The SJHL Power Rankings are decided each and every week by a group of SJHL broadcasters and will be released each Tuesday.
1. Battleford North Stars 13-0-0-1 (Last Week 1st) – The hot start to the season continues for the Battlefords North Stars. They continued on their winning ways this week with a pair of home wins against the Yorkton Terriers and the club is back at the top of the CJHL Top 20 rankings. However, this week will pose a big test for the Stars as they host Estevan on Tuesday and then face the Humboldt Broncos in a home and home series Friday and Saturday.
2. Humboldt Broncos 11-2-0-0 (Last Week 2nd) – It was an up and down weekend for the Humboldt Broncos. Friday the club let a 2 goal lead slip away as the Kindersley Klippers came back to beat them 5-3. Then on Saturday, the Broncos would come back from their own two goal deficit in the 3rd period to beat the Nipawin Hawks 5-4. Another example of the parity in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. The Broncos will be on the road Wednesday in Yorkton to face the Terriers and then meet Battlefords in a home and home this weekend.
3. Flin Flon Bombers 9-3-1-1 (Last Week 4th) – After a lengthy stint on the road, the Flin Flon Bombers returned to the Whitney Forum this week. The club welcomed the Notre Dame Hounds and earned a 2-0 win Friday night. Harman Laser-Hume was outstanding in between the pipes for the Bombers, making 35 saves for his 3rd shutout of the season. Flin Flon sits at the top of the Sherwood division with 20 points and will host Melville for a pair of games this weekend.
4. La Ronge Ice Wolves 8-5-1-0 (Last Week 5th) – Similar to Flin Flon, the Ice Wolves returned to their home ice this weekend for just one game and they earned a 3-2 overtime win over the Notre Dame Hounds. The contest also kicked off an extremely busy stretch on home ice for La Ronge as they play 9 out of their next 10 at home and are just 3 points back of the Flin Flon Bombers for 1st in the Sherwood division. The Ice Wolves will host the Melville Millionaires for two games Tuesday and Wednesday which will then be followed by a meeting with the Melfort Mustangs on Saturday.
5. Melfort Mustangs 6-6-4-0 (Last Week 7th) – The Melfort Mustangs got back in the win column this weekend on home ice with a pair of wins against the Estevan Bruins. The Mustangs played extremely well defensively in both games, giving up just 19 shots on Friday and 23 shots on Saturday. Newcomer Ryan Duguay led the way for the Mustangs with 2 goals and 3 assists and was named SGEU Player of the Week. He was involved in every Mustang goal this weekend, except for the empty netter Friday. Melfort will look to make it 3 wins in a row Wednesday when they host the Weyburn Red Wings.
6. Estevan Bruins 8-9-0-0 (Last Week 3rd) – Following their 7 game winning streak, the Estevan Bruins have now lost 3 straight games. Five on Five, the Bruins were even with the Melfort Mustangs this past weekend, but their Achilles heel Saturday was their penalty kill as they allowed 3 power play goals. Despite the two losses though, the Bruins still sit at the top of the Viterra division. Now the defending SJHL Champions will be looking to snap their losing streak as they hit the road Tuesday to Battleford to face the North Stars.
7. Notre Dame Hounds 5-7-1-1 (Last Week 9th) – The Notre Dame Hounds continue to climb the SJHL Power Rankings. The Hounds played 3 games in 3 nights this past week and played well earning, 3 out of a possible 6 points. The Hounds continue to get solid goaltending, and defensive play, but scoring continues to be an issue for the team as they are tied for the least amount of goals scored so far this season. The Hounds will now return home Thursday for a meeting with the Yorkton Terriers and then head to Estevan Saturday for a battle with the Bruins.
8. Melville Millionaires 5-7-1-1 (Last Week 10th) – After an 0-3 week, the Melville Millionaires bounced back in a big way Friday night at home with an impressive 6-1 win over the Weyburn Red Wings and they were just 6 minutes away from completing the weekend sweep. However, two late goals by Weyburn handed the Mills a late loss. Now Melville will gear up for a busy week where they play 4 games in 5 nights beginning Tuesday in La Ronge against the Ice Wolves.
9. Weyburn Red Wings 6-9-0-0 (Last Week 12th) – The Weyburn Red Wings earned 4 out of a possible 6 points this past week and both of their wins saw the team come from behind to win. Tuesday they trailed 3-0 to Kindersley but ended up winning 4-3, and Saturday the Wings trailed 5-4 late in the 3rd and won 7-5. Weyburn will look to build off Saturday’s win when they head to Melfort on Wednesday for a meeting with the Mustangs and then continue their road trip in Nipawin on Friday and Saturday.
10. Kindersley Klippers 4-7-0-2 (Last Week 11th) – It was a tough start to the week for the Kindersley Klippers as they gave up a 3-0 lead to the Weyburn Red Wings Tuesday to lose 4-3. However, the team bounced back in a big way with a come from behind win over the Humboldt Broncos Friday and a big 5-2 win against Yorkton Saturday. Kindersley has now won 3 of their last 4 and a big reason why is the play of goaltender Cody Jaman, who was named Sasktel Goalie of the Week. The Klippers are back at it Wednesday when they host Estevan which is their lone game this week.
11. Yorkton Terriers 6-8-0-0 (Last Week 6th) – The Yorkton Terriers were busy this past week, but it was a week they would like to forget as they went 0-3 out on the road with two games against Battlefords and the final game against Kindersley. Yorkton has now dropped 4 straight games and are now 6-8-0-0 on the year. The good news is that they are still in the mix in the Viterra division with the entire division separated by just 4 points and Yorkton has games in hand. The Terriers will look to snap their 4 game losing streak Wednesday night at home against the Humboldt Broncos.
12. Nipawin Hawks 5-8-1-1 (Last Week 8th) – The Nipawin Hawks had the 2nd best team in the SJHL on the ropes Saturday night and we’re close to pulling off the upset. However, 3 unanswered goals in the 3rd period by the Humboldt Broncos resulted in the Hawks losing their 3rd straight. One area of concern for the Hawks is their defensive play as they have allowed the most goals against in the SJHL with 61 going into this week. The Hawks will look to bounce back this weekend when they host Weyburn for a pair of games.
