To say the least, it’s been a stellar start to the season for the Moose Jaw Mavericks in the Sask Female Hockey League.
We’re not talking about just one team in one division, either. All three of the Moose Jaw Minor Hockey Association clubs -- two in the U13 A division, one in the U15 A division -- find themselves either in first place or in serious contention for top spot.
In the SFHL U13 A category, the Carpet One Mavericks 1 find themselves with a 10-1-0-0 record and sit in second place, four points behind the Parkland Fire, but with two games in hand.
Their most recent outing back on Dec. 18 gave an example of what they’re capable of -- facing the Balgonie Prairie Storm on the road, the Mavericks scored a pair of goals in the first period and three in the second before going on to a 5-0 win.
And has been the case all season, forward Maria Umana led the way on the scoresheet.
Umana finished the game with a hat trick and now has 29 goals and 43 points in only 11 games to lead the league in scoring.
You don’t put up those kinds of lofty numbers without some high-scoring games, and Umana has had her fair share. She put up six goals and nine points on Oct. 30 in one of the most commanding wins for a Moose Jaw representative team in years, a 24-1 win over the Lumsden Bethune Yellow Lynx.
When the teams met again on Nov. 27, it was a 14-0 Moose Jaw win, with Umana racking up five goals and seven points. All told, Umana had points in all 11 games for the Mavericks 1 this season.
Of course, one player does not a team make, and Umana isn’t alone with gaudy stats. Finnley Faris has 12 goals and 23 points in nine games, with Kaylee Duzan right behind her with 10 goals and 21 points.
Goaltending has also been a key for the Mavericks, with Charolette McKee sporting a 10-1 record with a 1.09 goals against average and six shutouts.
Over in the U13 A West Division, the Moose Jaw Carpet One Mavericks 2 have been on a similar run.
Their 8-1-0-0 record is also good enough for second place, four points back of the unbeaten Western Prairie Unity, with the Mavericks having a game in hand. They played their final game of 2022 on Dec. 18 and rolled to an 8-0 win over the Western Prairie Klippers, led by a hat trick from Taylor Hawkins.
Hawkins currently sits tied for fifth in league scoring with 19 goals and 29 points in nine games, with her big outing a four-goal, eight-point showing in their 12-1 win over Battlefords on Nov. 19. That came on the heels of a five-point outing in her previous game, giving Hawkins 13 points in only two games.
Hawkins has plenty of company among the scoring leaders, too -- Madeline Hopkinson is seventh in league scoring with 19 goals and 28 points while Brookly Loney is right behind with 17 goals and 27 points.
Goaltender Blair Bennet is also among the league leaders, sporting an 8-1 record and 1.44 GAA with three shutouts.
Things have been going very well for the Mavericks in the U15 A division as well, as they hold down first place in the parity-filled South West Division with a 6-4-2-0 record.
The Mavericks fell 3-1 to the Southwest Cyclones in their final game before Christmas on Dec. 18 but found the win column a night earlier with the 3-0 win over the Cyclones.
Moose Jaw has picked up the majority of their wins in low-scoring games, with Morgan Loney leading the team in scoring with nine goals and 14 points in 11 games to sit 33rd in league scoring. Tayler Smith is second in team scoring with seven goals and 10 points.
Sara Umana has played seven games in goal for Moose Jaw and is 3-3-1 with a 2.71 GAA; Cyndie Cheeseman is 3-1-1 with a shutout and 2.60 GAA.
The Mavericks are back in action on Jan. 3 when they host the South Central Renegades.
The U13 A Mavericks 1 return to the ice on Jan. 6 when they host Balcarres, while next action for the Mavericks 2 is Jan. 14 when they travel to Lafleche to face the Wood River Ice Cats.
You can follow along with all the scores in the second half of the season at www.saskfhl.ca.
