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The Manitoba AAA U18 Hockey League has said it hopes to begin the 2020-2021 season between October 9 and November 1. 

Hockey Manitoba is currently in Phase 2 which begins on Tuesday and it includes on-ice skill development (non-contact), drills, team tactics, online or in-person clinics, as well as tryouts. The league has put together a Return-to-Play Task Force which is made up of league executives and team executive members. The Task Force will determine the league's start date and the number of games played.

Locally, Tyler Carefoot and Rick Freese have been running conditioning camps ahead of training camp which is slated for September 25-27 and the news of a possible start date in early October is certainly welcoming.

"We've been in limbo for a long time and it's great that we were provided with a direction as far as where the league is going," said Carefoot. 

The Rangers were initially set to begin training camp on September 8 inside of Credit Union Place leading up to the annual intrasquad game one week later. But, as noted above, plans have changed, albeit by just a couple of weeks.

"The Rangers have typically held their camp prior to junior camps and then you lose players that are trying out for junior teams," said Carefoot. "We just felt that if we scheduled ours after junior camps, we would have more of our core group intact."

September 25 will include testing before the Club holds a 4-on-4 mini-tournament on September 26 and 27. There will then be practices on Tuesday, September 29 before the intrasquad game takes place on Thursday, October 1.

As of today, roughly 44 have registered to take part in training camp, a rather significant spike from years past. With a solid group of players that played on last year's team alongside players that have moved up to the U18 level from the U15 age group last season, Carefoot is thrilled that so many young Parkland stars are interested in playing on this year's team.

"Rick and I took the initiative to get out and meet some of these families and I think our presentations really showed what this program is made of," ended Carefoot. "We're expecting a really competitive camp full of players who are ready to compete for spots. This truly is a tremendous league and we're looking forward to a tremendous camp."

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for a training camp roster, full schedule, and of course, Carefoot's thoughts heading into September 25. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Aug 31, 2020 - 1:58 pm

Every player had 18 chances on Saturday to win a cool $10,000 if they made a hole-in-one at the Gilbert Plains Country Club as the Dauphin Kings held their Par 3 Extravaganza and the event was once again a sellout.

In the end, only one golfer was able to drain an ace and it was a member of the Club as Gord McKay aced the tough 11th hole which normally plays to a par 4, but was altered for this annual event. 

The hole was playing about 150 yards and usually, Gord would hit a 7-iron; however, with his playing partners not in ideal spots, he decided to hit a hybrid and the rest ended up being history. Garrett Hrechka who recently committed to the Kings was the spotter on the hole.

"He just started jumping up and down and I just thought that he was excited because I hit the green and maybe it was close," said McKay. "He then put his finger up and we realized at that point what had happened so we walked up and saw the ball was in the hole. The other team was pretty stoked as well."

An avid golfer, Gord has made his fair share of great shots this season and over the years; however, none like what happened on Saturday as he secured his first-ever hole-in-one at the course he calls home.

Gord's playing partners were Boh Kubrakovich, Elvis Nepinak, and Barry McKay.

"It feels incredible. Our group made a pact that if any of us won anything, we would split it four ways so they were super excited," continued McKay. "Elvis even told me that was the most that he's ever won in a golf tournament. It was a very special moment with a great group of guys."

With an eagle on the card, the team ended up firing a -3, 51.

"The weather was gorgeous and the course was in great shape," ended McKay. "We played with some great people, we really enjoyed ourselves."

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Aug 31, 2020 - 9:46 am

Brock Nelson led the way offensively and the New York Islanders are just one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Despite a late pushback from the Flyers, the Islanders took a 3-1 series lead with a 3-2 win.

In Saturday's win, Ryan Pulock had one assist.

New York can advance with a win on Tuesday. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Aug 30, 2020 - 9:48 pm

Another all-star from last season is coming back to play with the Dauphin Kings.

The Club has announced that Nakodan Greyeyes will return to this year's team.

Nakodan had 74 points last season and was named to the second all-star team. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Aug 30, 2020 - 2:44 pm

Gord McKay was the biggest winner at the Gilbert Plains Country Club as the Dauphin Kings held their Par 3 Extravaganza.

He aced the 11th hole and with it, he won $10,000.

Winning the tournament was Team Ted Rea as they shot a 10 under, 44, as conditions were perfect.

You can check out all the event's winners here.

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Aug 29, 2020 - 8:31 pm

There is still a ton of uncertainty, but also optimism that the Parkland U18 Rangers could be hitting the ice in-game action in mid-October. 

Hockey Manitoba is currently in Phase 2 which begins on September 1 and it includes on-ice skill development (non-contact), drills, team tactics, online or in-person clinics, as well as tryouts. 

The U18 Rangers are set to run their tryouts from September 25-27 at Credit Union Place. On August 16, the Manitoba AAA U18 Hockey League held their league meeting and it was a positive one as Return-to-Play Guidelines continue to be formulated from a league standpoint and Hockey Manitoba.

A Return-to-Play Task Force was created which is made up of league executives and team executive members. The Task Force will determine the league's start date and the number of games played.

"At this point, we're currently mulling over a couple of options and that includes starting the season between October 9 and November 1," said Levi Taylor, Commissioner of the league. "It would likely be between 24 and 36 games."

In a normal year, the regular season consists of 48 games and a late September start which won't happen. 

Taylor says the last several months have been extremely challenging. The Southwest Cougars were set to hold the Telus Regional championships last year in Virden before the season was cut short because of the novel coronavirus. 

The best-case scenario is games will begin on October 9 and Taylor is just excited to get things going.

"I think everyone around the league is really excited and cautiously optimistic," said Taylor. "We're hoping to have the proper protocols in place to not only start the season but finish it and crown a champion."

Stay tuned next week as Tyler Carefoot will join to share his thoughts. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Aug 28, 2020 - 2:24 pm

Robby Moar grew up just less than 100 kilometres from Neepawa in Portage la Prairie. He would play his U18 days with the Central Plains Capitals where he scored 17 times and added 23 assists in his final season with the Club which was back in the 2010-2011 campaign.

After playing one game with his hometown Terriers followed by a six-game stint with the Swan Valley Stampeders, Robby would end his junior career by playing in 128 games with the Neepawa Natives.

With goals of advancing to the next level junior his days in Neepawa, Moar achieved those goals as he joined the Minot State Beavers of the American Collegiate Hockey Association where he would play four seasons.

Some senior hockey followed with the Portage Islanders and Neepawa Farmers and now, Moar is a full-time assistant coach with the team he played 128 games for. He joined the Natives as an assistant coach two seasons ago and he's done such a good job that he's being rewarded with a contract extension that will last another two seasons.

"I'm extremely happy that I've been giving an extension, it means a lot to me," said Moar who is now 27-years-old. "It's like home to me, I wouldn't want to be in any other place, to be honest. We have a talented young group of guys who know what they want to accomplish."

Moar says he's really enjoyed working alongside Ken Pearson who is the team's head coach and general manager.

"Yeah, it's been really smooth. We feed off each other and he has taught me a ton," added Moar.

Neepawa has been in a rebuilding process for the past couple and that process took a step forward last season. After winning just nine games two seasons ago, Neepawa increased that total to 13 last season and many of the team's losses were one-goal games. 

As noted above, Moar knows this team has a young group that has gained experience over the past couple of years and he's looking forward to seeing what this year's Club has to offer.

"These guys have been working extremely hard this summer, they're putting in the work to give us the best chance to succeed this winter," offered Moar. "It's been great to see these young men grow on and off the ice."

Moar's new extension will run through the 2021-2022 season which adds up to eight years in Neepawa for the Portage la Prairie native.

"I absolutely love being here, everyone is so welcoming and the support around this team is incredible, I'm looking forward to the next two seasons," ended Moar. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Aug 28, 2020 - 9:53 am

Ryan Pulock won't be hitting the ice on Thursday and Barry Trotz won't be behind the bench.

The NHL has postponed Thursday and Friday’s NHL playoff games after Hockey Diversity Alliance co-leader Evander Kane put out a formal request from the group to the NHL to suspend Thursday's games. The NHL had a conference call and have done just that.

The Vegas Golden Knights and Vancouver Canucks game also won't be played Thursday. 

In the NBA, Thursday night's Toronto Raptors game has also been suspended. The league has said they're hoping to resume the playoffs on Friday. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Aug 27, 2020 - 2:16 pm

The Dauphin Soccer Association has made the announcement that they won't be running a season in 2020 due to the novel coronavirus. 

Nathan Fleck is with the DSA and he had this to say on the cancellation.

"We're disappointed as an organization, we've been working the last couple of months to make sure we had a season in 2020," he said. "With that said, the safety of our players and parents is the most important thing. There's just no way we would be able to get a season done."

If you registered and paid online, you will receive a refund onto your credit card directly through PayPal. Once your refund has been issued, an email will go out to the email address you provided during the payment process period. If you have not received the refund email by September 1, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you registered at the in-person registration night, you will receive a refund cheque via mail to the address provided at the time of registration. If you have not received the refund cheque by September 1, email Nathan at the above email address. 

With the cancellation of the 2020 season, Fleck and all involved now prepare for what is to come in 2021 and there is no doubt that the Dauphin Soccer Association can't wait to get back on the field.

"We're really looking forward to it, that's for sure," ended Fleck. "We have some disappointed soccer players right now that we're ready to get on the field and it's unfortunate that it won't happen this summer. I just hope that everyone remains upbeat and excited about what's to come."

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Aug 27, 2020 - 2:05 pm

It was announced earlier this week that the Rural Manitoba Football League has suspended its fall season due to the novel coronavirus. This means the Dauphin Clippers won't be hitting the field as usual early next month.

"We were sort of expecting this, especially with the "orange" level that Prairie Mountain Health is currently under," said Cam Bennet. "I know league officials were working hard for about a month now but it's just not possible right now."

Despite a tough last year, Dauphin was able to rally off three straight league championships from 2015-2017. There was a lot of optimism heading into this season with a solid core group of players that were set to return.

"We were quite excited about this year. I know we lost a good crop of players from last year, but they did a great job in helping out the young guys that were ready to step up this year," added Bennet. "Thomas Scott got a ton of reps last year at quarterback and he was primed for a big season. He's just one of the many young players that were ready to make big things happen."

Although possibly missing a full season affects all grades 9, 10, and 11 athletes, the biggest impact will be on all grade 12 athletes. The RMFL has said they hope to run a spring season so that grade 12 athletes get one more season, but that will completely depend on where we are when it comes to the virus.

Bennet knows grade 12 players are going through a tough time right now, but he wants everyone to stay positive in hopes a spring season can run.

"I would say it's certainly a punch to the gut for those grade 12 athletes, but I think most of them expected this as well," ended Bennet. "We're just really hopeful that a spring season can run, but it's certainly not a good time right now for many."

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Aug 27, 2020 - 10:00 am