The Pembina Valley Twisters battled hard on home ice Friday night but couldn’t overcome a dominant second period by the Stonewall Jets, falling 6–3 in Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League action at the Morris MultiPlex.
After a promising start, the Twisters matched Stonewall goal-for-goal in the opening frame, with Vlad Stepic scoring his first of the season to tie the game 1–1. But the second period proved costly as the Jets struck four times to take control.
Despite the deficit, Pembina Valley refused to fold. Carter Unger found the back of the net midway through the third, and Stepic added his second late in the game to close the gap to 6–3. Forwards Ryan Thiessen and Lucas Thomas each picked up assists, while goaltender Rowan Cherkas faced a heavy workload, turning aside 36 of 42 shots.
The Twisters, now 0–5–0 to start the season, showed signs of offensive life with three goals and a stronger third period.
Stonewall’s Alex Kaczorowski led all scorers with two goals, while Karson King, Gavin Holod, Rylan Slatcher and Adam Newcombe added singles for the Jets (3–2–0).
The Twisters will look to regroup before hitting the road to face Stonewall again on Nov. 13, when they aim to turn their hard work into results.
Pembina Valley returned to the ice Sunday but ran into an even hotter St. James offence, dropping a 10–2 decision to the Jr. Canucks. St. James forward Nicholas Cullen exploded for four goals and an assist, including two on the power play, while Jace Anderson and Brady Thorsteinson also scored. Jacob Phillips added four assists for the Canucks, who improved to 2–3–1.
Pembina Valley, still searching for its first win of the season, slipped to 0-6-0 and sits 10th in the MMJHL standings. The Twisters have averaged just 2.0 goals per game while allowing nearly six.
The Twisters, still in search of their first win, will look to regroup before hitting the road to face Stonewall again Nov. 13, aiming to turn their hard work into results.
The Twisters will look to regroup quickly as they prepare for two road games this week — Thursday, Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. against the Charleswood Hawks at the Eric Coy Arena, followed by a Sunday, Oct. 26 matchup at 7 p.m. versus the River East Royal Knights at Terry Sawchuk Arena.
