Kwame Opoku scored his first career U Sports goal on Sunday. |
While you can’t get over excited about one weekend of play,
you can get optimistically excited. Having missed the playoffs last season, the
Huskies opened their current U Sports campaign sweeping the University of
Lethbridge Pronghorns in a two-game series at PotashCorp Park. The Huskies took
the opener 1-0 on Saturday and closed the series with a 2-1 victory on Sunday.
A year ago, the Pronghorns went 8-6-2 to finish five points
ahead of the Huskies, who were 6-7-3, for fourth place and the final playoff
berth in the Prairie Division of the Canada West Conference.
Actually when you watched the two clashes, you come away
impressed with how well “the beautiful game” can be played in the men’s U
Sports ranks. Both sides moved the ball well and both contests had real good
pace.
Had the Pronghorns manufactured about a couple of more plays
each game, they could have come away with two road wins.
On Saturday, Huskies third-year midfielder Marcello Gonzalez
scored the contest’s only goal in the 59th minute and fourth-year
keeper Patrick Pranger made four saves to give the host side the victory.
Matthew Vandervoort took the loss in the Pronghorns goal.
On Sunday, the Huskies took a 1-0 lead late in the first
half, when a corner kick from third-year midfielder Gabriel Buatois bounced
around inside the box and deflected into the Pronghorns goal off Vandervoort.
Early in the second half, rookie midfielder Kwame Opoku scored his first U
Sports goal to give the Huskies a 2-0 edge.
U of S’s Jakub Rogowski collides with U of L’s Matthew Vandervoort. |
Huskies keeper Kyle Moore made three stops in the win, while
Vandervoort stopped five shots in the setback for the U of L side.
For most of both outings, the Huskies did well advancing the
ball up the pitch with triangle passing, and the players who didn’t have the
ball presented passing outlets for the teammate that did have the ball. U of S
also did well in withstanding the Pronghorns pressure at the end of both
contests to preserve the win. With wins being worth three points in the
standings in soccer and ties worth just one point, the fact Huskies didn’t give
up the lead late was big.
Now three years removed from winning the Canada West title
in 2014, the current Huskies are more on the young side with their roster
containing 10 rookies and five players in their second year of eligibility.
While they have no fifth-year players, they do have six players in their
fourth-year of eligibility to provide some veteran presence in the quest to end a one-year absence from the post-season.
For the first time out, youth helped carry the day on two
occasions for the Dogs. Hopefully, they can keep the good vibes going as the
campaign progresses, but win or lose, they should be fun to watch.
The Huskies return to action this coming Saturday and Sunday,
when they travel to Edmonton to face the MacEwan University Griffins and the U
of Alberta Golden Bears respectively.
Blades sign MacInnes, skate with good pace
On Tuesday, the Blades inked 15-year-old Burnaby, B.C.,
product and netminder Koen MacInnes to a standard WHL player agreement.
MacInnes, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 165 pounds, was selected in the second
round and 35th overall in the WHL Bantam Draft held in May.
Last season, MacInnes played goal for goal for the Burnaby
Winter Club’s top tier bantam team and backstopped the squad to a Western
Canadian Bantam Championship title. MacInnes isn’t eligible to start playing in
the WHL on a full-time basis until the start of the 2018-19 season.
The Blades entered Tuesday with 38 players on their roster
including 21 forwards, 13 defencemen and four goaltenders. Not included in
those numbers were injured forwards Lukus MacKenzie and Tyler Lees, who both
have upper body injuries.
The Blades held their Blue and White game on Tuesday, where
the Blue side prevailed 5-1. The contest, which included three periods that
were 15-minutes in straight time, was played at a very fast pace. Both sides
were fairly focused in transitioning up ice with speed.
Overage centre Cameron Hebig was looking fairly good. He
missed all of last season due to injury after piling up 26 goals and 43 assists
in 59 regular season games as an 18-year-old in 2015-16.
At the moment, the Blades have four overage players on their
roster including Hebig, forward Braylon Shmyr, defenceman Evan Fiala and
goaltender Logan Flodell. WHL clubs have to cut down to three overage players on Oct. 10.
The Blades open their exhibition schedule traveling to
Regina on Thursday to face the Pats. “The Bridge City Bunch” opens the regular
season on Sept. 22, when they host the Swift Current Broncos at 7 p.m. at the
SaskTel Centre.
Hilltops O-line rounding out well
The Hilltops offensive line has run over the opposition so far this season. |
The Toppers were expected to go through some growing pains
in that area thanks to the graduations of Tyler Hoath, Drake Unger and Cord
Ivanko.
When the Hilltops trounced the Ottawa Sooners 49-15 at
Saskatoon Minor Football Field on Saturday, they started Kirk Simonsen at right
tackle, Taylor Elderkin at right guard, Patrick Arno at centre, Jack Sloboda at
left guard and Mason Ochs at left tackle. Simonsen and Elderkin were regulars
last season, while Sloboda missed much of the 2016 campaign due to injury.
That group of five has been a main cog in helping the
Toppers get out to a 3-0 start and pile up the yards offensively.
Thanks to the offensive line, the Hilltops are still finding
a great balance offensively, where the yards they pile up through the air and
along the ground are split 50/50.
Hilltops offensive line coach Donnie Davidsen has to be
given credit here in helping the team not a miss a beat in this area.
The Hilltops are off until Sept. 9, when they host the
Regina Thunder (2-1) at 7 p.m. at SMF Field.
The Toppers are also hosting their annual “In the End Zone”
fundraiser before the clash with the Thunder. This year’s guest speaker is
legendary former Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Don Narcisse, while Hilltops
head coach Tom Sargeant will also give a pre-game address. Tickets are $680 for
a table of eight or $85 per single ticket and can be purchased clicking the
link right here.
Servetnyk the best at stats
When it comes to the local Saskatoon football front, no one
is better at doing statistics than Danny Servetnyk.
Servetnyk can be found in the press box at Saskatoon Minor
Football Field at all Saskatoon Hilltops and Saskatoon Valkyries games as well
as all high school games played at the facility. In what seems like a matter of
a handful of minutes following Hilltops and Valkyries contests, he has the
statistics for that night’s game complete, and they are pristine.
During the high school football season, you can expect an
email with all the stats from that night’s games moments after the last contest
concludes. They are as good as the statistics from Hilltops and Valkyries.
I definitely thank Servetnyk big time for the efforts he
puts in compiling football statistics. It helps make my blog posts and stories
that much better.
Servetnyk made his mark as an athlete back in the day in the
late 1970s and early 1980s building storied career playing football with the
Hilltops and wrestling with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s team.
He was inducted into the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
Hockey community loses great guy in Tuer’s
passing
ICYMI: Graham Tuer's interview from the 2017 #SHHOF Induction Ceremony in North Battleford. Rest in peace, Graham. 💚 pic.twitter.com/TYXXYqYviA— SHHOF (@saskhockeyhall) August 29, 2017
I felt stunned and sad when learned of Graham Tuer’s passing
around the lunch hour time here in Saskatoon.
He died at the age of 87 in a Regina hospital on Tuesday
morning. He entered hospital late last week after suffering two heart attacks.
Here in Saskatoon, Tuer’s passing was talked about often
during the Saskatoon Blades intrasquad Blue and White game.
Tuer, who was inducted into the Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame on July 22, was born in North Battleford and spent more than 50
years in and around arenas in Western Canada in various roles with various
teams, leagues and organizations.
When I would venture to the Brandt Centre in Regina last
season to cover Pats contests in the regular season and during their run to
Game 6 of the WHL Championship series, I visited with Tuer regularly before
most games. I always enjoyed those visits, and I will cherish them even more
now. Tuer had been with the Pats as a scout and their liaison with Hockey
Regina since 2015, and served with the team earlier in his hockey travels.
Tuer’s presence added to my familiarity of being at the
Brandt Centre after being away from that facility for a number of years. I
remember visiting him when I covered the Pats as a beat writer during the last
half of the 1999-2000 and first half of the 2000-01 seasons.
While I will miss Tuer, I know a lot more people in hockey will take his passing to heart way more than me. He had a huge influence
on a number of people involved in the game. Over the next few days, I know I am
going to learn a lot more about Tuer’s impact on the game.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Gregg Drinnan wrote a great piece on Tuer for his Taking
Note blog. It can be found right here.
Graham Tuer was a legend I was privileged to have known such a great man. You were a mentor and a great friend. You will be sadly missed— Dean Brockman (@67BrockD) August 30, 2017
Back in the Express with a cover story on
Flory
I was back in the Saskatoon Express this week with a cover
story on new University of Saskatchewan Huskies football head coach Scott
Flory.
Actually, I got to be part of a sweet looking cover, and the
front of the local weekly contained my story and one on Saskatoon Hilltops head
coach Tom Sargeant penned by Keenan Sorokan.
My story on Flory talks about how he is preaching that
everything matters with the Huskies football team. Before becoming the Huskies head coach, Flory had been team’s offensive coordinator for the three previous seasons.
Sorokan’s story focuses on the colourful impact Sargeant has had on the success of the Hilltops. Sargeant has been the Hilltops head coach since 1998, and he has guided the team to 10 CJFL titles.
Sorokan’s story focuses on the colourful impact Sargeant has had on the success of the Hilltops. Sargeant has been the Hilltops head coach since 1998, and he has guided the team to 10 CJFL titles.
If you have a chance, be sure to big up a hard copy of the
Express, which can be found in yellow dispensers located throughout the city.
If you have any
comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them
to stankssports@gmail.com.