Honkings from the Wild Goose: Wilkie has first place locked up
By Phil Heilman
Sask West Hockey League Standings: Wilkie has first place locked up at 14-1, followed by Kindersley (10-5) and Edam (9-4-1). Macklin sits fourth at 7-7-1, Biggar is fifth at 3-11, and Asquith rounds things out at 1-12-2.
Playoff note: The race for second remains red hot.
Cross Roads Hockey League Standings: Rosetown and Unity are tied for first at 9-3. Dodsland sits third at 8-4, followed by Kerrobert at 6-6. Kindersley (4-8) and Luseland (0-12) round out the standings.
Playoffs: Rosetown and Unity earn byes, while Dodsland/Luseland and Kerrobert/Kindersley meet in a modified best-of-three.
Sask West
On Wednesday, the Kindersley Klippers headed north for a marquee matchup with Wilkie, but the Outlaws deflated the tires early in a 9-2 win. Blake Young, Rory Gregoire, and Cody Roy staked Wilkie to a big first-period lead, and the Outlaws piled on late to seal it. Jared Herle stopped 20 of 22 in the win.
Friday night saw Edam make the long trip to Asquith and dismantle the Admirals 17-2. Keegan Tiringer led the way with four goals, while Jordan Fransoo and Logan Nachtegaele each had hat tricks. Taryn Kotchorek earned the win in goal.
Also Friday, Wilkie handled Macklin 9-3 at the Credit Union Legacy Centre. Blake Young and Foster Steinhubel traded early goals before the Outlaws pulled away behind strong scoring from Gregoire, Roy, and the Keller brothers.
Saturday, Macklin travelled to Kindersley, where the Klippers cruised to an 11-1 victory. Kyle Donaldson scored four times, with Carson Grolla, Shayne Neigum, and Jaxon Georget all chipping in.
Later that night, Wilkie braved the cold in Asquith and delivered a 17-0 shutout. Rick Cey led the charge with four goals, while Curtis Sander stopped all 17 shots he faced.
On Sunday, Edam shut out Kindersley 3-0, with Jordan Fransoo opening the scoring and Keegan Tiringer adding two more, including a shorthanded empty-netter.
A rescheduled Wednesday matchup between Edam and Biggar will be posted on the SWHL website.
Cross Roads
Friday night in Luseland, Kerrobert skated away with a 9-4 win over the Mallards. The game featured plenty of back-and-forth early, but the Tigers took control in the third behind goals from Riley Anderson, Drake McKinnon, and Cole Kissick.
On Saturday, Kerrobert continued their strong play with a 4-1 win over Rosetown. Drake McKinnon and Rylan Borschneck set the tone early, while Preston Plamondon was solid in goal.
History Lesson
Last week’s mention of the Wild Goose All Stars brings us back to 1965, when the All Stars faced West Germany at Kindersley’s Exhibition Stadium. Playing the final stop of a 12-game Canadian tour, the teams skated to a 5-5 tie in front of 3,000 fans. Bob Marik scored twice for the All Stars, with goals also coming from Jim Raisbeck, Orest Palahicki, and Keith Robson. Goaltending duties were shared by Chuck Newmeyer and Don Cowan.
Note: This year’s Wild Goose features teams from Wilkie, Kindersley, Biggar, Unity, Leader, and Swift Current.