Virden’s Tanner Andrew and the Rochester Institute of Technology men’s hockey team are headed to the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.
Last weekend the RIT Tigers beat American International College, 5-2, to claim the Atlantic Hockey Championship and a berth in the national championship. The New York state-based RIT team, seeded 15, will take on No. 2 Boston University on March 28 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
RIT last played in the national tournament in 2016. The son of Brock and Andrea Andrew has helped the Tigers succeed with a strong season. The third-year forward has scored six goals and recorded 21 points in 37 games.
U21 Curling Championships
After Monday’s action, the Jace Freeman rink was 3-0 at the 2024 New Holland Canadian Under-21 Curling Championships in Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo. Skipped by the son of Graham and Roxanne Freeman, the rink defeated Northern Ontario 1, 8-3; British Columbia 2, 9-6; and Ontario 1, 7-2. Playing second for Freeman is Nick Senff, the son of former Virden resident Danny Senff and his wife Kimberly.
In the women’s draw, the Shaela Hayward rink was 2-1, as of Monday. It fell to Northern Ontario 1, 8-5, before beating Saskatchewan, 8-7, and Prince Edward Island, 9-7.
Hayward is the daughter of Diane, the team’s coach, and former Virden resident Darcy Hayward.
Team Manitoba Softball
Two Virden products have made the top 24 in the Team Manitoba softball selection process for the 2025 Canada Summer Games team, which will compete in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Jessie Henry is the daughter of Christy and Steven Henry while Kendall Charles is the daughter of Joel and Dori Charles.
Head coach Dwight Heppner expects the final roster to be decided by May. It will include 15 players and three alternates.
Lewis returns to Cougars
Virden’s Tanner Lewis will be back next season as the coach of the Southwest Cougars regionals U18 AAA male hockey team. It will be his third season at the helm after spending a trio of campaigns as the assistant coach. The Cougars finished second in the Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League regular season standings this winter.
