The Swift Current Legionnaires opened a four games in four nights stretch with a solid 4-2 win in Yorkton tonight.
Down 2-0 after one, Swift Current rebounded with a three-goal second period. Tim Vanstone scored twice and Zac Mackay pulled the Legionnaires ahead 3-2 at 16:05. Daylan Gatzke added insurance early in the final frame and the score would remain 4-2 until the end. Kyler Beckett stopped 24 of 26 for the win in his fourth consecutive start. The Legionnaires went 1-for-7 on the power play and 5-for-6 killing penalties.
Kody Thue and Lynnden Pastachak got the goals for the Harvest, who have not won in seven games and sit 11 points in the arrears of the SMAAAHL's eighth and final playoff spot with seven games remaining.
The two teams will meet again tomorrow. The broadcast at erniewaldner.com starts at 1:50 PM with the pre-game show.
NOTES: Legionnaires F Dexter Bricker served game one of a four-game suspension, while D Kadin Schmaltz sat out with an upper body injury....the Legionnaires called up D Reid Fritzke from the Hurricanes for the 6th time this year and also added D Carter Doerksen from the Bantam Raiders.....both had a strong showing, especially Doerksen....for being in his first game at the SMAAAHL level, he played extremely well, dishing out two hits and ripping a couple of shots on goal from the point.....the Legionnaires will not have him back tomorrow, as he heads to Regina to rejoin the Raiders......G Luke Grassl will play tomorrow for the first time since January 6, when he left a game at the Kelowna IMM Tournament with a hamstring injury......he has a record of 6-5-1 on the year....Yorkton F Dakota Odgers, a Swift Current Broncos prospect, registered one assist tonight....I liked what I saw from the 15-year-old....he has great offensive instincts.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Argos 3 Legionnaires 6
The Swift Current Home Hardware Legionnaires rebounded from their biggest loss of the season, a 10-2 setback in Regina last Saturday, by beating the Notre Dame Argos 6-3 on home ice tonight.
Justin Spagrud had a three-point outing and three other Legionnaires had two points each as the team came out on top in the third period of what was otherwise a pretty evenly matched game. The Legionnaires held leads of 2-0 and 4-2, but the Argos kept chipping away, tied the game once and brought it to within one goal another time. Kyler Beckett made 37 saves in goal for Swift Current in securing the victory.
Swift Current Broncos prospect Cavin Leth earned second star honours with a two-point night for Notre Dame. The Argos, who trailed the Legionnaires by only four points in the standings entering the contest, have yet to win since the Christmas break and are now 0-4 following the layover. They ran into penalty trouble early and ended up with 10 penalty kills to the Legionnaires' five. Swift Current made them pay only twice, but being shorthanded killed the Argos' momentum. Connor Lacouvee stopped 24 of 30 shots.
The game even included some fisticuffs as Daylan Gatzke dropped the mitts with Austin Lightfoot in the second period. There was also a lot of roughing following whistles. One such incident followed the buzzer at the end of the game. Legionnaires forward Dexter Bricker ended up with a five-minute major for spearing and game misconduct on the play. Suspension(s) should be forthcoming.
The two teams will meet twice more this season, both times in Notre Dame.
NOTE: Tonight's game in its entirety, will be available to watch to SaskTel MAX subscribers in the "Local on Demand" section. Once again, myself and Terry Pavely handled the broadcast booth. I hope you enjoy it. I would like to thank Colin "Big Game" Powers for stepping in and taking care of music/public address announcing again. He winged it.
Before the game, the Legionnaires remembered long-time supporter and volunteer Earl Monkman with a moment of silence. During that time, the East goal light, which Earl manned game after game, was turned on. Monkman passed away last Saturday. In his memory, the team will wear the letters "EM" on its uniforms for the rest of the season.
Justin Spagrud had a three-point outing and three other Legionnaires had two points each as the team came out on top in the third period of what was otherwise a pretty evenly matched game. The Legionnaires held leads of 2-0 and 4-2, but the Argos kept chipping away, tied the game once and brought it to within one goal another time. Kyler Beckett made 37 saves in goal for Swift Current in securing the victory.
Swift Current Broncos prospect Cavin Leth earned second star honours with a two-point night for Notre Dame. The Argos, who trailed the Legionnaires by only four points in the standings entering the contest, have yet to win since the Christmas break and are now 0-4 following the layover. They ran into penalty trouble early and ended up with 10 penalty kills to the Legionnaires' five. Swift Current made them pay only twice, but being shorthanded killed the Argos' momentum. Connor Lacouvee stopped 24 of 30 shots.
The game even included some fisticuffs as Daylan Gatzke dropped the mitts with Austin Lightfoot in the second period. There was also a lot of roughing following whistles. One such incident followed the buzzer at the end of the game. Legionnaires forward Dexter Bricker ended up with a five-minute major for spearing and game misconduct on the play. Suspension(s) should be forthcoming.
The two teams will meet twice more this season, both times in Notre Dame.
NOTE: Tonight's game in its entirety, will be available to watch to SaskTel MAX subscribers in the "Local on Demand" section. Once again, myself and Terry Pavely handled the broadcast booth. I hope you enjoy it. I would like to thank Colin "Big Game" Powers for stepping in and taking care of music/public address announcing again. He winged it.
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Before the game, the Legionnaires remembered long-time supporter and volunteer Earl Monkman with a moment of silence. During that time, the East goal light, which Earl manned game after game, was turned on. Monkman passed away last Saturday. In his memory, the team will wear the letters "EM" on its uniforms for the rest of the season.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
RIP Earl
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Swift Current has lost a trooper. Earl Monkman left us earlier today, far too soon.
Earl was present at every Swift Current Broncos, Legionnaires and Indians game. His smiling face became a staple at local sporting events. He contributed countless hours as a volunteer for all three clubs and was also the main man for the Boxing Club at Swift Current's Friendship Centre.
For the Legionnaires, he would man the goal light, along with whatever else was asked of him. At Bronco games, Earl was on the game-day staff and his duties were virtually unlimited. He especially enjoyed driving the new Fords out onto the ice between periods. For the Indians, he was the only one who really knew how to run the scoreboard and air horn. He would faithfully do so every game. You could also rely on Earl for some good laughs.
My condolences to his family as they cope with the loss. As a community, Swift Current is mourning today.
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The Legionnaires would like to pass on condolences to Earl's family at this time. His advice in the tunnel between periods and the smile behind the net will be sorely missed.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Generals 1 Legionnaires 2 OT
Justin Spagrud notched his team-leading 19th of the season just 22 seconds into overtime as the Legionnaires scored a 2-1 win over third-place Moose Jaw and halted the Generals' seven-game winning streak.
Cody McKinnon got the tying goal on the man advantage at 12:14 of the third period. The power play opportunity was the Legionnaires' fifth of the night. McKinnon and Spagrud assisted on each other's goals, while Edwin Hookenson tallied the only other assist awarded tonight. The shots on goal favoured Swift Current 37-28. It was a rare game in which the Legionnaires out-shot their opponent. Kyler Beckett made 27 saves for the win. The Legionnaires were assessed a too-many-men penalty with just 1:50 to go in regulation but came up with a great penalty kill to give themselves another chance.
The SMAAAHL's top goaltender, Grant Naherniak, stopped 35 shots for Moose Jaw but was tagged with the overtime loss. The Generals' only goal came from Colton Schick, who upped his point streak to nine games. Moose Jaw, which had beaten the Legionnaires in all three prior meetings this season, was coming off two home ice wins over the Battleford Stars, whom they beat by a combined score of 16-1.
The Legionnaires will travel to Regina this Saturday for a meeting with the Pat C's. They are 2-0 against Regina thus far. We'll have the live play-by-play call right here starting with the pre-game show at 2:20 PM.
NOTES: The Legionnaires were without F Dexter Bricker (leg) and G Luke Grassl (hamstring).....They signed Dawson Tangen to a permanent spot on defense (he had played in 4 games as AP).....They also called up G Cody Janzen, who wore #29.
Tonight's game, in its entirety, will be made available to local SaskTel Max subscribers using the "Local On Demand" service. SaskTel cameras were on hand to film the game. I was doing play-by-play and Terry Pavely provided colour commentary. I'd like to thank SaskTel for the opportunity and Paves for the time. It was definitely a first, but went quite well. I hope you enjoy it when it's made available. As well, thanks to Colin "Big Game" Powers, who did a great job filling in tonight in the public address / rink music category. As mentioned below, SaskTel plans to do the same for the Argos @ Legionnaires game on January 19th.
Cody McKinnon got the tying goal on the man advantage at 12:14 of the third period. The power play opportunity was the Legionnaires' fifth of the night. McKinnon and Spagrud assisted on each other's goals, while Edwin Hookenson tallied the only other assist awarded tonight. The shots on goal favoured Swift Current 37-28. It was a rare game in which the Legionnaires out-shot their opponent. Kyler Beckett made 27 saves for the win. The Legionnaires were assessed a too-many-men penalty with just 1:50 to go in regulation but came up with a great penalty kill to give themselves another chance.
The SMAAAHL's top goaltender, Grant Naherniak, stopped 35 shots for Moose Jaw but was tagged with the overtime loss. The Generals' only goal came from Colton Schick, who upped his point streak to nine games. Moose Jaw, which had beaten the Legionnaires in all three prior meetings this season, was coming off two home ice wins over the Battleford Stars, whom they beat by a combined score of 16-1.
The Legionnaires will travel to Regina this Saturday for a meeting with the Pat C's. They are 2-0 against Regina thus far. We'll have the live play-by-play call right here starting with the pre-game show at 2:20 PM.
NOTES: The Legionnaires were without F Dexter Bricker (leg) and G Luke Grassl (hamstring).....They signed Dawson Tangen to a permanent spot on defense (he had played in 4 games as AP).....They also called up G Cody Janzen, who wore #29.
Tonight's game, in its entirety, will be made available to local SaskTel Max subscribers using the "Local On Demand" service. SaskTel cameras were on hand to film the game. I was doing play-by-play and Terry Pavely provided colour commentary. I'd like to thank SaskTel for the opportunity and Paves for the time. It was definitely a first, but went quite well. I hope you enjoy it when it's made available. As well, thanks to Colin "Big Game" Powers, who did a great job filling in tonight in the public address / rink music category. As mentioned below, SaskTel plans to do the same for the Argos @ Legionnaires game on January 19th.
SaskTel to Tape Legionnaire Games / PA Road Games Rescheduled
Southwest TV News, on behalf of SaskTel MAX, will be at Credit Union iPlex tonight as the Home Hardware Legionnaires play host to the Moose Jaw Generals to kick off the final third of the SMAAAHL season. The game will be taped and made available (Community Channel) for later viewing to SaskTel MAX subscribers in Swift Current and area.
Your's truly will be handling the play-by-play call. For some colour and expert analysis, I'll be joined by Swift Current Wildcats coach Terry Pavely, who's coached hockey at the Midget AAA level for a number of seasons. It's the first time I've ever had the opportunity to announce some TV hockey, and I'm very excited about it. Meanwhile, Golden West Radio's Colin Powers has agreed to step in for public address announcing and stadium music, for which I would like to thank him.
SaskTel plans to do the same for the Legionnaires' January 19th home game versus the Notre Dame Argos.
Your's truly will be handling the play-by-play call. For some colour and expert analysis, I'll be joined by Swift Current Wildcats coach Terry Pavely, who's coached hockey at the Midget AAA level for a number of seasons. It's the first time I've ever had the opportunity to announce some TV hockey, and I'm very excited about it. Meanwhile, Golden West Radio's Colin Powers has agreed to step in for public address announcing and stadium music, for which I would like to thank him.
SaskTel plans to do the same for the Legionnaires' January 19th home game versus the Notre Dame Argos.
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And it looks like the league has rescheduled the two games the Legionnaires were to play in Prince Albert this last weekend. Both games now fall on Mondays - the first on January 30th and the second on February 13th.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Legionnaires Finish KIMMT with SO Win
Tim Vanstone, Matthew Audette and Cody McKinnon struck for the Legionnaires. In the shootout, Dexter Bricker and Justin Spagrud both scored. Kyler Beckett stopped 16 of 19 in regulation.
Tim Vanstone led his team offensively in tournament play with eight points in five games, followed by Jordan Wittman with seven points. For all the team stats, click here.
In goal, Kyler Beckett appeared in all but one game for the Legionnaires due to the injury Luke Grassl sustained yesterday. Beckett faced 130 shots and stopped 116 for an 892 save percentage. Grassl went 1-0 and stopped 40 of 43 for the tournament. For the goalie stats, click here.
In a phone conversation moments ago, head coach and general manager Jason Johns seemed pleased with how his team performed at the competition. Here is a summary of his comments:
While it was disappointing to fall just one point short of qualifying for the semifinal, Johns said they played well systematically for most of the tournament, especially on the power play. A lot of the organizers and onlookers commented on how well-rounded the team was throughout. For Johns, the heart-breaker was the overtime loss to Notre Dame. They were given a 4-minute penalty late in the game and killed it off. They then had four scoring chances before the Hounds came back down on the rush and won. He also liked the exposure aspect for a lot of his players. With the host of scouts in attendance, the team got looks it wouldn't normally get here in Swift Current. "We had several scouts show interest in and talk to our undrafted players, which was nice," Johns said.
The Legionnaires were originally scheduled to be in PA this weekend but the two away games versus the Mintos will now have to be rescheduled. They'll hit the road for home tomorrow morning and continue league play this Tuesday, when the Moose Jaw Generals are in town.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Legionnaires Fall Twice Friday
The Home Hardware Legionnaires lost two one-goal games today in action at the Kelowna International Major Midget Tournament and now hold a 2-2 record.
In game one, the Notre Dame Hounds struck with just 22 seconds remaining in overtime to take a 3-2 victory. Tim Vanstone (3) and Lukas Biensch (2) each scored for Swift Current. Goltender Kyler Beckett stole the show however, making an astounding 48 saves. The Legionnaires, with 51 shots against, may have started to feel the absence of defenseman Mason Logan, who decided to retire from competitive hockey last week.
In game two later today, the Thunder Bay Kings beat the Legionnaires 4-3. Luke Grassl started the game in net and went 12-for-12 before leaving with a lower body injury. Kyler Beckett, who certainly deserved a rest after this morning's performance, had to enter the game and face another 28 shots, of which he stopped 24. The Legionnaires got goals from Matthew Audette (1), Cody McKinnon (2) and Tim Vanstone (4).
Swift Current will conclude round robin play tomorrow against the Comox Valley Chiefs at 10:30 am Saskatchewan time.
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