– The Brandon Wheat Kings visit the Regina Pats Saturday night to open their first round playoff series. It’s the first time the East Division rivals have met in the post-season since 2003, with the matchup featuring two of the WHL’s most potent offences. The Wheat Kings had seven players scored 20 or more goals and scored 271 goals during the regular season, an average of 3.76 per game, while the Pats had four 30-goal scorers and had 257 goals, or 3.57 per game. CKLQ’s Bruce Luebke has a preview of the series on his blog at http://luberslounge.blogspot.ca/
– The Winnipeg Wild are Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League champions. Zach Court scored 14:17 into double overtime as the Wild downed the Eastman Selects 5-4 Friday night to take the Best-of-Five League Final 3-1. Wheat Kings’ prospect Kirklan Lycar had a goal and an assist in a losing cause for Eastman while Brandon prospects Dylan Thiessen and Mark Taraschuk both play for the Wild.
– The Tiger Hills Hockey League Final is all even at a game apiece. The Deloraine Royals got 20 saves from Cody Matthewson in a 2-0 victory over the Gladstone Lakers in Game #2 Friday night. Brad Twordik and Jon Naturkach scored the goals for the Royals. Game three goes tonight in Deloraine (8:30 p.m.). Meanwhile, the Miniota-Elkhorn C-Hawks go for their second straight North Central Hockey League title when they visit the Grandview Comets tonight. The C-Hawks lead the Best-of-Five series 2-1.
– Ashton Bell scored in double overtime as the Westman Wildcats topped the Pembina Valley Hawks 3-2 to open the Manitoba Female Midget Hockey League Final Friday night. Game #2 of the Best-of-Five series goes Sunday afternoon in Hartney (2:00 p.m.)
– The Virden Golden Bears will go after their first-ever AAA Girls’ Provincial Basketball title on Saturday. The Golden Bears downed the Neelin Spartans 72-54 in Friday’s semifinal to move into the championship game, where they’ll face the R.D. Parker Trojans. The AAA Boys’ Final will feature the Westgate Wings against St. John’s Ravenscourt. The Wings downed Neelin 67-40 in one of Friday’s semifinals.
– There’ll be no three-peat for the Boissevain Broncos at the Provincial AA Girls’ Basketball Championship. The Broncos dropped a 91-51 decision to Teulon in Friday’s semifinals. The Saints will face the Souris Sabres in Saturday’s Final. Souris defeated Steinbach Christian 56-45 in the other semifinal. At the AA Boys’ Championship, Boissevain moved into the final with an 84-75 victory over Ste. Anne in the semifinals. The Broncos will face the Carman Cougars in Saturday’s final.
– The Hamiota Huskies go after their third straight Provincial A Girls’ High School Basketball Championship Saturday. The Huskies downed Elm Creek 51-49 in Friday’s semifinals and will face the Glenboro Panthers in the Provincial Final. Glenboro topped the Grandview Spartans 65-54 in their semifinal matchup. Glenboro is also in the final of the Provincial A Boys’ High School Basketball Championship. The Panthers downed three-time defending champion Ross L. Gray 56-50 in Friday’s semifinals, and will face Pinawa in Saturday’s final.
– Canada’s Rachel Homan needs just one more win to take gold at the women’s world curling championship. Homan’s Ottawa rink booked a ticket to Sunday’s final with an 8-3 win over Switzerland in the 1-2 page playoff game between the top two seeds. Homan is trying to win Canada’s first women’s title since Jennifer Jones took gold in 2008.
– Brandon’s Lois Fowler and Neepawa’s Kelly Robertson begin play Saturday at the Canadian Senior Curling Championship in Yellowknife. Both teams will have good opening tests as Fowler takes on New Brunswick’s Heidi Hanlon and Robertson will take on Mark Armstrong of New Brunswick. It’s the only game both Manitoba champions will play on opening day.
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