 |
| Carly Dyck scores a touchdown at Taylor Field in June. |
In 2017, the theme for my year might have been to enjoy the
unexpected things when they come up.
I enjoyed things that always seem to have an uplifting feel
like covering games involving the Saskatoon Hilltops and Saskatoon Valkyries.
Making it out for the Labour Day Classic weekend in Regina is always a fun
time.
Still, there were surprises. Making it to Prince Albert to
see the Northern Bears sweep a Western regional playdown series to advance to
the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament was one of
those surprises.
There were a few good surprises on the WHL playoff trail
too.
At times, it is a good thing if you can hold your sense of
humour. That proved useful for me, when I interviewed Saskatoon Valkyries
receiver Carly Dyck for a Saskatoon Express article.
I met up with Dyck at the Starbucks in downtown Saskatoon
after she completed working a shift at the Cactus Club Café in late March. We
were talking about Dyck’s participation in the Women’s World Football Games and
about her preparations for the International Federation of American Football
Women’s World Championship in June.
During the talk, a street creature came in, bought a coffee,
saw us and came up to us.
 |
| Valkyries receiver Carly Dyck powers her way through a tackle attempt. |
The street creature looks at me and says, “Hey you. Worry
about your sports and stop flirting with this nice girl.”
After those words, the street creature proceeded to walk out
of the establishment.
Dyck and I looked at each other and I think we laughed or
chuckled. We both ended up apologizing, which was a classic Canadian response.
On the Captain Obvious front, Dyck is like a 13 out of 10 in
the looks department, so I am sure that added to everything. As a football
player, she was way more explosive and powerful last season than her first five
campaigns in the sport.
Anyways, this blog has surpassed 260,000 total views, so I thank
you all for stopping in. I did well enough that I was still able to make a few
donations to a few post-secondary sports teams in the province.
Now without further ado, here are the memories.
10. Carter catch links new Mosaic with Rider
Nation
 |
| Duron Carter (#89) makes a crazy TD grad for the Roughriders. |
The 2017 season marked the first CFL campaign the
Roughriders played out of their new park after leaving historic Taylor Field,
which was the club’s long time home stomping grounds. During one exhibition
game and two regular season games, it is safe to say people were still really
digesting the “newness” aspect of the facility.
On July 29, one play made the new park home for Rider
Nation. Shortly before halftime of a clash against the Toronto Argonauts,
Roughriders star receiver Duron Carter made a spectacular one-handed 18-yard
touchdown catch that tied the contest up at 17-17.
Carter proceeded to give the ball off to 12-year-old
lifelong supporter Paige Hansen for a priceless “Mosaic Moment.” Paige and her
mom, Michelle, have been going to games for years, and they know a number of the
players. They got to know Carter, who was in his first season with the team,
during training camp in Saskatoon.
 |
| Duron Carter (#89) had an all-star year for the Roughriders. |
The Roughriders also had a whole host of new players that
joined the team in 2016 and 2017, and this “Mosaic Moment” created a link
between the current Roughriders players and the fans.
Carter finished that game making nine catches for 131 yards
and scored two touchdowns before a sellout crowd of 33,350 spectators. He would
go on to be named a CFL all-star at receiver, and he would standout at playing
on special teams and at defensive back as the campaign moved on.
The moment he gave his highlight touchdown catch ball to
Paige made new Mosaic Stadium truly feel like it was now the home of Rider
Nation.
Nothing, I mean nothing will be as sweet as this! @DC_CHILLIN_8 #catchofthegame pic.twitter.com/mxbQVDnPNV— Michelle (@RiderMommy) 30 July 2017
9. Riot down Valkyries in Taylor Field’s
last call
 |
| Carmen Agar rumbles home for a Riot touchdown at Taylor Field. |
As a result, the last ever competitive tackle football game
played at the legendary home of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders was held on
June 4, when the Riot hosted the WWCFL Prairie Conference championship game
against the defending WWCFL champion Saskatoon Valkyries. The two teams played
a stellar match that was claimed by the Riot 34-24.
The game clinching play came with the Riot holding a 28-18
lead with under four minutes to play in the fourth quarter, when the Valkyries
had the ball and were driving. Veteran Riot defensive back Courtney Tafelmeyer
intercepted Valkyries quarterback Alex Eyolfson and zig zagged down the
sideline 62 yards for a touchdown to put the hosts up 34-18 with 3:41 to play.
 |
| Alex Eyolfson (#15) fires a pass downfield for the Valkyries. |
The Riot moved on to win the WWCFL title in a 53-0 romp over
the Calgary Rage on June 10 in Saskatoon.
While the final football game at Taylor Field was great, I
remember the day being a bit surreal. Originally, it was thought a U Sports
playoff match in November of 2016, where the University of British Columbia
Thunderbirds downed the University of Regina Rams 40-34, would be the final
competitive tackle football game ever at Taylor Field.
With new Mosaic Stadium undergoing the final touches of
construction and marketing brain trusts wanting the first game there in 2017 to
be a Roughriders game, Taylor Field had a stay of execution. I was at that Rams
playoff loss in November of 2016, and I didn’t think I would be at Taylor Field
for another football game.
 |
| The Riot celebrate the final victory by any football team at Taylor Field. |
It was weird to go into the press boxes and see all the
televisions had been ripped out already. I enjoyed being back at the park that
holds so many lifelong memories and was close to my heart.
With that said, I reminisced a little but not as much as I
thought. Taylor Field was being manned by a skeleton crew now, and user groups
were filtered in and out of the park quickly. You didn’t get to hang out and
let memories soak in.
Even with that in mind, it was nice to be part of Taylor
Field’s final hurrah.
8. Hoops alum weekend a blast at U of R
 |
| Christina McCusker, right, hands the ball off to Avery Pearce. |
On the last weekend of January, the University of Regina
Cougars basketball teams held an alums gathering, and I was able to return for
the festivities. It turned out to be a great weekend on all fronts.
First, the scheduling worked out as the University of
Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team was in Regina on Friday night for the
first part of a home-and-home series against the University of Regina Cougars
women’s hockey team. With my young cousin Danielle Nogier suiting up for the
Huskies side, I followed them down and stayed around for the hoops festivities
on Saturday night.
 |
| Cymone (Bouchard) Bernauer passes the ball an alum shooting contest. |
On Saturday night at basketball, the Cougars women’s and
men’s hoops teams came away with victories over the University of Calgary
Dinos. The women’s side won 83-46, while the men’s squad pulled out a
last-second 82-81 victory. For one night, I was linked with the winning side in
instances there.
Still, the biggest memory came from seeing a lot of old
friends around the festivities of the game. I hand long visits with a few old
friends who I have not done that with for seven years to a decade or more.
While there was lots of talk of the days from my time in
Regina when I was involved with the U of R’s athletic program from 1996 to 2001,
there was a lot of catching up as well. It actually started to hit me a bit how
much time has actually passed since I last lived in Regina in May of 2001.
 |
| The Cougars men’s basketball team celebrates a last second victory. |
It is still incredible how many lives McGregor touched in
the Regina sports scene during her life. It was cool to see how the Cougars are
teams from her era are still well remember in Regina as well.
After the hoops games were finished, festivities spilled out
into Regina’s night scene. They weren’t as energetic or as exciting as nights
out in the old days, but it was still fun in a different way.
The alum night at the U of R showed the importance of taking
time to reconnect.
7. P.A. Northern Bears rally to get to Esso
Cup
 |
| The Prince Albert Northern Bears celebrate their Western regional win. |
On April 1, the Bears pulled off one of their greatest
moments ever before a crowd of 1,200 at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert
in Game 2 of a female midget AAA Western regional playdown series. One night earlier,
the Bears claimed the opening contest of the best-of-three set 6-4 against the
Hartney, Man., based Westman Wildcats.
The Wildcats led 6-3 in Game 2 with 13:24 to play in the
third period, and it appeared the two clubs would have to play a series deciding
Game 3 to determine who would advance to the Esso Cup female midget AAA national
championship tournament being held April 23 to 29 in Morden, Man.
 |
| Brooklyn Anderson (#7) scored the series winning goal for the Bears. |
The hosts’ momentum kept rolling from there. Working on a power
play, Bears star forward Abby Soyko potted the equalizer to force a 6-6 tie.
The Bears weren’t going to settle for going to overtime.
With two minutes to play in the third, hard-working forward Brooklyn Anderson
tipped home the point shot from rugged defender Jordan Ashe to put the Bears up
7-6. That 7-6 score held up as the final outcome allowing the Bears to sweep
the series 2-0 and advance to the Esso Cup for the first time in team history.
At any of the higher levels of hockey, big rallies like the
one the Bears pulled off are actually few and far between these days.
 |
| The Bears Western regional celebration begins in earnest. |
Way back in 2001, I covered the University of Regina Cougars
women’s hockey team downing the University of Alberta Pandas 3-1 in Game 2 of
that year’s best-of-three Canada West championship series to sweep the set 2-0.
In the series clinching game, there might have been just under 200 spectators
at Regina’s Exhibition Stadium to witness the Cougars victory.
At that time, I never imagined 1,200 people would turn out
to see a female midget AAA game, which was what happened when the Bears swept
the Wildcats. The Bears posted a 2-3 record at Esso Cup and were unable to
qualify for a semifinal game.
Still, their comeback over the Wildcats will be something
that is always remembered in “Hockey Town North.”
6. Willoughby powers Huskies sweep of
Cougars
 |
| Kaitlin Willoughby, right, celebrates scoring one of her hat trick night goals. |
In Feburary, the Huskies hosted their provincial rivals the
University of Regina Cougars in a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final
series. The Huskies finished fourth in the Canada West standings with a 15-10-3
record, while the Cougars were fifth with a 14-13-1 mark. U of R won three out
of the four regular season clashes between the two clubs in the 2016-17
campaign and outscored the Huskies 7-3 in the process.
I thought the Cougars would win this series on the basis
they had more scoring depth than the Huskies. I felt the only way the Huskies
would have a chance was if Willoughby outscored the Cougars four top forwards
in Jaycee Magwood, Emma Waldenberger, Kylee Kupper and Kylie Gavelin. On the surface,
that looked to be too much to ask from Willoughby.
 |
| Kaitlin Willoughby wires home a hat trick goal. |
Kori Herner ultimately netted the winning goal for the
Huskies in Game 1, but Willoughby was the difference maker, who ensured the
host side came out on top.
In Game 2 on Feb. 18 at Rutherford, the Huskies entered the
third period holding a 1-0 lead, but the Cougars came at the host side hard. At
the 9:33 mark of the third, the visitors netted the equalizer to knot the score
at 1-1 on their 13th shot of the period coming from the stick of
Jolene Kirkpatrick.
 |
| Kaitlin Willoughby starts her drive on a series-winning goal rush. |
Huskies fifth year veteran netminder Cassidy Hendricks had a
stellar series as well turning away 28 shots in Game 1 and 31 shots in Game 2.
The Huskies advanced to a best-of-three Canada West
semifinal series in Vancouver, B.C., where they fell 2-1 to the University of
British Columbia Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds claimed a 3-1 victory in a
series deciding Game 3, but had the Huskies pulled that contest out, they would
have earned a berth in the U Sports national championship tournament.
While the Huskies playoff run didn’t result in a trip to
nationals, Willoughby added a couple of epic performances to her storied
career.
5. Blades pay tribute to Gordon
 |
| Chris and Bruce Gordon embrace during a Blades pre-game ceremony. |
On Sept. 22, the Blades tabbed their regular season opener
at the SaskTel Centre as the night they would pay tribute to Bruce Gordon.
Gordon came to the Blades in a trade with the Medicine Hat Tigers early in the
1980-81 campaign, and the grinding winger would become the club’s captain in
1981-82, which would be his final campaign in the major junior ranks.
He moved on to build a distinguished 28-year career with the
Saskatoon Police Service starting out on regular patrol, becoming a detective
sergeant in the sex crimes unit and then to major crimes. Gordon became
well-known for cracking cases that appeared to be unsolvable.
 |
| Bruce Gordon shakes hands with current Blades captain Evan Fiala. |
Due to the impact Gordon had on the community, the Blades
drew 7,460 spectators to the tribute night they held for him. Pretty much
everyone was in their seats for the pre-game ceremony.
Gordon was accompanied to the ice with his wife, Chris, son,
James, and daughter, Jillian Bodnar.
When Gordon appeared, the crowd
immediately rose to their feet to deliver a warm standing ovation.
A total of eight former teammates turned out including Brian
Skrudland, who had a lengthy career in the NHL. Also on hand was former Blades
coach and general manager Daryl Lubiniecki and former Blades owner Jack
Brodsky.
Winnipeg Jets play-by-play voice Dennis Beyak was the Blades
assistant general manager during Gordon’s years, and he returned to Saskatoon
emcee the pre-game ceremony.
Inspector Patrick Nogier, who was a former WHL goalie,
delivered a heartfelt speech on behalf of the Saskatoon Police Service.
 |
| Bruce Gordon (#21) receives a framed jersey. |
During his WHL playing days, Gordon was never the most
talented player on the ice, but he stood out due to his hard work,
determination and his ability to step in and protect his teammates. In 112
regular season games with the Blades, Gordon collected 17 goals, 53 assists and
552 penalty minutes.
The Blades played hard against the visiting Swift Current
Broncos in the contest that followed the pre-game ceremony. The hosts held a
2-1 lead going into the third period but fell 5-2.
Little did anyone know, that tribute night would be Gordon’s
final public hurrah. He passed away a week later on Sept. 29.
Huge credit goes to the Blades organization for
orchestrating a golden moment that would be the last memory the community of
Saskatoon would have of Gordon in life.
4. Labour Day Classic weekend in Regina provides a blast
 |
| The Labour Day party is on at Wayne’s World. |
Once again, I was in Regina for the party pretty much that
weekend. I do admit age is catching up to me a bit. I had fun, but I definitely
wasn’t the ball of energy that felt indestructible like past years.
I felt like I took things in moderation, but the weekend was
enjoyable.
Actually, I started my weekend by covering the University of
Regina Rams home opener on Friday, Sept. 1, where they downed the University of
British Columbia Thunderbirds 36-20 before a crowd of about 3,000 at new Mosaic
Stadium. To my surprise, the 2000 Rams that made the Vanier Cup falling to the
University of Ottawa Gee-Gees 42-39 were honoured at halftime, and I ended up
taking part in those festivities.
 |
| QB Kevin Glenn (#5) threw three touchdown passes for the Roughriders. |
The players, coaches and staffers that made it for those
festivities came out with their families. When highlights were shown from the
2000 season on the big screen, it was fun seeing the children get excited
seeing what their dads used to do, and the fathers got a kick seeing the excitement
from their kids. The gathering was low key, but it was great to visit with
everyone again.
That set an upbeat tone to enjoy the usual festivities with
the Saskatchewan Roughriders annual CFL clash with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Of course, this year marked the first time the Labour Day Classic would be held
at new Mosaic Stadium.
Saturday, Sept. 2, included a stop at fanfest at Mosaic, a
nice dinner at the Keg that included an appearance by the Bombers mascots and
cheerleaders and partying with supporters from both sides at Gabbo’s Nightclub
and doing the annual toast to remember the late legendary Bombers head coach
and general manager Cal Murphy, who I was privileged to become friends with.
Seeing the regulars that come out from Winnipeg to support the Bombers is one
of the best things about the Labour Day Classic.
 |
| Labour Day weekend began with a reunion of the 2000 U of Regina Rams. |
On game day on Sunday, Sept. 3, it was fun to see Bombers
fans continued to gather at Wayne’s World for a pre-game party, which is
located across the street from the Roughriders old long time home in Taylor
Field. Taylor Field was still standing during the Labour Day Classic weekend.
There seemed to be more people there than ever and the fun included a live
band.
The game was a great one for the Roughriders, which meant I
got to scream my lungs out. Before a sellout crowd of 33,350, they stormed out
to a 34-16 lead at halftime and cruised to a 38-24 victory.
Roughriders quarterback Kevin Glenn completed 26-of-36
passes for 386 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Saskatchewan pass
catchers Bakari Grant, Naaman Roosevelt and Duron Carter all surpassed 100
yards in receiving. Roughriders defensive back Ed Gainey had a pair of
interceptions. The post-game victory celebrations were, of course, a blast.
 |
| This photo I took of Duron Carter went viral on Twitter. |
Those incidents came out after a tweeted a photo of Carter
high-fiving fans in the south end zone during pre-game intros, and he responded
with a tweet saying what happened to him, which went viral. Overall, all of
that got way overblown during a period of 36 hours, because traditionally, the
fans of the Roughriders and Bombers have gotten along really well during the
Labour Day Classic weekend. Often, a romantic relationship will develop for the
weekend.
I was oblivious to the fan mishaps that happened at the game
until the next morning. In the overall scheme of things, they weren’t that bad
and provide colourful stories to tell in future years.
3. Thunderbirds win WHL title – It’s True,
it’s True
 |
| Alexander True (#16) fires home the WHL championship winning goal. |
For the second time in my life, I got to interview someone
scoring an overtime goal to win the WHL Championship series. On May 14, 2007, I
was at The Arena in Medicine Hat when Brennan Bosch scored his double overtime
winning goal to deliver the Tigers to a 3-2 victory in a series deciding Game 7
of that year’s WHL Championship set over the visiting Vancouver Giants before a
sellout crowd of 4,006 spectators.
That goal will go down as one of the most famous markers in
the history of the WHL Championship series. I interviewed Bosch one-on-one
after the game, which I covered during my 10-year run at the Medicine Hat News.
 |
| Alexander True celebrates his OT winner. |
It appeared the Pats were going to force a series deciding
Game 7, when speedy winger Austin Wagner, who was playing with an injured
shoulder, scored to give his side a 3-1 lead with 6:48 to play in the third
period. The sellout crowd of 6,484 spectators at the Brandt Centre were jumping
with anticipation of a Pats victory minus the healthy contingent of
Thunderbirds supporters.
The joy for the host supporters was short-lived.
Ryan Gropp and Keegan Kolesar scored for the Thunderbirds to
force a 3-3 tie and overtime. Kolesar netted the equalizer with 2:54 to play in
the third.
At the 12:36 mark of overtime, Alexander True, who was the
Thunderbirds 19-year-old import centre from Copenhagen, Denmark, broke down the
right wing, fired a shot on Pats netminder Tyler Brown, followed the rebound
and popped home the WHL championship winning goal for Seattle. The Thunderbird
took the game 4-3 and the series 4-2.
I covered that contest for my blog, and due to the budget
cut current era of the mainstream media, I focused on covering the Thunderbirds
story for this game.
It felt like all the mainstream outlets represented at the
game were from Regina, and no one was doing a Thunderbirds focused story
outside of a side piece on their players that were born in Saskatchewan.
 |
| Seattle RW Keegan Kolesar (#28) tries to slip by Regina D Connor Hobbs. |
It seemed staffers creating content for the WHL website were
the only ones concentrating on doing a story centred on the Thunderbirds
winning their first league championship in team history.
Earlier in that series, I did a column about how
Thunderbirds defenceman Ethan Bear was followed by a huge number of supporters
from his hometown Ochapowace First Nation located in Saskatchewan. That is still one my top 10 most
viewed posts. That increased my motivation to write a Thunderbirds centred
story.
 |
| Thunderbirds defenceman Ethan Bear holds up the Ed Chynoweth Cup. |
Farwell is a legendary figure in the WHL having built the
Tigers Memorial Cup championship teams in 1987 and 1988 as general manager.
I had known him for a long time, and it was great to see him get the chance to experience a league championship with the Thunderbirds.
I had known him for a long time, and it was great to see him get the chance to experience a league championship with the Thunderbirds.
I was on and totally focused in covering that contest when
it happened. The next day it hit me with what I had just done and just how
special that moment was.
2. The Regina Pats run through the WHL
playoffs
 |
| Goalie Tyler Brown and Austin Wagner embrace after a Game 7 win. |
It was a time where I both lived in the moment and also went
on a complete nostalgia tour. Between the regular season and playoffs during
the 2016-17 campaign I saw the Regina Pats play live more than any other hockey
team.
The Pats were the first WHL team I ever covered on a beat
writer basis. I covered them for the last half of the 1999-2000 season for a
website run by the University of Regina’s School of Journalism and
Communications and for a short-lived sports reporting website called
SportsRegina.com during the first half of the 2000-01 campaign.
 |
| Adam Brooks was the charismatic captain of the Pats. |
They had a roster that seemed stacked full of superheroes
who you couldn’t help love. Captain Adam Brooks, Sam Steel, Austin Wagner,
Dawson Leedahl, Nick Henry, Filip Ahl, Robbie Holmes, Braydon Buziak, Connor
Hobbs, Chase Harrison, Josh Mahura, Sergey Zborovskiy and gutsy goalie Tyler
Brown were all great players and great people off the ice.
The Pats were guided by the steady and reassuring hand of
head coach and general manager John Paddock, who has seen it all pretty much in
hockey as a veteran bench boss and manager.
During the Pats run, they had an all-in feeling to them that
mirrored what I experienced covering the Medicine Hat Tigers winning the WHL
title in the 2006-07 campaign while working for the Medicine Hat News. The
parents and friends of the Pats players traveled to road destinations in large
numbers, and I started to recognize them by their faces and got to know them
casually.
 |
| Connor Hobbs was a beast on the back end for the Pats. |
I made so many trips to Regina that I started to feel like a
resident of that city again. I admit I received a handful of old emails from
past acquaintances telling me they liked seeing me cover the Pats again, and
those messages were delivered in a way that built the confidence.
Other old memories flowed back into my head, when I got to
go out socializing after games. Some new acquaintances helped build the
confidence too on those nights out.
Still, it looked for a time the run would stall, when the
Swift Current Broncos took a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven second round series.
When the Broncos led 3-1 at home in Game 6, I thought the Pats were done. They
rallied for a 5-3 victory to force a series deciding Game 7 in Regina.
Before one of 26 sellout crowds of 6,484 spectators at the
Brandt Centre, the Pats romped to a 5-1 victory in Game 7 to mark the first
time the world’s oldest major junior franchise ever overcame a 3-1 series
deficit.
The Pats were advancing to the WHL Eastern Conference Championship series for the first time since 1993.
The Pats were advancing to the WHL Eastern Conference Championship series for the first time since 1993.
 |
| The Pats were backed by a regiment during the 2016-17 campaign. |
I saw all the fans just going bonkers in a joyful
celebration. I always imagined Regina getting behind the Pats in a big way, but
the moment was better than what my imagination created.
The Pats of course made it to the WHL Championship series
for the first time since 1984 dropping that best-of-seven set 4-2 to the
Seattle Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds claimed Game 6 with a 4-3 overtime
victory in Regina.
During that playoff push, the Regina rallied behind the Pats
in similar fashion to backing the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders in a Grey Cup
championship campaign. In my life, it felt like I would never see the Pats go
on a long playoff run, and when they did, the experience of that run in real
life outweighed anything from a dream.
1. Hilltops run to a fourth straight CJFL
title
 |
| The Hilltops enjoy a fourth straight CJFL title. (Photo courtesy Bonnie Bitz) |
On Nov. 11, the Hilltops traveled to Windsor, Ont., and
dismantled the host AKO Fratmen 56-11 in the CJFL title game – the Canadian
Bowl. The win capped a campaign where the Hilltops posted an 11-1 overall
record.
They accomplished a number of firsts with their championship
win over Windsor. The Hilltops became the first team to win four straight CJFL
championships, the first team to win seven CJFL titles over an eight year span
and the first club to win 20 total CJFL crowns.
 |
| Hilltops LB Cameron Schnitzler makes a tackle in the snow and cold. |
While the end result of the Hilltops campaign brings the
obvious upbeat memory, the journey through the season to get to that point
created many other great memories. In order to not overthink the quest to win
four straight CJFL championships, the Hilltops set about just focusing on what
came up that day as the season progressed.
The key in getting to Windsor for that historic win for the
Hilltops was just doing all the things that had made the team successful in
past campaigns. The players and coaches just focused on getting better as the
season progressed and enjoy all the little stories that get built as the season
went on.
 |
| Hilltops RB Logan Fischer (#21) tears downfield at new Mosaic Stadium. |
Following the game, the Hilltops players visited with the
mass amount of family and friends that lined the west side stands of the
facility. While they had success in the opener, head coach Tom Sargeant wasn’t
pleased with a number of aspects of his team’s play including missed tackles
and penalties.
The players respected where that message was coming from and
worked to avoid complacency.
The biggest heartbreak of the season on the field came on
Sept. 9, when the Hilltops and Thunder went at it at Saskatoon Minor Football
Field. The Thunder erased a 20-6 halftime deficit and pulled out a 29-26
comeback victory. Before that game, the Hilltops had won six straight clashes
between the two sides including the regular season and playoffs.
 |
| Safety James Vause returns an interception in the PFC Final. |
On a personal note, I enjoyed helping out with the team’s
game program as my blog entries were used for content.
As the campaign progressed, fourth-year quarterback Jordan
Walls showed he was ready for the role of starter after backing up Jared
Andreychuk during the three previous seasons. Fifth-year veterans like Logan
Fischer, Ryan Turple, Cameron Schnitzler, Tom Schnitzler and Luke Melnyk all
had standout campaigns. Third-year veterans Adam Machart, Garth Knittig and Riley
Pickett all took on more prominent roles.
The big wins soon followed.
A 38-28 victory over a tough Huskies side in Edmonton to close the regular season gave the Hilltops first place in the Prairie Football Conference. The Huskies were 7-0 going into that contest.
A 38-28 victory over a tough Huskies side in Edmonton to close the regular season gave the Hilltops first place in the Prairie Football Conference. The Huskies were 7-0 going into that contest.
 |
| DT Garth Knittig (#59) scores a major in the PFC Final. |
As times, the celebrations after playoff wins were short as
the majority of the Hilltops players had to concentrate on their studies at the
University of Saskatchewan.
The Hilltops kept their focus as the post-season march
continued. They hammered the Nanaimo, B.C., based Vancouver Island Raiders 48-0
at SFM Field to advance to and ultimately win the Canadian Bowl.
When the season ended, it was common to see the younger
players thank and hug graduating fifth-year players for being good mentors.
Once again, the Hilltops closed out another successful
chapter in their history, which also included playing out of their original
clubhouse building for the final time.
In 2018, the team will start writing
another chapter playing out of a new state of the art clubhouse that
neighboured the old one.
 |
| Me hanging with Hilltops OL Patrick Arno, right, and the Canadian Bowl. |
It is safe to assume more great memories will be made.
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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