(As of 7:01AM)
PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS:
The Prince George Cougars play tonight in Spokane and Saturday in Tri-City to wrap up a four game road trip.
The Cougars are 0-3 against the (33-21-3-2) Chiefs but have two wins and a shootout loss in three games against the (30-21-7-1) Americans.
Prince George is coming off Tuesday’s 6-5 loss in Kelowna.
It was the 11th consecutive game that the Cougars have failed to score the first goal.
Prince George began the trip on Saturday with a 7-6 shootout victory in Kamloops.
The (20-31-4-4) Cougars have lost 12 of their last 15 games.
They will have four home games in five days next week starting against Kelowna on Tuesday and Wednesday.
WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE:
BC DIVISION STANDINGS:
Kelowna, 60 games = 36-18-4-2 (78 points)
Victoria, 61 games = 35-21-3-2 (75 points)
Vancouver, 59 games = 31-20-5-3 (70 points)
Kamloops, 61 games = 27-29-1-4 (59 points)
Prince George, 59 games = 20-31-4-4 (48 points)
WESTERN CONFERENCE WILD CARD:
Tri-City, 59 games = 30-21-7-1 (68 points)
Seattle, 59 games = 28-22-7-2 (65 points)
Kamloops, 61 games = 27-29-1-4 (59 points)
Prince George, 59 games = 20-31-4-4 (48 points)
PRINCE GEORGE SPRUCE KINGS:
This is the final weekend of the BCHL regular season.
The Prince George Spruce Kings, who have clinched first place, visit the Chilliwack Chiefs tonight and Saturday before closing on Sunday in Langley against the Rivermen.
The (30-17-4-4) Spruce Kings start the best of seven first round playoff series at home on March 2nd and 3rd against the fourth place team in the Mainland Division, either Chilliwack, Surrey or Langley.
Fans 19 and over who purchase tickets for both Games 1 and 2 at the Spruce Kings office Monday to Friday, 12PM to 4PM will be entered into a draw for a Mega 50/50 Lottery Ticket as part of the Spruce Kings Show Home.
Ticket Prices for the entire playoffs will be $15 for Adults, and $12 for Students/Seniors.
Fans who purchase both Game One and Two tickets however, will get the package for $20.
BCHL:
MAINLAND DIVISION STANDINGS:
Prince George, 55 games = 30-17-4-4 (68 points)
Langley, 55 games = 24-19-10-2 (60 points)
Surrey, 55 games = 25-22-6-2 (58 points)
Chilliwack, 56 games = 26-24-3-3 (58 points)
Coquitlam, 57 games = 15-38-1-3 (34 points)
CARIBOO COUGARS:
The (27-6-3-0) Cariboo Cougars, with four regular season road games left, face the (17-14-2-1) Vancouver NW Giants Saturday (11:30AM at UBC) and Sunday (9AM in Burnaby).
The Major Midget Cougars conclude on March 10th (3PM) and 11th (10AM) against the Rockets in Kelowna.
Cariboo is in second place in the BCMML, two points behind the (28-4-2-1) Valley West Hawks, and the Hawks have a game in hand.
Valley West beat the Vancouver NE Chiefs 6-5 Thursday night in Langley.
NHL: (Canadian teams go 4-1 on Thursday)
Toronto 4 NY Islanders 3 (SO)
Leafs sniper Auston Matthews scored late in the third but was injured shortly after and left the game favouring his right shoulder.
Calgary 5 Arizona 2
Edmonton 3 Colorado 2 (OT)
Tampa 4 Ottawa 3
Montreal 3 NY Rangers 1
The Habs have lost goalie Carey Price indefinitely with a concussion, and defenceman Shea Weber for the season due to a foot injury that requires surgery.
The (23-30-7) Vancouver Canucks begin a three game road trip tonight in Vegas.
The (40-16-4) Golden Knights are one point behind Tampa Bay in the race for first in the overall standings.
OLYMPICS:
Canadian athletes have a record 27 Olympic medals in South Korea (10 gold, eight silver and nine bronze), surpassing the previous record of 26 set in Vancouver eight years ago.
Canadian freestyle skiers won a pair of medals in the women’s ski cross event at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
Kelsey Serwa earned gold while her teammate Brittany Phelan captured silver.
Canadian Kaetlyn Osmond took bronze in women’s figure skating, behind a couple of skaters from the Olympic Athletes from Russia.
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Germany beat Canada 4-3 today in the men’s hockey semi-finals.
Germany advances to the Gold Medal game Saturday night at 8:10 (PT) against the Olympic Athletes of Russia.
Canada will play the Czech Republic for Bronze Saturday morning at 4:10 (PT).
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Kevin Koe of Canada finished 4th in men’s curling after a 7-5 loss to Switzerland in the bronze medal game.
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Here’s a list of Canada’s medal winners.
GOLD: (10)
- John Morris and Kaitlyn Lawes in mixed doubles curling
- Freestyle skier Mikael Kingsbury in men’s moguls
- Team figure skating
- Long-track speedskater Ted-Jan Bloemen in the men’s 10,000 metres
- Short-track speedskater Samuel Girard in men’s 1000 metres
- Justin Kripps and Alexander Kopacz in the two-man Bobsleigh
- Freestyle skier Cassie Sharpe in the women’s ski halfpipe
- Figure skaters Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir in the ice dance
- Freestyle skier Brady Leman in men’s ski cross
- Freestyle skier Kelsey Serwa in women’s ski cross
SILVER:(8)
- Snowboarder Laurie Blouin in the women’s slopestyle
- Freestyle skier Justine Dufour-Lapointe in the women’s moguls
- Long-track speedskater Ted-Jan Bloemen in the men’s 5,000 metres
- Snowboarder Max Parrot in the men’s slopestyle
- Luge relay team
- Women’s hockey team
- Short-track speedskater Kim Boutin in women’s 1,000 metres
- Freestyle skier Brittany Phelan in women’s ski cross
BRONZE:(9)
- Snowboarder Mark McMorris in the men’s slopestyle
- Short-track speedskater Kim Boutin in women’s 500 metres
- Short-track speedskater Kim Boutin in women’s 1,500 metres
- Alex Gough in women’s singles luge
- Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford in pairs figure skating
- Freestyle skier Alex Beaulieu-Marchand in men’s slopestyle
- Kaillie Humphries and Phylicia George in women’s bobsleigh
- Short-track speedskating team in the men’s 5,000-metre relay
- Kaetlyn Osmond in women’s figure skating
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Northern BC girls have wrapped up their Olympic events.
Sarah Beaudry of Prince George was part of the Canadian women’s 4x6km Biathlon Relay team that placed 10th out of 18 on Thursday.
The 23-year-old Beaudry finished 29th out of 87 athletes in the women’s Biathlon 15-km individual race on February 15th.
Megan Tandy of PG, part of the Biathlon team, competed in one race and finished 57th out of 87 in the 7.5-km Sprint on February 10th.
Jamie Macdonald of Fort St. James was one of five members of the Canadian women’s short track 3000m relay team that was disqualified after a massive collision during the finals of the event.
The 23-year-old Macdonald did not race in the final but did compete in Heat One on February 10th where Canada placed second to qualify for the final.
Macdonald participated in one individual race which ended with a crash on February 10th in the women’s 500 metres preliminary.
A minor concussion suffered in training prevented Meryeta O’Dine of Prince George from competing in the women’s snowboard cross on February 15th.
CANADA WEST BASKETBALL:
Vasiliki Louka of the UNBC Timberwolves has been named to the Canada West basketball second all-star team.
The six-foot-three post from Athens, Greece averaged 18.2 points and 12.2 rebounds per game
Cedars Christian grad Kayla Gordon of the Trinity Western University Spartans was chosen a third-team all-star.
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The Canada West women’s basketball best of three semi-finals began Thursday night.
The Saskatchewan Huskies beat the TWU Spartans 75-62 and the Regina Cougars edged the Calgary Dinos 61-58.
Kayla Gordon of Prince George scored eight points and added six rounds for TWU.
On the men’s side in Canada West basketball, the Calgary Dinos crushed the UBC Thunderbirds 98-71 in the opener.
The other best of three semi begins tonight as the top-ranked Alberta Golden Bears host the Lethbridge Pronghorns.
The Alberta men beat the UNBC Timberwolves 98-64 and 80-41 in the quarter-finals last week in Edmonton.
High School Basketball:
The Duchess Park Condors are hosting the four-team north central zone triple-A boys basketball championship.
The final is slated for Saturday afternoon at 3 with the if needed game Sunday morning at 10.
PGSS, College Heights and Correlieu are also competing.
The Condors are ranked sixth in B.C.
NBA:
The Toronto Raptors play their first game since the All-Star break when they host the (32-25) Milwaukee Bucks tonight.
The (41-16) Raptors have won seven straight and lead the Eastern Conference by two games over the (40-19) Boston Celtics.
BC Winter Games:
Competition runs from today to Sunday at the 2018 BC Winter Games in Kamloops.
More than 1,200 athletes between the ages of nine and 17 years are competing in 19 different sports.
In addition, over 340 coaches and close to 200 officials are also on hand for the 29th BC Winter Games.
Special Olympics:
Special Olympics BC-Prince George will host a Regional Qualifier for Snowshoeing Sunday from 10am to 3pm at Otway.
Top athletes from the meet will be in line to advance to the 2019 Special Olympics BC Provincial Winter Games in Vernon.