Doug Zywina
Opening Night
The SVRSS Tigers opened their season with a trip to Dauphin to face the Clippers, which would eventually become a 4-1 loss on the road.
Clippers sail to victory to open WHSHL regular season
The Dauphin Clippers opened the Westman High School Hockey League with a pair of home ice wins this past weekend.
Ethan Carnegie scored twice to lead Dauphin to a 4-1 win over the Swan Valley Tigers, Friday.
Norman Lacquette and Trayden Guiboche had the other Dauphin goals, while Brady Burghart scored for the Tigers on a penalty shot.
Cody Coombs earned the win in goal, with 24 saves, while Swan Valley’s Nate Immerkar stopped 31 shots.
On Sunday, William Miner’s two goals and three assists led the Clippers to a convincing 7-1 victory over Brandon’s Vincent Massey Vikings, breaking the game open with five goals in the third period.
Matthew Zurba also scored twice, with Dixon Flett, Liam Chartrand and Carnegie adding singles. Josh Romanik had the Vikings’ only goal.
You can find a full recap and more in this week's Dauphin Herald!
Clippers host Interlake in semifinal
A 42-28 win over the Neepawa Tigers, Saturday in Neepawa clinched second place for the Dauphin Clippers football team in the Rural Manitoba Football League standings.
Scott Gower led the offence with 142 yards rushing, which included touchdowns of five, 17 and 30 yards.
Kyle Lunsted had 90 yards rushing on 12 carries.
Kade Glennie scored on a 20-yard interception return and Matt Zurba scored twice on quarterback keepers.
Louis Prevot was a perfect six-for-six in converts.
Joseph Lopez led the defence with eight tackles and one knockdown, while Declan Warrener had one interception.
Clippers manager Cam Bennet said it was one of the Clippers better games of the season.
“Great defence to begin with. Kade Glennie got an interception for a touchdown, I’d say in the first five minutes, which really set the tone,” he said. “And our offence moved the ball extremely well. So that was nice to see, because we’ve struggled a little bit in moving the ball and scoring.”
Gower had an impact on all aspects of the game, Bennet added, and Kyle Lunsted had another great game offensively, as well.
The Clippers improved to 6-1 on the season and finished tied with the Moosomin Generals, which was awarded first place thanks to their win over the Clippers earlier in the season.
So Dauphin will host the 5-2 Interlake Thunder in a semifinal contest, Saturday at 2 p.m.
Interlake led the league with 353 points, while Dauphin had the stingiest defence, allowing just 114 points.
Dauphin won the only meeting between the two teams, 23-20, Sept. 17, in Dauphin.
Bennet, who feels the top five teams are all competitive, expects a tough game.
“We’re going to have to be sharp and we expect them to be sharp, as well. We’re very thankful that we’re playing at home and not of the road. That definitely is an advantage,” he said. “It will be a battle of the juggernauts. We’re looking forward to a big crowd, it will be helpful. And some good weather, too.”
Rangers find consistent work ethic in battle with the Bruins
The Parkland Rangers had a tough challenge ahead of them when they traveled to Winnipeg to face the undefeated Bruins this past weekend.
Winnipeg entered the two-game set at 6-1, with the only loss coming as a result of a forfeit because of an ineligible player used in a game, Oct. 12, against the Pembina Valley Hawks.
Parkland, meanwhile, was 2-5, and, while the favoured Bruins did sweep the two games, they had to work for the four points.
Winnipeg scored a 6-2 victory, Friday night and a 6-1 win on Saturday.
But the score, according to Rangers head coach Tyler Carefoot, was not indicative of the play in either contest.
The Bruins, he said, may not be as skilled as the 8-0 Brandon Wheat Kings, but they play a playoff brand of hockey.
“They’re good. They’re very disciplined in their structure and their systems and they come at you with lots of speed. And they have skill, as well. They’re a tough out, for sure,” he said.
The teams were tied 1-1 in the second period of Friday’s game when Winnipeg broke the game open with three goals in a 43 second span. That was the difference as the Bruins added a pair in the third period to put the game away.
On Saturday, the Rangers trailed 2-1 going into the final frame, but again, Winnipeg’s offence put the game away with four goals in the period.
Despite the seemingly lopsided results, Carefoot was pleased with the Rangers play, noting they matched Winnipeg’s work ethic, physicality and drive.
“I was proud of the fellas after Friday. That was the message after. I said, ‘guys, this is the work ethic that we’ve been looking for. That’s the compete we’ve been looking for.’ So if we play like that then we add in the little things that help a team be efficient and that’s just the details,” he said.
The Rangers had some time to kill before Saturday’s game, which was a 4 p.m. start, so rather than spend time at a mall or arcade, the team hit the diamond for a quick four-inning game of baseball.
Read the full story in this week's Dauphin Herald!
Kings pull into tie for second
With five wins in their last seven games, the Dauphin Kings are in the middle of the fight for playoff positioning in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s West Division.
The Kings could not build on a 3-0 lead first-period lead on Friday in Virden, falling 6-5 in overtime. It was a different story, Saturday in Dauphin as Marko Belak made his Kings debut a successful one, with 21 saves in a 2-1 victory.
As a result, the two teams are tied for second place with 16 points each and trail the first-place OCN Blizzard by seven, while maintaining a two-point advantage over the Waywayseecappo Wolverines and Swan Valley Stampeders.
Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley said the Kings were real good in the first period of Friday’s game.
“We outplayed them. We were the better team and had a 3-0 lead. We were driving the net. Two goals were in the paint, so obviously, we were getting to the net. (In the second), we backed off a little bit,” he said. “Give Virden credit. They came at us hard, had some good opportunities and got some lucky bounces.”
The disappointing part of it, Hedley said, was the Kings getting away from the D-side of battles and being above pucks, but they improved that aspect in Saturday’s victory.
Dauphin native Carter Zalischuk had given the Kings a 5-4 lead with 7:32 remaining, his first career goal in the MJHL.
“It should have been locked. We still played as individuals and not as a team. We were still thinking offence when we didn’t need to,” Hedley said. “At that time of the game, it’s got to be locked up. It’s what you leave rather than what you create and we didn’t need more offence, we just had to shut down like we did tonight.”
Both teams played much better defensively, which each team recording just 22 shots.
Hedley was impressed with Belak’s play in his debut.
“He was solid. He’s a big kid and really moves quick. He made great save on the power play in the first period,” he said.
The Kings will look to close the gap on the Blizzard when the two teams faceoff in OCN, tonight.
“That’s going to be a big match. That’s a good team. They’re in first place for a reason. Doug Johnson has them playing real well,” Hedley said.
The Kings have two games on home ice this weekend, beginning Friday against the Neepawa Titans, followed by the first meeting of the season against the Wolverines. Both games begin at 7:30 p.m.
A few players are battling the injury bug.
Defencemen Thomas Stewart is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, while forward Garrett Hrechka is out with a shoulder injury and Riley Borody is expected back this week after suffering a fractured rib. Defenceman Marco Bodnarski is out with bursitis in his elbow.
Kings court:
Prior to announcing the full rosters for the upcoming Top Prospects Showcase, Nov. 15 and 16 in Portage, the MJHL announced three players from each team who will play at the event. The three players named from the Kings are defencemen Owen Wareham and Anthony Bax and forward Jayden Harris. The event will feature six teams selected from MJHL rosters (two 18U and four 20U) who are considered top prospects for the NHL, NCAA, major junior and U Sports as selected by MJHL coaches along with input from external scouting networks. Each team will partake in a practice and play two full games during this high-performance event in front of scouts from higher levels expected to be in attendance.
Roznowsky surprised with Stanley Knowles award at NDP convention
Dauphin’s Stephen Roznowsky was the recipient of the Stanley Knowles Solidarity Award at the Manitoba NDP convention, Oct. 14.
The award, Roznowsky explained, is presented through the Manitoba Federation of Labour at each Manitoba NDP convention to a trade unionist who has shown a deep commitment to working people and the achievement of social justice through recognized contributions to the union movement and the Manitoba NDP.
Receiving the award was humbling, he said, because previous recipients were quite involved and high in the structure of organized labour.
“I almost didn’t believe that I was bestowed that, because I didn’t figure that I had that kind of breadth and depth,” Roznowsky said. “But after 53 years of being in public service and 41 of it as an organized labour leader and activist in the Manitoba Government Employees Union.”
Roznowsky has volunteered for many years in different events and organizations, including the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the Dauphin RIDE program and is the local organizer of the annual Terry Fox Run.
For the full story check this week's Dauphin Herald!
What a night
The Dauphin Kings hosted Ladies Night at their game against the Virden Oil Capitals, Saturday, at Credit Union Place.
The evening featured more than 15 vendors, as well as performances by Emma Peterson and the D-Town Steppers and a fashion show.
Jazzing things up
Dawson Dyck and Johnny Pacey entertained a small crowd at the Dauphin Public Library’s Third Thursday Music night with some jazzy tunes, Thursday.
The next Third Thursday Music will take place, Nov. 17, be sure to check it out!
Rangers hit the win column on the road
Inconsistency continued to plague the Parkland Rangers in their annual trek north to play the Norman North Stars in Thompson.
Rangers head coach Tyler Carefoot was not pleased with the team’s play, in Saturday’s 6-4 loss, a game in which Parkland led three different times.
The Rangers rebounded to score a 5-4 victory on Sunday, improving their record to 2-5-0-0.
The Rangers, Carefoot said, gave themselves time to arrive early enough to properly prepare for Saturday’s game.
“So the first game, we can’t use any excuses that we weren’t prepared. We had three different leads in that game and we just didn’t lock her down,” he said. “We were playing outdoor rink hockey. We’re all a bunch of Hall of Famers on the outdoor rink. There was no buy-in into structure or doing the little things. We just thought we’d run-and-gun them because that’s sort of how they play. And when you do that, you have no structure.”
As a result, Carefoot added, you leave yourself open to mistakes and that is exactly what happened to the Rangers.
Get the full rundown in this week's Dauphin Herald!
Weekend sweep gives Kings wins in three of last four
The Dauphin Kings are starting to roll with four wins in their last six Manitoba Junior Hockey League contests.
The Kings won both games of a home-and-home with the Selkirk Steelers, this past weekend, scoring a 3-2 win, Friday in Selkirk, before riding a five-goal first period to a 7-3 victory, Saturday in Dauphin.
Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley said the Kings got off to a good start in Friday’s game, despite giving up the game’s first goal.
“But at the same time, we pushed back. Found ways to get it done,” he said. “We played well defensively, especially in the second period. We had a really good push back period and got a couple goals and had a 3-1 lead early in the third.”
The Kings sat back a bit in the latter stages of the third period and Selkirk took advantage to make it a one-goal game late and made a push for the equalizer, but the Kings hung on for the two points.
“Sometimes you have to win greasy and ugly and the third period wasn’t our best, but we found a way to get it done,” Hedley said.
The Kings had their biggest offensive output of the season on Saturday, thanks to a five-goal first period. Dauphin had a rapid response on a couple of occasions, scoring twice in 15 and 20 second spans.
That offensive outburst was due, Hedley said, to the Kings getting pucks to the net.
“I thought our first and third tonight were our best, just on puck movement and speed, jumping out of the neutral zone, making some good passes and making some good plays,” he added. “We’re starting to figure out the D-to-D, playing fast and getting pucks up ice. And our low support guy is staying low where he should be instead of roaming the zone all the time. If there’s a turnover, we’re in trouble.”
The win improves Dauphin’s record to 6-5-1-0 for 13 points, good for fourth place in the tight West Division, where only eight points separates first place OCN from last place Neepawa. The Kings trail Waywayseecappo and Virden by just one point and are just six back of the Blizzard.
Special teams are struggling in the early going. The power play is 11th in the league, clicking at 12.5 per cent, while the penalty kill is tied for 10th at 75 per cent.
That is one aspect of the game the Kings have not spent a lot of time practicing, something that will change. Hedley pointed out the penalty kill was successful until the Winnipeg Blues scored four times on a five-minute major, Sept. 30.
“That four goals on one power play kills you,” he said. “It was better tonight. We’re starting to figure it out a bit. But our power play, there’s not a lot of separation between a lot of guys, so we’re trying to figure things out. We’re going to put some more time into it this week.”
Deepkaran Hans had an immediate impact in his first two games with the Kings, registering a goal and an assist on Friday and scoring twice on Saturday. Hedley liked the forward when he played for the Swan Valley Stampeders last season.
“He was always one of their best players. He’s hard on pucks. He’s got great speed, good size. Plays physical, plays with an edge. We had to make sure a couple things lined up, but he’s definitely been a great addition,” he said.
After a tough start to the season, goaltender Keaton Woolsey was sent home. Hedley tried find a place for Woolsey to play in Canada, but could find no takers, so the second-year netminder went home to Eagan, Minn.
His spot on the roster has been filled by another American goalie, Marko Belak, who was one of the top three goaltenders in the state of Minnesota, last season and started this year in the North American Hockey League.
“We’re really happy to have him and Dan (Keeping, Kings goaltender coach) is looking forward to working with him. But we think we’ve got a real good goaltender here,” Hedley said.
The Kings face the Virden Oil Capitals in a home-and-home this weekend.
The two teams meet in Virden, Friday, with the rematch in Dauphin on Saturday. Both games begin at 7:30 p.m.