The Northern Manitoba Blizzard played three preseason games against the Swan Valley Stampeders and Flin Flon Bombers this past weekend, coming away with two wins in three games.

Friday’s home game against Swan Valley featured a back-and-forth first period. Brady Green, Liam Carlone and Atticus Cruz each found the back of the net for Northern Manitoba, while Chantyn Michell-Thompson and Dawson Martin scored for the Stampeders, leaving the Blizz with a 3–2 lead after the opening frame.

The second period belonged entirely to the Blizzard. Kanye Huang, Odile Grenier and Renat Nahnieiev each scored unanswered goals to extend Northern Manitoba’s lead to 6–2 heading into the final period. Beckett Cross added one more for Swan Valley, while Matthew O’Sullivan answered for the Blizzard, making the final score 7–3 for Northern Manitoba.

Saturday’s road game against Swan Valley was much more competitive compared to Friday’s matchup. The teams battled to a 2–2 tie through two periods before combining for eight goals in an exciting final frame. Fortunately for the Blizzard, they managed to find the back of the net just a few more times, securing a 7–5 victory.

Veteran Blizzard player Dylan Westmann had himself a night, potting two goals, while Swan Valley’s Beckett Cross also scored twice.

Sunday’s final game of the weekend saw the Blizzard travel north to Flin Flon for a Northern Manitoba matchup against the Bombers.

John Adlys opened the scoring with a power-play goal in the first period. Shortly after, Flin Flon’s Carter Stamp-Vincent responded with a power-play marker of his own to tie the game 1–1 heading into the second.

After a scoreless second and third period, the game needed overtime to determine a winner. Just 1:50 into the extra frame, Bombers forward Ben Shaw found the back of the net to give Flin Flon the 2–1 victory.

The Blizzard have just two preseason games remaining this week, both against the Flin Flon Bombers. Friday’s matchup will take place at home, with puck drop slated for 7:00 p.m.

Attention all returning and back-to-school students at UCN’s The Pas Campus! If you’re looking to have some fun before the long weekend, stop by the main entrance foyer and take part in the Fit for Life Challenge.

The event will run from 1:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and will feature fun mental and physical challenges for students and their peers to take part in.

The event is open to UCN students only, and amazing door prizes will be handed out to those who participate.

For more information, call Darryl Shotton at 204-627-8535.

OCN Child & Family Services is hosting a Youth Soccer Tournament this Saturday and Sunday.

The U8, U9, U11 and U12 teams that register will play their games on Saturday, while the U14 and U17 teams will take the field on Sunday.

Cash prizes will be awarded to the teams that finish first through third, and each roster will be capped at 10 players.

Registration opens at 11 a.m., with games kicking off at noon.

The tournament is co-ed, meaning teams must have at least two girls on the field at all times.

The deadline to submit a team is tomorrow. Anyone interested in registering can contact Terr or Neena at 204-623-2428 or 204-627-7156.

The playoffs for The Pas Slo-Pitch League are already underway, with both A-side and B-side games taking place through September 10.

Yesterday, in Round 1 of the A-side, team Balls Deep and the Agents came out on top against team Pitch Slap and the Young Guns.

On September 8th at Arena 1 Baseball Diamond, the Tugeyes will take on Balls Deep at 6:30 p.m. Right after, at 8 p.m., the Agents will play the Longshots.

Moving on to the B-side, only one game took place yesterday between the FireBallz and East L.A. The FireBallz ended up getting the better of East L.A. and will now move on to the second round, where they will face the Digmore Crushers tomorrow at Arena 1 Baseball Diamond.

Two B-side matchups will take place tonight back-to-back at Arena 1. First, at 6:30 p.m., the Deadly Diamond will go toe-to-toe against the Mall Rats. Then, at 8 p.m., the Jacs will face off against the Big Ol' Hitties.

The best way to stay up to date with all the local Slo-Pitch action is by joining the league's official Facebook group.

The Blizzard officially kicked off their preseason schedule last night with a classic matchup against division rival Dauphin.

Kings forward Collin Friedrich got his team on the board first, netting his first goal of the preseason. However, shortly after, Connor Smith evened the score by potting a goal of his own to make it 1-1 just before the 10-minute mark.

Dauphin eventually put two more on the board, with one coming on the power play, to make it 3-1 heading into the first intermission.

Nic Collins and the Dauphin power-play unit struck first in the second period, scoring shortly after the halfway point. Not long after, Sutton Emelson and the Blizz penalty-kill squad answered with a short-handed goal to cut the deficit to two.

The final period saw just one goal, scored by Dauphin's Max George on the power play, making the final score 5-2.

The Blizz are set to play three more preseason games this week. This Friday, they will take on Swan here at home. Saturday's matchup will be against Swan again, but this time in their arena. Lastly, on Sunday, the Blizz will travel up to Flin Flon for a special Battle of Northern Manitoba matchup.

102.9 CJAR will be broadcasting both Saturday and Sunday's games.

The Kelsey Rec recently announced that its annual Parade of Programs will take place on September 15 at the Roy H. Johnston Arena.

Local organizations are encouraged to register by contacting the Kelsey Rec at 204-627-1134. From martial arts to swimming programs, the Parade of Programs is a great way to see what is being offered in the community.

The time slot for group setup is from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., with the event open to the public from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.