NEUGSIE’S AROUND THE SJHL
By: Jamie Neugebauer
Voice of the ND Hounds
1. The playoff race, what we do know – The regular season has exactly one week left in it at time of this writing (Tuesday afternoon), with plenty of questions to ask. So what do we know? We know the eight teams that are in – Battlefords, Flin Flon, Yorkton, La Ronge, Melfort, Nipawin, Estevan, and Humboldt. We know the Stars are going to be the No. 1 seed, and the Bombers the two. But…
2. The playoff race, what we don’t know – Exactly no series are set right now, and all but the Bruins and Broncos can start Round 1 with home-ice advantage. The Terriers and Wolves are clinging to home-ice advantage, the latter doing so while being unbeaten in regulation in seven, mostly without their superstar and presumptive league MVP Chantz Petruic to suspension. Kevin Kaminski has done a remarkable job in La Ronge this year, and we know nobody will want a hike up there four out of seven times in a series. Oh man, I can’t wait for the playoffs!
3. The team playing the best hockey in the league right now is… – Last year, the Battlefords North Stars used an epic, wild run to end the regular year to grab the Global Ag Risk Solutions Division, and the No. 2 spot in the league, and hit the ground on absolute fire into the playoffs. This year the team doing that exact thing, playing great hockey and peaking at the perfect time, are the Melfort Mustangs. Trevor Blevins has them playing the right way, they’re getting great goaltending from an experienced man in Shawn Parkinson, and nobody enjoys facing that D-Corps. Like the Stars of last year, the question-marks will surface around the team’s depth of scoring, but watching them last Friday night in person impressed me immensely. Watch out for those ‘Stangs!
4. If you’d told me at season’s start… – that the loaded Nipawin Hawks were in very real ‘danger’ of facing the No. 2 Flin Flon Bombers without home-ice advantage as the No. 7-seed, I’d think you were nuts. Given the Hawks recent form (not great), given the strength of schedule of the red-hot Estevan Bruins chasing them (not a great strength of schedule), and given the fact the Hawks have a home-and-home left against the Melfort Mustangs (very great), this is a pretty real possibility. I’m sure neither Mike Reagan and the Bombers, or Doug Johnson and his Hawks, will be thrilled about this outcome, but the neutral should. Eye-carumba that’ll be fun between two huge Sherwood Division rivals.
5. Bruins hot and getting healthy – Those Bruins have been as good as anyone in the SJHL since the new year, with the second-best record, and as if life wasn’t good enough for Chris Lewgood’s mob, reinforcements are coming on the horizon! Key forwards Brady Nicholas, Dain Sardelli, and Troy Hamilton are all back Wednesday as the Bruins take the trip to Wilcox to take on the eliminated Notre Dame Hounds, according to a very reliable source. Were it all to fall in place for the Bruins, and they finish sixth, it could mean a series with the likes of Yorkton or La Ronge, instead of Flin Flon (depending on what the aforementioned Mustangs do). Diplomacy aside, Estevan would take that trade in a heartbeat.
6. Long year – Going to take a personal moment here. It certainly has been a tough year for the Notre Dame Hounds, but being around these boys, watching them grow and develop, and enjoying the incredible level of character that they possess – well, it’s made this season a blast anyway, despite the lack of Ws. Every single one of them are great young men, and I would have absolutely loved to see what kind of animals they’d turn into on a playoff run…but anyways, it hasn’t been hard coming to the rink at all! I love it! I’m also not digging ditches or flipping burgs or anything….people who do jobs like that really deserve respect.
7. They love Vinny – Speaking with a few people in Melfort this past weekend I was curious to see, and to hear, what they thought of the trade-deadline acquired son of long-time NHLer Vinny Prospal, also named Vaclav. Unlike his dad, Vinny Jr is a defensive defenceman, and while he certainly needs to pick up a step with his skating, he’s almost never in trouble, whether it’s with his first pass, or his reads in the D-zone. They also clearly love him off the ice up there! So kudos to Vinny!
8. What a barn! – Made my first ever trip to Flin Flon this weekend (crazy, I know), and I have to say, I LOVED IT! What a wonderful arena the Whitney Forum is, and given the squad Reagan has put together, it’ll be hard to see the Bombers not going on a run and getting that place extremely jacked up. The classic, and classy feel reminded me of a bigger version of St. Mike’s Arena in Toronto, which is still my favourite barn to watch a game in the whole world. Wonderful fans there too.
9. Huge upset alert, west (bonus) – Have to mention something that I could not believe the first two times I looked at it: the University of Alberta Men’s Hockey team is not going to be in the Canada West final! Yes indeed, the University of Saskatchewan will take on the University of British Columbia in the final starting Friday. In UBC’s semi-final wins in Games 1 and 3, Saskatoon native and former Red Deer Rebel and Seattle Thunderbirds’ net minder Rylan Toth made a combined 91 saves on 94 shots, keying what has to be as big an upset as anyone has seen in years! Incredible! Saskatoon people: head out to Merlis Belsher for the final!
10. Huge upset(s) alert, Western (bonus) – The University of Toronto and Ryerson University men’s hockey teams were supposed to waltz through the western portions of the Ontario university playoffs – but both have run into the same speed bump: the Western Mustangs. Yep, the No. 8-seeds from London have knocked off No. 1 Toronto and No. 2 Ryerson in order, and get No. 3 Guelph in the semis. No. 5 Concordia, with Notre Dame Hounds alum Marshall Wilton, and former Flin Flon Bomber Kyle Jessiman in net, have similarly run the upset gauntlet, beating No. 4 McGill and No. 1 Carleton in order! Ah fun times, the playoffs.
(Follow Jamie on Twitter at @Neugsie)
