Roll on, roll on Saskatchewan

Huskies football provides great early returns under Flory

Huskies QB Kyle Siemens (#19) celebrates with R Mitch Hillis.

    It was a great night to cheer and get excited at Griffiths Stadium.

    On Friday night, a crowd of 8,009 packed the storied park to watch the host University of Saskatchewan Huskies bomb the University of Alberta Golden Bears 43-17.
    The Dogs annual homecoming game was the home debut for the team under the guidance of first-year head coach Scott Flory and the squad’s vastly revamped coaching staff.

    It was safe to say the onlookers liked what they saw.

    Star quarterback Kyle Siemens rained down five touchdown passes on the Golden Bears completing 19-of-27 passes for 271 yards helping the Huskies improve to 2-0. In his first two outings, Siemens has been on fire completing 50-of-67 passes for 690 yards, nine touchdown passes and no interceptions.

    In the romp over the Golden Bears, Siemens hit four different receivers with touchdown strikes. He hooked up on two nice ones with fifth-year veteran receiver Mitch Hillis.

    With the Huskies holding a slim 7-6 edge in the second quarter, Siemens found Hillis on a swing pass, and the graduate of Saskatoon’s Holy Cross High School made two defenders miss on tackle attempts and muscled his way past a third defender for a score.

Scott Flory mans the sideline as the Huskies first-year head coach.

    The second hook up was a perfectly timed 43-yard bomb early in the fourth quarter that put the Huskies up 34-9 and effectively sealed the final outcome of the contest.

    Siemens first touchdown strike found running back Colton Klassen alone in the end zone on the final play of the first quarter to erase a 3-0 Golden Bears lead and put the Huskies up 7-3.

    Early in the third quarter, Siemens hooked up with second-year receiver Sam Baker on an intermediate route, and Baker zipped home the rest of the way on a 53-yard touchdown pass to put the Huskies up 21-6.

    The signal caller’s final major scoring strike came late in the fourth quarter on a short five-yard in route to fifth-year receiver Evan Kopchynski to put the Huskies up 43-9.

    The Huskies scoring was rounded out by a pair of Sean Stenger field goals coming from 23 and 35 yards out respectively. Stenger added two rouges with one coming off a kickoff and the other off a 90-yard punt.

QB Kyle Siemens (#19) slings one of his five TD tosses.

    The Golden Bears, who fell to 0-2, scored a single on a 49-yard punt from Brad Baker and two points on a Huskies conceded safety to hold a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. Kicker Brent Arthur hit a pair of field goals including one from 25 yards out in the second quarter and one from 22 yards out in the third quarter for the visitors.

    With Huskies holding a 43-9 edge, Golden Bears backup quarterback Ben Kopczynski hit rookie receiver Nathan Rowe on a 28-yard touchdown toss with 77 seconds to play in the fourth quarter. Rowe connected with sophomore receiver Jonathan Girma on a five-yard toss for a two-point conversion on the ensuing play to round out the final outcome.

    Kopczynski completed 9-of-13 passes for a team high 103 yards through the air for the Golden Bears.

    Klassen had a strong night for the Huskies carrying the ball 18 times for 82 yards and hauling three passes for 26 yards in the win. Huskies defensive back Clovis Lumeka and linebacker Kyle Newton had one interception each in the victory.

    While Friday night’s win was a crowd pleaser, the Huskies coaching staff will likely tell you their team still has to keep improving and there were down stretches for hosts in the contest.

Receiver Mitch Hillis motors downfield on a TD reception for the Huskies.

    The most glaring problem was the fact the Golden Bears ran for 324 yards as a team, which included fifth-year running back Edward Ilnicki piling up 199 yards rushing on 26 carries.

    The Golden Bears held the ball for 36 minutes and 39 seconds, which was a little over 13 minutes more than the Huskies. The visitors hurt themselves taking 13 penalties for 150 yards.

    The Huskies defence took a hit when third-year linebacker Ben Whiting left the first half of Friday’s game due to injury.

    Overall, the down parts won’t cast a shadow over what was a pleasing performance for the home side’s fans.

    The Huskies return to action on Sept. 16, when they travel to Vancouver to face the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (1-0). The Golden Bears travel to Regina on Sept. 16 for a clash with the University of Regina Rams (1-1).

Blades’ Hajek and Fiala go camping in NHL

Blades D Libor Hajek will attend Tampa Bay Lightning training camp.

    Saskatoon Blades defencemen Libor Hajek and Evan Fiala are off to make an impression at the respective NHL training camps for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings.

    Hajek, who is an import defenceman from the Czech Republic, left Saskatoon on Wednesday to join the Lightning rookies in Nashville, Tenn., for a series against the rookies from the Predators starting on Saturday and running through to Tuesday. After that series, Hajek will attend the Lightning’s main training camp.

    The start date and the location of the Lightning’s main training camp is still up in the air due to threat of Hurricane Irma to the state of Florida.

    The Lightning selected Hajek, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 205 pounds, in the second round and 37^th overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. They signed him to a three-year NHL entry-level contract following the conclusion of the 2016-17 WHL campaign.

    Last season with the Blades, Hajek appeared in 65 regular season contests recording four goals, 22 assists and a minus-17 rating in the plus-minus department. As a 19-year-old, Hajek has to be assigned back to the Blades, if he doesn’t crack the Lightning’s NHL roster.

Blades D Evan Fiala is heading to Detroit Red Wings training camp.

    Fiala will join the Wings for their main training camp, which runs Sept. 15-18 in Traverse City, Mich. The 20-year-old rearguard attended Wings development camp back in July, where he earned an invite to main camp.

    The Clavet, Sask., product leaves Saskatoon this coming Wednesday. Attending camp as an undrafted invite, Fiala will try to turn heads in an effort to earn an NHL entry-level contract.

    A physical defender who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 205 pounds, Fiala appeared in 70 regular season games in 2016-17 split between the Spokane Chiefs and Blades posting four goals, 15 assists, a plus-11 rating and 139 penalty minutes.

    The Blades acquired Fiala in a trade with the Chiefs last December. As an overager, Fiala could play professionally, if he signs an NHL entry-level contract or a minor league professional contract. If he signs an NHL entry-level contract, he could still be assigned back to the Blades.

    On Friday night, the Blades traveled to Prince Albert and fell 3-2 in an exhibition match against the Raiders at the Art Hauser Centre. Seth Bafaro and Josh Paterson had singles for the Blades (2-2). Nolan Maier turned away 17-of-18 shots playing the first 30:04 in goal for the Blades, while Joel Grzybowski stopped 9-of-11 finishing the game for the visitors.

    Sean Montgomery scored twice for the Raiders (1-1), while Carson Miller netted a single. Curtis Meger stopped 20-of-22 shots going the distance in goal for Prince Albert.

    The two teams will face each other on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Legends Centre in Warman.

Thunder player with rare chronic pain condition needs funds

    A GoFundMe campaign was started on Thursday to help a Regina Thunder player, who is suffering a rare chronic pain condition.

    In 2015, Jarrett Seck was playing his third season of Canadian Junior Football League eligibility as a 20-year-old linebacker for the Thunder. He was also attending the University of Regina to become a physiotherapist.

    Seck was injured in a game in September of 2015 causing pain in his left leg. The pain never went away, and in December of 2016, he was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.

    CRPS is believe to be caused by damage or malfunction of the peripheral and central nervous systems. The cause is not definitively known and there is no cure.

    Seck is forced to lay in bed all day. Having exhausted treatments locally, the family is seeking treatments outside of Regina and Canada, and the expense is expected to be $81,000.

    Those looking to donate to help Seck can do so by clicking here.

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

Football Huskies salvage respect

Kyle Siemens calls out signals for the Huskies.

  It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team was expected to content for a championship. Instead, the Dogs found themselves battling to finish their 2015 Canadian Interuniversity Sport campaign in a respectable fashion.

    Coming off posting a 6-2 mark during the 2014 regular season, the Huskies entered the 2015 campaign returning a large number of players and hopes were high the Green and White would make the Canada West championship game, the Hardy Cup, and advance to the CIS title game, the Vanier Cup.

    The 2015 campaign came to a close for the Huskies on Saturday, when they traveled to Calgary and fell 37-29 to the University of Calgary Dinos in a hard fought Canada West semifinal playoff battle. The Dinos, who were 8-0 in the regular season, ensured their quest for perfection continued. The Huskies, who were 3-5 in the regular season, saw their post-season losing skid grow to seven games.

    To the Huskies credit, they managed to finish on a high. During the final week of the regular season, they were on the brink of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2000.

    On Oct. 30, the Huskies traveled to Regina to play the winless University of Regina Rams in the final regular season contest for both teams. The Huskies had lost three straight to fall to 2-5 entering that match and would be eliminated from the post-season picture with another setback.

    The Rams held a 34-11 lead late in the third quarter of that tilt at Mosaic Stadium, and it looked like the party was over for the Dogs. Miraculously, the Huskies rallied for a 38-37 victory, when running back Jarvis James ran in from a yard out with about 20 seconds to play in the fourth quarter.

    In the playoffs, the Huskies looked for the longest time that they could pull off a huge upset against the Dinos. The Dogs held a 16-8 lead at halftime and a 22-19 edge early in the fourth quarter before the Dinos offence hit high gear and took the game away.

Donovan Dale gets a sack for the Huskies.

    U of S showed heart at the end. That likely dampened some of the critics that watch Saskatoon’s most followed sports team.

    The critics in the stands became vocal last year at Griffiths Stadium, when the Huskies held a 37-18 lead over the University of Manitoba Bisons in a Canada West semifinal match only to fall 47-39.
    Some of the spectators started heaping jabs at the Huskies in a style similar to the jabs some of the fans of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders fire at that club when things are not going well.

    The Huskies started 2015 by stumbling out of the gates dropping their first two regular season games. The first setback was a 34-28 decision at Griffiths to the Bisons, and the second was a 38-26 loss in Edmonton to the University of Alberta Golden Bears. In the home opening loss, the critics in the crowd could be heard again and a couple of voices said that legendary Huskies head coach Brian Towriss, who is the all-time leader in CIS victories, should retire.

    U of S rebounded to even its mark at 2-2, but fell to 2-4 after being bombed twice by the Dinos.

    At that point, the 59-year-old Towriss and his staff showed they still have the ability to right the ship. Veteran fourth-year quarterback Drew Burko lost his starting position to sophomore Kyle Siemens. Burko had thrown nine interceptions over his six starts and a number of those were not of the good variety.

    Siemens completed 44 of 67 passes in his first start for 520 yards, three touchdown passes, while being intercepted once in a 41-36 loss to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds at Griffiths. That defeat before the campaign’s smallest home crowd of 3,179 spectators, dropped the Huskies to 2-5 but hope started to be restored.

Huskies receiver Mitch Hillis tries to burst past a tackler.

    In the rally over the Rams, Siemens completed 23-of-41 passes for 422 yards, two touchdown passes and no interceptions. Against the Dinos in the playoffs, Siemens continued his solid play completing 29 of 46 passes for 356 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

    With Siemens at the controls, the Huskies offence appeared less likely to self-destruct. Actually, Siemens was throwing at the level of a franchise quarterback, and his rise might help restore high aspirations for the team in the future. In the off-season, the Huskies need to find some recruits to strengthen a defence that was extremely leaky throughout the campaign.

    Things are not all bad for the Huskies, but they are also not all good.

    Some big work needs to be done in the off-season, but on the bright side, wholesale changes are not needed.

The rewarding life of a Blades billet family

Blades captain Brett Stovin battles Medicine Hat's Steven Owre for a faceoff.

    I was back in the Saskatoon Express this week, with a cool behind the scenes feature.

I caught up with recently graduated Saskatoon Blades captain Brett Stovin, and he talked about what it was like to live in the home of Scott and Mel Frey during his years with the WHL franchise. The Freys just became a Blades billet family, when they welcomed Stovin, who now players for the University of Manitoba Bisons men’s hockey team, into their home shortly before his 17^th birthday. 

    He played four full seasons with the Blades, which included being part of the squad that hosted the 2013 Memorial Cup.

    The experience was rewarding for both Stovin and Freys. You can check out that story right here.

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

Huskies dominate on the ground

The Huskies defence stuffs Rams tailback Atlee Simon.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies weren’t going to get beaten on the ground this time.

    In opening the Canada West football season with two straight losses, the Huskies gave up an average of just over 260 yards rushing in each of those contests. On Friday night at Griffiths Stadium, the Dogs game up only 53 yards rushing to the visiting University of Regina Rams in earning a 33-18 victory before 6,476 spectators.

    Rams star tailback Atlee Simon, who ran for 396 yards in his club’s first two games, only managed 33 yards running on 11 carries against the Huskies. The U of S starting defensive line of Evan Machibroda, Liam Graham, Tristian Koronkiewicz and Donovan Dale needed to answer the bell, and they did.

    On offence, the Huskies hit top gear with their running attack piling up a season high 230 yards rushing as a team. Feature back Tyler Chow collected 124 yards on 15 carries, while change of pace back Shane Buchanan ran the ball 14 times for 87 tough yards between the tackles scoring one touchdown.

    The effectiveness of the Huskies rushing attack allowed fourth-year quarterback Drew Burko to have his most effective game of the season completing 19-of-30 passes for 243 yards, three touchdown strikes and no interceptions. Receiver Mitch Hillis was the main target catching nine passes for 135 yards and two scores.

    The Huskies (1-2) weren’t perfect and did make mistakes, but Friday’s effort was a total team victory, which caused the Rams to remain winless at 0-3.

    Early on, it appeared the Huskies struggles were going to continue. The Rams opened the scoring in the first quarter on a nine play, 95-yard drive culminating in a two-yard TD run by Simon. The score was set up when Rams quarterback Noah Picton hit Riley Wilson on a 31-yard post pattern that set the visitors up on the Huskies two.

Shane Buchanan rumbles downfield for the Huskies.

    The Dogs cut the gap to 7-5 on a field goal and safety before the game’s momentum really swung in their favour. On the ensuing kickoff after the Rams gave up a safety to make the contest a two-point game in the second quarter, Yol Piok had a monster return for the Huskies to set the hosts up at the Rams 15. Two plays later, Burko hit Hillis for a 15-yard scoring strike to put the Huskies up 12-7.

    A short time later, Huskies defensive back Chris Friesen intercepted Picton and returned the pick 42 yards to the Rams 15. Two plays later, Burko hit Piok for a 13-yard scoring toss to put the Huskies up 19-7.

    The Rams kicked a field goal just before halftime to cut the Huskies edge to 19-10. That set the stage for the Huskies to overcome another bad trend.

    In their first two contests, the Dogs scored a total of 14 combine points in the second halves of both those outings. They matched that total in the second half against the Rams.

    After U of S linebacker Dane Bishop recovered a Rams fumble in the third quarter, the Huskies manufactured a seven play, 65-yard scoring drive that was capped by a two-yard Buchanan TD run.

The Huskies kick cover unit takes down Ryan Schienbein of the Rams.

    Early in the fourth quarter, the Huskies recovered a Rams fumble on a punt return and turned that gift into another seven points, when Burko hit Hillis for a nine-yard scoring strike to put the hosts up 33-10.

    The Rams closed the game’s scoring when Noah Picton hit Mitchell Picton on a 37-yard scoring strike, and the two proceeded to connect on a two-point convert attempt.    

    Noah Picton had success through the air completing 28 of 43 passes for 422 yards, which included hitting Wilson six times for 141 yards. The Rams couldn’t survive the turnovers they committed and the fact they couldn’t run the ball.

    The Huskies looked better than they had all season and took a big step forward. They will try to keep taking steps forward in the current Canadian Interuniversity Sport season this coming Friday, when they travel to Vancouver to face the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.

    Following that clash, the Huskies face the powerhouse U of Calgary Dinos (3-0) in a home and home series. The Huskies and Dinos meet on Oct. 3 in Calgary and again on Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium.

    If you want to pass along any comments about this blog post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. Check out Twitter for more game photos @StanksSports.

Saskatoon will always have a heart for the Hilltops

Logan Fischer runs the ball at the Hilltops spring camp scrimmage.

    Love for the Hilltops junior football club is alive and well in Saskatoon, and it feels like that might be something that never changes.
    As the population of the Bridge City and surrounding suburbs has ballooned to 300,000 due to an influx of at least 50,000 people over the last nine years, the Hilltops still have a loyal fan base. The supporters might not always be present for games at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, which was known as Gordie Howe Bowl for most of its life, but they are alert to what the team is up to.
    On Oct. 26 of last year, the Hilltops hosted another Prairie Football Conference title game and looked dynamic in disposing of the surging Calgary Colts 27-7. An appreciative crowd of 1,014 cheered the blue and gold to victory that day. While the Hilltops have played before much bigger crowds in their history, news of their win and the fact they advanced to another national final spread quickly over social media lines.
    Soon, the Hilltops were the talk of the town. A day after that victory, they hosted the Riderville North Quarterback Luncheon in conjunction with the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders at TCU Place. The event was packed, and it gave the Hilltops a warm kick off towards two weeks of preparation for the CJFL title game, the Canadian Bowl.
    The Toppers proceeded to travel to Langley, B.C., where they disposed of the host Rams 39-14 on Nov. 8. A healthy following of supporters made the trip to B.C. to witness the championship victory.

The Hilltops offensive and defensive lines battle in the trenches.

    On Sunday, the Hilltops hosted a Blue and Gold scrimmage game at Saskatoon Minor Football Field to conclude a three day spring camp. The scrimmage attracted a large gathering of supporters. The followers won't go away.
    The storied franchise has won 17 Canadian Junior Football League championships since the modern version of the club was formed back in 1947. The Hilltops actually appeared in their first national final in only their second season falling 14-10 to the host Hamilton Wildcats in the 1948 title game.
    Saskatoon would capture its first national title in 1953, when the Hilltops thumped the Windsor AKO Fratmen 34-6. Since that first win, the Hilltops have captured at least one national championship in every decade that followed. When Tom Sargeant became head coach in 1998, the Hilltops would go on to win eight of their national titles, including four in the last five years.
    Pretty much every generation that has grown up or moved to become part of the Saskatoon community has a memory of a Hilltops championship run. In a lot of ways, the Hilltops symbolize how the citizens of Saskatoon like to see themselves. The Hilltops work hard, carry themselves with respect, are disciplined and are tough.

Davis Mitchell hauls in a pass.

    The tough aspect is something Saskatoon citizens really love about the Toppers, who play their contests out of what is considered the tougher part of town in the city's west side. The reverence for that characteristic of the club is similar to the reverence citizens of Pittsburgh have for the blue-collar Steelers of the NFL.
    Saskatoon residents have enjoyed the fact the Hilltops have fielded tough as nails players like Ron Atchison and Larry Wruck in their distance past and Jorgen Hus and Graig Newman in recent years.
    They can also win with flare and style. Sheldon Ball called signals for an explosive and dynamic offence for the team as a quarterback in the 1990s. He has now been the team's offensive coordinator for about a decade, and the players he guides can put up points in a hurry.
    That was seen last year when starting quarterback Jared Andreychuk put up 300-yard passing games in the PFC final and the Canadian Bowl, when the Hilltops looked fairly smooth.
    During the 1980s and early 1990s, the once very healthy CJFL saw a number of franchises fold. It was once the premier league for amateur football in Canada, but it hasn't held that distinction for at least four decades.
    Over that time, the Hilltops have remained healthy. A hard working board of directors has ensured the team continued to be a first-class franchise.
    Going into the 2015, the Hilltops will return most of their players from the year before. Only four players exhausted their eligibility following the 2014 campaign, and a handful veterans will be displaced by incoming rookies.
    Optimism is high the Hilltops will have another exciting campaign. Their loyal following will be there, and hopefully, they can share news of the team's exploits to attract new followers. That will ensure the team will be engrained in the community's fabric for decades to come.

Huskies aim to erase recent disappointments

Mitch Hillis sprints downfield at the Huskies spring camp scrimmage.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team knows all they can do is worry about the present and not worry about the recent past.
    The Dogs concluded their spring camp with a Green and White scrimmage on Sunday, and they went through the weekend just focusing on the business at hand. The annual Dogs' Breakfast on Thursday morning opened the weekend's festivities as 25 new recruits were revealed to a crowd of about 2,000 at Prairieland Park.
    Most of the roster from the squad that went 6-2 during the 2014 regular season will return in 2015, and the returnees looked good. In the early going, the Huskies have to be considered a favourite to win the Canada West title.
    When thoughts turn to the post-season, expectations get tempered. U of S has lost its last six straight playoff contests and is 1-9 in its last 10 post-season games. They last won the Canada West title in 2006.
    The Huskies improved steadily during the course of last season and hosted their first playoff game since 2010. They took a 37-18 lead in the third quarter of a Canada West semifinal contest against the U of Manitoba Bisons, but the Bisons rallied for a 47-39 victory.
    The comeback came because the Bisons scored 14 points off a pair of interceptions including a pick-six, a major coming off a blocked punt, a field goal off a fumble and a safety caused by a bad long snap.
    During the spring camp, not much was said about the post-season implosion against the Bisons. The Huskies players and coaches just focused on getting better and getting the newcomers used to the team's systems.

Drew Burko unloads a pass at the Huskies spring camp scrimmage.

    Veteran quarterback Drew Burko, who is entering his fourth year of eligibility, looked good during his reps in the scrimmage. Second-year signal caller Kyle Siemens looked really good. The offence once again has a huge stable of standout running backs.
    The defence also came through with big stops, and it will be anchored by veterans like linebacker Dylan Kemp and defensive back Chris Friesen, who will both be entering their fifth and final years of eligibility. The biggest addition is linebacker Justin Filteau, who starred with CJFL's Hilltops.
    When main training camps rolls around August, the Huskies have to follow the old cliché in taking each week as it comes and also hope the injury bug is kind. When the post-season arrives, it is expected to be a wide open with regards who could win it all, because most of the other teams in Canada West have gone through big changes in the off-season.
    The Huskies continuity might give them a big edge.

    If you have any comments about this blog, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. To see more pictures of the Hilltops and Huskies respective scrimmages, check out Twitter @StanksSports.