The Dauphin Kings got a measure of retribution this past weekend.

Two weeks ago, the Kings suffered losses at the hands of the Selkirk Steelers and Winnipeg Freeze.

This weekend, the team got its revenge, beating the Freeze, 4-3 on Friday night in Winnipeg, before handing the Steelers a 6-4 defeat, Saturday in Selkirk.

The Kings have now won five in a row and have moved into sole possession of first place in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s MGEU West Division.

Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley said the Kings got off to a slow start in Friday’s game and trailed 3-1 at one point.

“But then the response and the way we kind of took control of the game. We felt there were a couple of goals that Sheff (goalie Cole Sheffield) would like to take back,” he said.

“We found a way in the third period to get it done. A couple of power-play goals by some guys that have had good seasons so far in (Cayden) Glover and (Gavin) Nemis. It was a good response. All the guys we expect to lead us did a good job.”

Madden Murray led the way on Saturday with two goals and an assist.

Hedley said he has been one of the team’s best players right from day one of training camp.

“There’s times where you’re in the learning process and you’re getting better and you’re making some mistakes. But in general and overall he’s been one of our best players since day one in camp,” he said.

“It just continues on. He’s getting better and better. His speed, his work ethic, his compete level. Now he’s starting to score. He’s been one of our best players game in and game out. And that continued on the weekend.”

The Kings’ special teams were featured in both wins, with the power play connecting three times against Winnipeg and twice against Selkirk, while the penalty kill allowed just one goal in seven chances.

Overall, Dauphin has the third best power play in the league, clicking at 27 per cent, while they are tied with Niverville for tops in penalty killing at 86.2 per cent.

Hedley said the addition of Matthew Thomas has made a big difference on the power play.

“He moves the puck really well. Shoots well. Has good IQ and makes some solid plays,” he said.

“There’s a couple of guys we need to get going and scoring and helping us. Right through our lineup, the depth is there. On the backend, (Naaman) Hofer has been outstanding with his puck movement. And go right down to (Declan) Hoad and (Luke) Myhre and (Ethan) Stewart. The young kids with (Joey) Kubas, they’ve all contributed and they’re all working hard.”

One player who has stepped up his game from last year is forward Rylan Gage, who is one of the team’s assistant captains this year.

“He practiced hard, he got better. He had a great summer in training. Rylan Gage has been one of our best players, too, game in and game out. He had a big power-play goal (Saturday) for us,” Hedley said.

The Kings continue to battle the injury bug. Kubas and Brett Magarrell are in concussion protocol, but Hedley hopes they can start practicing this week.

Sheldon Shyiak and Ethan Williment are both out, as well.

The Kings released goaltender Victor Larin, acquiring Bryson Yaschyshyn from the Winkler Flyers to replace him. Winkler gets a player development fee in exchange.

“He had a real good year in U18 last year. When he became available, we just felt he was somebody we’d like to have in our organization,” Hedley said, adding he has family ties to the area.

“He’s good kid, works hard. A great athlete and somebody that Dan (goaltending coach Keeping) is willing to work with.”

Kings court: The Kings signed five prospects to letters of intent, last week. They include Dauphin product Quenton Fisk, of the Parkland Rangers, Shea Rollason and Sage Dela Cruz, who both play for the Winnipeg Bruins, Brady Bell  of the Winnipeg Wild and Brody Wytinck of the Pilot Mound Hockey Academy . . . defenceman Matthew Thomas and forward Gavin Nemis were selected to play for Team MJHL at the 2024 MJHL/SJHL Showcase, Nov. 4 to 6, in Warman, Sask.

Dauphin’s Breken Brezden recently skated in her first senior international competition in Nice, France.

Brezden was one of two senior skaters representing Canada at the Challenger Series Trophy Metropole Nice Cote d’Azur, Oct. 16 to 20, where she finished 10th overall.

She was 20th after the short program, but Brezden’s free skate pushed her up to 10th.

Brezden had just finished a practice her coaches were still on the ice when she opened her phone, finding an email from Skate Canada informing her of her selection to represent Canada in France.

“I immediately went to go tell them. It was pretty exciting, because it’s just a nice pay off for all the hard work I put in during the summer,” she said.

“And then I called my parents after, because they were at home in Manitoba.”

After a successful summer in which she won two gold medals and a bronze, Brezden new she was on Skate Canada’s radar from international competitions.

“And in skating for Skate Canada, they have this benchmark score that you need to achieve before you can be sent out internationally. And I got it, so I knew it was something that could potentially happen, but you wouldn’t be sure until they actually contected you about it,” she said.

Brezden was “super excited” to be selected.

“It was very motivating to know I would be having my first international competition. And that just makes training all the more exciting every day to come to the rink and work hard in preparation for that,” she said.

This was the first time Brezden traveled to Europe for a competition.

“The flights were long. But they were worth it, because it was a very good experience overall,” she said.

Brezden admitted her short program wasn’t very strong, but she was able to use it as a learning experience.

“I’ve taken a lot away from the competition and I learned a lot of lessons. And I’m very happy with my come back in my long,” she said.

Brezden’s next competition will be the Skate Canada Challenge at the end of November in Winnipeg.

Brezden was grateful her parents were able to make the trip to France to support her.

“I’m very, very thankful for them. I’m just glad I was able to get this exposure to international competition,” she said.

Several awards were handed out at the 123rd annual Firefighters Ball, Saturday.

Jesse Shuttleworth, Ryan Murray, Samantha Horvath and Nicholas Shmon all received their badges and were sworn in as firefighters.

Four people were recognized with Years of Service Awards.

Daniel McKay was recognized for 15 years of service, Greg Acevedo for 30 years of service, Wayne Wells for 35 years service and Alvin Bogoslowski for 40 years of service.

Wells also received the Manitoba Association of Fire Chiefs Long Service Award for 35 years of service, while Bogoslowski received the Governor Generals’ Exemplary Service Medal for his 40 years of service.

Shuttleworth was named the winner of the Jack Carey Memorial Firefighter of the Year Award winner.

In his remarks introducing Shuttleworth, Dauphin fire chief Cam Abrey noted Shuttleworth joined the Dauphin Fire Department as a cadet firefighter through the partnership program with Dauphin Regional Comprehensive Secondary School. At the age of 18, he became a recruit member and he has grown through many challenges as a recruit.

Through all of this, Shuttleworth is always the first one to get truck checks done, showing up at 6 p.m. before anyone else arrives, when he knows that the number of available firefighters islow and there is other training to get done that night. Everyone is able to see that he is dependable around the station when it comes to duties on the floor.

As one of the nominations written for Shuttleworth stated, “as an officer I can always count on the job getting done.”

Recruits are issued yellow helmets to identify them on the fire ground, but the running joke is that Shuttleworth has done enough primary entry into structure fires that it has turned to a brown helmet. He regularly is on the first truck and has been one of the new A-Team, which is a nickname for the initial attack firefighters.

Shuttleworth’s extra effort has not gone unnoticed by the fellow members.

Shuttleworth was surprised to be recognized and was not expecting to receive the award.

“I did put the work in, but I didn’t expect to get the recognition for it,” he said.

Shuttleworth became a firefighter because he has always had a passion for helping people.

“I took advantage of it once I became of age to be able to provide for the community,” he added.

Shuttleworth will celebrate his fifth anniversary of becoming a firefighter in February 2025. It is the comraderie that he enjoys most about being a firefighter.

“Having such a great team to work with and being able to give back to the community,” he said, adding he sees himself as a role model for younger members of the fire department.

The Dauphin Kings are currently riding a three-game winning streak following a pair of home ice victories over the weekend.

The Kings scored a 4-3 win over a gutsy Winnipeg Blues squad, Friday, before handing the Winkler Flyers a 2-1 setback, Sunday.

Friday’s win over the Blues was the 400th victory for Doug Hedley as Kings head coach.

The Kings were using their sticks to great advantage, stealing pucks, especially in the offensive zone, which led to quality scoring chances.

“And we’re getting in shooting lanes. That’s what it takes,” Hedley said.

Sunday’s game resembled a playoff game, Hedley said, with both teams working hard.

“Guys were going hard, they were getting into shooting lanes. We got fortunate enough to get a power play and a good deflection by Schmidty (Joshua Schmidt) to get the game winner,” he said.

The three straight wins comes after Dauphin lost two straight to the Selkirk Steelers and the Winnipeg Freeze.

The loss to Selkirk was especially disappointing, because Hedley felt they deserved better.

“We made four mistakes and they capitalized. They’re a good team offensively,” he said.

“And then 67 shots against a goaltender that stood on his head and did everything he could do. And, don’t get me wrong, we didn’t get to the net enough. We didn’t take his eyes away. We didn’t get rebounds or second shots. We had a lot of shots, I think close to 100 towards the net. Had the puck the whole time, but just couldn’t get it done.”

The Kings rebounded from those losses with a 3-1 win over the Flyers in Winkler.

For the full story, read this week’s edition of the Dauphin Herald.

The Parkland Rangers find themselves among the leaders in the Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League after splitting a pair of road games in Winnipeg.

Quentin Fisk continued his torrid scoring pace to start the season, scoring three times and adding an assist to lead the Rangers to a 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Thrashers, Friday.

Cade Legaarden and Dayson Martin had Parkland’s other goals, while Ethan Saari and Ryden Duchon replied for Winnipeg.

Piet Mierau made 25 saves to earn the win and Hudson Hunnie took the loss with 28 stops.

Parkland scored three times with the man advantage.

It was a different story on Saturday as the Winnipeg Bruins rode three power-play goals to a 7-3 win over the Rangers.

Aiden Jacobson and Tyler Free each scored twice and added an assist for Winnipeg. Danny Cross, Shea Chornley and Luka Fay added singles.

Fisk, Forrest Karlson and Noah Smigelsky had the Rangers goals.

Zak Matheson stopped 24 shots to pick up the win in goal. Mierau finished with 28 saves.

The Dauphin Clippers entered the Rural Manitoba Football League playoffs with high hopes that they would compete for a championship.

Instead, they are left to wonder what could have been after losing their semifinal contest to the Moosomin Generals, 26-20 in overtime, Sunday afternoon in Dauphin.

The Clippers proved to be their own worst enemy, having two lengthy runs for touchdowns called back because of penalties.

Dauphin did have the lead, 20-14, only for the Generals to march down field to tie the game. The Clippers defence came up big, stopping the convert attempt, sending the game to overtime.

Each team had one possession, with the Generals scoring on their first possession. The Clippers failed to score on their time with the ball, resulting in the Moosomin victory.

Clippers coach Gerald Lopez said the two penalties were unfortunate.

“I thought both teams had the same type of penalties, but it just unfortunately happens like that. It’s just the way the ball bounces sometimes,” he said.

Lopez was pleased his team didn’t fold and kept giving their all, eventually taking the lead late in the game.

“Right up to the end, I was proud of all those guys. They played hard right up to the last snap, all the way to overtime. Unfortunately, the better team won and it wasn’t our day today,” he said.

The Clippers will lose six or seven players next year, but they will have a good core of players returning.

“I’m proud of all these guys,” Lopez said.

The Dauphin Kings remain in second place in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s MGEU West Division after splitting four road games last week.

Dauphin extended its winning streak to three games with  5-4 win over the Waywayseecappo Wolverines, Oct. 15, in Waywayseecappo.

Nathan Lenoski scored the winner for the second straight game against the Wolverines. Gabriel Bugeaud, Ethan Williment, Cayden Glover and Madden Murray had Dauphin’s other goals.

Sebastien Hicks with two, Deegan Wapass and Sebastian Stone scored for Waywayseecappo.

Cole Sheffield picked up the win in goal, making 21 saves. Jase Wareham took the loss with 32 saves to his credit.

The Kings then embarked on a three-games-in-three-nights road trip on the weekend, beginning in Selkirk on Friday.

Owen Brandon’s goal 1:32 into the third period stood up as the winner as the Steelers scored a 5-3 victory.

Landon Jamieson, Rohan Guevarra, Griffin Crone on a penalty shot, and Owen Warnick into an empty net with one second left, had Selkirk’s other goals.

Glover, Bugeaud and Matthew Thomas replied for the Kings.

Noel Olsonawski made 31 saves in the win, while Sheffield stopped 39 shots in the loss.

On Saturday in Winnipeg, Braxton Burdeny made 59 saves and Nicholas Cullen scored twice to lift the Winnipeg Freeze to a 3-1 win.

It was Winnipeg’s first win of the season after recording just a single shootout loss in their first eight games.

Job Peters had Winnipeg’s other goal, while Glover replied for Dauphin.

Victor Larin made 21 saves for the Kings.

After falling behind early on Sunday, the Kings rebounded to beat the Winkler Flyers, 3-1.

Blake Matheson staked Winkler to a 1-0 lead on a power-play 16 minutes in.

Rylan Gage scored a shorthanded goal before the period was out to tie the game and Glover scored in the second to put the Kings in front.

Gavin Nemis sealed the win with a power-play goal, three minutes into the third period.

Sheffield finished the night with 33 saves, while Liam Ernst made 28 saves in the loss.

The Kings return to home ice this weekend, when they host the Winnipeg Blues, Friday at 7:30 p.m.

The Flyers pay their final visit to Credit Union Place, Sunday, at 4 p.m.

Kings court: Forward Cayden Glover now has goals in seven straight games and leads the MJHL with 12 on the season . . . Dauphin’s next win will be Doug Hedley’s 400th as head coach of the Kings.

The Dauphin Clippers clinched first place in the Rural Manitoba Football League, Saturday, with a 34-0 win over the visiting Virden Golden Bears.

With the win, Dauphin improves to 6-1 on the season and the shutout means they have the best defence in the league, allowing a league low 65 points.

Clippers head coach Gerald Lopez was pleased for all the players, stating they worked hard right from the start of training camp.

“I couldn’t be more happier for them, They deserve this,” he said.

Dauphin scored on their first possession of the game and never looked back. Lopez said jumping out to an early lead was huge.

“It establishes who we are as a team. We’re coming in with a mission and we had some thoughts in our mind and one was scoring on our first possession, which we did,” he said.

Lopez credits defensive coach Robbie Tomkins for his work in making the Dauphin defence the stingiest in the league.

“Coach Tomkins has these guys really humming as a unit. And defence wins championships. It’s as simple as that,” he said.

The Clippers are expected to play the Moosomin Generals in the semifinals, the only team to beat the Clippers in the regular season.

Dauphin will have their eye on getting a measure of revenge when the two teams hook up in Dauphin.

“Oh yes. We definitely had their team circled if we were to play them. I think our team has really matured since that first loss. So it will be a fun, tough match, because both teams are scrappy teams,” he said.

The key to beating Moosomin, Lopez said, will be discipline.

“Discipline, running to the plays and being able to execute without taking penalties,” he said.

The date for the semifinal match has yet to be determined.

The Parkland Rangers find themselves alone in first place in the Manitoba AAA U18 Hockey League after winning two of three games on home ice over the weekend.

But they deserved a better fate in the game they lost, a 5-1 setback at the hands of the Southwest Cougars, thanks to a 37-save effort by Micky Gross.

The Rangers rebounded to score a pair of wins over the Norman North tars in Swan River.

Quentin Fisk scored twice and added three assists to lead Parkland to a 7-3 win, Saturday. He added another two goals in regulation and assisted on Trace Langan’s overtime winner in Parkland’s 3-2 win on Sunday.

At 7-2-0-0, the Rangers are alone in first place, one point ahead of the Winnipeg Wild.

Rangers coach Josh Tripp felt the Rangers played well and worked hard in Friday’s loss.

To see the full story, read this week’s edition of the Dauphin Herald.

For the third straight year, the Dauphin Clippers girls rugby team are Westman High School Rugby 7s champions.

Dauphin clinched the title by going 3-0 at the final jamboree, Oct. 8, in Brandon.

The Clippers were tied with Rivers at 8-1 entering the Brandon event, after Rivers scored a 7-5 win over the Clippers in Dauphin’s jamboree, Sept. 29.

The two teams met again in a rematch in Brandon, with the Clippers getting their revenge in a 33-0 victory, clinching the title.

Dauphin finished 11-1, while Rivers was 10-2.

Clippers head coach Shawn Sarkonak said it is crazy to think the team has won the 7s season for the third time in a row.

“Myself and Kent Miner are just completely ecstatic and very proud of our girls. They went out and played their hearts out and came out champions,” he said.

When the schedule for the Brandon jamboree was released and the Clippers saw they would be facing Rivers again, they circled that game as the one they wanted most to win.

“They felt that the game that they lost, they know that they ended up playing an individual game instead of a team game and that’s actually what led to the loss,” Sarkonak said, adding the Clippers had previously beaten Rivers, 27-0, in Brandon, Sept. 26.

“They definitely were wanting another shot at Rivers, for sure,” he said,

The varsity girls all played in the Manitoba Summer Games, where they won a bronze medal, which did not sit well with them.

“They knew that they could have placed higher. And they used the 7s season to come out on top and put into work what they knew they could have done in the summer, and it showed,” Sarkonak said.

The Clippers JV team finished sixth with a 4-8 record, tops among the JV teams taking part in the 7s season.

For a lot of the girls, it was their first year playing, Sarkonak said, adding a couple of girls who were part of last year’s 7s team and played 15s in the spring were the leaders of the JV squad.

Sarkonak noted a handful of players will be trying out for Team Manitoba, which will compete at the Canada Summer Games.

“So they’ll get some extra work in,” he said.

The team will begin ramping up for the spring 15s season with workouts in mid-February.