No one knew what to expect when the Dauphin Kings began the 2021-22 Manitoba Junior Hockey League season.
But it proved to be heck of a ride for the players, coaches and fans as the team finished in the top four in the country, reaching the semifinals at the 2022 Centennial Cup presented by Tim Horton’s, in Estevan, Sask., after capturing the eighth Turnbull Cup in team history.
Dauphin finished atop Group B after the round-robin with a 2-1 win over the Ottawa Jr. Senators of the Central Canada Hockey League, a 7-1 triumph over the Maritime Hockey League’s Summerside Western Capitals, a 2-1 shootout loss to the Flin Flon Bombers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and a 6-1 victory over the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Soo Thunderbirds.
By finishing first in their pool, Dauphin earned a berth in the semifinals, where they faced the Ontario Junior Hockey League champion Pickering Panthers, who had beaten the Bombers in double overtime in the quarterfinals.
The Kings’ season came to an end after Zachary Roy made 32 saves in backstopping the Panthers to a 2-0 win.
Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley was pleased with the team’s play in the round-robin, noting they only allowed five goals against in the four games.
“I think our compete level was outstanding. Our goaltending and back end was very good,” he said.
The Kings have had to rely on a balanced scoring attack all season. The lack of a natural goal scorer proved to be the team’s downfall.
“We have to work hard for every one we get. In the round-robin, we found a way to beat Ottawa. Played a very good game against Summerside and the power play went five-for-seven,” he said. “Game three against Flin Flon could have been anybody’s game. They had two five-on-threes.”
With special teams such a factor, Hedley had little opportunity to use his bench, which was a strength of the Kings all season.
After the win over the Thunderbirds clinched first place for the Kings, Hedley said the team felt good about themselves going into the game against Pickering.
Hedley felt the Kings played well against the Panthers, outshooting them 32-29, and had some great chances. But Roy proved to be the difference, making some big saves.
“They did a great job of defending and took advantage of some mistakes,” he added. “It would have been nice to be in that national final, that’s for sure. But now we know what it takes and, hopefully, it can improve our program.”
Carson Cherepak was named Top Goaltender and MVP of the round-robin, posting a 0.98 GAA and .968 save percentage.
“Carson Cherepak was outstanding. He’s been that way all year. A couple of ups and downs, but for the most part, he’s been our MVP,” he said. “Especially in that tournament off the hop with Ottawa. Even against Summerside in that second game. The first 10 minutes of both games, we didn’t get a great start and he kept us within reach and kept us in the game.”
Hedley will not have any time to rest as the MJHL’s draft goes Saturday.
The Kings did not have any autoprotected players this season, one of four teams in the league who did not protect any local talent.
“There are some kids that we have our eye on in town. We just didn’t think they’d get drafted. So we’re going to definitely work with them and see if we can get them to a level where they can play in our program,” Hedley said.
Although the Kings fell short at nationals, it was still a successful campaign, one the players can be proud of. That was the message Hedley gave his charges.
“We mentioned in the dressing room, we’ve got to keep our heads up. We had a great year. The guys here are champions. They won a ring, won a cup,” he said.
The stay in Estevan was a long one, as the team was there for 12 days. And although they fell short of their goal of appearing in the national final, they should be proud of the way they competed and happy with their performance.
