Fjeldsted Dominates, Impressive Stuff From Gators

13 members of the Parkland Gators Swim Club were in Brandon over the weekend for the BBSC Rural Roundup.

Harper Rudkavich
5^th – 25m freestyle
6^th – 50m freestyle
7^th – 100m freestyle relay
6^th – 50m backstroke
3^rd – 25m backstroke
2^nd – 25m breaststroke

Dylan Phillips
9^th – 100m individual medley
4^th – 50m freestyle
5^th – 200m freestyle relay
12^th – 50m backstroke
12^th – 50m breaststroke
5^th – 100m freestyle

Ena Morrisseau
5^th – 100m backstroke
3^rd – 100m individual medley
5^th – 50m freestyle
3^rd – 100m freestyle relay (mixed)
5^th – 50m backstroke
5^th – 50m breaststroke
4^th – 100m freestyle

Madisyn Morden
5^th – 100m backstroke
2^nd – 25m freestyle
4^th – 50m freestyle
7^th – 100m freestyle relay (mixed)
9^th – 50m backstroke
2^nd – 25m backstroke
5^th – 25m breaststroke

Holly Marcynuk
7^th – 100m backstroke
12^th – 100m individual medley
13^th – 50m freestyle
5^th – 200m freestyle relay
17^th – 50m backstroke
15^th – 50m breaststroke
14^th – 100m freestyle

Lauren Lesiuk
3^rd – 100m backstroke
3^rd – 100m individual medley
4^th – 50m freestyle
3^rd – 200m freestyle relay (mixed)
3^rd – 50m backstroke
6^th – 50m breaststroke
3^rd – 100m freestyle

Lucy Lee
1^st – 25m freestyle
8^th – 50m freestyle
4^th – 100m freestyle relay
10^th – 50m backstroke
4^th – 25m backstroke
3^rd – 25m breaststroke

James Forsyth
3^rd – 100m backstroke
6^th – 100m individual medley
6^th – 50m freestyle
6^th – 200m freestyle relay (mixed)

Isla Forsyth
8^th – 100m backstroke
6^th – 25m freestyle
11^th – 50m freestyle
7^th – 200m freestyle relay (mixed)

Polly Fjeldsted
3^rd – 100m backstroke
3^rd – 100m individual medley
8^th – 50m freestyle
4^th – 50m backstroke
8^th – 50m breaststroke
7^th – 100m freestyle
5^th – 200m medley relay (mixed)

Frankie Fjeldsted
1^st – 100m backstroke
1^st – 25m fly stroke
3^rd – 50m freestyle
2^nd – 50m backstroke
1^st – 25m breaststroke
4^th – 100m freestyle
5^th – 100m medley relay (mixed)

Evan Favel
8^th – 100m individual medley
14^th – 50m freestyle
3^rd – 100m freestyle relay (mixed)
16^th – 50m backstroke
14^th – 50m breaststroke
15^th – 100m freestyle

Meredith Cottrell
6^th – 100m backstroke
7^th – 100m individual medley
7^th – 50m freestyle
8^th – 100m freestyle relay (mixed)
8^th – 50m backstroke
4^th – 50m breaststroke
8^th – 100m freestyle

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Dec 2, 2024 - 3:24 pm

Breken Brezden will have the chance to win a Canadian title early next year after a wonderful performance over the weekend in her home province.

Competing in the 2024 Skate Canada Challenge at Winnipeg's Seven Oaks Sportsplex, the Dauphin star was one of 14 skaters from coast to coast who booked their berth to the national championships.

25 skaters hit the ice looking to qualify. Only 18 earned national spots and four had already qualified and did not need to compete over the weekend. That meant just 14 of the 25 skating would advance.

Breken sat in 11th place after scoring 50.73 points in her short program. Knowing a good free program was needed to lock up her spot, Breken rose to the occasion scoring 104.06 points. Her 154.79 points put her in seventh place, well inside the Top 14 needed to qualify. The cutoff to qualify was 134.53 points, more than 20 less than Breken finished with.

Brezden will compete in the 2025 Canadian National Skating Championships at Place Bell in Laval, QC, from January 14-19. The Dauphin skater is widely regarded as one of the top senior women's skaters in the country and she will put her skills up against the best of the best next month with a national title on the line.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Dec 2, 2024 - 10:59 am

The Dauphin Kings stayed right where they were to start the week in the Canadian Junior Hockey League's (CJHL) Top 20 rankings.

Two more wins kept the Kings atop the West Division and they now have more room than ever over the Northern Manitoba Blizzard. Sitting 18-6-1, Dauphin has a six-point edge over the Blizzard for first in the division and Dauphin is just two points back of Steinbach for first overall.

Dauphin has won three straight games and four of their last five. They also have points in 12 of their last 14 games. Dauphin will play six games before the Christmas break, five of which come against teams near the league's top or battling for the playoffs.

Their next game is a big one as they head to The Pas on Tuesday to play the Blizzard. It's the first of three meetings between the two teams before the break. Dauphin hosts Steinbach on Saturday. That's followed by two more games against Norman, one against Waywayseecappo and one against Swan Valley.

Dauphin's first game after the break is on January 4 when the Winnipeg Blues come to town.

Steinbach jumped three spots in the ranking to sixth while Selkirk and Winkler are honourable mentions this week.

Glover El Fuego:

Cayden Glover is chasing down Cameron Bullinger for the MJHL scoring race and November was a big reason why.

The 20-year-old from Brandon had 10 goals and 16 points in 11 games for Dauphin last month. He had four multi-goal outings and recorded three points in a game on three occasions. Glover leads the league with 22 goals and his 32 points are tied for second, only behind Bullinger of Portage who leads the league with 34 points. Glover's 22 goals are five more than Adam Vigfusson who is second with 17 and Cayden's eight power-play goals are also the most in the league.

Possessing one of the best shots in the league, Cayden has goals in three straight and four of his last five games. He has four in his last three. Thanks to his hot play, Cayden has been named the league's Player of the Month.

Glover is on pace for 74 points which would smash his total from last year when he posted 48 points in 50 games with Dauphin.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Dec 2, 2024 - 10:40 am

For those who will graduate in June, they went out on top. Those who will move from the junior varsity ranks to the varsity game next year will have big shoes to fill.

It was a season to remember for the Gilbert Plains Trojans varsity girls' volleyball team as they once again won a provincial championship. Leading up to the provincial tournament, the Trojans won three tournaments, their own, one in Hamiota, and another in Dauphin at the DRCSS.

While they did not win the Neelin DIG tournament, it was one of the team's most impressive tournaments of the season. They went up against some of the best teams in the province and even took a set off the number-one ranked AAAA team in Manitoba. That's a feat that rarely happens, and the Trojans did it. They ended up in that tournament as the consolation champions and cruised at a provincial qualifier to earn their spot in the big dance with three straight-set victories.

"This group has a core group of grade 12 girls that have been playing together since grade 9 and they play so well together," said Jody Smelski-Jubenvill. "Our younger players have come in and stepped up and everyone came together so well. Everyone on this team played a role, regardless if they were starters or coming off the bench."

As Gilbert Plains moved into the provincials over the weekend at Baldur and Cartwright School, it was smooth sailing to start. They finished first in their round-robin pool with straight-set wins over Hamiota, Baldur/Cartwright, Miami, and Rivers.

The playoffs got a little rocky for Gilbert Plains, however, they were undeterred. After a three-set win against Morweena, it was an all-Parkland battle as Gilbert Plains went up against their region rival Ste. Rose Celtics.

The Celtics had been one of the top teams in the province all season and it was an epic clash between the two teams. After losing the first set 19-25, the Trojans responded winning two straight 25-12 and 15-8.

"I think our whole team was more emotional than they were after the final, it was a relief knowing we were one step closer," said Smelski-Jubenvill. "It was an extremely emotional game for our group to be a part of. Great that we came out on top."

Just like they had lost the opening set against Ste. Rose, Gilbert Plains lost the first set against Reston. They took over from there winning two straight sets 25-11 and 15-10. The Trojans were once again crowned provincial champions.

Dating back to junior varsity, this team has won four straight provincial championships. The team's roster includes Aynslee Beckley, Kathryn Gulak, Anika Gulenchin, Brooke Hanke, Montana Jubenvill, Baylee McNabb, Layne Minshull, Nevaeh Payne, Karlee Paziuk, Trinity Puchailo, Kali Solski, and Taylor Yaciuk.

Gulenchin, Hanke, Jubenvill, Payne, Paziuk, Puchailo, and Solski all played their final games while the remainder of the team will return next season looking to make it five straight.

As another volleyball season came to a close, Jody was so proud of the group and how they dug in deep to get the job done.

"These girls deserve it, they have put in so much time," ended Smelski-Jubenvill. "They are very passionate and this was our main goal, it's amazing to see them get it done again. Everyone stepped up and should be so proud of themselves."

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Dec 2, 2024 - 10:19 am

The Dauphin Clippers varsity boys' volleyball team came up short of winning a provincial title but it was still a season to remember on the court.

The Clippers won multiple tournaments and advanced to the provincial semi-final. They ran into the top-team in the province the Neelin Spartans and they swept Dauphin in a hard fought match before beating Garden Valley in the provincial final.

The Clippers won two of their three round-robin matches to finish first and beat R.D Parker in their first playoff match before dispatching Springfield. In an exciting down to the wire bronze medal match against Calvin Christian, it was the Eagles that came out on top in a three-set, 25-22, 16-25, 10-15 match.

Every member of the Clippers including coach Taylor Schmidt can hold their heads high after a great season.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Dec 1, 2024 - 6:05 pm

The Dauphin Clippers enjoyed a solid run at the Vic Inn tournament in Brandon.

After finishing second in their pool, the Clippers got on a run competing in the B-side Royal Oak Division. They beat Dryden, 2-1 and then St. Thomas, 5-4. In the end, the Clippers led after 20 minutes against a very strong Fort Frances team in the B-side final, but they came up short in a 7-2 loss.

In the team's 2-1 win against Dryden, Ethan Carnegie and Cody Zurba scored. Trailing 4-2 after 40 minutes against St. Thomas, the comeback kids from Dauphin caught fire as Carnegie and Ronin Mouck scored to tie the game. Carnegie then scored the overtime winner.

Vincent Massey Brandon beat Westwood to claim the championship.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Dec 1, 2024 - 5:58 pm

It was a tough weekend at Credit Union Place for the Parkland U-18 Rangers.

Playing the Interlake Lightning twice, the Rangers were outscored 7-1 in two losses. Alex Campbell scored Parkland's lone goal on Saturday while the team did not score on Sunday.

Parkland remains in fifth place, however, the ninth-place Thrashers are just three points behind them. Parkland welcomes Southwest to town, the Cougars are in second place in the league.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Dec 1, 2024 - 5:51 pm

That's four wins in four games against the Virden Oil Capitals this season.

Dauphin continued its perfect season against their West Division rivals on Saturday in a convincing 4-1 win over the Oil Capitals.

That paired with another loss from the Blizzard and the Kings have opened up their lead atop the West even more. Sitting at 18-6-1, Dauphin is six points ahead of Northern Manitoba.

Cayden Glover scored again, his 22nd of the season on a penalty shot. Joshua Schmidt, Havyril Simchuk, and Ethan Williment scored for Dauphin in the win.

The Kings will now head to The Pas on Tuesday for a big game against the Blizzard, with a chance to extend their lead to eight points.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Nov 30, 2024 - 9:58 pm

Paired with a loss from the Blizzard and an offensive explosion from the Kings, Dauphin is four points clear on top of the West.

Dauphin scored early and often and while Cole Sheffield wasn't at his best, the Kings offence came to play in a 6-3 win against Virden on Friday night.

Cayden Glover scored two more goals for Dauphin and has a league-leading 21 on the season. Declan Hoad, Rylan Gage, Havyril Simchuk, and Ethan Williment scored in the win for Dauphin as they improved to 17-6-1.

Dauphin heads to Virden Saturday.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Nov 29, 2024 - 11:45 pm

The Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL) have hit the road for a three-game Alberta road trip, which paved the way for the Dauphin Clippers to play at Westoba Place.

Playing in the Vic Inn Tournament, the Clippers put on a show at the home of the Wheat Kings as they hammered Sioux North on Friday morning, 7-0. Cody Zurba led the way for Dauphin with three goals while Ethan Carnegie had two. Julien Lopez and Josh Yakielashek also netted a goal apiece for the Clippers.

In the team's opening game of the tournament, they lost to John Taylor of Winnipeg, 5-2. Ethan had both of Dauphin's goals in that game. With a record of 1-1 after round-robin play, Dauphin will get the rest of the day off before playoff action begins Saturday morning.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Nov 29, 2024 - 11:26 am

The Dauphin Clippers varsity boys' volleyball team ended round-robin play at the provincial championships on Thursday.

They won two of their matches in straight sets while losing in a three-set match against Louis Riel.

The day started with a convincing straight sets, 25-9, 25-16 win over John Taylor. Dauphin then downed Niverville, 25-21 and 25-22. Going up against Louis Riel in their final match of round-robin play, the Clippers came up short. Set scores were 21-25, 25-23 and 11-15.

Thanks to their two straight-set wins over John Taylor and Niverville, Dauphin finished first in their pool. Dauphin will advance to the playoff portion of the event starting Friday afternoon.