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The Dauphin Soccer Association has made the decision to cancel the rest of the spring season.
At this point, Public Health Orders do not allow outdoor gatherings of any type.
"This is very disappointing for our organization, however, we know that it is the best decision for the safety of our players and families," said Nathan Fleck.
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The Manitoba Junior Hockey League has announced that the 2021-22 regular season will begin on September 17.
Dauphin will be in the West Division alongside Neepawa, OCN, Swan Valley, Waywayseecappo, and Virden.
40 of 54 games will be played within division, while 14 will be played outside.
The Centennial Cup wraps up the season in late May.
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The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) hosted its annual general meeting on Thursday night and several motions were passed.
Among the motions passed included allowing each team to have a maximum of eight 20-year-old players. This will increase from the six maximum last season while the previous season each team was able to have a maximum of seven.
The MJHL has yet to complete either of the past two seasons. Two years ago, the season was cancelled in the playoffs while no team played more than 10 games this past season. Doug Hedley says the change is a positive one.
"This is great news for our league, it was a 10 to 2 vote at the meeting," said Hedley. "With what some 18-year-old players have missed out on, this is great news."
The league has also changed the number of games that will be played in the regular season. After a 40 game season was cancelled, the MJHL will move to 54 games next season. Two of these games will be at the league's showcase after it wasn't held last year. The showcase will take place from November 22-24 at Stride Place in Portage la Prairie.
The majority of contests will take place on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. The odd weekday game will also be played.
"It's more conducive with developing players to get to the next level," offered Hedley. "You get more time to train during the week and practice time. Off-ice workouts are also consistent, which is a good thing. Playing on the weekends also makes it more of an event for the city."
The MJHL will play the upcoming season with 12 teams after the Winnipeg Freeze was an expansion team last year. In the 2022-23 season, the league will move to 13 teams as a franchise is heading to Niverville.
Two divisions will be used this upcoming season. Dauphin will be joined by Swan Valley, Waywayseecappo, Virden, Neepawa, and OCN. That means that Steinbach will be in a division alongside the Freeze, Blues, Flyers, Portage, and Selkirk.
Hedley remains busy ahead of training camp -- which at this point -- will take place in early September as the league expects to announce a season schedule within the coming weeks.
Dauphin made a splash last season when they committed Keaton Ziprick of Russell, Hayden Lacquette of Dauphin, and Jayden Jubenvill of Gilbert Plains. The team also committed Sean Williams and Brayden Stevenson, two of the team's top young prospects.
In other news relating to the Kings, their Par 3 Extravaganza will be played on August 14 at the Dauphin Lake Golf Club.
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Ryder Thompson's first year in Portland was many things. It was fun, it was exciting, it was challenging, but it was certainly not quiet.
In his first season with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League, Ryder stayed very busy with all of his hockey activities which include on-ice practices and off-ice training as well.
When Ryder wasn't on the ice, in the gym, or doing any other team-related activity, he would remain busy catching up on all of his school work. The Russell native excelled as he continues his high school studies while playing in the WHL.
Juggling school work with an extremely busy hockey schedule isn't an easy task for many, but Thompson was able to adapt nicely. Ryder has always been excellent in the classroom and he prides himself on getting high marks and learning as much as he can.
And thanks to his focus in the classroom, he's been named one of the Winterhawks' Scholastic Player of the Year. The award is given to those players who excel on the ice and in the classroom, which Ryder and his teammate, Mason Mannek achieved.
"It feels really good to win this, I think it was something that was always in the back of my mind," said Thompson. "I took a lot of pride in what I was doing in the classroom this year and I'm glad it paid off."
Ryder played 14 games this season for a Winterhawks team that finished second in the U.S. Division with their 13-8-3 record. The young man that was drafted 105th overall in the 2019 WHL draft had one assist
"It was great getting to play those 14 games with them this year, it was a learning experience," said Thompson. "I was able to learn a lot and hopefully, I can jump right into things during my 17-year-old year."
As he trains for camp in the fall, Ryder says his goal is to make more of an impact and become an everyday player. Playing in somewhat of a limited role this past season, Ryder was able to impress the coaching staff on many occasions and he's looking forward to continuing to do the same with a bigger role next season. Portland is one season removed from winning the league's regular-season title, as they went 45-11-3-4 in the 2019-20 campaign.
"I need and want to do more, I don't want to be scared out there," said Thompson. "As I'm learning next year, I want to be more of a threat. I shouldn't have to rely on my teammates all the time, I should be creating things for them."
Prior to his 14 games with Portland, Thompson started the season with the Waywayseecappo Wolverines, where he had three assists in eight games, playing alongside Tyson Zimmer who is also from Russell. Zimmer played the WHL season with the Wheat Kings, a team that drafted him sixth overall in 2019.
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The Swan River Golf and Country Club offers the most northern 18 hole golf course in Manitoba and it provides a fun and good test for the elite player while the average golfer will enjoy one of the most scenic and well-maintained courses in the province.
Open to members and non-members, tee times are always available by calling the pro shop at 204-734-3935. 18 holes with a cart for an adult is $80 and memberships are still available.
Clint Weir is the manager and CPGA professional at the club and he says it really is worth the trip up to Swan River to play the course.
"We had a good start to the season and the course is looking great," said Weir. "Just hoping at this point that the restrictions are lessened later this month, even if players have to use their own cart, we hope that foursomes can book times again."
Whether it be in Winnipeg or Flin Flon, golf courses in the province continue to flourish in a time that the pandemic has shut down many amateur sports. In a typical year, about 215 players signed up for a membership in Swan River, whether it be an adult, a junior, or anything in between.
This year, the course could be well on its way to a record year, one that could be the busiest in many years. More than 300 memberships have been purchased this season. The 'young family' membership has really gained traction.
For just $950, two adults and their children can play for the season. The children must be younger than 10. Another popular offering is the '30&under' membership, which costs just $500.
"We really saw the value of the young family membership last year," ended Weir. "The family would play three or four holes and then head to the clubhouse for a snack. It hasn't been as busy for most of this season yet, but that's because people can't dine in at the clubhouse."
Weir welcomes golfers of all skill levels down to the valley. The front nine plays quite open with the biggest challenge coming on the back nine, where precision will be required more often.
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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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