Berries were Saskatoon’s hottest ticket in summer of 2024

First-year club came up win short of WCBL final

The Berries salute their faithful at Cairns Field on August 13.

If you are going through Saskatoon Berries withdrawal, you likely have company.

The Berries season came to an end just eight days ago on August 13 at Cairns Field. In a series deciding Game 3 of the WCBL’s East Division Championship Series, the Berries dropped a 5-3 decision to the Moose Jaw Miller Express.

Saskatoon claimed Game 1 of that series 14-1 at Cairns Field on August 11 and anticipation was high in “The Bridge City” the expansion club could make the best-of-three WCBL Championship Series. One night later in Game 2 of the set at Ross Wells Park in Moose Jaw, the Express rebounded with a runaway win by a 17-6 score. That set the stage for the Express to claim a tightly contested winner take all Game 3.

The crowd at Cairns Field give the Berries a standing ovation.

After the Berries fell 5-3 in Game 3, they waved their hats to the crowd while being saluted by the 1,811 spectators who packed into Cairns Field. For the summer of 2024, the Berries were the hottest ticket in Saskatoon.

Before the Berries came into existence, the last team from Saskatoon to play in the WCBL was the Saskatoon Yellow Jackets, who existed from 2002 to 2014. In their final campaign in 2014, the Yellow Jackets posted a 20-26 record to finish ninth overall in the then 13 team circuit and drew about 200 spectators per game to Cairns Field.

Carter Beck emerged as the Berries star player.

Fast forward to March 29, 2023, the Sask Entertainment Group announced it had purchased an expansion WCBL franchise to begin play in May of 2024. The Sask Entertainment Group is the parent company that also owns the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades and the NLL’s Saskatchewan Rush. That meant the new WCBL expansion franchise, which would be officially dubbed the Berries on July 13, 2023, would have a sound business and marketing team behind it.

Even before the Berries hit the field, the club sold a tonne of merchandise, with team hats being a big hit.

The Berries would also have the advantage of playing at a revamped Cairns Field, which is now part of the massive sports park called the Gordie Howe Sports Complex overseen by the Gordie Howe Sports Complex Management Corporation. Cairn Field’s old grandstand was knocked down in April of 2018 to make way for the new facility built in its place.

Nolan Sparks fires a ball in from left field.

The Berries played their inaugural regular season game on the road falling 5-4 to the Red Sox in Regina this past May 25. The home debut for the new WCBL side came on May 28 at Cairns Field as the Berries dropped an 8-4 decision to the Red Sox. The Berries drew 2,200 spectators to that first home date, and despite the loss, most of the fans that came out to the park left feeling like they had a good time.

The spectators had fun with the various in game promotions. They enjoyed the various foods in the concession that contained Saskatoon Berries and also a Saskatoon Berries branded beer brewed locally by 9 Mile Legacy Brewing.

It was expected the Berries would have growing pains on the field, and they did falling in their first five straight games and posting a 3-8 record after 11 contests. Their first win came on May 31, when they blanked the Beavers in Weyburn 5-0. The first home win came one night later with a 16-10 triumph over the Lethbridge Bulls.

Andrew Albers, left, and Joe Carnahan check out play on the field.

After that 3-8 start, the Berries improved rapidly and finished with a 31-26 record, which placed them sixth overall on the 12-team circuit. The ace that allowed the Berries to improve quickly was the squad’s coaching staff.

On July 5, 2023, the Berries hired Joe Carnahan head coach. He built a legacy in the WCBL in Swift Current playing for league championship teams in 2001, 2005 and 2006. Carnahan became the team’s head coach and guided them to league titles in 2010, 2016 and 2017.

His staff included for MLB hurler Andrew Albers as the team’s pitching coach and Chance Wheatley and Alex Archuleta as assistant coaches.

Colin Plain sets to unload a pitch for the Berries.

Centre-fielder Carter Beck has emerged as the Berries most recognizable star being one season removed from being named the most valuable player of the under-18 AAA level of the Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League with the South East Twins. Local area products like Nolan Sparks, Oakland Flodell, Cory Wouters and Colin Plain have came through at key times for the Berries.

United States products like Bailyn Sorensen, Jalen Freeman and Ethan Menard have endured themselves to the Saskatoon and area community since arriving in May.

On the attendance front, the Berries are playing in front of an average home crowd of about 1,900 spectators a night.

A group of youngsters meet Berries mascot “Barry the Bear.”

For Berries president Steve Hildebrand, who is still better known as the associate general manager of the Blades, you could tell the Berries and baseball were his passion, and it was cool to see the season work out like it did.

Hildebrand was able to spend the summer working with his son Max Hildebrand before the go off to be WHL rivals again. Max Hildebrand, who was once an accomplished baseball player himself, is the Berries equipment manager but is best known as the star netminder of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders.

It was exciting to see the Berries in the post-season, and it was a pleasant surprise to see them win a best-of-three East Division Semifinal 2-1 against the Medicine Hat Mavericks. Berries fans also experience the tough part in being in the post-season.

A member of the “Berry Bunch” performs at the seventh inning stretch.

Due to the WCBL being a summer league for players playing university or college ball mostly in the United States and partially in Canada, some university and college programs start recalling their players when the WCBL playoffs are on. When the Berries post-season run concluded, about half of their roster had returned to the university and college ranks.

The toughest departure was seeing Sparks depart for Northern Kentucky University Norse Baseball Team following the Berries Game 1 win over the Express in the WCBL’s East Division final. In four post-season games with the Berries, Sparks, who is an alumnus of the Saskatoon Cubs Under-18 AAA Team, was 5-for-18 at the plate with two home runs and four runs batted in. He batted .302 in the regular season, and his timely hits were missed after his departure.

Youngsters run the bases after the Berries last game on August 13.

Even with the departures, the Berries and their fans could see how close to seeing the club go all the way.

Last Saturday playing before 6,341 spectators at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks, the Express found themselves locked in a 5-5 tie with the host Dawgs heading to the ninth inning of a series deciding Game 3 of the WCBL final. In the bottom of the ninth, Dawgs first baseman Connor Crowson hit a solo home run to deliver Okotoks to a 6-5 victory, a third straight WCBL title and an eighth WCBL championship overall.

For the Berries, they gave their fans more thrills on and off the field than maybe a first-year should have been able to provide. They made going to a high-level baseball game in Saskatoon the sexy thing to do and here is hoping that becomes a tradition that follows for a long time to come.

A picture memory is made after the Berries last game on August 13.

A “boys of summer” team that connected with the folks in Saskatoon is 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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Berries’ “Field of Dreams”

Beck hits for cycle in Game 1 romp of WCBL East Division final

Carter Beck hits his triple to complete hitting the cycle on Sunday.

“Perfect.”

That was the fitting description for what took place for the Saskatoon Berries in Game 1 of the WCBL’s East Division Championship series. With a crowd of 1,559 spectators packed into Cairns Field on what was the most beautiful Sunday afternoon you could ever see in Saskatoon, the host Berries romped to a 14-1 win over the Moose Jaw Millers Express.

The Berries will try to close out the best-of-three set in Game 2 on Monday at 7 p.m. at Ross Wells Stadium in Moose Jaw. If the Express are able to rebound and win Game 2, a series deciding Game 3 will be held on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Cairns Field.

Carter Beck jets around second base on his way to a triple.

In Sunday’s Game 1 win, it seemed like everyone who took the field for the Berries had a highlight moment. The Berries most well-known star was their biggest star, and he stole the show.

Centre-fielder Carter Beck hit for the cycle going 4-for-5 at the plate with three runs batted in. For those not familiar with baseball terms, hitting for the cycle meant Beck, who is from Carnduff, Sask., collected a single, a double, a triple and a home run in one game. It is one of the most difficult statistical feats to accomplish in baseball.

In Major League Baseball, there have only been 347 occurrences where a player has hit for the cycle with the first coming from Curry Foley of the Buffalo Bisons on May 25, 1882. The MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays have been in existence since 1977, and they’ve had only three players hit for the cycle with Kelly Gruber being the first back on April 16, 1989.

Carter Beck slides save into third to complete a triple and the cycle.

Beck got things started for the Berries on Sunday leading off the bottom of the first with a double. Second baseman Grant Sommers came up to bat second and drove Beck home with a double for the host side’s first run of the game.

In the bottom of the fourth with a man on, Beck, who is 19-years-old, hit a two-run homer to put the Berries up 8-0 at that point in the contest. Beck followed up hitting a single in the bottom of the sixth, and he would later score on a sacrifice grounder to first hit by catcher Ethan Menard to push the Berries advantage out to 10-0.

Kolt Davis threw the final four innings for the Berries on the hill.

In the bottom of the seventh with a man on, Beck, who stands 6-feet and weighs 190s pounds, drove an opposite field shot from the right side of the plate that curved away from the Millers left-fielder. Beck hit the afterburners rounding first and second base at lightning speed and slid head first safe into third base for his cycle-completing triple that drove in a run.

Sommers proceeded to drive Beck home with a single to complete a four-run inning that saw the Berries lead stand at 14-0. The Express scored their lone run in the top of the eighth.

The Berries outhit the Express 19-6 on the afternoon. Sommers and third baseman Jaden Lamothe were both 3-for-4 at the plate for Saskatoon. Shortstop Anibal Rivera was 2-for-4 at the dish for the Berries, while left-fielder Nolan Sparks and Menard with both 2-for-5 at the plate.

Grant Sommers throw to make a put out at first for the Berries.

Saskatoon also shone on defence. In the top of the seventh, Express designated hitter Joe Osborn hit a dying quail into right field that looked sure to drop for a base hit. Berries right-fielder Jalen Freeman dove from a full sprint head first to make the catch to rob Osborn of the sure hit bringing the faithful at Cairns Field out of their seats to a joyful and appreciative cheer.

The hitting and defence brought a trademark ear to ear grin from Berries head coach Joe Carnahan.

The pitching was also on once again for the Berries like it was for their three-game East Division semifinal series win over the Medicine Hat Mavericks. Left-hander Jacob Hadden got the start for the Berries and picked up the win throwing five innings and striking out four batters, while scattering four hits and one walk.

The Berries faithful salute their team at the end of the game on Sunday.

Right-hander Kolt Davis entered the game throwing the final four innings for the Berries striking out one batter, allowing one earned run and scattering two hits and three walks.

Berries pitching coach and former MLB hurler Andrew Albers has taught the young ones well.

For Berries fans, this was the classic great baseball where you relaxed in the stands with the loaded hot dog and downed a can of the Berries team beer brewed locally by 9 Mile Legacy Brewing. What might be piling on for Moose Jaw supporters, Berries beer kicks the butt of any Miller product on the market.

Dominic Archila, left, and Kolt Davis mark Sunday’s win.

The kids that came out had the best time ever whether it was watching the game, playing on recreation structures set up behind the stands or taking part in promotional games. Of course, the highlight was rounding bases following the conclusion of the game high-fiving or hugging Berries mascot Barry The Bear at home plate.

What went down on Sunday afternoon at Cairns Field was a site that was dreamed about when the facility was totally revamped under the watch of the Gordie Howe Sports Complex Management Corporation starting in April of 2018 when the park’s old grandstand was knocked down, and later the Sask Entertainment Group announced on March 29, 2023 it had purchased an expansion WCBL franchise to begin play in May of 2024.

Carter Beck (#20) enjoys Sunday’s win with his teammates.

Berries are the baby of team president Steve Hildebrand, who is best known as the associate general manager of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, and he really, really wanted the team to be a success. It is safe to say everyone linked with the Berries dreamed of an afternoon like the one that came to pass on Sunday, but know one though that scene would come this quickly for the first-year club.

With their home win in Game 1 of the WCBL East Division Championship Series on August 11, 2024, the Berries’ “Field of Dreams” became a reality.

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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Expect Huskies to reset in chase for U Sports championship

Bailee Bourassa leads the Huskies to U Sports nationals.

The Canada West Championship series didn’t go their way, but the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Hockey team still has a chance to claim an even bigger prize.

On Sunday and Monday, the Huskies traveled from Saskatoon all the way to Charlottetown, P.E.I., for the U Sports elite-eight women’s hockey championship tournament. The Huskies were given the fifth seed on Sunday in the quest for the Golden Path Trophy.

They will open the tournament taking on the Ontario University Athletics champion Brock University Badgers on Friday at the MacLauchlan Arena. The game will be webcast on cbcsports.ca and CBC Gem, or fans can listen to the call from Huskies Women’s Hockey play-by-play voice Daniella Ponticelli on HuskieFAN.ca at 12 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

The U Sports championship tournament opens on Thursday with the event’s first two quarter-final contests.

The Huskies head to U Sports nationals having to reset after being swept 2-0 by the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the best-of-three Canada West Championship series. Heading into the Canada West Final, the Huskies were 4-0 in the post-season having swept a pair of best-of-three playoff series on the road.

Both the Huskies and Thunderbirds already locked up berths to the U Sports championship tournament due to advancing to the Canada West Final.

In Game 1 of the Canada West Championship series held on March 11 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver, B.C., the Thunderbirds jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period with Grace Elliott, Mia Bierd and Ashley McFadden netting singles.

Sophie Lalor had 10 points in 20 regular season games.

From the point, the Huskies found themselves chasing the game. Shay-Lee McConnell scored a short-handed goal for the Thunderbirds in the second period to round out the scoring in a 4-0 victory.

Huskies star goaltender Camryn Drever made 39 saves in that Game 1 loss. Thunderbirds rookie netminder Elise Hugens made 13 saves to pick up the shutout victory.

In Game 2 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre on March 12, the Huskies and Thunderbirds went to overtime locked in a 0-0 tie. Just 98 seconds into overtime, Thunderbirds forward Chanreet Bassi scored the contest’s only goal in a 1-0 victory for the host side that allowed UBC to capture the Canada West title.

Drever made 34 saves to give the Huskies a chance to steal the win in that contest. Hugens made 14 saves to pick up a second straight shutout victory.

The Huskies head into their U Sports quarter-final having posted an 11-7-2 record in the regular season and a 4-2 mark in the post-season. The Badgers posted a 7-5-3-1 record in regular season play and a 3-0 mark in the post-season.

The most exciting thing about the U Sport championship tournament is the fact it is played in a single-elimination format. Anything can happen in a single game situation.

With Drever between the pipes, the Huskies have the goalie that can win them three straight games to capture a U Sports national title.

Camryn Drever, right, is a clutch post-season performer.

Before joining the U Sports ranks, Drever was the star goaltender for the St. Albert Slash, and she backstopped them to two straight Esso Cup titles as national under-18 AAA hockey champions in 2017 and 2018. She earned a reputation as a clutch player in those runs.

While the offensive dried up for the Huskies against the Thunderbirds in the Canada West Final, they have for the most part been able to get enough scoring by committee through the regular season and the first four games of the post-season to pull out wins.

Huskies lone fifth-year player in forward Bailee Bourassa topped the team in regular season scoring with 11 points coming on seven goals and four assists playing in all the Huskies 20 contests. Bourassa returned to the Huskies after deciding to pursue her master’s degree in nursing and took on the role as the team’s captain.

She will be playing her final U Sports games this weekend, and with all that she has done for the team, it would cool if the Huskies team could help her graduate on a big high note.

Forward Abby Shirley is the Huskies lone fourth-year player and she led the way in post-season scoring with five points coming on three goals and two assists in six games. She also had nine points in the regular season coming off five goals and four assists appearing in 18 games.

Bourassa and Shirley are the only players remaining on the Huskies roster from the last time they went to nationals back in the 2017-18 campaign.

Third-year forward Kennedy Brown has emerged as one of the Huskies newest heroes during the post-season. In the Huskies six post-season games to date, Brown has four points coming on three goals and one assist. Out of Brown’s three goals, two of them have been game winners.

Sophie Lalor, who is a third-year forward, hit double digits in regular season scoring picking up 10 points on five goals and five assists appearing in all of the Huskies 20 regular season games. In the Huskies six post-season games, Lalor has one goal that was a game winner and one assist.

Rookie Larissa Bohlken is part of a strong group of young defenders.

Third-year defender Isabella Pozzi has been the veteran rock on the back end. On the blue-line, the Huskies have relied on a group of rookies to come through with big minutes in Larissa Bohlken, Kendra Zuchotzki, Brooklyn Stevely and Emily Holmes.

With being at nationals, the Huskies are going to have to work their way through a challenging field. 

If they win their quarter-final game, the Huskies will face the winner of the Friday’s other quarter-final between the top seeded Concordia University Stingers and the eighth seeded and host University of Prince Edward Island Panthers in one of Saturday’s two semifinals.

The Stingers were 11-3-1 in the regular season and 4-0 in the post-season, while the Panthers were 13-7-0-2 in the regular season and 0-1 in the post-season. The Stingers were the champions of the Reseau du Sport Etudiant du Quebec.

The field also contains the second seeded University of New Brunswick Reds, who are the champions of the Atlantic University Sport conference. The Reds posted a 15-3-1-2 record in the regular season and a 5-0 mark in the post-season.

The Thunderbirds are the tournament’s third seed having posted a 14-6 record in regular season play and a 4-0 mark in the post-season.

The event’s bronze medal and championship games will be held on Sunday.

The Huskies are making their third appearance and U Sports nationals since 2014 and fourth appearance all-time in team history. Current Huskies head coach Steve Kook has been with the team for three out of four runs to the U Sports championship tournament.

The Huskies aim to hold a few goal celebrations at nationals.

Kook missed the first appearance in 2004 joining the team as an assistant coach before the start of the 2004-05 campaign. He was the head coach for the appearances in 2014 and 2018 along with this season. He provides steady guidance for the team.

These trips to nationals are never a guaranteed thing, even if a team has a good season. In the three previous appearances, the Huskies medaled just once capturing a bronze in 2014.

Of course, the current campaign comes on the heels after all 2020-21 U Sports nationals were scrapped and most U Sports teams didn’t take the ice for games due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

If the Huskies were able to win it all, it would provide the icing on the cake for all the ups and downs they have gone through since March of 2020.

Raiders fall to Ice 3-2 in OT, stay in thick of WHL playoff chase

Reece Vitelli scored for the Raiders on Tuesday.

The Prince Albert Raiders are down to a 10-game sprint to try and make the WHL playoffs.

On Tuesday night, the Raiders dropped a 3-2 decision in overtime to the visiting Winnipeg Ice before 2,120 spectators at the Art Hauser Centre. With 15.3 seconds remaining in overtime, Ice 19-year-old power forward Jack Finley potted his 20^th goal of the season to win the game for the Winnipeg side.

With the extra time setback, the Raiders picked up one standings point. They sit ninth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with 24-29-4-1 record for 53 standings points with 10 games remaining on their regular season schedule.

The Raiders are in the thick of the race for the final two playoff berths in the Eastern Conference.

The Lethbridge Hurricanes sit seventh overall in the Eastern Conference and hold the conference’s second last playoff berth with 56 standings points coming on 26-28-3-1 record. They have 10 games remaining on their regular season schedule.

The Swift Current Broncos are positioned one point behind the Hurricanes in the standings with 55 points sitting eighth overall in the Eastern Conference and hold the conference’s final playoff berth with a 24-30-5-2 record. The Broncos have seven games remaining on their regular season schedule.

The Regina Pats are 10^th overall in the Eastern Conference with 51 points coming on a 23-29-3-2 record. The Pats have 11 games remaining on their regular season schedule.

The Calgary Hitmen sit 11^th overall in the Eastern Conference with 50 points coming on a 21-30-6-2 record. The Hitmen have nine games remaining on their regular season schedule.

On Tuesday, the Broncos won their fourth game in a row downing the visiting Regina Pats 5-3 at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current.

Between the Raiders and Ice on Tuesday, the Prince Albert side jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first period on a goal by captain Reece Vitelli. The Ice took a 2-1 lead scoring twice in the second with goals coming from the sticks of Cole Muir and Alessandro Segafredo.

At the 7:22 mark of the third, import rookie right-winger Vladislav Shilo netted his sixth of the season for the Raiders to even the score at 2-2 and force overtime.

That set the stage for Finley to come through with his winner.

Import rookie netminder Tikhon Chaika turned away 39 shots to take the extra time setback in goal for the Raiders. Daniel Hauser stopped 25 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Ice.

The Ice have picked up points in their last 12 straight games with 10 wins, one overtime loss and one shootout loss. They improve to 44-9-3-2 and tied the 45-12-2-1 Edmonton Oil Kings for first overall in the WHL with 93 standings points.

Winnipeg has two games in hand on Edmonton.

The Ice return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Saskatoon to take on the 33-21-3-1 Blades (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

The Raiders get back into action on Friday when travel to Brandon to face the 28-24-3-2 Wheat Kings (6 p.m. Saskatchewan time, 900 CKBI).

Albers signs minor league deal with Mariners, other notes

Andrew Albers signed a minor league contract with the Mariners.

It looks like Andrew Albers will get to enjoy one more season throwing pitches under the sun.

On Monday, the 36-year-old left-handed pitcher and North Battleford, Sask., product signed a minor league deal with the MLB’s Seattle Mariners. After playing three seasons with the Orix Buffaloes in Japan from 2018 to 2020, Albers return to North America last season throwing in AAA baseball with the St. Paul Saints and seeing time at the MLB level with the Minnesota Twins.

At the AAA level, Albers was a starter and saw action in 18 total games posting an 8-4 record, a 3.88 earned-run average, 88 strikeouts and 11 walks.

At the MLB level, Albers made five appearances with the Twins posting a 1-2 record, a 7.58 ERA, 12 strikeouts and nine walks.

Albers, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 200 pounds, saw time with the Mariners MLB side back in the 2017 campaign. During that season, he appeared in nine games posting a 5-1 record, a 3.51 ERA, 37 strikeouts and 10 walks.

Albers is one of the true good guys to come not only out of the baseball scene but the sports scene in Saskatchewan. During this past off-season, he spent countless hours at the Indoor Training Centre on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds coaching young pitchers to help them get better at the game.

He decided to live in Saskatoon in order to train for this upcoming season and to give back to the local and provincial baseball scene.

Albers has a lot of people in the province pulling for him to have his best season yet.

• On Saturday in State College, Pennsylvania, the Ohio State University Buckeyes downed the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs 3-2 in the NCAA Division I women’s hockey championship game. The win marked the first time the Buckeyes won the NCAA Division I women’s hockey title. Nadine Muzerall turned the Buckeyes into a powerhouse after becoming the team’s head coach before the start of the 2016-17 campaign. In the semifinal round, the top ranked Buckeyes took out the fifth seeded Yale University Bulldogs 2-1. The Yale roster contains rookie defender and Saskatoon product Emma DeCorby, who is an alumna of the Regina Rebels female under-18 AAA team. Minnesota Duluth downed the Northeastern University Huskies in the other semifinal 2-1. The Huskies roster contained veteran defender Brooke Hobson, who is an alumna of the Prince Albert Northern Bears female under-18 AAA team. Hobson has now exhausted her NCAA eligibility. In the quarter-final round, the Huskies downed the University of Wisconsin Badgers 4-2. The Badgers roster contains Saskatoon products, forwards and sisters Sophie and Grace Shirley, who are alumnae of the Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA team. In the first round, the Syracuse University Orange fell 4-0 to the Quinnipiac University Bobcats. The Orange roster contains forward and Saskatoon product Anna Leschyshyn, who is an alumna of the Stars.
• Ilya Usau, who is an alumnus of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, signed an NHL entry-level contract with the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday. The 20-year-old forward from Minsk, Belarus, spent this past season with Dinamo Minsk in the KHL posting nine goals and 17 assists in 40 regular season games. Usau spent one season with the Raiders in 2019-20 recording 22 goals and 30 assists in 58 regular season games.
• On Monday, Zack Hayes, who is a former captain of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, made his NHL regular season debut for the Vegas Golden Knights as they dropped a 3-0 decision to the Minnesota Wild in St. Paul, Minn. The 22-year-old defenceman suited up for his second NHL regular season contest on Tuesday as the Golden Knights dropped a 4-0 decision to the Jets in Winnipeg. Hayes played 272 WHL regular season games for the Raiders from 2015 to 2020 recording 15 goals, 64 assists and a plus-97 rating in the plus-minus department.
• On Tuesday, Hockey Canada announced it was moving this year’s Esso Cup female under-18 AAA championship tournament and the Telus Cup under-18 AAA championship tournament. Hockey Canada said both tournaments will be held May 16 to 22 in a centralized location in Alberta. Host centres were not named for either event and no reasons were given for the move. The Prince Albert Northern Bears were supposed to host the Esso Cup from April 17-23. The Sydney Mitsubishi Rush were supposed to host the Telus Cup in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, from April 18 to 24. The Bears and Rush are slated to play in the host team spots, when the Esso and Telus Cups are played in their new Alberta host centre or centres.
• Moose Jaw Warriors centre and Saskatoon area product Brayden Yager, who is playing his 16-year-old sophomore season in the WHL, has 54 points on 32 goals and 22 assists in 56 games this season. He broke the Warriors record for most goals by someone in their 16-year-old season of eligibility. The old record of 29 goals was held by Theo Fleury set back in the 1984-85 campaign. Fleury went on to become one of the NHL’s most famous star players most notably with the Calgary Flames.
• A total of five WHL teams were listed in the latest CHL Top 10 rankings that were released on Tuesday. The Edmonton Oil Kings were ranked first, the Winnipeg Ice were rated second, the Kamloops Blazers were listed fifth, the Everett Silvertips were ranked sixth and the Portland Winterhawks took the seventh spot.
• Left-winger Arshdeep Bains and centre Ben King of the Red Deer Rebels have become the front runners to win the WHL scoring title. Bains, who is in his overage season, leads the WHL scoring with 94 points coming off of 34 goals and 60 assists appearing in all the Rebels 60 games. King, who is in his 19-year-old season, sits second in the scoring race with 93 points coming off 47 goals and 46 assists appearing in all of the Rebels 60 games. Saskatoon Blades veteran star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic, who had led the WHL in scoring at times this season, sits third in the WHL scoring race with 87 points coming on 35 goals and 52 assists.

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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