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VICTORIA 4 SPOKANE 3 (OT) There was a playoff-type vibe to Saturday night’s Western Hockey League game at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. That was only appropriate because there were playoff implications.

The Langford-based Canadian rugby sevens teams discovered just why the Fijian men and Australian women stood atop the Olympic podium last summer in Rio de Janeiro.

From Rio de Janeiro to Bear Mountain, Catharine Pendrel and Emily Batty resumed their epic rivalry, with the same outcome.

The Victoria Royals can clinch a Western Hockey League playoff berth with a win tonight at Save-on-Foods Memorial against the Spokane Chiefs.

One of the wonderful aspects about playoff hockey are the underdogs and heroes who often come out of the woodwork — unexpected performances from grinders who somehow find scoring touches.

The Langford-based Canadian women’s rugby team had the Las Vegas Sevens handed to them on a trey Friday night. The 2016 Rio Olympic bronze medalists went 3-0 in their opening pool by beating Russia 34-7, Argentina 38-7 and France 21-7.

When we last checked this rivalry, Catharine Pendrel was outracing Emily Batty to the finish line last summer in Rio to take the bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games while shunting her fellow Canadian to an agonizing fourth place.

Triathlete Kirsten Sweetland of Victoria, a former teen prodigy who overcame career-threatening injuries to realize her dream last year in Rio of competing in the Olympics, has retired.

Victoria Grizzlies blue-liner Jake Stevens was named the sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Hockey League’s top defenceman on Thursday, becoming just the third member of the Victoria franchise to capture the honour.

All good things, including streaks, must come to an end. It appears the jig is up on the Spokane Chiefs’ run of 10 consecutive Western Hockey League playoff appearances.