It's a busy weekend for senior hockey in the SPHL. The defending champion Meota Combines will play their season opener, while the Radisson Wheatkings are one of five teams in action both Friday and Saturday night. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Hockey on tap

Busy weekend ahead on senior hockey slate

Dec 2, 2022 | 8:00 AM

It’s a busy weekend ahead for senior hockey.

There will be six games this weekend across the Saskatchewan Prairie Hockey League, with three Friday night and three Saturday.

Friday night

The Battlefords Beaver Blues headline Friday night’s slate, playing host to the Radisson Wheatkings at Battleford Arena.

The Beaver Blues (3-0-0) enter play Friday in top spot of the league standings, having outscored their opposition 21-5 over their first three games. Forwards Blake Fennig and Tyler Wasmuth are tied for the Blues’ lead with three goals and six points apiece this season.

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The Wheatkings (1-1-0) are coming off a 7-2 victory over Neilburg. Ryan Rothenburger is coming off a two-goal outing in the win and is tied with teammates Cody Kalyn and Hayden Sabadash with four points to lead the club.

Puck drop between the Beaver Blues and Wheatkings will be at 8:30 p.m.

Also in action Friday, the Turtleford Tigers will host the Neilburg Monarchs for an 8:30 p.m. start, and the Glaslyn North Stars will play the Maidstone Jets in Maidstone with puck drop at 9 p.m.

Trent MacNab and his Turtleford Tigers’ teammates will return to action Friday night on home ice. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Both Turtleford and Neilburg will be looking for a swift bounce back to the win column. The Tigers (2-1-0) are coming off a 7-1 loss to Battleford Tuesday, while the Monarchs (1-1-0) will be looking to get back on track after a 7-2 loss to Radisson at home last weekend.

Tigers’ forwards Austin McDonald (five goals, 10 points) and Jacey Nordell (three goals, eight points) sit 1-2 in league scoring this season. The Monarchs have four players tied atop the team scoring leaders at three points apiece, including Danton L’Heureux who’s coming off a two-assist game last Saturday.

Glaslyn (1-0-0) is coming off an 8-0 victory over Redberry in their season opener last weekend, taking on a Maidstone Jets team (2-0-0) that have outscored their opposition 8-3 to open the year.

Forward Jared Lagoski leads the Jets in scoring with three goals and four points, while Boston Pylypow’s three points are a North Stars’ best.

Saturday night

Saturday night, the defending league champion, Meota Combines (0-0-0) will take centre stage for their season opener against Maidstone at North Battleford’s Access Communications Centre with puck drop at 8 p.m.

Meota scored a league-best 106 goals in 14 games last season (7.57 goals per game), and with added reinforcements this year, should be as lethal as ever offensively.

Glaslyn and the Radisson Wheatkings will play in Raddison at 8 p.m., with the Beaver Blues wrapping the Saturday slate in Neilburg for each team’s second game of the weekend with puck drop at 8:30 p.m.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1