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The Dauphin Kings have been flying out of the gates as another weekend of play approaches on the 2023-24 Manitoba Junior Hockey League season.

Dauphin has won six of their seven games with their lone defeat coming in a 2-1 loss against Selkirk. Other than that, Dauphin has been perfect. In most contests, the Kings are heavily outshooting their opponents and while some games have been closer than they should have, the Kings have shown that they can be a resilient club that can dig in deep and get the job done.

The Kings have outshot their opponents 275 to 157 this season and in a recent two-game sweep of Neepawa, the Kings peppered Mason Lobreau with 94 shots while the Titans only directed 39 shots towards Cole Sheffield. Outstanding team speed is what the Kings have been able to use to create many opportunities for themselves and while the Kings are scoring once every 10.22 shots on average, which ranks outside the top four in the league, the team has been efficient enough in the offensive zone as they have scored 27 goals.

"We're happy with the results, but there are areas that we have to clean up in," said Doug Hedley. "For the most part, I really like our team speed and our work ethic, we have been fairly consistent. Every game gets tougher as you go on. So we will make adjustments in certain areas, getting down a few players and get our special teams going."

Dauphin has scored just three times on the man advantage this year as they sit at the bottom of the West on the power play at 11.1%. The team's penalty kill; meanwhile, is at 84% which is good for third in the West. Dauphin's defence has been a key cog in the team's success this year as the club has allowed just 13 goals which are the second fewest in the league, only behind the Winkler Flyers.

Led by Cole Sheffield in net who has gone 6-0 with a .919 save percentage to go along with a 1.81 goals-against average, Dauphin has an extremely talented and deep back end. Anthony Bax has been paired with Naaman Hofer and the two have been excellent on the back end with a combined 13 points which is the most combined of any defensive pairing league wide. Trey Gnetz recently scored the game-winning goal against Neepawa as the first-year King continues to impress in his first year with the club while Aidan Brook returns for his 20-year-old season and the team's captain has racked up three assists. Nolan Wickham, Karson Raymond, and Aiden Murray have all also played a big factor in the team's early success.

"We knew coming in that our back end would get us through the first part of the season while our forwards catch up," offered Hedley. "Hofer has been a very nice surprise. We knew he was good, but he has taken his game to the next level. Everyone on our back end has contributed, they all skate very well and make great first passes up to our forwards. They're all ready to learn and compete and that's half the battle."

Dauphin has recently added a player which they hope will be another beneficial piece to the puzzle as Luke Steffen joined the team after starting the campaign in the North American Hockey League. From Minnesota, Steffen was an excellent producer at the high school level as he scored 32 times in 26 games last year while adding 32 assists for 64 points with Roseville High. Steffen arrived in town last week and he could make his debut with the team on Saturday night when they head to the Arena Complex in Waywayseecappo to play the Wolverines.

"He has some skill, he can skate and he's a right handed shot which is what we were looking for," said Steffen. "We're looking for him to come in and provide some offence at even strength and on the man advantage."

What's next? 

When the Kings hit the ice on Saturday to play the Wolverines, it will be only their third game in 18 days as the Kings have played just twice since October 4, both wins against Neepawa. After only four games during the first half of October, Dauphin will heat things up as they will play five games in the final nine days of the month which includes a pair of games at the league's showcase. On Monday, Dauphin will play Niverville on Monday afternoon at 4 and you can hear that game on 730CKDM with Darnell Duff and then Dauphin goes up against the Winkler Flyers on Tuesday afternoon at 1:00. 

Following those games, the Kings are on home ice next Friday against Waywayseecappo and then they're off to Winnipeg again for a 6:00 p.m. game against the winless Freeze next Sunday.

"We're ready to play. Our first priority is Wayway on Saturday and then the showcase will provide us with two great challenges," ended Hedley. "Playing as much as we will gives guys a chance to step up, it's going to be a great test for our group."

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Oct 19, 2023 - 10:21 am

To some, the Parkland U18 Rangers have been a surprising team to start the campaign in the Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League.

The Rangers opened their season with a very tight 3-2 loss against Yellowhead before earning their first point of the season on October 7 against Eastman. The Rangers were less than three minutes away from earning their first regulation win of the season in that game against the Selects. 

After a tough loss against the Selects the next afternoon, Parkland embarked on their first overnight road trip of the season as they played the Winnipeg Wild and Interlake Lightning. Tavyn Boychuk scored the winner against the Wild as Parkland won their first game of the season. The next afternoon, the Rangers led Interlake by a goal with less than 10 seconds left before Drew Russell found the back of the net to force overtime. Ultimately, it was the Lightning that earned the extra point. Despite the loss, the Rangers still earned three of a possible four points.

Now heading into a busy weekend that will see the team play three home games in three days, the Rangers are in a playoff spot at 1-2-2. While their strong play early has been a surprise to some, it is far from a surprise to the coaching staff and every player in the dressing room. With e sold veteran group and a good overall core, there was plenty of belief in the dressing room. One of the team's top contributors so far has been Cam Sarna.

From Newton, this is Cam's first season with Parkland after he made the move from the Central Plains region.

"It's been awesome, I really love the team, we're all good friends," said Sarna. "We have great coaches that are always helping whether it be on or off the ice, it's been a great experience so far."

Sarna played high school hockey last year and it was a season to remember with Portage Collegiate as the now 15-year-old scored 22 times while adding 33 assists. Cam's success at the high school level has translated directly to succeeding at the AAA level as Sarna is tied for third in team scoring with three goals in five games. One of Sarna's goals is also on the power play and he's coming off a red-hot weekend in which he scored all three of his goals. 

Thanks to his success, the first year Ranger was named the CCM Player of the Week. A rap music fan that also loves the Winnipeg Jets and lacrosse, Sarna says receving the player of the week award gives him confidence moving froward.

"It's pretty sweet to be honest," offered Sarna. "I didn't even think it was a possibility. It's awesome, I'm really happy about it. More than that, I'm thrilled that I was able to help the team earn those three points, they were crucial."

On top of practicing twice with Parkland and playing games with the AAA club, Sarna has also began training with Doug Hedley twice a week as he looks to take his game to the next level. Sarna will be back on the ice Friday when the Rangers open their busy week with a daunting task. The Brandon Wheat Kings, who have won six straight games to open the season, come to town for the first time. While Brandon will be a very tough opponent, Sarna knows Parkland can make a game of it.

"They're a really fast team and they have some excellent players," ended Sarna. "With that said, I believe we can play with speed and we have some excellent players as well. We need to play as we did last weekend and we will see what happens, I believe in this team."

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Oct 18, 2023 - 11:12 am

In a battle of two First Nations communities in the Parkland, Ebb and Flow came out on top.

Competing in the Brad Moosetail Memorial boys volleyball tournament, the Ebb and Flow Thunderbirds beat the Minegoziibe Anishinabe Talons in straight sets in the final, 25-19 and 25-17, to win the title.

In the round-robin portion of the event, Ebb and Flow was perfect as they won all six of their sets.

Minegoziibe; meanwhile, won four of their six sets. Chemawawin and Oscar Lathlin also competed in the four-team tournament.

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Oct 17, 2023 - 10:38 am

The Winkler Flyers are flying on all cylinders and they believe their best is yet to come. The Dauphin Kings are off to a tremendous start to their season and like the Flyers, they believe their best is yet to come.

The Steinbach Pistons are the defending champions in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and they have won seven of their nine games to start the season. Winkler, sporting a perfect 7-0 record are ranked number one this week in the weekly Canadian Junior Hockey League's Top 20 rankings.

Winkler Flyers - Ranked #1 in Canada

The Flyers have been outstanding offensively and defensively this year. Their 35 goals are the most across the 13-team circuit and they have allowed a league-low nine goals against. The Flyers put up a nine spot in a 9-0 win against Waywayseecappo over the weekend as they continue to dominate their opponents. While their 19.4% on the power play ranks them fifth in that category with six goals on 31 opportunities, their 92.5% on the penalty kill is the best. Winkler has used a very balanced approach to find success as 10 players have recorded at least five points, led by Trent Penner who has four goals and six assists. Jayce Legaarden has found the back of the net twice while adding seven assists.

While they are very capable offensively and defensively, Winkler's strongest suit this year has been in net, which mixes in with their strong defensive play. Both Malachi Klassen and Liam Ernst have been nothing short of phenomanal. Malachi, a 20-year-old from Winkler, is 4-0 with a 1.47 goals-against average to go along with a .933 save percentage. Liam Ernst; meanwhile, a 18-year-old rookie from White City, is 3-0 with a sparkling .958 save percentage along with a 1.00 goals-against average. 

Winkler has won all five home games they have played this season and while they will have two more home games at the Centennial this month, they will have to become road warriors to begin November. The team will play five straight games on the road to begin next month, including a very tough three games in three night trip that begins November 10 in Swan River before heading further up north to play the Blizzard on November 11 and the Flyers come to Dauphin for a matchup with the Kings on November 12.

What's next? October 21 vs OCN, October 23 vs Neepawa (league showcase in Winnipeg), October 24 @ Dauphin (league showcase in Winnipeg), October 28 @ Steinbach, and October 29 vs Niverville.

Dauphin Kings - Ranked #14 in Canada

They haven't gained any ground nor lost any ground in the rankings, but the Dauphin Kings have been able to seperate themselves a little bit in the West Division. While they are only one point ahead of Virden for first in the division, the Kings do have two games in hand on the Oil Capitals. They are three points ahead of Neepawa with already three games in hand and four points ahead of Waywayseecappo with a pair of games in hand.

Sitting at 6-1 heading into a very busy next two weeks, Dauphin's offence has produced 27 while their 13 goals against are the second-fewest, behind Winkler. To put into perspective how good Winkler and Dauphin has been defensively, no other team in the league has allowed fewer than 21. Dauphin also has the second-fewest penalty minutes in the league and they're tied with Swan Valley with 82. Only Virden have fewer (76).

Doug Hedley has stressed consistency and being a consistent hockey club is certainly something the Kings are right now. While they needed overtime to beat Neepawa on Saturday, the Kings put up 48 shots compared to just 20 from Neepawa. One of Dauphin's strongest suits this year is their outstanding speed. It allows them to take games over at points and they have the ability to move up the ice very quickly.

Like Winkler, it's a win by team approach for Dauphin with nine players recording at least four points, led by Naaman Hofer and Anthony Bax who both have seven. Cole Sheffield is 6-0 with a 1.81 goals-against average to go along with a .919 save percentage.

What's next? October 21 @ Waywayseecappo, October 23 @ Niverville (league showcase in Winnipeg), October 24 vs Winkler (league showcase in Winnipeg), October 27 vs Waywayseecappo, October 29 @ Freeze.

Steinbach Pistons - Honourable Mention

They're the defending champions and they once again believe they have something to prove and they believe they have the group to do it. Winners in seven of their first nine games, the Pistons are tied with Winkler for first in the East, but the Flyers do have two games in hand.

The Pistons have been one of the more efficient teams in the league with 33 goals; however, they have struggled at times defensively with 25 goals against. Of teams with winning records, Dauphin, the Blizzard, Virden, and Winkler have all allowed fewer while Niverville has allowed the same. 

None the less, this is a very solid Steinbach team that won both of their games over the weekend on their first northern trip of the year. After needing a shootout to down the Blizzard on Friday, the Pistons doubled up Swan Valley, 6-3, at the Centennial Arena. 20-year-old Leo Chambers paces the team with 12 points and he knows how to get the job done in crunch time after he helped the Pistons win the league last year. 

The Pistons are also a team that will greatly improve as the season goes on because their roster at this point is rather inexperienced and young. Five of their top 13 skaters are rookies with Connor Paronuzzi and his six points leading the rookie scoring race so far. Cole Plowman and Beck Liden are the team's goaltenders and while both can make big saves, this could be one of Steinbach's biggest weaknesses. All this said, you can expect Steinbach to be right there when it matters.

What's next? October 20 vs Niverville, October 21 vs Winnipeg Blues, October 23 vs OCN (league showcase in Winnipeg), October 25 @ Neepawa (league showcase in Winnipeg), October 28 vs Winkler.

Complete Top 20 rankings:

RANK TEAM (LEAGUE) (LAST WEEK)
1. Winkler Flyers (MJHL) (3)
2. Smiths Falls Bears (CCHL) (1)
3. Humboldt Broncos (SJHL) (2)
4. Collingwood Blues (OJHL) (5)
5. Brooks Bandits (AJHL) (7)
6. Flin Flon Bombers (SJHL) (8)
7. Melfort Mustangs (SJHL) (4)
8. Miramichi Timberwolves (MHL) (16)
9. Sherwood Park Crusaders (AJHL) (17)
10. Panthères de St-Jérôme (LHJAAAQ) (11)
11. Greater Sudbury Cubs (NOJHL) (6)
12. Trenton Golden Hawks (OJHL) (9)
13. L’Everest de la Côte-Sud (LHJAAAQ) (13)
14. Dauphin Kings (MJHL) (14)
15. Sioux Lookout Bombers (SIHL) (15)
16. Cornwall Colts (CCHL) (NR)
17. Markham Royals (OJHL) (12)
18. Blackfalds Bulldogs (AJHL) (HM)
19. Soo Eagles (NOJHL) (NR)
20. Edmundston Blizzard (MHL) (20)

HONOURABLE MENTION: Condors du Cégep Beauce-Appalaches (LHJAAAQ); Drumheller Dragons (AJHL); Steinbach Pistons (MJHL); Milton Menace (OJHL); Dryden GM Ice Dogs (SIJHL).

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Oct 16, 2023 - 1:22 pm

The Parkland U15 Rangers season is well underway with the team playing six games so far, three of which came at the first showcase of the year.

Sitting at 1-5, the Rangers find themselves near the bottom of the standings, but it's not for a lack of effort. In his first year of coaching the program, Matt Kustra says he continues to be impressed by the team's work ethic every night in game action and at practice.

In their most recent game which took place Saturday afternoon at Credit Union Place, the Rangers came out slow with just four shots in the first period as they saw themselves down 3-0 against the Winnipeg Thrashers White. Parkland turned up the heat in the second as Noah Smigelsky and Brayden Budolowski scored to trim the deficit to 3-2 after 40 minutes. After the Thrashers White took a 5-2 lead early in the third, Parkland bounced back with two goals of their own to once again trail by one.

Ultimately, Winnipeg scored into an empty-net to seal the game, but the Rangers never gave up and gave the Thrashers all they could handle.

"They battled back and didn't give up," said Kustra. "We were right there. The wins will start coming here, it's still early on in the season."

Parkland has a golden chance to get back in the win column this weekend. On Friday, they're in Shoal Lake to play the 1-4-1 Yellowhead Chiefs and they then play the winless Norman Northstars on Sunday afternoon at the Centennial Arena in Swan River. The Stars have scored just six goals this year while giving up 66, including an 18-0 loss against Brandon over the weekend. 

11 players on the roster has recorded at least a point; however, only four have recorded at least three. 

"We have to get a couple other guys going here," offered Kustra. "We can't rely on just a few guys to do all of our goal scoring, we need to get the full team going every night and that will only help us."

Among those players with three or more points is Brayden Budolowski. He leads the team with six goals in five games and his eight points also lead the team. He also has one power play assist and one shorthanded goal. 

"He's a fantastic player to watch, he is always looking to make a play when he has the puck on his stick," said Kustra. "He's always going full speed. He's going to be a real threat this year."

Noah Smigelsky is also off to a great start with three goals and as many assists in his five games. Kyle Pelletier has played 180 minutes this season while Xander Perih has been between the pipes for 120. As Kustra says, they are still determining who their top goalie is.

"They're both battling really hard and they push eachother every practice," ended Kustra. "We believe that regardless of who is in net, they will give us a chance to win. We have two guys that we can call on any night, it's important to have two goalies that can play and can compete."

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Oct 16, 2023 - 9:27 am

The Parkland U18 Rangers embarked on their first overnight weekend trip of the season and are coming back with three points.

Opening their weekend in Winnipeg to play the Wild, Chase Glover was excellent as he turned away 28 shots in a 3-2 overtime victory. Tavyn Boychuk's first goal of the season was the winner. Cam Sarna scored Parkland's first two goals of the game. Ethan McMullen, Maddox Shindle, Hayden Seib, and Cash Clarkson had assists.

Then on Sunday afternoon, it was another tight affair. Parkland led Interlake with less than 10 seconds left; however, Drew Russell scored his third of the season with just seven seconds left to force overtime.

Ultimately, Brandon Burak scored his fifth of the season in overtime as the Lightning capped off the comeback with a 4-3 win. Cash Clarkson, Cam Sarna and Cade Legaarden scored for Parkland. Chase Glover made 27 saves. 

The Rangers are now 1-2-2 and they next play Friday on home ice against Brandon. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Oct 15, 2023 - 3:40 pm

Their play on both sides of the ball ultimately led to a championship for the Dauphin Clippers varsity boys volleyball team.

They lost just one set out of eight in the round robin as they hit the court for a tournament in Neepawa this weekend. Dauphin then easily took care of business in their final four match against William Morton.

Then in the finals, Dauphin swept Alonsa/McCreary, 25-21 and 25-16. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Oct 15, 2023 - 3:29 pm

The Dauphin Clippers hockey team has begun their season by winning a championship.

In Glenboro for their preseason tournament, Dauphin capped off a perfect weekend by winning 2-0 in the finals against a team made up of players from Carman and St Claude. It was Dauphin's third straight win and Owen Chubka's second straight shutout.

Ethan Everett scored the game winner for Dauphin in the contest while Cody Zurba also found the back of the net.

Dauphin opens their Westman High School season on Thursday against Major Pratt. The game will start at 7:30 at Credit Union Place. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Oct 15, 2023 - 3:23 pm

It was a perfect day for the Dauphin Clippers hockey team as they opened their preseason in Glenboro.

In their first game, Owen Chubka recorded a shutout as the Clippers downed Pembina, 3-0. Tyron Sweetman scored twice while Liam Chartrand scored the team's other goal.

Then in their second game, Dauphin beat the Renegades, 5-3. Boston Karlson had the hot stick with a pair of goals while Ronin Mouck also scored. Tyron Sweetman and Liam Chartrand recorded goals for the second straight contest. 

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On the football field, the Clippers put up an extremely strong fight against the Swan Valley Tigers; however, they came up short in a 32-21 defeat.

With the defeat, the Clippers saw their record drop to 2-4. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Oct 13, 2023 - 11:14 pm

Owen Riffel had his first taste of junior hockey when he was in grade 12 during the 2021-22 season.

He spent a month with the OCN Blizzard organization and suited up in one game which he says was a dream come true. Ultimately, Owen returned to play with the Yellowhead Chiefs and he put together an excellent season in his final year of U18 hockey.

From Onanole, Riffel scored 14 times and had 24 assists in the regular season and he posted one more goal in four playoff games. After the team's playoff exit that year, Owen began training hard and looking for opportunities to play at the next level.

He did not return to OCN; instead, he made the near eight hour move to Sioux Lookout as he joined the Bombers Junior A Hockey League. Last season was Sioux Lookout's first in the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) so the move gave Owen a chance to play on the league's newest junior team.

As the team won 29 of their 54 games in their first season, Owen quietly went about it his business, scoring 18 times while adding 18 assists for a 36 point total in 34 games. Averaging more than a point per game was an great start for Riffel.

"I'm really happy to be here and to be a part of the Sioux Lookout organization," said Riffel. "We have a great group, great coaches and the support from the community is great as well."

Back in Sioux Lookout this year, Owen is well on his way to a career year. In just six games, Riffel already has 17 points, 10 of which are goals. Owen already has a hat-trick this season when he found the back of the net three times against Thunder Bay and he's scored two goals in three different contests.

With the exception of one game against Thunder Bay, Riffel has either recorded three or four points in the other five games that he has played. He also has two game-winning goals and is averaging 2.83 points-per-game as the 18-year-old from Onanole enjoys a breakout season and leads the league in points heading into another weekend of play.

Owen credits this season's early success to what he did during the summer.

"I was very dedicated in the summer, I was skating as much as I could and working out," offered Riffel.

While he is more focused on the team winning games, Owen does admit his hot start is a great feeling.

"Who knows how long it will last, but I'm feeling pretty good about my game right now," said Riffel. "I just need to keep it going, I want to help the team win as many games as possible."

And winning is exactly what Sioux Lookout is doing. As they get set to welcome Fort Frances this weekend for a pair of games at the Sioux Lookout Memorial Arena, the Bombers have won five of their six games with their only loss coming in overtime. A six-game point streak to open the season has the Bombers just a single point behind Dryden for first place in the league while Fort Frances has yet to win a game. They have struggled heavily scoring just six times while giving up 27.

"We're feeling really good, we have a great group that gives it their all every practice," ended Riffel. "Everyone is focused on the task at hand and right now that's taking down Fort Frances, we know they're hungry for their first win, so they will come out hard."

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Oct 13, 2023 - 9:39 am