Darren Dupont

Be back soon!

2011-06-02T17:50:00.001-07:00

I apologize for the lack of material here on the blog lately. Truth is I've been pretty busy and just haven't put in the time.

I'm working for the summer with Golf Saskatchewan but will continue to update the site. For now, I'm just taking a break to reassess where the site is going and what you can expect here on the blog. I am also looking at creating some kind of schedule for the podcast but for now it will be pretty sporadic. You can look for a new podcast coming down sometime next week.

Cheers!

dd

Saskatchewan golfer on Golf Channel

2011-05-18T13:56:00.000-07:00

Kent Eger from Regina is a competitor on the Golf Channel's Big Break this season. Click on the following link to see his bio from the show and check your local listings for upcoming shows.

Kent Eger Bio

Thiel signs with Riders

2011-05-17T10:44:00.000-07:00

The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced they have signed non-import linebacker Peter Thiel. The financial details of the signing were not released.

Thiel (6’1 – 220 lbs) has played at the University of Saskatchewan. In 2010, the 22-year-old was outstanding for the Huskies on defence as he tallied 20 solo tackles, 22 shared tackles and one quarterback sack in six games. Last season, Thiel also took part in the East West Bowl and was named a Canada West All-Star.

The Regina native has two seasons of CIS eligibility remaining. He will take part in Rider Rookie Camp which will begin on June 1st at Mosaic Stadium.

The Riders also announced that Saskatoon Hilltop safety Graig Newman (6’1 – 195 lbs) has been invited to take part in this year’s Rider Training Camp. The Saskatoon native is heading into his fourth season with the Hilltops.

Off to the Queen City!

2011-05-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

I've got a bithday party in Regina this weekend so I'm hitting the road.

Ill be back Sunday and heading to Griffiths Stadium for SasKota bowl tryouts.

Enjoy the weekend!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Podcast

2011-05-13T12:15:00.001-07:00

Here is another edition of the podcast.

The show still does not have a name. Feel free to toss your ideas around in the comments section or on Twitter at Twitter.com/darrendupont.

This week on the show: CJVR's Darryl Skender, Huskies' WR Jade Etienne and music from Eldebrock.

Enjoy!

http://www.mediafire.com/?6l94iebd0fmt5de

Broncos get dynamic pair

2011-05-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

(SJHL.ca)

To no one’s surprise , the acquisition of Jeremy Boyer and Justin Buzzeo at the January 10 trade deadline sees a hefty return going back to Humboldt.

The much awaited futures in that deal were released on Monday with the Terriers announcing that Clarke Breitkreuz and Robbie Ciolfi—arguably their top two players in this season’s Credit Union Cup playoffs were off to Humboldt as they begin to prepare a team that they think is good enough to compete for the RBC Cup seeing they will be the host team for the 2012 event.

Terriers GM Don Chesney told GX94’s Craig Stein that it’s a deal he doesn’t regret even though his team fell one game short of an SJHL title.

“I’d make that trade again in a heartbeat,” Chesney told Stein. “Those players were electrifying and got us right to the last game of our league. A bounce here or a bounce there and we could have beaten La Ronge. The task now is to do what we have to do to make Yorkton a team that we can get back to the finals and hopefully win.”

Breitkreuz had 68 points in the regular season and added 22 more in the playoffs while Ciolfi had 52 points with another 24 in the playoffs. Both will be counted on to provide that and more for the Broncos as they look to bring the RBC Cup back to the SJHL next May. The fact that both Breitkreuz and Ciolfi were so close to a league title this year will only make them hungry to taste a title and perhaps much more next year.

Mueller to Eskimos

2011-05-09T18:07:00.000-07:00

(The Canadian Press)

EDMONTON - Accoring to The Canadian Press and CTV News, veteran Regina Rams pivot Marc Mueller has signed on with the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos.

Full story: http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hZpF2Qw57zflKyYxET-2t1pV69Vw?docId=6802819

Podcast

2011-05-08T02:05:00.001-07:00

Over the past little while I have been working on setting up a podcast and today it launches.

The podcast does not have a name yet, but hopefully with your help and a little creativity it won't take too long to name the show. The podcast will be mostly Saskatchewan sports talk with a little something else thrown in now and then.

I hope you enjoy.

In today's podcast I talk to Kevin Jesus of Global Saskatoon and Josh Lewis of the Estevan Mercury.

http://www.mediafire.com/?6u1saxmhzu20uxb

Blades Elliott, Molleken recognized at WHL awards

2011-05-04T20:06:00.000-07:00

Calgary, AB - The Western Hockey League announced the 2010-11 winners of the annual WHL Awards presented Wednesday, May 4^th at the WHL Awards Luncheon held in Calgary, Alberta.

CLICK HERE to watch the full video archive of the 2011 WHL Awards Luncheon

WHL Player of the Year, Four Broncos Memorial Trophy
WINNER
Darcy Kuemper (Saskatoon, SK), Red Deer Rebels

RUNNER-UP
Tyler Johnson (Spokane, WA), Spokane Chiefs

WHL Rookie of the Year, Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy
WINNER
Matt Dumba (Calgary, AB), Red Deer Rebels

RUNNER-UP
Sven Bartschi (Langenthal, SUI), Portland Winterhawks

WHL Goaltender of the Year, Del Wilson Trophy
WINNER
Darcy Kuemper (Saskatoon, SK), Red Deer Rebels

RUNNER-UP
James Reid (Calgary, AB), Spokane Chiefs

WHL Defenceman of the Year, Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy
WINNER
Stefan Elliott (North Vancouver, BC), Saskatoon Blades

RUNNER-UP
Tyson Barrie (Victoria, BC), Kelowna Rockets

WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player, Brad Hornung Trophy
WINNER
Tyler Johnson (Spokane, WA), Spokane Chiefs

RUNNER-UP
Stefan Elliott (North Vancouver, BC), Saskatoon Blades

WHL Scholastic Player of the Year, Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Memorial Trophy
WINNER
Colin Smith (Edmonton, AB), Kamloops Blazers

RUNNER-UP
Adam Lowry (Calgary, AB), Swift Current Broncos

WHL Coach of the Year, Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy
WINNER
Don Nachbaur, Spokane Chiefs

RUNNER-UP
Jesse Wallin, Red Deer Rebels

WHL Executive of the Year, Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy
WINNER
Lorne Molleken, Saskatoon Blades

RUNNER-UP
Mike Johnston, Portland Winterhawks

WHL Humanitarian of the Year, Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy
WINNER
Spencer Edwards (Coquitlam, BC), Moose Jaw Warriors

RUNNER-UP
Jeff Einhorn (Red Deer, AB), Chilliwack Bruins

WHL Marketing / Communications Award
WINNER
Calgary Hitmen, Mike Moore

RUNNER-UP
Tri-City Americans, Brian Sandy

WHL Regular Season Champions, Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy
Saskatoon Blades: GP – 72 W – 56 L – 13 OTL – 1 SL – 2 Pts – 115

WHL Top Scorer – Bob Clarke Trophy
Linden Vey – (Wakaw, SK) Medicine Hat Tigers

GP – 69 G – 46 A – 70 Pts – 116 PIM – 36

Bruins board expects to decide on coach tonight

2011-04-20T12:32:00.001-07:00

Estevan Mercury

If all goes according to plan, one of three men will be chosen as the 26th head coach in Estevan Bruins history tonight.

Executive members indicated that the group was leaning toward one of the three remaining candidates and did not anticipate any hurdles preventing a decision from being made at tonight's meeting.

"I don't see anything that would hold it back," said Bruins president Jeff Pierson on Monday.

While the three finalists have not been revealed, perhaps just as notable are the names not on the shortlist.
Veteran SJHL coaches Darrell Mann, Larry Wintoneak and Ed Zawatsky all applied for the position, but Pierson said the Bruins aren't looking for an old-school taskmaster, a label that can be applied to all three.

"We have to feel comfortable that they have the ability to work with a younger team and not come in and expect to have a ready-built team," said Pierson. "I have a lot of confidence in the team we're going to build next year, but they're going to have some growing pains along the way and they've got to have someone to lead them.

"All three of them represent, by their past, an ability to work with a younger team and build a team through the system," the president added.

"They have to be able to take that younger team and show them the way, and in a year or two, make that younger team an elite hockey team in this league."

Mann was recently relieved of his duties with the Melfort Mustangs after failing to get that team over the hump during the past few years.

Wintoneak's most recent gig was with the Kindersley Klippers, where he was let go in December after the team underachieved in the first half of the season.

Zawatsky had been the long-time bench boss of the Yorkton Terriers before being fired with eight games left in the 2009-10 season, opening the door for Trent Cassan to lead the club to back-to-back Credit Union Cup finals.

Pierson said the three remaining candidates each have "considerable experience" and while their résumes vary, they have all worked with junior players in the past.

The executive is aware of the Bruins' reputation for underachieving in recent years, particularly in 2010-11 when the club was expected to contend, and Pierson said the new man will be tasked with squeezing as much as possible out of a raw squad.

"Knowing that we are going to be a bit younger, we still expect to be a very competitive hockey team and that (will be) his job. Of the candidates we have remaining, I feel that we could pick any of them and be able to move this hockey club in the right direction and that's reassuring.

"We owe it to the community to have an overachieving club, or at the very least to meet expectations."

After the decision is made, the hope is to have the new coach in Estevan by May 1 in order to familiarize him with the team's protected list and get a jump on recruiting.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Really?

2011-03-30T09:32:00.001-07:00

I had an e-mail on my phone when I woke up this morning from Shayne Nieszner (father of former Klipper goalie Ryan Nieszner). It's definitely interesting. Read on.

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The Mount Royal Cougars have been stripped of the provincial championship title and the ACAC has ordered a rematch.
Photo Credit: Courtesy, Global Calgary

CALGARY- A stunning ruling in the world of college sports Tuesday night.

The Mount Royal Cougars will have to battle the SAIT Trojans once again, after being stripped of the provincial hockey title they won just three days ago.

On Sunday, the Cougars defeated the SAIT Trojans to win the provincial hockey championship for the first time in five years.

Now the ACAC has ruled that Mount Royal, in error, used a backup goalie ineligible to play for the championship. The goalie was brought in as a backup for Brett Bothwell, who stepped in after starting goalie Justin Cote was injured Saturday night.

The ACAC has ordered a rematch, which means the Trojans will have another shot at the championship title- and could become the first team to win the provincial hockey championship five times in row.

Meanwhile, head coach Ken Babey says he's "prepared" for the rematch and wouldn't want the team to be handed the title without playing for it. The Acting athletic director for Mount Royal says they are currently looking into their options and are consulting with ACAC officials.

The championship game will be replayed 6 p.m on Saturday at the SAIT Arena.

© Copyright (c) CW Media Inc.

Mann done in Melfort

2011-03-29T21:15:00.000-07:00

The Melfort Mustangs and head coach Darryl Mann are parting ways after the Mustangs were eliminated from the SJHL playoffs by the La Ronge Ice Wolves.

Mann joins Larry Wintoneak in Kindersley and Kerry Biette in Estevan as coaches being fired in the SJHL this year.

No word on possible replacements at this time. In Estevan, I'm told they have a made contact with a few possible candidates but no names have been released at this time.

Josh Lewis of the Kindersley Clarion reports that talks have begun between the Klippers and interm coach Rockie Zinger. Word is the Klippers have some interest in bringing Zinger back and talks have begun.

Monday morning water cooler

2011-03-28T00:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since our last water cooler chat but we're back in full force today and a few things to catch up on.

Let's start by ranting about my March Madness bracket and how it is, of course. broken. I didn't expect much but man it was brutal. I thought I could save it as I still had Ohio State and Kansas meeting in the final but that's not the case. Both teams were eliminated and missed out on the final four.

Better luck next year.

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The Saskatoon Blades are cruising in the first round of the WHL playoffs against the Prince Albert Raiders. The Blades won game one 8-1 and game two 5-2 to jump out to a 2-0 series lead. The Bridge City Bunch will be in PA for games three and four mid-week.

On 620 CKRM I picked the Brandon Wheat Kings as my sleeper pick out of the East and they got their split in Medicine Hat and head home with the series 1-1.

In the West I picked Portland to come out and Vancouver as my sleeper. The WinterHawks lead their series 2-0 while the Giants are in a 2-0 hole.

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It's hard to digest the way the Kindersley Klippers were bounced from the SJHL playoffs. This is a team that had high expectations and were one of the best in the SJHL down the stretch and through round one of the playoffs but ran into a Yorkton Terriers team that just ran roughshod en route to a four game sweep.

Now, the Terriers are a great team and heading into the playoffs were heavily considered to be the favorite to come out of the entire SJHL but this series surely was expected to be a battle.

The Terriers won in four straight games by scores of 7-2, 7-0, 7-0 and 3-2.

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One more note in the WHL. The Red Deer Rebels announced their intention to bid for the 2013 Memorial Cup. Will the Saskatoon Blades tender a bid? Or perhaps another Saskatchewan based team?

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This weekend the top graduating high school football players will put their skills on display as camps open for the 2011 Ed Henick Senior Bowl. Saturday, April 2nd, players trying out for Team North will take part in the first camp in Saskatoon while players in the South will head to Regina for their first camp.

The 2011 edition of the game will take place at Mosaic Stadium in Regina on the Monday of the long weekend in May. Stay tuned to SaskGridiron.com for coverage of the Senior Bowl from the 9-man perspective.

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Speaking of SaskGridiron, there are some MAJOR plans in the works that you should be really excited about. I can't divulge any details yet but as soon as it's official I'll pass along the info. It's going to be great news for the site and for high school football in the province.

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Congrats to UNB on winning the Cavendish Cup as CIS men's hockey champions beating McGill 4-0. It was a tough tournament for the Canada West representatives as Alberta and Calgary each went winless.

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SJHL president Laury Ryan announced his resignation this past week. The search for a new president has begun and applications are being accepted at the league office. Check out www.sjhl.ca for more continuing updates and how to submit an application.

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I really like the 1-up/1-down system used by Les Lazaruk and Cody Nickolet for the WHL playoff broadcasts on 92.9 The Bull. It's working well, keep up the good work guys!

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It appears as though the clock has struck midnight for my Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs continue to play good hockey but Buffalo is on fire and all but squashed any hopes that the Leafs had of making the playoffs.

Good news, if there is any, is that the Leafs have showed a lot of promise as a young team and only good things can come from this.

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Finally saw True Grit this past week and, although it didn't quite live up to the expectations that I had for it, I liked it and give it one and a half thumbs up.

I still want to see Sanctum and 127 hours, both playing at the Rainbow this week.

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Ok, that's all for today. I have a pretty busy week planned. SJHL final begins this week in La Ronge and WHL playoffs shift to PA. Enjoy the week!

SJHL President steps down

2011-03-25T15:12:00.001-07:00

www.sjhl.ca

PRESIDENT RYAN RESIGNS HIS POST

After serving for eight years, SJHL President Laury Ryan is announcing he is stepping down at the end of this current term. In making this announcement, President Ryan wishes to acknowledge the many people in the present and in the past, involved with the member teams and their contributions to the league.

During Ryan’s term, the SJHL has prospered and is considered by many as one the top junior “A” hockey leagues in Canada. The league has seen many developments including the creation of the World Junior “A” challenge which allowed junior “A” players and coaches to represent Canada for the first time in history. The establishment of the SJHL Hall of Fame that in 2011 will see its third induction ceremony as the league recognizes its past heroes. The Saskatchewan Development Model, which coordinates elite hockey in Saskatchewan and the Junior A Supplement, that is a partnership with Hockey Canada and four other Junior A leagues are considered key achievements. The SJHL has had a successful run with league teams participating in six RBC championships finals collecting three national championships. The SJHL also became the first Junior “A” league in Canada to have live games broadcast across the province including the Credit Union Cup Championship series on cable television.

“It has been an honour to represent the league on behalf of so many great individuals who work tirelessly in their respective communities to make their franchises viable and successful. Any and all the good things that were achieved are a testament to their efforts” stated Ryan, “It has been an honour to serve as President of the SJHL”

On behalf of the SJHL board of Governors I would like to thank Laury for his many years of service and numerous innovations and contributions to the league and wish him the best in his future endeavors.” SJHL board of governors chair Rick Shultz said. “The SJHL management committee will be advertising and accepting applications for the position of SJHL president.”

**An audio interview with Laury Ryan done with SJHL Communications Director Mitchell Blair can be found on the league website at www.sjhl.ca. Any media outlet using clips or quotes from this interview is please asked to give sjhl.ca credit.

Globe and Mail article feat. Dave Adolph

2011-03-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

Here's the article from Tuesday's Globe and Mail on concussions in hockey and featuring Huskies' head coach Dave Adolph. Great read.

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Dave Adolph was there the night his son Max was obliterated.

It happened in Portland, Ore., where Max’s Kelowna Rockets were playing the Winterhawks in a Western Hockey League game late last October. Adolph had the puck down low and was trying to protect it when all of a sudden he was rocked high and hard by an opposing player.

At that moment, both father and son were changed. Max Adolph has struggled with post-concussion syndrome all season, and Dave Adolph, a hockey coach by profession, has wrestled with his emotions while trying to help his son.

“It’s terrible,” Dave Adolph said. “He feels useless, worthless. As a parent, you offer support, but it’s frustrating because that’s all you can do. I don’t know how to comfort him.”

For two decades, Adolph has coached the University of Saskatchewan men’shockey team. Before that, he played for the Huskies and captained their 1983 national championship-winning team. He knows the game, studies it and has followed the recent rash of head injuries, not just because they’re in the news, but because it’s hit home.

His 18-year-old son Max has played just over 30 games this WHL season. The league’s weekly reports show he was out with a head injury on Nov. 2, 2010. He returned to action Dec. 7 but was out again with a head injury on Jan. 11, 2011. He returned Feb. 8, then was sidelined yet again, this time for good, on Feb. 22.

Overall this season, WHL players suffered more concussions and head injuries than their celebrated counterparts in the National Hockey League. By the NHL’s own tally, there have been 80 incidents of players hurt by a shot to the head. According to the WHL’s updates for its 22 teams, there were at least 97 cases of concussions and head-related injuries.

WHL commissioner Ron Robison acknowledged that count, tabulated by the Kamloops Daily News, and agreed: “The number of concussions has risen at an alarming rate.”

Why, though, is the crux of the matter.

Robison sees it as many hockey people do: a batch of ingredients creating a dangerous mix; bigger, stronger players moving on an ice surface that hasn’t gotten any larger. Add to that the clampdown on hooking and holding that has allowed for more speed and more hits. Add, too, a generation of young players cursed by the advent of lighter yet more dangerous equipment. They feel invincible until that same piece of equipment on an opposing player hammers them into submission.

“More than half of the concussions occur next to the glass,” Robison said. “When we discuss it with the coaches and managers, it’s largely players who are positioned along the boards. Maybe we have to look at charging and the way the rules are called.”

The father believes his son’s recurring problems are related to the hit he took in Portland.

“He was in the corner, doing what he does, trying to cycle the puck,” Adolph recalled. “He exposed his head and he got ripped. [This past Saturday] he felt nauseous. He told the Kelowna trainer and that put him on another seven-day rest period. He’s worried if the coach thinks he’s not tough enough. That’s what kids do. As a parent, I’m thankful he’s not playing.”

Adolph’s twin vantage points as a father and coach have altered his way of thinking. He admitted his son’s plight affected the way he acted this past Canadian Interuniversity Sport season. For starters, he paid more attention to what the trainer was saying about the Huskies’ injured players. He also found himself “reaching out to those kids, 24/7. Those were things I never thought of before.”

Adolph has done his share of thinking over what’s happening in hockey. He wonders why modifications haven’t been made to deaden the dangerously hard-shell elbow pads and shoulder pads, something that’s been talked about for close to 10 years. He wonders why so many young hockey players go into the corners with their arms down, their heads exposed, face-first to the glass.

He wonders, too, why every hit now has to be so punishing, as if the intent is to hurt the opponent, especially if he’s in a vulnerable position.

“There’s no more angling [off a puck carrier], especially in junior hockey,” Adolph said. “They’re trying to put someone out of the game. Before, kids would get their sticks up [as protection] and you’d see more high-sticking penalties. Now you see them get crushed and their heads ricochet off the glass.”

Max Adolph recently returned home to Saskatoon to spend time with his parents. They wanted to see how he was doing, how he responded to their prompts. It was a chance for the hockey-coach dad to talk to his son and say the only thing he could.

“I saw him the time he was hit in Portland, that was not good. But at home, he was bright and positive. I wanted to reassure him there’s more to life and that he’ll find something he enjoys doing [beyond hockey]. We wanted to make sure he knows that.”

CHL top 10: Blades 2nd in final ranking

2011-03-24T11:08:00.001-07:00

Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League today announced the final BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings for week 27 of the 2010-11 season. The weekly rankings of the Canadian Hockey League’s Top 10 teams are selected by a panel of National Hockey League scouts.

BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings – Week 26

1 Saint John Sea Dogs (58-7-1-2)
2 Saskatoon Blades (56-13-1-2)
3 Miss. St. Michael's Majors (53-13-0-2)
4 Montreal Juniors (46-12-5-5)
5 Red Deer Rebels (48-16-4-4)
6 Quebec Remparts (48-16-1-3)
7 Portland Winterhawks (50-19-0-3)
8 Owen Sound Attack (46-17-1-4)
9 Niagara IceDogs (45-17-2-4)
10 Drummondville Voltigeurs (45-15-5-3)

Honourable Mention:
Ottawa 67's (44-19-3-2)
Spokane Chiefs (48-18-4-2)
Medicine Hat Tigers (46-18-4-4)

Monday morning water cooler

2011-03-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

The cooler has been postponed until Tuesday morning. Sorry for the inconvenience but just too busy today.

Huskies fall short

2011-03-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

WINDSOR, Ont. - Jessica Clemencon led the Lancers with 18 points Sunday as top-ranked Windsor defeated the No. 2 Saskatchewan Huskies 63-49 to win the Canadian university women's basketball championship.

With the victory, the Lancers became the first host team to capture the Bronze Bay Trophy in the championship's 40-year history.

"I'm so glad we won this first national title in front of our fans," Windsor coach Chantal Vallee said. "Their support is phenomenal. We'll cherish this win in our own building forever."

Clemencon, the CIS player of the year, was named the game's MVP. The native of St. Rambert, France, won CIS rookie of the year honours last season.

Windsor native Bojana Kovacevic was a catalyst for the Lancers, scoring 14 points and knocking down half of her three-point shots.

"I had the confidence in myself, in my ability, to make the big shots right from the start of the game today," said Kovacevic. "We play as a team and everyone knows their role and we all were able to get the job done today."

Second-year guard Miah Langlois was named tournament MVP for the Lancers.

"We have a lot of great players and everyone contributes, maybe this was my time," she said. "If we were to play next week, it would be someone else winning that award."

Langlois was thrilled that Vallee kept a promise she made during recruiting.

"She told me that the program was going to win a national championship before too long," Langlois said. "I just didn't think we were going to be able to get it done so quickly."

The three-time OUA champs from Windsor went on a 23-9 run to overcome a 16-11 deficit early in the second quarter and led 34-25 at the half.

It was Windsor's roster depth that propelled the Lancers to the national title. In addition to Clemencon, Kovacevic and Langlois, Korissa Williams reached double figures in points, with 10.
The Lancers kept Saskatchewan on their heels defensively for much of the game.

Jill Humbert lead the Huskies with 15 points, while Katie Miyazaki and Kim Tulloch chipped in with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Windsor shot just under 43 per cent in the paint, compared to Saskatchewan's 30 per cent. The Lancers knocked down 40 per cent of their three-point attempts. The Huskies managed just over 11 per cent of their shots from beyond the arc.

Langlois and Kovacevic were both named to the tournament all-star team, along with Miyazaki, Saskatchewan teammate Jana Spindler and Cape Breton's Kari Everett. Ashley Stephen of St.

Francis Xavier won the R.H. Pugh Fair Play Award.

Earlier Sunday, Cape Breton parlayed a 12-2 run early in the fourth quarter to defeat the St. Francis Xavier 67-53 in the bronze-medal game.

(1) Windsor vs (2) Saskatchewan on TSN

2011-03-20T12:51:00.000-07:00

The Huskies are in the CIS gold medal game in Windsor against the hosts and you can watch live on TSN starting at 2:30pm (SK time). This is the first time that SK has played in the gold medal game and regardless of the result this will be the best finish in team history.

Huskies advance in Windsor

2011-03-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

Quarter-final: Saskatchewan 58 Laurier 51
(Saskatchewan advances to semifinals)

WINDSOR, Ont. (CIS) – The second-seeded Saskatchewan Huskies got all they could handle from the No. 7 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in the second quarter-final matchup of the CIS women’s basketball Final 8 but still managed a 58-51 win on Friday at the University of Windsor’s St. Denis Centre.

Championship website

With the victory, Canada West champion Saskatchewan extended its overall winning streak to 28 games dating back to a 72-65 conference loss to Victoria on Oct. 30.

The Huskies, who reached the CIS podium for the first time in program history a year ago in Hamilton with a third-place finish, hope to keep the Bronze Baby Trophy out West for the 20th consecutive season. They are the only Canada West representatives in Windsor.

Saskatchewan will face sixth-ranked St. Francis Xavier in Saturday’s early semifinal at 6:00 p.m. EDT (6:00 p.m. MDT).

The Huskies opened the game with an 11-0 run and were leading 23-12 after the first quarter, 39-27 at the half and 47-40 after 30 minutes but the Hawks hung in there and cut the deficit to two points (51-49) with 2:40 remaining in the contest thanks to a bucket by freshman Felicia Mazerolle.

“It was a tough game. We knew Laurier had a very good team and were confident coming off their big win over Regina in the Regionals,” said Saskatchewan sideline boss Lisa Thomaidis, who was named CIS coach of the year prior to the tournament. “It was a battle total. I thought we didn’t play our best basketball but we’re off to the semis.”

A foursome of fifth-year seniors paced the winners. Forward Marci Kiselyk of Athabasca, Alta., led the way with 15 points, while player of the game Jill Humbert of Saskatoon had 13. Humbert played a well-rounded game adding seven assists, three blocks and two steals.

Canada West MVP Kim Tulloch of Regina, with 12, and Jana Spindler of Port Williams, N.S., with 10, also scored in double figures for Saskatchewan.

huskies.usask.ca

Thursday jot notes

2011-03-17T02:09:00.001-07:00

It's 3:00am and I come to you in the middle of an all-night study session to check in.

Let's take a quick peak into our favorite teams and what they're up to this time of year. We'll quickly look into the SJHL, WHL, CIS and I've filled out my NCAA brackets.

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The Saskatoon Blades won a thriller infront of nearly 9,000 fans Wednesday night at the Credit Union Centre. Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant was in attendance and witnessed a shootout victory for the Blades over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors.

The game meant nothing for the standings but boy was it good. The Blades will finish first in the conference and likely meet the Prince Albert Raiders in the first round of the playoffs.

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The final four remaining teams in the SJHL are preparing for conference finals which begin this weekend in both La Ronge and Yorkton. The Ice Wolves host the Melfort Mustangs while the Terriers host the Kindersley Klippers. Games one and two in each series will go Friday and Saturday nights.

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The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women's basketball team is in Windsor gering up for a run at a national championship. They'll open the tournament on Friday against the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks. With a 32-3 record, the Huskies enter the CIS final 8 championships ranked second in the country.

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Ok, so I filled out two brackets ahead of March Madness. The first bracket I filled out as soon as the seedings were released. It was based purely on gut feeling and nothing else. In that bracket I have Ohio St, Duke, Louisville and Kansas St. in the final four.

In bracket number two, I didn't take to many chances and have all four number one seeds - Duke, Ohio St., Kansas and Pittsburgh - making the final four.

I have seven first round upsets in my first bracket and eight in my second bracket. We'll see where the chips fall soon enough.

*** I should probably note that I always tank my NCAA bracket and this year I am not in any pool or playing for any money. Probably a smart idea.

Monday morning water cooler

2011-03-12T23:25:00.000-08:00

We've got some ranting, some questions, and some observations this morning as we start another week so let's get right to it.

We'll start by checking in with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and this past weekend's CIS National Championship tournament.

The Huskies knocked off Dalhousie and moved onto face the Carleton Ravens in the semi-final. This was a re-match of last year's semi-final in which the Huskies won enroute to their first National Championship in team history.

This year's semi-final was slightly different as th

e Ravens came out on top ending the Huskies bid to repeat as champs.

I hate to be this guy but I have to agree with several people who felt the Huskies were given the short end of the stick on several calls in that game. I'm not one to complain about officiating but on more than one occasion there were some obvious blown calls.

Former Huskies' quarterback Laurence Nixon was very heated as one can tell from some of his messages posted on Twitter during the game. Here

are some examples:

This is a complete joke, #cis you're a joke, these refs are completely one sided, if you wanted Carleton to win another title, congrats

GET OFF YOUR KNEES REFS!! #CIS THIS IS A JOKE!!!! CALL IT BOTH WAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #BS #BSREFS #IHATECISREFS #HATE

THIS IS THE BIGGEST LOAD OF BS I HAVE EVER WHITNESSED!!#CIS IF YOU WANT TO CROWN CARLETON, CROWN EM!! THESE REFS ARE G

ABAGE #fixed #final8

There are more and from other people but you get the drift. If you watched the game you'll know how bad it was and what we're talking about. That said, the Ravens are a good team and played some good basketball. At times it seemed as though they couldn't miss and they're offensive rebounding was very good.

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Here's congratulations to TWU for their efforts

in picking up a CIS silver medal.

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Moving onto the upcoming women's basketball championships and for some reason the U of S Huskies will enter as the #2 seed even though they are the #1 team in Canada. Do you understand?

We'll do our best to follow the women as they look

for their first gold medal in team history.

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Here's a tweet posted by PGA tour player Graham Delaet of Weyburn:

Wake up this morning to a busted out window I'm my car and a missing ipod. This isn't supposed to happen in scottsdale.

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This Tweet caught my attention from Team Canada goaltender Sami Jo Small:

SamiJoSmall Sami Jo Small

Glad to hear Billy and the men's sledge team is ok over in Japan. 2-1 win over USA with an 'earthquake' timeout during the game!

Have you ever heard of that happening before?

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Are you tired of Charlie Sheen? I know many who are sick of hearing about him and plenty who can't get enough. I fall somewhere in the middle. Ya, I don't really need to hear anymore about his tailspin but I still love tuning into re-runs of Two and a Half Men.

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The news of former Rider Kitwana Jones signing in Montreal came quietly last week. Speaking of the Als, do you think Porter and Green will be effective in the CFL? My guess is no but Jim Popp continues to keep the Als at the top of the league and it's hard to question his decision making.

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We're full of Tweets today and here's another:

jenniferhedger Jennifer Hedger

Did Matt Schneider really just suggest they bring back clutching and grabbing to slow the game back down and therefore prevent head shots?

Agree with him?

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Have you heard anything about Google's new social network Circles? I heard it was set to launch any day or maybe has already. Some think it will rival Facebook. Hard to imagine anything doing that right now.

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The SJHL playoffs are rolling along and now it's down to four. The top two teams in each conference have advanced and now Melfort will play La Ronge while Yorkton will battle Kindersley to see who moves onto the league championship. Both those series should begin on Friday.

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The Saskatoon Blades clinched first place this past week and are rolling right along heading into playoffs.

Sticking with the WHL for a moment and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has had a great week as he passed the 100 point mark on the season.

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Congratulations to the Alberta Golden Bears on sweeping the Calgary Dinos in Canada West men's hockey final. Both the Dinos and Bears will now prepare to head to Fredericton for the University Cup next week.

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Congratulations to my sister and the Saskatoon Blues ringette team on capturing the gold medal at provincials in Regina over the weekend.

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Did you fill out your March Madness bracket yet? I'm working on mine today. Check out twitter to see who I pick to win it all.

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Checked out the movie Hall Pass with Owen Wilson last week at the Galaxy. I give it two thumbs waaay up. It had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion. Delisle Rebels head coach Ken Buyers was spotted in theatre checking it out and he gives it rave reviews as well.

We try to head to a movie at least once a week and we've been doing a good job of going each and every week. Any suggestions on what to see this week? I still want to see Sanctum.

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I'm not going to touch on Japan too much because you must have been under a rock to miss any of it. Turn to CNN for ten minutes to get caught up or simply watch all the amazing footage on YouTube.

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One last question before I go. How often do you get your hair cut?

I struggle with the frequency of getting a trim. Typically I wait until it's way too long and keep putting it off. What is appropriate? Once every two weeks? Three weeks? A month? More?

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Ok, that's all for this morning. Enjoy the sun as much as you can this week!

Sick of winter yet?

2011-03-11T11:24:00.000-08:00

Ross, Bailey recognized by Canada West

2011-03-10T13:30:00.000-08:00

Canada West announced its year end award winners and all-star selections earlier today and Huskies' forwards Kyle Ross and Andrew Bailey were named second team all-stars.

This is Ross' second all-star selection as he was named second team all-star in 2009.

Alberta's Derek Ryan was named Canada West MVP as well as the conference's scoring champion.

The release including all individual winners can be found HERE.

Wees gets 2 games

2011-03-08T02:37:00.000-08:00

The league has handed Weyburn Red Wing's forward TJ Wees a 2 game suspension for his check from behind at the end of Saturday night's game in Kindersley. The suspension was announced late Monday night on the SJHL website.

March 7- SJHL suspends Weyburn Red Wing TJ Wees two games after he received a major penalty for an incident that caused an injury during a game against the Kindersley Klippers March 6.

Monday morning water cooler

2011-03-07T04:41:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Today's column is going to be a little different than in the past but just for this week. I'm going to start with a couple items and I'm going to keep adding to it as the morning progresses. I was up most of the night so I need some rest in between and it should help to break up the morning.

What did you get up to on the weekend? Among other things I took in game two of the SJHL's Sherwood Conference semi-final series between the Weyburn Red Wings and the Kindersley Klippers at the Hanger in Kindersley on Saturday night.

If you haven't heard by now, the game turned ugly late in the third period. With Kindersley up 9-2 and a delayed penalty coming up to the Wings, TJ Wees hit Klipper forward Jesse Mysiorek hard into the boards from behind. Needless to say the kid didn't look to good trying to make his way back to the bench. Wees received 5 minutes for charging and a game misconduct. At this point no word on a suspension from the league but I would hope/expect 2 or 3 games would be fair.

Immediately following the ensuing whistle, the two teams exchanged in some stick swinging at the players benches. It was fairly ugly but luckily nobody was seriously hurt from it anyway.

Weyburn head coach Dwight McMillan had an altercation with a Kindersley fan as he was making his way off of the bench and, yes, as per the rumors the police were involved but McMillan was not arrested as far as I know. Here is what we know from the league as of Sunday night:

March 6-SJHL suspends Weyburn Red Wing Lucas Ulmer and Kindersley Klipper Riley Down two games each after each were given a gross misconduct during a game in Kindersley March 5.

Those were automatic and are associated with the gross misconducts. We will likely see much stiffer penalties come down sometime today after the league reviews the game film (which I should add will be very telling). We'll see exactly how shorthanded both teams will be as the series shifts back to Weyburn for games three and four.

CKRM's Rod Pedersen has said this topic will be discussed this afternoon on the Sports Cage on CKRM. Check CKRM.com for times and tune in to likely hear some league reaction and more on what transpired.

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Here's a snapshot from Global Saskatoon's Kevin Jesus of the PAC prior to tip-off at the Canada West women's basketball championship Saturday. Kevin posted this picture to Twitter and I have to say that it's great to see the place packed. I think it should be packed every weekend with the basketball programs at the top of the country.

Congratulations to the women on winning the CW championship beating the Regina Cougars. The girls will be looking to improve on last year's bronze medal performance when they head to nationals.

The men will also be heading to nationals looking to defend their championship. This time, however, they will not be going in as Canada West champs after losing to UBC in the gold medal match. On the bright side they can soon forget about that loss if they win another national championship.

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The Huskies men's hockey team returned hom in the early morning hours from Calgary after their 4-1 loss in game three of their CW semi-final series. The Huskies had hopes of heading to nationals but fell just short. The story is in the post below. Don't worry, they're set up to be real good for the next few years.

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Congrats are also in order for Huskies' football players Jade Etienne, Braeden George, and Peter Thiel for their job in this past weekend's CFL Evaluation camp held in Toronto. Their testing results are two posts below.

Here's hoping each improved their draft stock ahead of the May 8th Canadian draft.

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Missed out on going to the movie 'Hall Pass' with Owen Wilson this past week. I'm hoping to hit it up on Tuesday. Is it any good?

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Thinking out loud: Has anybody else been putting in the office/living room/basement? Just me?

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Stay tuned there's more to come!

Huskies' season ends in Calgary

2011-03-06T23:55:00.000-08:00

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies saw their season come to an end Sunday night after a 4-1 loss to the Calgary Dinos in the third and deciding game of their Canada West semi-final playoff series.

For the second straight season the Huskies exit the Canada West playoffs in the semi-final. A year ago it was the Manitoba Bisons knocking off the hockey Dogs in three games and this year it's the Dinos.

The Huskies' season was up and down. The team got off to a so-so start taking an 8-6 record into the break but were hot out of the gate in 2011 going 8-1 in their first nine games to start the new year. New Christmas additions Matt Delahey and Derek Hulak appeared to fit into the line-up perfectly and the team was cruising. Their hot play had many in the conference picking the Huskies as the team to beat down the stretch.

The Huskies' five game winning streak was met by disaster. The team suffered three straight losses and only one win in their last five games heading into the post season as they fell from second to third in the Canada West standing losing home ice advantage in the process.

Although the Huskies won three of four meetings with Calgary during the regular season it was the Dinos who took two of three when it mattered most.

"In Canada West, when you only get a three game series, you don't have a lot of time to recover from things," commented Huskies' second year forward Brennan Bosch. "That first game I thought we played a real strong second period and were all over them and kind of took the game away and then we just had a little let down for maybe a couple of minutes and they kind of buried us. If we could have hung on and (won) that (first game) I think that would have been a big turning point in the series and in a quick series those things are really important."

Calgary took game one of the series on Mar. 4 by a score of 4-2 scoring three goals in 1:29 midway through the third period to take a quick 1-0 series lead. The Huskies would bounce back with a 3-2 win in game two on Mar. 5 before dropping the third and deciding game a night later to end their season.

The Huskies boast a strong group of returning players heading into next season including the teams top five leading scorers from this season. The team's top line should remain intact with Steven DaSilva, Kyle Bortis and captain Kyle Ross all eligible to return to the team in the fall.

Saying goodbye will be fifth year forward Jason Wagar. While Wagar is the Huskies' only fifth year player, it is expected that both forward Steven Gillen and defenceman Matt Swaby won't be back next year either as the two are set to graduate from the U of S this spring. Swaby and Gillen aside, only Ross and defenceman Jesse Zetariuk will be in their final year of eligibility next season giving the Huskies a very bright future looking forward.

"We've had a lot of the same guys for the last two years," noted Bosch, "and we've had pretty disappointing ends (to our season) the last two years where we felt we had teams that definitely could do some damage and we just haven't got it done so we just have to realize that it takes a lot and it's pretty tough to win in the playoffs.

"I think it starts in the regular season. You can't let games slip and you have to situate yourself in the best spot possible."

Head coach Dave Adolph has positioned this team to contend for the next several years and with the University of Saskatchewan hosting the University Cup in 2013 and 2014 this team has the talent to make a serious run at a championship the next three seasons and beyond.

A total of 15 players from this year's roster will still be eligible to return when the Huskies' host the second of two University Cups in 2014 including both goaltenders David Reekie and Ryan Holfeld.

For the present day Huskies it will be a summer wondering what could have been but also one of optimism thinking about what this team could accomplish 2011-2012 with such a large core of the team returning in the fall.

"It's pretty tough to pin point (what went wrong). You knew the guys wanted it this year after the way it ended last year but we've got to find an extra little effort or (some) timely goals to get us past this point that we're struggling with right now."

Huskies' results from CFL E-camp

2011-03-06T21:23:00.000-08:00

Three University of Saskatchewan Huskies took part in the CFL Evaluation Camp over the weekend in Toronto. Receiver Jade Etienne and Braeden George, and linebacker Peter Thiel were among 53 football players who took part in the three day camp.

A player's draft stock and either rise or fall at the E-camp and Friday's interview portion and Sunday's on-field play can sometimes be the biggest indication of a player's true ability but the scouts can't ignore Saturday's testing results either. So, today we recap how the three Huskies faired in their individual tests.

Jade Etienne - Receiver (rank among position in brackets)

Bench press - 8 reps (8th)

40 yard dash - 4.66 (5th)

Vertical jump - 33" (7th)

Broad jump - 9'11" (6th)

Shuttle - 4.35 (t-6th)

3-cone drill - 7.19 (8th)

Braeden George - Receiver

Bench press - 17 (3rd)

40 yard dash - 4.88 (9th)

Vertical jump - 28.5" (9th)

Broad jump - 8'8.5" (9th)

Shuttle - 4.35 (t-6th)

3-cone drill - 7.09 - (6th)

Peter Thiel - Linebacker

Bench press - 18 (2nd)

40 yard dash - 4.90 (2nd)

Vertical jump - 32" (t-2nd)

Broad jump - 9'2" (4th)

Shuttle - 4.18 (2nd)

3-cone drill - 6.91 (2nd)

Looking at the numbers it would appear as though Peter Thiel had an excellent day of testing and it appears as though he did. Here's hoping that all three impressed in their interviews and on the field on Sunday.

SJHL award winners

2011-03-03T08:52:00.000-08:00

The SJHL has released the names of its year end award winners and La Ronge Ice Wolves forward Travis Eggum has been named Player of the Year.

Here is the full list:

Leading Scorer/Player of the Year: Travis Eggum

RBC Jr A Scholarship: Tanner McCall - Weyburn

Top Goaltender: Russell Abbott - Notre Dame

Most Valuable Player: Marc Andre-Carre - La Ronge

Top Defenceman: Blaine Tendler - Yorkton

Top Rookie: Eli Lichtenwald - Nipawin

For the full list including bios and the list of All-Star teams, click on the following link:

http://www.sjhl.ca/files/SJHLAWARDWINNERS1011.pdf

Three Huskies set for CFL E-camp

2011-03-02T07:27:00.000-08:00

Darren Dupont

The Sheaf

Three draft-eligible members of the Saskatchewan Huskies football team will put their skills on display this weekend at the Canadian Football League Evaluation Camp held in Toronto from Mar. 4-6.

Receivers Jade Etienne and Braeden George along with linebacker Peter Thiel will represent the Huskies at the evaluation camp in front of CFL coaches, general managers, and scouts who will evaluate the prospects ahead of the 2011 Canadian Draft on Sunday, May 8.

Etienne is the highest rated of the three Huskies at number 15 on the recent list of top prospects published by the CFL’s Scouting Bureau published in December. Players at the camp will be trying to improve their stock ahead of the next top 15 prospects list which will be published in April prior to the draft.

Etienne is coming off a career year with the Huskies catching 28 balls for a league-high 721 yards and six touchdowns in seven regular season games earning him first-team all-Canadian honors.

Braeden George caught 26 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns this past season for the Huskies. Last May, George shone as member of team West in the annual East-West Bowl leading all receivers with eight grabs for 132 yards and the teams lone touchdown in a 12-9 loss.

Peter Thiel, the third member of the Huskies invited to participate in the evaluation camp, is coming off a stellar season of his own. The third year Huskies linebacker was in on 31 tackles and recorded one quarterback sack through six games with the dogs.

Canada West will be well represented at the E-Camp as a total of twelve players from Canada West teams will be in Toronto looking to impress including three Calgary Dinos who are all ranked among the top 15 prospects by the CFL’s Scouting Bureau. Slotback Anthony Parker(ranked third), wideout Nathan Coehoorn (ranked seventh), and running back Matt Walter (ranked 14th) rank among the top prospects along with Alberta kicker Hugh O’Neill (ranked 11th).

Regina’s Marc Mueller is one of only two CIS quarterbacks who will make the trip to Toronto joining Ottawa pivot Brad Sinopoli. Last year three CIS quarterbacks were invited including current Toronto Argonaut Danny Brannagan of Queen’s.

Of the 53 participants attending the camp a whopping 83 percent will be Canadian Interuniversity Sport student-athletes.

The 2011 Evaluation Camp begins on Friday afternoon with player arrivals and team interviews. Strength and flexibility will be tested on Saturday at the Park Hyatt Toronto Hotel and the weekend will finish up on Sunday on the football field at Varsity Centre at the University of Toronto.

Monday mid-morning water cooler

2011-02-28T09:21:00.000-08:00

Could it be a more exciting Monday morning? There are a few things to talk about this morning as we set you up for the week ahead. Let's get to it!

First, we must congratulate Amber Holland and Team Saskatchewan for their Scotties Tournament of Hearts win. It came down to the final shot in the 10th end and Holland was left counting one for the victory. It snaps the recent run of success by Jennifer Jones and, by the sounds of things, most are happy with that.

It has been a great year so far for Saskatchewan curling with both men's and women's junior teams winning nationals and now Holland claiming the top prize. Now it will be up to the men's team to complete a clean sweep; no easy task.

I have been feeling very patriotic lately on a number of levels. It seems everywhere you look 'we' are on top or in the right direction. The term 'we' is said with loose lips. Just from my perspective here is why I'm feeling so patriotic:

We (Saskatchewan) is dominating the national curling stage
We (Canada) have tennis' rising star in Milos Raonic
We (Canada) are celebrating the one year anniversary of the "Golden Goal" and are the best in hockey
We (Canada) finally have a baseball team (Jays) that have some people excited about their new direction under AA and have entered spring training with some actual hope
We (Saskatoon) have the best basketball teams in the country in the Huskies men (3rd in CIS) and women (1st in CIS)
We (Saskatoon) have one of the best junior hockey teams in the nation (Saskatoon Blades) and have hopes of a Memorial Cup
We (Saskatchewan) boast the most popular and arguably the most successful football team (Riders) for the past few years

And the list goes on. It's a good time to be a sports fan and I'm oozing with pride. I guess the only thing that could make things better is if my Leafs somehow squeak into the playoffs and find some success.

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A surprising move on the Riders front as Omarr Morgan has been released from the team. It comes as a shock as some had thought he would retire as a Rider.

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Are you glued to your tv today? Or is it your computer or cell phone?

Trade deadline day in the NHL and coverage on our national sports networks has become a ritual among hockey fans. It is becoming an event not unlike the Grey Cup or Superbowl where some will even plan to have the day off just so they can sit on the couch infront of the tube for an indefinite period of time.

If this is what you're up to, what network are you watching? I've got it on TSN but occasionally flip to Sportsnet. Word is CBC has some deadline coverage and it's airing on Bold but sadly I don't subscribe to that channel so I do not know. Either way it's good fun but if there aren't a few more deals they may need to cut back some in the future.

I think they said there were something like 31 deadline day deals last year but this year there was plenty of action in the weeks leading up to today. If this trend continues, deadline day coverage may not be needed for as long in the future.

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The Huskies men's hockey team clinched a playoff spot over the weekend in Winnipeg and will now travel to Calgary this weekend for first round Canada West playoff action. Meanwhile, the Alberta Golden Bears will host the Manitoba Bisons who slid into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth with Lethbridge hot on their tails.

Entering the final night of the regular season (Saturday night), Manitoba had a one point lead over the Pronghorns with each playing their final games that night. A Huskies win combined with Calgary loss would give Huskies second place and the Pronghorns fourth. As it turns out, the Bisons come away with a win against the Huskies to clinch the final playoff spot. Likely in the dark about the previous result, the Pronghorns were leaving it all on the ice as they beat Calgary in their final game.

How heartbreaking must it have been for the Pronghorns to enter the dressing room following that win only to learn that the Bisons had won and erased any hope of the playoffs?

That's hockey but good on the Pronghorns on taking it right down to the final day of the season. They will be a team to watch over the next few years.

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Who will be the next coach of the Estevan Bruins? http://www.sjhl.ca/news_item.aspx?news_id=2008

The team is taking applications and the speculation will begin soon as to who could step into that role and create a successful on-ice product.

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GX94's Craig Stein put together a solid poll of broadcasters in the SJHL and the results are up on his blog which is linked on the left hand side of this page. It's a must read.

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Two movie reviews from the past week:

- 'Just Go With It' featuring Jennifer Anniston and Adam Sandler receives two thumbs up from me. I thought it was pretty good and had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion.

- 'Gnomeo and Juliette'. I hate to say it but I was sawing logs through most of this flick. Seriously, I was snoring and had to get nudged. Now, not to say that it was a bad show or anything, it may have had to do with me staying up until 3am the night before but I honestly can't offer much of a review. I did like what I saw and it has me wanting to back and finish it, but after $10 I might way until it hits the Rainbow.

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Good story in this morning's Star Phoenix about 29-year-old Brian Guebert and his quest to make Canada's first national senior team. Guebert is a veteran of the Hilltops, Huskies and the CFL and has a winning pedigree. Brian Towress is one of the coaches on this team and you can be sure he'll make a case for the former Huskie to be on the squad.

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Ok, that's all for this morning. Enjoy the week and the rest of trade deadline day.

SK dominates Canadian curling

2011-02-27T18:47:00.001-08:00

TSN.ca ALERT: Saskatchewan's Amber Holland defeats Jennifer Jones and Team Canada 8-7 to win the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Huskies @ Bisons

2011-02-25T11:02:00.001-08:00

Saskatchewan Huskies @ Manitoba Bisons
Friday, February 25, 7:00pm CT
Saturday, February 26, 7:00pm CT
Winnipeg, MB

Saskatchewan and Manitoba have met five times this season, the first being at a tournament in Regina where the Bisons won 4-2. On Oct. 23-24 the Bisons visited the bridge city and took the first game 2-0 while the Huskies came out on top 4-3 in overtime a night later.

Fast forward to January 14-15 when the Bisons were in Saskatoon again. As was the case in the previous meeting, the Bisons took the Friday contest this time erasing a three goal Huskies lead and winning by a score of 5-3. The Huskies would bounce back the next night for a 5-2 victory.

The two clubs will be scoreboard watching this weekend as neither team has clinched a playoff berth in Canada West. Both the Bisons and the Huskies control their own destiny but I'm sure a little help wouldn't hurt. The Huskies trail the Calgary Dinos by two points in the race for second place while the Bisons only lead Lethbridge by a single point for the final playoff spot in Canada West.

The Huskies have lost three straight coming off a weekend where they were swept clean by the Lethbridge Pronghorns. The Bisons were also swept last weekend but managed two points as both games were decided in extra time.

For updates on the fly throughout the weekend be sure to check back and follow me on twitter at twitter.com/darrendupont.

Breaking down the Canada West playoff picture

2011-02-24T16:28:00.000-08:00

As promised here is a little look inside the Canada West men's hockey playoff picture. Over the next few lines we will discuss all the different possible outcomes when dealing with the Canada West playoff picture and what could happen over the weekend.

Here are the standings going into the weekend:

Rank/Team/Points/(Games Remaining)

1. Alberta 39pts (2)
2. Calgary 34pts (2)
3. Saskatchewan 32pts (2)
4. Manitoba 30pts (2)
5. Lethbridge 29pts (2)
6. UBC 25pts (2)

Alberta has clinched first place in the conference and will play UBC who is mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. We won't talk about that weekend series.

The Huskies are in Winnipeg taking on the Bisons for a pair of games this weekend while Calgary will tangle with the Lethbridge Pronghorns. The Dinos have already booked their ticket to the post season but that doesn't mean they'll be on cruse control. The team still has home ice advantage to play for. For Calgary, the worst possible spot they could finish in would be third place as they hold the tie breaker over Manitoba.

Here are the possibilities that could take place over the weekend:

For Calgary to clinch second place: The Dinos need three points to clinch home ice for round one of the playoffs. With the magic number being three that means that any number of Dino's points combined with the number of points the Huskies fail to pick up in Manitoba need to add up to three for the Dinos to clinch second.

Make sense? Here's an example: Dinos pick up a single point in a regulation loss and a shootout loss while Huskies gain two points for a regulation win and a regulation loss in Manitoba. Dinos 1 points + SK 2 points (4 point possible weekend - 2 points actually earned) = 3 points and Dinos clinch second. My math is fool proof!

For Saskatchewan to claim second place: This formula is slightly different but close to the same. For the Huskies to claim home ice in the playoffs their magic number is two. This time that magic number means that the Huskies points earned in Manitoba minus the Dinos points earned against Lethbridge needs to equal two or more for the Huskies to earn second. For example: Huskies sweep Manitoba and Dinos split with Lethbridge. 4 Huskies points - 2 Dinos points = 2 and SK claims second.

The Huskies own the tiebreaker with Calgary but not with Lethbridge. Currently the Huskies do not have the tiebreaker with Manitoba as the Bisons have picked up one single point more than Saskatchewan in their season series thus far.

Now that we have dealt with the two possible options for second place let's move onto third.

For Calgary to finish third: The only way that Calgary finishes in third place is if Saskatchewan finishes in second and we already mentioned how that can happen.

Saskatchewan finishes third and Manitoba fourth if: Manitoba points over the weekend subtract SK points earned over the weekend is less than or equal to one and Lethbridge earns less than or equal to one point more than Manitoba earns. Confused?

Example: Manitoba win in regulation and loses in ot. MB gains 3 points subtract Huskies 2 points earned equals 1 point while Lethbridge earns two points over weekend from Calgary with a split.

MB PTS - SK PTS = X where X must be > or = to 1 AND Leth PTS - MB PTS =Y where Y is < or =" to">

Saskatchewan finishes fourth

Ok how about Saskatchewan finishes third and Lethbridge finishes fourth: IF AND ONLY IF Lethbridge points earned over weekend subtract Manitoba points earned over weekend is greater than or equal to 2.

Leth PTS - MB PTS > or = to 2.

Manitoba finishes third and Saskatchewan fourth if: this happens if Manitoba pick up two wins over Saskatchewan regardless of overtime or shootout and Lethbridge points earned this weekend subtract SK points earned is less than or equal to 2.

Saskatchewan misses the playoffs if: For this to happen Manitoba would finish third and Lethbridge fourth. For this to happen Manitoba NEEDS two wins over Saskatchewan regardless of overtime or shootouts and Lethbridge points earned against Calgary subtract SK points earned in Manitoba must be greater than or equal to 3.

Clear as mud?

I think that is all the different scenarios that could play out but I expect to hear from you if I've made a mistake or something is not clear. Now, print this out and keep it by your side as you follow all the different games on your blackberry or i pad. Remember, I'll be tweeting over at my account twitter.com/darrendupont throughout the weekend with results and notes as the playoff picture unfolds.

The Huskies will be aiming for 2nd or 3rd but nothing is guaranteed and this is a very important weekend. A preview of the Saskatchewan/Manitoba series is coming tomorrow.

SJHL Survivor Series

2011-02-24T16:16:00.000-08:00

(courtesy SJHL.ca)

Sherwood Conference Survivor Series Breakdown

MELVILLE MILLIONAIRES VS ESTEVAN BRUINS

SCHEDULE

Game 1- @ Estevan Fri Feb 25 730 pm

Game 2-@ Melville Sat Feb 26 730 pm

Game 3-@ Estevan Mon Feb 28 730 pm

Game 4-@ Melville Tues March 1 730 pm ***

Game 5-@ Estevan Thurs March 3 730 pm ***

STANDINGS

Melville 24-30-1-3 – 52 pts (5^th in Sherwood)

Estevan 29-23-4-2 – 64 pts (4^th in Sherwood)

HOME-AWAY

Melville 15-12-1-1 (home) 9-18-0-2 (road)

Estevan 16-8-3-1 (home) 13-15-1-1 (road)

POWER PLAY

Melville 53/284 =18.7 % (10^th in SJHL) 11 SHGA

Estevan 52/263= 19.8 % (7^th in SJHL) 6 SHGA

PENALTY KILL

Melville 76.6 % (10^th in SJHL) --allowed 64 PPG, scored 11 SHG

Estevan 77.5 % (9^th in SJHL) –allowed 62 PPG, scored 6 SHG

HEAD TO HEAD

Estevan 6-1

Melville 1-4-0-2

TOP SCORERS (year)

Melville- Lucas Froese 22-21-43

Estevan-Jonathan Ceci 26-43-69

TOP SCORERS (HEAD TO HEAD)

Melville-Michael Desjarlais, Roger Tagoona 6 pts each

Estevan-Ryan Andersen 11 pts

Bauer Conference Survivor Series Breakdown

SCHEDULE

Game 1- @ Battlefords Fri Feb 25 730 pm

Game 2-@ Battlefords Sat Feb 26 730 pm

Game 3-@ Flin Flon Mon Feb 28 730 pm

Game 4-@ Flin Flon Tues March 1 730 pm ***if necessary

Game 5-@ Battlefords Thurs March 3 730 pm ***if necessary

STANDINGS

Flin Flon 25-31-2-0 – 52 pts (5^th in Bauer)

Battlefords 26-29-2-1- 55 pts (4^th in Bauer)

HOME-AWAY

Flin Flon 15-13-1-0(home) 10-18-1-0 (road)

Battlefords 15-12-1-1 (home) 11-17-1-0 (road)

POWER PLAY

Flin Flon 58/305 =19 % (9^th in SJHL) 14 SHG

Battlefords 61/291= 21 % (5^th in SJHL) 7 SHGA

PENALTY KILL

Flin Flon 77.8 % (8^th in SJHL) --allowed 62 PPG, scored 3 SHG

Battlefords 74.0% (12^th in SJHL) –allowed 73 PPG, scored 12 SHG

HEAD TO HEAD

Flin Flon 3-3

Battlefords 3-3

TOP SCORERS (year)

Flin Flon- Ryan Fox 27-41-68

Battlefords-Blake Tatchell 26-48-74

TOP SCORERS (HEAD TO HEAD)

Flin Flon – Andrew Johnston 11 pts

Battlefords – Blake Tatchell 12 pts

Match play golf

2011-02-23T08:12:00.000-08:00

I love match-play.

I'm talking about match-play golf. I love playing match-play and I love watching match-play golf. With that, the accenture Match Play Championship begins today and I'm glued to the golf channel.

Every year I fill out my NCAA March Madness bracket and, while I'll do that again, this year I'm filling out my Match-Play bracket.

Here's a link to the tournament bracket. http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboards/current/r470/

I'll just post my final four in each of the four brackets:

In the Bobby Jones bracket:

-Westwood

-Molinari

-Stricker

-Donald

In the Ben Hogan bracket:

-Fowler

-Kuchar

-McDowell

-Poulter

In the Gary Player bracket:

-Kaymer

-Mahan

-McIlroy

-Jimenez

And in the Sam Snead Bracket:

-Woods

-Watson

-Casey

-Holmes

My final four consists of Kaymer, Woods, Donald and Fowler with Martin Kaymer winning the event. So expect it to be the complete oposite! I'll update later this week or on Monday morning before the final.

BlackBerry CIS Top 10: Huskies fall after being swept

2011-02-22T11:02:00.000-08:00

CIS MEN’S HOCKEY TOP 10 (#15)

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. UNB (23-5-0) / 179 pts (17) / (1)
2. McGill (24-2-2 / 2-0 playoffs) / 152 (1) / (2)
3. Alberta (18-5-3) / 141 / (3)
4. Saint Mary’s (18-9-1) / 127 / (4)
5. Western Ontario (20-3-5 / 2-0 playoffs) / 96 / (6)
6. St. Francis Xavier (17-10-1 / 2-0 playoffs) / 87 / (7)
7. Calgary (16-8-2) / 78 / (8)
8. Saskatchewan (16-10-0) / 56 / (5)
9. UQTR (19-8-1 / 2-1 playoffs) / 31/ (9)
10. Carleton (18-8-2 / 2-1 playoffs) / 17 / (10)

Other teams receiving votes: Acadia (14), Manitoba (4), UPEI (2), Waterloo (2), Wilfrid Laurier (2), Guelph (1), Nipissing (1).

Monday morning water cooler

2011-02-20T18:06:00.000-08:00

Due to Family Day on Monday, we bring you a special Tuesday edition of the water cooler. This week we focus mainly on Huskies hockey but we'll also touch on the junior hockey playoff pictures in the province as well as some other odds and ends. Grab your morning joe and I hope you enjoy.

I'd like to start the column off with a quote from the Greek Stoic philosopher Epictetus if I could.

"The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests."

Sometimes it's the way we handle adversity that truly determines if we are great or capable of being great. Over the next couple of weeks we will find out what the Huskies men's hockey team is made of.

As I mentioned in my Sunday post, the Huskies came up with a dud on the weekend in Lethbridge and now face an uphill battle to regain the momentum they once had as playoffs approach. The team has lost its last three games and have fallen from (what once was thought to be a fairly comfortable lead in) second to third and there is no guarantee that Saskatchewan will even make the playoffs.

I'm not going to take too much time this morning talking about the match-up with Manitoba; I'll devote an entire post to it later in the week. We know it's important for both teams and if the Huskies have any thought of a home playoff date, a sweep is a must in my opinion.

I'll try to catch up with Huskies' coach Dave Adolph and get you that preview in the next couple of days. In the meantime I will also devote an entire post, likely tomorrow, to the different scenarios that could play out this weekend and the effects of each.

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I am writing this post over a bowl of Cheerios and a few pieces of fruit this morning fresh off thirty minutes of yoga.

Yep, yoga.

I've been doing yoga daily for about a week now and already I can tell you that my posture, flexibility, and overall feeling has improved 100%. Needless to say I won't be stopping anytime soon.

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The Saskatchewan Huskies women's hockey team had their season come to an end over the weekend in Edmonton. The Huskies were handed losses of 3-0 and 1-0 to be swept away by the Alberta Pandas in first round Canada West playoffs.

Looking ahead, the Huskies are eligible to return leading scorers Cara Wooster and Breanne George next season and should be contenders in 2011/2012.

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Saskatchewan's Amber Holland is off to a perfect start at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Charlottetown PEI. Holland's rink is 5-0 and tied atop the Scotties standings with Ontario. The two teams meet today at 12:30pm Saskatchewan time in a battle for first place. Many, including myself, will be glued to TSN for this one.

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The Heritage Classic is in the books for another year and again, the NHL can sit back and count its cash after another successful event. The game left something to be desired but the weekend seemed like a total hit. The WHL outdoor game a day later was a different story. The weather was a little milder and the game was exciting. Sportsnet did a bang on job with the national broadcast and I was impressed. It should be the goal of the CHL to piggy back off the NHL with this event whenever possible.

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One last note about the game. I loved the Flames jerseys. It may not be the popular opinion but it's one I'd buy if I were a Flames fan.

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A note from the fine folks at the CIS Blog: "To all those people who complained about Wickenheiser playing CIS: the Dinos didn't even win a playoff game with her."

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The Saskatoon Blades will welcome the Brandon Wheat Kings to the CUC for a pair of games this week. The Blades play the Wheaties on Wednesday and Friday and youth tickets are on for just $5! Great opportunity to take the kids.

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The SJHL regular season wraps up today with three games on the schedule. Unfortunately, there is nothing to play for on the last day of the regular season other than pride and momentum.

The playoff picture is set and in the Sherwood Conference the Melville Millionaires claimed the final playoff spot edging out Notre Dame and will play Estevan in the survivor series. The winner will play the Yorkton Terriers in the conference semis while Kindersley will play Weyburn in the other.

In the Bauer conference the Flin Flon Bombers and Battlefords North Stars play in the survivor series with the winner taking on La Ronge while Humboldt will play Melfort in the other semi.

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The Regina Pats are on the verge of missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season but they way they played in Calgary you wouldn't know it. The team is still five points out of the final playoff spot and, while they aren't mathematically eliminated, the road is a tough one. They haven't done themselves any favors in meaningful games, especially losing recently to Prince Albert.

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This week is a short one but there is no shortage of action. Enjoy the week!

dd

Sunday blogging

2011-02-20T00:08:00.000-08:00

It's a rare Sunday entry but I feel I need to check in. I was incommunicado yesterday and felt I needed to update you on a few things that took place yesterday.

It wasn't a good Saturday for the Huskies hockey teams and for that matter it wasn't a very good weekend. In fact, it is one that both teams would rather forget.

Let's start with the women's team.

They were in Alberta for first round playoffs with the Pandas with a trip to nationals on the line. Friday saw them lose 3-0 to go down one game and yesterday the Pandas wrapped up the series with a 1-0 victory over the Huskies to take the series in two games.

Going out in two straight and not scoring a goal is a tough way for the Huskies to go out but the season should not be considered a failure. Yes, the team was capable of beating Alberta but they have taken great strides toward earning a birth at the national tournament and next year looks bright indeed.

Now onto the men.

The team entered the weekend sitting pretty in second place with just four games left in the season and on the road in Lethbridge. Well, Friday night the Huskies lose 5-3 and Alberta wins and so does Calgary. Even better the Alberta/Manitoba game goes to a shootout and the Bisons pick up a point.

Fast forward to the very next night and the Huskies are doubled up by the Pronghorns 4-2 and what do you know? Calgary and Alberta both win and guess what? The Alberta/Manitoba game goes to overtime giving the Bisons a point.

Ouch!

So, here's what we know following the weekend and what lies ahead for the Huskies:

Alberta has clinched first place in Canada West
Calgary has overtaken Saskatchewan for second with 34 points
Saskatchewan sits in third place with 32 points and, if the season were to end today, would travel to Calgary for round one of Canada West playoffs
Manitoba has climbed to within two points of Saskatchewan in the chase for third place
Lethbridge has kept their playoff hopes alive and now trail Manitoba by just a single point in the race for fourth

How huge was it for Lethbridge to sweep Saskatchewan? The Pronghorns could somehow earn a playoff berth and that would be an incredible feat for them. Good for them. The Horns would be sitting in fourth spot if it wasn't for Manitoba taking Alberta to overtime both nights and earning two points over the weekend.

It is possible that Saskatchewan could miss the playoffs. The Huskies have lost three straight after being the best team out of the gate in 2011. It is possible that the four teams in the Canada West playoffs could be Alberta, Calgary, Manitoba and Lethbridge.

Here is how some of the different scenarios could play out: (and I'll devote an entire post to this later in the week once I figure out all the different possibilities)

-Calgary will play Lethbridge and Saskatchewan will be in Manitoba this coming weekend.

-If the Huskies sweep the Bisons and Lethbridge can manage a regulation win against Calgary then Saskatchewan would finish second with Calgary third and Lethbridge fourth.

-If the Bisons sweep the Huskies and Lethbridge can sweep Calgary then Saskatchewan would finish fifth.

Saskatchewan needs at least two points (to force a tie breaker) and possibly a sweep to earn second place in Canada West and home ice in round one of the playoffs and even that might not be enough. Saskatchewan needed at least two points out of this weekend and they got zero. All of a sudden the road to the Cavendish Cup is looking a lot less pretty.

Pandas strike first

2011-02-18T14:26:00.000-08:00

Edmonton, AB -- The University of Alberta Pandas drew first blood in their best-of-three Canada West women's hockey semi-final series with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies winning 3-0 on home ice Friday afternoon.

The Pandas opened the scoring in the first period. On the power play Karla Bourke put the puck past Huskies' goaltender Mackenzie Rizos at the 2:53 mark and Alberta led 1-0 after one period of play. The Pandas added to their lead early in the second - just 18 seconds in - when Leah Copeland found the back of the net and the Pandas took a 2-0 lead into the third.

The Pandas would add one more in the third when Katie Borbely put one home at the 13:17 mark to make the final 3-0 Alberta.

Kanesa Shwetz got the start in goal for the Pandas recording the shutout but the Huskies managed just 13 shots on goal compared to the Pandas' 33. Mackenzie Rizos was in goal for Saskatchewan.

The Huskies power play couldn't muster much in the form of opportunities going 0 for 8 while the Pandas' power play clicked twice on seven opportunities.

The two teams get back on the ice in Edmonton for game two of the series Saturday afternoon at 3:00pm Saskatchewan time.

Done deal

2011-02-18T11:33:00.001-08:00

TSN.ca ALERT: Maple Leafs trade Tomas Kaberle to Bruins for Joe Colborne, Boston's 1st round pick and a conditional draft pick
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Huskies open playoffs in Edmonton

2011-02-18T06:58:00.000-08:00

Edmonton, AB -- The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women's hockey team is on the road today to open their Canada West semi-final playoff series with the Alberta Pandas. There is more on the line in this series than a trip to the Canada West championship series as the winner of the series will automatically receive a birth into the CIS national tournament as Canada West will have two representatives.

The Huskies finished the regular season with a 15-8-1 record which was good for fourth place in the conference and the final playoff position. They'll play the top seeded Pandas who went 17-4-3 during the season to clinch home ice advantage.

The two teams met a total of five times during the season, including once over the Christmas break at a tournament in Manitoba in which the Pandas won 4-1. The Pandas also won the first three meetings - all one goal games - with scores of 2-1, 3-2, and, most recently, 3-2 on Feb. 11. One night later the Huskies came out on top on Feb. 12 winning 1-0 in the final game of the regular season. The win snapped the Pandas nine-game winning streak as the two teams head to playoffs.

This series may come down to goaltending and the Huskies and Pandas sport some of the best goalies in Canada West.

Netminders Michala Jeffries and Kanesa Shwetz split time between the pipes for Alberta and, statistically speaking, are the top two goaltenders in Canada West. Jeffries went 8-2 with a 1.11 GAA, a sparkling .941 sv %, and a conference leading five shutouts while Shwetz went 8-5 with a 1.44 GAA, a .924 sv % and two shutouts.

Mackenzie Rizos handled the bulk of the workload for Saskatchewan this season going 13-8 with a 1.98 GAA, a .930 sv % and two shutouts.

Offensively, the Huskies have plenty of fire power and they'll need it all if they want to advance beyond Alberta. The Huskies boast two of the top three scorers in Canada West in Breanne George and Cara Wooster. Wooster finished tied for the league lead in points with 40 (14 g, 26 a) while George finished third with 30 points (15 g, 15 a). Third on the Huskies and eighth in Canada West scoring is Julie Paetsch who finished with 23 points (9 g, 14 a).

The Pandas offensive production was spread out a little more than Saskatchewan's with five players in the top 20 in Canada West lead by Sarah Hilworth who was fourth with 26 points (13 g, 13 a). Leah Copeland (7th with 24 points (11 g, 13 a)), Melody Howard (11th with 19 points (9 g, 10 a)), Karla Bourke (13th with 18 points (10 g, 8 a)), and Katie Stewart (20th with 16 points (6 g, 10 a)) round out the leading offensive weapons for the Pandas.

The series is a best of three beginning today in Edmonton with games two and three (if necessary) on Saturday and Sunday respectively. All three games will be played in Alberta and are scheduled to start at 3:00pm Saskatchewan time.

Three Huskies to attend CFL e-camp

2011-02-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

Three Huskies have been invited to attend the 2011 Canadian Football League Evaluation Camp which is set to take place in Toronto March 4 to 6.

Receivers Jade Etienne and Braeden George along with linebacker Peter Thiel have been invited to take part in the camp early next month. Etienne is believed to be a top 15 pick in the upcoming CFL draft.

More details and the full release including the entire camp roster can be found here: http://huskies.usask.ca/news/2011/February/2011-02-17-cfl/index.php

Schenn the hero in OT

2011-02-16T20:17:00.001-08:00

(game summary courtesy SaskatoonBlades.com)

The Blades continue to lead the Blades vs. Tigers season series with a perfect 3-0 record after tonight’s overtime win.

In the first period Scott McKay opened up the scoring with his second goal of the season and the only goal of the period.

In the second frame the Blades scored three goals within 2 minutes and 10 seconds, starting at the 10:37 mark of the period. Darian Dziurzynski took a tough hit from Kale Kessy, knocking his helmet off and sending him back to the bench winded. He came back with vengeance and scored the first Blades goal, his 27^th of the season, to start the second period trend. Connor Cox snatched a loose puck by Tyler Bunz’s net and slid it in to make it 2-1 and only 21 seconds later Curtis Hamilton put one home from the left circle to end the period 3-1.

The Tigers battled back in the third period, Emerson Etem scored on the powerplay to reduce the home team lead. Jake Trask also scored on the powerplay to stretch his point streak to 9 games; he has 11 goals and 6 assists within the stretch. With 3:33 left on the clock The Hat found themselves on a two man advantage which Thomas Carr capitalized on and brought the team within one point of the tie. Emerson Etem closed the gap completely with his 32^nd of the season and sent the game into overtime.

Brayden Schenn put a quick end to the overtime decision with the game winning goal amongst a scramble in front of the Tigers net, his second OT game winner of the season. A 5-4 victory for the Blades and Steven Stanford who made 26 saves.

The Blades and Tigers wrap up their season series on Sunday night in Medicine Hat. The next Blades home game is one week away when they play the Brandon Wheat Kings, at 7:05 in the Credit Union Centre.

KOOK NAMED CHAIRPERSON OF UNIVERSITY CUP COMMITTEE

2011-02-16T10:16:00.000-08:00

(From Huskies.usask.ca)

Huskie Athletics is pleased to announce Grant Kook as the chairperson for the CIS University Cup Men’s Hockey Championship hosted by the University of Saskatchewan in 2013 & 2014.

Voted as one of Saskatchewan’s Men of Influence by the Saskatchewan Business Magazine in 2008, Kook is the founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of well-known Golden Opportunities Fund. He is also the President and CEO of the fund manager, Westcap Mgt. Ltd., which manages in excess of $250 million directed at Saskatchewan growth opportunities. Kook has also been the President and CEO of the Ramada Hotels since 1992 and the Chairman of the Board for SaskTel since 2008.

“Grant was an excellent choice for chairperson for this event,” said Basil Hughton, athletic director. “With his experience and connections to our community, Grant will be able to make sure the University Cup is a success once again in Saskatoon. We are extremely happy to be able to work with him.”

The Championships will run March 21-24, 2013 and March 20-23, 2014. All games will be played at the Credit Union Centre. Huskie Athletics hosted the University Cup from 1998 to 2000 with the event a huge success in Saskatoon attracting the three highest single-tournament attendances in University Cup history with 37,121 spectators over seven games in 1998, 37,184 fans in 1999 and a single-year record of 40,956 in 2000.

Not only has Kook made his mark in the province for his career achievements, but as a volunteer. His community involvement includes Voluntary Chair of the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan, Vice President of Sponsorship for the 2010 World Junior Championship, Executive Committee Member of the Mike Weir Miracle Golf Drive for Kids, Sponsorship Chair for the 2006 Vanier Cup, Business & Sponsorship Chair for the Canadian 2004 Brier, Director of the 2012 Tim Hortons Brier and a Board Member of the new Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame.

“With the Huskie hockey team having competed in nine out of the last 12 national tournaments and a city still excited about the sport thanks to a successful 2010 World Junior Championship, I could not think of a better time to bring the University Cup back to Saskatoon,” said Kook. “The hockey played at the University level is some of the best you will see, I am confident that we will draw record crowds once again at this event. I am very pleased and humbled to have been asked to be a part of the event and to have a hand in carrying on the storied Huskie hockey tradition.”

Kook, who is the brother of Huskie women’s hockey head coach Steve Kook, will spend the upcoming weeks putting his organizing committee in place.

CHL Top 10: Blades #2

2011-02-16T10:08:00.000-08:00

Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League today announced the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings for week 21 of the 2010-11 season. The weekly rankings of the Canadian Hockey League’s Top 10 teams are selected by a panel of National Hockey League scouts.

BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings – Week 21

Rank Team (Record) Last Week # of Weeks Ranked

1 Saint John Sea Dogs (46-5-1-2) 1 18

2 Saskatoon Blades (44-11-0-2) 3 21

3 Mississauga St. Michael's Majors (40-10-0-2) 2 21

4 Montreal Juniors (38-9-4-4)4 15

5 Red Deer Rebels (39-14-2-4) 5 12

6 Quebec Remparts (40-13-1-2) 6 20

7 Niagara IceDogs (36-11-2-4) 7 6

8 Owen Sound Attack (37-15-1-2) 9 13

9 Portland Winterhawks (38-16-0-3) 8 16

10 Ottawa 67's (35-16-1-1) 10 7

Honourable Mention:

Drummondville Voltigeurs (37-14-5-2) - 9

Kootenay Ice (37-17-1-2) - 10

Saginaw Spirit (34-16-3-1) - 17

Blades win streak snapped

2011-02-15T22:37:00.001-08:00

Its late and I'm not by the compute but a full recap is at saskatoonblades.com.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

CIS Top 10: Huskies move up

2011-02-15T14:00:00.000-08:00

MEN’S HOCKEY
(regular season record) / votes (first-place votes) / (previous rankings)

1. UNB (23-5-0) / 179 (17) / (1)
2. McGill (24-2-2) / 150 (1) / (2)
3. Alberta (16-5-3) / 135 / (3)
4. Saint Mary’s (18-9-1) / 131 / (5)
5. Saskatchewan (16-8-0) / 105 / (6)
6. Western Ontario (20-3-5) / 85 / (4)
7. StFX (17-10-1) / 83 / (7)
8. Calgary (13-8-2) / 46 / (9)
9. UQTR (19-8-1) / 33 / (NR)
10. Carleton (18-8-2) / 19 / (8)

Other teams receiving votes: Acadia (9), Manitoba (8), UPEI (5), Guelph (1), Nipissing (1).

Monday morning water cooler

2011-02-13T23:06:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentines Day from the mmwc to you and yours this morning.

We've got a few notes collected from the past week and some things to keep an eye on in the week ahead so let's get to it.

The weekend was an up and down one for the Huskies mens hockey team. Friday's 2-1 overtime win over Alberta set the stage for Saturday's game with first place up for grabs but it wasn't exactly how the Huskies pictured. Alberta's 4-0 win has them three points ahead of the dogs for top spot in Canada West with each team having just four games remaining.

Head coach Dave Adolph was quick to "fall on the sword" after Saturday's loss. He felt that he didn't do a good enough job preparing his team and that they will be better. Sometimes as a coach you need to take the fall and keep the attention off your team and onto yourself. Let's hope it works.

The attention now shifts to a battle for second place. The Huskies are now just four points up on Calgary and Manitoba. The Dinos have a game in hand (which they use up on Wednesday when they play Lethbridge) and the Bisons have four games remaining (two against the Huskies).

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The Huskies womens hockey team hits the ice in Alberta for their first round playoff series with the Pandas this weekend. The team wrapped up the regular season in Edmonton losing 3-2 Friday night before bouncing back to win 1-0 a night later.

This is very much a series the Huskies could take. They'll be the underdog but may surprise some people. A trip to nationals is on the line as two teams from Canada West will travel east.

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Is this awesome or just crazy? http://shf.me/i6P1vz

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Aden Bowman quarterback Drew Burko has committed to the Huskies for the upcoming season. Burko, arguably the top high school quarterback in the country, is a huge land for the Huskies although with family on the coaching staff is it really a surprise?

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There was a Twitter battle on Saturday night between Hockey Night in Canada personalities Scott Oak and Kelly Hrudy. Here's a sample of the shots being fired:

@ScottOake Scott Oake

Because of his fake and bake tan Hrudey shall henceforth be known at The Situation!

@KellyHrudey Kelly Hrudey

Oake should be on Donald Trumps TV show the Apprentice....He's fired!!!!!

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Good on the CBC for the feature on Weyburn Red Wings coach Dwight McMillan during hockey day in Canada. The only negative is they pronounced GM Ron Rumball's name as Ron TURNbull!

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Keeping with the SJHL for a couple more notes:

- Jamie Fiesel's rant hit number two on Sportscentre's top 10 last week. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you hit up YouTube and see what you're missing. It's pure gold.

- Will Travis Eggum hit 100 points? The talented LaRonge Ice Wolves sniper hit 50 goals earlier this season and now has 97 points. The former Klipper and Saskatoon product has exploded with offense this season up north and deserves all the credit. He's a good kid.

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Ok, name something that gets passed around?

Check this out: http://youtu.be/BQRMvg5TAl8

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Who is Milos Raonic? Well, he may be the best thing to ever come out of Canada's tennis program.

The 20-year-old completed a run at the SAP Open in San Jose on Sunday with a win over the No. 1 seed Fernando Verdasco of Spain.

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Here's a note from Steve Simmons on the CFL hall of fame inductees announcement:

"Head of hall of fame confirms 13 person committee did not vote Damon Allen into Canadian Hall. Same people voted John Bonk in though."

It's a head scratcher! Allen should be a slam dunk.

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So, do you have romantic plans for you and your significant other this evening? If I may make a suggestion, I would tell you to head to Tony Roma's and try the Kickin' Shrimp. It's a staple for this blogger.

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The Saskatoon Blades continue to roll ahead at full steam. The team is perfect since acquiring Brayden Schenn and have won 11-straight overall. This could very well be the best team in the nation.

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I've got a few other thoughts but I'll save them for later in the week and for Twitter. Happy Valentine's day!

dd

Bears 4 Huskies 0

2011-02-12T20:50:00.001-08:00

SASKATOON -- Alberta goaltender Kurtis Mucha was the story Saturday night as the Bears blanked the home town Huskies 4-0. Mucha stopped all 34 Saskatchewan shots en route to the shutout.

A jam packed crowd of 617 turned up for the game that saw the Huskies enter just a single point behind Alberta for top spot in Canada West after their win on Friday night.

As was the case on Friday night, the Golden Bears got on the board first, and again, it was a shorthanded goal. Zack Daily opened the scoring with the Huskies on the power play at the 16:35 mark and then just over a minute later Sean Ringrose went upstairs at 17:44 to give Alberta a 2-0 lead after the first period.

The Bears would strike again to take a 3-0 lead when Drew Nichol found the back of the net at the 15:15 mark of the second period. This would spell the end to Ryan Holfeld's night in goal. The first year Huskies netminder allowed three goals on 14 shots and was pulled in favor of David Reekie.

Reekie played well but an Alberta shot that rang off the goal post found the stick of Derek Ryan who put the loose puck home at the 7:40 mark of the third to round out the scoring making the final 4-0 in favor of the Golden Bears.

The Huskies out shot the Bears 34-25. David Reekie stopped 10 of 11 Alberta shots in relief work. The Huskies went 0 for 2 on the power play while the Golden Bears did not receive a power play.

After the game, Huskies head coach Dave Adolph was quick to shoulder the blame.

"I didn't think I did a very good job of preparing my team today," Adolph stated. "I think that's one of the coaches jobs to make sure that, not only is his team prepared to make an adjustment but making sure that we're a step ahead. We've been a step ahead here for the last four or five weeks and I got a little complacent today and it's all on me."

With the loss the Huskies are now three points back of the Golden Bears in the chase for first place in Canada West. Each team has four games remaining. The Huskies play all four on the road starting this weekend when they'll take on Lethbridge Feb. 18 and 19 and then finish the season in Manitoba against the Bisons a week later.

"Our guys will be better, I'll be better prepared and I think that, you know, sometimes you have to fall on your own sword and I wasn't very good today."

Huskies notes: The Huskies hold a four point lead over both Calgary and Manitoba in the race for second place in Canada West. The top two teams at the end of the regular season will host a first round playoff game. The Dinos have five games remaining while the Bisons have four left in the season.

Huskies 2 Bears 1 OT

2011-02-11T20:01:00.000-08:00

SASKATOON -- Andrew Bailey's goal 1:47 into the overtime period was the winner as the Saskatchewan Huskies took game one of their weekend series with the Alberta Golden Bears 2-1.

With the overtime win the Huskies move to 16-7-0 and are just a single point behind the Bears for top spot in Canada West.

The game didn't start as planned for the hometown Huskies as it was the Bears getting on the board first. With the Huskies on the power play, Steven DaSilva turned the puck over in the neutral zone and it led to a Chad Klassen short-handed breakaway goal giving Alberta a 1-0 lead just 5:43 into the opening period.

The Huskies would answer back late in the period when Matt Delahey jumped on a loose puck in the slot tieing the game at one at the 13:54 mark of the first and it would remain that way through the end of the third period.

David Reekie made 27 saves for the Huskies while Bears goaltender Kurtis Mucha made 29 saves.

The two teams will reset and get back on the ice tomorrow night at Rutherford Rink with first place in Canada West on the line. Puck-drop is scheduled for 7:00pm.

Huskies game night: vs Alberta

2011-02-11T08:36:00.000-08:00

SASKATOON -- The Saskatchewan Huskies (15-7-0) will play host to the Alberta Golden Bears (15-5-2) this weekend in a first place showdown at Rutherford Rink.

This weekend series has been building since shortly into the new year. The Huskies have been hot while the Bears have not and as a result, Saskatchewan has closed the gap between themselves and first place Alberta to just two points. Tonight, they'll have a chance to pull even with the Bears for top spot in Canada West.

The Huskies have been hot out of the gate in 2011 after a so-so 2010 portion of the schedule. The team is 7-1 in the new year and riding a five game winning streak into this weekend's match-up. The Bears, on the other hand, have been mediocre going 6-3-1 including a three game losing streak that allowed the Huskies to move into a position to take over first in the conference.

One reason for the Huskies dominance has been their solid team play. The play of both David Reekie and Ryan Holfeld between the pipes for the hockey dogs has been nothing short of solid. Just take a look at this quick stat pulled from the blog of Alberta student sports writer Evan Daum on the goals for/goals against thus far in 2011:

1. Saskatchewan - 30 goals for, 14 against Net: +16
2. Calgary - 30 goals for, 24 against Net: +6
3. Alberta - 29 goals for, 24 against Net: +5
4. Lethbridge - 26 goals for, 27 against Net: -1
4. Manitoba - 20 goals for, 21 against Net: -1
6. Regina - 13 goals for, 26 against Net: -13
7. UBC - 22 goals for, 38 against Net: -16

You can see that the Huskies have been far and away the best team in 2011. They have considerable momentum heading into this weekend. Add in the fact that two teams from Canada West will head to Fredericton in late March amps up this weekend's importance that much more. Earning first place and avoiding a first round playoff series with Calgary may be huge in determining who earns those coveted two births into the national tournament.

In my opinion and in others too, Saskatchewan and Calgary are the two teams with the best chance to represent Canada West out east and it would be a shame to have them meet in the first round with a birth on the line. Chances are that Calgary will finish the season in third place so it's now up to the Huskies to do their part and get to the top of the conference. They'll need a sweep this weekend to make that happen.

Games go Friday and Saturday night at Rutherford Rink with puck-drop scheduled for 7:00pm both nights. There will be no webcast this weekend as we are pre-empted by both wrestling (Friday) and Basketball (Saturday). I'll be tweeting updates from Rutherford Rink this weekend. Follow along at Twitter.com/darrendupont.

Gold medal winner rejoins Huskies hockey team

2011-02-10T10:31:00.000-08:00

Darren Dupont

Sheaf Sports

The women’s Huskies hockey team will be pleased to welcome forward Breanne George back to the line-up this weekend when the team travels to Alberta Feb. 11 and 12. George has missed the team’s past four games while away in Turkey representing Canada in the Winter Universaide.

George, who has scored 29 points including a team leading 14 goals, returns to the Huskies with a gold medal around her neck after helping Canada knock off Finland 4-1 in the championship game Feb. 5.

“Partaking in this international tournament was absolutely amazing and a chance of a lifetime,” explained the fourth-year Huskies forward via email. “I got a chance to meet people from all over the world and play with the best female hockey players in Canada.”

George received an email in late September informing her that she had been selected to represent Canada at the Winter Universaide.

“When I first read through the email I was in complete shock and ended up having to read over it a couple of times to take in all the information,” explained George. “I just felt an overwhelming feeling of excitement, honour and almost a little relieved. I knew I was going to be able to get that opportunity and it made me scared and excited at the same time.”

George took the success she had with the Huskies and turned it into a gold medal performance in Turkey. The talented Huskies sniper tied for the team lead in points with 12, including seven goals throughout the tournament.

“Going into the tournament I wasn’t sure what to expect for playing time,” reflected George. “I knew that it was up to me to make sure I went there and just worked hard and focus on the things that I do best. Every time I stepped onto the ice I wanted to show the coaching staff what I could do. I challenged myself every day and pushed to be the best I could be. I knew that if I did that I would be happy with my play no matter how many points I got.”

The team, made up of Canadian Interuniversity Sport all-stars, finished the tournament with a perfect 7-0 record culminating in the gold medal victory over Finland.

“Nothing can be compared to the feeling of that medal hanging around your neck at the end of it all. All the hard work and dedication pays off when you feel the weight of that success hanging off your neck.”

With just three practices, each lasting an hour, it was a challenge to bring in players from across the country and expect them to gel as a team but George says everyone was focused on the same goal.

“I think the key to our team’s success was the fact that every player knew they were there to win a gold medal. Everything we did, we did to win. We were all on the same page. The coaching staff scheduled time for team activities to get everyone familiar with each other and learn a little about everyone.”

Now the focus shifts back to Saskatoon and the Huskies attempt to earn a birth into the CIS Women’s Hockey Championship. George feels that her experience at the international level can help the Huskies take their game to the next level.

“The biggest thing I can bring back to this team from my experiences in Turkey is the experience of winning. There is truly nothing like it. Sometimes the student-athlete life gets hard and you lose sight on what exactly is important to you. We know we have the potential to make it to nationals and take it.

“We need to recognize that when we play at our best we can defeat even the best teams in our league and that is exactly what we are preparing to do in these next two weeks.”

What they really mean

2011-02-10T07:17:00.000-08:00

It's straight out of NHL on TSN host James Duthie's recent book 'The Day I (Almost) Killed Two Gretzkys'; a book highly recommended by this blogger.

Duthie is referring to the term of being "Nuked" in one of his stories. Not sure what he means? Here's the definition right out of the book.
"Nuke - a noun derived from the character Nuke Laloosh, Tim Robbins' strong-armed, dim-witted pitcher in the movie Bull Durham."

He is referring to part of the story where Nuke is taught all the lame cliches that he'd need for interviews in "The Show." Duthie says today it's referred to as "Media Training."

So what does witty TSN host do? He creates a Nuke-English Dictionary and provides some samples in his book. I'll share some with you:

PRE-GAME:
"We can't take this team too lightly."

(TRANSLATION: "They're 2-34. Our mascot might get a triple-double!")

"We're peaking at the right time."

("Most of the guys are right at the end of a steroid cycle.")

"There's no I in Team."

("But there's one in 'Incentive Clause,' so I ain't passing to anybody.")

POST-GAME:
"We just didn't have it tonight."

("We were out clubbing 'till 6 a.m., and man were we hung over.")

There are others and you'll have to pick up a copy of the book to see for yourself.

Blades 6 Warriors 5 OT

2011-02-09T23:00:00.000-08:00

SASKATOON --Brayden Schenn netted the game winner on a power play late in the overtime period as the Saskatoon Blades held off the Moose Jaw Warriors 6-5 Wednesday night at Credit Union Centre.

Schenn picked up four points (2g 2a) but was outdone in that department by Moose Jaw's Dylan Hood who picked up five assists. Quinton Howden also had four points including three goals.

The Blades next action is on Friday when they take on the Prince Albert Raiders.

For the full release from SaskatoonBlades.com follow the link: http://bit.ly/hlyk4z

Top 10 Tuesday

2011-02-08T16:18:00.001-08:00

MEN’S HOCKEY
(regular season record) / votes (first-place votes) / (previous rankings)

1. UNB (20-5-0) / 179 pts (17) / (1)
2. McGill (22-2-2) / 142 (1) / (2)
3. Alberta (15-5-2) / 130 / (4)
4. Western Ontario (20-2-4) / 117 / (3)
5. Saint Mary’s (16-9-1) / 111 / (6)
6. Saskatchewan (15-7-0) / 107 / (5)
7. St. Francis Xavier (15-10-1) / 74 / (7)
8. Carleton (17-7-2) / 45 / (NR)
9. Calgary (13-8-2) / 30 / (NR)
10. Acadia (14-8-3) / 21 / (NR)

Other teams receiving votes: UPEI (10), Manitoba (10), Guelph (6), Nipissing (5), Wilfrid Laurier (3).

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I'm not sure how the Huskies fall this week but they'll have a chance to move up with a good showing against Alberta. My thought is the Huskies would hold steady at #5 but that's not the case.

The women's team entered the top 10 and sits at #10.

Monday morning water cooler

2011-02-07T01:00:00.000-08:00

SASKATOON -- It's a cold one this morning in the bridge city but don't worry there is sunny skies on the horizon. Guess what? It's supposed to get up towards zero by the weekend. Hang in there.

For your enjoyment here are some notes I've collected over the past week, mostly from the fabulous world of Twitter.

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The dust has settled in Texas and emerging as Super Bowl champions are the Green Bay Packers.

I wasn't extremely excited for this one as I didn't really care who won but I watched and I am of the belief that in order to watch a game of any kind you need to have a rooting interest.

Am I right? Can you actually watch a game (and be genuinely interested) without cheering for one team or another?

So, I took the Steelers, and for a while I thought they were gonna do it. It ended up being a pretty entertaining game. Brian Lee will enjoy this Packer victory for a while.

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The half-time show left a little something to be desired. Yes it was refreshing to know the Black Eyed Peas were actually singing and there were a ton of lights and choreographed moves but that was about it.

It just left you asking yourself: was that it?

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The Saskatchewan Huskies men's hockey team had a very successful weekend sweeping the UBC Thunderbirds. Alberta also put a sweep together against Regina setting up a massive weekend at Rutherford.

Alberta will be in town for a pair of games that will go a long way to determining who finishes first in Canada West. Look for a preview sometime later in the week leading up to the big series.

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Congrats are in order for Mike Linklater and the Huskies men's basketball team for winning 2010 Kinsmen sport athlete and team of the year.

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While I didn't have too much interest in who won the Super Bowl, I was watching the Canadian Jr. Curling championships with interest. Congrats to the Moskowy rink for winning the championship.

Skip Braeden made a great shot with the final stone in the 10th end to win by one. It was good TV.

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Here are some quick notes from the week:

- Apparently, Ron Artest would play in the CFL. Check it out: http://natpo.st/fhW3fm

- A piece of advice from Wired 96.3 morning host Brandy:

@Bbbbbrandy: "Just cause you're not expecting company doesn't mean you shouldn't mow the lawn"

- Happy Birthday to Don Cherry (Feb. 5).

- Denis Kulyash one ups Zedeno Chara in the KHL skills competition by blasting a record breaking shot of 110.343 mph. WOW!

- Congrats to LaRonge Ice Wolves forward and former Klipper Travis Eggum for scoring his 50th goal of the season this past week. He becomes the first player to hit 50 since 2002/2003.

- How about former Rider QB Graham Harrell? He goes from practice roster to winning a super bowl as Packers 3rd string QB. Not a bad deal.

- Miss the Super Bowl commercials? Check out this link on YouTube: youtube.com/user/adblitz

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That's it for this morning. Have a great week!

dd

Champs!

2011-02-06T19:09:00.001-08:00

TSN.ca ALERT: Green Bay Packers defeat Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 to win Super Bowl XLV in Dallas.
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George and Canada win gold

2011-02-06T18:12:00.001-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2011 Winter Universiade

Women's hockey: Canada makes it back-to-back gold

Feb. 5, 2011

ERZURUM, Turkey (CIS) – Canada successfully defended its Winter Universiade title in women's hockey on Saturday afternoon defeating Finland 4-1 in the gold-medal final, a Cemal Gursel Arena.

IIHF game summary: http://www.erzurum2011.gov.tr/pdfts/IHW400101/C74 Team Canada website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/universiade/winter

2011 Winter Universiade website: http://www.erzurum2011.gov.tr/english

Canada also won gold in 2009 when the sport made its Universiade debut in Harbin, China, thanks to a 3-1 win over the host team.

The red-and-white squad comprised exclusively of Canadian Interuniversity Sport all-stars finished the 2011 tournament with an unblemished 7-0 record including a 2-1 shootout victory over Finland (5-1-1) in their preliminary round opener on Jan. 27.

"It's a great moment for us. We didn't play of best game today. We did a lot of good things but we struggled a little bit in our zone. But in the end, we're a team that came together over the two weeks and we accomplished what we came here to do," said Team Canada head coach Les Lawton. "After we took a three-goal lead we felt pretty comfortable. I didn't think they could score four on us."

"Over the past two weeks, we tried to do things that would help develop the game in other countries and I think we were successful. Our players did a great job of stepping up and embracing the other teams. You could see we have the respect of the other countries and that's very rewarding," added the Concordia University bench boss.

"Finland came out really strong today. It was a tough game all the way through. We came here with a goal and we knew what we wanted to do. We're really excited to come out of this game on top. It's an unbelievable feeling right now," said team captain Andrea Ironside.

"We came in as defending champs so we had some pressure on ourselves but we played through it all. I think we did a great job of stepping up to the challenge," added the Wilfrid Laurier rearguard from Collingwood, Ont., one of six returnees from the 2009 championship team. "We are overjoyed with everything, from the organizing committee to the facilities and the people. Turkey has been truly phenomenal."

Four different players scored for Canada including University of Montreal's Kim Deschênes of Saint-Quentin, N.B., Guelph's Jessica Zerafa of Mississauga, Ont., as well as McGill teammates Ann-Sophie Bettez of Sept-Îles, Que., and Carly Hill of Dorval, Que.

Wilfrid Laurier netminder Liz Knox of Stoufville, Ont., made 20 saves to earn her fourth win in as many starts.

Canada fired 34 shots at Finnish goalie Anna Vanhatalo including a 13-7 advantage in the first period and a 12-4 edge in the second.

Deschênes, who found the back of the net for a fifth straight match, opened the scoring with 91 seconds left in the first frame when she beat a defender, kicked the puck to her stick and beat Vanhatalo up top. It marked the third time in the competition that Deschênes scored the game's first goal.

Zerafa tallied what would be the game-winner 4:01 into the middle stanza. She took advantage of traffic in front of the net to roof a rebound over Vanhatalo's right shoulder for her fourth of the tourney.

After Bettez made it 3-0 late in the second period with her fifth goal of the event, Finland came back to within two 2:19 into the third when Venla Hovi buried a rebound past Knox during a power play.

Hill, who was also part of the 2009 gold-medal team, put the game away with a power-play marker with 3:33 left on the clock.

GAME NOTES: In addition to Ironside and Hill, other 2009 returnees included University of Alberta's Andrea Boras of Calgary, York's Kelsey Webster of Duncan, B.C., Moncton's Mariève Provost of Laval, Que., and York's Courtney Unruh of Fort St. John, B.C... Wilfrid Laurier forward Candice Styles of Orangeville, Ont., who picked up an assist in the final, and Saskatchewan's Breanne George of Saskatoon both finished with a team-leading 12 points, good for sixth in the tournament scoring race... Styles finished third in goals with eight, while George was tied for fourth with seven... Brock goalie Beth Clause of Hamilton, who was Knox's backup in the final, didn't allow a goal on 25 shots in 200 minutes of action in the tournament to finish first in goals against average (0.00), save percentage (1.000) and shutouts (3)... Know, who allowed three goals in 225 minutes of play, finished second in GAA (0.80) and save% (.921)...

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Huskie hockey and basketball sweep

2011-02-04T22:02:00.000-08:00

Saskatchewan 3 UBC 0 (men's hockey)

Steven DaSilvs's first period goal was all the offense the Huskies would need as goaltender David Reekie turned aside 32 shots for his second shutout of the season as the Huskies opened the weekend with a 3-0 win over UBC.

Andrew Bailey and Brett Ward added singles for the Huskies who picked up their fourth consecutive win to improve to 14-7-0 on the season. The two teams hit the ice Saturday night for the second game of the weekend series in Vancouver.

Elsewhere in Canada West the Calgary Dinos did the Huskies a favor beating the Manitoba Bisons 6-2 while Alberta beat Regina by a 5-3 score.

Saskatchewan's win combined with Manitoba's loss moves the Huskies into sole position of second place in Canada West with 28 points while Calgary and Manitoba become tied for third with 26 points each. Alberta is able to remain alone in first place with 30 points and are just two points ahead of Saskatchewan.

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Saskatchewan 3 UBC 2 (women's hockey)

The women's Huskies hockey team was successful at home against UBC Friday night picking up a 3-2 win in front of a boisterous 284 at Rutherford Rink.

Chelsey Sundby scored the winner late in the third period in game where emotions ran high. Teegan Heintz and Julie Paetsch also added singles for the Huskies while Kaylee Chanakos and Amanda Asay replied for UBC.

The Huskies remain in fourth place and will be hard pressed to move up with just three games left in the regular season.

UBC and Saskatchewan meet again Saturday night at Rutherford Rink with puck-drop scheduled for 7:00pm.

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Huskies basketball results at the PAC:

Saskatchewan 98 Alberta 73 (men's basketball)

Saskatchewan 82 Alberta 70 (women's basketball) *Kim Tulloch career-high 28 points.

Blades 6 Pats 2

2011-02-02T22:48:00.001-08:00

The Blades found themselves lacking against the Pats this season, falling behind in the season series 2 games to 1. Saskatoon worked hard tonight to bring up those stats with a 6-2 win and a now even versus the Pats as they look forward to two more regular season games with the Queen City.

Right off the hop Teigan Zahn and Shayne Neigum set the pace for the first period; 15 seconds in they dropped gloves for the first of two battles tonight. Following that the two Blades imports, Marek Viedensky and Matej Stransky, scored 24 seconds apart. Jake Trask notched another goal for Saskatoon and the Blades went into the dressing room with a 3-point lead, outshooting the Pats 23-11 in the first.

Point-leader in the Blades-Pats series, Jordan Weal, put the visiting team on the board at 13:16 of the second period. Duncan Siemens scored on the powerplay and one minute later Curtis Hamilton picked up his 17th goal of the season as Schenn received his third assist of the night. Stanford made another 11 saves, including some impressive acrobatics as he stacked the pads and kicked away a sure thing.

Mid-way through the third period Neigum was given credit for a Pats goal, after a shot that rebounded from a save by Stanford was pushed in by Siemens as he uncontrollably slid into the net. Trask continued to rack up the points with another Blades goal to top off the night and the home team dominated 6-2.

The Blades continue their 5-game homes stand on Saturday when they take on the Lethbridge Hurricanes at 7:05 in Credit Union Centre.

(courtesy SaskatoonBlades.om)
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On the air tonight!

2011-02-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

I'm back! I'll be in the booth tonight working alongside Dan Plaster for the Pats and Blades tonight from CUC.

I'll be on the Pats broadcast which begins at 6:35pm with the Press Box Sports Bar pre-game show and puck drop at 7:05pm on 620 CKRM and online at www.620ckrm.com.

Talk to you then!

Blades game day: vs Regina

2011-02-02T09:14:00.000-08:00

(courtesy SaskatoonBlades.com)

Tonight’s game is the fourth of six regular season meetings between the Saskatoon Blades (39-10-0-2) and the Regina Pats (18-25-6-1). Despite their wide gap in points and positioning in the Eastern Conference, the Pats have beaten the Blades in 2 of the 3 previous meetings this season, including a 4-3 Shoot-out win over Saskatoon in the last meeting back on Jan 13^th in Regina. That night the Pats jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead and then relied on goaltender Matt Hewitt to secure them the win as he was forced to make 59 saves on 62 shots in order to pick up the “W”.

The Blades are lead offensively against the Pats by Marek Viedensky who has collected five points (3G 2A) in the three games vs. Regina this year. After Viedensky; Stefan Elliott (1G 2A), Curtis Hamilton (1G 2A), and Josh Nicholls (3A) round out the top 4 scorers against the Rebels. For the Pats; Jordan Weal has 6 points (4G 2A) vs. the Blades this season.

Blades Last Game

The Saskatoon Blades won a wild-scoring and wildly-entertaining contest Tuesday…out-scoring the Red Deer Rebels 7-5 in front of 5,184 fans at Credit Union Centre. The top two teams in the Eastern Conference squared off in a see-saw struggle that included a couple of first period fights while scoring goals from all lengths and angles off beleaguered netminders Steven Stanford of the Blades and Darcy Kuemper of Red Deer. Brayden Schenn scored twice, including a power play goal 58 seconds into the third period that broke a 3-3 tie. Josh Nicholls followed that up 16 seconds later and the Bridge City Bunch would not be caught the rest of the way in winning their sixth straight game and ending the Rebels’ 11-game winning streak. Darian Dziurzynski, Dalton Thrower, Chris Collins and Jake Trask also tallied for the 39-10-2 Blades who, with 80 points, now lead the Eastern Conference by five points over Red Deer. Saskatoon also holds two games in hand.

Blades Banter

- King Size Match-up – tonight’s game will be of interest to the LA Kings who will have 2009 first round pick Brayden Schenn and 2010 third round pick Jordan Weal facing off against each other for the first time this season. Weal and Schenn finished 3^rd and 4^th respectively in WHL scoring last season giving the Kings a tremendous pair of prospects for the future of their club. Weal is currently ranked 9^th in the league in scoring this year with 63 points and Schenn is putting up an average of 1.875 points a game which is tops in the WHL this season.

- Last Wednesday, the CHL announced their week 18 Top 10 rankings which are voted upon by a panel of NHL Scouts. This week’s rankings have the Blades ranked 3^rd in the CHL behind the Saint John Sea Dogs and the Mississauga St. Mike’s Majors.

By The Numbers

- Brayden Schenn’s 2^nd goal last night was the 100^th regular season goal of his WHL career. The 19 year old LA Kings prospect has 273 points in 203 career games. Since joining the Blades, Schenn has been held off the score sheet just once and has 11 points (5G 6A) in 6 games played.

- The Saskatoon Blades enter tonight’s game on a season high six game winning streak. During that time, the Blades have outscored their opponents 33 to 17. The Blades PP has also seen a dramatic turnaround and has been clicking at a 31.0% success rate over the last 6 games (9 for 29).

- With 63 points, Josh Nicholls has moved into a 10^th place tie for scoring in the WHL. The 18 year old Toronto Maple Leaf prospect, who will be playing in his 185^th career game tonight, also leads the Blades in goals scored (25) and power-play goals scored (7).

- Stefan Elliott was a +2 in last night’s 7-5 win over Red Deer which raised his season total to an impressive +40 mark. Elliott is ranked 2^nd in the league in +/- this season behind only Brendon Kichton of the Spokane Chiefs.

Blades 7 Rebels 5

2011-02-01T22:42:00.000-08:00

The final regular season meeting between the top two teams in the Western Hockey League was a back and forth struggle. In the end it was a physical battle en route to the Blades 7-5 win and 3-1 domination of the season series against the Rebels.

The first period between the two rivals lived up to the expected intensity level. Darian Dziurzynski opened up the scoring, with a short-handed slap shot from the Blades’ side of centre ice that beat goaltender, Darcy Keumper. 23 second later, the Rebels’ Andrej Kudrna put a PP goal in from the mouth of the Blades’ net. Schenn scored directly before back-to-back scraps took place off the next two face-offs. The fights featured Dziurzynski taking on Josh Cowen and Lukas Sutter battling the Rebels’ Locke Muller. Ness evened up the score to finish off the eventful period at 2-2.

In the second, top prospect, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, scored to give the Rebels their first and only lead of the night. Saskatoon D-man, Dalton Thrower, picked the right time to score his sixth goal of the season; he tied the game at 3-3. The Rebels had an opportunity with a 2-man advantage in the final minutes of the period but couldn’t get past goaltender, Steven Stanford.

The Blades jumped out to a 2-point lead at the beginning of the third with Schenn scoring his second goal of the night and Josh Nicholls chipping in with one 16 seconds apart. Colin Archer closed in the gap with another Rebels goal. The back-and-forth continued as Chris Collins scored his 15^th goal of the season, followed by Daulton Siwak for the Rebels. Still one point behind in the last minute, the Rebels pulled their netminder, Kuemper, and Jake Trask found the open net to put the game on ice. The Blades outshot the Rebels 37-23 and beat the top contender 7-5.

The Blades play the Regina Pats tomorrow night at home in the CUC, puck drops at 7:05.

Huskies move up in CIS Top 10

2011-02-01T10:14:00.000-08:00

MEN'S HOCKEY
(regular season record) / votes (first-place votes) / (previous rankings)

1. UNB (19-4-0) / 179 pts (17) / (1)
2. McGill (22-1-2) / 143 (1) / (2)
3. Western Ontario (19-1-4) / 135 / (3)
4. Alberta (13-5-2) / 124 / (4)
5. Saskatchewan (13-7-0) / 98 / (7)
6. Saint Mary's (14-9-1) / 97 / (5)
7. StFX (14-9-1) / 77 / (NR)
8. UPEI (12-8-3) / 45 / (6)
9. Manitoba (11-5-4) / 43 / (8)
10. Nipissing (16-7-3) / 12 / (NR)

Other teams receiving votes: Carleton (11), Calgary (10), Wilfrid Laurier (7), Acadia (3), Lakehead (3), UQTR (3).

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Other Huskie Top 10 notes:

- Men's basketball remains steady at #3 while women's basketball received every first place vote to remain at #1.

- Women's track and field is at #7 for another week while the men's team moved into #7 after previously being ranked 10th.

- The women's hockey team remains outside the top 10 again this week.

SJHL RBC January players of the month

2011-01-31T11:32:00.001-08:00

PLAYER OF THE MONTH – Braeden Adamyk (Kindersley)

The Klippers have made a race of it in the Sherwood Conference thanks to great play from several players including Adamyk. The 20 year old from Neepawa, Manitoba had 13 goals and 12 assists in 14 games this month as Kindersley made a statement as to where they want to be at the end of the season.

HONORABLE MENTION: Johnny Calkins (Kindersley), Travis Eggum (La Ronge), Jesse Mireau (Melfort)

DEFENCEMAN OF THE MONTH – Josh Roach (Humboldt)

The 1992 born defenceman from Saskatoon saw a lot of former teammates go this year as the Broncos start building a team for the 2012 RBC. One player that didn’t have to worry about going anywhere because he is a keystone to the Humboldt future is Roach. His play has drawn the attention of many scouts and he didn’t disappoint those scouts during January by showcasing his complete skills.

HONORABLE MENTION: Kurt Leedahl (Kindersley), Cody Folstad (Battlefords), James Howden ( Notre Dame)

GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH – Russell Abbott (Notre Dame)

The 1991 born goaltender from Mill Bay, B-C is keeping the Hounds in the playoff chase. Abbott had a spectacular month of January in which he went 6-3-1 while posting a goals against average of 2.14 and a save percentage of .933 with a shutout. His play is one reason why Notre Dame is chasing Melville right to the end for the last playoff spot in the Sherwood Conference.

HONORABLE MENTION: Charles Corsi (Melfort), Sean Cahill (Kindersley)

ROOKIE OF THE MONTH – Eli Lichtenwald (Nipawin)

It hasn’t been a great year for the Hawks, but head coach Doug Johnson has a talented group of rookies including the 1992 born forward from Saskatoon. Lichtenwald has seen increased ice time in January with the trades of players like Matthew Spafford and Jonathan Ceci. He answered the bell by providing quality minutes and registering nine points in 11 games.

Monday morning water cooler

2011-01-31T01:50:00.000-08:00

Good morning and welcome to the final day of January. How was the first month of 2011 for you? The the month started off great ringing in the new year and here's hoping that it ends well today.

The weekend was fantastic and this should be a pretty fast paced week with tons going on so let's get to this morning's column.

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The Huskie men's hockey team may be the best team in Canada West.

With the Alberta Golden Bears having a so-so start to 2011 there were questions going around that maybe they weren't the top dogs in the CWUAA. Some were saying that the title of best in the west belonged to either Calgary or Saskatchewan. Last week you could have said that Calgary had the inside track after their sweep of Alberta but I don't think too many people are humming that tune this morning.

The Huskies dominated the scoreboard at Rutherford this weekend beating the Dinos 6-3 on Friday night at 3-0 on Saturday to move into a tie for second place and just two points back of the Bears.

A couple of notes for the Huskies:

- five on five they were dominate and didn't allow a single goal against. All three Calgary goals came on the power play while the Huskies added a pair of shorthanded goals on Friday night.

- Huskies goaltender Ryan Holfeld posted his first CW shutout on Saturday night and in 5 games has a 4-1 record with a 1.59 GAA and a sparkling .944 sv %.

- Kyle Bortis was held of the score sheet Saturday night bringing his league leading 6 game point streak to a halt. Bortis put up 13 points (9g 4a) during the streak and now is averaging a point a game on the season.

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The Huskies are tied with the Manitoba Bisons for second place in Canada West. The Bisons picked up just 2 points against the Regina Cougars and failed to take advantage of the opportunity to pull even with Alberta.

Calgary is now just two points up on both Lethbridge and UBC for the fourth and final playoff spot after the Pronghorns swept the UBC Thunderbirds.

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The defenses were hung out to dry on Sunday in both the NHL All-Star game and the Pro Bowl.

Team Lidstrom and Team Stall put on an offensive show scoring 21 goals between them in a 11-10 win for team Lidstrom while over in Hawaii MVP DeAngelo Hall and the NFC earned a 55-41 win over the AFC.

Patrick Sharp was named NHL All-Star MVP.

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Here's some old school fun Global's Kevin Jesus pointed out to us on Twitter:

@GlobalJesus: Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Apparently Facebook.... and joining her? OREGON TRAIL!!!!

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My Tennessee Titans have decided to say goodbye to longtime coach Jeff Fisher. The Titans and Fisher decided to go their separate ways this past week and it has me starting to think of possible replacements. I'm a Jon Gruden fan and I'm not sure what his contract status is but I'd support him in Tennessee.

The Titans have also said that they plan to trade QB Vince Young. They'll have a small window once a new CBA is signed to trade him before a big bonus kicks in. I like Young and part of me still hopes he's in Tennessee next year but I can't see it.

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Speaking of the NFL, who do you like in the Super Bowl this Sunday? I like what the Packers have done with their opportunity but my money is on the Steelers.

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In a CBC-NHLPA poll of 318 players, Ron Wilson was the overwhelming choice a coach you would least like to play for. To be fair, not many people liked playing for Scotty Bowman but look at what he accomplished.

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Here's a question from sports humor columnist Cam Hutchinson:

If forced, which one would you give up: 1 smartphone; 2 family; 3 laptop; 4 television; 5 vehicle?

It makes you think. A person could likely go without TV because you can get everything on the computer now anyway. If you give up the laptop can you still have an i pad?

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Here's a shot of the TSN crew doing a little tail-gating before the NHL All-Star game in North Carolina.

The shot was posted by Ryan Rishaug (pictured from L to R with Brent Wallace and Darren Dreger).

The best part about social media like Twitter is getting to see TV personalities when the camera isn't rolling.

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Fans trying to watch the NHL All-Star game took to social media sites and message boards when the game was delayed due to an extra end in curling.

CBC missed the player introductions as well as the anthems while it stayed for the finish of the curling game.

This brings up a couple interesting observations and thoughts that I have on the subject:

- First, there is apparently going to be a bidding war happening in the near future for NHL rights in Canada including Hockey Night in Canada and I can't imagine that the NHL is too impressed with the CBC missing the beginning of the All-Star game.

- Secondly, I do understand what the CBC was doing. Would they cut away from the finish to an overtime game between, lets say, Calgary and Edmonton for other programming?

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Do you think Phil Mickelson is a good guy? I did but apparently his peers on the PGA tour call him FIGJAM... F--- I'm Good Just Ask Me.

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More Cam Hutchinson via Twitter:

@camhutchinson

Parking for the Super Bowl will cost up to $900 ... how can Jerry Jones charge that and keep a straight face? #superbowl #nfl #cowboys

@camhutchinson

the dirtiest things we touch in a day: 1. desk; 2. kitchen sponge; 3. cell phone; 4. makeup; 5. handbag ... 6. lady gaga ... #yxe #ladygaga

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Congrats to Amber Holland and her rink for winning the Saskatchewan Scotties yesterday in Outlook. Holland becomes the first team from SK to win back to back provincial titles since Sherry Anderson in '94-'95.

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That's all for this morning. Have a great week!

dd

Huskies game night: vs Calgary

2011-01-28T07:09:00.000-08:00

SASKATOON -- The Saskatchewan Huskies hit the ice tonight after a 13 day layoff which saw them fall from 2nd in Canada West into a tie for 4th with UBC.

The Huskies will welcome the surging Calgary Dinos into Rutherford tonight who are coming off a weekend sweep of the league leading Alberta Golden Bears.

I'll be taking in this one from Rutherford tonight and will provide updates via Twitter for you so you can follow along with the game at Twitter.com/DarrenDupont.

Here's tonight's game story courtesy of this morning's Star Phoenix:

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Walker Wintoneak and Derek Hulak won't be feeding each other the puck this weekend as they were accustomed to doing with the Saskatoon Blades.

Trash talk is likely another story. Been there, done that.

Just for old time's sake, Chris Durand, Ryan Funk and Michael Kaye -other former Blades on the University of Saskatchewan Huskies hockey team -will add their tuition's worth when Wintoneak comes to town tonight as the newest member of the Calgary Dinos.

"It'll be interesting," said Wintoneak. "It'll be an ex-Blades alumni game pretty much. It'll be fun.

"I've been talking to Hulak throughout most of the year. We talk back and forth. No (trash) yet, but there definitely will be -both ways."

Saskatchewan (11-7-0) plays host to Calgary (11-6-2) in a Canada West conference series. Game time is 7 p.m. tonight and Saturday at Rutherford Rink.

Despite playing just five games since joining the Dinos after Christmas, Wintoneak has four goals and five assists for nine points.

"I'm doing OK," he said of his instant success in Canadian Interuniversity Sport. "I just had help from playing down south in the Central League. I was on the ice for pretty much all of December. The (CIS) guys were off since the end of November. The extra three weeks helped."

Hulak has one goal and two assists for three points in four games since joining the Dogs at Christmas.

"It's going to be a little different," Hulak said when asked about playing against his former Blades linemate. "We did it a little bit in the Central League, but it's always weird when you play against somebody you used to play with. You think about it after the game or a little bit during the day, but come game time, you're playing another team and you've got no friends on the ice.

"He's definitely a guy we've got to key on. He's a tremendous player. He's always been underrated. I had the privilege of not only playing with him, but also on the same line as him. I've got nothing but great things to say about the guy. He's a great guy, one of my best friends, and he's a heck of a hockey player."

Both players were toiling in minor pro this season, but neither had an American Hockey League contract and the financial security that goes with it. So they elected to make use of the generous Western Hockey League scholarship program at the CIS level.

Wintoneak, a native of Thunder Bay, Ont., chose Calgary over both his former hometown and his more recent town, Saskatoon.

"Lakehead (University in Thunder Bay) was interested because, obviously, I'm from there; I was thinking about Saskatoon since I had been playing junior there," said Wintoneak. "But I've got a lot of friends out (in Calgary). I like the program. They've got Cory Cross and Brad Isbister as assistant coaches and with their help and (head coach) Mark (Howell) just wanted to let

me know that this wasn't the end of my career, that you can always move on. I thought they'd maybe be the best for me to move on to the next level after my (CIS) career is done."

Howell says Wintoneak's addition has been huge, as has Aaron Richards, a former Dinos captain who has been cleared to play the second half.

"It's added a lot of depth," Howell said. "We had the (Reid) Jorgensen line with (Brock) Nixon and (Torrie) Wheat to start the year. I think teams could really key on those guys. This gives us two (scoring lines), but our third line has more opportunities to generate offence, too."

While a two-game sweep of league leading Alberta Golden Bears was big for Calgary last weekend, this weekend "could be just as big or even more because if we don't keep it up, last weekend becomes a waste pretty fast," said Wintoneak.

"UBC is right on everybody's tails, trying to get in. Same with Lethbridge. This weekend will be pretty big for both teams."

Funk, a rookie defenceman with the U of S, relishes the chance to play against an old teammate.

"I haven't talked to (Wintoneak) and I'm not sure if Derek has, but I wouldn't be surprised if he has," said Funk. "It'll be interesting. It'll be fun.

"That's the great thing about hockey. You can be great friends off the ice, but on the ice you have that respect for each other, but you still battle hard against each other."

Said Hulak: "It's a huge weekend. We all realize that. We just want to accept whatever roles we have and do whatever we can to help the team win."

For Wintoneak, this won't be his first time at Rutherford.

"I went last year actually to watch a game," he said.

Probably with Hulak.

CANADA GETS WIN

Canada opened with a 2-1 shootout victory over Finland on Thursday at the Winter Universiade women's hockey competition in Erzurum, Turkey.

Finland scored first and held the lead until Marieve Provost of the University of Moncton scored with one minute and 29 seconds to play in the third period. In the shootout, University of Western Ontario's Ellie Seedhouse scored on Canada's fifth attempt.

Breanne George of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies is playing with Canada.

Canada plays Slovakia today.

dzary@thestarphoenix.com

Blackhawks/Oilers to invade Bridge City

2011-01-26T14:55:00.001-08:00

The Credit Union Centre and Saskatoon Blades in association with The Chicago Blackhawks are pleased to announce that Chicago will host one of their pre-season home games in Saskatoon on September 20, 2011 at 7:00 pm. The exhibition game will be against the Edmonton Oilers

This year’s game will feature the 2010 Stanley Cup Champions, Chicago Blackhawks, against the young, exciting Edmonton Oilers. Chicago’s visit will mark the first appearance of a regular six team to Saskatoon.

“The Edmonton Oilers look forward to returning to Saskatoon for a match-up against Chicago,” said Steve Tambellini, the General Manager of the Edmonton Oilers. “ We know we have a lot of Oiler fans in Saskatchewan and are excited to play Chicago in Saskatoon.” Both teams expressed how excited they are to bring the game to Saskatoon, a city so passionate about hockey.

Hockey operations staff from both teams spoke at the press conference this afternoon via conference call. Including, Steve Tambellini, Edmonton Oilers General Manager, and Kevin Cheveldayoff, Assistant General Manager of the Chicago Blackhawks. Cheveldayoff explained that he has already been approached by players with roots in the Western Hockey League that stated they are definitely playing in this exhibition game.

Tickets will go on sale this week, with the first pre-sale going to Saskatoon Blades season ticket holders tomorrow, January 27th. After which, tickets will be opened up to all other pre-sale outlets, including the Blades E-blast. To sign up and get your pre-sale information go to www.saskatoonblades.com/page/enews. Pre-sale tickets include a ticket to the Blades home-opener in September.

The general public can purchase tickets on February 4, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. Ticket prices are $37.50 to $97.50 (plus service charges) and are available through all Ticketmaster outlets, online at ticketmaster.ca and by calling (306) 938-7800 or 1-800-970-7328.

Huskies fall one spot in bye week

2011-01-26T14:49:00.000-08:00

CIS MEN’S HOCKEY TOP 10
(regular season record) / votes (first-place votes) / (previous rankings)

1. UNB (17-4-0) / 178 pts (16) / (1)
2. McGill (21-0-2) / 156 (2) / (2)
3. Western Ontario (17-1-4) / 130 / (4)
4. Alberta (13-5-2) / 126 / (3)
5. Saint Mary’s (13-7-1) / 104 / (5)
6. UPEI (12-6-3) / 82 / (7)
7. Saskatchewan (11-7-0) / 60 / (6) *
8. Manitoba (10-4-4) / 60 / (8) *
9. Calgary (11-6-2) / 34 / (NR)
10. Lakehead (14-7-1) / 21 / (10)

* Saskatchewan was awarded the higher ranking over Manitoba based on number of higher-placed votes. Other teams receiving votes: Acadia (13), StFX (12), UQTR (10), Nipissing (3), Carleton (1).

Blades #3 in CHL

2011-01-26T14:47:00.000-08:00

MO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings – Week 18

Rank	Team (Record)	Last Week Rank	Number of Weeks Ranked
1	Saint John Sea Dogs (38-5-1-2)	1	15
2	Mississauga St. Michael's Majors (34-8-0-2)	2	18
3	Saskatoon Blades (35-10-0-2)	4	18
4	Montreal Juniors (33-7-4-3)	5	12
5	Quebec Remparts (34-10-1-2)	3	17
6	Red Deer Rebels (32-12-1-4)	9	9
7	Saginaw Spirit (31-11-3-1)	6	16
8	Niagara IceDogs (29-11-2-3)	10	3
9	Drummondville Voltigeurs (31-12-5-1)	-	8
10	Portland Winterhawks (32-14-0-3)	-	13

	Honourable Mention:
	Ottawa 67's (29-15-1-1)	-	5
	Spokane Chiefs (29-12-4-2)	-	0
	Gatineau Olympiques (30-13-2-3)	8	2

Monday morning water cooler

2011-01-24T07:32:00.001-08:00

The engins are up running here at the MMWC but I gotta admit it was pretty nice to shut it down for the weekend.

My BlackBerry went dead sometime early Saturday and I never bothered to charge it. Leaving the phone off for a couple days is one of the most relaxing things you can do. It's on now though and there is a bit of a weekend recap to come.

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Great to see that 7,646 took in Brayden Schenn's debut with the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday night. The Bridge City Bunch knocked off the Calgary Hitmen 5-1 with Schenn picking up a single assist.

That attendance figure topped the WHL for the weekend and I hope it continues. The Blades are a top notch product on the ice and it's time the city realized it.

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The Saskatchewan Huskies men's hockey team was idol over the weekend and as a result dropped from 2nd into a tie for 4th in Canada West.

The Alberta Golden Bears were swept in a weekend series for the first time since 2008. The Dinos beat the Bears 3-2 and 1-0 in a home and home and now sit in a tie for 2nd place in Canada West and are just 4 points back of Alberta.

The team the Dinos are tied with is the Manitoba Bisons who swept the Lethbridge Pronghorns over the weekend. UBC also completed a weekend sweep over Regina keeping their slim playoff hopes alive.

So here's how the Canada West standings break down as of Monday morning.

Team - Points - (games remaining)

Alberta 28 (8)

Calgary 24 (9)

Manitoba 24 (10)

Saskatchewan 22 (10)

UBC 22 (8)

Lethbridge 18 (9)

Regina 13 (8)

Here's the remaining teams the Huskies face in order: Calgary, UBC, Alberta, Lethbridge, Manitoba.

It'll be a big weekend at Rutherford this weekend when the Dinos are in town. Games go at 7:00pm both nights. Plan your weekend accordingly.

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There's a battle raging between TSN and Sportsnet or CTV Globe Media and Rogers.

Earlier last week Rogers outbid TSN for the services of Damien Cox who joins the team at Sportsnet and The Fan 590. Cox leaves his post at TSN's The Reporters and word is that Sportsnet is working on launching a similar program on their network of stations.

Following the Cox announcment it was said that Mike Richards was leaving his post as morning man at Calgary's The Fan 960. He was snatched up by TSN to run the morning airwaves in Toronto on TSN's new sports radio station that is set to launch in the near future.

It's been in my head for sometime now and I've said it on more than one occasion that Saskatchewan needs sports talk radio and you would have to think that it's only a matter of time now.

I mean the hype around the Riders is big ticket stuff and would attract most of the attention but imagine the expanded coverage of local sports including university athletics.

Dare to dream.

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I admire the way the Jets came out and made a game of it in the second half last night in Pittsburg. They never should have been down by so much at the half but they stormed back. Some questionable play calling in the fourth quarter may have cost them their chance but I'm happy to say I was a Jets fan for the past month.

As far as the Super Bowl goes it's hard to bet against the Packers the way Aaron Rodgers is playing but I think I'll be in the Steelers corner in two weeks but I am not 100% decided yet.

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If you follow tennis at all you will likely have been tuned into the Australian Open and been captivated by an unseeded Canadian making his mark.

Milos Raonic finally ran out of magic and upsets down under. The Canadian saw his run come to an end early Monday after he lost out in the fourth round to No. 7 seed David Ferrer.

I believe at some point during the Open John McEnroe said that Raonic is the next big thing in tennis. If it's true then it's great news for this country.

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Former Saskatoon Blades goaltender Braden Holtby is enjoying some success in the NHL. The 21 year old Holtby was in net when his Washington Capitals knocked off the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 on Saturday night.

Another former Blades goaltender, Anton Khudobin, is enjoying success in Minnesota's system. Khudobin has played in four games with the NHL's Wild going 2-1 with a 1.59 GAA and a .940 sv % including one shutout. He's 13-9-1 in the American league with a 2.51 GAA and a .913 %.

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That's all for this morning. Enjoy the week!

Richards to leave Calgary

2011-01-21T11:54:00.000-08:00

We regrettably announce that Mike Richards has resigned from Sportsnet Radio – FAN 960.

Richards is returning to Toronto effective immediately to continue his career and be with his wife and son.

Sportsnet Radio – FAN 960 would like to thank Mike Richards for his over six years of great humor, creativity and radio within Calgary and its surrounding areas. We sincerely wish him well in his future endeavors.

Here's the news release:

http://rogersradiointernet.com/hq/newsletters/cache/4336.html

Big weekend in Canada West hockey

2011-01-21T09:10:00.000-08:00

While the University of Saskatchewan Huskies enjoy their final weekend off of the season they will take great interest in what is happening on the ice around Canada West.

One province West the Calgary Dinos and Alberta Golden Bears hook up for a home and home series that will be the highlight of the weekend. Two of the elite teams in Canada West hook up tonight in Edmonton and Saturday night in Calgary. If I'm not mistaken, Dustin Nielsen of The Team 1260 in Edmonton will have the webcast of tonight's game online.

The Dinos trail the Huskies by 2 points for 2nd place in Canada West but have one game in hand. I would think a split would be the order of business setting up a critical weekend series at the end of the month in Saskatoon.

On the flip side, the Huskies are still in a position to catch the Bears for first place trailing by just 6 points. After this weekend the Huskies will have a pair of games in hand on Alberta.

Here's Gateway sports writer Evan Daum's take on the Bears from his South Campus Sports blog:

It's hard to say that a season is defined by a weekend series in January, but for me that's what this weekend against Calgary is for the Alberta Golden Bears. Splitting their last four series hasn't been good enough, and while the rest of the conference has improved, the Bears have not.

I think the weekend series that may be the most important for the teams involved is the series in Winnipeg.

The Lethbridge Pronghorns will be in Manitoba to take on the Bisons for a pair of games beginning Friday. Manitoba has a slip 2 point lead for the final playoff spot over the Horns and hold a game in hand so this 2 game set should be a big one.

Lethbridge just took 3 of a possible 4 points last weekend against Alberta and this this team is in a position to enter the playoff picture. Let's also note that the Bisons trail Saskatchewan by just 2 points with two games in hand. Those games in hand get used up this weekend and they need to make them count.

UBC will take on Regina in the other weekend set and with UBC 4 points back of the Huskies and just 2 points back of a playoff spot they could enter the picture although both Manitoba and Calgary have games in hand and after the weekend so will the Huskies.

It'll be interesting to see what takes place and what the scenario is come next weekend when the Huskies get back on the ice.

I'll be following the CW picture here on the blog and also over on twitter at Twitter.com/DarrenDupont.

UBC goalie get's the call

2011-01-20T16:00:00.000-08:00

VANCOUVER - Like every hockey player growing up in Canada, UBC netminder Jordan White always dreamed of playing in the NHL. Tonight, as an emergency back-up for the San Jose Sharks, he is going to realize that dream.

White, of Surrey, B.C., is in his second year with the T-Birds and is the the squad's no. 1 goalie. He's started every conference game for UBC in 2010-11 and has a record of 7-7-4 with a 3.51 GAA and .876 save percentage.

He got the news on Thursday as he was preparing for practice around noon, getting called into UBC head coach Milan Dragicevic's office before the team was about to hit the ice for their final tune-up leading into their weekend series against the Regina Cougars.

"Coach called me into his office and told me the situation. At first, I was just trying to put it into perspective. You've heard about these stories on TV or in the papers and I'm looking forward to the experience and taking it for what it is," said White.

Due to league rules, White had to sign all the paperwork before 2:00 p.m. In order to meet these deadlines, he actually had to step off the ice during practice to get everything in order before returning to finish practice.

UBC, who are in the midst of a jam packed playoff race in the Canada West, will be relying on White for a big weekend against the Cougars.

"Tonight can only help and is a great learning experience. I'm going to see how the best professionals in the world work their trade. Hopefully I can take a couple of pointers so I can be prepared for our games this weekend," said White, who is set to start for the T-Birds on Friday.

White is the second UBC goalie to earn a call up to the NHL, with Chris Levesque earning the honour with the Vancouver Canucks back on December 9, 2003.

Unlike Levesque, tonight White will be sitting across from his hometown and favourite team but he's ready for that challenge.

"I can be a Canucks fan every other night but tonight's I'm going to rooting for the guys on the bench with me," added White.

gothunderbirds.ca

NHL.com

Shenn to play Saturday

2011-01-20T13:31:00.000-08:00

Blades recently acquired player, Brayden Schenn, set to play on Saturday

The Blades acquired 2011 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship MVP and Top Forward, Brayden Schenn, from the Brandon Wheat Kings on the trade deadline: January 10, 2011.

Schenn has missed four games since joining the Blades due to a shoulder injury he sustained at the WJHC. He is now cleared to play and is expected in Saturday’s line-up when the Blades take on the Calgary Hitmen at 7:05 in the Credit Union Centre.

CHL Top Prospects skills competition results

2011-01-19T09:14:00.001-08:00

Team Orr opened the 2011 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects festivities with a thrilling 12-11 win in the Skills Competition Tuesday night at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Doug Gilmour's crew fought back from a 5-3 deficit following the first four skills events of the evening to rally to an 11-11 tie in the three-on-three challenge before winning the contest 12-11 in a shootout. Sven Bartschi of the Portland Winterhawks scored the shootout winner.

Team Cherry's Tomas Jurco of the Saint John Sea Dogs and Team Orr's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels dazzled fans with their amazing shootout skills in the Showdown Breakaway Challenge. Nugent-Hopkins led after the opening round with a score of 37 out of a possible 40 points on two attempts before Jurco posted an impressive 39 points in the event's final round to clinch the individual win in the evening's marquee event.

The Skills Competition got underway with the Fastest Skater event that saw Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds' forward Daniel Catenacci of Team Orr win with an individual best lap time of 14.017 seconds.

The Hardest Shot contest followed and it was Team Cherry's Myles Bell of the Regina Pats that stole the show with a 98.4 mile per hour blast for the win.

In the Shooting Accuracy event, four of the eight participants managed to hit all four targets but it was Team Cherry's Matthew Puempel of the Peterborough Petes that did it the fastest using just five shots to break all four targets.

Team Cherry will look to rebound in Wednesday's game that gets underway at 7:00 pm Eastern on Rogers Sportsnet and RDS.

Tickets are still available for the 2011 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game Wednesday night beginning at $40 and can be purchased atwww.ticketmaster.ca or by calling 416-872-5000.

The 2011 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is supported by associate sponsors Bank of Montreal, Subway, and CCM.

Complete Skills Competition results:

Skill 1 – Fastest Skater

Team Orr:

Dougie Hamilton, Niagara IceDogs (20.231)

Shane McColgan, Kelowna Rockets (15.729)

Nathan Beaulieu, Saint John Sea Dogs (14.695)

Daniel Catenacci, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (14.017) - One goal

Team Orr Average: 16.168 seconds

Team Cherry:

Ryan Murphy, Kitchener Rangers (14.197)

Mark McNeill, Prince Albert Raiders (14.132)

Tobias Rieder, Kitchener Rangers (14.068)

Rickard Rakell, Plymouth Whalers (14.767)

Team Cherry Average: 14.291 seconds - One goal

Skill 2 – Hardest Shot

Team Orr:

David Musil, Vancouver Giants (94.2)

Stuart Percy, Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors (89.7)

Vincent Trocheck, Saginaw Spirit (92.4)

Reece Scarlett, Swift Current Broncos (86.9)

Team Orr Average: 90.8 mph

Team Cherry:

Myles Bell, Regina Pats (98.4) - One goal

Scott Harrington, London Knights (90.9)

Duncan Siemens, Saskatoon Blades (92.4)

Tyler Wotherspoon, Portland Winterhawks (89.5)

Team Cherry Average: 92.8 mph - One goal

Skill 3 – Shooting Accuracy

Team Orr:

Lucas Lessio, Oshawa Generals (1-8)

Zack Phillips, Saint John Sea Dogs (4-6)

Boone Jenner, Oshawa Generals (3-8)

Colin Jacobs, Seattle Thunderbirds (4-7)

Team Orr Total Targets: (12-29) - One goal

Team Cherry:

Sean Couturier, Drummondville Voltigeurs (0-8)

Matthew Puempel, Peterborough Petes (4-5) - One goal

Shane Prince, Ottawa 67’s (4-7)

Phillip Danault, Victoriaville Tigres (2-8)

Team Cherry Total Targets: (10-28)

Skill 4 – Show-Down Breakaway Contest

Team Orr:

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Red Deer Rebels (37)

Brandon Saad, Saginaw Spirit (31)

Sven Bartschi, Portland Winterhawks (35)

Vladislav Namestnikov, London Knights (26)

Jonathan Huberdeau, Saint John Sea Dogs (33)

Xavier Ouellet, Montreal Juniors (28)

Team Orr Average Score: (31.67) - One goal

Team Cherry:

Ty Rattie, Portland Winterhawks (26)

Tomas Jurco, Saint John Sea Dogs (35) - 39 in the final round - One goal

Nicklas Jensen, Oshawa Generals (32)

Ryan Strome, Niagara IceDogs (28)

Mark Scheifele, Barrie Colts (28)

Joe Morrow, Portland Winterhawks (27)

Team Cherry Average Score: (29.33)

For more information about the event please visitwww.homehardwaretopprospectsgame.com

Sask Sport announces award finalists

2011-01-18T13:10:00.000-08:00

Sask Sport Inc. today announced the finalists and recipients for the Saskatchewan Sport Awards, which include the 2010 Athlete of the Year Awards, Saskatchewan Coaching Awards, and Saskatchewan Volunteer Recognition Awards. New to this year’s awards ceremony is the Officials’ Awards.

The Saskatchewan Sport Awards are held annually by Sask Sport Inc. to celebrate the outstanding achievements of Saskatchewan amateur athletes and those individuals who provide their support so these athletes can achieve their goals. This year, the committee received 88 nominations for the various award categories.

“Our province is home to many talented athletes who excel at the regional, national and international levels, and this is our opportunity to recognize them for their accomplishments. Our athletes are supported by a vast network of coaches, officials and volunteers and we want thank them for their contributions to our amateur sport system,” said Audra Young, Sask Sport Inc. President.

The finalists for the Athlete of the Year Awards are:

Master:
• Russell Hart, Regina, Saskatchewan Rowing Association
• Mike Vincent, Regina, Canoe Kayak Saskatchewan
• Hylke van der Wal, Dalmeny, Saskatchewan Athletics

Youth - Male:
• Jarret Kenke, Saskatoon, Canoe Kayak Saskatchewan
• Michael Qing, Regina, Swim Saskatchewan Inc., and Special Olympics
Saskatchewan
• Sam Valentine, Saskatoon, Dive Sask

Youth - Female:
• Emily Schann, Saskatoon, Judo Saskatchewan
• Renae Barks, Regina, Saskatchewan Rowing Association
• Jessica Campbell, Melville, Saskatchewan Hockey Association

Male:
• Ben Hebert, Regina, Regina Sport District Inc.
• Lucas Makowsky, Regina, Saskatchewan Amateur Speed Skating Association
• Jordan Eberle, Regina, Saskatchewan Hockey Association

Female:
• Colette Bourgonje, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Wheelchair Sports Association
• Colleen Sostorics, Kennedy, Southeast Connection Sport, Culture and Recreation
District
• Kaylyn Kyle, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Soccer Association

Team:
• University of Saskatchewan Huskie Men’s Basketball Team Huskie Athletics
• Team Saskatchewan Male – National Aboriginal Hockey Championships Saskatchewan Hockey Association
• Saskatoon Hilltops, Football Saskatchewan

The recipients of the Volunteer Recognition Award, Coaching Awards, and Officials’ Awards are:

Volunteer Recognition Awards:
• Thomas Victor (TV) Taylor, Warman, Judo Saskatchewan
• Jennifer Ellarma, Kindersley, Special Olympics Saskatchewan

Coach of the Year Award:
• Dean McGarry, Lloydminster, Judo Saskatchewan

Coach Dedication Awards – Male and Female:
• Frank McCrystal, Regina, University of Regina Athletics
• Brenda Bennett, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Baton Twirling Association

Officials’ Awards – Male and Female:
• Blake Lyons, Outlook, Saskatchewan Athletics Association
• Arleen Day, Silton, Saskatchewan Curling Association

Guest speaker will be philanthropist, motivator and former NHL coach, Ted Nolan. The success Nolan has had coaching is substantial, and his accomplishments outside of hockey are equally impressive www.sasksport.sk.ca/SportAwards/guestSpeaker.php.

The Saskatchewan Sport Awards will be held Thursday, April 7th at TCU Place in Saskatoon. Tickets for the evening are available for $75 each, or $600 for a table of eight. To purchase tickets, phone 975-0800 in Saskatoon or 780-9300 in Regina, or online at www.sasksport.sk.ca/SportAwards/tickets.php.

Event sponsors include Global TV, McMaster Photographers, Canadian Sport Centre Saskatchewan, the Coaches Association of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Lotteries. Proceeds from the event will support the Sport Legacy Fund’s Future Best Program, which assists the next generation of Saskatchewan’s national team athletes.

Huskies move up in CIS top 10

2011-01-18T10:15:00.000-08:00

CIS MEN'S HOCKEY TOP 10
previous ranking ( )

1. UNB (1)
2. McGill (3)
3. Alberta (2)
4. Western Ontario (5)
5. Saint Mary’s (4)
6. Saskatchewan (7)
7. UPEI (6)
8. Manitoba (9)
9. StFX (NR)
10. Lakehead (8)

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In other CIS Top 10's released Tuesday, the Huskie men's basketball team holds steady at #3 in the country and the women remain the top team in the nation at #1.

The women's hockey team remains outside the top 10 this week.

Monday morning water cooler

2011-01-17T11:21:00.000-08:00

*EDIT: Apparently the MMWC didn't post correctly this morning so here it is now.

Good morning and welcome back to the MMWC. Hope you have a great week!

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I just got back inside from shoveling snow this morning. It's now the third time I shoveled snow this weekend! I don't mind though. I kinda like shoveling snow on a real nice sunny winter morning.

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The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men's hockey team earned a split in their weekend series with the Manitoba Bisons. Lucky for the Huskies, so too did Alberta and Calgary.

Saskatchewan remains six points back of first place Alberta and just two points up on both Calgary and Manitoba. The team now enters an off week before hosting the Dinos at the end of the month.

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Former Saskatoon Blade Walker Wintoneak has been impressive thus far for the Dinos in his rookie season. This past weekend Wintoneak netted 4 goals and 2 assists in their two games with UBC.

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With Alberta struggling with inconsistent play out of the gate in 2011 I think the title of top team in Canada West goes to either Saskatchewan or Calgary although neither team was able to outright earn that title this past weekend. It should be some series at the end of the month when Calgary comes to town.

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Sticking with the Huskies, the men's basketball team exploded for 121 points in their win over Manitoba on Saturday.

The 121 points is the most scored by one team in one game in Canadian Interuniversity Sport history.

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I am a huge fan of Rex Ryan and the New York Jets.

I'm a Titans fan by trade and make no mistake they are my team in the NFL but I'm 100% on the Jets bandwagon right now. I credit HBO's Hard Knocks for placing me in the Jets corner. If you haven't seen the series I suggest looking for it.

The personalities in that organization are a breathe of fresh air. Yes, Rex Ryan is a complete buffoon but I think that's what draws people in. It's must see tv and I've watched it a few times now.

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The shut-out streak of Whiecourt Wolverines goaltender Jordan Panasiuk has garnered some national media attention.

Panasiuk plays for the Wolverines in the North West Junior Hockey League, a Junor B hockey league in north west Alberta and north east BC.

He has turned in 8 straight doughnuts and was looking for number 9 this past weekend but due to transportation issues the game against Fort St. John was postponed.

We'll keep an eye on it here at the MMWC.

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I had a bit of a delemma on Saturday night. I had tickets to the Saskatoon Blades game against Swift Current but also had plans on attending the Huskies game against Manitoba.

I opted for the Blades game and what do you know? They lose in regulation at home for only the 2nd time all year.

I was pleased to hear the announced attendance of 8,487 for Minor Hockey Night. There is no reason for the Blades not to average 6,000 fans a night at the CUC. They're the best product in the WHL and it's about time that the city realizes that it's quality entertainment for the whole family.

I hope the acquisition of Brayden Schenn will spark some interest. We'll find out when the Blades play their next home game on Saturday night.

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My prediction for Saturday's Leafs/Flames game was almost perfect. I was growling when discussing the Leafs and Flames over some Sportscentre highlights a few weeks ago when both teams were struggling offensively. I joked that when they play it would likely be 0-0 into a shootout and take 15 shooters a side to score a goal.

There was no scoring until late in the third and it went 1-1 into a shootout before the Flames won.

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The Rider Pride Hockey Challenge kicked off in Unity on Saturday afternoon. Some of the Riders playing included Jason Clermont, Chris Getzlaf and Shomari Williams.

I was on my way out to Unity to call the game for Access 7 but was forced to turn back due to bad road conditions. The Clarion's Josh Lewis got 20 minutes down the road before turning back as well. At this point I'm still not sure if Access made it out to tape the game or not. Either way check your local listings to see if it will be on an Access station near you.

The tour continues this weekend in Nipawin and then in Weyburn in mid-February.

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I'll leave you with this link Tweeted by C95's Rambling Dave. How to eat a watermellon: http://bit.ly/fvsgmd

Have a great week!

Huskies 5 Bisons 2 recap plus thoughts

2011-01-15T23:20:00.000-08:00

Didn't attend tonight's game as I had tickets to take in the Saskatoon Blades and Swift Current Broncos at CUC but I'm wishing I would have. Here's the game story courtesy the Huskies website:

An Andrew Bailey hat trick led the University of Saskatchewan Huskies to a 5-2 victory over the visiting University of Manitoba Bisons Saturday night in Saskatoon’s Rutherford Rink.
The second-year forward notched goals at 7:00 in the first period, 6:10 in the second and 18:48 in the third period for the hat trick.

With the win the Huskies move to 11-7 on the season, while the Bisons drop to 8-4-4. The Huskies are two points up on the Bisons in the Canada West standings after the series split – Manitoba won 5-3 Friday night. The Bisons have two games in hand on the Huskies.

Bailey’s first goal opened the scoring in the game. Kyle Bortis, who has scored six goals in his last four games, made the Huskies’ lead 2-0 at 18:29 in the first. Bailey added a his team’s third goal on the power play, before Manitoba’s Blair Macaulay scored at 11:52. Before the period was out, Riley Dudar brought the Bisons within one goal when he beat Huskie goaltender David Reekie at 18:46 in the second period.

Not wanting to give the lead away – the Huskies were up 3-0 before losing 5-3 on Friday – Cody Hobbs gave his team an insurance goal at 10:19 in the third period. Bailey scored his team’s final goal at 18:48 in the empty net.

Reekie made 25 saves for the Huskies, while Steve Christie stopped 26 for the Bisons. Saskatchewan went 1-6 on the power play, while Manitoba failed to capitalize on their three chances with the man advantage.

The Huskies will take a week of rest with a bye, while Manitoba returns home to host the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns next weekend.

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It was a PERFECT night for the U of S Huskies hockey team. Alberta lost 4-2 to Lethbridge while Calgary was dropped 5-3 by UBC. So here's the Canada West standings following tonight's play:

School	W-L-OL	Pts.	Streak
Alberta	13-3-2	28	L1
Saskatchewan	11-7-0	22	W1
Calgary	9-6-2	20	L1
Manitoba	8-4-4	20	L1
Lethbridge	7-6-4	18	W1
UBC	7-7-4	18	W1
Regina	6-12-0	12	L2

So with the win Saskatchewan is just 6 points back of the conference leading Alberta Golden Bears while both Calgary (1 game in hand) and Manitoba (2 games in hand) are two back of Saskatchewan for 2nd.

Here are a couple quick observations as I watch Hockey Night in Canada on my PVR tonight:

-Imagine if the Huskies had hung on to their 3 goal lead on Friday night? They'd be just 4 points back of first with a big weekend coming up between Alberta and Saskatchewan in February.

-The Golden Bears are moving in the wrong direction. Right now they are NOT the best team in Canada West. In my opinion that title goes to one of Saskatchewan and Calgary.

-We can possibly decide that title in a couple weeks as the Dinos visit Rutherford at the end of the month. That will be the next time the Huskies hit the ice as they now begin their final off week of the season.

-Kyle Bortis now has 6 goals in his last four games to lead the Huskies offensively. Imagine how good this team can be if some of their other offensive weapons get hot?

-Some time ago watching Sportscentre I mentioned that both the Leafs (my team if you didn't know) and Flames were so bad at that moment that when the two teams meet it'll be 0-0 and take roughly 15 shooters a piece in the shootout to finish the game. Don't look know but it's 0-0 through 40 minutes as I watch on my pvr.

I'm going to finish this game and head to bed. I'll chat with you at the water cooler Monday morning. Have a great Sunday. GO JETS!

Broncos 3 Blades 2

2011-01-15T23:18:00.001-08:00

(From SaskatoonBlades.com)

In front of the Blades second largest crowd of 8,487 on Hockey Day in Saskatchewan/Minor Hockey Night, the Blades and Broncos finished up the back end of a home-and-home series. Last night Blades kept the lead all night and came away with a 5-2 win in Swift. Tonight the Broncos had the upper-hand and won 3-2.

The Broncos took their turn tonight with the first period lead after Assistant, Brad Hoban, scored the lone goal of the first frame on an unsuspecting Adam Morrison. He slipped the puck in the left corner of the net only 5 minutes in.

In the second frame, WHL Player of the Week, Stefan Elliott, scored to tie the game at 1-1. 20-year-old Marek Viedensky notched an assist on the goal; his 30^th of the season. The Broncos took the lead back after right-winger Dillon Wagner scored. Taylor Vause put the Broncos ahead by two with a sharp-angled powerplay goal in the last 4.1 seconds of play. The Broncos entered the dressing room after 40 minutes of play with a 3-1 lead.

Steven Stanford took over in the Blades net for the third period of play. The goaltending change tonight was the third time the team has switched goaltenders mid-game this week. Darian Dziurzynski scored to draw the Blades back within one, but it was not enough. Goaltender, Steven Stanford, was pulled in the final minute of play but even with the extra attacker the Blades could not find their way past the Broncos goaltender, Mark Friesen. Tonight the Blades were dealt their second regulation loss at Credit Union Centre and also saw their 11-game home winning streak snapped.

Blades Banter

***Levi Bews, Ryan Olsen, Curtis Hamilton and Brayden Schenn were all recognized with plaques tonight for their contributions to World Juniors. Stefan Elliott was also named Heinrich’s Jewellers Player of the Month.

***Dziurzynski now leads the team with 22 goals.

***The Jersey raffle has yet to be claimed,

I'm goin to Unity

2011-01-15T08:07:00.000-08:00

I'm headed to Unity this afternoon to take in game one of the Rider Pride Hockey Challenge. I'll have the call on Access 7 Sports which you will be able to see on Access 7 in the coming weeks.

Riderville.com Staff

Despite the cold, several members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders have been hitting the outdoor rinks this week in preparation for game one of the Rider Pride Hockey Challenge presented by SaskCanola.

The tour kicks off Saturday, January 15 in Unity, SK where Rider players and staff will take on the Unity All-star Selects in a charity hockey game set for 2:45 pm at the Unity Arena. An autograph session will take place from 1-2 pm inside the facility as well.

Adult tickets are $10 and children are $5. Tickets are available at the door. All proceeds to benefit Unity Minor Hockey.

Rider fans in the province's northwest can expect to see players such as slotbacks Chris Getzlaf and Jason Clermont, as well as fullback Neal Hughes and defensive lineman Shomari Williams, among others, toss aside their cleats for skates on Saturday afternoon.

"The entire town is just so excited for the team's arrival," said co-organizer Michael Soloski. "It means a ton to the community for the team to come up here. This will help our fundraising efforts immensely."

Following the hockey game, a banquet will take place upstairs at the arena, where various silent auction items and a live auction will occur.

"We have some great items and it's all for a good cause, so we're encouraging fans to come on out and support the community," said Soloski.

The Rider Pride Hockey Challenge presented by SaskCanola continues next weekend in Nipawin and then in Weyburn in mid-February. Visit Riderville.com often for updates, photos and videos from the tour.

Bisons 5 Huskies 3

2011-01-14T21:49:00.000-08:00

Darren Dupont
January 14th, 2011

The toughest lead to hold onto in hockey has quickly become the three goal lead.

The University of Manitoba Bisons scored five unanswered goals to earn a come from behind 5-3 win at Rutherford Rink Friday night. The Manitoba win creates a three way tie for second place in Canada West.

Jordan Cyr, Kyle Howarth, Blair Macaulay and Jared Walker (2) each found the back of the net for Manitoba in the second and third periods to erase the lead that the Huskies built just over twenty-three minutes into the hockey game.

Kyle Bortis continued his red hot play opening the scoring for the Huskies at the 9:55 mark of the opening period - Bortis had a pair of goals in each of the Huskies wins over Regina last weekend - and the Huskies lead 1-0 after the first.

Early in the second, just 34 seconds in fact, Steven DaSilva made it 2-0 and at the 3:22 mark Brennan Bosch would score on the power play to give the Huskies the 3-0 lead.

That would be all the offense the Huskies would be able to muster.

Cyr got the Bisons on the board at the 6:11 mark of the middle frame. Howarth cut the lead to just a single goal at 2:12 in the third and Macaulay tied the contest just past the midway point at 10:26. The Bisons weren't done there as Walker scored the go-ahead goal and eventual game winner less then two mintues later at the 12:14 mark with the extra man and then added an empty net goal with less then a minute left to play.

In the loss, Huskies goaltender David Reekie made 35 saves, while Steve Christie stopped 30 shots for the Bisons. Manitoba was 1-5 on the power play, while the Huskies were 1-3.

The Huskies and Bisons are back on the ice Saturday night at Rutherford Rink with puck-drop set for 7:00pm.

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Around Canada West Friday night the Alberta Golden Bears came from behind to beat the Lethbridge Pronghorns 9-8 in overtime while Calgary knocked off UBC 7-2.

Saskatchewan's loss combined with Manitoba and Calgary wins creates a three way tie for second place in Canada West. Manitoba has two games in hand on the Huskies while the Dinos have a single game in hand on the U of S.

The tight race for home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs continues on Saturday in an all important match-up at Rutherford Rink.

Blades 5 Broncos 2

2011-01-14T21:47:00.000-08:00

From SaskatoonHomePage.ca

The Saskatoon Blades rebounded from Wednesday's shootout loss in Regina by scoring three first period goals on the way to a 5-2 triumph Friday in Swift Current.

The game wasn't as lop-sided as the score might indicate as the Broncos surprised the Bridge City Bunch by ramping up their physical game in the latter stages of the first period and the beginning of the second. That allowed Swifty to score twice and close the score to 3-2...chasing starting Blades' goaltender Steven Stanford from the game. But, Adam Morrison came in and shut the door on the Broncos over the final 37 minutes while Saskatoon scored twice more to up their overall record to 33-9-2.

Darian Dziurzynski with two and singles from Josh Nicholls, Marek Viedensky and Chris Collins accounted for the Blades' scoring. Swift Current out-shot Saskatoon 35-34.

The same meet Saturday in the back-end of a home-and-home series at Credit Union Centre. It's Minor Hockey Night as part of Hockey Day in Saskatchewan with game time at 7:05 p.m. The broadcast on 92-9 THE BULL begins at 6:30.

Huskies game night: Manitoba

2011-01-14T08:21:00.000-08:00

CANADA WEST HOCKEY

Manitoba vs. Saskatchewan

7 p.m., tonight, Saturday

Rutherford Rink

- - -

Given their apparent edge in size and their physical play, the University of Manitoba Bisons may be better suited for the smaller confines of the Rutherford Rink than the hometown Saskatchewan Huskies.

"I'm sure they're well-suited for their rink, but speaking about our team, one thing I like is that we're able to combine our speed and skill with the willingness to play a physical, gritty aggressive game," Bisons head coach Mike Sirant was saying Thursday as his men's hockey team hunkered down on the bus for the always gruelling trip from Winnipeg to Saskatoon.

"We're capable of adjusting to different rinks, whether it's the smaller ice surface of Rutherford or the larger ice surface of Max Bell (at the U of M)."

The Huskies have more skill than ever, a little more finesse than grit and more polish than spit. And it's working. The Huskies (10-6-0) have won four of their last five games and seven of their last nine. They are in second place, six points behind Alberta and two ahead of both Manitoba and Calgary.

While Manitoba (7-3-4) sports a 2-1-3 record away from home this season in the Canada West conference, the Bisons have won four of their last five games against the Huskies. Three of those wins came at Rutherford. Two of the victories propelled the Bisons over the Huskies in last year's league semifinal, sending Manitoba to the University Cup national tournament in Thunder Bay, Ont..

"It's a team that has come in here and they've had some success," said second-year U of S forward Kyle Bortis. "We've got to put an end to that. We've got to put a doubt in their mind that they can't come into our rink and win. Respect our opponent, but make sure we work hard and know what's at stake.

"We're in an OK position, but we can't be satisfied. We've got to keep pushing and pushing."

Push comes to shove is part of the growing rivalry between the Huskies and Bisons.

"It's always a special weekend when we play the Huskies," said Sirant.

"We're both trying to go for second place in our conference while still staying a close distance to Alberta. We have a real good balance on our team with our speed and our skill. We play a very up-tempo, high-pressure game both offensively and defensively. Also, our guys are willing to play solid defensively and be involved physically and sacrifice themselves, whether it's blocking shots or finishing checks."

Sirant has a relatively healthy lineup except for forward Ian Duval.

"We had quite a few longer-term injuries in the first half and most nights we played full games with only three lines," noted Sirant. "We now have the luxury of filling the whole 20-man roster and four lines."

One of the new faces in the Huskies' lineup is Derek Hulak, who gets his first taste of Bison meat this weekend.

"When you only play 14 games in the second half, every game is like a playoff game," said Hulak. "Every night is going to be a battle. We're real excited that we were able to pick up four points (last) weekend, but these points are just as important."

dzary@thestarphoenix.com

Blades game night: @ Swift Current

2011-01-14T08:05:00.000-08:00

(From SaskatoonBlades.com)

Saskatoon Blades @ Swift Current Broncos

Tonight’s game is the fifth of eight regular season meetings this season between the Saskatoon Blades (32-9-0-2) and the Swift Current Broncos (22-23-0-1). The Blades have won 3 out of the first 4 meetings, but it was the Broncos who were victorious in the most recent game between these two clubs by a score of 4-2 back January 2^nd. This game is the 2^nd of 5 times that the Blades and Broncos will meet in January. These same two clubs meet again tomorrow night in Saskatoon for the back end of this weekend home and home series.

Josh Nicholls leads the Blades scoring attack against the Broncos, having collected 7 points (4G 3A) in the 4 games vs. Swift Current this season. Following closely behind Nicholls are defensive partners Duncan Siemens (1G 5A = 6pts) and Stefan Elliott (2G 3A = 5pts) who have combined for 11 points and a +11 rating vs. the Broncos this season. For Swift Current, Justin Dowling has picked up 4 points (1G 3A) in the 4 games vs. the Blades this season.

Blades Last Game

It was the Matt Hewitt Show Wednesday as Regina’s rookie goaltender stopped 59 of 62 shots through overtime and the Pats out-lasted the Saskatoon Blades 4-3 in a shootout. The shot tally was 62-33 in favour of the Bridge City Bunch, who never led in the game, but managed a point in the standings when Marek Viedensky scored a power play goal with 5:55 remaining in the third period. The Blades had a great chance to win in overtime when Regina forward Shayne Neigum drilled Saskatoon defenceman Teigan Zahn into the boards from behind...but they couldn't score on the 4-on-3 power play over the final 2:46 of the extra period. Lukas Sutter and Stefan Elliott had the other goals for the 32-9-2 Blades who got shootout goals from Jake Trask and Viedensky...but Pats' captain Garrett Mitchell ended the game by beating Adam Morrison in the fourth round.

Blades Banter

- On Wednesday, the Canadian Hockey League announced the BMO CHL MasterCard Top 10 Rankings for week 16 of the 2010-11 season. The Saskatoon Blades have been ranked 3^rd this week, up one spot from lat week’s rankings. The weekly rankings of the Canadian Hockey League’s Top 10 teams are selected by a panel of National Hockey League scouts.

- The Blades have recalled Tanner Sohn for tonight’s game vs. Swift Current. Sohn was re-acquired by the Blades on Monday’s WHL trade deadline from the Vancouver Giants.

- On Monday the WHL announced that Stefan Elliott was named the WHL Player of the Week for the week ending January 9^th. Elliott received the honours after picking up 6 points, scoring two goals and four assists to go with a +7 rating, in two games over the past week, helping the Blades to a 2-0-0-0 record in that span. Stefan Elliott is the 2^nd Blade to receive the Player of the Week this season as Darian Dziurzynski also received the honour back in October.

By The Numbers

- Stefan Elliott continues to top the league rankings in numerous categories this season. Elliott is currently ranked 1^st overall in the WHL in: Points by a defenseman with 48, Goals by a defenseman with 19, Plus/Minus with a +33 mark, and GWG with 9. Elliott also enters tonight’s game riding a 7 game point streak which has seen him collect 5 goals and 9 assists over that time.

- The Saskatoon Blades have outshot their opponents in 29 of 43 games played this year and have posted a record of 24-3-0-2 when they do so. In their last 3 games played, the Blades have unloaded 152 shots on opposing netminders, including a 62 shot barrage against Regina on Wednesday.

- Marek Viedensky is on a modest 4 game point streak. During that time, the 20 year old San Jose Sharks prospect, has picked up 3 goals and 3 assists.

- The Blades enter tonight’s game with 2^nd best road winning percentage in the league at 63.0%. The Blades 14-8-0-1 record away from the CUC is good for 29 points in the standings which is tied for the league lead with Kootenay.