Saturday Sports: Bombers Clinch, Pats Rout Warriors
Photo: Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers erased an early deficit with a dominant fourth-quarter performance to defeat the B.C. Lions 34-10 on Friday night at BC Place, securing a spot in the Canadian Football League playoffs. Winnipeg scored 31 unanswered points to turn a tight contest into a convincing victory.
Backup quarterback Dru Brown sparked the comeback after replacing Zach Collaros, who left the game following a late hit. Brown completed all 11 of his passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, immediately providing the offence with a much-needed jolt. Winnipeg clinching means the Calgary Stampeders will miss the playoffs in 2026.
Running back Brady Oliveira also delivered a huge performance, rushing for 149 yards on 15 carries, including a 63-yard touchdown burst and a second rushing major late in the fourth quarter. Receiver Dorian Singer caught four passes for 119 yards and a touchdown.
The victory was especially significant for Winnipeg, which had not missed the playoffs since 2015. The Lions, who had already secured their postseason position, rested several offensive starters.
In the other Friday matchup, the Montreal Alouettes defeated the Toronto Argonauts 33-16 in the regular-season finale for both clubs. Dustin Crum rushed for two touchdowns before Caleb Evans threw two fourth-quarter scoring passes. Montreal finished atop the East Division standings and secured a first-round bye, while Toronto ended the regular season at 9-9.
In the CFL on Saturday, Ottawa visits Hamilton in a meaningless game while Saskatchewan hosts Edmonton. A Roughriders win would give them 10 wins on the season, and secure 3rd-place in the CFL West and a date with BC in the Western Semifinal in Vancouver. A loss means the Riders would finish 4th, and crossover to the East and visit Toronto in that Division Semifinal.
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Montreal Canadiens 4, Chicago Blackhawks 1
The Montreal Canadiens rallied from an early deficit to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 at the United Center. Connor Bedard opened the scoring for Chicago, beating goaltender Jacob Fowler at 4:23 of the first period, but Jake Evans tied the game late in the frame before giving Montreal the lead with a shorthanded goal early in the second.
Kaiden Guhle extended the Canadiens’ advantage to 3-1 late in the second period, and Mike Matheson sealed the victory with an empty-net goal in the third. Evans finished with two goals and an assist, while Fowler stopped 20 shots as Montreal improved to 5-3-2. Chicago’s Spencer Knight made 24 saves in the loss.
Colorado Avalanche 6, Tampa Bay Lightning 3
Nathan MacKinnon recorded a goal and three assists as the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-3 at Ball Arena in a potential Stanley Cup Final preview. Colorado raced to a 3-0 lead early in the second period on goals by Devon Toews, Nazem Kadri and Fedor Svechkov before Tampa Bay began fighting back.
Jake Guentzel scored twice for the Lightning, but Colorado answered with goals from Artturi Lehkonen and MacKinnon to maintain control. Charle-Edouard D’Astous added a late goal for Tampa Bay, while Martin Necas completed the scoring with an empty-netter. Mackenzie Blackwood made 31 saves for Colorado, which snapped a difficult stretch with the victory and ended Tampa Bay’s three-game winning streak.
REGINA –– Liam Pue recorded a career-high four points, including his second hat trick of the season, as the Regina Pats erupted for six second-period goals to defeat the rival Moose Jaw Warriors 6-2 at the Brandt Centre. The Pats improved to 6-4-0-1 overall and remained perfect at home with a 5-0 record, outscoring opponents 29-6 in those contests. (ReginaPats.com)
Elsewhere:
Brandon 2 Seattle 1
Calgary 4 Medicine Hat 2
Edmonton 3 Saskatoon 2
Swift Current 3 Lethbridge 1
Prince Albert 3 Everett 2
Kamloops 4 Vancouver 3
Tri-City 4 Prince George 2
Penticton 4 Red Deer 2
Spokane 2 Portland 1
Victori 5 Kelowna 4
SASKATCHEWAN JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
Humboldt 5 Weyburn 0
Nipawin 11 La Ronge 2
Melville 1 Battlefords 0
Estevan 4 Melfort 3 OT
Kindersley 4 Flin Flon 1
MLB: Brewers edge Rays in dramatic World Series opener
The Milwaukee Brewers opened the 2026 World Series with a tense 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night at American Family Field, surviving a nerve-racking ninth-inning rally to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven championship series.
Milwaukee struck first with two runs in the opening inning, getting an RBI triple from Christian Yelich and an RBI single from catcher William Contreras. The Brewers then kept Tampa Bay off the scoreboard until the seventh inning, leaning on their pitching staff to protect the early advantage.
The Rays finally broke through late, setting up a dramatic finish in the ninth. Tampa Bay threatened to erase the deficit, but Milwaukee reliever Trevor Megill ultimately struck out Jonny DeLuca with runners on second and third to end the game.
The final out came after a particularly tense sequence involving a replay review that overturned what Milwaukee initially believed was the game-ending play. The Brewers had to regroup and record one more out before celebrating their first World Series game victory in 44 years.
The Brewers will look to carry that momentum into Game 2 on Saturday, while the Rays must regroup quickly to avoid falling into a two-game hole.
