Altona Maroons - Updated Jan. 18, 2017 Saturday, Jan. 21st is CFAM Night! As CFAM celebrates their 60th Anniversary in 2017 they want to celebrate with hockey fans! The first 60 fans through the gate with a Tin for the Bin (non-perishable food item for Rhineland Food Bank) will receive a free CFAM 60th Anniversary hockey puck and be entered into a draw for Winnipeg Jets tickets! Also, all fans who purchase 50/50 tickets not only have a chance to win half of the cash, but a second prize will be 4 tickets to a Manitoba Moose game! CFAM radio personality Jayme Giesbrecht will be signing O'Canada and the Maroons will have several players join them for the pre-game skate. Maroons lose tight game to Warren - 4-3 Saturday, Jan. 14 Warren 4 - Maroons 3 Maroons drop road game to Notre Dame 3-2 Thursday, Dec. 15 Notre Dame 3 Maroons 2 The Maroons travelled to Notre Dame des Lourdes to face off against the Hawks and just under a minute into the game the home team Hawks would score to go up 1-0 on a goal from Justin Dalebozik set up by Steve Clark. Less then a minute later Maroons assistant coach Steve McFarlane sent Brett Klassen in alone on a break away and he would beat Hawks goalie Brett Timmerman with a low stick side snapshot to tie the game 1-1. The Hawks would fire a lot of pucks at Eric Martel in the first period but the score would remained locked at 1-1 heading nto the first intermission. In the 2nd period the Hawks would get two more goals in the first 8 min. courtesy of a partial breakaway goal from Brody Chabbert and then later import Cale Jeffries would sneak a quick low shot past Martel. The Maroons ran into penalty trouble nearing the halfway point of the 2nd, however on the first penalty kill Caleb Suderman found Matt Dyck for a long pass into the neutral zone and Dyck would fight off the defender and beat Timmerman for a shorthanded goal making it 3-2. The Hawks would have two more powerplays in the 2nd which the Maroons would kill off successfully and head to the 3rd period still trailing by a goal. The 3rd period would see the Maroons increase their play in the Hawks zone looking for the equalizer and late in the period with just under a minute left after Tyler Dittmer was checked from behind the Maroons were on a powerplay and would pull Martel for a 6 on 4 opportunity. The play was frantic in the Hawks zone and Matt Dyck came close to getting the tying goal but time would expire and the Maroons would leave Notre Dame on the losing side. John Mintenko remarked after the game that he was very happy with how Eric Martel played. "He made all the saves he needed to make and didn't give up any rebounds. Couldn't ask for more from a goalie. I thought we struggled early on to find each other and gave up too much time in our end, but later in the game we turned the tables a bit, but just couldn't get that tying goal. Our efffort was there, we just didn't get the result we wanted." Line up change for the game saw Assistant Coach Steve McFarlane dress and not in the line up was Dale Butland. Thursday, Dec. 8th Maroons 7 - Stonewall 6 Maroons win high scoring affair at home against Stonewall 7-6 Story from Red River Valley Echo - by Cassidy Dankochik <img title="aaastonewallhomewin.jpg" src="/usrimages/aaastonewallhomewin.jpg" alt="aaastonewallhomewin.jpg" width="475" height="597" /> Saturday, Dec. 3rd, 2016 Carman 5 - Maroons 1 The Maroons hosted the defending SEMHL champion Carman Beavers on Saturday, Dec. 3rd at the Sunflower Gardens and it was Green Valley Equipment Night. The hardworking team over at GVE had a John Deere 9620 with tracks on full display in front of the main entrance of the M.E.C. Inside the lobby featured home and garden products such as a John Deere 1025 tractor and Stihl and Airens merchandise as well. To top it all off free Hot Chocolate coupons were being distributed to fans and fans had a chance to win free door prizes. The previous meeting between these two teams took place on Nov. 24th with the Beavers narrowly edging the Maroons 7-6 and the Maroons were hoping to feed off that productive game. The Maroons would open the scoring courtesy of a goal from John Mintenko. Mintenko was dressed with a few guys out of the line up and was able to convert a Mitch Fehr pass and bang the puck past Steve Christie. Unfortunatley this would be the only goal the Maroons would score during the game. The Beavers would tie the game in late in the first period and add 2 more goals in the second period. Early in the third period the Beavers would a fourth goal before scoring a powerplay goal to make it 5-1 with approximatley 15 minutes left in the game. With his team down by 4 goals, head coach Rob Friesen pulled starting goalie Jayme Janzen and Eric Martel would go in to shut down the Beavers for the rest of the period but the Maroons would be unable to get any pucks past Christie and the Beavers would hang on for the win. Not in the line up - Angus Klassen, Brett Klassen & Brent Toews 50/50 Winner - Pete Martens of Horndean Green Valley Equipment door prize winners - Josh Unger & Mason Friesen Saturday, Nov. 26th, 2016 Maroons 5 - Stonewall 3 Game info to come*** Saturday, Nov. 19th, 2016 Maroons 5 - Winkler 4 The Maroons travelled to Winkler to take on the Royals and Eric Martel would be in net for his first start of the season. Just under 7 min. into the first period Angus Klassen would tip a Caleb Suderman wrist shot from the point past Royals goalie Brent Krahn for a 1-0 lead. Just past the midway point of the period Tyler Dittmer would send Jon Froese in on a breakaway from just inside the Royals blueline and Froese's snapshot would beat Krahn for a 2-0 lead. Late in the frame Caleb Suderman sent Angus Klassen into the Royals end on a breakaway and Klassens shot would beat Krahn for his 2nd of the game and a 3-0 lead. Just under a min. later Craig Cornelson would be credited for a goal when a high shot towards Martel would go off Cornelsons body finding the back of the net and cutting the lead to 3-1. Early in the second period Nolan Martens' quick snapshot from the high slot would beat Krahn building the lead to 4-1. Later in the period Cody Friesen would cut the Maroons lead to 2 goals when he would find himself near the Maroons net after the puck karamed off the corner boards on a Royals dump in. Martel was already behind the net expecting to play the puck and Friesen simply had to bang it into the empty net. Tough goal to allo but everyone has seen a goal like this scored. Plain and simple, these things happen. Going into the third period the Maroons Steve Doell would have a great scoring chance on a wrist shot that beat Krahn but not the crossbar. The rebound came out into the slot and Matt Dyck would slide the puck past Krahn to restore a three goal lead. The Royals didn't fold and later in the frame would make the score 5-3 courtesy of a Powerplay goal with Chad Unrau's shot getting through traffic. The goal would lift the Royals and with just over a min. left in regulation Phil Letkeman would start a drive into the Maroons end that ended with Craig Cornelson finding the back of the net to make it a 5-4 game. After a 30 sec. timeout the Royals were hoping to pull Krahn in favour of an extra attacker but were unable to favourably penetrate the Maroons zone and the Maroons would kill the clock off and take 2 points for the standings on a Saturday night in Winkler. Coach Rob Friesen commented that his team is still learning and there is more to do. "I thought we did a lot of things well tonight. I changed the lines up a bit and I liked how it worked out. Martel kicked away a lot of pucks tonight and made a few really big saves to give us the chance to win. At the end of the night it's a win and we'll take it". Import defenceman Dale Butland echoed some of Friesens comments in his thoughts on the game. "Marty (Eric Martel) deserves a lot of credit for a great game and as for the rest of us, I thought we were good. We have some new faces this year and together as a unit we're still feeling things out, looking for an identity." Not wanting to give too much away, Butland added "We'll be just fine, we're four games in and we're 500. Not in the line up: Cody Fehr & Jordon Friesen Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016 Morden Redskins 4 @ Altona Maroons 3 <img title="peewee_gold1.jpg" src="/usrimages/peewee_gold1.jpg" alt="peewee_gold1.jpg" width="756" height="1008" /> Altona Maroons Pee-Wee Gold players Kieran Henry, Kylie Roberts and Caden Krahn discussing how they will skate out with the Senior Maroons. The Morden Redskins visited Altona and the longtime rivals would give the fans a solid hockey game with many chances going both ways. In the first period Angus Klassen's pass to Tyler Dittmer would end with Klassen beting Reed Peters for a 1-0 lead. Before the opening period ended the Redskins tied the game with a goal from import Nick Doyle. If that name is familiar to Maroons fans it is because Doyle played in Altona last season as an import. With the Maroons filling a void on the back end and filling it with an import defencman (Dale Butland) Doyle was not able to be part of the Maroons this season. Early in the second period and on a powerplay Derek Holenski's shot through traffic would beat Jayme Janzen to give the Redskins a 2-1 lead. The Redskins would build on the lead and late in the period Doyle would give the Redskins a 3-1 lead. With 30 sec. left in the period on a powerplay of their own Craig Neufeld's wrist shot from the point would be tipped in by Dittmer for his second of the night and cutting the lead to 3-2 before the 2nd intermission. In the third period Matt Dyck and Jon Froese would connect with Dittmer and Dittmer would beat Peters tying the game, notching a hat trick and more importantly tying the game. Midway through the period Graham Leiding would score a go ahead goal and for the rest of the third the Maroons would look for the equalizer. With just under 2 min. left in the game coach Rob Friesen would call a time out and with Janzen pulled in favour of an extra attacker the Maroons would press and send pucks to the Redskins net but Peters closed the door and the Redskins would take the win. Assistant Coach/G.M. - John Mintenko thought it was a game that could have gone either way. "I thought we had moments when we controlled the play really well, but there were also moments where we lost some of the battles. We matched up well with them tonight, but came up a bit short." Not in the line-up: Jon Froese National Anthem peformed by: Jenna Alexander 50/50 Winner - Claimed but unknown. New clock & scorekeeper didn't get the name :( Altona Maroons Pee-Wee Gold players joining the Maroons for the pre-game pep talk, warm-up and National Anthem: Kieran Henry, Caden Krahn & Kylie Roberts. 2015-16 400 Club Winners: $200 each - Peter Abrams, David Goertz, Ang Enns, Peter Abrams, Liz Derksen, Terry Peters, Glenn Friesen, Curtis Popel, Wes Friesen/Chris Wieler/James Friesen, Brad Friesen $1000 Winner - Sanford Hildebrand Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016 Altona Maroons 2 @ Portage Islanders 6 Making the journey to Portage the Maroons were hoping to build off their home opener win against the Royals but the sophmore Islanders would stand in their way. Early in the opening frame import Jordyn Boyd would beat Jayme Janzen for a 1-0 lead and later in the period Boyd struck again converting a pass from Zack Waldvogel making it 2-0. The Maroons would bounce back with a goal from Captain Brent Toews as he muscled home a rebound off of Islanders goalie Mitch Wiebe. After 20 min. the Islanders held the 2-1 lead. Early in the second period rookie forward Cody Fehr would be assesed a 2 min. minor penalty for hitting from behind and his night was over. The Maroons would kill off the ensuing Islanders powerplay and look to even the score. Islanders Dan Leslie would give Portage 3-1 lead midway through the period and shortly thereafter Anders Strome made it 4-1. The Maroons battled back and would find themselves on a powerplay and Angus Klassen's tipped point shot from Craig Neufeld would find the back of the net cutting the Islanders lead to 4-2. The Maroons would hope to build off the Klassen goal but late in the period Kyle Lopez would convert a Strome pass behind Janzen giving the Islanders a 5-2 lead heading to the third. In the thrid period the Maroons would press hard on a powerplay four minutes into the period but would come up short. With 10 min. left in the game Janzen was pulled for an extra attacker and the Maroons would bring a lot of pressure into the Portage end but couldn't get a puck past Wiebe. Angus Klassen just missed getting the Maroons to within 2 goals and later Caleb Suderman would have a great opportunity to also score but it just wouldn't be the Maroons night. Janzen would be sent back out, and then late in the game Janzen would be pulled again but this time with just under 2 min. left on the clock the Islanders would seal the game with Jordan Boyd picked up his hat trick and the final score would be 6-2 in favour of the Islanders. Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016 Winkler Royals 2 @ Altona Maroons 5 <img title="queens_2016_web.jpg" src="/usrimages/queens_2016_web.jpg" alt="queens_2016_web.jpg" width="720" height="480" /> Royals Captain - Brett Harder, 1st Princess Angela Froese, Sunflower Festival Queen Tiana Reimer, 2nd Princess Azhami Male and Maroons Captain Brent Toews at centre ice for a ceremonial face off. Photo supplied by Cassidy Dankochik Kicking off the South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League with all 8 teams in action on Saturday, November 5th the Maroons would host the Winkler Royals. Early in the game Tyler Dittmer would feed Angus Klassen and Klassen would beat Matt Krahn for a 1-0 lead. Nearing the midway point of the first Dustin Karsin would tie the game for the Royals 1-1 beating Jayme Janzen. Later in the frame Klassen would score his second of the game on a set up from Dale Butland and Matt Dyck. Shortly before the first intermission Tyler Dittmer would make it 3-1 with assits to Klassen and Butland. In the second period Jordan Wall would set up Matt Dyck and Dyck's goal would make it 4-1. The second period would play out with the score holding into the second intermission. In the third period Steve Doell would score his first goal as a Maroon on a powerplay with assists to Nolan Martens and Jon Froese for a 5-1 lead. Late in the game former Maroon Phil Letkeman would get a puck past Janzen making it 5-2 but the scoring was done and the Maroons would hold on for an opening night win in front of a great crowd. Coach Rob Friesen was pleased with the win and the happy dressing room. "It's great to start the season off with a win. Especially a home opener. The guys were looking forward to this game. We played three exhibition games this year already and we have a bigger bench then we've had in the past two or so seasons. These guys were chomping at the bit to get out and play a game that meant something. I don't think that it was the best game we could have played, but I wasn't expecting it to be. There are 19 more regular season games and this is just a start." 50/50 Winner - Corey Thiessen Altona Maroons Pee Wee Bronze players joining the Maroons for the pre-game pep talk, warm up and National Anthem: Halle Hildebrand, Olivia Mintenko and Brennan Carr. Special Thanks to the 2016 Manitoba Sunflower Festival royalty - Queen Tiana Reimer, 1st Princess Angela Froese and 2nd Princess Azhami Male for assisting with the ceremmonial face off to kick off the 66th season of Maroons hockey in the South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ March 7, 2016 2015-16 Season officially over with Game 5 loss in Semi-Finals against Morden Redskins Saturday, Mar. 5 Morden Redskins 4 - Altona Maroons - 0 Thursday, Mar. 3 Morden Redskins 2 - Altona Maroons 1 Tuesday, Mar. 1 Altona Maroons 2 - Morden Redskins 0 Saturday, Feb. 27 Morden Redskins 5 - Altona Maroons 2 Thursday, Feb. 25 Morden Redskins 3 - Altona Maroons - 0 The Morden Redskins held onto a two goal lead the majority of the game and used an empty net goal with approx. 2:30 left to play as insurance to win game 1 of the Best of 7, Semi-Final series. Maroons eliminate Mercs in Game 4 - 4-3, Advance to Semi-Finals Thursday, Feb. 18th, 2016 Altona Maroons 4 - Warren Mercs 3 <img style="float: left;" title="1516mercsmaroonshandshake.jpg" src="/usrimages/1516mercsmaroonshandshake.jpg" alt="1516mercsmaroonshandshake.jpg" width="448" height="252" /> A Playoff hockey tradition - series ending handshakes. Photo Credit, Clayton Dreger - Golden West Media Shea Hamilton would score midway through the third on a pass from Nick Doyle and it would be the game winning goal as the Maroons would hang on to the 4-3 lead for the final 10 minutes of the period for the win and the series win, advancing to the Semi-Finals against the Morden Redskins. In the first period Mercs Reid MacLeod would open the scoring for the Mercs on a nice pass from Cliff Ketchen beathing Jayme Janzen for a 1-0 lead. Later in the period, on a powerplay Matt Dyck would set up Angus Klassen and Klassen would beat Mercs goalie Cole Boulton to tie the game. Early in the second peiod Jon Froese and Tyler Dittmer would set up Matt Dyck and Dyck's shot would find the back of the net for a 2-1 Maroons lead. The Mercs would tie the game back up at 2-2 before the 5 min. mark of the period when Tyler Mederios would beat Janzen. Brett Klassen and Angus Klassen would connect and send Tyler Dittmer in on Boulton and Dittmer would beat Boulton with a deke and nice shot giving the Maroons a 3-2 lead. The Mercs would not back down and just past the midway point the period on a Mercs powerplay veteran Darren Husak would re-direct a Cliff Ketchen shot past Janzen tying the game again, this time at 3-3. <img style="float: left;" title="1516brett_klassen_warren.jpg" src="/usrimages/1516brett_klassen_warren.jpg" alt="1516brett_klassen_warren.jpg" /> Brett Klassen working for position in front of Mercs goalie Cole Boulton. Photo Credit, Clayton Dreger - Golden West Media Both teams would come out hard in the 3rd period and midway through the final period Nick Doyle would do a lot of work beating out a Mercs defender in the neutral zone along the side boards and then working another defender deep into the Mercs zone before sending a pass over the defenders stick onto the blade of Shea Hamilton and Hamilton's quick shot would cross the goal line for a go ahead goal. The last half the 3rd period would be very exciting. The Mercs would push hard looking to tie the game and would appear to catch a break with 3 min. and 34 sec. left to play when Matt Dyck would be assesed a boarding penalty. However, the Mercs powerplay would be negated when Mercs foward Justin Crockatt would take a retalitory penalty on Dyck keeping both teams at even strength. The Mercs would press hard in the last several minutes, even pulling their goalie, going with 6 players to the Maroons 5 and with 13 sec. left they would have what appeared to be a powerplay opportunity with Craig Neufeld taking a holding penalty. During the immediate scrum followint the holding call Mercs forward Reid MacLeod would be assesed a retalitory roughing call, again negating a powerplay opportunity. The Maroons would battle hard in the last 13 seconds to keep the Mercs away from any scoring chance and could only celebrate when the final buzzer sounded. Head Coach Rob Friesen was releived his guys could hang on long enough for the win and was very proud of his players in this series overall. "The guys played hard and battled. We moved a few guys from forward to defence and they a great job for us accepting that role and adapting. Coach/GM John Mintenko echoed Friesens sentiments "Having to pull a few forwards back to help on defence was tough, but nobody complained and that says a lot. It's the playoffs, everyone has to chip in and contribute. I also thought we got great goaltending from Janzen throughout the series, especially in games 2, 3 and now in game 4 he gave us every chance for a win. The guys are happy and tired, so having a few days off before the next series is good for everyone." Not in the line-up: Dane Crowley, Mike Friesen & Dan Poppel Maroons hold on to win 2-1, lead series 2 games to 1 Tuesday, Feb. 16th, 2016 Altona Maroons 2 - Warren Mercs 1 With the series now tied at one game a piece, the Maroons were looking to use home ice to their advantage. Coming off a 4-0 win in Warren Jayme Janzen would continue to play solid as both teams would trade scoring chances early in the game. Late in the period Nick Doyle would break out of the Maroons zone while the Maroons were fighting off a penalty and get the puck to Shea Hamilton. Hamilton's shot would beat Mercs goalie Ben Lobb for a 1-0 lead. In the 2nd period the Mercs would keep pressing and taking shots towards Janzen. With less then 4 min. left in the middle frame Reid MacLeod would feed Cliff Ketchen a pass and Ketchens shot would find the back of the net tying the game at 1-1. The 3rd period saw both teams trade a few chances. The Mercs would continue to forecheck aggressivley but were unable to solve Janzen. With less then 9 min. to play Matt Dyck and Nick Doyle would connect to set up Shea Hamilton and Hamilton would score for a 2-1 lead. The 1 goal lead was enough as the Maroons would hang on to win the critical game 3 and lead the series 2-1 heading back to the Sunova Center in Warren. National Anthem performed by: Gabbi Wolfe 50/50 Winner - Dan Geirnaert, Altona Not in the line-up: Dane Crowley, Mike Friesen & Dan Poppel Maroons bounce back and win 4-0 in Warren, Series tied at 1-1. Friday, Feb. 12th, 2016 Altona Maroons 4 - Warren Mercs 0 Jayme Janzen provided all the goaltending necessary in Game 2 and the Maroons were able to hold leads of 1-0 after the first period, 2-0 after the second period and score two more goals in the third period in Warren for a bounce back win 4-0. Scoring for the Maroons in Warren - Matt Dyck, Nick Doyle (2) and Angus Klassen. Maroons drop Game 1 at home - 5-4 to Warren Thursday, Feb. 11th, 2016 Warren Mercs - 5 - Altona Maroons 4 The Warren Mercs came into Altona for Game 1 of the playoffs and quickly started the scoring just 4 min. in. Midway through the first period the Mercs added a second goal before Dane Crowley's point shot would find the back of the net. The Maroons would trail 2-1 heading into the second period. Early in the second period the Mercs would make it 3-1. Before the second period was half over the Mercs would add two more goals making it 5-1. Late in the period the home team Maroons would get back on the board courtesy of a goal from Angus Klassen. The Maroons would finish the period very strong but trail 5-3 heading into the third period. In the the third period the Maroons would capitalize on a powerplay and Dane Crwoley would score his 2nd of the night with 16:41 left to play. The Maroons would continue to pour on pressure and keep the majority of the play in the Mercs end with just under 5 min. left to play Tyler Dittmer would squeeze in another goal making it 5-4. With time slipping away the Maroons would pull Janzen in favour of an extra attacker and continued to buzz in the Mercs end. The Mercs were able to thwart a tying goal and even iced the puck a few times. Angus Klassen would come within an inch of tying the game putting the puck off the goal post but the Mercs pushed back any chance of the Maroons getting the loose puck in the crease over the line and after 60 minutes it was the Mercs winning Game 1 in Altona. National Anthem performed by - Gabbi Wolfe 50/50 Winner - Len Scheiman (2nd time in the last few home games - Congrats!) Maroons clinch 2nd place with last reg. season game win over Portage Islanders Saturday, Feb. 6th, 2016 Altona Maroons 5 - Portage Islanders 1 Proving that there is great parity in the league the SEMHL Final standings needed games on the last night of the regular season to determine the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th place finishes. A clean win by the Maroons would determine a 2nd place finish. In the first period of the game with the Islanders, Matt Dyck would beat goalie Jesse Deckert with assists going to Dane Crowley and Tyler Dittmer. It would take until roughly seven minutes into the second period for Sklar Klassen to win an offensive zone face-off, with Kevin Giesbrecht setting up Crowley for a goal to make it 2-0 Maroons. Just under two min. later Matt Dyck would send a long pass across the offensive zone to Tyler Dittmer and Dittmers shot would beat Deckert under the crossbar to make it 3-0. Early in the third period Jon Froese and Tim Knight would connect with Knight getting the puck over to Brett Klassen and Klassen's goal would give the Maroons a 4-0 lead. Midway through the final frame, Islanders A.J. Spillier would beat a few Maroons defenders before solving Jayme Janzen to break the shut out bid and give the Islanders some life. With just under two minutes to play Dittmer would pick up his 2nd of the night giving the Maroon a 5-1 lead. Moments later Tim Knight worked himself into a partial breakaway situation and deked Deckert out but Deckert made a terrific save to keep the puck out of the net. When the buzzer sounded it was a 5-1 final for the Maroons. Coach John Mintenko was very happy with the teams play. "We got a great effort from everyone in the lineup. It seems we've had to always make line and position adjustments and sometimes it shows, but tonight everyone made those adjustments and stuck to a solid game plan. Portage has a really good club and I wanted the guys to make sure they played smart. We played a hard working, disciplined game and stayed out of the penalty box. I don't think we gave them too many chances to get into this game. The score is a bit misleading, I though they could have made it a different game but Jayme (Janzen) played very well for us." Game Notes - Not in the line up: Mitch Fehr & Nick Doyle After the game the Maroons players joined teammate Mitch Fehr and his fiancee Meaghan Toews at their Wedding Social. By all acounts the wedding social was a success - Congrats Mitch & Meaghan. National Anthem performed by: Jenna Alexander 50/50 Winner - Justin Fehr of Winkler Beavers edge Maroons in overtime - 6-5 Thursday, Feb. 4th, 2016 Carman Beavers 6 - Altona Maroon 5 The Altona Maroons rolled into Carman hoping for a win on the heels of a Wednesday night (Make up game) against the Winkler Royals. Early in the first period Brett Klassen would beat Beavers goalie Steve Christie to give the Maroons a 1-0 lead just under a minute into the game with asssits to Matt Dyck and Tim Knight. Later in the opening frame, Klassen would notch his second of the game this time it would be unnassisted. The hometown Beavers would get one back with just under 5 min. left in the period when Darren Bestland and Brett Chartier connected with Jesse Vanderveen and Vanderveens shot would beat Jayme Janzen. After 20 min. the Maroons found themselves with a 2-1 lead. Just under 5 minutes left in the second period league leading scorer Aaron Lewadniuk would tie the game at 2-2. Less then 2 minutes later the Maroons would score a powerplay goal courtesy of Dane Crowley and re-gain the lead at 3-2. One minute later the one goal lead would vanish when Lewadniuk would pot his 2nd of the night tying the game at 3-3 heading to the third period. Halfway into the third period Tim Knight would muscle a loose puck over the goal line for a 4-3 Maroons lead and then just under 4 min. left in the game Matt Dyck would spring Nick Doyle for a breakaway and Doyle would beat Christie on the glove side to make it 5-3. All signs should point to a win when you are leading a hockey game 5-3 with under 4 min. to play but with just under 2 min. left in the game the Maroons were assessed a 2 min. holding penalty and the Beavers powerplay went to work. Darren Bestland would eventually get credit with a goal to make it 5-4. 20 sec. later the Beavers would press hard into the Maroons end and tie the game courtesy of Ryan McIntosh. The remaining time on the clock would run out and send this game to overtime. Both teams would trade a few chanes in the extra frame, but as time was winding down the Beavers would capitlize on a Maroons defensive error and Mark Owen was left alone in front of Janzen to score and send the home team off the ice happy with the comeback win. Golden West Media Sports director - Clayton Dreger was in attendance and the images from this game are courtesy of Pembina Valley Online. Maroons defeat Royals 7-4 in a make-up game Wednesday, Feb. 3rd, 2016 Altona Maroons 7 Winkler Royals 4 Playing a rare Wednesday night game the Maroons and Royals would face off against each other at the Sunflower Gardens. Matt Dyck would open the scoring just under 5 min. into the game beating Royals goalie Matt Krahn. The Royals would later respond midway through the period when Blake Forsyth's shot would beat Janzen on the stick side. Later in the period with approx. 5 min. left before intermission Shea Hamilton appearing in just his 3rd game this season would make a nice deke on Krahn and slide in a back hand to give the Maroons a 2-1 lead. In the second period less then a minute in, Mitch Doell would take a pass from Phil Letkeman on a powerplay and beat Janzen to tie the game 2-2. Shortly before the period was half over Tyler Dittmer would feed Nick Doyle a pass and Doyles shot would find the back of the net for a 3-2 lead. The Maroons would add another goal at the 12:20 mark of the period, but this time it was Angus Klassen and Nick Doyle connecting with Tyler Dittmer and Dittmer would score to make it 4-2. With 2 min. left before the 2nd intermission the Maroons capitlalized a powerplay opportunity and Tyler Ditttmer would score his second of the night to give the Maroons a 5-2 lead heading to the 3rd period. In the 3rd period Angus Klassen would score just over 5 min. in to make it 6-2. In the last 10 min. of the game the Maroons would take 3 seperate penalties and the Royals would make good on 2 of them with Caleb Suderman and Mitch Doell scoring to make it 6-4. With just 3 min. to play Winkler increased their offensive zone prescence but eventually the Maroons would find the back of the empty net with 30 sec. left to play when Nick Doyle floated a long wrist shot in to make t 7-4 for the hometown team. Game Notes: Not in the line up: Dan Poppel National Anthem performed by: Gabbi Wolfe 50 / 50 Winner - Len Scheiman of Rosenfeld Maroons win nailbiter in OT 8-7 to close out Altona's Winter Carnival Saturday, Jan. 30th, 2016 Altona Maroons 8 - Notre Dame Hawks 7 After coming off a 1-0 shootout loss, the Maroons decided it was time put the scoreboard to work. After falling behind 1-0 the Marons potted two quick ones in a matter of two min. from Rosenfeld brothers Angus Klassen and Brett Klassen. But just before the period ran out the Hawks tied it 2-2 heading into the second. Ryan Gerbrandt began the scoring for Altona in the second but the Hawks came right back tieing it less than a minute later. Then the Maroons took over with 4 goals before the period ended. One came from Matt Dyck, two from Dane Crowley and Angus Klassen got his second of the game to make it 7-3 heading into the third. In the third period the wheels fell off for the Maroons. Penalty trouble allowed the Hawks to battle back in the game and they scored four straight goals, one with the empty net in the final minute to tie the game. Dane Crowley appeared to have scored to give the Maroons an exciting last second win but the buzzer was already sounding as the puck went in the net. In the Overtime period Tyler Dittmer poked the puck in off the goal line from a Shea Hamilton sharp angle shot to win the game 8-7. It was not a pretty win for the Maroons but they got the job done in the end. Write up based on the Red River Valley Echo article by Craig Neufeld. National Anthem performed by: Gabbi Wolfe 50/50 Winner - Jackie Pappel Game Notes: Not in the line up - Dan Poppel & Nick Doyle Special Thanks to 2015 Manitoba Sunflower Festival Royalty - Queen Madeline Harder, 1st Princess Jayda Turenne and Miss People's Choice / Miss Congeniality Brittany Klassen as they helped sell 50/50 tickets in the stands as part of their involvment with Altona's Winter Carnival. Redskins edge Maroons in a shoot-out - Final 1-0 Thursday, Jan. 28th, 2016 Morden Redskins 1 - Altona Maroons - 0 The Altona Maroons were involved in a defensive affair when they in were in Morden to take on the Redskins. The Winner of this game would be put into a tie with the Winkler Royals for second place for the time being. The first period saw both teams played very structured hockey. Not many scoring chances were had, and those that were had were turned away by each of the netminders. The second periodd was more of the same but the game opened up slightly with a more chances either way. Still, no chance was good enough to find the back of the net. The third period saw some great chances being had and both goalies (Reed Peters, Morden) and Jayme Janzen (Altona) playing very well. The Redskins looked to have a goal in the middle of the frame but Janzen came up big and Dane Crowley was able to lay down in the crease to block the rebound. At the other end it looked as though the Maroons were going to take the lead but Peters was able to pull the puck off the goaline at the last secondto keep the game scoreless. The game headed to overtime in a very rare 0-0 tie. In overtime both teams traded chances once again but with neither team scoring it was sent to a shootout. In the shootout it was the Redskins who took it 1-0 on a goal from Graham Leiding. The Maroons best chance to score was with Angus Klassen's shot beating Peters but ringing off the goal post. Write up taken from Red River Valley Echo - by Craig Neufeld. Maroons drop first road game of the year to defending League Champs Saturday, Nov. 14th, 2015 Morden Redskins 4 - Altona Maroons - 0 The Maroons opened their season on the road in Morden. Icing a smaller squad with some help from a few AP's from the Red River Mudbugs, the team was able to keep things close early on and with Jayme Janzen playing sharp in the first period. The teams would head in after the first period with a scoreless tie. Less then 3 min. into the 2nd period the Redskins would hold a 2-0 lead and later in the middle frame the Redskins would make it 3-0 off a point shot that went off a Maroons defenceman's shin pad to find the back of the net. In the 3rd period the Redskins would switch up some of their line combinations and continue to make things difficult for the Maroons. Late in the 3rd, with Janzen pulled in favour of an extra attacker the Redskins would take advantage of a neutral zone turnover and score an empty net goal. When the dust settled, coach Rob Friesen commented that overall he was happy to get into a game situation and start assessing players. Friesen was pleased with the efforts of the players including the AP's Tristan Dueck and Mark Falk as well as newcomer to Senior hockey Ryan Gerbrandt. ****************************************************** 2014 - 2015 Final Recap - The Morden Redskins would eventually win the Semi-Finals series with the Maroons and go on to face the Carman Beavers in the SEMHL Finals with the Redskins winning the League Championship. March 3, 2015 Maroons have life in Semi-Finals with 4-3 win over Redskins Sat. Feb. 28 -Maroons 4 Redskins 3 <img title="1415dycker.jpg" src="/usrimages/1415dycker.jpg" alt="1415dycker.jpg" width="448" height="299" /> With 1:23 left to play in regulation, the Maroons Ryan Dyck would score a powerplay goal beating Redskins goalie Reed Peters to break a 3-3 tie and the Maroons would hang on for the win extending their seasonand forcing another playoff game. Late in the 1st period Tyler Dittmer and Angus Klassen would connect with Klassen finding the back of the net for a 1-0 lead that would hold until the 2nd period. Midway through the 2nd period the Maroons would score 2 more times with Ryan Dyck converting a Tyler Dittmer pass in the slot on a powerplay and less then 2 min. later Dittmer and Klassen would find themselves on a shorthanded 2 on 1 with Dittmer feeding Klassen a pass that he would bury for a 3-0 lead. The 3rd period wasn't kind to the Maroons as they would be handed a total of 5 consecutive penalties. The Redskins would cut the lead to 3-1 scoring just over a min. into the period when Blair Osiowy finally beat Jayme Janzen. With just over 10 min. left to play the Redskins powerplay went to work with a 2 man advantage Jay Fehr would score cutting the lead to 3-2 and then just over a min. later and still on a powerplay Fehr would get credit for his 2nd of the night tying the game at 3-3. The Maroons would have to fight off one more Redskins powerplay before playing at even strength for the final 9 min. of the game. With fans on their edges of their seats both teams would battle hard and late in the period Ryan Dyck's 2nd goal of the game would give the Maroons a 4-3 lead and stand as the winning goal. Not in the line-up: Dane Crowley 50/50 Winner - John W. Froese Maroons win 5-3 over Royals in final regular season game. Game Sponsor Parkland Condominiums. <img title="parklandliving.jpg" src="/usrimages/parklandliving.jpg" alt="parklandliving.jpg" width="336" height="348" /> <img title="1415mattdyck.jpg" src="/usrimages/1415mattdyck.jpg" alt="1415mattdyck.jpg" width="448" height="298" /> <img title="1415jonfroese.jpg" src="/usrimages/1415jonfroese.jpg" alt="1415jonfroese.jpg" /> Maroons defeat the Hawks in Notre Dame 5-3 Sat. Jan. 24th Sat. Feb. 9 - Maroons 5 Royals 3 The Altona Maroons had been in 2nd place most of the season but towards the end of the SEMHL regular season teams were moving around a lot. Winkler fell out of 1st place while the Morden Redskins moved up to 1st and the Maroons dropped to 3rd and then 4th respectivley. While the last regular season game wouldn't change anything for the Maroons, a Royals win would give them first place. A great crowd was on hand for the Parkland Condominiums sponsored game and midway through the first period Royals defenceman Blake Forsyth would give the visiting team a 1-0 lead. Late in the period Ryan Dyck would tie the game beating Blaine Unger with quick snap shot on the glove side. In the 2nd period Steve Doell's goal would give the Royals a 2-1 lead before Matt Dyck on a nice set up from Dane Crowley would tie the game again at 2-2. It would be a short time before the Royals would go up 3-2 when Forsyth notched his 2nd of the game. The rest of the period would play out with the Maroons outchancing the Royals. In the 3rd period it was all Maroons as Matt Dyck would score his 2nd of the night to tie it up at 3-3 and then Joey Braun would score giving the Maroons a 4-3 lead and late in the final frame Jon Froese would score a nice goal with a wrist shot through Unger's five hole for an insurance marker. The Maroons would hang on for the win. Jayme Janzen picked up the win stopping 39 of the 42 shots he faced while Blaine Unger records a loss stopping 42 of the 47 shots he faced. Maroons assistant coach John Mintenko was pleased with the victory noting "for us it was a nothing game, but you want to go into the playoffs on a good note and I thought we did a good job of getting a lot of pucks to their net". With the Maroons locking up 4th place the first round match up will pit them against the Warren Mercs who finished 5th in league standings. Playoff information to come soon. 50/50 Winner - Dick Letkeman of Altona Parkland Condominiums door prize winner - Ralph Hamm of Altona. National Anthem performed by - Gabbi Wolfe Maroons host Carman Beavers on Sun Valley Co-op Night - Saturday, Dec. 20th @ 8:00 p.m. <img title="co_op_logo.jpg" src="/usrimages/co_op_logo.jpg" alt="co_op_logo.jpg" width="200" height="113" /> Dittmer picks up a hat trick and Janzen records a shutout as Maroons drop Mercs 6-0 Sat. Dec. 13th The Maroons travelled to Warren on Saturday, Dec. 13th to face the Mercs for the 2nd time this season. After losing to the Mercs in Overtime early in the season the squad was looking for revenge. The game started off sloppy for both teams as they each looked to generate consistent pressure. The Mercs bench was short and in net was 2nd string Cole Boulton. Early on Boulton made some strong saves to keep the home team in the game. Midway through the first period and on a powerplay, Josh Froese would feed Jon Froese a pass and Froese would beat Boulton with a stick side wrist shot for a 1-0 lead. The Maroons would pick up the pace towards the very end of the period but Boulton would close the door and after 20 min. it remained 1-0. Tyler Dittmer would make it 2-0 midway through the 2nd period picking up a long pass through the neutral zone from Dane Crowley. Later in the period with just under 3 min. to play, Jon Froese would pick up his 2nd of the game with assists to Nolan Martens and Mitch Fehr. After Froese's goal the Maroons would quickly make it 3-0 just 7 seconds later. This time Nolan Martens slid the puck past Boulton in a bit of a crease scramble. 39 Seconds later Angus Klassen and Shea Hamilton would both assist Dittmer for his 2nd of the game and a 5-0 lead. The 3 goals in the final 3 minutes of the period spelled the end of the night for Boulton. In the 3rd period Brock Corbett emerged as the goalie for the Mercs. The Maroons would test Corbett early and although he loooked a bit shaky he was able to fend off the shots. Angus Klassen would have Corbett beat on a breakaway but the crossbar would keep the puck out of the net. Midway through the final frame Darin Husak escaped a hitting from behind penalty with a boarding call and the Maroons would make the Mercs pay on the ensuing powerplay. Shea Hamilton and Klassen would both grab an assist and help set up Dittmer for a goal making it 6-0 and giving Dittmer a hat trick. The balance of the game would play out with both teams each getting a few more scoring chances and when the dust settled it was the Maroons leaving Warren with a win and 2 points for standings column. Game notes: Not in the line-up - Matt Dyck, Ryan Dyck & Kevin Giesbrecht. Coaches Comments: Head Coach Rob Friesen was happy with the win citing that Warren as a tough team to play even with a shorter bench. "They were missing some players tonight and I think we got caught in the trap that we should have an easier time with them. That's a bad mistake to make. Luckily we got our legs moving and after a period and a half we started to find the back of the net. They still generated some strong odd man rushes on us and Janzen came up with good saves when he was tested." The Maroons next game will be a home game on Saturday, Dec. 20th when the Carman Beavers visit the Sunflower Gardens with Sun Valley Co-op as the Game Sponsor. Game time is 8:00 p.m. Ryan Dyck - 400 Career Games Played <img title="1415ryanprogram.jpg" src="/usrimages/1415ryanprogram.jpg" alt="1415ryanprogram.jpg" width="336" height="438" /> Dec. 11th Home game program cover featured Ryan Dyck. The Altona Maroons congratulate Ryan on playing in his 400th career SEMHL game. Now in his 15th season, Dyck has compiled 232 goals, 458 assists for 690 points and sits 6th in All Time SEMHL scoring. It's quite the accomplishment! During the course of his career Dyck has played with the Morden Redskins, Carman Beavers and the Altona Maroons. Outside of the SEMHL Dyck has coached at various levels of youth hockey, MMJHL and in the last number of seasons he has participated with the Southeast Prairie Thunder AAA team and is a member of the 2011-12 Allan Cup Championship team. Congrulations Ryan! Angus Klassen records a hat trick but Royals edge Maroons 6-5 Thur. Dec. 11 Game Sponsor - Border Real Estate <img title="borderrealestate.jpg" src="/usrimages/borderrealestate.jpg" alt="borderrealestate.jpg" width="306" height="165" /> Staff members from Border Real Estate treated fans to FREE popcorn and many bags contained surprise gifts much to the delight of Maroons fans. The Maroons and Royals were back at it on Thursday, Dec. 11th. With the season series tied at one game a piece the Maroons were hoping that home ice would give them a lift to get past the Royals. The first period featured 5 goals with Winkler opening the scoring courtesy of Mark Hildebrand taking advantage of a defensive breakdown and beating Jayme Janzen with a low wrist shot just 2 min. into the ame. A min. later Tyler Dittmer would tie the game 1-1 and just 40 sec. later Shea Hamilton's quick shot would beat Royals goalie Blaine Unger for a 2-1 Maroons lead. Shortly after at the 15:00 min. mark of the first Marlin Froese would set up Steve Doell and the game would be tied again. Later in the period with 8 min. left before the intermission Phil Letkeman's wrist shot through traffic would find the back of the net for a 3-2 lead. In the 2nd period the Maroons would tie the game with Josh Froese and Dittmer setting up Angus Klassen for his first of the game. Marlin Froese would give the Royals the lead midway through the period before Klassen would get his 2nd of the night on a powerplay with less then 5 min. left in the period. The Royals would strike one more time with Brett Harder picking up a powerplay goal with just under 2 min. to go before the 2nd intermission. <img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="angus14winkler.jpg" src="/usrimages/angus14winkler.jpg" alt="angus14winkler.jpg" width="448" height="298" /> Angus Klassen scoring one of his 3 goals of the game. Photo credit: Ray Peters. With the score 5-4 heading into the 3rd period the crowd would treated to an exciting finish. Both teams would continue to battle each other with the Maroons looking to tie the game and the Royals looking to pull ahead and increase their one goal lead. With just under 7 min. left to play Steve Doell would get his 2nd goal of the game making it 6-4. The Maroons would pick up their game from here on in looking to keep it close and late in the game after a time-out and with 6 attackers on the ice Angus Klassen would score notching his first career SEMHL hat trick making it 6-5 with just under 2 min. left to play. The Maroons would send Janzen back to the net after the goal and once they regained pressure in the Royals zone Janzen would head to the bench for the extra attacker. A plethora of scoring chances would be had but time would run out on the Maroons and the Royals would leave Altona with the win and the 2 points. Coaches Comments: Coach Rob Friesen was frustrated that the team couldn't have played more structured hockey for the full 60 min. "We had a few defensive breakdowns early on and that resulted in a few turnovers and opposition goals. Jayme has been outstanding in net for us and I know he would like to have a few of those goals back. We applied great pressure late in the game and I was expecting us to tie the game and take that momementum as far as we could. Unfortunatley it wasn't our night." <img title="genisishouse.jpg" src="/usrimages/genisishouse.jpg" alt="genisishouse.jpg" width="309" height="448" /> During the pre-game warm-ups the Maroons wore jerseys in support of Domestic Abuse against Women. The jerseys were provided by Southern Manitoba's Genesis House. The message being that "Peace begins at home". Hawks on home ice topple Maroons 8-5 Sat. Dec. 6, 2014 Following a Friday night game in Winkler in which the Maroons were missing a few players and had 2 players ejected during the game, the Maroons packed up the old bus and headed to Notre Dame on Saturday to face off against the Hawks. The Hawks would open the scoring with 7 min. left in the first period with Myles Nykoluk beating Maroons goalie Eric Martel. Just under 40 sec. later Matt Dyck and Dane Crowley would set up Angus Klassen and Klassen would muscle one in past Hawks netminder Marc Lesage to tie the game 1-1. The 2nd period saw the two teams trade goals a few times with the Maroons holding a 4-3 lead after 40 min. Maroons goals in the 2nd period were courtesy of Tyler Dittmer (2) and Klassen picking up his 2nd of the game. Matt Dyck picked up assists on each on 2 of the Maroons 3 2nd period goals for 3 assists on the night. For the Hawks Jason Yuel and Paul Chanel each notched a goal. The Hawks would go on to score 4 consecutive goals in the 3rd period giving them a 7-4 lead before Ryan Dyck connected with Jared Barnabe with Barnabe's goal making it 7-5 with just under 3 min. left in the game. With just over a min. left in the game coach John Mintenko pulled goalie Eric Martel looking inch within one goal but with 30 sec. left to play Jean Preject sent a shot into the empty Maroons net giving the Hawks an 8-5 home ice win. Game notes: Not in the line-up: Shea Hamilton, Josh Froese & Kevin Giesbrecht. Added to the line up: Haydon Friesen. Coaches Comments: Coach Mintenko thought that the game didn't seem too have much of a consistent flow for either team. Lively boards and errant passing plays broken up from both teams contributed to a bit of a sloppy game. The 4-3 lead going into the 3rd was nice when you're on the road but it's also a tough lead to hold. You have to credit the Hawks for jumping on us early in the 3rd to get back into the game and by the time they had a 6-4 lead with about 10 min. left to play we started to show a bit of fatigue. It wasn't our night. We will rest up and prepare for our next home game. The Maroons next game will be Thursday, Dec. 11th when they host the Winkler Royals. Maroons win 3-1 in Winkler Fri. Dec. 5, 2014 Meeting for the 2nd time in less than a week the Maroons were in Winkler last Friday to take on the Royals. The Maroons played well in the first period and although the shot clock favoured the Royals, the Maroons did have a Tyler Dittmer breakaway attempt with the puck almost crossing the goal line but the first period would remain scoreless when the buzzer sounded to indicate the intermission. In the 2nd period the Maroons would lose Matt Dyck to three stick infracations in the game but were able to avoid a Royals popwerplay goal. However the Royals would get on the board late in the frame with Phil Letkeman redirecting a Caleb Suderman point shot for a powerplay goal. This Royals powerplay was due to Maroons import defenceman receiving a 5 min. major & Game misconduct for a high hit to the head on Royals forward Andrew Froese. Down two players the Maroons would finish off the period down only 1-0. The 3rd period would see the Maroons break Royals goalie Mark Friesen when on a 2 min. powerplay Tyler Dittmer's slapshot would miss the net and come off the end boards hitting Friesen's leg and going in making it 1-1. With the game now tied the intensity and pace was further elevated. Maroons Jayme Janzen was making saves to keep his team in the game. The Maroons forwards pressed on and finally with just over 7 min. left to play Angus Klassen stole the puck off a Royals player behind the Royals net and in one quick motion wrapped the puck around the net and slid it under Friesen for a 2-1 lead. Finally playing with a lead the Maroons forwards continued to press on offensivley and just over 2 min. later would get an important "insurance" goal from Nolan Martens finishing a nice passing play from Dittmer and Mitch Fehr making it 3-1. The Royals certainly did not roll over and would throw a lot of pucks towards Janzen in the final 4 and a half minutes including pulling Friesen in the final minute but Janzen kept the door closed and the Maroons running out of gas did a good job of protecting their lead until the final buzzer. Game notes: Not in the line up - Shea Hamilton, Josh Froese, Kevin Giesbrecht. Next game - Sat. Dec. 6 Maroons at Notre Dame Royals edge Maroons 5-3 in Winkler Sun. Nov. 30, 2014 It was a cold and windy Sunday evening as the Maroons travelled to Winkler to take on the 1st place Royals. Midway through the 1st period the Royals Mitch Doell would beat Jayme Janzen to get the home town Royals on the board first. Just over a min. later Nolan Martens fed Mitch Fehr a pass and Fehr was able to get a quick wrist shot off in the slot beating Mark Friesen to tie the game 1-1. <img title="mitchwinkler_2.jpg" src="/usrimages/mitchwinkler_2.jpg" alt="mitchwinkler_2.jpg" width="448" height="298" /> Mitch Fehr celebrating his first period goal in Winkler. Photo credit - Ray Peters After the first period it was apparent that both teams goalies were playing well turning aside a fairly equal amount of shots on net. In the 2nd period the Royals would score twice with Andrew Froese getting a stick on a puck that was flung from the corner by Brett Suderman and late in the period Dale Harder would catch a break when Mike Friesen would lose an edge on his skate giving Harder a breakaway from the blueline in. Harder's low snap shot would beat Janzen and after 40 min. the Royals would be holding a 3-1 lead. The Maroons would start the 3rd period on a 5 on 3 powerplay and Shea Hamilton's high wrist shot would beat Friesen cutting the lead to 3-2. Shortly after Angus Klassen would get a nice pass to Tyler Dittmer and Dittmer's quick shot would find the back of the net tying the game 3-3. The Royals would get a go ahead goal with roughly 10 min. left in the game when Phil Letkeman's shot through some traffic would beat Janzen and then later with just 4 min. left in the game a re-directed point shot from Caleb Suderman that appeared to be high sticked fooled Janzen gave the Royals a 5-3 lead. The Maroons would press in the final 4 min. of the game to climb within one but were unable to capitalize on any chances and have to leave Winkler on wrong side of the Win/Loss column. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line-up - Kevin Giesbrecht & Craig Neufeld. Coaches comments: Head Coach Rob Friesen took some time after the game to address areas of the game that he felt needed improving. Overall Friesen was happy to see that the offence was able to create a lot of good scoring chances. "I thought there were a few times tonight when Shea (Hamilton) had more time then he needs to score and he simply misfired, missing the net at least twice. These things happen. I thought the team played strong overall. I thought we had a few more quality scoring chances then the Royals tonight and I was happy to see us get back into the game early in the 3rd. The last Winkler goal kind of fooled everyone as it was a high shot from the point that ended up going in at shin hight. Everyone saw it change directions except the officials, but we can't make excuses. What we can do is continue to work hard and we will be okay. If we can caplitalize on solid scoring chances our defence and goaltending will give us a great chance every night to win hockey games." Town of Altona Winter Parade Fri. Nov. 28, 2014 <img title="winterparadeweb.jpg" src="/usrimages/winterparadeweb.jpg" alt="winterparadeweb.jpg" width="336" height="448" /> Nolan Martens, Eric Martel, Sam Friesen, Brent Toews & Angus Klassen walked along the parade route handing out candy canes. Maroons route Notre Dame 10-3 Sat. Nov. 22, 2014 Game Sponsor - West Park Motors <img title="westparkfront.jpg" src="/usrimages/westparkfront.jpg" alt="westparkfront.jpg" width="422" height="119" /> The Maroons would open the scoing in the first period just 5 min. in when Matt and Ryan Dyck would collaborate to get Nolan Martens the puck near Hawks goalie Marc Lesage and Martens would celebrate his first ever SEMHL goal. The Hawks would tie the game 1-1 before the periods midway point on a powerplay goal with Travis Klassen beating Jayme Janzen. A few min. later Dane Crowley would send a pass to Angus Klassen in the neutral zone and Klassen would cross the blue line and unload a wrist shot beating Lesage for a 2-1 lead. Late in the period the Hawks would even the score 2-2 with a goal from Jason Yuel. In the 2nd period about 8 min. in, the Maroons would get a powerplay goal of their own from a Dane Crowley slapshot from the high slot. giving the Maroons a short 3-2 lead. The Hawks would bounce right back and tie the game 3-3 less than a min. later with Myles Nykoluk scoring on Janzen. Towards the end of the middle fram Shea Hamilton and Tyler Dittmer would each score goals giving the Maroons a 5-3 lead heading into the 3rd period. In the 3rd period it was all Maroons as the home team would score 5 goals. Angus Klassen and Shea Hamilton would pick up their 2nd goals of the night to make it 7-3 with approximatley 10 min. left to play. Hamilton's goal was a Short handed marker and after the goal the Hawks would pull veteran goalie Marc Lesage in favour of Phil Vigier. 3 min. after the goaltender change Dane Crowley picked up his 2nd goal of the night. In the final 2 min. of the game and just 17 sec. apart, Mitch Fehr would notch a powerplay goal and Josh Froese would score even strength to make it 9-3 and 10-3 respectivley. While the game was even on the scoreboard for the first 2 periods the Maroons offence kicked into high gear for the 3rd period. Game Notes: Not in the line up for the Maroons - Kevin Giesbrecht & Craig Neufeld. National Anthem peformed by: Gabby Wolfe 50/50 Winner - Abe N. <img title="west_park_motors.jpg" src="/usrimages/west_park_motors.jpg" alt="west_park_motors.jpg" width="336" height="448" /> Staff of West Park Motors showing off the Chevy Spark as well as 2 Free Door Prize Draw bins to enter. Congratulations to 400 Club Winners of $200 each - Gerald Loeppky, Irv Loewen, Bernie Wiebe, Bill Hildebrand & Walter Hamm. Maroons blank Redskins 4-0 Thur. Nov. 20, 2014 Game Sponsor - Golden West Media / CFAM <img title="janzenneufeld.jpg" src="/usrimages/janzenneufeld.jpg" alt="janzenneufeld.jpg" width="289" height="370" /> Maroons goalie Jayme Janzen (#29) shares a chuckle with Craig Neufeld The defending Champion Morden Redskins visited Altona on Thursday night for the first time since last season when beating the Maroons for the league title; and it would be the first match up between the two teams since the Manitoba Cup Provincial Championships where the Maroons beat the Redskins in the Semi-Finals 1-0. Both teams came out of the gates quickly and both goalies would look sharp early on. Nearing the midway point of the period Tyler Dittmer and Dane Crowley would connect on a play that would send Josh Froese in on Reed Peters and Froese's backhand finding the twine for a 1-0 Maroons lead. The Maroons would then fight off 2 penalties before late in the period before Dane Crowley would send a long pass to Jon Froese and Froese would make a nice deke on Peters also going to his backhand making it 2-0 with a minue left in the first period. The Maroons would start the 2nd period shorthanded but again the team would kill off the penalty and after both teams would trade penalties midway through the 2nd the Maroons would get on the board again. With just under 5 min. left before the 2nd intermission and on a powerplay Craig Neufeld would make it 3-0 for the Maroons, streaking in from the blueline converting a great pass from Dittmer through the crease under the crossbar. The Redskins would take another penalty before the period ended this time a 2 min. hitting from behind penalty ending Jared Leidings evening early. The 3rd period the Maroons seemed to be in control, playing smart and sound hockey but were tested again midway through the frame with a Crowley interference penalty and 40 sec. later a Josh Froese hooking penalty. If the Redskins were going to make a move, this was their best opportunity. Head Coach Rob Friesen called a time out to rest his players for the upcoming penalty kill and Maroons goalie Jayme Janzen remained sharp during the Redskins 5 on 3. Roughly 30 seconds after Crowley came out of the penalty box and Josh Froese just stepping back onto the ice, making it even strength; Crowley would find himself in front of Peters alone and power a shot past him making it 4-0 essentially giving the Maroons an insurance marker. The Final 5 minutes would play out with the Maroons stepping up the defensive end play hoping to help get Janzen a shutout and after 60 minutes of hockey it was the Maroons taking two points on home ice by a final of 4-0. Game notes: Not in the line-up - Shea Hamilton, Matt Dyck & Kevin Giesbrecht. National Anthem performed by CFAM Morning Host - Jayme Giesbrecht 50/50 Winner - $245.00 - Gerry Sawatzky 400 Club Winners - $200 each Al Sawatzky, Conrad Driedger, Brian Hildebrand / Jody Penner, John Kroeker, Art Wiebe, Elmer Hildebrand, Hartley Gerbrandt & Rick Neufeld. Congratulations and Thank you for your support! <img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="cfam2.jpg" src="/usrimages/cfam2.jpg" alt="cfam2.jpg" width="314" height="235" /> Golden West Radio (CFAM) setting up their display in the arena foyer as part of their Game Sponsor night. CFAM staff members encouraged fans to enter a draw for free Winnipeg Jets tickets. Congratulations to winner Brad Dueck of Altona. <img title="cfam_300dpijpg.jpg" src="/usrimages/cfam_300dpijpg.jpg" alt="cfam_300dpijpg.jpg" width="240" height="89" /> Maroons defeat Beavers 6-1 Sat., Nov. 15, 2014 The Maroons travelled to Carman on Saturday night to take on the Beavers and early in the first period it looked like Beavers import goalie Steve Christie would be hard to beat as the Maroons generated several close scoring chances with Christie turning away everything. The Beavers would have two powerplay chances and the Maroons one, but neither team could find the back of the net. Although the Maroons out chanced the Beavers when Carman pressured the Maroons Jayme Janzen came up with the saves and the teams went into the 2nd period scoreless. In the 2nd period the Maroons would take a 1-0 lead just over 2 min. in, when Jared Barnabe's quick low wrist shot would beat Christie. 3 min. later Dane Crowley and Angus Klassen connected through the neutral zone with Klassen getting the puck over to Ryan Dyck who would find the twine for a 2-0 lead. Shortly after the goal the Maroons would be forced to kill off a 4 min. minor penalty. Less than a min. into the kill, Angus Klassen would intercept a Beavers breakout pass and go in all alone beating Christie low on the stick side for a short handed goal and a 3-0 lead. After killing off the remainder of the penalty the teams battled at full strength and with just over 7 min. left in the 2nd a Josh Froese point shot was re-directed by Kevin Giesbrecht and then Mitch Fehr fooling Christie for a 4-0 lead. 19 seconds later Tyler Dittmer set up Ryan Dyck who fed Angus Klassen and Klassen's 2nd of the game made it 5-0. Late in the period the Beavers would finally solve Janzen with a lot of traffic in front of the net Beavers import forward Luke Cain would re-direct a shot that would sneak in making it 5-1. The late 2nd period goal sparked the hometown Beavers as they came out a bit more energized early in the 3rd period but the Maroons defenceman and Janzen closed the door with Janzen making a few big saves. Midway through the 3rd Angus Klassen and Dane Crowley were in front of the Beavers net with Crowley getting his stick on the puck to put it in for his first SEMHL goal of the season. The Maroons import defenceman now has 1 goal and 5 assists for 6 pts. in 3 games. Both teams traded a few more chances before the clock ticked down and after 60 minutes the Maroons would leave the ice with a 6-1 victory. Game notes: Goalie Jayme Janzen was nearly perfect turning away all but one shot on net. Not in the line-up: Shea Hamilton, Mike Friesen, Matt Dyck & Joey Braun Coaches Comments: John Mintenko coached without Rob Friesen and although line adjustments had to be made Mintenko was pleased how everyone performed. "I thought the line with Dittmer, Klassen and Dyck could have had another 3 or 4 goals. Early on Christie was standing on his head and I thought the game would might be a low scoring affair. When they tested us Janny (Janzen) came up with some great saves. Everyone chipped in tonight. Martens was generating a lot of speed and continued to get chances. Toews, Barnabe & Fehr were played well and we got to see a little more out of rookie Sam Friesen. On the back end we rolled 5 D with Crowley, the Froese brother (Jon & Josh) and the 2 Neufelds (Craig and brother Josh) and they all played sound. I'm very pleased overall how we played. The downside is that it looks as if we will be without Kevin Giesbrecht for a while. We'll know more as he gets his injury looked at." Giesbrecht was checked into the boards en route to the puck and although the check itself was clean and seemingly harmless, his right forearm was positioned in a strange way against the dasher board lip. Giesbrecht grabbed for elbow area and was taken off the ice. Late night X-rays confirmed that indeed his bone has broken right before the elbow joint and surgery will need to be done. No word on how long his injury will keep him out of the line up. Mercs need OT to edge Maroons in home opener Sat. Nov. 8 - Mercs 4 - Maroons 3 OT An excellent crowd turned up to watch the Altona Maroons home opener against the Warren Mercs. To officially open the season the Manitoba Sunflower Festival 2nd Princess Amy Tarnick would drop the puck at a ceremmonial face-off with Maroons Captain Brent Toews and Mercs veteran captain Scott Corbett. Tarnick then sang the National Anthem before the teams got underway for a fiesty and physical game. In the first period 5 min. in, Burke Van Kemenade would beat Jayme Janzen for a 1-0 lead. Midway through the period and on a Powerplay import defenceman Kyle Lundale's point blast through traffic would put the Mercs up 2-0. The Mercs came out forechecking aggressively. Towards the end of the period the Maroons started to generate some chances but Mercs import goalie Gavin McHale turned away all scoring chances. The 2nd period shifted a bit as the Maroons turned the tables on the Mercs winning puck battles and early on Matt Dyck would set up brother Ryan and Ryan's shot would beat McHale cutting the lead to 2-1. Midway through the 2nd period the game seemed to even out as both teams traded chances and were skating well. A lot of animosity between the 2 teams accounted for a total of 11 minor penalties and 2 - 10 min. penalties. Late in the frame with just over a minute to play the Maroons would score a Powerplay goal of their own when Josh Froese would set up Tyler Dittmer and Dittmers quick pass was one-timed past McHale by Angus Klassen tying the game 2-2. The 3rd period opened up even more as the teams both looked to get a go ahead goal and take control of the game. The Maroons would do just that as halfway through the final period as Nolan Martens through the neutral zone sent a head man pass to Matt Dyck crossing the Mercs blueline and Dyck left it for Dittmer. Dittmer took a stride closer towards the net and let a quick snap shot go that beat McHale high under the cross bar for a 3-2 lead. The Mercs would battle back with just over 5 min. left in the game Kyle Luschinski would pounce on a Maroons defensive turnover and set up his brother Brenden who would beat Janzen tying the game at 3 a piece. Neither team could score in the final minutes with the Maroons also having to kill off 2 minor penalties and after 3 periods of physical and fast hockey the game would head to overtime. In the extra frame the Mercs would capitalize on a Maroons turnover and Scott Delong would beat Janzen giving the Mercs the win. The Maroons will now practice and prepare for road game next Saturday v.s the Carman Beavers. Coaches Comments: Head Coach Rob Friesen was frustrated with the amount of penalties that the Maroons took. "It's tough playing a big team like Warren when you are shorthanded a lot. You aren't giving yourself the best chance to win. I thought we looked flat at the start of the game. Halfway through the game we got a lot better and we started winning some of the smaller battles and as the game progressed it really appeared to be either teams to win. McHale played well for them, Janzen played well for us. In the end you could say that a few defensize zone break downs / give aways resulted in the other team winning. We win as a team and lose a team so no one has to be singled out. We know what to do and how to do it. It's only the 2nd game of the season so there is no need to panic." National Anthem performed by: Amy Tarnick 50/50 winner - Kelly Suderman of Altona 2013-14 400 Club Winners of $200 each. Rick Martel, Rod Fehr, Lloyd Wiebe, Bernie & Lyndon Friesen, Clayton Dreger, Liz Hildebrand, Pete Thiessen and Pete Martens. Congratulations! and Thank you for your support! The Maroons also partnered with the South Central Cancer Resource organizaiton. <img title="sccr.png" src="/usrimages/sccr.png" alt="sccr.png" width="448" height="152" /> Fans were notified of a table in the lobby where they could purchase raffle tickets with 100% of the proceeds going to the local organization that assists people dealing with cancer. Maroons open 2014-15 season with 5-3 road win in Stonewall Sat. Nov. 1, 2014 The 64th edition of the Altona Maroons was successful on opening night in Stonewall earning 2 points and defeating the hometown Flyers. In the first period the Maroons would send out their new line combinations and generate a few early scoring chances. Midway thorugh the first veteran defenceman Mike Friesen was sent off for tripping giving the Flyers a powerplay opportunity but Maroons goalie Jayme Janzen came up with a few big saves keeping the game scoreless. The Maroons would generate a few more good shots on Flyers goalie Justin Harris and finally with just over a minute left in the period new import defenceman Dane Crowley would keep the puck in at Flyers blueline, find Ryan Dyck in the corner and Dyck would send brother Matt a quick pass with Dyck Jr. finding the back of the net giving the Maroons a 1-0 lead heading into the 2nd period. In the 2nd period both teams appeared to be settling in with their new line combinations and the Maroons would again pressure the Flyers with goalie Justin Harris doing a great job of taking away a lof of the net for Maroons shooters. With 12 min. left in the period Flyers veteran Adam Kirk would set up Matt Varnes in tight and Varnes was able to jam the puck past Janzen tying it at one a piece. The Maroons would regain the lead just over 2 min. later when Shea Hamilton breaking over the Flyers blueline would feed Crowley and Crowley left the puck for Tyler Dittmer whose quick slapshot would beat Harris high under the crossbar making it 2-1. Continued play in the Flyers zone would result in Hamilton and Dittmer cycling the puck in the corner with Angus Klassen picking up Dittmers pass and wrapping it around the back of the net for a 3-1 lead. With just under 5 min. left in the middle frame Crowley would feed Hamilton a long pass in the neutral zone that he would simply re-diret to a streaking Dittmer and a few strides later Dittmer was in alone on Harris and with a quick deke Dittmer would slide a backhand through Harris for his second of the night and a 4-1 lead. The 3rd period action seemed to slow down a little bit as both teams might have showing a little early season fatigue. The Flyers were able to cut the Maroons lead to 2 goals when Jay Burnett snuck the puck past Janzen. Midway through the 3rd the Flyers would come within one goal after Varnes scored his 2nd of the game on a Flyers powerplay. The Maroons would bounce back and again pressure the Flyers in their end with Harris making several more big saves. With just over 4 min. to play in the game Hamilton would work the puck into the Flyers corner and get it over to Dittmer along the end wall who spotted Josh Froese sneaking in from the blueline and Froese made no mistake finding the back of the net for 5-3 lead. Maroons coaches Rob Friesen & John Mintenko would call a time out wiht 1:05 left on the clock to rest their players as the Flyers prepared for 6 on 5 play with Harris pulled in attempt to claw back into the game. The Flyers attempt was unsuccessful and the Maroons would leave Stonewall with 2 points in the standings column. Game notes: it's been a while since the Maroons featured several new faces. Playing in their first senior hockey games in the SEMHL for the Maroons were defenceman (Import) Dane Crowley, Josh Neufeld and forwards Nolan Martens, Joey Braun and Sam Friesen. Playing in his first league game with the Maroons, goaltender Jayme Janzen. Scoring for the Maroons - Goals - M. Dyck, Dittmer (2), Klassen & Josh Froese. Assists - R. Dyck, Crowley (3), Hamilton (4) & Dittmer (2) Not in the line up for the Maroons: Jon Froese & Jared Barnabe. Coaches Comments: Head Coach Rob Friesen was pleased overall with the outcome. He felt that the Maroons controlled the play and outchanced the Flyers. Friesen didn't think that the shot clock was entirely accurate in terms of the amount of shots the Flyers had on net, but regardless praised the play of his goalie Janzen and gave credit to Flyers goalie Justin Harris for making a lot of good saves. Friesen added, "It's nice to see a bunch of new young faces and it's also nice to see the veteran guys on the team make some room for these guys to get some shifts in and allow them to start experiencing senior hockey. It's always great to get the first game of the year out of the way, work out some kinks, try some new line combiations and move along from here". The Maroons next game will be their home opener agains the Warren Mercs on Saturday, Nov. 8th, Game time is 8:00 p.m. 2013-14 Team Wind up & Award Winners Info to come *** Updated April 9th, 2014*** Maroons prepare for Hockey Manitoba Provincials, While 6 Maroons will compete for the Allan Cup in Dundas, ON. Fans starving for some more senior hockey action should take note of the upcoming Hockey Manitoba Sr. A Provincials. The Maroons who ran away with last years innagural Provincial tournament event will enter the tournament as this years "wild card" team. There are 5 Senior hockey leagues in Manitoba and each league champion will be represented plus 1 wild card team. This years wild card team was awarded to the runner up of the SEMHL League Finals = Altona Maroons. The Maroons will travel to Killarney on Sunday, April 13th to take on the Deloraine Royals (Champions of the Tiger Hills Hockey League). Game time will be 4:30 p.m. The Maroons second game in the Provincial tournament will be on Thursday, April 17th at the IcePlex in Winnipeg against the Miniota-Elkhorn C Hawks (Champions of the North Central Hockey League). Game time will be 8:20 p.m. The tournament features 6 teams in 2 pools and the 4 teams ith the best records will crossover in Semi-Final with those games taking place on Friday, April 18th at 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Logically, the 2 winning teams will square off for the Championship game on Saturday, April 19th at 5:00 p.m., also at the IcePlex in Winnipeg. Complete Tournament information can be found at www.hockeymanitoba.ca It should also be noted that all teams in the tournament will be allowed to add players from another team in their respective league and the Maroons will be adding players from the Winkler Royals. Meanwhile, the 2013-14 SEMHL Champion Morden Redskins have not declared an affiliate team and will be playing their 2 round robin games v.s. the Manitoba Senior Hockey League champions - Lac du Bonnet Blues and the champions from the Carillon Senior Hockey League - Red River Wild. Allan Cup - On last weeknd of March the South East Prairie Thunder AAA team faced off in a best of 5 with the Shellbrook Elks from Saskatchewan. The South East Prairie Thunder swept the Elks for a return trip to the prestigious Allan Cup tournament in Dundas, ON. Six players from the Altona Maroons will be making the trip to the Allan Cup including Ryan Dyck as an Assistant Coach and players Devon Leblanc, Shea Hamilton, Nick Fuher, Dale Butland, and Dale Butland. The Allan Cup tournament will take place the same weekend as the bulk of the Hockey Manitoba Sr. A Provincials - April 18-20. The Maroons will most certainly miss these players while competing at the Provincials but the Management and players from the team want to wish them the very best as they attempt to capture the oldest hockey trophy in North America. Redskins end Maroons run for a "Three-Peat" taking Final series 4 games to 0. Saturday, March 22, 2014 - Redskins 6 Maroons 2 The Altona Maroons were hoping to avoid a series sweep with a Saturday night Game 4 against the Redskins. A capacity crowd was on hand to give the hometown team a boost and it was the Maroons that would come out of the gates quickly and get themselves on the scoreboard just 5 minutes into the game when Tyler Dittmer redirected a point shot from Nick Fuher. The Redskins Jay Fehr would respond sevral minutes later on a powerplay tying the game at 1-1. Late in frame Dittmer would score his 2nd of the game unassisted giving the Maroons a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission. <img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="dittmerfinals1314.jpg" src="/usrimages/dittmerfinals1314.jpg" alt="dittmerfinals1314.jpg" width="394" height="336" /> Maroons forward Tyler Dittmer on the attack with former Brandon Wheat Kings teammate Jay Fehr of the Redskins attempting to contain him. Dittmer led the SEMHL Playoffs goal scoring with a total of 17. In the second period the Redskins would go to work and before the period was 5 minutes old they would be up 4-2 with goals from Kelby Friesen and Chris Reimer. Late in the period Reimer would score his 2nd of the game and with less then 3 min. to play in the middle frame Keith Bially would sneak a shot over Eric Martel's glove side making it 5-2 heading into the second intermission. The 3rd period saw Bobby Derksen lead the Maroons to the ice. The change in goaltending gave the Maroons some jump as they would work hard and control a fair amount of play in the Redskins end but would fail to get quality scoring chances on Redskins goalie Tyler Oswald. As time would wind down below the 10 min. mark Kelby Friesen would add a partial breakaway goal for his 2nd of the night making it 6-2 for the Redskins and essentially putting the game out of reach for the Maroons. When the final buzzer sounded it was the Redskins who would be celebrating ther 11th SEMHL Championship in franchise history. Before league commissioner Brian Callum would hand over the SEMHL Elmer Hildebrand Championship trophy he would announce the Playoff MVP award to Morden's Jay Fehr. Fehr was a clear choice for the award picking up 15 goals and 26 assists for 41 points in the playoffs. Game notes: Not in the line up for the Maroons was Shea Hamilton who was sitting out his 4th game of a 5 game suspension. National Anthem peformed on electric guitar by Brett Schultz 50/50 Winner of $608.00 was Shaun Tarnick of Altona. Tuesday, March 18, 2014 - Shootout at the Sunflower Gardens, Dittmer notches 2nd playoff hat trick, but Morden takes Game Two - 10-7 <img title="1314finalsjoshweb.jpg" src="/usrimages/1314finalsjoshweb.jpg" alt="1314finalsjoshweb.jpg" width="448" height="316" /> Josh Froese battles with Redskins Derek Holinski - Photo courtesy of ZJP Photography The goals came early and in bunches on Tuesday night in Altona. The crowd of close to 800 fans sure got their monies worth. Just 14 seconds into the game Tyler Dittmer would put the Maroons up 1-0 and shortly after Devon Leblanc giving the hometown Maroons a 2-0 lead. Nearing the midway point of the period Jay Fehr cut the lead to 2-1 in favour of the Maroons. Dittmer would answer less then a minute later making it 3-1. 45 seconds later Andy Zulyniak would get the Redskins to 3-2. Still in the first period Redskins Chris Reimer would tie the game and on the next series of play Keith Bially would give the Redskins a 4-3 lead. At this point Maroons coach Rob Friesen would pull goalie Eric Martel and send Bobby Derksen to the pipes. With less then 5 min. left in the opening frame Ryan Dyck would score tying it at 4-4 but the home crowd was quieted down 40 seconds later as Fehr scored his 2nd of the game and in the final minute of play Bially would add his 2nd of the game giving the Redskins a 6-4 lead after 20 minutes. In the 2nd period Martel led the Maroons onto the ice and Captain Brent Toews would score early to make it a one goal game still in favour of the visitors. Shortly after, the Redskins would score 3 unanswered goals and after 40 min. of play it was 9-5 Redkins. In the 3rd period the Maroons showed no signs of folding as they controlled the play and continued to outshoot the Redskins. Dittmer would pick up his 2nd hat trick of the playoffs making it 9-6 and later Mitch Fehr would score cutting the Redskins lead to 9-7. As the final period winded down the Redskins went to a powerplay and Clint Olsen would convert the opportunity putting the game out of reach at 10-7. <img title="1314finalsdittmerweb.jpg" src="/usrimages/1314finalsdittmerweb.jpg" alt="1314finalsdittmerweb.jpg" width="440" height="336" /> Maroons forward Tyler Dittmer celebrating one of three goals on the night. Photo courtesy of ZJP Photography. Goaltending stats for the game include - Eric Martel 8 Goals Against on 28 shots, Bobby Derksen - 2 Goals Against on 7 shots and for the Redskins Tyler Oswald - 7 Goals Against on 52 shots. Maroons out shot the Redskins 52 - 35. Not in the Maroons line up- Nick Fuher & Shea Hamilton (awaiting pending suspension) National Anthem performed by Gabbi Wolfe 50/50 Winner of $418.00 - Abe Suderman of Altona Altona Maroons 400 Club Winner of $1000 - Bob Stoesz of Altona. Game 3 is in Morden on Thursday, March 20th. Game time is 8 p.m. Out of town fans can listen to the Live broadcast on Country 88.9 FM Saturday, March 15, 2014 - Morden scores early and deficit too much to come back from - Maroons drop game one - 5-3 Matt Dyck when asked about his teams game 1 peformance summed it up well "I think we came out flat footed, We spotted them 2 goals early in the game and to start the 2nd period we spotted them another 2 goals. Down 4-0, 25 min. into the game is a pretty tough deficit to come back from". While the Maroons dropped Game 1 in Morden there were some high points in the game. There were times were the Maroons were in strong puck control and putting a lot of shots towards Redskins import goalie Tyler Oswald but the Redskins did a good job of boxing out the Maroons for rebounds. Scoring for the Maroons was Angus Klassen on a nice partial breakaway deke, Devon Leblanc with a powerplay high slot blast to make it 4-2 and late in the game after the Redskins made it 5-2 on Bobby Derksen (who replaced Eric Martel early in the 2nd period), Dale Butlands point shot would find the back of the net to make it 5-3. Maroons Coach Rob Friesen went on record stating that his team needs to be more disciplined and come ready to compete harder. Game 2 will go Tuesday, March 18th in Altona. The Maroons are looking to even the Best of 7 Championship series at one game a piece. Not in the Maroons line-up - Shea Hamilton (awaiting a pending suspension) and Nick Fuher left the game early due to personal reasons. Maroons advance to SEMHL finals after an exciting 3-2 win in Warren <img title="celebategoal.jpg" src="/usrimages/celebategoal.jpg" alt="celebategoal.jpg" width="448" height="336" /> Senior hockey fans got their moneys worth Tuesday night in Warren as they witnessed two teams play a deciding game 7 go down to the wire. In the first period both teams came out fast and furious. The Maroons would have their chances early on with 2 powerplays but weren't able to capitalize. Later in the period the Mercs had a powerplay and also failed to capitalize. The Maroons would pick up 2 more powerplays and although they couldn't convert on the chances they were keeping the Mercs on their heels. The closest anyone came to scoring was when Maroons forward Angus Klassen rung a wrist shot off the post and later defenceman Dale Butlands shot off the crossbar. After 20 min. it was deadlocked. The 2nd period would see the penalties even out with the Mercs having 2 powerlays to the Maroons 1 but both teams goalies and defenceman did their jobs well keeping scoring chances to a minimum. The back and forth play would continue in the middle frame with an advantage going to Warren overall. Just before the period would end Tyler Dittmer would break through the Mercs defenceman and put a quick snapshot past goalie Gavin McHale for a 1-0 lead. In the 3rd period the Mercs Wes Pawluk would tie the game just over a min. in and later and on a powerplay the Mercs would go up 2-1 courtesy of a Mark Magnowski goal beating Eric Martel. A minute after the Mercs took a 2-1 lead, Tyler Dittmer forechecking in the Mercs zone would sneak a quick shot behind McHale tying the game creating a very exciting final 5 minutes of play. With a large contingent of Maroons fans in Warren and the home fans cheering on the Mercs the stage would be set for some drama. Then with just 1:13 left on the clock Dittmer would strike again, busting into the Mercs zone with the puck, going wide on the defenceman and letting a rocket of a shot go that quickly found the net giving the Maroons a 3-2 lead. The Mercs woudl pull the goalie and attempt the extra man to get a tying goal and had 2 faceoffs in the Maroons end during this time but were unable to put a quality scoring chance together and when the buzzer sounded it was the Maroons that would raise their sticks in victory heading to the finals for the third straight year and fourth time in the las 5 seasons. Game Notes: Not in the line up - Nick Fuher With the Morden Redskins defeating the Winkler Royals 4 games to 2 the stage is set for the Maroons and Redskins to meet in the finals. Game 1 will be Saturday, March 15th in Morden. CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS SCHEDULE - CLICK PLAYOFFS Maroons win Game 6 (Kids Night) v.s. Mercs 5-2 A large crowd was on hand Saturday night as the Maroons hosted the Warren Mercs in a do or die game for the home team. The Mercs struck first with Scott Delong beating Eric Martel less then 4 min. into the game. Later in the frame with the Maroons on a powerplay Tyler Dittmer would beat Mercs goalie Gavin McHale with just 1 sec. left on the clock and it would be 1-1 heading into the intermission. Halfway the 2nd period Mitch Fehr fed Jared Barnabe a pass which Barnabe converted for a goal giving the Maroons a brief 2-1 lead. The Mercs Eric Delong tied the game back up with less then 5 min. in the period and then late in the frame Shea Hamilton would keep the puck with him going behind the Mercs net and turning to put a shot on net. The shot would fool goalie McHale and the Maroons headed into the 3rd period with a 3-2 lead. In the 3rd period Devon Leblanc's wrist shot found the net and gave the Maroons a 4-2 lead and later in the period Mike Friesen's point blast sealed the game for the Maroons making it 5-2. The Maroons now head back to Warren for Game 7 on Tuesday, Mar. 11th. Game time is 8:00 p.m. Saturday's game also featured the ever popular Kids Night with Free Cotton Candy and Team Posters to all the young hockey fans. Following the game the youngsters were invited into the dressing room for autographs. What a treat for not only the young fans but the Maroons players thouroughly enjoyed interacting with kids. <img title="kidsnightposter.jpg" src="/usrimages/kidsnightposter.jpg" alt="kidsnightposter.jpg" width="640" height="425" /> <img title="kidsnight2.jpg" src="/usrimages/kidsnight2.jpg" alt="kidsnight2.jpg" width="480" height="480" /> National Anthem was performed by: Amy Tarnick 50/50 - $362.00 - Claimed by John W. Froese 400 Club - 5 winners of $200 each: Irv Toews #351 Mike Fehr #79 Lil Gerbrand #52 Jeff Dueck #100 Heather Unger #198 Thursday, Mar. 6th Game 5 - Mercs 4 - Maroons 3 (Overtime) Tuesday, Mar. 3rd Game 4 - Maroons 4 - Mercs 0 Saturday, Mar. 1st Game 3 - Maroons 3 - Mercs 2 Thursday, Feb. 27th Game 2 - Mercs 5 - Maroons 2 Things got off to a great start for the Maroons as just two minutes into the game Mitch Fehr worked the puck through the neutral zone along the boards, Kevin Giesbrecht took it in over the blueline and fed Brent Toews a pass and Toews would quickly lift a shot over Mercs import goalie Gavin McHale's glove for an early 1-0 lead. However a min. later Kyle Lundale would tie the game with a point shot and then 27 sec. later Eric Delong would score a powerplay goal going up 2-1. Before the period was halfway through Mark Magnowski would be credited with the Mercs third goal. Heading into the first intermission the Mercs would hold a 3-1 lead. In the 2nd period and just over a minute in, Kyle Luschinski would get a powerplay goal giving the Mercs a 4-1 lead. Coach Rob Friesen pulled Bobby Derksen in favour of Eric Martel. The Mercs powerplay was clicking and before the period was 5 minutes old Eric Delong would score his 2nd powerplay goal beating Martel on his 2nd shot since entering the game. On the upside Martel would get comfortable in net and shut the door on the Mercs for the balance of the 2nd period and then with just over 2 min. left before the intermission the Maroons would finally score a powerplay goal of their own when Matt Dyck set up Devon Leblanc and Leblanc's quick shot beat McHale making it 5-2. The 3rd period found the Maroons trying hard to put a comeback together and before long the minutes were winding down and after 60 min. the Mercs would leave Altona with a win and 2-0 lead in the best of 7 series. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line-up- Jared Barnabe. National Anthem performed by Katrina Schroeder Tuesday, Feb. 25th Game 1 - Mercs 5 - Maroons 3 The Warren Mercs wasted no time shaking off the rust from a 2 week layoff after finishing first in the SEMHL this season. The Mercs came out fast and furious for Game 1 of the Semi-Finals and after the first period they held a 1-0 lead courtesy of a powerplay goal from Mark Magnowski. In the 2nd perio the Mercs would go up 2-0 from a Wes Pawluk goal. With 3 min. left in the period Tyler Dittmer would beat Mercs goalie Gavin McHale cutting the lead to 2-1. In the 3rd period the Maroons would fail to capitalize on a powerplay to start the period and shortly afterwards found themselves down 4-1 with goals from Eric Delong and Pawluk's 2nd of the game. Goalie Bobby Derksen was pulled in favour of Eric Martel. The goalie swith gave the Maroons a quick boost as Devon Leblanc would score cutting the lead to 4-2. Late in the period the Maroons pulled Martel and the Mercs woudl score an empty netter making it 5-2. The Maroons however did not quit and with 25 sec. left on the clock Kevin Giesbrecht would chip in with a goal and the final score would be 5-3 Mercs. Maroons win in Overtime to move onto Semi-Finals QUARTER FINALS - Saturday, Feb. 20th - Maroons 3 - Carman 2 Shea Hamilton was the Overtime hero in the deciding game 5 of the Quarter Finals series. The Maroons now move on to face the Warren Mercs in a Best of 7 Semi-Finals series. Tuesday, Feb. 18th - Carman 6 - Maroons 2 The Maroons were hoping to eliminate the Carman Beavers on home ice and instead the Beavers left Altona with a win and forced a Game #4 back in Carman. The Beavers Rod Owen would score the only goal of the first period beating Eric Martel on a Beavers powerplay. The Maroons were pouring on pressure for the majority of the first period but Beavers goalie Steve Christie was big in net coming up with a few key saves. In the second period the Maroons pressure continued and with just over 6 min. left in the period Shea Hamilton and Angus Klassen connected on a passing play with Klassen sending a pass to the side of the net for Matt Dyck to bang past Christie tying it at 1-1. 2 Min. later the Beavers caught a huge break when a high shot over the net hit the glass and bounced back onto the top of the net, off the net and off the back of Martel and trickled in for a 2-1 lead. Things got worse for the Maroons as they would score a shorthanded goal with less then 2 min. left in the 2nd period capitalizing on a defensive pinch and setting themselves up a on a 2 on 1 with Mark Owen beating Martel for 3-1 lead heading to the 3rd period. The 3rd period would see the Maroons continue to put pucks on the Beavers net but Christie turned them all away. Approximatley 5 min. into the 3rd period Paul Fouasse would scoop up a juicy rebound in the slot in front of Martel and make it 4-1 for the visiting Beavers. 2 min. later Jon Froese slid down from the point and took a pass from Devon Leblanc and beat Christie high on the glove side making it a 2 goal game - 4-2 Beavers. The Maroons would continue to pressure the Beavers and as frustrations mounted so did the penalties. The Beavers made good on a powerplay opportunity and made it 5-2 with just over 4 min. left in the game and later with just over 1 min. left in the game they would add another powerplay goal making it 6-2 and putting the game out of reach. Game notes: Import goalie Steve Christie was the story for the Beavers as he stopped 41 of the 43 shots he faced while the Beavers were able to score 6 goals on the 25 shots they threw at Eric Martel. Coach Rob Friesen wasn't frurstrated with the way the the Maroons played overall citing that the guys will simply need to continue to throw pucks at the net, increase the physical play at both ends of the ice and keep the emotions in check when plays aren't going their way. National Anthem performed by: Jenna Alexander 50/50 Claimed by Elizabeth Dyck 400 Club Winners 2013/14 - of $200.00 each: Chad Friesen #184 John Martens #71 Aurelia & Tallon Peters #325 Deb Hildebrand #59 Meadow & Rex Letkeman #326 Earlier in the day three Maroons players visited Ecole Elmwood Elementary School and participated in "I Love To Read" month. Haydon Friesen, Angus Klassen & Craig Neufeld took time from their schedules to read to the young students. <img title="ilovetoreadweb.jpg" src="/usrimages/ilovetoreadweb.jpg" alt="ilovetoreadweb.jpg" width="448" height="336" /> Haydon Friesen reading "The Hockey Sweater" in Madame Beaudry / Madame Sabourin's Grade 1 class. <img title="lovetoreadweb.jpg" src="/usrimages/lovetoreadweb.jpg" alt="lovetoreadweb.jpg" width="336" height="448" /> Craig Neufeld, Haydon Friesen & Angus Klassen with young fan Jaxon Hildebrand. Saturday, Feb. 15th - Maroons 11 - Carman 3 On Saturday, Feb. 15th the Maroons travelled to Carman to take on the Beavers in Game 2 of the Quarter-Finals. After winning game 1 by the score of 6-3 in Altona on Thursday, Feb. 13th. The Maroons would start the scoring just over a min. into the game when veteran Jon Froese would snap a quick shot high on the glove side of Gavin Callum. Later in the period Kirk Young would tie the game with a powerplay goal and before the period ended Shea Hamilton notched a powerplay goal for a 2-1 lead. In the first 10 minutes of the 2nd period the Maroons would explode with 6 consecutive goals. The goals came courtesy of Devon Leblanc, Angus Klassen, Hamilton, Matt Dyck, Ryan Dyck and Jon Froese. Now leading 8-1 the Maroons made a goaltender change swapping out Eric Martel for Bobby Derksen. Derksen would stop the first few shots he faced before allowing Sean McIntosh to score making 8-2 heading into the 3rd period. In the 3rd the Maroons Tyler Dittmer would beat a Beavers defenceman to the puck and score a nice goal off the crossbar and in for a 9-2 lead. Ryan Dyck would score his second of the game less then 20 seconds after Dittmer's goal making it 10-2. The Beavers bounced right back off the ensuing faceoff and got a lucky one that would deflect off a Maroons forward, change direction and beat Derksen making it 10-3. With the minutes winding down Shea Hamilton would score his hat-trick off a nice feed from Matt Dyck and put the game away making it 11-3. SEMHL Playoff Picture The Altona Maroons finished in 4th place, one point out of 3rd. The Warren Mercs finished in first and will receive a first round bye. The Best of 5 Quarter Final playoff matches will look like this: #2 Winkler Royals v.s. #7 Notre Dame Hawks #3 Morden Redskins v.s. #6 Stonewall Flyers #4 Altona Maroons v.s. #5 Carman Beavers The Maroons series will start on Thursday, Feb. 13th. Thu. Feb. 13 Carman Beavers @ Altona Maroons Sat. Feb. 15 Altona Maroons @ Carman Beavers Tue. Feb. 18 Carman Beavers @ Altona Maroons Thu. Feb. 20 Altona Maroons @ Carman Beavers Sat. Feb. 22 Carman Beavers @ Altona Maroons ** All Games - 8:00 p.m. Start ** Maroons dump Royals 9-2 in last regular season game of the year Saturday, Feb. 8th: Maroons 9 - Winkler 2 A packed house was on hand to take in the final reg. season game of the year for the Maroons. Winkler's Mark Hildebrand would start the scoring for the Royals just 37 sec. into the game beating Eric Martel under the crossbar, but the rest of the period would belong to the Maroons as they would score back to back powerplay goals from Devon Leblanc and Matt Dyck and later with just under 5 min. left in the frame Leblanc would strike again and then less then a min. later Mitch Fehr would lift a rebound from Jared Barnabe's shot on Royals goalie Jayme Janzen over Janzen's glove in for a 4-1 lead. <img title="devondittmerroyals1314.jpg" src="/usrimages/devondittmerroyals1314.jpg" alt="devondittmerroyals1314.jpg" width="448" height="299" /> Tyler Dittmer slides linemate Devon Leblanc and pass in the slot which Leblanc puts past Royals goalie Jayme Janzen in the first period. Photo by ZJP Photography. In the 2nd period the Maroons continued to storm the Royals end and Ryan Dyck would pick up a goal before Tyler Dittmer socred a pair of goals giving the Maroons a 7-1 lead after two periods. In the 3rd period the Maroons would send Bobby Derksen to the pipes and as the midway point of the final period approached Shea Hamilton would race to a loose puck and beat a sprawling Janzen and drift a shot in for an easy goal and an 8-1 lead. The Royals Andrew Froese would get one back making it 8-2 for the Maroons before Brent Toews would bury a goal making it 9-2. <img title="shearoyals1314.jpg" src="/usrimages/shearoyals1314.jpg" alt="shearoyals1314.jpg" width="448" height="299" /> Shea Hamilton wins a race to the puck with Royals goalie Jayme Janzen and score in an empty net in the 3rd period. Photo by ZJP Photography. With the win the Maroons would finish their regular season with a 4 game win streak. Game notes: Not in the line-up for the Maroons - Nick Fuher & Dale Butland. National Anthem performed by Katrina Schroeder 50/50 - $414.00 claimed by Debbie Leblanc 2013-14 400 Club Winners! $200 each! Ryan Hildebrand & Jody Penner #61 Gerald Loeppky #40 Keystone Kat #81 Golden West Managers #39 Hilda Hildebrand #189 Saturday, Jan. 18th: Warren 6 - Maroons 2 The Maroons headed North to the South Interlake on Saturday for the final match up of the regular season against the Warren Mercs. Eric Martel took the start in net for the Maroons while import goalie Gavin McHale got the nod in net for Warren. The Mercs dominated the first period applying heavy pressure early on and just 4 min. in they would score going up 1-0 courtesy of a short handed goal from Brady Nichol. Nichol would add another goal midway through the period and after 20 min. of play the hometown team held a 2-0 lead. In the 2nd period the Maroons were able to strike back after Josh Froese set up Shea Hamilton and Hamilton's shot would get past McHale cutting the lead to 2-1. From that point on the Maroons seemed to have tilted the ice a bit and generate more time in the Mercs zone but the majority of the shots towards the net were right at goalie McHale. Later in the period the Mercs would increase their lead to 3-1 when Scott Corbett's long point shot would get trhough some traffic in front of Martel and find the back of the net. Mike Gemmell would make it 4-1 shortly after and after 40 min. of play the Maroons found themselves in a bit of a hole. Bobby Derksen took to the net for the Maroons in the 3rd period replacing Eric Martel. Just under 5 min. in the Mercs Darrin Husak would beat Dersksen making it 5-1. The Maroons would respond with brothers Jon and Josh Froese connecting on a passing play with Shea Hamilton and Hamilton's quick shot bulged the twine cutting the lead to 5-2 for the Mercs. The Maroons continued to battle and with just over a minute and a half left in the game they would pull their goalie and add an extra attacker, however a blocked shot would send the Mercs Scott Slagerman down the length of the ice with Slaggerman scoring an empty net goal and sealing the win for the Mercs 6-2. After the goal Mercs perennial penaly min. leader Darrin Husak started a scuffle with Matt Dyck. Both players were given Game Misconducts on top of their minor penalties and now will each face a 1 game suspension. Game notes: Not in the line-up: Nick Fuher & Dale Butland. Thursday, Jan. 16 - Maroons 6 - Stonewall 5 Shea Hamilton scores breakaway goal to win in OT 6-5 The Stonewall Flyers travelled to Altona on Thursday, Jan. 16 to take on the Maroons. Although the Flyers are sitting in the basement of the SEMHL standings, the last contest between the two team was an 8-4 Maroons win in Altona and previous to that was a shootout in Stonewall with the Maroons edging the Flyers 9-8. In the first period the Maroons opened the scoring when Shea Hamilton worked the puck down low and got it over to Angus Klassen and Klassen would slip it to Josh Froese who would sneak his shot past Justin Harris for a 1-0 lead. Late in the period Josh Froese and Hamilton were again working the puck in the Flyers zone and Froese got the puck over to Craig Neufeld who dropped in from the point and worked a backhand shot past Harris for a 2-0 Maroons lead. The Flyers would respond on the very next shift when Matthew Varnes beat Bobby Derksen who was in net for his start in the SEMHL with the Maroons cutting the Maroons lead to 2-1. <img title="craigstonewall14.jpg" src="/usrimages/craigstonewall14.jpg" alt="craigstonewall14.jpg" width="448" height="259" /> Maroons Craig Neufeld scoring in tight on a backhand surronded by Stonewall Flyers. Picture courtesy of Golden West Media 5 minutes in to the 2nd period Flyers Richard Enns would score on Derksen tying the game at 2-2 and both teams would continue their quick play throughout the period. At times in the 2nd period the Maroons would pour on pressure in the Flyers end of the ice but Harris was standing tall in net and it would take until there was 6 min. left in the middle frame for the Maroons to regain a lead when Jon Froese and Shea Hamilton would connect with Josh Froese whose quick shot found the back of the net for his 2nd of the night making it 3-2 for the hometown team. The Maroons pressure continued but with less then a minute to play for the 2nd intermisson the Flyers agian tied the game when Matt Varnes set up Jeff Sonnenburg in the slot for a goal and after 40 minutes of play the game was tied 3-3. <img title="joshstonewall14.jpg" src="/usrimages/joshstonewall14.jpg" alt="joshstonewall14.jpg" width="395" height="336" /> Josh Froese burying his shot on the short side past Flyers goalie Justin Harris as Angus Klassen (#10) looks on. Photo courtesy of Golden West Media. In the 3rd period the Maroons would kill off a penalty and Mike Friesen would rush into the neutral zone head manning the puck to Devon Leblanc and Leblanc would send linemate Tyler Dittmer a pass in the high slot, Dittmer would hold onto the puck and sweep to his backhand, lifting the puck over Harris' glove hand giving the Maroons a 4-3 lead. With just under 10 min. to play Adam Farthing set up Adam Kirk and Kirk's shot beat Derksen tying the game up once again - 4-4. Approximatley 2 minutes later Varnes was left unprotected in the slot and he would score his 2nd of the night giving the Flyers their first lead of the evening 5-4. The pace continued to be quick from both teams and with the Maroons pressuring to tie the game Matt Dyck and Dittmer would start a passing play that would end with Leblanc moving in on Harris and scoring on his backhand notching it at 5-5. Both teams would trade a few scoring chances in the dying minutes of regulation but this game would need Overtime to determine and winner and just 71 seconds into OT Ryan Dyck would bank a pass off the neutral zone boards to Shea Hamilton and Hamilton would break around a Flyers defender for a breakaway from the high slot in and deke Harris to his forehand sliding the puck in for the winner. <img title="sheainterview14.jpg" src="/usrimages/sheainterview14.jpg" alt="sheainterview14.jpg" width="566" height="410" /> OT Hero Shea Hamilton speaks with Golden West Media respoter Danton Reimer during a post game interview. With the win the Maroons sweep the season series against the Flyers and improved to 8 Wins, 4 losses, 1 OT loss and 1 Shoot Out loss for 18 points and a temporary hold on 3rd place in the SEMHL standings. Game notes: Not in the line up for the Maroons - Dale Butland & Mitch Klassen. 50/50 Winner - Prize claimed but full name unknown National Anthem performed by: Katrina Schroeder Game Sponsor - DERKSEN TRUCKING Saturday, Jan. 11th Maroons 7 - Notre Dame Hawks 4 - Dittmer records a hat trick! The Notre Dame Hawks were in Altona on Saturday, Jan. 11th and arrived with new import Myles Nykoluk in tow. The Hawks would start the scoring in the first period when Gilles Comte would be beat Maroons goalie Eric Martel just over 2 min. into the game. The Maroons would battle back and tie the game nearing the midway point of the period when Shea Hamilton set up Jon Froese and Froese's low point shot would beat Hawks goalie Marc Lesage. Late in the period Tyler Dittmer would send Matt Dyck in on a breakaway and Dyck would put his shot under the crossbar for a 2-1 lead heading into the intermission. In the second period both teams would trade a few scoring chances before the Maroons would go ahead 3-1 courtesy of a point shot from Haydon Friesen, 7 minutes in. Less than a minute later Justin Dalebozik connected with the aforementioned Myles Nykoluk and Nykoluk's quick shot beat Martel making it a 1 goal game. Later in the period Devon Leblanc would set up Tyler Dittmer and Dittmer's goal put the Maroons up 4-2. With 3 minutes left in the period and on a Maroons powerplay, Dale Butland set up Devon Leblanc and Leblanc's blast from the point found the back of the net for a 5-2 lead. A minute and a half later Brent Toews provided some room for Tyler Dittmer and Dittmer would find himself in alone with Lesage, Dittmer's quick move and backhand shot would cross the goal line making it 6-2. Although the Maroons came into the 3rd period with a 4 goal lead, the Hawks were determined to stay in the game and they did just that after the first half of the period they were outplayed with just over 10 min. left in the game Jean Prejet would beat Martel cutting the Maroons lead in half and just over a minute later Nykouluk and Dalebozik combined to set up Dustin Hurl and Hurl's quick shot brought the Hawks to within 2 goals. The Maroons rallied back and attempted to get the next goal in the game but Lesage would come up big a few times and then with approximatley a minute and a half left in the game Lesage was pulled in favour of an extra attacker. With the Hawks net empty and 6 skaters in the ice in the Maroons end applying pressure the Maroons Dale Butland would find Devon Leblanc near the boards, Leblanc chipped the puck up to Dittmer and Dittmer sent a long clearing shot off the boards that would head the through the neutral zone and into the empty net for his hat trick and put the Maroons up 7-4. Time would run off the clock and the Maroons took the win and the 2 points. Game notes: Not in the line-up: Nick Fuher & Mitch Klassen, However 2 players that were both appearing in their first games this season for the Maroons were goalie Bobby Derksen and veteran Ryan Dyck. 50/50 Winner: Diedrich Friesen - $133.00 National Anthem performed by: Jenna Alexander Game Sponsor: GREEN VALLEY EQUIPMENT Thursday, Dec. 19th Maroons topple Redskins 9-5 It was a wild first period in Morden Thursday evening as the Redskins went up 2-0 in the first 2 min. of the hockey game with Dallas Holenski and Jay Fehr beating Eric Martel for goals. Before the period was even half over Chris Reimer would put the Redskins up 3-0. The Maroons would make it 3-1 at 8:39 of the period when Nick Fuher's point shot was stopped by Morden goalie Tyler Oswald but Tyler Dittmer was on the doorstep and lifted the rebound into the net. A min. and a half later Matt Dyck walked out of the corner with the puck on a powerplay and scored on backhand shot getting the Maroons to within one goal of the Redskins and later in the frame on another powerplay Devon Leblanc would rush the puck end to end and send a pass to Shea Hamilton in the high slot and Hamilton's quick release would beat Oswald high on the glove side tying the game. In the 2nd period both goalies would settle things down a bit for their respective teams. 6 min. into the period on a powerplay the Maroons would take their first lead of the game when Craig Neufeld's wrist shot found the twine and it was 4-3 Maroons. Eric Martel would make a few big saves especially when the Maroons were killing off a 5 on 3 and late in the period the Maroons would increase their lead to 5-3 when Matt Dyck broke out on a 2 on 1 with Tyler Dittmer and Dyck set up Dittmer with an off wing one time blast beating Oswald for the Maroons fifth unasnwered goal. The 3rd period started off quickly for the Maroons as a late 2nd period Redskins penalty had Morden down a man to start the period and 29 seconds in Hamilton would set up Nick Fuher who walked in from the point and sent a hard shot past Oswald for a 6-3 lead. Midway through the 3rd Hamilton would set up Angus Klassen in the slot and his wrist shot would sneak under the crossbar to the back of the net for a 7-3 lead. The Redskins facing a 4 goal defecit would respond immediatley, just over a min. later and on a powerplay with Steve Mullin's point shot beating Martel cutting the lead to 7-4. On the ensuing face-off Shea Hamilton busted around a Redskins defender and lifted a pass over the lone defenceman to Klassen who busted hard to get his stick on the puck and redirect the puck past Oswald restoring the Maroons 4 goal lead. The goal forced Redskins coach to pull Oswald and insert Steph Warnock. The move seemed to spark his club a bit as just over 8 min. left in the game the Redskins Jay Fehr would get his 2nd of the night on a powerplay set up by Chris Reimer and it was 8-5. However, that would be the last goal for the hometown team. With 6 min. left in the game Devon Leblanc's offensive rush deep into the REdskins zone pulled 2 defenders low wiht him and his pass to the slot found Tyler Dittmer and Dittmer quick low shot would beat Warnock for his first SEMHL Hat trick and make it 9-5 for the Maroons. The final minutes would play out uneventful and the Maroons would hand Morden their first regulation loss this season. Game notes: Not in the line up - Dale Butland. Check out Pembina Valley Online for additional coverage. Next game is Saturday, Dec. 21st - Rhineland Car is the game sponsor and they want to give 1 lucky fan the chance to win a brand new 2014 Ford Focus. Come out and support the Maroons at their last home game before Christmas! Tue. Dec. 10, 2013 Winkler 8 - Altona 3 The Winkler Royals hosted the Altona Maroons on Tuesday, Dec. 10th. Something they haven't in over 20 years. The Royals would start the scoring in the game just over 4 min. in when Import forward Anders Strome beat Maroons goalie Eric Martel on a powerplay. Less then a min. later Tyler Dittmer would set up Devon Leblanc and Leblanc's quick shot would get past Royals goalie Jayme Janzen for a 1-1 tie game. Midway through the period and on another powerplay Brendan Heppner's shot through traffic would find the back of the net for a 2-1 Royals lead which the Royals would hold until the intermission. <img title="dec13atroyals.jpg" src="/usrimages/dec13atroyals.jpg" alt="dec13atroyals.jpg" width="512" height="311" /> Maroons Matt Dyck winning a face off to Devon Leblanc in the Royals zone. One min. into the 2nd period the Royals Mark Hildebrand would beat Martel for a 3-1 lead. The Maroons would generate some good chances after the goal but closing in on 7 min. left in the period a bad rebound was left out in front of Martel and the Royals Marlin Froese would put the Royals up 4-1. Frustrations sent the Maroons to the penalty box after the goal and towards the end of the Royals man advantage the Royals Dwight Heppner would give the hometeam a 5-1 lead. Looking to change things up Maroons coach Rob Friesen pulled Eric Martel and sent Riley Epp into the game. The move paid off with a min. left in the middle period Tyler Dittmer would set up Nick Fuher who slid in from the point and picked a spot on net to beat Janzen cutting the Royals lead to 5-2. Shortly after the goal Maroons defenceman DAle Butland sent a hard slapshot toward the Royals net that would catch Janzen in the helmet. Janzen was shaken up on the play but remained in net. The Royals caught a break when Dwight Heppner would catch Riley Epp out of position and after 40 min. of play the Royals held a 6-2 lead. Eric Martel was the first Maroon player on the ice and took his position back in the net for the 3rd period. On the other side of the ice former Maroons goalie Mark Friesen skated out to take over from a shaken up Jayme Janzen. The Maroons looked to control the majority of the play in the 3rd period and nearing the 9 min. mark Josh Froese connected with Shea Hamilton and Hamilton fed Fuher a pass that Fuher would convert past Friesen cutting the Royals lead to 6-3. The Maroons would continue to apply pressure in the Royals zone but Friesen would stand tall and turn away several good scoring opportunties. With less then 5 min. left in the game Heppner would score his hat trick on a rebound for a 7-3 lead and late in the final min. of the game Marlin Froese would score the Royals 8th goal. After 60 min. and a good effort from the Maroons the Royals would leave the ice with the win and 2 points in the standings. Game Notes: Not in the line up - Craig Neufeld & Haydon Friesen. Next game: Maroons travel to Morden on Dec. 19th and host the Warren Mercs at the Rhineland Car Shoot to Win game on Saturday, Dec. 21st. <img title="1314ndfinalscore.jpg" src="/usrimages/1314ndfinalscore.jpg" alt="1314ndfinalscore.jpg" width="517" height="480" /> The Altona Maroons travelled to Notre Dame to take on the Hawks on Saturday night and although they would only ice 11 skaters, they would find a way to come away with a win and 2 points. Just under 6 min. into the game Tyler Dittmer fed Angus Klassen a pass that Klassen would corral to his backhand and put his shot through Hawks goalie Phil Vigier's five hole for a 1-0 lead. Later in the period the Hawks would tie the game when Dan Lesage would set up Riley Dudar with Dudar's shot fooling Maroons goalie Eric Martel. The Maroons responded with several more good chances and Martel would stop Dudar on a breakaway before the period ended, sending both teams to the dressing rooms with a 1-1 tie. In the 2nd period both teams would trade a few chances and then just past 7 min. in , Dittmer and and Jon Froese would set up Shea Hamilton for a go ahead 2-1 goal. Just over a min. later Hamilton would notch his 2nd of the game beating a Hawks defenceman in tight and going to his backhand beating Vigier for a 3-1 lead. Later in the frame Angus Klassen would set up Dittmer and his quick snapshot would find the top of the net for a 4-1 lead. The Maroons would close out the period with a nice passing play on a powerplay from Shea Hamilton to Josh Froese and over to Klassen in the slot and Klassen's quick shot found the back of the net for a 5-1 lead. The Maroons would another goal early in the 3rd period with Mitch Fehr sending a pass to Hamilton who would feed Dittmer and Dittmer would beat Vigier making in 6-1. Midway through the final frame the Hawks would cut the lead to 6-2 when Riley Dudar connected with Justin Dalebozik and Dalebozik's shot would beat Martel for a shorthanded goal. The Maroons final goal with just over 2 min. left to play, came courtesy of Brent Toews forechecking behind the Hawks net and sending a quick pass out to Jared Barnabe and Barnabe's one-timer shot would seal the Maroons win making the final score 7-2. Game Notes: Maroons player/coach John Mintenko was very pleased with the way the short bench came out to play and kept the game plan simple. "We knew with a short staff we would have to plug up the neutral zone and not let them penetrate our zone too much. We couldn't be playing defence all night with 11 guys. Our forwards connected for some real nice plays and Martel helped us out with 2 breakaway saves. It's nice to get 2 points on the road and now we'll focus on our next game, next Saturday". Not in the line up: Devon Leblanc, Kevin Giesbrecht, Mike Friesen, Nick Fuher, Matt Dyck, Haydon Friesen, Joey Rewucki and Coach Rob Friesen. Thursday, Nov. 2nd - Winkler 5 - Maroons 2 The new Winkler Royals visited Altona as the Maroons hosted their 63rd consecutive season of hockey and the Royals played the spoilers. Prior to the game newly named Maroons captain Brent Toews took a ceremonnial face-off with Royals captain Brett Harder and the Manitoba Sunflower Festival royalty including Queen Kate Enns, 1st Princess Alysa Harder and 2nd Princess Erika Teichroeb. <img title="1314queenspuckdrop.jpg" src="/usrimages/1314queenspuckdrop.jpg" alt="1314queenspuckdrop.jpg" width="617" height="480" /> With a great crowd on hand the Maroons and Royals were buzzing in the 1st period. The Maroons threw plenty of pucks at the Royals goalie (former Maroon) Mark Friesen and Friesen would turn them all away. Meanwhile, Derek Froese on a pass from Steve Doell would give the Royals a 1-0 lead that would hold until the first intermission. In the 2nd period just over a min. in, the Royals would add to their lead making it 2-0 on a goal from Andrew Froese. A minute later Jared Barnabe would cut the Royals lead to 2-1. Still playing in the first 5 min. of the 2nd period the Royals Anders Strome's shot would beat Maroons goalie Justin Dungey and give the Royals a 3-1 lead. Former Maroon Justin Froese would beat Dungey and a shot in the slot making it 4-1 before Dungey was pulled from the net in favour of Eric Martel. Martel was tested just under 2 min. into his arrival in net Marlin Froese would beat him making it 5-1. After 40 minutes and a lopsided score the Maroons were down 4 goales heading into the 3rd period. But not for a lack of efffort and shots on the Royals net. The Maroons controlled the majority of the play in the 3rd period and would get rewarded with a goal with just under 5 min. left in the game when Jon Froese's pass to Shea Hamilton would be converted into a quick shot past Friesen cutting the Royals lead to 5-2 and despite just over 40 shots on Royals netminder Mark Friesen the new Royals would leave Altona with a win. The 3rd period would also feature former Maroon Phil Letkeman taking on Brent Toews in a fight and although the two traded punches, Letkeman would get the upper hand landing one last punch on Toews as Toews was already losing his way to the ice. Game notes: Not in the line up - Devon Leblanc Maroons coach Rob Friesen was happy with the play of his Maroons. "The scoreboard shows the shots at 41 for the Maroons against Winkler to their 14 shots on us. I can't say for sure if the scorekeepers were bang on or not, but I know we clearly outshot them. We skated well and moved the puck really well. Obviously we threw a lot of pucks on thier net and weren't able to get more then 2 goals. Unfortunatley for us the pucks they put on our net went in and they came out of our building with a win. We didn't have strong goaltending tonite from our starter and that's an area of of our roster we'll be addressing." * Note, Import Goalie Justin Dungey was released from the Maroons roster and has been replaced by former Selkirk Steelers goalie Joey Rewucki. National Anthem performed by - Janna Alexander 50/50 Winner of $223 - Bill Loewen 400 club draws: 11 tickets were pulled from the 2012-13 400 Club tickets. $200 Winners Colin Braun #388 Elmer Hildebrand #191 Alexis Mullen #328 Evan & Nathan Kehler #280 Elmer Hildebrand #195 Irv Toews #332 Conrad Voth #75 Anne Marie Smith #321 The Loan Arrangers #231 Bill Schroeder #310 $1000 Winner Jeff Dueck #285 Congratulations to all winners. There are still 40 more $200 Draws and the Grand Prize draw of $3000 to be made before Christmas. This seasons 400 Club tickets are now printed and available. Please see an Executive member at home games, visit the 50/50 table or email info@altonamaroons.com for more information. Friday, Nov. 1st - Warren 8 - Maroons 5 The Altona Maroons began their 63rd season in Warren to face off against the team they swept 4 games to 0 in last years SEMHL Finals. This time the Mercs would earn 2 points by downing the Maroons 8-5. In the 1st period the Maroons start the scoring when Brent Toews and Jared Barnabe would connect getting the puck to newcomer Tyler Dittmer and Dittmer would beat Mercs goalie Gavin McHale for a 1-0 midway through the frame. Later in the period, Angus Klassen would set up Josh Froese on a powerplay to give the Maroons a 2-0 and that's how the period would end. Midway through the 2nd period the Mercs would strike back notching back to back powerplay goals on Maroons goalie Eric Martel knotting the score up at 2 goals a piece. The Maroons answered later at the 7 min. mark when Devon Leblanc set up a nice play between himself and Tyler Dittmer and Dittmer fed Matt Dyck to bang home the go ahead goal making it 3-2. The Maroons would battle in their own end and eventually the Mercs would beat Martel again with 2 min. left in the frame sending the game into the 3rd with a 3-3 tie. Just 5 sec. into the 3rd period the Mercs took the lead in the game on a goal from Burke Vankemenade when Vankemenades dump in shot caremed off the glass in the Maroons end and Martel left his net to play the puck, but the puck headed for the net, Martel dove at the strange bounce from the glass but couldn't beat the puck as it trickled over the goal line making it 4-3 Mercs. The bad luck goal gave the Mercs a boost and on the ensuing face-off the Mercs would crash the net and bury a rebound making it 5-3. Proving that early season games are certainly still a work in progress, less then 40 sec. later Mitch Klassen scored for the Maroons making it 5-4 still in favour of the Mercs. The two teams would trade a few chances during the midway point of the final period and then at the 9 min. mark Angus Klassen would set up his third assist of the night finding Shea Hamilton in the slot and Hamilton's quick shot past McHale tying the game 5-5. Fatigue set in a bit and less then a minute later the Mercs responded with a goal from Wes Pawluk giving the Mercs a 6-5 lead and the Mercs didn't stop there, they added 2 more insurance goals before the game would end making the final score 8-5 in favour the hometown team. Game notes: Maroons forward Devon Leblanc was rewarded with a penalty shot in the first period but was unable to beat Mercs goalie Gavin McHale. Although the lines got juggled up due to a few player abscences it appears that Devon Leblanc will play on a line with Matt Dyck and Tyler Dittmer. The line of Hamilton, Froese and Klassen will remain the same this season and Brent Toews and Jared Barnabe will play on a line with Mitch Fehr, Kevin Giesbrecht and Mitch Klassen rotating in and out of the LW position. Coaches Rob Friesen and John Mintenko weren't too concerned coming into the game knowing their full line up wouldn't be available but both were impressed that overall the players are in good physical shape and that they will again be a fast team with a lot of offensive abilities. Not in the line up: Mike Friesen & Nick Fuher. The Maroons will now prepare with a practice next week before hosting the Winkler Royals for their home opener on Thursday, Nov. 7th. Manitoba Sunflower Festival royalty Queen Kate Enns, 1st Princess Alyssa Harder and 2nd Princess Erika Teichroeb will be on hand to help open the 63rd consecutive season with the newly named Maroons captain Brent Toews. Season tickets can still be purchased by contacting Eric Hildebrand at 204-324-1995 or 204-319-0243 or emailing info@altonamaroons.com Maroons down Souris Elks 9-3 to win Provincial Championship <img title="aprovchamps.jpg" src="/usrimages/aprovchamps.jpg" alt="aprovchamps.jpg" width="448" height="336" /> By winning both games in pool "A" of the Provincials, the Maroons found themselves in the Finals against the top team from the "B" pool, the Souris Elks. The Sunday afternoon matinee got off to a very fast start and minutes into the game the Maroons found themselves killing off three minor penalties before getting back to even strength. With less then 10 min. to play in the first, The Maroons went on a powerplay and opened the scoring when Nick Fuher's blast from the point was stopped by Elks goalie Brett McDonald, but Shea Hamilton picked up the rebound and put it in the open net for a 1-0 lead. Later in the period and on another powerplay, Aaron Lewadniuk carried the puck in on his off wing and sent a nice pass through an Elks defenceman to Matt Dyck with Dyck putting it in for a 2-0 lead with just under two min. left in the period. In the 2nd period 8 min. in and on a powerplay Nick Fuher would set up Shea Hamilton and Hamilton's shot would beat McDonald for a 3-0 lead. Two min. later the Elks would finally break Maroons goalie Mark Friesen when former AHL All Star and Pittsburgh Penguin Jonathan Filewich set up Dimitri Panagiotou for the Elks first goal making it 3-1. The Elks inched closer with just over 4 min. left in the second Joel Whiteside sent a low slapshot from the point beating a partially screened Friesen making it 3-2. The Maroons would answer back with yet another powerplay goal before the period came to a close courtesy of Devon Leblanc beating McDonald with a backhand shot in tight on the Elks net. After 40 min. the Maroons led 4-2. Less then a min. into the third period the Elks got a huge break with the Maroons heading to the penalty box, however the Maroons Nick Fuher would set up Devon Leblanc and Leblanc would score shorthanded making it 5-2. 18 sec. later Lewadniuk passed to Shea Hamilton and Hamilton's shot made the twine bulge for a hat trick and a 6-2 lead. Still shorthanded the Elks answered back 40 sec. later when Joel Whiteside banged in a rebound off the end wall cutting the lead to 6-3 for the Maroons. The Maroons would hold the 3 goal lead and add to it. Just over 7 min. left in the game when Dale Butland would spring Phil Letkeman on a partial breakaway and Letkeman's quick low five hole shot beat McDonald for a 7-3 lead. Devon Leblanc notched his hat trick by blowing a high slot slapshot past McDonald making it 8-3 and Josh Froese would put the final nail in the coffin by receiving a breakaway pass from Ryan Dyck and putting a nice deke on McDonald for a 9-3 lead. The final 2 minutes played down and when the buzzer sounded the Altona Maroons stormed towards goalie Mark Friesen and celebrated the first ever inagural Sr. A Provincial Championship. Hockey Manitoba Presidnet Bill Whitehead spoke briefly about the great weekend of Senior hockey before distributing Silver Medals to the Souris Elks and followed by presenting Gold Medals to the Maroons. Team pictures were taken by both teams and before the Maroons left the ice they turned to the large contingent of Altona fans and saltuted them for the great support they showed over the weekend. Be sure to check out Pembina Valley Online for a great article and video posted by Golden West Radio Sports reporter Clayton Dreger. Maroons advanace to Championship Game after beating Neepawa 5-0. The Maroons were in Winnipeg for their first game at the MTS Iceplex and were looking forward to playing the Tiger Hills Hockey League runner up Neepawa Farmers. The first period opened up with a lot of speed and it would be evident early on that the Maroons would want to keep their eyes on the THHL leading scorer, Shane Jury and pick up Zeenan Zeimer from the Carberry Plainsmen. Interestingly enough, Zeimer was a former team mate of Devon Leblanc's 2 years ago in Carberry and prior to Sr. hockey Zeimer and Maroons Angus Klassen were teammates with the Dauphin Kings. Back to the action, the Maroons killed off two minor penalties in the first 7 min. After coincidental penalties midway the through the first the Maroons once again headed to the sin bin to kill off another penalty. Not only were they succesful in keeping the Farmers chances limited on their 3rd PK of the period but they would score a shorthanded goal when Devon Leblanc stole the puck in the neutral zone and beat Farmers goalie Brad Nelson for a 1-0 lead with just over 10 min. left in the period. The Maroons would have a powerplay of their own several min. later but fell just short of increasing their lead and the first period would end with the one goal lead and good pressure from the Maroons. The 2nd period wasn't five minutes old when the Maroons went up 2-0. A Farmers penalty put the Maroons on the PP and Nick Fuher's point blast would get tipped by Matt Dyck and beat Nelson. Midway through the period special teams would come into play again. The Maroons would score another shorthanded goal when Leblanc would work himself into a breakaway position and put a quick shot just below the crossbar past Nelson for his second goal of the game and both of them being shorthanded unassisted goals. Both teams kept up a good pace for the remainder of the second period but it was the Maroons that held the edge in scoring chances and puck possession. An early 3rd period goal from Aaron Lewadniuk set up by Jon Froese seemed to put the Maroons in the driver seat with a 4-0 lead. Tempers flared with just 10 min. left in the game and after the dust settled the Maroons found themselves having to kill off 4 min. of penalties. Mark Friesen was solid on the long kill and then shortly after getting back to even strength Lewadniuk would put the game away with his 2nd of the game on a feed from Matt Dyck. The final minutes played out and the Maroons celebrated the game 2 win and the advance to the Championship game. Maroons win Provincial Opener <img title="aprovincials_apr19.jpg" src="/usrimages/aprovincials_apr19.jpg" alt="aprovincials_apr19.jpg" width="448" height="241" /> Maroons and Wild in the P.C.U. Centre in Portage la Prairie. Photo - Pembina Valley Online Taken from Pembina Valley Online - The Altona Maroons are one win away from playing in the final of Hockey Manitoba's Provincial Senior "A" championship. The South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League champions scored four times in the second period and added four more in the third in an 8-1 victory over the Red River Wild on Thursday night in Portage la Prairie. "We didn't play well in the first period but we didn't play bad" said Maroons head coach Rob Friesen. "In the second and third we used our speed which created a lot chances and they couldn't skate with us today." Shea Hamiltona scored three times for Altona while singles went to Angus Klassen, Brent Toews, Devon Leblanc, Jared Barnabe and Carman Beavers forward Aaron Lewadniuk. Cory Schroeder scored the lone goal for the Carillon Senior Hockey League champions. The Maroons, who added both Lewadniuk and Beavers defenceman Stewart Thiessen to their roster for the provincials, will play their round robin finale on Saturday afternoon against the Neepawa Farmers at the MTS Iceplex. The Farmers lost out to the Souris Elks in the Tiger Hills Hockey League Final. - Article by Clayton Dreger, Pembina Valley Online NEW Maroons Championship Merchandise available Check out the display in the Altona Mall across from The Source <img title="malldisplay1.jpg" src="/usrimages/malldisplay1.jpg" alt="malldisplay1.jpg" width="336" height="356" /> <img title="mall2tee.jpg" src="/usrimages/mall2tee.jpg" alt="mall2tee.jpg" width="368" height="336" /> T-shirts - Youth & Adult sizes - $15.00 <img title="mallhats.jpg" src="/usrimages/mallhats.jpg" alt="mallhats.jpg" width="246" height="235" /> Fitted hats with Maroons logo on back - $20.00 See John Mintenko at the CIBC or email info@altonamaroons.com for purchase/ information Maroons advance to Provincials <img title="mbhockey.gif" src="/usrimages/mbhockey.gif" alt="mbhockey.gif" width="160" height="120" /> By capturing the SEMHL Championship the Altona Maroons now advance to the Hockey Manitoba Sr. A Provincials. Hockey Manitoba introduces this new tournament format after seeing Senior teams throughout the province progressivley lose interest in the traditional format where teams used to enter willingly and then end up having to play opponents during their regular seasons and often face vast travel distances. Noticing the waning interest in Provincial playdowns the decision was made to plan a tournament where every Senior League champion would represent their respective leagues and vie for the opportunity to win the tournament and be crowned the provinces top senior men's hockey team. Games begin on Thursday, April 18th in Portage and then all games shift to Winnipeg at the MTS Iceplex for the weekend. The tournament will feature 6 teams in total broken into 2 pools. Pool A & Pool B. Because their are only 5 senior leagues in the province Hockey Manitoba added a "wildcard" spot, this year the wildcard will be the runner up from the Tiger Hills Hockey League. The leagues and their champions are: South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League (SEMHL) - Altona Maroons Carillon Senior Hockey League (CSHL) - Red River Wild (( Morris/St. Jean)) Tiger Hills Hockey League (THHL) - Souris Elks Tiger Hills Hockey League (THHL) - Runner-Up - Neepawa Farmers North Central Hockey League (NCHL) - Miniota/Elkhorn C-Hawks Manitoba Senior Hockey League (MSHL) - Gimli Wolves *** Another thing to note is that all teams are allowed to pick up to 3 players per game from any one team in their respective leagues. This was decided in an effort to even out the playing field of the tournament since the import rules are different for every league. The Altona Maroons have affiliated with the Carman Beavers. Pool A includes: SEMHL - Altona Maroons CSHL - Red River Wild THHL Runner-Up - Neepawa Farmers Pool B includes: THHL - Souris Elks NCHL - Hamiota/Elkhorn C-Hawks MSHL - Gimli Wolves Tournament is a Round Robin format. Play each team in your pool and the best teams in each pool advance to the Finals. Need to know information for Altona Maroons games: Thursday, April 18th @ Portage (PCU Arena) v.s. Red River Wild. Start time 8:00 p.m. Saturday, April 20th @ Winnipeg (MTS Iceplex) v.s. Neepawa Farms. Start time 1:00 p.m. The Championship game is scheduled for Sunday, April 21st at 2:00 p.m. @ MTS Iceplex. The Altona Maroons invite all fans to come out and take in the spring hockey action. Admission is free for all games. Questions? email info@altonamaroons.com Championship Finals Altona Maroons vs Warren Mercs Maroons sweep Finals with 8-4 win over Warren! <img title="back_to_back_logo.jpg" src="/usrimages/back_to_back_logo.jpg" alt="back_to_back_logo.jpg" width="448" height="304" /> The Altona Maroons are South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League Champions for the 2nd straight season after sweeping the Warren Mercs 4 games to 0 in the best of 7 Finals. Coming into Tuesday's game 4 the Maroons welcomed home Mark Friesen, Dale Butland, Nick Fuher, Devon Leblanc and Ryan Dyck who only hours earlier had returned home from playing 4 games in Rosetown, SK with the South East Prairie Thunder. Meaning that for those players they were now playing their 6th game in as many days. Fatigue didn't seem to be an issue as the Maroons would strike first when Matt Dyck beat Gavin McHale with a wrist shot midway through the first period. With less than a min. left in the period Bryn Lyndsay banged in a rebound off his body past Mark Friesen tying the game. Heading into the first intermissioni the game was locked at 1-1. The Maroons blew the lead open in the 2nd period when Angus Klassen stole the puck from the Mercs and broke in from the blueline on a breakaway and put a great deke on McHale going from his forehand, to his backhand and back to his forehand undressing McHale and slipping the puck in the open net and falling/crashing to the end boards for a shorthanded goal and a 2-1 lead. The Maroons killed off the remainder of their penalty and several min. later went to work on their own powerplay. Dale Butland sent Angus Klassen a pass that Klassen would take and work towards the net and again beat McHale in tight for a 3-1 lead. Midway through the 2nd period the Maroons powerplay would strike again when Devon Leblanc's pass to Josh Froese was converted past McHale for a 4-1 lead. The Mercs responsed 5 min. later when Bryn Lyndsay's shot would beat Mark Friesen cutting the lead to 4-2. 15 sec. later Angus Klassen worked his way into the Mercs end and sent a long cross ice pass to Shea Hamilton and Hamilton let a rocket of a one timer go that beat McHale under the crossbar for a 5-2 lead. Facing elimination in their home arena the Mercs came out in the 3rd with more zip and 4 min. in Mark Magnowski scored and then less than a minute later Taylor Dicken's point shot through a screen got past Friesen making the game 5-4 with 15 min. left to play. Maroons coach Rob Friesen called a time-out to settle his squad down and it proved to be just the break they needed as the Maroons then tightened up their defence and kept attacking in the offensive zone. 3 min. after the time-out Josh Froese set up Shea Hamilton and Hamilton's 2nd of game pulled the Maroons ahead to 6-4. With 8 min. left in the game, Jared Barnabe broke over th e Mercs blueline and sidestepped a Mercs defenceman sending a long wrist shot on net beating McHale and making it 7-4 for the Maroons. Time would run out fast on the Mercs and with just over a min. left in the game Dale Butland would add one more Maroons goal, making it 8-4. As the final seconds counted down the large contingent of Maroons fans in Warren applauded the efforts of the Maroons and watched as the team stormed towards Mark Friesen errupting in high fives and hugs celebrating the fact that they had just captued the Elmer Hildebrand trophy as the SEMHL Champions. Accomplishing the feat they set out to do from the start of the season. League Commisioner Brian Callum was on hand to thank the Warren Mercs for a good series and the Maroons for becoming league Champions. Callum also made it clear to the fans that they deserved a big thank you for the support they showed throughout the playoffs and CKMW 1570 for covering games 3 and 4 on the radio. Callum then called Shea Hamilton and Mark Friesen to accept the Playoff MVP award. Hamilton led the Maroons in playoff scoring with 10 goals and 8 asssits in 9 games and Friesen posted a very stingy 2.11 Goals against average in the playoffs and made it very difficult for oppenents to score on him. After the MVP trophy was presented Callum asked Maroons Captain Jon Froese and alternate captains Nick Fuher, Mike Friesen and Brent Toews forward to accept the Championship trophy. Following the obligatory photo opp., Froese brought the trophy to his teamates and the trophy would make its way around to teammates while friends and family members of the Maroons made their way to the ice to share in the celebrations and take pictures with the trophy. <img title="aaaaamvp.jpg" src="/usrimages/aaaaamvp.jpg" alt="aaaaamvp.jpg" width="336" height="365" /> League Commissioner Brian Callum presenting Playoff MVP Trophy to Shea Hamilton & Mark Friesen. <img title="1213cupcaptains.jpg" src="/usrimages/1213cupcaptains.jpg" alt="1213cupcaptains.jpg" width="448" height="336" /> SEMHL Elmer Hildebrand Trophy presented to Captain Jon Froese and Alternate Captains Mike Friesen, Nick Fuher and Brent Toews. <img title="1213teamcup.jpg" src="/usrimages/1213teamcup.jpg" alt="1213teamcup.jpg" width="448" height="336" /> Following time with the trophy on the ice the Maroons continued celebrating in their dressing room. Coach Rob Friesen congratulated the team followed by GM Jody Hildebrand and former Maroons Pres., GM and player Menno Friesen. Hildebrand then handed out champagne to the players and the team revelled in the bubbly soaked celebrations. After the champagne fizzed out, Hildebrand revealed Championship T-shirts and the players started to clean up, proudly don their t-shirts and make their way out of the arena for the bus ride home. Celebrating continued on the south end of Winnipeg for post game food and eventually all players made their way home with the Altona contingent being delivered safely home by Bus driver Abe Suderman. <img title="1213menno.jpg" src="/usrimages/1213menno.jpg" alt="1213menno.jpg" width="448" height="336" /> Menno Friesen addressing and congratulating the team on behalf of all Maroons Alumni. By capturing the Championship the Altona Maroons will now represent the SEMHL at the Senior Men's Provicincials taking place in Portage & Winnipeg from April 18-21st. The League Champions from the SEMHL, Carillon Sr.league , Manitoba Sr. league, North Central league and Tiger Hills league including the Tiger Hills league runner up will split into two pools of 3 teams each and compete in a round robin format with the top teams in each pool facing off for a Provincial Championship game at the MTC Iceplex. More info on this series will be posted shortly. Game notes: Not in the line-up - Phil Letkeman (serving a 2 game suspenion from Game 3). Assistant Coach John Mintenko dressed in his place. Prior to the game Jared Barnabe discovered a broken skate blade and calls were made to frantically find a solution. Kevin Giesbrecht was able to come through and have his brother bring a pair of skates from Winnipeg to Warren so that Barnabe could still be in the line-up. Broken skate blades seemed to be a small theme on Tuesday as Dale Butland also discovered he too had a broken blade, but the crack hadn't seperated yet so Butland soldiered on as is and played unaffected. Big points were had in the final game two Maroons - Angus Klassen scored twice and picked up 3 assists for 5 points. Dale Butland scored once and tallied 4 assists for 5 points. <img title="1213finalssalute.jpg" src="/usrimages/1213finalssalute.jpg" alt="1213finalssalute.jpg" width="448" height="206" /> Thursday, March 21, 2013 - Maroons 6 - Warren - 3 A little bit of everything in Game 3 in Altona on Thursday night. The fans filled the barn and the kids enjoyed the free thundersticks helping to create a great atmosphere. Although the Mercs had a few opportunities in the first period the majority of the play was controlled by the Maroons and with just over 5 min. left in the period Justin Froese rushed out of the Maroons zone and crossing over the Mercs blueline, leaving a drop pass for Jon Froese and the veteran captain made a strong move around a defender and then a quick shot on Gavin McHale scoring low making it 1-0. With less than a min. later the Dyck brothers would connect low in the Mercs end and set up Devon Leblanc, Leblanc sidestepped a defender and unwind a quick shot and scoring making it 2-0. The 2nd period featured the Maroons on a powerplay continued over from the 1st and just 33 sec. in Nick Fuher would set up Matt Dyck with Dyck scoring making it 3-0. Several min. later, again on a powerplay, Phil Letkeman connected with Brent Toews and Toews' goal made it 4-0. Shortly after the Maroons 4th goal, the Mercs caught a break on a Maroons penalty and would score off the ensuing faceoff when Taylor Dickin's shot quickly beat a screened Mark Friesen cutting the Maroons lead to 3 goals. The Maroons Shea Hamilton responded at the 8:38 mark by beating a Mercs defenceman and driving the net and slipping the puck past McHale making it 5-1 Maroons. On the next shift Maroons Phil Letkeman responded to the Mercs Darin Husak stickwork and would attempt to engage Husak in a fight. After the dust settled the Mercs would come out way ahead with a 10 min. powerplay. The Maroons would work hard on the penalty kill and keep the Mercs chances few and far inbetween until the final min. of the period when Mark Maganoski set up Derek Boonstra for a 2nd Mercs goal making it 5-2 Maroons. The 3rd period would see the Maroons create several excellent scoring opportunties most notably Devon Leblanc with a pair of breakways before the halfway point of the final frame. In the final 10 min. of the game the Mercs pressure on a powerplay resulted in Wade Duncan scoring on a wrist shot through a crowd and over Mark Friesen's glove making it now a smaller Maroons lead of 5-3. The Mercs began surging at this point and with 5 min. left the Mercs got a powerplay opportunity that the Maroons would kill off eliminating the chance of a Mercs comeback. Now with 3 and half min. left in the game and the teams at even strength the Mercs would pull McHale for an extra attacker on a rush but the Maroons would fight off the pressure and then 18 sec. left in the game Nick Fuher's long shot from the Maroons blueline hit the back of the empty net making it 6-3. 18 sec. later the Maroons celebrated the Game 3 win. Overall the Maroons scored 5 goals in the first half the game, but in the second half they played in a few too many shorthanded situations, yet were still creating opportunities, The Mercs inched backat times and had the Maroons on their heels towards the end of the game. The Maroons empty netter gave no hope for a Mercs comeback. 50/50 - $316.00 - Claimed by Kailey Stoesz Congrats Kailey! 400 Club Winners - $200 each <img title="1213finalsfanfave.jpg" src="/usrimages/1213finalsfanfave.jpg" alt="1213finalsfanfave.jpg" width="336" height="394" /> Maroons Fan Favorite voting took place Thursday evening. If you didn't get a chance to vote you can email your vote to info@altonamaroons.com Game 4 of the Finals will be Tuesday, March 26 in Warren. CKMW 1570 will be airing the game live. Tuesday, March 19, 2013 - Maroons 3 - Warren 1s <img title="1213finalsgame2.jpg" src="/usrimages/1213finalsgame2.jpg" alt="1213finalsgame2.jpg" width="448" height="285" />Unlinke the opening game of the series, Game 2 saw the Maroons score early in the game. Approx. 3 min, in Ryan Dyck would beat a Mercs defenseman at the Mercs blueline and send a pass in the slot to Devon Leblanc, Leblanc quickly redirected the puck to Matt Dyck with Dyck quickly sending the shot past Gavin McHale. Less than 2 min. later Shea Hamilton picked up a loose puck near the Maroons blueline and busted up the middle of the ice beating two Mercs defenders in the neutral zone and then splitting the Mercs defenseman and finished with a deke on McHale allowing his backhand to easily score and giving the Maroons a 2-0 lead. Later in the period Hamilton would create another break and while being chased on a partial breakaway he was unable to put a clean move on McHale. Matt Dyck would also create his own breakaway but McHale would get his pads on Dyck's shot. McHale saw his fair share of the action early and to the midpoint of the period. Late in the period the Mercs would come close to scoring but the puck would slide just past the net. The Maroons had a few breakdowns towards the end of the period but goalie Mark Friesen was quick to make a few key saves giving the Maroons a lead heading into the intermission. The Maroons started the 2nd with a 5 on 3 powerplay carried over from the end of the 1st. Heavy pressure was applied but the Mercs battled hard and kept the Maroons from capitolizing on the powerplay. The Maroons killed off a penalty of their own halfway through the period with Friesen again turning away several good Mercs chances. With just over 7 min. left in the 2nd, Angus Klassen's pass to Shea Hamilton in the Mercs corner was converted to Josh Froese in the slot to the side of McHale and Froese sniped a quick shot into the open net giving the Maroons a 3-0 lead. The Mercs continued to battle but the balance of the period had the Maroons in control of most shifts. The 3rd period would prove to be the most exciting as the Mercs came out a lot faster than they had played since early in the game but the Maroons would defend well. A few times the Maroons created opportunities to put the game out reach including a second breakway attempt for Matt Dyck and Devon Leblanc getting a few quality shots on net. With McHale making some big saves the Mercs seemed to feed of the hopes of staying in the game and led by Taylor Dicken they would make a few rushes into the Maroons zone. Friesen stood his ground but an aggresive rush in the Maroons end would find the Maroons unable to cleanly clear the puck out of the zone and Kyle Luschinski was able to get a pass over to Mike Gemmil who would catch Friesen out of position and give the Mercs a big boost of life, cutting the Maroons lead to 3-1. Several additional Mercs rushes with time slipping away for them led to a few close scrambly chances. A Mercs time out later and a pulled goalie in the last min. and change eventually led to Shea Hamilton coming very close to sending a shot into the empty net finishing off the Mercs but a Mercs backchecker slowed up Hamilton's shot with some stickwork causing a Maroons powerplay with 34 sec. left in the game. The Mercs were able to force a little bit of pressure in the remaining seconds, but seconds weren't enough as the clock turned to zero's and the buzzer sounded signalling a Maroons win an a 2-0 lead in the series. Game notes - The Maroons played with a full line up. i.e. no missing players in their line up. Mark Friesen played a strong game in that he made the big saves when needed to, limiting the Mercs chances. There were a few times when the Maroons were caught in their own with the Mercs buzzing and with some scrambly play with a few close bounces coming close to being Mercs scoring chances. Mercs goaile Gavin McHale also played well in the game giving the Mercs an honest chance to be in the game and a chance at making it a game. With the Maroons up 3-0 in the 3rd period they would create several quality scoring chances but McHale stood tall (*literally) and keep the Mercs in the game. * Mercs goalie is Gavin McHale and if you haven't seen him play he has to be close to 6'8 or 6'9 on skates. Game 3 goes Thursday in Altona at 8:00 p.m. Listen to CFAM and The Eagle for your chance to win tickets to the game. FREE Thundersticks will be handed out to the young fans (while supplies last). Let's fill the barn and make some noise! Friday, March 15, 2013 - Maroons 5 - Warren 1 Despite some icy roads in Southern Manitoba the Warren Mercs traveled to Altona for game one of the League Finals and the Maroons fans came out to take in the action. And action it was. Both teams were flying and despite a Maroons minor penalty late in the period after 20 min. the game remained scoreless. <img title="1213finalsgame1jaxon.jpg" src="/usrimages/1213finalsgame1jaxon.jpg" alt="1213finalsgame1jaxon.jpg" width="299" height="448" /> Young fan Jaxon Hildebrand with his home made sign to cheer on the Maroons. Photo credit - Carey Kehler. The 2nd period started out just as fast as the 1st and the Maroons took an early lead just 3 min. in when Ryan Dyck and Devon Leblanc's passing play set up Matt Dyck to open the scoring. 2 min. later the Maroons struck again when Jon Froese sent Nick Fuher a pass along the blueline. Fuher put a low slapshot on Mercs goalie Gavin McHale and McHale made a great pad save, but Shea Hamilton lunged to bang in the reboud making it up 2-0 Maroons. The Mercs would solve Mark Friesen midway through the period when Mats Meiuller's slapshot found the top of the net making it 2-1. Shortly after the Mercs goal the Maroons went on a succesful penalty kill and late in the period they would have a powerplay but after 40 min. the score remained 2-1 with both teams goalies playing well for their teams. Early in the 3rd period Shea Hamilton would outwork a Mercs defender along the boards in the neutral zone and send Angus Klassen a pass towards the net and Klassen slipped it behind McHale for a 3-1 lead. With less than 10 min. to play the Mercs took a minor penalty and on the ensuing powerplay Ryan Dyck made it 4-1 on a play set up by Devon Leblanc. Approx. 2 min. later, now with just under 5 min.to play and tension rising Mercs forward Darin Husak and Matt Dyck exchanged pleasantries and were both given 2 min. roughing penalties and 10 min. misconducts with Husak picking up an additional unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The Maroons powerplay took full advantage of the man advantage and Brent Toews would tip in a feed from Leblanc tipping the puck past McHale making it 5-1. The final few minutes played out with the Maroons keeping the Mercs at bay and after 60 min. the home town team would take Game 1 of the SEMHL Finals. <img title="1213finalsgame1.jpg" src="/usrimages/1213finalsgame1.jpg" alt="1213finalsgame1.jpg" width="320" height="213" /> Brent Toews and Phil Letkeman (18) looking for a loose puck in front of Mercs goalie Gavin McHale. Photo credit - Carey Kehler. Game Notes: Not in the line-up - Dale Butland & Kevin Giesbrecht National Anthem performed by Annika Enns-Dyck 50/50 - $250.00 - Claimed by Norman Delorme 400 Club Winners - $200.00 each! #334 - Art Kehler #39 - ConveyAll - Golden West Radio #291 - Jake Hildebrand #108 - Dave & Rita Wiebe #128 - Gert Hildebrand Remember fans, Game 2 goes Tuesday, March 19th in Warren. Fans unable to make the trip can tune into 1570 CKMW on the AM dial for live coverage. The Altona Maroons return to the Finals for the 2nd straight season and will host the Warren Mercs. Game 1 will be on Friday, March 15 in Altona. The two teams were only seperated by 3 points in the regular season, setting up what should be an exciting Championship Finals. _____________________________________________ Maroons clinch a berth to the Finals with 6-1 victory over Stonewall, winning Semi-Finals series 4 games to 1 Saturday, March 9, 2013 - Maroons 6 - Stonewall 1 With the Maroons hosting thier Fan Appreciation Night the arena was buzzing. Free chips for kids, free door prize draws for all and team posters for the young fans set the stage for a great Maroons Saturday night playoff game. After a brief delay caused by a pane of glass being broken in the warmups the game got undeway and the Maroons came out flying and early in the period were testing Flyers goalie Justin Harris. Controlling the play throughout the period Matt Dyck got the Maroons on the board first with just under 6 min. left in the period on a play set up Devon Leblanc and Ryan Dyck (1 of 4 assists in the game) In the final 5 min. of the 1st the Maroons penalty killing units were tested killing off 2 min. penalties and the period ended with the Maroons leading 1-0. <img title="1213semigame5matty.jpg" src="/usrimages/1213semigame5matty.jpg" alt="1213semigame5matty.jpg" width="386" height="336" /> Photo courtesy of Pembina Valley Online In the 2nd period the Maroons stuck their guns and would score 3 goals in the last 10 min. of the period from Devon Leblanc, Matt Dyck and a breakaway goal from Angus Klassen. After 40 min. of play the Maroons held a solid 4-0 lead. Mike Friesen's point shot made it 5-0 lead. Flyers Adam Farthing would spoil Mark Friesens shutout with just over 11 min. left in the game and later with 6 min. left to play Jared Barnabe would blast home the 6th Maroons goal. The final minutes turned to seconds and eventually the Maroons would celebrate a trip to the league finals. Immediatley after the game the Maroons opened up their dressing room to the young fans to get their team posters signed. Close to 100 kids went through the room gazing at the "Big Maroons" and the players relished the opportunity to mingle with the young fans. During the game, all fans had the opportunity to enter free door prize draws with just over 100 gifts being given away throughout the game as well as free potato chips for all 16 & under kids. <img title="1213fanapp.jpg" src="/usrimages/1213fanapp.jpg" alt="1213fanapp.jpg" width="448" height="198" /> Fans picking up their door prizes <img title="1213semiautosdev.jpg" src="/usrimages/1213semiautosdev.jpg" alt="1213semiautosdev.jpg" width="336" height="448" /> Devon Leblanc & Shea Hamilton signing for the young fans <img title="1213semisautosshanon.jpg" src="/usrimages/1213semisautosshanon.jpg" alt="1213semisautosshanon.jpg" width="336" height="448" /> Brent Toews looks on as Shannon Enns enjoys a laugh from a young Maroons fan and nephew Darian Penner. Game notes: Not in the line-up - Kevin Giesbrecht National Anthem performed by Katrina Schroeder 50/50 - $348.00 claimed by Kara & Danica Kuhl 400 Club Winners - $200 each Prairie Insurance - #24 Cindy Smith #107 Ken Penner #243 Keystone Kat #81 Ed Harder #340 The Altona Maroons would like to thank the following sponsors for making the Fan Appreciation Night possible. Frito Lay - chips for all kids Friesens - printing of team posters for all kids Rhineland Car Ford, Access Credit Union, CIBC, Prairie Sky Promotions, Green Valley Equipment, Prairie Insurance, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Sun Valley Co-op, Red River Mutual, FXR, & Sawatzky's Furniture. Friday, March 8, 2013 - Maroons 4 - Stonewall 1 Just over a min. and a half into the game Angus Klassen started a play low in the Stonewall end and sent Josh Froese a pass that Froese then sent to Shea Hamilton and Hamilton picked up where he left off of in Game 3, quickly sending a shot past Flyers goalie Justin Harris for a quick 1-0 lead. The Maroons generated a few more opportunities early in the game but as the period wore on, they found themselves killing a penalty and than later in the frame with 5 min. left killing another penalty off. The Flyers attempted to capitalize on the powerplays but the Maroons did a good job of keeping the shots to a min. and Mark Friesen making a few key saves. <img title="semisgame413.jpg" src="/usrimages/semisgame413.jpg" alt="semisgame413.jpg" width="336" height="448" /> Battling for possession, playoff hockey! The 2nd period started off in carbon copy fashion with the Maroons scoring quickly, Hamilton won the faceoff to Dale Butland, Butland approached the Flyers blueline and sent a dump in to the Flyers end that Angus Klassen would pick up at the corner face-off circle and work towards the Flyers net and slip a backhand shot through Harris for a 2-0 lead. Some incosistent play later in the 2nd period led to the Flyers take a lead in shots on goal over the Maroons but Friesen captained the back end until Flyers Danny Stewart got the Flyers on the board, ripping a quick snap shot past Friesen. Overall the Flyers outshot the Maroons in the 2nd period and were playing hard to tie the game. The 2nd period would end on a positive note as the Maroons were on a powerplay and as time was winding down before the intermission Jon Froese's shot hit the post and the powerplay was looking good to start the 3rd. Although the Maroons powerplay chance was missed to start the 3rd, shortly after they found their 3rd goal courtesy of Hamilton as he scooped up a rebound from a Justin Froese point shot and with approx. 18 min. left in the game the Maroons had a 3-1 lead. The Maroons kept up constant pressue all the way until the 6:32 mark of the3rd when Brent Toews was assesed a min. penalty. On the ensuing Flyers powerplay Devon Leblanc would intercept the puck skate the length of the ice and using Matt Dyck as a decoy sending a low wrist shot past Harris for the Maroons 4th goal. This goal came shortly after Leblanc had hit the goalpost on a breakaway. Coincidental penalties came shortly after the Maroons insurance goal and the final minutes played out with the Flyers increasing their pressure, but the Maroons countering their attack and skating off the ice with a road win and a 3 - 1 Series lead. Game notes: Not in the line-up - Phil Letkeman & Kevin Giesbrecht Coaches Comments: The team played a strong 1st period. Mark made some big saves and more in the 2nd. Stonewall outshot us in the 2nd and overall had a better period than us. Was nice to see Leblanc score shorthanded, after hitting a few posts in the game. Happy with the win, but I know we need to improve on some areas. The playoffs are a funny thing and this series features 2 teams with a lot of scoring talent. Noting is for granted. Stonewall has been a very hard working team and each of the games aside from Game 2 has had the ability to go either way. We'll get a days rest and try to continue on our success on Saturday in Altona. Game 5 is Saturday, March 9th in Altona. Come out and support the Maroons and take part in the Fan Appreciation. Free door prize draws and special Maroons Team posters for all of the young fans as well as Free chips courtesy of Frito Lay. Game time is 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, 2013 - Maroons 5 - Stonewall 4 <img title="semishea.jpg" src="/usrimages/semishea.jpg" alt="semishea.jpg" width="372" height="336" /> Shea Hamilton providing a post game interview for CKMW 1570 reporter Dantin Reimer. The Stonewall Flyers were in Altona on Tuesday looking to bounce back from a 7-1 drubbing the Maroons handed them last Saturday and they came out buzzing in the 1st period. Mark Friesen was solid early on turning away several attempts. Halfway through the opening period the Maroons opened the scoring when Justin Froese spotted Shea Hamilton at the side of the net and sent a perfect shot/pass towards him and Hamilton re-directed the puck to the top of the net. Later Hamilton would put the Maroons up 2-0 after Jared Barnabe outworked a Flyer defender on a delayed penalty and feed Hamilton a pass which would be one-timed again to the top of the net. The Flyers responded with 2 goals in the first tying it at 2-2 going into the intermission. The 2nd period featured both teams matching each others work efforts and that would keep each other off the scoreboard until the 4 min. mark when Angus Klassen pulled the Maroons ahead 3-2 with a goal from the top of the crease. The 3rd period started off with the Maroons going on an early powerplay and Devon Leblanc's shot found the back of the net for a 4-2 lead. Just under 10 min. left to play Shea Hamilton would get his hat trick 0n an unassited slapshot that Flyers goale Justin Harris didn't have a chance on. Maroons up 5-2 and when some may have thought the game was now in hand, the Flyers would keep skating hard and started to claw back. A powerplay goal followed by a shot from the side boards quickly made it 5-4 with just under 4 min. left to play. In the final minutes both teams would trade time-outs and create for a very exciting finish to the game. The Flyers pulled their goalie in the final min. and even caught a huge break with a Maroons icing play attempting to score on the empty net, setting up a 6 on 5 faceoff in the Maroons zone with 9 sec. left to play. Josh Froese got summoned to take the face-off, wining it to the corner and out of harms way allowing the Maroons to win 5-4 and take a 2-1 series lead. Game notes: Not in the line-up Jon Froese & Kevin Giesbrecht National anthem performed by Breanne Heinrichs 50 / 50 Winning ticket #4748293 - unclaimed 400 Club Winners - $200 each! Stan Hildebrand #103 Wendy Friesen #234 John Martens #71 John Friesen #130 Isabella Peters #374 Saturday, March 2, 2013 - Maroons 7 - Stonewall 1 After losing game 1 in Altona the Maroons went to Stonewall hoping to tie the series. Just 4 min. into the game Nick Fuher sent a pass to Devon Leblanc in the slot and Leblanc's wrist shot beat Flyers goalie Justin Harris high on the glove side for a quick 1-0 lead. Later in the frame Jared Barnabe beat a Flyers d-man along the boards, cut towards the net and sent Brent Toews a backhand pass. The streaking Toews got a clean shot off from the pass and beat Harris making it 2-0 with less than 2 min. to play. Both teams were working hard, but the Maroons would end the first period outshooting the Flyers 14 - 4. Less than 2 min. into the 2nd period, Nick Fuher's point shot would fool Harris and the Maroons were up 3-0. With just under 10 min. to play in the 2nd the Flyers would catch a break when Devon Heggie was coming out of the penalty box and sprung on a breakaway. Heggie made a quick move on Mark Friesen but Friesen shut the door and kept the Flyers off the board. Later in the period Devon Leblanc sent Matt Dyck a pass on a 2 on 1 and although Dyck fanned on his initial attempt, he quickly took another attempt and his shot found the back of the net making it 4-0. A min. after the Maroons went up 4-0, they would strike again when Nick Fuher sent Shea Hamilton on a 2 on 1 with Angus Klassen, Hamilton's pass to Klassen was quickly converted with a hard one timer to the top of the net giving the Maroons a 5-0 lead. The Maroons would add to their gaping lead 7 min. in from Angus Klassen scoring his 2nd of the game off of a 3 on 1 with Dale Butland and Josh Froese. Down 6 goals and nearing the midway point of the final period Ryan Elliot's backhand shot beat Friesen getting the Flyers on the breaking Friesens shut out bid. After two more powerplay opportunties for the Maroons they finally were able to score a powerplay goal when Ryan Dyck would tap in a pass through the low slot from Angus Klassen making it 7-1. Game notes: Not in the line-up Mike Friesen & Shannon Enns. Coaches Comments: "I thought everyone played really well. Scoring contribution from 6 diff. players and sound defence and we are back in the series. Stonewall's a tough team to play. Their forwards skate well and they do a good job of boxing us to the outside, but I was happy that we outworked them today, found our timing and were able to get a lot of shots on net and capitalize on our chances. We are back in the series, but we need to keep up that style of play." Game 3 goes on Tuesday, March 5 in Altona. Thursday, February 28, 2013 - Stonewall 3 - Maroons 2 After finishing the regular season on Feb. 9 the Maroons hit the ice after a 3 week layoff and the strong practices seemed to payoff as the Maroons were all over the visiting Stonewall Flyers in the opening min. of Game 1 of the Semi-Finals. Early on the Maroons had the Flyers hemmed in, but late in the frame a series of defensive turnovers would result in the Flyers taking a 2-0 lead. With just over a min left in the period Matt Dyck scored on Flyers goalie Justin Harris making it 2-1. <img title="semisgameonebrent.jpg" src="/usrimages/semisgameonebrent.jpg" alt="semisgameonebrent.jpg" width="448" height="327" /> Brent Toews tying up Stonewall Flyers Blair Hawes. Photo credit - Greg Vandermeulen, Red River Valley Echo. The 2nd period featured both teams working hard but it was the Flyers who would score increasing their lead to 3-1 on the result of another defensive based turnover. <img title="semisgameonebench.jpg" src="/usrimages/semisgameonebench.jpg" alt="semisgameonebench.jpg" width="320" height="213" /> Maroons bench looking on in the 3rd period. Photo credit - Kelly Suderman Heading into the 3rd period the Maroons defense tightened up and the offence started to click again like it had been early in the first period. Goalie Justin Harris would calmly turn away mulitple Maroons shots. Matt Dyck got the home crowd fired up when Jared Barnabe's pass to Dyck was fired just over the glove of Harris cutting the Flyers lead to 3-2 with just under 5 min. left in the game. The Maroons eventually called a time-out and pulled Mark Friesen around the 1 min. mark hoping to tie the game but Harris and the Flyers defended against the Maroons and left Altona stealing game 1 from the Maroons. <img title="semigoalgame1.jpg" src="/usrimages/semigoalgame1.jpg" alt="semigoalgame1.jpg" width="319" height="479" /> Maroons celebrate a late 3rd period goal. Photo credit - Kelly Suderman Coaches Comments: Rob Friesen remarked he was happy with the quick attack, but noticed players rushing passes and having some trouble finding their timing. By no means was it a poor effort, basically they scored on the result of turnovers in the defensive zone. We'll take the loss, and we'll be ready for Game 2 in Stonewall. Prior to the game SEMHL Treasurer & Statistician Bob Hamm was on hand to present the league's Regular season championship trophy (named after Bob Hamm) to Maroons Captain Jon Froese and the SEMHL Top Goaltender trophy to Mark Friesen. <img title="bobtrophies.jpg" src="/usrimages/bobtrophies.jpg" alt="bobtrophies.jpg" width="320" height="213" /> Captain Jon Froese and goalie Mark Friesen accepting trophies from league exec. member Bob Hamm. Photo credit - Kelly Suderman. National Anthem peformed by Jasmine Wolfe. 50/50 Claimed by Anne Klassen of Altona 2012-13 400 Club winners of $200 each! Perry Batchelor & Wayne Bergen #286 Gerald Harder #371 Abe Suderman & John Fehr #368 Irv Toews #332 Mark Krahn #314 SEMHL Award Winners & All Stars The SEMHL announced it's annual award winners and All Stars and several Altona Maroons received well deserved recognition. SEMHL 1st team All Stars Mark Friesen - Goalie Nick Fuher - Defence Devon Leblanc - Forward SEMHL 2nd team All Star Dale Butland - Defence SEMHL 2nd team LOCAL All Star Angus Klassen - Forward SEMHL Best Goalie Award Mark Friesen For a complete list of League All Stars and Award Winners head to www.semhl.net Maroons clinch 1st place with 5-3 win over Redskins Saturday, Feb. 9 - Maroons 5 - Redskins 3 The Maroons faced off against the surging Redskins in Morden on Saturday night in front of an enthusiastic crowd on hand. With 1st place up for grabs the game had a playoff atmosphere. Less than a min. into the contest Redskins defenceman Curtis Harms was charged with a 4 min. spearing penalty and the Maroons would go to work on a powerplay. Strong scoring chances were created, but Darcy Stewart and his penalty kill squad would keep the Maroons off the board until Nick Fuher took it upon himself to carry the puck through the neutral zone and drift a heavy wrist shot just inside the blueline that would beat Stewart high on the glove side for a 1-0 lead with just over 15 min. left in the 1st. Later in the period while the Maroons were forechecking Josh Froese would work the puck to Angus Klassen and Klassen would send a backhand pass to Shea Hamilton who would quickly let a snap shot go from the slot and score making it 2-0. The Maroons would pad their lead a min. later when on a powerplay Nick Fuher would start a play that would see Shea Hamilton set up Devon Leblanc at the Redskins face off circle wind up and beat Stewart high on the glove side making it 3-0. <img title="redskinsvsmaroons_feb92013.jpg" src="/usrimages/redskinsvsmaroons_feb92013.jpg" alt="redskinsvsmaroons_feb92013.jpg" width="448" height="299" /> Photo courtesy of Pembina Valley Online The 2nd period didn't start out with the same tempo as the 1st but as time wore on both teams were again playing fast hockey. In the first few min. of the period Maroons goalie Mark Friesen would come up with a few big saves holding the Maroons lead, but later in the frame and on powerplay the Redskins would get on the board when Jay Fehr would come in on Mark Friesen and beat him high on the glove side with a wrist shot making it 3-1. 3 min. later the Redskins would strike again when Jay Fehr would work the puck low towards the Maroons net and make a nifty backhand move beating Friesen, making it a one goal game. The Maroons would battle back for the remaining minutes, tighten up their defence and after 40 min. the Maroons held a 3-2 lead. Early in the 3rd period the Maroons would be forced to fight off a 5 on 3 and just as the Maroons got one player out of the box the Redskins would score on a point shot from Kelby Friesen that would get through traffic and find the net tying the game at 3-3. With 7 min. left to play and on a powerplay the Maroons would apply heavy pressure in the Redskins end and after several good chances were turned away by Stewart, Angus Klassen would turn on a loose puck in the slot and slide it through some traffic and over the goal line for a go ahead goal. Then with less than 5 min. to play and killing off a penalty the Maroons would force a turnover at their own blueline and Klassen would chip the puck into the neutral zone and Matt Dyck would pick up the puck, beat a Redskins defender for a breakaway, lifting his shot over Stewart for a shorthanded goal making it 5-3 Maroons. As time ticked away it looked like the Redskins were hoping to pull Stewart for an extra attacker but the opportunity never presented itself and after 60 min. it would be the Maroons winning and earning 2 points, clinching 1st place and receiving a bye into the SEMHL Semi-Finals. Grabbing a coffee after the game a few Redskins fans were talking about the game and one gentleman said that if he was picking 3 Stars for the game he would have picked Matt Dyck, Jay Fehr and Mark Friesen in that order while another fan mentioned his picks would have been Shea Hamilton, Jay Fehr and Nick Fuher as his 1,2 and 3 star picks. This webmaster will not post his biased picks but it was interesting hearing a few of the oldtimer fans and their thoughts on the game. <img title="redskinsvsmaroonsmarkfeb92013.jpg" src="/usrimages/redskinsvsmaroonsmarkfeb92013.jpg" alt="redskinsvsmaroonsmarkfeb92013.jpg" width="380" height="336" /> With the Redskins forechecking late in the 3rd period, Maroons goalie Mark Friesen is helping defenceman Dale Butland by playing the puck away from possible trouble. Photo courtesy of Pembina Valley Online. Game Notes - Not in the line up: - The Maroons played with a full line-up including AP Haydon Friesen. Final thoughts - Coming into the game coaches Rob Friesen and John Mintenko had thoughts on what might be the best scenario for the club. Winning meant clinching 1st and that means receiving a bye to the Semi-Finals. Losing meant that the Maroons would then wait and see who they would meet in a quarter finals. While playing keeps you fresh and in game mode, not playing also means you have time to prepare and keep players healthy. What's better you ask? Who knows but at the end of the day as Friesen noted "You need to want to play every game with the hopes of winning" and so with 1st place clinched the Maroons will now have some time to rest and prepare. After Tuesday Feb. 12th all teams will know exactly who will be facing each other in quarter final action. As the quarter final series gets underway the SEMHL will release Semi-Final playoff dates. As well the Maroons will look to announce a Fan Appreciation Night. Stay tuned for more details. Thursday, Feb. 7 - Maroons 7 - Xpress 2 A good crowd was on hand in Altona to watch the Maroons take on the Plum Coulee Xpress. The Maroons would start the game off early with great pressure in the Xpress end, but Blaine Unger getting a rare start in net, would turn away the early shots. Later in the opening frame and on a powerplay Ryan Dyck would convert a Devon Leblanc pass in the crease and score going up 1-0. Later in the period Shea Hamilton would pick up a loose puck in the neutral zone and come in on his off wing and wire a blocker side top shelf shot giving the Maroons a 2-0 lead and that's how the 1st would end. The Maroons would start the 2nd period on the powerplay and create several scoring opportunities but the Xpress would manage to get back to even stength unscathed. Shortly after the teams were back to even strength Justin Froese would send a point pass to D partner Jon Froese and Jon Froese would send a shot towards the net that Josh Froese would tip through Ungers 5 hole. The Froese Brothers goal would make it 3-0. Later in the period the Xpress would finally break Mark Friesen when Anders Strome would jam home a rebound on a powerplay and make the score 3-1 with just over 6 min. to play. With the period winding down the Xpress would find themselves in some penalty trouble when Jaimie Thiessen received an elbowing penalty on Matt Dyck and during the same stoppage Andrew Froese would receive a 5 min. Major for cross-checking and a Game Misconduct on Ryan Dyck. After the dust settled, the Maroons would go on the powerplay but time would wind down and both teams would head off for the 2nd intermission. Starting the 3rd on a powerplay the Maroons would strike quickly when Nick Fuher would spot Matt Dyck in the low slot and send a hard shot at Dyck and Dyck would re-direct the puck perfectly to the top of the net for a 4-1 lead. The home team would add another powerplay goal a min. later when Devon Leblanc would set up Nick Fuher and Fuher's shot would beat Unger making it 5-1. With just over 11 min. left to play Josh Froese would start a rush with a pass to linemate Shea Hamilton and Hamilton would break in over the Xpress blueline and send a backhand saucer pass to a streaking Angus Klassen and Klassen in traffic would redirect the puck into the net for a 6-1 lead. Shortly after the goal the Maroons would end up on a penalty kill, successfuly kill it off, but then go right back to the box for another minor penalty and again work back to even strength unscathed. This left just under 6 min. left to play the line of Josh Froese, Shea Hamilton and Angus Klassen would strike again with Angus Klassen scoring on a slick breakaway deke making it 7-1. The 6 goal lead was short lived though as the Maroons would go back to a penalty kill and this time the Xpress would notch a powerplay goal when Dwight Heppner would take a waist high swat at an errant puck in the slot and the fluttering puck would beat Mark Friesen making it 7-2. The last 5 min. would play out with the Maroons killing off one more penalty and after 60 min. the Maroons would earn 2 points and find out after the game that with the Carman Beavers edging the Morden Redskins 4-3, the Maroons would re-claim a narrow 1 point lead on the Redskins for 1st place in league standings. This sets up battle for 1st place on Saturday night when the Maroons travel to Morden for the final reg. season game of the year. Game notes: Not in the line-up - Craig Neufeld & Haydon Friesen. National Anthem performed by Amy & Kristen Tarnick. 50/50 Winner - Curtis Fehr $119.00 400 Club Winners - $200 each! Lloyd Loewen #131 Jolanda Friesen #1 Ben Derksen #370 Gert Hildebrand #128 Hilda Hildebrand & Linda Abrams #282 Playoffs...? People are asking, "When do the playoffs start?" The short answer to that is...Good question. The long answer is, The playoffs WILL start on Saturday, Feb. 16th, with the exception of Stonewall (should they be in a hosting position), they will start on Friday, Feb. 15th. The team that will finish in 1st place will receive a bye to the Semi-Finals. This means that the team finishing in 2nd place will play the 7th place team, the team finishing in 3rd place will play the 6th place team and the team finishing in 4th will play the 5th place team. The playoffs as mentioned above will start on Sat. Feb. 16th and then proceed every Tue., Thur., Sat. etc. ALL SEMHL teams have 2 or 3 regular season games left and depending on the outcome of each of those games, All teams have the ability to change their final regular season standing. It should be noted that with the league featuring 7 teams this year it was decided before the season that the league would play a 20 game schedule. All teams played each other 3 times each (ex. Stonewall @ Altona, Altona @ Stonewall, Stonewall @ Altona. This provided an 18 game schedule. To acheive a balanced 20 game schedule (10 home & 10 away) the decision was made to have the teams play their regional rivalries one addtional game. This resulted in Altona facing Plum Coulee and Morden 4 times this season. Carman and Notre Dame also host each other one extra time as well as Stonewall and Warren. It was also decided that these "extra" games be played towards the end of the regular season schedule. As it turns out, these extra "rivalry" games all have the ability to change each teams final standings. Take a look at the league standings and see for yourself. It should make for an exciting finish to the regular season. In other league news, ballots have been sent out to all teams for the purpose of voting on League All-Stars and Regular season awards such as League MVP, Best Goalie, Best Defenceman and Most Sportsmanlike. This year the league will announce a 1st team All Star squad, 2nd team All Star squad and a new Local players only All Star team. Stay tuned for more announcments regarding the All Stars and Award Winners. *** Check out the newly added page on the Left Hand Menu "2011-12 400 Club Winners *** Friday, Feb. 1 - Maroons 5 - Flyers 1 The Maroons travelled north to Stonewall to take on the Flyers on Friday night. Just 11 sec. into the game Dale Butland was handed a 2 min. penalty followed by a 10 min. misconduct and the Maroons were on the penalty kill. Sucessfully killing off the penalty the boys would buckle down and get on the scoreboard when Devon Leblanc would pass to Ryan Dyck in the neutral zone and Dyck would find brother Matt open, Matt would get around a Flyers defender and go in on Flyers goalie Justin Harris on a partial breakaway and put the puck home high on Harris' glove side for a 1-0 lead just under 6 min. in. Later in the frame Angus Klassen and Shea Hamilton would set up a play in which Josh Froese would re-direct in for a 2-0 lead. After killing off another min. penalty later in the period, Shea Hamilton would increase the Maroons lead to 3-0. Late in the period and with heavy traffic in front of Mark Friesen, Stonewall's Reid McLeod would let a quick hard shot go from the top of the circle that would get past Friesen cutting the lead to 3-1 headinng into the 1st intermission. In the 2nd period both teams maintained good speed and flow each team would have 1 powerplay each, but neither team would be able to score as Flyers goalie Justin Harris would do a good job in his net as well as Maroons goalie Mark Friesen keeping the door shut on the Flyers. The 3rd period would see the Maroons increase their lead 4 min. and on a powerplay when Nick Fuher would find Shea Hamilton on the point and Hamilton's shot would go off Ryan Dyck sneaking past Harris for a 4-1 lead. Then later at the midway point of the period Haydon Friesen would spot an open lane to the net and his point shot would get re-directed by Matt Dyck for his 2nd goal of the game and make it 5-1 for the Maroons. The last 10 min. would play out with the Flyers trying to mount a comeback and they would even have a late in the game powerplay but would be unable to create any solid scoring chances and after 60 min. it was the Maroons who would win and secure 2 points for the standings. Game notes: Not in the line-up - Brent Toews & Phil Letkeman. Coaches Comments: Assistant Coach John Mintenko was very pleased to see a more regular line up for the Maroons. He was happy to see the teams game plan executed to a "T". Mintenko also added that there was a lot of chatter on the bench and a lot of happy faces. "The guys came out and all did their jobs. Early on I could tell we should be in for some success due to their efforts and attitudes on the bench. And although we outshot them 41 to 29, Their offence always manages to create good scoring chances, so it was nice to see an increased effort in team defence and get the above average goaltending from Mark (Friesen)." The Maroons now sit back a top 1st place in the league but only hold a slight lead over the Morden Redskins. With all teams regular seasons coming to an end, it's going to be very interesting to see how the final games and points play out. It's setting up to be an exciting end to the regular season and for the Maroons they will take on 2 big rivals when they next host the Plum Coulee Xpress on Thursday, Feb. 7th before traveling to Morden on Sat. Feb. 9th to take on the Redskins. Saturday, Jan. 26 - Hawks 4 - Maroons 1 Despite being short a few regular players the Maroons utilized a few AP's and made the trip to Notre Dame to face the surging Hawks. The 1st period featured both teams skating really well and trading chances. The Maroons would create several scoring opportunities but Hawks goalie Kevin Green stood firm in net. With just over 2 min. left in the period, Gilles Comte would put a slot shot on Shannon Enns and Enns would make the initial save, but Steve Clark would pick up the rebound and find the back of the net for a late period goal and carry a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. In the 2nd period the quick pace would continue but neither team could find a way to score until just under the 9 min. mark when a streaking Devon Leblanc would take a Hawks defenceman slightly to the Hawks boards and fire a quick snapshot on Green's blocker side, beating him cleanly tying the game at 1-1. 45 sec. later the Hawks would buzz the Maroons zone and Enns would make a quick save on Mitch Chanel's shot but over committ himself on the play leaving Brody Chabbert to pick up the loose rebound and tap it in going up 2-1. The Maroons would respond several minutes later when Ryan Dyck broke into the Hawks end on a 3 on 1 and would feed Devon Leblanc who ran out of room to shoot allowing Green to make the save and keep the Hawks 2-1 lead. Late in the period a Maroons defensive turnover created a Hawks breakway and Shannon Enns came up with a big save and even bigger rebound save helping to keep the Maroons in the close game. The 3rd period would start with the Maroons and Hawks each receiving minor penalties less then a minute apart. As the Maroons penalty was coming to end putting them on a brief powerplay a neutral zone turnover created another Hawks scoring opportunity and Jean Prejet was able to capitalize scoring shorthanded giving the Hawks a 3-1 lead. The Maroons would press harder as the period was nearing the 10 min. mark and a then on a routine neutral zone play, Ryan Dyck would finish a hit on a Hawks forward sending him into the boards and shattering the glass. As the arena staff took a few minutes to fix the boards, both teams used the natural time out to rest and plan for the last half of the 3rd period. Once play resumed the Maroons would start double shifting some line combonations and generate some good scoring chances but then with 4 min. left the Hawks Steve Clark snuck behind the Maroond defenceman on a breakaway and this time Enns wasn't able to stop the 1 on 1 play. Clarks goal put the Hawks up 4-1 and for the Maroons the next 4 min. would find them scrambling in the Hawks end desperatley trying to close the gap and stay in the game but time would tick away and after 60 min. the home town Hawks would take 2 points for the standings and the Maroons would head home, making the ride home feel colder and just a bit longer. Game notes: Not in the line-up - Nick Fuher, Mark Friesen, Josh Froese, Matt Dyck, Brent Toews, Phil Letkeman and Kevin Giesbrecht. Inserted into the line-up, Haydon Friesen, Dallas Klassen and goalie Eric Martel all on loan from the Red River Mudbugs, HTJHL Jr. C team. Coaches Comments: Rob Friesen was pleased with the players efforts noting the guys played well despite short a few regulars and diff. line combinations. Fighting the puck a bit in the offensive zone didn't help as there was a lot of time in the Hawks end, but the team was struggling to create high quality scoring chances. Winning every game is every teams goal, but playing good hockey and working hard is a huge step to acheiving this and Friesen was satsified his players were putting up a strong effort. With ice time scheduled this week the Maroons hope to work out a few kinks and then welcome back a few players to the line-up as the look ahead to taking on the Stonewall Flyers on Friday, Feb. 1. Saturday, Jan. 19 - Redskins 4 - Maroons 2 The weather in Southern Manitoba would prove to be a carbon copy of the previous Saturday's uncertain weather, but by early afternoon the Hockey Gods would come through and the blizzard like conditions would drastically improve meaning the Maroons would be hosting the rival Morden Redskins. Braving the cold January weather a solid crowd came out to support local hockey. Maroons forward Ryan Dyck would start the scoring for the game just under 7 min. into 1st period when he would break in all alone on Redskins goalie Darcy Stewart, fake to his forehand then lift a back hand shot high over Stewart for a 1-0 lead. Several min. later Chris Reimer would pick off a Maroons breakout attempt and pass to Kelby Friesen who would fire Jay Fehr a quick pass and Fehr's one time shot would beat Maroons goalie Mark Friesen tying it at 1-1. The Maroons would catch a break two min. later when Shea Hamilton would get time all alone in the high slot to take a shot on net and his shot would get deflected off a Redskins defenceman's stick and fool Stewart for a 2-1 lead. Just over a min. after the Maroons go ahead goal Redskins Kris Williams would hold up Maroons Brent Toews behind the play and after both players would push and shove each other Williams would fall to ice with Toews landing on him and Williams would not be getting up on his own. Clearly in a lot of pain, paramedics were called in and 20 min. later Williams was assisted off the ice with an apparent leg injury, later confirmed as a broken leg. Almost 30 min. after the stoppage in play both teams were called back to the ice to finish off the remaining 6 min. on the clock. <img title="markskins.jpg" src="/usrimages/markskins.jpg" alt="markskins.jpg" width="448" height="303" /> Maroons goalie Mark Friesen was outstanding in the loss to Morden. Photo courtesy of the Red River Valley Echo. The 2nd period would see the Redskins get right back into the game less then 2 min. in and on a powerplay when Clint Olsen would re-direct a point shot past Friesen tying it at 2-2. Nearing the midway point of the 2nd, both teams were playing chippy hockey and after a scrum in front of the Maroons net, the Redskins would find themselves on another powerplay and making them pay would be import Blair Osiowy who's high slot snapshot would beat Friesen high on the stick side for a 3-2 Redskins lead. With just under 9 min. left in the period Ryan Hutton would find the back of the Maroons net giving the Redskins a 4-2 lead. Later in the frame Redskins Brett Sager would take on Brent Toews in a fight to defend his injured teammate (although the injury was a complete freak accident) and Toews would get a few shots in knocking Sager to the ice. However, Toews was given an additional 2 min. for an agressor penalty and the Maroons were shorthanded again. On the penalty kill, Devon Leblanc would be given a minor penalty for swatting a broken stick out of the way giving the Redskins a 5-3 opportunity. The Maroons would kill off the penalties and kill off one more penalty before heading to the 2nd intermission being down 4-2. The 3rd period would feature both teams goalies continuing to play very well and as the period winded down the Maroons would get a powerplay opportunity and take a timeout with 1:12 left on the clock. The Maroons would press hard in the Redskins zone but fail to close the gap and the Redskins would win their 5th straight game and hand the Maroons and Mark Friesen a home game loss. In the end it was too late of an effort by the Maroons. On a night when Mark Friesen comes up big with a stellar effort there were too many selfish penalties taken leading to the demises of the hometown Maroons. Selfish play and and penalties did the Maroons in. Game notes: Not in the line-up - Justin Froese, Phil Letkeman and Nick Fuher. 50/50 Winner - Dylan Peters National Anthem performed by Gabby Wolfe & Kristin Tarnick Next game - Sat. Jan. 26 Maroons @ Notre Dame Saturday, Jan. 12 - Xpress 11 - Maroons 1 Mother Nature would blow in uncertain weather throughout the morning and into the early afternoon, but with conditions improving the Xpress and Maroons agreed to carry on with the scheduled game in Plum Coulee. Both teams would be missing some players and unfortunately for the Maroons, the playerrrs that could make it, didn't all come to play. After the opening 20 min. The Xpress would take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission. The 2nd period would see the Xpress start to run away with the game at the midway point of the period when Xpress forward Marlin Froese would score on a powerplay beating Shannon Enns making it 4-1. Froese would score again several minutes later and the Xpress would fill the Maroons net with pucks ending the 2nd period with a commanding 9-1 lead. The 3rd period was not as brutal for the Maroons as they were able to fend off the Xpress and Enns started to turn away more Xpress scoring opportunities. With the game clearly out of reach and less then 10 min. left to play some frustration set in and the Maroons would take two seperate minor penalties with the Xpress capitalizing on both powerplays making the night even worse for the Maroons and ending the game with a whopping 11-1 final. The lone highlight for the Maroons was the highlight reel goal from Devon Leblanc who would score off of a Matt Dyck draw win in the Xpress end and Leblanc would slide into the slot, make a quick head fake deke and rip a quick shot under the crossbar for the lone puck to get past Xpress goalie Jayme Janzen. Shots were close to even at the end of the game with both teams registering between 20 and 25 shots on each others nets. Unfortunately for Shannon Enns it would not be his night in net as ever other shot that came his way would get past him. Enns who has been a Maroon for for over 5 seasons has never been in net for such a lopsided loss and Coach Rob Friesen made sure to relay to the team in his post game comments that everyone must think about the game, then forget about the game and move foward to some practices before the next scheduled game against the Morden Redskins in Altona on Saturday, Jan. 19th. Game notes: Not in the line-up - Josh Froese, Justin Froese and Mark Friesen. Thursday, Jan. 10 - Maroons 7 - Flyers 6 (OT) <img title="butsy.jpg" src="/usrimages/butsy.jpg" alt="butsy.jpg" width="120" height="160" /> Dale Butland circa 2007, hear Hidalgo, Texas (Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees - CHL) Both teams would come out of the gates working hard and moving the puck well. The Flyers would win some puck battles in the first and late in the period they would open the scoring when Adam Farthing would beat Mark Friesen for a 1-0 lead. A minute later Devon Leblanc would work one on one with a Flyers defender and move the puck towards the net, Matt Dyck was trailing and would push the puck past Flyers goalie Devin Peters to tie it at 1-1. A few min. later the Flyers were scrambling in the Maroons slot and Dan Stewart's shot would sneak past Friesen for a 2-1 visitor lead. In the 2nd period the Flyers would score right off the face-off when Russ Payne set up to Reid Mcleod was clean and Mcleods shot would score for a 3-1 lead. 4 min. later with just over 15 min. on the clock Matt Varnes' backhand shot through traffic would find the back of the Maroons net for a 4-1 Flyers lead. The Maroons would miss on a powerplay opportunity but make good just after the Flyers got back to even strength. Ryan Dyck's pass to Devon Leblanc would be re-directed and jammed through Peters cutting the lead to 4-2 for Stonewall. The goal would spark the Maroons and a min. later off a faceoff in the Flyers end Nick Fuher would keep the puck inside the Flyers end and pass to Angus Klassen who was in the face-off circle, Klassen would stride to the middle of the slot and rip and quick wrist shot over the glove of Peters for his 14th goal of his rookie campaign inching the Maroons closer making it 4-3 for the Flyers. With 6 min. left in the middle frame the Maroons would take a min. penalty and kill if off with goalie Mark Friesen coming up with two big saves to keep the score with reach for the Maroons. Then with just 27 sec. left in the period the Flyers were cycling the puck low in the Maroons end and during a goal crease scramble they would get credited with a goal that many people felt strongly about the puck coming into the net from behind the net while a Maroons defenceman and Flyers forward were jostling for the puck at the back corner of the net. The linesman in clear site sided with the official and they credited Jeff Sonnenberg with a goal giving the Flyers a 5-3 lead. As the period ended the Maroons would find something positive to look forward to as Flyers Daniel Lehmann was assessed a 4 min. spearing penalty meaning the Maroons would start the 3rd with a long man advantage. With the 5 on 4 starting the final period the Maroons would press and create several strong chances, but the Flyers would defend their penalty kill well and get back to even strength unscathed. One minute after being back at even strenght Mike Friesen would send a long pass to Devon Leblanc along the boards and Leblanc would go in on a 1 on 2, beating the outside defender and then wiring a shot high on the blocker side of Peters cutting the Flyers lead to 5-4. With Just over 8 min. to play the Maroons would keep pressing and with Brent Toews winning a face-off that he would pick up himself, he'd headman the puck to Angus Klassen in the neutral zone. Klassen ran out of room near the Flyers blueline but noticed Shea Hamilton busting in across the ice and sent a nifty backhand pass to Hamilton for a breakaway and Hamilton would put a quick backhand to forehand deke on Peters and slide home a game tying goal making it 5-5. Less then a min. later Reid McLeod would score his 2nd of the game giving the Flyers a 6-5 lead. The back and forth action pace was now intense and several min. later Matt and Ryan Dyck would connect and get the puck to Devon Leblanc and Leblanc would bury the puck home for his hat trick and tying the game back at 6-6 with 4 min. left to play. With just under 3 min. left to play the Maroons Haydon Friesen was assesed a holding penalty and would fight it off and a solid Stonewall scoring opportunity and both teams would battle hard for puck control. With a stoppage in play at 1:04 the Maroons would take a time-out to discuss how they would develop a play with Friesen coming out of the box in 8 sec. The Maroons would win the faceoff and get back to even strength and make one last rush up ice with a chance to end the game in regulation time but couldn't quite do it. With 12 sec. left to play the Flyers would take a slashing call inside their half of the ice and give the Maroons a powerplay. 12 sec. would expire and the teams would head into a 5 min. sudden death Overtime. Overtime would continue with the Maroons having a man advantage but because overtime is 4 on 4 in the SEMHL, that meant the Maroons would start with a 4 on 3 for a min. and 48 sec. The Maroons would send several good shots towards the Flyers net but would be unable to score on the powerplay. Halfway through the overtime period, Nick Fuher would make a great play at the Flyers blueline to keep the puck in and send a shot towards Peters, but would narrowly miss the low side of the net. The fans were loving the intense action and time was running out for either team to end the game. With 20 sec. left before a looming shootout, the Maroons would find themselves having to take a faceoff in their end. The Flyers would call a timeout and both teams would take the time to rest and come up with a plan for the final sec. It looked like the game would head to the shootout, but on the ensuring face off Angus Klassen would skate the puck up the middle of the ice and attempt to get through 2 Flyers defenceman, unable to work through the players he left the puck to the side for his trailer who was Dale Butland and Butland would take a split second to glance and riffle a high wrist shot past Peters with 11 seconds left in OT to give the home town Maroons a big 2 points for the standings and send the fans into a loud buzz. Game notes: Not in the line-up - Jon Froese, Justin Froese, Josh Froese, Craig Neufeld and David Schulz. 50 / 50 Winner - Gerry Sawatzky Coaches Comments: "Mark didn't have his best game in net, but he kept us in it and made some crucial 3rd period saves. The goal that snuck in from under the back of the net late in the 2nd really bothered him and the rest of the guys. It's unfortunate that the officials didn't clearly see that the back of the net was being pushed up, but possibly that gave our guys some jump to get that goal back and fight harder? I thought in the 3rd period our guys were really clicking. We stopped worrying about who's tired or who's making some small mistakes and we ramped up our game. Everyone worked harder at both ends and I felt that towards the end of the 3rd that we should win the game in regulation. When that didn't happen, I thought perhaps with the powerplay going into the Overtime period? I wanted to win and not be satisfied with just 1 point or go to the shoot-out. I let the guys know that heading into overtime and they responded. Angus' effort for a first year player with the time ticking away was fantastic. He worked hard to make that chance happen and Butland simply hammered it home. Every teams goal should be to win every game and play well doing it. I thought as the game progressed so did our play and now we move on to our next game. We have some tough games ahead." The Maroons will now head to the road for a short trip to Plum Coulee to take on the Xpress on Saturday, Jan. 12. Game time is 8:00 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5 Mercs 3 - Maroons 1 The Warren Mercs were the first team to visit Altona in 2013 and they would bring the Maroons their first loss at home all season. The first period saw the Maroons come flying out of the gate all over the Mercs with plenty of shots heading towards Mercs goalie Gavin McHale, but McHale would play strong and turn away the shots and get a little help from a goalpost. Midway through the period the Mercs would find their stride and pick up their play and get a few chances of their own on Maroons veteran goalie Shannon Enns. Enns played well and after 20 min. the game would be deadlocked 0-0. The Maroons played flat throughout the 2nd period compared to the Mercs and with just over 3 min. left in the period a poor attempt at working the puck out of the Maroons zone was intercepted by Taylor Dicken who would quickly get the puck over to Patrick Findlay and Findlay's quick pass to Kyle Luschinski was one timed past Enns for a 1-0 lead. The Maroons would pick up their play after the Mercs goal but the period would end with the visitors holding the lead. In the 3rd period the Maroons would strike back when on a powerplay Jon Froese would work his way to the front of the Mercs net and hammer home the puck unassisted tying the game 1-1 just under 2 min. into the period. Then several min. later after a solid rush into the Mercs zone the Mercs would turn the play around and rush into the Maroons end and Luschinski's shot would beat Enns for a 2-1 lead. Plenty of game left for the Maroons to tie it back up but the Mercs played strong defensivley and denied several attempts. The Maroons would then have to fight off a 2 min. minor penalty with just under 6 min. left in the game before getting back to even strength. Time would tick away and with Enns being pulled for an extra attacker the Mercs Donnie Delaraque would seal the Mercs victory with an empty net goal. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line up - Brent Toews, Josh Froese & Angus Klassen. 50/50 Winner - Ken Wiebe Sr. Coaches Comments - "We didn't deserve to win tonight. We needed to play the way we did at the start of the game, but after the first 10 min. of the game, we lost our pep and started taking long shifts. It was apparent that our team defense efforts lacked a lot tonight and the shifts were too long. I was impressed by Enns (Shannon) in net tonight. He played very strong and gave us a great opportunity for another win, but we lacked the same effort from a lot of other players. Hopefully the loss will be a wake up call for the guys". The Maroons next game will be Thursday, Jan. 10th when the Stonewall Flyers visit Altona. The game will feature the top 2 teams in the SEMHL and the action starts at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 29 Maroons 5 Carman 2 Maroons traveled to Carman to take on the Beavers and after 20 min. the score was tied 1-1. Beavers Shane Walker would get the Beavers on the board early in the game beating Mark Friesen and then later before the midway point of the frame Devon Leblanc would set up Ryan Dyck on a powerplay tying the game up before the first intermission.<img title="beavers2912.jpg" src="/usrimages/beavers2912.jpg" alt="beavers2912.jpg" width="448" height="261" /> Maroons goalie Mark Friesen stretching out to stop a Beavers backhand attempt. Photo courtesy of Carman Valley Leader. In the 2nd period around the 11 min. mark the game would get a bit rough with Beaver AP Conner Sission receiving a 5 min. Major and a Game Misconduct for a two handed slash on the back of Ryan Dyck. Several more players from the Maroons and Beavers would take minor penalties after the slash and on the ensuing Maroons powrplay Angus Klassen would put the Maroons up 2-1. The Beavers would tie the game late in the period on a powerplay of their own when Mark Owen would beat Mark Friesen making it 2-2. The 3rd period would see some more "Old Time Hockey" which ultimatley would hurt the Beavers. Several penalties to the Beavers around the midway point of the 3rd would result in a Maroons powerplay and Matt Dyck would feed Jon Froese a pass that Froese would put past Beavers goalie Max Desjardins for a 3-2 lead. Another Beavers penalty at the 6 min. mark would result in Ryan Dyck and Devon Leblanc setting up Matt Dyck to score going up 4-2 for the Maroons and then with the Beavers net empty and 1:30 left to play Nick Fuher would get the puck to Angus Klassen who would find the back of the net for his 2nd of the game and the nail in the coffin for the hometown Beavers. Hair pulling, face scratching, two handed whacks to the back, finger bitting, fights...you name it - this game featured a lot of Federal League action and when it was all said and done the Maroons would end 2012 with a road win in Carman. Saturday, Dec. 22 Maroons 4 Morden 2 Holding a slight lead on first place in the league, the Maroons were looking to give themselves some breathing room a top of the standings and take a win from the visiting Morden Redskins. The 1st period would start off with Craig Neufeld taking a penalty just 27 sec. in but Mark Friesen and the Maroons would fight off the penalty and get back to even strength. Later with just under 7 min. in Angus Klassen would send a perfect pass to Shea Hamilton in the low slot, Hamilton worked around a Redskins defender to re-direct the puck past Redskins goalie Darcy Stewart for a 1-0 lead. With approx. 5 min. left in the period the Maroons would go back to killing off a penalty and again they would fight off the Redskins powerplay. Shortly after killing off the penalty the Maroons would get a powerplay opportunity and Craig Neufeld would work the puck to Devon Leblanc who would send it to Angus Klassen with the puck going off Klassen and sneaking past Stewart for a 2-0 lead. In the 2nd period, both teams would resume to their quick play and trade time in each others zones. 7 min. in Devon Leblanc would work his way past a Redskins defender and then muscle his way around another while beating Stewart but run out of room to put the puck into the net, linemate Matt Dyck would follow the play and bang in the loose puck for a 3-0 lead. 2 min. later the Redskins would get on the board when Jay Fehr would set up Dion Peterson with Peterson beating Mark Friesen making it 3-1. The Maroons would kill off 2 more penalties in the period with Friesen making some great saves and the shortened Maroons bench grinding out some long shifts to maintain their 2 goal lead. Just over 3 min. into 3rd period period first year Redskins player Clint Olsen would set up Jay Fehr and Fehr would score making it 3-2. Just over a min. later Jon Froese would get the puck to Shea Hamilton with Hamilton returning an assist to Angus Klassen with Klasen scoring his 2nd of the game and restoring a Maroons 4-2 lead. The Redskins would take a minor penalty later in the period and the Maroons would push for an insurance goal but Stewart and the Redskins would fight off the penalty. The two teams would play out the remaining minutes without much fanfare and the Maroons would skate off the ice with another home game win and on top of the SEMHL. Game notes: Not in the line-up - Dale Butland, Josh Froese, Ryan Dyck & Mike Friesen. 50/50 - $168.00 - Claimed by Harry Hildebrand of Morden 400 Club Winners #399 - Colin Braun - $200 #7 - Frank Derksen - $200 #211 - Albert Stoesz - $200 #187 - Doug Rempel - $200 #49 - Chris Friesen & Dennis Friesen - $200 #238 - Laverne Siemens - $200 #135 - Connie Kippen - $3,000 Grand Prize Winner !!! (Sister to Altona Mayor Mel Klassen) <img title="hatsforsale1213_2.jpg" src="/usrimages/hatsforsale1213_2.jpg" alt="hatsforsale1213_2.jpg" width="448" height="327" /> New hats available for sale. Maroon hat (FlexFit) or Black Reebok hat - $22.00 each Thursday, Dec. 20 Maroons 4 Plum Coulee 2 The Plum Coulee Xpress rolled into Altona and just under 5 min. into the game and on a powerplay Devon Leblanc would get the puck to Nick Fuher on the point and Fuher would send a shot on net that would get past Xpress goalie Jayme Janzen for a quick 1-0 lead. The Maroons would play quick hockey in the first period sending a lot of rushes into the Xpress end and late in the period and just after a powerplay expired Justin Froese would put a shot towards Janzen that would go off Angus Klassen and the Maroons were up 2-0. Approx. a minute later Mark Friesen would start a play to Dale Butland and Butland would get it up Matt Dyck who raced down his off wing along the boards, beat the lone Xpress defender and then slipped the puck under Janzen for a 3-0 lead. The 2nd period would see the Maroons continue to outplay the Xpress and 5 min. in, kill off a penalty of their own. Nearing the midway point of the period Angus Klassen would get his 2nd goal of the game when Dale Butland would pass to him in the slot and Klassen would pull it back and snap a quick shot into the Xpress net. The Maroons would kill off 2 more penalties in the 2nd period and head into the intermission with a 4-0 lead. The 3rd period started out with quick play by both teams and then just over 3 min. into the period ater an Xpress player knocked Mark Friesens feet from under him, a partial line brawl would break out. Most players were shoving back and forth and not really fighting but the Maroons veteran Ryan Dyck did get into a pretty good fight with Plum Coulee's Steve Doell with landing several clean & solid blows to Doell. The very next shift would feature more of the pushing and shoving and when it was all said and done a total of 99 min. in penalties were handed out the Xpress ansd 85 min. in penalties. The Maroons came out of the penalty mess with a powerplay but Jayme Janzen would hang on and keep the Maroons off the board. Later at the midway point of the 3rd Maroons defenceman Haydon Friesen would get caught in the neutral zone giving up the puck to Xpress forward Kyle Howarth and Howarth would have a breakaway from the Maroons blueline in and score, finally solving Friesen and getting the Xpress on the board making it 4-1 Maroons. Both teams were playing with shorter benches and grinding out the minutes on the clock. With just under a min. left the Xpress would surge to the Maroons end and Jordan Peters would sneak a low shot past Friesen to get the Xpress within 2, but there wouldn't be nearly enough time in the game to get back into it as the Xpress were outplayed, outskated and outshot by the Maroons. <img title="lotsofxpress.jpg" src="/usrimages/lotsofxpress.jpg" alt="lotsofxpress.jpg" width="384" height="336" /> Full House? - A total of 6 Xpress players in the penalty box at one point. Photo submitted by a fan. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line-up: Phil Letkeman & Craig Neufeld. Dressing for his first game of the year was John Mintenko. National Anthem performed by Ashton Cornelson. 400 Club Winners of $200 each: #382 Harold Kehler #144 Don Wiebe #54 Byron Loeppky, Mike Friesen, Conrad Driedger, Curwin Friesen #278 Carey Kehler & Chad Friesen #172 Terry Wiebe #60 Jim Friesen #81 Keystone Kat Saturday, Dec. 15 Maroons 4 Notre Dame 2 <img title="nd13.jpg" src="/usrimages/nd13.jpg" alt="nd13.jpg" width="448" height="260" /> The very noticeable blue arena sign welcoming you to Notre Dame. On a chilly evening in Notre Dame the Maroons would face a Notre Dame squad hungry for a win at home. The Hawks were skating well and getting behind the Maroons causing several odd man rushes and putting goalie Mark Friesen to the test early on. It would take until latter part of the period for the Maroons to strike first when Matt Dyck would set up Devon Leblanc and Leblanc's shot would get past Hawks goalie Kevin Green. Less then 3 min. later Leblanc would return the favour on a 2 on 1 with Matt Dyck sliding him a backhand pass pass that Dyck would bury for a 2-0 lead. The period would play out with no penalties for either side and a chance for the teams to warm up. In the 2nd period, the Hawks would close the gap with a powerplay goal when Ryan Robidoux would beat Friesen making it 2-1 with approx. 13 min. left on the clock. Less then 3 min. later after Friesen would stop a breakaway attempt by Jamie Mousseau, Shea Hamilton would carry the puck through the neutral zone and into the Hawks end, dropping a pass for Josh Froese and Froese's wrist shot would fool Green for a 3-1 Maroons lead. Never showing any signs of slowing down, the Hawks would bounce right back 51 sec. later when Brody Chabbert would find the back of the net off a rebound scramble in front of Friesen cutting the lead to one goal, again. The Maroons started the 3rd period outplaying the Hawks and it would pay off less then 5 min. in when Ryan Dyck would spring Leblanc on a breakaway and Leblanc would fire a shot low to Green's blocker side for a 4-2 lead. The Maroons would fight off 2 Hawks powerplays and the time ticked away for the Hawks to stay in the game. With just under 2 min. left in the game the Hawks would call a timeout and set a plan to pull their goalie for an extra attacker. As soon as the Hawks would work the puck into the Maroons end, their net emptied for the extra forward and they would scrambe feverishly to try and get within one goal and narrowly missed a great opportunity with Jon Froese blocking a shot in the crease. The Hawks would work the puck back into the Maroons one final time before the time would expire and the Maroons would leave Notre Dame with a road win and 2 points for the standings. Game notes: Not in the line-up - Jared Barnabe, Dale Butland, Kevin Giesbrecht and Shannon Enns. Coaches comments: "They (Hawks) played really well tonight. They skate well and did a great job of creating odd man rushes for themselves by outworking us. We didn't play a full 60 min. but we had some bright spots of our own, scoring on two 2 on 1's and a breakaway. Mark also played very strong and it's great to leave here with a road win." <img title="mintynd13.jpg" src="/usrimages/mintynd13.jpg" alt="mintynd13.jpg" width="336" height="435" /> John Mintenko stepped down from the bench and into goalie equipment to fill in for Shannon Enns who was unable to make the trip to Notre Dame. Thursday, Dec. 13, Maroons 8 Mercs 4 Devon Leblanc would start the Maroons on the right track just 41 sec. into the game when a blocked shot off his face would land near his feet and he would take off narrowly beating a Mercs defenceman wide and with one hand on his stick he'd push the puck up and over goalie Gavin McHale's glove for a 1-0 lead. The Maroons would add another goal 40 sec. later when Angus Klassen would set up Josh Froese who would find Shea Hamilton in the slot with Hamilton trickling one past McHale making it 2-0. The Maroons would struggle in the rest of the first period with the Mercs outplaying them and fight off 2 minor penalties with goalie Mark Friesen coming up big several times keeping the Mercs off the board. Late in the period Mitch Fehr would find himself on a two on one with Jared Barnabe and send a perfect pass to Barnabe who's quick shot would find the twine for a 3-0 lead. <img title="devmercs131.jpg" src="/usrimages/devmercs131.jpg" alt="devmercs131.jpg" width="448" height="281" /> <img title="devmercs132.jpg" src="/usrimages/devmercs132.jpg" alt="devmercs132.jpg" width="429" height="336" /> <img title="devmercs133.jpg" src="/usrimages/devmercs133.jpg" alt="devmercs133.jpg" width="448" height="331" /> Devon Leblanc fighting his way through 1, 2 and eventually 3 Mercs defenders. Photos by Greg Vandermeulen - Red River Valley Echo The 2nd period started similar to the 1st with Ryan Dyck sending Devon Leblanc in on a breakaway just 10 sec. in and while Leblanc's initial shot was stopped by McHale, Leblanc would continue around the net and pick up the loose puck/rebound and tap it in for his 2nd of the game and a 4-0 lead. Just over 5 min. later the line of Barnabe, Fehr and Toews would connect with Brent Toews puttingi a quick hard backhand from the slot to the back of the Mercs net for a 5-0 lead. Halfway through the 2nd period Matt Dyck would pick up a loose puck in the neutral zone and burst around a Mercs defender breaking to the net and going to his backhand to score, increasing the Maroons lead to 6-0. Just under 4 min. later Dale Butland would send a wrist shot from the point that Shea Hamilton would re-direct and score on giving the Maroons a 7-0 lead. Playing with such a lead is usually dangerous, especially against a Mercs team that wasn't giving up and 3 min. later on a nice set up from Kyle Luschinski, Bryn Lyndsay would finally beat Mark Friesen and get the Mercs on the board. 20 sec. later Maroons Dale Butland in a clearing attempt would have his shot deflect off Mercs forward Scott Slagerman and bounce past a surprised Friesen making it 7-2 Maroons. The Mercs would finish the 2nd period with Lyndsay setting up former UND Sioux player Taylor Dicken with Dicken scoring closing the Maroons lead to 7-3. <img title="mattmercs13.jpg" src="/usrimages/mattmercs13.jpg" alt="mattmercs13.jpg" width="448" height="279" /> Matt Dyck jostling for position in front of Mercs goalie Gavin McHale. Photo courtesy of Greg Vandermeulen - Red River Valley Echo. In the 3rd period some frustrations got the best of a few players and the period would start out with a few penalties to each team. Nearing the midway point of the period the Mercs would further close the gap and make it 7-4 when Lyndsay would bank a pass off the end boards and catch Friesen out of position with Dicken picking up the puck and sliding it in an empty net. The Maroons would get one back while on a powerplay and a delayed penalty coming to the Mercs, Altona's own former UND product Nick Fuher would fire a pass to Josh Froese in the low slot and Froese would feed Angus Klassen who would wait momentarily and then put a nifty move on McHale and use a backhand in tight to go under the crossbar for his 7th goal of his Maroons rookie campaign and make it 8-4. The final 5 min. wouldn't change anything and the Maroons would hang on for the win and remain unbeaten at home. Game notes: Not in the line-up - Phil Letkeman & Craig Neufeld. Coaches Comments: "I think tonight was one of those nights where we showed that we can win games while not putting our best effort forward. Mark (Friesen) made some big saves early in the game when we were being outplayed and we capitalized on our chances coming out of the 1st period with a 3-0 lead. We again capitalized on our chances in the 2nd and had a much better period overall, although we had a few breakdowns at the end of the period and in the 3rd, I thought both teams were pretty even. At the end of the night, a win's a win and while there were negative things, I won't push any panic button just yet" 50/50 pot claimed by Nettie Neufeld of Altona 400 Club - 7 Draws of $200.00 each - WINNERS #315 - Conner & Kaden Enns #122 - DD/Kelvin/Jennifer #361 - Tim Guenther #340 - Roger Barnabe #130 - Gert Hildebrand #56 - Don Penner #157 - Joyce Friesen The Maroons will now travel to Notre Dame on Sat. Dec. 15 to take on the Hawks before coming home for two big games when they host the Plum Coulee Xpress on Thur. Dec. 20 and then the Morden Redskins on Sat. Dec. 22. Two home games you don't want to miss. Saturday, Dec. 8, Maroons 4 Beavers 3 The Altona Maroons made the road trip to Carman on Saturday night and came away with a win and 2 pts in the standings. Getting things started in the 1st period was Matt Dyck when he would score his team leading 10th goal converting a nice pass from defenceman Craig Neufeld who had rushed in from the blueline and worked the puck low and behind the Beavers net finding Dyck in the slot and Dyck would beat Gavin Callum for a 1-0 lead 3 and a half min. in. The Beavers would respond with several chances that Mark Friesen would turn away. The pace of the game in the first period was quick with both teams making several strong rushes. Later with less then 5 min. left in the period and killing off a Devon Leblanc holding penalty, Jon Froese would forecheck hard and find himself on a breakway and after making a quick deke on Callum he'd put the Maroons up 2-0 with an unassisted backhand goal. The Beavers would respond 2 and a half min. later when Mark Friesen would make a save on a Scott Sisson shot from the slot but was unable to contain the rebound and Ryan McIntosh would find the back of the net getting the Beavers on the board. The Beavers would start pressuring the Maroons and put a lot of pressure on with a late powerplay. Friesen and the Maroons would kill off the penalty and the first period looked to end with a Maroons 2-1 lead, but before the players headed upstairs for an intermission both teams got into a bit of a scuffle and penalties were handed out with the Maroons learning they'd start the 2nd period on a powerplay, but lose Brent Toews and Dale Butland to 10 min. misc. <img title="mitchgoal13.jpg" src="/usrimages/mitchgoal13.jpg" alt="mitchgoal13.jpg" width="448" height="319" /> Celebrating goal by Mitch Fehr #24 <img title="geese13.jpg" src="/usrimages/geese13.jpg" alt="geese13.jpg" width="448" height="287" /> Kevin Giesbrecht jostling for position in front of Beavers net The Beavers would fight off most of their penalty to start the 2nd but before getting back to even strength they would take another minor penalty and find themselves down to 3 men, giving the Maroons a brief 5 on 3. Goalie Gavin Callum would make some big saves for the Beavers and they would get back to even strength and send a lot pressure back into the Maroons zone until the Maroons would get a powerplay opportunity from a Dan Leslie 4 min. penalty for spearing. Again the man advantage wouldn't assist the Maroons as Callum and his teammates would work off the penalty minutes and then continue to put the Maroons on the run in their end. The Maroons would make the most of a late period rush in the Beavers end when Jon Froese would send a high shot at Callum with Justin Froese in the low slot redirecting a rebound towards Mitch Fehr who would quickly put in his first goal as an Altona Maroon and increase the lead to 3-1 with 3 and a half min. left in the period. The Maroons and Beavers would each take one more offsetting minor penalties before the 2nd period was over and as the Zamboni came out for the floor the visitors were holding on for their 3-1 lead. Escaping a 2nd period in which the Beavers outplayed the Maroons, the Maroons would start the 3rd with an improved effort and just over 5 min. into the last period Devon Leblanc would set up Matt Dyck for an awesome opportunity to go up 4-1 but Callum would stone him making hisi finest save of the evening. Several minutes would pass before a crazy shift that saw a lot of Beavers opporunities get turned over by Kevin Giesbrecht carrying the puck into the Beavers end and Giesbrecht would hold on long enough to draw a Beaver defender with him and then send a streaking Nick Fuher a pass that Fuher would fire past Callum for a 4-1 lead with just over 12 min. to play in the game. Shortly after the big "insurance" goal, the Maroons Phil Letkeman would head to the penalty box on a slashing call. The Beavers worked hard to generate a quality chance but the Maroons would fight off their shortanded situation and look to play the last 10 min. without letting the Beavers back into the game. That plan wouldn't hold too long as Dan Leslie would pass to Mark Owen and Owen would snipe a top shelf shot past Friesen cutting the Maroons lead to 4-2 with 8 min. left in the game. The Beavers fed off the goal and would outplay the Maroons for the next several minutues and as time was winding down and Callum ready to head to the bench for an extra attacker they would really make it a really close game when Dan Leslie would score from a scramble in front of Friesen inching them to within one of the Maroons making it 4-3. Callum would stay on the bench as the Beavers would send 6 attackers on the ice for the final 51 sec. The Maroons would send out a defensive minded set of players and ice the puck twice, narrowly escaping a tying goal and after 60 min. it was the Maroons that would leave the ice wiht the win. Before the players would actually leave the ice surface Maroons dman Dale Butland would square off with Aaron Lewadnuik but each player wrestled and bear hugged each other without actually throwing any punches and each getting hodling penalties with no time left on the clock. Final score Maroons 4, Beavers 3. <img title="mattbeav13.jpg" src="/usrimages/mattbeav13.jpg" alt="mattbeav13.jpg" width="394" height="336" /> Matt Dyck winning a 3rd period face-off Game notes: Not in the line-up - Shea Hamilton, Josh Froese and Coach Rob Friesen. <img title="clockcarman13.jpg" src="/usrimages/clockcarman13.jpg" alt="clockcarman13.jpg" width="423" height="336" /> Next game is Thursday, Dec. 13th when the Maroons host the Warren Mercs. Thursday, Dec. 6, Maroons 8 Redskins 4 The Altona Maroons were back in action on Thursday as they visited the Morden Redskins to see who could earn 2 points and a hold of 2nd place in the S.E.M.H.L. The Maroons would strike first when just under 5 min. into the game Jared Barnabe would block a Redskins clearing attempt and find himself on a partial breakaway, slipping the puck past Redskins goalie Steph Warnock. The flow of the game would pick up considerably after the goal and both teams created scoring opportunities with Mark Friesen turning away shots for the Maroons and Warnock doing the same for the Redskins. With less then 8 min. left in the 1st, Ryan Dyck would send an pass banking off the end boards to Devon Leblanc behind the Redskins net and Leblanc would make a quick move around a defender coming out in front and instead of shooting, he'd slip the puck over to Matt Dyck and Dyck would score making it 2-0. The Maroons would increase their pressure and later in the period less then 5 min. to play Nick Fuher would start a rush, giving the puck to Shea Hamilton who would zig zag into the Redskins zone and slide a pass over to Angus Klassen who's quick wrist shot would beat Warnock for a 3-0 Maroons lead. Possibly knowing that a 3-0 lead is not safe from the previous game in Warren, the Maroons would kick it into another gear and just over a min. later Hamilton would again connect with Klassen and Klassen would beat Warnock for his 2nd of the game and a 4-0 lead. The period would play out and both teams would head to the locker rooms for a breather. The period also featured no penalties for either team. <img title="ryanvsmorden13_2.jpg" src="/usrimages/ryanvsmorden13_2.jpg" alt="ryanvsmorden13_2.jpg" width="448" height="265" /> Ryan Dyck sending a shot on the Morden net In the 2nd period the Redskins were showing signs of offence, forcing the Maroons further into their zone and setting up plays in front of a congested crease area, but goalie Mark Friesen would remain calm in net and shortly after making 3 quick pad saves in a row, the Maroons would turn the play back towards the Redskins zone. Working the puck to Nick Fuher, Fuher would take a point shot that Matt Dyck would deflect past Warnock for a 5-0 lead with just over 12 min. left in the period. 3 min. later Devon Leblanc would hustle to keep a Redskins zone clearing attempt in at the blueline and carry it to the high slot, let a shot go with Warnock making a good save on the shot, however the rebound was picked up by Matt Dyck and was missed, but Ryan Dyck was in the right spot and would find the back of the net for a 6-0 lead. With just under 4 min. left in the period the Redskins would make the most of a powerplay and Chris Reimer would deflect a shot from Derek Holinski, spoiling Friesens shut out bid and making it 6-1. Before the period would end the Maroons would go on a powerplay and make it 7-1 after Ryan Dyck's pass across the slot to Devon Leblanc was one timed back into the slot to Matt Dyck who would one time it past Warnock for his hat trick. Trailing 7-1 the Redskins would come out for the 3rd period looking to get back in the game, however just under 4 min. in, Devon Leblanc would take a Redskins defender wide and blast a slapshot high to the glove side of Warnock which Warnock couldn't handle, making it 8-1 for the Maroons. Nearing the midway point of the final period the Redskins would get a powerplay opportunity and make the most of it when Kelby Friesen would set up Ryan Hutton and Hutton would beat Friesen making it 8-2 in favour of the visiting Maroons. The Maroons would make a goalie change at this point with Shannon Enns replacing Mark Friesen. Unfortunatley for Enns just a few minutes of coming into the game a strange bounce would end up with Jeremy Matueszewski feeing Ryan Hutton and Hutton making the twine move, changing the score to 8-3. The Maroons responded from the goals by creating a few more scoring chances, but a defensize zone breakdown would turn the puck over to the Redskins and Ramsay Fehr would set up Kelby Friesen with Friesen beating Enns making it 8-4 with approximatley 4 min. left to play in the game. The Maroons would send a good portion of the play back into the Redskins zone for the remaining time left in the game. With just over 1 min. left to play Enns would make a great save and the Maroons would run the time off the clock and leave the ice as 8-4 winners and earning 2 points, putting them in sole possesion of 2nd place in the league (for the time being). Next up the Maroons travel to Carman on Sat. Dec. 8th for a battle with the Beavers. Game time is 8 p.m. For updates during games, follow us on twitter @maroons1951 Friday, Nov. 30, Mercs 6 Maroons 5 The day after beating the Plum Coulee Xpress at home, the Maroons would head north and visit the Warren Mercs and were looking to notch back to back wins. The Mercs are comfortable in their home arena and would start the game off playing fast and physical, forcing the Maroons to end up taking 2 minor penalties close together and giving the Mercs a 5 on 3 opportunity with the game less then 5 min. old. Shannon Enns would protect the Maroons net well and shortly after the penalties were fought off, Shea Hamilton would set a play up that featured Angus Klassen finish it with a goal beating Mercs goalie Gavin Mchale for a 1-0 Maroons lead. The Mercs would battle back but end up taking a penalty of their own and with another minor penalty to be called Dale Butland would set up Devon Leblanc and Leblancs quick shot would find the back of the net for a 2-0 lead, which would hold until intermission. The 2nd period would begin with the Mercs still down a man and just 35 seconds in, Nick Fuher's point shot would be deflected by Matt Dyck for a 3-0 lead. Later with 5 min. already off the clock Lars Meilleur's shot would miss the Maroons net, take a strange bounce off the end boards and come out to an open Donnie Delaroque who would bang it past Enns cutting the Maroons lead to 3-1. Around the midway point of the 2nd period Maroons Brent Toews would be handed a 2 min. Roughing penalty and this time the Mercs would pot a Powerplay goal with Bryn Lindsay and Lars Meilleur setting up Mark Magnowski making it 3-2 for the Maroons. Back and forth hockey would continue with both Enns and McHale playing well and with just 20 sec. left in the period some hard forechecking by Devon Leblanc on the Mercs goal line would result in Leblanc feeing Nick Fuher a pass that Fuher would put past Mchale for a 4-2 lead heading into Intermission. In the 3rd period the Mercs would skate the puck into the Maroons zone and a seemingly harmless wrist shot from Kyle Luschinski would fool Enns cutting the lead to 4-3. The Mercs intensity would increase and nearing the final 10 min. of the game Lindsay and Magnowski would set up Luschinski for his 2nd of the game and a 4-4 tie. Off the ensuing face off the same line strike again at Luschinki's linemates would set him up for his natural hattrick and a 5-4 Mercs lead. With home already back in the game cheering on their team the go ahead goal seemed to be all they needed to carry their momentum to a win, but the Maroons weren't rolling over anytime soon and with just over 6 min. left to play Matt and Ryan Dyck would set up Angus Klassen for his 2nd of the game tying it at 5-5. In the last 5 min. of the game the Maroons would kill off 2 penalties and force an overtime period. Overtime would not solve anything which meant that the fan friendly shoot out would determine the winning team. In the shoot out the Maroons would send 7 shooters to the test with Shea Hamilton, Nick Fuher and Kevin Giesbrecht scoring but it wasn't enough as the Mercs would capitalize 4 times and head off the ice with 2 pts and send the Maroons home with 1 pt. in the S.O.L. column. Not in the line-up: Mike Friesen, Phil Letkeman Thursday, Nov. 29, Maroons 5 Xpress 2 In a highly anticpated first match up of the new season between the Maroons and Xpress since the two clubs met in the SEMHL finals last spring it would be the hometown Maroons who would prevail with a 5-2 win. The Maroons would get on the board halfway through the first period when Ryan Dyck would cycle the puck low into the Xpress zone on a powerplay and feed Devon Leblanc a one time set up, Leblanc's slapshot would beat Xpress netminder Jayme Janzen but ring off the post leaving Matt Dyck to fight his way to bang in the rebound giving the Maroons a 1-0 lead. Throughout the remaining portion of the first period the Maroons would outplay the Xpress and in doing so caught the Xpress frustrated and would take advantage of one more powerplay late in the first. Before the period could end 2 Xpress players would take penalties with 1 sec. left on the clock. Starting the 2nd period on a 2 man advantage the Maroons would pepper Janzen with shots and Janzen would stand tall kicking away all atempts. Later in the period with just under 7 min. off the clock, Craig Neufeld would send a pass to the wing side where Jared Barnabe would carry the puck into the Xpress zone and send a hot wrist shot past Janzen's glove side giving the Maroons a 2-0 lead. Shortly after the goal the Maroons would fight off a penalty with Maroons goalie Mark Friesen shutting the door on the Xpress chances but shortly after the penalty kill was over and with the Maroons having some defensive struggles, The Xpress were able to capitalize on a loose puck in the crease and Dale Harder would hit the back of the net cutting the Maroons lead to 2-1. The Maroons would not let the goal deflate them and less then 30 sec. later Kevin Giesbrecht would beat an Xpress defender wide and work the puck behind the Xpress net to Mitch Fehr. Fehr would put the puck towards the net and still in mid-air, Jon Froese would swat at the puck and connect putting it past Janzen for a 3-1 lead. Later in the 2nd period with just under 5 min. left to play and killing a 2 min. minor penalty Nick Fuher would chip the puck off the boards in the Maroons zone and a streaking Matt Dyck would pick it up with Devon Leblanc heading towards the Xpress zone on a 2 on 1. Leblanc played the perfect decoy as Dyck held on long enough to have Janzen thinking about a pass and then slipped the puck through the Xpress goalies five hole for his 2nd of the game and a 4-1 lead. The Maroons would take one more penalty before the period would come to a close and the teams would head in for the 2nd intermission. In the 3rd period the Xpress looked to be gaining some pressure in the Maroons zone but with some more work from the Maroons defensive end, they were able to work the puck into the Xpress zone and Dale Butland would send a pass to Ryan Dyck in the slot who would send a shot towards the net with Janzen coming up with a nice save but a costly rebound would be left in the low slot area and Matt Dyck would send it past the goal line for his hat trick and a 5-1 lead. The Xpress would go on a powerplay very shortly after the goal and just over 10 sec. into their man advantage a point shot from Dale Harder would get redirected past Friesen cutting the Maroons lead to 5-2. The Maroons would bounce back and send more pressure into the Xpress zone and with less than 10 min. to play in the game, the frustrated Xpress players would take 2 penalties close togethter giving the Maroons their 2nd 5 on 3 of the game. The Maroons would not be able to capitalize and shortly after the Xpress got back to 5 on 4, the Maroons would take a minor penalty allowing both teams to play a man short for roughly a min. Both teams would have a handful of scoring chances, and towards the end of the game it was apparent the Maroons had been outworking the Xpress in this game and after 60 min. of hockey it was a 5-2 win for the Maroons. Game Notes: Not in the Maroons line-up - Shea Hamilton, John Mintenko. Coaches Comments: "Impressed with how we started the game, but more impressed with the way we finished the 2nd period". "Our goaltending was very solid tonight, we limited a lot of chances and I like the way a lot of the guys are skating hard. It's starting to show the way we have had some up-tempo practices. We have a lot of games coming up and I trust the guys will be ready for it." National Anthem performed by: Ashton Cornelson 50/50 pot of $141 was claimed 400 Club Winners of $200 each: #63 Tim Jackson #369 Benno Loewen #328 Pete / Henry Berg #396 Ryan Gerbrandt / Mitch Klassen #204 Fred Peters Set up in the lobby throughout the game were local fitness/walking enthusiasts Ang Stoesz and Lorraine Hamm who every year sign up for the Manitoba Cancer Care 10 KM run and as part of their fundraising efforts for the Cancer Care event had a Winnipeg Blue Bombers helmet signed by the entire 2012 Bombers team avaialble as a silent auction item. The helmet started the evening off at $125 and by the end of the game the highest bid had reached $500. Ang & Lorraine will be set up locally around Altona as Christmas approaches. If you are a sports fan, this is a very sharp piece and the proceeds all go towards the Manitoba Cancer Care foundation. <img title="bombers.jpg" src="/usrimages/bombers.jpg" alt="bombers.jpg" width="336" height="356" /> Saturday, Nov. 24 - Maroons 6 Hawks 0 The Maroons would waste little time getting things started when Jon Froese would work the puck into the Hawks zone and find Angus Klassen who would leave the puck for Nick Fuher and Fuher's shot would beat Hawks goalie Marc Lesage for a 1-0 lead just 4 min. into the game. Nearing the midway point of the period and playing shorthanded, Justin Froese would spring a pass to Jared Barnabe and the 2nd year forward would beat Lesage to make it 2-0. With just under 7 min. to play and this time on a powerplay, Devon Leblanc would feed Ryan Dyck and Dyck would set up Nick Fuher for Fuher's 2nd of the game and a 3-0 lead. Things were looking to be in control for the Maroons, but less then 20 sec. later Phil Letkeman would be handed a 2 min. Hit from Behind call and a game ejection for an open ice hit and in the process recevied the opposing players stick in his face, sending him not only to the showers early, but a quick trip to the doctors for a few stitches. Letkeman later commented that while it was unfortunate that he had to get a few stitches, he was more frustrated that his hit garnered a hit from behind call and a game ejection. The Hawks who were featuring several new players in their line-up, and most notably speedy import forward Riley Dudar, weren't going to give up anytime soon and continued to battle hard and would get a handful of their own scoring chances but Maroons goalie Mark Friesen would calmly turn away the shots and after 20 min. it was 3-0 for the Maroons. <img title="chipsnd1213.jpg" src="/usrimages/chipsnd1213.jpg" alt="chipsnd1213.jpg" width="448" height="294" /> Brent Toews getting ready to muscle out a face-off. Defenceman Craig Neufeld looks on. Photo by Greg Vandermeulen. In the 2nd period the Maroons would add to their lead when defenceman Haydon Friesen would chip the puck out of the Maroons end into the neutral zone where Nick Fuher would pick it up and feed Jon Froese a pass, Froese would deke outside to beat a Hawks defender and then send a wrist shot past new goalie Phil Vigier (who started the 2nd period in place of Lesage). The Jon Froese goal would be the only of the period as both teams would continue to skate hard and trade scoring opportunities. The only 2 powerplays of the period were held by the Maroons and players such as Matt Dyck, Devon Leblanc, and Angus Klassen ising the net. After 40 min. of good paced hockey the Maroons lead of 4-0 would hold. <img title="goalnd1213.jpg" src="/usrimages/goalnd1213.jpg" alt="goalnd1213.jpg" width="405" height="336" /> Matt Dyck celebrates a Maroons goal with Devon Leblanc and Nick Fuher. Photo by Greg Vandermuelen. Midway through the 3rd period the Maroons would add a 5th goal when Devon Leblanc would find Ryan Dyck in the slot and Dyck's shot would be beat Lesage adding some insurance to the Maroons lead. With just under 9 min. to play Josh Froese would forecheck hard into the Hawks zone and get the puck to Matt Dyck along the boards near the hash marks and Dyck's quick but seemingly unassuming shot towards the net would fool Vigier making it 6-0. As the minutes would wind down the Maroons now found themselves working towards preserving a shut out bid and after killing off a 2 min. minor with just under 5 min. to play the teams would play out the remaining time and goalie Mark Friesen would pick up the puck for his first ever SEMHL shut out and a hometown Maroons win. Not in the line-up: Shea Hamilton, Dale Butland, John Mintenko. 50/50 pot claimed by: Dan Carman 400 Club Winners of $200 # 299 - Ben Hildebrand & Don Enns #216 - John Hiebert #71 - John Martens #241 - Curt Letkeman & Tim Fast #2 - Corey & Holly Friesen The Altona Maroons also teamed up with the Manitoba Alzheimers Society and in the lobby was a table set up with raffle tickets for sale with hockey themed prizes with all proceeds going towards the Alzheimers Society. The main prizes featured a signed Evander Kane Winnipeg Jets jersey as well as a beautiful art piece of Milan Lucic and signed by the Bruins rugged power foward. If you see the Alzheimers Society selling tickets in other arenas this winter, be sure to help them out and purchase a few tickets. Thursday, Nov. 15 Maroons 7 Beavers 2 <img title="queens.jpg" src="/usrimages/queens.jpg" alt="queens.jpg" width="418" height="336" /> Maroons Captain Jon Froese with Beavers Ian Bergsma taking a ceremonial face off with 2012 Manitoba Sunflower Festival Queen Sarah Hildebrand, 1st Princess Britni Reimer and 2nd Princess Mandy Peters. Photo courtesy of Greg Vandermuelen - Red River Valley Echo. <img title="team1213beavers.jpg" src="/usrimages/team1213beavers.jpg" alt="team1213beavers.jpg" width="448" height="246" /> Manitoba Sunflower Festival Queen Sarah Hildebrand and princesses Mandy Peters and Britni Reimer were on hand to drop the puck in a ceremonnial face-off to kick off the Maroons 62nd season in the SEMHL. After announcer Wayne Kauhenhofen said "Let's play hockey", it was the visiting Beavers that would start things off 2 min. in as Stewart Thiessen would feed Mark Owen the puck and Owen would slip a low shot past Maroons goalie Mark Friesen for a 1-0 lead. Later in the period Brent Toews would take a pass from Ryan Dyck and beat Beavers goalie Nathan Yeo high on the glove side to tie the game 1-1. The rest of the period would play out with both teams generating some scoring chances but the score would remained tied after 20 min. <img title="josh.jpg" src="/usrimages/josh.jpg" alt="josh.jpg" width="386" height="336" /> Josh Froese manhandling a Carman defenceman. Subsequently a 2 min. minor penalty was called on the play. Photo courtesy of Greg Vandermuelen - Red River Valley Echo. In the 2nd period the Maroons came alive. Just under 2 min. in, Nick Fuher would find Jon Froese in the Beavers zone and the captain would send a pass to his brother Josh and Josh Froese would score his first of the season giving the Maroons a 2-1 lead. 8 sec. later Brent Toews would muscle his way past a Beavers d-man and with one hand on his stick he'd slide the puck past Yeo for a 3-1 lead. Several min. later on a powerplay Ryan Dyck would set up Angus Klassen and Klassen would use some patience and then fire a shot past Yeo for a 4-1 lead. Jon Froese would score next at the 13:53 mark of the period giving the Maroons a 5-1 lead. With over 10 min. to play in the 2nd period Angus Klassen would score his 2nd of the game on a set up from Matt Dyck and then Jon Froese would notch his 2nd of the game less then 20 sec. later. Now up 7-1 the Beavers would make a goalie change sending Gavin Callum to the net. The 2nd period would come to an end with the Maroons holding a large lead. <img title="matt1213beavers.jpg" src="/usrimages/matt1213beavers.jpg" alt="matt1213beavers.jpg" width="436" height="336" /> Matt Dyck working to position himself in front of Beavers goalie Nathan Yeo. Photo courtesy of Greg Vandermuelen - Red River Valley Echo. In the 3rd period the Maroons would continue to play sound defence and continue to try to pad their lead, but Callum would stand tall coming up with a few big saves. Just under 4 min. in the Beavers would find some life when Stewart Thiessen would find the back of the net on a nice pass from Mark Owen making it 7-2. The remainder of the period saw both teams still skating well but faced with a 5 goal defecit the Beavers found themselves too far out of the game and the Maroons would pick up their first win of the season making their record now 1 Win and 1 Loss. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line-up - Devon Leblanc, Phil Letkeman and Shea Hamilton. National anthem performed by Sarah Hildebrand 50/50 pot of $165 claimed by Dwayne Letkeman 400 Club Winners - $200 each Jake Hildebrand, Ivan Strain, Danny Wiebe, Prairie Insurance and Advance Blinds. Next Home Game - Sat. Nov. 24 v.s. Notre Dame Hawks Sat. Nov. 10, 2012 - Postponed The Altona Maroons were set to host their first home game of the season this year against the Plum Coulee Xpress, but Mother Nature decided to step in and hand much of central and southern Manitoba a mixture of snow and rain combined with freezing temperatures = icy roads. Vehicles were sliding off town roads all morning in Altona with reports from those travelling into town by midday that surronding highway traffic was "crawling" to avoid going into the ditches. There were no Minor Hockey games in town all day and so the Maroons connected with Plum Coulee and the League comissioner all agreed was that it was best to keep the players and fans off of the highways this evening and cancel the game. Local hockey fans hoping to catch some exciting SEMHL action will have to wait until Thursday, Nov. 15th for their first Maroons home game when the Carman Beavers travel to the Sunflower Gardens. Until then, keep checking back on this websites for updates. Sat. Nov. 3, 2012 Altona Maroons @ UND Sioux Taking advantage of an early season Saturday night off a good portion of the Maroons would meet at the arena and jump on the bus and head down to Grand Forks, ND to take in a UND Sioux game against Boston College. The group enjoyed their time at the beautiful Ralph Englestad Arena and would like to thank Abe Suderman for driving the bus as well as Daryl Rempel for looking after everyone and taking attendance after every stop before the bus would move on to each destination. All in all it was a fantastic time enjoyed by everyone. <img title="docsioux.jpg" src="/usrimages/docsioux.jpg" alt="docsioux.jpg" width="221" height="448" /> Fri. Nov. 2, 2012 Stonewall Flyers 6 - Altona Maroons 3 The Altona Maroons travelled to Stonewall to start their season off and would open the scoring just over 7 min. into the game when Shea Hamilton would set up Justin Froese on a powerplay and Froese's snap shot from the point would sneak through traffic and beat Flyers goalie Justin Harris for a 1-0 lead. Several minutes later Dale Butland would pick up an assist on a quick goal from Matt Dyck for a 2-0 lead. Just under 6 min. left to play in the opening frame and rookie Angus Klassen would take a high sticking penalty, on the ensuing penalty the Flyers Matt Zakulkuzny would set up Evan Layse and Layse would beat Shannon Enns narrowing the lead to 2-1. Before the 1st period was over the Maroons would take 2 more penalties including an unfortunate Hitting from Behind penalty assesed to Craig Neufeld. After 20 min. of hockey the Maroons led 2-1. The 2nd period would see the Flyers tie the game up less then 3 min. when Kyle Heroux would beat Enns making it 2-2. Less then a min. after the tying goal, Maroons forward Devon Leblanc would notice a Flyers defenceman with his head down and hit the player with a seemingly normal bodycheck but would be assessed a 2 min. minor for a Hit to the Head and a 10 min. misconduct. Clearly frustrated by another soft call, the Maroons players would lose focus and would be assessed another penalty less then a min. later. The Maroons would get back to even strength after fighting off a 5 on 3. Then with just under 12 min. to play in the 2nd, the Flyers would get the go ahead goal when an Adam Kirk offensive rush was finished by Adam Farthing sending a shot past Enns for a 3-2 lead. With just under 10 min. left in the period a scrum would break out sending 2 players from each team to the penalty box including a Match penalty assessed to Shea Hamilton. Chippy play would continue and the Maroons would again be on a penalty kill when Blair Hawes would beat Enns making it 4-2 for the Flyers. With 5 min. left in the period and still on a powerplay the Flyers would go up 5-2 when Adam Kirk would set up Scott Delong who would beat Enns under the crossbar. After 40 min. of play the Flyers would hold a commanding lead and send the Maroons into a break wondering where their discipline had dissapeard to. The officiating certainly was not strong at the start of the game and it clearly had rubbed the Maroons players the wrong way, letting it get the better of their focus and efforts. First year goalie Mark Friesen would start the 3rd period after Shannon Enns was injured on a play towards the end of the 2nd. The pace of the 3rd period would get back to normal as both teams seems to focus on playing hockey and while the Maroons would start to generate some chances in the Flyers end, it would take until the midway point of the period when Angus Klassen would work his way low behind the Flyers net and Brent Toews would pick up a pass and come out from behind the net beating Harris and cutting the lead to 5-3. The Maroons generate additional chances but time would wind down and with just under 4 min. to play Russ Payne would take a nice pass from Reid Macleod and beat Mark Friesen with a nice shot to go up 6-3. Flyers goalie Justin Harris would close the door on last ditch Maroons efforts and the Flyers would win their home opener doubling up on the defeding SEMHL Champion Altona Maroons. Game Notes: Not in the line up - Phil Letkeman, Ryan Dyck & John Mintenko. AP Haydon Friesen was inserted into the line-up. Several days after the game the Maroons would learn from the league that Devon Leblanc would be handed a 1 game suspension due to the player he hit having to leave the game and seek medical attention several days after the game. League Commissioner Brian Callum handed the suspension to Leblanc due to an injury occuring on a Hit to the Head penalty. Adding to the fact that the Maroons will be without their 2011-12 leading scorer, another top forward Shea Hamilton will be forced to sit out the next 3 games for his Match penalty. The Maroons played the majority of last season with different line ups and some games short several players therefore facing adversity is not new for this hockey club, however they will have to figure out a way to ignore questionable calls and play the way that they proved they can play in last years playoffs. ALL CONTENT FROM HERE DOWN IS FROM THE 2011-2012 SEASON <h2 style="text-align: center;">Maroons win 2011/12 SEMHL Championships with a 6-1 win over Plum Coulee Xpress. Dale Butland and Matt Dyck named Playoff MVP's.</h2> Tuesday, March 27 - SEMHL Finals - Game 5 Maroons v.s. Xpress @ Winkler Centennial Arena. The Altona Maroons came into Game 5 with a 3-1 series lead and started the game off, right where they left off from Game 4 outworking the Plum Coulee Xpress and outshooting their opponents. Less then a min. into the game the Maroons would go on a powerplay but the Xpress backed by goalie Jayme Janzen would keep things scoreless. Later, Just 4 min. into the game Maroons Captain Jon Froese would open the scoring on a play set up by Shea Hamilton. Nearing the midway point of the first period and just after a Maroons powerplay Ryan Dyck would set up Matt Dyck and Matt would send a nice pass to Josh Froese who would streak in towards Janzen and lift a quick wrist shot high over the shoulder of Janzen making it 2-0. The large contingent of Maroons fans in Winkler got behind their team and the Maroons were taking control of the game early on. Keeping shifts short, the Maroons were able to gain entry into the Xpress zone and send good quality of shots on net, meanwhile when the Xpress gained the Maroons end Carey Dyck would firmly turn away the shots with his defenceman working hard to get in front of shooting lanes and turn the puck back out of the zone as quickly as possible. The Maroons Brent Toews would take a holding penalty late in the period and although the Xpress would generate some solid scoring chances the Maroons would get back to even strength, unscathed and head off the ice after 20 min. with a 2-0 lead. The Maroons would outshoot the Xpress 14-7 in the first period. <img title="champssheabeating.jpg" src="/usrimages/champssheabeating.jpg" alt="champssheabeating.jpg" width="450" height="360" /> Shea Hamilton avoiding an open ice hit from Xpress defender Adam Porte. Photo courtesy of Merle Peters. In the 2nd period the Maroons would keep coming at the Xpress and just under 5 min. in and on a powerplay, Josh Froese would feed Dale Butland a pass on the point and and Butland's one-timer blast would find the back of the net making it 3-0 in favour of the Maroons. On the very next shift as the Xpress worked their way into the Maroons end, Butland would be assesed a cross-checking penalty. The Xpress would work their powerplay, but would be unable to capitalize on the man advantage. With just under 11 min. in the middle period the Xpress would head to the penalty box again, putting the Maroons powerplay unit to go to work again. On the powerplay Josh Froese would cycle the puck down low behind Janzen's net with Brent Toews and as Toews came towards the front of the net with a shot Janzen would meet him with a save, but the rebound would bounce out to Jon Froese who would capitalize on the opportunity and bury it for a 4-0 lead. 27 sec. later Matt Dyck would give Devon Leblanc a quick pass at the bottom of the face off circle to the left side of the net and Leblanc would send a bullet past Janzen to the top of the net making it 5-0. With the game now half over the Maroons were safely in the drivers seat and kept coming at the Xpress with several more quality scoring chances. Both teams would leave the ice for the 2nd intermission with the Maroons now outshooting the Xpress 31-21. <img title="champscareysave.jpg" src="/usrimages/champscareysave.jpg" alt="champscareysave.jpg" width="375" height="300" /> Carey Dyck making a blocker save on Xpress forward Brett Harder. Photo courtesy of Merle Peters. In the 3rd period the Maroons would keep up the pressure and with just over 8 min. to play Nick Fuher's point blast would make it's way through traffic in front of Janzen and to the back of the net for a 6-0 lead. The Xpress faithful were fairly quiet at this point, but would eventually find a reason to cheer when Brett Harder's shot would beat Carey Dyck through his pads crushing Dyck's chances for a shutout and making it 6-1. The remaining minutes on the clock would wind down to 0:00 with the Maroons players fleeing their bench and flocking to Dyck and the rest of their teamates to celebrate the win and the SEMHL Championship. The scoreboard displayed a final shot total of 40 shots for the Maroons on Janzen and 30 shots for the Xpress on Dyck. Watching the game between 2 referees, I overheard that they felt the shots on net were not quite accurate and could well have been closer to 45-25. Regardless, Xpress netminder and league Top Goalie award winner Jayme Janzen was outstanding in the series making highlight reel saves in every game of the Championship Finals. At the other end of the ice 2nd year Maroons goalie Carey Dyck was superb in the Finals starting every game and allowing only 12 goals and making crucial saves in each game giving the Maroons playoff goaltending and out-dueling Janzen in the Game 1 Double Overtime battle and the Game 4 Overtime game. After a brief but joyous celebration, the Maroons and Xpress lined up on their respective bluelines while SEMHL Commissioner Brian Callum thanked the fans for their great support, CKMW for broadcasting the games and congratulating the Plum Coulee Xpress for a great season and for being tough opponents in the Finals. Callum then shifted his congrats to the 2012 SEMHL Champions Altona Maroons and announced the SEMHL Playoff co-MVP's forward Matt Dyck and defenceman Dale Butland. After the obligatory trophy presentation, Callum moved on to asking Maroons Captain and co-captains Jon Froese, Brent Toews and John Mintenko to accept the Elmer Hildebrand SEMHL Championship trophy. Captain Jon Froese would then hoist the trophy and get mobbed by his teammates, before handing the trophy over to veteran defenceman Kevin Ginter. Ginter would continue the handing off of the trophy before Shea Hamilton brought it over to President and G.M. Jody Hildebrand. Hildebrand joyfully hoisted the trophy and then passed it off to coach Rob Friesen. Eventually the the team would gather at center ice for a group photo. As the Maroons left the ice fans, parents, spouses, and friends etc. congratulated them for their hard work throughout the playoffs and the team gathered in the dressing room for some brief congratulatory remarks from Hildebrand and Friesen before veterans Jon Froese and Ryan Dyck began the dressing room celebrations. The celebrations would continue until the bus was complelty filled up with a fired up bunch of teammates who made their way back to their home arena to continue reveling in their Championship success. <img title="champscuppresentation.jpg" src="/usrimages/champscuppresentation.jpg" alt="champscuppresentation.jpg" width="240" height="300" /> Maroons Captain Jon Froese with Assistants John Mintenko and Brent Toews accepting the Elmer Hildebrand SEMHL Championship Trophy from league commissioner Brian Callum. Photo courtesy of Merle Peters. For the Maroons the Championship is their 10th in 61 years of hockey in the SEMHL and this seasons squad captured it all after finishing 6th in the regular season standings (2 points out of 3rd place) and were able to knock of the 3rd place Stonewall Flyers, before upsetting the favoured 1st place Morden Redskins and then defeating the 2nd seed Plum Coulee Xpress. The celebrating will continue for some time as the Maroons determine when team pictures and a wind up date can be set. <img title="champschampagne.jpg" src="/usrimages/champschampagne.jpg" alt="champschampagne.jpg" width="375" height="300" /> Dressing room celebrations! Photo courtesy of Merle Peters. Last, but not least, the Altona Maroons would like to say a HUGE Thank you to their fans who came out in big numbers throughout the playoffs to the home games, and also for the away games in the Semi-Finals in Morden and in the Finals in Winkler (PC). <h2 style="text-align: center;">Thank you to all fans and supporters! </h2> <h2 style="text-align: center;"> </h2> <h2 style="text-align: center;">Josh Froese scores in Overtime and Maroons win Game 4 - 4-3.</h2> Saturday night and the Sunflower Gardens was packed with Senior hockey fans coming out to cheer on the hometown Altona Maroons and the visiting fans for the Plum Coulee Xpress. The Maroons would come out where they finished off on Thursday in Winkler showing good momentum, but the Xpress also had a lot of jump in their step. With some solid action at both ends of the ice, both goalies were tested early in the game. The Maroons would kill off a Kevin Ginter penalty nearing the midway point of the 1st and get a powerplay opportunity shortly after Ginters penalty. The Maroons would generate a few nice chances but Xpress goalie Jayme Janzen would be sharp and turn away all attempts. Later in the period with just over 4 min. to play the Xpress would be penalized with a hooking penalty and this time the Maroons powerplay would click when Shea Hamilton would send a pass to Devon Leblanc down low and Leblanc would spot Ryan Dyck in the slot, getting Dyck a quick pass on his blade, Dyck was able to one-time the pass and hit the back of the net for a 1-0 lead. The goal would spark the Maroons bench to find another gear and with time ticking down on the first period Devon Leblanc would send Matt Dyck a long pass through the neutral zone and Dyck would speed wide around an Xpress defenceman and send a high wrist shot over Janzen for a 2-0 lead with just 13 sec. left in the period. <img title="game4firstperiodgame4.jpg" src="/usrimages/game4firstperiodgame4.jpg" alt="game4firstperiodgame4.jpg" width="448" height="279" /> First period action with Matt Dyck dumping the puck into the Xpress zone. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. The 2nd period would start with additional pressure from the Maroons, but nearing the midway point of the frame the Maroons would head to the penalty box with 2 minor penalties giving the Xpress a 5 on 3 powerplay. 19 sec. into the 2 man advantage Brett Harder would take a pass from Andrew Kaminsky and beat Carey Dyck cutting the Maroons lead to 2-1. The Maroons would get one man out of the penalty box, but still be down a player for over a min. and a half and towards the very end of the remaining penalty the Xpress would strike again when Chad Unrau's shot would find the back of the net tying the game 2-2. The visiting Xpress fans were excited for their team getting back into the game and then just 30 sec. later at the 10:56 mark of the period Phil Letkeman would headman the puck to Jared Barnabe and Barnabe going one on one with an Xpress defender would send a quick wrist shot from the high slot area beating Janzen on his glove side giving the Maroons a 3-2 lead and getting the home crowd fired up again - classic back and forth action. Shortly after the go ahead goal from Barnabe the Maroons would have a powerplay opportunity but the Xpress would fight off the pressure and get back to even strength. Later in the period with just over 4 min. left before the intermission Brent Toews would be assessed a double minor penalty for high sticking. The Xpress went to work and would get the puck into the Maroons end and Dale Harder would set up Chad Unrau with Unrau beating Dyck to tie the game at 3-3 with 2:37 left on the clock. After the goal, Matt Dyck was given a 10 min. misc. and the Maroons would try to re-group and stay focused for the balance of the period. The Maroons would close out the period with pressure in the Xpress end and with just 36 sec. left in the period Devon Leblanc would be on the receiving end of a fairly hefty elbow high to his head and take some time getting his bearings together on the ice. During the stoppage in play, Xpress star Anders Strome would find himself frustrated with the referee and the ref would respond by handing him a 10 min. misconduct. The period would end with the teams knotted at 3 goals a piece. <img title="game4careyperiod2.jpg" src="/usrimages/game4careyperiod2.jpg" alt="game4careyperiod2.jpg" width="448" height="298" /> Xpress forward Brett Harder (#10) sending a shot on Carey Dyck in the 2nd period. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Going into the 3rd team with the scored evened up both teams had the chance to eventually win the game. The Maroons would put some pressure early on, but the Xpress would also create some scoring chances and the action would continue until the 6:58 mark of the game when Dale Harder would be sent to the penalty box on a tripping call. The Maroons would come close to scoring with the puck lying close to the goal line but Janzen smothering it to keep the game tied. After the Xpress fought off the penalty both teams kicked it into desperation mode and the Maroons would close out the period with a few more offensive chances but after 60 min. the game would end tied setting up the series second game going into overtime. In overtime the Maroons would pressure the Xpress and outplay the visiting team and nearing the midway point of the extra period Dale Butland would keep an Xpress clearing attempt in the Xpress end and get the puck along the boards to Shea Hamilton, Hamilton would work the puck low behind the net and get the puck out to Josh Frose who was off to the side of the net and Froese would send a high shot over Janzen that came down behind Janzen and cross the goal line sending the Maroons players off the bench celebrating the goal and the win in game 4. The win gives the Maroons a series lead of 3-1 and the series now shifts back to Winkler on Tuesday night for a 7:30 start. <img title="game4joshotwinner.jpg" src="/usrimages/game4joshotwinner.jpg" alt="game4joshotwinner.jpg" width="640" height="360" /> Josh Froese off to the side of the frame watching as the puck hits the back of the net behind Jayme Janzen in overtime. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Shots on goal - 1st period 11-11, 2nd period 11-7 in favour of the Xpress, 3 period 13-9 in favour of the Maroons and in roughly 10 min. of the overtime 13-6 in favour of the Maroons. National Anthem performed by Katrina Schroeder. 50/50 pot of $477.50 claimed by Justin Fehr of Winkler. 400 Club Winners of $200.00 each: Norman P. Hildebrand #158 Denita Klassen #327 Corinna Siemens #124 Don Penner #56 Ang Enns #8 <img title="game4devonmediafinals.jpg" src="/usrimages/game4devonmediafinals.jpg" alt="game4devonmediafinals.jpg" /> Devon Leblanc chatting with Golden West Radio reporter Matt Friesen in a post game interview. <h2 style="text-align: center;">Maroons outshoot Xpress 54-36 to win Game 3 - 4-2</h2> The Maroons were back in Winkler on Thursday night for game 3 of the SEMHL Finals and they would come out quickly less then a min. in and they found themselves on a powerplay and wasted no time peppering Xpress goalie Jayme Janzen. Janzen stood tall throughout the Maroons powerplay and it would take until just under the midway point of the period for the Maroons to get on the scoreboard. Matt Dyck would win a face off in the Xpress zone cleanly to Devon Leblanc that Leblanc would riffle on net with Ryan Dyck just getting a piece of it to slip through Janzen's legs for the goal. The Maroons later kill off a penalty and keep putting pucks on Janzen. Towards the end of the period the Maroons would kill off another penalty but with just over a min. left before the intermission Brendan Heppner would throw a puck on net that would redirect to an open Anders Strome and Strome would pick up his playoff leading 17th goal to tie the game at 1 a piece. <img title="butsyroughgame3.jpg" src="/usrimages/butsyroughgame3.jpg" alt="butsyroughgame3.jpg" /> At times the play in game 3 got a little chippy as seen above as Xpress Forward Anders Strome forces Maroons defenceman Dale Butland into an uncompromising position. Photo courtesy of Merle Peters. In the 2nd period the Maroons kept the same quick tempo going after starting the period shortanded and getting back to 5 on 5 action. With less then 9 min. to play in the period Shea Hamilton would break into the Xpress zone and leave a pass for Jon Froese, Jon would find brother Josh Froese and Josh would beat Janzen with a snap shot to make it 2-1. Shortly after the Maroons go ahead goal the Xpress would take a minor penalty and during the Maroons powerplay an Xpress defenceman closed his hand on the puck while standing in the crease and the Maroons were rewarded with a penalty shot. Shea Hamilton would take the penalty shot and Hamilton would come in on Janzen fake going to his backhand and trying to move the puck over to his forehand, but would lose control of the puck and it slid in the corner for a blown opportunity. The Xpress would kill off some more time on the penalty and then the Maroons would head to the box for a 2 min. slashing minor, meaning both teams would play 4 on 4 for a while and after the Xpress minor was over the Xpress were on a powerplay. The Xpress would put some solid shots on Carey Dyck, but the Maroons would work a tight penalty kill. With less then 5 min. left in the second the teams were back at even strength and both teams were still playing up and down hockey and then with less then a min. to play Ryan Dyck and Matt Dyck would set up Devon Leblanc on the top of the corner circle with Leblanc cleanly beating Janzen with a wrist, giving the Maroons a 3-1 lead. <img title="joshgame3.jpg" src="/usrimages/joshgame3.jpg" alt="joshgame3.jpg" width="420" height="336" /> Josh Froese sending a shot towards Jayme Janzen. Photo courtesy of Merle Peters. The 3rd period would be the toughest challenge for the Maroons as the Xpress would come out of the gates with more jump then the Maroons early on. However, they would also have to kill off 2 penalties before the period was just under 9 min. old. Shortly after being back at even strength the Maroons would break into the Xpress zone with Jon Froese getting the puck over to Hamilton and Hamilton in tight on Janzen would send a quick shot up under the bar and down into the net for a 4-1 lead. Shortly after the goal, the Maroons would be forced to play 2 min. shorthanded on a Justin Froese interferecne penalty. The Maroons would get their job done on the penalty kill and there would be less then 10 min. to play when the Maroons and Xpress players got tangled up a bit after a whistle near Janzen and the Maroons would be given an extra 2 min. On the ensuing powerplay Anders Strome would put a shot on Carey Dyck that Dyck would try squeazing with his pads but it would trickle through and Dale Harder would swat it home cutting the Maroons lead to 4-2. The Xpress were applying more pressure now and they would catch a break when at the 5 min. mark Brent Toews would be called for Interference on Janzen while forechecking. The Xpress would come close on their powerplay, in fact having one goal dissallowed from the referee on a kicking the puck into the net motion from an Xpress forward. The Maroons would get back to even strength and with under 2 min. to play Marlin Froese would take an Interference penalty giving the Maroons a powerplay in the final min. and a half of the game. Frustrated with the looming outcome, the Xpress would take one more min. penalty 7 sec. later, pretty much sealing the game for the Maroons and after 60 min. of exciting, fast Senior hockey the Maroons would leave Winkler with a 4-2 win and a 2-1 series lead. Final shots on net in favour of the Maroons 54-36. Xpress goalie Jayme Janzen once again played outstanding, while Carey Dyck in the Maroons net was on top of his game turning away big 3rd period chances for the Xpress and not allowing them back into the game. <img title="careygame3.jpg" src="/usrimages/careygame3.jpg" alt="careygame3.jpg" width="450" height="360" /> #28 Nick Fuher and Carey Dyck defending against the 3rd period surge from the Xpress. Photo courtesy of Merle Peters. Game notes: Alex Krahn was inserted into the line-up, while AP call up Haydon Friesen was scratched. Coach Rob Friesen was pleased with his teams energy early on and stressed that the guys need to be tough and keep putting shots on their goalie. A large crowd was on hand in Winkler for the game and as the series now shifts back to Altona for game 4 on Saturday night, fans should know by now to be on time in order to secure a good seat. Game time is 8:00 p.m. One final note, a big Congratulations goes out to the Fighting Amish who won the Red River Valley Recreational League Championship tonight. The Altona team features numerous Maroons alumni including Bob Toews, Jason Hildebrand, Donovan Bergman, Scott Cherewayko, Geoff Peters, Ian Klippenstein, Jeremy Buhr, Rod Neustaeter, and Brad McEachern as well as Maroons Exec. member Jason Peters. Congratulations guys! <h2 style="text-align: center;"> </h2> <h2 style="text-align: center;"> </h2> <h2 style="text-align: center;">Xpress Roll past Maroons in Game Two 6-1</h2> A capacity crowd was on hand in Altona for game 2 of the Championship Finals. The Maroons would start the game with early presure on the Xpress and would test goalie Jayme Janzen with Janzen turning away the Maroons. The Maroons were hoping that an With 6 min. left in the period Anders Strome would pounce on a Maroons turnover in the slot in front of Carey Dyck and Strome would let a quick shot go on Dyck that would be stopped but the rebound would come back to Strome and Dyck would have to make another quick save with players crashing in on him, Jordan Janzen would pick up the loose puck and hit the back of the net making it 1-0 for the Express. The rest of the period would end with the Maroons outshooting the Express 17-7 after 20 min. <img title="neufpetersfinal.jpg" src="/usrimages/neufpetersfinal.jpg" alt="neufpetersfinal.jpg" width="448" height="252" /> Carey Dyck and Craig Neufeld defending against Jordan Peters. Photo courtesy of Kevin Stoesz. In the 2nd period Dale Harder would make a nice individual effort beating a Maroons defenceman wide and putting a quick shot on Carey Dyck that Dyck would get a piece of but Jordan Peters was on the spot to tap it in for a 2-0 lead. The Maroons would fight off a minor penalty and then keep pace with the Xpress continuing to get some shots on Janzen. Attemping to kill off a double min. for spearing to Matt Dyck, Anders Strome would connect with Jordan Peters and Peters would score his 3rd of the game for a 3-0 lead. The Maroons would get back to even strength but go shorthanded a few min. later. After killing off the Jon Froese charging penalty, the Maroons and Xpress would skate out the rest of the period and head off for the final intermission. Maroons coach Rob Friesen would send Shannon Enns to the Maroons net for the start of the 3rd periond and the Maroons would kill off an early boarding penalty, but less then 4 min. in, Brett Harder's wrist shot would beat Enns giving the Xpress a 4-0 lead. Building on their momentum, almost a min. later Jordan Peters would get credited with his 4th goal of the game making it 5-0. Less then a min. later the Maroons leading scorer Devon Leblanc's stick got caught up with an Xpress forward and Leblanc was handed a 5 min. High sticking penalty and the automatic Game Misconduct. The Maroons would kill off a portion of the penalty before Dale Butland sprang Shea Hamilton into the Xpress zone and Hamilton would beat Janzen with a nice shot finally giving the home crowd something to cheer about. The shot of excitement would be capped less then a min. later when Marlin Froese would set up Chad Unrau with Unrau beating Enns for a 6-1 lead. Carey Dyck would trade spots with Shannon Enns after the goal and Blaine Neufeld would replace Janzen in net for the Xpress for the balance of the game. The remaining minutes would be played out and the Xpress would leave the ice with the series tied and game 3 heading back to Winkler. <img title="sheascoresfinal.jpg" src="/usrimages/sheascoresfinal.jpg" alt="sheascoresfinal.jpg" width="448" height="298" /> Shea Hamilton watching his off wing shot beat Janzen for the Maroons lone goal in the 3rd period. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Coach Rob Friesen was frustrated that the team couldn't get back into the game at any point, citing that Janzen did a great job keeping the Maroons off the board early in the game. Friesen isn't concerend that the series is tied, and is optimistic that his players can and will be better. Unfortunaltey, the fantastic crowd that packed into the Sunflower Gardens wasn't treated to a better game and outcome for the Maroons, but it was awesome seeing the place full of people as many of the Maroons loyal followers knew it would be. 50/50 pot of $515.00 was claimed by Jim Loewen of Winkler. 400 Club winners of $200 each were: Peter & Henry Berg Bernie Wiebe Ian Fehrmore Clayton Dreger Jim Friesen <h2 style="text-align: center;">Maroons win game 1 in Double OT 4-3</h2> Winkler's Centennial Arena was home to Game 1 of the South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League Finals and it was the visiting Altona Maroons that would strike first when nearing the midway point of the first period, Matt Dyck would send Devon Leblanc on a partial breakaway and Leblanc's shot would beat Xpress goalie Jayme Janzen. The goal would lift the Maroons who were already outplaying the Xpress in the early stages of the game as several minutes later Ryan Dyck would spot Craig Neufeld sliding down from the point to the slot and Neufeld would put a shot up high on Janzen for a 2-0 Maroons lead. Plum Coulee would battle back and with 5 min. left in the period, Derrick Heppner would score on Carey Dyck closing the gap to 2-1. 2 and a half min. later on a powerplay Nick Fuher would set up Shea Hamilton in the mid slot area and Hamilton's shot would sneak over Janzen's shoulder for a 3-1 lead. After 20 min. and outshooting the Xpress 17-7 the two teams would head off the ice for the intermission. <img title="greasefinals.jpg" src="/usrimages/greasefinals.jpg" alt="greasefinals.jpg" width="400" height="400" /> Maroons Justin Froese attempting to tip a point shot past Xpress goalie Jayme Janzen. Photo courtesy of Merle Peters. In the 2nd period the Xpress came out with more energy and began to outplay the Maroons and 7 min. in Chad Unrau would set up Anders Strome and Strome's shot would beat Dyck closing the gap to 3-2 for the Maroons. Carey Dyck would hold the Maroons in the game as the Xpress were starting to pressure the Maroons throughout the period and after 40 min. of good quick playoff hockey the score would at 3-2 for the Maroons. <img title="mikecareyfinals.jpg" src="/usrimages/mikecareyfinals.jpg" alt="mikecareyfinals.jpg" /> #22 Mike Friesen defending against Xpress Captain Dwight Heppner while goalie Carey Dyck tries to peak around Heppner. Photo courtesy of Merle Peters. In the 3rd period, just over 6 min. in Strome would score his 2nd of the game to notch it up at 3-3. Nearing the midway point of the final period both teams would trade exciting powerplay opportunities with each teams goalies coming up with big saves. As the period wore on the Xpress were closing in on balancing out the shots on net and they would catch a break with just over 8 min. left in the game when Nick Fuher would hold up Steve Doell on a partial breakaway and Doell was rewarded with a penalty shot. Carey Dyck would make a huge save to keep the game tied and the end to end action would continue. The Xpress would catch another break when just over a min. left in regulation Shea Hamilton would be called for holding. The Maroons would fight off the penalty and create a huge shorthanded scoring opportunity before the buzzer would sound and force the game into overtime. The first overtime wouldn't solve anything as both teams would trade several scoring opportunities but Janzen and Dyck were standing tall and turning shots away. The Maroons would seem to have the edge in OT in terms of creating opportunities but unable to find a way to get the winner, the time would eventually expire and send the teams off the ice for a much needed break and into a 2nd overtime. In the 2nd overtime the Maroons players seemed to find another gear and started buzzing the Xpress zone and just over 4 min. into the 5th period, Nick Fuher would send a blast on net that would tip off of Matt Dyck and stun Janzen and the Xpress sending the Maroons players onto the ice congratulating each other for the win in Game 1 of this Best of 7 Final. <img title="gameonewin.jpg" src="/usrimages/gameonewin.jpg" alt="gameonewin.jpg" width="400" height="400" /> The Maroons celebrate after Matt Dyck re-directs Nick Fuher's point blast in the 2nd overtime. Photo courtesy of Merle Peters. Coach Rob Friesen was releived to get the win citing that both goalies were doing such a solid job in the overtime periods, that he wasn't sure how long it would take before either team would get the winning goal. Friesen noted that his squad outplayed the Xpress early, but them back into the game midway through the contest and would like to see his guys keep up the pressure more consistently from shift to shift. Game 2 goes Tuesday in Altona and as already mentioned above, all games are being broadcast on 1570 CKMW AM. Maroons win Game 6 - 5-2 and advance to Championship Finals A full house was on hand Saturday night to take in Game 5 of the SEMHL Semi-Finals. Both teams came out flying and early on the Maroons would be tested when Shea Hamilton would take a holding penalty. Carey Dyck would make a few Redskins powerplay saves and the Maroons were able to get back to 5 on 5 play. The Maroons would get on the board first when at the 12 and a half mark of the period Shea Hamilton and Jon Froese would get the puck to Justin Froese and Froese would score on Redskins goalie Darcy Stewart. The crowd roared and it must have revved up the Maroons because 30 sec. later Nick Fuher would score on Stewart giving the Maroons a 2-0 lead. The Maroons fed on the energy and continued to pressure the Redskins. Their work paid off when just under 5 min. left in the first Dion Peterson would take a roughing penalty. The Maroons went to the powerplay and worked the puck around with several shots on net but Stewart turned away the attempts and the Redskins would get to even strength. The period would play out and end with the Maroons leading 2-0. <img title="juice.jpg" src="/usrimages/juice.jpg" alt="juice.jpg" width="448" height="298" /> Justin Froese beating Darcy Stewart for the Maroons first goal of the night. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 2nd period the Redsksins would respond early just under 2 min. in when Chris Reimer and Jay Fehr would break into the Maroons end and a trailing Kelby Friesen would receive a pass and put it behind Carey Dyck cutting the Maroons lead to 2-1. The Redskins now had some life, but the Maroons would not back down and continued to pressure the league's best regular season team. The pressure would get the Redskins scrambling and it would get the Redskins into penalty trouble three consecutive times. Although the Maroons were unable to capitalize on the powerplays they would pepper Stewart and keep the bulk of the play in the Redskins end and with just under 2 min. left in the period their hard work would pay off when Devon Leblanc would battle to keep a puck in the Redskins end and fire a pass to Ryan Dyck in front of the net who would one time the puck to the back of the net for a 3-1 lead. Before the end of the period the Maroons Justin Froese would be called for a holding penalty. <img title="semisd.jpg" src="/usrimages/semisd.jpg" alt="semisd.jpg" width="640" height="369" /> #4 Dale Butland and #27 Craig Neufeld defending in front of Carey Dyck. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 3rd period the Maroons would kill off the remaining time of Froese's penalty and in doing so, got a boost when just 2 and a half min. into the period Phil Letkeman's forechecking was rewarded when he would wrap the puck around the back of the Redskins net and slip one past Stewart for a 4-1 lead. The Redskins weren't going away easily. Morden's Captain Colin Hildebrand would find Keith Bially and Bially would score on Carey Dyck to cut the lead to 4-2. Just over 13 min. left to play and the Maroons were going to have to keep working in order to hold their lead. Nearing the midway point of the period Brent Toews would get tangled up with Jeremy Matuzewski and both players would be sent to the penalty box with Toews taking an extra 4 min. for spearing. The Maroons would kill off the penalty minutes and continue to work hard at both ends of the ice and with just over 2 min. left to play the Maroons would get an insurance marker when Ryan Dyck would send Devon Leblanc and Matt Dyck on a 2 on 1 and Leblanc's pass to Matt Dyck was directed past Stewart making it 5-2. The Redskins weren't going to dig themselves out of a 3 goal defecit and after 60 min. the Maroons would win the game and the series. <img title="winsemis.jpg" src="/usrimages/winsemis.jpg" alt="winsemis.jpg" width="640" height="425" /> The Maroons celebrate the Game 6 win and Series clincher on home ice. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Not in the line-up: Josh Froese, Kevin Giesbrecht, John Reimer & Aaron Wiebe. 50/50 pot of $360.00 claimed by Mike Dyck of Altona. 400 Club $1000 Winner - Brian Jack, formerly of Altona. National Anthem performed on Electric Guitar by Brett Schutlz. The series upset sends the Altona Maroons back into the Finals for the first time since the 2009-2010 season and it is sure to be a very exciting series as the Maroons will face the Plum Coulee Xpress. Thur. Mar. 8 - Maroons score 3 in the 3rd to wini 6-5 in Game 5. The Morden Redskins would lead 2-0 after the 1st period. The Redskins Keith Bially and Kevin Perrin would both put pucks past Shannon Enns in the first 20 min. which witnessed the Maroons scrambling in their end a lot and the Redskins throwing a lot of shots on net. Although the Redskins 2 first period goals were both even strength they did have 3 PP opportunities, which simply made the first period that much harder for the Maroons to play in. Hoping to catch a break, towards the end of the first the Redskins would head to the penalty box with a min. left and then then with 15 sec. left in the period they would be assessed another minor penalty. Thus, the Maroons would start the 2nd period on a 5 on 3 powerplay. Just 38 sec. into the 2nd period Ryan Dyck and Shea Hamilton would work the puck to Nick Fuher on the point and Fuher would send a blast high into the net getting the Maroons on the board with their first goal. 3 and a half min. later Ryan Hutton would send a wrist shot from the slot beating Enns on the glove side giving the Redskins a 3-1 lead. The Maroons would fight off a Redskins powerplay opportunity and then midway through the period the Maroons would get a powerplay chance of their own and make good on it when Justin Froese would carry the puck around the net and leave a spin pass for older brother Jon Froese with the elder Froese putting the puck into the net closing the gap to 3-2. Roughly 3 min. later the Maroons would tie the game when their hard work would pay off when Matt and Ryan Dyck would keep the puck low in the Redskins zone with Ryan Dyck getting the puck over to Dale Butland and Butland's knee high shot would beat Redskins goalie Darcy Stewart to tie the game 3-3. The Redskins reclaim the lead in the game when a dump in to the Maroons zone was kept in and eventually worked to the side of Shannon Enns' net and while Enns was wondering where the puck was, Jeremy Matuszewski would find it in between his skates and push it in making it 4-3. The Maroons would then have to finish off the period on the penalty kill. Carey Dyck would replace Shannon Enns for the start of the 3rd period and would be tested early on the remaining Redskins powerplay and would come up with a big save. The Maroons would keep working and go on a powerplay 7 min. in and apply heavy pressure with Stewart coming up with some big saves. 30 sec. into the Maroons powerplay the Redskins would be penalized again giving the Maroons a partial 5 on 3. Stewart and co. would fight off the Maroons and get back to even strength. Midway through the final period Devon Leblanc's shot from the slot would get up and over Stewart tying the game at 4-4. Shortly after the tying goal, Jared Barnabe would take a holding penalty and the Redskins would go on a powerplay. Colin Hildebrand would send Keith Bially a slick pass to the side of the net and Bially would put the puck into the partially open net restoring the Redskins lead to 5-4. Closing in on 5 min. left to play Redskins veteran Jeremy Matusewski would take an interference penalty and on the ensuing Maroons powerplay Nick Fuher would tie the game back up to 5-5 with a point shot beating Stewart through traffic. 30 sec. later Shea Hamilton would skate the puck in towards the slot and put a low wrist shot through Stewarts pads for a 6-5 lead. The Redskins would battle hard to get the tying goal, but would be unable to change the score and the Maroons would leave the ice with the win and a series lead of 3-2. Not in the Maroons line-up: Kevin Giesbrecht, Aaron Wiebe, Josh Froese and John Reimer. Coach Rob Friesen didn't think the guys played well in the 1st. Shannon Enns made some good saves through traffic, but we were down 2 goals after the first. Liked the way the guys came out in the 2nd period and were able to get back into the game but not happy giving up the 3rd and 4th goal. Very happy to see the attitudes remain confident and 3 goals in the 3rd was simply a result of working harder and taking more shots on their net. Game 6 goes Saturday in Altona at 8:00 p.m. Come out and cheer on your Altona Maroons. The last 2 50/50 draws have been between $250 and $300. Come in time to watch the surprise for the National Anthem!!! Tue. Mar. 6 - Redskins even series at 2-2 with a 4-2 win in Altona With fans still walking into the Sunflower Gardens, The Morden Resdkins would score an early goal in the first min. of the game when Grant Calhoun would send a long point shot in towards Carey Dyck and Kris Williams would re-direct to the back of the night for a 1-0 lead. Sec. after the goal Altona's Dale Butland would be penalized for a head hit putting him in the box for 2 min. and a 10 misc. The Redskins would pressure the Maroons without Butland on the ice. The Maroons would bounce back when later in the frame Shea Hamilton would create a breakaway opportunity but get hauled down in the process sending him to center ice for a Penalty Shot. Hamilton would pull Redskins goalie to his backhand before tucking the puck into the net after switching back to his forehand tying the game at 1-1. The period would play out with not much fanfare and eatch team going to the powerplay once before the intermission. <img title="game4shea.jpg" src="/usrimages/game4shea.jpg" alt="game4shea.jpg" width="640" height="360" /> Shea Hamilton pulling the puck to his forehand on a first period penalty shot. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. The 2nd period would pick up with a better pace but it was in the Redskins favour. Less then 3 min. in to the period Kelby Friesen would deflect a Kris Williams shot and it would beat Dyck on his blocker side which be the eventual game winning goal as the Redskins would score later in the period with just under 5 min. to play on a Chris Reimer - Kelby Friesen play that saw the puck get to Jay Fehr and Fehr would beat Dyck with a clean shot making it 3-1. The Maroons would respond and breathe some life back into the bench when Brent Toews and Phil Letkeman would work the puck off a face at the net and Jared Barnabe would be the last to touch the back before putting a quick shot behind Morden's Stewart narrowing the gap to 3-2. The Maroons would be unable to conver a mid period powerplay opportunity but would end off the period with Jay Fehr taking a 2 min. minor and a 10 min. misc. The Maroons would hope to capitilaze early in the 3rd with Morden's best player in the penalty box. The Redskins would kill off the Maroons powerplay and would continue doing a good job of limiting Altona's break out and neutral zone attempts to work into the Redskins end. When the Maroons did gain the Redskins zone the shots sent towards Stewart were turned away with solid saves. Around the midway point of the final period the Maroons would get another powerplay chance and although they would come close on a few chances the Redskins would avoind giving up the tying goal. With 6 and a half min. left to play Craig Neufeld was handed a 2 min. minor for holding. Roughly 30 sec. into the Redskins powerplay Jay Fehr would take a neutral zone pass and skate in a Maroons defender deep in the Maroons slot and side-step and put a quick shot low on Carey Dyck to get Morden the insurance marker making it 4-2. The Maroons would respond with some late game efforts and end up pulling Dyck with just under 2 min. to play. The game would wind down with some Maroons desperation plays and Morden staying off any chance at the Maroons getting back into the game. After 60 min. it the Redskins 4 Maroons 2. The series is now tied at 2 games a piece and shifts back to Morden for Game 5 on Thursday night. Not in the Maroons line-up: Mitch Klassen, Josh Froese, Kevin Giesbrecht and Aaron Wiebe. 50/50 pot of $268.00 was claimed by Harry Hildebrand / Time-Out Sports. 5 - 400 Club Tickets were drawn for $200 each. Congratulaions to the following winners: Jeff Samson / Richard Doersksen #332 Keystone Kat #82 Glenn Martel #110 Cindy Hildebrand #15 John Mintenko / Eric Hildebrand #335 Sat. Mar. 3 - Redskins score 5 on Enns, Add 1 on Dyck and down Maroons 6-3 in Game 3. A solid contingent of loyal Maroons fans made their way to Morden on Saturday night to take in Game 3 of the Semi-Finals. In the first period both teams would come out working hard but it was the Redskins that would apply early pressure in the Maroons end roughly 6 min. in and while killing a penalty Kevin Perrin would score a shorthanded goal to give the Redskins a 1-0 lead. The Maroons would bounce back near the midway point of the period when Jon Froese and Justin Froese would connect and Shea Hamilton would take the last pass and put the puck past Morden's Darcy Stewart tying the game at 1-1. The goal would spark the Maroons and 3 and a half min. later the Maroons would take a 2-1 lead when Shea Hamilton would skate a puck into the Redskins zone, hold up a bit and leave a pass for Dale Butland who would rip a shot past Stewart for his 2nd goal in this series. Things were looking good for the Maroons, but the Redskins woudl battle back when Kris Williams would feed Steve Mullin a pass that Mullin would put on the net and beat Shannon Enns tying the game with 3 min. left in the first. Morden would turn up their efforts after the tying goal and it payed off when Chris Reimer connected with Jay Fehr and Fehr would put a high slot shot past Enns with 33 sec. left on the clock to give the Redskins a 3-2 lead heading into the intermission. The 2nd period picked up for the Redskins where the first left off when on the first shift of the period Colin Hildebrand would slip in a puck tight around the back of the net for a 4-2 lead. The Maroons would try to bounce back, but the Redskins were limiting their chances and still early in the period Hildebrand would convert a turnover right in front of Enns and beat Enns for his 2nd of the night and a 5-2 lead. The Maroons would call a time out and Coach Rob Friesen would replace Enns with Carey Dyck. Dyck was tested early and would make some routine saves, but meanwhile the Redskins continued to limit the Maroons offensive chances and after 40 min. the Redskins were holding a commanding 5-2 lead. <img title="game3morden.jpg" src="/usrimages/game3morden.jpg" alt="game3morden.jpg" width="380" height="465" /> Rough image, however the scoreboard displays the picture of the score 5-2 early on in the 3rd period in Morden on Saturday night. Being down a few goals didn't shut the Maroons down in Game 2 in Altona, but the 3 goal defecit in Morden's arena had a much different effect. The Redskins would continue to shut down the Maroons and the game would become a bit more chippy. Just under 6 min. in Jay Fehr would beat Carey Dyck for his 2nd of the game and a 6-2 lead. Being down 4 goals, the Maroons would become increasingly frustrated and from the time of the 6th goal until the end of the game both teams would trade a few penalties. The Maroons would continue to struggle to mount any serious pressure in hopes of a late game comeback and the Redskins would hold on for a convincing 6-2 win making the series 2-1 still in favour of the Maroons. Game notes: Not in the line-up, Josh Froese, Kevin Giesbrecht, Alex Krahn and Aaron Wiebe. Game 4 goes on Tuesday, March 6 in Altona @ 8:00 p.m. ** Email mehild@mts.net to see if you are a Maroons website contest winner ** Thur. Mar. 1, 2012 Maroons edge Redskins 7-6, Ryan Dyck scores 4 goals. Maroons lead series 2-0. The Morden Redskins arrived in Altona on Thursday evening as the snow was beginning to fall. In the first period the Redskins would charge out of the gate and apply heavy pressure on the Maroons. Eventually their puck possesion in the Maroons end would pay off when Kevin Perrin was about to pick up a loose puck in the nuetral zone and go in to beat Shannon Enns for a 1-0 lead 7 min. into the game. The Maroons would make some adjustments and battle back in the 2nd half of the period and with 2 min. left in the period and on a powerplay Nick Fuher would feed Shea Hamilton the puck and Hamilton would send Ryan Dyck a nice pass to the side of the net with Dyck putting it past Redskins goalie Darcy Stewart tying the game at 1-1. This score would hold as the 2 teams left the ice after 20 min. for an intermission. In the 2nd period Kevin Perrin would set up Jay Fehr who was fresh out of the penalty box and Fehr would get in close on Enns and beat him for a 2-1 lead. The Maroons would bounce back just over a min. later when Matt Dyck would get the puck over to Ryan Dyck and Ryan would get credited with a powerplay goal. His second of the night. Just 2 min. into the 2nd period the game was all tied up again. The play would go back and forth and at the midway point of the period Chris Reimer would pick up a Maroons defensive miscue and go in on a breakaway beating Enns for a 3-2 lead. Shortly after the goal the Maroons would be forced to fight off an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and were able to fend off the the first minute of the penalty and while on the penalty kill, The Redskins Chris Reimer would take a charging penalty and the teams would play 4 on 4 for just under a min. With Matt Dyck's penalty expired the Maroons had a min. of a man advantage to work with and would penetrate the Redskins end, but the Redskins would strongly defend their end and just as they got back to even strength the Redskins would increase their lead to 4-2 when Ryan Hutton sent a long dump in shot on Enns and Enns would angle out of his net to make the stop, but the ensuing rebound would bounce to the slot and Kevin Perrin would race to get to the loose puck and fire a shot past Enns trying to get back into position. The 2 goal Redskins lead would get the Morden bench fired up and calm the hometown Altona crowd but before the period would end the Redskins would head to the penalty box with 1 min. remaining and with 37 sec. left on the clock Nick Fuher would rush the puck through the neutral zone and around 2 Redskins defenders to rip a wrist shot low on Stewart. The period would end with the Redskins leading 4-3. The third period would see the Redskins go back to a 2 goal lead when just over a min. in Redskins Captain Colin Hildebrand was obstructed with on a breakaway and awarded a penalty shot. Hildebrand would come in calm and deke Enns to his side sliding in the puck on Enns' blocker side. The Maroons would battle back and keep the game within reach with Enns making some timely saves and with 12:45 left to play Devon Leblanc would take credit for an assist on Ryan Dyck's goal giving Dyck a hat trick and making the score 5-4. Just over a min. later Jon Froese and Shea Hamilton would work the puck low in the Redskins end with Justin Froese taking the last pass before finding the back of the net tying the game at 5-5. Roughly 2 and a half min. later the Redskins would be caught on a line change playing the puck and would be penalized for Too Many Men on the ice. The Maroons would send out their powerplay unit in hopes of taking the lead in the game, but Tim Knight would intercept a blind defence to defence pass and skate the better part of the ice on a breakaway and beat Enns with a shot, scoring shorthanded and giving back Morden the lead to 6-5. The Maroons would continue on after the game on the powerplay but would be unable to capitalize and before the powerplay was over they would head to the box on a Jon Froese holding penalty. Fighting the clock to stay in the game the Maroons now had to fight off a Redskins powerplay and ended up doing so safely. With just under 4 min. to play Matt Dyck would win a faceoff in the Redskins end with Devon Leblanc putting a shot on net with Stewart would make the intial save on but Ryan Dyck would bang home the rebound for his 4th of the night in a battle in front of the net that would tie the game at 6-6. The Redskins would call a time-out to calm down and discuss strategy and the game would continue from centre ice with the excitement in the arena continue to rise. Both teams would trade time in each others end with the Maroons applying a slight edge in pressure and then when it seemed that an Overtime period may be in store to solve the outcome of the game Nick Fuher would send a pass up into the neutral zone finding Leblanc in mid-stride and Leblanc would work past a defender and find Matt Dyck streaking opposite the other side of the lone Redskin and feed Dyck a pass that Dyck would hold onto for a brief moment before beating Stewart high on the glove side giving the Maroons a late 7-6 lead. After the goal the Maroons bench boss Rob Friesen would call a time-out to provide instructions on closing out the game but the Redskins would quickly turnaround a Maroons dump in attempt and work their way into the Maroons end force a face-off to the side of Shannon Enns with just 11 sec. on the clock. Morden would pull Stewart for a 6th attacker and longtime league veteran Jeremy Matueszewski would win the draw, with the puck being sent back to their blueline and a quick shot/pass would be sent towards League MVP Jay Fehr in the slot just missing him and heading to the corner where the Maroons would tie it up hoping to kill of the clock but would have to take one more face-off with 2 sec. left before the buzzer would sound and give the Maroons a 7-6 win and a 2 - 0 series lead. Game notes: Not in the line-up for the Maroons - Kevin Giesbrecht, Josh Froese, John Reimer and Aaron Wiebe. National Anthem performed by Kristin Tarnick & Sara Friesen. 50/50 pot of $281.00 claimed by Brad Derksen of Altona. 5 - 400 Club winners were drawn each winning $200 Vern Wiebe #37 Gary Klassen #138 Albert Stoesz #211 Don Penner #56 Brett Hill #306 Game 3 goes Saturday night in Morden @ 8:00 p.m. <h1 style="text-align: center;"> </h1> <h1 style="text-align: center;">Tue. Feb. 28 - Maroons score empty netter to take game 5-2 over Redskins in Morden.</h1> The Maroons traveled to Morden on Tuesday night to take on the Redskins in Game 1 of the SEMHL Semi-Finals and the Redskins were ready for action as they would storm the Maroons end and create several scoring chances early but once the Maroons settled down they were able to gain composure and with just over 12 left to play on the clock Devon Leblanc would break into the Redskins zone and drop a quick pass to a trailing Jared Barnabe and Barnabe would quickly snap the puck low along the ice beating a stunned netminder Darcy Stewart making it 1-0. The Redskins would bounce back less then a min. later when Chris Reimer's high slot shot was tipped pass Shannon Enns by Keith Bially tying the game. Both teams would generate a few more chances in the first period with both goalies making some strong saves forcing the teams off the ice after 20 min. in a 1-1 deadlock. In the 2nd period the Maroons would start to outplay the Redskins and 5 min. in go on a powerplay where Nick Fuher would make good on a Devon Leblanc feed making it 2-1. 18 sec. later working the puck back into the Redskins end, Justin Froese would win a faceoff to Shea Hamilton and Hamilton with ample time, picked a spot and sent a shot past Stewart for a 3-1 lead. The Maroons would continue to pressure the Redskins and see 2 more opportunities to build on the lead get overturned on them as 2 successive goals were called off by the officials. Instead of being 5-1, it was 3-1 and the Redskins knew there was plenty of hockey left. The Redskins would get 2 powerplay chances and the Maroons were able to fend them off and keep the 3-1 alive. With just 3 sec. left in the period the Maroons were assesed another min. penalty and this would cost them. Starting the 3rd period the Redksins continued on their powerplay and just 1 min. in, Chris Reimer would send Jay Fehr a pass that Fehr would take in the slot and send a high wrist shot past Enns making it 3-2. At the 12 min. mark the Maroons would fight off and escape a Redskins powerplay, but the Redskins would keep working and they would get another powerplay chance with 6:36 left to play in the game. The Redskins would attempt gaining the Maroons zone when Dale Butland would pick up on a turnover and carry the puck into the Redskins end, beat a defender wide on his forehand and put a quick snap shot pass Stewart giving the Maroons a huge shorthanded marker and making it 4-2 for the Maroons. The Redskins would finish off their powerplay, but would be unable to capitalize meaning they would have to turn it up to try and get back into the game. In the last 5 min. of play the Morden squad would have several chances with the Maroons defenders doing their best to keeps shots away from the net, while the ones that did make it through were being turned away by Enns. The Redskins would call a time-out with approx. 1:30 left to play. As expected once the Redskins would enter the Maroons end, Stewart would head to the bench for an extra Redskins attacker. The Maroons would fight off some pressure and end up icing the puck once and narrowly missing another time giving the Redskins some "last minute" chances, but with just 5 sec. on the clock Brent Toews would work the puck over the center line and send a shot towards the empty net scoring with 2 sec. on the clock to give the Maroons a 5-2 lead and the win. Game notes: Not in the line-up, Phil Letkeman, Josh Froese, Kevin Giesbrecht, Kevin Ginter, John Reimer and Aaron Wiebe. Penalty summary - 7 Minor penalties for the Maroons, 4 Minor penalties for the Redskins. Coach Rob Friesen noted that he was happy to see how the forwards were able to pressure the Redskins at both ends of the ice and that the defence really worked hard in their own end helping out Shannon Enns in net. Enns was able to make the saves he needed to and keep rebounds to a min. playing a solid game overall. Friesen was pleased with the efforts from everyone adressing the team afterwards but was firm in reminding the team that the win is only one game and there are more very tough games ahead. Game 2 will be in Altona on Thur. Mar. 1 @ 8:00 p.m. Come out and watch some great playoff hockey and at the game, don't forget to vote for your Favourite Maroons player. ** Be the first person to email mehild@mts.net to find out what you've won! ** ** CONGRATULATIONS to Brad Derksen of Altona for winning a free ticket to Thursday's game ** Sat. Feb. 25 - Maroons outwork Flyers in Stonewall to win 5-2 and avance to the Semi-Finals The Maroons traveled to Stonewall's Veterans Memorial complex on Sat. night for the deciding game in the Quarter Finals series. In the 1st period Stonewall's Chris Tyslau just 44 sec. into the game would be assesed a minor penalty putting the Maroons on an early powerplay but the shots fired on net were all turned away by goalie Justin Harris. Several min. later while forechecking Maroons rookie Mitch Klassen headed to the sin bin for a boarding penalty. Shannon Enns would get his first tests of the game, but would turn away all Flyers attempts keeping the game scoreless. The quick pace would continue with the Maroons outshooting the Flyers and finally with just 30 sec. left in the period Matt and Ryan Dyck would connect with Devon Leblanc and Leblanc would score giving the Maroons a 1-0 lead heading into the intermission. <img title="game5jon.jpg" src="/usrimages/game5jon.jpg" alt="game5jon.jpg" width="448" height="254" /> John Mintenko working the puckfrom Jon Froese's face off draw. The 2nd period would see each team trade powerplay opportunities before Devon Leblanc would feed Matt Dyck on a 2 on 1 and Dyck would pick it up from the left wind side, move it his forehand and beat Harris on the glove side for a 2-0 lead. The Flyers would get on the board with just 10 min. left in the period when Kyle Heroux would keep a Maroons clearing in and set up Chris Tyslau who would beat Enns to make it 2-1. The Maroons would bounce back and with just under 4 min. in the period, go on a powerplay hoping to make it 3-1. Devon Leblanc would create a breakaway but Harris would stone him with a big pad save and help the Flyers get back to 5 on 5 play. The rest of the period would play out and after 40 min. the Maroons were holding a 2-1 lead and going back to one min. remaining on a powerplay for the start of the 3rd. 33 sec. into the 3rd Nick Fuher would send Leblanc into the Flyers zone and Leblanc would feed a nice pass to Ryan Dyck in the slot who would hold the puck on his stick until picking a spot to beat Harris with and the Maroons were up 3-1. The Maroons kept buzzing and midway through the fast paced 3rd period the Maroons get a big 4th goal when Jon Froese would bat a Harris rebound out of the air, down to stick and beat Harris with a quick shot to make it 4-1. One minute later the Maroons would show strong signs off putting the game away when Matt and Ryan Dyck cycled the puck low and Ryan Dyck would feed a tic-tac pass to Leblanc to score his 2nd of the game and a 5-1 lead. Instead of folding the Flyers broke into desperation mode and their hard work would pay off when Scott Dibley set up Eddie Boonstra and Boonstra would score on Enns closing the the gap to 5-2 with 4:28 left to play. The Flyers continued to press and a min. later found themselves on a powerplay and a great chance to claw back into the game. Enns and co. fought off 1 min. of the penalty and then the Maroons were handed another minor penalty. 2:50 on the clock to play. Flyers called a time-out and after gaining possesion in the Maroons zone, they would pull Harris and set up for a 6 on 3. The Flyers would miss a few attempts before the Maroons would clear the puck and get back to even strength with 50 sec. left to play and Harris back in net. 5 on 5 for the last min. to play the Flyers would gain the Maroons zone one more time and again pull Harris but the Maroons would fight off the clock and get the to the nuetral zone, winding the clock down to the buzzer and leaving the ice with a 5-2 win and advancing to the SEMHL Semi-Finals. <img title="game5bench.jpg" src="/usrimages/game5bench.jpg" alt="game5bench.jpg" /> Game notes: Not in the line up - Phil Giesbrecht, Kevin Giesbrecht, John Reimer, Josh Froese, Kevin Ginter, Aaron Wiebe. W.C. Miller Aces captain Haydon Friesen was pulled up and inserted into the line-up help out the D core. Coach Rob Friesen was very pleased with his team's overall performance. From offence to defence, the lines got juggled again given the available line-up and still managed to get a lot of early shots on Justin Harris and keep the pace for the game. Commenting on the defensive portion of the game, Friesen noted that Shannon Enns made some great saves making the defenceman's job a little easier and all of the forwars made stong efforts on their backchecking. Good offence, Good defence and Good goaltending. Everything clicked and we were rewarded. <img title="game5clock.jpg" src="/usrimages/game5clock.jpg" alt="game5clock.jpg" width="640" height="459" /> Thur. Feb. 23 - Flyers score twice in third period to down Maroons 5-3 and force a Game 5. Game review not available. Regrets 50-50 pot claimed by Dale Klassen of Altona. National Anthem performed by W.C. Miller student - Mikayla Hildebrand. <img title="quarterfinalschips.jpg" src="/usrimages/quarterfinalschips.jpg" alt="quarterfinalschips.jpg" width="448" height="298" /> <img title="quarterfinalsmatty.jpg" src="/usrimages/quarterfinalsmatty.jpg" alt="quarterfinalsmatty.jpg" width="640" height="360" /> <img title="quarterfinalsbutsy.jpg" src="/usrimages/quarterfinalsbutsy.jpg" alt="quarterfinalsbutsy.jpg" width="640" height="360" /> Game 3 -Tue. Feb. 21 - Shea Hamilton records a hat trick as Maroond double up Flyers 6-3. Despite very poor road conditions, The Altona Maroons boarded The Shaker and headed up to Stonewall for Game 3 of the first round of playoffs. The Maroons would come out quickly in the first period, much like the first period in Altona for Game 2 and start firing shots on Flyers goalie Justin Harris. Harris was able to turn away several chances and quick play was developing up and down the sides for both squads. Then after 13 min. of play Jon Froese was able get the to Shea Hamilton and Hamilton would slip one in for a 1-0 lead. Hamilton would strike 4 min. later on another set up from Jon Froese and the Maroons would find themselves up 2-0 with just over 3 min. left in the first period. Off the draw from the 2nd goal Ryan Dyck would get the puck to Matt Dyck down low in Stonewall's end and Matt would set up Devon Leblanc who would put up under the crossbar making it 3-0 and that score would hold to end the first. In the 2nd period the Maroons would come out where they left off and less then 3 min. in and on their first powerplay of the game Hamilton would re-direct a Leblanc pass past an outstretched Harris for his hat trick and a 4-0 lead. The Maroons would then kill off their first penalty of the game, but minutes later Chris Tyslau would set up Brent Howarth and Howarth would beat Shannon Enns getting the Flyers on the board, now 4-1. The Maroons would fight off 2 more min. penalties after the Flyers goal, allowing the Flyers to start to develop more play in the Maroons zone, but Enns would make the saves to keep the Flyers off the board and after 2 periods the score would remain 4-1. The 3rd period began with a Flyers penalty just 39 sec. in and the Maroons powerplay would click as Nick Fuher would keep a Flyers claring attempt in and send a quick pass to Devon Leblanc positioned to the side of the net on the goal line and Leblanc would slide towards the net and send a quick pass to Matt Dyck in the slot and Dyck would one time in for a 5-1 lead. 5 Min. later Jared Barnabe would headman a puck to Brent Toews and Toews would skate in on the Flyers defenders and beat Harris with a wrist shot from the hashmarks making it 6-1. 3 min. later the Flyers would answer when Chris Tyslau would beat Enns to make it 6-2. The Flyers were picking up some steam and with 5:08 left to play Tyslau would score his 2nd of the night with a trickler that just rolled in behind the post to make it 6-3. A min. later Flyers veteran sniper Adam Kirk would get a great opportunity in the slot to shoot alone on Enns but would send a deflected shot high into the netting. The Maroons would settle down from here on and managed to snuff out the Flyers surge and leave Stonewall with a 6-3 win and series lead 2 games to 1. Game notes: Not in the line-up: Mitch Klassen, Josh Froese, Kevin Giesbrecht & Aaron Wiebe. G.M. Jody Hildebrand noted that he was happy with the pace the Maroons came out of the gate with and play well with a lead. He added that while there was a bit of lapse towards the end of the game, the guys worked hard and created a lot opportunties. Official Shots on Net as recorded by Stonewall statistician 40 - 27 in favour of the Maroons. Sat. Feb. 18 -Game 2 - The Stonewall Flyers arrived in Altona on their trusty bus and the Maroons were ready for them. The Maroons came out guns a blazin' and finally after several good chances on Stonewall goalie Justin Harris, Nick Fuher's point shot/pass on a powerplay to Matt Dyck would be tipped and beat Harris for a 1-0 lead. The Maroons would continue to buzz in the first and after 20 min. it was a hometown lead. In the 2nd period Stonewall would tie the game 5 min. in when Steve Zacharias' shot on a Flyers powerplay would fool Maroons goalie Shannon Enns, slip past him, ding off the post and trickle in. With just under 5 min. left in the 2nd the Flyers powerplay would strike again when Ruseel Payne would beat Enns making in 2-1. The Maroons would bounce back with just under 2 min. left to play in the period when Devon Leblanc would convert a Nick Fuher pass and beat Harris under the crossbar sending both teams in after 40 min. with a 2-2 tie. The Maroons would start the 3rd period the way they did in the first and a min. and 19 sec. in Leblanc and Fuher would connect with Jon Froese taking the pass from Fuher on the goal line near the net and slide around Harris to score on his backhand for a 3-2 lead. Nearing the midway point of the period, the Flyers would go on a powerplay and like they have been doing in the series, make the most of it with Brent Howarth taking a feed from Russ Payne and beating Enns with a nice wrist shot to Enns' stickside tying the game. A min. after the Stonewall tying goal the Maroons were applying pressure in the Flyers zone and after Brent Toews was hit behind the Flyers net a brief scrum would take place. Fortunatley for both teams, only coincidental roughing after the whistle minors were called. The pace was frantic from here on in with Maroons again putting great pressure on the Flyers and when the Flyers would turn the puck over and rush into the Maroons end everyone would move just a little further to the edge of their seats. Shannon Enns came with the stops to keep Stonewall from going ahead and just as time was running below a min. left to play Devon Leblanc would carry the puck into the Flyers zone, cycle it to Jon Froee and Froese would get the puck over to Nick Fuher who was streaking in from the left defence and Fuher would send a no doubter to the top of the net beating Harris and giving the Maroons the 4-3 lead. The Flyers called a time out after the goal. The face off was won by the Flyers and they would dump the puck in but the Maroons would get the puck out of the zone not allowing the Flyers to pull Harris for a 6th attacker and time would wind down in Altona's favour giving the Maroons a 4-3 win and evening the series at 1-1. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line up - Josh Froese, Justin Froese, Kevin Giesbrecht and Aaron Wiebe. Coach Rob Friesen was impressed by the first period buzzing by the Maroons. He felt the players stood still too often in the 2nd, but bounced back in the 3rd and kept up great pressure. Friesen likes the fact the Maroons are outshooting the Flyers thus far, but is concerned about the amount of penalties overall the team is taking. They aren't all bad penalties, but more discipline is needed. National Anthem was performed by W.C. Miller student Katrina Schroeder. 50/50 winning pot was claimed by Carl Giesbrecht of Altona. 10 - 400 Club draws were made. Each of the following people are $200 winners! Jacob Bergen #127 Lloyd Wiebe #314 Terry Wiebe #172 Noah & Issaiah Letkeman #53 Irv Toews #330 Ronn Hiebert #217 Bruce Braun #289 Conrad Driedger #94 Yvonne Wiebe #244 Wilf Hiebert #273 Game 1 - Maroons score 3 unanswerd goals in the 3rd to tie the game, but lose in OT after outshooting Flyers 48-27. Wed. Feb. 15, 2012 Game 1 of the Quarter Finals with the Altona Maroons and Stonewall Flyers in the books. The Flyers would score early in the first on their first shot on Carey Dyck when Russ Payne found Brent Howarth in the slot for a 1-0 lead. Several minutes later Russ Payne would notch a shorthanded goal on a shot from the slot past Dyck. The Maroons would respond 45 sec. later still on the powerplay when Shea Hamilton would pass the puck to Nick Fuher and Fuher would get the puck low to Devon Leblanc and Leblanc would beat Flyers goalie with a tight angle shot over the Harris' glove narrowing the gap to 2-1 for the Flyers. The Flyers would get their third goal at the midway point of the period on a powerplay when Brent Howarth's wrist shot in the slot would fool Dyck and give the Flyers a 3-1 lead. With 3 goals on 6 shots on Carey Dyck, Coach Rob Friesen would pull Dyck who didn't have much of a chance on the first 2 Flyers goals, but Friesen wanted and needed to change and sent Shannon Enns in. For the balance of the period the Maroons would control the bulk of the play and send numerous shots at Flyers goalie Harris but Harris was standing tall and turning away the shots. With 1:22 left in the period and on a powerplay Russ Payne from behind Shannon Enns would attempt to put the puck into the slot and would get lucky when hit the back of Enns' skate and trickle in for a 4-1 lead. 7 sec. later Jon Froese would head man the puck to Brent Toews and Toews would put a shot on Harris that would fool him and make the score 4-2. The 2nd period would feature more Maroons shots sent towards Harris, with Harris turning them all away and Enns would come up with some big saves of his own. With only one minor penalty assesed to each team the 2nd period would be completed fairly quickly and after 40 min. the score would remain 4-2 for the Flyers. In the 3rd period the Flyers would get a powerplay 5 min. in and make good on it when Brett Maxwell would set up Adam Farthing with Farthing beating Enns making it 5-2. This would be the Flyers 4th special teams goal of the night (3 Powerplay goals, 1 Shorthanded). Later at the midway point of the game the Maroons would go on a powerplay and pepper shots at Harris but couldn't find the twine until just after their man advantage ended when Dale Butland would throw a shot on net fooling Harris and cutting the Stonewall lead down to 5-3. 20 seconds later Butland would get the puck into the Flyers zone to Matt Dyck and Dyck would give Ryan Dyck and quick pass in the slot with Ryan Dyck beating Harris with a quick high wrist shot and just like that it was a very close game at 5-4 for the Flyers with just over 7 and a half minutes left to play. The referee would put his whistle away from here on in and let the teams play at a quick pace and as time was winding down Coach Friesen would pull Shannon Enns while the Maroons worked teh puck into the Flyers zone. With the extra attacker on the ice Dale Butland was able to get the puck to Devon Leblanc and Leblanc would avoid one Flyer defender and send a long shot through traffic to the high blocker side scoring with 16 sec. left to play tying the game at 5-5. Both team would get a breather as the Veterans Memorial staff would clean the ice for overtime. In overtime the Maroons line of Matt Dyck, Devon Leblanc and Ryan Dyck would get a golden opportunity with a face-off to Just Harris' right side and Matt Dyck would win consecutive face-off's to Devon Leblanc with Leblanc sending quick shots on Harris with the Flyers goalie making two big saves. The Maroons would spend a little more time in the Flyers end before the Flyers would work the puck into the Maroons zone. The Maroons D would clear the puck to the neutral zone and hesitant to pinch to the loose puck, Flyers Brent Howarth would jump on the opportunity and skate in and take an off balance wrist shot beating Shannon Enns on the blocker side giving the home team the OT win and a series lead of 1-0. Game notes: Not in the line-up, Josh Froese, Craig Neufeld, Kevin Giesbrecht, Alex Krahn and Aarown Wiebe. Coach Rob Friesen was pleased how the team responded to the first period goaltending change by getting back into the game and by the end of the 2nd period was confident that if the work ethic continued the attempts on Harris would eventually pay off. After the Maroons would tie the game with 16 seconds left, Friesen simply wanted the momentum to be used as the motivational factor to strike first in OT and leave town with a series lead, but fate would have none of it as the first shot on Shannon Enns in Overtime by sniper Brent Howarth would get past him and send the Maroons home down 1-0 in the first round of the SEMHL Playoffs. *** We apologize that there were no pictures of this game available for the websites. *** <h1 style="text-align: center;">SEMHL Playoffs</h1> The Altona Maroons will face the Stonewall Flyers in the first round of SEMHL playoffs. Game 1 - Wed. Feb. 15 @ Stonewall Game 2 - Sat. Feb. 18 @ Altona Game 3 - Tue. Feb. 21 @ Stonewall Game 4 - Thur. Feb. 23 @ Altona Game 5 - Sat. Feb. 25 @ Stonewall <img title="waynecraig.jpg" src="/usrimages/waynecraig.jpg" alt="waynecraig.jpg" width="480" height="550" /> P.A. Announcer Wayne Kauhenhofen and Music Man Craig Braun are ready for the playoffs. Are you? Saturday, Feb. 11 Maroons down Seals 6-1 on Fan Appreciation Night The Oakville Seals rolled into Altona on Saturday night, short on players and the Maroons although also short on bodies, were out to capitalize on the situation and clinch 6th place for the playoffs (2 points out of third, talk about a tight race!). The Oakville Seals would strike first when Daylin Yurkiw scored his 8th goal of the season on the first shot on Maroons goalie Carey Dyck. The Maroons would bounce back several minutes later when Matt Dyck connected with Ryan Dyck and the elder brother would feed Devon Leblanc the puck and Leblanc would have Seals goalie Scott Forcand beat to tie the game. Midway through the first the Seals would take a slashing penalty but were able to fend off an array of shots from the Maroons powerplay and after 20 min. the Seals were hanging in with some excellent goaltending by Forcand. Going for a breather, the Seals and Maroons were locked at 1-1. <img title="leblancfebflyers.jpg" src="/usrimages/leblancfebflyers.jpg" alt="leblancfebflyers.jpg" width="448" height="291" /> Devon Leblanc scoring on Seals goalie Scott Forcand on a set up from Ryan and Matt Dyck. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 2nd period, just 4 min. in Matt Dyck would feed Leblanc and this time Leblanc would fire Ryan Dyck a pass in tight and Dyck would score on a nice shot making it 2-1. Midway through the period Nick Fuher would keep the puck in at the Seals blueline and dish it over to John Mintenko circling in the high slot. Mintenko would leave it for Phil Letkeman and Letkeman would make a nice move to fool the Seals defenceman and walk in all alone in the slot and beat Forcand with a quick snap shot low on Forcands stick side making it 3-1 for the Maroons. 2 Min. later the Maroons were still in attack mode and Matt Dyck would get the puck over to Devon Leblanc in the slot and Leblanc would rip a bullet of a shot under the crossbar ringing it off the inside side post for his 2nd of the night and a 4-1 lead. Just under 9 min. to play in the 2nd, Letkeman was assesed a min. penalty but it didn't stop the Maroons as Nick Fuher would head man the puck out of the Maroons zone to Leblanc and Leblanc would send a long pass to Matt Dyck and Dyck would go on a 1 on 1 and beat Forcand with a backhand shot that would trickle through his five hole making it 5-1 for the Maroons. Shortly after the goal Ryan Dyck would go in on a partial breakaway only to get his stick slashed out of his hand sending the Seals to the penalty box. The Seals would kill off the penalty with their goalie Forcand coming up with some saves to keep the scoreboard from changing again. The play would continue to be controlled by the Maroons for the balance of the period and with just under a min. left in the period Leblanc and Matt Dyck would connect with each other with the younger Dyck setting up his older brother for his 2nd of the night and a 6-1 lead. <img title="mattfebflyers.jpg" src="/usrimages/mattfebflyers.jpg" alt="mattfebflyers.jpg" width="640" height="425" /> Matt Dyck working around a Seal forward, Devon Leblanc in the background. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. The 3rd period would start off with the Maroons killing off a double minor penalty to Leblanc and after the penalty kill, Coach Rob Friesen would mix up the lines a bit more and although the Maroons continued to control the bulk of the play Forcand would continue to make some more big saves and keep the score at 6-1. After 60 min. of play the game would end 6-1 for the Maroons. <img title="nickfebflyers.jpg" src="/usrimages/nickfebflyers.jpg" alt="nickfebflyers.jpg" width="640" height="360" /> Nick Fuher taking a shot from the point, teammate Ryan Dyck in the background. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Game notes: Not in the line-up - Josh Froese, Brent Toews, Shea Hamilton, Jon Froese, Kevin Giesbrecht, Kevin Ginter & Craig Neufeld. FAN APPRECIATION - Over 85 Door prizes were handed out to lucky fans. Special Thanks go out to Prairie Insurance, Rhineland Car, Friesens, Prairie Sky Promotions, Red River Mutual, Green Valley Equipment, TruNorth Specialty, Sun Valley CO-OP, CIBC, Under Armour and the Altona Maroons. Prior to the game, the Altona Maroons Pee-Wee team was introduced on the ice as the host team for the Manitoba Pee-Wee Provincials being held in early March in Altona. National Anthem performed by Rosenfeld's very talented Amber Wolfe. 50/50 pot of $178.00 claimed by Ben Hildebrand from Altona. *** 400 Club Winners *** Ten Draws of $200 were made. The winners are as follows... Rudy Martens #42 John Weber #62 Paul MacDonald #150 Mark Krahn #295 Doug Rempel #186 Richard Barnabe #206 Mel Klassen #146 Sydney Bell #398 Sam Schellenberg #176 Jack & Dora Penner #257 Thursday, Feb. 9 Stonewall slips out of Altona with a 6-5 OT win despite another hat trick from Devon Leblanc. In a game which could give the Maroons an important 2 points, the Maroons would get things started in the right direction when Shea Hamilton and Jon Froese would set up Jared Barnabe in the slot and Barnabe would score to give the Maroons a 1-0 lead. Around the midway point of the first Ryan Dyck would set up Devon Leblanc and Leblanc would bang the puck past Flyers goalie Justin Harris for a shorthanded goal and a 2-0 lead. The 2 goal lead would not last too long as just a minute later Adam Kirk would set up Russ Payne and Payne would be beat Carey Dyck on a Flyer powerplay making it 2-1 still in favour of the Maroons. <img title="barns.jpg" src="/usrimages/barns.jpg" alt="barns.jpg" width="397" height="336" /> Jared Barnabe carrying the puck into the Flylers zone in the first period. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. The 2nd period can be summed up as one of penalties, penalties and more penalties for the Maroons. 8 penalties, resulting in 5 powerplay opportunities for the Flyers. Carey Dyck would come up with some big saves as the period got going but nearing the midway point of the 2nd period Shea Hamilton was handed a 5 min. high hit to the head penalty and a Game Misc.. The ensuing scrum also landed the Maroons an additional 2 min. minor penalty. With the Flyers now on a 5 on 3, TheFlyers would pepper shots at Dyck and veteran sniper Adam Kirk would tie the game on a set up from Adam Farthing. 2 Min. later on another Flyers powerplay Farthing and Kirk would team up and set up Chris Tyslau for a goal and a Flyers 3-2 lead. The Maroons would take a much needed time out, re-group and cool down. The Maroons would kill off 2 more minor penalties and get out of the period with a late powerplay on a Stonewall penalty. <img title="mikecrush.jpg" src="/usrimages/mikecrush.jpg" alt="mikecrush.jpg" width="559" height="480" /> Mike Friesen laying a crushing blow with D partner Justin Froese in the background. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. The 3rd period didn't start favourably for the hometeam as they were unable to convert on the continued powerplay from the 2nd and less then 5 min. in the Flyers would strike again when Chris Tyslau would beat Dyck for his 2nd goal of the game and a 4-2 lead. The Maroons would battle back and get another shorthanded goal around the halfway point of the last period when Matt Dyck would spring Devon Leblanc on a long pass and Leblanc would break in all alone on Harris and hit the back of the net making it 4-3 with plenty of game left to play. Just under 5 min. left in the game, Justin Froese would stickhandle the puck into the Flyers zone and get the puck to Devon Leblanc, Leblanc would find Matt Dyck in the slot and Dyck would bang in the tying goal giving the Maroons plenty to celebrate about. Unfortunatley, the celebration was short lived as just a min. later Scott Dibley would send a wrist shot over Carey Dyck's glovehand for a 5-4 lead. Approx. 40 sec. later Matt Dyck would set up Devon Leblanc in the high slot and Leblanc would send an absolute rocket past Harris tying the game once again for the Maroons. The next 4 min. would bring a lot of excitement to the game but in the end neither team would be able to score again in regulation time sending the game to overtime. <img title="craigstone.jpg" src="/usrimages/craigstone.jpg" alt="craigstone.jpg" width="640" height="468" /> Craig Neufeld taking a high slot wrist shot in the 3rd period. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In Overtime the Maroons would get the puck into the Flyers zone but Harris would turn away a few opportunities, when the Flyers would work the play back into the Maroons end, Dan Lehman would throw a shot on Carey Dyck with Dyck making the intial save but Russ Payne would slip through defensive coverage and lift the rebound over Dyck giving the Flyers the overtime win. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line up - Brent Toews, Kevin Giesbrecht, Josh Froese, Dale Butland, Aaron Wiebe and Shannon Enns. Overall the short summary of the game could be that Stonewall's Justin Harris slightly outplayed Carey Dyck and was helped by his goalposts on 5 Maroons shots. The Maroons didn't help their own cause by spending too much time in the penalty box and the loss of Hamilton for approx. half of the game also did not do them any favours. This was a game worth 2 valuable points and while they battled back from a 2 goal deficit to tie the game and then go down a goal and tie it again in regulation time, the crushing overtime loss means they would only earn one point and make the last game of the regular season another important game that will then reveal who it is the Maroons will take on in the first round of the playoffs. 50/50 pot was claimed by Elmer Friesen of Altona. Next game is Sat. Feb. 11 - FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT v.s. Oakville Seals Friday, Feb. 3 Shea Hamilton scores OT winner to notch hat trick and 6-5 win over Warren The Maroons traveled to Warren on a foggy Friday night and came with 2 points, while giving up a single point to the Mercs. Jon Froese would start off the scoring for the Maroons just over 2 min. in when he would one time a pass from bother Justin past Mercs goalie Gavin McHale for a 1-0 lead. The Maroons would strike again 3 min. later when John Mintenko would set up Shea Hamilton at the bottom of the Mercs face-off circle and Hamilton would rip a quick shot under the cross bar stunning McHale for a 2-0 lead. A min. later Matt Dyck would set up brother Ryan just inside the Mercs blueline and he would skate in towards McHale all alone and send a quick shot on the ice to the back of the net making it 3-0 for the Maroons. The quick 3-0 lead seemed to have woke up the Mercs and 45 seconds later Scott Corbett would send a blueline shot towards Shannon Enns beating him to make the score 3-1. Several min. later Ryan Tully would beat Enns and the Mercs were inching their way back into the game. With approx. 1 min. left in the period Matt Murphy would convert a Wes Pawluk pass and find the back of the net tying the game at 3 a piece. After quick 3-0 lead by the Maroons the Mercs were able to bounce back and tie the game before the end of the first 20 min. Goaltending from both teams was not at it's best during the first period. In the 2nd period both teams battled hard and early in the period Mitch Klassen would make a nice rush and create a two on one sending John Mintenko a backhand pass with and Mintenko would have a great chance to score but McHale would rob him. Then with 8 min. played in the 2nd Derek Boonstra would beat Enns and give the Mercs a 4-3 lead. 30 sec. later Matt Dyck would set up Devon Leblanc and Leblanc would fire a tight angle shot high on McHale tying the game 4-4. The Mercs seemed to take advantage of the shorter Maroons bench and at the midway point of the period Matt Murphy would score on Enns getting his 2nd of the game and get the Mercs up 5-4. The 5th goal would be his last as Coach Rob Friesen would pull him and replace him with Carey Dyck. The goaltending change may have sparked the Maroons and after Matt Dyck and Devon Leblanc missed converting a 2 on 0 while killing a penalty, the Maroons would go on their own powerplay and this time the pair would make good when Leblanc would beat McHale with a goal and tying the game 5-5. <img title="warrenepic.jpg" src="/usrimages/warrenepic.jpg" alt="warrenepic.jpg" width="640" height="413" /> Devon Leblanc, Matt Dyck & Ryan Dyck preparing for a 2nd period face-off. With a 5-5 tie, the 3rd period would prove to be exciting. The Maroons would kill off 2 minor penalties and Devon Leblanc would get robbed on a breakaway before the 10 min. mark of the period when Leblanc would feed Hamilton a pass in the slot and score his 2nd of the game giving the Maroons a 6-5 lead. Leblanc would create another breakway later in the period with McHale again getting his glove on the puck and keeping the Mercs in the game. With 8 min. left to play the Maroons would have to kill off a Mercs powerplay opportunity with Carey Dyck stopping several shots on net through heavy traffic. The Mercs would pour on their efforts with time ticking away in the game and the Maroons played cautious but didn't stop trying to get an insurance goal and in the dying minute and a half the Mercs would pull their goalie hoping that an extra attacker would help tie the game. With less then 10 sec. to play the Mercs Matt Murphy would win a foot race to a loose puck in the Maroons corner and throw a desperationi shot/pass to the net area and the puck would hit a Maroons defenceman in the arm, ricochet and hit Wes Pawluk in the chest, fall to the ice and Pawluk would swat at it beating Dyck through the 5 hole with just 6 sec. left on the clock tying the game. In overtime it would be Ryan Dyck who would keep the puck in the Mercs zone, avoid a Mercs defender and send a pass to Shea Hamilton in the high slot who would make a quick move to his side and put a quick shot pass McHale to score, record a hat trick and give the Maroons their first win in 4 games. Game Notes: Not in the Maroons line-up: Josh Froese, Brent Toews, Kevin Giesbrecht, Alex Krahn, Phil Letkeman, Craig Neufeld & Aaron Wiebe. Maroons powerplay stats 1 for 8. Mercs powerplay stats 0 for 8. <img title="bushomewarren.jpg" src="/usrimages/bushomewarren.jpg" alt="bushomewarren.jpg" width="640" height="415" /> The ride home on "The Shaker" Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012 Beavers score 3 unanswered and steal 2 points out of Altona with a 4-3 win over Maroons. The Maroons would kill off 2 penalties and Devon Leblanc would get robbed on a breakaway by McHale before The Altona Maroons would start the scoring off halfway through the first period when Jared Barnabe would keep the puck in the Beavers zone along the boards and turn to spot Matt Dyck in the slot, feed him a quick pass and Dyck would put the puck past Beavers goalie Gavin Callum for a 1-0 lead. 2 min. later the Beavers Ryan McIntosh would set up Scott Sisson and Sisson would beat Maroons goalie Shannon Enns, tying the game at one apiece. Later Leblanc would hit his 2nd goal post of the game and then with just over 2 min. left in the period Devon Leblanc would set up Dyck all alone in front of the Beavers net and Dyck would try to beat Callum on the glove side with Callum making the initial save but Alex Krahn would fight for the rebound in the slot and bang home the rebound giving the Maroons a 2-1 lead. <img title="leblancbeavfeb.jpg" src="/usrimages/leblancbeavfeb.jpg" alt="leblancbeavfeb.jpg" /> Maroons Devon Leblanc working his way to the Beavers net. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 2n period Devon Leblanc would put the Maroons up 3-1 with shot from the goal line that would beat Callum between the pads and find the back of the net. Playing with 13 skaters, the Maroons would start to show signs of fatigue and later in the period Ian Bergsma would slip a loose puck past Shannon Enns giving the Beavers their second goal of the night. One minute later Daniel Lepp would pass the puck to Jesse Vanderveen on the Maroons blueline and Vanderveen's long shot through traffic would tie the game at 3-3. <img title="mikehitbeav.jpg" src="/usrimages/mikehitbeav.jpg" alt="mikehitbeav.jpg" width="596" height="480" /> Mike Friesen putting the finishing touches on a punishing hit to a Carman Beavers forward. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 3rd period, the Maroons would attempt to get back the lead but Gavin Callum would come up with some timely saves. Halfway through the final frame Connor Sisson would set up Patrick Madill who was left alone in front of Shannon Enns and Madill would release a quick shot beating Enns for a 4-3 lead. The Maroons would battle back and with less then 5 min. left they would have their work cut out for them as they would go on the penalty kill. The Maroons would kill off the 2 min. and continue to try and tie the game. Time would wind down and with just over a min. left they would pull Shannon Enns and with a face off in the Carman zone a time out would be called to draw up a plan. The Beavers would scramble in their end and eventually get the puck out of their zone and before the Maroons could carry the puck back into the offensive zone time on the clock would wind down giving the Beavers a big win and handing the Maroons their 3rd straight loss. <img title="mitchbeav.jpg" src="/usrimages/mitchbeav.jpg" alt="mitchbeav.jpg" width="640" height="425" /> Maroons rookie Mitch Klassen defending in front of goalie Shannon Enns. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Game notes: Not in the line-up, Josh Froese, Kevin Giesbrecht, Brent Toews, Shea Hamilton, Dale Butland, Craig Neufeld, John Reimer & Aaron Wiebe. General Manager Jody Hildebrand was satisfied with the intial first period efforts by the shortened bench, but overall unhappy with the fact that despite missing some players this was a game the Maroons should have been able to win and earn an important 2 points. The Maroons were assesed only 3 minor penalties throughout the game, but never did get a chance to on a powerplay as the Beavers played the entire game without a penalty. The National Anthem was performed by W.C. Miller students Alyssa Penner & Amy Tarnick. 50/50 pot claimed by Wayne Kauhenhofen. Maroons next game will be this coming Friday when they travel to Warren to face the Mercs who sit 4 points ahead of them in 4th place in league standings. Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012 Xpress enjoy strong 3rd period and beat Maroons 5-2. The Maroons were in Plum Coulee on Thursday, Jan. 26th and looking for a win to put them in 3rd place in league standings. The first period would prove to be a face paced game and both team would trade scoring opportunties with Jayme Janzen turning away some perimiter shots from the Maroons and Carey Dyck coming up big with some shots in tight and after 20 min. it was anyone's game at 0-0. The Maroons wouldn't make the first period too easy on themselves having to kill off 3 minor penalties. In the 2nd period just over halfway through, Devon Leblanc would score an unassisted shorthanded goal giving the Maroons a 1-0 lead. The lead would hold until 3 min. left in the period when Jordan Peters would bang away at a loose puck in front of Carey Dyck and Brett Harder would put a rebound past Dyck tying the game at 1-1. The second period would get a bit chippy and the Maroons and Xpress would each have 2 players assessed with 2 min. minors and 10 min. misconducts. Going into the 3rd period with the score tied 1-1, the game was either teams game to win. Just 2 min. Marlin Froese would beat Dyck for a 2-1 lead and 47 sec. later Jordan Peters would find the back of the net for a 3-1 lead. The Xpress would keep things rolling and on their first powerplay of the period import Anders Strome would make it 4-1 for the Xpress. Later in the period Devon Leblanc invited Xpress Marlin Froese to a fight and Froese accepted the offer and both players would remove their gloves and step in to trade blows. Leblanc surpried Froese with consecutive upper cuts and although neither player connected with any huge blows, Leblanc showed Froese that he remembered an earlier slashing incident from earlier in the season. Several min. later Jamie Thiessen instagated a fight with Shea Hamilton and the two players would trade a few swings before joining the aforementioned players in their respective dressing rooms for early showers. After the 2nd fight of the 3rd period the Maroons found themselves on a powerplay and Nick Fuher would set up Matt Dyck with Dyck beating Janzen for a goal narrowing the gap to 4-2. Time was running out for the Maroons who would be looking for a min. of 2 goals to tie the contest and with just 4 min. left to play Anders Strome would score his 2nd of the night giving the Xpress the insurance they were looking for and making the score 5-2. The balance of the game would play out without any additional incidents and the Xpress would celebrate a home ice victory over the Maroons. Game notes: Not in the line up, Kevin Giesbrecht, Josh Froese, Brent Toews and Aaron Wiebe. Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012 The Morden Redskins were in Altona on Saturday to take on the Maroons and with the last game between the 2 squads going into a shoot-out in Morden fans were hoping for a good Saturday night hockey game. For the Maroons fans however, it was not the turnout they were hoping for. Morden's Jay Fehr would get the Redskins on the board beating Maroons goalie Carey Dyck. The Maroons would respond with a nice goal when Ryan Dyck would feed Jon Froese a pass and with the Maroons captain bringing the puck into the Morden zone heading towards the corner of the arena he'd fire a pass to brother Josh and Josh Froese would snap the pass into the back of the Redskins net tying the game at 1-1. The first period would also feature 2 powerplays for the Maroons but they would be unable to convert either opportunity. <img title="butsymojan.jpg" src="/usrimages/butsymojan.jpg" alt="butsymojan.jpg" width="439" height="336" /> Maroons Dale Butland working his way into the Redskins zone with Morden defenceman Dion Peterson looking to rub him out. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 2nd period Morden would go on a powerplay early on and Jay Fehr would connect with Keith Bially in the slot and Bially would sneak it past Dyck for a 2-1 lead. 5 min. later and another Maroons powerplay unconverted, the action would continue to be back and forth until Mike Friesen and Nick Fuher would connect with Ryan Dyck. Dyck would skate into the Redskins end and slide around a defender to send a wrist shot towards the net and have it squeak through the goalies arm and slip in, tying the game at 2-2. The Maroons would get another powerplay advantage and this time send several quality chances on net, but the Redskins would fend off the pressure and get back to even strength. The play would remain 5 on 5 until the midway point of the period when Kevin Ginter would be handed a 2 min. boarding penalty and the Redskins would convert the opportunity with Steve Mullin scoring a go ahead 3-2 goal. 2 min. later Ramsay Fehr would set up Colin Hildebrand and Hildebrand would score making it 4-2. Late in the period the Maroons would kill off a Devon Leblanc holding penalty and after 40 min. the hometown team would find themselves in a 4-2 hole. <img title="mattneufoffmo.jpg" src="/usrimages/mattneufoffmo.jpg" alt="mattneufoffmo.jpg" width="640" height="425" /> Matt Dyck taking the 2nd period face off Craig Neufeld #27 in the foreground. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 3rd period the Maroons would come out looking to get back into the game and increase their play in the Morden zone but their scoring attempts would be turned aside and. They would get a powerplay chance 6 min. in, but would be unable to get a 3rd goal. Later in the 3rd period the Maroons would have one final push on a powerplay when Redskins Kris Williams was assesed a 5 min. major for boarding and would pull Carey Dyck in favour of an extra attacker. The gamble would not pay off as Jay Fehr would send Chris Reimer a pass and Reimer would send a shot into the empty net for the Redskins 5th goal, essentially putting the game out of reach for the Maroons. After 60 min. it would be the Redskins who would celebrate a win and the Maroons who would lose a rare home game. <img title="nicknocall.jpg" src="/usrimages/nicknocall.jpg" alt="nicknocall.jpg" width="640" height="360" /> Maroons Nick Fuher pleading his case for a penalty to be called as Redskins forward Jeremy Matueszewski hangs onto his jersey. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line up: Kevin Giesbrecht, Shea Hamilton, Aaron Wiebe. New Coach Rob Friesen was happy that the Maroons were finding ways to send a lot of pucks towards the Redskins net and outshoot the opponents but commented that the team has to get better on their powerplay opportunties. Special teams played a large part in the game. Friesen was happy to get another solid look at the players available and is excited to move forward and start molding some lines together and working on strategies for the remaining league games. 50/50 pot of $98.00 was claimed by Dan Gierernhart. National Anthem was performed by Mikayla Hildebrand. Next game: Thursday, Jan. 26th in Plum Coulee. Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012 Leblanc leads Maroons with 4 goals to a 7-3 win over Notre Dame The Maroons travelled to Notre Dame on Saturday to face the Hawks in an important 4 point game. The Maroons would get on the board early in the game just 4 min. in when Josh Froese would send Devon Leblanc into the Hawks zone and Leblanc would rip a shot over Hawks goalie Marc Lesage's glove and under the cross bar for a 1-0 lead. 3 min. later the Hawks would tie the game when Maroons goalie Shannon Enns would make a great pad save on a slapshot from Jean Prejet, but Nico Chanel would bust for the rebound and bang it into the open net. Midway through the first period the Hawks would have a great opportunity when Matt Dyck would take a tripping penalty and 40 sec. later Dale Butland would join Dyck in the penalty box giving creating a 5 on 3 opportunity against the Maroons. Shannon Enns would turn away a few good Hawks chances and the Maroons would be able to kill off the powerplay and return to even strength. The balance of the period would be evenly matched. With 4:35 left on the clock, the Maroons would go on a powerplay but Lesage would make some strong saves and get back to 5 on 5 hockey. After 20 min. in the cold Notre Dame arena the game would be knotted at 1-1. <img title="devofour.jpg" src="/usrimages/devofour.jpg" alt="devofour.jpg" width="574" height="480" /> An out of focus Maroon forechecking with Devon Leblanc in the background. In the 2nd period the Maroons go up 2-1 quickly when just 55 sec. in Dale Butland would send a pass to Devon Leblanc would deke a Hawks defender and get in tight on Marc Lesage and beat Lesage with a backhand shot. A minute later Shea Hamilton would cycle the puck behind the Hawks net finding Josh Froese and Froese would throw the puck in front of the net and the puck would bounce off Lesage's skate and into the net giving the Maroons a 3-1 lead. A minute after the goal the Hawks would take a roughing penalty and with time running out on the powerplay, Josh Froese would set up John Mintenko in the high slot and with no other option available Mintenko would wind up and send a slapshot high on net and Lesage would get a piece of it, but the puck would bounce off and over him and cross the line for a 4-1 lead. With 14:36 on the clock Dale Butland would take an Interference penalty but the Maroons would kill off the penalty and then at the midway point of the period The Maroons would make it 5-1 on another powerplay when Nick Fuher and Josh Froese would connect with Shea Hamilton getting credited with the powerplay goal and chasing Marc Lesage out of the Hawks net giving way to Byron Evans. The Hakws would take another penalty at 6:56 of the period but kill off about a minute of the disadvantage before the Maroons Brent Toews would get called for Holding. Both teams would play 4 on 4 for a brief moment before giving way to a Hawks powerplay. During the powerplay Shea Hamilton was called for High Sticking and as Toews' penalty was expiring Jean Prejet would beat Shannon Enns making it 5-2. With the Maroons still down a man, Devon Leblanc would steal the puck on an aggressive forecheck behind the Hawks net and wrap it around goalpost for his hat trick and a 6-2 lead. Brody Chabbert would head to the penalty box for a cross checking penalty on Brent Toews with just over 3 min. left in the period but would fight off the Maroons powerplay. As time was winding down on the period Devon Leblanc would send a last ditch effort on the Hawks net and it would sneak past Evans and cross the line with 1 sec. on the clock for the Maroons 6th goal of the 2nd period and a 7-2 lead. The 3rd period would start off with the Hawks thinking they were getting back on track and getting a puck past Enns, but the officials called it off as the puck never crossed the goal line and for the next several minutes both teams would trade several opportunties with neither team able to score. Dale Butland would take a roughing penalty that the Maroons would kill off and then the Hawks Tom Carels would take a holding penalty and effectivley kill off and then with 9 min. left to play the Hawks would break into the Maroons end and Ryan Robidoux would score a nice goal on Shannon Enns, high on the glove side making it 7-3. Shortly after the Hawks goal, Leblanc would get called on a tripping penalty providing the Hawks with a chance to close the gap but the Maroons would tighten up their defence and get back to even strength and the balance of the game would play out with neither team able to change the number on the scoreclock and after 60 min. the final score would remain at 7-3. <img title="mattback.jpg" src="/usrimages/mattback.jpg" alt="mattback.jpg" width="559" height="480" /> Brent Toews busting towards the net off a draw with Matt Dyck looking to recieve a pass off the draw. Game notes: The Maroons were able to have a few more players in the game then the previous two games with Dale Butland being available to play and Matt Dyck coming off an injury. John Reimer dressed for his 3rd game as a Maroon and newcomer Alex Krahn played in his first game with the Maroons. Another new member of the Maroons was coach Rob Friesen. Friesen was brought in by the Maroons to run the bench for the balance of the season and is a welcome addition to the club. Shannon Enns dressed in his 2nd consecutive game and was solid again in start. Not in the line-up - Jon Froese, Phil Letkeman, Ryan Dyck, Kevin Giesbrecht, Craig Neufeld and Aaron Wiebe. The Maroons next game will be Sat. Jan. 21st in Altona when they host the Morden Redskins. Saturday, Jan. 7th, 2012 Maroons drop close game with Morden 4-3 in a shoot-out. For the second game in 3 nights, the Maroons would face off for a game with a less then desirable number of available players and again come out on the losing end. However this time the Maroons would force the game to extend into overtime and eventually to the fan popular Shoot-out. In the 1st period the Maroons would find themsevles killing off a penalty just 3 min. in and after Shannon Enns would turn away a scoring opportunity for the Redskins, Nick Fuher would work the puck out of the Maroons end and send a pass through the neutral zone to Shea Hamilton and Hamilton would stickhandle into the Redskins zone and while being pushed away from the slot area, send a wrist shot on Redskins netminder Darcy Stewart, beating Stewart for a short handed goal and a 1-0 Maroons lead. The Maroons would kill off the remaining balance of the penalty after getting back to even strength both teams would trade some scoring opportunties before the first period would uneventfully come to an end. <img title="jonrubemo.jpg" src="/usrimages/jonrubemo.jpg" alt="jonrubemo.jpg" width="336" height="337" /> Jon Froese clearing a Redskins forward away from Shannon Enns. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 2nd period, The Redskins would come out on the attack and just over a minute in Jay Fehr would send a pass through the slot to leauge leading scorer Keith Bially and Bially would one time the pass up and and over Shannon Enns tying the game at 1-1. The Maroons would bounce back 3 min. later when Devon Leblanc would cross into the Redskins end and work the puck to Josh Froese, Froese would then cycle the puck behind the net to Shea Hamilton and Hamilton would hold on the pass, spin and reach to put a wrist shot into the partially open net past Stewart for a 2-1 lead. Later in the period nearing the 10 min. mark the Maroons would go on a powerplay, but a minute afer the Maroons applied pressue in the Redskins zone a breakout attempt was interuppted by Jay Fehr and Fehr would skate the puck over the Maroons blue line and drop a pass to Colin Hildebrand and Hildebrand would rip a hard sht over the glove of Shannon Enns for a shorthanded goal and tying the game at 2-2. The Redskins would kill off the rest of their penalty and 30 sec. after tying the game, they would get a chance to increase their lead when Mike Friesen would be sent to the penalty box for a 2 min. tripping infraction. The Maroons Kevin Ginter would clear the puck to the neutral zone and Shea Hamilton would pick it up and break into the Redskins end with Devon Leblanc. Hamilton would pass the puck to Leblanc and Leblanc would put a great quick shot past Stewart scoring the Maroons second shorthanded goal and making it 3-2. The goal got the Maroons and their travelling fans into the game, but would also ignite the Redskins to increase their efforts. With just under 4 min. left in the period Jay Fehr would pick up the puck in the Maroons end and streak past Maroons defenders and beat Shannon Enns on a nifty deke play to tie the game for the Redskins at 3-3. The goal kept the Redskins spart alive and they would play out the balance of the period testing the Maroons defence and pepper shots towards Enns with Enns kicking aside several big saves to keep the game tied heading into the 3rd period, still locked at 3-3. <img title="shearoofmo.jpg" src="/usrimages/shearoofmo.jpg" alt="shearoofmo.jpg" /> Shea Hamilton ready to shoot and up over an outstretched Redskins goalie. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. The 3rd period would be a test for the Maroons to see if they could hang on with their energy levels and stave off the Redskins who seemed to control the better part of the last 5 min. of the 2nd period. The Maroons certainly weren't about to give up and and would come out strong and get the play going back into the Redskins zone with Stewart and his defenceman turning away several opportunities, and then at 14:40 of the of the final period get a powerplay when Kevin Ginter was given a minor penalty for hooking. The Redskins stormed the Maroons zone on their powerplay but the Maroons would force the Redskins to keep the puck on the perimiter for the most part with Enns again making a few big saves and helping get the Maroons back to even strength. Just over 30 sec. later the Maroons would catch a break when their pressure in the Redskins paid off and while attempting to clear the puck out of their end Tyler Friesen would be called for holding. The Maroons would now go on the powerplay and with several shots thrown in front of Stewart, just 40 sec. into their powerplay Chris Reimer would take a minor penalty resulting in a 5 on 3 situation for the Maroons. The Maroons powerplay unit would get to work quickly creating several good chances but the Redskins would eventually kill off the penalties and start to send some pressure into the Maroons end. 1 min. after being shorthanded, Kevin Ginter would attempt to hold up a Redskin forward at the Maroons blueline but get called for holding giving the Redskins a powerplay oppotunity. The Redskins would work the puck into the Maroons end and force the Maroons penalty killers to play with some desparity. The work ethic would pay off as they limited the Redskins powerplay and come back into even strength play with 5 min. left in the game. The final 5 min. would witness both teams trading some good opportunities to break the tie, but neither team able to capitalize on their chances. Both teams would work hard to get a go ahead goal, but the time would expire and the score remained tied at 3-3 effectively sending the game into an overtime situation. 1 min. into the overtime period Redskins defenceman Dion Peterson would take an interference penalty in front of a loose puck that came off of goalie Darcy Stewart. A powerplay in overtime is not very common and the Maroons were hoping to make it a memorable opportunity. Several good Maroons scoring chances later the Redskins would catch a break of their own when Brent Toews would be given a 2 min. hooking penalty giving the Redskins an overtime opportunity of their own. Enns and his Maroons penalty killers would come up big and kill off the penalty and with 31 sec. left in the game both teams would be even strenth and each team would trade one last rush into each others teams zones. and after 65 min. of hockey nothing would be solved, meaning the game would be decided in a shoot out. <img title="overtimepressmo.jpg" src="/usrimages/overtimepressmo.jpg" alt="overtimepressmo.jpg" /> Overtime pressyre with Devon Leblanc #24 shooting the puck and Jon Froese and John Mintenko looking to stuff home a rebound. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Jay Fehr would start off for the Redskins, but Shannon Enns would stay with Fehr and turn away his nice moves and shot giving Josh Froese a chance for the Maroons. Froese would deke Darcy Stewart and from his backhand Froese would put a shot on net that Stewart would get a piece of and the puck would bounce up into the air and sail slowly over the crossbar. Keith Bially would try next for the Redkins and his glove hand shot was caught be Enns. Shea Hamilton for the Maroons would deke Stewart from his left side, faking to his back hand but bring the puck back to his forehand and beat Stewart giving the Maroons the lead in the shoot-out. Colin Hildebrand was up next for the Redskins and Hildebrand would deke Enns going to a one handed backhand that he pulled with him and effectivley got in close enough to Enns that Enns would be pushed back and not able to kick at the puck with his outstetched leg and the puck would slowly cross the line giving the Redskins a goal. Maroond defenceman Nick Fuher went next for the Maroons and came in quickly, then stopped and deked Stewart from his forehand to his backhand and had Stewart beat but the puck hit the goal post and the shootout remained tied. Kelby Friesen attempted next for the Redskins but wasn't able to beat Enns giving the Maroons Devon Leblanc his chance. Leblanc would come in quickly and fade to his forehand and opted to try and beat Stewart with a quick wrist shot to the low stick side but Stewart would keep his pad down and turn away Leblanc. Chris Reimer now had a chance to score for the Redskins and Reimer would come in and deke Enns and find the back of the net forcing Maroons captain to send the shoot-out into a sudden death situation but Froese's deke and backhand attempt was squeezed in between his blocker arm and body and give the Redskins the edge in the shoot out and 2 points in the Win column. <img title="shootoutmo.jpg" src="/usrimages/shootoutmo.jpg" alt="shootoutmo.jpg" /> Colin Hildebrand putting a one handed backhanded move on Shannon Enns in the shootout. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line up - Ryan Dyck, Matt Dyck, Dale Butland, Jared Barnabe, Craig Neufeld and Kevin Giesbrecht. With Coach Jody Hildebrand not available, Jon Froese and assistant captains Brent Toews and John Mintenko were left in charge of the bench and all 3 agreed that their team effort was solid and that goalie Shannon Enns was a big reason the Maroons were able only give up 3 goals to the Redskins potent offence. The veteran leaders also noted that they were proud of everyone's efforts in back to back games and are looking forward to re-grouping, getting some more bodies back into the line up and moving forward from here. Plum Coulee Xpress edge short staffed Maroons 6-4 Thursday, Jan. 5th, 2012 With a great crowd on hand the Plum Coulee Xpress entered the Sunflower Gardens with the Maroons looking to keep their streak of unbeaten games at home alive. Coming into the game the Maroons were only able to dress a total of 13 skaters. Suspensions, injuries, work committments etc. led to the short bench, but with a rival team in town the players were up for the challenge. Just over 5 min. into the first period Shea Hamilton would work the puck down low and feed Josh Froese a pass in the slot and Froese would beat Xpress goalie Jayme Janzen for a 1-0 lead. Soon after the goal the Maroons would storm the Xpress net again and this time come out short handed after a brief scirmish between Phil Letkeman and Xpress player Derek Heppner. After killing off the 2 min. disadvantage the Maroons and Xpress would trade hits and some scoring opportunities, and it would take until 6 min. left in the first period for the Xpress to strike back and even the game at 1 a piece when Steve Doell would beat Carey Dyck on a powerplay. After the goal the Maroons would end up shorthanded again and while defending the Xpress powerplay, Brent Toews would be assesed a 2 min. minor giving the Xpress a partial 5 on 3 powerplay. Carey Dyck would stand tall in net and turn away several solid scoring opportunties and helping ge the Maroons back to full strength. After getting back to 5 on 5 hockey the teams would play out the final few min. of the period and head in after 20 min. locked in a 1-1 tie. <img title="joshxpress.jpg" src="/usrimages/joshxpress.jpg" alt="joshxpress.jpg" width="448" height="299" /> Josh Froese putting the puck past Xpress goalie Jayme Janzen. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 2nd period the Maroons were showing signs of tiring and struggled to cleanly breakout of their zone. Carey Dyck would be tested several times early on but was able to come up with some big saves and keep the game tied. The Maroons would regain their play and create a few opportunities for themselves and then at the 11 min. mark, Devon Leblanc would carry the puck the length of the ice and get around an Xpress defender, putting a shot on net minder Janzen. Janzen would make the initial save but Phil Letkeman would hustle in to pick up the rebound and bury it into the back of the net giving the Maroons a 2-1 lead. Shorlty after the goal, Mike Friesen would take a holding penalty and after killing off part of the penalty, former Maroon Chad Wrixon would turn in the high slot and send a quick snapshot low to the ice through Dyck's five hole knotting the game at 2-2. 3 min. later the Maroons would go on their first powerplay of the game, but would be unable to capitalize with Janzen coming up with some big saves. Just under 40 sec. after killing off the Maroons powerplay, the Xpress would catch a break when Dale Harder would beat Dyck and give the Xpress a 3-2 lead. Then with 3:41 left in the period the Maroons efforts in the Xpress zone would pay off when Adam Suderman was sent to the box for a tripping minor. Despite some solid play from the Maroons powerplay, Janzen and his teammates would again escape giving up a powerplay goal to the hometown Maroons. As if on cue from their 3rd goal, the Xpress would come out of the shorthanded situation and with just 20 sec. left in the middle frame, Marlin Froese would beat Dyck with a long slapshot from just inside the Maroons blueline to give the Xpress a 4-2 lead. The late Xpress goal would certainly dampen the spirits of the Maroons and it's crowd, but after 40 min. of entertaining hockey action everyone knew an even more intense 3rd period was looming. <img title="defendingxpress.jpg" src="/usrimages/defendingxpress.jpg" alt="defendingxpress.jpg" width="640" height="425" /> Carey Dyck protecting his net with Defensmen Mike Friesen (background) and Nick Fuher helping out. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 3rd period, just 3 min. in; the Maroons would go back to the penalty kill. Hoping not to go down 5-2, they would tighten up their penalty kill and then get back in the game when Devon Leblanc would bust out of the Maroons end and get rewarded for a nice individual effort beating Janzen and narrowing the gap to 4-3. The goal sparked the team and just over 2 min. later, Leblanc would get the puck to Brent Toews in the slot and Toews would muscle the puck past Janzen tying the game at 4-4 and getting the crowd really fired up. Unfortunatley for the Maroons, the excitement would be dampened quickly as just 15 sec. later Jordan Peters would beat Dyck and put the Xpress back up by a goal. Less then 30 sec. after Peters' go ahead goal, the Maroons woudl be given a great opportunity to tie the game going on a powerplay. However, a puck off the goal post and few key saves from Janzen and the score remained 5-4. Just under 10 min. left in the game John Mintenko would be given a 2 min. unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and the Maroons would be forced to play defensive and kill off the penalty. During the penalty kill, things would even up for a bit when Brendan Heppner of the Xpress would take a 2 min. minor and both teams would briefly play 4 on 4. Mintenko's penalty would expire and give the Maroons close to 1 min. of a powerplay, but again they would not be able to force a tying goal. With just over 2 min. left in the game Devon Leblanc would carry the puck into the Xpress end, but end up losing control of the puck after receving a slash to his forearm. With no call on the play the Maroons and Leblanc would plead to the officials for a penaltyand after the officials converged to discuss the situation it would be determined that there would be no penalty. Two quick stoppages of play later, Leblanc would go out to take a neutral zone face-off and immediatley after the face off he would be handed a 2 min. minor for interference. The penalty on Leblanc and lack of a penalty to Xpress for the earlier slash on Leblanc had the Altona side furious with the officials. The play had already become increasingly chippy in the 3rd period, and as some players would lose some focus with the remaining time on the clock, the Xpress' Brett Harder would find Marlin Froese in front of Carey Dyck and Froese would slip in an insurance goal making it 6-4 for the Xpress and effectivley ending the Maroons chances of tying and or winning the game. The final minute would play out with both teams jostling at each other and keeping their renewed rivalry brewing. The loss was the Maroons first at home this season and keeps them 1 point out of 4th spot in the SEMHL standings. <img title="scrumxpress.jpg" src="/usrimages/scrumxpress.jpg" alt="scrumxpress.jpg" width="640" height="427" /> Kevin Ginter #2 & John Mintenko #17 in the middle of a 3rd period scrum with Phil Letkeman burried in the middle of the pile. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Game Notes: Not in the line up - Ryan Dyck, Matt Dyck, Jon Froese, Dale Butland, Craigh Neufeld, Mitch Klassen and Jared Barnabe. 50/50 pot of $140 was claiming by long time Maroons faithful fan - James Nickel. Maroons next game is Saturday, Jan. 7th when they travel to Morden to take on the Redskisns. To view excellent game day pictures by Kevin Stoesz, follow this link <a title="Kevin Stoesz Maroons photos" href="http://flickr.com/photos/kevinstoesz">http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinstoesz/ </a> Maroons edge Beavers 7-5, Leblanc notches a Hat-trick Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011 <img title="devonbeav.jpg" src="/usrimages/devonbeav.jpg" alt="devonbeav.jpg" width="448" height="299" /> Devon Leblanc getting ready to send a shot on Beavers goalie Nathan Yeo. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. The Carman Beavers rolled into town sporting retro uni's and looking to hand the Maroons their first home game loss. Shannon Enns got the start in net for the Maroons and was tested early when just under 3 min. in new Beaver import Anders Strome would pounce on a loose puck that went off Enns' shoulder and lay behind him the crease with Strome swiping it in for a powerplay goal and a 1-0 lead. The Maroons would respond a min. and a half later when Kevin Giesbrecht sent Nick Fuher a pass on the point and Fuher would send a low shot towards the net that would sneak past Beaver goalie Nathan Yeo making it a tie game. With just under 11 min. on the clock the Beavers would score again for a lead when Strome would set up defenceman Stewart Thiessen and Thiessen's shot would beat Enns. Later in the period Josh Froese would connect with Shea Hamilton and Hamilton would tie the game at 2 a piece. Jumping ahead with a go ahead goal Devon Leblanc would score a goal on a solo effort and after 20 min. the Maroons held a 3-2 lead. The Maroons didn't waste time in the 2nd period when just 24 seconds in Hamilton would feed Leblanc a pass and Leblanc would score his 2nd of the game. Nearing the midway point of the game a firecracker must have gone off on the Beavers bench. Scott Sisson set up Anders Strome for his 2nd of the game and just under a min. later Matt Halbesma would beat Enns and just like that the game was tied at 4-4. The Maroons go ahead again at 4:32 of the period when Craig Neufeld would take a shot from the point and Shea Hamilton would slide through the slot to get in position to re-direct past Yeo. After 40 minutes of back and forth hockey the Maroons would head into the intermission with a 5-4 lead. The Maroons would need to focus if wanting the win as they took 3minor penalties in the 2nd to the Beavers 0 penalties in what seemed to be a bit of a lopsided officiating job. <img title="shannonnick1.jpg" src="/usrimages/shannonnick1.jpg" alt="shannonnick1.jpg" width="448" height="298" /> Goalie Shannon Enns looking for the puck while Nick Fuher defends a Beaver forward. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 3rd period the Maroons would get a chance to go on the powerplay just over 2 min. in, but were unable to convert any chances in tbe Beavers zone. It would take until the 12 min. mark of the final period for John Mintenko to give the Maroons a 6-4 lead after he carried the puck through the neutral zone and slide to his right side in the high slot while sending a quick wrist shot up and over Yeo for a 2 goal lead. <img title="mintystoppop1.jpg" src="/usrimages/mintystoppop1.jpg" alt="mintystoppop1.jpg" width="448" height="299" /> John Mintenko stopping, before pulling the puck back and unleashing a quick shot to the top shelf for the Maroons 6th goal. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. The Beavers not backing down would respond less then 2 min. later when Scott Sisson would beat Enns narrowing the lead to 6-5. With Carman looking to tie the game, the Maroons would find themsevles taking a penalty with 3 min. left in the game. The Maroons would kill off the penalty and with 53 sec. left to in the game the Beavers would use a stoppage in play for their opportunity to call a time-out. <img title="timeoutvsbeavers1.jpg" src="/usrimages/timeoutvsbeavers1.jpg" alt="timeoutvsbeavers1.jpg" width="640" height="432" /> The Maroons resting during the Carman Beavers 3rd period Time-out. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. 13 seconds later with the Beavers net empty in favour of an extra attacker the Maroons would call a time-out and after the ensuing face off Josh Froese would find Devon Leblanc in the neutral zone and Leblanc would carry the puck toward the Beavers blueline and send a long shot into the back of the net for his hat-trick and league leading 16th goal. The Maroons would kill of the rest of the time on the clock for an important win giving them 2 points and putting them in 4th place in the SEMHL standings. Game notes: Not in the line-up - Ryan Dyck, Phil Letkeman. Matt Dyck did not play in the 2nd or 3rd period due to a lower body injury. 50/50 pot of $89.00 went unclaimed. Winning # on a blue ticket is 3518128. If you have this number please contact mehild@mts.net The 2010-2011 400 Club draws wrapped up on Thursday night with 9 - $200 winners and the Grand prize of $3,000 going to a shared ticket between Rodney Heinrichs and Ben Hildebrand. Congratulations guys. Prior to the game W.C. Miller student Amber Wolfe provided an excellent rendition of the National Anthem. Coach Jody Hildebrand was pleased with the fact the players kept themselves in the game after allowing the Beavers to bounce back midway through the 2nd period with 2 quick goals tying the game, and while some line jostling was apparent the effort was there from the different combinations. The Altona Maroons would like to thank their fans and community for their support for the start of the 2011-12 season and wish everyone a Safe & Happy Holiday season. Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011 The Maroons would travel to Morden and head home with a road loss. The Redskins sporting new uniforms and helmets would open the scoring when Tim Knight would slip one past Maroons goalie Carey Dyck 13 min. into the first period. Less then 2 min. later Jay Fehr would set up former Maroon Keith Bially and he would get the puck past Dyck for a 2-0 lead. The Maroons would battle back and with just under 3 min. left in the period Nick Fuher would set up Jon Froese in the slot, Froese would get a shot on Redskins goalie Steph Warnock with Warnock making the initial save. Froese would pick up his own rebound and find the back of the net cutting the lead to 2-1. In the second period it was the Maroons who would strike first when Craig Neufeld would send Kevin Giesbrecht the puck deep into the Redskins zone and Giesbrecht would pass to Mitchell Klassen parked by the side of the net and Klassen would score his first SEMHL goal, tying the game at 2 a piece. The game would remain tied unti the midway point of the period when another former Marons Grant Calhoun would set up Kelby Friesen and Friesen would score on Dyck giving the Redskins a 3-2 lead. With 4 min. left in the period the Redskins would increase their lead scoring a powerplay goal when Chris Reimer would take the puck in on Dyck and make it 4-2. After 40 min. the Maroons seemed to be playing with the Redskins, but playing shorthanded in the 2nd period was beginning to show and after 7 min. of scoreless hockey Jay Fehr would connect with Bially for Bially's 2nd of the night and a 5-2 lead. If the Redskins were looking for insurance they found it on the very next shift when Bially would score his hat trick making it 6-2. 2 min. later Ryan Hutton would beat Dyck making it 7-2. Although the Maroons were gassed at this point they hung around trying hard to get something back on the board in their favour and a min. after Morden went up 7-2, John Mintenko would work the puck into the Redskins zone and give it Matt Dyck near the side of the net, Dyck would spot Devon Leblanc sliding down from the slot and feed Leblanc the puck, allowing Leblanc to score his team leading 13th goal, making iti 7-3. The teams would trade a few opportunties for the next several minutes but after 60 min. it was the Redskins who would earn 2 points for their efforts and send the Maroons packing with a road loss. Game notes: Not in the line-up - Josh Froese, Shea Hamilton, Phil Letkeman & Justin Froese. Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011 Maroons double up Seals 6-3 for first road win. Scoring didn't take too long on Thursday night in Oakville, just over a minute into the game Josh Froese and Shea Hamilton would work the puck into the Seals zone and Hamilton would pass the puck over to Jon Froese in the slot who would put a quick shot past netminder James Donald. Just under 4 min. later and on a powerplay Dale Butland would pick up a pass from Nick Fuher and Fuher would feed Devon Leblanc a pass which Leblanc would convert through the pads of Donald for a 2-0 lead. The Seals would battle back and would capitalize a neutral zone turnover and Dan Leslie would get loose for a 2 on 1 with Jared Wincup and Leslie would slide the puck over to Wincup who would put the puck in past Carey Dyck making it 2-1. The Maroons would kill off a powerplay, effectivley settling down the Seals and with just under a min. left in the period Matt Dyck would work the puck into the Seals zone, take a hit along the boards near the blueline, but leaving the puck for a streaking Leblanc, Leblanc would carry the puck in down low to the goalies left hand side and then send a perfect pass to Ryan Dyck in front of the net and Dyck tapped in the puck for a 3-1 lead heading into the 1st intermission. <img title="oakrink.jpg" src="/usrimages/oakrink.jpg" alt="oakrink.jpg" width="448" height="294" /> A windy cold Dec. evening at the Oakville Community Arena. In the 2nd period the Maroons would kill off an early Aaron Wiebe interference penalty and several minutes later Dale Butland would feed D partner Nick Fuher a long pass sending Fuher into the Seals zone, beating a defenceman wide to the outside and putting a quick shot, low past Donald for a 4-1 lead. Nearing the midway point of the period Jon Froese would connect with Josh Froese and Josh would send Shea Hamilton off on a breakaway and Hamilton would make a fantastic deke beating Donald for a 5-1 lead. The Seals would get back on the board with just over 8 min. left in the period and the Maroons just coming off a penalty kill when Jared Wincup would pass the puck to Dan Leslie and Leslie would rip a shot up and over Carey Dyck's glove cutting the lead to 5-2 for the Maroons. The Balance of the period would see the Seals pick up their pace with momentum from their second goal and tender James Donald make a few big saves keeping the 3 goal gap from widening. <img title="leblancoakville_2.jpg" src="/usrimages/leblancoakville_2.jpg" alt="leblancoakville_2.jpg" width="480" height="503" /> Devon Leblanc joining the rush up ice. Photo by Jeff Dyck - Portage Online The 3rd period would see the Seals come out quickly and applying solid pressure in the Maroons zone. The Maroons would kill off a minor penalty, but go back into the box and towards the end of the 2nd minor penalty with just under 5 min. played in the period, Terry Nichool would connect with Kelly Randall with Randall beating Carey Dyck making it a 5-3 game. The play would become increasingly chippy with both teams trading a few penalties and the Seals hoping to get under the skin of the Maroons players and it would seem to work as the Seals would keep applying pressure, but not being able to penetrate any pucks towards Carey Dyck.Just over 10 min. left in the game the Maroons would kill off another minor penalty and almost convert a short handed opportunity with Matt Dyck and Devon Leblanc attempting to capitalize a Seals turnover, but goalie Donald would turn the puck away and keep the game 5-3. As time would wind down the Maroons would look to put the game out of reach from the Seals and with just under 2 min. left to play Jared Barnabe would get the puck over Leblanc and Leblanc would make a nice move in the slot turning to his backhand and beating Donald making it 6-3. Shea Hamilton would head to the box one more time with a min. left in the game, but the Maroons would keep the Seals out of their zone, killing off the penalty and earning the win and 2 points in the league standings. <img title="finaloak.jpg" src="/usrimages/finaloak.jpg" alt="finaloak.jpg" width="402" height="336" /> Maroons players converge on goalie Carey Dyck at the end of the game. Game notes: Not in the line-up: Brent Toews, Phil Letkeman & Mitchell Klassen. Coach Jody Hildebrand commented that "Overall the game wasn't the prettiest game played by either team, but the smaller ice surface has the abilitiy to change the look of any hockey game and create a lot of bounces and odd man rushes." I thought we out-shot and out-chanced the Seals and I thought their goalie James Donald played a very solid game in net for them." Next up the Maroons travel to Morden to take on the Redskins on Sat. Dec. 17th. Saturday, Dec. 10 - Maroons drop OT game to Xpress. The Altona Maroons travelled to Winkler on Saturday to face the defending SEMHL Champions Plum Coulee Xpress. The Xpress play several games in Winkler each season and Saturday's rivalry in the big Centennial arena proved to be a great match up. <img title="sheawinkler.jpg" src="/usrimages/sheawinkler.jpg" alt="sheawinkler.jpg" width="448" height="321" /> Shea Hamilton working the puck with two Xpress defending against him. Photo by Rick Hiebert - actionplusphoto.com In the first period the Maroons would strike first when Dale Butland would get the puck over to Devon Leblanc and Leblanc would beat Xpress goalie Ryan Sawatzky. Both teams would trade powerplay opportunities, but after 20 min. the 1-0 lead would hold for the Maroons. <img title="dec_10_pics_02.jpg" src="/usrimages/dec_10_pics_02.jpg" alt="dec_10_pics_02.jpg" /> Maroons Devon Leblanc controlling the puck from his knees with an Xpress player battling on. Photo by Rick Hiebert - actionplusphoto.com In the 2nd period and on a powerplay the Xpress were able to tie the game when Ronnie Klassen would feed Brendan Heppner a pass and Heppner would beat Carey Dyck. Both teams would againi trade powerplay chances with the Xpress taking 4 minors and the Maroons taking 2 minors and a 5 min. match penalty and subsequent game misconduct penalty. In the 3rd period just 5 min. in Brendan Heppner would score his 2nd of the game on an Xpress powerplay with an assit going to Marlin Froese. The Maroons would tie the game back up 6 min. later when Leblanc would get one past Sawatzky. With approximatley 3 min. left to play Dale Harder would connect with Brett Harder and give the Xpress a 3-2 lead. Less then a min. later John Mintenko and Josh Froese would help set up Devon Leblanc and Leblanc would beat Sawatzky for his hat trick tying the game at 3 a piece. Both teams would feverously work to score a go ahead goal but after 60 min. the score would remain tied and head to overtime. In overtime it would be Jordan Peters who would beat Carey Dyck for the winning goal and the Xpress win. <img title="dec_10_pics_04.jpg" src="/usrimages/dec_10_pics_04.jpg" alt="dec_10_pics_04.jpg" /> Maroons defenceman Dale Butland trying to tie up Xpress player Steve Doell. Photo by Rick Hiebert - actionplusphoto.com The Maroons record is now 4 wins, 4 losses and 1 OT loss. Thursday, Dec. 8 The Altona Maroons home game winning streak is still in tact as they defeated the visiting Stonewall Flyers 6-5 on Thursday, Dec. 8. The success at home was in jeopardy as the Flyers would prove to be a very tough team to beat even without perennial sniper Adam Kirk in their line up. The Flyers would get on the board first when newcomer Chris Tyslau would take a pass from another Flyer newcomer Russ Payne and beat Carey Dyck for a 1-0 lead that would hold until the first intermission. <img title="justinstone.jpg" src="/usrimages/justinstone.jpg" alt="justinstone.jpg" width="363" height="336" /> Justin Froese attempting to get around Flyers defenceman Brett Maxwell. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 2nd period the Maroons would find their stride and just over 5 min. in, Matt Dyck would send Devon Leblanc streaking into the Flyers zone, Leblanc would leave a drop pass for a trailing Ryan Dyck and Dyck would beat Flyers netminder Justin Harris with a nice backhand to the top shelf tying the game. Later in the 2nd period, nearing the 10 min. mark and on a powerplay, Ryan Dyck would get the puck over Leblanc in the corner and Leblanc would spot Matt Dyck infront of the net and fire a pass through traffic to Dyck who would slam it home for a 2-1 lead. The Flyers would respond with just over a min. left in the period when Matt Zakakuzny would connect with Jeff Sonnenberg with Sonnenberg beating Carey Dyck tying the game at 2 a piece. <img title="phillystone.jpg" src="/usrimages/phillystone.jpg" alt="phillystone.jpg" width="376" height="336" /> Phil Letkeman carrying the puck into the Flyers zone. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. You would have missed Stonewall's go ahead goal in the 3rd period if you were still in the popcorn line or wolfing down a slider, just 49 seconds in; Chris Tyslsau would find Russ Payne open and and Payne would notch his first of the game giving the Flyers a 3-2 lead. The lead didn't hold long, as 20 seconds later Brent Toews would connect with Phil Letkeman and Letkeman would slip one past Harris for a 3-3 tie. A few min. later Justin Froese would pass the puck to Devon Leblanc and Leblanc would find the back of the net for a 4-3 lead. With just over 8 min. left to play, Stonewall's Russ Payne tied the game again. The back and forth action continued when just about a min. later Ryan Dyck from behind the Stonewall net would feed a great pass to Josh Froese in the slot and Froese would put a quick wrist shot under the crossbar for a 5-4 lead. Less then a min. later Leblanc would keep a Stonewall clearing attempt in the Flyers zone and pass to Jon Froese. Captain Froese would sneak a quick low shot through traffic past Harris for a 6-4 lead. The Flyers would continue to fight back and with 3 and a half min. left to play, Russ Payne would beat Dyck for his Hattrick making it 6-5 still in Altona's favour. The action would pick up for the final few minutes and with approx. 1 min. left to play the Flyers would pull Justin Harris in favour of the extra attacker but the Maroons would win 2 face-offs in their end and hang on for a 6-5 win. <img title="dyckerstone.jpg" src="/usrimages/dyckerstone.jpg" alt="dyckerstone.jpg" width="376" height="336" /> Ryan Dyck blocking the view for Stonewall goalie Justin Harris. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Game notes: Not in the line-up - Dale Butland, Aaron Wiebe. 50/50 pot claimed by Randy Unger. Next up - Maroons travel to Winkler to take on the Plum Coulee Xpress. Sat. Dec. 10th. Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011 The Maroons travelled to Notre Dame on Saturday night and came out in the first period with some speed and chances, but it would take until the 5 min. mark of the 1st before they would get on the scoreboard. On a powerplay Ryan Dyck would feed Josh Froese at the high slot and Froese would opt to pass to Nick Fuher on the blueline. With a lane open to the net, Fuher opted to wind up and let a shot go on net and would beat Bryan Evans low on the ice. Both teams would continue to battle for the remainder of the first with Shannon Enns making several big saves to give Altona the 1-0 lead after 20 min. In the 2nd period the Hawks would tie the game before the crowd had a chance to get back to their viewing points. 29 seconds into the period T.J. Warkentin would convert a pass from Mitch Chanel on the powerplay. This would remain the only goal of the period. The 2nd period found the Hawks builing some momentum and outworking the Maroons to the puck, with the work effort came some timely bounces, yet Enns kept kicking the puck aside and putting up a great effort keeping the game tied after 40 min. at one apiece. In the 3rd period 6 min. in, Jared Barnabe would sneak into the low slot and beat a Hawks defenceman before sending a quick wrist shot between Evans' pads for a 2-1 lead. |The lead would hold for about 2 min. before Paul Chanel would tie the game for the Hawks. At the 12 min. mark of the 3rd Christian Savard would take a pass in the slot and have time to put a shot under the crossbar while on the powerplay to go up 3-2. The Hawks would build on their lead at the 10. min. mark when Martin Prejet was johnny on the spot and pumped a loose puck Enns for a 4-2 lead. Less the 2 min. later the Hawks would get their 4th - 3rd period goal and 5th of the game when Ryan Robidioux would work to get the puck to Savard for his 2nd of the game. With less then 8 min. left in the game the Maroons would attempt to get back in the game But a few penalties would damper the situation and in the end both teams would scruffle slightly and when the buzzer sounded it was the Hawks who would celebrate their first win of the season while the Maroons left the ice pondering how they have blown 3 of their 4 losses with games tied or holding a lead going into the 3rd period. Game notes: Not in the line-up - Shea Hamilton & Phil Letkeman. Yhursday, Dec. 1st - The Warren Mercs rolled into Altona and left several hours later with their unbeaten streak snapped. Carey Dyck got the start for the Maroons while import goalie Gavin McHale defended the pipes for the Mercs. both teams came out of the gate with speed and energy. Teh Maroons would fight off an early penalty to Josh Froese and later at the midway point of the period Mike Friesen would charge into the Mercs zone and drop a pass for Devon Leblanc who would quickly send the puck to the back of the net for a 1-0 lead. Shortly after the goal the Maroons would head back to a penalty kill situation and again were able to keep the Mercs from tying the game. With just under 4 min. left in the period Mercs forward Darrin Husak would send a harmless wrist shot from just inside the blueline towards the Maroons net and Carey Dyck would put his glove up to snare it out of the air, only to have it tip off his glove, drop behind him and roll into the net tying the game at 1-1. The two teams would trade burst of momentum for the balance of the period and after 20 min., the game was even at one apeice. <img title="mikey.jpg" src="/usrimages/mikey.jpg" alt="mikey.jpg" /> Veteran defenceman Mike Friesen looking for teamate to pass to. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 2nd period the teams would continue a steady pace trading opportunities, hits and even penatlies. No powerplay goals for either team would be scored though. However, just after a Maroons penalty expired with 5:40 left on the clock Jon Froese would jump out of the penalty box and join the attack in the Mercs zone and after Matt Dyck and Josh Froese would work the puck behind the net, Josh Froese would squeak the puck out in front to Shea Hamilton and Hamilton would make a quick deke in tight on McHale and slip it past him for a 2-1 lead and the eventual Game winning goal. Just under a min. later Brent Toews would pass the puck to Phil Letkeman along the end boards in the Mercs zone and Letkeman would throw it at the net and get a lucky goal as the puck would bounce off McHale's pads and cross the line for a 3-1 lead. <img title="goalvsmchale.jpg" src="/usrimages/goalvsmchale.jpg" alt="goalvsmchale.jpg" width="448" height="252" /> #17 John Mintenko raising his hands in celebration after Phil Letkeman's corner shot is banked off Gavin McHale for a goal. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 3rd period the Maroons woudl go on a powerplay just 1:32 in, but couldn't beat McHale to increase their lead. With just over 9 min. to play, the Maroons Josh Froese would be sent to the penalty box for his 2nd minor of the night and offer the Mercs the opportunity to get back into the game, but the Maroons would kill off the penalty. Moments later Brent Toews would would be given a 2 min. minor for goaltender interference and again the Maroons would muster up enough energy to fight off the Mercs powerplay. With just over 4 min. to play Mike Friesen would send Leblanc and Matt Dyck on a 2 on 1 and Leblanc would hold and fire a quick wrist shot low to McHale's stick side for a 4-1 lead. With just over 2 min. left in the game Leblanc would get his hat trick on what was easily the nicest goal of the game when Dale Butland would slide a point pass to Leblanc in the high slot and he would send a rocket of a shot over McHale's glove and under the crossbar sending the water bottle flying for a 5-1 lead. After 60 min. in the Sunflower Gardens the Maroons would pick up 2 points and improve to 3 Wins and 3 losses on the season thus far. <img title="doubletrouble.jpg" src="/usrimages/doubletrouble.jpg" alt="doubletrouble.jpg" width="448" height="320" /> Seeing Double? Ryan Dyck and Josh Froese in nearly identical strides trying to get the puck around Mercs goalie Gavin McHale. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Game notes: Justin Froese was moved from his usual position at defence to forward and looked comfortable in the role change. Not in the line up - Kevin Giesbrecht. National anthem was performed by Julie Giesbrecht. 50/50 pot was claimed by John Friesen. Next up, the Maroons travel to Notre Dame to take on the Hawks on Saturday, Dec. 3rd. Saturday, Nov. 26 - Maroons v.s. Notre Dame Hawks Carey Dyck would turn away 18 shots and earn a shut out as the Maroons blanked the Oakville Seals 6-0. The Seals and Maroons would both come out working hard and 3 min. into the game Brent Toews would find Phil Letkeman in front of the net and Letkeman would get the puck over to John Mintenko. Mintenko would quickly bury it behind Seals goalie Scott Forcond. The balance of the first period had both teams controlling parts of the play and after 20 min. the Maroons 1-0 would hold. <img title="leblancsmalloak.jpg" src="/usrimages/leblancsmalloak.jpg" alt="leblancsmalloak.jpg" width="448" height="299" /> Devon Leblanc carrying the puck into the Seals zone with the Maroons bench looking on. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 2nd period, just 10 seconds in, Josh Froese would tip the puck up to Ryan Dyck and Dyck would send Shea Hamilton into the high slot where Hamilton would rip home the puck for a 2-0 lead. Exactly 5 min. later Hamilton would send Ryan Dyck into the Seals end and Dyck would cut to the front of the net and sneak one past Forcond for a 3-0 lead. With 6 min. left in the period Justin Froese would send a pass up to Kevin Giesbrecht and Giesbrecht would send Matt Dyck a pass, Dyck would streak into the Seals zone and send a wrist shot under the crossbar for a 4-0 Maroons lead. The Maroons controlled the bulk of the 2nd period and with 33 sec. remaining, Hamilton and Ryan Dyck would cycle the puck behind the Seals net and Dyck would find Josh Froese in front of the net where Froese would quickly snap the puck into the back of the net for a 5-0 lead. Up to this point only 2 penalties had been called in the game, both minors on the Maroons. <img title="geeseoakville.jpg" src="/usrimages/geeseoakville.jpg" alt="geeseoakville.jpg" width="640" height="360" /> Kevin Giesbrecht attempting to tip a point shot on Seals goalie. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 3rd period just 3 minutes in the Seals would take a 2 min. minor, but fight off the Maroons powerplay. But 2 min. later the Seals frustrations would lead to another 2 min. minor and this time Jon Froese would connect with Kevin Giesbrecht who would find Devon Leblanc in the slot and Leblanc would tip home the Maroons 6th goal. For the balance of the 3rd the Maroons would contiue to control the better part of the action while helping preserve a shutout bid for Carey Dyck. Shea Hamilton and Seals Dan McArthur got tangled up together and when McArthur started looking for a fight partner, Phil Letkeman stepped in and entertrained the offer with Letkeman getting the better part of the deal. The 6-0 lead would hold and the Maroons would earn a home game win. <img title="philoakville.jpg" src="/usrimages/philoakville.jpg" alt="philoakville.jpg" width="640" height="360" /> Phil Letkeman and Seals Dan McArthur in a one sided tussle. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Game notes: Coach Jody Hildebrand was pleased with the efforts of all players. W.C. Miller Collegiate student Mikaela Hildebrandt sang O'Canada to open the game. 50/50 pot of $80.00 was claimed by John Friesen. Friday, Nov. 25, 2011 - Short staffed Maroons fall to the Stonewall Flyers 4-1. With 13 skaters the Maroons were in tough as they faced the Stonewall Flyers, but would strike first just under 10 min. in as Ryan Dyck would pass the puck to Shea Hamilton and Hamilton would work through both Flyer defencemen and flick the puck past Jeff Harris on a nice individual effort for a 1-0 lead. Keeping pace with the Flyers the period would end with the 1 goal lead in tact. <img title="chipsstonewall.jpg" src="/usrimages/chipsstonewall.jpg" alt="chipsstonewall.jpg" width="640" height="462" /> Brent Toews in action against Stonewall. 4 min. into the 2nd period Flyers Eddie Boonstra would make a nice move and beat Carey Dyck to to tie the game at one a piece. Later with less then 10 min. to play in the period Flyers sniper Adam Kirk would pick up a loose puck and head in on Dyck alone and pick a corner for a 2-0 lead. Scott Dibley would increase the Flyers lead with a goal at the 4 min. mark of the period. Running out of gas, but still keeping the score close the Maroons were hoping to creep back into the game but would only come as close as goal posts and cross bars in the 3rd period as they continued to pepper Harris. Flyers Chris Tyslau would put the game out of reach beating Dyck with a goal at the 13 min. mark of the 3rd. After 60 min. it was 4-1 Flyers and time for the boys to head home and prepare for the Saturday night home game against the Oakville Seals. Game notes: Maroons out-shot the Flyers 31-26, but Flyers goalie Jeff Harris proved to be very tough on this night and short on bodies Maroons coach Jody Hildebrand appreciated the efforts from the guys available, but would have liked a different outcome. Friday, Nov. 18 - Wheels fall off in Warren, Mercs beat Maroons 9-5. The Maroons travelled to Warren on Nov. 18. The Maroons opened the scoring five minutes into the 1st period when Ryan Dyck would connect with brother Matt who would feed Josh Froese and Froese would find the back of the net beating Mercs goalie Gavin Mchale for a 1-0 lead. Three min. later the Mercs would respond with a powerplay goal when Matts Meilleur would beat Maroons goalie Shannon Enns. The Mercs would strike again on another powerplay, this time with Derek Poplawski getting a shot past Enns for a 2-1 lead. The Maroons would find themselves on a powerplay of their own just under 4 min. in the period. Maroond defenceman Dale Butland would slide the puck on the blueline over to Shea Hamilton and Hamilton would send a quick pass to Justin Froese who slid down to the hash marks and put a one timer past McHale tying the game at 2-2. Gaining momentum and with less then a min. in the period the Maroons defenceman Nick Fuher would send a long pass to Josh Froese and Froese would get it over to Hamilton who would make no mistake and score making it 3-2 after 20 min. In the 2nd period both teams would play back and forth hockey and then with just under under 12 min. to play the Mercs Bryn Lyndsay would tie the game up for the home town Mercs on a powerplay marker. The Mercs would strike again when Donnie Delaroque would bang home a rebound past Enns, going up 4-3. 2 min. later with Mercs shorthanded Hamilton would work the puck to Devon Leblanc, and Leblanc would score tying the game once again. The score would hold for the balance of the period and after 40 min. it was deadlocked at 4 goals each. In the 3rd period the Mercs would score first when three min. in Elliot Tully beat Enns making it 5-4. With just under 14 min. to play in the game Brent Toews would work the puck in front of McHale and get a shot away, with Ryan Dyck on the door step roofing the rebound tying up the game at 5-5. Both teams were playing solid hockey all evening and with just 5 min. left to play the Mercs Lyndsay would score his 2nd of the game and go up 6-5. A min. and a half later the Mercs would pot their fourth powerplay goal going up 7-5. Then with just over 2 min. left to play Delaroque would score his 2nd of game going up 8-5 and about 40 sec. later Delaroque completed his hat trick making it 9-5 and sealing the game for the Mercs. The Maroons hope to get back in the win column when they visit Stonewall for a tilt against the Flyers on Fri. Nov. 25 before returning home on Sat. Nov. 26 for a game against the Oakville Seals. <img title="careynd.jpg" src="/usrimages/careynd.jpg" alt="careynd.jpg" width="448" height="336" /> Carey Dyck ready to make a save against the Notre Dame Hawks. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. The Altona Maroons hosted the Notre Dame Hawks on Thursday, Nov. 10 in Altona, officially kicking off their 61st season of hockey and although playing with a short bench they were able to defeat the fast and furious Notre Dame Hawks. In the first period just over 3 min. in, and on a powerplay Ryan Dyck would feed Devon Leblanc and Leblanc would sneak one past Hawks goalie Marc Lesage. Several minutes later Brent Toews would work the puck low into the Hawks zone and get it over to Jon Froese, Froese would hang onto it until he spotted Chad Wrixon in the slot and Wrixon would beat Lesage making it 2-0. <img title="chipsnd.jpg" src="/usrimages/chipsnd.jpg" alt="chipsnd.jpg" width="298" height="448" /> Brent Toews carrying the pucks into the Hawks zone. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 2nd period just minutes inWrixon would score his 2nd of the night, this time with assists going to Josh and Jon Froese. 3 min. later with the Maroons still ajpplying steady pressure, Josh Froese would get the puck towards Kevin Giesbrecht, and Giesbrecht lunged at the puck and sneaked the puck behind Lesage for a 4-1 lead. Later in the frame with 6 min. left and on the powerplay Chad Wrixon would convert a pass from Josh Froese recording his hat-trick making it 5-0.The 2nd period played out with the Maroons holding a 5-0 lead. The Hawks who had been skating well all night, would come out of the gate in the 3rd period and strike first. Tyler Feakes set up T.J. Warkentin and Warkentin would beat Carey Dyck, ending his shutout bid. For the balance of the 3rd period the play would go back and forth and towards the end of the frame the Maroons would notch one more powerplay goal this time with Brent Toews keeping thte puck in the Hawks zone on a powerplay. Toews worked the puck along the blueline over to W.C. Miller Aces call up Haydon Friesen and Friesen, after looking to make a pass would fan on the puck and regain control before deciding to throw it towards the net only for it to find the back of the net for a 6-1 lead. The score would hold and the Maroons would earn their first win of the season 6-1. <img title="devonnd.jpg" src="/usrimages/devonnd.jpg" alt="devonnd.jpg" width="448" height="299" /> Newcomer Devon Leblanc #19 breaking into the Hawks zone with Matt Dyck. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Game notes: Playing with a short bench the Maroons were able to stick to a game plan of keeping the game simple and playing well structurally. Both teams were charged with a total of 7 minor penalties. The Maroons would score 3 teams with the man advantage. Carey Dyck wasn't bombarded all night with pucks from Notre Dame but when Dyck needed to come up with some big saves he did. Craig Neufeld was a welcomed addition on the blueline and as mentioned before Haydon Friesen from the High School team also was needed and played a solid yet simple roll helping out. Maroons coach Jody Hildebrand was pleased with the way the team played despite only having 13 skaters which included the call up Friesen. Sunflower Festival Queen Rachel Sawatzky along with First Princess Callie Tomchuk and 2nd Princess Dayna Fehr would open the season with a ceremonnial face off and help out with 50/50 sales. Signing the National Anthem was W.C. Miller student Amber Wolfe. The Maroons next game will be Friday, Nov. 18th when they travel to Stonewall to take on the Flyers. <img title="mattnd.jpg" src="/usrimages/mattnd.jpg" alt="mattnd.jpg" width="448" height="299" /> Matt Dyck throwing a goaline pass to the front of the net in the 3rd period. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Nov. 8, 2011 The Maroons traveled to Carman on Tue. Nov. 8th to take on the Beavers. After a pre-game ceremony honouring former Beaver greats and remebering 50 years of Beavers hockey in Carman the game got underway and less then a minute in the Beavers would strike first as Kyle Weir would snap a quick shot past Carey Dyck for a quick 1-0 lead. The Maroons would would respond with 3 goals, with Matt Dyck beating Beavers goalie Gavin Callum to tie the game. Then new addition Devon Leblanc would set up Shea Hamilton and with less then 3 min. to play in the first period Leblanc would spring veteran John Mintenko on a breakaway and Mintenko would beat Callum high on his glove side for a 3-1 lead. The lead was short lived though as Beavers player/coach Cliff Ketchen would respond with a goal and with just under a minute left in the period Beavers d-man Stewart Thiessen would put one past Dyck for to notch the game at 3-3 going into the first intermission. <img title="beavers_50th_goal.jpg" src="/usrimages/beavers_50th_goal.jpg" alt="beavers_50th_goal.jpg" width="640" height="358" /> Maroons goalie Carey Dyck left by himself to defend against the on coming Beaver. Photo courtesy of Clayton Dreger - Golden West Media. In the 2nd period, the Beavers came out stong just 30 seconds in Thiessen would get his 2nd goal of the night past Dyck for a 4-3 Beaver lead over the Maroons. Bouncing back, the Maroons re-gained control of the play and Josh Froese would find Chad Wrixon in the slot for a quick one-timer just 30 seconds after tying the game, Froese would fee Wrixon one more time on the same shift with Wrixon beating Callum again for a 5-4 lead. Midway through the period Ketchen would set up Dan Bohemier for a goal and a 5-5 lock. The score would remain tied for the balance of the period. In the 3rd period Jesse Vanderveen would score 4 minutes into the period giving the Beavers a 6-5 lead and it would prove to be the eventual game winning goal. 4 min. later and playing a man short the Maroons would allow Bohemier to score a powerplay goal making it 7-5. With just under 7 min. left in the game Ketchen would score his 2nd of the game picking up a loose puck just inside the Maroons blue line and beating Dyck on a breakaway putting the game out of reach with an 8-5 lead. The score would remain and the Beavers would go on to down the Maroons 8-5. Game notes: Still working out some line combinations and defensive pairings coach Jody Hildebrand remarked that the game in Carman was one that could have gone either way. Tied 3-3 after the first and 5-5 after the second, Hildebrand remarked that the Beavers simply worked harder and played more composed then the Maroons, especially when in mattered in this back and forth game - the 3rd period. Late in the 3rd period Shea Hamilton and the Beavers Mike Weir found themselves in a "slashing contest" and Hamilton was assessed a 5 min. major & a game misconduct which means that he'll be unavailable for the next game. The Maroons next game will be on Thursday, Nov. 10th when they open up their season at home to the Notre Dame Hawks. Game time is 8 p.m. <h1 style="text-align: center;">Former Maroon loses battle with cancer</h1> Grant Heinrichs aged 60 years, Reeve of the R.M. of Rhineland, and lived in Halbstadt passed away at the Altona Health Care Centre on Sunday, September 25, 2011. Left to cherish his memory is his wife Gloria, daughter Jill and son-in-law Derek, two brothers, five sisters and his mother. A celebration of Life for Grant will be held on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. at the E.M.M. Church in Altona with interment to follow at the Halbstadt Cemetery. Grant joined the Maroons in the winter of 1966 at the ripe age of 15. He would go on to play 5 more consecutive seasons with the Maroons before joining the Altona Braves for several seasons including 2 Red River Valley Hockey League Championships. Described by teamates as a versatile player, playing both Defence and Left Wing, Heinrichs was a team player, always ready to stick up for teamates using his imposing size to scare away opponents. After years of service with the Maroons and Braves, Heinrichs would go on to play many, many years of hockey with the Maroons Oldtimers keeping up close relationships. Off the ice Heinrichs will be fondly remembered as a quality individual and a great friend. <h1 style="text-align: center;">60th Anniversary weekend enjoyed by all.</h1> July 15th, 16th & 17th were the dates that the Maroons alumni gathered in Altona for a weekend full of eating, golfing, and lots of story telling. The arena was decorated with jerseys, jackets, hats, shirts, sweaters from the last 60 years. Friends reunited Friday night for a bbq/bonfire. Saturday started off with a full breakfast before the golfers headed to Oakview for a fun tournament. Families enjoyed the Aquatic centre in the afternoon. Saturday evening a fantastic Walleye fish fry dinner was served up by the Altona Curling Club and just over 220 people were seated and served. Special guests shared a few congratulatory messages before the events moved back into the arena for some more guests to speak to the crowd. The 2011 "Throwback" jerseys were auctioned off as well as silent auction prizes handed out. Later in the evening the band hit the stage and the visiting resumed. Sunday morning started with a light breakfast before a special memorial service. After the memorial service it was time for a Watermelon & Rollkuchen lunch and then it was time to say goodbye. Many pictures were taken over the course of the weekend. Below is only a sampling. For information to access many, many more Reunion pics, scroll down below the sampling of pics. <img title="60bbq.jpg" src="/usrimages/60bbq.jpg" alt="60bbq.jpg" width="640" height="427" /> Setting up for the start of the BBQ <img title="60winninggolf.jpg" src="/usrimages/60winninggolf.jpg" alt="60winninggolf.jpg" width="600" height="480" /> Golf Tournament Winners - L-R: Daryl Rempel, Keith Bially, Jon Froese & Kevin Rempel. <img title="60pool.jpg" src="/usrimages/60pool.jpg" alt="60pool.jpg" width="640" height="425" /> Chilling off from the heat - L-R: Joycelyn Froese, Jackson Froese, Brent Toews, Jon Froese & Shannon Enns. <img title="60arenascene.jpg" src="/usrimages/60arenascene.jpg" alt="60arenascene.jpg" width="640" height="427" /> Saturday afernoon scene in the arena. Guests enjoying the tables full of displays in the background. <img title="60barwesjohn.jpg" src="/usrimages/60barwesjohn.jpg" alt="60barwesjohn.jpg" width="640" height="427" /> Tending the bar and having a good time doing it, Wes Friesen & John Friesen. <img title="60wreath.jpg" src="/usrimages/60wreath.jpg" alt="60wreath.jpg" width="640" height="427" /> Sunday Morningl Service - Maroon & White Memorial wreath being walked in. <img title="60retirees.jpg" src="/usrimages/60retirees.jpg" alt="60retirees.jpg" width="640" height="427" /> Maroons retired numbers players receiving complimentary "Throwback" jerseys. L-R: Elmer Hildebrand, Menno Friesen, Eddy Martens, Johnny Kehler & Wilbert Funk. <img title="60cleanup.jpg" src="/usrimages/60cleanup.jpg" alt="60cleanup.jpg" width="640" height="427" /> Cleaning up Sunday afternoon and taking a refreshment break. L-R: Tony Hildebrand, Ron Pappel, Jim Dick, Mark Heinrichs & Jody Hildebrand. *** If you would like to view more of the Reunion pictures as well as all of the past 60 years of team photos you need to go to www.gmail.com and login as altonamaroons and the password is heshoots. When you are in the mail section you will see the word photos in the top left hand corner. Open up this folder and you will see the the uploaded pics. This is only a temporary location for these pictures until a better home is found. If you have any pictures from the reunion that you would like to have included on this site please email them to Ben Dueck @ dueckben@gmail.com A Very special Thank you goes out to Ben Dueck (Maroons Alumni) for getting this all set up. Maroons close season with team pictures and awards wind up. info and pics to come Mercs over-power Maroons and end Maroons season with 7-2 win in Warren ending the Maroons hopes for a playoff run to the Elmer Hildebrand Championship Trophy. Tuesday, March 8, 2011 Maroons @ Warren Heading to Warren on Tuesday night and faced with a huge hole to climb out of being down 3 games to 0, the Maroons were hoping to finally beat the Mercs and extend the Semi-Finals series. The Maroons would get a chance early as less then 2 min. in they found themselves on a powerplay and would get several scoring chances but Mercs goalie John Douglas would turn everything aside. After the Maroons powerplay the Mercs would be rewarded with a powerplay of their own and Bryn Lyndsay would feed Dayne Gluting a pass and Gluting would beat Maroons netminder Carey Dyck for a 1-0 lead. The Maroons wouldn't take any more penalties in the first period but it wouldn't matter as halfway through the period Lyndsay would get on the gamesheet again this time with a goal of his own and later with about 6 min. left in the period Justin Crockatt would score and after 20 min. the hometown team would be up 3-0. <img title="joshsemis.jpg" src="/usrimages/joshsemis.jpg" alt="joshsemis.jpg" width="640" height="427" /> Josh Froese preparing to skate up into the Mercs zone. Froese was flying but his line of Shea Hamilton and Keith Bially couldn't seem to get too many breaks on the night. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the second period the bounces would keep going the Mercs way as just over 5 min. in Darrin Husak would find himself on a breakaway and while colliding with Dyck the puck would follow him into the net and giving the Mercs a 4-0 lead. This goal would chase Dyck out of the net and Reggie Lagace would come in to replace him. Lagace wouldn't fare too much better as a minute later Gluting would score to go up 5-0. The Maroons wouldn't give up but couldn't buy a bounce and the Mercs kept coming. Just over 2 min. to play in the period Crockatt would fire a loose puck at the net, beating Lagace giving the home team a 6-0 lead. 26 seconds later Crockatt would again score notching his hat-trick and going up 7-0. On the next shift Greg Penner would take on Crockatt and fight him to a draw sending both players off the ice for early showers. <img title="gregmintyjamming.jpg" src="/usrimages/gregmintyjamming.jpg" alt="gregmintyjamming.jpg" width="640" height="360" /> In the 2nd period John Mintenko and Greg Penner are working hard to jam a puck past Mercs goalie John Douglas. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. The Maroons now deflated, regrouped and came out hard in the 3rd period. Still frustrated with the onslaught from the Mercs Matt Dyck would get caught up with Darrin Husak and the two of them would trade a few punches before being tossed. On the next shift the Maroons would finally break Douglas' shut out bid as Grant Calhoun would fire a point shot on Douglas and Chad Wrixon would pick up the rebound and put a back hand into the net for a goal. On the next shift Shea Hamilton would ring a wrist shot off the crossbar. The Maroons would keep working and at the 10 min. mark of the period Keith Bially would put a shot up and over Douglas' glove hand to give the Maroons their second goal making it 7-2. Again pressing on the ensuing shift Bially would again beat Douglas but ring a shot off the crossbar. The Maroons would keep the Mercs off the board for the third period but couldn't mount more then 2 goals and after 60 min. the Mercs would send the Maroons packing with a 7-2 win and a Semi-Finals sweep of 4 games to zero. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line-up - Jesse Goertzen, Ryley Steinert & Brent Toews. <img title="handshakessemi.jpg" src="/usrimages/handshakessemi.jpg" alt="handshakessemi.jpg" width="640" height="383" /> Maroons and Mercs players shaking hands after the game. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Saturday, March 5, 2011 Mercs @ Altona Just over 3 min. into the game Shea Hamilton and Josh Froese would connect and Keith Bially would convert a pass and beat Mercs goalie John Douglas to go up 1-0. Nearing the halfway point of the period the same trio of forwards would go at it again, this time with Shea Hamilton putting the puck behind Douglas for a 2-0 lead. 2 min. later Mercs forward Ryan Tully would get the Mercs on the board with a goal past Carey Dyck cutting the lead to 2-1. Still playing with the momentum and outshooting the Mercs the Maroons would get their 3rd goal of the period when Bially and Hamilton connected and Hamilton fed Grant Calhoun a pass, Calhoun would skate in and beat Douglas on his backhand for a 3-1 lead. <img title="calhounbackhand.jpg" src="/usrimages/calhounbackhand.jpg" alt="calhounbackhand.jpg" /> In the 2nd period the Mercs would claw their way back around the midway point of the period when Donnie Delaroque would score a poweplay goal and later with about 6 min. left in the period they would strike again when Derek Poplawski would notch another powerplay goal tying the game at 3-3. Getting their way back into the game, only 30 seconds later the Mercs Bryn Lyndsay would beat Dyck and go up 4-3. <img title="mikecarey.jpg" src="/usrimages/mikecarey.jpg" alt="mikecarey.jpg" width="480" height="600" /> In the 3rd period the Maroons would try to tie the game back up, but Mercs tender John Douglas would turn away the attempts and just under 8 min. into the final frame, Mercs forward Mats Meiuller would beat Dyck and put the Maroons down 5-3. The Mercs would control most of the play in the 3rd period, Dyck would make some big saves keeping the Maroons in the game and with under a min. left to play and Dyck on the bench in favour of an extra attacker the Mercs would put the game out of reach with a Wade Duncan empty net goal. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line up - Brent Toews & Jesse Goertzen. Mercs win Game 2 at home, 5-2 final. Thursday, March 3, 2011 Traveling to Sunova Credit Union arena in Warren on Thursday night the Altona Maroons were hoping to rebound from their disapointing game 1 loss. Early on in the first period it wasn't looking too good as just over 3 min. in Mike Friesen was penalized for hooking. The Maroons would kill off the penalty but seconds after re-gaining even strength the Mercs would strike as pressure from the Mercs would keep the puck in the Maroons zone end and the Vankemenade brothers would connect with a passing play and Rhys Vankemenade would beat Reggie Lagace for a 1-0 lead. Later after the 10 min. mark of the first period Mercs import Dayne Gluting would sneak one past Lagace for a 2-0 lead. Mercs forward Justin Crockatt would take an interference penalty with just over 5 min. left in the first and on the ensuing powerplay Shea Hamilton would set up Phil Letkeman in the slot and Letkeman would re-direct the puck to Josh Froese in the high slot and he would snap a high shot over the glove of Mercs goalie John Douglas to cut the lead to 2-1. Settling down and starting pick up their play the Maroons would start to increase their level of play but with under a min. left in the period Bryn Lyndsay would set up Donnie Delaroque and the Mercs were up 3-1. With the home crowd behind them the Mercs would win the draw and work their way into the Maroons end with just 8 sec. left to play Ryan Tully would beat Lagace and put the Mercs up 4-1. <img title="mattdyckwarrenbreakaway.jpg" src="/usrimages/mattdyckwarrenbreakaway.jpg" alt="mattdyckwarrenbreakaway.jpg" width="640" height="272" /> Matt Dyck on a breakway, but the shot would sail over the net. Dyck would score later in the 2nd period, also on a breakaway. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. After the intermission the Maroons came out and Carey Dyck would replace Lagace in net. Dyck would be tested just several seconds into the period as Shea Hamilton was assesed a high sticking penalty and Dyck and the Maroons penalty killing unit were able to fight off the Mercs powerplay. This would spark the Maroons and the work ethic would pick up. Both teams would trade some end to end battles and the game started to resemble more an even match then the first period score would impose. Just over the halfway point of the second period and on a Maroons powerplay Shea Hamilton would ring a shot off the goal post and Douglas would turn away several more scoring attempts. Later with just under 3 min. left and on their 2nd powerplay of the period the Maroons would cut the 4-1 lead in half when on a Mercs clearing attempt Carey Dyck would skate out to the puck and fire a quick pass to Grant Calhoun who recognized the Mercs were on a line change. Calhoun woudl tip the puck through his legs to Keith Bially on the Mercs blueline and Bially would flip a cross ice pass to a streaking Matt Dyck and Dyck would skate in on a breakaway and beat Douglas with a five hole shot for the Maroons 2nd goal of the night. The 2nd period would end Mercs 4, Maroons 2. <img title="calhounpassbially.jpg" src="/usrimages/calhounpassbially.jpg" alt="calhounpassbially.jpg" width="600" height="480" /> #27 Grant Calhoun trying to get a pass through Phil Letkeman's legs to an open Keith Bially. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 3rd period, just 3 min. in, the Maroons Kevin Ginter would be sent to the box for a high hit to the head and the penalty killing units were again put to test. Dyck would turn away a few Mercs attempts and again the Maroons appeared to show more spark. Nearing the midway point of the period the Mercs would take a boarding penalty and on the powerplay Shea Hamilton would connect with Josh Froese on a pretty passing play started by Bially and Froese would rip home what he thought was his 2nd of the night. The head referee signalled a goal and blew his whistle, but after he called his linesmen in for a discussion the call was reversed and the Maroons were still down 4-2. The Mercs would kill off the rest of their penalty and seconds after re-gaining even strength power Matts Meilluer would feed Gluting a pass and Gluting would skate in on Dyck and beat him on a deke to go up 5-2. The no goal call against the Maroons was now stinging as a 4-3 defecit would have been more palatable then a 5-2 defecit with 11:53 left to play in the game. A minute after the Mercs 5th goal Justin Crockatt would put his team down a man for the 2nd time in the game and with excellent pressure in the Mercs zone the Maroons would fire several shots, but would come away empty handed. With just under 3 min. left to play and emotions starting to run a bit high, the Mercs Burke Vankemenade would slash John Mintenko on the top of his skate at a neutral zone face-off and this would set off Mintenko with the two players tying each other up in a slight skirmish. During this time, Phil Letkeman and the Mercs Gluting would also exchange pleasentries. The ref would attempt to nullify any further situations by giving all 4 players 2 min. penalties and sending them all off the ice. Preparing for more school yard scuffles the Mercs would send out their penalty minute leaders Darin Husak and Crockatt to take the ensuing face-off and just 30 sec. later Husak would run at Maroons forward Kevin Giesbrecht would be penalized for elbowing. The ref would also send Husak off the ice. This would set up a Maroons powerplay and several more chances in the Mercs end but Douglas would stand tall in net turning away every attempt at a goal for the Maroons. Douglas would smoother a shot with less then a min. to play and Rod Neustaeter looking for a re-bound would get tied up with Mercs defenceman Scott Corbett. As the two of them would hold onto each other Greg Penner and Mercs Dallas Little would also tangle up and the ref would send all 4 players off with unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. 48 sec. left to play and a total of 9 players sent off the ice. The officials would re-group and both teams would play down the clock with no further incidents. <img title="careydyckwarrensave.jpg" src="/usrimages/careydyckwarrensave.jpg" alt="careydyckwarrensave.jpg" width="480" height="570" /> Carey Dyck making a 3rd period save on Mercs Donnie Delaroque. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line up - Jesse Arbuckle, Jesse Goertzen and Brent Toews. Coach Woody Cornelson was impressed with how the guys responded in the 2nd period after 2 quick Mercs goals at the end of the 1st period. The second period was a much improved period with the Maroons outshooting the Mercs and getting the only goal of the period and cut the lead in half to 4-2. Hoping for similar efforts in the 3rd he commented that the disallowed goal put a spike in what looked to a TSN turning point for the Maroons and that the guys must pick up their play in order to beat the Mercs. Game 3 goes this coming Saturday in Altona @ 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, 2011 In a rematch of last years Championship Finals, The Warren Mercs would come to Altona and start things off with a goal just over 5 min. in on a defensive turnover that Matt Murphy would pick up and pass over to Ryan Tully and Tully would wait for Maroons goalie Reggie Lagace to make a move and then put it past a sprawling Lagace. Less then 5 min. later the Maroons would tie things up with some offensive zone work that resulted in Keith Bially getting a slot pass over to Shea Hamilton and Hamilton took a quick low shot that would get past Mercs goalie John Douglas to tie the game at one a piece. Solid back and forth play would continue for the next series of plays. With just under 8 min. left in the first period Greg Penner would be called on a high-sticking infraction and a min. into the Mercs powerplay veteran defenceman would pass the puck over to import defenceman Derek Poplawski and Poplawski's shot would find the back of the net to go up 2-1. The Maroons would take 2 more penalties in the first period and after 20 min. the Mercs would hold a one goal lead. <img title="grantcalhounmercs.jpg" src="/usrimages/grantcalhounmercs.jpg" alt="grantcalhounmercs.jpg" width="640" height="435" /> Maroons import defenceman Grant Calhoun defending against Mercs import forward Dayne Gluting. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. The second period would start off quickly with a Mercs goal by import forwar Dayne Gluting and quickly the score would be 3-1 for the Mercs. The Maroons would improve their play right after goal and make a few solid rushes and at the 15 min. mark of the second period Matt Dyck would cycle the puck down low to Josh Froese and Froese would slip a quick pass to Bially on the doorstep of Douglas and Bially would score to cut the lead to 3-2. The Maroons would kill off 2 penalties later in the middle frame and with just under 5 min. left in the period they would be awarded a powerplay of their own but were unable to find the back of the net and convert the opportunity. After 40 min. of play the Mercs would take a 3-2 lead into the 3rd period. <img title="reggielagaceflying.jpg" src="/usrimages/reggielagaceflying.jpg" alt="reggielagaceflying.jpg" width="640" height="425" /> Maroons Reggie Lagace reaching his goal stick out to defend while Mercs Burke VanKemenade comes crashing into him. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 3rd period the Mercs would continue their strong play. At the 13:36 mark of the 3rd Mike Friesen was handed a 4 min. butt-ending penalty. While killing off the penalty the Mercs were assesed a too many men penalty, but shortly after Friesen was let out of the box and now the Maroons on a powerplay the Mercs Justin Crockatt would steal a breakout pass and surprise Lagace with a quick shot to score shorthanded and go up 4-2. The Maroons would kill off another penalty assesed to Shea Hamilton at the 5 min. mark. Heading into the dying minutes and now playing even strength the Maroons would press hard looking to cut the lead down to 4-3 but could solve the Mercs defensive play. The home team would catch a break with 1:15 left to play Mercs Brent Kotelko would take a roughing penalty giving the Maroons a powerplay chance to stay in the game. The Maroons would get a face-off opportunity in the Warren zone. Prior to the face-off Coaches Woody Cornelson and Jody Hildebrand would call a time out to set up the final minute and change. Reggie Lagace was pulled for the extra attacker, but the face off was lost and Mercs defenceman would pick up the puck, side step one Maroon forward and send a wrist shot the length of the ice for an empty net goal, putting the nail in the proverbial coffin for the 5-2 lead and putting the game out of reach for the hometown Maroons. <img title="joshfroesemercs.jpg" src="/usrimages/joshfroesemercs.jpg" alt="joshfroesemercs.jpg" width="640" height="381" /> Josh Froese looking to get a handle on a possible rebound while Mercs defenceman Scott Corbett attempts to tie Froese up. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Game 2 will go Thursday in Warren @ 8 p.m. 50/50 pot - $117.00 claimed by Marv Giesbrecht. Game notes: Coach Woody Cornelson returned to the bench after missing the Quarter-Finals. Not in the Maroons line up: Jon Froese & Brent Toews. ** Brent Toews will miss the remainder of the season after injuring his shoulder in Game 3 against the Morden Redskins. Reconstructive surgery has already taken place. The Maroons will miss the play of the veteran forward known for his intense work ethic and leadership on the ice. Coach Woody remarked that it's certainly dissapointing losing game 1 against the Mercs, and that an increased work ethic will be needed to win game 2 and tie up the series. If the guys can improve their communication, keep a postive attitude and solid goaltending is provided by either Lagace or Carey Dyck then the Maroons certainly have every opportunity to be in this series and certainly the opportunity to win the series, but the guys must come to the arena ready to work very hard against Mercs. Tuesday, February 22, 2011 Morden Redskins @ Altona Maroons spread out scoring and Carey Dyck holds the fort down as the Maroons sweep the Morden Redskins 3 games to 0, with a 5-3 win. A solid Tuesday night crowd was on hand as the Maroons hosted game 3 of the Quarter finals against rivals Morden Redskins. The game would begin as a bit of an uphill battle as the Maroons would kill off three consecutive Redskins powerplays before Jon Froese with just over 5 min. left in the period would send a pass to Shea Hamilton who would cut into the Redskins zone and work a defenceman down low before throwing Keith Bially a pass in the slot and Bially would hang onto the puck just long enough to put a wrist shot past a sprawling Derek Friesen for a 1-0 lead. The Redskins would answer this goal when a failed clearing attempt was picked up on the boards by Kevin Perrin and Perrin would cycle the puck down low behind Carey Dyck to Tim Knight and Knight would throw a pass out in front to Rob Allison. Allison would beat Dyck and tie the game at one a piece. Shortly after the Redskins goal with just over 3 min. left in the period the Maroons would go shorthanded for the 4th time in the first period. About a minute into the penalty kill Brent Toews would chase down a Redskins defenceman and win a battle behind Derek Friesen and work the puck around the net on his backhand and while being hauled down managed to get a go ahead short handed marker giving the Maroons a 2-1 lead. The Maroons would kill off the remaining time on the same penalty that Toews scored on shorthanded and 11 seconds after getting back to even strength Kevin Rempel would send a point shot towards the net that Shea Hamilton would intercept and put past Friesen for a 3-1 lead. Hamilton got on the game sheet again immediatley with 38 seconds left in the period for a hooking call giving the Maroons their 5th minor penalty of the period. The Maroons would kill off the penalty and head in for a rest with a 3-1 lead. <img title="chipsbackhandquarters.jpg" src="/usrimages/chipsbackhandquarters.jpg" alt="chipsbackhandquarters.jpg" width="640" height="429" /> Brent Toews sending his backhand past Derek Friesen, shortanded. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. <img title="rodneyquarters.jpg" src="/usrimages/rodneyquarters.jpg" alt="rodneyquarters.jpg" width="595" height="480" /> Rod Neustaeter moving down the ice. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 2nd period the Maroons would just kill off Hamilton's penalty before the Redskins would strike back. With the puck already in the Maroons zone and the even strength attacker just joining the play Colin Hildebrand would put the puck in front of Dyck and Rylan Price parked in front of the net would shovel in a loose puck past Dyck cutting the lead to 3-2. The play would go back and forth and the Maroons would start to pressure the Redskins zone and at the 12 min. mark the Redskins would get called on a holding penalty putting the Maroons on their first powerplay of the game. Peppering a few shots towards Friesen they kept the puck in the Redskins zone and a min. into the Maroons powerplay Grant Calhoun would zig zag in towards Friesen all alone and get hauled down forcing the referee to call a penalty shot. Calhoun would come in quick with a few head nods and fake to the backhand before going back to his forehand, beating Friesen but the puck would roll of his stick blade for a missed attempt. The Maroons would resume their intial powerplay but were unable to capitalize. The Redskins would eak out of the powerplay and penalty shot unharmed but not long after at the 8 min. mark would go shorthanded again. The Maroons would again control the powerplay but were unable to beat Friesen. Just under 2 min. left with 5:55 to play in the second period, the Maroons would get another crack on the powerplay but again they were unable to conver the man advantage opportunity. Just as the Redskins would fight off the Maroons powerplay, the Maroons would head back to the penalty box and the Redskins would get a powerplay opportunity. The Maroons would kill off the penalty but just as the even strength forward would get on the ice Tim Knight would beat Dyck from a Kelby Friesen feed and tied the game at 3-3. With 16 sec. left in the 2nd period the Redskins would take another penalty. Although the Maroons would mount some pressure deep into the Redskins end on the short powerplay the period ended in a deadlock - 3-3. <img title="wrixonrempsquarters.jpg" src="/usrimages/wrixonrempsquarters.jpg" alt="wrixonrempsquarters.jpg" width="640" height="425" /> #24 Chad Wrixon and Kevin Rempel defending in front of Carey Dyck with referee Ryan Galley looking on. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 3rd period the Redskins would kill off the remaining time on the Maroons man advantage and with just under 17 min. to play in the game Morden would find themselves shorthanded one more time. The Maroons powerplay clearly wasn't clicking as again they were unable to convert the opportunity. With a tied game in the third period, the fans could sense the game would feature some exciting back and forth hockey. With 10 min. left in the game Phil Letkeman would block a shot and pass it up to Chad Wrixon who would break in all alone against Friesen. Wrixon would move to his back hand and slide a shot towards Friesen that would get through Friesen's five hole but lay uncovered behind Friesen momemtarily before Matt Dyck would fly in and tap home for the go ahead 4-3 goal. With just over 6 min. to play the Maroons Jesse Arbuckle would be called for holding. The Maroons fought hard to kill off the Redskins powerplay for the full 2 min. and just as Arbuckle was coming out of the box he was sprung for a breakaway and although he tried to move to his backhand he was pulled down by a Morden defenceman and was rewarded with a penalty shot. The 2nd penalty shot in the same game? With the crowd on their feet Arbuckle would come in and move to his forehand and send a flip shot just wide of the net. Back to some tense moments in the Sunflower Gardens as the Redskins desperatley wanted to tie the game and keep their season alive. 4 min. left on the clock would wind down to about 2 and a half minutes on the clock, when Ketih Bially would flip a long high pass through the neutral zone that Chad Wrixon would pick up and from the Redskins blue line was in on his own. Wrixon would make a quick deke and and get a shot off at Friesen. Friesen made the intital save, but Wrixon would bang away at his own rebound and beat Friesen to go up 5-3. The Redskins would work the puck back into the Maroons end and with just over 30 sec. left on the clock they would pull Friesen but time would run out and the Maroons would skate off the ice as winners of the first round Quarter finals series 5-3. The game was not all positive as Maroons veteran Brent Toews left the ice with less then 10 min. to play as he crashed into the boards on a missed hit and was taken to the hospital with an upper body injury. <img title="handshakesquarters.jpg" src="/usrimages/handshakesquarters.jpg" alt="handshakesquarters.jpg" width="640" height="398" /> Maroons and Redskins in the traditional playoff post game hand shake. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line up - Greg Penner & Jesse Goertzen. Maroons interm head coach Jody Hildebrand was pleased that the boys didn't get frustrated with 5 first period penalties. The played well killing off the penalties and although they couldn't capitalize on their 2nd period powerplay opportunities they continued to pressure the Redskins and capitalize on their 3rd period chances when it counted. Hildebrand was also pleased with the play of Carey Dyck in net citing that after both Dyck and Lagace had each played well in games 1 & 2 the game 3 starter decision was tough but felt confident in either starter. Dyck got the start and kept the Maroons in the game and came up with some big saves in the 3rd period. 50/50 pot of $115 claimed by Harv Kroeker of Altona. Saturday, February 19, 2011 Altona Maroons @ Morden. A pre-game ceremony was held to honour long time Redskins executive members Doug Frost and Darryl Wooley and then the Redskins would start off the game a quick goal just 30 seconds in with a tricky goal line shot from Kelby Friesen that would sneak past goalie Reggie Lagace and the hometown team was up 1-0. At the 10 min. mark Derek Holinski would beat Lagace and lead 2-0. 2 min. later on a Maroons powerplay Grant Calhoun would take a point shot that Shea Hamilton would get his stick on and tip past Redskins goalie Derek Friesen to pull the Maroons within one making the score 2-1. <img title="froese_defending_price.jpg" src="/usrimages/froese_defending_price.jpg" alt="froese_defending_price.jpg" /> Maroons captain Jon Froese defending against Rylan Price. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. In the 2nd period less then a minute in Matt Dyck would chase down Redskins defenceman Jeremy Matuszewski into the Redskins zone. Matuszewski would try clearing the puck out of the zone but Phil Letkeman would intercept the clearing attempt and go in on a breakaway and beat Friesen with a backhand move to tie the game. Later at the midway point of the 2nd period Chad Wrixon would be in front of the net and Rod Neustaeter would pick up the loose puck and beat Friesen for a 3-2 lead. The Maroons would keep pressure on the Redskins and at 6:24 of the period Josh Froese and Shea Hamilton would cycle the puck down low and Keith Bially would convert Hamilton's pass to score and go up 4-2. With less then 2 min. left in the period the Redskins Rob Allison would beat Lagace and keep it a close game making it 4-3. <img title="phillyscoring.jpg" src="/usrimages/phillyscoring.jpg" alt="phillyscoring.jpg" width="640" height="360" /> Phil Letkeman capitalizing on a Redkins powerplay giveaway tying the game at 2-2. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. The 3rd period was all Maroons. Just a minute and a half in Grant Calhoun would go end to end and attempt a wrap around shot that Friesen would stop but Jesse Arbuckle on the door step would tap in the rebound and go up 5-3. The Maroons would kill off a 3rd period penalty after this and later with 6:23 on the clock Keith Bially would beat a Redskins defenceman to a iced puck and throw it to Josh Froese down low who dished it to Shea Hamilton streaking in and Hamilton would beat Friesen to go up 6-3. Just over 2 min. left in the game and Arbuckle would take a holding penalty but the Maroons would kill it off. During the Penalty kill the Redskins would take a time-out and with just over a min. left in the game they would pull their goalie Derek Friesen. With mounting pressure in the Maroons zone Matt Dyck would block a Redskins defenceman shot and skate it into the Redskins end and put a wrist shot into the empty net to seal the deal at 7-3. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line up - Jesse Goertzen, Greg Penner & John Mintenko. Game 3 of the Best of 5 series goes Tuesday back in Altona. <img title="win_in_morden.jpg" src="/usrimages/win_in_morden.jpg" alt="win_in_morden.jpg" /> Maroons celebrating game 2 win in Morden. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Thursday, February 17, 2011 With inclement weather outside and the other SEMHL Playoff games cancelled the Redskins made their way from Morden to Altona for game one of the quarter finals series. Both teams stared their warm ups short several players still navigating the roads to the arena. The game would start several minutes late, allowing for both teams to get all of their players ready. The first period featured some good back and forth hockey. Early on the Maroons were peppering Redskins goalie Derek Friesen but Friesen was standing tall making some big saves. Carey Dyck also was steady in the Maroons net. No score after twenty minutes. At the end of the first period Kevin Rempel was assesed a hooking penalty and just 24 seconds into the 2nd period Redskins import John Murray would convert a Jeremy Matueszewksi pass to beat Dyck for a powerplay goal and a 1-0 lead. The Redskins would hold their lead until the 9:36 mark of the period when on a powerplay Matt Dyck from behind the Redskins net would set up Phil Letkeman in the slot and Letkeman would beat Friesen with a quick low wrist shot to tie up the game. Half a minute later Rod Neustaer hustling down to the Redskins zone would throw a pass in front of Friesen that Jesse Arbuckle would get his stick on on re-direct under Friesens pad for a quick 2-1 lead. <img title="gintscarey.jpg" src="/usrimages/gintscarey.jpg" alt="gintscarey.jpg" /> Kevin Ginter high fiving Carey Dyck after Arbuckle's 2nd period goal. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. The third period saw both teams increase their speed and the Redskins would mount several attempts into the Maroons zone with Carey Dyck turning away all of the shots. With two minutes left in regulation the Redskins would take a time out and prepare for their plan as to when to pull Friesen. Later with just over a minute left to play and a face off in the Maroons end Friesen left for the Redskins bench and a 6th attacker jumped on the ice to join the rush. The Maroons would fend off the pressure and work the puck out of the zone for what looked like the end for Morden but they quickly turned the puck around and raced into the Maroons end for one final push but again Dyck would stop the puck and the clock would wind down for the Maroons win. <img title="maroons_win_game_one.jpg" src="/usrimages/maroons_win_game_one.jpg" alt="maroons_win_game_one.jpg" width="640" height="411" /> Maroons celebrate after the buzzer sounds at the end of the game. Photo by Kevin Stoesz. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line - Jesse Goertzen & Ryley Stienert. 50/50 pot of $104.50 claimed by Carey Kehler. Maroons PA man, Wayne Kauhenhofen was unable to attend, so Golden West Radio's Derek Heide filled in and performed well. Thanks Derek. Thank you to all the fans that braved the weather and the roads to come out and support the Maroons in game 1 of the playoffs. Game 2 goes Saturday at 8:00 p.m. in Morden. Plenty of door prizes, plenty of goals and a 4 goal night by Shea Hamilton combine for a Maroons 8-6 win on Fan Appreciation Night. Saturday, February 12, 2011 Stonewall Flyers @ Altona With a great crowd on hand, the first period would feature 5 goals. Stonewall Flyers Eric Bruce would get things started with a feed from Adam Kirk. The Maroons would respond when Shea Hamilton would tie the game on a pass from Keith Bially. Hamilton would score quickly again and the Maroons would go up 2-1. The Flyers would tie it up with a goal from Adam Kirk. Later in the first period with just over 5 min. left in the game and killing a penalty Matt Dyck would work the puck into the Flyers zone with Hamilton trailing and feed Hamilton who would blow a bullet past Flyers goalie Tyler Chatifield just under the crossbar for a natural hattrick and a 3-2 lead. The Maroons would kill 4 penalties in the first period and record one short handed goal. In the 2nd period Jesse Arbuckle would set up Greg Penner for his first goal as a Maroon. Midway through the middle frame and on their first powerplay of the game Matt Dyck would get the puck to Keith Bially and Bially would feed Justin Froese who would beat Chatfield and get the Maroons up 5-2. However the penalties would come fast and furious for the Maroons and with 6 minl. remaining in the 2nd period Adam Kirk would notch a powerplay goal beating Carey Dyck making it 5-3. Less then 2 min. later on another powerplay Josh Rutherford would score bringing the Flyers to within one goal of the Maroons at 5-4. Penalty trouble would sting for the Maroons as the Maroons would be penalized with 53 sec. left in the period and with just 2 sec. left on the clock Kirk would set up Kyle Heroux and he woudl beat Dyck tying the game 5-5. The final period would start off with a hit from behind from the Flyers Travis Lewicki on Matt Dyck. Shea Hamilton took offence to the hit and stepped in to stand up for his teammate. Lewicki was given a game misconduct for his actions and Hamilton was given a 2 min. penalty and a 10 min. misconduct. Several min. later Phil Letkeman would set up Matt Dyck and the Maroons would take a 6-5 lead. Just ater the 10 min. mark of the 3rd period Flyers sniper Adam Kirk would score his hat trick tying the game once again. With the game notted at 6-6 it was anyone's game to win and with just over 6 min. left to play Jon Froese would feed Chad Wrixon and Wrixon would break the tie and give the Maroons a 7-6 lead. The Flyers would try to mount a come back but time was slipping away and after taking a 10 min. rest and already scoring a hattrick Keith Bially would set up Shea Hamilton for his 4th of the night giving the Maroons a 2 goal lead with just over a min. and a half to play. The Maroons would control the play for the balance of the game and run out the clock to record the win and finish the regular season with 16 wins and 5 losses for a 2nd place finish. <img title="sheafourgoals.jpg" src="/usrimages/sheafourgoals.jpg" alt="sheafourgoals.jpg" /> Shea Hamilton watching his shot on goalie Tyler Chatfield. Photo courtesy of Kevin Stoesz. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line up - Rod Neustaeter, Josh Froese & John Mintenko. The Maroons start playoffs this coming Thursday against the 7th place team. Their opponents will be the Stonewall Flyers or Morden Redskins. 50/50 pot - $342.00 claimed by Harv Kroeker. 50/50 winners of $50 Co-op gift cards - Simon Friesen, Ed Friesen, Dustin Villeneuve & Peter Hildebrand. Special thanks to Maroons supporters for coming up with just over 80 door prizes divided into 16 and under and Adult prizes. Congratulations to Keith Bially, Grant Calhoun and Josh Froese for being named SEMHL ALL STARS. Josh Froese was also named the SEMHL Most Gentelmanly Player in his first season in the SEMHL. Thursday, February 10, 2011 Warren Mercs @ Altona Sporting the throwback uniforms for the second straight game the Altona Maroons came out flying and just over a minute into the game Brent Toews would feed Josh Froese in front of Mercs goalie Chad Jolin and the Maroons were up 1-0. Five minutes later the Mercs would get 2 quick back to back goals on Reggie Lagace and hold a short lead, but just over a minute later Toews would feed Keith Bially in front of the net and Bially would hang on long enough to beat Jolin with a high wrist shot in the crease to tie the game 2-2. Not even 10 minutes old with fans still filtering in and 4 goals in total had been scored. The pace in the first period was quick and hard hitting and just past the 14 min. mark of the period, Grant Calhoun would make some nifty moves and fire one past Jolin for a 3-2 lead. 30 sec. later Jon Froese would dish the puck to brother Josh and he would direct the puck at the net with Bially picking it up and scoring his second of the game for a 4-2 lead. With just over 2 min. left in the period Kevin Rempel would set up Kevin Giesbrecht streaking down the right wing side and he would fire a rocket under the cross bar giving the Maroons a 5-2 lead. The 5-2 score would remain as the two teams would head off for the first intermission. In the 2nd period Mercs AP Elliot Tully would get the puck past Lagace cutting the lead to 5-3 for the Maroons. The Maroons would then take a few penalties in a row and during their 3rd penalty kill Brent Toews would chase a long Grant Calhoun pass into the Warren zone and fight off a defender and throw a back-hand pass at the net that Matt Dyck would race to get to and just barely tap it in making it 6-3. No further goals would be scored in the 2nd period. <img title="maroons_hockey_10_2_11_53.jpg" src="/usrimages/maroons_hockey_10_2_11_53.jpg" alt="maroons_hockey_10_2_11_53.jpg" /> #15 Kevin Giesbrecht carrying the puck into the Mercs zone with #18 Phil Letkeman trailing behind him. For this strong game and pretty goal, Giesbrecht was awarded the player of the game from his peers. The 3rd period would feature more back and forth action and hard hits traded by both teams. Just over 6 min. in Bially and Josh Froese conntected with Justin Froese swooping in from the point to get a slot shot away and beat Jolin going up 7-3 for the Maroons. Not long after the Maroons goal rookie Ryley Steinert would take on Mercs Justin Crockatt in a good ole hockey fight. Although Crockatt the more experienced player got the better of Steinert, Steinert didn't fold and turtle and put in a good tustle. The fight may have sparked the Mercs as midway through the period they would show signs of life as Darin Husak would beat Lagace making it 7-4. Two and a half minutes later Phil Letkeman was in front of the Mercs crease and was able to push a shot at Jolin that he would have trouble with and John Mintenko would pick it up on his back hand and put home making it 8-4. Mercs AP Elliot Tully would add another goal for the Mercs cutting the lead to 8-5 for the Maroons but the Maroons would continue to press in the Mercs zone and eventually running the time down on the clock picking up an important win that guarantees a 2nd place finish. With a 4 point night and playing with a 24 hour flu bug Keith Bially now brings his league leading point total to 50 points in 20 games solidifying his lead over Mike Hamilton of the Morden Redskins by a 10 point margin. As long as Hamilton does not record 10 or more points Bially should finish the regular season with the scoring trophy, marking the 5th time since Y2K that a Maroons player would capture this honour. Other winners include Rob Smith (tied with Jeremy Matueskwi of Morden), Ryan Dyck and two Jon Froese scoring championship trophies. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line up: Shea Hamilton, Jesse Goertzen, Rod Neustaeter, Jesse Arbuckle & Chad Wrixon. 50/50 pot - $80.00 Claimed Prior to the game the Maroons were notified that local hockey official Brad Derksen would be putting on the stripes for the final time, so after 27 years of reffing hockey and serving 17 years officiating in the S.E.M.H.L. Derksen has decided to hang up the skates and put away his whistle for some well deserved down time. Derksen requested that good friend Les Martens Jr. work the game with him and after the game the Maroons players and several veteran Mercs players made their way to "the best linesmen in the league" to shake his hand say Thank you. <img title="bradles.jpg" src="/usrimages/bradles.jpg" alt="bradles.jpg" width="510" height="480" /> Referees Brad Derksen and longtime friend Les Martens after Derksens last game officiating in Altona. This coming Saturday is the day that the Maroons say Thank you to the great fans in Altona with their annual Fan Appreciation Night. Come out to the game and enter your name for a chance at lots of door prize draws and enjoy what could be a first round playoff preview of the Altona Maroons and Stonewall Flyers. Saturday, February 5, 2011 Plum Coulee Express @ Altona A capacity crowd (750+) was on hand this past Saturday as the Maroons celebrated their 60th Annivesary. Golden West Radio Sports Director Clayton Dreger was on hand to introduce W.C. Miller Collegiate student Mikaela Hildebrand as she provided a wonderful accapela version of the National anthem. Dreger then introduced three members of the original 1951 Maroons team - Johnny Kehler, Larry Dueck and Wilbert Funk. The 3 original Maroons along with 3 novice players made their way to center ice and Xpress captain Dwight Heppner joined Maroons captain Jon Froese for a ceremonial face off. Once the game got underway it was the home town that would strike first as Mike Friesen worked the puck up to Phil Letkeman and Letkeman got the puck to Jon Froese, Froese would put the puck past Jayme Janzen and the Maroons were up 1-0. The rest of the first period showcased fast hockey and ended with neither team receiving a penalty. <img title="60nightlinedup.jpg" src="/usrimages/60nightlinedup.jpg" alt="60nightlinedup.jpg" width="400" height="267" /> Maroons lined up with several Altona Novice players. <img title="maroons60faceoff.jpg" src="/usrimages/maroons60faceoff.jpg" alt="maroons60faceoff.jpg" width="400" height="267" /> Ceremonial face off. Dropping the puck from left to right Wilbert Funk, Larry Dueck and Johnny Kehler. During the first intermission fans were snapping up 60 cent hot dogs and 60 cent can drinks courtesy of the Maroons, Town of Altona and RM of Rhineland. Prior to the teams starting the 2nd period Clayton Dreger welcomed Mayor of Altona - Melvin Klassen, RM of Rhineland Reeve - Grant Heinrichs, SEMHL commissioner - Dean Harris, Chair of Sr. Hockey for Hockey Manitoba - Ray Brethour and Maroons President & GM - Jody Hildebrand onto the ice. Each guest briefly addressed the crowd and the teams expressing their congratulations to the Maroons for celebrating 60 consecutive years of hockey in the SEMHL and Hildebrand thanked the guests for their kind words, thanked the Town of Altona, RM of Rhineland, local business community and of course the fans for their continued support. When the hockey resumed the Xpress would get on the board when Coltyn Reimer was able to beat Maroons goalie Reggie Lagace and tie the game 1-1. The teams would continue to trade goal scoring chances and at the 12:29 mark of the period Phil Letkeman was handed a charging penalty and after fighting off just over a min. of the Xpress powerplay, Dwight Heppner would capitalize on the man advantage and go up 2-1. 3 min. later the Maroons would tie the game back up when Kevin Giesbrecht would pass the puck to Keith Bially and Bially would get it over to linemate Josh Froese and Froese would bury it behind Janzen. The period would play out and end with the score tied 2-2 and only one penalty called in total. <img title="phil60th.jpg" src="/usrimages/phil60th.jpg" alt="phil60th.jpg" width="640" height="448" /> Maroons Phil Letkeman working his way into the Xpress zone. *Photo by Kevin Stoesz In the 3rd period, just over 5 min. in Maroons forward Chad Wrixon was asessed a hooking penalty and it would prove very costly as only 24 sec. into the powerplay the Xpress would score with Brett Harder getting the go ahead goal making it 3-2. Both teams kept up the quick pace, with just over 3 min. left in the game Bially was fighting off an Xpress player working to go on a 2 on 1 for the Maroons but was held up and the chance denied. With no penalty called on the play the Maroons would have to increase their efforts. In the next series of play the the Xpress would work the puck into the Maroons zone with Lagace covering up the puck and after the whistle blew an Xpress forward tried slashing the puck loose. Again, no call on the play. With just over a min. left to play the Xpress took a time out and the Maroons bench boss Woody Cornelson drew up a plan. The Maroons were able to get the puck into the Xpress zone and Lagace would his posting in favour of an extra attacker. Xpress players all latched onto the Maroons attackers and were able to fend off several shots and clearing the zone. Lagace would go back into the net for a neutral zone face off and as the Maroons worked the puck back toward Janzen and the Xpress net, Lagace would again leave the ice to get a 6th Maroons attacker into the Xpress zone. A few more frantic scoring attempts were made. It looked as if Keith Bially would score to tie the game with 1 sec. left on the clock but the referee called off the goal (2nd called of Maroons goal off the night) and the Xpress would leave the ice with a big 2 point win and now hold a 3 point lead on the Maroons for first in the SEMHL. In a game with only 2 penalties called both on the Maroons it would seem that was all that the Xpress needed. 2 powerplays and 2 goals against no Maroons powerplays. The Maroons are off for a few days before they host Warren on Feb. 10th. Several players will be back in the line up by then and the team will play it's last 2 games of the reg. season to see where they will finish in the standings. Game notes - Not in the Maroons line up - Shea Hamilton, Jesse Arbuckle, Jesse Goertzen, Grant Calhoun and Rod Neustaeter. 50/50 pot - $642.00 Claimed by Darcy Hildebrand. Although the final outcome was not what the Maroons wanted as they have now dropped their last 3 games in a row, but the evening was highly successful as the fans packed the arena to show their support. The players donned a New 3rd jersey that can be described as a throwback uniform. A real retro look featuring MAROONS lettering running down the jersey at an angle and on a cream coloured material. Just over 300 hot dogs and drinks were sold for only 60 cents and the 50/50 was almost $650 !!! A HUGE thank you to all the fans that came out to enjoy the game. <img title="reggie60th.jpg" src="/usrimages/reggie60th.jpg" alt="reggie60th.jpg" width="640" height="360" /> A busy scene around Maroons goalie Reggie Lagace on the Maroons 60th Anniversary Night. * Photo by Kevin Stoesz Saturday, Jan. 28, 2011 Maroons @ Plum Coulee Xpress (in Winkler) The Maroons travelled to Winkler this past Saturday and faced off against the Plum Coulee Xpress in the Centennial Arena. With a full house on hand to take in a great senior hockey rivalry, it was the Maroons that would strike first when Keith Bially would get the puck into the Xpress end and work the puck behind the net before sending a quick pass to Josh Froese who snapped a low one timer through goalie Blaine Neufeld's 5 hole for a 1-0 lead. The Maroons would fend off a penalty before a Dwight Heppner shot on Carey Dyck was stopped but Andrew Froese would pick up the rebound and tap in the loose puck to tie the game. The Maroons would then go back to the penalty box and with just over 4 min. left in the first period Andrew Kaminsky would blow a point shot past Dyck going up 2-1 against the Maroons. In the 2nd period the Maroons started on the powerplay carried over from the first and Chad Wrixon would get a shot on Neufeld. Neufeld would make the initial save and with a crowd in front of him, Bially would pull the puck to a piece of real estate on the side of the crease before shovelling it in to tie the game 2-2. For the rest of the period the Maroons would take a total of 8 minor penalties with the Xpress taking 2 penalties. This left the Maroons short handed a total of 6 times. The Xpress would capitalize on this and would score 2 powerplay goals in the 2nd period and after 40 min. it was Xpress 4, Maroons 2. <img title="justininwinkler.jpg" src="/usrimages/justininwinkler.jpg" alt="justininwinkler.jpg" width="640" height="366" /> Justin Friesen sends a loose puck to the corner as Kevin Rempel stays close to an Xpress forward and Matt Dyck looks on to chase the puck and gain control. Photo credit - Kevin Stoesz. In the third period the Maroons bench would get an uplift when Rod Neustaeter would work the puck out of the Xpress corner and in front of the net where Brent Toews was able to score and bring the game to 4-3. Hoping to mount a comeback the Maroons pressed on but shortly after were called for a 4 min. butt ending penalty and a 10 min. misconduct to John Mintenko. Midway through the 3rd the Xpress would beat Dyck again and make it 5-3. With 1 min. & 30 sec. left on the clock Coach Woody would pull Dyck and as the Maroons would start their way up ice a long stretch pass up the middle was intercepted by Xpress Brenden Heppner and Heppner would fire a long wrist shot from the center ice area scoring on the empty net making it 6-3. The Xpress would put the icing on the cake when with 30 sec. left on the clock Marlin Froese would beat Kevin Rempel on a 1 on 1 and muscle a shot past Dyck to make it 7-3 and that's how it would end. When the dust settled, Coach Woody remarked that he wasn't impressed by the overall effort of his players, citing that they didn't play as good as they can play and that the Xpress were out-playing them and winning more of the small battles for the puck. Not in the Maroons line up: Shea Hamilton & Jesse Goertzen & Jesse Arbuckle. <img title="mattinwinkler.jpg" src="/usrimages/mattinwinkler.jpg" alt="mattinwinkler.jpg" width="640" height="384" /> Matt Dyck redirecting a shot from Jon Froese on the far side boards, goalie Blaine Neufeld would stop just enough of the puck to keep in out of the net. Photo credit - Kevin Stoesz. On Friday, Jan. 21 the SEMHL 60th Anniversary celebrations began with an Alumni tournament, beer gardens and banquet planned for Saturday night at 6 p.m. The Altona Maroons 40 and over alumni team put together by goalie Jim Dick jumped on the bus with Lyndon Friesen driving the boys to Morden. The Maroons faced off against the Carman Beavers 40 plus team on Friday evening and had a great time going through the motions for a 1 hour game. Based on the chatter in the beer gardens after the game Friday night it was more then evident that the guys that played had a great time and we're remarking how neat it was to see a bunch of guys/former opponents that they used to play against. Taking the bus was just an added bonus! The Maroons 50+ team played their first game on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and their second game at 2:30. The 40+ team will be played their 2nd and final game at 3:30. All games took place in Morden in their dual arena complex. . After the games finished on Saturday, players and their wives headed to the reception hall and enjoyed a nice Roast Beef dinner, followed by brief presentations from Hockey Manitoba and SEMHL Commissioner Dean Harris. A highlight of the evening came next when it was announced that the league first place trophy has been re-named the Bob Hamm Trophy and the league championship trophy has been re-named the Elmer Hildebrand Trophy. The re-naming of the trophies to these gentlemen was done in honour of their many, many years of involvment with the SEMHL. Auction raffle prizes were taken care of and then the featured entertainment; comedian Dean Jenkinson took to the stage and had the crowd laughing out loud. It was a great evening and the hall was decorated with jerseys from all the teams that have ever played in the league, as well as interesting old stats, newspaper clippings etc. A big thanks go out to Carman Beavers General Manager Dennis Young for doing the lions share of the planning and work to make this event happen. <img title="40plusfridaynight.jpg" src="/usrimages/40plusfridaynight.jpg" alt="40plusfridaynight.jpg" width="640" height="322" /> Back row: Lyndon Friesen, Mark Braun, Lin Loewen, Jason Pilkington, Brian Wiebe, Rod Dueck, Wes Friesen, Kevin Kehler, Doug Rempel, John Falk. Front row: Chris Braun, Greg Klassen, Jim Dick, Jody Hildebrand, Henry Sawatzky, Bob Toews, Drew Claussen. <img title="40_plus_saturday2.jpg" src="/usrimages/40_plus_saturday2.jpg" alt="40_plus_saturday2.jpg" width="640" height="348" /> Back Row: Henry Sawatzky, Kevin Kehler, Lin Loewen, Brian Wiebe, Bob Toews, Wes Friesen, John Falk. Front Row: Greg Heinrichs, Jim Dick, Chris Braun, Jody Hildebrand, Les Martens Jr., Drew Claussen. Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011 Playing their 4th game in 7 days the Maroons travelled to Carman and quickly found themselves in the penalty box on a marginal slashing call to Keith Bially. As Bially left the penalty box to help defend against the Beavers in the Maroons zone Kirk Young was busy getting his own rebound, not once, but twice and on his 3rd attempt he finally muscled the puck past Carey Dyck to get the Beavers on the board 1-0. The Maroons were not playing well and the play appeared sluggish. Shea Hamilton would put a little spark into the Maroons scoring an unassisted goal with 13 min. to play in the period. The hometown Beavers would answer back when Kyle Weir would get the puck over to Cliff Ketchen left open in the slot and he would slip one past Dyck to go up 2-1. The Maroons would kill off another penalty before the period would end and start the 2nd period off - even strength. In the 2nd period just under 4 min. in, Mike Friesen would send Hamilton a pass in the neutral zone and Hamilton would send Bially in on a partial breakaway and roof a quick wrist shot past Beaver goalie Kevin Falk to tie the game. The goal evened up the score, but the Beavers were still outworking the Maroons. With just under 7 min. to play in the middle period Kevin Ginter would catch Beavers Jesse Vanderveen with his head down at center ice and leveled him for the hit of the night, but the hit dislodged Ginter's skate blade and as Ginter was hobling off the ice on one skate Matt Tkachyk would pick up the lose puck, get it over to Ryan McIntosh and with Vanderveen up and joining the play McIntosh would slip the puck over to Vanderveen flying down the left hand side the Maroons zone and he would put a rocket of a shot up and over Dyck to give the Beavers the go ahead goal. Minutes later Jesse Goertzen was penalized for Interference and the Beavers would capitalize on the powerplay when Vanderveen would shoot at Dyck and McIntosh would score on the rebound making it 4-2 for the Beavers. In the 3rd period the Maroons started to pick up their play and increase their scoring chances and finally with 12 min. left to play Grant Calhoun would shoot at the net missing wide but Phil Letkeman pick up the puck and got it over to Josh Froese and Froese would slam it home mounting a comeback for the Maroons. The next 12 minutes the Maroons would work harder then they had all game, fought off another penalty hit the goal post and pull Dyck with less then 30 seconds left. They would get 2 good scoring chances to tie the game but Falk would get in front of both shots and the Beavers would skate off the ice with 2 points. <img title="beaverscarey_2.jpg" src="/usrimages/beaverscarey_2.jpg" alt="beaverscarey_2.jpg" width="640" height="272" /> Grant Calhoun #27 and Mike Friesen #22 defending in front of Carey Dyck. * Photo courtesy of Dennis Young, Carman. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line up - Chad Wrixon, Jon Froese & Ryley Steinert. Coach Woody was not impressed by the lack of effort for 60 minutes. He noted Carey Dyck played great and gave the Maroons every opportunity to stay in the game. Late in the game Dyck would come up with 2 huge saves and he hoped that would spark the boys to get the tying goal, but it wasn't in the cards. The Maroons are now off until next Saturday, Jan. 29th when they travel to Winkler to face the Plum Coulee Xpress. In the meantime many Maroons and Maroons Alumni will be taking in the hockey games and the story telling in Morden this weekend at the SEMHL 60th Anniversary Alumni Tournament and Banquet. Check out the SEMHL website for more details. Come on out and watch the hockey games, it's FREE and their is a beer gardens! Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011 The usually hard working and quick skating Notre Dame Hawks visited the Sunflower Gardens on Saturday and early on in the game it was evident that the game may be a low scoring affair with Hakws goalie Phil Vigier turning away Maroons shooters and Reggie Lagace defending the Maroons net. Jon Froese and Phil Letkeman thought the Maroons scored late in the first period, but the referee ruled the puck had been kicked in by Froese, so after 20 min. of back and forth hockey it was deadlocked 0-0. It would take until the 8:21 mark of the 2nd period for the Maroons to get the first goal of the game when on a powerlay, Shea Hamilton would feed Grant Calhoun the puck on the point and Calhoun would blast a low bullet through Vigiers five hole and get the home team fired up. Back and forth play would continue for the rest of the period with the Maroons unable to generate another goal and the Hawks unable to solve Lagace. The "Old Dutch CRUNCH of the night" came when when Hamilton was leaving the penalty box and skating back to the Maroons end and caught a Hawks defenceman with his head down about to shoot and laid his shoulder into the player sending him down to the ice. <img title="chipsliningupahit.jpg" src="/usrimages/chipsliningupahit.jpg" alt="chipsliningupahit.jpg" width="640" height="410" /> Veteran forward Brent Toews lining up a Hawks player. The 3rd period would provide a total of 4 goals. Just under 4 min. in, The Maroons newest team member Jesse Goertzen would slide into the slot and take a great pass from Kevin Giesbrecht and put a low shot past Vigier to make it 2-0. Several minutes later the Hawks would break Lagace's shut out bid and Ryan Robidoux would get credited with an assist on Gilles Comte's goal. The goal would be the only getting past Lagace on the night as he played very solid. With just over 6 min. to play in the game Josh Froese would pass the puck to Hamilton and Hamilton would find a seam in the slot to get in close on Vigier and fire a shot up under the crossbar making it 3-1. With about a min. left in the game the Hawks would pull their goalie and storm the Maroons end but a turnover created by Calhoun sent him the other way on a 2 on 1 with Keith Bially but as they were crossing the Notre Dame blueline they were called offside. A play that you wouldn't expect to see at too many hockey games. It wouldn't really matter as the the Maroons would eventually pot an empty net goal, this time with Bially blocking a point shot and working the puck to the center ice area before shovelling the puck to Josh Froese and Froese would get it into the Hawks zone and slide home the empty net goal. <img title="goertzen.jpg" src="/usrimages/goertzen.jpg" alt="goertzen.jpg" width="513" height="480" /> #6 Jesse Goertzen watching his shot towards the net as #15 Kevin Giesbrecht looks on from the background and #14 Matt Dyck watches the puck from in front of the net. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line up, Rod Neustaer, Chad Wrixon & Ryley Steinert. 50/50 pot - $118 Claimed by Eva Teichroeb of Winkler. With the Jan. 15 SEMHL player registration deadline now over the Maroons team line up is officially set. No big surprises or huge changes except for the addition of Jesse Goertzen. Goertzen had been playing earlier in the season with the Plum Coulee Xpress but things weren't working out between Goertzen and the team so he was let go from their roster and the Maroons have added him to improve the defence core. Goertzen is a young exerienced defenceman having played 4 seasons in the MJHL with several different clubs before playing Sr. hockey with the Xpress and now the Maroons. Fans please welcome Goertzen as he starts to play Maroons hockey! Coach Woody was happy with another win and remarked afterwords that he was pleased with Lagace's performance and noted that both of our goalies have been playing really, really well. <img title="kevindefendinghawks.jpg" src="/usrimages/kevindefendinghawks.jpg" alt="kevindefendinghawks.jpg" width="640" height="360" /> #3 Kevin Rempel defending in the slot as #30 Reggie Lagace holds his ground in the Maroons net. Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011 Altona Maroons @ Oakville Carey Dyck records a shut out as Josh Froese leads the charge against Oakville with a hat trick. Heading into Oakville short a few players the Maroons would get things started in in teh first period as Keith Bially and Jon Froese connected a nice give and go and Jon would feed brother Josh a quick pass in the slot that he would snap past Seals goalie Alex Easton for a 1-0 lead with just under 7 min. to go in the first period. 2 min. later the same trio of forwards would connect and this time it would be Jon Froese with an opportunity on Easton and while his first attempt was stopped Jon picked up his rebound buried it high under the crossbar for the Maroons 2nd goal. The rest of the period would feature both teams skating well and some good up and down action at both ends of the ice. In the 2nd period, less then a min. in; Keith Bially would get the puck into the Seals zone and the Froese brothers would pass back forth behind the net with Jon finding Josh in the slot and Josh would score to go up 3-0. The play continued at is quick pace until the midway point of the 2nd period when Grant Calhoun would step in from the blueline and fire a hard shot at the net that appeared to have gone in and come out quickly but before the whistle could even be blown Rod Neustater pounced on the puck and slammed into the net for good giving the Maroons a 4-0 lead. 30 sec. later the Froese brothers would connect again and get the puck over to linemate Keith Bially who dangled in the slot and find the back of the net for a 5-0 lead. The hometown Seals would change their goalie replacing Easton with local tender Ray Lepine but it wouldn't change their fate as Greg Penner would feed Mike Friesen a pass and Friesen would get the puck over to Phil Letkeman who would fire home a goal for a 6-0 lead. With 39 seconds left in the 2nd period Maroons goalie Carey Dyck tripped up Seals forward Dan Leslie and with the ref's arm ready to call the penalty Leslie would retaliate by throwing punches at Dyck. Dyck earlier in the period had been tripped up by a Seals player behind the net and no penalty was called on the play which is possibly what started this in the first place. So with Dyck getting roughed up by Leslie, Rod Neustaeter, Jesse Arbuckle, Greg Penner, Jon Froese and Kevin Rempel all moved in along with the remaining Seals players on the ice and everyone grabbed another player to break up the mess, what happened next was an unexpected on sided fight as Seals forward Luke McGinnis threw off his gloves and started punching Kevin Rempel several times before Arbuckle left his man and pulled McGinnis off of Rempel. Once the officials cleared everyone out of the way, encouragement from Woody Cornelson and Seals President, GM & Coach - Mark Ingram led the officials to order both teams off the ice for an intermission and time to sort out the penalties. When the 3rd period started, 39 seconds were added the clock and penalties started with Carey Dyck recieiving the intial 2 min. tripping call. Dan Leslie received a 2 min. roughing penalty. Luke McGinnis was assesed a 2 min. instigating penalty (automatic Game Misconduct), 5 min. for fighting and a Game Miscounduct. Rempel was also assesed a 5 min. fighting penalty and a Game Misconduct and everyone else on the ice was given a 10 min. misconducts. 4 Seals in the penalty box and 4 Maroons in the penalty box and a Maroons 2 min. powerplay to begin the last period. Just after the Maroons powerplay ended Mike Friesen's point shot would be stopped by Lepine but a husting Matt Dyck would bury the the rebound making it 7-0. The Seals would take 4 more penalties after Dyck's goal and with just over a min. left on the clock in the game and on the powerplay Josh Froese would score his hat trick from the slot. Then with 35 sec. left in the game and again on a powerplay Grant Calhoun would send a hard shot toward the net where Brent Toews was positioned and Toews would re-direct the the puck into the next making it 9-0. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line up - Shea Hamilton, Chad Wrixon, Kevin Giesbrecht and Ryley Steinert. Coach Woody Cornelson was pleased with the pace the Maroons started the game with and noted that the Seals played an excellent first period against the Maroons. Carey Dyck's shut out bid was nearly broken twice in the 3rd period. Once at the midway point of the 3rd when Dyck was forced to make a great save with his stick in the crease and later in the dying minutes of the game on a Seals breakaway. Taking off just a day, the Maroons will rest and then gear up to face the Notre Dame Hawks this Saturday at home. Game time as always is 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011 Altona Maroons @ Stonewall The Maroons traveled to Stonewall on a cold January night and Shea Hamilton would get things started while the team was serving a 2 min. bench minor Hamilton would beat Flyers goalie Tyler Chatfield with a shorthanded goal 6 min. into the game. The Flyers would respond when Devon Heggie set up Flyers sniper Adam Kirk who would beat Maroons tender Carey Dyck to even the game up at one apeice. With just under 5 min. left in the 1st period Keith Bially would score an unassisted goal but once again the Flyers would respond, this time with less then a min. left in the period when Evan Walsh would score on a Stonewall powerplay. In the 2nd period it would take until the halfway point when Grant Calhoun would feed Shea Hamilton a pass that Hamilton would bury past Chatfield for a 3-2 lead. Just over a min. later Calhoun would get things started on a Maroons powerplay getting the puck to Phil Letkeman with Hamilton waiting in the wings to score, recording his hat trick and putting the Maroons up 4-2. However the Maroons would find themselves slowing down and taking some more penalties for the remainder of the period and with 8 min. left in the period Byron Scrivens would score narrowing the Maroons lead to 4-3. Then with less then 3 min. left in the 2nd Evan Walsh would set up Kirk again on the powerplay who beat Dyck to tie the game. The 2nd period would end 4-4. Frustrated with a lack of hustle and too many penalties the Maroons coaches let the boys have it between periods and stressed a much better effort in the 3rd period was needed. The pep talk paid off as the Maroons turned it up and recorded 23 shots on net in the 3rd and took only 2 minor penalties. Stonewall's Chatfield stood tall in the 3rd turning away the aforementioned 23 shots and Carye Dyck would match Chatfield's efforts turning away the Flyers shots on net. With the game tied 4-4 after 60 min. it would head to Overtime. Less then a minute into to the extra frame Matt Dyck would get the puck over to Keith Bially and Bially would find the back of the net to send the road Maroons off the ice winners. Maroons head coach Woody Cornelson remarked that he was happy to head out of Stonewall with 2 points, but felt that the overall effort in the first 2 periods was sloppy and too many penalties were taken. Happy with the effort in 3rd period and was very happy with the play of Carey Dyck in net. Next up for the Maroons will be a road game this Thursday in Oakville. Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011 Carman Beavers @ Altona Saturday night the Carman Beavers came to Altona and Justin Froese would find himself in front of Beavers goalie Gavin Callum and he would score to go up 1-0. The Beavers would reply when their import forwards Dan Ketchen would connect with Dan Boheimer who would beat Maroons goalie Reg Lagace to tie the game. The score would remain tied after 20 min. In the 2nd period Ketchen and Boheimer would connect again beating Lagace for a 2-1 lead before League leading scorer Keith Bially would score a powerplay goal set up from defencemen Kevin Rempel and Grant Calhoun. Halfway through the middle frame Matt Dyck set up Chad Wrixon for a goal and then with just under 2 minutes Bially would set up Wrixon again for his second of the night and a 4-2 lead. The play in the first two periods was very fast and had the speed and intensity of a playoff game. In the 3rd both teams slowed down a bit and early on Ketchen set up Boheimer for his 2nd of the game and narrowed the gap to 4-3. A few minutes later Justin Froese would send Matt Dyck a long pass and Dyck would beat Callum on the stick side making it 5-3. With less then 2 minutes to play Calhoun sent Chad Wrixon a pass and Wrixon would beat Callum for his Hattrick and putting the game out of reach for the Beavers at 6-3. However, shortly after Wrixon's hattrick goal the Maroons took a double minor penalty and on the ensuing Beavers powerplay Ryan McIntosh would beat Lagace with just over 30 seconds left in the game making it 6-4, and with the Beavers net empty for an extra attacker the Maroons would score their 7th goal from Grant Calhoun clearing the puck off the glass out of the Maroons zone and it made it the length of the ice into the empty net. Game notes: Not in the Maroons line up, Mike Friesen, Shea Hamilton & Josh Froese. Jesse Arbuckle was back in the line up after missing several games with an upper body injury. Veteran forward Ryan Dyck was released from the Maroons roster in order to pursue the Allan Cup with a spot on the South East Prairie Thunder AAA team. The next week will be busy with the Maroons travelling to Stonewall on Tuesday, then to Oakville on Thursday before coming home on Saturday, Jan. 15th to play host to the Notre Dame Hawks. <img title="legsbeavers.jpg" src="/usrimages/legsbeavers.jpg" alt="legsbeavers.jpg" width="640" height="334" /> Goalie Reggie Lagace stretching out to make a save with Justin Froese (20) and Kevin Ginter (2) looking on. <img title="wrixonscores.jpg" src="/usrimages/wrixonscores.jpg" alt="wrixonscores.jpg" width="640" height="427" /> Chad Wrixon watching the puck find the back of the net after deking out Beavers goalie Gavin Callum. <img title="remsreg.jpg" src="/usrimages/remsreg.jpg" alt="remsreg.jpg" width="480" height="552" /> Kevin Rempel congratulating goalie Reggie Lagace.

Updated Jan. 18, 2017

Saturday, Jan. 21st is CFAM Night!

As CFAM celebrates their 60th Anniversary in 2017 they want to celebrate with hockey fans! The first 60 fans through the gate with a Tin for the Bin (non-perishable food item for Rhineland Food Bank) will receive a free CFAM 60th Anniversary hockey puck and be entered into a draw for Winnipeg Jets tickets!

Also, all fans who purchase 50/50 tickets not only have a chance to win half of the cash, but a second prize will be 4 tickets to a Manitoba Moose game!

CFAM radio personality Jayme Giesbrecht will be signing O'Canada and the Maroons will have several players join them for the pre-game skate.

Maroons lose tight game to Warren - 4-3

Saturday, Jan. 14

Warren 4 - Maroons 3

Maroons drop road game to Notre Dame 3-2

Thursday, Dec. 15

Notre Dame 3 Maroons 2

The Maroons travelled to Notre Dame des Lourdes to face off against the Hawks and just under a minute into the game the home team Hawks would score to go up 1-0 on a goal from Justin Dalebozik set up by Steve Clark. Less then a minute later Maroons assistant coach Steve McFarlane sent Brett Klassen in alone on a break away and he would beat Hawks goalie Brett Timmerman with a low stick side snapshot to tie the game 1-1. The Hawks would fire a lot of pucks at Eric Martel in the first period but the score would remained locked at 1-1 heading nto the first intermission.

In the 2nd period the Hawks would get two more goals in the first 8 min. courtesy of a partial breakaway goal from Brody Chabbert and then later import Cale Jeffries would sneak a quick low shot past Martel. The Maroons ran into penalty trouble nearing the halfway point of the 2nd, however on the first penalty kill Caleb Suderman found Matt Dyck for a long pass into the neutral zone and Dyck would fight off the defender and beat Timmerman for a shorthanded goal making it 3-2. The Hawks would have two more powerplays in the 2nd which the Maroons would kill off successfully and head to the 3rd period still trailing by a goal.

The 3rd period would see the Maroons increase their play in the Hawks zone looking for the equalizer and late in the period with just under a minute left after Tyler Dittmer was checked from behind the Maroons were on a powerplay and would pull Martel for a 6 on 4 opportunity. The play was frantic in the Hawks zone and Matt Dyck came close to getting the tying goal but time would expire and the Maroons would leave Notre Dame on the losing side.

John Mintenko remarked after the game that he was very happy with how Eric Martel played. "He made all the saves he needed to make and didn't give up any rebounds. Couldn't ask for more from a goalie. I thought we struggled early on to find each other and gave up too much time in our end, but later in the game we turned the tables a bit, but just couldn't get that tying goal. Our efffort was there, we just didn't get the result we wanted."

Line up change for the game saw Assistant Coach Steve McFarlane dress and not in the line up was Dale Butland.

Thursday, Dec. 8th

Maroons 7 - Stonewall 6

Maroons win high scoring affair at home against Stonewall 7-6

Story from Red River Valley Echo - by Cassidy Dankochik

Saturday, Dec. 3rd, 2016

Carman 5 - Maroons 1

The Maroons hosted the defending SEMHL champion Carman Beavers on Saturday, Dec. 3rd at the Sunflower Gardens and it was Green Valley Equipment Night. The hardworking team over at GVE had a John Deere 9620 with tracks on full display in front of the main entrance of the M.E.C. Inside the lobby featured home and garden products such as a John Deere 1025 tractor and Stihl and Airens merchandise as well. To top it all off free Hot Chocolate coupons were being distributed to fans and fans had a chance to win free door prizes.

The previous meeting between these two teams took place on Nov. 24th with the Beavers narrowly edging the Maroons 7-6 and the Maroons were hoping to feed off that productive game. The Maroons would open the scoring courtesy of a goal from John Mintenko. Mintenko was dressed with a few guys out of the line up and was able to convert a Mitch Fehr pass and bang the puck past Steve Christie. Unfortunatley this would be the only goal the Maroons would score during the game. The Beavers would tie the game in late in the first period and add 2 more goals in the second period. Early in the third period the Beavers would a fourth goal before scoring a powerplay goal to make it 5-1 with approximatley 15 minutes left in the game. With his team down by 4 goals, head coach Rob Friesen pulled starting goalie Jayme Janzen and Eric Martel would go in to shut down the Beavers for the rest of the period but the Maroons would be unable to get any pucks past Christie and the Beavers would hang on for the win.

Not in the line up - Angus Klassen, Brett Klassen & Brent Toews

50/50 Winner - Pete Martens of Horndean

Green Valley Equipment door prize winners - Josh Unger & Mason Friesen

Saturday, Nov. 26th, 2016

Maroons 5 - Stonewall 3

Game info to come***

Saturday, Nov. 19th, 2016

Maroons 5 - Winkler 4

The Maroons travelled to Winkler to take on the Royals and Eric Martel would be in net for his first start of the season. Just under 7 min. into the first period Angus Klassen would tip a Caleb Suderman wrist shot from the point past Royals goalie Brent Krahn for a 1-0 lead. Just past the midway point of the period Tyler Dittmer would send Jon Froese in on a breakaway from just inside the Royals blueline and Froese's snapshot would beat Krahn for a 2-0 lead. Late in the frame Caleb Suderman sent Angus Klassen into the Royals end on a breakaway and Klassens shot would beat Krahn for his 2nd of the game and a 3-0 lead. Just under a min. later Craig Cornelson would be credited for a goal when a high shot towards Martel would go off Cornelsons body finding the back of the net and cutting the lead to 3-1.

Early in the second period Nolan Martens' quick snapshot from the high slot would beat Krahn building the lead to 4-1. Later in the period Cody Friesen would cut the Maroons lead to 2 goals when he would find himself near the Maroons net after the puck karamed off the corner boards on a Royals dump in. Martel was already behind the net expecting to play the puck and Friesen simply had to bang it into the empty net. Tough goal to allo but everyone has seen a goal like this scored. Plain and simple, these things happen.

Going into the third period the Maroons Steve Doell would have a great scoring chance on a wrist shot that beat Krahn but not the crossbar. The rebound came out into the slot and Matt Dyck would slide the puck past Krahn to restore a three goal lead. The Royals didn't fold and later in the frame would make the score 5-3 courtesy of a Powerplay goal with Chad Unrau's shot getting through traffic. The goal would lift the Royals and with just over a min. left in regulation Phil Letkeman would start a drive into the Maroons end that ended with Craig Cornelson finding the back of the net to make it a 5-4 game. After a 30 sec. timeout the Royals were hoping to pull Krahn in favour of an extra attacker but were unable to favourably penetrate the Maroons zone and the Maroons would kill the clock off and take 2 points for the standings on a Saturday night in Winkler.

Coach Rob Friesen commented that his team is still learning and there is more to do. "I thought we did a lot of things well tonight. I changed the lines up a bit and I liked how it worked out. Martel kicked away a lot of pucks tonight and made a few really big saves to give us the chance to win. At the end of the night it's a win and we'll take it". Import defenceman Dale Butland echoed some of Friesens comments in his thoughts on the game. "Marty (Eric Martel) deserves a lot of credit for a great game and as for the rest of us, I thought we were good. We have some new faces this year and together as a unit we're still feeling things out, looking for an identity." Not wanting to give too much away, Butland added "We'll be just fine, we're four games in and we're 500.

Not in the line up: Cody Fehr & Jordon Friesen

Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016

Morden Redskins 4 @ Altona Maroons 3

Altona Maroons Pee-Wee Gold players Kieran Henry, Kylie Roberts and Caden Krahn discussing how they will skate out with the Senior Maroons.

The Morden Redskins visited Altona and the longtime rivals would give the fans a solid hockey game with many chances going both ways. In the first period Angus Klassen's pass to Tyler Dittmer would end with Klassen beting Reed Peters for a 1-0 lead. Before the opening period ended the Redskins tied the game with a goal from import Nick Doyle. If that name is familiar to Maroons fans it is because Doyle played in Altona last season as an import. With the Maroons filling a void on the back end and filling it with an import defencman (Dale Butland) Doyle was not able to be part of the Maroons this season.

Early in the second period and on a powerplay Derek Holenski's shot through traffic would beat Jayme Janzen to give the Redskins a 2-1 lead. The Redskins would build on the lead and late in the period Doyle would give the Redskins a 3-1 lead. With 30 sec. left in the period on a powerplay of their own Craig Neufeld's wrist shot from the point would be tipped in by Dittmer for his second of the night and cutting the lead to 3-2 before the 2nd intermission.

In the third period Matt Dyck and Jon Froese would connect with Dittmer and Dittmer would beat Peters tying the game, notching a hat trick and more importantly tying the game. Midway through the period Graham Leiding would score a go ahead goal and for the rest of the third the Maroons would look for the equalizer. With just under 2 min. left in the game coach Rob Friesen would call a time out and with Janzen pulled in favour of an extra attacker the Maroons would press and send pucks to the Redskins net but Peters closed the door and the Redskins would take the win.

Assistant Coach/G.M. - John Mintenko thought it was a game that could have gone either way. "I thought we had moments when we controlled the play really well, but there were also moments where we lost some of the battles. We matched up well with them tonight, but came up a bit short."

Not in the line-up: Jon Froese

National Anthem peformed by: Jenna Alexander

50/50 Winner - Claimed but unknown. New clock & scorekeeper didn't get the name :(

Altona Maroons Pee-Wee Gold players joining the Maroons for the pre-game pep talk, warm-up and National Anthem: Kieran Henry, Caden Krahn & Kylie Roberts.

2015-16 400 Club Winners: $200 each - Peter Abrams, David Goertz, Ang Enns, Peter Abrams, Liz Derksen, Terry Peters, Glenn Friesen, Curtis Popel, Wes Friesen/Chris Wieler/James Friesen, Brad Friesen

$1000 Winner - Sanford Hildebrand

Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016

Altona Maroons 2 @ Portage Islanders 6

Making the journey to Portage the Maroons were hoping to build off their home opener win against the Royals but the sophmore Islanders would stand in their way. Early in the opening frame import Jordyn Boyd would beat Jayme Janzen for a 1-0 lead and later in the period Boyd struck again converting a pass from Zack Waldvogel making it 2-0. The Maroons would bounce back with a goal from Captain Brent Toews as he muscled home a rebound off of Islanders goalie Mitch Wiebe. After 20 min. the Islanders held the 2-1 lead.

Early in the second period rookie forward Cody Fehr would be assesed a 2 min. minor penalty for hitting from behind and his night was over. The Maroons would kill off the ensuing Islanders powerplay and look to even the score. Islanders Dan Leslie would give Portage 3-1 lead midway through the period and shortly thereafter Anders Strome made it 4-1. The Maroons battled back and would find themselves on a powerplay and Angus Klassen's tipped point shot from Craig Neufeld would find the back of the net cutting the Islanders lead to 4-2. The Maroons would hope to build off the Klassen goal but late in the period Kyle Lopez would convert a Strome pass behind Janzen giving the Islanders a 5-2 lead heading to the third.

In the thrid period the Maroons would press hard on a powerplay four minutes into the period but would come up short. With 10 min. left in the game Janzen was pulled for an extra attacker and the Maroons would bring a lot of pressure into the Portage end but couldn't get a puck past Wiebe. Angus Klassen just missed getting the Maroons to within 2 goals and later Caleb Suderman would have a great opportunity to also score but it just wouldn't be the Maroons night. Janzen would be sent back out, and then late in the game Janzen would be pulled again but this time with just under 2 min. left on the clock the Islanders would seal the game with Jordan Boyd picked up his hat trick and the final score would be 6-2 in favour of the Islanders.

Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016

Winkler Royals 2 @ Altona Maroons 5

Royals Captain - Brett Harder, 1st Princess Angela Froese, Sunflower Festival Queen Tiana Reimer, 2nd Princess Azhami Male and Maroons Captain Brent Toews at centre ice for a ceremonial face off.

Photo supplied by Cassidy Dankochik

Kicking off the South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League with all 8 teams in action on Saturday, November 5th the Maroons would host the Winkler Royals.

Early in the game Tyler Dittmer would feed Angus Klassen and Klassen would beat Matt Krahn for a 1-0 lead. Nearing the midway point of the first Dustin Karsin would tie the game for the Royals 1-1 beating Jayme Janzen. Later in the frame Klassen would score his second of the game on a set up from Dale Butland and Matt Dyck. Shortly before the first intermission Tyler Dittmer would make it 3-1 with assits to Klassen and Butland.

In the second period Jordan Wall would set up Matt Dyck and Dyck's goal would make it 4-1. The second period would play out with the score holding into the second intermission.

In the third period Steve Doell would score his first goal as a Maroon on a powerplay with assists to Nolan Martens and Jon Froese for a 5-1 lead. Late in the game former Maroon Phil Letkeman would get a puck past Janzen making it 5-2 but the scoring was done and the Maroons would hold on for an opening night win in front of a great crowd.

Coach Rob Friesen was pleased with the win and the happy dressing room. "It's great to start the season off with a win. Especially a home opener. The guys were looking forward to this game. We played three exhibition games this year already and we have a bigger bench then we've had in the past two or so seasons. These guys were chomping at the bit to get out and play a game that meant something. I don't think that it was the best game we could have played, but I wasn't expecting it to be. There are 19 more regular season games and this is just a start."

50/50 Winner - Corey Thiessen

Altona Maroons Pee Wee Bronze players joining the Maroons for the pre-game pep talk, warm up and National Anthem: Halle Hildebrand, Olivia Mintenko and Brennan Carr.

Special Thanks to the 2016 Manitoba Sunflower Festival royalty - Queen Tiana Reimer, 1st Princess Angela Froese and 2nd Princess Azhami Male for assisting with the ceremmonial face off to kick off the 66th season of Maroons hockey in the South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

March 7, 2016

2015-16 Season officially over with Game 5 loss in Semi-Finals against Morden Redskins

Saturday, Mar. 5

Morden Redskins 4 - Altona Maroons - 0

Thursday, Mar. 3

Morden Redskins 2 - Altona Maroons 1

Tuesday, Mar. 1

Altona Maroons 2 - Morden Redskins 0

Saturday, Feb. 27

Morden Redskins 5 - Altona Maroons 2

Thursday, Feb. 25

Morden Redskins 3 - Altona Maroons - 0

The Morden Redskins held onto a two goal lead the majority of the game and used an empty net goal with approx. 2:30 left to play as insurance to win game 1 of the Best of 7, Semi-Final series.

Maroons eliminate Mercs in Game 4 - 4-3, Advance to Semi-Finals

Thursday, Feb. 18th, 2016

Altona Maroons 4 - Warren Mercs 3

A Playoff hockey tradition - series ending handshakes. Photo Credit, Clayton Dreger - Golden West Media

Shea Hamilton would score midway through the third on a pass from Nick Doyle and it would be the game winning goal as the Maroons would hang on to the 4-3 lead for the final 10 minutes of the period for the win and the series win, advancing to the Semi-Finals against the Morden Redskins.

In the first period Mercs Reid MacLeod would open the scoring for the Mercs on a nice pass from Cliff Ketchen beathing Jayme Janzen for a 1-0 lead. Later in the period, on a powerplay Matt Dyck would set up Angus Klassen and Klassen would beat Mercs goalie Cole Boulton to tie the game.

Early in the second peiod Jon Froese and Tyler Dittmer would set up Matt Dyck and Dyck's shot would find the back of the net for a 2-1 Maroons lead. The Mercs would tie the game back up at 2-2 before the 5 min. mark of the period when Tyler Mederios would beat Janzen. Brett Klassen and Angus Klassen would connect and send Tyler Dittmer in on Boulton and Dittmer would beat Boulton with a deke and nice shot giving the Maroons a 3-2 lead. The Mercs would not back down and just past the midway point the period on a Mercs powerplay veteran Darren Husak would re-direct a Cliff Ketchen shot past Janzen tying the game again, this time at 3-3.

Brett Klassen working for position in front of Mercs goalie Cole Boulton. Photo Credit, Clayton Dreger - Golden West Media

Both teams would come out hard in the 3rd period and midway through the final period Nick Doyle would do a lot of work beating out a Mercs defender in the neutral zone along the side boards and then working another defender deep into the Mercs zone before sending a pass over the defenders stick onto the blade of Shea Hamilton and Hamilton's quick shot would cross the goal line for a go ahead goal. The last half the 3rd period would be very exciting. The Mercs would push hard looking to tie the game and would appear to catch a break with 3 min. and 34 sec. left to play when Matt Dyck would be assesed a boarding penalty. However, the Mercs powerplay would be negated when Mercs foward Justin Crockatt would take a retalitory penalty on Dyck keeping both teams at even strength. The Mercs would press hard in the last several minutes, even pulling their goalie, going with 6 players to the Maroons 5 and with 13 sec. left they would have what appeared to be a powerplay opportunity with Craig Neufeld taking a holding penalty. During the immediate scrum followint the holding call Mercs forward Reid MacLeod would be assesed a retalitory roughing call, again negating a powerplay opportunity. The Maroons would battle hard in the last 13 seconds to keep the Mercs away from any scoring chance and could only celebrate when the final buzzer sounded.

Head Coach Rob Friesen was releived his guys could hang on long enough for the win and was very proud of his players in this series overall. "The guys played hard and battled. We moved a few guys from forward to defence and they a great job for us accepting that role and adapting. Coach/GM John Mintenko echoed Friesens sentiments "Having to pull a few forwards back to help on defence was tough, but nobody complained and that says a lot. It's the playoffs, everyone has to chip in and contribute. I also thought we got great goaltending from Janzen throughout the series, especially in games 2, 3 and now in game 4 he gave us every chance for a win. The guys are happy and tired, so having a few days off before the next series is good for everyone."

Not in the line-up: Dane Crowley, Mike Friesen & Dan Poppel

Maroons hold on to win 2-1, lead series 2 games to 1

Tuesday, Feb. 16th, 2016

Altona Maroons 2 - Warren Mercs 1

With the series now tied at one game a piece, the Maroons were looking to use home ice to their advantage. Coming off a 4-0 win in Warren Jayme Janzen would continue to play solid as both teams would trade scoring chances early in the game. Late in the period Nick Doyle would break out of the Maroons zone while the Maroons were fighting off a penalty and get the puck to Shea Hamilton. Hamilton's shot would beat Mercs goalie Ben Lobb for a 1-0 lead.

In the 2nd period the Mercs would keep pressing and taking shots towards Janzen. With less then 4 min. left in the middle frame Reid MacLeod would feed Cliff Ketchen a pass and Ketchens shot would find the back of the net tying the game at 1-1.

The 3rd period saw both teams trade a few chances. The Mercs would continue to forecheck aggressivley but were unable to solve Janzen. With less then 9 min. to play Matt Dyck and Nick Doyle would connect to set up Shea Hamilton and Hamilton would score for a 2-1 lead. The 1 goal lead was enough as the Maroons would hang on to win the critical game 3 and lead the series 2-1 heading back to the Sunova Center in Warren.

National Anthem performed by: Gabbi Wolfe

50/50 Winner - Dan Geirnaert, Altona

Not in the line-up: Dane Crowley, Mike Friesen & Dan Poppel

Maroons bounce back and win 4-0 in Warren, Series tied at 1-1.

Friday, Feb. 12th, 2016

Altona Maroons 4 - Warren Mercs 0

Jayme Janzen provided all the goaltending necessary in Game 2 and the Maroons were able to hold leads of 1-0 after the first period, 2-0 after the second period and score two more goals in the third period in Warren for a bounce back win 4-0. Scoring for the Maroons in Warren - Matt Dyck, Nick Doyle (2) and Angus Klassen.

Maroons drop Game 1 at home - 5-4 to Warren

Thursday, Feb. 11th, 2016

Warren Mercs - 5 - Altona Maroons 4

The Warren Mercs came into Altona for Game 1 of the playoffs and quickly started the scoring just 4 min. in. Midway through the first period the Mercs added a second goal before Dane Crowley's point shot would find the back of the net. The Maroons would trail 2-1 heading into the second period. Early in the second period the Mercs would make it 3-1. Before the second period was half over the Mercs would add two more goals making it 5-1. Late in the period the home team Maroons would get back on the board courtesy of a goal from Angus Klassen. The Maroons would finish the period very strong but trail 5-3 heading into the third period.

In the the third period the Maroons would capitalize on a powerplay and Dane Crwoley would score his 2nd of the night with 16:41 left to play. The Maroons would continue to pour on pressure and keep the majority of the play in the Mercs end with just under 5 min. left to play Tyler Dittmer would squeeze in another goal making it 5-4. With time slipping away the Maroons would pull Janzen in favour of an extra attacker and continued to buzz in the Mercs end. The Mercs were able to thwart a tying goal and even iced the puck a few times. Angus Klassen would come within an inch of tying the game putting the puck off the goal post but the Mercs pushed back any chance of the Maroons getting the loose puck in the crease over the line and after 60 minutes it was the Mercs winning Game 1 in Altona.

National Anthem performed by - Gabbi Wolfe

50/50 Winner - Len Scheiman (2nd time in the last few home games - Congrats!)

Maroons clinch 2nd place with last reg. season game win over Portage Islanders

Saturday, Feb. 6th, 2016

Altona Maroons 5 - Portage Islanders 1

Proving that there is great parity in the league the SEMHL Final standings needed games on the last night of the regular season to determine the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th place finishes. A clean win by the Maroons would determine a 2nd place finish. In the first period of the game with the Islanders, Matt Dyck would beat goalie Jesse Deckert with assists going to Dane Crowley and Tyler Dittmer. It would take until roughly seven minutes into the second period for Sklar Klassen to win an offensive zone face-off, with Kevin Giesbrecht setting up Crowley for a goal to make it 2-0 Maroons. Just under two min. later Matt Dyck would send a long pass across the offensive zone to Tyler Dittmer and Dittmers shot would beat Deckert under the crossbar to make it 3-0. Early in the third period Jon Froese and Tim Knight would connect with Knight getting the puck over to Brett Klassen and Klassen's goal would give the Maroons a 4-0 lead. Midway through the final frame, Islanders A.J. Spillier would beat a few Maroons defenders before solving Jayme Janzen to break the shut out bid and give the Islanders some life. With just under two minutes to play Dittmer would pick up his 2nd of the night giving the Maroon a 5-1 lead. Moments later Tim Knight worked himself into a partial breakaway situation and deked Deckert out but Deckert made a terrific save to keep the puck out of the net. When the buzzer sounded it was a 5-1 final for the Maroons. Coach John Mintenko was very happy with the teams play. "We got a great effort from everyone in the lineup. It seems we've had to always make line and position adjustments and sometimes it shows, but tonight everyone made those adjustments and stuck to a solid game plan. Portage has a really good club and I wanted the guys to make sure they played smart. We played a hard working, disciplined game and stayed out of the penalty box. I don't think we gave them too many chances to get into this game. The score is a bit misleading, I though they could have made it a different game but Jayme (Janzen) played very well for us."

Game Notes - Not in the line up: Mitch Fehr & Nick Doyle

After the game the Maroons players joined teammate Mitch Fehr and his fiancee Meaghan Toews at their Wedding Social. By all acounts the wedding social was a success - Congrats Mitch & Meaghan.

National Anthem performed by: Jenna Alexander

50/50 Winner - Justin Fehr of Winkler

Beavers edge Maroons in overtime - 6-5

Thursday, Feb. 4th, 2016

Carman Beavers 6 - Altona Maroon 5

The Altona Maroons rolled into Carman hoping for a win on the heels of a Wednesday night (Make up game) against the Winkler Royals. Early in the first period Brett Klassen would beat Beavers goalie Steve Christie to give the Maroons a 1-0 lead just under a minute into the game with asssits to Matt Dyck and Tim Knight. Later in the opening frame, Klassen would notch his second of the game this time it would be unnassisted. The hometown Beavers would get one back with just under 5 min. left in the period when Darren Bestland and Brett Chartier connected with Jesse Vanderveen and Vanderveens shot would beat Jayme Janzen. After 20 min. the Maroons found themselves with a 2-1 lead.

Just under 5 minutes left in the second period league leading scorer Aaron Lewadniuk would tie the game at 2-2. Less then 2 minutes later the Maroons would score a powerplay goal courtesy of Dane Crowley and re-gain the lead at 3-2. One minute later the one goal lead would vanish when Lewadniuk would pot his 2nd of the night tying the game at 3-3 heading to the third period.

Halfway into the third period Tim Knight would muscle a loose puck over the goal line for a 4-3 Maroons lead and then just under 4 min. left in the game Matt Dyck would spring Nick Doyle for a breakaway and Doyle would beat Christie on the glove side to make it 5-3. All signs should point to a win when you are leading a hockey game 5-3 with under 4 min. to play but with just under 2 min. left in the game the Maroons were assessed a 2 min. holding penalty and the Beavers powerplay went to work. Darren Bestland would eventually get credit with a goal to make it 5-4. 20 sec. later the Beavers would press hard into the Maroons end and tie the game courtesy of Ryan McIntosh. The remaining time on the clock would run out and send this game to overtime.

Both teams would trade a few chanes in the extra frame, but as time was winding down the Beavers would capitlize on a Maroons defensive error and Mark Owen was left alone in front of Janzen to score and send the home team off the ice happy with the comeback win.

Golden West Media Sports director - Clayton Dreger was in attendance and the images from this game are courtesy of Pembina Valley Online.

Maroons defeat Royals 7-4 in a make-up game

Wednesday, Feb. 3rd, 2016

Altona Maroons 7 Winkler Royals 4

Playing a rare Wednesday night game the Maroons and Royals would face off against each other at the Sunflower Gardens. Matt Dyck would open the scoring just under 5 min. into the game beating Royals goalie Matt Krahn. The Royals would later respond midway through the period when Blake Forsyth's shot would beat Janzen on the stick side. Later in the period with approx. 5 min. left before intermission Shea Hamilton appearing in just his 3rd game this season would make a nice deke on Krahn and slide in a back hand to give the Maroons a 2-1 lead.

In the second period less then a minute in, Mitch Doell would take a pass from Phil Letkeman on a powerplay and beat Janzen to tie the game 2-2. Shortly before the period was half over Tyler Dittmer would feed Nick Doyle a pass and Doyles shot would find the back of the net for a 3-2 lead. The Maroons would add another goal at the 12:20 mark of the period, but this time it was Angus Klassen and Nick Doyle connecting with Tyler Dittmer and Dittmer would score to make it 4-2. With 2 min. left before the 2nd intermission the Maroons capitlalized a powerplay opportunity and Tyler Ditttmer would score his second of the night to give the Maroons a 5-2 lead heading to the 3rd period.

In the 3rd period Angus Klassen would score just over 5 min. in to make it 6-2. In the last 10 min. of the game the Maroons would take 3 seperate penalties and the Royals would make good on 2 of them with Caleb Suderman and Mitch Doell scoring to make it 6-4. With just 3 min. to play Winkler increased their offensive zone prescence but eventually the Maroons would find the back of the empty net with 30 sec. left to play when Nick Doyle floated a long wrist shot in to make t 7-4 for the hometown team.

Game Notes: Not in the line up: Dan Poppel

National Anthem performed by: Gabbi Wolfe

50 / 50 Winner - Len Scheiman of Rosenfeld

Maroons win nailbiter in OT 8-7 to close out Altona's Winter Carnival

Saturday, Jan. 30th, 2016

Altona Maroons 8 - Notre Dame Hawks 7

After coming off a 1-0 shootout loss, the Maroons decided it was time put the scoreboard to work. After falling behind 1-0 the Marons potted two quick ones in a matter of two min. from Rosenfeld brothers Angus Klassen and Brett Klassen. But just before the period ran out the Hawks tied it 2-2 heading into the second.

Ryan Gerbrandt began the scoring for Altona in the second but the Hawks came right back tieing it less than a minute later. Then the Maroons took over with 4 goals before the period ended. One came from Matt Dyck, two from Dane Crowley and Angus Klassen got his second of the game to make it 7-3 heading into the third.

In the third period the wheels fell off for the Maroons. Penalty trouble allowed the Hawks to battle back in the game and they scored four straight goals, one with the empty net in the final minute to tie the game. Dane Crowley appeared to have scored to give the Maroons an exciting last second win but the buzzer was already sounding as the puck went in the net. In the Overtime period Tyler Dittmer poked the puck in off the goal line from a Shea Hamilton sharp angle shot to win the game 8-7. It was not a pretty win for the Maroons but they got the job done in the end.

Write up based on the Red River Valley Echo article by Craig Neufeld.

National Anthem performed by: Gabbi Wolfe

50/50 Winner - Jackie Pappel

Game Notes: Not in the line up - Dan Poppel & Nick Doyle

Special Thanks to 2015 Manitoba Sunflower Festival Royalty - Queen Madeline Harder, 1st Princess Jayda Turenne and Miss People's Choice / Miss Congeniality Brittany Klassen as they helped sell 50/50 tickets in the stands as part of their involvment with Altona's Winter Carnival.

Redskins edge Maroons in a shoot-out - Final 1-0

Thursday, Jan. 28th, 2016

Morden Redskins 1 - Altona Maroons - 0

The Altona Maroons were involved in a defensive affair when they in were in Morden to take on the Redskins. The Winner of this game would be put into a tie with the Winkler Royals for second place for the time being. The first period saw both teams played very structured hockey. Not many scoring chances were had, and those that were had were turned away by each of the netminders. The second periodd was more of the same but the game opened up slightly with a more chances either way. Still, no chance was good enough to find the back of the net. The third period saw some great chances being had and both goalies (Reed Peters, Morden) and Jayme Janzen (Altona) playing very well. The Redskins looked to have a goal in the middle of the frame but Janzen came up big and Dane Crowley was able to lay down in the crease to block the rebound. At the other end it looked as though the Maroons were going to take the lead but Peters was able to pull the puck off the goaline at the last secondto keep the game scoreless. The game headed to overtime in a very rare 0-0 tie.

In overtime both teams traded chances once again but with neither team scoring it was sent to a shootout. In the shootout it was the Redskins who took it 1-0 on a goal from Graham Leiding. The Maroons best chance to score was with Angus Klassen's shot beating Peters but ringing off the goal post.

Write up taken from Red River Valley Echo - by Craig Neufeld.

Maroons drop first road game of the year to defending League Champs

Saturday, Nov. 14th, 2015

Morden Redskins 4 - Altona Maroons - 0

The Maroons opened their season on the road in Morden. Icing a smaller squad with some help from a few AP's from the Red River Mudbugs, the team was able to keep things close early on and with Jayme Janzen playing sharp in the first period. The teams would head in after the first period with a scoreless tie.

Less then 3 min. into the 2nd period the Redskins would hold a 2-0 lead and later in the middle frame the Redskins would make it 3-0 off a point shot that went off a Maroons defenceman's shin pad to find the back of the net.

In the 3rd period the Redskins would switch up some of their line combinations and continue to make things difficult for the Maroons. Late in the 3rd, with Janzen pulled in favour of an extra attacker the Redskins would take advantage of a neutral zone turnover and score an empty net goal.

When the dust settled, coach Rob Friesen commented that overall he was happy to get into a game situation and start assessing players. Friesen was pleased with the efforts of the players including the AP's Tristan Dueck and Mark Falk as well as newcomer to Senior hockey Ryan Gerbrandt.

******************************************************

2014 - 2015 Final Recap -

The Morden Redskins would eventually win the Semi-Finals series with the Maroons and go on to face the Carman Beavers in the SEMHL Finals with the Redskins winning the League Championship.

March 3, 2015

Maroons have life in Semi-Finals with 4-3 win over Redskins

Sat. Feb. 28 -Maroons 4 Redskins 3

With 1:23 left to play in regulation, the Maroons Ryan Dyck would score a powerplay goal beating Redskins goalie Reed Peters to break a 3-3 tie and the Maroons would hang on for the win extending their seasonand forcing another playoff game. Late in the 1st period Tyler Dittmer and Angus Klassen would connect with Klassen finding the back of the net for a 1-0 lead that would hold until the 2nd period.

Midway through the 2nd period the Maroons would score 2 more times with Ryan Dyck converting a Tyler Dittmer pass in the slot on a powerplay and less then 2 min. later Dittmer and Klassen would find themselves on a shorthanded 2 on 1 with Dittmer feeding Klassen a pass that he would bury for a 3-0 lead.

The 3rd period wasn't kind to the Maroons as they would be handed a total of 5 consecutive penalties. The Redskins would cut the lead to 3-1 scoring just over a min. into the period when Blair Osiowy finally beat Jayme Janzen. With just over 10 min. left to play the Redskins powerplay went to work with a 2 man advantage Jay Fehr would score cutting the lead to 3-2 and then just over a min. later and still on a powerplay Fehr would get credit for his 2nd of the night tying the game at 3-3. The Maroons would have to fight off one more Redskins powerplay before playing at even strength for the final 9 min. of the game. With fans on their edges of their seats both teams would battle hard and late in the period Ryan Dyck's 2nd goal of the game would give the Maroons a 4-3 lead and stand as the winning goal.

Not in the line-up: Dane Crowley

50/50 Winner - John W. Froese

Maroons win 5-3 over Royals in final regular season game. Game Sponsor Parkland Condominiums.

Maroons defeat the Hawks in Notre Dame 5-3

Sat. Jan. 24th

Sat. Feb. 9 - Maroons 5 Royals 3

The Altona Maroons had been in 2nd place most of the season but towards the end of the SEMHL regular season teams were moving around a lot. Winkler fell out of 1st place while the Morden Redskins moved up to 1st and the Maroons dropped to 3rd and then 4th respectivley. While the last regular season game wouldn't change anything for the Maroons, a Royals win would give them first place. A great crowd was on hand for the Parkland Condominiums sponsored game and midway through the first period Royals defenceman Blake Forsyth would give the visiting team a 1-0 lead. Late in the period Ryan Dyck would tie the game beating Blaine Unger with quick snap shot on the glove side.

In the 2nd period Steve Doell's goal would give the Royals a 2-1 lead before Matt Dyck on a nice set up from Dane Crowley would tie the game again at 2-2. It would be a short time before the Royals would go up 3-2 when Forsyth notched his 2nd of the game. The rest of the period would play out with the Maroons outchancing the Royals.

In the 3rd period it was all Maroons as Matt Dyck would score his 2nd of the night to tie it up at 3-3 and then Joey Braun would score giving the Maroons a 4-3 lead and late in the final frame Jon Froese would score a nice goal with a wrist shot through Unger's five hole for an insurance marker. The Maroons would hang on for the win. Jayme Janzen picked up the win stopping 39 of the 42 shots he faced while Blaine Unger records a loss stopping 42 of the 47 shots he faced.

Maroons assistant coach John Mintenko was pleased with the victory noting "for us it was a nothing game, but you want to go into the playoffs on a good note and I thought we did a good job of getting a lot of pucks to their net".

With the Maroons locking up 4th place the first round match up will pit them against the Warren Mercs who finished 5th in league standings.

Playoff information to come soon.

50/50 Winner - Dick Letkeman of Altona

Parkland Condominiums door prize winner - Ralph Hamm of Altona.

National Anthem performed by - Gabbi Wolfe

Maroons host Carman Beavers on Sun Valley Co-op Night - Saturday, Dec. 20th @ 8:00 p.m.

Dittmer picks up a hat trick and Janzen records a shutout as Maroons drop Mercs 6-0

Sat. Dec. 13th

The Maroons travelled to Warren on Saturday, Dec. 13th to face the Mercs for the 2nd time this season. After losing to the Mercs in Overtime early in the season the squad was looking for revenge. The game started off sloppy for both teams as they each looked to generate consistent pressure. The Mercs bench was short and in net was 2nd string Cole Boulton. Early on Boulton made some strong saves to keep the home team in the game. Midway through the first period and on a powerplay, Josh Froese would feed Jon Froese a pass and Froese would beat Boulton with a stick side wrist shot for a 1-0 lead. The Maroons would pick up the pace towards the very end of the period but Boulton would close the door and after 20 min. it remained 1-0.

Tyler Dittmer would make it 2-0 midway through the 2nd period picking up a long pass through the neutral zone from Dane Crowley. Later in the period with just under 3 min. to play, Jon Froese would pick up his 2nd of the game with assists to Nolan Martens and Mitch Fehr. After Froese's goal the Maroons would quickly make it 3-0 just 7 seconds later. This time Nolan Martens slid the puck past Boulton in a bit of a crease scramble. 39 Seconds later Angus Klassen and Shea Hamilton would both assist Dittmer for his 2nd of the game and a 5-0 lead. The 3 goals in the final 3 minutes of the period spelled the end of the night for Boulton.

In the 3rd period Brock Corbett emerged as the goalie for the Mercs. The Maroons would test Corbett early and although he loooked a bit shaky he was able to fend off the shots. Angus Klassen would have Corbett beat on a breakaway but the crossbar would keep the puck out of the net. Midway through the final frame Darin Husak escaped a hitting from behind penalty with a boarding call and the Maroons would make the Mercs pay on the ensuing powerplay. Shea Hamilton and Klassen would both grab an assist and help set up Dittmer for a goal making it 6-0 and giving Dittmer a hat trick. The balance of the game would play out with both teams each getting a few more scoring chances and when the dust settled it was the Maroons leaving Warren with a win and 2 points for standings column.

Game notes: Not in the line-up - Matt Dyck, Ryan Dyck & Kevin Giesbrecht.

Coaches Comments: Head Coach Rob Friesen was happy with the win citing that Warren as a tough team to play even with a shorter bench. "They were missing some players tonight and I think we got caught in the trap that we should have an easier time with them. That's a bad mistake to make. Luckily we got our legs moving and after a period and a half we started to find the back of the net. They still generated some strong odd man rushes on us and Janzen came up with good saves when he was tested."

The Maroons next game will be a home game on Saturday, Dec. 20th when the Carman Beavers visit the Sunflower Gardens with Sun Valley Co-op as the Game Sponsor. Game time is 8:00 p.m.

Ryan Dyck - 400 Career Games Played

Dec. 11th Home game program cover featured Ryan Dyck. The Altona Maroons congratulate Ryan on playing in his 400th career SEMHL game. Now in his 15th season, Dyck has compiled 232 goals, 458 assists for 690 points and sits 6th in All Time SEMHL scoring. It's quite the accomplishment! During the course of his career Dyck has played with the Morden Redskins, Carman Beavers and the Altona Maroons. Outside of the SEMHL Dyck has coached at various levels of youth hockey, MMJHL and in the last number of seasons he has participated with the Southeast Prairie Thunder AAA team and is a member of the 2011-12 Allan Cup Championship team.

Congrulations Ryan!

Angus Klassen records a hat trick but Royals edge Maroons 6-5

Thur. Dec. 11

Game Sponsor - Border Real Estate

Staff members from Border Real Estate treated fans to FREE popcorn and many bags contained surprise gifts much to the delight of Maroons fans.

The Maroons and Royals were back at it on Thursday, Dec. 11th. With the season series tied at one game a piece the Maroons were hoping that home ice would give them a lift to get past the Royals. The first period featured 5 goals with Winkler opening the scoring courtesy of Mark Hildebrand taking advantage of a defensive breakdown and beating Jayme Janzen with a low wrist shot just 2 min. into the ame. A min. later Tyler Dittmer would tie the game 1-1 and just 40 sec. later Shea Hamilton's quick shot would beat Royals goalie Blaine Unger for a 2-1 Maroons lead. Shortly after at the 15:00 min. mark of the first Marlin Froese would set up Steve Doell and the game would be tied again. Later in the period with 8 min. left before the intermission Phil Letkeman's wrist shot through traffic would find the back of the net for a 3-2 lead.

In the 2nd period the Maroons would tie the game with Josh Froese and Dittmer setting up Angus Klassen for his first of the game. Marlin Froese would give the Royals the lead midway through the period before Klassen would get his 2nd of the night on a powerplay with less then 5 min. left in the period. The Royals would strike one more time with Brett Harder picking up a powerplay goal with just under 2 min. to go before the 2nd intermission.

Angus Klassen scoring one of his 3 goals of the game. Photo credit: Ray Peters.

With the score 5-4 heading into the 3rd period the crowd would treated to an exciting finish. Both teams would continue to battle each other with the Maroons looking to tie the game and the Royals looking to pull ahead and increase their one goal lead. With just under 7 min. left to play Steve Doell would get his 2nd goal of the game making it 6-4. The Maroons would pick up their game from here on in looking to keep it close and late in the game after a time-out and with 6 attackers on the ice Angus Klassen would score notching his first career SEMHL hat trick making it 6-5 with just under 2 min. left to play. The Maroons would send Janzen back to the net after the goal and once they regained pressure in the Royals zone Janzen would head to the bench for the extra attacker. A plethora of scoring chances would be had but time would run out on the Maroons and the Royals would leave Altona with the win and the 2 points.

Coaches Comments: Coach Rob Friesen was frustrated that the team couldn't have played more structured hockey for the full 60 min. "We had a few defensive breakdowns early on and that resulted in a few turnovers and opposition goals. Jayme has been outstanding in net for us and I know he would like to have a few of those goals back. We applied great pressure late in the game and I was expecting us to tie the game and take that momementum as far as we could. Unfortunatley it wasn't our night."

During the pre-game warm-ups the Maroons wore jerseys in support of Domestic Abuse against Women. The jerseys were provided by Southern Manitoba's Genesis House. The message being that "Peace begins at home".

Hawks on home ice topple Maroons 8-5

Sat. Dec. 6, 2014

Following a Friday night game in Winkler in which the Maroons were missing a few players and had 2 players ejected during the game, the Maroons packed up the old bus and headed to Notre Dame on Saturday to face off against the Hawks.

The Hawks would open the scoring with 7 min. left in the first period with Myles Nykoluk beating Maroons goalie Eric Martel. Just under 40 sec. later Matt Dyck and Dane Crowley would set up Angus Klassen and Klassen would muscle one in past Hawks netminder Marc Lesage to tie the game 1-1.

The 2nd period saw the two teams trade goals a few times with the Maroons holding a 4-3 lead after 40 min. Maroons goals in the 2nd period were courtesy of Tyler Dittmer (2) and Klassen picking up his 2nd of the game. Matt Dyck picked up assists on each on 2 of the Maroons 3 2nd period goals for 3 assists on the night. For the Hawks Jason Yuel and Paul Chanel each notched a goal.

The Hawks would go on to score 4 consecutive goals in the 3rd period giving them a 7-4 lead before Ryan Dyck connected with Jared Barnabe with Barnabe's goal making it 7-5 with just under 3 min. left in the game. With just over a min. left in the game coach John Mintenko pulled goalie Eric Martel looking inch within one goal but with 30 sec. left to play Jean Preject sent a shot into the empty Maroons net giving the Hawks an 8-5 home ice win.

Game notes: Not in the line-up: Shea Hamilton, Josh Froese & Kevin Giesbrecht. Added to the line up: Haydon Friesen.

Coaches Comments: Coach Mintenko thought that the game didn't seem too have much of a consistent flow for either team. Lively boards and errant passing plays broken up from both teams contributed to a bit of a sloppy game. The 4-3 lead going into the 3rd was nice when you're on the road but it's also a tough lead to hold. You have to credit the Hawks for jumping on us early in the 3rd to get back into the game and by the time they had a 6-4 lead with about 10 min. left to play we started to show a bit of fatigue. It wasn't our night. We will rest up and prepare for our next home game.

The Maroons next game will be Thursday, Dec. 11th when they host the Winkler Royals.

Maroons win 3-1 in Winkler

Fri. Dec. 5, 2014

Meeting for the 2nd time in less than a week the Maroons were in Winkler last Friday to take on the Royals. The Maroons played well in the first period and although the shot clock favoured the Royals, the Maroons did have a Tyler Dittmer breakaway attempt with the puck almost crossing the goal line but the first period would remain scoreless when the buzzer sounded to indicate the intermission.

In the 2nd period the Maroons would lose Matt Dyck to three stick infracations in the game but were able to avoid a Royals popwerplay goal. However the Royals would get on the board late in the frame with Phil Letkeman redirecting a Caleb Suderman point shot for a powerplay goal. This Royals powerplay was due to Maroons import defenceman receiving a 5 min. major & Game misconduct for a high hit to the head on Royals forward Andrew Froese. Down two players the Maroons would finish off the period down only 1-0.

The 3rd period would see the Maroons break Royals goalie Mark Friesen when on a 2 min. powerplay Tyler Dittmer's slapshot would miss the net and come off the end boards hitting Friesen's leg and going in making it 1-1. With the game now tied the intensity and pace was further elevated. Maroons Jayme Janzen was making saves to keep his team in the game. The Maroons forwards pressed on and finally with just over 7 min. left to play Angus Klassen stole the puck off a Royals player behind the Royals net and in one quick motion wrapped the puck around the net and slid it under Friesen for a 2-1 lead. Finally playing with a lead the Maroons forwards continued to press on offensivley and just over 2 min. later would get an important "insurance" goal from Nolan Martens finishing a nice passing play from Dittmer and Mitch Fehr making it 3-1. The Royals certainly did not roll over and would throw a lot of pucks towards Janzen in the final 4 and a half minutes including pulling Friesen in the final minute but Janzen kept the door closed and the Maroons running out of gas did a good job of protecting their lead until the final buzzer.

Game notes: Not in the line up - Shea Hamilton, Josh Froese, Kevin Giesbrecht.

Next game - Sat. Dec. 6 Maroons at Notre Dame

Royals edge Maroons 5-3 in Winkler

Sun. Nov. 30, 2014

It was a cold and windy Sunday evening as the Maroons travelled to Winkler to take on the 1st place Royals. Midway through the 1st period the Royals Mitch Doell would beat Jayme Janzen to get the home town Royals on the board first. Just over a min. later Nolan Martens fed Mitch Fehr a pass and Fehr was able to get a quick wrist shot off in the slot beating Mark Friesen to tie the game 1-1.

Mitch Fehr celebrating his first period goal in Winkler. Photo credit - Ray Peters

After the first period it was apparent that both teams goalies were playing well turning aside a fairly equal amount of shots on net. In the 2nd period the Royals would score twice with Andrew Froese getting a stick on a puck that was flung from the corner by Brett Suderman and late in the period Dale Harder would catch a break when Mike Friesen would lose an edge on his skate giving Harder a breakaway from the blueline in. Harder's low snap shot would beat Janzen and after 40 min. the Royals would be holding a 3-1 lead.

The Maroons would start the 3rd period on a 5 on 3 powerplay and Shea Hamilton's high wrist shot would beat Friesen cutting the lead to 3-2. Shortly after Angus Klassen would get a nice pass to Tyler Dittmer and Dittmer's quick shot would find the back of the net tying the game 3-3. The Royals would get a go ahead goal with roughly 10 min. left in the game when Phil Letkeman's shot through some traffic would beat Janzen and then later with just 4 min. left in the game a re-directed point shot from Caleb Suderman that appeared to be high sticked fooled Janzen gave the Royals a 5-3 lead. The Maroons would press in the final 4 min. of the game to climb within one but were unable to capitalize on any chances and have to leave Winkler on wrong side of the Win/Loss column.

Game notes: Not in the Maroons line-up - Kevin Giesbrecht & Craig Neufeld.

Coaches comments: Head Coach Rob Friesen took some time after the game to address areas of the game that he felt needed improving. Overall Friesen was happy to see that the offence was able to create a lot of good scoring chances. "I thought there were a few times tonight when Shea (Hamilton) had more time then he needs to score and he simply misfired, missing the net at least twice. These things happen. I thought the team played strong overall. I thought we had a few more quality scoring chances then the Royals tonight and I was happy to see us get back into the game early in the 3rd. The last Winkler goal kind of fooled everyone as it was a high shot from the point that ended up going in at shin hight. Everyone saw it change directions except the officials, but we can't make excuses. What we can do is continue to work hard and we will be okay. If we can caplitalize on solid scoring chances our defence and goaltending will give us a great chance every night to win hockey games."

Town of Altona Winter Parade

Fri. Nov. 28, 2014

Nolan Martens, Eric Martel, Sam Friesen, Brent Toews & Angus Klassen walked along the parade route handing out candy canes.

Maroons route Notre Dame 10-3

Sat. Nov. 22, 2014

Game Sponsor - West Park Motors

The Maroons would open the scoing in the first period just 5 min. in when Matt and Ryan Dyck would collaborate to get Nolan Martens the puck near Hawks goalie Marc Lesage and Martens would celebrate his first ever SEMHL goal. The Hawks would tie the game 1-1 before the periods midway point on a powerplay goal with Travis Klassen beating Jayme Janzen. A few min. later Dane Crowley would send a pass to Angus Klassen in the neutral zone and Klassen would cross the blue line and unload a wrist shot beating Lesage for a 2-1 lead. Late in the period the Hawks would even the score 2-2 with a goal from Jason Yuel.

In the 2nd period about 8 min. in, the Maroons would get a powerplay goal of their own from a Dane Crowley slapshot from the high slot. giving the Maroons a short 3-2 lead. The Hawks would bounce right back and tie the game 3-3 less than a min. later with Myles Nykoluk scoring on Janzen. Towards the end of the middle fram Shea Hamilton and Tyler Dittmer would each score goals giving the Maroons a 5-3 lead heading into the 3rd period.

In the 3rd period it was all Maroons as the home team would score 5 goals. Angus Klassen and Shea Hamilton would pick up their 2nd goals of the night to make it 7-3 with approximatley 10 min. left to play. Hamilton's goal was a Short handed marker and after the goal the Hawks would pull veteran goalie Marc Lesage in favour of Phil Vigier. 3 min. after the goaltender change Dane Crowley picked up his 2nd goal of the night. In the final 2 min. of the game and just 17 sec. apart, Mitch Fehr would notch a powerplay goal and Josh Froese would score even strength to make it 9-3 and 10-3 respectivley. While the game was even on the scoreboard for the first 2 periods the Maroons offence kicked into high gear for the 3rd period.

Game Notes: Not in the line up for the Maroons - Kevin Giesbrecht & Craig Neufeld.

National Anthem peformed by: Gabby Wolfe

50/50 Winner - Abe N.

Staff of West Park Motors showing off the Chevy Spark as well as 2 Free Door Prize Draw bins to enter.

Congratulations to 400 Club Winners of $200 each - Gerald Loeppky, Irv Loewen, Bernie Wiebe, Bill Hildebrand & Walter Hamm.

Maroons blank Redskins 4-0

Thur. Nov. 20, 2014

Game Sponsor - Golden West Media / CFAM

Maroons goalie Jayme Janzen (#29) shares a chuckle with Craig Neufeld

The defending Champion Morden Redskins visited Altona on Thursday night for the first time since last season when beating the Maroons for the league title; and it would be the first match up between the two teams since the Manitoba Cup Provincial Championships where the Maroons beat the Redskins in the Semi-Finals 1-0.

Both teams came out of the gates quickly and both goalies would look sharp early on. Nearing the midway point of the period Tyler Dittmer and Dane Crowley would connect on a play that would send Josh Froese in on Reed Peters and Froese's backhand finding the twine for a 1-0 Maroons lead. The Maroons would then fight off 2 penalties before late in the period before Dane Crowley would send a long pass to Jon Froese and Froese would make a nice deke on Peters also going to his backhand making it 2-0 with a minue left in the first period.

The Maroons would start the 2nd period shorthanded but again the team would kill off the penalty and after both teams would trade penalties midway through the 2nd the Maroons would get on the board again. With just under 5 min. left before the 2nd intermission and on a powerplay Craig Neufeld would make it 3-0 for the Maroons, streaking in from the blueline converting a great pass from Dittmer through the crease under the crossbar. The Redskins would take another penalty before the period ended this time a 2 min. hitting from behind penalty ending Jared Leidings evening early.

The 3rd period the Maroons seemed to be in control, playing smart and sound hockey but were tested again midway through the frame with a Crowley interference penalty and 40 sec. later a Josh Froese hooking penalty. If the Redskins were going to make a move, this was their best opportunity. Head Coach Rob Friesen called a time out to rest his players for the upcoming penalty kill and Maroons goalie Jayme Janzen remained sharp during the Redskins 5 on 3. Roughly 30 seconds after Crowley came out of the penalty box and Josh Froese just stepping back onto the ice, making it even strength; Crowley would find himself in front of Peters alone and power a shot past him making it 4-0 essentially giving the Maroons an insurance marker. The Final 5 minutes would play out with the Maroons stepping up the defensive end play hoping to help get Janzen a shutout and after 60 minutes of hockey it was the Maroons taking two points on home ice by a final of 4-0.

Game notes: Not in the line-up - Shea Hamilton, Matt Dyck & Kevin Giesbrecht.

National Anthem performed by CFAM Morning Host - Jayme Giesbrecht

50/50 Winner - $245.00 - Gerry Sawatzky

400 Club Winners - $200 each

Al Sawatzky, Conrad Driedger, Brian Hildebrand / Jody Penner, John Kroeker, Art Wiebe, Elmer Hildebrand, Hartley Gerbrandt & Rick Neufeld. Congratulations and Thank you for your support!

Golden West Radio (CFAM) setting up their display in the arena foyer as part of their Game Sponsor night. CFAM staff members encouraged fans to enter a draw for free Winnipeg Jets tickets. Congratulations to winner Brad Dueck of Altona.

Maroons defeat Beavers 6-1

Sat., Nov. 15, 2014

The Maroons travelled to Carman on Saturday night to take on the Beavers and early in the first period it looked like Beavers import goalie Steve Christie would be hard to beat as the Maroons generated several close scoring chances with Christie turning away everything. The Beavers would have two powerplay chances and the Maroons one, but neither team could find the back of the net. Although the Maroons out chanced the Beavers when Carman pressured the Maroons Jayme Janzen came up with the saves and the teams went into the 2nd period scoreless.

In the 2nd period the Maroons would take a 1-0 lead just over 2 min. in, when Jared Barnabe's quick low wrist shot would beat Christie. 3 min. later Dane Crowley and Angus Klassen connected through the neutral zone with Klassen getting the puck over to Ryan Dyck who would find the twine for a 2-0 lead. Shortly after the goal the Maroons would be forced to kill off a 4 min. minor penalty. Less than a min. into the kill, Angus Klassen would intercept a Beavers breakout pass and go in all alone beating Christie low on the stick side for a short handed goal and a 3-0 lead. After killing off the remainder of the penalty the teams battled at full strength and with just over 7 min. left in the 2nd a Josh Froese point shot was re-directed by Kevin Giesbrecht and then Mitch Fehr fooling Christie for a 4-0 lead. 19 seconds later Tyler Dittmer set up Ryan Dyck who fed Angus Klassen and Klassen's 2nd of the game made it 5-0. Late in the period the Beavers would finally solve Janzen with a lot of traffic in front of the net Beavers import forward Luke Cain would re-direct a shot that would sneak in making it 5-1.

The late 2nd period goal sparked the hometown Beavers as they came out a bit more energized early in the 3rd period but the Maroons defenceman and Janzen closed the door with Janzen making a few big saves. Midway through the 3rd Angus Klassen and Dane Crowley were in front of the Beavers net with Crowley getting his stick on the puck to put it in for his first SEMHL goal of the season. The Maroons import defenceman now has 1 goal and 5 assists for 6 pts. in 3 games. Both teams traded a few more chances before the clock ticked down and after 60 minutes the Maroons would leave the ice with a 6-1 victory.

Game notes: Goalie Jayme Janzen was nearly perfect turning away all but one shot on net.

Not in the line-up: Shea Hamilton, Mike Friesen, Matt Dyck & Joey Braun

Coaches Comments: John Mintenko coached without Rob Friesen and although line adjustments had to be made Mintenko was pleased how everyone performed. "I thought the line with Dittmer, Klassen and Dyck could have had another 3 or 4 goals. Early on Christie was standing on his head and I thought the game would might be a low scoring affair. When they tested us Janny (Janzen) came up with some great saves. Everyone chipped in tonight. Martens was generating a lot of speed and continued to get chances. Toews, Barnabe & Fehr were played well and we got to see a little more out of rookie Sam Friesen. On the back end we rolled 5 D with Crowley, the Froese brother (Jon & Josh) and the 2 Neufelds (Craig and brother Josh) and they all played sound. I'm very pleased overall how we played. The downside is that it looks as if we will be without Kevin Giesbrecht for a while. We'll know more as he gets his injury looked at." Giesbrecht was checked into the boards en route to the puck and although the check itself was clean and seemingly harmless, his right forearm was positioned in a strange way against the dasher board lip. Giesbrecht grabbed for elbow area and was taken off the ice. Late night X-rays confirmed that indeed his bone has broken right before the elbow joint and surgery will need to be done. No word on how long his injury will keep him out of the line up.

Mercs need OT to edge Maroons in home opener

Sat. Nov. 8 - Mercs 4 - Maroons 3 OT

An excellent crowd turned up to watch the Altona Maroons home opener against the Warren Mercs. To officially open the season the Manitoba Sunflower Festival 2nd Princess Amy Tarnick would drop the puck at a ceremmonial face-off with Maroons Captain Brent Toews and Mercs veteran captain Scott Corbett. Tarnick then sang the National Anthem before the teams got underway for a fiesty and physical game.

In the first period 5 min. in, Burke Van Kemenade would beat Jayme Janzen for a 1-0 lead. Midway through the period and on a Powerplay import defenceman Kyle Lundale's point blast through traffic would put the Mercs up 2-0. The Mercs came out forechecking aggressively. Towards the end of the period the Maroons started to generate some chances but Mercs import goalie Gavin McHale turned away all scoring chances.

The 2nd period shifted a bit as the Maroons turned the tables on the Mercs winning puck battles and early on Matt Dyck would set up brother Ryan and Ryan's shot would beat McHale cutting the lead to 2-1. Midway through the 2nd period the game seemed to even out as both teams traded chances and were skating well. A lot of animosity between the 2 teams accounted for a total of 11 minor penalties and 2 - 10 min. penalties. Late in the frame with just over a minute to play the Maroons would score a Powerplay goal of their own when Josh Froese would set up Tyler Dittmer and Dittmers quick pass was one-timed past McHale by Angus Klassen tying the game 2-2.

The 3rd period opened up even more as the teams both looked to get a go ahead goal and take control of the game. The Maroons would do just that as halfway through the final period as Nolan Martens through the neutral zone sent a head man pass to Matt Dyck crossing the Mercs blueline and Dyck left it for Dittmer. Dittmer took a stride closer towards the net and let a quick snap shot go that beat McHale high under the cross bar for a 3-2 lead. The Mercs would battle back with just over 5 min. left in the game Kyle Luschinski would pounce on a Maroons defensive turnover and set up his brother Brenden who would beat Janzen tying the game at 3 a piece. Neither team could score in the final minutes with the Maroons also having to kill off 2 minor penalties and after 3 periods of physical and fast hockey the game would head to overtime.

In the extra frame the Mercs would capitalize on a Maroons turnover and Scott Delong would beat Janzen giving the Mercs the win.

The Maroons will now practice and prepare for road game next Saturday v.s the Carman Beavers.

Coaches Comments: Head Coach Rob Friesen was frustrated with the amount of penalties that the Maroons took. "It's tough playing a big team like Warren when you are shorthanded a lot. You aren't giving yourself the best chance to win. I thought we looked flat at the start of the game. Halfway through the game we got a lot better and we started winning some of the smaller battles and as the game progressed it really appeared to be either teams to win. McHale played well for them, Janzen played well for us. In the end you could say that a few defensize zone break downs / give aways resulted in the other team winning. We win as a team and lose a team so no one has to be singled out. We know what to do and how to do it. It's only the 2nd game of the season so there is no need to panic."

National Anthem performed by: Amy Tarnick

50/50 winner - Kelly Suderman of Altona

2013-14 400 Club Winners of $200 each.

Rick Martel, Rod Fehr, Lloyd Wiebe, Bernie & Lyndon Friesen, Clayton Dreger, Liz Hildebrand, Pete Thiessen and Pete Martens. Congratulations! and Thank you for your support!

The Maroons also partnered with the South Central Cancer Resource organizaiton.

Fans were notified of a table in the lobby where they could purchase raffle tickets with 100% of the proceeds going to the local organization that assists people dealing with cancer.

Maroons open 2014-15 season with 5-3 road win in Stonewall

Sat. Nov. 1, 2014

The 64th edition of the Altona Maroons was successful on opening night in Stonewall earning 2 points and defeating the hometown Flyers. In the first period the Maroons would send out their new line combinations and generate a few early scoring chances. Midway thorugh the first veteran defenceman Mike Friesen was sent off for tripping giving the Flyers a powerplay opportunity but Maroons goalie Jayme Janzen came up with a few big saves keeping the game scoreless. The Maroons would generate a few more good shots on Flyers goalie Justin Harris and finally with just over a minute left in the period new import defenceman Dane Crowley would keep the puck in at Flyers blueline, find Ryan Dyck in the corner and Dyck would send brother Matt a quick pass with Dyck Jr. finding the back of the net giving the Maroons a 1-0 lead heading into the 2nd period.

In the 2nd period both teams appeared to be settling in with their new line combinations and the Maroons would again pressure the Flyers with goalie Justin Harris doing a great job of taking away a lof of the net for Maroons shooters. With 12 min. left in the period Flyers veteran Adam Kirk would set up Matt Varnes in tight and Varnes was able to jam the puck past Janzen tying it at one a piece. The Maroons would regain the lead just over 2 min. later when Shea Hamilton breaking over the Flyers blueline would feed Crowley and Crowley left the puck for Tyler Dittmer whose quick slapshot would beat Harris high under the crossbar making it 2-1. Continued play in the Flyers zone would result in Hamilton and Dittmer cycling the puck in the corner with Angus Klassen picking up Dittmers pass and wrapping it around the back of the net for a 3-1 lead. With just under 5 min. left in the middle frame Crowley would feed Hamilton a long pass in the neutral zone that he would simply re-diret to a streaking Dittmer and a few strides later Dittmer was in alone on Harris and with a quick deke Dittmer would slide a backhand through Harris for his second of the night and a 4-1 lead.

The 3rd period action seemed to slow down a little bit as both teams might have showing a little early season fatigue. The Flyers were able to cut the Maroons lead to 2 goals when Jay Burnett snuck the puck past Janzen. Midway through the 3rd the Flyers would come within one goal after Varnes scored his 2nd of the game on a Flyers powerplay. The Maroons would bounce back and again pressure the Flyers in their end with Harris making several more big saves. With just over 4 min. to play in the game Hamilton would work the puck into the Flyers corner and get it over to Dittmer along the end wall who spotted Josh Froese sneaking in from the blueline and Froese made no mistake finding the back of the net for 5-3 lead. Maroons coaches Rob Friesen & John Mintenko would call a time out wiht 1:05 left on the clock to rest their players as the Flyers prepared for 6 on 5 play with Harris pulled in attempt to claw back into the game. The Flyers attempt was unsuccessful and the Maroons would leave Stonewall with 2 points in the standings column.

Game notes: it's been a while since the Maroons featured several new faces. Playing in their first senior hockey games in the SEMHL for the Maroons were defenceman (Import) Dane Crowley, Josh Neufeld and forwards Nolan Martens, Joey Braun and Sam Friesen. Playing in his first league game with the Maroons, goaltender Jayme Janzen.

Scoring for the Maroons - Goals - M. Dyck, Dittmer (2), Klassen & Josh Froese. Assists - R. Dyck, Crowley (3), Hamilton (4) & Dittmer (2)

Not in the line up for the Maroons: Jon Froese & Jared Barnabe.

Coaches Comments: Head Coach Rob Friesen was pleased overall with the outcome. He felt that the Maroons controlled the play and outchanced the Flyers. Friesen didn't think that the shot clock was entirely accurate in terms of the amount of shots the Flyers had on net, but regardless praised the play of his goalie Janzen and gave credit to Flyers goalie Justin Harris for making a lot of good saves. Friesen added, "It's nice to see a bunch of new young faces and it's also nice to see the veteran guys on the team make some room for these guys to get some shifts in and allow them to start experiencing senior hockey. It's always great to get the first game of the year out of the way, work out some kinks, try some new line combiations and move along from here".

The Maroons next game will be their home opener agains the Warren Mercs on Saturday, Nov. 8th, Game time is 8:00 p.m.

2013-14 Team Wind up & Award Winners

Info to come

*** Updated April 9th, 2014***

Maroons prepare for Hockey Manitoba Provincials, While 6 Maroons will compete for the Allan Cup in Dundas, ON.

Fans starving for some more senior hockey action should take note of the upcoming Hockey Manitoba Sr. A Provincials. The Maroons who ran away with last years innagural Provincial tournament event will enter the tournament as this years "wild card" team. There are 5 Senior hockey leagues in Manitoba and each league champion will be represented plus 1 wild card team. This years wild card team was awarded to the runner up of the SEMHL League Finals = Altona Maroons.

The Maroons will travel to Killarney on Sunday, April 13th to take on the Deloraine Royals (Champions of the Tiger Hills Hockey League). Game time will be 4:30 p.m.

The Maroons second game in the Provincial tournament will be on Thursday, April 17th at the IcePlex in Winnipeg against the Miniota-Elkhorn C Hawks (Champions of the North Central Hockey League). Game time will be 8:20 p.m.

The tournament features 6 teams in 2 pools and the 4 teams ith the best records will crossover in Semi-Final with those games taking place on Friday, April 18th at 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Logically, the 2 winning teams will square off for the Championship game on Saturday, April 19th at 5:00 p.m., also at the IcePlex in Winnipeg. Complete Tournament information can be found at www.hockeymanitoba.ca

It should also be noted that all teams in the tournament will be allowed to add players from another team in their respective league and the Maroons will be adding players from the Winkler Royals. Meanwhile, the 2013-14 SEMHL Champion Morden Redskins have not declared an affiliate team and will be playing their 2 round robin games v.s. the Manitoba Senior Hockey League champions - Lac du Bonnet Blues and the champions from the Carillon Senior Hockey League - Red River Wild.

Allan Cup - On last weeknd of March the South East Prairie Thunder AAA team faced off in a best of 5 with the Shellbrook Elks from Saskatchewan. The South East Prairie Thunder swept the Elks for a return trip to the prestigious Allan Cup tournament in Dundas, ON. Six players from the Altona Maroons will be making the trip to the Allan Cup including Ryan Dyck as an Assistant Coach and players Devon Leblanc, Shea Hamilton, Nick Fuher, Dale Butland, and Dale Butland. The Allan Cup tournament will take place the same weekend as the bulk of the Hockey Manitoba Sr. A Provincials - April 18-20. The Maroons will most certainly miss these players while competing at the Provincials but the Management and players from the team want to wish them the very best as they attempt to capture the oldest hockey trophy in North America.

Redskins end Maroons run for a "Three-Peat" taking Final series 4 games to 0.

Saturday, March 22, 2014 - Redskins 6 Maroons 2

The Altona Maroons were hoping to avoid a series sweep with a Saturday night Game 4 against the Redskins. A capacity crowd was on hand to give the hometown team a boost and it was the Maroons that would come out of the gates quickly and get themselves on the scoreboard just 5 minutes into the game when Tyler Dittmer redirected a point shot from Nick Fuher. The Redskins Jay Fehr would respond sevral minutes later on a powerplay tying the game at 1-1. Late in frame Dittmer would score his 2nd of the game unassisted giving the Maroons a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission.

Maroons forward Tyler Dittmer on the attack with former Brandon Wheat Kings teammate Jay Fehr of the Redskins attempting to contain him. Dittmer led the SEMHL Playoffs goal scoring with a total of 17.

In the second period the Redskins would go to work and before the period was 5 minutes old they would be up 4-2 with goals from Kelby Friesen and Chris Reimer. Late in the period Reimer would score his 2nd of the game and with less then 3 min. to play in the middle frame Keith Bially would sneak a shot over Eric Martel's glove side making it 5-2 heading into the second intermission.

The 3rd period saw Bobby Derksen lead the Maroons to the ice. The change in goaltending gave the Maroons some jump as they would work hard and control a fair amount of play in the Redskins end but would fail to get quality scoring chances on Redskins goalie Tyler Oswald. As time would wind down below the 10 min. mark Kelby Friesen would add a partial breakaway goal for his 2nd of the night making it 6-2 for the Redskins and essentially putting the game out of reach for the Maroons. When the final buzzer sounded it was the Redskins who would be celebrating ther 11th SEMHL Championship in franchise history. Before league commissioner Brian Callum would hand over the SEMHL Elmer Hildebrand Championship trophy he would announce the Playoff MVP award to Morden's Jay Fehr. Fehr was a clear choice for the award picking up 15 goals and 26 assists for 41 points in the playoffs.

Game notes: Not in the line up for the Maroons was Shea Hamilton who was sitting out his 4th game of a 5 game suspension.

National Anthem peformed on electric guitar by Brett Schultz

50/50 Winner of $608.00 was Shaun Tarnick of Altona.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014 - Shootout at the Sunflower Gardens, Dittmer notches 2nd playoff hat trick, but Morden takes Game Two - 10-7

Josh Froese battles with Redskins Derek Holinski - Photo courtesy of ZJP Photography

The goals came early and in bunches on Tuesday night in Altona. The crowd of close to 800 fans sure got their monies worth. Just 14 seconds into the game Tyler Dittmer would put the Maroons up 1-0 and shortly after Devon Leblanc giving the hometown Maroons a 2-0 lead. Nearing the midway point of the period Jay Fehr cut the lead to 2-1 in favour of the Maroons. Dittmer would answer less then a minute later making it 3-1. 45 seconds later Andy Zulyniak would get the Redskins to 3-2. Still in the first period Redskins Chris Reimer would tie the game and on the next series of play Keith Bially would give the Redskins a 4-3 lead. At this point Maroons coach Rob Friesen would pull goalie Eric Martel and send Bobby Derksen to the pipes. With less then 5 min. left in the opening frame Ryan Dyck would score tying it at 4-4 but the home crowd was quieted down 40 seconds later as Fehr scored his 2nd of the game and in the final minute of play Bially would add his 2nd of the game giving the Redskins a 6-4 lead after 20 minutes.

In the 2nd period Martel led the Maroons onto the ice and Captain Brent Toews would score early to make it a one goal game still in favour of the visitors. Shortly after, the Redskins would score 3 unanswered goals and after 40 min. of play it was 9-5 Redkins.

In the 3rd period the Maroons showed no signs of folding as they controlled the play and continued to outshoot the Redskins. Dittmer would pick up his 2nd hat trick of the playoffs making it 9-6 and later Mitch Fehr would score cutting the Redskins lead to 9-7. As the final period winded down the Redskins went to a powerplay and Clint Olsen would convert the opportunity putting the game out of reach at 10-7.

Maroons forward Tyler Dittmer celebrating one of three goals on the night. Photo courtesy of ZJP Photography.

Goaltending stats for the game include - Eric Martel 8 Goals Against on 28 shots, Bobby Derksen - 2 Goals Against on 7 shots and for the Redskins Tyler Oswald - 7 Goals Against on 52 shots. Maroons out shot the Redskins 52 - 35.

Not in the Maroons line up- Nick Fuher & Shea Hamilton (awaiting pending suspension)

National Anthem performed by Gabbi Wolfe

50/50 Winner of $418.00 - Abe Suderman of Altona

Altona Maroons 400 Club Winner of $1000 - Bob Stoesz of Altona.

Game 3 is in Morden on Thursday, March 20th. Game time is 8 p.m. Out of town fans can listen to the Live broadcast on Country 88.9 FM

Saturday, March 15, 2014 - Morden scores early and deficit too much to come back from - Maroons drop game one - 5-3

Matt Dyck when asked about his teams game 1 peformance summed it up well "I think we came out flat footed, We spotted them 2 goals early in the game and to start the 2nd period we spotted them another 2 goals. Down 4-0, 25 min. into the game is a pretty tough deficit to come back from". While the Maroons dropped Game 1 in Morden there were some high points in the game. There were times were the Maroons were in strong puck control and putting a lot of shots towards Redskins import goalie Tyler Oswald but the Redskins did a good job of boxing out the Maroons for rebounds. Scoring for the Maroons was Angus Klassen on a nice partial breakaway deke, Devon Leblanc with a powerplay high slot blast to make it 4-2 and late in the game after the Redskins made it 5-2 on Bobby Derksen (who replaced Eric Martel early in the 2nd period), Dale Butlands point shot would find the back of the net to make it 5-3. Maroons Coach Rob Friesen went on record stating that his team needs to be more disciplined and come ready to compete harder.

Game 2 will go Tuesday, March 18th in Altona. The Maroons are looking to even the Best of 7 Championship series at one game a piece.

Not in the Maroons line-up - Shea Hamilton (awaiting a pending suspension) and Nick Fuher left the game early due to personal reasons.

Maroons advance to SEMHL finals after an exciting 3-2 win in Warren

Senior hockey fans got their moneys worth Tuesday night in Warren as they witnessed two teams play a deciding game 7 go down to the wire. In the first period both teams came out fast and furious. The Maroons would have their chances early on with 2 powerplays but weren't able to capitalize. Later in the period the Mercs had a powerplay and also failed to capitalize. The Maroons would pick up 2 more powerplays and although they couldn't convert on the chances they were keeping the Mercs on their heels. The closest anyone came to scoring was when Maroons forward Angus Klassen rung a wrist shot off the post and later defenceman Dale Butlands shot off the crossbar. After 20 min. it was deadlocked.

The 2nd period would see the penalties even out with the Mercs having 2 powerlays to the Maroons 1 but both teams goalies and defenceman did their jobs well keeping scoring chances to a minimum. The back and forth play would continue in the middle frame with an advantage going to Warren overall. Just before the period would end Tyler Dittmer would break through the Mercs defenceman and put a quick snapshot past goalie Gavin McHale for a 1-0 lead.

In the 3rd period the Mercs Wes Pawluk would tie the game just over a min. in and later and on a powerplay the Mercs would go up 2-1 courtesy of a Mark Magnowski goal beating Eric Martel. A minute after the Mercs took a 2-1 lead, Tyler Dittmer forechecking in the Mercs zone would sneak a quick shot behind McHale tying the game creating a very exciting final 5 minutes of play. With a large contingent of Maroons fans in Warren and the home fans cheering on the Mercs the stage would be set for some drama. Then with just 1:13 left on the clock Dittmer would strike again, busting into the Mercs zone with the puck, going wide on the defenceman and letting a rocket of a shot go that quickly found the net giving the Maroons a 3-2 lead. The Mercs woudl pull the goalie and attempt the extra man to get a tying goal and had 2 faceoffs in the Maroons end during this time but were unable to put a quality scoring chance together and when the buzzer sounded it was the Maroons that would raise their sticks in victory heading to the finals for the third straight year and fourth time in the las 5 seasons.

Game Notes: Not in the line up - Nick Fuher

With the Morden Redskins defeating the Winkler Royals 4 games to 2 the stage is set for the Maroons and Redskins to meet in the finals. Game 1 will be Saturday, March 15th in Morden.

CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS SCHEDULE - CLICK PLAYOFFS

Maroons win Game 6 (Kids Night) v.s. Mercs 5-2

A large crowd was on hand Saturday night as the Maroons hosted the Warren Mercs in a do or die game for the home team. The Mercs struck first with Scott Delong beating Eric Martel less then 4 min. into the game. Later in the frame with the Maroons on a powerplay Tyler Dittmer would beat Mercs goalie Gavin McHale with just 1 sec. left on the clock and it would be 1-1 heading into the intermission.

Halfway the 2nd period Mitch Fehr fed Jared Barnabe a pass which Barnabe converted for a goal giving the Maroons a brief 2-1 lead. The Mercs Eric Delong tied the game back up with less then 5 min. in the period and then late in the frame Shea Hamilton would keep the puck with him going behind the Mercs net and turning to put a shot on net. The shot would fool goalie McHale and the Maroons headed into the 3rd period with a 3-2 lead.

In the 3rd period Devon Leblanc's wrist shot found the net and gave the Maroons a 4-2 lead and later in the period Mike Friesen's point blast sealed the game for the Maroons making it 5-2.

The Maroons now head back to Warren for Game 7 on Tuesday, Mar. 11th. Game time is 8:00 p.m.

Saturday's game also featured the ever popular Kids Night with Free Cotton Candy and Team Posters to all the young hockey fans. Following the game the youngsters were invited into the dressing room for autographs. What a treat for not only the young fans but the Maroons players thouroughly enjoyed interacting with kids.

National Anthem was performed by: Amy Tarnick

50/50 - $362.00 - Claimed by John W. Froese

400 Club - 5 winners of $200 each:

Irv Toews #351

Mike Fehr #79

Lil Gerbrand #52

Jeff Dueck #100

Heather Unger #198

Thursday, Mar. 6th Game 5 - Mercs 4 - Maroons 3 (Overtime)

Tuesday, Mar. 3rd Game 4 - Maroons 4 - Mercs 0

Saturday, Mar. 1st Game 3 - Maroons 3 - Mercs 2

Thursday, Feb. 27th Game 2 - Mercs 5 - Maroons 2

Things got off to a great start for the Maroons as just two minutes into the game Mitch Fehr worked the puck through the neutral zone along the boards, Kevin Giesbrecht took it in over the blueline and fed Brent Toews a pass and Toews would quickly lift a shot over Mercs import goalie Gavin McHale's glove for an early 1-0 lead. However a min. later Kyle Lundale would tie the game with a point shot and then 27 sec. later Eric Delong would score a powerplay goal going up 2-1. Before the period was halfway through Mark Magnowski would be credited with the Mercs third goal. Heading into the first intermission the Mercs would hold a 3-1 lead.

In the 2nd period and just over a minute in, Kyle Luschinski would get a powerplay goal giving the Mercs a 4-1 lead. Coach Rob Friesen pulled Bobby Derksen in favour of Eric Martel. The Mercs powerplay was clicking and before the period was 5 minutes old Eric Delong would score his 2nd powerplay goal beating Martel on his 2nd shot since entering the game. On the upside Martel would get comfortable in net and shut the door on the Mercs for the balance of the 2nd period and then with just over 2 min. left before the intermission the Maroons would finally score a powerplay goal of their own when Matt Dyck set up Devon Leblanc and Leblanc's quick shot beat McHale making it 5-2.

The 3rd period found the Maroons trying hard to put a comeback together and before long the minutes were winding down and after 60 min. the Mercs would leave Altona with a win and 2-0 lead in the best of 7 series.

Game notes: Not in the Maroons line-up- Jared Barnabe.

National Anthem performed by Katrina Schroeder

Tuesday, Feb. 25th Game 1 - Mercs 5 - Maroons 3

The Warren Mercs wasted no time shaking off the rust from a 2 week layoff after finishing first in the SEMHL this season. The Mercs came out fast and furious for Game 1 of the Semi-Finals and after the first period they held a 1-0 lead courtesy of a powerplay goal from Mark Magnowski. In the 2nd perio the Mercs would go up 2-0 from a Wes Pawluk goal. With 3 min. left in the period Tyler Dittmer would beat Mercs goalie Gavin McHale cutting the lead to 2-1.

In the 3rd period the Maroons would fail to capitalize on a powerplay to start the period and shortly afterwards found themselves down 4-1 with goals from Eric Delong and Pawluk's 2nd of the game. Goalie Bobby Derksen was pulled in favour of Eric Martel. The goalie swith gave the Maroons a quick boost as Devon Leblanc would score cutting the lead to 4-2. Late in the period the Maroons pulled Martel and the Mercs woudl score an empty netter making it 5-2. The Maroons however did not quit and with 25 sec. left on the clock Kevin Giesbrecht would chip in with a goal and the final score would be 5-3 Mercs.

Maroons win in Overtime to move onto Semi-Finals

QUARTER FINALS - Saturday, Feb. 20th - Maroons 3 - Carman 2

Shea Hamilton was the Overtime hero in the deciding game 5 of the Quarter Finals series. The Maroons now move on to face the Warren Mercs in a Best of 7 Semi-Finals series.

Tuesday, Feb. 18th - Carman 6 - Maroons 2

The Maroons were hoping to eliminate the Carman Beavers on home ice and instead the Beavers left Altona with a win and forced a Game #4 back in Carman. The Beavers Rod Owen would score the only goal of the first period beating Eric Martel on a Beavers powerplay. The Maroons were pouring on pressure for the majority of the first period but Beavers goalie Steve Christie was big in net coming up with a few key saves.

In the second period the Maroons pressure continued and with just over 6 min. left in the period Shea Hamilton and Angus Klassen connected on a passing play with Klassen sending a pass to the side of the net for Matt Dyck to bang past Christie tying it at 1-1. 2 Min. later the Beavers caught a huge break when a high shot over the net hit the glass and bounced back onto the top of the net, off the net and off the back of Martel and trickled in for a 2-1 lead. Things got worse for the Maroons as they would score a shorthanded goal with less then 2 min. left in the 2nd period capitalizing on a defensive pinch and setting themselves up a on a 2 on 1 with Mark Owen beating Martel for 3-1 lead heading to the 3rd period.

The 3rd period would see the Maroons continue to put pucks on the Beavers net but Christie turned them all away. Approximatley 5 min. into the 3rd period Paul Fouasse would scoop up a juicy rebound in the slot in front of Martel and make it 4-1 for the visiting Beavers. 2 min. later Jon Froese slid down from the point and took a pass from Devon Leblanc and beat Christie high on the glove side making it a 2 goal game - 4-2 Beavers. The Maroons would continue to pressure the Beavers and as frustrations mounted so did the penalties. The Beavers made good on a powerplay opportunity and made it 5-2 with just over 4 min. left in the game and later with just over 1 min. left in the game they would add another powerplay goal making it 6-2 and putting the game out of reach.

Game notes: Import goalie Steve Christie was the story for the Beavers as he stopped 41 of the 43 shots he faced while the Beavers were able to score 6 goals on the 25 shots they threw at Eric Martel. Coach Rob Friesen wasn't frurstrated with the way the the Maroons played overall citing that the guys will simply need to continue to throw pucks at the net, increase the physical play at both ends of the ice and keep the emotions in check when plays aren't going their way.

National Anthem performed by: Jenna Alexander

50/50 Claimed by Elizabeth Dyck

400 Club Winners 2013/14 - of $200.00 each:

Chad Friesen #184

John Martens #71

Aurelia & Tallon Peters #325

Deb Hildebrand #59

Meadow & Rex Letkeman #326

Earlier in the day three Maroons players visited Ecole Elmwood Elementary School and participated in "I Love To Read" month. Haydon Friesen, Angus Klassen & Craig Neufeld took time from their schedules to read to the young students.

Haydon Friesen reading "The Hockey Sweater" in Madame Beaudry / Madame Sabourin's Grade 1 class.

Craig Neufeld, Haydon Friesen & Angus Klassen with young fan Jaxon Hildebrand.

Saturday, Feb. 15th - Maroons 11 - Carman 3

On Saturday, Feb. 15th the Maroons travelled to Carman to take on the Beavers in Game 2 of the Quarter-Finals. After winning game 1 by the score of 6-3 in Altona on Thursday, Feb. 13th. The Maroons would start the scoring just over a min. into the game when veteran Jon Froese would snap a quick shot high on the glove side of Gavin Callum. Later in the period Kirk Young would tie the game with a powerplay goal and before the period ended Shea Hamilton notched a powerplay goal for a 2-1 lead.

In the first 10 minutes of the 2nd period the Maroons would explode with 6 consecutive goals. The goals came courtesy of Devon Leblanc, Angus Klassen, Hamilton, Matt Dyck, Ryan Dyck and Jon Froese. Now leading 8-1 the Maroons made a goaltender change swapping out Eric Martel for Bobby Derksen. Derksen would stop the first few shots he faced before allowing Sean McIntosh to score making 8-2 heading into the 3rd period.

In the 3rd the Maroons Tyler Dittmer would beat a Beavers defenceman to the puck and score a nice goal off the crossbar and in for a 9-2 lead. Ryan Dyck would score his second of the game less then 20 seconds after Dittmer's goal making it 10-2. The Beavers bounced right back off the ensuing faceoff and got a lucky one that would deflect off a Maroons forward, change direction and beat Derksen making it 10-3. With the minutes winding down Shea Hamilton would score his hat-trick off a nice feed from Matt Dyck and put the game away making it 11-3.

SEMHL Playoff Picture

The Altona Maroons finished in 4th place, one point out of 3rd. The Warren Mercs finished in first and will receive a first round bye. The Best of 5 Quarter Final playoff matches will look like this:

#2 Winkler Royals v.s. #7 Notre Dame Hawks

#3 Morden Redskins v.s. #6 Stonewall Flyers

#4 Altona Maroons v.s. #5 Carman Beavers

The Maroons series will start on Thursday, Feb. 13th.

Thu. Feb. 13 Carman Beavers @ Altona Maroons

Sat. Feb. 15 Altona Maroons @ Carman Beavers

Tue. Feb. 18 Carman Beavers @ Altona Maroons

Thu. Feb. 20 Altona Maroons @ Carman Beavers

Sat. Feb. 22 Carman Beavers @ Altona Maroons

** All Games - 8:00 p.m. Start **

Maroons dump Royals 9-2 in last regular season game of the year

Saturday, Feb. 8th: Maroons 9 - Winkler 2

A packed house was on hand to take in the final reg. season game of the year for the Maroons. Winkler's Mark Hildebrand would start the scoring for the Royals just 37 sec. into the game beating Eric Martel under the crossbar, but the rest of the period would belong to the Maroons as they would score back to back powerplay goals from Devon Leblanc and Matt Dyck and later with just under 5 min. left in the frame Leblanc would strike again and then less then a min. later Mitch Fehr would lift a rebound from Jared Barnabe's shot on Royals goalie Jayme Janzen over Janzen's glove in for a 4-1 lead.

Tyler Dittmer slides linemate Devon Leblanc and pass in the slot which Leblanc puts past Royals goalie Jayme Janzen in the first period. Photo by ZJP Photography.

In the 2nd period the Maroons continued to storm the Royals end and Ryan Dyck would pick up a goal before Tyler Dittmer socred a pair of goals giving the Maroons a 7-1 lead after two periods.

In the 3rd period the Maroons would send Bobby Derksen to the pipes and as the midway point of the final period approached Shea Hamilton would race to a loose puck and beat a sprawling Janzen and drift a shot in for an easy goal and an 8-1 lead. The Royals Andrew Froese would get one back making it 8-2 for the Maroons before Brent Toews would bury a goal making it 9-2.

Shea Hamilton wins a race to the puck with Royals goalie Jayme Janzen and score in an empty net in the 3rd period. Photo by ZJP Photography.

With the win the Maroons would finish their regular season with a 4 game win streak.

Game notes: Not in the line-up for the Maroons - Nick Fuher & Dale Butland.

National Anthem performed by Katrina Schroeder

50/50 - $414.00 claimed by Debbie Leblanc

2013-14 400 Club Winners! $200 each!

Ryan Hildebrand & Jody Penner #61

Gerald Loeppky #40

Keystone Kat #81

Golden West Managers #39

Hilda Hildebrand #189

Saturday, Jan. 18th: Warren 6 - Maroons 2
The Maroons headed North to the South Interlake on Saturday for the final match up of the regular season against the Warren Mercs. Eric Martel took the start in net for the Maroons while import goalie Gavin McHale got the nod in net for Warren. The Mercs dominated the first period applying heavy pressure early on and just 4 min. in they would score going up 1-0 courtesy of a short handed goal from Brady Nichol. Nichol would add another goal midway through the period and after 20 min. of play the hometown team held a 2-0 lead.

In the 2nd period the Maroons were able to strike back after Josh Froese set up Shea Hamilton and Hamilton's shot would get past McHale cutting the lead to 2-1. From that point on the Maroons seemed to have tilted the ice a bit and generate more time in the Mercs zone but the majority of the shots towards the net were right at goalie McHale. Later in the period the Mercs would increase their lead to 3-1 when Scott Corbett's long point shot would get trhough some traffic in front of Martel and find the back of the net. Mike Gemmell would make it 4-1 shortly after and after 40 min. of play the Maroons found themselves in a bit of a hole.

Bobby Derksen took to the net for the Maroons in the 3rd period replacing Eric Martel. Just under 5 min. in the Mercs Darrin Husak would beat Dersksen making it 5-1. The Maroons would respond with brothers Jon and Josh Froese connecting on a passing play with Shea Hamilton and Hamilton's quick shot bulged the twine cutting the lead to 5-2 for the Mercs. The Maroons continued to battle and with just over a minute and a half left in the game they would pull their goalie and add an extra attacker, however a blocked shot would send the Mercs Scott Slagerman down the length of the ice with Slaggerman scoring an empty net goal and sealing the win for the Mercs 6-2. After the goal Mercs perennial penaly min. leader Darrin Husak started a scuffle with Matt Dyck. Both players were given Game Misconducts on top of their minor penalties and now will each face a 1 game suspension.

Game notes: Not in the line-up: Nick Fuher & Dale Butland.

Thursday, Jan. 16 - Maroons 6 - Stonewall 5

Shea Hamilton scores breakaway goal to win in OT 6-5

The Stonewall Flyers travelled to Altona on Thursday, Jan. 16 to take on the Maroons. Although the Flyers are sitting in the basement of the SEMHL standings, the last contest between the two team was an 8-4 Maroons win in Altona and previous to that was a shootout in Stonewall with the Maroons edging the Flyers 9-8.

In the first period the Maroons opened the scoring when Shea Hamilton worked the puck down low and got it over to Angus Klassen and Klassen would slip it to Josh Froese who would sneak his shot past Justin Harris for a 1-0 lead. Late in the period Josh Froese and Hamilton were again working the puck in the Flyers zone and Froese got the puck over to Craig Neufeld who dropped in from the point and worked a backhand shot past Harris for a 2-0 Maroons lead. The Flyers would respond on the very next shift when Matthew Varnes beat Bobby Derksen who was in net for his start in the SEMHL with the Maroons cutting the Maroons lead to 2-1.

Maroons Craig Neufeld scoring in tight on a backhand surronded by Stonewall Flyers. Picture courtesy of Golden West Media

5 minutes in to the 2nd period Flyers Richard Enns would score on Derksen tying the game at 2-2 and both teams would continue their quick play throughout the period. At times in the 2nd period the Maroons would pour on pressure in the Flyers end of the ice but Harris was standing tall in net and it would take until there was 6 min. left in the middle frame for the Maroons to regain a lead when Jon Froese and Shea Hamilton would connect with Josh Froese whose quick shot found the back of the net for his 2nd of the night making it 3-2 for the hometown team. The Maroons pressure continued but with less then a minute to play for the 2nd intermisson the Flyers agian tied the game when Matt Varnes set up Jeff Sonnenburg in the slot for a goal and after 40 minutes of play the game was tied 3-3.

Josh Froese burying his shot on the short side past Flyers goalie Justin Harris as Angus Klassen (#10) looks on. Photo courtesy of Golden West Media.

In the 3rd period the Maroons would kill off a penalty and Mike Friesen would rush into the neutral zone head manning the puck to Devon Leblanc and Leblanc would send linemate Tyler Dittmer a pass in the high slot, Dittmer would hold onto the puck and sweep to his backhand, lifting the puck over Harris' glove hand giving the Maroons a 4-3 lead. With just under 10 min. to play Adam Farthing set up Adam Kirk and Kirk's shot beat Derksen tying the game up once again - 4-4. Approximatley 2 minutes later Varnes was left unprotected in the slot and he would score his 2nd of the night giving the Flyers their first lead of the evening 5-4. The pace continued to be quick from both teams and with the Maroons pressuring to tie the game Matt Dyck and Dittmer would start a passing play that would end with Leblanc moving in on Harris and scoring on his backhand notching it at 5-5. Both teams would trade a few scoring chances in the dying minutes of regulation but this game would need Overtime to determine and winner and just 71 seconds into OT Ryan Dyck would bank a pass off the neutral zone boards to Shea Hamilton and Hamilton would break around a Flyers defender for a breakaway from the high slot in and deke Harris to his forehand sliding the puck in for the winner.

OT Hero Shea Hamilton speaks with Golden West Media respoter Danton Reimer during a post game interview.

With the win the Maroons sweep the season series against the Flyers and improved to 8 Wins, 4 losses, 1 OT loss and 1 Shoot Out loss for 18 points and a temporary hold on 3rd place in the SEMHL standings.

Game notes: Not in the line up for the Maroons - Dale Butland & Mitch Klassen.

50/50 Winner - Prize claimed but full name unknown

National Anthem performed by: Katrina Schroeder

Game Sponsor - DERKSEN TRUCKING

Saturday, Jan. 11th

Maroons 7 - Notre Dame Hawks 4 - Dittmer records a hat trick!

The Notre Dame Hawks were in Altona on Saturday, Jan. 11th and arrived with new import Myles Nykoluk in tow. The Hawks would start the scoring in the first period when Gilles Comte would be beat Maroons goalie Eric Martel just over 2 min. into the game. The Maroons would battle back and tie the game nearing the midway point of the period when Shea Hamilton set up Jon Froese and Froese's low point shot would beat Hawks goalie Marc Lesage. Late in the period Tyler Dittmer would send Matt Dyck in on a breakaway and Dyck would put his shot under the crossbar for a 2-1 lead heading into the intermission.

In the second period both teams would trade a few scoring chances before the Maroons would go ahead 3-1 courtesy of a point shot from Haydon Friesen, 7 minutes in. Less than a minute later Justin Dalebozik connected with the aforementioned Myles Nykoluk and Nykoluk's quick shot beat Martel making it a 1 goal game. Later in the period Devon Leblanc would set up Tyler Dittmer and Dittmer's goal put the Maroons up 4-2. With 3 minutes left in the period and on a Maroons powerplay, Dale Butland set up Devon Leblanc and Leblanc's blast from the point found the back of the net for a 5-2 lead. A minute and a half later Brent Toews provided some room for Tyler Dittmer and Dittmer would find himself in alone with Lesage, Dittmer's quick move and backhand shot would cross the goal line making it 6-2.

Although the Maroons came into the 3rd period with a 4 goal lead, the Hawks were determined to stay in the game and they did just that after the first half of the period they were outplayed with just over 10 min. left in the game Jean Prejet would beat Martel cutting the Maroons lead in half and just over a minute later Nykouluk and Dalebozik combined to set up Dustin Hurl and Hurl's quick shot brought the Hawks to within 2 goals. The Maroons rallied back and attempted to get the next goal in the game but Lesage would come up big a few times and then with approximatley a minute and a half left in the game Lesage was pulled in favour of an extra attacker. With the Hawks net empty and 6 skaters in the ice in the Maroons end applying pressure the Maroons Dale Butland would find Devon Leblanc near the boards, Leblanc chipped the puck up to Dittmer and Dittmer sent a long clearing shot off the boards that would head the through the neutral zone and into the empty net for his hat trick and put the Maroons up 7-4. Time would run off the clock and the Maroons took the win and the 2 points.

Game notes: Not in the line-up: Nick Fuher & Mitch Klassen, However 2 players that were both appearing in their first games this season for the Maroons were goalie Bobby Derksen and veteran Ryan Dyck.

50/50 Winner: Diedrich Friesen - $133.00

National Anthem performed by: Jenna Alexander

Game Sponsor: GREEN VALLEY EQUIPMENT

Thursday, Dec. 19th

Maroons topple Redskins 9-5

It was a wild first period in Morden Thursday evening as the Redskins went up 2-0 in the first 2 min. of the hockey game with Dallas Holenski and Jay Fehr beating Eric Martel for goals. Before the period was even half over Chris Reimer would put the Redskins up 3-0. The Maroons would make it 3-1 at 8:39 of the period when Nick Fuher's point shot was stopped by Morden goalie Tyler Oswald but Tyler Dittmer was on the doorstep and lifted the rebound into the net. A min. and a half later Matt Dyck walked out of the corner with the puck on a powerplay and scored on backhand shot getting the Maroons to within one goal of the Redskins and later in the frame on another powerplay Devon Leblanc would rush the puck end to end and send a pass to Shea Hamilton in the high slot and Hamilton's quick release would beat Oswald high on the glove side tying the game.

In the 2nd period both goalies would settle things down a bit for their respective teams. 6 min. into the period on a powerplay the Maroons would take their first lead of the game when Craig Neufeld's wrist shot found the twine and it was 4-3 Maroons. Eric Martel would make a few big saves especially when the Maroons were killing off a 5 on 3 and late in the period the Maroons would increase their lead to 5-3 when Matt Dyck broke out on a 2 on 1 with Tyler Dittmer and Dyck set up Dittmer with an off wing one time blast beating Oswald for the Maroons fifth unasnwered goal.

The 3rd period started off quickly for the Maroons as a late 2nd period Redskins penalty had Morden down a man to start the period and 29 seconds in Hamilton would set up Nick Fuher who walked in from the point and sent a hard shot past Oswald for a 6-3 lead. Midway through the 3rd Hamilton would set up Angus Klassen in the slot and his wrist shot would sneak under the crossbar to the back of the net for a 7-3 lead. The Redskins facing a 4 goal defecit would respond immediatley, just over a min. later and on a powerplay with Steve Mullin's point shot beating Martel cutting the lead to 7-4. On the ensuing face-off Shea Hamilton busted around a Redskins defender and lifted a pass over the lone defenceman to Klassen who busted hard to get his stick on the puck and redirect the puck past Oswald restoring the Maroons 4 goal lead. The goal forced Redskins coach to pull Oswald and insert Steph Warnock. The move seemed to spark his club a bit as just over 8 min. left in the game the Redskins Jay Fehr would get his 2nd of the night on a powerplay set up by Chris Reimer and it was 8-5. However, that would be the last goal for the hometown team. With 6 min. left in the game Devon Leblanc's offensive rush deep into the REdskins zone pulled 2 defenders low wiht him and his pass to the slot found Tyler Dittmer and Dittmer quick low shot would beat Warnock for his first SEMHL Hat trick and make it 9-5 for the Maroons. The final minutes would play out uneventful and the Maroons would hand Morden their first regulation loss this season.

Game notes: Not in the line up - Dale Butland.

Check out Pembina Valley Online for additional coverage.

Next game is Saturday, Dec. 21st - Rhineland Car is the game sponsor and they want to give 1 lucky fan the chance to win a brand new 2014 Ford Focus. Come out and support the Maroons at their last home game before Christmas!

Tue. Dec. 10, 2013 Winkler 8 - Altona 3

The Winkler Royals hosted the Altona Maroons on Tuesday, Dec. 10th. Something they haven't in over 20 years. The Royals would start the scoring in the game just over 4 min. in when Import forward Anders Strome beat Maroons goalie Eric Martel on a powerplay. Less then a min. later Tyler Dittmer would set up Devon Leblanc and Leblanc's quick shot would get past Royals goalie Jayme Janzen for a 1-1 tie game. Midway through the period and on another powerplay Brendan Heppner's shot through traffic would find the back of the net for a 2-1 Royals lead which the Royals would hold until the intermission.

Maroons Matt Dyck winning a face off to Devon Leblanc in the Royals zone.

One min. into the 2nd period the Royals Mark Hildebrand would beat Martel for a 3-1 lead. The Maroons would generate some good chances after the goal but closing in on 7 min. left in the period a bad rebound was left out in front of Martel and the Royals Marlin Froese would put the Royals up 4-1. Frustrations sent the Maroons to the penalty box after the goal and towards the end of the Royals man advantage the Royals Dwight Heppner would give the hometeam a 5-1 lead. Looking to change things up Maroons coach Rob Friesen pulled Eric Martel and sent Riley Epp into the game. The move paid off with a min. left in the middle period Tyler Dittmer would set up Nick Fuher who slid in from the point and picked a spot on net to beat Janzen cutting the Royals lead to 5-2. Shortly after the goal Maroons defenceman DAle Butland sent a hard slapshot toward the Royals net that would catch Janzen in the helmet. Janzen was shaken up on the play but remained in net. The Royals caught a break when Dwight Heppner would catch Riley Epp out of position and after 40 min. of play the Royals held a 6-2 lead.

Eric Martel was the first Maroon player on the ice and took his position back in the net for the 3rd period. On the other side of the ice former Maroons goalie Mark Friesen skated out to take over from a shaken up Jayme Janzen. The Maroons looked to control the majority of the play in the 3rd period and nearing the 9 min. mark Josh Froese connected with Shea Hamilton and Hamilton fed Fuher a pass that Fuher would convert past Friesen cutting the Royals lead to 6-3. The Maroons would continue to apply pressure in the Royals zone but Friesen would stand tall and turn away several good scoring opportunties. With less then 5 min. left in the game Heppner would score his hat trick on a rebound for a 7-3 lead and late in the final min. of the game Marlin Froese would score the Royals 8th goal. After 60 min. and a good effort from the Maroons the Royals would leave the ice with the win and 2 points in the standings.

Game Notes: Not in the line up - Craig Neufeld & Haydon Friesen.

Next game: Maroons travel to Morden on Dec. 19th and host the Warren Mercs at the Rhineland Car Shoot to Win game on Saturday, Dec. 21st.

The Altona Maroons travelled to Notre Dame to take on the Hawks on Saturday night and although they would only ice 11 skaters, they would find a way to come away with a win and 2 points.

Just under 6 min. into the game Tyler Dittmer fed Angus Klassen a pass that Klassen would corral to his backhand and put his shot through Hawks goalie Phil Vigier's five hole for a 1-0 lead. Later in the period the Hawks would tie the game when Dan Lesage would set up Riley Dudar with Dudar's shot fooling Maroons goalie Eric Martel. The Maroons responded with several more good chances and Martel would stop Dudar on a breakaway before the period ended, sending both teams to the dressing rooms with a 1-1 tie.

In the 2nd period both teams would trade a few chances and then just past 7 min. in , Dittmer and and Jon Froese would set up Shea Hamilton for a go ahead 2-1 goal. Just over a min. later Hamilton would notch his 2nd of the game beating a Hawks defenceman in tight and going to his backhand beating Vigier for a 3-1 lead. Later in the frame Angus Klassen would set up Dittmer and his quick snapshot would find the top of the net for a 4-1 lead. The Maroons would close out the period with a nice passing play on a powerplay from Shea Hamilton to Josh Froese and over to Klassen in the slot and Klassen's quick shot found the back of the net for a 5-1 lead.

The Maroons would another goal early in the 3rd period with Mitch Fehr sending a pass to Hamilton who would feed Dittmer and Dittmer would beat Vigier making in 6-1. Midway through the final frame the Hawks would cut the lead to 6-2 when Riley Dudar connected with Justin Dalebozik and Dalebozik's shot would beat Martel for a shorthanded goal. The Maroons final goal with just over 2 min. left to play, came courtesy of Brent Toews forechecking behind the Hawks net and sending a quick pass out to Jared Barnabe and Barnabe's one-timer shot would seal the Maroons win making the final score 7-2.

Game Notes: Maroons player/coach John Mintenko was very pleased with the way the short bench came out to play and kept the game plan simple. "We knew with a short staff we would have to plug up the neutral zone and not let them penetrate our zone too much. We couldn't be playing defence all night with 11 guys. Our forwards connected for some real nice plays and Martel helped us out with 2 breakaway saves. It's nice to get 2 points on the road and now we'll focus on our next game, next Saturday".

Not in the line up: Devon Leblanc, Kevin Giesbrecht, Mike Friesen, Nick Fuher, Matt Dyck, Haydon Friesen, Joey Rewucki and Coach Rob Friesen.

Thursday, Nov. 2nd - Winkler 5 - Maroons 2

The new Winkler Royals visited Altona as the Maroons hosted their 63rd consecutive season of hockey and the Royals played the spoilers. Prior to the game newly named Maroons captain Brent Toews took a ceremonnial face-off with Royals captain Brett Harder and the Manitoba Sunflower Festival royalty including Queen Kate Enns, 1st Princess Alysa Harder and 2nd Princess Erika Teichroeb.

With a great crowd on hand the Maroons and Royals were buzzing in the 1st period. The Maroons threw plenty of pucks at the Royals goalie (former Maroon) Mark Friesen and Friesen would turn them all away. Meanwhile, Derek Froese on a pass from Steve Doell would give the Royals a 1-0 lead that would hold until the first intermission.

In the 2nd period just over a min. in, the Royals would add to their lead making it 2-0 on a goal from Andrew Froese. A minute later Jared Barnabe would cut the Royals lead to 2-1. Still playing in the first 5 min. of the 2nd period the Royals Anders Strome's shot would beat Maroons goalie Justin Dungey and give the Royals a 3-1 lead. Former Maroon Justin Froese would beat Dungey and a shot in the slot making it 4-1 before Dungey was pulled from the net in favour of Eric Martel. Martel was tested just under 2 min. into his arrival in net Marlin Froese would beat him making it 5-1. After 40 minutes and a lopsided score the Maroons were down 4 goales heading into the 3rd period. But not for a lack of efffort and shots on the Royals net.

The Maroons controlled the majority of the play in the 3rd period and would get rewarded with a goal with just under 5 min. left in the game when Jon Froese's pass to Shea Hamilton would be converted into a quick shot past Friesen cutting the Royals lead to 5-2 and despite just over 40 shots on Royals netminder Mark Friesen the new Royals would leave Altona with a win. The 3rd period would also feature former Maroon Phil Letkeman taking on Brent Toews in a fight and although the two traded punches, Letkeman would get the upper hand landing one last punch on Toews as Toews was already losing his way to the ice.

Game notes: Not in the line up - Devon Leblanc

Maroons coach Rob Friesen was happy with the play of his Maroons. "The scoreboard shows the shots at 41 for the Maroons against Winkler to their 14 shots on us. I can't say for sure if the scorekeepers were bang on or not, but I know we clearly outshot them. We skated well and moved the puck really well. Obviously we threw a lot of pucks on thier net and weren't able to get more then 2 goals. Unfortunatley for us the pucks they put on our net went in and they came out of our building with a win. We didn't have strong goaltending tonite from our starter and that's an area of of our roster we'll be addressing."

* Note, Import Goalie Justin Dungey was released from the Maroons roster and has been replaced by former Selkirk Steelers goalie Joey Rewucki.

National Anthem performed by - Janna Alexander

50/50 Winner of $223 - Bill Loewen

400 club draws:

11 tickets were pulled from the 2012-13 400 Club tickets.

$200 Winners

Colin Braun #388

Elmer Hildebrand #191

Alexis Mullen #328

Evan & Nathan Kehler #280

Elmer Hildebrand #195

Irv Toews #332

Conrad Voth #75

Anne Marie Smith #321

The Loan Arrangers #231

Bill Schroeder #310

$1000 Winner

Jeff Dueck #285

Congratulations to all winners. There are still 40 more $200 Draws and the Grand Prize draw of $3000 to be made before Christmas. This seasons 400 Club tickets are now printed and available. Please see an Executive member at home games, visit the 50/50 table or email info@altonamaroons.com for more information.

Friday, Nov. 1st - Warren 8 - Maroons 5

The Altona Maroons began their 63rd season in Warren to face off against the team they swept 4 games to 0 in last years SEMHL Finals. This time the Mercs would earn 2 points by downing the Maroons 8-5.

In the 1st period the Maroons start the scoring when Brent Toews and Jared Barnabe would connect getting the puck to newcomer Tyler Dittmer and Dittmer would beat Mercs goalie Gavin McHale for a 1-0 midway through the frame. Later in the period, Angus Klassen would set up Josh Froese on a powerplay to give the Maroons a 2-0 and that's how the period would end.

Midway through the 2nd period the Mercs would strike back notching back to back powerplay goals on Maroons goalie Eric Martel knotting the score up at 2 goals a piece. The Maroons answered later at the 7 min. mark when Devon Leblanc set up a nice play between himself and Tyler Dittmer and Dittmer fed Matt Dyck to bang home the go ahead goal making it 3-2. The Maroons would battle in their own end and eventually the Mercs would beat Martel again with 2 min. left in the frame sending the game into the 3rd with a 3-3 tie.

Just 5 sec. into the 3rd period the Mercs took the lead in the game on a goal from Burke Vankemenade when Vankemenades dump in shot caremed off the glass in the Maroons end and Martel left his net to play the puck, but the puck headed for the net, Martel dove at the strange bounce from the glass but couldn't beat the puck as it trickled over the goal line making it 4-3 Mercs. The bad luck goal gave the Mercs a boost and on the ensuing face-off the Mercs would crash the net and bury a rebound making it 5-3. Proving that early season games are certainly still a work in progress, less then 40 sec. later Mitch Klassen scored for the Maroons making it 5-4 still in favour of the Mercs. The two teams would trade a few chances during the midway point of the final period and then at the 9 min. mark Angus Klassen would set up his third assist of the night finding Shea Hamilton in the slot and Hamilton's quick shot past McHale tying the game 5-5. Fatigue set in a bit and less then a minute later the Mercs responded with a goal from Wes Pawluk giving the Mercs a 6-5 lead and the Mercs didn't stop there, they added 2 more insurance goals before the game would end making the final score 8-5 in favour the hometown team.

Game notes: Maroons forward Devon Leblanc was rewarded with a penalty shot in the first period but was unable to beat Mercs goalie Gavin McHale. Although the lines got juggled up due to a few player abscences it appears that Devon Leblanc will play on a line with Matt Dyck and Tyler Dittmer. The line of Hamilton, Froese and Klassen will remain the same this season and Brent Toews and Jared Barnabe will play on a line with Mitch Fehr, Kevin Giesbrecht and Mitch Klassen rotating in and out of the LW position. Coaches Rob Friesen and John Mintenko weren't too concerned coming into the game knowing their full line up wouldn't be available but both were impressed that overall the players are in good physical shape and that they will again be a fast team with a lot of offensive abilities. Not in the line up: Mike Friesen & Nick Fuher.

The Maroons will now prepare with a practice next week before hosting the Winkler Royals for their home opener on Thursday, Nov. 7th. Manitoba Sunflower Festival royalty Queen Kate Enns, 1st Princess Alyssa Harder and 2nd Princess Erika Teichroeb will be on hand to help open the 63rd consecutive season with the newly named Maroons captain Brent Toews.

Season tickets can still be purchased by contacting Eric Hildebrand at 204-324-1995 or 204-319-0243 or emailing info@altonamaroons.com

Maroons down Souris Elks 9-3 to win Provincial Championship

By winning both games in pool "A" of the Provincials, the Maroons found themselves in the Finals against the top team from the "B" pool, the Souris Elks. The Sunday afternoon matinee got off to a very fast start and minutes into the game the Maroons found themselves killing off three minor penalties before getting back to even strength. With less then 10 min. to play in the first, The Maroons went on a powerplay and opened the scoring when Nick Fuher's blast from the point was stopped by Elks goalie Brett McDonald, but Shea Hamilton picked up the rebound and put it in the open net for a 1-0 lead. Later in the period and on another powerplay, Aaron Lewadniuk carried the puck in on his off wing and sent a nice pass through an Elks defenceman to Matt Dyck with Dyck putting it in for a 2-0 lead with just under two min. left in the period.

In the 2nd period 8 min. in and on a powerplay Nick Fuher would set up Shea Hamilton and Hamilton's shot would beat McDonald for a 3-0 lead. Two min. later the Elks would finally break Maroons goalie Mark Friesen when former AHL All Star and Pittsburgh Penguin Jonathan Filewich set up Dimitri Panagiotou for the Elks first goal making it 3-1. The Elks inched closer with just over 4 min. left in the second Joel Whiteside sent a low slapshot from the point beating a partially screened Friesen making it 3-2. The Maroons would answer back with yet another powerplay goal before the period came to a close courtesy of Devon Leblanc beating McDonald with a backhand shot in tight on the Elks net. After 40 min. the Maroons led 4-2.

Less then a min. into the third period the Elks got a huge break with the Maroons heading to the penalty box, however the Maroons Nick Fuher would set up Devon Leblanc and Leblanc would score shorthanded making it 5-2. 18 sec. later Lewadniuk passed to Shea Hamilton and Hamilton's shot made the twine bulge for a hat trick and a 6-2 lead. Still shorthanded the Elks answered back 40 sec. later when Joel Whiteside banged in a rebound off the end wall cutting the lead to 6-3 for the Maroons. The Maroons would hold the 3 goal lead and add to it. Just over 7 min. left in the game when Dale Butland would spring Phil Letkeman on a partial breakaway and Letkeman's quick low five hole shot beat McDonald for a 7-3 lead. Devon Leblanc notched his hat trick by blowing a high slot slapshot past McDonald making it 8-3 and Josh Froese would put the final nail in the coffin by receiving a breakaway pass from Ryan Dyck and putting a nice deke on McDonald for a 9-3 lead. The final 2 minutes played down and when the buzzer sounded the Altona Maroons stormed towards goalie Mark Friesen and celebrated the first ever inagural Sr. A Provincial Championship.

Hockey Manitoba Presidnet Bill Whitehead spoke briefly about the great weekend of Senior hockey before distributing Silver Medals to the Souris Elks and followed by presenting Gold Medals to the Maroons.

Team pictures were taken by both teams and before the Maroons left the ice they turned to the large contingent of Altona fans and saltuted them for the great support they showed over the weekend.

Be sure to check out Pembina Valley Online for a great article and video posted by Golden West Radio Sports reporter Clayton Dreger.

Maroons advanace to Championship Game after beating Neepawa 5-0.

The Maroons were in Winnipeg for their first game at the MTS Iceplex and were looking forward to playing the Tiger Hills Hockey League runner up Neepawa Farmers. The first period opened up with a lot of speed and it would be evident early on that the Maroons would want to keep their eyes on the THHL leading scorer, Shane Jury and pick up Zeenan Zeimer from the Carberry Plainsmen. Interestingly enough, Zeimer was a former team mate of Devon Leblanc's 2 years ago in Carberry and prior to Sr. hockey Zeimer and Maroons Angus Klassen were teammates with the Dauphin Kings. Back to the action, the Maroons killed off two minor penalties in the first 7 min. After coincidental penalties midway the through the first the Maroons once again headed to the sin bin to kill off another penalty. Not only were they succesful in keeping the Farmers chances limited on their 3rd PK of the period but they would score a shorthanded goal when Devon Leblanc stole the puck in the neutral zone and beat Farmers goalie Brad Nelson for a 1-0 lead with just over 10 min. left in the period. The Maroons would have a powerplay of their own several min. later but fell just short of increasing their lead and the first period would end with the one goal lead and good pressure from the Maroons.

The 2nd period wasn't five minutes old when the Maroons went up 2-0. A Farmers penalty put the Maroons on the PP and Nick Fuher's point blast would get tipped by Matt Dyck and beat Nelson. Midway through the period special teams would come into play again. The Maroons would score another shorthanded goal when Leblanc would work himself into a breakaway position and put a quick shot just below the crossbar past Nelson for his second goal of the game and both of them being shorthanded unassisted goals. Both teams kept up a good pace for the remainder of the second period but it was the Maroons that held the edge in scoring chances and puck possession.

An early 3rd period goal from Aaron Lewadniuk set up by Jon Froese seemed to put the Maroons in the driver seat with a 4-0 lead. Tempers flared with just 10 min. left in the game and after the dust settled the Maroons found themselves having to kill off 4 min. of penalties. Mark Friesen was solid on the long kill and then shortly after getting back to even strength Lewadniuk would put the game away with his 2nd of the game on a feed from Matt Dyck. The final minutes played out and the Maroons celebrated the game 2 win and the advance to the Championship game.

Maroons win Provincial Opener

Maroons and Wild in the P.C.U. Centre in Portage la Prairie. Photo - Pembina Valley Online

Taken from Pembina Valley Online - The Altona Maroons are one win away from playing in the final of Hockey Manitoba's Provincial Senior "A" championship. The South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League champions scored four times in the second period and added four more in the third in an 8-1 victory over the Red River Wild on Thursday night in Portage la Prairie. "We didn't play well in the first period but we didn't play bad" said Maroons head coach Rob Friesen. "In the second and third we used our speed which created a lot chances and they couldn't skate with us today." Shea Hamiltona scored three times for Altona while singles went to Angus Klassen, Brent Toews, Devon Leblanc, Jared Barnabe and Carman Beavers forward Aaron Lewadniuk. Cory Schroeder scored the lone goal for the Carillon Senior Hockey League champions. The Maroons, who added both Lewadniuk and Beavers defenceman Stewart Thiessen to their roster for the provincials, will play their round robin finale on Saturday afternoon against the Neepawa Farmers at the MTS Iceplex. The Farmers lost out to the Souris Elks in the Tiger Hills Hockey League Final. - Article by Clayton Dreger, Pembina Valley Online

NEW Maroons Championship Merchandise available

Check out the display in the Altona Mall across from The Source

T-shirts - Youth & Adult sizes - $15.00

Fitted hats with Maroons logo on back - $20.00

See John Mintenko at the CIBC or email info@altonamaroons.com for purchase/ information

Maroons advance to Provincials

By capturing the SEMHL Championship the Altona Maroons now advance to the Hockey Manitoba Sr. A Provincials. Hockey Manitoba introduces this new tournament format after seeing Senior teams throughout the province progressivley lose interest in the traditional format where teams used to enter willingly and then end up having to play opponents during their regular seasons and often face vast travel distances. Noticing the waning interest in Provincial playdowns the decision was made to plan a tournament where every Senior League champion would represent their respective leagues and vie for the opportunity to win the tournament and be crowned the provinces top senior men's hockey team. Games begin on Thursday, April 18th in Portage and then all games shift to Winnipeg at the MTS Iceplex for the weekend.

The tournament will feature 6 teams in total broken into 2 pools. Pool A & Pool B. Because their are only 5 senior leagues in the province Hockey Manitoba added a "wildcard" spot, this year the wildcard will be the runner up from the Tiger Hills Hockey League.

The leagues and their champions are:

South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League (SEMHL) - Altona Maroons

Carillon Senior Hockey League (CSHL) - Red River Wild (( Morris/St. Jean))

Tiger Hills Hockey League (THHL) - Souris Elks

Tiger Hills Hockey League (THHL) - Runner-Up - Neepawa Farmers

North Central Hockey League (NCHL) - Miniota/Elkhorn C-Hawks

Manitoba Senior Hockey League (MSHL) - Gimli Wolves

*** Another thing to note is that all teams are allowed to pick up to 3 players per game from any one team in their respective leagues. This was decided in an effort to even out the playing field of the tournament since the import rules are different for every league. The Altona Maroons have affiliated with the Carman Beavers.

Pool A includes:

SEMHL - Altona Maroons

CSHL - Red River Wild

THHL Runner-Up - Neepawa Farmers

Pool B includes:

THHL - Souris Elks

NCHL - Hamiota/Elkhorn C-Hawks

MSHL - Gimli Wolves

Tournament is a Round Robin format. Play each team in your pool and the best teams in each pool advance to the Finals.

Need to know information for Altona Maroons games:

Thursday, April 18th @ Portage (PCU Arena) v.s. Red River Wild. Start time 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 20th @ Winnipeg (MTS Iceplex) v.s. Neepawa Farms. Start time 1:00 p.m.

The Championship game is scheduled for Sunday, April 21st at 2:00 p.m. @ MTS Iceplex.

The Altona Maroons invite all fans to come out and take in the spring hockey action. Admission is free for all games. Questions? email info@altonamaroons.com

Championship Finals

Altona Maroons vs Warren Mercs

Maroons sweep Finals with 8-4 win over Warren!

The Altona Maroons are South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League Champions for the 2nd straight season after sweeping the Warren Mercs 4 games to 0 in the best of 7 Finals. Coming into Tuesday's game 4 the Maroons welcomed home Mark Friesen, Dale Butland, Nick Fuher, Devon Leblanc and Ryan Dyck who only hours earlier had returned home from playing 4 games in Rosetown, SK with the South East Prairie Thunder. Meaning that for those players they were now playing their 6th game in as many days. Fatigue didn't seem to be an issue as the Maroons would strike first when Matt Dyck beat Gavin McHale with a wrist shot midway through the first period. With less than a min. left in the period Bryn Lyndsay banged in a rebound off his body past Mark Friesen tying the game. Heading into the first intermissioni the game was locked at 1-1.

The Maroons blew the lead open in the 2nd period when Angus Klassen stole the puck from the Mercs and broke in from the blueline on a breakaway and put a great deke on McHale going from his forehand, to his backhand and back to his forehand undressing McHale and slipping the puck in the open net and falling/crashing to the end boards for a shorthanded goal and a 2-1 lead. The Maroons killed off the remainder of their penalty and several min. later went to work on their own powerplay. Dale Butland sent Angus Klassen a pass that Klassen would take and work towards the net and again beat McHale in tight for a 3-1 lead. Midway through the 2nd period the Maroons powerplay would strike again when Devon Leblanc's pass to Josh Froese was converted past McHale for a 4-1 lead. The Mercs responsed 5 min. later when Bryn Lyndsay's shot would beat Mark Friesen cutting the lead to 4-2. 15 sec. later Angus Klassen worked his way into the Mercs end and sent a long cross ice pass to Shea Hamilton and Hamilton let a rocket of a one timer go that beat McHale under the crossbar for a 5-2 lead.

Facing elimination in their home arena the Mercs came out in the 3rd with more zip and 4 min. in Mark Magnowski scored and then less than a minute later Taylor Dicken's point shot through a screen got past Friesen making the game 5-4 with 15 min. left to play. Maroons coach Rob Friesen called a time-out to settle his squad down and it proved to be just the break they needed as the Maroons then tightened up their defence and kept attacking in the offensive zone. 3 min. after the time-out Josh Froese set up Shea Hamilton and Hamilton's 2nd of game pulled the Maroons ahead to 6-4. With 8 min. left in the game, Jared Barnabe broke over th e Mercs blueline and sidestepped a Mercs defenceman sending a long wrist shot on net beating McHale and making it 7-4 for the Maroons. Time would run out fast on the Mercs and with just over a min. left in the game Dale Butland would add one more Maroons goal, making it 8-4. As the final seconds counted down the large contingent of Maroons fans in Warren applauded the efforts of the Maroons and watched as the team stormed towards Mark Friesen errupting in high fives and hugs celebrating the fact that they had just captued the Elmer Hildebrand trophy as the SEMHL Champions. Accomplishing the feat they set out to do from the start of the season.

League Commisioner Brian Callum was on hand to thank the Warren Mercs for a good series and the Maroons for becoming league Champions. Callum also made it clear to the fans that they deserved a big thank you for the support they showed throughout the playoffs and CKMW 1570 for covering games 3 and 4 on the radio. Callum then called Shea Hamilton and Mark Friesen to accept the Playoff MVP award. Hamilton led the Maroons in playoff scoring with 10 goals and 8 asssits in 9 games and Friesen posted a very stingy 2.11 Goals against average in the playoffs and made it very difficult for oppenents to score on him. After the MVP trophy was presented Callum asked Maroons Captain Jon Froese and alternate captains Nick Fuher, Mike Friesen and Brent Toews forward to accept the Championship trophy. Following the obligatory photo opp., Froese brought the trophy to his teamates and the trophy would make its way around to teammates while friends and family members of the Maroons made their way to the ice to share in the celebrations and take pictures with the trophy.

League Commissioner Brian Callum presenting Playoff MVP Trophy to Shea Hamilton & Mark Friesen.

SEMHL Elmer Hildebrand Trophy presented to Captain Jon Froese and Alternate Captains Mike Friesen, Nick Fuher and Brent Toews.

Following time with the trophy on the ice the Maroons continued celebrating in their dressing room. Coach Rob Friesen congratulated the team followed by GM Jody Hildebrand and former Maroons Pres., GM and player Menno Friesen. Hildebrand then handed out champagne to the players and the team revelled in the bubbly soaked celebrations. After the champagne fizzed out, Hildebrand revealed Championship T-shirts and the players started to clean up, proudly don their t-shirts and make their way out of the arena for the bus ride home. Celebrating continued on the south end of Winnipeg for post game food and eventually all players made their way home with the Altona contingent being delivered safely home by Bus driver Abe Suderman.

Menno Friesen addressing and congratulating the team on behalf of all Maroons Alumni.

By capturing the Championship the Altona Maroons will now represent the SEMHL at the Senior Men's Provicincials taking place in Portage & Winnipeg from April 18-21st. The League Champions from the SEMHL, Carillon Sr.league , Manitoba Sr. league, North Central league and Tiger Hills league including the Tiger Hills league runner up will split into two pools of 3 teams each and compete in a round robin format with the top teams in each pool facing off for a Provincial Championship game at the MTC Iceplex. More info on this series will be posted shortly.

Game notes: Not in the line-up - Phil Letkeman (serving a 2 game suspenion from Game 3). Assistant Coach John Mintenko dressed in his place. Prior to the game Jared Barnabe discovered a broken skate blade and calls were made to frantically find a solution. Kevin Giesbrecht was able to come through and have his brother bring a pair of skates from Winnipeg to Warren so that Barnabe could still be in the line-up. Broken skate blades seemed to be a small theme on Tuesday as Dale Butland also discovered he too had a broken blade, but the crack hadn't seperated yet so Butland soldiered on as is and played unaffected. Big points were had in the final game two Maroons - Angus Klassen scored twice and picked up 3 assists for 5 points. Dale Butland scored once and tallied 4 assists for 5 points.

Thursday, March 21, 2013 - Maroons 6 - Warren - 3

A little bit of everything in Game 3 in Altona on Thursday night. The fans filled the barn and the kids enjoyed the free thundersticks helping to create a great atmosphere. Although the Mercs had a few opportunities in the first period the majority of the play was controlled by the Maroons and with just over 5 min. left in the period Justin Froese rushed out of the Maroons zone and crossing over the Mercs blueline, leaving a drop pass for Jon Froese and the veteran captain made a strong move around a defender and then a quick shot on Gavin McHale scoring low making it 1-0. With less than a min. later the Dyck brothers would connect low in the Mercs end and set up Devon Leblanc, Leblanc sidestepped a defender and unwind a quick shot and scoring making it 2-0.

The 2nd period featured the Maroons on a powerplay continued over from the 1st and just 33 sec. in Nick Fuher would set up Matt Dyck with Dyck scoring making it 3-0. Several min. later, again on a powerplay, Phil Letkeman connected with Brent Toews and Toews' goal made it 4-0. Shortly after the Maroons 4th goal, the Mercs caught a break on a Maroons penalty and would score off the ensuing faceoff when Taylor Dickin's shot quickly beat a screened Mark Friesen cutting the Maroons lead to 3 goals. The Maroons Shea Hamilton responded at the 8:38 mark by beating a Mercs defenceman and driving the net and slipping the puck past McHale making it 5-1 Maroons. On the next shift Maroons Phil Letkeman responded to the Mercs Darin Husak stickwork and would attempt to engage Husak in a fight. After the dust settled the Mercs would come out way ahead with a 10 min. powerplay. The Maroons would work hard on the penalty kill and keep the Mercs chances few and far inbetween until the final min. of the period when Mark Maganoski set up Derek Boonstra for a 2nd Mercs goal making it 5-2 Maroons.

The 3rd period would see the Maroons create several excellent scoring opportunties most notably Devon Leblanc with a pair of breakways before the halfway point of the final frame. In the final 10 min. of the game the Mercs pressure on a powerplay resulted in Wade Duncan scoring on a wrist shot through a crowd and over Mark Friesen's glove making it now a smaller Maroons lead of 5-3. The Mercs began surging at this point and with 5 min. left the Mercs got a powerplay opportunity that the Maroons would kill off eliminating the chance of a Mercs comeback. Now with 3 and half min. left in the game and the teams at even strength the Mercs would pull McHale for an extra attacker on a rush but the Maroons would fight off the pressure and then 18 sec. left in the game Nick Fuher's long shot from the Maroons blueline hit the back of the empty net making it 6-3. 18 sec. later the Maroons celebrated the Game 3 win.

Overall the Maroons scored 5 goals in the first half the game, but in the second half they played in a few too many shorthanded situations, yet were still creating opportunities, The Mercs inched backat times and had the Maroons on their heels towards the end of the game. The Maroons empty netter gave no hope for a Mercs comeback.

50/50 - $316.00 - Claimed by Kailey Stoesz

Congrats Kailey!

400 Club Winners - $200 each

Maroons Fan Favorite voting took place Thursday evening. If you didn't get a chance to vote you can email your vote to info@altonamaroons.com

Game 4 of the Finals will be Tuesday, March 26 in Warren. CKMW 1570 will be airing the game live.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013 - Maroons 3 - Warren 1s

Unlinke the opening game of the series, Game 2 saw the Maroons score early in the game. Approx. 3 min, in Ryan Dyck would beat a Mercs defenseman at the Mercs blueline and send a pass in the slot to Devon Leblanc, Leblanc quickly redirected the puck to Matt Dyck with Dyck quickly sending the shot past Gavin McHale. Less than 2 min. later Shea Hamilton picked up a loose puck near the Maroons blueline and busted up the middle of the ice beating two Mercs defenders in the neutral zone and then splitting the Mercs defenseman and finished with a deke on McHale allowing his backhand to easily score and giving the Maroons a 2-0 lead. Later in the period Hamilton would create another break and while being chased on a partial breakaway he was unable to put a clean move on McHale. Matt Dyck would also create his own breakaway but McHale would get his pads on Dyck's shot. McHale saw his fair share of the action early and to the midpoint of the period. Late in the period the Mercs would come close to scoring but the puck would slide just past the net. The Maroons had a few breakdowns towards the end of the period but goalie Mark Friesen was quick to make a few key saves giving the Maroons a lead heading into the intermission.

The Maroons started the 2nd with a 5 on 3 powerplay carried over from the end of the 1st. Heavy pressure was applied but the Mercs battled hard and kept the Maroons from capitolizing on the powerplay. The Maroons killed off a penalty of their own halfway through the period with Friesen again turning away several good Mercs chances. With just over 7 min. left in the 2nd, Angus Klassen's pass to Shea Hamilton in the Mercs corner was converted to Josh Froese in the slot to the side of McHale and Froese sniped a quick shot into the open net giving the Maroons a 3-0 lead. The Mercs continued to battle but the balance of the period had the Maroons in control of most shifts.

The 3rd period would prove to be the most exciting as the Mercs came out a lot faster than they had played since early in the game but the Maroons would defend well. A few times the Maroons created opportunities to put the game out reach including a second breakway attempt for Matt Dyck and Devon Leblanc getting a few quality shots on net. With McHale making some big saves the Mercs seemed to feed of the hopes of staying in the game and led by Taylor Dicken they would make a few rushes into the Maroons zone. Friesen stood his ground but an aggresive rush in the Maroons end would find the Maroons unable to cleanly clear the puck out of the zone and Kyle Luschinski was able to get a pass over to Mike Gemmil who would catch Friesen out of position and give the Mercs a big boost of life, cutting the Maroons lead to 3-1. Several additional Mercs rushes with time slipping away for them led to a few close scrambly chances. A Mercs time out later and a pulled goalie in the last min. and change eventually led to Shea Hamilton coming very close to sending a shot into the empty net finishing off the Mercs but a Mercs backchecker slowed up Hamilton's shot with some stickwork causing a Maroons powerplay with 34 sec. left in the game. The Mercs were able to force a little bit of pressure in the remaining seconds, but seconds weren't enough as the clock turned to zero's and the buzzer sounded signalling a Maroons win an a 2-0 lead in the series.

Game notes - The Maroons played with a full line up. i.e. no missing players in their line up. Mark Friesen played a strong game in that he made the big saves when needed to, limiting the Mercs chances. There were a few times when the Maroons were caught in their own with the Mercs buzzing and with some scrambly play with a few close bounces coming close to being Mercs scoring chances. Mercs goaile Gavin McHale also played well in the game giving the Mercs an honest chance to be in the game and a chance at making it a game. With the Maroons up 3-0 in the 3rd period they would create several quality scoring chances but McHale stood tall (*literally) and keep the Mercs in the game.

* Mercs goalie is Gavin McHale and if you haven't seen him play he has to be close to 6'8 or 6'9 on skates.

Game 3 goes Thursday in Altona at 8:00 p.m. Listen to CFAM and The Eagle for your chance to win tickets to the game. FREE Thundersticks will be handed out to the young fans (while supplies last). Let's fill the barn and make some noise!

Friday, March 15, 2013 - Maroons 5 - Warren 1

Despite some icy roads in Southern Manitoba the Warren Mercs traveled to Altona for game one of the League Finals and the Maroons fans came out to take in the action. And action it was. Both teams were flying and despite a Maroons minor penalty late in the period after 20 min. the game remained scoreless.

Young fan Jaxon Hildebrand with his home made sign to cheer on the Maroons. Photo credit - Carey Kehler.

The 2nd period started out just as fast as the 1st and the Maroons took an early lead just 3 min. in when Ryan Dyck and Devon Leblanc's passing play set up Matt Dyck to open the scoring. 2 min. later the Maroons struck again when Jon Froese sent Nick Fuher a pass along the blueline. Fuher put a low slapshot on Mercs goalie Gavin McHale and McHale made a great pad save, but Shea Hamilton lunged to bang in the reboud making it up 2-0 Maroons. The Mercs would solve Mark Friesen midway through the period when Mats Meiuller's slapshot found the top of the net making it 2-1. Shortly after the Mercs goal the Maroons went on a succesful penalty kill and late in the period they would have a powerplay but after 40 min. the score remained 2-1 with both teams goalies playing well for their teams.

Early in the 3rd period Shea Hamilton would outwork a Mercs defender along the boards in the neutral zone and send Angus Klassen a pass towards the net and Klassen slipped it behind McHale for a 3-1 lead. With less than 10 min. to play the Mercs took a minor penalty and on the ensuing powerplay Ryan Dyck made it 4-1 on a play set up by Devon Leblanc. Approx. 2 min. later, now with just under 5 min.to play and tension rising Mercs forward Darin Husak and Matt Dyck exchanged pleasantries and were both given 2 min. roughing penalties and 10 min. misconducts with Husak picking up an additional unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The Maroons powerplay took full advantage of the man advantage and Brent Toews would tip in a feed from Leblanc tipping the puck past McHale making it 5-1. The final few minutes played out with the Maroons keeping the Mercs at bay and after 60 min. the home town team would take Game 1 of the SEMHL Finals.

Brent Toews and Phil Letkeman (18) looking for a loose puck in front of Mercs goalie Gavin McHale. Photo credit - Carey Kehler.

Game Notes: Not in the line-up - Dale Butland & Kevin Giesbrecht

National Anthem performed by Annika Enns-Dyck

50/50 - $250.00 - Claimed by Norman Delorme

400 Club Winners - $200.00 each!

#334 - Art Kehler

#39 - ConveyAll - Golden West Radio

#291 - Jake Hildebrand

#108 - Dave & Rita Wiebe

#128 - Gert Hildebrand

Remember fans, Game 2 goes Tuesday, March 19th in Warren. Fans unable to make the trip can tune into 1570 CKMW on the AM dial for live coverage.

The Altona Maroons return to the Finals for the 2nd straight season and will host the Warren Mercs. Game 1 will be on Friday, March 15 in Altona. The two teams were only seperated by 3 points in the regular season, setting up what should be an exciting Championship Finals.

_____________________________________________

Maroons clinch a berth to the Finals with 6-1 victory over Stonewall, winning Semi-Finals series 4 games to 1

Saturday, March 9, 2013 - Maroons 6 - Stonewall 1

With the Maroons hosting thier Fan Appreciation Night the arena was buzzing. Free chips for kids, free door prize draws for all and team posters for the young fans set the stage for a great Maroons Saturday night playoff game. After a brief delay caused by a pane of glass being broken in the warmups the game got undeway and the Maroons came out flying and early in the period were testing Flyers goalie Justin Harris. Controlling the play throughout the period Matt Dyck got the Maroons on the board first with just under 6 min. left in the period on a play set up Devon Leblanc and Ryan Dyck (1 of 4 assists in the game) In the final 5 min. of the 1st the Maroons penalty killing units were tested killing off 2 min. penalties and the period ended with the Maroons leading 1-0.

Photo courtesy of Pembina Valley Online

In the 2nd period the Maroons stuck their guns and would score 3 goals in the last 10 min. of the period from Devon Leblanc, Matt Dyck and a breakaway goal from Angus Klassen. After 40 min. of play the Maroons held a solid 4-0 lead.

Mike Friesen's point shot made it 5-0 lead. Flyers Adam Farthing would spoil Mark Friesens shutout with just over 11 min. left in the game and later with 6 min. left to play Jared Barnabe would blast home the 6th Maroons goal. The final minutes turned to seconds and eventually the Maroons would celebrate a trip to the league finals.

Immediatley after the game the Maroons opened up their dressing room to the young fans to get their team posters signed. Close to 100 kids went through the room gazing at the "Big Maroons" and the players relished the opportunity to mingle with the young fans. During the game, all fans had the opportunity to enter free door prize draws with just over 100 gifts being given away throughout the game as well as free potato chips for all 16 & under kids.

Fans picking up their door prizes

Devon Leblanc & Shea Hamilton signing for the young fans

Brent Toews looks on as Shannon Enns enjoys a laugh from a young Maroons fan and nephew Darian Penner.

Game notes: Not in the line-up - Kevin Giesbrecht

National Anthem performed by Katrina Schroeder

50/50 - $348.00 claimed by Kara & Danica Kuhl

400 Club Winners - $200 each

Prairie Insurance - #24

Cindy Smith #107

Ken Penner #243

Keystone Kat #81

Ed Harder #340

The Altona Maroons would like to thank the following sponsors for making the Fan Appreciation Night possible.

Frito Lay - chips for all kids

Friesens - printing of team posters for all kids

Rhineland Car Ford, Access Credit Union, CIBC, Prairie Sky Promotions, Green Valley Equipment, Prairie Insurance, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Sun Valley Co-op, Red River Mutual, FXR, & Sawatzky's Furniture.

Friday, March 8, 2013 - Maroons 4 - Stonewall 1

Just over a min. and a half into the game Angus Klassen started a play low in the Stonewall end and sent Josh Froese a pass that Froese then sent to Shea Hamilton and Hamilton picked up where he left off of in Game 3, quickly sending a shot past Flyers goalie Justin Harris for a quick 1-0 lead. The Maroons generated a few more opportunities early in the game but as the period wore on, they found themselves killing a penalty and than later in the frame with 5 min. left killing another penalty off. The Flyers attempted to capitalize on the powerplays but the Maroons did a good job of keeping the shots to a min. and Mark Friesen making a few key saves.

Battling for possession, playoff hockey!

The 2nd period started off in carbon copy fashion with the Maroons scoring quickly, Hamilton won the faceoff to Dale Butland, Butland approached the Flyers blueline and sent a dump in to the Flyers end that Angus Klassen would pick up at the corner face-off circle and work towards the Flyers net and slip a backhand shot through Harris for a 2-0 lead. Some incosistent play later in the 2nd period led to the Flyers take a lead in shots on goal over the Maroons but Friesen captained the back end until Flyers Danny Stewart got the Flyers on the board, ripping a quick snap shot past Friesen. Overall the Flyers outshot the Maroons in the 2nd period and were playing hard to tie the game. The 2nd period would end on a positive note as the Maroons were on a powerplay and as time was winding down before the intermission Jon Froese's shot hit the post and the powerplay was looking good to start the 3rd.

Although the Maroons powerplay chance was missed to start the 3rd, shortly after they found their 3rd goal courtesy of Hamilton as he scooped up a rebound from a Justin Froese point shot and with approx. 18 min. left in the game the Maroons had a 3-1 lead. The Maroons kept up constant pressue all the way until the 6:32 mark of the3rd when Brent Toews was assesed a min. penalty. On the ensuing Flyers powerplay Devon Leblanc would intercept the puck skate the length of the ice and using Matt Dyck as a decoy sending a low wrist shot past Harris for the Maroons 4th goal. This goal came shortly after Leblanc had hit the goalpost on a breakaway. Coincidental penalties came shortly after the Maroons insurance goal and the final minutes played out with the Flyers increasing their pressure, but the Maroons countering their attack and skating off the ice with a road win and a 3 - 1 Series lead.

Game notes: Not in the line-up - Phil Letkeman & Kevin Giesbrecht

Coaches Comments: The team played a strong 1st period. Mark made some big saves and more in the 2nd. Stonewall outshot us in the 2nd and overall had a better period than us. Was nice to see Leblanc score shorthanded, after hitting a few posts in the game. Happy with the win, but I know we need to improve on some areas. The playoffs are a funny thing and this series features 2 teams with a lot of scoring talent. Noting is for granted. Stonewall has been a very hard working team and each of the games aside from Game 2 has had the ability to go either way. We'll get a days rest and try to continue on our success on Saturday in Altona.

Game 5 is Saturday, March 9th in Altona. Come out and support the Maroons and take part in the Fan Appreciation. Free door prize draws and special Maroons Team posters for all of the young fans as well as Free chips courtesy of Frito Lay. Game time is 8 p.m.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013 - Maroons 5 - Stonewall 4

Shea Hamilton providing a post game interview for CKMW 1570 reporter Dantin Reimer.

The Stonewall Flyers were in Altona on Tuesday looking to bounce back from a 7-1 drubbing the Maroons handed them last Saturday and they came out buzzing in the 1st period. Mark Friesen was solid early on turning away several attempts. Halfway through the opening period the Maroons opened the scoring when Justin Froese spotted Shea Hamilton at the side of the net and sent a perfect shot/pass towards him and Hamilton re-directed the puck to the top of the net. Later Hamilton would put the Maroons up 2-0 after Jared Barnabe outworked a Flyer defender on a delayed penalty and feed Hamilton a pass which would be one-timed again to the top of the net. The Flyers responded with 2 goals in the first tying it at 2-2 going into the intermission.

The 2nd period featured both teams matching each others work efforts and that would keep each other off the scoreboard until the 4 min. mark when Angus Klassen pulled the Maroons ahead 3-2 with a goal from the top of the crease.

The 3rd period started off with the Maroons going on an early powerplay and Devon Leblanc's shot found the back of the net for a 4-2 lead. Just under 10 min. left to play Shea Hamilton would get his hat trick 0n an unassited slapshot that Flyers goale Justin Harris didn't have a chance on. Maroons up 5-2 and when some may have thought the game was now in hand, the Flyers would keep skating hard and started to claw back. A powerplay goal followed by a shot from the side boards quickly made it 5-4 with just under 4 min. left to play. In the final minutes both teams would trade time-outs and create for a very exciting finish to the game. The Flyers pulled their goalie in the final min. and even caught a huge break with a Maroons icing play attempting to score on the empty net, setting up a 6 on 5 faceoff in the Maroons zone with 9 sec. left to play. Josh Froese got summoned to take the face-off, wining it to the corner and out of harms way allowing the Maroons to win 5-4 and take a 2-1 series lead.

Game notes: Not in the line-up Jon Froese & Kevin Giesbrecht

National anthem performed by Breanne Heinrichs

50 / 50 Winning ticket #4748293 - unclaimed

400 Club Winners - $200 each!

Stan Hildebrand #103

Wendy Friesen #234

John Martens #71

John Friesen #130

Isabella Peters #374

Saturday, March 2, 2013 - Maroons 7 - Stonewall 1

After losing game 1 in Altona the Maroons went to Stonewall hoping to tie the series. Just 4 min. into the game Nick Fuher sent a pass to Devon Leblanc in the slot and Leblanc's wrist shot beat Flyers goalie Justin Harris high on the glove side for a quick 1-0 lead. Later in the frame Jared Barnabe beat a Flyers d-man along the boards, cut towards the net and sent Brent Toews a backhand pass. The streaking Toews got a clean shot off from the pass and beat Harris making it 2-0 with less than 2 min. to play. Both teams were working hard, but the Maroons would end the first period outshooting the Flyers 14 - 4.

Less than 2 min. into the 2nd period, Nick Fuher's point shot would fool Harris and the Maroons were up 3-0. With just under 10 min. to play in the 2nd the Flyers would catch a break when Devon Heggie was coming out of the penalty box and sprung on a breakaway. Heggie made a quick move on Mark Friesen but Friesen shut the door and kept the Flyers off the board. Later in the period Devon Leblanc sent Matt Dyck a pass on a 2 on 1 and although Dyck fanned on his initial attempt, he quickly took another attempt and his shot found the back of the net making it 4-0. A min. after the Maroons went up 4-0, they would strike again when Nick Fuher sent Shea Hamilton on a 2 on 1 with Angus Klassen, Hamilton's pass to Klassen was quickly converted with a hard one timer to the top of the net giving the Maroons a 5-0 lead.

The Maroons would add to their gaping lead 7 min. in from Angus Klassen scoring his 2nd of the game off of a 3 on 1 with Dale Butland and Josh Froese. Down 6 goals and nearing the midway point of the final period Ryan Elliot's backhand shot beat Friesen getting the Flyers on the breaking Friesens shut out bid. After two more powerplay opportunties for the Maroons they finally were able to score a powerplay goal when Ryan Dyck would tap in a pass through the low slot from Angus Klassen making it 7-1.

Game notes: Not in the line-up Mike Friesen & Shannon Enns.

Coaches Comments: "I thought everyone played really well. Scoring contribution from 6 diff. players and sound defence and we are back in the series. Stonewall's a tough team to play. Their forwards skate well and they do a good job of boxing us to the outside, but I was happy that we outworked them today, found our timing and were able to get a lot of shots on net and capitalize on our chances. We are back in the series, but we need to keep up that style of play."

Game 3 goes on Tuesday, March 5 in Altona.

Thursday, February 28, 2013 - Stonewall 3 - Maroons 2

After finishing the regular season on Feb. 9 the Maroons hit the ice after a 3 week layoff and the strong practices seemed to payoff as the Maroons were all over the visiting Stonewall Flyers in the opening min. of Game 1 of the Semi-Finals. Early on the Maroons had the Flyers hemmed in, but late in the frame a series of defensive turnovers would result in the Flyers taking a 2-0 lead. With just over a min left in the period Matt Dyck scored on Flyers goalie Justin Harris making it 2-1.

Brent Toews tying up Stonewall Flyers Blair Hawes. Photo credit - Greg Vandermeulen, Red River Valley Echo.

The 2nd period featured both teams working hard but it was the Flyers who would score increasing their lead to 3-1 on the result of another defensive based turnover.

Maroons bench looking on in the 3rd period. Photo credit - Kelly Suderman

Heading into the 3rd period the Maroons defense tightened up and the offence started to click again like it had been early in the first period. Goalie Justin Harris would calmly turn away mulitple Maroons shots. Matt Dyck got the home crowd fired up when Jared Barnabe's pass to Dyck was fired just over the glove of Harris cutting the Flyers lead to 3-2 with just under 5 min. left in the game. The Maroons eventually called a time-out and pulled Mark Friesen around the 1 min. mark hoping to tie the game but Harris and the Flyers defended against the Maroons and left Altona stealing game 1 from the Maroons.

Maroons celebrate a late 3rd period goal. Photo credit - Kelly Suderman

Coaches Comments: Rob Friesen remarked he was happy with the quick attack, but noticed players rushing passes and having some trouble finding their timing. By no means was it a poor effort, basically they scored on the result of turnovers in the defensive zone. We'll take the loss, and we'll be ready for Game 2 in Stonewall.

Prior to the game SEMHL Treasurer & Statistician Bob Hamm was on hand to present the league's Regular season championship trophy (named after Bob Hamm) to Maroons Captain Jon Froese and the SEMHL Top Goaltender trophy to Mark Friesen.

Captain Jon Froese and goalie Mark Friesen accepting trophies from league exec. member Bob Hamm. Photo credit - Kelly Suderman.

National Anthem peformed by Jasmine Wolfe.

50/50 Claimed by Anne Klassen of Altona

2012-13 400 Club winners of $200 each!

Perry Batchelor & Wayne Bergen #286

Gerald Harder #371

Abe Suderman & John Fehr #368

Irv Toews #332

Mark Krahn #314

SEMHL Award Winners & All Stars

The SEMHL announced it's annual award winners and All Stars and several Altona Maroons received well deserved recognition.

SEMHL 1st team All Stars

Mark Friesen - Goalie

Nick Fuher - Defence

Devon Leblanc - Forward

SEMHL 2nd team All Star

Dale Butland - Defence

SEMHL 2nd team LOCAL All Star

Angus Klassen - Forward

SEMHL Best Goalie Award

Mark Friesen

For a complete list of League All Stars and Award Winners head to www.semhl.net

Maroons clinch 1st place with 5-3 win over Redskins

Saturday, Feb. 9 - Maroons 5 - Redskins 3

The Maroons faced off against the surging Redskins in Morden on Saturday night in front of an enthusiastic crowd on hand. With 1st place up for grabs the game had a playoff atmosphere. Less than a min. into the contest Redskins defenceman Curtis Harms was charged with a 4 min. spearing penalty and the Maroons would go to work on a powerplay. Strong scoring chances were created, but Darcy Stewart and his penalty kill squad would keep the Maroons off the board until Nick Fuher took it upon himself to carry the puck through the neutral zone and drift a heavy wrist shot just inside the blueline that would beat Stewart high on the glove side for a 1-0 lead with just over 15 min. left in the 1st. Later in the period while the Maroons were forechecking Josh Froese would work the puck to Angus Klassen and Klassen would send a backhand pass to Shea Hamilton who would quickly let a snap shot go from the slot and score making it 2-0. The Maroons would pad their lead a min. later when on a powerplay Nick Fuher would start a play that would see Shea Hamilton set up Devon Leblanc at the Redskins face off circle wind up and beat Stewart high on the glove side making it 3-0.

Photo courtesy of Pembina Valley Online

The 2nd period didn't start out with the same tempo as the 1st but as time wore on both teams were again playing fast hockey. In the first few min. of the period Maroons goalie Mark Friesen would come up with a few big saves holding the Maroons lead, but later in the frame and on powerplay the Redskins would get on the board when Jay Fehr would come in on Mark Friesen and beat him high on the glove side with a wrist shot making it 3-1. 3 min. later the Redskins would strike again when Jay Fehr would work the puck low towards the Maroons net and make a nifty backhand move beating Friesen, making it a one goal game. The Maroons would battle back for the remaining minutes, tighten up their defence and after 40 min. the Maroons held a 3-2 lead.

Early in the 3rd period the Maroons would be forced to fight off a 5 on 3 and just as the Maroons got one player out of the box the Redskins would score on a point shot from Kelby Friesen that would get through traffic and find the net tying the game at 3-3. With 7 min. left to play and on a powerplay the Maroons would apply heavy pressure in the Redskins end and after several good chances were turned away by Stewart, Angus Klassen would turn on a loose puck in the slot and slide it through some traffic and over the goal line for a go ahead goal. Then with less than 5 min. to play and killing off a penalty the Maroons would force a turnover at their own blueline and Klassen would chip the puck into the neutral zone and Matt Dyck would pick up the puck, beat a Redskins defender for a breakaway, lifting his shot over Stewart for a shorthanded goal making it 5-3 Maroons. As time ticked away it looked like the Redskins were hoping to pull Stewart for an extra attacker but the opportunity never presented itself and after 60 min. it would be the Maroons winning and earning 2 points, clinching 1st place and receiving a bye into the SEMHL Semi-Finals. Grabbing a coffee after the game a few Redskins fans were talking about the game and one gentleman said that if he was picking 3 Stars for the game he would have picked Matt Dyck, Jay Fehr and Mark Friesen in that order while another fan mentioned his picks would have been Shea Hamilton, Jay Fehr and Nick Fuher as his 1,2 and 3 star picks. This webmaster will not post his biased picks but it was interesting hearing a few of the oldtimer fans and their thoughts on the game.

With the Redskins forechecking late in the 3rd period, Maroons goalie Mark Friesen is helping defenceman Dale Butland by playing the puck away from possible trouble. Photo courtesy of Pembina Valley Online.

Game Notes - Not in the line up: - The Maroons played with a full line-up including AP Haydon Friesen.

Final thoughts - Coming into the game coaches Rob Friesen and John Mintenko had thoughts on what might be the best scenario for the club. Winning meant clinching 1st and that means receiving a bye to the Semi-Finals. Losing meant that the Maroons would then wait and see who they would meet in a quarter finals. While playing keeps you fresh and in game mode, not playing also means you have time to prepare and keep players healthy. What's better you ask? Who knows but at the end of the day as Friesen noted "You need to want to play every game with the hopes of winning" and so with 1st place clinched the Maroons will now have some time to rest and prepare. After Tuesday Feb. 12th all teams will know exactly who will be facing each other in quarter final action. As the quarter final series gets underway the SEMHL will release Semi-Final playoff dates. As well the Maroons will look to announce a Fan Appreciation Night. Stay tuned for more details.

Thursday, Feb. 7 - Maroons 7 - Xpress 2

A good crowd was on hand in Altona to watch the Maroons take on the Plum Coulee Xpress. The Maroons would start the game off early with great pressure in the Xpress end, but Blaine Unger getting a rare start in net, would turn away the early shots. Later in the opening frame and on a powerplay Ryan Dyck would convert a Devon Leblanc pass in the crease and score going up 1-0. Later in the period Shea Hamilton would pick up a loose puck in the neutral zone and come in on his off wing and wire a blocker side top shelf shot giving the Maroons a 2-0 lead and that's how the 1st would end.

The Maroons would start the 2nd period on the powerplay and create several scoring opportunities but the Xpress would manage to get back to even stength unscathed. Shortly after the teams were back to even strength Justin Froese would send a point pass to D partner Jon Froese and Jon Froese would send a shot towards the net that Josh Froese would tip through Ungers 5 hole. The Froese Brothers goal would make it 3-0. Later in the period the Xpress would finally break Mark Friesen when Anders Strome would jam home a rebound on a powerplay and make the score 3-1 with just over 6 min. to play. With the period winding down the Xpress would find themselves in some penalty trouble when Jaimie Thiessen received an elbowing penalty on Matt Dyck and during the same stoppage Andrew Froese would receive a 5 min. Major for cross-checking and a Game Misconduct on Ryan Dyck. After the dust settled, the Maroons would go on the powerplay but time would wind down and both teams would head off for the 2nd intermission.

Starting the 3rd on a powerplay the Maroons would strike quickly when Nick Fuher would spot Matt Dyck in the low slot and send a hard shot at Dyck and Dyck would re-direct the puck perfectly to the top of the net for a 4-1 lead. The home team would add another powerplay goal a min. later when Devon Leblanc would set up Nick Fuher and Fuher's shot would beat Unger making it 5-1. With just over 11 min. left to play Josh Froese would start a rush with a pass to linemate Shea Hamilton and Hamilton would break in over the Xpress blueline and send a backhand saucer pass to a streaking Angus Klassen and Klassen in traffic would redirect the puck into the net for a 6-1 lead. Shortly after the goal the Maroons would end up on a penalty kill, successfuly kill it off, but then go right back to the box for another minor penalty and again work back to even strength unscathed. This left just under 6 min. left to play the line of Josh Froese, Shea Hamilton and Angus Klassen would strike again with Angus Klassen scoring on a slick breakaway deke making it 7-1. The 6 goal lead was short lived though as the Maroons would go back to a penalty kill and this time the Xpress would notch a powerplay goal when Dwight Heppner would take a waist high swat at an errant puck in the slot and the fluttering puck would beat Mark Friesen making it 7-2. The last 5 min. would play out with the Maroons killing off one more penalty and after 60 min. the Maroons would earn 2 points and find out after the game that with the Carman Beavers edging the Morden Redskins 4-3, the Maroons would re-claim a narrow 1 point lead on the Redskins for 1st place in league standings. This sets up battle for 1st place on Saturday night when the Maroons travel to Morden for the final reg. season game of the year.

Game notes: Not in the line-up - Craig Neufeld & Haydon Friesen.

National Anthem performed by Amy & Kristen Tarnick.

50/50 Winner - Curtis Fehr $119.00

400 Club Winners - $200 each!

Lloyd Loewen #131

Jolanda Friesen #1

Ben Derksen #370

Gert Hildebrand #128

Hilda Hildebrand & Linda Abrams #282

Playoffs...?

People are asking, "When do the playoffs start?" The short answer to that is...Good question. The long answer is, The playoffs WILL start on Saturday, Feb. 16th, with the exception of Stonewall (should they be in a hosting position), they will start on Friday, Feb. 15th. The team that will finish in 1st place will receive a bye to the Semi-Finals. This means that the team finishing in 2nd place will play the 7th place team, the team finishing in 3rd place will play the 6th place team and the team finishing in 4th will play the 5th place team. The playoffs as mentioned above will start on Sat. Feb. 16th and then proceed every Tue., Thur., Sat. etc.

ALL SEMHL teams have 2 or 3 regular season games left and depending on the outcome of each of those games, All teams have the ability to change their final regular season standing.

It should be noted that with the league featuring 7 teams this year it was decided before the season that the league would play a 20 game schedule. All teams played each other 3 times each (ex. Stonewall @ Altona, Altona @ Stonewall, Stonewall @ Altona. This provided an 18 game schedule. To acheive a balanced 20 game schedule (10 home & 10 away) the decision was made to have the teams play their regional rivalries one addtional game. This resulted in Altona facing Plum Coulee and Morden 4 times this season. Carman and Notre Dame also host each other one extra time as well as Stonewall and Warren. It was also decided that these "extra" games be played towards the end of the regular season schedule.

As it turns out, these extra "rivalry" games all have the ability to change each teams final standings. Take a look at the league standings and see for yourself. It should make for an exciting finish to the regular season.

In other league news, ballots have been sent out to all teams for the purpose of voting on League All-Stars and Regular season awards such as League MVP, Best Goalie, Best Defenceman and Most Sportsmanlike. This year the league will announce a 1st team All Star squad, 2nd team All Star squad and a new Local players only All Star team. Stay tuned for more announcments regarding the All Stars and Award Winners.

*** Check out the newly added page on the Left Hand Menu "2011-12 400 Club Winners ***

Friday, Feb. 1 - Maroons 5 - Flyers 1

The Maroons travelled north to Stonewall to take on the Flyers on Friday night. Just 11 sec. into the game Dale Butland was handed a 2 min. penalty followed by a 10 min. misconduct and the Maroons were on the penalty kill. Sucessfully killing off the penalty the boys would buckle down and get on the scoreboard when Devon Leblanc would pass to Ryan Dyck in the neutral zone and Dyck would find brother Matt open, Matt would get around a Flyers defender and go in on Flyers goalie Justin Harris on a partial breakaway and put the puck home high on Harris' glove side for a 1-0 lead just under 6 min. in. Later in the frame Angus Klassen and Shea Hamilton would set up a play in which Josh Froese would re-direct in for a 2-0 lead. After killing off another min. penalty later in the period, Shea Hamilton would increase the Maroons lead to 3-0. Late in the period and with heavy traffic in front of Mark Friesen, Stonewall's Reid McLeod would let a quick hard shot go from the top of the circle that would get past Friesen cutting the lead to 3-1 headinng into the 1st intermission.

In the 2nd period both teams maintained good speed and flow each team would have 1 powerplay each, but neither team would be able to score as Flyers goalie Justin Harris would do a good job in his net as well as Maroons goalie Mark Friesen keeping the door shut on the Flyers.

The 3rd period would see the Maroons increase their lead 4 min. and on a powerplay when Nick Fuher would find Shea Hamilton on the point and Hamilton's shot would go off Ryan Dyck sneaking past Harris for a 4-1 lead. Then later at the midway point of the period Haydon Friesen would spot an open lane to the net and his point shot would get re-directed by Matt Dyck for his 2nd goal of the game and make it 5-1 for the Maroons. The last 10 min. would play out with the Flyers trying to mount a comeback and they would even have a late in the game powerplay but would be unable to create any solid scoring chances and after 60 min. it was the Maroons who would win and secure 2 points for the standings.

Game notes: Not in the line-up - Brent Toews & Phil Letkeman.

Coaches Comments: Assistant Coach John Mintenko was very pleased to see a more regular line up for the Maroons. He was happy to see the teams game plan executed to a "T". Mintenko also added that there was a lot of chatter on the bench and a lot of happy faces. "The guys came out and all did their jobs. Early on I could tell we should be in for some success due to their efforts and attitudes on the bench. And although we outshot them 41 to 29, Their offence always manages to create good scoring chances, so it was nice to see an increased effort in team defence and get the above average goaltending from Mark (Friesen)."

The Maroons now sit back a top 1st place in the league but only hold a slight lead over the Morden Redskins. With all teams regular seasons coming to an end, it's going to be very interesting to see how the final games and points play out. It's setting up to be an exciting end to the regular season and for the Maroons they will take on 2 big rivals when they next host the Plum Coulee Xpress on Thursday, Feb. 7th before traveling to Morden on Sat. Feb. 9th to take on the Redskins.

Saturday, Jan. 26 - Hawks 4 - Maroons 1

Despite being short a few regular players the Maroons utilized a few AP's and made the trip to Notre Dame to face the surging Hawks. The 1st period featured both teams skating really well and trading chances. The Maroons would create several scoring opportunities but Hawks goalie Kevin Green stood firm in net. With just over 2 min. left in the period, Gilles Comte would put a slot shot on Shannon Enns and Enns would make the initial save, but Steve Clark would pick up the rebound and find the back of the net for a late period goal and carry a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

In the 2nd period the quick pace would continue but neither team could find a way to score until just under the 9 min. mark when a streaking Devon Leblanc would take a Hawks defenceman slightly to the Hawks boards and fire a quick snapshot on Green's blocker side, beating him cleanly tying the game at 1-1. 45 sec. later the Hawks would buzz the Maroons zone and Enns would make a quick save on Mitch Chanel's shot but over committ himself on the play leaving Brody Chabbert to pick up the loose rebound and tap it in going up 2-1. The Maroons would respond several minutes later when Ryan Dyck broke into the Hawks end on a 3 on 1 and would feed Devon Leblanc who ran out of room to shoot allowing Green to make the save and keep the Hawks 2-1 lead. Late in the period a Maroons defensive turnover created a Hawks breakway and Shannon Enns came up with a big save and even bigger rebound save helping to keep the Maroons in the close game.

The 3rd period would start with the Maroons and Hawks each receiving minor penalties less then a minute apart. As the Maroons penalty was coming to end putting them on a brief powerplay a neutral zone turnover created another Hawks scoring opportunity and Jean Prejet was able to capitalize scoring shorthanded giving the Hawks a 3-1 lead. The Maroons would press harder as the period was nearing the 10 min. mark and a then on a routine neutral zone play, Ryan Dyck would finish a hit on a Hawks forward sending him into the boards and shattering the glass. As the arena staff took a few minutes to fix the boards, both teams used the natural time out to rest and plan for the last half of the 3rd period. Once play resumed the Maroons would start double shifting some line combonations and generate some good scoring chances but then with 4 min. left the Hawks Steve Clark snuck behind the Maroond defenceman on a breakaway and this time Enns wasn't able to stop the 1 on 1 play. Clarks goal put the Hawks up 4-1 and for the Maroons the next 4 min. would find them scrambling in the Hawks end desperatley trying to close the gap and stay in the game but time would tick away and after 60 min. the home town Hawks would take 2 points for the standings and the Maroons would head home, making the ride home feel colder and just a bit longer.

Game notes: Not in the line-up - Nick Fuher, Mark Friesen, Josh Froese, Matt Dyck, Brent Toews, Phil Letkeman and Kevin Giesbrecht. Inserted into the line-up, Haydon Friesen, Dallas Klassen and goalie Eric Martel all on loan from the Red River Mudbugs, HTJHL Jr. C team.

Coaches Comments: Rob Friesen was pleased with the players efforts noting the guys played well despite short a few regulars and diff. line combinations. Fighting the puck a bit in the offensive zone didn't help as there was a lot of time in the Hawks end, but the team was struggling to create high quality scoring chances. Winning every game is every teams goal, but playing good hockey and working hard is a huge step to acheiving this and Friesen was satsified his players were putting up a strong effort.

With ice time scheduled this week the Maroons hope to work out a few kinks and then welcome back a few players to the line-up as the look ahead to taking on the Stonewall Flyers on Friday, Feb. 1.

Saturday, Jan. 19 - Redskins 4 - Maroons 2

The weather in Southern Manitoba would prove to be a carbon copy of the previous Saturday's uncertain weather, but by early afternoon the Hockey Gods would come through and the blizzard like conditions would drastically improve meaning the Maroons would be hosting the rival Morden Redskins. Braving the cold January weather a solid crowd came out to support local hockey. Maroons forward Ryan Dyck would start the scoring for the game just under 7 min. into 1st period when he would break in all alone on Redskins goalie Darcy Stewart, fake to his forehand then lift a back hand shot high over Stewart for a 1-0 lead. Several min. later Chris Reimer would pick off a Maroons breakout attempt and pass to Kelby Friesen who would fire Jay Fehr a quick pass and Fehr's one time shot would beat Maroons goalie Mark Friesen tying it at 1-1. The Maroons would catch a break two min. later when Shea Hamilton would get time all alone in the high slot to take a shot on net and his shot would get deflected off a Redskins defenceman's stick and fool Stewart for a 2-1 lead. Just over a min. after the Maroons go ahead goal Redskins Kris Williams would hold up Maroons Brent Toews behind the play and after both players would push and shove each other Williams would fall to ice with Toews landing on him and Williams would not be getting up on his own. Clearly in a lot of pain, paramedics were called in and 20 min. later Williams was assisted off the ice with an apparent leg injury, later confirmed as a broken leg. Almost 30 min. after the stoppage in play both teams were called back to the ice to finish off the remaining 6 min. on the clock.

Maroons goalie Mark Friesen was outstanding in the loss to Morden. Photo courtesy of the Red River Valley Echo.

The 2nd period would see the Redskins get right back into the game less then 2 min. in and on a powerplay when Clint Olsen would re-direct a point shot past Friesen tying it at 2-2. Nearing the midway point of the 2nd, both teams were playing chippy hockey and after a scrum in front of the Maroons net, the Redskins would find themselves on another powerplay and making them pay would be import Blair Osiowy who's high slot snapshot would beat Friesen high on the stick side for a 3-2 Redskins lead. With just under 9 min. left in the period Ryan Hutton would find the back of the Maroons net giving the Redskins a 4-2 lead. Later in the frame Redskins Brett Sager would take on Brent Toews in a fight to defend his injured teammate (although the injury was a complete freak accident) and Toews would get a few shots in knocking Sager to the ice. However, Toews was given an additional 2 min. for an agressor penalty and the Maroons were shorthanded again. On the penalty kill, Devon Leblanc would be given a minor penalty for swatting a broken stick out of the way giving the Redskins a 5-3 opportunity. The Maroons would kill off the penalties and kill off one more penalty before heading to the 2nd intermission being down 4-2.

The 3rd period would feature both teams goalies continuing to play very well and as the period winded down the Maroons would get a powerplay opportunity and take a timeout with 1:12 left on the clock. The Maroons would press hard in the Redskins zone but fail to close the gap and the Redskins would win their 5th straight game and hand the Maroons and Mark Friesen a home game loss.

In the end it was too late of an effort by the Maroons. On a night when Mark Friesen comes up big with a stellar effort there were too many selfish penalties taken leading to the demises of the hometown Maroons. Selfish play and and penalties did the Maroons in.

Game notes: Not in the line-up - Justin Froese, Phil Letkeman and Nick Fuher.

50/50 Winner - Dylan Peters

National Anthem performed by Gabby Wolfe & Kristin Tarnick

Next game - Sat. Jan. 26 Maroons @ Notre Dame

Saturday, Jan. 12 - Xpress 11 - Maroons 1

Mother Nature would blow in uncertain weather throughout the morning and into the early afternoon, but with conditions improving the Xpress and Maroons agreed to carry on with the scheduled game in Plum Coulee. Both teams would be missing some players and unfortunately for the Maroons, the playerrrs that could make it, didn't all come to play. After the opening 20 min. The Xpress would take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission.

The 2nd period would see the Xpress start to run away with the game at the midway point of the period when Xpress forward Marlin Froese would score on a powerplay beating Shannon Enns making it 4-1. Froese would score again several minutes later and the Xpress would fill the Maroons net with pucks ending the 2nd period with a commanding 9-1 lead.

The 3rd period was not as brutal for the Maroons as they were able to fend off the Xpress and Enns started to turn away more Xpress scoring opportunities. With the game clearly out of reach and less then 10 min. left to play some frustration set in and the Maroons would take two seperate minor penalties with the Xpress capitalizing on both powerplays making the night even worse for the Maroons and ending the game with a whopping 11-1 final. The lone highlight for the Maroons was the highlight reel goal from Devon Leblanc who would score off of a Matt Dyck draw win in the Xpress end and Leblanc would slide into the slot, make a quick head fake deke and rip a quick shot under the crossbar for the lone puck to get past Xpress goalie Jayme Janzen. Shots were close to even at the end of the game with both teams registering between 20 and 25 shots on each others nets. Unfortunately for Shannon Enns it would not be his night in net as ever other shot that came his way would get past him. Enns who has been a Maroon for for over 5 seasons has never been in net for such a lopsided loss and Coach Rob Friesen made sure to relay to the team in his post game comments that everyone must think about the game, then forget about the game and move foward to some practices before the next scheduled game against the Morden Redskins in Altona on Saturday, Jan. 19th.

Game notes: Not in the line-up - Josh Froese, Justin Froese and Mark Friesen.

Thursday, Jan. 10 - Maroons 7 - Flyers 6 (OT)

Dale Butland circa 2007, hear Hidalgo, Texas (Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees - CHL)

Both teams would come out of the gates working hard and moving the puck well. The Flyers would win some puck battles in the first and late in the period they would open the scoring when Adam Farthing would beat Mark Friesen for a 1-0 lead. A minute later Devon Leblanc would work one on one with a Flyers defender and move the puck towards the net, Matt Dyck was trailing and would push the puck past Flyers goalie Devin Peters to tie it at 1-1. A few min. later the Flyers were scrambling in the Maroons slot and Dan Stewart's shot would sneak past Friesen for a 2-1 visitor lead.

In the 2nd period the Flyers would score right off the face-off when Russ Payne set up to Reid Mcleod was clean and Mcleods shot would score for a 3-1 lead. 4 min. later with just over 15 min. on the clock Matt Varnes' backhand shot through traffic would find the back of the Maroons net for a 4-1 Flyers lead. The Maroons would miss on a powerplay opportunity but make good just after the Flyers got back to even strength. Ryan Dyck's pass to Devon Leblanc would be re-directed and jammed through Peters cutting the lead to 4-2 for Stonewall. The goal would spark the Maroons and a min. later off a faceoff in the Flyers end Nick Fuher would keep the puck inside the Flyers end and pass to Angus Klassen who was in the face-off circle, Klassen would stride to the middle of the slot and rip and quick wrist shot over the glove of Peters for his 14th goal of his rookie campaign inching the Maroons closer making it 4-3 for the Flyers. With 6 min. left in the middle frame the Maroons would take a min. penalty and kill if off with goalie Mark Friesen coming up with two big saves to keep the score with reach for the Maroons. Then with just 27 sec. left in the period the Flyers were cycling the puck low in the Maroons end and during a goal crease scramble they would get credited with a goal that many people felt strongly about the puck coming into the net from behind the net while a Maroons defenceman and Flyers forward were jostling for the puck at the back corner of the net. The linesman in clear site sided with the official and they credited Jeff Sonnenberg with a goal giving the Flyers a 5-3 lead. As the period ended the Maroons would find something positive to look forward to as Flyers Daniel Lehmann was assessed a 4 min. spearing penalty meaning the Maroons would start the 3rd with a long man advantage.

With the 5 on 4 starting the final period the Maroons would press and create several strong chances, but the Flyers would defend their penalty kill well and get back to even strength unscathed. One minute after being back at even strenght Mike Friesen would send a long pass to Devon Leblanc along the boards and Leblanc would go in on a 1 on 2, beating the outside defender and then wiring a shot high on the blocker side of Peters cutting the Flyers lead to 5-4. With Just over 8 min. to play the Maroons would keep pressing and with Brent Toews winning a face-off that he would pick up himself, he'd headman the puck to Angus Klassen in the neutral zone. Klassen ran out of room near the Flyers blueline but noticed Shea Hamilton busting in across the ice and sent a nifty backhand pass to Hamilton for a breakaway and Hamilton would put a quick backhand to forehand deke on Peters and slide home a game tying goal making it 5-5. Less then a min. later Reid McLeod would score his 2nd of the game giving the Flyers a 6-5 lead. The back and forth action pace was now intense and several min. later Matt and Ryan Dyck would connect and get the puck to Devon Leblanc and Leblanc would bury the puck home for his hat trick and tying the game back at 6-6 with 4 min. left to play. With just under 3 min. left to play the Maroons Haydon Friesen was assesed a holding penalty and would fight it off and a solid Stonewall scoring opportunity and both teams would battle hard for puck control. With a stoppage in play at 1:04 the Maroons would take a time-out to discuss how they would develop a play with Friesen coming out of the box in 8 sec. The Maroons would win the faceoff and get back to even strength and make one last rush up ice with a chance to end the game in regulation time but couldn't quite do it. With 12 sec. left to play the Flyers would take a slashing call inside their half of the ice and give the Maroons a powerplay. 12 sec. would expire and the teams would head into a 5 min. sudden death Overtime. Overtime would continue with the Maroons having a man advantage but because overtime is 4 on 4 in the SEMHL, that meant the Maroons would start with a 4 on 3 for a min. and 48 sec. The Maroons would send several good shots towards the Flyers net but would be unable to score on the powerplay. Halfway through the overtime period, Nick Fuher would make a great play at the Flyers blueline to keep the puck in and send a shot towards Peters, but would narrowly miss the low side of the net. The fans were loving the intense action and time was running out for either team to end the game. With 20 sec. left before a looming shootout, the Maroons would find themselves having to take a faceoff in their end. The Flyers would call a timeout and both teams would take the time to rest and come up with a plan for the final sec. It looked like the game would head to the shootout, but on the ensuring face off Angus Klassen would skate the puck up the middle of the ice and attempt to get through 2 Flyers defenceman, unable to work through the players he left the puck to the side for his trailer who was Dale Butland and Butland would take a split second to glance and riffle a high wrist shot past Peters with 11 seconds left in OT to give the home town Maroons a big 2 points for the standings and send the fans into a loud buzz.

Game notes: Not in the line-up - Jon Froese, Justin Froese, Josh Froese, Craig Neufeld and David Schulz.

50 / 50 Winner - Gerry Sawatzky

Coaches Comments: "Mark didn't have his best game in net, but he kept us in it and made some crucial 3rd period saves. The goal that snuck in from under the back of the net late in the 2nd really bothered him and the rest of the guys. It's unfortunate that the officials didn't clearly see that the back of the net was being pushed up, but possibly that gave our guys some jump to get that goal back and fight harder? I thought in the 3rd period our guys were really clicking. We stopped worrying about who's tired or who's making some small mistakes and we ramped up our game. Everyone worked harder at both ends and I felt that towards the end of the 3rd that we should win the game in regulation. When that didn't happen, I thought perhaps with the powerplay going into the Overtime period? I wanted to win and not be satisfied with just 1 point or go to the shoot-out. I let the guys know that heading into overtime and they responded. Angus' effort for a first year player with the time ticking away was fantastic. He worked hard to make that chance happen and Butland simply hammered it home. Every teams goal should be to win every game and play well doing it. I thought as the game progressed so did our play and now we move on to our next game. We have some tough games ahead."

The Maroons will now head to the road for a short trip to Plum Coulee to take on the Xpress on Saturday, Jan. 12. Game time is 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 5 Mercs 3 - Maroons 1

The Warren Mercs were the first team to visit Altona in 2013 and they would bring the Maroons their first loss at home all season. The first period saw the Maroons come flying out of the gate all over the Mercs with plenty of shots heading towards Mercs goalie Gavin McHale, but McHale would play strong and turn away the shots and get a little help from a goalpost. Midway through the period the Mercs would find their stride and pick up their play and get a few chances of their own on Maroons veteran goalie Shannon Enns. Enns played well and after 20 min. the game would be deadlocked 0-0.

The Maroons played flat throughout the 2nd period compared to the Mercs and with just over 3 min. left in the period a poor attempt at working the puck out of the Maroons zone was intercepted by Taylor Dicken who would quickly get the puck over to Patrick Findlay and Findlay's quick pass to Kyle Luschinski was one timed past Enns for a 1-0 lead. The Maroons would pick up their play after the Mercs goal but the period would end with the visitors holding the lead.

In the 3rd period the Maroons would strike back when on a powerplay Jon Froese would work his way to the front of the Mercs net and hammer home the puck unassisted tying the game 1-1 just under 2 min. into the period. Then several min. later after a solid rush into the Mercs zone the Mercs would turn the play around and rush into the Maroons end and Luschinski's shot would beat Enns for a 2-1 lead. Plenty of game left for the Maroons to tie it back up but the Mercs played strong defensivley and denied several attempts. The Maroons would then have to fight off a 2 min. minor penalty with just under 6 min. left in the game before getting back to even strength. Time would tick away and with Enns being pulled for an extra attacker the Mercs Donnie Delaraque would seal the Mercs victory with an empty net goal.

Game notes: Not in the Maroons line up - Brent Toews, Josh Froese & Angus Klassen.

50/50 Winner - Ken Wiebe Sr.

Coaches Comments - "We didn't deserve to win tonight. We needed to play the way we did at the start of the game, but after the first 10 min. of the game, we lost our pep and started taking long shifts. It was apparent that our team defense efforts lacked a lot tonight and the shifts were too long. I was impressed by Enns (Shannon) in net tonight. He played very strong and gave us a great opportunity for another win, but we lacked the same effort from a lot of other players. Hopefully the loss will be a wake up call for the guys".

The Maroons next game will be Thursday, Jan. 10th when the Stonewall Flyers visit Altona. The game will feature the top 2 teams in the SEMHL and the action starts at 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 29 Maroons 5 Carman 2

Maroons traveled to Carman to take on the Beavers and after 20 min. the score was tied 1-1. Beavers Shane Walker would get the Beavers on the board early in the game beating Mark Friesen and then later before the midway point of the frame Devon Leblanc would set up Ryan Dyck on a powerplay tying the game up before the first intermission.

Maroons goalie Mark Friesen stretching out to stop a Beavers backhand attempt. Photo courtesy of Carman Valley Leader.

In the 2nd period around the 11 min. mark the game would get a bit rough with Beaver AP Conner Sission receiving a 5 min. Major and a Game Misconduct for a two handed slash on the back of Ryan Dyck. Several more players from the Maroons and Beavers would take minor penalties after the slash and on the ensuing Maroons powrplay Angus Klassen would put the Maroons up 2-1. The Beavers would tie the game late in the period on a powerplay of their own when Mark Owen would beat Mark Friesen making it 2-2.

The 3rd period would see some more "Old Time Hockey" which ultimatley would hurt the Beavers. Several penalties to the Beavers around the midway point of the 3rd would result in a Maroons powerplay and Matt Dyck would feed Jon Froese a pass that Froese would put past Beavers goalie Max Desjardins for a 3-2 lead. Another Beavers penalty at the 6 min. mark would result in Ryan Dyck and Devon Leblanc setting up Matt Dyck to score going up 4-2 for the Maroons and then with the Beavers net empty and 1:30 left to play Nick Fuher would get the puck to Angus Klassen who would find the back of the net for his 2nd of the game and the nail in the coffin for the hometown Beavers. Hair pulling, face scratching, two handed whacks to the back, finger bitting, fights...you name it - this game featured a lot of Federal League action and when it was all said and done the Maroons would end 2012 with a road win in Carman.

Saturday, Dec. 22 Maroons 4 Morden 2

Holding a slight lead on first place in the league, the Maroons were looking to give themselves some breathing room a top of the standings and take a win from the visiting Morden Redskins. The 1st period would start off with Craig Neufeld taking a penalty just 27 sec. in but Mark Friesen and the Maroons would fight off the penalty and get back to even strength. Later with just under 7 min. in Angus Klassen would send a perfect pass to Shea Hamilton in the low slot, Hamilton worked around a Redskins defender to re-direct the puck past Redskins goalie Darcy Stewart for a 1-0 lead. With approx. 5 min. left in the period the Maroons would go back to killing off a penalty and again they would fight off the Redskins powerplay. Shortly after killing off the penalty the Maroons would get a powerplay opportunity and Craig Neufeld would work the puck to Devon Leblanc who would send it to Angus Klassen with the puck going off Klassen and sneaking past Stewart for a 2-0 lead.

In the 2nd period, both teams would resume to their quick play and trade time in each others zones. 7 min. in Devon Leblanc would work his way past a Redskins defender and then muscle his way around another while beating Stewart but run out of room to put the puck into the net, linemate Matt Dyck would follow the play and bang in the loose puck for a 3-0 lead. 2 min. later the Redskins would get on the board when Jay Fehr would set up Dion Peterson with Peterson beating Mark Friesen making it 3-1. The Maroons would kill off 2 more penalties in the period with Friesen making some great saves and the shortened Maroons bench grinding out some long shifts to maintain their 2 goal lead.

Just over 3 min. into 3rd period period first year Redskins player Clint Olsen would set up Jay Fehr and Fehr would score making it 3-2. Just over a min. later Jon Froese would get the puck to Shea Hamilton with Hamilton returning an assist to Angus Klassen with Klasen scoring his 2nd of the game and restoring a Maroons 4-2 lead. The Redskins would take a minor penalty later in the period and the Maroons would push for an insurance goal but Stewart and the Redskins would fight off the penalty. The two teams would play out the remaining minutes without much fanfare and the Maroons would skate off the ice with another home game win and on top of the SEMHL.

Game notes: Not in the line-up - Dale Butland, Josh Froese, Ryan Dyck & Mike Friesen.

50/50 - $168.00 - Claimed by Harry Hildebrand of Morden

400 Club Winners

#399 - Colin Braun - $200

#7 - Frank Derksen - $200

#211 - Albert Stoesz - $200

#187 - Doug Rempel - $200

#49 - Chris Friesen & Dennis Friesen - $200

#238 - Laverne Siemens - $200

#135 - Connie Kippen - $3,000 Grand Prize Winner !!!

(Sister to Altona Mayor Mel Klassen)

New hats available for sale. Maroon hat (FlexFit) or Black Reebok hat - $22.00 each

Thursday, Dec. 20 Maroons 4 Plum Coulee 2

The Plum Coulee Xpress rolled into Altona and just under 5 min. into the game and on a powerplay Devon Leblanc would get the puck to Nick Fuher on the point and Fuher would send a shot on net that would get past Xpress goalie Jayme Janzen for a quick 1-0 lead. The Maroons would play quick hockey in the first period sending a lot of rushes into the Xpress end and late in the period and just after a powerplay expired Justin Froese would put a shot towards Janzen that would go off Angus Klassen and the Maroons were up 2-0. Approx. a minute later Mark Friesen would start a play to Dale Butland and Butland would get it up Matt Dyck who raced down his off wing along the boards, beat the lone Xpress defender and then slipped the puck under Janzen for a 3-0 lead.

The 2nd period would see the Maroons continue to outplay the Xpress and 5 min. in, kill off a penalty of their own. Nearing the midway point of the period Angus Klassen would get his 2nd goal of the game when Dale Butland would pass to him in the slot and Klassen would pull it back and snap a quick shot into the Xpress net. The Maroons would kill off 2 more penalties in the 2nd period and head into the intermission with a 4-0 lead.

The 3rd period started out with quick play by both teams and then just over 3 min. into the period ater an Xpress player knocked Mark Friesens feet from under him, a partial line brawl would break out. Most players were shoving back and forth and not really fighting but the Maroons veteran Ryan Dyck did get into a pretty good fight with Plum Coulee's Steve Doell with landing several clean & solid blows to Doell. The very next shift would feature more of the pushing and shoving and when it was all said and done a total of 99 min. in penalties were handed out the Xpress ansd 85 min. in penalties. The Maroons came out of the penalty mess with a powerplay but Jayme Janzen would hang on and keep the Maroons off the board. Later at the midway point of the 3rd Maroons defenceman Haydon Friesen would get caught in the neutral zone giving up the puck to Xpress forward Kyle Howarth and Howarth would have a breakaway from the Maroons blueline in and score, finally solving Friesen and getting the Xpress on the board making it 4-1 Maroons. Both teams were playing with shorter benches and grinding out the minutes on the clock. With just under a min. left the Xpress would surge to the Maroons end and Jordan Peters would sneak a low shot past Friesen to get the Xpress within 2, but there wouldn't be nearly enough time in the game to get back into it as the Xpress were outplayed, outskated and outshot by the Maroons.

Full House? - A total of 6 Xpress players in the penalty box at one point. Photo submitted by a fan.

Game notes: Not in the Maroons line-up: Phil Letkeman & Craig Neufeld. Dressing for his first game of the year was John Mintenko.

National Anthem performed by Ashton Cornelson.

400 Club Winners of $200 each:

#382 Harold Kehler

#144 Don Wiebe

#54 Byron Loeppky, Mike Friesen, Conrad Driedger, Curwin Friesen

#278 Carey Kehler & Chad Friesen

#172 Terry Wiebe

#60 Jim Friesen

#81 Keystone Kat

Saturday, Dec. 15 Maroons 4 Notre Dame 2

The very noticeable blue arena sign welcoming you to Notre Dame.

On a chilly evening in Notre Dame the Maroons would face a Notre Dame squad hungry for a win at home. The Hawks were skating well and getting behind the Maroons causing several odd man rushes and putting goalie Mark Friesen to the test early on. It would take until latter part of the period for the Maroons to strike first when Matt Dyck would set up Devon Leblanc and Leblanc's shot would get past Hawks goalie Kevin Green. Less then 3 min. later Leblanc would return the favour on a 2 on 1 with Matt Dyck sliding him a backhand pass pass that Dyck would bury for a 2-0 lead. The period would play out with no penalties for either side and a chance for the teams to warm up.

In the 2nd period, the Hawks would close the gap with a powerplay goal when Ryan Robidoux would beat Friesen making it 2-1 with approx. 13 min. left on the clock. Less then 3 min. later after Friesen would stop a breakaway attempt by Jamie Mousseau, Shea Hamilton would carry the puck through the neutral zone and into the Hawks end, dropping a pass for Josh Froese and Froese's wrist shot would fool Green for a 3-1 Maroons lead. Never showing any signs of slowing down, the Hawks would bounce right back 51 sec. later when Brody Chabbert would find the back of the net off a rebound scramble in front of Friesen cutting the lead to one goal, again.

The Maroons started the 3rd period outplaying the Hawks and it would pay off less then 5 min. in when Ryan Dyck would spring Leblanc on a breakaway and Leblanc would fire a shot low to Green's blocker side for a 4-2 lead. The Maroons would fight off 2 Hawks powerplays and the time ticked away for the Hawks to stay in the game. With just under 2 min. left in the game the Hawks would call a timeout and set a plan to pull their goalie for an extra attacker. As soon as the Hawks would work the puck into the Maroons end, their net emptied for the extra forward and they would scrambe feverishly to try and get within one goal and narrowly missed a great opportunity with Jon Froese blocking a shot in the crease. The Hawks would work the puck back into the Maroons one final time before the time would expire and the Maroons would leave Notre Dame with a road win and 2 points for the standings.

Game notes: Not in the line-up - Jared Barnabe, Dale Butland, Kevin Giesbrecht and Shannon Enns.

Coaches comments: "They (Hawks) played really well tonight. They skate well and did a great job of creating odd man rushes for themselves by outworking us. We didn't play a full 60 min. but we had some bright spots of our own, scoring on two 2 on 1's and a breakaway. Mark also played very strong and it's great to leave here with a road win."

John Mintenko stepped down from the bench and into goalie equipment to fill in for Shannon Enns who was unable to make the trip to Notre Dame.

Thursday, Dec. 13, Maroons 8 Mercs 4

Devon Leblanc would start the Maroons on the right track just 41 sec. into the game when a blocked shot off his face would land near his feet and he would take off narrowly beating a Mercs defenceman wide and with one hand on his stick he'd push the puck up and over goalie Gavin McHale's glove for a 1-0 lead. The Maroons would add another goal 40 sec. later when Angus Klassen would set up Josh Froese who would find Shea Hamilton in the slot with Hamilton trickling one past McHale making it 2-0. The Maroons would struggle in the rest of the first period with the Mercs outplaying them and fight off 2 minor penalties with goalie Mark Friesen coming up big several times keeping the Mercs off the board. Late in the period Mitch Fehr would find himself on a two on one with Jared Barnabe and send a perfect pass to Barnabe who's quick shot would find the twine for a 3-0 lead.

Devon Leblanc fighting his way through 1, 2 and eventually 3 Mercs defenders. Photos by Greg Vandermeulen - Red River Valley Echo

The 2nd period started similar to the 1st with Ryan Dyck sending Devon Leblanc in on a breakaway just 10 sec. in and while Leblanc's initial shot was stopped by McHale, Leblanc would continue around the net and pick up the loose puck/rebound and tap it in for his 2nd of the game and a 4-0 lead. Just over 5 min. later the line of Barnabe, Fehr and Toews would connect with Brent Toews puttingi a quick hard backhand from the slot to the back of the Mercs net for a 5-0 lead. Halfway through the 2nd period Matt Dyck would pick up a loose puck in the neutral zone and burst around a Mercs defender breaking to the net and going to his backhand to score, increasing the Maroons lead to 6-0. Just under 4 min. later Dale Butland would send a wrist shot from the point that Shea Hamilton would re-direct and score on giving the Maroons a 7-0 lead. Playing with such a lead is usually dangerous, especially against a Mercs team that wasn't giving up and 3 min. later on a nice set up from Kyle Luschinski, Bryn Lyndsay would finally beat Mark Friesen and get the Mercs on the board. 20 sec. later Maroons Dale Butland in a clearing attempt would have his shot deflect off Mercs forward Scott Slagerman and bounce past a surprised Friesen making it 7-2 Maroons. The Mercs would finish the 2nd period with Lyndsay setting up former UND Sioux player Taylor Dicken with Dicken scoring closing the Maroons lead to 7-3.

Matt Dyck jostling for position in front of Mercs goalie Gavin McHale. Photo courtesy of Greg Vandermeulen - Red River Valley Echo.

In the 3rd period some frustrations got the best of a few players and the period would start out with a few penalties to each team. Nearing the midway point of the period the Mercs would further close the gap and make it 7-4 when Lyndsay would bank a pass off the end boards and catch Friesen out of position with Dicken picking up the puck and sliding it in an empty net. The Maroons would get one back while on a powerplay and a delayed penalty coming to the Mercs, Altona's own former UND product Nick Fuher would fire a pass to Josh Froese in the low slot and Froese would feed Angus Klassen who would wait momentarily and then put a nifty move on McHale and use a backhand in tight to go under the crossbar for his 7th goal of his Maroons rookie campaign and make it 8-4. The final 5 min. wouldn't change anything and the Maroons would hang on for the win and remain unbeaten at home.

Game notes: Not in the line-up - Phil Letkeman & Craig Neufeld.

Coaches Comments: "I think tonight was one of those nights where we showed that we can win games while not putting our best effort forward. Mark (Friesen) made some big saves early in the game when we were being outplayed and we capitalized on our chances coming out of the 1st period with a 3-0 lead. We again capitalized on our chances in the 2nd and had a much better period overall, although we had a few breakdowns at the end of the period and in the 3rd, I thought both teams were pretty even. At the end of the night, a win's a win and while there were negative things, I won't push any panic button just yet"

50/50 pot claimed by Nettie Neufeld of Altona

400 Club - 7 Draws of $200.00 each - WINNERS

#315 - Conner & Kaden Enns

#122 - DD/Kelvin/Jennifer

#361 - Tim Guenther

#340 - Roger Barnabe

#130 - Gert Hildebrand

#56 - Don Penner

#157 - Joyce Friesen

The Maroons will now travel to Notre Dame on Sat. Dec. 15 to take on the Hawks before coming home for two big games when they host the Plum Coulee Xpress on Thur. Dec. 20 and then the Morden Redskins on Sat. Dec. 22. Two home games you don't want to miss.

Saturday, Dec. 8, Maroons 4 Beavers 3

The Altona Maroons made the road trip to Carman on Saturday night and came away with a win and 2 pts in the standings. Getting things started in the 1st period was Matt Dyck when he would score his team leading 10th goal converting a nice pass from defenceman Craig Neufeld who had rushed in from the blueline and worked the puck low and behind the Beavers net finding Dyck in the slot and Dyck would beat Gavin Callum for a 1-0 lead 3 and a half min. in. The Beavers would respond with several chances that Mark Friesen would turn away. The pace of the game in the first period was quick with both teams making several strong rushes. Later with less then 5 min. left in the period and killing off a Devon Leblanc holding penalty, Jon Froese would forecheck hard and find himself on a breakway and after making a quick deke on Callum he'd put the Maroons up 2-0 with an unassisted backhand goal. The Beavers would respond 2 and a half min. later when Mark Friesen would make a save on a Scott Sisson shot from the slot but was unable to contain the rebound and Ryan McIntosh would find the back of the net getting the Beavers on the board. The Beavers would start pressuring the Maroons and put a lot of pressure on with a late powerplay. Friesen and the Maroons would kill off the penalty and the first period looked to end with a Maroons 2-1 lead, but before the players headed upstairs for an intermission both teams got into a bit of a scuffle and penalties were handed out with the Maroons learning they'd start the 2nd period on a powerplay, but lose Brent Toews and Dale Butland to 10 min. misc.

Celebrating goal by Mitch Fehr #24

Kevin Giesbrecht jostling for position in front of Beavers net

The Beavers would fight off most of their penalty to start the 2nd but before getting back to even strength they would take another minor penalty and find themselves down to 3 men, giving the Maroons a brief 5 on 3. Goalie Gavin Callum would make some big saves for the Beavers and they would get back to even strength and send a lot pressure back into the Maroons zone until the Maroons would get a powerplay opportunity from a Dan Leslie 4 min. penalty for spearing. Again the man advantage wouldn't assist the Maroons as Callum and his teammates would work off the penalty minutes and then continue to put the Maroons on the run in their end. The Maroons would make the most of a late period rush in the Beavers end when Jon Froese would send a high shot at Callum with Justin Froese in the low slot redirecting a rebound towards Mitch Fehr who would quickly put in his first goal as an Altona Maroon and increase the lead to 3-1 with 3 and a half min. left in the period. The Maroons and Beavers would each take one more offsetting minor penalties before the 2nd period was over and as the Zamboni came out for the floor the visitors were holding on for their 3-1 lead.

Escaping a 2nd period in which the Beavers outplayed the Maroons, the Maroons would start the 3rd with an improved effort and just over 5 min. into the last period Devon Leblanc would set up Matt Dyck for an awesome opportunity to go up 4-1 but Callum would stone him making hisi finest save of the evening. Several minutes would pass before a crazy shift that saw a lot of Beavers opporunities get turned over by Kevin Giesbrecht carrying the puck into the Beavers end and Giesbrecht would hold on long enough to draw a Beaver defender with him and then send a streaking Nick Fuher a pass that Fuher would fire past Callum for a 4-1 lead with just over 12 min. to play in the game. Shortly after the big "insurance" goal, the Maroons Phil Letkeman would head to the penalty box on a slashing call. The Beavers worked hard to generate a quality chance but the Maroons would fight off their shortanded situation and look to play the last 10 min. without letting the Beavers back into the game. That plan wouldn't hold too long as Dan Leslie would pass to Mark Owen and Owen would snipe a top shelf shot past Friesen cutting the Maroons lead to 4-2 with 8 min. left in the game. The Beavers fed off the goal and would outplay the Maroons for the next several minutues and as time was winding down and Callum ready to head to the bench for an extra attacker they would really make it a really close game when Dan Leslie would score from a scramble in front of Friesen inching them to within one of the Maroons making it 4-3. Callum would stay on the bench as the Beavers would send 6 attackers on the ice for the final 51 sec. The Maroons would send out a defensive minded set of players and ice the puck twice, narrowly escaping a tying goal and after 60 min. it was the Maroons that would leave the ice wiht the win. Before the players would actually leave the ice surface Maroons dman Dale Butland would square off with Aaron Lewadnuik but each player wrestled and bear hugged each other without actually throwing any punches and each getting hodling penalties with no time left on the clock. Final score Maroons 4, Beavers 3.

Matt Dyck winning a 3rd period face-off

Game notes: Not in the line-up - Shea Hamilton, Josh Froese and Coach Rob Friesen.

Next game is Thursday, Dec. 13th when the Maroons host the Warren Mercs.

Thursday, Dec. 6, Maroons 8 Redskins 4

The Altona Maroons were back in action on Thursday as they visited the Morden Redskins to see who could earn 2 points and a hold of 2nd place in the S.E.M.H.L. The Maroons would strike first when just under 5 min. into the game Jared Barnabe would block a Redskins clearing attempt and find himself on a partial breakaway, slipping the puck past Redskins goalie Steph Warnock. The flow of the game would pick up considerably after the goal and both teams created scoring opportunities with Mark Friesen turning away shots for the Maroons and Warnock doing the same for the Redskins. With less then 8 min. left in the 1st, Ryan Dyck would send an pass banking off the end boards to Devon Leblanc behind the Redskins net and Leblanc would make a quick move around a defender coming out in front and instead of shooting, he'd slip the puck over to Matt Dyck and Dyck would score making it 2-0. The Maroons would increase their pressure and later in the period less then 5 min. to play Nick Fuher would start a rush, giving the puck to Shea Hamilton who would zig zag into the Redskins zone and slide a pass over to Angus Klassen who's quick wrist shot would beat Warnock for a 3-0 Maroons lead. Possibly knowing that a 3-0 lead is not safe from the previous game in Warren, the Maroons would kick it into another gear and just over a min. later Hamilton would again connect with Klassen and Klassen would beat Warnock for his 2nd of the game and a 4-0 lead. The period would play out and both teams would head to the locker rooms for a breather. The period also featured no penalties for either team.

Ryan Dyck sending a shot on the Morden net

In the 2nd period the Redskins were showing signs of offence, forcing the Maroons further into their zone and setting up plays in front of a congested crease area, but goalie Mark Friesen would remain calm in net and shortly after making 3 quick pad saves in a row, the Maroons would turn the play back towards the Redskins zone. Working the puck to Nick Fuher, Fuher would take a point shot that Matt Dyck would deflect past Warnock for a 5-0 lead with just over 12 min. left in the period. 3 min. later Devon Leblanc would hustle to keep a Redskins zone clearing attempt in at the blueline and carry it to the high slot, let a shot go with Warnock making a good save on the shot, however the rebound was picked up by Matt Dyck and was missed, but Ryan Dyck was in the right spot and would find the back of the net for a 6-0 lead. With just under 4 min. left in the period the Redskins would make the most of a powerplay and Chris Reimer would deflect a shot from Derek Holinski, spoiling Friesens shut out bid and making it 6-1. Before the period would end the Maroons would go on a powerplay and make it 7-1 after Ryan Dyck's pass across the slot to Devon Leblanc was one timed back into the slot to Matt Dyck who would one time it past Warnock for his hat trick.

Trailing 7-1 the Redskins would come out for the 3rd period looking to get back in the game, however just under 4 min. in, Devon Leblanc would take a Redskins defender wide and blast a slapshot high to the glove side of Warnock which Warnock couldn't handle, making it 8-1 for the Maroons. Nearing the midway point of the final period the Redskins would get a powerplay opportunity and make the most of it when Kelby Friesen would set up Ryan Hutton and Hutton would beat Friesen making it 8-2 in favour of the visiting Maroons. The Maroons would make a goalie change at this point with Shannon Enns replacing Mark Friesen. Unfortunatley for Enns just a few minutes of coming into the game a strange bounce would end up with Jeremy Matueszewski feeing Ryan Hutton and Hutton making the twine move, changing the score to 8-3. The Maroons responded from the goals by creating a few more scoring chances, but a defensize zone breakdown would turn the puck over to the Redskins and Ramsay Fehr would set up Kelby Friesen with Friesen beating Enns making it 8-4 with approximatley 4 min. left to play in the game. The Maroons would send a good portion of the play back into the Redskins zone for the remaining time left in the game. With just over 1 min. left to play Enns would make a great save and the Maroons would run the time off the clock and leave the ice as 8-4 winners and earning 2 points, putting them in sole possesion of 2nd place in the league (for the time being).

Next up the Maroons travel to Carman on Sat. Dec. 8th for a battle with the Beavers. Game time is 8 p.m. For updates during games, follow us on twitter @maroons1951

Friday, Nov. 30, Mercs 6 Maroons 5

The day after beating the Plum Coulee Xpress at home, the Maroons would head north and visit the Warren Mercs and were looking to notch back to back wins. The Mercs are comfortable in their home arena and would start the game off playing fast and physical, forcing the Maroons to end up taking 2 minor penalties close together and giving the Mercs a 5 on 3 opportunity with the game less then 5 min. old. Shannon Enns would protect the Maroons net well and shortly after the penalties were fought off, Shea Hamilton would set a play up that featured Angus Klassen finish it with a goal beating Mercs goalie Gavin Mchale for a 1-0 Maroons lead. The Mercs would battle back but end up taking a penalty of their own and with another minor penalty to be called Dale Butland would set up Devon Leblanc and Leblancs quick shot would find the back of the net for a 2-0 lead, which would hold until intermission.

The 2nd period would begin with the Mercs still down a man and just 35 seconds in, Nick Fuher's point shot would be deflected by Matt Dyck for a 3-0 lead. Later with 5 min. already off the clock Lars Meilleur's shot would miss the Maroons net, take a strange bounce off the end boards and come out to an open Donnie Delaroque who would bang it past Enns cutting the Maroons lead to 3-1. Around the midway point of the 2nd period Maroons Brent Toews would be handed a 2 min. Roughing penalty and this time the Mercs would pot a Powerplay goal with Bryn Lindsay and Lars Meilleur setting up Mark Magnowski making it 3-2 for the Maroons. Back and forth hockey would continue with both Enns and McHale playing well and with just 20 sec. left in the period some hard forechecking by Devon Leblanc on the Mercs goal line would result in Leblanc feeing Nick Fuher a pass that Fuher would put past Mchale for a 4-2 lead heading into Intermission.

In the 3rd period the Mercs would skate the puck into the Maroons zone and a seemingly harmless wrist shot from Kyle Luschinski would fool Enns cutting the lead to 4-3. The Mercs intensity would increase and nearing the final 10 min. of the game Lindsay and Magnowski would set up Luschinski for his 2nd of the game and a 4-4 tie. Off the ensuing face off the same line strike again at Luschinki's linemates would set him up for his natural hattrick and a 5-4 Mercs lead. With home already back in the game cheering on their team the go ahead goal seemed to be all they needed to carry their momentum to a win, but the Maroons weren't rolling over anytime soon and with just over 6 min. left to play Matt and Ryan Dyck would set up Angus Klassen for his 2nd of the game tying it at 5-5. In the last 5 min. of the game the Maroons would kill off 2 penalties and force an overtime period.

Overtime would not solve anything which meant that the fan friendly shoot out would determine the winning team. In the shoot out the Maroons would send 7 shooters to the test with Shea Hamilton, Nick Fuher and Kevin Giesbrecht scoring but it wasn't enough as the Mercs would capitalize 4 times and head off the ice with 2 pts and send the Maroons home with 1 pt. in the S.O.L. column.

Not in the line-up: Mike Friesen, Phil Letkeman

Thursday, Nov. 29, Maroons 5 Xpress 2

In a highly anticpated first match up of the new season between the Maroons and Xpress since the two clubs met in the SEMHL finals last spring it would be the hometown Maroons who would prevail with a 5-2 win. The Maroons would get on the board halfway through the first period when Ryan Dyck would cycle the puck low into the Xpress zone on a powerplay and feed Devon Leblanc a one time set up, Leblanc's slapshot would beat Xpress netminder Jayme Janzen but ring off the post leaving Matt Dyck to fight his way to bang in the rebound giving the Maroons a 1-0 lead. Throughout the remaining portion of the first period the Maroons would outplay the Xpress and in doing so caught the Xpress frustrated and would take advantage of one more powerplay late in the first. Before the period could end 2 Xpress players would take penalties with 1 sec. left on the clock.

Starting the 2nd period on a 2 man advantage the Maroons would pepper Janzen with shots and Janzen would stand tall kicking away all atempts. Later in the period with just under 7 min. off the clock, Craig Neufeld would send a pass to the wing side where Jared Barnabe would carry the puck into the Xpress zone and send a hot wrist shot past Janzen's glove side giving the Maroons a 2-0 lead. Shortly after the goal the Maroons would fight off a penalty with Maroons goalie Mark Friesen shutting the door on the Xpress chances but shortly after the penalty kill was over and with the Maroons having some defensive struggles, The Xpress were able to capitalize on a loose puck in the crease and Dale Harder would hit the back of the net cutting the Maroons lead to 2-1. The Maroons would not let the goal deflate them and less then 30 sec. later Kevin Giesbrecht would beat an Xpress defender wide and work the puck behind the Xpress net to Mitch Fehr. Fehr would put the puck towards the net and still in mid-air, Jon Froese would swat at the puck and connect putting it past Janzen for a 3-1 lead. Later in the 2nd period with just under 5 min. left to play and killing a 2 min. minor penalty Nick Fuher would chip the puck off the boards in the Maroons zone and a streaking Matt Dyck would pick it up with Devon Leblanc heading towards the Xpress zone on a 2 on 1. Leblanc played the perfect decoy as Dyck held on long enough to have Janzen thinking about a pass and then slipped the puck through the Xpress goalies five hole for his 2nd of the game and a 4-1 lead. The Maroons would take one more penalty before the period would come to a close and the teams would head in for the 2nd intermission.

In the 3rd period the Xpress looked to be gaining some pressure in the Maroons zone but with some more work from the Maroons defensive end, they were able to work the puck into the Xpress zone and Dale Butland would send a pass to Ryan Dyck in the slot who would send a shot towards the net with Janzen coming up with a nice save but a costly rebound would be left in the low slot area and Matt Dyck would send it past the goal line for his hat trick and a 5-1 lead. The Xpress would go on a powerplay very shortly after the goal and just over 10 sec. into their man advantage a point shot from Dale Harder would get redirected past Friesen cutting the Maroons lead to 5-2. The Maroons would bounce back and send more pressure into the Xpress zone and with less than 10 min. to play in the game, the frustrated Xpress players would take 2 penalties close togethter giving the Maroons their 2nd 5 on 3 of the game. The Maroons would not be able to capitalize and shortly after the Xpress got back to 5 on 4, the Maroons would take a minor penalty allowing both teams to play a man short for roughly a min. Both teams would have a handful of scoring chances, and towards the end of the game it was apparent the Maroons had been outworking the Xpress in this game and after 60 min. of hockey it was a 5-2 win for the Maroons.

Game Notes: Not in the Maroons line-up - Shea Hamilton, John Mintenko.

Coaches Comments: "Impressed with how we started the game, but more impressed with the way we finished the 2nd period". "Our goaltending was very solid tonight, we limited a lot of chances and I like the way a lot of the guys are skating hard. It's starting to show the way we have had some up-tempo practices. We have a lot of games coming up and I trust the guys will be ready for it."

National Anthem performed by: Ashton Cornelson

50/50 pot of $141 was claimed

400 Club Winners of $200 each:

#63 Tim Jackson

#369 Benno Loewen

#328 Pete / Henry Berg

#396 Ryan Gerbrandt / Mitch Klassen

#204 Fred Peters

Set up in the lobby throughout the game were local fitness/walking enthusiasts Ang Stoesz and Lorraine Hamm who every year sign up for the Manitoba Cancer Care 10 KM run and as part of their fundraising efforts for the Cancer Care event had a Winnipeg Blue Bombers helmet signed by the entire 2012 Bombers team avaialble as a silent auction item. The helmet started the evening off at $125 and by the end of the game the highest bid had reached $500. Ang & Lorraine will be set up locally around Altona as Christmas approaches. If you are a sports fan, this is a very sharp piece and the proceeds all go towards the Manitoba Cancer Care foundation.

Saturday, Nov. 24 - Maroons 6 Hawks 0

The Maroons would waste little time getting things started when Jon Froese would work the puck into the Hawks zone and find Angus Klassen who would leave the puck for Nick Fuher and Fuher's shot would beat Hawks goalie Marc Lesage for a 1-0 lead just 4 min. into the game. Nearing the midway point of the period and playing shorthanded, Justin Froese would spring a pass to Jared Barnabe and the 2nd year forward would beat Lesage to make it 2-0. With just under 7 min. to play and this time on a powerplay, Devon Leblanc would feed Ryan Dyck and Dyck would set up Nick Fuher for Fuher's 2nd of the game and a 3-0 lead. Things were looking to be in control for the Maroons, but less then 20 sec. later Phil Letkeman would be handed a 2 min. Hit from Behind call and a game ejection for an open ice hit and in the process recevied the opposing players stick in his face, sending him not only to the showers early, but a quick trip to the doctors for a few stitches. Letkeman later commented that while it was unfortunate that he had to get a few stitches, he was more frustrated that his hit garnered a hit from behind call and a game ejection. The Hawks who were featuring several new players in their line-up, and most notably speedy import forward Riley Dudar, weren't going to give up anytime soon and continued to battle hard and would get a handful of their own scoring chances but Maroons goalie Mark Friesen would calmly turn away the shots and after 20 min. it was 3-0 for the Maroons.

Brent Toews getting ready to muscle out a face-off. Defenceman Craig Neufeld looks on. Photo by Greg Vandermeulen.

In the 2nd period the Maroons would add to their lead when defenceman Haydon Friesen would chip the puck out of the Maroons end into the neutral zone where Nick Fuher would pick it up and feed Jon Froese a pass, Froese would deke outside to beat a Hawks defender and then send a wrist shot past new goalie Phil Vigier (who started the 2nd period in place of Lesage). The Jon Froese goal would be the only of the period as both teams would continue to skate hard and trade scoring opportunities. The only 2 powerplays of the period were held by the Maroons and players such as Matt Dyck, Devon Leblanc, and Angus Klassen ising the net. After 40 min. of good paced hockey the Maroons lead of 4-0 would hold.

Matt Dyck celebrates a Maroons goal with Devon Leblanc and Nick Fuher. Photo by Greg Vandermuelen.

Midway through the 3rd period the Maroons would add a 5th goal when Devon Leblanc would find Ryan Dyck in the slot and Dyck's shot would be beat Lesage adding some insurance to the Maroons lead. With just under 9 min. to play Josh Froese would forecheck hard into the Hawks zone and get the puck to Matt Dyck along the boards near the hash marks and Dyck's quick but seemingly unassuming shot towards the net would fool Vigier making it 6-0. As the minutes would wind down the Maroons now found themselves working towards preserving a shut out bid and after killing off a 2 min. minor with just under 5 min. to play the teams would play out the remaining time and goalie Mark Friesen would pick up the puck for his first ever SEMHL shut out and a hometown Maroons win.

Not in the line-up: Shea Hamilton, Dale Butland, John Mintenko.

50/50 pot claimed by: Dan Carman

400 Club Winners of $200

# 299 - Ben Hildebrand & Don Enns

#216 - John Hiebert

#71 - John Martens

#241 - Curt Letkeman & Tim Fast

#2 - Corey & Holly Friesen

The Altona Maroons also teamed up with the Manitoba Alzheimers Society and in the lobby was a table set up with raffle tickets for sale with hockey themed prizes with all proceeds going towards the Alzheimers Society. The main prizes featured a signed Evander Kane Winnipeg Jets jersey as well as a beautiful art piece of Milan Lucic and signed by the Bruins rugged power foward. If you see the Alzheimers Society selling tickets in other arenas this winter, be sure to help them out and purchase a few tickets.

Thursday, Nov. 15 Maroons 7 Beavers 2

Maroons Captain Jon Froese with Beavers Ian Bergsma taking a ceremonial face off with 2012 Manitoba Sunflower Festival Queen Sarah Hildebrand, 1st Princess Britni Reimer and 2nd Princess Mandy Peters. Photo courtesy of Greg Vandermuelen - Red River Valley Echo.

Manitoba Sunflower Festival Queen Sarah Hildebrand and princesses Mandy Peters and Britni Reimer were on hand to drop the puck in a ceremonnial face-off to kick off the Maroons 62nd season in the SEMHL. After announcer Wayne Kauhenhofen said "Let's play hockey", it was the visiting Beavers that would start things off 2 min. in as Stewart Thiessen would feed Mark Owen the puck and Owen would slip a low shot past Maroons goalie Mark Friesen for a 1-0 lead. Later in the period Brent Toews would take a pass from Ryan Dyck and beat Beavers goalie Nathan Yeo high on the glove side to tie the game 1-1. The rest of the period would play out with both teams generating some scoring chances but the score would remained tied after 20 min.

Josh Froese manhandling a Carman defenceman. Subsequently a 2 min. minor penalty was called on the play. Photo courtesy of Greg Vandermuelen - Red River Valley Echo.

In the 2nd period the Maroons came alive. Just under 2 min. in, Nick Fuher would find Jon Froese in the Beavers zone and the captain would send a pass to his brother Josh and Josh Froese would score his first of the season giving the Maroons a 2-1 lead. 8 sec. later Brent Toews would muscle his way past a Beavers d-man and with one hand on his stick he'd slide the puck past Yeo for a 3-1 lead. Several min. later on a powerplay Ryan Dyck would set up Angus Klassen and Klassen would use some patience and then fire a shot past Yeo for a 4-1 lead. Jon Froese would score next at the 13:53 mark of the period giving the Maroons a 5-1 lead. With over 10 min. to play in the 2nd period Angus Klassen would score his 2nd of the game on a set up from Matt Dyck and then Jon Froese would notch his 2nd of the game less then 20 sec. later. Now up 7-1 the Beavers would make a goalie change sending Gavin Callum to the net. The 2nd period would come to an end with the Maroons holding a large lead.

Matt Dyck working to position himself in front of Beavers goalie Nathan Yeo. Photo courtesy of Greg Vandermuelen - Red River Valley Echo.

In the 3rd period the Maroons would continue to play sound defence and continue to try to pad their lead, but Callum would stand tall coming up with a few big saves. Just under 4 min. in the Beavers would find some life when Stewart Thiessen would find the back of the net on a nice pass from Mark Owen making it 7-2. The remainder of the period saw both teams still skating well but faced with a 5 goal defecit the Beavers found themselves too far out of the game and the Maroons would pick up their first win of the season making their record now 1 Win and 1 Loss.

Game notes: Not in the Maroons line-up - Devon Leblanc, Phil Letkeman and Shea Hamilton.

National anthem performed by Sarah Hildebrand

50/50 pot of $165 claimed by Dwayne Letkeman

400 Club Winners - $200 each

Jake Hildebrand, Ivan Strain, Danny Wiebe, Prairie Insurance and Advance Blinds.

Next Home Game - Sat. Nov. 24 v.s. Notre Dame Hawks

Sat. Nov. 10, 2012 - Postponed

The Altona Maroons were set to host their first home game of the season this year against the Plum Coulee Xpress, but Mother Nature decided to step in and hand much of central and southern Manitoba a mixture of snow and rain combined with freezing temperatures = icy roads. Vehicles were sliding off town roads all morning in Altona with reports from those travelling into town by midday that surronding highway traffic was "crawling" to avoid going into the ditches. There were no Minor Hockey games in town all day and so the Maroons connected with Plum Coulee and the League comissioner all agreed was that it was best to keep the players and fans off of the highways this evening and cancel the game. Local hockey fans hoping to catch some exciting SEMHL action will have to wait until Thursday, Nov. 15th for their first Maroons home game when the Carman Beavers travel to the Sunflower Gardens. Until then, keep checking back on this websites for updates.

Sat. Nov. 3, 2012 Altona Maroons @ UND Sioux

Taking advantage of an early season Saturday night off a good portion of the Maroons would meet at the arena and jump on the bus and head down to Grand Forks, ND to take in a UND Sioux game against Boston College. The group enjoyed their time at the beautiful Ralph Englestad Arena and would like to thank Abe Suderman for driving the bus as well as Daryl Rempel for looking after everyone and taking attendance after every stop before the bus would move on to each destination. All in all it was a fantastic time enjoyed by everyone.

Fri. Nov. 2, 2012 Stonewall Flyers 6 - Altona Maroons 3

The Altona Maroons travelled to Stonewall to start their season off and would open the scoring just over 7 min. into the game when Shea Hamilton would set up Justin Froese on a powerplay and Froese's snap shot from the point would sneak through traffic and beat Flyers goalie Justin Harris for a 1-0 lead. Several minutes later Dale Butland would pick up an assist on a quick goal from Matt Dyck for a 2-0 lead. Just under 6 min. left to play in the opening frame and rookie Angus Klassen would take a high sticking penalty, on the ensuing penalty the Flyers Matt Zakulkuzny would set up Evan Layse and Layse would beat Shannon Enns narrowing the lead to 2-1. Before the 1st period was over the Maroons would take 2 more penalties including an unfortunate Hitting from Behind penalty assesed to Craig Neufeld. After 20 min. of hockey the Maroons led 2-1.

The 2nd period would see the Flyers tie the game up less then 3 min. when Kyle Heroux would beat Enns making it 2-2. Less then a min. after the tying goal, Maroons forward Devon Leblanc would notice a Flyers defenceman with his head down and hit the player with a seemingly normal bodycheck but would be assessed a 2 min. minor for a Hit to the Head and a 10 min. misconduct. Clearly frustrated by another soft call, the Maroons players would lose focus and would be assessed another penalty less then a min. later. The Maroons would get back to even strength after fighting off a 5 on 3. Then with just under 12 min. to play in the 2nd, the Flyers would get the go ahead goal when an Adam Kirk offensive rush was finished by Adam Farthing sending a shot past Enns for a 3-2 lead. With just under 10 min. left in the period a scrum would break out sending 2 players from each team to the penalty box including a Match penalty assessed to Shea Hamilton. Chippy play would continue and the Maroons would again be on a penalty kill when Blair Hawes would beat Enns making it 4-2 for the Flyers. With 5 min. left in the period and still on a powerplay the Flyers would go up 5-2 when Adam Kirk would set up Scott Delong who would beat Enns under the crossbar. After 40 min. of play the Flyers would hold a commanding lead and send the Maroons into a break wondering where their discipline had dissapeard to. The officiating certainly was not strong at the start of the game and it clearly had rubbed the Maroons players the wrong way, letting it get the better of their focus and efforts.

First year goalie Mark Friesen would start the 3rd period after Shannon Enns was injured on a play towards the end of the 2nd. The pace of the 3rd period would get back to normal as both teams seems to focus on playing hockey and while the Maroons would start to generate some chances in the Flyers end, it would take until the midway point of the period when Angus Klassen would work his way low behind the Flyers net and Brent Toews would pick up a pass and come out from behind the net beating Harris and cutting the lead to 5-3. The Maroons generate additional chances but time would wind down and with just under 4 min. to play Russ Payne would take a nice pass from Reid Macleod and beat Mark Friesen with a nice shot to go up 6-3. Flyers goalie Justin Harris would close the door on last ditch Maroons efforts and the Flyers would win their home opener doubling up on the defeding SEMHL Champion Altona Maroons.

Game Notes: Not in the line up - Phil Letkeman, Ryan Dyck & John Mintenko. AP Haydon Friesen was inserted into the line-up.

Several days after the game the Maroons would learn from the league that Devon Leblanc would be handed a 1 game suspension due to the player he hit having to leave the game and seek medical attention several days after the game. League Commissioner Brian Callum handed the suspension to Leblanc due to an injury occuring on a Hit to the Head penalty. Adding to the fact that the Maroons will be without their 2011-12 leading scorer, another top forward Shea Hamilton will be forced to sit out the next 3 games for his Match penalty. The Maroons played the majority of last season with different line ups and some games short several players therefore facing adversity is not new for this hockey club, however they will have to figure out a way to ignore questionable calls and play the way that they proved they can play in last years playoffs.

ALL CONTENT FROM HERE DOWN IS FROM THE 2011-2012 SEASON

Maroons win 2011/12 SEMHL Championships with a 6-1 win over Plum Coulee Xpress. Dale Butland and Matt Dyck named Playoff MVP's.

Tuesday, March 27 - SEMHL Finals - Game 5 Maroons v.s. Xpress @ Winkler Centennial Arena.

The Altona Maroons came into Game 5 with a 3-1 series lead and started the game off, right where they left off from Game 4 outworking the Plum Coulee Xpress and outshooting their opponents. Less then a min. into the game the Maroons would go on a powerplay but the Xpress backed by goalie Jayme Janzen would keep things scoreless. Later, Just 4 min. into the game Maroons Captain Jon Froese would open the scoring on a play set up by Shea Hamilton. Nearing the midway point of the first period and just after a Maroons powerplay Ryan Dyck would set up Matt Dyck and Matt would send a nice pass to Josh Froese who would streak in towards Janzen and lift a quick wrist shot high over the shoulder of Janzen making it 2-0. The large contingent of Maroons fans in Winkler got behind their team and the Maroons were taking control of the game early on. Keeping shifts short, the Maroons were able to gain entry into the Xpress zone and send good quality of shots on net, meanwhile when the Xpress gained the Maroons end Carey Dyck would firmly turn away the shots with his defenceman working hard to get in front of shooting lanes and turn the puck back out of the zone as quickly as possible. The Maroons Brent Toews would take a holding penalty late in the period and although the Xpress would generate some solid scoring chances the Maroons would get back to even strength, unscathed and head off the ice after 20 min. with a 2-0 lead. The Maroons would outshoot the Xpress 14-7 in the first period.

Shea Hamilton avoiding an open ice hit from Xpress defender Adam Porte. Photo courtesy of Merle Peters.

In the 2nd period the Maroons would keep coming at the Xpress and just under 5 min. in and on a powerplay, Josh Froese would feed Dale Butland a pass on the point and and Butland's one-timer blast would find the back of the net making it 3-0 in favour of the Maroons. On the very next shift as the Xpress worked their way into the Maroons end, Butland would be assesed a cross-checking penalty. The Xpress would work their powerplay, but would be unable to capitalize on the man advantage. With just under 11 min. in the middle period the Xpress would head to the penalty box again, putting the Maroons powerplay unit to go to work again. On the powerplay Josh Froese would cycle the puck down low behind Janzen's net with Brent Toews and as Toews came towards the front of the net with a shot Janzen would meet him with a save, but the rebound would bounce out to Jon Froese who would capitalize on the opportunity and bury it for a 4-0 lead. 27 sec. later Matt Dyck would give Devon Leblanc a quick pass at the bottom of the face off circle to the left side of the net and Leblanc would send a bullet past Janzen to the top of the net making it 5-0. With the game now half over the Maroons were safely in the drivers seat and kept coming at the Xpress with several more quality scoring chances. Both teams would leave the ice for the 2nd intermission with the Maroons now outshooting the Xpress 31-21.

Carey Dyck making a blocker save on Xpress forward Brett Harder. Photo courtesy of Merle Peters.

In the 3rd period the Maroons would keep up the pressure and with just over 8 min. to play Nick Fuher's point blast would make it's way through traffic in front of Janzen and to the back of the net for a 6-0 lead. The Xpress faithful were fairly quiet at this point, but would eventually find a reason to cheer when Brett Harder's shot would beat Carey Dyck through his pads crushing Dyck's chances for a shutout and making it 6-1. The remaining minutes on the clock would wind down to 0:00 with the Maroons players fleeing their bench and flocking to Dyck and the rest of their teamates to celebrate the win and the SEMHL Championship.

The scoreboard displayed a final shot total of 40 shots for the Maroons on Janzen and 30 shots for the Xpress on Dyck. Watching the game between 2 referees, I overheard that they felt the shots on net were not quite accurate and could well have been closer to 45-25. Regardless, Xpress netminder and league Top Goalie award winner Jayme Janzen was outstanding in the series making highlight reel saves in every game of the Championship Finals. At the other end of the ice 2nd year Maroons goalie Carey Dyck was superb in the Finals starting every game and allowing only 12 goals and making crucial saves in each game giving the Maroons playoff goaltending and out-dueling Janzen in the Game 1 Double Overtime battle and the Game 4 Overtime game.

After a brief but joyous celebration, the Maroons and Xpress lined up on their respective bluelines while SEMHL Commissioner Brian Callum thanked the fans for their great support, CKMW for broadcasting the games and congratulating the Plum Coulee Xpress for a great season and for being tough opponents in the Finals. Callum then shifted his congrats to the 2012 SEMHL Champions Altona Maroons and announced the SEMHL Playoff co-MVP's forward Matt Dyck and defenceman Dale Butland. After the obligatory trophy presentation, Callum moved on to asking Maroons Captain and co-captains Jon Froese, Brent Toews and John Mintenko to accept the Elmer Hildebrand SEMHL Championship trophy. Captain Jon Froese would then hoist the trophy and get mobbed by his teammates, before handing the trophy over to veteran defenceman Kevin Ginter. Ginter would continue the handing off of the trophy before Shea Hamilton brought it over to President and G.M. Jody Hildebrand. Hildebrand joyfully hoisted the trophy and then passed it off to coach Rob Friesen. Eventually the the team would gather at center ice for a group photo. As the Maroons left the ice fans, parents, spouses, and friends etc. congratulated them for their hard work throughout the playoffs and the team gathered in the dressing room for some brief congratulatory remarks from Hildebrand and Friesen before veterans Jon Froese and Ryan Dyck began the dressing room celebrations. The celebrations would continue until the bus was complelty filled up with a fired up bunch of teammates who made their way back to their home arena to continue reveling in their Championship success.

Maroons Captain Jon Froese with Assistants John Mintenko and Brent Toews accepting the Elmer Hildebrand SEMHL Championship Trophy from league commissioner Brian Callum. Photo courtesy of Merle Peters.

For the Maroons the Championship is their 10th in 61 years of hockey in the SEMHL and this seasons squad captured it all after finishing 6th in the regular season standings (2 points out of 3rd place) and were able to knock of the 3rd place Stonewall Flyers, before upsetting the favoured 1st place Morden Redskins and then defeating the 2nd seed Plum Coulee Xpress.

The celebrating will continue for some time as the Maroons determine when team pictures and a wind up date can be set.

Dressing room celebrations! Photo courtesy of Merle Peters.

Last, but not least, the Altona Maroons would like to say a HUGE Thank you to their fans who came out in big numbers throughout the playoffs to the home games, and also for the away games in the Semi-Finals in Morden and in the Finals in Winkler (PC).

Sat Jan 21 - FINAL
Portage	10
Altona	2

Thu Jan 26 - FINAL
Altona	2
Morden	11

Thu Feb 2 - FINAL
Ile des Chenes	5
Altona	3

Sun Feb 5 - FINAL
Altona	3
Ile des Chenes	13