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After posting a big 2-1 win over the Winkler Flyers on Sunday, the Dauphin Kings remain as honourable mentions this week in the Canadian Junior Hockey League's Top 20 rankings.
Dauphin earned three of a possible six points over the weekend, which saw the team lose in a shootout against Steinbach before being blanked by Niverville on Saturday. Dauphin stormed back from three goals down twice on Friday en route to what goes down as a successful weekend for the club.
Dauphin continues to lead the MGEU West Division at 29-12-1-1. They're seven points ahead of Northern Manitoba, with one game in hand. The team's busy February continues on Wednesday when the Swan Valley Stampeders are in town. Dauphin then plays Friday (Neepawa), Sunday (Niverville), and next Tuesday (Northern Manitoba), before heading on the road for three games next weekend against Steinbach, Niverville, and the Blues.
The next broadcast is on February 18 with Darnell Duff and Jeff Henson, starting with the Parkland Source for Sports pregame show at 7:20.
The Trenton Golden Hawks of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) remain on top of the rankings. They've won 12 straight games and are 41-5-2-0. The Greater Sudbury Cubs of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL), Rockland Nationals of the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL), Edmundston Blizzard of the Maritime Hockey League (MHL), and Leamington Flyers (OJHL) round out the Top 5.
In Manitoba, Jayce Legaarden and the Flyers are ranked seventh. Dating back to November 8, Winkler earned points in 26 straight games before Dauphin snapped their streak on Sunday night. Led by Brody Beauchemin's 49 points and Legaarden's 47, the Flyers lead the league with 70 points, three more than Steinbach. Liam Ernst also leads all goaltenders with eight shutouts.
The Steinbach Pistons are ranked 10th. The second-ranked Pistons survived a scare against Dauphin on Friday and beat Winkler in a shootout on Saturday night. Six of their next 11 games will come at the HyLife Centre. At this time, they're scheduled to play their final two regular-season games at the Southeast Event Centre, their brand-new facility that is currently under construction.
Steinbach is led by league leader Connor Paronuzzi who has 66 points while Christian Green has been a workhorse between the pipes, playing 2091 minutes, only behind Cole Sheffield and winning a league-leading 26 games.
Dauphin will play the Pistons next Friday at the HyLife Centre.
Blake Spiller and the Portage Terriers are ranked 13th, down three spots from last week. Portage has won four straight games, two of which came against Steinbach last weekend. Portage is third overall in the league with 32 wins and 65 points. Cameron Bullinger (53) and Nolan Nenow (49) lead the way offensively for Portage. They play the Blues on Wednesday and Steinbach on Friday.
Bo Eisner, Will Munro, and the Melfort Mustangs of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) are ranked sixth. With 36 wins and 72 points, Melfort is the lone team in the SJHL to have clinched a playoff spot as they're six points ahead of Flin Flon. Melfort is looking to defend the championship they won last year.
Flin Flon, meanwhile, is ranked 14th this week. Their 26-game point streak was recently snapped, but they still have a strong grip on second place, eight points ahead of Weyburn, while still being in a spot to catch the league-leading Mustangs.
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Ryder Waggoner’s basketball journey began in grade seven when he first picked up a ball in his hometown of Dauphin. From the start, his passion for the game was undeniable.
When he graduated from elementary school and moved on to Dauphin Regional Comprehensive Secondary School (DRCSS), Ryder set his sights on making the junior varsity boys' basketball team. However, the road wasn’t easy—he didn’t crack the main roster at tryouts. Instead of letting that setback define him, Ryder embraced the challenge and joined the practice squad, determined to prove himself.
Fueled by relentless work ethic and unwavering dedication, Ryder spent months honing his skills, waiting for his opportunity. His perseverance paid off. After spending the first two-thirds of the season on the practice roster, Ryder earned a well-deserved promotion to the main team—a testament to his resilience and love for the game.
"Yeah, that felt great," said Waggoner. "Putting all that work and seeing it pay off, such an amazing feeling."
Starting as a practice player, Waggoner developed into an impact player and helped Dauphin qualify for the provincial championships, his debut chance to shine on the provincial stage.
"It was pretty nerve-racking at the start, going up against some of the best basketball players in the province," said Waggoner. "Once you got on the court, however, you didn't feel those nerves anymore. Just a very cool experience."
Ryder faced a tough choice in grade 10, stepping away from basketball for a season. But as his junior varsity eligibility came to an end, he knew the game was still calling his name. Determined to make his comeback, he pushed himself harder than ever—and when grade 11 rolled around, he earned a spot on the varsity boys' team.
The moment he stepped back on the court, he knew he was right where he belonged.
"It felt amazing to be back, I missed it so much," continued Waggoner. "I was very anxious to get back on the court with the guys."
The Dauphin star is back with the varsity boys' team this season and what a year it's been. Dauphin continues to roll as one of the top teams in the province at the 'AAA' classification, currently ranked sixth as of last week's rankings.
Dauphin has shown that they can stick with any team in the province offensively while being committed to locking down defensively and Waggoner is a big part of the team's winning culture.
"The boys have put in so much work over the years and it's paying off for us," commented Waggoner. "It's so great to be a part of a team that is so dedicated. We're all working towards one common goal."
Waggoner has put together several all-star games throughout the season. In a game against Fisher Branch at the Ste. Rose tournament, Waggoner had 12 points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks. Then at the Pembina Trails Collegiate tournament, Ryder was named player of the game in the team's win against Springfield after a monster performance, consisting of 14 points, 21 rebounds, and seven blocks.
Over the weekend, Ryder had 10 points, 14 rebounds, four steals, and four blocks in a victory against St. Maurice. Hosting the Clipper Classic at the DRCSS, Dauphin advanced to the final where they downed Neepawa, 88-80, to defend their home court successfully.
"It was super cool to win on our home court. The gym was packed with fans cheering for us, so it was nice to get the job done for them," offered Waggoner.
In the finals, Ryder had another monster game. He scored 16 points, paired with an incredible 26 rebounds, and two steals. Following the game, he was named a tournament all-star.
"That's so cool, it was my first basketball trophy, so it's something that I will cherish forever."
Jaxon Larocque was also named a tournament all-star while Nick Hudyma was named the tournament's most valuable player. Hudyma had 26 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists in the final against Neepawa, while Larocque had 15 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks.
With Saturday's championship, Dauphin has two titles this season while finishing in the top three in every event. As Dauphin will look to climb up the rankings leading to the provincial qualifiers, Ryder believes this is an extremely special group, capable of amazing things.
"It all starts with our work ethic and chemistry," ended Waggoner. "We're an extremely tight-knit group. We connect very well as a group."
Ryder Waggoner, a grade 12 basketball star from Dauphin is making the most of his senior season wearing the Green & White.
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For the third time this season, the Dauphin Kings have taken down the defending champions and top team in the MJHL.
Powered by an incredible performance from Bryson Yaschyshyn, the Kings downed the Winkler Flyers, 2-1, in an incredible game at the ICON Arena.
Dauphin also won both games played in Winkler. Against his former team, Bryson was nothing short of spectacular as he made 34 saves, including one that'll be seen in highlight reels for the rest of the season.
Both of Dauphin's goals were on the power play, scored by Gavin Nemis and Ethan Stewart.
Dauphin improves to 29-12-1-1 and are seven points clear of the Blizzard for top spot in the West Division.
Next action is Wednesday on home ice against Swan Valley:
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A massive first period fuelled the Parkland U-18 Rangers as they earned three of a possible four points this weekend.
Noah Smigelsky led the way with two goals as the Rangers picked up a 5-1 win against the Kenora Thistles. Parkland went 2-for-7 on the power play and went 5-for-6 on the penalty kill. Dayson Martin and Alex Campbell also scored for Parkland in the win while Piet Mierau turned away 21 shots.
With the win, the Rangers have inched closer to the fifth place Southwest Cougars. With 23 wins and 48 points, Parkland is just four points back of the Cougars and six points back of the Winnipeg Thrashers who are in fourth.
The Rangers head to Winnipeg next weekend for two games against the Wild before finishing their season with a single game in Brandon and back-to-back against Eastman on February 22-23.
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It was a great weekend for the Dauphin U-11A1 Kings as they earned another silver medal.
Playing in the Swan River tournament, the Kings played a great final, but came up just short against the Minegoozibe Anishinabe Warriors. To earn a spot in the gold medal game, the Kings beat Swan River, 5-4, and Winnipegosis, 11-1.
The team has played in five tournaments this season, racking up three second place finishes. Currently sitting second place in the standings in league play, the Kings will look to continue with their consistent play heading into the playoffs.
The team's roster includes Grayson Ripmeester, Maddux Morden, Drake Maytwayashing, Burke Yakimishen, Jolie Maguet, Kaleb Sinclair, Jayden McKay, Ryder Zurbra, Yosef Mendones, Ryan Wasko, Joseph Wasko, and Cash Geisler.
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Another weekend and another three victories for the Dauphin Clippers hockey team.
Wrapping up the three game weekend in Glenboro, Ethan Carnegie put on a clinic with four goals as Dauphin downed the Wildcats, 6-2, with Ethan Myhre earning the win in net. The victory came less than 24 hours after Dauphin downed Killarney, 8-0, on Saturday.
Ronin Mouck and Layne Wolfenden also scored for Dauphin in the win, who also beat the Huskies on Friday. Dauphin has won nine games in a row. The Clippers have jumped into solo second place with 21 wins and 43 points.
Their next action is Tuesday in a Battle of the Parkland as the Roblin Raiders come to Credit Union Place at 8:30.
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In front of an incredible crowd, the Parkland U-18 Rangers were only able to secure one point.
Hosting Ukrainian Night in front of more than 1400 fans, the Rangers lost to Kenora, 2-1, in a shootout.
Cade Legaarden gave Parkland a 1-0 lead early in the second, just to see Kenora tie it up late in the period.
No goals were scored in the third or overtime and Kenora scored twice in the shootout, while neither Quinten Fisk or Brayden Budolowski could score for the Rangers.
The point gives the Rangers 46, three more than Interlake and Eastman, four more than Pembina Valley.
Kenora and Parkland play again on Sunday afternoon at 1:30.
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The Dauphin Kings couldn't get anything going on Saturday and turnovers cost them the game.
A few costly ones directly resulted in goals by Niverville, including one with just nine seconds left in the first, as Dauphin was blanked by the Nighthawks, 4-0.
It was Dauphin's second straight loss to open the weekend, but keep in mind, they did earn a point on Friday.
Cole Sheffield made some incredible saves and finished with 24 total as Dauphin dropped to 28-12-1-1.
They will look to salvage the weekend on Sunday night in Winkler.
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On a night where it looked like they would leave La Broquerie with no points, they stuck with it and earned one.
While it wasn't the perfect end result, the Dauphin Kings came back from a three-goal deficit twice and earned a single point in a 5-4 shootout loss against the Steinbach Pistons. It was the first of three games this weekend for Dauphin and a positive start as the team heads into Niverville.
Trailing 4-2 with less than three minutes left, Rylan Gage batted home a puck with 2:17 left for his 13th of the season to trim the deficit to 4-3. Then with 33 seconds left, Matthew Haun let go of a shot from the right point that found its way past Christian Green as Dauphin tied the game and forced overtime.
Havyril Simchuk, Gabriel Bugeaud, and Matthew Thomas were unable to score in the shootout while Jamie Fuchs shootout goal proved to be the winner. Ethan Williment and Joey Kubas also scored for Dauphin.
Paired with Neepawa's win and the Blizzard's loss, Dauphin is seven points ahead of both of them, with games in hand. They have two games in hand on Northern Manitoba and four on Neepawa.
The Kings head to Niverville on Saturday, you can hear the game with Danrell Duff beginning with the Parkland Source for Sports pregame show at 6:50.
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You can make it 19 wins for the Dauphin Clippers hockey team.
While Hamiota was handed 10 power plays, Dauphin stayed strong and downed the Huskies, 7-5.
Ronin Mouck scored three times to fuel Dauphin while Ethan Carnegie had two goals.
Jaxon Bodnar and Norman Lacquette each scored a goal apiece for Dauphin, as they won for the 19th time in only their 24th game.
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Gabriel Bugeaud joined the Dauphin Kings as an 18-year-old after three years with the Notre Dame Hounds.
His first year with Notre Dame saw him notch 36 regular season points in 33 games before collecting three goals and five points in three playoff games, all of which came with the U-17 team. Gabriel also played two games with the U-18 Prep team that season before joining the U-18 AAA team last year that plays in the Saskatchewan U-18 AAA Hockey League.
Ending that regular season with 22 wins in 44 games, Gabriel finished second in team scoring with 11 goals and 33 points across 40 games. The only player on his team that scored more was Joby Baumuller, who was drafted by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the 2022 draft, and is well into his second season in the Western Hockey League.
It was a great year for Gabriel and a sign of things to come. Bugeaud enjoyed a solid rookie season with the Kings last year, posting 17 goals and 34 points in 57 regular-season games. He was sixth in team scoring and what set him apart from so many players around the league was his blistering speed. Gabriel added two assists as Dauphin played in one of the longest playoff series in Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) history.
It was one for the history books as Dauphin forced game seven with a five-overtime victory in game six. Dauphin's season ended after falling in triple overtime in game seven and while it was a tough pill to swallow, Gabriel will always cherish the memories gained of digging in deep and being a part of a series like that.
"It was crazy. Probably some of the best memories of my hockey career," said Bugeaud. "It was an incredible process to be a part of it with my teammates. Living in the moment and knowing that this will be a part of history in the MJHL, it was a crazy series and a ton of fun."
As was the case for many of the team's top players, opportunities to join different teams were available this season. Gabriel was talking to teams in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) and while that was an exciting thought for Bugeaud, he wanted to be back in Dauphin. He knew there was unfinished business and he wants to finish it.
"It comes back to the guys that were coming back. Cole Sheffield and I were going to the same place, but then he decided to come back," said Bugeaud. "I knew we were going to have a great team this year and I felt there was a better opportunity for me to get more minutes here. Doug Hedley puts a lot of trust in me, I'm very glad that I returned."
All was good. Gabriel had 13 points in his first 22 games and was feeling good about how he was playing. Then in a 4-2 loss against Waywayseecappo on November 21, Bugeaud left early after taking a hit and missed the next four games with a lower-body injury. He returned on December 7 against Steinbach and posted a goal and one assist three days later against the Wolverines. He was then shut down for the remainder of 2024 after that game and missed the team's final two games before the Christmas break, both of which came against division-rival Northern Manitoba Blizzard.
"That was tough, it's never fun to be injured. You feel like you're missing out on helping your teammates," continued Bugeaud. "It was a challenge getting over that, I'm just glad that it wasn't too long. With that said, it also provided me a chance to take a step back and look at the game from another angle."
Gabriel came out of the gates flying in 2025 posting two assists in the team's first game against the Blues. In 10 games so far in 2025, Gabriel has points in six of them. He was held off the scoresheet last Friday in the team's 8-0 loss against Virden.
Despite the tough loss for the team, it was a special game for Gabriel. His parents Ron and Maryse along with his younger brother Joshua flew to Manitoba and made their way to Virden to watch Gabriel in action.
"It's always super fun to see them. I don't get to spend as much time with them as I would like," said Bugeaud. "I'm so grateful for their support, they have been by my side every step of the way. It's always nice when they get to watch me live."
Gabriel also saw his family earlier this year when Dauphin was on a road trip in Selkirk. His other brother Benjamin was in Manitoba playing with the Notre Dame Hounds U-18 Prep team. He has 11 points in 20 games and Gabriel is very proud of him.
Following Friday's tough loss against the Oil Capitals, Dauphin returned home to the friendly confines of Credit Union Place to play the Northern Manitoba Blizzard this past Saturday. Gabriel had a goal and four penalty minutes as the Kings responded with a solid 3-1 win. Good teams lose hockey teams, great teams can bounce back, which is exactly what Dauphin did.
"I think that loss against Virden was a wake-up call for us. Many teams are battling for playoff spots during the second half of the season and it showed us that no game is going to be easy," offered Bugeaud. "We had a very good bounce back against the Blizzard. It shows the character we have in our room. It motivates us to come ready to compete every night."
Bugeaud was back on the scoresheet earlier this week scoring a gorgeous goal in Tuesday's 5-3 victory against Selkirk. Dauphin has won two straight games and is six points ahead of the Blizzard for first place in the West Division. Dauphin is also in a heated race as they look to chase down the powers in the East Division, Portage Terriers, Steinbach Pistons, and Winkler Flyers.
"We have a special group here. From top to bottom, our lineup is super competitive," commented Bugeaud. "When we all buy in and play to our identity, we're a tough team to play against. We have outstanding speed and we're all playing for each other."
Dauphin returns to the ice on Friday when they continue a very busy February. They play Steinbach on Friday, are in Niverville on Saturday, and wrap up the weekend on Sunday in Winkler. Dauphin then plays Swan Valley next Wednesday, Neepawa next Friday, and Niverville next Sunday. In all, Dauphin plays 13 games this month as the push to the Turnbull Cup playoffs is heating up.
It's a daunting schedule, but for players, game action is where it's at.
"I love it. I love playing games that are close together," said Bugeaud. "If you have a game that you didn't like that much, you don't have to wait long to bounce back. It allows guys to get into a groove and that's what we're trying to do, fire on all cylinders."
Gabriel will enter the team's busy stretch on fire. He has six goals and 10 points in his last 11 games. He's tied for sixth in team scoring with 23 points and his 12 goals are tied for the third most on the team.
The second-year King is starting to hit his stride and that's bad news for the team's opponents. When Gabriel can pair his outstanding speed with his wicked release, he's almost unstoppable and he's looking to carry that momentum into this weekend.
"I've been getting chances all year, so it's really nice to see them going in right now, and I'm looking to keep it going," ended Bugeaud. "The coaches have been telling me all year to shoot more, so I'm doing that. It's always nice to contribute offensively. I'm working on getting more pucks on the net and hopefully, the goals keep coming."
Don't forget to tune into the Dauphin Kings Power Play Show on Friday to hear Gabriel's full chat with Darnell Duff. That airs after the 4:00 p.m. news, weather, business, and sports.
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