Huskies finally light lamp

Kandace Cook takes a draw for the Huskies.

            The University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Hockey team was definitely fond of red for one night.

            The Huskies players might never have felt so relieved than to see the red lap behind the opposition net light up three times like it did Saturday night.

            During the early portion of the regular season, the defending Canada West champs struggled to put the puck in the net. Those struggles continued during their home opener on Friday night, when they raised their conference championship banner at the Rutherford Rink. The Dogs fired 31 shots on goal and came away falling 4-0 to the University of Alberta Pandas.

            After that loss to the Pandas, the Huskies had scored six goals in five games.

            On Saturday night, the Pandas took a 1-0 lead on a goal from Ashley Morin early in the first period. The Huskies then broke their jinx around the opposing goal scoring twice to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

            Rookie Chelsea Wilson popped home the first goal, while Kandace Cook slid home the second tally on a nice individual rush. Those goals really seemed to give a lift to the Huskies side.

            Jessica Kampjes scored for the Pandas at the 8:09 mark of the second to force a 2-2 tie. Cook put the Huskies ahead for good scoring on the power play before the second ended putting her side up 3-2, which stood as the final outcome.

            Lindsey Post stopped 32 shots suffering the loss in goal for the Pandas (4-2), while Cassidy Hendricks made 36 stops earning the win in goal for the Huskies (3-3).

            While three goals isn’t a huge number to post on the scoreboard, it is a big number to put up on the Pandas, who are a traditional CIS powerhouse in women’s hockey. The surge marked the most goals the Huskies put in the back of the net since downing the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 5-4 in a shootout in the season opener for both teams on Oct. 3 in Vancouver.

            The surge against the Pandas doesn’t totally eliminate the Huskies scoring woes. Only six different players have found the back of the net so far this season, so there is still a whole host of other players in search of their first tally of the season. As a collective, the team has to feel a gorilla was slammed to the ground.

            Now the task is to duplicate and improve on Saturday’s effort this coming weekend against another tough opponent.

            The Huskies host the 4-0-2 University of Calgary Dinos at 7 p.m. on both this coming Friday and Saturday nights. The Dinos roster contains Hayley Wickenheiser, who is an icon on Canada’s national women’s team.

            Wickenheiser, who is in her fourth year of eligibility, completed her kinesiology degree last year and is enrolled in graduate studies. She had been attempting to get into medical school. 

Victory costly for Hilltops

Wayndel Lewis (#22) on the run for the Hilltops.

            Let the Wayndel Lewis watch begin.

            The Saskatoon Hilltops blasted the Winnipeg Rifles 43-13 on Sunday in what was a costly playoff victory at the Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Toppers advanced to host the Prairie Football Conference final against the Calgary Colts this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at SMF.

            In the win over the Rifles, the Hilltops lost Lewis, who is their star tailback, on their first offensive series of the second half. Lewis rushed for 90 yards on 14 carries before leaving with an injured left ankle.

            He had an outstanding regular season leading the PFC with 1,063 yards rushing on 130 carries, while scoring nine touchdowns.

            If Lewis in unable to go against the Colts, Logan Fischer will likely carry the bulk of the load at tailback against the Colts. 

Home sweet home for Huskies soccer

Jenelle Zapski of the Huskies.

            It will be playoff Sunday on the soccer pitch at PotashCorp Park.

            Both U of S Huskies soccer teams will host Canada West single-elimination quarter-final matches. The men’s team entered the final weekend of regular season play already guaranteed first place in the Prairies Division.

They closed the regular campaign on a stumble falling 2-1 and drawing 2-2 against the Mount Royal University Cougars last Saturday and Sunday respectively. The Huskies posted their best regular season finish ever at 9-1-2, while the Cougars were tied with Thompson Rivers for last overall in Canada West at 2-8-2.

The women’s team finished up posting 3-0 and 3-1 victories over the U of Regina Cougars on Saturday and Sunday respectively at PotashCorp Park. The wins vaulted the Huskies to second in the Prairies Division with a 7-2-3 mark.

In the two wins, third year Huskies striker Jenelle Zapski scored four goals to finish the regular season with a team record 14 tallies. The previous regular season record for goals was 11 scored by Elizabeth Hudon in the 2010 campaign.

This coming Sunday, the Huskies women’s team hosts the MacEwan Griffiths (7-3-2) at 12 p.m., and the Huskies men’s team takes on the University of Winnipeg Wesmen (4-7-1) at 2:15 p.m.

Riders looked better with Joseph

Kerry Joseph (#5) calls signals for the Roughriders.

            Oh, the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

            The CFL team everyone in Saskatchewan loves, and a team that appears to also have a million general managers, when you read various social media feeds or listen to call-in shows.

            There was definite dejection by the green and white faithful, when the Riders dropped their fourth in a row, with the latest setback being a 24-19 decision to the Edmonton Eskimos on Sunday at Mosaic Stadium.

            The Roughriders dropped to 9-7, but the offence looked better with 41-year-old veteran quarterback Kerry Joseph at the controls. Joseph’s statistics weren’t going to blow you away. He was 17-for-36 passing for 213 yards, two touchdown throws and two interceptions.

            The starting signal caller for the team’s 2007 Grey Cup championship season looked a lot more in control and poised compared to Tino Sunseri and Seth Doege.

            The Roughriders lost starting quarterback Darian Durant due to an arm injury in a 30-24 road victory over the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg on Sept. 7. Saskatchewan was 8-2 after that victory.

            Since Durant went down, the quarterback position was influx, which lead to Joseph’s signing. The loss to the Eskimos was Joseph’s first start this season, and his stats would have been a lot better outside of a number of drops by the receivers. The drop problem also occurred this season with Durant throwing pinpoint passes as well.

            Joseph, who had originally retired in the off-season having last suited up for the Eskimos, gives the Roughriders their best chance to win now. If Durant can’t return this season, the Roughriders would be best advised to go with Joseph, who was the CFL’s most outstanding player in 2007, the rest of the way. With Joseph, the Roughriders have a more realistic shot of making a championship run this season as an underdog as opposed to Sunseri and Doege, who have been inconsistent.

           

If you have any feedback on this blog, feel free to email comments to stankssports@gmail.com.

Roughriders win and 33,427 people lose their minds

Members of Rider Nation celebrate Sunday's Roughriders win

            It is amazing how a win can cure all for a short time.

            Heading into Sunday’s game at Mosaic Stadium with the Ottawa Redblacks, the faithful that make up Rider Nation weren’t sure what would happen to their Saskatchewan Roughriders. With starting quarterback Darian Durant out with an elbow injury for an extended time, Rider Priders weren’t sure what would happen to their team.

            Understudy Tino Sunseri looked like he lacked confidence and appeared visibly nervous in a 28-3 road loss to the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton back on Sept. 14, which marked the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, product’s CFL first start.

            Against the Redblacks, the Roughriders fell behind 22-10 at halftime, and the score would have been more lopsided had Weston Dressler not returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown for the hosts.

            Saskatchewan came to life in the second half and eventually forced the game to go to overtime tied up at 32-32. The equalizing score came when Sunseri, who looked a lot more confident in his second start, led a two-minute drill 78-yard touchdown drive that was capped by a one-yard run by running back Anthony Allen and a diving two-point convert reception by Dressler.

            Chris Milo kicked a 22-yard field goal for the Riders in their second possession of the shootout style overtime format.

            On Ottawa’s ensuing possession, Roughriders linebacker Brian Peters blocked a 38-yard field goal attempt by Redblacks kicker Brett Maher to preserve a 35-32 win and send the sellout crowd of 33,427 into hysteria.

            At that moment, the fans in the stands were jumping up and down, cheering and hugging the neighbours that sat beside them even if they didn’t know them. They were just happy the Roughriders won at that point in time regardless of how they team got to the end result.

            For a short time, the team’s troubles were forgotten.

Dressler is a beast

            So how fun is it to watch Weston Dressler play football?

            Rider Nation got a real treat on Sunday from the veteran slotback during the Saskatchewan Roughriders 35-32 overtime win over the Ottawa Redblacks at Mosaic Stadium.

            Late in the second quarter, Dressler gave the Roughriders a spark with a 78-yard punt return touchdown. He easily topped that with two plays in the second half.

            Early in the fourth quarter, the Bismarck, North Dakota, product caught a seven-yard crossing pass and turned the play into a 60-yard receiving touchdown, where he spun and ducked out of numerous tackle attempts going down the left sideline. It was arguably the most spectacular play in the CFL this season.

            In order to force overtime, Dressler made a diving catch for a two-point convert late in the fourth quarter to cause a 32-32 tie.

            On the day, Dressler caught seven passes for 125 yards, returned five punts for 103 yards and one rushing attempt for five yards, scored two touchdowns and hauled in the two-point convert. 

Huskies close to a shocker

             The University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team shouldn’t worry too much about letting this one get away.

            On Friday at Griffiths Stadium, they were in position for most of the night to pull off a monster upset over the University of Calgary Dinos in a battle for first place in the Canada West Conference. The Huskies led 24-21 at halftime and were locked in a 24-24 draw for most of the second half.

            The Dinos, who have won the last six straight Canada West titles, scored two touchdowns in the final 3:31 of the fourth quarter to pull out a 38-24 victory.

            While most of the 5,801 engaged spectators were likely disappointed about the final outcome, they also spoke with pride about the effort their team put in against the powerful Dinos (3-0).

            The Huskies (2-1) have a lot to build off of in defeat. They might get another shot at the Dinos in the post-season. 

Blades still a work in progress 

            Some of the initial optimism with the Saskatoon Blades got tempered thanks to the Prince Albert Raiders.

            The Raiders swept the Blades in a home-and-home series that opened the WHL regular season for both teams. In the second of those losses on Saturday, the Blades fell at home 3-1 to the Raiders before 6,337 spectators at the building that is still known at the moment as the Credit Union Centre.

            The Blades had trouble busting through the trapping system that the Raiders utilized. Going 0-for-5 on the power play also didn’t help the cause for the host side.

            The effort was there from the Saskatoon side. The Raiders won because they the superior team, when it came to executing systems on the ice.

            With all that said, the Blades are still rebuilding from loading up to be the host team for the Memorial Cup in 2013 and loading up to try and make a long playoff run in 2011, when they finished first overall in the WHL.

            The rebuild could still be seen from a number of moves from Monday. The Blades dealt Nikita Scherbak, who was their leading scorer last season, to the Everett Silvertips in exchange for 1997-born goaltender Nik Amundrud, a first round selection in the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft and a second round selection in the 2016 Bantam Draft.

            The deal helped Saskatoon recover some of the lost high end draft picks that were traded away in 2011 and 2013 and get a goaltending prospect who will get the chance to play now.

            The team also released overage goaltender Troy Trembley and 18-year-old defenceman Ross Hnidy. The double blue still have to make some cuts, when players return from NHL camps. Saskatoon is currently carrying 14 forwards, nine defencemen and three goaltenders. 

Hilltops roll 

            The Saskatoon Hilltops improved to 3-2 after posting a second straight blowout victory.

            On Sunday, they traveled to Calgary and bombed the Colts 47-19. Things were close for a bit as Saskatoon led 17-10 at halftime. Turnovers played a key as the Hilltops intercepted four Colts (1-4) passes and recovered one fumble from the host side. Saskatoon didn’t commit any turnovers.

            After two weeks on the road, the Hilltops return home to the newly renovated and named Saskatoon Minor Football Field this coming Sunday to take on the Winnipeg Rifles for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Rifles also sport a 3-2 record after falling 43-20 last week to the defending CJFL champion Regina Thunder.

 The jinx was in Huskies women’s hockey team 

            Oops, that was a bit unintentional.

            It appears I gave the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team almost a mafia style kiss of death heading into the Mandi Schwartz Challenge tournament last weekend in Regina. The Huskies are the defending Canada West champs, who return most of their players from that squad. I wrote in this blog that it was perfectly fine to optimistic about their upcoming season.

            They then went winless in a pre-season tourney hosted by the University of Regina Cougars. According to the Cougars website, the Huskies fell 1-0 to the University of Manitoba Bisons, 2-0 to the York University Lions and 5-0 to the host Cougars, who fell to the Huskies in last season’s Canada West final.

            When one team gets played up in a blog like I wrote about the Huskies, that article usually finds its way into the dressing rooms of their future opponents and are used for motivation, especially given the fact not a whole lot of media coverage is given to Canadian Interuniversity Sport women’s hockey in Canada.

            Due to the media cuts that have come down in Canada, teams like the Huskies women’s hockey team won’t draw a whole lot of media coverage, even with having won a conference title, due to the fact resources media companies have are stretched thin. Those teams won’t get much of a spotlight until they go to a national championship type tournament.

I just wanted to give a little recognition to a great bunch of people, who have won a conference title. I still believe the Mandi Schwartz Challenge tourney will be a blip on the radar, and the Huskies will have a memorable year in the long run.

If you have any feedback on this blog, feel free to email comments to stankssports@gmail.com.

Sunseri will face baptism by fire

Tino Sunseri (#12) will lead the Roughriders as their starting QB.

            It’s Tino’s time in Rider Nation, and Saskatchewan Roughriders fans will find out fast how good backup quarterback Tino Sunseri is.

            With starting quarterback Darian Durant needing surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right elbow, Sunseri will be the leader at the helm for the Green and White for likely the rest of the 2014 season. Durant suffered his injury during a hit in the Roughriders 30-24 road victory over the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg on Sunday.

            Things won’t be easy for Sunseri down the stretch, because the Roughriders schedule is due to get a lot tougher. In the team’s final six games, the Riders play the 7-3 Edmonton Eskimos three times and the CFL leading 9-1 Calgary Stampeders twice.

            The good news for the University of Pittsburgh graduate is he will get two full starts to prepare for that stretch against a couple of the CFL’s lesser lights in the East Division. This coming Sunday, the Roughriders travel to Hamilton to play the 2-7 Tigers-Cats.

            Following that contest, the Riders return home and host the expansion 1-9 Ottawa Redblacks on Sept. 21 in the Plaza of Honor game.

            While you never want to look past any opponents, the contests against the Tigers-Cats and Redblacks could serve as good tune-up games for Sunseri. If he can cement a high comfort level with the team’s talented receivers during that time, it will serve him well in the late season battles the Riders are sure to encounter.

            Sunseri has the potential to be good. At the University of Pittsburgh, he finished third in school history throwing for 8,590 career passing yards.

            Also, he doesn’t have to come in and be like Peyton Manning for Saskatchewan. The Riders have built their 8-2 record on the strength of a shutdown defence anchored by sack master John Chick and a league-leading rushing attack built behind a veteran offensive line.

            It is possible that Sunseri might get away with being like Trent Dilfer, where you are the classic game-manager quarterback. In that role, the quarterback basically tries not to turn the ball over or make any mistake that might cost the team.

            So far this season, Sunseri has looked good in the small sample size of action he has been part of. Back on Aug. 24, he made a big relief appearance in a 20-16 road victory over the B.C. Lions in Vancouver.

            In the contest, he completed 8-of-13 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown pass to offensive lineman Dan Clark off a goal-line gadget play.

When Sunseri entered that contest, Roughriders offensive coordinator George Cortez didn’t become passive. At the start of the second half, Sunseri went for broke and threw up a bomb, which was dropped by wide receiver Rob Bagg, who had a clear path to the end zone.

            With the supporting cast the Roughriders have, Sunseri has a golden opportunity to shine.

            Very soon when the team’s schedule gets a lot tougher, we’ll have a true early gauge to see how well Sunseri handles his opportunity.

If you have any feedback on this blog, feel free to email comments to stankssports@gmail.com.