The South Central Athletic Conference AAAA High School volleyball playoffs begin today. Steinbach Regional varsity boys, varsity girls and junior varsity girls will all face the Windsor Park Royals in the quarterfinals at the SRSS. The jv girls match is at 4:30 p.m., the varsity girls will play at 6 p.m. and the varsity boys hit the court at 7:30 p.m. Steinbach Regional junior varsity boys finished in first place and have a bye to the semifinals on Tuesday.
The Springfield Xtreme are still perfect. David Hazlitt scored twice and Dylan Kizlik made 23 saves as Springfield defeated Grunthal 6-1. Nathan Bartecki, Chase Janas, Connor Toth and John Pelletier also scored for the Xtreme who lead the Hanover Tache Junior Hockey League's East Division with an 8-0 record. Carter Ritchot had the lone goal for the Red Wings who are winless in nine games.
Team Manitoba will meet Team Atlantic in the 7th place game today (8 a.m.) at the 2024 U18 Women's National Hockey Championship in Quispamsis, New Brunswick. Manitoba lost 6-0 to Ontario Red in the quarterfinals. Elyse Denbow of Plumas made 43 saves in net for Team Manitoba.
Gabriel Vilardi scored 66 seconds into the first period and Connor Hellebuyck made 35 saves for his second straight shutout as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Colorado Avalanche 1-0 Thursday night at Canada Life Centre. Hellebuyck has 40 career shutouts. Winnipeg is the second team in NHL history to win 13 of its first 14 games joining the 2007-08 Ottawa Senators. The Jets wrap up their four-game homestand Saturday afternoon against the Dallas Stars.
Four Winnipeg Blue Bombers have been named to the 2024 All-CFL Team and they are running back Brady Oliveira, offensive tackle Stanley Bryant, defensive end Willie Jefferson and cornerback Tyrell Ford. The Bombers host the Saskatchewan Roughriders Saturday in the West Division final.
Ryan Wiebe, Shaela Hayward, Ty Dilello and Jennifer Clark-Rouire recorded a pair of wins Thursday at the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship in St. Catharines, Ontario. The Manitoba champions defeated Cody Tanaka of BC 4-3 and Trent Skanes of Newfoundland & Labrador 8-6. Team Wiebe will wrap up round robin play today against Owen Purcell of Nova Scotia and Jason Ackerman of Saskatchewan. Wiebe, Purcell and Ackerman are tied for first place at 7-1. The top four teams from the Championship Pool advance to the semifinals.
Jennifer Botterill, Ted Irvine, Brita Hall, Russ Horbal, Dr. Sandra Kirby and the 1999-2003 University of Manitoba Bisons men's volleyball teams were inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame Thursday night in Winnipeg. Botterill is a three-time Olympic gold medalist with Canada's National Women's Hockey Team; Irvine played 11 seasons in the NHL and recorded 331 points in 724 games with the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, N.Y. Rangers and St. Louis Blues. Off the ice, Irvine was instrumental in bringing the Special Olympics to Manitoba. Hall has a combined six gold and eight silver Special Olympics Games medals in cross-country skiing and track and field. Horbal was one of three founders of the Sport Physiotherapy Centre and its predecessor, the Institute for Sports Medicine. Kirby is a former Olympic athlete who implemented standards for safe sport with numerous organizations, some of which she is a founding member. The Bisons captured three national championships and also finished third from 1999-2003.
The Niverville Clippers will face the Landmark Blues and Springfield Xtreme this weekend. Clippers coach Dominic Martens will join Clayton Dreger on the Hanover Tache Junior Hockey League Report which airs Fridays at 5:15 p.m. on AM 1250 Radio.