OT: 2014 MJHL/MMJHL Playoffs

[Hollywood3]

Will the Jets make the playoffs? Too early to tell. ITM, playoffs started this week in both the MJHL and the MMJHL.

[Standings]

The MMJHL has the top 8 of their 10 teams in the playoffs. The teams are seeded 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, and 4-5 in the quarter-final round and they play best-of-7 all the way through. Games started on a staggered basis but shall soon revert to (in most cases) a Tuesday-Friday-Sunday rotation. Here's what has happened so far.

Tuesday, March 4th

FORT GARRY-FORT ROUGE TWINS 4
ST. BONIFACE RIELS 6
(St. Boniface leads series 1-0)
:. [Summary]

RIVER EAST ROYAL KNIGHTS 1
CHARLESWOOD HAWKS 4
(Charleswood leads series 1-0)
:. [Summary]

Wednesday, March 5th

ST. JAMES CANUCKS 2
PEMBINA VALLEY TWISTERS 5
(Pembina Valley leads series 1-0)
:. [Summary]

Friday, March 7th

ST. BONIFACE RIELS 4
FORT GARRY-FORT ROUGE TWINS 3
(St. Boniface leads series 2-0)
:. [Summary]

STONEWALL JETS 3
RAIDERS JUNIOR H.C. 7
(Raiders JHC leads series 1-0)
:. [Summary]

PEMBINA VALLEY TWISTERS 5
ST. JAMES CANUCKS 6
(in overtime)
(series tied 1-1)
:. [Summary]

CHARLESWOOD HAWKS 3
RIVER EAST ROYAL KNIGHTS 1
(Charleswood leads series 2-0)
:. [Summary]

Sunday, March 9th
Fort Garry at St. Boniface - 7:30 at Southdale CC
Raiders at Stonewall - 5:00 at Veterans Memorial
St. James at Pembina Valley - 4:00 at Morris Rec Centre
River East at Charleswood - 7:30 at Eric Coy Arena

St. Boniface has a high-powered offensive team, and 5 of the top 6 scorers in the league. They were 40 points ahead of the Twins in the season. The Raiders are a good team, and Stonewall missed the playoffs last season. So upsets are not likely in those series. The Twisters are defending champs and should be favoured. St. James, though, have already beaten them once. On paper, the Charleswood-River East rematch from last year should be a toss-up. However, the Hawks are usually the favourites and have run into injury problems all year. They have dominated both games (outshooting the Knights 46-27 and 50-37) and maybe they are just rounding into form.

[Standings]

The MJHL instituted a "Survivor Series" this year. The 4th and 5th place teams from each division played a best-of-3 series to decide who would advance to the best-of-7s. So only the Neepawa Natives were eliminated from the playoffs altogether.

In the Sherwood Division, OCN beat Wayway 2 games to 1, and in the Addison Division the Blues beat Winkler 2-0. Therefore, Wayway and Winkler did not survive. In the Sherwood in will be Dauphin v OCN and Virden v Swan Valley. In the Addison it will be Selkirk v Blues and Steinbach v Portage. Selkirk, Steinbach, Dauphin, and Portage are all hughly-rated teams.

On Friday night, the playoffs proper started with one divisional semi-final.

PORTAGE TERRIERS 3
STEINBACH PISTONS 4
(in overtime)
(Steinbach leads series 1-0)
:. [Summary]

This one should be a good series and may well be worth a drive. Steinbach is the defending champs, being last year's Cinderella team. This highly anticipated series drew over 1,000 fans in Steinbach. Portage has a larger arena and if the weather holds they should pack the place.

Next games:
Sat, Mar. 8 7:30P Swan Valley Stampeders at Virden Oil Capitals
Sun, Mar. 9 6:30P Steinbach Pistons at Portage Terriers
Sun, Mar. 9 7:30P Winnipeg Blues at Selkirk Steelers
Mon, Mar. 10 7:30P Virden Oil Capitals at Swan Valley Stampeders
Tue, Mar. 11 7:30P Selkirk Steelers at Winnipeg Blues (MTS Iceplex)

The OCN-Dauphin schedule is TBA.

I also like to follow the MJHL on radio during the playoffs. Here are the on-line links:
Selkirk: [CJ107 FM]
Steinbach: [AM1250]
Portage: [CFRY 920 AM 93.1 FM]
Dauphin: [CKDM 730 AM]
Virden: [Big FM]
Swan Valley: [GX94 940 am]
OCN: [CJ-1240 AM]

Note that not all of those stations carry all games. So it is best to check.

Click to read more...

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 8-9: MJHL concludes opening games

[Scores]

SWAN VALLEY STAMPEDERS 3
VIRDEN OIL CAPITALS 0
(Swan Valley leads Sherwood semi-final 1-0)
:. [Summary]

The Oil Caps are the former Winnipeg and Saint Boniface Saints franchise. After missing the playoffs last year they finished 2nd this year and this was their first ever playoff game. The crowd of 1,032 was likely quite excited to have MJHL playoff action in town.

OCN BLIZZARD 0
DAUPHIN KINGS 5
(Dauphin leads Sherwood semi-final 1-0)
:. [Summary]

Dauphin is hosting the west regional RBC tournament this year and are already assured of qualification as host. They have assembled one of the better teams in the league and are widely expected to win the Sherwood title. They jumped on OCN with 18 shots and 3 goals in the 1st period of this game and never looked back.

WINNIPEG BLUES 5
SELKIRK STEELERS 0
(Winnipeg leads Addison semi-final 1-0)
:. [Summary]

After Selkirk's record-breaking unbeaten streak it would be quite odd to see them lose out in the first round. But the Blues shut them down and in fact held them to just 3 shots in the 3rd period.

STEINBACH PISTONS 1
PORTAGE TERRIERS 3
(Addison semi-final tied 1-1)
:. [Summary]

Everyone touted this as the best first round match-up so the fact that it is tied is no surprise. I do hope I can see some of the series.

NEXT GAMES

Mon, Mar. 10
Virden Oil Capitals at Swan Valley Stampeders 7:30

Tue, Mar. 11
Dauphin Kings at OCN Blizzard 7:00
Selkirk Steelers at Winnipeg Blues 7:30 (MTS Iceplex)

Wed, Mar. 12
Portage Terriers at Steinbach Pistons 7:30

Thu, Mar. 13
OCN Blizzard at Dauphin Kings 7:30
Swan Valley Stampeders at Virden Oil Capitals 7:30

Fri, Mar. 14
Steinbach Pistons at Portage Terriers 7:30
Winnipeg Blues at Selkirk Steelers 7:30

[Standings]

FORT GARRY-FORT ROUGE TWINS 0
ST. BONIFACE RIELS 5
(St. Boniface leads quarter-final 3-0)
:. [Summary]

A four goal 2nd period put this one way for the geavily-favoured Riels.

RAIDERS JUNIOR H.C. 8
STONEWALL JETS 1
(Raiders JHC lead quarter-final 2-0)
:. [Summary]

Yet again, the winner scored 4 goals in the 2nd period. However, they also scored 2 goals in each of the other periods. This would appear to be the mis-match of the opening round.

ST. JAMES CANUCKS 3
PEMBINA VALLEY TWISTERS 5
(Pembina Valley leads quarter-final 2-1)
:. [Summary]

Once again the winners tallied 4 goals in the 2nd period. What are the odds of that happening in 3 games on one night? In this case, though, St. James scored first and then rallied to make it 4-3. An empty-netter sealed the deal for the Twisters.

RIVER EAST ROYAL KNIGHTS 2
CHARLESWOOD HAWKS 3
(in overtime)
(Charleswood leads quarter-final 3-0)
:. [Summary]

The 4-5 matchup is always expected to be the closest. Although this game was obviously close, the Hawks have a commanding lead. One would expect them to advance and then play either the Raiders or St. Boniface.

NEXT GAMES

Tue, Mar. 11
St. Boniface Riels at Ft.Garry/Ft.Rouge Twins 7:30 Century Arena
Charleswood Hawks at River East Royal Knights 7:30 Terry Sawchuk Arena
Pembina Valley Twisters at St. James Canucks 7:30 St. James Civic Centre

Wed, Mar. 12
Stonewall Jets at Raiders Jr. Hockey Club 7:30 Billy Mosienko Arena

Fri, Mar. 14
Ft.Garry/Ft.Rouge Twins at St. Boniface Riels 7:30 Southdale Community Center
River East Royal Knights at Charleswood Hawks 7:30 Eric Coy Arena
St. James Canucks at Pembina Valley Twisters 8:00 Morris Rec. Complex

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 10-11: Series Progress

[Scores]

VIRDEN OIL CAPITALS 3
SWAN VALLEY STAMPEDERS 4
(in overtime)
(Swan Valley leads Sherwood semi-final 2-0)
:. [Summary]

This Monday night encounter up in Swan has to be satisfying for the long-suffering fans of the Horsies. The Caps will be desperate for a win on home ice in game 3. I am sure their fans were counting on a series win in this one.

DAUPHIN KINGS 5
OCN BLIZZARD 0
(Dauphin leads Sherwood semi-final 2-0)
:. [Summary]

Two consecutive 5-0 wins put the Kings in complete control. I don't see OCN making a comeback here. The Kings outshot them 55-19.

SELKIRK STEELERS 3
WINNIPEG BLUES 4
(in overtime)
(Winnipeg leads Addison semi-final 2-0)
:. [Summary]

This could be a huge upset in the making. The Blues have had a decent season. But the Steelers looked like a potential national contender. This series is far from over. But the Steelers will be feeling the heat in game 3.

NEXT GAMES

Wed, Mar. 12
Portage Terriers at Steinbach Pistons 7:30

Thu, Mar. 13
OCN Blizzard at Dauphin Kings 7:30
Swan Valley Stampeders at Virden Oil Capitals 7:30

Fri, Mar. 14
Steinbach Pistons at Portage Terriers 7:30
Winnipeg Blues at Selkirk Steelers 7:30

Sat, Mar. 15
Dauphin Kings at OCN Blizzard 7:00
Selkirk Steelers at Winnipeg Blues 7:30 (MTS Iceplex)
Virden Oil Capitals at Swan Valley Stampeders 7:30

Sun, Mar. 16
Portage Terriers at Steinbach Pistons 7:30

[League Site]

ST. BONIFACE RIELS 3
FORT GARRY-FORT ROUGE TWINS 1
(St. Boniface wins quarter-final 4-0)
:. [Summary]

With little chance of a series victory, at least the Twins put forth a solid effort in game 4. The Riels will now face the lowest seeded team to win one of the other series.

PEMBINA VALLEY TWISTERS 6
ST. JAMES CANUCKS 1
(Pembina Valley leads quarter-final 3-1)
:. [Summary]

The Twisters took control of the series with this decisive win. The Canucks stayed close but a 3-goal outburst in the 3rd period put this away for the defending champs.

CHARLESWOOD HAWKS 1
RIVER EAST ROYAL KNIGHTS 2
(in overtime)
(Charleswood leads quarter-final 3-1)
:. [Summary]

Each side now has one OT win in the series. The Hawks had a fair margin the shots on goal (39-28) but this was clearly a close game throughout.

NEXT GAMES

Wed, Mar. 12
Stonewall Jets at Raiders Jr. Hockey Club 7:30

Fri, Mar. 14
River East Royal Knights at Charleswood Hawks 7:30
St. James Canucks at Pembina Valley Twisters 8:00

Sat, Mar. 15
Raiders Jr. Hockey Club at Stonewall Jets 7:30

Sun, Mar. 16
Charleswood Hawks at River East Royal Knights 2:00 (if required)
Pembina Valley Twisters at St. James Canucks 7:30 (if required)
Stonewall Jets at Raiders Jr. Hockey Club 7:30 (if required)

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 12: Pistons take the lead

[Scores]

PORTAGE TERRIERS 1
STEINBACH PISTONS 6
(Steinbach leads Addison semi-final 2-1)
:. [Summary]

The only game of the night saw the defending champs notch an emphatic win. In what is becoming common-place, a 4-goal 2nd period determined this one.

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 12: Raiders take command in MMJHL

[League Site]

STONEWALL JETS 1
RAIDERS JUNIOR H.C. 5
(Raiders JHC leads quarter-final 3-0)
:. [Summary]

The other series in the MMJHL have all played 4 games already so this one is playing catch-up. From the looks of things, though, all four series should be wrapped up this weekend. The Raiders got a bit of a run in this one. After two periods they led 2-0 and outshot the Jets 29-24. But the 3rd period was all Raiders. I suspect we'll see St. Boniface face Charleswood and the Raiders battle Pembina Valley in the semi-finals. Those would be two good series.

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 13-14: MJHL produces surprises

[Scores]

SWAN VALLEY STAMPEDERS 2
VIRDEN OIL CAPITALS 6
(Swan Valley leads Sherwood semi-final 2-1)
:. [Summary]

The Oil Caps produced a result completely at odds with the series thus far. They rewarded 1,323 fans with a big effort. Three goals in the 2nd period spelled the difference here.

OCN BLIZZARD 0
DAUPHIN KINGS 3
(Dauphin leads Sherwood semi-final 3-0)
:. [Summary]

The cumulative score in this series is now 13-0. When is the last time a team was held scoreless in an entire series?

WINNIPEG BLUES 3
SELKIRK STEELERS 2
(Winnipeg leads Addison semi-final 3-0)
:. [Summary]

Amazing. The Steelers were 49-7-4 and the Blues 31-23-6 in the regular season. The Steelers were thought to be Manitoba's hope in the national playdowns. The Blues have had a good team in their own right and they are showing it now. What else can the Steelers do? They held the Blues to just 17 shots.

STEINBACH PISTONS 0
PORTAGE TERRIERS 2
(Addison semi-final tied 2-2)
:. [Summary]

This one was expected by one and all to be a tight battle, and that it is. The Derrieres broke open a scoreless game with 2 goals in the 3rd.

NEXT GAMES

Sat, Mar. 15
Dauphin Kings at OCN Blizzard 7:00
Selkirk Steelers at Winnipeg Blues 7:30 (MTS Iceplex)
Virden Oil Capitals at Swan Valley Stampeders 7:30

Sun, Mar. 16
Portage Terriers at Steinbach Pistons 7:30

Mon, Mar. 17
OCN Blizzard at Dauphin Kings 7:30 (if required)
Swan Valley Stampeders at Virden Oil Capitals 7:30

Tue, Mar. 18
Winnipeg Blues at Selkirk Steelers 7:30 (if required)
Steinbach Pistons at Portage Terriers 7:30

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 14: Hawks, Twisters advance

[League Site]

ST. JAMES CANUCKS 3
PEMBINA VALLEY TWISTERS 5
(Pembina Valley wins quarter-final 4-1)
:. [Summary]

The champs are alive and well. The summary has not yet been uploaded. But it was 2-1 heading into the 3rd period before the teams produced a 5-goal 3rd period. Now we get to see what team claims the Civic Centre for their home games. Raiders maybe?

RIVER EAST ROYAL KNIGHTS 3
CHARLESWOOD HAWKS 4
(in overtime)
(Charleswood wins quarter-final 4-1)
:. [Summary]

I was at this one. Charleswood took a 3-0 lead into the 3rd period but River East rallied to tie it and force overtime for the 3rd game in a row. This was a tight game throughout. Despite the swing in the scores, the play was fairly even throughout all 3 periods.

There is only one series to be decided. If the Raiders hang on to beat Stonewall then it will be St. Boniface v Charleswood and Raiders v Pembina Valley. However, if Stonewall makes the miracle comeback they would play St. Boniface and Pembina Valley would play Charleswood.

NEXT GAMES

Sat, Mar. 15
Raiders Jr. Hockey Club at Stonewall Jets 7:30

Sun, Mar. 16
Stonewall Jets at Raiders Jr. Hockey Club 7:30 (if required)

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 15: Dauphin advances as game 4s are completed

[Scores]

VIRDEN OIL CAPITALS 3
SWAN VALLEY STAMPEDERS 2
(Sherwood semi-final tied 2-2)
:. [Summary]

This was a tight game decided in the last minute of play in the 3rd period. The Oil Caps have rallied from down 2-0 to level the series.

DAUPHIN KINGS 3
OCN BLIZZARD 0
(Dauphin wins Sherwood semi-final 4-0)
:. [Summary]

The stats page uploaded as a I post is missing much specifics. Suffice it to say that I cannot remember one team failing to score a goal in a best-of-7 series. Dauphin will now get a nice rest before facing either Virden or Swan.

SELKIRK STEELERS 1
WINNIPEG BLUES 0
(Winnipeg leads Addison semi-final 3-1)
:. [Summary]

The Steelers staved off elimination in what must have been an extraordinarily tight game. The only goal was scored 5 minutes into the 3rd period. The Blues outshot Selkirk 29-17, pretty much the inverse of game 3. If Selkirk can win game 5 the pressure will really start to build on the Blues.

NEXT GAMES

Sun, Mar. 16
Portage Terriers at Steinbach Pistons 7:30

Mon, Mar. 17
Swan Valley Stampeders at Virden Oil Capitals 7:30

Tue, Mar. 18
Winnipeg Blues at Selkirk Steelers 7:30
Steinbach Pistons at Portage Terriers 7:30

Wed, Mar. 19
Virden Oil Capitals at Swan Valley Stampeders 7:30

Thu, Mar. 20
Selkirk Steelers at Winnipeg Blues 7:30 MTS Iceplex (if necessary)
Portage Terriers at Steinbach Pistons 7:30 (if necessary)

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 15: Raiders complete final 4

[League Site]

RAIDERS JUNIOR H.C. 4
STONEWALL JETS 1
(Raiders JHC wins quarter-final 4-0)
:. [Summary]

Another romp for the Raiders. This was the closest game of the series (the other games were 7-3, 8-1, and 5-1).

The Raiders will open the semi-finals against the Pembina Valley Twisters on Friday, March 21st at 7:30 at the Billy Mosienko Arena. The Twisters home opener will by Sunday, March 23rd at 8:00 in Morris.

In the other semi-final, the Charleswood Hawks will play the St. Boniface Riels starting on Friday, March 21st at 7:30 at the Southdale CC, with game 2 going Sunday, March 23rd at 7:30 at the Eric Coy Arena.

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 16: Pistons win a marathon

[Scores]

PORTAGE TERRIERS 5
STEINBACH PISTONS 6
(in overtime)
(Steinbach leads Addison semi-final 3-2)
:. [Summary]

This was a departure from the norm in this series. The teams had generally played defensively. That went out the window for at least 2 periods in game 5. Steinbach built a 2-0 lead in the 1st period, only to see Portage score twice and tie the game. Then Portage built a 4-2 lead in the 2nd period, only to see Steinbach score twice and tie the game. In the 3rd period, Portage took the lead but it lasted only 37 seconds. Thus, overtime. Suddenly the teams went on the defensive for almost 27 minutes of overtime before Steinbach finally claimed victory.

This was the only MJHL game of the evening. And the MMJHL is off until Friday.

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 17: Oil Caps take series lead

[Scores]

SWAN VALLEY STAMPEDERS 1
VIRDEN OIL CAPITALS 4
(Virden leads Sherwood semi-final 3-2)
:. [Summary]

Virden could well be seeing their team face the Dauphin Kings in the Sherwood Division final. The scoreline is a bit deceptive. The final goal was an empty-netter and the shots were 37-32 for Virden. Game 6 goes Wednesday in Swan.

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 18: Blues finish upset

[Scores]

WINNIPEG BLUES 4
SELKIRK STEELERS 1
(Winnipeg wins Addison semi-final 4-1)
:. [Summary]

With only 22 shots on goal, the Blues pulled off a big upset. This looks like many other games this series. Now the Blues will open the Addison division final on the road against either Steinbach or Portage.

STEINBACH PISTONS 0
PORTAGE TERRIERS 3
(Addison semi-final tied 3-3)
:. [Summary]

The theoretical toss-up of the opening round has turned out as expected. We're going to game 7. This was a tight game throughout and Portage held a 1-0 lead in the 3rd period. There they blew it open with 2 goals 28 seconds apart.

NEXT GAMES

Wed, Mar. 19
Virden Oil Capitals at Swan Valley Stampeders 7:30

Thu, Mar. 20
Portage Terriers at Steinbach Pistons 7:30

Fri, Mar. 21
Swan Valley Stampeders at Virden Oil Capitals 7:30 (if necessary)

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 19: Virden wins their first series

[Scores]

VIRDEN OIL CAPITALS 4
SWAN VALLEY STAMPEDERS 3
(in overtime)
(Virden wins Sherwood semi-final 4-2)
:. [Summary]

Swan blew a 3-1 lead for their 4th straight loss, which means it is the end of their season. After a close-fought game, Virden fired 21 shots on goal in less than 15 minutes of overtime. The clearly had more fuel in the tankm so to speak.

So the Dauphin Kings will host Virden in the opening of the Sherwood final. Over in the Addison, the Winnipeg Blues will face the winners of Thursday's Steinbach-Portage decider. My guess is the fans of Steinbach will pack their rink for that one.

 

[Hollywood3]

MMJHL Semi-final Schedule

[League Site]

The MMJHL has been on hiatus since the Ides of March, when the Raiders swept Stonewall to become the fourth qualifier for the semi-finals. The full semi-final schedule is now out. All games are at 7:30 unless stated otherwise.

Fri, Mar 21
Charleswood Hawks at St. Boniface Riels
Pembina Valley Twisters at Raiders Jr. Hockey Club

Sun, Mar 23
St. Boniface Riels at Charleswood Hawks
Raiders Jr. Hockey Club at Pembina Valley Twisters 7:00

Tue, Mar 25
Charleswood Hawks at St. Boniface Riels
Pembina Valley Twisters at Raiders Jr. Hockey Club

Fri, Mar 28
St. Boniface Riels at Charleswood Hawks
Raiders Jr. Hockey Club at Pembina Valley Twisters 8:00

Sun, Mar 30
Charleswood Hawks at St. Boniface Riels
Pembina Valley Twisters at Raiders Jr. Hockey Club

Tue, Apr 1
St. Boniface Riels at Charleswood Hawks
Raiders Jr. Hockey Club at Pembina Valley Twisters 8:00

Fri, Apr 4
Charleswood Hawks at St. Boniface Riels
Pembina Valley Twisters at Raiders Jr. Hockey Club

 

[puck stoppa]

Really enjoy the work you put, enjoy both leagues as it's great hockey to watch. Also, the MBAAA finals is 2-1 for the Wild over Eastman. Another great series!

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 20: Steinbach off to Addison final

[Scores]

PORTAGE TERRIERS 0
STEINBACH PISTONS 4
(Steinbach wins Addison semi-final 4-3)
:. [Summary]

The Pistons started fast and had the Derrieres on their hind legs all night. Although 0-0 after the 1st, Steinbach led 23-10 on the shot clock. Steinbach then scored twice in each remaining period to win easily after a hard fought series.

The division finals schedules are out (all games at 7:30):

SERIES E – WINNIPEG BLUES vs STEINBACH PISTONS
Mar 23 Winnipeg Blues at Steinbach Pistons
Mar 25 Steinbach Pistons at Winnipeg Blues
Mar 27 Winnipeg Blues at Steinbach Pistons
Mar 30 Steinbach Pistons at Winnipeg Blues
April 1 Winnipeg Blues at Steinbach Pistons*
April 3 Steinbach Pistons at Winnipeg Blues*
April 4 Winnipeg Blues at Steinbach Pistons*

SERIES F – VIRDEN OIL CAPITALS vs DAUPHIN KINGS
Mar 23 Virden Oil Capitals at Dauphin Kings
Mar 25 Dauphin Kings at Virden Oil Capitals
Mar 27 Virden Oil Capitals at Dauphin Kings
Mar 29 Dauphin Kings at Virden Oil Capitals
April 1 Virden Oil Capitals at Dauphin Kings*
April 3 Dauphin Kings at Virden Oil Capitals*
April 4 Virden Oil Capitals at Dauphin Kings*

 

[Hollywood3]

Really enjoy the work you put, enjoy both leagues as it's great hockey to watch. Also, the MBAAA finals is 2-1 for the Wild over Eastman. Another great series!

Where do the Wild play out of?

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 21: Riels and Raiders open with wins

[League Site]

CHARLESWOOD HAWKS 4
ST. BONIFACE RIELS 5
(in overtime)
(St. Boniface leads semi-final 1-0)
:. [Summary]

On opening night of the MMJHL playoffs the league produced two fabulous battles.

At the Southdale CC the 1st place St. Boniface Riels and their 37-6-2 record faced the Charleswood Hawks and their 23-19-3 record. Odd situation for the Hawks, being the underdog that is. They are the MMJHL's power. The Hawks lost last year's final to the Twisters to break a string of 4 straight conquests of the Jack McKenzie Trophy, awarded to the MMJHL's playoff winners. The Hawks have won 7 cups in 9 years. In the last 12 years they have 9 cups. And in the last 20 years they have won 13 cups. The north wall of the Eric Coy Arena is covered with Hawks' banners. Imagine what it would be like if they put up banners as well for every Art Moug Trophy win, given to the league's pennant-winner. They have won that 6 out of 7, 9 out of 12, and 12 out of 18.

On the other hand, St. Boniface last won both titles in 1986. From 1972 to 1986 the Riels won the McKenzie 4 times, and the Moug 6 times. They are due.

The Riels have assembled an explosive team. They scored a league-leading 239 goals in 45 games, compared to 156 for Charleswood. The goals against is almost the same (144 for St. B., 145 for Charleswood). They have the top 4 scorers in the league, and 6 of the top 8.

I had the pleasure of watching the Riels twice this season. On one occasion they beat the Hawks in overtime, and the other they lost a tight battle with the Raiders. The Hawks played a tremendous game against them, but every turnover resulted in a goal.

On Friday night, the Riels made it look like they would run away with it. They built a 4-0 in the first 28 minutes. Then Jesse Toth scored a natural hat-trick in the 2nd period. The Hawks tallied the only goal of the 3rd period and it was off to OT. The 14 minutes of overtime produced 17 combined shots before the Riels claimed the victory.

PEMBINA VALLEY TWISTERS 3
RAIDERS JUNIOR H.C. 4
(Raiders lead semi-final 1-0)
:. [Summary]

This series promises to be a close one. In the regular season the Raiders had 68 points and the Twisters 66. The Twisters are the defending champs, and both sides have been at or near the top of the league standings in recent years.

The Raiders started as the Seven Oaks Raiders in 1977. They have won the McKenzie once, in 1980, and the Moug twice, in 1979 and 1980. After being in danger of folding the team was rebranded in 2009. They dropped the "Seven Oaks" from their name and changed their colours from black and yellow to maroon and silver. The Billy Mosienko Arena has been spiffied up a bit and the team has become a contender. I am still wondering if they might consider using the Civic Centre for the finals to accommodate what should be large crowds, should they get there.

The Twisters are relative newcomers to the MMJHL. They started in 2001 and were based in Oak Bluff. Morris wanted a team, and they merged with the Twisters and moved the team to Morris in 2005. They won the McKenzie in 208 and 2013, and the Moug in 2010.

On Friday night the Raiders held leads of 3-0 and 4-1. Late goals by the Twisters made it close. One has to expect a lengthy series in this one.

NEXT GAMES

Sun, Mar 23
St. Boniface at Charleswood 7:30 at Eric Coy Arena
Raiders at Pembina Valley 7:00 at Morris Rec Complex

Tue, Mar 25
Charleswood at St. Boniface 7:30 at Southdale CC
Pembina Valley at Raiders 7:30 at Billy Mosienko Arena

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 23: MJHL Division Finals Start

[Scores]

WINNIPEG BLUES 4
STEINBACH PISTONS 2
(Blues lead Addison final 1-0)
:. [Summary]

The Blues are showing they are more than a mirage. Their playoff run so far is reminiscent of Steinbach's run last year. You never know what will happen in Junior A.

VIRDEN OIL CAPITALS 2
DAUPHIN KINGS 4
(Kings lead Sherwood final 1-0)
:. [Summary]

Dauphin took control of this one with 2nd period dominance where they scored twice and outshot the Oil Caps 16-6. Dauphin will be the favourites in this one. They are hosting the Western Canada Cup and as such have the host berth assured. If they win this series then the Addison winner will also be assured of a berth in the WCC.

NEXT GAMES

Mar 25 Steinbach Pistons at Winnipeg Blues
Mar 25 Dauphin Kings at Virden Oil Capitals
Mar 27 Winnipeg Blues at Steinbach Pistons
Mar 27 Virden Oil Capitals at Dauphin Kings

All games start at 7:30 p.m.

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 23: MMJHL Series Are 2-0

[League Site]

ST. BONIFACE RIELS 3
CHARLESWOOD HAWKS 1
(St. Boniface leads semi-final 2-0)
:. [Summary]

This was my game of choice for Sunday night. And it was a very good game. Charleswood gave as good as they got. But the Riels have the skills needed to capitalize on a high percentage of chances. They converted two backhand passes across the slot and a one-timer high stick side right under the crossbar. It will be hard for the Hawks to rally from down 0-2. But the series has produced two good battles so far. Tuesday at Southdale will tell us if this one will be short or long.

RAIDERS JUNIOR H.C. 3
PEMBINA VALLEY TWISTERS 2
(Raiders lead semi-final 2-0)
:. [Summary]

This is the toss-up series, between the #2 and #3 seeds. The Raiders have two one-goal wins and are firmly in the driver's seat.

NEXT GAMES

Tue, Mar 25
Charleswood at St. Boniface 7:30 at Southdale CC
Pembina Valley at Raiders 7:30 at Billy Mosienko Arena

Fri, Mar 28
St. Boniface at Charleswood 7:30 at Eric Coy Arena
Raiders at Pembina Valley 8:00 at Morris Rec Complex

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 25: MJHL Game 2s

[Scores]

STEINBACH PISTONS 2
WINNIPEG BLUES 4
(Blues lead Addison final 2-0)
:. [Summary]

Second verse, same as the first. Another 4-2 win for the Blues. This one puts them in the driver's seat heading back to Steinbach for game 3. In this game the Blues had a 4-0 lead late in the 2nd period before Steinbach rallied to make the scoreline look a little better.

DAUPHIN KINGS 4
VIRDEN OIL CAPITALS 1
(Kings lead Sherwood final 2-0)
:. [Summary]

Dauphin is not letting their host berth in the WCC stop them from chasing an MJHL title. This win gives them 6 straight wins during whihc they have only surrendered 3 goals. This game was tied 1-1 after 2 periods and then Dauphin put it away in the 3rd. Virden had over 1,400 fans at the game. IMO aroad win in game 3 would give them a real shot at a comeback.

NEXT GAMES

Thu Mar 27 Winnipeg Blues at Steinbach Pistons
Thu Mar 27 Virden Oil Capitals at Dauphin Kings
Sat Mar 29 Dauphin Kings at Virden Oil Capitals
Sun Mar 30 Steinbach Pistons at Winnipeg Blues

All games start at 7:30 p.m.

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 25: Riels push Hawks to the edge

[League Site]

CHARLESWOOD HAWKS 0
ST. BONIFACE RIELS 4
(St. Boniface leads semi-final 3-0)
:. [Summary]

The MMJHL could be experiencing one of those rare seasons where the Charleswood Hawks are not in the final. The Riels dominated the scoreboard in this one, although the shots were almost even (35-34 for the Hawks).

The Raiders-Twisters game was rescheduled for Wednesday, March 26th.

NEXT GAMES

Wed, Mar 26
Pembina Valley at Raiders 7:30 at Billy Mosienko Arena

Fri, Mar 28
St. Boniface at Charleswood 7:30 at Eric Coy Arena
Raiders at Pembina Valley 8:00 at Morris Rec Complex

Sun, Mar 30
Charleswood at St. Boniface 7:30 at Southdale CC (if req'd)
Pembina Valley at Raiders 7:30 at Billy Mosienko Arena (if req'd)

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 26: Season of the sweeps?

[League Site]

PEMBINA VALLEY TWISTERS 3
RAIDERS JUNIOR H.C. 4
(Raiders lead semi-final 3-0)
:. [Summary]

In both the MMJHL and the MJHL final four, the trailing teams have yet to win a game, Both MJHL series stand 2-0, and now both MMJHL series stand 3-0. Is it possible that April will begin with only 2 teams alive in both leagues?

In this game, the Raiders built a 3-0 lead before the Twisters mounted a comeback. The Raiders did outshoot the Twisters 19-4 in the 1st period. After that he series went back to being evenky played as usual. A Raiders-Riels final now seems inevitable. Could the Hawks or Twisters at least avoid being swept?

NEXT GAMES

Fri, Mar 28
St. Boniface at Charleswood 7:30 at Eric Coy Arena
Raiders at Pembina Valley 8:00 at Morris Rec Complex

Sun, Mar 30
Charleswood at St. Boniface 7:30 at Southdale CC (if req'd)
Pembina Valley at Raiders 7:30 at Billy Mosienko Arena (if req'd)

 

[Hollywood3]

Mar 27: MJHL's Night of the Wipeout

[Scores]

WINNIPEG BLUES 7
STEINBACH PISTONS 2
(Blues lead Addison final 3-0)
:. [Summary]

It's bad enough that every final four series in both junior leagues is now 3-0. Now, the games in the MJHL are truning into one-sided thumpings. In this one, it was 7-0 until Steinbach tallied a couple of goals in the 3rd period. The Blues scored their 7 goals on only 29 shots as well.

VIRDEN OIL CAPITALS 2
DAUPHIN KINGS 7
(Kings lead Sherwood final 3-0)
:. [Summary]

This was just a severe thumping. In every period Virden was dominated by 8-11 shots. It was still scoreless after the 1st period, then Dauphin scored 5 in the 2nd. Unbelievable. It seems a foregone conclusion that the Kings and Blues will play the championship series knowing that both of them will be qualified for the Western Canada Cup.

NEXT GAMES

Sat Mar 29 Dauphin Kings at Virden Oil Capitals
Sun Mar 30 Steinbach Pistons at Winnipeg Blues
Tue Apr 1 Winnipeg Blues at Steinbach Pistons (if req'd)
Tue Apr 1 Virden Oil Capitals at Dauphin Kings (if req'd)

All games start at 7:30 p.m.

 

[darksociety]

Nice to see the (old) hometown Kings doing so well, not so nice to see the (new) hometown Pistons getting fed... thanks for the updates!