By TERRY PUGH
The Junior B Martensville Chiefs are looking to gain ground on the Prairie Junior Hockey League (PJHL) Bob Dybvig Division leaders heading into the Christmas break later this month.
With six games remaining on their December schedule, the Chiefs are currently sitting in fourth place in the PJHL’s northern division with 26 points (as of December 3), six points behind the league-leading Saskatoon Westleys (32 points), and within striking distance of both the second place Saskatoon Royals (30 points) and third place Saskatoon Quakers (29 points).
The Carrot River Outback Thunder is fifth (19 points) and the Prince Albert Timberjaks are sixth (17 points).
“It’s a tight division, for sure,” said Martensville Chiefs General Manager Brennan Hall in an interview December 3. “It’s anybody’s game right now, and the championship is definitely up for grabs.
“I’m confident in our team. We’ve got a lot of veterans, a lot of older guys that know what it takes to win, and I honestly feel like we’re a legitimate contender this year.”
Hall said it’s rare for a fourth-place team to be considered in the race for top spot, but there’s a lot of parity in the league this season.
He added that with a few adjustments, the Chiefs’ will be able to build on their strong start to the season.
“Basically, we just have to tighten up our game and push a little harder for the entire 60 minutes,” said Hall. “We let a few close games slip away from us, and we can’t let that happen. We just need to push through and persevere, especially in the last ten minutes.”
Hall said the two-week break over Christmas couldn’t come at a better time.
“A lot of teams are pretty banged up at this point in the season,” he said. “And it’s the same story with us. But we’ve got a great opportunity now to put up some more points, and we’ll grind through these next few games and come out on a good note to start the second half of the season in January.”
One of the keys to the Chiefs’ success so far this season is the play of their number one goaltender, 21-year-old Rhett Harkot of Saskatoon. With a goals-against-average (GAA) of 2.72, the 6’3” Harkot brings plenty of Junior A experience from his days with the Osoyoos Coyotes in 2022-23. Prior to that he played U18AAA hockey with the Battlefords Stars from 2020 to 2022. He joined the Chiefs when they were still based in Delisle during the 2022-23 season.
“Rhett is the best goalie in the league,” said Hall. “Each team is allowed two 21-year-olds, and we made a strategic decision at the beginning of the year to choose our starting goaltender as one of those 21-year-olds. It’s a decision that’s paid off.”
Hall said not only is Harkot good at stopping shots, he’s also skilled at moving pucks out of the defensive zone.
“He’s like a third defenseman,” said Hall. “If the puck gets dumped into our zone, he’ll stop it and pass it to one of our first guys back, or else ring it around the boards to clear the zone.”
Hall said having Harkot between the pipes instills confidence in the rest of the team. The defense is also bolstered by a blue-line corps that has played consistently well so far this season.
Offensively, the Chiefs have five players in the PJHL’s top 25 scorers so far this season. Jesse Borschneck leads the team with 18 goals and 13 assists in 20 games, with Dylan Prince (12 goals, 14 assists), Garin Lammers (7 goals, 17 assists), Luc Fortier (11 goals, 12 assists) and Luke Senick (8 goals, 13 assists) also on the list.
Hall said the team’s move from Delisle to Martensville at the start of this season has breathed new life into the franchise.
“Martensville feels like home, absolutely,” said Hall. “The support from the fans and sponsors is fantastic. We went from pretty bare stands over the last few seasons to having pretty full bleachers now. It’s a lot of fun for the guys to play in front of a big crowd; and all the feedback and buzz we’ve received has been very positive.
“We couldn’t be happier with the way it’s going this season.”
The Chiefs are in Prince Albert to take on the Timberjaks on Friday, December 5, but are back home on Sunday, December 7 when they host the Richardson Pioneer Southern Rebels at the Martensville Sports Centre. Game time is 3:30 p.m.