NEWS

56 Teams started but only 13 remain vying for four spots at the 2017 Western Canada Cup presented by Sun Life Financial, in Penticton, BC.

In Manitoba, the Turnbull Cup Final is set, as the Portage Terriers, the defending MJHL champions, will face the OCN Blizzard. Portage punched their ticket to the league final after a 2-0 Game 6 win over the top-seeded Steinbach Pistons. In the other semi-final series, OCN swept the Winkler Flyers, as it took the Blizzard just nine games to reach the MJHL Final.

Portage is the two-time defending Turnbull Cup champions, winning the RBC Cup in 2015, and they're making their third consecutive appearance in the league final. For OCN, it's their first trip to the championship series since 2006 and they haven't won an MJHL title since 2003. Both teams weren't consensus favourites if you go by seeding, as OCN is a third seed in the MJHL playoffs and Portage is ranked 5th. The Turnbull Cup Final starts Friday, with OCN hosting games 1 & 2 in The Pas, Manitoba. INFO

In Saskatchewan, the top-seeded Battlefords North Stars made quick work of the Estevan Bruins in one of two SJHL Semi-Finals, sweeping the Bruins with a 6-1 win in Game 4. The North Stars in fact haven't lost a game yet in their run to the Canalta Cup Final, as they swept the Weyburn Red Wings in their Quarter-Final series.

The North Stars were the top ranked team in the SJHL regular season, finishing with a 48-9-1-0 record for 97 points in 58 games; 14 points better than the next best team.

In the other SJHL Semi-Final, the Nipawin Hawks lead the Flin Flon Bombers 2-1, but the Bombers got back into the series with a 3-2 win in Game 3. Game 4 is tonight (April 4th), back in Nipawin. INFO

One province over in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), they're also down to the final four teams and the Brooks Bandits are one win away from advancing to the Gas Drive Cup Final. Brooks beat the Okotoks Oilers 3-0 in Game 4 yesterday to take a 3-1 series lead in the South Division Final. 

The Bandits are the defending AJHL champions and were the best team in Alberta in the regular season, posting a 51-5-4 record in 60 games.

Up north, the Fort McMurray Oil Barons and Whitecourt Wolverines have split the first four games of their series, after Oil Barons beat the Wolverines 5-1 in Game 4. 

Both series resume with Game 5's on Friday, April 7th.INFO

Out in BC, the Western Canada Cup hosts Penticton Vees are tied 2-2 in their Interior Conference Final with the Vernon Vipers. Game 5 of that series resumes on April 7th, back at the SOEC in Penticton. Vernon tied the series on Tuesday night with a 3-0 Game 4 win at Kal-Tire Place in Vernon.

On the other side of the bracket, the Chilliwack Chiefs took a 2-1 series lead over the Victoria Grizzlies after thumping them 6-0 in Game 3 of the Costal Conference Final. Game 4 is tonight from The Q Centre in Victoria. INFO