By Derek Holtom /

Dauphin Kings
The Dauphin Kings gave their fans quite the scare in the first round of the MJHL playoffs, after they went down 2-0 to the OCN Blizzard in their Sher-Wood Division semifinal.

But the Kings rattled off four straight wins to advance to yet another Sher-Wood Division final against the Portage Terriers.

Expectations were high in Dauphin following a record-setting season, as the Kings set a new mark for wins at 42.

Ironically, the former record belonged to a team coached by Doug Hedley, now the OCN bench boss.

And in the middle of their playoff battle, one of the Kings was honoured for an off-the-charts February.
Shane Luke, who is only 18, was named the MJHL’s Old Dutch Player of the Month. The Ste. Rose du Lac product had 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in just 11 games.

Neepawa Natives
Neepawa’s historic crossover playoff berth into the Addison Division to battle the Winnipeg Saints was one they would likely 
rather forget.

Despite enjoying a winning record against the Saints in the regular season, the Natives were absolutely destroyed in a four-game sweep, losing all four games by a combined score of 25-4.

Still, Neepawa will go down in history as the first fifth-seed to crossover into the other division in the MJHL, an accomplishment that is one for the record books.

The Natives have a young team, and they are optimistic about their chances for 
next season.

OCN Blizzard
The OCN Blizzard got back into the playoffs this year, and early on it looked like old times as the Blizzard jumped to an early 2-0 series lead against the Dauphin Kings.

However, the Blizzard missed a glorious chance to bury the Kings in Game 3 as they dropped a heart-breaking 6-5 overtime loss. A win would have gave them a 3-0 series lead and all but eliminated the Kings.

Instead, the Blizzard offence dried up. After scoring 13 goals in the first three games of the series, the Blizzard could only muster five in the final three games.

Optimism still runs high in OCN. They are poised to bring back a good chunk of this year’s third-place team, including their top scorer and team leader Zeanan Buternowski.

Portage Terriers
The Portage Terriers found themselves a new first-round opponent this year as they took on the Waywayseecappo Wolverines.

It might have been the most difficult four-game sweep in recent memory, as the Terriers had three one-goal victories over the Wolverines, including one in overtime.

Portage and Dauphin will now do battle once again for the Sher-Wood Division title.

The Terriers had four more wins than the Kings in the regular season, and will enjoy home-ice advantage in this series.

However, Dauphin won the season series against the Terriers, so they’ll enter this series with plenty of confidence.

No doubt both teams will put together a dandy of a series.

Swan Valley Stampeders
The lone team in the Sher-Wood Division not to make the playoffs this year, the Stampeders have got an early jump on scouting and recruiting for next season.

The future direction of the team was also not locked down at the time this column was written. Head coach and general manager Guy Vestby – a Swan River native – is nearing the end of the two-year contract he signed after filling in on an interim basis under general manager Leonard Strandberg.

Will Vestby be back, and under what 
capacity?

One person who won’t be behind the Stampeders’ bench – or any other junior team, for that matter – is Jeff Wiest.

The Stampeders head coach from the first two seasons in franchise history is often mentioned when talk moves to who will coach the Stampeders. But Wiest, who lives in the Valley, approached the local newspaper – the Swan Valley Star and Times – and declared he has no interest in coaching junior hockey ever again.

Waywayseecappo Wolverines
After two straight years of losing out to the Dauphin Kings in the first round of the playoffs, the Waywayseecappo Wolverines drew a new opponent in the Portage Terriers.

However, after two years of long, exciting series, the Wolverines were swept out of the first round of the playoffs this year.

The Wolverines put up a real battle in the first three games, but they were unable to get a toehold in this series.

The Wolverines have never won a playoff series, though they have qualified for three post-season parties after years of futility.

By comparison, their expansion cousins, the Swan Valley Stampeders, have only ever won one playoff series in their history.