News briefs for Friday, January 24, 2025

Perfetti’s hat trick powers Jets to 5-2 victory

9:44 PM

Cole Perfetti had a feeling the offence was going to come.

Earlier in the day, the Winnipeg Jets forward was talking about rounding out his game and finding ways to have an effect on the outcome even when he wasn’t producing points.

By the time the final buzzer had sounded, Perfetti had delivered his first career NHL hat trick in  a 5-2 victory for the Jets over Utah Hockey Club on Friday night at Canada Life Centre.

Perfetti snapped a 14-game goal-less drought and is up to 10 goals for the season.

Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who was a game-time decision after dealing with an illness and skipping the morning skate, had a goal and three assists to record his 500th NHL point.

Connor Hellebuyck made his 39th start of the season and made 17 saves to record his 30th victory of the campaign.

The Jets, who improved to 33-14-3, are back in action on Sunday against the Calgary Flames.

Fire in vacant apartment building on Banning Street

2:16 PM

Crews extinguished a fire in a vacant apartment building late Friday morning.

Firefighters were sent to the three-storey building on the 700 block of Banning Street at 11:11 a.m.

They declared the fire under control at 11:34 a.m.

Another Stony Mountain Institution inmate dies

1:40 PM

Another Stony Mountain Institution inmate has died while in custody — the second this week.

Shane Kruchak, 50, began serving a sentence of slightly more than two-and-a-half years on Dec. 4.

His next of kin have been notified, the Correctional Service of Canada said in a news release Friday.

Another inmate, 54-year-old Michael McKay, died Monday. He had been serving a sentence of slightly more than six years since Dec. 10, 2020.

McKay was serving time for six breaking-and-entering offences and a single count of failing to comply with conditions of an undertaking or recognizance. McKay was convicted in a Winnipeg courtroom.

Manitoba mom arrested for parental abduction

12:31 PM

A Manitoba mother has been arrested after she allegedly tried to take her two daughters to Turkey.

The children’s father, who lives in the Rural Municipality of La Broquerie, called Steinbach RCMP at about 7 p.m. Thursday after the girls were picked up at school by someone else. The father, 47, was supposed to pick up his daughters, ages 12 and 8, earlier that day.

He told RCMP his wife, 45, had the children and that he believed they were trying to leave the country.

RCMP said in a news release Friday that officers determined the mother and her daughters had been at the Winnipeg airport early that afternoon and had boarded a flight for Toronto.

Members of the Peel Regional Police Service found the mother and her two children at Toronto Pearson International Airport trying to board a flight destined to Turkey, the release said.

The woman was arrested on charges of parental abduction, and arrangements will be made for her to be transported to Manitoba, RCMP said.

The two children were placed into care and will be returned to Manitoba, the release said.

Police did not release the woman’s name.

Vacant home on Boyd Avenue burns

11:16 AM

Crews spent nearly 90 minutes battling a fire in a vacant house on Boyd Avenue on Friday morning.

Firefighters were sent to the one-and-a-half storey house on the 500 block at 6:48 a.m. and initially fought the blaze from outside because it was not safe to enter. They declared the fire under control at 8:13 a.m.

A neighbouring house was temporarily evacuated as a precaution.

Man charged in William Avenue carjacking

9:46 AM

A man already under arrest for an unrelated matter has now been charged in connection with a carjacking.

The stolen 2009 Toyota Sienna was found on the 300 block of Ross Avenue at 11:30 a.m. Thursday. A member of the major crimes unit who is familiar with a suspect identified him, the Winnipeg Police Service said Friday. It turned out the man had been in police custody since shortly after the carjacking.

The 27-year-old Winnipeg man has been charged with robbery, possession of a weapon and failing to comply with conditions of a release order. He remains in custody.

The victim, a 33-year-old man, was carjacked in a parking lot on the 400 block of William Avenue at about 4:50 p.m. Wednesday.

He was pulled from the minivan and struck with a weapon, police said. He suffered significant but non-life-threatening injuries in the assault, the WPS said previously.