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.

Carillon Sports Second Shots: Nov. 13th edition

Featuring photos from the A/AA varsity boys Zone 13 championships in Ste Anne and Grunthal, a Gabrielle-Roy/Pointe des Chenes hockey game in Ile des Chenes Nov. 7, the Ile des Chenes North Stars home opener later that night and Remembrance Day Nighthawks and Eastman Selects games in Niverville.

Local teams near top of WHSHL standings

Click on any tier of the Winnipeg High School Hockey League and you seem to be guaranteed to see an Eastman team battling near the top of the standings.

In the top Platinum Promotions Division, Steinbach continues their strong start to the season with a 5-2 start to the season.

In the third-tier Price Division, Niverville and Lorette are both undefeated through a combined 11 games this season.

And in the Winnipeg Free Press Division, the Gabrielle-Roy/Pointe des Chenes Caveliers and Springfield Sabres are a combined 10-3 on the season, both in the top three of their division.

Jocelyne Larocque, Charge will ‘takeover’ Winnipeg

For the first time in her Professional Women’s Hockey League career, Jocelyne Larocque will get to suit up in Manitoba.

Ste Anne’s Larocque, who plays for the Ottawa Charge, will be in Winnipeg March 22 as part of the PWHL’s annual “Takeover Tour” series of games.

Winnipeg’s Canada Life Centre will host the Charge and Montreal Victoire for a regular season game, with puck drop at 6 p.m.

“This event reflects our commitment to creating opportunities for young women to see themselves represented on the professional stage, and we are proud to play a small role in creating this moment for our community,” Annie Chipman Stockl, True North Sports and Entertainment vice-president of marketing said in a news release.

Nighthawks continue to make cross-league trades

Owning the best record in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League hasn’t stopped the Niverville Nighthawks from making trades.

The Nighthawks moved Luke Mackenzie to Melfort int he Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League in exchange for 2007-born defenseman Jake Demone and a player development fee.

Mackenzie, who is from Pipestone, joined Niverville after a brief stint with the Virden Oil Capitals mid-way through the 2023/2024 season. In his only full year for the Nighthawks, he had six goals and fourteen assists in 57 games. He had five points through nine games this season.

His play earned him a college commitment to Canisius College, an NCAA Division 1 school based out of Buffalo, New York.

SPORTS FLASHBACK 1975: Sleeper play catches St Laurent napping

The St Laurent Panthers must be wondering what they have to do to defeat the Landmark Dutchmen. They came within three minutes of their first victory in three years Sunday, only to have a 50 yard-sleeper play and a last second field goal turn a sure victory into a defeat in the Rural Manitoba Intermediate Football League semi-final.

The Dutchmen, trailing 14-1 at the half, rallied for one touchdown and a safety touch in the third quarter to make it 14-10.

St Laurent’s Wayne Tremblay returned a blocked punt 15 yards for a touchdown to give St Laurent a 10 point lead early in the fourth, setting the stage for the rally by the Dutchmen.

Landmark gained a first down following the kickoff on a third down gamble and then moved the ball another five yards on a completion to Ken Sonnichsen.

AS I SEE IT COLUMN: Let’s celebrate Grey Cup like never before

Sports fans, with the Grey Cup happening this weekend, we need to embrace and celebrate the CFL’s championship game more than ever.

Given the existential threats to our economy and our sovereignty by the madman south of the border, we need to support Canada in any and every way we can, and the Grey Cup is the quintessential opportunity to treasure our game, our country and our collective national pride.

So, let’s make the most of it.

There isn’t a whole lot that individual Canadians can do to combat punishing tariffs or threats of annexation, but one thing that is totally within our control, one way we can fight back against destructive outside forces, is to uphold and cherish the Grey Cup as the unique aspect of sporting Canadiana that it is.

Providence women’s volleyball prepping for nationals

Providence University College’s women’s volleyball team knows where their season will end, but the path they take to get there is still up in the air.

The Pilots are the hosts of the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association national championships, after the men’s team hosted last year in Niverville.

Head coach Kyle Guenther will lead an experienced team, ready to make some noise at the national level. The host team is granted an automatic berth in nationals, but Providence is aiming to qualify directly by winning the province, for a better seed and more momentum.

Guenther said Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference women’s volleyball has taken a step up this year.

Volleyball zone banners handed out across region

The first banners of the high school volleyball season were handed out Nov. 5, as athletes across the province look to add to their school’s gym walls.

The Zone 13 A and AA varsity championships were held last week, with four different schools winning their respective championships.

There was a bit of an upset at the AA girls level, as the St Joachim Braves took down top-ranked Gabrielle-Roy in Lac du Bonnet.

The Gabrielle-Roy Les Roys were second in the provincial top 10 rankings heading into the championships, with St Joachim not even ranked. The Braves took out 10th rated Landmark just to make the semi-finals, where they defeated the hosts.

Carillon Sports Second Shots: Nov. 6th edition

Featuring photos from a Steinbach Regional Sabres hockey action Oct. 29, Zone 13 girls varsity volleyball games in St Pierre Oct. 29, Providence Pilots volleyball matches in Niverville Oct. 31, Winnipeg High School Football League playoff action from Princess Auto Stadium Oct. 30, WHL action from Brandon Nov. 1 and an MJHL game between Niverville and Dauphin Nov. 2.