Raiders bend, finally break against Warriors

Third period surge powers Moose Jaw to 4-1 victory

Brayden Yager had a goal and assist for the Warriors on Friday.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The Prince Albert Raiders weren’t able to hold off the Moose Jaw Warriors constant pressure forever.

After netting the first goal of Friday’s WHL regular season clash at the Art Hauser Centre, the host Raiders saw the visiting Warriors take over the encounter. The Raiders 1-0 lead after the first period became a 1-1 tie after 40 minutes.

The Warriors surged for three goals in the third to cruise to a 4-1 victory before 2,202 spectators.

Following game, Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid didn’t mince words with his assessment.

“It wasn’t a close game, not even close,” said Habscheid. “We got schooled.

Ozzy Wiesblatt scored to give the Raiders an early lead.

“I didn’t like our forward group one bit. We got four D (defencemen) who are as good as anybody in the league, and we couldn’t get out of our end and that wasn’t on them. Our forward group, we tried to play dangle and play slow and on their own page and no forecheck.

“We were one and done. It was not good.”

Friday’s contest was quite different compared to when these same two clubs met Wednesday in Moose Jaw. In that game, the Raiders scored three times in the second period to take a 3-0 lead and held off a late third period Warriors rally to pull out a 3-2 win.

Warriors standout 16-year-old centre Brayden Yager believed his team’s overall effort was better and way more consistent in Friday’s win compared to Wednesday’s loss.

Dallyn Peekeekoot (#26) throws a hit for the Raiders.

“I thought tonight we played a full 60 minutes,” said Yager, who had a goal and assist in Friday’s win. “I thought last game we didn’t really have a good start.

“Tonight we played a full 60 minutes, and we got the job done.”

The Raiders appeared to start on their heels after they found themselves killing a couple of penalties to start the first period. In an unexpected development, the second kill provided a big offensive chance for the host side.

On the second kill, Raiders star defenceman Nolan Allan cleared the puck out of his own zone, and a race ensued for the puck in the Moose Jaw zone between Raiders star right-winger Ozzy Wiesblatt and Warriors captain Daemon Hunt.

Jagger Firkus scored a goal that got called back on video review.

Wiesblatt beat Hunt for the puck and put home a short-handed goal on a wraparound to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

 The Warriors appeared to get the equalizer at the 8:28 mark of the opening frame on a left slot shot from right-winger Jagger Firkus. The goal was disallowed after a video review as the officials ruled the net was dislodged on the play.

Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary put up a protest, because the Prince Albert net was dislodge when Raiders netminder Carter Serhyenko pushed off one post to slide across the crease attempting to make a save.

While the Raiders had a 1-0 lead exiting the first period, the Warriors had an 11-6 in shots on goal. The visitors kept up the intensity through the rest of the game.

Ryder Korczak had a goal and an assist for the Warriors.

The Warriors pulled even at the 7:37 mark of the second, when import left-winger Martin Rysavy netted his first career WHL goal and point.

Warriors centre Ryder Korczak had the puck at the left side of the Prince Albert net, and fed a pass across the face of the goal to Rysavy. Rysavy buried a shot to force a 1-1 tie.

The Raiders had a chance to go ahead a short time later, but overage left-winger Michael Horon missed the net on a breakaway opportunity.

Moose Jaw outshot Prince Albert 10-4 in the second and could have had a bigger edge going to the third.

The visitors had two big chances to go ahead late in the frame working on the power play, but Serhyenko made big respective glove saves on Yager and defenceman Denton Mateychuk.

“We played the right way in Moose Jaw (on Wednesday night),” said Habscheid. “Our forwards were not good tonight to a man.

The Warriors celebrate a goal from Martin Rysavy (#19).

“They were not good. They didn’t create anything, and tried to do everything on their own. They couldn’t make a pass and couldn’t catch a pass, and our D (defencemen) were under siege the whole night.”

The Warriors finally got out in front at the 7:42 mark of the third, when Yager knocked home a puck from point blank range in front of the Raiders net. The Saskatoon product said he drove to the net to be in the right place, when overage defenceman Majid Kaddoura shot the puck to the net.

“I was kind of just going to the net, and I poke it in,” said Yager. “It ended up going in.

“I wasn’t sure if I scored it, but I ended up poking it in.”

Nolan Allan had an assist for the Raiders.

That opened the flood gates. Just six seconds before the midway point of the frame, Korczak scored to put the Warriors up 3-1, and just 34 seconds after that tally, Mateychuk netted his second of the season to round out the 4-1 victory.

Carl Tetachuk made 13 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Warriors (3-2). Serhyenko turned away 29 shots to take the setback in net for the Raiders (1-5).

After playing all 24 games with the Warriors last season in an abbreviated campaign in a bubble environment in Regina, Yager believes he got a jump going into his 16-year-old sophomore season.

Denton Mateychuk had the Warriors final goal on Friday.

“It was nice last year to play the 24 games that we got in,” said Yager. “It was real nice.

“I feel a lot more comfortable this year. We’re hoping to do big things these next couple of years.”

While Friday’s effort was disappointing for the Raiders, Wiesblatt believes he and his teammates can play way better than they did.

“We just have to be better in all areas,” said Wiesblatt. “It just comes down to our compete level.

“We weren’t competing at all today. It starts with guys like me. I have to be a lot better.

The Warriors celebrate their win on Friday.

“It is still early in the year. Guys are kind of getting their first touches with different linemates. We’re going to get better, and I believe in these guys.”

The Raiders return to action Saturday when they host the Medicine Hat Tigers at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre. The Warriors are back in action Saturday, when they return home to host the Saskatoon Blades at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place.

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Hilltops’ Morrow excels in dual role once again

Safety again making impact resuming punt returning duties

Brant Morrow returns a punt for the Hilltops.

Brant Morrow was all in when it came to making an old role new again.

After his rookie year in 2017, Morrow took on the dual role of starting safety and punt returner for the Saskatoon Hilltops in 2018 and 2019. After the 2020 CJFL campaign was lost due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world, Morrow was at first penciled in to just be the starting safety for the storied CJFL squad.

As a safety, Morrow, who is one of the Hilltops team captains, handles calling out adjustments in the defensive secondary.

After the Hilltops dropped a 16-13 decision to the Regina Thunder on Sept. 11 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Saskatoon coaching staff talked to Morrow about resuming his role as a punt returner.

In that role, Morrow would be back returning punts with long time friend Ethan Godson. Both players are in their fourth full season with the team.

The pair had a lot of success returning punts for the Hilltops in 2019 helping the venerable Saskatoon side win a sixth straight CJFL title.

Before joining the Hilltops, Morrow and Godson were the punt returning duo when they were teammates on the Bishop James Mahoney High School Saints football team.

Morrow thought he needed a spark, and the team was looking for a spark in the return game. The 22-year-old was more than happy to jump at that opportunity.

Brant Morrow (#22) is one of the Hilltops captains.

“Having the opportunity to make a big play and also to have the ball in my hands, I don’t get that all the time as a DB,” said Morrow, whose Hilltops (4-2) host the Edmonton Wildcats (2-4) at 1 p.m. on Sunday at SMF Field. “It brings some excitement and kind of lights a fire under your (butt).

“You’re excited every time you get out there on special teams.”

Morrow made a big impact in the punt return department in the Hilltops 25-10 victory over the Winnipeg Rifles on Sept. 26. With the Rifles holding a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, Morrow nearly missed getting his first punt return touchdown of his CJFL career.

He returned a punt 56 yards before he was taken down at Winnipeg’s one-yard line. That return still set up a one-yard touchdown run from power running back Boston Davidsen.

Morrow returned two punts for 73 yards that game and had a kickoff that traveled 40 yards. He earned special teams player of the week honours for the Prairie Football Conference for his efforts in the win over Winnipeg.

Looking back at that long return against the Rifles, Morrow was happy it set up a touchdown, but he still wishes he would have scored on that play.

“I really didn’t anticipate that punter (Luke McMillan),” said Morrow, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 165 pounds. “He is a receiver too, but I didn’t anticipate he’d catch me.

“Looking back at the film and everything, you wished you would have put your head down a little bit more. I guess that is a good learning lesson, because you don’t want to leave anything on the field. Having a play like that makes you really realize like there are only a couple of plays in the game where that little extra effort will pay dividends.

Brant Morrow (#22) fills the dual role of safety and punt returner.

“I’m happy the team scored, but yeah, obviously you want to score for yourself as well.”

For the moment, Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant believes Morrow has just scratched the surface when it comes to making big plays this season. The legendary sideline boss thinks Morrow will be part of multiple big moments as the campaign moves on.

“Brant (Morrow), he is always a breath of fresh air,” said Sargeant. “He brings a lot of energy and a lot of leadership.

“He loves playing the game. He is a great competitor. He loves to make big plays, and we’re looking forward to these next two regular season games and the playoffs where he is going to be even more dynamic as a playmaker and help put us in some real good spots as a punt returner and as a safety.”

When it comes to big plays, Morrow’s signature play came on August 25, 2019 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina against the Thunder. Right before the end of the third quarter of that contest, Morrow returned an interception 113 yards for a touchdown to help power the Hilltops to a 34-16 victory.

That win was the 200^th career victory in combined CJFL regular season and post-season action for Sargeant.

“It is something that you like to get hyped up on,” said Morrow. “Being my fifth year here, sometimes you feel like you are almost expected to make plays.

“Really, our coaches put us in good spots. I trust that my coaches are put me in a spot to make big plays like that and not necessarily that I’ll have to do something out of the ordinary to make a play like that. I think I’ll just be doing my job and something great can happen out of that.”

Brant Morrow has been the Hilltops starting safety since 2018.

So far this season on defensive side of the ball, Morrow has 20 total tackles, one quarterback sack and two pass knockdowns.

While the Hilltops were able to practice for six weeks in September and October of 2020, Morrow felt like he had to shake off some rust to get back to game speed due to not playing any games last year.

Morrow believes he is starting to get back to where he was.

“I think personally I could be playing better,” said Morrow. “I’ve been getting better every game.

“That year off really, definitely took something to me. It has taken a lot to get it back, but I feel like I’ve got my feet under me. For the rest of the season, I’m going to be looking a lot different than the first half.”

The Hilltops are looking to close out the regular season by winning their last two games in order to lock up second place and earn a bye to host a PFC semifinal contest in the CJFL playoffs.

The Wildcats head into Sunday’s game with running back Nathan Zacharias posing a big threat on the ground. Zacharias sits second in the PFC in rushing carrying the ball 94 times for 549 yards and scoring three touchdowns.

The Hilltops head into the contest with the Wildcats after posting a huge 34-20 victory over the 4-2 Edmonton Huskies on Oct. 3 at SMF Field.

“Hey, (Wildcats head) coach (Darcy) Park has been around for a long time and does a good job with his group and his staff,” said Sargeant. “Hey, they are playing the Saskatoon Hilltops, so he is going to come in fired up and motivated.

Brant Morrow (#22) is all fired up for the stretch run.

“They are going to put in a lot of time and energy into getting ready for this game. We have to make sure that we show up, and we play our Sunday best. The reality is we had a great first half against the Edmonton Huskies.

“I wasn’t as happy in the second half. I’m looking to see if we can come out and play a 60-minute game. There is no better time to do it than against the Edmonton Wildcats.”

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

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Great Raiders memories live on despite nixing of logo

Brayden Pachal wears a throwback Raiders jersey in Feb. 2019.

The Prince Albert Raiders traditional logo may have been nixed, but the great memories the team created while using that insignia will live on.

With a late release that was sent at 9:29 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2, the WHL issued a statement about the Raiders new alternate uniforms that were unveiled one day earlier. They were patterned after jerseys the club wore from 1982 to 1996.

The statement seemed to bring an end to the Raiders continuing use of their traditional logo with the Arab on skates caricature.

While Raiders followers were disappointed over this decision, it doesn’t erase the memories the team created. That old logo was drawn up part way through the 1973-74 season, when the Raiders were still playing in the junior A ranks.

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

Return to play honeymoon over for Roughriders

Outrage back in Rider Nation over losing

Cody Fajardo (#7) sets to throw a pass in 2019.

So do any Saskatchewan Roughriders fans remember missing the CFL a year ago at this time?

Judging by the reaction to the Roughriders 22-19 setback to the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday night at Mosaic Stadium, it appears the answer is no.

After jumping out to a 3-0 start, the Roughriders have lost four of their last six games. Fans consumed by ragehol have returned too.

The Roughriders sit second in the CFL’s West Division with a 5-4, but the hold on second spot is far from secure. The British Columbia Lions sit third at 4-4 and the Stampeders sit in fourth place with a 4-5 mark.

Having posted two straight wins over the Roughriders, the Stampeders have already claimed the seasonal series between the two clubs and hold the head-to-head standings tiebreaker.

With the way the records are shaping up in the East Division, it is conceivable the Roughriders could miss the playoff all together.

When the losing happens, the members of Rider Nation point the fingers in all directions. It is the fault of vice president of football operations and general manager Jeremy O’Day, head coach and special teams coordinator Craig Dickenson, franchise quarterback Cody Fajardo, the offensive line, the receivers who aren’t catching passes and the defence that gives up big plays at inopportune times.

The misfortune is a team effort.

Roughriders HC Craig Dickenson works the sidelines in 2019.

This type of outrage wasn’t even thought about a year ago at this time.

A year ago at this time, a lot of different public health orders were in place across Canada to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. At the moment, the world is still firmly in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic, but vaccines have allowed sporting events to be held in front of full capacity venues at a large number of places in North America.

The CFL wasn’t able to navigate the public health orders in 2020 and didn’t hit the field at all. A year ago at this time, there was a lot of speculation that the CFL might have played its last game and might become a pandemic casualty.

There was a lot of speculation that the financial losses the CFL’s nine teams would incur would end the league.

There were people who wondered if you would get to see a Roughriders game again at Mosaic Stadium.

For the longest time, the Bombers 33-12 Grey Cup victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Nov. 24, 2019 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alta., stood as the last game played in the CFL.

As the calendar turned to 2021, news of team financial losses for 2020 came in.

In late March of this year, the community owned Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who won the Grey Cup in 2019, announced a loss of $6,982,217 for 2020. In May, the community owned Edmonton Elks announced a loss of $7.1-million for 2020.

Dan Clark calls signals at centre in 2019.

Just past the middle of June, the community owned Roughriders announced a loss of $7.5-million for 2020.

It is believed the six other CFL franchises posted bigger financial losses for 2020 than the three community owned teams did.

Somehow, the CFL returned.

On August 5 at IG Field in Winnipeg, the host Blue Bombers downed the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 19-6 before 29,376 spectators to open the CFL regular season.

I personally thought it was a miracle the CFL returned to play.

One day later on August 6, the Roughriders returned to a sellout crowd of 33,350 spectators at Mosaic Stadium to down the visiting Lions 33-29. 

Most in Rider Nation savoured this day as a sign that things were returning more to normal.

It was safe to say the fans were just happy to see the Roughriders play a game again.

Another normal also returned, as fans went crazy over analyzing and cutting down the team when losses started to happen. 

That was pretty evident in the aftermath of Saturday’s setback to the Stampeders.

Gainer the Gopher makes his rounds in 2019.

When you look at the complaining in comparison to what has happened in the world since March of 2020, the phrase “this is why we can’t have nice things” rings true.

On the bright side, attendance was still listed as a solid 27,964 to see the Roughriders fall to the Stampeders on Saturday.

For myself personally, I give the Roughriders a mulligan for everything that happens this season. They’ve already played nine more games than I thought they would play.

For a half glass full argument, at least Rider Nation has a team to complain about. That is better than not being able to complain, because the team ceased to exist.

Raiders stumble out of the gate, other thoughts

The Raiders have stumbled to an 0-4 start this season.

It appears the Prince Albert Raiders are on the road to a reload.

After topping the WHL regular season standings in 2018-19 and winning the league championship, the Raiders have stumbled out of the games to start the 2021-22 campaign dropping their first four games getting outscored 21-5 in the process.

On Saturday, the Raiders dropped an 8-0 decision to the Winnipeg Ice at the Wayne Fleming Arena in the Manitoba capital. The Ice, who improved to 4-0, appear to be the powerhouse team for the current campaign.

Right-winger Connor McClennon had a hat trick for the Ice, while centre Matthew Savoie had three assists. Savoie appears ready to take on star status fitting the fact he was selected first overall by the Ice in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft, which is now known as the WHL Prospects Draft.

Jakin Smallwood had a pair of goals for the Ice, while Mikey Milne, Conor Geekie and Zachary Benson had singles.

Ronin Geraghty went the distance in goal for the Raiders turning away 26 shots. Gage Alexander turned away all 13 shots he faced to pick up the shutout for the Ice.

The Raiders have had to deal with the fact they have had guys away at NHL training camps. At the moment, they are still missing star defenceman Kaiden Guhle, who is still at camp with the Montreal Canadiens.

By the sound of media reports coming out of Montreal, Guhle is having a great camp with the Canadiens. Due to the fact Guhle is 19-years-old, he has to be returned to the major junior ranks unless he cracks the Canadiens NHL roster.

I still would like to see what the Raiders would look like with Guhle and Nolan Allan as a top defensive pairing.

If the season turns into a reloading campaign, general manager Curtis Hunt and head coach Marc Habscheid are the right guys to have in their respective places to guide the club through rough waters.

They are both experienced hockey leaders who have seen and dealt with all types of scenarios before. The Raiders will always be in good hands with Hunt and Habscheid on board.

During my 10 seasons covering the Medicine Hat Tigers for the Medicine Hat News from 2004 to 2014, I saw how key it was to have good people in those leadership positions as Willie Desjardins and Shaun Clouston ensured the Tigers kept being an elite franchise over that time period.

After the Raiders won the WHL title in the 2018-19 campaign, they captured a banner for finishing first in the East Division in a 2019-20 that got cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.

They finished fourth in the seven-team WHL East Division bubble last season.

With the way junior hockey cycles go, it is hard to avoid the reload year after having highly successful seasons.

• The Saskatoon Blades have started out 2-1 thanks to a familiar sight. Veteran 19-year-old left-winger Kyle Crnkovic has three goals and two assists, and veteran centre Tristen Robins, who will turn 19-years-old in November, has one goal and four assists.
• Can you see the Calgary Stampeders running the table to win their last five straight games to running their current winning streak to seven games and finish the regular season 9-5 after a 2-5 start? If any team can do that in the CFL, it is the Stampeders quarterbacked by Bo Levi Mitchell.
• Could this be a big year for football in Winnipeg? The Blue Bombers sit first overall in the CFL with an 8-1 record, and the University of Manitoba Bisons football team has started the U Sports regular season 2-0 to sit first in the Canada West Conference. If both the Grey Cup and Vanier Cup end up residing in Winnipeg in December, you can bet you will hear all about it.
• The University of Saskatchewan Huskies and University of Regina Rams have both started their U Sports regular seasons with 1-1 records. It would be fun if one of those teams could have a special campaign in 2021 with a Vanier Cup win.
• One of the most fun moments this season might occur if Saskatoon Blades general manager Colin Priestner makes a visit to Prince Albert in the role as president and governor of the NLL’s Saskatchewan Rush. In branding themselves as Saskatchewan’s team, the Rush like visiting communities across the province, and I suspect Priestner would be able to ham it up with Raiders fans being on the same side when it comes to the Rush.

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

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Godson emerges as Hilltops big play threat

Ethan Godson has been a big playmaker for the Hilltops.

Ethan Godson is showing that big things can indeed happen, when preparation meets opportunity.

Playing in his fourth full season at receiver for the CJFL powerhouse Saskatoon Hilltops, Godson is having a breakout campaign. Godson sits fifth in the Prairie Football Conference for most receiving yards at 376 after six regular season games.

The 22-year-old has put up career highs in catches (20) and receiving touchdowns (five) to go along with his career high in receiving yards.

In addition to his receiving totals, Godson sits second in the PFC for most punt return yards at 204 coming on 22 return attempts.

“I think I’m just getting a couple of more opportunities being an older guy now, and I’m making my plays,” said Godson. “I think that is all it is.

“I think I’m just capitalizing on every chance I get, and I get some confidence in the coaches to keep giving me the ball.”

During the 2021 campaign, Godson has been one of the Hilltops most consistent performers on offence. Saskatoon’s offence was plagued with inconsistencies in four of the club’s six regular season contests.

The inconsistencies haven’t stopped Godson from emerging as a big play threat, which is a development legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant has enjoyed seeing.

“He (Godson) is a great kid,” said Sargeant. “He has evolved coming in his fourth year.

“He has arrived. He is one of the biggest play receivers in the league. His punt return game is awesome.

“He hadn’t scored a touchdown in the league, and this year I think he has had five. It is good to see him get rewarded for putting a lot of time in during the off-season. He is an explosive talent for us.”

When Godson first began playing football in Saskatoon’s Kinsmen Football League, he actually started out as a quarterback. During his Grade 10 season of high school football with the Bishop James Mahoney High School Saints, Godson elected to move to receiver as the Saints were being guided by a quarterback in his senior season.

Ethan Godson hauls in one of his five TD catches this season.

He found it wasn’t that hard to make the switch between the two positions.

“It wasn’t too bad, because obviously as a quarterback, you know all the plays,” said Godson, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 200 pounds. “It is not too hard with transition.

“You just go out there. I think I didn’t know any better. I just tried to make good plays.”

Godson enjoyed playing for Saints head coach Donnie Davidsen, who is also the Hilltops long time offensive line coach. The receiver credits the sideline boss for being one his biggest influences in helping him out in the game.

“He (Davidsen) has been around for quite a bit,” said Godson, who helped the Saints win a 3A provincial championship in 2016. “Him being around the Hilltops kind of got me to come here.

“I think Donnie (Davidsen) has helped me out quite a bit there.”

Godson helped the Hilltops win CJFL championships in each of his first three seasons with the team in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Of course, the 2020 campaign was lost due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world, but the Hilltops were able to hold six weeks for regular practices in September and October of that year.

The speedy pass catcher said he has improved considerably since joining the Hilltops.

“You come out every day for five years, I think you are going to get a lot better,” said Godson, who played baseball for the Saskatoon Giants under-18 AAA program. “I think I am a way different player than I was five years ago.”

Sargeant said Godson has become a more rounded receiver during his time with the venerable CJFL club.

“(Godson has improved) his hand placement and how he catches the ball,” said Sargeant. “He is really good at breaking tackles.

Ethan Godson has the fifth most receiving yards in the PFC.

“He just absolutely is the full package now. He is a great blocker in the run game. He is a full receiver, and he is a great special teamer.

“Ethan Godson is a heck of a football player.”

As the Hilltops head down the stretch run and into the post-season, Sargeant, who doubles as the Hilltops offensive coordinator, said the team is going to try and create more situations to allow Godson to make more explosive plays.

“We are going to wear him (Godson) out as much as we can,” said Sargeant. “Our quarterback play is developing with Damon Dutton.

“They are building chemistry. We want to wear him out. Every game, we should be throwing him the ball at least eight targets a game, because he always gives us big potential to make big plays.”

With two games remaining on their regular season schedule, the Hilltops sport a 4-2 record to sit second in the PFC. They hold a standings tiebreaker over the 4-2 Edmonton Huskies having swept the seasonal series between the two sides 2-0.

The Hilltops are looking to hold on to second place, which would allow them to earn a bye past the first round of the post-season and the opportunity to host a PFC semifinal game.

The Hilltops return to action on Sunday, October 17, when they host the Edmonton Wildcats (2-4) at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

Last Sunday, the Hilltops downed the Huskies 34-20 at SMF Field. The Hilltops piled up 444 yards of total offence for their best overall outing of the season on that side of the ball.

Godson said the members of the Hilltops offensive unit believed they could have an outing like that.

“I think we’ve known the whole time that were only a couple of mistakes away from being where we were on Sunday (against the Edmonton Huskies),” said Godson. “It has been tough, and we’ve had to work through it.

“I think we knew what we had in us the whole time.”

Ethan Godson wants to continue making key plays for the Hilltops.

Godson said the confidence of the offensive unit grew from that performance.

“I think it is pretty good for sure,” said Godson. “That was a huge game for us, especially that first half.

“I think we were rolling pretty good. Just knowing that we can do it, I think that is the biggest thing.”

As the Hilltops move forward in the campaign, Godson is looking forward to the fact the Hilltops coaches are going create opportunities for him to make more explosive players in games.

“I think that is huge confidence with the coaching staff,” said Godson. “That is all you can ask for.

“I think it is great to have that.”

Hilltops’ Davidsen gets player of the week nod

Boston Davidsen got player of the week honours for a monster game.

Boston Davidsen’s monster game for the Saskatoon Hilltops has resulted in a player of the week accolade.

On Tuesday, the 20-year-old running back was named the offensive player of the week for the Prairie Football Conference of the CJFL. The nod for the weekly honour came as a result of Davidsen’s performance in the Hilltops key 34-20 victory over the Edmonton Huskies last Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

In that regular season contest, Davidsen ran the ball 31 times for 221 yards and scored three touchdowns.

With the win, the Hilltops improved to 4-2, while the Huskies fell to 4-2. Thanks to sweeping the seasonal series against the Huskies 2-0, the Hilltops sit second in the Prairie Football Conference.

The top two teams in the PFC earn byes to host conference semifinal games in the post-season.

So far this season, Davidsen sits fourth overall in rushing in the PFC carrying the ball 69 times for 464 yards and scoring four touchdowns.

Linebacker Austin Daisy of the Calgary Colts was named the defensive player of the week for the PFC, while Colts placekicker Austin Griffiths was named the special teams player of the week for the PFC.

Daisy and Griffiths earned their accolades in the Colts 28-26 setback to the Rifles in Winnipeg last Sunday.

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

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Demise of traditional Raiders logo tough for P.A. faithful

A hat with the Prince Albert Raiders traditional logo on it.

It was a day the faithful of the Prince Albert Raiders franchise hoped would never come, but its arrival maybe did seem inevitable.

About a week ago on Friday, October 1, the Raiders unveiled new regular home and away jerseys along with a new alternate uniform. The alternate was styled after the regular jerseys the Raiders wore from 1982 to 1996 that included the team’s traditional Arab on skates logo.

One day later at 9:29 p.m. Saskatchewan time, the WHL issued a statement saying the league and the Raiders had agreed to discontinue the jersey and the brand immediately.

“On Friday night the Prince Albert Raiders unveiled an alternate third jersey, which was inspired by a highly successful era in club history,” said WHL commissioner Ron Robson in the statement. “We recognized the dated design is insensitive and offensive.

“After consultation with the Prince Albert Raiders, this uniform and brand will be discontinued effective immediately. On behalf of the WHL and the Prince Albert Raiders, we regret this uniform design was approved and sincerely apologize for any harm it may have caused.”

The release said there would be no further comment from the WHL or the Raiders.

All items that contained the traditional Raiders logo were removed from the team’s online store this past Monday.

It is safe to say in Prince Albert that statement was met with dismay. In Prince Albert, that Raiders logo was revered and loved. Originally designed during the 1973-74 campaign when the Raiders were still playing in the junior A ranks in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, the sight of that logo flooded back memories of some of the franchise’s greatest days to the people in Prince Albert.

A Raiders pennant from the 1980s.

While the logo wasn’t on team’s jerseys at first, it was in use by the squad for four Centennial Cup championships for junior A national supremacy in 1977, 1979, 1981 and 1982. During those junior A years, the front of the Raiders jersey had the team named spelled out on it often accompanied by the number the player wore.

The traditional Raiders logo became the front crest on the team’s jersey, when the Raiders moved up to the major junior ranks and began playing in the WHL in 1982-83.

The Raiders won the Memorial Cup as CHL champions in 1985 wearing that jersey, and the team usually sat in the top five in the overall WHL standings wearing that jersey.

That jersey was worn by Mike Modano and Dave Manson, who are the club’s two more famous NHL grads. The Raiders have retired both of their numbers.

Various team stars like Dan Hodgson, Dave Pasin, Emanuel Viveiros, Pat Elynuik, Dean McAmmond, Jeff Nelson and Chris Phillips all wore that jersey.

That logo and jersey were used pretty much for the whole duration when Terry Simpson was with the Raiders as head coach or held the dual role of head coach and general manager from 1972 to 1986 and in 1989-90. Simpson will forever be a legend in P.A.

The Raiders wore that logo developing their image as being both a skilled and tough team. They could play the run and gun style, get down in the trenches or take part in a flat out brawl, if the opponent wanted things to go that way.

The back of a Raiders jacket circa late 1980s early 1990s.

They developed the romantic image of being the franchise “where honour still matters.”

At the other end of the spectrum, there are circles outside of Prince Albert that greet the Arab on skates logo with dismay. In those circles, the Raiders traditional logo was seen to be depicting a violent Muslim man or that all people from the Middle East are violent terrorists.

When the WHL posted a link to the statement nixing the traditional Raiders logo on Twitter, there were lots of people who piled on voicing displeasure or being offended by the logo.

For people in Prince Albert, it felt like those who voiced their displeasure were from outside the northern Saskatchewan centre, which caused the nixing of the logo to be that much tougher to take.

On Oct. 2, it seemed the displeasure with the traditional Raiders logo first popped up on a blog-type site called the Queens Citizen. The WHL issued its statement discontinuing the Raiders alternate jersey and traditional logo brand about six hours later.

It is common that voiced opposition to something does get rolling from a blog-type site, where questions start to quickly come from mainstream media outlets and sponsors.

While this may sound strange to people in Prince Albert, a lot of people outside of Prince Albert have never seen the Raiders traditional logo and don’t associate that logo with the team, because it has been 25 years since the hockey club used the Arab on skates logo as its main emblem. That factor also helps fuel outrage with regards to the Raiders traditional logo.

It is likely this is what happened with regards to the Raiders alternate jersey and their traditional logo brand, and the WHL and the Raiders took a temperature read. From that temperature read, a decision was made to get ahead of the story, which saw the WHL issue the release that it did.

The Raiders 1985 Memorial Cup championship team.

Looking back over the last seven days, the move worked. Outside of the initial outrage on social media, the story over what was the cancellation of the Raiders alternate jersey and traditional logo quickly went away.

During these social media times, it does feel like people in general have shorter attention spans, and the social media outrage mob quickly moves on to the next thing to get outraged over.

The Raiders faithful and the people in Prince Albert were left to digest what happened and work through how they felt about what happened once the mob moved on.

With that noted, the Raiders did get into hot water over their traditional logo before. In late 2014, the Raiders unveiled a new mascot named “Boston Raider” which was patterned heavily after the old logo.

Due to a national uproar, the mascot was mothballed shortly after being unveiled.

That had to foreshadow that the day may indeed come where the Raiders traditional logo would be nixed for good.

Back in 2014, CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes arrived in Prince Albert when the “Boston Raider” mascot episode occurred. It is safe to say the CBC comedy show wasn’t going to put Prince Albert in a very good light.

Due to the fact the WHL and Raiders got ahead of the story, no TV programs like This Hour Has 22 Minutes ventured to Prince Albert to make the city look bad, and uproar had to be judged to be a lot less than it was in 2014.

Brayden Pachal wears a throwback Raiders uniform on Feb. 15, 2019.

It was smart for the WHL and the Raiders to not say anything further, because it was impossible to win no matter what you said. All that could be accomplished was an unsatisfying tie or going out and digging a deeper hole.

In the years since 2014, the Raiders quietly brought back the traditional logo on merchandise in the team’s gift store inside the club’s home rink, the Art Hauser Centre. Those items were always big sellers, because of the good memories it brought back for locals in Prince Albert.

The staff in the Raiders business office saw the logo made locals happy, so they kept bringing it back. The Raiders even wore jerseys that mirrored those worn from 1982 to 1996 for two games in their 2018-19 WHL Championship season.

Despite the fallout over the traditional logo, the Raiders have one of the best business offices in the league with Michael Scissons as business manager and Cliff Mapes as executive director of business operations leading the way.

The Raiders have one of the best hockey operations staffs in the WHL led by Curtis Hunt as general manager and Marc Habscheid as head coach.

Over the longer stretch of time, the Raiders have the people in place to keep the franchise in a good spot.

The fact that the traditional logo has gotten nixed doesn’t negate all the great things the Raiders franchise has done. 

The Raiders wear throwback uniforms on Feb. 15, 2019.

As time moves on, this episode might be a blessing in disguise helping the Raiders franchise move forward.

When it comes to the core of everything, the Prince Albert Raiders are still the franchise “where honour still matters,” and the faithful that follow the team are still good people. Those are things that are always good to remember.

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

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Hilltops ship it up to Boston

Davidsen rumbles for 221 yards in win over Huskies

Boston Davidsen had a monster game Sunday for the Hilltops.

The Saskatoon Hilltops shipped the ball up to Boston Davidsen to find their offensive groove.

The 20-year-old running back, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 188 pounds, ran the ball 31 times for 221 yards and scored three touchdowns to power the Hilltops to a 34-20 victory over the Edmonton Huskies in a CJFL regular season clash on Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

Davidsen’s performance allowed the Hilltops to build a 17-0 edge in the first quarter and hold a 20-0 advantage at halftime. The power running back’s legs ensured the Hilltops held off a Huskies surge in the second half to preserve the victory.

When asked if this contest was a statement to show he had arrived, Davidsen deflected credit to his offensive line.

Boston Davidsen (#24) powers his way to a 10-yard touchdown run.

The Hilltops starting offensive line including left tackle Mason Ochs, left guard Jordan Bisson, centre Luciano Jolly, right guard Ethan Paslowski and right tackle Jayson Kehler allowed the Hilltops to pile up 444 yards of total offence.

“It is more the O-line’s time has arrived,” said Davidsen, whose father Donnie Davidsen is the Hilltops long time offensive line coach. “This is probably their best game of the year.

“When the O-line has a good game, the running back is going to have a good game. I think just O-line play and coaching plan led to the game today.”

The win was a big one for the Hilltops as it allowed them to improve to 4-2, while the Huskies fell to 4-2. 

Boston Davidsen (#24) celebrates his second of three majors.

The victory allowed the Hilltops to sweep the regular season series with the Huskies 2-0, which means Saskatoon holds the standings tiebreaker between the two sides and moved into second place in the Prairie Football Conference.

Both clubs have two games remaining on their respective regular season schedules. The Regina Thunder sit first in the PFC with a 6-0 mark with two games remaining on their regular season schedule.

Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said Boston Davidsen has emerged thanks to the work he put in during an extended break when the 2020 CJFL season was cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

Boston Davidsen, left, scores his third rushing TD on Sunday.

Davidsen helped the Bishop James Mahoney High School Saints win 3A provincial championships in 2016 and 2018 before joining the Hilltops for their 2019 CJFL championship season. Following the Hilltops 2019 CJFL title season, Sargeant said Davidsen worked to get bigger, stronger and faster.

“Carter (McLean) is our starter, but he (Davidsen) just kept coming and coming,” said Sargeant. “Carter got a little nicked up, and at the end of the day, hey, he (Davidsen) is starting to make his plays, and it is fun to watch.

“Everyone rallies around him. To have Boston and Carter in our backfield and Jordan Tabin who played a great game today as well, our three backs were absolutely exemplary today. A big credit to the O-line.

Boston Davidsen piled up 221 yards rushing on Sunday.

“When you put all that together, yeah, we should be tough to stop, and we want to keep going in that direction.”

The presence of Davidsen and McLean gives the Hilltops a huge one-two punch at the running back position, while Tabin has taken on the role of short-yardage specialist. McLean had a solid outing too in Sunday’s win carrying the ball 14 times for 64 yards.

Davidsen said McLean, who is in his third full season with the Hilltops, has been a good mentor.

“The running back ahead of me, Carter McLean, he has been a really big influence on me,” said Davidsen. “He has been really helping me out teaching me and has been a big supporter of mine.

“A lot of credit goes to him.”

Josh Wiebe had a big opening kickoff return on Sunday.

The Hilltops came out the gate flying on Sunday. Receiver Josh Wiebe returned the opening kickoff 39 yards into Huskies territory to give the Hilltops offence good field position.

The Hilltops offence proceeded to drive the ball after Wiebe’s return for an opening series touchdown drive that was capped by a four-yard scoring run by Davidsen to take a 7-0 lead. That score marked the first time the Hilltops offence scored a major on their opening possession of the game this season.

Saskatoon quickly got the ball back again thanks to an interception near midfield by outside linebacker Konner Johnson, who had seven total tackles in the contest.

“That was one of our big talking points in practices,” said Davidsen. “It was let’s have a good drive and let’s stay on the field, especially on that first drive and hit them hard.

Konner Johnson came up with a big first quarter interception.

“I think we did that, and it helped for the rest of the game.”

The Hilltops drove down and got a 17-yard field goal from kicker Teijon Abel-Douglas on their ensuing possession to go up 10-0.

Before the first quarter ended, Davidsen ran in a touchdown up the gut from 10-yards out to increase Saskatoon’s advantage to 17-0.

In the second quarter, the Hilltops scored a safety to go up 19-0, when Huskies star quarterback Declan O’Flaherty was penalized for intentional grounding for throwing the ball away while in his own end zone.

Abel-Douglas added a single from a missed 37-yard field goal to put the Hilltops up 20-0 going into halftime.

Two Hilltops defenders make a big hit on a Huskies receiver.

Hilltops safety Brant Morrow said his team had a really good vibe heading into Sunday’s game.

“It was more of a feeling,” said Morrow, who had three solo tackles and a pass knock down in the win. “We came out with more energy.

“We were giving each other more high-fives. We were excited for each other making plays. That energy just really took us into the game, and we played a better game.”

The Huskies didn’t go away. On the first series in the second half, the Huskies put together a long offensive series that culminated on an 11-yard touchdown run from star running back Alex Gayle to cut Saskatoon’s lead to 20-7.

Huskies receiver De Shawn Le Jour gets tackled after a catch.

The Hilltops responded with a touchdown drive of their own that was capped by a 21-yard run from Davidsen to push the host side’s advantage to 27-7. Morrow was impressed with what Davidsen and the Hilltops ground game was able to do.

“Boston was amazing, but I also have to give a shout out to the O-line,” said Morrow. “They were awesome as well.

“He (Davidsen) was hitting the holes hard. Yards after contact, he can get a lot of those. He was special today.”

Before the third quarter ended, the Huskies got on the board again, when O’Flaherty hit star receiver De Shawn Le Jour with a 35-yard touchdown pass. Huskies kicker Ethan Hartman hit the crossbar on the ensuing convert to see the Hilltops lead sit at 27-13.

Declan O'Flaherty (#4) had 306 yards passing for the Huskies.

Just 75 seconds into the fourth quarter, O’Flaherty hit receiver Caleb Akerley with a four-yard touchdown toss on a third-and-goal gamble. The Huskies major further trimmed Saskatoon’s advantage to 27-20.

That was as close as the Huskies would come to making a comeback.

Hilltops quarterback Damon Dutton hit speedy receiver Ethan Godson with a 27-yard touchdown pass with 8:42 remaining in the fourth quarter to conclude the scoring in the 34-20 win by the host side.

“We’re a work in progress, but at the end of the day, this was by far our best game of the year,” said Sargeant. “You know what, the guys stuck together and played together.

Ethan Paslowski, left, sets to make a block in pass protection.

“Our O-line really stepped up. Our quarterback was good. Boston Davidsen is an emerging superstar.

“At the end the day, the defence was great in the first half.”

Doubling as the Hilltops offensive coordinator, Sargeant gave his offence, which has been inconsistent this season, an extra plug.

“The Edmonton Huskies had the best offence in the league,” said Sargeant. “That was our challenge is whose got the best offence.

“I think we proved today putting 34 points on it right now that the Saskatoon Hilltops offence is pretty good. We’re only going to get better.”

Carter McLean carried the ball 14 times for 64 yards on Sunday.

Dutton completed 16-of-24 passes for 159 yards, one touchdown and no inceptions for the Hilltops.

O’Flaherty connected on 26-of-40 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing one interception for the Huskies. Gayle carried the ball 22 times for 119 yards to go with his major score, while Le Jour caught seven passes for 114 yards to go with his catch for a major score for the visitors.

Defensive lineman Josh Lenz had a sack for the Huskies.

The entire PFC now heads off on a bye week.

The Hilltops return to action on Sunday, October 17 at 1 p.m. when they host the Edmonton Wildcats (2-4) at SMF Field.

Matthew Turple, left, and Luciano Jolly are all smiles after Sunday’s win.

Davidsen said the focus now shifts toward building for the post-season.

“We’re getting ready for the playoffs here,” said Davidsen. “We have two more games.

“We have to try and ramp up the intensity, so that when we go into the playoffs, we are ready to go, and it is our best game when we are heading into Week 1 of the playoffs.”

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

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