The Jubilee Sports Centre, home of the Rosthern Wheatkings. (Rosthern Wheatkings/Facebook)

By Logan Lehmann

Playoff push

Twin Rivers Hockey League heating up as regular season enters final stretch

Jan 9, 2024 | 5:00 PM

With playoffs just around the corner, the final month of play in the Twin Rivers Hockey League (TRHL) is going to be nothing short of exciting.

Each club in the 12-team senior men’s league plays 16 regular season games before the postseason with over half already playing 12 games entering January.

Only eight playoff spots are for the taking with some close finishes looming down the stretch.

Heading into the final month of regular season competition, the Birch Hills Blackhawks reclaimed the top spot in the East following their dominant showing over Hanley on Saturday. The Hawks walked away with a 7-3 win and improved their record to 7-2-2 (W-L-OTL) with 16 points and five games to go.

Trailing one game back of Birch Hills for first is the Allan Flames who were hot to start the season. The Flames have played ten games this season, boasting a 7-3-0 record with 14 points following their 8-5 loss to Willow Cree on Sunday. Allan is now 1-2 in their last three games with six games remaining.

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The remaining four teams in the East are all within four points in the standings and are still hopefuls for a playoff spot.

The Cudworth Tricky Maroons and the Hanley Huskies are both tied for third in the Division with 11 points. Cudworth is in a bit of a better spot in the standings though as they have three games remaining compared to Hanley who have two left on the schedule. The Tricky Maroons currently show a record of 4-6-3 and snapped a four-game skid over Waldheim in their last contest, winning 8-4. The Huskies, who have a record of 5-8-1, are 2-3 in their last five games which includes a 6-5 overtime win over Cudworth and a 5-3 win against Allan during that stretch.

Claiming fifth in the East with 10 points and a 5-6-0 record are the Clavet Cougars with five games to go. The Cougars dropped their latest game on Sunday versus Rosthern, 8-5, which makes it back-to-back losses for Clavet. Finally in sixth is the newest addition to the TRHL, the Bruno T-Birds who are 3-8-1 through their first season in the league. With four games left, the T-Birds are sitting four points back of the final playoff spot in the East.

Meanwhile, in the West Division, things are more spread out.

Claiming first entering the final weeks of the regular season is the Willow Cree Chiefs, who are first overall in the league as well. The Chiefs are looking to go back-to-back as regular season champions following their 15-1-0 finish last season. Unfortunately, they won’t finish with the same record as they currently sit at 11-2-0 with 22 points three games to go.

However, their run of back-to-back regular season champions could be in jeopardy due to their hot divisional rival occupying second place in the West. Sitting just one game back and looking to capture their first regular season banner since the 2018-19 season are the Rosthern Wheatkings who also have three games remaining. With a record of 10-3-0, the Wheaties are on a four-game win streak which includes key divisional wins against Shellbrook and Waldheim.

Willow Cree and Rosthern are both head and shoulders over the rest of the West with either clinching a playoff spot as the Dalmeny Sabres are in third at 7-3-0 and 14 points. Things haven’t been smoothest sailing for the defending champions as of late though as the Sabres are 2-3 in their last five games with their last contest coming as a 6-0 win over Bruno.

The Shellbrook Elks claim the fourth and final playoff spot in the Division with a 6-5-1 record and 13 points. The Elks have been on a tear as of late however, as they saw their four-game win streak halted at the hands of Rosthern on Saturday, falling 6-5.

Rounding out the West are the Hague Royals in fifth while the Waldheim Warriors sit in sixth. The Royals are still hopefuls for a playoff spot, currently sitting at nine points with five games to go. Meanwhile, the Warriors have just two wins in 12 games this year, good enough for four points on the year making them the first and only team to be eliminated from playoff contention this season.

Competition continues this weekend including some key matchups with the schedule as follows:

Friday, Jan. 12

Hague Royals @ Willow Cree Chiefs – 8:00 p.m.

Shellbrook Elks @ Cudworth Tricky Maroons – 8:30 p.m.

Birch Hills Blackhawks @ Bruno T-Birds – 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 13

Dalmeny Sabres @ Waldheim Warriors – 7:45 p.m.

Allan Flames @ Clavet Cougars – 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 14

Rosthern Wheatkings @ Dalmeny Sabres – 2:30 p.m.

Bruno T-Birds @ Hague Royals – 5:00 p.m.

Clavet Cougars @ Allan Flames – 7:00 p.m.

The remaining season schedule can be found by clicking here.

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com