Admittedly, I don't see nearly the number of MJHL games that I used to, but I still follow the Sherwood Division pretty close and when I do get to games, it involves Waywayseecappo, Dauphin, or Swan Valley as those are the three teams closest to me, geographically. The Wolverines, in particular, have become a very good customer of mine with Source Embroidery so I, naturally, root for them and Barry Butler is one of the all-time gentlemen you'll meet in the game of hockey.
Having said that, here are a few thoughts:
--Dauphin is going to be good again. Many people thought they'd hit the cellar based on how good some of the other teams were going to be and also the turnover due to last year's RBC Cup finalist squad.
--Portage is usually good season after season and they are off to a good start. They are, consistently, one of the best run organizations in the league.
--OCN is in a make-or-break year if you believe some of what's coming out of their community with regards to finances. I like their coaching staff, professionally and personally, and think they'll be in the mix.
--Swan Valley stunned the league last year by competing near the top of the division. For some reason, hopes were conservative again this year; but this club is going to be a handful.
--Neepawa is the team I'm watching with great interest. Their offseason moves symbolize extremely high hopes. It's early, so 1-and-3 is nothing to panic about; but when looking at the four teams ahead of them that are off to great starts, it's tough to envision who might go through a prolonged struggle.
--Waywayseecappo is also off to a slow start, but the feeling is that with their team speed they should be okay, eventually. Hopefully they don't fall too far behind that making up ground becomes an impossible task.
One thing is for sure, there are no longer any easy nights in this division. There used to be a time that the top three teams would be competitive with one another and, subsequently, beat up on the bottom three. That's not going to happen this year. Parity is alive and well in this division.
In the SJHL, parity is the story every year.
--Estevan loaded up over the summer, so their hot start is not surprising.
--Humboldt is building toward the 2012 RBC, so their 4-and-0 start is mildly surprising. If they keep this up, they will be so far ahead of everyone else in 2012 what will be the point of playing?!
--Yorkton is proving me right so far. They will be good despite heavy turnover and it's expected they are going to lose another player in the next few days as part of the Winnipeg South Blues Troy Smukowich trade from January.
--Flin Flon has had strong seasons every year since Mike Reagan took over. Their test will be come playoff time.
--Kindersley will be better once they solve their goals against issue.
--Melfort, to me, is a wildcard. So far so good. I know they are very conscious of the slow starts of years past and want to avoid it.
--Weyburn is at .500 after four games and I suspect they will flirt with that mark for most of the year; although the Wings have a way of rising to the top even when you don't expect them to.
--La Ronge has won two of three, but I put them in the Kindersley class. Gotta give up fewer goals.
--The last four teams are off to slow starts and in this league, you can't fall too far behind early. Of the four, only Battlefords is a surprise to me. I had them pegged at #1 before the season started. I guess it shows what I know!
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