HTJHL teams kick off region’s hockey playoffs
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After a long regular season, hockey players and fans from across the region are finally beginning to get a taste of post-season action.
The first league to drop the puck on the playoffs is the Hanover Tache Junior Hockey League. The 10-team local junior C loop has already played a pair of games, as the play-ins feature three game series between the Ste Anne Aces and East St Paul Gators in the East Division and the Red River Mudbugs and the Grunthal Red Wings in the West Division.
Red River and East St Paul won game one Feb. 4. The Gators fell behind 3-0 just eight minutes into the first period before coming back to win 5-3, nabbing the franchise’s first playoff victory.
Division leaders Springfield (East) and Niverville (West) await the winners of the play-in series. Landmark and McDonald will get their quarterfinal underway Feb. 7, while Steinbach and Mitchell will wait until Feb. 14 to drop the puck for game one at the T.G. Smith Centre.
SEMHL
The South East Manitoba Hockey League, one of two senior leagues left standing in Manitoba, will play their final regular season games of the year this weekend.
Eight of the league’s 10 teams make the playoffs, with ninth-place Ile des Chenes holding a tiebreaker advantage over Carman, while being two points behind in the standings for the final playoff spot. Each team only has one game remaining. Both teams won in extra time over each other in head-to-head play this season (first and second tiebreakers), so Ile des Chenes’ minus-34 goal difference being two goals ahead of Carman could end up the difference.
Whoever comes out on top will play juggernaut Ste Anne, who has locked up top spot.
Red River is looking to pass Springfield, but they’ll need to both defeat the Winterhawks and get further help this weekend to make second place.
AAA U18
The Manitoba Female Hockey League’s U18 AAA division also rounds out their regular season this weekend.
The Niverville-based Eastman Selects are currently in first place, but only hold a one-point edge over the Winnipeg Avros.
The U18 AAA male Selects are in a dogfight to make the playoffs. Four teams are battling for just three playoff spots and are separated by only three points. The teams do have time to sort out the standings, with the final games of the regular season Feb. 23.
High School
High school players are also set to begin their post-seasons. The top league of high school hockey, the Winnipeg High School Hockey League’s Platinum Promotions Division, ends their regular season Feb. 7.
That division features both the Springfield and Steinbach Regional Sabres. Lower divisions begin playoff play a week later than the Platinum Promotions Division.
Zone 4 Hockey league’s final games of the season are also this weekend, on Feb. 8, with the Morris Mavericks in a battle for second place. The Manitoba Women’s Hockey League, featuring the Lorette Scorpions, begins their playoffs after the regular season ends Feb. 13.
Junior B
The Capital Region Junior Hockey League race should come right down to the wire. The St Malo Warriors hold a one-point edge over Beausejour, who has defeated them three times this season.
The top seed earns a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Lower down in the standings, the expansion La Broquerie Habs have surged into fourth place, passing the Selkirk Steelers after back-to-back victories over the Arborg Ice Dawgs. Fourth-place would nab the Habs home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
A game played between La Broquerie and Selkirk finished after press time Feb. 5.
The regular season ends for the CRJHL Feb. 16.
The Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League isn’t technically a junior B league, but is a tier below the MJHL and a tier above the HTJHL.
Not much relief can be found for the last-place Pembina Valley Twisters this season. They’re the only team eliminated from the playoff race, but will need to play out the regular season until March 4 before they can call it a season.
For detailed playoff schedules, check out the Carillon Sports scoreboard on Page B4 weekly.