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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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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
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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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
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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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
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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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
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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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
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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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
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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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
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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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
They're now known as the Monarchs.
Starting in the 2025-26 season, the Winnipeg Freeze will now be known as the Winnipeg Monarchs. The announcement was made on Thursday. The original Winnipeg Monarchs played in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League from 1930 to 1978. They were renamed the Winnipeg South Places in 1978 and later the Winnipeg Blues.
Chet Pickard is the team's governor.
“We wanted to pay homage to the long hockey history that we have in Winnipeg and the MJHL,” said Pickard.
Since joining the league in 2020-21, the Freeze have gone 24-189-13-3. They've lost at least 40 games in each of the last four seasons. They played only five games in their first year because of the pandemic and lost all five.
They will continue to play at the Hockey for All Centre.
“On behalf of the MJHL Board of Governors, we are excited about the new direction that the organization will be taking as they embark on this new era of Monarchs Hockey in Winnipeg and the MJHL,” shared MJHL Commissioner Kevin Saurette. “With this change, the expectation is that the standards will be raised both on and off the ice, to help ensure positive progress and success for the organization moving forward, for the benefit of all involved.”
Earlier this year, the Winnipeg Blues announced a move to the Rink Training Centre for next year.
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Many were shocked.
The Melfort Mustangs were not. In 56 regular-season games during the 2023-24 season, the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) club finished with 38 wins and an extremely respectable 80 points, the second-most in the league.
The only team ahead was the Flin Flon Bombers, who finished with 44 wins and 91 points. The Bombers swept Kindersley and Battlefords to advance to the league final. Melfort beat Estevan in five games and Humboldt in a dramatic seven-game series. It was the top two teams in the league, squaring off for a league title. The Bombers were favourites after an incredible regular season.
On the Mustangs' blueline was Bo Eisner of Swan River. The Mustangs scored nine goals in game one and 17 in the first three games to take a commanding three games to none lead over the Bombers. Flin Flon bounced back with two straight wins before Eisner propelled the Mustangs to a game six win as they captured the SJHL championship and the right to compete at the Centennial Cup.
Back with the Mustangs this season, the 20-year-old Swan River star was a key cog as the team won 46 of 56 regular-season games and finished with a league-leading 94 points. They were 13 ahead of Flin Flon, and the separation between them and the eighth-place Kindersley Klippers was 39 points.
"A bit of a different roster this year, we're a bit older, with quite a few returning guys from last year," said Eisner. "It's a great group, we got off to a great start, and kept our foot on the pedal all season."
Eisner and the Mustangs had little trouble beating Kindersley in the first round this year, needing five games to do so. Then came a tough test as they played the Yorkton Terriers, a team that won 33 games and finished fourth in the league.
The Mustangs expected a push, but they never really got one. They scored 16 goals and swept Yorkton to advance to their second straight league final, this time against a new team.
"Yorkton is a very good team, we just stuck to our systems, and played well," offered Eisner.
The Bombers met the Weyburn Red Wings in the other semifinal, and after winning the first three games, the Red Wings won the series in six games to advance to the final. The Parkland Ranger alum is thrilled to play for another league title.
"Yeah, it's awesome. Not many guys are still playing at this time of the year," commented Eisner. "To get the chance to do it two years in a row is awesome. There is a ton of fan support, and everyone around town is fired up. It's an awesome experience, can't wait to get it going on Friday.
Eisner and the Mustangs beat the Red Wings in three of their four meetings, outscoring them 14-11. Game one is Saturday in Melfort, followed by game two on Sunday. Games three and four move to Weyburn before alternating for games five, six, and seven, if necessary.
And while Eisner is a star on the team, another star from Swan River will look to help the Mustangs win a championship, as Will Munro is on fire. He has nine points in nine playoff games, ranking third in team scoring.
Munro is also a former Ranger, and the two grew up together in Swan River.
"It's awesome to have someone familiar by my side battling," continued Eisner. "He's one of my best friends, so it's an amazing feeling to experience this with him. Hopefully, we can get the job done against Weyburn."
The Melfort Mustangs and the Weyburn Red Wings. A spot in the Centennial Cup is on the line.
"They have some excellent scorers," ended Eisner. "They're well balanced and play to structure. It should be a great battle."
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
It's all set.
Two teams remain; both are from the MGEU West Division. The Dauphin Kings and the Northern Manitoba Blizzard. The winning team advances to Calgary to represent the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) at the Centennial Cup from May 8 to 18.
With Dauphin finishing higher than the Blizzard in the regular season, Dauphin has earned home-ice advantage to open the series. Game number one will be Friday night at Credit Union Place at 7:30 p.m.
The meeting marks the first time Dauphin and Northern Manitoba have played in the league championship series. Dauphin downed Waywayseecappo in five games before dispatching Portage in six after Havryil Simchuk played the hero on Monday night. Dauphin's most recent trip to the finals was in 2022, when the team beat Steinbach in seven games in the finals before advancing to the semifinal at the Centennial Cup in Estevan.
The Northern Manitoba Blizzard, meanwhile, beat Neepawa in five games and swept the defending champion Winkler Flyers in the last round. They've won eight straight games. The Blizzard last won the championship in 2003.
Dauphin and Northern Manitoba played six times in the regular season, splitting those meetings.
December 3 @ Northern Manitoba - Dauphin won, 4-2
December 11 @ Northern Manitoba - Dauphin won, 5-4
December 17 @ Northern Manitoba - Northern Manitoba won, 3-1
February 1 @ Dauphin - Dauphin won, 3-1
February 18 @ Dauphin - Northern Manitoba won, 2-1
March 4 @ Dauphin - Northern Manitoba won, 1-0
Darnell Duff & Jeff Henson will have the call of every game. The Parkland Source for Sports pregame show opens the series on Friday night at 7.
The Kings have also announced ticket details for the series and when you can purchase them.
TICKET PRICES:
Adults - $20.00
Students (13-17) - $15.00
Children (6-12) - $10.00
5&Under - $0.00
TICKET OFFICE HOURS:
Thursday, April 17 - 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Friday, April 18 - 10 to Game Time
Monday, April 21 - 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, April 22 - 10:00 a.m. to Game Time
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
