Manitoba Junior Hockey League Superthread

[jetsmooseice]

So I went on vacation and missed nearly the entire first round! Sigh.

The favourites are 3 for 4 so far, only Dauphin still has the chance to upset OCN with a game 7 looming in that series. Otherwise, Steinbach, Winkler and Virden have advanced.

 

[jetsmooseice]

The Blizzard beat Dauphin in triple overtime to take game seven!!!!!

The semis stack up like this: Steinbach vs. Blizzard (can we still call them OCN even though they don't play there anymore?), Winkler vs. Virden. The top 4 teams. Will be quite a hike from Winnipeg to La Broquerie if I want to catch some playoff action live... I'm still thinking about it.

 

[jetsmooseice]

Well, we're off and running with round 2. Steinbach and the Blizzard split the first two games, and then Virden is up 2 games to 1 over Winkler.

 

[jetsmooseice]

Upset in the making? Blizzard beat Steinbach 4-2 last night to take a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 is going down tonight.

 

[jetsmooseice]

The Winkler Flyers have punched their ticket to the MJHL finals! It took quadruple overtime to get the job done. The Flyers won their series against Virden 4-2.

I love this call on last night's game winner by the inimitable Doug Roach... "chagrin chagrin"



Now we wait to see what happens in game 7 between the Blizzard and Pistons Wednesday night in La Broquerie.

This is the Flyers' first trip to the MJHL finals since 2002 which somehow seems amazing.

 

[jetsmooseice]

The schedule for the MJHL finals is set and the Steinbach Pistons are packing their bags for Niverville. Apparently the rink in La Broquerie isn't available any longer so off to the CRRC they go.

Here's the schedule:

Friday, April 19 Winkler Flyers at Steinbach Pistons 7:00 pm
Sunday, April 21Steinbach Pistons at Winkler Flyers 7:00 pm
Tuesday, April 23 Winkler Flyers at Steinbach Pistons 7:00 pm
Friday, April 26 Steinbach Pistons at Winkler Flyers 7:00 pm
Sunday, April 28 Winkler Flyers at Steinbach Pistons (if necess) 7:00 pm
Tuesday, April 30 Steinbach Pistons at Winkler Flyers (if necess) 7:00 pm
Thursday, May 2 Winkler Flyers at Steinbach Pistons (if necess) 7:00 pm

I wonder if they might reschedule some of these given the conflicts with Jets playoff games?

 

[jetsmooseice]

I took a drive down to Niverville to check out game 1 of the MJHL finals. Good times, good vibes in the building for what the local media is calling the "Menno Bowl" Lots of fans from Steinbach but a good Winkler contingent as well.

The Flyers definitely looked like the team to beat in game 1. They're a physical bunch playing a heavy game, and they have a stifling defense that frustrated Steinbach for the first two periods. Steinbach managed to get some zone time in the third but it was too little, too late. They rang a couple off the iron but just didn't get the luck they needed. The final score was 2-1 Winkler but that doesn't reflect the level to which Winkler really dominated the game.

Niverville CRRC is a good rink but the big finals crowd showed the shortcomings of the place for the MJ. It doesn't handle large crowds well. I did appreciate the proximity to Winnipeg though, I wasn't likely to drive out to La Broquerie.

 

[jetsmooseice]

Winkler wins again at home, 3-1 this time, for a 2-0 series lead. Do or die time for the Pistons.

 

[jetsmooseice]

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a champion... the Winkler Flyers swept the Steinbach Pistons to claim their first Turnbull Cup since 1998!

I'm not shocked that the Flyers won but I am a bit surprised that they swept the defending champs. However, it was a close series with the last two games decided in OT. On to Oakville and the Centennial Cup for the Flyers.

 

[jetsmooseice]

The Centennial Cup is under way in Oakville and I know it's just a preliminary game, but holy DALTON ANDREW 4 GOAL PERFORMANCE. Wow. Winkler beat the Sioux Lookout Bombers (SIJHL) 4-2 last night on the strength of all those Dalton Andrew goals.

It's been a pretty good week for our boy Dalton, a few days ago he committed to North Dakota.

I hope your week was even half as good as his was

Anyway, the Flyers have the day off and take on the Melfort Mustangs (SJHL) in their next preliminary on Saturday.

 

[jetsmooseice]

After kicking things off with a win, the Flyers recorded a shootout loss, a win and another shootout loss to finish 2-0-0-2 in preliminary play and third in group B.

Quarterfinals start Friday!

 

[jetsmooseice]

Well, the Winkler Flyers didn't last long after the preliminary round, losing 4-2 to the Calgary Canucks. Dalton Andrew did bring home some distinguished honours as he was named best forward of the Centennial Cup tournament.

That's a wrap on the MJHL for 2023-24, time to enjoy a few months off before it starts all over again.

 

[Lakeheadfan95]

I'm no travelling man, I'm in Winnipeg most of the time

The idea of an American team is interesting, there are a few contenders that are not too far from the border. I assume any American town interested in the MJ is one that has been rejected by the USHL/NAHL? Fargo is in the USHL, Thief River Falls is in the SIJHL and Minot is in the NAHL, so I'm not sure who else would be interested... I guess Grand Forks could support a team to MJHL levels... maybe Devils Lake? Grafton? Rugby?

The Winnipeg teams are kind of sad, it's like ownership doesn't even try, on the ice or off. The pay to play cheques clear and that's the end of it. The experience of attending a Blues/Freeze game is indistinguishable from going to a U15AAA game.

Thief River isn't in the SI anymore haven't been since February 2022

 

[jetsmooseice]

I wonder if we're going to hear about any movement towards the creation of a Prairie Super League this off season? Given that we're nearly into June the clock is ticking if anything is going to happen for next season.

 

[MiamiHockeyII]

I wonder if we're going to hear about any movement towards the creation of a Prairie Super League this off season? Given that we're nearly into June the clock is ticking if anything is going to happen for next season.

The MJHL is one of the weakest (true) Jr A leagues in Canada, and is doing a disservice to young Manitoban hockey players with its current level. Just look at how few MJHL players are getting serious DI (and even USports) interest. The MJ would be much better off cutting down to 6 financially viable teams. Whether those 6 teams join the SJHL's top 6 teams or not, the quality of play would be exponentially better.

Which should be the ~6 teams to go? Likely WInkler, Dauphin, Portage, Steinbach, Virden, and a Winnipeg team. The remaining 7 teams could then form a viable Jr B league that feeds affiliates into the MJHL.

Which SJHL teams make the most sense? Likely Estevan, Humboldt, Battlefords, Flin Flon, Yorkton, Weyburn, and perhaps Notre Dame.

 

[jetsmooseice]

The MJHL is one of the weakest (true) Jr A leagues in Canada, and is doing a disservice to young Manitoban hockey players with its current level. Just look at how few MJHL players are getting serious DI (and even USports) interest. The MJ would be much better off cutting down to 6 financially viable teams. Whether those 6 teams join the SJHL's top 6 teams or not, the quality of play would be exponentially better.

Which should be the ~6 teams to go? Likely WInkler, Dauphin, Portage, Steinbach, Virden, and a Winnipeg team. The remaining 7 teams could then form a viable Jr B league that feeds affiliates into the MJHL.

Which SJHL teams make the most sense? Likely Estevan, Humboldt, Battlefords, Flin Flon, Yorkton, Weyburn, and perhaps Notre Dame.

This does make sense. There is a vast difference between the "tier 1" and "tier 2" MJHL teams. I would even add Niverville to the "tier 1" list, they are doing a great job. At one time Selkirk would have belonged there but they are floundering for reasons not entirely clear to me. Also, I'd love to see a little more effort put into a Winnipeg team. I'd get rid of the Freeze post-haste (they never really should have existed in the first place beyond their covid-season function) and focus efforts on turning the Blues into the successful organization that they once were.

I'm not sure that a single junior B league would really fly, given what we've seen in the past there would be some resistance to long road trips to central/northern Manitoba. But a couple of regional junior B leagues within the province might fly. Maybe it's time to blow the whole thing up at the sub-jr. A level and redo junior B using existing junior B teams, the weaker MJHL teams and even the MMJHL. Reorganize them into a southeast league (including Winnipeg), a southwest league and a north-central league.