By Gary Moskalyk
Wed Mar 8
Fort Frances 9-37-1 .202 7th, GF 128 GA 282 -154, PIMs 17.7/G, PP 17.8, PK 68.2 @ Dryden 34-14-1 .704 2nd, GF 212 GA 137 +75, PIMs 29.1/G, PP 25.7 PK 86.2
Fort Frances is still looking for win number 10. They came close in last Saturday’s game but fell short to Thunder Bay 6-5 in overtime. They have seven games left to pick up a few more W’s.
Fort Frances is 1-7-0 against Dryden.
Ryker Watt continues to be the total package. He’s risen to 15th in league scoring with 23 goals and 19 helpers. He’s up there in penalty minutes with 122.
Brady Krentz and Trever Sanderson are in the top-40 with 30 and 29 points respectively.
Brendan Stroble routinely gets peppered with 50 or more shots. Stroble has 1,733 minutes in the cage, with a 6-23-1 record.
The Lakers are 3-6-1 in their last 10
Dryden continues to have a fine season. Their powerplay improved to 25.7 per cent. Next best is Kam River at 18.7%. They’ve been shorthanded 327 times, nearly 100 times more than Kam River. They kill them off too, with an 86.2% PK and 15 shorthanded goals.
Dryden is 7-1-0 against Fort Frances.
The Ice Dogs have four players in the top-20 and five more in the 21-27 range.
Bryce Benfield (19-27-46), Landen Stromme (22-23-45), James Hooton (26-17-43) and Brady Frattinger (24-18-42) all have 40+ points. Benfield is knocking on the 20-goal door.
Ben Hackl (12-26-38), Ryland Maier (14-21-35), Jordan Pfoh (16-17-33). Max Roby (17-14-31) and defenceman Easton Debray (9-22-31) provide plenty of firepower.
Zac MacDonald is one minute away from 960 minutes this year. When he hits the “qualified goalies” list he’ll be second in the SIJHL with a 2.69 GAA. Eric Clark has almost exactly twice the minutes, 20 wins, and a 2.82 GAA and .910 SV%.
Dryden is currently on a three-game winning streak. They’re 6-4-0 in their last 10.
After Week 23 clears the decks they play a double-header against Kam River to close out the regular season.
Thu Mar 9
Red Lake 21-23-5 .480 5th, GF 161 GA 175 -14, PIMs 16.6/G, PP 13.6, PK 81.7 @ Kam River 37-9-2 .792 1st, GF 200 GA 129 +71, PIMs 20.8, PP 18.7, PK 87.0
Red Lake defeated the Walleye last weekend in a battle of last year’s finalists in the SIJHL playoffs.
The Miners are on a two-game winning streak, but are 3-6-1 in their last 10.
The Miners are 3-4-1 against the Walleye this year.
Jacob Lamoureux’ 33 goals pace the league. His 15 assists place him 6th in league scoring.
Colton Crysler has 43 points in 43 games. Aiden Corbett’s 14-26-40 split gives the Lakers three 40-point men. Matthew MacPherson (10-19-29) and defenceman Dayvan Bull (5-24-29) are next in line.
Jack Osmond brings a 15-12-2 record to the crease. Relative newcomer Trent Boryszczuk evened his record to 4-4-1 with his impressive 43-save effort against Kam River.
The reigning champs have struggled on the powerplay (13.6%) while maintaining average marks on the PK (81.7%).
Kam River is winless in two, but at 7-2-1 in their last 10 are still the hottest team in the SIJHL over that span.
The Walleye are 4-1-2 against Red Lake.
Jeremy Dunmore’s 15-game points streak is over. At 51 points he’s one of five SIJHL-ers at that level. Ethan Lang (16-32-48) and defenceman Jack Cook (19-27-46) sit 7th and 8th in the scoring parade. Cook’s 19 goals lead the team.
Max Leduc (14-24-38), Euan Morrison (9-22-31), Anthony Oviedo (15-15-30) and Ryan Doucette (10-20-30) provide depth.
Kam River’s 2.69 goals allowed per game is the best in the league. They lead the SI in PK% with an 87.0. And, looky here, their powerplay is at 18.7%, second behind Dryden’s 25.7%.
Kam is ranked 18th in the latest CJHL release.
Eric Vanska leads the league with 26 wins and has a 2.71 GAA and .921 SV%. Jack Orchard has a 9-4-0 record and 2.20 GAA in 16 appearances.
Kam’s next minor penalty will give them 1,000 penalty minutes on the year.
Fri/Sat Mar 10/11
Kam River @ Thunder Bay 26-19-4 .571 4th, GF 173 GA 153 +20, PIMs 19.4/G, PP 16.6, PK 84.5
Kam River is 7-0-0 against Thunder Bay this year. Thunder Bay is 0-5-2 versus Kam River.
The North Stars have a two-game winning streak and are 7-3-0 in their last 10. They’ll likely finish 4th in the SIJHL. They have only four scheduled games left to make up three points on 3rd place Sioux Lookout. A postponed game against Wisconsin is not presently re-scheduled.
Edison Weeks has 52 points (23G-29A), third in SIJHL scoring. Colby Feist has a 35-point campaign playing two-thirds of the schedule. Nikolas Campbell (16-14-30) and Jamie Fuchs (13-17-30) have been dominant in their 23 games. Workhorse Matthew Halushak can score too, with 11 goals and 19 helpers in 44 games.
The Stars have played two goalies almost equally this year. Conner Lemieux is 13-9-3/2.78/.927 with 1,425 minutes. Keenan Marks, 13-6-1/2.93/.916 with 1,310 minutes have provided solid goaltending.
Fri/Sat Mar 10/11
Sioux Lookout 28-18-3 .602 3rd, GF 179 GA 142 +37, PIMs 20.7/G, PP 17.8, PK 81.3 @ Wisconsin 15-28-6 .367 6th, GF 182 GA 217 -35, PIMs 15.8/G, PP 17.9, PK 77.6
Sioux Lookout is 7-0-0 against Wisconsin.
The Bombers close out the season with two games against Wisconsin and three against Fort Frances. If the standings don’t change, they will play Wisconsin in the first round of the playoffs.
Ty Bahm achieved two milestones in Week 22–20 goals and 50 points. Blake Burke (22-22-44), Lucas Trimarchi (15-23-38), Owen Riffel (18-18-36), Connor Burke (15-20-35) and Tegan Neuman (9-21-30 in 28 games) round out the top point getters.
Jake Manners has fashioned a 21-12-3 season in 2,214 minutes. His 2.36 GAA and .931 SV% lead the league. Ethan Penner is 3-4-0 in eight appearances.
The Bombers are 5-3-2 in their last 10.
At 2.90 goals against per game the Bombers are one of three sub-3.00 clubs in the league.
Wisconsin is 0-7-0 against Sioux Lookout. At present, they’ll close out their season with three home games, giving them 52 games overall.
The Jacks are on a three-game schneid and are 3-7-0 in their last 10.
Ryder McMillen sits atop the SIJHL leader board with 68 points (27-41-68). Teammate Zach Carson is in second at 55 points with 24 goals. The Lumberjack defenceman has 12 powerplay goals to lead the league.
Dillon Phillips (16-26-42) and Sal Poggiali (16-24-40) have been top-40 denizens most, if not all year long. Connor McClure (14-16-30) is 32nd in league scoring. Cooper McClure has nine goals and nine helpers in 17 games.
Kyler Lowden has 2,023 minutes between the pipes–second in the league. He’s sitting at exactly 4.00 GAA for the year with a 12-17-5 record.
At 772 penalty minutes, Wisconsin is the least penalized team in the league.
Fri/Sat Mar 10/11
Red Lake @ Dryden
Red Lake is 2-5-0 against Dryden. Dryden is 5-2-0 against Red Lake.
Sun Mar 12
Sioux Lookout @ Fort Frances
Fort Frances is 2-4-0 against Sioux Lookout. Sioux Lookout is 4-1-1 against Fort Frances.