The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Battlefords The Stars have played well during the month of October (2-2), but eight of their first 10 games on the season have come on home ice (3-5). The second period is a puzzling one. The Stars have outshot the opposition 113-111 this season, but have also been outscored 18-10. Joel Budd (4), Alexandre Leclerc (4), Dane Muench (5), and Colton Graf (5) have supplied 18 of the teamÕs 33 goals so far. Estevan You better score first when playing the Bruins. They are 1-5 when allowing the first goal of the game. Since opening the season 0-4, the Bruins have rebounded to go 5-2-1-1 since. Not coincidentally, Chad Filteau has been their best player (9-7-8-15). Netminder Tommy Legault is a sterling 2-1-0-1, 1.96, .949 since returning from a six game suspension. Flin Flon If you want to know if your favorite team is having success on the special teams, take the PP and PK percentages and see if they add up to 100 per cent. The Bombers definitely qualify in this area with a PP clicking at 24.5 per cent and a PK humming along at 86.7 per cent, that adds up to 111.2. Alex Lamontagne leads the way with five powerplay goals. Offense, overall, isnÕt a problem. The Bombers have seven players averaging a point a game or better; and eight if you count Reid MacLeodÕs one point in one game. Flin Flon will pounce early, outscoring the opposition 19-6 in the first period and compiling a perfect 5-0 record when leading after 40 minutes. Humboldt Not many will feel sorry for them, but you have to wonder where the Broncos would be if they were healthy. With Shawn Hunter (11), Matthew Kirzinger (7), Taylor Piller (9), Dane Lindskog (3), and Colton Allan (9) all having to endure injuries, the Broncos have lost 39 man games to injury just with those five players. That does not include other general bruises that may have cost a player the odd game or two on top of that. One surprising stat on the Broncos is that despite a 10-1 record, they are averaging less than four goals a game for netminders Andrew Bodnarchuk and Jeff Holloway. To this point, Holloway (0.96) and Bodnarchuk (2.17) havenÕt needed a bushel full of goals. The top two scorers on the Broncos are both defensemen (Brady Wacker and Tanner Vandesype). Kindersley Think a one line hockey team is easy to beat? The Kindersley Klippers buck that conventional wisdom. Brett Leedahl, Jordan Braid, and Kirk Pearce have combined for 23 of the teamÕs 38 goals this season. This, of course, doesnÕt mean the Klippers donÕt have players contributing in other areas that donÕt show up on the score sheet. They have a 7-2-0-2 mark as they try to win one more game than they did last year, which would net them an SJHL championship. The Klippers are an equally tough team to play on the road (3-1-0-1) as they are at home (4-1-0-1). Forget beating them if you are trailing after two. The Klippers are 6-0 when they have the lead after two periods. Outshooting them doesnÕt always work either as they are 4-1-0--2 when they have less shots than the team they are playing. La Ronge The Ice Wolves are 1-7-2 after opening the season with three straight victories. The powerplay may be a contributing factor to the overall struggles (11.0 per cent). Underdogs are always a nice story and Nolan Souchotte (pronounced shoe-shot) qualifies. The Midget ÔAAÕ grad has contributed seven points in eight games that he has dressed. La Ronge has come away with, at least, a point in four of the five games theyÕve outshot their opposition. Melfort The Mustangs are hot with a record of 4-0-0-1 in their last five. Veteran newcomer David Tetrault is 4-0, 1.71, .946 over that span as his arrival coincided with the turnaround. Deven Stillar and Blake Hietala have taken over the offense. Stillar is 6-2-8 and Hietala 2-6-8 in those games. The Mustangs have scored the first goal of the game in each of those five games. Melville The Millionaires like playing the Yorkton Terriers because it helps boost their gate. But, it also helps pad their record. Dating back to last season, following the Christmas Break, the Mils are 10-0 against the Terriers. That includes a four game series sweep in the Sherwood Conference semi-finals. Kale Dolinski had four goals in four games in last yearÕs playoff series against the Terriers, including the overtime game winner in game one and a crucial back breaking insurance goal in the game four series clincher. He had seven points in four games against Yorkton during last yearÕs regular season, and he has goals in each of the two head to head games with the Terriers this year, including the game winner on Saturday and the goal that spearheaded the comeback on Friday. To further rub salt in the wound, his play was key in game seven in 2007 when the Terriers were dethroned as two time league champs. Can they keep up the hot streak? Last year, the Mils were 12-1 after their first thirteen. This year, they are 7-1-1 through their first nine. Nipawin New Head Coach Colin OÕHara doesnÕt seem like the type to come up with excuses, but a good majority of prominent Hawk players are going through their third coach in three years. Growing pains are inevitable. Goal scoring has been an issue. Nobody has more than three goals, but the powerplay has been highly successful with the club clicking at a rate of 26.2 per cent. Oddly, the Hawks are 0-3-0-1 when they outshoot their opposition. Notre Dame Rylan Schwartz is impressive. He has 11 goals and 11 assists through 11 games; and all but one of his goals and all but five of his points have come at even strength. The Hounds are on track to have a better record than last year, but goals against continues to dog them, as theyÕve allowed well over four goals per game. The Hounds have scored the gameÕs first goal only twice through the first eleven games and it has cost them. They are 2-7 when allowing the other team to get on the board first. Weyburn Teams usually play better on home ice, so the best is yet to come for the Weyburn Red Wings as they weathered a thirteen game road trip with an 8-5 record to start the season while their arena undergoes renovations. The Wings have won all seven games in which they score the gameÕs first goal. Balance is a big key on offense as six players have four or more goals. Yorkton The Terrier powerplay has been lethal, working at 25.4 per cent success rate to start the year. The play of defenseman Greg Coburn has been one of the reasons. CoburnÕs offensive game has really blossomed as he has produced six powerplay points and 12 points overall through 13 games. Yorkton is, usually, a very tough team to play at home. Therefore, you can expect their 3-3 mark figures to take a spike in the near future. So far, they are 3-2-0-2 away from the FAA. The players have no problem gearing up for the weekend. Yorkton is 5-2-0-1 on Fridays and Saturdays.
