AS I SEE IT COLUMN: Our Olympic curlers have tarnished Canada’s reputation

Curling used to be noted for being a gentleman and gentlewoman’s game. Canadians used to be known for being polite.

That changed last week when both Canada’s women’s and men’s curling teams got embroiled in a curling controversy that made headlines – all of which made Canada look terrible – around the world.

First the men, where it all started. By now you know that Sweden accused Team Canada of “double-touching” a stone. According to curling rules, once you remove your hand from the rock’s handle, you cannot touch the rock again.

Immediately upon being accused of double-touching, Canada’s Marc Kennedy instantly, without showing any fuse or any ability to check his emotions, started throwing f-bombs at the Swedes.

Providence Pilots soar to championship on home court

System basketball at Providence College is here to stay.

The school clinched a Manitoba Colleges Athletic Association championship on their home court at the Niverville Resource and Rec Centre Feb. 15, defeating Canadian Mennonite University 69-58 to cap off an undefeated MCAC season.

Kendall Perpal, who took over for now-athletic director Joel Coursey has put his own twist on what the school calls system basketball, with the team cycling through hockey-style line changes every couple minutes.

With offense hard to come by in the final quarter, Perpall mixed up those lines, putting out a group of more veteran players who rose to the occasion to close out the victory. The Pilots didn’t hit a field goal until more than six minutes into the final frame, relying on a couple foul shots and their strong defense to close out a feisty CMU squad.

Puck drops for playoffs across the region

Playoff hockey has kicked off across the region, with the Steinbach Regional Secondary School Sabres starting the marathon of games Feb. 11 when they started their first round series in the Winnipeg High School Hockey League

The first round of the Platinum Promotions division playoffs in the WHSHL was absolute chaos.

While fourth seed Steinbach Regional and fifth seed Collège Jeanne-Sauvé made quick work of their opponents, the three other preliminary round series saw the lower seed defeating the higher one.

The top three seeds got a first round bye, with Steinbach playing CJS in the quarterfinals. Game one was at the Southeast Event Centre after press time Feb. 18.

Carillon Sports 2nd Shots: Feb. 12th edition

Featuring Steinbach Pistons and SRSS Sabres games Feb. 4, Eastman Selects game Feb. 5, Providence Pilots basketball games Feb. 13, and an SEMHL game in Ile des Chenes Feb. 14.

Ewasko’s ice shining on Olympic stage

Greg Ewasko felt a rush of emotions Wednesday evening as the first rocks slid down the pebbled ice he helped create, officially ushering in the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Pride. Relief. A brief moment of horror when a power outage plunged the venue into darkness. And, beneath it all, a deep sadness over what could have — and should have — been.

The Oakbank product had spent years imagining this day alongside his wife, Monique. Together, they mapped out what their first Olympic Games would look like. But not long after Ewasko received the call he’d dreamed of in the fall of 2023 — the World Curling Federation wanted him as an ice maker — Monique died of cancer.

“We didn’t really get to celebrate it,” he told the Winnipeg Free Press, his voice cracking.

SCI rink reaches schoolgirls final

While the SCI Sabres hockey team managed to win only one of three games in a tournament at Copper Cliff, Ontario, Sharon Dyck and her curling foursome went on a winning streak to give their school its best representation ever at the provincial schoolgirls’ curling championships in Winnipeg during the Christmas holidays.

Dyck and third, Marj Mooney, second Pat Guenther, and lead Donna Armstrong came within two wins of capturing provincial honors at the 94-rink bonspiel. Dyck’s rink reached the finals of the premier A&W event, before bowing to last year’s champs, the Pidzarko rink from Rossmere.

Even the final game was close, until Chris Pidzarko cracked a three on the seventh end and stole singles in the eighth and ninth to put the game out of reach for the Steinbach foursome.

By reaching the finals of the first event, Dyck got a second shot at the provincial honors in a playoff involving the three trophy winners.

DANKOCHIK’S DRAFTINGS: The calm before the playoff storm

This is the last edition of The Carillon without coverage of hockey playoffs, as the final regular season games in high school, senior and in the Hanover Tache Junior Hockey League finished up this weekend.

From these games, it’s an all-out sprint until the end of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, as I try and attend as many post-season games as I can. Hockey is a post-season sport, and that means extra effort has to be made during this time of year, especially with the Providence Pilots volleyball and basketball finals taking place this time as well.

Here are some story-lines I’m keeping a close eye on as we hit the busiest part of my year.

The Hanover-Tache Junior Hockey League won’t have an undefeated season after the Macdonald Swarm fell in shocking fashion to ninth-place East St Paul last week. The Swarm should still be the favourite to win the league.

Perpall aiming for first banner as Pilots coach this weekend

For the first time in a while, the Providence Pilots will get to play for a women’s basketball banner on their home court, as the team is set to host Canadian Mennonite University Feb. 15 for the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference championship.

The Pilots are 14-3 across all competitions this season, including a perfect record over their Manitoban opponents.

Head coach Kendall Perpall is hoping to win his first championship game, after taking over from now-athletic director Joel Coursey.

The MCAC changed formats last season, awarding hosting rights during the final to the top team in the standings instead of it rotating between schools. Earning those hosting rights is a point of pride for the team.

Ile des Chenes North Stars shooting high in SEMHL playoffs

The Ile des Chenes North Stars certainly made an impression heading into the South East Manitoba Hockey League playoffs.

With third place in the league standings up for grabs, they crushed the Red River Wild 11-1 on home ice, clinching the spot ahead of their former Carillon League rivals.

The Wild had played the night before, with the North Stars jumping all over their opposition early to put away any doubts on the result.

“What a performance,” head coach Mike Martens said.

Assistant captain Larocque helps Team Canada at Olympics

Team Canada’s quest to defend their women’s hockey Olympic gold medal had to be postponed, after a norovirus (stomach flu) ripped through Team Finland, their first scheduled opponent.

Canada, with Ste Anne’s Jocelyne Larocque serving as an assistant captain, instead opened with a dominating 4-0 win over Switzerland Feb. 7 and a 5-1 victory over Czechia Feb. 9. The team was shut out for the first time at the Olympics by the United States Feb. 10, losing 5-0.

Canada’s chances of a gold medal took a massive hit against favourites U.S.A. The team was roundly out-played, taking their most lopsided loss at the Olympics in team history. Canada was also swept in the a four-game pre-Olympics exhibition series against the Americans.

“We just didn’t play very well at all. Irresponsible with the puck, like just poor puck management. And it’s not that there’s not confidence, but we played like we didn’t have confidence with the puck,” head coach Troy Ryan said after the game against The States.

SRSS Sabres hockey finish winningest regular season in program history

While the Steinbach Regional Secondary School Sabres came up one game short of earning a first-round playoff bye, head coach John Laninga has them aiming high.

The team is going into the playoffs having given up the second-fewest goals of any team in the top division of the Winnipeg High School Hockey League, setting new program highs for wins in a regular season.

Laninga said the team isn’t resting on that heading into the playoffs.

“I think if you talk to anyone in that locker room, they’re not completely satisfied,” Laninga said after the team’s final regular season game of the season against St Paul’s Feb. 4.

Carillon Sports Second Shots: Feb. 5th edition

Featuring photos from a Steinbach Pistons game against Winkler Jan. 27, an Eastman Selects U18 AAA game Jan. 30, Zone 13 basketball in Niverville Jan. 28, MCAC futsal games in Otterburne Jan. 29 and a Steinbach Huskies game Feb. 1.

Niverville ready to host best college volleyball teams again

By all accounts the 2025 men’s volleyball Canadian Colleges Athletic Association national championships were a success, but organizers are hoping for an even better experience for fans, players and officials this season.

Providence College will once again welcome the rest of the country, as the school and the Niverville Resource and Recreation Centre hosts the CCAA women’s national championships next month.

“There’s always a little bit of anxiety with a big event like that, all the pieces have to come together, but having done it once before, we’re so much further ahead,” tournament director Chris Koop said.

“We’re excited to host the nation.”

Prairie Premier League set for spring launch

A new era of soccer in Manitoba will begin this spring.

The Manitoba and Saskatchewan Soccer Associations announced Jan. 27 the launch of the Prairie Premier League, a high-level amateur league that aims to fill the gap between the professional and club ranks.

Other provinces have similar leagues, with League 1 Ontario and Quebec joined by leagues in Alberta and B.C. in the past couple years.

The non-Quebec leagues in the same tier as the PPL will be re-branding to “premier” leagues as well starting this season as well. “It’s been needed in both of our provinces,” MSA executive director Héctor Vergara said in a Winnipeg Free Press interview.