Glenlawn Lions roar past Vincent Massey Trojans to capture MWHSHL title

The Glenlawn Lions weren’t interested in hanging another ‘finalists’ banner.

And they won’t have to.

After two years of falling short at the finish line, the Lions pieced together a pair of dominant outings and swept the Vincent Massey Trojans in a best-of-three to capture their first Manitoba Women’s High School Hockey League Division 1 title on Thursday.

“It meant the world to us going in,” said Lions co-captain Vayda Rigaux, who earned playoff MVP honours. “We knew it was going to be hard, and we knew we can’t get ahead of ourselves, but before every game, we knew we’d been in this (position and) not every team gets a chance at three championships, and we knew we couldn’t let this one go.”

Dakota heads back to final after defeating St. Paul’s

The punches from the Dakota Lancers came in bunches.

By the time the bell rang at the end of Thursday night’s heavyweight bout, it was the Lancers left standing after a heated 102-91 decision in the AAAA boys’ provincial basketball semifinals at Investor’s Group Athletic Centre.

The Lancers advance to the provincial championship for the second year in a row and will face the Maples Marauders back at IGAC on Monday (8 p.m.).

“It’s all about our defence, not giving up,” said forward Jed Godfrey-Ehichoya, who scored 17 points and added seven rebounds. “Coach told us ‘never give in.’ If they score, get back on defence, get the ball back, score back. It’s all about perseverance.”

Mellow Rom go-to player for Lancers

Unassuming. Relaxed. Reserved.

Those aren’t characteristics used to describe every star athlete, but they’re qualities that have helped shape Daniel Rom, the top-ranked high school varsity boys basketball player in the province.

You wouldn’t be the first to be surprised by Rom. The 6-5 guard’s mellow demeanour off the court might leave some questioning if they’re watching the same player when his elite competitive nature takes over on it.

“I’ve heard that from a couple of people where my demeanour is very, I don’t know, ‘relaxed.’ When I’m on the court, I don’t really pay attention to it,” said Rom, who is in Grade 11.

Vincent Massey, Dakota to battle for basketball title for third consecutive year

With one of their best players limited by injury, the Vincent Massey Trojans needed someone to pick up the slack in their biggest game of the season.

Ese Imiefo rose to the occasion.

The Grade 12 forward had her way in a 26-point performance to lead the Trojans to a 74-53 victory over the Sisler Spartans in the AAAA girls’ provincial basketball semi-finals at Investor’s Group Athletic Centre on Wednesday.

With the win, Massey extended its title defence and will play in its third straight provincial championship against the Dakota Lancers, back at IGAC on Monday at 6 p.m.

Lancers’ McLean the engine behind Dakota’s near-perfect record this season

The athletic journey of Manitoba’s top high school varsity girls’ basketball player didn’t start on a field, a court or a track. It began on a stage, in the performing arts.

Emilie McLean didn’t choose Highland dancing; it chose her.

For about a decade, from the time she was five, McLean took to the competitive dance form — officially recognized as a sport in its native Scotland — with her family, proudly displaying her heritage at events around the city, including a yearly performance at Folklorama.

While McLean modestly stopped short of saying she used to dominate the stage like she’s currently dominating the paint, her talents took her to events in the U.S. and across Canada, where she was good enough to notch a couple of competitive wins in her belt.

Suffocating defence helps Vincent Massey serve up cold revenge on Oak Park

The Vincent Massey Trojans left no doubt that they are still the program to beat.

After snapping a 15-year drought last season, the Trojans remained on top of Manitoba’s high school hockey mountain with a 4-1 victory over the Oak Park Raiders to capture their second straight boys’ AAAA provincial championship, at Seven Oaks Arena on Monday.

It’s Massey’s third provincial banner, and this one came with a side of revenge after falling to the Raiders in the city championship series.

“Winning two of them (city’s and provincials) last year, I didn’t know if anything could feel better than that, but honestly, that revenge on Oak Park — I mean, they played a hell of a game but we came out stronger and I feel like we fought for that one,” said captain Trevor Johnstone, who received the Player’s Choice award and was named the finals’ most valuable player.

Vincent Massey’s Arnal lifts team to top of league in her comeback year

For some talents, hockey tryouts are a formality — a warm-up before the real action begins. For others, it’s a nerve-wracking grind to qualify for one of the last spots on a roster.

For Vincent Massey Trojans forward Ella Arnal, it was cathartic.

The 17-year-old was simply happy to be playing again after 18 months away from the ice to rehab a torn ACL and meniscus in her right knee. While there’s no good time to suffer a major injury, this one felt particularly cruel, as it came one month after Arnal had been selected to a AAA squad for the first time.

Now Arnal, who has been a standout at every level her entire hockey career, was staring at a long rehab for the first time with no guarantee that she’d return to that level.

‘Get Greedy’: Oak Park eyes second hockey title of the season

A double dip is within reach for the Oak Park Raiders.

The Raiders, who won the Winnipeg School Hockey League championship earlier this month, earned a convincing 6-2 victory over the Steinbach Sabres in a spirited tilt at Seven Oaks Arena on Saturday to punch their ticket to the high school boys’ hockey provincial championship final for the second time in three years.

The Raiders will face the Vincent Massey Trojans in a rematch of the WHSHL championship for the title back at Seven Oaks on Monday at 6:15 p.m.

“It brings back a lot of memories to provincials, being here,” said Raiders captain David Sudoski, one of 13 seniors who are looking for a second title in three years. “Just got to come out strong one more and hopefully repeat that.”

Oak Park forward looks for storybook ending to career-best senior season

Karsten Ross knew he had more to give.

The Oak Park Raiders winger had built up this season in his head last summer after experiencing a playoff run that was below his standard.

He was determined to do more, and the situation lined up perfectly for Ross to do so in his Grade 12 year.

“I think this year, I knew I was going to have a bigger role, and I wanted to try and fulfill that role to the best I could,” Ross said. “And I knew I was going to have a good shot at getting a good amount of points and being a big factor in helping our team win.”

Olympiens embracing underdog status

For Cole Baker, a .500 record would’ve sufficed. Playing on the final weekend of the season was nothing less than a pipe dream.

Beginning Friday, the Jeanne-Sauvé Olympiens will take part in the sprint for the AAAA high school provincial boys’ hockey championships for just the third time in the program’s history, and that is owed to an inspiring season that has exceeded everyone’s expectations.

“As a team, we have a lot to be proud of, and I think we deserve it, and I think we have a lot to show still,” said captain Baker.

You see, Les Olympiens had designs on remaining in the second tier of the Winnipeg High School Hockey League, where they’ve played since 2019.

Vikings, Crusaders claim provincial crowns

The Vincent Massey Vikings left no doubt that the best volleyball program in the province still resides in Brandon.

St. Paul’s and Dakota to go head-to-head for boys provincial volleyball glory

Few have been able to contain the St. Paul’s Crusaders’ offence this year, and that trend continued Thursday night.

Vikings on verge of championship repeat

If the Vincent Massey Vikings were nervous entering a pressure-packed match with a trip to a second consecutive provincial championship at stake, they weren’t apparent.

The Brandon-based juggernaut looked every bit of a squad with designs on extending its reign Wednesday evening.

The Vikings showed few cracks in their collective armour as they cruised to a 3-0 (25-23; 25-18; 25-8) victory over the Sturgeon Heights Huskies in the first semifinal of the AAAA varsity girls volleyball provincials at Investors Group Athletic Centre.

“This season, we’ve been starting pretty slow, so our goal was to have a great start, and it really showed,” said left side Hannah McGregor, who was named the No. 1 player in the province by a panel of coaches last week.

Mancer cruises to No. 1 on top volleyball list

Liam Mancer expected nothing less of himself.

So when the 17-year-old heard he was voted the top high school volleyball player in the province by a panel of coaches, an obvious sense of elation ensued — Mancer immediately called his mom to tell her the news — but there was also a feeling of validation. Mancer knew he was capable of receiving this distinction all along.

“I definitely did put that pressure on myself, but I tried to keep it as a second-hand thing, and ignore it,” said Mancer, a Grade 12 left side for the St. Paul’s Crusaders.

“The only thing that really matters to me is the team’s success, and then my success is second. So the pressure that I put on myself, I would say I used it in a positive way, and I didn’t really let it affect me negatively. Even if I had a bad game, I realized it happens, and I’m a good player, and I’m gonna bounce back.”

Vikings’ McGregor growing into all-around player

Hannah McGregor went from fearful to fearless in a matter of weeks.

The 16-year-old confessed that she was timid about playing a bigger role for the reigning provincial champion, the Vincent Massey Vikings, at the beginning of the season.

With the program’s star outside hitter, Jersey Hansen-Young, graduated and off to play for the University of Manitoba Bisons, McGregor — who was already important to the Vikings’ success in Grade 10 — would command the spotlight as the go-to hitter on a team with major expectations.

“At the start of the season, I was scared because I did have moments where I wasn’t at my best, and I felt like that never really happened with Jersey,” McGregor said Friday.