A tiny seven points separate first from eighth, and it’s hard to imagine a more parity-rich league anywhere.
A group of SJHL media decides the power rankings.
1. Melfort Mustangs (16-4-0) (Last week 1st)
Two more games and hard-fought wins in which Trevor Blevins’ battle-tested men found a way. Both games in Kindersley, a notoriously tough place to go, and the defending champs were able to open up a tiny five-point gap between them and second place.
2. Weyburn Red Wings (13-6-1) (Last week 2nd)
Whether it’s a blessing or curse that the Wings will have had to wait ten whole days to bounce back from their first two regulation losses after 14 undefeated games remains to be seen. Everybody has bumps and bruises, so if the Wings are a legitimate championship contender, they’ll use the break in the right way. A big measuring stick is coming Tuesday with the red-hot Yorkton Terriers in town.
3. Flin Flon Bombers (12-9-1) (Last week 5th)
The Bombers are back to their mighty selves after outscoring the opposition 28-11 over six dominant wins over November so far. Two more over Sherwood Division rival Nipawin Hawks this past week did nothing to dispel the theory that the Flin Flon of this decade is back with a vengeance. The play of Matthew Kieper in the net has a lot to do with that.
4. Yorkton Terriers (13-8-0) (Last week 3rd)
A weekend split with their Highway 10 rivals is different from how the Terriers drew it up, but the healthy return of Jeff Hammond and Tate Schofer means this is still the deepest forward group in the SJHL. Their trip to Weyburn on Tuesday will be well worth the price of admission.
5. Humboldt Broncos (12-8-1) (Last week 6th)
The Broncos have given up a minuscule six goals in their last four games but have only two wins to show. It’s always challenging to go up to the Mel Hegland Uniplex, and Humboldt learned that with a tough split this past weekend, but the defensive structure is undoubtedly coming for a group that should be able to defend as well as any in the SJHL.
6. La Ronge Ice Wolves (12-11-1) (Last week 7th)
La Ronge has won four on its current home stand, which will hit eight in a row at the Mel Hegland Uniplex to start November. A hard-fought win vs. the Humboldt Broncos this past weekend has the Ice Wolves continuing the climb. Their goalies, Graham Brown and Logan Falk, are their MVPs for sure, but their veteran skaters have quietly come to play in a big way lately.
7. Battlefords North Stars (11-6-4) (Last week, 4th)
The North Stars generate as many chances on a night as any team in the league, but at times, those chances have been feast or famine this campaign. Last weekend in Estevan, they had plenty of opportunities, but they lost both games and scored only two goals. This group has overcome plenty of adversity, so a weekend setback like that should be little to worry about.
8. Melville Millionaires (11-8-3) (Last week 8th)
A three-out-of-four-point weekend vs their Highway 10 rivals is a nice respite from a tough November for the Moneymen. Their November schedule has been very tough; there is no questioning that, but their Coach, Doug Johnson, is never one for excuses. They’ll look to build off the snapping of their losing skid this past weekend with a double dip in Kindersley next.
9. Estevan Bruins (7-9-3) (Last week 10th)
A pair of playoff-style wins at home over the Battlefords North Stars this past weekend is just what the doctor ordered for Jason Tatarnic’s men. Young Ben Polhill rebounded in a big way in net from a tough trip to La Ronge the week before, and a healthy Kent Moors and Ewan Rennie back in the line-up is significant for a group desperate to score a few more goals.
10. Kindersley Klippers (11-11-1) (Last week 9th)
November has been brutal for the Klippers, with the who’s who of the league as the opposition most nights. The busiest team in the league this past week, Clayton Jardine’s men had to play a four-game, five-night stint that began with a blizzard-filled gruelling trip to Notre Dame and then a pair against the red-hot Melfort Mustangs at home. They won only one of those four but did not play bad hockey.
11. Notre Dame Hounds (6-15-1) (Last week 12th)
The optimist could say that the Hounds played well in November and could have gotten something out of every game. The pessimist says they still have yet to win two games in a row all year and lost Wednesday after leading in the third period and playing well most of the night with the Kindersley Klippers in town. How they look back on the month might have a lot to do with their three-game-in-four-night stretch coming up.
12. Nipawin Hawks (3-14-2) (Last week 11th)
The youngest team in the league got three out of a possible eight points from their last four games against four of the hottest teams in the SJHL but could not follow up their big win two weeks ago in Humboldt with a result in a home-and-home against the white-hot Flin Flon Bombers.
