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They were ranked 20th entering the tournament.
They finished 10th. It was a great weekend for the Parkland Vipers 16U volleyball team at the provincial championships.
In the round-robin, the Vipers picked up three impressive victories. They beat the Northeast Rampage, 25-11, 25-21. They earned another two-set win against Russell, 25-17, 25-13, and earned a hard-fought three-set victory over Interlake, 24-26, 25-15, 19-17.
The team's first playoff game was another victory, this time over the 11th-ranked Pilots Navy, 21-25, 25-22, 15-13. Their second playoff game came against the fourth-ranked Winman Surge. The Vipers pushed one of the top teams in the province, but lost in two sets, 25-27, 24-26. They beat Club West in their third playoff game and downed the eighth-ranked BVC, 25-15, 25-14. In their final game, they lost to Westman, 18-25, 19-25.
The team, led by Kathy Preston, heads to Edmonton later this month for the national championships.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Will Munro was almost 40 hours away from his hometown, trying to make the Cape Breton Eagles of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
While the Swan River star was told there would be a spot for him on the team, he would have started the season on the third or fourth line. Will had little interest in that after playing that same role with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL) to begin his career.
So Will made the trek back closer to home, only to find himself in Saskatchewan with the Melfort Mustangs. Stacked with elite talent, the Mustangs sought to defend their Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) title. Led by Trevor Blevins, Munro was having difficulty finding his way in Melfort. That paved the way for a return to his hometown as he joined the Stampeders.
Will played 10 games, scoring three times, tallying seven points. Playing in Swan Valley allowed Will to hit his stride while playing with the club he grew up watching.
"It was pretty surreal, growing up watching the Stampeders," said Munro. "It was an awesome feeling strapping on the jersey."
Munro's time with Swan Valley was brief. After producing seven points in 10 games, he returned to Melfort, this time for good. He was acquired by Melfort as they looked to go back-to-back. Joining Melfort meant Will reunited with one of his best friends, Bo Eisner.
Bo won an SJHL title with Melfort last year and is one of the team's top defenders. They grew up together in Swan River and are both Parkland Ranger alums.
"I sit beside Bo in the room, and we spent like 15 years going to the rink together, we know everything about each other," continued Munro. "It's pretty awesome to be on the same team as him again."
Will also has some family ties on the team in former Dauphin King Ashton Paul. Paul is Will's first cousin and posted 24 points in 28 regular-season games before notching nine more in 14 playoff games.
"My extended family is coming out that I don't think I've ever seen at one of my games," said Munro. "All of the support from my family is so special. Knowing that we have it is so surreal."
As Melfort entered the playoffs after a historic regular season, which saw them finish with 46 wins and 94 points, Will immediately stepped in and found success. He scored 14 points in 27 regular-season games before erupting in the playoffs. Across 14 games, the Swan River star had five goals and nine points.
"I always thought in U18 when the Rangers made the second round, I elevated my play there as well," commented Munro. "I knew coming into the playoffs that was what I wanted to do. I don't like sitting back in the playoffs and letting someone else drive the bus. I chatted with the coach, who said I was an important piece. It helped a lot having that confidence from him."
Will helped the Mustangs cruise past Kindersley in five games in the first round before dispatching a very good Yorkton team in four games. After dropping the first game of the Canterra Seeds Cup final against Weyburn, Melfort hit its stride.
They won three straight, and on Sunday, April 27, the stage was set. The Cup was in the building, and the Mustangs seized the moment. They outshot the Red Wings, 35-16, and completed an incredible run, back-to-back champions.
"It was awesome, I had about 30 family members there, and they stayed late for pictures and whatnot," continued Munro. "The fans were incredible, just a special thing to be a part of."
Will and his team are now off to Calgary on Tuesday to compete in the Centennial Cup, Canada's national Junior A championship. They played in the event last year and advanced to the national final, only to lose to Collingwood, 1-0.
Back with that experience and knowing how much deeper they'll need to dig, the Mustangs open their tournament on Thursday evening in primetime against the host and Alberta Junior Hockey League champion Calgary Canucks.
In a very strong pool, they'll also play the Edmundston Blizzard of the Maritimes Hockey League (MHL), Rockland Nationals of the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL), and the Braves de Valleyfield of the Quebec Junior League (QJL).
10 of the top teams from coast to coast, and Will is ready for the challenge.
"I think we're pretty comfortable and know what we can do and achieve," ended Munro. "I don't think there are too many nerves, guys are excited. We'll come out of the gates flying on Thursday."
Stay tuned to CKDM Sports throughout the next two weeks to see how Will and Bo are doing. The Northern Manitoba Blizzard will represent the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) after downing the Dauphin Kings in a triple-overtime thriller in game seven last week.
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Brynn Wildeboer and Katelynn Preston already have many things to be proud of on the volleyball court.
Now, the Parkland power duo has added to their stacked resumes. Playing with Team Club West Rage 18U, Katelynn and Brynn helped the team win a provincial championship over the weekend.
In the finals against an excellent Junior Bisons Gold team, Club West came from behind to win the title. Dropping the first set, 23-25, Katelynn, Brynn, and the Rage stuck with the process, winning the second set, 25-23. They capped off the comeback with a 15-12 win in the third set.
In the round-robin, the Rage cruised, with straight set wins over the Bandits, Predators, and ACE VC. They swept United 18U in the round of 16, Predators in the quarterfinals, and Team Shock in the semi-finals.
They'll now look to take down the best in the nation at the national championships later this month in Edmonton.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
It was a perfect start to the season for the Dauphin Clippers rugby program.
On the boys' side, they downed the Crocus Plains Plainsmen, 12-7, in a low-scoring affair. Ronin Mouck and Sully Fox had tries for Dauphin. Jordan Evans had one conversion.
The Lady Clippers cruised in a dominating performance. They had 13 tries and five converts, scoring 82 points and allowing nothing defensively. Victoria Carter had four tries while Paityn Bourgouin had two, Kiersten Vanderkerckhov, and Mila Heschuk had two apiece. Felicity Sahulka and McKenzie Kropelnicki each had a try. Ruth Evans had five conversions.
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Lush fairways, tricky rough, and pristine greens.
It's what you come to expect when teeing it up at the Gilbert Plains Country Club, and you're in luck heading into the new golf season. Scott McCallum has confirmed the course will open this Saturday morning.
"We're really excited, our groundscrew has worked extremely hard," said McCallum. "There was an outside chance we could have opened last week. But this extra week has certainly helped, and I believe people are going to be very pleased with the course."
McCallum says the course was impacted by flooding a few weeks ago, but he wants to thank his hardworking staff for everything they've done to get it in great shape.
"The greens and tees wintered very well, which I'm hearing happened all over the area," ended McCallum. "There's no better time to tee it up than now, so we can't wait till Saturday."
You can book tee times by calling 548-3030. You can also book online.
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It's the end of the line for the Dauphin Kings.
They had 56 shots and so many incredible chances, however, it wasn't enough. Quincy Supprien scored with 5:57 left in triple overtime as the Northern Manitoba Blizzard downed the Kings on Thursday night, 2-1, in game seven of the Turnbull Cup final.
It was another marathon game between the two organizations and for the second year in a row, it was the Blizzard that prevailed. Northern Manitoba also scored a triple overtime goal last year to down the Kings in seven games.
Declan Hoad scored Dauphin's lone goal in the game.
The Blizzard will represent Manitoba at the Centennial Cup, which opens next Thursday at the Max Bell Centre, home of the host and Alberta Junior Hockey League's Calgary Canucks.
Dauphin's season comes to an end in heartbreak. With that said, everyone should be proud of their efforts and what they put into it.
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Six members of the Ebb & Flow High School hockey course went behind the scenes with the Dauphin Kings last week.
Scott Malcolm, Creeden North, Creesun North, Darcy Malcolm Jr., Justice Hunter, Darius Racette, and Sam Houle took in a Kings practice at Credit Union Place during the team's preparation for the Turnbull Cup final against the Northern Manitoba Blizzard, but that wasn't it.
They toured the team's dressing room before lacing up their skates to skate with the team after practice. Creeden North was thrilled to be a part of the day.
"It felt good to be there, it felt amazing," said North.
North says he enjoys hockey because it allows him to spend more time with his friends.
"I enjoy the contact, the fun that comes with it, and the friendships made," offered North.
The Ebb & Flow High School hockey course is run by Brad Dupasquier, an assistant and video coach with the Dauphin Kings. Brad also teaches a great music course at the school.
"They really enjoyed hanging out with the Kings. They were impressed with the players' dedication and the hard work they put into it," offered Dupasquier. "They enjoyed meeting the coaching staff, and Haley Choma was very helpful."
This new course at Ebb & Flow High School hit the ground running — or rather, skating. Every child who signed up was geared up with their own set of skates, a helmet, gloves, and a stick, ready to hit the ice. The group was a perfect mix: half of the kids were lacing up skates for the very first time, while the other half brought experience from recreational hockey leagues.
They worked on edges, puck handling skills, puck control, and so much more. Dupasquier was impressed with the player's strides taken over the winter months.
"They came a long way," ended Dupasquier. "They all have the equipment and ability to be full-time participants."
Dupasquier expects the course to return next season.
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They advanced to the league's championship series and made it a season to remember.
The Dauphin Clippers handed out their season-ending awards earlier this week.
Ronin Mouck and Ethan Carnegie were named the team's most valuable players. Carnegie was sixth in league scoring with 47 goals and 43 assists. Mouck was just behind with 47 goals and 42 assists for 89 points. They both dominated the league from start to finish.
Other Awards:
Top Scorer - Ethan Carnegie
Most Improved Player - Lyric Smith
Player's Choice - Jaxon Bodnar
Top Defensive Player - Jesse Hockridge
Clipper Commitment - Ethan Myhre and Mitchell Rauliuk
Coaches' Choice - Jaxon Bodnar
Hardest Working Player - Josh Yakielashek
Rookie of the Year - Noah Hanneson
Top Defenceman - Jaxon Bodnar
Top Goaltender - Chase Glover
Top Forward - Ronin Mouck
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The Parkland Vipers 13U volleyball team had one final tournament, their biggest of the season.
The team finished third in their round-robin power pool at the provincial championships. They beat the Brandon Volleyball Club, losing in three sets to the Pilots Navy, and Win Storm. In their playoff play-in match, the Vipers played in an epic battle against the Westman Wave.
In the third set, they were down 13-11 before scoring three straight to take a one-point lead, and put themselves one point away from staying in the championship bracket.
Unfortunately, the Wave battled back to clinch a three-set victory. The Vipers went to the consolation bracket and ran the table.
Taylor Schmidt is the team's head coach.
"I was really proud of this group. They continued to improve the entire season, not only with their skill level, but as a team," offered Schmidt. "This team showed a great competitive level right at the start. We played very well against the top teams in our age group and were put in pressure situations. I thought they did very well."
On the consolation side, the Vipers beat Taika Orange in straight sets, RVC in two sets, and the Junior Pilots 12U in two sets. One final match went the way of the Vipers as they cruised past the Junior Pilots 13U White in two sets.
They finished the season with a record of 32-10-6.
"When we would lose games, we would take it hard, and I didn't know why," said Schmidt. "After reflecting on it, we got used to winning. When we would lose a set or a match, the girls would do a great job refocusing and bouncing back."
Schmidt was proud of how the team finished off the event. They won five games at the provincial tournament, and four in a row.
"I was very impressed with how this team was able to handle situations and rebound," ended Schmidt. "Finishing the tournament and our season with four straight wins was very nice."
Another season highlight saw the team finish fourth out of 12 at the Junior Bison tournament. They went into that event ranked ninth. They also won a tournament in Elkhorn, going undefeated and beating Club West in the final, 25-22, 25-18.
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The Dauphin Kings have forced game seven.
The Kings came from behind, scoring twice in the final 3:58, as they stunned the Northern Manitoba Blizzard, 2-1, on Tuesday night in a must-win contest, Dauphin's second straight.
Dauphin is now 2-for-2 on the power play in the last two games as Naaman Hofer scored his second of the playoffs, with 1:50 left in the third period and Dauphin held on from there.
Rylan Gage tied up the game on an intense battle in the blue paint with just less than four minutes left.
Game seven will be Thursday night at Credit Union Place at 7:30.
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The Predators 15U volleyball team had an excellent weekend in Winnipeg at the provincial championships.
Entering the tournament ranked fourth, the Predators finished second in their round-robin pool. They beat the Carman Spurs and Selkirk Royals, their lone loss against Sturgeon Heights. In the qualifying round, the Predators came out on fire. They beat Russell and the Winnipeg Wild to advance to the quarterfinals.
They ran into an excellent 14U Bisons Gold, losing in three sets. Next up for the Predators was the Selkirk Royals, a team they had beaten previously. The rematch offered the same as the Predators won the match in three sets to advance to the fifth-place match. The team's tournament ended with a hard-fought three-set loss against the WinMan Tide. Out of 37 teams, the Predators finished sixth.
Dave Sigvaldason is the team's head coach.
"There were a ton of strong teams, so we knew it was going to be a tough weekend," said Sigvaldason. "I thought our girls handled it well, and to get into the quarterfinals was big for our group. To come out in sixth is something to be very proud of."
If there's one word Dave believes captures the spirit of his team, it's resilience — a relentless drive to overcome, adapt, and push forward no matter the challenge.
"One of the staples of our team, they're very good at battling. Our team has a ton of skill, but their work ethic and drive to succeed are very unique," continued Sigvaldason. "No matter what the situation is, the girls battle, and they never take defeat easily. It's a very special group to be a part of."
Next up for the team is a challenge on the national stage. The Predators are taking their talents about 10 hours down the road to compete in Volleyball Canada's national championships from May 15 to 17 at the Edmonton EXPO Centre.
"We're ready for the challenge, have a couple of weeks of practice here to clean some stuff up," commented Sigvaldason. "The players are very excited."
Adding to the excitement is that this is the team's first time playing together at a national tournament. The best teams from coast to coast will be under one roof for three days of intense volleyball action.
"The excitement will be there, and I think that's something that will push the girls; they want to prove that we belong," ended Sigvaldason. "We've been playing good teams all season long, so running into to top ones from across the country won't shake us up. The team is ready to prove that they're one of the top teams in the country."
Around the Parkland, the 14U Vipers will be in Winnipeg from May 9 to 11 for the national tournament at the RBC Convention Centre.
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