The SJHL Power Rankings are decided each and every week by a group of SJHL broadcasters and will be released each Tuesday.
1. Battlefords North Stars 22-0-2-1 (Last Week 1st) – Despite 13 days in between games, the Battlefords North Stars didn’t skip a beat in their return to the ice this past weekend. Friday they returned to the ACC and earned a massive 6-1 win over the Notre Dame Hounds and then on Saturday travelled on Melfort and picked up a 5-4 shootout win over the Mustangs. No regulation losses in 25 games for the Stars and they continue to be the top team in the CJHL. They will now be without Head Coach and General Manager Brayden Klimosko and number one Centre Holden Doell for the foreseeable future as both are in Ontario for Team Canada West Training Camp for the World Junior A Challenge which begins on Sunday.
2. La Ronge Ice Wolves 19-8-1-0 (Last Week 4th) – It was a successful trip down South for the La Ronge Ice Wolves this past week as they earned 6 out of a possible 8 points, earning wins over the Notre Dame Hounds, Weyburn Red Wings and Estevan Bruins. Goaltender Dawson Smith was rock solid in between the pipes for the club, and as a result was named Sasktel Goalie of the Week for his performance. Thanks to their strong week, the Ice Wolves now sit alone in 2nd place in the SJHL standings and it will set up a marquee matchup Wednesday night as La Ronge heads to Battleford for a meeting with the Stars.
3. Melfort Mustangs 13-8-5-1 (Last Week 3rd) – The Melfort Mustangs had another strong week on the ice earning 3 out of a possible 4 points and extended their point streak to 8 games. The club earned a dominant 7-0 win over the Yorkton Terriers Friday night and then had another strong showing against the Battlefords North Stars Saturday, falling 5-4 in a shootout. The team continues to get great goaltending from both of their netminders and 18-year-old forward Zac Somers continues to light it up, scoring in 7 straight games for Melfort. The Mustangs will look to continue their hot play this weekend when they head down South for a pair of games against Estevan and Weyburn.
4. Humboldt Broncos 17-7-1-0 (Last Week 5th) – It was another quiet week for the Humboldt Broncos with just one game this past week, but they took advantage of it as they earned two points down in Weyburn, winning 7-6. Going into the 2nd last week before the holiday’s, Humboldt is 4th in the SJHL standings, but they do have games in hand on both La Ronge and Flin Flon who are directly ahead of them. The Broncos will host Notre Dame on Wednesday and travel to Melville on Friday for a meeting with the Millionaires.
5. Flin Flon Bombers 17-7-2-1 (Last Week 2nd) – Flin Flon split their two games in the Parkland region this week as they knocked off Melville 5-2 Friday, but then fell to the Yorkton Terriers the next night by the same score. Kenneth Marquart was superb in the Bombers win Friday, making 46 saves and also registered an assist. The Bombers will return home this week, but will only be on the ice once as they look for some revenge against Yorkton, hosting the Terriers on Friday.
6. Estevan Bruins 16-14-0-0 (Last Week 6th) – Just like Flin Flon, the Estevan Bruins split their two games this week as they hosted La Ronge for a pair of contests at Affinity Place, blanking La Ronge 4-0 on Wednesday and falling 3-2 Saturday. Estevan currently sits 6th in the SJHL standings, but have played the most games out of any team this season. This week won’t get any slower for the Bruins as they play 4 games in 6 nights beginning Tuesday evening as they host the Kindersley Klippers.
7. Nipawin Hawks 12-12-1-1 (Last Week 8th) – The Nipawin Hawks earned a pair of wins this week over the Melville Millionaires and don’t look now, but the Hawks are back at .500 and are just 6 points behind the Bruins for 6th in the SJHL standings with 4 games in hand. However, the Hawks will have a very difficult schedule in the month of December, playing mostly teams ahead of them in the league standings. The lone exception is their contest Tuesday night as they host the Yorkton Terriers. They will then take on the North Stars in a home and home this weekend.
8. Notre Dame Hounds 10-12-2-2 (Last Week 7th) – It was a tough weekend on the road for the Notre Dame Hounds as they dropped both of their games in Battlefords and Kindersley. However, they did earn an important point in their shootout loss in Kindersley Saturday and if it wasn’t for the superb goaltending of Directwest Rookie of the Week Cody Jaman, the Hounds are probably walking away with a split on the weekend. The Hounds have 3 games left before the holiday’s and only one game this week as they travel to Humboldt Wednesday to meet the Broncos.
9. Yorkton Terriers 11-16-0-0 (Last Week 9th) – This past week was the story of two extremes for the Yorkton Terriers. Friday night Yorkton suffered a tough loss on the road in Melfort falling 7-0, but you couldn’t ask for a better response the next night at home as they got back in the win column with a 5-2 victory over the Flin Flon Bombers. The Terriers are now just 2 points back of the Notre Dame Hounds for the 8th and final playoff spot. Yorkton will play 3 big games on the road this week up North as they visit Nipawin, Flin Flon and La Ronge.
10. Weyburn Red Wings 9-16-0-1 (Last Week 11th) – Despite going 1-2 this week, the Weyburn Red Wings were in all 3 of their hockey games as they returned to action following 10 days off. They earned a key 4-1 win over Yorkton early on in the week, but then fell 5-3 to La Ronge Friday and 7-6 to Humboldt Saturday. The club made a big splash this past week as well as they acquired 20-year-old forward Ryley Morgan from the La Ronge Ice Wolves, who is expected to provide a significant boost to their offence. Weyburn will continue their homestand this weekend when they host Kindersley Friday and Melfort Saturday.
11. Kindersley Klippers 6-13-2-4 (Last Week 12th) – Speaking of the Klippers, they won their lone game of the week Saturday with a 2-1 win over Notre Dame at the West Central Events Centre in Kindersley. That is where the Klippers have played their best hockey this season, but now the club will hit the road again this week for 3 games in 4 nights as they look to get some valuable points and climb closer to a playoff spot. They will visit Estevan for a pair of games and then wrap up the trip in Weyburn.
12. Melville Millionaires 8-17-2-1 (Last Week 9th) – After earning 5 out of a possible 6 points the previous week, it appeared the Melville Millionaires had found their footing and were trending in the right direction. However, 3 straight losses this week, including 2 to the Nipawin Hawks, and the Mills are back to where they were prior strong week at home. With that being said, they are only 5 points behind the Notre Dame Hounds for the final playoff spot and all 4 teams who are below the playoff line are still well in the race to make the post-season. The Mills will look to get back in the win column Friday when they host Humboldt.
