Doug Zywina
Kings in seventh heaven after victory in Steinbach
For the first time since 2014, the Dauphin Kings are champions of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.
Brayden Dube’s goal with 8:27 remaining in the third period snapped a 1-1 tie, lifting the Kings to a 2-1 victory over the Steinbach Pistons in game seven of the best-of-seven championship series.
It is the eighth time Dauphin has won the Turnbull Memorial Trophy.
Steinbach drew first blood in the opening frame when Dawson Milliken banged home a rebound with one second left in a Kings power play.
Dauphin drew even when mid-season pickup Logan Calder grabbed a loose puck in the slot and snapped it over Steinbach goalie Will Hambly’s glove hand with the Kings a man down, 1:21 into the second period.
It stayed even until Dube stole the puck from a Steinbach player in front of the Pistons’ net, kicked the puck to his stick, spun around and beat Hambly five-hole with 8:27 remaining.
“I was trying to get it under the pad,” Dube said of his championship winning goal.
Steinbach’s best chance to tie the game came with 1:08 left on the clock. Travis Hensrud was sprung on a breakaway, but an outstanding glove save by playoff MVP Carson Cherepak kept the Kings in front and they went into shutdown mode from there. Following the game, Dube said it was an unreal feeling to be a champion.
“It doesn’t feel like it’s real right now. It’s the biggest goal of my life,” he said minutes after the final buzzer. The players knew they would have to work as hard as they could, Dube added. “And sure enough, we did and we came away with the win,” he said.
As a Roblin native, the Kings can be considered Dube’s hometown team, so winning a title with them was unreal, he said.
“All my family was here watching me and it’s the greatest moment ever,” he said.
As captain of the team, Parker Malchuk was the first player to touch the trophy when it was presented to him by MJHL Commissioner Kevin Saurette.
“It was an incredible honour. Incredible,” he said. “It’s something that’s going to stick with me for the rest of my life. I’m never going to forget this moment.”
Every player, Malchuk said, was hungry and ready to go prior to game seven. “There was no way we were coming in and losing tonight,” he said.
Cherepak said a lot of work has gone into what the Kings have accomplished this season.
“All the early mornings, all the practices, all the workouts. It all came down to one game, so to win it, I’ve never felt anything like it,” he added. The Winnipeg native compared the playoff MVP award to other accolades he has received over his career. “It’s a feather in the cap. It’s a nod that I’m doing the right things and I’m going in the right direction. But it’s a small part of a bigger goal,” he said.
Dauphin native Garrett Hrechka was not in the lineup for game seven, but he was not hurt by that.
“I know (Kings head coach and general manager) Doug (Hedley) is putting the best foot forward with the team and obviously, it paid off. So I’m just happy,” he said.
Hrechka remembers watching the Kings win in 2010 and he is glad to be able to repeat what that team accomplished. Watching the game from the stands, Hrechka felt the key to the victory was the hard work and grit of every player.
“And obviously, Cherry (Cherepak) is the backbone of our team. But I think it was hard work that prevailed,” he said.
For Gilbert Plains product Jayden Jubenvill, the MJHL championship caps off a successful rookie season in which he was named to the league’s rookie all-star team.
“It’s a great way to finish the season. A championship is all we ever worked for all season. So it’s amazing,” he said. Growing up in the Parkland just 30-km from Dauphin, winning a championship is a dream come true. “I’ve dreamed this my whole life, to win a championship and to do it is amazing,” he said, crediting Cherepak for his outstanding play in the game seven victory. “We worked real hard down low and we got it done,” he added.
Hedley started his junior coaching career 33 years ago and has come close to a championship a few times. But this win marks his first junior A championship.
“There’s a lot of things you put into a hockey program,” he said. “We put a lot of players to the next level. You hope to develop kids, develop people. And I think the programs I’ve been involved with have all done that. We’ve had success. “But at the same time, you want that ring. Once you’re a champion, nobody can take it away from you. I hear all the (talk). It’s been going on for a while and it’s nice to be able to quiet the noise on the outside. Now you’re a champion and it’s a good feeling, for sure.”
This year’s Kings squad is a special group, Hedley added, stating the expectations were not as high as where the team ended up.
“I’m so proud of this group. They just came together and worked so hard in different areas of the program, off ice, on ice, skill development, everything we asked them to. They’ve rotated in and out of the lineups. Different guys playing different lines. They just bought in. They get along, they’re a special group and I’m just so proud of them.”
Dauphin’s first goal, Hedley said, took a lot of pressure off the group.
“The bench became different. Then we got a big turnover by Dube and getting a goal from a 16 year old like that in a big moment like that. Once we got that goal, the worst about it was that bounce in the neutral zone that gave them a breakaway. Other than that, they didn’t have anything. We really do a good job once we get a lead,” he said. The Kings took a couple of days off to celebrate before hitting the ice to prepare for the Centennial Cup in Estevan, Sask., this week.
Hedley appreciates the support from the many fans who made the trip to Steinbach.
“When we came on the ice tonight, I thought we were at home. It was amazing. So kudos to the fans. The guys were so happy to have them here. It felt like our home barn,” he said.
But as the seconds were ticking down, Hedley could not help but think of his father and how happy he would have been.
Future looks bright
Dauphin Mayor Christian Laughland speaks at the State of the City address, May 10, hosted by the Parkland Chamber of Commerce.
Laughland spoke about the past year in the city and the many projects that will take place in Dauphin this year and beyond.
Showing support
Dauphin’s Countryfest showed its support for the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund by hosting a barbecue, Saturday.
For just $5, patrons could purchase a hotdog, chips and drink, with all proceeds going to the fund.
Paying tribute
The Incredibly Hip hit the stage at the Watson Arts Centre, Saturday, offering their own renditions of their favourite band, The Tragically Hip’s hits.
The tribute band from Winnipeg played in front of a crowd of about 100 people.
Take that
A pair of Dauphin Kings fans take a swing at a car painted in Steinbach Pistons colours, including logos.
The destruction of the vehicle was part of the tailgate party the team hosted prior to game three, May 3.
The party included a barbecue hosted by Dauphin Consumers Co-op, a bouncy castle for the kids and a performance by the Chris Barker Band.
Hitting the beach
Bob Alm chips out of the bunker on number 8 at the Dauphin Lake Golf Course, Saturday.
More than 100 golfers hit the links on the course’s opening day, though carts were restricted to the cart paths.
The first scheduled tournament is the Gary Brandon Memorial Two-man Match Play Tournament, May 27 to 29.
Kings, Pistons heading to game seven
The Dauphin Kings and Steinbach Pistons are heading to game seven in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League championship series.
After splitting the first two games in Steinbach, the series shifted to Dauphin for games three and four, May 3 and 4.
Steinbach scored a 5-4 overtime win in game three, only for the Kings to bounce back with a 5-2 win in game four.
The Pistons blanked Dauphin, 2-0, in game five in Steinbach on Friday and had a chance to wrap up the series and claim the Turnbull Memorial Trophy, Sunday in game six in Dauphin. But the Kings stayed alive with a 2-0 victory of their own, setting the stage for the winner-take-all showdown in game seven, which goes, Wednesday in Steinbach.
Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley said the two teams match up pretty well, as the series is showing.
“When we get tough on pucks and hard on pucks and win stick battles, we’re a tough team to beat. And playing fast tonight, I thought we played real well,” he said, adding he felt the Kings deserved better, noting they had more chances than the Pistons did. “But at the same time, you have to give credit to (Steinbach goalie Will) Hambly. He played real well. The bottom line is we found a way,” he said.
What impressed Hedley the most about the game six victory and the third period when the Kings stayed the course and limited Steinbach’s scoring chances.
“We really stayed on them. We were relentless on pucks. Any chance they did have came from the blueline. There was nothing really in tight. So it was a good effort,” he said.
That has been the case for pretty much the whole series, Hedley said.
“Now our 20 year olds are our top guys, whether its Kaden Bryant, whether its Nakodan Greyeyes, (Matthew) Rathbone and (Logan) Calder can step up and win us a championship,” he said.
The line of Garrett Hrechka, who scored the game winner five minutes into the second period, Jeriah Shantz and Jayden Harris was outstanding in games four and six and produced offensively in both those games. The challenge facing the Kings in game seven is the small ice surface at the T.G. Smith Centre in Steinbach.
“In Steinbach, it’s so small there is no neutral zone. And halfway through a period, there’s so much snow the puck is bouncing. So it’s going to come down to a break and we’ve just got to make sure it’s us that gets the break,” Hedley said.
A break is how the Pistons won game five, 2-0, as Jack Rogers was the recipient of a shot that bounced off the glass behind the Kings net right to him and he deposited it into the open net on a power play.
Steinbach added an empty-net goal with four seconds left.
One thing the Kings can do better in Steinbach, Hedley said, is get to rebounds. In Sunday’s win, the Kings had more second shots in the first period than they had in the last two games in Steinbach.
“We’ve got to fight through it, try to find a way to get those second shots,” he said.
With two days between games, the Kings will have a chance to heal a bit as a few players are fighting colds. Monday will be a day of rest and they will get back on the ice Tuesday before leaving for Steinbach that afternoon.
Hedley has no plans to change the game plan, stating the Kings just have to keep winning battles, stay on the defensive side of the puck and be patient.
“The biggest thing is when we control the neutral zone, with even numbers and our D are up and playing aggressive and holding our blueline, we’re a tough team to beat. We’ve just got to make sure we make them work for everything they get and be confident that good teams don’t count on breaks, they make breaks count. That’s what we’ve got to do,” he said.
To counter the challenge of a smaller ice surface, the Kings need keep the game simple and smart.
“Everything has got to get behind their D. There’s no neutral zone, so you can’t be coming up the middle. You’ve just got to make sure you come up the walls and shut the walls down on them, because they do come at you hard and their D-men like to jump in as the second wave,” he said. “So you’ve really got to be smart on the rush and pick up those guys coming in.”
Hedley likes his team’s chances in game seven.
“We’ve been a good road team all year. There’s nothing better,” he said.
A meeting of the minds
Manitoba Minister of Sport, Culture and heritage Andrew Smith, speaks with staff at the Dauphin Friendship Centre, May 2, as part of a tour of rural Manitoba with Premier Heather Stefanson and other PC MLAs.
DFC staff talked to Smith and six other PC MLAs about the various programs they are involved in.
Chipping in
Through various recent fund-raising events, the local chapter of the Knights of Columbus recently donated $5,000 to the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund, increasing the amount raised for the fund to $145,000.
Pictured from left are fund representative Larry Hrytsay, Grand Knight Ken Yakielashek presenting the cheque, Knights of Columbus fund-raising chair Ralph Piasta, fund representative Jim Perchaluk accepting the cheque, Deputy Grand Knight Lloyd Hudson and fund representative Don Tarrant.
Dauphin date celebrates Peterson’s debut album
A Parkland musical artist is set to release her debut album later this month.
Emma Peterson of Winnipegosis will release her debut album titled “Just for the Record”, May 20, and will embark on a three-stop promotional tour, which will include Dauphin.
Peterson recorded most of the album, which contains six songs, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“And I feel like it’s a very good capsule of what I’ve been writing the past couple of years, and tells a little bit of my story, but also just helps me tell stories that I’ve seen. It’s a really special group of songs,” she said. “Just for the Record” contains a number of upbeat songs that will make listeners feel good.
“I just made sure to have some songs on there that just make you feel good. Something you can listen to when you’re driving with the windows rolled down,” Peterson said. “It’s summertime now, so I just wanted something positive to be in other people’s lives.”
Read the full story in this week's Dauphin Herald!