Brett Kaiser scored twice and Cole Plowman made 22 saves as the defending Manitoba Junior Hockey League champion Steinbach Pistons defeated the Nighthawks 5-2 Sunday night in Niverville. Kirk Mullen, Parker Jasper and Samuel Noad with a second period shorthanded goal also scored for the Pistons who lead the best-of-seven East Division semifinal two games to none. Ethan Kelly and Nathan Brown replied for the Nighthawks. Game three goes Tuesday at the HyLife Centre in La Broquerie. 


The Winnipeg Ice are Manitoba Female U18 AAA Hockey League champions for the second year in a row. Laura Melizza made 27 saves as the Ice shaded the Westman Wildcats 2-1 Sunday at Hockey for All Centre. Halle Chabluk and Aliya Teixeira did the goal scoring for the Ice who swept the best-of-five final in three straight. Callie Hilhorst had the lone goal for the Wildcats. The Ice will meet either the Regina Rebels or Notre Dame Hounds in the Esso Cup West Regional Championship. 


The Brandon Wheat Kings are one win away from capturing the Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League championship. Jaxon Jacobson scored twice and Burke Hood made 23 saves as Brandon downed the Winnipeg Wild 4-1. Ethan Stewart and Jonah Lemoine also scored for the Wheat Kings who lead the best-of-five final two games to none. Wyatt Dyck had the lone goal for the Wild. 


The Winnipeg Jets wrapped up their five-game road trip with a 3-0 loss to the Washington Capitals. Alex Ovechkin scored twice in the third period and Charlie Lindgren made 27 saves for the Caps. Connor Hellebuyck made 16 saves for the Jets who lost the last three games of the trip. 


The Manitoba Moose dropped a 5-2 decision to Abbotsford at Canada Life Centre. Aatu Raty had a goal and three helpers for the Canucks. Nikita Chibrikov and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby did the goal scoring for the Moose. 


Grace Zumwinkle scored twice in the shootout as Minnesota shaded Montreal 3-2. Winnipeg's Kati Tabi notched her first of the season for Montreal 2:36 into the first period. Minnesota now has 35 points on the season and are one point of PWHL leading Toronto.


Rachel Homan won gold at the World Women’s Curling Championship in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Homan, vice-skip Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew and lead Sarah Wilkes defeated four-time defending champions Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland 7-5 in the final. It's Canada's first gold medal winning performance since Jennifer Jones won in 2018 in North Bay, Ontario. 


Jordon McDonald and Jace Freeman won their round robin openers on Sunday at the Canadian Junior Curling Championships in Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo, Alberta. McDonald downed Adam Fenton of British Columbia 10-5 and Freeman beat Brendan Rajala of Northern Ontario 8-3. Shaela Hayward and Zoey Terrick lost their openers. Hayward dropped an 8-5 decision to Claire Dubinsky of Northern Ontario and Terrick fell 7-6 to Emma Acres of Ontario.


Kathy Isaac of the Hamiota Curling Club won the Provincial Senior Women’s Championship Sunday at the Heather Curling Club in Winnipeg. Isaac, Lynn Sandercock, Sandra Cowling and Sheila Gregory defeated Kim Link of East St. Paul 6-5 in an extra end. Team Isaac will represent Manitoba at the Canadian Championship in Moncton, New Brunswick in December.


Dean Dunstone of the Granite will meet defending champion Dave Boehmer of Petersfield at 9 a.m. in the semifinals of the Provincial Senior Men’s Championship at the Heather Curling Club in Winnipeg. That winner will face Randy Neufeld of La Salle in the final. Neufeld beat Boehmer 6-1 in the 1-1 page playoff game Sunday night while Dunstone outscored Mike Mahon of the Granite 10-6 in the 2-2 page playoff game. 

hockey_2023The Aces are 2023-24 SEMHL champions

The Ste. Anne Aces swept the Warren Mercs in the SEMHL final. Aces coach Kevin Lansard will join Clayton Dreger on the Sportsbeat which airs Mondays at 5:15 p.m. on AM 1250 Radio.