Eastman Wildcats celebrate strong showing at nationals

The Eastman Wildcats certainly can hold their heads high after some strong results at the U15 and U17 national championships.

The U15 team had a 3-1 record in pool play, and eventually losing out to the eventual national champion Coverdale Fury 1-0 in the knockouts.

“Offensively, we battled against some of the best pitchers in the country — pitchers we rarely have the opportunity to face back home,” a social media post recapping the tournament reads.

“Our girls continually picked each other up. If one player struck out, the next found a way to get on base. They competed every inning and never stopped believing in one another. Defensively, we were outstanding. Our girls played smart, stayed composed, and never backed down from any challenge.”

Sultans aiming high at 22U national championships

One year after winning a bronze medal at nationals and a couple days after clinching back-to-back-to-back Manitoba Junior Baseball League championships, the Carillon Sultans were preparing to take on the best baseball teams from across the country once again.

The Sultans have high expectations for themselves at the 22U Baseball Canada National Championships, hosted near Windsor, Ont., this year.

A deep roster boasts experience from last year’s national championship and other, younger national tournaments, with head coach Don Meilleur saying the team is aiming to improve on last year’s third-place finish.

“There’re very confident,” Meilleur said in a phone interview with The Carillon July 30.

Carillon Sports Second Shots: July 30th edition

Featuring photos from the Manitoba Junior Baseball League finals and a couple Hanover soccer Manitoba Major Soccer League games at the Steinbach Soccer Park July 22 and 27.

Pistons and Nighthawks add experienced local staff

Both of the region’s Manitoba Junior Hockey League franchises announced new staff hires this week, adding some great local experience to their organizations.

The Niverville Nighthawks added longtime Eastman Selects coach Gerald Tetrault as an assistant coach. Tetrault had been coaching the U15 AAA Eastman Selects and also runs the Eastman High Performance Centre and GT Hockey.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for so many Eastman players,” a social media post from the Eastman Selects reads.

“We’ll miss having you around, but we’re excited to see you take on this new chapter with the Nighthawks.”

Oakbank’s Kati Tabin brings PWHL championship trophy home

Starstruck kids and fans zigzagged throughout the rink, anxiously waiting to get an autograph from Kati Tabin and to see their role model on the same side of the glass.

Tabin, Montreal Victoire defender and Team Canada silver medallist came home to the rink where it all began, the Oakbank Community Club, July 25. She brought the PWHL championship trophy, the Walter Cup as well as her 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic medal.

The arena was packed to the brim with fans from all over the region coming to see Tabin — the local player who made history in women’s hockey. Hundreds of enthusiasts of all ages lined up with their Victoire or Team Canada merchandise, some waiting over two hours to see their idol.

Eight-year-old Loxley Cierzan came with her mother, Ainsley, and other family members to meet the one and only Tabin. Cierzan has loved seeing other girls grace the ice and play the competitive sport she adores. When the PWHL takeover stopped in Winnipeg in March, she not only got to watch the game but also a practice beforehand where Tabin signed her Victoire hat.

Sports Flashback 1995: Niverville quad athlete inspires

In 1992, Jared Funk, in his final year of high school at Niverville Collegiate, was one of the starting six on the Niverville Panthers volleyball team.

Today, more than three years later, the 21-year-old young man is an inspiration to all who come in contact with him.

Funk graduated from high school in June, 1992. Two months later, on September 2, 1992, his life changed forever. He is now a quadriplegic after a car accident in Winnipeg.

A passenger in the car that was struck by another vehicle on Pembina Highway, he was the only one injured.

Dubinsky commits to University of Manitoba

Austin Dubinsky is staying in Manitoba.

The 2005-born goaltender from Ardrossan, Alta. announced he was continuing his hockey career with the University of Manitoba, joining his Turnbull and Centennial Cup-winning teammate Hayden Wheddon on the Bisons.

“We are excited to add Austin to our program. He brings championship pedigree to the Bisons,” U of M head coach Gordon Burnett said in a news release.

“Austin is a very athletic goaltender that competes on every puck. Adding Austin gives us three goaltenders that can compete for the net and push each other every day to get better.”

Penner gets assist from 7-year-old son in Mid-Amateur win

Doug Penner had the benefit of experience on his side, and yet it was his far less seasoned caddy whom he credited for helping him capture the Golf Manitoba Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Quarry Oaks on Wednesday.

The Steinbach local’s tournament-low seven-under 65 in the final round to win by a pair of strokes was aided by his seven-year-old son, Liam, whose young eyes helped his father read some tricky greens as they enjoyed a high-stakes day on the links together.

“Surprisingly, he calms me down, gets me into the zone and made some good reads,” said Penner, who grew up playing at Quarry Oaks and now golfs out of the Steinbach Fly-In. “He helped quite a bit. He’s only seven, but he’s into golf, and he knows the game, so very special having him on the bag.”

The tournament was scheduled to take place in Gilbert Plains, but massive flooding forced a change to Quarry Oaks. That was a benefit for Penner, the former golf professional at La Broquerie Golf Course who grew up playing at Quarry and now owns Doener Grill Express.

Carillon Sultans cement MJBL dynasty

For the third consecutive season, the Carillon Sultans lifted the Darryl Steen Trophy as champions of the Manitoba Junior Baseball League.

The Sultans dominated the Elmwood Giants in the final, winning all three games in abbreviated fashion with mercy rule victories to claim the best-of-five series, including the 12-2 series clincher in Steinbach at A.D. Penner Park July 28.

All nine Carillon players in the line-up recorded at least one hit, with leadoff hitter Joe Plett knocking in a two-run single to give the Sultans a 10-run advantage in the bottom of the sixth inning.

“We wanted to make sure we finish tonight and everyone came through and did what they had to do,” head coach Don Meilleur said.

Carillon Sports Second Shots: July 23rd edition

Featuring photos from the football Canada Cup July 14, a U15 AAA Carillon Sultans game in Ile des Chenes July 15, a Hanover Kickers game July 17 a softball tournament at AD Penner Park July 19 and game three and of the MJBL semi-finals in Steinbach/St Boniface July 19/21.

Pistons add defenseman and goalie via trade

The Steinbach Pistons have bolstered their depth via an in-league trade.

The Dauphin Kings announced July 19 they were sending 2007-born defensesman Gavin Haslam to Steinbach in exchange for a player development fee.

Haslam is a 2007-born defender from Etobicoke, Ont. who scored 14 points across 39 regular season appearances for the Kings last season.

“Gavin is someone we had watched prior to last season and considered recruiting at that point,” Pistons head coach and general manager Paul Dyck said.

Nighthawks add defenders with championship pedigree

Mike McAulay is having a busy summer. The Niverville Nighthawks are the only team in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League to have a single person as their general manager, and McAulay is showing that worth, adding a pair of defensemen to make up for some veteran losses on the back-end.

Already filled with veterans of their Turnbull Cup and Centennial Cup championship runs, the team has added a pair of Minnesota High School champions to their ranks.

First, the Nighthawks acquired 2006-born defenseman Cole Bies. The East Grand Forks product played last season with the St Cloud Norsemen in the North American Hockey League.

In the 2024/2025 season, Bies suited up for his hometown East Grand Forks High School, leading them to a shocking state championship run. The fourth-seeded Green Wave defeated St Cloud Cathedral inside the Xcel Energy Centre, the home of the Minnesota Wild to hoist the banner.

SPORTS FLASHBACK 2012: Grunthal dragster sets new Canadian speed record

Grunthal drag racer Cliff Blatz and his race team continue to lay down rubber while making waves in the North American drag racing circuit.

As the team prepares for races in Topeka, Kansas this weekend, they are savoring their monumental victory at Cordova Dragway Park in Illinois, two weeks ago.

Bakx got into drag racing about seven years ago with his Wild Cow Racing Team, and now is enjoying considerable success on both sides of the border.

But the nitro injected The Bull they are running now is a whole new animal, according to Bakx. With the 3,500 horsepower dragster, the Bakx racing team set a new Canadian record for a Top Alcohol Dragster at Mission, BC, earlier this summer, as they hit 271 mph (about 430 kmh) in a quarter-mile.

CFL rule changes take centre stage this week

It took a while for the CFL rule changes to be felt, but they certainly were on display this week.

On Saturday night, the Toronto Argonauts were denied a rouge (single point) for a missed field goal on the final play of the game which would have tied their game against Hamilton.

The next night the Winnipeg Blue Bombers avoided a scare from the winless Ottawa Redblacks, going to an overtime two-point conversion shootout after the first two mini-games resulted in two field goals each.

Let’s tackle the alternating two-point converts first. I’m someone who is absolutely fine with a tie in the regular season. In my opinion, if two teams tie after a 60-minute game, don’t even go to overtime, just call it a draw and move on.