Molleken to get deserved banner night from Blades

Lorne Molleken mans the Blades bench on March 1, 2013. (Steve Hiscock/Saskatoon Blades)

Lorne Molleken was genuinely “all in” when it came to trying to take the Saskatoon Blades franchise to new heights.

Having spent 14 seasons with the WHL club over two different stints in the roles of head coach and general manager, Molleken authentically cared about the hockey team, his players and Saskatoon as a city. The emotion could be seen during his farewell press conference in late March of 2014 when he mutually parted ways with the team that just finished its first season under the ownership of the Priestner family.

The always classy Molleken said at that farewell presser the time had come to shake hands and move on and that there were no hard feelings. He was doing his part in clearing the way for the new owners to properly put their stamp on the team.

On Friday, the Blades will honour their all-time leader in head coaching victories as the 65-year-old Molleken will have a builder’s banner raised to the rafter of the SaskTel Centre before the club’s regular season finale against the Brandon Wheat Kings set for 7 p.m. The game should be a good one too as the Blades sit fifth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 37-26-3-1 record with the Wheat Kings sitting sixth overall in the conference with a 35-26-3-2 mark.

Molleken will forever be linked with some of the Blades best days under the ownership of the Brodsky family working alongside Rick and then Jack. Jack Brodsky would quickly become a lifetime best friend.

During his first stint with the Blades from 1991 to 1995, Molleken served as the Blades head coach as another one of his lifetime best friends in Daryl Lubiniecki toiled in the role of general manager.

That group of men took the Blades to the WHL Championship Series on two occasions in 1992 and 1994. In both appearances, the Blades fell in a series deciding Game 7 to the dynasty Kamloops Blazers.

The Blazers of that era are still viewed as having hit the ice with some of the best teams ever seen in the history of major junior hockey winning the WHL championship and Memorial Cup as CHL champions in 1992, 1994 and 1995.

Had the Blades been able to best the Blazers in one of those Game 7 encounters in the WHL Final in 1992 or 1994, there could well have been a Memorial Cup championship parade through downtown Saskatoon.

The deep playoff runs and success the Blades were having saw Molleken depart to the professional ranks following the 1994-95 campaign. He ultimately served as head coach of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks for the last part of the 1998-99 season and the first part of the 1999-2000 campaign.

The Regina product returned to the WHL to serve as head coach of his hometown Pats when they hosted the Memorial Cup in the 2000-01 campaign. He departed to the professional ranks again after that season, but came back to the WHL part way through the 2002-03 campaign as general manager of the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Lorne Molleken gives instructions on the Blades bench in Oct. 2012

After the 2002-03 season wrapped up, Molleken return to the professional ranks as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins before Jack Brodsky brought him back to his true WHL home naming Molleken the Blades head coach and general manager for the start of the 2004-05 campaign.

Molleken served as head coach and general manager through to the end of the 2012-13 season after the Blades hosted the Memorial Cup. The Blades were sold from the Brodsky to the Priestner family during the 2013 off-season, and Molleken stayed on for one more campaign just as the general manager with Dave Struch handling the duties of head coach.

Struch was one of Molleken’s former star overage players from the 1991-92 campaign.

During Molleken’s second stint, the Blades topped the WHL’s East Division three times. They finished first overall in the WHL in 2010-11 posting the franchise’s best ever record at 56-13-1-2.

The regular season success didn’t translate into post-season success as Molleken’s second stint was littered with first and second round playoff exits.

Molleken’s combined 14 seasons with the Blades ultimate shows that life can be unfair. He put in a true and honest effort to build a team in Saskatoon that went all the way.

The Blades had teams that were good enough to go all the way in Molleken’s days. With that said, it is hard to win in the WHL, and there are lots of times in the sports world where ultimate victory just doesn’t get achieved.

The Blades with Molleken came incredibly close with those Game 7 WHL Championship Series losses in 1992 and 1994. The frustration was compounded when the Blades weren’t able to return to the WHL Final during Molleken’s second stint with the team.

There were times over the last four seasons Molleken spent with the Blades where fan criticism got extremely loud and sometimes was unfair.

Molleken might have been the most disappointed the ultimate victory never came with the Blades. He would always say he understood the fan disappointment and that not winning the WHL title and a Memorial Cup felt like those missing things.

Molleken had a 539-325-58 regular season record with 23 ties over his career as the Blades head coach. He deserved to enjoy one WHL title and one Memorial Cup win with the Brodsky family along with Lubiniecki.

While navigating all the ups and downs, Molleken always gave solid and accurate post-game interviews win or lose every game that often recognized the fact two teams were out there trying to win a hockey game. He often credited the opponents for what they were able to do to get wins or how well the opponents played when the Blades won.

Lorne Molleken makes a plea from the Blades bench in Oct. 2012.

It is common to run into numerous former Blades players that will say no matter where they went in hockey that Molleken was the best coach they ever had. While Molleken pushed for old school work ethic, accountability and discipline, he combined it with new school caring for his players, which wasn’t always seen in the sport at the start of Molleken’s coaching career.

Molleken was a players’ coach and the players were his boys. You could see that in the excitement he had when he delivered the starting lineups before games.

If you allow him, Molleken can tell numerous stories of the great memories he has of the quality players and people he coached.

The list of players he worked with included the likes of Norm Maracle, Ryan Fujita, Rhett Warrener, Struch, the late Wade Belak, Frank Banham and Andy MacIntyre in his first stint to Devin Setoguchi, Derek Hulak, Braden Holtby, Connor Cox, Darren Dietz and Nelson Nogier in his second stint. That list of names could obviously be much more lengthy.

Molleken always had his players’ backs and would go to old school lengths to ensure they were protected, if the opposition took liberties on them.

That was best shown when Red Deer Rebels right-winger Josh Cowen ran Blades netminder Steven Stanford inside the final minute of Game 2 of a first round playoff series on March 21, 2010 at the SaskTel Centre. When that incident occurred, the contest was already decided as the Blades were up by the 4-0 final score.

On the ensuing faceoff after Stanford got hit, Molleken sent out his five toughest players who went after the Rebels skaters on the ice starting a line brawl right after puck drop. Molleken was ensuring a message was sent that any cheap shots like the one Stanford took weren’t going to be tolerated.

During the brawl, Molleken was getting in a verbal confrontation with the Red Deer coaches. Of course, suspensions galore resulted from the extracurriculars.

Molleken always carried a line of tough guys to protect the team due to the fact he was worried that there were still too many pure old school coaches in the WHL even near the end of his time with the Blades.

If the opponent played straight up, Molleken ensured his team played straight up. While Blades followers often like to talk about the sexy stories like the brawl against the Rebels, the Blades under Molleken usually had quite a bit of skill on their first three lines and could play some fantastic wide open offensive hockey.

After leaving the Blades, Molleken, who sits fourth on the WHL’s career regular season head coaching wins list with 626 victories, worked one more season in the WHL as the head coach of the Vancouver Giants in 2015-16 before leaving the major junior ranks all together. He is still involved in the game serving as the director of coach development of the Prairie Hockey Academy.

While he no longer works for the Blades, Molleken has popped back into the SaskTel Centre every now and then to see the Blades play. When he pops in, Molleken will often be sitting with Jack Brodsky and Lubiniecki sharing stories about the good old days.

Molleken will be viewed as the greatest coach the Blades ever had until a bench boss comes along and oversees the Blades winning their first WHL title and Memorial Cup. Whenever that happens, you can bet Molleken would be the first person that wants to shake that coach’s hand.

Lorne Molleken, right, with Jack Brodsky on March 5, 2013.

As time moves on, Molleken might hold the distinction of being the classiest coach and general manager the Blades ever had. He raised the bar for the franchise in so many ways on and off the ice that it is only fitting the team honours him by raising a builder’s banner to the rafters of their home rink.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. All photos in this post are courtesy Steve Hiscock/Saskatoon Blades. Stanks’ Sermon passes on a huge thanks to Hiscock for the photos of Molleken.

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Capitals good landing spot for Raiders’ Leason

Brett Leason celebrates scoring for the Raiders in the WHL playoffs.

    The NHL Entry Draft might have worked about better than first envisioned for Brett Leason.

    The 20-year-old right-winger from the Prince Albert Raiders was tabbed as a potential first round selection after being listed 25^th among North American skaters in the final rankings released by NHL Central Scouting in April.

    On the final day of this year’s NHL Entry Draft being held on Saturday in Vancouver, B.C., Leason was selected in the second round and 56^th overall by the Washington Capitals.

    Before the draft day festivities began, Leason received the E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence. The award is given to candidate who best exemplifies the commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism.

    Leason was presented the award after persevering through going undrafted in 2017 and 2018 and having a breakout season with the Raiders posting 36 goals, 53 assists for 89 points and a plus-55 rating in 55 regular season games.

Brett Leason had a breakout season with the Raiders in 2018-19.

    He helped the Raiders finish first overall in the WHL regular season with a 54-10-2-2 record and win their second WHL title and appear in the Memorial Cup tournament. In the WHL playoffs, Leason posted 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points and a plus-six rating in 22 games.

    The Calgary, Alta., product also earned a spot on Canada’s team at the last world junior tournament played in Vancouver and Victoria, B.C.

    While you can bet Leason, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 210 pounds, would have loved to have been selected in the first round, he ended up in a good NHL landing spot.

    The Capitals have qualified for the NHL playoffs in 11 of the last 12 seasons. They’ve won 45 or more games in each of the past five campaigns.

    Washington captured the Stanley Cup in 2018. Last season, the Capitals topped the Metropolitan Division with a 48-26-8 record before being upset in the first round of the post-season by the Carolina Hurricanes in a series that went the maximum seven games.

    The Capitals likely won’t fall off the map any time soon being loaded with veteran talent like the great Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, Brooks Orpik and netminder Braden Holtby.

Brett Leason (#20) and Aliaksei Protas (#21) were drafted by the Capitals.

    Leason will have a chance to develop and be molded to a spot on the team. He won’t be expected to come in and light things up offensively right away.

    He will be looked upon to be a potential piece to keep the good times going for the Capitals.

    Falling to the second round, it can also be argued there might be some doubts as to whether Leason can duplicate his stellar 2018-19 campaign with the Raiders. The doubt card could provide another motivating factor.

    On the other end of the spectrum, the fact Leason slipped in the draft takes some pressure off to come in and make an impact right away.

    Leason gained another bonus in the draft when one of his Raiders linemates in Belarusian left-winger Aliaksei Protas was also selected by the Capitals. The Capitals picked Protas in the third round and 91^st overall.
    Protas, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 205 pounds, was a WHL rookie in the 2018-19 campaign, and he steadily improved posting 11 goals, 29 assists and a plus-24 rating in 61 regular season games.

The Raiders celebrate a post-season goal from Brett Leason (#20).

    The 18-year-old had a head turning WHL playoffs posting 12 goals, 10 assists and a plus-12 rating in 23 games.

    Leason and Protas will be able to continue to help each other in the Capitals system.

    You are almost watching to see if the Capitals will sign their centre with the Raiders in Sean Montgomery as a free agent. Montgomery has exhausted his major junior eligibility after playing five seasons with the Raiders.

    Things couldn’t have fallen in place any better for Leason. When the draft came to a close, he was likely thankful things played out as they did.

Blades’ Maier get draft snub

Nolan Maier was passed over in the NHL Entry Draft.

    Nolan Maier has to be wondering why he was the odd man out when it comes to the NHL Entry Draft.

    The 18-year-old product of Yorkton, Sask., couldn’t have done anything more at this point in his hockey career to earn an NHL Entry Draft Selection. The Saskatoon Blades star netminder was passed over at this year’s draft that was held on Friday and Saturday in Vancouver, B.C.

    As a 16-year-old rookie in the 2017-18 campaign, Maier joined the Blades and racked up a string of impressive performances including a run of winning 10 straight games. He became a WHL starting netminder as a 16-year-old rookie, which is not very common in the current era of major junior hockey.

    Maier finished out his rookie campaign posting a 23-17-2 record, a 3.31 goals against average, a .895 save percentage and two shutouts.

    There were times that season you could argue he was one of the top five netminders in the WHL.

Maier followed things up with a stellar sophomore campaign where he posted a 36-10-6 record, a 2.64 goals against average, a .910 save percentage and four shutouts.
    Thanks to Maier’s efforts, the Blades finished fourth overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 45-17-8 record and made the post-season for the first time since 2013.

Nolan Maier has been stellar for the Blades in his two WHL campaigns.

    Maier kept up his impressive play in the playoffs helping the Blades advance to the second round. In Saskatoon’s 10 post-season contests, Maier posted a 6-4 record, a 2.86 goals against average, a .903 save percentage and one shutout.

    The Blades fell in a six-game series in the second round to the eventual WHL champion Prince Albert Raiders.

    Maier posted shutout wins over the Raiders, who topped the WHL regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2 record, twice in the 2018-19 campaign. He blanked them once in the regular season and once in the post-season.

    On top of playing for the Blades, Maier has found himself firmly planted on Hockey Canada’s radar. In November of 2017, he was a member of Team Canada Black at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge held jointly in Dawson Creek and Fort St. John, B.C.

    Last August, Maier was on Canada’s under-18 team that won gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup held jointly in Edmonton and Red Deer.
    After the Blades were eliminated from the WHL playoffs in April, Maier suited up for Canada at the under-18 world championships held in Ornskoldsvik and Umea, Sweden.

    Earlier this month, Maier took part in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence Goaltending Camp in Calgary, Alta.

Nolan Maier has been locked on Hockey Canada’s radar.

    On top of all of that, Maier is a well-mannered person that everyone he has met says good things about. He has been one of those perfect representatives for the Blades in the community.

    The only thing more he could have done is maybe found a way to stretch himself to gain three inches in height.

    Maier stands 6-feet and weighs 173 pounds. It seems like those making decisions in NHL personnel departments are weighted towards finding puck stoppers who stand 6-foot-3 three or taller.

    It is safe to say that Maier would have been drafted had he stood 6-foot-3 with the numbers he put up with the Blades.

    Even with that said, three goaltenders were selected in the seventh round who were similar in size to Maier.

    With the 197^th overall pick, Finland’s Filip Lindberg, who stands 6-feet and weighs 180 pounds, went to the Minnesota Wild.

    The Colorado Avalanche took Vancouver Giants netminder Trent Miner with the 202^nd overall selection. Miner stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 187 pounds.

    Everett Silvertips star Dustin Wolf, who stands 6-feet and weighs 156 pounds, was selected 214^th overall by the Calgary Flames.

    At that point, it becomes a head shaker when you reflect on the fact Maier wasn’t drafted.

    A total of 22 netminders were selected in the NHL Entry Draft. At this point in time, it can be argued Maier is better than most of those.

Netminder Nolan Maier celebrates a win with his Blades teammates.

    Still, he was only listed 22^nd among North American goalies in the final NHL Central Scouting rankings in April, so for some reason, he isn’t cracking on the NHL’s radar.

    In Maier’s case, the NHL Entry Draft is a lesson on how life can be unfair.

    All Maier can do is keep building on the tremendous work he has already done and let the chips fall where they may.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Last hurrah for special SFMAAAHL grad class

Allison Hayhurst has been the heart and soul of the Prairie Fire.

    This might be one of the most bittersweet playoffs in the history of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League due to the final hurrahs that will take place.

    As the SFMAAAHL post-season kicked into motion on Thursday night, the players from arguably one of the circuit’s most special grad classes are skating their final handful of games in their midget AAA careers. While these grads will be moving on after their various teams conclude their playoff runs, these games provide a great chance to see and salute a fantastic group of individuals.

    These playoffs feature five of the league’s top nine all-time leading scorers in regular season play. It is highly likely the SFMAAAHL won’t see something like this again during the rest of its history, or it will be a very long time before something like this happens again.

Taylor Lind left her mark as one of the SFMAAAHL’s all-time bests.

    The SFMAAAHL’s graduating class this season includes a well-respected defender who will likely be the last to hit a lofty games played total.

    The graduating class includes Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats star captain Taylor Lind.

    Lind finished her regular season career as the second all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL in regular season play. She piled up 93 goals and 77 assists for 170 points in 83 regular season games. The Shaunavon, Sask., product is the Wildcats all-time leader in career regular season goals, assists and points.

    For the second time in three seasons, Lind won the SFMAAAHL scoring title posting 29 goals and 31 assists for 60 points this season. Her assist and point totals are career highs.

    Next season, Lind is slated to the join the Lindenwood University Lions women’s hockey team in St. Charles, Missouri, in the NCAA ranks. She has one season of midget AAA eligibility remaining but is set to graduate high school a year early.

Grace Shirley has come through in many clutch moments for the Stars.

    If she did play another season, odds were good that she could have overtaken Olivia Howe as the all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL. Howe piled up 107 goals and 100 assists in 106 regular season games played with the Notre Dame Hounds from 2008 to 2012.

    A trio of stars from the Saskatoon Stars make up the special grad class.

    Captain Grace Shirley finished up as the third all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL in regular season play. She collected 97 goals and 69 assists for 166 points in 107 regular season games. She is the Stars all-time leader in career regular season goals and points.
    Anna Leschyshyn concluded regular season play as the fifth all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL. 

Anna Leschyshyn piled up 152 career regular season points.

    She recorded 72 goals and 80 assists for 152 points in 115 regular season games. Leschyshyn is just the fifth player in the history of the SFMAAAHL to record 80 or more career regular season assists.

    Joelle Fiala closes regular season play as the eighth all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL. She posted 47 goals and 83 assists for 130 points in 112 regular season games. She is the Stars all-time leader in career regular season assists.

    Shirley, Leschyshyn and Fiala have been key contributors in the Stars success over the last four seasons, which included appearing at the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament in 2016 and winning a silver medal at the Esso Cup last season. They will try to make the Stars march to the Esso Cup for the fourth time in five seasons.
    Prince Albert Northern Bears captain Abby Soyko finished as the ninth all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL. 

Joelle Fiala is the Stars all-time leader in career assists.

    She posted 65 goals and 63 assists for 128 points in 136 regular season games played for the Bears over five seasons. Soyko is the Bears all-time leader in regular season games played, goals and points and shares the team career regular season assists record with former Bears captain Kaitlin Willoughby.

    Willoughby, who plays professionally with the Calgary Inferno of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, recorded 34 goals and 63 assists for 97 points playing in 96 career regular season games with the Bears from 2008 to 2013. At the moment, Willoughby is the captain of Canada’s women’s hockey team competing at the FISU Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

    The valedictorian of the class might be defender Allison Hayhurst from the Melville Prairie Fire.

Hayhurst became the third person in the history of the SFMAAAHL to play in 139 career regular season games. The other two players to hit that mark are both former Prairie Fire defenders.
    Karli Reeve suited up for 139 regular season games playing for the Prairie Fire from 2007 to 2011 collecting seven goals and 23 assists. Erin Armstrong, who was one of Hayhurst’s former teammates, played in all 140 of the Prairie Fire’s regular season games from 2013 to 2018 collecting six goals and 18 assists.

Abby Soyko pushed the Bears to new heights in her career.

    Hayhurst became a player who was sound at both ends of the ice. While being great defensively, the Wapella product had 22 goals and 47 assists for 69 points in her 139 career regular season games. She quarterbacked the power play for the Prairie Fire and was “the franchise” of that team.

    As the rules will be changed next season to further limit underage players from playing in the midget AAA ranks, Hayhurst might be the last player to play in 139 career regular season games. She will depart to the U Sports ranks next season playing for the Nipissing University Lakers women’s hockey team.

    The exploits of this grad class is special. Together, they ensured and are continuing to ensure in the post-season that the SFMAAAHL had an amazing and unique campaign in 2018-19. It is a campaign the likes of which the SFMAAAHL will never see again.

    NOTES – All three of the SFMAAAHL’s best-of-five quarter-final series began on Thursday. In Prince Albert, the visiting Hounds slipped past the host Northern Bears 3-2, the host Wildcats in Swift Current downed the visiting Battlefords Sharks 6-2 and the host Regina Rebels blanked the Prairie Fire 5-0. The Stars have a bye into a best-of-five semifinal series.

Hilltops’ “Sarge” named Sask Sport’s coach of the year

Tom Sargeant was named Sask Sport’s coach of the year.

    The Canadian Junior Football League’s coach of the year award has eluded Tom Sargeant since 2003, but Sask Sport named him tops in the province for a second time.

    On Wednesday, Sargeant, who is the legendary head coach of the Saskatoon Hilltops, was named the coach of the year by Sask Sports. The honour is given by Sask Sport to an outstanding coach in province’s amateur sport scene each year.

    This marks the second time Sargeant was named the coach of the year by Sask Sport. He took that same honour after the Hilltops CJFL championship campaign in 2012.

    In 2018, Sargeant led the Hilltops through what will go down as one of their most storied seasons in team history. On November 17, 2018, Sargeant guided the Hilltops to a 58-21 victory in the CJFL’s championship game – the Canadian Bowl – at Saskatoon Minor Football field.

    The win allowed the Hilltops to complete a perfect 11-0 season and become the first club ever to win five straight CJFL titles and eight CJFL championships over a nine year period.

    The 11-0 campaign marked the fourth time in team history the Hilltops posted a perfect season. The 2018 Hilltops had the distinction of only trailing on the scoreboard for a combined 81 seconds over the whole campaign.

    The championship win mark the 21^st time the Hilltops captured the CJFL title. During his career with the Hilltops, Sargeant has 12 national championship rings as the Hilltops head coach, two as an assistant coach with the team and one as a player. His first championship ring as a player was earned way back in 1985.

    Besides holding down the duties as Hilltops head coach, Sargeant has been the Hilltops offensive coordinator in each of the past two seasons.

    Sargeant was deserving of the Sask Sport coach of the year award, and the honour is that much greater considering how many outstanding coaches there are in Saskatchewan across all amateur sports.

    Sargeant was the coach of the year for the Prairie Football Conference in 2018. He was named the CJFL coach of the year in 2000 and 2003.

Blades alum Holtby second fastest to 250 NHL wins

    Saskatoon Blades alum Braden Holtby hit an impressive milestone in his NHL career.

    On Wednesday, Holtby made 27 saves to back his defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals to a 5-3 victory over the Flyer in Philadelphia. The 29-year-old product of Lloydminster, Sask., earned his 250^th career NHL regular season victory that night.

    He hit that mark in his 409^th game making him the second fastest player in the history of the NHL to reach that milestone. Legendary Montreal Canadiens goalie Ken Dryden was the only netminder to reach 250 fasters hitting that milestone in his 381^st game.

    In his 409 NHL regular season games all with the Capitals, Holtby has posted a 250-105-39 record, a 2.47 goals against average, a .918 save percentage and 34 shutouts.

    So far this season, Holtby has record a 25-16-4 record, a 2.94 goals against average, a .909 save percentage and two shutouts.

    During his time in the WHL, Holtby played for the Blades from 2006 to 2009 posting an 82-75-15 record, a 2.87 goals against average, a .905 save percentage and seven shutouts. He was selected by the Capitals in the fourth round and 93^rd overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Rush and Knighthawks battle for history in Game 3 of NLL final

Rush D Matt Hossack, left, looks get past Knighthawks D Luc Magnan.

    The story on the turf will be as interesting as the spectacle that usually surrounds games, when the Saskatchewan Rush play at home.

    On Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre, the host Saskatchewan Rush face the Rochester Knighthawks in a winner take all Game 3 of the National Lacrosse League Championship series. The Rush took Game 1 by a 16-9 score at the SaskTel Centre on May 26.

    The Knighthawks evened the series with a 13-8 victory in Game 2 on June 2 at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y.

    Both teams are a win away from adding to their respective championship legacies. Both are hoping to capture the brand new National Lacrosse League Cup, which replaces the Champion’s Cup as the circuit’s championship trophy.

    The Rush are the team that is all about right now. Most of their players are in the prime of their playing days right now, have won in the past and are built to win in the present.

    They have an elite coaching staff led by head coach and general manager Derek Keenan.

    The Rush won their first NLL title in 2015 during the franchise’s final season in Edmonton, Alta. At the time, the Rush was as a very young team, and it was viewed the squad’s best days were still in the future.

    They repeated as NLL champs in 2016 during the club’s first campaign in Saskatchewan.

Defenceman Scott Campbell (#37) is a steady NLL veteran.

    Their run for three straight titles came to an end a year ago, when the Rush were swept 2-0 in the NLL title series by the Georgia Swarm. The sweep was completed with a Swarm 15-14 overtime victory at the SaskTel Centre.

    The Rush returned this season as a hungry club. When you win a league title in two straight seasons, you start expecting to win it every season. Last year’s loss to the Swarm was met with great disappointment.

    Saskatchewan rolled to a 14-4 record to finish first overall in the NLL regular season standings. The Rush are 16-5 including action in the regular season and the playoffs heading into Game 3 with the Knighthawks.

    The Rush are a team that is loaded with personable stars. Forward Mark Matthews topped the NLL in regular season scoring with 116 points and set a new NLL record for most assists in one regular season at 84.

    Forward Robert Church topped all Rush players with 47 goals in the regular season and placed second in the NLL scoring race with 107 points. Captain Chris Corbeil and fan favourite Jeremy Thompson pace the defensive and transition side.

    Matthews, Church, Corbeil and Thompson were all key members of the two NLL title wins by the Rush.
    Sophomore forward Ryan Keenan, who is Derek’s son, and sophomore defender Matt Hossack are looking to taste an NLL title for the first time.

    Veteran goalie Evan Kirk, who was acquired in a trade with the New England Black Wolves in the off-season, is trying to experience his first NLL championship in his seventh season.

Rush F Jeff Shattler (#77) passes the ball to a teammate.

    If the Rush win, they will cement their status as the NLL’s team of the present and add to a storied run they have built in the three previous campaigns.

    The Knighthawks are trying to return to their championship form that just existed a short time ago. Back in 2014, they competed a run of winning the NLL title in three straight seasons. They have won five NLL titles and are trying to join the Toronto Rock and the reborn Philadelphia Wings for most NLL championships won by one club at six.

    For a while, it looked like the 2018 campaign might be a write off for the Knighthawks, who stumbled out of the gate to start the regular season at 2-6. Since that start, the Knighthawks finished the regular season with a 10-8 mark, and they are 11-3 in their last 14 games including action in both the regular season and playoffs.

    Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen and his staff have played a bit part in the turnaround. Hasen has been the team’s head coach since 2011.

    Matt Vinc, who won the NLL’s goaltender of the year award five times, and veteran star forward Cody Jamieson were integral to the Knighthawks run of three straight title wins from 2012 to 2014 and would love to return to the league’s mountaintop.

    Joe Resetarits led the Knighthawks in regular season scoring with 37 goals and 63 assists. He came to the Knighthawks in a trade with the Buffalo Bandits partway through the 2015 campaign. He is hoping to experience his first NLL championship in his sixth season in the league.

    Veteran defenceman Scott Campbell has continued to be steady on the backend for Rochester playing in his 14^th season in the league. The 36-year-old hopes to experience his fourth league championship with the Knighthawks.

Knighthawks D Brad Gillies, left, defends against Rush F Mark Matthews.

    Campbell leads a tough defensive group that contains a pair of talented 25-year-old players in Luc Magnan and Graeme Hossack, who are both in search for their first NLL title win. Graeme Hossack is Matt Hossack’s older brother.

    So far, both teams have earned convincing victories in this series on their home turfs.

    Adding to the intrigue, this will mark the first time a full 60-minute contest with overtime will be held to decide a winner take all Game 3 in the NLL Championship series.

    The Knightshawks won a Game 3 in the NLL title series back in 2014, but that was by a 3-2 score in a 10-minute mini-game against the Calgary Roughnecks.

    The script for Saturday’s contest could play out in any type of fashion from a close game to a romp. In any way that it does play out, the spectators will see something special.

Trading Bridge would be unwise for Roughriders

Some Roughriders fans feel Brandon Bridge (#16) should be dealt for assets.

    The Saskatchewan Roughriders would be unwise to shrink their quarterback depth at this stage of the game.

    A number of the team’s fans saw a chance for the CFL club to add assets, when Winnipeg Blue Bombers star starting quarterback Matt Nichols was lost to injury on a non-contact play during a team practice on Wednesday. On Thursday, the Bombers announced Nichols was lost for four-to-six weeks with a right knee injury.

    Last season, Nichols was sensational for the Bombers completing 411 of 579 passes for 4,472 yards, 28 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Winnipeg finished second in the West Division with a 12-6 record. The Bombers fell 39-32 in the West semifinal to the Edmonton Eskimos.

    Almost immediately after Nichols went down, a number of Roughriders fans began to speculate on what the team might be able to acquire by trading backup quarterback Brandon Bridge to the Bombers. That move would not be wise.

    In most seasons, only about two to three quarterbacks on average in the CFL start all of their team’s contests during an 18-game regular season.

    In early January, the Roughriders acquired veteran starter Zach Collaros in a trade with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and signed him to a restructured contract. The 29-year-old is the odds on favourite to be the starter this season.

Zach Collaros is pegged to be the Roughriders starting quarterback.

    During his previous six seasons in the league, Collaros has only twice appeared in more than 13 regular season games. He lost his job as the Tiger-Cats starting quarterback halfway through last season completing 167 of 266 passes for 1,767 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Hamilton missed the playoffs with a 6-12 record.

    Last season with the Roughriders, Bridge won his one start and came off the bench in numerous other contests completing 92-of-138 passes for 1,236 yards, 10 touchdown passes and four interceptions. He also ran the ball 20 times for 127 yards and scored one major.

    During last year’s 25-21 Eastern Final loss to the eventual Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts, Bridge came off the bench for the Roughriders completing 11-of-21 passes for 141 yards and one touchdown.

    While it is expected both Collaros and Bridge will play well, there is still a possibility one or the other could falter besides the fact the injury bug could bit at any time over a long campaign. You need to have at least two good quarterbacks to make it through a CFL campaign.

    At the moment, the Roughriders would be wise to hold on to both Collaros and Bridge. Saskatchewan closes the pre-season hosting the Calgary Stampeders on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium.

Could Stanley be “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon?”

I can’t believe it, I’m so proud of you buddy. Congratulations, and party hard❤️ #stanleycup

A post shared by Brayden (@braydencamrud) on Jun 7, 2018 at 10:28pm PDT

    The Washington Capitals with captain Alexander Ovechkin finally won it, and hockey’s most cherished prize will likely be making a stop in Saskatoon.

    On Thursday in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Capitals defeated the host Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final. With the win, the Capitals claimed the best-of-seven series 4-1 to win the NHL title for the first time in the franchise’s 44 seasons of existence.

    The Golden Knights made it to the Stanley Cup final playing in their expansion season.

    Capitals 24-year-old centre Chandler Stephenson is from Saskatoon and star 28-year-old goalie Braden Holtby, who is from Lloydminster on the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan, is an alum of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades.

    In a post-game interview with CBC, Stephenson said he was going to bring the Stanley Cup to Humboldt for sure. Stephenson said he knew a couple of people on the Humboldt Broncos bus that was involved in a tragic accident on April 6 heading to a junior A playoff game in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League in Nipawin to face the host Hawks.
    One of those friends was Broncos centre Brayden Camrud, who was in Vegas on Thursday night to see the Capitals win the Stanley Cup.

    A total of 16 players and Broncos staff members were killed in that crash and 13 players were injured. Since that crash, people worldwide have rallied to help those involved in the accident and the small city of Humboldt.

    Stephenson grew up playing his minor hockey in Saskatoon before joining the WHL’s Regina Pats. In four seasons with the Pats from 2010 to 2014, Stephenson appeared in 230 regular season games piling up 73 goals and 122 assists.

    From 2006 to 2009, Holtby appeared in 177 regular season games with the Blades posting an 82-75-15 record, a 2.87 goals against average, a .905 save percentage and seven shutouts. He still holds the Blades career record for most saves in the regular season at 4,576 and his 177 career regular season games played is also a record for most games played by a Blades netminder.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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