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The Blizzard played great, the Kings proved to be no match for them on Tuesday.
Dauphin had just 15 shots in a 4-0 loss, a key defeat for the Kings as they look to chase down the Blizzard for second place in the West.
Cole Sheffield was the lone bright spot for Dauphin as he made 41 saves. The Kings are now four points back of the Blizz for second in the West with a pair of games in hand.
Dauphin now plays Swan Valley on Friday.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
In a matter of two hours, the Dauphin Clippers have put the Killarney Raiders on the brink of elimination.
Starting their playoff journey on home ice, the Clippers beat Killarney, 4-2, to take a one game to zero lead in the best of three.
Julien Lopez led the way for Dauphin with a pair of goals. Josh Yakielashek and Ronin Mouck also scored.
Owen Chubka earned the win and Dauphin can advance to the second round with a win on Thursday in Killarney.
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It was a shame how the Dauphin Clippers' journey to a championship in Las Vegas ended.
The team was firing on all cylinders and they were looking to upset a team from Calgary in the semi-finals. Ultimately, it wasn't to be. The game ended up coming down to a skills competition, one that Dauphin came up short in as they lost to Bow Valley, 3-2, in a shootout. The loss sent the Clippers packing as they departed later that day for Dauphin.
The Clippers won three of their four round-robin games and finished with a single tie. Bow Valley; meanwhile, won all four of their round-robin games, dominating teams in the process.
"I think it was pretty cool in the end that the four Canadian teams were the top teams in our division," said Jason Alf. "To push the top team to a shootout in the Final 4, I think that's a pretty big positive for our group. It was an incredibly positive experience for our group and one that they will never forget."
Dauphin then returned home to play Crocus Plains this past Friday in their final regular season game of the year. Ronin Mouck, Jesse Hockridge, and Norman Lacquette scored for Dauphin in the 3-2 win that clinched their 22nd win of the campaign.
Alf says he was very impressed with how much effort the guys put in throughout the season.
"There are still a lot of things to clean up with how we played," said Alf. "With that said, we finished in fourth place and pretty some pretty great hockey throughout the season. I think the guys should be proud of their efforts."
Next up for the Clippers is a new season. They begin their playoffs on Tuesday evening at Credit Union Place against the Killarney Raiders. Both Killarney and Dauphin finished the season with 22 wins; however, the Clippers finished with 46 points while Killarney had 44.
They met twice in the regular season, with Dauphin coming out on top in a 2-1 victory while they lost 8-3 in their second meeting. The best of three series will see Dauphin starting the series on home ice and if needed, they will host game three as well.
"There's a general animosity between the two clubs, we have had some pretty great meetings against each other over the past couple of years," offered Alf. "We played pretty well down there and struggled here. If we play like we can and stay out of the box, I think we have a very good chance."
Alf said that is the biggest key to success. The Raiders pose a very good offensive attack and if Dauphin isn't able to stay out of the penalty box, the Raiders will have the upper edge in the series. Game one is set for Tuesday at 7:30.
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It was a tough ending to the season for the Parkland U18 Rangers.
Finishing up their 44-game 2023-24 schedule in Beasujour, the Rangers lost two games against the Eastman Selects. On Saturday, Parkland led 3-1; however, they couldn't hold it, losing 9-5 in a high-scoring affair to the Selects.
Hayden Seib scored two goals for Parkland and he also reached the 100-point mark as a Ranger with his performance. Ryder Gardner, Cam Sarna, and Ethan Carnegie also scored for the Rangers in the defeat. Then on Sunday afternoon in their season finale, Ryzlie Nepinak and Quinten Fisk scored in a 5-2 loss.
The Rangers finished in 11th place at 13-28-2-1. With their weekend sweep of Parkland, Eastman qualified for the playoffs. They will now play the Brandon Wheat Kings, who did not lose a regulation game in the regular season, in the first round of the playoffs.
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The Dauphin Kings are firing on all cylinders as the regular season continues to dwindle away.
After a big win against Portage, Dauphin put up a four spot to extend their winning streak to five games in a 4-1 victory against Niverville.
Cole Sheffield was once again brilliant in net for Dauphin as he made 32 saves in the win as Niverville lost for the 13th time in their last 16 games.
Jordan Bax, Ashton Paul, Logan Walker, and Naaman Hofer scored for Dauphin in the win. The Kings remain tied for second place in the West with the Blizzard and the two teams meet Tuesday night in The Pas.
Dauphin has also clinched a playoff berth.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Dauphin Kings are back in a tie for second place in the West Division after an outstanding performance on Friday night.
Opening up a busy stretch that will see the team play six games in the next nine days, Dauphin shutout the Portage Terriers, 2-0. Cole Sheffield was once again brilliant and made a huge save late to preserve his fourth shutout of the season. Trey Gnetz also made a gorgeous play as he batted down a puck at the goal line to help Dauphin secure their 31st win of the season.
Alex Senf scored the game winner as Dauphin was on the man advantage in the first period and Ashton Paul sealed it late into an empty net. It was Dauphin's fourth straight win as they improved to 31-14-1-1 on the season.
The Kings now have the same amount of points as the Blizzard; however, Dauphin does still have a game in hand. The Kings will return to the ice on Saturday night as they look to keep it going when they play the Niverville Nighthawks at Credit Union Place. All the action gets underway on Saturday at 7:30.
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His days as a member of the Edina High School hockey team were numbered.
In one last year with the team during the 2022-23 campaign, Charlie Sandven scored eight times while adding 26 assists. To advance to the next level after his high school career came to an end, Charlie was able to achieve his goal as he went over to play with the Minnesota Wilderness of the North American Hockey League. Ultimately, it was a short stop for Charlie as he made the move to Manitoba and Dauphin to join the Kings.
Sandven, who is an avid golfer, is now 30 games into his first year with his new team and he has become one of the team's most reliable defenders. He's also enjoying every second of being a part of the Kings organization, even if it means being several hours away from his family and back-home friends.
"The guys are great, the coaches are great, and the entire organization is great," said Sandven. "It's first class, I'm very happy that I decided to come here.
Standing in at 6'3", Charlie has rapidly improved throughout his time in the MJHL and Doug Hedley has relied on the 19-year-old in any situation. Whether it's five-on-five, a power play, to the Kings killing off a penalty, Sandven has stepped in and done a wonderful job.
A couple of weeks back, Charlie also got the chance to spend some time with his family as his parents and grandparents made the trip to Dauphin to watch Charlie live in action twice at Credit Union Place.
"It was great to be with my parents and grandparents, it meant a lot that they made the trek up here," offered Sandven. "They had a chance to see how I'm living and what I do on a day-to-day basis. It was great to be with them."
Heading into this past Tuesday's home game against Swan Valley, Charlie was still in search of his first goal with Dauphin. With 30 seconds left in the game, the Edina native was able to beat the Stampeders netminder as Sandven scored his first goal as a King in his 30th game with the club.
Charlie kept the puck and it's a moment that he won't forget.
"It felt pretty good, it took some weight off my chest," said Sandven. "It was a great game overall. Goaltending was phenomenal and everyone played their part, it was a solid win for our group."
Dauphin will look to keep it rolling this weekend. Entering a weekend that will see the team play two games, Dauphin has won three straight games, scoring 16 goals in the process. The team will be very busy over the next three weeks ahead of the Turnbull Cup playoffs as they continue to chase down the Blizzard for second place in the West Division.
The Kings have been getting outstanding goaltending from Cole Sheffield and Austin Seibel, and great defensive play from Charlie among the remainder of the defensive core and offensively, the Kings have been very efficient as of late.
One of their recent wins came against the Steinbach Pistons, who are ranked as the third-best team in the country.
"We have just come together as a tight-knit group, everyone is playing for the guy next to them," offered Sandven. "No one in our room is selfish. We all have one common goal and that's winning as many games as we can and making some noise this year."
Dauphin heads to Portage to play the Terriers on Friday before returning to Dauphin to host the Nighthawks on Saturday evening. They then play the Blizzard on Tuesday before taking on Swan Valley on Wednesday afternoon at 12:30.
Get to know Charlie:
What are some of your hobbies? I'm a pretty big golfer, I play a lot throughout the summer months. I also enjoy hanging out with my friends and I enjoy the company of my family.
What is your best golf shot? I had like 100 yards in for eagle on a par 5 and I sunk it, so that was pretty great.
Who are your favourite sports teams? Being from Minnesota, I'm a big Minnesota Vikings fan. I'm also a big fan of the Wild and Twins.
Who has been a big inspiration in your life? Definitely my grandpa, he is a very hard working man. I respect him very much for what he has done for our family, he's an incredible man that I love dearly. He's always there for me.
Would you like to travel? I would love to go back to Scottsdale and play some golf, pretty amazing place.
You can hear Charlie's full chat with Darnell Duff during the Dauphin Kings Power Play Show after the 4:00 p.m. news, weather, business, and sports on Friday.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Three members of the Parkland Gators Swim Club recently took part in the provincial championships and once again, it was Parkland strong in the water.
Meredith Cottrell
50m backstroke - 5th
50m breaststroke - 3rd
100m backstroke - 5th
100m freestyle - 3rd
100m individual medley - 3rd
100m breaststroke - 4th
50m freestyle - 3rd
Chayne Paziuk
50m backstroke - 3rd
50m breaststroke - 7th
100m freestyle - 8th
100m individual medley - 8th
100m breaststroke - 10th
200m backstroke - 4th
Renee Fee
50m backstroke - 11th
50m breaststroke - 21st
100m backstroke - 7th
100m freestyle - 16th
100m individual medley - 15th
200m backstroke - 7th
50m freestyle - 19th
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The Dauphin Clippers varsity boys and girls basketball teams are one step closer to competing for a provincial championship.
In Swan River Tuesday for one final zone championship game, both teams easily cruised past their Parkland rivals.
On the boys' side, Nick Hudyma -- as he has so many times this year -- led the team with 27 points, four assists, and five steals. Ronin Mouck had 22 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists to go along with six steals. Ryder Waggoner; meanwhile, had 10 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks.
On the girls' side, the Clippers downed the Tigers, 49-33. Both teams will now advance to a pre-qualifying tournament next weekend at a location to be determined.
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They were in a heated battle for third place in the East Division with the Portage Terriers.
Entering the Christmas break at 20-12-1, the Niverville Nighthawks were looking to pass the Terriers in the standings so they could avoid playing the top-ranked team in the first round of the Turnbull Cup playoffs. At this point, that is the Steinbach Pistons.
As we now approach the home stretch of the 2023-24 regular season, the Nighthawks are just trying to advance to the big dance. Since the flip of the calendar from 2023 to 2024, it has been a big struggle for the league's newest franchise. In their second year in the league, Niverville has won just three of their first 15 games of 2024.
Nine of the losses have come in regulation while the team has two overtime losses and one shootout loss throughout their first 15 contests. The Nighthawks made two rather large trades at the deadline that saw them add Alex Walicki and Josh Danis. Walicki had 36 points in 34 games to start the season with Swan Valley while Danis had 23 points in 31 games to start the campaign with the Stampeders. Since joining Niverville, Walicki has just nine points in 13 games while Danis has struggled heavily with one goal and three assists across 13 contests.
Not only has Niverville struggled as of late offensively, they have not been able to keep the puck out of their net. Coming off an 8-2 loss against Portage, Niverville has given up 57 goals over their last 10 games which is an average of just less than six goals allowed per game over the 10-game period. The Nighthawks have given up five goals or more in eight of those contests and six or more in six of them.
Between the pipes, Raiden Legall, last year's top goaltender in the Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League, has seen his goals-against average rise to 3.04 while Keegan Gordon's is at 3.60 to go along with his .888 save percentage.
Kevin Pauls is the team's marketing director as well as play-by-play voice and as he says, things need to change.
"If you look at the team's defence playing in front of Raiden and Keegan, I am seeing some pretty discouraging things," said Paul. "Also on the offensive side of things, the team has struggled to capitalize on the power play and that has been a big difference. The team hasn't been able to battle enough throughout a full 60-minute game."
Mired in a slump at the worst of times, Niverville is also getting used to a new man who is leading the organization on an interim basis. Last week, the club announced that they relieved Kelvin Cech of his duties as head coach and general manager.
Cech, who was named MJHL Coach of the Year with the Winkler Flyers in the 2019-20 season, led Niverville to the playoffs last year in the team's first season; however, the team felt a new direction was needed.
The team's chair of the board of directors, Clarence Braun commented after the news.
“Upon the recommendation of hockey operations, we decided to relieve our head coach/general manager,” says Braun. “The trend within the past three weeks was not good. We had a difficult post-Christmas last year, but we were at the least competitive. This year we were getting blown out and that was unacceptable. It’s all about players competing and not necessarily winning. We were not competing.”
On the same note, Pauls believes Kelvin won't be out of a job for long.
"Kelvin was fantastic to work with, he knows the game and he is a great evaluator of talent," said Pauls. "He has a great mind to be a coach. He is a big reason why Winkler was so successful when he left and that will be the case here in Niverville as well."
Niverville has now announced that Mike McAulay has accepted the interim role of general manager and Dwight Hirst has been hired as interim coach for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. Hirst has spent the past four seasons as head coach of the Eastman Selects, a team the Parkland Rangers will play two times this weekend in Beasujour to wrap up their season.
Kings fans will get a chance to see Dwight and the rest of the Nighthawks this weekend as Dauphin plays host to them on Saturday night at Credit Union Place. Dauphin beat the Nighthawks, 6-0, in their last meeting earlier this year. Niverville is just three points ahead of Selkirk for the fourth and final playoff spot in the East Division.
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The Parkland U15 Rangers are just one win away from advancing in the playoffs.
On home ice against the Winnipeg Wild Red in game three of their best-of-five series Tuesday in Swan River, the Rangers came out firing on all cylinders in the first period as they scored four times in the opening 20 minutes and they cruised the rest of the way in a 7-2 win against the Wild.
It was a clinical performance for Parkland as they went up two games to one in the series and they can win it on Thursday in McCreary. Ben Poole led the way for Parkland with two goals while Kyle Pelletier made 35 saves in the net to record the win.
Noah Smigelsky, Josh Yakielashek, Noah Hanneson, Carter Moncrief, and Dayson Martin also scored for Parkland in the win.
Parkland will host game four on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in McCreary.
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