After Neepawa beat Waywayseecappo on Tuesday night, that brought an end to the unofficial first half of the season for teams in the MGEU West Division in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.
The win from Neepawa put them just four points back of the final playoff spot in the division with Waywayseecappo ending the first half with 39 points, four ahead of Neepawa and in a tie with Dauphin for third in the division.
The OCN Blizzard lead the way with 41 points and the Swan Valley Stampeders are just behind with 40 points. Swan Valley enters the break 18-10-3-1. Despite dropping their final two games before the break, a very consistent November and the first half of December sees the team just one point back of first in the West. Swan Valley's biggest strength is Kobe Grant. The 20-year-old is one of the top goalies in the league and he racked up 12 wins in the first half. His .928 save percentage is ranked tied for second in the league, only behind Aidan Comeau of the Winkler Flyers.
"We were a little slow out of the gate but the guys have really played well as of late," said Barry Wolff, head coach, and general manager. "We're definitely happy with our first half and hopefully, we can continue to build on that in the second half."
In their last 17 games before the break, the Stampeders went 12-3-2 and they won six straight games from November 19 to December 9. A team with a never quit attitude, Swan Valley grinds down opponents with their relentless pressure and their offence comes up clutch in big moments.
"We found ways to win, when we were down late, we would find a way to tie it up and then win it," ended Wolff. "The number of times we won games late really was incredible and that just shows that we are never out of it. We're on the right side of a lot of bounces, we'll take it any way we can get it."
During their six-game winning streak, Swan Valley won five of their six games by a single goal, including back-to-back against Neepawa. From October 28 to November 12, a stretch where Swan Valley won five of six games, the team won all five of those by a single goal. It's not a Stampeder team that is overly flashy, but they are a consistent team that wins battles and finds a way to get the job done.
Two big pieces of the team are local hometown favourites Trey Sauder and Steven Arp. Sauder is third in the team scoring with 29 points while Arp has 13 points. The two have also combined for 21 goals.
"Sauder is shooting pucks and he's finding rebounds. His work ethic is incredible and he brings his line to the next level," ended Wolff. "I'm really happy for him to see that the has taken his game to the next level. When it comes to Arp, he's a big solid skating right shot forward that we didn't really have, he's certainly been a welcomed addition to our club."
Swan Valley enjoys an extended break as they don't play again until January 6 against Waywayseecappo.
