TRANSCANADA PLAYOFF CLASH

Regina, Saskatchewan – It will be a dream match-up for southern Saskatchewan hockey fans as the Regina Pats and the Moose Jaw Warriors are set to clash in the first round of the 2012 WHL Playoffs.  It's the first time the two club have clashed in the post-season since 2004 and the third time in history.  The Pats will be making a return to the post season after having missed the WHL Playoffs the last three years, while Moose Jaw was knocked off by eventual WHL Champion Kootenay in the first round last year. The Warriors enter the playoffs as the Eastern Conference # 2 seed while the Pats come in as the #7 seed. The two teams split the regular season series with identical 4-2-2 records.


The Schedule for the seven game series is below;

GM#1 – Friday March 23rd Regina @ Moose Jaw – 7:00pm
GM#2 – Saturday March 24th Regina @ Moose Jaw – 7:00pm
GM#3 – Tuesday March 27th Warriors @ Regina - 7:00pm
GM#4 – Wednesday March 28th Warriors @ Regina - 7:00pm
GM#5 – Friday March 30th Regina @ Moose Jaw * if necessary – 7:00
GM#6 – Saturday March 31st Moose Jaw @ Regina 7:00pm * if necessary – 7:00
GM#7 – Monday April 2nd Regina @ Moose Jaw * if necessary – 7:00

Single game playoff tickets are on sale now at the Brandt Centre Box Office or at http://www.ticketmaster.ca/

SUNDAY SPORTS

The University of Regina’s women’s basketball team mounted a spirited fourth-quarter comeback but couldn’t overcome a deficit that reached as many as 22 points, losing to the host Calgary Dinos 75-66 on Saturday night in the quarterfinals at the CIS Championship.   The Cougars will now take on Acadia in the consolation semifinals on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m., while Calgary will meet Windsor in the semifinals on Sunday night.

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The Regina Pats were thumped 7-2 in Brandon Saturday night in the final game of the 2011-12 regular season.  Dryden Hunt and Dyson Stevenson scored for the Pats who lost both ends of the home-and-home series.   The Pats finish the regular season in 7th-place in the WHL's Eastern Conference and will play Moose Jaw in round one of the playoffs.  Here are the first-round match-ups:

(1)Edmonton vs (8) Kootenay
(2)Moose Jaw vs (7) Regina
(3)Calgary vs (6) Brandon
(4)Medicine Hat vs (5) Saskatoon
 
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In the NHL Saturday night:  James Reimer was solid in net again, making 29 saves in Toronto's 3-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators. It was the second win in a row for the Maple Leafs goaltender ... Josh Bailey was the shootout hero as the New York Islanders edged the Canadiens 3-2 in Montreal ... Dmitry Kulikov returned from a knee injury and scored the winning shootout goal as the Florida Panthers beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2.

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The Regina Hornets are in the championship final of the Jeff Jurgens Basketball Classic in Glasgow, MT however their opponent has yet to be named. Tip-off is 4:00 pm at the Glasow Civic Center.

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In the NBA Saturday night: C.J. Watson scored 20 points and Joakim Noah added 13 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 89-80 win over the Philadelphia 76ers ... Dirk Nowitzki scored 27 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 106-99 victory over San Antonio.
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Captain Torsten Frings was forced to leave Toronto F-C's MLS season opener in Seattle. The former German international limped off the pitch with the trainer calling for a substitute at the 23rd minute.

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Vin Scully will no longer be calling Los Angeles Dodgers games in Colorado this season as the revered announcer is scaling back his workload and travel schedule entering his 63rd season with the team.

(With files from the Canadian Press and Cougar Athletics)

WHEAT KINGS 2 PATS 1

REGINA - Michael Ferland scored both his club's goals as the Brandon Wheat Kings defeated the host Regina Pats 2-1 on Friday in Western Hockey League action.

Mark Stone picked up an assist on each goal for the Wheat Kings (38-28-5), who, with the win, are just one point behind Regina for sixth in the Eastern Conference standings.

Tanner Olstad scored the lone goal for the Pats (37-26-8), who are guaranteed a post-season position despite the fact it could be anywhere from fifth to eighth spot based on the rest of the weekend's outcomes.

Corbin Boes made 24 saves for the win while Matt Hewitt stopped 21 shots in defeat.  Brandon went 1 for 3 on the power play as Regina failed to score on three chances of their own with the man advantage.

The Pats visit Brandon Saturday night at 6:30 pm on 620 CKRM (Press Box Sports Bar Pregame Show at 6:05 pm).

PATS YEAR-END AWARD WINNERS
Pats year End Award Winners

Player of the Month - Lane Scheidl
Scholastic Player of the Year - Jack Rodewald
Hub Bishop Sportsmanlike - Chandler Stephenson
Bill Hicke Most Popular - Jordan Weal
Community - Tanner Olstad
Top Scorer - Jordan Weal
20 Year Old Presentation - Brandon Davidson, Matt Marantz and Art Bidlevskii
Rick Rypien Memorial Award - Art Bidlevskii
Top Defenseman - Brandon Davidson
Rookie of the Year - Morgan Klimchuk
Player of the Year - Jordan Weal

(Courtesy http://www.metronews.ca/)