Ron Holloway Talks SJHL Final

Ron Holloway was the Yorkton Terriers' Trainer for the last number of years, including for their Back-to-Back Championships in 2004/05, and 2005/06, and is now on the La Ronge Ice Wolves bench, and the two teams are set to lock horns in the Credit Union Cup.

Broadcasts, Schedule, Fan Bus, Ticket Sales, Meet & Greet

- GX94's coverage of the SJHL Credit Union Cup Final is expanding.

We'll move our Pre Game Shows from 15 minutes to a full 30 minutes for the series, meaning we're on the air at 7:00 every night. How will we fill a Pre Game Show that's twice as long? I'm working on it! Just gives us more of a chance to get other guests on. I've already talked to Randy Daley, the Co-Chair of the RBC Host Committee in Dauphin. We'll hear that either during a Pre Game Show or Intermission this weekend. I really want to focus on Terrier Alumni who've won Championships, or even both Championships in 04/05 AND 05/06.

So, 7:00 Pre Game Show, Play by Play at 7:30 for all games.

Dates are as follows:

Game 1 - Fri/Apr/2 @ La Ronge
Game 2 - Sat/Apr/3 @ La Ronge
Game 3 - Tue/Apr/5 @ Yorkton
Game 4 - Wed/Apr/6 @ Yorkton
Game 5 - Fri/Apr/8 @ La Ronge *
Game 6 - Sun/Apr/10 @ Yorkton *
Game 7 - Tue/Apr/12 @ La Ronge *

- The Terriers are trying to get a fan bus to go to La Ronge for the weekend. It'll cost $95 to get to and from La Ronge, and that also includes tickets to both games. From there you're responsible for your hotel room for one night, but the Terrier Office has contacted a few hotels in La Ronge, and they have more than enough room to accomodate fans. The bus, if there's enough interest, will leave Friday morning at 10:00, and come straight home after Saturday's game. Call the Terrier Office at 783-4077.

- Tickets for Games 3 and 4 are already on sale, they were as of Noon today. Incredibly, they still haven't raised prices since the first round. With tax, they come to $14.25. Head to the Gallagher Centre or call Ticketmaster at 786-1740.

- And the Terriers are all going to be at Dairy Queen tomorrow (THU) starting at 2:00. If you have the time, certainly make the trip, grab an ice cream or a burger and wish the Terriers well before they take off for La Ronge.

Game 7 Reaction

I'm getting some friendly jabs at work today for the 'woo-hooooo!' at the end of Stringfellow's OT winner last night. "At least it was a manly woo-hoo, I'll give you that," said GX94 Morning Man / Program Director Brad Bazin.

Anyway, here it is!



Stringfellow Post Game



Coach Trent Cassan Post Game

Terriers Advance to SJHL Final!

Kevin Stringfellow scored 6:39 into overtime, giving the Yorkton Terriers a 4-3 (OT) win, and a 4-3 series win over the Kindersley Klippers, giving them a Sherwood Conference Championship and a trip to the Credit Union Cup against La Ronge.

Andrew Dommett started the scoring for Kindersley just 1:35 in, but the Terriers led by the end of the opening frame, thanks to goals from Riley Paterson (4) and Adam Moar (5).

Rylan McDonell (8) made it 3-1 Terriers early in the 2nd, but the Klippers once again refused to go away, and Braeden Adamyk cut it to 3-2 before the middle period was done.

Dommett struck again just 4:01 into the third, and it stayed tied 3-3 through regulation.

Stringfellow's OT winner was his 5th goal, and 2nd OT winner of these playoffs (Game 4 vs Weyburn).

Terriers @ Ice Wolves... Game 1 Friday!

Game 7 Game Notes

Stats, tendencies, first goals, third period leads, home ice... none of it has meant a thing in this SJHL Sherwood Conference Final.

Here's a quick summary of the series so far.

Game 1 - Yorkton 3 @ Kindersley 4 (OT)
Maybe the most "normal" game of the series. Teams traded goals all night, Yorkton never led, and Kindersley led 4 times, with Kevin Clark scoring on a short-handed 2-on-1 in overtime. (Klippers led series 1-0)

Game 2 - Yorkton 7 @ Kindersley 4
The only one of the first six games decided by more than one goal, but even this one was close. The Terriers got up 3-1, but Kindersley scored twice within 29 seconds of the second period to tie it, but before the period was up, the Terriers sniped three quick ones in a space of 2:09. (Series tied 1-1)

Game 3 - Kindersley 2 @ Yorkton 3
Where it REALLY started getting exciting. This marked the start of 4 straight one-goal games. Kindersley scored first, and lost. The Terriers scored on three consecutive second period powerplays 4:18 apart. At the midway point of the series, the Terrier PP was clicking at over 50%. (Terriers led series 2-1)

Game 4 - Kindersley 3 @ Yorkton 2
Another close, but wild one. One of the unsung heroes of the series, Riley Down opened the scoring for Kindersley, but the Terriers took the lead back. However, the see-saw continued, and the Klippers tied it, and then won it, when Jordan Hoffman went straight ahead on an offensive zone faceoff, was untouched, and scored with 1:10 left. (Series tied 2-2)

Game 5 - Yorkton 4 @ Kindersley 3 (OT)
Yorkton didn't lead until Troy Smukowich scored 5:24 into overtime, his league-leading 12th of the playoffs. Kindersley scored the first TWO goals, and lost. They went ahead 3-2 with 4:03 left, but Ryan Griffiths forced overtime with 39 seconds left. (Terriers lead series 3-2)

Game 6 - Kindersley 3 @ Yorkton 2
The shoe was on the other foot this time. Yorkton came out of the gates playing like they wanted to wrap it up at home, got out to a quick 2-0 lead, but once it became 2-0 Terriers, the Klippers instantly became the more urgent team, and kept it up for the rest of the night. The Terriers were fortunate to still have their 2-0 lead after two periods, but Andrew Dommett cut the lead in half less than 5 minutes in, Riley Down tied it, and then, with 22 seconds left, there was a faceoff in the the Klipper zone, and some how, some way, they ended up with a 3-on-1, and Tanner Exner kept, shot, and scored with 4 seconds remaining to force a 7th game. (Series tied 3-3)

If former Klipper Voice Darren Dupont's reading, he'll remember what I'm about to say like it was yesterday. Exner's late goal brought back memories of the 2007-08 Sherwood Conference Final between Melville and Kindersley. The Mils won Game 1 on home ice, and the two teams went to overtime the next night at the Stadium. 8.1 seconds left in the first overtime... faceoff in the Klipper zone. Looked like double overtime was coming, unless the Mils won the draw back and got a quick shot off. BUT... the Klippers won the draw, sent it up the left wing boards to Brett Leedahl (whose younger brother Kurt is a current KK defenseman), who absolutely flew down the wall, cut in, and slid one backhand five-hole on Mils' goalie Joe Rodwell with under a second left. The buzzer actually sounded, but the puck was clearly in before. That gave the Klippers home ice, Melville got it back though, getting a split in Kindersley during the week, but Kindersley had (another) late third period comeback and ended up winning by two with an empty netter in Melville in Game 5. I think I recall current Klipper Steven Turner scoring one (or maybe it was tipped) from the point, to either tie it, or get it within one. Kindersley took a 3-2 series lead home for Game 6, and won in double overtime, advanced to the final, and NEARLY knocked off the eventual RBC Champion Humboldt Bronocs, falling in 7 games, but not before taking 2-0 and 3-1 series leads. I'll be sure to bring that Leedahl goal up with Larry Wintoneak on the Pre Game Show and ask him what he has against GX94's teams and why the Klippers keep breaking their hearts! Still a chance for the Terriers to change that this year though.

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Before Game 6, Wintoneak said on our Pre Game Show, "Lucky for us, momentum ends when the game ends." That's exactly the approach the Terriers have to take into Game 7. Sure, they were sulking when they left the ice on Sunday, when 20 minutes earlier it looked like pretty good odds they'd be joining La Ronge in the final. But I'm quite sure they won't be sulking when the puck drops to start Game 7.

Terrier Coach Trent Cassan said the morning after Game 6, "We started the playoffs over a month ago, February 26th in Melville, and I don't think anyone other than the 25 guys in our locker room expected we'd still be playing today. And if someone told us that day that in a month, we'd be playing in Game 7 with a chance to go to the league final, there's not one of the players or one of us coaches who wouldn't have taken it."

Last (MON) night, I was listening on my SaskTel Max to Game 7 of the Moose Jaw Warriors and Calgary Hitmen, and you'll never guess what Warriors' Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Truitt had to say. "We're an 8th place team going up against the regular season champions, and if someone told us before the series that we'd be in Game 7 against the Calgary Hitmen, we would have taken it."

How 'bout that! Great hockey minds think alike!

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Eleven players could be playing their last Junior 'A hockey game tonight. Eight of them will be wearing Terrier Black & Orange, all of them forwards.

Cody Zubko, Troy Smukowich, Kevin Stringfellow, Jordan Menke, Adam Moar, Ryan Griffiths, Nick Dietrich, Kyle Miller.

As of yesterday, Miller was questionable for Game 7 due to injury, as was D Kelly Leismeister.

Kindersley also has a questionable 20 year old in F Kevin Clark, who's been out since the middle of Game 3 when Cody Zubko caught him with a hard check against the boards. Clark took the warmup before Game 6, but was a late scratch. Jordan Braid and Steven Turner are the only other 20 year olds on the team.

So if every 20 year old on the ice digs a little deeper, finds that extra gear, as they fight for their Junior Hockey lives, well, I like the Terriers' chances. Thing is though, the Klippers have a pile of 19, 18, and 17 year olds who've got every bit as much of a chance to win tonight. I shudder when I think of what those guys will do next year, and this experience is only making NEXT YEAR'S Klipper team better. They'll be expected to go deep in the playoffs, and the Dommett's, Duzan's and Thorimbert's will be able to say, 'been there, done that.'

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Other stats to take note of...

- Terrier D Blaine Tendler had a 5-game point streak end in game six (8 assists in 5 games), but he's still the leading Terrier point-getter in the series, with 8 points (all assists). Troy Smukowich and Cody Zubko each have 7.

- Three Terriers have been held pointless in the series. Two of them are their 'defense-first' D-pairing of Leismeister and Decker. The other is Torey Stott, who, until he had surgery over the Christmas break, led the Terriers in goals and points, and he led them in goals LAST YEAR as a rookie. It's not at all for a lack of effort... the puck's just not going in for him. His linemates Menke and Griffiths were also quiet at the start of the series, but now have 4 goals between them (Griffiths with 3). Torey's ready to bust out. Tonight perhaps???

- Yorkton's powerplay was 9/20 (45%) in Games 1 through 4, but they went 0/6 in Games 5 and 6. Still though, clicking at 32.1% in the series, 21.1% in the post season, in a playoff that's included an 0/22 stretch in the Weyburn series.

- Austin Bourhis is the only Terrier defenseman with a goal in the series. It came on the powerplay in Game 4. But again, Tendler leads the team with 8 points, Drew McDermott's tied for 5th on the team with 4 points (4a).

- Brent Struble leads the Terriers with 4 goals in the series. All of his post season goals have come in the Sherwood Conference Final.

- For Kindersley, no one has a point per game, but they're getting balance, and getting goals from depth players at key times. Think of their three game winners... Kevin Clark (OT) in Game 1, Jordan Hoffman with 1:10 left in Game 4, and Tanner Exner with :04 left in Game 6. Those three guys have 5 goals between them in the series, but they've all come up with huge goals when their club's needed one. Don't forget about Riley Down (2g, 2a, all in last 3 games), and Ryan Benn, who opened the scoring in Game 5. And make no mistake, Andrew Dommett's been bringin' it, leading the team with 4g and 5p in 6 games. He's also hit at least three posts/crossbars.

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I'll admit, when Exner scored late in Game 6, I was less than excited about going back to Eston. But now that the day is here, I'm actually pretty pumped! I think this is the 5th Game 7 I've called, and hopefully history doesn't repeat itself. In 2005-06, as Voice of the Dauphin Kings, Dauphin lost 3-0 on home ice to the OCN Blizzard in the Division Final. 2007-08 at GX, two Game 7 losses in back to back nights. Swan Valley fell 5-1 in Portage on Tuesday, then Wayway lost 6-3 to Dauphin at home on Wednesday. Last year, of course with covering both Yorkton and Melville... I can't really say the team I covered WON or LOST... since they played each

other. But in any case, Melville won that one 5-1.

I LOVE doing big games... they're so easy to get into, and I hope you enjoy it if you're unable to make the trip and are tuning in.

I honestly think this could be the "most listened to" game I've ever done. Game 7, it's over 5 hours from Yorkton, on a week night, so likely only a handful of die-hards will make it down. And, we're the ONLY place you can hear it, if you're one of the 600 people in what's sure to be a sold-out Eston Community Complex.

Pre Game Show at 7:15, all the action at 7:30 on GX94, 940 AM on your dial, or online at http://www.gx94radio.com/ .

Wanna Go to Game 7? Act Now!

The Yorkton Terriers are organizing a fan bus to go to Eston for tomorrow night's Game 7... BUT, they need at least 40 people on board to make a go of it.

As of 2:00 this afternoon, they had about 20, and the deadline is 5:00 today!

The Terrier Office phone number is 783-4077, Lisa is awaiting your call!

$70 gets you to and from the game, and your seat for Game 7 of the SJHL Sherwood Conference Final between your Terriers and the Kindersley Klippers in Eston.

The Morning After... With Yorkton's Adam Moar

Had a quick chat with Terrier F Adam Moar at practice this morning, after the Terriers squandered their first of two opportunities to move on to the SJHL Championship. Three of Moar's four goals in the playoffs have come in the Sherwood Final.



**My conversation with Coach Trent Cassan can be found under the Weekly Coach's Shows link.

Beatty Talks Bauer Conference Championship

La Ronge Coach & GM Bob Beatty



Beatty hints that former Terrier G Joel Danyluk could see some action in the final, especially if it's Yorkton they see in the final.

Klippers Stun Terriers, Force Game 7

The Kindersley Klippers scored three third period goals, erasing a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 and stay alive in the SJHL Sherwood Conference Final.

The Terriers scored two goals 3:11 apart in the first period, the fourth of the playoffs for both Brent Struble and Adam Moar, and the score stayed 2-0 after 40 minutes.

Andrew Dommett scored less than 5 minutes in to get it to 2-1, and Riley Down deflected one home to tie the game.

The winner, came with just 4 seconds remaining in the third period, when Tanner Exner cut in on a 2-on-1 and slid one home, sealing a 3-2 Kindersley victory, and forced a 7th and deciding game Tuesday in Eston (7:15 / 7:30 on GX94).

There's no question this one hurts... but this is one more chunk of adversity in the face of the Terriers. There was no bigger 'low' for them in these playoffs than watching a 4-1 lead with 3:30 left slip away, to lose 5-4 in OT in Melville in Game 1 of the Survivor Series, but they went on to win their next 5 hockey games. And for the record, they've still yet to lose back to back games in these playoffs.

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Congrats to locals F Aaron Decorby, G Joel Danyluk and Trainer Ron Holloway, and the rest of the La Ronge Ice Wolves for getting their first berth in the SJHL Final in franchise history.

The Wolves beat Battlefords 4-1 in Game 6, winning the Bauer Conference Final 4-2.

The Credit Union Cup begins Friday & Saturday in La Ronge if the Terriers come out of the South, in Eston if the Klippers win Game 7.

Stamps Hand Out Hardware

Top Scorer: Myles Stevens

Top Defenseman: Brent Wilson / Paul Bonar

Rookie of the Year: Caden Unger

Most Improved: Brendan Mitchell

Heart Trophy: Jeff Peel / Cramer Coulthart

Unsung Hero: Carter Selinger

Coach's Award: Chris Reimer

Hardest Working: Darcy Riddell

Plumber of the Year: Shelby Gray

GX94 3 Star Award: Ryan Marshall

Jay Sullivan Memorial (Scholastic): Evan Morden

Most Valuable Player: Myles Stevens

Playoff MVP: Myles Stevens / Jayme Janzen

Gotta Love OT!

As of Friday, April 2, 15 SJHL playoff games have gone to overtime, and just one of them needed Double OT, that was Game 2 of the Bauer Conference Survivor Series when Doug Lindensmith scored for La Ronge, giving them a 2-0 series lead over Humboldt. His goal came at 28:09 over overtime, or 88:09 of the game, the longest game of this season.

The longest game I've ever called was last season in Game 4 of the Sherwood Conference Final, when Melville Millionaire defenseman Casey Dion scored at 93:11 (13:11 of 2OT), which gave the Mils a 3-1 series lead, in a series they eventually won in 6.

Here's a look at the 16 overtime games so far in the SJHL Playoffs, who scored the winners, and at what time.

Fri/Feb/26
Yorkton 4 @ Melville 5 (Game 1)
Matt Kinnunen @ 1:33 (SH)

Sat/Feb/27
Humboldt 3 @ La Ronge 4 (Game 2, 2OT)
Doug Lindensmith @ 8:09 of 2OT (28:09)

Sat/Mar/6
Weyburn 3 @ Yorkton 4 (Game 2)
Rylan McDonell @ 11:55

Tue/Mar/9
Flin Flon 3 @ La Ronge 4 (Game 3)
Ben Findlay @ 8:20

Wed/Mar/10
Flin Flon 4 @ La Ronge 3 (Game 4)
Mathieu Lecours @ 17:28

Weyburn 2 @ Yorkton 3 (Game 4)
Kevin Stringfellow @ 19:43

Fri/Mar/12
La Ronge 3 @ Flin Flon 4 (Game 5)
Andrew Johnston @ 5:41

Battlefords 3 @ Melfort 2 (Game 4)
Mitch Wall @ 3:10

Fri/Mar/19
La Ronge 5 @ Battlefords 4 (Game 1)
Dan Conacher @ 0:15

Yorkton 3 @ Kindersley 4 (Game 1)
Kevin Clark @ 6:54 (SH)

Wed/Mar/24
Battlefords 3 @ La Ronge 4 (Game 4)
Dustin Stevenson @ 3:38

Fri/Mar/26
La Ronge 2 @ Battlefords 3 (Game 5)
Nathan Tomac @ 16:19

Yorkton 4 @ Kindersley 3 (Game 5)
Troy Smukowich @ 5:24

Tue/Mar/30
Yorkton 4 @ Kindersley 3 (Game 7)
Kevin Stringfellow @ 6:39

Fri/Apr/2
Yorkton 4 @ La Ronge 3 (Game 1)
Blaine Tendler @ 5:03

Tue/Apr/6
La Ronge 4 @ Yorkton 3 (Game 3)
Aaron Enns @ 7:05

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Records in 2010 Playoff Overtime...

Yorkton: 5-3
La Ronge: 5-4
Flin Flon: 2-1
Battlefords: 2-2
Melville: 1-0
Kindersley: 1-1
Humboldt: 0-1
Melfort: 0-1
Weyburn: 0-2

Yorkton's Kevin Stringfellow's the only player in the league with TWO overtime winners in these playoffs.

Smokey in OT!

Dogs are supposed to roll over, but not Yorkton Terriers.

The Terriers were down 2-0 after the 1st period, but battled back to force overtime, and eventually win 4-3, grabbing a 3-2 series lead over the Kindersley Klippers in the SJHL Sherwood Conference Final.

Jordan Menke scored the only goal of the second period, on a short-handed 2-on-1.

Adam Moar tied it up at 9:59 of the third period, but the Klippers restored their lead with 4:03 remaining when David Ahl sent a seeing-eye wrist shot into the top corner.

But, with the goalie out, Blaine Tendler sent a one-timer toward the net, that bounced off Ryan Griffiths' skate and in with 39.7 seconds left.

The Klippers had a great chance to end it in overtime, when Andrew Dommett found Braeden Adamyk in the slot, but he fanned on the one-timer.

Minutes later, Troy Smukowich buried a rebound, and the Terriers piled off the bench with the 4-3 (OT) win. (Audio clip below)

Shots on goal were 51-31 Terriers.

Game 6, and a chance to move on the SJHL Final for the Terriers is Sunday back in Yorkton.

It's a 7:30 start at Farrell Agencies Arena, Pre Game Show starts at 7:15 on GX94.

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Smukowich OT Winner



Trent Cassan Post-Game
(Note the cheering section at the start!)

Terriers @ Klippers Game 5 / Is This The Line?

First off, embarrassing story, kind of.

I'll admit, I like Tim Horton's but I'm a Drive-Thru guy almost 100% of the time. But yesterday, I went to Lumsden for that Midget "AA" game, was at Regina by about 5:00, so had a little time to spare. So, I went into the Timmies on Victoria, the first one you come to with the Hotels and McDonalds close by.

Walking in, I see people lined up at the door, and I consider not going in, but keep walking, to find just three people, the third WAS at the door, the other two just in front, probably 20 feet from the till. I stop for a second, but think, 'NO WAY is this the lineup, why are they so far back?'

So, I strut up to the till, heard one of the three guys laugh, but thought, 'SURELY they're not laughing at me!'

Guy at the till looks up, 'Can I take your order?'

'Yeah, Large Ham & Swiss on brown, Apple Fritter, XL double-double.'

I get my coffee, get my donut, but while I'm waiting for my sandwich, the same guy at the till says 'I can help the next person.' And the guy from the front of that three person line WAY back there steps up to the till, got his coffee, whispered to his wife, pointed at me, smiled, so did she, and then I knew for sure. Ugggh... but I kept cool, straight face, sat down, ate my supper, and got out quick!

By time I left, the line grew to about 6+, and yeah, still no one was ANYWHERE NEAR the till. Am I THAT out of the loop? In Yorkton you're allowed to lineup at the till right? How bout McDonald's?

I'm sure there was a sign or something that said 'Lineup Here', but I was too embarrassed to check on my way out! I was very close to apologizing, but I couldn't remember what 3 people were in line. But just for the record, I am NOT, a BUTT-in-LINER! Totally accidental. I've given that 12-year-old girl the extra dollar she accidentally gave me back in my change before. Anyway, funny story looking back!

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Well, the Sherwood Conference Final won't end tonight, but the winner will put the other team on the ropes, and have a chance to move on to the Credit Union Cup with another victory in Yorkton for Game 6 on Sunday.

The Terriers handed the Klippers their first loss in regulation in Eston last time they were there, a 7-4 decision in Game 2.

Here's how the series has gone so far:

Yorkton 3 @ Kindersley 4 (OT)

Yorkton 7 @ Kindersley 4

Kindersley 2 @ Yorkton 3

Kindersley 3 @ Yorkton 2

Game 5 @ Eston tonight

Game 6 @ Yorkton Sunday

Game 7 @ Eston Tuesday *if nec

The Terriers have yet to lose back-to-back games in the playoffs, and have yet to lose by more that one goal in the post season (twice in reguation, twice in OT).

7:15 Pre Game Show, Play by Play at 7:30.

Mils Hold Spring Camp This Weekend

Melville Coach & GM Jamie Fiesel

Terriers & Millionaires Shut Out of Awards, All Stars

SJHL Player Of The Year
Dustin Stevenson, La Ronge Ice Wolves

1989 D Dustin Stevenson (Gull Lake SK) is the SJHL nominee for the CJHL Player Of The Year after a season in which he delivered 11-goals and 36-assists in 56-games while anchoring the Ice Wolves defense corps. Stevenson uses his 6’5” 220 lbs frame to play a Chris Pronger style of game and can dominate with his incredible gifted mix of size, strength, speed, and offensive instincts. The La Ronge captain is headed to St. Lawrence (NCAA Div I) this September.

Honorable Mention: Andrew Bodnarchuk, Humboldt Broncos

SJHL Most Valuable Player
Andrew Bodnarchuk, Humboldt Broncos

1990 G Andrew Bodnarchuk (Saskatoon SK) has been chosen as the most valuable player to his team as he backstopped the Broncos to an 18-14-and-6 record to go along with a 2.82-GAA and .916-SPCT. The Broncos were an offensively challenged team and relied on Bodnarchuk to keep them in games on many nights as he had eight starts in which he faced 39 or more shots in a game.

Honorable Mention: Kyle Ireland, Notre Dame Hounds

SJHL Top Defenseman
Mike Alexander, La Ronge Ice Wolves

1989 D Mike Alexander (Campbell River BC) led all SJHL blueliners in scoring with 12-goals and 42-assists in 56-games in being selected as the top player in the league at his position. Alexander, despite being best known for his offensive skills, is an extremely underrated defensive defenseman as he’s often employed in as many key situations defensively as he is offensively.

Honorable Mention: Andrew Perrault, Weyburn Red Wings

SJHL All 1st Team
Goal: Andrew Bodnarchuk, Humboldt
Defense: Dustin Stevenson, La Ronge
Defense: Mike Alexander, La Ronge
Centre: Travis Janke, Notre Dame
Right Wing: Jordan Braid, Kindersley
Left Wing: Andrew Dommett, Kindersley

SJHL All 2nd Team
Goal: AJ Whiffen, Weyburn
Defense: Andrew Perrault, Weyburn
Defense: Michael Young, Flin Flon
Centre: Chad Filteau, Battlefords
Right Wing: Brett Miller, Battlefords
Left Wing: Kyle Ireland, Notre Dame

Back on Even Terms

Klippers win 3-2 in Yorkton, tying Best-of-Seven Sherwood Final 2-2.

For the third time in the series, the Kindersley Klippers got on the board first, with Riley Down beat Devin Peters five-hole. The Terriers responded, and took the lead back, when Austin Bourhis sent a seeing-eye wrist shot to the back of the net on the powerplay for his first SJHL Playoff goal, and Cody Zubko converted a 3-on-1 passing play with 8 seconds left, and it was 2-1 Terriers after the first.

Kindersley's Steven Turner parked himself infront of Peters, and deflected a Kurt Leedahl point shot off the cross-bar and in, tying it 2-2 after two periods.

And, with 1:10 left in the third, Klipper centre Jordan Hoffman went straight ahead on an offensive zone faceoff, and put one in off the post for the 3-2 Klipper win.

Shots were 32-31 Yorkton, and Josh Thorimbers (30/32) got the win, while Peters (28/31) took the loss.

- Another good crowd, but I got a kick out of the fans BOOING the Terrier powerplay, which at the time was 50% (9-for-18) in the series! Yes, they did seem a little out of sync, failing to score on a lengthy 5-on-3 when the game was tied, and went 1/5 on the night. The Klippers were 1/3.

- Jordan Menke's a tough kid. Left the game after taking a nasty cut on the chin. He sprinted off the ice with trainer Riley Rice, and they called for Dr. Soumbasis to stitch him up. Menke maybe missed the first two minutes of the third period, and was probably their best player in the final frame.

- Nick Dietrich had his best game of the playoffs, picking up assists on both Terrier goals. He's worked his tail off all post season, and it was nice to see him get rewarded tonight. Nathan Murray took Riley Paterson's spot on that line, along with Kyle Miller. That's been the only lineup change of the series so far, as Paterson, Vick, Niebrandt and Lamontagne were the scratches.

- Game 5 Friday in Eston, Game 6 Sunday in Yorkton, both on GX94. The team's leaving (Thursday) for Rosetown, but I'll be driving up on game day, since we're doing Game 2 of the "AA" Midget League final tonight (THU) in Lumsden with the Yorkton Kinsmen Terriers.

- The La Ronge Ice Wolves are one win away from playing for the Credit Union Cup. Dustin Stevenson scored in overtime, completing a 3-point night for the big Ice Wolves defenseman, and La Ronge beat Battleford 4-3 (OT), to take a 3-1 series lead in the Best-of-Seven Bauer Conference Final.

Addition to Broadcast Schedule

Tomorrow (THU), we'll broadcast Game 2 of the South Sask Midget 'AA' Hockey League Championship as the Yorkton Kinsmen Terriers visit the Lumsden Lions.

Lumsden won Game 1 of the series, 5-4 in double overtime last (TUE) night in Yorkton, to lead the Best-of-Three series 1-0.

Our full broadcast schedule is available by clicking the GX94 icon in the top right-hand corner.

Terriers Take Series Lead

Three consecutive powerplay goals in the second period gave the Yorkton Terriers a 3-1 lead, and eventual 3-2 win over the Kindersley Klippers in Game 3 of the SJHL Sherwood Conference Final.

The Terriers now lead the series 2-games-to-one, with Game 4 tonight (WED) in Yorkton.

Adam Moar (2), Ryan Griffiths (4) and Rylan McDonell (7) scored the three PP goals, in a space of 4:19.

Andrew Dommett (4, 5) scored both Klipper goals, in the first and third periods.

Shots on goal ended up 32-16 for the Terriers.

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The La Ronge Ice Wolves are also up 2-1 in their Bauer Conference Final with Battleford, after a 5-4 home ice win on Tuesday. Game 4 also tonight (WED) in La Ronge.

Terriers Game Day / Evan Morden to WHL / NCAA Update

- Pre-Sale tickets as of yesterday were more than double what they were for the Weyburn series, as the Yorkton Terriers expect a full house tonight for Game 3 of the SJHL Sherwood Conference Final against Kindersley. The series is tied 1-1, after a 4-3 (OT) loss and a 7-4 win in Eston for the Terriers over the weekend. 7:30 starts tonight and tomorrow, with Pre Game Shows on GX94 starting at 7:15.

- Make some noise tonight! I was cleaning out an old bag/computer case that must have belonged to Terry Struthers, and remembered seeing a small bag with something orange and plastic in it. So, finally after close to three years, I opened it up, to find a pair of Terrier THUNDER STICKS! They've got Fox FM logos on them, as well as other sponsors, probably from their championship years. Just opened them yesterday. I think it'd be a tad unprofessional for me to use them. Any takers? Leave me a comment or I'll try to give them away at the rink tonight. Might put Donna Moore in charge of that, or just give them to my buddy Norm!

- MJHL Final starts Saturday in Winnipeg. Yes, in Winnipeg, and the Saints had 22 fewer points than the Dauphin Kings in the regular season, but the league flip-flops home ice advantage between the two divisions every year. Not sure I agree with the format, and the Kings gotta be a little choked after the season they've had, NOT TO have home ice in the final. I KIND OF agree, since Addison opponents play eachother 9 times, while Sherwood teams only see those same Addison opponents 4 times each, so really teams in either division have quite different schedules than the other. BUT, wouldn't it add to cross-divisional regular season games if home ice in the final was on the line. Infact Dauphin will have to win two series as the road team to go to the RBC through the front door, with the SJHL having home ice in this year's Anavet Cup. That also rotates every year, and THAT, I agree with 100%, with the two leagues playing two totally different schedules, infact the SJHL plays four fewer games, so to go by points would be ludicrious.

- I've asked around, IF it were to be a Yorkton/Dauphin Anavet Cup, if they'd still do the 2-3-2 format, and it sounds like they still would, despite the two cities being less than two hours apart. So games 1 and 2 will be in Saskatchewan, 3, 4, and 5 in Manitoba, and 6 and 7 in Saskatchewan.

- 16-year-old Swan Valley Stampeder Defenseman Evan Morden will join the WHL's Everett Silvertips this week for the rest of their playoff run. Morden doesn't expect to suit up in these playoffs, with the 'Tips already two games into the post season (up 2-0 on Kelowna), but looks forward to taking in the experince. I spoke to Evan yesterday about getting the call.

Evan Morden



- The NCAA Conference tournaments were held last weekend, and in the ECAC final, former Terrier Greg Coburn and the Union Dutchmen were up against former Wayway Wolverine Sean Collins and the Cornell Big Red in the final. Collins got the last laugh, with Cornell winning 3-0, advancing to the North East Regional tournament THIS weekend. That's one step short of the Frozen Four. Collins had some more details on Facebook.

Yes that's correct we beat Union 3-0 in the final. We play friday night against New Hampshire and if we win that game we will probably play Denver. The winner of that game would go to the Frozen Four.

In the CCHA tournament, ex-Terriers Michael Trebish and Justin Menke fell short of the West Regional Tournament with the Ferris State Bulldogs.

The Bemidji State Beavers have a chance to go back to the Frozen Four for a 2nd straight year. They're ranked #2 in the upcoming Midwest Regionals. One of the Beavers' top forwards this year was Swan Valley Stampeders all-time scoring leader Ian Lowe. Lowe led his team with 20g, and was 4th with 30p in 36 games this season. He piled up 308 points for Swan Valley in 4 seasons.

Lowe (pictured) was named a CCHA 2nd team All-Star this season.

Former Melville Millionaire goalie Travis Bosch is also at Bemidji, but didn't see action this year with the Beavers.

Monday Audio: Blaine Tendler, Guy Vestby, Josh Garbutt, Trent Cassan

Terriers' D-Men Blaine Tendler & Austin Bourhis
Blaine Tendler was named SJHL D-Man of the Week, talks about Conference Final. Also spoke with Tendler's defense partner Austin Bourhis. While I forgot to bring it up in the interview, Bourhis confirmed the pepperoni pizza on Saturday night was GREAT! (Inside Joke)



(Thanks for pluggin' the blog Blaine!)

Swan Valley GM Guy Vestby
Vestby reflects on the 2009-2010 season, thanks the fans, announces year-end banquet will be this Saturday, March 27.



Former Terrier Josh Garbutt
Garbutt led the Theodore Buffaloes to their 3rd straight Fishing Lake Hockey League championship over the weekend, with a 4 game sweep of the Kelvington Wheat Kings. After his days with the Terriers, Garbutt played a year at U of R, before a pro career that took him through the Central Hockey League, and across the pond in Europe. The interview can also be heard during the 2nd intermission of Tuesday's Game 3 of the Yorkton/Kindersley series.



**This week's Terrier Coach's Show with Trent Cassan can be found under the Coach's Show link.

Terriers' Tendler D-Man of the Week

SJHL DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK
Blaine Tendler, Yorkton Terriers

1990 D Blaine Tendler (Viceroy SK) picked up four assists in two games played against the Kindersley Klippers in the Sherwood Conference final. The series is tied at one game apiece after Tendler contributed three helpers in Saturday’s 7-4 victory in game two. Two of Tendler’s three assists came on the powerplay and he’s been a big factor for Yorkton’s powerplay resurgence, which was 4-for-6 in game two against the Klippers.Runners-up: Cody Folstad, Battlefords; Dustin Stevenson, La Ronge.

(Tendler's only 19, but his playoff beard puts him closer to 38... looks NOTHING like the above pic!)

Yorkton's Brent Struble was named a runner-up for SJHL Player of the Week. Struble scored three goals in the first two games of the Conference Final.

Series Tied!

Three Yorkton Terriers scored twice each, helping the Terriers to one of their biggest offensive outputs of the year, in a 7-4 victory in Eston Saturday night, evening their Best-of-Seven Sherwood Conference Final with Kindersley 1-1.

Yorkton never trailed in Game 2, as Troy Smukowich became the first SJHLer to hit double digits in goals in these playoffs, notching his 10th on a powerplay midway through the first period. It was possibly the prettiest goal of the night, as Clark Byczynski sent it along the blueline to Drew McDermott, who snapped it to the far post to Smukowich, who one-timed it on his off-wing. The Klippers tied it up just 44 seconds later, but Ryan Griffiths restored the Terriers' lead on another powerplay late in the opening frame, making it 2-1 Terriers after one.

Six goals came in the second period, four from the Terriers, and captain Cody Zubko wasted no time making it 3-1, just 57 seconds in. The Klippers then struck twice just 29 seconds apart to tie it right back up, before the Terriers got three quick ones. Zubko added another powerplay marker, Brent Struble got the eventual game winner, and Smukowich added his 2nd of the game and 11th of the playoffs, all within a span of 2:09.

The final frame was a lot less wide-open, but the Klippers added a powerplay goal with under 3 minutes left, before Struble rounded out the scoring with his 2nd of the game and 3rd of the series into an empty net for the 7-4 final.

The Terriers went 3-for-7 on the powerplay, the Klippers were 2-for-4.

Shots on goal were 37-30 in favour of Yorkton, who chased SJHL Rookie of the Year Josh Thorimbert, who allowed 5 goals on 26 shots. Scott Hellyer played the rest of the game, while Devin Peters stopped 26/30 for the Terriers.

With the Sherwood Final even at 1-1, the series shifts to Farrell Agencies Arena in Yorkton for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday, both at 7:30. Both games will be on GX94, with 7:15 Pre Game Shows, and every Terrier game for the rest of the playoffs will be on the air, with Yorkton being the last remaining Junior 'A' team in the area still alive in the post season.

Stamps' Comeback Falls Short, Season Over

The Dauphin Kings stormed out to a 3-0 second period lead, before Myles Stevens, Carter Selinger and Chris Reimer helped the Swan Valley Stampeders storm back and tie it up, but Mitch Czibere put the Kings back in front late in the 2nd, and that's how it would finish, 4-3 Kings, as the Stampeders lose the MJHL Sherwood Division Final in 5 games.

Plenty of Stampeder reaction to come in the next few days, but first off, I want to congratulate the Stamps on one of their best seasons in franchise history. MJHL Coach of the Year Dwayne Kirkup and GM Guy Vestby put a great product on the ice this season, and they'll graduate 9 great 20-year-olds, including goalie Jayme Janzen, and 6 impact forwards.

Also thanks to Fox FM's Ron Rimer and GX94's Clark Stork for making the trip to Dauphin and getting Game 5 of the series on the air... it was a lot of fun having two games on the radio last night, and we only missed about 20 minutes of game time of the Terrier game.

STAMPEDER GRADUATES

G- Jayme Janzen
D- Cody Straker
D- Kirk Mastad
D- Phillipe St. Laurent
F- Myles Stevens
F- Darcy Riddell
F- Chris Reimer
F- Carter Selinger
F- Jordan Sinclair

Terriers Drop Game 1 in OT / Saturday's Broadcast

The Klippers and Terriers traded goals back and forth all night, but it was Kindersley who scored the last one, taking their 4th and final lead of the game in overtime, when Kevin Clark forced a turnover at the Klipper blue line, and went the other way with Sanfred King on a short-handed 2-on-1.

Clark buried his first of the playoffs, giving the Klippers a 1-0 series lead in the SJHL Sherwood Final.

It was 1-0 Kindersley after one, but Yorkton rookie Riley Paterson notched his 3rd of the playoffs on a PP in the second, to tie it 1-1 through two periods.

Things opened up a little in the third. Jordan Braid gave the Klippers a 2-1 lead early on, but Brent Struble's 1st of the post season knotted things up at two. Braeden Adamyk then thought he had the winner with 3:35 to play, but Kevin Stringfellow spotted Rylan McDonell wide open infront with 1:30 remaining, McDonell's 6th of these playoffs to force overtime.

Shots were 34-31 Terriers, with SJHL Rookie of the Year Josh Thorimbert earning the win. Devin Peters made 27 saves in the loss, as the Terriers still have just one regulation loss in these playoffs, their two losses in overtime have both been short-handed goals against.

Yorkton's now 2-and-2 in overtime in the playoffs, 2-0 at home, 0-2 on the road, and have now gone to OT at least once in all three series.

Trent Cassan Post-Game



Game 2 goes tonight (SAT), 7:30 in Eston.

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Dan Conacher scored just 15 seconds into overtime, giving the La Ronge Ice Wolves a 5-4 OT win in Battleford and a 1-0 series lead. Doug Lindensmith led the Ice Wolves with a hat trick. Lots of local ties on that Ice Wolves team, with F Aaron Decorby and G Joel Danyluk, and also former Terrier trainer Ron Holloway helping out the La Ronge staff during the playoffs. Ron knows Bob Beatty through Danny McKay, a former (and now current, again) Assistant Coach with Yorkton. Danny also used to work with Beatty in La Ronge.

Game 2 of that series is also tonight in NB.

Aaaaaand, a quick peek at the rest of the Western Canadian out-of-town scoreboard...

MJHL
Dauphin Kings 2 @ Swan Valley Stampeders 3 (more info below)
(Kings lead series 3-1)
Winnipeg Saints 3 @ Winkler Flyers 2
(Saints win series 4-0, advance to MJHL final)

BCHL
Powell River Kings 4 @ Alberni Valley Bulldogs 3 (OT)
(Powell River leads Conf Final 1-0)
Penticton Vees 0 @ Vernon Vipers 6
(Vernon leads Conf Final 1-0)

AJHL (Both League semis start tonight)
Camrose Kodiaks @ Spruce Grove Saints
Fort MacMurray Oil Barons @ Okotoks Oilers

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As posted below, the Swan Valley Stampeders avoided elimination with a 3-2 win on home ice over the Dauphin Kings, and now trail the MJHL Sherwood Final 3-games-to-none.

The deal was, if Swan won to force Game 5 on the road tonight (SAT), that would be our feature broadcast, and Fox FM's Ron Rimer would have the call.

So that's how it's going to work. The Swan/Dauphin game can be heard in its entirety, starting at 7:30 MB time (6:30 in Saskatchewan). During the first intermission of that game, I'll probably run my Pre Game Show... Coaches Interviews, etc... then we'll go back to Dauphin for the 2nd period of that game. During the 2nd intermission in Dauphin, it'll go back to me for Play-by-Play of whatever stage the Terrier game is at (hopefully we're not also at intermission!).

Then, back to Dauphin for period 3... and then back to me for whatever's left (probably tail end of the 2nd period, and the entire third, barring overtime in Dauphin.)

So, it'll be different, but bear with us. I realize that when you try to make everyone happy (which we ARE trying!), you're often left with a lot of UNHAPPY people.

The Stamps & Terriers are both really good to us, and good to deal with for me, and both communities put a pile of advertising $$$ into the radio station, which includes having their games on the radio.

Why Swan over Yorkton this time? Because we did Yorkton last night, and it's Game 5 as opposed to Game 1. Just a refresher, same situation a week ago, we did Yorkton's Game 5 in Weyburn, instead of Swan Valley's Game 1 in Dauphin... so it's not like we're favouring anyone here.

Thanks for understanding... and here's hoping you hear two great hockey games tonight!

CS

Stamps Stay Alive!

MUST WATCH THIS VIDEO BEFORE CONTINUING
(Not Seriously!)

Chris Reimer scored twice and added one assist, Shelby Gray had a goal and two helpers, and the Swan Valley Stampeders won 3-2, handing the Dauphin Kings their first loss of the playoffs, while extending their own season. Myles Stevens added two assists as that line combined for 8 points.

The Stamps were out-shot 44-23, and Jayme Janzen made 42 saves, to keep his Junior career going. They were also short-handed 9 times, compared to the 3 PP's they got themselves (that's been the theme in the series).

Shane Luke and Zeanan Ziemer scored for Dauphin.

Game 5 goes tonight (SAT), 7:30 at Credit Union Place in Dauphin, and will be our featured broadcast on GX94. Coverage begins right at 7:30 (MB time), with Kinsmen Radio Bingo running right up until game time.

View From Eston

That's what the net to my right looks like in Eston!

Pre Game Skate in Rosetown

Actually a pretty good little rink. Boards and glass look recently updated, infact the glass around the end to my right might be HIGHER than league regulation. I'm sure the capacity is a lot bigger than Eston's rink, but I'm sure ice availability was a factor there, and it is a bit further from Kindersley-Rosetown, than Kindersley-Eston.

7:15 Pre Game Show tonight!

Front Page of Leader Post Sports Section...

Great article in this (THU) morning's Regina Leader Post about Terrier Goalie Luke Boechler. Click here to read it. (picture courtesy www.leaderpost.com)

More on the Terriers from the Leader Post...

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The Terriers arrived in Rosetown at about 9:30 Thursday night, after a stop in Saskatoon for supper. They'll skate Friday morning here in Rosetown, before making their way to Eston for Game 1 of the Sherwood Conference Final against the Kindersley Klippers.

GX94 Playoff Preview: (5) Terriers vs (3) Klippers - SJHL Sherwood Final

Yorkton (24-30-2-1) 51 pts @ Kindersley (31-21-3-3) 68 pts

How they got here:
Yorkton: Beat Melville 3-1 in Best-of-Five Survivor Series... knocked out the league-leading Weyburn Red Wings 4-1 in the Conference Semi.
Kindersley: Swept the 2nd place Notre Dame Hounds in their Conference Semi-Final.

REGULAR SEASON

Yorkton's Leaders
Points: Menke (44), Stringfellow (30), Stott (26) * in 36 GP
Goals: Menke (20), Stott (15), Stringfellow (11)
Assists: Menke (24), Strinfellow (19), Byczynski (15)
D-Man Points: Byczynski (22), Bourhis (21), McDermott/Tendler (8)
Rookie Points: Bourhis (21), Struble (19), Murray (14)

Kindersley's Leaders
Points: Andrew Dommett (60), Jordan Braid (57), Johnny Calkins (50)
Goals: Dommett (36), Braid (22), Braeden Adamyk (20), Taylor Duzan (19)
Assists: Braid (35), Calkins (33), Adamyk/Duzan/Steven Turner (27)
D-Man Points: Turner (34), Kurt Leedahl (17), John Sonntag (15)
Rookie Points: Jordon Hoffman (22), Beau Taylor (16), Sean Flanagan (12)

PLAYOFFS

Yorkton's Leaders (9 games)
Points: Smukowich (13), Zubko (11), McDonell (8)
Goals: Smukowich (9), McDonell (5), Zubko/Stringfellow (4)
Assists: Zubko (7), Byczynski (5), Menke, 5 others (4)
D-Man Points: Byczynski (7), McDermott (5), Bourhis (4)
Rookie Points: Bourhis (4), Struble (4), Paterson (3)

Kindersley's Leaders (4 games)
Points: Leedahl/Braid/Duzan (5), Calkins (4)
Goals: Duzan (3), Hoffman/King/Dommett (2)
Assists: Leedahl/Braid/Calkins (4)
D-Man Points: Leedahl (5), Braid (5)*, Turner (1)
*Braid moved back to defense late reg season/playoffs
Rookie Points: Hoffman (3), Exner (2), Down (1)

Season Series (6 games)
Kindersley: 4-1-0-1 (17 goals for)
Yorkton: 2-3-0-1 (10 goals for)

Oct/31 @ YOR: 6-2 KIN
Nov/25 @ KIN: 3-2 YOR (SO)
Jan/16 @ KIN (Eston): 2-1 KIN (SO)
Jan/17 @ KIN (Eston): 3-2 KIN
Feb/12 @ YOR: 4-1 KIN
Feb/14 @ YOR: 2-1 YOR

In Kindersley/Eston: Klippers 2-0-1, Terriers 1-1-0-1
In Yorkton: Klippers 2-1, Terriers 1-2

Head to Head Stats

Yorkton
McDonell 1g-2a-3p
Stringfellow 1g-2a-3p
Decker 2a
Griffiths 1g-1a-2p
Menke 2g
Moar 1g-1a-2p
Byczynski 2a

Kindersley
Dommett 5g-2a-7p
Duzan 3g-3a-6p
Calkins 3g-3a-6p
Braid 1g-4a-5p
Turner 4a
Adamyk 2g-1a-3p
Hoffman 2g-1a-3p

Between the Pipes
Smukowich and Zubko have been a big story up front, but Devin Peters deserves a lot of credit for the Terriers being where they are right now, losing just once in regulation in 9 playoff games. He's allowed 3 goals or less in each of his last 8 games. Peters was the SJHL Rookie Team goalie last year, and he's up against this year's OVERALL Rookie of the Year in Kindersley's Josh Thorimbert. The 17-year-old has shown no signs of fatigue from carrying the mail, and no signs of playoff jitters (see numbers below).

Yorkton (Regular Season)
#29 Devin Peters 17-17-1-0, 2.97 GAA, .897%, 1 SO
*#30 Luke Boechler 4-7-2-1, 2.77 GAA, .907%, 3 SO
#35 Warren Shymko 0-2, 4.03 GAA, .862%

Peters vs KIN (Reg season)
2-2, 2.46 GAA, .919%

Peters in Playoffs
7-2, 2.09 GAA, .933%

Kindersley (Regular Season)
#31 Josh Thorimbert 26-14-2-2, 2.66 GAA, .917%, 1 SO
#30 Scott Hellyer 2-2, 3.93 GAA, .888%
*vs Yorkton, Hellyer was 1-1, 2.02, .951

Thorimbert vs YOR
3-0-1, 1.44 GAA, .946%

Thorimbert in Playoffs (vs ND)
4-0, 2.00 GAA, .934% 1 SO

*Tried searching for a bad number in Thorimbert's stats... still looking... !

Special Teams
Yorkton
Reg Season PP: 14.8% (12th)
PP vs KIN: 4/32 (12.5%) (Kin PK=87.5%)
Reg Season PK: 84.9% (3rd)
Playoff PP: 16.1% (5th)
Playoff PK: 84.4% (6th)

Kindersley
Reg Season PP: 18.9% (6th)
PP vs YOR: 6/26 (23.1%) (Yor PK=76.9%)
Reg Season PK: 80.4% (8th)
Playoff PP: 10.5% (8th)
Playoff PK: 80% (8th)

My thoughts
Let's face it. NO ONE predicted a Yorkton/Kindersley South Final.... but it's an intriguing matchup. The Terriers are flying high, discovering some offense. They're laying it on the line, and remember their teammate Luke Boechler, who's listening to these playoffs online (I'm sure watching WHEN possible, I'm not offended Luke!) from the Pasqua Hospital in Regina. Troy Smukowich has been red-hot, and the Terriers are even getting some offense from their defense-first blue line in these playoffs. They're averaging nearly 4 goals per game in the playoffs. For Kindersley, Andrew Dommett was held, by his standards, in check in Round 1 vs ND, with just 2 points (both goals), but he could be a sleeping giant. Dommett tied for the regular season lead with 36 goals, and his line, with Calkins and Adamyk was outstanding against Yorkton in the regular season. This series could come down to goaltending. Does Thorimbert continue to prove critics (who think a 17 year old can't lead a team to the promised land) wrong? The recently-named SJHL Rookie of the Year believes he can, and so do his teammates and coaches. Another factor is the Eston rink. The Klippers have a near-perfect home record since moving their games there after the devasting fire that severly damaged the West Central Events Centre in Kindersley. It's a small ice surface, and things happen fast. I only saw one game there in the regular season with Melville, and the Mils went into Eston riding a 9 game winning streak, and frankly looked a little uncomfortable with their surroundings. Yorkton's played there twice, and lost 2-1 (SO) and 3-2 back in mid-January. Rookie Head Coach Trent Cassan goes up against yet another wiley veteran in Larry Wintoneak, but after leading the Terriers to series wins over Jamie Fiesel's Melville Millionaires, and Hall of Famer Dwight McMillan and the Weyburn Red Wings, I think it's fair to say age and experience are only numbers, and the only number that matters this time of year is 4.

First one to 4.

Pre-Series Thoughts F with Kyle Miller, F Troy Smukowich and D Kurtis Decker:

Stamps Flirting With Elimination After 12-2 Drubbing

Five Dauphin Kings had multiple goal games, and the Kings erupted with a 12-2 win over the Swan Valley Stampeders Wednesday night.

Devin Mitzner (3g, 1a), Mitch Czibere (2g), Zeanan Ziemer (2g), Troy Hunter (2g), Shane Luke (2g) and Bryce Lamb (1g, 3a) did the scoring, while every Dauphin King aside from tough guys Justin Michaud and Travis Cech had at least one point.

Shots on goal were 53-28 for Dauphin, and Jayme Janzen played the first two periods, allowing 9 goals on 41 shots, while Caden Unger allowed 3 goals on 12 third period shots. But, again, most of these goals were a) breakaways, b) odd-man rushes, c) wide-open in the slot, d) rebounds not a lot of help in the Stampeder zone.

A small silver lining for the Stamps? Their top line got on the board for the first time in the series, when Shelby Gray and Myles Stevens set up Chris Reimer for his 4th of the playoffs. That was also a powerplay goal, the first of the series for the Stampeders. Carter Selinger also scored, his 2nd in as many games, and 4th of these playoffs. Dauphin's powerplay went 4/8 on the night, they also scored once short-handed, and managed 7 even strength goals.

Swan Valley needs a home ice win tomorrow (FRI) at the Centennial Arena to prolong their season.

Down 3-0 or 2-1?

The Swan Valley Stampeders are in the closest thing to a must-win situation without actually being in one tonight.

After a pair of 5-2 losses over the weekend to go down 2-games-to-none to the league-leading Dauphin Kings, Stamps' GM Guy Vestby says a 3-0 deficit is a place they sure don't wanna be.

"No, we certainly don't. We're still optimistic. Yes, we've lost two games, but I don't think we've played our best in this series yet. Our guys are committed to getting back to their winning ways and putting a full 60 minutes in. We just need to play OUR game, not (Dauphin's), and be disciplined. We weren't disciplined in Game 2, our guys lost control, and our powerplay's been dismal in the playoffs. If we can correct those things, I think we have a chance."

Swan Valley's powerplay is 0/9 in this series, and 8.6% in these playoffs.

Tonight's Game 3 of the MJHL Sherwood Final's on GX94, starting at 7:15 with the Pre Game Show... Play by Play at 7:30 Manitoba time.

Last night, the Winnipeg Saints took a 3-0 stranglehold on the Winkler Flyers in the Addison Division final, erasing a 3-1 third period deficit to beat the Flyers 4-3 in overtime.
Craig Simchuk potted the winner, and Simchuk and Blake Chartier led the Saints, both with a goal and 2 assists.

Upcoming Broadcast Schedule

Much like last weekend, this Friday and Saturday, there's the potential of having the Yorkton Terriers and Swan Valley Stampeders BOTH playing in their respective series, and in this case they're both Conference/Division Finals.

Tonight (WED), we've got Game 3 of Swan Valley in Dauphin (Kings lead series 2-0). That's a given, and if you're in Saskatchewan, note the time change, Pre Game Show at 6:15 SK Time, Play by Play at 6:30 (7:15/7:30 MB Time).

As mentioned it gets complicated this weekend, and here's the dealio.

Friday
Game 1 Yorkton @ Kindersley / Game 4 Dauphin @ Swan Valley.

Because it's a road game for the Terriers, and a home game for Swan, we'll be doing Yorkton/Kindersley in its entirety (7:15/7:30 GX94).

Saturday
Game 2 Yorkton @ Kindersley / Game 5 Swan Valley @ Dauphin * IF NECESSARY

If Swan Valley wins Game 3 and/or Game 4 to force a 5th game on Saturday, THAT will be our featured game on GX94 that night. I'm going with the Terriers to Eston, we leave Thursday afternoon, so if there's a Game 5 in the Swan/Dauphin series, Fox FM's Ron Rimer will have the call on GX, from start to finish. I'll do the Play-by-Play from Eston during the intermissions of the MJHL game, AND have the conclusion when it's done. PLUS, keep in mind the MJHL game is an hour earlier, which means, provided there's no overtime, we'll have for sure the whole third period from Eston, and probably a good chunk of the 2nd.

But, of course if Dauphin sweeps the series, we'd have Yorkton @ Kindersley Game 2 from start to finish.

Clear as mud?

If Swan/Dauphin goes to Game 6, we'll have that Game Monday, we'll do Kindersley @ Yorkton Game 3 Tuesday. Wednesday, if there's Swan @ Dauphin Game 7, we'd do that one over Kindersley @ Yorkton Game 4. If not, we'll have all those Yorkton games on the air.

Won't even start talking about an MJHL Final right now (it would start Friday) as that would further complicate things (with Yorkton/Kindersley playing Games 5 and 6 next Fri/Sun). We'll cross that bridge when/if the Stampeders get there.

Clicking on our broadcast schedule in the top right corner might make things a little easier!

Alumni Watch: Greg Coburn, Yorkton

Coburn's having an outstanding rookie season of NCAA Division I Hockey with the Union Dutchmen. The day I talked to him (Fri/Mar/12), he was part of the longest hockey game in NCAA history, losing 3-2 in 5OT to Quinnipiac. However Coburn and the Dutchmen came back to win 3-1 the next night, and 2-1 in the deciding third game to extend their post season. (Scroll down for more info on that.



Coburn Season Stats

Alumni Watch: Derek Serdachny, Yorkton

Thanks to a baffling voting system, Serdachny's first season of NCAA hockey with the Manhattanville Valiants ended much sooner than he thought. Serdachny covers his freshman season, explains why they're not moving on in playoffs, and reflects on his four years as a Terrier in this lengthy chat.



Serdachny Season Stats

Alumni Update: Matt Kinnunen, Melville

I spoke with Kinnunen on Tuesday, March 15th. As of now, he's back home in Calgary, but is hoping to land a minor pro contract, possibly in the IHL. Kinnunen shared the Mils' MVP award with Logan Herauf this season.

Alumni Update: Justin Giesbrecht, Swan Valley

Giesbrecht played over a full season in Swan Valley, and actually finished his Junior career in Yorkton. He just finished his first season of Canadian College hockey with Briercrest College in Caronport, SK, and is hoping to land at either the University of Manitoba, or in the NCAA next season.

Alumni Update: Stephan Vigier, Swan Valley

This interview was done the day the Stampeders hosted Portage for Game 2 of their playoff series. Vigier lead the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers in goals and points as his team continues their push for a playoff spot down the stretch.



Vigier's Season Stats

SJHL Goalie of the Week: Devin Peters

(From www.sjhl.ca)

Yorkton's Devin Peters continues to set the pace in the playoffs for all SJHL puck stoppers. Peters stonewalled the top seeded Weyburn Red Wings to the tune of 2-1, 1.51 GAA, .947% (in the last week). One of those wins came in overtime, which allowed the Terriers to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in their Best-of-Seven.

OFFICIAL Yorkton/Kindersley Dates

Game 1: Fri/Mar/19 @ Eston

Game 2: Sat/Mar/20 @ Eston

Game 3: Tue/Mar/23 @ Yorkton

Game 4: Wed/Mar/24 @ Yorkton

Game 5: Fri/Mar/26 @ Eston*

Game 6: Sun/Mar/28 @ Yorkton*

Game 7: Tue/Mar/30 @ Eston*

- All games are 7:30 starts

Coburn, Union Moving On in ECAC Playoffs

Back on Friday afternoon, I chatted with former Yorkton Terrier D Greg Coburn, and ran the interview during my second intermission in Weyburn that night.

Coburn and the Union Dutchmen were set to square off in their first playoff round against Quinnipiac starting that night, but little did either us of know they'd be playing in the longest hockey game in NCAA History!

Union took an early 2-0 lead in the first period, but Quinnipiac battled back to force OT.

And, it took FIVE overtimes to delare a winner, and at about the midway point of period EIGHT, Quinnipiac completed the comeback, despite being out-shot 75-55 by Union, and took a 1-0 series lead.

Story about the longest NCAA Game, and highlights

BUT, Coburn and the Dutchmen won Game 2 on Saturday 3-1, and then the third and deciding game of the Best-of-Three 2-1 yesterday (SUN), to advance and face 5th ranked St. Lawerence.

Union Makes History, Advances to ECAC Championship Weekend

Local Results From MB Hockey Provincials

(March 12-14)

Midget 'AA' in Flin Flon
Swan River: Won BRONZE 6-1 over Thompson

Midget 'D' in Treherne
Waywayseecappo: Won BRONZE 9-2 over Pineview

Pee Wee 'AA' in Dauphin
Swan River: Lost Bronze 5-1 to Morden

Pee Wee Rural City 'A' in Steinbach
Swan River: Lost Consolation Final 9-5 to Dauphin.

Pee Wee 'A' in Carman
Grand Plains: Won Consolation Final 8-1 over Brandon.

Pee Wee 'B' in Neepawa
Russell: Won GOLD over Strathclair/Hamiota SILVER 4-1
Virden: Won BRONZE over Beausejour 4-2

Pee Wee 'D' in Birtle
Foxwarren: Won SILVER, losing in final 6-3 to Swan Lake
Roblin: Lost in Quarter-Final

Female Bantam 'B' in Morden
Foxwarren: Won SILVER, losing to Treherne 5-2 in the final.
Swan River: Went 0-3 in Round Robin.

Female Atom 'B' in Deloraine
Grand Plains: Had a loss and 2 ties in the round robin, missed playoffs.

SJHL's Final Four

We've known since Friday the Yorkton Terriers will face the Kindersley Klippers in the Sherwood Final, while both the La Ronge Ice Wolves and Battlefords North Stars advanced to the Bauer Final with home ice wins on Sunday night.

In the four Conference Semis, the North Stars were the only higher seed to win their Best-of-Seven, and they did it with a 7-4 win in Game 5 against Melfort. La Ronge survived a scare from the Flin Flon Bombers, and won Game 6 3-1 on home ice. After storming out to a 3-0 series lead against the first place Bombers, Flin Flon won back to back overtime games to force Game 6.

Neither first place seed will see the final four, with Weyburn and Flin Flon both bowing out in Round 1.

Sherwood Conference Final
3) Kindersley Klippers VS 5) Yorkton Terriers

Bauer Conference Final
2) Battlefords North Stars VS 4) La Ronge Ice Wolves

Now, I BELIEVE this is the first time BOTH Survivor Series winners have advanced to the Conference Finals... if someone who's been around the league longer than I can confirm or deny that'd be great.

Could you imagine, if one, or BOTH went on to the Credit Union Cup Final???

If neither does, well... it's a Battleford-Kindersley final. Wow! How would the Western part of the province feel if those two bitter rivals hooked up for all the marbles and a berth in the Avavet?

It's just getting started folks!

And by the way... Yorkton's in Eston to face the Klippers for sure this Friday & Saturday. The remaining dates aren't known YET, but should be by Monday morning.

Stamps in a 2-0 Hole

For a second straight night, the Dauphin Kings defeated the Swan Valley Stampeders 5-2, to take a 2-0 series lead in their Best-of-Seven MJHL Sherwood Division Final.

Swan Valley was out-shot 33-17 on the night.

Carter Selinger opened the scoring, giving the Stamps their first lead of the series just 3:35 in, but a 4-minute high sticking penalty, followed shortly by a 2-minute high sticking penalty to Swan resulted in back to back 5-on-3 goals for Dauphin, and the Kings led 2-1 after one.

They made it 3-1 early in the 2nd, before Jordan Sinclair got the Stamps back to within one with his second goal in as many nights. The Kings would tack on two more, and just like Game 1, all the scoring was done by roughly the midway point of the game, and the teams played to a scoreless third.

Steven Shamanski had 2 goals, while Bryce Lamb, Shane Luke and Devin Mitzner had the others.

Goalies
DAU Joe Caligiuri 15/17
SV Jayme Janzen 28/33

PP
DAU 3/8
SV 0/4 (0/9 in series)

Terriers Off to the Sherwood Conference Final!

A Troy Smukowich hat-trick and yet another stellar goaltending performance by Devin Peters lifted the Yorkton Terriers to a 6-1 win over the Weyburn Red Wings in Game Five, and a 4-1 series victory in the Conference Semi.

Smukowich scored both of Yorkton's two first period goals, one of which was on the powerplay, and the Terriers led 2-0 after one period.

Exactly 3:00 into the second, Cody Zubko whipped a wrist shot over the blocker of A.J. Whiffen from just inside the blueline, which lifted Whiffen, after he allowed 3 goals on 15 shots. Tanner Erickson came in the rest of the way, and quickly made an outstanding save, going to post to post to rob Torey Stott with his pad. Rylan McDonell added his 5th of the playoffs shortly after on another powerplay, and it was 4-0 through two.

They would add two more in the third to put things away. Clarke Byczynski hammered a slapshot high blocker side on Erickson on another powerplay (Terriers went 3/8 on the PP), before Smukowich completed the hat trick. Troy was robbed by Erickson just minutes later when he looked like he had an easy 4th of the night, and really, could have had 5 or 6! Smukowich put up 6g-1a-7p in the 5 game series, and continues to lead the SJHL playoffs in goals and points, with 9g-4a-13p in 9 games.

Also want to give some special recognition to the defense pairing of Byczynski (1g-2a) and Drew McDermott (2a). They were a huge offensive threat together tonight, so much so that I split my third star of the game between them!

On the 32nd and final shot of the game, Weyburn's Drew George beat Devin Peters (31/32) on a late powerplay to make the final Terriers 6, Red Wings 1.

The fifth place Yorkton Terriers will face the third place Kindersley Klippers in the Sherwood Final. Whooda thunk it??? The series will most likely go Friday/Saturday in Eston, then maybe Tuesday/Wednesday in Yorkton, but those dates have yet to be confirmed.

I really do feel for the Wings, especially a guy like A.J. Whiffen. Rookie of the Year two years ago, Goalie of the Year this year, and ended up watching most of his final Jr 'A' game from the bench. Rhett Bly... what a career this young man had, and Merrimack College will get a good player in their program next year with him. I've never met Bly, but he just seems like a really nice kid, works hard, and isn't one of those 'me guys', you sometimes come across in offensive forwards. Andrew Perrault... not sure I've seen a more improved player in my 3 years here. His game has taken off the last year and a half, and he became likely a Top-5 defenseman in this league.

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

(Devin Peters on our post-game show... what a series for the Terrier Tender! 4-1, 1.81 GAA, .939%... since a 5-4 OT loss in Game 1 of the Survivor Series in Melville, the Terriers have gone 8 games without giving up more than 3 goals in a game, allowing one goal three times, two goals three times, and three goals twice.)

Post Game Audio with Peters/Trent Cassan

Comfiest Press Box in the SJHL? Weyburn.

Nick Dietrich (texting, awake), Keon Vick (down for the count), John Niebrandt (also sawing logs), Justin Lamontagne (inventing a couch extension).

Don't worry, this was a good HOUR before game time!

Coburn On 2nd Intermission Tonight

If you're tuning into tonight's Yorkton-Weyburn broadcast, don't miss the 2nd intermission where I catch up with former Yorkton Terrier Defenseman Greg Coburn.

Coburn's having a banner year as a Freshman with the Union College Dutchmen in New York State.

The Dutchmen start their playoffs tonight against Quinnipac, a Best-of-Three series, after receiving a first round bye for finishing top-4 in the 12-team conference.

Coburn had 2g-14a-16p in 29 regular season games this season, and is second on the team in points among defensemen. Keep in mind, he's a rookie, playing against guys as old as 25, and it's NCAA Division I hockey. Impressive stuff.

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

Millionaires' Banquet Pics

SWAN VALLEY-DAUPHIN PREVIEW POSTED BELOW

(Back row L-R: Rakochy, Desjarlais, Rogoschewsky, Herauf, Gross, Melnychuk, Hollinger)
(Front row L-R: Reeve, Krahenbil, Jordan, Kinnunen)

(Matt Kinnunen & Logan Herauf were named Co-MVP's)

(The 20's: Kinner, Kranny, Wiens, MJ, Gross, Melly, Reever)

They look human again! No more playoff hair! All pics taken and emailed by Cecile Halyk.

Full list of awards/winners

GX94 Playoff Preview: (3) Stamps vs (1) Kings - MJHL Sherwood Final

Swan Valley (34-22-2-4) 74 pts @ Dauphin (50-11-1-0) 101 pts

How They Got Here
Swan: Finished 3rd and upset the 2nd place Portage Terriers in 5 games in Round 1.
Dauphin: Finished 1st in the league and swept 4th place Neepawa in the first round.

Swan Valley Leaders (Regular Season)
Points: Stevens (78), Marshall (76), Reimer (61)
Goals: Marshall (38), Reimer (37), Stevens (27)
Assists: Stevens (51), Marshall/D.Riddell (38), Reimer/Selinger (35)
D-Man Points: Wilson (42), Bonar (39), Straker (23)
Rookie Points: Evan Morden (15), Brendan Mitchell (4), J. Riddell (3)

Swan Valley Leaders (Playoffs)
Stevens 4g-5a-9p (in 5 games)
Marshall 3g-4a-7p
Gray 2g-4a-6p
Reimer 3g-2a-5p
Selinger 2g-2a-4p
D-Man: Straker 3a (in 3 games)

Dauphin Leaders
Points: Shane Luke (101), Ryan Dreger (99), Bryce Lamb (89)
Goals: Dreger (53), Lamb (38), Luke (29)
Assists: Luke (72), Steven Shamanski (52), Lamb/Zeimer (51)
D-Man Points: Shamanski (71), Patrick Kozyra (32), Matt Backhouse (24)
*Shamanski played forward a lot down the stretch for Dauphin, but when on the blueline is arguably tops in the league*
Rookie Points: Backhouse (24), Tyler Gaudry (12)

Dauphin Leaders (Playoffs)
Ziemer: 3g-4a-7p (4 games)
Shamanski: 2g-5a-7p
Lamb: 4g-2a-6p
Dreger: 1g-4a-5p
Luke: 2g-3a-5p

Season Series
Swan Valley: 4-4-0-0 (35 goals for)
Dauphin: 4-4-0-0 (37 goals for)

Oct/7 @ SV: 3-2 DAU
Nov/18 @ SV: 7-4 SV
Nov/25 @ SV: 5-2 SV
Dec/9 @ DAU: 5-3 DAU (empty net)
Jan/2 @ SV: 6-1 SV
Jan/8 @ DAU: 5-4 SV
Feb/9 @ DAU: 9-3 DAU
Feb/20 @ DAU: 9-4 DAU

@ Dauphin: Kings 3-1, Stamps 1-3
@ Swan: Stamps 3-1, Kings 1-3

The first three games that I saw in this season series, the 3-2 Dauphin win, the 5-3 Dauphin win, and the 5-4 Swan win in Dauphin, were three of THE BEST games I've seen in either league this season. Up-tempo, back and forth, and great goaltending. Here's hoping this Best-of-Seven features all of the above. Most game were close, but each team had their turn owning the opposition on home ice, looking at the 5-2 and 6-1 Stampeder wins, and the 9-3 and 9-4 Dauphin victories in the final two meetings. That's somewhat of a concern to the Stamps, since they were blown out in the only two games after the January 10th roster freeze, where the Kings added a few final pieces.

Head-to-Head Stats

Swan Valley
Marshall 6g-7a-13p
Stevens 4g-7a-11p (7 games)
Reimer 6g-4a-10p
Gray 3g-6a-9p (6 games)
Selinger 4g-5a-9p
D. Riddell 3g-6a-9p
Wilson 3g-2a-5p (5 games)

Dauphin
Shamanski 2g-13a-15p
Luke 7g-8a-15p
Dreger 9g-5a-14p
Czibere 3g-6a-9p (7 games)
Ziemer 2g-4a-6p (4 games)

*Interesting to note, while Luke & Dreger combined for 16 goals and 29 points against Swan, their other linemate Lamb scored just once and had 5 points.

Between the Pipes
For Swan, it's Jayme Janzen's ball to run with, while Dauphin has two veterans in Joe Caligiuri and Brett Willows, who nearly split the load during the season. Caligiuri's the 20 year old, a former Western Leaguer, and was brought in to be their guy and lead them into the RBC. And, after playing all four games against Neepawa in Round 1, one would only assume it's his gig against the Stampeders, but IF things don't go well, or there's an injury, I think Marlin Murray would be confident that Willows could step in and not miss a beat.

Swan Valley
#29 Jayme Janzen: 15-17-0-3, 3.33 GAA, .907% (SV/Wayway)
#33 Caden Unger: 9-2-1-2, 2.92 GAA, .902%, 1 SO

Janzen in playoffs: 4-1, 2.32 GAA, .920%

Janzen vs DAU (w/ Swan): 2-2, 4.27 GAA, .904%

Dauphin
#35 Joe Caligiuri: 29-6-1-0, 2.59 GAA, .909%, 1 SO
#29 Brett Willows: 21-5-0-0, 2.80 GAA, .906%, 2 SO

Caligiuri in playoffs: 4-0, 1.50 GAA, .936%

Caligiuri vs SV: 3-2, 3.75 GAA, .876%
Willows vs SV: 1-2, 5.63 GAA, .826%

Special Teams

Swan Valley
Reg Season PP: 24.2% (3rd)
Playoff PP: 11.5%
Reg Season PK: 78.2% (8th)
Playoff PK: 89.3%

Swan's PP vs DAU: 6/44= 13.6% (Kings' PK 86.4%)

Dauphin
Reg Season PP: 24.3% (2nd)
Playoff PP: 18.2%
Reg Season PK: 88.6% (1st)
Playoff PK: 88.2%

Dauphin's PP vs SV: 8/33= 24.2% (Stamps' PK 75.8%)

For the Stampeders to upset the league leaders, heavy favourites and RBC hosts, they'll need to:

- Stay out of the box. By the head to head special teams numbers, if it becomes a penalty parade, it's advantage Dauphin. While the two teams had two of the top three powerplay units in the regular season, the Stampeders' penalty kill was in the bottom half of the league, and they can't afford to give Dauphin chances.

- Get their powerplay back on track. Yes, 3rd best in the regular season, but a sore spot against Portage in Round 1. They managed to win Game Five 6-1 in Portage, while going 0/11 on the man advantage, and were just over 11% in the series. If the Kings give the Stamps near as many chances with the PP as Portage did, they need to make them pay.

- Find some secondary scoring. Lines 3 and 4 don't have to score AS OFTEN as lines 1 and 2, but a big goal here or there would take a huge load of the Stampeders' top six forwards. They scored 18 goals against Portage, all of which came from forwards, and 16 of them were from the top two lines. Stevens/Gray/Reimer had 9, Marshall/Riddell/Selinger had 7, while the other two lines scored once each (Jeff Peel & Connor Pennell). Dauphin has four lines who can score, so the Stampeders, who are maybe the 2nd deepest team up front in the league only to the Kings, will have to dig deep, and at the very least have Peel's line and Pennell's line play even (+/-) hockey against a 'so-called' Kings 3rd line that could feature someone like Devin Mitzner or Troy Hunter or Colton Graf.

Same goes for the Stamps' blueline. While priority #1 is keeping pucks out and containing Dauphin's quick forwards, their defenseman were held goal-less against Portage, and they've got the horses back there who can contribute, with the likes of Bonar, Wilson and Straker especially. Those are probably the only three who are SHOE-INS to be in the lineup every night, with the Stamps having no less than 8 very capable defenseman who can play. 16-year-old Evan Morden earned his way into the lineup, replacing Cody Straker vs Portage during his suspension, and Coach Kirkup couldn't take him out. Dylan Trowell and Phillipe St. Laurent each took a turn sitting in the final two games of the series. Kirk Mastad's played in every game so far and has been steady, and has shown the ability to jump up in the play on occassion. Rookie Brendan Mitchell hasn't played in the playoffs, but I know Kirkup's a big fan of his, and would love to get him in sometime at forward or defense. Nice problem to have, with capable guys in the press box chomping at the bit.

- Shoot the puck! Again, Caligiuri and Willows are both great goalies, but for the amount of wins and low GAA's they have, their save percentages are good, but not great (both under .910). Swan will need 30+ shots to win, and these goalies haven't seen that many very often, with approximately 5 goals of support per game each. Dauphin out-shot their opponents in 47 of the 62 games they played in. They DID win 50 afterall!

*Stamps scored 5 goals or more in each of their 4 wins against Dauphin.

- Have Jayme Janzen go save for save (or more) with Joe Caligiuri. Janzen's a laid back, quietly confident goalie, who's looking forward to the challenge. He was very good against Portage, and aside from Game 2, wasn't forced to STEAL a game. He certainly did steal Game 2, making an out-of-this-world glove save while on the PK in overtime, just minutes before Chris Reimer scored to give them the 2-1 win, and 2-0 series lead. He just might have to steal one, or two, for the Stampeders to have a chance.

- Win a game in Dauphin's rink (OBVIOUSLY). As the lower seed, the Stamps will play a maximum of three games in their own rink, which means they have to win at least once at Credit Union Place in Dauphin. One of the greatest games you'll see at the Junior 'A' level was back on January 8th, when the Stamps won 5-4 in Dauphin, after the Kings started the season with 20 straight wins on home ice. They ended the season 28-and-2 at CUP, so a road victory there for anyone is a tall order.

This one should be a beauty!

Game 1 tonight (FRI) won't be on GX94 (we're in Weyburn for Yorkton's Game 5 vs the Wings), but if you can't make it Dauphin, tune into Voice of the Kings Kevin Jeffery on 730 CKDM, or 730ckdm.com.

Games 2 (SAT) and 3 (WED) for sure will be on GX94 (http://www.gx94radio.com/) , and that's all we know for sure right now.