The Virden Oil Capitals dropped a 5-3 decision to the Steinbach Pistons Thursday night at Tundra Oil & Gas Place. Kirk Mullen had a pair of goals for the Pistons who now lead the Manitoba Junior Hockey League's best-of-seven final for the Turnbull Cup three games to one. Joey Bielik, Bray Rookes and Josh Lehto did the goal scoring for the Oil Capitals. Game five goes Saturday night at the T.G. Smith Centre. 


Kobe Grant of the Swan Valley Stampeders is a finalist for the Canadian Junior Hockey League's Goaltender of the Year Award. The 21-year-old Sicamous, B.C. native lead the Manitoba Junior Hockey League in wins (26), save percentage (.933) and minutes played (2,699). He backstopped the Stampeders to their first division title in franchise history as Swan Valley won 14 of its last 15 regular season games. Grant posted a 26-14-3-0 record to go along with a 2.69 goals-against average and three shutouts. For his performance this season, Grant was named the recipient of the Ed Belfour Trophy as the MJHL’s Top Goaltender and was also named a MJHL First Team All-Star.


Canada scored five second period goals en route to a 7-3 victory over host Switzerland in the quarterfinals of the 2023 World U18 Hockey Championship in Basel. Macklin Celebrini and Andrew Cristall had two goals each. Carberry's Carson Bjarnason made 28 saves. Canada will face Sweden in the semifinals on Saturday. The Swede's defeated Canada 8-0 in their preliminary round opener eight days ago. 


The Winnipeg Jets season came to an end Thursday night in Las Vegas. Chandler Stephenson scored twice and Mark Stone had a goal and two assists as the Golden Knights downed Winnipeg 4-1 and took the NHL's best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal four games to one. Vegas netminder Laurent Brossoit made 29 saves in game five. Kyle Connor had the lone goal for the Jets.


Canadian champions Jennifer Jones & Brent Laing will play for bronze at the 2023 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Gangneung, South Korea. Cory Thiesse & Korey Dropkin of the United States stole crucial single points in the first and sixth ends, and then two more in the seventh en route to a 6-2 victory over Canada. Jones & Laing will take on Norway’s Martine Roenning & Mathias Braenden in the bronze medal game. Thiesse & Dropkin will face Japan’s Chiaki Matsumura & Yasumasa Tanida for gold.