Centre stage

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/03/2010 (4751 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

— The Dauphin Kings drew first blood in the first game of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League best-of-seven series Saturday night at the St. James Civic Centre, beating the Winnipeg Saints 1-0, but it wasn’t easy, as they needed overtime to do it.

When the horn sounded to end regulation time, neither team had scored a goal.

Right-winger Ryan Dreger didn’t waste time in the extra period, however, converting a pass from Joel Kot and Angus Klassen into the game-winner only six minutes 47 seconds into the extended play.

Kings goalie Joe Caligiuri stopped 25 shots to record the shutout. Justin Leclerc turned back 38 shots in the Saints’ net.

With the Kings holding a 1-0 edge, the series shifts to Dauphin Tuesday, where they hope home-ice advantage will work for them, giving them a 2-0 lead when they return to the Civic Centre Thursday for the third game. Both games will begin at 7:30 p.m.

It has been an amazing season for Dauphin Kings’ veteran defenceman Steven Shamanski, named Friday as the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s selection for the Canadian Junior Hockey League’s Player of the Year Award.

Recently, Shamanski was presented with the MJHL’s top-defenceman award and was also a finalist for the most-valuable-player honour.

The CJHL Player of the Year Award is given to a junior A hockey player for both his on-ice achievements and off-ice contributions to his community. Shamanski volunteers his time with Grade 4 students at Lt.-Col. Barker School.

— Brandon University will be looking for a new men’s basketball coach for the 2010-11 Canada West Conference season.

Keith Vassell has stepped down, citing a variety of factors for his decision,. “Being a coach at Brandon University means wearing a lot of hats,” he said in a press release, “and I felt that with that, and for personal reasons, a change was in order.”

The search for a new head coach will get underway in the coming days.

Jennifer Saunders, Manitoba’s female Athlete of the Year for 2009, is off to a great start at the Pan American racquetball championships in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

Saunders defeated Christina Cordova of Ecuador 15-7, 15-3 in their women’s singles match Sunday.

In Sunday’s first round play, Saunders defeated Ana Fortin of Honduras 15-4, 15-2

Brandi Jacobson Prentice of Montreal also won her game with Marie Gomar of Guatemala 15-2, 15-8.

Today, Saunders will take on Gomar in the third match of their division.