The Pembina Valley Twisters earned a road win before dropping two straight to close out a busy stretch of MMJHL action.
Pembina Valley opened the weekend with a 3–1 victory over the River East Royal Knights on Friday, Jan. 9, at Terry Sawchuk Arena. Rylan Keck scored early in the first period before Rhett Peters added another at 6:19 to give the Twisters a 2–0 lead. Owen Vanrobaeys extended the advantage midway through the second, and goaltender Rowan Cherkas turned aside 28 shots to secure the win.
The Twisters were unable to carry that momentum into Sunday, falling 5–1 to the Raiders Jr. Hockey Club, at Seven Oaks SportsPlex. Ethan Wilde scored Pembina Valley’s lone goal early in the second period to briefly tie the game, but the Raiders responded with four unanswered goals, including an empty-netter late in the third. Cherkas made 31 saves in the loss.
Pembina Valley also dropped a 3–0 decision to the Ft. Garry/Ft. Rouge Twins on Sunday, Jan. 4, at Century Arena. The Twins built a two-goal lead through the first two periods, while the Twisters were held scoreless despite generating 23 shots. Riley Brown stopped 37 shots in goal for Pembina Valley.
The Twisters also suffered a narrow 2–1 home loss to the Charleswood Hawks on Friday, Jan. 2, at the Morris MultiPlex. Wilde scored early in the third period to tie the game, but Charleswood regained the lead midway through the frame. Pembina Valley outshot the Hawks 24–30.
Pembina Valley sits 10th in the MMJHL standings with an 4-24-0 record and eight points through 28 games.
The Twisters return to action Friday, Jan. 16, when they host the league-leading Transcona Railer Express at the Morris MultiPlex.
