McClure, Duffin, McHenry, Blacksmith, Ward, Audette, Kostiuk Start Strong

The season has begun and players such as Ryder McClure, Mars McHenry, Jackson Kostiuk, Maisie Duffin, Jayden Blacksmith, Shaden Duliak, Isabelle Labossiere, Nolan Fielding, Taylor Audette and Carson White are off to red-hot starts.

 Game On Hockey Brief — September 28–October 4

The MMJHL’s early scoring race caught fire, RINK Winnipeg’s female team received outstanding goaltending, and Balmoral Hall opened with a victory. Public reporting remains a serious limitation in the CRJHL, KJHL and MFHL U18 AAA.

Standouts: Transcona’s Ryder McLure led the league with seven goals and 14 points through four games. River East’s Nolan Fielding had six goals and 10 points, while Charleswood’s Carson White also reached 10 points.

• Team movement: Transcona held first with seven points, followed by unbeaten Pembina Valley with six. The Raiders, St. James, River East and St. Boniface formed a four-team group at four points.
• Feature angle: “Fourteen points in four games” — McLure’s staggering opening run and the offensive freedom within Transcona’s attack.

Sources: MMJHL statistics, Transcona 10, St. Vital 2, River East 8, St. James 5, MMJHL standings. mmjhl.ca

CRJHL

• Scores: Selkirk and Beausejour have jumped off to great starts. Beausejour beat LaBroquerie 5-4 and St. Malo 8-4. Job Peters had two goals and an assist in the win over St. Malo while Jackson Kostiuk, who left the MJHL’s Steinbach Pistons to play in Beausejour, had a goal and three assists. Meanwhile, Selkirk beat Lundar 8-2 and then topped LaBroquerie 2-0 as goalie Caleb Legal made 30 saves to claim the shutout.
• Feature angle: More than one player has left Jr. A to play at the Jr. B level this season. What’s the appeal?

Source: CRJHL official site.

Jayden Blacksmith of the Cross Lake Islanders has nine goals in two games (Photo by Kelly Jacobson)

Source: KJHL official site.

MWJHL

• Verified midweek results included Polar Ice’s 8–2 victory over the Manitoba Golden Eagles, Manitoba Blizzard’s 6–3 win over the Grey Owls and Northern Stars’ 2–1 decision over the Western Predators.
• Complete October 3–4 results and refreshed standings were not yet reliably displayed Monday morning.
• Some familiar veteran names have jumped out to lead all scorers at the start of the season. Taylor Audette of the Silvertips has four goals and three assists, Maisie Duffin of Polar Ice has three goals and four assists and Raya Hrankowski of Silvertips is tied with a large group with two goals and four assists.

MFHL U18 AAA

• Inactive/unavailable: No reliable current league scores, standings or player statistics were available on the public site.
• The Central Plains Showcase supplied useful preseason evaluation, but dependable regular-season statistical reporting had not begun.
• Feature angle: Ferdi Nelissen’s league forecast could become a sharp season-opening companion piece: projected contenders, emerging teams and players positioned for breakout seasons.

Source: MFHL U18 AAA official site.

CSSHL — Manitoba programs

RINK Winnipeg

• The Female U18 Prep team beat RINK Kelowna 2–1 behind Mars McHenry’s 44 saves, then defeated North Shore 4–3 with McHenry stopping 41 more shots.
• Chloe Anderton scored in both victories. Rowyn Street, Attica Sobering and Sophia Saurette helped produce three power-play goals against North Shore.
• The U15 team rallied from 3–0 down to beat Calgary International 4–3 in overtime before losing the rubber match 4–3. Jordan Hallock scored his first CSSHL goal in overtime; Jackson Ross scored twice during the comeback.
• The U18 Prep team erased a 4–0 deficit against Edge but lost 5–4 in a shootout.
• Feature angle: “Eighty-five saves, two wins” — McHenry’s exceptional first weekend and the composure required to backstop a showcase schedule.

Sources: September 28–October 1 recap, October 3 recap, October 4 recap. Canadian Sport School Hockey League

Pilot Mound

• The Female U18 Prep team lost 6–3 to RINK Kelowna Red. Lauren Nychyporuk scored twice—once shorthanded and once on the power play—while Hilla Parviainen added the tying goal before Kelowna pulled away.
• The U17 Prep Buffaloes were beaten 9–2 by Calgary International but responded with a 3–2 overtime victory Sunday. Bladen Norton scored twice, including the winner.
• The U17 team earned a point in a 3–2 shootout loss to Edge.
• Player watch: Nychyporuk’s special-teams versatility makes her an early female-team standout.

Sources: CSSHL midweek recap, October 3 recap, October 4 recap. Canadian Sport School Hockey League

Balmoral Hall

• The Blazers opened with a 3–1 win over Delta Black. Lydia Hill and Brannagh Rae scored 64 seconds apart before Rachel Lyver added a goal and an assist.
• Isabelle Labossiere stopped 18 of 19 shots for her first CSSHL victory.
• Team storyline: An immediate win reinforces the standards being set by Maggie Litchfield-Medd and the Blazers’ newly appointed leadership group.

Source: CSSHL September 28–October 1 recap. Canadian Sport School Hockey League