The two local teams in the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League are on home ice.
The Strait Pirates host the Miners at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre.
The Pirates (16-7-3), who have lost back-to-back games, are third in the six-team Sid Rowe Division with 35 points, a point behind the Miners (17-6-2) for second, and 18 points ahead of Eskasoni and Pictou Co., the two teams tied for fourth.
The teams have split the first two games in their four-game season series; both games were decided by one goal.
The Antigonish Bulldogs host the Liverpool Privateers at the Antigonish Arena.
The Bulldogs (20-4-1) have won six straight and 11 of the last 12 to sit in first place in the division with 41 points, five points up on the second-place Miners; they’re tied with East Hants for top spot overall.
The Privateers (14-9-3) are fourth in the Fred Fox Division with 31 points.
It’s the second and final regular season game between the teams; Antigonish won the first 4-1 in Liverpool Jan. 18.
Both games get underway at 7:30 p.m.
The Cape Breton West Islanders host PEI’s Kensington Wild.
The Islanders (12-9-1), winners of back-to-back games, are sixth in the eight-team Nova Scotia Major Midget Hockey League with 25 points, 10 points behind Dartmouth for fifth, and six points ahead of the seventh-place Valley Wildcats.
Puck drop at the Al MacInnis Sports Centre in Port Hood is 7 p.m.
Cape Breton West has a weekend home-and-home with Pictou Co. to wrap up the regular season Saturday and Sunday.
The Cabot Highlanders are taking part in the Cape Breton Jets Minor Midget AAA Hockey Tournament in Membertou.
The Highlanders open the tournament against the Voyageurs at 1 p.m.; they play the Basin Armada at 4:30 p.m.
Their final preliminary round game is against the Kings Saturday morning; the semi-finals and final are Sunday.
The Cape Breton Eagles are on home ice against a Maritimes Division opponent in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
They host Pomquet’s Logan Chisholm and the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.
The Eagles (29-14-3), winners of five straight and 12 of their last 13, are fourth in the 10-team Eastern Conference with 61 points, two points behind Rimouski for third, and six points ahead of fifth-place Charlottetown; the Titan (9-31-7) are last in the division- and the entire league- with 25 points.
Chisholm has 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) in 47 games for Acadie-Bathurst in 2019-20.
Cape Breton has won three of the first four games in the eight-game season series between the teams.
Puck drop at Centre 200 in Sydney is 7 p.m.
The teams square off again in Sydney Saturday night.
The StFX women’s hockey team is in Fredericton for a pair of weekend AUS games.
They visit the St. Thomas Tommies Friday.
The X-Women (18-5-1) have won eight straight regular season games- and 12 of their last 13- to sit tied with UPEI for second in the eight-team conference with 37 points, two points behind Saint Mary’s for top spot, and five points ahead of fourth-place UNB; they’re ranked 10th in the country, and have already clinched a playoff spot.
The Tommies (12-11-1) are fifth with 25 points.
It’s the fourth and final regular season game between the teams; StFX has won the first three.
Game time is 7 p.m.
The X-Women visit UNB Saturday night.
The StFX basketball teams are home for AUS action against Acadia.
The X-Men (7-6), who have won three of their last four, are third in the eight-team conference with 20 points, two points behind UNB for second, and four points ahead of fourth-place Cape Breton; the Axemen (5-9) are sixth with 12 points.
It’s the second and final regular season game between the teams; StFX won the first 95-93 in Wolfville Jan. 19.
The X-Women (2-11), losers of four straight and nine of the last 10, are tied with Dalhousie for seventh in their eight-team conference with four points, eight points back of Cape Breton for sixth; the Axewomen (11-3) are tied with Memorial for top spot with 28 points.
The teams have met once so far; Acadia won 93-51 in Wolfville Jan. 19.
Both games are worth four points in the conference standings.
The women get underway at 6 p.m.; the men tip off at 8 p.m.
Both StFX teams travel to Sydney to square off with Cape Breton Saturday night.
The StFX track and field teams are in New Brunswick.
The X-Women and X-Men are taking part in the UNB-Saint John Meet.
It opens Friday, and continues Saturday.
