Rebels off to Esso Cup after defeating Ice
The Regina Rebels are off to the Esso Cup for a second straight year.
The Rebels beat the Winnipeg Ice 2-0 in their best-of-three West regional qualifier on the weekend to advance to the national women's under-18 championship, set to be played April 21 to 27 in Vernon, B.C.
After a 4-3 win in Game 1 on Friday night, the Rebels ended the series with a 3-1 win on Saturday in Game 2, with Stryker Zablocki scoring all three goals for Regina.
The Rebels — who won bronze at last year's Esso Cup — will open the tournament April 21 against the Ontario representative.
WHL PLAYOFFS
The Moose Jaw Warriors and Swift Current Broncos will face off in the second round of the Western Hockey League playoffs.
In their first-round matchups, the Warriors beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 4-0 while the Broncos swept the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Game 1 of the series is Friday in Moose Jaw. In the regular season, Moose Jaw and Swift Current each won three games in their six meetings.
In the other WHL Eastern Conference semifinal, the Saskatoon Blades will battle the Red Deer Rebels.
SJHL PLAYOFFS
The Flin Flon Bombers and Melfort Mustangs each have 2-0 leads in their Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League semifinal matchups.
With a pair of wins on the weekend, Flin Flon leads the Battlefords Stars in their series, while Melfort has the advantage over the Humboldt Broncos.
The Bombers finished atop the SJHL standings this season, while the Mustangs were No. 2.
PJHL FINALS
The Saskatoon Quakers defeated the Regina Capitals 4-1 in their best-of-seven series to win the Prairie Junior Hockey League title.
All five games in the series were decided by just one goal, with three of the games going to overtime, including the PJHL series-clinching game on Sunday, which Saskatoon won 6-5.
BRIDGEMAN RECEIVES HONOUR
Regina Pats defenceman Kolten Bridgeman has been named the East Division's nominee for the WHL Scholastic Player of the Year.
The 17-year-old Regina product recorded an overall average of 92.6 in his Grade 12 studies. He completed his first semester courses two months before the January deadline.
On the ice, the six-foot-four, 197-pounder put up one goal and four assists in 50 games.
CHL IMPORT DRAFT
The Regina Pats will select eighth overall in the 2024 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft.
Last year in the CHL Import Draft, the Pats selected goaltender Ewan Huet and defenceman Stian Solberg, who is expected to join Regina for the 2024-25 season.
Regina will also select at No. 68 while the QMJHL'S Val-d'or Foreurs hold the No. 1 pick in the draft, which will be held July 3.
ROUGHRIDERS ADD OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
The Saskatchewan Roughriders have added another American offensive lineman to the mix.
The Riders announced the signing of Sadarius Hutcherson late last week. The six-foot-four, 320-pounder was previously a member of the NFL'S Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. For the past two years, he's been on USFL and UFL rosters.
CANADIAN RINGETTE CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2024 Canadian Ringette Championships are underway this week in Dieppe, N.B., with several Saskatchewan teams competing.
The Saskatchewan Heat are battling in the National Ringette League division while Team Saskatchewan and the Saskatoon Blazers compete in the under-19 division. Team Saskatchewan also has a team entered in the under-16 division alongside the Saskatoon Selects.