Providence Pilots men’s team back on top of MCAC volleyball standings

The names and numbers carrying the on-court load may be different, but the Providence Pilots men’s volleyball team is in a familiar spot after seven games in the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference season.

After dropping their home opener, the Pilots rattled off four in a row, including a straight sets victory over Assiniboine College Nov. 21.

While Providence dropped the re-match the next day in five sets, they still lead the MCAC standings, with a 5-2 record. It’s a strong start for a group dealing with the departure of several key veterans.

Grunthal’s Noah Boschman had been the go-to offensive option for the past three years but graduated at the end of last season. International players Arturo Duran (Honduras) and Sebastian Verdaguer (Australia) have also moved on, with Verdaguer continuing his collegiate career at the USports level with the University of Winnipeg.

Winnipeg Jets owner Mark Chipman to headline Pistons banquet

For the first time, the Steinbach Pistons will get to host their annual banquet on the same surface they play on.

The team will be covering the ice at the Southeast Event Centre for their annual Fire and Ice Banquet. Previous events have been held at the Niverville Heritage Centre.

”It’s an opportunity to celebrate the team’s community impact, connect with fellow supporters, and hear from a leader in Canadian hockey,” a Pistons news release reads.

With the new space, comes a high-profile speaker. Mark Chipman, the chairman of True North Sports and Entertainment, will be delivering the keynote address.

SPORTS FLASHBACK 1982: Ste Anne Lynx undefeated on way to provincial ‘A’ v-ball title

The Ste Anne Lynx came close to losing a volleyball game Saturday. They have Marilyn Mourant to thank for not delaying the start of their victory party at the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association’s Provincial “A” volleyball championships..

When Mourant went to the serving line in the provincial “A” finals at St Norbert, the Lynx were trailing Ashern 14-8. When she finished, she had counted eight straight serving points and the team was the new provincial “A” champion.

The Lynx went through the round-robin of the tournament without a loss and sidelined the other Seine River Division team from St Norbert in the semi-finals.

Ashern didn’t lose a game in the round-robin either, going 10 and zero, and polished off Rosenort in short order in the semis by 15-5 scores in two straight games.

Denton Mateychuk making mark in sophomore NHL season with Columbus Blue Jackets

It was a debut nearly a year in the making.

After starting last season in the American Hockey League, Denton Mateychuk made his NHL debut with the Columbus Blue Jackets Dec. 23, 2024.

While that debut was celebrated, it came just a couple weeks after the Blue Jackets had played their lone game in Winnipeg, meaning the Manitoba debut for the Dominion City star had to come this season.

Mateychuk finally took to the NHL in his home province Nov. 18, in front of what seemed like the entire town of Dominion City who had made the trip to the Canada Life Centre watch him play.

Junior Varsity Sabres fall in AAAA finals, varsity team headed to University of Manitoba for semis

The Manitoba High School Athletic Association provincial volleyball schedule continues to roll on.

The junior varsity provincials are finished, with the Steinbach Regional Secondary School Sabres boys team falling in heartbreaking fashion to the JH Bruns Broncos during the finals, hosted at Tec-Voc high school Nov. 24.

The Sabres took a 2-1 set lead, but lost the fourth, setting up an absolute battle in the fifth and final. After falling behind early, Steinbach fought back to tie the set 12-12, before a three-point run from the Broncos clinched the banner.

To reach the final, the Sabres defeated Gabrielle-Roy in an all-Eastman match-up. Les Roys boys teams continue to play above their usual AA designation, and compete at the AAAA level despite the school’s small size.

Carillon Sports Second Shots: Nov 20th edition

Featuring photos from the South Central Athletic Conference semi-finals at Steinbach Regional Nov. 12, games from the SRSS hockey tournament Nov. 14, a Steinbach Pistons game Nov. 14, Providence Pilots basketball games Nov. 15, a few shots from the Niverville Nighthawks that same night and the Zone 13 AAA boys varsity championship Nov. 17.

St Jean’s Hicks enjoying breakout MJHL season

St Jean’s Sebastian Hicks is in the middle of a breakout Manitoba Junior Hockey League season.

Suiting up for the Waywayseecappo Wolverines, he has 31 points in just 19 games to lead the league. The 2005-born forward is on pace for 95 points, which would crush his previous high of 31, set last season.

Hicks played his minor hockey with the Pembina Valley Hawks, and even appeared in a couple games for the Pembina Valley Twisters during their 22/23 playoff run.

After brief stints with the Winnipeg Freeze, he moved to Waywayseecappo for the start of the 2023 season.

Providence men’s basketball stumble out of the gates

The Providence Pilots men’s basketball team certainly looks a little different to start the 2025/2026 season.

Star centre/power forward Riley Paul has graduated from the program and with fellow big Emmanuel Oleko out of the line-up until the new year, a team that’s strength has been up front for the past few years is struggling to adjust.

The Pilots, who were the Northern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions last season, but lost the Mantioba Colleges Athletic Conference final to Canadian Mennonite University lost their first two games of the season to those same CMU Blazers.

“The key word for us is consistency, which is nothing new in basketball, nothing new in sports,” head coach Pierre Dubreuil said after dropping a tough game to CMU Nov. 15 in the team’s home opener.

SPORTS FLASHBACKK 1968: SCI Sabrettes climb to top of volleyball ladder

Finishing third in the 1967 Manitoba High School Volleyball provincials, SCI Saberettes’ coach Jake Epp promised the team would be even stronger the next year.

The team lived up to expectations, and after more than a dozen matches, climbed two more rungs up the ladder to claim the first ever high school girls’ volleyball title by a rural Manitoba team.

The Steinbach Collegiate girls’ volleyball team reached the ultimate in provincial volleyball status by defeating Gimli in the 1968 Manitoba Provincial championships, after 12 long hours of volleyball at the University of Manitoba gym.

The SCI girls had played through the gruelling 12-game round-robin with only four losses, and waited anxiously to see if they would make the semi-finals.

DANKOCHIK’S DRAFTINGS: The change-up – more than just a baseball pitch

In watching both the AA and AAA Zone 13 volleyball finals, I was struck by a pair of similar moments.

In the waning moments of the match, with everything on the line, the winning team’s setter, who had been setting up his outsides and middles all match, seized the moment and took a pass himself for the winning kill.

Both the Grunthal and Niverville players took advantage of their tendencies, set up throughout the entire match leading up to the decisive point, and threw their usual play out the window for their winning moment.

It’s something that I know from experience playing badminton works well. Serving to a different part of the court after short serving the entire game often gets me a point in a key moment.

Kendall Perpall picks up first two wins in debut as Pilots coach

Years of hard work for Kendall Perpall culminated last weekend, as Providence’s new women’s basketball head coach took to the court for his first league games as the team’s bench boss.

A Pilots alumnus, Perpall has been a mainstay as an assistant coach and has now taken the reigns of the school’s women’s team, continuing a system put in place by current athletic director Joel Coursey.

“I couldn’t ask for a better group to start with, with the returners that decided to come back,” Perpall said.

The team plays an aggressive, pressing, style for a full 40 minutes, made possible by complete line-up substitutions, as Providence use hockey-style lines in order to keep up the pace. Perpall said the system can speed up the opponent and force mistakes.

Area schools preparing for volleyball provincials

Volleyball is one of the most played sports in the Manitoba High School Athletic Association and the provincial championships are right around the corner.

The Zone banners have been awarded, the first rounds have been completed and the wildcards have been announced, as the full slate of teams participating across the four levels of varsity high school volleyball in Manitoba have been announced by the association.

AAAAA loss to Glenlawn in the South Central Athletic Association semi-finals on their home court Nov. 12 didn’t stop the Steinbach Regional Secondary School’s boys varsity from getting an automatic spot in the provincial AAAA quarterfinals. The team is ranked second in the heading into provincials.

Glenlawn was the only team to defeat Steinbach in the SCAC league this season, as the Sabres put together an 11-1 league record along with sparkling season of tournament results, including wins in the St Vital Invitational, Royals Spike-Off, St Paul’s VITT and the Daniel McIntyre tournament.