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The big dance is about to begin for eight teams in the Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League on Friday as the playoffs are set to begin.
#1 Brandon Wheat Kings (regular season record - 43-0-1)
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#8 Eastman Selects (regular season record - 20-23-0-1)
The Brandon Wheat Kings were in a class of their own this season. They suffered just one overtime loss to Southwest and never tasted defeat in regulation. From top to bottom, the Wheat Kings are filled with elite talent and future junior players. This includes Jaxon Jacobson, who at just 15 years of age, led the league with 106 points. He recorded the fourth most points in league history and he also posted six points in six games with the WHL's Wheat Kings.
Brandon also features Brady Turko of McCreary who had 90 points in the regular season and Easton Odut of Dauphin, who also had an all-star season. In four regular-season meetings with Eastman, the Wheat Kings scored 33 games and gave up just nine goals.
Eastman had to wait until the final day of the regular season to make the playoffs. They had to beat Parkland in their final game and hoped that Norman would lose their last game. Both of those things happen and that's why Eastman will be looking to pull off one of the biggest upsets in league history.
Winning 20 games in the regular season, Eastman used a pretty balanced offence to find success. They were led by Calyb Moore and his 50 points, five other players recorded at least 31 points. Eastman's biggest challenge will be keeping the puck out of their net as they go up against Goliath.
Duffy's Prediction: This isn't even close. Wheat Kings easily get past Eastman in three games.
#2 Southwest Cougars (regular season record - 27-13-2-2)
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#7 Pembina Valley Hawks (regular season record - 20-16-4-4)
This very well could go down as the best first-round series despite it being a second seed going up against a seventh seed. While Southwest won all four games against Pembina Valley, two of the three were one-goal contests and they haven't played since November 18.
Pembina Valley also enters the playoffs as the second hottest team in the league, winning eight of their final 10 games of the regular season. Only Brandon (10-0) was better over their final 10 games. Both teams are also in the same region which will amp things up as the rivals go head-to-head in a best-of-five.
Jack Clark enters the series as Southwest's top point producer after a 49-point campaign while Acoyen Fehr had 44 to average a point-per-game for Pembina Valley.
Duffy's Prediction: Throw out the seeding heading into this series. This will be a dandy of a series. Pembina Valley continues their hot play and pulls off the upset in four games, fans will be in for a treat.
#3 Winnipeg Wild (regular season record - 27-13-3-1)
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#6 Interlake Lightning (regular season record - 24-17-3)
Just like it will be a great series between Southwest and Pembina Valley, this series is another one that fans should be watching out for. It's the Interlake Lighting, who have not enjoyed any playoff success as of late, against a team that are always contenders to win a championship.
While the Wild are thought to be one of the only teams that could perhaps contend with Brandon, they certainly can't take it easy on the Lightning. Interlake has one of the top goalies in the league in Dylan McFadyen, who has practiced regularly and even traveled with the WHL's Wheat Kings this year. He has a 2.94 goals-against average to go along with a .913 save percentage. Without a doubt, Dylan has the skill to steal a game, we will soon find out if he can steal a series.
Interlake also does possess a pretty potent offence with Ian Buors leading the way with 51 points while Morgan Waddell and Brandon Burak both finished with 40 points.
When it comes to the Wild, this is an organization that knows how to get it done in the playoffs. That proves valuable, but this hasn't been the same Wild team as in the past. With that said, they still won 27 games this year and won six of their last 10 contests.
Jacob Armstrong started 29 games in net for the Wild and won 17 of them. Carter Kingerski and his 52 points led the club with Cole Babych being second in team scoring with 18 goals and 19 assists.
They played four times in the regular season, all four games ended in a 3-1 scoreline with the Wild winning three of them.
Duffy's Prediction: Buckle up folks and get ready to go the distance. Interlake provides an upset as they beat the Wild at the Hockey for All Centre in game five, thanks to a tremendous series from Dylan McFadyen and some timely scoring.
#4 Winnipeg Thrashers (regular season record - 26-17-1)
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#5 Winnipeg Bruins (regular season record - 24-15-3-2)
This could go down as another classic. Both teams finished the season with 53 points, but the Thrashers got home-ice advantage because they finished with 26 wins compared to the Bruins's 24.
Rohan Guevarra had an excellent season to pace the Thrashers offensive prowess with 62 points as he finished in a tie for fifth in league scoring. Maxx Hamelin wasn't far behind for the Bruins as he recorded 58 points with Carson White finishing the campaign with 45 and in all, six members of the Bruins had recorded at least 30 points.
Where the Bruins get the slight edge in this series is between the pipes. Both Taye Timmerman and Austin Kindrat had a goals-against average above 3.00 and Timmerman's save percentage was just subpar at .905 while Kindrat's was .874. It's just a slight edge; however, as the Bruins Justin Perreault and Leyton Medwick both struggled at times as well for the Bruins. This would explain why so many goals were scored across four regular-season meetings between the two teams.
21 goals were scored by the Thrashers while the Bruins responded with 16, the Thrashers won three of four meetings.
Duffy's Prediction: Defence is not the name of the game in this series, although it does tighten up a bit from the regular-season. The Thrashers win in four games.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Tyron Sweetman put the Dauphin Clippers on his shoulders Thursday evening and he lifted them to the next round.
Playing Killarney in game two of their first round series, Sweetman scored four times in a 5-2 victory against the Raiders.
Dauphin swept Killarney as a result and will now await their second round opponent. Liam Chartrand also scored for Dauphin in the win.
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It was a series that came right down to the wire, the Parkland U15 Rangers were looking to pull off what would have been a major upset.
Heading into their first-round playoff series, the Rangers were heavy underdogs against the Wild after they were outscored 14-6 by them in a pair of regular season games. The Wild opened up the best of five with a win at the Hockey for All Centre and then, the Rangers caught fire as they won back-to-back games. The first of which came in Winnipeg and then back in Swan River for game three, Parkland took a 7-2 victory to put the Wild Red on the brink of elimination.
With a chance to move onto the second round in game 4 in McCreary, Fynn Huberdeau scored an even-strength goal with just 1:52 left in the third period to force overtime. Mark Munday of the Wild Red scored 9:13 into the first overtime to force a fifth and deciding game.
In that game, Dayson Martin put the Rangers up 1-0 after 20 minutes; however, the Rangers struggled in their end during the second period as they gave up six goals and trailed 6-3 after 40 minutes.
In desperation mode to start the third, Parkland scored two quick goals to trim the deficit to one. Ultimately, the Rangers would not get any closer as they lost the game 9-6 as they saw their season come to an end in Manitoba's capital.
With the off-season now here, Matt Kustra wants to thank all of the team's amazing supporters throughout the season especially the fans that cheered on the team during their two home playoff games in Swan River and McCreary.
"It felt like we were back at a big junior playoff game," said Kustra. "You could hear the fans, they were so excited all game. Our players fed off that energy and were talking about it after the game. It was a pretty special atmosphere to be a part of and I want to thank all the fans for coming out, it meant a lot to all of us."
As Matt now reflects on the 2023-24 season and everything that it brought, one play will stick out to him. The Wild Red had just scored a couple of minutes before cutting Parkland's lead to 3-1 in the first period of game 3.
Noah Smigelsky lost his stick in the offensive zone and going up against three members of the Wild Red in the corner, Smigelsky found a way to kick the puck free in front of the net where Dayson Martin was waiting and with just one second left in the first, Martin found the back of the net to give the Rangers a 4-1 lead after 20 minutes and they never looked back in a 7-2 win.
"Wild Red was deflated after that and we just took it from there," ended Kustra. "I've been around the game for many years and I have never seen a player with no stick make a play like that and see it translate to a goal with just a second left. I was jumping up and down, it was incredible."
The 2023-24 edition of the Parkland U15 Rangers provided plenty of excitement for fans across the region and now, the countdown to the 2024-25 season begins.
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The Dauphin Kings racked up 48 shots and completed a season sweep of their Parkland rivals in the process.
Playing their sixth and final game of the season against the Swan Valley Stampeders of the season on Wednesday afternoon, Dauphin responded after Tuesday's tough loss as they beat the Stampeders, 4-1, in front of an incredible crowd as the Stampeders hosted their school game at the Centennial Arena.
With the win, Dauphin moved to 33-14-1-1 and they also moved with two points of the Blizzard for second place in the West Division and Dauphin does have two games in hand.
The Kings scored two goals while on the man advantage Wednesday with two goals, one of which came from Cayden Glover and the other from Alex Senf. Havryil Simchuk scored Dauphin's other goal while Senf finished with one other.
Getting the start between the pipes, Austin Seibel was excellent between the pipes as he made 22 saves. Dauphin will return home to welcome the Freeze to town on Friday before heading to The Pas to play the Blizzard on Sunday evening.
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The Blizzard played great, the Kings proved to be no match for them on Tuesday.
Dauphin had just 15 shots in a 4-0 loss, a key defeat for the Kings as they look to chase down the Blizzard for second place in the West.
Cole Sheffield was the lone bright spot for Dauphin as he made 41 saves. The Kings are now four points back of the Blizz for second in the West with a pair of games in hand.
Dauphin now plays Swan Valley on Friday.
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In a matter of two hours, the Dauphin Clippers have put the Killarney Raiders on the brink of elimination.
Starting their playoff journey on home ice, the Clippers beat Killarney, 4-2, to take a one game to zero lead in the best of three.
Julien Lopez led the way for Dauphin with a pair of goals. Josh Yakielashek and Ronin Mouck also scored.
Owen Chubka earned the win and Dauphin can advance to the second round with a win on Thursday in Killarney.
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It was a shame how the Dauphin Clippers' journey to a championship in Las Vegas ended.
The team was firing on all cylinders and they were looking to upset a team from Calgary in the semi-finals. Ultimately, it wasn't to be. The game ended up coming down to a skills competition, one that Dauphin came up short in as they lost to Bow Valley, 3-2, in a shootout. The loss sent the Clippers packing as they departed later that day for Dauphin.
The Clippers won three of their four round-robin games and finished with a single tie. Bow Valley; meanwhile, won all four of their round-robin games, dominating teams in the process.
"I think it was pretty cool in the end that the four Canadian teams were the top teams in our division," said Jason Alf. "To push the top team to a shootout in the Final 4, I think that's a pretty big positive for our group. It was an incredibly positive experience for our group and one that they will never forget."
Dauphin then returned home to play Crocus Plains this past Friday in their final regular season game of the year. Ronin Mouck, Jesse Hockridge, and Norman Lacquette scored for Dauphin in the 3-2 win that clinched their 22nd win of the campaign.
Alf says he was very impressed with how much effort the guys put in throughout the season.
"There are still a lot of things to clean up with how we played," said Alf. "With that said, we finished in fourth place and pretty some pretty great hockey throughout the season. I think the guys should be proud of their efforts."
Next up for the Clippers is a new season. They begin their playoffs on Tuesday evening at Credit Union Place against the Killarney Raiders. Both Killarney and Dauphin finished the season with 22 wins; however, the Clippers finished with 46 points while Killarney had 44.
They met twice in the regular season, with Dauphin coming out on top in a 2-1 victory while they lost 8-3 in their second meeting. The best of three series will see Dauphin starting the series on home ice and if needed, they will host game three as well.
"There's a general animosity between the two clubs, we have had some pretty great meetings against each other over the past couple of years," offered Alf. "We played pretty well down there and struggled here. If we play like we can and stay out of the box, I think we have a very good chance."
Alf said that is the biggest key to success. The Raiders pose a very good offensive attack and if Dauphin isn't able to stay out of the penalty box, the Raiders will have the upper edge in the series. Game one is set for Tuesday at 7:30.
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It was a tough ending to the season for the Parkland U18 Rangers.
Finishing up their 44-game 2023-24 schedule in Beasujour, the Rangers lost two games against the Eastman Selects. On Saturday, Parkland led 3-1; however, they couldn't hold it, losing 9-5 in a high-scoring affair to the Selects.
Hayden Seib scored two goals for Parkland and he also reached the 100-point mark as a Ranger with his performance. Ryder Gardner, Cam Sarna, and Ethan Carnegie also scored for the Rangers in the defeat. Then on Sunday afternoon in their season finale, Ryzlie Nepinak and Quinten Fisk scored in a 5-2 loss.
The Rangers finished in 11th place at 13-28-2-1. With their weekend sweep of Parkland, Eastman qualified for the playoffs. They will now play the Brandon Wheat Kings, who did not lose a regulation game in the regular season, in the first round of the playoffs.
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The Dauphin Kings are firing on all cylinders as the regular season continues to dwindle away.
After a big win against Portage, Dauphin put up a four spot to extend their winning streak to five games in a 4-1 victory against Niverville.
Cole Sheffield was once again brilliant in net for Dauphin as he made 32 saves in the win as Niverville lost for the 13th time in their last 16 games.
Jordan Bax, Ashton Paul, Logan Walker, and Naaman Hofer scored for Dauphin in the win. The Kings remain tied for second place in the West with the Blizzard and the two teams meet Tuesday night in The Pas.
Dauphin has also clinched a playoff berth.
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The Dauphin Kings are back in a tie for second place in the West Division after an outstanding performance on Friday night.
Opening up a busy stretch that will see the team play six games in the next nine days, Dauphin shutout the Portage Terriers, 2-0. Cole Sheffield was once again brilliant and made a huge save late to preserve his fourth shutout of the season. Trey Gnetz also made a gorgeous play as he batted down a puck at the goal line to help Dauphin secure their 31st win of the season.
Alex Senf scored the game winner as Dauphin was on the man advantage in the first period and Ashton Paul sealed it late into an empty net. It was Dauphin's fourth straight win as they improved to 31-14-1-1 on the season.
The Kings now have the same amount of points as the Blizzard; however, Dauphin does still have a game in hand. The Kings will return to the ice on Saturday night as they look to keep it going when they play the Niverville Nighthawks at Credit Union Place. All the action gets underway on Saturday at 7:30.
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His days as a member of the Edina High School hockey team were numbered.
In one last year with the team during the 2022-23 campaign, Charlie Sandven scored eight times while adding 26 assists. To advance to the next level after his high school career came to an end, Charlie was able to achieve his goal as he went over to play with the Minnesota Wilderness of the North American Hockey League. Ultimately, it was a short stop for Charlie as he made the move to Manitoba and Dauphin to join the Kings.
Sandven, who is an avid golfer, is now 30 games into his first year with his new team and he has become one of the team's most reliable defenders. He's also enjoying every second of being a part of the Kings organization, even if it means being several hours away from his family and back-home friends.
"The guys are great, the coaches are great, and the entire organization is great," said Sandven. "It's first class, I'm very happy that I decided to come here.
Standing in at 6'3", Charlie has rapidly improved throughout his time in the MJHL and Doug Hedley has relied on the 19-year-old in any situation. Whether it's five-on-five, a power play, to the Kings killing off a penalty, Sandven has stepped in and done a wonderful job.
A couple of weeks back, Charlie also got the chance to spend some time with his family as his parents and grandparents made the trip to Dauphin to watch Charlie live in action twice at Credit Union Place.
"It was great to be with my parents and grandparents, it meant a lot that they made the trek up here," offered Sandven. "They had a chance to see how I'm living and what I do on a day-to-day basis. It was great to be with them."
Heading into this past Tuesday's home game against Swan Valley, Charlie was still in search of his first goal with Dauphin. With 30 seconds left in the game, the Edina native was able to beat the Stampeders netminder as Sandven scored his first goal as a King in his 30th game with the club.
Charlie kept the puck and it's a moment that he won't forget.
"It felt pretty good, it took some weight off my chest," said Sandven. "It was a great game overall. Goaltending was phenomenal and everyone played their part, it was a solid win for our group."
Dauphin will look to keep it rolling this weekend. Entering a weekend that will see the team play two games, Dauphin has won three straight games, scoring 16 goals in the process. The team will be very busy over the next three weeks ahead of the Turnbull Cup playoffs as they continue to chase down the Blizzard for second place in the West Division.
The Kings have been getting outstanding goaltending from Cole Sheffield and Austin Seibel, and great defensive play from Charlie among the remainder of the defensive core and offensively, the Kings have been very efficient as of late.
One of their recent wins came against the Steinbach Pistons, who are ranked as the third-best team in the country.
"We have just come together as a tight-knit group, everyone is playing for the guy next to them," offered Sandven. "No one in our room is selfish. We all have one common goal and that's winning as many games as we can and making some noise this year."
Dauphin heads to Portage to play the Terriers on Friday before returning to Dauphin to host the Nighthawks on Saturday evening. They then play the Blizzard on Tuesday before taking on Swan Valley on Wednesday afternoon at 12:30.
Get to know Charlie:
What are some of your hobbies? I'm a pretty big golfer, I play a lot throughout the summer months. I also enjoy hanging out with my friends and I enjoy the company of my family.
What is your best golf shot? I had like 100 yards in for eagle on a par 5 and I sunk it, so that was pretty great.
Who are your favourite sports teams? Being from Minnesota, I'm a big Minnesota Vikings fan. I'm also a big fan of the Wild and Twins.
Who has been a big inspiration in your life? Definitely my grandpa, he is a very hard working man. I respect him very much for what he has done for our family, he's an incredible man that I love dearly. He's always there for me.
Would you like to travel? I would love to go back to Scottsdale and play some golf, pretty amazing place.
You can hear Charlie's full chat with Darnell Duff during the Dauphin Kings Power Play Show after the 4:00 p.m. news, weather, business, and sports on Friday.
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