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Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness has announced his retirement from coaching after 38 seasons in the NHL.
The Moncton, NB., native led the Jets to a 98-57-9 record during his two seasons at the helm, leading the team to back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Under the 69-year-old's watch in 2023-24, Winnipeg finished second in both the Central Division and the Western Conference while matching a franchise record with 52 wins before ultimately falling to Colorado in the opening round of the post-season.
Bowness was named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, recognizing the top head coach in the NHL.
He served as a coach for eight different franchises and was behind the bench for 17 playoff appearances, including trips to the Stanley Cup Finals as an associate coach with the Vancouver Canucks in 2011, as an assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2015, and as head coach of the Dallas Stars in 2020.
Bowness is one of only three head coaches — along with Scotty Bowman and Pat Quinn — to serve behind the bench in five different decades. His 2,726 games as an NHL coach are the most by anyone in league history.
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Emmalie Thompson busted out of the gates in her first year with the Assiniboine Community College (ACC) Cougars women's hockey team.
After recording seven points in eight playoff games with the Yellowhead Chiefs in the 2019-20 campaign, the Ste. Rose star made her way to Brandon to join the Cougars, who are a Division 2 team in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). Going up against top talent from around North America, Thompson came out and scored nine goals while adding 12 assists in just 14 games.
The performance from Emmalie helped the Cougars lock up top-spot heading into the national championships. After a 5-3 win against Northeastern and a 5-0 win against Boston College, Thompson and the Cougars capped off their incredible run to a national title by downing Dakota College-Bottineau, 2-1.
It was the first time that Emmalie had won a medal on the national stage and it's a moment that she will never forget.
"I still scroll through the pictures on my phone to remember the moment, I have come so close to winning in the past in other sports, but I always came up short," said Thompson. "To win a national title with the great group I was a part of, it was incredible. I'm very grateful to have had that opportunity."
Emmalie returned to the Cougars after winning a national championship and as the team went 23-2-1 in conference play, the Ste. Rose native took her game to the next level. Across 24 games, Emmalie scored 19 times and added 29 assists to finish second in team scoring with an incredible 48 points as she averaged two points per game.
Thompson once again played a crucial role in ACC earning the top seed entering the nationals. This time; however, it wasn't meant to be for the Cougars as they lost a double-overtime heartbreak to Northeastern in their semi-final. Fresh off the heartbreak, Thompson began to focus on one final season with the Cougars to win another national title just like she had in 2022.
Back for one last season, one that has since passed with the Cougars, Thompson helped the team finish with a conference record of 17-2-1 which put them on top of the standings when it came to independent clubs. To note, there are 18 independent teams. Emmalie finished second in team scoring this past season with nine goals and 14 assists, averaging more than a point per game.
Emmalie had one final chance to go on a national championship run and it was a journey that saw the team advance to the national final. They played and beat Providence College, 5-2, in their semi-final game which put them up against Sault College.
Sault College were coming off a 6-1 triumph over Dakota College at Bottineau and they proved to be too much for the Cougars as they shut them out in a 3-0 victory.
Thompson's college journey came to an end with defeat, but it was still a memorable college journey and one that saw her advance to the national final four in each of the three years.
Now as she embarks on the next stage of her life, she will always have three years of playing hockey at ACC to look back on.
"It was such an amazing opportunity for me, I have never had better coaching in my entire life," said Thompson. "The players that I played with, we were so close, it truly was like a family. I felt safe and they are the reason that I excelled so well, they always pushed me."
As Emmalie now looks back at her time with the Cougars, she has gone out by adding to her trophy case. Already a national champion in 2022, Thompson has now received the highest honour for a female athlete at ACC.
At the school's year-end awards banquet, Thompson was named the school's Athlete of the Year. It was a first-time honour for the Ste. Rose star.
"I was very honored, there are so many amazing athletes here at ACC," said Thompson. "I was happy that I was allowed to give my all to this college. I have loved my time at ACC and it was a privilege to be a Cougar. This means everything to me."
Playing her home games and studying less than two hours away from her hometown of Ste. Rose, Emmalie has certainly felt the love over the years, and representing her hometown has been a special feeling.
"Many female hockey players from Ste. Rose over the years haven't had a chance to play at the next level," ended Thompson. "So to get this chance, I know my family is very proud and the community is always supporting me. I love Ste. Rose, I love where I came from."
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
UPDATE: May 05 - 6:30 p.m.
In dramatic fashion, Aiden Ziprick and the Moose Jaw Warriors are still alive.
Needing to win to stay alive, the Warriors downed the Saskatoon Blades in overtime, 4-3. The Warriors were trailing with less than 11 minutes left in the game before Rilen Kovacevic knotted the game up. Lynden Lakovic scored the overtime winner.
The two teams will now play game seven on Tuesday night in Saskatoon.
In the Western Conference, Ryder Thompson and the Winterhawks will have another chance to bounce Prince George from the playoffs. The Cougars remained alive with a win in game 5, but Thompson and the Winterhawks still have a three-games-to-two series lead.
Prince George will host game six on Monday and if need be, game seven on Tuesday.
UPDATE: May 03 - 7:50 a.m.
Ryder Thompson and the rest of the Portland Winterhawks had a chance to advance to the league championship series.
Koehn Ziemmer did not allow that to happen. The Prince George Cougars star scored two goals, one of which was the winner in a commanding 6-1 win for Prince George. Portland now leads the best-of-seven three-games-to-two.
The Winterhawks will have another chance to advance on Monday when Prince George hosts game six. If need be, the Cougars will host game seven on Tuesday.
UPDATE: May 02 - 11:30 a.m.
Ryder Thompson is one win away from the Western Hockey League championship series and that spot could be locked up as early as Thursday evening.
With the Portland Winterhawks, they won their third straight game in the series and second straight on home ice as they dispatched Prince George on Wednesday night, 5-2. They can now clinch the series on Thursday night when they host the Cougars again. Nearly 6000 fans were in attendance on Wednesday.
Over in Moose Jaw, Ziprick and the Warriors were one goal away from taking a commanding lead, but it wasn't to be. Anaheim Ducks prospect Egor Sidorov scored 3:29 into overtime as the Saskatoon Blades evened the series at two wins apiece.
That series is now down to a best-of-three with the Blades playing host to game five on Friday night.
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UPDATE: May 01 - 11:30 a.m.
Saskatoon scored first, and Moose Jaw responded in a big way.
The Warriors scored once in the second period to tie the game and another two goals in the third locked up a 3-1 win. The Warriors now have a two-games-to-one series lead. Aiden Ziprick continues to be an everyday player for the Warriors and his family was in the stands for the game.
The Portland Winterhawks did not play last night after a 4-1 win on Monday. Ryder Thompson will now look to help them take a three-games-to-one lead on Wednesday night.
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Aiden Ziprick and Ryder Thompson hail from a tight-knit community with fewer than 1500 residents.
Russell boasts a proud tradition of nurturing top-tier athletes despite its small size. These two hometown heroes, Ziprick and Thompson, are making waves in the Conference Finals of the Western Hockey League (WHL).
Ziprick laces up for the Moose Jaw Warriors, while Thompson skates for the Portland Winterhawks. Moose Jaw squares off against Saskatoon, while Portland takes on Prince George. The victors of each series will battle it out in the WHL Final, vying for a chance to compete in the 2024 Memorial Cup in Saginaw.
This prestigious national tournament will feature teams from the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Maritimes Hockey League, and the Western Hockey League.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Melfort Mustangs shocked many.
Advancing to the Canterra Seeds Cup Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) final against the Flin Flon Bombers after a dramatic seven-game series against Humboldt in the semi-finals, the Broncos went into the famed Whitney Forum and put up 13 goals in the first two games of the final to take a two-to-nothing series lead.
The Bombers had been nearly unbeatable in Flin Flon all year. They had won their previous four playoff games there and they were 24-2-1-1 on home ice during the regular season. The Mustangs featuring Swan River's Bo Eisner weren't worried about how dominant Flin Flon was, because they knew they had it in them.
Melfort went into the Forum and physically wore down the Bombers and then returning to the Northern Lights Palace in Melfort, the Mustangs took a three-to-nothing stranglehold lead on the Bombers with a thrilling 4-3 double overtime victory.
Then the series changed. Needing to win to keep their season alive in game four, the Bombers' Kylynn Olafson scored in overtime and then returning home for game five, the Bombers defended home ice with a 5-2 win.
All of a sudden, the Bombers went from trailing big to needing just one more game to force game seven. For Eisner and the rest of the Mustangs, they knew all they needed was one more win. One more win and they would upset one of the most dominant teams in recent league history.
"We were just staying confident, we were preaching that we needed to have a game-seven mentality," said Eisner. "We were playing desperate and doing everything we could to finish it off in game six."
In the end, that is exactly what the Mustangs did. A three-goal third period lifted the Mustangs to a 4-1 victory as they won the SJHL for the first time since they went back-to-back in 2015 and 2016.
While it was a shock to some, winning the league title was not a shock whatsoever to Bo and the rest of the Mustangs brass.
"It was such a great way to start off my junior career," said Eisner. "To win a league title, it's such an incredible feeling and I will never forget it."
2500 loud and boisterous fans packed into the Northern Lights Palace in Melfort for the contest. No seats were left open and there were multiple rows of standing room only. Whatever fans had to do to cheer on their team to victory in their home arena they did and they were rewarded.
"It was awesome doing it in front of our home fans," offered Eisner. "They have been so loyal and incredible throughout our playoff run. We thank them for their incredible support."
To think, Melfort was less than three minutes away from their season-ending a couple of weeks ago. In their semi-final series against Humboldt, the Mustangs trailed 4-3 with just 1:54 left on the clock. That's when Aidyn Hutchinson scored his 10th of the playoffs and Ryan Duguay then scored in overtime to send the Mustangs to the league final and the rest is history.
Bo and the rest of the club will board a plane on Tuesday, May 7, heading to Oakville for the Centennial Cup, Canada's National Junior A Championship. They open their tournament on May 9 against the champions from the Maritime Hockey League (MHL). That's followed by a challenge against the champions from Manitoba, the Winkler Flyers on May 11 before playing Owen Riffel and the Sioux Lookout Bombers on May 14.
The team's round-robin wraps up on the final day of round-robin play on May 15 against the Oakville Blades during primetime.
It will be Bo's first chance to play on the national stage and he's counting down the minutes.
"It's going to be an incredible experience and it's always nice to play against new teams," said Eisner. "We believe in ourselves. We know we're going up against champions from all over the country and it will be interesting to see how we stack up."
As the Swan River star and former Parkland Ranger captain gets set to embark on his national journey, he will never forget his roots and he thanks everyone back home for their incredible support.
"It's awesome, I have received so much support from friends and family back home," ended Eisner. "My family has been at every single playoff game, it's just awesome to have them by my side."
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Jayden Jubenvill is set to play for another championship.
The Gilbert Plains star, who won a championship with the Dauphin Kings two seasons ago, has advanced to the league final in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Dubuque Fighting Saints. The USHL is one of the top junior leagues in the world and is the most direct path to NCAA Division 1 hockey, which is the case for Jayden as he will join the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks next season.
Jubenvill is in his second season with Dubuque. The team downed Muskegon on Thursday night, 4-0, to advance to the league final in a three-game sweep. Following a 17-point regular season, Jubenvill stepped up his game in the playoffs offensively with three goals and two assists across seven games.
Jayden and the rest of the Fighting Saints will now go up against either Fargo or Sioux City in the Clark Cup Final.
Dauphin Journey:
Jayden played just one season with the Kings, but it was a memorable one.
Jubenvill played 53 regular season games with the Kings in the 2021-22 season as Dauphin won 41 of their 54 regular season games in winning the West Division regular season crown.
After beating Swan Valley in the first round, Dauphin dispatched Winkler in five games. The Kings then capped off an incredible playoff journey as they beat the Steinbach Pistons in a thrilling seven-game series.
In a year that Jayden was named to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s (MJHL) all-rookie team, the star from Gilbert Plains then went on to help Dauphin advance to the national semi-final.
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The opening of the season for the Dauphin Clippers girls' rugby team was nothing short of spectacular.
Competing in the Westman High School League, Dauphin demonstrated their dominance by overwhelming their Parkland rivals, the Swan Valley Tigers, with an impressive 94-0 victory. Raylyn Koshowski emerged as a standout player for Dauphin, securing three tries, while Megan Thompson and Paityn Bourgouin contributed with two tries each.
Other players who made significant contributions to Dauphin's success included Bree Walker, Alma Schlapfer, Scarlet Ruiz, Felicity Sahulka, Desiree Flower, and Ruth Evan, each scoring a try. Megan Thompson displayed her accuracy by converting five converts, with Bree Walker adding two more. Additionally, Ashley Korney and Mila Heschuk added to the team's dominating performance with a try each.
However, the boys' team faced a tough challenge and fell short against Crocus Plains, suffering a defeat with a score of 44-14.
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A pair of Dauphin Kings have announced their hockey journeys will continue.
The team's captain from this past season Logan Walker will be joining the Maryville University Saints. The Saints play Division 1 American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) and are based in Missouri. The Saints went an impressive 23-10-2 last year and qualified for the national tournament, where they lost in the quarterfinals against Purdue University Northwest, 3-2.
Acquired in a trade from the Estevan Bruins at the trade deadline in 2023, Walker went on to play 87 regular season games with Dauphin, scoring 31 goals and adding 25 assists. he also played 11 playoff games with the Kings and was a fan favourite on and off the ice.
Alex Senf; meanwhile, has also committed to a Division 1 ACHA squad as he will join the University of Mary Marauders next year. Senf came to Dauphin after opening his junior career in the North American Hockey League where he played with the Bismarck Bobcats.
During his time in Dauphin, Senf played 107 regular season games, scoring 33 goals and adding 42 assists. He also notched eight playoff points in 13 games. Based in Bismarck, the Marauders went 26-14 last year and advanced to the ACHA Championship tournament where they saw their season end with a 2-1 loss against Liberty.
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101 days. Just more than three months. The countdown to the 2024 Manitoba Summer Games continues as Dauphin and the area get set to host the best age-eligible athletes later this year.
After being postponed for four years, the organizing committee is hard at work preparing for this year's games which are right around the corner. The hunt for volunteers continues, and hundreds more are needed.
Cam Bennet is the co-chair of athlete services and says volunteering is very rewarding.
"Literally every committee is asking for volunteers, there are opportunities in so many different areas," said Bennet. "Whether you want to work just one shift or several, there is an opportunity for you."
The host committee will be at Dauphin's Co-op on Friday for a major sponsorship announcement and there will also be a free BBQ. They will also set up a table to get you all registered to become a volunteer. Darnell Duff will also be live on location.
Just recently, the host committee at the DRCSS announced major upgrades to the track as the best track and field athletes in the province will embark on the high school looking to capture gold medals this summer.
The Northgate Trails have been masterfully created for the biking event and so many other facilities in Dauphin and the area have received upgrades ahead of the event. So if you are interested in volunteering for what will be a historic event this August, make sure you head to the Co-op in Dauphin tomorrow morning.
You can also head to Volunteer.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Lyle Bauer, a former CFL player and executive, has died. He was 65.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the team Bauer played for and later served as CEO, announced Bauer's death on its Instagram page Wednesday.
Bauer, a Saskatoon native, played his entire 10-year CFL career as an offensive with the Blue Bombers (1982-91). He was named the team's top offensive lineman in 1988 and won three Grey Cups with the Blue Bombers (1984, 1988, 1990).
Bauer, who played collegiately at Weber State in Utah, was inducted into the Blue Bombers Hall of Fame in 1998.
Bauer became CEO in 2000 with the franchise struggling financially and helped the community-owned club regain its footing, on and off the field. During Bauer's front-office tenure, the Bombers reached the Grey Cup twice (2001, 2007).
Bauer helped create the Never Alone Foundation in 2004 after being diagnosed with throat cancer. The foundation assists cancer patients and their families in battling the disease.
Bauer resigned from the Bombers on December, 17, 2009. In January 2010, the Calgary Stampeders announced hiring Bauer as their CEO and president.
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He had spent the previous five years with the Coquitlam Express of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL).
He was set for a culture shock heading into the 2018-19 season. Coquitlam is home to roughly 145,000 people. Swan River; meanwhile, is home to less than 5000. Barry Wolff was hired as the Stampeders head coach and general manager ahead of that season and while it may have been a little bit of a culture shock to start, Wolff says his time in the valley has been incredible.
"I have enjoyed it, it's a great community with great people, and we get great corporate support," said Wolff. "When you think something won't happen here, the community rallies together to get things done. I enjoy being a part of that."
Wolff's thoughts came right after Swan Valley confirmed that they will continue operations moving forward. In early April, the team put up a desperate call for board of directors and volunteers or else they would not be able to continue operations. In the end, as Wolff expected, the community rallied and the Stampeders are now in a great spot as the off-season rolls on.
"It's great to see, our board of directors and volunteers run our organization, without them, there would be no Stampeder hockey," offered Wolff. "It's incredible to see how quickly people jumped on board to help. It just goes to show how much this team means to people in the community."
In his first year at the helm, Wolff led Swan Valley to their winningest season in franchise history. They won 42 regular season games to finish in second place and following a four-game sweep against Dauphin in the first round of the Turnbull Cup playoffs, the Stampeders needed six games to bounce Steinbach from the playoffs as the second-most northern team in the league advanced to their first league final.
Going up against a stacked Portage Terriers team in the final, the Stampeders and Terriers went shot-for-shot, splitting the first six games which meant a winner-take-all game seven was in store and it was another thriller.
After staying alive with a 5-2 win in game six, the Terriers returned to Stride Place to host game seven, a game in which they led with less than 10 seconds left. That's when Matthew Osadick for Swan Valley found the back of the net with just seven seconds left to force overtime. In overtime, Reece Henry scored his sixth of the playoffs 5:26 in as the Stampeders were one goal away from their first championship.
Despite the loss, it was a historic season for Swan Valley and to this day, it remains as their best season ever.
Barry left the organization at the start of the 2019-20 season as he returned to the BCHL to become the Merritt Centennials head coach and general manager. His tenure in Merritt was very short as he was relieved of his duties on October 16, 2019, and just less than two months later on December 11, he was brought back on to lead the Stampeders.
Barry has since remained with the club and his lone goal is to bring a championship back to the valley for the first time.
"I would love nothing more than that, that has always been our goal," said Wolff. "It will always be our goal and the community deserves that, they are so strong-willed and are incredible people."
Barry will get that chance to bring a championship back to Swan River as he has signed a two-year contract extension to remain with the club through the 2025-26 campaign.
In a release from the Stampeders, bringing back Barry was a no-brainer.
“Wolffy has done some amazing things for our organization and his passion for the game, the players, the community, and the team overall is second to none,” said Stampeders President Cramer Coulthart. "We have full confidence that he will continue to operate the way he always has, with a winning mindset and the best interest of the team and the community in mind at all times,” continued Coulthart. “We look forward to seeing what he and his team will bring to our organization in the coming seasons.”
When asked how he felt to sign the extension, Wolff was thrilled.
“The Swan Valley community is a great spot with first-class people who live here,” he said. “We have great community and corporate support. It is an honour and I am proud to be part of the Swan Valley community and part of the Stampeders Hockey Club. As a team, we have a great group returning and a lot to prove, in our opinion. Our goal is to be a hard-working team that the community can, and wants, to feel part of and proud of on and off the ice."
Barry has returned to British Columbia and the recruiting process has begun. The 2024-25 season is set to commence on September 20, 2024.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
It's the curse of the league final for the Flin Flon Bombers.
In the final of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) against the Melfort Mustangs, the Bombers lost in six games, ending with a 4-1 defeat on Tuesday night. The Bombers have lost the SJHL Final three straight years and in five of the last seven years.
Justin Lies tied up the game for Flin Flon early in the third after Melfort opened up the scoring; however, the lone Manitoban team in the Saskatchewan circuit gave up three goals the rest of the way in the defeat. Flin Flon had won two straight games and was one win away from forcing a game seven; however, it wasn't to be.
Melfort now advances to the Centennial Cup in Oakville from May 9 to 19. Swan River's Bo Eisner is on the team and played a crucial role on the team's back end. Stay tuned to hear from him ahead of the national tournament.
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