Cubs Represent Neepawa Very Well

The Neepawa Cubs senior baseball team wasn't exactly riding high into the playoffs in the Santa Clara Baseball League.

Finishing with a regular season record of five and 10, the Cubs were fifth out of six teams with only the Minnedosa Mavericks behind them. Neepawa also finished two and a half games behind Portage who finished in fourth place.

At the end of the day, the Cubs were playoff bound and they showed that regular season statistics don't mean a thing when it comes down to it. Opening up the playoffs against Portage, the Cubs came out and won game one before dropping game two. Needing a win in game three, the Cubs came up clutch to win the series.

That put Neepawa up against the Plumas Pirates and it was a series that went right down to the wire. Just like they did against Portage, Neepawa opened their second round with a win, but Plumas responded with a win in game two and ultimately, the Pirates sent the Cubs home packing with a win in game three.

Despite the loss in game three to end their season, Neepawa wasn't expected to even make it out of the first round, but they forced a deciding game three in the second round.

"You could see all of the younger guys were learning and gaining that experience which was great," said Rempel. "We all started playing very well as a team and we were hitting the ball, it was a very exciting run. I think everyone is pretty happy with how things turned out, even though we came up short."

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Now that the season has come to an end, Rempel is looking back at the highs and lows and July 7 will go down as one to remember. That's when Neepawa hosted Plumas in their first-ever Field of Dreams game. The game was in support of Kendall's Crew Dream Ride 2023 for a young girl that continues to undergo cancer treatment.

$2400 was raised and to add a cherry on top, Neepawa came out on top with a thrilling 2-1 win. It was the team's final game of the regular season and it couldn't have ended in a better way.

"The stands were packed which was awesome, a lot of money was raised for a great cause," said Rempel. "To come out with the win was extra special. I also believe that game also helped us get more fans to our playoff games because they realized some pretty good ball was being played. It was a special night and it was one to remember."

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Fielding an overall inexperienced young roster this year, Rempel is looking forward to the future of the Cubs as they prepare to return to the Santa Clara Baseball League in the summer of 2024.

"We have a good core of older guys that are likely going to be back," ended Rempel. "The younger guys also really seemed to enjoy themselves and they should be coming back as well. I think we're looking pretty good for years to come."

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Aug 10, 2023 - 9:30 am

The Layne Stars senior women’s fastball team are on top of the country.

In Calgary for the Canadian Native Fastball Championships, it was an undefeated weekend for the Stars as they went on to a capture a national championship.

In the final, Layne Stars beat ECM from Six Nations, 3-0. They were the defending national champions.

Prior to that victory, the Stars looked just as dominant as they did in the finals. They outscored their opponents in their previous four games, 24-2, and in total, they scored 27 runs in their five games while giving up just the two.

Jorde Chartrand was named the tournament’s most valuable player and she was also the top pitcher.

Sally Leask was the tournament’s top player that played first base while the best right fielder award went to Mikayla Lacquette. Aurora Henry won the award for the player that played the best at second base.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Aug 9, 2023 - 12:51 pm

Credit Union Place will be packed on Friday, September 22 as the Dauphin Kings open the Manitoba Junior Hockey League season with an all-Parkland battle as they go up against the Swan Valley Stampeders.

Dauphin fell in the first round against the Stampeders last year, one year after they won the Turnbull Cup and advanced to the national semi-final. This year, the team welcomes back a very deep back end which includes the likes of Aidan Brook of Roblin, Anthony Bax, and Nolan Wickham, to name a few.

Havyril Simchuk of Ukraine will also return. He made his junior debut with Dauphin last year and he scored in the shootout against Portage. From Kyiv, Simchuk posted 15 goals and 22 points in 16 games last year with the U-18 Parkland Rangers and he had two points in three games with Dauphin.

It's safe to say that it will be an exciting season and ahead of training camp that opens in a few weeks, early bird season tickets are on sale over the next two days.

"We have a very good nucleus of players coming back," said Derrick Brucks, Director of Marketing. "We also had some top-end players coming back offensively, so that's exciting. The MJHL is a very exciting brand of hockey."

On Wednesday and Thursday, you can get your season tickets at the early bird prices of:

Adults - $249 ($8.89 per game)

Senior - $219 ($7.82 per game)

Students - $119 ($4.25 per game)

Child's pass - $59 ($2.10 per game)

"These are some very inexpensive tickets," ended Brucks. "We're very much looking forward to the season and we hope you will join us."

After Thursday, ticket prices will be increasing at all age levels.

Adults - $259 ($9.25 per game)

Senior - $229 ($8.17 per game)

Students - $129 ($4.60 per game)

Child's pass - $69 ($2.46 per game)

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Aug 9, 2023 - 9:30 am

Ryan Gower had three goals and two assists as Team Soupy picked up their first win as the Parkland Source for Sports 4-on-4 Summer League continued Tuesday.

Rylan Gibbs continued to dominate as he scored two more goals while adding three assists in a 12-8 win over Team Carefoot. Ethan Carnegie also scored twice for Team Soupy as did Josh Yakielashek. Kenai Mouck, Dominic Chartrand, and Carter Rands scored the team’s other goal in the win.

In the late game, it was a thriller that saw Team Hedley beat Team Freese, 11-10. Quinten Fisk and Cade Legaarden both scored hat-tricks in the victory. Legaarden also had three assists. Cash Clarkson scored a pair of goals while Noah Smigelsky, Rhett Legaarden and Sadie Swanton also scored in the win for Team Hedley.

Forrest Karlson and Carter Zalischuk also scored three goals; however, their goals came in the defeat as they play on Team Freese. Ryzlie Nepinak scored twice in the game while Axel Dunning and Will Busby also found the back of the net.

The action continues Thursday at Credit Union Place and it’s free to watch.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Aug 9, 2023 - 7:46 am

The Gilbert Plains Country Club knows how to a hold a first-class tournament and they once again showed that on Tuesday.

112 players hit the course in the senior open, which is an increase of 23 as 89 played in the event last year.

Mike Toth in the end secured the title as he shot 77. Dean Murray put together a very solid 18 holes to finish second with a 79 on a count back while Kevin Boucher finished in third, also with a 79.

FIRST FLIGHT

1^ST – Lino Santos 86

2^nd – Orest Nimetz 87 CB

3^rd – Joey Pasternak 87 CB

SECOND FLIGHT

1^st- Laurie Vrooman 91 CB

2^nd-Darcy Boucher 91 CB

3^rd– Larry Hammett 91 CB

THIRD FLIGHT

1^ST – Mike Bicklmiere 96 CB

2^nd– Murray Kalechyn 96 CB

3^rd– Dale Brooks 96 CB

FOURTH FLIGHT

1^st– Dean McConnell 104 CB

2^ND- Sheldon Birss 105 CB

3^rd– John Abram 105 CB

PUTTING CONTEST (ALL) –

LLOYD CAMPBELL

CLOSEST TO THE LINE # 5 –

Tom Archuk

CLOSEST TO THE HOLE # 4 –

David Chartier 21.5 in

CLOSEST TO THE HOLE #14 –

Kevin Boucher 19 ft 4.5 in

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Aug 8, 2023 - 11:13 pm

When the Yorkton Terriers hit the ice for the 2023-24 season, they will have a new leader leading the organization.

A member of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, the organization has announced that Met Hehr has stepped down as the team’s head coach and general manager.

Hehr joined the club as an assistant in 2016 and he was named the team’s head coach and general manager the following year.

He leaves Yorkton with a record of 127-130-6. Yorkton failed to make the playoffs this year, one year after advancing to the second round after a dramatic seven-game series win against Melfort.

The Terriers are now looking for a new leader and the search has begun. If you are interested, contact Corvyn Neufeld at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Aug 8, 2023 - 3:04 pm

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will be in Edmonton on Thursday to open up Week 10 of the Canadian Football League season.

The Detroit Lions will be in Kansas City in just less than a month to open up the National Football League (NFL) season. Here in Manitoba, the Dauphin Clippers will head on the road in a couple of weeks to open up their season in the Rural Manitoba Football League.

The football season is officially here and the Clippers will open training camp on Wednesday at the DRCSS at 6:00 p.m. Players of all skill levels are welcome. Any player planning to attend should bring shorts, runners or cleats, and plenty of water.

Cam Bennet, who recently retired as a teacher at the high school, will remain with the club as their assistant general manager and he's looking forward to another season on the gridiron.

"It's going to be a good season, we have some interesting games coming up with the addition of those two Winnipeg teams," said Bennet. "We always start up after the Long Weekend in August and I know everything is itching at the bit to get going. We'll start with some conditioning and we will go from there."

As noted above, players of all skill levels are welcome. So even if you haven't played the game before, Cam is welcoming you out to try it out.

"Football is a team sport that relies on everyone," said Bennet. "There is a space on the team for anyone, regardless of their body size or ability. There is always a role to play, in my opinion, it's the ultimate team sport."

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Aug 8, 2023 - 5:30 am

It was an old-fashioned beatdown and it was a perfectly sized piece of revenge pie.

After a 30-6 loss against BC earlier this year at IG Field, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers had a chance to respond against their West Division rivals on Thursday night and they did just that. Winnipeg led 14-1 after the first quarter and they never looked back in a 50-14 drubbing of the Lions in front of an incredible crowd at IG Field.

The Bombers also led 27-4 at halftime. Zach Collaros was razor sharp as he completed 19 passes for 369 yards and he threw three touchdowns while Dru Brown threw for 78 yards. Brady Oliveira was solid on the ground with 67 yards.

Kenny Lawler had a monster game thru the air with 200 yards, his longest was 64 yards while Dalton Schoen had 137 yards and two touchdowns. Winnipeg was outstanding defensively as well as they allowed just 189 yards through the air.

With the win, the Bombers now jump into a tie atop the West with BC as both teams are 6-2. Winnipeg is off to Edmonton next Thursday.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Aug 4, 2023 - 8:38 am

Cade Legaarden stole the show on Thursday evening as the Parkland Source for Sports 4-on-4 Hockey League continued at Credit Union Place.

The Parkland Ranger forward lit up the scoreboard with seven goals and three assists as Team Freese remained perfect with a 24-15 win over Team Soupy. Legaarden's 10-point performance was the first from a player this summer.

Forrest Karlson also had a hot-stick with four goals and two assists while Axel Dunning scored three times as did Jordan Height and Carter Zalischuk. Ryder Gardner had one goal and two assists. Layne Wolfenden found the back of the net once while adding three assists while Brody Kaminski had four points, one of which was a goal. Also finding the back of the net was Brandon Wood.

Rylan Gibbs -- who scored four times on Tuesday -- remained red-hot as he scored six times in the defeat. Josh Yakielashek and Ethan Carnegie recorded hat-tricks for Team Soupy while Carter Rands, Thomas Schmidt, and Rhett Legaarden scored a single goal.

The final game of the night came down to the wire as Team Carefoot edged Team Hedley, 13-11. Tavyn Boychuk and Brayden Budalowski both scored three times in the victory. Brayden Alf and Kellen Shtykalo scored two goals each in the win. Marco Bodnarski found the back of the net once while adding one assist while Noah Hanneson and Luke Harness both chipped in with a goal.

In the defeat, Quinten Fisk, Sam Swanton, and Cash Clarkson all scored two goals each. Clarkson now has six goals in two games. Ronin Mouck led the way for Team Hedley with three goals. Also, scoring was Jake Myhre and Noah Smigelsky.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Aug 4, 2023 - 8:22 am

He will go down as one of the best receivers in Canadian Football League history and is adding to an extremely impressive resume.

Milt Stegall has been named a member of this year's Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame class, alongside two other athletes, two builders, and one team. During a 14-year with with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1995 to 2008), Stegall finished with 854 receptions for 15,153 yards and 144 touchdowns.

A nine-time CFL all-star, Stegall retired after the 2008 season as the league's all-time leading receiver, a mark that was topped by Geroy Simon in 2012. However, Milt still holds the league record for most career touchdowns with 147, most career touchdown receptions with 144, most single-season touchdowns with 23, and most single-season touchdown receptions with 23. The now 53-year-old was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player in 2002and he was inducted into the Winnipeg Football Club Hall of Fame in 2009 and was a first-ballot inductee into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2012.

Stegall will be inducted on Thursday, November 2 at Victoria Inn in Winnipeg.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Aug 3, 2023 - 11:52 am

Thursday is training day and come Friday, it will be time to get down to business.

Rugby Alberta is hosting the Western Championships this weekend and the Parkland will be very well represented at the event as 22 players from the region are getting the opportunity to represent their region and province.

U-16 boys: Ben Miner, Colton Miner, Kingston Stirling, Sully Fox.

U-18 boys: Will Miner, Matthew Zurba, Joseph Lopez, Scott Gower, Lars Gudbjartson, Oliver Dandeneau, and Rhett Tkachyk.

U-18 girls: Allee Hrechka, Elijah Chartrand, Brooke Miner, Mai Maguet, Sage Marohn, Emma Fox, Megan Thompson, Raylyn Koshowski, Chloe Fletcher, Bree Walker, Anika Sakal.

Felicity Sahulka and Paityn Bourgouin will be suiting up with the Saskatchewan U-16 girl's team as there is no Manitoba team in that age group.

Shawn Sarkonak of Dauphin will serve as a coach at the event.

"It's quite amazing to see," said Sarkonak. "It just proves how the sport of rugby is growing in the Parkland area, it's incredible."

The Manitoba U-18 girls will open their competition on Friday at 11 against the Pacific Northwest Loggers before taking on the British Columbia Bears at 3:00 on Friday. That's followed up by one more round-robin game on Saturday morning against the Wolfpack.

The Manitoba U-18 boys open their competition on Friday morning against Rock before playing Ontario later in the afternoon. Then on Saturday morning, they play the Pacific Northwest Loggers followed up with a match against the British Columbia Bears.

Ben Miner, Colton Miner, Kingston Stirling, and Sully Fox will play back-to-back games on Friday, first against the Wolfpack and then against the British Columbia Bears. They will then play those same two teams on Saturday as the U-16 boys' competition features only three teams.

These Parkland athletes were in Edmonton not long ago for the Alberta Regional Championships and now that the lights will become a little bit brighter, Sarkonak says they are ready to go.

"These players have been playing together for five or six games now and that bodes well for us, it allows us to start on our front foot, not our back foot," said Sarkonak. "We feel that we're in a very good position to start off strong."

Sarkonak also knows that at the end of the day, it's all about the players and what they can take from this event to further themselves moving ahead.

"It's exciting to see where we will match up with these teams," ended Sarkonak. "This is all about the experience, it's a great chance to get noticed to play at a higher level. It's going to be very competitive and everyone can't wait to get going."