Saturday, October 31, 2009

Saturday Sports Results

SaskGridiron.com provincial quarter-final winners:

Foam Lake
Lumsden
Humboldt
Swan Valley

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The Kindersley Klippers were also victorious as they beat Yorkton 6-2. I'll have more details and a write up later on today.

Game Day

Provincial Quarter-Final games today:

Delisle @ Lumsden
Swan Valley @ Rosetown
Shaunavon @ Humboldt
Foam Lake @ Maple Creek

The quarter-final previews are available now on The Endzone on www.SaskGridiron.com.

Enjoy the games and watch for scores to be posted on Twitter.com/darrendupont.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Scouts will be out in force for WJHC

When Mike Oke discusses the upcoming 2009 World Junior A Challenge in Summerside from Nov. 1 to 8, he is quite familiar with what he's talking about.

The general manager and chief scout for International Scouting Services has attended the first three World Junior A Challenges in Western Canada.

"It's a great event and is well supported by the scouting community and the NHL scouts," said Oke. "People in Summerside will see lots of NHL scouts and lots of NHL general managers, who will make a point of stopping in and taking a look at it."

To date, close to 150 scouting packages have been sold and every NHL team has bought at least three.

"It's a great opportunity for the scouts to see the European teams, and it's a great opportunity for the scouts to see the players who aren't playing Major Junior that are playing Junior A at an elite level with and against the best players in their age group," said Oke.

"This year promises to be even more exciting. I think the calibre of teams at the tournament may be a little stronger."

So, what will Oke be looking for when he attends the final four days?

"Certainly you want to see the players that can skate," he answered. "In today's game you have to be able to skate to compete. And then there's that word compete. You want to see the players who are out there working hard every shift.

"It's a unique tournament because the players, especially from the Canadian teams, aren't familiar with one another and are probably playing with each other for the first time.

"It's interesting to watch and see how they're able to mesh and gel together. If they can do that and have some success, it speaks well for not only their skill level, but their mental make-up as well."

Players well aware

The players are well aware of the scouts' presence and just try to focus on the ice, said Boston Bruins' first-round draft pick Joe Colborne, who had seven points (3-4) for Canada West in 2007.

"Our coaches did a good job of keeping us focused," said Colborne. "When it was going on you weren't really too worried about it because you just want to win that gold medal.

"A few days after (the tournament), I sat back, thought about it and there was a great representation from almost every (NHL) team there. There were some GMs, some directors of player personnel and it was just a great opportunity, for not just me but quite a few guys, to get their name out there."

by Jason Simmonds - Summerside Journal Pioneer

The Endzone - Provincial quarter-final preview

The Swan Valley Tigers visit the Rosetown Royals this Saturday at 1:00pm. The game preview is available on www.SaskGridiron.com now.

So far the weather has been great and there is no moisture on the field but that may change on Saturday. Currently there is a 40% chance of some mixed precipitation.

SJHL Showcase Returns


The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is pleased to announce the return of the annual Showcase for the 2009-10 season.

This year, the event has been moved back two months from years previous and it has been moved to an SJHL centre as the Battlefords North Stars have assumed the role of host.

A hiatus of the Showcase in 2008-09 resulted in an overwhelming response from hockey scouts at the college, minor pro, and NHL level that caused the SJHL to reassess the great value of this unique weekend on all fronts, including economically and for player development; keeping in mind part of the charm of this event is the ease for scouts to see all the talent the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League has to offer.

Plans were, subsequently, put in motion to revamp the Showcase for 2009-10 with the Battlefords North Stars stepping up to be the host during a period of the season that better reflects the make-up of each team as far as roster composition.

SJHL President Laury Ryan states, “The SJHL is pleased to be back with the Showcase. I thank the Battlefords North Stars Executive, host sponsor Strike Energy, and league partner National Hockey League, for stepping up and enabling the league to provide this opportunity for our players and the scouting community.”

From Thursday morning at 11am and going until Saturday night’s final game at 7:30pm; there will be twelve SJHL games played at the Civic Centre.

SJHL SHOWCASE - NOVEMBER 26-28-2009 HOSTED BY THE BATTLEFORDS
Thursday 26-Nov Nipawin Hawks Melfort Mustangs 11:00
Thursday 26-Nov Weyburn Red Wings Notre Dame Hounds 2:00
Thursday 26-Nov Humboldt Broncos Flin Flon Bombers 5:00
Thursday 26-Nov Melville Millionaires Kindersley Klippers 7:30
Friday 27-Nov Notre Dame Hounds LaRonge Ice Wolves 9:00
Friday 27-Nov Flin Flon Bombers Nipawin Hawks 11:30
Friday 27-Nov Yorkton Terriers Melville Millionaires 2:30
Friday 27-Nov Estevan Bruins Weyburn Red Wings 5:30
Friday 27-Nov Humboldt Broncos Battlefords North Stars 8:00
Saturday 28-Nov Estevan Bruins Yorkton Terriers 2:00
Saturday 28-Nov LaRonge Ice Wolves Melfort Mustangs 5:00
Saturday 28-Nov Kindersley Klippers Battlefords North Stars 7:30

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Klippers 3 Broncos 2

Beau Taylor's goal 2:31 into the third period was the difference as the Kindersley Klippers hung on for a 3-2 win on the road in Humboldt Tuesday night.

Kindersley opened the scoring midway through the first when Jordan Braid notched his 9th goal of the season. David Ahl added the assist and the Klippers led 1-0 through 20 minutes.
The lead didn't last long in the second as the Broncos' Dane Lindskog got the home side on the board at the 1:42 mark evening the score at one.

The Klippers didn't back down at the Elger Pedersen Arena as Jodan Braid scored his second of the game (10th of the season) at the 11:58 mark (assists from Justin Perreaux adn Taylor Duzan) to regain the lead.

Late in the period Steven Turner dropped the mitts with Humboldt's Justin Buzzeo. Kindersley ended up shorthanded on the play and just 19 seconds into the power play Humboldt evened the score when Cameron Gibson recorded his 9th of the season setting up an exciting final stanza.

And it was early in the third that the Klippers took the lead for good. Beau Taylor's third of the year (Justin Bertow and Kevin Clark) proved to be enough as the Klippers skated to the 3-2 win.
Midway through the third the Broncos' Bryce Walker was called for checking from behind when he took Kindersley's Taylor Duzan hard into the boards. Duzan left the game holding his face and did not return.

Kindersley went 0/6 on the power play while the Broncos were 1/7. Final shots favored Humboldt 32-23 after another strong performance from the Klippers' Josh Thorimbert.

Next action for the Klippers (9-7-0) will be on Friday when they travel to Melville to take on the Millionaires. Game time is 7:30pm.

South 20 Dodge Chrysler & RV Centre Top 10

1. (1) Humboldt Mohawks
2. (2) Lumsden Devils
3. (3) Foam Lake Panthers
4. (4) Delisle Rebels
5. (5) Rosetown Royals
6. (7) Swan Valley Tigers
7. (NR) Maple Creek Redmen
8. (6) Shaunavon Shadows
9. (9) Sacred Heart Saints
10. (8) Unity Warriors

www.south20.ca

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Notre Dame events on hold due to illness

BY ROB VANSTONE, THE LEADER-POST
OCTOBER 17, 2009

The Notre Dame Hounds' athletic season is on hold.

All the Hounds' athletic competitions -- including Friday's scheduled Regina Intercollegiate Football League game against the Luther Lions -- have been cancelled or postponed until at least the middle of next week.

Officials at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame made the decision in consultation with the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region and the school's medical personnel due to concerns arising from the H1N1 outbreak.

In recent weeks, there have been five confirmed cases of H1N1 within the student body at the Wilcox-based residential school. Those five students have recuperated following a seven-day quarantine, but caution is being exercised because a few of their classmates have flu-like symptoms.

"We're interested in the health of our kids and other kids,'' Notre Dame president Rob Palmarin said Friday. "We're not in panic mode. We're in precautionary mode.''

Palmarin added that, as of Friday, 14 of Notre Dame's 320 students were being treated by Notre Dame's health care nurses. A majority of those patients were experiencing flu-like symptoms.

For the time being, Notre Dame is distancing itself from the outside community until the symptoms subside. This policy is in effect for five days, beginning Friday, after which the situation will be reviewed. The objective is to speed up the recovery process and reduce the possibility of the illness spreading. All visitors to Notre Dame are being advised of the situation.

"The majority of our students are healthy,'' Palmarin emphasized. "We had classes all week and we plan on having classes on Monday. We plan to go to church on Sunday.

"We're going to stay home -- kind of like in a Regina bungalow, but the neighbours aren't going to come over. That's kind of how we're approaching it.''

When possible, the affected sporting events will be rescheduled. One exception will be the RIFL game against Luther, which was to be the regular-season finale for both teams. Officials from Notre Dame and Luther College High School mutually agreed that the game would be declared a tie.

"It was their initiative,'' said Palmarin, who commended the Luther administrators for their sportsmanship.

With a victory, Luther could have supplanted Notre Dame as the third-place team in the Stewart Conference. Instead, Notre Dame remains in third and Luther stays in fourth. Both teams are scheduled to participate in first-round playoff games on Thursday.

"It's not our fault and it's not their fault,'' Luther principal Mark Anderson said. "The health of the kids comes first. That's the bottom line.''

The Hounds' soccer program is also affected. The Regina High Schools Athletic Association's 2A girls soccer final, between Notre Dame and the Miller Marauders, was to be played Monday. The game has been moved to Wednesday, 5 p.m., at Mosaic Stadium, contingent upon Notre Dame athletes receiving clearance to resume competition.

Notre Dame had qualified three runners for the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association cross-country championships, to be held today in the vicinity of the Canada Games Athletics Complex. As a precaution, those runners will be withheld from the provincial meet.

The SHSAA cross-country meet was to have been held in Wynyard, but was moved to Regina on short notice because a 16-year-old student at Wynyard Composite High School died after contracting the H1N1 virus.

RHSAA volleyball matches involving Notre Dame's junior and senior girls teams have also been affected.

In addition, the health situation affects Notre Dame's many hockey teams, including the SJHL's Hounds, and the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League's Hounds and Argos. A postponement will also impact Notre Dame's entry in Regina Minor Football's bantam division.

© Copyright (c) The Regina Leader-Post

SJHL Power Rankings

OCTOBER 24/09

W

L

OTL

SOL

1

Weyburn (1)

10

2

0

2

--Wings showed first place form Friday night in Kindersley.

2

Battlefords (3)

9

5

0

1

--Stars are on a roll, sweeping three games last week.

3

Flin Flon (2)

8

4

0

2

--Special teams look good on both PK and PP.

4

Humboldt (7)

8

6

0

1

--Bodnarchuk getting a chance to play plenty of games, the rest of the team looks like they are starting to gel.

5

Yorkton (6)

9

6

0

0

--Which goalies to keep? Boechler is 2-for-2 in shutouts!

6

La Ronge (5)

7

5

1

1

--Tough to play at home, a little more forgiving on the road.

7

Kindersley (8)

7

6

0

0

--Look for a much better effort on Saturday after the Wings took them to task on Friday.

8

Notre Dame (8)

5

3

0

2

--Extended break makes it hard to judge.

9

Melfort (10)

5

6

0

1

--Starting to make slow progress.

10

Melville (11)

5

6

2

0

--Winning over Weyburn was big for confidence.

11

Estevan (9)

5

8

1

1

--Melville and Melfort are examples that you can't afford a cold spell.

12

Nipawin (12)

4

8

1

0

--See Estevan!

Game Day Saturday

It's game day on a number of fronts today so let's get to it.

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The Notre Dame Hounds (5-3-0-1) visit the WCEC tonight to face the Klippers (7-6-0) who are coming off a 6-3 loss at the hands of the Weyburn Red Wings a night ago. The Yorkton Terriers were also victorious last night and remain 4 points up on the Jr. K's for 2nd place. Kindersley does have 2 games in hand though.

SJHL.ca is showing that the hounds have only played 9 games this season and this would be their first in over two weeks! Their schedule shows 4 games between their October 8th win over the Stars and tonight's game in Kindersley. Anyone know what's up?

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What's up with the SJHL's text messaging? I try to use the system to get scores when I can't make it to the game and it is really throwing me for a loop.

Last night I was getting score updates and was pretty happy to see the Klippers ahead. I even thought they won until I got a text saying the game was over and Weyburn had won 6-3.

WTH??

I had received a text for each of the Klippers 3 goals and for 2 Wing goals and that was it. I wish I knew how this system worked but either way it needs to get cleaned up.

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Ok, back to game day, and it will be very interesting in Regina this afternoon. The BC Lions are playing the Saskatchewan Roughriders and they will have Casey Printers under centre. I don't have any analysis or insider information but I am jacked for this game. Part of me want's Printers to succeed but just not today. Game time is 3:30pm.

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It's playoff game day for 9-man football teams in the province. Yesterday, the Lumsden Devils advanced to provincials with a 53-20 win over the Melville Cobras. Today there are six more games on the playoff schedule. Here's the line-up:

NEFL

(4) Wynyard Bears @ (1) Humboldt Mohawks
(3) Nipawin Bears @ (2) Foam Lake Panthers

SWAC

(2) Maple Creek Redmen @ (1) Shaunavon Shadows

ECFL

(3) Sacred Heart Saints @ (2) Swan Valley Tigers

NWFL

(4) Meadow Lake Spartans @ (1) Rosetown Royals
(3) Unity Warriors @ (2) Delisle Rebels

I'm most interested in the NWFL today as they were tight right throughout the regular season. Meadow Lake handed Rosetown their only loss and Unity knocked off Meadow Lake in the final game of the season and are playing good ball. Anyone could come out of this league.

The Meadow Lake/Shaunavon game could be entertaining as well. There has been some talk as to how good Shaunavon really is and today would be one step in convincing some of the doubters.

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Ok, let's go watch some football. Ready? Break!

Friday, October 23, 2009

Lumsden 53 Melville 20

The Devils are the first team through to provincials.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Klipper Trade // Game Day

Kendrew Friesen has been dealt to the Nipawin Hawks for futures.

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Game day for the Jr. K's today as they host Weyburn. It's Access 7's game of the week. Watch the game online with streaming starting at 6:45pm.

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The Kindersley Klippers (7-5-0) host the Weyburn Red Wings (9-2-0-2) tonight at the WCEC with the puck drop at 7:00pm.

This will be the second meeting of the season between these two Sherwood Conference teams. The first, back on October, 13th in Kindersley, was a 2-1 shootout victory for the home side. The Wings will be looking to avenge that loss.

The Wings have been the best teams in the SJHL thus far and have found themselves in the CJHL's top 15.

If the Klippers have an edge it would be on special teams. The Klippers are firing on the power play at a 23.6% clip compared to the wings at 16.9%. The penalty kill has a light edge for the Jr. K's at 84.3% compared to 83.3% for Weyburn.

Looking at the standings, the Wings lead the Sherwood Conference (and the entire SJHL) with 20 points in 13 games. The Klippers are 6 points back with a game in hand.

There are 5 games in the SJHL tonight incuding all 6 Sherwood Conference teams.

WEY @ KIN
NIP @ YOR
MVL @ MFT
EST @ FF
ND @ BAT

ECFL Game Day

It's game day in Lumsden today with the (4) Melville Cobras visiting the (1) Lumsden Devils with the winner advancing to the provincial championship bracket.

The Devils won the only meeting between these two teams but it's game day and anything can happen.

It'll be an absolutely perfect day for football in Lumsden. The forecast is saying it will be 11 degrees at kick-off and partly cloudy. Right now around noon the wind is about 11km/h.

Check out this weeks edition of The Endzone for the thoughts of Cobras coach John Svensen.
www.SaskGridiron.com.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Getting you caught up on recent Klipper transactions

Here are a few of the recent deals done by the Jr. K's. We know of some of the new faces but here's what went down over the last few days:

TRADE
October 18/09
Kindersley Klippers 1990 F Kendrew Friesen (Waldheim SK) and future considerations from the MJHL's Winkler Flyers for 1989 F Ben Ritchie (Brandon MB).


TRADE
October 17/09
Kindersley Klippers acquire 1991 F Justin Bertow (Saskatoon SK) from the Westside Warriors of the BCHL for future considerations.

TRADE
October 15/09
Kindersley Klippers acquire 1991 D David Ahl (St. Albert AB) from the Okotoks Oilers of the SJHL for future considerations.

Show your support!


The PWT Snow Park is hoping to start up this year but not without your support. Some planning needs to be done and they are in need of volunteers and employees.

GM Maureen Macdonald says a meeting will be held tonight at the chalet. The meeting starts at 8pm and is open to the public and everyone is encouraged to attend.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT AND KEEP A GOOD THING GOING!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Wednesday blogging

Playoff football is in the air as we welcome you back to the blog. We'll touch on the Klippers and the SJHL today but mostly we will talk football so let's get to it.

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The playoff schedule is the subject of this weeks poll question on www.SaskGridiron.com. It asks which game will be most exciting on Saturday?

My vote goes to Meadow Lake @ Rosetown. The Royals took the league championship but their only loss came at the hands of the Spartans.

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SaskGridiron has 9,946 hits and counting. I said we'd reach 10,000 by the end of the day and I'll hold to that claim.

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There has been much debate over the recent South 20 Dodge Chrysler and RV Centre Top 10. Some feel that Shaunavon should be ranked higher as they are one of only three teams to finish the regular season 6-0.

I dived into it a little deeper on the forum at www.SaskGridiron.com but it's tough to rank them ahead of teams like Foam Lake, Delisle and Rosetown. Foam Lake was in the provincial final a year ago and Delisle and Rosetown finished ahead of Meadow Lake, a semi-finalist a year ago. Besides, they are all 5-1.

What's your take?

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The Kindersley Klippers hit a bit of a speed bump last night at the hands of the La Ronge Ice Wolves. The Jr. K's lost 6-2 to fall to 6-5-0 on the season.

Here is the updated standings in the Sherwood Conference:

TEAM GP W L T PTS
1 Weyburn 13 9 2 2 20
2 Yorkton 14 8 6 0 16
3 Kindersley 11 6 5 0 12
4 Estevan 14 5 7 2 12
5 Notre Dame 9 5 3 1 11
6 Melville 12 4 6 2 10

The Klippers have games in hand on everyone but Notre Dame. The Klippers are in Melfort tonight looking to rebound and get back to the winning ways.

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Last week's NWFL game between Martensville and Warman was postponed and will be played tomorrow (Thursday) in Warman. The game has no impact on the playoffs but pride will definitely be on the line.

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I'm taking a ton of abuse about my teams lately. My team in the NHL is the Leafs and in the NFL it's the Titans. Tough year eh? Both teams are 0-6.

At least the Riders are playing good.

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Murray from Sasktel stopped by today to hook up my Max HD and PVR. Now I can watch my teams lose in high definition! One thing I will tell you is that I won't be re-living any of the Leafs games on the PVR. Not yet anyway.

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Last week's poll on SaskGridiron.com asked who you think will come out of the NWFL?

Rosetown/Delisle 39%
Delisle/Meadow Lake 36%
Rosetown/Meadow Lake 9%
Rosetown/Unity 7%
Unity/Meadow Lake 5%
Delisle/Unity 1%

The top two can happen and so can Rosetown/Unity and Unity/Meadow Lake. I couldn't tell you one way or another which way this week will go. It could be any two of the four that come out and I wouldn't be surprised.

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There will be a playoff edition of "The Endzone" coming soon so stay tuned.

That's all for now, have a good afternoon.

dd

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

South 20 Dodge Chrysler & RV Centre Top 10

1 (1) Humboldt Mohawks (6-0)
2 (2) Lumsden Devils (6-0)
3 (3) Foam Lake Panthers (5-1)
4 (4) Delisle Rebels (5-1)
5 (6) Rosetown Royals (5-1)
6 (7) Shaunavon Shadows (6-0)
7 (8) Swan Valley Tigers (5-1)
8 (NR) Unity Warriors (4-2)
9 (9) Sacred Heart Saints (4-2)
10 (5) Meadow Lake Spartans (4-2)

Friday, October 16, 2009

Football Friday

With the regular season coming to a close in 9-man football, let's tee up today's games.

NEFL
Tisdale (1-4) @ Nipawin (2-3) - a win vor the Bears would give them a real solid hold on third place and a playoff game in Foam Lake. A Tisdale win will give them a shot at the playoffs.

ECFL
Canora (2-3) @ Lumsden (5-0) - The Devils are looking to finish off a perfect regular season.

Swan Valley (4-1) @ Melville (3-2) - This is our "Game of the Week." A Cobra win would put the two teams even at 4-2 but the Cobras would then hold the tie-breaker. The intangible here: the game will be played in Melville, a very tough place to play in October.

NWFL
Meadow Lake (4-1) @ Unity (3-2) - Again a win for Unity would even the records and give Unity the tie-breaker. The weather should be decent which could really make this anyones game.

Martensville (1-4) @ Warman (0-5) - Pride is on the line as the Wolverines are looking for their first win of the season. Expect them to be very hungry.

Kindersley (1-4) @ Delisle (4-1) - The Rebels have first place in their sights as they get set to wrap up the regular season.

SWAC
(4) Assiniboia (0-6) @ (1) Shaunavon (6-0) - It's playoff time! The SWAC is set for playoffs this week. With ideal weather conditions I feel that Shaunavon's offence will put on a clinic. If the weather turns for the worse I think that would benefit the Rockets. Either way it's playoff football and you just never know.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Klippers acquire Ahl

Klippers pick up David Ahl from Okotoks.

Ahl is an 18 year old defenceman out of St. Albert, AB. He is 6'1" 176lbs and appeared in 6 games with the Oilers this season.

Details of the transaction to follow.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Tuesday morning blogging


A little thanksgiving picture to start off your Tuesday morning back at work as we welcome you back to the blog too.

It's been a few days since posting but it was nice to shut'er down and spend some time with family this weekend. Isn't what what thanksgiving is all about? Ya, that and watching football which we lots of too.

We'll try to keep a thanksgiving theme on the blog today and see where that takes us.

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The Kindersley Klippers can be thankful that they don't have to travel to Flin Flon any more this season.

The Klippers lost both games over the weekend at the Whitney Forum by scores of 5-3 and 2-0. Because of his strong play, Bombers goaltender Matt Weninger was named SJHL's goaltender of the week.

The Whitney Forum is hands down the toughest place to play in the province. They define the term 'home ice advantage' and for some of the players who have never been to the building it can be pretty intimidating.

The boys are home tonight for a big game against Weyburn. Game time is 7:00pm.

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Rod Pedersen has some debate going on his blog (which you can find over on my blog list) about the level of play in the WHL. Quite a few fans have wrote in and feel that the WHL is lacking in the entertainment department and they would rather watch the SJHL. They feel that it is more exciting and the players are more creative. I love the SJHL but really haven't spent the time comparing the two leagues to each other. What do you think?

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Stress reduction tip #13

"Don't worry about tomorrow. Today will probably do you in anyway."

I read that on my dad's coffee mug this weekend.

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That reminds me of another saying that I try to live by. "Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere."

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The Wynyard Bears and Humboldt Mohawks re-scheduled their game from this past Friday to Monday Oct. 19th. As a result, the Bears home game against Foam Lake has been moved from Friday Oct. 16th to Thursday the 15th.

That'll be a pretty short week in Wynyard. Let's hope they at least get a little bit of good weather.

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Keeping with high school football, the South 20 Dodge, Chrysler and RV Centre Top 10 will be released later on today. Things are really getting down to the nitty gritty and every game counts. I love October football!

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Ok, I just hit a mental roadblock and need a time out. I'll check in later with some Klipper game notes and the Top 10.

Enjoy your Tuesday!

dd

Friday, October 9, 2009

Game postponed

This afternoons game between Wynyard and Humboldt has been postponed for another day. Details to come.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Yep, that is snow

It has been like living in Vancouver for the last little while. Most of the days have been wet and cloudy with rarely any sunshine and that holds true today except for one thing... the wet is snow.

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We will have Klipper notes on the blog tomorrow as they travel to Flin Flon but today is all about football.

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I edited the post below as there was an error with the schedule. As I was doing The Endzone this morning I realized what a huge week this is for 9-man football.

  • We have the "Game of the Week" today with Unity(3-1) visiting Rosetown(4-1) and it is a battle for 1st place in the NWFL.
  • Canora(2-2) and Melville(2-2) will duke it out tomorrow to see who will sit in 4th place for the time being.
  • Tomorrow Shaunavon (5-0) will visit Maple Creek (4-1) with a chance to cement themselves as top dog in the SWAC. You'd have to think that another dominating performance this week would move the Shadows up in the Top 10.
  • Wynyard (2-2) is in Humboldt tomorrow and Nipawin (2-2) has Foam Lake to deal with. Both of these two teams are looking to take sole possession of 3rd place in the NEFL.
  • And today we have Lumsden (4-0) visiting Sacred Heart (3-1). The Devils have successfully gotten by Melville and Swan Valley and this is their final test in the regular season. The Saints are coming off the bye week which will make things more interesting.

It's truly going to be a special week for football in this province. Let's remember that this is the final week of the season for the SWAC while there is only one week remaining in the season (after this week) for the other three conferences and the playoff implications are huge.

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The Endzone is available for another week. This is episode five. Check it out here.

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Is it snowing where you're from? Drop a line in the comment section and let me know, especially if you are from a 9-man football community and there is going to be a game there today. The weather could play a nasty factor this afternoon.

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Ok that's all I have right now. Enjoy the action this afternoon.

dd

Klippers win big // 9-man games

Good morning... you may find a little frost on the windshield as you step outside this morning but that's ok because...

THE KLIPPERS SPANKED THE BRONCOS!

The Klippers were 4 for 8 on the power play and beat the Broncos 8-1 last night at the WCEC. Braeden Adamyk had a pair of goals while Kurt Leedahl had 3 assists in the win. In total 14 different Klippers found the score sheet.

Josh Thorimbert played goal again for the home squad and stopped 25 of 26 shots in another impressive outing.

Next up for the Klippers is a weekend road trip to Flin Flon where they'll play two games against the Bombers.

I wish I was going.

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Huge news is on the way in the next little bit. I won't say what it is incase it falls through but it's big. Some of you know what I'm talking about. Don't get impatient with this as it make take up to or more than a month before anything is official or announced but just something to think about.

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Today's line-up of 9-man football:

NEFL
Foam Lake @ Nipawin 4:00pm

SWAC
Assiniboia @ Gull Lake 4:00pm

ECFC
Lumsden @ Sacred Heart 4:00pm
NWFL
Delisle @ Martensville 4:00pm
Warman @ Meadow Lake 4:00pm
Unity @ Rosetown 4:00pm

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I'm going to work on The Endzone now and will check in a little bit later.

Stay warm!

dd

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

SJHL September players of the month

SJHL PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Chad Filteau, Estevan Bruins
1989 F Chad Filteau (Regina SK) led all players during the month of September with 5-goals and 7-assists in 7-games. His month was highlighted with a 1-goal, 4-assist game against Melfort on September 26th. He had four multi-point games.
Runners-up: Brody Haygarth & Brant Harris, Estevan; Doug Lindensmith & Ben Findlay, La Ronge; Mike Rey, Nipawin; Spencer Braaten, Humboldt.

SJHL DEFENSEMAN OF THE MONTH
Mike Alexander, La Ronge Ice Wolves
1989 D Mike Alexander (Campbell River BC) was a late addition to the Ice Wolves, deciding at the twelvth hour to play Junior ‘A’ hockey in his final year of eligibility. He has been a welcome addition to an Ice Wolves team that now boasts one of the best bluelines in the league. Alexander finished September with 3-goals and 5-assists in 6-games.
Runners-up: Dustin Stevenson, La Ronge; Michael Young, Flin Flon; Cody Folstad, Battlefords.

SJHL GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH
Deven Dubyk, Notre Dame Hounds
1991 G Deven Dubyk (Minitonas MB) earned his way back to the Western Hockey League by going 2-1-and-1 in his brief tenure with the Hounds. Dubyk also posted a miniscule 1.69-GAA and .935-SPCT before getting the call that he had been dealt by the Moose Jaw Warriors to the Medicine Hat Tigers.
Runners-up: Tanner Erickson, Weyburn; Andrew Bodnarchuk, Humboldt; Zach Rakochy, Melville.

SJHL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
Dylan Smith, Estevan Bruins
1992 F Dylan Smith (Big River SK) had points in five of the six games he played during the month of September. Still midget eligible, Smith had two goals and three points in a game played on September 26th and has provided excellent secondary scoring for the Bruins to this point.

Runners-up: Michael Desjarlais, Melville; Trevor Cameron, Notre Dame; Andrew Johnston, Flin Flon.

Monday, October 5, 2009

CJHL Power Rankings

The CJHL Weekly Top 15 as of Monday, October 5th:

1. (1) Vernon Vipers (BCHL)
2. (3) Penticton Vees (BCHL)
3. (2) Dauphin Kings (MJHL)
4. (7) Kingston Voyageurs (OJAHL)
5. (4) Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL)
6. (5) Brooks Bandits (AJHL)
7. (8) Pembroke Lumber Kings (CJHL)
8. (NR) Weyburn Red Wings (SJHL)
9. (9) Burlington Cougars (CCHL)
10. (NR) Georgetown Raiders (OJAHL)
11. (HM) Bonnyville Pontiacs (AJHL)
12. (NR) Truro Bearcats (MJAHL)
13. (NR) Abitibi Eskimos (NOJHL)
14. (14) Fort William North Stars (SIJHL)
15. (15) Les Pantheres de Saint-Jerome (LHJAAA)

Honorable mention goes to the Powell River Kings (BCHL), La Ronge Ice Wolves (SJHL), Swan Valley Stampeders (MJHL), Toronto Jr. Canadiens (CCHL), Markham Waxers (CCHL), Le College Francais de Longueuil (LHJAAA), and the Summerside Western Capitals (MJAHL)

The rankings are based upon a variety of factors which includes the league in which the teams belong to, their winning percentage, their win-loss record, total points accumulated, their goals-for versus goals-against ratio, amongst other factors.

Morning randoms

Good morning and welcome to another week.

Today we'll get into some hockey talk as well as some football info and maybe a little in between.

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The Kindersley Klippers were a perfect 2-0 over the weekend with 5-4(OT) and 4-1 wins over the Melville Millionaires. The victories vaulted the Klippers (4-2-0) into a share of 2nd place in the Sherwood Conference with Estevan (4-4-0) and Yorkton (4-4-0).

The team is home to Humboldt (4-3-0) on Wednesday and on the road in Flin Flon (4-3-0) for two games on the weekend.

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Results from 9-man high school football from last week:

Wednesday, September 30
Conference 3
Esterhazy Warriors0
Canora Cougars34
Thursday, October 1
Conference 2: South West Athletic Conf.
Shaunavon Shadows34
Gull Lake Lions14
Friday, October 2
Conference 1: North East Football League
Melfort Comets6
Foam Lake Panthers59
Humboldt Mohawks58
Tisdale Tornadoes13
Nipawin Bears18
Wynyard Bears19
Conference 2: South West Athletic Conf.
Maple Creek Redmen52
Assiniboia Rockets19
Conference 3
Swan Valley Tigers62
Fort Qu'Appelle Marauders19
Melville Cobras6
Lumsden Devils48
Conference 4: North West Football League
Martensville Royals0
Rosetown Royals28
Kindersley Kobras22
Unity Warriors49
Delisle Rebels76
Warman Wolverines7


Things are becoming VERY tight in each of the four conferences and I'll dive into that a little more at another time but just look at the NWFL and you will see what I mean. There are four teams that have just a single loss. Delisle, Meadow Lake and Unity are all 3-1 while Rosetown is 4-1. It's a shame only two teams can enter the provincial bracket.

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The poll on SaskGridiron has been up there for nearly two weeks but you keep voting and it's a pretty good one. It asks what you think is the most competitive conference in 9-man football. Right now the NWFL leads the way with 39% of the popular vote. The NEFL is close behind with 31%.

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Speaking of polls, log on to www.sjhl.ca and cast your vote for who you think has been the best player so far in the SJHL. Jordan Braid has my vote. Does he have yours?

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Just a heads up: SaskGridiron.com is going to be making some big improvements before next season.

Anything you would like to see? I've been asked if it will cover 6-man football and that is something that is seriously being looked at. Might need some more bodies on the front lines though.

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I am getting all kinds of questions about the situation with Riley Ross. The bottom line that he is no longer a member of the Kindersley Klippers. The Klippers own his rights at this point and I'm sure they are looking for takers.

As for what happened, well the tales are all over the map. Some stories are pretty ridiculous and I won't get into rumours on the blog but if something official comes down from the team that is when you'll hear it here.

The team has had their eye on Baker for a couple of weeks though and he wasn't in town very long before lacing up the skates against Melville. I wouldn't look too much into the results of his first start. We'll have this discussion again in a month or so.

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What happened to summer in September? I heard someone say that September is the new August and I believed them for a couple weeks.

Here I'm thinking it's going to be in the mid teens early in October and that sounds like a pipe dream now. One week it's 30 degrees and the next it's nearly freezing when I wake up. WTH?!?

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are off to a roaring start.. ahem... I mean... not so roaring. The team looked great (although they lost in overtime) in the opening game against Montreal but the so called 'new and improved' defence was pretty lacklustre against Washington. The Leafs are 0-1-1).

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Some people are getting antsy waiting for the South 20 Dodge Chrysler and RV Centre Weekly Top 10 each week and for those of you who crave it I will have it later on today.

Until then keep fit and have fun!

dd