Rhett Rhinehart (#41) waves goodbye to Logan Nijhoff (#29).
Business is picking up in the dormant rivalry between the
Saskatoon Blades and Regina Pats.
On Friday night, a season high 7,523 spectators turned out at
the SaskTel Centre to see the Blades take on 16-year-old phenom centre Connor
Bedard and his Regina Pats in a WHL regular season clash. It was obvious the
presence of Bedard helped bring the large turnout.
The contest itself was a spirited and feisty affair that included
some physical play and more than usual chirping between the players on the ice.
Blades sophomore defenceman Marek Schneider, who turned 19-years-old
in early February, was the hero on the night as his first career WHL goal in
the second period stood up as the winner in a 3-1 victory by the home side. He
engaged Pats rookie 17-year-old left-winger Zane Rowan in a short third period
fight to gain more stature in the eyes of Saskatoon fans.
Connor Bedard (#98) received lots of attention on Friday.
Blades overage defenceman Rhett Rhinehart was engaged in
frequent talking sessions and a few physical sessions with Bedard for much of the
first two periods and then Pats overage captain Logan Nijhoff for a lot of the
third period.
With Blades up 3-1, some of the spectators at the SaskTel
Centre started the “overrated” chant for Bedard with 11:11 remaining in the
third and again with 5:45 left in the frame.
The North Vancouver, B.C., product looked visibly frustrated
by the end of the night as he was held pointless bringing an end to his streak
of recording at least one point in 21 consecutive games, which was the longest
consecutive games point streak in the WHL this season. During that run, Bedard put
up 45 points coming on 23 goals and 22 assists.
Blades D Marek Schneider fights Pats LW Zane Rowan.
When the dust settled, the Blades not only claimed victory
in the game but locked up a berth in the WHL playoffs. The playoff clinching
scenario played out due to the fact the Prince Albert Raiders fell 5-3 to the
Wheat Kings in Brandon on Friday night.
To added extra icing to the cake for Blades fans, their team
has won all five head-to-head meetings with the Pats this season in overtime.
If freelance writer Darrell Utley, who was known as Barney
from the bowling alley,” was still typing columns for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix
like he did in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he would have likely typed out
what it a joy it was to see the “snaky” Pats fans in attendance slither quietly
out of the SaskTel Centre after their team lost.
Marek Schneider celebrates scoring his first career WHL goal.
As has been tradition for decades, the Pats had a fan bus
and a healthy contingent of supporters on hand for Friday’s game.
During the history of the Blades franchise, there have been
stretches of time where Saskatoon supporters have taken the team’s rivalry with
the Pats more seriously than the rivalry with the Raiders. Part of that came from
a long time overall hatred for Regina, which has been shown also towards the
Regina Rams football team in both the CJFL and now the U Sports ranks as the
University of Regina Rams during a lengthy stretch in the past.
For Saskatoon fans on Friday night, it was apparent the rivalry
between Saskatoon and Regina was more in the spotlight as the Blades faced the Pats.
Marek Schneider was a Blades fan favourite on Friday night.
In the game itself, Bedard had a couple of big scoring
chances in the first period. On a dangerous rush down the right wing, Bedard
was turned away on a backhand shot by Blades netminder Ethan Chadwick.
A short time later, Bedard wired a laser shot off the post.
With 4:39 remaining in the opening frame, the Blades jumped
ahead 1-0 on a goal from import right-winger Egor Sidorov. Blades centre Josh
Pillar forced a turnover in the Regina zone and chipped the puck to Sidorov,
who was alone in front of the left side of the Regina goal.
Sidorov immediate roofed home his 18th tally of
the season to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Egor Sidorov scored the Blades first goal on Friday.
With 3:08 remaining in the first, the Pats tied things up a
1-1 on a power-play goal from Nijhoff. Pats left-winger Tanner Howe had the
puck at the right side boards and passed it down to Nijhoff at the right side
of the Regina goal.
Nijhoff went backhand to forehand and popped home the
equalizer.
Play was fairly even in the first 20 minutes as the shots on
goal were tied 13-13.
The Blades dominated the second period peppering Pats
sophomore netminder Drew Sim with a 21 shots as the Pats only replied with four
shots in the stanza.
The hosts were only able to cash in with one goal as
sophomore Schneider blew home a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle
to give the Blades a 2-1 lead. Defensive partner Charlie Wright made sure to
collect Schneider’s goal puck for a souvenir of that first WHL tally.
Rhett Rhinehart (#41) tangles with Connor Bedard.
Late in the second, things got testy. Inside of the final 25
seconds of the second, Bedard made an open ice hit on Blades star overage
centre Tristen Robins in the Saskatoon zone. The hit allowed Bedard to get the
puck off Robins and create a scoring chance.
As the time on the clock hit zero, Bedard hit Robins again
on the boards. Rhinehart proceeded to go after Bedard causing a massive scrum
to ensue.
Ultimately, the Pats found themselves on a two-minute power
play to start the third, but were unable to score with the man advantage.
Shortly after that kill at the 3:11 mark of the third, Robins
came down the left wing on a rush, gathered a loose puck, cut across the front
of the Pats net and put home his 32nd goal of the season to push
Saskatoon’s lead out to 3-1.
Logan Nijhoff scored the Pats lone goal on Friday.
The Blades closed out the game defensively the rest of the
way to secure victory.
Chadwick stopped 23 shots in goal for the Blades, who improved
to 34-22-3-1. Sim turned away 41 shots to take the setback in net for the Pats,
who fell to 23-30-3-2 having lost three straight games.
Right-winger Kyren Gronick picked up a pair of assists for the Blades.
The Blades return to action on Saturday when they travel to
Moose Jaw to take on the Warriors (7 p.m., Mosaic Place). That clash could prove
to be big when it comes to getting home ice advantage potentially for a first
round playoff series as the Warriors, who have a 34-21-3-2 record, lead the
Blades by one point for fourth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.
Tristen Robins scored the Blades third goal on Friday.
The Pats also get back at it on Saturday when they return
home to host the Brandon Wheat Kings (7 p.m., Brandt Centre). Regina trails the
24-30-5-2 Swift Current Broncos by four points for eighth place and the final
playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, and the Pats have three games in hand
on the Broncos.
When the final buzzer ended in Friday’s clash between the
Blades and Pats, the teams engaged in one last scrum behind the Saskatoon goal.
As the officials separated the players, Rhinehart waved goodbye to Nijhoff.
The Blades celebrate their victory on Friday night.
At the moment, the rivalry between the Blades and Pats has returned
at a more intense level. The two sides meet one last time in the regular season
this coming Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Brandt Centre.
It is safe to suspect the drama will carry over to that next
clash.
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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Ethan Watson (#5) calls signals for the Huskies on Friday night.
If Ethan
Watson has to come to the rescue, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies
football team will still be in good hands.
The 19-year-old Calgary, Alta., product is the
Huskies backup quarterback. He was a redshirt last season and is in his first
year of eligibility this season.
If all went
according to pre-season plans, he wasn’t expected to see the field much outside
of entering games for mop up work. That changed last Friday night during a U
Sports regular season game at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.
Near the
end of the third quarter with the Huskies holding a 26-9 lead on the University
of Regina Rams, Huskies starting quarterback Mason Nyhus went down taking a hit
on a delayed blitz. He banged his head on the turf, came back for one series
and sat out the rest of the game as a precaution.
Nyhus was
helping Watson and the Huskies coaches from the sideline, when Watson was at the
controls.
Watson went
in for what was in all reality his first live action that counted in the final
outcome of a game. At that point in the contest, the Rams could potentially
mount a comeback.
The Huskies
utilized a more cautious play calling scheme for Watson, but gave way to allow
him to make plays as the rest of the contest went on.
Ethan Watson fires a pass downfield for the Huskies.
Watson, who
stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 205 pounds, completed 4-of-6 passes for 46 yards and
his first career U Sports touchdown. He ran the ball three times for 20 yards.
Early in
the fourth quarter, Watson guided an eight-play, 87-yard touchdown drive that
ate 4:57 off the clock. He ended the march hitting running back Josh Ewanchyna
on a six-yard swing pass that went for a touchdown.
That score
gave the Huskies a 33-9 lead. They ultimately claimed the contest 44-9.
After the
game, Huskies head coach Scott Flory was pleased with the production he got
from Watson.
“I am
really high on him (Watson),” said Flory. “He can run.
“He can use
his legs. He can push the ball down the field. We obviously were controlling
him at that point and all the throws and that kind of stuff.
“He is
doing all the right things, and he has a really bright future.”
Going
forward, Nyhus is still the Huskies unquestioned starter at quarterback. With
that said, Watson showed well enough one wonders how good he might play going a
full week taking the reps as the starter at practice.
Huskies
starting running back Adam Machart said it was great to see Watson enter the
game and do well on Friday.
“It is good
for us,” said Machart. “It was good for Ethan (Watson) to get out there and get
some reps.
Ethan Watson is elusive on the ground.
“He did an
awesome job, so I was super proud of him.”
Huskies
defensive back Nelson Lokombo, who return an interception 98 yards for a major
after Watson’s touchdown pass, said it perked up the Huskies defence to see the
offense was still moving with Watson at the controls.
“It is
awesome knowing that you can count on other guys to come in if somebody goes
down and produce,” said Lokombo.
At the
moment, Nyhus is pegged to be the starter when the Huskies return to action
this coming Saturday, when they travel to Edmonton, Alta., to face the
University of Alberta Golden Bears in a battle of 2-1 teams.
If Watson
has to enter that contest for meaningful minutes or even start, the Huskies will
still be able to roll.
Superman pose draws the flag
Jesse Kuntz hauls in a touchdown reception for the Huskies.
Jesse
Kuntz’s attempt at a déjà vu moment celebration didn’t seem appreciated by the
officials in Regina.
Early in
the second quarter of the U of Saskatchewan Huskies 44-9 romp over the U of
Regina Rams last Friday at Mosaic Stadium, Kuntz hauled in a 14-yard touchdown
reception in the west corner of the north end zone to put the Huskies up 16-3
at that point in the contest.
Back in
2013 at the Grey Cup held at Taylor Field, Saskatchewan Roughriders star
receiver Geroy Simon made a diving 15-yard touchdown grab in the first quarter
in almost an identical spot at that iconic facility to Kuntz’s grab last
Friday. Simon’s touchdown sparked the Roughriders to a 45-23 romp over the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
After Kuntz
made his touchdown catch on Friday, he broke out Simon’s old “Superman pose” to
celebrate the score. Kuntz did the celebration in a perfect spot for Huskies
official team photographer Josh Schaefer to get a picture of that moment.
Schaefer
got a number of gems in last Friday night’s game, and I am sure that was one of
them.
The
officials weren’t as impressed. A penalty flag was thrown for unsportsmanlike
conduct.
With the
clash between the Huskies and Rams being a rivalry game, the flag was likely
the officials message to both teams they were going to crack down on acts like
Kuntz’s celebration to prevent tensions from escalating.
Still, the
celebration was something that was fun, and I myself wouldn’t mind seeing it
again.
The awkward spy camera
The Mosaic Stadium big screen camera loved Mason Nyhus.
It seemed
like the big screen camera at Mosaic Stadium last Friday seemed to be in love
with hometown Regina product Mason Nyhus at an awkward time.
Nyhus, who
is the starting quarterback for the U of Saskatchewan Huskies, went down late
in the third quarter of his team’s 44-9 romp over the host U of Regina Rams. He
bumped his head on the turf after taking a hit on a delayed blitz.
After the
hit, the camera for the big screen at the stadium stayed on Nyhus as he came
off the field and remained on him for a lengthy time when he was being looked
at by the Huskies training staff. After the big screen cut to a play that was
being run, the camera shot would be back to what was going on between Nyhus and
the trainers.
This
happened about two or three times. The Huskies players that didn’t dress
decided to act as a screen for the camera.
Friday’s
game was being shown on the television network run by SaskTel. It is likely the
football on the big screen was dictated by the television broadcast.
Still, that
whole situation felt really awkward, and it seemed to be trying to discover if
the Huskies would do something wrong.
At game’s
end, the Huskies tabbed the awkward camera as a non-issue.
“We’re
focused, we are here to play our game, and that’s it,” said Huskies head coach
Scott Flory. “It is every snap.
“We’re not
getting into the extra-curricular and all that other stuff. We’re just playing
a clean game and getting back to Huskie football.”
“Baby Shark Dance” burn song fail
The Huskies celebrate a pick-six from Nelson Lokombo.
Before U
Sports football games, it is common to introduce the opposing team with a burn
song, but the one used at Mosaic Stadium in Regina last Friday was a fail.
When the
visiting U of Saskatchewan Huskies were introduced for their rivalry clash with
the U of Regina Rams, the “Baby Shark Dance” was played over the facility’s
stereo system when the Huskies came on to the field.
The Huskies
romped to a 44-9 victory. The biggest highlight came late in the fourth quarter
when third-year defensive back Nelson Lokombo returned an interception 98 yards
for a touchdown to put the visitors up 41-9 at that point in the contest.
The Huskies
defensive team celebrated the score running across the end zone making a shark
fin motion with their hands on top of their helmets.
As far as
the “Baby Shark Dance” song went, the Huskies defence got the last laugh.
“Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” song fail
The Huskies love, TDs, wins and “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon.”
The game
crew at Mosaic Stadium in Regina seemed to be good at song fails last Friday
night.
After the U
of Saskatchewan Huskies thumped the U of Regina Rams 44-9 in a U Sports regular
season football contest, the game staff decided to play The Guess Who’s
“Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon.”
That move
drew laughs from some of the Huskies players, who follow action in the Western
Hockey League especially last season’s WHL playoffs.
Due to the
fact the Saskatoon Blades lost an intense six game series to the eventual WHL
champion Prince Albert Raiders, a number of the Huskies players know that
“Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” is played at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert
every time the Raiders beat the Blades.
That tune
is also played at the Art Hauser Centre on the hockey front every time the
midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos beat either the Saskatoon Blazers or the
Saskatoon Contacts and when the female midget AAA Prince Albert Northern Bears
beat the Saskatoon Stars.
After
“Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” was played at the U Sports contest last Friday at
Mosaic Stadium, the Huskies players got a kick out of the move, because it was
played after their side won in convincing fashion.
With all
that noted, the crew at U of Regina Athletics will have a couple of chances to
get that song burn right in another intense rivalry between the two schools
namely the Huskies versus U of Regina Cougars rivalry in women’s hockey.
It is
fairly well known that Cougars head coach Sarah (Howald) Hodges loves the
Huskies women’s hockey team about as much as getting a root canal from a
dentist without anaesthetic.
The Cougars
host the Huskies on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. and again Friday, Feb. 7, 2019
at 7 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre.
You can
already see someone on the U of R game staff all set to make that song
selection for a game-clinching empty net goal and post-game after a win.
If they
need any help on that front, they could always call in the services of Art
Hauser Centre music man Dennis Ogrodnick.
For those
on the university front that are unfamiliar with the story of “Runnin’ Back to
Saskatoon” as it relates to the hockey rivalry between Saskatoon and Prince
Albert, I wrote a piece on that last February that can be found right here.
For those
that don’t know the song, it is used in a video put together by Chanda Ulmer
that can be seen below.
Huskies gave greatest song burn in 1999
The StarPhoenix sports front from Sept. 13, 1999.
The best
song burn ever in the history of U Sports has to go to the U of Saskatchewan
Huskies from way back in 1999.
It occurred
before the first ever U Sports regular season football meeting between the
Huskies and the U of Regina Rams. The Rams had just moved to the U Sports ranks
after spending 45 years in the Canadian Junior Football League from 1954 to
1998.
The Rams
wrapped up their time in the CJFL ranks winning the league title in five out of
six years from 1993 to 1995 and in 1997 and 1998.
The Huskies
entered the 1999 campaign as the defending Vanier Cup champions and had also
won the U Sports national title in 1996 and 1990. The two sides met on Sept.
11, 1999 in a highly anticipated encounter at Griffiths Stadium.
The Huskies
entered that contest with a 1-0 record having downed the UBC Thunderbirds 28-20
at Griffiths. The Rams were 0-1 falling 37-28 to the U of Manitoba Bisons at
Taylor Field in Regina. Both of those games were held on Sept. 4, 1999.
Leading up
to the clash between the Huskies and the Rams, U of R defensive end Ciaran
Gilmore told the incomparable Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post the Rams
needed to play new music in their dressing room.
“We need to
be tougher,” said Gilmore. “We listen to the Backstreet Boys in the locker room
and everyone knows the words.
“I hate
that! We need to work on our mental toughness.”
At the
time, teams were introduced by individual player introductions either with the
starting offence or defence. The Rams defence was announced with Gilmore
leading the way.
When he
entered the field, the game staff at Griffiths played “I Want It That Way” by
Backstreet Boys.
The Huskies
spotted the Rams an early 11-0 lead. The Dogs then got going and rolled off 42
straight points and ultimately posted a 56-12 curb stomping.
How
dominate were the Huskies in that first encounter?
They piled
up 440 yards rushing as a team on 43 carries. The Rams had 244 yards of total
offence in that game.
Due to how
that contest played out, a song burn likely never worked out any better.
When “Barney from the bowling alley” stirred
the pot
Darrell Utley liked to take shots at the Regina Rams.
Back when
the U of Saskatchewan Huskies and U of Regina Rams met for the first time in a
U Sports regular season game in 1999, the Saskatoon StarPhoenix ran regular stir
the pot type columns from a freelance writer named Darrell Utley, who was known
as “Barney from the bowling alley.”
In those
days, the sports department of the StarPhoenix and the Regina Leader-Post had a
lot more of their own distinct voices that were influenced and mirrored the
views of their respective communities. Those voices weren’t streamlined similar
ones often produced in the current day with both outlets being owned by
Postmedia in Canada’s budget cut media era.
Utley
indulged in stirring the pot in the rivalry between Saskatoon and Regina, and a
couple of his favourite targets were the Rams and their legendary head coach
Frank McCrystal.
When the
Rams played the Huskies in their first regular season encounter on September
11, 1999, Utley wrote quite the humourous and biting column taking shots at the
Rams.
In one
paragraph, Utley wrote, “For the next few years the rivalry will likely play
out this way: The Huskies will host the Rams once at Griffiths Stadium, the
Rams will return the favour at Taylor Field and the Huskies will enjoy
post-season playoff action in November and the season for the Rams will end and
the defensive line will have lots of free time to study for their underwater
soap-carving final.”
Another
paragraph from Utley went, “McCrystal and his Rams have nothing to lose today
(except the game) as his historic squad of Christians face a hungry pack of
howling lions who are running out of pinkies for championship rings.”
Utley of
course was making reference to a long standing perception that the Rams were a
Catholic football coming from the fact McCrystal had a long career as a teacher
in the Regina Catholic school system.
After the
Huskies destroyed the Rams 56-12 in that first contest, the StarPhoenix sports
staffers did take some shots at the Rams in their post-game stories that
appeared in the Monday, September 13, 1999 edition of that paper.
One common
refrain was it would take the Rams three to five years to do anything of
substance at the university level.
The Rams
proved that wrong by winning the Hardy Cup as Canada West champions and making
the Vanier Cup in 2000 falling 42-39 to the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.
Looking
back, columns like the ones Utley wrote are a lost art, and it did create lots
of interest in games. In today’s world, people are so thin skinned you would be
hard pressed to find that type of writing anywhere.
It does
give you a grin to look back and see what once was.
Flory pumps up his offensive line
The Huskies starting offensive line has been great this season.
The last
word of this post goes to U of Saskatchewan Huskies head coach Scott Flory,
because Flory is that cool.
Going into
this season, Flory was asked how many yards would his current talented and
tough running backs Adam Machart and Josh Ewanchyna pile up if he, Kevin
Lefsrud and Kelly Bates were leading the way on the offensive line.
Flory,
Lefsrud and Bates all had lengthy CFL careers and Flory made it to the Canadian
Football Hall of Fame as a player. The trio helped lead the way in the Huskies
Vanier Cup championship in 1998 and Flory and Lefsrud keys on the Huskies
Vanier Cup winner in 1996 as U Sports national champions.
That trio
allowed running back Doug Rozon to become the Huskies all-time leading rusher
piling up 4,086 yards in five seasons from 1995 to 1999.
With all of
that said, Flory said he likes his current offensive line that includes
standout starters in left tackle Noah Zerr, left guard Mattland Riley, centre
Connor Berglof, right guard Tanner Secord and right tackle Nick Summach.
“Our O-line
is better now than us old guys back then, I’ll tell you,” said Flory. “You look
at our offensive line and the size and the speed and how these guys move, it
makes our quarterbacks and running backs happy.”
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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.JPG)
