Hrechka Helps Kings Cruise In Opener

It was a dominating performance from start to finish and as a result, the Dauphin Kings kicked off the preseason with a 6-1 win against the Swan Valley Stampeders.

The Stampeders only hit the double-digit mark in shots once -- when they had 10 in the second -- and they finished the contest with just 20 shots. Dauphin; meanwhile, had 57 shots, 26 of which were fired in the final frame.

"I thought we had a great work ethic, these are all kids fighting for jobs," said Chad Facey, assistant coach after the game. "Our team chemistry was great, there was a ton of life on the bench and it was a great win."

The line of Ben Hackl, Garrett Hrecka, and Colby Ralston couldn't be stopped on Monday night. Hackl scored twice and added one assist, Dauphin's Hrechka scored once and added three helpers while Ralston had three assists. In total, the line combined for 10 points.

Hackl opened up the scoring just 59 seconds into the game and Hrechka made it 2-0 at the 6:00 mark. Hackl added his second goal in the second frame.

"That line was very dominant, they moved the puck very well together," offered Facey. "They played in the hard areas, got in on the forecheck and they played solid defensively. They deserved what they got in the game."

After scoring a goal in Sunday's JoFo Cup, Zach Turner scored his first MJHL preseason goal as did Slade Stanick and Matthew Ramsay. Ekam Dhaliwal scored the lone goal in the game for the Stampeders who will end their preseason with a home-and-home against OCN.

Dauphin; meanwhile, is back on home ice on Sunday when they welcome the Neepawa Natives to Credit Union Place. They will then finish the preseason on Wednesday, September 30 when they play the Portage Terriers at Stride Place.

King Tips:

The line of Hrechka, Hackl, and Ralston combined for 10 points, the most of any line.
Mathias Savoie went 8-for-8 in net as he started the game for Dauphin while Ian Lee went 11-for-12 in relief.
Both Stampeder goalies were excellent. Darby Tipton went 22-for-24 while Tressor Wotton made 29 saves on 33 shots.
Dauphin's Hayden Lacquette had one assist and 10-of-18 Dauphin skaters had at least one point.
Dauphin went 0-for-2 on the power play while Swan Valley went just 1-for-7 in the defeat.

Game Summary:

1st

0:59 - Kings - Ben Hackl (1) ASST: Colby Ralston (1), Garrett Hrechka (1)

6:00 - Kings - Garrett Hrechka (1) ASST: Colby Ralston (2), Ben Hackl (1)

2nd

12:31 - Kings - Matthew Ramsey (1) ASST: Hayden Lacquette (1), Jayden Harris (1)

14:00 - Kings - Ben Hackl (2) ASST: Colby Ralston (3), Garrett Hrechka (2)

18:07 - Stampeders - Ekam Dhaliwal (1) ASST: Matthew Munro (1), Will Munro (1) (PP)

3rd

1:51 - Kings - Zach Turner (1) ASST: Braedon Lacomy (1)

16:25 - Kings - Slade Stanick (1) ASST: Nolan Wickham (1), Garrett Hrechka (3)

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Sep 21, 2020 - 10:14 pm

Just as many other teams in the MJHL did, the Swan Valley Stampeders held their main camp over the weekend inside of the Centennial Arena.

Starting on Friday morning, the Club conducted skill sessions and several scrimmages also took place over the course of the three days. The list of players was capped at 34 and included a solid veteran presence and some Parkland prospects.

Will Munro, Stephan Arp, Zack Boychuk, Bo Eisner, and Matthew Munro, all of Swan River competed in the camp. Mikael Foucher who had an all-star type of season last year was back between the pipes as the Stampeders push to the regular season continues.

"It's been great, the intensity over the weekend was tremendous," offered Foucher. "There are a lot of new faces, it was exciting to see them trying to make the team, it's been fun."

Foucher won 24 games for Swan Valley last season which was tied for the third-most in the league. He had a .917 save percentage which was the second-best in the league and his 2.80 goals against average was the third-best in the league. Originally from St-Hubert, Quebec, Foucher joined the organization after an all-star 2018-2019 season with the St. Louis Jr. Blues who play in the NA3HL.

As a 20-year-old, Mikael knows he has just one more season of junior hockey to impress scouts at the next level and his off-season routine was full of workouts and preparation as he looks to help the Stampeders make the MJHL playoffs again, something they've become accustomed to over the past several years.

"I was hitting the weights a ton in the offseason, I want to continue getting bigger and stronger," said Foucher. "I want to be intense and help this team win games."

Swan Valley won 35 games last season and finished fourth in a highly competitive year in which eight teams won at least 31 games. They were up 2-1 on Waywayseecappo when the season was cut short due to the novel coronavirus and they put up 10 goals in game three against the Wolverines.

Barry Wolff had a busy summer adding pieces that the team had lost due to graduation after that game and Foucher is thrilled with what he's seen so far.

"The skill level is great, it's been super competitive," ended Foucher. "We have a lot of speed, we have some big guys, and we have skilled guys. It's going to be really interesting to see what we can do come October 9."

Swan Valley will play in the Northwest Division this year alongside the Dauphin Kings, Waywayseecappo Wolverines, and the OCN Blizzard. Each team will play each other eight times and each team plays their non-divisional opponents twice throughout the season.

Four games in nine days to begin the season for the Stampeders will begin on opening night. The first of eight Parkland battles is November 20 at the Centennial Arena and Darnell Duff will have the call of that game beginning at 6:45. That's the first of four straight between the Parkland rivals in a matter of nine days.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Sep 21, 2020 - 2:00 pm

The captain of the Winnipeg Jets is calling on Premier Brian Pallister to make masks mandatory in the province as Manitobans continue to fight COVID-19.

@BrianPallister time for universal mask mandate. Why not? Let’s take care of each other.
— Blake Wheeler (@BiggieFunke) September 20, 2020

In the Prairie Mountain Health region, masks aren't mandatory. Certain companies do require mask-wearing; however, including Liquor Marts and Walmart, just to name a couple.

29 new cases of COVID were reported on Sunday while 40 were reported last Friday. Sandwiched in the middle were 18 cases on Saturday as the cases have surged in the province in the past week. 22 new cases and two additional deaths were reported on Monday.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Sep 21, 2020 - 1:06 pm

The Dauphin Kings ended main camp on Sunday afternoon with their annual JoFo Cup which was won by Team Trotz.

With that now in the past, the Kings will host their preseason opener tonight as the Swan Valley Stampeders are in town for the first of three tune-up games for the Kings leading up to October 9 which is when the 2020-2021 season officially begins.

Monday night's game will be the annual rookie game as both teams will ice young rosters. Included in Dauphin's roster will be Sean Williams, Zach Turner, and Brayden Stevenson, just to name a few. All three excelled over the weekend at main camp.

"We have some really strong 2002 born players and I really like our 16-year-old players," offered Hedley. "I'm looking forward to seeing them play against Swan Valley rookies."

After the game, the Kings will trim down their roster ahead of a full week of practice. The team’s game against Neepawa that was scheduled to be played on Saturday, October 3, will now be played this Sunday, September 27.

Dauphin will end its preseason with a game in Portage against the Terriers on Wednesday, September 30.

"We're looking forward to a good week of compete and some practices, we'll have five of them before that game against Neepawa."

Kings Tips:

When will tickets be on sale before each game?
During the regular season, the ticket office will open at 6:30 p.m.

Do I have to wear a mask in the arena?
Yes, but once you are in your seat you may take it off. If you get up to get food, go to the washroom, or anything else it is mandatory that you wear a mask at this time.

All fans must use the self-assessment tool before attending games, and if feeling unwell, are asked to leave the building.
If you have an assigned seat, please remain in that seat. There is no standing at this time.
Fans on the concourse should be moving except when at the concessions, washrooms, or exiting the building.
Fans should remain in their seats during intermissions, except for moving directly to a washroom, concession, or when exiting the facility.
Fans are encouraged to socially distance themselves from people outside their household.

Right now there are about 100 walk-up tickets available for each regular-season game; however, as Season Tickets are sold that number will decrease. The Kings are also no longer selling Flex Packs for the season. Everyone who has purchased a Flex Pack will be given 10 or 30 vouchers to redeem at the Speedy Glass South Ticket Office before every Kings home game.

"Season tickets are currently being printed, so they're not quite ready yet," said Christian Laughland, Director of Business Operations. "We're hoping to have them ready for our next exhibition game which we expect to be on Sunday against Neepawa."

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Sep 21, 2020 - 10:00 am

A showdown between Dennis Lukey and John Tomlinson was needed to determine a champion as the Gilbert Plains Country Club held its club championship on Sunday.

In the end, Lukey captured victory on the second playoff hole. Both players shot 76 which forced a playoff.

Despite coming up just short, Tomlinson said it was a thrill.

"It was pretty great playing in front of the people watching the playoff, that was fun," said Tomlinson.

The second place finish caps off an impressive summer for John who won the 5th flight at the Tamarack and he also won Tuesday night men's league alongside Laurie Vrooman.

Dean Murray finished in third with a 77.

Walter Toderian won the first flight with an 84 while Scott Lynxleg placed second with an 85 which needed a count back. Finishing in third was Stan Mancheese.

Pearl Maksymetz won the ladies title with an 87 while Marilyn Schwitzer shot a 95. Finishing in third was Marie Sawyer with a 98.

The first flight was captured by Nettie Tycholes with her countback on a 114. Teresa Gulak finished in second, also scoring a 114.

Linda Murray finished in third with a 117.

The u18 championship flight was won by Jackson Delaurier shot an 80 while Boston Karlson fired an 88.

Hayden Shtykalo shot a 97 to win the u12 championship flight while Quinten Fisk shot 103. Zac Fillion fired a 105.

Closest to the Hole on #4 - John Tomlinson - 10' 2"

Closest to the Hole on #9 - Boston Karlson - 4'

Closest to the Hole on #14 - Kenai Mouck - 5'

Closest to the Hole on #17 - Gord Maclean - 10' 2.5"

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Sep 20, 2020 - 8:08 pm

Dauphin Kings main camp has officially come to a close, but it didn't without a thriller inside of Credit Union Place on Sunday afternoon.

The team hosted its JoFo Cup and Team Barry Trotz nipped Team Butch Goring, 7-5. Team Trotz opened the game with a goal just 50 seconds in when Colby Jaquet fired one past a screened Mathias Savoie. Team Trotz would score three more goals in the period as they took a 4-0 lead heading into the second period.

Parker Fofonoff responded for Team Goring in the second as he scored two quick goals to bring Team White within two goals with plenty of time left. After Team Trotz made it 5-2, Team Goring scored two straight to bring the game within a goal.

Team Trotz would respond once again as they took a 6-4 lead late before Parker Malchuk beat Matthias Smith to bring the game within one. In the end, last year's most valuable player Grady Hobbs scored into the empty net to seal the 7-5 win.

Trotz goal scorers: Colby Jaquet, Zach Turner, Noah Wanger, Sean Williams, Andrew Andries, Austin Lamotte, and Grady Hobbs.

Goring goal scorers: Parker Fofonoff (X2), Kadin Ilott, Kaden Bryant, and Parker Malchuk.

"I liked the game. Obviously, Team Trotz definitely dominated the first period, but Goring came back and battled hard," said Doug Hedley, head coach, and general manager. "It was an extremely competitive second half of the game. The energy was great and the speed was good. It was great to see."

It was the first time all weekend that Grady Hobbs and Austin Lamotte hit the ice. The dominate duo didn't take part in either scrimmage on Friday or Saturday. They scored two of the team's goals on Sunday and generated several other solid chances while playing on a line with Noah Wagner.

"I thought that line was really good. Both Hobbs and Lamotte showed their speed," offered Hedley. "The line was making something happen every time they were on the ice."

On the other end as mentioned above, Fofonoff led the way for Team Goring with two goals. Koby Morriseau created many chanced with Kaden Bryant also scored as it truly was a battle of the top lines on Sunday afternoon.

"Kaden had a really nice goal. Malchuk also worked really well with that unit," ended Hedley. "Some really nice players were made and that's usually not something that happens this early in the season, so it was a great start."

Hedley went on to say that Matthias Smith was the team's best goaltender all camp long. He allowed just one goal in his 30+ of action. Dauphin will now focus on its preseason game tomorrow evening against the Swan Valley Stampeders. Both teams will ice young rookies in their annual "rookie game".

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Sep 20, 2020 - 4:44 pm

A shootout that took nearly 10 minutes ended the scrimmage portion of Dauphin Kings main camp on Saturday evening inside of Credit Union Place. It featured several great saves from Matthias Smith and Ian Lee.

Prior to that, Carson Cecconi scored twice for Team Black in a 5-4 win while Sean Williams also scored two goals for Team Black. Charles Massey led the way for Team Red with two goals while Brayden Stevenson had one goal, one assist, and an overall solid performance.

In net, Zach Grouette from Dauphin played the first 30 minutes of the game and he made 28 saves on 30 shots. Keaton Ziprick; meanwhile, went 16-for-20.

In the first game of the day, Grouette was very solid as well as he went 13-for-13 between the pipes in 20 minutes. Matthias Smith who played for the Kings last season was perfect as he went 16-for-16. Owen Wareham, Cordell Coleman, and Slade Stanick scored for Team Black in the 3-2 win. Charles Massey had another goal for Team Red.

The organization now switches its focus to the JoFo Cup which will be played on Sunday afternoon inside of Credit Union Place. Darnell Duff will have the call of the game right here on 730CKDM beginning at 2:00 p.m. The broadcast will feature an interview with Christian Laughland who will give you all the details on season tickets this season and why you should join the fun.

After Sunday, the Kings welcome the Swan Valley Stampeders to town on Monday as the preseason begins ahead of October 9 when the Kings welcome Waywayseecappo in the Club's home opener.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Sep 19, 2020 - 7:24 pm

Competitiveness was a word that has been used a lot over the last several days ahead of Dauphin Kings main camp and competitive was exactly what it was as day one has now come to a close.

The Club iced two different teams on Friday as two scrimmages were held, one during the afternoon and another one wrapped up the evening. Each team was made up of three lines of forwards and three lines of defenceman.

"It was a good day, the compete level, the skill, and the intensity was there throughout the games," said Doug Hedley, head coach, and general manager. "Not playing a lot of 5-on-5 makes it different, but we definitely saw some guys that can move the puck. Goaltending was good so things are just going to get better moving forward."

Parker Malchuk was one of the team's biggest acquisitions in the summer. He played with the Neepawa Natives to start last season before he ended the campaign with the Terriers. In three playoff games against Dauphin, he scored one goal and had one assist.

He went to Portage on a loan and ended up back with Neepawa, where he was acquired in a package that saw Carter Sawchuk head to Neepawa.

Malchuk scored on a beautiful shot in the second game and also set up another beautiful goal as he put together a multi-point game. On the back end, he was also solid limiting Team Black. He played on a like with Jean-Michael Gilbert who committed to the team over the summer.

"He has a high skill set and he moved the puck so well. It was definitely fun to watch," offered Hedley. "Colby Jaquet was also really good; he's skating really well especially with his first two or three strides."

Garrett Hrechka, Jayden Jubenvill, and Hayden Lacquette were the three Parklanders that took part in the first day of camp. Hrechka is looking to make the team after graduating from the Rangers after last season while Jubenvill and Lacquette were getting in some extra reps ahead of Rangers camp next week. All three showed signs of solid play throughout the day.

The Kings will hold another two scrimmages on Saturday and a goaltenders session. Moving forward to Sunday, the team will host its JoFo Cup inside of Credit Union Place. Darnell Duff will broadcast the game beginning at 2:00 p.m. It's unlikely last year's most valuable player in Grady Hobbs will hit the ice on Saturday; however, the plan is for him to play on Sunday.

"We want to get our 20-year-olds in on Sunday, it's obviously their last chance to play in that game," said Hedley.

It's a quick turnaround for Dauphin after Sunday as they welcome the Swan Valley Stampeders to town on Monday as MJHL preseason hockey is nearly upon us. The Kings will trim down numbers over the coming days and Hedley is expecting some tough decisions.

"Our top-six right now is pretty good, we have to get the right mix in that six to 12 spot," ended Hedley. "Our goal going into the season is small egos, big mission. We have to get those guys that want to buy in and we need to assure the work ethic is there."

Caelan Armstrong makes a nice save on one of the two penalty shots in game two.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Sep 18, 2020 - 7:14 pm

Although the curling world has been heavily altered on a provincial, national, and international level, curling in Dauphin, it's coming back.

The 2020-2021 season will begin after the Thanksgiving long weekend inside the Dauphin Curling Club as Dauphin Rec Services will begin to put in the ice in the coming weeks.

The Dauphin Curling Club had a meeting earlier this month and they decided that with extra precautions, the new season is a go and various leagues will be back.

"We know that not a lot of people will be travelling this winter, so we're hoping to attract a bunch of new faces," said Morgan Kropelnicki, President of the Dauphin Curling Club.

Here is a list of this year's leagues and how you can register for them.

Monday and Wednesday afternoon league - Heather Medwid at 638-7192.
Monday night ladies league will be holding a registration night on September 28 from 7:00-8:00 p.m. inside the Curlers Lounge and you can also email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.
Wednesday Men's Club - Chris Todoruk at 648-7989.
Thursday night Legion mixed league - Keith Pottle at 638-3661.

Although this season is a go, there are some changes as outlined by Curling Canada. Two major changes are there is only one sweeper allowed during the delivery of your team's rock. You also are not able to sweep the opponent's rock in the house to respect social distancing.

When it comes to why you should join a league at the Dauphin Curling Club, Kropelnicki says it's a wonderful way to spend your winter.

"When you become a curler, you're a curler for life. You can play it from when you're eight-years-old to 80," ended Kropelnicki. "It's extremely fun and you meet new people. Whether you're playing competitively or just want to play for fun, we have anything you're looking for."

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Sep 18, 2020 - 3:09 pm

The Dauphin Minor Baseball Association has been approved for a grant from the Manitoba government through its Building Sustainable Communities program. The grant will go towards significant improvements at the Vermillion Sportsplex which will begin next week.

The improvements in all will total roughly $30,000. $15,000 of which will come from Dauphin Minor Ball while the government will match that amount.

"We feel very fortunate that our grant was approved," said Jodie Romanow, President of Dauphin Minor. "I was super excited to let our board know that our hard work for applying for the grant has paid off. We're really looking forward to moving forward with our improvements."

All 10 dugouts at the facility will be fitted with helmet cubbies, equipment hangers, new benches, and a coach/water table. All the benches will be replaced and three of the five diamonds will have backs installed on all the benches. The facility will also have a new two-lane batting cage, new clay and home plate for the cage in the batter's box, and new pitching/batting training equipment.

This is where the community comes in. Dauphin Minor is one of the groups that use the facilities; however, many other groups use Vermillion Sportsplex including the Dauphin fastball league and the Dauphin competitive slopitch league. Part of Dauphin Minor receiving the grant from the government is community involvement. That means you can help with these improvements next week.

Jodie is asking all user groups of the diamonds to come out next Saturday, September 26 beginning at 10:00 a.m. and next Sunday, September 27 beginning at 1:00 p.m. to help out, rain or shine. People are asked to bring (if you have) a cordless drill with your own bits, large drill bit sets, socket and wrench, spades, and work gloves. Kids over the age of 12 are welcome but they will be put to work with easier tasks. Refreshments and snacks will be provided.

"We need to put our own sweat equity into this project, that's the bottom line," added Romanow.

These improvements will be front and centre for many years moving forward, and athletes from across the province will also see them during next summer's Manitoba Summer Games will be held, and Vermillion Sportsplex will be the host of the baseball event.

"When all of our user groups host events, our goal is to leave a great impression on our facilities," ended Romanow. "We want them to go away and tell everyone how great our facilities are."