– It looks like Brandon’s Rob Fowler is hooking back up with Jeff Stoughton. Reports Wednesday morning are Fowler will play third for Stoughton, with the new team also including former William Lyburn team members Alex Forrest and Connor Njegovan at second and lead respectively. Fowler played second for Stoughton from 2006 to 2010, competing in the Brier in 2007 and 2010. The official announcement isn’t expected to take place until next week. Meanwhile, Brandon product Mike McEwen said on his blog that his team will remain intact for next season "but not without some heavy reflection."
– Jayce Hawryluk and Ryan Pilon of the Brandon Wheat Kings have been added to Canada’s roster for World Under-18 Hockey Championship. The duo join teammate John Quenneville on the squad after Quenneville was named to the team over the weekend. Quenneville is currently skating with the team, while Hawryluk and Pilon will join Team Canada Wednesday. Both Hawryluk and Pilon were members of the Canadian team that won the Gold Medal at the prestigious Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in the Czech Republic last sunmmer. Canada opens the World Under-18 Hockey Championship in Finland on Thursday.
– The Western Hockey League has handed Brandon Wheat Kings’ F Richard Nejezchleb a two-game suspension. It stems from the clipping major he received late in the third period of Game Five Friday after a low-bridge hit on Oil Kings’ forward Henrik Samuelsson. Nejezchleb will serve the suspension at the beginning of next season if he returns to the WHL as a 20-year old.
– The Winnipeg Blues are the 2014 Turnbull Cup Champions. The Blues completed an unexpected run to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League title Tuesday night with a 5-1 victory over the Dauphin Kings, winning the Best-of-Seven League Final four games to one. Kamerin Bault had two goals and an assist last night’s contest while Byron Spriggs made 24 saves in the Blues’ net. Spriggs was named the Playoff MVP after going 14-3 with a 1.67 goals against average and .943 save percentage in the post-season. Both teams will now prepare for the Western Canada Cup, which begins one week from Saturday at Credit Union Place in Dauphin.
– The first round of the NHL’s post-season starts Wednesday night as the Montreal Canadiens face the Lightning in Tampa Bay. The Habs will be facing a Lightning team missing starting goaltender Ben Bishop. He’s missing Game 1 of the series with an elbow injury. Anders Lindback gets the start for Tampa instead while Carey Price gets the call for the Habs. Two other NHL first-round series begin Wednesday. Columbus has a tough draw by facing Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Blue Jackets have not seen post-season hockey since 2009. Later, the Dallas Stars begin their series in Anaheim against the Ducks.
– The Florida Panthers will have first choice at the upcoming NHL draft after winning the draft lottery Tuesday. The Buffalo Sabres will pick second while Edmonton has the third slot. Calgary will choose fourth, Vancouver sixth, Toronto eighth and Winnipeg has the ninth selection.
– The Olympic women’s curling champions are planning to stick together for the next four years. Team Jennifer Jones won gold in February at the Sochi Games and announced before the start of the World Curling Tour Player’s Championship Tuesday that intend to remain intact for the next four years. The Jones team did announce one change in a statement released by the Canadian Curling Association. Coach Janet Arnott won’t be returning and has decided to devote her time to friends and family.
– At the World Curling Tour Player’s Championship in Summerside, P-E-I, the Jennifer Jones team lost their opening game Tuesday night, 6-5 to Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland. Canadian champion Rachel Homan and Scotland’s Eve Muirhead also won on the first draw while, on the Men’s side, Brandon product Mike McEwen won his game, 6-4 victory over Switzerland’s Sven Michel and Kevin Koe beat Steven Laycock 7-6.
– Chad Johnson is back on a football field, and says he’s humble for the opportunity. The former NFL receiver is in a minicamp this week with the Montreal Alouettes. The three-day session began Tuesday and there’s a real chance Johnson will be with the club when the CFL season begins in June.
– A B.C. hockey dad appeared in North Vancouver court Tuesday, charged with uttering threats to a 10-year-old hockey player. Terry Litt is accused of threatening a member of his son’s Atom 3 team in the dressing room following a playoff loss on February 21st, with police being called to the arena. An RCMP spokesperson said police investigated and forwarded their findings to Crown counsel, who approved the charge of "uttering a threat … to cause death or bodily harm."
– A couple banned by Hockey Winnipeg from all hockey events for three years will appeal the decision before a three-person panel Wednesday. Leon and Christine Belandiuk were banned after a fracas during a game in which parents got into a fight with the coach.
– The Chicago White Sox recognized the one-year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing Tuesday with an outstanding show of support in a pregame video tribute. With the Boston Red Sox in town, Chicago paid tribute to the tragedy as White Sox players lined up on the field wearing "Boston Strong" T-shirts over their jerseys. The White Sox then showed an incredible video on the jumbotron before U.S. Cellular Field held a moment of silence.
