Congratulations to our players of the week for week eight!

Week 8:

Men's divisions Player of the Week: Joseph Deally

Joseph has been playing in the WTHL for the last couple years. Joseph entered the league by joining the Phoenix H.C. and comes to the WTHL as a former Kelvin High School player. Joseph is one of a few fresh new faces that has helped replenish the lines of Phoenix and helped keep their team competitive from week to week. Joseph was a member of the 2013 Jr. Men's Provincial team and is currently working to make 2014 a repeat year as a provincial player.

Joseph plays as a back and is a strong two way player for his team. Joseph's teammates say his ability to see the court and exploit the opposing team's defense make him a valuable player for Phoenix. This is shown in his contribution of 42 goals in just 10 games so far this season!

Joseph is just one of three Deally's currently playing for Phoenix, having his younger brother and father as teammates. We wish Joseph and his team Phoenix the best of luck for the remainder of the season

Women's Player of the Week: Brynn Lloyd

Brynn has been playing as part of the WTHL for approximately 13 years! Brynn started playing team handball in high school at Sturgeon Creek Collegiate while attending St. James Collegiate. Brynn is a former Junior Women's provincial team member and made the transition to the WTHL playing for the Phoenix Women's handball team.

Brynn is described by teammates as a versatile athlete who is also an integral part of the team. Her sense of commitment, work ethic and friendly attitude make her an ideal teammate. Brynn mostly plays as a right back and has accumulated 22 goals in her last 9 games!

A little known fact about Brynn is that she has an addiction to dill pickle flavored popcorn! Best of luck to Brynn for the remainder of the season and look for Phoenix to utilize Brynn's offensive presence come playoff time!

-Your WTHL Team

Please join us in congratulating players of the week for weeks six and seven!

Week Six

Men's division Player of the Week: Hughie Glover
Women's division Player of the Week: Kristen Penner

Week Seven

Men Division Player of the Week: Bill Coulter
Women's Division Player of the Week: Jocelyne McKie

These players are great examples of positive leaders with great work ethic in the WTHL and on their teams, keep up the great work!

You can take a look at their featured write ups in the "Players of the Week" tab on the WTHL homepage: http://wthl.redzoneleagues.com/menu/players-of-the-week

-Your friendly WTHL Team

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