It may be too late to make a difference in the playoff race, but for the first time this season, the Parkland Rangers have won two games in a row.

The two wins came at the expense of the Kenora Thistles and allowed the Rangers to leapfrog the Ontario-based team into 10th place in the standings.

Havryil Simchuk had three goals and Bo Eisner chipped in with a goal and two assists, while Kyler Swanton made 35 saves in a 6-1 Parkland victory on Saturday in Dauphin.

On Sunday in Dauphin, Madden Murray led the way with a goal and two assists, Luke Myhre had three helpers and Swanton was solid once again with 38 saves in a 6-3 triumph.

Rangers head coach Tyler Carefoot said it was a sweet weekend for the team.

“I’m just so happy for the fellas to be able to just feel good about themselves, really,” he said.

Carefoot was not pleased with the team’s play in the first period of Saturday’s game, though.

“I liked our energy, I just didn’t like our puck management. And we kind of tidied that up and then we didn’t really look back,” he said. “Simchuk, although he doesn’t understand us, he kind of took it upon himself (Saturday) night and he was a difference.”

Murray, Carefoot said, stepped up on Sunday to lead the team.

“It’s pleasing. Two in a row, it feels good, for sure,” he added.

For Dauphin’s Swanton, the wins were just his second and third of the season. Although he hasn’t had much success between the pipes this year, he continues to work hard on his game.

“Good for Swanny. Kyler, I thought, deserved the starts back-to-back and played well. I feel great for him. He’s probably the first guy to admit that his season has been up and down, but to put two good quality games like that feels good,” Carefoot said.

Defenceman Ryan Gower of McCreary had a great weekend, picking up an assist on Saturday and scoring a shorthanded goal on Sunday, while skating well in both contests.

“He’s always just very consistent and just a work horse. We can’t say enough about him,” Carefoot said.

The Rangers hope to keep the momentum from these two wins going as they head into a tilt Tuesday night in Dauphin against the Yellowhead Chiefs, who enter the week in sixth place with 46 points, one point back of the Winnipeg Thrashers and four ahead of the Eastman Selects.

On the weekend, Parkland faces the Interlake Lightning, who sit in the eighth and final playoff spot with 37 points as the week begins. They are just one point ahead of the Southwest Cougars.

“We’ll have lots to be fired up about, because if we can prevent them from getting points, that’s a feel-good story. These next few games will be an opportunity to put some wins together and everybody can feel good about themselves,” he said. “But it’s not going to be easy, because we’re facing teams that are battling for playoff seeding. If we keep bringing the work ethic and just execute, I think we’re going to be in a good spot.”

The Dauphin Kings are alone in first place in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s MGEU West Division after a split in a home-and-home with the expansion Niverville Nighthawks over the weekend.

Niverville surprised the Kings, Friday night in Dauphin, scoring a 5-2 victory in the first-ever meeting between the two clubs.

Ethan Whillans and Luke Schaefer staked the Nighthawks to a 2-0 lead after the opening frame and they increased their lead to 4-1 after 40 minutes, with Desmond Johnson and Brett Tataryn giving the visitors a 4-0 lead before Jayden Harris put the homeside on the board with his 12th of the season.

The teams traded goals in the third period.

Owen Wareham’s power-play goal midway through the frame, his third of the campaign, brought the Kings to within two, but Johnson sealed the win with his second of the game into an empty net.

Chris Fines was called upon to make 28 saves in the win, while Dmytro Kubritskyi stopped 23 shots in the loss.

Dauphin rebounded in a big way in Sunday’s rematch in Niverville, building a 5-0 lead and hanging on for a 5-2 victory of their own.

Myles Yearwood staked Dauphin to a 1-0 lead in the first period with his eighth of the season.

The Kings increased the lead to 4-0 after two, on goals from Nicholas Hatton, his second, Nolan Wickham’s sixth and Mason Smith with his 11th.

Deepkaran Hans tallied his 12th of the year early in the third before the Nighthawks got on the board with a pair of power-play markers from Hayden Wheddon and Josh Paulhus.

Cole Sheffield was stellar in goal for Dauphin, making 40 saves, while Dane Couture was credited with 27 stops.

At 25-15-2-1, the Kings sit alone in first with 53 points. Waywayseecappo, Swan Valley and OCN are tied with 51 points, while Virden is two points back with 49. Neepawa brings up the rear with 45 points.

This week, the Kings travel to Virden, Tuesday, for a 7:30 p.m. face off, before hosting the Winnipeg Freeze, Friday, and the OCN Blizzard on Saturday. Both games at Credit Union Place get underway at 7:30 p.m.

Kings court:

Kings head coach Doug Hedley enters the week only two wins behind former bench boss Marlin Murray for most coaching wins in team history. If the Kings beat Virden on Tuesday and Winnipeg on Friday, Hedley will have a chance to become the alltime winningest coach in Kings history against OCN on Saturday. Murray finished his tenure as Kings head coach with 348 wins, while Hedley has 346.

The Dauphin Derailleurs Cycling Club hosted the HYPERThermia Fun Time Trial Race, Saturday, starting from Selo Ukraina Hall.

More than 20 cyclists, including some from Brandon and Winnipeg, took to the surrounding trails as part of the For the Love of Nature Celebration series, which included a Full Moon Group Snowshoe on Sunday.

There will be a free fat bike group ride, Feb. 11, a Relationship with the Land Walk, Feb. 20, and a mini fun snowshoe and fat bike race at Fort Dauphin Museum as part of the Louis Riel Day celebrations. Check the Derailleurs Facebook page for more information.

Skate Dauphin held a dress rehearsal for its upcoming ice show, Feb. 20, at Credit Union Place.

Local skaters will present Skating Through the Decades, with special performances by provincial champion and Canadian nationals competitor Breken Brezden.

The event gets underway at 3 p.m., with a silver collection at the door.

No team has been able to pull away in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s tight MGEU West Division.

With four straight wins, the Dauphin Kings are tied with the Waywayseecappo Wolverines and Swan Valley Stampeders atop the division with 51 points each, while the OCN Blizzard are just two points back and the Virden Oil Capitals are creeping up, sitting two back of OCN for the final playoff spot and only four points out of first place.

The Kings swept a weekend twinbill over the Blizzard, winning Friday’s Ukrainian Night game, 5-2, before scoring a 2-1 win, Sunday.

Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley pointed out the Kings have the most wins of any team in the division with 24.

“How crazy is that. Three at 51. One at 49. One at 47. Four points between first and out of the playoffs,” he said.

Friday’s Ukrainian Night contest provided the best atmosphere Hedley has ever seen at a Kings game.

“Sold out seats and standing room. It was really good,” he said.

After the first 10 minutes of Friday’s game, Hedley felt the Kings started using their speed to get pucks up ice.

“Before that, we were trying to beat somebody, carrying the puck instead of moving it up ice and then using our speed. After the (media) timeout, we settled in and got on our toes,” he said. “We were first to pucks a lot on the forecheck. And then created some great chances. Our power play was good on Friday. We had some net-front presence, unlike tonight (Sunday).”

Hedley was pleased with the patience the team showed in Sunday’s win.

“We weren’t giving up many chances. Our power play could have stepped up a little bit, especially in the second period, but they did in the third and we found a way to get it done,” he said.

Twenty-year-old goalie Dmytro Kubritskyi made his Kings debut, Friday, making 30 saves in the victory. Sunday’s starter, Cole Sheffield, picked up his third straight win in which he only allowed one goal.

“He’s definitely a guy that we’re happy with. And then what can you say about (Kubritskyi’s) first start. He was outstanding. He made some good saves and made it look easy,” Hedley said.

The Kings will face the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s newest franchise, the Niverville Nighthawks, Friday in Dauphin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday in Niverville at 3 p.m.

“They’re fighting for a playoff spot, as well. They’re seven ahead of the Blues,” Hedley said. “I know they’re a hard working team. They play very well, with good structure. They’re well coached. And we know they’re going to come at us hard. They’ve got some good talent there. It’s going to be a hard weekend.”

With so much video now available, teams are familiar with their opponents even without playing each other. So the Kings will familiarize themselves with Niverville and how they play.

“The biggest thing for us is to focus on what we do well. When we play fast, use our speed and separate guys from pucks and our back pressure with guys standing up, and just focusing on transition and using our speed to go on two-on-ones and odd man rushes, if we stay structured through the neutral zone, we’re a tough team to beat,” Hedley said.

The Dauphin Kings remain in the midst of the tight race in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s MGEU West Division.

After dropping a 4-0 decision to the OCN Blizzard, Tuesday in OCN, the Kings swept and home-and-home with the Waywayseecappo Wolverines, 5-1, Friday in Dauphin, and 3-1, Saturday in Waywayseecappo.

As a result, Dauphin enters the week in a three-way tie for second place with the Wolverines and Swan Valley Stampeders, two points behind OCN.

Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley said the team took a step back in the game against OCN.

“The structure wasn’t there. The stick-to-itiveness, the trust in the process. We just didn’t battle hard enough. You’ve got to give OCN credit. They came at us hard. They used their speed,” he said. “We weren’t real tough to play against.”

After some good practices during the week, the Kings were able to rebound with a pair of solid efforts against the Wolverines.

“Wayway is a very good hockey club. They’re well coached. We played like we had to. We were responsible away from the puck. We didn’t leave a lot of chances on the rush. And then, if we didn’t (Cole) Sheffield had two great games and was outstanding,” Hedley said.

Last season, Swan Valley finished in fourth place, the last playoff spot, with 22 wins. Entering this week’s games, Neepawa is the only team within the division with fewer than 20 victories, sitting at 17.

Hedley figures 30 wins will be needed to get into the playoffs.

This weekend, the Kings will host the Blizzard, Friday for Ukrainian Night at 7:30 p.m., and again on Sunday at 4 p.m.

Hedley is looking forward to the weekend contests.

“We’re going to have some good practices this week and really focus on OCN. Any kind of tendencies we’re looking for, we’ll pass on the our players and get them prepared as good as we can. All it is is staying on our toes and playing to the best of our abilities,” he said.

The Parkland Rangers showed what hard work can accomplish by earning three of a possible four points over the weekend.

After starting the week with a 6-4 loss to the Brandon Wheat Kings, Parkland snapped a 10-game losing skid with a convincing 7-3 win over the Eastman Selects, Saturday.

Eastman got a measure of revenge on Sunday, beating the Rangers, 5-4 in overtime.

Parkland got off to a slow start against Brandon, falling behind, 4-1 after the opening 20 minutes, but rebounded to make a game of it, pulling to within a goal with under a minute to play.

Rangers head coach Tyler Carefoot said there was a lot for the team to be proud of in the three games.

“There’s lots to feel good about,” he said. “We teased the fellas a little bit, it’s almost like we’re peaking almost two months too late. But when you’re a young roster, it takes a little bit longer to be ready to execute and be ready every shift. But I think now we’re starting to see what the future holds for our program.”

The Rangers were noticeably active with their sticks in the defensive zone, part of the team’s commitment to team defence.

“That’s all about being responsible to team defence, to sticks in lanes, getting into shooting lanes, D side of the puck. And I think almost to a player, we are doing that,” Carefoot said. “And I think for any player, if we’re going to trust you, it starts with D.”

The whole team played well, which allowed Carefoot to use the entire roster. Players, he added, are starting to feel good about themselves.

Sunday’s game was the first time newcomer Havryil Simchuk did not get on the scoresheet. He had five goals and four assists in his first six games with Parkland before getting shutout on Sunday.

“He just adds depth. He’s a strong player and we’re leaning in him a lot and he’s doing really well,” Carefoot said.

The Rangers hit the road for two games this weekend against the Pembina Valley Hawks, Friday and Saturday in Morden.

The Hawks are currently third in the league with a 23-7-5-0 record. Their 51 points has them four points behind the Winnipeg Bruins.

The Rangers, Carefoot said, match up well with the Hawks. The two teams split a pair of games in Dauphin in early November.

“If we keep competing they way we have been the last five or six games, I think we’ll hang in there and who knows what will happen,” he said. “It’s just nice coming to the rink. The kids are smiling. Nobody really has a piano on their back right now.”

With nine games left to play, Parkland is 14 points out of a playoff spot. So, although they are not officially eliminated from the playoffs, their chances are slim, leaving them to play spoiler, something they are having fun with.

“I think this group is proving in most games we don’t quit. We just keep working. But just to go out and compete just for the spirit of the game, I think that’s what we’re focused on,” he said.

Basketball enthusiasts in Ste. Rose will have a court of their own to play on by year’s end.

The only basketball courts currently available are the courts located at the school and they have restricted use during school hours. And they are also set up for children in Grades 6 and under, so are small and they are also in disrepair.

And because of the court’s location, it is often flooded in the springtime.

So a group of local residents, spearheaded by some local youth, have begun fund-raising to build a new basketball facility, which will promote health and wellness in the community.

David Hopfner of the fund-raising committee said there is a big interest in the sport in the community.

“And we don’t have basketball courts for the older kids, the high school kids and adults. So we were thinking something like that was needed for our community,” he said.

Strilkiwski Contracting has been secured as the general contractor for the project, with a location yet to be determined. The group is working with the Municipality of Ste. Rose and Turtle River School Division on a tentative location and they hope to have that finalized soon.

“It’s just a matter of getting all the legalities out of the way,” Hopfner said.

The group is beginning it’s fund-raising phase, looking for community support. They are looking for individuals or businesses that would be interested in participating in a field of dreams project, either donating seed, chemical, fertilizer, or custom work. Cash sponsorship levels are also set and they are looking for anyone interested in assisting the construction phase of the project, which includes landscaping, fencing, electrical and gravel hauling, working in conjunction with the general contractors.

All contributions to the project, whether it’s a cash gift or in-kind will be acknowledged as sponsors of the project.

Plans for fund-raising activities are still in the early planning stages, Hopfner said.

“Some of our committee is going to get together and proceed forward with certain events we feel that will help us out,” he said.

Donations can be made to “The Court Project” and mailed care of Derek Brunel, Box 658 Ste Rose, MB, R0L 1S0.

Hopfner feels the new court will be good for the community.

“It should be well used,” he said, adding flyers will be sent out through the mail.

The plan is to break ground this spring, with construction of the court to completed by the fall.