Accessibility Tools

It's a battle of the Lakers and fans should be in for a treat.

If their regular season series is anything like their upcoming playoff series, this is a best-of-3 to watch. The Grandview Lakers are back in the playoffs in the Southeast Senior Baseball League and they're ready for postseason action.

After finishing third in the regular season, Grandview will open up the playoffs on the road against the Saltcoats Lakers on Monday evening. The best-of-3 will return to Grandview at 7:30 on Wednesday night. If need be, game three will be played on Friday night in Saltcoats. 

These two teams were seperated by just two points in the regular season. Grandview went 6-4-1 and finished with 13 points. Saltcoats, meanwhile, went 6-3-3 and finished with 15.

In the regular season, the two teams opened their head-to-head matchups with a 3-3 tie. Grandview then beat them, 6-1, in the first of a doubleheader. Saltcoats responded with a 5-3 win. One win each and one tie. Now, they're battling for an opportunity to play in the league's championship series.

Lakers vs Lakers. 

Series Schedule:
Monday, July 14 @ 7:30 (Manitoba time) @ Saltcoats
Wednesday, July 16 @ 7:30 @ Grandview
** Friday, July 18 @ 7:30 (Manitoba time) @ Saltcoats

The Yorkton Tigers play the Parkland Pirates in a one-game survivor matchup. The winner battles the league leading Canora Supers in round one. 

FINALE:

He wasn't pleased with how he played on Tuesday. He came out on Wednesday in the final round and made a statement. He proved to himself that he could do it. And he proved to his competitors that he isn't going anywhere.

Boston Karlson couldn't have started his round any better than he did. His iron from 108 yards found the hole for eagle on the first hole. He was 2-under after just one hole. He made another birdie on five and finished the day with another birdie on 18. He vaulted up 19 spots to finish in a tie for 27th. Karlson shot a 5-over, 77, on Wednesday. That's 14 strokes better than his score on Tuesday. 

Linden Smigelsky's lone birdie of the day came on the 16th hole. He finished with an 88 on Wednesday and finished in a tie with Boston at 27th. The Dauphin star posted an impressive 4-over, 76, on Tuesday. That was his best round of the tournament and a sign of things to come. 

Ryder Newton improved every round. He started with an 88, then he shot an 84 on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Newton jumped 12 spots on the leaderboard to finish in a tie for 34th. He made back-to-back birdies on six and seven. He finished with an 11-over, 83. 

Cash McCallum's scores were consistent throughout the three-day event. An 85 on Monday followed by an 86 on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Cash chucked a dart on 17 and drained the birdie putt. It was a part of his 15-over, 87. McCallum finished in a tie for 42nd. 

Jackson Delaurier, who was inside the top 20 entering the final round, withdrew from the event after nine holes on Wednesday. He shot rounds of 76 and 74 on Monday, and Tuesday, respectively. 

The overall championship is heading to the Wheat City. It wasn't his best round, however, it was enough. Spence Mott held off Ty Brewster to win the event by six strokes. Mott shot a 3-over, 75 on Wednesday. He was the only player that was under par for the tournament.

Next up on Golf Manitoba's circuit is the amateur championships at the Southwood Golf & Country Club. Stay tuned starting next week for results. 


UPDATE #1:

Jackson Delaurier of Dauphin continues to be the closest Parkland chaser heading into the final day of the provincial championships. Delaurier had three birdies and shot a 2-over, 74, on Tuesday. He is only two strokes back of fifth place. 

Linden Smigelsky of Dauphin brought some of his best stuff on Tuesday. After shooting an 85 on Monday, Smigelsky improved his play by nine strokes. He had two birdies en route to a 4-over, 76. Linden sits in a tie for 22nd.

It was a similiar round for Cash McCallum on Tuesday as it was on Monday. He started off slow, improved as the round went on, and will look to get inside the top 40 on Wednesday's finale. Cash shot a 14-over, 86. It was one stroke higher than Monday.

Ryder Newton of Roblin birdied his first hole. He stuck with the process and improved his score on Tuesday. He shot an impressive 38 on his front nine before falling a bit back on the back nine. None the less, Ryder shot a 12-over, 84. It was four strokes better than Monday. 

It was not the day that Boston Karlson was looking for. An 11 on the seventh hole put him well behind and he was unable to recover. Despite a great effort and always sticking with it, Karlson sits in a tie for 46th. He shot a 91 on Tuesday.

Spence Mott of the Shilo Country Club continues to lead the way. He sizzled with a 4-under, 68, on Tuesday, and leads the tournament by one stroke over Payne Wood of the St. Boniface Golf Club. Mott had seven birdies during his hot second round.

The third and final round is set for Wednesday. 


Jackson Delaurier plotted his way around the Quarry Oaks Golf Course on Monday afternoon.

The Dauphin star is in contention heading into the second round on Tuesday as Golf Manitoba hosts its junior boys' and girls' provincial championships over the next three days.

Delaurier, who is no stranger to competing against top talent, finished with a 4-over, 76. He's in a tie for 12th in a field of 73 of the top junior golfers in the province. Jackson made birdies on 4, 7, and 9. He's just five strokes back of Spence Mott entering the second round on Tuesday.

Boston Karlson has some work to do on Tuesday, but a birdie on his final hole of the day helped the cause. The Dauphin star birdied the 18th, resulting in a 9-over, 81. Karlson is in a tie for 25th.

It was an extremely tough start for Cash McCallum. But as good golfers do, McCallum turned it around. He was already 8-over after just three holes. He settled things down with a birdie on number four and another on the eighth. He added one more on the 17th. Cash shot 46 on the front and rebounded nicely with a 39 coming home. He's in a tie for 42nd, 14 back of the lead.

Linden Smigelsky was 1-under after five holes. He needed 15 strokes over his next two holes. He had a birdie on 11 and while he struggled on some holes, Linden stayed positive and stuck to the process. As Cash did, Linden finished with a 13-over, 85. He's in a tie for 42nd.

Ryder Newton of Roblin is relatively new to the competitive golf scene. He showed that he's here to stay. He nailed an impressive birdie on number four and finished with a 16-over, 88. Ryder is in a tie for 49th heading into Tuesday. 

While Mott of the Shilo Country Club leads the way at 1-under, three golfers (Payne Wood, Liam Comaskey, and Ryder St. Laurent) are one behind. 

Come back on Tuesday night to find out how these Parkland stars did under the pressure of round two. 

An incredible season came to an end on Sunday as the Ste. Rose Stingers U15 softball team advanced to play on the biggest stage in Manitoba. Only two teams stood for the provincial final, the Stingers were one of them.

It wasn't the ultimate ending the team was hoping for, but it was a season to remember for the team. On the strength of a great run of softball played on Sunday, the Stingers advanced to the provincial final. They lost to the powerhouse team from Westman, 4-1, in a thrilling game for fans. 

"Our girls battled through some very uncomfortable hot temperatures and a weather delay to start off the tourney, but it didn't seem to faze them one bit," said Stephen Paradis. "We hit the ball really well all weekend and were disciplined to take our walks when they came, and again, we leaned hard on our pitching staff which I believe is one of the best out there."

Playing in Pool D, the Stingers clinched first place after beating Northeast, 7-0, in their final pool play game. They also posted wins over Altona (7-0), Notre Dame (14-2), while their lone pool play loss was against Westman (2-6).

To start the playoffs, Ste. Rose beat Killarney, 7-0, Hamiota, 12-9, and Deloraine (9-3). They gave it their all against a fantastic Westman team in the final, before falling short.

"We only lost two games all season and they were to the same team this weekend," continued Paradis. "We lost the U13 provincial final in 2023 with this same group of girls when we had hoped to just make the playoffs. We couldn't be any prouder of these girls.

Paradis also wanted to thank Steven Hopfner for being a great coach. They were the tremendous duo leading the group. 

The Ste. Rose Stingers U15 softball team is coming home with silver medals. 

"These girls are all so close on and off the field which is so great to see the friendships that they've build over the years along with such an amazing group of parents. It's just so fun every weekend that we spend together." ended Paradis. 

Luke Combs says it best. When It Rains, It Pours.

Lately in the Parkland, it has been pouring perfect shots and that was the case on Sunday at the Dauphin Lake Golf Club.

Ryan Dreger, who is one of the top ball strikers in the Parkland, made a hole-in-one on the sixth hole.

He used his nine iron and aced it from 156 yards.

He joins the 2025 exclusive club of those who have sunk an ace. The list includes Ron Chartrand, Marie Sawyer, and Syd Tycholes, to name a few. 

The course is in incredible shape and Jessica Bell paired those beautiful conditions with the perfect shot.

Bell aced the tough fourth hole at the Neepawa Golf & Country Club. 

It was the first hole-in-one at the course this season. 

Rick Freese will lead the club as their new head coach.

He will be joined by Rob Scott. The Parkland U18 Rangers announced that Scott will be an assistant coach with the team for the 2025-26 season.

Scott brings years of experience to the organization and had an impressive playing career.

This includes time spent with the then Neepawa Natives of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) and Elk Valley Raiders of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. 

Rob was also a player/coach with the McCreary Mustangs and helped lead them to a league championship. Scott also guided Lundar to two provincial minor hockey championships.

The Rangers are gearing up for conditioning ice sessions on August 6, 13, 18, 20, 25, and 27 at Credit Union Place from 7:30 to 8:30.

The team's main camp is September 12 to 14. Earlier this summer, the organization also announced that Jeff Henson will take over as public address announcer for all home games. 

A schedule for the upcoming season should be released in the coming weeks. 

The Ste. Rose U15 Stingers are making a statement at the provincial championships in Winkler.

Another dominating performance earned the team top spot in Pool D. In their final pool play game, the Stingers hammered Northeast, 7-0. They now advance to the Round of 16.

Their first playoff game is Sunday morning at 11. 


Ayva Hopfner had a game-winning two-run walkoff homerun to enforce the mercy rule in a 7-0 dominant victory against Altona. Chayse Paradis was outstanding on the mound.

She pitched three innings, recorded seven strikeouts, and one hit. 


 Inclement weather to end Friday forced the Stingers to wake up early and play a very strong Westman team on Saturday morning at 7. It was the Westman based squad that came out on top.

They downed the Stingers, 6-2. 


Bouncing back in large fashion, the Stingers found their mojo. They hammered Notre Dame, 14-2. The team was back playing Stinger softball.

McKenlie Breland, Ava Thompson, and Avanna Gutek all hit homeruns for the Stingers in the win.

Paradis was again fantastic on the mound. She pitched three innings, striking out eight, giving up no hits, and no runs. 

The playoff portion of the event begins Sunday morning and the Stingers are ready for the challenge.

The odds of getting a hole-in-one are low. 12,500 to 1.

Yet, several Parkland stars have defied the odds this summer to enter the exclusive 'Ace Club'.

This time, it was Mike Bicklmeier's time to shine at the Dauphin Lake Golf Club. Playing in the club's senior league, Mike chucked a dart on the tough par-3, 11th hole to nail an ace.

He used his seven-wood and the celebration was heard back at the clubhouse. 

For the second straight year, Allan McDonald has hoisted the championship trophy. Golf Manitoba's men's mid-amateur championship ended on Friday. 

McDonald, who won the event last year at the Minnedosa Golf & Country Club, took him this year's title at the St. Charles Golf & Country Club. He shot a final round of 1-under, 71, to win the event by two strokes over Eric Johnson.

After starting the event with a 75, McDonald caught fire, shooting 68 in round two, and 71 in Friday's final round. He will compete in the national mid-amateur championship later this summer.

Taylor Fletcher of McCreary put together another solid round, however, it wasn't enough to get inside the top 10. His 76 saw him drop seven spots to finish in a tie for 20th. Derek Benson of McCreary shot a 77 on Friday and finished in a tie for 50th. 

Curtis Markusson won the mid-masters championship at 1-over while Addison Kartusch won the women's amateur championship. 

Taylor Fletcher of McCreary is within striking distance heading into the final day as he looks for an automatic spot to compete in this year's Canadian mid-amateur national championship.

After a four-over, 76, on Wednesday, Fletcher improved on day two. He made birdies on 4, 8, and 11. He moved up 10 spots on the leaderboard after a two-over, 74. He's now in a tie for 13th and just a single stroke back of a tie for 10th.

Fletcher will enter Friday's final round three strokes back of ninth, four of seventh, and five of fifth. 

Derek Benson, also of McCreary, stepped up his game on Thursday. He jumped 13 spots on the leaderboard and is in a tie for 49th. He shot a 76 on Thursday, one day after posting an 83. 

Friday's final round is set to be a showdown. Jeremy Kirk of the Fort William Country Club leads at two-under while Allan McDonald is a single stroke back.

Todd Fanning, who had the round of the day on Thursday, enters Friday just two strokes back. He shot a 66 on Thursday.

Nine players are within five strokes. A Manitoba mid-amateur title is on the line on Friday at the St. Charles Golf & Country Club. 

The Ste. Rose Stingers U15 softball team has had a season to remember. Now this weekend, they will look to wrap up their stellar campaign with a bang.

The Stingers dominated their opponents throughout league play, going 10-0, and outscoring opponents, 183-59. Four of their wins came against U17 teams and they won their home tournament.

While the team can certainly hold their own offensively, they have set themselves apart with their great defence and pitching. 

Coach Stephen Paradis had this to say on the team.

"It's a really good feeling as a coach knowing we can compete with any team in the province," said Paradis. "We understand we're not flying under the radar. We have a target on our back and I know the girls on our team embrace that and are looking forward to the challenge.

This year's roster includes Emry Rudkavich, Avaunna Gutek, Ava Thompson, Chayse Paradis, Ella Watson, Kaylee Maguet, Yelim Jun, Quillan Lynxleg, Ayva Hopfner, and Mckenlie Breland.

Paradis is joined by Steven Hopfner. The Stingers are now off to Winkler for their most important weekend of the season, the provincial championships. They're in a pool with Northeast Storm White, Morden Gold, Westman Premier Homes, Notre Dame Clubettes, Virden, and the Altona Angels.
 
Stay tuned throughout the weekend for results. Last weekend, the U11 Stingers advanced to the playoffs with a perfect 4-0 record.