Manitoba POE Day 1

Team Hamonic 5 - Team Barker 3
Rhett Lough scored 3 times for Team Hamonic and Dallas Starodub had 1-2-3.  Taylor Fisher was held off the scoresheet.  Josh Martin broke a 3-3 tie late in the 3rd and Rhett Lough added his 3rd of the game and the insurrance marker shortly after.  This team will be one of the favorites to win each game, anchored by a good defense and a decent group of forwards.  Goalie Tyler Gutenberg stopped 16/18.  Each goalie in each game will play half.

For Team Barker, it was towering 6'5 defenseman Austin Douglas with 1-1-2.  Douglas is opening some eyes and really could vault up the overall draft rankings on many scouts lists after this tournament. 

Team Helm 2 - Team Boyd 6
Riley Welsh and Skyler Canada scored for team Helm in the defeat.  Team Boyd was led by Jake Dudar with 2 goals and Layne Anderson had 1-2-3.  Plett and Anderson scored 2 goals in 20 seconds in the 3rd period to put this one away.  Of note, Adam Brooks was held to just 1-0-1.  One of the top ranked goalies Ty Edmands turned aside  13/14 shots.

Team Eakin 4 - Team Toews 5
Team Eakin got 3 goals from 6'0 160lb forward Dane Schioler.  Schioler finished 2nd in AAA bantam scoring this season.  Team Toews were led by Zachary Sackett with 2-1-3, Clay Tait with 1-1-2 and Brett Kitt with 0-2-2.  Team Toews has a great group of forwards in this tournament.  Hunter Ploszay stopped 10/12.

Team Pickard 2 - Team Howden 1
Team Howden's Tanner Lewis opened the scoring in the first period and carried that lead in to the dressing room but Team Howden was able to get goals from Nick Matthews and Chase Foulkner in the 2nd.  Team Howden had a late push thanks to a  5 on 3 power-play but they couldn't beat Robidoux to tie it up.

Action resumes this morning at 10:30 local time.

Other tidbits from around bantam hockey.  The Balgonie Prairie Storm are the SSBHL champions.  The Prairie Storm who lost just 1 regular season league game this year were pushed to a 3rd and deciding game against Swift Current.  The Storm won the final game 7-4.  1997 born Jayden Halbgewachs looks to be the real deal for Balgonie and will be someone to watch closely in to next year.  Tim Vanstone received a checking from behing major for Swift Current that seemed to finish off the Swif Current team.

The USA National U14 tournament is taking place in New Jersey and the Pacific representative LA Selects are 1-2-0 but one player who will go high in the WHL bantam draft has been one of the stand out players.  Steven Owre, whose family is originally from Edmonton but moved to LA when Steven was a bit  younger has 3-3-6 in 3 games so far.  He should be a first round pick on May 5.  Another WHL bantam draft prospect holding his own is Shattucks St. Mary's power forward Logan Franz.  Franz who is from Medicine Hat has 1-4-5 in 3 games at Nationals.  He is just one point behind Ryan Tait who may also go in the WHL draft but hasn't indicated his intentions as of yet.