Follow me on Twitter at @BennyGX94Sports for all your local sports
.jpg)
Audio with Don Chesney below:
 |
PISTONS 4, FLYERS 5 (OT) For the first time since 1998 the Winkler Flyers are champions of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. Zach Nicolas scored his 6th of the playoffs on the powerplay with 4:59 gone in overtime to lead the Winkler Flyers to a 5-4 Game 4 win over the Steinbach Pistons to complete the four-game sweep of the MJHL Turnbull Cup Final on Saturday night. "It's pretty surreal honestly to win it all, and I think it was a really close series, but in the end I think it was our desire that helped us pull it out in the end," former Swan Valley Stampeders & Flyers forward Jakob Jones said. Jones acquired in a trade from Swan Valley in a December trade after scoring 46 goals, 58 assists in 96 career games as a Stampeders. "I'm very appreciative of my time with Swan, I have a lot of great memories from the there and great people I met," Jones added. Fellow Stampeder alumni Justin Falk is the Head Coach & GM, and Grandview product Jayce Leegaarden are also members of the Flyers who've advanced to the 2024 Centennial Cup National Junior A Hockey Championships Full Audio with Jakob Jones: |
Barry Wolff will be returning behind the bench for the MJHL's Swan Valley Stampeders as their Head Coach & General Manager.
“He brings stability and experience that a board with so many new faces will appreciate. Having his knowledge of the organization and team operations will be a valuable asset", Stampeders President Cramer Coulthart said.
“As a team, we have a great group returning and a lot to prove, in our opinion! Our goal is to be a hard-working team that the community can, and wants, to feel part of and proud of on and off the ice, Wolff said in the team release.
The Yorkton Sports Hall of Fame (YSHF) will hold its 2024 induction evening on Saturday, September 7 at the Gallagher Centre, and it will be a very special occasion marking the 30th anniversary of the organization.
Graduating Melville Millionaires captain Payton Kostyshyn will be heading a little west to continue his hockey career.
The Melville product will be suiting up starting this fall with the SAIT Trojans of the ACAC in Calgary, Alberta.
He spent 3 seasons with the Millionaires, suiting up in 133 games compiling 6 goals, 17 assists for 23 points.
Kostyshyn joins former Millionaires Zach Cain, Connor Nolan and Kayden Skulmoski on the Trojans' roster.
Meawhile Yorkton Terrier forward Brett Butz will join Kostyshyn on the Trojans starting this Fall after committing to the team on Wednesday.
The Edmonton, Alberta product scored 18 times, added 30 assists for 48 points in 105 career games in a Terriers' uniform during his 2 year Junior career.
This past season, Butz had 10 goals, 11 assists for 21 points in 49 games.
Fred McLean Memorial Trophy to the Most Gentlemanly Player
· This year’s recipient of this award goes to #18 JADON IYOGUN
2) Bob Parker Memorial Trophy to “Mr. Hustle”
· This year’s recipient of this award goes to #22 GABORIK CARLSON
3) Tom Dooley Memorial Trophy to the Most Improved Player
· This year’s recipient of this award goes to #11 COHEN SWAN
4) Edward Wozniak Memorial Award for Unsung Hero
· This year’s recipient of this award goes to #8 BOSTON HARKNESS
5) DEDICATION & DESIRE AWARD (formerly - Cheerful Spirit & Cooperative Attitude)
· This year’s recipient of this award goes to #21 MATT KJEMHUS
6) Swannie & Shirley Cox & Phyllis Sanftleben Memorial Trophy to the Rookie of the Year
· This year’s recipient of this award goes to #2 LUC BYDAL
7) Vaughn Motter Memorial Trophy to the Best Forward, being presented by
· This year’s recipient of this award goes to #77 CADEN DRURY
8) Gerald Wassil Memorial Trophy to the Best Defenseman, being presented by
· Gerald was a Millionaires Defenseman for two seasons from 1975-1977, prior to his passing. This memorial award was donated by Gerald’s family and friends.
· This year’s recipient of this award goes to #14 COLBY BALL
9) Mel Sullivan Memorial Trophy to the Most Valuable Player, being presented by
· This year’s recipient of this award goes to #77 CADEN DRURY
10) Bell, Kreklewich & Co. Law Office for Fan Favorite
· This year’s recipient of this award goes to #20 PAYTON KOSTYSHYN
11) 3 Star Award
· This year’s recipient of this award goes to #2 LUC BYDAL & #35 WILLIAM DYKE
12) Leading Scorer
· This year’s recipient of this award goes to #77 CADEN DRURY
13) Scholastic Award
· This year’s recipient of this award goes to #11 COHEN SWAN
14) Most Valuable Playoff Performer
· This year’s recipient of this award goes to #35 WILLIAM DYKE
=--=======
MILLIONAIRES ANNOUNCE COMMITMENT OF LEDEN FOR 2024/25 SEASON
The Melville Millionaires' announce the commitment of forward Evan Leden for the 2024/25 SJHL season.
The 2006-born forward out of Genvea, Illinois suited up this past season with the Chicago Mission U18 AAA.
During the 2022/23 season, he compiled 49 points in 55 games with the Northstar Christian Academy U16 AAA.
GAME 4:
Rylan Williams's goal at 5:06 of the first overtime lead the Battlefords North Stars to a 3-2 victory over the Melville Millionaires in Game 4 of their first round matchup to complete the 4 game sweep.
The two teams exchanged goals in 1st as Joel Mabin opened the scoring for the moneymen just 7:21 in before Brad Blake responded for the Stars 2:08 later to make it a 1-1 game after the first.
After a scoreless 2nd period the North Stars grabbed their first lead of the night at 2-1 as Hunter Burgeson beat Will Dyke over his right pad at the mark, 6:10 into the 3rd period.
But the Mils responded quickly with the equalizer as 1:28 later, Euan Morrison deflected in a Colby Ball point shot past Logan Cunningham for his 1st to tie things up.
Cunningham won his 4th straight start for Battlefords making 26 saves on 28 shots to earn the win, while Mils netminder Will Dyke stopped 42 of 45 in the loss.
Post Game with Mils Head Coach & GM Doug Johnson:
GAME 3:
The Melville Millionaires have been pushed to the brink of elimination after letting a 3rd period lead slip away, losing 5-3 to the Battlefords North Stars on home ice in Game 3.
The Mils got off to a quick start with two goals in the 1st period off the sticks of Hudson Norris and Bradley Banach to give them a 2-0 through 1 period.
In the 2nd, the North Stars cut their deficit in half as SJHL MVP Kian Bell potted home his 3rd of the playoffs to make it a one goal game through 40 minutes.
Elliot Mikesch pulled the Mils back ahead by two just 4:11 into the 3rd as he finished off a 2 on 1 with Joel Mabin for his 1st of the playoffs making it 3-1.
But just under three minutes later Ben Portner cut it to 3-2 before Elijah Anderson's powerplay goal tied things up a short time later.
Battlefords wrapped up their 3rd period comeback with two more goals from Kian Bell including the game winner with 2:52 left in regulation to seal the win.
Logan Cunningham made 25 saves on 28 shots to earn his third straight win for the Stars, while Mils' G Will Dyke turned aside 36 of 40 shots in the loss.
Game 4 is set for Wednesday in Melville.
Elsewhere,
GAME 2:
The Melville Millionaires fell short in Game 2 of their SJHL Quarter-Final series on Saturday, 2-1 to the Battlefords North Stars.
For the 2nd straight night the home-team struck first on the powerplay late in the 1st as Bradley Blake sniped home his 1st of the series to make it 1-0 after 1 period.
Alex Izyk added to the North Stars lead just under half-way through the 2nd as he muscled his way to the slot and snapped it through Will Dyke to give them some insurance before Luc Bydal cut the deficit in half for the Mils with 1:48 left in the middle frame.
The Millionaires had some glorious chances to even it up throughout the third, even outshooting Battlefords 11-6 but couldn't hit the back of the net.
Logan Cunningham was once again solid for the Stars making 27 stops in the win, while Mils G Will Dyke stopped 21/23 shots in the loss.
The two teams meet in Melville on Tuesday.
Other Game 2's:
FLIN FLON 8, KINDERSLEY 0
MELFORT 7, ESTEVAN 4
HUMBOLDT 7, WEYBURN 4
(Flin Flon, Battlefords, Melfort and Humboldt all lead their Best of 7 series, 2-0)
GAME 1:
The Battlefords North Stars struck first in their first round series, beating the Melville Millionaires 4-1 on Friday night.
After a scoreless 1st period, Ben Portner got the series' opening goal at 9:01 of the 2nd period as his wrap-around beat Mils' netminder William Dyke to make it 1-0 through 40 minutes.
In the 3rd, Kian Bell added to the lead just 3:11 into the 3rd as his wrister beat William Dyke to make it 2-0.
Just over 3 minutes later the Mils cut their deficit in half as Luc Bydal tapped home his 1st to make it 2-1 but that's as close as they would get as Bell and Brayden Sinclair added empty netters to wrap up the scoring.
Logan Cunningham turned aside 31 of 32 shots to earn the win the while Mils' G Will Dyke made 33 saves in the losing cause.
Elsewhere,
FLIN FLON 4, KINDERSLEY 0
MELFORT 5, ESTEVAN 1
HUMBOLDT 6, WEYBURN 1
The Millionaires though before the 2nd period buzzer went off answered short-handed as Hudson Norris stole a puck at his own blue-line & tucked it five-hole on Ethan Farrow for his 6th to make it even through 40 minutes.
The Terriers regained their one goal lead just 1:36 into the third and it would be Tyson Perkins yet again as his long point shot beat Rau again clean for his 2nd of the night making it 3-2.
But for the 2nd straight period it was the Mils responded with a short-handed marker as this time Kole Keen notched his 2nd goal of the day to make it 3-3.
After an entertaining overtime solved nothing, it went to a shootout where Colby Ball got the eventual game winner.
Ethan Rau earned his 8th win of the season making 26 saves on 29 shots in the win, while Terriers G turned aside 22 of 25 shots in shootout loss.
The Millionaires return to action in Game 1 of their first round playoff series on the road most likely on Friday night, their opponent is still to be determined.
TERRIERS 3, MILLIONAIRES 6
The Melville Millionaires prevailed in the 5th Highway 10 battle of the season beating the Yorkton Terriers 6-3 on Friday night.
The Millionaires got off to a quick start with three goals in the 1st as Jadon Iyogun, Caden Drury and Bradley Banach twinkled the twine to give the Mils a 3-0 lead after 1 period.
Aiden Knutson and Anthony Domina gave the Terriers some life in 2nd with 2 quick goals to make it a one goal game.
The Mils regained their two goal lead when Caden Drury notched his second of the night with 9 seconds left before Terrier F Tate Schofer cut their deficit within one with just 0.9 seconds left in the period.
But that's as close as the Terriers would get as Luc Bydal and the hat-trick goal from Drury pushed the Moneymen to the two points.
William Dyke made 24 stops on 27 shots to earn the victory in Mils goal while Terrier starter Adam Kelly started making 3 saves on 4 shots before leaving with an injury while Ethan Farrow made 25 saves in the losing cause.
The two teams will meet once again in Yorkton on Saturday night afternoon.
Elsewhere,
WEYBURN 4, ESTEVAN 0
FLIN FLON 2, HUMBOLDT 6
LA RONGE 0, NIPAWIN 6
KINDERSLEY 3, BATTLEFORDS 5
WOLVERINES 4, STAMPEDERS 1
The Swan Valley Stampeders dropped their final home game of the season on Tuesday night as Waywayseecappo kept their playoff hopes alive with a 4-1 road victory.
After the scoreless first period the Wolverines struck just over half-way through the 2nd as Luc Cernohous finished off a 3 on 1 beating Elias Giaccari-Dimtriou over the left pad for his 2nd of the year to make it 1-0.
Sam McPeak and Sean Williams added to the visitors lead in the later stage of the period to give Waywayseecappo a three-goal advantage after 40 minutes.
In the 3rd, the Wolverines added to lead with 3:46 left in regulation when Thomas Kaufield tap home his 10th before Darren Hunt snapped the shut-out bid with a PP goal of his own to get the Stamps on the board.
Wolverines netminder Jase Wareham made 26 saves on 27 shots for the victory while Stamps' starter Elias Giaccarri-Dimitriou stopped 37/41 shots in the loss.
The Wolverines go right back at it on Wednesday hosting Selkirk while the Stampeders wrap up their season on Saturday vs. Niverville.
Elsewhere on Tuesday,
PORTAGE 3, DAUPHIN 7
NEEPAWA 10, WPG BLUES 2
WINKLER 10, WPG FREEZE 0
==============
SJHL:
HAWKS 5, MILLIONAIRES 2
The Melville Millionaires had their 6 game win streak snapped on Tuesday, 5-2 at the hands of the visiting Nipawin Hawks.
Finley Radloff scored twice for the Hawks while Braeden Jockims and Artem Hrabovetsky chipped in with singles. Tyson Endall made 34 saves for the W.
Bradley Banach and Jadon Iyogun replied for the Mils who got 29 saves from Ethan Rau in the win.
The Mills return to action on Friday night hosting the Melville Millionaires on GX94.
Three members of the Melville Millionaires were named as SJHL Weekly Award Winners from this past week.
The Melville Millionaires pushed even closer to clinching the Viterra division after winning their 5th straight on Friday night, 3-1 over the Weyburn Red Wings.
Bradley Banach continued his torrid week as he notched his 5th goal in as many nights as after a turnover in front, Luc Bydal found the 20 year old from Ontario back-door to tap home his 15th of season with 2:57 left in the first period to help the Mils lead 1-0 after 20 minutes.
In the 2nd, the Millionaires added to their lead as Luc Bydal scored a beauty for his 21st of the year with a snipe over the right shoulder of Dazza Mitchell to increase Melville's lead to two through 2 periods of play.
The Red Wings would get some life early in 3rd from their powerplay as 2:21 into the period, Jackson Ruthven banged home one through the five-hole of Will Dyke to cut the Mils lead in half.
But it would be Bydal icing it into the empty net in the final minute to help the visitors earn the two points.
William Dyke once again was solid in the Mils net making 23 saves on 24 shots to earn the win, while Wings netminder Dazza Mitchell turned aside 35 of 37 shots in the loss.
The two teams will meet once again on Saturday night from the CN Community Center for a 7:00PM face-off.
Other games in the SJHL:
NOTRE DAME 4, ESTEVAN 5
NIPAWIN 2, MELFORT 7
It was a magical time for those who saw it unfold, and for the competitors it was an unforgettable experience.
It was 25 years ago today (March 6th) that the Yorkton rink skipped by Gerald Shymko alongside Gerry Adam, Steve Sobkow, Arnie Geisler & Neil Curson's started their memorable run a the 1999 Brier in Edmontin.
The Shymko team qualified at each step and were successful in reaching the final of the provincial championship held in Meadow Lake where they were joined by Yorkton clubmate Bryan Derbowka and his rink.
Gerry Adam says it was quite the game to be a part of.
"It was a tough game to be part of honestly, I curled with Brian for many years and we also had the goal to make it to the Brier, so hard to see some one lose but still glad we came out on top."
The Shymko team then received their green and white Saskatchewan sweaters and the coveted purple hearts and they were off to Brier, at the Skyreach Center in Edmonton.
"It was one of those things we didn't have much expectations going in as it was our first kind of experience, but as the week went on we got more comfortable and realized we could compete at this level." Adam added.
The team completed the round robin in third place and disposed of Russ Howard in the 3-4 game.
Then came the semi-final and a matchup with Quebec's Guy Hemmings, a game that Adam admits was the greatest one he was a part of.
"It was a back and forth game, and it could've went either way, we tied it up in 10th and then Gerald make a great draw to the side of the button but guess not good enough as Guy made a once in a lifetime draw to beat us."
So it was an unfortunate result, and not the storybook ending for the local crew that is still stung by that loss to this day, but Adam says it was a great run to be a part of with a great group of friends, that he won't forget.
"At this time every year you always think about it a bit a bit more, and it stings being that close, cause you don't get many chances usually to compete for a Brier title."
Chat with Adam below:
