Sports – Our Communities

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The Louis-Riel Voyageurs are the 2025-26 Winnipeg High School Hockey League Winnipeg Free Press Division champions. The team lost just one game all season.

Voyageurs victorious

Sheldon Birnie STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Yesterday at 2:01 AM CDT

The Collège Louis-Riel Voyageurs capped off a near perfect season in fine fashion.

Two powerhouse squads from southeast Winnipeg faced off in the championship series last week when the Voyageurs took on the Dakota Collegiate Lancers. On March 11, Riel won the Winnipeg High School Hockey League’s Winnipeg Free Press Division championship in two straight games.

“It’s really rewarding for the boys, above anything,” said coach Justin Buissé-Laroche. “It was a great season overall.”

CLR won the first game of the final 4-3 in overtime at Seven Oaks Sportsplex on March 9. Luka Tetrault and John-Thomas Cavell scored in the first to give the Voyageurs a 2-0 lead, but Dakota struck back with three quick goals from Triton Joudrey, Ivan Kuschev, and Cruz Agostino (on the power play) in the second period to take the lead. Riel’s Tristan Sabourin tied the game with less than a minute left in the second, and a scoreless third led to overtime. Jesse Trager scored the game winner, on the power play, near the midway mark of the overtime period.

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A host of upcoming hall inductions

T. Kent Morgan 4 minute read Preview

A host of upcoming hall inductions

T. Kent Morgan 4 minute read Yesterday at 2:00 AM CDT

A long list of Manitoba athletes, builders and teams will be honoured between May 2 and 5. Over the four-day period, the provincial softball, curling and golf halls of fame will hold their annual induction ceremonies.

The 23rd induction ceremony of the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame is scheduled for Saturday, May 2, at the Victoria Inn and Conference Centre in Brandon. The Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame will induct its 2026 class on Sunday, May 3, at the Victoria Inn in Winnipeg. The Pine Ridge Golf and Country Club will be where the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame inducts its 2025 group of honourees on Tuesday, May 5.

The 2026 softball class includes Al Norris and Dave Saulnier, who played the outfield for the Winnipeg Colonels, who won the first Western Major Fastball League championships in 1973. In addition to captaining the Colonels, Norris played on other senior A championships teams in Manitoba before relocating to Calgary in the 1980s, where he coached and managed. Saulnier switched to slo-pitch where he played for Beavers, who dominated the sport for many years.

An infielder, Brian Gadsby played fastball for many seasons, winning a senior A provincial title with the Steinbach A&W Stealers. In slo-pitch, he played for a SPN National 60+ champion and won three silver medals with the Manitoba Keystone Canucks at the Huntsman World Championships in Utah. Dean Fuller from Boissevain caught for the Minto Mustangs and Winnipeg Penguins for 11 seasons, winning provincial intermediate A and senior B titles. James Mann was an outstanding outfielder in Brandon fastball for 20 seasons, then switched to slo-pitch in his early 60s and played until he was 76.

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Yesterday at 2:00 AM CDT

Free Press file photo
The Manitoba team that won the 2008 Canadian junior women’s curling championship will be inducted into the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame in May. They are (from left) skip Kaitlyn Lawes, third Jenna Loder, second Liz Peters and lead Sarah Wazney, pictured with their medals after landing at home in Winnipeg.

Sports in brief — week of March 18, 2026

FP Community Review staff 2 minute read Yesterday at 2:00 AM CDT

MMJHL playoffs underway

The Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League wrapped up its 45-game regular season last week.

The Transcona Railer Express finished at the top of the 10-team league with a 36-7-1 record, good for 73 points. Meanwhile, the St. Vital Victorias and the Pembina Valley Twisters finished at the bottom of the league, failing to qualify for the playoffs, which started March 12.

In the quarter-final round, top-ranked Transcona faces the eighth-place Raiders Junior Hockey Club, second-place St. Boniface Riels face seventh-place Fort Garry/Fort Rouge Twins, third-place Stonewall Jets face the sixth-place River East Royal Knights, and the fourth-place St. James Junior Canucks take on the fifth-place Charleswood Hawks. Results from the weekend’s opening matches were not available at press time.

High school hockey playoffs heating up

FP Community Review staff 4 minute read Preview

High school hockey playoffs heating up

FP Community Review staff 4 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 11, 2026

Winnipeg

High school hockey playoffs heating up

High school hockey players across Winnipeg and beyond are deep into playoff action.

The Winnipeg High School Hockey League’s top Platinum Promotions division wrapped up its championship series last week, with the Oak Park Raiders prevailing over the Vincent Massey Trojans in the best-of-three final. The two teams finished at the top of the regular season standings before blazing through the playoffs.

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Wednesday, Mar. 11, 2026

Free Press file photo
College Jeanne-Sauvé Olympiens (in white) took on Steinbach Regional Sabres in recent high school hockey playoff action.

Young Marauder makes an impression

Troy Westwood 3 minute read Preview

Young Marauder makes an impression

Troy Westwood 3 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 11, 2026

Andrey Yamborko is a 17-year-old Grade 12 student and basketball player at Maples Collegiate.

He is a well-rounded athlete, but his focus now is playing basketball for the Maples Marauders, the third-ranked team in the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association’s AAAA varsity boys rankings.

“I love basketball because it is very fun and lets me get away from anything that could be going wrong in my life,” he said. “I play wing primarily and also play guard. Playing wing allows me to make a lot of off-the-ball reads and also crash the glass while spacing the floor, which I like doing most.”

Andrey was named the MHSAA male athlete of the week on Feb. 25, for his exploits leading the Maples attack. The Marauders are enjoying a successful year, finishing Maples second in the Nick Laping tournament, second in the St. Vital Invitational, third in the Maples Invitational, and third in the Bedford Road Invitational in Saskatoon, Sask.

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Wednesday, Mar. 11, 2026

Supplied photo
Andrey Yamborko is one of on-court leaders of the Maples Marauders AAAA varsity boys basketball team.

Manitoba a hotbed of goaltending greats

T. Kent Morgan 4 minute read Preview

Manitoba a hotbed of goaltending greats

T. Kent Morgan 4 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2026

In our last Memories of Sport column, which featured Jimmy Foster, the goaltender who led Great Britain to hockey gold in the 1936 Winter Olympics, there was a comment that Manitoba had been blessed with many outstanding goalies. Charlie Gardiner, Sugar Jim Henry, Terry Sawchuk, Brandon-born Turk Broda and Ed Belfour, from Carman, were named as examples.

The Manitoba Hockey Players Foundation was formed in 1967 as an umbrella organization for hockey-oriented people such as former players, officials, coaches and fans. Over the years, the foundation has supported ex-players in need, as well as scholarships and charities. In 1985, the foundation formed the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum to preserve and promote our province’s hockey heritage. Sam Fabro was the first chairman.

On Oct. 13, 1985, the first class of inductees was named. The group included Manitobans who had been inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame. The goalies were Gardiner, Broda, Sawchuk and Charlie Rayner, who played for the Kenora Thistles in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and won the NHL MVP award in 1949-50 with the New York Rangers.

Sugar Jim, who shared the Rangers net with Rayner for three seasons of his NHL career, was inducted in the initial Manitoba Hall of Fame group. Gordon Bell, Wilf Cude, and Paul Goodman were the other goalies. Bell helped the Portage Terriers win the 1942 Canadian junior championship and had a lengthy pro career, primarily in the AHL. Cude played junior for St. Vital and spent 10 years in the NHL from 1930 to 1940 with five different teams. Goodman played junior in Selkirk and won a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1938.

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Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2026

File photo
Brandon-born Bill Ranford backstopped the Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup in 1990.

Top volleyballers earn Iwanoczko scholarships

FP Community Review staff 1 minute read Preview

Top volleyballers earn Iwanoczko scholarships

FP Community Review staff 1 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2026

Top volleyballers earn Iwanoczko scholarships

Transcona

The Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association and Volleyball Manitoba announced the 2026 recipients of the Dr. Dale Iwanoczko Memorial Volleyball Scholarships last week.

Gabriel Beaudin of Dauphin Regional Comprehensive Secondary School; Kaitlyn Couckuyt of Vincent Massey High School (Brandon, Man.); Céleste Pelletier of Collège Jeane-Sauvé and Elliot Smith of Miles Macdonnell Collegiate each received $1,000 for exceptional work both on and off the court.

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Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2026

Photo by John Kendle
Céleste Pelletier was setter and captain of the Collège Jeanne-Sauvé varsity girls volleyball team, which reached the MHSAA provincial final this season. She’s also a provincial champion in beach volleyball and golf, and plays goalie in hockey. She maintains a 95 per cent average and will attend Toronto Metropolitan University next year, where she will study civil engineering and play volleyball.

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Boutet, Hayward win Manitoba junior titles

FP Community Review staff 1 minute read Preview

Boutet, Hayward win Manitoba junior titles

FP Community Review staff 1 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2026

Skip Evan Boutet led his team to its second provincial title of the season when it capture the Manitoba junior men’s championship on Feb. 22 in Morris, Man.

Boutet’s rink from the Heather Curling Club, which also includes Luc Cormier, Bryce Buchel, Quinn Lagace and coach Blaine Malo, defeated Morden’s Nash Sugden 7-4 in the final, adding the junior men’s championship to the U-18 title it won earlier this year.

Shaela Hayward’s Carman foursome won the junior women’s championship for the third year in a row, defeating Cassidy Dundas of Heather 6-5 in the final. Hayward will be joined by teammates Keira Krahn, India Young, Dayna Wahl and coach Ron Westcott at the Canadian junior championships in Sudbury, Ont., next month.

Both Boutet and Sugden will represent Manitoba at the men’s tournament in Sudbury.

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Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2026

Curl Manitoba photo
Team Hayward won the Manitoba junior women’s curling championship on Feb. 22 in Morris, Man. They are (from left): Skip Shaela Hayward, third Keira Krahn, second India Young, lead Dayna Wahl and coach Ron Westcott. Hayward and Krahn won the title for the third year in a row, while it was the second in three years for Young.

Next stop: junior ball

Tony Zerucha Special to FP Community Review 3 minute read Preview

Next stop: junior ball

Tony Zerucha Special to FP Community Review 3 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2026

The Winnipeg Rifles’ latest group of player signings has head coach Geordie Wilson looking forward to training camp and the upcoming season. Several local high school stars recently committed to play with the Canadian Junior Football League club, with more names to be announced in the months ahead.

A pair of Grant Park Pirates top the list. Quarterback Alex Balasko looks to make the jump to junior in the coming season. In 2025, Balasko completed 78 of 127 passes for 1,341 yards and 10 touchdowns, while also averaged 6.4 yards per carry and scoring three touchdowns. In an October game against the Crocus Plainsmen, he threw for 377 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for a fifth.

“He’s tall, and a good athlete with good mechanics,” Wilson said. “He has the ‘it factor’.”

Balasko will have a familiar face protecting him on the offensive line. Fellow Pirate Sebastian Weisberger comes from a football family. Wilson said the young lineman has a great frame and loves to move bodies.

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Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2026

Supplied photo
Offensive lineman Logan Garrow, of Murdoch MacKay Collegiate, recently committed to play the 2026 season with the Winnipeg Rifles junior football team, led by coach Geordie Wilson.

A sport for everyone

Emma Honeybun STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Preview

A sport for everyone

Emma Honeybun STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026

Table tennis is hot right now.

So hot that Marty Supreme, a recent movie about a table tennis player from New York’s Lower East Side, played by Timothée Chalamet, has earned itself nine Academy Award nominations — including best picture, best actor (Chalamet) and a best director nod for Josh Safdie.

So it’s no wonder that the Manitoba Table Tennis Association is putting in the work to make table tennis as accessible as possible to those looking to pick up a paddle and join in on the fun.

While Marty Supreme features its share of healthy movie magic, presenting the sport at its global peak in the 1950s and lacing the match scenes with energetic cuts and cinematography for maximum effect, its depiction of competitive play wasn’t that far off the mark.

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Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026

Stretching for success

Troy Westwood 3 minute read Preview

Stretching for success

Troy Westwood 3 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026

Growing up, 16-year-old Manon Lambert split her time athletically between hip-hop dance and soccer. But now she is pretty much focused on soccer and plays for Bonivital Soccer Club.

“I love soccer. It’s physical. It’s exciting and it’s challenging,” she said. “It demands a lot of time and energy, but the payoff is worth it.

“I play defence, mostly centre back but sometimes fullback. There is nothing like sticking a good tackle or blocking a hard shot,” she added, which must make her coaches happy.

Speaking of coaches, Manon had nothing but good things to say about hers.

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Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026

Supplied photo
Soccer player Manon Lambert aims to play at USport level.

Off to the skate races

Sheldon Birnie STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Preview

Off to the skate races

Sheldon Birnie STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026

Blades flashed fast and furious at Canada Life Centre on Feb. 18.

That evening, hundreds of students from 17 elementary schools in Winnipeg School Division took part in the division’s 105th annual skate races, held this year in the downtown NHL rink.

“The goal of this event is to promote physical activity, healthy living, and positive sport behaviours,” said Alyson Gysel, WSD divisional physical and health education support teacher. “Building on what students learn in class, this extra-curricular opportunity allows them to explore skating as a lifelong activity.”

This year, approximately 375 students in Grades 3 to 6 took part.

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Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026

Supplied photo / Winnipeg School Division
Hundreds of students from 17 Winnipeg School Division schools took part in the 105th annual WSD Skate Races on Feb. 18 at Canada Life Centre.

Getting kids in the ring

Emma Honeybun STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Preview

Getting kids in the ring

Emma Honeybun STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026

The North End Community Renewal Corporation (NECRC) is pairing up with the North End Boxing Club after-school program for a knock-out of a collaborative pop-up on Feb. 18, the second in a planned series of similar events with the aim to introduce more youth in the area to affordable, accessible sports and recreation.

The project is a direct result of the hard work put in by Mary Alagao, sports co-ordinator at NECRC, who said she is personally invested in creating sporting opportunities for kids in the area.

“It’s hard for kids to get into sports in the area,” she said. “(The neighbourhood is) low-income, with a higher crime-rate … Kids need things to do to get them out of crime.”

“I had experience growing up and being in sports,” the North End resident continued, adding that although her own experience doesn’t exactly compare to many others in the area and what she continues to see today, she credits it as a constant positive influence during her upbringing.

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Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026

Supplied photo
North End Boxing Club, which operates out of 1100 College Ave., offers free programming for kids every Monday and Wednesday.

Blazing a trail

Simon Fuller STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Preview

Blazing a trail

Simon Fuller STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026

Sunthaya Chea is blazing her own trail in the local taekwondo community.

Since last September, the 10-year-old has been taking classes at Elite Taekwondo in St. Vital, following in the footsteps of her two older sisters.

But there’s one significant thing different about Sunthaya’s journey — she’s hard of hearing and takes her classes with an American Sign Language interpreter nearby. The interpreter is made possible through funding from KidSport Manitoba and the Manitoba Deaf Sports Association.

Julius Bañares, Elite Taekwondo’s owner, explained that Chea’s mom, Florence Dumaguing, approached him about her daughter taking lessons. He said he hadn’t experienced having a hard-of-hearing student in 30 years of teaching the sport and was happy to give it a try.

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Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026

Photo by Simon Fuller
Sunthaya Chea (left) is pictured with Julius Bañares, Elite Taekwondo’s owner. Bañares said he hopes for Chea’s participation in the sport will inspire others and lead the way for other local athletes, in the same way she’s an example to other club members.

Giants stand tall this season

Sheldon Birnie STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Preview

Giants stand tall this season

Sheldon Birnie STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026

The Elmwood Giants varsity boys basketball team is living up to its name this season.

In Winnipeg Tier 2 league play, the Giants were undefeated at press time, leading to the team being ranked the top AAA boys varsity team in the province.

“Coming into the season, we had a pretty young team,” coach Patrick Gadsby said, adding that the bulk of this year’s roster are Grade 11 players, with some Grade 12 and Grade 10 players in the mix as well.

“So far, they’ve been able to answer the call as far as showing a bit of progression and understanding the moment. They’re still young, so you get nerves and lack that veteran experience.”

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Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026

Supplied photo
In Winnipeg Tier 2 league play, the Elmwood Giants remained undefeated at press time, and were ranked the top AAA boys varsity team in the province.

A great, big football family

Simon Fuller STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Preview

A great, big football family

Simon Fuller STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026

A Windsor Park-based football team has an extra 25,000 reasons to be cheerful.

The Falcons Football Club, based on Maginot Street, was recently named one of three Canadian recipients of an NFL Forward Pass grant.

The Falcons will receive a $25,000 donation from NFL Canada to help expand access to the sport and remove financial barriers.

Coaches, players, and community members were invited to nominate their programs and share how the funding would help them grow football locally.

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Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026

March 19, 2026