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The preseason is over. Jason Alf was impressed with what he saw last weekend as the Dauphin Clippers played in the Glenboro tournament.
The team has been practicing for several weeks and come Saturday, it's time to play for real. Dauphin opens up the campaign in the Westman High School Hockey League on Saturday night when the Virden Golden Bears come to Credit Union Place at 8:30.
A definite strength of this year's team will be goaltending as they'll be led by Chase Glover. Chase has been with the Parkland Rangers program for the past four seasons, playing 27 games with the U-15 team before playing another 55 with the U-18 team. He won 18 games at the U-18 level and is expected to be one of the top goalies in the league.
Chase will be joined by Ben Miner and Ethan Myhre as the tremendous trio looks to push Dauphin in the right direction.
"We had a very good tandem last year which was led by Owen Chubka in his grade 12 year and you always wonder how you'll replace a guy like Owen," said Jason Alf. "To get a guy like Chase to come in during his grade 12 year is very exciting. We're also very pleased with how Ben and Ethan have looked, lots of excitement."
The rest of the team's roster looks like this.
Forwards: Will Busby, Ethan Zalischuk, Ronin Mouck, Jorden Braun, Layne Wolfenden, Julien Lopez, Noah Hanneson, Drayson Demeria, Jesse Hockridge, Kenai Mouck, Josh Beyette, Boston Karlson, Josh Yakielashek, and Ethan Carnegie.
Defence: Sully Fox, Cody Zurba, Samson Bourgouin, Riley Durston, Thomas Schmidt, Jaxon Bodnar, Norman Lacquette, and Lyric Smith.
"We're pretty confident with what we have seen from our guys," said Alf. "We believe that a combination of starting 20 guys will be quite successful this season."
The team's coaching staff includes Josh Yaschyshyn, Curtis Yaschyshyn, Drew Kulcheski, Rob Dreger, and Alf. Mitchell Rauliuk will serve as the team's trainer.
"Josh is extremely hungry after last year's top 4, he has been waiting to get back on the ice and has worked with Curtis for a while," said Alf. "Drew has some experience with us so a solid three there. Rob brings a ton of experience, he has been off and on since I started with the Clippers more than 20 years ago. Mitchell does more than just a trainer, he's an extra set of eyes and notices things that others don't."
Saturday's home opener is the first of two games this weekend as Dauphin heads to Neepawa for their first road game on Sunday. The team will host their 'Every Child Matters' game on November 1 to start a three-game homestand. Their last game before the break is the 'Christmas Classic' against Neepawa on December 20 at Credit Union Place and they return from the break on January 5 against Major Pratt. The team's regular-season finale is an all-Parkland matchup as Dauphin plays Swan Valley in town on February 23.
"We have a good veteran group that is coming back and is ready to go," ended Alf. "We have a few guys that played as grade nine affiliated players and didn't look out of place, they've come back strong. Based on our performance in Glenboro, we will be a fast, hard-hitting team."
Dauphin will play in the Victoria Inn tournament from November 28-1 and the Piper Classic in Winnipeg between January 9-12.
Keep it locked to 730CKDM all season long as we keep you up to date with everything Clippers hockey.
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Ranked second in the league with 45 goals, the Dauphin Kings have added some firepower up-front.
Ahead of two games this weekend against the Winnipeg Blues and Winkler Flyers, the Kings welcomed back Havyril Simchuk. From Kyiv, Ukraine, Simchuk played 27 games with Dauphin last year, scoring eight times while adding four assists.
Simchuk should add some solid depth upfront for a Dauphin team that has lost Nathan Lenoski to a lower-body injury. Lenoski has seven points in five games with Dauphin and is considered day-to-day.
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Colby Cherneski has been a busy man in Calgary for the past few years building luxury custom homes.
The biggest build is just under 10,000 square feet featuring 10 bedrooms, nine bathrooms and an in-ground pool in the basement. Before moving to Calgary, Colby moved to Pilot Butte to play with the Storm of the Prairie Junior Hockey League where the Roblin native notched nine points in 15 games and also scored six more points in 14 games with the Grandview Comets.
Upon arriving in Calgary, Colby not only focused on building homes but also continued his hockey journey at the Junior B level with the CRAA Gold U21 team. He made a notable impact, scoring nine points in 22 regular-season games and adding a playoff goal in four games. After that season, Colby shifted his focus to work, stepping away from competitive play for a couple of years. However, he remained active on the ice through recreational games, and eventually, the desire to return to competitive hockey reignited.
Cherneski is three games into the new season with the Nanton Palominos of the Ranchland Hockey League. Nanton is one hour away from Calgary and the league includes the Lethbridge Lightning (3-0), Siksika Buffaloes (3-0), Fort Macleod Mustangs (0-3), Cremona Coyotes (0-2), and the Piikani Reign (0-2).
Being away from the competitive side of the game for two years, Colby is happy to be back doing what he loves.
"It feels really good, it's nice to be out there working towards something, after those two years off," said Cherneski. "It's nice to be out there fighting with our group, I'm very happy to be back."
Three games into the season, Nanton has two wins. They scored 11 times in a victory against Fort Macleod before putting up 12 in a win against Cremona. In their most recent game, Cherneski and the Palominos lost their first game in an 8-3 defeat against Lethbridge.
They sit in third place, just two points behind Lethbridge and Siksika for first. The team returns to the ice on Saturday when they head to Lethbridge to play the Lightning and Colby will be in search of his first point with his new team.
"It's a very high skilled league so it's taken me a bit to get used to," said Cherneski. "I feel like my third game was my best yet and I'm only going to improve and get more comfortable with reps. I'm back to my same old comfortable self, battling hard in the corners and doing what I love."
While he's 11 hours away from Dauphin, Colby still keeps tabs on the Parkland Rangers program. The Roblin native played 67 games with the U-15 team, recording 32 points before playing 95 games with the U-18 team.
Cherneski recorded the most penalty minutes (151) in the league during the 2018-19 campaign. Looking back, the Roblin star is grateful to have been allowed to play with the Rangers.
"It was the biggest moment of my career up until this point, I can't express my gratefulness and gratitude enough for everyone involved with the organization," ended Cherneski. "I still follow them diligently and I'm very proud to be a Parkland Ranger alumnus."
Colby will don his Rangers hat in support on Friday night when they play in Winnipeg against the Thrahsers before playing on Saturday afternoon against the Bruins.
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For the second time this season, a member of the Parkland Rangers has been recognized as a CCM Hockey Player of the Week.
This time, it's one of Dauphin's finest as Quinten Fisk has received the nod after an incredible weekend. In three games over the weekend, two of which Parkland won, Fisk had four goals and four assists.
After failing to record a point in the team's setback on Friday against Southwest, Fisk took over as the team made their way to Swan River for a pair of games against Norman. On Saturday, he scored the team's first two goals and added three assists as the Rangers beat Norman, 7-3.
Then on Sunday, Fisk was front and centre again with two goals and one assist as Parkland secured two more points in a 3-2 overtime win against the Northstars.
As the Rangers sit on top of the league with 14 points, Fisk sits on top of the scoring race with 11 goals and 18 points. No one has scored more goals (11) than him and he's averaging two points per game.
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UPDATE: October 22 @ 3:50 p.m.
The Terriers have announced they will appeal the recent decision by the league to deduct points from three of their games due to the alleged use of an ineligible player.
In a release, Terriers President Curtis Malysh had the following to say.
"We owe it to our players, fans, and the entire Yorkton community to appeal this decision and uphold the integrity of our team."
Further updates will be provided once they become available.
The Yorkton Terriers are now on the outside looking in after some breaking news was handed out by the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League on Monday.
The Terriers have forfeited games on October 11, 16 and 18 against the Nipawin Hawks, Estevan Bruins, and Melville Millionaires. This came as a result of the use of ineligible players. While the players involved will be credited with personal stats, the team has been docked six points.
As a result, the Terriers now are 5-6 on the season and sit in ninth place. They were 8-3 and on top of the league standings before the news.
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Riese Gaber was named to the league's First All-Star Team along with being the Forward of the Year, his 34 goals were the most of any player and he was named the league's Player of the Year.
The 2019-20 season with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League (USHL) was one that the star from Gilbert Plains will never forget. At that point in his career, Riese had already won a gold medal with Team Canada at the World Junior A Challenge and a Turnbull Cup with the Steinbach Pistons of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL). Everyone knew that Gaber was destined for big things and his journey took him to the University of North Dakota (UND), one of the best programs in the NCAA Division 1 ranks.
In his first year with the program, Gaber had 11 goals and 10 assists and was a plus-10. He was named to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference's (NCHC) All-Rookie team and helped the team win a regular-season championship. He was also named the conference tournament's most valuable player.
The accolades continued to pile on for Riese, who had dominated everywhere he played since he was a kid growing up in the Grand Plains Minor Hockey Association. During his four-year run at UND, Gaber finished with 129 points, was named a nominee for the Hobey Baker Award (2023-24), which is given out annually to the top player in the country and was named the team's captain for the 2023-24 season.
Riese was cherished by every member of the community, both on and off the ice. He always reciprocated their love by contributing to the team's victories on the ice and dedicating his time to connecting with fans off the ice.
"They prepare you very well for the next step, all of our coaches have played in or around the NHL," said Gaber. "The details in our game and how to prepare on and off the ice for the next level."
Riese competed in a development camp with the Florida Panthers and then the team's NHL Rookie Showcase after signing with the Charlotte Checkers in April. Gaber then took part in Charlotte Checkers training camp before being assigned to the Savannah Ghost Pirates of the ECHL. Regarded as a Premier "AA" Hockey League, Gaber was ready to seize the moment and after making the move to Savannah, he was in the lineup as the team opened their campaign at the Enmarket Arena on October 18 against the Indy Fuel.
Scoreless just more than three minutes into the game, Gaber made a statement as he scored his first professional goal and the Ghost Pirates never looked back in a 4-1 win.
"It felt really good, I was able to get it out of the way pretty early," offered Gaber. "It's always a good feeling when you score so I was happy to see that one go in."
Riese then added an assist on the team's fourth goal of the game. The star from Gilbert Plains was named the game's second star as he put on a show in his professional debut in front of nearly 7500 fans.
Savannah's season continues on Wednesday; however, Gaber won't be there when the team plays the Orlando Solar Bears. Riese has completed the 253-mile trek from Savannah, Georgia to Charlotte, North Carolina. For the first time in his professional career and after just one game, Gaber was called up by the Checkers, the AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers.
The call-up puts Riese one step closer to his ultimate goal of making it to the National Hockey League (NHL).
"It feels great, I was kind of down when I got sent down originally, that wasn't in the plans, I wanted to start my pro career in Charlotte. It sucked but I went down with a good attitude, said I was going to make the most of it and enjoy every day," offered Gaber. "I went down and put in the work knowing that If I did the right things, I'd get my opportunity. My goal is to make my mark with the Checkers, very exciting for me."
With wins in three of four games this season, Charlotte returns to game action on Friday, October 25 when they open a two-game home set against the Bridgeport Islanders.
While he is nearly 3,000 kilometres from his hometown of Gilbert Plains, Riese always remembers his roots, and where he came from and wants to thank everyone for their incredible support.
"I have been feeling the love for a long time, the community and support has been awesome," continued Gaber.
Gaber also wanted to give a big shoutout to Scott McCallum who has made several trips to watch Riese and joined forces with him to win the men's scramble at the Tamarack Tournament this past summer.
"He has been a massive role model for me, I always refer to Scotty as like a second dad to me, I'm very close to him and the entire family, they're special people," ended Gaber. "He has taught me many things, on and off the ice. Very fortunate to be so close with him and his family."
It was a perfect start to his professional career and now, all of Riese's supporters are eagerly waiting to see him make his debut in the AHL, something that could happen as early as this Friday.
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They're the third-ranked team in the province and took down the top team in Manitoba in the 'A' classification.
Competing in the Hamiota Huskies tournament, the Gilbert Plains Trojans varsity girls' volleyball team beat the top-ranked Reston Tigers in straight sets to win the championship.
The team lost just a single set throughout the tournament while winning seven in the round-robin against Shoal Lake, Miami, Reston, and Strathclair. They moved forward to beat the host Huskies and Rivers in the playoffs before their dominating straight-set win against Reston in the final.
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Cole Sheffield cooked up a gourmet meal as the Dauphin Kings wrapped up a busy weekend with a huge win on Sunday.
In Winkler to play Jayce Legaarden and the Flyers, Dauphin played an incredible third period and skated away with a 3-1 win, their eighth of the season.
Sheffield, who struggled in his last two starts, turned away 33 shots to guide Dauphin to the win.
Cayden Glover (12), Gavin Nemis (2) and Rylan Gage (2) scored for Dauphin in the win.
Dauphin (8-4) pull within two points of the Blizzard with a game in hand. They'll be back on the ice Friday when the Blues come to town.
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The weekend did not start off how they were hoping but it was a perfect ending.
The Parkland U-18 Rangers called the Swan River Centennial Arena their home for the past two days and earned two big victories over the Norman Northstars. After dropping their game on Friday against Southwest, the Rangers responded in a big way.
On Saturday, Quinten Fisk led the way with two goals and three assists as Parkland won 7-3. Forrest Karlson, Dayson Martin, Noah Smigelsky all scored a goal apiece for the Rangers while Trace Langan scored twice in his hometown. Kyle Pelletier made 33 saves in net.
Then on Sunday afternoon, Piet Mierau turned away 29 shots and Langan scored the overtime winner as Parkland won a thriller, 3-2. Quinten Fisk continued his red-hot play with two more goals and now has 11 on the season.
The Rangers are on top of the league with 14 points and they're off to Winnipeg next weekend to play the Thrashers and Bruins.
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The Dauphin Clippers football team wrapped up their regular season with another dominating performance.
The team beat the Virden Golden Bears, 34-0, and will now head into the playoffs riding high.
With home field advantage throughout the playoffs, Dauphin's first opponent will be the Moosomin Generals next Sunday at the Myles Haverluck Athletics Facility. Kick-off is to be determined and we will be joined by Robbie Tomkins later this week.
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