A 6-2 victory in front of the largest and loudest crowd at the Orville Acres Arena in Pinawa this season, gave the club both league and regional Bantam AA banners.

The win capped an amazing comeback, clinching the best-of-5 series after losing the first two games.

The Knights stormed out to a 3-0 lead and never looked back, in the most lopsided game of the finals.

Series Recap
Game 1: Ice Hawks 2, Knights 1 (OT)
Game 2: Ice Hawks 2, Knights 1
Game 3: Knights 3, Ice Hawks 1
Game 4: Knights 5, Ice Hawks 4 (OT)
Game 5: Knights 6, Ice Hawks 2

The Knights found themselves on the wrong side of a defensive battle, where both goals in regulation came less than a minute apart.

The Knights are now 4-2-2 vs the Ice Hawks this year, and hope to improve on that record as the series shifts to Springfield.

Game Summary

They hosted a very successful provincial tournament in which they defeated league rivals Seine River, Springfield and Southwest, before losing to the Macdonald Lightning in their final round robin game.

The gold medal final was a rematch of that game, and while the Knights fared better this time around, the result was still the same, giving the Lightning gold and the Knights silver.

Game Summaries
Feb. 29: Knights 6, Seine River 1
Feb. 29: Knights 4, Springfield 1
Mar. 1: Knights 8, Southwest 3
Mar. 1: Macdonald 6, Knights 1
Mar. 2: Gold Medal: Macdonald 5, Knights 3

Almost as soon as the puck went in the net, Musey's entire line met in a jubilant, jumping huddle against the side boards.

Musey's second-period powerplay marker -- the third Knights goal scored over a span of 2:01 -- gave the team a 3-1 lead. The goal would stand out as the eventual game winner.

Brent Wold would add a goal three minutes later, giving the Knights 4 goals in 5:01. All four goals were scored on special teams -- two with the man advantage, and two shorthanded.

The win came one night after defeating the Snipers in Ile des Chenes. The Knights dropped the first game of their series in Lac du Bonnet. With the series win, the Knights advance to the league finals against Springfield.

The Knights also participated in Brandon's Tournament of Champions, going 2-2 over three days, and missing the playoffs by a single point.

Game Summaries
Feb. 21: Brandon 9, Knights 1
Feb. 22: Macdonald 8, Knights 3
Feb. 22: Knights 6, Knights 1
Feb. 23: Knights 5, Moose Mountain 1
Feb. 26: Knights 3, Seine River 1
Feb. 27: Knights 4, Seine River 2

The Northern Knights closed the book on their provincial qualifyer with Springfield, doubling the Ice Hawks 8-4.

The win came under trying conditions, as the Knights amassed 16 penalty minutes over the game, while the Springfield penalty box was cold and empty the entire 50 minutes of the game.

The series sweep gives the Knights a banner for their rafters, plus their already-guaranteed trip to provincials, which go Feb. 29 to Mar. 2 in Lac du Bonnet.

The Knights will face Springfield, Seine River, Southwest and Macdonald.

Also, in league action, the Knights lost to the Southeast Blizzard 3-1. A real blizzard postponed some key matchups in the final weekend of the season, which will have to be made up before the Knights know their playoff fate.

Game Summaries
Feb. 10: Southeast 3, Knights 1
Feb. 11: Knights 8, Springfield 4

A 5-2 victory over the Springfield Ice Hawks means the team is that much closer to qualifying for the annual tournament.

Game two between the Eastman rivals is Monday night.

Game Summary

That seemed to be the Northern Knights, who found the net just 3:18 in to the game, en route to a 5-0 victory over Seine River.

Stuart Brincheski had a three-point night, followed closely by Brent Wold, Brett Hanson and Nicholas Kolbeka, who had a pair each. Cole Cote, Tyndall Fontaine and Tyson Lodge -- who hooked up for the team's final goal of the game -- all registered a single point.

Tough defence kept the Snipers shooting blanks, as Justin Kroker recorded his first shutout of the season.

Game Summary

Stuart Brincheski (2G, 2A), Nicholas Kolbeka (1G), Kody Kennedy (1A), Brent Wold (1A), Brett Hanson (1G, 1A) all picked up points, while Evan Raugust surrendered just two goals in his one period of play. Cole Cote and Bradley Bruchanski used their size and skating skills to put up a great effort defensively.

WHL and Jr. A Scouts were in attendance to take in the afternoon of high-quality hockey.

The Knights were split up amongst the two teams, with Brincheski, Kolbeka, Kennedy, Wold and Raugust suiting up for the home side, while Hanson, Musey, Cote and Bruchanski were part of the visiting team.

The men in black were a special teams force, taking the Southwest by storm. Gary Mroz, Brent Wold and Tyson Lodge all scored on the powerplay, while Kody Kennedy finished off the scoring with a shorthanded marker, in the Knights 9-4 victory over the Jets.

Scoring was scarce on Sunday, as Brett Hanson's first-period goal, combined with tough defence and solid goaltending from Evan Raugust, would earn the Knights a 1-1 tie against the Springfield Ice Hawks. The tie kept the Northern Knights one point ahead of Springfield in the standings. The Ice Hawks have two games in hand.

Game Summaries
Knights 9, Southwest 4
Knights 1, Springfield 1

The Northern Knights had 8 games over the Christmas break, starting with a tournament in Winnipeg that kicked off just after Santa's visit.

The Knights opened with a 5-1 loss against the MacDonald Lightning -- a similar result to a Dec. 7 exhbition game between the two sides that saw the Lightning win 4-1. The Knights bounced back, tying the Selkirk Fishermen 5-5, and beating the Seine River Snipers 7-5, before dropping their final two games 11-4 and 4-1 at the hands of the Portage Terriers and Assiniboine Park Rangers.

Regular season play resumed with a full 3 games in 3 days slate for the Knights to close out their Christmas holidays. Friday in LaBroquerie the Knights were turned away 4-2 by the Southeast Blizzard. The Knights shutout Saturday in Lac du Bonnet 2-0 against the Springfield Ice Hawks, who have now taken first place from the Knights in the league standings. The Knights ended the weekend trouncing the Southwest Jets 7-2 in Sagkeeng, putting them just one point back of the Ice Hawks. Springfield, however, has one game in hand.

Game Summaries
Dec. 7: Macdonald 4, Knights 1 (exhibition)
Dec. 27: Macdonald 5, Knights 1 (tournament)
Dec. 27: Knights 5, Selkirk 5 (tournament)
Dec. 28: Knights 7, Seine River 5 (tournament)
Dec. 28: Portage 11, Knights 4 (tournament)
Dec. 29: Assiniboine Park 4, Knights 1 (tournament)
Jan. 4: Southeast 4, Knights 2
Jan. 5: Springfield 2, Knights 0
Jan. 6: Knights 7, Southwest 2

Stats
exhibition | season | tournament | all

Around the League
standings | scoreboard

The men in black rode in to Steinbach, where they were downed 6-3 by the Millers, before the Thistles thwarted them 3-1 at home.

The Knights missed Brent Wold in both games of the weekend, as well as Gary Mroz who continues to miss action. Garrett Flanagan was out for the Kenora game.

Brett Hanson finished the weekend with 3 points, while Kody Kennedy and Brady Musey picked up a pair each. Cole Cote scored his first goal of the season, after missing the previous game.

The Knights went exactly 3 weeks without playing a regular season game, and now have the next two weeks off for Christmas break, which features the Billy Monseiko tournament.

The two losses, combined with a couple wins by the Springfield Ice Hawks, narrows the Knghts' hold on first place in the league to a single point.

Game Summaries
Steinbach 6, Knights 3
Kenora 3, Knights 1

The Hanson-Brincheski-Lodge line connected for all of the Knights' five points.

The two teams were locked at 1 after the first period, on goals from Brett Hanson and Caden Kulcsycki.

Stuart Brincheski put the Knights ahead early in the third, with Brett Hanson icing the victory late in the game.

The Knights were without Cole Cote and Gary Mroz. They also lost Brent Wold to injury during the game.

Game Summary

The Knights rattled off a 4-2 victory Saturday night in Grunthal versus the Southwest Jets, before blanking the now 2nd place Southeast Blizzard 8-0 in Pinawa the next afternoon.

Evan Raugust collected the team's first shutout of the season, as Kayla Farias, Brady Musey, Stuart Brincheski and Brent Wold racked up three points each in the matinee. Musey continued his powerplay excellence -- finding the net with the man advantage late in the third. Five of his six goals this season have come with the extra man.

The pair of wins puts the Knights (8-1-1) four points up on the Blizzard (6-2-1) in the league standings, although Southeast does have a game in hand.

Game Summaries
Nov. 17: Knights 4, Southwest 2
Nov. 18: Knights 8, Southeast 0

A quartet of Knights celebrate during their 8-0 romp of the Southeast Blizzard in Pinawa. The win helped give the Knights a four-point edge over the Blizzard in the league standings.

The Knights had called up Christian Gmiterek to replace the injured Gary Mroz, but learned too late that this was not allowed, since the Knights had 16 healthy regulars.

On the ice, the Knights defeated Seine River 6-3 thanks to a trio of 3rd period special teams goals. Brady Musey scored a powerplay marker, and Brent Wold added a pair -- one on the penalty kill and one with the extra man, to give the Knights the extra boost they needed.

In the Sunday game, The Southwest Jets jumped out to an early 2-1 lead with goals 5 seconds apart. The Jets wouldn't be able to find the net again, however, and goals by Garrett Flannigan and Brady Musey gave the Knights the lead for good. They took the game 6-2.

Game Summaries
Nov. 9: Seine River 1, Knights 0 (forfeit)
Nov. 11: Knights 6, Southwest 2

The night started right for the men in black, who held an early 3-1 lead before giving up four straight goals. The Knights were determined not to let this one slip away, and, on the strength of third period goals from Brady Musey and Brent Wold, tied the game with 9:16 to play.

Wold struck again 5 minutes later, giving his team the edge it needed to maintain an unbeaten record of 5-0-1.

Game Summary

Game Summary

Knights 6, Seine River 4
Knights 9, Kenora 1

The Saturday tilt was a nailbiter that saw the Knights give up an early 1-0 lead, to eventually find themselves down 3-2 with 5:25 to go in the game. The Knights rebounded with two goals in the final two minutes, to take the game 4-3.

Sunday's contest was a different story. After scoring the opener, only to give up the early lead, the Knights poured it on in the final half of the period to regain the lead. They never looked back, and chalked up two wins against the Kenora Thistles.

This came after edgeing the Seine River Snipers in exhibition action 2-1.

The Snipers and Southeast Blizzard also swept the opening two games of their season last weekend.

The Knights and Snipers hooked up in Île des Chênes Friday night, and will host the Kenora Thistles Sunday in Pinawa, and the Springfield IceHawks on Halloween in Beausejour.

Game Summaries
Knights 2, Seine River 1 (exhibition)
Knights 4, Kenora 3
Knights 7, Kenora 3
Knights Stats | League scoreboard | Standings

This year's Bantam AA schedule has all of the six teams playing each other three times before the middle of February. That means seeing a lot of the same faces over a short period of time.

Three of the Knights' first four games are against the Kenora Thistles. The Northern team was in Lake of the Woods for two games this weekend, and will wrap up the early season series with the Knights home-opener Sunday at 12:30pm in Pinawa.

Next month the Knights play the Southwest Jets three times in seven days.

(Full Knights schedule)
(League opening weekend schedule)

The Northern Knights announced that Reimer's
jerseys will not be worn by any player this season,
and that #15s will be sewn on to all jerseys in a
tribute to the teen who has been battling West
Nile Virus since July.

Reimer was part of the inaugural Northern
Knights Bantam AA team last season. Due to age
restrictions, Mike would have been moving on to
Midget hockey, and not rejoining the Knights this
season, had he been able to play. That won't
stop the club from recognizing him.

Six of Mike's teammates are returning to the
Knights this year, including Evan Raugust,
Gary Mroz, Brett Hanson, Brent Wold, and Kody
Kennedy. Brady Musey, an AP from last year and
long-time teammate of Mike's on the Pinawa
Panthers will be playing full-time for the team.

They will be joined by 11 newcomers, including
another former Panther, goaltender Justin Kroker.
Click here for the full Knights' roster.