So many sports books, so little time

The Children’s Hospital Book Market will be held at the St. Vital Shopping Centre from Friday, April 24 through Sunday, April 26. It’s hard to believe, but this year will be year 66 for the volunteer-run event that raises funds for the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba through the sale of used books.

The book market always has a special section devoted to sports books, and this columnist will be staffing it from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. on April 24. Stop by to say hello and, more importantly, purchase books. As a reader, collector and historian, I have been adding to my much-to-large personal collection for several decades.

On the opening morning, several collectors will be waiting for the volunteers to uncover the sports books and allow the battles to begin for the treasures. One regular comes for Montreal Canadiens books he doesn’t have. Another goes to the golf section in the hope of finding instructional books that will help his game. Parents ask for recommendations of books that might generate more interest in reading for their athletic children.

The largest section is hockey, and I guarantee it will include at least one copy of Manitoba Hockey: A History, by Vince Leah that was published as a provincial centennial project in 1970 by the Manitoba Hockey Players Foundation. One year I found a copy signed by NHLers Bill Mosienko and Bill Juzda, as well as by the author. A signed copy of Cowboy on Ice, a biography of the colourful former pro Howie Young, often shows up, as it was published in Winnipeg.

Aiming to make an impact

Emma Elliott is an 18-year-old Grade 12 student at Collège Jeanne-Sauvé.

“School is going well. I’ve focused a lot on my studies this year,” she said. “My favourite class is biology. I find it very interesting and challenging.”

Emma is a multi-sport athlete, who competes for her school in cross-country, flag football, and ultimate frisbee. Her favourite sport, however, has to be basketball.

“I just love competing and I love how fast the game is,” said the 5-9 guard. “I really like how many ways you can impact the game as a player on the court.”

Lancers girls go four for five

The powerhouse Dakota Lancers basketball team avenged its loss in last year’s final AAAA varsity girls’ provincial final by defeating the Vincent Massey Trojans 78-73 on March 23 at the University of Manitoba’s IG Athletic Centre.

Coached by Eric Sung, the Lancers earned their fourth provincial banner in the past five seasons, led by ball-handling Grade 10 guard Quinn Kelly, who scored 25 points, and by star forward Emilie McLean, who scored 19 points and added 23 rebounds.

Uloma Isinguzo scored 18 points for the Trojans, whose balanced attack featured 16 points from Emma Yard and 14 from Ese Imiefo. Massey led 23-19 after the first quarter, but Dakota rebounded to lead 44-40 at the half and 62-58 at the end of the third quarter.

Dakota’s McLean was named the tournament’s most valuable player, while Emma Elliott of Collège Jeanne-Sauvé Olympiens won the players’ choice award.

‘Champions are forever’

The Béliveau Barracudas girls’ hockey team has created its own little piece of history.

The team recently won the Manitoba Women’s High School Hockey League’s Division 3 title, beating the St. John’s-Ravenscourt Eagles two games to none in the best-of-three final — winning 5-1 at SJR’s Dutton Arena on March 16, and 5-3 at Southdale Community Centre’s east rink on March 17.

It’s the first time the Windsor Park-based team has won an MWHSHL divisional title.

“It’s fantastic,” said Braedan King, the team’s head coach. “The girls worked so hard, right from training camp.”

Glenlawn Lions girls’ win hockey title

The third time was a charm for the Glenlawn Lions girls’ hockey team.

The St. Vital-based team emphatically beat the Vincent Massey Trojans in two straight games to win the Manitoba Women’s High School Hockey League’s Division1/2 East title.

The Lions beat the Trojans 6-2 at Century Arena on March 17, followed by a 5-1 victory at St. Arena on March 19.

Significantly, the championship win came on the heels of heartbreaking, back-to-back playoff final series losses in 2024 and 2025, to Shaftesbury Titans and CJS Olympiens, respectively.

Super-Spike to return to Winnipeg July 17, 18

The 24th edition of Super-Spike will be held at Maple Grove Rugby Park (90 Frobisher Rd.) on Friday, July 17 and Saturday, July 18.

As ever, Super-Spike combines Western Canada’s largest outdoor volleyball tournament with a weekend-long concert series.

This year’s musical guests will include FeFe Dobson, and Tyler Shaw, as co-headliners, both set to make their debut Super-Spike appearances. Local talent including Always Dale, the Dust Rhinos, Boone, Skene, and several DJs with also be appearing on the main stage throughout the two days, organizers say.

The capacity has been expanded to 400 teams for this year’s event — last year saw a sold-out capacity of 375 teams.

Speeding ahead

Skylar Van Horne’s junior speedskating career may have just ended, but she’s eagerly anticipating making the jump to the senior circuit for the 2026-27 season.

Van Horne, an 18-year-old who grew up in Bridgwater but moved to Calgary to study and train last fall, wrapped up her junior career in February after a successful final season in the junior ranks. In January, she finished second overall at the Canadian junior championships, which guaranteed her a spot on the Canadian team at the junior world championships in Inzell, Germany.

Van Horne, who races at the 500, 1,000, 1,500 and 3,000-metre distances, registered a couple of top 10s in her individual events and was a member of the Canadian trio that finished third in the team sprint event, setting a Canadian record in the process.

However, the Canadian skaters disqualified for an equipment issue, which left a bad taste, so Van Horne and her teammates set out to prove something when they got back to the training base in Calgary.

Seniors curling champions crowned

Charleswood’s Paul Scinocca and Fort Garry’s Jennifer Clark-Rouire successfully skipped their rinks to Manitoba men’s and women’s seniors titles on March 23 at Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club.

Scinocca, third Ed Barr, second Paul Armstrong and lead Joel Newbury (along with fifth man Gregg Melnyk and coach Don Nelson) defeated Deloraine’s Murray Warren 7-5 in the men’s final.

It was the first Manitoba championship for Scinocca, Barr and Newbury. Armstrong was a member of the winning masters team earlier this year.

Clark-Rouire, third Karen Klein, second Susan Baleja and lead Raunora Westcott (with coach Howard Restall) overcame Darcy Robertson’s Fort Rouge team 6-3 in the women’s final.

Years ending in six lucky in these parts

If you review the hockey history of Manitoba, you will note that several years ending with the number six have led to a championship for a local team.

The Winnipeg Jets began the 2025-26 NHL season with dreams of winning the Stanley Cup, based on the club’s success in 2024-25, when it topped the league standings during the regular season. As this season winds down, it will take more than a miracle to add another championship to that list.

The series of successful sixes began in 1896 when a team from Winnipeg did win the Stanley Cup. In 1895, the Winnipeg Victorias travelled east to play games in Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec City and Montreal. The team won four of five and, while in Montreal, learned that teams from the west could challenge for the Stanley Cup, which had been put up for play in 1893.

The Winnipeg Victorias thus issued a challenge to the Montreal Victorias and the two clubs met in the eastern city on Feb. 14, 1896. It was a happy Valentine’s Day for the visitors, who won 2-0 on goals by captain Jack Armytage and Tote Campbell. Goalie George (Whitey) Merritt, who was wearing cricket pads for protection, got the shutout. On Dec. 30, 1896, Montreal reclaimed the Cup with a 6-5 victory in a game played at the McIntyre rink in Winnipeg.

Maples makes basketball history

The Maples Marauders won the Manitoba high school AAAA boys’ basketball championship for the first time on March 23, with a thrilling, 115-106 overtime victory over the Dakota Lancers in the final, played in front of a raucous crowd at the University of Manitoba’s IG Athletic Centre.

Up nine points with the final seconds winding down, the Marauders were swarmed on-court by classmates and fans who couldn’t contain their enthusiasm.

Grade 10 guard Veer Brar led the way for the Maples squad, contributing 36 points as the teams traded leads and scoring runs in a see-saw contest. The Lancers led 54-48 at half-time, the teams were tied at 74 at the end of the third quarter and knotted at 101 at the end of regulation time. In OT, Maples held Dakota to just five points and two shot-clock violations while scoring 14 points.

Brar was named most valuable player of the Manitoba High Schools’ Athletic Association AAAA boys tournament, Dakota’s Brady Penner won the players’ choice award and the tournament all-star team was comprised of Penner and Daniel Rom from Dakota, Andrey Yamborko from Maples, Kobe Alejo of the Churchill Bulldogs and Joaquin Ong of the St. Paul’s Crusaders.

Titans bring championship banner to Shaftesbury

The Shaftesbury Titans finished atop the Manitoba Women’s High School Hockey League’s Division 2, winning the championship banner with a 2-1 victory over the Dakota Lancers on March 18 at the Hockey for All Centre in Headingley.

“It felt amazing,” said captain Megan Humniski. “It couldn’t have gone any better than that. We were all really happy.”

“When playoffs started, they had a goal in mind, and they took it game by game,” said fifth-year coach Tom Miko. “They’re quality people first, and that’s what made the difference. They never got too high or too low. It was fun and at the end of the day they had to go home and do their homework. I’m very proud of the group as a whole.”

Humniski, a Grade 12 centre who has played for the Titans the past three seasons, scored nine goals and seven assists through 21 regular season games. In the playoffs, she scored eight goals and added five assists in nine games, leading the team by example.

‘As long as you are doing what you love’

As World Baton Twirling Day approaches — it is celebrated April 10 — a key figure in the local baton community is reflecting on how the sport has created so many connections for her through the years.

East Kildonan resident Tammy de Jong — a Sport Manitoba coach-of-the-year nominee this year — is the head coach of Sakura Baton Twirlers, which offers classes for boys and girls aged four and older at a number of locations across the city, including at Champlain, Glenwood and Linden Woods community centres, and at Hampstead, Harold Hatcher and Bison Run schools.

Last year’s team highlights included a trip to Europe in August, when several members of Sakura qualified to represent Canada in Turin, Italy, at the Nations Cup, after qualifying at a Nations Cup event earlier in the year.

The contingent that went to Italy included coaches de Jong, her daughter Caitlyn, and Yonatan Orlov; as well as duet twirlers Hailey Tsitrin and Danika Huff, along with teammate Kyle Doherty. Gennie Muller of Aerial Fusion, another Winnipeg-based club, was also part of the team.

Meet a wonderful bundle of energy

Mr. Aker Wilde Musto is a four-year-old preschooler who is causing quite a stir in the academic and athletic world.

“Preschool is going great! I really like reading time. The teachers pick my favourite books to read. I really like outside time, too, where I can run around really fast,” he told me.

“I play on snow mountains too!”

There is no doubt as to how serious Aker (Wilde Man) Musto is as an athlete when, at just four years old, the young fella is already training on snow mountains.

Elmwood Giants registration slated for March 28, 29

Elmwood Giants Baseball Club will be holding in-person registrations for girls and boys born between 2011 and 2022 on Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29 from noon to 3 p.m. both days at Chalmers Community Centre (480 Chalmers Ave.), in the main floor meeting room.

Registration is for the Learn to Play program, which ranges ages four to seven, as well as for the 9U, 11U, 13U and 15U age groups, organizers say.

The baseball club is also looking for anyone interested in helping coach one of these age groups.

For more information, call Al Kinley at 204-338-9603.

Trojans recapture provincial AAAA hockey title

The Vincent Massey Trojans captured their second straight Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association boys’ AAAA hockey championship on March 16, with a 4-1 victory over the Oak Park Raiders at Seven Oaks Arena.

The Trojans held a 3-0 lead after two periods, through first-period goals from Aiden Dilay and Will Bader and a second-period marker from Carter Kaczmarz. Oak Park’s Karsten Ross pulled one back for the Raiders before Dilay iced the game with an empty-netter.

The goal by Ross was the first allowed by Massey in four provincial tournament games. Trojans goalie Noah Barnes was named to the tournament all-star team beside teammates Bader, Dilay and Trevor Johnstone, as well as the Raiders’ Ross and David Sudoski.