Team’s hopes to defend title come to an end at the hands of Northern Manitoba
The Winkler Flyers’ hopes to defend their MJHL championship were dashed last week.
After knocking out the Niverville Nighthawks in the first round of the junior league’s playoffs, Winkler found themselves up against the Northern Manitoba Blizzard in the semi-finals.
The two teams were well apart from one another in the regular season, Winkler having finished in first place overall and the Blizzard in sixth.
But those standings fell by the wayside as the Flyers struggled to find their footing in the best-of-seven series.
Winkler headed into the week down two games after the Blizzard bested them 4-2 and 3-1 April 5-6.
Game three Wednesday night saw Isaiah Peters draw first blood late in the first, but the Blizzard returned the favour early in the second and then scored with just seconds left on the clock to make it 2-1 heading into the final frame.
Northern Manitoba then added an insurance marker with a short-handed, empty-net goal with nine seconds left to win it 3-1.
Liam Ernst made 18 saves in net as the Flyers outshot the Blizzard 31-20.
That made Thursday night’s game four do-or-die for Winkler, who once again held the edge in shots—31-26—but just couldn’t capitalize on them. Ernst was in net once again for Winkler, making 24 saves.
After a scoreless opening period, the Blizzard’s Marlen Edwards scored unassisted midway through the second to take the lead.
Andrew Morton fired home an unassisted goal of his own in the third period’s 12th minute to force overtime.
There, Quincy Supprien got the game-winner for the Blizzard to take the game 2-1 and sweep the series to advance to the championship final against either the Portage Terriers or the Dauphin Kings.
It’s certainly not the end to the season the team had hoped for, reflected Flyers head coach and general manager Matthew Melo.
“It’s disappointing for us as a group,” he said, noting the Blizzard proved to be a tough nut to crack. “They’re a really well-coached team and they play a really structured, defensive game. They don’t give a lot up. They play really hard and they want to win really low-scoring games.
“I think for us as a group we struggled to generate offense, specifically at five-on-five, which is obviously a struggle when you’re in a playoff series,” he continued. “Ultimately, I think it came down to just it takes a different level of commitment and paying a price at this time of year.
“[The Blizzard] found that desperation, that level. They took it to us in that area for the first three games and then by the time that we found it in game four, it was too late.”
While the post-season didn’t shape up they way they wanted, Melo is proud of how the team handled themselves throughout the regular season, which saw the Flyers finish at the top of both the East Division and league overall standings with a 46-8-3-1 record, seven points up on their nearest competitors.
“Obviously you don’t play for regular season banners here. We were looking to win the championship. But there’s certainly a lot to be proud of in terms of what was accomplished throughout the regular season with our group,” he said.
“Ultimately, this is a winning organization, especially after tasting the championship last year and then having the regular season that these guys did,” Melo said. “We’re really proud of these men. They’re men of character, men who are growing into their potential, and I can truly say with all my heart that they left this organization better than when they found it.”
The Flyers bid farewell to eight 20-year-old players who are aging out of junior hockey: Isaiah Peters, Isaac Deveau, Nicholas McKee, Will Brophy, Andrew Morton, Connor Jensen, Brody Beauchemin, and Jayce Legaarden.
“I don’t know that there’d be another eight 20 year olds in the league that would leave a bigger hole than ours are,” Melo observed, noting a number of these guys have been leaders with the team for years, and they will be sorely missed.
“It’s pretty special just to see all that they’ve invested and what they’ve brought to this community, and how they’ve built relationships with people within the community as well,” he said. “There’s going to be huge holes in terms of the skill, the leadership.”
But he’s confident the up-and-coming Flyers are prepared to step up next season.
“We’re really seeing that this is an organization that people want to be a part of,” Melo noted. “There’s a ton of interest and we’ve already started the recruiting process; that’s been ongoing.
“And we have a ton of faith and confidence in how guys are going to come back after the off-season in increased roles,” he added. “We know we’re going to be in a really good place.”
On behalf of the team, Melo sends thanks to out to the community for its outpouring of support this season.
“It’s just been nothing short of a privilege and an honour to have the support of the community,” he said, pointing to all the fans, volunteers, and sponsors who make junior hockey in Winkler possible. “We can’t do a single thing without all the support that we receive in the community, and we don’t take it for granted for a second.”
