2001 Rams/Huskies game provided release in rough time

Some crave similar release from respective local sports scenes

Neal Hughes is off to the races for the Rams.

It was a day like no other when you didn’t realize how good it would feel to be at a football park.

That day for me happened to be Saturday, September 15, 2001, when I arrived at Taylor Field to see the U Sports football clash between the University of Regina Rams and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in a contest that was newly dubbed the Hall of Fame Game.

This game provided a significant memory for me because it occurred just four days after the terrorist attacks in New York City on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001. Those attacks saw the fall of the World Trade Center towers after hijacked airplanes crashed into them.

Jason Clermont, left, rumbles upfield after a catch for the Rams.

It was safe to say everyone who saw the images of what happened in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001 was affected emotionally by them.

A third plane had crashed into the Pentagon that day. A fourth plane in United Airlines Flight 93 was initially flying to Washington, D.C., but it crashed into a field in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania after passengers thwarted the hijackers.

It seemed most were in a fog for most of that week after the terrorist attacks happened, and I was one of those that was in a fog. On top of that, I was going through some changes that were the biggest in my life up to that point in time.

Darryl Leason (#8) steps up in the pocket to make a pass.

In May of that year, I had moved away from Regina to work as the sports writer in Prince Albert at the Prince Albert Daily Herald almost a year after graduating from the University of Regina. I had covered the University of Regina’s athletic teams from 1996 to 2001, and most of my old friends from those days were still at the U of R, when I returned from the Hall of Fame Game.

After the terrorist attacks happened, all I wanted to do was go to Regina and see all my old friends again and be around something that felt normal.

It seemed a lot of other people wanted to be around something that felt normal that day as 7,238 spectators attended this clash between the Rams and Huskies. At that time, there pretty tight friendships among most of the members of all the athletic teams at the U of R, and a large sizable contingent from the rest of those teams was at this contest.

Jarrod Livingston watches his Rams from the sidelines.

The U of R was coming off arguably its most memorable season as an athletics program in 2000-01, where the Rams made the Vanier Cup falling 42-39 to the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, the Cougars women’s hockey team made the U Sports title game coming up short on a 4-3 decision against the U of Toronto Varsity Blues and the Cougars women’s basketball team won the U Sport championship game 94-85 over the U of Alberta Pandas.

Adding in extra fun from my side was I took pictures of the Hall of Fame Game from the sidelines. I wasn’t planning on that, but Brad Woods, who was the U of R’s sports information officer, saw me before the game and set me up with a field pass.

Rams head coach Frank McCrystal evaluates play.

I later enlarged five photos from that contest, got them autographed and gave them to be used for the silent auction at the Rams annual fundraising dinner.

When I got to the sidelines, it was great to see Jarrod Livingstone was out on the field keeping tabs on the Rams. Jarrod, who is the grandson of legendary Rams builder Scotty Livingstone, has spina bifida and has to get around in a wheelchair.

For a lengthy stretch of years, he attended every Rams game and practice. He was the focal point of a lot of fun for everyone involved with the team, and he would give some locker room post-game addresses too from time to time.

The Rams faithful at Taylor Field were jacked up.

As for that contest itself, the cheers during the player pre-game introductions for that contest had a distinctly different feel to them. It seemed like everyone was happy to be out at a football game due to what had happened that past week in the world.

The fans seemed to get a little more engaged into the game when Rams star quarterback Darryl Leason gave a little pump up motion with his arms during pre-game introductions to make everyone remember a pretty big rivalry game was about to take place. Leason at the time was arguably viewed by those in Saskatoon’s sports scene as their greatest villain adversary at that point in time.

Rams LB Jeff Zimmer hits Huskies RB Tyler Siwak.

He loved to get verbal jabs out there that star Huskies defensive end and former Rams team member Brent Dancey would never be able to touch him among a number of other lines that would stir the emotions in the rivalry.

The Rams three key stars in Leason, slotback Jason Clermont and running back Neal Hughes put on a show, and the Rams came away with a 31-21 victory.

One of the game’s signature moments came when six Huskies defensive players were unsuccessfully trying to bring Clermont down, and one of those defensive players came at Clermont with a high flying tackle attempt grabbing the receiver around his neck. Clermont still didn’t go down, but the play was blown dead as his forward progress was stopped.

Darryl Leason ran for 64 yards and threw for 376 yards.

He caught five passes for 113 yards in the win.

Hughes was the night’s MVP. He ran the ball 17 times for 141 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns, and he caught six passes for 80 yards and one receiving major score.

Leason completed 23-of-39 passes for 376 yards and one touchdown, while running the ball 10 times for 64 yards and a major score.

The Huskies did manage to gleefully intercept Leason three times including one pick that was run back 31 yards by defensive back Eric Duchene.

U of S did have other highlights in the game. The Huskies led 7-0 after the first quarter thanks to a 12-play, 89-yard drive that finished with star quarterback Sheldon Ball hitting slotback Greg Meikle with a 16-yard touchdown pass.

Jeff Zimmer made 12 tackles for the Rams.

Huskies powerback Tyler Siwak ran the ball 16 times for 131 yards and scored one touchdown. With the Rams leading 21-7 early in the fourth quarter, Siwak ran his major in from 42 yards out to cut the U of R lead to 21-14 with 9:51 remaining in the frame.

The Rams answered that score with a monster 13-play drive that covered 100 yards that ate up over five minutes and 30 seconds on the clock. On that march, the Rams converted three third down gambles.

The march ended when Leason hit Hughes with a 19-yard touchdown pass to put the hosts up 28-14 with 3:58 remaining in the game.

U of R was able close out the contest from that point.

Linebacker Jeff Zimmer topped the Rams with 12 tackles. Dancey had four tackles for the Huskies, but wasn’t able to come close when it came to trying to register a sack.

Neal Hughes (#36) ran for 141 yards and two touchdowns.

Jon Ryan punted the ball twice for the Rams averaging 49.5 yards a kick.

On the legendary coaches’ front, Frank McCrystal patrolled the sidelines as the Rams head coach, and Brian Towriss worked the opposing sidelines as Huskies head coach.

After the Rams received the Hall of Fame trophy, everyone from the U of R side slipped off to their favourite long time night spot in Checkers for a joyful and spectacular post-game victory party. The festivities ran well into the early hours of the morning.

During the celebrations, you could tell everyone was feeling a release from being bombarded with what happened that week in world events on top of enjoying the Rams victory.

The U of Regina Cheer Team does their thing.

In the current world that is gripped by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, many right now would love to revel in a similar experience following sports teams in their respective local centres.

It doesn’t matter the sport. 

If you are involved with or follow football, hockey, basketball, curling, baseball, softball, racing or any sport that holds the heart of a town or centre, you would like to be able to go to a game and try to relive an experience you have had many times before.

It makes you feel good.

Back when that clash between the Rams and Huskies was played in September of 2001, a lot of the sporting world in the United States had paused in order to come to terms with what happened with 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The anxiety of those events spilled into Canada, and the battle between the Rams and the Huskies gave a break from all that tension.

The Rams get the Hall of Fame Game trophy.

That break and being able to feel good are partial reasons why some sports and leagues have gotten back into action in modified forms. 

In North America, nothing is running exactly like it did on March 10 of this year, which was last real normal day on the calendar before massive restrictions happened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It will likely be some time before sports events in North America are held exactly like they were back on March 10.

When the day comes sports events can go ahead without restrictions again, you will likely see a lot of joy along with relief at various venues.

COVID-19 caution in local curling, hockey?

CurlSask is throwing caution to the wind in the curling scene.

It appears caution regarding the COVID-19 pandemic has hit a new gear in Saskatchewan when it comes to curling and the under-18 AAA hockey scene.

On Friday, stories came out over various mainstream media outlets that CurlSask postponed a provincial men’s curling tour stop at the Highland Curling Club in Regina and a women’s curling tour stop in Martensville. Both events were originally slated to begin Friday and run through to Sunday.

CurlSask said the decisions were reached based on the advice of the Government of Saskatchewan’s Business Response Team and the recent increases of COVID-19 cases.

On Saturday, the Government of Saskatchewan reported there were 78 new COVID-19 cases in the province, which was a new record for the province over a 24-hour period. Saskatchewan currently has 574 active COVID-19 cases, which is also an all-time high.

Gregory Strong of The Canadian Press put out a story on Friday showing that Matt Dunstone’s Regina-based rink and Colton Flasch’s Saskatoon-based rink are frustrated with Saskatchewan’s COVID-19 restrictions.

In the story put out by The Canadian Press, the Dunstone team hinted they were thinking about moving to Alberta in order to have the chance to get more competition in these COVID-19 pandemic times. At the moment, CurlSask won’t allow Saskatchewan curling teams to participate in events outside Saskatchewan and is barring teams from outside the province from coming into the province to play games.

Add caption

The Canadian Press story was posted on CBC’s website, and some of the reader comments directed towards the curlers weren’t that nice. The Canadian Press story on the CBC site can be found by clicking right here.

There has also been a trio of cancellations on the under-18 hockey front including two male exhibition games and one female pre-season contest on Friday and Saturday in Saskatchewan. COVID-19 wasn’t named as the reason for the cancellation, but “unforeseen circumstances” seemed to be the buzz words.

On Friday, the Saskatoon Blazers announced their exhibition home again that night against the Warman Wildcats was cancelled in male under-18 AAA play.

On Saturday, the Saskatoon Contacts announced their exhibition home clash that night against the Battlefords Stars was cancelled also in male under-18 AAA play.

Also on Saturday, the Prince Albert Northern Bears announced their pre-season home game against the Saskatoon Stars on Sunday was cancelled in female under-18 AAA play.

Bedard hits the ice in Sweden for games, other notes

Connor Bedard is seeing game action, and business is picking for other players on WHL rosters.

On Wednesday, Gregg Drinnan was the first in North America to report in his Taking Note blog that Bedard, who turned 15-years-old on July 17, played his first game that night with HV71 in Sweden’s U-20 league. HV71 is based in Jonkoping.

HV71 fell 2-1 to Farjestad, and Bedard was held pointless in that contest.

Bedard, who is from North Vancouver, B.C., was given exceptional player status to allow him to play in the WHL on a full-time basis at age 15. The Regina Pats selected the skilled centre first overall in the WHL Bantam Draft back in April.

Dave Struch, who is the Pats head coach and assistant general manager, told Drinnan the Pats released Bedard to HK71 with the understanding Bedard will return to the Pats when the WHL get back into action.

The WHL regular season is targeted to start on January 8, 2021.

Bedard has a goal and an assist in his first two games with HV71.

On Friday afternoon, the WHL announced it has granted temporary transfers for WHL roster players to play at the junior A, junior B and under-18 levels in order to continue their development.

On the same day, the Everett Silvertips announced they had loaned five players to the junior A ranks with the loans slated to expire on Dec. 20.

One of those players includes overage left-winger Cole Fonstad, who joined his hometown Estevan Bruins in the SJHL. Fonstad was a member of the Prince Albert Raiders until he was dealt to the Silvertips in October of last year.

Overall, a number of WHL players are now on rosters of junior A, junior B and under-18 teams.

All of these moves would not have come to pass at this point in time had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic.

• On Thursday, TSN’s Rick Westhead reported on Twitter a judge in Quebec and a judge in Ontario have rejected the $30-million settlement in the CHL’s minimum-wage class-action lawsuit. There is no telling when this legal proceeding may actually conclude.
• Back on August 25, Forbes put out a piece stating the five biggest threats the COVID-19 pandemic poses towards the future of sports. The piece is geared towards a more United States viewpoint. The first threat mentioned is the financial threat noting the sports industry in the United States is worth US$750-billion. Some will see some parallels to the sports industry in Canada. The Forbes piece can be found by clicking right here.
• On Thursday, Greg Harder put out a story in the Regina Leader-Post catching up with Connor Hobbs, who was a great with the WHL’s Regina Pats. The 23-year-old defenceman said he had retired from professional hockey after playing three injury riddled seasons in the AHL with the Hershey Bears. The Bears are an affiliate with the NHL’s Washington Capitals, who selected Hobbs in the fifth round and 143^rd overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Hobbs is taking business classes online at the U of Saskatchewan and has been practicing with the Huskies men’s hockey team with younger brother, Declan, who is a goalie. From 2013 to 2017, Hobbs played in 180 WHL regular season games split between the Medicine Hat Tigers and Pats posting 53 goals, 94 assists and a plus-36 rating in the plus-minus department. Harder’s story on Hobbs can be found by clicking right here. Hobbs arguably most hilarious moment in the WHL is contained in the tweet below.

Connor Hobbs thinks you should come enjoy games 1 & 2 and get in on the BRAND NEW pulled pork sandwich at @BrandtCentre! #JoinTheRegiment pic.twitter.com/uyENVUdTi9

— Regina Pats (@WHLPats) March 22, 2017

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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Flashback Friday – 2000 Rams were unbelievable

Magical playoff run highlights second CIAU season

Darryl Leason sets fire a pass for the Rams in 2000.

    (*NOTE – I originally wrote this piece in December of 2000 at the request of University of Regina Rams head coach Frank McCrystal. I believe it originally ran in a provincial football publication. I recently rediscovered it and decided to share it once again.*)

    The 2000 Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union season was almost a script out of a Disney movie for the University of Regina Rams.

    After going 0-8 in their inaugural year in the university league, the Rams, the former 15-time national champions in junior football, played in the last game they could possibly play in 2000. They made a miraculous playoff run which culminated in a 42-39 loss in the Vanier Cup to the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.

    “I think at the start of the season people didn’t give us much of a chance,” says Rams quarterback Darryl Leason, who led the CIAU with 2,277 yards passing. “I was confident right from the start of the season it was going to be something special.

Head coach Frank McCrystal guided the Rams to a Vanier Cup appearance.

    “The Rams have a rich history of playing in championship games. It doesn’t surprise anybody in the Rams organization the team made it to the Vanier Cup.”

    The Rams began their journey to the Vanier Cup by opening the regular season with a 31-25 home win over the University of Calgary Dinosaurs. It was Regina’s first regular season win over a CIAU opponent.

    However, a three game losing streak at mid-season dropped the Rams to 2-4. Most football experts were writing them off, but Regina maintained its confidence heading into their final home game against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.

    “I think we were doing the right things, but there was a miscue here or there to make us not succeed,” says Rams head coach Frank McCrystal. “We knew, that if we stayed to the course, we were eventually going to succeed.”

Jason Clermont (#11) jets up field after making a catch in 2000.

    After falling behind 14-0 to the Thunderbirds, the Rams scored 30 straight second quarter points on route to a 47-37 victory.

    “That is when we felt we knew what kind of weapons we had on offence,” says Rams slotback Jason Clermont, who was named a second team CIAU all-Canadian. “We knew what we could do.”

    Regina’s win over the Thunderbirds was the start of a five game winning streak. The Rams would defeat the University of Alberta Golden Bears, Dinosaurs, University of Manitoba Bisons and the Saint Mary’s University Huskies on the road to the Vanier Cup.

    The Rams did not bow out of the Vanier Cup without a fight. After trailing the Gee-Gees 35-10 at halftime, Regina made a furious rally to lose by three.

Jon Ryan unloads a punt for the Rams in 2000.

    While the loss hurt at first, the Rams have been able to appreciate their success as the weeks have gone on.

    “The defence came up big in the third and fourth quarter,” says Clermont. “We were in a position where we could come back and win the football game.

    “It is a big accomplishment (to get to the Vanier Cup). There have been guys that don’t go there their whole career.”

    While the Rams enjoyed success in the football field in 2000, the Regina community and the province of Saskatchewan came around the team to support it. This included a sold out fundraising luncheon at Regina’s Delta Hotel and a huge Vanier Cup party at the U of R’s campus bar, the Owl.

Darryl Leason (#8) marks a Rams touchdown in 2000.

    “It was a great accomplishment for the university and the community as a whole that they could support a team that achieved the success we’ve achieved,” says McCrystal. “It was just a great partnership between institution and community that allowed this type of success to take place.”

    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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Raiders, Blades play straight up – coaches’ war of words entertaining side plot

Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid, centre, sizes up a situation on the ice.

    Marc Habscheid and Mitch Love might have the verbal shots going, but it doesn’t seem to be affecting play on the ice.

    After four games of their WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series, the Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades have played straight up hockey, and it has been really good. The best-of-seven series is tied 2-2 with each side winning their respective home games.

    Game 5 is slated for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert.

    Before their series began, Habscheid, who is the Raiders veteran head coach, said in a number of media outlets that the Blades like to dive and embellish to draw penalties. He tried to paint the picture that the Blades players were the second coming of former NHL forward Claude Lemieux when it came to diving.

    After the Raiders took a 2-0 lead in the series, Love, who is the Blades first year head coach, accused the Raiders of dishing out tonnes of head shots before a large media scrum in Saskatoon.

    You had visions of the Raiders players being like former Hockey Hall of Fame NHL defenceman Scott Stevens, who went out and crushed all opposing players when they came across the ice with their heads down.

    The types of hits Stevens delivered back in his playing days would be reviewed for suspensions in the current day.

Blades head coach Mitch Love, centre, listens to a talk with a referee.

    Love said he expressed his concerns to WHL league officials, and those concerns fell on deaf ears.

    Habscheid fired back before Game 4 on Wednesday telling Trevor Redden of paNOW.com he thought Love questioned the integrity of the league about player safety and did not think that comment was appropriate.

    Habscheid told Redden it was all gamesmanship.

    Love said the same thing on the gamesmanship during his media scrum bringing up his concerns in Saskatoon.

    While the coaches on both sides went at it verbally, it was hard to see if the posturing had any effects on the first four games. It did not appear either side was able to influence how the officials called the four encounters.

    The contests themselves were pretty intense rivalry games.

    What the back-and-forth speak did do was engage the fans on both sides. After each coach said his piece, you could get lost seemingly for four hours in the comments made by fans on social media lines.

    The coaches’ war of words isn’t a central plotline to the series, but it definitely spices things up.

Time to talk taunting

Blades C Tristen Robins (#11) has words with Raiders D Jeremy Masella.

    The latest issue that came up in the series between the Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades that will be sure to engage the fans is taunting.

    After the Blades downed the Raiders 4-1 in Game 4 of their WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series on Wednesday, Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid dropped this little nugget in his post-game media scrum.

    “It was interesting at the end of the game,” said Habscheid. “Our guys took notice they were taunting us, and making motions to us.

    “We will be ready on Friday. That just fueled us. We didn’t expect that, but they were taunting us so that is OK.”

    Habscheid was likely referring to a visible verbal exchange between Blades 17-year-old rookie centre Tristen Robins and veteran Raiders defenceman Jeremy Masella that happened after the third period clock expired.

    On the other end of things, Blades overage right-winger Max Gerlach thought his team was staying out of the verbal confrontations outside of feisty forward Riley McKay, who likes to get the opponents off their game.

    “I don’t think that is kind of our style of play,” said Gerlach after Game 4. “Obviously, “Porks” (McKay) likes to get engaged with the other team.

    “Tonight, I thought we did a really good job of staying out of kind of the crap after the whistle. When we don’t engage with them after the whistle, I think they kind of really don’t know what to do about that. If we can stay away from them kind of after the whistle and make sure we are not taking any penalties, we will be just fine.”

Jeremy Masella (#3) and Riley McKay (#39) have battled.

    Again, all of this will help fuel the fans more than anything.

    Raiders fans will likely take what Habscheid said to heart. You can bet Raider supporters will likely make even more creative signs and shout more creative heckles at the Blades, when the two teams collide for Game 5 Friday at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert.

    You can bet there will be another sellout crowd of 3,289 spectators on hand at the 2,580 seat rink.

    As for taunts on the ice, the Raiders and Blades have now met 12 times this season including action in the regular season and playoffs.

    The Raiders topped the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2 record and were rated second in the final CHL Top 10 rankings. The Blades finish fourth overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 45-15-8 record and earned honourable mention status in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

    The two teams have a heated rivalry and they are trying to end each other’s campaigns in a heated series. You can be sure there is a lot of talking on the ice.

    With that noted, it seems like McKay and Masella are having some good heated one-on-one battles on the ice to add another side plot to the series.

    I doubt they will go to dinner together at a Cactus Club Cafe near you to meet the very good looking female staffers there.

Brook gets conference scholastic player award

Jakob Brook is a conference scholastic player of the year.

    Prince Albert Raiders rookie right-winger Jacob Brook was named the scholastic player of the year for the WHL’s Eastern Conference on Thursday.

    Brook, who turned 17-years-old in March, has maintained a 92 per cent overall average in his Grade 11 high school studies. On March 18, Brook was named the Raiders scholastic player of the year for the 2018-19 campaign.

    On the ice, Brook has appeared in 61 regular season games with the Raiders posting six goals, six assists and a plus-nine rating in the plus-minus department.

    The Raiders selected the Roblin, Man., product in the second round and 40^th overall in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft.

    Netminder Dustin Wolf of the Everett Silvertips was named the scholastic player of the year for the WHL’s Western Conference.

    The WHL will present its awards for the entire league on May 1 in Red Deer, Alta.

Bloski, Byblow call great Game 3

The officials had a good night on Tuesday in Saskatoon.

    While everyone watches athletes to see who hits top form in nationally televised games, the officials crew in Game 3 of the WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades delivered a great performance in the bright lights.

    The crew of referees Adam Bloski and Adam Byblow and linesmen Sean Dufour and Tarrington Wyonzek had a great outing on Tuesday when the Blades blanked the Raiders 1-0 at the SaskTel Centre in a contest that was shown live on Sportsnet.

    In overseeing any hockey game, officials aim to make their games have great flow. Game 3 of the series between the Raiders and Blades arguably had the best flow out of any games played so far in the WHL post-season.

    The contest moved so seamlessly the officials dropped the puck for just 45 total faceoffs. The Sportsnet crew was actually worried if they would get all their commercial stoppages in.

    To show how low that total is for faceoffs in one game, Game 1 of the series between the Raiders and Blades had 66 puck drops. Game 2 had 59 faceoffs, while Game 4 had 62 faceoffs.

    The crew of Bloski, Byblow, Dufour and Wyonzek called only the penalties that needed to be called. As a result, there were only five total minor penalties called and three total power plays awarded in the game.

    I know there are fans on either side that scream for a penalty every time a player on the team they cheer for gets touched by an opposing player. That will destroy the flow of a hockey game.

    Of course, I post this mostly because fans like to beat up on the officials with criticisms but never give credit when they do well.

    With their performance on Tuesday, Bloski, Byblow, Dufour and Wyonzek would have received ovations from former veteran WHL referees Chris Schlenker, Chris Savage and Devin Klein.

Leasons fall to 7-2 in post-season against Saskatoon

Brett Leason has been held pointless in his last three games.

    The undefeated record the Leason family had against Saskatoon based teams in the post-season has come to an end.

    The Leasons were 7-0 before the Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades tangled in Games 3 and 4 of their WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series in Saskatoon. After the Blades won those contests against star right-winger Brett Leason and his Raiders, the Leason family fell to 7-2 against Saskatoon based teams in the post-season.

    Brett Leason is 2-2 against Saskatoon based teams in the playoffs. His father, Darryl, posted a perfect 5-0 record as the starting quarterback of the Regina Rams football team in the 1990s and early 2000s.

    Brett Leason, who led the Raiders in regular season scoring with 36 goals and 53 assists for 89 points, might be due for another explosive game.

    In Game 1 of the Raiders series with the Blades in Prince Albert last Friday, Leason had a goal and three assists as the Raiders thrashed the Blades 6-1. Since that contest, Leason has been held pointless in the last three games of the series.

    In Games 3 and 4, Leason has had golden chances to score and set up golden chances to score. Those opportunities were thwarted by Blades star netminder Nolan Maier.

    In Game 5 this coming Friday in Prince Albert, it feels like another big night could come from Leason, if he is able to crack onto the scoresheet.

Oil Kings wait to find out foe

Vince Loschiavo and the Oil Kings wait to see who they play next.

    The Edmonton Oil Kings will have some spare moments to enjoy the sights and sounds of their city.

    On Wednesday, the Oil Kings blanked the host Calgary Hitmen 6-0 at the Scotiabank Saddledown in Game 4 of their WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series. With the win, Edmonton sweeps the best-of-seven set 4-0.

    In the clinching game, Oil Kings star captain Trey Fix-Wolansky was held without a point.

    Edmonton received goals from six different players with Scott Atkinson, Quinn Benjafield, Jake Neighbours, Vince Loschiavo, Wyatt McLeod and Andrew Fyten all netting singles.

    Dylan Myskiw turned away 18 shots in goal to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Oil Kings.

    Jack McNaughton turned away 24-of-29 shots to take the setback starting in goal for the Hitmen. Carl Stankowski stopped seven-of-eight shots playing the third period in relief.

    Loschiavo, who is an overage centre, leads the Oil Kings in post-season scoring with five goals and five assists.

    The Oil Kings finished fifth overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 42-18-4-4 record and were listed as an honourable mention in the final CHL Top 10 rankings. The Hitmen were 10^th overall in the regular season with a 36-26-5-1 mark.

    With the series win, the Oil Kings are in a holding pattern. They will face the winner of the series between the Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades in the WHL’s Eastern Conference championship series.

    The Raiders and Blades are tied 2-2 in their best-of-seven series with Game 5 set for Friday in Prince Albert.

It is always good to be frenemies

A frenemies moment between a Blades and Raiders fan.

    For fans who are pouring their hearts into the WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades, remember it is always good to be frenemies with supporters of the opposing team.

    Those in Prince Albert and Saskatoon are getting to experience what it is like to be part of a great rivalry playoff series. At the end of the day, the teams these fans cheer for are just playing a game.

The players, coaches and staffers of both clubs are all great people, and it will be sad to see one club’s season come to an end.

    Still, it is always fun to enjoy the company of the fans of opposing teams. Frenemies interactions frequently develop between Saskatchewan Roughriders fans and Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans in the CFL during the annual Labour Day Classic game played between those two sides in Regina.

    I admit I enjoy seeing frenemies pictures of Raiders and Blades fans on social media. I would love to see a few more of those types of pictures on social media as the series closes in on a conclusion.

    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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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Raiders’ Leason aims to emulate dad, beat Saskatoon in playoffs

Brett Leason led the Raiders in scoring with a breakout season.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Brett Leason is still trying to decipher between truth and tall tales when it comes to his father’s football career.

    Both have experience in rivalries with sports organizations from Saskatoon.

    Brett, who is a star right-winger with the Prince Albert Raiders, has been part of an intense WHL rivalry with the Saskatoon Blades.

    Darryl, who is Brett’s dad, was a star quarterback with the Regina Rams first from 1992 to 1995, when the team was in the Canadian Junior Football League, and later from 2000 to 2001, when the Rams joined the U Sports ranks as the University of Regina Rams.

    In the CJFL, Darryl was part of epic clashes with the Saskatoon Hilltops. In U Sports, he was a main figure in battles with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

    Brett is about to take part in his first experience of a rivalry with Saskatoon in the post-season. The Raiders, who topped the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2, will take on the Blades, who finished fourth overall in the WHL with a 45-15-8 record, in a best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Darryl Leason (#8) was a star with the Rams.

    Game 1 is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

    Darryl was a perfect 5-0 in post-season encounters with teams from Saskatoon, which is a truth.

    The details of a game where Darryl threw a touchdown pass against the Hilltops after a fake kneel down still seem a bit hazy.

    “I asked him about it several times, but he just hasn’t given me an answer about it,” said Brett, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 199 pounds. “He keeps changing the story.

    “I think I know what happens.”

    The fake knee came during the 1995 Prairie Football Conference final.

    On the frozen concrete of Regina’s Taylor Field, the Rams had a 19-8 win sealed, and all their offence had to do was kneel on the ball one last play to officially end the game. Darryl started to go down on one knee only to stand up quickly and throw a touchdown pass to a wide open receiver in Josh Shaw.
    The play was nullified by a penalty, but tensions ran high between the two centres for a long time over that moment. The Rams moved on to win a third straight CJFL championship.

Brett Leason will play in his first post-season series against a Saskatoon team.

    “I’ve heard some stories about his time playing against Saskatoon,” said Brett, who was born in late April of 1999. “He hasn’t really told me too much.

    “It is just interesting to see and watch and hear about.”

    One of the games Brett was unaware about was Darryl’s epic performance in a Canada West semifinal game against the Huskies in November of 2001 at Taylor Field.

    Entering that contest, Darryl, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 230 pounds, missed three straight games and was going to attempt to play the Huskies with a completely torn anterior cruciate ligament and a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee.

    Darryl hit the field and led the Rams to a 58-31 victory. He completed 20-of-33 passes for 418 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions before giving way to backup Mike Wong for mop up duty before 7,122 spectators.

Darryl Leason is 5-0 against Saskatoon teams in the playoffs.

    During the 2018-19 WHL regular season, Brett had a breakout campaign leading the Raiders in scoring with 36 goals and 53 assists for 89 points in 55 games. He posted a plus-55 rating in the plus-minus department.

    Along the way, Brett earned a spot and played for Canada at world juniors.

    In three playoff games, he has two goals, an assist and is a plus-three. He wouldn’t mind having a big game or games against the Blades like his dad used to have against teams from Saskatoon in football.

    “I think that is what everyone wants is to have a good game here and obviously produce points,” said Leason. “Just at the end of the day, we want the win, and we want to move on to the next series and keep going as far as we can.”

    Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid wasn’t sure if history will repeat itself as far as a Leason family member having big performances to eliminate a Saskatoon team from the playoffs. The Raiders veteran bench boss is well aware of the Leason family history in sports.

    “I remember his dad when he was playing for the Rams,” said Habscheid. “He was a good quarterback.

Brett Leason played for Canada’s world junior team this season.

    “He was athletic. Now his son comes up, and you knew he was going to be athletic just because of the genes. You would have thought he would have chosen the other route.”

    Habscheid is aware that Brett could have followed in his father’s footsteps.

    “He (Brett) didn’t tell me this, but other people said like when he was 12 or 13 he was a good quarterback,” said Habscheid. “He could throw the ball and was a really good football player.

    “He pretty much had to make a decision which way he was going to go, so good for us he made this decision.”

    The Raiders acquired Brett in a trade with the Tri-City Americans in late October of 2017 sending a third round selection in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft the other way. Brett was buried on an Americans roster that was deep at forward.

    Habscheid has enjoyed watching Brett grow as a player and added the young forward’s story shows others that a slow start to a major junior career doesn’t kill a future hockey playing career.

    “That is half the fun of coaching is you want to see these guys improve and move on to bigger and better things,” said Habscheid. “I think the big thing with Brett Leason is it is good for everybody, especially the players, to realize if you go through the draft twice it doesn’t mean your career is over.

Darryl Leason calls plays under centre for the Rams in 2001.

    “A lot of times guys will go through the draft at 17, and then they think I have no shot of ever getting drafted, because I went through the draft once. He went through the draft twice, and he is going to get drafted this year.

    “He played on the world junior team this year after never being in the Program of Excellence before, so I think who that really benefits is everyone playing in the CHL who is 18 and 19 and 20-years-old that they can still have a chance to play in the National Hockey League.”

    As for the Leasons and rivalry games with Saskatoon, there are some other subtle similarities. The colours Brett’s Raiders wear are green, white and gold, which are the colours Darryl’s Rams wear in U Sports.

    The Blades colours are blue and gold just like the colours the Hilltops wear.

    One difference is Darryl was known to stir the pot in rivalry games with Saskatoon in media interviews. During his career, he became public enemy number one in Saskatoon.

    Brett is totally the opposite and soft spoken in media interviews. He would never think about stirring the pot.

Could this be how the Raiders versus Blades series ends?

    With that noted, Brett said the rivalry with the Blades has been heated this season, and with both teams going eight days between playing games, he can’t wait to get the post-season series with Saskatoon started.

    “It has been intense all year for sure,” said Brett. “I know the fans get into it a lot more with them being just over an hour away.

    “It has always been competitive, and it has always been great hockey to watch. We’re looking forward to it. I wish it started a while ago.

    “Tomorrow, it is. It is coming, and we’re all ready to go.”

“The Last Saskatchewan Pirate” oops

The logo the Prince Albert Raiders used in the early 2000s.

    The Saskatoon Blades had a little bit of a post-game “oops” after their first win of the 2019 WHL playoffs that does get noticed and a chuckle out of some Prince Albert Raiders fans.

    When the Blades won Game 1 of their first round series 3-2 in overtime at the SaskTel Centre against the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors on March 22, the DJ in the building played “The Last Saskatchewan Pirate” by Captain Tractor in the spot the Blades victory song is played.

    Of course, that version of “The Last Saskatchewan Pirate” was a victory song of the Raiders during different stretches in time.

    The Blades were trying out an in house DJ in Game 1 of their first round sweep of the Warriors who made an honest “oops.” He was unaware the Blades usually play “Feeling Good” by The Sheepdogs, who are a Saskatoon rock band, as their victory song.

    In Prince Albert, “The Last Saskatchewan Pirate” also used to be played at the now defunct Outer Limits Nightclub to mark Raiders victories during the Jeremy Colliton, Luke Fritshaw, Kyle Chipchura, Rejean Beauchemin and Chris Schlenker era of the team in the early 2000s.

    If the Blades want to bring back a victory song from their past, they could bring back “Larger Than Life” from the Backstreet Boys. That song would work especially well if they have big crowds for games they host at the SaskTel Centre in their WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Raiders and win in overtime. The focus of that song is about thanking the fans.

    The Blades host Games 3 and 4 of the series this Tuesday and Wednesday at 7 p.m. each night at the SaskTel Centre.

    The Blades played “Larger Than Life” during fan favourite Darcy Hordichuk’s final season with the club in 1999-2000.

    With that noted, “Feeling Good” is still a sweet tune.

Saturday a timely pause for Raiders/Blades series

The centre ice logo from the Humboldt Broncos vigil in 2018.

    The WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Prince Albert Raiders and the Saskatoon Blades will have a timely pause on Saturday.

    Game 1 of the best-of-seven series is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert. Game 2 is slated for 6 p.m. at Art Hauser.

    The day off was made to accommodate the broadcast schedule for Sportsnet. The network stations with Sportnet will be consumed with the closing action of the NHL’s regular season on Saturday.

    Of course, Saturday happens to be the one-year anniversary of the tragic bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League in the junior A ranks. That crash resulted in the deaths of 16 players and team personal and injuries to 13 surviving players.

    A memorial service will be held Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at the Elgar Petersen Arena in Humboldt to honour all those affected by the crash.

    The north central area that the Raiders and Blades are located in will likely be immersed with the service in Humboldt, which will attract extensive media coverage. Both Prince Albert and Saskatoon are located close to Humboldt, so the attention of most people in the two WHL centres will likely be turned towards the memorial service in Humboldt.

    The pause between Games 1 and 2 in the series between the Raiders and Blades will ultimately be a welcomed one.

    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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Leason brings back the magic in Raiders victory

Brett Leason scored a creative winning goal for the Raiders.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Brett Leason pulled off a move that Mike Modano likely never tried with the Prince Albert Raiders.

    With the Raiders locked in a 1-1 draw with the visiting Red Deer Rebels at the Art Hauser Centre, Leason tried a calculated dump into the Red Deer zone. The talented right-winger dumped the puck into the corner of the Rebels zone on a rush and the dump in came right back to him, when he skated to the front of the Red Deer net.

    The 19-year-old product of Calgary, Alta., quickly blasted home his seventh goal of the season to put the host side up 2-1. That score held up as the final as the Raiders send home an appreciative standing room crowd of 2,706 at their 2,580 seat facility home happy.

    “I saw the D (defenceman) had a bad gap, so I figured that was the time to use it,” said Leason, who was a plus-two in the plus-minus department on the night. “It worked out well.

The Raiders celebrate Brett Leason’s winning goal.

    “I never practiced that. It was my first try, and it worked pretty well. It is all good.”

    Leason’s move impressed veteran Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid, who has seen his share of creativity during his time in the sport of hockey.

    “He (Leason) is a talented guy,” said Habscheid. “He is a skilled guy. He has the mojo going, and when that happens, you try things.

    “He is the type of player that can pull off things like that. He has had a good year. He is very intelligent.

    “He is gangly. He kind of moves all over. He is gifted with the puck. That was obviously a huge goal.”

    A gifted point producer coming up through the minor hockey ranks in Calgary, Leason was selected in the third round and 50^th overall in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft by the Tri-City Americans. Buried among the Americans forward group, he was traded in the early stages of last season to the Raiders.

Brett Leason had a goal and an assist in the Raiders win on Saturday.

    Leason, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 199 pounds, has jumped out to a hot start this season leading the Raiders in scoring with seven goals and 12 assists helping them post a 9-1 record. The Raiders are also rated second in the CHL Top 10 rankings.

    In 54 regular season games with the Raiders last season, Leason recorded 15 goals and 17 assists. Habscheid said Leason’s game has steadily progressed upwards, since he joined the Raiders.

    “I think he has improved a lot,” said Habscheid. “He plays much faster, and that is what we wanted from him.

    “We knew he had the skill. People questioned his skating, but we want him to play fast. He was committed to that, and he worked on that.

    “Now, he plays as fast as anybody out there. With the size and strength and skill that he has, he is tough to handle.”

    Backed a huge contingent of family in the stands, Leason said he is in the best groove he has ever had during this time in the WHL.

Sean Montgomery scored the Raiders first goal on Saturday.

    “My confidence level is pretty high,” said Leason, who is playing in his third full season on the major junior circuit. “I’m playing good hockey.

    “With the team of course 9-1, it (his confidence) is up really high right now.”

    Leason said he wants to keep playing well to make his family proud. His father, Darryl, and uncle, Michael, were stars with the Regina Rams in both the Canadian Junior Football League and in U Sports in the 1990s and early 2000s. While Brett excels at a different sport, he wants to do as well in hockey as Darryl and Michael did in football.

    “They were definitely big names growing up, so I want to try and perform like they did,” said Brett Leason. “I’m working on that.”

    The Raiders struck 68 seconds into Saturday’s tilt. With the Rebels defence having collapsed down on their goal, Leason found centre Sean Montgomery with a pass at an open side of the Red Deer net, and Montgomery potted his second tally of the season for a 1-0 lead.

Ethan Anders makes one of his 25 saves in goal for the Rebels.

    The Rebels drew even at 1-1 at the 4:07 mark of the first, when captain Reese Johnson powered home a one-time feed from linemate Josh Tarzwell.

    From there, the goalies on both sides took over. Ian Scott turned away 28 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders included stoning Tarzwell at point-blank range late in the third period.

Ethan Anders stopped 25 shots taking the setback in goal for the Rebels (5-3-1).

    Scott received some great help from his defencemen, which included a couple of big shot blocks from Raiders 19-year-old rearguard Jeremy Masella late in the third period.

Ian Scott makes one of his 28 saves for the Raiders on Saturday.

    Leason said it was great to get a win in front of the big crowd that came out to the Art Hauser Centre after the Raiders posted a 3-1 record playing their previous four straight games on the road.

    “Playing in front of a crowd like that, it was good,” said Leason. “We were going the whole time. I’d like that to continue.

    “It definitely gets us going. When the crowd was chanting there, everyone was just feeling it.”

    The Rebels return to action this coming Friday, when they travel to Edmonton to face the Oil Kings.

    The Raiders return to action on Sunday, when they travel to Saskatoon to face the Blades (7-2) at 2 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. There is a good chance the Raiders will bring a healthy contingent of fans down to “the Bridge City.”

The Raiders and Rebels scrum it up in the third period.

    Habscheid hopes the Raiders followers know that they do have a positive impact on the team. 
    In the third period, the cheer of the Raiders faithful help give the atmosphere more of a playoff feel. 
    The bench boss was happy to see the big crowd out at the team’s home rink on Saturday night.

    “We really appreciate it,” said Habscheid. “Especially in this day and age, you look at all the sports the entertainment dollar it is tough to get.

    “We appreciate the people coming to the rink and spending it with us. It certainly helps our players for sure. We’re a smaller franchise and to get that kind of support helps not only the franchise itself but more importantly our players.

The Raiders salute the crowd at the Art Hauser Centre.

    “They come home, and they’ve worked hard to get a decent record and we’re ranked whatever that is worth. It is nice to have the people come out and appreciate the kids the way they do and it certainly helps them on the ice.”

    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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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.