Latest Sports
There is still time to register for the Men's Open at the Gilbert Plains Country Club on Saturday.
It's $80 which includes your round, a meal, and a chance at prizes.
And if you're wondering how many reasons there are to play, there are 10,000 reasons. A hole-in-one prize will be offered on hole 4, worth $10,000, brought to you by Aspen Insurance.
You can register your foursome by calling the pro shop at 548-3030.
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
It was 11 years ago when Wyatt Kalynuk scored 34 times and had 36 assists in 46 games with the Virden Oilers U15 team. Three years later, Wyatt joined his hometown Junior A hockey team as he suited up in Oil Capitals colours in the 2013-14 season.
The Virden native who has plenty of family around Dauphin played 66 games in that season as the Oil Capitals made the playoffs. After beating Swan Valley in six games in their first-round playoff series, Virden was swept by Dauphin in the second round. Kalynuk had 24 regular season points that year and another two playoff points.
Wyatt says getting the chance to play with his hometown junior team was a dream come true.
"It was nice for me, I got to live at home, and be around my family," said Kalynuk. "The community always showed us great support so it was a great organization to be a part of."
One season is all that Wyatt would end up spending in Virden as he joined the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League in the 2014-15 season and as we look to this day, June 16, 2021, Wyatt is still playing the game he loves south of the border. Following his lone season with Lincoln, Kalynuk made the move to Bloomington as he joined the USHL's Thunder, where he would play two seasons and then it was decision time.
Several Division 1 schools were interested in the Virden native -- but ultimately -- he wanted to become a Badger. So he joined the University of Wisconsin and immediately became an everyday player in the 2017-18 season.
"It really was a no-brainer to head to Wisconsin, they have such a tremendous program," said Kalynuk. "I visited Penn State, North Dakota, and Ohio State, but Wisconsin really caught my eye."
Wyatt would play three seasons with Wisconsin, suiting up in 37 games in each of the first two seasons and 36 in his final one. His final season as a Badger came with a leadership role, as he was named the team's captain.
Turning professional:
Just like it was his dream to play with the Oil Capitals, another one of Wyatt's dreams was to turn professional and clearly, his athletic dreams have often come true.
Kalynuk was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the seventh-round, 196th overall in 2017. He never ended up signing with the Flyers, which made him that much more motivated and now, he's played 29 games as a professional.
To start this season, Wyatt joined the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League, where he would play just eight games, recording 10 points. He didn't play just eight games because of injury or being a healthy scratch, he did because he got the call up to the big leagues.
After making his NHL debut with Chicago in early March, it took the Virden native just seven games to find the back of the net for the first time. Playing the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, April 10, Kalynuk netted his milestone goal at 3:07 of the second period. The former Wisconsin Badger threw a shot at the net and it trickled across the goal line to break a 2-2 tie.
Kalynuk describes what it felt like when he was called up.
"It's a dream I had since I was a young kid," said Kalynuk. "To actually experience it and get the chance to play in the NHL, it's such a tremendous feeling. As the time went on, I continued to adjust and I had the mentality that I deserved to be in the league."
Wyatt played 21 games with Chicago, scoring four times while adding five assists, Chicago failed to qualify for the playoffs. Wyatt says he's looking forward to a summer of hard work ahead of heading back to Chicago in the fall.
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Canadian Football League has scheduled a Grey Cup rematch for its return.
The league unveiled its 14-game regular season on Tuesday, a day after the board of governors voted to resume play on August 5. The league didn't play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CFL's first game on opening night will feature the Hamilton Tiger-Cats visiting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The last league game played was between the two teams, with the Bombers downing the Ticats 33-12 in the '19 Grey Cup contest.
There will be no exhibition games this year.
The newly renamed Edmonton Elks will play their first game on August 7 hosting the Ottawa Redblacks. All four East Division teams will play the first two weeks of the season in Western Canada as some West Division clubs are expected to be able to host fans sooner and in greater numbers, as the season gets underway.
The 2021 schedule will also feature the traditional Labour Day matchups. The Redblacks will host the Montreal Alouettes on Sept. 3 while Winnipeg will visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders on September 5.
You can see the entire Blue Bombers schedule here.
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
It was dubbed as the scramble of the summer last year and it's back this summer at the Gilbert Plains Country Club.
The Battle for the Belts will take place on Sunday, July 25, and the format will be a two-person scramble. Just as it was last year, this year's event is brought to you by Dave Campbell at Parkland Source for Sports.
Registration for the event is now open and it's $60/person which includes your round, a meal, and a chance at prizes.
"There's definitely been a lot of interest, we only have about 20 spots left," said Danny Scott. "It's been really positive, which we're very pleased with."
Jarrett Newton and Chad Jones won last year's event.
The $10,000 hole-in-one prize is also back again as one lucky person will win that if they can ace hole #9. There will also be a $1000 hole-in-one prize on hole #4.
Although the event does welcome players that shoot around or under par, you don't have to. Whether you shoot in the 70s or in the 100s, the event is open to golfers of all skill levels.
"It's just a great day, you don't have to be the best golfer in the world," said Scott. "You get the chance to play with who you want."
To confirm your team, you must pre-pay and you can register by heading to the pro shop at the Gilbert Plains Country Club. Money raised goes towards improvements at the GPCC and tournament organizers were able to donate $500 to the new event centre from last year.
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The CFL is going ahead with its 2021 season.
The league's board of governors have voted unanimously in favour of an amended collective bargaining agreement and starting the 2021 campaign on August 5.
The CFL did not play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The board approval means training camp will be scheduled to begin July 10.
The league unveiled plans in November for a full 18-game season that was to have started in June but later pushed back the start to August and reduced the number of games to 14.
The Grey Cup game was also pushed back from Nov. 21 to Dec. 12 in Hamilton.
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Golfers still weren't able to head to Between the Greens Cafe to have a sit-down meal after their round over the weekend, but for the most part, golf is back to normal in the province.
Golf courses were provided with great news last week when the government announced that you can play with people outside of your household, which means friends from all over were re-uniting on the links for a round and some laughs.
Ray Karlson at the Dauphin Lake Golf Club says it was tremendous seeing more faces on the course over the weekend.
"We had a great weekend, it was great to see everyone out," said Karlson. "The weather also cooperated so everyone was happy."
On top of the buzz around golfers being able to play with friends, there's also a lot of buzz around the course condition. Karlson says many golfers are telling him after the round how good things look.
"Even our rough is beautiful this year and I haven't been able to say that for a while," offered Karlson. "Our customers are very happy and in turn, we're very happy."
On Mondays, 2 for 1 golf is also available. That means with the rental of a power cart, two players can golf for the price of one.
In some other exciting news at the club, ladies league begins on Tuesday while men's night will tee it up on Wednesday. If you're looking for some tournament action, a senior open will be played this Friday. The entry fee is $200 which includes your round, a meal, and a chance at prizes. You can register by calling the pro shop at 638-9400.
More information regarding the Home Hardware two-man classic in support of the Gary Brandon Sports Bursary will be provided in the coming weeks.
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
We now know when the Dauphin Kings will play in front of their home fans for the first time in regular season action this year.
The Kings will welcome the Neepawa Titans to Credit Union Place on Saturday, September 18.
The league previously announced that each team will play 54 games this season, two of which will be at the MJHL Showcase in Portage la Prairie. A full schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
With the change to the health orders, tournament season is set to begin. The Gilbert Plains Country Club will host its very popular Men's Open next Saturday, June 19. Registration for the event is now open, it costs $80, and that includes your round, a meal, and a chance at cash prizes.
A tee-time system will be used this year and you can book your full foursome today by calling 548-3030. Players are asked to arrive at the course no earlier than 10 minutes prior to your tee-time and you're asked to leave immediately following your round, the prize presentation will be done over social media.
"This event always provides a great opportunity to get out with some friends to have some fun," said McCallum. "The course is also in great shape. It hasn't been quite as busy as of late, but we're looking forward to filling up the tee sheet once again."
This event is also open to golfers of all levels. Whether you're a scratch player or you shoot in the 100s, equal payouts are given for each flight.
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
There are just four teams remaining in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Vegas Golden Knights will take on the Montreal Canadiens, beginning on Monday night at 8:00 p.m.
The other semi-final series is a rematch of last year as the Tampa Bay Lightning -- the defending champions -- will battle the New York Islanders, a team that features Barry Trotz of Dauphin and Ryan Pulock of Grandview.
Tampa Bay, for the most part, cruised in their last series as they took down Carolina in five games. Meanwhile, the Islanders eliminated Boston with a 6-2 win on Wednesday evening. New York won the final three games of the series and they scored 15 goals in the process.
When New York eliminated Pittsburgh from the playoffs last round, it was the team's first playoff series win at Nassau Coliseum in 28 years as the last time they clinched a series win on home ice prior to eliminating the Penguins was back in 1993. Now, the Islanders have clinched two playoff series in front of their home fans in a matter of two weeks.
"It was special, the energy in the building was absolutely electric," said Pulock. "Counting down the seconds at the end of the game, you couldn't really hear anything, that's how loud it was. Those are big moments and as a team, that's what we're trying to build upon."
Ryan's second goal of the playoffs proved to be the series winner against Pittsburgh and the former Grand Plains Hawk was back at it again in the series clincher against Boston. Although it wasn't the game-winner, Pulock put a stamp on a dominating game six performance from the Islanders as he scored his third of the playoffs with 48 seconds left in the game.
PULOCK! 6-2.#Isles | @DanielGaleSIR pic.twitter.com/mlboVppNHe
— x - New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) June 10, 2021
Ryan now has three goals and two assists in 12 playoff games. The Grandview native played the most minutes of any defenceman on the team in three of the six games, while he played the second-most minutes in two of the contests. A man with a heavy shot from the back end, Ryan has always had a goal of helping out offensively as much as possible but he knows his main goal is locking down the opponent's top players, something Barry Trotz relies on Ryan to do.
"When you get to this point in the playoffs, it's a tough matchup every single night," said Pulock. "It continues to get harder, but it's a challenge that I enjoy."
Lightning vs Islanders:
After Ilya Sorokin propelled New York to victory against Pittsburgh, it was Semyon Varlamov who pushed the Islanders past Boston. He won four of the final five games with a 2.26 GAA and .934 save percentage. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay will certainly go to Andrei Vasilevskiy. He had a 29-save shutout in a 2-0 series-ending win in Game 5 against the Hurricanes. He has a shutout in his past three series-clinching wins, including 2-0 against the Stars in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final last season.
Game one is set for Sunday at 2:00 p.m. local time and the game will be the first between the two teams this season as they're not in the same division, so they didn't play each other in the regular season. New York forward Josh Bailey says the team has some unfinished business after Tampa Bay eliminated them last season.
If the Islanders hope to have success in the series, staying out of the penalty box will be key. New York's penalty kill has struggled in the playoffs so far, going just 16-for-26 while Tampa Bay's power play is lethal as they're scoring at a near 42 percent clip while on the man advantage. The Islanders' power play, meanwhile, has gone 9-for-32 which equals 28.1 percent.
New York has struggled out of the gates at times this postseason as they haven't had a lead after the first period in any game -- but they are 7-1 in games tied going into the intermission -- because they've outscored their opposition 18-8 in the second period.
Under Barry Trotz, New York has 25 playoff wins in the past three seasons, third-most in the NHL behind Tampa Bay and the team they just eliminated, Boston. Tampa Bay is 8-1 in games when they have a lead heading into the third period in the playoffs after they went 26-0-0 in the regular season and 10-0 in the playoffs last year, which puts extra importance on New York either entering the third tied or with a lead. Just like New York's stellar second-period play, the Lightning has scored 19 goals in the second period during their playoff run while they've only given up 11.
Just like Bailey said, the Islanders have unfinished business and two days before game day, Ryan is confident in his group's abilities.
"I like our team. The two teams that we beat out so far we're very good hockey teams," said Pulock. "We have a chance against anybody and there is a belief in our room that we can continue to move forward and that's important to have that mindset at this point."
Here's the full series schedule:
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
It's been a while since anyone has been able to golf with someone outside of their household, but that's about to change. You can head out to the course to play a round with friends beginning on Saturday morning as the province announced new public health orders on Wednesday.
The season was off to a tremendous start at the Gilbert Plains Country Club, but it hasn't been as busy in recent weeks because of current health orders, which allowed golfers to only golf with members of their household.
"It's certainly going to be a welcomed change for all golfers, it's exciting," said Scott McCallum.
With the change to the health orders, tournament season is set to begin. The Country Club will host its very popular Men's Open next Saturday, June 19. Registration for the event is now open, it costs $80, and that includes your round, a meal, and a chance at cash prizes.
A tee-time system will be used this year and you can book your full foursome today by calling 548-3030. Players are asked to arrive at the course no earlier than 10 minutes prior to your tee-time and you're asked to leave immediately following your round, the prize presentation will be done over social media.
"This event always provides a great opportunity to get out with some friends to have some fun," said McCallum. "The course is also in great shape. It hasn't been quite as busy as of late, but we're looking forward to filling up the tee sheet once again."
This event is also open to golfers of all levels. Whether you're a scratch player or you shoot in the 100s, equal payouts are given for each flight.
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Ryan Pulock, Barry Trotz, and the rest of the New York Islanders have earned a berth to play against the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Backed by a three-goal second period, New York beat Boston, 6-2, to win the best of seven in six games.
Pulock had one goal in the contest as the Islanders have advanced to their second straight semi-final.
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
