Selkirk Steel-ing the Show
Being 8-0 is impressive but what’s more, they’ve walked into Portage and Virden where they have shutout the home team, outscoring both clubs for a combined 10-0. They have the top 5 scorers in the league and another tied for 6th with a league best goal differential of +25. Not to mention a goalie with a 0.79 goals against average and a 0.967 save percentage.
The question is, will the good times last? Through eight games, only three have been against teams who earned playoff spots last season. They are about to go through a bit of a gauntlet. Games against a heating-up Waywayseecappo, a different Titans club from years past, and contenders in Winkler, Dauphin, Northern Manitoba, and Steinbach all await. An 8-0 start is fantastic, much better than in years past. But this next stretch will show if it was a hot start and that was all or if the Steel Town Boys are legit contenders.
Firing On All Pistons
Steinbach has ripped off 5 wins in a row and have outscored their opponents 23-6 in that span, including an impressive shutout of the Blizzard in their rink. A pair of unknown goaltenders a couple of weeks ago solidified the position while the offense has been boosted by the defense which has produced 7 goals, and 22 assists combined so far this year.
With the new Southeast Events Centre continuing to hum along, the Pistons will be spending much of the time on the road, something that hasn’t seemed to bother them. For a team that has the third most goals scored in the league to this point, they’re still waiting for some of their top guys to get going. However, those same guys are playing some elite 200 foot hockey and while they may not be grabbing the attention for goals, they’re helping lock down wins, which is what they really care about.
This week, 2007-born forward, Brody Green, announced his commitment to play NCAA Division 1 hockey at Northern Michigan University.
Downed Doggies
Slow starts will happen but it might be the way the Terriers have come out of the gate that’s surprising. They opened the season scoring 6 goals only to give up 7. Since then, they’ve not scored more than 3 in a game. So far 8 players have scored 13 goals, 5 of which have been scored on the power play. It’s not cliché when it’s true and the fact it is early should ease some of the concern. There’s little doubt they’ll find a foot hold and the sense is the brain-trust behind the scenes is always on the look out for ways to improve. Hanging around the bottom for now won’t faze them but there are areas to be fixed or that hanging around could end up being more of a permanent dwelling.
A couple games ahead where some will look to build some confidence and then a tough stretch against divisional opponents they’re currently looking up at. If they pull out a few wins, bank a few points, all of a sudden they’re right where most thought they would be, battling for home ice in the first round or even better.
Horses Stumble Out Of The Gate
Another tough start to the season for the Swan Valley Stampeders. It’s not for lack of effort, Barry Wolff is a good coach and there are pieces there that show serious flash and promise. Things will click but already chasing in what’s going to be a crowded MGEU West Division is not where they thought they would be. There’s a lot of time to right the ship. Some young players will have more opportunities and some key guys will take a step as the season goes on. The question is will they get it figured out in time to make a push or will it come too late and they’ll be stuck looking ahead to next year months before they should be.
After their next game, they split the next 8, four on the road, four at home. They’re going to be playing strong teams so they’re going to be tested. It’s very early but it’s not too early to say this could be a season defining stretch for the Stamps. They must come away with points or by the time this stretch comes to an end on November 8th, they could be right in the thick of it, or so far back they’re already making plans for the trade deadline.
