We hope everyone is having a fantastic Holiday break and is gearing up for some handball in a couple weeks!

We forgot to post the final week's player of the week for the first half of the season, so without further delay, here are week 5's players of the week:

Men's division Player of the Week: Matt Hagen

Matt has been playing in the WTHL for the last 4 years and played on the Junior Provincial Team for the Last 3. Matt currently plays with his team, the Titans at the corner position. Matt's handball roots can be traced back to being coached by Manitoba Handball Legend, Brad Rayner, through his younger handball days. Matt has been described as having great handball awareness and using that great vision on the court to be able to utilize his pivots. This comes in handy, as Titans frequently have two pivots out on the court!

Matt currently sits tied for 3rd in scoring in the Men's division with 35 goals in 6 games and has been a great contributor to the success of the Titan's. The Titans have been noticeably improving over the last years and will be a team to keep an eye out on for the future.

Unconfirmed fun fact about Matt: Matt has some peculiar eating habits, to which we are told he enjoys things such as burnt toast covered in mayo, ketchup and nutella. Best of luck to Matt in his handball future and to his team for the rest of the season.

Women's division Player of the Week: Caity Purvis-Collins

Caity is currently playing in her 4th year in the WTHL, recruited by her current team, Gambit. Caity is a former Churchill highschool player where past provincial coach, Nancy Karpinsky taught her the game. Caity is a former Wesmen basketball player and is currently taking her Masters in Athletic Therapy. Caity is currently tied for fourth in scoring with 17 goals in 5 games! Caity has been described as a very skilled and accomplished teammate and Gambit will rely on Caity to help with with their playoff push!

Fun fact about Caity that not many people know, she has a twin! Good luck for the rest of the season Caity and we look forward to seeing Caity and her team, Gambit compete for the Championship this spring!

A message from our Manitoba Provincial Teams Coordinator: Paul Courchaine

The deadline to declare a team’s intent to participate in the Canadian National Championships is fast approaching. On or before January 10, 2014 you must submit your intention to participate, along with a $250.00 non refundable deposit, the name of your coach(es), and a tentative budget, to Paul Courchaine, Pat Stanley or Alex Anspikian.

The Senior Championships have been confirmed and will be held in Toronto
The Junior Championships are being held in Edmonton.

The only team confirmed is the Junior Men’s team. So once again it is time start planning and making decisions!

-WTHL

Men's Division Player of the Week: Jeremy Chopek

Jeremy has been playing in the WTHL for approximately 13 years! Jeremy is a familiar figure in Manitoba Team Handball, first making his appearance as a junior B player on the Lancers. Jeremy also had a chance to play on the Rebels and then moved on to play on the Pikeys team, which he currently captains. Jeremy has been a reoccurring presence on the provincial teams, both junior and senior teams, winning 3 bronze and 2 gold medals at the Canadian Nationals as a player and in the past has also been heavily involved in the junior men's team as a coach.

Jeremy is a large contributing factor that keeps his team constantly in the running for the championship and along with Jeremy's help, his team is the Men's division reigning champs for the last two years.

Women's Division Player of the Week: Shauna Roy

Shauna is yet another player of the week that has spent the last 10 years as a player in the WTHL. All the while, Shauna has been playing on her current team, Deep Blue. Shauna was recruited while she was a player in high school at Massey and has continued to be a great contributor to her team with 19 goals in 5 games. Shauna participated as a provincial player on the senior team in 2010 and we hope to see her continue in the years to come. When Shauna is not playing team handball, she enjoys playing ultimate and going camping.

Shauna's team, Deep Blue currently sits in 3rd place with a 2-2-1 record. Good luck in this season to Shauna and Deep Blue and keep an eye on this team to push in the playoffs!

-WTHL

Week Three:

Men's division Player of the Week: Colin Bouchard

Colin Bouchard has been an active Team Handball player in the WTHL for the last 2 years. Colin plays on team Blitz (formerly known as Juniors) and is a dedicated provincial player. Colin plays right back and has accumulated 17 points in 3 games, helping his team stay competitive in each game. Colin also helps out in the WTHL as on of our officials and is described by as a great teammate and leader on his team. An unconfirmed fact about Colin is that he is an avid Harry Potter fan, so anyone looking for a wizard dual, Colin's your man!

We look forward to watching Colin develop his skills in the WTHL and as a provincial player, good luck to you Colin and your team!

Women's division Player of the Week: Jaimie Eyers

Jaimie has been playing in the WTHL for an amazing 15 years roughly! Jaimie first started out on a team called Lady Bulldogs and then started playing on the Wildcats which she now captains. Jaimie has been very active in Mantioba's provincial program, having participated as a player since she was 17 and also contributed as a coach for a number of years. Jaimie has been to Denmark as part of the Canadian National team and has also spent some time training in France.

Jaimie has been Wildcats biggest contributor in goals, leading the Women's division in week three with 21 goals in 4 games! Good luck in your future games Jaimie, and keep an eye out for the Wildcats come playoff time!

-WTHL

There will be a Clinic for Beginner Referees on Wednesday January 8th at Sport Manitoba starting at 7 pm. There will be a charge involved of $ 30.00 with a reduced rate ($20.00) for those who were at either the Rules Clinic, November 13th or a previous Beginner Clinic.

Any of the new referees from last year that have not been reffing in the WTHL are encouraged to come for the review in preparation for High School League.

Please confirm your attendance with either Ward ( whrabi@shaw.ca ) or Brian ( bhayes@mymts.net ).

Thank you

Brian Hayes
Head Referee