The Brief: Chornley has an Amazing Return while Kostiuk and Duffin have been Terrific

From the brilliant return of Payton Chornley to the on-ice brilliance of Carson White, Maisie Duffin and Nolan Fielding, the top teams and league in Manitoba are providing fans with both excitement and entertainment

Game On Hockey Brief — October 12–18

The week’s best story came from RINK Winnipeg, where Payton Chornley scored in her return to CSSHL competition after missing last season while battling cancer. The MMJHL’s St. James Canucks and MWJHL’s Polar Ice remain the early pace-setters.

• Standings: St. James improved to 8-1 and extended its winning streak to six with Sunday’s 5-2 victory over St. Boniface. The Riels remain second at 6-3, followed by River East at 5-3.
• Sunday results: Transcona 4, Pembina Valley 1; River East 5, St. Vital 3; Charleswood 4, Twins 1; Raiders 3, Stonewall 2 in overtime.
• Player watch: League-leading Jayden Ward scored twice for St. James and now has 24 points. Charleswood’s Carson White also scored twice and sits second with 22. River East’s Nolan Fielding has reached 10 goals.
• Team storyline: Terry Sawchuk Arena has been closed for the season because of structural concerns involving its roof beams, leaving River East with a significant scheduling and operational challenge.

Source: MMJHL official site. Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League

CRJHL

• Two teams at the top: Arborg and Beausejour continue to lead the league with 4-1-0 records. Jackson Kostiuk of the Comets had a goal and four assists while teammate Job Peters had two goals and two assists as Beausejour whipped St. Malo 7-2 on Oct. 16. Meanwhile, Arborg beat arch-rival Lundar 4-2 on Oct. 18 as Ronin Mouck scored the winning goal on the power play with four seconds remaining on the clock.
• Top Players: Kostiuk, who spent last season with the Steinbach Pistons, is the top scorer in the CRJHL. The Beausejour star has four goals and 14 points while teammate Peters is third in scoring with seven goals and 11 points. Sandwiched between the two Beausejour snipers is LaBroquerie rookie Steele Jowett who has five goals and 12 points and in fourth spot is last year’s MVP Brandon Burak of the Ice Dawgs who has five goals and 11 points and LaBroquerie captain Colton Pakoo with four goals and 11 points.
• Feature angle: Altona’s early competitive education—how the Maroons are measuring progress beyond wins and losses during their inaugural season.

Source: CRJHL official site.

• Standings: Cross Lake leads the way with a 4-1-0-1 record while Peguis is next with a record of 4-2-0-0.
• Top Players: Keestin Danielson of the OCN Storm leads the league in scoring with 11 goals and 19 points in just four games. Darian Sinclair of the Peguis Juniors is tied in points but has just nine goals and 19 points in six games. Jayden Blacksmith of Cross Lake and Shaden Duliak of OCN are next with 18 points. Blacksmith has 12 goals and Duliak has eight goals.

Darian Sinclair, Peguis Juniors (Photo by Ava Cameron)

Sources: KJHL standings, KJHL schedule. keystonejr.ca

• Key results: Silvertips beat the Grey Owls 4-3 on October 15 and Western 6-3 on October 17. Polar Ice defeated Prairie Blaze 7-3, then handled visiting Thunder Bay 4-1.
• Standings: Polar Ice sits first at 6-1 with 12 points and a five-game winning streak. Unbeaten-in-regulation Manitoba Blizzard is one point back at 5-0-1; Prairie Blaze follows with nine points.
• Player watch: Polar’s Maisie Duffin leads the league with 16 points. Silvertips’ Chloe Nicolas has 14, while teammate Taylor Audette leads everyone with 10 goals.
• Goaltending: Northern Stars’ Jordyn Nepinak-Sargent owns a .971 save percentage and 0.98 goals-against average; Blizzard’s Sofia Lund is at .967 and 1.00.
• Feature angle: “The last line of defence” — Manitoba’s remarkable early goaltending numbers and the development paths behind Nepinak-Sargent, Lund and Polar Ice’s Victoria Johnson.

Source: MWJHL official site. themwjhl.ca

MFHL U18 AAA

• Players of the Week: Evan Boulanger of the Central Plains Capitals was named the MFHL U18 AAA Forward of the Week while Kasia Baranyk of the Westman Wildcats was named Defender of the Week and goalie Sannon Hees of Central Plains was Goalie of the Week.
• Pembina Valley on the road: At the Tradition NIT in Minnesota, the Hawks lost 2-0 to Team Colorado and 2-0 to Atlantic Coast Academy on October 17. Those were tournament games and did not affect MFHL standings.
• Feature angle: “The value of going south” — what Manitoba teams gain from American showcase tournaments in competition, exposure and recruitment.

Sources: MFHL U18 AAA, Pembina Valley schedule.

CSSHL — Manitoba programs

• The Female U18 Prep team routed Pilot Mound 13-0 on October 17. Rowyn Street produced four goals and two assists, while Morgan Gage scored four times and added an assist.
• The week’s leading story: Payton Chornley recorded a goal and two assists in her first CSSHL game since February 21, 2025, following a season away while battling cancer. Canadian Sport School Hockey League
• Pilot Mound answered one day later with a 5-3 victory. Street scored twice for RINK.
• RINK’s U15 Prep team recorded three convincing victories, including 8-2 over Northern Alberta Xtreme and 7-2 over OHA Edmonton. Nash Smook scored a hat trick against NAX; Lyrik Selch had two goals Sunday.
• The U17 team lost twice to NAX, including a 6-5 overtime defeat after leading 5-2 through two periods.

·       Feature priorities: Chornley’s courageous return is the clear first call. Pilot Mound’s overnight response to a 13-goal defeat offers another strong piece on resilience, coaching and dressing-room leadership.

Pilot Mound

• The Female U18 Prep team’s rebound from a 13-0 loss to a 5-3 victory over the same opponent within 24 hours was the program’s defining result. Gracie Bray scored twice and Bella Ferguson supplied the third-period winner.
• U17 earned one point in a 2-1 overtime loss to OHA Edmonton. Nixon Gabruck scored for Pilot Mound.
• U15 Prep’s Dane Magwood produced three points in a 6-4 loss to OHA Edmonton and added a goal and assist against NAX.
• Goaltender Tyne Derkach stopped 46 of 51 shots in Sunday’s U17 Prep loss.

Balmoral Hall

Brannagh Rae of the Blazers (Photo by James Carey Lauder)