The 50 LCol. Barker VC Dauphin Air Cadet Squadron is part of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets organization, which provides youth ages 12 to 18 with opportunities to grow into confident, capable and community-minded leaders, according to Dauphin commanding officer Marcus Paddock.

Across the country, Paddock added, the program includes sea, army and air cadets, each offering unique training experiences.

In Dauphin, cadets study aerospace and aviation principles, learn about aircraft systems and navigation and participate in flight simulation, aircrew survival training and familiarization flights in gliders and powered aircraft.

Late last year, local cadets had the opportunity to begin training on a flight simulator, thanks to the efforts of Richard Hillcoff.

“When I became the liaison (between the cadet squadron and Royal Canadian Legion Branch 20), I wanted to put the air back into air cadets. So I figured the best thing is to get a simulator,” he said.

Hillcoff trained with the local squadron himself, beginning when he was 12. He noted there has to be 18 air cadets to run a squadron.

“When I took over, they were going to shut the squadron down. There were two people who came to see me and convinced me. So I did some homework and became a captain in the reserves, so I could run the squadron,” he said, adding he ran the squadron from 1979 to 1984, before handing the reigns to someone else.

Hillcoff became the liaison between the cadets and the Legion, 3-1/2 years ago.

Hillcoff spearheaded some fund-raising campaigns to purchase the flight simulator for the local squadron.

After doing some research, Hillcoff decided on a simulator and made the purchase for $15,000.

“Everybody in the cadets, they get a chance, no matter who they are, from the very beginning through to the end,” he said.

Read the full story in this week’s edition of the Dauphin Herald.

When theatre lovers head to the DRCSS this April to take in the school’s production of Momma Mia, they can expect an evening of top-notch entertainment provided by an enthusiastic student cast and crew.

But there will be one cast member on stage whose enthusiasm for performing sits a little above and beyond that of her peers.

Jacobi van Luijn developed a love of performing at an early age after being introduced to the stage by her father Martijn.

“I like being able to be someone else. You get to be someone who’s completely different than from who you are,” van Luijn said, adding she finds a freedom in assuming new characters.

“If you pretend to be someone other than who you are day-to-day, they’re still kind of like a part of you. But when you’re on stage, you can be someone completely different. Someone you would never even think to be.”

van Luijn had in role in the school’s production of Mean Girls last year. This year she takes on the lead role of Donna in Momma Mia this spring.

But her roles are not limited to high school musicals as van Luijn is also a member of Mecca Productions, a performing arts group based in Brandon, which provides training and performance opportunities for those interested in musical theatre.

With the group since 2019, she has been a part of several productions over the years.

“I’ve done Frozen Junior and I’ve done Beauty and the Beast Junior, Lion King Junior. I’ve also done Moana Junior and I’ve done Newsies Junior,” van Luijn said, adding she has grown so much as actor since joining Mecca.

“Tiana and Lisa Vasconcelos, they’re the owners of Mecca and they really helped me. They taught me how to come out of my shell and really showed that I had potential. So they’re the reason I’m performing and I’m successful.”

van Luijn added Jody Janzen from Winnipegosis is another mentor, acting as a singing coach and giving her the technical skills for her singing.

van Luijn is also finding success in solo performance, having recently earned two silver medals at the Brandon Festival of the Arts.

“In my Uptempo Musical Theatre category I did ‘What Bacon Can Do’ from Waitress. In my Movie Musical category I did ‘The Wizard and I’ from Wicked,” van Luijn said, adding she attends other competitions, along with acting and musical camps regularly.

Set to graduate from high school this spring, the success she has enjoyed on stage has van Luijn pursuing a future in performing.

Having already been accepted to the Musical Theatre program at Bishop’s University in Sherbrooke, Que., van Luijn is waiting to hear about her application to Sheridan College.

The Oakville, Ont., school is commonly referred to as the Hogwarts of musical theatre.

“It’s like the best musical theatre program in Canada, pretty much,” van Luijn said, adding with 500 applicants that audition each year, about 10 per cent get admitted.

“I want to go to school for musical theatre and, hopefully, the dream is to be a performer, obviously, but I want to be a teacher. I want to be a drama teacher and a director.”

But van Luijn is not resting on her laurels, and has been rehearsing for Momma Mia with her high school cast mates.

“We’ve been rehearsing since December. We’ve got quite a few kids this year and it’s going really well,” she said.

Based on the 2008 film of the same name, those attending the DRCSS production of Mamma Mia can expect to lose themselves in a captivating story, revolving around her character of Donna.

“She is a mother, a single mother of a daughter who’s getting married. They live on a Greek island, and one day she sees these three guys who come to the island who are potentially her daughter’s dad. She doesn’t know who her daughter’s dad is, but she knows it’s one of these three guys,” van Luijn said.

“So we follow Donna’s journey of coping with this all and making peace with her past.”

Being a part of telling such stories is engrossing for van Luijn and she encourages other young people who are thinking about performing to take the leap.

“Just go at it, it’s so fun. Just audition and just do it. Just be open. It’s one of the most fun things you’ll ever do,” she said.

“You get to build a community and a little family. It’s just so fun.”

The DRCSS production of Mamma Mia runs Apr. 21 to 23.

The Dauphin Kings skate into the Manitoba Junior Hockey League McMunn and Yates Building Supplies Turnbull Cup playoffs riding a four-game winning streak.

After wins over the Waywayseecappo Wolverines and Virden Oil Capitals last weekend, the Kings clinched second place in the MGEU West Division with a come-from-behind 2-1 overtime victory over the Northern Manitoba Blizzard, Mar. 10, in The Pas.

Dauphin then made it four straight wins with another comeback, this time a 4-3 triumph over the visiting Winnipeg Blues.

Kings head coach and general manager said it was a nice way to end the regular season, noting the Kings won 10 of their final 14 games.

“In the process the guys stuck to it. Our compete got a lot better. Our defensive awareness got a lot better. Our D-zone got a lot better and goaltending was really solid. Things are going in the right direction, for sure,” he said.

In Saturday’s season finale, forwards Forrest Karlson, Noah Smigelsky, Landyn Garton and Tryp Klassen dressed as APs and did not look out of place.

Smigelsky opened the scoring Dauphin’s only power play of the game and Karlson had the only assist on Sam Swanton’s third-period goal, which gave the Kings a lead.

“For the first five shifts I thought they were outstanding,” Hedley said, adding Karlson had a real good chance to score.

“Smigs (Smigelsky) drove the net and scored on the power play. Tryp Klassen was good and Garton was serviceable. So all four of them showed real well, I thought,” he added.

The Kings finish the season with a 33-23-2-0 record for 68 points and will face the Waywayseecappo Wolverines in a rematch of last year’s first-round matchup.

The Wolverines, Hedley said, are a good team with some skilled players.

“We’re going to have to look after them. We’re going to have to be aware. I think in the last three weeks or a month, we’ve gotten a lot more comfortable in one-goal games. We started locking games down,” he said.

“I think it’s going to be a great series. There’s some good skill.”

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

Twenty-two teams hit the ice at the Parkland Recreation Complex curling rink for the annual ladies bonspiel.

When all was said and done, Tiffany Armstrong and her team of Morgan Kropelniski, Stacey Stewart and Tamara Kolida took home top prize in the first event for the second straight year, beating Pam Scott, with Lisa Hale throwing skip stones, in the final.

In third place was Kaitlyn Sahulka and fourth place went to Bev Hess.

Leanna Fedak and her team of Sheri Maillard, Lindsay Lepla and Sarah Doran won the second event, defeating Nicole Strilchuk in the final.

In third place was Bridget Sahulka and in fourth place was Courtney VanAlstyne.

The team of Dawn Steiner, Carolyn Coulson-Clark, Shelley Davidson and Jacquie Bencharski won the third event, defeating Carol Sime in the final.

Kelsey Budzinski was third and Marsha Boese was fourth.

The next bonspiel is the Ukiefest bonspiel, Mar. 27 to 29.

The Parkland Rangers will face the Winnipeg Bruins in the first round of the Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League playoffs.

The Rangers were guaranteed to finish eighth after a 2-1 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Wild, Friday night in Dauphin.

Alex Campbell gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead late in the second period and it held up until there was 1:32 left in regulation, that was when Adrian Braun banged home a loose puck in the crease to tie the game and send it to overtime.

In the extra session, Cody Farrell completed the comeback when he scored 49 seconds in, giving the Wild the come-from-behind win.

Arden Downey made 21 saves to record the win in goal. Eddy Person played his best game of the season for the Rangers, making 30 saves.

Parkland finished with a 23-19-5-1 record for 52 points. The 52 points is a franchise record, topping the 51 points the team recorded in 2014-15, while the 23 wins ties the record for second most in franchise history, which the team achieved last season.

Rangers head coach Rick Freese felt his team deserved to win the game, noting the Rangers did a good job of slowing the Wild through the neutral zone, forcing them to dump pucks in.

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

The Dauphin Clippers hockey team will face the Glenboro/Carberry/Baldur Wildcats in the best-of-three quarterfinal series.

The Clippers ended the Westman High School Hockey League in fifth place after a 6-3 loss to the league-leading Swan Valley Tigers, Sunday, before rebounding to beat the Major Pratt Trojans of Russell, 8-1, Monday afternoon.

Clippers coach Drew Kulcheski said it was a nice way to end the regular season.

“It’s nice to go into the playoffs coming off of a win. Everybody being confident. We were able to roll through today’s game. Everybody was able to contribute and we’re looking forward to playoffs,” he said.

It was a quick turn around for the Clippers, who had played the night before in Swan River. And, although they started slow, the Clippers were able to pick up their play and pull away in the latter stages of the game.

Dauphin, 19-8-0-1, finished just one point behind the 18-6-1-3 Wildcats, who have home ice advantage.

Game one goes, Mar. 3 in Dauphin at 7:30 p.m., with game two, Thursday in Glenboro at 7 p.m. Game three, if necessary, will be in Glenboro, Mar. 6, at 7 p.m.

Kulcheski is expecting a tough series, with the Wildcats.

“We’re going to have to have our work boots on. We’re going to have to play a heavy, physical game. They play a real rough Canadian style of hockey and we’ve got to be ready for it,” he said, adding some teams may be doubting the Clippers chances.

“But I’ll take this group of boys over any team in the league,” he said.

Despite winning just one of three games last week, the Dauphin Kings remain in sole possession of second place in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s MGEU West Division.

Even while recording 64 shots on net, the Kings fell 4-0 to the Swan Valley Stampeders, Feb. 3, in Dauphin.

The Kings then embarked on a short two-game road trip, beginning Friday in Virden, where the Oil Capitals scored three times on the power play in a 7-5 win over the Kings.

On Saturday, it was Dauphin’s turn to put the power play to good use as they scored three times on the man advantage to beat the Winnipeg Monarchs, 5-1, in Winnipeg.

“You have to start wondering what the hockey gods were thinking,” Kings head coach Doug Hedley said of the loss to Swan Valley.

“We played well. We’d be in their end for a long time and then they’d have one opportunity and they’d score. We’ve got a great group. The coaching staff and everybody still believes the fact that we can get things going.”

Hedley said it is just a matter of time for the team to start scoring again.

“And once they do it will become regular and consistent. Our work ethic is there. The battles are there. A lot of areas are really good. We just have to, at crucial times in the game, step up and find a way to get it done,” he said.

Virden took advantage of some undisciplined play by the Kings, getting seven power plays in the game to Dauphin’s three.

Hedley felt the Kings played well at five-on-five, but the special teams need to get better.

“We’re capable of doing it. It’s just a matter of finding ways,” he said.

Dauphin’s power play moved the puck well against the Monarchs, which resulted in three goals in six chances.

“We changed a few things up. Right now it’s really tough because of injuries to (Rylan) Gage and (Kurtis) Kinoshita. And now (Wyatt) Dyck is out with a shoulder. So there’s three guys out of the lineup that would be regulars on special teams,” Hedley said, adding he was pleased with the younger players who stepped up and played well against Virden.

“They got a couple goals. Second shots, actually, by going to the paint. They’re definitely very positive and they’re stepping up and finding ways. Then they played very well in Winnipeg. That’s definitely a good sign for now and the future,” he said.

The Kings have three games this week against some of the league’s weaker teams.

The host the Northern Manitoba Blizzard, Tuesday, with the Monarchs visiting, Friday, with both games starting at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, the Kings return to Winnipeg for a date with the Blues at 7:30 p.m.

The Kings will then travel to Waywayseecappo for a game with the Wolverines on Louis Riel Day.

Hedley said these will be big games for his team.

“It’s a chance for us to get some consistency. It’s a chance for us to get some swagger back and get on a roll. We have a seven-game segment coming up and every game is winnable. So we’re looking forward to a good one,” he said.

Kings court: Defenceman Aiden Murray has committed to the Division 1 Niagara Purple Eagles, which plays in the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

The Dauphin Clippers varsity girls won their home tournament this past weekend, winning all three games.

Dauphin opened the tournament with a 68-31 victory over the Gilbert Plains/Grandview Trojans, followed by a convincing 83-46 win over the Steinbach Christian Flames.

They clinched the tournament title with a 57-21 win over the Neepawa Tigers, Saturday morning.

Clippers coach Natasha Nepinak was pleased with the team’s play throughout the tournament.

“This weekend, the team played with great energy. Everyone was stepping up and taking shots with confidence, and that’s exactly what we want to see,” she said.

As well as the Clippers played, there are still some aspects of the game they need to work on.

“We’re continuing to grow our offensive plays, learning how to create better looks and make sharp passes,” Nepinak said.

Winning their home tournament, Nepinak added, will give the team added confidence and momentum as they head into the zone playoffs, Feb. 17 in Dauphin.

The Clippers varsity boys were in Winkler for the Nighthawks Invitational.

They opened the tournament with a narrow 56-54 loss to the host Northland Parkway Nighthawks.

Dauphin rebounded to beat the Steinbach Christian Flames, 54-51, placing them in the third-place game, where they defeated the Léo-Rémillard Renards, 75-58.

The Clippers will be in Neepawa for a tournament this weekend.

The Clippers JV girls were in Neepawa, this past weekend, where they finished third.

Dauphin opened the event with a 66-31 win over the Margaret Barbour Spartans of The Pas, before dropping a 56-44 decision to Northlands Parkway.

In the third-place game, the Clippers defeated Ste. Rose, 54-31.

All four Dauphin Clippers basketball teams were in action over the weekend, seeing various levels of success.

The varsity girls were in Sanford, where they finished in second place.

Dauphin opened the tournament with a 42-38 win over the Linden Christian Wings in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, the Clippers upended the Neelin Spartans, 43-35 to advance to the final, where they lost to the host Sanford Sabres, 58-30.

Clippers coach Natasha Nepinak was pleased with the team’s play over the course of the weekend.

“We beat two ranked teams and we’re not ranked right now. We just kept telling them that defence wins games and they did what they had to do,” she said.

In the final, the Clippers faced a strong Sanford team, which featured two great players, one of which has committed to Brandon University for next year.

“So just trying to get stops and trying to stop them defensively,” Nepinak said, adding this finish will give the team added confidence going forward.

“I’m hoping that the games for the rest of the season, they keep playing and keep pushing. Where we’re at right now, we can’t let off the gas,” she said.

The Clippers will host the Clipper Classic, Friday and Saturday, featuring the Neepawa Tigers, Steinbach Christian Flames and Gilbert Plains/Grandview Spartans, with the top two teams in the round-robin meeting in the final.

“The girls are excited. We have a couple of practices coming up this week, but I think they’re ready to go,” Nepinak said.

The varsity boys were in Winnipeg for the Hoops for Hope 2026 tournament, hosted by Linden Christian.

After opening with a 59-55 win over the St. James Jimmies, Dauphin scored a 77-76 win over Thompson’s R.D. Parker Trojans in the semifinals.

In the championship game, the Clippers fell 94-69 to the Lorette Scorpions.

Clippers coach Josh Marshall was pleased with the team’s play in the two wins.

Read the full story in this weeks Dauphin Herald.

The Dauphin Clippers hockey team extended their winning streak to five games with a sweep of a three-game home stand over the weekend.

The Clippers opened the weekend, Friday, with a 6-0 win over the Reston/Melita/Hartney/Souris Renegades.

Wil Busby, Hayden Shtykalo, Ethan Zalischuk, Brandon Wood, Henry Roth and Cody Zurba provided the offence for Dauphin, while Joe Tabin stopped all 16 shots he faced.

Cameron Schoonbaert made 41 saves in taking the loss.

On Saturday, Zalischuk had three goals and three assists and Shtykalo scored twice and added a pair of helpers in leading the Clippers to an 8-1 win over the Hamiota/Rivers/Elton Huskies.

Thomas Schmidt, Josh Yakielashek and Layne Wolfenden also scored for Dauphin.

Corbin Munz had the Huskies’ lone goal.

Ben Miner picked up the win in goal, with 38 saves, while Nicolas McDuff made 37 saves.

In a makeup game on Sunday, Shtykalo scored four times to lead the Clippers to a 9-1 win over the Sandy Bay Badgers.

Shtykalo now leads the Westman High School Hockey League with 42 goals.

Yakielashek, Zurba, Busby, Garret Sahulka and Josh Beyette  had Dauphin’s other goals.

Jarome Starr scored for Sandy Bay.

Tabin made 16 saves to record the win, while Peter Flett and Carlson Kolisnyk combined to make 47 saves for the Badgers.

Clippers head coach Drew Kulcheski said his team is playing with confidence right now and it shows on the scoreboard.

“The whole 200-feet of the ice, we’re playing confident, we’re playing our game. We’re dialed in to our systems. We’re playing Clipper hockey right now,” he said.

Coming off a weekend like this and having won seven of their last eight games, Kulcheski said the team’s confidence has never been higher.

“All throughout the lineup, we’re confident. We’re playing with skill. We’re playing with speed. And they feel unstoppable right now,” he said.

As well as the Clippers are playing, Kulcheski noted there is some fine tuning that can be done.

“There’s always little fine things that we can tune up on and play a little bit more of our structure and a little more consistent. But overall, I can’t complain,” he said.

The Clippers will play their fourth game in five days when they host the Birtle/Shoal Lake/Rossburn Falcons, Tuesday at 1:45 p.m.

They embark on a three-game weekend road trip, beginning Friday in Boissevain against the Broncos. On Saturday, the Clippers visit the Virden Golden Bears and on Sunday, they are in Glenboro to play the Wildcats.