– Russell’s Jon Montgomery won’t get a chance to defend his Olympic gold medal in men’s skeleton. The 2010 Olympic champion did not qualify for the upcoming Winter Games, after sliding to a seventh-place finish at Saturday’s World Cup race in Austria. Montgomery was the top Canadian at the competition and posted a two-run time of one minute, 47.67 seconds. Eric Neilson and John Fairbairn will be the two men’s skeleton racers in Sochi, after Canada came up short of being awarded a third sled, based on the results of international competition.
– Rihards Bukarts’ second goal of game with 7:34 left in the third period, lifted the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 4-3 win over the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday night. Ryan Pilon and Richard Nejezchleb also did the goal scoring for the Wheat Kings who moved into sole possession of top spot in the WHL’s East Division, one point ahead of the Regina Pats and two up on the Swift Current Broncos. Rene Hunter had a pair of helpers while Curtis Honey made 33 saves for Brandon. For more on the Wheat Kings, visit Bruce Luebke’s blog at http://luberslounge.blogspot.ca/.
– The Virden Oil Captials snapped a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over the Waywayseecappo Wolverines on Saturday night in Manitoba Junior Hockey League action. Kevin Pochuk scored twice and added an assist for the Oil Caps’ who moved to within four points of the Dauphin Kings for top spot in the Sher-Wood Division, with a pair of games in hand. Elsewhere, the Neepawa Natives suffered their seventh straight loss by dropping a 5-2 decision against the Swan Valley Stampeders. Brady Bouchard and Drake Lindsay had a goal and an assist each for the Natives.
– Ty Lewis had a goal and an assist and notched the shootout winner as the Brandon ‘AAA’ Midget Wheat Kings edged the Pembina Valley Hawks 3-2 on Saturday. James Shearer also scored in regulation while Tyler Gutenberg made 22 saves for the Wheat Kings, who sit one point ahead of the Winnipeg Wild for top spot in the overall standings. In other action, Southwest Cougars dropped their fourth straight game with a 6-0 setback to the Wild while Nick Noonan-Robinson had the lone goal for Yellowhead as the Chiefs fell 2-1 in overtime against the Kenora Thistles.
– Jacob Trouba scored twice, including the overtime winner as the Winnipeg Jets got past the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 on Saturday afternoon. Mark Scheifele had the other goal for Winnipeg, who won their third straight game under new head coach Paul Maurice, but remain 10 points back of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
– Mixed results for the Brandon University basketball teams on Saturday night. Cassie Cooke collected a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Lady ‘Cats knocked off the Manitoba Bisons 57-49. Stephanie Haynes had 10 points and 12 boards for BU, who have won three in row for the first time since joining Canada West in 1999. On the men’s side, Bobcats saw their four-game winning streak come to an end with a 68-51 loss against the Bisons. Jordan Reaves recorded 10 points and 13 rebounds for Brandon. CKLQ’s Tyler Crayston has the full recap here.
– The Brandon University volleyball teams closed out their road trip to Vancouver on losing notes on Saturday night. Vaovai Aiono had eight kills as the second-ranked Lady ‘Cats dropped a straight sets decision against the top-ranked UBC Thunderbirds, as the top two teams in country split their weekend doubleheader. On the men’s side, the Bobcats suffered their fourth straight loss after being swept by the T-Birds. Sam Tuivai had 16 kills for Brandon. More on the volleyball matches here.
– Carberry’s Braden Calvert and his Winnipeg-based team are 2-0 start the Canadian Junior Men’s Curling Championship in Nova Scotia. The Manitoba champs knocked off Nunavut 18-3 and doubled Quebec 6-3 on Saturday. Calvert and crew play Northern Ontario and Saskatchewan on Sunday. On the women’s side, Manitoba’s Meaghan Brezden sits with a record of 1-1.
