Pats might stumble at the start of 100th anniversary season

The Pats salute their fans after falling in the WHL finals.

    The Regina Pats had a dream season in 2016-17, but they might not have a dream start in 2017-18.

    Last season, the historic Pats, who are the oldest major junior hockey franchise in the world, hit heights they haven’t seen for a long time. They topped the WHL’s regular season standings for the first time since 1974 posting a 52-12-7-1 record.

    They were rated first in the Canadian Hockey League’s top 10 rankings for most of the campaign and topped the final ratings released on March 22.

    They made their first appearance in the WHL’s Eastern Conference championship series since 1993 and knocked off the Lethbridge Hurricanes 4-2 in a best-of-seven set. The Pats made the WHL Championship series for the first time since 1984, but fell 4-2 in the best-of-seven set to the Seattle Thunderbirds. Thunderbirds import centre Alexander True scored the overtime winner in Game 6 of the WHL title series to give his side a 4-3 victory in that contest.

    While the WHL title eluded the Pats, they had a roster that seemed full of super heroes last season, who delivered tonnes of thrills. When the Pats embark on their 100^th anniversary season in 2017-18 which will see them host the 100^th Memorial Cup championship tournament in May of 2018, they might start the campaign minus as many as 11 faces from last year’s powerhouse squad.

    That number doesn’t include backup goalie Jordan Hollett, who was traded to the Medicine Hat Tigers in May.

The Pats lost superstar captain Adam Brooks to graduation.

    The Pats open rookie camp on Monday in Regina with registration for rookie players.

    Superstar captain Adam Brooks, skilled left-winger Dawson Leedahl and sound defensive defenceman Chase Harrison were all lost to graduation due to being overage players last season. It was inevitable they would leave big holes.

    In theory, Filip Ahl and Sergey Zborovskiy could return both taking up spots as an import player and an overage player. Ahl had a standout lone WHL season in 2016-17 collecting 28 goals and 20 assists in 54 regular season games, but he has signed a one-year professional contract Orebro HK in his home country of Sweden, which means he is out of the picture for next season.

    Zborovskiy, who is from Russia, has an NHL entry-level contract inked with the New York Rangers, and he can be assigned to any of the farm clubs the Rangers have in the minor professional ranks due to being a 20-year-old.

    With those developments, the Pats selected two players in the CHL Import Draft at the end of June in Russian defenceman Yegor Zamula, who is entering his 17-year-old season, and Finnish forward Emil Oksanen, who is entering his 19-year-old season. Both have big shoes to fill in trying to replace Ahl and Zborovskiy.

Jake Leschyshyn is still recovering from an ACL tear injury.

    Another questionable returnee is star defenceman Connor Hobbs, who is entering his overage season. Hobbs has an NHL entry-level contract signed with the Washington Capitals, and he looks more than ready to play at the next level. If he doesn’t make the Capitals, Hobbs can be assigned to any of Washington’s minor league affiliates.

    The Pats could be without WHL scoring champion Sam Steel, who had 50 goals, 81 assists and a plus-49 rating in the plus-minus department in 66 regular season games last season. The superstar centre has an NHL entry-level contract inked with the Anaheim Ducks, and he appears to be ready to play in the NHL.

    With Steel going into his 19-year-old season, the Ducks have to assign him back to the Pats, if he doesn’t make the NHL squad.

    Offensive defenceman Josh Mahura is in the same boat as Steel. Mahura also has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Ducks, but entering his 19-year-old season, the talented rearguard has to be assigned back to the Pats, if he doesn’t make the Ducks NHL roster.

Nick Henry (#21) is recovering from a torn labrum injury.

    Mahura has only played one full campaign since returning from a serious knee injury that sidelined him for 70 regular season games in 2015-16, when he was still with the Red Deer Rebels. The Pats acquired Mahura from the Rebels on WHL trade deadline day back on Jan. 10. Odds are high Mahura will be back with the Pats for another WHL campaign, but he might not be in Regina at the start of the season.

    Centre Jake Leschyshyn, who was selected in the second round and 62^nd overall in June’s NHL Entry Draft by the Las Vegas Golden Knights, is still recovering from tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in one of his knees in a WHL game on Feb. 3. It is touch and go as to whether he will be ready when the Pats open their regular season on Sept. 22 with a match against the Wheat Kings in Brandon.

Austin Wagner (#27) is healing from a torn labrum and dislocate bicep injury.

    Right-winger Nick Henry, who had a spectacular rookie campaign with the Pats, underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder in late June. Henry, who was selected in the fourth round and 94^th overall in last June’s NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche, could be out four to sixth months, which means a possible return could occur near the end of October or the end of December.

    Speedy left-winger Austin Wagner, who is entering his overage season, underwent major surgery in early June to repair a torn labrum and dislocated bicep tendon. He is expected to take about six months to recover, which means his return might happen in mid to late December.

Sam Steel (#23) might stick with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks.

    Wagner does have an NHL entry-level contact signed with the Los Angeles Kings, but it is uncertain the Kings will trigger the first year of that deal by bringing him into the professional ranks due to his injury situation. He might be returned to the Pats but would still miss a sizable chunk of the WHL campaign.

    The injuries to Henry and Wagner show what a grind the WHL playoffs can be and how much heart the Pats had to get to the point they were two wins away from winning their first league title since 1980.

    At the moment, the Pats are looking at possibly opening their regular season schedule without any returning players from their top two lines last season and the starting centre from their third line. It should also be noted that teams hosting the Memorial Cup often get players returned to their rosters by NHL clubs who might normally be kept in the professional ranks.

Connor Hobbs might stay in the pros in the Washington Capitals system.

    NHL clubs regularly return players to major junior teams hosting the Memorial Cup championship tournament, because those returnees gain experience playing important post-season games in May. That traditional development might see the Pats get Hobbs, Steel and Mahura back on their roster.

    Regina holds the major junior rights to standout centre Tyson Jost, who will enter his 19-year-old season. Jost played last season with the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks men’s team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and he appeared in six NHL regular season games after signing an NHL entry-level contract on March 29 with the Colorado Avalanche. He scored one goal during his six games with the Avalanche.

    Due to signing with the Avalanche, Jost can’t return to the Fighting Hawks next season, but the Avalanche can assign him to an AHL affiliate because he was drafted from the junior A ranks in British Columbia.

Goalie Tyler Brown might have to keep the Pats in games early in 2017-18.

    The Avalanche selected Jost in the first round and 10^th overall in 2016 NHL Entry Draft, and they are expected to give Jost every chance to stay with the big club for the upcoming season.

    The Pats still have two big keys in their favour in the fact John Paddock is still the club’s head coach and general manager and Dave Struch is still an assistant coach and assistant general manager. Paddock has the skill to quickly strengthen the Pats via the trade route.

    In May, he already started doing just that acquiring star centre Matthew Bradley, who is entering his overage season, in a deal with the Medicine Hat Tigers in a deal that saw Hollett move to “the Gas City.” Bradley recorded 34 goals, 43 assists and a plus-23 rating in 70 regular season games with the Tigers last season.

    Struch has built a reputation for being a stellar coach who is strong at building up a player’s confidence.

The Pats want to enjoy more post-season celebrations like this in 2018.

    The Pats will return star netminder Tyler Brown as an overager. The Winnipeg, Man., product will provide the ability to keep the Pats in games during the early going as the rest of the club’s roster takes shape.

    As the 2017-18 season progresses, the Pats might build a roster that is as equally as good as the one from last season and be a contender for a WHL league title and a Memorial Cup title as CHL champions.

    At the moment in the early going, it looks like the rest of the WHL will be looking forward to encounters with a Pats team that will be weaker than the squad that hit the ice last season.

    Fans in Regina will have to be patient at the start of the 2017-18 campaign, if it is bumpy, and they might get a better appreciation for how special 2016-17 was.

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

“Sarge” won’t let Hilltops be complacent

Hilltops HC Tom Sargeant tells it like it is.

    You have to love how Tom Sargeant doesn’t let anything slide with his Saskatoon Hilltops.

    Last Saturday, the Hilltops opened their Canadian Junior Football League regular season schedule with a 37-20 victory over the Thunder at new Mosaic Stadium in Regina. The victory was powered by the Hilltops scoring 21 points off turnovers. Besides those points, Saskatoon scored another seven points thanks to driving a shorter field due to a short Thunder punt caused by a mishandled snap.

    Sargeant, who is the Hilltops head coach, was more concerned after the contest by numerous errors committed by his side. It is common for the opening day game in any sports league to be bumpy for many reasons like the nervousness of new players or returning players getting used to new roles. Participating teams also have to get used to playing in meaningful contests again for the first time in about nine months.

    While many squads could write off a bad performance on opening day to any of those reasons, Sargeant, who has guided the Hilltops to 10 CJFL titles as head coach, wouldn’t use any of those points to take a backdoor out.

    He has a standard of wanting his team to achieve perfection each time they hit the field, and the veteran sideline boss wasn’t happen with what he saw especially with the large number of penalties the Hilltops took in the first half in Saturday’s win.
    Overall, the Hilltops took 16 penalties for 124 yards in the win over the Thunder.

    “It is not expected at all,” said Sargeant, whose club has won the last three straight CJFL titles. “It is bad coaching.

    “I saw a lot of things I don’t coach I don’t want to see. I guarantee I can’t wait to get back to business and set the tone for my expectations of how we play each and every opportunity we get when we put this uniform on.

    “This is not tolerated. You look over the last six or seven years, we’ve always been the team that has been penalized the least. That is certainly not how we played tonight.”

    You have to love the fact Sargeant expects his team to play at a high standard right out of the gate, and he tells it like it is, when he doesn’t see what he wants to see. It is also great to see the first thing he said was the coaches need to do a better job.

Hilltops HC Tom Sargeant, left, checks out a replay at new Mosaic Stadium.

    Sargeant has always been great at holding everyone accountable including himself. If he feels he didn’t do well enough in his role, he will tell you that.

    That is one of the reasons he will go down in history as one of the best coaches that has ever worked in the amateur football ranks in Saskatchewan.
    If there was a Mount Rushmore for football coaches from Saskatchewan’s amateur ranks, Sargeant would be on there with former Regina Rams head coach in the late Gord Currie, who is in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, former University of Saskatchewan Huskies head coach Brian Towriss, who will enter the Canadian Football Hall of Fame on Sept. 14, and former Rams head coach Frank McCrystal, who should be in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

    Sargeant is backed by a solid coaching staff and a strong leadership group within the Hilltops players. They all know the team has to keep improving. The Hilltops have done that throughout their past, and they will get better as the season goes on.

    “We can’t rest on anything like this today,” said Sargeant. “We have to move on.

    “We have to improve and get better. That is what my coaching staff and players are going to do.”

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

Fans give Toppers new Mosaic memory

The Hilltops meet their fans in the stands at new Mosaic Stadium.

    The Saskatoon Hilltops had to have come away from Saturday’s win with a new appreciation for how great their fans are.

    The Hilltops were making their first visit to Regina’s new state of the art facility on Saturday, and a healthy contingent of supporters followed them down to the provincial capital. When the Hilltops were introduced, they ran out on to the field with a really loud ovation that seemed to catch the team a bit off guard.
    “It was unreal,” said defensive back Logan Kelsey-Stern. “There are no other words that can describe it.
    “It was just unreal how nice it was.”

    When you looked into the stands, it seemed a large number of the 1,947 spectators in attendance were wearing Saskatoon’s blue and gold colours. It seemed like at least 800 to 900 of the fans were from Saskatoon. Many in the group were family and friends of the players, coaches and staff.

    New Mosaic Stadium seats 33,350, but due to how the facility is constructed, it holds noise in. When a group of 900 people cheers, it sounds a lot louder in that park than it does in any other park.

    The Saskatoon supporters could be heard throughout the game when the Hilltops made big plays. After the final seconds ticked away on the Hilltops 37-20 victory over the host Regina Thunder, the Saskatoon supporters lined the stands on the west side of the stadium.

    The Hilltops greeted their supporters after the contest, and the scene resembled the site of when the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders win a West Final on the road.
    “It makes it fun,” said Hilltops running back Adam Machart. “You come in here, and this is where the pros play.
    “It almost gives you a little bit of a kick in the butt, because you know you have to play where the big dogs play.”

    The interactions with the fans definitely made the Hilltops first visit to new Mosaic Stadium that much more memorable.

TV time would be great

Games between the Hilltops and Thunder have been great for Regina TV.

    Road trips to Regina mark the one time annually the Saskatoon Hilltops get to be on television, but you have to live in Regina or southern Saskatchewan to see them on television.

    Access 7 in Regina broadcasts all the Thunder’s home games, and they are available to any household that has Access 7 as their cable provider. Unfortunately, Access 7 doesn’t exist in Saskatoon, which means the people in “the Bridge City” don’t get to see those Hilltops visits to Regina on television. Hilltops home games aren’t aired on television locally in Saskatoon.

    Besides the fact Saskatoon residents don’t get to see the Hilltops win in Regina even on a tape delay basis, they missed seeing the thrilling comeback wins the Toppers manufactured in Regina in 2015 and 2016.

    About 20 years ago, local cable outlets seemed more inclined to share game broadcasts. The local Shaw station in Saskatoon could get tapes of Hilltops game broadcasts from Regina or other locations.

    That doesn’t happen anymore, which is too bad. Saskatoon residents would have loved to have seen those Hilltops game broadcasts that were done in Regina.

Kleiter more active in all trades

Rylan Kleiter boots a punt for the Hilltops.

    Multi-sport athlete Rylan Kleiter is talking on a larger role with the Saskatoon Hilltops in his second year with the team.

    In the Hilltops 37-20 win over the Thunder in Regina on Saturday, Kleiter handled all the punting and kickoff duties with the team. The graduate of Saskatoon’s St. Joseph High School took regular reps on offence as a receiver. On the kicking front, he was booming the football downfield.

    As a rookie last season, Kleiter, who stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 160 pounds, saw limited reps on all fronts. He turned heads in the Prairie Football Conference final last October catching a pair of touchdowns in the Hilltops 43-31 victory over the Calgary Colts at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

    Besides being talented at football, Kleiter is establishing himself as a rising star in the sport of curling. This past curling season, he skipped a foursome to the Saskatchewan under-18 title and junior title representing the Saskatoon Sutherland Curling Club.

    You can be sure he would love to be part of another Hilltops CJFL title win and follow that up claiming another Saskatchewan junior curling championship.

Burt new face with Huskies

    On Monday, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies named Shawn Burt as the program’s new chief athletics officer.

    The role is a new one in Huskie Athletics and it mostly replaces athletic director position that was held by Basil Hughton, who officially retired on June 30. The position will be geared more to focusing on the business side of the Huskies program. Burt will start in his new role on Sept. 1.

    The Huskie Athletics Board of Trustees approved the unanimous recommendation of a hiring committee that conducted a national search for the chief athletics officer position. Burt will oversee the daily operation of the athletic department.

    The 46-year-old comes to Huskie Athletics most recently from The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation in Toronto, Ont., where he was the chief hockey officer. The Kleinburg, Ont., product built from the ground up Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer, which raised $16-million over six years and set two official Guinness World Records. He also worked with Ryerson University, IMG Canada Limited and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Limited.

    Burt earned his bachelor of arts from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. At Dartmouth College, Burt played centre for the school’s Big Green men’s hockey team for four seasons from 1989 to 1993.

    On an interesting side note, Dartmouth College is also the alma mater of Sarah (Howald) Hodges, who is the long time veteran head coach of the University of Regina Cougars women’s hockey team. Hodges was a star forward for the Big Green women’s hockey team from 1992 to 1996 piling up 75 goals and 71 assists in 113 career games.

Stars players to represent Canada in exhibition series

Mackenna Parker will play for Canada in an under-18 exhibition series.

    The Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA hockey team will be well represented at an international exhibition series at Lake Placid, New York.

    Defender Willow Slobodzian and forwards Mackenna Parker and Grace Shirley will play for Hockey Canada’s under-18 women’s team that will face the United States under-18 women’s team in a three game set on Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

    Slobodzian, who just graduated from Clavet High School, had six goals and 21 assists in 28 regular season games last season for the Stars. She will play for the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Cornell University Big Red women’s hockey team in Ithaca, New York, in the upcoming season.

    Parker topped the Stars in scoring last season piling up 24 goals and 20 assists in 28 regular season games, and Shirley was second in team scoring with 21 goals and 16 assists in 28 regular season games. Both will return to the Stars for the upcoming campaign.

    That trio will be joined on the 24-player Canadian team by defender Taylor Kirwan of the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats. Last season Kirwan recorded three goals and 10 assists in 19 regular season games.

    Slobodzian, Parker, Shirley and Kirwan were selected for the Canadian roster after attending a selection camp that concluded on Sunday in Calgary that was part of Hockey Canada’s National Teams’ Summer Showcase.

    Following the series, Hockey Canada will track players that participated in the exhibition series with their respective regular teams before naming the roster that will play for Canada at the under-18 women’s world championships, which will be held Jan. 6-13, 2018 in Dmitrov, Russia.

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

Hilltops cash in on Thunder errors at new Mosaic Stadium

Defending CJFL champs show rough spots in 37-20 win

Running back Adam Machart (#20) rumbles downfield for the Hilltops.

    REGINA – In the face of victory, Tom Sargeant could only think about how his Saskatoon Hilltops could get better.

    On Saturday night a new Mosaic Stadium, the Hilltops scored 21 points off turnovers to down their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder 37-20 before 1,947 spectators in the regular season opener for both clubs. Sargeant, who is in his 20^th season as the Hilltops head coach, saw way too many things he didn’t like out of his three-time defending Canadian Junior Football League champions.

    The sideline boss saw too many missed tackles and felt his side really didn’t get out of the blocks executing their game plan.

    “At the end of the day, I am happy we won but not happy in our performance or play,” said Sargeant. “We took a lot of undisciplined penalties that didn’t help us.

Logan Kelsey-Stern returns an interception for the Hilltops.

    “There are a lot of things I am not happy about. The way I coach it is always about we got to get better tomorrow. I can’t wait to get going.”

    The Hilltops took a number of penalties in the first quarter of Saturday’s game, which stalled any momentum the team tried to build. In total, the Hilltops were penalized 16 times for 124 yards on the  night.
    The visitors exited the first 15 minutes holding a 1-0 lead thanks to a single point scored off a 32-yard missed field goal attempt by safely/kicker James Vause.

    Early in the second quarter, the host Thunder grabbed momentum, when defensive lineman Matthew Williams intercepted a pass that deflected off a Hilltops receiver and returned the ball deep into the Saskatoon end.

    Regina star quarterback Sawyer Buettner capped a short scoring drive with a one-yard sneak run to give the Thunder a 6-1 lead. The Hilltops blocked the ensuing extra point attempt to prevent Regina’s lead from growing to six points.

    A short time after that major score, the Hilltops conceded a safety when they were pinned deep in their end on third down to give the Thunder an 8-1 lead. From that point, Regina started to make errors that were costly, and two of them helped Saskatoon score 21 consecutive points to pull ahead 22-8 by halftime.

Hilltops linebacker Adam Benkic takes down a Thunder receiver.

    The first error saw Thunder receiver/punter Kristopher Calcutt mishandle a long snap on a punt deep in his own end. He wasn’t able to get the kick away and was tackled by the Hilltops special teams unit to force a turnover on downs.

    The Hilltops quickly drove 26 yards and tied the contest up 8-8 on a four yard rushing touchdown by star running back Logan Fischer.

    Saskatoon went ahead 15-8, when quarterback Jordan Walls hit fullback Colin Stumborg for a short three-yard touchdown pass in the flat.

    Following that score, the Thunder made their second critical error before halftime, when a pass from Buettner deflected off the hands of Hilltops defensive back Colton Holmes into the hands of Holmes’s teammate Logan Kelsey-Stern near midfield. Kelsey-Stern returned the pick to the Regina 22 yard line.

Quarterback Jordan Walls dives into the end zone for a Hilltops touchdown.

    From there, the Hilltops completed a short scoring drive going ahead 22-8 on a two-yard diving touchdown run by Walls.

    Kelsey-Stern was pumped to make the interception off the tip noting that type of play usually had a different result at Hilltops practice, when the team’s offensive and defensive units scrimmage.

    “At practice, Colton (Holmes) will tip it up, and generally our receivers catch it,” said Kelsey-Stern. “This time, I got it, so it was unreal.

    “It is always good coming to Regina and winning.”

    Regina cut the Saskatoon lead to 22-14 near the midway point of the third quarter, when Thunder running back Ethan Hautz ran in a major score from one-yard out. Saskatoon again blocked the ensuing point after attempt to prevent the Thunder from cutting the gap further.

Hilltops receiver Jason Price zips downfield on a 38-yard touchdown catch.

    Early in the fourth quarter, the Thunder drove into the Hilltops end again but turned the ball over on downs at the Saskatoon 25 yard line. The Hilltops proceeded to dive 85 yards the other way and went ahead 29-14, when Walls connected with receiver Jason Price on a 38-yard touchdown toss off a deep play-action pass.

    Saskatoon kicker Rylan Kleiter added a rouge on the ensuing kickoff to give the Hilltops a 30-14 lead.

    With 4:41 to play in the fourth quarter, the Hilltops sealed the win on a one-yard touchdown run from running back Adam Machart to go ahead 37-14. Machart, who is in his third season with the Hilltops, had an impressive training camp and played most of the second half at tailback in Saturday’s win ripping off a number of strong runs piling up 110 yards rushing on 15 carries.

Hilltops DB Jared Giddings, left, knocks down a Thunder pass attempt.

    The graduate of Saskatoon’s Centennial Collegiate said he believed he could make big plays as a tailback with the Hilltops but admitted he has found a new comfort level with the position this season.

    “I think it is more of a mental thing, a confidence thing,” said Machart. “You fix the little mistakes and get them out of your head and just play football and have fun with it again.

    “This year, it is fun again. I love it out there, and that makes it a lot easier to play when you are having fun.”

    Regina rounded out the scoring when Buettner hit Calcutt with a 13-yard touchdown toss with 32 seconds to play in fourth quarter. Including action in the regular season and playoffs, the Hilltops have won their last six head-to-head meetings with the Thunder.

The Hilltops defence closes in on Thunder QB Sawyer Buettner.

    Buettner threw for 327 yards for the Thunder, while Calcutt led the host side with 115 yards receiving. Defensive back Tyson Haubrich topped all Regina players with four tackles.
    Walls piled up 271 yards through the air completing 16 of 26 pass attempts, with two touchdown tosses and one interception for the Hilltops. Linebacker Cody Peters led Saskatoon with six tackles.
    The Thunder return to action this coming Saturday, when they host the Edmonton Wildcats (0-1) at 7 p.m. at new Mosaic Stadium.

    The Hilltops return to action on Sunday, Aug. 20, when they travel to Winnipeg to take on the Rifles (1-0) at 1 p.m. local time.
    Knowing the Rifles thumped the Sooners in Ottawa 51-0 on Saturday, Sargeant said his team needs to play a lot better in their upcoming game in Winnipeg to come away with another victory.

    Sargeant did see things he liked in his club’s win on Saturday.
    The sideline boss was pleased his side scored 21 points off turnovers, Machart ran hard with the ball and Walls and the offensive line improved as the game went on.

The Hilltops meet their fans in the stands after Saturday’s win.

    With that said, Sargeant has a standard where he wants his Hilltops to do everything as perfectly as possible. He believes his players have the potential to play way better than they did on Saturday, and he said the coaches have to help the players reach their potential.

    “The sky is the limit for this team,” said Sargeant. “The growth potential of this team is high. It is exciting. I can’t wait to make them better.”

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

Hilltops need to be themselves for fourth straight CJFL title push

The Hilltops celebrate their Canadian Bowl win in 2015.

    The Saskatoon Hilltops don’t need to reinvent the wheel in their quest to win a fourth straight Canadian Junior Football League title.

    For the third time in team history, the Hilltops sit in a rare spot of trying to become the first team ever to win four straight CJFL titles. Considering the league dates back to 1908 with its national championship game, it shows just how tough trying to win four straight junior football national championships can be.

    The Hilltops won three straight championships at two other points in their history. The first run came from 2001 to 2003 and the second occurred from 2010 to 2012.

    In both instances, Saskatoon’s runs were derailed by rivals from the Prairie Football Conference. The Hilltops dropped a 29-10 decision in the 2004 PFC to the Edmonton Huskies, and the Toppers fell 21-16 in the 2013 PFC final to the Regina Thunder. The Huskies in 2004 and the Thunder in 2013 moved on to win the CJFL title in each of those respective years.

Luke Melnyk (#16) knocks down a pass at the Hilltops Alumni Game.

    While it would be quite the accomplishment for the Hilltops to ultimately succeed in their third attempt to win four straight CJFL championships, the team can’t dwell on that end goal. In order to get to that end goal, the Hilltops have to be themselves.

    That means they have to approach this season much like they have every season in the past. They have to focus on what they have to do to get better each day in the present and enjoy what is happening on that day. Before the players, coaches, team staffers and directors know it, the club’s end of the year banquet will be here and everyone will be reflecting on the season that was.

    The Hilltops open the regular season on Saturday, when they travel to Regina to face the Thunder at 7 p.m. at new Mosaic Stadium. The Canadian Bowl won’t be handed out when that game concludes.

    With that said, the season opener with the Thunder provides a lot of factors in the present that should be enjoyed. This game will mark the first time both squads play a regular season game at the new state of the art football facility in Regina, which is home to the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Jordan Walls is the Hilltops new starting QB.

    When the Hilltops ventured to Regina to play at Taylor Field, which was the Roughriders old home park, those games had extra meaning because the stadium was home to the province’s CFL franchise.

    The Hilltops have defeated the Thunder five times in a row including the regular season and playoffs, but the end result of those head-to-head encounters have never been a given. Last year, the Hilltops took their three encounters with the Thunder by a combined margin of victory of seven points.

    The matches between the Hilltops and Thunder have always been great rivalry games. For this week, all the Hilltops should be focused on is playing the Thunder in a spectacular new facility. Those factors alone should get players excited to play.

    Next week, the Hilltops focus will turn to what they have to do each day leading up to their road game on Aug. 20 against the Rifles in Winnipeg.

    Besides focusing on and having fun with football related tasks, the team should soak in all the social times in the dressing room, on bus trips, in hotels and restaurants. Players should enjoy things like hanging out on off days or telling fun stories during radio appearances leading up to home games. 

    Those are all times that will be remembered forever, and they make the journey in pushing for a championship all that more meaningful.

The Hilltops defence is filled with a lot of playmakers.

    The Hilltops have followed this approach for their existence and it has resulted in 19 CJFL championships. Their best chance to win a fourth straight title is doing what they have always done. Ultimately, it will be good enough or it won’t be.

    The team has a great coaching staff led by head coach Tom Sargeant, who has experienced 13 of the team’s CJFL championship victories as either a player, assistant coach or head coach.

    Saskatoon has a new starting quarterback in fourth-year veteran Jordan Walls, who is more than ready to lead the offence. 

    They have numerous key returnees on offence including receivers Sam Mike, Ryan Turple and Jason Price, running backs Logan Fischer and Adam Machart and offensive linemen Jack Sloboda and Kirk Simonsen.

Adam Machart (#20) gives the Hilltops big depth at running back.

    The Hilltops have playmakers all over the place on defence including defensive lineman Tom Schnitzler, linebackers Cody Peters, Bobby Ehman and Cameron Schnitzler and defensive backs Luke Melnyk, Logan Bitz and James Vause.

    Traditionally, the Hilltops have been great as being a next-man-up team, so you know there roster is loaded with players waiting for their chance to step up.

    As the season goes on, the Hilltops will no doubt encounter people asking about their quest to win a fourth straight CJFL. 

    The 2017 Canadian Bowl will be played on Nov. 11 at the home of the champion of the Ontario Football Conference, but that is still a long ways off when you look at the season as a whole.

    The championship chase questions can be answered respectfully, but the Hilltops should always throw in they also want to enjoy the present day for what it is.

Sports reporters better off working for teams

Saskatoon Blades HC Dean Brockman takes part in a media scrum.

    Thanks to the shrinking mainstream media world, anyone that has recently graduated from a journalism program looking to pursue covering sports or is working for a mainstream media outlet covering sports is well advised to consider working for a team, league or sports body.

    On Tuesday, Gregg Drinnan mentioned on his Taking Note blog that he thought it was only a matter of time before major junior teams all go the route of hiring journalists to produce media content on their websites. Drinnan said that statements on a recent appearance on the WHL Unfiltered podcast noting all teams and leagues from the WHL upwards are going to have to go that route.

    I agree with Drinnan.

    For my own experience, I find it is becoming more common to show up at sports events and realize I am the only one there visible on site doing any reporting on that event. NHL and CFL events are still the exception to that observation.

    NFL teams have employed journalists to produce media contest since the late 1990s. Since that time, most other major professional sports leagues have followed the NFL’s lead.

    During my travels, I have advised two young media professionals, who were with the mainstream media, to seek jobs with teams or leagues. Those two young professionals took that advice, and one is employed by a team and the other a league.

    Recently, I sent an ad for an NHL media job opening to a friend, who parted ways with a mainstream media outlet at the end of June.

    As far as notable moves are concerned, the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders turned heads when they hired Ian Hamilton during the off-season. The elite veteran sports journalist parted ways with the Regina Leader-Post late last year. Hamilton’s presence has greatly increased the quality of the Roughriders website with his stories.

    In September of last year, Taylor Rocca, who was one of the best young print sports journalists in Canada, joined the WHL as its communications coordinator leaving the Cranbrook Townsman. In June, he was promoted to be the WHL’s manager of communications.

    Rocca turned heads in Saskatchewan producing a large number of outstanding stories, when he worked as a sports reporter for Kindersley based Jamac Publishing from June 2013 to May 2014.

    Just to be clear, I didn’t have any influence regarding the decisions Hamilton and Rocca made.

    I believe all major junior teams and U Sports athletic programs are going to have to employ their own professional reporters, if they want to continue to stay attached to the communities they reside in. On the U Sports front, that might require a minimum of two or three staffers depending on the size of the athletic department.

    With budget challenges Canadian university athletic programs face, that might be a difficult thing to ask for, but I believe ultimately that will be something that has to come to pass sooner than later.

    In my experience, I feel the will to cover the happenings in U Sports has greatly dwindled in mainstream media outlets in Canada and much faster than the will to cover major junior hockey. That is saying something considering the exposure major junior hockey gets is a shadow of what it once was.

    Working for teams, leagues or sports bodies is the way for reporters to go, if they want to have a career.

Back in the Express with the Tyndall brothers

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express this week with a feature story on brothers Wyatt, Mitch and Jesse Tyndall, who all excel in the sport of gymnastics.

    Wyatt is heading into his third season is the National Collegiate Athletic Association ranks with Penn State. Mitch is set to join the University of Nebraska men’s gymnastics team. Jesse is entering Grade 12 and is starting to hear from universities in the United States.

    Their mother, Janice, was a member of the University of Minnesota women’s gymnastics team for one season as a walk-on athlete. She helped coach the three boys for a lengthy time.

    The story on the Tyndall brothers can be found here.

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

When Shultz stirred the pot between Raiders and Blades

The Prince Albert Raiders logo in 2004.

    Tanner Shultz loved returning to his hometown of Prince Albert as the villain when he played for the Saskatoon Blades.

    Shultz, who used to be the pest/agitator for the Blades from 2002 to 2004, came to mind when Gregg Drinnan, who is “the man” when it comes to covering the WHL, and Blades beloved play-by-play voice Les Lazaruk recently made an appearance on the WHL Unfiltered podcast. Both Drinnan and Lazaruk told some colourful stories from their time covering the circuit, and Shultz sprung to my mind with a memory in regards to the rivalry between the Blades and the Prince Albert Raiders.

    When Shultz was a member of the Blades, he returned to Prince Albert during the summer months to work and play on the city’s top midget fastpitch team. One night after one of his fastpitch games in the summer of 2003, we socialized and talked hockey. At the time, I was working as a sports reporter for the Prince Albert Daily Herald.

    Shultz, who stood 6-foot-1 and weighed 185 pounds, said that I should call him and interview him at some point during the upcoming season before the Blades were to clash with the Raiders. He said he would love the chance to trash talk the Raiders and stir the pot.

The Saskatoon Blades logo in 2004.

    In January of 2004, I decided to pursue that idea. The two teams were to meet in a home-and-home series opening with a clash on Friday, Jan. 30 in Prince Albert and concluding Saturday, Jan. 31 in Saskatoon.

    The Raiders were having a good season sporting a 29-16-4-3 record at that time. The Blades were last in the entire WHL at 6-34-11.

    Shultz had built more than a nice reputation for being loose lipped. I found out afterwards that before being fired earlier in season Blades head coach Kevin Dickie told the pest centre to be silent. That order never seemed to be followed.

    Mike Jenkins, who is now the development and marketing officer for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, was the Blades director of marketing back then, and he was one of those who was always open to doing something colourful to sell tickets. During Jenkins time with the Blades, the team held tailgate type parties before some games at a time when that wasn’t a regular occurrence in the WHL.

    When the Raiders came to Saskatoon one night, he had a “Pound P.A.” promo going, where fans could pay two-dollars to get a sledgehammer swing at a car done up in Raiders markings. The money raised went to the Blades education fund.

    Before the January 2004 home-and-home series, I called Jenkins up looking to talk to Shultz. Jenkins proceeded to give me Shultz’s billet home phone number. While Jenkins might deny it, I am pretty certain he knew the direction the interview would go on the colourful front, and it would create interest in the games.

    On a side note, Jenkins would likely get in big trouble if he did something like this on the Huskies front in the current day.

    Anyways, I get Shultz on the phone at his billet home, and he did his part. He said he really loved to get under the skin of the Raiders and he felt he could easily annoy Raiders left-winger Dane Byers and defenceman Chris Schlenker, who now works in the NHL as a referee.

    “I will try and get everyone (off of their game), but there is a couple of guys I really don’t like,” said Shultz, who was 19-years-old that season. “I will probably get in a couple of fights this weekend to make the games a bit more interesting.

    “Maybe Schlenker and Byers,” Shultz added with a chuckle. “I really don’t like that Byers. Maybe he will be ready to go this weekend.

    “I am always up for it. Sometimes, he bails out a bit. Maybe he will step up this weekend.”

    When he played at the Raiders home rink that was known as the Comuniplex at that time, Shultz went on to say he was at his happiest when the Prince Albert players, coaches, management, fans and maybe even the concession workers are upset with him. Before playing for the Blades, Shultz gained practice returning home to Prince Albert as the enemy playing midget AAA for the Saskatoon Contacts, who are still huge rivals with the Prince Albert Mintos.

    “Coming home, it is a lot more fun,” said Shultz. “You try to get the crowd on you and stuff, and it is pretty fun.

    “They are kind of harsh toward me, but that is the way I like it. I am not going to really complain about it.”

    After finishing the story, I decided the Raiders shouldn’t be tipped off as to what was said. I figured it would be best to run the story on the Friday the day of the first game and see what happens.

    Greg Nicholson, who covered sports for an extended time in Prince Albert and was a Daily Herald desker, edited and laid out my story that night. He knew Shultz’s family well.

    When he check out my story, Nicholson said, “I wonder what his (Shultz’s) mother is going to say?”

    At that time, the Prince Albert Daily Herald hit the streets at 11 a.m., and on one of the coldest days and nights of the year, that story was the talk of the town. From what I heard, one of the alums brought a copy of the story into the Raiders coaches office for then head coach Peter Anholt and assistant coach Dave Manson, who is currently an associate coach with the club, to see. That happened shortly after the time the paper hit the streets.

    On the weather front, the night was so cold that people likely shouldn’t have been venturing out of their home, but 2,341 fans turned out to the Comuniplex, which could seat 2,857 spectators in the old Smarty Box seats that were in the building back then.

    Just 47 seconds into the contest and right after the puck was dropped for the game’s second faceoff, Shultz and Schlenker were on the ice, dropped their gloves and took off their helmets to duke it out. That would be classified as a staged fight and is no longer legal in the WHL. The two combatants threw bombs at each other for a good 45 seconds until the officials broke up the bout in what was one of the better fights of the season.

    The Raiders won the game 4-0 to lock up a playoff berth with Prince Albert netminder Rejean Beauchemin making 25 saves to collect the shutout. The contest had six fights in total including a second confrontation between Shultz and Schlenker and 138 minutes in penalties. Chris Savage was the referee for that contest, and years later, he would be one of the big influences that got Schlenker into officiating.

    Anholt cut to chase right away in the post-game interview.

    “Our guys read the paper and I think they understand some things were said,” said Anholt. “I thought Schlenker really stepped up tonight and showed a lot of leadership.

    “I thought our team played real well tonight. I don’t think (the fights are) that big a deal.

    “We feel we have enough toughness on our team that we can handle anything that comes our way. I don’t think we should blow things out of proportion.”

    Schlenker was ready for battle after reading my story.

    “It is just incentive to fire another guy up,” said Schlenker. “Since the pre-game meal, that was all that I was thinking about. I cut the article out in my stall.

    “I don’t really see any need for someone to do that. It worked against him (Shultz). We pretty much took it to them out there tonight.”

    Shultz was pretty proud he stirred up the pot.

    “I know sometimes we come here, and it just feels like we are playing a team in the B.C. Division,” said Shultz. “It shouldn’t feel like that.

    “I am real proud of the young guys at the end. I think we had three 16-year-olds and a 17-year-old drop the gloves. It is about time.”

    One of the undercard bouts saw rookie forward Devin Setoguchi of the Blades and rookie defenceman Jeff May of the Raiders go at it. Setoguchi, who had recently turned 17 at the time, was more known as a goal scorer and wasn’t really a fighter during his WHL career that spanned four seasons closing with one campaign with the Prince George Cougars in 2006-07.

    He has played 516 NHL regular season games with the San Jose Sharks, Minnesota Wild, Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames and Los Angeles Kings.

    May, who was 16-years-old at the time, was known more as a rearguard that could supply some offence during his five WHL seasons, which concluded in 2008 with a short stint with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He went on to play in the minors and a couple of short stints in France. May has been out of professional hockey for a year.

    Courtney Gillies, who is the niece of former NHL standout Clark Gillies, shot pictures of the game that night. My standout co-worker and partner in crime on the sports beat in Prince Albert took some unreal photos of that first fight between Shultz and Schlenker. The deskers that night elected not to use them saying they were against promoting fighting in hockey, which was an odd sentiment in Prince Albert considering the Raiders rough and tumble traditional reputation.

    With the turnover in staff and the cuts in budget, I am pretty sure the photos from that night have likely disappeared into the abyss, which from a historical perspective is too bad. Media outlets all across Canada have dumped numerous pictures and rolls of video into the trash over the years due budget cuts that have caused a reduction in storage space.

    Shultz ultimately finished that season appearing in 69 regular season games with the Blades collecting six goals, four assists and 331 minutes in penalties. That was his last full season in the WHL as he concluded his major junior career with a one-game stint with the Kamloops Blazers in 2004-05.

    He eventually ended up in the U Sports ranks playing three seasons for the University of Regina Cougars men’s hockey team from 2007 to 2010. Shultz last played professional hockey with the Pensacola Ice Flyers in the Southern Professional Hockey League collecting 17 goals, 23 assists and 121 penalty minutes in 52 regular season games in 2010-11.

    The Raiders downed the Blades 5-2 before 4,512 spectators in what was then known as the Credit Union Centre to complete the home-and-home series the next night in Saskatoon. There were four fights and 72 minutes in penalties in that contest. Shultz and Byers had a bout in that game.

    Nights like that home-and-home series used to be a more common occurrence in the WHL. The league is more businesslike now as compared to then, which is due to how the game evolved over the years.

    With that said, it is still great to remember stories like this, which get lost over the years. For the younger generation, it gives a little glimpse of why the hockey rivalry between Saskatoon and Prince Albert at all levels can still get intense.

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

New Hilltops starting QB a student of the game

Walls groomed and ready to lead defending CJFL champs

Jordan Walls will lead the Hilltops as starting QB in 2017.

    Jordan Walls is pumped he will finally get the chance to apply what he has learned.

    For the last three seasons, Walls was the understudy to Saskatoon Hilltops starting quarterback Jared Andreychuk and watched Andreychuk build a legacy in the Canadian Junior Football League. Andreychuk led the Hilltops to three straight CJFL championships over the past three campaigns and posted a perfect 9-0 record in the post-season as a starting quarterback.

    Coming out of Saskatoon’s Tommy Douglas Collegiate, Walls was aware players don’t normally step in and become the starting quarterback with the Hilltops. He knew he could eventually be the starter one day, if he could learn and show what he learned in the chances he received in practices and games.

Jordan Walls drops back to pass.

    Walls admitted he had a pretty good role model to watch playing behind Andreychuk and was keenly watching the veteran signal caller in all situations.

    “He (Andreychuk) was always calm,” said Walls. “He never got too excited. He never got too down.

    “He handled himself in pressure moments very well. He just knew how to handle it and how to make the big time throws.

    “I think when you watch from the sideline you learn to see the game from a different view. You get to learn behind Jared (Andreychuk), which was good for me and good for my development. To have the reins now, I am excited to go.”

    At the Hilltops Alumni Game last season, Walls started that contest and gave a glimpse of what he could do. He threw the ball well all over the field and using his eyes to move defensive backs to get receivers open.

    It took a great play by defensive back Joel Lipinski, who is a former member of the University of Regina Rams and the Saskatchewan Roughriders, to get an interception off Walls. After Walls was pulled, the Alumni team stormed to a 41-10 victory.

    During the regular season in 2016, Walls completed 24 of 31 attempts for 245 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions stepping on the field during mop up duty.

    At the Hilltops Alumni Game on Thursday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, Walls showed solid command of the offence playing the first half, which the Alumni team won 16-14. The 21-year-old signal caller throws the ball with some good authority despite being smaller in stature standing 5-foot-9 and weighing 155 points.

Jordan Walls throws downfield on the run.

    Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said his team is pumped to have Walls leading the offence and his teammates rally around him.

    “We are excited,” said Sargeant. “Jordan is the guy. He has done everything that we’ve asked him to do.

    “He can make all the throws and all the reads, so now it is just game experience. He just got to keep playing. We have got to get him good situations and good calls.

    “He has to trust the calls. He has to trust himself, and he has to make the plays.”

    Sargeant said there are still some fine tuning things the coaching staff needs to help Walls out with. The veteran sideline boss is confident good things will result as constant improvement is made.

    “He (Walls) has a real strong arm and is accurate,” said Sargeant. “Our job is just to give him a better understanding of what he needs to do and how he needs to do it.
    “When that takes place, you’re going to see this offence blossom, and we anticipate making a lot of plays this year.”

    Walls, by his own admission, said he is working on his vision on the field.

Jordan Walls fires a pass downfield from the pocket.

    “It is getting there,” said Walls. “Obviously, we have a lot of talented players on this offence, and they get open and they find the holes.

    “You get a guy like (running back) Logan Fischer or (receiver) Sam Mike, they make your job pretty easy.”

    Before joining the Hilltops for his fourth season, Walls saw the game of football in a different light, when he became the offensive coordinator of the powerhouse Saskatoon Valkyries of the Western Women’s Canadian Football League this past spring. He was also the club’s quarterbacks coach. Walls was entrusted with helping groom the Valkyries talented and personable sophomore quarterback Alex Eyolfson.

    With the Valkyries having an elite program guided by head coach Pat Barry and defensive coordinator Jeff Yausie, who is the Hilltops defensive coordinator, Walls found a lot of what he learned in his coaching role could be transferred over to the field guiding the Hilltops as quarterback.

Jordan Walls calls signals at the goal-line.

    “You see it from a different point,” said Walls. “You get to coach with great coaches.

    “Jeff Yausie and Pat Barry, those guys have been around for ages coaching, so to sit down in the meeting rooms with them and kind of hear what they have to say really helped with understanding situations and what defences are trying to do here and there. That helped a lot.”

    Walls is looking forward to getting the regular season going. The Hilltops open the regular campaign traveling to Regina on Saturday, Aug. 12 for a 7 p.m. clash with their provincial rivals the Thunder. That contest will mark the first time both squads play at new Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

    The Hilltops are also on a quest to become the first team to win four straight championships in the history of the CJFL dating back to 1908. Saskatoon won three straight CJFL titles on two other occasions from 2002 to 2004 and 2010 to 2012, which means this will mark the third time the Hilltops will try to win four league championships in a row.

Jordan Walls (#19) is protected by running back Adam Machart (#20).

    As the season progresses, Walls said the key for his team will be to focus on the present as opposed to worrying about keeping the Canadian Bowl - the CJFL championship trophy - in Saskatoon.

    “It is daunting I guess when you start to look at the big picture of it,” said Walls. “Obviously, no one has ever done it, and we’ve had a few chances in the past to do it as the Hilltops.

    “I think you have to take it game by game and week by week and slowly work your way towards it. They are not going to be handing out the Canadian Bowl next week, so we know that and we have to stay patient.”

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