Veteran Twins squad focused on strong finish

Fort Garry

Fort Rouge

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This article was published 29/11/2024 (615 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Despite a solid start to the regular season, the Fort Garry/Fort Rouge Twins know there’s still plenty of hockey to be played.

Following a 5-0 win over the St. Vital Junior Victorias on Nov. 28, the Twins held a 13-6-0 record, good for third place in the 10-team Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League near the halfway mark of the 45-game regular season.

“We’re very strong in all three areas,” said Scott Wong, who is in his second year as Twins head coach and general manager. “Offensively, we have three, sometimes four solid lines. Defensively, we’re pretty steady back there as well. There’s a lot of years of experience there.”

The stats confirmed Wong’s assessment. At press time, the Twins boasted the leagues second-highest goals per game average, at 4.21, the third best goals against average at 2.58, and the league’s third-best penalty kill and fifth-best power play.

“When we’re on, we’re extremely difficult to beat,” Wong said.

This year’s Twins team is heavy on veterans, with 10 21-year-old players leading the charge towards a deep playoff run.

“We knew this was going to be a year we needed to compete,” Wong said, noting the team hasn’t made it past the first round of the playoffs in a dozen years or more. “That’s definitely our goal this year and we’ll see if we can do it. You’re not gonna win every game. This league is meant for school and work. You try to instill consistency in your players, but sometimes it can be difficult. You want consistency, you want to be able to put the effort in day in, day out. Having consistency at practice twice a week is very important.”

With 11 goals and 29 assists in 19 games, Twins captain Dean Gorchynski is leading the charge.

“He came to us last year, a Junior A player,” Wong said of the 21-year-old captain. “He’s a guy everybody kind of looks up to and relies on. He puts a lot of pressure on himself to be just that much better for the group. You can see the way he plays the game how valuable he is to our team.”

Assistant captain Carter Halamandaris, a fourth-year Twin who spent time earlier in his hockey career with the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League, is second in team scoring behind Gorchynski, with 14 goals and 20 assists at press time.

“He’s got great hands, great vision, extreme talent and a veteran presence to have around, especially for the younger guys,” Wong said. “I’d like the young guys to play the game like him and Dean, to ask them lots of questions. Carter’s a well-mannered kid, on board 100 per cent this year. It’s showing with his numbers. He’s a big part of our hockey team.”

Darien Medwick, Nick Gilberto, and Sam Mitani round-out the leadership group for the Twins this season, each providing invaluable experience, both on and off the ice.

“It’s a huge commitment for them, but they’re all in,” Wong said.

With the holidays marking the unofficial midway point of the regular season, Wong is cautiously optimistic about the direction his team is headed.

“We have our goal set as to where we want to be,” he said. “We talk about it with the players and as coaches. We’re gonna see if we’re gonna be able to attain them. We have an area we’d like to be at before Christmas and we’re hoping that will be met and we can we can climb from there.”

For more information, including full schedule, results, and statistics, visit mmjhl.ca