(+2) 1st – Steinbach Pistons
This Week: 2-0
Overall: 20-5-1
Impressive Player: Goalie Will Hambley – 2 wins, 66 saves on 71 shots
Huge pair of wins over the weekend has Steinbach back atop the MJHL standings. Excellent goaltending and timely scoring have them on a roll. The team has won 5 straight coming off a loss in the MJHL Showcase and it’s been without two major pieces upfront. Team defence has been the difference and if they keep it up, more wins will follow
Up Next: Friday, Dec 10th @ Blizzard. Saturday, Dec 11th @ Blizzard
(-1) 2nd – Dauphin Kings
This Week: 0-2
Overall: 17-6-0-1
Impressive Player: Forward Garrett Hrechka – 2 goals
First time this year the Kings have lost two in a row and while it’s still relatively early, it couldn’t have come at a worse time. With a chance to put some serious distance between them and the field, they’ve been pulled right back in. While it’s not even close to panic time, the Kings have been shown which areas they need to improve in if they want to be truly elite.
Up Next: Friday, Dec 10th @ Blues, Saturday, Dec 11th vs Blues
(+2) 3rd – Waywayseecappo Wolverines
This Week: 2-0
Overall: 17-7-2
Impressive Player: Forward Jacob Charko – 2 goals
After a number of wild games to close out November, the Wolverines started the new month with a pair of solid – if not relatively uneventful – wins. For a team finding stability off the ice and consistency on, those are a big four points in a stretch where they look to really elevate away from the middle and into the upper tier. They are within a claw of first place but can’t look too far ahead with the white-hot Terriers on the horizon.
Up Next: Friday, Dec 10th @ Terriers, Dec, 11th vs Terriers
(+2) 4th – Virden Oil Capitals
This Week: 2-0
Overall: 12-12-2
Impressive Player: Goalie Eric Reed – 2-0 54 saves on 56 shots
A little revenge for the Oil Caps after falling to the Flyers at the Showcase, they put their skills on display and made perhaps the second biggest statemen of the weekend. They have the depth to be a lot to handle up front and when they get the scoring, they can close games out. Consistency comes with time and maybe this is the beginning of the Oil Caps figuring out how to win, which will only lead to more victories.
Up Next: Friday, Dec 10th @ Freeze, Saturday, Dec 11th vs Freeze
(-3) 5th – Winnipeg Blues
This Week: 0-2
Overall: 17-8-0-1
Impressive Player: Defenceman Pearce Gare – 3 assists
With all due respect to the Titans, this was perhaps the most surprising outcome from the weekend. Now having lost four of their past five games, the team is sputtering a bit. If the big 3 don’t lead the way offensively, the Blues have trouble generating. Teams have figured out that if you can play physical, it will really give the Blues fits.
Up Next: Friday, Dec 10th vs Kings, Saturday, Dec 11th @ Kings
(-2) 6th – Winkler Flyers
This Week: 0-2
Overall: 14-10-1-1
Impressive Player: Goalie Malachi Klassen – 0-1 with 31 saves on 35 shots over 1 ½ games
Not a weekend to remember for the orange and black as all they could muster was a single goal in each game, both losses. Scoring seems to be an issue for the Flyers. Only twice in their last six games have they scored more than three goals. They have gone 2-4 in that span.
Up Next: Friday, Dec 10th @ Titans, Sunday, Dec 12th vs Titans
(+2) 7th – Portage Terriers
This Week: 2-0
Overall: 9-13-2-1
Impressive Player: Defenceman Darren Cyr – 4 assists
Portage saw leads slip away but still managed to fight back to get the bonus points in back-to-back games on the road. The Terriers have been playing some very good hockey the last number of weeks as they keep finding that key secondary scoring. They are pushing up on Selkirk for 4th spot in the East and have to feel like if they can ride their play of late for the rest of 2021, they could be in that spot by the break.
Up Next: Wednesday, Dec 8th vs Freeze, Friday, December 10th vs Wolverines, Saturday @ Wolverines
(+1) 8th – Winnipeg Freeze
This Week: 1-1
Overall: 6-17-2
Impressive Player: Forward Ryder Ringor – 2 goals, 2 assists
Great response coming off being shutout the night before. Big guys showed up and led them to a solid win. The Freeze also are the only team to have a player hit the 20-goal plateau. There is a pretty dramatic drop off between the top goal scorer and the second but behind that, a number of guys have chipped in. They’ll need more if they want to take a serious run at a Portage team looking to run away and hide.
Up Next: Wednesday, Dec 8th @ Terriers, Friday, Dec 10th vs Oil Caps, Saturday, Dec 11th @ Oil Caps
(+4) 9th Neepawa Titans
This Week: 2-0
Overall: 9-12-2-3
Impressive Player: Forward Mitch Thiessen – 2 goals, 3 assists
Massive statement weekend for the Titans coming off a tough home loss. Neepawa keeps pace in the ever-tightening Western Conference while letting teams around the league no you can’t sleep on them. They quietly go about their business and putting up a pair of solid wins against one of the teams near the top of the other division is a huge boost for the group and proof what they are doing in Neepawa is working.
Up Next: Friday, Dec 10th vs Flyers, Sunday, Dec 12th @ Flyers
(-2) 10th- Swan Valley Stampeders
This Week: 1-1
Overall: 11-13-0-2
Impressive Player: Forward Callum Fortin – 1 goal, 3 assists
Coming off a game where they refused to let the Freeze score, giving up three unanswered goals in the third period after battling back to tie the game, has to be frustrating. The Stamps let an opportunity slip away and with the final four games against teams in a similar boat to theirs, this six-game stretch could be the key point in the season. They are 1-1 and they’ll need to be better than .500 in the next four games if they want to get where they want in the West.
Up Next: Friday, Dec 10th vs Steelers, Saturday, Dec 11th vs Steelers
(-4) 11th – Selkirk Steelers
This Week: 0-1-1
Overall: 10-13-1-2
Impressive Player: Forward Dante Ballarin – 1 goal, 1 assist
The Steelers probably deserve to be higher on the list but with the teams below or around them making some serious noise over the weekend, this is where they end up. Getting just a single point over two games, the Steelers are feeling the pressure from the Terriers who are nipping at their heels. No easy tests coming to close out December but if they can stand up and fight, they can prove they deserve to be in the playoff picture.
Up Next: Friday, Dec 10th @ Stampeders, Saturday, Dec 11th @ Stampeders
(-1) 12th – OCN Blizzard
This Week: 0-0-1-1
Overall: 10-13-1-2
Impressive Player: Forward Riley Zimmerman – 2 goals
Again, this is a team probably deserves to be higher on the list given they did get a pair of points and battled back in both games. They put pucks to the net and got some big saves when they needed. They will continue their four-game home stand as they welcome in the top team from the East with a chance to separate themselves from a crowded pack in the West.
Up Next: Friday, Dec 10th vs Pistons, Saturday, Dec 11th vs Pistons
