Local Sports

Steinbach Regional will face the Dakota Lancers tonight at Princess Auto Stadium in the Winnipeg High School Football League's ANAVETS Bowl quarterfinals. The opening kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. The Sabres won five straight games after opening the season with back-to-back losses to Dakota and the Grant Park Pirates. The defending champion Lancers were 7-0 and outscored their opponents 332-8. 

The South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League's 73rd season begins tonight in Carman as the Beavers host the Morden Bombers. The league will operate with 10 teams again this season. The Springfield Winterhawks have joined Carman, Morden, the Winkler Royals, Notre Dame Hawks, Portage Islanders, Warren Mercs, Red River Wild, Ile des Chenes Northstars and defending champion Ste. Anne Aces. The Altona Maroons, who had a team in the SEMHL since the inaugural season in 1951, have taken a one-year leave of absence. 

The Swift Current Broncos are home for games against Lethbridge and Seattle this weekend.

Moose Jaw Warriors are in Kelowna for the first of their 5-game road trip in BC tonight against the Rockets. You can catch all the action on Country 100, starting with the pregame show at 7:40.

Tomorrow, they play the Kamloops Blazers with puck drop at 7 - that pregame show gets underway at 6:40. 

Championship football under the Friday Night Lights at Elks Field tonight, with Kinsmen Minor Football U12 and U14 titles up for grabs.

Thursday, October 24th

WHSFL
Fort Frances 38 Portage Collegiate 16 (Trojans eliminated from playoffs)

Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League
Southwest 10 Norman 2

An Alberta junior hockey team has quite a connection to our region.

The Heritage Junior Hockey League's Medicine Hat Cubs started this season with seven players on their roster from Southwest Saskatchewan.

"We're so close to the Saskatchewan border" said Cubs Coach/GM Randy Wong. "That south part of Saskatchewan is really untapped. Farm kids make good hockey players. We've always relied on those guys to help with numbers in our program. It gives us good depth and it gives those guys a chance to play pretty close to home."

Carter Moen and Hunter Wilm both scored last night as Team Saskatchewan beat Team Alberta 5-2 at the WHL Cup in Red Deer.

The tournament features top 15-year-old talent from the four western provinces.

There are five members of the Swift Current Home Hardware Legionnaires on the roster for Saskatchewan.

Moen is also a prospect of the Swift Current Broncos.

Saskatchewan plays BC today.

There was a brief fanfare when #23 stepped on to ice for a home game against the Okotoks Bisons on Oct. 18.

Zach Wilkins was saluted for playing his 100th game as a Cochrane General.

Wilkins, 20, is in his final season with the Gens and came to the team from Calgary's northeast that has provided many talented players in recent years.

The Big Six Hockey League is getting ready to hit the ice as the first game of the season kicks off this week.

The Canrduff Red Devils will be hitting the road to face off against the Midale Mustangs, with the puck dropping at 8 p.m.

That game on Friday will be the first of a hopefully great season, with League President Craig Barber saying teams are preparing for the start of the season.

After a pair of quick goals in the first period, the game between the Steinbach Pistons and NIverville Nighthawks turned into a goalie battle with Steinbach getting the edge in a 2-0 win.

Brayden Berg put Steinbach on the board less than three minutes into the game. A good, hardworking shift by his line helped free the puck along the boards. Jackson Kostiuk filtered a puck to Brody Green who snapped one toward the goal. While the Green shot was deflected, the puck bounced right to Berg who calmly shoveled home his 4th of the year.