It was a historic season for the Vincent Massey Vikings hockey team.
They scored 277 goals, 54 more than the Swan Valley Tigers. They allowed just 44, 34 fewer than the Dauphin Kings. They led the league with 52 power-play goals and went undefeated as the Vikings finished the regular season at 32-0.
They were the class of the Westman High School Hockey League. The Swan Valley Tigers finished with 28 wins and placed second, six points back. Then just behind the Tigers was the Dauphin Clippers.
Dauphin won 26 of their 32 games, scoring 200 goals and only allowing 78. The Clippers won 14 of their last 15 games, including a thrilling 4-3 shootout victory against Swan Valley on February 26. They then put up a six-spot the next evening to end the campaign with a 6-2 win against Sandy Bay.
All was good for the Clippers. They continued to be a perennial power in the league and made special things happen.
"Can't complain at all. There was some good competition and we stuck with the process," said Jason Alf. "Very happy with how the season has gone, there's no doubt about it."
Dauphin's Tremendous Trio led the way offensively this year as Ethan Carnegie finished with 40 goals and 77 points. Just behind was Ronin Mouck with his 40 goals and 36 assists while Julien Lopez tallied 52 points, 14 of which were goals. They were one of the most dynamic lines in the league and a constant threat to take a game over.
However, Dauphin wasn't winning games only because of that powerful trio. Noah Hanneson finished with 37 points, Sully Fox racked up 25, Josh Yakielashek had 23, Jesse Hockridge tallied 21, and Layne Wolfenden had 20. Everyone on the roster had at least two points and 17 players recorded 11 or more.
Chase Glover was outstanding all year, finishing with 12 wins, a 2.37 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage. Ethan Myhre won 10 games while Ben Miner won three. It was a complete team effort and one to be proud of if you're a Clipper.
"Sometimes stats don't show the whole game. We had a lot of good scoring from up and down the lineup, including our first year guys," said Alf. "You don't win with one line. Everyone contributed to the success of our season."
Dauphin's new season begins Thursday. The team opens the playoffs in an all-Parkland battle against the Roblin Raiders. Dauphin owned the season series, winning both games by a combined score of 15-4. Six different Clippers scored in a 6-1 win on November 26. On February 11, Ronin Mouck led the way with three goals, while Jesse Hockridge and Boston Karlson netted a pair each in a 9-3 win.
Roblin won 12 games and finished 11th. Dauphin enters the series as favourites, but Alf knows they can't take Roblin lightly.
"You never can rest on what you did during the regular season, the playoffs are a whole new battle," continued Alf. "They're a hard working team with a lot of pride and some skilled players. They're not going to let us come in and run the show. We have to give it our all."
Game one is Thursday at 8:30 p.m. at Credit Union Place. Then, on Saturday at 5:00 p.m., Dauphin will travel to Roblin. If necessary, Dauphin will host game three on Sunday at 7:00 p.m.
It's Dauphin strong and Alf is looking forward to watching the group battle for a league title.
"This is a tight knit group, some of the guys have played together for a few years now," ended Alf. "Our rookies have stepped up and are playing great. We play as a team and we're going into the playoffs playing well at the right time, so we will see how it goes."
Around the League: (all series are best-of-three)
Swan Valley (28-3-2) vs Sandy Bay (9-24-2)
Vincent Massey #1 (32-0-0) vs Birtle (5-27-0)
Vincent Massey #2 (8-24-0) vs Killarney (23-9-0)
Neepawa (21-8-3) vs Glenboro (11-18-3)
Boissevain (6-19-7) vs Hamiota (22-7-3)
Renegades (12-18-2) vs Minnedosa (21-8-3)
Crocus Plains (17-13-2) vs Virden (19-12-1)
