City referees London-bound for volleyball duty

VOLLEYBALL officials Mitch Davidson and Darryl Friesen of Winnipeg will travel to London for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Davidson will work as a referee on the indoor court while and Friesen will see duty as a referee in beach volleyball.

For Davidson, who also officiated at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, this will be his second and final Olympic assignment as a referee. He turns 55 this year, which is the age limit for referees in international competition.

Friesen, a 44-year-old firefighter, is headed to his fourth Games as a beach volleyball referee since the sport made its debut in 1996.

z Kevin Geyson of Winnipeg's Revolution Diving Club has been selected to Canada's diving team which will compete at the first Grand Prix of the season on Feb. 10-12 at Rostock, Germany.

Revolution coach Dallas Ludwick has also been selected to the Canadian coaching staff for the international event.

z The 2011-2012 MHSAA Provincial High School Curling Championships will be held Thursday through Sunday at Swan Lake and Pilot Mound.

There will be 16 girls' and 16 boys' teams vying for the titles with the first draw beginning on Thursday at 10 a.m.

z The Prairie Blaze, paced by a pair of goals by Nicole Fiks, won its second Lieutenant Governor's Tournament Trophy on Sunday at the Manitoba Women's Junior Hockey League's fifth annual tournament.

Backstopped by goaltender Amanda Schubert, called up from the Winnipeg Avros of the Manitoba Female AAA Midget Hockey League, the Blaze defeated the Western Predators 4-3 at the MTS Iceplex.

z Forward Jessica Kaminsky of the Pembina Valley Hawks has been selected player of the week in the Manitoba Female (AAA) Midget Hockey League after the La Salle native recorded 10 points in three games last week.

z In the Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League, the DEKALB East division player of the week is Drake Bodie of the Norman Northstars who tallied six points in three games last week.

There were no nominees for the Chicken Chef West division player of the week.

z Rachel Burtnyk of the West Kildonan Wolverines girls' curling team and Brett Levandoski of the Neepawa Tigers boys' hockey team are the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association athletes of the week.

Burtnyk, named the Home Run Sports urban high school athlete of the week, made a great final shot to skip her team to the Kildonan Peguis Athletic Conference Championship and helped earn her team a berth in the 2012 Provincial High School Curling Championships.

Levandoski, a Grade 12 forward who was named the Tri-Star Rural High School athlete of the week, won the A/AA hockey league scoring title with 23 goals and 40 assists for 63 points and was chosen as a league all-star.

z Chapen Leblond, the captain of the Winkler Flyers has been named the Manitoba Junior Hockey League player of the week after the 20-year-old native of Terrace, B.C. recorded 11 points in three games last week.

z Addie Miles, a forward/defence with the women's hockey team, and Blair Macaulay, a forward with the men's hockey team, have been named the Bisons Smitty's athletes of the week.

Miles, the fifth-year Bisons captain, scored four goals last weekend for the Bisons (12-7-3) on the road as the team kept its playoff hopes alive with a sweep of the UBC Thunderbirds.

Macaulay, a third-year forward, scored three goals at home last weekend to help the Bisons record a pair of come-from-behind victories over the UBC Thunderbirds.

The Bisons men are ranked No. 4 in Canada and sit first in the Canada West conference with a 17-5-2 record.

-- Ashley Prest

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 8, 2012 D6