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Two stars from Swan River are one win away from heading to Calgary to compete in the national championships.
The Melfort Mustangs took care of business on Thursday night as they beat the Weyburn Red Wings, 5-1, to take a commanding three games to one series lead in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) final.
It was Melfort's third straight win in the series, after the Red Wings earned a 2-1 victory in game one. Bo Eisner and Will Munro are a driving force on this year's team. Eisner helped the team beat the Flin Flon Bombers in the final last year and is putting together a nice playoff run. The former Parkland Ranger has three goals and five points. Munro, meanwhile, who started the season in his hometown with the Stampeders, is tied for fourth in team scoring with five goals and nine points.
Munro, Eisner, and the Mustangs can lock up their second straight Canterra Seeds Cup and book their berth to the Centennial Cup in Calgary from May 8 to 18 on Sunday night when they host game five at the Northern Lights Palace.
Around the country, every league has entered the championship series as the Centennial Cup nears.
Alberta Junior Hockey League:
The Calgary Canucks needed just four games to complete a sweep against the Grande Prairie Storm, who featured former Brandon Wheat Kings goalie Nick Jones. The Canucks scored 29 goals in the league final and lost only one playoff game.
The Storm will represent the AJHL at the Centennial Cup. The Canucks will be the host team.
Superior International Junior Hockey League:
Ben Hackl competed in the 2022 Centennial Cup with the Dauphin Kings. Three years later, he's looking to be at the big dance as a coach. The former King is an assistant coach and general manager with the Dryden Ice Dogs, however, the Ice Dogs have plenty of work to do.
After they were shut out on Thursday, 2-0, against the Kam River Fighting Walleye, the Ice Dogs are down three games to one in the final. It's a battle between the top two teams in the regular season, and the Fighting Walleye are just one win away from the Centennial Cup.
Maritimes Hockey League:
It wasn't even close. The Edmundston Blizzard spent nearly the whole year in the top three in the CJHL's top 20 rankings, and they made it look easy in the playoffs.
They completed a four-game sweep of the Pictou County Weeks Crushers in the league final, losing just one game during the playoff run. They finished with 10 straight wins and scored 67 goals in 13 playoff games. They'll play the Central Canada Hockey League champions in their first game at the Centennial Cup on Thursday, May 8.
Quebec Junior Hockey League:
The Braves de Valleyfield won the championship series in six games over College Francais De Longueuil. Their first game in Calgary is Friday, May 9, against the CCHL champions.
Central Canada Hockey League:
The Rockland Nationals, who spent a number of weeks as the top-ranked team in the country, are in a very good spot in the CCHL final against the Carleton Place Canadians.
They won game one, 3-1, and game two, 3-2, to bring themselves two wins away from a league title. They have a chance to go up three games to nothing on Friday when they host the Canadians in game three, game four is Sunday afternoon in Carleton Place.
The winner plays their first game against the Edmundston Blizzard on Thursday, May 8.
Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League:
They've been a force all season, and on Friday, they can punch their ticket to Calgary.
The Greater Sudbury Cubs are one win away from a league championship, and on Friday, they'll be on home ice trying to lock it up. They lost the first game of the series against the Hearst Lumberjacks, but have dominated since. After a 5-4 overtime win in game two, the Cubs have outscored the Lumberjacks, 11-2, in the past two games.
If the Cubs prevail, they'll open their Centennial Cup on Friday, May 9, against the Grande Prairie Storm.
Ontario Junior Hockey League:
This one has all the makings of a long series.
Carter Bickle turned away all 28 shots he faced as the Milton Menace got back in their championship series against the Trenton Golden Hawks with a 4-0 victory. The Golden Hawks finished with 97 points in the regular season, 20 more than the Menace, however, Milton is playing some excellent hockey at the best time. They upset Collingwood in the second round and downed the second-ranked Leamington Flyers in five games in the semifinals.
Trenton is 14-4 in the playoffs. The winner opens their Centennial Cup on Thursday, May 8, against the winners from the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.
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The Parkland U18 Rangers have a new leader.
He's currently on the bench for a team that's looking to win the Manitoba Junior Hockey League's (MJHL) Turnbull Cup.
Rick Freese was announced as the Rangers' new head coach for the 2025-26 season. Freese has been an assistant coach with the Dauphin Kings for the past two seasons and will be a great new leader.
CKDM Sports will catch up with Freese in the coming days. Freese will be back on the bench Friday when the Kings head to The Pas to play the Northern Manitoba Blizzard in game four of the final.
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Three games are in the books.
The Northern Manitoba Blizzard has won both games at Credit Union Place, Dauphin has won the lone game at the Roy H Johnston Arena. The Turnbull Cup final enters game four on Friday night in The Pas as the Kings look to earn a series tie.
Gabriel Bugeaud is in his second year with Dauphin and has become a fan favourite, soaking it all in while trying to battle for a championship.
"The boys are feeling good. Even though we're down in this series, we believe we're in a good spot," said Bugeaud. "We have a positive attitude towards this series. We're getting ready for a huge game on Friday. We have to stick to the game plan and play a full 60 minutes."
Bugeaud had the primary assist in game six against the Portage Terriers as Havryil Simchuk scored to send Dauphin to the league final for the first time since 2022.
"That was awesome, this is the best time of the year for hockey, the competition level is high, and the fans are into it," continued Bugeaud. "Everyone is bought in, we're playing for each other. There's no better feeling than winning."
Gabriel and the rest of the crew are using the fact that they're playing for the Turnbull Cup as fuel. Thirteen teams started the season on September 20, and now only the two best remain.
"It motivates us to come to the rink every day to grind, realizing that we have a chance to do something special together," commented Bugeaud. "Something like this doesn't come around often, and we're trying to enjoy every moment of this run."
Bugeaud has been paired with Simchuk and Ethan Stewart, who won a provincial championship last year with the Brandon U-18 Wheat Kings. The tremendous trio has torched opponents so far, combining for 29 playoff points. They combined for five points in game six against Portage, four in the team's game two victory against Northern Manitoba, and one on Tuesday's 4-2 defeat.
"They're great players and we've clicked pretty well," said Bugeaud. "Our strengths go very well together. Stewart is a really good playmaker, and Simchuk wins a ton of battles and is great at protecting the puck. I fit in with my skating. Especially in the playoffs, there isn't much room out there, so I think our styles complement each other very well."
Gabriel is starting to hit his stride, sitting second in team playoff scoring, with four goals and 10 points. With his outstanding speed, Bugeaud can blow by defenders, and he's a fearless worker. He's pleased with his play, but knows there is more to give.
"Yeah, I've had a pretty good playoff run here," continued Bugeaud. "With that said, all of the credit goes to my teammates and linemates. I've been fortunate to get a few bounces, and the pucks are going in."
The Kings will head to The Pas on Friday afternoon for game four, with a chance to tie the series. You can hear the game on 730CKDM with Darnell Duff, starting with the Parkland Source for Sports pregame show at 6:45.
They are down, but Bugeaud says they're ready to bounce back and give it their best shot.
"Absolutely, we have proven that we can win in their rink," ended Bugeaud. "When we work hard and compete, we can stick with them and even take over games at times. We have to buy in and play desperate."
You can also hear Gabriel's full chat with Darnell Duff during the Dauphin Kings Power Play Show on Friday afternoon at 4:05.
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Cooper Soltys scored twice and had three points as the Parkland 2011 Junior Rangers beat the 204 Thunder, 4-3, to claim the championship at the North American Spring Classic AAA tournament.
Sawyer Lepp and Rhett Legaarden scored one goal each. In their semifinal game, Chayce Stoski was the hero as he scored the only goal of the game as the Rangers downed the 2011 Canucks, 1-0.
The team opened their tournament with a 3-3 draw against the 204 Thunder, the same team they beat in the final. Drew Luhowy, Kellan Shtykalo, and Brayden Abrams did the scoring for the Rangers.
In a dominating 6-0 win against the 2011 Grinders Black in their next game, six different Rangers scored. Legaarden, Stoski, Anson Salamandyk, Abrams, Shtykalo, and Lepp filled the net.
They wrapped up their round-robin with a 2-0 shutout against Sask Epic, with Lepp and Soltys finding the back of the net.
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You've been dreaming about flushing a seven-iron to two feet for a tap-in birdie.
On Saturday, you can make that dream a reality at the Neepawa Golf & Country Club. One of the top courses in the province opens at 9:30 on Saturday morning.
Landon Cameron is the course's general manager.
"We were kind of worried about the weather this week, but it didn't amount to very much," said Cameron. "We're going to get rolling here this weekend."
Host of the 2021 Nott Autocorp men's amateur golf championships, the Neepawa Golf & Country Club is one of the finest around, including breathtaking views and shots that will test every part of your game.
"It gives everything for a golfer, it's very playable for players of all skill levels," continued Cameron. "It's always manicured very well. It's a great spot to spend four hours."
If you plan on hitting the links this weekend, you'll do so on a course already in great shape.
"The course is great, it looks outstanding," ended Cameron. "It's one of the drier springs we've had in quite a while."
Special green fee pricing is in effect this weekend. It'll cost $28 for 18 holes and additional pricing if you want a cart.
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The Manitoba Junior Hockey League's league leader in goals during the regular season came up clutch on Tuesday night.
Miguel Bouvier walked off the right wall and snapped a perfect shot past Cole Sheffield and it was the winner as the Northern Manitoba Blizzard downed the Kings, 4-2, to take a two-games to one lead in the Turnbull Cup final.
Dauphin scored late with 50 seconds left to come within one, however, it wasn't enough. Esteban Cinq-Mars scored an empty netter to seal it late. Matthew Thomas scored both of Dauphin's goals in the game.
Game five will be played Friday night in The Pas, starting with the Parkland Source for Sports pregame show at 6:45.
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Although it wasn't the ending they were hoping for, the Parkland Vipers 14U girls volleyball team should be very proud of their efforts.
Playing against the top club teams in the province at the provincial championships over the weekend in Winnipeg, the team finished 12th out of 46 teams. In the top power pool for round-robin play, the Vipers beat Ace Volleyball Club and Russell Volleyball Club, 2-0 and 2-1, respectively. They lost a straight-set match against the top-ranked Bisons Gold. They finished second in the pool and advanced directly to the Round of 32, where they beat the Selkirk Royals Black, 2-0.
The Vipers lost their Round of 16 match against Big Sand, 2-1. They swept the Blazers Inferno before losing back-to-back matches, both in three sets against Russell Volleyball Club and the Bisons Brown.
The team will prepare for the national championships, to be played in Winnipeg from May 8-11. The Vipers are 33-14-4 this season and will enter the national tournament with high hopes.
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Josh Schmidt is the hero of the night.
After 99:17 of gametime, Schmidt struck in across the blue line of the Blizzard and found the puck in the slot. He fired that puck past Taye Timmerman to give Dauphin a thrilling 3-2 triple overtime win over the Blizzard.
With the win, the Kings have tied the series at a game apiece. Game three will be played on Tuesday night in Dauphin.
Gabriel Bugeaud (4) and Naaman Hofer (1) scored for Dauphin, as the Kings were up 2-0 early in the second period. However, the Blizzard bounced back. Tyler Dahms (2) and Benson Hirst (2) scored back-to-back for the Blizzard.
They wouldn't score again as Cole Sheffield was incredible. He turned away 50 shots.
You can hear Tuesday's game on 730CKDM, starting with the Parkland Source for Sports pregame show at 7:15.
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For the second time in three games, the Dauphin Kings were shutout.
They were outmatched on Friday evening as the Northern Manitoba Blizzard extended their playoff winning streak to nine games as they beat the Kings, 4-0, in front of a massive crowd at Credit Union Place.
Dating back to the regular season, Dauphin has scored just once in the last nine periods against the Blizzard, who opened a one game to nothing series lead.
The Blizzard opened the scoring at the 10:32 mark of the first as Jack Linton scored his second goal of the playoffs and they never looked back. Esteban Cinq-Mars (1) gave the Blizzard a 2-0 lead after 40.
In the third period, Quincy Supprien (6) and Louis-Jacob Beauregard (2) also scored for Northern Manitoba. The Kings will look to respond on Sunday when they head to The Pas to play game two.
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Five Parkland Gators competed in the Sprint Distance Invitational meet in Winnipeg.
Madisyn Morden
50m backstroke - 52nd
50m breaststroke - 59th
50m freestyle - 56th
Chayne Paziuk
50m backstroke - 14th
50m breaststroke - 15th
50m freestyle - 26th
Dylan Phillips
50m backstroke - 27th
50m breaststroke - 31st
50m freestyle - 37th
Roman Polovinka
50m backstroke - 16th
50m breaststroke - 14th
50m freestyle - 30th
Meredith Cottrell
50m fly - 17th
50m breaststroke - 16th
50m freestyle - 32nd
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There were eight.
Now there are two: the Dauphin Kings and the Northern Manitoba Blizzard. The Blizzard advanced to the Turnbull Cup final after beating Neepawa in five games and Winkler in four. The Kings, meanwhile, downed Waywayseecappo in five games and ousted Portage in six games.
Doug Hedley has led the Kings to the league's championship series for the second time in the past four years, and he's proud of the group.
"Yeah, it's definitely a good feeling. It's something you work for all year, you want a chance to play in the championship series," said Hedley. "We have taken care of business so far, but haven't won anything yet. We have to stay in the moment, take it shift to shift, and game to game."
Havryil Simchuk was the hero on Monday night as he took a pass from Gabriel Bugeaud and beat Mitchell Kathler through the five-hole to send Dauphin to their first league final since winning it all in 2022. It was Simchuk's fourth goal of the playoffs, and second of the game.
"Even the last two months of the season, he was very good, one of our best," said Hedley. "He's hungry to score, loves taking the puck to the net, and really protects the puck well. We've been very happy with him this year."
On Monday night, Simchuk was paired with Bugeaud and Ethan Stewart, and the tremendous trio was buzzing all night. They combined for five points.
"They were definitely our best line in the last couple of games of the series," continued Hedley. "We're keeping them together, they like playing with each other, and they feed off each other. All three guys complement each other very well."
Dauphin will begin the final on Friday without hometown star Madden Murray. He left game six early and is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He also missed the last month and a half of the regular season with an upper-body injury before returning late in round one against Waywayseecappo. He had one goal and one assist in seven playoff games.
As Hedley says, it's a tough blow for a young man trying to find his game after missing so much time.
"He's had a great year for us; he was one of our top guys at times throughout the season," commented Hedley. "He is one of the fastest players in the league, and what separates him from many players is that he plays fearlessly. We're hoping to get him in this series at some point to see what he can do."
Hedley credits the entire lineup for getting this far.
"Everyone has contributed, everyone should be proud of their efforts," said Hedley.
Northern Manitoba vs Dauphin:
They battled in an unforgettable series last year. Game six needed five overtimes, and game seven required another three. There was also a single overtime and a double overtime game. They played six games against each other this year and went blow for blow.
Dauphin won the first two games before the Blizzard won three of the next four. They split their season series with Northern Manitoba, outscoring them 14-13. If last year's marathon series and this year's regular season series are any indication of how this year's final will go, fans should settle in for a thriller.
It all starts Friday evening at Credit Union Place at 7:30.
"We're looking forward to it, for sure. You go back to the seven-game series last year, it's two teams that are hungry, and want to raise the Turnbull Cup," offered Hedley. "When you have energy, emotion, and the will that both teams have, it's going to be a great series."
Dauphin enters the series with six straight home wins at Credit Union Place in the playoffs. Fans have come out and are cheering on the boys. Now they're in the Turnbull Cup final, and it's time to pack the stands again and cheer on the Kings as they battle the Blizzard.
"We're playing very well at home, getting the breaks, and finding ways to get it done," ended Hedley.
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