If you want to catch some local hockey action this weekend, head down to either the Roy H. Johnston Arena or the Gordon Lathlin Memorial Centre for the A&W/Funky Threadz U9 Tournament. The event kicks off on Friday, January 3rd, and runs through Sunday, January 5th. For the full tournament schedule, check out the The Pas Huskies' Facebook page.

The OCN Storm are back in action this weekend after the end of their well-deserved winter break. The Storm are currently 8-10 in the KJHL's 34-game season and sit fourth overall, just four points behind third-place Peguis. OCN will be very busy in January, with their next four games consisting of back-to-back road trips against fifth-place Norway House and first-place NCN. On January 19th and 20th, the Storm will return home to take on Cross Lake, and then on the 25th and 26th, they'll once again face NCN.

After closing out 2024 with a five-game winning streak, the Northern Manitoba Blizzard will look to continue their momentum and establish themselves as the true number-one contender in the MGEU West Division. Currently, the Blizz are tied with Dauphin at 43 points and are ahead of schedule in terms of games played. They lead the league with 35 games played, making January a relatively quiet month for Team NorMan. The Blizz will only play six games in January, two of which will be held at home. They kick off 2025 with a two-game road trip: On Sunday, they'll go toe-to-toe with division rival Dauphin, and on Tuesday, January 7th, they'll take on the 4th-seeded Waywayseecappo Wolverines.

Session 3 of the Winton Pools Swim for Life Swimming Lessons will begin in the new year. Classes start on January 13th, and, just like in the previous sessions, a wide variety of classes will be offered for all ages and swimming levels. Registration is now open and can be completed at the front desk of the Wellness Centre, for more information on the program or pricing, call (204) 627-1134.

The OCN Storm will wrap up their 2024 schedule this weekend before the KJHL's winter break. They will play two home games against the Peguis Juniors tomorrow and one on Sunday at the GLMC. The season series between the two teams is tied at two games apiece. The Juniors sit one spot ahead of the Storm in the KJHL standings and are coming off a win against the Cross Lake Islanders, while the Storm are coming off a 6-5 loss to the NCN Flames. Puck drop for tomorrow’s game is at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday’s contest will start at 1:30 p.m. The Storm will resume play in the new year with a two-game doubleheader against the North Stars in Norway House. A friendly reminder: all regular season home games for your OCN Storm are free to attend during the 2024-2025 season.

The Kelsey Rec is excited to bring back Recreation Gymnastics classes to kick off 2025. Kindergarten to grade two will practice on Mondays and Thursdays from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., while grades three to eight will practice on the same days from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. All practices for Recreation Gymnastics will take place at Kelsey Community School. The registration fee is $60, and those interested can sign up at the front desk of the Wellness Centre. For more information, you can call 204-627-1134 or email krc@townofthepas.ca.

The Northern Manitoba Blizzard wrapped up their four-game homestand last night, finishing on a high note with a 3-1 victory over Dauphin. The Blizz are now just four points behind the Kings in the MGEU West Division.

Dauphin's Matthew Thomas put the visiting team on the board first, scoring early in the first period. However, Cheechoo Lathlin and Miguel Bouvier responded with back-to-back unanswered goals, giving the Blizzard a 2-1 lead going into the second period.

Less than thirty seconds into the second, Miguel Bouvier notched his twentieth goal of the season.

In the third period, Dauphin launched a flurry of shots to tie the game, but rookie goaltender Taye Timmerman stood strong, fending off the pressure to keep the Blizz in the lead.

The final score was 3-1, as the Blizz earned some much-needed points heading into this weekend’s two-game doubleheader against the Neepawa Titans. After this set of games, most of the coaching staff and players will leave town for the Christmas break and return home for the new year.

The Northern Manitoba Blizzard cap off their four-game home stand tonight against division rival Dauphin. The Blizz are riding a two-game win streak after securing back-to-back wins this past weekend against the Virden Oil Capitals and the Winnipeg Freeze. A win tonight would solidify the Blizz's second-place spot in the standings and give them a slight advantage going into this weekend's matchup against third-place Neepawa.

Currently, the Titans are only one point behind the Blizz in the MGEU West Division, and this upcoming two-night doubleheader in Neepawa adds extra intrigue before both teams head into the Christmas break. As of now, Dauphin sits in first place in the MGEU West Division and is 2-0 against the Blizz this season.

Puck drop tonight is slated for 7:00 p.m. Our Shanes broadcast will start at around 6:45 p.m. with your Funky Threadz pregame show.

Both senior varsity basketball teams at R.D. Parker Collegiate are bringing home some hardware after claiming first place in the Bill McDonald Memorial Tournament last week. The SV Boys faced the Porcupine Plain Bears in the finals, while the SV Girls took on the host team, MBCI. Following the tournament, all participating schools will put their basketball seasons on hold and return in the new year to compete in various tournaments across the province.

After going 0-3 in the Preliminary Round of the 2024 Junior A World Challenge, Team Canada West pulled together to secure 3rd place, defeating Team Canada East 5-2 in the Bronze Medal Game. Blizzard left winger Marlen Edwards picked up two assists in yesterday's win. Now, both he and Blizzard head coach Eric Labrosse will be returning home to help wrap up the remaining games before the MJHL's winter break.

Both varsity squads at Oscar Lathlin Collegiate are now home after competing in last week's inaugural First Nations Provincial Volleyball Championship. The championship tournament was held at Fisher River High School and featured eight schools from across the province. After three days of pool play and competitive playoff games, two teams were crowned tournament champions. The Senior Varsity Boys Ebb and Flow Thunderbirds and the Senior Varsity Girls Fisher River Cree Nation Hawks both took home gold in this historic first-ever tournament. The Senior Varsity Girls from OLC and the Senior Varsity Boys from Chemawawin Cree Nation earned silver medals after a week of intense action.

The Northern Manitoba Blizzard got back on track this past weekend, going 2-0 against the Winnipeg Freeze and Virden Oil Capitals. Saturday night's game against the Freeze was pure domination from start to finish. Tyler Dahms started the Blizz party at the halfway point of the first period. Shortly after, Alexandre Andre made it 2-0 for the Blizz going into the second. Thirty-five seconds into the second, the Freeze's Jayden Ward put Winnipeg on the board, but not long after, captain Sam Zagari notched his third power-play goal of the season. Cael Primanti then made it a 4-1 game by scoring his first goal of the season to cap off the second period. In the third, Tyler Dahms recorded his second goal of the night, and Louis-Jacob Beauregard put one more on the board, making the final score 6-1.

Sunday's game saw the Blizz go toe-to-toe with division rival Virden. Before Sunday’s contest, the Oil Caps were on the verge of losing their fourth seed to the Waywayseecappo Wolverines. Virden’s Daniel Tokariwski scored a power-play goal late in the first period to put the Oil Caps on the board first. Then, early in the second, Carson Wright made it a 2-0 game for Virden. Thankfully, due to two back-to-back penalties, the Blizz were able to capitalize and score two power-play goals to tie things up. Miguel Bouvier and Keenan McNeill scored the two power-play goals. After a faceoff win at center ice late in the second, Virden’s Marek Miller scored just five seconds after Bouvier’s power-play goal. Luckily, Blizzard D-Man Brett Ward tied things up with thirty-eight seconds remaining in the second.

Once the third period reached the halfway point, the Blizzard took over, scoring three unanswered goals. Miguel Bouvier registered his second power-play goal of the night, Cael Primanti secured his second goal of the weekend, and Keenan McNeill capped off the win with an empty-net goal, making the final score 6-3. Blizzard goaltender Taye Timmerman had a fantastic weekend in between the pipes, playing a huge role in both wins against Winnipeg and Virden.

The Blizzard are now back in second place in the MGEU West Division and will wrap up their four-game home stand tomorrow against the Dauphin Kings.

After falling short to the Dauphin Kings this past Wednesday, the Northern Manitoba Blizzard will turn their attention to this upcoming weekend’s two-night doubleheader against the Winnipeg Freeze and division rival Virden. The Freeze are tied for second-to-last place with the Swan Valley Stampeders in the MJHL, while Virden is on the brink of losing their playoff spot to the Waywayseecappo Wolverines. Saturday's game against the Freeze begins at 7:00 p.m., whereas Sunday's game against the Oil Caps starts at 4:00 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on 102.9 CJAR.

MBCI School will be hosting a variety of teams from across Northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan for tomorrow's Senior Varsity Bill McDonald Memorial Basketball Tournament. Games will take place at MBCI, Scott Bateman Middle School, and the Wellness Centre on both Friday and Saturday. The tournament will also feature a skills competition, which will take place at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at MBCI's gymnasium. The full tournament schedule is available on the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association's website.

 

The OCN Storm are coming off an impressive weekend after going 1-1 against the number one team in the KJHL, the NCN Flames. The Flames have been spectacular this regular season, sitting atop the standings with a 14-4 record. Going into this past Saturday's match-up, both NCN and OCN were coming off a loss to the Cross Lake Islanders. 

 

Saturday's game was all about the Storm as they blanked NCN 4-0. All four goals were scored in the second period. Keilan Holland started things off at the twelve-minute mark, followed shortly by Drew Peters and Cedrick Puffalt, who scored back-to-back power-play goals. Logan Marr notched his second goal of the season with three minutes remaining in the second, and Eshar Sandhu earned the shutout, saving all 34 shots on goal.

Sunday's game was a lot more competitive, with NCN looking to break their two-game losing streak and avoid a weekend sweep. The Storm scored three goals in the second half of the first period, but shortly after, the Flames responded with two goals, making it 3-2 going into the second. Trenton Flett was the lone goal scorer in the second, tying it up at 3-3. The third period was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, as both added four more goals to the tally. However, it was NCN's Tye Andrews who scored the game-winning goal, breaking the Flames' losing streak.

The Storm are back in action next weekend at home, where they will once again welcome the Peguis Juniors to town.

The Northern Manitoba Blizzard will begin their four-game homestand tonight against the number one-seeded Dauphin Kings. The Kings have been on a tear lately, going 10-4 in their last 14 games. They are the top-ranked team in the MGEU West Division and are now tied with the MGEU East juggernaut, the Steinbach Pistons, at 41 points.

The Blizzard, on the other hand, has an opportunity to get back on track and end this second quarter on a positive note. Both teams are coming off losses heading into this matchup. The Kings were defeated 7-5 by the Waywayseecappo Wolverines, while the Blizzard fell short against the Niverville Nighthawks, losing 3-0.

Tonight’s game will begin at 7:00 p.m., but our Shane’s Blizzard Hockey Broadcast will kick off right after Legion Bingo. The Blizzard will also host a Teddy Bear Toss at tonight’s game, courtesy of Carley Bearing and Auto.

Next week, from December 18th to the 20th, Blizzard alumni and professional hockey player Brady Keeper will be hosting a hockey camp at the GLMC. The camp will focus on positioning, power skating, edge work, shooting, and on-ice conditioning. There will be two on-ice sessions per day, and the registration deadline is Friday, December 13th, 2024. With limited spots available, email b2.hockeyschools@gmail.com as soon as possible. Please include your child/teen's name, age, and division. The registration fee is $300.

Not only did the Blizzard go 1-1 on this past weekend's road trip, but they also snapped their five-game losing streak with a victory against the now 5th-seed Selkirk Steelers.

In their first game against the Steelers, the Blizz got the ball rolling with two unanswered goals in the first period. Louis-Jacob Beauregard scored his third goal of the year, and OCN's own Cheechoo Lathlin added his 7th power-play goal of the season. With that goal, Lathlin is now tied for 2nd place in overall power-play goals in the entire league.

Near the halfway point of the second period, Sam Zagari buried a shot to make it a 3-0 game. Shortly after, Selkirk’s Luke McCarthy finally got the Steelers on the board, making it 3-1 heading into the third period. Late in the third, Selkirk pushed for a comeback by scoring a power-play goal. However, once the Steelers pulled their goalie, Miguel Bouvier capitalized with an empty-net goal, making the final score 4-2. Taye Timmerman had a fantastic night in goal, making 30 saves on 32 shots.
Saturday's game saw the Blizz take on the new number-three seed in the MJHL, the Niverville Nighthawks. Before the matchup, the Nighthawks were 8-3 in their last 11 games. Niverville dominated the contest from start to finish. Adam Vigfusson started things for the Nighthawks, making it 1-0 going into the second period. After a scoreless second period, the Nighthawks added two more unanswered goals in the third, ultimately winning 3-0.

The Blizz are still in second place in the MGEU West Division, but Neepawa is only one point behind them in the standings, making these next four home games all the more crucial. This Wednesday, the Blizz will face the Dauphin Kings. On Saturday and Sunday, they'll take on the Winnipeg Freeze and Virden Oil Capitals. Then, next Tuesday, they will wrap up their four-game home stand against the Dauphin Kings.

Marlen Edwards, along with four other MJHL players, have made the final Team Canada West roster. Those who made the cut will now compete and represent Western Canada at the Junior A World Challenge, which takes place next week in Camrose, Alberta. For those wanting to watch, the games will be live-streamed on HNLive.ca, and the gold medal game will be available on TSN. Canada West's first game is slated for December 9th against Sweden, starting at 8:30 p.m.

After losing 4-2 to the Dauphin Kings last night, the Northern Manitoba Blizzard will quickly shift their focus to an upcoming road trip this weekend. The game was tightly contested until Dauphin scored two unanswered goals late in the third period, including an empty-netter by Rylan Gage.

Miguel Bouvier put the Blizzard on the board first with a power-play goal early in the second period, and Keenan McNeill later tied the game at the 15-minute mark of the third.

Despite yesterday's result, the Blizzard remain in second place in the MGEU West Division with 31 points. This Friday, they will play their second game of the season against the East Division's 4th-seeded Steelers, followed by a Saturday matchup against the Niverville Nighthawks.

The Blizzard will return home on December 11th to begin a four-game homestand, with their first game against Dauphin.

The 2024 volleyball season officially wrapped up this past weekend for both senior varsity boys' teams at R.D. Parker Collegiate and MBCI. The Spartans travelled to Morris to compete in the "AA" provincial championship. Although they put up a strong fight during pool play, it wasn't enough to advance to bracket play, ultimately ending their season. The Trojans were also competitive during pool play, but when it came time for the opening round of bracket play, they unfortunately fell short against the Dauphin Clippers.

With the volleyball season over, both schools will immediately focus on the upcoming basketball season. The MBCI senior varsity boys' basketball team will head to Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan, this weekend to compete in their first tournament.

The Northern Manitoba Blizzard wrap up their three-game homestand tonight against division rival Dauphin. The Kings are sitting comfortably in first place in the MGEU West Division and are coming off three consecutive wins against Portage and a two-night doubleheader against Virden. This will be the first meeting between the Blizz and the Kings since last season's thrilling playoff series, which ended in the third overtime of Game 7. The Kings will most definitely have revenge on their minds, whereas the Blizz will be looking to break their four-game losing streak and get back into the win column. Tomorrow's game will be broadcast live on 102.9 CJAR, starting at around 6:45 p.m. with our pre-game show. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Blizzard Head Coach and GM Eric Labrosse will be joined by sophomore right winger Marlen Edwards at today's Canada East and Canada West selection camp in Calgary. Coach Labrosse will be joining Flin Flon Bombers Head Coach Mike Reagan's staff, who is returning as head coach of Team Canada West. Marlen Edwards will be one of 60 players competing for a spot on the exclusive Canada West roster. Those who make the cut will compete at next week's 2024 Junior A World Challenge in Camrose, AB. The reigning MJHL Coach of the Year and last year's all-rookie all-star will be looking to make an impact on the ice and represent what hockey in Northern Manitoba is all about.

The OCN Storm are coming off another impressive weekend, going 1-1 against the number two-ranked Cross Lake Islanders. The Islanders were riding a two-game win streak going into this past weekend's matchup, having picked up back-to-back wins against the league-leading NCN Flames. The Storm also had momentum, entering the contest on a three-game winning streak and looking to extend it in their first game against the Islanders. They were successful in doing so, beating Cross Lake with a dominant 6-3 performance. Drew Peters and Hutton Foster each scored two goals for the Storm, while Carter Clemons and Maddox Dominey each had one.

Sunday's game was a much different story for the OCN Storm. Cross Lake took control in the first and second periods, leading 3-0 going into the third. The Storm made an attempt at a comeback, with Drew Peters notching his sixteenth goal of the season, but it was ultimately too late. Cross Lake's Manny Ross sealed the win with an empty-net goal, making the final score 4-1.

The Storm will welcome the 13-3 NCN Flames this weekend at GLMC. Puck drop on Saturday is at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday's game is slated for 1:30 p.m.

The Northern Manitoba Blizzard played two home games this past weekend against two Eastern Division standouts. On Friday, they faced off against the 5th-seed Niverville, and on Saturday, they went head-to-head against the number one team in the entire league, the Steinbach Pistons.

The Nighthawks got a fast start in the first period, scoring two unanswered goals back-to-back within twelve minutes. The second period wasn't much different for Niverville. Near the eleven-minute mark, Niverville's Dawson Zeller scored his eighth goal of the year, making it a 3-0 game going into the third period.
Early in the third, the Blizzard finally got on the board after Miguel Bouvier and the power play unit netted a goal. However, not long after, the Nighthawks responded with two more unanswered goals, resulting in a final score of 5-1 in favour of Niverville.
The next day, the Blizzard played against Steinbach and had a much stronger showing. After a quiet first period, Steinbach's Jackson Kostiuk scored a shorthanded goal late in the second, making it 1-0 going into the third. The Pistons again got on the board first in the third period, near the nine-minute mark. However, Marlen Edwards and the Blizzard made a push, scoring at 14:37, but ultimately fell short with the final score being 2-1 in favour of Steinbach.

The Blizzard will play one more game tomorrow against the Dauphin Kings before heading out on a two-game road trip this weekend. Not only are the Dauphin Kings in first place in the MGEU West Division, but they're also riding a three-game win streak and are 8-3 in November. The Blizzard, on the other hand, are still in second place in the MGEU West Division but are currently on a four-game losing streak. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m., and tomorrow's game will be broadcast live on 102.9 CJAR, with the pregame show starting at 6:45 p.m.