Doug Zywina
Showing off their talent
The Old Fire Hall at the Watson Arts Centre hosted another Open Mic Night, Friday.
The event drew a full house, with several acts taking to the mic to put their talent on display.
The next show in the Old Fire Hall will see Kolby Clunas perform, Apr. 8, at 8 p.m.
Chartrand and Lady Jacks reach ACHA national final in second season
While three Parkland hockey players celebrated winning a national championship with the Assiniboine Community College Cougars women’s hockey team, Mar. 19, in St. Louis, a Dauphin player had to watch in heartbreak and wonder what could have been.
Jaida Chartrand and the Dakota College at Bottineau Lady Jacks handed the Cougars a loss in the season opener, ACC’s only loss during the season.
In just their second season in the American Collegiate Hockey Association, the Lady Jacks went on to post a 12-4 record, with Chartrand recording a goal and six assists in 11 games.
Dakota College qualified for the ACHA national tournament in St. Louis, Mar. 15 to 19.
Check out this week's Dauphin Herald for the full story!
Parkland players help Cougars repeat as ACHA national champs
Dauphin’s Marley Quesnel and Jasmin Denby of Winnipegosis helped the Assiniboine Community College (ACC) Cougars win the 2019 American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division 2 national title.
With no champion crowned in 2020 or 2021, the Cougars had a chance to defend their title at this year’s national tournament in St. Louis. MO., Mar. 15 to 19, this time with three Parkland girls on the roster.
Forward Emmalie Thompson and defencewoman Emma Gamache of Ste. Rose and McCreary’s Remy Buchanan helped ACC defend its title, as the Cougars went undefeated in claiming its second straight ACHA championship.
ACC’s season began, Nov. 12, with a 2-1 loss to the Dakota College at Bottineau Lady Jacks, which features Dauphin’s Jaida Chartrand.
It was the only blemish for the Cougars as they won the next 14 games, qualifying for the national championship tournament.
Wins over the University of Vermont, University of New Hampshire and Sault College put the Cougars into the semifinals, where they beat Northeastern University, 5-1.
In the final, the Cougars faced a familiar foe in the Lady Jacks, but this time it was ACC which scored a 2-1 victory to claim the national title.
Gamache had a goal in the five games in St. Louis after scoring once in three contests during the regular season. She had no words to describe what it is like to be a national champion.
“It’s very surprising. I definitely was not expecting this at the start of the year,” she said.
Being the defending champion, Gamache said, did put some added pressure on the team, but it was a good pressure.
The Cougars dominated the round-robin, outscoring their opponents, 12-1. But given the season they had with only the one loss at the start of the year, Gamache said they were expecting good results. Playing with Thompson and Buchanan gave Gamache a sense of familiarity with the Cougars.
“I was very happy to go there with two girls that I’ve been playing with my whole life,” she said.
The final game, she said was nerve-wracking.
“I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, just the tip of my toes, ready to go,” she said, adding she is looking forward to defending the title next year. “It was the experience of a lifetime and I’m excited to do it again,” she said.
Thompson was third in scoring on the Cougars with nine goals and 21 points in 14 games. She added three goals and an assist in the round-robin and chipped in with two helpers in the semifinal game. Thompson said the biggest competition the Cougars faced in St. Louis was the Lady Jacks, the only team to beat ACC all year.
“Going into nationals we were pretty confident, but we knew we really couldn’t take those games lightly. But we were pretty confident we were going to at least make it to the semis,” she said.
After watching Northeastern University play prior to the semifinals, the Cougars were confident when it came to facing them with a chance to advance to the final. But the Cougars trailed 1-0 after the first period.
“And then we had to step up our game. They were really stiff competition for us, actually. We just managed to pull through,” Thompson said.
With the Lady Jacks handing the Cougars their only loss of the season, Thompson knew Dakota College would be tough in the final. But with a 1-0 lead after the first period, the Cougars allowed few chances, although the Lady Jacks did manage to tie the game in the second.
In the third period, Thompson said, the Cougars played it safe.
“We were playing a lot of defence. We didn’t want to keep trying for offensive goals. We were just going to take what we could,” she said.
Thompson was on the ice when the final buzzer sounded and she admitted to looking up at the clock a couple of times as it wound down.
“When the buzzer went the whole team jumped on our goalie. I’ve never actually won a gold medal, so it was pretty exciting for me,” she said.
Because it was such a close game, Thompson admitted to feeling a sense of relief mixed with elation at the end.
“I’ve been in those close games. I’ve been to the gold medal game twice in my life at provincials and lost with 10 seconds left in the third period, so I was kind of freaking out. And then when it was over, I was relieved and I was real happy,” she said, adding being a national champion is cool, but she doesn’t really feel like one because she is so used to going to provincials. It is only when people congratulate her, that it hits home.
Buchanan, a forward, had three goals and five points in 13 games during the regular season and chipped in with an assist in five games in St. Louis.
Competing for a national championship was a surreal experience, she said.
“It’s really hard to put into words. You pretty much have to be there. It’s a completely new experience with a completely different atmosphere,” she said.
Buchanan attributed the opening-season loss to nerves, stating it was the first ACHA game for a lot of the players.
“So we were really nervous. And as the season went on, we really dominated everyone. So we all went into this pretty confident. We knew we were a great team. We knew we could play with any team we were put up against. So we were all pretty confident going into it,” she said.
Going into the final, the Cougars were not nervous since they were facing a familiar opponent.
“We knew Bottineau’s playing style, so we knew what to expect and what we needed to do. During the game, things did get pretty intense,” she said.
According to Buchanan, Cougars head coach Tony Bertone refers to himself as a calm coach.
“But he has his moments where he likes to bark a little bit and get in the game. So things were getting a little intense on the bench. But we knew that we just had to keep it cool. We all had to keep calm and we just needed to play our game and we would come out of it with a national championship,” she said.
For Buchanan, the final moments of the game was amazing.
“You knew in the back of your head, like, ‘okay, we got it. This is it.’ But you still had to wait for those final seconds to tick by. So you’re patiently waiting there, watching the time slowly tick down and as soon as that buzzer rang, we were all trying to jump over the boards to go congratulate our goalie,” she said.
Almost a week later, being a national champion still hadn’t sunk in for Buchanan.
“It was such a new, different experience for me that I didn’t really know how to react. I guess it kind of has sunk in now, now that I got to come home with the medal and everyone has been congratulating us,” she said. “But after that win when we were all on the ice, it was pretty unbelievable. I couldn’t believe that it actually happened.”
Like the rest of her teammates, Buchanan is looking forward to getting back on the ice to defend the championship.
Rangers swept in semifinals by Wheat Kings
The season is over for the Parkland Rangers.
The U18 squad fell in three straight games to the league-leading Brandon Wheat Kings in the Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League semifinals.
The Rangers got off to a great start in game two, Friday in Dauphin, opening the scoring just 27 seconds in. By the time the first period was over, Parkland held a 3-0 lead.
The Wheat Kings showed why they were the best team in the league all season, though, erasing that deficit and carrying a 4-3 lead into the third period where they added three more to skate away with a 7-3 win.
Brandon sealed the series victory with a 7-0 win, Sunday in Brandon.
Rangers coach Tyler Carefoot said in game two, his team wanted to give Brandon a taste of how they played against Yellowhead in the quarterfinals.
“And I thought in that first period we did that and more. I thought we were fast. I thought we had lots of energy. I thought we were physical. To put three up on them after one, we were pretty excited,” he said. “But at the same time, we reminded the fellas that their coach was likely peeling the paint. So we knew they were going to come out just as hungry.”
Two of Brandon’s goals in the second period came shorthanded, which Carefoot said deflated the Rangers.
“They’re just a prolific team. Any turnover is arguably a first-class scoring opportunity, so you can’t turn over the puck as much as we did in those three games,” he added.
Being swept in the semifinals, Carefoot said, does not take away what the Rangers accomplished over the course of the season.
“This is the group of kids that put pride back into the jersey. So for that, I’m very proud of them,” he said.
The Rangers came within three wins of playing for a league championship, something no one could have foreseen at the start of the season.
“As the season went on, you recognize that we do have a pretty good group here and our goal changed. We thought at one point we wanted to finish in the top four and we were very close to that,” Carefoot said, adding Parkland beat every team with the exception of the Eastman Selects. “But in saying that, we also laid a few eggs. But that’s just how seasons go. I can’t say enough about the fellas, because this is the group that make players want to be Parkland Rangers and I’m very proud of that.”
Seven players are graduating from the program. Marco Bodnarski, Matthew Munro, Cohen Smigelsky, Rylan Gibbs, Jayce Legaarden, Parker Boguski and Brenden Birch-Hayden all saw their U18 careers come to an end.
“I think all of them are going to have an opportunity to play junior. Whether they’re impact players right off the start time will tell. But I think all of them are going to be given every opportunity to play at the next level,” Carefoot said. “They’re all just great individuals. Some of them I’ve coached for a long time. (Sunday) was a little emotional. It’s the last time that I’m going to be coaching these guys and I’ve coached against the guys from Swan for many years. We were all a little emotional after the loss (Sunday), but we just reminded them that they’re the reason that young guys want to be Parkland Rangers. So for that, they’ve got to keep their heads up.”
New board of directors takes over DMBA
Dauphin minor baseball is looking for a new president after Jodie Romanow recently stepped down.
Romanow served as president of the Dauphin Minor Baseball Association (DMBA) for 6-1/2 years. With no children involved in baseball anymore, she decided to step down, but feels a lot was accomplished during her time with the organization.
“When we took over, we were in quite a financial state. Not a good financial state. Through fund-raising, sponsorship,we were able to get new jerseys, new equipment. We have training equipment that no other baseball organization has in the Parkland,” she said.
The dugouts were renovated and fixed up to the standard she feels they should be in order to host provincial tournaments.
“So I feel like this past 6-1/2 years and the board members that have come out to help out, we’ve accomplished a lot,” she said.
Romanow feels the skill level of the players has improved and the overall numbers have increased, as well.
“Before COVID, we had grown our organization to well over the player numbers we had ever had before. We were more successful at regionals. We had more teams going to represent at provincials than we’d had in a long time,” she said. “So I think in investing in early clinics and coach recruitment and coach certification has really paid off. We were going strong before COVID hit.”
Every season, Romanow would set certain goals she wanted to achieve and would do whatever it took to set the bar and make it by season’s end.
“I’m going to definitely miss working with the coaches and helping out the organization as it grows. I take pleasure in watching the kids succeed and win a spot to provincials. That’s what I’m really going to miss,” she said.
A new board has been established for this season, but a replacement for Romanow has yet to be named.
Joining the board for this season are Katie Durston, Rachelle Schau, Ryan Powe, Holly Slobodzian-Plustwa, Chris Lobert, Bill Busby, Regan Lemieux and Shannon Genaille.
“We officially don’t have a president. Out of everybody that has stepped up, everybody has taken their job titles and portfolios, but feel that the position of president might be a bit too much,” Romanow said. “But with the support of other board members, if there is anybody out there that would feel that they are capable of the position to absolutely come out and let us know and we’ll gladly take on a couple more board members.”
There are two positions that have yet to be filled. Anyone interested in joining the board can contact DMBA at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Kings grab early series lead over Stampeders
The Dauphin Kings drew first blood in their best-of-seven quarterfinal series with the Swan Valley Stampeders, scoring a 5-1 win in game one, Saturday in Dauphin.
After taking a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, the Kings broke the game open with three in the second. Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley knew the Stampeders would be tough and come at the Kings hard.
“I thought our speed was really good right off the hop. We had energy. The guys were ready to play. We had a long week of practice and we had gone though just about everything,” he said.
The biggest thing for the Kings, he said, is to play with speed and play fast and they will get some opportunities.
“I thought (Jayden) Jubenvill was outstanding tonight. I thought he was one of our best guys. I thought he was really good,” Hedley said. “I thought Cherry (goalie Carson Cherepak) was great. Everybody had a good game. Our penalty killing was outstanding.”
Even as the Kings padded their lead, the game was tight checking.
“And that’s the way it’s going to be. It doesn’t matter what the points are in the regular season. They’ve got eight 20-year-olds on that team that this is their last shot at it. So you know they’re going to bring intensity. You know they’re going to be urgent. You know they’re never going to quit,” Hedley said. “If we want something, we’ve got to take it. And tonight, we did a good job of finishing and kept them off the scoresheet for a while.”
The Kings did get a little nonchalant on a power play early in the third, which resulted in a shorthanded goal for the Stampeders, but that was all the offence they could muster.
Depth scoring is an important factor in the playoffs and the Kings got that in game one. Four of Dauphin’s five goals came from the blueline with Colby Jaquet scoring twice, including an empty netter, while Nolan Wickham and Owen Wareham also scored. Garrett Hrechka was the only forward to bend the twine.
“We win 5-1 and our top line never scored. So that’s a good thing,” Hedley said.
Hedley expects much the same kind of game in game two, tonight at 7:30 p.m.
“It’s going to be very similar. The speed has got to be there. The intensity, the urgency. We’ve got to play a very good game away from the puck,” he said.
Forward Matthew Rathbone left the game in the third period after taking a high stick to the face, but he returned before the end of the game. Jubenvill also left the game late in the third as a precaution with an upper body injury.
Game three will be in Swan River on Friday, with game four, Monday in Swan River. Both games begin at 7 p.m.
In support of Ukraine
The Dauphin Multi-purpose Senior Centre hosted a fund-raising perogy dinner, Mar. 24, with proceeds going to the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund.
About 135 people, split into two sittings, enjoyed a meal of six perogies, kolbasa, coleslaw, dessert and tea or coffee for $25.
Construction continues
The steel girders for the new strip mall between the Super 8 Motel and Dauphin Co-op Gas Bar arrived and were unloaded, Mar. 21.
Construction of the mall, which is expected to open in the fall, will continue all spring and summer.
Return to the Hill
Doc Walker headlined Dauphin’s Countryfest Return to the Hill Celebration tour in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd, Friday at the Watson Arts Centre.
With Don Amero opening the show, the tour included stops in Portage, Dauphin, Brandon, Neepawa and Yorkton.
Rauliuk set to join Jets
A young Dauphin resident is about to get the chance of a lifetime when the Winnipeg Jets host the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday at Canada Life Centre.
Dauphin’s Mitchell Rauliuk, 13, entered the Next Gen Takeover contest and was recently selected to participate as the JetsTV reporter, where he will be mentored by and work alongside former Dauphin resident Mitchell Clinton.
Rauliuk learned of the contest through an email the team sent to his parents.
“I think my parents have a Visa card through the Winnipeg Jets and they ended up getting Jets mail. One Jets game they just gave their email to them and they send out daily news of the Jets. And it ended up coming up as the Next Gen Takeover,” he explained.
Rauliuk has an interest in broadcasting, having done the Hockey TV play-by-play for the Dauphin Kings and Parkland Rangers.
“That’s what gave me the boost to enter into the contest, because I’ve had a lot of interest in the broadcasting and all that through Dauphin and the Parkland Rangers,” he said.
While Rauliuk will be on JetsTV for the game, other winners will work in other departments, such as PA announcer, TSN 2 host and radio commentator on CJOB. Rauliuk is looking forward to opportunity even though he is not a Jets fan.
“I’m still glad I’m going. I’m pretty excited about it and I hope to go further into that industry,” he said. “What I want to get out of it is just how the main guys do it like Dennis Beyak from Winnipegosis. Just to see how they really do it. It’s not that easy, I know that, for sure,” he said.
“But I want to see just how they work it, because we think TV is just simply just usually putting a tape on and putting it on a TV channel. But there’s way more that goes on behind the stages of that. So it should be fun.”