Local Sports

The Westman Wildcats scored three first period goals and won their 2024-25 Manitoba Female U18 AAA Hockey League season opener 4-1 over the Pembina Valley Hawks in Morden.

Nik Trakakis made 31 saves and Maxx Hamelin, Campbell Epp and Marshall Light did the goal scoring as the Virden Oil Capitals beat the Niverville Nighthawks 3-1.

The Steinbach Pistons blanked the Northern Manitoba Blizzard 4-0 Friday night at OCN. Christian Green stopped 24 shots in recording the shutout. Brody Green, Reece Gault, Brayden Berg and Shane Burns scored second period goals for the Pistons. Avery Laliberte scored the lone Nighthawks goal in Niverville’s 3-1 loss to the Virden Oil Capitals at Tundra Oil & Gas Place.

The Pembina Valley Hawks lost their 2024-25 Manitoba Female U18 AAA Hockey League home-opener Friday night. Pembina Valley gave up three first period goals and fell 4-1 to the Westman Wildcats. Hayden Arkle scored the lone goal for the Hawks. Pembina Valley netminder Kasia Rakowski made 17 saves. The Hawks next game is today (5 p.m.) against the Winnipeg Avros in Morden.

The Cochrane Cobras got the points in their 16-6 win, but it was a moral victory for the Bow Valley Bobcats in last night's defensive battle between the crosstown rivals.

With the score 9-6 at the half, the Bobcats limited the Cobras to just one touchdown in the closest game between the two teams in a decade.

Bobcats QB Kaden Barnstable was on the mark with his aerial assault and his receiving corps obliged by making several key receptions to march the ball downfield, only to fall short in the red zone against a stingy Cobras defense.

The Gull Lake Lions playoff aspirations are still alive as they picked up their first win of the season Friday night over the Notre Dame Hounds in SHSAA nine-man football action.

Lions running back Tyden Johnson scored three touchdowns and quarterback Christian Kirk threw for two touchdowns and ran for another lifting their team to a 41-18 victory at Gerry Elmslie Field in Gull Lake. 

The Okotoks Oilers' 2024-2024 rookie of the year and unsung hero from last season, Brett Wilson, returns to the team after a successful campaign with the Green and Gold.

Not only is Wilson putting points up on the board again, but he's doing so while sporting an 'A' patch as one of the team's assistant captains.

"It's an honour, especially being a younger person in this league. It means a lot. To show that I have the abilities to lead players that are older than me and show them what it means to be an Oiler. It's an honour," Wilson said.

A water skier from the Foothills has been named to Team Canada at the 2024 Pan American Water Ski Championships.

Water Ski Canada recently announced the 20 athletes that will make up their U14, U17, U21, and Open teams rosters.

Among the U17 squad is Sofia Pelkey of Bragg Creek.

In July, Pelkey competed at the IWWF World U17 Waterski Championships and she competed on the U14 team at the 2022 Pan American Water Ski Championships.

Highwood High School Mustangs SV Girls' Volleyball hosted two games on Wednesday (Oct. 2) coming away with a win and a loss.

The first game of the evening was played against the Foothills Comp Falcons, and they came up short in a 2-1 set loss.

In the first set, the Falcons set the tone with a 25-21 win, while the Mustangs flipped the script in the second with a 25-21 win of their own. In the third and final set, it was the Falcons who took the game after finishing 15-11.

The popularity of the annual free youth basketball clinic has seen a second two-hour session added this year.

Sunday Hoops, Fil-Can Hoops and Beyond Cochrane, the Filipino Canadian Association of Cochrane Alberta, and Tams Basketball have combined forces to offer the clinic at the SLS Centre for all interested youth ages 7 to 16 on Oct. 12 and 13 from 9 to 11 a.m.

"It's a great opportunity for kids like to learn the sport," says organizer Mike Bautista.

It includes training in passing, stationary shots, ball handling and fundamentals of the sport.

Cochrane hockey players Leif Oaten, Jensen Marsh, and Matthew Hilderman will be lacing up for Alberta in the WHL Cup in Red Deer from Oct. 23 to 27.

Both the team roster and U16 schedule were announced this week by the WHL.

All three of the Cochrane players were selected in the spring WHL prospective draft. Forward Hilderman was picked by the Seattle Thunderbirds (23 overall), right winger Jensen Marsh by the Edmonton Oil Kings (27th overall), and goalie Leif Oaten (58th overall).