Eight games featuring all seven teams are on tap in SIJHL’s week 16. Above is Wednesday’s and Friday’s games.
Thunder Bay 14-10-4 GF 96 GA 84 @ Wisconsin 9-17-5 GF 116 GA 139, Wed Jan 18
Thunder Bay travels to Wisconsin for a one-game showdown and then has the rest of the week off. It’ll be a welcome break on the injury front, as the Stars have a number of players in various states of disrepair.
Thunder Bay has 5-1-0 head-to-head record with Wisconsin this year.
Beginning January 24th, they will have 23 games in 54 days.
Defenceman Sam Skillestad from Missoula, MT is set to join the roster. Nikolas Campbell, a point-a-game forward from Thunder Bay, already has.
Thunder Bay is the only team in the SIJHL that less than 100 goals for and less than 100 goals against. Their powerplay play has fallen below league average after leading for several weeks in the early going. They’ve only allowed two shorthanded goals all season, but the last one to Owen Riffel of Sioux Lookout turned out to be a game winner.
The Stars have the best penalty kill in the league at 86.2%.
Edison Weeks continues to lead the team in goals (16) and points (29). Dylan Winsor (8-14-22 in 22 games) and Noah Broughton (7-13-20 in 22 games) are 25th and 32nd respectively in league scoring.
Conner Lemieux and Keenan Marks have been exceptional in net. Lemieux is 8-5-3/2.84/.926 in 949 minutes, while Marks is 6-1-1/1.91/.940 with 565 minutes. Marks is 35 minutes short of leading the league in goals against and save percentage.
Thunder Bay averages 21.5 penalty minutes a game.
Wisconsin is 1-4-1 against Thunder Bay this year.
Ryder McMillen (18-31-49) has a 13-point lead on teammate Zach Carson (18-18-36) atop the SIJHL scoring race.
Wisconsin’s stranglehold on the scoring race has dissipated. Sal Poggiali (14-13-27) and Dillon Phillips (9-18-27) are 15th and 16th. Connor McClure, Brandon McDonald, Zach Johnson. Dylan Jouppi, Connor Hacker and Ryan Kayser are on the fringes of the top-40, from 42nd to 49th place.
Kyler Lowden is carrying the freight in net, logging 1,158 between the pipes. He’s started all four January games.
The Lumberjacks are 4-4-2 in their last 10, winless in their last two.
The Lumberjacks signed forward Simon Davidson from the Neepawa Titans of the MJHL. The 18-year-old 6’2″ 170-lb native of Duluth, MN had a goal, one assist and 16 PIMs with Neepawa.
The Lumberjacks entertain Kam River later in the week.
The Lumberjacks average 3.74 goals per game, allow 4.48 and are the least penalized team with 15.8 minutes per game. Powerplay is 16.4%, penalty kill at 82.5%.
Dryden 19-9-1 GF 120 GA 86 @ Sioux Lookout 18-11-1 GF 127 GA 90 Wed Jan 18
Dryden is 4-1-1 against Sioux Lookout.
Dryden has four players in the top-20 and five more in the 21-40 range. Bryce Benfield’s 30 points is 9th in league scoring. Landen Stromme’s 16 goals leads the team (11 assists). Brady Frattinger and James Hooton follow with 23 and 22 points respectively. Jordan Pfoh and Ryland Maier are at 22 points. Max Roby has 21 points in 17 games. Ben Hackl (8-11-19 in 19 games) and Easton Debray (6-12-18) round out a balanced and potent attack.
Eric Clark is the go-to man in net. He’s 13-7-1/2.93/.911 in 1,229 minutes. Zac MacDonald is 5-2-0/2.69/.892 in reserve.
Dryden has 200 more penalty minutes than second place Kam River. And they’re potent when killing those minutes off, with a league-leading nine shorthanded markers. They’re powerplay is at 23.3%–a country kilometer ahead of Sioux Lookout’s 18.0%. The Ice Dogs are +34, currently on a 7-2-1 run in their last ten.
Garrett Hrechka is the most recent addition to The Pack. The 6-0, 185-lb Dauphin, MB native was acquired from the Dauphin Kings of the MJHL. He has two assists in two games played with Dryden.
Sioux Lookout is 2-4-0 against Dryden.
The Bombers are +37 on the year, tops in the SI. Undefeated in five games, they’re the hottest team in the league.
Sioux Lookout’s 127 goals places four players in the top-20. Blake Burke paces the attack with 32 points (15G-17A), tied with Ty Bahm’s 10-22-32 production. Owen Riffel (15-12-27) and Connor Burke (9-16-25) factor in nicely. Lucas Trimarchi (9-13-22), Nolan Palmer (7-13-20), Tegan Neuman (7-11-18 in 14 games) and Graeme Patrick (5-13-18) flesh out a potent offence.
Jake Manners is 14-8-1 in net, with a 2.59 GAA and .922 SV%. Ethan Penner is 2-1-0 with 3.33 GAA and .911 SV% in his three games.
The Bombers are 18.0% on the PP, and 83.6% on the PK. They’re third in penalty minutes at 22.6 per game.
A win against Dryden would tie the Bombers with the Dogs at 39 points each.
Calum McGill from Ayr, Scotland has two games as a Bomber. In 24 games he had five goals, 10 assists and a hefty 49 penalty minutes with the Elliott Lake Red Wings of the NOJHL. He also played for Great Britain in the U20 “A” this season.
At 6-0, 185-lb, he’ll bring a physical element.
The Hangar should be rockin’.
Kam River 23-6-1 GF 129 GA 86 @ Wisconsin Fri/Sat Jan 20/21
Kam River is 4-0-0 against Wisconsin.
The Walleye enter Week 16 with an eight-point lead on Dryden. They’re 14th in the latest CJHL rankings for January 16th. Despite their recent 9-5 loss to Dryden, they’re 8-2-0 in their last 10.
They’re powerplay is at 16.6% now–a vast improvement from the early part of the season.
They lead the SI with 129 goals. Eight players are in the top-40. Ethan Lang’s 33 points (9G-24A) has him in 5th place. Jeremy Dunmore and defenceman Jack Cook have 29 each. Ryan Doucette and Max Leduc at 22 points, Euan Morrison, 21, and Anthony Oviedo and Carson Gorst at 20 round out a balanced attack.
Dunmore’s 11 goals are tops on the team. This is a team that can roll lines and expect production.
Eric Vanska leads the league in wins with 17. Jack Orchard is 6-3-0 with a 2.50 GAA in the back-up role.
At 23.2 penalty minutes per game, the Walleye put up a good fight.
Wisconsin is 0-3-1 against Kam River.
Dryden @ Fort Frances 5-24-0 GF 71 GA 180: Fort Frances @ Dryden Fri/Sat Jan 20/21
Dryden is 4-1-0 against Fort Frances.
Fort Frances is 1-4-0 against Dryden.
The Lakers are on a 10-game losing streak, but glimmers of hope are present. They played Red Lake tough in two recent home losses.
Ryker Watt leads the team in goals, 12, and points, 22. He’s 6th in the league in penalty minutes with 82. Clark Scaddan is 9-10-19 with 55 PIMs. Kevin Bond is 11-7-18 in his 23 games. Ian Snooks is 3-11-14 with a robust 54 penalty minutes. Dylan Wedward has eight goals.
Forward Blake Ferris from Emo, ON is the latest Laker addition. The 20-year-old was acquired from the Fort Wayne Spacemen of the USPHL Premier League, where he had 39 points (17-22) in 39 games. The 6-0, 190-lb Ferris had 49 penalty minutes there. He has two assists so far with Fort in four games.
Brenden Stroble and Ryan Tanner share net minding duties.
Five teams are virtually tied in powerplay efficiency. Fort Frances is at 16.3%. The penalty kill is 66.4%. The Lakers have allowed 10 shorthanded goals.
Sioux Lookout @ Red Lake 17-12-4 GF 121 GA 115 Fri/Sat Jan 20/21
Sioux Lookout is 2-1-0 against Red Lake.
Red Lake is 1-1-1 against Sioux Lookout.
The Miners regained some reigning SIJHL champion swagger with four wins in five nights. Their 33 games played are two more than any other team.
Their powerplay is at 16.3%. They excel on the penalty kill at 86.1%. They’ve allowed 19 but scored seven themselves.
The Miners have three guns in the top six. Aiden Corbett has played all 33 games and has 14 goals, 21 assists and 35 points to show for it. Jacob Lamoureux’ 23 goals lead the league by five, and he has 11 assists. Colton Crysler has 17 goals and 15 helpers.
Defenceman Dayvan Bull, is third in defenceman scoring with 23 points.
Kyle Schechtel is 9-9-18 in 32 games.
Jack Osmond has a 13-7-2 record in net, with 2.85 GAA and .929 SV%. He leads the SI in goaltender minutes with 1,347. Trent Boryszczuk is 2-1-0 with a 3.58 GAA and .924 SV%.
Red Lake averages 17.6 penalty minutes per game.
Riley See and Kaelen Veldman are two recent roster additions.
See is a Sherwood Park, AB native with one assist in four games played. He played for the Weyburn Red Wings of the SJHL where he compiled four goals and four assists in 23 games.
Veldman had a four-point night against Fort Frances on Jan. 13. The 6-2, 181-lb Veldman had 12 goals and 17 points with the Sherwood Park Knights of the CapJHL. He also played briefly with the Yorkton Terriers of the SJHL.