The young Manitoba Junior Hockey League team won both of its games last week. The squad has earned victories in four of its last five contests.
“I think we are figuring out as a team how to win close games,” said head coach Troy Leslie, who emphasized he has been pleased with how his team has been proactive in third periods lately.
On the season, Virden was 6-9-1-4 entering the week. After losing many members off last season’s team that made it to the MJHL finals, Jamie Hodson, the Oil Capitals director of business and hockey operations, said the organization understood it would take time for the new faces to come together. He said they wanted to have a record around .500 in the first 20 games. The squad is three games under .500 but earned points in five losses thanks to going to at least overtime.
“If we can keep things at that level, then our next 20 games are probably going to be that much better and then our next 20 potentially could be that much better,” Hodson said.
Later in an interview, he said, “For the most part, the glass is half full. I think we are going to continue that trend here.”
Individually, the Oil Capitals have seen players develop up and down the lineup – rookies and veterans. For example, 19-year-old Kolten Kanaski has been a leader up front, Hodson said, and paces the team with 11 goals and 18 points. Second-year man Hunter Cloutier already has more goals than last season and is just three points shy of the 19 he posted last winter. Hodson praised Ben Dalke for being an exceptional captain and defencemen Tristen Cross of Virden and Jayden Wojciechowskifor their strong play. Rookies such as hometown product Tanner Andrew, Dylan Halliday, Brett Paddock, Parker Brakebill, and Tristan Thompson have contributed. Goalie Dalton Dosch and Oak Lake’s Riley Wallace have played well.
“We are a really hardworking team. We are a tough team to play against. I think our fans see that,” said Hodson, who noted that attendance is up and expressed appreciation for the team’s fan base.
This Week
The Oil Capitals continue a stretch of five home games. The third of those was played on Thursday against the Steinbach Pistons (*Update: Caps over Pistons 5-3).
The OCN Blizzard visit on Saturday and Sunday. The two teams play each other for the third straight time on Nov. 20 in OCN.
Dosch Honoured
Dosch earned the Recycle Everywhere MJHL Player of the Week for his performance last week. In his pair of victories, the 19-year-old posted a 1.00 goals against average, a .965 save percentage, and a shutout. On the season, Dosch had a 2.57 GAA – which placed him third in the league.
Oil Caps 4, Blues 2
A two-goal second period helped propel the Oil Capitals to a 4-2 victory over the Winnipeg Blues in front of 1,084 at Tundra Oil & Gas Place last Thursday. After a 1-1 first period, the home team got two goals in the second and then both teams scored once in the third.
Kanaski had two goals on the night, while Blake Sidoni recorded a goal and an assist. The Trail, B.C. product had six points in five games since being traded to the Oil Capitals. Leslie praised Sidoni’s solid play since joining the team. Brakebill, who has three goals in his last five games, had Virden’s other marker against Winnipeg.
Dosch stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced. Blues goalie Jack Branby had 27 saves.
Oil Caps 3, Kings 0
Dosch recorded his first shutout of the season with a 3-0 win on Saturday. He made 23 saves in front of 1,002 fans.
“He is playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Leslie said. “When he is confident, it rubs off on the other guys.”
Following a scoreless first period, Kanaski scored early in the second session. In the third, he recorded his second goal of the night. Cross capped the scoring with an empty net marker to finish with two points on the evening. Brennan Kitchen had 37 saves for Dauphin. Leslie said a key was the Oil Capitals staying aggressive.
