Blades steal show from Bedard, pound Pats 5-2

Regina phenom centre gets goal and assist in setback

The Blades celebrate a goal from Lukas Hansen (#28).

The allure of phenom centre Connor Bedard brought out the fans in droves to the SaskTel Centre, and when the dust settled, they had to come away impressed with their hometown Saskatoon Blades.

On Sunday afternoon, the Blades drew their largest crowd of the season with 7,868 spectators cramming into the SaskTel Centre for a late afternoon WHL regular season home clash with Bedard and his Regina Pats. Traditionally in the history of the Blades franchise, a clash with the Pats often captured the attention of the folks of “The Bridge City.”

It can be argued that the hardcore Blades fans in Saskatoon feel more of a rivalry or at least dislike of the Pats and the city of Regina than the Raiders and the city of Prince Albert. That feeling exists even though the Blades and Raiders have had one of junior hockey’s most intense rivalries to help that feud earn archrival status.

Jayden Wiens scored twice for the Blades on Sunday.

Of course, Bedard is the consensus pick to be selected first overall in upcoming NHL Entry Draft in 2023. That adds a different intrigue element to current battles between the Blades and Pats. The 17-year-old North Vancouver, B.C., product entered play on Sunday with a comfortable lead in the WHL’s scoring race.

Bedard didn’t disappoint picking up a goal and an assist on Sunday to run his consecutive game points scoring streak to 19 contests. After failing to register a point in the Pats first regular season game, Bedard has recorded points in every Pats game since that time to top the WHL in goals (18), assists (25) and points (43).

Connor Bedard had a goal and an assist for the Pats.

While Bedard had another good outing, the bigger development on Sunday might have been the fact the Blades took the contest 5-2 in front of their biggest home crowd of the season. The Blades office staff put in a tonne of work resulting in a lot of family bringing their children out to Sunday’s contest.

Bedard may have been the obvious draw, the fans wanted to see the Blades win. The Blades played sound and led the contest pretty much wire-to-wire.

Sunday’s victory was a third straight win for the Blades, who improved to 14-4. Quietly, the Blades have sat in the top four of the WHL standings for most of the current campaign.

Their victory over the Pats on Sunday might be the work of month thing that helps them draw larger crowds for a longer term of time. It was obvious the spectators had a good time in an environment that was family friendly.

Austin Elliott makes one of his 32 saves in goal for the Blades.

As a capper, the Blades made sure to hold a team autograph session in the building’s concourse after their win, and the youngsters enjoyed every moment they could spend with the players from the hometown team.

In the game itself, the Blades came out of the gates playing a smooth puck possession game that created scoring chances and kept them camped in the Regina zone for much of the opening 20 minutes.

At the 13:03 mark of the opening frame, the Blades broke through on the scoreboard when star left-winger Brandon Lisowsky and standout centre Trevor Wong broke into the Regina zone on a two-on-one rush. Lisowsky came down the left wing with the puck and passed it across the front of the Pats goal to Wong, who promptly buried his eighth of the season.

Trevor Wong scored the Blades first goal on Sunday.

The Blades held a 6-1 edge in shots on goal, when Wong scored to put the host side up 1-0.

Just 1:56 later, the Blades pushed their lead out to 2-0 on a power-play goal from Jayden Wiens, who tipped home a point shot from captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere.

The Pats mounted a push back during the final two minutes of the opening frame and kept applying pressure in the second. At that point, Blades 18-year-old rookie netminder Austin Elliott showed he could be pretty good when it came to guarding the goal.

Elliott made a trio of saves in the second to allow the Blades to continue to hold their 2-0 edge. He stoned Bedard on a rush down the right wing, made a glove save on a dangerous bad angle shot from Pats left-winger Sam Oremba and came up with a skate stop on Pats centre Braxton Whitehead.

Connor Bedard (#98) scores his 18th goal of the season.

Despite the Pats pressure, the Blades extended their lead to 3-0 at the 17:02 mark of the second on a beauty effort by 17-year-old centre Lukas Hansen. Hansen got the puck at the right boards from linemate Jordan Keller.

After getting the puck from Keller, Hansen cut across the face the Regina goal and tucked home his third of the season to give the hosts their three-goal edge.

The Pats didn’t go away. They got a big traction moment with 1:25 remaining in the second period from an almost out of nowhere spot.

The Blades tried to clear the puck high out of their zone, and the clearing pass was picked off by Pats right-winger Borya Valis just inside the Saskatoon blue-line.

Aidan De La Gorgendiere had two assists for the Blades.

Valis quickly fed a past to Bedard, who headed in on the Saskatoon net on a short breakaway. Bedard put a deke on Elliott and tucked home his 18th goal of the season.

Just 45 seconds into the third, the Pats cut the Blades lead to 3-2 scoring on the power play. From the right boards in the Saskatoon zone, Bedard fed a seeing-eye pass to import left-winger Alexander Suzdalev, who wired home his 10^th goal of the season to trim the Blades lead to one.

The Blades ensured the Pats comeback was not to be. At the 10:27 mark of the third, Wiens potted his second power-play goal of the contest collecting the rebound of a shot taken by import right-winger Egor Sidorov at the left side of the Regina net and popping the puck into an open cage to push the host’s lead out to 4-2.

A group of young fans cheer the Blades at the SaskTel Centre.

De La Gorgendiere picked up his second assists of the night on the Blades fourth goal.

With 70 seconds remaining in the third, Blades 18-year-old right-winger Vaughn Watterodt rounded out the game’s scoring sliding home a long empty-net tally on a shot taken from his own left faceoff circle to cement the 5-2 final.

Elliott made 32 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Blades (14-4). In his nine starts this season, Elliott has posted an 8-1 record, a 1.55 goals against average, a .941 save percentage and one shutout.  Drew Sim turned away 22 of 26 shots to take the setback in goal for the Pats (9-9-1-1).

Following their setback, the Pats get back at it on Thursday when they travel to Winnipeg to take on the Ice at 7 p.m. local time at the Wayne Fleming Arena.

The Blades salute their fans following their win on Sunday.

The Blades return to action on Friday when they host the Medicine Hat Tigers at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. While the Tigers haven’t been a big draw for the Blades in recent years, it would be cool if the spectators that came out to the win over the Pats came back for the clash with the Tigers.

It was obvious the people that came out to the SaskTel Centre on Sunday had a good time. Here is hoping they come back to enjoy that same game day experience again and again for the rest of the 2022-23 campaign.

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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Huskies good and feeling alright as Hardy Cup champs

U of S repeats as Canada West Conference title winners

The Huskies raise the Hardy Cup as Canada West champs.

Scott Flory didn’t want to break up the party.

The head coach had just guided his University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team to a 23-8 victory over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds before 1,916 spectators at Griffiths Stadium in the Canada West Conference championship game on Saturday. With the win, the Huskies captured the Hardy Cup for the second straight year and 21^st time in program history.

Following the trophy presentation, the players celebrated with their family and friends on the field getting various pictures taken. After about 25 minutes, Flory with a big smile on his face started rounding up his players for a quick team meeting.

Kicker David Solie is pictured with some family members.

Flory was telling his players as he rounded them up the meeting wouldn’t take long and then they can get back to celebrating. He would tell parents with a big grin that he just needed their sons for a short time, and then they can get back together after the meeting was held.

Even Huskies team staffers were chuckling as they tried to help rounding up players. It felt like an exercise in herding cats.

Overall, it might have been -15 C throughout the conference championship game, but you couldn’t miss the warm family feeling that existed between the host side and their supporters. Once again under the direction of Flory who became the Huskies head coach before the start of the 2017 campaign, the U of S side is off on another long playoff run.

Huskies HC Scott Flory holds court with a post-game TV interview.

The next stop on the ride will be the Uteck Bowl this coming Saturday, when the Huskies (9-1) travel to Antigonish, N.S., to take on the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men (9-0). A big contingent of Huskies supporters will make the trip across about 75 per cent of Canada to that contest at StFX Stadium, which will also be shown on CBC Gem and CBC Sports.ca and heard by local broadcasters on HuskieFAN at 11 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

Last year, the Huskies claimed the Uteck Bowl with a 14-10 victory over the Universite de Montreal Carabins at The CEPSUM in Montreal, Quebec. U of S then advanced to the U Sports title contest – the Vanier Cup – where they fell 27-21 to the University of Western Ontario Mustangs at Stade Telus – Universite Laval in Quebec City, Quebec.

QB Mason Nyhus has won all of his 16 career home starts.

In 2022, the Huskies, who have won three Canada West championships under Flory’s watch, are intent on getting back to the Vanier Cup and winning the U Sports championship for the first time since 1998, when U Sports was still known as the CIAU.

On these journeys, the Huskies and their supporters don’t get ahead of themselves and always stay mindful to be in the present. Everyone with the team knows that time goes by too fast when you’re linked to something good.

The first order of business was to take care of business in the Hardy Cup. Saturday’s game was your classic frigid tilt that is commonly held on the Prairie Provinces in November.

A mix of the Huskies veteran and young generations would all have big moments to ensure the Hardy Cup continued to reside at the U of S.

David Solie made all three of his field goals on Saturday.

After playing through a scoreless opening quarter, the Huskies took a 9-0 lead after veteran kicker/punter David Solie hit field goals from 30, 24 and 21 yards out. The second field goal was set up by Huskies veteran defensive back Charlie Ringland forcing a fumble that was recovered by a massive pile of teammates who dove in to get the loose ball.

The Thunderbirds didn’t go away as they are guided by one of U Sports all-time great sideline bosses in head coach Blake Nill. Late in the second quarter, the Thunderbirds put together a 70-yard drive the concluded with a one-yard touchdown dive by running back Lucas Mastrodomenico with 30.6 seconds remaining in the frame to cut the Huskies edge to 9-7.

Lucas Mastrodomenico (#30) squeaks in a UBC major score.

At the 5:37 mark of the third quarter, the Thunderbirds had a chance to jump in front, but kicker Owen Brown pushed a 25 yard field goal attempt wide for a single point that trimmed the U of S advantage to 9-8. That was as close as the Thunderbirds would get.

Huskies fifth-year star quarterback Mason Nyhus, who was named the player of the year for Canada West, proceeded to engineer a game-turning scoring drive that ran 14 plays, covered 67 yards and ate the final 7:31 of the third quarter.

On the final play of the third quarter, Nyhus hit first-year receiver Jordin Rusnack with an eight-yard outlet pass for a touchdown to push the Huskies lead out to 16-8. 

Jordin Rusnack scores a TD on an eight-yard reception.

That touchdown catch was Rusnack’s only reception of the contest, but it came at a critical time for the Huskies.

In the fourth quarter, the Thunderbirds offence had difficulty sustaining any drives.

Thanks to a well placed Solie punt and a key special teams tackle by veteran defensive back Logan Bitz, the Thunderbirds were forced to start a drive at their own seven yard line with 9:05 remaining in the stanza.

On the first play of that drive, Thunderbirds second year starting quarterback Derek Engel was intercepted by Huskies defensive back Finn Marcotte-Cribb, and Marcotte-Cribb had an uncontested nine-yard run for a touchdown to push the Huskies lead out to 23-8.

Finn Marcotte-Cribb (#27) returns an interception for a TD.

The Thunderbirds proceeded to turn the ball over on the first play of their ensuing offence series, when Engel was picked off by Huskies veteran star defensive back Nixen Voll. Voll returned the ball 27 yards to the UBC 28 yard line.

The Huskies weren’t able to convert Voll’s interception into points. Nyhus was intercepted by first year Thunderbirds defensive back Ben Sangmuah at the UBC 15 yard line on the ensuing U of S series.

While there was still 6:41 remaining in the fourth quarter, it felt like the 23-8 score was going to be cemented as the final outcome which it was. The Thunderbirds were unable to advance past their own 45 yard line the rest of the contest.

The game ultimately ended with a knee down by Nyhus to spark the post-game conference championship celebration by the hosts.

Ryker Frank, right, had 63 yards rushing and 70 yards receiving.

Nyhus quietly put together a solid outing competing 22-of-28 passes for 232 yards and one touchdown, while throwing one interception. Set to graduate from the team once their playoff run concludes, Nyhus played his final home game on Saturday, and he won all 16 of his U Sports home starts during his time with the Huskies.

Huskies second year running back Ryker Frank led his side in both rushing and receiving yards. Frank carried the ball 23 times for 63 yards and caught a game high eight passes for 70 yards.

Engel connected on 15-of-31 passes for 149 yards while throwing two interceptions for the Thunderbirds.

The Huskies faithful salutes their team at game’s end.

Running back Isaiah Knight topped the Thunderbirds in rushing with 17 carries for 54 yards, while receiver Edgerrin Williams was the top pass catcher for the visitors hauling in six passes for 68 yards. UBC was held to 231 yards of total offence.

Huskies second-year linebacker Seth Hundeby led the hosts with 7.5 tackles to go with a quarterback sack. Thunderbirds second-year linebacker Ryan Baker topped the visitors with 10.5 tackles.

Saturday’s win allowed the Huskies to run their home winning streak up 18 games. Their last loss at home came back on September 14, 2018, when they dropped a 37-28 decision to the University of Calgary Dinos.

The Hardy Cup victory on Saturday added another memorable moment to the rich history of the Huskies football program and another milestone for all involved with the team in recent years.

The Huskies celebrate winning the Hardy Cup.

After the Hardy Cup game on Saturday, the Huskies took time to soak in their accomplishment. Come Sunday morning, the focus turns towards making another lifetime memory at the upcoming Uteck 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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Thunder get Sask. sports media spotlight to themselves

Canadian Bowl hosts deserving of extra attention

The Thunder storm on to the field at Mosaic Stadium on Oct. 30.

The Regina Thunder have Saskatchewan’s sports media spotlight to themselves and deservingly so.

Regina’s powerhouse junior football club is hosting the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl – on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium. The Thunder are facing the Kelowna, B.C., based Okanagan Sun in a battle of teams looking to complete a perfect season.

Regina enters the contest with a 10-0 overall record, while the Sun are 13-0 overall.

This is only the second time the Thunder are in the Canadian Bowl. The last time the Regina side was in the CJFL title game was back on November 9, 2013, when they hosted that contest at historic Taylor Field downing the Vancouver Island Raiders 55-26.

While that victory was a high point in the Thunder’s history, it was moment overshadowed the Saskatchewan Roughriders run to winning the Grey Cup at that historic park with a huge contingent of popular stars like Darian Durant, Weston Dressler, Kory Sheets, Chris Getzlaf, Neal Hughes, Ricky Foley, Tyron Brackenridge and Craig Butler. Thunder grad and offensive lineman Dan Clark was a youngster on that team who made a name for himself catching a touchdown pass on a lineman eligible play.

The players on that Roughriders team were strongly connected to the Saskatchewan community and are held closely in the hearts of football fans in “the Wheat Province.”

On November 24, 2013 just 15 days after the Thunder’s Canadian Bowl win, the Roughriders stormed on to the frozen concrete of Taylor Field and flattened the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 45-23 to complete what is often viewed as the greatest sports moment to occur inside Saskatchewan’s provincial borders.

This year the Roughriders are again hosting the Grey Cup, but they won’t be in the CFL’s championship game, which will be held at Mosaic Stadium on November 20 at 5 p.m. Saskatchewan time. The Roughriders failed to make the CFL playoffs with a 6-12 record.

That means the media machine that usually covers the Roughriders will turn their attention to the Thunder as they go for their second national title. The Thunder are viewed as the feel good story, and their championship clash helps bring an unofficial start to the Grey Cup week, where the Canadian version of football is celebrated.

Carter Shewchuk calls signals for a dynamic Thunder offence.

With all that said, it should be stated it is always a better in Saskatchewan when the Roughriders are having success and making a long playoff run. The Roughriders have a big philanthropic impact on football and amateur sports in Saskatchewan including the Thunder, so a successful Roughriders organization benefits all in the province.

While the Roughriders are having a down year, it is a good thing that spotlight that would normally be on them will be on the Thunder even for a short time.

In Canada, the sports media industry is a severely cut one. Top rate coverage is reserved for the Canada’s seven NHL franchises, the country’s three MLS teams, the Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Raptors, Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

High level amateur teams like the Thunder used to get top rate coverage when there were more staffers in Canada’s sports media industry. That top rate coverage happened back when the Thunder won their lone CJFL title to date in 2013.

Since that 2013 season, skeleton crews staff the sports departments of mainstream media outlets. It is common for cities with populations of 300,000 in Canada to only have three dedicated sports reporters among all mainstream outlets in those centres.

In Saskatoon on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies (8-1) will face the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (5-4) in the Canada West Conference title game – the Hardy Cup. If it wasn’t for the fact this contest was being broadcast on television on the SaskTel’s MaxTV Local On Demand channel and Huskie Athletics made a deal with Pattison Media for coverage, it is possible you might not hear much about the Hardy Cup.

Regina has the Roughriders media machine, which means the all the mainstream media outlets in the Saskatchewan capital will always keep at least one dedicated sports reporter to cover the CFL club. The presence of the Roughriders has allowed three daily sports talk shows to have their broadcasts originate out of Regina, and one of those programs in The Rod Pedersen Show gets filmed in various locations across North America.

Saskatoon has 50,000 more residents than Regina and doesn’t have a single sports talk show originating out of it.

Ryland Leichert is a game breaker on the ground for the Thunder.

Due to the fact the Roughriders media machine can’t go on vacation with the Grey Cup just around the corner, they will be in the Saskatchewan capital to cover the Canadian Bowl. The CJFL title contest will be broadcast on 620 CKRM with Roughriders play-by-play voice Michael Ball calling the game and Pete Paczko doing the analysis.

Daniella Ponticelli, who is the Roughriders game day radio host, will be reporting on the sidelines for the radio broadcast of the Canadian Bowl.

It should be noted that the Thunder are also receiving extra attention due to the fact the University of Regina Rams campaign in the U Sports ranks has come to an end. The Rams had a solid season finishing second in the Canada West Conference regular season standings with a 5-3 record but fell last Saturday in a Canada West semifinal 28-14 to the visiting Thunderbirds at Mosaic Stadium.

The Thunder are deserving of the extra attention. Under Scott MacAulay, who has been the team’s head coach since the start of the 2013 campaign, the Thunder have cemented themselves as one of the CJFL’s first class teams and constantly hit new heights in professionalism.

Regina has also been an exciting CJFL club to watch too. The Thunder are powered on offence by their triplets in quarterback Carter Shewchuk, running back Ryland Leichert and receiver Rylan Sokul.

You almost forget the fact Isaac Ford and Isaiah Woodley have also built reputations as dynamic playmakers for the Thunder.

Regina’s starting offensive line of left tackle Riley Schick, left guard Noah Steinley, centre Max McFadden, right guard Nicholas Makowsky and right tackle Connor Klassen have been playing lights out.

The defence is full of star playmakers too in defensive ends Reece McCormick and Reed Rabbetz, linebackers Stephen Smith and Matthew Schill, cornerback Justin McKerracher and safety Adam King.

Place kicker and punter Eric Maximuik may go down as the best the Thunder ever had at those positions.

Rylan Sokul is a clutch receiver for the Thunder.

All of those players are outstanding representatives of the team in the community. It was fitting that on Sunday the CJFL named the Thunder football team the first winners of the newly minted Rick Smoke team award for exemplary community service.

For the Canadian Bowl on Saturday, Environment Canada is predicting a high of -15 C with a mixture of sun and cloud. Here is hoping those conditions don’t keep the fans away.

In Canada’s sports media cut era, the Thunder are in position to receive a big push in the spotlight. If they can shine brightly with the added attention, they will create a memory that could last a lifetime in local Saskatchewan football circles.

Hilltops nab three CJFL all-Canadian awards, other notes

Konner Johnson is a first team CJFL all-Canadian all-star.

A trio of battle hardened veterans picked up first team CJFL all-Canadian all-star nods for the storied Saskatoon Hilltops.

On Thursday, weak side linebacker Konner Johnson, defensive end Riece Kack and left tackle Jayson Kehler were all named first team all-Canadian all-stars by the CJFL.

Johnson had a stellar season with the Hilltops playing out his final campaign of CJFL eligibility. The 22-year-old Melfort, Sask., product piled up 31 solo defensive tackles, 13 defensive tackle assists, four special teams solo tackles, two special teams tackle assists, two quarterback sacks, five pass knockdowns and four interceptions appearing in all eight of the Hilltops regular season games.

Kack topped the PFC with 7.5 quarterback sacks in regular season play. The 20-year-old Saskatoon product also posted 20 solo defensive tackles, five defensive tackle assists, three special teams solo tackles, one fumble recovery and one interception.

Kehler’s final CJFL campaign was his best one with the Hilltops. The 22-year-old Saskatoon product has been with his hometown CJFL club since 2017, but the 2022 campaign was his first season as a starter with the venerable CJFL club.

With Kehler anchoring the offensive line at left tackle, the Hilltops topped the PFC with 1,818 rushing yards and placed second with 3,364 total offensive yards in regular season play. Hilltops power running back Boston Davidsen led the PFC with 1,037 individual rushing yards due to the play of Kehler and the Hilltops offensive line.

Jayson Kehler, left, is a first team CJFL all-Canadian all-star.

The Hilltops finished second in the PFC’s regular season standings with a 5-3 record. In the post-season, the Hilltops won a PFC semifinal contest against the Edmonton Huskies before falling in the PFC final to their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder.

The Thunder had six player named first team CJFL all-Canadian all-stars on Thursday. The Thunder first team all-Canadian all-stars included receivers Rylan Sokul and Isaac Foord, right tackle Connor Klassen, defensive end Reece McCormick, cornerback Justin McKerracher and Eric Maximuik at punter.

On Wednesday, the Thunder had five players named second team CJFL all-Canadian all-stars. The Thunder’s second team all-Canadian all-stars included quarterback Carter Shewchuk, receiver Isaiah Woodley, left tackle Riley Schick, linebacker Stephen Smith and safety Adam King.

The Thunder host the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl – on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium against the Okanagan Sun.

• On Monday, the CJFL announced London Beefeaters right guard Kevin Ricard will receive the Past Commissioners Community Service Award, when the CJFL hands out its major awards on Friday in Regina.
• On Thursday, the players from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team walked away with three major Canada West Conference awards. Quarterback Mason Nyhus was named the player of the year, right tackle Jack Warrack captured rookie of the year honours and running back Ryker Frank was given the nod as the Student-Athlete Community Service Award winner.
• On Thursday, the University of Regina Rams claimed two major Canada West Conference awards. Linebacker Ryder Varga was named the conference’s most outstanding defensive player and head coach Mark McConkey captured coach of the year honours.
• On Wednesday, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a feature on Taz Smith-Windsor, who is a graduating star with Prince Albert’s Carlton Comprehensive High School Crusaders Football Team and has played a number of games at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. Smith-Windsor will be joining the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team in 2023. The piece on Smith-Windsor can found by clicking right here. I also created a photo round up that is heavy on showing football in crunch time, and that piece can be found by clicking right here.

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

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Ice and Rebels on fire early in WHL campaign

Matthew Savoie is one of the Ice’s best known stars.

The Winnipeg Ice and Red Deer Rebels are the slam dunk teams to beat in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

Actually, a strong case can be made that they are the teams to beat in the entire WHL, but the Seattle Thunderbirds, Portland Winterhawks and Memorial Cup hosting Kamloops Blazers in the Western Conference might have something to say about that.

Still, the Ice and Rebels have been impressive in the early going. On Saturday at the Wayne Fleming Arena in Winnipeg, the Ice downed the visiting Tri-City Americans 5-4 for a 10^th straight win to improve to 15-1.

While the Ice were taking care of the Americans, the Rebels were in Moose Jaw overcoming a 2-0 lead by the host Warriors to pull out a 4-2 victory at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. 

The win allowed the Rebels to open the 2022-23 campaign with a 15-0 mark, and their 15 straight wins is a franchise record for consecutive victories. The old record of 14 straight wins was posted by the Rebels in the 2001-02 campaign.

The Ice are currently rated second in the CHL’s Top 10 rankings, while the Rebels are rated third.

Between the Ice and Rebels, the Ice have had slightly the more remarkable start. The Winnipeg side opened the campaign playing 13 straight games on the road posting a 12-1 record.

Captain Jayden Grubbe has 18 points for the Rebels this season.

The extended road swing was necessary, because major infrastructure work was being completed at the Wayne Fleming Arena on the University of Manitoba campus. Earlier this year, the U of M received federal funding to replace the ice plant, the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system for the Max Bell Centre, which the Wayne Fleming Arena is a part of.

Saturday was the third contest of a 10-game home stand for the Ice. The Americans, who fell to 7-9, gave the Ice a good battle. The hosts overcame an early 1-0 deficit, burst out to a 5-2 lead and held on for the 5-4 win.

Connor Dale, who is a 17-year-old rookie centre, netted his first two career WHL goals for the Ice. Winnipeg received singles from Ty Nash, Connor McClennon and Vladislav Shilo. Jake Sloan had a pair of goals for the Americans, who received singles from Ethan Ernst and Adam Mechura.

Dawson Cowan, who is another 17-year-old rookie, made 28 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Ice. Nick Avakyan turned away 29 shots to take the setback in net for the Americans.

Winnipeg’s best known stars in Matthew Savoie, Zach Benson, McClennon and Owen Pederson didn’t have to carry the day to help their side get a win. Savoie, McClennon and Pederson each had one assist in the victory, while McClennon’s tally was his only point of the contest.

Ice star defenceman Ben Zloty and captain Carson Lambos didn’t register any points against the Americans. Zloty had an even rating in the plus-minus department, while Lambos was a plus-two. Winnipeg’s roster is so deep that Zloty and Lambos just have to be steady to allow their side to pull out a win.

Zach Benson can pile up the points for the Ice.

Ice star 18-year-old goalie Daniel Hauser was given a rare night off. Hauser has won all 11 contests he has appeared in this season posting a 2.35 goals against average, a .920 save percentage and one shutout.

The Ice are paced behind the bench by an outstanding head coach in James Patrick, who is a former standout NHL defenceman.

The Rebels in their 15-0 start have won eight contests at home and seven on the road. They are in pursuit of a really old WHL record for most consecutive wins to open a season.

The record for most consecutive wins to open a season currently sits at 22 victories, and it is held by the 1967-68 Estevan Bruins. The Bruins won the league title that season.

Against Moose Jaw on Saturday, the host Warriors jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a first period tally from star 17-year-old centre Brayden Yager and a power-play goal at the 3:06 mark of the second frame from 19-year-old steady centre Atley Calvert.

Kai Uchacz and Jase Isley each scored twice to help the Rebels rally back to victory. Uchacz potted his second marker into an empty net.

Connor Ungar, who is in his 20-year-old season and is a former member of the Rebels, turned away 24-of-27 shots to take the setback in goal for the Warriors, who fell to 9-6.

Kalan Lind is one of the Rebels highly skilled younger players.

Kyle Kelsey, who is an 18-year-old rookie, stopped 21 shots to pick up the win in the Red Deer net.

Uchacz, Isley and Kelsey are a trio of older players who are having breakout seasons with the Rebels. Uchacz is a 19-year-old centre who has 15 goals and four assists so far this season. Uchacz’s 15 tallies are already a career high.

Isley, who is a 20-year-old centre, has nine goals and five assists so far this season for the Rebels. He needs just 12 more points to equal his career high for points in a season.

Kelsey has won his first 10 career games in goal for the Rebels posting a 1.80 goals against average, a .935 save percentage and one shutout.

Red Deer 19-year-old captain Jayden Grubbe has four goals and 14 assists, and he needs 17 points to match his career high. Kalan Lind, who is a 17-year-old centre, has two goals and 13 assists in attempting to follow up a strong 16-year-old campaign.

Import Finish defenceman Christoffer Sedoff is having another strong campaign leading all Rebels blue-liners with 16 points coming off one goal and 15 assists. Hunter Mayo, who is an 18-year-old defenceman, is finding his groove offensively posting seven goals and three assists.

The Rebels are having all their success with the limited services of star 20-year-old centre Ben King. King has appeared in just five games netting five goals and five assists.

Carson Lambos ensures things stay calm in the Ice’s back end.

The Vernon, B.C., product was taken in the fourth round and 107^th overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks, and he was returned to Red Deer in early October after getting a lengthy training camp stay with the NHL club. 

King was injured in the Rebels 3-0 home ice victory over the Prince Albert Raiders on October 22 and is listed as being out indefinitely with a lower body injury.

The Rebels are hoping King could potentially be back in six to eight weeks from the time he was injured.

For the longest time, Rebels general manager and owner Brent Sutter seemed to be challenged when it came to finding someone take over the head coach title he also held with the club. 

Before the start of the 2021-22 campaign, Sutter was able to bring on Steve Konowalchuk to be the head coach in Red Deer.

Konowalchuk guided the Seattle Thunderbirds to a WHL title in 2016-17 as head coach, and he is showing he is still one of the best bench bosses in major junior hockey.

Now, things are going to get even more interesting in the young WHL campaign. The Ice and Rebels are both off until Tuesday, when they will face each other at the Wayne Fleming Arena at 7 p.m. Winnipeg time. The two sides will go at it again on Wednesday at the same venue with the same local start time.

Hunter Mayo is breaking out offensively for the Rebels.

Those two contests are can’t miss heavyweight tilts. If one side is able to sweep both games, that club will be viewed as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.

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 good, not good enough in 2022 CJFL campaign

Boston Davidsen ran for 1,037 yards in the CJFL regular season.

There were no championship celebrations for the Saskatoon Hilltops in 2022, but the venerable CJFL club was far from awful.

The Hilltops were good, but they weren’t good enough. Their season came to an end Sunday, when they fell 39-21 to their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder in the PFC final.

The Thunder, who are 10-0 overall, advanced on to host the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl – on Saturday, November 12 at 1 p.m. against the Kelowna, B.C., based Okanagan Sun, who are 13-0 overall.

Regina’s win in the PFC final ended a run that saw the Hilltops win seven consecutive conference crowns. Before Sunday, the last time the Hilltops didn’t win the PFC title came back in 2013, when they dropped a 21-16 decision to the Thunder in the conference championship game at Griffiths Stadium on the University of Saskatchewan grounds in Saskatoon on October 27 of that year.

Konner Johnson reacts to making an interception this season.

When the Hilltops conclude a campaign without winning a championship, it feels strange to anyone associated with the club. The Hilltops have had an unprecedented run of success in the CJFL, which has created incredibly high standards.

From 2010 to 2012, the Hilltops won three straight CJFL championships. After the Thunder captured the CJFL crown in 2013, the Hilltops proceeded to win six straight CJFL titles from 2014 to 2019.

That run of six straight titles was capped with an 11-0 perfect season in 2018 and a 12-0 perfect season in 2019. During the 2018 campaign, the Hilltops trailed on the scoreboard for a combined 81 seconds.

Charles Sawi was the PFC’s offensive rookie of the year.

As the 2022 season isn’t too far away time wise from the Hilltops winning nine CJFL championships in a 10-year span, it feels like a season where a championship wasn’t won was a disappointment.

Overall, the Hilltops posted a 6-4 record in 2022. The 6-4 overall mark was the worst record the Hilltops had posted since going 6-4 overall in 1993.

Back in 1993, the Hilltops also made the PFC final and fell 30-15 to the Regina Rams at historic Taylor Field in Regina. The Rams advanced on to win the Canadian Bowl posting a perfect 12-0 record. They would later leave the CJFL and begin playing in the U Sports ranks as the University of Regina Rams in 1999.

The Hilltops had an up and down campaign in 2022 that included experiences the club hadn’t gone through in over three decades. The biggest challenge the team faced was dealing with losing games.

HC Tom Sargeant, centre, and his team were challenged in 2022.

The 2022 season marked the first time the Hilltops lost three games in a regular season and four games overall under legendary head coach Tom Sargeant, who became the team’s top sideline boss in December of 1997.

When the Hilltops started the season 2-0, it looked like the 2022 campaign would play out as successfully as most of the team’s other seasons do. The modern version of the club began play in 1947 and has won 22 CJFL championships.

Following the 2-0 start, the Hilltops proceeded to those three straight, which was a first under Sargeant’s time as head coach. The last two of those setbacks came to the Thunder.

The skid started with a 19-16 loss to the Rifles in Winnipeg on August 28 and was followed by a 29-21 setback in overtime to the Thunder at Saskatoon Minor Football Field on September 10. The final game of the slide saw the Hilltops drop a 23-7 decision to the Thunder at Mosaic Stadium on September 17, and the Thunder outperformed the Hilltops on offence, defence and special teams in that encounter.

Damon Dutton started the Hilltops first five regular season games.

No one could recall exactly when the Hilltops last lost three consecutive games. Even with the club’s stellar veteran coaching staff, doubt surfaced about the storied team’s ability to pull out of the tailspin.

The Hilltops did rally winning their last three straight games of the regular season to finish second in the PFC standings with a 5-3 mark. That allowed the Hilltops to host a PFC semifinal against the Edmonton Huskies.

Against the Huskies, 17-year-old rookie running back Charles Sawi ran home a touchdown from 33 yards with 65 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to allow the Hilltops to pull out a 20-15 victory. At that point, one had to wonder if the Hilltops playoff mystique was rising up and could carry the team all the way.

Trey Reider became the Hilltops starting QB in their sixth game.

In the PFC final last Sunday, the Hilltops started well taking a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, when 20-year-old quarterback Trey Reider hit veteran receiver Presley Peterson with an 11-yard touchdown pass. The Thunder answered back scoring 24 straight points to go into the halftime break with a 24-7 advantage.

Saskatoon battled back in the second half. With 11:54 remaining in the fourth quarter, Reider scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak and the Thunder lead was trimmed down to 25-21.

In past years in this same situation, the Thunder might have started to fold when the Hilltops comeback attempt was on. This time the Regina side wasn’t fazed.

DE Riece Kack (#47) closes in on a sack for the Hilltops.

On their ensuing possession, the Thunder drove down to score a touchdown to reassert control of the contest. Regina added another major score before the end of the fourth quarter to round out the 39-21 final in favour of the host side.

The Thunder’s triplets in quarterback Carter Shewchuk, running back Ryland Leichert and receiver Rylan Sokul were too much for the Hilltops to handle.

In 2022, the Hilltops play from the quarterback position was inconsistent. Damon Dutton, who was the team’s 22-year-old veteran, was pulled in the September 17 loss to the Thunder in favour of Reider.

Reider remained the starter for the rest of the season, but Dutton was inserted part way through the third quarter of the team’s PFC semifinal win. Dutton helped give the Hilltops a spark to allow them to pull out victory in that contest.

The Hilltops O-line helped the team lead the PFC in rushing.

Reider started the PFC final, but after the Hilltops fell behind 24-7 at halftime, Dutton started the first series of the second half. In that instance, the Hilltops coaches allowed Reider to get a live look from the sidelines before re-entering the game.

The younger signal caller went back in for the Hilltops second series and threw a touchdown pass to go with his rushing score to allow the Hilltops to pull within 25-21. Looking back over that PFC final, Reider likely graded out very well.

Statistically, he completed 15-of-26 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing one interception. Statistics only told part of the story as Reider didn’t look overwhelmed by the big stage, and his belief seemed to grow as the game went on.

Drake Douglas secures a TD catch for the Hilltops.

The two biggest concerns the Hilltops likely had in their two post-season games was their rushing defence as they couldn’t prevent two star running backs from having big days.

In the PFC semifinal win over the Huskies, Huskies star running back Alex Gayle, who was rightfully named the PFC’s most valuable player in 2022, carried the ball 34 times for 175 yards. The Huskies had 207 yards rushing as a team, but the Hilltops found a way to come out ahead on the scoreboard.

In the PFC final loss to the Thunder, Leichert ran the ball 33 times for 190 yards and two touchdowns. The Thunder had 238 yards rushing as a team. Those post-season rushing totals show that the Hilltops defensive line got beat physically by the opposing team’s offensive line.

Daylen Hartz sets to rush the QB for the Hilltops.

The Hilltops defence is consistently proficient at creating turnovers, but was unable to force a turnover in the PFC final. The Thunder defence got an interception and three turnovers on downs.

In 2021 when the Hilltops fell 17-14 in a CJFL semifinal to the eventual CJFL champion Langley Rams in Langley, B.C., that contest could be chalked up as a weird once in a blue moon type contest. The Hilltops turned the ball over an unimaginable 12 times, while the Rams turned the ball over seven times.

In the 2022 PFC final loss to the Thunder, the Thunder were the better team. While the Hilltops for a 10-year stretch were used to being chased by clubs trying to gain ground on them, they now have to chase down and gain ground on the Thunder.

Presley Peterson, left, hauls in a TD catch for the Hilltops.

The Hilltops will have to do that after graduating 20 players who exhausted their CJFL eligibility. The biggest loss is star weak side linebacker Konner Johnson, who was named the PFC’s most outstanding defensive player in 2022.

The offensive line loses four starters to graduation in left tackle Jayson Kehler, left guard Jordan Bisson, centre Luciano Jolly and right guard Ethan Paslowski. The Hilltops offensive line was a big reason why Saskatoon had the PFC’s top rushing offence in 2022 and star power running back Boston Davidsen surpasses 1,000 yard rushing in the regular season carrying the ball 149 times for 1,037 yards and seven touchdowns.

Youngsters took turns playing right tackle for the Hilltops with time being split between Victoire Bikulo, who is in his second season, and rookie Davin Johnson. The Hilltops will be looking to both to anchor the offensive line next season.

The Hilltops meet their fans after falling in the PFC final.

Sawi was named the PFC’s offensive rookie of the year in 2022, and receiver Drake Douglas had some strong games playing as 20-year-old rookie in the CJFL.

It should be noted other teams will be dealing with key graduations too. When the Canadian Bowl concludes on November 12, the Thunder grads will include Shewchuk and Sokul along with another key star receiver in Isaac Foord.

The Hilltops will truly be relying on their youth in 2023. They will be writing their own story in their journey to return the Hilltops to title winning form to allow the club to start filling their trophy case at their clubhouse once again.

Wist, Sawi capture PFC weekly awards

Hilltops MLB Matt Wist, left, disrupts a Thunder pass attempt.

The Saskatoon Hilltops might have fallen in the PFC final, but two players were able to pick up play of the week honours.

On Tuesday, middle linebacker Matt Wist named co-winner of the PFC’s defensive player of the week award. In the Hilltops 39-21 PFC final loss on Sunday to the host Regina Thunder at Mosaic Stadium, Wist piled up nine solo defensive tackles, nine defensive tackle assists and one special teams assisted tackle. Wist’s nine assisted tackles were tied for second most in a PFC post-season contest.

The Hilltops middle linebacker shared the PFC defensive player of the week award with Thunder defensive back Adam King. King had a key interception for his side in the second quarter of his team’s PFC final victory. He also recorded two solo defensive tackles, one defensive tackle assist, one special teams tackle assist and one pass knockdown.

Sawi was named the PFC’s special teams player of the week for the third time in the 2022 campaign. In the Hilltops PFC semifinal loss, Sawi returned two missed field goals for 100 yards. Sawi’s yardage total on missed field goal returns were the second most ever recorded in a PFC post-season game.

The 17-year-old rookie running back returned one kickoff for 30 yards, one punt for seven yards and ran the ball once on offence for three yards.

Thunder star running back Ryland Leichert took home honours as the PFC’s offensive player of the week. In the Thunder’s PFC final win, Leichert carried the ball 33 times for 190 yards and two touchdowns. He also had one catch for 15 yards.

Saints’ Hayes-Williams cracks into CJFL record book

St. Clair Saints receiver Jared Hayes-Williams broke a 28-year-old CJFL record on Saturday.

In a CJFL semifinal played at Acumen Stadium in London, Ont., Hayes-Williams broke the record for most receptions in a CJFL post-season contest setting a new standard with 14 catches. Hayes-Williams had 14 catches for 198 yards and one touchdown as his OFC champion Saints fell 42-24 to the BCFC champion Okanagan Sun, who call Kelowna, B.C., home.

The old record for catches in a CJFL post-season contest of 13 was held by Stephen Canestrani of the now defunct Laval Scorpions. Canestrani made his 13 catches on October 23, 1994.

The Sun with the win on Saturday advance to the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl. The Canadian Bowl will be played on Saturday, November 12 at 1 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium in Regina between the host and PFC champion Thunder and the Sun.

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

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If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.