Doug Zywina
On your mark...
About 80 snowmobile enthusiasts braved the cold and windy conditions, Saturday, at the SKO Club drag races.
There were nine race classes, including a kids class for 120 and 200 stock, with a 100 per cent payout, as well as first and second place trophies for all stock, improved and pro mod classes.
Vigil marks solemn anniversary
Dauphin was one of more than 50 communities across the country to recognize the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine with a candlelight vigil, Friday evening.
After an opening prayer, Ukraine’s national anthem was sung by a local folk singing group.
Various dignitaries spoke to the crowd of about 100 people who braved the cold temperatures to attend and show their support for Ukraine.
Organizer Stephen Jaddock was pleased with the attendance, noting the temperature was crisp even though it had warmed up a few degrees from earlier in the week.
“I was telling the speakers to make sure they were dressed appropriately and be able to handle it,” he said. “And you know what? It went about 45 minutes, so that’s quite the amount of time to be out in this weather. But I’m happy with the turnout.”
Because of the city’s Ukrainian heritage and culture, Jaddock wanted Dauphin to be part of the vigils being held nationwide.
“We wanted to make sure that Dauphin was on the map with the communities across Canada that were doing this, over 50, so I’m very happy that Dauphin was included in that number,” he said.
The recurring theme of the evening was that the war must end as soon as possible.
“We just wanted to say that the war in Ukraine is a terrible thing and that it needs to end. And also that we’re very thankful that families have chosen to come to Dauphin and we’ve been able to help them out with the volunteers and the great people that we have in the community of Dauphin and the Parkland area,” Jaddock said. “It was a great message and I’m pleased that it was able to get out.”
A number of the families that have relocated to Dauphin were in attendance and Jaddock feels events such as this will send a message to them that the community is here to support them.
“We’ve got the Ukrainian culture here. And it was so nice for the City of Dauphin to make sure that the Ukrainian flag was flying today. They made a special effort to make sure that was happening,” he said. “And I know that when the war broke out, the Ukrainian flag was flying in the City of Dauphin for many, many days. So it was so good to see. And again, it just speaks to the support that we have here.”
Like everyone in attendance, Jaddock hopes the war in Ukraine ends soon.
Since the war started one year ago, five million civilians have been forced to leave Ukraine and more than eight million are internally displaced.
A fund-raising success
It may not have been the coldest night of the year, but it wasn’t far off.
However, with windchills of -30C and below, it was enough to have Dauphin’s edition of the Coldest Night of the Year walk cancelled for this year.
So instead, participants gathered in the back hall of the Dauphin Friendship Center for a presentation and enjoyed chili and a bun. Participants are still encouraged to walk whenever they see fit and to post photos and videos online.
As of Saturday evening, the event raised $23,701 or 133 per cent of its $20,000 goal.
This year marks the first time in the event’s seven-year history in Dauphin that the fund-raising goal has been surpassed and donations will still be accepted until Mar. 31.
Proceeds are earmarked for the Food for Thought program. Next year’s walk will be held, Feb. 24, 2024.
Stars on ice
These young skaters rock out to the 1950s classic song “At the Hop” by Danny and the Juniors as part of Skate Dauphin’s Skating through the Decades ice show, Monday afternoon.
The afternoon included three performances by provincial champion Breken Brezden, as well as other local performers and the entire class of youngsters learning to skate.
Rangers end season with dominant win
The Parkland Rangers ended the 2022-23 season with wins in five of their last seven games.
The week began with an 11-0 loss to the league-leading Brandon Wheat Kings, Wednesday in Brandon.
Luke Lepper recorded five assists for Brandon in their win, while Ethan Stewart had two goals and an assist.
Nine other players recorded two points each, including Kaeson Fisher, Keenan Skrupa and Cole Temple who had two goals each. Brady Turko, Declan Hoad and Skylar Ramsey added singles.
K.C. Couckuyt made 26 saves to post the shutout. Kyler Swanton and Chase Glover combined to stop 31 shots in goal for Parkland.
The Rangers rebounded in a big way in their season finale, Saturday in Swan River.
Cash Clarkson scored three times and added a pair of assists to lead Parkland to a 12-4 win over the Norman North Stars.
Tavyn Boychuk and Dru Mushumanski each had a goal and three assists and AP callup Trace Langan had two goals and an assist, while Connor McKay chipped in with a goal and two helpers.
Andrew Pidskalny, Havryil Simchuk, Hayden Seib and Wesley Gryba-Smith added singles and Swanton made 31 saves in recording the win.
Daylin Monias scored three times for Norman, with Logan Marr adding a single. Paxton Moore made 39 saves in the loss.
Parkland finishes the season with a 12-25-7-0 record for 31 points, 11 points out of a playoff spot
Five players - Gryba-Smith, Bo Eisner, Madden Murray, Skyler Carriere and Swanton - graduate from the Rangers program.
Kings, Pistons split home-and-home
The Dauphin Kings and Steinbach Pistons split a home-and-home weekend with each team winning on home ice.
On Friday in front of 770 fans at Credit Union Place, the Kings scored a 6-4 victory, sparked by a two-goal performance from captain Owen Wareham.
Hunter Degelman opened the scoring 2:36 into the game, giving Steinbach an early lead.
It didn’t last long however, as the Kings scored three straight off the sticks of Wareham, with his fourth of the season on a power play, Myles Yearwood with his ninth and Blake Boudreau with his 12th.
Landon Roberts made it a one-goal game just 13 seconds after Boudreau gave the Kings a 3-1 lead.
Dauphin then increased its lead in the second period with Jakob Brook netting his seventh and Deepkaran Hans finding the back of the net for his 13th of the campaign.
Travis Hensrud and Dawson Milliken scored 40 seconds apart in the first five minutes of the third to make it interesting, but the Kings kept the Pistons at bay the rest of the way with Wareham netting his second of the game and fifth of the season into an empty net with 55 seconds left to seal the Kings victory.
Cole Sheffield made 26 saves for the Kings, which chased Pistons starter Dominik Wasik with their fifth goal of the game in the second period. He was credited with 17 saves, before giving way to Cole Plowman, who stopped all 14 shots he faced.
On Saturday in Steinbach, the Pistons scored four goals in the third period, including three in a span of 1:36 to escape with a 5-4 win.
The teams traded goals in the first period, with Mathew Gough scoring his 21st of the season for Dauphin, while Davin Griffin replied for Steinbach.
Alex Senf’s 15th of the season with 15 seconds left in the second gave the Kings a 2-1 lead entering the third period, where Nolan Wickham’s power play goal, his seventh of the season, increased Dauphin’s lead to 3-1.
The Pistons began their comeback at 6:13 when Ian Amsbaugh scored to make it a one-goal game. Brett Kaiser tied the game at 7:02 and Steinbach took the lead at 7:49 when Warren Clark beat Kings netminder Dmytro Kubrytskyi.
Dauphin’s Marco Bodnarski’s second of the season tied the game at four at the 12:01 mark, but Steinbach scored what proved to be the winner 24 seconds later when Hensrud scored.
Wasik earned the win in goal with 22 saves, while Kubrytskyi stopped 29 shots in taking the loss.
The Kings have another home-and-home weekend ahead of them, this time with division rivals, the Virden Oil Capitals.
The two teams hook up, Friday in Dauphin, with the rematch, Saturday in Virden. Both games begin at 7:30 p.m.
The Kings enter the week tied for fourth place with Virden in the MGEU West Division with 57 points each.
The OCN Blizzard hold down top spot with 61 points, followed by the Waywayseecappo Wolverines with 59 and the Swan Valley Stampeders with 58. The Neepawa Titans are still alive, but fading as they are sixth with 49 points.
Tournament season ends
Dauphin hosted its final two minor hockey tournaments over the weekend, with 13 teams joining the host Dauphin Kings Gold and Silver teams.
The Swan Valley Stampeders won the Dauphin Home Hardware Gold Showdown, while the Carman Cougars won the Dauphin McDonald’s Silver Division.
Learning from the best
Two-time world champion and Olympic champion Jill Officer was on hand to lend her expertise, Saturday, to local junior curlers as part of Curl Manitoba’s Junior High Performance Program.
Here, Officer watches video of each junior curler’s delivery technique.
Guest speaker
Chief David Ledoux of Gambler First Nation was the guest speaker at the second Parkland Chamber of Commerce luncheon series, Feb. 14.
Chief Ledoux spoke about economic development and the changes that follow as a result.
The next luncheon will be the Chamber’s Appreciation Dinner, Mar. 14.
Breakfast greetings
The leader of the People’s Party of Canada, Maxime Bernier, was in Dauphin Friday morning to speak with local supporters, followed by a pancake breakfast.
Bernier shared his thoughts on the pandemic restrictions, the political divisiveness created by the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives, immigration, the growth of the PPC and the war in Ukraine.