It’s your Source Embroidery Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League Power Rankings for Nov. 17, 2021.
1. Estevan Bruins (15-4-0-1) – 1st last week. Still a coin toss between Estevan and Humboldt. However, a +49 goal differential leads the league, and Mark Rumsey has an absurd 24 points in his past 9 games.
2. Humboldt Broncos (17-5-0-0) – 2nd last week. – The Broncos continued their winning ways this weekend with back-to-back wins over La Ronge, outscoring the Ice Wolves 15-3 across two games. Rayce Ramsay has been a workhorse leading the league in minutes, wins, and saves. The offence hasn’t stopped either with 4 players in the top 7 of SJHL scoring race.
3. Flin Flon Bombers (14-6-0-0) – 3rd last week. The Bombers are doing it by committee this year with 11 players over double-digit points. Cal Shell secured his fourth shutout of the year, and the defensive pairing of Xavier Lapointe and Cole Vardy is the hard-to-argue best blueline tandem in the league
4. Battlefords North Stars (14-6-1-1) – 5th last week. Michael Harroch earned goaltender of the week honours with two straight wins allowing only 2 goals on 41 shots combined. Amongst the likes of Flin Flon, Estevan, and Humboldt, the North Stars are still the highest scoring team in the league with 90 goals.
5. Melfort Mustangs (12-7-1-1) – 4th last week. When on their game, possibly the toughest team to score against in the SJHL. Ben Tkatchuk is as complete as any player. However, depth scoring will be needed on a more consistent basis to go against the above four teams in a 7-game series.
6. Notre Dame Hounds (10-6-1-1) – 6th last week. A tough northern road trip resulted in 4 out of 6 points, where Kevin Anderson picked up a pair of hat-tricks. Give credit where credit is due, the Hounds coaching staff have this young team able to complete on any given night.
7. Kindersley Klippers (10-10-0-1) – 8th last week. 6-3-0-1 in their past ten games. The -17 goal differential is concerning, but they’re 7-0-0-1 in one-goal games, meaning if you keep them in it, they find a way to win.
8. Yorkton Terriers (8-11-0-2) – 9th last week. 10th in the league in goals for (GF) but tied for 3rd in goal against. (GA). Speaking of one-goal games, Yorkton has been in 12 of them. If the Terriers can figure out their powerplay (8.6% = Last place), watch out.
9. Nipawin Hawks (9-9-0-2)– 7th last week. Not a lot of fire power with Andrew Schaab’s 14 points leading the team. The Hawks are right at .500 with a 9-9-0-2 record. Looks like they will need to keep opposition’s scoring to a bare minimum to pick up victories. If the narrative remains the same, they will be flirting with the 8th and final playoff spot for the foreseeable future.
10. Weyburn Red Wings (5-12-3-0)– 10th last week. The injury bug has bitten and limited flight from the Wings. They have lost 3 games in a row and 8 of the last 10. Going up against Estevan 10 times this year hasn’t helped their cause. They have lost the first three games against their natural rival, being outscored 16-3.
11. La Ronge Ice Wolves (6-14-1-2) – 12th last week. 2-7-0-1 in their last ten games and 7 straight losses at home. There is a lot of interesting talent up front that if became available would be a feeding frenzy of offers from playoff teams around the league. A victory over Melfort on the road puts them above the Melville Millionaires.
12. Melville Millionaires (3-10-5-0) 11th last week. Just three wins on the season. Allowing 39.28 shots on net per game has been a glaring problem. Jared Thompson is getting his work cut out for him with 282 shots faced in just 7 games. However, he’s been a bright spot with at least a .920 save percentage in 5 of those contests.
