Two weeks have come and gone in the 2021-22 Manitoba Junior Hockey League season and the Dauphin Kings will enter week three of play trending in the right direction.
After opening the season with a 3-1 defeat, Dauphin has won three straight games to move to 3-1 on the season. Their first win was back on September 18 when Carson Cherepak made 45 saves to steal the show in a 1-0 win.
This past weekend, the Kings played another home-and-home with Neepawa and they caught fire offensively while Cherepak once again looked solid in net.
Dauphin scored five times on Friday to win 5-2 and Kaden Bryant led the way on Saturday with three goals of his own in a 6-3 win.
And as the team now prepares to open a home-and-home with the OCN Blizzard, let’s take a look at where the Kings rank in multiple statistical categories after two weeks.
Record – 3-1 (tied for 1st in the West Division with Waywayseecappo)
GF – 13 (second most in the West behind the Wolverines)
GA – 8 (Dauphin has allowed the fewest goals in the West Division and the third fewest in the league after two weeks. The Pistons and Blues rank first and second, respectively)
PP – 57.1% (Dauphin failed to score a goal on the man advantage in the first two games of the season. Since, the team has been on fire. They’re now 4-for-7 and only the Blues, Pistons, Flyers, and Wolverines have more power play goals) But do keep in mind, Dauphin has only had seven power play chances. Waywayseecappo has had 16, the Blues have had 15, Steinbach 16, and Winkler has had 23 chances in their first four games.
PK – 81.3% (Dauphin’s third in the West Division. That equates to going 13-for-16 on the penalty kill)
Leaders – Kaden Bryant failed to hit the scoresheet in his first two games. Since, the 20-year-old from Winnipeg has caught fire. The former Forward of the Year in the Manitoba AAA U18 Hockey League has four goals in his past two games. He scored three times on Saturday night.
Nick Braun has one goal and four assists while Colby Jaquet has four assists. Two Kings also have three points, Parker Malchuk and Slade Stanick.
Goaltending – Keaton Woolsey played well in Dauphin’s first game of the season, a 3-1 defeat. Since, Carson Cherepak has been the number one and he’s been stellar. He’s 3-0 with a solid .944 save percentage and a sparkling 1.67 goals-against average.
What’s next – A four game series with the OCN Blizzard. The first of four is this Friday at the Roy H Johnston Arena in The Pas. OCN is 2-1-0-1 in their first four games against Swan Valley.
Following Friday’s game, Dauphin will host the Blizzard on Sunday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. Don’t forget, you can still get season tickets, a flex pack or you can get your tickets on gameday. The box office will be open at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.