– Dustin Byfuglien had two goals and an assist and Blake Wheeler added four assists as the Winnipeg Jets kept their playoff hopes alive with a 7-2 win over the Dallas Stars Sunday night. The victory snapped Winnipeg’s six-game losing streak and five-game home-ice losing streak. The Jets pulled to within four points of the Stars for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, although Dallas has two games in hand. Other NHL action Sunday included former Wheat Kings’ co-captain Brayden Schenn notching his 17th goal of the season in Philadelphia’s 4-3 victory over Pittsburgh while former Wheat King Jason Chimera had his 13th of the season in helping Washington double Toronto 4-2.
– The Western Hockey Laegue have announced the dates for the Best-of-Seven Eastern Conference quarter-final series between the Brandon Wheat Kings and Regina Pats. The series will get underway this weekend in Regina before shifting to Westman Place for Games #3 and #4 next Wednesday (March 26) and Friday (March 28). Due to a scheduling conflict with the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, Game #6 (if necessary) will not be played in Brandon. However, the venue for that contest is still up in the air. CKLQ’s Bruce Luebke has the complete series schedule posted on his blog at http://luberslounge.blogspot.ca/
– Daniel Taillefer scored a power-play goal 6:54 into the second overtime period as the Steinbach Pistons edged the Portage Terriers 6-5 Sunday night. The Pistons grab a 3-2 lead in the MJHL’s Addison Division semifinal. Elkhorn’s Brad Bowles and former Waywayseecappo Wolverine Drake Bodie scored a pair of goals each for Portage.
– Wheat Kings’ prospect Kirklan Lycar had two goals and an assist to pace the Eastman Selects to a 3-1 victory over the Winnipeg Wild in Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League playoff action Sunday. That ties the Best-of-Five League Final 1-1.
– Jason Bowles had three goals and four assists to pace the Miniota-Elkhorn C-Hawks to a 13-5 victory over the Grandview Comets in North Central Hockey League playoff action Sunday night. The victory gives Miniota-Elkhorn a 2-1 lead in the Best-of-Five League Final. Game #4 is Saturday in Grandview.
– Megan Robertson and Ashton Bell scored for the Westman Wildcats in their 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Avros Sunday. Sky Brown stopped 35 shots as the Wildcats win the Best-of-Five Manitoba Female Midget Hockey League semifinal 3-1. Meanwhile, Pembina Valley edged Yellowhead 3-2 Sunday to take a 2-1 lead in their semifinal series. Game #4 is Tuesday in Shoal Lake.
– The Assiniboine Community College Cougars claimed Hockey Manitoba’s Senior B Women’s Provincial title on Sunday, blanking Rage II 2-0 in the Championship Final. Kira Nyhuis had a goal and an assist for ACC while Bree Vanhove scored the other Cougars’ goal and Kristin Friesen recorded her third shutout of the weekend. The Cougars are now headed to Red Deer, Alberta next month to compete in the Western Shield. The Western Shield will take place from April 10-13.
– A pair of Brandonites claimed title at the Provincial Junior Racquetball Championship over the weekend. Alex Murray won the U16 Girls’ crown with a 15-0, 15-1 victory over Winnipeg’s Natalie Houle in the final while Milana Paddock was the only competitor in the U18 Girls’ Division and claimed the title. Meanwhile, Nick Edmunds was second in the Under-14 Boys’ Division and Reid Sorotsky was runner-up in the Under-12 Boys’ Category.
– The 18-and-Under Storm Girls’ volleyball team fell one win short of capturing its home tournament over the weekend. The Storm fell 2-0 (25-20, 25-23) to the 17U Shock in the tournament final. Kristine Ward had 12 kills and Emma Ciprick added nine for the Storm.
– A pair of silver medal finishes for Skate Brandon’s synchronized teams at the Crocus Invitational in Neepawa over the weekend. The Wheat City ConnXion finished second in the open category with a team-best score of 62.70 while the Wheat Queens placed second in the Elementary event with a score of 13.62.
– Canada’s Rachel Homan and her rink took a small step back at the Women’s World Curling Championship. She lost to Switzerland 8-2 to drop to 2-and-1 at the event in Saint John, New Brunswick. The Ottawa-based rink has two games Monday — Denmark in the afternoon draw and then the United States in the evening.
– Glenn Howard scored the winning point on the last shot of the game as he defeated Brad Gushue 7-6 in the final of the National Grand Slam of Curling event Sunday. Howard finished the tournament with an 8-1 record and won $24,000 in prize money. Howard has won two of the three Grand Slam events this season, also winning the Masters in November. The final Grand Slam event of the season goes April 15-20 when Summerside, P.E.I. hosts the Players’ Championship.
– Brandon’s Stacey Fordyce was one of four Westman teams to earn a berth into next month’s Dominion Curling Club Provincial Championship. The defending national champion went undefeated at the Westman Regional playdowns, and joins Carberry’s Pam Robins, Neepawa’s Darla Hanke and Rivers’ Donna Treloar as qualifiers for Provincials. Defending provincial champion Steve Irwin, Rob Waterhouse of Carberry and Neil Bugg of Boissevain qualified for the men’s provincials.
– Matt Dunstone of West Kildonan and Kristy Watling of Victoria won the Junior Men’s and Women’s berth bonspiel over the weekend to earn spots into the 2015 Provincial Championship. Dunstone defeated reigning Canadian champion Braden Calvert 7-3 in the final while Watling topped clubmate Beth Peterson 6-4 in the final.
– Canada’s flag at Sunday’s closing ceremonies of the Sochi Paralympic Winter Games was carried by 33-year-old Josh Dueck. The sit skier from Kimberley, B-C, won a gold medal in the super combined and a silver in the downhill. Brian McKeever and Chris Klebl won their cross-country races on the final day to push Canada’s final medal total to 16 — seven gold, two silver and seven bronze.
– Carl Edwards was the winner in a Sprint Cup race marred by two lengthy weather delays and a track light malfunction. Edwards finished just ahead of Roush Fenway teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at Bristol Motor Speedway. Edwards led for 78 of the 500 laps in his 22nd Sprint Cup victory and third at Bristol.
– Bracketeers take note! The NCAA announced the top seeds for the March Madness men’s basketball tournament. Florida, Arizona, Wichita State and Virginia will be at the top of their respective regions for the annual American university championship tournament.
