The Selkirk Steelers are eager for the chance to play several meaningful hockey games as the Manitoba Junior Hockey League regular season winds down.
With 14 games left, they aim to return to their winning ways and make a significant playoff push. After suffering a series of three losses last week, the Steelers hold a record of 21 wins, 20 losses, 2 overtime losses, and 1 shootout loss, placing them 12 points behind the Niverville Nighthawks for the fourth and final playoff spot in the MGEU East.
On Saturday, the Steelers fell to the Virden Oil Capitals 5-3 at home in a closely contested match. Landon Jamieson, Luke McCarthy, and Remy Hlady each scored, bringing the game to a 3-3 tie midway through the third period. However, Virden’s Liam Goertzen scored soon after to put the Oil Capitals back in the lead. The Steelers then faced a late penalty kill, forcing them to pull their goalie for an extra attacker. Following a successful penalty kill, they had a chance to score with the net empty but hit the crossbar. This misfortune allowed the Oil Capitals to secure an empty-net goal, finalizing the score at 5-3.
Head coach Hudson Friesen reflected on the loss, stating, “It’s definitely a tough loss against Virden. The way we played, I thought we deserved a better fate. We were the better team for most of the game, but a couple of mistakes near the end cost us. Hitting the crossbar in the last minute is tough to swallow, but we need to stay focused on the process and keep playing our game. We have to cut down on our mistakes and capitalize on the chances we get, whether on the power play or five-on-five. We are very close to breaking through, but a few small errors are holding us back from earning those two points.”
Additionally, the Steelers experienced a 5-2 loss to Northern Manitoba last Monday and a 5-3 setback against Dauphin on Tuesday.
In the game against Northern Manitoba, Hlady and Owen Warnick both scored in the first period, but a pair of goals from the Blizzard in the second period proved too much to overcome.
In the Dauphin match, a four-goal surge from the Kings in the second period sealed the Steelers’ fate, despite goals from McCarthy, Owen Branson, and Griffin Krone that narrowed the gap.
The Steelers’ chances of catching Niverville in the standings could improve when they face off on March 8 in a crucial four-point game, provided they can secure a win in regulation. This week, they will attempt to do the same against divisional opponents, the Steinbach Pistons and the Portage Terriers.
Steinbach will visit Selkirk on Monday night with the league’s best offense. Friesen emphasized the importance of keeping the Pistons off the power play for a victory.
“Steinbach’s given us trouble when we’ve gotten into penalty trouble and having a hard time staying out of the box. Their powerplay is very efficient and not a unit that we want to give many opportunities to so that will be a main focus. Keeping the game five on five, if they’re going to create offence it’s got to come from that part of their game and not giving them any free chances on their powerplay because the last couple games it’s definitely been the difference in those wins and losses.”
Due to our press schedule, the score from Monday’s game against Steinbach was unavailable at the time of writing.
In other news, forward Rohan Guevarra has returned to the lineup after missing time last week due to illness. He rejoined the Steelers’ top line on Saturday. The rookie is second on the team with 21 goals and is a key contributor to the power play, which has an efficiency rate of 20 percent this season.
“Having him come back to the lineup is an important piece for us and definitely helps for the offence and powerplay, just gives us the depth we need at this time of the year to compete against the teams we have coming up,” said Friesen. “He’s a big part of our group and having him healthy is definitely important.”
Guevarra currently ranks third among MJHL rookies with 37 points, while teammate Wyatt Witham leads with 43 points in 41 games played.
Upcoming Games:
Saturday, Feb. 15 vs Portage Terriers, 7:30 p.m. at Selkirk Recreation Complex
Monday, Feb. 17 at Portage Terriers, 3:30 p.m. at Stride Place
