– It’s an all-Saskatchewan Huskies weekend as the Brandon University Bobcats get back in the swing of things. The volleyball teams are on the road to open the second-half, while the hoops squads start their 2015 schedule at the Healthy Living Centre. For the BU volleyball story click here, and for more on basketball click here.
– Team Canada closed out the round-robin at the World Under-18 Women’s Hockey Championship with a 7-1 victory over the Czech Republic on Thursday. Westman Wildcats’ defenceman Melissa Hunt of Hartney picked up an assist for the Canadians, who clinched a spot in the semifinals and finished in second-place in their group. Goaltender Kristen Campbell of Brandon did not play for the Canucks, who go into the playoffs with two regulation wins and a shootout loss. They’ll play either Finland or Russia in the semifinals on Sunday.
– The Winnipeg Jets lost for the fourth time in five games after falling 4-1 against the Arizona Coyotes. Mathieu Perreault had the lone marker for Winnipeg, who gave up three power-play goals. Ondrej Pavelec made 26 saves for the Jets, who saw their record slip to 20-14-7 and are holding down the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.
– The Waywayseecappo Wolverines will be trying to chase down a playoff spot over the final 20-plus games of the regular season in the MJHL. Russell product Rylee Zimmer has been one of the club’s key offensive players since joining the Wolverines from the Regina Pats in late October and was recently named the league’s rookie of the month for December. Zimmer will be our guest for Westman Sports Talk, airing at 12:10 and 4:05 p.m. on Friday.
– A pair of local standouts in the Manitoba Female Midget Hockey League have mapped out their future. Westman Wildcats’ forward KJ Wallace has committed to St. Norbert College in Wisconsin for 2015-2016, while Yellowhead Chiefs’ captain Tashel Scantlebury is going the Alberta college route to play with the SAIT Trojans in Calgary for next season.
– The ACC Cougars have plenty to play for to start the second-half of their season in the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference. The Cougars need a top-four finish to lock up a spot in the women’s volleyball championship come February, which will be taking place in their own gym at Assiniboine Community College. ACC is holding down the final playoff spot in the conference going into their first matches of 2015 this weekend, while sporting a record of 5-5. For more on this story, click here.
– The Toronto Raptors losing streak hit four games after dropping a 103-95 decision against the Charlotte Hornets. Kyle Lowry scored 24 points for the Raptors.
– Boston has hosted three World Series, two NBA Finals and a pair of Stanley Cup finals since 2004. The city now has a chance to host another major sporting event — the 2024 Summer Games. The U.S. Olympic Committee has chosen Boston to bid for the Games, over L.A., San Francisco and Washington. Boston and Rome are officially in the running, with Germany, France and Hungary also considering throwing their hat in the ring. The Summer Olympics haven’t been hosted by the U.S. since Atlanta in 1996.
– First-year candidates Junior Seau, Kurt Warner and Orlando Pace are among 18 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The class of 2015 will be announced on January 31st in Phoenix with the inductions in Canton, Ohio in August.
