Weekend sports wrap: Tigers win third consecutive provincial title; Lisoway wins Wheat Kings award

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Published on Monday, March 17, 2014

myWestman.ca

The following is a recap of what transpired in local sports over the weekend . . .

Tigers win third consecutive provincial title

The Neepawa Tigers are provincial champions once again.

Braeden Mitchell scored the overtime winner as the Tigers defeated the Deloraine/Hartney Colts 3-2 in the final on Saturday afternoon to claim the provincial A/AA high school hockey championship in Russell.

The win means it's the third consecutive provincial title for Neepawa.

Ty Moffat of the Colts was named the tournament MVP, while Tigers captain Garett Rempel was named a tourney all-star as well as the players choice award winner.

The host Major Pratt Trojans ended up winning the bronze medal, defeating the Melita/Waskada Devils 4-1 in the third place contest.

The other tournament all-stars were Andrew Vercaige (Deloraine/Hartney); Shane Levandosky (Neepawa); Brady Plett (Neepawa); David Dunn (Major Pratt); and James Turnbull (Melita/Waskada).

Make sure to check myWestman.ca later today for a full recap on the Tigers win, including quotes from head coach Gary Salmon.

Tigers JV basketball team finishes second

The Neepawa Tigers ended up with a solid showing at the provincial A/AA junior varsity girls basketball championship in Morris over the weekend.

The Tigers, who were the No. 2 seed heading into the event, wound up falling 57-44 to the No. 1 seed Grandview Spartans in the championship final late Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers advanced to the final after defeating the Ross L. Gray Raiders (Sprague) 71-57 on Friday.

The Tigers opened the event with a 83-30 win over the host Morris Mavericks Friday morning.

Danielle Hanke and Lina Gordon of the Tigers were named all-stars at the event. Hailee Vanwynsberghe of Grandview was named the MVP of the tournament.

The Tigers earned a berth to the provincial championship by winning the Zone 7 title.

Meanwhile, the Ross L. Gray Raiders won the boys title, defeating the Glenboro Panthers 50-35 in the championship final.

Matt Klassen and Reid Gillis of the Panthers were named tournament all-stars.

Lisoway wins most inspirational player award; Wheat Kings make playoffs

The WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings doled out their annual year-end team awards during their last home game of the regular season on Saturday night at Westman Place and Neepawa's Quintin Lisoway was one of the recipients.

The 18-year-old forward won the Coca Cola Rob Stouffer most inspirational player award. The trophy is in recognition of Stouffer, the former team trainer who emerged as one of the more respected trainers in Canadian major junior hockey. Stouffer died in 2008 after a lengthy battle with liver cancer.

Lisoway finished the 2013-2014 regular season with nine goals and 23 points in 69 games.

Meanwhile, Minnedosa's Chad Robinson won the McDonald's Frank King Trophy for the most community-minded player. The 20-year-old forward finished the regular season with seven goals and 32 points in 72 games.

The game on Saturday, which was the second half of a home-and-home set, was won by Brandon 6-3 over Regina. Peter Quenneville scored three times, rookie Jordan Papirny turned aside 35 shots and 15-year-old centre Nolan Patrick netted his first ever WHL goal as the Wheat Kings clinched seventh place in the WHL's Eastern Conference.

Brandon finished the regular season with a record of 34-29-6-3 and will now meet Regina in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarter-final matchup, set to begin next weekend in Regina.

The Wheat Kings began the weekend in Regina, defeating the Pats 4-3 in overtime on Friday.

Other Wheat Kings award winners . . .

Wheat Kings captain Ryan Pulock came away with three awards, winning the Meighen Haddad MVP award, the Manitoba Hydro Turk Broda Trophy as the club's top Manitoba born player as well as the Brad McCrimmon Memorial Trophy as the club's top blueliner.

Pulock was one of only two Wheat Kings to win multiple awards, joining 17-year-old centre Jayce Hawryluk. The Roblin product, who is eligible for this June’s NHL Draft, captured the Canad Inns hardest working award as well as the Brandon Sun scoring champion Trophy, as he led the club with 64 points in 59 games.

Rounding out the list of winners were John Quenneville (Dennis Truscott UCT most improved player); Jesse Gabrielle (Shoppers Drug Mart fans choice award); Colton Waltz (Precision Toyota unsung hero); Rene Hunter (Art Marshall top graduating player); Tim McGauley (Keystone Centre John Scott Kent most sportsmanlike player); Jordan Papirny (MNP rookie of the year); Ryley Lindgren (Maggie Janz scholastic player of the year); and Richard Nejezchleb, who picked up the Manitoba Blue Cross three star award.


MJHL: Oil Caps tie series with Stampeders

The Virden Oil Capitals have fought back in their Sher-Wood Division semifinal series against the Swan Valley Stampeders in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

Ben Williams scored the game winner in the third period, helping the Oil Capitals defeat Swan Valley 3-2 in Game 4 of the series on Saturday night.

The series is now deadlocked at two games apiece with Game 5 scheduled to take place on Monday night in Virden.

Meanwhile, the Dauphin Kings have moved on to the Sher-Wood Division final, after wrapping up a very impressive series sweep against the OCN Blizzard over the weekend.

The Kings defeated the Blizzard 3-0 on Saturday in Game 4, finishing off a series in which Dauphin did not allow a goal against.

Meanwhile, the defending league champion Steinbach Pistons edged the Portage Terriers 6-5 in overtime in Game 5 on Sunday. The Pistons now hold a 3-2 lead in their Addison Division semifinal.

The Winnipeg Blues hold a 3-1 lead over the Selkirk Steelers in the other Addison Division series.

NFSC holds Crocus Invitational

The Neepawa Figure Skating Club hosted the 2014 Crocus Invitational synchronized skating competition on Saturday at the Yellowhead Centre.

Here are the figure skating results from this weekend's competition: 

Beginner 1: Gold - Hazleridge Highlights; silver - Lil Ice Prec*Ice (Neepawa)

Beginner 2: Gold - Chicks with Picks from Killarney; silver - Skate Virden Velocity; bronze - Moosomin Skating Club Mystic Motion

Juvenile: Gold - Moosomin Mystic Motion; silver - Virden Velocity; bronze - Hazelridge Highlights; fourth - Hartney Pickettes

Elementary:  Gold - Pembina Pizazz - Mordan; silver - Brandon Wheat Queens; bronze - Notre Dame Silhouettes; fourth - Team Energ*Ice - Carberry; fifth - Ice Prec*Ice from Neepawa; sixth - Boissevain Blizzards

Pre-Novice: Gold - Team Energ*Ice - Carberry (has three Neepawa FSC girls on it); silver - Gravity from Killarney; bronze - Pembina Pizazz from Mordan; fourth - Boissevain Blizzards; fifth - Notre Dame Silhouettes

Open: Gold - University of Manitoba Ice intrepid; silver - Skate Brandon Wheat City ConnXion

Adult: Gold - Over the Edge from Carberry; silver - Hazelridge Highlights


Hanke earns berth in Dominion

Curl Manitoba hosted several regional playdowns over the weekend with berths to the Dominion Curling Club provincial championships on the line.

Neepawa's Darla Hanke and her team which includes Michelle Brydon, Chris Pederson and Kayla Hanke, ended up earning a women's berth.

Others from the Westman region that earned berths were the Pam Robins team from Carberry, Stacey Fordyce's defending national champion squad from Brandon and Donna Treloar and her foursome from Rivers.

Meanwhile, defending provincial champion Steve Irwin and Rob Waterhouse of Carberry were among the teams that qualified for the men's provincial championship.

Paralympic Winter Games comes to a close

The Paralympic Winter Games came to a close on Sunday in Sochi, Russia.

Canada finished the event with 16 medals in total (seven gold, two silver and seven bronze).

Josh Dueck, 33, of B.C., who won a gold medal in two skiing events, was the flag bearer for Canada at the closing ceremonies.


Jets pick up huge win over Stars

The Winnipeg Jets kept themselves in contention for a spot in the NHL playoffs with a 7-2 win against the Dallas Stars at MTS Centre on Sunday night.

Dustin Byfuglien scored twice for the Jets (31-29-9), who broke a six-game winless streak (0-3-3) and won for the first time at MTS Centre since Feb. 27.

The win pulled the Jets to within four points of Dallas for the Western Conference's second wild-card spot. Dallas however, has two games in hand on the Jets.

The Jets lost 4-2  to the New York Rangers on Friday night.


Chiefs down 2-1

The Yellowhead Chiefs are down 2-1 to the Pembina Valley Hawks in their best-of-five Manitoba Female Midget Hockey League semifinal series.

The Chiefs lost 3-2 to the Hawks on Sunday in Pilot Mound.

The Hawks won Game 1 by a score of 1-0 on Wednesday, with the Chiefs rebounding, taking Game 2 by a score of 2-1 on Friday.

Game 4 is slated to take place on Tuesday in Shoal Lake.

Meanwhile, the Westman Wildcats have moved on to the championship final after defeating the Winnipeg Avros 2-1 in Game 3 on Sunday, sweeping the series in three straight games.

Selects tie series with Wild

Kirklan Lycar netted two goals and added an assist, helping the Eastman Selects defeat the Winnipeg Wild 3-1 on Sunday.

The Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League best-of-five championship final series is now tied at one game apiece.

The Wild won Game 1 on Friday night by a score of 2-0.


ACC Cougars win senior B title

The Assiniboine Community College Cougars won the provincial senior B women's hockey title over the weekend.

The Cougars defeated the Rage 2-0 in the championship game in Brandon on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Herd won the senior A title, defeating the Manitoba Maple Leafs 4-1.

Both the Cougars and Herd will now head to Red Deer, Alta. next month to take part in the Western Shield, April 10-13.

There were two other provincial hockey championships that took place over the weekend.

The Bantam rural AAA championship took place in Portage. Parkland wound up winning the gold, defeating Eastman 7-3 in the final. Interlake won bronze, defeating Southwest 7-3 in the third place game.

Meanwhile, in Carman, the female Bantam rural AAA event took place. Pembina Valley won gold, defeating Westman South 4-0 in the championship final, while Yellowhead took home the bronze, doubling up Eastman 4-2.


Neepawa Boxing Club holds grand opening

Boxe Neepawa: Combat Sports Club held its grand opening on Saturday.

The event included guest Mark Collins, a Canadian national team coach, who has trained more than 25 national champions in his 32 years as coach.

There were also classic bouts that were shown on a big projector screen.

In photo: Top: the Tigers pose for a photo moments after winning the provincial A/AA high school hockey championship over the weekend in Russell. Second from top: The Neepawa Tigers basketball team finish as a finalist at the provincial A/AA junior varsity girls basketball championship in Morris over the weekend. Third photo: Neepawa's Quintin Lisoway. Bottom photo: Canadian boxing coach Mark Collins talks to those in attendance at the Neepawa Boxing Club grand opening on Saturday.

First two photos submitted

Lisoway photo by Lanny Stewart

Boxing photo by Ken Waddell