September/October Carillon Sports Year in Review

SPORTS HERITAGE COMMITTEE BEGINS

Steinbach as a sporting town has always been conservative, but plans to finally put together a hall of fame-esque display finally got off the ground this year.

Steinbach Sports Heritage began soliciting donations this fall, with a large amount of space to fill inside the new Southeast Event Centre.

The group isn’t aiming to be a traditional hall of fame, instead casting a wider net to create a list of notable figures from across history.

It’s a unique way of honouring the sporting history of a community that has had a unique relationship with sports and recreation over the years.

“It’s not really a hall of fame at all, yet,” SSH chair Jon Sawatzky said.

“We’re hoping at one point it’ll have a subset that is a hall of fame, but right now it’s bigger and broader… There’s other stories we need to tell that aren’t just celebratory of the best of the best.”

HTJHL EXPANDS TO FAMILIAR MARKETS

La Broquerie wasn’t the only Southeast market celebrating the return of junior hockey to town, as Ste Anne, Grunthal and Mitchell all returned to the Hanover-Tache Junior Hockey League. With Ile des Chenes/Lorette taking a one-year leave of absence, the league needed to divide into two five-team divisions.

League commissioner Pat Guenette hinted the league could expand even further in the coming years at a showcase event in October.

“The sky is the limit,” Guenette said.

“I know we have an executive that is really proud of the league and where it is right now… There’s a lot of different things that we’re trying out, doesn’t mean we’re going to keep it. We’re experimenting, we’re trying different things and we’re doing it with our clubs’ support.”

The Springfield Winterhawks also joined the senior SEMHL ranks, and the Niverville High School entered a team for the first time this year as well.

WARRIORS GO BACK-TO-BACK

The Eastman Warriors could be building a Manitoba rugby dynasty.

After winning the division 2 championship in 2021, they lost the division 1 title in 2022, before rattling off consecutive wins in 2023 and in 2024.

Before that, no team outside of Winnipeg had won the province’s top rugby trophy, which has been awarded since before 1900.

There was no drama to be had in this year’s final, as Eastman’s offensive potential was on full display, as they scored try after try to blow past the Winnipeg Assassins.

“There is nothing better than experience,” head coach Darian Brown said.

“We talked about (getting off to a strong start) all week before this game, we can’t afford to (think) ‘our athleticism will take over the game.’ That’s the weird thing about sports, you can say all the things you want to, you still have to do it.”

Former Olympian Napolioni Bolaca was named the top back of the game. He suited up for Fiji in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, helping them to a gold medal.

“We were looking to come and dominate in the first half,” Bolaca said.

“We had to come with a high intensity game, and dominate in every breakdown.”

THREE EASTMAN PLAYERS BATTLE AT NHL CAMPS

It was a busy fall for players from the region, as two draft picks and a veteran from the region battled at the highest level.

Brett Howden had the most stable job, leveraging a strong start to the 2024/2025 season into a five-year contract extension with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Howden entered this season in the final year of his previous contract. He said being busy with his young family at home meant there has been stress on the ice than in previous contract years.

“I think having the support from my wife day in and day out and really thinking about what’s important when we go home and taking care of our family, just getting away from the rink in that sense has been good for me,” Howden said.

“It’s been a good start for the season, and I’m happy to get this done.”

Owen Pickering and Denton Mateychuk didn’t make their teams out of training camp, but both made their debuts later in the season.

SABRES TEAMS MAKE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS

The Springfield and Steinbach Regional Sabres football teams enjoyed strong seasons in the Winnipeg High School Football League but fell short to top programs in the league quarterfinals.

This is the second year the league has moved to a roughly 20 team top division, with Steinbach making the playoffs both years, and getting matched up with powerhouse Dakota.

It was another blowout loss to the eventual champions, but Steinbach was able to celebrate another strong season on the field, rebounding after a winless season in 2022.

Josiah Grenier was the team’s MVP, racking up over 1,000 yards on the ground to lead the top division.

“(Grenier) is strong, physical, fast and athletic,” varsity head coach Stephan Fedus said at the program’s awards night.

“He has all the physical attributes you could want in a football player. He is also tough, courageous, intelligent and willing to sacrifice for the good of the team.”

Up north in Oakbank, the Springfield Sabres enjoyed a strong season as well, winning their division despite playing much bigger schools.

RAIDERS U16 TEAM WINS CHAMPIONSHIP

While the high school ranks enjoyed success, the Eastman Raiders program, which is an option for any player at a school without a team, enjoyed a strong taste of success, hosting multiple playoff games in a season for the first time.

The program’s U16 team was the standout, scoring an incredible 94 points in a championship win inside Princess Auto Stadium, led by quarterback Elias Kaethler.

Kaethler didn’t start the season as quarterback, but thrived when put into the position early in training camp.

“We found a kid with a cannon for an arm as well as tree trunks for legs and he’s been an unstoppable force,” head coach Steve Baxter said.

“He’s a leader. All the other players follow his lead, they have trust and faith in him, so do all the coaches and coordinators… When it’s on the line, you can trust him to come up with something magical.”

Baxter added he hopes the success of the U16 team on the field will have the Raiders start a U18 team in the coming years.