NEUGSIE’S AROUND THE RINKS

By: Jamie Neugebauer
Voice of the ND Hounds/DUBNetwork MJ Warriors Beat Writer

1. Showcase!: What a blast at the SJHL Showcase this week in Warman! Rory and I called six games and compiled three SJ at Noon Shows, but while the work was a blast, the schmoozing and meeting up with people I haven’t seen in a while is the best. The coaches, staffs, and fans of this league are incredible, kind, and generous people to a man and woman, and I am very proud to be a part of this community! Hope if you tuned in, you enjoyed it!
2. SJ legends: SJHL President Bill Chow, deputy chief Logan Fraser, and Communications guru Tanner Goetz, Jacob Faith, and the crew are all incredible. Such a group of hard-workers! They do everything they can to keep this great league ticking for all of us, so if you run into one this year, make sure you say thanks for what you do! So great to be back after the forced long Pandemic pause.
3. Hounds are flying: I’ll be honest: when the Notre Dame Hounds Junior A is winning the food tastes better, the sun shines brighter, the fist bumps are bumpier. Three wins in a row for Brett Pilkington’s men are well-deserved at the time of writing, and I’m pretty proud of this group of young men for sticking with the process this early time of the year despite a three-game skid to start the campaign. The Kevin Anderson, Connor Nolan, Elliot Dutil line is doing a lot of the damage on the board, but the compete-level and the important contributions all over the ice from up and down the lineup have been awesome to see. I said it on the broadcast during the Hounds’ win over the Nipawin Hawks: there might be people that block shots in the league as well as defenceman Trey Taylor, but there is absolutely nobody who does it better. He is as brave and willing to block shots as any player I’ve ever seen at any level. 
4. A couple of great dudes: I’ve never minded pointing it out when I’ve looked silly, and I looked pretty silly on the ND bus home from Kindersley at 3 am last Thursday emptying my bags over and over looking for my keys. Turns out they were at the hotel in North Battleford, and they couldn’t even start the process of mailing them to me until the next Monday. Instantly, at 3:30 am after a long road trip after two games in less than 24 hours, Taylor and Connor Nolan offered to drive me home to Regina from Wilcox, and I very gratefully accepted! What a group of human beings the Hounds are! Also, shout out to Battlefords North Stars assistant coach Gary Childerhose for agreeing to grab the keys from the hotel and handing them to me at the Showcase! Classic Jamie situation.
5. Love those Ice: In WHL action, did anyone see the Winnipeg ICE demolishing the Brandon Wheat Kings twice, with a combined score of 17-3 over the two games to start the year? Wow! Embarrassing for the Wheaties. Those ICE are awesome to watch, with a stable of young talent, but Brandon isn’t supposed to be bad! Wild.
6. The Ice Wolves way: Back in the SJ and how about those La Ronge Ice Wolves? They were 1-4 heading into the Showcase, and they beat the previously undefeated Estevan Bruins in a wild one Tuesday afternoon 5-2. To get veteran goaltender Xavier Cannon back is clearly enormous for them, and how about this Cannon stat: La Ronge is 14-1-1 the last 16 times he’s played regular-season games for them. Nolan Doell is just sick upfront.
7. Apud: Had a pretty neat interview with La Ronge forward Alejandro Apud this past week, which you can find here: https://www.sjhl.ca/ice-wolves-apud-brings-mexican-flavour-to-saskatchewans-north. Apud is a 20-year-old from Mexico, and has already been extended the offer to play for the full Mexican men’s national team at their World Championship in Iceland in the new year! Check it out. Great kid.
8. Babs: What a treat to interview Mike Babcock on SJ at Noon, coming out Wednesday at noon on the SJHL’s Facebook page. Was a gent with Rory and me, and genuinely seems on fire to coach the UofS Huskies. Please check that out too!
9. Boo Jays: Jays are done. Boo. Just goes to show: losses early in the year count the same as losses late in the year. A bad bullpen early in the year is just as big of a problem as a bad bullpen late in the year. Believing in Tyler Chatwood and Raphael Dolis early in the year…you get my point. Oh well. Next year!
10. Mind is blown: Did you know there were Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups with CHIPS in them? I haven’t tried it, but I’m intrigued. Anybody out there try them? Let me know.

(Follow Jamie on Twitter at @Neugsie)