EAST CENTRAL — Here are the top 10 sports stories covered by the East Central Recorder this past year.
Return of sports
The athletes were back! High school volleyball, football, cross country, and golf all returned. The Melfort Mustangs, Nipawin Hawks, Humboldt Broncos, Tisdale Trojans, Carrot River Outback Thunder and other area hockey teams have already played more games this season than they did in all of the 2020-2021 campaign.
Kozun Competes
Melfort product Julie Kozun, who was living in Nipawin this year, helped the Canadian women’s sitting volleyball team place fourth at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. Although the youngest athlete on the team, Kozun played a key role in her first Paralymics as Canada improved upon its pre-event world ranking of fifth.
Hofmann Wins
Muenster hurler Logan Hofmann ended a successful rookie professional baseball league season by helping the Bradenton (Fla.) Marauders win the first-ever Low-A Southeast League championship series. The right-hander appeared in 22 games for the Bradenton with 13 starts. Hofmann threw 82.2 innings with 103 strikeouts and only 33 walks.
Johnson Released
After 11 and a half seasons at the helms of the Nipawin Hawks, Doug Johnson was released as the team’s head coach and general manager in December. A former Hawks player, Johnson led the team to the 2018 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League championship. He was the team’s all-time winningest coach with a 342-207-25-31 record. The team was 10-12-0-5 this season when Johnson was replaced by assistant coach and fellow former Hawk Tad Kozun.
Muyres Gets Bronze
St. Gregor product Kirk Muyres helped the Matt Dunstone rink finish third at the Tim Hortons Brier in the Calgary bubble. The Saskatchewan rink went 9-3 in the round robin. Their Brier came to an end on a game-winning angle raise by Alberta skip – and eventual Brier champ - Brendan Bottcher in a 6-5 loss.
Outback Thunder Roar Under Mann
Former Tisdale Trojans and Melfort Mustangs head coach Darrell Mann took over leading the Carrot River Outback Thunder just as the season started. Former bench boss Rob Holoien stepped down for personal reason before his first campaign as head coach. During Mann’s first few months on the job, the Outback Thunder posted a nine-game winning streak and, with the Prairie Junior Hockey League’s Christmas break nearing, was sitting near the top of the Bob Dybvig Division standings.
Tornados Make Semis
The Tisdale Middle & Secondary School football team’s lone loss of the season came in the nine-man provincial semifinals. Before falling to Delisle Composite School, the Tornados were 7-0 including beating each of their Conference One foes twice and dispatching the Fort Qu’Appelle Bison, 62-22, in the quarterfinals. Heading into the semifinals, TMSS’s average margin of victory was 39.5 points. In addition to playing for the Tornados, Tilka Chapman helped Moosomin win the first ever Prairie Girls Football League championship.
Froehlich Committed to D1
With still a junior college baseball season left to play, Nipawin’s Kyle Froehlich earned himself a scholarship from Northwestern State University, an NCAA Division I school in Louisiana. In the spring the pitcher and first baseman will compete in his second campaign for Kansas’ Colby Community College.
Hilltops Win Again
With area athletes on its roster, the Saskatoon Hilltops won its seventh consecutive Prairie Football Conference title. After falling twice earlier in the season to the Regina Thunder, the Hilltops beat that team, previously undefeated, in the PFC finals. The Hilltops fell in the national semifinals after winning six straight Canadian Bowls. The Hilltops roster this season included players from Melfort – Konnor Johnson, Connor Rolland, Warner Solsten and Mitch Clarke; Tisdale – Pavel Lalonde; and Humboldt - Jared Giddings, Ethan Paslowski, and Teijon Abel-Douglas. Tisdale product Andre Lalonde served as the team’s running backs and special team coach.
Volleyball Success
The area had a number of volleyball teams succeed at provincials in the fall. Muenster won the boys 1A provincial title. Annaheim placed third. On the girls side, Annaheim (1A); Naicam (2A); and Humboldt (4A) all won bronze medals.
