The Paul Kane Classic women’s basketball tournament tips off Friday afternoon.
The Jasper Place Rebels and Centennial Coyotes of Calgary play at 2 p.m., followed by the Spruce Grove Panthers and the Bishop Grandin Ghosts of Calgary at 4 p.m.
The host Paul Kane Blues hoop it up at 6 p.m. against the Catholic Central Cougars of Lethbridge and at 8 p.m. it’s the O’Leary Spartans versus the Medicine Hat Kwahommies.
Eight games are scheduled Saturday. The semifinals are noon and 1:45 p.m., the consolation final is 5:15 p.m., the third-place game is 7 p.m. and the final is 8:45 p.m.
It’s the third year for the Paul Kane Classic but the first with only a women’s draw.
Jasper Place and Spruce Grove are the top metro Edmonton division one teams and a young Paul Kane lineup was 2-1 in league play and 8-5 overall at the Christmas break.
At the 2015 4A provincials, Medicine Hat defeated Spruce Grove in the final and the Blues repeated as consolation finalists in their third provincial appearance in four years.
Meanwhile, Paul Kane hosts a division one doubleheader today at 5 p.m. for the men’s team against the Holy Trinity Trojans and 6:30 p.m. for the women’s team against the St. Joseph Saints.
Two of St. Albert’s three teams in the Edmonton Rural Bantam AA Hockey League skate tonight on home ice.
Game times are 7:45 p.m. between the Bears (10-6-3) and PAC Predators (4-17-1) at Akinsdale Arena and 8:15 p.m. between the Blues (12-5-4) and SSAC Alberta Sportswear (6-11-3) at Go Auto Arena.
The Blues and Bears are first and third, respectively, in the metro red division.
The St. Albert Comets (17-2-1) are ranked first in the metro blue division as the overall leaders in the 30-team ERBHL.
The next game for the Comets is Sunday versus the Predators at 8 p.m. at Mark Messier Arena.
Last week the Comets finished 0-3-1 at the 36th annual Edmonton Invitational Bantam Tournament of Champions.
The first home game in 2016 for the St. Albert Flyers is Thursday against the Leduc Oil Kings in the Alberta Minor Midget AAA Hockey League.
Faceoff is 7 p.m. at Akinsdale Arena. The Flyers’ home record is 6-4-1.
The Flyers (11-6-3), Leduc (11-7-4) and the PAC Saints (12-8-2) are battling for fourth place in the north standings.
Sunday the Flyers lost 4-1 to the Saints in Stony Plain.
