Sask. products stay on radar for Hockey Canada female teams

Willow Slobodzian takes part in a skating session in July of 2019.

    Being a virtual invite to a summer camp for one of Hockey Canada’s women’s teams is a huge thing in these coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic times.

    On Monday, Hockey Canada announced seven Saskatchewan products were among 109 players to earn invites to a pair of virtual camps with Canada’s National Women’s Program.

    Forwards Sophie Shirley and Grace Shirley along with defenders Brooke Hobson, Ashley Messier and Willow Slobodzian are among 50 players who will meet weekly on a virtual basis as part of Canada’s national women’s development team summer camp. These meeting will continue until these athletes return to university in the fall.

    Forwards Neena Brick and Baylee Kirwan are among the 59 players who will meet weekly on a virtual basis as part of Canada’s national women’s under-18 summer camp. These sessions will run until the 2021 under-18 women’s worlds.

    The upcoming under-18 women’s worlds are slated to run Jan. 5 to 12, 2021 in Linkoping and Mjolby, Sweden.

    Normally, these players would physically get to skate in a camp that is usually held in August in Calgary.

    This year, these players wouldn’t have the chance to impress Hockey Canada brass with an in-person performance. Due to the shutdowns that occurred in North American due to the COVID-19 pandemic starting in earnest on March 11 and 12, most of these players missed playing time in the post-season resulting in another lost chance to turn heads of Hockey Canada decision makers.

Grace Shirley in action for the Stars in the 2018-19 campaign.

    No national championships were won in NCAA women’s hockey, U Sports women’s hockey and in Canada’s female under-18 AAA ranks, because they were all cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    If you are a player who is taking part in these virtual female camps run by Hockey Canada, you have accomplished a big thing. You have done enough to remain on Hockey Canada’s radar despite some lost opportunities to turn heads.

    Sophie Shirley, who has been in Hockey Canada’s female national team system since 2015, had an impressive sophomore season with the defending NCAA champion University of Wisconsin Badgers.
    In 36 overall games, the star forward and Saskatoon product piled up 29 goals, 32 assists and a plus-36 rating in the plus-minus department.

    Sophie was named a second team Western Collegiate Hockey Association all-star and was named a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the NCAA’s top female collegiate hockey player.

    Grace Shirley, who is Sophie’s younger sister, finished up her rookie campaign with the Badgers. With the Badgers, dynamic forward went through a learning year netting one goal and four assists in 36 overall games.

    Grace helped Canada win gold at the under-18 women’s worlds in 2019.

Brooke Hobson in action for the Bears in April of 2017.

    Prince Albert product Brooke Hobson had a solid junior season controlling the blue-line for the NCAA’s Northeastern University Huskies. Hobson posted six goals, nine assists and a plus-22 rating in 30 overall games, and she has been named the Huskies captain for her upcoming senior season.

    Messier, who is Wilcox, played for the Selects Hockey Academy in Rochester, New York, for her Grade 12 year. In November of 2019, Messier helped Team Saskatchewan win silver at the National Women’s under-18 Championship, which features provincial all-star teams.

    This past January, the slick offensive-defender helped Canada take home silver at the under-18 women’s worlds.

    Slobodzian, who is from Clavet, finished her junior season with the NCAA’s Cornell University Big Red. She appeared in 31 overall games posting two goals, 15 assists and a plus-28 rating.

Slobodzian’s 15 assists, 17 points and plus-28 rating were career highs.

    The Shirley sisters, Messier and Slobodzian are alums of the Saskatoon Stars female under-18 team. Hobson is an alumna of her hometown Prince Albert Northern Bears female under-18 team.

    As for the under-18 camp invites, Brick had an impressive 16-year-old campaign helping her hometown Regina Rebels finish first in the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League with a 27-2-1 record. She was the SFU18AAAHL’s top scorer piling up 30 goals and 28 assists for 58 points.

    Brick was named a first team SFU18AAAHL all-star and claimed the circuit’s Hayley Wickenheiser Most Valuable Player award and the Kelly Bechard Top Scorer award.

Neena Brick was the SFU18AAAHL’s most valuable player last season.

    Kirwan, who is a Gull Lake product, had a spectacular 16-year-old campaign helping the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats finish second in the SFU18AAAHL with a 22-7-1 record. She finished third in SFU18AAAHL scoring with 29 goals and 12 assists for 41 points.

    Kirwan was a second team SFU18AAAHL all-star and claimed the circuit’s Fiona Smith Most Sportsmanlike Player award.

    All seven of these players with Saskatchewan roots have already made waves in the game. They have the potential to be playing hockey at an elite level for a lengthy number of years to come.

    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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Cononavirus scare results in weird and eerie week

At work in the home office on Saturday night.

    If I need a quick reminder of how the world has changed, all I have to do is turn on my mobile phone.

    The first thing that comes up is an emergency services warning stating that due to the COVID-19 pandemic anyone who has returned to Saskatchewan from outside the country must mandatorily self-isolate for 14 days and failure to do so will result in a $2,000 fine.

    A short time ago back on Friday, March 6, I was covering a WHL regular season game that saw the host Saskatoon Blades down the Regina Pats 2-1 in overtime at the SaskTel Centre. Sophomore left-winger Kyle Crnkovic scored the winner 74 seconds into the extra session to allow the Blades to lock up a berth in the WHL playoffs.

    At that time, life was proceeding as normal.

    Tuesday, March 10 seemed like the last normal day. From that day until now, you will likely be able to find a number of posts on social media lines that didn’t age well due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
    Because of the scare it has created, most people in Saskatoon are virtually living in lockdown and self-isolating at the time I am making this post go live.

The Huskies sign autographs for little fan on March 11.

    Looking back at March 10, I suspect I’m not the only one who has made social posts that said things that didn’t age well. I stumbled on a CBC timeline story about COVID-19, and it showed a Saskatchewan provincial government press conference from Wednesday, March 11.

    During that press conference, it was said the party was on for the Juno Awards, which are Canada’s national music awards, slated for this past Sunday in Saskatoon. Words of reassurance were offered noting there was low risk in Saskatchewan with regards to COVID-19.

    The conference occurred before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and the NBA suspended play that same day.

    The Junos were cancelled the next day as cancellations and postponements poured in across the sports world.
    On March 11, there were a total of 110 COVID-19 cases in Canada and one death. At the time of making this post go live, there were 1,328 COVID-19 cases in Canada and 19 deaths.

    On March 12, the Saskatchewan government confirmed its first presumptive case of COVID-19. As of today, Saskatchewan has 25 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 19 presumptive cases.
    The Saskatchewan government declared a state of emergency this past Wednesday. Since that time, more and more measures have been taken to shut down society in the province, which has been mirrored in the rest of the country.

The Huskies pose for a picture at the March 11 rally.

    Over the past 10 days, it is safe to presume most in Canada have seen video of what has taken place in Italy, where that country of just over 60-million people has seen its health care system overrun by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    At the time this post went live, Italy leads the world in COVID-19 deaths at 4,825. In a 24-hour period on Saturday, Italy had 793 deaths due to COVID-19.
    The drastic measures in Canada and Saskatchewan have been taken to try and prevent the health system from being overrun like Italy’s has.

    In my view, we are faced with the options of bad and less bad. The decision makers in Canada have decided to go the less bad route and try and not let COVID-19 run wild through the country.

    When this scare does ultimately pass, it will likely leave behind a devastating economic toll. At the moment, we are all in this together, so we will all face that reality when it comes.

    Knowing how it seems a lot of people have short memories, I can already see people being upset when we are in economic shambles when the COVID-19 pandemic passes. The fact death was escaped all of sudden gets forgotten.

    If you search hard enough, you will likely find a person or two that prefers to die now than face life after the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The reality is the world will be a much different place after the COVID-19 pandemic passes. Still, it is unhealthy to dwell on what the future can be even a month or two down the road.

I made Thursday a hockey jersey day.

    As for me, I have really only started to full out process what has gone on since March 11 starting on Friday. I had to get caught up on work related projects that were started before all the craziness began to occur.

    Strange as it sounds, this past Monday and Tuesday were basically normal work days for me. I had been tracking the developments of closures and cancellations and new restrictions brought in by governments during those normal work days too.

    As of Thursday night after I was all caught up, I began to wonder what Friday would be like, when I had more time to think about what all has happened.
    My mind began to worry for old friends I made over my life who have gone into the nursing profession.

    I remembered how fun it was to attend the celebration rally for the U Sports national champion University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team at the Physical Activity Complex during the lunch hour on March 11. The gold medal winners from the Huskies track and field and wrestling teams were also honoured.

    All that occurred before the NBA suspended play.

    I do wonder what different things I would have done had the COVID-19 pandemic not happened. For a short time when cancellations or postponements happened, there were other things on the go that filled the time that was committed to what I was originally going to go to.
    On Saturday, March 14, I was to have been in Medicine Hat, Alta., to celebrate Bob Ridley calling his 4,000^th game as the play-by-play voice of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers.

    Tonight was to have been a special night in Saskatoon, as the Blades were to honour their long time former head coach and general manager Lorne Molleken, who always treated my family unbelievably well. I had been looking forward to tonight at the SaskTel Centre.

I have been working out in my basement dungeon.

    I don’t think I have totally comprehended how odd and eerie the world is at the present time in the shadow of COVID-19.

    I have spent more down time with my mom. We took a drive to downtown Saskatoon, and it was unsettling to see that part of the city be basically abandoned.

    As downtown Saskatoon neared, there seemed to be less and less life out in the street.

    I’ve had moments where I was thankful I was no longer working in the mainstream media, because I know reporters would be working 18-hour days when something like the COVID-19 pandemic breaks out. The sports staffers all of sudden end up helping the news staffers.

    I’ve had moments where I’ve gone emotionally in the tank. I’ve had other moments where I have felt good thinking about all the special moments I have covered in my career covering sports.

    In a lot of ways, I have had way more good experiences than most will ever have in their lives.

    I am glad there are things that have run their normal course. The NFL has been business as usual with that league’s free agency period underway.

    I will note it feels uncomfortable to hear all-time great quarterback Tom Brady signed a two-year $50-million US guaranteed contact with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at age 42. You could divide that figure and give out $50,000 US to 1,000 persons in these challenging times and it would be more of a benefit to society than giving all that cash to one person to throw a football.

Some of my mementos that have been collected over the years.

    With that noted, the NFL is not immune to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sean Payton, who is the star head coach of the New Orleans Saints, has been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, and he is self-isolating at home.

    At the moment, the only certainty is uncertainty.

    As I said before, all anyone can do is take things one day at a time and remember we are all going through this difficult time right now together.

    Hopefully by following self-isolation and other directions by the governments in Canada, we will get to the other end of this sooner than later.

Watson goes Rocky IV training in self-isolation, other notes

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Today I put my at home gym together in my family’s shop! Had to get creative with some of my exercises but I got the workout done! Currently I am in self-quarantine after traveling home last week and since all the gyms are closed I thought it would be a great time to finally buy/make the at home gym I always wanted. I’m still preparing and training no matter what happens. Sending love and positivity to everyone, let me know if you want more workout videos! ⁣ #higherlove #positivity #training #weights #athome #quarantine

A post shared by Sage Watson (@sagewatson) on Mar 17, 2020 at 6:02pm PDT

    One of the most inspiring videos I saw this week came from the Instagram account of elite Canadian track and field athlete Sage Watson.

    The 25-year-old, who holds the Canadian record for the women’s 400-metre hurdles, returned home to her family ranch near Seven Persons, which his just southwest of Medicine Hat in Alberta. Watson came back home after training in Arizona and has put herself in self-isolation for 14 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    She competed at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

    Watson is currently training to go to the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, which are slated to start on July 24 and run through to August 9.

    At her family ranch, Watson has been running on gravel roads and working out in a gym she created.

    She posted one of her gym workouts, which included doing box jumps on hay bales. That scene was reminiscent of the fictional character in boxer Rocky Balboa training in the snowy countryside of Russia in the movie Rocky IV.

    Watson does a great job of creating a lot of inspiring posts on her Instagram account, and I would encourage you to give her a follow @sagewatson like more than 55,300 others already have.

• When the SFMAAAHL handed out its league awards on March 13, Regina Rebels forward Neena Brick was named the winner of the league’s Hayley Wickenheiser Most Valuable Player award, the Kelly Bechard Top Scorer award and a first-team all-star. Brick piled up 30 goals and 28 assists for 58 points to help the Rebels top the SFMAAAHL regular season with a 27-2-1 record. The female midget AAA playoffs across Canada were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Saskatoon Stars graduating goaltender Arden Kliewer was named a second team SFMAAAHL all-star. On a young rebuilding Stars team, Kliewer posted a 6-10-1 record, a 2.78 goals against average, a .921 save percentage and one shutout. Over her four seasons with the Stars, Kliewer posted a 44-13-2 record, a 1.91 goals against average, .923 save percentage and 11 shutouts. She sits second in the history of the SFMAAAHL for career regular season wins. Kliewer helped the Stars win the SFMAAAHL title and appear in the Esso Cup national female midget AAA hockey championship tournament in 2018 and 2019. The 18-year-old will join the University of Regina Cougars women’s hockey team next season.
• With the WHL having cancelled the rest of its regular season game due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 18-year-old Spokane Chiefs left-winger Adam Beckman won the regular season scoring title. The Saskatoon product appeared in 63 games with the Chiefs piling up 48 goals and 59 assists for 107 points. He posted a plus-44 rating in the plus-minus department.
• The Dog’s Breakfast fundraiser for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team originally scheduled for April 30 has been postponed until Thursday, September 3 at Prairieland Park. The Huskies made the postponement announcement on Friday. Jim McMahon, who was the quarterback of the NFL’s famed 1985 Chicago Bears that won the Super Bowl, will be the guest speaker. Glen Suitor, who was a safety with the CFL’s 1989 Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders, will be the master of ceremonies. Tickets for the Dog’s Breakfast can be found by clicking right here.
• Now graduated Saskatoon Hilltops left guard Ryder Klisowsky has elected to continue his post-secondary football career in the U Sports ranks joining the University of Manitba Bisons, Klisowsky, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 310 pounds, played with the Hilltops for the past five seasons helping the storied club win the CJFL national title in each of those campaigns. The Hilltops have won the last six straight CJFL titles overall.

    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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Rebels’ Focht a great made in Regina story

Lauren Focht is the Rebels all-time leading scorer.

    Lauren Focht keeps piling up the highlights and milestones with her elite hometown team.

    On Tuesday at Crescent Point Place in Weyburn, Focht became the all-time leading scorer in regular season for her Regina Rebels female midget AAA hockey team. The skilled forward, who turned 18-years-old in January, picked up a goal and an assist as the Rebels thumped the host Richardson Pioneer Gold Wings 8-2 in a Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League regular season game.

    The effort gave Focht 66 goals and 56 assists for 122 points in 102 regular season games. That put Focht one point ahead of Emma Waldenberger for top spot on the Rebels all-time regular season scoring list.

    Waldenberger collected 60 goals and 61 assists for 121 points playing in 109 career regular season games for the Rebels from 2010 to 2014.

    Besides being the Rebels all-time leader in career points, Focht, who stands 5-foot-3, is also the Rebels leader in all-time career goals. Her 66 tallies ranks eighth on the SFMAAAHL all-time career regular season goals list.

Lauren Focht is the Rebels all-time leader in career goals.

    Focht’s 122 career points are good for 11^th place on the SFMAAAHL’s all-time career regular season points list. Over the Rebels final three games, she has a chance to move past former Saskatoon Stars captain Lauren Zary for 10^th on the SFMAAAHL’s all-time scoring list.

    Zary piled up 44 goals and 82 assists for 126 points playing 103 regular season games with the Stars from 2008 to 2012.

    Focht hasn’t just burst on the scene with the Rebels. She has produced consistent offensive numbers with the team over her four seasons never falling below 23 points in any campaign.

    This season, Focht currently sits second in team scoring with 14 goals and 22 assists for 36 points. Her assist total is a career high showing her playmaking abilities can be just as good as her scoring touch around the net.

    Focht is a Rebels co-captain along with gifted offensive defender Sydney Pedersen.

Actually, Focht doesn’t actively pay attention to her personal statistics and is more focused on team success. You get the feeling she relishes the fact she gets to be one of the sparkplugs that makes the deep Rebels machine go.

    Last season, the Rebels showed they were ready to play with Canada’s best in the female midget AAA hockey ranks. 

Lauren Focht been one of the Rebels most consistent players.

    They finished second in the SFMAAAHL with a 17-7-4 record, advanced to the league championship series and fell to a powerhouse Stars club that was loaded with superstar veterans.

    The Rebels gave the Stars their only regular season loss in the 2018-19 campaign.

    With another year of experience under their collective belts, the Rebels have already locked up first place in the SFMAAAHL with an impressive 26-1-1 record and they are Canada’s top rated female midget AAA hockey team according to the My Hockey Rankings site. The Rebels last topped the SFMAAAHL standings in the 2013-14 campaign.
    The current Rebels have a drive and self-belief that is powerful and beyond the teenage years of the players.

    In Tuesday’s win over the Gold Wings, the Rebels offensive output came from a number of sources. Pedersen and Neena Brick both had two goals and an assist. Kaylee Dyer had a goal and an assist, while Megan Hayhurst and Shaelyn Myers had singles.

    Alexis Petford had a pair of assists, while Penny Bellefontaine and Jasmine Lamotte had single assists.

    Jayden Baker and Lauren Demmans both had a goal and an assist for the Gold Wings.

Lauren Focht (#22) doesn’t actively follow her personal statistics.

    Payton Schlamp made 16 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Rebels. Veteran Chloe Burt turned away 49 shots to take the setback in net for the Gold Wings, who fell to 5-22-2.

    The Rebels return to action this coming Thursday, when they host the Battlefords Sharks at 8 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre.

    Brick, who has been Focht’s linemate for much of the current campaign, leads the SFMAAAHL in scoring with 28 goals and 27 assists for 55 points skating in her sophomore 16-year-old campaign.

    With all that noted, Focht has produced a great made in Regina story. Her family is talented in the game too, as older brother Carson has 31 goals and 20 assists in 55 regular season games with the Calgary Hitmen heading into WHL action on Friday.

    It is almost too bad Carson, who turned 20-years-old in February, didn’t play for the WHL’s Regina Pats.

    When the Rebels season wraps up, Lauren Focht will continue her hometown journey in hockey joining the University of Regina Cougars women’s hockey teams in the U Sports ranks. Focht’s addition is a huge addition for the Cougars.

Many more special moments could awaiting Lauren Focht and the Rebels.

    While it is a big jump to play in the U Sports ranks and success is in no way guaranteed, you have to love that the chance is there for the hometown product to do big things with her hometown university team.

    Until then, Focht and the Rebels are well positioned to make a memorable post-season. With the WHL’s Pats still going through a massive rebuild, Focht and her teammates can capture the imagination of the sports scene in “the Queen City” along with the Regina Pat Canadians, who topped the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League standings.

    Some more special hockey memories are just waiting to be made in the Saskatchewan capital.

    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.

Stars’ number retirement further cements Clark as hero

Emily Clark, centre, with Anica Gauthier (#22) and Bridget Rezansoff (#17).

    For little girls in Saskatoon and area, Emily Clark is a larger than life hero.

    On Friday, Clark’s hero status received another big boost upwards when the Saskatoon Stars retired her #13 before their 4-3 Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League regular season setback to the league leading Regina Rebels.

    The skilled forward played three seasons for the Stars from 2009 to 2012 appearing in 82 regular season games collecting 45 goals and 46 assists for 91 points.

    Her best season came in her final campaign in 2011-12. During that season with the Stars, Clark appeared in 26 regular season game collecting 26 goals and 34 assists for 60 points.

    Clark’s 34 helpers are still a Stars record for most assists in one regular season. Her 60 points is still a team record for most points in one regular season, but it was matched in the 2017-18 campaign by Mackenna Parker, who tallied a club record 33 goals and 27 assists in 23 regular season games.

Emily Clark, left, and her father, Del Clark, watch her number get raised up.

    Little girls know Clark best from playing with Canada’s senior national women’s hockey team, which included winning a silver medal at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in February of 2018.
    They also know about her being a member of the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team that won an NCAA championship last season.

    When Clark makes appearances back in her hometown of Saskatoon, it helps connect the 24-year-old to her local area fans and makes her more real to them. As an added bonus, Clark is really good when it comes to interacting with children.

    The Stars did a great job with Clark’s jersey retirement night. Her young fans would have been in awe of her highlight package that was shown on the video scoreboard that was supplied by the Badgers communications department.

Emily Clark, centre, shakes hands with Rebels captain Sydney Pedersen.

    Clark’s goals on that video were incredible.

    It is hoped that one day number retirement ceremonies for female athletes like Clark will be a more common thing. At the moment, it isn’t common to see a sports team retire a number for a female athlete.

    During my time in media dating to beginnings in student media back in 1996, Clark’s number retirement was the first one I have attended for a female athlete. For as long as I have physically walked on Earth, Clark’s number retirement ceremony is the only one I have seen in person or on a video broadcast for a female athlete.
    Despite coming a long way over the last 20 years, female sports still fights an uphill battle for exposure. With the media cuts that have come down in Canada over the last 20 years, the will by management to cover female sports is close to nil unless a legend defeating tennis player like Bianca Andreescu comes along.
    Mainstream outlets are more concerned these days with focusing resources on conflicts in government politics.

Emily Clark, left, interacts with a couple of young fans.

    Even in Saskatoon, it is easy to list female athletes who should have a bigger following.

Libby Epoch, who is a fourth-year point guard for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team, should be a household name. She has been part of Canada’s national team system, but you would be hard pressed to find someone outside of Huskie Athletics who knows who she is.

    Berit Johnson is a third-year member for the U of S Huskies women’s wrestling team. Last season, she won a silver medal at the U Sports nationals and won a junior national title at the Canadian championships.

    At age 20, she has the potential to make big waves in her sport, but barely anyone knows anything about her outside her sport.

Emily Clark, left, is pictured with one of her fans.

    Netminder Jessica Vance from the U of S Huskies women’s hockey team has a big following from her hometown in Prince Albert, Sask., but she should still have a bigger profile than she does in Saskatoon.
    When any of these ladies does something significant and it gets attention, little girls see it and believe they can do that too and also have a positive impact on society.

    Locally, Clark is the female athlete from Saskatoon and area who has the biggest following.

    When little girls in Saskatoon and area encounter Clark, it is a big “oh wow” experience for them.

    That even goes for girls in their teenage years. Parker was a ball of happy mush when she equalled Clark’s Stars record for most points in one regular season, because Clark is her hero.

    After the Stars retired Clark’s number on Friday night, you can be sure there were a number of little girls who left Merlis Belsher Place that night believing they could do something great and special too.

Focht hits 60 in Rebels 5-2 victory

Lauren Focht scored her 60th career goal on Sunday.

    Lauren Focht hit another big career milestone before her Regina Rebels embarked on their Christmas break.

    On Sunday at the Art Hauser Centre, Focht netted her 60^th career regular season goal in her Rebels 5-2 victory over the host Prince Albert Northern Bears in a SFMAAAHL regular season contest. The 17-year-old star forward netted her milestone goal on a power play in the third period, which gave her club a 4-2 lead at that point in the contest.

    Alexis Petford and Neena Brick picked up assists on Focht’s 60^th career tally.

    Focht becomes just the 12^th player in the history of the SFMAAAHL to score 60 or more goals and just the third member of the Rebels to pull off that feat.

    Emma Waldenberger scored 60 career regular season goals in four campaigns with the Rebels from 2010 to 2014. Waldenberger also posted 61 career assists for a total of 121 points in 109 career regular season contests.

    She is the Rebels all-time leader in regular season points.

    Kennedy Bobyck scored 63 regular season goals over three campaigns with the Rebels from 2014 to 2017. She collected 57 assists for 120 points in 80 career regular season games.

    Focht is in her fourth full season with the Rebels, and has collected 45 assists and 105 points in 90 career regular season games with her hometown team. She is one of 19 players in the history of the SFMAAAHL to record 105 or more regular season points.

    In Sunday’s clash with the Bears, the Rebels took a 1-0 lead in the opening frame with a goal from Allee Gerrard.

Lauren Focht has 105 points in 90 career regular season games.

    Bears forward Paris Oleksyn replied with a pair of goals in the opening frame to give the host side a 2-1 advantage.

    Before the first period expired, Shaelyn Myers scored for the Rebels to force a 2-2 tie.

    Brick scored the only goal in the second period to give the Rebels a 3-2 advantage. Focht and Megan Hayhurst sealed a Regina victory with power-play goals in the third.

    Chantel Weller stopped 18 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Rebels, who top the SFMAAAHL standings with a 14-0-1 record.

    Janae Neufeld turned away 26 shots to take the setback in goal for the Bears.

    The Bears, who will host the Esso Cup national female midget AAA championship tournament in April of the new year, fell to 9-7-1, but they continue to sit third in the SFMAAAHL.

    Sunday’s contest finished off a stretch for the Rebels where they played three contests in less than 48 hours. They won all three of those games in regulation time.

    Both the Rebels and Bears now depart on their respective Christmas breaks.

    The Rebels return to regular season action on Saturday, Jan. 4 in the new year when they host the Battlefords Sharks (7-9) at 8 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.

    The Bears return to regular season play on Friday, Jan. 3 in the new year when they host the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats (11-1) at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

    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.

Cheering for Dach to rock ’n’ roll in the NHL

Kirby Dach in action for the Blades last season.

    Kirby Dach is in the NHL and here is hoping he rock ’n’ rolls it in “The Show.”

    The Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., product is one of the rare players who has made it to the NHL on a full-time basis at age 18. The skilled centre will turn 19-years-old on Jan. 21 in the new year.

    Last season with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, Dach piled up 25 goals, 48 assists and a plus-15 rating in the plus-minus department in 62 regular season games. He netted five goals and three assists in the Blades 10 post-season games as they advanced to the second round of the WHL playoffs and fell 4-2 in a best-of-seven series to the eventual league champion Prince Albert Raiders.

    At the NHL Entry Draft that was held last June in Vancouver, B.C., Dach, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 197 pounds, was selected in the first round and third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. The national television cameras received a priceless picture of surprise and joy from Dach.

    After that selection, there were questions about whether Dach would return to the Blades for his 18-year-old campaign. In most cases, an 18-year-old can train all they want, but the body physically isn’t capable or is only starting to be capable of holding the strength and power that young athlete wants to build.

Kirby Dach has played 20 regular season games in the NHL this season.

    With that in mind, players that young are usually returned to junior instead of playing against other NHLers, who are built like fast, tank-like machines.

    If you are gifted at playing the sport, you can overcome the physical limitations of strength and power to play in the NHL at a young age.

    Dach is one of the most gifted 18-year-olds you will meet being both a great player on the ice and a super person off the ice. He is one of those that does really well in school too and is really bright.

    During an interview before last season’s playoffs, I asked Dach if he would like to be a hero in Saskatoon forever like Adam Brooks and Sam Steel are in Regina for their post-season exploits with the Pats and Glenn Gawdin and Tyler Steenbergen are in Swift Current for winning a WHL title with the Broncos in 2018.

    You could see the light go on in Dach’s head, and he admitted he wanted that. In total, he spent two full seasons in Saskatoon and part of the 2016-17 campaign with the Blades as an underage player. He was ready to what he had to in order to be part of something special with his team.

Kirby Dach in action for the Blades in February of 2017,

    The Blackhawks likely saw that characteristic too. That was probably another factor that helped Dach make it to the NHL.

    If an NHL team lays out a path for him to make it into the circuit, he is one of the few at age 18 that has the drive and the smarts to make it happen.

    As time has gone on, it is apparent the Blackhawks have had a love in with Dach. The signed him three-year, entry-level contract on July 8.

    He didn’t report to Blades training camp and went straight to Blackhawks training camp activities.

On Sept. 10, Dach was on the receiving end of a dirty hit during a game at a rookie tournament in Traverse City, Michigan, and was placed in concussion protocol.

    Despite that setback, the Blackhawks showed patience in allowing him to heal up and proceeded to give him an opportunity to show he was ready to stay with the NHL club.

    Dach has now played in 20 NHL regular season games with the Blackhawks posting five goals, five assists and a plus-one rating. He had points in five straight games during a stretch from Nov. 10 to 19 where he netted four goals and three assists.

    In Chicago, Dach is playing under a head coach in 34-year-old Jeremy Colliton, who can identify with Dach’s path through the game.

Kirby Dach in action for the Blades in 2017-18.

    Colliton, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 201 pounds, was a star at every level of minor hockey growing up in Blackie, Alta., and became a star in the WHL with the Prince Albert Raiders from 2001 to 2005. He was a two-time member of Canada’s world junior team and played for the gold medal winning super squad in the 2004-05 campaign that contained Sidney Crosby.

    While Colliton wasn’t a first round draft selection, he was taken in the second round and 58^th overall by the New York Islanders in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Colliton isn’t that far removed from all those experiences and can easily help Dach navigate all the ups and downs in joining professional hockey.

    Right from the time Dach was drafted, the Blackhawks allowed him to have his foot in the door. Dach saw the opportunity and is seizing it. That is a great thing for him.

    While supporters of the Blades would have loved to have Dach back in Saskatoon, you still have to be happy Dach is getting a real chance to make it in the NHL.

    On any major junior team on any single year in Canada, I estimate about three players on average will get the chance to play one game in the NHL. The NHL is a tough business that tends to give up on and cycle numerous players out of the league or even out of the game quickly.

    Former Blades standout defenceman Darren Dietz played four seasons in the professional ranks in North America from 2013 to 2017 before departing to the Kontinental Hockey League. 

Kirby Dach had 73 points for the Blades last season.

    During the 2015-16 campaign, Dietz played 13 NHL regular season games with the Montreal Canadiens recording one goal, four assists and a minus-one rating.

    He didn’t play himself out of the North American professional ranks but was cycled out of them for teams to focus on the next crop of draft selections and free agent signings.

    As a reminder, Dietz had a strong final campaign with the Blades in 2012-13 posting 24 goals, 34 assists and a plus-nine rating appearing in all of the club’s 72 regular season games.

    At age 26, Dietz is the captain of Barys Nur-Sultan of the KHL.

    Nikita Scherbak skated for the Blades as an import forward for one season in 2013-14 playing sensationally on a club that was at the start of going through a major rebuild after hosting the Memorial Cup the previous season. The Russian product piled up 28 goals, 50 assists and a minus-six rating in 65 regular season games.

    He was selected in the first round and 26^th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. After playing one more season of major junior with the Everett Silvertips, Scherbak played professionally for four seasons in North America starting in 2015-16 to this past season.

Kirby Dach taking advantage of his chance in Chicago.

    Scherbak played 37 regular season games in the NHL over that time with the Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings collecting six goals, two assists and a minus-eight rating. He returned home to play in the KHL this season at age 23 and is with his second club on that circuit in the current campaign.

    Tommy Vannelli, who was an offensive defenceman, was selected in the second round and 47^th overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He starred for two seasons in the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers from 2013 to 2015 to prepare for a career in the professional ranks.

    Following his time with the Tigers, Vannelli played three seasons in the North American professional ranks from 2015 to 2018 and never once skated in an NHL regular season or post-season game. After the 2017-18 campaign, Vannelli was out of hockey as a player at age 23.

    Emerson Etem joined the Medicine Hat Tigers as the skilled speed demon from Long Beach, Calif., as a 17-year-old in the 2009-10 campaign. 
    He had an amazing three season with the Tigers from 2009 to 2012 piling up 143 goals, 109 assists and a plus-78 rating in 202 regular season games. He was selected in the first round and 29^th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

    Including being a call up for the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch at the end of the 2011-12 campaign, Etem spent time over eight seasons in the North American professional ranks concluding with nine appearances with the AHL’s Ontario Reign last season.

Kirby Dach is one of the few 18-year-olds to play in the NHL.

    Etem skated in 173 regular season games in the NHL with the Ducks, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks recording 22 goals, 24 assists and a minus-seven rating.

    At age 27, Etem is working as a hockey coach in Medicine Hat and plays senior hockey in the White Mud Hockey League, where he has picked up seven goals and seven assists in three regular season games with the Cabri Bulldogs.

    You can go on and on listing players that were cycled out of the NHL quickly or played in the minor professional ranks and never saw the ice for an NHL regular season or post-season game.

    What Dach is doing at age 18 is incredible. Players never know when they will get a real chance to make the NHL.

    Dach is receiving his, and he is making the most of it at age 18. It should make you want to chant, “go Kirby go!”

Rebels’ Focht joins SFMAAAHL’s 100-point club

Lauren Focht in action with the Rebels last season.

    A one-assist game turned into a memorable outing for Regina Rebels captain Lauren Focht.

    On Sunday at the Co-operators Centre in Regina, the 17-year-old forward assisted on her team’s fifth goal scored by linemate Neena Brick in a 6-0 win over the Prince Albert Northern Bears. That assist allowed Focht to become the 21^st player in the history of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey league to score 100-or-more points in their regular season career.

    Starting in her rookie campaign in 2016-17, Focht has appeared in 87 regular season games collecting 57 goals and 43 assists for 100 points. She becomes the fifth member in the history of the Rebels to score 100-or-more points in SFMAAAHL regular season play along with Emma Waldenberger, Kennedy Bobyck, Chelsea Perepeluk and Delaney Frey.

    Waldenberger is the Rebels all-time leading scorer piling up 60 goals and 61 assists for 121 points in 109 regular season games played from 2010 to 2014.

Lauren Focht has 100 points in 87 regular season games.

    Brick scored twice on Sunday for the Rebels, and Focht registered her assist for her 100^th point on Brick’s second tally. Sydney Pedersen, Molly Flynn, Tavia Terry and Shaelyn Myers all had singles for the Rebels.

    Chantel Weller made 14 saves to pick up her third shutout of the season for the Rebels, who lead the SFMAAAHL with an 11-0-1 record.

    Janae Neufeld turned away 27 shots to take the setback in goal for the Bears (7-6).

    The Rebels return to regular season action on Friday, Dec. 20, when they travel to Saskatoon to take on the Stars at 7:30 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    The Bears return to regular season play on Saturday, Dec. 14, when they travel to Saskatoon to face the Stars at 2:15 p.m. at Merlis.

    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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