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Rylee Zalischuk has spent countless hours on the road over the years and she's okay with that because it's given her the chance to play the sport she loves. The soon to be 18-year-old has spent her winters in a hockey rink for as long as she can remember and nowadays, she has an opportunity to look back at what was a very successful and enjoyable competitive hockey career.
After playing in Dauphin during her young playing days (atom), Zalischuk would play in Neepawa and the surrounding areas. She also suited up for the midget Grand Plains Ice Dogs last season and the team won a bronze medal at the provincials.
"That was pretty fantastic finishing third at the provincials," said Zalischuk. "It was really good being close to home, lots of my family and friends could come to watch me play."
After that bronze medal, Zalischuk would join the Neepawa Natives U18 team for this past season, a team that actually won silver the year prior and finished one place higher than Zalischuk and the Ice Dogs. This past season was officially Zalischuk's final of her competitive playing career and she had the opportunity to play in one final provincial championship before turning the page.
The team opened their tournament with a tie against Birtle. In the end, they lost a close battle against Souris in the bronze medal game.
"I'm really glad we had the chance to play in the provincials, it happened before everything happened with the novel coronavirus," added Zalischuk. "It was such a wonderful year with such a great group of girls."
Rylee hasn't only been playing over the years. For the past two years, she's assisted Phil Fafard at tryouts for the Parkland U15 women's Rangers, a team that continues to improve every day. Zalischuk says getting that opportunity was such an honour.
"I really loved seeing those girls and how hard they worked to improve their games," said Zalischuk. "I hope I can come back and coach that team in the near future, I loved every second of it."
So there's no doubt that Rylee has done great things on the ice and off the ice as well and now she's been rewarded for all of her contributions. Zalischuk is the lone recipient in the province to be awarded the Buck Matiowski Memorial Scholarship. Matiowski was a trailblazer for several hockey firsts in Manitoba such as organizing the first-ever provincial women’s hockey tournament in 1955 and founding Western Manitoba’s first summer hockey school in Brandon in 1967.
The scholarship is accompanied by $750. Rylee was also a wizard in the classroom as she maintained an average of 96% during her time at the DRCSS.
"It's really nice to be recognized, I worked really hard with my schooling and balancing that with my extracurricular activities," she added. "It's great and it's certainly going to help me a lot moving forward with my schooling."
Rylee will now head to the Wheat City where she'll attend Brandon University as she looks to obtain her degree in Optometry (eye doctor). After three years in Brandon, she will move to Waterloo for four years. She decided she wants to get a degree in Optometry to help people.
"I think it's pretty important to try and make a difference and that's what I want to do," ended Zalischuk. "I'm looking forward to the next stage in my life and we'll see how things go."
In all, the Dauphinite was awarded 13 scholarships.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
89 men and women teed it up at the Swan River Golf & Country Club as they held their Senior Open.
Faron Genaille put together a 71 to win the men's side.
Lorna Munro, meanwhile, shot a 91 to win the women's title.
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Originally known as the Mallard Stars fastball team, they are now called the Lacquette Construction Stars. Although there's that change, most things haven't changed including the team's ability to win games and continue to develop players.
Over the weekend in Dauphin, both the men's and women's teams played in events at the Vermillion Sportsplex and both teams finished near the top of the standings and had some thrilling games along the way.
Speaking of thrillers, on Saturday night the men's team played the Skownan Giants who are known as a powerhouse and this is a game that fans likely won't forget for a long time. The game needed multiple extra innings with the Stars ultimately coming out on top with some timely hitting and pitching. Playing in a double-elimination format, the men's team ended up finishing in third place in a stacked field. The event was won by Team Bigman.
"Those types of games are nailbiters and we've played in a pile of them in the past," said Terance Lacquette. "Our older players on the team try to keep everyone calm and when that happens, good things happen. We've played in tournaments where you're playing for $15,000, so our guys are used to this."
The men's side was a two-day tournament beginning on Saturday and wrapping up on Sunday but that wasn't the case for the women's bracket. It was only played on Saturday and it included the Dauphin Wolves who were eliminated in two games.
The Lacquette Construction Stars women's team played the very first game of the day and they ended up advancing to the final game of the day where they came up short in the finals to finish in second place.
"The girls just ran out of gas, it was an extremely long day," said Lacquette. "We only had nine players, it's tough. It was extremely hot out and it was a long day. Everyone was pretty happy with the performance and it was a good weekend for the team."
The women's team was missing five regular players while the men's team missed the services of four regulars.
Both teams' also played in a tournament in Brandon last week where the men's team finished in fourth place while the women's team once again advanced to the championship final where they came up just short. In a matter of two weeks', the men's team has two top-4 finishes while the women's team has two silver medals.
"The progression is really good this season, there is no doubt about that. Specifically, on the guy's team, our young guys are continuing to get better and learning how to play at a high level," offered Lacquette. "There is a lot of skill and talent on this team, the experience just isn't quite there, but we're putting these guys in situations where they have to go above and beyond and I think that's really important for their development."
Both teams are now looking into playing in a tournament in Peguis in a couple of weeks' time followed by another tournament in Cross Lake later this summer. In a normal year, both teams would also play in the Canadian Native Fastball Championships; however, that event has been postponed this year because of the novel coronavirus.
As both teams look to add to their impressive resumes already this summer, Lacquette says this program has been on the up for years and he expects that to continue moving forward.
"We have a history of finishing high in the standings in all of the tournaments. Very rarely are we two and out," ended Lacquette. "The days of us struggling as a team are kind of in the past now. With the experience we have, it just makes for a solid program moving forward."
Formerly known as the Mallard Stars, the team has been around since 1988 making the Stars the longest-running fastball team in the area.
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The Minnedosa Golf & Country Club was one of the courses that faced some severe flooding earlier this summer thanks to an unwelcomed amount of rain from Mother Nature.
The rain completely shut down the course for more than a week while crews worked tirelessly to get it back into shape. The back 9 opened back up on Tuesday, July 7; meanwhile, the front 9 remains closed for the foreseeable future. In conversation with a worker at the Club, it was said that they are still weeks away from opening the front 9.
A tough pill to swallow absolutely, but Minnedosa has had to make do with what they have available and that's currently the final nine holes. An event that is held every summer at the Club is the Minnedosa Masters, a tournament that not only offers up the illustrious "Green Jacket" to the winner, but also a free trip to Las Vegas, and of course, the right to call yourself a Masters Champion.
This year's event still did take place; however, it was different than in year's past. Because of the closure on the front 9, players instead played the back half of the course twice, but it was far from the same. The first nine holes were played to a much shorter yardage while the grounds crew pushed an alternate set of tees to the tips on the final nine holes as players were challenged with a much longer test on their final nine.
Kolby Day of Brandon won the event last year and now, the Westman continues to make things happen in Minnedosa. In his first-ever start at this event, Dustin Dyck fired a solid 2 under, 70 to claim the top prize.
You may notice the name because Dustin won the Tamarack Championship last summer and he's ready to defend his title later this summer. We'll get to that in just a bit, but first, we'll talk about making his debut count.
"It's kind of the same thing for me every year, my spring and summer is all about preparing for the Tamarack," said Dyck. "I was hitting the ball pretty well heading into Minnedosa; I would say I had my B game going in. I wasn't actually planning on playing, but a couple of friends asked me so I thought I would give it a go."
Being a first-time competitor in the event, Dyck didn't really understand how special of an event this is until he arrived at the golf course. He saw the trophy that is handed out to the winner and his immediate thought was "I thought to myself wouldn't that be super cool to win that, it truly is a beautiful trophy,"
Dyck shot 1 under on both sides and he started his round with two straight birdies and he made three on his opening nine. He made three more birdies on the second nine to claim the title.
"It's quite special. I think the biggest takeaway is that my game is even better than I thought it was with the Tamarack coming up," he continued. "It's nice to know that I came to play in that competitive environment. I continue to improve and that's the most important thing. I'm really happy to have won this event; it's a great facility with great people."
As mentioned above, Dyck has earned his way to Las Vegas and he plans on heading south of the border with his fiancé when the borders open back up. Minnedosa's Zane MacDonald also won a free trip to Las Vegas in a random draw.
Clear Lake Golf Course:
It's a course that Dustin frequents and he will call it his home next month for the biggest event of his summer. The Tamarack tournament men's division begins on August 15 and it runs through the 22.
After qualifying for the championship bracket last year as the seventh-seed, Dustin won three straight games to win the title. He beat fellow Brandonite Chad Cumming in the finals, 1up.
Winning the tournament the previous year doesn't guarantee that you'll be in the championship bracket the next year but clearly with where Dustin's game is right now, his goal is to make the championship bracket once again and from there, we'll see what happens.
"The talent level in this event is incredible. There's so much prestige and everyone is gunning for a title," he ended. "The best of the best around have won it and it means a lot to me that I have my name on the trophy as well."
Dustin says he likes where his game is right now and he likes how he's played Clear Lake so far this season. He notes that there may be some nerves on the first tee, but he thinks they will be in a good way and he's ready to battle come August 15.
Ironically enough, Kolby Day who won the event last year also played in the event for the first time, he's from Brandon, and he shot a 70.
John Tomlinson of Dauphin finished second in the second flight with a 79.
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The Neepawa Cubs of the Santa Clara Baseball League are rolling this season. Boasted by some superb offensive performances and dominant outings on the mound, Neepawa tops the standings over the Portage Padres by 0.5 games.
Neepawa has yet to taste defeat this season as they're 6-0. They've scored 65 runs so far while they've only given up 12, a league-best in both categories. The next closest team to allow the fewest runs are Plumas and Portage, both who have allowed 28.
The Cubs have scored at least 10 runs in four games this season including a season-high 14 runs on two occasions back on July 8 and July 21.
"It makes things extra enjoyable when you're winning ball games, everyone is pretty pleased on the team right now," said Garett Rempel. "It's always great to win games and I think everyone is super motivated to continue winning right now, that's our goal."
Rempel says the team has a solid group of veterans alongside younger players who are getting better every game. Next up for Neepawa is their toughest game of the season to date. They welcome the Portage Padres to Neepawa tomorrow. As mentioned above, Portage is 0.5 games behind Neepawa with five wins and one tie.
Portage has won two of the last three league championships while Neepawa won in the 2017 season. When Neepawa won the title in 2017, Remple was the league's most valuable player.
"They are always an extremely strong team. They have lots of offence and top-end pitchers as well," ended Rempel. "I think as long as our full squad shows up and we continue to play as we have been, we should have a chance. It should be a very solid game."
After tomorrow's game against Portage, the team will play Carberry before they end the season against Plumas.
Fun Fact:
From 2006-2015, the Minnedosa Mavericks won 10 straight league championships. Prior to that, Neepawa took home the league's crown three straight years. The last no-hitter in the league was thrown by Zac Yandeau of the Plumas Pirates back in 2014.
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74 teams teed it up yesterday at the 1st annual Battle for the Belts golf tournament at the Gilbert Plains Country Club. In the end, Jarret "Snoop" Newton and Chad Jones finished with a 9 under, 62 to take home two custom made wrestling belts made possible by Dave Campbell who was the title sponsor for the event.
Besides the championship flight, there were five other flights alongside four closest to the hole prizes. Todd Gardipie was just 1 foot and 3 inches away from winning $10,000 on the fourth hole.
"The event was a huge success, we had such a great day out there," said Danny Scott. "I think everyone had a wonderful day and we raised some money for the Club, so that was great as well."
The event welcomed men's teams, junior teams, women's teams, and senior teams as well. Scott says roughly $2500 was raised, all of which will be handed over the Club for improvements moving forward.
With this year's event officially in the past, preparations for next summer's event are already underway. No date has been set as of today, but we will let you know when we know.
"Chris and I already have some ideas we're talking about," ended Scott. "We're definitely looking to make it a bigger success next year, bigger and better if you will."
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Team Bigman from Skownan First Nation are champions.
Playing in the Giants fast pitch tournament over the weekend at Vermillion Sportsplex, the team went undefeated to claim the title.
In the final, they beat the Knights, 5-0.
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Jarret "Snoop" Newton and Chad Jones are looking fresh in their new custom made belts.
The duo took home the belts by winning the Battle for the Belts at the Gilbert Plains Country Club. In tough windy conditions, they shot a 62.
Chad Facey and Shawn McQuarrie finished in second with a 65 while Kevin Millar and Jay Thiessen were one behind with a 66.
First Flight:
1st - Anthony Wiens/Robert Bouchard - 69 CB
2nd - Stan Mancheese/Gordon McKay - 71 CB
3rd - Jason Shaw/Dan Keeping - 71 CB
Second Flight:
1st - Dean Murray/Bob Murray - 73 CB
2nd - Grant Edgar/Danny Edgar - 73 CB
3rd - Gloria Carmichael/Corbin Pasternak
Third Flight:
1st - Ron Chartrand/Herman Spence - 75 CB
2nd - Dave Sigvaldason/Owen Sigvaldason - 75 CB
3rd - Clayton Carefoot/Tyler Esau - 75 CB
Fourth Flight:
1st - Brett Ewanyshyn/Travis Mouck - 77 CB
2nd - Troy Caruk/Shawn Caruk - 78 CB
3rd - Bob Gilroy/Kevin Hockridge - 78 CB
Fifth Flight:
1st - Kevin Lynch/Vern Ellis - 83
2nd - Richard Genaille/Cameron Campbell - 84 CB
3rd - Paul Lewicki/Bev Lewicki - 84 CB
Closest to the Hole - #4 - Todd Gardipie - 1 foot, 3 inches
Closest to the Hole - #9 - Jarret "Snoop" Newton - 2 feet
Closest to the Hole - #14 - Owen Sigvaldason - 5 feet, 10 inches
Closest to the Hole - #17 - Eric Prokopowich - 34 inches
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Donna Blackbird played a very solid round today as she won the Gilbert Plains Ladies Open at the Country Club.
She fired a 76 while Crystal Zamzow finished in second with a 79.
Stephanie Romaniuk shot an 83 to finish in third while Marnie Zamzow finished in fourth with an 86.
1st Flight:
Martha Messingburg - 100
Trish Robson - 101
Annita Chartier 102
Chris Carefoot - 103 CB
Second Flight:
Jan Nankonechny - 109 CB
Mary-Ellen Yeseniuk - 109 CB
Tamara Kolida - 111 CB
Cathy Cyr - 111 CB
Third Flight:
Teresa Gulak - 118
Gladis Rae - 120
Norma Johnston - 121
Barb Hreichuk - 122 CB
Closest to the Line - #5 - Jan Nankonechny
Closest to the Hole - #9 - Donna Blackbird - 4 foot, 11 inches
Closest to the Hole - #17 - Margaret Heroux - 3 feet, 6 inches
Long Drive - #12 - Donna Blackbird
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The buzz continues to build ahead of the Dauphin Kings 2020-2021 season and to assure you get the seats you want for the upcoming season, the Kings have you covered.
From Tuesday, August 4 to Friday, August 7, the Club will hold a 'Season Ticket Blitz' at the Speedy Glass South Ticket Office inside of Credit Union Place.
The cost to get your season tickets on those days will be just $229 for taxes and fees for adults. That works out to just $6.94 a game which would save you $5 per game on walk-up prices.
Students (Ages 13 to 18) will pay $119 + taxes & fees while the Kings Kids Club (Ages 5 to 12) returns for $50 + taxes & fees.
"Usually we have this at the Business Expo but of course that didn't happen," said Christian Laughland, Director of Business Operations. "We want to give season ticket holders an opportunity to reserve their seats for the upcoming season."
There will also be flex tickets up for grabs. A 30 Game Flex Pack will be worth $249 + taxes & fees and the 10 Game Flex Pack returns at $99 + taxes & fees. As a treat for fans, you'll be getting one extra home game as the MJHL Showcase has been cancelled for the upcoming season.
"Flex packs are great for people that can't make it to every game during the season," ended Laughland. "You can choose when you want to use the tickets. You can use a bunch at once and bring some friends, or save them throughout the season, it's your choice. Flex tickets don't expire until the end of the regular season."
That means there will be 30 home games during the regular season and three exhibition games. After August 7, the adult price will go up to $239 + taxes & fees.
SPEEDY GLASS SOUTH TICKET OFFICE HOURS
Tuesday, August 4 - 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, August 5 - 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Thursday, August 6 - 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m
Friday, August 7 - 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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As a new hockey season continues to near day-by-day, we'll take a look back at last season and how two players did while playing in the Grand Plains Minor Association.
Ronin Mouck completed his seventh season with the Hawks. This past season was with the peewee house league team and the 12-year-old continues to get better as the years go by. Known as a fast skater with a great shot, Mouck was one of the team's offensive leaders and his work ethic is something that has always pushed him ahead.
"It was a really fun season. It's always great bonding with teammates in hotels and playing in tournaments," said Mouck. "We also had a couple of players from Dauphin that came to play, so it was nice to make some new friends."
After seven years with the Hawks, Ronin is looking to take the next step in his young hockey career coming up. He's set to try out for the Parkland U15 Rangers, a team that is coached by Tom White. Ronin knows making the team won't be an easy task, but he's been working out very hard this summer and he's ready for the challenge ahead.
"I just have to keep improving on my game and I think I should have a good chance," he added. "It would mean so much if I had the chance to represent the region at the AAA level. I love playing hockey; we'll see how things go."
Brooke Shewchuk played with the peewee Ice Dogs this past season and it was her third season with the program. Anyone who has watched Brooke over the past three years knows how much she has improved and that's the most important thing to her.
"It was a wonderful season. It's always so special to get the chance to be with my friends and travel to tournaments in other places," said Shewchuk
This past season was Brooke's final as a peewee player. The soon to be 13-year-old will now join the bantam Ice Dogs this season. The Ice Dogs have had a ton of success at every level in the past years and the Dauphinite is looking forward to contributing to her new team this season.
"I'm pretty excited about the upcoming season. A lot of my older friends will be on the team so I can't wait to play with them," said Shewchuk "I would love to score some goals and just help the team in any way I possibly can."
Outstanding contributions:
Every year, the Grand Plains Minor Association awards a peewee player(s) with the Brock Pulock Memorial Award. It's given to the player(s) who never give up, always provide encouragement to their teammates on and off the ice, and of course, have the ability to help their team win games.
Reese Boguski took home the award last year. This year, there are two recipients, one on the female side and one on the men's side. Brooke and Ronin are the co-recipients of the 2020 Brock Pulock Memorial Award.
For Ronin, winning this award truly is a dream come true.
"It means so much to me because of the Pulock family, they mean so much to me," said Mouck. "The entire Pulock family are definitely role models to me, it truly is an honour."
For Shewchuk, winning the award came as a shock because there are so many great candidates.
"I'm really proud of myself because I didn't think I could actually win it," ended Shewchuk. "It was my last year in peewee so to be able to go out with this award, it's an incredible feeling."
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