The host Southwest Cougars were shutout 3-0 by the Notre Dame Hounds and the Winnipeg Wild edged the Thunder Bay Kings 4-3 at the Telus Cup West Regional Hockey Championship Friday in Virden. The round robin ends today at Tundra Oil & Gas Place as Notre Dame will meet Thunder Bay at 12:30 p.m. and the Cougars will take on the Wild at 3:45 p.m. The Hounds have two wins; the Wild have a win and a loss; the Kings have an overtime win and a loss while the Cougars have a regulation loss and an overtime loss. The top two teams advance to Sunday’s championship game.


Quinton Pepper scored twice and Simon Harkness made 34 saves in the Steinbach Pistons 5-1 victory over the Dauphin Kings in game one of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s best-of-seven final. Kaden Bryant had the lone goal for the Kings. Game two goes tonight in Steinbach.


The Brandon Wheat Kings dropped a 3-1 decision to the Rebels in Red Deer. Vincent Iorio had the lone goal for the Wheat Kings. The Rebels lead the best-of-seven opening round series three games to two. Game six goes Sunday in Brandon. The Winnipeg Ice have advance to round two of the Western Hockey League playoffs. Zachary Benson had two goals and an assist as the Ice downed Prince Albert 8-2 and took that series four games to one.


Connor Hellebuyck made 32 saves as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Calgary Flames 3-1. Blake Wheeler, Mason Appleton and Brenden Dillon did the goal scoring for the Jets who play their season finale Sunday at home against the Seattle Kraken.


The Stanley Cup playoff pairings are set. In the Eastern Conference the Toronto Maple Leafs meet the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning; the President Trophy winning Florida Panthers face the Washington Capitals; the Boston Bruins take on the Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Rangers meet the Pittsburgh Penguins. The four Western Conference playoff series feature the Calgary Flames against the Dallas Stars; the Edmonton Oilers take on the Los Angeles Kings; the Minnesota Wild meet the St. Louis Blues and the Colorado Avalanche face the Nashville Predators.


Canada’s Wade White defeated David Sik of the Czech Republic 6-3 in the gold medal game at the 2022 World Senior Curling Championships in Geneva. White, vice-skip Barry Chwedoruk, second Dan Holowaychuk and lead George White of the Lac la Biche curling club in Alberta, also won gold in 2018 in Ostersund, Sweden.