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Last Tuesday in a 4-0 loss to the Blizzard, the Dauphin Kings had just 15 shots and were heavily outplayed.
Seven days later, the Kings had 27 shots and were once again outplayed. Playing the final of a six-game season series against the Virden Oil Capitals on Tuesday, Dauphin struggled from start to finish as they could not get anything going in a 4-0 loss to the Oil Capitals.
The loss marks the second time in seven days that Dauphin has been shutout. Dauphin was solid on the penalty kill going 4-for-4; however, they did not score a power play goal across six chances.
The loss drops Dauphin to 34-16-1-1 and they remain four points behind the Blizzard for second place in the West Division, Dauphin has one game in hand.
The Oil Capitals inched closer to clinching first place in the West as they moved six points up the Blizzard and are 37-10-3-3.
The Kings are in Neepawa to play the Titans on Friday. I'll have the broadcast beginning at 7:15.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Blizzard Junior 'A' Hockey Club was a big winner on Monday as the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) announced award winners for the 2023-24 regular season.
Ed Belfour Goaltender of the Year - Tomas Anderson (Blizzard)
A graduate of Stillwater High School in Minnesota last year, Anderson now calls The Pas his home and he has been exceptional this year. Anderson has 23 wins this year, the fourth-most in the league, and his .932 save percentage is tied for second in the league while Anderson has a very solid 2.07 goals-against average.
Tomas recently had a stretch that saw him record four shutouts in six starts and he leads the league with seven overall this year. He also recently committed to play Division 1 hockey at Niagara University.
Anderson has been a massive reason why the Blizzard currently occupies second place in the West Division.
Muzz MacPherson Coach of the Year - Eric Labrosse (Blizzard)
After helping the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) make the playoffs thanks to a third-place regular season finish in the Western Conference last year, Labrosse was hired by the Blizzard this year and he has sparkled.
The Blizzard is not the most skilled team in the league; however, you will not find a team that works harder. Instilling a hard-working club, Labrosse has done a tremendous job of assuring his club is ready to go every single game.
There is a new buzz in The Pas this year and Labrosse is a big reason why. He has also coached professionally in the past in France.
Steve "Boomer" Hawrysh MVP - Trent Penner (Flyers)
He is the team's captain and he never shies away from a battle. If Trent Penner has to play physically, he will. If he has to play a finesse game, he will. Whatever way Penner needs to play, he can.
Heading into the second last week of the MJHL regular season, Penner is second in league scoring with 26 goals and 42 assists. His average of 1.36 points per game is the second-best in the league, only behind Dalton Andrew who is his teammate in Winkler.
Penner has also added five game-winning goals for the Flyers this year as they sit in second place in the East Division.
Brian Kozak Top Defenseman - Noah Szabo (Pistons)
No surprise here whatsoever. Noah has had to deal with an injury this year, but when he is on the ice, there is no stopping the Pistons defender. Everyone knows about his excellent ability to shut down opponents in his end and this year, the 19-year-old has taken his game to the next level offensively.
Averaging a point per game, Szabo had 44 points in 44 games this year for Steinbach. Only Kaycee Coyle of Niverville has more points among a defender in the league. Noah is 18th in league scoring this year and fifth in team scoring.
He can lock you down in his end and Szabo can also terrorize you in his opponent's end.
Kim Davis Rookie of the Year - Grady Hoffman (Pistons)
Just like Szabo was no surprise to win Defenseman of the Year, Grady Hoffman is certainly no surprise to win Rookie of the Year honours.
At 18 years old, Hoffman has 46 points in 48 games this year. He has a great ability to create his own space offensively which has proven extremely beneficial. Hoffman has also been excellent while on a power play with six goals and five assists while the Pistons are on the man advantage. Perhaps the most impressive statistic for Hoffman is his four shorthanded goals this year.
No player has more shorthanded goals this year. Hoffman's 27 goals are also tied for the fourth-most in the league. The Pistons are on top of the MJHL and will likely clinch home-ice advantage for the entirety of their playoff run.
Frank McKinnon Memorial Award Hockey Ability & Sportsmanship - Josh Lehto (Oil Capitals)
The Dauphin Kings will go up against him on Tuesday night at Tundra Oil & Gas Place.
In his second year with the team, Lehto has been brilliant offensively this year as he leads the Oil Capitals with 55 points, 20 of which have come on the power play. Lehto is one of those tireless workers that every team wishes they could have several of.
While Lehto is by no means a big player when it comes to size on the ice, his great ability to see open ice and create space for himself which makes him a threat every single time that he's on the ice. If Virden is to go deep this year, Lehto will have to be front and centre.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The 14U Predators Volleyball Club was in Winnipeg this weekend to participate in a Premier Tournament and once again had a solid weekend.
They finished first in their pool with wins over Winman 13U, Junior Pilots White, and Offspeed VC.
The Predators carried that momentum into the playoffs where they first downed Club West Rage. The team's run to a title would come to an end in the quarterfinals in a loss to the Huskies. This left the Predators in 5th place in the 32-team tournament.
They are off until March 15/16 when they will play in the BVC tournament in Brandon.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
26 teams took part and Team Dwight Bottrell was the last one standing.
It was another great weekend of curling at the Dauphin Curling Club as the Dauphin Men's Bonspiel took centre stage.
In the final, Dwight Bottrell and his rink of Morley Bourns, Steve Soloway, and Nick Ogryzlo scored to two in the last end to beat Rob Rempel, 9-8, to win the first event sponsored by Embroidery by Design. Placing third in the first event was Chad Sahulka and fourth went to Barret Procyshyn.
Second Event - Sponsored by Parkland Source for Sports:
Winners: Jeff Campbell rink. He was supported by Seth Gares, Blaine Johnson, and Bart Michaleski who beat the Jared Nigemeers quartet. Third in the second event went to Cory Toews rink and fourth was the Greg Thompson foursome.
Third Event - Sponsors by McMunn and Yates Building Supplies:
Kyle Forsyth, Jarvis Whyte, Trent Hill, and Cody Hill beat the Chris Belhumeur rink to win the third event. Third in the third event went to the Mark Hadway team and fourth went to the Brian Freiheit rink.
Fourth Event - Bakers Computers:
The fourth event winners sponsored by Baker Completers were Rob Fisher, Dave Campbell, Danny Scott, and Brent Stykalo who beat the Logan Devos team. Third in the fourth event was the Luke Michaleski rink and fourth was the Terron Stykalo rink.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The U15 Roblin Stars are feeling like their on top of the moon right now.
The Stars completed a dominating and perfect provincial tournament with a nailbiting 4-3 win in the gold medal game on Sunday in Warren.
Maddox Andres recorded a hat-trick for Roblin in the game while Ryder Newton also scored for the Stars in the gold medal effort. Both players recorded four points.
"It feels unbelievable, this is the second year in the row," said Jarrett Newton, team coach. "This team started playing together when they were five and they continue to work hard and keep to the process. They are now reaping the benefits of such hard work."
It has been nothing short of a sensational season for Roblin as they also won their home tournament, as well as a Tournament of Champions event.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
(Parkland teams are bold)
It was a busy weekend for Hockey Manitoba as they hosted provincial championships across the province and the Parkland was all over the action.
At the U15B event in Russell, a team from the Parkland was able to defend their home region as Swan Valley beat Wawanesa in the gold medal game, 4-2. Rylan Laderouette scored a pair of goals for Swan Valley while Kennedy Baskier, and Walker Atkinson also scored for the Stampeders in the victory.
In Gilbert Plains at the U11 A event, Bennett Harness had the hot stick as he scored four times for Swan Valley as they beat Flin Flon, 6-5, in a thrilling bronze medal match.
Over in Portage la Prairie, the Dauphin U11 AA Kings came up short against Winkler in the gold medal game, 2-0. Dauphin beat Brandon, Mitchell, and MacDonald in their other games to reach the gold medal game.
After winning their first two round-robin games, the U18 female Grand Plains Ice Dogs came up short in the bronze medal game as they lost to Hamiota/Rivers, 5-2.
At the provincial held in Dauphin at Credit Union Place and the Rotary Arena, Morden beat Stonewall, 5-4, in an outstanding gold medal game. Springfield blanked Portage, 4-0, to win the bronze medal game.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy U15 Kings won the Tournament of Champions earlier this year for Myles Haverluck.
On Sunday, they were playing for a provincial championship. Playing in St. Agathe, Ben Miner was exceptional between the pipes and the team's offence came up clutch when they needed to as they downed Rivers, 4-2, to claim a provincial title.
The title winning game capped off a perfect weekend for the team. After a tournament opening tie against Flin Flon, Dauphin beat Peguis, Springfield, and Niverville.
Garrett Sahulka led the way for Dauphin as he scored a pair of goals in the final, one of which was the game winner. Dominic Chartrand and Lyric Smith also scored for the Kings.
"This year's team definitely had its skill spread over our three full lines," said Aaron Miner. "We were able to wear the other teams down by using them all equally."
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Before Mother Nature unleashes a blanket of snow on much of the Parkland, the Predators U17 girls volleyball team unleashed their skills in Dauphin.
Playing in a tournament hosted by the Vipers on Saturday, the Predators cruised through the entire tournament, not dropping a match, as they were crowed tournament champions.
In their round-robin, the Predators beat Russell, Vipers 16U, along with Vipers 17U. They then handled Russell in the final in straight sets as they improved to 12-3 on the season.
They're off to Winnipeg next weekend for a second Premier tournament after a fifth place finish in the first Premier tournament that they played in earlier this season.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Parkland will be a busy region when it comes to provincial championships over the weekend.
Dauphin is just one of the communities that will host a provincial hockey tournament. Below are more details on where you can catch the action live.
(FINAL SCORES ARE BOLD)
U11 AA - Dauphin Kings in Portage la Prairie
Friday - 5:00 p.m. vs Brandon - Dauphin beat Brandon, 4-0
Saturday - 10:45 a.m. vs Mitchell - Dauphin beat Mitchell, 3-2
U11 A - Grand Plains hosting
Friday - 10:00 a.m. vs La Broquerie - Grand Plains lost, 8-2
Friday - 6:45 p.m. vs Flin Flon - Grand Plains lost, 8-7
Saturday - 3:15 p.m. vs St. Claude - Grand Plains wins, 5-0
U11 A - Swan Valley in Grandview/Gilbert Plains
Friday - 1:30 p.m. vs Neepawa - Swan Valley won, 7-4
Saturday - 10:00 a.m. vs Gimli - Swan Valley won, 13-2
Saturday - 5:00 p.m. vs Virden - Swan Valley tied, 2-2
U11 B - Russell at Notre Dame Minor Hockey
Friday - 3:15 p.m. vs Lac Du Bonnet - Russell won, 6-1
Saturday - 11:45 a.m. vs Hartney - Russell won, 6-5
Saturday - 5:00 p.m. vs Pembina Valley - Russell won, 10-5
U11 C - McCreary at Rivers Minor Hockey
Friday - 11:45 a.m. vs Pinawa - McCreary won, 20-0
Friday - 7:00 p.m. vs Rivers - McCreary, won 5-3
Saturday - 1:30 p.m. vs Deloraine - McCreary won, 3-0
U11 A1 - Dauphin hosting
Friday - 10:00 a.m. vs The Pas - Dauphin tied The Pas, 5-5
Friday - 2:15 p.m. vs Morden - Dauphin lost, 11-1
U11 A1 - Swan Valley at Dauphin Minor Hockey
Friday - 11:15 a.m. vs Neepawa - Swan Valley lost, 6-1
Saturday - 10:15 a.m. vs Springfield - Swan Valley lost, 19-0
U13 B Female - Grand Plains at Deloraine
Friday - 10:30 a.m. vs Elkhorn - Grand Plains won, 2-1
Friday - 4:30 p.m. vs Rat River - Grand Plains won, 2-0
Saturday - 1:30 p.m. vs Stonewall - Grand Plains won, 5-1
U15 A - Dauphin in Niverville
Friday - 3:15 p.m. vs Flin Flon - Dauphin tied Flin Flon, 2-2
Saturday - 11:45 a.m. vs Peguis - Dauphin won, 15-2
Saturday - 5:00 p.m. vs Springfield - Dauphin won, 6-1
U15 C - Roblin at Warren Minor Hockey
Friday - 5:00 p.m. vs Notre Dame - Roblin won, 6-2
Saturday - 10:45 a.m. vs St. Adolphe - Roblin won, 9-1
U18 Female - Grand Plains in Glenboro
Friday - 3:15 p.m. vs Cross Lake - Grand Plains Ice Dogs won, 21-1
Saturday - 9:00 a.m. vs Birtle - Grand Plains Ice Dogs won, 3-1
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Dauphin Kings avoided a major upset on Friday evening.
It took extra time, but it counts all the same as Dauphin downed the Winnipeg Freeze, 4-3. With the win, Dauphin won their 34th game of the season and completed a season sweep of the Freeze. Dauphin also moved to 10-0 all-time against Winnipeg since they entered the league.
Logan Walker scored the game-winning goal late in overtime for Dauphin as they won their second straight game. He also scored a goal in regulation while Jordan Bax and Cayden Glover also scored for Dauphin.
Austin Seibel won his second straight start, stopping 18 shots in the game. Dauphin will now head to The Pas on Sunday to play the Blizzard. If that game is a go, Darnell Duff will broadcast it at 7:00 p.m.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
For the first time, Nathan Zadorozny is getting an opportunity to coach the sport he loves at a provincial event.
Leading the Ste. Rose Celtics junior varsity basketball team into their inter-zone game against Hamiota earlier this week, the Celtics came out on top in dominating fashion by a final score of 69-52.
"I'm very proud of these boys, they are a group of young and dedicated athletes," said Zadorozny.
The win earned the team a spot in the provincial championships that will take place next weekend in Winnipeg. Nathan will be in Wawanesa on Saturday as the varsity Celtics looks to advance to the provincials at a qualifier.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff