Honkings From The Wild Goose: Playoff races tighten

Playoff races tighten across Sask West and Cross Roads

By Phil Heilman

We’re getting into the nitty gritty of the regular season, and teams are jostling for playoff position as the schedule turns toward the stretch run.

SASK WEST HOCKEY LEAGUE STANDINGS

The Wilkie Outlaws remain in top spot at 11-1, followed by the Kindersley Klippers at 9-3. The Edam 3 Stars (7-4-1) and Macklin Mohawks (7-5-1) round out the top four. The Biggar Nationals sit fifth at 3-11, while the Asquith Admirals trail at 1-10-2.

Playoffs note: With key matchups still ahead, there’s no meaningful prediction to make just yet.

CROSS ROADS HOCKEY LEAGUE STANDINGS

At the top, it’s a tight race between the Rosetown Redwings (9-2) and Unity Miners (9-3), followed by the Dodsland Stars at 8-4. The Kerrobert Tigers (4-6) and Kindersley Kodiaks (4-8) sit side-by-side in the middle, while the Luseland Mallards remain winless at 0-11.

Playoffs note: It appears the standings are largely locked into their respective spots.

SASK WEST: Outlaws stay hot, Mohawks win a thriller

The Wilkie Outlaws put on an offensive showcase Friday in Biggar, rolling past the Nationals 11-2. Wilkie stormed to a 7-0 lead after 40 minutes, with Rick Cey scoring four times, including a hat trick. Jared Herle was sharp, stopping 40 of 42 shots.

Edam also picked up a road win Friday, grinding out a 4-1 victory in Macklin. The game was tied 1-1 after two before Kendall Fransoo scored early in the third on the power play, and the 3 Stars added a pair of late insurance markers. Taryn Kotchorek stopped 21 of 22 in the win.

In Asquith, Kindersley took care of business with an 11-3 win over the Admirals, building an 8-1 advantage after two periods. Shayne Neigum led the way with four goals, and Logan Drackett made 17 saves.

Saturday delivered one of the weekend’s biggest games as Wilkie edged Edam 4-3 in overtime, with Cey ending it just 10 seconds into the extra frame. The Outlaws needed a late third-period goal to force OT, then made it count quickly.

In another tight matchup, the Macklin Mohawks defended home ice Saturday with a hard-fought 5-4 win over the Klippers. Tyler Baier scored three times for Macklin, including the eventual game-winner in the third.

Sunday in Asquith, the Biggar Nationals earned a 4-3 shootout win in a back-and-forth battle. Presley Toth scored the lone shootout goal, and Biggar goalie Mason Briske turned aside 44 of 47 shots to secure the extra point.

CROSS ROADS: Miners win twice, Kodiaks upset Redwings

The Unity Miners came away with two big wins on the weekend, starting with a 5-3 victory over Dodsland Friday in Kerrobert. Unity built an early lead and sealed it late with an empty-netter. Ryan Rewerts made 37 saves in the win.

Unity followed that up Saturday with a 4-3 win over the Kerrobert Tigers, scoring twice in the final seven minutes to complete the comeback. Brayden Schultz scored the winner late in the third.

Also Saturday, the Dodsland Stars edged the Luseland Mallards 4-3, hanging on despite a late push from the home team.

Sunday in Kindersley, the Kodiaks delivered one of the weekend’s biggest results, knocking off the Rosetown Redwings 4-1. The game was tied after one, but Kindersley pulled away with a shorthanded goal early in the third and didn’t look back. Kaden Elliott stopped 23 of 24 shots.

HISTORY LESSON: A LOOK BACK AT 1991-92

This week’s trip down memory lane lands on the 1991-92 Wild Goose season, when the league had just six teams and the Outlaws finished first at 19-10-1. The standings were tight, and the playoffs took a round-robin turn before the finals—where Kerrobert swept Macklin in three straight to win the title.

The throwback comes with a bonus reminder: check out your local museums. A stop at the Kerrobert Museum this past summer turned up some incredible memorabilia, including a 1992 WGHL champions hat signed by the team.

UPCOMING GAMES

SWHL

• Fri., Jan. 23: Edam at Asquith (8:30 p.m.), Wilkie at Macklin (8:30 p.m.)

• Sat., Jan. 24: Macklin at Kindersley (8 p.m.), Wilkie at Asquith (8 p.m.), Biggar at Edam (8 p.m.)

• TBA: Kindersley at Edam

CRHL

• Fri., Jan. 23: Kerrobert at Luseland (8 p.m.)

• Sat., Jan. 24: Rosetown at Kerrobert (8 p.m.)