NEUGSIE’S AROUND THE SJHL

By: Jamie Neugebauer
Voice of the ND Hounds

1. No Petruic, No Problem – I, and probably many like me, wondered how the Yorkton Terriers would do without their suspended captain Chantz Petruic for six games at a crucial time of the year; but to the credit of Matt Hehr’s men, they have responded in force. Five wins in a row as of Tuesday night, four without the 100-plus point man, and plenty of guys picking up the slack. The Taporn brothers, fresh from the Western Hockey League’s Moose Jaw Warriors, have done well, and Steven Norum has stepped up between them, among others. Will they hang on to that No. 3 spot, with La Ronge, Melfort, and Nipawin nipping at their heels? We’ll find out!

2. Kudos to Dyckey – Have to send a huge shout out to 20-year-old Notre Dame goaltender Logan Dyck for committing to play NCAA hockey next year with Fredonia State University in New York State. The Calgary native has come in to Wilcox, worked extremely hard, played very well, and been an outstanding teammate. So proud of this excellent young man!

3. League Awards Nominees Out – The league award nominees are out, and as far as I see it, they got most of the spots right (it’s impossible to please everyone, obviously). Will they give Petruic Player of the Year AND MVP? Is it a no-brainer? If not, which do you not give him? Make sure you stay tuned for the winners, I believe to be announced Thursday?

4. Down to Three for Two Spots… – The top six for the playoffs have clinched playoff spots, with only Estevan, Humboldt, and Kindersley to battle for the last two places (and the honour of facing Battlefords or likely Flin Flon). No. 9 Kindersley can get a max of 59 points, and Estevan need only three to get to that mark with seven games left on their schedule at time of writing, so long story short: it’s a long shot for the Klips. Never say never though!

5. Stars Clinch Top Spot – At the other end of things, Brayden Klimosko’s team keeps on keepin on despite a rash of injuries to key forwards. Big-time kudos to guys like Dylan Esau and Kaden Boser, as I wrote about last week, for stepping into big roles, and Ben Hiltz getting something closer to the ice-time he was used to in Weyburn. I hear Quintin Loon-Stewardson is the closest Star to returning, though who knows! It’s still an incredible job all year by Coach Klimosko, who I call ‘the Chef’, because he’s whipped up some real special sauce to get his guys motivated and staying No. 1 all year. Having MAYBE (don’t @ me Melfort Mustangs fans) the Top 3 defencemen in the SJHL in Matt Fletcher, Seth Summers, and Noah Form really, really helps.

6. Ever See a PP Like This? – How often do you see a Junior A power play click at 28 per cent at this point in the year? Not too often, I would wager. The Flin Flon Bombers have scored 76 power-play goals this year, and 242 overall at time of writing. Alec Malo has 37 power-play assists (37!!!) What an electric crew, that nobody will want to touch early in the playoffs. Will Mike Reagan roll with Cal Schell or Jacob Delorme in net – how the answer to that question does will make a huge difference for this club.

7. Estevan Still on Fire – One team that has no question mark in net is the Estevan Bruins, who in Keenan Rancier, have the league’s wins, and minutes leader among goaltenders. Tanner Manz has goals in four straight, the Bruins have won five in a row, and this team has caught absolute fire. The odds are they will face Flin Flon in Round 1, so that’ll be must-watch TV.

8. Only Award Snub I’ll Mention – Keenan Rancier isn’t up for Goalie of the Year? He didn’t win Viterra Division Goalie of the Year? Shawn Parkinson didn’t win Sherwood Division Goalie of the Year? What do I know?

9. Who’s the Favourite? (bonus) – Speaking of must-watch, go out and watch the Sask Midget AAA playoffs starting next week. Eight points separate second-place Saskatoon Blazers from the fifth-placed Prince Albert Mintos, there is tons of talent on display, and the playoffs are going to be a war on ice. Dev Praught has his Hounds team playing well at the right time, too, and with that type of championship pedigree, you can never count out an ND midget crew. Just like the SJ playoffs, the midget ones should be great.

10. Huskies Get Dinos (bonus) – The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men were sitting at home resting, enjoying the first-round bye, but it’s about to get real, as the talented Calgary Dinos, with CanadaWest scoring champion Matt Alfaro in tow, will test them with a Best of Three in Saskatoon’s Merlis Belsher Arena starting on Friday. Go check it out!

(Follow Jamie on Twitter at @Neugsie)