Pembina Valley Twisters continue to battle in MMJHL finals

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This article was published 12/04/2024 (297 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As one southern Manitoba junior hockey team celebrates a league championship, their neighbours down the highway are hoping to match them.

The Pembina Valley Twisters, which play in the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League (MMJHL) are locked in a battle with the dynastic St James Jr Canucks in the finals.

The margin between the first and second place finishers in the regular season couldn’t be tighter, with all three games finishing 3-2.

St James has the advantage, winning game three in overtime April 9, as Kale Price scored the game-winning goal for the Canucks.

The first two games of the series were also hotly contested, with each team notching a 3-2 road victory to open the series.

Game one couldn’t have been more evenly contested, with both teams directing 34 shots on net, and both teams going 0/2 on the powerplay. The Canucks and Twisters had yet to lose throughout the MMJHL finals before the playoffs began.

After Pembina Valley fought to a 2-0 lead in the first period, St James would reply, scoring a pair of their own to knot the game up.

Riley Goertzen provided the winning goal with 35 seconds to go in the second period, as the Twisters hung on for a scoreless third period thanks to some outstanding saves from Owen LaRocque in net.

LaRocque got the start again in game two, but Pembina Valley conceded three first period goals in the loss. The Twisters were leading on the shot clock 30-12 at the end of the second period, but could only muster four more shots on goal as they pushed for a game-tying goal.

Game four will be back in Morris April 13, with puck drop at 7 p.m. If a game six is necessary, that will also be in Morris April 16.