Weekend sports wrap: Tigers take part in graduating all-star game; season comes to a close for Wheat Kings
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- Published on Monday, April 14, 2014
myWestman.ca
The following is a recap of what transpired in local sports over the weekend . . .
Team Rural wins graduating all-star game
The top graduating high school hockey players in the province gathered in Winnipeg on Sunday afternoon to take part in an all-star game.
Team Rural edged Team Winnipeg 6-5 in what was a tightly-contested game at the St. James Civic Center.
Team Rural consisted of three members of the Westman High School Hockey League and A/AA provincial champion Neepawa Tigers in team captain Garrett Rempel, Shane Levandosky and Wyatt Salmon. Meanwhile, Mike Adams, Rob James and Gary Salmon of the Tigers were the coaches of the rural squad.
There were 11 other players from Westman teams who played for Team Rural. They are as follows: Cooper Blaine of the Vincent Massey Vikings; Kirby Bridges and Scott Stewart and Colton Bamford of the Cartwright/Nellie McClung/Pilot Mound Tigers; Joey Delaquis and Jared Van De Velde of the Prairie Mountain Mustangs (Somerset); David Dunn and Brayden Cullum of the Major Pratt Trojans; Skylar Canada of the Boissevain Broncos along with Brock Paddock of the Rivers/Elton Rage and Nathan Grenier of the Glenboro/Carberry/Baldur Wildcats.
Wheat Kings season comes to a close
The season has come to a close for the Brandon Wheat Kings.
The Western Hockey League club was eliminated from the playoffs on Friday night after falling 5-1 to the host Edmonton Oil Kings in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal. The win meant Edmonton clinched the best-of-seven series 4-1.
The Wheat Kings, who played the game without their leading scorer Jayce Hawryluk because of injury, trailed 3-0 after one period after Edmonton struck for three late goals in a span of just over two minutes.
After a scoreless second, Brandon got on the board with a power play marker from veteran Eric Roy at the 2:55 mark of the third but that was as close as the Wheat Kings would get as the Oil Kings scored two more to put the game out of reach.
The Oil Kings, who outshot Brandon 37-19 on the night got goals from five different players – Henrik Samuelsson, Mitch Moroz, Brett Pollock, Cody Corbett and Reid Petryk – in the win.
Tristan Jarry stopped 18 shots for the win, while rookie Jordan Papirny, who played all nine of Brandon's playoff games, finished the night with 32 saves.
Edmonton will now face off against the winner of the Kootenay-Medicine Hat series in the Eastern Conference final, which is set to get underway next weekend.
Friday night’s game marked the final game for a number of Wheat Kings, including overagers Rene Hunter, Jens Meilleur and Minnedosa's Chad Robinson.
Several others including captain Ryan Pulock may have played their final games as Wheat Kings as well. The 19-year old Grandview product and first round draft pick of the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders is expected to play professionally next winter. Others who may not return include Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick Peter Quenneville and Calgary Flames prospect Eric Roy.
Lisoway watch: Neepawa's Quintin Lisoway finished the playoffs with two assists in nine games with the Wheat Kings.
Seasons continue for some Wheat Kings
Meanwhile, the hockey season will continue for at least two members of the Wheat Kings.
John Quenneville will play for Team Canada at the 2014 Under 18 World Championship, scheduled to begin this coming week in Lapeenranta and Imatra, Finland, while captain Ryan Pulock is on his way to the New York Islander's American Hockey League affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Also, blueliner Eric Roy will also have his season extended. Roy, a NHL draft pick by the Calgary Flames, is joining the AHL's Abbotsford Heat for the remainder of the season.
Kings remain alive in MJHL final
The Dauphin Kings kept their championship hopes alive on Sunday night.
After falling behind by a score of 1-0 in the first period, the Kings scored twice in the third and wound up holding on for the 2-1 win over the Winnipeg Blues in Game 4 of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League championship final at Credit Union Place.
Brent Wold and Dillan McCombie scored for the Kings, while Kamerin Nault scored for the Blues, who despite the loss, continue to hold a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Game 5 of the series takes place Tuesday night in Winnipeg. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
Karakas commits to Wisconsin-Superior
Another graduating player of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League's Neepawa Natives will be playing college hockey next season.
Luke Karakas has secured a commitment with the Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets.
The University of Wisconsin–Superior is a public university located in Superior, Wisconsin that offers bachelor, master, and specialist degrees. Throughout the Yellowjackets history, the club has had success, winning NCAA Division III national championships in 1976 and 2002.
Last season, the Yellowjackets finished fifth in NCAA's Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a 11-15-3 record.
Karakas, a native of Green Bay, Wis., ended up with 10 goals and nine assists for 19 points in 31 games for the Natives this season. The 20-year-old forward was acquired in a deal with the Winkler Flyers in December.
The Karakas news comes just days after fellow Natives graduating player Justin Coachman committed to Concordia University of Wisconsin.
Jets season wraps up
The Winnipeg Jets wrapped up their season on a high note in the NHL on Friday night, defeating the host Calgary Flames 5-3.
Michael Frolik, Evander Kane, Carl Klingberg, Paul Postma and Blake Wheeler scored for the Jets, who finished the regular season with a 37-35-10 record, finishing in last place in the Central Division.
Cougars bring home silver
The Assiniboine Community College Cougars came away with a silver medal at the Western Canadian women's senior 'B' hockey championship over the weekend.
The Cougars dropped a 1-0 decision to the Kamloops Vibe on Sunday afternoon in the championship final at the Western Shield event in Red Deer, Alta.
The Cougars and Vibe both finished with 2-0-2 records in round robin action, finishing one-two respectively in the Senior B Division.
The Cougars roster included Hamiota product Whitney Anderson, Shayna Fluker of Brandon, Laura Williams of Souris, Kristin Nickel of Birtle, Robyn Garbutt of Rapid City, Brianna Workman of Onanole and Brittany Phillips of Hartney.
In photos: (Top) Neepawa Tigers coaches Mike Adams, Rob James and Gary Salmon along with players Garett Rempel, Shane Levandosky and Wyatt Salmon pose for a picture at the graduating high school hockey all-star game in Winnipeg on Sunday afternoon. (Middle) Luke Karakas.
First photo submitted
Second photo courtesy of Neepawa Natives
With files from Wheat Kings release
