SPORTS briefs
IJHL arch-rivals meet Sunday
ABRAM-VILLAGE – It’s ‘Rivalry Night’ at the Evangeline Recreation Centre on Sunday.
The Kensington Moase Plumbing and Heating Vipers will visit the Arsenault’s Fish Mart Western Red Wings in an Island Junior Hockey League contest scheduled to get underway at 7 p.m. The Red Wings will look to extend their winning streak to 12 games while the Vipers are after a much-needed two points.
Western sits atop the league standings at 13-5-2 (wonlost-overtime losses), and Kensington is third at 9-10-3. The Vipers are seven points back of the Red Wings, and are just one behind the second-place SherwoodParkdale A&S Scrap Metal Metros (11-8-1).
The Red Wings’ staff has been pleased with the team’s defensive play of late, and the play of 18-year-old goaltender Bronson Banks. Cole Hackett will return to the Red Wings’ lineup after serving a one-game suspension.
Peters paces Matrix to win over Attack
CHARLOTTETOWN – Ben Peters scored twice and set up another to help pace the Robin’s Mid-Isle Matrix to a 6-4 victory over the Sherwood Drug Mart Central Attack Thursday in P.E.I. Midget AAA Hockey League action. Zac MacKay added a goal and an assist while Joe MacEachern and Nick Trainor each had two assists. Brett MacDonald, Nathan Mahar and Callum Pineau also scored while Sam Bailey, Kyler Weeks and Zach Wilson each had helpers.
Tyler Hashmi had a goal and an assist for the Attack while Jake MacMillan, Nicholas Brown and Matthew McAulay also scored. Patrick Young, Emmett Lyons and Joseph Hood had helpers. Matt Jelley earned the win while Matthew Halliwell and Alex Frangos shared time in the Attack crease. Mid-Isle held 3-0 and 6-2 period leads and went 1-for-4 on the power play while killing both of the Attack’s opportunities.
The Matrix improved to a league-best 16-4-3 (wonlost-tied), and the Attack fell to 8-14-1.
Jays sign Donaldson to one-year deal
TORONTO - Third baseman Josh Donaldson and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a US$23 million, one-year contact, the largest one-year deal for an arbitration-eligible player.
The new deal gives the 2015 AL MVP a $6 million raise. The 32-year-old three-time all-star, who was eligible for arbitration, becomes the highest paid player on the Jays.
Donaldson rebounded from an injury-slowed 2016 to hit .270 last season with 33 homers and 78 runs batted in over 113 games. Donaldson was coming off a $28.65 million, two-year deal. He is eligible for free agency after this season.
Bills fire offensive co-ordinator Dennison
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills have fired offensive co-ordinator Rick Dennison. The team announced the move on Friday after the Bills finished 29th in offence. Their running attack fell to sixth after leading the league the past two seasons. Buffalo scored just three points in last weekend’s wild-card round loss to Jacksonville, the franchise’s first playoff game in 18 years.