National Midget Champions Awarded by Mayor Sam Katz
Mayor Sam Katz presented Outstanding Achievement Award medals to the 2011 national midget hockey champion - Winnipeg Thrashers - this morning in a special ceremony at City Hall.
Backstopped by goaltenders Teagan Sacher and Alex Henry, the Thrashers prided their season on strong goaltending.
WINNIPEG -- The mighty Winnipeg Thrashers stickhandled their way to another historic victory.
Mayor Sam Katz presented Outstanding Achievement Award medals to the 2011 National Midget Hockey Champions on the morning of Thursday, May 5th, in a special ceremony at City Hall.
The medal ceremony was set to honour the Thrashers, who captured the 2011 Telus Cup Midget AAA national championship last month with a 3-1 victory over the London Jr. Knights in St. John’s, N.L.
The Thrashers are the first Winnipeg team to win the coveted Telus Cup, while the Brandon Wheat Kings won it in 2004. In 2008, the Thrashers came up short after a strong season and won silver.
The Thrashers, outshot 32-18, and got goals from Justin Derlago, Corey Petrash, and Connor Lockhart who scored the game-winning goal in the third period on April 24 and was named the player of the game for the Thrashers, while goaltender Teagan Sacher had a stellar performance in net, making 31 saves, and was selected as the days 1st star.
On May 7th the Thrashers team members also received an Order of Sport Excellence award at this years Hockey Manitoba Awards Luncheon.
For more on the ceremony Click Here.
Winnipeg Takes First Telus Cup - National Championship
The Winnipeg Thrashers won the TELUS Cup with a 3-1 victory over the London Jr. Knights on Sunday night at Mile One Centre.
The national championship is the first for the Thrashers and just the second for a team from Manitoba –the Brandon Wheat Kings, in 2004, won the first.
GDI Prairies goaltender Teagan Sacher built up a strong resume after his first outing in the tournament. Rebounding after a tough loss in game one of the tournament, Sacher took to the next six games day by day, focusing on one game at a time. By the end of it, all the steps led to his teams name being engraved on this years Telus Cup. In his last six games Sacher allowed only 11 goals and also captured a shutout in his second game against Team Quebec. Within all goaltenders statistics he finished with the most minutes played at 370:00, the tournaments best save percentage at .919, and second in goals against averages at 2.59.
The Thrashers claimed a birth into the National Championships after winning the Western Regional Qualifying tournament, beating Prince Albert in the finals. Hours after, an ecstatic Teagan Sacher was interviewed by the Winnipeg Sun and proclaimed that "the other teams better be careful because we're going to win." The article posted the next day was titled Date with Destiny. Now, after the Telus Cup win, Sacher has been stared on the nights TSN Honor Roll for his heroic first period glove save in tight to deny the London Jr. Knights and hold the lead for the Thrashers.
After Day 7 of the tournament, Teagan Sacher was named the first star of the day, along with Connor Lockhart being named the second star who scored the championship game winner.
Again GDI Prairies would like to congratulate the Winnipeg Thrashers, along with goaltenders Teagan Sacher and Alex Henry, for there success throughout the season and for claiming the National AAA Midget Championship title.
For full results and news on the tournament Click Here.
Sacher Named Day 6 3rd Star
Teagan Sacher was awarded the 3rd Star for Day 6 with his horoic semi-final performance in net against Team Quebec.
The Winnipeg Thrashers netminder allowed an early goal to Lac St-Louis’ Patrick Walsh but settled down after that, making 25 of his 43 saves in the third period and overtime and giving Brendyn Illchuk the opportunity to score the overtime winner, sending the Thrashers to Sunday’s gold medal game against London.
Teagan Sacher's calm and controlled manner in net has helped the team get to where they are now, competing as one of the top two teams across the country for a national championship.
Thrash Head to Gold Medal Game
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Brendyn Illchuk was the overtime hero, scoring 10:16 into the second extra period, asthe Winnipeg Thrashers advanced to the gold medal game at the 2011 TELUS Cup with a 4-3 semifinal win overthe Lions du Lac St-Louis on Saturday afternoon.
Illchuk picked up the puck off a won face-off by Regan Stire and slipped a shot through the legs ofFrançois Brassard to send the Thrashers to the final (Sunday, 4 p.m. NT) for the second time in four years –they lost the 2008 gold medal game to the Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves.
It’s also the eighth consecutive year that the West Region champions will play for TELUS Cup gold, datingback to 2004. Six of the first seven teams won the national title, all except the ’08 Thrashers.
GDI Prairies goaltender Teagan Sacher shut down every Quebec attack from the midway point of the game on. Keeping his game simple, Sacher was a wall in net. Quebec's frustrated offense fired 25 pucks on net from every angle within the third and overtime periods before the Thrashers put the game away.
Sundays afternoon game should be a game for the ages as the Thrashers take on the London Jr. Knights.
Thrashers Sacher Takes Control in Telus
The Winnipeg Thrashers have slowly made there way up through the rankings and have placed a semi-final birth in this years Telus Cup - National Championships.
As it has been known through the ages, goaltending does win games. Thrasher goalie Teagan Sacher has became a backbone for the team as he has had four consecutive undefeated games, shutting down the opposition in the most opportunistic times. Allowing a low seven goals within his past four starts, Sacher has led his strong performance on many foundational aspects of the position. This in mind, maintaining the basics can help any goaltender succeed, rather than thinking beyond expectations and complicating the position.
Heading into the Semi-Finals Sacher looks to maintain his calming presence in the backend and continue his control that has created a sense of ease for his defensemen.
The Semi-Final match-up between the Winnipeg Thrashers (Team West) and Lions du Lac St. Louis (Team Québec) takes place Saturday afternoon at 11:30 central time. For full information from Hockey Canada on the game Click Here.
Proceeding on Sunday, the 2011 Telus Cup National Championship Final will be broadcast on TSN live at 7:30 PM central time.
Wpg AAA Banquet Award Recipients
League Goaltender of the Year
Bantam 2 - Troy Martyniuk
Bantam 1 - Evan Johnson
Midget City - Brendan Fiebelkorn
Provincial - Spencer Tremblay
AAA Goaltender of the Year
Spencer Tremblay
AAA Provincial MVP
Teagan Sacher
For more info on the AAA Awards for the 2010/2011 season Click Here.
Winnipeg Provincial Goaltenders Bring Home Hardware
GDI Prairies would like to congratulate goaltenders Teagan Sacher and Spencer Tremblay for the awards and success that they have each had throughout the 2010/2011 Manitoba Provincial season.
Teagan Sacher was awarded this years MVP honors within the MBAAA Provincial League, while Spencer Tremblay accepted this years Goaltender of the Year award.
Both goaltenders entered their second year of Midget and first year of playing at the provincial level, and both goalies never looked back as they took the year in full stride. Congrats again Teagan and Spencer, and best of luck in both of your future endeavors!
Sacher Stymies Quebec's Opposition
After suffering a devasting loss on the opening day of the Telus Cup, the Winnipeg Thrashers approached game 2 with a sense of pride within Team West. By the games end, Thrashers goaltender Teagan Sacher posted the tournament's first shutout and helped the Team West representative record their first win Tuesday at the 2011 Telus Cup national midget hockey championship in St. John's, Nfld.
Facing a total of 23 shots throughout the game, Sacher held the fort down while defending the net through several screened attempts along with managing the traffic in front of the net. In the second frame there were two consecutive near breakaways, along with a couple battles where he was pushed back. Helping solidify the Thrashers 2-0 lead in the third with two minutes left, Sacher pushed away a quick post to post transition that saw a quick scoring chance in the slot.
Sacher, who was pulled after allowing five goals during Winnipeg's 12-5 loss on Monday, was named the Thrashers' player of the game after his second game victory and also was credited with the 3rd Star of the Day for Day 2 of the Telus Cup. With the Thrashers first victory at the Telus Cup, this was Winnipeg's second shutout ever within the Telus Cup history.
The Winnipeg Thrashers look ahead now to Game 3, set for 3:30 against Team Central, the London Jr. Knights. For the full schedule/results of the Telus Cup Click Here.
Six Teams Hit the Ice on The Rock
The road to the Telus Cup has six teams facing off for the Nations AAA Midget title this upcoming week.
After nearly two months of grueling playoff hockey and competitive battles between provinces, six teams across Canada will now hit the ice in St. Johns Newfoundland.
The Breakdown from the West
The Thrashers are back at the TELUS Cup for the third time in four years, having lost in the gold medal game in 2008 before finishing fourth as the host team one year later. Winnipeg was the class of Manitoba this season, winning the league’s regular season and playoff titles, losing just two of 11 games in series wins over Pembina Valley, Brandon and Southwest.
Manitoba Midget League
Goaltending statistics by seasons end had GDI goaltenders placing in the top 5 within the MBAAA Midget League. Provincial Champions (Teagan Sacher, Alex Henry) placed 2nd and 3rd respectively. Teagan Sacher prided himself on consistency through the long season and finished with a 1.88 GAA in 25 games, and 0.923 Save Percentage. Alex Henry capped of the season with a seven game span of allowing only two goals against or less, which included two shutouts. By seasons end Henry finished with 5 perfect games, a 1.90 GAA, and a 90.69 Save Percentage.Winnipeg's south end team, the Winnipeg Wild, were backstopped by a league newcomer and highly touted junior prospect, Spencer Tremblay. Heading into the unknown as he entered his first season of AAA in the province of Manitoba after moving back home from Notre Dame, Tremblay became comfortable quickly. Within his first seven games he notched four shutouts. Finishing the league in first within all goaltender statistical categories, Tremblay had an outstanding season. His partner between the pipes, Cory Nygaard, completed his last year of midget hockey as a veteran in the league. Nygaard was resilient throughout the season as he came up with many strong outings in pressure filled games, including a playoff win against Norman where he allowed one goal against on 34 shots fired his way.
Also noted within the MBAAA Midget League was playoff finalist Gage Murray. The Southwest Cougars rookie finished the year with a 14-1-1 record. As Murray stands as a monster in net with his 6'3'' - 171 lbs fame, he looks on for a durable future in net.
Brendan Edie, Tyler Oswald, and Justin Holder all had personal success stories throughout the season.
Edie was called up to the MJHL's Steinbach Pistons in the middle of February and blanked the OCN Blizzard with a 3-0 win and was credited for recording the franchises first shutout.Oswald was recalled late in the season to the Saskatoon Blades and saw action against the Brandon Wheat Kings where he made 15 stops mid-way through the game. Besides being called up to his Major Junior squad, Oswald also recieved his fair share of hardware as he was awarded the MBAAA Goaltender of the Month for January and also received the All-Star Defensive Player of the Game award for the league All-Star game. Not to mention, he also saw his fair share of rubber with 1018 shots against and kept up a .903 Save Percentage. The Brandon Wheat Kings Justin Holder helped his team battle to beat the Eastman Selects in their second round series and kept many games against the Winnipeg Thrashers close in the teams semi-final playoff series.Sasktachewan Midget League
The Saskatchewan Midget Hockey League also had many long runs for GDI goaltenders leading past playoffs.
Longtime GDI goalie, Andy Desautels, stood tall in net over the season and maintained a 90.24 Save Percentage. While playing on the Regina Pat Canadians Desautels was also selected to play on this years U-17 Team West where he shared goaltending duties with Tri-City American - Chris Dreidger. After his playoff run with the Canadians, Desautels was recalled to his Major Junior team, Everett Silvertips, and served as the teams backup for the remaining eight games of the season. Desautels shared duties through the season with goaltender Casey Parker.Moose Jaw Generals goaltender Travis Pelletier entered his first season in the league and finished the year off with a 2.84 GAA, and shared duties with Matt Gibney between the pipes at this years Western Regionals as the host team.
Tisdale Trojans veteran Josh Switzer had a .895 Save Percentage by seasons end as he played on a middle of the pack team that had a tough playoff run against the highly favored Saskatoon Contacts. Towards the end of January Switzer saw success against the leagues top team as he allowed only one goal on 34 shots to help his team to victory, and then went on to win his next two games allowing only one goal.
Young 1995 born goaltender Spencer Bomboir entered into the league on a .500 record team and held his own throughout his Bantam year as a rookie goaltender for the Yorkton Harvest. Sharing duties in net was Kale Thomson who finished the year off with a .904 Save Percentage.
Heading Into the Telus Cup National Championships
In Moose Jaw, Sask., for the West Regional, the Winnipeg Thrashers did something they couldn’t do in their previous trip in 2008 – beat the Saskatchewan champions in the round robin. A 3-1 victory over Prince Albert kicked off an unbeaten preliminary round for Winnipeg, which beat Thunder Bay 6-5 to clinch a spot in the final before settling for a 2-2 tie with the host Generals. Matched up with the Mintos in the championship game, the Thrashers allowed the game’s first goal before scoring four unanswered and booking their TELUS Cup ticket. Winnipeg is following in big footsteps in St. John’s – the West Region champion has won six of the last seven national titles. The only West team not to take home the top prize in that span? The Thrashers, in 2008.
For the full 2011 Telus Cup schedule and results Click Here.
To view past National Champions Click Here.
Wheat Kings Recognize Thrashers
Winnipeg, MB. – The Brandon Wheat Kings have announced plans to recognize this year’s Provincial Midget Champion Winnipeg Thrashers before Monday night’s Western Hockey League Playoff game at the MTS Centre.
After winning the Manitoba AAA Midget League title last month against the Southwest Cougars, the Thrashers beat Prince Albert 4-1 Sunday to capture the West Regional Title in Moose Jaw.
Wheat Kings’ prospect Dylan Kuczek (pictured above), Morgan Winchar, Corey Petrash and Regan Stire scored for the Thrashers, who will now advance to the National Championships later this month in St. John’s Newfoundland.
“You know what, everybody just needed to settle into the game — the first 10 minutes were a little bit slow but the guys knew what was at stake and emotions were running high for a little bit,” Thrashers head coach Dan Eliasson told the Winnipeg Sun on Sunday night. “There were feelings of elation and pride. It’s nice to see these things come together and to see all of the sacrifices pay off.”
Besides Eliasson, the Thrashers are coached by Royce Manary, Anthony Knapp and Dan Ferguson.
As for Monday’s WHL playoff game, the Wheat Kings trail the best of seven opening round series three games to two following Saturday’s 9-5 loss in Alberta. A Brandon victory on Monday night will force a seventh and deciding game on Wednesday night in Medicine Hat.
For more on this article by the Brandon Wheat Kings Click Here.
Thrashers Advance to Telus Cup Nationals
By 5:30 on Sunday afternoon the Winnipeg Thrashers had a team full of pride and excitement as they capped off a 4-1 win in the championship final game of the Western Regionals. With the victory the Thrashers advance to the Telus Cup National Championships and will represent the Western Region in the tournament.
With the Thrashers carrying the momentum through the first two periods of the final game the Prince Albert Mintos applied a full offensive pursuit in the final frame to attempt a comeback. The Mintos fired thirteen shots against Teagan Sacher and had nothing to show for it as they were all turned away. Sacher kept his workload to a minimum as he controlled a strong percentage of the scoring attempts by collecting loose pucks and controlling many direct shots on net. With the Thrashers being shorthanded in the dieing minutes of the game the Mintos went up 6 on 4 and put everything low and on net - keeping the crowd on edge till the buzzer went. At the games end, with the Thrashers coming out as the Western Telus Cup representatives, Sacher was awarded the games MVP award for the team.
The Thrashers finished the Western Regionals with an undefeated record of 3-0-1, and with a strong defensive core from the back end up only allowed a total of 9 goals against in the four games played.
Winnipeg Sun Article - Featuring WPG Thrasher/ GDI Goaltender - Teagan Sacher
With the honor of representing team West, the Winnipeg Thrashers now take the long trek to Newfoundland for the Telus Cup National Championships. The tournament takes place starting April 18th and leads into the final game on the 25th. For more information on the Telus Cup and the tournaments past champions Click Here.
Thrashers Head to Western Regional Finals Undefeated
The Winnipeg Thrashers and Prince Albert Mintos will compete Sunday afternoon for a birth into the Telus Cup National Championships.
GDI goaltenders, Teagan Sacher - Alex Henry, have layered a wall in net over a long season and have helped backstop the Thrashers to win the first two games of the tournament along with a tie in their third game to move on to the finals as the only undefeated team of the tournament.
For more on the Western Regional Championships visit their website by Clicking Here.
Thrashers Hope to Harvest Telus Cup
The Winnipeg Thrashers, the Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League champions, will take a run at the 2011 Telus Cup Western Regional Qualifier.
Goaltender Teagan Sacher (1.88 GAA), who led the Thrashers in the playoffs with a 7-1 record, shared regular-season duties with Alex Henry (1.90 GAA). Sacher won 19 games, Henry won 18 games.
"Defensively we're really solid. All of them have such good confidence and they don't really cough up the puck much," said Sacher, 16. "Offensively our team is really good, so getting goal support takes a lot of pressure off me. If I do let one go, I know they'll be able to get one back for me."
For more on this article by The Winnipeg Free Press Click Here.
Pelletier and Gibney Prepare for Telus Cup Qualifying Tournament
After the Moose Jaw Generals were knocked out of their playoff run in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA League (Results) their head coach looked for a way to spice up the teams pre-tournament training heading into the Telus Cup Regional Qualifier.
The MJ-Times reported that the Generals were running an intersquad 3 on 3 tournament to help the the team prepare, and most evidently both goaltenders as they received a storm of 50 to 60 shots.
The two games played so far put Moose Jaw goaltenders Travis Pelletier and Matt Gibney through the paces as they faced a handful of odd man rushes and countless breakaways.
Travis Pelletier has trained with GDI Prairies through his season with the Generals and looks to have a successful run at advancing into the Telus Cup.
For a full schedule of the Telus Cup Regional Qualifing Tournament Click Here.
Thrashers Climbing to the Top
The Winnipeg Thrashers are the cream of the provincial AAA midget crop for the third time in the last six years. The Thrashers thumped the Southwest Cougars 5-1 on Thursday night in Souris, winning the best-of-five final 3-1.
Longtime GDI goaltenders Teagan Sacher and Alex Henry will now defend the net representing the province of Manitoba at the Telus Cup west regiona tournament in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan from March 31 to April 3.
Thrash Up 2 - 1 in Best of 5 Championship Series
The Winnipeg Thrashers AAA midget hockey team took a two games to one series lead in the championship finals with a nail biting finish as they came out with the victory against the Southwest Cougars. Take a quick look at The Winnipeg Suns insight on last game.The Thrashers take to the ice on Thursday night in Souris. For the full schedule of the series Click Here.
Thrashers Take Early Series Lead
The Winnipeg Thrashers AAA midget hockey team began their quest for a provincial championship with a hard fought win against the Southwest Cougars in game 1 of the best of 5 final series. Take a quick look at The Winnipeg Suns insight on last game.GDI goaltenders, Teagan Sacher and Alex Henry, look to take game two today in the best of 5 series as the Thrashers take the trip to Souris. For the full schedule of the series Click Here.
Sacher Helps Lead Thrash to Finals
Winnipeg Thrashers netminder, Teagan Sacher, stood tall in net onto his fourth win of the playoffs.
Sacher shut down the AAA Midget Brandon Wheat Kings stopping 28 of 31 shots against on route to a 5 - 3 win that pushed the Wpg Thrashers into the Provincial Finals.
In a playoff like battle that had the fans on the edge of their seats, the Wheat Kings crashed the net on several occasions - attempting to jam pucks in with little results. Sacher was resilient to the traffic as he stopped a flurry of shots, including a pad stack jammer early in the frame of the third period to keep the game tied at 3.
Capping off a Semi-Final series win, the Manitoba AAA Midget Finals will see the Winnipeg Thrashers facing off against the Southwest Cougars. Game 1 takes place this Friday, March 18th, 7:30 at Gateway Arena.
For more info on this years playoffs Click Here.
Tremblay Stands Tall for Wild
Wild goaltender Spencer Tremblay had a sensational regular season, posting league-best marks for goals-against average (1.54) and save percentage (.933).
In a recent interview with the Winnipeg Free Press Trembley proclaimed, "I've been fortunate to get to play a lot here and playing in a league of this calibre, I've improved a lot and my confidence has grown so much."
Trembley maintains a goaltending package of size and control that many others admire. Training with GDI Prairies over the past several years he has shown dedication and continuous refinement to his position, which has become evident with his consistent play over this season. As he heads into the playoffs Spencer looks to keep his winning ways in tact.
For the full write-up from the Winnipeg Free Press Click Here.
Oswald Shuts the Door on 15
Tyler Oswald makes his WHL debut stopping 15 of 17 shots mid-way through the Saskatoon Blades defeat against the Brandon Wheat Kings. Replacing Saskatoon's starting goaltender Steven Stanford after Brandon's fourth goal at 10:10 of the 2nd period, Oswald saw a total of 29 minutes for his first feel of WHL season play.
As the Wheat Kings turned up the heat in the second period moving east to west behind the net and then feeding an open man in the slot Oswald was able to shut the door with a lightning quick flare of the glove on the far side shot against Winnipeg's David Toews. To view the game's video highlights Click Here.
The Wheat Kings out-shot Saskatoon 34-27 in solidifying their hold on an Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Blades didn’t take advantage of one of their three games-in-hand on Red Deer, whom they lead by six points atop the Conference standings.
For more on the game Click Here.
Sacher and Gage Both Record Shutouts Over the Weekend
GDI goaltender's, Teagan Sacher (Wpg Thrashers) and Gage Murray (Southwest Cougars) recorded shutouts this weekend, totally 3 perfect games on the year for each goaltender heading into the playoffs.
Sacher shut down Kenora with a 3-0 win as he stymed the Thistles offense with several stops including a 2 on 0 early in the first and an open back door in the second.
Gage stopped all 16 shots against Parkland, bumping his GAA to 1.93.
Edie Records Shutout in First Junior Start
The Steinbach Pistons hosted the Waywayseecappo Wolverines on Friday night in Steinbach, and made history with a 3-0 win.
With starting goaltender Addison Herosian not able to play because of sickness, the Pistons called up Brenden Edie from the Eastman Selects.Edie, who has been playing for the Eastman Selects, stopped all 34 shots for the shutout in his first ever MJHL game. The shutout was also the first for the Pistons franchise since moving to Steinbach last year.
Edie has continually looked to raise his standards of play in net, and with his first junior start it shows his strong character of aiming for nothing but the best. Keep up the hard work!
Top 6 in Manitoba Midget AAA
As of February 4th 2011, GDI Prairie goaltenders lead the Manitoba Midget AAA goaltender statistics, all in the top 6, heading into the two week stretch before the beginning of playoffs.
Oswald is MBAAA Goaltender of the Month for January
Because he spent part of the month with the WHL's Saskatoon Blades, Tyler Oswald played only four games for the Pembina Valley Hawks. Within those four games he turned in an impressive body of work and was awarded the Manitoba Midget AAA - January's Goaltender of the Month award.Ozzy faced a total of 192 shots and came out of those four games sporting a save percentage of .910. For the season he has helped the Hawks achieve 7 of their 10 wins and has seen more rubber than the average goaltender with an average of 39 shots a game (1018 on the year).
Sacher Helps Thrashers Move Into First
Wednesday night, Teagan Sacher helped bump the Winnipeg Thrashers into first place with a perfect 3 - 0 game against the Winnipeg Wild.
With Sacher's second shutout of the year he makes his presence in net evident to the league as he shuts the door on 28 shots against, and several quality scoring chances. The Wild were held scoreless on their six powerplays, which included two in the opening six minutes of the first, and were unable to capitalize in the second period on two odd man rushes that appeared to be open scoring opportunities.
Currently, Sacher holds a .917 save percentage with seven games remaining heading into the playoffs.
Mark Your Calenders - Jan 26th
Coming up this week, GDI Prairies goaltenders will face off in a battle for first place. Right now the Winnipeg Wild and Winnipeg Thrashers are neck and neck through the Manitoba Midget AAA Hockey League standings. The Wild sit with 61 points and have a game up on the Thrashers who stand with 58 points.Game time is 7:30 at the MTS Iceplex. Don't Miss it!
Each of the 4 GDI goaltenders have shared their own success throughout the season.
Most recently, Wild goaltenders - Cory Nygaard and Spencer Tremblay- have each had back to back shutouts against the Pembina Valley Hawks and the Brandon Wheat Kings. For the Thrashers, Alex Henry had a strong presence in net against the Yellowhead Cheifs, while Teagan Sacher stymied Central Plains with 37 stops that included 15 in the first. Both the Wild and Thrashers have the lowest goals against within the leagues twelve teams.
Oswald Called Up to Sask
GDI trained - Tyler Oswald has been called up to the Saskatoon Blades. Heading into the weekend the Blades will meet the Calgary Hitmen Saturday night at home.
The Saskatoon Blades currently sit atop the Western Hockey League with 68 points.
Oswald was acquired to the Blades in 2008, being drafted in the 5th round, 96th overall.
Oswald Recieves MMHL All- Star Defensive Player of the Game
This past weekend, Pembina Valley's Tyler Oswald was awarded the Manitoba Midget AAA All-Star Defensive Player of the Game for the Provincial All- Star game.
With 25 games notched this year, Oswald has faced a total of 968 shots against - which caps all goaltenders in the league. With consistent preparation and play, Ozzy holds a .905 Save Percentage.
Congrats Ozz! Keep up the hard work.
Sacher, Tremblay, & Oswald Selected to All-Star Game
GDI Prairies is pleased to announce that 3 of their goaltenders have been selected to play in the Manitoba Midget AAA Provincial All-Star Game.
On Team West - Tyler Oswald and on Team East - Spencer Tremblay and Teagan Sacher were selected.
The game will take place on January 16th at the PCU Center in Portage at 2 PM.
For more information on the game click here.
Desautels Steady In Net For Team West
GDI Prairies trained Andy Desautels was solid in net for Team West on Sunday evening with a 4-1 Win against Slovakia.
Desautels shut down the Slovak's stopping 28 of 29 shots as he played maturely in net. Throughout the game he showed a strong focus on controlling a high percentage of shots with his body, shifting towards many chances in tight, and also helped Team West's offense sending many pucks up ice to help transition a quick rush.
Training with GDI diligently for the past several years and also helping instruct young goaltender out of Regina, Desautels looks for more success continued success in the future. For the 2010/2011 season he is rostered with the Regina Pat Canadians out of Saskatchewan's AAA Midget League, and also on an Educational Contract with the WHL's Everett Silvertips.
Tremblay Holds Team in First Place
Spencer holds a 12-1-0-1 record midway through the season and leads the league with the lowest G.A.A, Save Percentage, and Shutouts.
Ozzy Records 30 Save Shutout
Maintaining a Save Percentage of 90.14 has been a workout for Tyler Oswald as he averages 37 Shots Against per game.
On December 18th Oswald stopped all 30 shots he faced against the Yellowhead Chiefs to record his first shutout of the year.
Tyler was drafted by the Saskatoon Blades. For more information click here.
Paulic Outstanding
This weeks AAA Defensive Player Award went out to Justin Paulic of the Norman Northstars.
Fifteen-year-old rookie Justin Paulic turned in a spectacular performance last Sunday, making an incredible 75 saves as he backstopped the Norman Northstars to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Winnipeg Thrashers.
He showed incredible poise all game, but especially in the last 2 minutes and 20 seconds when he made 12 saves while the Northstars were playing two men short.
Paulic has posted a 6-5 record, including four wins in his last five starts, and has an impressive .907 save percentage for the season.
He was drafted by the Moose Jaw Warriors and will play for Team Manitoba this February at the Canada Winter Games.
Sacher Gets Win in Thompson
Saturday evening the Norman Northstars were at home against the Winnipeg Thrashers. The last head to head match-up for both teams dates back to October 2nd, where the Thrashers came out on top with a 5-4 Shootout win.On Saturday Teagan Sacher helped lead the Thrashers to a 4-1 victory. The second period may have been the Northstars best, but with little to show for it as they fired 19 shots on net with none going past the Thrashers netminder. Sacher finished the night stopping 32 of 33 shots and held Norman at 1 for 6 on the powerplay.
Three key games remaining in the Manitoba AAA League first half include:
- Dec 17th - Wild vs Thrashers - Gateway - 7:30
- Dec 18th - Cougars vs Selects - Beausejour - 8:00
- Dec 19th - Cougars vs Thrashers - Gateway - 1:00
For the full schedule of games and results click here.
Henry Records 4th Shutout
Alex Henry records his fourth shutout of the season, helping the Winnipeg Thrashers bank their seventeenth win.
Henry sits at 9-1-0 heading into the stretch of December.
To view more info on Henry click here.
Henry sits at 9-1-0 heading into the stretch of December.
To view more info on Henry click here.
Top 5 in Manitoba Midget AAA
GDI Prairie goaltenders lead the Manitoba Midget AAA goaltender statistics, all in the top 5, within the first 2 months of the season.
Key match-ups for the month of December:
- Dec 1st - Wild vs Selects - Beausejour - 8:00
- Dec 17th - Wild vs Thrashers - Gateway - 7:30
- Dec 18th - Cougars vs Selects - Beausejour - 8:00
- Dec 19th - Cougars vs Thrashers - Gateway - 1:00
For the Canadian Midget AAA rankings click here.
Tremblay Records 5th Shutout 12 Games In
In the 2009-2010 Season, the Manitoba Midget AAA League had Riley Feser, of the Brandon Wheat Kings, lead the league with a total of 5 shutouts by the seasons end.This year, Spencer Tremblay has equaled that total already, within 12 games. Tremblay recorded shutouts against the Yellowhead Chiefs (October 1st, 24th), Brandon Wheat Kings (October 13th, November 21st), Central Plains Capitals (October 31st), and against the Pembina Valley Hawks (November 3rd).
Along with his five perfect games, Tremblay has accumulated a Save Percentage of 96.11% and a Goals Against Average of 0.87.
Helping the Winnipeg Wild to several key wins this season, he has been a strong
new addition to the team. Tremblay has recorded wins against division rivals the Winnipeg Thrashers, Eastman Selects, and Norman Northstars.The GDI Prairies trained goaltender had previously played out of Notre Dame in Wilcox Saskatchewan for his Bantam and Minor Midget hockey seasons. In his Bantam season with Notre Dame in 2008-2009 Tremblay posted an 11 - 0 record in the regular season, witha strong 0.64 GAA and 7 shutouts. In the playoffs he was 4 - 0, with a 1.5 GAA and 1 shutout.
Tremblay was drafted by the Waywayseecappo Wolverines in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League in 2009, 93 overall.
U-17 Summer Evaluation Camp roster announced
Congrats to the following 4 goaltenders for being selected to the U-17 Summer Evaluation Manitoba Camp Roster.
- Brian Archibald - Killarney
- Chris Driedger - Winnipeg
- Brenden Fiebelkorn - Winnipeg
- Alex Henry - Winnipeg
Team West will look to improve on their 8th place finish at the 2010 event in Timmins, ON. Team West last won a medal in 2008 (London, ON) with a Bronze and last won Gold in 2005 (Lethbridge, AB) led by Jonathan Toews.
U-16 SUMMER CAMP ROSTER ANNOUNCED
Recently announced from Hockey Manitoba was the 2010 U-16 Program of Excellence/Canada Games Summer Evaluation Camp roster. The P.O.E. Summer Camp takes place in Brandon, MB, June 17-20, 2010.
The Summer Camp is the third phase of the P.O.E./Canada Games process. The forty named players will be evaluated at the Summer Camp as well as the start of the 2010–11 hockey season from which twenty will be selected to form Team Manitoba and compete at the 2011 Canada Games in Halifax, Nova Scotia from February 12 - February 18, 2011.
Team Manitoba is coming off of Silver medal performances from the last Canada Games in Whitehorse and look to build on their recent success. Last years goaltenders were Brenden Fiebelkorn and Chris Driedger.
Best of luck to the goaltenders competing for the two remaining spots:
- Nolan Bray - Winnipeg
- Austin Lotz - St. Adolphe
- Alex Moodie - Winnipeg
- Justin Paulic - Thompson
Pembina Valley Wins Championship in 2nd OT!
Just recently this Sunday night, the Pembina Valley Hawks scored in the second overtime of game 5 to beat the Eastman Selects 4 - 3 to win the AAA Manitoba Midget Provincial Championship. The final championship series concluded in a thrilling overtime game 5 matchup from both sides competing to win.
Congrats to both teams for making it this far into the finals!
Both teams will meet at the AAA West Regional Championships on Friday April 2nd in a set rematch days before the championship game to advance to the 2010 Telus Cup.
Edie Preserves Series Win; Eastman Advance to Semi-Finals
Yesterday, Brendan Edie helped his team finish off the Brandon Wheat Kings in the best of 5 series. Edie made 20 saves in the 3 to 2 win. With the victory the Eastman Selects will advance to the Manitoba AAA Provincial Semi-Finals. They now will face the Winnipeg Wild in the next round of the playoffs. The first game of the series is set tentatively for March 7th in St. Adolphe.
Congrats to Brendan who has trained at GDI throughout this season.
Chandler Player of the Month
GDI Prairies would like to congratulate Troy Chandler of the Southwest Cougars. He was recently selected as this months Super 8 Motel Player of the Month at the AAA Provincial Midget Level.
Troy earned 4 wins in 4 starts over the month. He also was perfect in 2 games with 2 shut outs. Over the month Troy had a .951 save percentage and a 1.75 goals against average. Troy has a season record of 12-7-2.
With the help in net from Chandler, the Southwest Cougars currently stand in second place, two points back from the Pembina Valley Hawks.
Team West Goaltenders Announced
GDI-Prairies is pleased to announce that 2 of there long time students have been named to team West for the 2009/20010 World Under 17 Hockey Challenge.
Tyler Oswald of Sanford Manitoba was the goaltender selected to represent his province. Oswald a WHL bantam draft pick of the Saskatoon Blades is playing this season for the Pembina Valley Hawks of the Manitoba Midget AAA League.
Representing Saskatchewan on team west is Canora Saskatchewan native Zach Rakochy. Rakochy was listed by the Red Deer Rebels (WHL) while attending there 2008 training camp and is currently playing for the Melville Millionaires of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
Both Goalies are long time students of GDI-Prairies.
The Tournament takes place December 29th through January 4th in Timmins Ontario.
5 regions will represent Canada including the Pacific, West, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic. the rest of the 10 team pool includes Russia, Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland and the USA
