U18 AAA WEEKLY ROUNDUP: Wheat Kings earn victory in sole action

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This article was published 13/01/2025 (248 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BOYS

BRANDON WHEAT KINGS

The first-place Wheat Kings (25-4-2) beat the Parkland Rangers in their only Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League action last week.

On Wednesday at J&G Homes Arena, Reid Nicol had a pair of goals and Jonah Lemoine and Roan Michalchuk added singles in 4-1 victory over Parkland. Dayson Martin replied for the Rangers.

Brady Low made 19 saves for Brandon, with Piet Mierau blocking 43 shots for Parkland

The Wheat Kings have four games next week, hosting the Yellowhead Chiefs at J&G Homes Arena on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., heading to Portage la Prairie’s Stride Place to play the Central Plains Capitals on Friday at 7:30 p.m., and hosting the Interlake Lightning on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

SOUTHWEST COUGARS

The fourth-place Cougars (20-9-5) earned a split against the 11th-place Norman Northstars (11-21-3) at Thompson’s C.A. Nesbitt Arena.

On Sunday, Kole Beard and Bryan Laing scored after the Northstars took a 3-0 lead, but Southwest couldn’t find the equalizer in a 3-2 Norman victory. Brodie Cameron made 30 saves for Southwest, with Austin Kindrat blocking 34 shots for Norman.

On Saturday, Bryan Laing scored twice and Shane Elder, Connor Hoemsen and Taylor Lockhart as the Cougars stormed back from a 2-0 deficit with five goals. They then withstood a charge from the Northstars as Chantyn Michell-Thompson posted a hat trick in a 5-4 Southwest decision.

Micky Gross made 25 saves for Southwest, with Lincoln Richcoon blocking 40 shots for Norman.

The Cougars next take to the ice against the Pembina Valley Hawks at Souris/Glenwood Memorial Complex on Wednesday at 8 p.m., and host Central Plains on Sunday at 2 p.m.

YELLOWHEAD CHIEFS

The 13th-place Chiefs (6-24-1) had a win and a loss in a pair of games against the 10th-place Kenora Thistles (13-20-0) at Shoal Lake Communiplex after a game earlier in the week against Parkland.

On Sunday, Carter Peters scored the winning goal with exactly two minutes remaining in regulation — just 24 seconds after teammate Bruce Bouchard had sniped to tie — as the Thistles escaped with a 6-5 victory.

Grady McNish, Chase Cochrane, Tyson Bridge, Nolan Kozak and Winston Lepp scored for Yellowhead. Connor Rapley made 34 saves for Yellowhead, with Brady Cates blocking 40 shots for Kenora.

On Saturday, Alec Strachan sniped twice and Destin Knight, Oliver Nickel and Nolan Kozak also dented the twine in a 5-2 Yellowhead victory. Connor Rapley made 43 saves for Yellowhead, with Morgan Blackwood turning aside 33 shots for Kenora.

On Tuesday at Dauphin’s Credit Union Place, Grady McNish and Nolan Kozak both scored twice and Colby Asselstine, Riley Swereda and Winston Lepp scored as the Chiefs earned a 7-5 victory. Dayson Martin had a pair of goals for Parkland, and Forrest Karlson, Ryzlie Nepinak and Landyn Garton also scored.

Cole Lelond made 30 saves for Yellowhead, with Kyle Pelletier blocking 21 shots for Parkland.

The Chiefs have a four-game week ahead, with a visit to Brandon on Wednesday, a matchup against the Winnipeg Bruins at the Shoal Lake Communiplex on Friday at 8 p.m., and then visits to the Eastman Selects at Beausejour’s Sun Gro Centre on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and the Winnipeg Wild at Hockey For All Centre on Sunday at 3 p.m.

PARKLAND RANGERS

After the games against Brandon and Yellowhead, the seventh-place Rangers (18-15-1) split a pair of overtime decisions against the sixth-place Winnipeg Thrashers (18-13-2) and the eighth-place Interlake Lightning (15-12-5)

On Sunday at Teulon-Rockwood Arena, Cade Legaarden tied the game with 42 seconds remaining in regulation and Ryder Gardner won it 45 seconds into overtime as Parkland earned a 3-2 victory. Brayden Budolowski gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead in the first period that held up into the third period. Piet Mierau made 49 saves for Parkland, with Dylan McFadyen blocking 43 shots for Interlake.

On Saturday at Winnipeg’s Seven Oaks Community Centre, Thrashers forward Ethan Saari scored 2:39 into overtime for a 4-3 Winnipeg victory. Liam Chartrand, Quinten Fisk and Benjamin Poole had the Rangers goals as they rallied from 2-1 and 3-2 deficits to earn a point.

Piet Mierau made 37 saves for Parkland, with Tate Barnaby blocking 33 shots for Winnipeg.

The Rangers host the Winnipeg Bruins at Dauphin’s Credit Union Place on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

GIRLS

BRANDON WHEAT KINGS

The seventh-place Wheat Kings (9-11-1) earned a pair of wins as they had a home-and-home series with the Yellowhead Chiefs and hosted the ninth-place Interlake Lightning (4-18-3) in the Manitoba Female Hockey League U18 AAA.

On Sunday at J&G Homes Arena, Keira Vines, Kaylee Dittmer, Jade Campbell, Paige Crossley and Haley Blaine scored as Brandon took a 3-0 lead and held on for a 5-3 victory over Interlake.

Danica Averill made 35 saves for Brandon, with Orieanna Kennedy and Joslyn Tetlock combining to make 17 stops for Interlake.

On Saturday at J&G Homes Arena, Haley Blaine and Chloe Kachur opened the scoring for Brandon, and after Brooke Maxwell replied for Yellowhead, Devyn Moncur and Jordan Bell put the game away for the Wheat Kings in a 4-1 victory.

Danica Averill made 44 saves for Brandon, with Clair Merckx turning aside 18 shots for Yellowhead.

On Friday at Shoal Lake Communiplex, Jordan Bell opened the scoring for Brandon but Jordyn Veitch, Grace Kirk, Presley Hodson and Tara Knight replied for Yellowhead in a 4-1 Chiefs victory.

Shannon Hees made 44 saves for Brandon, with Gracie Johnston turning aside 22 shots for Yellowhead.

The Wheat Kings return to the ice at Winnipeg’s Seven Oaks Arena for a matchup against the Avros on Friday at 7:30 p.m., and visit Portage la Prairie’s BDO Centre for the Community on Sunday at 2:45 p.m.

YELLOWHEAD CHIEFS

The fourth-place Chiefs (14-9-1) had the home-and-home series with the Wheat Kings.

The Chiefs have a pair of games at the Shoal Lake Communiplex on the weekend, facing the Eastman Selects on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and the Interlake Lightning on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

WESTMAN WILDCATS

The sixth-place Wildcats (9-13-2) had a tough road trip, falling to the fifth-place Pembina Valley Hawks (11-13-1), Interlake and the first-place Eastman Selects (21-1-3).

On Sunday at Niverville Recreation Centre, Ivy Perkins had Westman’s lone goal as they fell 3-1 to Eastman. Kylie Hack made 28 saves for Westman, with Isabelle Labossiere turning aside 23 shots for Eastman.

On Saturday at Stonewall’s Veterans Memorial Sports Complex, Reese Schutte, Lucy Waldner and Callie Hilhorst gave the Wildcats a 3-0 lead in the first period, but the Lightning stormed back with four goals in 11 minutes in the third period in a 4-3 Interlake victory. Kylie Hack made 17 saves for Westman, while Joslyn Tetlock turned aside 31 shots for Interlake.

On Friday at the Morden Recreation Centre, Jessica Anderson had a hat trick and Kasia Rakowski stopped all 37 shots she faced in a 5-0 Pembina Valley victory.

Indigo Stone made 25 saves for Westman.

The Wildcats see action at Hartney Arena twice next weekend, hosting Interlake on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Eastman on Sunday at 2 p.m.

» The Brandon Sun