Game On Magazine - April 2017 Game on Preview Edition | Page 28

St. Vital
Victorias
Coach Ryan Butterfield was
very disappointed with last
season noting his team gave
away too many points on too
many different occasions.
“There were no easy games,”
said Butterfield, “But we also
couldn’t catch a break on the
score board and in the injury
department.”
The team ended the season
in seventh place with 50
points, but to underscore the
parity in this league, they were
only four points out of second.
The Victorias will lose six
players this year – Justin
Tremblay, KC Mason, Scott
Rowswell, Raymond Allard,
Jayden Buchanan and goalie
Nolan Bray, who had 19 wins
and 11 losses last year.
Butterfield lamented the loss
of Bray and indicated that fill-
ing his spot will be the team’s
biggest challenge.
League MVP and regular
season scoring champion,
Riley Beauchemin will be
back with the Vics and that’s
a major plus. And new GM
Perry Moore has also joined
the organization.
“For us, this season all
depends on what happens at
the MJHL-level and who gets
cut but still wants to play.”
Said Butterfield. “Personally,
I really think we should start
the season a little later so we
can better adjust to MJHL
cuts. The two week break at
Christmas is a good idea but I
think our schedule should be
tailored to be a little lighter at
exam time.”
Butterfield is impressed
with the reborn Twins organi-
zation and thinks the teams to
beat are the Raiders, Jets and
Canucks.
Fort Garry/Fort Rouge Twins
This is the team everyone in
the league is looking out for.
The Twins traded their captain
last year and acquired five
young players – three pros-
pects and two roster players –
and four of them are expected
to be in the lineup when the
regular season starts. New
owner, Kim Orris, definitely
has the team pointed in the
right direction.
The team is losing only
three players to graduation
-- forward Tosh Plouffe and
defensemen Nolan Jackson
and Darrel Kilbourne.
However, the team will be
very strong in net with the
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return of Mario Florentino
who ended the season with a
19-11 record and a very strong
.923 save percentage. The
team will bid farewell to its
dynamo, Johnny Morrow, who
is off to college in Toronto,
but are excited about MMJHL
Rookie of the Year David
MacDonald, who in 38 games
garnered 26 goals and 55
points.
“I’m excited about the
league and the fact that
anyone can win any time,”
said Cam Craig, the Twins’
Assistant Coach. “The parity is
sick and you have to show up
every night.”
St. James Canucks goalie
Tyler Wiess is back
St. James
Canucks
Last season, the improving
Canucks tied the Twisters for
third place with 54 points, but
like so many good teams, were
surprised in the first round by
the upstart Raiders.
However, that tough first
round defeat will not affect
this year’s Canucks as much
as the loss of eight key players
to graduation. Graduating
are leading scorer Mitchell
Lockhart (33 goals and 66
points), Nick Stire, Graham
Philip, David Fr