Steinbach Pistons forward Paronuzzi commits to Windsor

Connor Paronuzzi has announced his commitment to play hockey at the collegiate level.

The Steinbach Pistons forward will suit up for the University of Windsor Lancers at the USports level.

Paronuzzi had a historic season in Steinbach last year, setting new all-time single season records and becoming the first Piston to be recognized as the league’s most valuable player. He scored 93 points in 58 games last season, setting the single-season assists record for Steinbach.

Paronuzzi started the season with the Brooks Bandits in the B.C. Hockey League, returning to Steinbach just before the January roster freeze.

SPORTS FLASHBACK 2011: Wrestling club makes its mark

Competing in just its third year, the Niverville Wrestling Club has made quite a name for itself, not only provincially, but nationally as well.

Under the guidance of founder and head instructor Adrian Bruce, the wrestling club has grown from six students in its first year to 22 the next year and then mushroomed to 53 students this year.

The younger wrestlers, as young as five, train twice a week, while the older club members train three times a week.

In addition to attracting some elite young athletes from Niverville and beyond,who have come to train with Bruce, the club is producing some of its own elite wrestlers. One of these is 15-year-old Rachel Alder of Oakbank, who won a silver medal at the recent Cadet/Juvenile National Wrestling Championships at Windsor, Ontario.

AS I SEE IT COLUMN: PWHL delivers pure joy, along with societal change

I hope you were one of the 15,000 plus fans that got to experience the PWHL game last Sunday in person.

Not only was it a rare opportunity to welcome home local legend Jocelyn Larocque, sporting fans in attendance got to experience, first-hand, a completely different kind of hockey game.

When you watch a PWHL game on TV and see young girls, many of them wearing jerseys from the hockey teams they play for, you get a sense that what you are watching is completely unique, but when you are in the building, you can actually feel it.

Call it vibes or atmosphere, a PWHL hockey game is unlike any men’s hockey game.

Tabin, Larocque relish in Manitoba PWHL game

The eyes of the Professional Women’s Hockey League were on Manitoba last weekend, and the Keystone province didn’t disappoint.

The Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg was completely sold out for a PWHL Takeover Tour game between the Ottawa Charge and Montreal Victoire. While Ottawa may have come out with a 2-1 win thanks to a Rebecca Leslie tally just 12 seconds into overtime, after the game both teams were impressed by Winnipeg.

The PWHL is in the middle of their third year, expanding to eight teams this season. The league started their “Takeover Tour,” series of games last season, bringing top women’s hockey action to markets that don’t yet have a PWHL team.

“There were line-ups of people on a Saturday afternoon just to watch us practice,” Leslie said after the game.

Pistons lead Terriers 2-1 after convincing game 3 win

The Steinbach Pistons are in control of their first-round series against the Portage Terriers, dominating game three in Steinbach March 24 by a 6-2 score to take a 2-1 lead.

“You’re always learning what it takes to be successful in the playoffs,” head coach and general manager Paul Dyck said after the win.

“We have some players that don’t have a tremendous amount of playoff experience at our level, so I think it’s very important for them to see this is what it looks like. It’s different than the regular season. There’s not a lot of ice out there and the importance of simplicity can’t be overstated.”

Jackson Kostiuk, who left the Pistons mid-way through last season to play in the WHL and didn’t play during the team’s loss to Portage, is dominating. He’s scored scored five goals, adding an assist through three games.

Habs beat Warriors in all-Eastman CRJHL semi-final, lead final 1-0

Championship hockey is back in La Broquerie.

The Habs will be playing for the Capital Region Junior Hockey League trophy after beating regional rivals St Malo three games to two in the league’s semi-finals.

A Colton Pakoo goal with just 42 seconds remaining in the first overtime of game six March 20 inside La Broquerie’s HyLife Centre sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Pakoo was able to corral a rebound and guide it into the back of the net after a backhand shot from Luke Tetreault bounced off the glove of Jozsé Gauthier-Urmos and landed in the crease.

Carillon Sports Second Shots: March 19th edition

Featuring game three of the Price Division finals in the Winnipeg High School Hockey League between Lorette and West Kildonan March 12, Springfield vs Mitchell in the HTJHL semi-finals, action from the Canadian College Athletic Association women's championship in Niverville March 11 and 14 and a CRJHL quarterfinal game between St Malo and La Broquerie March 13.La Broquerie and St Malo are battling in the CRJHL semi-finals. (Cassidy Dankochik The Carillon)

SRSS Sabres Bueckert, Froese, named to Free Press top 10

A pair of Steinbach Regional players were recognized by a Winnipeg Free Press coaches poll as two of the province’s top high school hockey players.

Forward Jager Bueckert and defenseman Peyton Froese were placed seventh and ninth on the top 10 list, published March 13th just after the start of the AAAA hockey provincial championships.

“(Bueckert) emerged as a top talent with great speed, puck control and a deadly shot,” his profile reads.

“A tough, high-skilled, two-way forward, he is smart, consistent and well-rounded on both ends of the ice.”

Gault signs pro deal with ECHL team in South Carolina

Oakbank’s Caiden Gault kicked off his professional career this week, signing with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL.

Gault played three seasons at Ferris State University before transferring to Northern Michigan for his final year of NCAA hockey, where he served as assistant captain and compiled a career high in goals.

The Swamp Rabbits serve as the affiliate for the American Hockey League’s Ontario Reign and NHL’s Los Angeles Kings.

Gault played his U15 AAA hockey in the Eastman Selects system before moving to Rink Hockey Academy. He played a single full season with the Selkirk Steelers before moving to the Alberta Junior Hockey League, scoring 73 points in 58 games in the 2021/2022 season.

Providence makes history in final year of American basketball play

The Providence Pilots made sure to exit American basketball play in style.

The program’s women’s team earned their first-ever berth to the National Christian Colleges Athletic Association division two national championships, getting selected as an at large wildcard after getting defeated in the North Region semi-finals.

The Pilots will only be playing a Canadian regular season schedule next season, leaving the Northern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and NCCAA. The addition of Red River to the basketball ranks in the MCAC means the Pilots can compete for Canadian College championships.

In their final year of American play they not only earned their first NCCAA championship berth but also picked up a victory, defeating Manhattan Christian College 81-58 in a placement game. Head coach Kendall Perpall was named the NCCAA’s coach of the year for the North Region.

Lakeland Rustlers crowned national champions in Niverville

The 2026 Canadian College Athletic Association women’s national volleyball championships came down to one key set.

Alberta’s Lakeland Rustlers, locked 1-1 with the Lynx d’Édouard-Montpetit, trailed in the third set of the final 20-13, but managed to battle back to win 28-26, carrying the momentum into the fourth for a championship win over their Quebec-based opponents.

Lakeland head coach Austin Dyer said that third set was the turning point of his team’s whole championship run.

“If we control the ball, we’re really hard to stop,” Dyer said after the final March 15, noting the Rustlers roster had the experience to weather any pressure the Lynx could put on them.

SPORTS FLASHBACK 2011: Swimmer skims seconds off best time

Thirteen-year-old Lianne Brunel has an MVP performance in the pool at the Manitoba Junior “A” speed swimming provincials in Winnipeg this past weekend.

Brunel was the only one to reach the finals of the five members of the Steinbach Skimmers Swim Club who competed in the event, but Amy Peters, Emily Bell, Erika Tetrault and Jayda Brandt all earned multiple ribbons for finishing in the top 10.

For Brunel, it was a memorable weekend, as she earned a bronze medal in the 50-metre freestyle, a fifth place finish in the 200-metre freestyle, and seventh place finishes in the 50-metre breast stroke and the 100-metre freestyle.

In her bronze medal swim, the 50-metre freestyle final, Brunel managed to shave three seconds off her qualification time from four weeks earlier, putting her into the standard time for ages 15 and over.

DANKOCHIK’S DRAFTINGS: MJHL musings after the regular season

The worries I had about the Manitoba Junior Hockey League standings in January came true, with very little to play for in the final months of the regular season.

No playoff seeding battle was close, as at least five points separated every team this season, and more than 10 points separated playoff teams from non-playoff teams. It would be great to shave off a few games from the regular season schedule, but the league is at the mercy of what players, their advisors and scouts think.

The format of the league needs to be what will attract the best players, which are more important to generate fan interest than a friendlier schedule, especially in hockey where the post-season matters way more than the regular season. If players and scouts want more games, then the MJHL should give them what they want.

The lack of standings battles really laid out the difference between the good and bad teams in the league this season. The Winnipeg Blues, Winnipeg Monarchs and Norman Blizzard all finished with a goal difference well under minus-100.

AS I SEE IT COLUMN: Run — don’t walk — to see the Jocelyne Larocque play this weekend

If you don’t already have tickets to see Richer’s Jocelyne Larocque on the ice with her Ottawa Charge teammates against the Montréal Victoire in PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League) action this Sunday, get your tickets fast.

This will be the last chance for Manitobans to say goodbye to a genuine hometown hero.

Despite the fact that Jocelyne has represented Canada with distinction, pride and honour for nearly 20 years, this Sunday’s game might be the first (and last) time to see the pride of Richer live and in person.

Jocelyne is the niece to a well-known hockey player in southeastern Manitoba. Her late uncle Guy played Junior B with the Steinbach Millers and senior hockey with the Ste. Anne Aces in the HTHL. (Full disclosure: Guy was my winger and teammate on the Millers.)