Sports by Hartley Miller as of 12:05 a.m. Friday, May 20th
WHL:
For the first time, two players from Prince George were selected in the top 10 of the WHL Prospects Draft.
Forward Cameron Schmidt of the Rink Academy in Kelowna was taken 7th overall by the Vancouver Giants while forward Chase Harrington of the Delta Hockey Academy was picked 8th overall by the Spokane Chiefs.
In addition, Goalie Ryder Green of P.G. was selected by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the eighth round (158th overall).
Former @PGCougars @Drazzy1010
elated two local products taken in top 10 of WHL Prospects Draft
| https://t.co/J1BYZvrJf5 #CityofPG #PrinceGeorge #northernbc pic.twitter.com/3erfNnbTg0— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) May 19, 2022
#
The Prince George Cougars selected five forwards, four defencemen and one goalie for a total of 10 players in the WHL Prospects Draft.
The Cougars first round pick, 9th overall, was forward Lee Shurgot of the Saskatoon Generals U-15 AA program. In 31 games this season, Shurgot registered 100 points (57 goals and 43 assists).
The Cougars selected four players from Saskatchewan, three from Alberta, a pair from B.C., and one from Manitoba.
During the draft, the Cougars traded their fourth-round pick, 72nd overall, to the Saskatoon Blades, in exchange for 2002-born forward Noah Boyko.
Boyko had 30 points (16 goals) in 47 games during the 2021-22 season with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and the Blades. He is entering his 20-year-old season.
“As a scouting staff, we’re very happy with this year’s draft class. We feel we got a lot of value in our selections throughout the day.”
A recap of today’s 2022 WHL Prospects Draft.#WHLDraft
— PG Cougars (@PGCougars) May 20, 2022
#
The WHL best-of-7 Conference Finals begin tonight.
The Kamloops Blazers host the Seattle Thunderbirds in the West (7:00) and the Edmonton Oil Kings visit the Winnipeg Ice in the East (5:00).
The WHL playoff schedule and results are right here.
NHL: (2 Thursday playoff games)
St. Louis Blues 4 Colorado Avalanche 1
The best-of-7 series is tied 1-1 with Game 3 Saturday night at 5:00 (PT) in St. Louis.
Tampa Bay Lightning 2 Florida Panthers 1
Tampa Bay leads the series 2-0 with Game 3 Sunday (10:30 AM PT) in Tampa.
There are two Stanley Cup playoff games tonight: New York Rangers at Carolina (5:00 PT) followed by Edmonton at Calgary (7:30). Both Carolina and Calgary lead their Conference semifinals 1-0.
The NHL playoff schedule is right here or right here.
World Hockey:
Dylan Cozens notched a hat trick, as Canada posted a 6-3 win over Kazakhstan at the world hockey championship Thursday.
Canada improved to 4-0 at the tournament and will face Switzerland on Saturday.
Column:
CFL players back to practice fields as strike ends . . . WHL conference finals on tap . . . Two veteran goaltenders change teams https://t.co/BtTCmKMZKe
— Gregg Drinnan (@gdrinnan) May 20, 2022
NBA:
Boston Celtics 127 Miami Heat 102
The best-of-7 Eastern Conference Final is tied 1-1.
One NBA playoff tonight with the Dallas Mavericks at the Golden State Warriors. Tip-off is just after 6:00. The Warriors lead the Western Conference Final 1-0 after taking the opener 112-87.
The NBA playoff results and upcoming schedule are right here.
Golf:
Rory McIlroy shot a 5-under-65 to take a one shot lead into the second round of the PGA Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Top Canadian Adam Hadwin began with a 3-over-73 while Tiger Woods settled for a 4-over-74.
MLB:
The (20-18) Toronto Blue Jays host the (11-26) Cincinnati Reds tonight (4:07 PT).
The Reds have the worst record in the Majors.
The Blue Jays schedule is right here.
The MLB standings are right here.
PG Senior Lacrosse:
PG Assault 13 Quesnel Crossfire 3
BCHL:
The Penticton Vees are BCHL Fred Page Cup champions. The Vees ended their season on a 16-game winning streak. They whipped the Nanaimo Clippers 8-2 Wednesday to sweep the final 4-0.
The BCHL playoff results and upcoming schedule are right here.
UNBC Timberwolves:
This is a big one, Timberwolves fans!@UNBCBasketball has announced the commitment of Evgeny Baukin for the upcoming @CanadaWest season!
Big, skilled, and brimming with potential, hear from the newest @UNBC TWolf in the video, and read all about it here: https://t.co/zA3dtHnvaF pic.twitter.com/t40Ed8SMaN
— UNBC Athletics (@UNBCATHLETICS) May 18, 2022
Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].