By Mike Stackhouse
The SJHL won all three games against the MJHL as the first ever SJHL/MJHL Showcase kicked off on Monday at the Cooperators Centre in Regina.
In the first contest, Team Schwartz used a 3:17 barrage late in the second period to break open a close game and win 5-1 over Team Garbutt. Chrystopher Collin, of the Flin Flon Bombers, scored two goals to lead the way; including the back breaker at 14:43 of the second, just sixteen seconds after he stepped out of the penalty box, rlfling a quick shot past Matthew Thiessen for a 3-1 advantage.
Cade Kowalski then scored to make it 4-1, less than a minute later. Curtis Wiebe, who had a strong game driving to the net on a consistent basis, made it 5-1 at the 18 minute mark.
Notre Dame defenseman Tim Gould had a goal and two assists, as well as a physical altercation where he ended up dropping the mitts with Kolton Kanaski.
James McIsaac, of the Portage Terriers, scored the first goal of the game, 3:58 into the first but the tandem of Jack Ryan and Jake Anthony was perfect the rest of the way. Ryan stopped 9-of-10 shots faced. Anthony all nine that came his way. For the MJHL Garbutt side, Matthew Radomsky made 21 saves in a losing effort while going the distance.
This first game featured players born in 1999, 2000, and 2001.
In the first ‘veterans’ game of the day, the SJHL Mitchell squad doubled up the MJHL Zajac team 4-2.
Estevan’s Michael McChesney scored a first period shorthanded breakwaway goal and then connected again on a giveaway early in the second.
Team Mitchell opened the scoring at 6:49 of the first when Caleb Moretz made a beautiful goal mouth pass to Nick Shumlanski, his former Bomber teammate. Shumlanski was dealt to Humboldt on January 10th.
After McChesney made it 2-0, Ashton Anderson got the MJHL Zajac team back to within one as he took a pass from Neepawa teammate Justin Metcalf for a picturesque goal.
OCN defenseman Daylon Campbell scored in the second to tie it up with a hard shot from the point, but McChesney answered less than a minute later and then Calvon Boots made it 4-2 before the second was over, showing off his excellent shooting skills.
Melfort’s Evan Plotnik went the distance in this game, and made 23-saves. Some were spectacular. Even though he allowed four, Selkirk’s Hayden Dola was also very good on his way to a 26-save effort.
In the final game of the day, the SJHL Kunitz team started very slow but dominated in the third period, thanks to Chance Longjohn of the Notre Dame Hounds as they ended up securing a 4-2 win over Team Belfour.
Longjohn broke a 1-1 tie at the 8:24 mark of the third and then went top shelf, shorthanded, late in the period to suck the life out of a potential comeback to make it 4-2.
Damian Bentz had a shorthanded goal as well in the third period for the SJHL Kunitz. Levi Kleiboer got credit for their first goal of the night, early in the third, when the puck went up in the air behind the net and, somehow, was directed into the crease and fell in behind MJHL goalie Troy Martyniuk.
Nolan McGuire broke a scoreless deadlock midway through the second, ending Jacob Standen’s night as he connected on a bang bang setup from Weiland Parrish.
Will Koop and Drew Worrad combined on a nice pass play in the third, stopping a run of three straight SJHL Kunitz goals, but they couldn’t complete the comeback as the Longjohn shorthanded marker ended those hopes.
Troy Martyniuk was great in net for the MJHLers, blanking the SJHL team for 30 minutes before the SJHL club got to him in the second half of the contest. Standen and Justen Close split time for the SJHL, with Close making 22-saves in the final 30 minutes and allowing one of the two goals.
Action continues on Tuesday morning with the rematch between Team Schwartz and Team Garbutt.
Team Mitchell plays Team Belfour and then Team Kunitz goes up against Team Zajac to finish it off.
Tag(s): Home SJHL / MJHL Showcase
