Wednesday, December 20, 2023
-Moose Jaw Warriors’ defenseman Denton Mateychik of Dominion City, Manitoba had 2 goals for Canada on Tuesday in an 8-0 win over Denmark in a pre-tournament game ahead of the World Junior Hockey Championship in Sweden. Two-time defending champions Canada has two more exhibition games before starting the tournament on Boxing Day (Dec 26) versus Finland. They’ll take on Switzerland on December 22nd – and the United States on December 23rd.
-The Brandon AAA U18 Wheat Kings are in action tonight in Souris against the Southwest Cougars. Brandon is in first-place in the league at 21-0-1 – and is 7 points ahead of the second-place Cougars.
-There were 3 games in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League Tuesday night. The Virden Oil Capitals edged the Winkler Flyers 2-1 for their 5th straight win. Virden is in first place in the West Division at 21-5-2-and-2 – four points ahead of the OCN Blizzard who beat the Wolverines 5-4 in a shootout last night. In the other game, Selkirk beat Portage 5-4 in overtime.
-In the NHL last night – the Vancouver Canucks beat the Nashville Predators 5-2, the Ottawa Senators blew a 3-1 third-period lead and lost 4-3 to the Arizona Coyotes, the Rangers defeated the Maple Leafs 5-2, and the Islanders downed the Oilers 3-1. The Winnipeg Jets return to action tonight when they host the Red Wings. The Jets are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to Montreal on Monday – while Detroit has dropped three in a row.
-The CFL has announced that Winnipeg will host the league’s combine next year. The 2024 showcase is set to take place from March 19th to the 24th. Top Canadian and global draft prospects will be evaluated over the course of the event by general managers, coaches and scouts.
-The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have signed defensive back Redha Kramdi to a two-year contract extension. He was scheduled to become a free agent in February. The 27-year-old from Montreal will return for his 4th CFL season, all with the Blue Bombers.
-It looks like New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers will not be back this season. The 40-year-old says he’s not yet 100-percent healthy in his recovery from a torn left Achilles tendon. Rodgers said if the Jets had remained in the post-season hunt – he would have tried to play against Washington on Sunday. The Jets have been eliminated from the playoffs for the 13th straight year.
