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What a difference a year can make. Last year the Swan Valley Stampeders finished in 8th place in the MJHL and scored 206 goals through 60 games.
This year, the Stampeders are off to a torrid start (12-2-1-1) which is good enough for second place in the league and they've scored 83 goals which is second in the league.
The Stamps are one point behind Portage for the top spot, but they have a far better winning percentage (.813 compared to Portage's .750).
So yeah, it's safe to say it's been a highlight year so far for the Stampeders.
"We have a really good group of guys here that work hard and always want to compete," said Barry Wolff, Head Coach & General Manager. "We're having lots of success and it's always really nice to win games."
The Stampeders have three players in the top six in scoring. The trio of Josh Tripp, Matthew Osadick, and Quintin Sudom have combined for 78 points this season. That is more than any three players combined from any other team.
"We just have guys that have the ability to find the back of the net when they shoot," said Wolff. "Usually every team has one of those guys, but we're lucky that we have a few of them. We've done a good job of moving our feet in the offensive zone and finding the open lanes and getting shots through when we can. We've also got some bounces around the paint so that's been an advantage to us as well."
In the team's last five games, they've put up at least 36 shots in three of them. That included a 50 shot game against Dauphin this past weekend and so many glorious chances.
The Stamps also have been pretty good defensively. They've allowed just 49 goals which is second only to the Steinbach Pistons. Wolff notes there is always room for improvement, however.
"The defensive side of the game is always a work in progress," added Wolff. "Sometimes when you're scoring a lot, players get caught worrying about scoring and they don't get back and they lose battles. We'll keep working on it going forward."
Despite the clubs red-hot start, the Stamps haven't really built up any breathing room. Then again, no one in the league has. Just eight points separate first from eighth place in the league. Swan will play 11 more games this month and they know how important each and every one is if they hope to remain at the top of the MJHL.
"We've talked a lot about that this season here," said Wolff. "It seems that everyone is getting points on a nightly basis with overtime and shootouts. We don't want to look back at the end of the season and look at a game and think we should have won that, or if we won that one. Every game is super important."
"For us, it's one game at a time and that's what we're focusing on," he added. "We go out every night to get points and that's the bottom line."
As noted before, Josh Tripp is a third of the tremendous trio on top that leads the Stamps. This year could even go down as an extra special one. The 20-year-old is playing in his hometown and this is his final year as a junior hockey player. He's already got 28 points and will almost without a doubt smash his previous high in the MJHL. He had 47 points in the 2015-16 season.
Let's not forget, those 28 points have come through just 16 games. Although it would be hard to continue with the pace he's playing at right now, if he did, Tripp would record well over 90 points this season.
"Tripper has simply been unreal for us. He's one of those kids that can skate full speed with the puck and there aren't many players in any league that can do that," said Wolff. "His ability to score goals is second to none. He had a little bit of a slow start scoring goals, but he's been doing it a lot lately and we're hoping that continues."
Wolff, Tripp, and the rest of the Stampeders are now preparing for the fourth all Parkland battle of the season. The Stamps will welcome the Dauphin Kings to the Centennial Arena on Wednesday evening at 7:30. In the first three meetings, Swan won the first two but Dauphin rebounded this past weekend with a win at Credit Union Place.
Just five points will separate the teams heading into the game.
"They play hard, they work hard and they're well structured," said Wolff. "They have a really good group. Any of the games we've played against them could have gone either way. We were probably lucky to win two of the three so far. I like playing teams back to back, especially when it's good competition. I'm looking forward to playing Dauphin again."
The Stampeders have also been recognized nationally once again. After being ranked #7 in the CJHL Top-20 Rankings last week, the Stamps dropped one spot and are now ranked #8 in all of Canada.
With that being said, it isn't a stat really anyone in the Stamps organization worries about.
"I don't know who does it, but it really means nothing," added Wolff. "It's nice to get recognition, but it doesn't mean much. If we're still playing in May, we've had a good year."
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Jaegar Lapointe has been asked to do a few things this season with the Parkland Midget Rangers.
Score goals and lead the team off the ice as the squad ices a fairly young roster. The 17-year-old Ste. Rose native has done that and so much more so far this campaign.
Although Jaegar and the rest of the Rangers are 4-10 this season, they are coming off one of their biggest wins in recent team history.
"We've definitely had our ups and downs so far this season," said Lapointe. "But this past weekend was definitely a big positive for us. We're hoping to continue doing what we did this past weekend going forward, and I guess we'll see where it takes us."
The clubs win against the (9-3-1) Thrashers yesterday was the team's only win against any team above .500 this season. Before yesterday, the Rangers were outscored 70-14 as they went 0-9 against teams with a winning record.
As he mentioned before, Jaegar is hoping this past weekend is a stepping stone for the team as they look to make a run.
"It was plain and simple our best hockey we've played all season long," said Lapointe. "Even those two losses against Kenora, we competed really hard. It was just a solid weekend for us."
What was different? The complete level.
"A big thing was our urgency to pucks and everyone showing up and wanting to play hard," he added. "It just felt like we were flying out there and playing with a lot of passion."
Of course, Lapointe has been a stud offensively this season. He had eight goals going into yesterday's contest in 13 games. You can now make that 11 goals as the 17-year-old recorded his first hat-trick of the season in the game.
"It definitely felt great," said Lapointe. "I couldn't have done it without my linemates though. They worked really hard to get me the puck and I was just able to capitalize."
In total this season, Jaegar has 20 points in 14 games.
"I'm pretty happy with what I've done so far," added Lapointe. "I'm feeling good, but it's not all about me. The thing that really matters is the team winning. Of course, I want to score, but I want this team to win."
The Rangers will now have a couple practices this week to prepare for another tough weekend. They'll play Southwest on Friday on the road. That's followed with a game in Roblin on Sunday against Pembina Valley.
It's early in the season. But, Jaegar knows it's important to get on a roll now because it's always easier to get points early in the season compared to later. Right now, the Rangers are six points out of a playoff spot.
"It's a very important weekend for us absolutely," added Lapointe. "If we can play as we did against the Thrashers, I think we have a good chance to win these games."
He's a Ranger for now. But, with this being Jaegar's final year as a AAA hockey player, he knows what could be ahead. He nearly made the Neepawa Natives out of training camp.
As he looks to continue shining for the Rangers, the 17-year-old will continue working on a few things so he can make it to the next level.
"I have to get quicker, work on my strength," said Lapointe. "Pretty much just all the basics. I feel I can definitely make it to the next level if I work on those things."
Fun Fact:
The Rangers have four wins this season. In those four wins, Lapointe has seven goals and two assists. So it's safe to say when the Rangers are winning, Lapointe is scoring and doing what he can to help the team win games.
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It's early in the season, but Dauphin's Breken Brezden is already a silver medallist.
The 12-year-old won silver this past weekend at the Manitoba Figure Skating Sectionals in the 16 & Under age group.
That means that Breken has earned her spot in the National Challenge in Edmonton later this month.
"I'm super excited that I won a silver medal at the sectionals," added Brezden. "It's definitely a really big accomplishment and now I can't wait to head to Edmonton."
Winning the medal required a lot of hard work and well, a ton of road trips as well.
"Everything involved a lot of driving to Virden and Brandon and a ton of training," said Brezden. "I knew I was doing really good in training. I knew I had to skate like I was training in the past few weeks and that's what I did."
Yes, Breken is the one doing amazing things on the ice. But, she wouldn't be able to without the support of her coaches and of course family and friends.
"I have to thank my coaches Patti Hole and Donna Drysdale who's from here in Dauphin and Tammy McKay from Brandon," said Brezden. "They push me and teach me so much. I also have to thank all of my family and of course my teachers, because I miss some school during the week."
With this past weekend in her rear-view mirror, Breken will now focus on the National Challenge. An event that will welcome all of the best figure skaters from across the country. The 12-year-old knows it won't be easy, but she also knows how she can have success.
"To be successful I really want to see if I can start landing and have a consistent double axle," added Brezden. "If it's executed well, it's worth a lot of points. It can really separate you from the other competitors, so that's what I'm really going to work hard on."
Breken already knows what it feels like to get high scores. In her short skate on Saturday, she scored a personal best 27.17 points. She followed that up with a personal best in the free skate yesterday. Her score was 50.88 points.
All in all, Breken does have a tough task ahead of her in Edmonton. Being just 12, she'll be skating against girls a few years older than her in the Pre-Novice category. With that being said, Breken is confident in herself.
"I just have to trust myself out there because I know things have been going really well," she added. "I've been progressing so I just have to put my best foot forward all the time and give it all I can."
The Challenge will also be a tryout of sorts. After the event, two skaters will be chosen to represent Manitoba at the 2019 Canada Winter Games in February in Red Deer, Alberta.
Pressure on the 12-year-old?
"I mean getting to the CWG is my ultimate goal for sure," said Brezden. "I don't think there's going to be any pressure on me. If I do what I know I can, I think I have a pretty good chance. It's all about having a positive mindset."
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They started 0-2, they won on Friday and tonight, the Dauphin Clippers hockey team smashed Sandy Bay.
The final score was 14-2.
Keanu Woodhouse and Riley Hammond both had two goals in the first for Dauphin.
In the second, Wade Kopytko, Logan Storey, and Brayden Broome scored for the Clippers.
Broome scored three more times in the third to cap off an incredible four goal game.
Riley Hammond, Wade Kopytko, Logan Conrad, and Noah Wiens all added one in the third for the Clippers in the huge win.
More local scores:
Bantam Grand Plains Ice Dogs lost to Souris Elks, 6-3.
Jayselyn Nybo led the Ice Dogs with two goals.
Brooke Minshull scored the team's other goal.
Parkland Super League of Curling:
Richardson Pioneer skipped by Greg Todoruk beat Oil Depot skipped by Jim Todoruk, 9-3.
Nutrien AG Solutions skipped by Glenn Toews beat Duck Mountain Tire skipped by Brian Preston, 7-4.
Turko Fertilizer skipped by Kyle Forsyth beat South Fork AG Services skipped by Lorne Orpin, 7-1.
Russell Murray beat C. Bergen Service skipped by Tyson Beyak, 5-4.
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Kenai Mouck scored four times, but it wasn't quite enough as Swan River Novice #1 beat Grand Plains #2, 10-7.
Drew Luhowy also had two goals for the Hawks while Connelly McDonald had one.
Here are some other local scores:
Midget Ice Dogs fall 9-1. Mallory Mathesion-Eddie scored the team's lone goal.
Grand Plains Novice Hawks beat Dauphin Dynamite, 22-12.
Dominic Chartrand led the Hawks with four goals. Matthew Ducheck also had four goals. Also scoring four goals for the Hawks was Rhett Legaarden while Cole O'Connor scored three.
Samson Bourgouin led the Dynamite with four tallies and both Nolan Lacquette and Kellan Shtykalo had two each.
Swan River Novice #2 beat Roblin, 17-7.
Grand Plains Atom Hawks beat Dauphin AtoMc Jr Kings, 6-1.
Owen Sigvaldason continued to roll with three goals for the Hawks. Zak Fillion had two and Kingston Stirling had one.
Cash McCallum had the lone marker for the Jr Kings.
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The Parkland Midget Rangers will drive back home from Winnipeg in a great mood.
Jaegar Lapointe had three goals and Garrett Hrechka had the overtime winner as the Rangers stunned the previously 9-2-1 Winnipeg Thrashers in overtime, 6-5.
It was the Thrashers who scored first but DJ Taylor-Luke continued his solid season as he tied it up.
The Thrashers added one more in the first and Lapointe scored his first as the club's went into the locker room tied at two.
Winnipeg scored the only goal in the second to take a 3-2 lead.
The Thrashers doubled up their lead in the third before Lapointe scored his second to bring the Rangers within one.
Winnipeg shortly after restored their two goal lead at 5-3.
Lapointe completed his hat trick just over midway through the third. Then with just over two minutes left, Hrechka scored his most important goal of the season so far to tie it up at 5.
In overtime, Hrechka made sure this upset would happen as he potted the game winner to complete a two-goal afternoon.
Zach Grouette was very good once again for the Rangers. He turned away 49 shots in the game.
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The Dauphin Clippers will play their second home game of the season tonight.
The club welcomes the Sandy Bay Badgers to town as the teams meet for the first time.
Tonight's game will also officially conclude what has been a busy start to the season for the Clippers.
Dauphin's already played three games in the past week and they're 1-2 heading into today's contest. Last time out they beat McCreary on Friday.
Sandy Bay has yet to play a regular season game this season and they won't play for another 12 days after tonight.
The action gets underway at 7:45 at Credit Union Place.
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Brennan Kitchen was nothing short of incredible, and the Dauphin Kings beat the Swan Valley Stampeders tonight, 4-3 in a shootout.
Just 2:50 in, Roblin's Jaden Townsend opened the scoring for Swan Valley.
Rookie Carter Sawchuk tied up the game just under four minutes later as the club's went into the locker room tied at one.
Riley Shamray put the Kings up early in the second before Josh Tripp tied up the contest at two after two.
Once again the two teams traded goals in the third. Eamonn Miller scored his second goal in three games for the Dauphin Kings to put the team up 3-2.
Swan tied it up with just over three minutes left.
After some amazing saves by Kitchen in overtime, the game was shootout bound.
Once again, Kitchen was a brick wall in the shootout. He hasn't allowed a goal in the shootout all season long in three games.
George King and Leeam Tivers scored the Kings shootout goals.
Dauphin's back at it on Wednesday. They head to Swan River to take on the Stampeders.
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Here’s the local scoreboard for November 3.
Hockey:
Midget Parkland Rangers lost to Kenora, 6-3.
The Thistles took a 2-0 lead before Landyn Brasch brought the Rangers within one.
After Kenora extended their lead to 3-1, McCreary’s Hunter Glover brought the Rangers within one again.
Jaegar Lapointe also added one for the Rangers but the Thistles would score three more in the win.
Bantam Rangers led 5-1 after 40 minutes, but ended up falling 6-5 to the Pembina Valley Hawks.
Peewee Grand Plains Ice Dogs beat Rivers, 2-1.
Montana Jubenvill and Brooke Shewchuk scored for the Ice Dogs.
Grand Plains Atom Ice Dogs beat the Oaklake Bandits, 5-3. Kaylee Maguet and Kenzey Garton both had two snipes for the Ice Dogs. The teams other goal was scored by Elisha Caplan.
Grand Plains Novice #2 beat Dauphin #3, 14-3.
Swan Valley Novice #1 beat Roblin, 14-5.
Swan Valley Atom beat Ste. Rose, 18-0.
Volleyball:
Gilbert Plains varsity girls volleyball team lost in A-Side Consolation Finals to Green Valley in three sets.
Dauphin Clippers varsity boys volleyball team lost in 9th place semifinals to Green Valley.
Football:
Dauphin Clippers lost Rural Manitoba Football League semifinal to Swan Valley, 50-6.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers lost 33-24 to Edmonton. They’ll travel to Regina next weekend.
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The Grand Plains Atom Hawks defended their home ice earlier today, by beating the Dauphin AtoMc Jr Kings in overtime, 5-4.
Zak Fillion put the Hawks up 1-0. Cash McCallum responded for the Jr Kings with a goal in the second, but the Hawks also put up two to take a 3-1 lead. The Hawks goals were scored by Laydn Garton and Grady Turetsky.
McCallum continued a brilliant performance for the Jr Kings in the third scoring two more to complete his hat-trick.
Ryzlie Nepinak scored one more for the Jr Kings and Kingston Stirling potted one for the Hawks to send the game into overtime.
It took just 21 seconds in the extra frame to find a winner, as Owen Sigvaldason sealed it for the Hawks.
Here are some other local scores:
Grand Plains Novice Hawks #1 beat Dauphin Novice #1 Jr Kings, 14-3.
Cole O’Connor led the Hawks with four goals and one assist. Matthew Ducheck had three goals and so did Chayce Stoski. Dominic Chartrand also had a solid game scoring twice. Ryan Rourke and Rhett Legaarden rounded out the scoring for the Hawks with one each.
Garret Sahulka, Brandon Wood, and Brody Kaminski scored one each for the Kings.
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The Ebb & Flow varsity boys volleyball team are Champions!
The team went undefeated en route to winning the Lundar tournament.
In the round robin, the team beat Ashern, St. Laurent, Fisher Branch, and Lundar.
They then met Lundar in the finals. The T-Birds dispatched of them 25-11, 19-25, 15-10 to win the tournament.
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