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Doug Hedley has won 500 games in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

It took Hedley just 885 games to do so as Dauphin used an excellent start to the third period in a 5-3 win against the Waywayseecappo Wolverines. Dauphin scored three times in a 57 second span early in the third as they went up 5-2 and they jnever looked back in the victory, their 11th of the season.

Opening up the scoring in the game was Aidan Brook as he scored on the power play as the Kings went 1-0. Luke McCarthy responded for Dauphin before the Kings went up 2-1 as Trey Gnetz scored 10:24 into the game. Garett Zasitko responded for the Wolverines as the game was tied at two after 20 minutes of play.

No goals were scored in the second before Dauphin fired it up early in the third. Logan Walker, Carter Zalischuk and Alex Senf within a 57 second span as they went up by three goals. Neo Kiemeney would score on the power play late in the game; however, it was too late as the Kings skated off with a 5-3 win.

In the win, Cole Sheffield won his 10th straight to start the season as Dauphin improved 11-2 on the campaign while Waywayseecappo dropped to 8-9-0-1. 

The Kings are now off to Virden on Saturday night to play the Oil Capitals. No broadcast of the game, Darnell Duff will call Tuesday's game in Neepawa. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Nov 4, 2023 - 12:13 am

The Parkland U18 Rangers are riding high into their two home games this weekend at Credit Union Place. 

Parkland scored 13 goals last weekend in a sweep against the Kenora Thistles as they get set to welcome the Winnipeg Wild to town for a pair of games on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. While the Rangers have suffered a couple of blowout losses this season, the team has been fairly consistent for the most part with four wins in their 10 games. They're currently in a tie for sixth place in the league standings with Eastman and the Wild alongside Norman.

Saturday's meeting will be the second between Parkland and the Wild this season. On October 14, the Rangers took a 2-0 lead into the third period thanks to a pair of first-period goals from Cam Sarna. The Wild responded with two goals in the third to force overtime, but ultimately, Tavyn Boychuk found the back of the net in overtime to secure a 3-2 win for the Rangers at Hockey for All Centre. 

While the Wild have won three of their last four games, they are coming off a tough blow as they lost 4-3 to Pembina Valley on Wednesday. 

Saturday's game at Credit Union Place is set for 7:30 while the two teams will battle again on Sunday afternoon at 1:30. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Nov 3, 2023 - 12:17 pm

The Manitoba Junior Hockey League has announced players of the month for October and once again, a Dauphin King has made the list.

In September, Naaman Hofer was named the Safe Work Manitoba Defenseman of the Month. After a great October, Anthony Bax has now won the award.

In his second full season for Dauphin, Bax has been outstanding this year as he leads the team with 15 points and he’s coming off his first hat-trick as a King when he lit the lamp three times in a 7-2 win against the Winnipeg Freeze.

Bax is tied for second in the league among defenseman in scoring and he’s averaging 1.25 points-per-game.

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Nov 3, 2023 - 9:39 am

Help is needed in order to keep the Ethelbert Skating Rink open for the season.

They held a board meeting earlier this week and numbers were very low, which means the rink may not be operational for the upcoming winter if numbers don't increase. They are looking for board members, volunteers for ice maintenance, and canteen workers.

If you are interested in helping out, you can reach out to the Ethelbert Skating Rink on Facebook. Another meeting will be scheduled in the coming weeks. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Nov 2, 2023 - 3:59 pm

Another busy weekend of regular season hockey is on tap for the Dauphin Kings.

Ranked 10th in this week's Canadian Junior Hockey League Top 20 rankings, Dauphin will be on home ice Friday against Waywayseecappo before they're off to Virden to play the Oil Capitals on Saturday night. Opening last weekend on home ice against the Wolverines, Dauphin came out of the dressing room on fire as they scored five times in the first 8:18 of the first and they led the game 5-2 after 20 minutes. Jordan Bax then scored his second goal of the night in the second period and he completed his hat-trick in the third as Dauphin went on to hammer the Wolverines by a final score of 7-2. Cayden Glover notched three assists in the game.

"It was one of our best starts of the season, we created some great odd-man rushes and we had some decent finish," said Doug Hedley, head coach and general manager. "We always talk about using our speed and attacking with speed and most of the night, that's exactly what we did. It worked out well for us."

Dauphin then made the just more than three-hour trip to Manitoba's capital on Sunday to play the Winnipeg Freeze. It was a Freeze team that won both of their games at the league's Showcase; however, they couldn't stick with one of the top teams in the nation as Dauphin scored four times on the power-play and one time shorthanded in a 7-2 victory. This time it was Anthony Bax that recorded a hat-trick while Naaman Hofer had three assists.

While it wasn't one of Dauphin's best performances of the season, they still found a way to get the job done and it was also a milestone night for Austin Seibel as he won his first Junior A game. 

"That team is getting harder to play against, they work hard and they have some good young talent," offered Hedley. "They're also well-coached. We went into Winnipeg to get a road win and it's great that we were able to do just that."

Dauphin has been in a league of their own as of late while on the man advantage. Against Winnipeg, Dauphin went 4-for-6 on the power play. Dauphin started the season by scoring just three times on their first 27 chances on the man advantage, but they have turned things around. Over their past five games, Dauphin has scored 13 times across 30 chances which works out to 43.3%. Two weeks ago, the team was 11.1%, and now, Dauphin leads the league on the power play at 28.1%. 

"Guys are starting to get more comfortable with each other and they're creating movement away from the puck," said Hedley. "The guys are starting to shoot more and they're finding success because of it."

Coming off his hat-trick, Anthony Bax leads Dauphin with 15 points as he's averaging 1.25 points per game while Hofer is just behind with 14 points and an average of 1.17 points per game. Anthony made plenty of noise in his first game as a King last year when he scored both of the team's goals in a win against Neepawa and this year, the 20-year-old from Parkhill, ON. has been outstanding and he was recently named the Safe Work Manitoba Defenseman of the Month in the MJHL. Hofer won the same award in September. 

All seven of Dauphin's defensemen have recorded at least a point and they have combined for 44 points as they continue to be a key cog in Dauphin's success.

"We knew the back end was going to help carry us early in the season and they sure have," offered Hedley. "They do a great job of carrying the game and they're also not allowing many odd-man rushes. They are all creative and make a good first pass. They're using each other to spread teams out and they're getting pucks to the net as well."

Dauphin's newest addition to the team Cayden Glover has one goal and six points in as many games after starting his junior career in the Western Hockey League where he played 123 games. 

"He's a real good skater with some great speed and his first three steps are outstanding," said Hedley. "It's about wanting to get better every time you come to the rink and I believe he's definitely right on that track."

Just like Dauphin's win against the Freeze was a milestone one for Seibel as he earned his first win, the team's 7-2 victory 48 hours prior against Waywayseecappo was also a milestone night for a local star as Madden Murray scored his first junior goal 8:18 into the game after Rylan Gibbs fed him the puck and Murray let go of a snipe that beat Marek Andres. Murray now has one goal and one assist in six games with his hometown junior team and he has looked excellent over the past few games as he continues to hit his stride in his rookie campaign.

"He has been really good for the last three games, he's been physical and he's separating guys from the puck," said Murray. "He had a shift against Winkler in overtime that we showed on our highlight reel. He had 25 to 30 seconds of true compete. His skill set is getting better. We're very happy with his work ethic and his commitment to getting better and it's going to bode well for him moving ahead."

Next up for the Kings is a date with the Wolverines on Friday night at 7:30 at Credit Union Place. It's a game you can hear with Darnell Duff starting with the Parkland Source for Sports pregame show at 7:15. Dauphin enters the game with 10 wins and just two losses while the Wolverines are 8-8-0-1. 

"They have some real good team speed up front and they have proven that they can score," ended Hedley. "You can't take any team in this league lightly, we have to really make sure that we outwork and out chance them and be consistent as we have been all year."

Dauphin then heads to Virden on Saturday before playing a pair of games in Neepawa against the Titans next week and then they have a rematch with Winkler next Sunday at 4:00 p.m. at Credit Union Place. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Nov 2, 2023 - 12:11 pm

The Parkland Hockey Association (PHA) now accepts coaching applications for Rising Stars, Female Prospects, and Directors Cup.

To be considered, you will need to provide a description of your coaching philosophy and why you would be a great fit to help lead young stars from the Parkland region at elite events.

If you are interested, visit coach. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Nov 2, 2023 - 11:12 am

There are many intriguing headlines across the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) that are keeping fans hooked and on the edge of their seats.

Kian Bell has returned to the Battlefords North Stars after starting the season in the Western Hockey League with the Edmonton Oil Kings. Winning the SJHL Most Valuable Player award and Top Player award last year on top of helping the North Stars win the league title, Bell has been sensational since returning with five goals and five assists for 10 points in just three games. The Humboldt Broncos have still not lost a game in regulation as they're 10-0-2-1 while the Melville Millionaires are off to their best start in several years as they have won eight of their first 12 games.

Another headline is Bo Eisner. The former Parkland Ranger and first-year member of the Melfort Mustangs scored his first junior goal on October 28 in a 3-2 defeat against the Yorkton Terriers. Melfort is second in the Sherwood Division with wins in 10 of their 15 games. 

The biggest headline in the SJHL; however, features the only Manitoban team in the 12-team Saskatchewan circuit as the Flin Flon Bombers are 13-1-1 to start the season which has them on top of the league standings, four points ahead of the Broncos. Flin Flon has advanced to the league final in four of the last six seasons but they came up short in all of the series. The difference between those teams to this year's team is they were not as skilled as they are this year. 

This year's team has already scored 79 goals which are 14 more than the next closest team (Melfort) and the Bombers have only given up 33 goals which are only more than Humboldt (24) and Melville (33). 

Rob Hart is back as Voice of the Bombers and he will join Darnell Duff for a chat on the Power Play show on Friday afternoon following the 4:00 p.m. news, weather, business, and sports.

"It's been a great start. We have never started as strong as we have this year which is exciting for the team and the entire community," said Hart. "There is a long way to go but winning 13 of your first 15 games is certainly something to build off of."

Flin Flon is also ranked as the top team in the nation in the most recent Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) Top 20 rankings. Flin Flon's lone regulation loss of the campaign came back on Saturday when they went down 3-0 to Melville. Flin Flon outshot the Millionaires more than three to one as they racked up 46 shots compared to just 15 against and the Bombers made it interesting with two goals late, but they couldn't come all the way back as Ethan Rau made 44 saves for the Mills' as they picked up their eighth win of the season and it was no doubt their biggest of the season so far.

"All credit goes to Melville, they stuck with it and got the job done at the end of the day," said Hart. "The team was pushing to get through October without a regulation loss, something that has never been done, but we came up just short. Nonetheless, still a fantastic start and we're heading into November in a good spot."

Alexi Sylvestre, Jacob Vockler, and Noah Houle are one, two, and three in points this year across the league with 24, 23, and 22 points respectively while Justin Lies is fifth in the league scoring with 20 points. Vockler was a part of the team two years ago when the team played in the Centennial Cup in Estevan. 

Vockler's 12 goals are tied for the most in the league with Ryan Duguay of Melfort. 

"He's exciting, he's explosive and he is an incredible stick-handler," offered Hart. "If he gets room, he scores... it's that simple."

Flin Flon's goaltending has been outstanding to start the campaign as Harmon Laser-Hume is 8-1-1 with a .914 save percentage to go along with a 2.36 goals-against average while Kenneth Marquart is 5-0 with a 1.84 goals-against average and a superb .935 save percentage. Marquart was recently suspended five games as he started a goaltender fight and he isn't eligible to return until the team's second game at the SJHL Showcase on November 14. 

"It will be interesting to see if Kenneth can find his game when he gets back, he has never been a number one guy," said Hart. "He's had a really good year and in my opinion, he has outplayed Laser-Hume who has also been very good."

Sitting with 13 wins in their first 15 games, the Bombers will be in tough in November with a schedule that includes a pair of games against Melfort, two games against Humboldt, two against Yorkton, one against Melville, and a single game each against Weyburn and Estevan. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Nov 2, 2023 - 9:49 am

It was Parkland strong in Winnipeg for the 2023 Seagram's Whisky Curling Club Provincial Championships over the weekend.

On the men's side, Kyle Forsyth and his rink made the final four. Skipping the foursome that included Trent Hill, Cody Hill, and Jarvis Whyte, the team won three of their five round-robin games. They would then steal a point each in the seventh and eighth end in their tiebreaker game to steal a 5-4 victory. The Parkland foursome would give up three in the sixth end in their semi-final and they couldn't battle back as they lost to Team David Bohn, 6-4. Bohn went on to lose the final against Team Anderson.

On the women's side, Team Armstrong came up just short of the final four. With Tamara Kolida, Stacy Sime, Morgan Kropelnicki, and Tiffany Armstrong making up the foursome, they, just like Team Forsyth, won three of their five games in the round-robin. With hammer going into the eighth end and up by a single point, Team Armstrong was in a good spot in their tie-breaker. Ultimately, it wasn't to be as Team Dickson stole two points and that gave them a 7-6 win. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Nov 1, 2023 - 3:56 pm

Brady Oliveira has been nominated for the Canadian Football League's top individual award.

The star running back for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will go head-to-head against Chad Kelly of the Toronto Argonauts for the Most Outstanding Player award at the 2023 CFL Awards evening which takes place on Thursday, November 16. 

In an all-star season for the Winnipeg native, Brady had nearly 400 more yards rushing than the next closest rusher in the league. With his 1,534 yards from scrimmage, Oliveira also racked up 13 touchdowns, nine of which were on the ground, for a Winnipeg team that finished 14-4 and will play in the West Division Final next Saturday, November 11. This was Brady's second 1,000-yard rushing season and his first time eclipsing the 1,500 mark. He is the 15th player in league history to reach 2,000 yards from scrimmage in a single season (2,016). 

Oliveira is also nominated for the top Canadian award while Mike O'Shea has been nominated for the Coach of the Year award. 

In other Blue Bomber news, Jermarcus Hardrick has been named a finalist for the league's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Nov 1, 2023 - 12:29 pm

Ethan Myhre moved to Edmonton last year to join the OHA Edmonton U16 Prep team. A member of the Canadian School Sport Hockey League, Ethan showed signs of brilliance throughout the campaign after being offered a spot on the team.

When the season ended, Myhre returned home for the off-season, and while moving back to Edmonton was an option this year, the 16-year-old from Dauphin decided to stay put.

"It feels great to be back home around all of my friends," said Myhre. "Also I'm very happy to be living with my family again, I'm very happy that I decided to stay home."

After taking great strides in Edmonton, Myhre's new goal was to make the Parkland U18 Rangers. Chase Glover was a lock to make the team this year as one of the region's top goaltenders. So it was Myhre going up against Owen Martyniuk for the second spot.

The duo ultimately battled it out at the team's preseason tournament in Souris. In the club's first game against Yellowhead, Myhre turned away nine shots and he then made 19 saves in his second game while allowing just a pair of goals. With one more chance to impress the coaching staff in preseason play, Myhre made five saves across 10 minutes in the team's final preseason contest and when the dust settled, the duo of Chase Glover and Ethan Myhre was locked up.

Two years ago, Myhre was playing AA hockey in Dauphin and now, he's well into his first season of AAA hockey with the region's AAA club.

"It felt really good to make the team," offered Myhre. "I feel I developed a lot in Edmonton last year and I think that played a really big part in making the team this year."

Parkland is now in sixth in the league standings after a pair of wins over the weekend against the Kenora Thistles. At 4-4-2, Parkland has 10 points which is tied with Eastman, the Wild, and Norman. Sunday's game also marked a milestone for Ethan as he earned his first win with the club.

He made 22 saves, several of which were great ones as Parkland went on to double up the Thistles, 8-4. It was his first win and he's hoping that many more come along the way.

"It felt great to get that that first win and it was a relief, to be honest," said Myhre. "I'm happy that I was able to help the team win a game. I feel that I'm getting better every single game and I want to carry that on moving ahead."

The Rangers will remain on home ice this weekend for a pair of games against the Winnipeg Wild. Currently tied with the Wild in the standings, Parkland did beat them earlier this year in Winnipeg. Following the Wild, the Rangers are off to Morden for a pair of games against Morden before heading to Kenora for two games against the Thistles and that's followed by a contest against Yellowhead. The team's upcoming schedule presents them with a great chance to make a move up the standings.

"We're feeling pretty confident heading into the weekend," ended Myhre. "We know what we are capable of and we're looking forward to showing that on the ice."

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Oct 31, 2023 - 10:16 am