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The stakes couldn't have been higher. The Dauphin Kings and Steinbach Pistons were locked in a fierce battle for the Turnbull Cup, with a ticket to the Centennial Cup in Estevan hanging in the balance. Six thrilling games had already been played, but everything came down to this: a do-or-die showdown in the championship series. For the victor, glory awaited, for the defeated, heartbreak.

Game six featured the perfect ending for Dauphin. Garrett Hrechka emerged as the hero, tipping in a clutch shot from Colby Jaquet. It was Hrechka’s third playoff goal and paired with an impeccable 24-save performance from Carson Cherepak, it sealed Dauphin’s gritty 2-0 victory. The Kings had forced a winner-take-all game seven in Steinbach—hockey's version of a gladiator match.

Steinbach drew first blood in game six, putting Dauphin behind the eight ball. But the Kings wouldn’t stay down for long. Early in the second period, Logan Calder beat Will Hambley to even the score, setting the stage for a finish that will be talked about for years. Hundreds of Dauphin fans packed the T.G. Smith Centre, and their faith was rewarded by a moment of magic from a 16-year-old star.

With just over eight minutes left on the clock, Brayden Dube—a rising talent from Roblin—spun and rifled the puck through Hambley’s pads to give Dauphin a 2-1 lead. The crowd erupted. The Kings were on the brink of glory.

The final moments were nerve-wracking. Steinbach’s Travis Hensrud broke free on a breakaway with less than a minute remaining, but Cherepak made an astonishing glove save to preserve the lead. The buzzer sounded, and the Dauphin Kings were crowned champions of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

The celebration on the ice was nothing short of epic. For Brayden Dube, it marked the beginning of a remarkable journey. As he continues to shine in the WHL, that unforgettable night remains etched in his memory.

"Yeah, I do think about it quite often. It was quite a run that we went on," said Dube. "It was the best time of my life. Such a cool experience and what an incredible feeling it was to win that championship."

Lifting Dauphin to the Centennial Cup, Brayden put on a show at the national tournament scoring four times in five games. Dauphin advanced to the national semifinal where they came up short in a hard-fought battle against Pickering. 

Brayden’s lone season with the Dauphin Kings was nothing short of spectacular, a storybook chapter in his hockey career. His next move took him to the Western Hockey League's (WHL) Seattle Thunderbirds, where he hit the ice with determination, suiting up for 14 games and tallying four points. But the winds of change came swiftly—Seattle, in a bid to load up for a championship run, dealt Dube to the Prince Albert Raiders.

While the Thunderbirds went on to conquer the Winnipeg ICE in the WHL Final, Dube found himself in a new environment, embracing fresh opportunities with the Raiders. Prince Albert, however, fell short of playoff contention, cutting Brayden’s season short after he posted a respectable nine points across 43 games. Despite the challenges, the experience proved to be another stepping stone in his journey to greatness.

"I thought it was a very good move for me," said Dube. "I had the chance to get in the lineup on a consistent basis and improve my game. I love Prince Albert, it's a great place. Smaller community, almost get that Dauphin feel."

The star from Roblin increased his point total last season, scoring 17 times and ending the regular season with 29 points. He also played five playoff games as the Raiders qualified for the postseason. Brayden is back in Prince Albert this year and is enjoying a career year, with plenty of games left to improve on what has been a very impressive season for the 19-year-old. 

Dube is almost averaging a point per game with 19 goals and 40 points in 41 games. He's also a plus-16. Brayden is sixth in team scoring and his 115 shots on goal are ranked fourth on the team.

Dube has continued to build and gain confidence and his incredible work ethic and attention to detail are reaping major benefits and turning him into one of the top scorers in the league.

"The big thing for me was confidence, it's gone up quite a bit from year to year," continued Dube. "I'm maturing as a player and finding a way to help this team win games. I'm pleased with how everything has gone so far."

"Yeah, definitely a very slow start for our group, wasn't expecting that," continued Dube. "We just stuck with the process and put our work boots on. We started stringing wins together and everyone started rolling. We're a confident group right now and believe we can beat anyone."

The pride of Roblin made his return to Manitoba on November 9, delivering a jaw-dropping performance that lit up the ice. Dube netted two goals and added an assist, propelling the Raiders to a thrilling 5-4 overtime victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. He followed up with another strong showing in Brandon on December 7, scoring in a tough 7-3 loss.

Mark your calendars—February 18 is your last chance this regular season to catch Dube in action in the Wheat City. On that night, dozens of friends and family from Roblin, the Jewel of the Parkland, will make the 235-kilometre journey to cheer on their hometown star. Expect an electric atmosphere as Brayden once again takes centre stage in front of a familiar crowd.

"It's special to play in front of my family and friends, it's always a game I look forward to," continued Dube. "There's more pressure on me, I have to play good, that's for sure."

Brayden Dube, a Manitoba Junior Hockey League champion who is thriving in Prince Albert and the remainder of the season is expected to be a big one personally and for the group. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Jan 22, 2025 - 9:30 am

The Parkland U-18 Rangers have now lost three in a row.

Liam Chartrand was the only scorer for the Rangers as they lost 5-1 to the league-leading Brandon Wheat Kings.

Piet Mierau made 37 saves and next up for Parkland is a weekend set in Thompson.

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Jan 21, 2025 - 9:44 pm

That's now 29 goals in their last four games as the Dauphin Kings picked up their 26th win of the season on Tuesday night.

Making the short trip to the Centennial Arena to play the Stampeders, Dauphin scored two quick goals in the second period and while the Stampeders pushed, Dauphin never looked back and secured a 4-1 win.

After a scoreless first period, it took Dauphin just 14 seconds to score in the second as Ethan Williment delivered a perfect pass in front to Gabriel Bugeaud who scored his 10th of the season and just 2 minutes later, Gavin Nemis let go of a beautiful shot to score his ninth of the year, on the power play.

Ethan MacTavish trimmed the deficit to 2-1 after 40 minutes but that is as close as Swan Valley would get. Madden Murray gave Dauphin a 3-1 lead with his 13th of the season early in the third and into an empty net, Cayden Glover scored his league-leading 31st goal of the season to seal it.

With the win, the Kings are now 26-9-1 and are six points ahead of Northern Manitoba for first place in the West Division, with a game in hand. Dauphin hosts Virden for Ukrainian Night on Saturday evening. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Jan 21, 2025 - 9:32 pm

The Wasaga River Dragons have championship aspirations this season and they've received a big boost on their back end.

Lacquette played one game for Waywayseecappo last season before joining Cote.

He will now join a Dragons team that is in second place in the North Division at 26-6-1.

They're just five points back of the league-leading Bradford Rattlers and Wasaga has the highest-powered offence in the league with 204 goals, six more than the next closest team. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Jan 20, 2025 - 1:09 pm

Not only was it a very cold weekend, but it was also a golden weekend for the Dauphin U-13A Kings.

They beat the Souris Elks in a thrilling championship final, 4-3, at the Niverville Clippers Heritage Classic held over the weekend. It was a perfect weekend for the Kings as they won all four of their games.

They beat Niverville, 5-2, Mitchell, 5-2, and Ste. Anne, 8-0. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Jan 20, 2025 - 12:29 pm

The Grand Plains U-11 Hawks saved their best for last.

They took down the Roblin Stars in a thrilling Silver Division championship game on Sunday, 6-2.

In the Bronze Division final, a shootout was needed as the Minegoziibe Anishinabe Warriors battled the Dauphin Kings in a game for the ages. The Warriors would clinch the game in the fifth round of the shootout with a final score of 3-2.

The Gold Division final saw the Brandon Wheat Kings down the Warren Mercurys, 8-7. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Jan 20, 2025 - 11:34 am

The Dauphin Kings are lighting the lamp more than any other team in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) and they've taken a significant jump in the CJHL's Top 20 rankings.

Dauphin scored 25 goals in three games last week and jumped to 12th in the rankings this week, marking the biggest jump from any team in the country, as they were honourable mentions last week.

Sitting on top of the MGEU West Division by four points over Northern Manitoba, with two games in hand, Dauphin has 25 wins on the season and has won four of their five games in 2025. Dauphin's only loss in 2025 was against Portage and even in that game, the Kings outshot the Terriers, 33-18, on 5-on-5. Their special teams struggled and that was the team's demise. 

Dauphin's 144 goals are third-most in the league while their 89 against are the second-fewest. Dauphin returns to game action on Tuesday when they head to Swan River to play the Stampeders at 7:00 p.m., you can hear that game here on 730CKDM with Darnell Duff. 

Don't forget about Ukrainian Night on Saturday when Dauphin will host the Virden Oil Capitals. Tickets for the game are just $5 and you can get them at the CNUF Office. 

 Jayce Legaarden and the Winkler Flyers jumped two spots to seventh, Steinbach slipped two to 10 while Portage are honourable mentions. Across the border in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), Will Munro and Bo Eisner of Swan River and the Melfort Mustangs are ranked second in the country while the Flin Flon Bombers, who have points in 21 straight games, are ranked 15th

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Jan 20, 2025 - 10:41 am

It would have been a dream come true for Jaxon if he would have had a chance to play with his brother at the DRCSS. 

While they never did get the chance to ball it out on the court, they support each other and Josh loves to watch his little brother live out his basketball dream with the Dauphin Clippers varsity boys team. Jaxon only started playing in grade eight and after being a practice player for the majority of his grade nine season, Jaxon took his game to the next level and earned consistent playing time in grade 10.

Standing 6'3" with an incredible work ethic and soft touch around the rim, Larocque decided to start playing the sport because his older brother did. 

"I love how the game works and getting to go places and visit new gyms is exciting," said Larocque. "It's all about communication and running plays. I've made many lifelong friends and I am very happy that I decided to play."

Now in grade 11, Jaxon wasn’t sure what to expect heading into the season. As a rookie at the varsity level with just three years of experience, the odds were stacked against him if he wanted to make the team and earn playing time.

But Jaxon defied those odds. He not only made the squad—he’s become a key player in a season where the Clippers are absolutely dominating!

"I was very happy when I made the team," commented Larocque. "Being a part of this has made me so happy. Getting to see how hard everyone works. We have an incredible group and it means everything to me that I get a chance to be a part of it."

"From when I first started to now, I have gained so much confidence in my abilities," continued Larocque. "I felt lost on the court when I first started. I now believe I'm a key part of this team. I can make smart decisions and it helps that I'm playing with such a great group of guys."

Following the team's win on Saturday against Moose Lake, Larocque was named to the tournament's all-star team, alongside his teammate Parker Schau. Just like Jaxon had a great performance against Moose Lake, so did Schau scoring 27 points with eight assists and two steals. Nick Hudyma, who had a monster performance in the final with 40 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists was named the tournament's most valuable player.

"It felt amazing to be named to the all-star team, such a great feeling to achieve that," commented Larocque. "It shows that my hard work is paying off and that means a lot to me."

Dauphin has won eight of their 10 games this season and their success has not gone unnoticed. In the most recent power rankings from the Manitoba High School Athletics Association (MHSAA), the Clippers are the fifth-ranked 'AAA' team in Manitoba. Garden Valley, Neelin, Linden Christian, and St. James are the only teams ahead of the Clippers. 

"That feels amazing. Knowing that we're on the leaderboard in and in the fifth spot is incredible for our group," ended Larocque. "We're going to keep pushing, we want to go higher and  believe that we can."

Jaxon has plenty to be proud of and the future is bright on and off the court for the Dauphin star. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Jan 20, 2025 - 10:00 am

What an incredible weekend it was for the Parkland 13-U Vipers Volleyball Club.

Playing in the Yorkton Blitz tournament, the Vipers proved they are among the elite teams as they coasted their way to a championship and are back home in the Parkland with all smiles and gold medals to show for it.

In the final, the Vipers dominated QCVC from Regina, 25-21, 25-14. They also beat the Blitz Thunder and Blitz Inferno on their way to the championship weekend. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Jan 19, 2025 - 6:22 pm

The Parkland U-18 Rangers are hoping to forget this weekend.

Wrapping up a set against the Winnipeg Bruins, the Rangers had just 11 shots as they once again showed no match for the Bruins in a 7-0 defeat. Parkland were outscored 16-2 in two games this weekend.

Winnipeg responded with 43 shots. Parkland remains in a playoff spot and are still only six points back of fifth place. 

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Jan 19, 2025 - 6:17 pm