Twisters on a path to postseason

Southwest

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This article was published 23/02/2024 (883 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s a storm a-brewin’ south of the Perimeter.

Earlier this month, the Pembina Valley Twisters clinched a spot in the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League playoffs. At press time, the Twisters were in second place with 53 points, 12 points back of the league-leading and two-time defending champion St. James Jr. Canucks. The Twisters were also eight points up on third place St. Vital Victorias, with a game in hand.

“It comes down to buying into the little things,” said second-year head coach Braeden Beernaerts. “We had a similar group as last year, a few minor changes, but pretty well the same group. I think they came together this year, bought in from the start and started doing the little things.”

The Twisters, who joined the MMJHL in 2001, are three-time league champions, the last of which was earned following the 2018-19 season. With only a couple weeks of regular season play remaining before the post-season work begins, the Twisters will be looking to stay consistent, no matter who it matches up against.

“The consistency of a full 60 minutes will be key,” Beernaerts said. “We’ve been in a few games where if we’re not getting that early goal or staying close for a long time, we kind of stray away from our game plan, which opens up opportunities for the other team. Making sure to stay consistent, and confident that, if we play the right way, eventually something will work out.”

Ahead of its Feb. 23 game against the Stonewall Jets, the team enjoyed the MMJHL’s second-best goals for (4.11) and goals-against (2.87) average per game, while its powerplay was best in the league at 27 per cent. The penalty kill, running at nearly 85 per cent, was ranked third.

“We’re a big team, a fast team, we move the puck quick,” Beernaerts said. “Our four lines throughout, we’re tough to match against. I like to think we take care of our defence first.”

Offensively, the team is led by second-year forward Derek Wiebe, who had 17 goals and 44 assists for 61 points in 38 games at press time, followed by veteran forward Merek Degraeve, who had 26 goals and 33 assists in 39 games. Third-year goaltender Logan Enns has gotten the bulk of the work this season, suiting up for 27 games, earning a 2.91 GAA and a .915 save percentage, while rookie Owen LaRocque has been excellent in a backup role, with a 2.11 GAA and a .928 save percentage in his eight starts to date.

“All the guys are buddies, and that is a big thing to contribute to success,” Beernaerts said. “It’ll be good to see what those veterans can do come playoffs.”

With only a handful of games remaining on the schedule, Pembina Valley will hope to keep the successof its regular season rolling.

“Coming into the season, we knew we wanted to be a top-four team,” Beernaerts said. “We started about .500 and it wasn’t disappointing, but we wanted to be better. Then the players took the reigns and went on a 13-game win streak. With the league so tight, we just want to stay in that second place here and keep things true throughout and build on that consistency.”