WHL blessed to see lots of Tigers’ McKenna

A Gavin McKenna card.

Getting a Gavin McKenna hockey card from an Upper Deck 2023-24 CHL series box can make anyone feel like a kid again.

In recent years, the WHL has had the good fortune of cycling through a special generation of players talent wise that you have to get out and see. Many of those are currently in the 19-year-old age group that includes Riley Heidt of the Prince George Cougars, Brayden Yager of the Moose Jaw Warriors, Tanner Molendyk of the Saskatoon Blades, Gracyn Sawchyn of the Edmonton Oil Kings, Lukas Dragicevic of the Prince Albert Raiders and Andrew Cristall and Caden Price of the Kelowna Rockets.

McKenna, who is the superstar left-winger of the Medicine Hat Tigers, is the leader of younger class of elite players in the WHL. He leads the league in scoring with 48 points coming off 15 goals and 33 assists to go with a plus-20 rating appearing in all the Tigers 25 regular season games.

In 102 career regular season games, McKenna, who stands 6-feet and weighs 165 pounds, has recorded 53 goals, 110 assists and a plus-23 rating. Those statistics are incredibly impressive when you realize McKenna won’t turn 17-years-old until December 20.

Thanks to his late in the year birthday, McKenna won’t be eligible for the NHL Entry Draft until 2026. That means the Tigers will get to have McKenna for his 18-year-old season.

For folks on the WHL circuit, you still have about two thirds of the current regular season and the post-season plus the entire 2025-26 campaign to see McKenna. When the 2026 NHL Entry Draft comes around, there is a high probability that McKenna will be selected first overall and his time in junior hockey will come to an end.

McKenna’s rise was an unexpected one as he was born and raised in Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory. With the support of his parents Willy and Krystal, Gavin started traveling to hockey camps and tournaments at age eight. The parents knew that their son needed to be challenged and the competition in Whitehorse was limited.

Gavin McKenna recorded 97 points last season for the Tigers.

The people of Whitehorse and the business community fundraised to allow McKenna to attend these camps and tournaments. McKenna would move away from home to Kelowna, B.C., to play for the Rink Hockey Academy’s Under-18 Prep Team for his 14-year-old campaign. In 35 regular season games with the Rink Academy team, McKenna piled up 23 goals and 42 assists for 65 points.

He was selected first overall in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft by the Tigers. In his 15-year-old campaign in 2022-23, McKenna suited up for the South Alberta Hockey Academy Under-18 Prep Team located in Dunmore, Alta., which neighbours the southeast border of Medicine Hat.  

In 26 games with the SAHA squad, McKenna recorded 37 goals and 38 assists for 75 points. He was named the most valuable player of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League’s under-18 circuit.

McKenna also played in 16 regular season games with the Tigers in 2022-23, and he recorded four goals and 14 assists in those outings.  In the 2023 WHL Playoffs, he recorded one goal playing in all four of the Tigers games as they were swept by the Winnipeg Ice in a best-of-seven first round series.

As a full-time rookie last season, McKenna finished 12^th in WHL regular season scoring with 97 points coming off 34 goals and 63 assists. He set a new Tigers record for most points by a 16-year-old breaking the old mark of 95 points set by Al Conroy way back in the 1982-83 campaign.

McKenna captured the Jim Piggott Trophy as the WHL’s rookie of the year, and he was named CHL rookie of year too. This past August, McKenna helped Canada win gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup under-18 tournament piling up 10 goals and 10 assists in seven games. That sent him into the current campaign with the Tigers riding a sizable amount of momentum.

Gavin McKenna has 163 points in 102 career regular season games.

Of course, McKenna is going to draw comparisons to the WHL’s most recent phemon in Regina Pats alumnus Connor Bedard, who is skating in his second NHL season with the Chicago Blackhawks as a 19-year-old. The combination of the level of play, maturity and fandom that Bedard received during his time in the WHL was something you never saw in the WHL before.

If McKenna could reach the all-around levels Bedard did as a major junior player, it would be outstanding. With that said, I would never put that type of pressure on McKenna.

McKenna has to write his own story and make his own path in major junior hockey. Right now, he is doing just fine.

Hockey community morns passing of Hasenfratz

Mike Hasenfratz, left, officiates a WHL game on March 25, 2000.

Over the weekend, retired WHL and NHL referee Mike Hasenfratz passed away, and those that knew him remembered his as their favourite referee and one of the game’s great characters.

Hasenfratz, who was 58-years-old, was raised in Regina. While working in the WHL, he was selected to represent the league working the 1995 Memorial Cup in Kamloops, B.C., and the 1998 Memorial Cup in Spokane, Wash.

He claimed the Allen Paradice Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s Official of the Year in his final campaign on the circuit in 1999-2000.

Hasenfratz started working in the NHL the next season making his debut on October 21, 2000 working a game between the New York Islanders and the host Washington Capitals. He would work 705 career regular season games through the end of the 2013-14 campaign.

Just past the middle of his NHL career, Hasenfratz missed two seasons as he recovered from life-threatening heart surgery. From 2011 to 2014, Hasenfratz wore number-two to signify his second chance and what he called doing the second best job in the world after playing.

Rod Pedersen, who is the former play-by-play voice of the WHL’s Regina Pats and Prince Albert Raiders, recalled some good character memories on his site. Those can be found by clicking right here.

Hasenfratz’s final season in the WHL was the first season I covered the circuit in 1999-2000. Being in my first season and still learning the ropes of the league, I didn’t talk to Hasenfratz, and that was my loss.

I was amazed at how well he handled games between the Regina Pats and Moose Jaw Warriors, who were heated archrivals. Back in Hasenfratz’s days, games between the Pats and Warriors included lots of extra-curricular activities and escalate to complete mayhem. He always had a good handle on those contests.

I got a photo of him talking to Brett Lysak of the Pats and Shawn Skolney of the Warriors after a skirmish during a WHL regular season game played on March 25, 2000 at the Pats home rink in the Agridome, which is now known as the Brandt Centre. When Hasenfratz went to the NHL for the 2000-01 campaign, I thought it was cool I had a picture of a referee who was in the NHL.

Rest easy Hasenfratz. You will be remembered fondly by many.

Dunne first queen of NCAA’s NIL game

It can be argued Olivia “Livvy” Dunne is the most famous NCAA athlete in the present day.

The 22-year-old Louisiana State University Tigers gymnast has set the bar of what can be made in the NCAA’s guideline regarding name, image and likeness. Since 2021 when NIL guidelines changed, a piece run by the New York Post on September 13 reports Dunne has made an estimated US$9.5-million.

She gained extra notoriety last season when the Tigers won their first NCAA national team title in program history.

Dunne, who is in her “super senior” season fifth year with the Tigers, has over 5.4-million followers on Instagram and 8.1-million followers on TikTok. With her social medial following, she has become attractive to companies looking for endorsements of their products.

The Westwood, New Jersey, product has endorsement deals with Grubhub, Vuori, Bodyarmor and American Eagle Outfitters. In July of 2023, Dunne partnered with Bayou Traditions to launch The Livvy Fund, which is a program that will connect female student athletes at LSU with top brands to secure NIL endorsement deals.

Dunne also made the media outlets swoon in the United States by dating Paul Skenes, who is a star right-handed pitcher for the MLB’s Pittsburgh Pirates and is an alumnus of the LSU Tigers baseball team. Skenes was named the National League’s Rookie of the Year for the 2024 MLB campaign.

Thanks to what Dunne has been able to make through NIL for the short time it has been around, she has changed the overall sports world in North America. She is the NCAA’s first “Queen of NIL.”

As a ripple effect, the hockey world in North America is coming to grips with the changes in the NCAA’s NIL guidelines. Looking at social media, it appears a lot of people in the hockey world just look at the hockey world and don’t realize forces outside their sporting world can affect their world.

On November 7, the NCAA Division I Council voted to abolish old rules that classified CHL players as professional. Starting on August 1, 2025, players from the CHL’s three major junior circuits in the WHL, OHL and QMJHL will be eligible to play for NCAA Division I teams. Basically, CHL players will maintain NCAA eligibility as long as they have not signed an entry-level contract with an NHL team.

Under the old rules, the NCAA kept major junior hockey players out on the basis of getting a monthly stipend that has never hit $1,000 a month in Canadian dollars. That was how the NCAA classified CHL players as professional.

A class-action lawsuit was filed on August 13 in U.S. District Court in Buffalo, N.Y., challenging those bylaws. That lawsuit now becomes a mute thing.

The rules that had existed before really put undue pressure on young players mainly from Canada to make a decision if they would play for a major junior team or join the junior A ranks to keep their NCAA eligibility alive. As far as the development process goes, players will be able to make decisions more naturally and benefit from having more freedom with their path through the game in attempting to make the NHL.

 Still, those rules are causing major shockwaves in hockey. Junior A teams in Canada banked on being able to get good players who still wanted to protect their NCAA eligibility by not playing major junior. Now, that is a non-factor.

Also, the British Columbia Hockey League elected to leave the junior A Canadian Junior Hockey League in 2021. It officially became an independent circuit going rogue on May 1, 2023 when the BCHL elected to not renew its agreement with Hockey Canada. As a result, anyone associated with BCHL teams lost their sanctioning by Hockey Canada.

This past January, five teams formerly from the junior A Alberta Junior Hockey League joined the rogue BCHL in the Blackfalds Bulldogs, Brooks Bandits, Okotoks Oilers, Sherwood Park Crusaders and Spruce Grove Saints.

Now, there has been shake ups with players trying to get their Hockey Canada sanctioning back and return to Hockey Canada sanctioned leagues. The fate of the BCHL and the five Alberta teams that joined that circuit is up in the air.

Also, there are concerns U Sports men’s hockey will no longer get the CHL recruits it once did.

No one knows for sure how exactly hockey will shake out in North America.

With the money Dunne made from NIL, it was impossible to keep CHL players out of the NCAA.

Meta’s war with Canadian power holders is ugly, other notes

Meta is continuing to duke it out with the Government of Canada and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

Back on June 22, 2023, the Government of Canada passed The Online News Act (formerly Bill C-18) in order to get money from Meta, which is the parent company of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, and Google for displaying active links from mainstream media outlets in Canada. To me, this still is a bizarre law, because you are trying to collect a tax from an entity that is providing a free service. The links on the Meta and Google platforms directed users to the sites of mainstream outlets.

This would be like a neighbour cuts you lawn and cleans your driveway of snow for free to be a good person, but now you want that neighbour to pay money for the privilege to cut your lawn and clean snow from your driveway. That is how I see this law.

Plus, this regulation appeared to not be targeted at the Platform-X (formerly Twitter) social media channel or other search engines like Yahoo or Webcrawler. There must have been a view on those fronts that you can draw blood from the stone. Again, that is how I see it.

Anyways, I saw an update story on this front produced by The Canadian Press last Friday. Since The Online New Act came into force, Meta has been blocking links to all mainstream media sites around the world on its platforms for Canadian users.

In Canada, users of Facebook and Instagram have used a workaround sharing screen shots of news articles, pictures of hard copies of news articles or copying text of articles in their posts from mainstream outlets.

The Canadian Press story stated, “The Liberal government maintains the company (Meta) could still fall under Online News Act, but that would be up to the CRTC to determine.”

Last month, CRTC granted Google an exemption from the act under an agreement that will see Google pay out $100-million to Canadian news outlets.

When I went through that story from The Canadian Press last Friday, my mind was transported back in time to classroom sessions during my days at what was then known as the University of Regina’s School of Journalism and Communications talking about late Canadian philosopher and communication theorist Marshall McLuhan.

McLuhan coined the phrase, “The medium is the message.”

That means if you control the medium you control the message.

From how I read The Canadian Press story from last Friday, the Government of Canada overseen by the Liberal Party and the CRTC have concerns over people sharing screenshots of stories or pictures of physical stories from mainstream outlets on Facebook and Instagram. Now, this has gone far beyond taxing links or putting charges on links.

To me, this is about the Government of Canada putting control of the Facebook and Instagram social media platforms in the hands of the CRTC. Since its formation in 1968 and morphing into its present form in 1976, the CRTC is known as not being user friendly and exerting its power in a forceful way. The CRTC has operated that way no matter which political party has formed the Government of Canada.

To me, the CRTC with its regulations stunted the growth of the broadcast industry in Canada during the best days of the mainstream media in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s with regulations all in the name of protecting Canadian culture.

I remember a friend once saying to me the CRTC operations like the Joseph Stalin era Soviet Union.

Looking at how the CRTC has operated in the past, Meta should fight every way it can when it comes to allowing the CRTC to have control of its social media platforms.

Once again, McLuhan was right, “The medium is the message.”

• Last Saturday , the Universite Laval Rouge et Or downed the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks 22-17 in the U Sports national football championship - the Vanier Cup. The contest was played before 9,500 spectators at Richardson Memorial Stadium in Kingston, Ontario. Rouge et Or kicker Felipe Forteza hit a Vanier Cup record six field goals for Laval in the win. The old record of five field goals was set on numerous occasions with Laval kicker Vincent Blanchard being the last to hit five field goals in 2022. Forteza hit 6-of-7 field goal attempts last Saturday as the Rouge et Or won without scoring a touchdown. The Rouge et Or have won 12 Vanier Cups since their formation in 1996, and they’ve won more Vanier Cups than any other team. Legendary Rouge et Or head coach Glen Constantin picked up his 220^th career head coaching win in regular season and post-season play with the Vanier Cup victory. The all-time leader in career head coaching victories in U Sports football, Constantin has a 220-39 career record as the Rouge et Or head coach.
• On Wednesday, the CHL announced Kelowna, B.C., was chosen to be host of the 2026 Memorial Cup tournament that determines a CHL champion. The event will be the 106^th edition of the Memorial Cup. The Rockets last hosted the Memorial Cup in 2004, when they won the tournament as the host team after falling in seven games in the WHL’s Western Conference Championship Series. Kelowna was to host the 2020 Memorial Cup tournament that was cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The CHL’s release can be found by clicking right here.
• The Medicine Hat Tigers, Brandon Wheat Kings, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Spokane Chiefs all submitted bids to host the 2026 Memorial Cup that was awarded to the Kelowna Rockets. Myself and lots of observers felt the Tigers had the best roster to be able to host that event in 2026. James Tubb of the Medicine Hat News provided the Medicine Hat reaction to not getting the 2026 Memorial Cup, and his piece can be found by clicking right here.
• On Wednesday, the Moose Jaw Warriors traded 18-year-old netminder Dimitri Fortin to the Prince Albert Raiders for a sixth round selection in the 2028 WHL Prospects Draft. Fortin has a 1-2 record, a 5.26 goals against average and a .863 save percentage in five appearances for the Warriors this season.
• On Wednesday, the Everett Silvertips dealt Julien Maze to the Regina Pats for Cole Temple in an exchange of 2007-born forwards. Maze posted six goals, 13 assists and a plus-16 rating in 21 games with the Silvertips this season. Temple posted four goals, eight assists and a minus-five rating in 22 games with the Pats this season.
• Is it me or does it seem like every third commercial during the broadcast of a sporting event in Canada is an electric car commercial? That includes when Canadian broadcasters are able to override the commercials on sporting broadcasts on United States networks like broadcasts of NFL games.
• The one time recently I got to see the United States commercials for the broadcast of an NFL game on a United States network I noticed there were no electric car commercials. There was a commercial for a hybrid car and the commercial showed someone filling the hybrid with gasoline on three different occasions. A voice over at the end said that model of vehicle was available as an electric car.
• Marshall McLuhan – “The medium is the message.”
• The difference in car commercials I saw between Canadian and United States sports broadcasts can be attributed to the fact activist Steven Guilbeault is one of the most powerful ministers in the Governement of Canada as the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Before being elected to the Federal Government in 2019, Guilbeault built a career working for Greenpeace and likeminded environmental organizations similar to Greenpeace. With Greenpeace, Guilbeault was convicted of mischief in 2001 for climbing the CN Tower in Toronto and unfurling a banner. In 2002 while working with Greenpeace, Guilbeault and Greenpeace members went to the home of then Alberta Premier Ralph Klein and his wife Coleen to put up a banner and install a solar panel. Coleen was home alone and got terrified fearing she face a home invasion and grabbed a broom for defence. The Kleins didn’t press charges but did get a restraining order. Don Braid of the Calgary Herald wrote a column of Guilbeault’s past antics, which can be found by clicking right here.
• For the record in the political realm, I am not a fan of either United States president-elect Donald Trump or Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at this point in time. I am sure saying that would put me in the “asshole” category of many and open the door to be buried by both extreme right and left wingers. There was a time I thought having Trudeau become the Prime Minister of Canada was a good thing. That changed when Guilbeault was elected as a Liberal MP in 2019.
• I hate writing about politics. I hate it when it becomes a sizable piece in my sports posts as I am a sportswriter and photographer by trade. Since 2020, politics has affected my line of work at a more increasing rate, so some of my rants will come out every now and then.

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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Warriors captain Yager in obvious trade bait position

Brayden Yager with the Ed Chynoweth Cup on May 15.

Could Brayden Yager’s days with the Moose Jaw Warriors be numbered?

You can expect that question will continue to be asked as Yager’s Moose Jaw Warriors continue to struggle. Heading into action on Tuesday, the Warriors sat last in the entire WHL with a 5-14-3-1 record.

Of course last season, the Warriors finished fifth overall in the WHL with a 44-21-0-3 mark, and in the post-season, they would win the WHL championship and advance to the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup – for the first time in team history. When that campaign concluded, the Warriors graduated a whole host of key players including WHL scoring leader Jagger Firkus, Atley Calvert, captain Denton Mateychuk, Matthew Savoie, Martin Rysavy and Lucas Brenton.

Over the past two weeks Warriors general manager Jason Ripplinger traded away a pair of veteran defencemen to collect draft capital and get a little younger. On November 15, the Warriors dealt 19-year-old Czech import defenceman and prospect of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks in Vojtech Port to the Lethbridge Hurricanes for 18-year-old defenceman Ryder Ellis, a third round selection in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft and a second round pick in the 2027 Prospects Draft.

On November 17, the Warriors made a bigger deal sending 20-year-old offensive defenceman and Minnesota Wild prospect Kalem Parker to the Calgary Hitmen for 15-year-old prospects centre Nathan Gardiner, a second round selection in the 2025 Prospects Draft and third and seventh round picks in the 2026 Prospect Draft. When Parker got traded, it left a feeling that Yager might possibly be dealt at some time too before the trade deadline on January 10, 2025.

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

Rams were a play away from their biggest upset

Rouge et Or claim Mitchell Bowl to end Cinderella run

The University of Regina Rams are likely not over the stunned and numb feelings yet.

On Saturday at Mosaic Stadium, the Rams nearly pulled off the biggest upset likely ever seen in U Sports football. With 3:45 remaining in the fourth quarter, second-year running back Marshall Erichsen ran home a touchdown from 36 yards out to give the Rams a 14-10 lead over the visiting and ultra-power Universite Laval Rouge et Or in the Mitchell Bowl, which is a U Sports semifinal playoff game.

The Rouge et Or responded putting together an 11-play touchdown drive that covered 85 yards. With 79 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, star quarterback Arnaud Desjardins hit receiver Isaac Gaillardetz with a five-yard touchdown toss that put the Rouge et Or up 17-14.

The Rouge et Or proceeded to force the Rams to turn the ball over on downs in their next offensive series. Laval than ran out the clock ensuring the 17-14 advantage help of as the contest’s final outcome.

With the win, the Rouge et Or (10-1) advanced to the U Sports championship game – the Vanier Cup. They will face the Wilfred Laurier University Golden Hawks this coming Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern Time at Richardson Memorial Stadium in Kingston, Ont.

Earlier in the day last Saturday, the Golden Hawks beat the Bishop’s University Gaiters 48-24 in the Uteck Bowl, which is the other U Sports semifinal. The visiting Golden Hawks (11-0) built a 34-10 lead over the Gaiters (10-1) at Coulter Field in Lennoxville, Quebec, and cruised to victory from there.

For the Rams, they obtained way more success this season than few outside their players and coaches thought they would have.

After opening their U Sports regular season schedule with two straight wins, the Rams proceeded to lose five straight. On the cusp of missing the post-season, the Rams closed the regular season downing the visiting U of Alberta Golden Bears 29-22 in their final regular season contest on October 25 at Leibel Field. U of R was down 22-4 in the third quarter before rallying for the win.

That victory allowed the Rams to finish with a 3-5 regular season record to place fourth in the Canada West Conference and capture the conference’s final post-season berth.

On November 2, the Rams traveled to Winnipeg, Man., and knocked off the U of Manitoba Bisons 28-25 at Princess Auto Stadium. The Bisons had finished first in Canada West with a 7-1 mark. Down 25-21, quarterback Noah Pelletier hit receiver Nicholas Sirleaf with a 16-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Rams their 28-25 victory.

The Rams advanced to the Canada West final to face their provincial rivals the U of Saskatchewan Huskies at Griffiths Stadium. Playing in front of 6,355 spectators, the Huskies jumped out to a 14-1 lead early in the second quarter. The Rams rallied back for a 19-14 victory.

Following the victory over the Huskies, the Rams returned to Regina to face the Rouge et Or at Mosaic Stadium in front of a crowd of 4,532 spectators. Going into the Mitchell Bowl, it was near impossible to find a pundit that gave the Rams a chance against the Rouge et Or, who have won 11 Vanier Cups since first taking the field in 1996.

When the dust settled, the Rams basically needed to make one more play to pick up the win. One of those missed chances came on the Rouge et Or’s final scoring drive of the contest.

Scrimmaging on first down from the U of R 46 yard line, Desjardins threw a pass that was batted in the air by Rams star defensive end Tarick Polius. The ball deflected high in the air, and one of the Rams defenders in the second level just missed making a diving interception. Had that play been made, it might have preserved victory for the Rams.

The players on the Rams defensive line were some of biggest stars of the contest. A tone was set on Laval’s first possession when pressure from the Rams defensive line caused two Desjardins incompletions for a two-and-out.

Polius, fourth-year defensive end Jacob Dakiniewich and nose tackle Toryn Swystun-Bernes showed they were going to be handful for the offensive line of the Rouge et Or. That played a factor for the rest of the game.

After the Rams went up 4-0 in the second quarter on a 20-yard field goal and a 33-yard missed field goal rouge from kicker Isaac Wegner, the Rouge et Or got their only big play on offence in the first half. Desjardins hit receiver Olivier Cool for a 75-yard touchdown pass to give the visitors a 7-4 advantage. Outside of that play, Laval couldn’t get anything done in the first half.

Wegner hit a 14-yard field goal with 1:45 remaining before halftime to even the score at 7-7. That 7-7 draw lasted until there was 7:54 remaining in the fourth quarter when Rouge et Or kicker Felipe Forteza hit a 32-yard field goal to put the Quebec side up 10-7. That set the stage for the dramatics that followed with Erichsen’s touchdown for the Rams and Gaillardetz’s major that won it for the Rouge et Or.

The Rouge et Or coaching staff led by head coach Glen Constantin made some good adjustments at halftime to get around the pressure the Rams defensive line was bringing. On offence, Laval elected to rely on a lot of quick hitters and short passes in the passing game looking to put together eight to 10 play marches to score.

The Rouge et Or would change up their tempo mixing up going between no huddle, to quick huddle to regular huddle in order to cause disruptions to the Rams defence.

During the regular season, the Rams gave up 177 points against, which was the lowest points against total in Canada West. Tonnes of credit has to be given to Rams defensive coordinator Sheldon Gray for how well the U of R played on that side of the ball all season. Gray, who was once a Rams star defensive back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, has turned into an outstanding coach.

Rams head coach Mark McConkey, who was a Rams receiver in the late 2000s and early 2010s, and his squad did a great job of playing to their strengths with their defence against the Rouge et Or.

Offensively, it feels like the Rams aren’t that far from having a big breakout where they consistently put up high point totals. The coaches will have to make decisions if they need to find and add a couple of playmakers via recruiting or believe they have the guys and keeping continuity will result in a breakout in 2025.

Against the Rouge et Or, gritty Rams quarterback Noah Pelletier completed 28-of-44 passes for 356 yards, while throwing one interception. After throwing his interception in the fourth quarter to Rouge et Or defensive back Jordan Lessard, Pelletier made a tackled with his injured left shoulder to take down Lessard.

While you don’t want to throw an interception, Pelletier’s effort in making his tackle on that play using his injured shoulder is one of those things that inspires teammates.

Playing his third year of eligibility, Pelletier began the 2024 campaign as the Rams backup, but he retook the starter’s role when Owen Sieben went down due to injury midway through the U of R’s first regular season contest. Pelletier started all eight of the Rams regular season games and their Canada West semifinal playoff loss in his first year of eligibility in 2022.

He started the Rams first two games in 2023 before being injured. The signal caller returned as the team’s backup and short-yardage quarterback for that campaign.

Having been an academic all-Canadian in the past, it has felt like Pelletier could morph into a big hero one day in his own style. In late September, the Canada West website put together a story about the journey Pelletier was taking off the field to build at stronger connection with his Metis roots. While those from Indigenous communities can relate to that story, it is also something anyone from any culture or ancestry can relate to.

Overall, the 2024 campaign was a huge success for the Rams, who were tied for last along with the U of Calgary Dinos in the pre-season Canada West coaches poll. They hadn’t won a post-season game since 2012 and last won the Canada West Conference title in 2000, when they made the Vanier Cup and fell 42-39 to the U of Ottawa Gee-Gees.

The Rams restored some of their luster.

They will likely hear less of, “Oh, they were great back in the day when Gord Currie and Frank McCrystal were their head coaches and Darryl Leason was their quarterback.”

Of course, that reflects back to the Rams days in junior football when they won 15 CJFL titles and initial campaigns in U Sports and spurts when Teale Orban , Marc Mueller and Noah Picton played quarterback for the team.

In 2024, the Rams provided hope that maybe their best days aren’t just “back in the day.”

Reider named Hilltops top grad

Trey Reider sets to throw a pass for the Hilltops.

Trey Reider piled up the individual awards in the 2024 campaign, so it was no surprise he claimed one last big honour from his Saskatoon Hilltops.

On Saturday, the Hilltops hosted the Saskatoon Hilltops Football Club Honours at the Roxy Theatre. For the second straight year, the Hilltops held an awards show similar in nature to awards shows hosted by the NFL and NHL.

Reider, who is the team’s star 22-year-old quarterback, was named the winner of the Drs. Landa-Doig Award as the team’s most outstanding graduate. In 2024, Reider also claimed honours as a CJFL first team all-Canadian all-star, a PFC all-star, the PFC’s most outstanding quarterback, offensive player of the year and most valuable player.

During the regular season, Reider completed 119 of 185 passes for 1,685 yards and 17 touchdowns, while throwing two interceptions. His 119.8 quarterback rating topped the PFC.

In the Hilltops 24-19 loss to their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder on October 20 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, Reider did his best to push the Saskatoon side to victory. He completed 23-of-41 passes for 305 yards and one touchdown, while throwing one interception. He also topped the Hilltops with 102 yards rushing on nine carries.

Reider threw up a final Hail Mary jump ball pass on the final play of the game into the Thunder end zone from 22 yards out attempting to win the contest. His final pass was knocked down by Thunder safety Adam King.

Graduating right tackle, Cody Shumanski claimed the Ray Syrnyk Trophy as the team’s top lineman. He was a CJFL first team all-Canadian all-star, a PFC all-star and the PFC’s Most Outstanding Lineman.

The Don and Jim Seaman Memorial Award for the top linebacker went to graduating outside linebacker Noah Gedir. Gedir finished in the top eight for defensive points in the PFC with 92 points coming off of 22 defensive solo tackles, 16 defensive tackle assists, five special teams solo tackles, two special teams tackle assists, six pass knockdowns, two fumble recoveries and one interception in regular season play.

Graduating left guard Erik Barsness claimed the Ron Atchison True Grit Award. Barsness has been the model of consistency for the past two seasons with the Hilltops.

The Jim Courtice Inspiration Award was taken by graduating receiver Drake Douglas. Douglas was a CJFL first team all-Canadian all-star, a PFC all-star and the PFC’s Most Outstanding Receiver. The sure-handed pass catcher picked up nods as a PFC all-star on special teams and the PFC’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player.

Justin Adamko, who is a graduating defensive back, claimed The Blue and Gold Award for dedication and commitment. Adamko had five pass knockdowns, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in the regular season.

The Past President’s Trophy as the team’s rookie of the year went to running back Brody Komarnicki. Komarnicki was named to the PFC’s all-rookie team.

Argos Grey Cup run impressive, other notes

The Toronto Argonauts are the holders of one of the most unique and amazing runs in the history of sports.

On Sunday, the Argonauts downed the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 41-22 in the 111^th Grey Cup game to become CFL champions playing before 52,349 spectators at B.C. Place in Vancouver, B.C. With the win, the Argonauts have won their last eight straight Grey Cup appearances spaced out over the last 33 yards.

During that run, they won the storied trophy in 1991, 1996, 1997, 2004, 2012, 2017, 2022 and 2024. The last time the Argonauts lost the CFL’s big game was in the 75^th Grey Cup played at B.C. Place. They fell 38-36 to the Edmonton Eskimos in an all-time classic that saw Eskimos icon Henry “Gizmo” Williams return a missed field goal 112 yards for a touchdown.

Speaking of icons, Argonauts icon Michael “Pinball” Clemons has been part of the Argonauts for all of their last eight straight Grey Cup winners. He was a player in 1991, 1996 and 1997, the head coach in 2004 and held an executive position in 2012, 2017, 2022 and 2024.

In Sunday’s win over the Bombers, the Argonauts held a slim 17-16 lead after Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo hit a 23-yard field goal with 12:34 remaining in the fourth quarter.

From that point, Argonauts went on a roll and the wheels fell off for Winnipeg. Toronto scored 24 straight points to jump out front 41-16. The Bombers got a rushing touchdown and a two-point conversion from the CFL’s George Reed Most Outstanding Player Award winner in running back Brady Oliveira in “garbage time” to round out the final score.

Argonauts journeyman quarterback Nick Arbuckle was named the MVP of the Grey Cup game. Arbuckle completed 26-of-37 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing two interceptions. He was starting in place of Chad Kelly, who broke his ankle in the Argonauts East final win.

Argonauts receiver Dejon Brissett was named the game’s Most Outstanding Canadian. He caught three passes for 45 yards and one touchdown. Brissett was one of nine receivers Arbuckle completes passes to.

Bombers have played in the last five consecutive Grey Cups winning in their first two appearances and falling in the past three contests. At the moment, it seems like the majority of CFL followers are remembering the Bombers three straight losses more than their two wins at the start of their current run.

Still, the Argonauts are deserving of the spoils of victory. They have won more Grey Cups than another other team at 19 and have a 19-6 record in the biggest annual football contest played in Canada.

They are the sports team from Toronto that always wins. When the Argonauts make the Grey Cup game, you can almost start engraving their name on the trophy.

• On Thursday, U of Regina Rams graduating defensive back Jackson Sombach was named a second team all-Canadian all-star for U Sports football. Sombach played a key role helping the Rams win their second Canada West Conference title in team history and advance to the Mitchell Bowl, which is a U Sports semifinal game.
• On Thursday, U of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team senior advisor Jerry Friesen was named the winner of the Gino Fracas Award given to the volunteer assistant coach of the year in U Sports. Friesen has a long and storied history with U Sports football and the Huskies.
•  On Thursday, U of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team star running back Ryker Frank claimed the Russ Jackson Award. It is given to a player across U Sports football who best exemplifies the attributes of academic achievement, football skill and citizenship within the community. Frank also captured honours as a U Sports second-team all-Canadian all-star. Huskies linebacker Seth Hundeby and receiver Daniel Wiebe were both named first team all-Canadian all-stars in U Sports.
• Remember a year ago when it seemed like NHL superstar left-winger Alexander Ovechkin was done? The Washington Capitals captain struggled bad at the start of the 2023-24 campaign and finish the campaign with his lowest goal total for a complete NHL regular season at 31 and a tie for his lowest point total for a complete regular season at 65. He failed to record a point in the 2024 NHL Playoffs as the Capitals were swept in four games in the first round by the New York Rangers. This season the 39-year-old shot out of the gate recording 15 goals and 10 assists in his first 18 games. Unfortunately, Ovechkin’s momentum was stopped when he suffered a fractured left fibula that will keep him out four-to-six in the Capitals 6-2 victory over the host Utah Hockey Club in Salt Lake City. Ovechkin has 868 career regular season goals and he is attempting to Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 goals.

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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Cinderella has horns, Rams in Mitchell Bowl

Rouge et Or won’t be phased by sentimental feelings

An unlikely run by the University of Regina Rams is capturing the imagination of football observers in Saskatchewan.

After opening their U Sports regular season schedule with two straight wins, the Rams proceeded to lose five straight. On the cusp of missing the post-season, the Rams closed the regular season downing the visiting U of Alberta Golden Bears 29-22 in their final regular season contest on October 25 at Leibel Field.

That allowed the Rams to finish with a 3-5 regular season record to place fourth in the Canada West Conference and capture the conference’s final post-season berth.

On November 2, the Rams traveled to Winnipeg, Man., and knocked off the U of Manitoba Bisons 28-25 at Princess Auto Stadium. The Bisons had finished first in Canada West with a 7-1 mark. Down 25-21, quarterback Noah Pelletier hit receiver Nicholas Sirleaf with a 16-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Rams their 28-25 victory.

That marked the Rams first post-season win since 2012 and their first post-season victory since legendary head coach Frank McCrystal retired following the 2014 campaign.

The Rams advanced to the Canada West final to face their provincial rivals the U of Saskatchewan Huskies at Griffiths Stadium. Playing in front of 6,355 spectators, the Huskies jumped out to a 14-1 lead early in the second quarter. The Rams rallied back for a 19-14 victory.

Defensive back Carson Somback returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown to account for the winning score. Somback’s major came with 5:13 remaining in the third quarter and gave the Rams an 18-14 edge.

The Rams proceeded to add a rouge on the ensuing kickoff to make their lead 19-14. U of R’s defence held the fort from there to ensure that 19-14 score in their favour was the game’s final outcome.

Defence has been key to the Rams run. During the regular season, the Rams gave up 177 points against, which was the lowest points against total in Canada West. The stout defence was needed as the Rams scored the fewest points in the conference at 157.

Back when the Rams were in the CJFL winning 15 championships on that circuit or advancing to the 2000 Vanier Cup in their second U Sports season falling 42-39 to the U of Ottawa Gee-Gees, they were best known for their high scoring offence. They never gave the image of being Ray Lewis and the Super Bowl championship winning Baltimore Ravens of 2000 in the NFL.

This year’s Rams placed four defensive players on the Canada West all-star team in defensive lineman Tarick Polius and defensive backs Brandon Wong, Dolani Robinson and Jackson Sombach. Defensive tackle Toryn Swystun-Bernes, who is in his second year of eligibility, battles in the interior making plays and absorbing beatings on double teams in order for his teammates to make plays.

Now the Rams face their greatest challenge when they host a U Sports semifinal contest in the Mitchell Bowl at 2 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium. They will take on the ultra-power Universite Laval Rouge et Or. The winner advances to the U Sports championship game – the Vanier Cup – slated to be held Saturday, November 23 at noon Saskatchewan time at Richardson Memorial Stadium in Windsor, Ont.

The Rouge et Or are 9-1 overall and have won 11 Vanier Cups since their birth in 1996. Current legendary Rouge et Or head coach Glen Constantin has guided the Laval side to 10 of those Vanier Cup titles as head coach. He is all-time career head coaching wins leader in U Sports history with 218 victories in regular season and post-season play.

On paper, this Mitchell Bowl is the equivalent of the 2011 Denver Broncos with famed born again Christian Tim Tebow at quarterback going into an NFL Divisional Playoff match up against quarterback Tom Brady, head coach Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. 

Brady, Belichick and the Patriots didn’t have any sentimentalities for “Cinderella runs” and proceeded to steamroll the Broncos 45-10.

Darryl Leason in action in 2000 for the Rams.

If Saskatoon StarPhoenix stir the pot columnist Darrell Utley, who was known as “Barney from the bowling alley,” was writing about this game, he would write the Rams better turn to their Catholic Church roots from the days of legendary head coach Gord Currie, who passed away in 2017, and McCrystal to find a hope of beating the Rouge et Or.

(*Side note – Utley loved taking shots and total runs at the Rams back in the day.*)

Utley would also write the Rams would be best to see if Darryl Leason was available to play quarterback. 

Leason quarterbacked the Rams to three straight CJFL title from 1993 to 1995, went to play three seasons with the U of Calgary Dinos, sat out a season and rejoined the Rams in 2000. With the Rams, Leason expertly executed the offensive system devised by the squad’s legendary genius offensive coordinator in Bernie Schmidt.

Before the 2000 season started, Leason vowed the Rams would be in the Vanier Cup. The Rams finished third in the Canada West regular season standings at 4-4. They went on a post-season run with Leason firing lasers everywhere and piling up big games in three wins and the Vanier Cup, which the Rams lost by three points.

So how good was Leason in the 2000 Vanier Cup? He completed 28-of-44 passes for 356 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing two interceptions. He also ran the ball 12 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns.

Still if the defence of the current Rams has a big game, that could seed doubts into the minds of Rouge et Or players making an upset possible.

Also, Rams current head coach Mark McConkey, who was a Rams player from 2007 to 2013, has been able to channel his old head coach in McCrystal and Currie in motivational speeches. While that is an intangible, it has helped the Rams reach another level in their play.

The chance is there the Rams can dial up “1-800-Rams-Win” once again. This generation of the Rams is writing their own story, and they can make the ending a good one win or lose by bringing their best on the field.

They are well into house money now where any extra success from this point is a bonus.

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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CJFL coach of the year award long time coming for “Sarge”

Legendary Hilltops sideline boss last took honour in 2003

Tom Sargeant, centre, checks out action on the field. 

It felt like a much-deserved legacy moment for legendary Saskatoon Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant.

Last Friday, Sargeant was named the winner of the CJFL’s Gord Currie Coach of the Year award at the circuit’s Celebration of Excellence in Windsor, Ont. It marked the third time Sargeant was named the CJFL’s coach of the year with the previous two occasions coming way back in 2000 and 2003.

The third CJFL individual nod was a long time in coming for Sargeant. Since becoming the Hilltops head coach in early December of 1997, Sargeant has posted a 245-38-2 career record in both the regular season and post-season as the club’s top sideline boss. 

He has guided the Hilltops to 14 CJFL championships as head coach with the last coming in 2023.

He is the all-time leader in career head coaching victories for amateur post-secondary football in Canada. Glen Constantin, who is the legendary head coach of the Universite Laval Rouge et Or Football Team in U Sports, currently sits second on that list with 218 victories. Constantin has a 218-39 record in regular season and post-season play as Rouge et Or head coach including 10 Vanier Cup titles as U Sports champions.

Looking at the Hilltops record of success, one wonders how Sargeant didn’t have a CJFL coach of the year award win between 2003 and this year. That included a stretch where the Hilltops won three straight CJFL titles from 2010 to 2012 and six straight from 2014 to 2019.

The 2024 campaign was a different year. The differences went beyond the Hilltops posting an 8-0 record in regular season play to top the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference, winning a PFC semifinal 33-18 against the Edmonton Huskies before falling to their provincial rivals the Regina Thunder 24-19 in the PFC final.

om Sargeant overcame a significant health scare in the off-season

In an interview with Saskatoon StarPhoenix forever sports writer Darren Zary for a story published on September 14, Sargeant detailed that he had open heart, double-bypass surgery back in March of this year. Sargeant said he remembered one game late in the 2023 CJFL title winning campaign that he had a weird sensation in his chest.

After the Hilltops downed the Westshore Rebels 17-10 in the CJFL title game – the Canadian Bowl – at Starlight Stadium in Langford, B.C., on November 11, 2023 for their 23^rd CJFL championship, Sargeant went and saw his doctor. He failed a heart stress test and found out he had four blockages over 90 per cent. He could have had a heart attack at any time.

In his open heart, double-bypass surgery this past March, doctors took a vein out of his Sargeant’s left leg to reroute blood flow to his heart.

Following the medical procedure, Sargeant turned 59-years-old in May and retired as the principal of Walter Murray Collegiate at the conclusion of the school year in June. When the Hilltops opened training camp on July 28, Sargeant was the all ready to go.

The first thing you noticed was he had lost a considerable amount of weight from the end of the 2023 campaign, and he looked a lot healthier physically. Sargeant was able to keep the trimmer and physically healthier look for the rest of the campaign.

When others in the coaching profession in sports deal with a similar serious health scare, it is not uncommon to see those coaches retire once they went through their procedures or comeback for just one last farewell season. Fading off into the sunset to enjoy time with the family becomes the understandable preferred option.

Tom Sargeant, centre, was named the CJFL’s coach of the year.

Sargeant took a page out of the playbook of late CFL icon coach and manager Cal Murphy, who is best remembered for his time with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1983 to 1996 that included Grey Cup championship wins in 1984, 1988 and 1990. Murphy survived heart attacks in 1978 and 1985 and returned to coaching in the CFL both times.

In 1992, he underwent emergency heart bypass surgery that kept him alive before being saved by a last-second donor and successful heart transplant surgery. 

Murphy returned to the Blue Bombers after that medical ordeal. He remained working in football and was still a scout for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts at the time of his passing on February 18, 2012 at age 79.

While those that knew Murphy knew no matter what he was Blue Bombers “blue and gold” through and through, Sargeant is Hilltops “blue and gold” through and through. Before being the Hilltops head coach, he was a slotback for the team for four seasons in 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1987 and served as an assistant coach from 1991 to 1997.

Sargeant was part of a CJFL championship winners as a player in 1985 and as an assistant coach in 1991 and 1996. If you knew “Sarge,” there was no way he was not going to return to the Hilltops sidelines as head coach in 2024.

While the Hilltops didn’t win a PFC title or a CJFL crown in 2024, the biggest victory looking at the overall big picture was that Sargeant returned to coach this season at all. On the health front, the possibility was there for things to not work out this way.

Tom Sargeant talks to his players during a timeout.

After the Hilltops were eliminated from the CJFL post-season, Sargeant was making his rounds scouting high school football games with members of his coaching staff. It appears 2024 won’t be a last hurrah.

With how passionately his wife, Kris, adult daughters, Macy and Abby, and grandson Jaylen are into the Hilltops, Sargeant has a strong backing at home to continue coaching the Hilltops for as long as he would like to coach the team. After all the years Sargeant put into the team, you have to think the Hilltops head coach position is his for however long he wants it.

Sargeant is more than deserving of his third nod as the CJFL’s coach of the year. No one could have thought after the Hilltops won the CJFL title in 2023 that the fact Sargeant made it back to the sidelines would be the ultimate victory of all.

Guardians end Saskatoon’s 6A high school title jinx

Samuel LaFreniere had a monster season for the Guardians.

In what seemed like big relief for all of high school football in Saskatoon, the Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association’s 6A title jinx for “the Bridge City” is over.

Last Saturday, Saskatoon’s St. Joseph High School Guardians faced the host Campbell Collegiate Tartans in the SHSAA’s 6A title game at Mosaic Stadium. The Guardians left no doubt about the final outcome rolling to a 52-14 victory.

With the win, the Guardians ended a drought of 15 years of Saskatoon teams not winning the SHSAA’s 6A provincial championship in football. Before the Guardians victory last Saturday, the last Saskatoon school to claim that distinction was the Aden Bowman Collegiate Bears back in 2009, when they downed Regina’s Winston Knoll Collegiate Wolverines 20-19. At that time, the 6A level was known as 4A until the levels of high school football were reclassified in Saskatchewan following the 2018-19 school year.

The Guardians won their only other provincial title way back in 2003. They had a season to remember in 2024 that included a trilogy of exciting games against their top rivals in Saskatoon in the Holy Cross High School Crusaders in Saskatoon Secondary Schools Athletic Directorate play.

On October 4, the Guardians dropped a heartbreaker to the Crusaders 29-28. On October 17, the two sides closed their respective regular season schedules against each other. The Guardians led 35-34 going into the fourth quarter and ultimately fell 48-35.

The two sides met for the Saskatoon city title on November 1 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. They played an all-time classic with the Guardians coming out on top 38-34.

The battles between the Guardians and Crusaders were highlighted by duels between Guardians Grade 11 running back Samuel LaFreniere and Crusaders Grade 12 tailback Aulain Penner. That city title clash may have been their greatest showdown.

LaFreniere ran the ball 25 times for 305 yards and four touchdowns. Penner carried the ball 29 times for 305 yards and three major scores. They had a cool “bro” embrace with each other following that contest.

Following that contest, the Guardians advanced to the SHSAA’s 6A title game where they downed the Tartans. St. Joseph finished the 2024 campaign with an 8-2 overall record including play in the regular season and post-season.

LaFreniere was the Guardians biggest star. While end of year individual football statistics haven’t been released, odds are high LaFreniere surpassed 1,300 yards rushing in the Guardians seven regular season games and 2,000 yards rushing in the squad’s 10 contests overall.

The 2024 Guardians ended a provincial title drought that seemed to take on a life of its own for Saskatoon. They will always have a soft spot in the collective hearts of Saskatoon’s football community for being the team from the city that finally captured the SHSAA’s 6A championship once again.

Saints end OFC’s CJFL title drought, other notes

The St. Clair Saints pulled off one of the biggest shockers in the history of the CJFL and restored respect to the circuit’s Ontario Football Conference in the process.

Last Saturday at Acumen Stadium in Windsor, Ont., the host Saints upset the British Columbia Football Conference champion Okanagan Sun 37-22 in the CJFL title game – the Canadian Bowl – before 2,750 spectators. The Sun led 15-6 at halftime and were up 22-9 at one point in the third quarter.

The Saints closed things out scoring the game’s final 28 points with two majors in the third quarter and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull out the 15-point win. Their victory marked the first time a team from the OFC won a CJFL title since 1999.

Back in 1999, the Saints, when they were known as the Windsor AKO Fratmen, beat the Sun 32-29 at Windsor Stadium for the OFC’s previous CJFL title win.

The St. Clair College Student Athletic Association bought the Fratmen in February of 2020. The club played as the St. Clair Fratmen in 2021 and took on the St. Clair Saints name before the start of the 2022 campaign.

In the CJFL title clash this past Saturday, Saints quarterback Maurice Sodja had a monster outting being named the offensive player of the game. He completed 15-of-25 passes for 249 yards and one touchdown, while throwing one interception. Sodja carried the ball 25 times for 122 yards and three touchdowns.

Saints receiver Cameron St. Kitts-Park also had a big game catching six passes for 137 yards. He took home honours as the special teams player of the game.

On top of his receiving skills, St. Kitts-Park punted the ball eight times for 273 yards or an average of 34.1 yards per kick. He returned two kickoffs for 45 yards and ran for eight yards on a fake punt.

Sun linebacker Jacob Bond was the defensive player of the game recording six solo defensive tackles, three defensive tackle assists, three special teams tackles, one forced fumble and one interception.

The Saints finished the 2024 campaign posting an 11-0 overall record. The Sun posted a 13-1 overall mark.

Last year, the Saints made it to a CJFL semifinal contest and were thumped 43-0 by the host Saskatoon Hilltops at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Hilltops advanced onward to claim the Canadian Bowl as CJFL champions for a 23^rd time in team history.

For a large number of years, it was common for OFC champions to lose in the fashion the Saints did when they started playing out of conference opponents. When the Saints got drubbed by the Hilltops in the 2023 CJFL semifinal encounter, they obviously took a lot of lessons out of that contest.

Just over a year later, they come out as a sound winner in a CJFL title game played on home turf. Heading into the Canadian Bowl clash between the Saints and Sun, it was almost a foregone conclusion that the Sun would win.

On top of ending the OFC’s CJFL title drought, the Saints gained back a measure of respect for their conference. In the process, the CJFL was the biggest winner as you can say the teams that win their conference have a real shot at capturing the Canadian Bowl.

• The Saskatoon Hilltops had six players named CJFL first team all-Canadian all-stars for the 2024 campaign. They include quarterback Trey Reider, receiver Drake Douglas, running back Corbin Ebben, right tackle Cody Shumanski, defensive end Kai Kukurudza and safety Dalton Urban. The Hilltops had three players named CJFL second team all-Canadian all-stars for 2024. They included defensive tackle Johnathon Stevens, middle linebacker Isaac Michayluk and punter Teijon Abel-Douglas.
• Last Friday, Regina Thunder middle linebacker Stephen Smith was named the winner of the Larry Wruck Most Outstanding Defensive Player for the CJFL. In the Thunder’s eight regular season games, Smith recorded 34 solo defensive tackles, 20 defensive tackle assists, 2.5 tackles for a loss, two pass knockdowns and one interception.
• Nathan Reiter of Prince Albert Daily Herald put together a great story on Prince Albert’s Carlton Comprehensive High School Crusaders Football Team winning their first ever provincial title. They claimed the SHSAA’s 5A championship last Saturday with a 35-34 victory over Saskatoon’s Bishop James Mahoney High School Saints at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. Reiter’s piece can be found by clicking right here.

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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Raiders wise in keeping faith in Hildebrand

Max Hildebrand in action for the Raiders earlier this season.

Max Hildebrand is still giving the Prince Albert Raiders a chance to win every night.

The 20-year-old netminder has been the steady hand for a Raiders team that is working towards finding a new identity in the 2024-25 campaign. In the off-season and at the start of this season, the Raiders made changes with their roster electing to go with a number of younger players and made tweaks through trades looking to create more offence.

The deals the Raiders made on the trade front along with a key graduate departure saw them go without five players who played the bulk of the past two seasons with the team making up a key part of the club’s core. The key graduate was star left-winger Sloan Stanick, who led the Raiders last season in scoring with 84 points coming off 30 goals and 54 assists.

The biggest returnee for the Raiders was Hildebrand. At the moment, his statistics don’t look as flashy as they did last season.

So far this season in 15 appearances, Hildebrand has recorded a 6-6-2 record, a 3.79 goals against average and a .893 save percentage. Last season, Hildebrand posted a 25-20-4 record, a 2.88 goals against average, a .907 save percentage and two shutouts.

What the statistics don’t show is Hildebrand has been as sharp as ever. With the Raiders going through growing pains in trying to find a new identity, Hildebrand has faced more quality scoring chances than he has likely at any point during his time in Prince Albert since joining the Raiders full time part way through the 2021-22 campaign.

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

Crusaders provincial title win to be iconic sports moment in P.A.

Zane Litzenberger reacts to his winning TD catch for the Crusaders.

In Prince Albert, the 2024 Carlton Comprehensive High School Crusaders Football Team will walk together forever.

On Saturday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Crusaders claimed their first ever provincial title in thrilling fashion. Taking on Saskatoon’s Bishop James Mahoney High School Saints in the Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association’s 5A championship game, the Crusaders found themselves trailing 34-29 late in the fourth quarter.

With 72 seconds remaining in the contest, Crusaders star quarterback Sullivan Smith-Windsor hit standout receiver Zane Litzenberger on a five-yard slant pass for a touchdown. The Crusaders proceeded to attempt and failed to get a two-point convert, but they held a 35-34 advantage.

Sullivan Smith-Windsor sets to throw the winning TD.

That lead would hold up to be the game’s final score as the Saints were not able to drive into field goal range in the time that remained on the clock and eventually turned the ball over on downs. That allowed the Crusaders to end the encounter with two kneel downs to finalize the 35-34 victory.

Since opening in 1975, Carlton appeared in three provincial title games all at the then 3A level, but fell each time in 1984, 1991 and 1995. Saturday’s thrilling win allowed the Crusaders to finish the 2024 campaign with an 8-0 record including action in the regular season and post-season.

Actually, the City of Prince Albert had been undergoing a prolonged drought when it came to winning a provincial title in high school football. Until Saturday’s win by the Crusaders, Prince Albert’s last provincial title in high school football came way back in 1971, when star running back Tom Chad and the St. Mary High School Marauders claimed the then 3A championship.

Fans from Prince Albert cheer on the Crusaders.

Back in 1971, the Marauders playing in front of a home crowd thumped Moose Jaw’s Albert E. Peacock Collegiate Tornadoes 61-27 in the provincial title game held at the field next to what was then known as Prince Albert Collegiate Institute. The Marauders piled up 506 yards rushing as a team in that contest.

The Crusaders of 2024 will go down as the most exciting high school football team to come out of Prince Albert. From 2022 to 2024, the Crusaders became best known for their passing attack that allowed them to push the ball downfield. Smith-Windsor, who has been the team’s starter through that whole stretch, has looked like a CFL quarterback when he is playing his best.

The Crusaders begin celebrating their provincial title win.

As a Grade 12 senior, Saturday’s provincial final was Smith-Windsor’s final game of his high school career. He wrapped that part of his football life up with his greatest performance ever.

Smith-Windsor completed 28-of-30 passes for 424 yards and four touchdowns, while throwing one interception. He also ran the ball four times for 19 yards and one touchdown.

To add more to the performance, Smith-Windsor booted a 61-yard punt single with 6:54 remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Crusaders a 29-28 lead at that point in the contest.

Litzenberger was heroic in Saturday’s game. The sure-handed Grade 11 pass catcher hauled in 14 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns. Late in the game, he was hobbled by a minor leg injury, but still managed to catch the winning touchdown while hampered physically.

The Crusaders raise the provincial championship trophy.

In Prince Albert, Smith-Windsor and Litzenberger will be immortalized combining on a play that will be iconic in the lore of the northern Saskatchewan city’s sports history. The game and season will also become iconic in Prince Albert.

About 1,000 supporters from Prince Albert made their way to Saskatoon to be part of the sizable crowd at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. They brought out the loud noise to support their Crusaders and mimicked a scene often seen on the WHL’s hockey front when the Prince Albert Raiders visit the SaskTel Centre to take on the Saskatoon Blades.

The Crusaders celebrate their provincial title win with their supporters.

After the post-game trophy presentations, the Prince Albert faithful rushed on to the field to celebrate with the Crusaders. The mood was jovial over the following 90 minutes as the team and their supporters took numerous pictures and soaked in the moment.

The victory was made more meaningful due to the fact the Crusaders beat a foe that had built a storied run in recent years. Since 2015, the Saints had won four provincial titles under head coach Donnie Davidsen with the last coming in 2022 with an 18-15 triumph over the Weyburn Comprehensive School Eagles at SMF Field.

In Saturday’s clash with the Crusaders, the Saints played strong piling up 475 yards of total offence coming off 209 yards rushing and 266 yards passing. Quarterback Kyren Houmphanh completed 19-of-29 passes for 266 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Rylan Morrison (#10) grinds out tough yards for the Crusaders.

Receiver Josh Gutek hauled in seven passes for 108 yards and one touchdown. Running back Jack Boeschler ran the ball 14 times for 114 yards and two major scores. Tailback Wyatt LaRoche ran the ball 19 times for 91 yards and one touchdown and caught three passes for 25 yards.

The Saints basically needed to make two more plays and they would have had a fifth provincial title with Davidsen guiding the team as head coach.

Instead, Crusaders head coach Lindsay Strachan, who has been coaching with the program for 18 years, got to celebrate his first provincial football title as a sideline boss. The Crusaders players and supporters were as excited for Strachan as anyone else on the field on Saturday.

Crusaders HC Lindsay Strachan checks out his clipboard.

The back-and-fourth contest saw the Saints account for the only points in the first quarter going up 7-0 on a one-yard touchdown run by Boeschler. Early in a high-scoring second quarter, Smith-Windsor hit receiver Jordan Stene with a 15-yard touchdown pass to event the score at 7-7.

The Saints would go back in front 14-7 on a 13-yard touchdown toss from Houmphanh to Race Marcinkiw. A short time later, the Crusaders evened the score at 14-14, when Smith-Windsor connected with receiver Colm Phillips on a 35-yard touchdown toss.

With less than a minute to play in the second quarter, Boeschler ran home his second major score of the contest with this one coming from two yards out to put the Saints up 21-14.

Kyren Houmphanh passed for 266 yards for the Saints.

Working with a small amount of time remaining before halftime, the Carlton offence quickly got downfield. On the last play before halftime, Smith-Windsor scored on a one-yard run to even the score at 21-21.

The Saints started the third quarter with a clock eating drive that culminated with Houmphanh hitting Gutek with an 11-yard touchdown pass to put the host side up 28-21. With 3:48 remaining in the third quarter, Smith-Windsor zipped a 25-yard touchdown pass to Litzenberger to even the score at 28-28.

Smith-Windsor proceeded to record his punt single to give the Crusaders their first lead in the contest. That affected some of the decisions down the stretch.

With 2:32 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Saints jumped in front 34-29 on a three-yard touchdown run by LaRoche. The Saskatoon squad elected to go for a two-point conversion in order to get a seven-point advantage, but the conversion attempt was not successful.

Wyatt LaRoche scores a fourth quarter TD for the Saints.

That set the stage for Smith-Windsor to throw his winning touchdown pass to Litzenberger.

Also in the win, the Crusaders got a solid performance from running back Rylan Morrison, which allowed the Prince Albert side to pick up some key first downs. Morrison carried the ball nine times for 66 yards, and he caught three passes for 38 yards.

Now as the years go by in Prince Albert, you can be sure the 2024 Crusaders will achieve a mythical status like the 1971 Marauders did. Folks will look back at the 2024 Crusaders and say they were special.

Over time, it might seem like everyone in town saw Smith-Windsor work his magic on the football field. They will remember Litzenberger as being able to catch everything that was thrown his way.

Zane Litzenberger (#11) caught 14 passes for 206 yards.

Prince Albert will always proudly be recognized as a hockey town rightfully earning the nickname of “Hockey Town North” for loyal supporting the Raiders, the Prince Albert Mintos under-18 AAA team and the Prince Albert Northern Bears under-18 AAA female squad. With that noted, people in Prince Albert always have room in their collective hearts to support hard-working athletes pursuing all sorts of sports.

As a province, football is viewed as Saskatchewan’s game thanks to the impact of the CFL’s Roughriders, who have existed since 1910. On Saturday, Prince Albert got celebrate they had high school football’s best at the 5A level in the Crusaders.

The Crusaders bask in their first provincial championship win.

In “Hockey Town North,” the 2024 football Crusaders will always be remembered, and they will be viewed as one of the city’s iconic teams.

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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