2025: The year in local sports – West edition

West Winnipeg

Sanford

Portage la Prairie

Vincent Massey wins AAAA provincial hockey championship

The Vincent Massey Trojans captured the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association’s AAAA varsity boys’ provincial hockey championship on March 17 with a 3-2 victory in the final over the River East Kodiaks at Seven Oaks Arena.

Vincent Massey were also the top team in the Winnipeg High School Hockey League’s Platinum Promotions Division, beating the Westwood Warriors in the league final in two straight games of the best-of-three final, marking the first boys hockey championship for the Fort Garry-based school.

Garden City crowned co-ed curling champions

Garden City Collegiate won the provincial high school co-ed curling championship in Virden, Man., on Feb. 15. The team went 3-2 in round robin play before winning four straight, including the final against Baldur 5-2, to win the championship.

Sabres, Saints win MWHSHL championships

The Sanford Sabres and the Portage Collegiate Institute Saints were the champions of their respective MWHSHL divisions in March.

The teams, both based west of Winnipeg, won the Manitoba Women’s High School Hockey League’s Division 2 and 3 titles, respectively.

Sanford beat Selkirk Royals 2-1 in the best-of-three final series in the second division, while Portage beat Dakota Collegiate by the same margin in the third division.

Vincent Massey wins AAAA varsity girls’ basketball championship

The Vincent Massey Trojans beat the Dakota Lancers 76-44 in the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association’s AAAA varsity girls’ championship game on March 24 at the Investors Group Athletic Centre on the University of Manitoba’s Fort Garry campus.

Sturgeon Heights boys, girls win lacrosse championships

This spring, the Huskies won both the Winnipeg High School Field Lacrosse League’s Men’s Division 1 title, as well as the Women’s Division 1 title. For the boys’ varsity team, it was the Huskies third championship in the past four years, while the girls’ varsity team went through the season undefeated in 11 games.

“It’s such a fun atmosphere, a great group of guys,” said Kevin Hilder, head coach of the Huskies boys’ varsity squad. “If you would have asked me at the start of the year if we would have won, I wouldn’t have known what to tell you.”

“I don’t think that was our expectation when the season started, but it was amazing to see all the work these girls put in,” said Grant Watson, who has been coaching the girls’ lacrosse team at Sturgeon Heights since its inception in 2022. “I wouldn’t describe us as the most flashy team in the league … We really play a whole team game, with a lot of depths, which is what I credit with a lot of our success.”

Garden City top of high school baseball team in province — again

The Garden City Gophers won the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association provincial baseball championship on May 30, defeating the Steinbach Regional Sabres 13-1 at Stonewall Quarry Park.

The championship marks the third in the last four years for the Gophers, after winning in 2022 and 2023. Last year, the team lost in the final 3-2 to the Garden Valley Zodiacs.

Team Manitoba brings home 34 medals from Canada Summer Games

Team Manitoba wrapped up the 2025 Canada Summer Games with 34 medals — 12 gold, 10 silver, and 12 bronze — on Aug. 24 in St. John’s, N.L.

At the closing ceremonies, Soren Weselake, a road and mountain bike cyclist from Portage la Prairie, Man., carried the flag for Manitoba. Weselake won a bronze in the men’s individual time trial, and a gold in men’s cross country.

Oak Park crowned high school, JV football champs

The Winnipeg High School Football League’s AAAA Tier 1 final between the Dakota Lancers and Oak Park Raiders was held on Nov. 6 at Princess Auto Stadium, with Oak Park earning the championship banner with a 22-17 win over Dakota. Earlier in the week, Oak Park also won the junior varsity 12-man crown with a 48-21 decision over Dakota. Meanwhile, St. Norbert defeated Dryden 10-0 to win the AAA division crown, also on Nov. 6 at Princess Auto Stadium.

Westside schools clean up at high school, middle years water polo championship

The Manitoba Water Polo Association’s school league champions were crowned following an intense weekend of playoff and final action on Nov. 29 and 30.

“It was a very exciting weekend of water polo,” said Lisa Cupples, past-president of the MWPA.

In the end, St. Mary’s Academy won the girls’ high school championship, Vincent Massey took home the boys’ high school title, and teams from École Viscount Alexander were the middle school winners and runners-up.

Boxing Canada’s 2025 Elite National Championships hosted in Winnipeg

This year’s edition of Boxing Manitoba’s Elite National Championship was hosted at the Sport Manitoba building, the first to be held in Winnipeg in 30 years.

In total, 16 Manitobans took part, including Eric Marshall, a Métis boxer in the light-heavyweight class. Marshall is also the brain behind Northern Springers — when he wasn’t training at his home base, United Boxing Club, the 35-year-old built motorcycles.

“As a competitor, your goal is to do the best you can and win, yeah? The reality of it is, for me, it’s my hometown — I’m gonna go and enjoy every moment of it,” he had said.

St. Paul’s wins AAAA boys’ volleyball provincial title

On Dec. 1, St. Paul’s High School’s Crusaders cruised past Dakota Collegiate’s Lancers in straight sets (25-14; 25-19; 25-18), behind 6-7 hitter Liam Mancer’s 18 kills to win the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association’s AAAA provincial boys’ title. On the girls side, Brandon’s Vincent Massey Vikings took home the championship for a second consecutive year.