Raiders fans always revel in victories over archrival Blades

Tayem Gislason (#5) battles Tyler Parr for the puck.

For Prince Albert Raiders fans, it seems everything feels better when the Raiders beat the Saskatoon Blades.

When the Raiders left the junior A ranks of the SJHL for the major junior ranks joining the WHL in 1982, their rivalry with the Blades immediately formed. The fact the two centres were about 135 kilometres apart on Highway 11 made the feud a natural one.

In the Raiders first ever WHL regular season game played in 1982, they fell 7-6 in overtime to the Blades. That proved to be enough of a spark to allow the Raiders rivalry with the Blade to become one of the greatest in major junior hockey.

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that had gripped the world, the Raiders and Blades would go a little over 20 months without playing any head-to-head clashes in front of fans.

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

Spark out of nowhere results in Blades 4-3 OT comeback win

Tristen Robins (#11) scores the Blades OT winner.

The Saskatoon Blades proved you don’t always need to be great to pull out a game in the WHL regular season.

On Tuesday night at the SaskTel Centre, “The Bridge City” bunch showed all you need is a spark out of nowhere to find a great finishing kick to skate to a miraculous comeback.

With six minutes remaining in the third, the Blades trailed the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings 3-1, and it looked like Edmonton was a lock for a victory.

The Oil Kings had controlled play from the start of the second period up to that point in the third period. It seemed like the Blades were skating in quick sand.

Tristen Robins, right, celebrates his OT winner.

Just when it appeared the Blades were out of it, they seemingly got back into the contest out of nowhere. With 5:12 remaining in the third, the Oil Kings coughed the puck up in their own zone to Blades star overage centre Tristen Robins, who was alone beside the Edmonton goal along with linemate Brandon Lisowsky.

Robins had the puck by the right side of Edmonton net and passed it across the face of the goal to Lisowsky. Lisowsky buried a shot into an open cage to cut the Oil Kings lead to 3-2.

From that point, momentum turned full force on the side of the Blades.

Just 52 second later, Lisowsky potted his second of the contest to tie things up at 3-3, when he blew down the left wing and wired home a shot past Oil Kings netminder Sebastian Cossa.

Tristen Robins had a goal and an assist for the Blades on Tuesday.

Inside of the final minute of the third, the Blades had the Oil Kings net under siege, and Cossa had to first rob Robins and then Lisowsky on close in chances to allow the contest to go to overtime.

Just 50 seconds into overtime, Robins took a pass at the right side of the Edmonton goal and faced Cossa one-on-one. The Clear Lake, Man., product proceeded to pop home the winning goal to deliver the Blades to a 4-3 victory to the delightful surprise of the 2,380 spectators in attendance.

The win allowed the Blades, who are rated eight in the CHL Top 10 rankings, to improve to 10-4-1. The Oil Kings, who are rated third in the CHL Top 10 rankings, saw their record move to 9-3-2-1.

Brandon Lisowsky (#8) had a pair of goals for the Blades.

During the course of a 68-game regular season, teams have to find ways to win games, when they are not at their best.

The Blades did that at an opportune time on Tuesday. Having lost their previous two straight games to their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders by a combined score of 10-3, the Blades were looking at going into a stretch of playing nine straight games on the road on a three-game skid.

The Blades are vacating their home rink as the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials will take place at the SaskTel Centre from November 20 to 28.

They hit the road for nine straight games beginning on Friday, when they stop in Brandon to face the Wheat Kings (6 p.m. Saskatchewan time, 600 CJWW).

The Blades celebrate an equalizer from Brandon Lisowsky (#8).

The next game at the SaskTel Centre for the Blades is on Friday, December 10 at 7 p.m. against the Calgary Hitmen.

Thanks to Tuesday’s miraculous comeback win, the Blades will head on the road with optimism and not have work against getting overly caught up in trying to get off a down stretch.

With that said, the Blades looked like they were going to have a good outing as they got out to a strong start Tuesday keeping the Oil Kings pinned in their own zone for most of the first seven minutes of the contest.

Despite that pressure by Saskatoon, the Oil Kings got the first best scoring chance of the contest, when right-winger Dylan Guenther was denied on a wraparound counting as his team’s first shot coming at the 7:09 mark of the frame.

Jakub Demek had a goal for the Oil Kings.

The Blades proceeded to apply pressure after that chance, and Robins got robbed close in by Cossa near the end of the opening frame, which saw the Blades hold an 8-5 edge in shots on goal.

The Oil Kings found another gear in the second period keeping the Blades pinned in their own zone for most of the frame.

The visitors broke through on the scoreboard at the 10:54 mark of the second period. On a rush into the Saskatoon zone, Oil Kings left-winger Jalen Luypen broke down the left wing and found right-winger Josh Williams with a smart pass at the right side of the Blades net.

Williams received the pass with a little breathing room and the 20-year-old tucked home his seventh of the season to give the Oil Kings a 1-0 edge.

Dylan Guenther scored the Oil Kings second goal.

Just under two minutes later, the Oil Kings struck on the power play as Guenther slipped home a shot off the post and in to increase the advantage of the visitors to 2-0.

Edmonton held a 17-5 edge in shots on goal in the second period.

When it seemed everything was going the Oil Kings way, the Blades appeared to get a traction moment at the 2:34 mark of the third. With the Oil Kings on the power play, Blades 18-year-old centre Jayden Wiens collected a loose puck on the Edmonton blue-line by the left wing boards.

Blades G Nolan Maier makes one of his 29 saves.

Wiens burst up ice, cut across the front of the Edmonton goal and slipped home a backhand shot for a short-handed tally that cut the Oil Kings edge to 2-1.

That traction moment evaporated quickly. 

Just over four minutes later, Oil Kings import centre Jakub Demek snuck in a shot from a bad angle at the left side of the Blades net short side to give the visitors a 3-1 edge.

At that point, Edmonton seemed in complete control. It only set the scene for the Blades to pull out victory with their dramatics at the end.

Jayden Wiens (#9) jets win a puck battle.

Nolan Maier made29 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Blades, which was his 99^th career victory in regular season play. Maier is trying to become the first Blades netminder to even record 100 career regular season wins.

Sebastian Cossa turned away 20 shots in net for the Oil Kings.

Following the Blades dramatic comeback, all the Oil Kings could do was look to get back on track when they return to action on Wednesday, when they travel to Prince Albert to take on the Raiders (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

Tristen Robins (#11) is all smiles after the Blades OT victory.

As for the Blades, they likely can’t wait to get back on the ice to keep building on the momentum they’ve gained.

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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Hilltops playoff mystique does in Huskies

Heintz TD with 21.3 seconds left delivers Saskatoon victory

Dillan Heintz scores the winning TD for the Hilltops.

The Saskatoon Hilltops playoff mystique did in the Edmonton Huskies.

On Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Huskies learned that leaving 78 seconds on the clock was too much time for the Hilltops to pull a game out of the fire.

The Huskies were trailing 27-24, when star quarterback Declan O’Flaherty connected with star receiver Adner St Hilaire for a 22-yard touchdown pass with 1:18 remaining in the fourth quarter to put the Edmonton side up 31-27.

On the ensuing series, Hilltops emerging star quarterback Damon Dutton executed a near flawless two-minute drill type drive to get the Hilltops down to the Huskies five yard line.

With 21.3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Dutton found standout receiver Dillan Heintz with a short five-yard touchdown toss on an out pattern to put the hosts up 33-31. The snap on the extra point was botched preventing the Hilltops from going up by three points.

The Hilltops celebrate Dillan Heintz’s winning TD.

At that juncture, the Huskies weren’t able engineer a miracle finish. O’Flaherty had a pass deflected by a Saskatoon defensive lineman up in the air and defensive tackle Jaxon Funk came down with an interception to preserve a 33-31 PFC semifinal victory for the Hilltops before 896 spectators.

Heintz, who caught seven passes for 84 yards, was pumped his major score came in a clutch moment in his team’s first game of the 2021 CJFL playoffs.

“It was just straight excitement,” said Heintz. “You want to make that play for your teammates, and when you do, it is like no other feeling.

The Huskies celebration of an Adner St Hilaire TD was short lived.

“You can’t even describe it honestly. You just get up and see your teammates coming to you. I’m just glad I could make that play for my teammates, and we’re going on to next week.”

The win allows the Hilltops, who improved to 7-2 overall, to advance to the PFC final. The Huskies finish the 2021 campaign with a 6-4 overall mark, which included a 5-3 record in the regular season.

The Hilltops will travel to Regina to face the Thunder, who claimed Sunday’s other PFC semifinal contest 45-26 over the Winnipeg Rifles at Leibel Field in Regina. The Rifles finished the 2021 campaign with a 3-7 overall mark, which included a 2-6 record in regular season play.

QB Damon Dutton (#19) coolly engineered the winning TD drive.

The Thunder, whose overall record improved to 9-0 with the win over the Rifles, won both head-to-head encounters in the regular season to top the PFC standings. The PFC final will be held this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium due to the fact the clash between the host Thunder and Hilltops is expected to draw a crowd that is too big for Leibel Field.

Dutton was pumped his Hilltops were able to pull out their PFC semifinal win over the Huskies and advance onward in the post-season. The Hilltops, who have won the last six straight CJFL titles before the 2020 CJFL season was nixed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world, ran their CJFL post-season record winning streak to 21 games with the victory over the Huskies.

Lachlan Horsley caught six passes for 106 yards for the Hilltops.

“I feel good we’re able to see another day and another game and keep going with our fifth years,” said Dutton. “I couldn’t want anything more.”

Sunday’s clash between the Hilltops and Huskies was a CJFL playoff classic. There were various back and forth momentum swings, some trick plays, hustle plays and unexpected bounces.

It was the type of barnburner the Canadian style of football is known for.

In the first quarter, the Huskies jumped ahead 6-0 off two field goals from Ethan Hartman coming from 28 and 24 yards out. With 28.6 seconds remaining in the first quarter, the Hilltops got in front 7-6 on a one-yard touchdown run from Carter McLean.

Adner St Hilaire caught two TD passes for the Huskies.

The lead didn’t last long.

On the ensuing kickoff, Huskies kick returner Ben Wilton ran the ball back 90 yards for a touchdown to give the visitors a 13-7 edge.

Early in the second quarter, the Hilltops jumped back in front 14-13 on another one-yard touchdown run from McLean.

With 3:33 remaining in the second quarter, O’Flaherty connected with St Hilaire on an 18-yard touchdown toss to put the Huskies up 20-14. St Hilaire had eight catches for 82 yards to go with his two majors through the air on the afternoon.

Hartman added a single on the ensuing kickoff and 33 yard field goal on the last play of the frame to give Edmonton a 24-14 advantage at halftime.

Declan O’Flaherty had 227 yards passing for the Huskies.

Hartman’s field goal on the last play of the half was set up by a muffed Hilltops punt return that was recovered by Huskies defensive back Jackson Ganton.

While Saskatoon was down 10 points at halftime, Hilltops safety Brant Morrow said belief was high a comeback was going to be made. The veteran, who is in his fourth full season with the team, said the key was to focus and work your way back play by play.

“You know what, we were just kind of going out there and doing our best just one play at a time,” said Morrow. “You can’t get down on yourself if you are losing.

“You can’t get too high if you are winning. You just kind of go out there and give your best every play. It turned out for us today.”

Mason Ochs (#73) had a key fumble recovery.

With 5:17 remaining in the third quarter, the Hilltops got a 26-yard field goal from kicker Teijon Abel-Douglas to trim the Huskies lead to 24-17.

The Hilltops proceeded to tie the game 24-24 on a six-yard touchdown run from McLean with 1:25 remaining in the third quarter. McLean carried the ball 23 times for 85 yards to go with his three rushing majors on the day.

That late third quarter touchdown was set up by the Hilltops converting a third down conversion off a fake field goal that saw holder and backup quarterback Doug Fleming hit receiver Presley Peterson with a 24-yard pass.

In the fourth quarter, Morrow made two interceptions to stall Edmonton offensive marches. With 3:58 remaining in the fourth quarter, Abel-Douglas hit a 23-yard field goal to put the Hilltops up 27-24.

Abel-Douglas’s field goal was set up thanks to the fact star left tackle Mason Ochs recovered a fumble by Heintz, who had just made a catch and run to get a first down on that scoring drive.

Ben Wilton had a 90-yard kickoff return for a TD for the Huskies.

That fourth quarter field goal by Abel-Douglas set up the dramatics at the end with St Hilaire putting the Huskies up 31-27 with 78 second to play with his second touchdown catch, and Heintz countering with the winning score for the Hilltops with 21.3 seconds remaining in the game.

“At some point in time, the pressure is going to go on one team more than the other,” said legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “We were down 10 at one point.

“It wasn’t looking good. We just kept battling. The coaches made some good calls, and you know what, the players figured it out.

“We are living another week, and that is all I care about. I get another week to coach this team.”

Brant Morrow had two interceptions for the Hilltops.

Dutton completed 21-of-39 passes for 285 yards and one touchdown, while throwing one interception.

Sargeant said he was proud of all his players and coach on Sunday, and he was pleased to see Dutton persevere over some rough patches to ultimately engineer the winning touchdown drive at the end.

“Damon (Dutton) didn’t have the greatest start, but at the end of the day, we stuck with him, and he stuck with himself,” said Sargeant. “He found a way to get it done.

“He showed a lot of guts today. He grew a lot, and he played his best when his best was needed. That is what it is all about.”

Hilltops receiver Lachlan Horsley made some key catches leading all Hilltops receivers with 106 yards coming on six receptions.

The Hilltops celebrate an interception by Jaxon Funk (#77).

O’Flaherty completed 22-of-40 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing three interceptions. Huskies running back Alex Gayle topped all ground gainers with 110 yards rushing on 19 carries.

Defensive back Wade Keating led the Hilltops with 10 total tackles.

Linebacker Mathew Laurin topped the Huskies with 6.5 total tackles. Huskies defensive back Paul Loggale had an interception and two pass knockdowns.

Now, the Hilltops turn their focus towards the Thunder. Heintz said the Hilltops were going to enjoy the win over the Huskies for the rest of the day Sunday and then get back it preparing for the PFC final against the Thunder.

Fans at SMF Field celebrate the Hilltops PFC semifinal victory.

“It is just a mindset,” said Heintz. “We have to come back Monday or Tuesday whenever the coach says, and then practise hard.

“We had a good week of practice this week. We just have to come together as a team and work hard and then go into their barn and beat them. That is all it is.”

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Ochs is a Hilltops all-time great

Left tackle named top offensive lineman for PFC

Mason Ochs, left, was named the PFC’s top O-lineman.

Mason Ochs finally got a big individual honour that had eluded him for the first four years of his CJFL career.

On Friday, Ochs, who helped the Hilltops win four CJFL championships from 2016 to 2019, was named the PFC’s most outstanding offensive lineman. One day earlier, the Saskatoon Hilltops left tackle was named a PFC all-star for the fourth consecutive season, but he finally captured the most outstanding offensive lineman award in his final season of eligibility.

With the Hilltops, newcomers usually spend two seasons as a backup or practicing and don’t usually move into a starting position until at least their third year.

Ochs, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 280 pounds, became a starter at left tackle in his sophomore season in 2017. A PFC all-star and a CJFL all-Canadian all-star nod came during that campaign.

The graduate of Saskatoon’s Tommy Douglas Collegiate Tigers football team earned both PFC all-star and CJFL all-Canadian all-star accolades again in 2018 and 2019.

Ochs also earned an invite to the training camp of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2019.

While he piled up honours, the PFC’s most outstanding offensive lineman award eluded him. It should be noted that Ochs had stiff competition for that award, when he became a Hilltops starter.

In 2017 that honour was taken by Ochs’ then fourth-year teammate in right tackle Kirk Simonsen.

In 2018 and 2019, Regina Thunder left tackle Logan Ferland claimed the PFC’s most outstanding offensive lineman award. Ferland now plays for the Roughriders and is the team’s starting left guard.

Had Ochs been named the PFC’s most outstanding offensive lineman before the current campaign, he would have been deserving of that honour.

Mason Ochs (#73) walks out to the field with his parents on Oct. 17

With all that said, the fact Ochs got that award this year was extra special due to the fact the 2020 CJFL campaign was lost due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that had gripped the world.

The Hilltops practiced together for six weeks in September and October of 2020, but did not take part in any game action. Ochs took part in those sessions hoping he would get a chance to play his final season of eligibility in 2021.

On September 8 of 2020, the CJFL announced players that were slated to turn 22-years-old and 21-years-old for the 2020 campaign would be granted an extra year of eligibility. Those players that would have been 22-years-old in 2020 could play in 2021, and players that would have been 21-years-old in 2020 could play through to 2022.

Ochs was pumped world events broke that he could return to play out his final season of CJFL eligibility in 2021 as a 23-year-old. When the Hilltops were in training camp in August, Ochs said it felt like Christmas to be back playing the game he loved.

He was just one of three players that remained with the Hilltops from the club’s 2016 roster along with right tackle Jonathan Chisholm and boundary corner Jared Giddings.

While this big award finally came, Ochs is honestly one of those players that views team accomplishments as being more important than individual ones.

He helped the Hilltops post a 6-2 regular season record to finish second in the PFC. The Hilltops have won the CJFL title the last six straight times it was contested.

The storied CJFL club will take on the Edmonton Huskies (5-3 regular season, 6-3 overall) in a PFC semifinal on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

The Hilltops are aiming to continue on to try and claim another CJFL title. It would write the ultimate ending for the CJFL careers of Ochs, Chisholm, Giddings and linebacker Emmarae Dale if they could graduate as league champions.

Ochs was the only Hilltops player to capture a major PFC award this year.

Konner Johnson (#42) was named a PFC all-star at linebacker.

He was joined by three teammates on the PFC all-star team on Thursday along with another teammate on the PFC’s all-rookie team.

The three other Hilltops players named to the PFC all-star team included defensive tackle Jaxon Funk, outside linebacker Konner Johnson and safety Brant Morrow.

Hilltops defensive end Riece Kack made the PFC’s all-rookie team.

The Huskies had two players pick up major PFC awards. Alex Gayle was named the most outstanding running back and Cheyvez Campbell took honours as the most outstanding defensive back.

The Huskies had eight players named PFC all-stars including offensive lineman Carson Lethbridge, Gayle, receivers Adner St Hilaire and De Shawn Le Jour, quarterback Declan O’Flaherty, defensive lineman Josh Lenz, Campbell and defensive back Maurice Dubois.

Huskies kicker Liane Santos made the all-rookie team.

The Thunder took seven of the PFC’s major awards.

Rylan Sokul claimed honours as the PFC’s most outstanding receiver, most outstanding offensive player and most valuable player.

Carter Shewchuk was named the PFC’s most outstanding quarterback, kicker Eric Maximuik claimed the PFC’s most outstanding special teams player award and defensive lineman Reece McCormick captured PFC rookie of the year honours.

Thunder head coach Scott MacAulay was named the PFC’s coach of the year with the Thunder posting a perfect 8-0 regular season record.

Sokul, Shewchuk, Maximuik and McCormick were all named to the PFC all-star team. Maximuik claimed his all-star nod at place kicker.

Also named to the PFC all-star team from the Thunder were a trio of offensive linemen in Riley Schick, Logan Hubick and Connor Klassen. Joining them from the Thunder on the PFC all-star team are receiver Issac Ford, linebacker Ryan Mills and defensive back Justin McKerracher.

Alex Gayle (#33) was named the PFC’s top running back.

McCormick made the PFC all-rookie team from the Thunder along with Running back Ryland Leichert, receiver Tristan Bergquist and linebacker Stephen Smith.

The Thunder host the Winnipeg Rifles (2-6 regular season, 3-6 overall) in a PFC semifinal contest slated for Sunday at 1 p.m. at Leibel Field in Regina.

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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At last! “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” returns to the Art Hauser Centre

Raiders down archrival Blades 5-1 to delight of home fans

Raiders D Nolan Allan, left, sets to shoot home his winning goal.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The Prince Albert Raiders ensured their fans got to enjoy their classic guilty pleasure on Friday night.

Taking on their archrivals the Saskatoon Blades, the 2,402 spectators at the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre got to revel in the playing of the Guess Who’s “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” with their Raiders posting a 5-1 victory. The festivities got started inside of the final minute of the third period with the final outcome burned on the scoreboard.

It was a long wait for the Raiders faithful to renew that tradition. The last time they beat the Blades at the Art Hauser Centre was a 3-0 victory back on February 29, 2020.

The Raiders celebrate a power-play goal from Nolan Allan.

Previous to Friday’s encounter, that clash on February 29, 2020 was the last time the Raiders and Blades played a regular season game with fans in the stands and was the last contest the two sides played before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic gripped the world.

The 2019-20 WHL season was ultimately stopped on March 12, 2020. The Raiders and Blades played an abbreviated 24-game regular season this past March and April in a bubble environment in Regina with the WHL’s Saskatchewan and Manitoba based clubs to account for a 2020-21 campaign.

While the Friday’s game was a great night for Raiders fans, Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid said a lot of players on his team are still learning what the rivalry is about.

Reece Vitelli had a goal and an assist for the Raiders.

“You look at since we last played pre-COVID it has been a lot of players that have left and a lot of players that have come in,” said Habscheid, whose team will play the Blades 10 times this season. “I guess the rivalry isn’t at its peak right now.

“I’m sure after 10 games it will get there. It is still the two cities and the rivalry. A lot of players really don’t understand the intensity of it yet.”

Of course, the Raiders veteran players are well aware of what the rivalry is about. Standout 18-year-old defenceman Nolan Allan turned out to score the winning goal floating home a point shot for a power-play tally at the 8:53 mark of the second period.

He enjoyed the fact the Raiders faithful got soak in their special victory song tradition for encounters with the Blades.

Jayden Wiens had the Blades lone goal on Friday.

“It is awesome,” said Allan. “It is what we look forward to.

“We love playing those guys over there. It is an intense rivalry. They are the most fun games to play, so it was fun.”

The Blades looked like they were going to do their best to play spoiler early on. They drew first blood at the 4:40 mark of the opening frame when right-winger Brendan Lee got a smart pass to centre Jayden Wiens, who cut across the front of the Prince Albert net and slipped home a backhand shot between the legs for Raiders netminder Carter Serhyenko.

Just past the midway point of the frame, the Raiders evened things up a 1-1 on a beauty coast to coast break out into the offensive zone. Defenceman Tayem Gislason started the rush firing a pass up ice to right-winger Tyson Laventure.

The Blades celebrate a goal from Jayden Wiens (#9)

Laventure proceeded to spring overage centre Reece Vitelli on a breakaway, and Vitelli snapped the equalizer past Blades star overage netminder Nolan Maier.

The Raiders jumped in front 2-1 on Allan’s goal near the midway point of the second period. On that tally, Allan was trying to put a shot on goal that could potentially be deflected home by a forward.

“I was just trying to get pucks to the net,” said Allan. “That is a big thing that we want to do with our power play.

“I was just trying to get a puck on net.”

Landon Kosior scored a big insurance goal for the Raiders.

With 4:29 remaining in the second, it seemed the momentum was going all out in favour of the Raiders. They appeared to go up 3-1 when captain Kaiden Guhle scored on a point shot with his team on the power play.

The Blades challenged for a video review saying the Raiders were offside when they entered the offensive zone. After video review, the officials indeed ruled the play was offside and waved off the goal.

Shortly after that goal was waved off, the Blades went on the power play and had a couple of huge chances to head into the second intermission with a tie score in the game.

Blades star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic was set up and a perfect backdoor chance only to be robbed by a diving Serhyenko.

Ozzy Wiesblatt had a goal and an assist for the Raiders.

Serhyenko proceeded to stone Blades right-winger Brendan Lee on another backdoor chance to keep the Raiders in front 2-1.

Raiders finally did go up 3-1 with teams playing four-versus-four hockey at the 7:20 mark of the third.

During that stint of four-versus-four play, the Raiders got on a two-on-one. Vitelli passed the puck across the front of the goal in defenceman Landon Kosior who ripped a shot bar down into the Saskatoon net.

Habscheid was pleased with Vitelli’s play along with the outing star 19-year-old right-winger Ozzy Wiesblatt had. Wiesblatt also picked up an assist on Kosior’s goal.

Carter Serhyenko made 24 saves in goal for the Raiders.

“Your overage guys they have to be putting in quality time and be dominate players,” said Habscheid. “I think this was his best game.

“I think this was (Ozzy) Wiesblatt’s best game as well. (Blades star overage centre Tristen) Robins and him being drafted by the same team one round apart, so there is a little bit of I guess rivalry built in there. It was good.

“It was a good game.”

Wiesblatt scored an empty-net goal with 1:56 remaining in the third to put the Raiders up 4-1. Sophomore 16-year-old defenceman Terrell Goldsmith scored his second of the season blasting home a point shot 20 second later to round out the 5-1 victory.

Blades star LW Kyle Crnkovic was held pointless on Friday.

Serhyenko stopped 24 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders (4-7-0-1). Maier turned away 30-of-34 shots in net for the Blades (9-3-1), who are rated eighth in the CHL’s Top 10 rankings.

The Raiders went 1-for-6 on the power play, while the Blades failed to score on seven chances with man advantage.

Robins and Crnkovic were held pointless in the setback. Crnkovic had points in all of the Blades previous 12 games before Friday.

Habscheid thought Friday’s game might have been the Raiders most complete outing of the current campaign.

“We’ve been getting better,” said Habscheid, who guided the Raiders to the WHL championship the last time it was contested in 2019. “It was a bit of I guess disorganized, and then everyday you try and get more organized and get guys to understand the Raider way.

The Raiders salute their fans after Friday’s win.

“These guys (the Blades) have been playing good. Obviously, they are eighth ranked in the country. The last time I checked we are still defending champions.

“We got a taste of it, and we don’t want to give it up.”

The Raiders and Blades go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. Allan said his Raiders have to keep their intensity up in the second half of the home-and-home series.

“I think we are just going to have to stick to our game plan the same thing we did tonight,” said Allan. “We’re going to have to play a full 60 and play our hard, fast style of game.”

Raiders, Blades tabbed for Capital City Challenge

Harrison Lodewyk (#29) was selected for the Capital City Challenge.

The Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades with both have representation at the Capital City Challenge.

The Capital City Challenge is set to run Nov. 26 to Dec. 1 in Ottawa and will feature three men’s under-17 teams and Canada’s senior national women’s hockey team.

Hockey Canada announced on Friday a list of 66 players who will be split into three under-17 teams tabbed Team Canada Black, Team Canada Red and Team Canada White.

The Raiders will be represented by 16-year-old left-winger Harrison Lodewyk. He has appeared in all of the Raiders 12 games this season, and he is still searching for his first point.

He will be joined at that event by Raiders goaltending coach Kelly Guard, who will be the goaltending coach for Team Canada White.

The Blades will be represented by 16-year-old defenceman Tanner Molendyk. Molendyk has appeared in nine game for the Blades this season collecting a goal and three assists.

The McBride, B.C., product is currently out of the Blades lineup listed as being week-to-week with an upper body injury.

Also being named to the under-17 Canadian teams are Saskatoon area 16-year-old star forwards Brayden Yager and Riley Heidt, who play for the Moose Jaw Warriors and Prince George Cougars respectively.

Yager has seven goals and six assists in 12 games so far this season with the Warriors. Heidt has four goals and eight assists to lead the Cougars in scoring with 12 points in 10 games.

Raiders honour moms and billet moms before game

The Raiders players give their moms and billet moms roses.

Before their 5-1 victory over the Saskatoon Blades on Friday night at the Art Hauser Centre, the host Prince Albert Raiders resumed one of their long running traditions.

During a pre-game ceremony, the Raiders honour the moms and billet moms of the players. The moms and billet moms lined up on the ice, and the players brought out roses for them.

Raiders skills coach Mark Odnokon presented roses to long time Raiders billet mom Carole Ring, who sang O Canada before the opening faceoff. Ring was the billet mom for famous Raiders alums Mike Modano and Leon Draisaitl.

The Raiders weren’t able to do this tradition last season playing an abbreviated 24 game campaign in a bubble environment in Regina due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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CJFL playoffs arrive for Hilltops

Saskatoon ready to get it on with Huskies in PFC semifinal

Boston Davidsen finished second in the PFC in rushing yards.

The Saskatoon Hilltops never leave anything to chance especially when it comes to playing a quality opponent they seemingly always beat.

At practice this week, the Hilltops have been their traditional businesslike selves preparing for their Prairie Football Conference semifinal clash with the Edmonton Huskies. The two sides go at it in that CJFL playoff clash on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

“It will be a challenge,” said Hilltops quarterback Damon Dutton. “They are definitely a good team.

“We just have to come out and compete and play our best game of the season on Sunday.”

The Hilltops finished second in the PFC regular season standings with a 6-2 mark, while the Huskies were third with a 5-3 record.

Saskatoon earned a bye to host a PFC semifinal thanks to the second place finish. The Huskies romped over the Calgary Colts 53-9 in a PFC quarter-final contest held this past Sunday at Jasper Place Bowl in Edmonton.

The two sides went at it twice during the regular season with the Hilltops pulling out wins on both occasions.

“You play a team three times you really get to know what they do with their tendencies,” said Hilltops outside linebacker Konner Johnson. “They are going to be the same for us.

“We watched a lot of film. We have a lot of film on them now of us playing them. We know what we have to get better at.”

On the opening day of the CJFL regular season back on August 22, the Hilltops rallied from a 14-0 deficit to slip past the Huskies 18-17 at Jasper Place Bowl. Hilltops punter Doug Fleming kicked a rouge on the last play of the game to win the contest.

Declan O’Flaherty (#4) topped the PFC in passing yards.

The two sides met again on October 3 at SMF Field, and the Hilltops claimed a 34-20 victory in that encounter.

Before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world helped cancel the 2020 CJFL campaign, the Hilltops and Huskies met the last two times the PFC final was contested. The Hilltops claimed both of those encounters pulling out a 30-14 win in 2019 and a 28-9 victory in 2018.

Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant knows all that past success doesn’t guarantee any future success.

“They are a good football team,” said Sargeant, whose team has won four straight games. “They are well coached.

“They got skill levels at all positions. They are hungry. You got to remember this is a team we’ve faced in the PFC final for that couple of years.

“We have a history with them as well. It is going to be a big, physical clash, but we’re excited that we are playing at SMF.”

During the 2021 regular season, the Huskies had the highest scoring offence in the PFC scoring 334 points in eight games.

The Hilltops defence gave up the least amount of points in the PFC surrendering 135 points over eight contests.

On offence, Dutton became the Hilltops full-time starter in the team’s fourth game of the campaign. During the regular season, Dutton completed 127-of-183 passes for 1,528 yards and 12 touchdowns, while throwing six interceptions.

Dutton had the third most passing yards and touchdown passes in the PFC.

Damon Dutton (#19) finished third in the PFC in passing yards.

Huskies starting quarterback Declan O’Flaherty had a stellar campaign completing 138-of-234 passes for 2,115 yards and 19 touchdowns, while throwing three interceptions. O’Flaherty led the PFC in passing yards and touchdown passes.

He also rested for much of the Huskies quarter-final win over the Colts completing his only pass for nine yards and a touchdown.

On the ground, Hilltops running backs Boston Davidsen and Carter McLean finished second and third respectively in the PFC in rushing yards. Davidsen carried the 98 times for 634 yards and scored six touchdowns, while McLean had 125 carries for 599 yards and four touchdowns.

Huskies running back Alex Gayle carried the ball 149 times for 927 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. He topped the PFC in all three of those statistical categories.

Edmonton also has veteran Brandt Burzuk in the backfield at running back. In 2019, Burzuk was named the PFC’s most valuable player, most outstanding offensive player and most outstanding running back. He battle injuries for much of the 2021 season.

Receiver Ethan Godson led the Hilltops and was fourth in the PFC in receiving yards hauling in 30 catches for 524 yards and six touchdowns.

Pass catcher Adner St Hilaire topped the Huskies and finished second in the PFC in receiving yards catching 35 passes for 609 yards and three touchdowns.

During their wins over the Huskies, the Hilltops usually piled up huge yardage on the ground, which included 285 yards rushing in the 34-20 victory on Oct. 3. Dutton said his squad will keep going to the ground game until success doesn’t happen anymore.

“If our running game is working, that means we are doing our jobs,” said Dutton. “We’re confident that it can and it will work.

“We just have good confidence in our guys.”

Alex Gayle (#33) lead the PFC in rushing yards.

On defence, Johnson had a massive year finishing second in the PFC in defensive points. Over eight regular season games, Johnson recorded 26 defensive tackles, 13 defensive tackle assists, 12 special teams tackles, three special teams tackle assists, one quarterback sack, five pass knockdowns, one fumble recovery and five interceptions.

Huskies defensive back Maurice Dubois finished ninth in the PFC in defensive points. He collected 32 defensive tackles, three defensive tackle assists, four special teams tackles, four pass knockdowns and two interceptions over eight regular season games.

Johnson said the Hilltops are going to try and neutralize the Huskies running game first to try and make their opponents one dimensional.

“That is the main goal, especially now it is getting colder out,” said Johnson. “Teams want to run as much as they can.

“I think that is what they are going to be focused on at the start. We have to shut that down. It should be a better game for us.”

Entering the post-season, the Hilltops have won the CJFL championship the last six times it was up for grabs from 2014 to 2019. That means they have an active 20-game CJFL record post-season game winning going into Sunday’s game too.

The last time the Hilltops didn’t make the PFC final when the CJFL playoffs were contested was way back in 2006. During that campaign, the Hilltops season came to an end with a 35-27 setback in a home PFC semifinal contest played at Griffiths Stadium against the Huskies.

Of course in the current campaign, there has been extra excitement for everything that happens in a season after the 2020 campaign was lost.

Sargeant believes his squad will be once again ready to rock ’n’ roll when it comes time to play this Sunday’s post-season game.

“We know what we need to do and how we need to do it,” said Sargeant. “We’re excited to have a great week of practice and focus on the task at hand.

Konner Johnson (#42) and the Hilltops defence are ready to rock.

“We know that the game still comes down to fundamentals. That is what we are doing all week. The coaches are coaching how we expect our players to play.

“The game plan is laid out. The players have to come out and execute that plan. If they do a good job of that, usually things work out pretty well for us.”

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Hilltops to face Huskies in Prairie Football Conference semi

QB Declan O'Flaherty and the Huskies advanced in the PFC playoffs.

In what should come as no surprise, the Saskatoon Hilltops and Edmonton Huskies are going to go at it for a third time in the 2021 CJFL campaign.

On Sunday at Jasper Place Bowl in Edmonton, Alta., the host Huskies, who were 5-3 in the regular season, went into their Prairie Football Conference quarter-final as huge favourites over the Calgary Colts, who were 1-7 in the regular season. In the six-team conference, the Huskies were third while the Colts finished sixth.

The Colts held a 2-0 lead early in the contest, but the visions of a monumental upset quickly faded away.

The Huskies rolled to a 33-2 advantage at halftime on their way to a convincing 53-9 victory.

With the win, the Huskies advance to face the Saskatoon Hilltops in a PFC semifinal contest at 1 p.m. on Sunday, November 7 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Hilltops finished second in the PFC with a 6-2 regular season record to earn a bye to host a PFC semifinal contest.

The Hilltops, who have won the CJFL title the last six times it has been contested, are riding a four game winning streak heading into the PFC semifinal. They met the Huskies twice in the regular season pulling out wins on both occasions.

On the opening day of the CJFL regular season back on August 22, the Hilltops rallied from a 14-0 deficit to slip past the Huskies 18-17 at Jasper Place Bowl. Hilltops punter Doug Fleming kicked a rouge on the last play of the game to win the contest.

The two sides met again on October 3 at SMF Field, and the Hilltops claimed a 34-20 victory in that encounter.

The Hilltops and Huskies met in the 2019 PFC final at SMF Field on October 27 of that year, and the Saskatoon side posted a 30-14 win on that day.

RB Ivan Jaque and the Rifles won their PFC quarter-final.

In the other PFC quarter-final match on Sunday held at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg, Man., the host Rifles, who finished fourth in the PFC with a 2-6 regular season record, downed the Edmonton Wildcats, who placed fifth in the PFC with a 2-6 mark, 29-18.

The Rifles finished ahead of the Wildcats in the PFC standings due to winning the one regular season encounter between the two sides.

With the win, the Rifles advance to face the Regina Thunder in the other PFC semifinal contest, which will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday, November 7 at Leibel Field in Regina, Sask.

The Thunder, who first took the field in 2000, topped the PFC standings with a perfect 8-0 record. That marked the first time the Thunder have finished first in the PFC, and it was also the first time the Thunder went undefeated in the regular season.

The Thunder and Rifles have met twice in the regular season, and the Regina side posted lopsided wins on both occasions.

On the opening day of the CJFL regular season on August 22, the Thunder blanked the Rifles 37-0 at Maple Grove Rugby Park. The two sides met again in Week 2 on August 29 at Leibel Field, and the Thunder romped to a 64-19 victory in that encounter.

Due to the fact the 2020 CJFL campaign was lost due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world, it was decided all of the PFC’s teams would make the post-season in 2021.

Dutton takes PFC offensive player of the week honour

Damon Dutton captured a PFC player of the week honour.

Saskatoon Hilltops quarterback Damon Dutton was named the offensive player of the week for the PFC thanks to his performance in his team’s final CJFL regular season game.

On Sunday, October 24 at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg, Man., Dutton completed 28-of-37 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns, while throwing one interception against the host Winnipeg Rifles. Thanks to Dutton’s efforts, the Hilltops won their fourth straight game downing the Rifles 32-17.

Dutton was named the PFC’s offensive player of the week two days after that win.

In helping the Hilltops finish second in PFC with a 6-2 regular season record, Dutton completed 127-of-183 passes for 1,528 yards and 12 touchdowns, while throwing six interceptions. Dutton is playing in his third full season with the Hilltops.

Johnson gets defensive player of the week nod

Konner Johnson (#42) got a PFC defensive player of the week nod.

Saskatoon Hilltops outside linebacker Konner Johnson was named the defensive player of the week for the PFC thanks to his performance in his team’s final CJFL regular season game.

On Sunday, October 24 at Maple Grove Rugby Park in Winnipeg, Man., Johnson had six solo defensive tackles, one defensive tackle assist, one special teams tackle, one pass knockdown and one interception against the host Winnipeg Rifles. Thanks to Johnson’s efforts, the Hilltops won their fourth straight game downing the Rifles 32-17.

Johnson was named the PFC’s defensive player of the week two days after that win.

In helping the Hilltops finish second in the PFC with a 6-2 regular season record, Johnson recorded 26 defensive tackles, 13 defensive tackle assists, 12 special teams tackles, three special teams tackle assists, one quarterback sack, five pass knockdowns, one fumble recovery and five interceptions. Johnson, who is playing his third full season with the Hilltops, finished second in the PFC in defensive points.

For that final week of the PFC regular season, Edmonton Wildcats kick return Declan Mullin was named the special teams player of the week for the conference for his efforts in his club’s 35-27 setback to the Edmonton Huskies on October 23 at Jasper Place Bowl.

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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