After poor weather postponed last Friday’s contest in Virden, the Oil Caps fell to the Selkirk Steelers, 7-3, on the road Saturday. The Manitoba Junior Hockey League team also announced the signing of hometown product Bryce Bryant for the 2023-2024 season. The 2006-born forward is the son of Daren and Roanne Bryant, who served as Oil Caps billets in the past. The 14-16-1-0 Oil Capitals are off now until they open Jan. 6 when they play the OCN Blizzard on the road. Head coach Tyson Ramsey said he is looking forward to watching the team’s young group grow in the 2023 portion of the schedule.
“I think although our record maybe isn't where we would like it to be at this point, we have made strides in certain areas of our game and we will continue to work hard to better ourselves individually and as a group,” he said.
Steelers 7, Oil Caps 3
The Steelers led 2-0 after the first period and extended their lead to 4-0 in the second. The Oil Capitals were able to get one goal back before the second intermission. Selkirk outscored Virden 3-2 in the third. Scoring for Virden were Nolan Chastko, Roux Bazin, and Bray Rookes. Rookes, a Manson product, played in his 150th regular season game for Virden.
Lucas Brenna
early part of the season with the team before joining the St. Boniface Riels of the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League.
Bryce Bryant
n netted a hattrick for the Steelers. Also scoring for Selkirk were Tyson Smith, Joel Purdom, Ethan Brown, and Owen Weihs. Travis Hunter earned the win with 30 saves. Owen LaRocque made 28 stops for Virden. The Oil Capitals had Matthew Renville back in their lineup as an affiliated player. He spent the
Bryant is excited to have the opportunity to play for the team he watched growing up.
“I know I need to show up this fall and earn a spot and that there are no guarantees,” he said. “Now that I have the chance to earn a spot I want to absolutely excel going forward. Playing in the town you grew up in gives you motivation to not only help the team win a championship, but also to push harder to make the next level and be the best you can be. The chance that I now have is all thanks to my family for supporting me and getting me into the great game of hockey.”
The 5-foot-9, 140-pounder has 18 goals and 37 points in 27 games, as of Sunday, for the U18 AAA Yellowhead Chiefs.
“Bryce is a very, very good young player,” Ramsey said. “He has come such a long way in the last couple seasons due to his work ethic on and off the ice”, said Ramsey. “He is ultra-intelligent and can make plays that other guys may not see. He is a skilled guy that can make plays and score but also puts himself in good positions away from the puck. What he lacks in size, he makes up for in work ethic and character and we feel like he will be a top end player for us in our league. Not to mention, he is a hometown guy and that will be very exciting for our fans. We can’t wait to get him here and on the ice. We want to welcome Bryce and his family to the Oil Caps organization.”
Growing up, the Bryant family had season tickets and Bryce went to as many games as he could.
“This gave me the chance to watch all the Oil Caps and get an understanding of what it takes to play in this league,” he said. “Over the years, we have billeted a few players and that was great for me as I got to skate with them and talk about the games. This really helped motivate me to play for the Oil Caps one day.”
The Bryants billeted such players as McCullough Park, Dalton Dosch and Nathan McInnis.
Rands Joins MSU
Former Oil Capitals captain Logan Rands has joined the Minot State University men’s hockey season for the second semester. The Portage product played in parts of four junior seasons with Virden and had a short stint with the Cowichan Valley Capitals of the British Columbia Hockey League. He has played this season with the senior Virden Oil Kings.
"We are incredibly excited to add Logan into the mix for the spring semester," MSU head coach Wyatt Waselenchuk said. "His experience and his leadership will be a huge benefit to our roster. He is a puck-moving defenseman that makes a great first pass, skates very well, competes hard, and can certainly chip in offensively.
"Above all else, he is a fantastic young man. In speaking with previous coaches and teammates, we have heard nothing but rave reviews about his character both on and off the ice, and we are excited to bolster our blue line with a player of Logan's caliber."
Also playing at MSU are former Oil Capitals: Landyn Cochrane, Brayden Pawluk, and Oak Lake’s Riley Wallace
MJHL/SJHL Showcase
Three teams of MJHL players will compete against their Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League counterparts in Winnipeg on Jan. 31-Feb. 1 for the MJHL/SJHL Showcase. Ramsey will be the head coach of the 20U Team Red squad.
Visors Remain
The MJHL did not move to a full facemask on Dec. 15. Earlier this year Hockey Canada had announced a move to the “cage” would happen in mid-December. MJHL players will continue to wear visors for the rest of the season.
