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Many would consider the 2010 Dauphin Kings as the best team in the organization's history. It was a team that included plenty of local talent including Shane Luke and Dallas Drysdale, just to name a couple, and it also included Steven Shamanski.
From Carberry, Steven joined the program in the 2007-08 season after three seasons with the Southwest U18 Cougars. Coming in as an 18-year-old, it was the first time that Shamanski moved out so it was a new experience for him, but Dauphin welcomed the young man with open arms.
"The rink was only a few years old and it's state of the art, it was awesome playing in it," said Shamanski. "The fan support was tremendous and we always had a pretty good team. It's a big hockey community and they loved us being around so it was a great atmosphere to be around."
In his rookie MJHL season, Shamanski scored eight times and added 32 assists as Dauphin went 32-28-2 to finish third place in the then Sherwood Division. A 42 win campaign the following year finished Dauphin in second place in the Sherwood Division and Shamanski put up 54 points. Dauphin would fall against Portage in their semifinal series.
And now we look at the 2009-10 season, one of pure dominance for the home team. Dauphin dominated from start to finish as they won 50 games, 14 more than any other team in the league. The team's 101 points won them the Sherwood Division by a whopping 21 points and their 296 goals were 43 more than anyone else. Steven had 71 points in that season -- 19 of which were goals -- as he was 12th in league scoring.
Shane Luke scored 101 points that season while Ryan Dreger tallied 99 as the Parkland duo combined for 200 points.
"We had such a great mix of players. We had a ton of guys that had WHL experience and of course, those local players that dominated," said Shamanski. "We all came together, we were extremely talented, and we had one common goal."
Dauphin would steamroll in the first round of the playoffs against Neepawa with four straight wins and they followed that up with a five-game series win against Swan Valley in their semifinal. Playing the 36 win Winnipeg Saints in the league final, Dauphin had no problems at all as they swept the Saints to win the Turnbull Trophy.
Winning the MJHL title advanced Dauphin to the Anavet Cup as they went up against the La Ronge Ice Wolves. The Ice Wolves were a surprise to win the SJHL as they finished fourth in the Itech Division and seventh in the overall league standings. After winning the Credit Union Cup, La Ronge started the Anavet Cup off perfectly with a 5-3 win in game one at the Mel Hegland Uniplex.
Following a bounce-back win in game two by the Kings, the series switched venues as Dauphin played host to games three, four, and five. As Dauphin made the trip back home, they faced some adversity heading into game three as the entire team got food poisoning after game two.
"It definitely wasn't the best part about the series, but it probably provides the best story," said Shamanski with a chuckle.
Dauphin would score 15 goals in the next three games in front of their home crowd as they hoisted the Anavet Cup inside of Credit Union Place and Mitch Czibere was named the most valuable player of the series. Shamanski; meanwhile, recorded five points in the series.
Royal Bank Cup:
Dauphin was the host team as they welcomed the Brockville Braves, La Ronge Ice Wolves, Oakville Blades, and Vernon Vipers to Credit Union Place for the national championship. Out of all the teams competing, Brockville had the most regular-season wins with 52 while Vernon had 51.
"We definitely had confidence and we knew we were a solid group," offered Shamanski on playing in the nationals. "With that said, we knew how strong our competitors were, we knew it was going to be an extremely tough battle."
After a 4-0 round-robin, Dauphin beat La Ronge, 6-2 in the semifinal. In the other semifinal, Vernon shutout Brockville, 2-0.
Dauphin beat Vernon on the opening day of the tournament in overtime, 6-5. In the finals, however, things didn't go Dauphin's way from start to finish. They were outplayed by the visiting team as they dropped an 8-1 decision in the finals and as a result, Dauphin finished as the second-best team in Canada in 2010.
Providence bound:
Straight out of his days as a junior player with the Kings, Steven's impressive resume landed him a spot on the Providence Friars Division 1 team. In the 2010-11 season -- his first with Providence -- Shamanski was named to the NCAA Hockey East All-Academic team. In all, the former King played four seasons with Providence and he recorded 36 points, 11 of which were goals.
Following his 141 games with the Friars, Steven turned professional as he joined the Elmira Jackals of the ECHL for the 2014-15 season, one in which he played in the league's all-star game and he was named to the all-rookie team.
He also played six games in the American Hockey League that season combined between the Rochester Americans, Springfield Falcons, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Ultimately, Steven's days as a competitive player came to a close after the 2014-2015 season, but not without a ton of memories including the celebration following a league championship and Anavet Cup title with Dauphin.
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The Wallin family from Brandon has been a billet family for the Brandon Wheat Kings for eight years. The past three seasons they welcomed Braden Schneider into their home and they've had the chance to watch their billet son become one of the top defensive players in the league.
They also welcomed Jordan Papirny into their home, a goaltender that helped the Wheat Kings win the WHL back in 2016. Before all of this -- four years in fact prior -- the Wallin's welcomed twin sons into the world as Zander and Sawyer were born 12 years ago.
When Zander was about 18-months-old, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Fast forward about two years and that's when Zander, without aid, took his first steps when he was three and a half. Although it was about nine years ago, Chad Wallin, Zander's father remembers it as if it were just yesterday.
"That night is very vivid, he just took off," said Chad Wallin. "He was kind of stuck in the same position for a long time and you kind of wondered if it was ever going to happen. When it did, he just put one foot in front of the other and he didn't stop for the whole night, he was walking and running from place to place."
Described as a "hockey fanatic" by his dad, Zander has been very interested in hockey for many years and he's always wanted to get on the ice and skate, a goal that was ultimately never reached until late last year.
The 12-year-old was able to achieve his goal of skating when a one-of-a-kind pair of homemade skates were made for him. Built by his dad and with help from the equipment manager for the Brandon Wheat Kings, the skates feature a double blade on the bottom. The skates were wrapped, put under the tree, and the rest is history. He opened them on Christmas Day with a big smile on his face.
"The look on his face when he opened up the box was sheer delight and surprise," said Chad Wallin. "It was such a genuine reaction, you couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. It was such an incredible moment."
Zander and the rest of the family then went to their backyard where they have built an outdoor rink to give it a try. It didn't go as planned as Zander wasn't quite able to get proper balance and at that point, Chad wasn't sure if it would happen. Just a couple of days later on December 28, Zander wanted to try again and this time, the young man wasn't to be stopped.
He successfully skated for the first time, a goal for him that was years in the making. Chad says it was an emotional moment for the entire family.
"It just took us back to those first moments for everything," said Chad Wallin. "He's wanted to skate for so long and to see him do it, what a sight it was."
The entire family has always loved the World Junior Hockey Championships, but this year was extra special. That's because Braden Schneider was on the team and he was a critical part of the team's back end. Another reason Zander wanted to get on the ice is so he could skate with Braden when he returns to Brandon. There is still no update on when any Wheat King will head to Brandon as the Western Hockey League season is delayed.
Team Canada finished with a silver medal after they were defeated by the United States in Tuesday's gold medal game.
(Zander on the right and Sawyer on the left)
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After a solid stretch with the Parkland Rangers program, Ryan Marshall made the jump up to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League as he joined the Swan Valley Stampeders.
Following three games played in the 2007-08 season, the Ste. Rose forward became an everyday player with the team the following season and offensively, he produced at a high level. In his first full season with them, Ryan chalked up 33 points in 60 games before he more than doubled that the next season with his 76 points and he added another eight points in 10 playoff games.
The Swan River Centennial Arena played host to the 2011 MJHL all-star game which saw the best of the Addison Division go up against the best of the Sher-Wood Division. The Addison Division won the game, 16-11, with two of the Sher-Wood Division's goals coming off the stick of Marshall while he also added three assists.
Looking back at his all-star performance, Ryan says it was great getting the chance to play in the game.
"Being selected as an all-star is always a great pat on the back. With that being said, I couldn't have done it by myself," said Marshall. "I had a great group of teammates in Swan Valley that pushed me and helped me succeed."
Marshall put up 49 points that season and the campaign ended up being his final with the Stampeders. In 168 MJHL regular-season games, the firefighter from Ste. Rose scored 69 times and added 90 assists. He had another 10 points -- three of which were goals -- in 15 playoff games with the team.
"I really enjoyed my time in the valley, it was great," continued Marshall.
Ryan's junior career would continue the following season in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League as he joined the Humboldt Broncos for the 2011-12 season. Knowing they were set to hold the Royal Bank Cup that year, the Broncos loaded up their roster with a bunch of elite players and they went on to win 42 games in the regular season, the most in the league. The team's 240 goals were also the most in the league and Ryan scored 13 of them.
Heading into the playoffs as the league's top team, the Broncos cruised to a league title as they lost just four games in their three series. Marshall stepped up big time in the playoffs as he scored six times and had 17 points in 16 games as the Broncos won the Canalta Cup in Weyburn back on April 13, 2012.
As we fast forward, Humboldt was set to go head to head with the Portage Terriers as the two teams clashed in the Anavet Cup. The series went down to the wire and ultimately, Humboldt came out on top as they won the championship in seven games.
The series also included a three-overtime thriller in game six, won by Portage. Marshall's solid performance in the SJHL playoffs that year carried into the Anavet Cup and he posted nine points -- six of which were goals in the seven games -- as he was named the Anavet Cup's most valuable player.
"That was an extremely special series. We knew Portage was really good heading in so we had to play our best hockey," offered Marshall. "I was just glad that I was able to help out and to be named the most valuable player meant a lot to me."
The only thing standing in the way of Ryan and the remainder of the Broncos from becoming national champions were four of the best teams in Canada, including the Terriers who were guaranteed a spot in the nationals after Humboldt won the SJHL.
Humboldt cruised in the round-robin as they went a perfect 4-0 which put them in the semifinals against the Woodstock Slammers. Despite outshooting the Slammers by more than 20 in the game, Woodstock shocked the host team, 4-3, in overtime.
The season included a league championship, Anavet Cup, and although they weren't able to win the national championship on their home ice, Marshall says getting the chance to play in the event was a huge thing.
"It was a great experience, there's no doubt about that," ended Marshall. "To be playing in the final tournament of the season for the biggest prize, that's always something you remember. It was a pretty big heartbreaker that we weren't able to get it done, but it was still a tremendous year."
Marshall says the biggest thing he has taken away from playing junior hockey is the friendships he made and lessons that he learned.
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The Winnipeg High School Hockey League has announced that the 2020-21 season has officially been cancelled. In a release, the league said it looks forward to seeing players and coaches back for the 2021-22 season.
While hockey is on pause across the province because of 'Code Red' restrictions, Winnipeg's announcement doesn't appear to have an impact on the Westman High School Hockey League.
Jason Alf, co-president of the league provides an update.
"We don't play them, there were no provincials this year, and there weren't any tournaments scheduled," said Alf. "This is a decision that they have made that has no barring on our league."
'Code Red' at this point is set to come to an end after 11:59:59 p.m. on Thursday. The province has yet to announce if restrictions will extend or if there will be any changes.
The final day of the season is scheduled for February 28 while the Clippers' final game is one day prior at Credit Union Place. Alf had this to say on when it may be too late to play a season.
"It's going to depend on when we get the okay to play and how long communities will be able to keep their ice," ended Alf. "We may also alter the number of games. With that said, we're not in a panic mode to create a bunch of scenarios until we have a better idea of what's going on."
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January 5, 2020, was a day that Lawson Yates will never forget. As Dauphin played host to the junior men's and women's curling provincial championships, Yates was back with Team Walter.
The foursome advanced to the 1vs2 page playoff game the year prior before they were eliminated after two straight losses. This time around, Team Walter had another great round-robin which earned them a berth in the 1vs2 playoff game.
A 7-2 loss against Team Gauthier in that game meant the foursome which included the Dauphinite had to go the long way. A steal of two in the eighth end in their semifinal against Team Wiebe earned Team Walter a berth in the final and a rematch with Team Gauthier.
By advancing to the final, Lawson and the rest of the team had already earned a berth in the national championships as had Team Gauthier.
"We were happy that we made the final, but we were all gunning for that buffalo," said Yates. "It was always my dream to win a provincial championship."
The final against Team Gauthier was a thriller that saw Team Walter take a 4-0 lead after four ends. Ultimately, Team Walter held an 8-7 lead going into the 10th end and they had the hammer. Team Walter ran Gauthier out of rocks as Lawson captured his first junior provincial championship in front of family and friends at Credit Union Place.
(Team Walter seals it)
"It was an experience like no other being at home and playing in this event," said Yates. "Winning the title in my hometown meant more to me. It was such a surreal feeling."
Team Walter advanced to the championship pool at the nationals in Langley. Team Gauthier -- the team that Walter beat in the provincial final -- went on to beat Newfoundland, 8-6, to win the nationals.
"It was an experience that I'll never forget. The community was amazing and we had a blast," ended Yates.
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Parker Boguski is a former Parkland Ranger and he's now playing with the Dauphin Clippers. Matthew Boguski is a former Clipper, he remains an official while Reese plays on the Parkland Women's Rangers and she has also played on the Grand Plains Ice Dogs.
Although the three aren't able to compete with their teammates right now because of 'Code Red' restrictions, the Boguskis have been staying sharp while all hockey activities are on pause.
Just about five minutes outside of Dauphin on the way to Winnipegosis is where you will find the Boguskis' outdoor rink. Parker says it's been very tough not being with his teammates for quite some time now, but having the outdoor rink has been a great thing for the entire family.
"It gives me a chance to stay sharp and it's also just a lot of fun," said Parker. "It's always a great time skating with my brother and sister, we're always laughing and having a fun time."
Manitobans continue to play the waiting game to see when we can return to the ice. 'Code Red' restrictions are set to expire on January 8 and we will find out in the coming days if that is indeed the case or if restrictions will be extended. With 2021 well underway, Parker is hoping that good news is on the way.
"I've been seeing some memories on my phone over the past little bit of hockey last year, so it's tough to see those knowing we can't play right now," offered Parker. "I really miss being out on the ice with the boys competing and representing our school."
And when Parker does return to the ice, he will do so as one of the Clippers leaders. In his second year with the team, he's an assistant captain.
"That's a big honour. To be an assistant captain on a team with a bunch of great guys, it means a lot to me," ended Boguski. "I'll do whatever it takes to help this team win games when we can return to action."
Dauphin won their only game of the season against Crocus Plains.
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Tristen Robins was drafted 56th overall by the San Jose Sharks and he now has his first NHL contract.
The star Saskatoon Blades forward from Clear Lake has signed a three-year entry level contract.
He's coming off a career year in which he posted 73 points in the Bridge City and he was named Saskatoon's most valuable player.
He is set to return to Saskatoon whenever the new season begins.
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Although Ridly Greig’s goal of making Team Canada for the World Junior Hockey Championships ultimately came up short, 2020 has ended off on a solid note for the star forward from Lethbridge.
In a release on whl.ca, Brandon Wheat Kings General Manager Darren Ritchie had the following to say on the news of Greig’s signing.
“The Wheat Kings are really happy for Ridly and his entire family,” said Ritchie. “He has worked hard for this and it’s great to see him get rewarded for it. I know that he understands that there’s more work to be done but he has to be extremely excited for this opportunity.”
Greig had an all-star season last year with Brandon — one in which he produced 60 points — 26 of which were goals. Ridly was first drafted by Brandon back in 2017, eighth overall. In 123 WHL regular-season contests, he has 96 points.
The signing of Ridly comes just days after the organization signed Tim Stutzle to an entry-level contract. Tim is currently playing on Team Germany in the Edmonton bubble.
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Dauphin was awarded the 2020 Manitoba Summer Games Powered by Manitoba Hydro back on January 24, 2018.
Clayton Swanton and Carla Wolfenden were named co-chairs of the event that was set to welcome the top young athletes from across the province.
The novel coronavirus originally postponed the event to 2021 so the organizing committee set their sights on hosting the event in July of 2021.
However, that is no longer the case as the Games have been cancelled because of the uncertainty around the virus.
And as we close the chapter on 2020, a year that changed so much, Carla Wolfenden had this to say on the cancellation.
"We were disappointed for sure. I think the uncertainty is what bothered a lot of people," said Wolfenden. "This wasn't an easy decision, but it was ultimately one that had to be made."
There is some good news when it comes to the Manitoba Games, though. Dauphin has now been awarded the event in 2024 which means Dauphin will play host to the event, we're just going to have to wait a few more years.
Carla says the organizing committee has extra time to get everything ready to assure the 2024 event is one that no one ever forgets.
"I think everyone would be very disappointed if we went through all that work and we didn't get a chance to host," said Wolfenden. "Dauphin does such a tremendous job of hosting events and we're really looking forward to 2024."
2020 has been a challenging year, but the future looks bright and that future includes hosting the Manitoba Summer Games Powered by Manitoba Hydro.
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Kristian Andres and his friend Mikhail Gerylo made some Manitoba history in 2020.
The duo made their way to the Whiteshell Provincial Park as they attempted to complete the 64-kilometre Mantario Trail and they wanted to do it in record time. The fastest known time prior to Kristian and Mikhail attempting it was 8:56:58.
The 64-kilometre trail was the longest run ever for Andres by more than 20-kilometres. His previous high was the 42.2 km Coureur des Bois stage trail marathon run in Riding Mountain National Park.
Gerylo; meanwhile, ran the 75-kilometre West Coast Trail race in British Columbia. The duo had also done Spartan Races so they were ready for the challenge and a daunting one it was.
The route features a combination of Boreal forest, marshy low spots through knee-deep mud and water, and stony Canadian Shield near the south trailhead.
Another challenge was there are no access points between the finish and end of the trail meaning Kristian and Mikhail had to carry everything they needed. They carried water, nutrition, first-aid kits, and aqua tablets that purify water.
In the end, Kristian and Mikhail finished the trail in eight hours, 13 minutes and 48 seconds, the fastest known time by more than 30 minutes. They averaged 7:45 per kilometre to complete the feat.
Later in the summer, Kristian's and Mikhail's record was beaten as they were no longer the record holders.
With that said, that doesn't mean Kristian isn't extremely proud of himself and Mikhail for holding the record at one point in time during the summer.
"At first we were a little disappointed that someone beat our record, but that's what records are for, they're meant to be broken," said Andres. "There are a couple of very talented runners that beat the record. One won the Manitoba Marathon and one ran a 2 hour and 32-minute marathon this year. I think it just goes to show how talented the pool of runners we have in Manitoba."
Kristian is now recovering from an injury and he says he is extremely motivated to head back to the Mantario Trail in 2021 to try and break the record once again.
Race the North Face Brandon Hills:
Just a couple of weeks after completing the Mantario Trail, Kristian hosted the race for the first time, just 10 minutes south of Brandon. It featured a 5K race, a 10K race, and a 25K race. They ended up raising $3500 for the Westman Trails Association, a not-for-profit that maintains the Brandon Hills.
Ironically enough, Mikhail Gerylo placed first in the 25K run with a time of 1:52:11 as he beat his nearest competitor by more than seven minutes.
As we look forward to 2021, Kristian plans on holding the event once again.
"We had some excellent feedback, so that's always positive," offered Andres.
2020, a year for the books:
There is no doubt that the novel coronavirus made things challenging for almost everyone, including the Roblin native that is now living in Brandon.
But as the former provincial champion looks back at the year, it was a memorable year, one in which he spent some time at the top of the history books.
"It was a super challenging year, but there were some small victories and highlights as well," ended Andres. "It's important to focus on some of the positives as well."
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The Parkland U18 Rangers began their regular season on October 18 with a 10-1 thrashing against the Norman Northstars.
Rylan Gibbs and Jayden Jubenvill both scored two goals in the game, Hayden Lacquette had four points, while Keaton Ziprick made 21 saves.
Following that 10-1 win, Parkland went on to win five more games in a row as they started the season 6-0, a record that had them atop the league. The team's final game of 2020 was back on November 7 when they came up short against Southwest.
The team's start this year is one better than the 2017-18 season when the Rangers started at 5-2. As we continue to look forward to 2021 and continue to wait patiently while Manitoba is under 'Code Red' restrictions which put a halt to all team sports, 2020 was a year to remember for Parkland.
With a great group of players representing many different communities across the Parkland, the team will enter 2021 as the top team in the league. Tyler Carefoot is coaching this year's team alongside Rick Freese and he talks about what makes this team so special.
"This is the first year in quite a while that we were able to get the core players from all of the different communities around the region," said Carefoot. "We knew on paper that we had a special group and it was about playing the right way and we have done that so far."
Keaton Ziprick is one of the 17-year-old players on this year's roster and his final year as a AAA goalie is off to a sizzling statistical start. He has a .944 save percentage to go along with a 1.61 G.A.A and the Russell goalie is a perfect 5-0.
His goals-against average is also the best in the league. He was named to the league's second all-star team last year and he's happy to be back with the program.
"We had a special thing going this year, it's really unfortunate that we're shut down right now," said Ziprick. "We're all just waiting and hoping that we can get back on the rink soon because I think we can make something great happen."
New coaches:
Carefoot ended the 2019-20 season as interim head coach for the Rangers. On May 9, 2020, Tyler and Rick were hired and the Parkland duo has come together very nicely in leading the team to a 6-1 record, their best start in many years.
"Rick and I are so passionate about this game. Our goal is to help these players get ready for the next level ," ended Carefoot. "We also want to help them become great people and we're enjoying doing that."
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