Latest Sports
Growing up in McCreary, it's always been Brayden Kohlman's goal to play for the Neepawa Junior A Hockey Club.
Kohlman spent many nights inside the Yellowhead Arena watching the team play and he idolized many of their players throughout the years.
When he signed his letter of intent to join the team last season while with Parkland, Brayden took a step towards being a member of the team and now, he's looking to lock up his spot in early September.
Neepawa will hold their main camp from September 3-5 with the season set to begin just two weeks later on September 17. Gyms are now allowed to open across the province, which is good news for the McCreary native as he prepares for camp.
"I've been doing a lot of cardio while the gyms were closed," said Kohlman. "Now that they're open, I'll be spending a lot of time there. I know how important it is to be in great shape for camp."
When last season ended less than 10 games into the campaign for all teams, Kohlman was one of the Rangers' spark plugs. He had one goal and 10 assists, with his 11 points being tied for the seventh-most in the league. He shared that spot with Trey Sauder, who is a Swan Valley Stampeders prospect.
An offensive threat, without a doubt, but Brayden is also efficient in the defensive zone. Coaches have said in the past that Brayden is a player that never stops working and always wants to be better.
Kohlman knows making the jump from AAA hockey to junior hockey isn't easy, but he did build some confidence after a great season.
"It was unfortunate that the season was so short, we had such a great group of guys," offered Kohlman. "Having that successful stint made me believe in myself and now, I have to make the most of it."
The 2021-22 season brings forward a fresh start for Neepawa. The team is now called the Neepawa Titans and it's safe to say that Kohlman is a big fan.
"I like it, I think it's pretty unique and cool," ended Kohlman. "It's great that the team is making a stride for change and ending their old chapter and starting a new one, I'm glad to be a part of it."
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Jason Shaw won $10,000 after he aced the fourth hole at the Dauphin Lake Golf Club in 2019 at the Dauphin Kings Par 3 Extravangza.
And now, the Dauphinite is back at it and it appears that Dauphin Lake brings the best out of him. Shaw aced the 11th hole on Wednesday night and he credits the ace to Ryan Gardner.
Gardner picked out Jason's gap wedge from 132 yards out and the rest was history. Shaw now has two aces to his name.
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Luke Myhre and Boston Karlson have been working extremely hard on their game this season so far and it's paying off.
Playing on the Westman Junior Tour at the Minnedosa Golf and Country Club, the Dauphin golfers finished in second and third, respectively in the 14 & under age group.
Luke fired a 79 while Boston was just two strokes behind with a 81.
"It felt pretty good, especially because it was my first tournament round playing on this tour this season," said Karlson after the round. "I played consistent golf, a couple of bad holes, but that's golf. Other than that, I'm happy with how things went."
Quinten Fisk of Dauphin won closest to the hole in Group B while Hayden Delaloye of Neepawa won the longest drive competition.
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
When Lloyd Campbell isn't volunteering at the Gilbert Plains Country Club, he's playing the course and Wednesday morning's round was extra special.
Campbell aced the 17th hole.
The hole-in-one continues the trend of success for Campbell on par 3's this season. He's already qualified for the 'shootout' as a part of Tuesday night men's night on hole 9.
He also qualified to compete in the shootout on hole 17. Qualifying meant he was closest to the hole.
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Ryder Newton has played about 50 rounds this summer already and he appears to be in great form on the course.
From Roblin, Newton plays with his dad, his brother, and grandpa several times a week and his goal is to play in more tournaments moving forward.
"I think it would be a lot of fun playing with new people," said Newton.
Ryder has had many great shots and rounds so far this summer -- including recording his best-ever round -- at the Prairie Lake Lodge Golf Course last Friday.
After a five-over front nine, Ryder turned things around in a hurry and it all started on the 13th hole. The hole was playing 77 yards so Ryder took his wedge out of his bag and hit the perfect shot. It was Ryder's first-ever hole-in-one and it came during a career round.
"I walked up and saw it in the hole and I got so excited," said Ryder. "My dad thought it was his to start but I saw the triangles on it and I knew it was mine. It was a great feeling."
There are a few things that could have happened for the remaining five holes. Ryder could have played steady golf, he could have struggled, or the hole-in-one could have sparked a great streak and that's exactly what happened.
Ryder went on to birdie four of his final holes as he finished with a four-under on the back nine and he was one-over total.
"I had some momentum after that shot on the 13th hole and my putting was great down the stretch," ended Newton. "It was a great day and I'm really happy with how I played."
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Winning championships on the golf course is something that we come to expect from Jackson Delaurier.
Fresh off winning the Bantam Championship at the Transcona Golf Club, Jackson was back at it earlier this week.
Playing in the Maple Junior Tour at the Selkirk Golf Club in the bantam boys age group, Delaurier found himself in a tie for first after a first-round, 77. The Dauphin golfer then went out and fired a 75 on Tuesday to claim a four-shot victory for his second tournament victory of the season.
Next up for Jackson is the Junior Men's Championships next week at the Shilo Country Club in Brandon.
Eric Prokopowich and Thomas Scott also played in the event. Eric finished in a tie for 10th in the junior boys while Scott finished in a tie for sixth. Hayden Delaloye of Neepawa finished in 11th in the juvenile boys' age group.
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Brandon University Bobcats will host the men's volleyball national championships in 2025.
The Bobcats were scheduled to host the nationals in March of this year, but the COVID-cancelled season meant the nationals were also cancelled. So Brandon will now focus on preparing to host seven of the top teams in Canada in four years' time.
Grant Wilson is the team's head coach and he says getting this opportunity is always special.
"It's one of those once in a lifetime opportunities, it's extremely rare to get the chance to play for a national championship on your home court," said Wilson. "We're looking forward to hosting the best in the nation."
Wilson says not holding the nationals for four more years allows the team to put together a championship calibre roster and most importantly, it gives Wilson a chance to develop his young players.
When the 2021-22 Canada West volleyball season begins in October, the Bobcats will have a new feel. No starters from their 2019 Canada West championship team are eligible to return meaning other players will have a great chance to step up and help this team win.
"We're definitely going to have to search for our identity when we get to play," said Wilson. "We do like our group, we have a good mix of youth and some veteran guys. We feel that we're going to be competitive."
Brandon begins its season on Friday, October 29 in Winnipeg as they will play the Wesmen. That's followed by another matchup with the Wesmen the following night.
Head-to-head vs Winnipeg:
From September 28, 2012, to November 9, 2019, Brandon defeated Winnipeg in 12 of their 19 meetings.
Head-to-head vs Saskatchewan:
Following the pair of games against Winnipeg, Brandon returns to the Healthy Living Centre the following weekend to play the Huskies for the first time.
From September 27, 2012, to November 2, 2019, the Bobcats beat the Huskies in 12 of their 16 meetings.
Head-to-head vs Manitoba:
Brandon plays the University of Manitoba Bisons for the first time on Friday, November 26. From November 14, 2014, to February 8, 2020, Brandon edged Manitoba with seven wins compared to five by U of M.
And those are the only three opponents that Brandon will battle in the regular season. Canada West has lumped Brandon, Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, and U of M in one division to mitigate travel costs.
Wilson says in an ideal world, they would compete against every team in Canada West, but he understands and respects the decision that was made.
"It's going to be interesting and I like to think it's just a short-term solution," ended Wilson. "At the end of the day, anything is better than what we did last year when we didn't play. Just looking forward to getting back at it."
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Grand Plains Celebrity Classic is a day of fun, great shots, and most importantly, funds are raised for the Grand Plains Minor Hockey Association.
Unfortunately, this summer will mark the second straight one without the event as organizers have confirmed they are now focusing on returning back to the Gilbert Plains Country Club in the summer of 2022.
Although restrictions allow golf events at this time, Scott Crowe said organizers aren't comfortable hosting this event so soon.
"It's certainly disappointing that we won't host this event again," said Crowe. "Ryan Pulock always brought some of his NHL friends and they always enjoyed the small-town atmosphere. We're looking forward to next summer."
While the cancellation won't allow them to raise any funds through it, the association has gotten creative. They joined up with Garton's Auction Service and right now, nine items are up for bid. The prizes include four bags of Pioneer Seeds Hybrid canola seed valued at $3300, an ice fishing package, and trailer tires, just to name a few.
Bidding ends at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday and all net funds will go directly to Grand Plains Minor Hockey. On top of that fundraiser, Grand Plains Minor is also selling raffle tickets where six more amazing price packs are up for grabs.
The hockey "celebrity" prize includes a Ryan Pulock Islanders jersey and a retro Hawks jersey, Colby Robak's Schwenninger Wild Wings jersey. It also includes Riese Gaber's North Dakota Fighting Hawks jersey, just to name a few.
Crowe says any support is greatly appreciated.
"People should support these fundraisers because we have over 100 players in our organization and this will help us reduce our costs," said Crowe. "It will also help us bring in development camps, jerseys, running tournaments, and buying trophies."
You can transfer $20 to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., make sure to put your name and number in the comments. You can also pick them up in person in Grandview at Home Hardware, Love & Persson, Pharmacy and Pink Petal and in Gilbert Plains at Fusion Credit Union and Paziuks.
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Jackson Delaurier has once again entered the winner's circle.
Playing in the Bantam Championship at the Transcona Golf Club, Delaurier fired a pair of 75s to claim a one shot victory.
Jackson had two birdies and one eagle in his second round.
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Shooting into the wind on an already hard second hole at the Dauphin Lake Golf Club would make the hole that much tougher for most golfers.
However, that isn't the case for Steve Desroches. Playing alongside a few of his friends, Steve walked to the tee in windy conditions and pulled out his 7 iron earlier this week and the rest is history.
For the first time in his career, Steve picked up a hole-in-one as he struck the ball perfectly and it rolled nicely into the hole.
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Dauphin Kings announced earlier this week that Marc-Antoine Houde has committed to the organization.
Standing at just more than 6'5" and 220 pounds, Houde will provide Doug Hedley with some size on the back end. As the countdown to the regular season continues, that wasn't the only commitment of the week.
This time Dauphin has gone south of the border. One year removed from having nearly no American players in the MJHL, the league is hoping border restrictions will allow American players to cross the border as it makes the league that much more competitive. And if that's the case, Tanner Brouwer will be making his way to Dauphin.
Standing in at about 6'4", Brouwer is a physical presence with a solid offensive side to his game. Playing with St. Thomas Academy last year in the Minnesota high school league, Tanner scored 13 times and added 10 assists for 23 points in just 21 games. His 23 points were an increase of 17 after scoring twice and adding four assists in 25 games with St. Thomas the previous season.
Andy Kubas is the Kings USA Scout and he says Tanner will fit in nicely.
"He's a winner, he seems to win everywhere he goes," said Kubas. "He has amazing hands for a big kid. I was actually sitting with an NHL scout and he said to keep an eye on that Brouwer kid because he has a shot that's harder than many NHL players and it's true, his shot is so heavy and accurate."
Originally from Pine City, Minnesota, Tanner has never played hockey in Canada. He says he's not only looking forward to joining a great organization in Dauphin, but he's also looking forward to playing in a great league, but it may not all be smooth sailing. Kubas says there will certainly be a learning curve, whether that takes a week or a few games.
"The style of play is different. I would say the MJ is more of a pro-style because of set breakouts and different plays that are run," said Kubas. "That's not really the case down here (in Minnesota), high school is more of a free-reeling collegiate style."
Brouwer will report to Dauphin in August ahead of training camp. Dauphin opens its season on September 17 against the Neepawa Titans at Yellowhead Arena.
Kubas is going into his third season as Dauphin's USA scout. He has scouted for the Humboldt Broncos in the past and he says working alongside Doug Hedley and everyone else in the organization has been great. Kubas has two sons that are elite players south of the border and when it comes to finding elite players to play in Dauphin, Andy says things are looking up.
Every year, more and more Americans are finding out about opportunities to play in the MJHL and in many cases, those kids are taking advantage of those opportunities, just like Tanner will.
"There were a lot of kids that wanted to advance to the next level, but for the longest time they didn't know about the MJHL," ended Kubas. "Now the desire for kids to head to Manitoba is off the charts, so many are interested."
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
