It’s your Source Embroidery Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League Power Rankings for Nov. 3, 2021.
- Humboldt Broncos (13-4-0) – 4th last week. Logan Kurki’s on fire, and Scott Barney’s men have won seven in row. Connor McGrath is building a very strong early case for Rookie of the Year. They’re also still a perfect 8-0 at home.
- Estevan Bruins (11-3-0) – 5th last week. The Centennial Cup hosts have not lost in regulation in a busy two weeks, and have bulldozed the competition to the tune of 32-5 over the last five games. Olivier Pouliot has the league’s longest point-scoring streak so far at 11 games, and Mark Rumsey has been scoring for fun.
- Flin Flon Bombers (12-5-0) – 2nd last week. Only one loss at the Whitney Forum so far this year, Cal Schell has been brilliant in net, and the Bombers offence comes at you in waves. Eight wins in ten is not bad either, with the only real blemish a tough long southern road trip a couple weeks ago.
- Battlefords North Stars (10-5-2) – 3rd last week. The goals have not been coming as freely as they were to start the year, but newly acquired veteran Michael Harroch looks like the answer in net. Hard to stop this Top 6 forward group on a given night.
- Melfort Mustangs (10-6-1) – 1st last week. – A slide of four losses from five has the Mustangs tumbling down the rankings, and like Battlefords, the goals just are not coming very easily. They have a lot more games at home coming up though, so look for a Melfort resurgence soon.
- Notre Dame Hounds (8-5-1) – 6th last week. The red-hot Hounds were cooled down by a defeat Tuesday in a shootout to the Stars, but 5-1-1 over their latest homestand earned Brett Pilkington’s men a measure of respect from the league. A road-heavy November looms for this young group, though in the line of Johno Hoins, Oliver Band, and Bobby Pokupec, ND has some secondary scoring well on its way.
- Kindersley Klippers (8-8-1) – 10th last week. Huge turnaround as Ken Plaquin’s team has won five of seven with some much-improved goaltending from Matt Pesenti and Brett Sweet. Big youngster Tylin HIlbig has been a revelation while captain Mark Snarr remains as underrated as anybody in the SJHL.
- Yorkton Terriers (6-9-0) – 9th last week. Matt Hehr’s men don’t allow many goals, but they don’t score many either. Wins over Battlefords and La Ronge this past week look to have this team on the up and ups, behind some remarkable goaltending from rookie Kael DePape.
- Nipawin Hawks (6-7-2) – 7th last week. The losing streak is now at four and little has gone right for Doug Johnsons’ team since the Warman Showcase. Losses to Melville and Kindersley won’t relieve any pressure as this team is struggling to score, and struggling to stay healthy.
- Weyburn Red Wings (3-7-3) – 8th last week. The biggest news out of Weyburn was the departure of long-time starting goaltender Joe Young, and while the team clearly plays very hard for first-year bench boss Cody Mapes, they are still working on putting together 60 quality minutes for him. A six-game losing streak might signal more moves at the Crescent Point Place, but there is a lot to like about young goaltenders Dazza Mitchell and Jackson Fellner.
- La Ronge Ice Wolves (5-10-2) – 11th last week. A three-game losing streak, with two of those at home this past week to Kindersley and Yorkton, has been caused by the fact the Ice Wolves continuing to struggle to keep the puck out of their own net. All-around forward Gavin Mattey has been one of the great surprises of a so-far disappointing season in La Ronge.
- Melville Millionaires (2-8-4) – 12th last week. Facing Estevan three of their last four when the mighty Bruins are catching their stride was not what this team needed, and three more defeats this past week extended their slump to eight losses out of their last nine.
