Game On Magazine 2017 February 2017 | Page 54

MMJHL PLAYER OF THE MONTH

Riley Beauchemin ’ s

Dream Season

By Johnston Hall Photos by James Carey Lauder
GOALIE OF THE MONTH , HUNTER PLOSZAY

For the second time this season , the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League ’ s leading scorer , Riley Beauchemin of the St . Vital Victorias , is the MMJHL ’ s Player of the Month . One of Game On ’ s featured MMJHL players in the 2016 Holiday Edition , Beauchemin is having a dream season . He ’ s the leading scorer in the MMJHL and has been Player of the Month in November and January of this season . In November , Beauchemin , the winner of the Dave Anderson Trophy as MMJHL rookie of the year last season , scored eight goals and had 16 points in only eight games and earned MMJHL Player of the Month as he got the Vics into seventh place . The Vics ( at press time ) are now 18-12-5 and have moved into fifth place , thanks in no small way to the play of their 5-foot-11 , 160-pound leading scorer . In January , Beauchemin had eight goals and 25 points in nine games and had shot to the top of the scoring lead in the MMJHL . At press time , Beauchemin had 32 goals and 68 points this season . It ’ s truly been an amazing year for the former MHSAA High School star . Meanwhile , January ’ s Goaltender of the Month was Hunter Ploszay of the Stonewall Jets . The goalie who led the Jets to the MMJHL championship last spring played seven games and had a goals against average of 2.16 and a save percentage of . 937 . He went 5-2-0 in the month and had the Jets in second place in the MMJHL with a record of 24-9-0 . The Defenseman of the Month was K . C . Mason of the Victorias . Mason had a goal and 11 points in nine games . And Jonah Cook of the Victorias was named Rookie of the Month as St . Vital took three of the league ’ s four monthly honors . Cook had five goals and 15 points in nine games . However , the clear star of the month was Beauchemin , the 19-year-old who started his hockey career in Ile Des Chenes and played three seasons of MHSAA High School hockey with the Lorette Scorpions . These days , as the Vics move up the MMJHL standings and start challenging the top teams – Charleswood , Stonewall , Pembina Valley and St . James – Beauchemin is still convinced his young Vics have a shot . “ We ’ re getting there ,” he told John Ploszay of Game On Magazine . “ Our speed kills and our offense is ridiculous with skill . We don ’ t really have any weaknesses and I think we have one of the best goalies in the league in Nolan Bray . I think we ’ ll be pretty good come playoff time .” If Beauchemin keeps scoring and the young Vics keep improving , there is no telling how far they can go . n