AS I SEE IT COLUMN: The Hellebuyck Conundrum

Connor Hellebuyck deserves a lot of credit – and is full value – for winning his third Vezina trophy (for best regular season goaltender) and his first Hart trophy (most valuable player in the regular season).

But those very impressive accomplishments, when juxtaposed with his performance in the playoffs, are a conundrum wrapped in a paradox.

To his credit, Hellebuyck played well in the last two periods of game 7 against St. Louis and in game 6 against Dallas, but his overall play this postseason was exactly like it’s been the past few years — underwhelming.

Two things that cripple a team’s chances in the playoffs are goals scored on the very first shot of the game, and weak goals let in at the worst possible time. They shatter a team’s ability to play with confidence, because they can’t count on the big save being made when it is desperately needed.

Senior soccer season kicks off across the region

After a false start due to excessive smoke in the air June 6, the Manitoba Major Soccer League season is officially underway in southeast Manitoba.

The region’s top team, the Niverville Force, opened their home schedule with a 5-3 loss to Grant Park Sporting Club June 12. The team also lost to Bonivital 3-1 June 16 and sit in seventh in the MMSL’s Division One standings. The top two teams in that division will move up to the Premier Division, the highest level of amateur soccer in the province.

The Force are next in action at home taking on Union Deportiva Manitoba June 24 at 7:30 p.m.

It took the Hanover Kickers three months to get a result last year in Division One, as they were relegated to Division Two, but the Hanover Soccer Club’s top team is on the board early, laying a 9-0 beatdown on FC Northwest’s NextGen team June 12 in their own home opener.

Giants have Sultans number early in MJBL season

If there is to be a re-match of last year’s Manitoba Junior Baseball League finals, the Elmwood Giants look to have a decisive edge over the Carillon Sultans this season.

In the teams' two meetings so far this season, including June 14 at the league’s showcase event, Elmwood has a pair of blowout victories. Those losses (9-1, 12-1) represent two of Carillon’s three defeats this season.

Manager Rick Penner said the Sultans have just fell behind early and tried too hard to chase in both games.

“I think that we haven’t been able to scrap in some runs when we need to,” Penner said.

Carillon Sports Second Shots: June 12th edition

Featuring photos from the Manitoba 55-Plus Games June 4-6, a U18 AAA Carillon Sultans game June 6, a Hanover Soccer U15 Premier WYSA division game in Steinbach June 7 and an Eastman Wildcats game at Friedensfeld June 9.

Graduating Eastman Selects twins committ to ACC

Kali and Lexi Remillard will continue their hockey careers together into post-secondary school.

The St Malo twins both committed to playing for the Assiniboine Community College (ACC) Cougars starting next season. The Brandon-based Cougars play in the American Collegiate Hockey Association. Team captain Abby Dixon will also be heading out to Brandon, announcing her commitment to Assiniboine earlier this year.

The Cougars already boast former Select Brooklyn Driedger, who is from Steinbach. The Cougars reached the finals of the ACHA division 2 national championships last season, defeating teams like Central Michigan University and the United States Navel Academy en route to the final.

Current Selects players were in action this week at the Hockey Manitoba U18 Program of Excellence top 40 camp, which was hosted in Brandon this year.

Hanover U15 soccer team picks up tournament win

The Hanover Soccer Club’s U15 Premier team got a huge result at the 2025 Winnipeg Youth Soccer Association Boston Pizza Players Tournament, winning their division.

While the final had to be moved from Princess Auto Stadium due to poor air quality, Hanover was able to prevail in the final, defeating South Winnipeg 1-0 in the final.

Head coach Bjarne Weiss said the team dominated the first half, with midfielder Bjella Weiss converting in the box following nice play from Auckland Cooper to win a battle and spring Josh White up the wing.

In the second half, Hanover hung on to win, with Phillip Wiebe picking up his third consecutive clean sheet of the tournament.

Lorette brothers share Paralympics gold medal

Wheelchair basketball superstar Joey Johnson of Lorette is considered by many to be among the top two or three players in the world in his sport.

Johnson underscored that point in Athens, when he led Canada to the gold medal at the 2004 Paralympic Games. He scored 15 points while leading Canada to a 70-53 victory over Australia in the gold medal final, defending the championship Canada won four years earlier in Sydney.

Despite winning the gold medal in Sydney, Canada came into Athens ranked third behind the U.S. and Great Britain, as Canada lost in the semi-finals at the 2002 World Championships. That was the only loss for the Canadians in the last five years.

Canada dominated in Athens, winning seven straight games, mostly by margins of 20 points or more, including a 90-71 victory over the Netherlands in the semi-finals, when Johnson poured in 19 points.

U18 Sultans have high expectations despite departures

The Carillon Sultans 18U AAA season is well underway, as the team looks to rebound after several college players graduated last season.

Burke Heide is the new head coach for the age group, and said he expects little step-back, as the Sultans program continues to produce quality ball players to replace outgoing stars.

“They’re excited to get going, and they were definitely excited to get their first win,” Heide said after a 6-0 victory over Interlake at A.D. Penner Park June 7.

“We lost a strong group of hitters for sure, but the guys that are moving into the senior position are all strong players as well. We have a strong group of 15U kids coming up that will fill those roles as they get more comfortable.”

Low air quality puts halt on MHSAA track championships

Smoke and storms wrecked havoc on the sports schedule across Manitoba last weekend, including in the Southeast.

The highest-profile event cancelled was the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association track and field provincial championships. Athletes from across the province were set to compete at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg June 5-7, before two consecutive days of poor air quality due to wildfire smoke caused organizers to cancel the event outright.

Executive director of the MHSAA Chad Falk said with the short time left in the school year and the impossible logistics of re-organizing an event with more than 1,500 athletes, simply postponing provincials wasn’t a possibility.

“The nature of the event and how many athletes, the unique venue, access to officials, access to venues, kids travelling from across the province, it was just impossible to look at finding a way to reschedule it,” Falk said in an interview with the Winnipeg Free Press.

U18 AAA Selects moving back to Steinbach

The Southeast Event Centre in Steinbach continues to attract major tenants, as the Eastman Selects male U18 AAA team will be based out of the new arena moving forward.

The U18 team had been in Steinbach until the then-named Beausejour Blades of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League moved to the community in 2009. The U18 team moved to Beausejour when the junior A team took up residence in the now-demolished Centennial Arena.

Rachel Antymis has worked as the team’s manager since she was 19 and has been involved with the program for nearly a decade. She said the Selects hope to grow their fanbase with the move to Steinbach, noting most of the players now come from the southern part of their region.

“Ten years ago, we had tons of North boys, but it’s kind of shifted,” Antymis said.

Carillon Sports Second Shots: June 5

Featuring photos from a Winnipeg Senior Baseball League game in Steinbach May 27 and the softball/baseball Manitoba High School Athletic Association provincial championships in Stonewall.

Pistons D-man Munro heading to Olaf College

Matt Munro will continue his hockey career at an American college.

The Steinbach Pistons defenseman played over 100 games in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, splitting time between his hometown Swan Valley Stampeders and the Pistons.

He’ll be playing for St Olaf College, a Lutheran liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota.

Munro began the 2024/25 season with the North Iowa Bulls in the North American Hockey League before heading back to the MJHL to suit up for Steinbach at the 2025 roster deadline. He had 11 points in 23 games for the Pistons this season.

NorMan Blizzard quickly find new head coach

The Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s defending champions have found their new head coach/general manager.

After Eric Labrosse left the Northern Manitoba Blizzard, the franchise moved quickly to replace him, naming Ty Valin as their new bench boss.

“Being named Head Coach/ GM of the Northern Manitoba Blizzard in the MJHL is an incredible opportunity,” Valin said in a Blizzard news release.

“I want to sincerely thank the White family for the opportunity to lead their organization. I’m extremely excited to meet all the players and staff, and get to work preparing for the season.”

SPORTS FLASHBACK 1993: Ste Anne curlers getting green light to replace rink

The Village of Ste Anne will rebuild the community’s curling rink, destroyed by fire 10 days ago, in time for most of the upcoming curling season after the project received the green light from council.

Firemen from seven departments managed to save the adjoining Ste Anne Arena, but the curling rink was completely destroyed in the June 20 blaze. Arson is suspected as the cause.

The alarm at the curling rink went off shortly after midnight, June 19, alerting guests at a wedding reception at the nearby Ste Anne Cultural Centre. By 12:30 a.m., that building had been evacuated in the fear the fire could spread to the arena right next door.

The blaze at the west side of the curling rink appeared to have been started on the outside of the building in an area where refrigeration pipes are located, Ste Anne Fire Chief Ken Dayment said.