The year in east Winnipeg sports 2023

East Winnipeg

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This article was published 27/12/2023 (705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Eastside schools win hockey championships

In the Manitoba Women’s High School Hockey League, four east Winnipeg schools made it to the division finals. Two, Centre scolaire Léo-Rémillard and Murdoch MacKay Collegiate, took home championship banners.

In Division 1, Centre scolaire Léo-Rémillard finished second in the regular season, with a 20-5-2 record. In the playoffs, CSLR took on Churchill High School, winning the opening match of the finals 5-2 on March 10. However, Churchill fought back to win Game 2 5-3 on March 14 to force the deciding match the next day. But Léo-Rémillard prevailed, winning 4-1 to capture the Division 1 championship. The championship banner is the school’s third, having won Division 2 in 2017-18 and 2019-20.

Meantime, Murdoch MacKay Collegiate beat Dakota to earn another Division 3 title, extending the school’s championship-winning streak back to 2019. Murdoch won the first game of the 2022-23 playoff finals 1-0 on March 9, then won 3-1 on March 10 to capture the crown.

In the Winnipeg High School Hockey League, Windsor Park Collegiate — which only started its hockey program two years ago — won the Price Division championship, beating Powerview in two straight games in the finals.

Dakota Lancers win AAAA girls varsity, junior varsity basketball provincial titles

On March 17, the Dakota Lancers varsity girls’ basketball team won the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association’s AAAA basketball championship for the second-straight time, beating the Garden City Gophers 67-44 in the championship game at Investors Group Athletic Centre.

“It’s always been the same formula,” head coach Eric Sung said when asked about the secret to the team’s success.

“We have a committed group that loves to play together and compete together to the best of their ability. They all respect one another, and they understand all the sacrifices each other has made.”

Lancers’ Kyu Fust was named the tournament’s most valuable player, while Izzy Fust (Kyu’s younger sister) and Darya Rom were named tournament all-stars.

Dakota’s girls junior varsity team also won the provincial title for 2022-23, setting the scene for another strong season to come.

Sweeny receives prestigious Indigenous athlete of the year award

Another key member of the championship-winning Dakota Lancers varsity girls’ basketball team was Abby Sweeny.

In recognition of her on-court achievements — at least, in part — the eleventh grader was chosen as the Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council’s Indigenous Athlete of the Year award recipient.

Each year, the council recognizes local athletes, coaches, and volunteers with a number of awards.

Sweeny comes from Pimicikamak Cree Nation, and identifies as Cree.

“It feels amazing,” Sweeny, 16, said. “I’m very grateful for this opportunity, and it’s an honour and a privilege.”

“The Lancers team has been amazing, and I love all the girls on the team,” she said. “We’re like a family, a sisterhood. We have such a close dynamic.”

St. Boniface overcomes Elmwood in MJBL final

The ‘evil empire’ isn’t so infallible, after all — or so the St. Boniface Legionaires discovered this summer.

The St. Boniface junior baseball club won the Manitoba Junior Baseball League title, defeating five-time defending league champs the Elmwood Giants.

“The parity, this year, everybody has gotten better,” Elmwood head coach Ed Kulyk said in the lead-up to the final.

St. Boniface won the best-of-five series in three straight games, winning 7-1, 7-6, and 11-0.

Elmwood squad wins national 22U baseball title

While St. B took home the provincial junior title, as defending champs, the Elmwood team was able to represent Manitoba at the 22U national tournament, held in Stonewall, Man., in early August. The team would go on to win the tournament and be named national champions.

“It was fantastic,” Kulyk said. “The boys, with the pickups, they jelled so quickly. Manitoba hasn’t won since 2010. To do it was pretty cool. It was a whirlwind week, but it was nice to sleep in our own beds at night.”

Transcona teen reaches new heights at Pan Am tournament

Alex Tiaglei, a 17-year-old Transcona resident, won a gold medal at the Pan Am junior high diving championships, which were held in Lima, Peru this summer.

Tiaglei, who graduated from Grant Park High School this year, registered 294.93 points at the tournament, diving from 15 metres to stand on the top of the podium. The fact it was the first time the competition was being held made the success even sweeter.

Normand cleans up at North American Indigenous Games

Rylee Normand enjoyed winning a medal at the North American Indigenous Games so much, she did it again. And again — despite some previous injury woes.

The 17-year-old Southdale resident — who identifies as Métis — represented Team Manitoba at the recent games, which were held in Halifax, N.S. in July.

In all, the teen won three badminton medals — a gold in the singles and doubles tournaments and a silver in the mixed doubles. In the doubles category, Normand was paired with Maureen Thompson and in the mixed double category, she was paired with Evan Hancock.

“It feels good,” said Normand, who was set to enter her Grade 12 year at J.H. Bruns Collegiate at the time. “I’m feeling happy. Going into the games, I didn’t know if I was going to play singles, because of my ankle, and it was a bit unexpected that might ankle held up.”

Lancers bring home high school football championships

The Dakota Lancers won the Winnipeg High School Football League varsity championship — the school’s first — by defeating the Grant Park Pirates 28-7 in the ANAVETS Bowl on Nov. 10 at IG Field. The Lancers went 6-1 in the regular season, losing only to the St. Paul’s Crusaders on Oct. 6.

The Dakota Lancers junior varsity 12-person football team also won the league championship, defeating Oak Park 44-13 at IG Field on Nov. 1, after going undefeated throughout the regular season.