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.
The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League closed the lid on the 2008-09 regular season much the same way it wraps most other SJHL regular seasons: finally putting closure on suspense that has lasted from the drop of the first puck in early September right to the final buzzer of the very last game. The Itech Conference and Sherwood Conference standings both were in a state of flux up until the final weekend. In the Itech, the Melfort Mustangs and Nipawin Hawks battled back and forth for the all important third place position, which is the final spot in the conference that receives a first round bye. Both the Mustangs and Hawks were two of the more improved teams in the second half of the season with Melfort getting the nod, thanks to an 11-6 surge in January and February. The Hawks and Battlefords North Stars will meet in the Itech Conference Elimination Series (best of five). The Stars are back in the playoffs after a brief one-year absence in 2007-08. The winner will meet the two time Credit Union Cup champion Humboldt Broncos in a best of seven Itech Conference semi-final series. The Mustangs and Flin Flon Bombers will play the other best of seven, beginning the weekend of February 27-28. In the Sherwood Conference, the race was even tighter than the Itech. Weyburn, despite a red hot 13-2-1 finish to the regular season edged second place Melville by a single point and the right to have home ice advantage for as long as they advance (Credit Union Cup finals excluded). Yorkton also caught fire toward the end, winning six straight in the month of February to surpass the Kindersley Klippers for fourth, also clinching during the final weekend of the season. The Terriers swept a crucial two game set with Kindersley at the beginning of February, which put them in the driver's seat for the final few games. The Klippers, league finalists a year ago, will have a long road to get back to that same spot this season as they play Estevan in the best of five Sherwood Conference Elimination Series, with the winner to meet up with Weyburn. Melville and Yorkton renew hostilities in the other Sherwood semi, slated to start February 27-28 weekend. Highlights 1990 F Rylan Schwartz (Wilcox SK) won the scoring race, but he needed the final two games of the season to lay claim to the top prize. Schwartz, who had four points in game 54 of 56 in a 5-4 loss to Weyburn, was in control of the scoring crown in game 55, but he found himself match up directly with Kindersley's Brett Leedahl as the Klippers and Hounds played twice on back to back nights to end the regular season. Leedahl came through with a five assist performance in the first contest, setting the stage for Schwartz to emerge in the final game of the year when he scored twice and also set up the overtime winner with a beautiful assist to younger brother Jaden. The three point effort gave Schwartz 88 points and a four point win over Leedahl; marking the second straight year the SJHL scoring title had to wait until the final game before being determined. In 2007-08, Reid MacLeod of the Flin Flon Bombers had a six point night to beat La Ronge's Jordie Johnston. 1990 G Andrew Bodnarchuk (Saskatoon SK) won the SJHL Top Goaltender Award for lowest goals against average, coming in at 2.23. Melville's Travis Bosch (Regina SK) placed second at 2.36; but there was some suspense to this race as well because the Broncos and Millionaires played head to head for their final games of the season and it would have been possible for Bosch to overtake Bodnarchuk if the game got out of hand. However, Bosch and Bodnarchuk were rested by their respective coaches in order to prepare for the playoffs. Therefore Bodnarchuk's mark remained unchallenged in game 56. As the SJHL continues to advance with technology, more and more individual records are able to be maintained. Jaden Schwartz's overtime winner in game 56 of the regular season was his fifth OT winner of the year and that is believed to be an unofficial SJHL regular season record. Playoffs often bring out heroes, and for the past two years the Humboldt Broncos have hoisted the Credit Union Cup with goaltender Nathan Heinen (Playoff MVP 2007) and forward Jordan Schindel (Playoff MVP 2008) being the latest to help their team earn top prize. The Broncos are not only Credit Union Cup champs, but will also be out to defend the RBC Cup (national Junior 'A' champions) as well.
