The Pembina Valley Twisters split their weekend slate in Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League action, picking up a hard-earned 3-2 victory over the Raiders Jr. Hockey Club on Friday in Morris before falling 7-0 to the Transcona Railer Express on Sunday afternoon.
The win on Friday was just the second of the season for the Twisters (1-10-1), who have been searching for traction in the early going. Pembina Valley leaned on a composed defensive effort and timely scoring to edge the visiting Raiders.
After a scoreless opening period, the Twisters struck twice early in the second. Josh Guilford opened the scoring on the power play at 4:21, finishing a setup from Darby Olson and defenceman Sawyer Leite. Just over a minute later, Ethan Wilde and Olson worked the puck to Owen Vanrobaeys, who buried his third of the season to make it 2-0.
The Raiders answered quickly with goals from Mason Laarveld and Cole Kennedy to pull even before the intermission.
The game stayed tied deep into the third until Vanrobaeys delivered again, snapping home the game-winner with 1:41 remaining to secure the 3-2 decision. The 18-year-old forward finished the night with two goals and was named the game’s first star.
Goaltender Riley Brown, meanwhile, turned in his sharpest outing of the season. Brown faced 41 shots and steered aside 39 for the win while maintaining control through a heavy third-period push by the Raiders. He was named the second star.
Olson, who assisted on all three Pembina Valley goals, earned third-star honours.
The momentum didn’t carry into Sunday as the Twisters ran into a high-powered Transcona squad that sits near the top of the league table. The Railer Express scored twice in the first, four times in the second, and once more in the third to hand Pembina Valley a 7-0 loss.
Brown made 23 saves on 29 shots before Rowan Cherkas entered for the third period. Transcona’s Thomas Wyatt stopped all 25 shots he faced.
With the weekend results, Pembina Valley remains in 10th place in the MMJHL standings with three points through 12 games. The league continues to be paced by the St. Boniface Riels (12-0-0), with Transcona and Charleswood close behind.
This week the team plays in Stonewall against the Jets Wednesday and then at home in Morris against the St. Boniface Riels Thursday.
