– A three-goal second period helped lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 5-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings on Tuesday night. Connor Rankin and Brady Brassart scored power-play goals in the middle frame for the Hitmen as they collected their 12th win in 13 games. Rihards Bukarts scoring Brandon’s only goal, coming with 1:29 left in the third period. The loss leaves Brandon seventh in the Eastern Conference, six points behind sixth-place Swift Current and four points ahead of both Red Deer and Prince Albert. The Wheat Kings next game is Friday, when they host the Edmonton Oil Kings. CKLQ’s Bruce Luebke has more on the Wheat Kings on his blog at http://luberslounge.blogspot.ca/
– Craig Fournier scored 7:45 into overtime as the Waywayseecappo Wolverines downed the OCN Blizzard 3-2 Tuesday night to open the MJHL’s Sher-Wood Division Survivor series. Mitch Wiebe stopped 31 shots in the Wolverines’ net as Wayway took a 1-0 lead in the Best-of-Three. Game #2 is Thursday night in Waywayseecappo. Also Tuesday, Liam Bilton and Kamerin Nault had a goal and an assist each as the Winnipeg Blues doubled Winkler 4-2 in Game #1 of the Addison Division Survivor series.
– Jake Dudar of the Virden Oil Capitals was named the MJHL’s Rookie of the Month for February Tuesday. Dudar had one goal and ten points in 14 games last month. Other monthly awards included Selkirk’s Parker Thomas as Player of the Month, Joel Messner of the Steelers as Defenceman of the Month and Dauphin’s Jordan Piccolino as the Goaltender of the Month.
– The Western Hockey League also handed out its monthly awards Tuesday. Kootenay’s Sam Reinhart was named Player of the Month after scoring ten goals and 32 points in 13 games last month. Edmonton’s Tristan Jarry was named Goaltender of the Month after going 7-1-2 with a 1.77 goals against average and .925 save percentage.
– The Canada West Conference handed out its awards Tuesday and two former members of the Wheat Kings’ organization were honoured. Jacob DeSerres of the Calgary Dinos was named the Goaltender of the Year while ex Wheat Kings’ assistant and current Calgary Dinos’ coach Mark Howell was named the CWUAA Coach of the Year. The Dinos will face the Alberta Golden Bears in the Canada West Final this weekend.
– Michael Grabner scored on a breakaway 3:53 into overtime as the New York Islanders defeated the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 Tuesday night. Jets’ captain Andrew Ladd scored his 16th and 17th goals of the season, tying the game 2-2 with 5:07 left in the third period for Winnipeg. The Jets earn a single point, and close to within one point of Dallas for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
– The NHL’s trade deadline is Wednesday and there could be more moves in the works. There were 10 trades Tuesday with some big names changing addresses. They included goalie Roberto Luongo being shipped from Vancouver to Florida. Today’s deadline is 2 p.m. (CST).
– Manitoba’s Jeff Stoughton split his two games Tuesday at the Tim Hortons Brier in Kamloops, falling 9-7 to Quebec in an extra end and beating Nova Scotia 8-6. Stoughton is 5-and-2 and in third-place in the standings behind Alberta’s Kevin Koe and B-C’s John Morris, who are both 6-and-1. Stoughton faces Northern Ontario (10 a.m.) and Saskatchewan (3 p.m.) on Wednesday.
– Canada’s Kelsey Rocque has captured the World Junior Women’s Curling Championship. A steal of two in the eighth end helped Rocque defeat Korea 6-4 in Wednesday’s gold medal game in Switzerland. Carberry’s Braden Calvert and his Deer Lodge Curling Club team played in the bronze medal game Wednesday and fell 7-5 to Norway.
– Brandon gymnast Brooklyn Pratt and Boissevain cross-country skier Gideon Nadlersmith won gold medals for Team Westman at the Manitoba Winter Games Tuesday. Pratt placed first overall in the all-around competition in the Provincial Stream 10-11-year old girls’ Division and also won gold in the individual bars and floor competitions. Nadlersmith raced to top spot in the Pee Wee Male 2.5 kilometre free mass start. Overall, Westman has 19 medals at the Games — seven gold, six silver and six bronze.
– The Tri-Star Rural High School Athlete of the Week is Ted Lea of the Cartwright-Nellie McClung-Pilot Mound hockey team. Lea was the playoff MVP in Zone Four, leading the Pembina Tigers to just their second championship in 24 years. Lea was 6-0 with a 2.17 GAA and .925 SPCT in the playoffs.
– The Canadian Paralympic Committee announced that Sonja Gaudet will be Canada’s flag bearer when the Sochi Paralympic games start Friday. The wheelchair curler from Vernon B.C. will be participating in her third winter games and is the defending champion in her sport, earning gold in both 2006 Torino and 2010 Vancouver games.
