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.”

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Olympic champion Clark soaks in hero’s homecoming

Emily Clark is pictured with a young Saskatoon Comets player.

Emily Clark is living a whirlwind reality that is turning out better than her gold medal winning Olympic dream.

In the early morning hours in Saskatchewan time on February 17, Clark helped Canada’s Senior National Women’s Hockey team down the United States 3-2 in the gold medal game held at the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. Growing up playing hockey in Saskatoon, Clark dreamed of winning a gold medal for Canada and realized her dream with that win over the U.S. at the Wukesong Arena.

Since the on ice celebrations of that victory, Clark keeps encountering happy surreal experiences.

Emily Clark arrives home at the airport in Saskatoon.

One of the biggest surprises came when the 26-year-old centre arrived home at the Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport during the 10 p.m. hour on Tuesday. She was greeted by a healthy gathering of supporters that included family and friends, players from local area hockey teams and fans.

“There are so many emotions going through my mind,” said Clark, who stands 5-foot-7. “It is hard to put words to.

“Honestly, I think this is the first time it has felt real getting to be back in Saskatoon and see some friends and family and share it with them. It feels real now, and it is just super special.”

The alum of the Flyers minor hockey zone in Saskatoon and the Saskatoon Stars Female Under-18 AAA team first hugged her father, Del, and mother, Tracy, upon her arrival.

Emily Clark, left, hugs her father, Del Clark.

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world, Emily Clark and her teammates playing in a bubble environment at the Winter Olympics and have basically been living in a bubble environment for about the last eight months.

The challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic prevented Clark’s family members from making it to the Winter Olympics.

She had family and friends in attendance at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Canada took home the silver medal at those games falling 3-2 after a tiebreaking shootout to the United States in the gold medal final.

A couple of young Comets players display signs for Emily Clark.

After family and friends were there to pick her up emotionally after the disappointment of falling in the gold medal game in PyeongChang, South Korea, in 2018, Clark couldn’t wait to share a golden moment with her family and friends returning home with a gold medal from the 2022 Winter Olympics starting with her parents.

“I remember in 2018 I didn’t get to see them (Del and Tracy) until a little bit after the game at the Canada House,” said Clark. “As soon as I saw them, just getting to share it with them right away it was water works.

“It is super emotional. Everyone that is here still, my siblings, my sister-in-law, even my training partner and one of my best friends for a long time (University of Saskatchewan Huskies Men’s Hockey team defenceman) Evan Fiala is here. They’ve all had such a huge impact on getting me here.

Emily Clark gets up in a group hug with the Saskatoon Stars.

“To get to share it with them, that is why I think I said that is when it feels real, because they are the people I love the most. It feels good to share it with the people that got me here that is for sure.”

Clark received another surprise at her homecoming arrival in the fact the current Stars squad made it to the airport. The Stars had beaten the Prince Albert Northern Bears 5-4 in overtime earlier that night at Merlis Belsher Place.

Stars head coach Robin Ulrich had a bus waiting in front of Merlis for the team to board right after their game to make it to the airport for Clark’s arrival.

Emily Clark is pictured with another young Comets player.

Clark and the Stars had a big group hug. Following the hug, Clark took part in a team picture with the Stars and selfie photos with the individual players, coaches and support staffers.

Clark said she knew a number of the players since the last Olympic cycle and knows the families of Stars forwards Avery Bairos and Sage Babey well.

“It is so cool to watch them grow up and follow in my footsteps,” said Clark, who won an NCAA championship with the University of Wisconsin Badgers Women’s Hockey team in 2018-19. “Now, they are on the Stars.

Emily Clark has some fun with the Stars players.

“Now, they are hoping to get university scholarships. I know they are fans of me, but it is pretty cool to watch them grow up. To see the (Saskatoon) Comets jerseys, to see some young youth hockey boys as well be just as excited as the young girl athletes, it is so special.

“It means the world. I love home. I love being from here. To share those moments with them it does mean a lot to me.”

The Stars contingent included assistant coach Kori Herner, who played with Clark on the Stars during the 2011-12 campaign. Herner held up a sign that said, “Miss Team Canada! Welcome home!”

Emily Clark, left, is pictured with former Stars teammate Kori Herner.

During the 2011-12 season, Clark set the Stars record for most points in one regular season at 60 coming on 26 goals and 34 assists in 26 regular season contests. That record was equaled by Mackenna Parker in the 2017-18 campaign.

Clark said she used to be called “Miss Team Canada” by her Stars teammates. She was happy to see how much of an impact Herner, who played five seasons with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Hockey team from 2013 to 2018, is having on the provincial coaching ranks.

“She (Herner) was a great teammate,” said Clark. “She was one of my best friends when I played for the Stars.

Emily Clark hugs Stars head coach Robin Ulrich.

“To see her still be involved with female hockey, Team Sask and the Stars, I do enjoy when I get to come home and see her and we get to reminisce.”

In the grand scheme things, Clark has had a busy hockey season. She helped Canada win gold at the 2021 women’s worlds played this past August in a bubble environment in Calgary, Alta.

Canada won the gold medal game 3-2 in overtime over United States in that event on August 31, 2021 at WinSport Arena.

Tracy Clark, in white, and Del Clark, on right, are proud parents.

On the day of the gold medal game for the 2022 Winter Olympics, Clark said she had a surreal feeling that something special was going to happen.

“The whole day was a dream honestly,” said Clark, who had two goals, one assist and a plus-four rating in the plus-minus department in seven games with Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics. “Waking up, I had a really good feeling.

“Obviously, there was a lot of belief on the team, but I’ve never felt that way on a championship game day. The whole day just felt like a dream. I just had to keep reminding myself it is breakfast time, it is warm up time just taking things one step at a time and not thinking about the result and definitely be in the moment.

Emily Clark visits with members of the Fiala family.

“I was still in the moment that when the game ended I realized that we won, but I don’t really think it hit me that we won an Olympic gold medal.”

After arriving home in Saskatoon, Clark visited various family and friends celebrating the gold medal victory from the Winter Olympics. Having basically trained for the most part in bubble conditions since March of 2020, Clark and a number of her Team Canada teammates departed for a vacation to Mexico on Saturday.

It was the type of change up Clark was looking forward to and admitted she hasn’t done a whole lot of in the past.

Emily Clark poses for a team picture with the Stars.

“I honestly haven’t been on too many vacations,” said Clark. “I think if there is a time to go on one it might be it.”

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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Clark’s Olympic gold a sweet Sask. feel good sports moment

Emily Clark, centre, pictured with some of her former Stars teammates.

The underage player from the Saskatoon Stars became gold medal winner at the Olympics.

Way back in September of 2009, Emily Clark joined the Stars female under-18 AAA hockey team as an underage forward at age 13. As the youngest player on the Stars, she had the last pick of jersey numbers and selected number 13 as a reminder of her age when she first started skating with the team.

On September 9, 2009, she scored a goal skating in her first game with the Stars in a 3-2 exhibition win at the Gemini Arena over the Prince Albert A & W Bears, who are now known as the Prince Albert Northern Bears.

Clark would turn 14-years-old in late November of 2009, and she played in all of the Stars 28 regular season games collecting two goals and two assists. Before joining the Stars, Clark played on boys teams in Saskatoon in the Flyers Zone.

Her father, Del, was a long time coach and executive with the Flyer program.

Actually, Emily Clark first began playing the game at age three at a University of Saskatchewan Huskies kids camp run by legendary Huskies men’s hockey head coach Dave Adolph.

An Olympic champion was born from that modest start.

An Emily Clark hockey card.

Fast forward to the early morning hours last Thursday in Saskatchewan time. Many in province were awake to watch Clark and her teammates on Canada’s Senior National Women’s Hockey team capture the gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.

Canada downed their forever rivals in the United States 3-2 in the gold medal final held at the Wukesong Arena.

At age 26, Clark has realized her ultimate hockey dream. The power forward picked up two goals and an assist appearing in six of Canada’s seven games.

Clark missed one preliminary round contest against the Russian Olympic Committee due to an inconclusive coronavirus (COVID-19) test. That goes down as a forever side note reminder that the 2022 Winter Olympics were played with the world still in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Between that first exhibition game victory with the Stars and the gold medal win with Canada, Clark, who stands 5-foot-7, has piled up many accolades in her hockey journey.

In the 2010-11 campaign, Clark helped the Stars win the female division of the prestigious Mac’s Tournament in Calgary.

In 2011-12, she set the Stars record for most points scored in one regular season at 60 coming off 26 goals and 34 assists in 26 regular season games. That team record would ultimately be matched by Mackenna Parker in the 2017-18 campaign.

Clark’s number 13 was retired by the Stars in December of 2019.

Clark put up big numbers playing for the Okanagan Hockey Academy under-18 prep female team collecting 34 goals and 35 assists in 57 games in two seasons from 2012 to 2014.

A second Emily Clark hockey card.

She proceeded to star for four seasons with the University of Wisconsin Badgers Women’s Hockey team in the NCAA Division I ranks from 2014 to 2019. She left the Badgers for one season in 2017-18 to play for Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, where Canada took home the silver medal falling 3-2 after a tiebreaking shootout to the United States in the gold medal final.

With the Badgers, Clark played in 147 career games posting 70 goals and 76 assists. During her final season with the Badgers in 2018-19, she helped them win an NCAA championship.

On the international scene, Clark helped Canada win gold at two under-18 women’s world championships, three silver medals, one bronze medal and one gold medal at women’s worlds to go with the silver at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

The gold medal win at women’s worlds can in August of 2021, when the tournament was held in a bubble environment in Calgary.

Following her time with the Stars, Clark usually wore number 26, which is double the number 13.

No matter where Clark goes in hockey, she still keeps strong ties to her home city of Saskatoon and to Saskatchewan as a province. Some of her favourite teammates from her time in the sport include former Stars teammates like Marley Ervine, Lauren Zary, Sara Greschner and Brooke Mutch.

Clark made numerous friends on the men’s side of the game growing up including Rourke Chartier, who plays with the AHL’s Belleville Senators and Evan Fiala, who plays for the U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s team in the U Sports ranks.

Everywhere Clark has gone to play hockey, she has been an enduring and favourite teammate. She is also taken to heart because her style of play mirrors that of Wendel Clark, who starred for the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades and the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. Emily and Wendel are not related.

Emily Clark signs autographs for youngster in November of 2018.

In the Saskatchewan hockey community and Saskatoon as a city, it seems there is just a one or two degrees of separation from knowing someone that knows Emily and her family.

That connection added to how awe inspiring it was to see Clark and her team to realize their golden moment at the Winter OIympics.

In today’s world that is engulfed in news events that can seem chaotic, it felt that much more special to see Clark realize her ultimate gold medal dream on the sports world’s biggest stage.

Memorial Cup gets new dates, WHL schedule adjusted

The Acadie-Bathurst Titan celebrate their Memorial Cup win in 2018.

Last Wednesday, the CHL announced its Memorial Cup championship tournament was being pushed back.

The CHL announced the change with its three member leagues in the OHL, QMJHL and WHL have to extend regular season schedules to play games that were postponed due to challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic. The WHL has also dealt with postponements due to bad weather.

The upcoming Memorial Cup is being hosted by the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs in Saint John, New Brunswick. The event was originally scheduled to be held from June 4 to 13, but it will now be held from June 20 to 29.

The changes to the Memorial Cup’s schedule were expected.

In late January, the QMJHL said it intended to play its full 68-game regular season that will conclude on May 1. The QMJHL plays are slated to be held from May 5 to June 15.

Last Thursday, the WHL announced its regular season that was originally slated to end on April 3 will now end on April 17. The adjustment was made to allow the circuit’s member teams to get in their postponed contests in order for each club to play a 68-game regular season.

If any standing tiebreaking games need to be played, they will be held on April 19.

The WHL playoffs are schedule to begin April 22 and could potentially run to June 14, if a series deciding Game 7 is needed for the WHL Championship series.

The WHL is also adjusting its playoff format. Instead of using the division format that was used from 2015 to 2020, the circuit is going back to a conference playoff format that was last used in 2014.

That means, the two division winners in each conference will be seeded one and two in their respective conference brackets. After the division winners, the next six teams in each conference with the most standings points will also make the post-season.

Clubs advancing in each round of the playoffs will be reseeded based on regular season points. Each round of the WHL playoffs will be contested in best-of-seven series.

Controversies plentiful for 2022 Winter Olympics

Controversies seemed to come out of the woodworks to plague the 2022 Winter Olympics that were held in Beijing, China.

They seemly took flight on February 2, which was two days before the games themselves began. That initial one came with Belgian skeleton racer Kim Meylemans asked over Instagram for the International Olympic Committee to free her from one of Beijing’s COVID-19 isolation facilities.

She was placed there instead of the Athletes’ Village isolation centre.

Meylemans tested positive for COVID-19 upon arriving in China. The Belgian delegation stepped in quickly, and Meylemans was moved to the Village one day later.

Some of the controversies will continue to play out after the games came to a conclusion on Sunday.

In Canada, the games will be remembered for the country taking home a total of 26 medals including four gold medals, eight silver medals and 14 bronze medals.

Overall, the 2022 Winter Olympics might be best remembered on the world stage for the controversy swirling around 15-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, who was favoured to win gold in the women’s singles competition.

Before the women’s singles event took place, news surfaced Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, which is a heart drug used to prevent angina and also acts as an oxygen booster. The drug is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Due to Valieva being a minor, it was decided that she would be allowed to compete as the investigation around the positive test continued.

She collapsed in the free skate and finished fourth in the women’s singles event. Russian 17-year-old teammates Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova finished first and second respectively, but the medal wins were far from a dream finish for either athlete.

As for other controversies, we had Russian president Vladimir Putin looking like he was going to fall asleep when Ukraine was introduced during the opening ceremonies.

There were a couple of questionable video reviews that gave China gold medals in speed skating and China trying to censor an athlete from Finland for showing flooding in her part of the Athletes Village on social media.

On Sunday, Yahoo Sports posted a list of the various controversies, and that post can be found by clicking right here.

Blades’ Crnkovic retakes WHL scoring lead

Kyle Crnkovic retook the WHL scoring lead.

Saskatoon Blades star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic retook the lead in the WHL scoring race with a three-point night on Sunday.

Entering play on Sunday, Crnkovic trailed Red Deer Rebels overage left-winger Arshdeep Bains by one point for top spot in the scoring race.

Playing before 5,737 spectators at the Scotiabank Saddledown in Calgary against the host Hitmen on Sunday, Crnkovic potted two goals and an assist to power the Blades to a 4-1 regular season victory.

Thanks to that offensive outburst, the Chestermere, Alta., product leads the WHL in scoring with 73 points coming off 32 goals and 41 assists. Crnkovic’s goal and point totals are career highs.

Bains sits second in the scoring race with 71 points coming off 25 goals and 46 assists.

The Blades also received goals from centres Trevor Wong and Trevor Robins, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks.

Zac Funk had the lone reply for the Hitmen.

Rookie Ethan Chadwick made 23 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Blades (27-18-1-1). Ethan Buenaventura turned away 31 shots to take the setback in net for the Hitmen (18-22-5-2).

Blades sophomore left-winger Vaughn Watterodt and Hitmen 20-year-old centre Blake Allan engaged in a first period fight.

The Blades return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Brandon to take on the 25-15-3-2 Wheat Kings (7 p.m. Saskatchewan time, 600 CJWW).

Vitelli nets pair in Raiders 4-1 win over Tigers, other notes

Reece Vitelli scored twice for the Raiders on Monday.

Captain Reece Vitelli got his Prince Albert Raiders back in the win column.

On Monday, Vitelli scored twice in the third period to lift the Raiders to a 4-1 regular season victory over the host Medicine Hat Tigers playing before 2,390 spectators at Co-Op Place.

The Tigers went ahead 1-0 on a goal from Owen MacNeil at the 7:08 mark of the first period.

Before the opening frame ended, Sloan Stanick tallied for the Raiders to even the game’s score at 1-1.

After a scoreless second period, Vitelli scored twice in the third to put the Raiders up 3-1. Veteran centre Keaton Sorensen rounded out the contest’s scoring an empty-net goal for the visitors with three minutes remaining in the third.

Tikhon Chaika stopped 23 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders (18-26-2-1). Garin Bjorklund turned away 19-of-22 shots to take the setback in net for the Tigers (9-33-3-1).

Raiders star centre Ozzy Wiesblatt and Tigers left-winger Brayden Boehm engaged in a second period fight.

Inside the final 31 seconds of the third, Raiders defenceman Trevor Thurston received a major for cross-checking, a major for charging and a 10-minute misconduct. The two major penalties will be automatically be reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

The Raiders win on Monday unofficially marked the 572^nd career regular season head coaching victory for Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid. The win total includes Habscheid’s time with the Kamloops Blazers, Kelowna Rockets, and the Chilliwack Bruins/Victoria Royals franchise. Habscheid’s first season holding a WHL team’s head coaching duties came in the 1997/98 campaign with the Blazers.

If that total gets verified as official, Habscheid would equal Mike Williamson for the fifth most career regular season head coaching victories in the history of the WHL. Williamson collected his head coaching victories working behind the bench of the Portland Winterhawks, Calgary Hitmen and Tri-City Americans from the 1999-2000 campaign to the 2017-18 campaign.

The Raiders return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Calgary to take on the 18-22-5-2 Hitmen (6 p.m. Saskatchewan time, 900 CKBI).

• Prince Albert product and 16-year-old left-winger Tanner Howe is having a strong season with the WHL’s Regina Pats. In 40 regular season games, Howe has 19 goals and 23 assists for 42 points.
• A spectacular season has vaulted Regina Rebels forward Alexis Petford into a tie for 10^th place on the all-time career regular season scoring list for the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League. In 28 regular season games in the current campaign, Petford has 75 points on 37 goals and 38 assists. All of those totals are career highs for Petford, who is in her final season of under-18 AAA eligibility. In 90 career SFU18AAAHL regular season games, Petford has 126 points coming on 62 goals and 64 assists and is the Rebels all-time career regular season scoring leader. She has equalled Lauren Zary for 10^th on the SFU18AAAHL career regular season scoring list. Zary collected her 126 points on 44 goals and 82 assists playing 103 career regular season games for the Saskatoon Stars from 2008 to 2012. The Rebels have one game remaining on their regular season schedule when they travel to Wilcox on Wednesday to face the Notre Dame Hounds.
• The B.C. Division leading Kamloops Blazers clinched a berth in the WHL playoffs, when they downed the U.S. Division leading Everett Silvertips 4-3 after a tiebreaking shootout on Monday at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops. The Blazers took the tiebreaking shootout 2-1. The Blazers improved to 35-13-2 with the win, while the Silvertips record moved to 35-7-2-5. The Silvertips came into the contest with a WHL playoff berth already locked up.

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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Off of here until July

Set to head out on a bike ride in early May.

For about a couple of weeks, I’ve kind been looking forward to taking a break from this blog.

I kind of felt I’ve needed to take a break in order to get refreshed.

I like the fact the last post I wrote before this one was a quoter piece from catch up interviews I did with sisters Sophie and Grace Shirley, who won an NCAA title together playing for the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team. Both skilled forwards are outstanding persons, and I’ve enjoyed seeing them grow in the sport and in life since moving to Saskatoon in the summer of 2014.

I caught up with the Shirley sisters for Your Saskatoon News, and I had lots leftover for another piece.

Even when I was using the leftover quotes to craft a piece for this blog, the writing part wasn’t coming easy. I also started swearing at the computer when I was hitting glitches in the editing and layout phases.

I got frustrated when a feature on the blog platform I used stopped working like it used to.

I took those moments as another sign that I needed a break.

My break from this blog will run the rest of June and the next post is slated for July 3. On July 3, I will say I am either extending my break or I will have some sort post that kicks me back into action.

The other reason I am taking a break is because I haven’t taken a break from producing content for this blog since January 2020, which was before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic gripped the world and really started to impact life in North America on March 11, 2020.

A wall of pictures I’ve taken at sports events over the years.

I have been fortunate enough to work through the pandemic as the communications coordinator with the Gordie Howe Sports Complex and on freelance opportunities that came up. The freelance opportunities have been far less than they were before the pandemic, but they have still come and been a nice bonus.

Still, I use this blog as my main outlet to cover the sports scene focusing on the WHL, U Sports, CJFL and SFU18AAAHL. A lot of the focus is on those scenes in Saskatoon and Prince Albert.

Columns about the NLL mainly involving the Saskatchewan Rush, CFL, NHL and other sports and topics outside of the sports world get thrown in too. I actually have to admit that while I am not a big lacrosse guy, covering the Rush has been extremely fun over the years, and I enjoyed that scene way more than I thought I would.

During busy WHL playoff runs which occurred before the pandemic, it is common for me to put posts up on this blog on a daily basis.

With that noted, the mind hits times where it needs to rest and refresh. Writing about the ups and downs of the sports world during these pandemic times dating back to March 11, 2020 has been challenging.

I am actually one of those that constantly fact checks sources to ensure facts are right. Fact checking items and weaving through social media battles between people has been taxing.

In my other work environments, I am still tracking how things are unfolding in the pandemic.

I’m surrounded by mementos in my basement workout room.

I just want to get a break from continuing that tracking on this blog.

On Wednesday, I saw the International Ice Hockey Federation announced the women’s worlds will run Aug. 20-31 in Calgary. While this was an upbeat update, I still need a break from being plugged in and keeping up on updates like that.

With the ups and downs of the pandemic, I’ve found the local sports world that I deal with has had its toxic times too. The out there emotions are understandable as coaches and administrators have poured their souls into get sports going again and have encountered many frustrations.

I don’t hold any of those emotions in upset times against anyone.

For myself, I just need to step away from that toxicity for a bit.

I also know as we work towards a new normal as vaccines for COVID-19 roll out that the sports world will build into a new normal.

In Canada, the sports world that existed on March 10, 2020 won’t be coming back in the new normal. There have already been changes like the elimination of the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns men’s and women’s hockey teams, the retirement of Dave Adolph as the head coach of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team and Bruce Urban selling the Rush to the Priestner family.

A display of some pictures I’ve taken over the years.

Those are just some of the changes that have crossed my mind, but there are many more than that.

I want to take some time to step back to get a different look at how the sports world locally and in Canada is going to fall into place without writing about that process on a regular basis. As the sports world locally and in Canada falls into place, I will evaluate how I will fit into that new world.

Besides the sports side of things, my social calendar for 2020 was packed with items pre-pandemic that got called off. In the sort out going forward, some of those social functions at the moment are slated to come back include a big family wedding which I need to devote time and attention to.

I don’t think I will ever stop producing this blog. It is something that is mine.

When I have to make space and time to produce posts for this blog, I have told people to (*explanative*) off in some extreme cases. I have worked regularly to 1 a.m. or 3 a.m. when I am in the process of producing a post that I feel is really good.

Back when I first started to write this blog in the final five months of 2014, I thought I would just focus on writing about the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s and women’s hockey teams as my way to stay linked to sports.

From that simple expectation, I’ve lost track of all the cool things I’ve done. I’ve covered numerous championship wins involving the Saskatoon Hilltops, Saskatoon Valkyries and Saskatoon Stars.

I covered a Bears OT win on Nov. 21, 2020.

I renewed links with Prince Albert covering the Raiders and the Northern Bears.

Covering the Raiders 3-2 overtime win in Game 7 of the WHL Championship Series will always be an all-time highlight.

I’ve made numerous memories on the WHL circuit the majority involving the Raiders, Saskatoon Blades, Regina Pats, Swift Current Broncos, Moose Jaw Warriors, Medicine Hat Tigers, Brandon Wheat Kings and Red Deer Rebels.

There have been many special memories involving the Huskies hockey teams and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team.

I enjoyed getting to follow the hockey careers of my young cousins Nelson and Danielle Nogier. It was a different unique special to cover Nelson playing games with the Blades and Rebels and Danielle suiting up with the Stars and Huskies.

Covering the 4 Nations Cup women’s hockey tournament in Saskatoon in November of 2018 was a huge highlight too.

I’ve had so many great experiences come my way through this blog, so I can’t see ever at this time permanently giving it up.

For now, I am walking away for an extended time in order to get a break and get refreshed. Hopefully, I can get is some good coffee visits like one I had a few weeks back with Tim Shirley.

No matter what I am always busy in the home office.

So in the mean time and in between time, I hope you all stay healthy and safe and handle each day the best way you 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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Badgers sudden victory NCAA title will always be special for Shirley sisters

Sophie, centre, and Grace Shirley, right, after a 2015 league title win.

Sisters Sophie and Grace Shirley will always be fond of the day they experienced sudden victory in championship style.

On March 20, 2021, the Shirley sisters were playing for the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team in the NCAA title game against the Northeastern University Huskies in the NCAA Division I title game at the Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, Pennsylvania.

The two sides went to overtime locked in a 1-1 draw and the deciding goal was seemingly scored out of nowhere.

At the 3:16 mark of the extra session, Badgers superstar left-winger Daryl Watts took the puck down behind the Northeastern goal. From behind the net, Watts, who is a Toronto, Ont., product, proceeded to bank the puck off a Huskies defender and netminder Aerin Frankel into the Northeastern goal.

The Huskies roster included defender and captain Brooke Hobson, who is an alumna of the Prince Albert Northern Bears female under-18 AAA hockey team.

The Shirley sisters, who are both forwards with the Badgers, felt instant euphoria. They later pieced together what happened on the winning goal.

“When the puck went in, I had just come off of my shift,” said Sophie, who was in her third season with the Badgers. “Daryl’s line was on next.

Sophie Shirley in action with the Stars in 2014-15.

“I remember that I basically sat down. I was just trying to catch my breath, because I had just been out on a shift. Basically, I sat down.

“I couldn’t really see, because when you sit down on the bench, all my teammates in front of me were standing up watching the play. Just like that, everyone just started celebrating, and we won the game. We had won the national championship.”

“Right when it happened I remember not even really looking,” said Grace, who was in her second season with the Badgers. “I think she (Watts) was trying to get it to the slot, so I didn’t even see it go in.

“Everybody on the bench just jumped. There was definitely a lot of screaming. I think me and one of my teammates Dara (Greig), as soon as it happened we just like looked at each other and just froze for like a second.

“Everybody just started jumping over, and we got over. That is all I can really remember. It was pretty exciting.”

The two Saskatoon products and alums of the Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA hockey team got to share in a national championship in a season like no other.

The Badgers won the NCAA crown in Sophie’s rookie year with the team in 2018-19. They were looking to repeat as NCAA champions the next season and were set to host an NCAA championship tournament quarter-final contest before the remainder of the tournament was called off on March 12, 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that had gripped the world.

Grace Shirley in action for the Stars in 2015-16.

The Shirley sisters returned home to Saskatoon to finish their academic courses online. They returned to Madison, Wisconsin, in August of 2020 to rejoin the Badgers for a campaign there wasn’t any certainty it would be played to a conclusion.

The Badgers regular season opened on Nov. 27, 2020 with a 3-2 overtime loss in Columbus, Ohio, to the Ohio State University Buckeyes. After blanking the Buckeyes 5-0 the next night, the Badgers had their season put on hold as a COVID-19 outbreak saw six players from the team test positive for the virus.

All of the Badgers six games in December of 2020 were postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Badgers resumed their season in early January and hit high gear and never looked back finishing the campaign with a 17-3-1 overall record. They played 20 games fewer than when they won their last non-COVID NCAA title in 2018-19.

Sophie posted 12 goals, 13 assists and a plus-18 rating in the plus-minus department in the Badgers 21 overall games. In 98 overall career games with the Badgers, Sophie has 61 goals and 63 assists for a total of 124 points to go with a plus-90 rating.

As a third-year player, Sophie, who is 21-years-old, focused a little more on trying to set a good example for the younger members of the team.

“For me, it was making sure that I am doing everything right on the ice just being able to help the team in any way,” said Sophie, who stands 5-foot-9. “It was also just kind of maturing a little bit and kind of fitting into that leadership role a little bit off the ice as well as on the ice too.

Sophie Shirley (#8) cuts up ice on a rush for the Stars in 2014-15.

“I think it was a different year for me, and I think it was one that I really enjoyed. I really enjoyed being that older player and being able to kind of lead the way by example, but also within the locker room. I enjoyed the year.

“Personally, I thought it was a pretty good year for me. I think that I learned a lot as well too, so yeah, it was a good year.”

Grace had two goals, one assist and a plus-two rating skating in all of the Badgers 21 contests. In 57 overall career games with the Badgers, the 19-year-old has three goals and five assists for eight points to go with plus-12 rating.

She was happy with her season personally and how she was able to develop playing on a Badgers team that has a huge amount of depth. A number of the Badgers players are in line to have future opportunities to play in either Canada’s or the United State’s national team system.

“You have to really earn your ice,” said Grace, who stands 5-foot-7. “I’m trying to work my way up.

“I definitely feel like maybe like I’m not getting as much ice time as I’m used to. I’m still definitely developing as a player and even just getting to practice with and battle with some of these future Olympians, it helps just kind of knowing that I am getting better and developing. I’m amongst the best.

“It is nice knowing that they are kind of pushing me to get better too.”

Both players have fond memories of their time with the Stars.

Grace Shirley jets into the offensive zone for the Stars in 2017-18.

Sophie suited up in three seasons for the Stars from 2012 to 2015 appearing in 58 regular season games collecting 41 goals and 27 assists for 68 points. She helped the Stars win their first SFU18AAAHL title and win a bronze medal at the Esso Cup female under-18 AAA national championship tournament in the 2014-15 campaign.

“When I think back to my high school days here back at home being at home, those were some of the best times of my life,” said Sophie. “Some of my friends that I still have today are from playing on the Stars and being able to play for that program.

“Ultimately, I think that I grew a lot. I got better while playing with the Stars. I think it kind of developed me into the player and the person that I am today.

“I’m always thankful for what that program has done for me. There were a lot of fun times that I had playing for the Saskatoon Stars. I miss it.”

Grace suited up in five seasons for the Stars from 2014 to 2019 appearing in 107 regular season games collecting 97 goals and 69 assists for 166 points. She was an associate player call up on the 2014-15 SFMU18AAAHL championship winning team.

Grace helped the Stars win three more SFMU18AAAHL title in 2016, 2018 and 2019 and appear at the Esso Cup tournament in each of those years. The Stars made it to the Esso Cup title game in 2018 falling to the Alberta based St. Albert Slash 2-1.

Sophie Shirley has fond memories playing for the Stars.

“It was big part of my life,” said Grace. “That is where I developed to be at this level, so I definitely reflect on it a lot.

“It was definitely a huge part of my life before coming here. There are lots of differences I’d say, but just in terms of some of the lessons that I’ve learned along the way, it is definitely still applicable today.”

The Shirley sisters are back in Saskatoon visiting family and friends. They are hoping to rejoin the Badgers for skating and training sessions in the middle of June.

Due to the fact the NCAA ruled that players who took part in the 2020-21 campaign would not lose any eligibility due to the uncertainties regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, Sophie can play two more seasons with the Badgers and Grace can play three more campaigns.

While they have a good chance of piling up a number of more highlights in their respective playing careers, the Shirley sisters will never forget the sudden victory NCAA title win with the Badgers.

“It was a pretty crazy feeling,” said Sophie. “It was a pretty crazy bounce, a positive bounce behind the net there with Daryl kind of bouncing into the net.

“It happens just like that, and all of a sudden, we were national champions, so it was pretty cool.”

Grace Shirley was the Stars captain in 2018-19.

“There was so much adversity, and I know every team experiences it,” said Grace. “To kind of come out on the higher end of that and to say that we won in such a crazy year, I think it is pretty special.”

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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