It’s come down to crunch time for the Dauphin Kings.

Coming off a pair of losses in which they perhaps deserved a better fate, the team’s coaching staff has cut down the roster to 27 players, two of whom are currently injured.

Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley said the team played well in a 6-0 loss to the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Melville Millionaires, Friday in Dauphin.

“Obviously, the rush defence wasn’t there, but I thought our energy and compete (was). We actually had more puck possession that them. We had more opportunities from the prime scoring areas,” he said. “It was just one of those games where every time they seemed to come down, we made a mistake and it went in the net. I liked the effort. Obviously, it’s a lot easier making decisions in the exhibition season when you’re losing than if you win every game. I think it’s a great evaluation tool.”

On Saturday, the Kings traveled south to face the Oil Capitals in Virden, losing 9-4.

Following the two games over the weekend, the Kings made some cuts, getting down to 27 players.

Defenceman Marco Bodnarski and forward Rylan Gage are battling injuries.

The team has been working on its defensive zone systems, as well as the forecheck in the neutral zone and will be reinforcing those in the lead-up to Friday’s season opener against the Swan Valley Stampeders.

“And try to get four solid lines to take the ice on Friday night and the backend, goaltending, just solidify everything and get some special team work going. We want to get off to a good start, so the first 10 games of the season can be very important,” Hedley said.

Some team bonding things are planned for this week to help the players become familiar with each other.

After Friday’s home opener, the Kings are on the road for the first time, Sunday, when the play the OCN Blizzard, Sunday.

Friday’s game gets underway at 7:30 p.m.

The Parkland Rangers hit the ice for training camp, last week, before heading south to Souris for the annual preseason tournament hosted by the Southwest Cougars over the weekend.

Thirty-one players, including six goaltenders, attended this year’s camp, which head coach Tyler Carefoot said was competitive.

“There’s a couple of kids from the high school team came out for some conditioning and ended up challenging our guys that were there to make the team. So overall, I was pleased with camp,” he said.

In Souris, the Rangers played three games, beginning Friday, with a 6-3 loss to the Yellowhead Chiefs.

On Saturday, Parkland began the day with a 5-1 loss to the Brandon Wheat Kings, followed by a 6-1 setback at the hands of the Eastman Selects later in the day.

Carefoot noted the team is already battling injuries, with defenceman Sam Swanton out with a separated shoulder and forward Cade Legaarden dealing with back issues.

So with 23 players making the trip to Souris, Carefoot was able to ice the same lineup for all three games, while giving his three goalies equal playing time.

“It gave me an opportunity to put guys in different situations to challenge that way, so it worked out pretty good,” he said.

Despite the losses, Carefoot was pleased with the team’s play.

“I thought, overall, for some players, they were new to U18, so they were just getting adjusted to the different pace,” he said. “But, honest to goodness, I thought we got better every period. The scores looked like blowouts, but a lot of those goals were power-play goals. So we went without playing our systems. That is stuff we’ll be able to work on as we prepare for the season,” he said. “So all in all, we actually fared much better than I was anticipating.”

With no more preseason games scheduled, Carefoot will take the next two weeks to teach the players the systems ahead of the season opener, slated for Sept. 29 against Yellowhead.

“There’s so much to teach and so much for these kids to learn, so taking the next four to six practices might be a good thing,” he said.

With the focus shifting to the season opener, Carefoot is looking forward to it.

“Most importantly for this group, I want families that want to part of the Parkland Rangers family. And I think we have that. I’m excited about our goaltending, although we still have three goalies in camp,” he said, adding there have been a few surprises, such as the play of forwards Ethan Carnegie,

Cam Sarna and defencemen Ryder Gardner and Nathan Miller, who all played well in the three games in Souris.

While Chase Glover has a spot secured in goal as a second-year player, a decision will have to be made between Ethen Myhre and Owen Martyniuk, who split the first two games.

“That’s a decision that’s not going to be made lightly, so we’re going to have to take some time with it. So we’ll probably need the next four to six practices to do so,” Carefoot said.

The Dauphin Clippers JV girls volleyball team won its first tournament of the season, capturing the title at the Elton Sabres JV Invitational, Friday and Saturday.

The Clippers finished second in their pool, opening with a 23-25 and 17-25 loss to the Gilbert Plains Trojans.

Dauphin rebounded to beat the Glenboro Panthers, 25-10 and 25-6, then defeated the Hamiota Huskies, 25-24 and 25-12, before clinching second place with a 25-7 and 25-14 win over the Carberry Cougars.

The Clippers began their march to the tournament title with a 25-18 and 25-16 win over the host Sabres, then defeated the Prairie Mountain Predators, 25-14 and 25-15 in the semifinals.

The final was an all-Parkland affair as the Clippers got a measure of revenge over the Trojans, beating the Gilbert Plains squad, 25-22 and 25-18.

The Trojans’ march to the final began with a 25-14 and 25-7 win over Hamiota in pool play.

After beating Dauphin in the round-robin, Gilbert Plains split with Carberry, 21-25 and 25-13, before beating Glenboro, 25-11 and 25-11, clinching first place in their pool.

In the quarterfinals, the Trojans beat Hamiota, 25-23 and 25-21, and reached the final with a 19-25, 29-27 and 16-14 win over Carberry in the semifinals, setting the stage for the rematch with Dauphin in the final.

Second straight loss on the gridiron

The Dauphin Clippers played well in their second game of the Rural Manitoba Football League season, Saturday, but fell short in a 36-28 loss to the Southwest Sabres in Souris.

Clippers manager Jeff Michasiw said the team played “lights out”, but fell victim to a pair of speedy Southwest players.

“They have a couple of fast players that got the ball outside and were able to beat us on the outside. So they took one back on a touchdown on that,” he said. “And then Souris had two plays where their receivers made juggling catches. Our cornerback was in the right spot. He swatted the ball, but they just made really athletic plays and were able to catch the ball. And they scored on both those plays.”

Despite falling to 0-2 on the young season, the Clippers are continuing to improve with each game, he said.

“We’re seeing improvement with game after game, so we’re not worried about the season yet,” Michasiw said.

Among things the team needs to work on is simple execution of the small things that make a team successful.

“The defence had three or four takeaways. They held them good for most of the game. Souris was, at times, struggling to get any offence going. So it’s just a full 60 minutes that we have to put in,” Michasiw said.

The Clippers will host the Interlake Thunder, Friday at 4:30 p.m.

“I don’t have too much information on how Interlake is playing right now. But the coaches are going to get to work and we’re going to come up with a game plan and hopefully, get our first W at home,” Michasiw said.

Prior to the game, there will be some presentations made to the team.

Obsolete Brewing Company hosted its grand opening, Saturday, for an appreciative crowd.

The day included entertainment by Kyle Nault, Marc Clement and Ethan Drory, as well as a bouncy castle and Mariachi Mexican Tacos and Cantina food truck.

The company offers 16 beer options, two beer cocktails and four non-alcoholic beverages.

It’s coming down to crunch time for those players hoping to crack the roster of the Dauphin Kings.

Dauphin played three preseason games, last week, starting with a 2-1 shootout loss to the Neepawa Titans, Tuesday, in a game which feature all-rookie lineups for both teams.

Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley said the rookies on the ice in that game played very well and had a lot of energy.

“We directed over 100 shots and had 65 and lost in a shootout. But at the same time, both goaltenders were really good,” he said. “We saw some speed, some energy, some hard work. It was a great game by our young kids.”

The next night against the Swan Valley Stampeders saw each team dressed some veterans, along with prospects hoping to make the team.

The result was a 5-0 Kings victory.

Hedley thought the back pressure was outstanding, as well as the work ethic and compete level.

“I really liked our speed and our work ethic. And we were fortunate enough to get some goals half way through the game,” he said.

The final game of the week was a rematch in Swan River, Friday.

After a slow start, the Kings picked it up, erasing a 2-0 first-period deficit to skate away with a 5-2 win.

“I thought our back end controlled the game. The two American kids (Trey Gnetz and Karson Raymond), both were very good. And I thought Wicks (Nolan Wickham) and Brooksy (Aidan Brooks) were good. Baxy (Anthony Bax) and (Naaman) Hofer, I thought they controlled the game and really limited the opportunities,” he said. “I think they had five shots in about 35 minutes between the last five minutes of the first and five minutes left in the third. So I’m very happy with the effort.”

Even after falling behind 2-0 after the first period, the Kings still worked hard and created some opportunities and were rewarded for their efforts.

The veterans are starting to step up their play, especially on the blueline.

“I think it’s just a matter of getting into it. We’ve just got to get a little more urgency, a little bit more compete and using our speed the way they can,” Hedley said.

After skating over the weekend, Hedley hopes to cut down to about 28 players for the final two preseason games, Friday at home against the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Melville Millionaires, and Saturday in Virden against the Oil Capitals.

Defenceman Ryan Gower has been reassigned to the Kings from the Western Hockey League’s Prince Albert Raiders and will skate with the team this week.

Hedley said the two remaining preseason games will be a good test for those still trying to make the cut.

“The one thing that we really have to get back to from a couple years ago, and I really shouldn’t say we didn’t last year, but I think the consistency needs to be there with the compete and hard work. They’re both choices,” he said. “The skill you have to work at, but they’re individual choices on how hard you work, how hard you compete, how many stick battles you win. It’s all an amount of effort and decision to work hard. The exhibition season has shown that our vets have come back with a purpose and they’re working hard and it’s contagious. Our young guys are working hard and, you combine that with some skill that we have, it’s going to be an exciting year.”

The Dauphin Clippers girls 7s rugby team opened defence of its high school 7s rugby title by going 4-0 in their home jamboree, Sunday morning.

Dauphin opened the jamboree with a 25-0 win over their Clippers JV counterparts, followed by a 25-0 win over Crocus Plains Maroon, a 31-5 win over Vincent Massey and completed the undefeated day with a 22-5 win over Rivers.

The JV Clippers also lost to Souris, 22-5 and Crocus Plains Gold, 31-0. The next jamboree will be, Sept. 17, in Souris.

MS Bike Riding Mountain made its triumphant post-COVID return this past weekend, but with a twist.

Rather than beginning in Dauphin and proceeding to Clear Lake on day one with a return to Dauphin on day two, the event involved a looped course beginning and ending at Elkhorn Ranch in Riding Mountain National Park.

What did not change, however, is the scenic views and diverse sightings of wildlife that come with a trip through RMNP.

Riders were able to choose from two loops, with a 71-kilometre option featuring a turn around at Moon Lake or a 109-kilometre round trip with a turn around at Northgate Trails.

Whichever ride they chose, riders celebrated their accomplishments with awards, food and fun. This year, the Riding Mountain event had a fund-raising goal of $85,000 with over $53,514 raised to date. MS Bike Riding Mountain is one of 12 MS Bike events happening over a four-month period across Canada with the goal of raising funds to support people living with multiple sclerosis.

The Parkland Rangers are set to hold their training camp ahead of the 2023-24 Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League season, next week.

The Rangers will practice and scrimmage, Sept. 12 and 13, before hosting a modified intrasquad game, Sept. 14.

The team will then play two games at the annual preseason tournament hosted by the Southwest Cougars in Souris, Sept. 15 and 16.

Rangers head coach Tyler Carefoot said a lot of players are trying out for junior teams in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, as well as the Western Hockey League.

“That will give everybody a chance to get their feet wet in junior camps. When they come back, they’ll have been on the ice for a good portion and then we’re going to get right into it,” he said, adding there are just shy of 30 players registered for the Rangers camp so far.

Registrations were slow in coming and, at one point, Carefoot said management was wondering why.

“But a few kids have now registered, so things are looking a little bit more positive,” he said.

This time of the year is always exciting, Carefoot said, with graduates from the U15 program coming up and the veterans looking to improve enough to crack junior rosters in the future.

One thing Carefoot is looking for from players trying out is their commitment to the program.

“We want kids that want to be Rangers. We want families to buy in and support the program,” he said. “After that, the kids that are buying into the program, they want to be coached. They want to get better. These are the kids that are willing to sacrifice their high school years to play competitive sport. When you get athletes like that, they’re usually a lot easier to coach. But the number one thing is we want families to buy into the program and, for the most part, the families that are choosing to be Parkland Rangers are all good people. Our role as a coaching staff is to help develop them for the high levels of hockey, but also help develop them to be good human beings.”

Although the last couple of weeks have been stressful, Carefoot is looking forward to getting back on the ice with the players.