It’s time for another Three Stars of the Week, which is brought to you by Paull Funeral Home and Crematorium. Every Monday we will be awarding three players who had a big week and giving them stars. We will be doing this week-to-week with points accumulating throughout the season. The top three will players will be recognized and presented an award during our final home game of the season.
The Swan Valley Stampeders went 0-1-0-1 against the West Division leaders this past weekend scorning 1 goal in 125 minutes of play. The Dauphin Kings scored five goals Friday night and added one more, plus a shootout goal to claim back-to-back wins over the Stampeders to kick off a four-game mini-series.
Swan Valley went head-to-head with the Kings for 30 minutes Friday night but then had a lapse in judgment allowing Dauphin to score three goals in less than two and a half minutes. One thing that must be noted is the Stampeders finally stayed out of the penalty box this weekend and it showed a huge difference in their entire team energy. Swan Valley did get into a bit of penalty trouble later in the game Friday night, which resulted in a goal against, but it was a much better effort on the Stampeder player’s part.
The discipline carried over into Saturday night’s game against the Kings. Swan Valley came to play and their defensive structure was on point, not allowing the Kings too many high-quality chances from the middle of the ice. They did give up a tone of shots but that is expected on a smaller ice surface and a highly offensive team in the Kings. Justin Keck has picked up his lunch box, stuffed it full of snack packs, threw on his boots and has been all work since joining the Stampeders two weeks ago. The 5’10” 170 lbs forward collected his third of the year on a beautiful passing play by Jacob Paler-Chow and Quinn Mulder during the second period of Saturday night’s 2-1 shootout loss. The 19-year-old from Morris continues to impress on so many levels and is a treat to watch. Another shining light from Saturday night was goaltender Kobe Grant. What a story this young man has been writing since coming to the Valley. Grant took the loss in net Friday night but had one of the biggest bounce-back games I have witnessed in a very long time. The 19-year-old held the high flying offence of the Dauphin Kings off the board for 48 minutes and 11 seconds, not an easy feat looking back through their recent game reports. The Sicamous, BC native stopped 37/38 shots he faced in a 2-1 shootout loss Saturday night. Also to note – Swan only took two penalties, that has to be a record.
Despite the lack of goal scoring by the Stampeders squad over the past two games, it was the man in the net at the other end making life hell for the young guns. Carson Cherepak is one of the best in the league, maybe across Canada and he stood tall against Swan Valley. Cherepak stopped 56 of 57 shots during the home-and-home series and helped his team take four points from the Stampeders.
The “Three Stars of the Week” is brought to you by Paull Funeral Home & Crematorium, and will be awarded week-to-week with points being collected throughout the season. The top three will players will be recognized at the end of the season.
Three stars point system is as follows:
1st Star = 3 points
2nd Star = 2 points
3rd Star = 1 point
Check back every Monday for the Paull Funeral Home & Crematorium, Three Stars of the week.
THREE STARS (Nov. 7 – Nov. 14)
3rd Star
Jacob Paler-Chow has embraced his time with the Swan Valley Stampeders since coming to the Valley. The Vancouver, BC product helped set up the Stamps’ only goal Saturday night. The 20-year-old sits 10th in team scoring with two goals and five assists for seven points.
2nd Star
Justin Keck jumps up a spot in this week’s Three Stars selections. The 19-year-old collected his third goal as a Stampeder Saturday night, finishing off a quick passing play by Paler-Chow and Quinn Mulder. In four games with Swan Valley, the Morris product has three goals and sits 14th in team scoring.
1st Star
Kobe Grant becomes only the third goaltender ever to top the Three Stars of the Week Award. Goalies sometimes don’t get the recognition they deserve and that’s why I smile ear-to-ear when I get to post one on the three star selections. Grant did everything in his power to help his team claim a victory Friday but it wasn’t the Stampeders’ night, losing 5-0 on the road. As mentioned above in the story, the Sicamous, BC native had a huge bounce-back game Saturday night on home ice, giving his team every opportunity to beat the Dauphin Kings. The 19-year-old stopped a total of 37/38 shots he faced, plus two more in the shootout, but it was the Kings who snuck away with two points at the Centennial Arena Saturday night. Grant has played seven games posting a 4.25 GAA and a .883 SVS%.
The Stampeders will get back to work over the next four days preparing for another home-and-home series against the West Division leaders, the Dauphin Kings. Swan Valley will host Dauphin Friday (Nov. 19) in a game presented by Farmery. The puck drop goes at 7 pm. The Stamps will then travel to Dauphin to close out a four-game mini-series against the Kings Saturday (Nov. 20) at Credit Union Place.
Game day tickets can be purchased by clicking the image below.
You can also pick up your tickets at Patty’s Sports Excellence or at the door.
Also, our online 50/50 tickets can be purchased anytime this week leading up to our home game Saturday, Nov. 19. You can purchase your tickets early by clicking the icon below.
STANDINGS (Point Leaders)
8 – Jamie Valentino
8 – Cody Barnes
7 – Carter Cockburn
4 – Adam Rajsigl
3 – Quinn Mulder
3 – Noah Fladager
3 – Jackson Betcher
2 – Dylan Black
1 – Justin Keck
1 – Trey Sauder
1 – Quinn Mulder
1 – Myles Mason
1 – Darius Makse