Thunder Talk: January 27th

Every Tuesday Kenny Trenton from CK750/ CJVR will be popping by to give us his take on the local hockey scene

First off, a special thanks to Noel for allowing me to add my two cents. As Noel mentioned before, my name is Kenny Trenton and I work for CK750/CJVR as a news/sports/play-by-play announcer. I'm originally from Montreal, but have been living in Saskatchewan the last 2+ years and am loving every second of it.

The first topic I want to tackle today is the Melfort Mustangs and Nipawin Hawks. Previously in the SJHL, the top 5 teams would make the playoffs in each division, with 4 and 5 facing each other in a best-of-7 series while the top three teams would play a round robin, with the winner of that choosing their semi-final opponent. This season, the round robin has been shelved, so the top three teams advance directly to the semis, while the fourth and fifth seeds will battle it out in a best of 5 series.

Over the last 2 weeks, the Hawks and Mustangs have been flip flopping between that third and fourth spot. At one point, the Mustangs were really struggling having lost 10 of 11, but the return of Kyle Fraser, and former Saskatoon Blade forward Mike Reich has really helped. They've won 5 of their last 6. Last Wednesday, Jordan Washburn (Hudson Bay) picked up his first SJHL shutout kicking aside 34 Estevan shots in a 6-0 win; big congratulations to him.

The Hawks have had an even better month at 6-1-0-1. Guys like Torrie Dyck, Brent Ottmann, and Mike Rey have been lighting it up. And let's not forget Schael Hechter, who has at least a point in every game this month. One thing the Mustangs and Hawks have in common is the fact both teams have two goalies who can get it done. Melfort doesn't lose a beat with Washburn or David Tetrault, just like Mark Currie and Wyatt Waselenchuk.

Both teams are on a roll right now, which means the weekend of February 6th, when these teams have a home and home, will likely decide who gets a direct ticket into the semis, and who has to fight to make it there. The winner of that one would get the defending RBC Cup Champion Humboldt Broncos, who have clinched the regular season title already.

I also want to give MAJOR respect to Coach Kingwell and the Tri-Town Thunder. An 11 game winning streak is just insane. Another stat about the Thunder that really sticks out is their 10-1-0-1 record on the road since November.


Have a good week, and feel free to post some questions or comments. I love talking with fans at the rink, so whether it's talk or type, there's no such thing as talking too much hockey.

Stay warm!

Kenny