Labour Day Classic in Regina a hit on social front

Bombers fans relish first victory since 2004

The Bombers are greeted by a mass of their faithful on the way to their bus.

    REGINA - Wow, it seems it takes longer to recover from the festivities of the Labour Day Classic weekend the older you get, but I know for myself I wouldn’t have it any other way.

    It is now two days after the Winnipeg Blue Bombers slipped past the Saskatchewan Roughriders 28-25 on a last play field goal by Justin Medlock in the annual clash of the two prairie rivals before a sellout crowd of 33,427 at old Mosaic Stadium in Regina. On this back to work Tuesday following the long weekend, a lot of people will still be talking about this clash during breaks and around the water cooler in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

    Regardless of who wins, this game and weekend is always a victory for the fans. This is the best weekend on the CFL calendar to be a fan. I have worked the Labour Day Classic on a couple of occasions, which was great, but I definitely prefer being a straight fan on this weekend.

Bombers and Roughriders fans have some fun at “Wayne's World.”

    One of the best things of this annual affair is the chance for fans of both the Roughriders and Bombers to get out and socialize. When you are out at the lounges or nightclubs or even the beautiful park area around Wascana Lake in Regina, the majority of both sets of fans realize they aren’t that different when it comes to supporting their teams. They respect each other for the passion they have for their clubs.

    I know on Saturday night a few shots went down respecting that fact along with getting in on toast to the memory of the late legendary Bombers head coach and general manager and also former Roughriders coach Cal Murphy.

    In the immediate aftermath of the game, there were a small minority of Saskatchewan fans that viewed their displeasure about how the contest ended due to the fact the winning field goal was set up by a questionable pass interference call on Roughriders defensive back Justin Cox.

Weston Dressler always has time for the fans.

    Being a fan on the Roughriders side, I was disappointed as well, and I thought that call was blown. With that said, I am have seen my share of Roughriders losses, so I am mature enough to the point they don’t really affect me.

    I appreciate any chance I have to get out to a CFL game, especially the Labour Day Classic. For me, this was the 16^th time I was at the annual affair between the Roughriders and Bombers, and Saskatchewan holds a 14-2 edge in those battles.

    This may sound strange, but I kind of enjoyed watching the Bombers fans celebrate their team’s win. A large group of regulars annually make the trip out from Winnipeg, and they are a great bunch.

When the Bombers won, they weren’t really rubbing the fact into the faces of the Roughriders supporters. The Bombers fans were in a state of joyful disbelief.

    One Winnipeg fan came up to me and said this was his 12^th Labour Day Classic, and he had attended all of the previous 11 games that the Bombers had lost in a row. He was just so overjoyed his team won.

    The Winnipeg celebrations drifted out to “Wayne’s World,” which is the back yard of a house that is across and alley neighbouring the West Side of Mosaic Stadium.
    The Bombers supporters then drifted over to the team bus, where the players went through high-fiving and posing for selfie pictures with the huge gathering of their faithful as echoes of “Here we go Bombers, here we go!” filled the air.

I made some new friends at the Labour Day Classic.

    The scene reminded me of following the Roughriders out on the road to Calgary, and the same scene basically repeated itself outside of McMahon Stadium after a Saskatchewan victory.

    This past Sunday, the Bombers fans were enjoyed their day in the sun along with five straight wins as they should be. 

    I am old enough to know that days in the sun like this always seen to pass by way too quick, so you should absolutely soak them in while you can.

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

Bomber fans help make Labour Day Classic go round

Bomber fans gather at “Wayne's World” in 2012.

    While it might seem strange to say, the annual Labour Day Classic in Regina isn’t under the soul ownership of Rider Nation.

    The fans of the Saskatchewan Roughriders are the heart of the CFL, but every year on Labour Day weekend their ranks at Mosaic Stadium/Taylor Field get infiltrated by a healthy contingent wearing blue and gold. At one time, it seemed to the locals like a group of aliens dropped into “the Queen City,” when supporters of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers – the Roughriders forever prairie rivals – drop into town.

    Bomber fans have descended on Regina for decades for the annual clash with the host Roughriders. The fact that the Winnipeg side hasn’t won this game since 2004 doesn’t seem to matter for the Bombers faithful.
    Back in 2004, Jon Ryan, who is now special teams captain for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, was coffin cornering punts out at the opposition’s one yard line as a rookie pro for the Bombers, when they took the Labour Day Classic 17-4.

    The Winnipeg fans are in town to have a good time. You can also bet the good times this weekend will start way before Sunday’s 1 p.m. local time kickoff. Bomber fans will no doubt start filtering into Regina on Friday night and begin frequenting the various lounges and nightclubs.

Bomber fans tailgate before the 2009 Labour Day Classic.

    Roughriders fans have long has a reputation for being wild, crazy and loyal, which often includes arriving at games in various types of team attire.

    If you had the chance to talk to the late Cal Murphy, who was a legendary head coach and general manager of the Bombers, or former Bombers star running back Willard Reaves, they will tell you Bomber fans can be just as wild, crazy and loyal as Roughriders fans are. They would suggest checking out the crowd shots of the Bombers 47-17 Grey Cup win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1984 in Edmonton to support that point.

    You wouldn’t have to look at old footage to see that is true this weekend. All you have to do is checkout the sizable pockets of blue and gold mixed in among the green and white in Regina.

Bomber fans get pumped up outside of “Wayne's World” in 2008.

    During game day, Bomber fans often rally pre-game at “Wayne’s World,” which is the back yard of a house that is across an alley neighbouring the west side of Mosaic Stadium. This will often mark the largest gathering for the visiting fans.

    The presence of the Winnipeg fans has been a long accepted fact at the Labour Day Classic. The influx of Bombers supporters usually includes a healthy group of regulars that make their way to Regina year after year. A few even bring their own barbecues for the pre-game tailgate party.

    The interaction between the fan bases is traditionally quite friendly. Both sides get in good-natured jibes towards each other, but they also enjoy partying together in the two days leading up to the game and the night after the game.

Bombers and Riders fans can get along at the Labour Day Classic.

    Those that are at the Labour Day Classic on an annual basis begin to know the regulars at least by face. A mutual respect is shown towards the passion each side displays for their teams.

    Sometimes, even relationships that include benefits develop for the weekend between fans from the opposite sides, which can add another layer of interesting memories for the Labour Day Classic weekend. Along the way, that also gives new meaning to the phrase, “Make love, not war.”

    The Bomber fans that trek to Regina are ardent ones. You can see that by the different Bombers jerseys that come out. There is a good dose of Milt Stegall jerseys with Stegall having built his legend playing in Winnipeg from 1995 to 2008.

    Young fans in their late teens and early 20s will often sport jerseys of Bombers stars from their Grey Cup wins in 1984, 88 and 90. Former receiver Joe Poplawski is a common one along with former league MVP quarterback Tom Clements and Reaves. In recent years, more Bombers fans have been spotted wearing the uniform of the club’s late linebacking great in Tyrone Jones.

A Bomber fan dresses up as “The Golden Boy.”

    When Cal Murphy was scouting for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts in the 2000s, Bomber fans often recognized him outside Mosaic Stadium and said, “Do you know who that is? That’s Cal Murphy. When he coached and ran the Bombers, we were great.”

    Murphy often chatted with Bombers supporters, which included posing in a picture with them while giving his gleeful trademark cackle.

    After Murphy passed away at age 79 on Feb. 18, 2012, you will usually find some Bombers fans holding a toast in his honour during the Labour Day Classic weekend.

    The atmosphere at the Labour Day Classic in Regina wouldn’t be complete without the presence of the Winnipeg fans. This one will have a little special extra meaning, because it will be the last one held at the Roughriders long-time home park.

    When the annual clash moves to New Mosaic Stadium next year, you can be sure the healthy loyal contingent of Bombers fans will be back to help keep the party going.

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

Rams/Huskies clash nears sellout at new Mosaic

Noah Picton fires a pass downfield for the Rams.

    If you want to go to the first football game at the new Mosaic Stadium in Regina, you are going to have to act fast.

    The first contest at what will be best known as the new home of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders will be a Canadian Interuniversity Sport football clash between the University of Regina Rams and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies on Oct. 1 at 2 p.m. The battle between these provincial rivals is being dubbed “the SaskTel Fall Classic,” because SaskTel jumped in as a major sponsor.

    Individual tickets went on sale July 26 and were available through the websites and ticket offices of both the Rams and the Roughriders as well as through Ticketmaster’s site.

    On Friday, the Roughriders ticketing team sent out an email saying 85 per cent of the tickets for this contest have been sold. As this battle between the Rams and Huskies will be the first test event for new Mosaic Stadium, capacity has been set at 16,500. New Mosaic Stadium will have a standard capacity of 33,000, when it is fully operational.

    Almost a month ago in this blog, I expressed doubts that this game would sellout. Both the Rams and Huskies have had numerous promotions in the past to get past 10,000 in attendance for a game since the Rams joined the CIS ranks in 1999 but have come up unsuccessful.

    The fact 85 per cent of the tickets have already been sold means a huge congratulations has to be passed on to those involved. That means just over 14,000 people have tickets for this regular season contest.

    Since 1999, the biggest crowd for a university level football game in Saskatchewan has been hosted by the Huskies, who crammed 12,567 spectators into Griffiths Stadium for the 2006 Vanier Cup. The host Huskies fell in that national final to the Universite Laval Rouge et Or 13-8.

Huskies RB Tyler Chow zips past the Rams defence.

    The biggest crowd to attend a Canada West Conference regular season football game came back in 2013, when 10,199 spectators turned out to see the University of Alberta Golden Bears take on the University of Manitoba Bisons at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg.

    The match between the Rams and Huskies at new Mosaic on Oct. 1 has obviously benefited from the marketing arms on a number of fronts including the Rams, Roughriders and SaskTel. Whoever had the original idea of having the Rams square off against the Huskies at new Mosaic has to be considered the biggest visionary in this whole process. For the Rams, this has to been seen as a big coup for them and the University of Regina.

    The obvious draw for this game is, of course, the chance to get the first look at the province’s new state of the art football facility.

    The only question left regards how good the competitive level of this contest will be. Fans of both teams might get a glimpse of that fact this coming Friday in Saskatoon, as the Huskies host the Rams at 7 p.m. at Griffiths. With that said, Friday’s clash is the regular season opener for both sides, and opening day games are usually filled with their share of unexpected occurrences.

New Mosaic Stadium under construction back in April.

    Both teams staged a classic to close their respective regular season schedules last year at old Mosaic Stadium. The Huskies trailed 34-11 late in the third quarter before rallying for a 38-37 victory.

    The Rams finished the 2015 campaign at 0-8 with that loss. The Huskies improved to 3-5 to claim the last playoff berth in Canada West. U of S’s season came to a close with a 37-29 loss in a Canada West semifinal playoff contest in Calgary against the University of Calgary Dinos.

    Both the Rams and Huskies will be improved. Thanks to a strong recruiting class, the Huskies are probably closer to returning to the form of achieving a 6-2 regular season record.

    No matter where the Rams and Huskies are in the Canada West standings by Oct. 1, the SaskTel Fall Classic is well on its way to being an overwhelming success.

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

Colts surge past Hilltops for top spot in PFC

Balance of power shifts in CJFL with Calgary victory

Defensive back Dylan Niedermaier returns an interception for the Colts.

    The Calgary Colts were ready to take care of business, and they did just that.

    On Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Colts took a big step to joining the upper echelon of the Canadian Junior Football League downing the defending league champion Saskatoon Hilltops 36-21. The Colts stormed out to a 36-0 lead after three quarters against their biggest nemesis before the venerable Hilltops tried to make a desperate rally in the fourth quarter.

    Having hired British Columbia Football Conference legend Matthew (Snoop) Blokker as head coach before the start of the 2014 season, the Colts have been on the rise. After going 0-8 in 2013 the season before Blokker came on board, the Colts advanced to the Prairie Football Conference final in each of the last two years posting a 9-7 record in regular season play only to fall to the Hilltops. The storied Hilltops advanced to win the Canadian Bowl after each of those victories.

Quarterback Bailey Wasdal (#4) dives in for a Colts touchdown.

    Coming into this first and only regular season encounter with the Hilltop in the 2016 campaign, the Colts visibly had a different demeanor. When the dust settled, they improved to 3-0 to sit alone in first place in the Prairie Football Conference, while the Hilltops fell to 2-1.

    “We came in here with a different kind of mentality than we had in previous years,” said Colts starting quarterback Bailey Wasdal. “We came in ready. We weren’t scared.

    “We knew we were coming home with two points. I wasn’t too surprised with the way we came out flying. We just have to be better in the second half.”

    Calgary’s defence set the tone early as defensive back Dylan Niedermaier returned an interception 40 yards deep into Saskatoon territory. That set up a short drive that ended with Wasdal hitting receiver Jake Creasey on a nine-yard scoring toss to put the visitors up 7-0 just over four minutes into the contest.

The Colts celebrate a fumble return touchdown by Dallas Burke (#17).

    Due to bad field position, the Hilltops were forced to concede a safety with 1:59 to play in the first quarter to give Calgary a 9-0 edge. The Colts proceeded to go up 16-0 just as the opening frame expired as Wasdal hit receiver Richard Sindani with a 12-yard scoring toss coming off a swing pass play.

    Things only got worse for the Toppers in the second quarter, when Colts defensive back Luk Catellier made an interception to set up another Calgary scoring drive. That ensuing offensive series was capped by a one-yard touchdown dive by Wasdal to put the Colts up 23-0.

    The hole got deeper for the hosts, when the Hilltops proceeded to muff the ensuing kickoff. The ball was recovered by Colts receiver Dallas Burke, who ran the ball home 20 yards for another major score to put the Colts up 30-0 with 6:44 to play in the second quarter.

    Colts kicker Stephen Fabian booted a 37-yard field goal to give Calgary a 33-0 edge at halftime.

    “We definitely did a lot of things well, and it is going to show in the film for sure,” said Wasdal. “I think we came out trying to be physical, and I think that is what we did.

Dylan Minshull (#21) ran for 169 yards on 22 carries for the Colts.

    “We kind of asserted ourselves in the first half, and we just showed that we weren’t afraid. We were ready to bang, and we came out doing that.”

    Fabian nailed a 40-yard field goal early in the third quarter to put the Colts up 36-0.

    The Hilltops attempted a comeback in the fourth quarter. Just 15 seconds into the frame, Hilltops receiver Jason Price outfought a couple of Colts defenders for the ball to pull in a 12-yard scoring toss from quarterback Jared Andreychuk to cut Calgary’s lead to 36-7.

    Andreychuk proceeded to hit Price on a deep 32-yard connection for another Hilltops major score to trim Calgary’s lead to 36-14 with 8:08 to play in the game. With 2:53 remaining on the clock, running back Logan Fischer muscled in a major on the ground from three yards out to pull the Hilltops to within 36-21.

    The rally was sniffed out on Saskatoon’s next offensive series, when Andreychuk was intercepted by Colts defensive back Jordan Rae.

    Andreychuk completed 19-of-34 passes for 227 yards, two touchdowns, but he was intercepted three times. Fischer piled up 110 yards rushing on 23 carries.

Jason Price hauls in a 32-yard TD catch for the Hilltops.

    Wasdal completed 18-of-23 passes for 165 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for the Colts. Calgary running back Dylan Minshull piled up 169 yards rushing on 22 carries.

    The Colts defence forced five takeaways in the contest, while the Hilltops were only able to force one turnover from the opposition.

    While both teams have six games remaining on their respective regular season schedules, the Colts hold the standings tiebreaker with Sunday’s win over the Hilltops going forward.

    “It is absolutely huge,” said Wasdal. “We had our own destiny in our own hands.

    “We had to get it done against the Hilltops. We just have to get it done the rest of the season, and we will have that home field playoff game.”

    The Hilltops return to action this coming Sunday, when they travel to Edmonton to take on the Wildcats (0-3). The Colts host the Edmonton Huskies (1-2) on Saturday.

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

Expect Blades to hit homer with Howe day

The Gordie Howe statue in front of the SaskTel Centre.

    The Saskatoon Blades have mastered the art of the emotional tribute since coming under the ownership of Mike Priestner, and their upcoming regular season home opener might provide the biggest challenge to date in this department.

    The brain trust of the local WHL franchise is planning a “Thank You, Mr. Hockey” day, when the Blades open their home regular season schedule against the Swift Current Broncos on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 2 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. Of course, the Blades will be honouring one of the greatest hockey players of all time in the late Gordie Howe. Howe, who was born in a farmhouse in Floral, Sask., and moved to Saskatoon at age 9, passed away earlier this year on June 10 at age 88.

    It is expected that cremated remains of Gordie and his wife, Colleen, will be interred in front of the SaskTel Centre by the Gordie Howe statue. This will occur if the Government of Saskatchewan approves designating the Gordie Howe statue and a small piece of land around it a cemetery. Colleen Howe passed away on March 6, 2009.

    Saskatoon city council has begun the process of applying to the province regarding the special designation for the Gordie Howe statue.

    Currently, the plan for the festivities on Sept. 25 will see the cremated remains of both Gordie and Colleen be interred during a private ceremony at the statue. From there, the Howe family will make their way to the newly built Circle Drive South Bridge, which is being renamed the Gordie Howe Bridge.

    The day’s events will then shift back to the SaskTel Centre for a special pre-game ceremony. All four of Gordie and Colleen’s children will be in the city for all the day’s activities.

    At the moment, the pre-game ceremony is slated to be 25 minutes in length. The Blades will also unveil other special initiatives closer to Sept. 25, and some will be kept a surprise until game day.

    This will be a must attend Blades game. Anytime they have hosted a special pre-game ceremony with an emotional component it has been a hit.

    Some of the more notable ones include honouring former team member Nelson Nogier when he played is first game back in Saskatoon as a member of the Red Deer Rebels, rallying for La Loche this past January after a shooting occurred in that community and supporting Grade 2 student Naomi Lendvay, who is fighting stage four pediatric cancer.

    If you have seen the Blades host other pre-game ceremonies in the past, you can expect the one they hold to honour Gordie Howe will be pretty cool and emotional in a good way.

    The Blades have hinted a couple of former rivals and other special guests will be in attendance. For citizens in Saskatoon and area, this provides a chance to recognize a Canadian icon who really put the city on the map. When you bring up Gordie Howe’s name, there is no shortage of great stories and the ones that have already been told never lose their lustre when they are told again.

Hilltops get past first bump, face big challenge in Colts

RB Logan Fischer zips upfield for the Hilltops.

    The venerable Saskatoon Hilltops showed a bit of a hiccup regarding the after effects of losing 16 players to graduation after last season.

    On Sunday, the Hilltops traveled to Edmonton to face the Huskies jumping out to a 22-0 lead after the first quarter before the offence dried up for a bit. The defending Canadian Junior Football League champions held a commanding 22-3 at halftime, before the Huskies closed to within 22-20 early in the fourth quarter.

    Just when things looked in doubt, a couple of steady veterans came through. With 9:59 to play in the fourth quarter, fourth year running back Logan Fischer ran in his third touchdown of the day to put the Hilltops up 29-20. Fifth-year quarterback Jared Andreychuk added a rushing major of his own with under 30 seconds to play in the contest to give the Hilltops a 35-20 victory.

    Andreychuk completed 20 of 28 passes for 218 yards and one touchdown coming on a trick play throw to defensive lineman Tom Schnitzler. Defensive lineman Blake Hermann had a huge game with six tackles and three sacks in being named the defensive player of the week for the Prairie Football Conference.

    Normally, the Hilltops usually romp over the Huskies, but an improved Edmonton side was ready for a battle. When the dust settled, Saskatoon found a way to improve to 2-0, while the Huskies fell to 0-2.

    Now the Hilltops head into a showdown for first place in the PFC with the Calgary Colts (2-0) this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. This coming weekend will be a big one for the Hilltops as they celebrate their 70^th anniversary.

    The Toppers will be hold special functions in the days leading up to the game with the Colts, where all the Hilltops alumni in attendance will be introduced at halftime.

    When the Hilltops hit a rough stretch, you have to love how Tom Sargeant says first the coaching staff, including himself, have to find ways to be better in order to help their players be better. You can bet the Toppers intensity will be up at practice to ensure the team adds a capper to what will be a memorable weekend.

Huskies QB of the future looks good

QB Mason Nyhus slings a pass for the Huskies.

    While all eyes are focused on who the University of Saskatchewan Huskies will start at quarterback in the present, their likely signal caller of the future showed the team doesn’t have to worry about depth at that position.

    On Saturday at Griffiths Stadium, rookie Mason Nyhus, who just graduated from Regina’s Riffel High School, was firing lasers all over the field, when his turn came up to take snaps under centre for the Huskies in a controlled scrimmage against the University of Alberta Golden Bears. The youngster looked fairly composed and showed off some good chemistry with fellow rookie receiver in Ben Getzlaf, who just graduated from Saskatoon’s Holy Cross High School.

    Nyhus comes to the Huskies as a highly touted prospect. He quarterbacked Saskatchewan’s provincial team to a bronze medal win at the 2015 Football Canada Cup in Saint Jean, Que.

    At the International Bowl series that ran Jan. 31 to Feb. 1 in Arlington, Texas, Nyhus was calling signals for Canada’s under-18 team. In July, Nyhus was a member of Canada’s Junior National Team that won the International Federation of American Football under-19 World Championship in Harbin, China.

    With the Huskies, Nyhus won’t be thrown to the fire right away. The training camp battle for the starting quarterback spot is between Drew Burko, who is in his fifth year, and Kyle Siemens, who is in his third year.

    A year ago, Burko was the incumbent starter for the Huskies, but he lost job as the team struggled. Burko threw nine interceptions in six starts.

    Siemens finished the year starting the Huskies final two regular season games and their Canada West Conference semifinal playoff loss to the University of Calgary Dinos. The Huskies were 3-5 in regular season play in 2015 after going 6-2 in 2014.

    The Huskies open the 2016 regular season against the University of Regina Rams on Friday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium.

    Nyhus will be able to learn the ropes at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport level playing behind Burko and Siemens, which will include learning how to balance school work with athletes. The first day of classes is usually a shocker for first-year students. Under a different set of circumstances, Nyhus might even be able to start as a rookie.

    With that said, rookie starting quarterbacks usually get beat up at the CIS level. During Saturday’s controlled scrimmage, Nyhus wasn’t going to see all the different looks the Golden Bears defence has or face all of U of A’s starters at once.

    Nyhus will have the benefit of being able to become a successor in two to three years. If the business major puts in his work getting physically stronger, becoming a student of the game and tackling his studies in the classroom, he will shine one day.

    If the unthinkable happens that both Burko and Siemens are lost to injury at the same time, Nyhus will likely be a capable fill in.

Hockey Huskies load up on WHL grads

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey is loading with some major WHL talent as they attempt to defend their Canada West title.

    On Wednesday, the Huskies announced they have added 10 former WHL veterans to their roster. The additions include forwards Alex Forsberg, Connor Gay, Wyatt Johnson, Elliott Peterson, Carson Stadnyk, Colton Stephenson and Jordan Tkatch. On defence, the Huskies added Colby Harmsworth and Tanner Lishchynsky, while goaltender Daniel Wapple rounds out the recruiting class.

    Before Wednesday’s announcement, a prominent alumnus of the Huskies men’s hockey team told me this class was going to be really good, and he wasn’t kidding. At forward, the Huskies could easily create a new first line from their first-year players.

    Forsberg’s addition will likely turn out to be a huge one. The brother of Huskies defenceman Jesse Forsberg, Alex’s major junior career started out on a slow pace being shouldered with prodigy status as the first overall selection in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft by the Prince George Cougars.

    He was eventually picked up by the Saskatoon Blades for the start of the 2014-15 campaign and regained his confidence recording 13 goals and 20 assists with “the Bridge City Bunch” in 36 games before being dealt to the Victoria Royals.

    Last season with the Royals, Forsberg finished ninth in league scoring collecting 31 goals, 60 assists and a plus-22 rating in the plus-minus department in 71 regular season games. The Waldheim, Sask., product’s best hockey is likely still ahead of him and not behind him.

    Gay finished up his WHL career last season leading his hometown Blades in scoring with 25 goals and 47 assists in 70 regular season games. That marked the second straight season he has 20 or more goals in a WHL campaign.

    Stadnyk will join the Huskies after participating in Edmonton Oilers rookie camp. Last season, Stadnyk, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 185 pounds, had 21 goals, 28 assists and a plus-13 rating in 71 regular season games with the Everett Silvertips.

    Harmsworth was the Hitmen’s overage captain last season, when he collected two goals, 11 assists and a plus-three rating in 67 regular season games. During his four seasons with the Hitmen, the Saskatoon product, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 193 pounds, was a steady defensive defenceman.

    Wapple, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 174 pounds, played for both the Regina Pats and Vancouver Giants last season as an overager before finishing up the 2015-16 campaign in junior A with the Estevan Bruins of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. The Saskatoon product’s most memorable WHL season came in 2014-15 when he posted a 29-15-10 record, a 3.03 goals against average and a .906 save percentage in 56 appearances with the Pats.

    He will provide a solid goaltending partner with starting netminder Jordon Cooke. If Cooke ends up being lost due to injury for a lengthy stretch, Wapple provides a strong insurance policy.

    With these additions, the ancient Rutherford Rink will likely be rocking, when the Huskies open their regular season against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.

Slobodzian commits to UND

Willow Slobodzian has committed to the Fighting Hawks.

    Saskatoon Stars gifted offensive defender Willow Slobodzian has already found a home for her university career.

    On Sunday via Twitter, the 16-year-old announced her commitment to join the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks women’s team. The Clavet, Sask., product still isn’t eligible to play at the university level for another two years.

    Last season, Slobodzian won the Colleen Sostorics award as the top defender in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League recording six goals and 13 assists in 28 regular season games.     Slobodzian was a key part in helping the Stars win back-to-back league titles in 2015 and 2016, which included advancing to the Esso Cup national championship tournament in both years. The Stars captured a bronze medal in 2015 and finished fourth in 2016.

    Slobodzian attended the selection camp for Canada’s under-18 women’s team early this month, and she suited up for Canada in a three game series against the United States picking up one assist.

    The Fighting Hawks definitely landed a gem with Slobodzian’s commitment. Very few players even in the university ranks can equal her smooth skating stride, her accurate blast from the point, her uncanny playmaking ability and her sound play in the defensive zone.

    If she keeps improving, she definitely has the potential to play at the highest level one day on the international stage.

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

Roughriders are a big joke

Saskatchewan’s CFL franchise deserves all the criticism it gets

QB Darian Durant calls a play in the huddle for the Roughriders.

    You have to think some Saskatchewan Roughriders fan somewhere is getting the urge to throw his or her jersey on the field.

    While I don’t condone that type of behaviour, all you have to do is check social media lines and sports talk shows in Saskatchewan to feel the frustration of Rider Nation. After Saturday’s 53-7 stinker of a loss to the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton, it is getting harder and harder to see the light at the end of the tunnel for the Roughriders, who fall to 1-7 on the season and are 6-29 in their last 35 outings in the regular season and playoffs.

    A lot of TV viewers undoubtedly switched over from the game telecast on TSN over to see the impressive and heartfelt final performance of the Tragically Hip live from Kingston, Ont., on CBC. The iconic performance of Hip frontman Gord Downie, who is battling terminal brain cancer, will ensure the Roughriders performance will be forgotten for a short moment. The criticism for the “Green and White” won’t stay at bay for long.

    Outside of a handful of plays against the Tiger-Cats at Tim Hortons Field, the Roughriders weren’t in Saturday’s game at all. The second half really felt like it was mail it in time. You would like to see signs of improvement, but the team just keeps regressing.

    In the worlds of legendary former NFL head coach Bill Parcells, “You are what your record says you are.”

    Right now, the Roughriders are a very brutal CFL football team.

    There have been a number of things that have been hard to stomach, and a handful of them are as follows.

Release of Chick a huge mistake

John Chick signs autographs at Roughriders training camp in 2015.

    In the loss to the Tiger-Cats, Roughriders fans again had to mull over the fact that defensive lineman John Chick was no longer part of the team.

    Chick was cut by the Roughriders back on Jan. 14. During his time with the Roughriders, Chick became a fan favourite thanks to the combination of his stellar play and the fact he was very active representing the team in the community.

    The 33-year-old product from Gillette, Wyoming, was with the Roughriders from 2007 to 2009 and was a key cog in the club’s 2007 Grey Cup championship win. After a stint in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars, Chick rejoined the Roughriders in 2013 and helped them win the Grey Cup later on that year on home turf at Mosaic Stadium. He remained with the Roughriders until being released in January.

    A day after releasing Chick, the Roughriders signed defensive lineman Shawn Lemon as a free agent. Lemon helped the Calgary Stampeders win the Grey Cup in 2014 and was a key member helping the second year Ottawa Redblacks reach the Grey Cup last year. At age 27, he was also six years younger than Chick, and a lot of people saw Lemon as Chick’s replacement.

    Lemon played one regular season game with the Roughriders and was traded to the Toronto Argonauts.

    If you are going to bring in a younger player to replace an established star, you better be sure the younger player stays with your team longer than the established star does, if the star player signs with another team.

    Chick resurfaced with the Tigers-Cats and has 16 tackles, seven sacks and two forced fumbles in eight games. He recorded two of his sacks on Saturday against the Roughriders.

    To make matters worse, the Roughriders defensive line has struggled all season especially with getting pressure on the quarterback.

Departures of Dressler and Getzlaf also hurt

Chris Getzlaf signs an autograph for a young Roughriders fan in 2008.

    The Roughriders lack of success on the field also has fans missing receivers Weston Dressler and Chris Getzlaf.

    Dressler was released the same day Chick was and Getzlaf was allowed to become a free agent after last season. Dressler, who turned 31 in July, is currently on the six-game injured list with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Getzlaf, 33, signed with the Edmonton Eskimos.

    The Roughriders have gotten good production from their receivers for most of the season, but there is a feeling among the fans the presence of Dressler and Getzlaf would result in more points. In Dressler’s case, he is also an accomplished kick returner, and if he wasn’t going to be used as a receiver, he is better than any returner the Roughriders currently have on their roster.

    Both Dressler and Getzlaf played with a lot of heart and genuinely cared about the team and the fans. Without Dressler and Getzlaf, the fans feel less connected to the team.

Roster fines were earned

Stamps QB Bo Levi Mitchell escapes the Roughriders rush.

    On Aug. 11, the CFL fined the Saskatchewan Roughriders $60,000 for roster violations and deducted $26,000 from their 2016 salary cap.

    The CFL said the Roughriders were in violation of policies that prohibit practice with ineligible players, having players participate in practice who are on the six-game injured list and having free agents practise with players who are under contract. The league’s investigation spanned over several weeks.

    Since those fines were announced, it seems like everyone has chimed in with their thoughts.

The bottom line was the Roughriders were caught violating the rules, and they paid for it. The whole situation also brought out Jones’ weakness on the personnel front.

    After Jones came on board, it seems players have be coming and going out of the Roughriders dressing room through a revolving door. At some point in time, you need to stick with a group of players and run with them. If you are shuffling guys on and off your roster, you can’t build any chemistry on and off the field that is needed to win.
    Roughriders fans got their backs up for a short time regarding a Twitter comment Calgary Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell made about Saskatchewan’s roster situation a couple of days before the fines were announced. Mitchell’s words didn’t have a lasting impact as the losses mounted.
    When the Stampeders beat the Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium 19-10 on Aug. 13, the hecklers weren't even that harsh to Mitchell.

Defence is brutal

Members of the Roughriders suspect defence get ready for a play.

  In too many games this season, it feels like the Roughriders defence is non-existent.

    Over eight games, the Roughriders have held their opponents to under 30 points twice and under 20 points just once. If you are looking for you offence to score over 40 points a game to win in the CFL, you are in a lot of trouble.

    Against the Tiger-Cats on Saturday, the Roughriders allowed 421 yards through the air and 88 yards along the ground. You might think the rushing defence would be a strong point, but the CFL has been more of a passing league than normal this season.

    The Roughriders have been giving up huge amounts of yards through the air all season comparable to the yards given up to the Tiger-Cats. Besides the fact their defensive line has struggled, there are times when the receivers from the opposing team have been wide open to the point you can’t see a Roughriders defensive back anywhere.

    Jones built a reputation as being an outstanding defensive coordinator in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders and Toronto Argonauts before becoming a head coach first with the Eskimos and now with the Roughriders. When you become a head coach, it is never a good sign when the side of the ball that is your specialty is not getting the job done.

Can the Roughriders break their funk?

Roughriders QB Darian Durant stays cool under pressure.

    You never say never.

    While star quarterback Darian Durant had a rough outing against the Tiger-Cats throwing his first four interceptions of the season, he gives the Roughriders a chance to win every time he steps on the field. His composure was evident on Saturday even when things went downhill.

    Unfortunately, losing has become a habit for this team, and as anyone can see over the Roughriders last 35 games in the regular season and playoffs, losing is a hard habit to break.

    The Roughriders travel to Edmonton on Friday to take on the defending Grey Cup champion Eskimos (4-4), who appear to be getting on track after two-straight wins.

    For the moment, it seems like things are going to get worse before they get better.

    If you have any comments about this blog post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Hilltops hoggies still look fine

New look offensive line leads way in opening day victory

The Hilltops offensive line paved the way for 435 total offensive yards.

    The Saskatoon Hilltops new look offensive line is no longer a question mark.

    Coming into the 2016 season, there were concerns the Toppers O-line would no longer be as vaunted as it has been in the past. After winning the Canadian Junior Football League championship for a second straight year in 2015, the Hilltops graduated all-Canadian all-stars in left tackle Terry Thesen and left guard Nathan Heide along with standout centre Jordan Hydomako.

    Those three departures were more than monster size to say the least.

    During Sunday’s regular season opening 40-13 romp over the Winnipeg Rifles at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Hilltops new look offensive line didn’t skip a beat helping the host side pile up 435 yards of offence including 220 yard along the ground and 215 yards through the air.

    Tyler Hoath and Drayke Unger were back as starters but in new positions. Hoath moved from right tackle to left tackle, while Unger switched from right guard to left guard. Kirk Simonsen is the new starter at right tackle, Jack Sloboda takes over at right guard and Cord Ivanco handles the duties at centre.

Hilltops RB Logan Fischer had lots of running thanks to the O-line's work.

    They played as a fairly cohesive unit opening big holes for the Hilltops large stable to tailbacks and ensured starting quarterback Jared Andreychuk and backup signal callers Jordan Walls and Tyler Hermann all had comfortable days in the pocket. The Hilltops did not surrender any sacks during their opener.

    The fact the offensive line jelled so well maybe shouldn’t have been that big of a surprise, and it comes as a testament to the work put in by Hilltops offensive line coach Donnie Davidsen. This year the O-line is also getting additional tutelage from first year coach and former Hilltops player Chris Mercer.

    Also, Simonsen is in his third year with the team, while Ivanco is in his fourth year. Both worked hard as reserves and they are taking advantage of their time to shine as starters. Sloboda moved over to the Hilltops from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team, so he also has the experience of being a seasoned post-secondary player.

    As a unit, the Hilltops O-line was also athletic and mobile, and they allowed offensive coordinator Sheldon Ball utilize a fairly wide open game plan.

Hilltops QB Jared Andreychuk was protected well by his O-line.

    The Rifles played the Hilltops tough as Sunday’s contest was scoreless after the first quarter. Just 45 seconds into the second quarter, Andreychuk hit Ryan Turple with a 67-yard touchdown strike to get the Toppers rolling.

    Saskatoon went up 14-0, when Andreychuk hit defensive lineman Dylan Buckle with a four-yard toss on a gadget roll out play. Buckle was playing tight end in a jumbo set when he hauled in Andreychuk’s pass.

    Just a short time after those scores, the Hilltops defence added to the outburst, when linebacker Adam Benkic returned a fumble 22 yards for a major score to put the hosts up 21-0. James Vause proceeded to boot two field goals to put the Hilltops up 27-0 at halftime and the host side cruised on the scoreboard from there.

    In the second half, Vause hit another field goal, Andreychuk hit third year receiver Sam Mike for a TD strike and rookie receiver Rylan Kleiter booted his first career field goal to round out Saskatoon’s scoring.

    Rifles quarterback Jamie Ybarra Jr. hit receiver Ian Lee for a six-yard scoring toss and tailback Micheal Ritchott ran in a major from 19 yards out to account for Winnipeg’s points.

Hilltops rookie RB Joshua Ewanchyna found lanes to cruise through.

    Andreychuk completed 8-of-19 passes for 193 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for the Hilltops. Logan Fischer rolled off 133 yards rushing on 20 carries for Saskatoon.

    Ybarra Jr. completed 22 of 35 passes for 262 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

    The Rifles turned the ball over six times, while the Hilltops didn’t have any giveaways.

    The Hilltops return to action this coming Sunday, when they travel to Edmonton to take on the Huskies (0-1).

    In Saskatoon’s season opening win, there were bumps which has to be expected at this point in the year. If the Hilltops offensive line can keep rolling, the venerable CJFL club’s quest to win a third straight Canadian Bowl and a sixth league title in seven years becomes much more attainable.

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