Riels rolling nearing midway point of the season

St. Boniface

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This article was published 04/12/2024 (656 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The St. Boniface Riels record speaks for itself as the midway point of the 2024-25 Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League season approaches. But head coach Paul Kastes believes there’s more to this group than has shown up on the scoresheets so far.

“I’d put us up with anybody,” Kastes said. “We’ve been dictating play, which is what we want to do.”

Going 12-6-0 ahead of a Nov. 29 game against first-place Transcona Railer Express had the Riels in fifth place of the 10-team loop. However, there’s still plenty of ground to cover over the winter.

“We’ve been outshot one game this season, and most of the games we’ve lost, we’ve mostly outshot the other team,” said Kastes, who is in his first year behind the bench for the Riels, after spending four years as an assistant coach with the St. Vital Junior Victorias between 2019 and 2023.

“A lot of it is not shooting ourselves in the foot. We’ll make skill mistakes in this game, but the mental mistakes are the ones we can avoid. When we’re losing games outshooting the other team, that’s most likely because we gave them a couple goals we shouldn’t have.”

At press time, the Riels were scoring 3.94 goals per game, fourth best in the league, while its power play was successful only 16.7 per cent of the time, good for sixth in the league.

“The power play had a tough start to year, but we’re on the right track now,” Kastes said. “We acquired Mike Heppner from Pembina Valley, he’s an elite defenceman in this league, he’s been a game-changer for our power play since he came over.”

Success for the Riels starts defensively, Kastes added. At press time, the team boasted a league-best goals against average at 2.39 and penalty kill, which was rolling at 87.5 per cent effective through 18 games.

“It’s a point of pride,” Kastes said. “Our d-corps is the strength of our team. It’s a luxury to have. Team defence has been great. It’s the overall team concept and identity that’s led us to where we are now.”

Goaltender Alex Domenico held a league best goals against average (1.64 through 477 minutes of play) at press time, while Michael O’Sullivan’s 2.93 GAA over 594 minutes of play and a .893 save percentage allows the Riels to stay competitive no matter who is between the pipes.

“They’ve been solid,” Kastes said. “They’ve given us some great games.”

Led by captain Connor Davis, who had 11 goals and 17 assists going into the Nov. 29 game, the Riels have a strong leadership group of 21-year-old players, complemented by a strong group of 18- and 19-year-old up-and-comers.

“Those guys play the right way, and they set the example for what we want to do in our program and how we play the game,” Kastes said of his leadership group, which also includes forwards Ty McNaughton and Matthew Trott, and defenceman Noah Keating. “Those guys are really driving the boat. But I also think we have a competitive window that is open.”

Key to success in the second half for the Riels will be shoring up its identity as a tough team to play against, Kastes added.

“It’s a cliché, but it matters. We have complete buy-in from our guys, which is why we’re on the right trajectory. These guys put in the effort, they play in straight lines, they get pucks in deep,” he said. “It’s a championship mentality here. That’s what we’re in it for and that’s what we’re working for. Standings are one thing. We’re confident in our ability to compete for a championship this year and for years to come.”

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