The two local teams in the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League return to home ice in their respective first-round playoff series.
The Strait Pirates play the Miners in game four of their best-of-seven, Sid Rowe Division semi-final at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre.
The Pirates lead two-games-to-one after a 6-1 win in game two in Membertou Feb. 29; the series shifts back to Membertou for game five Saturday night.
The Antigonish Bulldogs host the Eskasoni Eagles in game five of their series at the Antigonish Arena.
The Bulldogs took a 3-1 series lead with a 7-0 win in game four in Eskasoni Thursday night.
An Antigonish win advances them to the Sid Rowe Final against the winner of the Pirates-Miners series; a loss sends the series back to Eskasoni for game six Saturday night.
Both games get underway at 7:30 p.m.
The Northern Selects host Halifax in the opening game of the Nova Scotia Female Midget AAA Hockey League final.
The Selects (23-1-0), who swept the Penguins in the first round, finished the regular season in top spot in the seven-team league with 46 points, six points up on second-place Halifax (19-3-2), who needed five games to eliminate the Panthers.
The teams met four times during the regular season; the Selects won three of those four games.
Puck drop at the Pictou Co. Wellness Centre is 8 p.m.
Game two in the best-of-five, second-round series is in New Glasgow Sunday night.
Two local teams open play at the NSSAF boys hockey championships.
The Dr. J.H. Gillis Royals take on Glace Bay at Div. 1 provincials in Westville at 2 p.m.; the Royals play their second game against C.P. Allen at 9 p.m.
Their third and final preliminary round game is against Horton Saturday morning.
The Dalbrae Dragons play their first game against Sommet in the Div. 2 tournament in Cole Harbour at 8:30 a.m.; the Dragons’ second game is against Clare at 1:30 p.m.
They wrap up preliminary round play against Central Kings Saturday afternoon.
Eight teams are divided into two groups for both tournaments; the top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals Saturday night.
The championship games are Sunday afternoon.
You can find the full schedules for both tournaments here.
The Halifax Mooseheads play the first of back-to-back home games when they host the Quebec Remparts in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
The Mooseheads (19-36-5), who have lost six straight and 15 of the last 16, are second-last in the 10-team Eastern Conference- and the entire 18-team league- with 43 points, 12 points behind the Remparts (25-32-5) for eighth, and eight points ahead of last-place Acadie-Bathurst.
It’s the second and final regular season game between the teams; Quebec won the first 5-4 in a shootout at home Feb. 29.
Puck drop at Scotiabank Centre is 7 p.m.
Halifax remains on home ice to host Cape Breton in the latest edition of the Battle of Nova Scotia Saturday night.
Members of the StFX track and field teams are competing at the U Sports championship in Edmonton.
Logan Coulet of the X-Men takes part in the high jump, while the X-Women’s Jane Hergett is in the 1,000m race; both events get underway at 8 p.m.
The X-Women 4x800m relay team- comprised of Hergett, Aidan MacDonald, Paige Chisholm and Catherine Kennedy- races at 11 p.m.
