getting up to date scores each quarter to our announcers, so tune into GX94 tonight if you can't make it.

The other Quarter-Final between Notre Dame (4-2-1) and Martin (2-4-1) goes at 7:30.

Weyburn (7-0) and O'Neill (6-1) get first round byes.

**For a full look at the Raiders' regular season schedule, and a replay of this morning's Raider Coach's Show with Roby Sharpe (and Pee Wee Gridder Coach Jason Farrell), click on the High School Football link.

The Next Few Days...

Thursday through Sunday's going to be busy around here, not just for the Junior Hockey scene, but High School Football as well.

Thursday
Yorkton Regional Raider Gridders visit the Luther Lions at Mosaic Stadium for their Regina Inter-Collegiate Quarter-Final matchup. It's a 5:15 start and I'm hoping to hop on the Raider bus tomorrow. Coach Roby Sharpe will join us at 9:45 for the weekly Raider Report. The show will be posted on the blog shortly after incase you miss it.

Also tomorrow, I should have our 7th weekly "Inside The MJHL" Feature ready to listen to. My guests will be MJHL Player of the Week Craig Simchuk of the Winnipeg Saints, and one of the most pleasant surprises in the league this season, 20-year-old Steinbach Pistons forward Ryan Griffiths, who has a team-high 12g and 20p in 15 games, after spending time in Swan Valley, and briefly in Dauphin last season. I'll also touch on the upcoming World Junior 'A' Challenge which features 4 MJHLers and 6 Manitoba-born players on Team West.

Friday
I'm off to Portage and will stay there for the weekend, as we've got the Terriers and Swan Valley Stampeders Friday at 7:30, and the Terriers and Wayway Wolverines Sunday at 6:30. Thanks to GX for allowing me to spend the weekend there. My wife will come along and we'll probably cut into that Christmas shopping, likely with a Winnipeg trip on Saturday. But what about the Rider game?!?!?!

Nipawin @ Yorkton
Melville @ Melfort
Neepawa @ Wayway

Friday's also the last day of the regular season in the East-Central 6-Man Football Conference, with 4 games. Playoff positions are still up for grabs there.

The East Central 9-Man Conference has one semi-final on Friday, with fourth place Melville visiting first place Lumsden at 3:30.

Saturday
Riders host B.C. in another first place showdown in the West. Hope I can watch, but like I said most of Saturday will be spent in Winnipeg for me.

The other EC9M semi-final's on the field as the 2nd place Swan Valley Tigers welcome the 3rd place Sacred Heart Saints at 1:00 MB time.

I posted today's East Central 9-Man Football Report on my High School Football page. It's a playoff preview edition with comments from Melville Coach John Svenson, Yorkton's Trent Senger, and Swan Valley co-coach Jim Turner.

Swan Valley @ Steinbach
Melville @ Nipawin

Sunday
Wayway @ Portage 6:20/6:30 on GX94
Swan Valley @ Selkirk

Terriers Play Near-Perfect Road Hockey

After losing their first 5 games away from home to start the season, the Yorkton Terriers have now won their last two, after last night's 4-0 win in Estevan.

The Terriers got 4-points (2g, 2a) from Clarke Breitkreuz, including a short-handed goal, while Kevin Stringfellow (1g, 1a) and Nick Dietrich also scored, while Joel Danyluk became the second Terrier goalie in 4 nights to record a 39-save shutout. Luke Boechler turned the same trick Saturday against La Ronge.

I spoke with Breitkreuz after the game and talked about his 4-point performance, and got his thoughts as he prepares to leave for the World Junior 'A' Challenge this coming weekend.



-----------------------

The Melville Millionaires had a confidence-boosting 2-1 (SO) win over the visiting Weyburn Red Wings last night.

Logan Herauf scored in regulation, while Matt Kinnunen provided the only goal in the shootout, and Brady Wilyman made 38 saves on 39 shots in regulation and overtime.

With Yorkton beating Estevan, Melville getting the extra point against Weyburn, and Kindersley losing in La Ronge, the Sherwood standings are now:

Weyburn 20
Yorkton 16
Kindersley 12
Estevan 12
Notre Dame 11
Melville 10

Stamps Make Moves In Goal

- Swan Valley trades 1990 G Josh Hohn to the Steinbach Pistons in exchange for future considerations.

- Swan Valley trades the MJHL rights to 1990 F Kyle Stephanson to the Winnipeg South Blues in exchange for 1991 G Caden Unger.

Unger played for the Eastman Selects last season... I'm having trouble finding his numbers, but sounds like he'll make a good backup and hopefully can take the reigns from Ward next season.

Stampeders' GM Guy Vestby

Stamps' Website Up and Running!

The Swan Valley Stampeders' website received a make-over and looks really sharp. I also have to thank them for giving me a big banner right on the main page.

Check it out, it's still at http://www.stampeders.mb.ca/ .

Speaking of the Stamps... expect two deals (yes, regarding goaltenders) to be announced in the next few hours. They're just subject to league approval and I'll have the deets as soon as I'm allowed.

Wayway Gets Robidoux

The WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings have re-assigned 18-year-old defenseman Stephane Robidoux to the Wayway Wolverines. Robidoux had dressed in just 2 games for Brandon this season, where he was held pointless with a (-2) rating. Last season he played in 35 games, and put up 3-assists and was a (+2). The acquisition gives the Wolverines 9 defenseman on the roster.


2 Breen
3 Sweet
4 McKelvey-Gunson
5 Duda
18 Holovach
22 Becker
24 Baptiste
25 McKinnon
Robidoux

East Central 9-Man Playoff Times/Dates

Some confusion on the dates and times of the East Central 9-Man Football Conference playoffs, but here are the confirmed dates:

Friday, October 23, 2009
(4) Melville Cobras @ (1) Lumsden Devils 3:30

Saturday, October 24, 2009
(3) Sacred Heart Saints @ (2) Swan Valley Tigers 12:00 SK / 1:00 MB

Separated At Birth?

Saskatchewan Roughriders' WR Rob Bagg and Melville Millionaires' Ass't Coach Bret Haake.

Dead ringers in my opinion!

Terriers No Longer Perfect @ Home

Brock Appleyard scored twice to lead the Weyburn Red Wings over the Yorkton Terriers 5-1 on Sunday night. Devin Peters started the game for Yorkton, but was pulled after the first period, giving up 3 goals on 11 shots. Joel Danyluk played the final two frames, and allowed 2 goals on 16 shots. Luke Boechler had a 39-save shutout in a 1-0 win over La Ronge the night before.

It was certainly a statement weekend for Weyburn, who swept a home-and-home with Estevan, (both one-goal games, one in OT), before going on the road and beating the Terriers. The 6 points separates the Wings from the pack, now 9-2-0-1, five points ahead of the second place Terriers.

Austin Bourhis scored Yorkton's only goal, and the Terriers are now 6-and-1 at home this season, 7-and-6 overall.

Weyburn's in Melville tomorrow (TUE), while Yorkton travels to Estevan (7:20/7:30 on GX94).

------------------------

The Wayway Wolverines got back in the win column, scoring 4 third period goals to come from behind and beat Winnipeg South 5-2.

Niko Grose had 3-assists, while Ryan Regel, Ryan Duhaime and Dan Kelsey all scored once and added a helper. Joe Carney and Jens Meilleur also scored for Wayway (5-10-0-1).

Boechler Makes His Case

In just his second start of the season, Luke Boechler stopped all 39 shots he faced, including 20 in the third period as the Yorkton Terriers blanked the La Ronge Ice Wolves 1-0 on Saturday night.

Boechler becomes the first Terrier goaltender to record a shutout this season, but the third to get a win, joining Joel Danyluk and Devin Peters.

Boechler's performance puts another spin for the Terriers' goaltender situation, with three 19-year-olds all appearing capable of starting. 17 year old Warren Shymko's also in the fold after being re-assigned earlier in the week, giving Yorkton 4 tenders at the moment.

Yorkton's now 6-and-0 at home, and 7-and-5 overall, leaving them alone in second place as they get set to host the first place Weyburn Red Wings tonight (SUN) at 6:00.

Who'll get the start in goal???

The Wings won a pair of one-goal games over Estevan on Friday and Saturday, improving to 8-2-0-1, with 17 points, three more than the Terriers.

----------------

The Swan Valley Stampeders ended a 5-game slide with a 5-3 win over Selkirk. The Stamps improve to 9-and-8.

Mils @ Hounds PPD!

http://sjhl.ca/news_item.aspx?news_id=1595

Most fans likely know by now... I just finished watching the CFL game of the CENTURY.

Tough Friday For GX Hockey Teams

The Melville Millionaires were the only of our 3 local teams in action to register a point on Friday night, falling 4-3 in OT to the La Ronge Ice Wolves. Tyson Melnychuk, Logan Herauf and Aaron Decorby scored for Melville, while Brady Wilyman made 36 saves. The Mils are now 3-6-2-0 and visit the Notre Dame Hounds tonight (SAT). The Yorkton Terriers are home to La Ronge at 7:30, and host Weyburn tomorrow (SUN) at 6:00.

-------------

In the MJHL, Swan Valley lost their 5th straight, 6-2 to Selkirk and fall to .500 (8-8) after starting the season 8-and-3. Myles Stevens and Carter Selinger scored for the Stamps, who host Selkirk again tonight (SAT).

And the game we had on GX94 saw the Wayway Wolverines fall 6-1 in Dauphin. Bryce Lamb and Shane Luke scored twice each for the Kings, who improve to 13-1-1. Myles Baptiste spoiled Brett Willows' shutout bid late in the third period, his first MJHL goal. The shots on the night were 34-14 in favour of the Kings. The Wolverines are now 4-10-0-1, and welcome the Winnipeg South Blues on Sunday.

Saturday's Local action


Cooperators Roughrider Football on GX94
Saskatchewan Roughriders @ Calgary Stampeders 12:30 / 1:30

Regina Minor Football League Playoffs
Yorkton Pee Wee Gridders vs Estevan Oilers 10:45 am @ Liebel Field in Regina
(Winner gets the Graham Construction perogy bowl)

Regina Inter-Collegiate Football Conference
Weyburn Eagles @ Yorkton Regional Raider Gridders 2:00

SJHL (5)
La Ronge Ice Wolves @ Yorkton Terriers 7:30
Melville Millionaires @ Notre Dame Hounds 7:30
Estevan Bruins @ Weyburn Red Wings 7:30
Battlefords North Stars @ Nipawin Hawks 7:30
Flin Flon Bombers @ Humboldt Broncos 7:30

MJHL (3)
Selkirk Steelers @ Swan Valley Stampeders 7:30
OCN Blizzard @ Portage Terriers 7:30
Winkler Flyers @ Steinbach Pistons 7:30

Prairie Junior Hockey League (5)
Fort Knox @ Saskatoon Quakers 5:00
Pilot Butte Storm @ West Central Rage 7:00
Cypress Cyclones @ Assiniboia Southern Rebels 7:30
Delisle Chiefs @ Tri-Town Thunder 7:30
Saskatoon Westleys @ Regina Capitals 8:00

Saskatchewan Midget "AAA" Hockey League (5)
Yorkton Harvest @ Swift Current Legionnaires 8:00
Regina Pat Canadians @ Moose Jaw Warriors 1:30
Saskatoon Contacts @ Saskatoon Blazers 7:15
Notre Dame Hounds @ Battlefords Stars 7:30
Notre Dame Argos @ Prince Albert Mintos 7:30

Marshall, Breitkreuz BOTH Crack WJAC Squad!

Yorkton Terrier forward Clarke Breitkreuz (left) and Ryan Marshall of the Swan Valley Stampeders both made the cut for Team West, and will compete at the World Junior 'A' Challenge in Summerside, PEI November 1-9.

Full Roster

Harvest Topple Trojans

Riley Storzuk had 4 points and Kale Thompson stopped all but one of the 38 shots he faced as the Yorkton Harvest improved to 6-0-1-and-1 with a 6-1 win over the visiting Tisdale Trojans last night.

Aside from Storozuk's 2 goals and 2 assists, Damon Severson and Kale Trimp had one of each, Gage Rapitta and Brenden Poncelet also scored. Taylor Thompson had a pair of helpers.

The win also vaults the Harvest back into first place, one point up on the Saskatoon Contacts.

After 8 straight home games to start the year, the Harvest now have 6 in a row away from home... starting Saturday and Sunday when they play two against the winless Swift Current Legionnaires.

And Then There Were Four: Shymko Re-Joins Terriers

The WHL's Kelowna Rockets have re-assigned 1992 G Warren Shymko to the Yorkton Terriers.

That leaves the Terriers with four goaltenders, as Shymko joins three 19-year-olds in Devin Peters, Joel Danyluk and Luke Boechler.

Wayway/Yorkton Pick Up Wednesday Wins

In a game we had on GX94, the Wayway Wolverines overcame a slow start and went on to beat the Swan Valley Stampeders 3-1, giving them their fourth win of the season, and sending the Stamps to their fourth straight loss.

Connor Pennell scored his first MJHL goal just over a minute in for the Stampeders, who out-shot the Wolverines 21-8 in the first frame alone. Preston McLeod tied it for Wayway on a late first period powerplay goal. After a scoreless second, Ryan Regel got behind the Stampeder defense and scored his 6th of the season, and eventual game winner on a breakaway. Ryan Duhaime added his first of the year with less than two minutes left to play.

Both goalies were outstanding, with Jayme Janzen nabbing the win, stopping 38/39 Stampeder shots. Chris Ward made 33/36 saves in the Swan cage.

Joel Danyluk made his first start for the Yorkton Terriers this season, and turned aside 22/24 shots in a 5-2 win over the visiting Estevan Bruins.

A pair of 17-year-old defenseman supplied a good chunk of the Terriers' offense, with John Niebrandt (pictured, left) scoring his 2nd of the year and adding a helper, while Austin Bourhis (pictured, right) scored his first SJHL goal.

Torey Stott added 1g, 1a... Jordan Menke and Nathan Murray (SH) also found the back of the net, while Kevin Stringfellow set up a pair of goals.

Tweet

It's been brought to my attention a couple times lately that my Twitter updates have come to a screeching halt. Personally I'm not sure it really adds that much to our coverage... and all I've really ever "tweeted" are pre-game scratches. I can't really provide Twitter updates DURING the game, nor do I do blog updates during the game, for a couple reasons.

1) I'm a little pre-occupied actually CALLING the game.

2) The SJHL and MJHL websites do a fine job updating during the games, and are a tad more popular than my blog or Twitter account.

But... I'll try to pick up my Twitter game... so you can refer to my account @ www.twitter.com/gx94sports (or click the link on the right hand side) for tonight's scratches.

Wolverines (3-9-0-1) @ Stampeders (8-6-0-0)

Both team look to end short losing streaks. Wayway's dropped their last 2, while the Stampeders are losers of 3 in a row, but do remain tied for second in the Sherwood with the OCN Blizzard with identical 8-and-6 records.

- SV Ryan Marshall still leads the league with 13-goals and 26-points.

- Wayway's Niko Grose and Ryan Regel have 12-points each, but no other Wolverine has more than 5 points.

- Wolverines' goalie Jayme Janzen's got a .920%, but has just 3 wins on the season due to Wayway's 1.92 goals per game (25 in 13 games).

Here's the Scouting Report from www.mjhlhockey.ca.

Ochapowace Thunder Switching Venues

This may be news to some, old news to others... but certainly worth a mention.

The Prairie Junior Hockey League's Ochapowace Thunder will play all their home games at the Lebret Eagledome this season, rather than Fred Bear Communiplex in Ochapowace.

The Thunder played a few games in Lebret last season, but will be there full-time in 2009-2010.

It's also their home opener tonight against Fort Knox at 7:30, a game we'll have for you on GX94.

Valley Out of the Valley

The Swan Valley Stampeders got a year younger and added some depth up front, acquiring 18-year-old forward Skylar Tait-Reaume from the SIJHL's K&A Wolverines for 19-year-old defenseman Matt Valley.

Tait-Reaume played for the MAAAHL Norman Northstars last season, where he picked up 14g-15a-29p in 37 games last season.

Mils 8 - Terriers 6

Michael Desjarlais and Aaron Decorby scored two goals each as the Melville Millionaires made it a long weekend split with the Yorkton Terriers, winning 8-6 at home on Sunday.

The win keeps the Mils in striking distance of the rest of the pack with 7 points. Everyone else in the Sherwood has anywhere from 10-12 pts.

-----------

In the MJ, the Swan Valley Stampeders went winless at the Showcase, while the Wayway Wolverines fell 3-1 to OCN at home on Sunday night. The weekend leaves OCN and Swan tied for second, and both well back (9 pts) of first place Dauphin.

-----------

As far as broadcasts this week... we've got our first of three PJHL broadcast on Tuesday when Fort Knox visits the Ochapowace Thunder (in Lebret). Wednesday we've got the Wayway Wolverines in Swan Valley, and then the Wolves in Dauphin Friday night.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Terriers Double Mils

The first edition of nine Highway 10 battles this season went the way of the Terriers, as the home team scored 3 first period goals in a 4-2 win over the Melville Millionaires.

Torey Stott opened the scoring, and Cody Zubko added two quick ones, putting the Terriers up 3-0 less than 9 minutes into the game.

The Mils had a great start to the second period, with Matt Kinnunen and Michael Jordan scoring within 1:30 of eachother to make it 3-2, but Terrier rookie Nathan Murray restored the two goal lead just 57 seconds later with his first SJHL goal.

I caught up with Murray after the game about his first Junior 'A' tally.

Stamps/Wolverines Both Lose @ Showcase

Swan Valley 3 - Selkirk 7
Ryan Marshall 2a
Jeff Peel, Dylan Trowell, Carter Selinger 1g

Wayway 1 - Saints 4
Niko Grose 1g

Mils (2-5-1-0) @ Terriers (4-4-0-0)

The first snow of the season hits East Central Saskatchewan, and the Mils and Terriers are squaring off for the first of 9 times this season. Hockey's OFFICIALLY here now.

If the season ended today, the Melville Millionaires would be out of the playoffs and the Yorkton Terriers would have to head on the road to start the Survivor Series.

Thankfully it's early October and both teams have 50 games remaining to change their fates. Of course I'm bias, but I expect both teams to jump up a couple or 3 spots from where there are in the mean time, and to be playoff teams come spring time.

The Millionaires were 2-and-1, and have since gone 0-4-and-1, winless in five. Yorkton was 1-and-3 off the hop, and have evened their record to 4-and-4, thanks to a perfect home record and grabbing their first road win in La Ronge on Saturday.

It's a huge weekend for both teams. If anyone gets swept in this home-and-home, they'll be alone in the basement by Thanksgiving. If it's Melville, they'll have gone 7-straight without a win, and depending what happens above them, they could start getting buried in the Sherwood Conference standings, with everyone else seemingly winning lately. In the last week we've seen Weyburn (6-1) extend their winning streak to six, Kindersley (5-2) thump Humboldt 8-1, Notre Dame (5-3-0-1) beat first place Battleford, and Estevan remain right in the mix at 4-4-0-1.

Mils Notes
- Logan Herauf (8-5-13) has points in all 8 games he's played in this season, and his 8 goals lead the SJHL. His 13 points are also tied for the league-lead.
- Aaron Decorby (4-7-11) has hit the scoresheet in all but one game to start the year.
- D Justin Hollinger has 5 points (1-4-5) in his last 5 games, and is coming off being named SJHL Defenseman of the Week.
- 14 Mils have goals already this season. That's tops in the Sherwood Conference, and tied for third in the league. Melfort also has 14, Humboldt 15 and Battleford leads the way with 16 different goal scorers. Mils' Rookies Michael Desjarlais, Dane Bonish, Landon Minto and Ryin Allison, and Defensemen Craig Karius and Justin Hollinger have all recently potted their first SJHL goals.
- Jamie Fiesel's keeping his starting goaltender quiet until game time, but did admit neither 20-year-old Brady Wilyman or 16-year-old Zach Rakochy have ran with the starting job. Melville's 34 goals against in 8 games (4.25/game) is worst in the Conference.

Terrier Notes
- 8 games in, the Terrier stats look similar to the last couple years, where they're getting offense from several sources, but no one's ripping it up.
- In saying that, Yorkton's top line of Torey Stott (3-4-7), Clarke Breitkreuz (3-2-5), and Jordan Menke (2-3-5) can explode at any given time, and have done so already this season. In two games in La Ronge, however, the line combined for one point (Stott 1a). But the two games before that saw them rack up 6 goals and 13 points.
- Matt Chomyc's provided some secondary scoring of late, with 2g in his last three games.
- David Skagen (1-4-5) has points in three of his last four games.
- Devin Peters has a 2.86 GAA and a .918% on the season, and won SJHL Goalie of the Week last week.
- The Terriers are 3-and-0 on home ice this season, and scoring the first goal has told the story so far also. They're 4-and-0 when they get it, 0-and-4 when they don't. They're also 4-and-0 when leading after 2 periods, 0-and-4 when trailing.
- Yorkton has the second best PK in the Sherwood, and third best in the league at 85.5%.

Catch the Pre Game Show tonight at 7:20, Play by Play at 7:30. Sunday's return match in Melville is Sunday at 6:00, and is not on the air.

============
Friday's Action
============

SJHL (4)
Melville Millionaires @ Yorkton Terriers 7:20 / 7:30 GX94
Battlefords North Stars @ Weyburn Red Wings 7:30
Kindersley Klippers @ Flin Flon Bombers 7:30
Melfort Mustangs @ Nipawin Hawks 7:30

MJHL Showcase in Winnipeg (5)
Steinbach Pistons vs Neepawa Natives 1:00
Winkler Flyers vs Dauphin Kings 2:00
Swan Valley Stampeders vs Selkirk Steelers 4:00
OCN Blizzard vs Winnipeg Saints 5:00
Wayway Wolverines vs Winnipeg South Blues 7:00

Prairie Junior Hockey League (3)
Pilot Butte Storm @ Fort Knox 8:00
Ochapowace Thunder @ Cypress Cyclones 8:00
Delisle Chiefs @ Prince Albert Ice Hawks 7:30

Saskatchewan Midget "AAA" Hockey League (1)
Battlefords Stars @ Saskatoon Contacts 7:15

East Central 9-Man Football Conference (2)
Canora Cougars @ Melville Cobras 4:00
Fort Qu'Appelle Marauders @ Esterhazy Warriors 4:00

North East 9-Man Football Conference (2)
Wynyard Golden Bears @ Humboldt Mohawks 4:00
Melfort Comets @ Tisdale Tornadoes 4:00

Rural Manitoba 9-Man Football League (2)
Southwest Sabres @ Parkwest Outlaws 4:30 in Shoal Lake
Neepawa Tigers @ Dauphin Clippers 4:30

CIS Football
UBC Thunderbirds @ U of S Huskies 7:00
Simon Fraser Clan @ U of R Rams 7:00

Thursday Results

MJHL Showcase in Winnipeg
Wayway Wolverines 4 vs Portage Terriers 2

WAY: Niko Grose (2), Ryan Regel, Dan Kelsey
Jayme Janzen: 42/44

Wayway vs WPG South Blues tonight @ 7:00
Swan Valley vs Selkirk today @ 4:00
Swan Valley vs WPG Saints tomorrow @ 5:00

SJHL
Battlefords North Stars 3 @ Notre Dame Hounds 4

Prairie Junior Hockey League
Saskatoon Quakers 8 @ Saskatoon Royals 5

Saskatchewan Midget "AAA" Hockey League
Regina Pat Canadians 3 @ Yorkton Harvest 7

YH: Andre Parker 2g, 1a; Kyle Trimp, Daniel Henderson, Davis Vandane, Dustin Skilliter, Paul Hordos
Austin Vargo: 19/22
Harvest 3/6 on PP

Prince Albert Mintos 2 @ Battlefords Stars 5
Saskatoon Contacts 1 @ Tisdale Trojans 0

Regina Inter-Collegiate Football League
Yorkton Regional Raider Gridders 19 @ O'Neill Titans 56

East Central 9-Man Football Conference
Lumsden Devils 40 @ Yorkton Sacred Heart Saints 3

North East 9-Man Football Conference
Foam Lake Panthers 30 @ Nipawin Bears 0

East Central 6-Man Football Conference
Kelvington Golden Hawks 13 @ North Valley Eagles 52
Kelliher Cobras 52 @ Porcupine Plain Bears 0

Thursday Games

Thursdays are usually pretty quiet, but with the long weekend ahead, most of the local high school football leagues are looking for an even LONGER weekend, with a lot of games going on today.

Regina Inter-Collegiate Football League
Yorkton Regional Raider Gridders @ O'Neill Titans 3:30

East Central 9-Man Football Conference (1)
Lumsden Devils @ Yorkton Sacred Heart Saints 4:00

North East 9-Man Football Conference (1)
Foam Lake Panthers @ Nipawin Bears 4:00

East Central 6-Man Football Conference (4)
Kelvington Golden Hawks @ North Valley Eagles 4:00 in Lemberg
Kelliher Cobras @ Porcupine Plain Bears 4:00
Ituna Trojans @ Hudson Bay Riders 4:00
Kamsack Spartans @ Carrot River Wild Cats 4:00

Saskatchewan Midget "AAA" Hockey League (3)
Regina Pat Canadians @ Yorkton Harvest 8:00
Prince Albert Mintos @ Battlefords Stars 7:30
Saskatoon Contacts @ Tisdale Trojans 8:00

**The next game for the Melville Fox FM Prairie Fire of the Female "AAA" Midget Hockey League is Saturday when they visit the Battleford Sharks.

MJHL Showcase in Winnipeg (1)
Wayway Wolverines vs Portage Terriers 7:00

**The Swan Valley Stampeders start their Showcase Weekend tomorrow when they face the Selkirk Steelers.

SJHL (1)
Battlefords North Stars @ Notre Dame Hounds 8:00

**The Yorkton Terriers welcome the Melville Millionaires this tomorrow (FRI) at Farrell Agencies Arena. GX94 will broadcast the game, starting with the Pre Game Show at 7:20, Play by Play at 7:30.

Prairie Junior Hockey League (1)
Saskatoon Quakers @ Saskatoon Royals 7:45

Stamps Fall JUST Short to Dauphin

Rarely does a loss reassure a team that they're near the class of the league, but I think that was the case with Swan Valley's 3-2 loss to the Dauphin Kings on Wednesday.

It was clearly a measuring stick for the Stamps, who were right with the Kings for much of the contest, and while the Kings had the edge on the shot clock at 45-34, Swan Valley had their moments when they carried the play, especially in the first period.

Chris Ward made 42 saves in the loss, while Dauphin's Joe Caliguiri was also solid stopping 32, and got better after a bit of a shaky start.

Shane Luke (2) and Ryan Dreger scored for Dauphin, while Swan Valley's Ryan Marshall (12th) and Myles Stevens (6th) replied for Swan.

Penalties got the Stamps in trouble in the second period, when Luke scored his 9th and 10th goals of the year 4-on-4 and 5-on-3.

With Neepawa beating OCN 6-3 on Wednesday the Sherwood tightens up even more, and while I still don't think there's any question the Kings finish first, I think the division will be extremely competitive, and come playoff time, whichever 4 teams are on the Sherwood side of the bracket will make for an entertaining spring.

It was really nice to see the Stampeder fans give their club a nice ovation after a hard-fought effort. And for those people who still think games on the radio keep people at home... TWO local stations (us and Dauphin) did the game last night, and that was the fullest I've seen the Centennial Arena in 2 years.

Kings (10-1-0-0) @ Stampeders (8-3-0-0)

A few little game notes to get you set for tonight's broadcast between the top two teams in the MJHL's Sherwood Division.

- With Dauphin hosting the 2010 RBC Cup, and a lot of veteran talent on the squad, I fully expect them to eclipse last year's franchise record of 42 wins. Is 50+ out of the question?

- So far I would say the Stampeders' top two lines can play with anyone's top six, but the Kings have been getting production from everyone, and for the Stamps to have success tonight, it may come down to their 3rd and 4th lines stopping Dauphin's, and allowing Marshall-Riddell-Selinger, and Myles Stevens' line to keep up their offensive production.

- This will be my first look at Stamps' D Paul Bonar in almost 2 years. Bonar was an outstanding 16-year-old rookie in Swan in 2007-08, before jumping to the WHL in Moose Jaw last season. He's got 7 points in 5 games since coming back, and makes for a dangerous blueline on the powerplay alongside Brent Wilson.

- Dauphin's only loss of the season came in their second game of the year in Selkirk. They've rattled off 9-straight wins since then. Swan's losses have come to OCN, Selkirk and Portage.

Stampeders to Watch
- Ryan Marshall (11-11-11-22) is on a 7-game point scoring streak (8-10-18). He's got points in 10 of 11 games this season, getting shutout only when the entire team was blanked 2-0 in Selkirk.
- Marshall's linemate, Darcy Riddell (11-8-11-19) also has points in every game except the Selkirk contest. He matches Marshall's 7-game streak (6-8-14).
- Carter Selinger (4-11-15), the other member of the trio, had a 6-game streak (2-8-10) snapped on Sunday.
- Myles Stevens has picked it up offensively of late. Last year's leading Stampeder point getter has 5-7-12 in 11 games. He scored a goal and an assist in a 4-3 shootout win over the Saints on Sunday.
- D Brent Wilson (10-3-10-13) had the early season lead in points by a defenseman, but has been held off the scoresheet in 3 of his last 4 games, allowing Dauphin's Steven Shamanski to take the league lead.
- Chris Reimer (11-6-3-9) has 4 goals in his last 4 games.

Kings to Watch
- Shane Luke (11-8-11-19) was named MJHL Player of the Week for good reason, riding a 6 game point streak (7-9-16). All were multi-point games for Luke. It's Luke's fourth season as a Kings, and it's not even his last year in the league! The 19-year-old from Ste. Rose began his junior career as a 16-year-old. He'll go head to head with fellow Ste. Rose product Ryan Marshall tonight.
- Bryce Lamb (10-9-9-18) is also tearing it up of late, with points in 6-straight games (6-6-12).
- Ryan Dreger (10-7-12-19) has 12 points in his last 6 games, being held pointless just once.
- Shamanski (10-3-13-16), as mentioned, has the MJHL lead in points by a defenseman, has hit the scoresheet in all but two games this season, that includes his current 5 game streak (3-7-10) .
- With only one multi-point game, Alias Kalinsky (10-3-8-11) has quietly been one of Dauphin's most consistent point producers with points in 9 of their 11 games.
- G Joe Caligiuri is 6-and-0, but has allowed 3 or more goals in 4 of his 7 starts, got pulled once (Brett Willows came on in relief and they won in NEE). If not for his almost 6 goals per game of support, obviously he doesn't have an unblemished record. He's got a GAA over 3.00, and a SV% under .900. But he's certainly got the credentials, having spent lots of time with Brandon and Prince George of the WHL.
- Mitch Czibere plays his second game as a Dauphin King after a WHL career with Vancouver and Regina.

**Voice of the Kings Kevin Jeffrey put together a stellar edition of "Inside the MJHL." Check it out by clicking the link... or catch it during tonight's second intermission.

Wayway Acquires Beardy

The Wayway Wolverines and Steinbach Pistons have swapped 18-year-old forwards, with Tyler Lazaruk going to the Pistons (and played for them against Wayway last night), while Jordan Beardy comes the other way.

Beardy played 48 games as a 17-year-old with the Beausejour Blades last season, and put up 17g-14a-31p.

Streaks Continue For Mils, Wings

The Melville Millionaires have now gone 5 games without a win, while the Weyburn Red Wings have won 6 in a row, after last night's 5-3 win in Melville.

Andrew Perrault and Brennan Wrigley each had 1g-2a for Weyburn.

Logan Herauf extended his point-streak to 8 games (8-5-13) with a 3rd period assist on an Aaron Decorby powerplay goal which got the Mils to within one, before Weyburn's Rhett Bly salted the game away with an empty-netter.

Ryin Allison scored his first SJHL goal for the Mils, while Cody Hanson also lit the lamp. The Mils are in Yorkton Friday night, and home to the Terriers Sunday at 6:00.

Pistons Win Second Straight Over Wayway (SO)

For a third straight game, the Wayway Wolverines managed just one goal, and this time dropped a 2-1 (SO) decision to the visiting Steinbach Pistons.

Ryan Regel scored his 4th of the season and 10th point for Wayway in his 10th game of the season, while Ryan Griffiths (pictured) scored Steinbach's only goal in regulation, and the only goal of the shootout, giving the Pistons their second straight win. Griffiths, the former Swan Valley Stampeder had 9g-6a-15p in 9 games, and has at least a point in all 9 games with his new club. On a personal note, having sat across from Griffiths on the Stamps' bus last season, it's great to see him finding success. And, while Stampeder fans might be thinking they're getting burned... don't forget the deal brought D Brent Wilson the other way... so it's fair to say the trade's worked very well both ways.

The Wolverines are now 2-7-0-1 on the season, and have scored 19 goals in 10 games played. Jayme Janzen made 32/33 saves in regulation and overtime for Wayway.

Hollinger, Peters Nab Weekly SJHL Honours

SJHL Defenseman of the Week: Justin Hollinger, Melville Millionaires

Hollinger, from Neudorf, SK, has 5 points (1-4-5) in 5 games... and all five points came during a 3-game stretch. After spending a good part of last season in Junior 'B' with Fort Knox in the PJHL last season, Hollinger's getting valuable minutes on the powerplay with the Mils as a 19-year-old.

SJHL Goalie of the Week: Devin Peters, Yorkton Terriers

Peters played back-to-back games in La Ronge this past Friday and Saturday, making 58-saves on 62-shots. He also stopped 38/40 against Notre Dame back on Wednesday, going 2-1 with a 2.00 GAA and a .941 save % over the past week.

The SJHL Player of the Week was Mathieu Lecours of the Flin Flon Bombers.

-------------------------
Tuesday's Games
-------------------------

SJHL (3)
Weyburn Red Wings @ Melville Millionaires 7:30
Notre Dame Hounds @ Estevan Bruins 7:30
Humboldt Broncos @ Battlefords North Stars 7:30

**The next game for the Yorkton Terriers is Friday when they host the Melville Millionaires. GX94 will broadcast the game, starting with the Pre Game Show at 7:20, Play by Play at 7:30.

MJHL (2)
Steinbach Pistons @ Wayway Wolverines 7:30
Winkler Flyers @ Winnipeg South Blues 7:30

**The next game for the Swan Valley Stampeders is tomorrow (WED) when they host the Dauphin Kings. GX94 will broadcast the game, starting with the Pre Game Show at 7:20, Play by Play at 7:30.

How 'Bout the Harvest?

Chasing around four Junior 'A' teams during the winter, I'll be the first to admit the Yorkton "AAA" Midget Harvest don't get near the coverage they deserve. Either I'm gone for another game when they're at home, or they're home on like a Thursday, which is one of my few "quiet" days during the week and I just crash at home.

But through 6 games, the Harvest are making some serious noise, tops in the SMAAAHL, and without a regulation loss, with 4 wins, a tie, and an overtime loss, good for 10 points.

They had a couple close games with the Saskatoon Blazers at home over the weekend, coming away with a win and a tie.

Goaltenders Kale Thomson and Austin Vargo are both among the league leaders, while Tayler Thompson and Riley Storozuk are 1-2 in league scoring. Thompson has points in all 6 games so far, and has a league-high 8g-5a-13p. Storozuk had 3-7-10.

With games on the air just Wednesday and Friday this week, I'll try to get to their next home action Thursday when they host the Regina Pat Canadians at 8:00.

The Harvest' schedule this season is weird to say the least, starting with 8 straight games at home, and at one point playing 10 in a row away from home.

Here's their schedule breakdown.

8-straight @ home
6-straight on the road
4-straight @ home
4-straight on the road
2-straight @ home
2- straight on the road
6-straight @ home
10-straight on the road
2-straight @ home

But with the Terriers off until Friday when they host Melville, if you're looking for some good hockey in Yorkton in the meantime, certainly check out the Harvest, they're off to their best start in a long time.

Stamps Still Rolling / Wolves, Mils Struggle on Road / Terriers Split in LAR

The Swan Valley Stampeders won a pair of tight games at home this weekend, improving their record to 8-and-3 with a 3-2 win over Neepawa on Saturday, and a 4-3 SO victory over the Saints on Sunday afternoon. MJHL Player of the Month for September Ryan Marshall returned from the WJAC Team West Camp in Okotoks, and kept up his torrid pace with a 1g, 1a on Saturday, and an assist on Sunday. Marshall continues to lead the league in goals and points. Through 11 games, he's got 11g-11a-22p.

On Saturday, Francois Houde scored his first as a Stampeder, while Connor Pennell did the same in Sunday's win. Darcy Riddell scored in each game, and now has 8g, 19p on the season, second in the league behind his linemate Marshall. Chris Ward made 29/31 saves on Saturday, and 48/51 on Sunday. Myles Stevens had 1g, 1a on Sunday. Paul Bonar had 2a, giving him 2g-5a-7p in 5 games since returning from Moose Jaw.

------------------------

The Wayway Wolverines, after beating Portage 5-2 on Tuesday, struggled offensively over the weekend, losing 5-1 in Selkirk and 4-1 in Steinbach. Evan Durnin had their only goal Friday in Selkirk, while Preston McLeod found the net the next night in Steinbach. Jayme Janzen was 39/44 in the Wolverines' cage in Selkirk, and Carey Dyck was 29/33 in Steinbach.

The loss drops Wayway's record to 2-and-7, and they've scored a divison-low 18 goals in 9 games, and a league-low 2 goals per game.

------------------------

After gaining a point in a 5-4 OT loss in Kindersley on Thursday, the Melville Millionaires went on to lose 9-5 in Battleford on Friday, and 4-1 back in Kindersley Saturday.

Mils' defenseman Justin Hollinger scored his first SJHL goal in Battleford, having a coming out party with a goal and 2-assists. Logan Herauf scored twice and added a helper. Aaron Decorby chipped in with 2a.

The Mils and Klippers were tied 1-1 after two periods on Saturday, before the KK's scored 3 third period goals. Herauf scored his team and league-leading 8th of the campaign, and saw his point scoring streak extend to 7 games to begin the season (8-4-12). Decorby was held off the scoresheet for the first time in 2009-10, ending his point streak at 6 games (3-7-10).

--------------------

And the Yorkton Terriers ran into some hot goaltending in La Ronge, out-shooting the Ice Wolves 44-33 on Friday in a 3-0 loss, and also out-shot them 40-29 on Saturday, coming away with a 2-1 win, improving to 4-and-4, in getting their first road win of the year. Adam Bartko picked up the 44-save shutout for LAR on Friday, with Chris Jackson stopping 38/40 the following night. Devin Peters was in goal both nights for Yorkton, and made 58 saves on 62 shots overall.

Friday

A little late with this one, I know. I came halfway back last night and crashed in my parents' basement in Simpson, SK! Got back to Yorkton around 11:00 this morning.

While two points would have been better than one, one's better than none, and the Melville Millionaires actually played a heck of a game, considering the amount of bodies they had out of the lineup, and the juggling Neil Lamberty had to do on the bench, especially on defense. Austin Krahenbil, Cody Hanson and Tyler Howe were all serving the first games of their suspensions, while defensemen Jordan Reeve and Craig Karius both went down with injuries. So by the end of the game, the Mils were running 3 lines and 5 defenseman, and 2 of the D-men are natural forwards (Michael Jordan, Dan Lind).

So, the Mils went on to lose 5-4 in OT. I used the term "greasy road point" on the air last night, and that's kind of what it was with the make-shift lineup they went with. The started the game with 6 rookie forwards, and everyone chipped in. Tyson Melnychuk notched his first of the year, added one assist, Mike Rogoschewsky, Dane Bonish and Craig Karius also scored (3 of the 4 scorers were Melville products). Ryin Allison added an assist, while youngsters like Rob Lazo, Landon Minto and Jordy Johnson were all creating chances.

Aaron Decorby and Logan Herauf both had assists, extending their point streaks to 5 games to start the season.

For the Klippers, Jordan Braid had three assists, while Travis Eggum and Braeden Adamyk scored twice each. Ryan Benn scored the OT winner at 2:01, shortly after Melville's Justin Hollinger was stopped on a penalty shot. I honestly thought the Klippers might struggle to score this season, and that the depth would drop off after Braid, but their top 6 looked very good last night. They went with Benn-Braid-Eggum, followed by Dommett-Calkins-Adamyk last night, and both lines were buzzing.

The Mils are in Battleford to face a dangerous North Stars team tonight, before wrapping up the trip tomorrow (SAT) in Kindersley for another game vs the Klippers. Honestly, if the Mils split these last two and come home with 3 of a possible 6 points, considering who's out of the lineup, I'd say that's a successful road trip.

-----------------

The Yorkton Terriers are also north-bound this weekend, but a little further north with games in La Ronge tonight (FRI) and tomorrow. The Terriers are perfect at home (3-0) and winless on the road (0-3) so far. They've also been out-scored 15-4 in their 3 away games, so we'll see if their road fortunes can change this weekend against the 4-and-2 (first place) Ice Wolves.

Here's Friday's full lineup of local sports.

Cooperators Roughrider Football on GX94
Saskatchewan Roughriders @ B.C. Lions 7:30 / 8:30

Regina Inter-Collegiate Football League
Yorkton Regional Raider Gridders @ Notre Dame Hounds 5:15 in Regina

East Central 6-Man Football Conference (3)
Hudson Bay Riders @ Kelliher Cobras 4:00
Preeceville Panthers @ North Valley Eagles 4:00 in Lemberg
Kelvington Golden Hawks @ Porcupine Plain Bears 4:00

East Central 9-Man Football Conference (2)
Swan Valley Tigers @ Fort Qu'Appelle Marauders 4:00
Melville Cobras @ Lumsden Devils 4:00

North East 9-Man Football Conference (3)
Melfort Comets @ Foam Lake Panthers 4:00
Nipawin Bears @ Wynyard Golden Bears 4:00
Humboldt Mohawks @ Tisdale Tornadoes 4:00

CIS Football (1)
Saskatchewan Huskies @ Simon Fraser Clan 8:00

SJHL (3)
Yorkton Terriers @ La Ronge Ice Wolves 7:30
Melville Millionaires @ Battlefords North Stars 7:30
Humboldt Broncos @ Melfort Mustangs 7:30

MJHL (4)
Wayway Wolverines @ Selkirk Steelers 7:30
Winnipeg Saints @ OCN Blizzard 7:00
Winnipeg South Blues @ Dauphin Kings 7:30
Portage Terriers @ Winkler Flyers 7:30

**The next game for the Swan Valley Stampeders is Saturday when they host the Neepawa Natives. Game time is 7:30 at the Centennial Arena.

Prairie Junior Hockey League (3)
Ochapowace Thunder @ Tri-Town Thunder 7:30
Delisle Chiefs @ Regina Capitals 7:30
West Central Rage @ Saskatoon Westleys 7:45

**The first game of the season for Fort Knox is tomorrow (SAT) when they visit the Pilot Butte Storm.

WHL (10)
Red Deer Rebels @ Brandon Wheat Kings 7:30 (MB)
Moose Jaw Warriors @ Edmonton Oil Kings 7:00
Calgary Hitmen @ Kootenay Ice 7:00
Saskatoon Blades @ Prince Albert Raiders 7:00
Swift Current Broncos @ Regina Pats 7:00
Vancouver Giants @ Kamloops Blazers 8:00
Chilliwack Bruins @ Kelowna Rockets 8:00
Lethbridge Hurricanes @ Prince George Cougars 8:00
Portland Winter Hawks @ Spokane Chiefs 8:00
Tri-City Americans @ Seattle Thunderbirds 8:35

Krahenbil Out For 8

SJHL suspends Melville's Austin Krahenbil for 8 games for receiving a match penalty and instigating a multiple fight. Suspension includes games Oct 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 11, 16, and 17. Cody Hanson and Tyler Howe are suspended for 2 games for instigating multiple fight. Suspension includes games on Oct 1 and 2. The Millionaires are fined $600.