The host committee of the 2024 Manitoba Summer Games powered by Manitoba Hydro held a pep rally for its many volunteers, last week.

The event gave the 800 volunteers a chance to get the information they will need when the games kick off next week.

Carla Wolfenden, co-chair of the host committee, is pleased with the number of people who stepped up to volunteer at this year’s edition of the games.

“When we scheduled this and at the beginning, we were worried about our volunteer numbers. But, as usual, Dauphin came through and to see so many people show up for the pep rally is just amazing,” she said.

As the games draw near, Wolfenden said they are starting to see the result of all the meetings held over the years.

“This is just the beginning. We can’t wait for the games,”  she said.

Although the online registration for volunteers has closed, anyone who still wishes to lend a hand can do so.

“We do have a student that will be set up in the lobby at Credit Union Place. So you can still go and see her to sign up and volunteer,” Wolfenden said.

The excitement about the games started building about two weeks ago, Wolfenden said. That was when they started checking things off of their to-do list.

“And now it’s every day we’re checking things off our list that are complete and readyo to go,” she added.

“Just to see other people getting excited gets me excited and really happy. It makes all of the work worthwhile.”

And after so many years of planning, there is also a sense of relief building that the games are almost here.

“It will be nice to have some spare time again. And I really want that for all of our executive and sub-committee chairs, as well, because we’ve asked all these people to give us their time and it’s been a lot of time that they’ve put in. So I’m excited for all of our host society to celebrate all their hard work that they put in and enjoy this time after,” she said.

At this point it’s just a matter of getting the little things done to get ready, such as decorating the different venues and facilities, to add to the look and feel of the games.

“The pep rally is a big kickoff to that, getting all those packages out to the volunteers. We’ve got to finalize bus schedules and finalizing meals for all these athletes and a lot of printing that needs to be done. Now our sponsorship drive is over, we need to print all that signage,” Wolfenden said.

“So there’s a lot of last minute stuff, but it’s doable. There will be little fires put out along the way, but so far nothing has been unmanageable by any means.”

The evening included the announcement of a $150,000 donation made by the Haverluck family for the Myles Haverluck Athletics Facility at the Dauphin Regional Comprehensive Secondary School.

Haverluck’s daughter’s Kristen Haverluck, Sara Watson and Brenna Haverluck were on hand for the announcement.

“We are so lucky, because we were so excited to be able to provide this rubberized track to the community and the school division. And to have them come on board to sign on as the naming rights of the facility for 10 years, just gave us that means to stick with our plans and do it right and it’s really turned into an amazing facility,” Wolfenden said.

“That track is going to be well used. We hope there’s a track and field club that comes out of this. I know there’s going to be a lot of people from the community using it. And I think there’s going to be more kids interested in running.”

Watson, said the donation was made to honour the memory of their father.

“He loved making an impact in the community of Dauphin. And we thought this was a good fit, because this project encompasses a lot of what he loved. He loved sports. He loved kids. He loved healthy living. So it was just a good fit,” she said.

“I think it will be special, because all of his grandchildren, our children, are going through that school and so they get to see their grandpa’s name on the fence and we’re just keeping his name and his legacy alive.”

An official grand opening of the facility is scheduled to take place at a later date.

The 59th edition of Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival (CNUF) proved to be a success with ticket sales surpassing last year.

CNUF president Kayla Gillis said the weekend was fantastic.

“The weather has been great. A little bit of a sprinkle on Sunday morning, but it doesn’t damper us down,” she said.

“Attendance has been up, which has been fantastic to see. Everybody has been having a great time and we just noticed a big boost since COVID and it’s fantastic to see everybody still contribute to the festival.”

The festival has seen attendance figures rise over the last few years. Advance ticket purchases were up from last year, and Gillis said the ticket sales at the gates were non-stop.

“It’s been busy all weekend. It’s been a blast,” she said.

Gillis attributes the success to the support from the sponsors and volunteers.

“Without them, we couldn’t have a festival, right? There’s so many twists and turns to make this successful and without them it wouldn’t be possible. Without our patrons coming and supporting us and buying tickets and just supporting all the vendors, that’s what makes it successful,” she said.

“The entertainment, year after year we keep being able to bring in other entertainment. But it’s been great.”

Gillis is CNUF’s longest running president with nine years under her belt. And while she may carry the lofty title as president, it is a group effort that helps to make the festival such a success year after year.

Read the full story in this weeks Dauphin Herald.

The Dauphin Mavericks lost their third straight game, Sunday in Dauphin, falling 43-31 to the previously winless Winnipeg Wasps.

Like their previous two losses on their home pitch, the Mavericks held a lead at halftime only to fall behind and lose the contest.

Sunday, Dauphin led 24-22 at halftime, but Winnipeg took the lead early in the second half and extended it as the game progressed.

Nate Yury led the Mavericks with two tries. Shawn Sarkonak, Willi Budzinski and Nick Searle had the other tries, while Budzinski contributed three converts.

Sarkonak, the team’s player-coach, said a lack of cardio conditioning factored into the loss.

“And with the cardio going, especially with the new guys, the brains go, too. And so mistakes are happening. So we literally gave them the game on penalties,” he said.

Part of the problem, Sarkonak said, is they are not getting the same group of players out for practice.

“We have a good core that shows up, but the ones that we really need to be here on a regular basis just aren’t. And it’s summer and I get it. It’s just one of those things that we have to deal with right now,” he said.

“We have three more games to try and correct it going into playoffs.”

All three of those games will be on the road, with the first coming, Aug. 10, in Brandon against the Barbarians.

Sarkonak noted about seven or eight players were in Winnipeg for the U19 team at the Prairie Cup.

“So that takes a lot of depth and a lot of youth out. And then just a couple of other guys that just weren’t able to make it today. A depleted lineup and the score reflects it,” he said.

The Lady Mavericks were to have played the Wasps’ women’s team, but that game was postponed to a later date.

The ladies’ next game will be in Winnipeg, Aug. 10, against the Sturgeon Creek Rowdies.

The Dauphin Mavericks carried a lead into the second half of their game against the Brandon Barbarians, Saturday afternoon, but could not hold onto it, falling 34-31.

Dauphin led 19-12 at halftime, but for the second straight game, the opposition erased that lead en route to beating the local men’s rugby squad.

Oliver Dandeneau scored two tries for the Mavericks, while Jeff Zeiler, Will Miner and Joseph Davidson had one each and Daniel Evans had three converts.

Mavericks co-coach Codi Harrigan felt conditioning was a factor in the second half collapse.

“Another thing is those offloads we’re trying when we shouldn’t be and we should just be going to ground with the ball for ball retention, that’s what really hurt us,” he said.

“We had some penalties in the second half that cost us, as well.”

Harrigan liked the team’s communication with each other. The Mavericks were missing some key players, but the older players stepped up to provide some leadership.

“And the young guys really came out to show, too. When one ran, there were two supporting. That was very nice to see,” he said.

Dauphin hits the pitch again this Saturday when they host the Winnipeg Wasps at 5 p.m.

The Mavericks are currently tied for fourth place in the six-team league with two wins, three losses and one draw.

The Wasps, meanwhile, are winless in six contests.

Harrigan feels there is no reason for the Mavericks to hang their heads after the loss to Brandon.

“That’s a tough team over there, the Barbs. They’ve got lots of chemistry. They’ve been playing together a long time,” he said.

Being able to play with the top teams in the league will give the Mavericks confidence as the season winds down.

“This is our third week in a row coming close to the top teams in the league. So I’m going to have a word with the guys here today and let them know they are a contender for top spot. And if we clean up the small errors, this would have been a landslide victory,” Harrigan said.

The Lady Mavericks played their first home game in more than 20 years, falling 27-8 to the Lady Barbarians.

Kent Miner was recruited to coach the team about two weeks ago. He feels nerves were a factor in the game, which consisted of two 20-minutes halves due to the heat and lack of players.

“We were the better team on the field. We had lots of ball control over them. We just made a few key errors that came back and cost us in points,” he said.

In his short time with the team, Miner likes what he sees and feels they could become a contender in two or three years.

“If they can get the numbers, they can be a good, contending team. As long as the same girls keep coming out and we’ll have a few more next year from injuries, I think the (Lady) Mavericks are going to be a good team in the near future,” he said, noting there are not many players over the age of 25.

The key to the team’s success will be to recruit more players.

One thing that will help that cause is a change in the rules where high school players in Grade 12 are allowed to play in Rugby Manitoba’s women’s league.

“So I think next year we’ll have a lot more high school girls coming out, because we have probably 12 girls in that age group that will come out and fill spots and play the game they love,” he said.

The Lady Mavericks will host the Winnipeg Wasps, Saturday, at 3 p.m.

The Gilbert Plains Country Club played host to two tournaments over the weekend.

Saturday saw Mackenzie Binkley and Trudy Binkley team up to win the two-person, ladies scramble golf tournament, shooting a 77.

Carrie Brook and Amber Tarrant were awarded second place on a countback over Marilyn S. and Pearl M., after both teams carded a 78.

Martha Messinbird and Gail Tycholis shot an 84 to win the first flight. Donna Campbell and Marie Sawyer were second with an 88 and Karen Toderian and Joni Stoughton were third with an 89.

Edith Steeves and Livia Johnson won the second flight on a countback. They were tied with Karen Palson and Donna Stevenson with 90. In third place were Colleen Johnson and Sydney Schroder, with 91.

Fran and Elise won the third flight on a countback after shooting a 95, along with the team of Pauline Murray and Beth Tarrant. Candice Toderian and Tammy Kolida were third, carding a 97.

Closest-to-the-pin winners were Marie Sawyer on no. 9 and Mackenzie Binkley on no. 17. Verna Vanrobaeys won the closest-to-the-line on no. 5, while Livia Johnson won the water ball contest on no. 18 and Karen Toderian won on no. 9.

Sunday featured the Battle for the Belts, which saw Chad Facey and Shawn MacQuarrie take home top spot, shooting a 59.

Chad Jones and Jarrett Newton were second, one shot back, while Dale Murray and Boston Karlson were third, carding a 61.

John Tomlinson and Christian Laughland won the first flight on a countback, shooting a 65. They were tied with A.J. Zachedniak and Karl Messinbird. A countback put Mark Odut and Danny Scott in third place with a 66.

Chris Todoruk and Mark Graham topped the second flight on a countback over runners-up Trevor Robak and J.P. Martin and Dave Campbell and Ted Rea who were third. All three teams shot a 71.

Jason Gibbs and Rylan Gibbs won the third flight on a countback, shooting a 74. Shawn Campbell and Noah Wiens were second on a countback ahead of Colton Stadnyk and Richard Eliuk after they shot a 75.

Warren Jubenvill and Lane Luhowy won the fourth flight on a countback over Curtis Yaschyshyn and Chris Yaschyshyn. Both teams shot an 81. In third place, two shots back was the team of Julie Facey and Jenna Wreggit.

Closest-to-the-hole winners were Chad Facey on no. 4, Clayton Myhalchuk on no. 9, Tanner Vestby on no. 14 and Chad Jones on no. 17.

The Bushwhacker Award went to Larry Hyshka and Annette Clement.

In the five years the tournament has taken place, organizers have donated $17,500 back to the golf course.

A late surge by the Winnipeg Assassins led to the top team in Rugby Manitoba’s Division 2 beating the hometown Dauphin Mavericks, 36-22, Saturday at Kin Field.

The Mavericks led at various times during the game, including a 22-17 advantage in the second half.

But Winnipeg put its experience to good use, taking the lead and eventually putting the game away in the latter stages.

Daniel Evans accounted for all of Dauphin’s points, scoring three tries, kicking two converts and adding a penalty kick.

It was the second loss of the season for Dauphin, with both coming at the hands of the Assassins.

In this second defeat, the Mavericks were using some players in different positions.

“We’re starting to get some new guys in, some younger guys. We’re trying to maximize our subs,” said Mavericks player-coach Shawn Sarkonak.

“They do have a little more experience than us and they are bringing it out. But we can’t use that as an excuse. We actually have to take that as a pat on the back. But we’ve just got to get back to the drawing board.”

The heat played a factor as well, but as Sarkonak pointed put, it was the same for both teams.

“I think we got focused on watching the ball and not our opposite number and that got away from us and they were able to capitalize,” he added.

Taking a lead in the latter stages of the game against the top team in the league is something the Mavericks can be proud of and will prove to be a valuable learning experience for the younger players.

“They were able to expose some areas that we were inexperienced in once we started rolling our subs in. And they took advantage of it. So it’s a credit to them,” Sarkonak said.

“But it’s a credit to us for having a lead against the top team in the league. And we look forward to meeting them again in the playoffs, hopefully, in the finals.”

The focus now shifts to this Saturday, when the Mavericks will host the Brandon Barbarians at 1 p.m.

This is a game the Mavericks have had marked on their calendars all season.

“Basically, right now, it’s the Assassins, Barbarians and us for the top three and in order to stay there, we’ve got to take a win against Brandon,” Sarkonak said.

The Dauphin Lady Mavericks will play the Lady Barbarians in an exhibition match at 3 p.m.

Dauphin native Myles Fee helped guide the Florida Panthers to a Stanley Cup victory, June 24, when th Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers, 2-1 to capture first title in franchise history.

Heading into the series, Fee said the team was confident.

“I think the confidence level was always high. You get to that point in the season and you’re the last two of 32, so you’ve got to believe in yourself, or you shouldn’t be there. But we were feeling good about ourselves, no matter what the situation,” he said.

After the Panthers won the first three games of the best-of-seven series, the confidence level was at an alltime high.

“It’s impossible to put into words when one more game and that’s your victory. So confidence was high, hopes were high, expectations were high. Sometimes it works for you and sometimes it doesn’t,” Fee said.

“It’s another four games to figure it out.”

Losing always hurts, Fee said, especially in the playoffs. But after the Oilers came back to tie the series to force a game seven, the confidence level never wavered for Florida.

“It doesn’t hurt your confidence. At some point it turns to anger and motivation, especially when you get to see them the next night or two nights down the road. Everything is attainable and you just get more focused and more driven as the games go on,” he said.

The game seven victory, Fee said, was just a matter of will. The hardest game in the world to win is game four, he said.

“And we had three of those to play. But I think the pressure finally shifted back to an open playoffs type format rather than a pressure-filled format. We just play freely. Played our game. Played with purpose and, obviously, the outcome was good for us. But it was just the freedom to play,” he said.

Read the full story in this weeks Dauphin Herald

The Dauphin Mavericks were seconds away from scoring a victory, Saturday at Kin Field, but ended up settling for a 15-15 draw with the Winnipeg Wanderers.

In the dying minutes,  with the Mavericks leading 15-12, Winnipeg chose to attempt a penalty kick which would tie the game. The initial kick was wide, but the referee allowed a rekick due to a Dauphin player yelling to distract the kicker, who easily made the do-over to tie the game.

Mavericks coach Shawn Sarkonak said it was simply a lack of experience that allowed the Wanderers a rekick.

“One of the guys on the team did not know that you couldn’t yell when a kick was happening. The ball went wide and they were assessed a rekick, which ultimately they scored on, which tied the game and we ended in a 15-15 draw,” he said.

The Mavericks were missing quite a bit of experience on their back line, Sarkonak said, and they used quite a few players recently graduated from the Dauphin Clippers high school program.

“And they made their mark. They did well. We faced a very experienced Wanderers team. But all in all, I’m very happy with the team play,” he said.

The game was chippy at times with tempers sometimes flaring.

“Heat of the day. Heat of the game at times and it got a little bit chippy. Guys were getting a little bit ornery, I guess. But cooler heads prevailed,” Sarkonak said.

Dauphin is back in action, Saturday, when they host the Winnipeg Assassins at 3 p.m.

The Mavericks will be looking for some revenge as the Assassins handed Dauphin its only loss, a 31-24 setback, June 15, in Winnipeg.

“In that game they had eight Premier 1 players playing and, ultimately, it was one of them who rucked in the final nail in the coffin and got the win for them. So we’re looking forward to the rematch, because we take it as a big pat on the back if they have to put that many Premier 1 guys in against a Premier 2 team,” Sarkonak said.

It’s been 35 years since the first Dauphin’s Countryfest and this year’s edition featured a celebration of 1990s country music.

With a lineup featuring some of country music’s best artists of that decade, Canada’s longest running outdoor country music festival proved to be a hit.

Countryfest president Duane McMaster said the weekend was fabulous

“We had the rain on Friday, but, in spite of the rain, we had a great crowd Friday night. They all came out,” he said, adding the crowd was even larger on Saturday.

Walkup ticket sales, McMaster said, went well over the weekend, with a lot of campers filling the campgrounds.

“I really don’t have anything bad to say about the weekend,” he said.

Friday’s crowd, McMaster said, proves that Countryfest fans are a hardy group.

“I remember a few years ago when Florida Georgia Line was playing, everybody in the audience was out there with rain slickers. It was pouring rain and those stands were packed and everybody was singing along and having a great time, the weather-be-darned,” he said.

McMaster had a chance to speak to some veteran Countryfest patrons and past directors who spoke about the changes to the venue since the early years.

“You look back at some of the pictures of what the ampitheater was and what the site was in 1990 and 1991 when Countryfest first started, and it’s a pretty amazing change to now. The roof on the stage, the extra bleachers and the up-top area is paved. It’s fantastic,” he said.

McMaster was surprised at the number of people attending Countryfest for the first time, noting a lot of those first timers were longtime patrons of the Country Thunder festival in Craven, Sask.

“They’re coming over here this year, because they liked our lineup better. And I’m hoping that our facility will sell them on how great Countryfest is compared to Craven. From everyone I’ve talked to, the viewing experience here is so much better than it is out in Craven. The ampitheater is so fantastic here,” he said.

Saturday’s crowd, McMaster said, was larger than the crowd that took in last year’s Sunday headliner John Fogerty.

“I was really impressed with the amount of day passes we had for John Fogerty, last year. (Saturday) night, we actually outsold that with Alabama. I was really surprised at that,” he said.

The local support, McMaster said, has been fantastic, with great sponsors and volunteers.

Read more in this week’s Dauphin Herald.

The Dauphin Kings made a pair of trades, last week.

In a three-way deal, involving the Selkirk Steelers and Kindersley Klippers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, the Kings acquired 20-year-old forward Joel Purdom from the Steelers for a player development fee (PDF).

The Kings had acquired forward Dawson Karol from the Flin Flon Bombers as part of the Jan. 10 deadline deal that brought Ashton Paul to the Kings in exchange for defenceman Anthony Bax.

After Karol expressed an interest in playing for Kindersley, where his dad works, a deal was made sending the 20-year-old to the Klippers for a PDF. Dauphin then sent that PDF to Selkirk for Purdom.

In 51 games with the Steelers last season, Purdom scored 16 goals and added 23 assists for 39 points. Included in those totals were 11 goals and 25 points on the power play.

“We’re hoping to add Joel to our roster next year as a top six guy,” Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley said on the Kings’ website.

Purdom had been listed by the Kings as a 15-year-old. He was later dropped and listed by Selkirk.

“He’s a kid that’s been on our radar before. He’s definitely going to add some offence to our lineup,” Hedley said.