Hilltops tops in the PFC

(photo courtesy The Leader Post)

--From Saskatoonhomepage.ca--

The Saskatoon Hilltops are Prairie Football Conference Champions.

The Toppers defeated the Regina Thunder 32-24 at Gordie Howe Bowl Sunday afternoon. The Toppers forced the Thunder into 5 turnovers, including the opening kick-off but it was the home team that had to come from behind for the win.

After giving up a pair of touchdowns in 57 seconds, the Hilltop offence marched the ball down the field in the fourth quarter scoring on a 12 yard Brendan Gryba run to retake the lead at 29-24 a lead that they would never relinquish.

Saskatoon will now play the Vanvouver Island Raiders in the Canadian Bowl Noveber 13th in Saskatoon.

QF football results

Sacred Heart 33 Maple Creek 14
Foam Lake 21 Delisle 49
Kindersley 14 Humboldt 50
Assiniboia 0 Lumsden 55

The stage is now set for semi-final weekend on Saturday November 6th. Kick-off for each game is scheduled for 1:00pm.

Delisle Rebels @ Sacred Heart Saints
Humboldt Mohawks @ Lumsden Devils

I'll have thoughts on today's games as well as Saturday's match-ups in the water cooler on Monday.

QF Saturday

It's quarter-final action in 9-man football today. Here is a quick peek at today's games.

(5)Sacred Heart @ (7) Maple Creek

The Saints are said to be coming into this match a little shorthanded with some key players at soccer provincials. This could be a nice break for the Redmen but make no mistake the Saints have very capable back-ups.

Kick-off is set for noon and GX94 has the call with Craig Stein. I believe pregame show should start at 11:30 or 11:45am. You can listen to the game online by heading to the GX94 website (link is on the left hand side).

(1) Lumsden vs (8) Assiniboia

The Rockets boasted a strong passing attack during the regular season and it will need to be in top form today. The Devils are hoping to repeat as provincial champs.

Kickoff is set for 1:00PM.

(4) Foam Lake @ (3) Delisle

This should be the game of the week. These two teams have had some good meetings in recent years and this will no doubt be another one. I'm expecting this to be a close one and I'd set the over/under at 45.5 points.

Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00PM.

(6) Kindersley @ (2) Humboldt

A great preview from the Clarion's Josh Lewis is up in SaskGridiron.com and I encourage you to have a read. This will be one fired up Kobras team but the Mohawks are #2 for a reason.

Kickoff is also 1:00PM

For results as they come in check out my twitter feed at twitter.com/darrendupont

Enjoy the football.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Who wins?

68% feel Sacred Heart moves on while..
32% feel the Redmen will win on Saturday.

Again, there isn't a lot of respect being given to the SWAC and I for one am hoping for a very close game. I know Sacred Heart will be short a few key players but they have very capable back-ups and I'm hoping for a very good game.

Forecast is calling for +10 on Saturday with sunshine.

Who wouldn't want to be in Maple Creek?

That's the question I'm asking ahead of this weekend's football action.

This time of year the weather can really become a factor and with all the snow on the ground it can really make playoff football that much more interesting. That is why I typically check the weather forecasts daily and as of this morning the forecasts for Humboldt, Lumsden and Delisle are all the same: Mainly sunny with winds of about 10km/h and temps hovering around zero or just below. The weather for Maple Creek is pretty much the same except for the fact that the temperature should be somewhere around the +10 mark.

So I ask: Who wouldn't want to be in Maple Creek on Saturday?

Provincial QF on GX94

Craig Stein has the call of the provincial quarter-final football game on Saturday between the Maple Creek Redmen and the visiting Sacred Heart Saints. Kick-off is scheduled for noon which will make for a very early morning for the crew from Yorkton.

I'll post details on the broadcast including what time they'll go on the air with the pre-game show and where you can go to listen a little later in the week.

Poll question

I've added a poll question on the left hand side of the blog to attempt to get a feel for who is visiting the site. Please take a second and answer the poll question. I promise they will get more interesting. Thanks.

Who wins?

64 % of you feel that Delisle has the edge over Foam Lake.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this one turns out.

Next vote on SaskGridiron.com:

Who wins: Sacred Heart or Maple Creek? Vote now!

Men's hockey Huskies #6

CIS MEN'S HOCKEY TOP 10 (#2)

Voting is based on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis, with a 1st place vote worth 10 points. The CIS Men's Ice Hockey Top Ten Committee is made up of media members from across Canada.

(regular season record) / votes (first-place votes) / (previous rankings)

1. Alberta (5-1-0) / 166 pts (6) / (1)
2. McGill (6-0-0) / 154 (6) / (2)
3. UNB (3-1-0) / 150 (6) / (3)
4. StFX (4-0-0) / 131 / (4)
5. Saint Mary's (2-1-0) / 98 / (5)
6. Western Ontario (4-0-1) / 78 / (10)
7. Saskatchewan (3-3-0) / 52 / (6)
8. Manitoba (2-1-1) / 44 / (9)
9. Concordia (5-1-0) / 39 / (NR)
10. Calgary (4-2-0) / 28 / (NR)

Other teams receiving votes: Carleton (16), Wilfrid Laurier (13), Lakehead (7), Acadia (6), Moncton (6), Regina (2).

-CIS-

Football Dogs #3

FRC – CIS FOOTBALL TOP 10 (#9)

Pts (1st place) - Last week

1. Laval (8-0) 500 (43) 1
2. Western (7-1) 433 2
3. Saskatchewan (5-2) 370 4
4. Ottawa (7-1) 339 5
5. Calgary (5-2) 320 7
6. Regina (5-2) 237 3
7. McMaster (6-2) 201 8
8. Montreal (5-3) 129 6
9. Saint Mary's (4-3) 87 10
10. Sherbrooke (4-4) 53 NR

Other teams receiving votes: Wilfrid Laurier (31), Bishop's (17), Concordia (5), Acadia (1).

Full story here: http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/fball/2010-11/releases/20101026-top10-9

Here we go

Here's a quick pic I snapped last night from my blackberry storm.

It's the first sign of snow and it started coming down in the bridge city somewhere around 7:30pm last night. The weather network says it should continue for most of today with temperatures hovering around zero. And, get this, we can start talking about wind chills again as today it will feel like -7.

The good news is that the sunshine is said to return tomorrow and it should get up towards ten degrees by the weekend.

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DeLaet secures PGA Tour card for 2011 season

(courtesy TSN.ca)

Weyburn, Saskatchewan's Graham DeLaet has secured his PGA Tour card for the 2011 season.

The 28-year old DeLaet, who currently sits 98th on the Tour's money list with one event remaining on the season, was able to secure his card with an 18th place finish at this past weekend's Justin Timberlake Shriners Open in Las Vegas. He has earned $950,000 this season, placing him as the top Canadian on the Tour in 2010, ahead of both Stephen Ames and Mike Weir. The top 125 players maintain PGA Tour privileges.

DeLaet becomes the first Canadian rookie in over a decade to retain his Tour card. In comparison, Weir finished 133rd in his rookie campaign.

DaLaet had a late season surge in the PGA Tour's Fall Series that included a pair of top 10 finishes. He finished in a tie for fifth at the Viking Classic and a tie for sixth at the Frys.com Open.

His best finish of the season was a tie for third at the Shell Houston Open. It was the best performance by any Canadian on Tour in 2010.

Monday morning water cooler

There are a couple mistakes to admit to this morning but for the most part it will be good news to talk about.

We'll start with good news for the Maple Creek Redmen, Assiniboia Rockets, Foam Lake Panthers, Humboldt Mohawks, Lumsden Devils, Sacred Heart Saints, Kindersley Kobras and Delisle Rebels. It's good news for you because you will be back on the practice field today preparing for your provincial quarterfinal match-up on Saturday.

Not so good news today for the Wynyard Bears, Melfort Comets, Meadow Lake Spartans, Martensville Royals, Fort Qu'Appelle Marauders and Melville Cobras. That's because your season was ended this past Saturday afternoon. Hold your heads high though as you each had tremendous seasons and have a ton to be proud of. Your teams all have bright futures in 9-man football.

The teams that didn't make the playoffs this year took their share of bumps but are mostly young with bright futures.

-----

The question was asked on SaskGridiron.com: which win on Saturday did you think was most surprising?

62% felt that Kindersley's lopsided win over Meadow Lake was most surprising
29% thought Sacred Heart dominating Melville was most surprising
and just 8% felt that it was surprising that Maple Creek knocked off Assiniboia

-----

Some would say that Maple Creek's win over Assiniboia isn't that big of a deal because even though they lost, the Rockets are still heading to provincials.

Well, the win is huge as now the Redmen avoid a match-up with the powerhouse Lumsden Devils who will host the Rockets on Saturday.

-----

I've said it before that Kindersley, in my mind, is the feel good story of these playoffs. The team hasn't made the playoffs in 22 years and now are headed to provincials. The town of Kindersley should be all over the bandwagon.

-----

Calling a pair of Saskatchewan Huskies hockey games this weekend was an absolute treat. I am coming down with a cold and the voice was hurting but I was like a little kid grinning ear to ear all weekend.

Rod Pedersen was right when he said calling games on TV is the bee's knees. There was no lengthy pregame or post game to prepare or interviews to worry about filling. I went on after the anthem, had a break during the intermissions and the post game was very quick with just a couple interviews.

Right now there are only a handful of games scheduled to be webcasted but there is a chance that after Christmas they will have the capability to do all the games. It sounds like next year all games will be done but for now the national champion basketball team takes precedence.

-----

Speaking of the Huskies did you see Steven DaSilva's goal in overtime? What a beauty! As Dave Adolph put it in the post game show that goal was NHL highlight reel material.

-----

MISTAKE ALERT

The first one comes courtesy my great NFL fantasy coaching. My 5-1 team is taking on CJNB/CJNS's Dan O'Connor's 5-1 squad this week.

I have a couple players who are on their buy week and a few injuries so the only real roster decision that I had to make was at running back. Available and playing this week I had the Bengals Cedric Benson KC's Jamaal Charles and Oakland's Darren McFadden.

The reports said McFadden was probable, would definitely dress but likely not see many touches. So I went with the two previously stated and McFadden has a career day and posts 43.6 fantasy points. AND I HAD HIM ON THE BENCH!!!!!

There is more bad news. A couple weeks ago I dropped Lee Evans who decided to score three touchdowns today. ARGH!!!

There is ray of sunlight and that was when I dropped Evans I picked up the Titans Kenny Britt. Britt had himself a career day and scored just over 40 fantasy points for me.

So long story short, I lead Dano heading to MNF and I have Tony Romo still to play and he's done so it looks like I'm moving to 6-1.

-----

The rain appears to be sticking around for a couple days and even some scattered flurries for Tuesday in most parts of the province but in the forecasts that I've seen it's expected to be Sunny and 10 degrees at kick-off on Saturday.

-----

If you don't have your tickets for the 2010 SaskGridiron.com awards banquet what are you waiting for?

The banquet goes Saturday December 4th in Martensville.

Tickets are just $50 each and includes your meal. Voice of the Riders Rod Pedersen will be the MC and guest speaking will be former Rider Matt Dominguez.

For tickets call 306-831-6378 or e-mail SaskGridiron@yahoo.ca

-----

MISTAKE ALERT #2

I made the mistake this week of a premature purchase.

I was in the grocery store picking up some milk and as I walk in I see a great big stack of Chinese mandarin oranges. Of course I bought a box but it was definitely too soon. I love "Christmas Oranges" and can usually go through a box in a matter of a few days but it was just too soon. The oranges aren't the same yet.

Is it because it's too warm outside yet? Either way I can't remember ever making this type of premature purchase before. I'm sure the next box will be spot on.

-----

I was unable to see the Rider game on the weekend and it looks as if I didn't miss much. I'm usually pretty bummed after a Rider loss but this weekend was too good overall and I can't say I'm disappointed that I missed the Rider game or even that they lost. I guess they're still going to the playoffs and that's what matters.

-----

The Kindersley Kobras are the only remaining team that has a 0% chance of playing another home this year.

-----

Is it weird that Huskies mens hockey coach Dave Adolph doesn't wear socks in his dress shoes? Just an observation made walking up the stairs behind him to the broadcast location Saturday night.

-----

I'll be in contact with Access 7 this week setting up our broadcast schedule for provincial football. Early indications are that Access 7 will broadcast one semi-final game plus the provincial final. When details are ironed out I will pass them along.

-----

Ok, that's all for now. Enjoy your Monday.

dd

DaSilva the hero in overtime

University of Saskatchewan Huskie Steven DaSilva scored 2:18 into overtime to give his team a 4-3 victory over the visiting University of Manitoba Bisons Sunday night in Saskatoon's Rutherford Rink.


After the first three periods of back-and-forth play solved nothing, the Bisons and Huskies entered the five-minute four-on-four extra frame. DaSilva's goal came on Manitoba netminder Steve Christie's glove side.

The win moves the No. 6 ranked Huskies to 3-3 on the season, while the No. 9 ranked Manitoba falls to 2-1-1. Since 2005-06, the Huskies are 23-13-1 against the Bisons.

Manitoba's Nolan Waker opened the scoring at 7:13 in the first period when his shot went off Huskie goaltender Ryan Holfeld's skate and into the net. The 1-0 lead lasted six minutes until Huskie Steven Gillen was able to beat Christie five-hole on a rush into the Bisons' zone.

Bison Blair Macaulay snapped the tie at 10:27 in the second period when Tyler Dittmer's rebound landed on his stick. But once again Saskatchewan answered the goal when Brenden Dowd was sent the puck from Jason Wagar and chipped it straight into the net on Christie's glove side at 12:07.

This time it was Saskatchewan's turn to break the tie when Michael Kaye's shot hit the post and fell into the net at 2:30 into the third period. Once again the opposition found a way to tie the game. Waker scored his second of the game at 9:45 beating Holfeld stick side.

Holfeld made 36 saves in the win, while Christie stopped 27 shots at the other end of the ice for Manitoba.

The Huskies will take a week of rest before travelling to meet the University of Calgary Dinos November 5-6. Manitoba will hit the road next weekend to face the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns.
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Huskies game day // high school results

Let's first start with some playoff football results from yesterday afternoon. We've gone from fourteen teams playing yesterday to just eight teams who will hit the gridiron on Saturday.

The seven winners from yesterday:

Humboldt
Foam Lake
Lumsden
Sacred Heart
Maple Creek
Delisle
Kindersley

Assiniboia will be moving on despite the loss as the #2 ranked team coming out of the South West.

So here's what the draw looks like now for Saturday:
Assiniboia @ Lumsden
Kindersley @ Humboldt
Foam Lake @ Delisle
Sacred Heart @ Maple Creek

=====

Moving on, the U of S Huskies men's hockey team will look to rebound tonight against the visiting Manitoba Bisons after last night's 2-0 loss.

It is unlikely that we see Cody Smuk in the line-up for the Huskies tonight. Smuk took a hit coming across the middle in the first period of last night's game from his own teammate. I'm told Smuk dislocated his elbow on the play.

I'll be tweeting throughout the game over at twitter.com/darrendupont so follow along for updates.

Bisons 2 Huskies 0

Two University of Manitoba Bison power play goals proved to be the difference in a 2-0 shutout of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Saturday night in Saskatoon's Rutherford Rink.


Both power play goals came in the third period scored first by Blair Macaulay and then by Jeremy Schappert.

With the win the No. 9 ranked Bisons improve to 2-1 on the season, while the No. 6 ranked Huskies drop to 2-3. Since 2005-06, the Huskies are 22-13-1 against Manitoba.

Bisons' netminder Steve Christie was spectacular in the win making 30 saves in the shutout including 14 in the final frame. Huskie goaltender David Reekie made 21 stops at the other end of the ice.

Macaulay found the net after 42 scoreless minutes. His goal came 28 seconds into a Chris Durand hooking penalty at 2:03 in the third period. Schappert added the Bisons' insurance goal at 8:24 when Matt Swaby was caught for interference.

Manitoba went 2-for-6 with man advantage. The Huskies power play woes continue not capitalizing on the nine chances in the game. Saskatchewan is 5-for-40 when on the power play.

The two teams will battle again Sunday night in Rutherford Rink. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
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Game day Saturday

Football scores should be coming in within the hour and ill tweet them when I know.

Tonight ill be in the broadcast booth for the first time in over a year calling the u of s huskies mens game against Manitoba. Puck drops at 7PM. Check out huskies.usask.ca for the link to the webcast.

Ill be tweeting updates tonight and will tweet the link if it's different. Follow at twitter.com/darrendupont.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Playoff preview: Cobras @ Saints

High school football playoffs begin on Saturday and the final game to begin will be the first one we look at today. The Melville Cobras (4-2) travel to Yorkton to battle the Sacred Heart Saints (5-1) in East Central football action and this one has all the makings to be an instant classic.

These two teams met only once this season and it was way back on September 2nd in week one. The Saints, capitalizing on big plays and strong, timely defense, came out on top 16-9. Much has happened since then but for both teams it was four wins and a lone loss against Lumsden (6-0).

“We won the games we knew we had to,” reflects Saints coach Trent Senger on the team’s best season in recent memory. “The last game of the season we went and we played all our players equally. We kept some of our starters off so the score looked pretty lopsided but I’m okay with that.

“We did what we wanted to do throughout the year. We got the home playoff game, which we’ve never had in Yorkton in, I think, forever so we accomplished what we wanted to before that game (with Lumsden) and then we wanted to play all our players before the push for the playoffs.”

Melville head coach John Svenson is pleasantly surprised with the way the Cobras season has gone.

“(The season has gone) surprisingly well, considering the youth and inexperience we have on our team. We don’t have very many grade twelve (players) so, the core of our team is grade ten’s and eleven’s so I’m really pleased with our four and two record.”

The regular season meeting between the two teams came down to big plays and timely defense.

“It was a defensive game, in all honesty,” notes Senger. “Our defense managed to get one more stop then their defense. We scored on two big plays, one forty-seven yard pass and one fourteen yard end around and really that’s are whole offense in the game. I think we ended up with another twelve yards more than that.

“So really (the story) was (that) Melvile’s defense controlled our offense and on the other side we played defensively very very well which has been kind of our stock this year. We went by the strength of our defense.”

Although it was only week one, the Cobras feel that their season turned around after the opening week loss to the Saints.

“I think that (game) was kind of the turnaround point in our season,” reflects Svenson. “I think once the boys got a little confidence their play improved and I think we showed that (improved play) down the stretch (by) giving Lumsden a pretty good game and (winning) some lopsided games down the road

“We started to click and we worked on our offense and I think it’s coming around. As a coach you hope that all the work you put in all year, all the reps the players take is worth it in the end and they can execute the way we envisioned the offense to run.

“I think we’re going to do some things better (on offense) than we did earlier in the year. I think our blocking has improved because we’ve made it a priority in our practices to work on our plays. We shrunk our playbook down to make it even more simple and I think it will play dividends for us on Saturday.”

A major part of the Cobras defensive game plan will be attempting to eliminate the big play from the Saints offense.

“Our defense played really well against them the first time we played,” noted Svenson. “We gave up one first down in the game and still gave up two touchdowns so it’s the long play that hurt us a couple of times and the turnovers at inopportune times (like) deep in our own end and those types of things are mistakes we have to eliminate.

“As far as our defense goes, our defense is solid. We’re going to have to cover well we know that. We’re also going to have to tackle well because they’ve got a couple hard running backs so those are the things defenses have to do in order to win and I think we’re up to the challenge.

One challenge for the Saints this week will be moving the ball more effectively on offense than the last time these two teams clashed. The addition of speedy grade eleven running back Preston Liebrecht should help in that regard.

The Saints were without Liebrecht for their first three games of the season but he is sure to make an impact on Saturday.

“(With Liebrecht) we’ve added a little more balance to our offense. We’ve got one real fast (running back), two really strong pounders and we’ve added to our passing game so I think we’ve diversified a little bit rather than what we tried to do in Melville.”

The grade 11 Saints running back scorched the Lumsden Devils defense with a 76 yard touchdown on the Saints first play of the game last week and racked up 88 yards on just 4 touches in limited action.

“We have a couple different looks that we haven’t shown them and I know from watching them the last little while that they’re offense has really come around. They’ve really added a lot to the passing game so that’s something that we’re really going to have to be careful for.”

Kick-off is scheduled for 3:00pm in Yorkton. The winner of this game will move on to provincials and play the #1 team in the South West which will be the winner of Assiniboia and Maple Creek.

Creativity at it's best

I love a good touchdown dance or goal celebration and we've all see them at one time or another but this one is great. Take a peak.

Huskies meet Bisons

Hoping to keep ahead of Canada West competition, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies will look for big success against the visiting Manitoba Bisons on the weekend.

The Bisons will hit the ice in Rutherford Rink Saturday and Sunday.

Both teams enter the weekend series with .500 records. The Bisons sit at 1-1 after a Canada West opening split with the University of Regina Cougars – losing 5-2 before thumping the Cougars 7-0 a night later. The No. 6 ranked Huskies enter 2-2 after splitting two straight weekend series with the Cougars. Saskatchewan jumped out offensively last weekend scoring nine goals in the second game of the series.

Since 2005-06, the Huskies are 22-12-1 against the Bisons including a Canada West semifinal loss in 2009-10 in Rutherford Rink.

Nolan Waker and Blair Macaulay have each found the back of the net twice this season for Manitoba. Bisons Mike Hellyer, Jeremy Schappert, Tyler Dittmer, Jared Walker and Troy Crowley also have netted the puck for their team early this season.

Ten different Huskies have scored this season for the Huskies after the nine goals last week against Regina. Andrew Bailey, Brennan Bosch and Jason Wagar have multiple goals in the season.

Steve Christie has played in both games for the Bisons, allowing five goals on 53 shots. Dave Reekie started three for four games for the Huskies allowing three goals on 91 shots.

Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. each night at Rutherford Rink.

Game Notes: It will be a weekend of Huskie hockey at Rutherford Rink. The Huskie women’s hockey team will also face the University of Manitoba Bisons at Rutherford Rink on the weekend. Game times are 4 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday.

Getting right into the game

Some fans like to really get into the game. Most recently Vancouver Canucks forward Rick Rypien got into it with a fan in Minnesota. Rypien has been suspended indefinitely pending a hearing on Friday.

I've pulled a few clips that were posted via Twitter by a couple hockey sources and I'd like to share them this morning. If you've got a few minutes and want to see some player/fan confrontations then here ya go. Jeff Merek is from Hockey Night in Canada and Pierre LeBrun is with ESPN but also appears on HNIC.

@JeffMarek JeRypien engages w/fan tonight. Anyone remember Churla/Ristau? Knee to the groin + brawl in the stands? http://tinyurl.com/38awpjo

The stuff with the fans starts after the 1:30 mark.

How about this next one. I would hate to be the guy getting pounded on in this next one.

@Real_ESPNLeBrun Pierre LeBrun

Of course, nothing beats this one. Rob Ray years ago beating up Nordiques fan in Quebec City, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp7ApYx6Qbc

@JeffMarek Sasha Lakovic (CAL) goes after a fan in Edmonton who dumps beer on assistant coach Guy Lapointe. http://tinyurl.com/36l6fkz

@JeffMarek This one is brutal. 1990 WHL Tri-City American players (including Olaf Kolzig) brawl w/fans in Seattle. http://tinyurl.com/yd83kr9

And then there's this one I stumbled upon.... and I'm a Leafs fan but boy is this funny... the color commentator really makes the clip good too.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

First of all, good morning! Now, time to rant.

Well, first I will show you the clip and then I will rant. Have a look.



Are you kidding me? The hit was vicious, dirty, stupid and a bunch of other words I'd rather not post.

What is going to happen from this? Will there be action taken from within the CIS?

I find a few things wrong with this hit. The hit was late, we all know that. I mean, the kid took 5 steps before laying the smack down. The face that it was late is only a small part of what is wrong with this hit.

Second, it was a blind side hit. Yausie had already shut down, the play was dead and it looks as if he was beginning to adjust his helmet. There is no way he saw it coming. It may not have been from behind or even completely from the side but I still feel it was a blind side hit. The hit came on (from my perspective) what appears to be a 45 degree angle on the shoulder but to me it's a blind side hit because the Rams DB had his attention focused elsewhere.

But the biggest problem with this hit, in my opinion, is the fact that it appears to be helmet on helmet. There is an issue with this type of hit in the NFL right now and something needs to be done. The NFL will fine players for their actions and maybe, if it's bad enough, suspend them.

What can you do to eliminate this type of play at the University level? That is a question that I don't have the answer to and possibly is one without an answer.

My first suggestion would be suspension. You can't fine the player and a 15 yard penalty isn't going to do it. I'd say a 2 game suspension would be warranted. It's crunch time in Canada West and the playoff races are intriguing. Manitoba (1-5) trails UBC (2-4) and Alberta (2-4) who are both tied for the 4th and final playoff spot. Manitoba will play each team once while UBC will face Saskatchewan and Alberta will face Calgary in their other match-ups to wrap up the regular season. A pair of wins by the Bisons should get them into the playoffs. A two game suspension in crunch time would really send a message that this type of hit is not tolerable.

Reports are saying that Yausie suffered a broken jaw on the play.

Huskies open at #6 on CIS hockey rankings

OTTAWA (CIS) – For the ninth time in 13 years, the defending Canada West champion University of Alberta Golden Bears are ranked No. 1 in the first CIS men’s hockey media poll of the season.

The Bears, who dropped a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime decision to the Saint Mary’s Huskies in last spring’s University Cup final, were one of five teams to receive first-places votes (2) from the 18-member national committee in the inaugural Top 10 and earned 159 points to edge the No. 2 McGill Redmen (139 pts / 6 first-place votes), No. 3 UNB Varsity Reds (116 / 7), No. 4 StFX X-Men (107), No. 5 Saint Mary’s (91 / 2), No. 6 Saskatchewan Huskies (59), No. 7 Moncton Aigles Bleus (49 / 1), No. 8 Ryerson Rams (43), No. 9 Manitoba Bisons (41) and No. 10 Western Ontario Mustangs (38).

Since the 1998-99 campaign, Alberta, which holds the all-time record of 13 University Cup titles, has failed to open at No. 1 only four times including in 1999-2000 (No. 3), 2004-05 (No. 2), 2007-08 (No. 4) and last season (No. 2).

The top-ranked Bears kicked off 2010-11 with four wins in five pre-season outings – including a 3-1 record versus CIS opponents – and are off to a 3-1 start in conference play following a pair of victories over provincial rival Calgary and a weekend split against UBC in Vancouver.

No. 2 McGill has also been impressive in the early goings under new head coach Kelly Nobes. The Redmen are 9-0 overall – all against CIS rivals – and 4-0 in OUA play, including a pair of wins over OUA East archrival UQTR.

The No. 3 Varsity Reds, who set a CIS record last year when they won their first 26 regular season duels on their way to a 27-1 mark, dropped their AUS opener 4-2 against UPEI last Friday before rebounding with a 7-1 defeat of St. Thomas.

Fourth-ranked StFX kicked off conference play with a 5-4 win over Acadia on Friday and then ruined Saint Mary’s banner-raising night on Saturday when they doubled the Huskies 4-2.

The Huskies, whose triumph over Alberta last spring marked their first-ever national title, opened the regular season with a 5-0 shutout of Dalhousie before losing to StFX.

The inaugural media poll is also highlighted by the first Top-10 appearance in team history for Ryerson. The Rams had never been ranked in 444 polls from 1979-80 to 2009-10 and had only received votes twice previously - once in 2001-02 (Nov. 5, 2001) and again last season (Feb. 23, 2010).

The 2011 University Cup tournament will be hosted by the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton from March 24 to 27.

CIS MEN’S HOCKEY TOP 10 (#1)

Voting is based on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis, with a 1st place vote worth 10 points. The CIS Men’s Ice Hockey Top Ten Committee is made up of media members from across Canada.

(regular season record) / votes (first-place votes) / (previous rankings)

1. Alberta (3-1-0) / 159 pts (2) / (-)
2. McGill (4-0-0) / 139 (6) / (-) *
3. UNB (1-1-0) / 116 (7) / (-)
4. StFX (2-0-0) / 107 / (-)
5. Saint Mary’s (1-1-0) / 91 (2) / (-)
6. Saskatchewan (2-2-0) / 59 / (-)
7. Moncton (2-0-0) / 49 (1) / (-)
8. Ryerson (4-1-0) / 43 / (-)
9. Manitoba (1-1-0) / 41 / (-)
10. Western Ontario (2-0-1) / 38 / (-)

Other teams receiving votes: Waterloo (37), Wilfrid Laurier (28), Concordia (27), Queen’s (23), Acadia (10), UPEI (5), Regina (5), Lakehead (4), Windsor (3), Calgary (2), UQTR (2), Carleton (1), Guelph (1).

* NOTE: McGill improved to 4-0-0 in conference play on Monday night with a 6-3 win over UQTR but that result was not taken into consideration in this week’s voting; it will affect the Oct. 26 Top 10.

Monday morning water cooler

Playoffs are here! Playoffs are here!

Is anyone as excited as I am that playoffs are here? The season started with 22 teams and just 14 remain as playoffs begin on Saturday. We'll take a small look into the match-ups this morning and go deeper as the week progresses. There is also some other tid-bits of information that I'll get to as we go along.

Now you should know that I'm talking about 9-man high school football before we go any further.

Now, where do I start? I guess I can't go wrong starting with conference 1, the North East. The 1 vs 4 match-up will see the Wynyard Bears travel to Humboldt to play the Mohawks. These two teams didn't meet all that long ago and it was a long day for the Bears as they lost 50-0.

The 2 vs 3 match-up is a little more intriguing. The #2 ranked Foam Lake Panthers will host the #3 Melfort Comets. They only met once this year and it was a close one. Foam Lake won a nail biter 30-28. I'm sure Dave Rogers will have his boys ready to redeem themselves on the weekend.

In conference 2 the #1 Assiniboia Rockets (5-1) will host the #2 Maple Creek Redmen (4-2). The teams only losses came at the hands of each other. The first two wins in the season series went the way of the Rockets but the Redmen kept getting closer each game and finally in the second last week of the season knocked off the Rockets 29-28. You would think that Maple Creek would have momentum and likely come out on top again this week but word is they are a little banged up after that win and right now anything can happen.

Conference 3 should be interesting. The #1 Lumsden Devils have breezed through the regular season undefeated and while the #4 Fort Qu'Appelle Marauders have had a pretty good year they seem to just be over matched in this one. The 2 vs 3 game should be a dandy and one of the better games this week. The #2 Sacred Heart Saints host the #3 Melville Cobras and it's hard to find a consensus among coaches and fans as to who will come out on top. This will be one of the games we really dive into detail with this week.

The other big game this week comes out of conference 4. The #1 Delisle Rebels host the #4 Martensville Royals as the Royals come in on a nasty 3 game slide. Martensville has played Delisle hard though and are right there with them so this could be anyone's game. Look for more detail as the week progresses on this match-up.

The final game has the surprise #3 Kindersley Kobras in the playoffs for the first time in 22 years visiting the #2 Meadow Lake Spartans. The teams split their season series so this should be another dandy.

All games are scheduled for Saturday afternoon with kick-off at 1:00pm.

The poll question on SaskGridiron.com (a bit stale I might add) asks who has been the biggest surprise this season. The results varied but 30% of you felt the winless Unity Warriors were the biggest surprise for the wrong reason. Martensville came in 2nd at 20% but they were 3-1 at the time the question was posted. Melfort, Assiniboia, Kindersley and the 'other' option all came in with between 7%-14% of the votes.

Kindersley would take my vote and they have to be the feel good story of the playoffs wouldn't ya think?

If you are looking to track your team's road to the provincial championship head to www.SaskGridiron.com and check out the provincial tournament bracket posted on the home page.

If you didn't make it out to Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon on Friday night you missed a real treat. The game between the U of S Huskies and the Calgary Dinos was good but the real entertainment came at half time. Wired 96.3's morning team was on hand for Ryder and Brandy's great chase. Take a look at the footage and see for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_XYobW_AHA

I hope she made it out okay. She got rocked!

Here's a few more tid-bits from the week that was:

- A Twitter note from Global Saskatoon's Kevin Jesus: @GlobalJesus So the #cfl wont allow pink gloves or laces but have no problem with #livestrong

bracelets. Double standard?

- Things looked good early for the Sacred Heart Saints as they went 76 yards on the opening play to take a 7-0 lead over the Lumsden Devils last week. The rest of the game wasn't so hot as the Devils went on to win 58-7.

- The Riders had plans of bringing in former Rider and more recently BC Lion WR Derek Armstrong for a look but just as Armstrong got into town a better deal came along from Eric Tillman in Edmonton. The funny thing is that Armstrong was a rider just long enough to get himself into Tuesday's team photo.

- I have followed American Idol in the past and if you liked Lee Dewyze from this past season you should check out his new single titled "Sweet Serendipity." I gave it a listen on You Tube and I can't get it out of my head.

Your credibility can take a hit in an instant when you are given bad information. This happened to me on Friday night at the PAC. I was doing the public address announcing for the Graham Construction Shoot-Out and during the Huskies game against Queens I would update fans on the scores in both the Men's football and hockey games.

Well, I was trying to follow as best I could on Twitter but someone comes along (who will remain unnamed) and gives me the score and I announce it. Later in the game they pass along the score and say it's 73-21 for the Huskies over Calgary in the 4th quarter.

"Are you sure?" I ask.
"Yes, announce it," was the reply.
"You can't be serious?"
"Go ahead, it's the score," they assured me.

So I go ahead and announce the score and get looks of disbelief. I look back to my source and ask again if they are sure and I am given the same answer.

Moments later I am given a chance during a time-out to look at my blackberry and see that the score is actually 34-17. I felt like an idiot. I didn't think it was possible to score 40 points in a matter of minutes but against my better judgment I announced the score anyway.

A quote from the SGA's Brian Lee will stick with me forever: "Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it." That couldn't be more true.

This weekend is going to be a ton of fun and I can't wait. On Saturday and Sunday evening I will be jumping back into the broadcast booth for the first time this winter. I'm pretty excited. I'll be calling a pair of mens Huskie hockey games from Rutherford Rink. Games go Saturday and Sunday at 7pm. I'll be sure to post more info as the week progresses.

This is sure to be a fun week and a busy one and I'll do my best to keep up. Enjoy it.

dd

Follow me on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates at Twitter.com/DarrenDupont

Game day

It's game day folks and I'm being pulled in a thousand different directions but unfortunately I can't be everywhere today.

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The U of S Huskies men's hockey home opener goes tonight at Rutherford Rink. Game time is 7pm. The game was originally scheduled to be webcasted but due to some unforeseen circumstances that has been squashed. I'd like to be there with updates but that won't be the case.

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The Huskie football team is on the field tonight hosting the Calgary Dinos at 7pm at Griffiths Stadium. Darryl Skender has the call on CK750 (link on left hand side) with his pre-game show starting at 6:30pm. aaaaaand I won't be there either.

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I'll be inside the PAC tonight for the Graham Construction Shoot-out doing some public address announcing for the basketball game tonight. With any luck I'll be able to catch the end of the football or hockey games.

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Then there is a slew of 9-man football games throughout the province today. Playoff positioning is on the line today in the final week of the regular season.

Friday, October 15

Conference 1: North East Football League

Wynyard Bears

Foam Lake Panthers

4:00 PM

Melfort Comets

Humboldt Mohawks

4:00 PM

Nipawin Bears

Tisdale Tornadoes

4:00 PM

Conference 2: South West Athletic Conf.

Shaunavon Shadows

Maple Creek Redmen

4:30 PM

Conference 3: East Central Ftball League

Esterhazy Warriors

Fort Qu'Appelle Marauders

4:00 PM

Conference 4: North West Football League

Meadow Lake Spartans

Delisle Rebels

4:00 PM

Unity Warriors

Kindersley Kobras

4:00 PM

Warman Wolverines

Martensville Royals

4:00 PM

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Wherever you are be sure to head out and catch a game today. This beautiful weather won't be around long.

dd

Thursday results

Sacred Heart 7 Lumsden 58

Wednesday's result:

Melville 57 Kamsack 13

Happy thanksgiving

Enjoy the rest of your holiday Monday. Updates in the am.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Game day: Huskies vs Pronghorns

The University of Saskatchewan women's hockey team will host the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns for the second straight game.

Game time tonight is 7:00pm at Rutherford. I'll be providing updates via twitter at twitter.com/darrendupont.

Huskie women open season with a win

The No. 8 ranked University of Saskatchewan Huskie women’s hockey team started the 2010-11 Canada West season on the right note earning a 3-2 victory over the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns Friday night in Saskatoon’s Rutherford Rink.

With the win, the Huskies joined the University of Manitoba Bisons and University of Calgary Dinos as winners on Week 1 of hockey action.

Saskatchewan’s 2009-10 Canada West All-Star Julie Paetsch opened the scoring just 29 seconds into the game beating Lethbridge netminder Crystal Patterson just shortly after the Huskies took possession off the opening faceoff.

Before the period was over, Lethbridge would add two power play scores to take a 2-1 lead heading into the second frame. Amy Van Buskirk scored the ‘Horns first at 14:13 and Shelby Ballendine added the second just over two minutes later at 16:45.

The Huskies answered Lethbridge back in the second period scoring two of their own. Reigning Canada West MVP Breanne George started the scoring for the Huskies in the frame when goal was scored on a rush from the neutral zone. The 2009-10 CIS First Team All-Canadian beat two ‘Horns defenders on the way to net and deked Patterson to score the goal on the right side of the net at 4:30. Danny Stone kept the puck in the ‘Horns zone and slid the puck to Sara White who tipped the goal in the net to regain the 3-2 lead at 10:16.

Although both teams looked for goals in the third, the Huskies came the closes when rookie Chelsey Sundby rang the puck off the top of the goal post.

Huskie netminder McKenzie Rizos made ­­­­22 saves, while Patterson made 29 for Lethbridge.

The two teams will meet again Saturday night in Rutherford Rink. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.

Game Notes: It is the second straight season the Huskies have opened the Canada West year against the Pronghorns… Huskie netminder McKenzie played in her first CIS game in a year after sitting out 365 days due to CIS eligibility rules after transferring from Lethbridge to the UofS for educational reasons…

Game day Friday

It's been a few days since I've posted here and for that I apologize.

Let's start with Thursday's results in 9-man football and it was good.

Melville 67 Swan Valley 13
Sacred Heart 17 Fort Qu'Appelle 7
Martensville 28 Kindersley 30
Delisle 39 Warman 7
Meadow Lake 47 Unity 34

Josh Lewis of the Kindersley Clarion has a good write up on the Kindersley/Martensville game and calls it possibly the most important game in two decades. Check out the post and audio from coach Al Neufeld by clicking here.

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Let's get to today's games. Here's the line-up:

Conference 1: North East Football League

Nipawin Bears

Foam Lake Panthers

4:00 PM

Tisdale Tornadoes

Melfort Comets

4:00 PM

Humboldt Mohawks

Wynyard Bears

4:00 PM

Conference 2: South West Athletic Conf.

Maple Creek Redmen

Assiniboia Rockets

4:30 PM

There are a few questions that I'm asking to myself:

1) Can Assiniboia keep winning close games over Maple Creek? I think the Redmen could pull one off.

2) Can Wynyard take advantage of a Humboldt team that is playing their third game in just over a week? A Bears win would be huge for their provincial chances.

3) Can the Foam Lake Panthers bounce back and show what they're capable of? It's funny to say they need to bounce back from a win (30-28 over Melfort) but a win is crucial this week and they need to be more dominant than that.

4) Finally, the Melfort Comets host Tisdale and look to get back on the winning track. Ok, that's not a question but just had to make a comment on the last game.

Enjoy the day of high school football.

Huskie Football #8

Pts (1st) Last Week
1. Laval (5-0) 500 (43) 1
2. Calgary (4-1) 438 4
3. Western (5-1) 387 5
4. Regina (4-1) 334 6
5. Bishop’s (4-1) 261 8
6. Ottawa (5-1) 210 2
7. Montreal (4-1) 194 3
8. Saskatchewan (3-2) 159 9
9. McMaster (4-2) 157 7
10. Wilfrid Laurier (3-2) 47 NR

Other votes: Sherbrooke (33), Concordia (3), Guelph (2)

South 20 Top 10: Wynyard and Fort Qu'Appelle crack the list

1(1) Lumsden Devils (4-0)
2(2) Humboldt Mohawks (4-0)
3(4) Delisle Rebels (5-0)
4(5) Sacred Heart Saints (4-0)
5(3) Foam Lake Panthers (2-2)
6(6) Martensville Royals (3-2)
7(7) Melville Cobras (2-2)
8(9) Melfort Comets (2-2)
9(NR) Wynyard Bears (3-1)
10(NR) Fort Qu'Appelle Marauders (2-2)

www.south20.ca

A rare off day

A non game day seems rare this week but that's what we have today.

I want to thank Dan O'Connor for having me on the Sports Fix last night on CJNB/CJNS. We talked SaskGridiron.com, 9-man football and the first annual awards banquet. It was my first appearance on the show but hopefully not my last. Its always fun talking sports with Dan.

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The two teams that were expected to win won last night on the gridiron. I thought the Humboldt/Melfort game would be closer than it was but that just shows you how good the Mohawks are. I think they'll give Lumsden a run if the two ever meet.

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I've been in a real bad groove lately staying up late and sleeping in. it's biting me in the behind today as I was up pretty early this morning. Hopefully I can get back on track.

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Game day again tomorrow. Enjoy the day inbetween.

DD
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

News Release:

Saturday, December 4th, 2010

North Ridge Centennial Community Centre

Martensville, SK

SaskGridiron.com is proud to announce that on Saturday, December 4th, 2010, the North Ridge Centennial Community Centre in Martensville, SK will be the venue of the first annual SaskGridiron.com Awards Banquet.

The banquet will be the first of its kind highlighting the talent and accomplishments from the 9-man football season. During the evening awards will be presented to conference all-stars and MOP's as well as provincial MOP's.

Former CFL WR Matt Domingues Voice of the Saskatchewan Roughriders Rod Pedersen.

Speaking at the banquet will be honoured guest Matt Dominguez. The former CFL wide receiver was originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 2002 by the Denver Broncos. In 2003 Matt was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders and gained over 1,000 yards in his first season with the green and white. The Georgetown, Texas product was a member of the 2007 Grey Cup winning Saskatchewan Roughriders team as well.

MC for the evening will be the voice of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Rod Pedersen. Rod is the radio play-by-play voice for the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders on 620 CKRM. Along with his duties at 620 CKRM, Rod also does work with Rogers Sportsnet.

in August, 2009, SaskGridiron.com launched for the first time and instantly took off. Through the first season the website was the leading source for 9-man football scores, schedules and results. Also introduced was the South 20 Top 10 ranking the provinces top teams each week. Continuing and building from the first season, SaskGridiron.com has introduced X's and O's, a video segment teaching key points of the game and helping to educate parents, fans and future players about the game. Also new to the website this year is the tracking of individual player statistics.

Tickets to the banquet are just $50 each or you can purchase a table of 10 for $400. Tickets can be purchased by calling SaskGridiron at 306-831-6378 or by e-mail to SaskGridiron@yahoo.ca. There are limited tickets available and tickets will be sold on a first come first serve basis.

Proceeds from the banquet will help SaskGridiron.com continue to grow and build and provide a solid product for 9-man football in Saskatchewan.

Game day Monday

As you wake up this morning you can be happy to know that the weather network is calling for highs of 23 degrees this afternoon.

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It's a short week for a couple 9-man football teams.

The 3-0 Humboldt Mohawks are in Melfort this afternoon to take on the 2-1 Comets. Humboldt just played on Friday while Melfort was on the field on Thursday. Both teams are back in action again on Friday.

The forecast is calling for 21 degrees at kick-off with wins of 15km/h.

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There is one other game on the schedule and it comes from the SWAC. The unbeaten Assiniboia Rockets are in Shaunavon to take on the winless Shaunavon Shadows.

A scorching 25 degrees is expected for game time with winds of 15km/h.

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The Saskatoon Blades went 2-1 over the weekend. After getting stomped by the Wheat Kings in Brandon on Friday they Blades rebounded with wins over Regina on Saturday and the Wheat Kings on Sunday.

The team is back in action at the Credit Union Centre on Wednesday when they host the Tri-City Americans.

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The U of S Huskies men's hockey team went .500 in the opening weekend of the Canada West season. The Blades will take the thanksgiving weekend off before heading back to Regina for another set the following weekend.

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Big news coming from SaskGridiron.com shortly. I'll post the info here as soon as it's released.

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Guys, if there is anyway to get out of seeing "You Again" take it. Get out at all costs.

On the other hand one you could take your girl to is "Going the Distance." It's pretty funny and she'll like it too.

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As we enter the first full week of October the forecast is still calling for temps in the 20's all week. I'm starting to wonder if this can keep up for a few more weeks. Can we have this type of weather for the provincial final? I hope so.

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The Blackberry Storm is running like a dream. I've updated the software and do a battery pull every morning. It hasn't frozen once and is smoother than ever.

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I got lucky this week in my fantasy football draft. My team put up a measly 54.80 points but was matched-up against a guy who decided to dress guys who were on a buy week. He only scored 46.70 points.

I'm 3-0 and had scored the most points in the league going into this week and was absolutely ripping it up. Things have gone downhill this week.

-Jay Cutler puts up -1.32 points. A freakin minus in one half of football.
-Vick goes down and scores 3.66 fantasy points.
-Andre Johnson doesn't play.
-Darren McFadden goes down.
-Cedric Benson doesn't score any points
-Joseph Addai decides to put up over 20 fantasy points and I sat him on the bench.
-The Pittsburgh defense only put up just over 11 points as oppose to their usual 30ish.

It was a tough week but I'll still be 4-0 and on the only undefeated team left. I'll take it.

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It's going to be a good week. Get outside as often as you can because this weather isn't going to stay for long!

dd

Dinos' 33 Thunderbirds 16

by Ben Matchett, U of Calgary Sports Info

CALGARY – All-Canadian running back Matt Walter scored three of Calgary’s four touchdowns as the fourth-ranked Dinos held off the UBC Thunderbirds by a 33-16 score Saturday afternoon at McMahon Stadium.

T-Birds-Dinos Game Stats

Walter scored on a one-yard pass, a one-yard run, and a 62-yard scamper as the Dinos broke open a two-point game with 15 points in the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter.

UBC actually put up better offensive numbers, with 550 total yards to the Dinos’ 532, but the Thunderbirds were unable to sustain drives and settled for field goal attempts five times. Only two of those were successful for Billy Pavlopoulos, who settled for a trio of singles.

The Dinos (4-1) enjoy the bye next week before an Oct. 15 contest in Saskatoon against the Saskatchewan Huskies. UBC (1-4) hosts Simon Fraser in the annual Shrum Bowl next weekend and returns to Canada West action Oct. 16 when they visit Alberta.

Full coverage at GoDinos.com

Huskies 2 Cougars 0

REGINA, Sask. - The Saskatchewan Huskies spoiled the University of Regina's men's hockey team's Canada West debut at the new Co-Operators Centre, as they defeated the Cougars by a 2-0 score on Friday night.

Craig McCallum and Zach Sim both scored for Saskatchewan, while David Reekie made 34 saves between the pipes for the Huskies to secure the shutout.

McCallum opened up the scoring for the Huskies midway through the first period. The first-year forward was hooked down on the play, but recovered to slide a backhander past Regina goaltender Adam Ward.

The game's only other goal came early in the second. With the Huskies on a 5-on-4 advantage, Sim took a pass from Andrew Bailey and went five-hole, putting the Huskies up by two.

The Huskies ended up 1-for-5 on the power play, while the Cougars were held scoreless on their eight man advantages. Regina outshot Saskatchewan by a 34-25 margin.

The two teams will meet again on Saturday night at the Co-Operators Centre. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.

NOTES: About 600 spectators made their way into the Co-Operators Centre for the contest.

Huskies 64 Bisons 3

With three touchdowns in the first 11 minutes of the game, University of Saskatchewan running back Ben Coakwell led the Huskies to a 64-3 win over the visiting University of Manitoba Bisons in Saskatoon’s Griffiths Stadium in PotashCorp Park.

Coakwell’s touchdowns came at 5:08 into the game from five-yards out, on a 15-yard pass at 7:49 and then again on a five-yard run at 10:59.

The win is the largest over the Manitoba Bisons in history. The Huskies had beat the Bisons’ 43-0 in 1975.

Although Manitoba was able to stop the Huskies on the opening drive of the football game, as soon as the Huskies were able to get the ball back on their second possession they took control of the game and never looked back. After forcing Manitoba on a two-and-out on their first possession, Huskie starting quarterback and reigning CIS football offensive player of the week Laurence Nixon found Jade Etienne on a 16-yard play to set up Coakwell’s first five-yard touchdown.

Once again stopping the Bisons on a two-and-out, Nixon found wide receiver Rory Kohlert on a 23-yard play to set up the Coakwell 15 yard touchdown. On the next drive, Coakwell scored his third touchdown on a six play, 67-yard drive to the end zone.

Manitoba’s best drive in the first half pushed them 32 yards to the Huskies 43 yard line before Bison quarterback Khaleal Williams threw an interception to Nico Higgs.

Huskie place kicker Stephen McDonald chipped in on the scoring hitting five field goals in the game from 12-, 25-, 37-, 32- and 38-yards. Denton Kolodzinski also added a 14-yard field goal for the Huskies.

After a McDonald rouge and two field goals, Nixon found receiver Braeden George on a 12-yard pass at 12:52 in the second quarter to make the game 37-0. On the very next Saskatchewan drive, rookie Jeremy Andrew scored his first CIS touchdown on a seven-yard Nixon pass at 14:53. The drive took nine plays and 85-yards.

In the third quarter, Saskatchewan added a McDonald field goal, a Kolodzinski rouge and an Owen Geier four-yard touchdown. The pass came from rookie quarterback Jahlani Gilbert-Knorren after he led the Huskies on a four play, 47-yard drive with just eight seconds remaining in the frame.

Manitoba was finally able to get on the board in the fourth quarter when Nick Naylor hit a 22-yard field goal at 6:01 to make the game 61-3. Bison running back Matt Henry did the bulk of the work to get Manitoba to the 15-yard line running for 19 yards in the drive. Kolodzinski added his field goal to make the final 64-3.

Nixon finished the game 22-for-30 for 314 yards throwing three touchdowns. Backup quarterback Trent Peterson also played in the game completing 8-of-15 passes for 98 yards. Etienne was once again the top receiver for the Huskies racking up 105 yards on five catches. Kohlert followed with 68 yards on five snares. Coakwell finished with 80 rushing yards on 12 carries and 26 receiving yards on two catches with his three touchdowns.

For the Bisons’ Williams finished completing 10-of-15 passes throwing for 93 yards and one interception. Backup Kevin Hayes finished 3-for-8 with 61 yards. Xavier Johnson caught five passes for 71 yards for the Bisons, while Stu Schollaardt had 58 yards on four catches. Henry finished the game with 57 yards on 17 carries.

Bison John Tietzmann had a game-high 9.5 tackles. Adam Hindley added six and Justin Clayton 5.5 for Manitoba. Higgs finished with six tackles and one interception for the Huskies. Peter Thiel followed with five for Saskatchewan.

Both Manitoba and Saskatchewan enter the Canada West league bye week. The Huskies return to play at home on October 15 against the University of Calgary Dinos, while Manitoba returns home to host the University of Regina Rams. Both games are rematches of Week 1 conference action.

Game Notes: It was the first time the Bisons had played in Griffiths Stadium since 2006… The most points the Huskies have ever scored in a game was in a 1994 70-17 victory over the UBC Thunderbirds…

Game day

It's game day folks on many levels and it's exciting!

Here's the line-up of 9-man games.

Conference 1: North East Football League

Tisdale Tornadoes

Humboldt Mohawks

4:00 PM

Wynyard Bears

Nipawin Bears

4:00 PM

Conference 3: East Central Ftball League

Fort Qu'Appelle Marauders

Swan Valley Tigers

3:30 PM

Kamsack Spartans

Esterhazy Warriors

4:00 PM

Conference 4: North West Football League

Unity Warriors

Warman Wolverines

4:00 PM

Kindersley Kobras

Meadow Lake Spartans

4:00 PM

Martensville Royals

Delisle Rebels

7:00 PM

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The U of S Huskies football team takes to the field tonight when they host the Manitoba Bisons. Darryl Skender has the call on CK750 and www.CK750.com. The Huskies have big things planned for the pre-game so if you're in the bridge city head down and enjoy the festivities.

Here's this week's Canada West football sched:

Football

10.1.10 | 7:00 PM

Manitoba at Saskatchewan

Football

10.2.10 | 1:00 PM

UBC at Calgary

Football

10.2.10 | 7:00 PM

Alberta at Regina

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The Huskie hockey team will open the Canada West season when they hit the ice in Regina against the Cougars. Game time for both football and hockey is 7:00pm.

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The Saskatoon Blades are in Brandon tonight to take on the Wheat Kings. Les Lazaruk has the call on 92.9 The Bull.

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Enjoy game day!