– A solid Sochi Winter Games debut for Westman Olympians Paige Lawrence and Rudi Swiegers. The Virden figure skating duo had a season-best score of 58.97 in their short program and sit in 13th place. Lawrence and Swiegers have qualified for Wednesday’s free program.
– Jennifer Jones and her Winnipeg team improved to 3-0 in women’s curling at the Olympics with a 9-6 victory over Great Britain.
– Canada’s women’s hockey team remained perfect at the Olympics with a 3-2 win over the USA. The Canadians did all their scoring in the final frame with Meghan Agosta getting a pair of goals. Canada secures top spot in Group B.
– The Brandon Wheat Kings lost for the sixth time in eight games, falling 6-1 to the Medicine Hat Tigers. Richard Nejezchleb scored the lone goal for Brandon, who fell behind 3-1 by the midway mark of the opening period. The loss leaves the Wheat Kings still two points behind Swift Current for top spot in the East Division. Brandon concludes their three-game road trip in Lethbridge on Wednesday night. For more on the Wheat Kings, visit Bruce Luebke’s blog http://luberslounge.blogspot.ca/.
– The Yellowhead Chiefs are off to the Manitoba ‘AAA’ Midget Hockey League playoffs after knocking off the Interlake Lightning 5-4 in a tiebreaker with tons of twists and turns. The Chiefs gave up three in the third, including the tying marker with just two seconds to go, before Ashton Anderson notched the winner in overtime. Tanner Koroscil added four assists for Yellowhead, who advance to meet the regular season champion Brandon Wheat Kings in the first round, which starts Friday night at the Sportsplex.
– The Waywayseecappo Wolverines gave up all the offence in the final frame and fell 4-2 against the Swan Valley Stampeders. Craig Fournier and Devon Schade scored the Wolverines, who sit four points up on the Neepawa Natives for the final playoff spot. In other action, the Dauphin Kings doubled the Winkler Flyers 4-2. Brayden Cuthbert scored a pair for Dauphin, who increased their lead to six points over the Virden Oil Capitals in the race for first-place in the Sher-Wood Division.
– Reave McKinnon scored the overtime winner as the Swan Lake Cougars got past the Gladstone Lakers 6-5 in their playoff opener in the Tiger Hills Hockey League. Mack Carels, Dustin Pearson and Max Van de Velde had a goal and an assist each for the Cougars, who lead the best-of-three East Division quarter-final one game to none. Tanner Waldvogel had two goals and two assists for the Lakers.
– The honours keep rolling in for Deloraine/Hartney Colts’ defenceman Ty Moffatt. Moffatt, the co-MVP of Westman High School Hockey League, is now the rural high school athlete of the week. Moffatt scored 10 goals and 34 points in 18 games and helped the Colts finish in top spot the regular season standings, while serving as team captain.
– The Neelin Spartans swept the Crocus Plainsmen in the Westman High School Basketball League. Paige Thomson scored 23 points as Neelin knocked off Crocus 67-36 in the varsity girls game while Andrew Paul and Brock Hiltner had 15 points apiece as the Spartans defeated the Plainsmen 89-19 on the vasity boys’ side.
– The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have reeled in a big free agent catch by signing former B.C. Lions’ receiver Nick Moore. Last season, he was third in the CFL in receiving with 73 catches for 1,105 yards and six touchdowns.
– The Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders’ have re-signed kicker Chris Milo. He made 46 of 58 field goals last season and started the campaign by connecting on 28 consecutive field goal attempts, tying a Riders’ franchise record. He’s entering his fourth year in the CFL.
