One of the best years for a Midget team in Pinawa came to a close on March 20 at the Orville Acres Arena. It was the final playoff series, and the brooms were out again -- but not in favour of the home side.

Landmark/IDC sent the Panthers packing with back-to-back wins.

Game Summaries
Mar. 16: Landmark/IDC 4, Pinawa 2
Mar. 20: Landmark/IDC 7, Pinawa 3

Yes, the Pinawa Panthers opted to take part in the Rural A Midget provincials, pitting themselves against the best teams in their age group.

The Panthers dropped two decisions on Friday to their league cousins -- a tight 4-2 game vs Mitchell and, despite tying them 4-4 in their only previous match this year, a 5-1 loss vs Beausejour, in which the Comets rode four first-period goals to victory.

Saturday saw the Panthers come out on the wrong side of a barn-burner against the Cross Lake Islanders, in which they held a two-goal lead early in the second. Quick goals did Pinawa in, as Cross Lake rallied with a pair 9 seconds apart in the second, and another 11 seconds apart in the 3rd. The club rebounded with a 7-1 thumping of the host Holland team, setting up a Bronze Medal rematch with Cross Lake.

The fans got their Sunday pass admission with this game alone, as both clubs continued to light each other up. This time it was Cross Lake's quick response to Panther goals that kept them in it.

Down 2-1 early in the second, Pinawa made struck twice in 11 seconds to take the lead, only to have Cross Lake tie the game 16 seconds later. The Islanders went ahead on a bizarre goal while Pinawa had a 5-on-3 advantage. Evan Seymour knotted things up during a flurry around the Islander net with 10:24 to go.

Wesley Fontaine turned great chances all afternoon long, and a tense crowd watched as the game continued into overtime.

Controversy struck late in the first OT. Almost immediately off the face off after an Islanders time out, Jordan Halcrow sent Clay Litke to the ice with a hook, and cross-checked him once he was down. Halcrow was assessed a 4-minute double-minor. Litke lay on the ice for a couple minutes, but would return to the game.

Halcrow would go on to score the game winner, giving Cross Lake the bronze, in the second overtime period.

And although, as expected, there were some disappointed faces after a tough loss, the great weekend will not soon be forgotten.

Pat Scarlett, Jesse Kaminski and Ryan Flood stood out offensively, each racking up more than a point a game in the tournament.

Game Summaries
Mar. 7: Mitchell 4, Pinawa 2
Mar. 7: Beausejour 5, Pinawa 1
Mar. 8: Cross Lake 6, Pinawa 5
Mar. 8: Pinawa 7, Holland 1
Mar. 9: Bronze: Cross Lake 5, Pinawa 4 (2OT)

The Pine Falls Paper Kings were swept in two straight, by scores of 8-2 in Pinawa and 4-2 in Pine Falls.

Christoph Froese played his game of the year, allowing the Panthers to rack up the points in a game that was much closer tan the scoreboard indicated. Steve Guimond, who was kept relatively quiet again Steinbach, caught fire for 4 points in a victory full of scoring and hits.

Ine Pine Falls, it was Wesley Fontaine's turn to shine in net, improving his record on the year to 12-0-2. Pat Scarlett and Colin Kovachik traded goals that came off exciting odd-man rushes to give Pinawa a 2-1 lead after one. That score would hold up until the third, when Pat Scarlett appeared to put his club up by two, only to have the goal disallowed. Ryan Flood ripped one home that counted, giving his team some much needed insurance late in the third. Pine Falls responded two minutes later on the power play. With 1:27 to go, Pinawa found itself down a man again. The Paper Kings pulled their goalie for a 6-on-4 advantage, which was extinguished when Clay Litke broke freely into the Paper Kings zone and put home an empty netter, while being hauled down, with :25 to go.

The Panthers now move on to face number 2 ranked Landmark/IDC.

Before that series begins, Pinawa travels to the Midget A Provincials in Holland this weekend.

Game Summaries
Feb. 28: Pinawa 8, Pine Falls 2
Mar. 1: Pinawa 4, Pine Falls 2

Sunday was a shocker as the Panthers racked up at 12-1 win against the Millers. The goals scored would have been tough for any top goalie to stop, while, meanwhile, Wes Fontaine kept the Millers at bay, with his shutout broken just 36 before the game ended.

A day later, three third period goals, two on the powerplay, lifted the Panthers to a 5-2 road victory.

Round one could end as late as Feb. 27, at which time Pinawa will know its next opponent.

MIA: Jesse Kaminski was out for game 2, with a suspension, after a dust up with Brian Saindon. He will return for the next series. Trent Krupka is out day-to-day with a lower body injury.

Game Summaries
Feb. 17: Pinawa 12, Steinbach 1
Feb. 18: Pinawa 5, Steinbach 2

The series shifts to Steinbach's T.G. Smith Arena the next night at 6:45pm. Game three, if necessary, will be back in Pinawa on Tue. Feb. 26 at 7pm.

Clutch performances by Trent Krupka (2G), Justin Evenden (1G, 1A) and Pat Scarlett (1G, 1A) weren't enough in a clash of two high-scoring teams, as Niverville downed Pinawa 8-4.

Robby Musey (1G, 3A), Pat Scarlett (2A) and Steve Guimond (2A) stood out a Lac du Bonnet Lightning lineup bolstered with the addition of Bantam AA All-Stars Brent Wold (2G, 1A) and Stuart Brincheski (1G, 3A). The two teams played to a 5-5 tie in the final game of both teams' regular seasons.

The top three places have been decided in the Midget B standings, with Landmark/IDC (1st, 12-2)
and Niverville (2nd, 12-2) having also completed their seasons.

The playoff format will be decided on Mon. Jan. 12.

Game Summaries
Jan. 25: Niverville 8, Pinawa 4
Jan. 27: Pinawa 5, Lac du Bonnet 5

The two teams played a hard fought game in their last meeting, which saw Pine Falls emerge with a 3-2 victory in a shootout.

A packed Sagkeeng Arena Multiplex, with lots of support for both sides, witnessed a shootout of a different kind Sunday night, as both teams lit it up en route to a 9-6 Pinawa win.

Evan "Soft Hands" Seymour led the way with a hat trick and a helper -- including two beautiful backhanders in the second period, where the Panthers forward skated end-to-end, deked in on net, looked like he might pass it back to the trailer, only to slip it past Brendan Gogo himself.

The Paper Kings opened the scoring with a trickler, only to have their lead erased a minute later on a similar Pinawa goal.

Pinawa took a 2-1 lead on a one-timer powerplay goal with 1:07 left in the first. Alex Simard ripped one past Gogo, off a feed from Calvin Bueckert, who picked up the puck fresh off a faceoff win by Ryan Flood.

The Paper Kings got the equalizer early in the second, but Seymour's sweet goals put Pinawa back up by two late in the 2nd. Clay Litke added another just 13 seconds later, making it 5-2 Panthers.

Pineview came out flying in the 3rd, tying the game just 2:16 in to the final frame. The teams traded goals, with Pat Scarlett and new Paper King Andrew Nault finding the net, before Seymour's final goal of the night put Pinawa ahead for good. Scarlett and Steve Guimond gave the Panthers some insurance down the stretch.

(Game Summary)

The Pinawa Panthers headed off to Dauphin for a tournament on the final weekend of Christmas break. It was the first chance this year for the team to see how it would fare against A level squads.

The opening game against Beausejour was perhaps the best of the tournament. Pinawa started off the game playing tentative, obviously a little aprehensive heading in to a tournament stacked with fierce competition. Once the guys realized they were able to play competitively, the team settled down.

Although Beausejour netted the game's first two goals, Pinawa tied it up before the end of the first. After a scoreless second, a huge goal by Justin Evenden gave the Panthers the lead. Beausejour answered back with a pair, prompting the Panthers to call at timeout with 1:33 left in the 3rd, down by one.

The plan had been to pull goaltender Wesley Fontaine in the final minute, but that was unnecessary, as Mike Parcey scored the biggest goal of the season, tying the game with 1:03 left. Parcey's goal gave the Panthers an emotional boost, proving that the team was able to battle through big-time adversity versus the A level clubs.

Also playing key roles in the game were Brent Berry, who collected a goal and an assist, and Wesley Fontaine, who had a stellar game between the pipes.

Stay tuned for detailed stories from each game of the tournament.

Game Summaries
Pinawa 4, Beausejour 4
Pinawa 6, Ashern 6
Pinawa 5, Dauphin 2
B Side Final: Pinawa 11, Brandon 2

Tournament stats

The Panthers downed the Steinbach Millers 6-4 Saturday afternoon, despite missing 9 players. The win came 13 days after the Millers stunned Pinawa at home. Clay Litke, Robby Musey and Ryan Flood lit it up, and Pinawa held off a 3rd period charge by Steinbach, which saw the Millers score 4 goals in 12 minutes.

The next day, at home, a much healthier bench knocked off the Lorette Comets 3-1, despite giving up the game's first goal.

Four nights later, the Panthers shut out the Springfield Ice Hawks 6-0, scoring one goal for each player missing from the Pinawa bench. Ryan Flood, Alex Simard, Trent Krupka and Pat Scarlett all had two-point games. The team also welcomed back Brent Berry, who left the Remembrance Day game with an injury.

Game Summaries
Pinawa 6, Steinbach 4
Pinawa 3, Lorette 1
Pinawa 6, Springfield 0

The unbeaten Pineview Paper Kings and the second-place Pinawa Panthers played an intense gold medal final, which needed 5 minutes of overtime and two shootout rounds to decide a winner.

Matt Reimer opened the scoring on the powerplay, midway through the first, only to be answered back six seconds in to the middle frame, by Cole Wark, also on the powerplay.

Ryan Flood put his team up with 4 minutes left in the period, but the Paper Kings tied it with just over a minute left on a goal from Jesse Johnston.

Neither team could find the net in the third or overtime periods. Strong goaltending by Justin Kroker and Scott Watling kept both teams at bay. Both teams' defensive units kept a strong presence in front of their own net, often spoiling some great set-ups that looked to be sure goals.

That led to something not often seen in minor hockey: a shootout.

Matt Reimer once again found the back of the net, keeping his team in it, after Pineview struck first. The Paper Kings would slip another one past Justin Kroker, giving Pineview the gold and the Panthers silver.

Also on Sunday:
5th place: Beausejour 3, Lac du Bonnet 0
Bronze Medal: St. Boniface 1, East Selkirk 0

Game Summaries
St. Boniface 3, Pinawa 2
Gold Medal: Pineview 3, Pinawa 2 (SO)

Only one other team, the Pineview Saints (2-0), has a perfect record heading in to the tournament's final day.

Also on Saturday:
Pineview 4, St. Boniface 1
Lac du Bonnet 7, East Seklirk 3
East Selkirk 5, St. Boniface 4
Pineview 7, Beausejour 5

Game Summary

The host team Pinawa Panthers defeated the Lac du Bonnet Lightning 10-2 in front of a huge crowd.

All cylinders were firing for the Panthers, with 12 players registering at least a point.

In other tournament action, Pineview defeated Lac du Bonnet 5-1 and East Selkirk let a 4-0 lead slip away, but managed to edge out Beausejour 5-4 with a late third-period goal.

Game Summary

The top two teams in the league -- Pinawa and Niverville -- combined for two powerplay goals and two shorthanded goals, as the Panthers edged the Clippers 4-3. Pinawa jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on goals from Pat Scarlett, Alex Simard and Clay Litke. Steve Guimond added one in the third, giving the home side a 4-1 edge. Pinawa silenced several of the league's top guns until Niverville's Josh Koop made the game close, scoring a pair of goals with 4:36 and :28 respectively.

Steinbach gave the Panthers a rough start in Pinawa Sunday, jumping out to a 3-0 lead 4 minutes in. Goals by Ryan Flood and Alex Simard seemed to put the team on the road to recovery. However, some tough penalty calls, and non-calls, that left many in attendance bewildered, kept the home side short-handed for nearly the entire second half of the game. The Pinawa penalty box routinely held three or more Panthers, as minors, 10-minute misconducts and game misconducts were sprinkled out over the game's final 28 minutes. Steinbach was sent to the box just 9 times over the whole game -- each of them two minute infractions.

Pat Scarlett logged tons of ice time in the penalty-filled third, firing rockets whenever he had the puck in the Millers end, giving Steinbach goalie Jason Kornelson something to worry about. Scarlett also kept his composure on at least two separate occasions -- once when he was hauled down on a breakaway as two or three Millers gave chase into their own zone, and later on what looked like a hit to the head in his defensive end.

The Panthers, who were already without 4 skaters to start the game, played tough with an incredibly short bench, but weren't able to claw their way back, losing to the Millers 6-2.

The weekend split puts the Panthers atop the standings, with a slim two-point lead over Niverville. The Clippers, however, have one game in hand.

Next up is the Pinawa tournament, with the Panthers hosting Lac du Bonnet Thursday night at 7:15.

Game Summaries
Pinawa 4, Niverville 3
Steinbach 6, Pinawa 2

Pinawa Tournament Schedule

Pat Scarlett and the Pinawa Panthers played strong through some tough calls, but fell to the Steinbach Millers 6-2 Sunday. The loss came one day after beating Niverville 4-3, which gave the Panthers top place in the league standings

After going undefeated (4-0) in the pre-season, a hot opposing goaltender, and a short Pinawa bench helped hand the Panthers their first loss of the year, by a score of 4-2.

Landmark/IDC Blues goalie Carson Penner kept his perfect season (4-0-0) alive, while knocking the Panthers (7-1-0) to second place. In top spot are the Niverville/Ste. Agathe Clippers (7-0-0), who travel to Sagkeeng to play Pinawa tomorrow.

Alex Simard had a pair of assists in the losing cause, on an even-strength goal from Clay Litke, and a short-handed marker from Robby Musey.

Pinawa played a disciplined game, collecting just four minors, but were unable to capitalize on the many Blues powerplays.

Not dressed for the game were Brent Berry, Steve Guimond, Matt Reimer and Mike Parcey.

Game Summary

Fontaine made huge saves all night long -- including a late third period stop, where he grabbed a puck out of mid-air that was inches away from crossing the goal line.

A relatively calm game melted down a couple minutes after Pinawa scored its final goal in the 3-0 victory. With 3:10 left, Steve Guimond and Cole Kyne got in to a fight near the Panthers bench. Both players were gone for the game, and everyone else on the ice received 10-minute misconducts for not heading off to their benches.

On Sunday, the Panthers overcame an early 2-0 defecit, racking up eight straight goals -- six in the second period -- en route to an 8-3 win over the Springfield Ice Hawks.

Jesse Kaminski led the way with 4 points on the afternoon (2 goals 2 assists), vaulting him in to the team's regular season scoring lead.

Brent Berry missed both games, out with a knee injury he suffered against Landmark/IDC on Rememberance Day.

His #4 was good to two players in his absence. Brady Musey, called up from the Northern Knights, collected an assist in the Lac du Bonnet game, while newcomer Cody Fontaine scored two goals in his debut against Springfield.

Game Summaries
Pinawa 3, Lac du Bonnet 0
Pinawa 8, Springfield 3

Jesse Kaminski had a monster week. He scored the game-winner in the Panthers' 3-0 win over Lac du Bonnet, and added four points (2G, 2A) against the Springfield Ice Hawks just three days later.

Friday night in Pine Falls, the third line lit it up, with
Brent Berry (3A), Trent Krupka (1G, 1A) and Daniel Moneyas (2G) all having huge nights in a 6-5 win over the Pineview Paper Kings. Moneyas potted the game-winner just 17 seconds after Pineview tied it 5-5 late in the third. In a tense final 43 seconds, Pinawa found itself on the wrong end of a 6-on-4 situation, with Jesse Kaminski in the box and Paper Kings netminder Scott Watling watching from the bench. The Panthers were able to continue their rock-solid penalty-killing they're known for, having given up just two powerplay goals all season, preserving a win for netminder Christoph Froese.

Sunday in Pinawa, the Panthers' balanced attack and strong defence continued, earning them a 3-1 victory over the Landmark/IDC Blues. Brent Berry's third period goal from Trent Krupka and Alex Simard at :55 of the third period was the game-winner.

Rough stuff broke out for the second straight weekend, with 63 minutes in penalties and 2 game misconducts--both going against the Blues--in the final 9 minutes. Alex Simard and Brent Berry were both injured in their own end during the penalty-laden portion of the game, but were able to return later in the game.

Game Summaries
Pinawa 6, Pineview 5
Pinawa 3, Landmark/IDC 1

There was plenty of rough stuff to cap off another perfect weekend for the Panthers. Pinawa edged out the Pineview Paper Kings Friday night, by a score of 6-5, and staked themselves to a 3-1 victory over the Landmark/IDC Blues.

Saturday night, the Panthers rode a three-goal first period to a 6-2 road victory over the Lorette Comets. One of the cleanest games officials had ever seen turned nasty in the final two and a half minutes of play, with 42 penalty minutes handed out -- 40 of those going to the Panthers.

Penalties were once again a concern Pinawa when they faced the Beausejour Comets on home ice Sunday afternoon. While they were only charged with 7 infractions -- all minors -- the whole game, the Panthers killed off every powerplay, including a 5-on-3, en route to a 4-2 win.

The Panthers have only surrendered two goals in each of their three games played this season -- an extra impressive feat Sunday given that defencemen Matt Reimer and Alex Simard were serving suspensions, while Pat Scarlett, who normally patrols the blue line, was called on two take several face offs in the game.

Game Summaries
Nov. 3: Pinawa 6, Lorette 2
Nov. 4: Pinawa 3, Beausejour 2

Pinawa defeated the Beausejour Comets 4-3 in their home opener. The Panthers are off to a perfect 3-0 start, after a pair of wins against Beausejour, and another against the Lorette Comets.

Full schedule

Pinawa 3, Beausejour 2

They join the four teams they defeated, along with the Lac du Bonnet Lightning, Landmark/Ile des Chenes Elks, Lorette Comets and Pineview Saints.

League play began this weekend with the Panthers travelling to Beausejour. They take on Lorette next weekend before their home-opener versus Beausejour, Sunday, Nov. 3 at 3:00pm.

(full season schedule)

That was the Pinawa Panthers' phrase of the weekend, when asked what it would take to qualify for the A league this season.

With 14 teams each playing four games over four days, trying to predict what record was necessary to earn the team a spot in the top division was nothing short of brain surgery with an added helping of rocket science.

Rather than worry about all the possibilities after eeking out a win on home ice, the Panthers played with one goal in mind: a sweep in St-Pierre.

Mission accomplished.

Pinawa rolled three solid lines over the boards against the Springfield IceHawks and Branden Deviser, a Junior Selects-calibre goaltender. After giving up an early goal, the Panthers laid a barrage of shots on the netminder, tallying four unanswered markers of their own, to take the game 4-1.

The Panthers kept their intensity level high on Sunday, steamrolling Niverville. Up 5-2 after two periods, the Panthers Clay Litke put this one away with a goal just 5 seconds in to the third. Pinawa would end up on top by a final of 10-2.

The final game of the pre-season was a hotly contested battle against the Steinbach Millers. Steinbach got on the board late in the first, but goals by Robby Musey and Steve Guimond gave Pinawa a short-lived 2-1 lead late in the 2nd. Jeremy Hildebrandt tied the game up for the Millers before the break, and notto be outdone, Clay Litke potted a go-ahead goal with 59 seconds left.

Evan Seymour added an insurance marker early in the third, with Kenton Hildebrant responding for the Millers a few minutes later, cutting Pinawa's lead to 4-3.

It all lead up to a tense finish for Pinawa fans, who watched as their team was nailed for two penalties at once, forcing them to kill off a 5-on-3 Steinbach powerplay.

Then, with 2:09 left to go, the Panthers were down a man once again. The Millers pulled their goalie to make things interesting, but to no avail. Pinawa prevailed 4-3.

Despite the perfect record, there's no guarantee which pool the Panthers will be joining for league play.

Game Summaries
Oct. 20: Pinawa 4, Springfield 1
Oct. 21: Pinawa 10, Niverville 2
Oct. 21: Pinawa 4, Steinbach 3

Other scores from the weekend
Panthers pre-season stats

(Oct. 18) Chalk one up for the fresh faces.

Several first-year Midgets from Pinawa and Beausejour made their presence felt as the two teams kicked off their pre-season at the Orville Acres Arena.

The young guns proved they belong in the league, sharing the spotlight usually reserved for 17-year-olds.

Every goal scored in Pinawa's 4-3 victory came off the stick of a 1992-born player -- the youngest guys eligible for full-time duty on a Midget roster.

The Panthers, a team stockpiled with speedsters, came out flying -- scoring early, and hitting often.

Pat Scarlett put Pinawa on the board, with a rocket from the blue line, just under five minutes in.

The Panthers got themselves into penalty trouble midway through the opening period. Stellar defense and goaltending allowed the Panthers to kill off one penalty, but Brad Dillabough burned Pinawa the second time around, tying the game at 1 late in the first.

Newcomer Evan Seymour put the Panthers back in the lead just 52 seconds before the intermission, with an assist going to fellow first-year Bodhi Cook.

Seymour added two assists of his own before the night was done, making the Midget rookie from Sagkeeng the league's leading scorer, one game in to the pre-season.

The Panthers and Blades traded goals in the second and third, with a pair each by the Panthers' Ryan Flood, and Beausejour's Graham Bialek.

A flurry of chances on a Panther powerplay led to Flood scoring early in the second, putting Pinawa up 3-1. Bialek answered back for Beausejour as time ticked down in the period.

Bialek knotted the score early in the third, but Flood responded with five minutes left to go, giving his team the 4-3 edge.

Key saves by Christoph Froese in the final moments of the game preserved the win.

The Blades' Dillabough and Bialek, who both played Bantam AA hockey last season with the Northern Knights, finished the evening with two points apiece, as did teammate Colton Nikel.

Two of Pinawa's grizzled veterans -- Matt Reimer and Jesse Kaminski -- both in their final year of Midget, chipped in with some crushing hits along the boards.

Kaminski, one of two assistant captains this year, also notched his first point of the year on the game's opening goal.

Another 1990-born Panther, team captain Robby Musey, had a multi-point night, racking up two assists on his team's final two tallies.

Clay Litke, 16, also picked up a point for Pinawa.

Both teams have tomorrow off, and travel to St-Pierre-Jolys Saturday, to continue the pre-season tournament.

The Panthers face Springfield at 3:45pm in their only game of the day. Sunday they see doubleheader action in the Frog Follies capital, with action versus Niverville at 12:15 and one of two Steinbach teams at 3:45.

(Game Summary)
(Panthers pre-season tournament schedule)
(Full pre-season tournament schedule)

Ryan Flood, assistant captain of last year's Bantam's, scored two goals, including the eventual game-winner, to complete Pinawa's 4-3 comeback win over Beausejour in the first game of the pre-season.

Time Change: Puck drop has been moved to
7:15pm on Thursday.

#15: The Panthers will honour Mike Reimer by
giving his jersey to another Reimer -- his brother,
Matt. The tall defenceman laid some punishing
bodychecks last year, but was able to dress
for just slightly more than two games, due to injury.

The Lineup: The Panthers will welcome back
another familliar face to start the year. Trent
Krupka is pumped to be back on skates
after taking some time away from hockey.
(Full roster)

Other Action: The Pinevew-Springfield game
originally scheduled for Pinawa on Thursday has
been moved to another arena, date and time
unknown. Not dressing, of course, is Mike Reimer.
He expects to be watching his team from the stands
when they travel to St-Pierre-Jolys Saturday and
Sunday to close out their pre-season.

Coming Up: Down the road from the Orville Acres
Arena, Lac du Bonnet hosts the other Beausejour
Midget team, also on Thursday night.
Pre-season action for all teams takes
up the weekend, with games in Grunthal, St-Malo
and St-Pierre-Jolys.

(Panthers pre-season tournament schedule)
(Full pre-season tournament schedule)