The Pembina Valley Twisters endured a difficult two-game stretch in Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League action last week, falling 5-3 to the Stonewall Jets on Thursday before dropping a 5-1 decision to the league-leading St. Boniface Riels on Friday.
The Jets rode a fast start at Stonewall Veterans Memorial Arena, striking three times in a seven-minute span of the first period. Brody Stovin opened the scoring at 10:06 before captain Karson King and Rylan Slatcher added goals to make it 3-0.
Pembina Valley answered late in the frame when Ayden Lazarenko buried a power-play marker—his first of the season—off feeds from Vlad Stepic and Dominic Rooney.
Stonewall restored its three-goal cushion in the second on a tally by Cohen Cheung, who later earned third-star honours.
The Twisters pushed back in the third as Lucas Thomas and defenceman Rhett Peters scored less than three minutes apart to cut the deficit to 4-3. But King sealed the win with an empty-netter in the final minute, capping a two-goal night.
Everett Winters stopped 23 shots for the Jets, while Pembina Valley’s Rowan Cherkas made 30 saves in the loss. Stonewall outshot the Twisters 35-26.
The league-leading Riels wasted no time at the Morris MultiPlex, scoring twice in the opening eight minutes. Reeve Sukut struck 34 seconds into the game before captain Cole Davis made it 2-0.
St. Boniface extended the lead in the second on a goal by Jack Bilous, who added another in the third to put the game out of reach. Defenceman Zachary Domenico later scored shorthanded to round out the Riels’ offence.
Lucas Thomas provided the lone reply for Pembina Valley midway through the third, converting a setup from rookie blueliner Trent Spence.
Twisters goaltender Riley Brown made 27 saves before giving way to Cherkas in the final minutes. Owen LaRocque earned the win with a 26-save performance.
The Twisters (1-12-1) continue their schedule on Nov. 21 when they visit the St. James Jr. Canucks. They return home Nov. 23 to host the St. Vital Jr. Victorias.
