LOCAL SPORTS
AUS: At the Keating Centre, the Saint Mary’s Huskies defeated the X-Men 3-1 in a rough and tumble match, with many penalties handed out, along with a couple of ejections. Matthew Struthers scored the lone goal for St. FX. Tonight the X-Men are in Wolfville to face off with Acadia at 7.
The X-Women hockey team completed a season sweep of the UPEI Panthers, winning 3-0. Rookie netminder Brooklyn Oakes turned aside 20 shots and secured her first AUS shutout. Maggy Burbidge, Lainey Joyce, and McKiya Mazur all scored in the win. The X-Women are in Fredericton tonight to take on the UNB Reds in a battle for first place. Puck drops at 7.
Tonight on Coach K Court, it’s the X-Men & X-Women versus UPEI. The Women tip off at 6, followed by the men at 8.
NS Junior: The Antigonish Bulldogs made a little more space atop the Sid Rowe Division standings, winning 3-2 over the Membertou Junior Miners. Tonight, it’s the Scotians turn to visit Membertou- game time is 7:30.
Maritime League: The Pictou County Weeks Crushers were edged out 3-2 by the Mariners in Yarmouth.
U15: The Novas face off with the Truro Bearcats at the Antigonish Arena, while the Wearwell Bombers take on the Bedford Bandits. Both games begin at 5.
U16 AAA: The Cabot Highlanders are on the road, taking on the Voyageurs at 6:30.
U18: The Weeks Majors lost 7-4 to Steele Subaru. In action today, the Majors continue their road trip with a match against the Wildcats at 7:30. The CB West Islanders are also on the road, taking on the Mustangs this afternoon at 3.
High School: The Northumberland Nighthawks host the CEC Cougars in Westville tonight – puck drops at 6:30.
Maritime Major Female League: The Northern Subway Selects are in Moncton to tangle with the Rockets. Game time is 4:30.
Rural League: It’s the final two games of the regular season tonight at the Antigonish Arena, beginning with St. Croix versus the Outlaws at 7, followed by Pleasantdale and Heatherton at 8:30.
NATIONAL SPORTS
A thriller in Chicago. Seth Jones scored his first goal of the season in overtime to give the Blackhawks a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders. The Canadian teams had the night off. Minnesota beat Florida 6-4, New Jersey topped Columbus 4-1 and Carolina got by Detroit 4-2.
The Boston Celtics are no longer perfect at home. Jamal Murray of Kitchener, Ontario had 35 points to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 102-100 victory. The Toronto Raptors were idle. Former Raptor Pascal Siakam had 21 points in his debut with Indiana but the Pacers dropped a 118-115 decision to Portland.
Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska is moving to the fourth round at the Australian Open. She beat 27th-ranked Emma Navarro in early action in Melbourne. Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime is scheduled to play Russia’s Daniil Medvedev later in the day.
There’s word the Houston Astros are adding a big-name reliever to their bullpen. Reports say the team and Josh Hader have agreed on a five-year deal worth 95 million dollars U-S. Hader struggled in 2022 but was dominant last year for San Diego. The left-hander posted a 1.28 earned-run average over 56-and-a-third innings.
Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg remains unbeaten at the Grand Slam of Curling’s Co-op Canadian Open in Red Deer. She beat Winnipeg’s Kaitlyn Lawes 6-4 for her fourth win in a row. Ottawa’s Rachel Homan improved to 3-and-1 with an 8-3 rout of American Delaney Strouse. The playoffs begin today and the finals are set for Sunday.
Two-time major golf champion Jack Burke Junior is dead at age 100. He had been the oldest surviving Masters champion. Burke won the P-G-A Championship in 1956, the same year he won the green jacket at Augusta. The World Golf Hall of Famer won 16 titles over his career.
Friday’s Scoreboard
NHL
New Jersey 4 Columbus 1
Carolina 4 Detroit 2
Minnesota 6 Florida 4
Chicago 4 N.Y. Islanders 3 (OT)
NBA
Charlotte 124 San Antonio 120
Philadelphia 124 Orlando 109
Denver 102 Boston 100
Phoenix 123 New Orleans 109
Atlanta 109 Miami 108
Portland 118 Indiana 115
Dallas at Golden State, ppd
Brooklyn 130 L.A. Lakers 112
Saturday’s Games (All times Eastern)
NHL
Tampa Bay at Buffalo, 12:30 p.m.
Colorado at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.
Winnipeg at Ottawa, 3 p.m.
Nashville at Arizona, 3 p.m.
Montreal at Boston, 7 p.m.
Toronto at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Dallas at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Washington at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Edmonton at Calgary, 10 p.m.
Anaheim at San Jose, 10 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Vegas, 10 p.m.
N.Y. Rangers at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.
PWHL
New York at Boston, 12:30 p.m.
Toronto at Montreal, 8 p.m.
NFL Playoffs Division Round
Houston at Baltimore, 4:30 p.m.
Green Bay at San Francisco, 8:15 p.m.
NBA
Milwaukee at Detroit, 3 p.m.
Philadelphia at Charlotte, 7 p.m.
San Antonio at Washington, 7 p.m.
Toronto at New York, 7:30 p.m.
Cleveland at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
Memphis at Chicago, 8 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Utah at Houston, 8 p.m.
