Murdoch squad gunning for championship banner

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This article was published 31/01/2020 (2293 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With playoffs just around the corner, the Murdoch MacKay boys hockey team is ready to make a push for another championship banner.

“We’ve had a very competitive team this year,” head coach Daniel McDonald said. “We’re winning a lot of games, which is fun for the kids. But we have a lot of Grade 12s on the team, so the expectation is to win the championship.”

Following a game on Jan. 30 against neighbourhood rivals the Transcona Titans, which Murdoch won 4-2, the Clansmen had a 16-2-1 record, good for 49 points and second place in the Winnipeg High School Hockey League’s Price Division. With five games remaining before the playoffs, the Clansmen appear poised to finish the regular season at the top of their tier, alongside Fort Richmond and TCI.

“We’re trying to work on our strengths, which is getting on the forecheck and pinning them in their zone for a long time,” sad McDonald, who is in his fourth year as coach at Murdoch. “As the games get more important, we need that team first mindset. Playing against the top teams before playoffs is fun.”

Historically, Murdoch’s hockey program has fared well in the league’s third tier, with three Price Division banners hanging in the school. Most recently, the Clansmen enjoyed back-to-back championship seasons in 2016-17 and 2017-18. Murdoch also won the  Winnipeg Free Press Division title in 2000-01.

But the boys know that the road to another championship won’t be a cakewalk.

“We have a lot of talent, and I think to make a good run our hard work needs to step up a bit,” said Aaron Chabluk, a Grade 12 forward and assistant captain. “We need to be more disciplined too, penalties have cost us a few games. We need to get control those emotions. We want to be invested and competitive, but we need to control it more.”

McDonald agreed that discipline will be key going forward for the Clansmen.

“We need to stay out of the box, play five-on-five rather than killing off penalties,” the fourth-year coach said. “It’s a long season, 24 games over four months takes a long time. It’s sort of a grind. You have to stay patient, keep focused and keep your mind right and peak at the right time, make sure your game is trending up come February.”

Chabluk, who has played for Murdoch since his Grade 10 year, is proud of the work the team has done so far this season, and hopes they can see it through when it counts.

“We never give up,” said Chabluk, who had three goals, eight assists and only four penalty minutes in 16 games at press time. “We’ve had a few games where we’ve come back in the third and ended up winning. That’s useful, going into the playoffs. That can win a championship.”

Murdoch MacKay hosts Louis Riel on Feb. 5 before taking on neighbourhood rivals TCI again on Feb. 6. Both games start at 4:30 p.m. at Transcona East End Arena.

Sheldon Birnie
Community Journalist

Sheldon Birnie is a reporter/photographer for the Free Press Community Review. Email him at sheldon.birnie@freepress.mb.ca or call him at 204-697-7112

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