Prince Albert Northern Bears alumna stars at Huskie Women of Influence Breakfast

Kaitlin Willoughby, right, chats with Heather Morrison.

The centre stage spotlight of the University of Saskatchewan Huskie Women of Influence Breakfast was a deserving spot for Kaitlin Willoughby.

These days Willoughby skates for the Montreal Victoire as a checking forward in the PWHL. From 2013 to 2018, she was a star forward with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Hockey Team skating to a legendary career where she still sits as the program’s second all-time leading scorer. Before that, she was a star with the Prince Albert Northern Bears, who were then known as the A & W Bears, of the SFU18AAAHL.

On Tuesday morning before a packed TCU Place in Saskatoon, Willoughby was the keynote speaker for the third annual Huskie of Women of Influence Breakfast that raises scholarship funds for the Huskies women’s programs. She took part in a sit down style question and answer session with emcee Heather Morrison, who is a local area broadcaster.

While Willoughby talked about her hockey journey through all parts of her life, she enjoyed the vibe at the breakfast.

“I think seeing this event, I think it is in its third year, and just to see the support of people in the community showing up for women athletes at U of S I think it is really incredible to see,” said Willoughby. “Events like this are what makes it possible to have female athletes play a sport at the university and be able to financially have a little bit of aid in getting their degree and also playing a sport.

“I’m all about supporting that and to see everyone turn up today and hear the stories of the athletes were just incredible.”

This story of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click right here.

Dinos’ Wood soaks in homecoming series win

U of C downs Huskies 2-0 in series deciding Game 3.

Gabriella Durante, left, and Dana Woods celebrate a Dinos series win.

Dana Wood got to run it back in Saskatoon.

The fifth-year captain of the University of Calgary Dinos women’s hockey team has experience her share of success in her hometown of Saskatoon. For three seasons from 2015 to 2018, Wood played defence for the Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA team.

During that period of time, Wood helped the Stars win two SFU18AAAHL titles, two Western regional playdown series and make two appearances in the Esso Cup female under-18 AAA national championship tournament. Wood’s final game with the Stars came in the championship final of the 2018 Esso Cup played at the County Lifestyle Centre in Bridgewater, N.S. The Stars fell in that contest 2-1 to the St. Albert Slash from Alberta.

Dana Wood is playing her final season with the Dinos.

On Sunday at Merlis Belsher Place on the University of Saskatchewan campus, Wood and the Dinos faced the host Huskies in a series deciding Game 3 of a Canada West quarter-final series. The 23-year-old picked up an assist on the Dinos winning goal as they blanked the Huskies 2-0 to take the series 2-1.

The Huskies claimed Game 1 of the set 2-1 on Friday at Merlis, and the Dinos claimed Game 2 by a 2-0 scored on Saturday at Merlis. Wood had numerous family and friends in attendance among the 307 spectators on Sunday and throughout the weekend. It felt like old times for her to experience a playoff series win in her hometown.

“It was super awesome,” said Wood, who had career highs in goals (three), assists (nine), points (12) and plus-minus (plus-nine) appearing in all of the Dinos 28 regular season games. “I think everyone kind of wanted to stay in Calgary.

A number of Dana Wood’s family and friends came to cheer the Dinos.

“It was between U of S and MRU for who we were going to play for this round. Most people wanted to stay in Calgary to avoid the seven drive, but I was so excited to come home. I just knew that we would get so many fans out.

“I think we have seven girls from Saskatchewan at least. We had so many fans come out too. It felt like I was playing at home partially, so it was super fun.”

With the series win, the Dinos advance to play the defending Canada West champion University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in a best-of-three Canada West semifinals series in Vancouver. The dates and times for that set this coming weekend are still to be announced.

Dana Wood had a career high 12 points for the Dinos this season.

Skating in her final campaign with the Dinos, Wood is pumped her final post-season run with the team is going to the Canada West semifinal round.

“I just have a craving for that really high level of competition getting far into playoffs,” said Wood, who stands 5-foot-3. “Those are the games you want to play in.

“I got really used to playing in those games when I was younger. It feels awesome to be back in that mindset. The excitement can’t be beat.”

On Sunday, the Dinos and Huskies played through a fairly even opening frame with the host side holding a 13-11 edge in shots on goal.

Dinos captain Dana Wood is an alumna of the Saskatoon Stars.

A big early turning point came at the 13-minute mark of the opening frame. Huskies centre Kate Ball destroyed Dinos centre Jolie Nafziger with a big open ice hit in the centre ice zone. Ball was given a minor penalty for interference.

The Dinos struck near the end of the ensuing power play. During a net scramble, a rebound came out to Dinos third-year right-winger Josie McLeod at the right side of the U of S net. McLeod popped home the power-play marker to give the visitors a 1-0 lead with Wood and rookie left-winger Kyla Mitenko picking up helpers.

At the 11:34 mark of the second, the Dinos got a key insurance goal to go ahead 2-0. Dinos fifth-year star right-winger Elizabeth Lang sprung Dinos veteran star left-winger Courtney Kollman on a breakaway. Kollman ripped a shot past Huskies star fifth-year netminder Camryn Drever to give the visitors a two-goal edge.

Josie McLeod, right, celebrates scoring the Dinos first goal.

Sophomore Dinos centre Sydney Mercier, who is another Saskatoon product and Stars alumna, picked up a second assist on Kollman’s tally.

Wood said getting the first period power-play marker and the breakaway tally in the second put her squad in a good spot for the rest of the contest.

“It (McLeod’s power-play goal) took a weight off our shoulders,” said Wood. “When Court (Courtney Kollman) got her goal too, that really sealed it in a little bit more.

“That one goal lead is always just you are on the edge of your seat. You don’t want to go to overtime in these games. It is like anybody’s game, if that is the case.

Courtney Kollman scored for the Dinos in the second period.

“That one goal lead is always a little sketchy. That two-goal lead was just like a weight off the back.”

The Huskies had some moments where they could have gotten some traction near the end of the frame. With just over four minutes remaining in the second, star fifth-year centre Kennedy Brown was denied with a drive from the front of the Dinos goal by U of C star netminder Gabriella Durante.

Inside the final minute of the second, Huskies third-year defender Kendra Zuchotzki tried to feed a shot through a maze of players, but the puck deflected off a player and went wide of the Dinos goal. In the final seconds of the second, Zuchotzki was stoned by Durante on a mid-range drive.

Gabriella Durante stopped 31 shots to get the Dinos shutout win.

The Huskies pressed to continue to get back in the contest in the third holding a 10-7 edge in shots on goal for the frame. Wood was pleased with how her squad was able shut things down defensively.

“It was just chaos a little bit,” said Wood. “It was just reckless abandon throw your body in front of pucks kind of thing and do what needed to be done.

“Being on defence, you always have that mindset. Our forwards really turned it around and were getting high and bearing down on pucks and playing defensive-offence, which was really, really nice from a defensive perspective. That was huge for us.”

Camryn Drever stopped 22 shots in goal for the Huskies on Sunday.

Durante stopped 31 shots to pick up a second straight shutout win in goal for the Dinos. Drever turned away 22 shots to take the setback in goal for the Huskies.

The Huskies finished fourth in the Canada West regular season standings with a 19-7-1-1 record, while the Dinos were fifth in Canada West with a 12-14-2 mark.

While eliminated from the Canada West Conference playoffs, the Huskies will have a second post-season life. They will host the elite-eight style U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship Tournament from March 14 to 17 at Merlis.

As for the Dinos, they turn their attention to the Thunderbirds knowing they will be huge underdogs going into that series. The Thunderbirds, who are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 Rankings, topped the Canada West regular season standings with a 24-1-1-2 record and closed the regular season with 13 straight wins.

“We are just fired up,” said Wood, who squad split their two regular season games with the Thunderbirds. “That was all the conversation was about in our room.

The Dinos celebrate their series win over the Huskies.

“We had our celebration on the ice, but as soon as we got back in the room, it was just about next weekend and getting in the right mindset for that knowing that they are a really strong opponent. We have to bring it exactly what we brought this weekend if not more. It is going to be a battle 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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Soyko takes long and winding road back to hockey

P.A. Bears all-time great makes strong comeback with Pandas

Abby Soyko is putting up points with the Pandas.

Abby Soyko was never going to give into the setbacks in her hockey career even when they came in bunches and were often out of her control.

The 21-year-old alumna of the Prince Albert Northern Bears under-18 AAA female hockey team experienced enough downs over a two-year period that would have knocked most out of the sport and into another stage of their lives. The string of adversity for Soyko started in earnest in April of 2020.

Having finished playing one season with the Northern Alberta Xtreme under-18 female prep team in Edmonton, Soyko was finishing up her Grade 12 studies in high school and looking forward to joining the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns Women’s Hockey Team in September of 2020 along with one of her triplet sisters in Alli. The two sisters had played together on the Xtreme and the Bears.

On April 20, 2020, the University of Lethbridge axed the Pronghorns Men’s and Women’s Hockey team’s due to budget cuts. On May 28, 2020, Abby found a new team and she officially joined the storied University of Alberta Pandas Women’s Hockey Team.

Abby Soyko went over two years between competitive games.

With the world in the grips of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Pandas weren’t able to take the ice for game action in 2020-21 due to the Canada West Conference cancelling its season and U Sports cancelling all its national championships.

 In June of 2021, Soyko tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her knee and had to undergo reconstructive surgery. Due to the one year long rehabilitation to it took to comeback from that injury, Soyko was forced to miss the 2021-22 campaign, when all leagues under the U Sports umbrella returned to action.

Even during the worst of the down times, Soyko was not going to give up on playing hockey.

“I just always knew that hockey is what I wanted to do,” said Soyko, who also took part in lacrosse and track and field growing up in P.A. “I just kind of looked at this as more opportunity to just focus on my school and just rebuild myself kind of from the ground up.

Abby Soyko missed the 2021-22 season rehabbing a knee injury.

“I just kind of changed from how I was from (under-18 hockey) to how I am now, because in my opinion, I think I’m a more well-rounded player than I was in (under-18). I just kind of tried to rejuvenate myself.”

These days, Soyko is well into her first season playing full-time with the Pandas. In 20 regular season games with the Pandas, the power forward sits fifth in team scoring with seven goals and six assists for 13 points.

Taking up position on the right wing, Soyko had a goal Saturday helping her Pandas down the host University of Saskatchewan Huskies 3-1 in a U Sports regular season game played before 626 spectators at Merlis Belsher Place. In skating through her first campaign with the Pandas, Soyko is focused on improving and admits she still had to go through her on-ice growing pains with regards to adjusting to the game at the university level.

“I feel like I’ve had my ups and downs,” said Soyko, who stands 5-foot-4. “I expected that completely.

The first U Sports team Abby Soyko committed to folded.

“My coach Howie (Draper) has been really understanding and just really pushing me to be better. That has been really helpful in my mental block. He made it kind of easy for me actually.”

Draper, who has been the Pandas head coach since U Sports started awarding national titles for women’s hockey in the 1997-98 campaign, said one of Soyko’s biggest moments this season was when she scored in the team’s first regular season game back on September 30, 2022. Soyko netted the Pandas first goal of a 3-2 overtime victory over the Mount Royal University Cougars at the Clare Drake Arena in Edmonton.

The tally was a nice one too. Soyko took a drop pass from linemate Megan Wilson at the top of the left faceoff circle in the offensive zone, passed the puck to herself around a Cougars checker and roofed home a shot short side to the top left corner of the Mount Royal goal.

Soyko came to the Pandas with a reputation for putting up points. She is the all-time leading scorer with her hometown Bears piling up 128 points on 65 goals and 63 assists in 136 career regular season games played over five seasons from 2014 to 2019. Soyko is still the ninth all-time leading scorer in the history of the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League.

Abby Soyko scored a goal in her first U Sports game.

During her one season with the Xtreme, Soyko topped her team in scoring posting 14 goals and 13 assists for 27 points in 23 games.

When Soyko scored her first goal with the Pandas, she had gone over two-and-a-half years without playing in a competitive regular season or post-season contest. Draper said you could tell it meant a lot for Soyko to get that first goal after all that she had been through.

“It was great to see her score the goal,” said Draper, who has guided the Pandas to all eight of their U Sports national championship wins. “She hadn’t done it in a while.

“She kind of mimicked pulling the monkey off her back. That is the kind of person she is. She got really excited, and we all got excited for her.

“She is going to have a great career here.”

Abby Soyko is the P.A. Northern Bears all-time leading scorer.

When Soyko was dealing with her two-year stretch of multiple adversities, Draper was certain she would be playing full time for the Pandas one day. Draper said Soyko’s passion for the game is too strong to give up on it.

Last season when she was rehabbing her knee, Draper said Soyko was as locked into the game as the players that were on the ice for the Pandas were. The legendary Pandas bench boss said he could feel Soyko’s energy coming from the stands.

Draper said Soyko helped out with statistics and gave good feedback to her teammates trying to help guide them towards a win.

Now that Soyko is on the ice playing for the Pandas, Draper said she aids the team in so many ways.

The Pandas celebrate Abby Soyko’s first period goal on Saturday.

“I think one of the things that we were missing last year was just an extra threat offensively, and she provides that threat,” said Draper. “You can see how she can drive the puck to the net.

“She has tremendous power and the ability to explode just from a standstill and get around the corner. She has a great shot. She is tough and rugged.

“When she plays the game, she doesn’t play it in a dirty way by any stretch. It wasn’t lucky what happened down in Lethbridge with them losing their program, but we were extremely lucky to have her come to us.”

Soyko is happy she has landed on her skates with the Pandas. The opportunity to join U of A’s perennial powerhouse women’s hockey squad kind of came out of the blue.

After the Pronghorns folded, Soyko said things were quiet on the hockey front as restrictions to combat the COVID-19 pandemic had shut down large aspects of life in North American and the world. One day, Soyko got a call from her head coach with the Xtreme in Tyrel Spitzer asking if she wanted to go to the U of A and play for the Pandas.

Abby Soyko has seven goals and six assists in 20 games this season.

The wheels were put in motion from there, and Soyko officially joined the Pandas about a couple of days later. She said it meant a tonne to have her teammates around when she was coming back from her knee injury.

“Everyone was there for me when I was struggling with just not being on the ice,” said Soyko, who is an arts major looking to get into the education at U of A. “They didn’t treat me any different from any other player.

“I was just as included as everyone else. My coach made sure that I knew I was still part of everything. We’re a really tight knit group.

“I live with a couple of girls on the team. I didn’t feel left out at all, and they just made me feel really a part of the team still.”

Abby Soyko aims to keep improving her game with the Pandas.

In Saturday’s game with the Huskies, Soyko opened the scoring in the first period and a single from second-year centre Jadynn Morden allowed the Pandas to exit the opening 20 minutes with a 2-0 edge.

Second-year defender Emily Holmes scored on the power play for the Huskies at the 4:48 mark of the second to cut the Pandas lead to 2-1. Before the second period ended, Pandas second-year right-winger Kallie Clouston netted a single to put the visitors ahead of what would be the 3-1 final score.

Halle Oswald stopped 16 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Pandas, who improved to 18-5-1 with their ninth straight win. Colby Wilson turned away 22 shots to take the setback in net for the Huskies, who fell to 12-9-3.

The Pandas return to action this coming Friday, when they travel to Regina to take on the University of Regina Cougars at 7 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre.

Abby Soyko loves how her Pandas are playing overall.

The Huskies are off until Saturday, February 4, when they host U of R at 5 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

Soyko said she loves how the Pandas are playing overall as a team and is pumped for what the rest of the season has in store for her squad.

“Coming back from Christmas break, I can say we’re definitely a different team,” said Soyko. “Everyone is on the same page.

“Everyone knows their roles. Everyone has bought in. We’re just kind of flowing right now.

“Everyone is just super excited.”

When her playing days with the Pandas are done, Draper believes Soyko will continue to be in hockey in some capacity.

That led to asking Soyko if she could see herself returning to Prince Albert one day to coach her old Bears team she won a SFU18AAAHL title and earned an appearance at the Esso Cup national female under-18 AAA championship tournament with in the 2016-17 campaign. Soyko enjoyed playing for long time former Bears head coach Jeff Willoughby, and the idea taking on his former role has crossed her mind.

Abby Soyko hugs Huskies centre Kate Ball.

“I don’t know, maybe,” said Soyko with a chuckle. “I have definitely thought about coaching.

“I’m not sure if I’ll go back to P.A., but if need be, I know I could probably make that happen. I have started doing some coaching and on-ice instructing in Edmonton. I definitely could see myself coaching in the future.”

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

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Raiders down Wheat Kings 2-1, stay in playoff chase

Carson Latimer scored twice for the Raiders on Wednesday.

The Prince Albert Raiders are still on the outside looking in when it comes to making the WHL playoffs, but they picked up a key win to stay in the post-season race.

On Wednesday night playing before 2,430 spectators at the Art Hauser Centre, the Raiders downed the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings 2-1. The win allowed the Raiders to halt a four-game losing streak that include one overtime and three regulation setbacks.

The WHL leading Winnipeg Ice were responsible for giving the Raiders the one overtime and two regulation setbacks over that four-game skid.

In Wednesday’s win over the Wheat Kings, left-winger Carson Latimer scored twice in the first period to give the Raiders a 2-0 edge. That proved to be all the offence the Raiders needed as they eventually held on for a one-goal win.

With 5:33 remaining in the first, Latimer potted his first goal of the contest after collecting the rebound from a shot taken by linemate Evan Herman.

Latimer struck for his second tally with 3:27 remaining in the third scoring from a bad angle to the left side of the Brandon net after collecting a crossbar rebound from a shot taken by import linemate Vladislav Shilo.

The Wheat Kings cut the Raiders lead to 2-1 with 6:40 remaining in the second on a goal from associate player call up Charlie Elick. The defenceman, who turned 16-years-old in January, took a shot from the point that was going wild of the goal, but the puck bounced off Raiders defenceman Eric Johnston into the Prince Albert net.

The marker was Elick’s first career WHL regular season goal. The Calgary, Alta., product joined the Wheat Kings after playing for the Edge School’s under-18 prep team.

Tikhon Chaika made 34 saves for the Raiders on Wednesday.

After that positive bounce goal by the Wheat Kings, Raiders import netminder Tikhon Chaika slammed the door the rest of the way making 34 total saves in the contest to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders, who improved to 25-32-4-1.

Ethan Kruger turned away 24 shots to take the setback in goal for the Wheat Kings, who fell to 30-25-3-2.

The Raiders sit ninth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with 55 points in the standings. They trail the Lethbridge Hurricanes (27-30-3-1) by three points for eighth place and the conference’s final playoff berth.

The Hurricanes fell to eighth place after dropping a 6-4 decision at home on Wednesday to the Swift Current Broncos. The Broncos have won six out of their last seven games to improve to 26-31-5-2 to sit seventh overall in the conference one point ahead of the Hurricanes and four points ahead of the Raiders.

Also on Wednesday, the Calgary Hitmen downed the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers 3-2. The Hitmen improved to 23-31-6-2 to sit 10^th overall in the Eastern Conference standings one point behind the Raiders and four points behind the Hurricanes.

The Regina Pats are staying in the congested playoff push having downed the visiting Saskatoon Blades 3-2 on Wednesday. The Pats improved to 24-31-3-2 to sit 11^th overall in the Eastern Conference five points behind the Hurricanes.

The Broncos have four games remaining on their regular season schedule, the Raiders and Hitmen have six games remaining on their respective slates, the Hurricanes have seven contests left on their schedule and the Pats have eight regular season contests remaining.

The Raiders and Wheat Kings go at it again on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

Blades rally comes up short in 3-2 loss to Pats

Kyle Crnkovic scored for the Blades on Wednesday.

The Saskatoon Blades came up just short in attempting to rally past the host Regina Pats.

On Wednesday night at the Brandt Centre, the Pats built a 3-0 lead and held on for a 3-2 victory to delight most of the 3,713 spectators in attendance.

Rookie 17-year-old right-winger Borya Valis gave the Pats a 1-0 lead in the first period. Tanner Howe, the Pats 16-year-old star right-winger, and Connor Bedard, the Pats 16-year-old phenom centre, combined to set up linemate Logan Linklater for a second period tally to put the Pats up 2-0.

Just 91 seconds into the third, Pats overage offensive-defenceman Ryker Evans netted his 14^th goal of the season to give the Pats a 3-0 advantage.

With 8:34 remaining in the third, Blades star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic netted his 36^th goal of the season to cut the Pats lead to 3-1. Blades rookie import right-winger Egor Sidorov deflected home a shot from Blades star overage centre Tristen Robins to further trim Regina’s edge to 3-2 with 2:06 remaining in the third.

Saskatoon had pulled overage star netminder Nolan Maier for an extra attacker on Sidorov’s goal.

The Blades were unable to get the equalizer at that point.

Right before the third period ended, Sidorov and Evans engaged in a fight.

Drew Sim stopped 21 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Pats (24-31-3-2). Maier turned away 26 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades (34-24-3-1).

Wednesday’s clash marked the sixth and final time the Blades and Pats faced each other in the regular season, and the Blades had won the previous five clashes between the two sides.

The Blades sit fifth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and sit three points behind the 35-22-3-2 Moose Jaw Warriors for fourth overall in the conference. The fourth place team in the conference will have home ice advantage over the fifth place club in the first round of the WHL playoffs.

The Blades and Warriors face each other on Friday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

The Pats also return to action on Friday hosting the WHL leading 48-9-3-2 Winnipeg Ice (7 p.m., Brandt Centre).

Earlier in the day on Wednesday, the Blades announced Robins will be the captain for the rest of the 2021-22 campaign as regular captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere is set to have season ending shoulder surgery. The standout defenceman is expected to return for the start of next season for his overage campaign.

The Blades injury list is a lengthy one. Centres Trevor Wong, Jayden Wiens and Lukas Hansen, right-winger Noah Boyko and defenceman Rhett Rhinehart are all out with upper body injuries. Hansen and Rhinehart are listed as out week to week, while Wong, Wiens and Boyko are labeled as day to day.

Saskatoon/Regina make pitch as joint world juniors host

The 2023 International Ice Hockey Federation’s world junior tournament might be hosted in Saskatchewan.

On Wednesday, Tourism Saskatoon and Tourism Regina announced in a joint release that Canada has been asked by the IIHF to come up with a plan to host the 2023 world juniors, and as a result, a joint bid is being planned from Saskatoon and Regina.

The tournament was originally scheduled to start Dec. 26, 2022 and run through to Jan. 5, 2023 in Novosibirsk, Russia. 

Back on Feb. 28, the IIHF announced it was stripping Russia of its hosting rights among other sanctions due to that country’s military invasion of Ukraine.

If the Saskatchewan bid is successful, the communities of Humboldt, Swift Current, Prince Albert and Moose Jaw could also host games for world juniors.

Saskatchewan played host to the tournament in the 1990-91 and 2009-10 campaigns.

The city councils in both Saskatoon and Regina will hold special meetings on Friday to discuss a joint bid.

The SaskTel Centre, Regina Exhibition Authority Limited and the Saskatoon Destination Marketing Hotels are collaborating with Tourism Saskatoon and Tourism Regina on this venture.

Cities are required to have a business plan and event bid in to Hockey Canada by this coming Monday. A final decision is to be made on April 25 or 26.

Sharks grad Marshall gets U Sports silver

Chloe Marshall in action for the Sharks in December 2015.

Battlefords Sharks female under-18 AAA hockey team grad Chloe Marshall had the biggest three games of her playing career this past weekend at the U Sports women’s hockey championship tournament.

At the elite-eight style event, the 24-year-old Neilburg, Sask., product backstopped the North Bay, Ont., based Nipissing University Lakers to a silver medal finish at the U Sports nationals that were held at the MacLauchlan Arena in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

In a quarter-final contest held last Thursday, Marshall made 41 saves to allow the sixth-seeded Lakers to pull out a 1-0 overtime victory over the Canada West champion University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. Defender Madi Solie, who is a graduate of the Weyburn Richardson Pioneer Gold Wings female under-18 AAA team, scored the overtime winner for the Lakers.

Solie played three seasons for the Gold Wings from 2013 to 2016 and was a member of their 2013-14 squad that won the Esso Cup as female national under-18 AAA hockey champions.

Last Saturday, Marshall proceeded to make 16 saves to back the Lakers to a 4-0 victory in a semifinal contest over the second seed University of New Brunswick Reds, who were the Atlantic University Sport conference champions. Solie had a goal in the victory over the Reds.

In the gold medal final last Sunday, Marshall stopped 33-of-36 shots in a 4-0 loss to the top-seeded Concordia University Stingers, who were the champions of the Reseau du Sport Etudiant du Quebec. The Stingers netted their final tally into an empty net.

Marshall played two seasons for the Sharks from 2014 to 2016. Before joining the Lakers, Marshall  played one season for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in 2017-18 and one campaign for the now defunct University of Lethbridge Pronghorns in 2019-20.

The Lakers roster also contained defender Allison Hayhurst, who is a graduate of the now defunct Melville Prairie Fire female under-18 AAA team. Hayhurst played for the Prairie Fire for five seasons from 2014 to 2019.

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Sports scene feeling more optimistic vibes

Marie-Philip Poulin in action in November of 2018.

Marie-Philip Poulin delivered those tingly feel-good feelings to Canada.

On Tuesday night, Poulin roofed home the overtime winner to the top right corner of the United States goal to power Canada to a 3-2 comeback victory in the gold medal game of the Women’s World Hockey Championship Tournament. The win marked the first time Canada (7-0) won gold at worlds dating back to 2012.

The United States (5-2) had captured the gold medal the last five times worlds were contested.

When worlds were last held in 2019, Canada won a bronze medal.

Worlds weren’t contested in 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

Poulin has a history of coming through in big moments in Canada. She scored the gold medal game winning goal for Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C., and the gold medal overtime winning goal for Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

In Tuesday’s gold medal game at worlds, the United States took a 2-0 in the first period with forward Alex Carpenter netting both tallies.

Brooklin Fry and the Prince Albert Northern Bears are going again

Canada tied things up at 2-2 in the second as forwards Brianne Jenner and Jamie Lee Rattray netting singles.

That set the stage for Poulin to net the winner in three-versus-three overtime. Her shot went in and out of the net so fast that her goal had to be confirmed by video review.

Ann-Renee Desbiens made 23 saves to pick up the win in goal for Canada. Nicole Hensley turned away 29 shots taking the setback in goal for the United States.

Tuesday’s clash at the Winsport Arena in Calgary, Alta., was played before a gathering of family members from both teams. The International Ice Hockey Federation had women’s worlds played in a bubble format without fans as part of the event’s protocols to deal with the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

The move allowed women’s worlds to get completed in 2021.

Actually, it feels like optimism is riding much higher in Canada’s sports scene than it did a year ago at this time. Unlike a year ago at this time, there are vaccines that are available to the public for COVID-19.

Due to the fact those vaccines exist, there is a bigger and realistic believe sports seasons will be played and national championships will be contested.

The Hilltops cherish their time on the field.

A year ago at this time, some in the sports scene tried to sell false hope that everything would be alright, but a back of the mind suspicion always existed that things would fall through.

One person who has noted the increased optimism is Jeff Willoughby, who is the head coach of the Prince Albert Northern Bears female under-18 AAA hockey team. The Bears held a prospects camp and a practice session for returning regulars on Sunday.

Willoughby spoke of the positive vibes to Lucas Punkari of the Prince Albert Daily Herald.

“Even going back to last fall, the anticipation level is a lot higher,” said Willoughby to Punkari. “I think there is a little more optimism compared to last season, and it’s nice to be able to think ahead on things as we’re getting closer to normal and hopefully have a full season ahead.”

If you go by Saskatoon Hilltops practice in Saskatoon, the positive vibes are flowing like in pre-pandemic times. The players, coaches and staffers seem to be cherishing the opportunity to be involved in football a little bit more than in the past.

After the 2020 CJFL season was scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hilltops have played their first two regular season games in 2021.

The Saskatoon Angels will play at a big tournament this weekend.

They are looking forward to hosting their home opener against their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder on Saturday, September 11 at 7 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The contest will be a battle between two teams with 2-0 records.

Excitement is running high at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex as the 2021 Rawlings Grand Slam Softball Championship begins there on Thursday and runs through to Sunday.  That event features nine men’s teams in the under-23 division and 10 teams in the men’s division from across Canada.

Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic is still going cause bumps and adjustments to the sport scene. With that said, there is a strong believe the games will be able to march on.

On that note, here are a few other observations from the sports scene.

• Morgan Willoughby was named an assistant coach with the Prince Albert Northern Bears female under-18 AAA hockey team near the middle of August. She is a former Bears captain and a recent graduate of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Hockey team. Odds are high she will make big waves in the hockey coaching scene.

• 

  Jessica Vance in action for the Huskies on February 15, 2020.

  Jessica Vance’s name can be added to the list of athletes who likely didn’t know they were playing their final game before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. On February 15, 2020, Vance made 28 saves playing goal for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Hockey team as they dropped a 1-0 decision in Game 2 of a Canada West quarter-final series to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds at Merlis Belsher Place. The Thunderbirds swept the best-of-three series 2-0. Vance was the Huskies star goalie and was named the MVP of the Canada West Conference for the 2017-18 campaign. She has one season of U Sports eligibility remaining. The 2020-21 U Sports campaign was scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Vance kept progressing in her school studies and is now attending the University of Toronto to pursue her masters of physical therapy.
• On Tuesday night, Saskatoon Blades general manager Colin Priestner announced on Twitter long time Blades volunteer dressing room attendant Bobby Kirkness had passed away. Kirkness was battling stage 4 liver and pancreatic cancer. The Blades named their training camp tournament trophy after him in “The Kirkness Cup.” Kirkness was a true gem on the WHL circuit, and he will be missed by many.
• Back on August 18, the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets signed centre Cole Sillinger to a three-year, entry-level contract. The Blue Jackets picked Sillinger in the first round and 12 overall in the NHL Entry Draft held this past July via video conference call. If Sillinger doesn’t make the Blue Jackets, he would be returned to the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers for his 18-year-old season. Last season, the Tigers loaned Sillinger to the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League. Sillinger had 24 goals, 22 assists and a plus-five rating in the plus-minus department in 31 games in Sioux Falls. He had 22 goals, 31 assists and a plus-19 rating in 48 games with the Tigers in 2019-20. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Sillinger crack the Blue Jackets roster this coming season.
• Yours truly is off to attend a big family wedding, so I am out of here for a short bit. See you all in about seven to 10 days.

 

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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It’s rock ’n’ roll time

Bumps still expected in transitional sports season

Colin Plain sets to fire a pitch for the Saskatoon Cubs on Saturday.

It is easy to get romantic with sports.

Most of Canada likely had that feeling on Monday, when Canada’s Senior National Women’s Soccer team downed the United States 1-0 in a semifinal contest at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Jessie Fleming scored on a penalty kick in the 74^th minute for Canada to account for the lone goal in the contest.

The win felt like redemption from when these two sides met in a semifinal in the 2012 Olympics in London, England, where the United States came away with a 4-3 overtime victory. That contest went to extra time after the United States evened the game late in regulation at 3-3 on a controversially awarded penalty kick.

Captain and all-time great Christine Sinclair and midfielder Desiree Scott are the holdovers from the 2012 squad that are still on Canada’s current roster.

Canada will now face Sweden in the gold medal final at 6 a.m. Saskatchewan time on Friday.

To get romantic about sports, you don’t even have to look overseas to do that. Sometimes, the romanticism is in your own backyard.

On Saturday at Cairns Field here in Saskatoon, the Saskatoon Cubs downed the Saskatoon Giants 4-3 in a really well played Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League contest. The two under-18 AAA sides showed how good that level of ball can be played in front of a gathering of about 100 spectators.

During the game, you could play in your head what each team could do to get runners on base, and then bunt and steal to get them home. The pitching and defence on both sides made the offences work to earn everything they got.

The Tigers team photo after winning the 2007 WHL title.

The sides met again on Sunday at Cairns, and the Cubs pulled out a 5-2 victory in that contest. Following that game, the Cubs sported a 26-6 record, and the Giants were a solid 18-13.

With that said, the romanticism in sport is only a small part of the game. It could even be as small as two per cent.

No one sees the hours of preparation and training the athletes put in at practice or the hours administrators invest in fundraising to keep teams going. At the professional level like the NHL and CFL, the whole business aspect that exists to make those clubs go is quite massive.

While the romanticism can give you those warm fuzzy feelings, sports is ultimately a business. In Canada, sports is not really that big of a business in the grand scheme of things unless you are the NHL.

From what I have been told, the sports industry in Canada is worth $2.6-billion. If anyone disputes that figure, I hope they feel free to pass on the source of what the correct figure might me.

On August 25, 2020, Forbes ran a column that said the sports industry in the United States is worth US$750-billion. The piece said the sports industry is the 11^th biggest industry in the United States.

Of course, one will argue the United States has 11-times greater the population that Canada has. If you do the comparative math to make Canada’s population close to equal to that of the United States, Canada’s sports industry would be worth $29.7-billion in Canadian funds in that scenario.

Outside of the NHL, CFL or Toronto’s MLB and NBA teams, the success of sports in Canada depends on volunteers. Those that make a wage in the sports industry usually have to live with a partner, who has a career that makes $70,000 to $80,000 a year.

Let’s just say most won’t get rich working in the sports industry in Canada and will scrap to get by financially. The same goes for those that are left covering sports in the media industry.

The Raiders raise the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champs in 2019.

Any of the last big salaried persons left covering sports in Canada’s media industry are being pretty much swerved into retirement.

To be realistic, you can be involved in sports in Canada, if you have some other way to make a healthy income to handle life’s financial worries.

In my family, there are a number of people who have been linked and involved in sports for a lengthy period of time. With that said, the vast majority of people in my family make their livings outside of the sports industry, and they don’t really know all the ins and outs of Canada’s sports world.

During the first seven days of September, I will be tied up with a big family wedding, and I will be humbled.

I’ve covered the WHL major junior hockey circuit in some form in each of the past 22 seasons. In some circles, that is a big thing, but I will run into lots of people at that wedding who won’t view it that way.

Actually, I worked for a few different places in recent years that aren’t linked to the sports world and often the vast majority of the staffers at those places don’t understand why you would go out to cover the Saskatoon Blades, Prince Albert Raiders, the CJFL’s Saskatoon Hilltops, the WWCFL’s Saskatoon Valkyries or the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football and Men’s and Women’s hockey teams in U Sports.

Most staffers I encounter at non-sports workplaces view sports as a kids’ endeavor playing games and it is a waste of time to be involved in those worlds unless it is the NHL.

My two most memorable romantic moments in sports came from two WHL title wins separated by 12 years. The first was covering the Medicine Hat Tigers downing the Vancouver Giants 3-2 in double overtime in a series deciding Game 7 of the 2007 WHL Championship Series at The Arena in Medicine Hat. I covered that event for the Medicine Hat News.

The Hilltops celebrate winning the CJFL title in 2018.

The second came from covering the Prince Albert Raiders downing the Giants 3-2 in overtime in another series deciding Game 7 this time in the 2019 WHL Championship Series at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert. I covered that event for this blog and The Canadian Press.

Only two WHL Championships series were decided in overtime in Game 7, and I was in the building for both of those.

Those two victories were life highlights. I have run into many outside of sports who don’t understand that.

In those times, it does put things in perspective that your role in sports doesn’t actually define you as a person, and your role in sports is something you do.

The long drawn out point is that to be involved in sports in Canada you have to want to be there.

As the world transitions to what is hopefully the end part of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, I believe I am at the point I am ready to get back in gear with this blog.

I am going to approach things cautiously. Due to the fact that exploits of sports in Canada aren’t covered anywhere near like they were in the past, I have felt at times I’ve accidentally tried to be all things to all people.

I plan to start out attempting to focus on the Hilltops and the WHL. I believe I might have the opportunity to cover both of those things outside of this blog too.

For myself, I believe those are two good starting points. 

Alex Eyolfson throw a pass for the Valkyries this past July.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I have found for myself I’ve become a lot more jaded when it comes to dealing with people in general in all forms of life believing everyone is out for themselves.

I have tonnes of great experiences covering the Hilltops and the WHL, and I think that will help me be not as jaded.

I still will likely touch on U Sports, the Valkyries, the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League and the CFL. I am going to feel my way through.

For example, I am expecting  Zoom will still be a tool used in covering the happenings in the WHL and U Sports on the interview front. 

At the moment, most of the staffers at the University of Saskatchewan haven’t returned to work at the offices on campus.

I don’t want to overstretch myself, which has happened in the past. Often, I have found I’ve tried to have my blog make up for what is now no longer covered in the mainstream media on the sports front.

During the pandemic, it was also good for me to pick up another interest in following the theatrical sports entertainment happenings of professional wrestling in WWE and AEW. The escapism has been enjoyable for me.

On Saturday, the WWE released one of my favourites in Bray Wyatt, who also goes by a persona known as “The Fiend.”

Again, even that world has a big business aspect to it dealing with issues of contract sizes, character creative control and usage of performers. Wyatt was one of the WWE’s top merchandise sellers, but a departure after 12 years with that company still happened.

A collectables display of recently released WWE superstar Bray Wyatt.

The WWE has released a lot of talent since April, and it appears no one is safe there in a company that has billions in revenue. My figures are crossed that Alexa Bliss doesn’t get released, because I know I will get tuned out and disinterested at that point.

Overall, it is time to be back in business with this blog again.

As I do that, I will try to navigate this crazy world the best I can.

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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Break going to August

Best to hold off with late starts and season creeps in sports

All happy after getting my second COVID-19 vaccine shot on Friday.

Believe it or not, I’ve wanted to get back into writing this blog, but I think I better hold off.

As re-openings are in full swing from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world, it feels like things on the winter sports scene are going to get off to later starts. Due to those later starts, those seasons are going to finish later and there will be major season creeps with seasons that start in the spring and summer of 2022.

In sports, those formulating the schedules only worry about what is happening in their own sports worlds and don’t look to how their sports world will interact with other sports worlds. That is just how things have always worked.

If you have you feet stuck in a few different sports worlds, things could get busy in a hurry.

At the moment, the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference, which contains the venerable Saskatoon Hilltops, is set to start August 22, which is about only a week later than a normal start. The Canadian Bowl is scheduled for December 4, which is about three weeks later than normal.

The WHL regular season is pegged to start October 1 and run through to April 3, 2022. Playoffs are slated to start on April 8, 2022.

Out enjoying a Starbuck drink to break up a bike ride in mid-June.

The Memorial Cup, which is the CHL championship tournament, is set to be hosted by the QMJHL and run June 2 to 12, 2022.

In U Sports, I’ve usually covered football and hockey on a regular basis focusing on the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. Football is slated to start September 25, which is about four weeks later than normal.

The shortened hockey seasons on both the men’s and women’s sides are set to start on October 15, which is about two weeks later than normal.

A schedule isn’t out yet from the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League, and I’ve done a lot of work on that circuit over the years.

The Saskatoon Valkyries of the WWCFL will have an abbreviated three-game series against the Regina Riot this month, but the circuit won’t embark on a full out campaign.

With all the late starts and the wonky schedules coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe it is best to avoid getting going with a full head of steam too early. It appears there will be lots of opportunity for things to get busy.

I admit I have missed things. For example, I’ve gone through a number of stages where I’ve missed my buds on the major junior hockey beat.

I’ve missed the fun on the WHL circuit.

Still due to the crazy schedules coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, I plan to get back on here next on August 1.

Looking back, I can’t believe how fast the past month flew by.

On the work front, I focused on tasks as the communications coordinator for the Gordie Howe Sports Complex and was pretty proud of the June pieces I created for the Howe Happening blog and the pieces I am currently working on for July 9.

Away from the Complex, it seems like I haven’t been able to accomplish much, or it has taken forever to do simple things.

I got some maintenance done on my car that needed to be done. The crew at OK Tire on North Circle Drive did a tremendous as my car takes off like a shot now when I touch the gas.

I received my second Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine shot on Friday and will soon be classified as fully immunized.

Similar to when I received the first shot, my arm that took the shot hurts today, and I am dragging with fatigue. It is actually taking quite an effort to get this blog post done.

I won’t be at Roughriders home games in 2021 due to family commitments.

I’ve also dealt with some ins and outs regarding a big family wedding that will occupy the first seven days of September this year.

In order to ensure I have time set aside to deal with that wedding coming up, I’ve already decided I won’t be attending any Saskatchewan Roughriders CFL home games this year as a ticket buyer. The only way I will end up at one of their games in 2021 is if it happens to be in a work capacity.

I enjoy going to those games, but with a big wedding on the horizon and this being the first CFL season coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is best to not spend time stressing over going to CFL games.

When I do come back, I am not exactly sure what I will be covering. It depends what leagues will allow media outlets to do coming out of the pandemic and if interviews will continue to be a run of conferences on Zoom.

Due to pressures in the personal life, I feel like I am going to have to make a decision at some time to focus on just covering either football or hockey. 

A Brayden Point card.

On top of that, it has been weighing on my mind that the overall culture of sports isn’t that big in Canada unless you are involved in NHL.

In order to be involved in sports, you truly have to want to be there. 

You are not going to get rich financially covering sports in Canada, and you might even encounter times you have trouble paying your own bills.

Social media platforms also keep changing algorithms making it hard to see posts from independent creators. You do have to get in the habit of asking readers to like and share posts, which is common with sites that cover the sports entertainment version of professional wrestling.

Anyways, all of that will be what it will be as we transition out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also as far as being off this blog goes, there are still other things I want to get done that I haven’t got done like getting some collectibles I have stored in the basement listed for sale online.

I do have an itch where I wouldn’t mind putting together a column on the Stanley Cup Final, which the Tampa Bay Lightning lead the Montreal Canadiens 3-0 in that best-of-seven series. Centre Brayden Point, who is an alumnus of the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors, has had a second straight sensational NHL playoff season with the Lightning posting 14 goals, nine assists and a plus-seven rating in 21 games in the current post-season.

Basically, Montreal had a good Cinderella run, but Tampa Bay’s overall depth was just too strong, and the Lightning know how to win after capturing the Stanley Cup for the second time in team history last year.

I don’t expect a miracle comeback by Les Canadiens.

Alexa Bliss has great merchandise like this T-shirt.

Oh, I will admit it has been enjoyable to avoid social media lines, when I have been on my break from writing this blog. I track those lines a lot, when I am formulating posts for this blog.

It has felt so cleansing to avoid most of the toxic crap on those lines. Most of my interactions there over the past month have been more on the “rainbows” and “unicorns” positivity front.

In a weird twist, the positivity includes following Alexa Bliss’s dark character persona in WWE, which has been quite enjoyable. I’ve also smiled a tonne watching Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada’s own Chris Jericho be classic Chris Jericho in AEW.

I’ve rocked his theme song “Judas” quite a bit.

Anyways, I am out of here again for now.

But, it is inevitable.

I will be back.

Could memorials help at former residential schools?

I am not totally sure how to approach this one, so I just want to say I have an idea I want to be heard out on.

Way back when I was getting my degree in Journalism and Communications at the University of Regina, I also took a number of history courses. I actually got to the point where I was five history classes short of completing a history major at the time I graduated.

From those history studies, I haven’t been surprised at the discoveries of unmarked graves outside of residential schools that once housed Indigenous students. Residential schools were used with the intention to assimilate Indigenous students to Canada’s Caucasian culture.

Some of these schools can be traced back to the early 1800s long before Canada became a country with Confederation on July 1, 1867. Some of those schools ran to the middle of the 1990s.

Over the past six weeks, Canada as a country by discoveries of unmarked graves at former residential schools. Three big discoveries have made major news.

The first major discovery came in late May at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School at the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation in Kamloops, B.C., where ground penetrating radar found the remains of 215 children in preliminary findings.

On June 24, the Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan announced a preliminary finding of 751 unmarked graves at a cemetery near the former Marieval Indian Residential School.

On Wednesday, there were preliminary findings of 182 unmark graves close to the former St. Eugene’s Mission School near Cranbrook, B.C. The Indigenous community of ʔaq̓am conducted the investigation on that front.

Unfortunately, it appears we are only at the beginning of these discoveries.

In discussing the discoveries with a long time family friend going back to the high school days of my late father, Dan Steinke, an idea came up that could be possibly floated to the powers that be at an appropriate time to possibly help with the healing process.

We thought maybe a Memorial Gardens could be set up at each of the former residential schools, where unmarked graves were discovered.

The idea came from thinking about the Canadian National Vimy Memorial located in Givenchy-en-Gohelle, Pas de Calais, France. It is located at the site of Canada’s victory of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in the First World War.

The Memorial bears the names of the Canadian soldiers who died in France with no known grave. It is site that can be visited and reflection can occur.

At the former residential school sites where unmarked graves were discovered, Memorial Gardens could be set up where visitors, Indigenous and others, could visit. Crosses could be set up for each person who was lost or a monument could be built.

Benches could be provided at those gardens to allow people a place to sit to reflect on the healing that needs to take place.

Something similar has already occurred at the Cowessess First Nation on the night of June 26, where a vigil was held for the discovery at the former Marieval Indian Residential School. For the vigil, 751 solar lamps were placed on each of the unmarked graves.

If it was agreeable to the powers that be, maybe you could make something like those lamps a permanent memorial.

As I said, the idea of Memorial Gardens is just something I am throwing out. I also realize I am a middle aged Caucasian male, so it would be easy to discount any well intentioned idea on this subject.

I can’t comprehend the work that needs to be done regarding truth and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in Canada.

I admit I don’t feel right saying anything on this front. I always fear the hope of a well-intended suggestion will be spun the wrong way coming from someone with my cultural background.

I am sure there are people out there that persons of my cultural background shouldn’t say anything on this subject or suggest a course of action at all. To be honest, I have no power at all to make decisions on this subject.

I just hope those in charge will eventually be able to find ways to move forward in the healing process.

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.