Briefs for Tuesday

Sigurdson senior curling king

THE Bob Sigurdson team from West Kildonan defeated two-time defending champion Kelly Robertson of Neepawa 7-6 in 10 ends to win the 2013 Strathcona Senior Men's Provincial at Killarney on Monday.

Team Sigurdson, including third Darren Oryniak, second Al Purdy and lead Wayne Sigurdson, will represent Manitoba at the Canadian Senior Championship March 16-24 in Summerside, PEI.

In women's action Sunday in Souris, Brandon's Lois Fowler won the 2013 Tim Hortons Senior Women's Provincial Curling Championship, beating the Deb Collyer team from Killarney 12-6.

Team Fowler, which includes third Gwen Wooley, second Lori Manning, lead Joan Robertson and fifth Jill Hazlewood, will represent Manitoba on the women's side in Summerside.

U of M puck squad eliminated

THE University of Manitoba Bisons men's hockey team saw its season end Sunday night in Saskatoon with a 4-1 loss to the Saskatchewan Huskies in the third and deciding game of their Canada West semifinal.

After losing Friday 7-1, the No.7-ranked Bisons rebounded Saturday with a 4-1 win to force Game 3 against the No. 6-ranked Huskies.

"A couple of early chances go in and it is a different game," said Bison head coach Mike Sirant. "We couldn't get a break around their net. We played hard and the guys did what we ask them to do with the game plan."

Winnipeg skater leads UBC

IN women's hockey, Winnipeg's Tatiana Rafter scored just 24 seconds into Sunday's third and deciding Canada West semifinal game to spark the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds to a 7-1 victory over the Regina Cougars at Regina.

UBC will now face the defending national champion Calgary Dinos next weekend in the Canada West final, but the Thunderbirds have already qualified for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship on March 7-10 at Toronto.

Rafter, a graduate of Balmoral Hall, is part of a UBC team that has executed the greatest single-season turnaround in CIS women's hockey history. After just one win last season, UBC went 17-7-4 this season and won its first-ever playoff series, beating Manitoba in the semifinal.

Bobcats top seed in finals

THE No. 1 seed at the 2013 Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's volleyball championship this weekend in Quebec City is the Brandon University Bobcats.

The Bobcats, who won their first Canada West conference championship over the weekend, won all four of their playoff matches to qualify for nationals.

Season ends for Bison lads

THE season ended Saturday night for the Bison men's basketball team, who dropped two straight games to the Victoria Vikes in Victoria in a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final.

After losing 76-70 on Friday, the Bisons were defeated 86-70 on Saturday. Stephan Walton led the Bisons with 26 points Saturday while fifth-year veteran Jonar Huertas ended his career with 19 points.

Manitoba enjoyed 14 wins in 2012-13, the most for the program since 1978 when they went 16-0.

Herd athletes qualify for Nats

AT the Canada West Track and Field Championships at the University of Regina over the weekend,

Bisons pentathlete Arthur Buchanan placed second, Alhaji Mansaray was second in the men's high jump and Eric Furletti was second in men's pole vault. They qualified for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Championship March 7-9 at Edmonton.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 26, 2013 D4