Amateur

Sky is the limit for Lavoie

Joshua Frey-Sam 7 minute read Friday, Oct. 9, 2026

Anisha Kinnarath Salam is gearing up for an important week.

AK Soccer Academy, the Winnipeg-based club Kinnarath Salam and her father started in 2019, is in Surrey, B.C., this week for to the Canada Soccer National Championships — a first for the 15U girls team — and Kinnarath Salam believes her side has a legitimate shot at winning it all.

“We’ve had the squad, but this is a very talented group,” said Kinnarath Salam. “A few of these girls have been with us since they were five years old. A few have been with us since they were like 10. But we got some powerhouses last year.”

One of those new headlining talents is winger Quinn Lavoie, a product of West St. Paul who has brought a tantalizing blend of speed, technical skill and high IQ on the pitch.

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BISON SPORTS
Manitoba Bisons libero Chelsea Siebenga (10) is one of two veterans on the women’s volleyball team who was developed during the club’s decorated era. Siebenga has embraced her mentor role alongside fellow fifth-year Aviendah Plett.

‘A brave new world’ for Bisons volleyball

Joshua Frey-Sam 8 minute read Preview

‘A brave new world’ for Bisons volleyball

Joshua Frey-Sam 8 minute read Friday, Oct. 9, 2026

Life is bound to look different when you’re without one of the best cores in the country.

Just ask Chelsea Siebenga, the standout fifth-year libero who, along with fifth-year middle Aviendah Plett, is all that remains from a decorated era of Manitoba Bisons women’s volleyball.

“It’s definitely different,” Siebenga said. “Those six people had been on the team the whole time I was a Bison. Those were my friends basically, the people that I would hang out with, so having them gone, it makes the team feel… like a completely different team, to me, at least.”

For the first time in five years, the Bisons will enter a season without Raya Surinx on the left side of their attack. The two-time U Sports Player of the Year opted to forgo her final year of eligibility and begin her professional career in Italy.

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Friday, Oct. 9, 2026

Amateur

DAVID LARKINS / WESMEN ATHLETICS
Winnipeg Wesmen outside Ella Werbiski (14) is one of the veterans leading the team this season.

Wesmen women’s volleyball vets set on leading team to new heights

Joshua Frey-Sam 7 minute read Preview

Wesmen women’s volleyball vets set on leading team to new heights

Joshua Frey-Sam 7 minute read Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026

The Winnipeg Wesmen have taken their lumps over the last two years.

The women’s volleyball team has been the younger sister to some of Canada West’s more veteran programs while it refilled its cupboard with talent and cut its teeth.

The Wesmen are optimistic that those days are behind them, however.

The core of this squad is all grown up now and looking to jump into the next echelon with the rest of the conference heavyweights.

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Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026

Amateur

BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS FILES
Six programs in the Manitoba Women’s High School Hockey League folded before the start of the 2026-27 season once the Hockey Manitoba U18 AAA ban took effect.

‘Detrimental to the growth of female hockey in Manitoba’

Joshua Frey-Sam 8 minute read Preview

‘Detrimental to the growth of female hockey in Manitoba’

Joshua Frey-Sam 8 minute read Friday, Oct. 2, 2026

She lived the best of both worlds.

For the last three years, the 17-year-old wore a sweater for two different hockey programs — her high school team and AAA club in the Manitoba Female Hockey League — and was preparing to flourish in both colours again this winter.

Recently, however, the blue-liner was disappointed to learn she is no longer eligible to play her Grade 12 season with her school owing to a new policy imposed by Hockey Manitoba that bans players from participating in the Manitoba Women’s High School Hockey League if they are rostered on a U18 AAA team.

The rule applies to all athletes who play for both Winnipeg-based and rural AAA teams.

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Friday, Oct. 2, 2026

Amateur

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Winnipeg Rifles’ Cohen McCluskey is a big reason the team still has a shot at the post-season. The linebacker that head coach Geordie Wilson calls a ‘tough old school guy’ had nine tackles and an interception against the Edmonton Wildcats on Sunday.

Winnipeg Rifles can still secure post-season berth despite starting season 0-4

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Preview

Winnipeg Rifles can still secure post-season berth despite starting season 0-4

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Wednesday, Sep. 30, 2026

The Winnipeg Rifles have a seat at the table, something they would’ve certainly taken a few weeks ago.

A solid three-phase performance in a 25-13 win over the Edmonton Huskies on Sunday kept the junior football club’s playoff hopes alive as the team heads into the final week of the regular season in the Prairie Football Conference.

The path to punching their ticket isn’t easy, however. The Rifles must travel to a perennially difficult environment in Saskatoon to face the Hilltops (4-3) on Sunday (1 p.m.), a contest that only matters if the Huskies beat the Edmonton Wildcats on Saturday.

But after starting the season 0-4, it’s a deal that the Rifles will happily take.

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Wednesday, Sep. 30, 2026

Manitoba Moose

BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS FILES
Nikita Chibrikov is still working his way back to peak form.

Four Jets clear waivers to join Moose

Ken Wiebe 3 minute read Preview

Four Jets clear waivers to join Moose

Ken Wiebe 3 minute read Saturday, Sep. 26, 2026

The Winnipeg Jets organizational depth has yet to take a hit on the waiver wire.

On Saturday afternoon, all four players exposed to waivers — defenceman Isaak Phillips and forwards Nikita Chibrikov, Noah Gregor and Parker Ford — cleared, which means they can be assigned to the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League.

Owing to injuries to captain Adam Lowry and winger Cole Perfetti, both Chibrikov and Ford started last season on the NHL roster but spent the bulk of last season with the Moose.

Chibrikov, chosen in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft, has dealt with multiple lower-body injuries during the prior two seasons and is still working his way back to peak form.

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Saturday, Sep. 26, 2026

Amateur

Daniel Crump / FREE PRESS FILES
The St. Paul’s Crusaders have grown into a perennial powerhouse, capturing the ANAVETS Bowl four times between 2009-2013 on top of winning the provincial championship in the top division 13 times, most recently in 2022.

Crusaders football celebrates 95th anniversary

Joshua Frey-Sam 4 minute read Preview

Crusaders football celebrates 95th anniversary

Joshua Frey-Sam 4 minute read Friday, Sep. 25, 2026

Few understand better than Stacy Dainard how steeped the St. Paul’s High School football program is in history.

The head coach of the Crusaders’ varsity team for the last 25 years has watched the institution’s presence on the gridiron blossom over four decades since he donned the maroon and white as a player from 1984-87.

Dainard figures he will harken back to those days more this weekend when a flock of Crusaders alumni from across the country gather to commemorate the football program’s 95th anniversary.

“We were a competitive team. We had some very committed coaches and some very committed student-athletes,” said Dainard, who reached the provincial championship in each of his first three seasons as a student-athlete. “It was a good time. Football wasn’t as big as it is now, or at least high school football wasn’t as big as it is now. But it was a very competitive league.”

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Friday, Sep. 25, 2026

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Wheelchair Basketball Canada photo
Joshua Brown (6) has represented Manitoba at three Canada Games and played for the national U23 team. The East St. Paul product was most recently on the senior men’s national roster for the IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships in Ottawa earlier this month.

East St. Paul product’s next wheelchair basketball chapter in Spain’s best men’s division

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Preview

East St. Paul product’s next wheelchair basketball chapter in Spain’s best men’s division

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Thursday, Sep. 24, 2026

Every time Joshua Brown takes the court, the line between dreams and reality blurs.

You see, Brown, born and raised in East St. Paul, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy early in life. Understanding his condition, he came to terms with the challenge it would be to play stand-up sports competitively.

That didn’t stop him from dreaming, though.

Brown remembers watching Canada’s best in wheelchair basketball at the Paralympic Games on television as a youngster, and vividly recalls what went through his mind at the time.

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Thursday, Sep. 24, 2026

Amateur

BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS FILES
Winnipeg Rifles quarterback Riley Element’s (18) 1,450 passing yards and 10 touchdowns pace the conference again this season after the pivot led the conference in passing yards and was tied for the most passing touchdowns last season.

Big time roster turnovers reflected in Rifles play

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Preview

Big time roster turnovers reflected in Rifles play

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Friday, Sep. 18, 2026

The Winnipeg Rifles needed to get out of their own way.

That was the consensus in the junior football club’s locker room after it opened the Canadian Junior Football League season with four straight losses before breaking through with a 37-23 home win over the Edmonton Huskies last weekend.

The Rifles kept their playoff hopes within reach with three games remaining in the regular season. If nothing else, it injected some much-needed confidence into a group that believes it has the talent to compete with the rest of the Prairie Conference, but needs to stop shooting itself in the foot.

“It was definitely a sense of urgency. It was definitely a must-need win, and especially a lot of our other games, we would be in the game, and then we would kind of start beating ourselves almost,” said Jarome Penner, the club’s leading receiver.

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Friday, Sep. 18, 2026

Amateur

ZACHARY PETERS / BISON SPORTS
Manitoba Bisons fifth-year receiver Nathan Udoh (left) is being leaned on as one of the oldest players in a youthful locker room.

Bisons look to bounce back against Dinos at Murray Field

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Preview

Bisons look to bounce back against Dinos at Murray Field

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Wednesday, Sep. 16, 2026

Nathan Udoh has been around long enough to know how quickly things can change in the Canada West conference.

The fifth-year Manitoba Bisons receiver is one of the oldest players in a youthful locker room that is experiencing the ebbs and flows of a U Sports season for the first time, and to say his experience if being leaned on would be an understatement.

“I try to lean on that and help guys who haven’t been in these situations just to keep their heads and how hard you have to play,” Udoh said Wednesday. “I think that’s the biggest thing that there is no snap that you take off, and playing with that intensity is really where it starts.”

The Bisons have already endured a roller-coaster two games into the season. After shocking the country by steamrolling the reigning conference champion Saskatchewan Huskies 40-22 in their season-opener, the Bisons fell back to earth in a 22-8 road loss to the Regina Rams last weekend.

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Wednesday, Sep. 16, 2026

Amateur

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Bryan Hoops shot 68 on Friday to win the Canadian men’s senior golf championship with a score of five-under at Niakwa Country Club.

American takes men’s senior title, Manitoban Fanning finishes third

Joshua Frey-Sam 7 minute read Preview

American takes men’s senior title, Manitoban Fanning finishes third

Joshua Frey-Sam 7 minute read Friday, Sep. 11, 2026

Todd Fanning did everything he could.

The decorated local golfer knew he would need to go low to have a chance at becoming the first Manitoban to win the Canadian men’s senior national championship on Friday, and while he held up his end of the bargain, in the end it was not to be.

Starting the day five shots back of the lead — a gap he closed quickly, actually taking the solo lead from a brief stretch early in the day — Fanning carded six birdies en route to tying a tournament-low four-under 68 in the final round at Niakwa Country Club.

The 58-year-old’s effort would be matched by Arizona’s Bryan Hoops, whose matching 68 carried him to a two-shot victory.

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Friday, Sep. 11, 2026

Amateur

MORGAN MARCOUX / GOLF MANITOBA
Two-time provincial senior champion Todd Fanning is in a ‘pretty big hole’ after an opening round 78.

Puncher’s chance for locals

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Preview

Puncher’s chance for locals

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Thursday, Sep. 10, 2026

Who doesn’t love a good comeback story?

Todd Fanning, one of the most decorated golfers in Manitoba history, is attempting to author one heck of a compelling tale at his home course this week.

After falling a whopping 10 strokes off the lead at one point in the opening 18 holes of the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship, Fanning has roared back to life and heads into Friday’s fourth and final round at Niakwa Country Club with a puncher’s chance.

He followed up Tuesday’s six-over 78 — a performance he told the Free Press was “kind of embarrassing” — with rounds of 71 and 70 on Wednesday and Thursday. That has him at three-over for the event, five shots out of first place.

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Thursday, Sep. 10, 2026

Amateur

MORGAN MARCOUX / GOLF MANITOBA
David White from the St. Charles Country Club has a share of the lead after two rounds at the 2026 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship.

Wiseman leans on pro experience

Joshua Frey-Sam 7 minute read Preview

Wiseman leans on pro experience

Joshua Frey-Sam 7 minute read Wednesday, Sep. 9, 2026

Todd Wiseman knows what pressure feels like in a sporting arena.

The Port Moody, B.C. resident faced it every summer across an eight-year playing career as a defensive back in the Canadian Football League with the B.C. Lions, Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Wiseman, who switched from knocking down passes to knocking down birdies after the 1994 season, is feeling a different kind of weight this week in the Canadian senior men’s championship at Niakwa Country Club, but has managed it well through two rounds.

Wiseman turned in a rather clean three-under 69 on Wednesday, his two bogeys outweighed by five birdies, to grab a share of the lead in the 55-plus national event. Wiseman tied a single-round tournament low to share the 36-hole lead with Winnipegger David White and America’s top-ranked senior amateur Bryan Hoops.

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Wednesday, Sep. 9, 2026

Amateur

St. Charles golfer takes opening round lead at national senior men’s championship

Joshua Frey-Sam 7 minute read Preview

St. Charles golfer takes opening round lead at national senior men’s championship

Joshua Frey-Sam 7 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 8, 2026

David White didn’t set any expectations entering this week.

The St. Charles golfer knew he had the game to keep up with a talented field across four days, but wouldn’t go so far as to say he’d be in the hunt for a title.

So the 59-year-old walked away in great spirits after an opening round three-under 69 has him leading the Canadian senior men’s championship at Niakwa on Tuesday.

It was a terrific display of resilience in blustery conditions for White, who was one shot clear of Scotland’s Ronnie Clark, the only other player to reach red figures.

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Tuesday, Sep. 8, 2026

Amateur

THOMAS FRIESEN / BRANDON SUN FILES
Todd Fanning won his second Manitoba senior in July.

Fanning takes aim at Canadian title on home course

Mike McIntyre 4 minute read Preview

Fanning takes aim at Canadian title on home course

Mike McIntyre 4 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 8, 2026

Todd Fanning would love to make this a September to remember.

The decorated Manitoba golfer — who added a second straight provincial senior men’s championship to his impressive resumé earlier this summer — is now laser-focused on trying for a national title.

Fanning, 58, is one of the favourites as the Canadian senior men’s championship begins today at Niakwa Country Club, which just so happens to be his home course.

“Anyone who thinks they’re going to come out and see a bunch of old guys just whacking it around (is mistaken),” Fanning recently told the Free Press. “It’s going to be a heck of a week.”

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Tuesday, Sep. 8, 2026

But that hasn’t stopped the 19-year-old from Winnipeg from becoming the best in the world.

Coles, representing London-Western Wrestling Club out of London, Ont., won gold in the 53-kg division at the U20 World Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Aug. 19.

She’s only the fifth Canadian to win a U20 world title.

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Monday, Aug. 31, 2026

October 11, 2026

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