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Eric Preston grew up in Rorketon and went to school just down the road in Ste. Rose from kindergarten through graduation in 2021. 

Preston was always front and centre in the sports scene in the community. Whether it be volleyball, basketball, baseball, or curling, Preston always stayed busy athletically while achieving great marks in the classroom.

In grade 10, when competing at the provincial high school championships in track and field, Preston rose to the occasion going up against the best of the best in the javelin competition. He ended up winning a gold medal and while this was more than a half a decade ago, Preston remembers it as if it were yesterday.

"That was pretty crazy," said Preston. "To know that I was the best in the province at that sport at the time, it was a surreal moment."

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Eric graduated high school with honours in Ste. Rose in 2021 and then moved to Winnipeg to study kinesiology at the University of Manitoba. In January of 2023, Preston needed a change. That change was to work towards serving and protecting as he enrolled at the RCMP Academy Depot in Regina.

Training is six months and four months into his training, Eric found out that he would be based in Hay River, Northwest Territories. Moving 22 hours away from his hometown in Rorketon and away from all of his family and friends was a daunting thought at the start. With that said, Eric always had an interest in moving up north and while he didn't think it would be Hay River, Preston was ready for the next stage of his life.

He graduated from the academy in April of 2023 and on October 11, 2023, Eric worked his first shift as an RCMP officer in Hay River. Preston remembers all of the emotions that he was feeling ahead of his first shift.

"All of them. You go through training and they try to prep you for your first shift, but your first shift is always going to be different when you're not in a safe environment," continued Preston. "It was exciting, it's a brand new job, and something I had always thought of doing. It was more exciting than I thought it ever would have been."

Eric wanted to become an RCMP officer because he was always one of the first people to lend a helping hand.

"I've always been a guy that found enjoyment in helping people out," commented Preston. "As an RCMP officer, I have the opportunity to help people make their bad days a little bit better."

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Still with a deep passion for sports when he moved to Hay River, Eric was lucky enough to spend some time on the pebbled ice as his detachement had a curling team. That was last year and now, we fast forward to this year.

Still curling with the detachment team, Eric was presented with an opportunity to join Team Bartling, a team that would enter the Northwest Territories regional championships. The winner of that event would advance to the Montana's Brier in Kelowna from February 28 - March 9 at Prospera Place, home of the Kelowna Rockets. 

Going into the event, Eric never met Aaron Bartling, the team's skip nor the team's second Norman Bassett. Preston and his foursome arrived at the rink for their first game of the playdowns against Team Skauge and scored a game-defining four in the fourth en route to winning 10-3. Then the team went cold, losing three straight games. They faced a must-win game in the semifinals against Team Skauge and edged out a 6-5 thrilling win as they scored a single in the 10th, after blanking the ninth.

The stage was set. Preston and Team Bartling against a legend in Northwest Territories, Team Jamie Koe. The winner would advance to the Brier, the loser would endure heartbreak.

The two teams went back and forth and Team Koe was in the driver's seat, up 6-5 with hammer playing the 10th end. Preston set up the 10th end perfectly and his foursome ended up stealing a point to tie the game. At this point, they were still underdogs, they needed another steal. After two more perfect rocks from Preston to start the 11th, all Team Bartling could do was watch and hope for a miss.

Jamie had to remove Team Bartling's rock at the back of the four foot and despite a furious sweep to keep the rock straight from Team Koe, Jamie's final ticked the guard, leaving Team Bartling's rock shot and the celebration was on.

"It was very nerve-racking, to steal in two straight ends is a pretty wild way to finish the game," offered Preston. "There was a lot of jumping and excited screams when Jamie missed that final one. It was a moment that I'll never forget."

From Rorketon to Kelowna. Eric Preston is heading to the Montana's Brier.

"Hay River has never won a spot to compete in the Brier, it's such a special feeling," continued Preston. "As a guy that always dreamt of going, it's so exciting. We get to go to the Brier and wear NWT jackets, it doesn't get any better than that."

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Jamie Koe and his foursome were heavy favourites going in. Jamie has won the Northwest Territories 17 times but entered Preston, and he was denied an 18th opportunity this go around. Preston and his team will now go up against some of the best teams in the world with a national title on the line.

"Just getting the experience to play against the big names that I watched as a kid, that's very exciting," ended Preston. "Not everyone gets the chance to play in the biggest curling event in Canada."

Stay tuned to 730CKDM as when the official broadcast schedule is released, we'll let you know if Preston will play a featured game on TSN. 

It was a win the Parkland U-18 Rangers had to have and while it wasn't pretty at all times, they got the job done.

Ryder Gardner was the hero as he scored his fifth of the season with just 61 seconds left in regulation as the Rangers came from behind to down the Yellowhead Chiefs, 4-3, in a thrilling game in Shoal Lake.

The Chiefs came out on fire as they took a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes before Forrest Karlson of Dauphin cut into that deficit in the second. Dayson Martin (15) and Cade Legaarden (17) scored in the third within 11 seconds of eachother to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead.

Oliver Nickel scored shorthanded with less than five minutes to tie it and while the game looked like it was destined for overtime, Gardner said not this time. It was his biggest goal as a Ranger as the team won their fourth straight game. 

Parkland is three points behind the fifth place Winnipeg Thrashers and five up on Pembina Valley, who sit in ninth. The Rangers host Kenora this weekend twice on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday is Ukrainian Night and you can get your tickets for $5 at Ruff's Furniture. 

The Selkirk Steelers had zero answers for the Dauphin Kings in the second period on Tuesday night. 

Dauphin scored four times in the middle frame and outshot the Steelers heavy in a 5-3 win at Credit Union Place. Dauphin racked up 16 shots in the second while the Steelers had just two. 

Rylan Gage (12), Gavin Nemis (10), Ethan Stewart (6), and Gabriel Bugeaud (12) scored for Dauphin in the win while Cole Sheffield earned the victory in net.

Ty Pratte (4) sealed the game into an empty net late for Dauphin. 

With the win, Dauphin moves back up nine points ahead of Northern Manitoba for first place in the West Division with 57 points.

The Kings now prepare for a daunting weekend as they play three games in three night, all against the top teams in the league.

They play Steinbach on Friday, Niverville on Saturday, and Winkler on Sunday. All games will be broadcasted on 730CKDM with Darnell Duff. 

Cayden Glover and Matthew Haun have been recognized by the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) as the Dauphin Kings prepare to host Carter Zalischuk and the Selkirk Steelers on Tuesday night.

Glover was named the league's player of the month. In eight games last month, the 20-year-old from Brandon scored 10 times while collecting 15 points. Glover leads the league with 33 goals and is fourth in league scoring with 52 points. Unfortunately for Glover and fans of the team, he won't be in the lineup for a while.

After suffering an upper body injury on Friday in Virden, Glover is considered week-to-week.

While Glover was the player of the month, Matthew Haun grabbed the league's defenceman of the month award. The 20-year-old American was outstanding in his own end while finding his groove offensively, posting two goals and eight points in eight games. Haun continues to quietly go about his business and is 10th in team scoring with three goals and 20 points. He recently committed to play Division III hockey at the College at St. Scholastica.

Following Tuesday's game against Selkirk, Dauphin heads on the road for three games in three nights this weekend, Friday against Steinbach, Saturday against Niverville, and Sunday against Jayce Legaarden of Grandview and the Winkler Flyers. 


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The Kings have dropped to honourable mention status in the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) Top 20 rankings.

The drop is likely because of Dauphin's 8-0 loss against Virden on Friday night. They did respond on Saturday and put together an outstanding performance in a key home victory against the Northern Manitoba Blizzard. 

The Kings are on top of the West Division, leading both the Blizzard and Titans by eight points. They have one game in hand on Northern Manitoba and four on Neepawa. Their 153 goals are the fourth-most while their 103 against are the second-fewest.

The Trenton Golden Hawks of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) are the top-ranked team in the country. They are first place in the Eastern Conference and second overall with 78 points and a record of 38-5-2 in the OJHL.

Jayce Legaarden and the Flyers stayed pat at seventh in the rankings. With points in 17 straight games, Winkler is on top of the standings by two points over Portage and Steinbach, with three games in hand on each of those teams. 

Steinbach moved up one spot to eighth. Somehow the Pistons gave up nine goals in two games, both losses, and still moved up a single spot. Trailing Winkler by two points, the Pistons welcome the Kings to town on Friday night.

Kyan Grouette and the Portage Terriers made the biggest jump of any team in the country as they went from honourable mentions last week to the 10th-ranked team in the country this week. With wins in four straight, including two straight against Steinbach, the Terriers have cemented themselves as championship contenders. Mitchell Kathler is outstanding between the pipes.

Over in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, Bo Eisner, Will Munro, and the Melfort Mustangs are ranked sixth, down from three last week. They're two points ahead of Flin Flon, with three games in hand, for first place in the league. While Melfort has lost two straight, they will look to defend the championship they won last year and are certainly favourites to do so. 

The Flin Flon Bombers, who have points in 26 straight games, are ranked 12th, up three spots from last week. 

Dru Mushumanski is taking his talents almost 20 hours away from his hometown.

The 18-year-old from Rossburn has joined the Chilliwack Chiefs of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). He made his debut with the Chiefs on Friday night and scored his first goal as the team embarrassed the Powell River Kings, 11-1.

He's now played two games with his new team and the Chiefs are championship contenders this year. At 24-8-5, Chilliwack is fourth place overall in the 21-team league and they're atop the Coastal Conference. 

After playing two games to start the season in the Western Hockey League with the Regina Pats, Dru joined the Waywayseecappo Wolverines, where he played 31 games, scoring eight times and collecting 25 points.

Mushumanski also played for Team Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge and helped the team win a bronze medal.

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Landyn Cochrane, Waywayseecappo's head coach and general manager was sad to see Dru leave the organization but respects his decision.

"Dru was a great player for us and he brought a lot to this team on and off the ice," said Cochrane. "We wish him nothing but the best moving forward, we know he will thrive with Chilliwack."

The last full month of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) season has arrived.

After what is expected to be a thrilling month, only two weeks of regular season play will occur in March before the top four teams in the MGEU East Division and the top four in the MGEU West Division qualify for the Turnbull Cup playoffs.

The Waywayseecappo Wolverines are a team that's making a serious push to the big dance. Their season continued over the weekend with a pair of road games, starting Saturday night when they played Dauphin's Carter Zalischuk and the Selkirk Steelers.

In that game, Griffin Ayotte led the charge with two goals. At the same time, Deegan Wapass, Cole Hunter, and Owen Pringle all scored a goal apiece as the Wolverines secured a big two points with a gutsy 5-1 win over a Selkirk team that is in desperate need of points in their chase for a top-four spot in the East. Jaxon Grosdidier scored his 17th of the season to open the scoring on Sunday night for Wayway against Niverville, however, it was the Nighthawks that scored three straight as the Wolverines had to settle for a weekend split.

The Wolverines record entering the week is 16-24-2-1, led by first-year head coach and general manager Landyn Cochrane.

"We've been playing very well, we had a week off between the MJ/SJ Showcase and our next game so we had a chance to fine-tune all three areas of the ice," said Cochrane. "We were closing plays quickly in Selkirk and we carried our momentum into the weekend. Despite that loss on Sunday, plenty to build off of, it was a good weekend for our group."

The Wolverines begin a three-game homestand on Tuesday when they welcome the Neepawa Titans to the Arena Complex before playing the Blues on Friday. That's followed by a game against Virden next Tuesday. If the Wolverines are to make the playoffs, these next three games could be season-defining.

The Wolverines are two points behind the Oil Capitals for the fourth and final playoff spot in the West Division and they have two games remaining against them. Waywayseecapppo plays eight of their final 15 games on home ice. Their regular season ends on March 15 at Credit Union Place when they play the Kings.

There's no doubt that the race for the final playoff spot in the West will be wild and Cochrane is looking forward to seeing how his group handles the pressure.

"It's an exciting time for our group. Our guys are coming to the rink every day looking to get better, every time we hit the ice it's like a playoff atmosphere," continued Cochrane. "We have some guys that are banged up which allows some of our younger guys to show what they can do. Everyone is pulling on the rope for the same goal here, it's a lot of fun with this group."

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Saturday's win was also one for the history books. Greg Cochrane, who spent time as an assistant coach in the past with the organization, was back on the bench. As the team's assistant coaches were unavailable for the road trip, Greg stepped in and joined his son on the bench.

"It was awesome having him on, he has been at every game in the stands this year," continued Cochrane. "The boys took him in very well. Greg is a super motivational guy and the guys fed off that. The guys really went to work for Greg and me this weekend."

And picking up a victory with his dad on the bench made the weekend that much more special.

"It was awesome, I would have to look back at the history books, I'm not sure if a father/son has ever won a game on the bench together," ended Cochrane. "I will definitely cherish this weekend and remember it for a long time."

On top of their two games against Virden and two against Dauphin before the end of the season, the Wolverines' schedule features three games against the Blues, one against the Freeze, two against Jayce Legaarden and the Winkler Flyers, two against Neepawa, two against Swan Valley, and a battle against Kyan Grouette and the Portage Terriers. 

Three games and three wins for the Dauphin Clippers hockey team.

Wrapping up a busy weekend in Melita, the Clippers never trailed, Ethan Myhre posted a shutout and the Dauphin Clippers downed the Renegades, 4-0, to extend their winning streak to six games.

Ethan Carnegie, Sully Fox, Lyric Smith, and Julien Lopez scored for Dauphin to complete the perfect weekend. Dauphin will return home to host the Huskies on Friday at 1:45 at Credit Union Place before hosting Killarney on Saturday, also at Credit Union Place at 4:30.

Then on Sunday of next week, Dauphin heads to Glenboro to play the Wildcats at 2:00 p.m. 

It was another solid weekend for the Dauphin Clippers varsity boys basketball team.

Playing in the Pembina Trails Collegiate tournament, Dauphin is back home in the Parkland after a third place finish. 

In the team's opening game, Dauphin hammered Springfield, 88-34. Ryder Waggoner was named player of the game after recording a monster performance with 14 points, 21 rebounds, and seven blocks. Nick Hudyma chipped in 25 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists while Morgan Fleck had 17 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.

Going up against Elmwood in the semifinals, Dauphin got 21 points, 19 rebounds, and six assists from Hudyma, however, it wasn't enough, as Dauphin came up short in an 80-62 defeat. Jaxon Larocque had nine points, 24 rebounds, and four blocks, while Miguel Boncodin had seven points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Hudyma was named player of the game.

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With a bronze medal on the line, the Clippers came up clutch and hammered St. Maurice, 71-45. Hudyma once again was named player of the game, chipping in 29 points, 12 reounds, 10 assists, and four blocks. Carter Kowalchuk was a force with 10 points and seven rebounds while Ryder Waggoner had eight points and 15 rebounds.

What made the team's weekend that much more impressive was they were missing two key players and they still found a way to put together a strong weekend performance. Next is the Clipper Classic on February 7-8. 

What a great weekend weekend it was for the Parkland Vipers 14-U volleyball team.

Playing in the Westman tournament, the Vipers put together some incredible performances and while they lost in the final, they can be extremely proud of their efforts in finishing with a silver medal out of 16 of the top teams in the province.

In the round-robin, Parkland earned clean sweeps against Westman (25-11, 25-18), and Club West 13-U (25-11, 25-10). The Vipers split with Providence Pilots Navy (25-21, 16-25) to finish second in their pool.

The group carried that momentum into the playoffs as they hammered Southern Storm in the quarterfinals, 25-17, 25-5. They followed that with a straight set win against RVC, 25-17, 25-16. In a back and forth championship final against Dynamo VC, the Vipers lost a two-set match, 24-26, 19-25.

It was an outstanding weekend and there is plenty to build off moving forward for this great group of Parkland stars. 

The Dauphin Kings are back on track

Without leading goal scorer Cayden Glover, NCAA Division 1 commit Naaman Hofer, and star defender Aiden Murray, Rylan Gage scored very early and the Kings never looked back and put together an incredible performance in a gutsy 3-1 win against the Northern Manitoba Blizzard on Saturday night at Credit Union Place.

It was an outstanding response from Dauphin just 24 hours after suffering their worst loss of the season against Virden. Gage opened the scoring with his 11th of the season just 36 seconds in with a perfect shot from the point.

Havyril Simchuk then scored his seventh in the back half of the period before Gabriel Bugeaud scored a dandy shortly after as Dauphin led 3-0 after 20 minutes of play. The Kings allowed just 17 shots through 40 minutes and while the Blizzard scored late in the third period, Dauphin was never in danger of giving up the lead.

Dauphin went a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill and while their power play (0-for-3) continued to struggle, it was a great effort for a group that was without two of their best players and one key player on the back end.

With the win, Dauphin improved to 27-11-1 on the season and now have an eight point lead over the Blizzard with a game in hand and they're also eight points ahead of Neepawa, with four games in hand.

The Kings welcome back Carter Zalischuk on Tuesday as the Selkirk Steelers come to town before heading on the road for three games next weekend, Friday against Steinbach, Saturday in Niverville, and Sunday against Jayce Legaarden and the Winkler Flyers. Every game next weekend can be heard here on 730CKDM with Darnell Duff.

King Chips:

  • Cayden Glover suffered an upper-body injury on Friday and is out week-to-week;
  • Aiden Murray also suffered an upper-body injury on Friday and is out week-to-week;
  • Madden Murray suffered an upper-body injury on Saturday and will be re-evaluated on Saturday;
  • Naaman Hofer was suspended two games on Friday and is eligible to return on Friday when Dauphin plays Steinbach; and
  • Cole Sheffield was back between the pipes and was excellent, turning away 22 shots. 

That's now 2-for-2 for the Dauphin Clippers hockey team this weekend.

Following a solid win against the Virden Golden Bears on Friday that saw Ronin Mouck score three times, the Clippers made their way to Boissevain to play the Broncos on Saturday and embarrassed them.

Dauphin came out of the gate firing as Sully Fox scored twice in the opening period against the Broncos and Dauphin never looked back and coasted to a 13-1 win. Ethan Carnegie continued to torch his opponents as he scored four times. Ronin Mouck scored twice as did Noah Hanneson.

Kenai Mouck, Layne Wolfenden, and Josh Yakielashek also scored for Dauphin as the team continued to produce offence at an elite level, while playing an excellent brand of defensive hockey.

Dauphin heads to Melita to play the Renegades on Sunday, looking for their sixth straight win.