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The 2020-21 Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) season was extremely short-lived, with just about a month's worth of regular-season games being played.
The Dauphin Kings finished the season 3-3 while the Swan Valley Stampeders were 7-3 as both teams played in the Northwest Division. The Virden Oil Capitals; meanwhile, got off to a tremendous start as they won eight of their first nine games, with their lone blemish being an overtime defeat.
Virden's 17 points were the most in the league and it gave them a sizeable eight-point advantage on top of the Interior Division.
20-year-old Hunter Cloutier scored six times and had 17 points -- the most in the league -- while Jack Einarson, who played his AAA hockey with the Interlake Lightning scored four goals and had seven assists. Virden had six 20-year-olds, five of which played upfront.
Tyson Ramsey is the team's head coach and general and he says the group came together and battled day in and day out.
"We had a solid veteran core that led our group," said Ramsey. "It was certainly unfortunate that we couldn't keep playing to see how we would finish out."
Tyson will enter his third season as the organization's bench boss and general manager in the fall. His competitive days ended a decade ago after he had 41 points with the Souris Elks of the Tiger Hills Hockey League. Tyson also secured an 80 point season with the Winkler Flyers back in the 1996-97 campaign. In all, Ramsey played 215 games with Winkler over the course of four years and he notched 207 points.
And with preparations for next season well underway, Ramsey has joined some elite company. The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) and the National Hockey League Coaches' Association (NHLCA) announced their five finalists for the Darcy Haugan/Mark Cross Memorial award, presented to the CJHL's Coach of the Year for the 2020-21 season.
Ramsey is joined by Pier-Alexandre Poulin of the Condors du Cégep Beauce-Appalaches, Brad MacKenzie of the Grand Falls Rapids, Corey Beer of the Timmins Rock and Peter Goulet of the Trenton Golden Hawks. It's the first time that Ramsey has been named a finalist for the award.
"It's certainly an honour to find out I was a finalist, it's pretty humbling to be in the same conversation as people that are up for an award named after Mr. Haugan and Mr. Cross," said Ramsey. "It's very special."
The MJHL is set to hold its annual general meeting on Thursday and that will provide the public with information regarding the league's return-to-play plan as Kevin Saurette has already said that the league remains fully committed to returning to the ice, in the safest possible way ahead of the new season.
In Virden, the Oil Capitals roster will look different. Six of last year's players are ineligible to return as they have aged out.
But with a great group of scouts working alongside Tyson, big things are expected in 'Oil Country'.
"Our forward group will look a bit younger, but some of the younger players had a great chance to step up last season and get into a few games," ended Ramsey. "We're excited about our group coming back. We'll have some veteran presence and we've also brought in some of our list players."
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The baseball season in Dauphin is on pause and it will be so for another two weeks or so, but Dauphin Minor is giving players an opportunity to win some prizes while staying active and training.
For the next few weeks, Dauphin Minor will be releasing teaching videos on their Facebook page and that's where registered players come in. Any player that is registered to play this season can send in their video of them practicing the video of that week and when the video is sent in, their name is put in a draw for prizes.
This initiative is brought to you by Dauphin Minor and Parkland Source for Sports. Jodie Romanow says this isn't mandatory for players, but it is a good way to stay sharp until we can get back on the field.
"It's just something fun that we wanted to do for the kids, now they can look forward to a new video every week," said Romanow.
The videos are done by Carter Williamson, a Dauphin baseball player that is NCCP certified. Last week's video featured the proper throwing mechanics. This week's video is about proper fielding mechanics.
Romanow is hoping teams can return to the field in the middle of next month but in the meantime, she hopes players continue practicing until they can.
"We're encouraging players to keep throwing the ball, we feel that's very important," ended Romanow. "Now that the weather looks great, it's a good idea to head outside and throw the ball around."
Every player that sends their video privately to Dauphin Minor this week will receive free ice cream from Coffee Creations and they will also be entered into the grand prize draw. The final draw is June 19 and that's when gift cards to Parkland Source for Sports will be up for grabs.
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Players, management, the coaching staff, support staff, and everyone involved with the Brandon Wheat Kings organization have had plenty to be excited about as of late.
First, the team won the Subway Cup as the top team in the East Division in the Regina bubble. Brandon's 18-4-2 record gave them 38 points, which was enough to secure the division title. Brandon went 7-2-1 in their final 10 games.
Ben McCartney had a tremendous season as his 37 points were the second-most in the league, only behind Peyton Krebs who added up 43 points. Playing in at least 50 games in every season with Brandon since suiting up in 51 in the 2017-18 season, McCartney scored 13 times and had 24 assists.
Although the Western Hockey League season is over, Ben stayed busy after leaving the bubble in Regina. He played five regular season games with the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League, where he had one goal and four assists. He also played one playoff game. And now, Ben is an official member of the Arizona Coyotes as they signed McCartney to a three-year entry-level contract.
Ben was taken 204th overall in the most recent NHL draft.
In other Wheat Kings news, five members of the club have landed on Central Scouting's final rankings for the upcoming NHL draft.
Jake Chiasson was the highest ranked skater at 61st among North American prospects. Vincent Iorio is rated 71st, Riley Ginnell comes in at 191st, Nolan Ritchie is ranked 197th, and Ethan Kruger is 32nd among North American goalies.
The draft is set for July 23-24.
On top of all of this, former Wheat Kings bench boss Dave Lowry is now with the Winnipeg Jets and their off to the North Division Finals.
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The New York Islanders had six fewer points and five wins fewer than the Pittsburgh Penguins in the shortened 56 game regular season.
The Penguins were red hot entering the playoffs, winners of eight of their final 10 games while the Islanders limped into the playoffs, going 3-4-3 down the stretch. But those stats meant nothing when the playoffs started and they started off well for New York, who got an overtime goal from Kyle Palmieri in game one.
Fast forward 10 days and the Islanders had a chance to advance with one more win and that's exactly what they got, thanks to a former Grand Plain Hawk. After a Brock Nelson goal tied game six at three, Ryan Pulock took over as he hammered a shot from the point that beat Tristan Jarry as New York took a 4-3 lead and that goal ended up being the game-winner in a 5-3 win. The win advanced the Isles' to the East Division final, which begins on Saturday.
🚀 Pulock 🚀 pic.twitter.com/qC622eDUch
— x - New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) May 26, 2021
The goal was Ryan's second of the playoffs and Brock Nelson also had a pair of goals in the win.
"It's always nice when you can help out offensively like that," said Pulock. "Just finishing out that series at home was really special, it was an electric atmosphere, and it was fun to be a part of."
In front of more than 9000 fans, the Islanders won their first playoff series at Nassau Coliseum in 28 years, with the last coming back in 1993. New York's 21 wins on home ice this season were only fewer than Pittsburgh (22) and Colorado (22).
East Division Final:
Next up for New York is a best-of-seven with the Boston Bruins, who finished third in the East Division, two points more than the Islanders. Boston took quick care of Washington beating them in five games.
Both Boston and New York were productive offensively in the first round. The Islanders scored at least three goals in all but one contest as they recorded 21 markers in six games. Boston; meanwhile, had two four-goal games as they scored 16 times. As we look forward to the beginning of the series on Saturday, you could expect a defensive battle.
The Islanders only gave up 128 goals in the regular season -- the second-fewest -- only behind the Vegas Golden Knights who allowed just 124. Boston allowed just 136 goals against, and just three teams have allowed less than that, (Islanders, Colorado, and Vegas).
Sorokin vs Rask:
Both Ilya Sorokin and Tuukka Rask were fantastic in the first round. Sorokin went 4-0 with a 1.95 goals-against average while Rask was 4-1 with a 1.81 goals-against average to go along with a .941 save percentage.
Sorokin is a rookie in the league after playing in the Kontinental Hockey League last year with CSKA Moscow. He went 4-0 with a 0.73 goals-against average to go along with a superb .966 save percentage. What does this mean? It would appear that the 25-year-old from Mezhdurechensk is the real deal and knows how to get it done when the stakes get higher.
Rask; meanwhile, has nine years on Sorokin and he's a former Stanley Cup champion, so he's another goalie that brings his best game when needed. Rask was one of the Bruins that didn't play in the bubble last year for personal reasons.
More:
New York had the edge in the regular season over Boston, going 5-2-1.
The Bruins and Islanders will play each other in the playoffs for the third time and first since 1983 when New York won the best-of-7 Wales Conference Final in six games on the way to winning the last of four straight Stanley Cup championships.
The Islanders won the first five of the eight regular-season games between the teams in the MassMutual East Division before the Bruins won the last three. The three Bruins victories came after they acquired left wing Taylor Hall from the Buffalo Sabres in a trade on April 12 to strengthen their forward depth behind their top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak.
Hall went on to record 14 points in 16 games with Boston as the team's scoring average went from 2.72 goals per game before the trade to 3.41 goals per game after the trade. Boston followed that up by averaging 3.20 goals per game against Washington in the first round.
Mathew Barzal was relatively quiet in the first round, recording just three assists in six games, but everyone knows what Barzal is capable of. He led New York with 45 points in 55 games during the regular season and he was key to the Islanders advancing to last year's Eastern Conference Final as he had 17 points, five of which were goals in 22 playoff games.
The fact is New York will likely be in tougher than they were in the first round. Although Pittsburgh finished first in the conference, Boston has far superior goaltending than Pittsburgh had and their offence can be potent.
"They have a good team, they're deep, and all lines can score," ended Pulock. "We have to keep doing our thing. We need to be really steady defensively and we'll go from there."
Saturday's game is set for 7:00 p.m. local time.
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Under current restrictions, you aren't allowed to golf with anyone outside of your home.
As a result, the Dauphin Kings have moved their Par 3 Extravaganza.
It will now take place Saturday, August 14.
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The Winnipeg Jets went into their series with the Edmonton Oilers, on paper, as underdogs. Winnipeg finished nine points behind Edmonton in the North Division standings and they won just two of the nine regular-season meetings.
But as it is often said, the regular season means nothing when the puck drops on the Stanley Cup playoffs and that saying couldn't be more evident than now. The Jets swept the Oilers in their best-of-seven, which concluded on Monday night with a triple-overtime thriller. The series only took four games, but it was much closer than that. The final three games went into overtime and Winnipeg kicked off the series with a 4-1 win, two of the goals were into the empty net.
Dave Lowry is an assistant coach for Winnipeg and he said it was a series that could have gone either way.
"Both teams were extremely close, that's plain and simple," said Lowry. "We knew we would have to keep the games close, that was our chance. We had many different guys step up and play big roles for us."
Battle in the net:
Mike Smith vs Connor Hellebuyck, was set to be an intriguing matchup and it certainly lived up to its billing, with Hellebuyck getting the edge. After winning 24 games in the regular season and playing 45, Hellebuyck played great all series. With a 1.60 goals-against average to go along with a .950 save percentage, the former Vezina Trophy winner continues to show why he is viewed as one of the top goaltenders in the league.
Not to take anything away from Mike Smith, he did give Edmonton a chance to win, but Hellebuyck was just a bit better. Connor now has 14 career NHL playoff wins, all coming with the Jets.
"Hellebuyck was excellent for us and that's just what we come to expect," offered Lowry, who spent last season with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League.
McDavid/Draisaitl:
The dominant duo combined for 189 points in the regular season with McDavid leading the way as the superstar recorded 105 points in just 56 games. Against Winnipeg, Connor scored seven goals while Leon lit the twine six times. They also combined for 16 assists against Winnipeg in the nine contests.
So Winnipeg was in tough and it's nearly unstoppable to completely hold the two off the scoresheet, but Winnipeg had success doing just that, with Connor Hellebuyck being a big reason why. Both Connor and Leon were held off the scoresheet in games one and two before the pair came to play in game three as they combined for six points, but it wasn't enough. Winnipeg scored four straight goals to stun the Oilers after falling down 4-1 in the third period.
Connor finished the series with just one goal and three assists while Leon scored twice and added three assists.
"You have to make both of them fight for their chances, it's very tough to stop them," said Lowry. "They had some good looks, but I think we did a really good job of limiting the quality of chances they got."
Ehlers mania:
Nikolaj Ehlers was having a tremendous season with his 21 goals and 25 assists in 47 games played, but, he never got to finish the regular season as he suffered an injury. The injury sidelined Ehlers for multiple weeks and he also sat out the first two games of Winnipeg's series. But he returned in game three and when he did, he propelled Winnipeg to victory.
Trailing in the game 2-0, Ehlers beat Smith with just more than two minutes left in the second to trim the deficit. Then when Josh Morrissey tied the game with five minutes left in the third, Ehlers played hero a short time later. 9:13 into overtime, he scored his second goal of the game and this won lifted Winnipeg to the win, 5-4.
"He has the ability to break open a game and score big goals," said Lowry. "We're very fortunate that he was able to score those goals in game three, that was huge for him and the whole team."
Family affair:
When Dave signed a contract to become an assistant coach with Winnipeg, he was set to return to the NHL. A veteran of 1195 NHL games played himself, Dave had spent five seasons as a coach in the NHL, three with Calgary and two with the Los Angeles Kings.
Adam Lowry has played in 460 regular-season NHL games -- all with the Jets -- after joining the team in the 2014-15 season. Lowry has also played 35 playoff games which means he could reach the 500 games played milestone in the North Division final.
As Winnipeg continues to rest up for the next round, Lowry says it's a special feeling getting the chance to not only coach in the NHL but coach on the same team that his son plays on.
"Being in the National Hockey League is a privilege. I'm extremely fortunate that I was given the chance to work with Paul Maurice and his staff," ended Lowry. "It's been a unique experience coaching Adam, it's not something that happens often, and I know we're both grateful for the opportunity."
Who Winnipeg will square off in the North Division final remains unknown. It would be the Toronto Maple Leafs if they win game five tonight, or it will be the Montreal Canadiens if they can stage a big comeback.
Lowry also says he's very happy for the entire Brandon Wheat Kings organization after they won the Subway Cup as the East Division's top team in the Regina bubble. Lowry led Brandon to a 35-win campaign last year and they were primed to make a deep playoff run before the season was cancelled because of the novel coronavirus.
"I paid very close attention to their year," ended Lowry. "Don has done a tremendous job with that group. We knew last year that this group was special and many players were starting to hit their potential, which makes for a bright future.
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Ryan Pulock played the role of hero on Wednesday night as the New York Islanders have booked a spot in the East Division Final.
Playing game five against Pittsburgh, Pulock scored 8:48 into the second period and that held on as the winner as the Islanders edged Pittsburgh, 5-3.
The Islanders won the series in six games as Pulock also finished the game as a plus four. Next up for the team is the Boston Bruins, who beat Washington in five games.
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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.
"Whether it be men, women, or kids, anyone can play. It's a chance to play with anyone you want to and you'll have a great time doing so," said Danny Scott. "We had a huge success last year and we're expecting the same and even more this year."
Seven flights of prizes will be offered up and each flight is equal prizes. Already nearly 20 teams have registered for the event, less than a day in. 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.
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.
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The Grey Owl Tournament that was set to take place June 11-13 at the Clear Lake Golf Course won't happen for the second year in a row.
Tournament organizers have confirmed this year's event has been cancelled.
"We will be back in 2022 and we look forward to finally celebrating the 60th anniversary of this event," a statement said.
The event in 2022 will be played from June 10-12. As a result of the cancellation, tee times will now be made available to the public. You can call 848-4653 for yours.
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You will often hear people say that they grew up on or near the golf course. For Rob Damsgaard, that was the case as he grew up about a mile away from the Dauphin Lake Golf Club and spent his entire childhood at the golf course playing the game and helping around at the course.
Then in 1984, Rob was hired to work at the course and he started by just picking up golf balls and working in the pro shop. Rob worked 12 years at the course and he earned his assistant's card during this time. Damsgaard remembers a lot about his time at the club, including getting the chance to work with Stan Homeniuk, a local legend that still plays at the club every day.
"I'm extremely thankful for the opportunity that I had in Dauphin," said Damsgaard. "Stan always got us on the course. I realize how lucky I was to play with a pro and the good players that we did play with. It was a great experience from growing up as a young kid at the course to the dozen years I spent working."
Rob left the course after the 1996 season, but he didn't leave the Parkland. Instead, he made the nearly two-hour trip to the Swan River Golf and Country Club as he was named the club's head professional in time for the 1997 season. Rob would spend six years in the position.
"I have so much respect for that town. I wore a lot of hats during my time at the club and I really enjoyed it all," said Damsgaard. "The course was picking up steam as I came in, so we had a lot of success in driving our membership rates and getting more people out."
Rob has worked six years as an assistant pro, six years in a pro shop, and a quarter of a year being a head professional. And Rob has been recognized for being a Class A professional for 25 years.
A true passion of his, Rob couldn't imagine doing anything else besides being at the golf course and he now calls the Players Course in Winnipeg his home.
"That kind of snuck up on me, I was surprised to find it on my doorstep," ended Damsgaard. "I've been in the golf business for nearly 40 years and it's a good feeling, I feel I'm right where I'm supposed to be. I love going to work every day."
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The Mallard Stars are getting set to host their two-man scramble at the Gilbert Plains Country Club.
It will take place on Thursday, July 1 and there is only 36 team spots available. The entry fee is $500/team, $250/player and that includes your round, CP's, skins, your meal, and a chance at cash prizes.
The winning team will take home $2000. To register today, call Eugene Lacquette at 647-1116.
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