A lion of a twin threat Vayda Rigaux dethrones sister Delainey as top women’s high school hockey player By: Joshua Frey-Sam Posted: 4:34 PM CDT Tuesday, Mar. 18, 2025 Last Modified: 7:59 AM CDT Wednesday, Mar. 19, 2025 Updates

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Delainey or Vayda Rigaux — take your pick.

The Glenlawn Lions are fortunate they don’t have to.

There hasn’t been a wrong answer between the 16-year-old identical twin sisters, who have continued to torch the Manitoba Women’s High School Hockey League this winter.

Delainey, a right-handed forward, led all players with 34 goals and 53 points during the regular season, while Vayda, a left-shooting blue liner, was a close second with 48 points. It’s the second year in a row that the Grade 11 sisters have gone 1-2 in the league’s scoring race.

Between their time in the MWHSHL and the Manitoba Female Hockey League U18 AAA division, the Rigauxs have left zero doubt about where they stand among the top talents in the province.

Vayda was named the top player in the Free Press’ annual coaches poll of the top 10 high school players, leaping her sister, who checked in at No. 2 on the list after receiving the highest recognition last season.

Lions co-head coach Brad Nechwediuk, who bosses the bench with their uncle, Dean Rigaux, has continued to be impressed by what he’s seen in the twins’ development.

“Vayda is one of the best (on) defence for her age in the province,” Nechwediuk said. “Delainey has had this slow growth. (She) has been climbing and climbing and climbing to where she is scoring at the next level. Her success at the next level is not far off what she would experience in high school.”

Delainey beat last year’s goal total by one this season.

“She just knows where to go, and then she also has the ability to do it herself,” Nechwediuk added. “(She) is slowly working herself up to be one of the best in the province.”

Not everyone viewed the twins the same, however. They’ve played with the Eastman Selects in AAA this season after being among the first cuts at tryouts for Winnipeg teams for the second straight year.

“The first year we got cut, we weren’t too upset about it. The second year was definitely harder because it’s like, ‘What are (we) doing wrong?’” said Vayda.

“It does kind of put a damper on how you see yourself as a player, but then you just look at it as motivation to do better and make it seem like you should’ve been on that team.”

Vayda set a new single-season points record for a defencemen in the MFHL with 41 points (12 goals, 29 assists), while Delainey ranked third among all players with 27 goals, and seventh overall with 43 points across 38 contests with the Selects.

“You just work harder, put in more effort, train with more intensity just so that you can prove to yourself maybe we could’ve been on that team. But either way, we ended up in a great spot,” Vayda added.

“The team we’re on now is a great fit for us and (we) can’t imagine it any other way.”

The Selects, who finished first in the MFHL during the regular season, begin the best-of-five championship series against the Winnipeg Avros Tuesday evening.

Earlier in the day, Glenlawn began its best-of-three championship series against the Collège Jeanne-Sauvé Olympiens. The Lions are seeking its first league title in program history.

“Vayda’s ability to see the game and see the ice, nobody makes stretch passes like she does, and nobody shoots the puck on the blue line like she does,” said Nechwediuk.

“The development of Delainey has been her ability to control the puck more. Last year, she was a puck controller and that’s how she scored, but her ability to protect the puck in the offensive zone or to carry it out of the (defensive) zone is one of her strengths. She’s got a very hard shot. She kind of maintained what she was doing, Vayda has brought it to the next level with her goal scoring.”

The sisters are often on the ice together, as they have been for much of their hockey careers. They have what Nechwediuk called a “sixth sense” for where each other is at any given time.

“It’s always been there,” said Delainey.

“I guess, the more we play together, the more it is there. But when we’re on the ice together, we just know where each other are and we work very well together, and we just see each other. We know what to do because we kind of know what each other’s thinking almost.”

The Rigauxs are already being recruited to play university hockey.

For a long time, they were set on continuing to play together at the next level — which is still a possibility — but now understand that nothing is guaranteed the further they go.

“It would be nice to stay together, but if it comes to having to separate, I think we’re okay with that too,” Vayda said.

No matter where they go or what they do, the sisters have done an excellent job at staying focused on whatever is the task at hand. This week, it’s bringing a championship to two different programs.

Nechwediuk said their determination for success shines through in their leadership.

“Vayda’s more vocal. She’s just a little more dialled in all the time on what’s going on, whereas Delainey leads from a more in-front of you kind of thing. Their personalities are definitely different, and Lainey’s a little more laid back, but their commitment to the team, even when they’re playing on another team, they are committed to high school hockey,” said Nechwediuk.

“Their hearts are with Glenlawn. They want to win. The two of them will do anything for the team to win, and that was right from the beginning.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca