AS I SEE IT COLUMN: Scheifele’s Olympic non-snub and Hellebuyck proving he’s not the best goalie in the world

Congratulations to Team Canada winning bronze at the World Juniors. Finishing third in the world is impressive. Full stop.

Many hockey fans and broadcasters have described Mark Scheifele not making the Olympic team as a snub. Those people are wrong. It wasn’t a snub. It was a strategic decision.

Scheifele has been an elite player these past two years. The grit he showed playing just hours after his father passed away and the game he played against the Leafs after learning he didn’t make the Olympic roster, showed that Scheifele has enormous courage that matches his impressive skills.

He is undeniably one the best offensive players in the NHL, but he’s not better than the players named to the top two lines on Team Canada.

DANKOCHIK’S DRAFTINGS: Loewen’s Pistons debut draws kudos from players, fans

There aren't many things that could happen in the middle of a 6-3 victory for the Steinbach Pistons over a league bottom feeder on New Year’s Eve which cause me to rush to one end of the ice to the other and have the entire Steinbach Pistons injured/scratches come down from their place above the ice.

But that’s exactly what happened Dec. 31, as Jaxon Loewen was called into the net for the final 90 seconds of game action.

Loewen, who was born in Steinbach, normally plays for the junior B La Broquerie Habs, where he’s one of the better goalies in the Capital Region Junior Hockey League but has been called into action for the Steinbach Pistons for well over two months now.

With Chris Quizi and Easton Thvedt, the team’s starter and back-up to begin the season, both out with long-term injuries, the team needed someone to battle, not just as a back-up for game days, but also in practice week-in, week-out.

Costs for Grunthal Arena increase

Costs for the Grunthal Arena have increased by $1 million since the project was first announced in 2024, when estimated costs were between $4 million and $4.5 million.

“Construction costs went up,” said Ward 6 Coun. Curtis Dawydiuk.

The current anticipated cost of the project has risen to between $5 million to $5.5 million. Funding for the arena will be divided between local fundraising, the municipality, and the federal and provincial governments. So far, the community has raised about $1.4 million of a $2 million goal.

The build will see an additional 9,895 sq-ft built onto the existing arena, which will include a new lobby, four new changerooms, a new viewing area, a multipurpose room, a hall, and a kitchen. There will be no changes to the rink area other than making the washrooms more accessible.

Hunter Bauer and Loik Leduc honoured by MJHL

Hunter Bauer’s rescue of the Steinbach Pistons goaltending situation couldn’t have gone much better, and his efforts were recognized by the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

Bauer went 5-0 in December, as he became the team’s number one option following injuries to their starter and back-up. He didn’t just survive, he thrived, posting three shutouts in those five games and was a shoe-in to be named the McMunn and Yates goaltender of the month.

Down the road in Niverville, Loik Leduc scored at more than a point-per-game pace for the Nighthawks, and was named the Chevrolet rookie of the month. The 2006-born forward is one of five Niverville players scoring at more than a point per game pace.

Portage’s Drayden Uhrina, Dauphin’s Ty Pratte and Neepawa’s Jack Clark were also named players of the month.

Team Cameron falls in Manitoba curling playoffs

Back-to-back Manitoba championships weren’t in the cards for Team Kate Cameron.

The St Adolphe-based rink fell in the semi-finals of the RME Women of the Rinks, hosted in Rivers this year, falling to the eventual champions Team Beth Peterson 13-7 after giving up a steal of four in the fifth end. Cameron made the page playoff game against Team Kaitlyn Lawes, but fell in that game as well.

Cameron defeated Peterson in last year’s final to clinch a spot at the National Championship.

“We’re pretty excited, we’ve worked hard for this. We don’t play a ton on tour; we focus on family a little bit too, but we work hard and we played really well this week,” Team Peterson third Kelsey Calvert told the Brandon Sun. Calvert has lost in four consecutive provincial finals in Alberta and Manitoba.

2019 standouts inducted into SRSS Sabres football hall of fame

The 2020 Steinbach Regional Secondary School Sabres varsity football team is an exercise in what could have been. The year before the team had made an appearance in the provincial semi-finals, with a four-year starting quarterback entering his senior season.

Instead of another run at a top-four finish, led by the program’s best quarterback, the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to all football activities, and the program is still looking to crack the top four.

The program still honoured some of those would-be seniors at their 2025 banquet earlier this month, inducting quarterback Sawyer Thiessen and linebacker/wide receiver Payton Falk into their hall of fame.

Falk was a two-way standout, staying on the field for most of the games he played, even as a grade 10 player in the top division.

Grand Slam of Curling slides into Steinbach

The eyes of the curling world are on Steinbach this week, as the Southeast Event Centre plays host to the Grand Slam of Curling’s Players’ Championship.

The action on the sheets began Jan. 6, but crews were hard at work as early as Jan. 2, preparing the ice inside the arena’s main bowl for curling. Crews put down a layer of paint, add advertising logos and lines before finally laying down some pebble for rocks to curl on.

The Players’ Championship is the final slam of the year, with the Olympics coming up and the GSOC’s new Rock League taking place after.

Jennifer Cram is the director of communications for the Curling Group, which are in their second year of running the GSOC. She said this season, which will end in Steinbach, is the GSOC’s most packed season ever. Normally events run until April, but this season will be done by mid-January.

Through our lens: The Carillon’s best sports photos from Nov/Dec 2025

The best photos from November and December from the Carillon's Sports Desk

Here's to a great 2026!

Through our lens: The Carillon’s best sports photos from Sept/Oct 2025

The best photos from The Carillon's Sports Desk from September and October.

Through our lens: The Carillon’s best sports photos from July/Aug 2025

The best photos from The Carillon's sports desk from July and August.

Through our lens: The Carillon’s best sports photos from March/April 2025

All the best shots from March and April from the pages of The Carillon's Sports Section.

Through our lens: The Carillon’s best sports photos from March/April 2025

The Carillon's best sports shots from March and April of 2025.

Through our lens: The Carillon’s best sports photos from Jan/Feb 2025

The best photos from the Carillon's sports camera in January and February of 2025.

SPORTS FLASHBACK 2000: Steinbach Knights stopped in Wesmen Classic final

The Steinbach Junior High Knights turned in a superb performance, only to lose the final game of the Wesmen Classic Junior High Basketball Tournament by five points at the University of Winnipeg Duckworth Centre last week.

According to coach Glenn Hiebert, finishing second in a 16-team draw made up of the best grade nine boys’ teams in the province was a great accomplishment for the Knights.

“The only disappointment was that they led in the final most of the game, only to let it slip through their fingers, losing 47-42 to John Pritchard in the championship game.”

The Knights opened the tournament against Jeanne Sauve and defeated their future Cloverleaf rivals 62-35. Everyone was involved in the scoring, highlighted by Bucky Driedger and Paul Beckman, scoring 10 points apiece.

AS I SEE IT COLUMN: 2025 sports year in review

Best reminder that Manitoba remains a curling powerhouse: Seeing all the Manitoba teams at the Olympic curling trials was more proof that we produce some of the best curlers in all the land.

Most important performance by a team: Tie between Team Canada at the 4 Nations and the Blue Jays. One team won and the other team lost, but both unified the country in ways we haven’t seen in many years.

Award for outstanding community service: Paul Dyck deserves boatloads of credit for consistently putting a quality MJHL team on the ice year after year after year. He deserves even more credit for instilling in his players the many benefits of giving back to the community. This noble mindset was formally recognized when Pistons forward Connor Paronuzzi was awarded the prestigious RBC Community Award for his extensive volunteerism.

Best example of sport shutting up Trump: The convicted felon U.S. president (who should be in jail, not in the White House) tried to insert himself into the 4 Nations by threatening to annex Canada and making fun of our Prime Minister. Thanks to Connor McDavid and company, Team Canada shut the criminal’s pie hole.