Sports – Our Communities

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James Hurton enjoys the fast pace of water polo and the end-to-end nature of the action.

Making a splash

Simon Fuller STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026

The Manitoba Water Polo Association is encouraging youngsters across the province to dip their toes in the water and try the sport for what might be the first time.

The association is preparing to hold an introductory water polo program at Elmwood Kildonans Pool (909 Concordia Ave.), which will consist of a series of Monday sessions on Feb. 23, March 2, 9 and 16 from 6:45 to 7:45 p.m.

The program is aimed at young people in grades 5 to 12 who’d like to play water polo. All skill levels are welcome, and no previous water polo experience is required.

The only requirement is that participants, who will be divided by skill level, must be able to swim safely in the pool’s deep end.

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Polar Ice captain Samantha Carvalho at a recent game against the Western Predators. At press time, the two teams were battling for first place in the Manitoba Women’s Junior Hockey League with only a few games remaining before playoffs.

Playoff magic just around the bend

Sheldon Birnie STAFF REPORTER 6 minute read Preview

Playoff magic just around the bend

Sheldon Birnie STAFF REPORTER 6 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026

It’s fully February now, and that means it’s nearly playoff time for the Manitoba Women’s Junior Hockey League.

With only a handful of games remaining, long-standing schedule maker and play-by-play announcer Michael Gerl believes it’s still anyone’s league to win.

“We’ve had one of the most competitive regular seasons I’ve ever seen,” said Gerl, who also sits on the executive and has been involved with the MWJHL for 15 years. “It’s going to be wild, with the new playoff format. We’ve had a lot of one-goal games, lots of comebacks, two-goal games with the goalie pulled. I’ve never seen it this close this late.”

The Western Predators held the top spot in the eight-team league at press time, with a 17-4-3 record, good for 37 points, while Polar Ice were in second with 33 points and a 15-5-3 record, and the Prairie Blaze weren’t far off in third, with a 13-5-4 record and 30 points in only 22 games.

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Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026

Supplied photo by Isaiah White
The River East Royal Knights, pictured here defending against the Transcona Railer Express at a recent game, are back in the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League playoffs this season. At press time, the Knights were fifth in the 10-team league with 10 games remaining in the regular season.

Royal Knights charging towards playoffs

Sheldon Birnie STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Preview

Royal Knights charging towards playoffs

Sheldon Birnie STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026

With only a month left in the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League regular season, the River East Royal Knights are a lock for a playoff berth.

“I’m very happy with the team,” said Barry Bonni, longtime president of the team. “We have a chance to win every game. We certainly don’t, but we always have a chance. For the most part, even if we don’t win, it’s a very close game. It’s a fun season, and a fun team to watch.”

Once the playoffs begin, Bonni knows anything can happen, with the Royal Knights hoping to bring home a league championshipfor the first time in 25 years.

“I would never say we wouldn’t have a chance. But I know it won’t be easy. If we can get through the first round, I’d be very happy,” said Bonni, now in his 44th year with the club. “We’ve shown we can win against anybody, but we can also lose to anybody. Sometimes you just don’t match up great against certain teams.”

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Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026

Sports in brief — week of Feb. 11, 2026

FP Community Review staff 2 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026

Curl ESP hosting introductory clinic Feb. 21

Curl ESP is hosting a ‘try curling’ clinic on Saturday, Feb. 21.

The introductory clinic will include full instruction, from how to deliver and sweep a rock to curling etiquette. Brooms and sliders will be available for use during the session. Clean, flat-soled shoes are required, and warm clothing, including gloves, is recommended.

The clinic is open to anyone over 16. It will run from 1 to 3 p.m. at the East St. Paul Curling Club (260 Hoddinott Rd.). Cost is $10, with $5 refunded upon completion. For more information, email espcurl@gmail.com or call 204-661-5837.

In the house

Emma Honeybun STAFF REPORTER 5 minute read Preview

In the house

Emma Honeybun STAFF REPORTER 5 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026

Charleswood Curling Club has become the new official home of the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame and Museum, which has set up shop in the building’s second floor.

The organization was established in 1987 to “procure, preserve and promote the rich history of curling in Manitoba and to honour the outstanding accomplishments of curlers, builders, curler/builders and teams”. Today it boasts a collection of over 40,000 artifacts — everything from lapel pins to on-ice measuring sticks to club and team jackets — dating all the way back to the 1880s, when curling became an organized sport in Manitoba.

The museum was originally located in the former Hudson’s Bay Company building on Portage Avenue. When the department store closed in 2020, the artifacts there were wrapped up and kept with the entire museum archive inside a storage unit at the Canada Games Sport for Life Centre.

“From a very practical perspective, a museum space is very expensive,” said Resby Coutts, treasurer of the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame and Museum’s board of directors. “(But) we always had a dream that we would have a museum space again.”

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Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026

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The Vincent Massey AAAA varsity girls basketball team is looking to repeat the success of its 2025 season,w when the team won the MHSAA AAAA provincial championship.

Trojans ‘rise to the occasion’

Emma Honeybun STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Preview

Trojans ‘rise to the occasion’

Emma Honeybun STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026

The Vincent Massey Collegiate varsity girls basketball team has been a slam dunk so far this season.

The Trojans boasted a 6-0 record at press time, and stood second in the Winnipeg Tier 1 regular-season standings with 12 points — just two below the Sisler Spartans, who had played one more game. (The teams were scheduled to meet on Feb. 9, after our publication deadline.) With just four games left in divisional play, the Trojans and head coach Stacy Hawash are looking forward to playoff action in their drive to repeat as provincial AAAA varsity girls’ champions.

“This group of girls is coming together quite well,” Hawash said.“We have a mixture of both Grade 11s and 12s that can definitely be a part of our starting lineup. So, we are relying on both groups. Our main leadership does come from our 12s, but our 11s are definitely stepping in and doing their job and taking a great role in where our team is going this year.”

High school teams look different year to year, as players graduate at the end of every season, but Hawash, a phys-ed teacher at the school, feels the Trojans have a healthy balance. Each player shines in her own way, and the girls love basketball, she added.

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Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026

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Kai Abelardo Wagner is a sports-loving 10-year-old who would love to win a championship playing football one day.

A young baller with big dreams

Troy Westwood 3 minute read Preview

A young baller with big dreams

Troy Westwood 3 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026

Kai Abelardo Wagner is a 10-year-old Grade 5 student at Arthur E. Wright School in The Maples, and he is also a multi-talented athlete.

“I play football, volleyball, and basketball,” he told me. “I am focused mostly on football because it is fun and competitive. I really enjoy making new friends on the teams I play for. Right now, I am playing flag football. I play receiver. In tackle football I play running back.

“I like these positions because I get the ball,” Kai explained. “Playing offense is fun and I like scoring touchdowns. My coaches are really good (and) I have great teammates in both tackle and flag football; we have good guys on both teams. They are fun to play with. My head coach, Jesse, introduced me to football and helped me join the Nomads Football Club. My best friend is J.J., and he is the quarterback on my flag and tackle teams.”

Kai lives in north Winnipeg with his dad Trent, mom Maricel, brothers Cade and Ashton, and sister Ava.

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Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026

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Mariya Gedz, 14, is pictured at the Winnipeg Winter Club on Jan. 28. The Garden City resident, who is the top-ranked female player in the province in U18 category, recently received a Sport Manitoba’s $500 Bison Transport Women to Watch grant.

Serving up success

Simon Fuller STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Preview

Serving up success

Simon Fuller STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026

Without a crystal ball, it’s hard to know what Mariya Gedz might achieve on the tennis court by her 18th birthday.

With a tennis ball and racket, however, the Garden City resident is making a name for herself on the local tennis scene and beyond.

For the last year or so, Gedz — who is currently 14 — has been the top-ranked female player in the province in U18 category. Nationally, she was previously ranked 21st in the girls U14 bracket, and she’s currently ranked 48th in the girls U16 category, having recently moved up an age level (she turns 15 this year).

In light of her continued progress, the teen recently received Sport Manitoba’s $500 Bison Transport Women to Watch grant, which supports girls and women as they advance and develop in their chosen sports.

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Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026

Free Press file photo
Kerry Burtnyk won the old Grand Aggregate championship at the MCA Bonspiel in 1985, 1986, 1997, 1998 and 2001.

A look back at the MCA Bonspiel

T. Kent Morgan 5 minute read Preview

A look back at the MCA Bonspiel

T. Kent Morgan 5 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026

For many years, the annual Manitoba Curling Association bonspiel, known as the MCA, was labelled as the oldest, the largest, the greatest in the curling world. It ran every January, often into February, and it roots can be traced back to 1889, to what was called the annual bonspiel of the Manitoba Branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club. That bonspiel continued until 1907.

The first MCA bonspiel was held in 1908 and continued until 2013. What is now known as the Manitoba Open began in 2014. The current format is much different with a main bonspiel, a half-spiel, and a one-day fun event for new curlers. Jay Kinnaird’s rink from Virden was the 2026 winner of the Open.

In a history of the bonspiel researched by several curling historians for Curl Manitoba, it was determined that in 1906 the winner of the most games in the open events would be proclaimed bonspiel champion and the Grand Aggregate winner. This tradition continued until 2009 when there was a format change for the bonspiel, from two open events to one.

The Strathcona club, which was once located on Furby Place, but no longer exists, produced the most Grand Aggregate champions. The Granite was second and the Thistle third. Topping the list from Strathcona is Ken Watson, who would belong on any Mount Rushmore of Manitoba curlers. He skipped his first aggregate championship team in 1939 and won six in a row from 1942 to 1947. His brother Grant curled third. Gordon Hudson skipped four aggregate champions from the Strathcona and one earlier in his career while curling in Kenora. In 1941, the aggregate was a three-way tie between Hudson and clubmates Bob Gourley and Leo Johnson. Gordon’s son Bruce skipped a Strathcona winner in 1961.

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Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026

Supplied photo by Rodger Lourenzo
Madi Rach, a Grade 11 player on the Dakota Lancers varsity girls basketball team, takes a shot at a recent game.

Lancers lead the way

Sheldon Birnie STAFF REPORTER 6 minute read Preview

Lancers lead the way

Sheldon Birnie STAFF REPORTER 6 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026

It may be early in the high school basketball season, but Dakota Collegiate is looking like the school to beat.

At press time, Dakota’s boys and girls varsity teams were both ranked No. 1 in the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association’s AAAA Top 10s.

The Lancers girls team was undefeated in league play at press time and has already won two tournaments — taking the Pembina Trails Bison Classic tourney in December by beating the defending provincial champion Vincent Massey Trojans 63-60 in the final, then doing it again at the St. Vital Invitational on Jan. 17, defeating Massey 60-51 in the final.

“I’ve been so fortunate to have a bunch of athletes come through this building who want to be next-level athletes after high school,” said varsity girls coach Eric Sung.

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Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026

CJFL
After time in the CJFL, Winnipegger Niko Parrott aims to play university football.

Running down a dream

Troy Westwood 3 minute read Preview

Running down a dream

Troy Westwood 3 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026

Niko Parrott is a 20-year-old football player who is following the path of playing junior football before playing at university.

“I completed high school at Churchill High School, and I currently play in the Canadian Junior Football League as I prepare to transition into U Sports football,” he explained. Last season, Niko played running back for the Edmonton Wildcats in the Prairie Football Conference of the Canadian Junior Football League. In 2025, he played seven games and ran the ball 55 times for 360 yards, averaging 6.5 yards per carry.

“Right now, my main focus is football development and preparing for the next level,” he said. “I still take learning seriously, whether it’s through training, studying the game, or personal growth off the field. I plan to study criminology and then law.”

The six-foot, 210-pounder takes his football very seriously.

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Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026

Supplied photo by Noel Kendle
Scott Dixon, executive director of the Winnipeg Youth Soccer Association, is pictured at WYSA’s Chancellor Matheson Road base. WYSA’s flagship annual tournament, the Golden Boy, runs Feb. 12 to 16 at four venues across the city.

A golden opportunity

Simon Fuller STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Preview

A golden opportunity

Simon Fuller STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026

Hundreds of soccer teams from across the city and beyond are preparing to take part in the Winnipeg Youth Soccer Association’s flagship indoor tournament, the Golden Boy.

The five-day event, which runs Feb. 12 to 16. will be held at four venues — Seven Oaks Soccer Plex (725 Kingsbury Ave.); U of W Axworthy Health & RecPlex (400 Spence St.); South WSF Soccer Complex (211 Chancellor Matheson Rd.); and North WSF Soccer Complex (770 Leila Ave.).

“We are very proud, as it’s always a fantastic tournament,” said Scott Dixon, executive director of WYSA.

Dixon said the event will showcase 154 teams this year, which is four more than last year — and more than 50 of the teams taking part are coming from outside Winnipeg.

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Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026

Photo by Emma Honeybun
(From left) Bryce Buchel, Luc Cormier, Evan Boutet and Quinn Lagacé will represent Manitoba at the 2026 Canadian U18 curling championships next month.

Hurrying hard to nationals

Emma Honeybun STAFF REPORTER 5 minute read Preview

Hurrying hard to nationals

Emma Honeybun STAFF REPORTER 5 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026

Evan Boutet technically started his curling career at two years old, if throwing paper towel rolls in the basement counts. Now, at age 16, the sport has become his life.

“I go to school, I go home, I curl,” he said.

It’s not an exaggeration. Boutet currently plays for three different teams — a provincial-champion U18 team out of Heather Curling Club, his undefeated high school team at College Béliveau, and a mixed doubles pair. He’s been skipping since he was 14, and currently skips all his teams. He’s also earned himself a partnership with Asham Curling Supplies, which supplies all of his competitive curling gear.

One way or another, the sport has followed him throughout his entire upbringing.

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Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026

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Former major-league pitcher Jeff Bittiger was a star pitcher for the Winnipeg Goldeyes in their inaugural 1994 season and later scouted for the team for 22 years.

Remembering those we lost – part 2

T. Kent Morgan 5 minute read Preview

Remembering those we lost – part 2

T. Kent Morgan 5 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026

In our second January column, Memories of Sport remembers more athletes, builders, and officials who died in 2025.

Curling historian Rick Mutton provided a list of deaths from the world of curling. A 2002 Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame inductee, Winston Warren curled for Canadian senior and masters champions and won provincial titles in four different categories. A 2020 HOF inductee, Ernie Oliver was a provincial stick-curling champion who was instrumental in promoting that version of the sport. Ken Sabad curled for a Canadian masters championship team from Souris in 2005.

Lorraine Byrnes, June Reece, Ken Davis, Roy Gorkoff Jr., Ray Machan, Myles Olmstead and Gordon Walker won provincial titles. Beryl Fallis served as the Manitoba Ladies Curling Association president in 1991-92 and became an honorary life member. Albert Bazinet, Evelyn Green, Ken Holland, Bart Jenner, and Wendell Keeler were other life members. Keeler also served as a director of the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame and Museum.

The softball community lost builders Al Mayer and George McBride. Mayer, a 2003 Manitoba Softball HOF inductee, coached or managed 15 different teams over a more than three-decade period and was instrumental in the formation of the junior Winnipeg Colonels team which won six consecutive provincial championships. A 2008 HOF inductee, McBride was a leader in men and women playing softball on the same team when he formed the Winnipeg Adult Coed Softball League, later the Winnipeg Adult Mixed Fastball League. The pioneer of the mixed game served as president for 23 seasons. McBride also hosted a sports show on cable TV for many years.

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Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026

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The Dakota Lancers boys hockey team is off to a solid start this season, going 13-3-0 in its first 16 games.

Lancers looking to win it all

Sheldon Birnie STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Preview

Lancers looking to win it all

Sheldon Birnie STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026

The Dakota Lancers boys hockey team is gearing up for a major playoff push to start the new year.

At press time, the Lancers held second place in the Winnipeg High School Hockey League’s Winnipeg Free Press Division with a 13-3-0 record and 39 points, trailing only the undefeated Collège Louis-Riel Voyageurs.

“We’re in great shape, having a great year,” said longtime coach Ray Agostino. “We’re a fast, disciplined team. Hardworking. We have a pretty well-balanced attack… We can beat teams in a few different areas, whether we need to play tight checking or score goals.”

Built around a core of 10 Grade 11 players, Dakota had the second-most goals-for and the fewest goals-against in the WFP Division.

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Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026

File photo
Hector Vergara, executive director of Soccer Manitoba, said upcoming changes are intended to encourage to keep playing soccer longer.

Growing the ‘beautiful game’

Sheldon Birnie STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Preview

Growing the ‘beautiful game’

Sheldon Birnie STAFF REPORTER 4 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026

There are big changes coming to how youth soccer programming is delivered in Manitoba.

The changes come at the direction of Canada Soccer, the sport’s national governing body, and are to be phased in over the next couple years, explained Hector Vergara, executive director of Soccer Manitoba.

The concepts and practices will be introduced to eight-to-10-year-old players this year, and 11-to-13-year-olds in the coming years.

“The idea behind it is to focus on development of the player, to ensure that at the end of the day the people participating in our programs are essentially receiving a consistent, safe, and nationally aligned experience,” Vergara said.

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Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026

February 15, 2026