Riels practically perfect through playoffs

St. Boniface

Transcona

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This article was published 30/04/2025 (385 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The St. Boniface Riels are the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League champions again for the first time in a decade.

“Having a couple of days to reflect, I’m just really proud of our group as a whole,” said coach Paul Kastes. “Our biggest adversity was in the form of injuries. We used 29 players on that playoff run. It didn’t matter who was in the lineup, when you put the Riel crest on you were expected to uphold a standard of play and commitment, so I think it speaks well to the culture we’ve built.”

The Riels were practically perfect through the playoffs, sweeping the St. Vital Junior Victorias in four games in the quarter-finals, then sweeping past the Fort Garry/Fort Rouge Twins in the semifinals.

“We’re basically building all season for that first playoff game,” Kastes said. “We entered the playoffs as a team that was confident in our ability. It was really trusting our game. Be patient, trust your game, whether you’re down 4-0 in the first game. Just be patient. The guys bought in and believed in that. We ended up being on the right side of it, 12 out of 13.”

With the championship on the line, St. Boniface kept the wins coming, going up three games to none against the Transcona Railer Express in the finals. The Riels won 4-3 on April 9, then 2-0 on April 12 with goaltender Owen LaRocque stopping all 17 shots he faced to record the shutout. While the Riels won 5-4 in overtime in Game 3 on April 15, the pushback let St. B know that Transcona wasn’t about to give up without a fight.

Transcona won Game 4 3-2 on April 17 to keep the dream alive. But St. Boniface responded on April 19 with a commanding 5-1 victory to take home the club’s sixth league title since first winning in back-t0-back championships in 1971-72 and 1972-73. The Riels won back-to-back titles again in 1984-85 and 1985-86, and last won top of the league in 2014-15.

“We’ve got great goaltending, our defence core was outstanding, and we had some guys up front who really came forward with big efforts,” Kastes said. “It really was a team effort. Big shout-out to all the APs we were able to use, for a variety of needs. Everyone came in and did their part. They were awesome players, awesome kids. Our family grew, but everybody who played had a part in this thing.”

The Riels finished the regular season in fourth place with a 31-11-3 record, good for 65 points. Throughout the season, the team enjoyed good results on special teams, with the powerplay successful at 20.1 per cent and the penalty kill enjoying an 87.1 per cent success rate, as well.

“It’s a long process when you start coaching a team,” Kastes said. “There are some guys who were in there the fourth season. When they joined, we were getting swept or not making the playoffs, at all. To put their trust in our process, to see those results come to fruition, I think there was a sense of relief and pride and accomplishment for the guys. They bought in fully. Everyone, to a man, said their biggest goal was to win at the end of the year. They all bought in. There are no more deserving guys. It was a long season, but watching those guys lift the trophy at the end of it was worth it.”

The Riels will be graduating seven players after this season, but Kastes said the club is well positioned to defend its title next season.

“We’re going to lose some key pieces, but a lot of key pieces will also be around not only next year, but the year after, as well,” he said. “We’ll be well equipped.”