More than half of the 2022/2023 season is now in the rear view mirror as the Newfoundland and Labrador U18 Major Hockey League enters a pause of a few weeks. Four of our five clubs will be heading to New Brunswick to take part in the annual Monctonian Challenge. Let's take a look at how things stand heading into the league break.

The 2022 league champions, the Pinnacle Growlers, are back on top of the standings as 2023 gets closer and closer. After 19 games, the Growlers sit in first place with 14 wins, 5 loses and 28 points. The boys in black and gold have also scored the most goals (83) and allowed the fewest goals (42).

Just behind are both the East Coast Blizzard and Central Impact, both with 11 wins. The Blizzard hold second place with 25 points while the Impact have 24.

Fourth place belongs to the Tri Pen Osprey who have 6 wins on the season and 13 points. The Osprey hold games in hand on the rest of the league with just 15 games played.

A much improved Western Kings team is in fifth place after 19 games played. The Kings have 3 wins and 6 points. Spencer Caines leads the league with 18 goals and 35 points at the break.

While the Growlers, Blizzard, Impact and Kings are gearing up for the Monctonian, the Osprey have just returned from the Big Nickel Tournament in Sudbury, Ontario. Tri Pen had a great tournament, opening with a 4-3 shootout win over the hosts, the Sudbury Nickel Capitals. The Osprey also topped the Whitby Wildcats 3-1, while dropping games versus the Ottawa Junior Senators and Peterborough Petes to finish 2 – 2.

The Pinnacle Growlers were the only Newfoundland team to advance out of their group at last year's Monctonian Tournament. They won 3 games before falling to the eventual champions, the Saint John Vitos, in the quarter finals.

Follow our teams in New Brunswick, November 17 to 20, 2022 at https://www.monctonianchallenge.ca/

Photo by Nathan Edwards