Doug Zywina

Doug Zywina

Dauphin played host to the first-ever Treaty 2 Territory Minor Hockey Championship, this past weekend at Credit Union Place.

There were 30 teams involved in six different minor hockey age groups, as well as a U20 junior challenge.

Tournament organizer Craig Beaulieu said there were teams from communities all over the Treaty 2 territory and three teams from Nunavut.

“It’s been very good. Everyone is excited. The kids are happy,” he said, adding the tournament will be back bigger and better next year.

Get the full rundown in this week's Dauphin Herald!

The Dauphin Kings and Steinbach Pistons are coming to Dauphin for game three of their best-of-seven championship series tied one game apiece after a split of the first two games in Steinbach.

The Pistons grabbed the early series lead with a 5-1 win, Friday night, but the Kings rebounded with a 5-1 victory of their own to even the series on Saturday.

Steinbach jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first period of game one and increased it to 3-1 after 40 minutes before putting the game away in the third.

In game two, it was the Kings who took the early 1-0 lead in the first period and they carried a 2-1 advantage into the third where they scored twice on the power play to ice the game.

Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley said Steinbach was able to take advantage of their opportunities in game one, while the Kings were stymied.

“I thought the game was pretty even, except for some of the breaks they got around the net. We just couldn’t get any. We hit two or three posts and a couple crossbars. It was one of those things,” he said. “It was a good game both ways. It was really tough in that arena, just adjusting to the small ice surface. The way the puck bounces in the last eight to 10 minutes of every period was an experience.”

Both teams struggled on the power play in game one with the Kings going scoreless in six tries, while Steinbach missed out on four tries. Hedley said both teams brought a lot of energy and were aggressive on the penalty kill.

“There’s not a lot of space in the offensive zone, so any time the puck is on the wall, there’s pressure and three or four guys overloading. It makes it tough. You really have to have some quick puck movement. And, obviously, with the puck bouncing, it makes it tough to handle the puck real well,” he said.

Hedley was pleased with the way the Kings rebounded in game two. They were hard on pucks, he said, and were on the right side of the puck in battles all night.

“And we got some breaks. I think we could have had a few more goals in the first period, but (Steinbach goalie Simon) Harkness played real well,” he said.

Hedley felt the Kings got off to a good start in the first period of Friday’s game, but the defensive coverage was lacking at times, which allowed the Pistons some odd man rushes.

“Our D zone coverage is usually pretty solid, in the corners and net front. But we did give up a couple things there that we talked about and definitely cleaned up the second game,” he said.

The series now shifts to Dauphin for games three and four, Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

Hedley noted the Pistons had a great atmosphere and large crowds in the first two games.

“A lot of noise and a lot of emotion. And I think it will be great for the guys to get home and get a little of that fan appreciation back here,” he said.

Tuesday, 03 May 2022 07:57

Hitting the stage

The Second Story Players presentation of the musical “Ranchers and Rustlers” was a resounding success.

The musical, featuring local actors, played to near capacity crowds, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, while Sunday’s show was sold out.

Tuesday, 03 May 2022 07:48

Something for everyone

Dauphin Recreation Services held its first-ever spring market, Sunday, in the Parkland Recreation Complex curling rink.

The many vendors on hand offered their wares to a steady stream of customers.

Tuesday, 03 May 2022 07:43

A good day to dance

With the assistance of the Intermediate dancers, the Zirka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble’s Introduction class perform during the company’s 50th Anniversary Spring Recital, Saturday at the Selo Ukraina Hall.

The afternoon event saw each class show off their talents to an enthusiastic audience, as did special guests the D-Town Steppers.

The recital was followed by a dinner and special presentation to long time instructors Danny and Patti Zabiaka with a Zabava, featuring Sloohai, rounding out a full day of events.

Money raised throughout the day will be donated to the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund.

The Dauphin Kings have advanced to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League final after eliminating the Winkler Flyers in five games.

After winning the first two games of the series at home, Apr. 16 and 17, the series shifted to Winkler for games three and four, last Wednesday and Thursday.

Winkler got back into the series with a 5-4 win in game three, but the Kings rebounded to win game four, 5-2.

With a chance to wrap up the series on home ice in game five, Saturday, the Kings scored a 5-1 win, securing a berth in the league final for the first time since 2014.

Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley knew the Flyers would come out strong in game three in front of their home fans.

“They came at us. We knew they would in Winkler. They had a full house. They jumped on mistakes,” he said. “They created some odd-man rushes that we don’t normally give up.”

The Kings trailed 3-1 at one point in the first period, but tied the game going into the third, where Winkler tallied a pair early in the frame to regain the lead. Dauphin would add one with more than five minutes left, but could not bury the equalizer.

Hedley was pleased with his team’s response in game four.

“I thought we played very similar to the way we played in Dauphin. Really tough on pucks. We had them in their end. Our forecheck was phenomenal,” he said. “The 50-50 stick battles were outstanding. We got big goals from big guys. A key goal when we were shorthanded from Jayden Jubenvill, who scored a big goal to make it 4-2. Then we scored an empty-netter.”

The Kings won the series four-games-to-one, but Hedley feels the series was a lot closer, noting Dauphin needed an empty-net goal in three of their four wins.

“That’s how tight (the games) were,” he said, adding Winkler losing one of their top players in Jayden McCarthy in game two did not help them. The strength of the Flyers, Hedley said, is their depth. They can roll four lines, he said, and have speed on all four lines, as well. “Our back end is our engine and they definitely delivered,” he added.

The biggest factor in the series win was the team’s compete level. Winkler, Hedley said, is a heavy team and some people thought they would run over the Kings.

“I was really impressed with the way our guys competed. We were maybe lighter than them in certain areas, but we were hard in stick battles, hard on pucks and just didn’t back down,” he said. “The games that we won, two here and one in Winkler, we never quit working and I’m very impressed and proud of the guys for the way they worked.”

The Kings will now await the winner of the series between the Steinbach Pistons and Virden Oil Capitals. Steinbach leads the series three-games-to-two with game six, Monday in Virden. Hedley has no preference as to which team the Kings face.

“It doesn’t really matter who we play. Nobody gets to the league final by not playing well. So I know Virden is pushing Steinbach right now. If it goes seven, that’s great. I’d love to see it go seven. The longer it goes, the better for us, regardless of who we play,” he said.

The Kings took a couple of days off after Saturday’s game five victory and will get back on the ice early this week to prepare for the final.

Kings court:

The schedule for the Centennial Cup in Estevan, Sask., has been released. The MJHL champions will open the tournament, May 20, against the Central Canada Hockey League champion at 11 a.m. The second game goes, May 22, against the Maritime Hockey League, followed by a contest, May 24 against the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Flin Flon Bombers, who gained an automatic entry to the national tournament when they earned a berth to the SJHL final after the Centennial Cup host Estevan Bruins had already advanced to the final. The MJHL’s final round-robin game will go, May 25, against the champions of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. The final three round-robin games all begin at 3 p.m.

Tuesday, 26 April 2022 07:41

Wake the Drum

Mackenzie Middle School hosted a Waking the Drum and Pipe Ceremony, Apr. 19, followed by a feast for staff, students and guests.

During the ceremony, the school was presented with flags from Treaty 2 Territory representative Scott Lynxleg.

Throughout the week, Ray “Coco” Stevenson visited classrooms with a drumming presentation and Grade 7 students had water teaching sessions by Wanda Levasseur.

Tuesday, 26 April 2022 07:24

Fishing for funds

The Ukrainian Orthodox Parish of St. George and Irving’s Catering sponsored a fish fry fund-raising dinner for the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund, last Wednesday.

With about 230 tickets sold, patrons were treated to a meal which included deep fried pickerel.

Above, prior to the meal, everyone in attendance were treated to a performance by students from Smith-Jackson School.

A Mackenzie Middle School student recently raised some money for the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund from his fellow students.

Blake Symchych, 13, visited Grades 7 and 8 classrooms explaining what was currently taking place in Ukraine. He was told by his principal that the school had already made a donation to the fund.

“But the students didn’t get to,” he said. “So after I went class to class, I went back to the principal and he said he was very proud of me for doing that.”

Over the course of four days, Symchych raised $634 from the Grades 7 and 8 students, some teachers and one neighbour. The money will go towards helping a family from Ukraine move to the Parkland. Symchych had an original goal of raising $200. It only took about a day-and-a-half to hit that mark.

“I was very surprised at how quickly people wanted to give money and how much they’d give,” he said. “One of my friends gave $70. I was so surprised, because I asked for $2 or more. That was kind of them.”

Symchych only hit the Grades 7 and 8 classrooms, because the Grade 6 students had a different lunchtime than the older students.

“We’d be having lunch when they’d be outside. So I couldn’t really do it. But I made sure to ask the Grade 6 teachers for money,” he said.

Symchych could not have done it without the support of his classmates.

“They did support me a lot and so did my friends and I appreciate them a lot,” he said.

Symchych encourages children in other schools to do what they can to raise money for the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund.

Published in Dauphin Herald News
Tuesday, 26 April 2022 07:14

A love of reading

The Dauphin Rotary Club hosted its most successful Book Fair ever, last week.

The three-day event raised $7,840, which will go towards a literacy grant to Whitmore School, a week-long leadership camp for teens hosted by the Anglican Church and scholarship program at the DRCSS.

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