Klassen talks and walks a good game for Huskies

Colton Klassen (#7) breaks away from U of Calgary defenders.

    Colton Klassen is the sparkplug that fires the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team into action.

    The fourth-year star utility player has seemingly done everything that has been asked of him since he joined the Dogs. On offence, he can run the ball as a running back, block as a fullback and be a threat at any receiver in the passing game. The graduate of Saskatoon’s Holy Cross High School Crusaders football team returns kickoffs and punts too.

    The 23-year-old sets the tone and energy level for the Huskies, who are rated third in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, and is seemingly always on the go. He will be trying to do that again on Saturday, when the Huskies (4-2) travel to Vancouver, B.C., to face the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (1-5) for a U Sports regular season clash.

    Klassen enjoys engaging the opposition verbally, which is a characteristic fans often notice.

    “I’ve always been a chatty kind of guy,” said Klassen. “I find when I am playing and I am chatty and I am getting vocal I am playing better.

Colton Klassen breaks downfield after making a catch.

    “I know (Huskies head coach Scott) Flory doesn’t love it, but I know when I am chatty I usually have a decent game.”

    Klassen loves to be one of the vocal types that pumps his team up. He believes he brings an aspect that is needed on a team.

    The sure handed pass catcher said a football team needs all sorts of different personality types to be able to succeed.

    “Not everyone can be chatty, but you got to have a couple of guys or a few guys that are,” said Klassen, who stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 200 pounds. “It is good to have those silent types too that show with their play, but I think that it is good to have guys that are vocal too.

    “I’m definitely one of the vocal guys on this team.”

    Klassen genuinely loves the sport of football too. He began playing at age 10 in Saskatoon’s Kinsmen Football League with the Raiders playing on defence.

    After his time in Saskatoon’s minor football ranks, Klassen starred for four seasons from 2010 to 2013 with the Crusaders. From, he played two campaigns in 2014 and 2015 with the CJFL’s Regina Thunder.

Colton Klassen led the Huskies in receiving last season.

    In 2015, Klassen was named the offensive player of the year for the Prairie Football Conference leading the conference with 911 yards rushing coming on 117 carries and scoring five touchdowns.

    Klassen said there are a lot of aspects to football that draws him to the game.

    “I think it is physicality and just the different positions,” said Klassen, who coaches six-on-six inner city youth football in Saskatoon. “You can’t just be one dimensional.

    “You have you O-line and your D-line your big, strong, physical guys. Then you have your receivers and your running backs who are quick and twitchy little guys. There is just so much going on when I think of the game.

    “I love the physicality of it is the biggest thing that caught my attention, when I was younger. That is why I am still playing it I think.”

    He was a big fan of the Huskies football team growing up, so jumped at the opportunity to join the team when legendary now retired head coach Brian Towriss came calling.

Colton Klassen leads the Huskies in receiving this season.

    “I always wanted to play Huskies since I was little,” said Klassen. “The Regina Thunder gave me a great opportunity to develop and grow as an athlete and just get bigger, stronger and faster.

    “As soon as our second season ended, I got the opportunity from Brian Towriss and (then special team coordinator) Brian Guebert at the time to come play Huskies. It was always a childhood dream, so when they gave me the opportunity I really couldn’t say no.”

    Klassen came to the Huskies as a running back in 2016 and led the team in rushing in 2017 carrying the ball 76 times for 395 yards and three touchdowns.

    Due to the fact the Huskies had a logjam at running back in 2018 with Tyler Chow suiting up for his fifth and final season and Adam Machart coming into his first campaign, Klassen was moved out to receiver.

Colton Klassen will play wherever he is asked to play.

    He led the Huskies with 676 receiving yards and eight touchdown catches coming on 38 receptions. For his efforts, Klassen was named a Canada West Conference all-star.

    Klassen played a key role in helping the Huskies winning the Hardy Cup last season as Canada West Conference champions breaking a drought that spanned back to 2006. They downed the University of Calgary Dinos 43-18 in the Hardy Cup title game.

    Going into the playoffs last season, the Huskies were trying to end a streak of losing eighth straight post-season games.

    “When I was younger, I remember coming to games with my grandpa or my parents,” said Klassen. “Looking back on it, winning the Hardy Cup last year was huge, because it has been so long since we’ve even won a playoff game let alone the Hardy Cup.

    “It is kind of surreal to think about it sometimes that I ended up here, and I am still playing and healthy. I’m just pretty blessed.”

    Flory, who is both the Huskies head coach and offensive coordinator, came up with the idea of moving Klassen to receiver in order to get Klassen’s talents on the field.

Colton Klassen holds on to a catch after taking a hit.

    “He (Klassen) is a running back by nature,” said Flory. “We have him at the slot.

    “We use him in different formations, and we can put him into the backfield. You can do a lot of things with a guy like that, and he is physical and he is fast.”

    Back on May 11 in Ottawa, Ont., Klassen helped Team West post a 35-17 victory in the East-West Bowl, which is an all-star game for top U Sports football prospects. He had five catches for 100 yards and ran back three kickoffs for 55 yards.

    So far this season, Klassen is again leading the Huskies in receiving catching 33 passes for 398 yards and two touchdowns. He has run the ball seven times for 60 yards.

Colton Klassen returns a kick for the Huskies.

    On special teams, Klassen tops the Huskies with 208 yards in punt returns coming on 17 opportunities. He has returned three kickoffs for 46 yards.

    He is happy he has been able to have a big impact in contests especially in the passing game.

    “It has worked out,” said Klassen. “I went out to East/West and played there and did well.

    “Flory is a guy you have to trust, because he knows best for what is best for the team. I’m really thankful that he moved me there, because I’ve definitely grown as a player. It has definitely made me a lot more versatile.”

    With the Huskies having two regular season games remaining before the start of playoffs, Klassen wants to be part of another long post-season run. 

Colton Klassen (#7) aims to celebrate more big plays with the Huskies.

    He wants the Huskies to break thru and win the Vanier Cup as U Sports national champions for the first time since 1998. U of S claimed the Vanier Cup in 1990 and 1996 as well.

    Since that last Huskies victory in the Vanier Cup, the Canada West Conference champ has only won the U Sports national title on two occasions coming with the University of Manitoba Bisons in 2007 and the Thunderbirds in 2015.

    Klassen believes the Huskies can pull off that feat this season.

    “You know what, we’re not satisfied with last year,” said Klassen. “It is awesome to look at after losing the Mitchell Bowl.

    “We want to host a home playoff game this year, and we want to bring home a Vanier Cup. I know right now that is my goal and that is the whole team’s goal as well.”

Shirley’s sick snipe highlight of the past week

Abby Shirley had a beauty winning snipe for the Huskies.

    Abby Shirley had a sick winning snipe that was worthy of the highlight of the night and week reels for most sports shows.

    Last Saturday at Merlis Belsher Place, the third-year forward netted the winning goal for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team in a 2-1 victory over the University of Alberta Pandas from what seemed like an impossible angle in a U Sports regular season contest.

    With the teams locked in a 1-1 tie in the third period, Shirley had the puck just below and to the left of the dot of the left faceoff circle in the Pandas zone.  The 20-year-old roofed home the winning goal to the top left corner of the Pandas’ net popping the water bottle with 10:36 remaining to play in the frame.

    Shirley has shown she has the accuracy to make those types of snipes. She does needs to find opportunities to use her shot a little more.

    Shirley has eight goals in 55 career regular season games with the Huskies and two of her tallies have come in four appearances this season.

    Hopefully, Shirley will be encouraged to shoot more after her goal against the Pandas.

    During her final season in the female midget AAA ranks with the Saskatoon Stars in 2016-17, Shirley piled up 14 goals and 18 assists in 25 regular season games.

    She still has the offensive potential to make a difference for the Huskies. The Huskies (2-1-1) return to action on Friday, when they travel to Lethbridge, Alta., to take on the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns (3-1).

Expect Huskies men’s hockey to rebound from 0-3-1 start

Expect Collin Shirley (#11) and the Huskies to rebound from a slow start.

    It is still early, but it is weird to see the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team sitting second last in the Canada West Conference.

    After four games, the Huskies have an 0-3-1 record to sit seventh in the eight-team conference. If the post-season started today, the Huskies would be on the outside looking in.

    With all that noted, it would be unwise to expect the Huskies to miss the post-season. They have made the playoffs for 23 straight campaigns and have usually battled for first or second place in the conference over most of that stretch.

    They have battled injuries on defence, which has caused them to struggle for numbers during their first two games on the back end.

    Last weekend, the Huskies were swept by their “forever rivals” the University of Alberta Golden Bears in Edmonton.

    In the second of those two contests played last Saturday, the Huskies battled hard before falling 3-2 in double overtime.

    U of S is starting to get players back on the back end and dressed a full complement of six defencemen in the setback last Saturday to the Golden Bears.

    Still, the Huskies were without Sam Ruopp and Colby Harmsworth on defence due to injury. Both log a lot of ice time, and the Huskies will be a lot better, when they return.

    Overall, the Huskies have too many veterans to fold up and fade away. Guys like captain Tanner Lishchynsky, Levi Cable, Logan McVeigh, Kohl Bauml, Andrew Johnson, Jordan Tkatch, Carson Stadnyk, Wyatt Johnson and Collin Shirley have been through way to many U Sports battles to be counted out.

    The Dogs are still backed by a star netminder in Taran Kozun and sound backup in Travis Child.

    The Huskies return to action this coming Friday, when they host the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns (3-1) at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place. Chances are high this will be the start of the turnaround for the Huskies.

Off the Leash Luncheon featuring Chelios set for Nov. 7

PROMO Time....Lets drop this right here.
11th Annual @HuskieOTLL in support of the @HuskiesMHKY . NOV 7th Chris Chelios and @TicTaylor 1130am @PrairielandPark @penguins @steelers @usask @HuskieAthletics
Get your Tickets: https://t.co/X6Gv9ZuAM3#HuskiePride #UnleashANewEra pic.twitter.com/xXJrvLIMBa

— Off the Leash Luncheon (@HuskieOTLL) October 16, 2019

    A defenceman that seemed destined to play in the NHL forever will be the guest speaker for the 11^th annual Off the Leash Luncheon .

    Former star NHL defenceman Chris Chelios will be speaker at the annual fundraiser for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team, which is set for Thursday, Nov. 7 at 11:30 a.m. at Prairieland Park.

    Chelios played 26 seasons beginning in 1983-84 to 2009-10 in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and Atlanta Thrashers.

    He appeared in 1,651 regular season games collecting 185 goals and 763 assists for 948 points. Chelios was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013 and helped his teams win the Stanley Cup on three occasions.

    Before his days in the professional ranks started, Chelios played two seasons in the junior A ranks for the new defunct Moose Jaw Canucks from 1979 to 1981. He skated in 108 regular season games posting 35 goals and 96 assists for 131 points.

    Comedian Kelly Taylor is back to be the master of ceremonies for the Off the Leash Luncheon for the ninth time.

    Anyone looking for tickets for the Off Leash Luncheon can purchase them by clicking 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.

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Family feeling keeps pushing Hilltops forward

The Hilltops storm out of the gate for the CJFL national semifinal on Sunday.

    The Saskatoon Hilltops love winning in the playoffs because it means the team stays together.

    For the fourth straight year, the Hilltops are heading to the Canadian Junior Football League championship game – the Canadian Bowl. Saskatoon is trying to become the first team in the history of the CJFL, which dates back to 1908 with its national championship game, to win four straight league titles and claim seven championships over an eight-year span.

    The Hilltops (10-1) will face the host AKO Fratmen (9-1) in Windsor, Ont., on Nov. 11 in this year’s Canadian Bowl.

    While winning is always great, the Hilltops will be pumped that for a fourth straight season they will go on to play in the last possible game they can play in. 

The Hilltops defence celebrates a big play on Sunday.

    Over the next couple of weeks, they will get to enjoy dressing for the final times in the team’s old clubhouse at Ron Atchison field before heading off to practice. Next year, the team will be operating out of a new state of the art clubhouse facility.

    The team gets to practice for another couple of weeks, enjoy a plain flight to Windsor, Ont., take in the sites of another CJFL awards banquet and get to take the field for the chance to win a 20^th national title overall for the club.

    Above everything, the best part of the next two weeks is the Hilltops family gets to stay together. That has been a huge intangible over the club’s current run of 12 straight playoff victories.

Hilltops receiver Ryan Turple, left, tries to push out of a tackle.

    Even this year, that feeling of family helped drive the Toppers through a tight 28-21 Prairie Football Conference semifinal win over the Winnipeg Rifles and earn a hard fought 36-24 PFC final victory over their provincial rivals, the Regina Thunder. Had two plays been changed in each of those games, the Hilltops players likely would have cleared their gear out of the old clubhouse facility for the final time.

    In a CJFL national semifinal on Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Hilltops left no doubt they would play for another national title hammering the Nanaimo, B.C., based Vancouver Island Raiders 48-0.

    Had the Hilltops lost in any of those three playoff outing, the players would have kept in contact, but it wouldn’t be the same. Real life factors like school work at the University of Saskatchewan or Saskatchewan Polytechnic, work, family matters and girlfriends would all be pushed to the forefront in hampering the players’ ability to get together.

    Every playoff win allows more practices and film sessions to be held, which means there are scheduled times when everyone gets together. While the Hilltops constantly improve they are good at focusing on the task at hand, the players enjoy all the social aspects that come with the team’s game preparations.

Hilltops players get good family support like James Vause (#24) right here.

    On top of that, the players blood families get to stay connected with the team as well. It is common to see parents, brothers and sisters line up to watch practice at Ron Atchison Field or SMF Field. Besides coming out in large numbers for home games, family members and friends follow the Hilltops on the road in big numbers.

    When the Hilltops played for the first time at the new Mosaic Stadium in Regina back on Aug. 12, they came out to huge ovation from the large Saskatoon contingent that followed them down for the game. After the Hilltops downed the host Thunder 37-20, the players met their family and friends that lined the first row of the west side stands of the stadium.

    Alums from all sorts of years also frequent all the home games and appear at a few road contests.

    The importance of staying together was seen from a couple of veteran running backs who battled through injuries.

The Hilltops celebrate a Logan Fischer (#21) TD on Sunday.

    Star fifth-year running back Logan Fischer was hampered with a nagging leg injury all season and still managed to carry the ball 121 times for 804 yards and 11 touchdowns over eight regular season games. He was named a PFC all-star and the PFC’s most outstanding offensive back.

    He wasn’t able to dress for the PFC final, but he was a jovial presence on the Hilltops bench. He saw spot duty in the CJFL national semifinal win over the Raiders and still managed to catch two passes for 44 yards and carry the ball nine times for 57 yards and score one touchdown.

    One could easily create an NFL Films style top 10 list of the best big games Fischer has had in his five seasons with the Hilltops, and you can bet the team’s coaches and staff will do their best to ensure Fischer finishes his junior eligibility in a full game uniform.

    Fourth-year running back Liam Murphy missed significant stretches of last season due to injury, and he was out the entire regular season this year with injury until returning at full health for the start of playoffs.

Liam Murphy battled injury to return for the playoffs.

    Before his injury troubles, Murphy had significant playing time returning kicks and being a change of pace back on offence throughout the 2015 CJFL championship campaign.

    When he returned for playoffs this season, Murphy, who is a running backs coach with the Saskatoon Valkyries Western Women’s Canadian Football League team, was blocking and tackling on special teams because others had taken on the roles he used to fill and cemented their status there.

    Still, Murphy wanted to be back in uniform to be around the team. In the romp over the Raiders, Murphy was inserted at running back in the fourth quarter and ripped off 45 yards rushing on nine carries. 

    If needed, he showed he can contribute in a bigger role in the Canadian Bowl.

    The family feeling the Hilltops have is something very few sports teams across Canada actually have. 

    That intangible has always been and will continue to be a key factor in the blue and gold’s success.

“Off the Leash Luncheon” nears fast

An “Off the Leash Luncheon” puck.

    This year’s “Off the Leash Luncheon” is nearing fast, but there is still time to get a ticket to attend this major fundraiser for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team.

    The ninth “Off the Leash Luncheon” will be held on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at Prairieland Park, and the guest speaker will be former NHL star left-winger Brendan Shanahan, who is currently the president and alternate governor for the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. From 1987 to 2009, Shanahan played in 1,524 NHL regular season games split between the New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers piling up 656 goals, 698 assists and 2,489 penalty minutes.

    He was with the Red Wings teams that won the Stanley Cup in 1997, 1998 and 2002 and was part of Canada’s gold medal winning men’s hockey team at the Winter Olympics in 2002.

    Following his playing days, Shanahan moved on to being a hockey executive first with the NHL office before joining the Maple Leafs.

    Saskatchewan comedian Kelly Taylor will be back for another year as the master of ceremonies for this event, which is commonly well attended by the alumni of the Huskies men’s hockey team.

    The doors open for the “Off the Leash Luncheon” at 11 a.m. Individual tickets are $125 each. Sponsorship packages are available for a children’s table at $750, a Friend of the Dogs table of eight for $1,250 and a Power Play package table of eight with major sponsor privileges and recognition for $3,500.

    Tickets can be purchased through picatic.com 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.

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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.

Canada’s university sports scene still matters

Katie Polischuk posts up down low for the Cougars.

    REGINA - It is crazy to think that university level women’s hoops games played in a small gym in the capital of Saskatchewan about 16 to 20 years ago can still matter.

    If you were in Regina last weekend, you saw one big example that Canada’s university sports teams that play under the league umbrella called U Sports and that entire scene still matters. Last Saturday, the alums from the University of Regina Cougars basketball teams gathered for an alumni and family night to remember Crystal (Heisler) McGregor, who passed away from cancer in May of 2014. 

    The function was held as part of the Cougars hoops games that were played that night against the University of Calgary Dinos.

    McGregor last played for the Cougars in March of 2002, but during her playing days, she cemented herself as arguably the team’s most likable star. She was one of many key players that helped the Cougars rise to national prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s, which included winning a national championship in 2001 with a 94-85 victory over the University of Alberta Pandas in Edmonton.
    Most of the Cougars home games were played in front crowds that were shoehorned packed into the stands at the small Physical Activity Centre.

Michaela Kleisinger, right, drives down court for the Cougars.

    On the court, McGregor, who developed her love for the game rising in Regina’s minor basketball scene, was known for her deadly outside shot and her tendency to pass the ball.

    Off the court, she was just as well known for her infectious smile, ability to fill any room she stepped in with positive energy and greet anybody with her perky catch phrase, “Hi buddy.”

    After graduating from the U of R, McGregor remained involved in the Regina basketball community coaching school and club teams until her cancer diagnosis in January of 2012. Like many of the players from the Cougars women’s teams in the late 1990s and early 2000s, McGregor achieved celebrity status in Regina.

    Her status never diminished after her playing days concluded, because of how beautifully she carried herself in her career and with the family she started to raise of daughter, Aija, and son, Zayden, with her husband, Paul.

Christina McCusker, right, hands the ball off to Avery Pearce.

    Countless former players, coaches and staffers made it back to Regina for that alumni and family night from all eras, but especially McGregor’s era. 

    Cymone (Bouchard) Bernauer, who was the greatest star of the Cougars women’s basketball team, refers to McGregor as the best teammate and mentor.

    I was also one of the returnees having covered the Cougars hoops teams and helped them with media items during McGregor’s era.

    Even in the present day, the current Cougars women’s basketball team still holds a special place in the heart of the Regina community.
    It seems fitting all of the Cougars players from the Regina area, which comprises the majority of the team, were coached at some point in their lives by an alum of the Cougars women’s program.

Seeing info for fundraisers like this get shredded hurt.

    There is an excitement in the community about the fact the U of R will host the U Sports women’s basketball national championship tournament in 2018.

    That whole weekend reminded me how powerful an impact the university sports teams in Canada can have on their respective communities. The local heroes and role models those teams create are important. Those players also do their part to give back to ensure their local communities remain healthy when they are playing and when they move on to their post-playing days.

    For me in what seems like a more general negative era for the world where the mainstream media in Canada has been slashed to less than skeleton crew size, I feel like I run into way too many people who couldn’t care less about the Canadian university sports scene.

    They think it is inferior because it is not the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States and put me down for wanting to be involved in it at all. They have no idea how much commitment and training the athletes put into being good at their sports and excelling in the classroom.

    As I currently live in Saskatoon, I remember going to a company I was doing contract work for and watched a manager give no second thought to shredding pamphlets and information for the Off the Leash Luncheon, which is a major fundraiser for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team.

My column on Kaitlin Willoughby received praise.

    I know the University of Saskatchewan Huskies athletic program carries a huge importance to the community of Saskatoon, and I have spent a lot of time covering the Huskies men’s and women’s hockey teams and hold them close to my heart.  
    When I saw those Off the Leash Luncheon items get shredded, my heart broke at that moment.

    I have run into people who just couldn’t believe I would spend a Friday or Saturday night at a Huskies event or even drive two-and-a-half hours on the highway to go to a University of Regina athletics event.

    I find the slashed mainstream media treats U Sports as little kids’ sports these days almost to a point they don’t matter.
    Actually, the Western Hockey League beat writer is an endangered species in Western Canada, so you can already see the trouble the university sports scene or any local sports scene faces in battling for exposure.

    Still, I find reminders that even though the negative voices are loud they are also in the minority. The overwhelming positive response to a column I wrote on Kaitlin Willoughby, who is a star forward of the Huskies women’s hockey team, shows there is still a current demand to have local heroes.

    In women’s athletics, Canadian university teams are one of the rare places you can find these local heroes.
    Of course in Saskatoon, you have to give high praise to the Saskatoon Valkyries women’s football team and the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA hockey team for doing their part to produce high quality role models in women’s sports.

The Cougars men’s basketball team begins to celebrate an upset win.

    Also, one just has to look at the uproar over how the departure of legendary Huskies football head coach Brian Towriss was handled late last December to show how much passion can still engulf the Canadian university sports scene.

    As for last Saturday in Regina, the current Cougars basketball teams added the capper for the packed gym at the U of R’s Centre for Kinesiology Health and Sport. The women’s team romped over the Dinos 83-46, while the men’s team pulled out a thrilling last-second 82-81 victory over the U of C.

    That further sparked a celebration from alums to current players that went well into the night.

    U Sports still matters, and that should never be forgotten.

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

Rams morph into “The Greatest Show on Turf”

QB Noah Picton (#4) had a spectacular regular season for the Rams.

    The 0-8 season has been left in the dust.

    A year removed from a winless campaign, the University of Regina Rams have become the most exciting team in U Sports football. At the start of the season, that concept was inconceivable.

    In 2015, the Rams had the image of being a bit of a train wreak under then head coach Mike Gibson, who left the club after only one season to join the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos as their offensive line coach and run game coordinator. The Rams seemed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory losing four games by seven or fewer points.

    Under Gibson, the Rams were getting disconnected from their alumni, which had never been an issue in the past. Behind the scenes, there was more turmoil than most people knew.

   In the off-season, the Rams looked to the past to find their new head coach in hiring Steve Bryce. Bryce played five seasons on the Rams offensive line during their Canadian Junior Football League days from 1987 to 1991, which included a national championship win in his rookie campaign.

    With Bryce at the helm, the Rams vaulted up the standings in 2016 finishing first in the Canada West Conference for the first time in team history with a 6-2 record. In the turnaround, they put up offensive numbers to make them look like the Kurt Warner era St. Louis Rams of the NFL.

    Like the Warner era St. Louis Rams did in the NFL, the Regina Rams have become “The Greatest Show on Turf” in U Sports football.

Mitchell Picton makes a catch in traffic for the Rams.

    Since joining the Canadian university ranks in 1999, the Rams helped the University of Regina become known as “Receiver-U” due to placing a number of pass catching grads into the professional ranks. Those grads always were catching passes from great quarterbacks like Darryl Leason, Mark Anderson, Teale Orban and Marc Mueller.

    This year’s Rams have taken their reputation as a pass-happy team to another level averaging 408.4 yards through the air per game. Third-year quarterback Noah Picton has had a season that eclipses anything any Rams quarterback great from their university or junior football era could ever imagine.

    Picton completed 224-of-323 passes for 3,186 yards, 25 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. His completion percentage of 69.3 per cent is impressive, and he set a new U Sports record for passing yards in a season. Former U of Calgary Dinos quarterback Andrew Buckley, who is a rookie with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders, held the old U Sports passing yardage record at 3,162, which was set just last season.

    Picton has also run the ball 31 times for 238 yards and reached the end zone twice via that route. He is a favourite to win the Hec Crighton Trophy as the top player in U Sports football.

RB Atlee Simon (#36) is one of the Rams overlooked weapons.

    The signal caller has also spread the ball out very well resulting in three of his receivers surpassing 500-yards receiving in an eight-game campaign. Cousin Mitchell Picton topped Canada West in receptions (58) and receiving yards (834) and his 11 receiving touchdowns led everyone in U Sports.

Sophomore Ryan Schienbein hauled in 54 passes for 790 yards and seven touchdowns. Riley Wilson finished the regular season with 37 catches for 627 yards and one touchdown.

    The Pictons, Schienbein and offensive lineman Jeremy Zver were all named Canada West all-stars on Thursday.

    The Rams are so good through the air that talented tailback Atlee Simon seemed like a forgotten man. Simon ran the ball 113 times for 567 yards and scored four touchdowns on the ground in seven appearances. He also caught 17 passes for 203 yards and four touchdowns.

    Defensively, the Rams rank third in Canada West allowing 458.6 yards per game. Linebacker Danny Nesbitt and defensive backs Kahlen Branning and Jeff Propp were also named Canada West all-stars.

    Thanks to topping the Canada West standings, the only time the Rams wouldn’t potentially be playing at home at historic Taylor Field/Mosaic Stadium during the post-season would be if they made the Vanier Cup. The only time the Rams appeared in the U Sports title game was in 2000, when they fell 42-39 to the U of Ottawa Gee Gees.

The Rams celebrate a touchdown catch from Ryan Schienbein (#14).

    Now, we will see if the Rams success in the regular season transfers over to playoffs. The fourth rated club in the U Sports top 10 rankings hosts a Canada West semifinal match on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. local time against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, who went 3-5 as defending Vanier Cup champions. The Rams took both head-to-head meetings with the Thunderbirds this season.

    Looking further down the road, the U Sports football post-season also hasn’t been kind in recent years to the team that wins Canada West. Over the past 17 years, the Canada West champ has only moved on to win the Vanier Cup on two occasions including the Thunderbirds last year and the U of Manitoba Bisons in 2007.

    With that said, the Rams are in a spot that they don’t realize they aren’t supposed to accomplish what they have already accomplished. They still have nothing to lose and everything to gain. With Bryce at the helm, they also have all their alumni and supporters back in the fold too.

    If they can go all the way, these current Rams will produce a season that would arguably be the squad’s most memorable including the team’s time in both the university and junior ranks.

Huskies in position to make post-season noise

QB Kyle Siemens had a solid season calling signals for the Huskies.

  The U of Saskatchewan Huskies football team might be the wildcard when it comes to the U Sports post-season.

    Of course, the Huskies have lost their last seven straight playoff games, but this might be the year they break that dubious streak. After a three-game skid dropped them to 2-3, the Huskies won their last three straight regular season games to finish at 5-3.

    They are the hottest team entering the playoffs from Canada West, and they face an opponent they finally got over the hump against. On Saturday, the Huskies travel to Calgary to face the U of Calgary Dinos (6-2) in a Canada West semifinal match at 12 p.m. local time. The Huskies are rated ninth in the U Sports rankings, while the Dinos sit in the sixth spot.

    On Oct. 22, the Huskies slipped past the Dinos 38-35 in Calgary. Entering that contest, the Dinos had won 10 straight games between the two sides including action in the regular season and playoffs.

    In the other meeting between the two sides this season, the Dinos slipped past the Huskies 20-19 in Saskatoon thanks to a last minute field goal.

Huskies RB Tyler Chow led Canada West in rushing.

    During their three-game regular season skid, the Huskies offence lost its cohesion. Part of the struggles came from the fact reliable receiver Mitch Hillis missed a pair of games due to injury. When Hillis returned, the offensive unit seemed to find a new groove.

    Despite missing a pair of games, Hillis still made the Canada West all-star team catching 35 passes for 423 yards and three touchdowns. Starting quarterback Kyle Siemens had a solid campaign completing 166-of-278 passes for 2,091 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

    Running back Tyler Chow topped Canada West in rushing piling up 828 yards on 127 carries and scoring seven touchdowns. Chow also caught 16 passes for 132 yards in being named a Canada West all-star along with offensive tackle Evan Johnson.

    Defensive lineman Donovan Dale anchored the Huskies defence earning Canada West all-star honours with 24 total tackles, three sacks and one interception.

    Standout kicker Sean Stenger was the conference’s all-star place kicker and punter.

DB Payton Hall (#28) makes a tackle for the Huskies.

    U of S has an X-factor in receiver Chad Braun, who is a talented graduate of the Saskatoon Hilltops of the Canadian Junior Football League. Braun caught 26 passes for 403 yards and scored two touchdowns and returned 37 punts for 449 yards and one touchdown.

    The Huskies have a number of other capable playmakers on offence including receivers Julan Lynch, Yol Piok and Ben Getzlaf along with running back Colton Klassen.

    They have a number of players that can rise to the occasion on defence including defensive lineman Matt Kozun, linebackers Justin Filteau and Quinn Pearce along with defensive back Payton Hall.

    The Huskies are right where they were expected to be as far as the regular season goes. It also feels like they haven’t reached their potential.

    It wouldn’t be a shocker if a long playoff run is finally on the horizon again for a club that has experienced eight one-and-done exits in the last nine years.

Off the Leach Luncheon was sweet

Lanny McDonald and Brian Burke spoke at the Off the Leash Luncheon.

    If you wanted to see how much the U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team means to the Saskatoon community, all you have to do was attend the Off the Leach Luncheon on Thursday at Prairieland Park.

    A huge group of alumni and members of the Saskatoon and area hockey community turned out for this eighth annual event, which is a fundraiser for the Huskies men’s hockey team. The alumni turnout was impressive, and it shows that the Huskies hockey team means a great deal to those that wore the green and white. A large contingent of recent grads were present as well.

    At the luncheon, the Wright Construction company donated $1-million to the Home Ice Campaign, which is raising funds to build a new twin pad home rink on campus. With the Wright Construction company donation, $36-million has been raised towards building the new $41-million Merlis Belsher Place.

    The other big highlight of the evening was being entertained by the hockey stories of former NHL enforcer George Parros, Calgary Flames president of hockey operations Brian Burke and NHL legend Lanny McDonald. McDonald made a surprise appearance.

    If you live in the Saskatoon area and you haven’t been to the Off the Leash Luncheon, you are encouraged to put that function on your to do list.

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