It’s been way too long.

Senior hockey has returned to Ile des Chenes this season.

The Northstars have two wins and a loss to start the 2022-23 South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League campaign.

Ile des Chenes recorded 8-4 and 5-3 road wins over the Carman Beavers and defending champions Warren Mercs and then lost their home opener 8-0 to the Portage Islanders.

Gaetan Beauchemin began the process of putting a team back on the ice three years ago and plans were in place for Ile des Chenes to join the Carillon Senior Hockey League in the fall of 2020.

Unfortunately, all hockey in our province was shutdown in early November and the 2020-21 season was postponed and eventually cancelled due to COVID-19.

The CSHL didn't drop the puck to start the 2020-21 season and didn’t even operate in 2021-22 leaving the Northstars, Ste. Anne Aces, Grunthal Red Wings, Steinbach Huskies and Red River Wild in limbo.

With the uncertainty of the status of the Carillon Senior Hockey League’s future - Ile des Chenes, Ste. Anne and Red River approached the seven SEMHL teams (Warren Mercs, Portage Islanders, Notre Dame Hawks, Altona Maroons, Morden Bombers, Winkler Royals and Carman Beavers) and in May the league grew to 10 teams with the addition of the Northstars, Aces and Wild.

The Northstars won five championships during the teams 11-year tenure in the Hanover Tache Hockey League and also captured the 2003 Allan Cup National Senior AAA Hockey Championship in Dundas, Ontario defeating the Stony Plain Eagles 3-2 in double overtime.

That Northstars team was inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.

Ile des Chenes played in the HTHL until the league packed it in after the 2004-2005 season and then competed as an independent senior AAA club from 2005-2018.


Clayton Dreger asked Northstars manager Gaetan Beauchemin how it felt to watch his team win their season opener 8-4 over the Beavers in Carman on the opening weekend of the 2022-23 SEMHL season