For the first time in team history, the Parkland Mavericks are Rugby Manitoba’s Division 2 champions.
The Mavericks claimed the title with a 32-29 win over the Winnipeg Assassins, Saturday in Winnipeg.
Willi Budzinski, Matt Shewchuk, Julien Lopez, Daniel Evans and Riley Keith had Parkland’s tries, while Ronin Mouck chipped in with two converts and a penalty kick, which decided the game.
Mavericks captain Jordan Campbell said the team was excited and happy to come away with the victory.
“It was a big emotional day. A couple downs, but a lot more ups,” he said.
After watching video of the win later in the day, Campbell said every player did his part throughout the game.
“All our important pieces played the game that we needed to play. We had lots of steals in the rucks and our young guys got us a lot of yards,” he said.
“I think the biggest thing is when we were running our systems within their 22, we were able to capitalize and actually score. We decided to go for points on a kick and that’s what won us the game at the end.”
The Assassins had eight Division 1 players dressed as substitutions and 31 players on the sidelines, while the Mavericks only had 19 players available.
“In the second half, they were bringing guys that had clean jerseys and I was like, ‘what is going on here?’ We had no subs and we really won the game in the last two minutes,” Campbell said.
“It was the most intense, nail-biting game. They had a try called back. They also lost in the premier game, so it was a bad day to be an Assassin.”
Campbell hopes the win will give the club more exposure and help to build the program in Dauphin and the Parkland, noting Rugby Manitoba would like to see two teams here, one in each division.
But Campbell pointed out the Mavericks started the season with 37 players, but ended with 19 due to injuries and life circumstances.
Campbell appreciated the large contingent of fans who showed up to cheer on the team in the final.
“Our fans were chanting against their fans. The VEO was live, so everyone was watching the game on the VEO livestream,” he said.
“People were literally crying on the sidelines. It was one of the coolest moments I’ve ever been a part of.”
Budzinski was named Player of the Match and playoff MVP for the Mavericks.
“He did everything right and he really led us. It was a good game and it was good to see Bundy (Shawn Sarkonak) go up there and grab the trophy.”

Backed by the solid goaltending of rookie Tate Barnaby, the Dauphin Kings won two of three games in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, last week.
The week began in Waywayseecappo, with a 4-1 loss to the Wolverines, a game in which Barnaby stopped all 19 shots he faced in the final 40 minutes of play.
Making his first start of the season on Friday, the Winnipeg product stopped 21 shots in helping the Kings to a 5-0 victory over the visiting Winnipeg Blues.
On Sunday in Portage, Barnaby, who turns 17, Oct. 18, had another 19 save performance in a 4-0 triumph over the Terriers.
Barnaby currently has a shutout streak of 169:27 and leads the league with a 0.60 goals against average and a .976 save percentage, to go along with his two shutouts.
Dauphin’s record is now even at 3-3-1-0 and they sit in fifth place, three points out of first place.
Kings head coach and general manager Bryan Kromm said Barnaby was lights out in his three games last week.
“For how old he is and for him to be so calm, cool and collected is really remarkable, in my opinion,” he said.
“He’s got a very, very high ceiling. There’s always things that guys need to work on, but he seems to understand the position really, really well. He has a head for it. So I was happy for him, but I can’t say I was necessarily surprised with the outcome when we put him in.”
Kromm liked how the team responded after the loss to the Wolverines.
“I think Wednesday, we didn’t get to our game, really. So I came at the guys pretty hard on Thursday and Wednesday night and to see them respond on Friday and then do it again on Sunday was really, really good for our group,” he said.
The team’s defensive play over the weekend limited the number of opposition shots, something the Kings have been focusing on.
“We’ve been working hard at our D zone coverage and I think a lot of it is just our willingness to block shots. To see the amount of sacrifices, its just an indicator of our team and how close everybody is. They’re willing to put their bodies on the line and play hard defensively for each other. That was nice to see,” Kromm said.
Special teams are slowing improving, with the power play scoring in both games on the weekend, while the penalty kill was perfect in six chances.
Kromm said the first power play unit looked really good on both nights and players are in the right spots and doing the right things on the penalty kill.
“It’s looked a lot better than it did when we first started,” he added.
Kromm made a couple of player moves with local product Jake Myhre and defenceman Beckham Garchinski no longer with the team.
“Jake was tough with him being a local. We just felt like for his development it maybe wasn’t the best situation for him to be with us in the organization,” he said.
“And Beckham ended up not being really a fit for our club, so we’re in the process of trying to move him on somewhere else.”
The Kings continue their six-game road trip, tonight, Oct. 6, with a game in Winkler against the Flyers at 7 p.m.
On Friday, they visit the Titans in Neepawa at 7:30 p.m., then travel further south to Steinbach to face the Pistons, Saturday, at 7 p.m.
Kromm hopes to see the Kings keep their momentum going.
“We’re just taking it one day at a time. We’ll focus on today (Monday) and getting a good practice in today and focus on tomorrow when that comes. And just take it one day at a time and see what happens,” he said.
While some players are banged up, forwards Kurtis Kinoshita and Kale Pratte and defenceman Declan Andrews are expected to return to the team sometime after Thanksgiving.

A Canadian paralympic world record holder spent the last two weeks at Northgate Trails, helping to assure the trails are wheelchair accessible.
When she was 14, Lisa Franks was diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation, a condition that caused clusters of blood vessels to prevent blood from properly passing by her spinal cord. As a result, Franks lost the use of her legs.
But that didn’t keep her down, as Franks began training as a Paralympian and went on to set world records in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,500m, 5,000m, and marathon events, winning six gold medals and one silver medal in her career.
Prior to her spinal injury, Franks was active in sports.
“And when I was going through rehabilitation, I actually met a bunch of Paralympians and got to try out different sports. And wheelchair racing, it turns out I had some skills in wheelchair racing,” she said, adding she participated in two Paralympic Games in 2000 and 2004.
After her success in wheelchair racing, Franks decided she needed a different challenge and turned her attention to wheelchair basketball, making Team Canada in 2006 and competing in the Paralympics in 2008.
“I would have kept going with that, but I had a pretty severe injury at the end of 2008 and just couldn’t. I had four shoulder surgeries and wasn’t competitive at that same level anymore. And then I discovered outdoors, and that’s been my new passion,” Franks said.
Franks is willing to do anything when it comes to outdoor activities, but her favourites are mountain biking, surfing, kayaking and hiking.
“I’ll try anything, like sky diving, paragliding, zip lining, snowmobiling, downhill skiing. I’m always looking for something new to try,” she said.
Franks was contacted by Parks Canada through Riding Mountain National Park (RMNP) to assist with the trail system in partnership with Northgate Trails.
“A few people with Parks Canada had heard me speak at a conference in the spring and it was all about accessible experiences and facilities are just better for the community overall,” she explained.
“And they were wonderful. They just realized that could really benefit the new trail system they were working on, so they asked me to come out and view the trails as an adaptive mountain biker and adaptive wheelchair user and see what advice I could give and what insights I could offer. I’m really excited that they’re being really inclusive right from the start. It makes their job that much easier in the long run.”
Franks rode the Northgate trails with the trail designer and volunteers using her own mountain bike, which gave them an idea of the capability of her equipment.
“They’re going to apply a lot of what they saw going into that. There’s an organization that has an adaptive mountain bike standard that they can fall back on,” she said.
Most of the trails are already wheelchair accessible, with a couple of areas that just need some tweaking.
“The boardwalks were pretty narrow, but I could make it across them, but don’t have much room for error on those. But it’s very much meeting in the middle between what the equipment we ride can do and what the trails offer. And when you get that in sync, there’s usually minimal changes that need to be done to make it more inviting,” she said.
Franks was impressed with the trails she has been on, noting a lot of upkeep has been done to rework some of the older trails in RMNP.
“I went to the Boreal Trail and then the bog trail or the boardwalk in there. It’s amazing that they’re just even thinking about it and trying to be more inclusive,” she said.
Franks used her regular wheelchair on the family loop at Northgate, which was flat and easy.
“But still a workout, just because you can add length with the different segments on it,” she said.
Franks has one wheelchair for every day use, with accessories that can be added to make it easier to use on the trails.
“There are lots of options for hiking wheelchairs. I just can’t travel with them all at the same time. In the summers I have my personal bike,” she said, adding she lives in a camper van, which is outfitted around her bike.
“I also have another bike on the outside on a bike rack that I let other people ride.”
Franks encourages anyone with disabilities that require them to use a wheelchair to get out and use the trails, especially the family loop.
“That family loop is really neat. There’s a lot of these different little nodes where you can see little things. There’s one clearing that has all these beautiful little tree houses. And even just getting out to the firepit in the communal area and watching everybody ride around or cook some hotdogs. It’s been a neat experience,” she said.
Franks sent a video of the Northgate Trails to people who work on trails in and around her hometown of Moose Jaw, Sask., to showcase what the Northgate trails are like.
While regular wheelchairs can be used on the family loop, more specialized wheelchairs would be needed for other trails.
Franks pointed out Parks Canada has a hiking wheelchair that people can borrow to use on the trails and enjoyed her time at Northgate.
“It’s wonderful Everyone here has been so excited about inclusion. What benefits myself might also benefit someone with a stroller or towing their kids in a trailer behind their bike. The wider boardwalks and things like that would also benefit everybody, I think,” she said.

The Parkland Mavericks have already had a historic season, posting the best record in team history. Now they are on the verge of capping it off with the club’s first ever championship.
Joseph Lopez had two tries and Ronin Mouck had a try and three converts to lead the Mavericks to a 43-14 win over the Winnipeg Wanderers, Saturday, in the Manitoba Rugby Union Division 2 semifinal.
Daniel Evans had a try and one convert, while Matt Keena, Julien Lopez and Shawn Sarkonak also had tries.
The Mavericks had to overcome penalties in the early going, but Mavericks captain Jordan Campbell felt most of the team played a disciplined game.
“Everyone knows their role on the team. The veterans won us the game. Even though our speed got us a lot of tries, the veterans made the plays on defence to get us the ball back. It was really well played,” he said.
Playing as a unit was key to the team’s success, with every player sticking to the plan.
“Knew where they were supposed to be on offence and on defence. Guys were sacrificing their bodies. I’ve never seen Bundy (Sarkonak) so beat up before. Willi Budzinski, he was banged up,” Campbell said.
“It’s been a long season. We’re a hurting group of guys. We had 37 registered this season and right now we’re down to 20 guys that are able to play.”
The Mavericks will need all 20 players when they travel to Winnipeg, Saturday, to face the Winnipeg Assassins in the final at 11:30 p.m.
The Assassins upset the first-place Winnipeg Wombats, 43-7, to advance to the final.
“The guys that are coming are going to be ready,” Campbell said.
“I’m super proud of this group. A lot of guys put their egos aside. Coming off the bench sometimes isn’t easy. Sometimes coming off the field isn’t easy. But everyone was willing to sacrifice themselves for the betterment of the team.”

The Dauphin Kings earned their first win of the young Manitoba Junior Hockey League season on the weekend.
After the Swan Valley Stampeders scored four power-play goals en route to a 6-2 win, Friday in Dauphin, Collin Freidrich continued his hot start as his fifth goal of the season midway through the second period stood up as the winner in a 3-2 Kings victory, Saturday, in Swan River.
Kings head coach and general manager Bryan Kromm was pleased with the team for finding some success together.
“I think it brought them all on the same page and helped them understand what kind of group we have in the locker room. So it was kind of nice,” he said.
Dauphin’s lineup was bolstered by the return of Aidan Malone, Kale Pratte and Noah Smigelsky from injury, as well as Dylan Miko from a suspension.
“Having some of those guys that were injured back in kind of helped tighten the ship quite a bit. So I was pleased with all the guys that came back in and what they brought to the table,” Kromm said.
After the Stampeders scored four times on the man advantage, Friday, the Kings made some structural adjustments that they hadn’t quite dived into in Saturday morning’s skate prior to heading north. It resulted in Swan Valley going 0-2 on the power play.
“We’ve been focused more on five-on-five. I wanted to give them some more pieces to the PK, so I did that with them on Saturday morning and it helped,” he said.
Bryson Yaschyshyn had quite the bounce back game, Saturday.
He was pulled from Friday’s game after allowed four goals on 16 shots in 20:57 of action. On Saturday, he stopped 54 of 56 shots.
“He knew that he was off on Friday. He came and chatted with me after that game. I trust him. He’s been in the league, he’s got experience, so I knew he was going to bounce back and have a good game and he did (Saturday) night,” Kromm said.
Kromm added to his staff with Tyler Carefoot joining the team as an assistant coach.
Kromm felt he needed someone from the community to add a veteran presence on the bench.
“His name came across my desk, so I asked around, asked Scotty (McCallum) and a couple other guys and everything checked out,” he said.
“So I reached out to Tyler and he was able to make it work within his schedule. So that’s how that happened.”
The Kings are back on the road, Wednesday, against the Wolverines in Waywayseecappo at 7:30 p.m.
On Friday, Dauphin will host the Winnipeg Blues at 7 p.m., before heading to Portage, Sunday, for a game at 6:30 p.m.
Kromm said the focus this week will be rest and recovery, noting the schedule will be a bit busier in the coming weeks.
“Trying to work out our schedule and what works best for us is going to be imperative to keep us healthy and going on the right track,” he said.
Sunday’s game in Portage will be the first of six straight on the road for the Kings. That, Kromm said, will help with the team’s bonding.
“It’s been fun for them. When we played in Selkirk, it was a good atmosphere there and (Saturday) night in Swan, it was another good atmosphere,” he said.
“I think our guys actually relish when our backs are against the wall on the road. So I’m really excited to show what we can do coming up here.”
Kings court: With five goals in his first four games, forward Collin Freidrich is tied with three other players for the league lead and is 10th in scoring. Sam Swanton leads all defencemen in scoring with six points, all assists.

Kang’s Taekwondo Academy celebrated its 50th anniversary with a special evening, Aug. 15, at the Watson Arts Centre.
Founder of the academy Great Grandmaster J.W. Kang and Mrs. Kang were in attendance to celebrate the opening of the first Kang’s Taekwondo Academy in Winnipeg, Aug. 16, 1976.
Dauphin Grandmaster Joey Adamowski said the academy has been in Dauphin for 41 years and is now the provincial headquarters for the academy since the Kangs retired to the west coast.
Having the founders of the academy in Dauphin for the celebration meant a lot to members of all ages.
“With the exception of a handful of the members, this generation hasn’t seen Great Grandmaster Kang or Mrs. Kang in person. They see the history pictures on the wall, they hear the stories. They hear about 30, 40, 50 years ago. But for this generation, I think it was very meaningful,” he said.
“The sad part is that we probably won’t see him again unless we end up going that way. But the significance was a milestone. So it allowed everybody to see him, to hear him, to be a part of the celebration with him here. And when he left, everybody realized there’s a good chance he hadn’t been in this environment for seven or eight years. The next chance? I don’t think the opportunity will present itself again.”
For the academy to celebrate 50 years is a rare milestone, Adamowski said.
“The rarity here is for the club to actually be able to continue beyond 50 years and still hold the founder’s name. In Canada, that’s rare and that’s a common scenario of a traditional martial art that’s passed down through generation to generation,” he said.
“It allows us to not only hold and keep the name, but it also allows us to keep what’s known in the martial art realm as the root, meaning the system and the style that our instructor took.”
The celebration on Aug. 15, started with a colour belt promotion test with members from the Dauphin branch receiving awards:
• Most improved - Marcos V. Bardelli Fillo; Improved - Milana Khalabuzar and Jillian Liann Caraan; and Best Manner - Petra Rooks.
The following Poom and Dan Black Belt members from the Dauphin Branch received awards:
• Most improved - Kaela Perdito; Improved - Stanislav Horchak and Emmett Bartmanovich; and Best Manner - Gavin Berkvens.
Dauphin branch members also took home several academy awards:
• Taekwondo Perseverance Award: 14-and-under - Shilo St. Hilairel 15-and-over - Brayden Nelson.
• Taekwondo Spirit Award: 14-and-under - Dominic Pirie; and 15-and-over - Ben Muoneme.
• Taekwondo Family of the Year: 14-and-under - the Perdito Family; and 15-and-over - Rianne and Kaela.
• Scholastic Achievement Kindergarten to Grade 4 - Milana Khalabuzar.
• Scholastic Achievement Grades 5 to 8 - Kaela Perdito.
• Scholastic Achievement Grades 9 to 12 - Gavin Berkvens.
• Most Improved: 14-and-under - Peter Sebastian Isip; and 15-and-over - Harley Moore.
• Best Manner: 14-and-under - Shiloh Kalsi; and 15-and-over - Alice Racette Koe.
• Taekwondo Role Model of the Year: 14-and-under - Rianne Perdito; and 15-and-over - Justin Nelson.
• Member of the Year: 14-and-under - Mila Marczylo; and 15-and-over - Mark Symchych.
• Taekwondo Special Achievement - Jasmine Flett.
• Instructor of the Year - Master John Ter Horst.
• Branch Club of the Year - TCC/KTA H.Q. Dauphin.
For more information about the Kang’s Taekwondo Academy program, call 204-638-3265.

A Dauphin native helped Canada win a gold medal in the Legends Division at the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation’s world championships.
Held in Černošice, Czech Republic, July 28 to Aug. 1, Laura Gibbs helped backstop Canada to the gold medal, going 4-0 in the process, while Canada was undefeated at 5-0.
Canada opened the tournament with an 11-0 win over Great Britain, then beat Czechia, 8-0, and ended the round-robin with a 6-0 win over the US.
The Canadians then beat Great Britain, 10-0 in the semifinals and clinched the gold with a 9-0 victory over Czechia.
Gibbs started playing ball hockey not long after she moved to Edmonton about 15 years ago.
“I joined a team and have been playing ever since. So I’ve probably been playing for 15 years on and off,” she said.
Gibbs knew there were national championships for various age groups and put her name forward to play for a championship, but wasn’t selected.
“But this spring I was lucky enough to get selected with the women’s legends team to go join with them to go to Prague this summer and compete in the first ever women’s legends world championships,” she said.
A goaltender, Gibbs was not overly busy, having to make only seven saves in the four games she played.
“Canada was very dominant. We knew we would be strong going into it, but I feel like there were some teams that assumed because of the age group, they weren’t overly concerned about the skill level. But Canada definitely came to compete,” she said.
“Neither of the goalies on the Canadian team were very busy, because the team was just so strong ahead of us.”
Being a world champion still hasn’t sunk in for Gibbs yet.
“It’s unreal. I still feel in awe when I see the medal hanging up and some of the photos from the championship. It’s unbelievable. I think any kid, as an athlete, you dream of playing at the highest level possible whatever sport you’re in,” Gibbs said.
“So to be able to wear the Maple Leaf was a once in a lifetime, truly like a dream come true experience.”
Besides the lack of ice, the biggest difference between ice hockey and ball hockey is the amount of running involved.
“I think a lot of the players get a wakeup call with how much running is involved. You don’t realize how much you can glide when you’re playing ice hockey versus ball hockey. It’s a pile of running,” she said.
“As a goalie, the ball plays very differently than a puck. It curves and dips and dives and kind of does it’s own thing when some of those girls and guys hit it. It plays very differently.”
Equipment, Gibbs added, is minimal, but goalie equipment is pretty much the same as in ice hockey, other than the skates.
“A lot of the players just wear a soccer shin guard or ball hockey shin pads, a helmet and gloves and that’s about it,” she said.
The higher level you get, the rougher it gets, Gibbs said, but there is no body contact like there is in ice hockey.
“You can’t lay a hit on somebody. But it’s pretty close. The higher level you play, the more they let slide,” she said.
Gibbs encourages anyone interested to take up ball hockey, noting it is a great summer option in a lot of places where they pull the ice out of rinks in the summer.
“It allows you to keep playing. It forces you to increase your cardio and your endurance, because it’s a ton of running. But it’s a blast. I love it,” she said.
“I started playing a lot more ball hockey than ice hockey now.”
Gibbs played ringette while growing up in Dauphin and credits her growth in sport to all her coaches.
“They got me started and pushed me to never take no for an answer or stop believing in yourself. I’m super grateful for all of the support I received from all of those guys growing up and the friends and family that I had supported me through the tournament, watched all the games while I was overseas. I’ll never forget that,” she said.

Although they lost both games over the weekend, there were plenty of positives the Dauphin Kings can take from the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s opening weekend.
In a back and forth season opener, the Kings fell 6-5 in overtime to the Selkirk Steelers, Friday in Selkirk.
In Saturday’s home opener in front of 904 spectators, the Kings dropped a 3-2 decision.
Kings head coach Bryan Kromm felt the Kings did a lot of good things in the two games.
“With a young group, it’s about consistency. And I thought we played well on Friday and tonight, we weren’t really consistent with our game for a full 60,” he said.
“So when you don’t play hockey that way, the right way, for that amount of time, obviously, you’re going to end up on the wrong side of the scoresheet.”
Kromm was pleased with the compete level he saw, noting the team is working on its resiliency.
“Obviously, there’s ups and downs. And again, with the young group like we have, they’ve got to figure out how to handle those ups and those downs and stay level headed throughout it,” he said.
The injury bug has hit teams to start the season with four players missing Friday’s season opener and Kurtis Kinoshita leaving that game.
Every team, Kromm said, goes through injuries at some point in a season.
“You’ve just got to deal with it. There’s no excuses, right?” he said.
Also missing from the lineup was veteran Dylan Miko, who served a two-game suspension for a checking from behind major he picked up in game four against the Waywayseecappo Wolverines in last year’s quarterfinal series.
Kromm expects to have everyone back by this weekend, when the Kings host the Swan Valley Stampeders, Friday, at 7 p.m. On Saturday, the teams faceoff in a rematch in Swan River, also at 7 p.m.
Kromm said there is still a lot of things for the team to work on, noting it is a work in progress.
Kings court: After recording four points in 18 games last season, defenceman Sam Swanton registered four assists in Friday’s season opener and added a fifth helper Saturday. Counting the preseason, forward Collin Friedrich has seven goals in six games. He scored four times in four preseason contests and has three goals in the first two games of the regular season.

A large turnover of players has resulted in a young Dauphin Clippers football hitting the field in the Rural Manitoba Football League, this season.
And, although they lost the season opener, 48-0, to the St. Vital Mustangs, Sunday in Dauphin, it was a good learning experience for the young squad.
“I think it was huge. We had so many things that we didn’t have a chance to work on. In fact that was our first time on the football field,” said Clippers head coach Nathan Thacker.
“We do all our practicing off to the side, because we don’t like to damage the field. So spatially, it was a lot of learning that had to go on.”
Despite the lopsided score, Thacker was pleased with a lot of aspects of the game.
“When you look at the fact that at the end of the game, we still had kids clawing for every inch on offence and running their butts off on defence trying to make tackles. Not shying away from contact,” he said.
The coaches, Thacker said, can work with players who maybe miss an assignment or aren’t quite sure what they’re supposed to be doing.
“You learn a lot about your kids in a game like that. Who wants to play when they’re down? Who gives up early? And we didn’t see a lot of people that gave up early. And we saw a lot of people that wanted to play at the end. So that means a lot,” he said.
The Clippers, who have plenty of things to build on for the next game, will now get ready to host the Swan Valley Tigers, Sunday, at 1 p.m.
“Defensively, we had a few people who wanted to spectate, because when the older kids are making plays, you step back, but they know what it takes now,” Thacker said.
“And then offensively, we saw the things that we struggled with, which was mainly timing. And we knew that. But when you’re not executing on offence, you make your defence pretty tired.”
Thacker added this is the happiest he has ever been after losing a game by 48 points.