The Credit Union Cup is no more. Just like that there will be no Credit Union Cup, as last week the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League announced a new 10-year partnership with Canalta Hotels.
The agreement included renaming the league's championship trophy to the Canalta Cup along with more than $600,000 contributed to the SJHL from Canalta throughout the 10-year partnership.
"Canalta's partnership with the SJHL shows their commitment to supporting long-standing Saskatchewan traditions," said SJHL president Bill Chow, in a press release. "We are excited to have them join our SJHL corporate family."
Along with a name change to the championship trophy, and this being the final year of the Anavet Cup, it will also be the final season for a few rules.
The SJHL's governor's meeting Saturday led to a decision to drop the number of 20-year-olds on a SJHL team's roster from nine to eight. By the 2013-14 season the maximum number of 20-year-olds will drop to seven.
The league also decided to drop the number games from 58 to 54 beginning next season. The SJHL wants to have the teams play the majority of their games on the weekends. Fewer 20-year-olds may open the door to more teenagers, who are still in school, and therefore would benefit from more weekend games.
The meeting also revealed that SJHL had an increase of 100 per cent from last season in the number of players writing SAT exams, leading to the potential for NCAA opportunities.
Along with the behind the scenes work of the SJHL, the usual play on the ice continued as the final month of the regular season is here. The North Stars earned some honourable mentions for the player of the week and player of the month awards.
Melville's Ian McNulty earned the player of the month and player of the week honours. Last week, he had seven goals and six assists in four games. That put his total in January to 12 goals and nine assists in 12 games. Melville's Jesse Mireau was an honourable mention for the week and month as well. Weyburn's Jesse Ross and Yorkton's Zak Majkowski were the other honourable mentions for the monthly award.
Melville's Russell Trudeau and Darius Cole from Nipawin were the week's other honourable mentions.
Battlefords Woody Klassen and Brody Luhning were honourable mentions for the defenceman of the week and Klassen also earned an honouable mention for the defenceman of the month.
Melville's Tyson Newell was named the defenceman of the month with two goals and 13 assists in 12 Millionaires' games in January and was the defenceman of the week with one goal and five assists in four games. Jeff Datoff of Nipawin and Kameron Ballas of Humboldt were also honourable mentions for the SJHL's defenceman of the month. Carter Struther of Weyburn joined Klasssen and Luhning on the weekly honourable mentions list.
North Star goalie Graham Hildebrand was an honourable mention for goaltender of the week, as the award went to Warren Shymko of Yorkton. Melville's Alex Wakaluk and Nipawin's Davis Jones also received weekly praise.
The goaltender of the month was Matt Hrynkiw of Humboldt. He was 5-0 during the month with three shutouts with a monthly goals against average of 0.80 and a save-percentage of .967. Colin Dzijacky of Humboldt, Jones of Nipawin and Battlefords Connor Creech were the honourable mentions for the goaltender of the month.
The SJHL's rookie of the month was Dillon Schwartzenberger of Notre Dame. Schwartzenberger had six goals and five assists in nine games with the Hounds in January. Yorkton's Dawson MacAuley and Nipawin's Jesse Bernard and Taran Kozun were the honourable mentions.
The Battlefords North Stars remain in the Canadian Junior Hockey League's top 20 rankings, but dropped from 13th to 17th, as they have nine games remaining. Humboldt moved from third to second on the list while Weyburn passed the North Stars and went from 16th to 14th.
The BCHL's Penticton Vees are at the top of the rankings once again. That is the team Battlefords product Bryce Gervais was traded to this season from the Salmon Arms Silverbacks.
Another local connection to the rankings is through the Fort McMurray Oil Barons. Former Battlefords Midget Stars goalie Brody Hoffman has helped the Oil Barons to the sixth spot on the national rankings.
