NEUGSIE’S AROUND THE SJHL

By: Jamie Neugebauer
Voice of the ND Hounds

1. WHAT DO THEY GOTTA DO? – I know, it’s not worth it to get worked-up about the National Junior A rankings, but after pounding in goals and putting up wins like the Flin Flon Bombers have, well, pretty much all year, I can’t understand how they aren’t more than an ‘Honourable Mention’ in there on a regular basis? Mike Reagan’s mob should be able to strike fear into any Junior A team in Canada, in my opinion, and they proved that, averaging 6.6 goals-per-game over the last seven contests, with the genuinely on-fire Nipawin Hawks the only ones able to even take any points from them over that span. Boy would that be a tasty second-round playoff match-up…but that’s getting ahead of myself just a bit here.

2. A QUIET BUT GREAT PICK-UP – It was a tough northern swing for the Estevan Bruins (more on that later), but that’s been a brutal element for everyone not called the Battlefords North Stars this year. I was nevertheless struck thinking about what quietly might have been the best-made-move this season: Chris Lewgood and the Bruins’ early-year acquisition of the big, strong 2001-born forward Brady Nicholas from the Spruce Grove Saints of the Alberta league. He plays a genuinely heavy, physical game, as opposed to guys who are simply just ‘big’ and don’t know how to use it, and has a style that I think will translate so well to the playoffs. I really have to do a double-take when I realize he’s only a 2001, and his Rookie of the Month in January honour is absolutely deserved with 14 points over the span. That he can still be around when Estevan hosts the Centennial Cup in two years is a really sweet bonus too. If the post-season began right now, the Bruins would take on the No. 1 North Stars, and if I know Battlefords bench boss Brayden Klimosko, I would guess he would take that match up very, very seriously. I’d love to see it, to be honest.

3. Log-Jam – That which is seriously in doubt is how the teams will stack up from No. 3 to No. 8 in the league, with only eight points separating those spots, and literally only one point between third-placed Yorkton and six-placed La Ronge. Nipawin, Melfort, and the Ice Wolves all have 55 points right now, with Melfort ahead on the tiebreaker. That’s all going to change regularly over the final eight-to-ten contests of the regular campaign. I just love the parity in this league! There are going to be plenty of colossal, playoff-type games down the stretch here – check your local schedule, folks!

4. BRONCOS SANS SPADAFORA – Maybe the biggest question I have the rest of the regular season is how well Humboldt will function without Luke Spadafora. The star 2000-born forward went down to what I understand was a pretty serious injury on Jan. 25, and was a huge part of the league’s second-best power play beforehand. Scott Barney’s men responded right away, brushing aside Notre Dame, but then lost two in a row last week to Kindersley and Battlefords. Yet, the Broncos answered again so impressively on Saturday, taking down the North Stars and their eight-game win-streak in North Battleford, beating the defending champs 5-3 in front of another great performance from Michael Harroch in net. The heart of this young Humboldt team constantly impresses me.

5. ESTEVAN’S MURDEROUS SCHEDULE – I spoke about the Bruins at length earlier, but if there is any hope for the Kindersley Klippers to catch them and sneak into the playoffs, it’s this: Estevan’s schedule the rest of the way is murderous. Lewgood’s men basically run through the loaded insanity that is the Sherwood Division twice in February, and really their hope is to manage enough points to last until a visit to Notre Dame on Feb. 26. The buffer ahead of the Klippers is five, and nine in front of the ND Hounds, so there’s that; but it’ll be very interesting to see how Estevan’s young group does. I still think they’ll make it in, if I’m being honest, but man what a brutal February!

6. MALO – So much of this year’s talk in terms of scoring champ has been on Yorkton’s captain Chantz Petruic, and fair enough, but Flin Flon’s Alec Malo deserves plenty of respect too. The former QMJHLer actually has 13 more assists than Petruic at time of writing, with an incredible 60 through only 44 games, which is the total last year’s assist king Nate Hooper (also a Flin Flon Bomber) owned at the end of the full campaign. Just like I said about University of Denver commit and Bomber Tristan Lemyre last week: Malo plays with some great scorers, but how can any good player really thrive unless they play with other good players? What an impressive year for Alec!

7. HOW ARE THE TERRIERS? – Nobody knows, because they have not played since Jan. 14, before the Showcase! Their Pink in the Rink game to fundraise for cancer research on Feb. 7 was cancelled due to inclement weather, so it’ll be interesting to see if/how much rust has set in. They better figure it out fast with the Flin Flon Bombers in town Tuesday night! It speaks to the season Matt Hehr’s men are having that they haven’t played for a while, yet are still in third-place in the league at time of this writing. How long will that last though? We’ll find out!

8. IS KOHO EVEN HUMAN? – Of course I watch Notre Dame’s superstar goaltender Riley Kohonick a lot, but if I am being 100 per cent honest with you, that fact usually gives me nit-picky reasons to actually like a player’s game less than an outside observer might. That is not at all the case with Koho. Riley made 53 saves on 54 shots Friday night to beat the Kindersley Klippers in what was a huge one for both clubs, and he didn’t even seem tired post-game. Is he even human? He was also awesome when the guys in front of him were definitely not the week before at home vs. Humboldt. I still cannot believe he didn’t make the Showcase rosters, and he has been absolutely spectacular all year long. Sure maybe I’m biased, but I still believe he’s the best goaltender in the SJHL. As I like to say, I am biased, but I am also educated! Unbelievable character, work ethic, and maturity on the kid too! Are you a D1 scout? Figure it out and get this kid in your program before someone else does.

9. WHAT A YEAR FOR BERK – I have to be honest, it would take something really special for the last-placed Melville Millionaires to make the playoffs at this point (same goes for Notre Dame and Weyburn), but there is still a great argument that Mils No. 1 Berk Berkeliev deserves to be Goalie of the Year. The Calgarian was a massive reason the Millionaires beat the Hounds in a shootout this past weekend in Wilcox, and on a struggling club, has put up a season-long save percentage of .930! Only Joseph Young, who took over the No. 1 job in Weyburn recently, has a higher save percentage. He made all sorts of 10-bell saves against ND on Saturday, including overtime, and didn’t allow a sniff in the shootout. Kyle Adams and the Millionaires are really lucky to have Berk!

10. DON’T MISS OUT! (bonus) – The Saskatchewan classic, the Wheat Bowl? Not sure what it’s officially called, but for the first time since I’ve moved out west the season-ending men’s and women’s hockey home-and-home series between the Universities of Regina and Saskatchewan will be very meaningful this weekend! Two wins for the Cougars women’s team will clinch them home-ice advantage in the first round of the post-season, with yours truly having the play-by-play call Friday night at the Co-operators Arena. UBC and Mount Royal will square off in Vancouver, and are tied for fifth, one point behind Regina, meaning the UofR could finish in any of Nos 4-6. I would sure love to call some USports playoff hockey! The men’s situation is even more desperate, with Todd Johnson’s club sitting two points behind UBC for the final post-season spot, and the mighty UofS men’s program still in very real contention for that No. 1 seed in CanadaWest. Regina needs at least one win from the two-game set, and some help from a very good Mount Royal club at home in Calgary vs. the Thunderbirds. Either way, it’s sure to be a thrilling final weekend in USports regular season puck! Come out if you can.

(Follow Jamie on Twitter at @Neugsie)