The Dauphin Clippers football team held its awards evening, June 27.

Matthew Zurba won three awards, taking home the Norris Aitken Memorial Award, as well as the Most Outstanding Player - Offence and Playoff Most Outstanding Player - Offence.

Joseph Lopez won the Most Improved Player from two seasons ago and Scott Gower won the Most Improved Player this season.

The Most Outstanding Player - Defence was won by Garrett Thompson and Kelton Amendt won the Playoff Most Outstanding Player - Defence award.

The Most Outstanding Lineman winners were Damon Nepinak on defence and Issiah Beardy on offence.

The Grade 9 and 10 Rookie of the Year was Sully Fox and Austen Semchyshyn won the Grade 11 and 12 Rookie of the Year.

The Wellborn Dedication Award went to Mat Bray and Susan Zurba received the Ron Ricketts Clipper Family Award.

Alex Tomkins won the Coaches Award.

The Clippers are expected to begin practices in early August to prepare for next season.

Cole DeLaMare won four awards at the Dauphin Clippers hockey team’s awards banquet, June 27.

DeLaMare took home the Top Scorer Award, Top Defenceman Award and the Playoff MVP and MVP awards.

Other awards winners included Jake Kuzmiak as Most Improved Player, Landon Brown for the Player’s Choice, Oliver Dandeneau for the Top Defensive Player, William Miner for the Clipper Commitment Award, Bradyn Paskaruk, who won the Coach’s Choice Award, Liam Chartrand for Rookie of the Year, Austyn Roos as Hardest Working Player, Owen Chubka as Top Goaltender and Logan Chapman for Top Forward.

Organizers of the Dauphin Agricultural Society’s (DAS) Fair and Exhibition could not have asked for a better return after a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

DAS president Teren Stykalo said it was a fantastic weekend with a lot of people hitting the fair grounds to check out everything the fair had to offer.

“We just finished up our demo derby. We had a great success with that. The fireworks on Friday night were amazing. The midway has been great to work with. The people walking through there have been unbelievable. The kids zone in Credit Union Place, home living, everything has been littered with people. It’s great to see it back in the community,” he said.

DAS could not be happier with the crowds that attended the three-day event. The midway was packed full of people on Friday with lineups 20 deep or more. Stykalo hopes that bodes well for future fairs.

“We hope that continues in the next fairs. But we can’t thank everybody in the community enough for making this one of the most successful fairs we’ve had yet,” he said. “I talked to the midway owners on Friday night and they said it’s been a long time coming since they’ve seen lines like that at their rides. So everybody involved was pretty happy.”

One tradition that did not take place this year, one that organizers and patrons alike are thankful for, is rain. It seems like it usually rains at least one of the three days of the fair every year, but that wasn’t the case this year, which played a large part of the fair’s success.

“We were joking around the other night and we were saying that no president in history has probably had a three-day non-rain event. So this might go down in history as one of the best ones we’ve had yet. So I couldn’t be happier for it to come in my time as president,” Stykalo said.

Organizers will look at hosting more events at the grandstand in the future.

“Those facilities are amazing. The amount of people that they always draw in is fantastic and we need to try and utilize those. So we’re looking at doing a couple more shows there potentially and bring some different entertainment in, as well to just kind of make it an all-around great weekend once again,” Stykalo said.

The success of the fair’s return would not be possible without the support of the many sponsors and volunteers who stepped up as they always do every year.

“Without those people, we would not be able to have any of this. Once again, thank you to all of our sponsors and all of our volunteers,” he said. “The amount of volunteers that we had come forward has been just unbelievable. We can’t thank them enough. We just hope everybody is able to come back and support us again next year.”

Stykalo also wishes to thank the local media for their coverage and support of this year’s fair.

Headliner Cowboy James Storm drags his opponent Tyler James around the ring in one of two main attractions as Canadian Wrestling’s Elite returned to the Watson Arts Centre in Dauphin for the first time in three years, Saturday.

Storm, a former TNA world champion, later pinned James for the win.

A crowd of between 100 and 125 people witnessed Bryce Bentley (Dauphin’s own Steven Stashko) team with Sammy Peppers to regain the CWE tag team titles from The Boston Bruiser Kevin O’Doyle and The Headline Shaun Martens in the main event, one night after losing the belts.

The Dauphin Kings have hired a new marketing director.

Derrick Brucks joins the Kings after 12 years as a realtor in Saskatoon, Sask.

A native of Meadow Lake, Sask., Brucks played three seasons in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, one with the Saskatoon Titans, which later relocated and became the Kindersley Klippers. He also played two seasons with the North Battleford North Stars.

Following his playing days, Brucks played senior hockey in his hometown for a few years. After an injury ended his playing career, Brucks went behind the bench to become the head coach Meadow Lake’s senior team and also spent time as the general manager for a couple of years.

Brucks’s wife lives in Dauphin and he has been commuting between Dauphin and Saskatoon.

“I was actually excited to get to a smaller community. It’s kind of a closer community connection,” he said. “The city was great, but my roots, my heart is in a smaller place where you have more personal touch with the businesses and people.”

Brucks started, June 6, and has been settling in, acclimatizing himself to the job. There has been a lot to learn, he said.

“I’m just starting getting my feet wet with the job,” he said. “I absolutely love it. I think the businesses, the community here is amazing. I think they give great support to the Kings, but I think all the businesses have great support for Ukrainian Festival, Countryfest, I think for all events.”

One of the challenges Brucks faces in his new job will be to put more people in the stands. Fans, he said, want a game experience, noting there is a lot of entertainment that can be enjoyed at home.

“So I think we’re going to have some great intermission ideas. Maybe some different sponsorship nights to bring people to the game,” he said.

The season ticket drive, Brucks noted, will begin in July and registrations are now open for the team’s skills and development camp, Aug. 15 to 19, at Credit Union Place.

Brucks is looking forward to meeting fans and sponsors and showing off what the Kings will have next season, on and off the ice.

“The Kings are a big part of the community and, hopefully, we can help through the schools and any of the businesses. We want them out there in the public,” he said, adding the sponsorship drive for next season will begin within the next couple of weeks.

“It costs a lot of money to run hockey clubs and we just want to thank all the local businesses again for their amazing support throughout the years. Kings president Ashley Shaw said Brucks will bring a lot to the team and the board is excited he joined the organization. “He’s a great guy. He’s very personable. I think he’s going to be very wonderful in our community,” she said. “He’s going to be somebody that our fans and sponsors can approach at any time. I think he’s going to bring a lot to our organization.”

Local organizers of the proposed Maamawi Park were joined by local dignitaries and supporters for the sod turning ceremony, June 23, at the Brewers diamond where Dauphin’s newest recreation park will be located.

The park, which will include a toboggan run as part of Phase 1, will eventually become an all-season facility that will be free to use for all residents.

The 2021-22 Manitoba Junior Hockey League season was a successful one for the Dauphin Kings, both on and off the ice.

The Kings, of course, won the Turnbull Trophy for the eighth time in team history and reached the semifinals of the Centennial Cup, held in Estevan, Sask.

Off the ice, the team cleared its debt and, as announced at its AGM, last Thursday, reported a profit of $237,754, giving the Kings net assets of $122,919, compared to a deficit of $114,835 a year ago.

The Kings reported revenues of $889,903 plus an additional $8,489 in government subsidies due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At $297,927, fund-raising was the largest contributor to the team’s revenues, with ticket sales coming in next at $238,415.

Attendance last season was 17,357 in the regular season, an average of 668. Attendance in the playoffs totaled 9,226, an average of 1,025.

Read the full in depth story in this week's Dauphin Herald!

The DRCSS celebrated its Class of 2022, with its annual convocation, Saturday, which saw 106 students receiving their diplomas.

Sam Kopecky was this year’s valedictorian.

After opening his speech by thanking everyone for joining the graduating class in celebrating their accomplishments, Kopecky called Saturday’s convocation a day all students have been looking forward to.

“Today we are celebrating a new beginning. Today we are celebrating us,” he said. “In the past four years I’ve gained a lot of memories with all of you. Even through the rough times of COVID-19.”

Kopecky spoke about his favourite part of the curriculum when he entered the DRCSS in Grade 9, the vocational rotation.

“Others enjoyed different things in Grade 9, but I think what we have in common is that many friendships and memories were made within these walls,” he added.

Grade 10, he said, started out okay, but took an unexpected turn when with the school closing because of COVID.

“Life can be like that sometimes. You’re going along in one direction, minding your own business and then something happens to make you change direction. How you handle the unexpected is an important part of life,” he stated. “Grade 10 was cut short, but many good times were had. One of my favourite memories is when we almost blew up a battery on Mr. Cassavant’s lawnmower.”

Grade 11 did not start off that badly, Kopecky said, with classes only two days a week.

“But hey, at least we got to come to school,” he said, adding COVID restrictions made a lot of things more difficult. So many rules, so many masks, so much hand sanitizer. “As the year went on, I think we just tried to make the best of it. The best part for me had to be the Fridays I spent in automotive just working on little projects and breaking some bolts with a friend in engines class. Sorry, Mr. Fee,” Kopecky said.

Finally, there was Grade 12, which Kopecky said was the best year of high school.

“At least for me. The COVID restrictions came down and we were able to come to school every day. School seemed more normal. Countless memories were made both in class and out of it,” he said. “The road to get here has been filled with potholes. Some of those potholes have been small, but others have been life changing. As we go out into the world, we will experience more of life’s potholes. We can’t avoid them all.”

Kopecky concluded by thanking all the people who made the day possible and who made such an important impact on the students’ lives.

“We wouldn’t have gotten this far without our families, teachers and friends,” he said. “And always remember life’s a journey, watch out for potholes.”

Thanks to the generosity of local supporters, 42 students were recognized with over 100 scholarships totalling over $90,000.

A list of this year’s scholarship recipients will appear in the next edition of the Dauphin Herald.

Dauphin Kings goalie Carson Cherepak is taking his game to the next level after announcing his committment to play NCAA Division 1 hockey at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY, next season.

The Winnipeg native enjoyed an outstanding year in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, posting a 2.21 GAA and .921 save percentage while compiling a 30-7-0 record with the Kings.

Cherepak was named a first team all-star and received the Ed Belfour Award as the MJHL’s top goaltender. In the postseason, Cherepak was named playoff MVP after helping Dauphin win the Turnbull Trophy.

His stellar play continued at the Centennial Cup in Estevan, Sask., where he was named Top Goaltender and MVP of the national championship.

RPI plays in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).

In other Kings news, forward Jeriah Shantz was dealt to the Collingwood Blues of the Ontario Junior Hockey League in exchange for defenceman Anthony Bax.

Shantz scored five goals and 16 points in 49 games with Dauphin last season. The Fergus, Ont., native added two goals and five points in 15 playoff contests, helping the Kings win the Turnbull Trophy.

Bax, who stands six-feet, and weighs in at 192 pounds, had one goal and five points in 26 games with the Blues last season. He added one assist in 11 games with the Connecticut Jr. Rangers of the National Collegiate Development Conference.

The Parkhill, Ont., native turns 19 in November.

Collingwood also receives future considerations in the deal.

Above, Aiden Wojciechowski (6) of the Dauphin McMunn and Yates U13 baseball team gets into a run down against the Roblin Stars in the AA provincial qualifier at the U13 regionals in Dauphin, Sunday morning.

Roblin scored a 20-6 win to qualify for U13 provincials in Morden, July 15 to 17.

Below, Bohdi Bloomer of McMunn and Yates slides safely into home before Dauphin Reit-Syd Equipment’s Cameron Carefoot can make the tag in the A provincial qualifier, Sunday afternoon.

McMunn and Yates won the game, 20-19, to qualify for A provincials, July 8 to 10 in Winkler.