The Fraser Valley Bruins entered the weekend with an inside track on a B.C. Major Midget League playoff berth, but fell off the pace after splitting a pair of road games with the North Island Silvertips.
The local squad won 5-1 on Saturday, with Mike Nolan, Matt Revel, Brad King, Mitch Skapski and Jake Virtanen scoring in the victory. The Silvertips salvaged a split on Sunday, as Garrett Dunlop's goal with 6:41 remaining in the third period lifted the hosts to a 2-1 triumph.
The Bruins (16-15-7, 39 points) are tied with the Valley West Hawks for the sixth and final playoff berth, but the Hawks have the tiebreaker heading into the final weekend by virtue of the fact they have more wins. The Silvertips are lurking just one point back.
The Fraser Valley squad wraps up the regular season this weekend against the third-place Vancouver Northwest Chiefs – Saturday at Coquitlam's Planet Ice (2:45 p.m.), and Sunday at Chilliwack's Prospera Centre (10 a.m.).
HOOPSTERS HONOURED BY UFV
Basketball players Joel Friesen and Tessa Klassen have been named the University of the Fraser Valley's athletes of the week.
Friesen's buzzer-beating three-pointer lifted the Cascades men to a thrilling 69-68 win over the Lethbridge Pronghorns last Saturday. The UFV men won the first-round playoff series 2-1, and move on to face Victoria in the Canada West Final Four in Saskatoon this Friday.
Klassen poured in seven three-pointers on Friday as the Cascades women completed a two-game playoff sweep of the Calgary Dinos. Her team moves on to the Canada West Final Four in Regina, where they'll face the host Cougars in the semis on Friday.
ABBY RUGGERS FALL TO CAP
Capilano knocked off the Abbotsford Rugby Football Club 33-21 in CDI Premier League men's rugby action on Saturday, dropping the local side to 0-6 on the season.
Abbotsford stayed close in the first half, trailing 14-7 at halftime, but the league-leading Capilano squad (6-1) pulled away in the second half. Konrad Rybkowski, Patrick Shields and Aaron Flagg scored tries for Abby, while Chris Pack booted three converts.
Abbotsford visits Vancouver's Meraloma Rugby Club on Saturday (2:45 p.m., Connaught Park).