Killarney win THHL championship

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Published on Thursday, March 31, 2016

Action from game three in Carberry on Friday, Mar. 25 between the Plainsmen and Killarney Shamrocks

By Eoin Devereux

The Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press

The Killarney Shamrocks didn’t need to rely on luck to win the Tiger Hills Hockey League (THHL) championship. Instead, the top seed from the western division used its speed and skill to outpace the eastern division champs, the Carberry Plainsmen, eventually winning the best-of-five final three games to one. 

The triumph was capped off in front of a home crowd at the Shamrock Centre on Saturday, Mar. 26, as Killarney blanked Carberry 5-0 in the final game. The Shamrocks got off to a quick start, scoring three goals in the opening period. Brayden Cuthbert, Aubrey Chapman and Isaac Friesen each notched one for the home side. 

In the second, Reid Gow secured a pair of goals to provide a 5-0 buffer for the Shamrocks, who were able to protect the lead for the remainder of regulation and close out the final in dominant fashion. 

Carberry’s Devon Leblanc ended the playoffs with the most points, accumulating 26 (15 goals - 11 assists) in 11 games for the Plainsmen. The next three players on the top of the scoring list were from Killarney, as Brayden Cuthbert (23 points),  Aubrey Chapman (18) and Jesse Bernard (17) finished second, third and fourth respectively. The fifth spot in the scoring chase went to Jordon Geddes of the Gladstone Lakers, who notched an impressive 17 points (six goals -  seven assists) in just six games.

As for what’s next for Killarney and Carberry, they’ll both move on to the Manitoba Cup, which is the provincial championship. It features the top teams from the Tiger Hills Hockey League, Manitoba Senior Hockey League (MSHL), North Central Hockey League (NCHL), South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League (SEMHL) and Carillon Senior Hockey League (CSHL). Carberry advances to the provincials as a wildcard entry.