The Central Plains Capitals are on the road today for Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League (MMHL) action in Morden. They're up against the Pembina Valley Hawks.

The battle for third-place is tight in the MMHL with the Thrashers holding it down with 47 points. The Caps and Brandon Wheat Kings are both at 46, but Central Plains has three more games played than both. Pembina Valley is only three points back of the Caps in sixth-place, with two games in hand, making tonight's contest vital for both teams.

"This league is unbelievable, to sit and just watch all the teams accumulate points is scary," head coach Brad Gnidziejko says with a chuckle. "When we do get on the ice it's key that we win, and today is a real massive game for us."

The Caps are 1-2 against Pembina Valley this season and their last victory over them came back in November, a 5-3 win at Stride Place. "They're quick and each of their four lines is solid," admits Gnidziejko. "They're good up the middle of the ice and they're fast, they're on you right away."

"We've got to use our heads and make smart plays, keep it simple, then just keep getting the puck to the net like that last game (on Jan. 15)," continues Gnidziejko. We didn't really get what we should've out of that game. Their goalie stood on his head and it was very tight game. If we can do the same but get some timely saves, we'll be right where we need to be."

Today's game goes at 5:15 at the Huron Centre in Morden.

Forward Gets The Call

Central Plains forward Riley Funk recently had a chance to step on the ice with the Portage Terriers for their Manitoba Junior Hockey League game against the Steinbach Pistons Wednesday night. He says it was a great experience.

"It felt good for them to see me. I just wanted to get out on the ice, play some shifts and play hard. I knew I wasn't going to be getting a lot of shifts because I'm a young guy, but I thought I put the effort in."

Funk, 16, has 17 goals and 21 assists with Central Plains this season. The 6-foot-1 forward hails from Portage la Prairie.

"He's been great all year," says Gnidziejko. "We've moved him around a little bit and he's done everything we've asked of him, it goes with the job of being an assistant captain. We had him at centre and I know he played there with the Terriers that night. He's got good size and he's good in the face-off circle, and we've got him on the wing too where he can use his speed and his reach."