Another weekend of action in the Manitoba AAA U-18 Hockey League is well in the books and the Parkland U-18 Rangers still find themselves at the top of the standings.
Although they lost their first game of the season on Saturday, Parkland still owns a .857 winning percentage. The league is using winning percentage for playoff positioning as opposed to the points system which would be used in a normal year.
This year; however, as you know is unlike any other year. The Kenora Thistles aren't allowed to begin playing until December at the earliest while teams in the Winnipeg area are ineligible for play until at least the weekend of November 20.
Of teams that have played at least seven games, the Brandon Wheat Kings are the closest to Parkland with their .750 winning percentage. Keaton Ziprick is back as the Rangers number one goalie and he comments on the start to the season.
"We have a very solid team this year. If everyone comes together and plays with a team-first attitude, I think we can continue to win," offered Ziprick.
The last time the U-18 Rangers program got off to a start that is close to this year's was in the 2017-2018 campaign. They won four straight games from September 30 to October 7 and they started the season at 5-2. This year's team won six straight games to start the season.
As one of the team's assistant captains alongside Steven Arp and Brayden Kohlman, Ziprick of Russell is off to an all-star start. After he was named to the league's second all-star team last season, Ziprick is 5-0 this season. His 1.61 goals-against average is the best in the league while his .944 save percentage is the third-best in the league.
Do keep in mind, the two goalies ahead of Keaton when it comes to save percentage have played less than the Parkland Ranger. Dawson Cowan has played in just two games while Michael O'Sullivan has also played just two games.
"I feel like I'm playing with a ton of confidence right now. I also have a great team in front of me which always helps," said Ziprick. "I just have the mindset that if I let a puck past me, I just have to move on and focus on the next shot."
This is Keaton's final year as a Ranger and it's a season in which will bring an end to a five-year run with the program. He started his AAA days with the U-15 Rangers back in the 2016-2017 season. Fast forward and the Russell netminder is well on his way to another all-star season.
"I just want to take it all in. Everyone on this team has the same thought process, we all want to win a championship and we believe that we can," offered Ziprick. "It's a special opportunity getting the chance to play with this program. I get to play high-level hockey with a bunch of great guys and coaches, I couldn't ask for much more."
Ziprick and the Rangers will sit on the league-lead for a few days as they prepare for a three-game set this weekend against the Norman Northstars. Friday's game will be played at the Centennial Arena while the two teams will meet inside of Credit Union Place on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Norman has yet to win a game as they will open the weekend at 0-7.
"They're going to come out hard. They haven't won so they're going to be hungry and we have to play how we know we can," ended Ziprick.
Russell strong:
Keaton is just one of the few Russell natives that are representing the region on this year's team. Brenden Birch-Hayden and Josh Thompson are also from Russell while Luke Decorby is from Binscarth.
