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Rosetown Redwings on 31-0 roll

SHA senior squad can post perfect season with one more win

By Darren Zary, The StarPhoenix March 23, 2011

Win and they're in elite company. Win their next one and the Rosetown Redwings will close out a rare perfect season in Saskatchewan's senior hockey ranks.

Currently 31-0 for the season, the Redwings keep rolling along as they head to Shaunavon on Saturday for Game 2 of their best-of-three Saskatchewan Hockey Association provincial senior B championship final at 6 p.m. A third game, if necessary, would be played back in Rosetown on Sunday at 1 p.m., but, of course the Rosetown crew would prefer the dream ending.

"So far, so good," says Jason Ediger, head coach of the Sask Valley Hockey League champion Redwings.

"One more game yet."

The Wings' lineup features former Kelowna Rocket star goalie Kelly Guard, who spent three seasons in the NHL's Ottawa Senators system, including two in the American Hockey League. Up front, Rosetown has a mix of Western Hockey League, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, Canadian Interuniversity Sport and NCCA grads, some with minor pro experience in the AHL and ECHL ranks.

Among them are Casey Lee, Kirk Pearce, Rory McMahon, Jared Jagow, Denny Johnston and Keegan McAvoy.

"It's pretty cool," said McAvoy. "It's kind of like the whole town is rallying behind the team, taking the logo of our team and stuff -it's all over town. It hasn't been like this here since back in the '70s is when Rosetown used to be seriously good. Rosetown had seen a lot of success in the '70s with its senior hockey, but it had been rather off the map since then."

Until now. "There is a huge buzz around town with the success Rosetown has been having with their hockey this year," noted McAvoy. "The midgets just won the provincial B title last weekend to a full house in the old Rosetown barn and now the whole community is rallying behind the senior team to do the same, bring back some memories of the teams from the winning '70s Wings."

McAvoy, Guard and Endicott are team imports. Among the blue-liners are Derek Endicott, Kevin Aylward, Justin Holmes and Boyd Kampen. Rounding out the squad are local veterans Heath Pearce, Wilson Johnston, Matt Speir, Carter and Tyler Gilchrist and Greg Moore along with Lee Stevens, Matt Kahovec, Kevin Clark and Craig Wagar.

The Redwings were 18-0 during the regular season in the Sask Valley league regular season before racking up eight straight wins in the playoffs to capture the league title in three straight over the Kyle Elks.

In provincial playoffs, they're 5-0. "It is rare and it is surprising," said Ediger. "We never once figured we'd be looking at a perfect season. It never crossed our minds. Our main goal, at the start of the season, was to win league and provincials. We've accomplished the league and now we have our sights set on provincials. If it does come, the perfect season would definitely be icing on the cake."

THAT '70S SHOW

All this for a town which hasn't tasted senior hockey glory for quite some time. Rosetown was once the toast of the senior hockey ranks way back in the '70s. Indeed, the Redwings were Hardy Cup finalists in 1970, 1971 and 1972 -national runner-up each year.

"Rosetown, in the late '70s, was the team in Canada," noted Ediger. "It was the era of the Moores, including Alan Moore."

Dwayne Endicott was an import for that team in the mid-'70s. Four decades later, his son, Derek, is playing for Rosetown, which defeated the Shaunavon Badgers 6-2 in Game 1 of the provincial B final before a packed house of about 1,400 fans.

Shaunavon's squad is Team Hunter. J.J. Hunter, a former Kelowna Rocket and P.A. Raider, played seven seasons of pro hockey in the AHL and ECHL. Luke Hunter, a former WHL Swift Current Bronco, played in the CHL, as did former Melville Millionaire Dustin Hunter. Brock Hunter and Ty Hunter also play for Shaunavon.

"Senior hockey is obviously very prominent here in Sask.," offered McAvoy, who played professionally in China. "There are at least (13) different leagues around the province that are well supported.

"People have been trying to dig up if any (senior) team has ever gone undefeated, but haven't found anything yet to prove it has happened. There is also a lot of buzz about the Allan Cup being played in Saskatchewan next year and Rosetown representing the province at that tournament."

No venue has been announced, although, once again, Lloydminster is a possibility.

"There has been a lot of speculation about our team taking a run at the Allan Cup (in 2012) and, at this time, it's probably the direction we'll be heading," admitted Ediger. "We've still got some things to figure out and I think we've got until September to pay that bond. Ultimately, that's the direction we're focused.

"There isn't a whole lot of coaching involved. We talked, at the beginning of the year that everybody's going to have a role. Everybody's bought into that and everybody's getting along unreal in the dressing room. We go out and do our jobs."

Balgonie and Maidstone are playing in this year's provincial senior A final.

"Everybody's talking about how the A-winner and B-winner should go at it, to see what's really going on," said McAvoy.

Dean
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