Ben Abrook (#32) jets home on a 22-yard touchdown run for the Hilltops.
REGINA, Sask. – The Regina Thunder likely saw enough of Ben
Abrook for one night.
The third-year Saskatoon Hilltops running back left a host
of would be Thunder tacklers laid out all over the turf at Mosaic Stadium on
Saturday making the first start of his Canadian Junior Football League career.
When the dust settled, Abrook ran the ball 27 times for 171
yards and scored three touchdowns as the four time defending CJFL champion
Hilltops rumbled over the Thunder 41-7 in the regular season opener for both
sides played before 2,043 spectators.
Abrook’s biggest run came with 32 seconds remaining in the
first half. With the Hilltops holding a 13-7 lead and gambling on a third-and-one
situation at the Thunder 22 yard line, Abrook powered the ball on a run off the
left off tackle and darted home for his
second touchdown of the game to put the Toppers up 20-7.
Hilltops RB Ben Abrook powers his way through all obstacles.
The 20-year-old’s
dash to pay dirt capped a 105-yard touchdown drive.
“It was awesome to
get our (offence) all the way down the field and get a touchdown,” said Abrook.
“It felt awesome to the team. It gave us confidence.”
Abrook was looking
forward to running behind the Hilltops starting offensive line made up of right
tackle Kirk Simonsen, right guard Taylon Elderkin, centre Patrick Arno, left
guard Ryder Klisowsky and left tackle Mason Ochs.
“The O-line couldn’t
have played better,” said Abrook. “I owe it all to them honestly.
“It is just a veteran
O-line group. They do it.”
The Hilltops celebrate a third touchdown from Ben Abrook (#32).
Lost in Abrook’s
overpowering performance was the fact Hilltops fifth-year starting quarterback
Jordan Walls had an outstanding night. Walls hit eight different receivers
completing 20-of-29 passes for 316 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.
Still with the
Hilltops having lost Adam Marchart to the University of Saskatchewan Huskies
football team in the U Sports ranks and Joshua Ewanchyna sitting out Saturday’s game
with a minor ailment, Abrook’s impact was a welcome sight to Hilltops head
coach Tom Sargeant.
“Ben Abrook is a
third year, and this is his time,” said Sargeant. “He was ready to go.
“What we thought we
knew, now we know. He is a primetime player, played his butt off today and
everyone rallied around him. We all know that Josh (Ewanchyna) is a key player
to what we are going to be doing this year.
Receiver Connor Graham comes down with a circus catch for the Hilltops.
“Ben has moved up
the ladder. He has got more opportunity. He is going to get more touches to
continue to impact games like he did today.”
Abrook scored his
first touchdown on a six-yard run that capped the Hilltops first offensive
series of the game early in the first quarter, which happened to be the first
offensive possession of the contest.
The Thunder tied
things up at 7-7 later on in the opening 15-minutes, when quarterback Brock
Sich hooked up with receiver Tanner Zaharia on a deep 41-yard touchdown pass.
Saskatoon exited the
first quarter holding a 10-7 lead after David Solie booted home a field goal
from 42 yards out.
Hilltops DB Logan Bitz sacks Thunder QB Brock Sich.
Near the midway point of the second quarter, Solie hit a
36-yard field goal to give the Hilltops a 13-7 lead.
Late in the second
quarter, it appeared the Hilltops would be pinned deep in their end of the field,
when they started a drive at their own five yard line. On a fairly
well-executed march that included a couple of circus catches from receiver
Connor Graham, the Hilltops drove for a key score that put them in control of
the contest at halftime holding a 13-point lead.
“That is just
experience,” said Sargeant. “We went with a different formation.
“We were able to put
some guys in spots. Connor Graham made some big catches all the way down the
field that set that up. That was Connor’s touchdown.”
Early in the third
quarter, Abrook ran in his third touchdown of the contest to give the Hilltops
a 27-7 edge.
QB Jordan Walls threw for 316 yards for the Hilltops.
Just 12 seconds into
the fourth quarter, Walls hit Matt Turple with a six-yard touchdown toss to
give the Hilltops a 34-7 advantage. After substituting in a number of backup
players, the Hilltops rounded out the game’s scoring with 2:22 to play, when
running back Kelton McLean scored on a one-yard plunge.
Sich completed
13-of-24 passes for 205 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. The Thunder
gained 233 yards as a team through the air and 66 yards on the ground.
Hilltops third-year defensive
back Logan Bitz helped disrupt the Thunder passing game with three well-timed
halfback blitzes. He picked up a key sack in the third quarter after the
Hilltops went ahead 27-7.
“That is how I got
on the field last year is that coach likes me blitzing,” said Bitz. “That is my
kind of calling card I guess.
“It is nice to get
out there and show I can get do something different that everybody else doesn’t
do, like get out there and make my mark. Hopefully, I will get a couple more
this year.”
Hilltops DB Logan Bitz (#23) and LB Landon Schutte (#46) make a tackle.
Bitz said this was
the first campaign he was slated to be a full-time starter on the Hilltops
defence. The graduate of Saskatoon’s St. Joseph High School received a boost of
confidence with how Saturday’s game played out.
“I woke up this
morning in a minor panic attack,” said Bitz. “I was flailing everywhere. I
didn’t know what to do.
“I just finally got
here, and I think after the first quarter it was finally out when I make a
couple of plays and couple of tackles. It was just like, ‘OK, I can play in
this league and not be an average player and make some plays. Overall, I can
make my mark.’”
Hilltops RB Kelton McLean picked up a few fourth quarter carries.
Fifth-year receiver
Jason Price topped the Hilltops with 74 receiving yards coming off three catches.
Veteran Thunder receiver Lee Brown led all pass catchers with eight receptions
for 113 yards.
The Thunder return
to action this coming Saturday, when they host the Winnipeg Rifles at 4 p.m. at
Leibel Field.
The Hilltops return
to Saskatoon to host their home opener this coming Saturday against the Calgary
Colts at 7 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.
Overall, Sargeant
liked what he saw from his squad in the opener, but he still sees room for
improvement going forward.
“I’m very proud,”
said Sargeant. “At the end of the day, I wasn’t happy with how we started with
a lot of little mistakes, but you know first game jitters.
The Hilltops celebrate their season opening victory.
“Once we got through
that, the team started to roll with the flow. Young guys were making plays. We
had a lot of guys running around making plays, and we felt good about that and
lots to build on.
“There are a lot of
correctable things I am still not very happy about, if you know my style. We’re
going to pound on these guys hard and keep the expectations even higher, so we
come out and play even better.”
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Jason Price, right, zips downfield on a touchdown catch for the Hilltops.
Saskatoon Hilltops
plan to soak in each moment, because they expect the 2018 season will pass
quickly.
The Toppers are
embarking on a quest to win an unprecedented fifth straight Canadian Junior
Football League title. Last November, they became the first team to win four
straight CJFL titles, when they romped over the host AKO Fratmen in Windsor,
Ont., 56-11 in the Canadian Bowl.
The Hilltops open
this year’s regular season on Saturday, when they travel to Regina to face the
Thunder at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium. Saskatoon tops the CJFL’s power rankings,
while Regina is rated eighth.
While the CJFL
campaign is still in its infancy, Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant expects time
will pass at a rapid pace.
“When we had our
kickoff meeting, I talked to the fifth years,” said Sargeant. “In a blink of an
eye, they are in their fifth year, and this is it.
“We’re very proud
that people stay loyal and committed to this program. The biggest reason we win
is because of our fifth-year players. We coach and honour that.
The Hilltops celebrate a touchdown last season at Mosaic Stadium.
“We expecting big
things, expecting them to make a lot of plays and have a lot of fun with it.
That is what Hilltop football stands for. It is about family, about fun and
about playing together and going for the ultimate goal we set is winning the
championship for our fifth-year players.”
With those words,
the Hilltops will approach their “drive for five” in similar fashion to past
seasons. For as long as anyone can remember, Sargeant has talked about playing
to honour the fifth-year players by helping them depart their playing days as
champions.
Naturally, fifth-year
star quarterback Jordan Walls is focused on embracing every moment in his final
campaign with the team. He admits to becoming more aware about how quickly time
goes by.
“I’ve tried not to
think about it too much about the last year,” said Walls, who topped the CJFL’s
pre-season top 50 players to watch list. “It is in the back of your mind.
“It is taking it one
day at a time. It is hanging out with your buddies, having fun in the locker
room and getting to business on the practice field.”
QB Jordan Walls fires a pass downfield for the Hilltops.
Walls is confident
the Hilltops will play under control and not get over anxious trying to
figuratively win a fifth-straight Canadian Bowl on every play.
“We’re just
approaching it like business as usual,” said Walls. “We’ve got a veteran squad
here.
“We have lots of
guys returning from last year. We’re excited to finally get on the field for
Saturday for sure.
“They are not
handing out the Canadian Bowl after every game. We’ve got a long season ahead.
We just have to approach it every week, take our practices seriously and then
get into the games, respect our opponents and get at it.”
Sargeant said the
Hilltops did a great job of staying in the moment last season in posting an
11-1 overall record in winning a fourth straight national title, and the 20th
CJFL championship in team history. The sideline boss said that experience will
help, but the Hilltops of the current year will ultimately write their own
story.
“It is always good
to learn from the past, but every year each team creates their own identity and
what they stand for,” said Sargeant, whose team has won seven out of the last
eight Canadian Bowl games. “This team is already different than last year’s
team.
Hilltops HC Tom Sargeant is already to go.
“I think we are
going to do things a little differently. We have to coach and build towards
their strengths. They have to build their own individual and team confidence so
when they come out and play, this uniform certainly stands for unbelievable
tradition and high expectations.
“They have to match
that and honour that knowing they have the biggest bullseye in Canada. We
embrace that. We are excited about that. We can’t wait to get this show on the
road.”
The two sides met in
the Prairie Football Conference final last October, which the Hilltops claimed
36-24 after scoring a late fourth quarter touchdown to seal victory.
“It is always a
challenge playing Regina,” said Walls. “They come in and they are tough and
they are physical.
“They fly around,
and they make a lot of plays. They never quit. That is something we found out a
lot last year, especially the two games at SMF Field.
“They were down, and
at times, they looked like they were out. They clawed back and fought back
every drive and made the game come right down to the wire.”
When the Hilltops
travel to Regina, they are usually followed by a large convoy of fans from
Saskatoon. The Toppers supporters have done a great job of making the crowds
mixed ones during their stops in Regina.
Actually, the
Hilltops fans in recent years have done a great job in creating a presence at
most of the club’s road games. Sargeant said that type of support is
appreciated and is special for the team.
The Hilltops fans like to flood the stands on team road trips.
“It seems like every
game is a home game,” said Sargeant. “We have great support and a great
following. That is what makes us so proud.
“Everyone is for one
another. There is not a lot of big egos around here. Everyone is just working
hard and knowing that we have a big job ahead of us.
“We love the
pressure. We love the challenges. We love what is in front of us, and I love
this team. If we do the right things, good things happen for the Saskatoon
Hilltops.”
Blades trio gets boost with Hlinka Gretzky
Cup win, other notes
Kirby Dach stood out playing for Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Victory at the
Hlinka Gretzky Cup should give a Saskatoon Blades trio some great positive
vibes heading into the 2018-19 season.
Centre Kirby Dach,
netminder Nolan Maier and first year Blades head coach Mitch Love all helped
Canada take the event’s gold medal game 6-2 over Sweden last Saturday at Rogers
Place in Edmonton, Alta. Love was an assistant coach on the Canadian side
working under head coach Andre Tourigny, who is the head coach of the OHL’s
Ottawa 67’s.
The Hlinka Gretzky
Cup is a best-versus-best tournament featuring the top national teams in the
world in the under-18 age group.
Dach, who will enter
is 17-year-old sophomore season with the Blades, captured the attention of
media and hockey personnel at that event with his play. The Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.,
product, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 181 pounds, recorded two goals and five
assists in the five games Canada played, which were all wins.
Sweden actually
jumped ahead 2-0 early in the gold medal game, and Dach netted the equalizer
for Canada with 5:25 remaining in the first period to even things up at 2-2.
That was part of Canada’s six-goal surge to finish that contest.
Maier, who stands
6-feet and weighs 168 pounds, started four games for Canada posting a 3.12 goals
against average, a .872 save percentage and one shutout. The Yorkton, Sask.,
product, who will enter his 17-year-old sophomore season with the Blades, made
34 saves in Canada’s 6-5 overtime victory in a semifinal game Aug. 10 against
the United States.
Nolan Maier played four game for Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
There was a bit of a
controversy in the semifinal clash with the United States, because Canada
scored inside of the final second of the third period to tie things up at 5-5
and force overtime.
Video review showed the puck went into the net after time
expired on the equalizer, but the goal counted as all teams agreed before the
tournament that video review couldn’t be used. The original call on the ice was
the shot was a goal.
Maier had a rough
start in the gold medal game turning away one of three shots sent his way
before being pulled for Taylor Gauthier, who plays for the WHL’s Prince George
Cougars, at the 11:33 mark of the first period. Gauthier turned away all 16
shots he faced in relief in Canada’s win.
Despite being pulled
in the final game, the tournament was still an overall good experience for
Maier playing in a high-level event.
Love kept adding to
what is starting to become a lengthy resume with his accomplishments
contributing to Canada’s gold medal win from behind the bench. The 34-year-old
product of Quesnel, B.C., has worked his way up the coaching ladder to get to
the point to become the head coach of the Blades.
He joined the Blades
after spending seven seasons on the staff of the Everett Silvertips. Love came
on board with the Silvertips in 2011 as an assistant coach and strength and
conditioning coach. He was an assistant coach and an assistant to the general
manager this past season.
As one of the
Silvertips bench bosses, Love helped Everett finish third overall in the WHL’s
regular season standings with a 47-20-2-3 mark this past season. In the
playoffs, the Silvertips advanced all the way the WHL Championship series,
where they fell 4-2 in the best-of-seven set to the Swift Current Broncos.
Blades HC Mitch Love was an AC for Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
During his years
with the Silvertips, Love was also an assistant coach for a couple of Canadian
teams at the Under-17 World Hockey Challenge in 2015 and 2016. The under-17
tournament saw Love earn a gold medal working with Team Canada White.
Overall, Dach, Maier
and Love became the first members of the Blades to be part of Canada’s entry at
the Hlinka Gretzky Cup since defenceman Duncan Siemens helped Canada win goal
in 2010, when the event was still known as the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.
As another bonus,
Dach, Maier and Love got a head start in getting to work together for the first
time before training camp rolls around. The Blades players are expected to start
cycling back to Saskatoon after the weekend for training camp activities that
will likely start mid to late next week.
The Blades missed the WHL playoffs
last season despite posting a solid 35-33-3-1 record playing out of a tough
East Division.
Blades forward Gage Ramsay announced his retirement from junior hockey on Friday. Ramsay, who will turn 20-years-old in October, appeared in 63 regular season games with the Blades last season collecting six goals and 14 assists. In 166 career regular season games split between the Vancouver Giants and the Blades between 2014 and 2018, Ramsay posted 18 goals and 19 assists. He has elected to pursue post-secondary studies and will attend Saskatchewan Polytechnic in September.
Saskatoon
Stars defender Abby DeCorby has committed to join the Ryerson University Rams women’s hockey team for the 2019-20 season. DeCorby, who stands 6-feet, hasn’t
missed a regular season game in her two full campaigns with the Stars recording
seven goals and 21 assists in 56 regular season games in the Saskatchewan
Female Midget AAA Hockey League. The defensive defender had three goals and 12
assists in 28 regular season games last season. She is entering her final
season with the Stars, and will turn 17-years-old in early November. DeCorby played
in the SFMAAAHL as an underage player in the 2015-16 campaign registering two
goals and four assists playing all 28 regular season games with the Prince
Albert Northern Bears.
Medicine
Hat, Alta., has to be in full party mode, as the Medicine Hat Mavericks
captured their third Western Major Baseball League title in team history on
Thursday night. The Mavericks took the best-of-five set claiming a series
deciding Game 5 by an 8-2 final over the Regina Red Sox at Athletic Park in
Medicine Hat. Mavericks infielder Carson Johnson was named the WMBL playoff
MVP. In 13 playoff games, Johnson had 18 hits and five walks in 54 at bats.
The
Delisle Chiefs of the junior B Prairie Junior Hockey League announced Eric
Ditto and David Richard will be returning to the club’s coaching staff for the
upcoming campaign. Ditto, 27, enters his fourth season as the team’s head coach
joining the club partway through the 2014-15 campaign. Richard, 29, enters his
second season as an assistant coach. Back in the 2004-05 campaign, Richard
helped the Saskatoon Contacts midget AAA team win a Telus Cup national title
playing forward. He moved on to play four seasons in the WHL with the Seattle
Thunderbirds recording 42 goals and 60 assists in 256 regular season games. Former
Saskatoon Blades and Prince Albert Raiders forward Dustin Cameron makes his
debut with the Chiefs as an assistant coach. From 2004 to 2010, Cameron, 29,
appeared in 284 regular season games with both the Blades and Raiders piling up
86 goals and 84 assists. He was the Raiders captain in his final two campaigns in
the WHL running from 2008 to 2010.
After
spending four seasons as an assistant coach with the University of Saskatchewan
Huskies women’s and men’s hockey teams, Scott Dutertre is leaving Saskatoon to
become an assistant coach with the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos. The Broncos
made that announcement on Monday. Dutertre is well-known in the Saskatoon area coaching
players individually in skill development camps. The Broncos also hired Brandin
Cote as an assistant coach. Both Dutertre and Cote will be working under the
guidance of new Broncos head coach and director of hockey operations Dean
Brockman.
Defenceman
Connor Cox has signed on with the professional hockey ranks. Cox will join the
Dundee Stars in Scotland for the upcoming season. Cox, 26, just finished a
five-year playing career with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s
hockey team in the U Sports ranks appearing in 120 regular season games from
2013 to 2018 collecting nine goals and 40 assists. He graduated with his
business degree and a major in finance. Before joining the Huskies, Cox played
five seasons in the WHL from 2008 to 2013 with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Blades
and Silvertips appearing in 278 regular season games collecting 12 goals and 93
assists.
Help return gear to Huskies’ alum Cooke
Former U of
Saskatchewan Huskies goalie Jordon Cooke experience an unwelcome downer
embarking on his first season of professional hockey.
Cooke departed to
France to play for Gap Rapaces, but Air Canada lost all his goalie gear and his
suit during the voyage from Canada to France. Cooke shared on Twitter on
Thursday that Air Canada informed him his gear can’t be located.
The 25-year-old was
a member of the Huskies for the past four seasons, and he posted a 16-7 record,
a 2.29 goals against average, a .920 save percentage and three shutouts last
season.
This is a shot in
the dark, but here is Cooke’s initial tweet about his missing gear in case
anyone finds these items.
Help needed! In my travels to France, one of my hockey bags has gone missing and I am in need of helping find some of the more easily identified gear. @AirCanada and @AirCanadaRouge are hopefully searching but if stolen, I need the public eye’s help. Thanks in advance! pic.twitter.com/1TBwtkRmK3
The feel good social
media post of the week goes to Hamilton Tiger-Cats long snapper Aaron Crawford.
One of the CFL’s top
good guy, Crawford brought his girlfriend from the Hamilton, Ont., area to his hometown of
Medicine Hat, Alta., with the Tiger-Cats enjoying a bye week.
He proposed to her
at the Methanex Bowl, which is the stadium in that Hat that hosts high school
and minor football, and she said, “Yes.”
The couple brought
Crawford’s Tiger-Cats jersey and his Crescent Heights High School Vikings
football jacket for the occasion.
I should note
Crawford and I were teammates for the 2006 season for the now defunct Medicine
Hat Marauders senior tackle football team of the Alberta Football League, so I
am happy to see this development.
Those in
Saskatchewan might remember that Crawford played for the CJFL’s Thunder as a
linebacker in 2006 and 2007. The Tiger-Cats return to action on Aug. 23, when
they host the Edmonton Eskimos.
Crawford posted
engagement photos on Instagram on Friday.
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Messier has made her mark with SFMAAAHL
champion Stars
Defender Ashley Messier is carving her own mark in the sport of hockey.
Smooth skating Ashley Messier likely won’t be able to dart
around her family lineage when she makes her international hockey debut with
the U.S.A.
On Thursday, Messier will suit up for the United States
under-18 women’s team as they take on Canada’s under-18 women’s side in the
first of a three-game series hosted at the Markin MacPhail Centre - WinSport
Arena in Calgary, Alta. That contest will mark the first time the 16-year-old
defender has worn international colours.
Ashley Messier earned SFMAAAHL all-star status last season.
Odds are high Messier will do something to turn heads, and
obvious thoughts will circle around her last name.
Ashley’s father is Regina, Sask., product Joby Messier, who
way back in 1987-88 helped the Notre Dame Hounds win a Saskatchewan Junior
Hockey League title and the Centennial Cup for junior A hockey supremacy as a
defenceman. Joby played four seasons with the Michigan State University
Spartans men’s hockey team from 1988 to 1992 and 25 regular season games
scattered over three seasons for the NHL’s New York Rangers from 1992 to 1995.
Joby currently coaches professional hockey in Sweden.
Ashley Messier has committed to join the NCAA ranks in 2020-21.
Uncle Mitch Messier, who is Joby’s older brother, starred
for four seasons at right wing for the Spartans from 1983 to 1987 and appeared
in 20 NHL regular season games scattered over four seasons from 1987 to 1991 with the Minnesota North Stars.
Their cousin is Mark Messier.
Yep. The Mark Messier who won five Stanley Cup rings as a
member of the Edmonton Oilers in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990 and a sixth
Stanley Cup rink with the Rangers in 1994.
If Ashley does something good wearing a U.S.A. jersey in the
three-game series that runs through to Sunday, odds are extremely high a media
member will ask about the family connection. The fact the series is being held
in Calgary will add to that likelihood, as Mark had countless rivalry battles
with the NHL’s Calgary Flames as a member of the Oilers.
Ashley Messier is a skill offensive-defender.
Having lived just over a year in Michigan when she was really young, Ashley picked up the nickname “Mouse” due
to the fact she stands 5-foot-3, but she has already begun making her mark in
hockey as a member of the Saskatoon Stars of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA
Hockey League.
Her playing style is more similar to that of Paul Coffey,
who starred as an offensive defenceman on those dynasty Oilers teams in
Edmonton. Ashley has a seemly effortless finesse style to her game.
If called upon, she can mix it up physically like Mark, if
someone wants to take a shot at her.
As a 14-year-old underage player in the 2016-17 season,
Ashley posted three goals and eight assists in 28 regular season games for the
Stars and added six assists in nine SFMAAAHL playoff games.
In September of
2017 at age 15, she committed to joining the Cornell University Big Red women’s
hockey team for the start of the 2020-21 National Collegiate Athletic
Association season.
Former teammate and Stars captain Willow Slobodzian is
already a member of the Big Red women’s team.
Ashley Messier is almost unstoppable going coast-to-coast with the puck.
Messier showed huge improvement in her 15-year-old sophomore
campaign this past season with the Stars. She piled up three goals and 23
assists appearing in all 28 of the Stars regular season games helping Saskatoon
finish first in the SFMAAAHL with a 24-3-1 record and earning individual league
second team all-star honours.
In the playoffs, Messier picked up two goals and five
assists helping the Stars win the Fedoruk Cup as league champions for the third
time in four years. From there, Messier helped the Stars sweep the Eastman
Selects 2-0 in a best-of-three Western regional playdown series to advance to
the Esso Cup national championship tournament.
At the Esso Cup in late April in Bridgewater, N.S., Messier
picked up a goal and six assists in seven games for the Stars helping them
advance to the event’s championship game for the first time in team history.
Ashley Messier, middle centre, enjoy a Stars SFMAAAHL title win.
The Stars fell in the national final 2-1 to the Alberta-based St. Albert Slash,
who repeated as Esso Cup champions.
Messier was named the Stars player of the game in the
tournament final and took home honours as the top defender at the Esso Cup.
When you see someone that stands 5-foot-3 like Messier does,
there can be doubts about her playing the women’s game at the higher levels
because doesn’t stand 5-foot-8 or 5-foot-9. She has already proven that size
doesn’t matter.
Noting the fact that Joby stand 6-foot-1 and Mitch stands
6-foot-2, it is possible that Ashley might still have a growth spurt and her
height will match the size of her game.
In the present, she might still be scratching the surface of
how good she can be in the game. The U.S.A. national team jersey might fit
Messier well into the future.
Shirley sisters suit up for Canada
Grace Shirley will return to play for Canada’s under-18 team.
When Ashley Messier hits the ice for the United States
under-18 women’s team, she will see a familiar foe.
The U.S.A. faces Canada’s under-18 women’s team in a
three-game series beginning Thursday at the Markin MacPhail Centre - WinSport
Arena in Calgary, Alta. Canada’s roster features one of Messier’s teammates
with the SFMAAAHL champion Saskatoon Stars in 17-year-old forward Grace
Shirley.
In 82 regular season games, the Saskatoon, Sask., product
ranks fourth all-time in career SFMAAAHL regular season goals with 70 and 10th
in career regular season points with 118. Last season, Shirley was the fourth
leading scorer in the SFMAAAHL piling up 30 goals and 18 assists in 23 regular season
games. Her goal and assist totals were both career highs.
Shirley was a member
of Canada’s under-18 team last season, when Canada won a bronze medal at the
International Ice Hockey Federation’s Under-18 Women’s World Championship in
Dmitrov, Russia.
Stars forward Joelle Fiala, Wapella, Sask., product Allison Hayhurst, who is a 17-year-old defender
from the Melville Prairie Fire, and Regina, Sask., product Kennedy Bobyck, who
is a 17-year-old forward with the Calgary, Alta., based Edge School
Mountaineers female prep team, all attended the selection camp for the under-18
Canadian team but weren’t chosen to play in the series against the U.S.A.
Grace Shirley (#14) enjoys scoring a SFMAAAHL finals goal for the Stars.
Also on Thursday,
Canada’s National Development Women’s Hockey team will begin a three-game series
against the United States National Development Women’s team at the Markin
MacPhail Centre - WinSport Arena in Calgary, Alta. The series runs through to
Sunday. The national development women’s team contests follow the under-18
women’s games.
The roster for Canada’s National Development Women’s Team
includes Stars alumnae Sophie Shirley,
who is a 19-year-old forward and Grace’s older sister. The elder Shirley played
last season with the Calgary Inferno of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.
Plenty, Sask.,
product Jaycee Gebhard, who is a 21-year-old forward and another Stars alumnae,
joins the Canada’s National Development Team roster after spending two seasons
with Robert Morris University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association
ranks in Moon, Pennsylvania.
During the selection camp for Canada’s National Women’s
Development Team, Shirley and Gebhard faced University of Saskatchewan Huskies
women’s hockey team alumnae Kaitlin Willoughby in exhibition games, as Willoughby
was captaining a U Sports all-star squad.
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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The Roughriders released Duron Carter on Saturday night.
If you live in Saskatchewan, there is a good chance you were
consumed by some degree with the news the CFL’s Roughriders released Duron
Carter over the weekend.
Late Saturday night while the Montreal Alouettes were in
Ottawa falling 24-17 to the host Redblacks, social media went haywire with the
news that the Roughriders, who were on a bye week, released Carter. The
Roughriders confirmed the move with a note on the club’s website that night
while the CFL game in Ottawa was still going on.
Carter had been playing both receiver and defensive back for
the Roughriders this season.
It was one of those moves that wasn’t a surprise, but it did
catch you off guard. The Roughriders (3-4) aren’t due to return to game action
until Aug. 19 at 5 p.m., when they host the Calgary Stampeders (7-0) at Mosaic
Stadium.
It wasn’t a surprise from the standpoint that it feels like
teams at all levels of sports these days try to mirror how the NFL’s New
England Patriots and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick operate. Basically,
what that means is information is to be guarded tightly by the secret society
of that team.
Duron Carter makes a circus TD catch against Toronto last season.
In media gatherings, you expect a team official to go in
front of a podium and say in a monotone voice, “In order to have success, we
must be better on offence, defence and special teams.”
You repeat that answer to any question that is fired your
way.
A lot of teams to varying degree these days follow the
Belichick effect.
Carter, who is from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has never been
shy when it comes to speaking his mind since he broke into the CFL in 2013 with
the Montreal Alouettes. The 27-year-old comes off as being genuine when it
comes to saying what he things and believes.
That alone will get you cut from a number of sports teams
these days despite the fact it has brought Carter a lot of respect in many
circles.
On Sunday morning, Carter sent out a tweet saying he
received calls from teammates on Saturday asking if he was still with the
Roughriders. Carter said he sent a text message asking why he was being asked
these questions to Roughriders head coach and general manager Chris Jones.
Carter said Jones called and said the receiver was being
released.
Jones spoke to the media about the move during a press
conference held Sunday morning in Regina.
Duron Carter defends a pass as a DB this season.
“Over the break, we are always evaluating our roster, our
team and the way we do things, processes and coaching (and) things that we do
at practice,” said Jones. “Upon that evaluation again made the decision that we
were going to go in a different direction from Duron.”
His answer mirrored a scene that comes from the 2011
baseball drama movie “Moneyball” based around the Oakland Athletics’ 2002 MLB
season. In the one scene in the movie, Athletics general manager Billy Beane
talks to fictional assistant general manager Peter Brand about how you tell
players they have been released or traded.
During that scene, Beane said you inform the player that the
team was “going in a different direction” and nothing more needed to be said.
Due to the fact players moves are made frequently in sports, this tactic is
used to avoid having a discussion to give reasons why a player was let go in
order to not get too bogged down with lengthy conversations.
This tactic from the movie Moneyball is used often in
professional sports.
Jones was asked for a specific reason for Carter’s release
during the press conference. He responded with an answer that was a mix from
what you would see from Belichick and the movie Moneyball.
“We’re not going to go into any kind of specifics or
anything like that,” said Jones. “We’re not here to put a guy on trial or
anything like that.
“We released a very good player. He is going to land on his
feet. We decided to go in a different direction for our football team.”
Duron Carter makes a catch against the Argonauts last season.
Jones did say the decision to release Carter had nothing to
do with the fact the sideline boss worked out 44-year-old Pro Football Hall of
Fame receiver Terrell Owens last week.
Like anything that has to do with the Roughriders,
interpretation of what went down is being spun in various directions by fans.
Carter, who is 6-foot-5 and weighs 205 pounds, has had his
share of well-documented antics during his CFL career including to getting into
a fight with a practice roster player in October of last year. He is also an
extremely talented football player.
Last season in his first full campaign with the Roughriders,
he hauled in 73 passes for 1,043 yards and scored eight touchdowns to be named
a CFL all-star. On defence, he returned an interception 43 yards for a
touchdown in a 30-7 victory over the Stampeders in Calgary on Oct. 20, 2017.
This season, Carter has seen more limited time on offence
catching eight passes for 111 yards and one touchdown. He started five games at
cornerback and returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown in a 40-17
loss to the Redblacks in Ottawa on June 21.
Duron Carter celebrates a TD catch last season.
On the field, Carter did everything that was asked of him, and he returned kicks on occasion last season.
During his time in Saskatchewan, Carter became a fan
favourite for the Roughriders faithful. Carter acknowledged in a tweet on
Saturday he loved the fans and his time in Saskatchewan was the most fun he has
had in a long time.
The majority of the fan responses to Carter on social media
were those that wished him luck in the future. Carter embraced being in
Saskatchewan and played hard, and that won him a lot of fans in Rider Nation. He
was particularly awesome with little kids.
There doesn’t appear to be any bad will between Carter and
Jones when you view their statements over the last couple of days, so that has
to be considered a positive sign.
For my two cents, I do not see Carter as a diva receiver in
the image of Owens and former NFL star veteran Chad Johnson. In the few
encounters I have had with Carter, I see him as a good guy, but a different
cat.
I see him more as a person that gets his fun trolling on
Twitter, playing video games and watching science fiction movies. I could never
see him out at a nightclub or a fancy hotel partying it up like how former NFL
star receiver Michael Irvin did in his heyday with the Dallas Cowboys in the
early and middle 1990s.
I think Carter is a high-maintenance player, and Jones said
he had daily meetings with Carter during the 2017 season which didn’t happen
this season. Those meetings included talking about other subjects besides
football. It seems like the coaches didn’t want to put any more energy into the
high-maintenance aspect of Carter.
Duron Carter always interacted well with young fans.
In June, Carter pleaded guilty to drug possession after getting
caught with marijuana-laced chocolate chip cookies at the Winnipeg airport, and
he received an absolute discharge as well. Another charge of marijuana
possession in Saskatoon is still before the courts.
Those developments don’t bother me, because I believe
marijuana should be legal. I also came across a situation where it led me to
believe marijuana could possibly be used to treat cancer and more research
needs to be done on that front, but I will save my views and debate that for
another day unless someone asks me person to person out in public.
It has been reported by multiple sources that the Alouettes,
Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Toronto Argonauts and B.C. Lions have shown interest in
Carter. Hopefully, he will find a new football home sooner than later.
As for the Roughriders, their offence has been waffling all
season. Part of that is due to the fact starting quarterback Zach Collaros
missed time due to injury.
Saskatchewan has shaken the deck a bit on that side of the
ball too. Besides Carter’s departure, Bakari Grant, Rob Bagg and Nic Demski
were all regular receivers with the Roughriders last season, and they moved the
ball quite well in that campaign and are no longer with the team.
Duron Carter was always popular with the fans in “Rider Nation.”
The steady influence of veteran quarterback Kevin Glenn from
last season is missing too. Glenn is the backup quarterback with the Edmonton
Eskimos this season. Cameron Marshall, who was a regular running back last
season, is no longer with the Roughriders as well.
For the present, Carter’s release has been made. Now, Carter
and the Roughriders will go their separate ways in search of respective
successes on the new path that was created.
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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Jordyn Zacharias celebrates a goal in the Canada West finals.
They were played up as the feel good story last February and
March in Winnipeg.
During that time, the University of Manitoba Bisons women’s
hockey team went on a historic run. They accomplished a lot of firsts.
The Herd topped the Canada West standings for the first time
in team history with a 22-5-1 mark, hosted the best-of-three Canada West
Championship Series for the first time in team history sweeping away the U of
Saskatchewan Huskies 2-0 and captured the U Sports national title for the first
time in team history.
In the elite-eight style national championship tournament
held in London, Ont., last March, the Bisons blanked the host University of
Western Ontario Mustangs 2-0 in the tournament’s final game.
Over that period of time, the Bisons were given a big push
from the media outlets in the Manitoba capital. It seemed like their players
were appearing everywhere.
Venla Hovi came from Finland to star for the Bisons.
The NHL’s Winnipeg Jets were a backer before the Bisons
national title win. They showed the Bisons score on the MTS Place scoreboard
when the Herd won Game 1 of the Canada West Championship Series 1-0 in overtime over the
Huskies.
After winning the national title, congratulations poured in
for the Bisons from various sports teams and groups in Winnipeg. The team was
honoured before a Jets game in late March.
The Bisons visited City Hall and were given Outstanding
Achievement Award Medals from the City of Winnipeg.
They were on the cover of various local publications.
They were the toast of the town.
Bisons head coach Jon Rempel, who was named the U Sports
coach of the year for the first time in his career, guided a crew on the ice
that you had to like. They were approachable and sociable. On an obvious front,
they played the game extremely well.
Caitlin Fyten led the Bisons to a national title as captain.
They had a star winger from Finland in Venla Hovi, and it
seems Finnish players always do well in Winnipeg considering the time Teemu
Selanne spent with the original NHL Jets and Patrik Laine is enjoying with the
current NHL Jets.
Hovi was complimented with a strong group of forwards in
Alanna Sharman, Jordyn Zacharias, Lauryn Keen, Alana Serhan, Sheridan Oswald
and Courtlyn Oswald. The defence was anchored by captain Caitlin Fyten and
Regina, Sask., product Erica Rieder, who was a second team all-Canadian
all-star.
In goal, rookie Lauren Taraschuk rose to prominence winning
Canada West rookie of the year honours and being named to the U Sports
all-rookie team.
Still when a women’s team has success like the Bisons did,
it seems their accomplishments disappears too quickly from the minds of the
general public.
Lauren Taraschuk rose to star status as a rookie playing goal for the Bisons.
In 2016, the Canadian Association for the Advancement of
Women and Sport and Physical Activity released a study regarding the connection
between women and sport in Canada. A couple of the facts revolved around media
coverage.
An analysis was done on Canada’s primary national sports
networks in English and French in 2014. The study said only four per cent of
the coverage on those networks was dedicated to women’s sports and over half of
that number was dedicated to coverage of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
A study was done on the Saturday sports section front pages
in two of Canada’s highest circulated national newspapers from June 2008 to May
2010 and June 2013 to May 2015. Over those time frames, 5.1 per cent of the
coverage was dedicated to women’s sports.
Erica Rieder was a second team all-Canadian on defence.
Of course, that study only considered a small sampling size
of the print industry.
It can be argued since that time the coverage of women’s
sports in Canada has decreased thanks to massive cuts in the mainstream media,
which has often targeted sports departments. Sports coverage seems to get more
and more focused on just the NHL, which causes everything else in the sports
scene to be out of luck.
The Bisons national championship victory over the Mustangs
wasn’t even broadcast on television.
Despite those numbers, it would be sweet to see the Bisons
women’s hockey team buck that trend and have some staying power. They rocked at
the sport Canada as a country loves the most.
They created excitement for the U of Manitoba campus that
hasn’t been seen for some time.
During the Canada West Championship Series, the Wayne Fleming Arena on the U of Manitoba campus was a smaller version of the Jets home rink atmosphere wise.
Bisons fans created a crazy atmosphere at the Wayne Fleming Arena.
Overall, Bisons teams have combined to win 44 U Sports
national titles, but only five of those have come since the start of the
2003-04 campaign. The national title win by the Bisons women’s hockey team was
a first for the school since the 2013-14 campaign, when the Bisons women’s
volleyball team won a U Sports national crown.
The Bisons women’s hockey team will undergo some transition
going into next season. In July, assistant coach Sean Fisher was elevated to
interim head coach as Rempel received a six-month reassignment of duties to
allow for professional development. Rempel had been the head coach of the
Bisons women’s hockey team for the past 14 seasons.
Alanna Sharman (#24) is one of the Bisons star forwards.
The Herd lost Fyten, Serhan, Charity Price, Karissa Kirkup
and goalie Rachel Dyck to fifth-year graduation. Hovi, who arguably had the
best Twitter account in U Sports, still had a year of eligibility remaining,
but she has returned home to Finland, where she has been a member of that
country’s senior national women’s team for a number of years.
Despite those changes, the Bisons women’s hockey team
possesses a kick butt street cred in Winnipeg. If any of the players from the
Bisons women’s hockey team are seen around town wearing their team gear, they
are automatically deemed as cool.
Winnipeg has some independent media outlets, so here is
hoping the ongoing story of the Bisons women’s hockey team doesn’t fade away.
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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see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like
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