– Artsoim Kalashnikov was the overtime hero for the Virden Oil Capitals on Wednesday night. Kalashnikov’s unassisted goal 14:49 into the second overtime period lifted the Oil Caps to a 4-3 victory over the Swan Valley Stampeders. Adam Iwan stopped 56 shots as the Oil Caps advance to the second round of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League playoffs for the first time in their history. The Oil Caps took the Sher-Wood Division semifinal four games to two and will now meet the Dauphin Kings in the Sher-Wood Division final.
– The Brandon Wheat Kings will have the first overall pick in the WHL Bantam Draft for the first time in its 25-year history. The Saskatoon Blades won Wednesday’s WHL draft lottery, but the Wheat Kings had acquired the right to swap first round picks with the Blades as part of the Brenden Walker trade on Bantam Draft Day in 2012. The WHL Bantam Draft will be held May 1st in Calgary. CKLQ’s Bruce Luebke has more here.
– There’s good news on the condition of WHL player Tim Bozon. The Saskatoon Health Region says Bozon’s condition is improving as he recovers from Neisseria meningitis, and he is now listed in stable condition. The Kootenay Ice forward was moved out of the intersive care unit at Royal University Hospital over the weekend and his parents says he’s awake, moving around in his bed and attempting to speak and feed himself. Bozon was taken to hospital on March 1st and has been in a medically inducted coma until late last week.
– Former Brandon Wheat King Jacob DeSerres of the Calgary Dinos was named the CIS Goaltender of the Year and a First-Team All-Canadian on Wednesday night. DeSerres was 13-2-2 with a 2.15 goals against average and .916 save percentage with the Dinos this year, his third season with Calgary. DeSerres spent the 2009-2010 season with the Wheat Kings after being acquired from Seattle in October of 2009 and was Brandon’s starting goaltender when they host the Memorial Cup in May of 2010.
– The University Cup CIS Men’s Hockey Championship opens Thursday in Saskatoon, and Newdale product John Lawrence will be suiting up for the host team. The former Neepawa Native had seven goals and 12 points in his freshmen season with the Saskatchewan Huskies while also adding one assist in three playoff games. The Canada West champion Alberta Golden Bears are the #1 seed for the Championship. More on Lawrence’s first season in the CWUAA can be found here.
– Wheat Kings’ prospect Dylan Thiessen had two goals and two assists to pace the Winnipeg Wild to an 8-2 win over the Eastman Selects in Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League action Wednesday night. Fellow Brandon product Mark Taraschuk added a goal and an assist for the Wild as they take a 2-1 lead in the Best-of-Five League Final. Winnipeg will try to win the title Friday night in Beausejour.
– Tanner Waldvogel’s hat-trick paced the Gladstone Lakers to a 7-5 win over the Deloraine Royals to open the Tiger Hills Hockey League final Wednesday night. Dan Leslie added a pair of goals for Gladstone as they take a 1-0 lead in the Best-of-Five League Final. The next two games of the series are in Deloraine Friday and Saturday.
– Blake Wheeler fired through a crowd in overtime to give the Winnipeg Jets a much-needed 5-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche Wednesday night. Andrew Ladd had a pair of goals for the Jets while Al Montoya made 23 saves in his third straight start for the injured Ondrej Pavelec. Defensemen Dustin Byfuglien and Zach Bogosian were also out of the Jets lineup last night with lower and upper bodies respectively. Binscarth product Cody McLeod scored his third goal of the season in a losing cause for Colorado. The victory moved Winnipeg to within four points of the second wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference.
– The Dallas Stars say Rich Peverley has undergone successful surgery to correct an abnormal heart rhythm, just more than a week after the forward collapsed on the bench during a game. Peverley is expected to return to Dallas Thursday and may require further treatment. The 31-year-old Peverley chose less invasive treatment after an irregular heartbeat was diagnosed during training camp.
– A strong performance at the recent Gymnix International Competition in Montreal has earned Brandon’s Isabela Onyshko a spot on Canada’s gymnastics team. Onyshko was chosen by Gymnatics Canada this week to compete in the seventh annual World Cup Challenge, slated to be held in Qatar from March 26th to 28th. Onyshko won gold on uneven bars and placed fourth all-around in Montreal earlier this month. The trip to Qatar will be her second time competing on the international stage after performing with the Canadian National Junior Team in France last fall. A strong performance in Qatar could earn her a spot on Canada’s national senior team that’ll compete in the Commonwealth Games this summer.
– High School hoops will be in the spotlight the next three days as Provincial Championships are held around the province. The Hamiota Huskies will be looking for a third straight title at the A Girls’ Championship in Sprague while the Glenboro Panthers are the #1 seed for the A Boys’ Championship in Somerset. Boissevain is the highest Westman seed at the AA Boys’ Championship at #3; Souris is #2, Neepawa #3 and Boissevain #4 at the AA Girls’ Championship while the AAA Boys’ and Girls’ Championship is taking place in Swan River.
– Canada’s Rachel Homan is tied for top spot at the World Women’s Curling Championship. Homan improved to 8-and-1 Wednesday with a pair of victories, downing Germany 7-5 and Korea 10-3. Switzerland is also 8-and-1 with Russia and Sweden tied for third-place at 7-and-2.
– There’s a phrase about things being bigger in Texas, and that’s certainly the case now at the Texas Motor Speedway. The world’s largest hi-def video board was unveiled during a free public event Wednesday. The screen is 218 feet wide and about 95 feet high. It’s being called ‘Big Hoss T-V.’
