By Mike Stackhouse /

MELVILLE MILLIONAIRES
The Melville Millionaires rocketed to the top of the SJHL Power Rankings for three weeks in November, but back-to-back losses to arch-rival Yorkton displaced them back to second.

They suffered a power outage in the process as they scored just one, one, three, and one goals over a period of four games, three of which were losses.

They got back on track in early December by rolling to an 8-2 win over Notre Dame and then defeating Flin Flon 5-2.

The Mils have also added 18-year-old forward Brayden Metz from the Regina Pats to bolster an offense that is going to be without Aaron DeCorby (knee) until after Christmas. Rookie defenseman Terrance Jorgenson is also out long term due to injury.

WEYBURN RED WINGS
Red Wings 20-year-old forward Preston Shupe has committed to Canisius for next Fall. The Wings captain was leading the club in scoring through early December.

After a slow start that may have cost him a spot on the Canada West World Junior ‘A’ Challenge team, AJ Whiffen put together a string of games that saw him go 6-3, with a 2.70 GAA, .924 save percentage from November 1st into early December. In an attempt to bolster a defence corps that was making too many mistakes resulting in goals for the opposition, the Wings pulled the trigger on a trade that saw them land former Saskatoon Contact Justin Favreau from the Nanaimo Clippers.

The bargaining chip was Stephen Simms, another 20-year-old, who wasn’t even on the Wings roster after he received a scholarship last year, only to leave Lake Superior State after the first weekend.

KINDERSLEY KLIPPERS
Larry Wintoneak teams are well-known for their fitness and that was evident again during a three-games-in-three-nights stretch in which the Klippers played in Melville, Yorkton, and then back to Melville during middle of November.

The Klippers looked sluggish in the Thursday game against the Mils and fell behind 2-0 in the first period to Yorkton on Friday before battling hard to earn a single point via a 
shootout loss.

They grinded out a 2-1 win at The Stadium to close out the tough road trip, further solidifying their status as a bonafide league contender.

Recognizing the secondary scoring had been lacking, the Klippers went out and made a trade for 18-year-old Braeden Adamyk, who was recently reassigned from the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings.    

YORKTON TERRIERS
Yorkton added two players to the lineup without having to give up a tangible asset from their roster.

Twenty-year-old Bryan Hull came back after missing 20 games due to a broken hand. Hull was thought to be the Terriers’ most talented player and most likely to lead their team in scoring at the start of the year.

Seventeen-year-old Clarke Breitkreuz was reassigned to the team by the Regina Pats and paid immediate dividends when he scored two goals, as well as the shootout winner in a victory over Kindersley in mid-November.

Breitkreuz had seven points in his first 10 games as a Terrier, which was good enough to lead the low-scoring team during a stretch in which he was in the lineup.

Rookie goalie Devin Peters, 18, who played last year in the Manitoba Junior ‘B’ Keystone Junior Hockey League, has emerged as the team’s No. 1 netminder, especially after backstopping the team to a pair of wins over Melville in late November. He was 7-1-2 through his first 10 Junior A decisions.

ESTEVAN BRUINS
The Estevan Bruins were starting to turn their season around as of early December, going 5-3-2 during a 10-game stretch from mid-November to early December.

In fact, they rallied from 2-0 down in a game against Kindersley on December 5th to outshoot the Klippers 15-1 in the second period and, eventually, post a 4-2 victory.

Former Regina Pats Scott Doucet and Josh Elder have been carrying the offense, although Kyle Stroh emerged to play his best hockey of the season during this same time frame with seven goals in 10 games.

It is hoped 18-year-old Brody Haygarth can make it back before Christmas. He broke his wrist during the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge tryout camp in Yorkton in late October.

NOTRE DAME HOUNDS
Notre Dame bolstered their goaltending by adding Todd Mathews from the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors.

On a team that was averaging four-goals-a-game against, Mathews stepped up by going 4-and-1 with a 1.93 GAA and .939 save percentage through his first five appearances.

The accolades keep on coming for 16-year-old Jaden Schwartz.

The bonafide NHL prospect had seven goals and six assists in his first eight games since returning from the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge, and is now slated to leave the club again in mid-December for the CJHL Top Prospects Game in Summerside, P.E.I., and then again over Christmas as he plays for Team West at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.