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The Neepawa Titans are on a preseason roll and on Sunday afternoon, their roll was at the expense of the Dauphin Kings.
Colton Alexander scored with 3:56 left in the third period and Neepawa was able to fend off a late push by the Kings in a 3-2 win. It was Neepawa's third win in as many days as they recently swept Waywayseecappo in a pair of contests.
The Kings found themselves down by a pair of goals late in the second before Cayden Glover scored his first of the preseason to give Dauphin some life. The Kings then tied it up as returning player Rylan Gage batted a puck home just less than three minutes into the third.
Dauphin continued to push and finished the afternoon with 46 shots, but it was Alexander's late goal that stood up as the winner. The Kings will welcome Swan Valley to town on Tuesday. They then play on Friday in Swan River before wrapping up their preseason on Saturday against Virden at Credit Union Place.
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It was an entertaining battle as the Parkland U18 Rangers hosted their intrasquad game as a part of training camp on Sunday afternoon at Credit Union Place.
Liam Chartrand of Winnipegosis and Brayden Budolowski of Dauphin led Team Black with two goals each in a 7-5 win over Team White. Ryzlie Nepinak also netted a pair of goals for Team Black while Derrel Murdock scored the team's other goal in the win.
Ethan Carnegie scored two goals for Team White in the narrow defeat while Joey Hall, Noah Smigelsky, and Cade Legaarden all scored one goal apiece.
The Rangers will head to Souris next weekend for a preseason tournament with their first game being at 8:15 p.m. next Friday.
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The Dauphin Lake Golf Club played host to the extremely successful Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy Ladies Tournament on Saturday.
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Chase Glover can do it all.
His skills on the ice between the pipes has been well documented and on the football field, he helped the Dauphin Clippers dominate their first game of the season in the Rural Manitoba Football League on Friday evening.
Hosting Parkwest, Dauphin scored early and often in an 87-0 win. Glover led the team on the ground with 78 rushing yards while Cody Zurba had 54 passing yards and Ronin Mouck put together an excellent game with 81 receiving yards.
Sully Fox had two tackles and two quarterback sacks in the contest as Dauphin won their first game.
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The Parkland Pirates youth rugby program is about developing young talent as the sport continues to take off in the region.
Practices have begun for the program with players as young as four to those aged 13. The numbers for the tackle group, including U12 Intro to Tackle and U14, are solid.
"The tackle numbers are good, we're happy with where they are," said Codi Harrigan. "It's the flag group where I want to see the numbers grow. Usually, we're in that range of 40 kids and we have around 15 right now."
Practices run from 6-7 on Tuesdays and Thursdays and while they have already begun, new players are welcome to join at any point. All you have to do is head down to KIN Field during practices and if your child enjoys the game, you can get all registered.
The fall season includes four jamborees.
Jamboree Season:
September 15 @ Souris
September 22 @ Brandon
September 29 @ Dauphin
October 06 @ Minnedosa
"It's a great opportunity for kids to try something different, something they aren't used to," said Harrigan. "Many of our players stick with it and fall in love with the game. They progress and move into the high school program and beyond. If we can kids at a younger age, we will be able to give them the skills they need much sooner."
As noted above, rugby in the Parkland is in a great place. At the Manitoba Summer Games this year, the boy's team cruised their way to a title while the local girl's team also impressed. Both high school teams are recent league and provincial champions.
If rugby has at all been on your children's minds as of late, now would be the perfect time to give it a try.
"It only shows the success that we can have as a team and a community," ended Harrigan. "Our teams are travelling a lot now and having success against top-tier teams. Then things progress to the senior level as well."
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Jack Bechard was the hero of the night for the Dauphin Kings.
He scored 81 seconds into overtime as Dauphin came back from three down to stun the Neepawa Titans, 4-3, in overtime. It was Dauphin's second preseason game and first win while it was Neepawa's first game and ended in defeat.
The Kings found themselves down by three goals just more than five minutes into the third. Needing something huge to happen, it sure did for Dauphin as Shea Rollason and Ethan Stewart scored less than two minutes apart midway through the third to trim the deficit to one with still eight minutes left.
Then on a mad scramble in front of the net with just more than two minutes left, Lucas Durham batted home the puck for his first as a King and the goal forced overtime.
Bechard then stripped a Titans defender at centre ice and did the right, snapping a perfect shot up over the pad and under the glove of Alex Myers.
Dauphin will now look to win their second preseason game when they welcome the Titans back to town on Sunday night. Keep in mind, you will not be able to use your season tickets if you are a season ticket holder for that game. It will cost $5 if you are over the age of 13.
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Preseason hockey in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) has begun and this weekend, teams in the Western Hockey League (WHL) will be hitting the ice for preseason action.
The Parkland is fairly well represented across the league and let's take a look at who will be looking to impress leading up to the regular season.
Brandon Wheat Kings: Brady Turko (McCreary) and Easton Odut (Dauphin)
Turko - 2023-24: Brandon Wheat Kings
Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League - (regular season) 41 goals, 49 assists / (playoffs) nine goals, 11 assists
Telus Cup West Regionals - four goals, two assists
Telus Cup - eight goals and three assists
Odut - 2023-24: Brandon Wheat Kings
Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League - (regular season) 23 goals, 40 assists / (playoffs) two goals and 10 assists
Telus Cup West Regionals - four assists
Telus Cup - five goals and one assist
Moose Jaw Warriors: Aiden Ziprick (Russell)
Aiden returns to the Warriors after helping them win a championship last year and also scored a game-winning goal at the Memorial Cup which is one of the biggest goals ever scored in franchise history.
Ziprick - 2023-24: Moose Jaw Warriors
Western Hockey League - (regular season) one goal, eight assists / (playoffs) 20 games played
Memorial Cup - one goal and one assist
Prince Albert Raiders: Brayden Dube (Roblin) and Ryan Gower (McCreary)
Brayden returns to the Raiders for his second full season with the club. He opened his Major Junior career with the Seattle Thunderbirds scoring twice and adding two assists in 14 games during the 2022-23 campaign. He ended that season by posting nine points across 43 games with the Raiders.
Going back into the history books, Dube scored the game-winning goal for the Dauphin Kings in game seven of the Turnbull Cup final against Steinbach in 2022. He then scored four times in five games at the Centennial Cup.
Dube - 2023-24: Prince Albert Raiders
Western Hockey League - (regular season) 17 goals, 12 assists / (playoffs) five games played
Gower; meanwhile, provided a treat for Parkland Rangers fans for three years from 2020-23. In his final year as a Ranger during the 2022-23 campaign, Gower posted two goals and 23 assists. While Gower isn't a towering force like some blueliners, he is an exceptional skater and tireless worker.
Gower - 2023-24: Northern Alberta Xtreme U18 Prep
Canadian School Sports Hockey League - (regular season) two goals, 24 assists / (playoffs) five games played, one assist
Regina Pats: Dru Mushumanski (Russell)
He posted 19 goals and 45 points to go along with 74 penalty minutes in his final year as a U18 Ranger during the 2022-23 campaign. The Russell star is a great skater and has a laser of a shot.
Mushumanski - 2023-24: Regina Pats
Western Hockey League - (regular season) two goals, eight assists / (playoffs) did not qualify
Noah Smigelsky of Dauphin took part in Wheat Kings training camp while Forrest Karlson, also of Dauphin, competed in the main camp with the Red Deer Rebels
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The Winnipegosis Minor Hockey Association is getting ready for another exciting season at the rink.
The Association's goals heading into the season include increasing participation by having more registrations, bringing awareness of minor hockey to the community, building strong teams, and creating a positive and welcoming space for athletes.
The Association is also looking to clear up a few things ahead of the new season if your family is on the fence about signing up.
Q: Isn't minor hockey too serious? My athlete just wants to have some fun.
A: Winnipegosis Minor Hockey focuses on teamwork, skill development and fun. We're interested in building a passionate hockey community.
Q: I've heard equipment is extremely expensive, how can I afford it?
A: This year we have received generous donations of brand new and slightly used equipment of all sizes. Registered players will be able to access this equipment and use what is needed.
Q: How much of a time commitment will this be?
A: Practices will run two times a week for one hour each. Games and tournaments vary depending on age group. U7 will focus on skill development, U9 will be a part of the Parkland Minor Hockey League and U11 will compete in a "House League" within the region.
Q: Aren't the registration fees through the roof?
A: Registration fees are low compared to other hockey associations. The fees help cover the cost of renting the ice.
U7 - $125.00
U9 - $250.00
U11 - $300.00
U13 - $350.00
U15 - $400.00
A variety of subsidy options are also available through Kidsport, Jump Start Program, Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF), and Jordan's Principle.
There will be an in-person registration and information night on September 12 between 5-7 at the Winnipegosis Youth Centre. You can also register online.
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A former Dauphin King who left a mark on the organization that will never be forgotten is joining the leadership group of an NCAA Division 1 hockey team.
Grady Hobbs, who played four full seasons in Dauphin and parts of a fifth from 2016-2021, will be one of three captains on the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) men's hockey team.
Hobbs, originally from Deloraine, joined the Kings as a 16-year-old in 2016 and never looked back. He amassed 78 goals and 159 points in 230 regular season games and another two goals to go along with three assists in seven career playoff games with the Kings.
His best season came during the 2019-20 campaign when the right-handed sniper scored 43 goals, the most in the league, and he was named to the league's First All-Star Team. He was also named the league's most valuable player that season.
Pederson Photographic
Hobbs went on to join the RIT Tigers and helped them win an Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) regular season championship in the 2022-23 season. They followed that up last year by winning another regular season title and the conference championship after beating AIC 5-2 in the conference's championship game. Across 111 games with RIT, the former King has scored 26 goals while adding 21 assists. He set career highs across the board last year with 10 goals and 18 points. Hobbs is a three-time Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team member.
He will be joined by Dimitri Mikrogiannakis and Tanner Andrew. Dimitri is a fifth-year defenseman while Andrew also has ties to Manitoba as he's from Virden and played the first 127 games of his junior career with the Oil Capitals before ending his time in Manitoba by playing eight games with Winkler during the 2020-21 season. He ended that year in Chilliwack as a member of the BCHL's Chiefs. He is now set to enter his fourth year at RIT.
In a release, RIT Men's Hockey Coach Wayne Wilson had this to say.
"I look forward to seeing Grady, Dimitri and Tanner lead our team this year," said Wilson, who enters his 26th season on the Tiger bench. "We have had exceptional captains in the past and these three are great examples of leadership. Their commitment to our team on and off the ice is second to none and I know they will set the standard in leading us through another year as we seek to defend our Atlantic Hockey Championship and get back to the NCAA Tournament."
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Hayden Seib was buzzing around all night long and you just had the feeling that he was going to come up clutch.
On Tuesday night as the Dauphin Kings opened up their preseason schedule with a match against the Northern Manitoba Blizzard, the Parkland star got the job done. Although the team did lose 3-2 in a shootout, Seib gave Dauphin a chance.
Trailing 2-0 in the third, Seib scored at the 5:18 mark and then scored his second of the evening just more than three minutes later. The two goals forced overtime and while no one found the back of the net in overtime, Seib did score one final time in the shootout.
Alexandre Andre and Ashton Dzeba scored twice for the Blizzard to give them the win.
The Kings will return to Credit Union Place on Thursday night when they welcome the Neepawa Titans to town and Dauphin will also play them in a bonus home game on Sunday at 4:00 p.m.
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Easten Turko was selected in the third round, 59th overall by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the 2024 U15 draft.
Held virtually, it was a special moment for Easten and his entire family in McCreary as they shared the special moment. Now living in Brandon for the past couple of years, Turko was provided an opportunity to show off his skills with the Western Hockey League (WHL) club as they held their main camp over the weekend at Westoba Place and the J&G Homes Arena.
It was Easten's first WHL camp and it was one that he will forever remember.
"It was an awesome experience, you always get excited for camp to get going," said Turko. "My camp went great, I believe I did very well. It was great fun to be out there will all the guys, it was a great weekend."
As an undersized defenceman standing in at just 5'7" and 137lbs, it's up to Easten to find different ways to be effective. He notes his great skating ability is exactly what is needed at all times.
"My skating is top-notch and allows me to keep up, my stick work is also very effective against the older players," said Turko. "I was quite effective in poke-checking the puck off the older guys' sticks while keeping up with them with my skating. The coaching staff had some positive things to say in my exit meetings so I was pleased with how things went."
While Easten does not possess the towering size that some other blue-liners do, he doesn't shy away from contact. He has been working hard in the gym to gain muscle which allows him to come out of battles with the puck.
It was also a family affair at Wheat Kings camp as Easten was joined by his brother Brady. Brady helped the U18 Wheat Kings win a provincial championship last year and also scored the game-winning goal against Saskatoon at the Telus Cup West Regionals.
In a draft day steal, Brady was drafted in the fifth round, 97th overall in the 2022 draft. Brandon's coaching staff often pitted the two against each other and Easten enjoyed trying to stop his brother.
"Brady and I played a lot of minor hockey growing up in McCreary and to be drafted by the same WHL team is very special after all those years in our hometown," offered Easten. "Playing against him in camp was super fun, we're both very competitive guys. I look forward to playing with him in the future."
Brady also notched eight goals and 11 points in the Telus Cup last year. While they are two different players, Easten is always improving his offensive capabilities and it's Brady that helps him plenty along the way.
"It's awesome watching Brady, he's always someone that I have looked up to," said Easten. "He's always there for me and always helps me out with tips and pushes me. To get the chance to play on the same WHL team would be extremely special and I'm looking forward to watching what should be a great year for him."
Easten will continue living in Brandon as he prepares for the new season and his first with the U18 club. They open their season on September 28 in Winnipeg against the Bruins at the Southdale Community Centre.
The U18 organization is coming off last year's historic season and while they graduated several players from last year's team, they are once again expected to be very competitive. Easten has gone from being a young gun on the U15 team to a veteran on the team and now, he's heading back to being a young gun on the U18 team which is always a challenge that he looks forward to.
Making the jump from U15 to U18 is not an easy task for many but all indications lead towards Easten not only making the jump but doing so seamlessly and excelling at a high level.
"I expect the pace to be quicker and guys are bigger and faster," said Turko. "I'll do my best to keep up with the pace which I believe I will be able to do."
Turko will be one of several U15 players set to join the U18 team.
Over the past two years with the younger team, Easten amassed great success. Posting 20 points across 47 games including playoffs during the 2022-23 season, Easten helped the U15 Wheat Kings win a provincial title.
Back last year with another year of experience under his belt, the McCreary star took his game to the next level with 11 goals and 34 assists in 32 regular season games and another seven assists across 11 playoff games.
The result? The same as the previous year as Turko once again helped the Wheat Kings win a provincial title. It was a magical two-year run for the program and Turko loved every moment of being a part of it.
"It feels great, winning back-to-back with the guys was an incredible feeling," offered Turko. "Everyone loves winning, so it was very special."
Easten is also extremely grateful for every opportunity that he was given during his time in McCreary playing minor hockey in his hometown. He was often called up to play in higher age groups and played alongside his brother for many years.
McCreary is a small town with a population of roughly 500 and year after year, stars from that community are shining bright. Another case is Ryan Gower who's currently with the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL.
"I played with the McCreary Mustangs and made so many amazing memories over the years," ended Turko. "I had a great chance to bond with my brother and improve my skills. I had some amazing buddies and I am very proud to say that I am from McCreary."
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