The Canucks started off this four game segment at St. Vital Memorial Arena against the St. Vital Victorias on Thursday, Nov. 10.
The Canucks would open the scoring at 8:36 of the first period with Stephane Nukapiak netting his first of the year. Josh Wilkinson drew the lone assist on the goal. The Vics came back to tie it at 15:53, leaving the game tied at one after 20 minutes.
Both teams would score three times in the second period with Chris Sass, Tyler Meixner and Kole Stockham getting the Canucks on the board. Stockham also had an assist in the period and Devan Lobb chipped in with two assists. It was tied at 4 after two periods.
The Vics would jump out to a 6-4 lead early in the third as Riley Beuchemin scored twice in the opening 10 minutes of the final frame. The Canucks would get a power play goal from Graham Philp to pull within one but it wasn’t enough as the Vics scored an empty-netter to cap off the 7-5 win.
The Canucks returned to the St. James Civic Centre to host the Ft. Garry/Ft. Rouge Twins on Sunday, Nov. 13.
Things didn’t go as planned for the Canucks, as they dropped a 4-1 decision. Dylan Reinheimer scored the only goal for St. James, with Mitchell Lockhart and Kole Stockham getting the assists.
The Canucks needed a bounce-back performance when they went to Terry Sawchuk Arena to take on the River East Royal Knights on Friday, Nov. 18.
They got that performance.
The Canucks outshot the Royal Knights 61-14 and won the game 3-1. They also welcomed a familiar face back into the lineup in Wyatt Kemball. Kemball played in all 45 games for the Canucks last season, scoring 13 goals and adding nine assists for 22 points.
He didn’t show any signs of rust, scoring what would turn out to be the winner, shorthanded in the third period.
Devan Lobb and Shane Bigourdon scored the other two goals for the Canucks. Nukapiak, Justin MacKinnon and Nick Stire had assists in the game.
Nathan Cvar picked up the win in net, stopping 13 of 14 shots.
In the final game of this segment on Nov. 21, the Canucks had a tough task, taking on the St. Boniface Riels at Southdale Community Centre. The teams came into the game tied in the standings with 19 points.
The Riels scored the first two goals of the game but the Canucks stormed back, scoring five unanswered goals en route to a 5-2 win.
Dylan Reinheimer scored just over the midway mark of the second period to cut the lead to one. In the third the Canucks scored three times in the opening six minutes to take a 4-2 lead on goals from Chris Sass, Ashton Fogarty and Nicholas Peirce.
Pierce would add another one late in the third to seal the win.
Reimheimer had two assists in the game, with Kemball, Meixner, Philp, Jarret Lynam, Jeremy Idzikowski and Adam Thurlbeck also picking up assists.
Cvar won his second straight game in net, stopping 39 of 41 shots. Over his past three starts he’s 3-0 with a .925 save percentage and a 2.07 goals against average.
The Canucks now sit at 10-7-1 on the season, good enough for 21 points and fourth place in the league.
Chalk Talk Three Stars:
3 – Kole Stockham: Stockham had a goal and three assists during this four game stretch and is finding his offensive game. He now has 7 points in 15 games this season.
2 – Dylan Reimheimer: Reimheimer has two goals and two assists in the past four games and is another player finding his stride. He’s third in team scoring with 13 points in 18 games played this year.
1 – Nathan Cvar: Cvar stopped 52 of the 55 shots he faced and was stellar in both of his starts, going 2-0, with a .942 save percentage and a 1.50 goals against average.
What’s Next?
The Canucks have a tough stretch coming up against two teams they are chasing in the standings. It starts Wednesday, Nov. 23 in Stonewall against the Jets. Then they host the Charleswood Hawks on Tuesday, Nov. 29 to end the month.
To see a full schedule, click here.