U.S.A. breaks Canada’s heart in world juniors gold medal clash

A TV screen shows U.S. player enjoying a world juniors title win.

The United States has Canada’s number in gold medal games at the world junior men’s hockey championships.

On Tuesday playing in a bubble environment before no fans at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alta., the United States blanked Canada 2-0 in the championship game at world juniors. World juniors were played in a bubble environment due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

In the five times the United States and Canada have met in the gold medal game at world juniors, the U.S.A. has now won the last four of those encounters in a row.

The loss was a tough pill for Canada to take. Canada had won gold one year earlier at the world juniors when they were held in Ostrava in the Czech Republic.

Through the preliminary, quarter-final and semifinal rounds, Canada had a 6-0 record outscoring its opponents 41-4. Canada, which topped Group A in the preliminary round, hadn’t trailed in any of its games at world juniors until hitting the gold medal game.

Coming into world juniors, Canada was a favourite to win gold. That favourite status increased when a number of other traditionally strong teams lots key players due to positive COVID-19 tests before entering the bubble in Edmonton.

The United States arrived in the bubble minus five players due to positive COVID-19 tests in Robert Mastrosimone, Alex Vlasic, John Beecher, Thomas Bordeleau and goalie Drew Commesso.

The U.S.A. dropped its first preliminary round game on Christmas Day by a 5-3 score to Russia. The United States rebounded to captured first place in the tougher Group B in the preliminary round with a 3-1 record and ultimately closed the event with six straight wins.

Connor Zary in action for the Blazers in 2019.

Going into the gold medal game, United States star forward Trevor Zegras said he didn’t believe Canada had faced a test as tough as one his side was going to bring. Zegras has a swagger that is comparable to that of Michael Irvin, who was a star receiver for the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys three Super Bowl winners in the 1990s.

The United States came out ready to back Zegras’s assessment. The U.S. players came out with a start where they figuratively punched the Canadian side in the mouth.

The opening frame was played at a break neck pace with the United States holding a 13-9 edge in shots on goal. At the 13:25 mark of the first, the United States jumped ahead 1-0, when forward Alex Turcotte tipped home a point shot from rearguard Drew Helleson.

Zegras collected a second assist on that tally.

The opening U.S.A. goal marked the first time through the whole tournament including exhibition play where Canada trailed on the scoreboard. Canada would never get ahead on the scoreboard on this night.

After the opening 20 minutes, the United States came out blazing to open the second period and got the Canadian players running around in their own zone. A shot from the point by United States forward Arthur Kaliyev hit the back boards and came to rest at the back of the left side of the Canadian net.

Zegras calmly collected the loose puck and quickly tucked it behind Canadian netminder Devon Levi for a 2-0 lead. Levi had shifted to the right side of his goal expecting the puck to come out on that side.

Despite the jump the United States got, Canada still had a chance to get some traction before the second frame ended, and the first chance came in an unexpected spot.

Just after the midway point in the second period, the Canadian side was short-handed after forward Jakob Pelletier took a hooking penalty.

On the United States power play, Levi stoned Kaliyev on back-to-back big mid-range chances.

Bowen Byram in action for the Giants in 2019.

Following those saves, Canada got down ice on a short-handed rush. Off the rush, Canadian offensive-defenceman Bowen Byram cut across the front of the United States goal and put a backhand shot off the post.

Inside of the final two minutes of the second, United States netminder Spencer Knight turned away Canadian forward and Saskatoon product Connor Zary, who is a star with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, on a point-blank range try.

Had Canada capitalized on one of those chances, they possibly could have gotten the players on the United States side to start getting nervous and grip their sticks a little tighter.

The United States closed out the game with a textbook defensive effort in the third period. While Canada had a 15-1 edge in shots on goal in the frame, that statistic was a bit misleading, because most of those chances came from the outside.

It didn’t feel like the United States had lost control of the game in that frame.

With just over two minutes remaining in the third, Canadian forward Dylan Holloway had the best chance to score for his size in the stanza, but his close in shot was turned away by Knight.

Knight turned away 34 shots in goal for the United States to pick up his third shutout of the tournament. Levi made 19 stops to take the setback in net for Canada.

Zegras led the event in scoring piling up seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points in the seven games the United States played. He was named the tournament’s MVP and was placed on the tournament all-star team.

Levi, Byram, who is a star with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, and Dylan Cozens, who is a star centre with the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes, were named to the tournament all-star team from Canada. Cozens topped Canada in scoring with eight goals and eight assists for 16 points in seven games.

Also named to the all-star team were German forward Tim Stutzle and Finland defenceman Ville Heinola. Finland downed Russia 4-1 in the bronze medal game held earlier in the day on Tuesday.

Dylan Cozens in action for the Hurricanes in 2019.

While Canada didn’t win, the Canadian team’s journey to the gold medal game at world juniors provided some normalcy over the holiday season for the Canadian team’s fans. Judging by social media, it is safe to say a sizable portion of Canada’s population took in Tuesday’s gold medal game.

Still, it was a contest and a night that belonged to the United States – country that ultimately showed its depth in the game and its swagger.

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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One to go – Canada dominates in world juniors semifinal win

Braden Schneider in action for the Wheat Kings in 2020.

A Canadian supporter could be forgiven for having DJ Otzi’s “Hey Baby” at the ready on Tuesday night for the gold medal game of the world junior men’s hockey championship.

Canada was that impressive in their 5-0 win over Russia in the tournament’s first semifinal game played inside of a bubble environment with no fans at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alta., on Monday night. World juniors are being played in a bubble due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

Just 59 seconds into the game against Russia, Canadian centre Alex Newhook, who returned after missing one game due to injury, ripped home a shot in close to the top right corner of the Russian net with so much mustard the officials needed to stop the contest to check video review to confirm the puck went into the goal.

After the officials said that tally was good, Canada kept storming the Russian end and exited the first frame with a 3-0 lead. The world junior hosts added single goals in the second and third periods to round out a convincing 5-0 victory looking like the NHL’s 1980s Edmonton Oilers in the process.

The win propels Canada into Tuesday’s goal medal game (8:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time, TSN).

Canada will face the United States, who slipped past Finland 4-3 in Monday’s other semifinal. Finland and Russia will go at it in Tuesday’s bronze medal game (4:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time, TSN).

For Canada in Monday’s dominant win, the tournament hosts never took the foot off the gas after Newhook gave the Canadian side a 1-0 lead.

At the 10:33 mark of the opening frame, Dylan Cozens and Jacob Pelletier combined to set up linemate Connor McMichael on a backdoor feed, and McMichael ripped the puck into an open cage to increase Canada’s advantage to 2-0.

Following that tally, Canada struck again this time on the power play at the 15:05 of the opening frame when forward Cole Perfetti ripped home a shot glove side on Russian netminder Yaroslav Askarov to give the tournament hosts a 3-0 lead.

Cozens and Bowen Byram, who is star offensive-defenceman for the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, picked up helpers on Perfetti’s tally.

Canada held a 16-7 edge in shots on goal after 20 minutes.

Dylan Cozens in action for the Hurricanes in 2019.

Things didn’t get any better for the Russians in the second. At the 4:09 mark of that frame, Canadian defenceman and Prince Albert, Sask., product Braden Schneider ripped home his first goal of the tournament through a screen to put Canada up 4-0.

Schneider, who plays for the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings, has his best game of the tournament as he was sound and physically strong at both ends of the ice.

With less than three minutes to go in the second, Russia appeared to gain a measure of relief when forward Mikhail Abramov deposited a power-play goal in the back of the Canadian net.

The Russians couldn’t even get a reprieve from that development.

The Canadian coaching staff immediately challenged the goal sighting an offside zone entry. Following a video review, the official determined the play was offside and disallowed the Russian marker allowing Canada’s lead to hold at 4-0.

The only thing that seemingly went wrong was Cozens was stopped on a penalty shot with 29.4 seconds remaining in the second.

With 1:29 remaining in the third, Cozens scored into an empty Russian net to complete a three-point night and round out Canada’s 5-0 win. The star centre for the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes has points in all six of Canada’s games through the preliminary and playoff round netting eight goals and eight assists for 16 points over that time.

Canadian netminder Devon Levi was brilliant again making 28 saves to pick up his third shutout of the tournament. Askarov turned away 30-of-34 shots to take the loss in goal for Russia.

Canada and Russia met in the goal medal final at last year’s world juniors in Ostrava in the Czech Republic. Canada fell behind 3-1 in that contest in the third period but rallied for a 4-3 victory with forward Akil Thomas scoring the winner with 3:58 remaining in regulation.

In Monday’s win, another group that needs to take a bow is Canada’s coaching staff led by Andre Tourigny, who is the head coach of the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s. The staff includes assistant coaches Mitch Love, who is the head coach of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, Tyler Dietrich, who is an assistant coach with the Blades, Michael Dyck, who is the head coach of the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, and goaltender coach Jason LaBarbera.

LaBarbera was the goaltending coach of the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen, but he moved over to become a full-time goalie coach for the NHL’s Calgary Flames before world juniors started. The Flames own the Hitmen.

The fact the Canadian side came out of the gates on fire and never let up on Monday showed the coaching staff did their part to make sure the players were motivated and prepared. The Canadian players haven’t got complacent even with the fact Canada hasn’t trailed at one time during this event going 6-0.

Bowen Byram in action for the Giants in 2019.

When Canada won gold at the world juniors held during the 2017-18 hockey season in Buffalo, New York, DJ Otzi’s “Hey Baby” was the popular goal song for the Canadian side. It has become a popular tune for Canadian fans to play when Canada experiences success at succeeding world juniors.

After watching Canada romp past Russia on Monday, it is easy for Canadian fans to envision “Hey Baby” being played again on Tuesday night.

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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Canada needs to avoid complacency at world juniors

Hosts open with big 16-2 win over Germany

Dylan Cozens in action for the Hurricanes in 2018-19.

Canada’s coaches are likely happy their squad’s first preliminary round game at the world junior men’s hockey championship is over.

On Saturday inside the bubble environment at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alta., Canada opened preliminary round play crushing Germany 16-2. It was the type of game that really does Canada no favours in the grand scheme of things, because they were that much of a superior side.

The game did help the Canadian players shake off rust as most haven’t played in a truly meaningful game since March due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world. Saturday’s game was played without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For most of the players on Canada’s roster, this was just their second contest since March. Canada blanked Russia 1-0 in a spirited pre-tournament game on Wednesday.

In Saturday’s encounter against Germany, it felt like you could only shake off the rust for so long. Eventually, the blowout hit a point where one worried that the victory ceased being helpful to Canada.

Germany showed up in the Alberta capital city without four players due to positive COVID-19 tests in Lukas Reichel, Nino Kinder, Elias Lindner and netminder Tobias Ancicki.

On top of that, Germany had nine players isolating in hotel rooms on Saturday night because of positive COVID-19 upon arriving in Edmonton.

Germany played with 14 skaters in nine forwards and five defenceman for the second straight game played on two consecutive nights. Finland downed Germany 5-3 on Christmas Day, which marked the opening day of the preliminary round.

Germany was heading into Saturday’s clash with Canada at a clear disadvantage.

Kaiden Guhle in action for the Raiders last season.

The results showed on the scoreboard. Canada led 4-1 after the first period and held an 11-1 advantage after 40 minutes of play.

Dylan Cozens, a star centre with the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes, had a hat trick and three assists for Canada.

Dawson Mercer, Philip Tomasino, Alex Newhook and Peyton Krebs each scored twice for the host country. Kaiden Guhle, Ryan Suzuki, Jakob Pelletier, Thomas Harley and Connor McMichael potted singles to round out the scoring for the Canadian side.

Guhle, who is a star offensive-defenceman for the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, had the opening tally of Saturday’s contest.

John Peterka and Florian Elias replied with singles for Germany.

Devon Levi  stopped eight-of-nine shots over two periods to pick up the win in goal for Canada. Dylan Garand of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers played the third period in relief turning away five-of-six shots sent his way.

Arno Tiefensee turned away seven-of-11 shots to take the loss in goal for Germany. He was pulled after the first period.

Jonas Gahr played the final two frames in relief turning away 21-of-33 shots fired his way.

The biggest adversity Canada faced was losing defenceman and Prince Albert, Sask., product Braden Schneider, who plays for the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings, in the first period after he was ejected for receiving a major penalty for a head check.

The opening part of Canada’s schedule in the preliminary round is fairly light. Canada’s second game is Sunday against Slovakia (5 p.m. Saskatchewan time, TSN). While Slovakia is 1-0, that is a contest were Canada will be a heavy favourite and should not have any difficulty in winning.

Canada’s third game of the preliminary round is Tuesday against Switzerland (5 p.m. Saskatchewan time, TSN), and that contest is another that should easily go in the win column for Canada.

Bowen Byram in action for the Giants in 2019-20.

Canada shouldn’t have any difficulty getting to 3-0, which would lock up a berth in the playoff round.

Canada’s final game of preliminary round on Thursday against Finland (5 p.m. Saskatchewan time, TSN) will be the host side’s first true test in a game that counts in the tournament standings.

Having those three easier opening games in succession could create an opportunity for Canadian players to develop bad habits.

Canadian head coach Andre Tourigny, who is the head coach of the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s, and his staff will have a big challenge on their hands that way.

The saving grace might be the fact Canada did play Russia in a pre-tournament game. Canada and Russia are the favourites to win gold at a world juniors where at least half the teams are carrying watered down rosters due to players testing positive for COVID-19.

While that encounter was a pre-tournament game, both sides played like it did mean something. Of course, Canadian captain Kirby Dach, who is a centre for the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks and an alumnus of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, was lost for the entire world junior tournament injuring his wrist on what seemed like a harmless bodycheck in the centre ice zone in the third period.

With International Ice Hockey Federation rules declaring a team must have a player designated as a captain for each game played, Canada has elected to rotate the captain duties between Cozens and offensive-defenceman Bowen Byram, who plays for the WHL’s Vancouver Giants.

Connor McMichael, who is a centre for the OHL’s London Knights, have been named a new alternate captain for Canada.

Despite losing Dach, the pre-tournament contest with Russia gave the Canadian players an idea of where their focus and intensity level needs to be when playing the tougher teams at this event.

Braden Schneider in action for the Wheat Kings last season.

Against Slovakia and Switzerland, the Canadian players need to keep up their intensity level the whole contest, even if the score gets uncomfortably lopsided. Dumping the puck in and playing the trap for the last 30 minutes of a blowout win is the sure way to create the complacency, which could spell doom in possible future encounters against foes like Russia.

Canada has to continue to keep the foot on the gas against the weaker teams to prevent developing bad habits that could be costly against stronger opponents.

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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If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

WHLers storm on to Canada’s world junior team roster

Guhle, Schneider and WHL alum Dach to chase gold medal

Kaiden Guhle in action for the Raiders last season.

In world juniors that will be like no other, fans of the WHL will have lots of reasons to watch Canada chase a second straight gold medal.

On Friday, Hockey Canada announced its 25-player roster for the world junior tournament, which will run in a hub city bubble format from Dec.25 to Jan. 5, 2021 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alta. Teams are slated to arrive in Edmonton on Sunday and quarantine for five days before beginning practices on Dec. 18.

The hub city bubble format is being used due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

Team Canada is wrapping up selection camp activities in Red Deer, Alta. The Canadian team roster that will play in Edmonton contains nine current WHL players and one WHL alum, who was loaned to the Canadian side by an NHL team.

Kirby Dach, who is a centre with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, was the WHL alum that was loaned to Team Canada. Dach was a star with the Saskatoon Blades from 2016 to 2019 before being selected in the first round and third overall by the Blackhawks in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

The 19-year-old Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., product appeared in 64 regular season games with the Blackhawks last season posting eight goals, 15 assists and a minus-one rating in the plus-minus department.  

Kirby Dach in action for the Blades in 2018-19.

Dach, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 200 pounds, suited up for nine post-season games with the Blackhawks recording one goal, five assists and a plus-three rating.

Due to the NHL playoffs being conducted in a hub city format, Dach is the only player on the Canadian roster who has experience with what his team is going to deal with. The Blackhawks played all of their games in the last NHL post-season in Edmonton.

Defenceman Bowen Byram of the Vancouver Giants and centre Dylan Cozens from the Lethbridge Hurricanes are part of the group of six returnees from Canada’s gold medal winning entry at the last world juniors, which were held in Ostrava in the Czech Republic. Both are in their 19-year-old junior seasons.

Byram, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 197 pounds, appeared in 50 regular season games with the Giants last season posting 14 goals, 38 assists and a plus-19 rating. Cozens, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 198 pounds, suited up for 51 regular season games with the Hurricanes last season recording 38 goals, 47 assists and a plus-23 rating.

Braden Schneider in action for the Wheat Kings last season.

Kaiden Guhle, who is an 18-year-old defenceman for the Prince Albert Raiders, is one of the many newcomers to the Canadian side. He appeared in 64 regular season games last season posting 11 goals, 29 assists and a plus-23 rating.

Guhle, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 209 pounds, has past international experience playing in Hockey Canada’s program. 

He was a captain for Canada Red at the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, where he picked up three assists in six games. That event was held in Quispamsis and Saint John, New Brunswick.

He was an alternate captain for Canada’s silver medal winning team at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he posted one assist in five games. That event was played in Breclav in the Czech Republic and Piestany in Slovakia.

Joining Guhle on the back end is Prince Albert product Braden Schneider, who is 19-year-old defenceman with the Brandon Wheat Kings. Schneider, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 207 pounds, appeared in 60 regular season games with the Wheat Kings last season recording seven goals, 35 assists and a plus-nine rating.

Kaedan Korczak in action for the Rockets last season.

Also suiting up on the blue-line is Yorkton, Sask., product Kaedan Korczak, who is a 19-year-old defenceman with the Kelowna Rockets. 

Korczak, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 192 pounds, suited up for 60 regular season games for the Rockets last season posting 11 goals, 38 assists and a plus-seven rating.

Saskatoon product Connor Zary, who stands 6-feet and weighs 177 pounds, is the final player with Saskatchewan ties to earn a spot on Canada’s roster. 

Zary, who is a 19-year-old centre with the Kamloops Blazers, appeared in 57 regular season games last season recording 38 goals, 48 assists and a plus-30 rating.

Rounding out the WHL player representation on the Team Canada roster is 19-year-old centre Peyton Krebs of the Winnipeg Ice, 18-year-old goaltender Dylan Garand of the Blazers and 19-year-old netminder Taylor Gauthier of the Prince George Cougars.

Blades head coach Mitch Love, Blades assistant coach Tyler Dietrich and Giants head coach Michael Dyck will all serve as assistant coaches for Canada. Moose Jaw Warriors general manager Alan Millar is part of Team Canada’s management group.

Connor Zary in action for the Blazers last season.

Calgary Hitmen assistant and goaltending coach Jason LaBarbera is the goaltending coach for Canada. Edmonton Oil Kings head athletic therapist Brian Cheeseman is a therapist for the Canadian side.

In these crazy times, Friday’s roster announcement for Team Canada was an upbeat day for Canadian fans who follow world juniors. No matter what wrenches get thrown into the event from the COVID-19 front, Canadians will tune into world juniors in droves, especially when Canada is playing.

With numerous parts of Canada observing stricter lockdown measures through the Christmas season, world juniors should have quite the captive audience.

If Canada repeats as a gold medal winner, you can expect an outpouring from joy from Canadian fans on Jan. 5, 2021. For fans of the WHL, a Canadian gold medal win at this would junior tournament will feel that much more sweet.

NHL all about speculation, other notes

A Brayden Point card.

If you follow all the speculation that is swirling around the NHL right now, you would probably not get anything else done your day-to-day life.

As the days of December 2020 drift away, it becomes more obvious that the NHL isn’t going to begin its upcoming season on its original targeted start date of Jan. 1, 2021. The continuing surge of new COVID-19 cases in Canada and the United States will likely see certain to that.

With the initial rollouts of COVID-19 vaccines to come in a limited form, the world in North America is still several months away from returning to normal.

It was announced on Friday the closer of the border between Canada and the United States for all non-essential travel currently goes to Jan. 21, 2021.

Most areas of Canada are observing stricter restrictions and lockdowns to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. Some areas of the United States have brought in stricter COVID-19 restrictions too.

If Canadian NHL teams were supposed to hold training camps to prepare for a Jan. 1, 2021 start, players from outside the country would already have to be arriving in Canadian cities to quarantine for 14 days.

So far, the NHL hasn’t officially announced any new plans. That has lead to lots of speculation.

So what might the upcoming NHL season look like?

On Tuesday, Frank Seravalli of TSN said that outlet’s sources have said the NHL’s targeted start date is now Jan. 13, 2021 with a 56-game regular season. The start date and regular season length haven’t been confirmed, but they seem to be reasonable expectations.

On Tuesday during an online interview with The Maccabi USA Sports Show, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said realignment would likely be necessary because of travel restrictions between Canada and the United States.

“There are a lot of things we have to do to return to play,” said Bettman. “For us to return to play, we’re not going to play 82 games, obviously, and we have travel issues because of the restrictions at the border between Canada and the U.S.

“You can’t go back and forth, so we’re actually going to have to realign. If everything stays the way it is, we’re probably going to have to have a Canadian division and realign in the U.S., and we’re trying to focus on dealing with all of those challenges.”

The nugget of a Canadian division has many NHL fans in Canada in an excited frenzy.

It wasn’t that long ago when the Tampa Bay Lightning captured their second Stanley Cup title with a 2-0 Game 6 championship series win over the Dallas Stars in the hub city of Edmonton on Sept. 28. That contest officially concluded the 2019-20 NHL campaign that had a wrench thrown into it due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sports media outlets in Canada can have a field day with all the speculation. The crew at The Rod Pedersen Show in Regina, Sask., must loved the fact they have this as one of many subjects to endlessly talk about.

 NHL fans might be best to take a “they will play when they play” approach. They should avoid spending too much time dwelling on all the possibilities.

• On Wednesday, I went live with a new piece on the Howe Happening blog, which supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I wrote an introductory piece to the sport of Nordic skiing thanks to the help of the Saskatoon Nordic Ski Club. That piece can be found by clicking right here.
• On Wednesday, I put together a post of the coolest and sweetest photos of construction projects taking played at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex taken by operations manager Johnny Marciniuk. Marciniuk can take the bulk of the credit for the work there. That post can be found by clicking right here.
• On Thursday, Planet S Magazine announced its results in its annual “Best of Saskatoon” contest. People can vote for the city’s best in various categories. Pat McKay of CTV Saskatoon was voted Best Sports Reporter. It was a cool nod as McKay has been a general assignment news reporter who does some sports stories since returning to CTV Saskatoon early in the year from CTV Winnipeg as a sports reporter. Due to the restructuring of CTV across Canada, that media outlet has very few just dedicated sports reporters. Before leaving for a short stint in Winnipeg, McKay had a great run as a sports reporter at CTV Saskatoon, when there was a dedicated sports reporter spot there. Knowing the public has fond memories of McKay’s work as a sports reporter, could CTV Saskatoon bring back that type of dedicated position for him? As the old cliché goes, this might be a case of giving viewers what they want. They have spoken with their votes.

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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If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Fourth time is a charm – Blades finally get initial home win

Nolan Kneen, left, celebrates his winning goal for the Blades with Kyle Crnkovic.

    Nolan Kneen admitted it felt like his Saskatoon Blades finally got a monkey off their collective backs.

    After dropping their first three home dates at the SaskTel Centre including a 5-4 setback last Sunday after a tiebreaking shootout to the Brandon Wheat Kings, the Blades finally got their first win at home of the current WHL campaign.

    On Wednesday before 2,715 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, the Blades slipped past the Vancouver Giants 2-1 in a competitively contested regular season game.

Nolan Kneen scored the third period winner for the Blades.

    “It was kind of funny to hear the win song for the first time at home, which was nice,” said Kneen, who is an overage offensive-defenceman with the team. “It is obviously nice to get the first win under the belt.”

    The Blades went into the clash with the Giants with the heartbreaking setback to the Wheat Kings on their mind. In the loss to Brandon, Saskatoon held a 4-2 lead before the Wheat Kings scored twice in the final 65 seconds of the third period to force a 4-4 tie and overtime.

    That set the stage for Brandon to prevail after a tiebreaking shootout.

    On Wednesday night, the Blades entered the third period holding a 1-0 lead over the Giants. The Giants evened things up at 1-1 at the nine-minute mark of the frame, when overage defenceman Dylan Plouffe blew home a mid-range drive.

    The Blades answered back working on the power play with 6:34 remaining in the third, when Kneen pinched down the right wing with the puck and fired home a close in shot to put the host side up 2-1.

Dylan Plouffe scored the third period equalizer for the Giants.

    Blades star netminder Nolan Maier made 30 saves on the night to ensure Kneen’s marker stood up as the winner.

    “I think we just played a full 60 tonight,” said Kneen, whose team improved to 4-3-0-1. “There were kind of times where we slowed down and let them play their game, but I think overall we had a good 60 minutes.

    “When they scored, we kind of kept it even-keel and didn’t stray from our systems or anything. We just came back and ended up getting another one.”

    Blades head coach Mitch Love was pleased with how his team responded after the Giants tied things up.

Blades goalie Nolan Maier holds of the Giants late in the third period.

    “I said to our guys tonight I liked after they scored their goal to tie it that we didn’t panic,” said Love. “We stayed patient.

    “That is sometimes hard to do, especially after a night on Sunday, where we gave up a couple of late goals for them to tie it up. I liked our composure in those times.”

    Overall, Love liked his is team played against Giants side that returned a large number of players that helped Vancouver reach the WHL final last season before falling in 3-2 in overtime in a series deciding Game 7 to the Prince Albert Raiders.

    “A bit of our game plan was obviously to try to limit their offence from their back end,” said Love. “That is the strength of their hockey team along with their goaltending.

Chase Wouters scored in the first period for the Blades.

    “They are a little depleted up front right now. They had some defencemen playing forward for them, so they are not at full health there. Again, they play a really, really good team game.

    “They’ve got a lot of good little schemes out there that they run that you have to be dialled in on. We were fortunate we had a few days between our Sunday game and tonight to prep for that, and I thought our guys did a good job of limiting their offence.”

    The Giants entered the game without injured second-year right-winger Lukas Svejkovsky (upper body, day-to-day) and injured rookie left-winger Cole Shepard (lower body, week-to-week). Due to their absence, the Giants had defencemen Nicholas Draffin and Tanner Brown play up front.

Despite the injuries, the Giants played a solid game.

Giants D Dylan Plouffe, left, battles Blades LW Colton Dach for the puck.

    At the start, the Blades got the jump. They broke through on the scoreboard, when captain Chase Wouters tipped home a point shot from defenceman Scott Walford for a power-play goal 78 second into the contest for a 1-0 lead.

    Near the midway point of the first, the Giants had a big chance to even things up, but a backdoor drive by Giants right-winger Tristen Nielson was turned away by the glove had of Maier.

    With 6:54 remaining in the first, Blades feisty left-winger Riley McKay was hauled down on a breakaway by Giants left-winger Jackson Shepard resulting in a penalty shot.

Trent Miner made 29 saves in goal for the Giants on Wednesday.

    On the penalty shot, McKay tried to go forehand to backhand but he was denied by a left pad save from Giants goalie Trent Miner.

    In the final seconds of the first, McKay made his presence felt again levelling Shepard with an open ice hit.

    The teams played through a scoreless second with the Giants holding a 12-10 edge in shot over the 20-minute stanza. Maier and Miner, who are both 18 years of age, put up walls in front of their respective goals denying all shooters that came their way.

    “He (Maier) looked sharp tonight,” said Love. “He looked like he was in the zone, a competitive zone.

Two young fans cheer on Blades LW Riley McKay.

    “I think sometimes as a goalie you also look at the other guy that is at the other end, and you want to try and out do him. Miner is a good young goal, the same age. There is some extra motivation there I am sure.

    “Both kids were real good tonight. Again when you have that, it tends to lead to a low scoring hockey game.”

    The scoreless second gave way to the drama in the third.

    Inside of the final two minutes of the third, Maier made key back-to-back stops on Nielsen and Giants star offensive-defenceman Bowen Byram to preserve the Blades victory.

    Miner turned away 29 shots to take the setback in goal for the Giants (4-5).

    “I think obviously when you come out with a win it is a fun game,” said Maier. “There are a lot of guys in the locker room that I think played their best game of the year.

    “That is really positive, especially for our young guys that aren’t getting as much minutes as our older guys. They are kind of finding their way. We’re all looking comfortable out there, so it is really good from a team perspective.”

The Blades celebrate their win on Wednesday night.

    The Blades return to action on Friday, when they travel to Brandon to take on the Wheat Kings. The Giants are also back at it on Friday traveling to Moose Jaw to take on the Warriors.

    Maier said the Blades will be looking to earn a little bit of redemption in Friday’s game against the Wheat Kings after what happened last Sunday.

    “I think we want to prove something that we didn’t have our best game,” said Maier. “We kind of let it slip away from us, so I think we are going to have a really big one against them in their barn.”

    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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The Dach is in – Blades star goes third overall in NHL Entry Draft

Kirby Dach was selected third overall by the Blackhawks.

    Kirby Dach looked like a child who received a desperately wanted gift from Santa Claus at Christmas.

    On Friday at the NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver, B.C., Dach was selected in the first round and third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. The draft’s first round was held Friday and rounds two through seven are slated for Saturday.

    Dach, who is a star centre with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, gave the look of being caught off guard in a good way in front of the national television cameras.

    The combination of surprise and joy in the Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., product’s face showed he got something he really wanted.

    Before being picked by the Blackhawks, Dach watched the first two selections of the NHL Entry Draft go down as expected.

    With the first overall pick, the New Jersey Devils took centre Jack Hughes from the United States National Team Development Program. Following that selection, the New York Rangers picked right-winger Kaapo Kakko second overall from the TPS program in Finland.
    At the third selection, various prognosticators had a glut of players who could potentially be selected at that spot including Dach, centre Alex Turcotte of the United States National Team Development Program, defenceman Bowan Byram from the Vancouver Giants, centre Dylan Cozens of the Lethbridge Hurricanes and centre Trevor Zegras of the United States National Team Development Program.

Kirby Dach put up 73 points with the Blades last season.

    Byram impressed as an offensive defenceman helping the Vancouver Giants advance to the WHL final, where the Giants fell 3-2 in overtime in a series-deciding Game 7 to the Prince Albert Raiders.

    Dach seemed to be ready mentally for a longer sit, but as it turned out, those preparations weren’t needed.

    When the Blackhawks announced their selection of Dach, the 18-year-old seemed to be floating on air.

    While you could split hairs on who could be picked third overall, Dach is deserving of that high selection. The skilled centre has only scratched the surface of how could he can be.

    Add in the fact Dach stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 200 pounds, a team couldn’t turn away from a player that has the combination of size and skill that Dach has.

    He works extremely hard in his off-season workouts and is one of those players you never have to worry about. You know he will make the right decisions in life and in the game almost all the time.
    When the day comes Dach’s body physically matures allowing him to hold more muscle increasing his power and strength, you have to wonder how good he will be on the ice as the increased power and strength will lead to some extra confidence.

    Last season, Dach piled up 25 goals, 48 assists and a plus-15 rating in the plus-minus department in 62 regular season games. He added another five goals and three assists in the Blades 10 playoff games.

    Saskatoon swept the Moose Jaw Warriors 4-0 in a best-of-seven first round series before falling 4-2 to the Raiders.

Kirby Dach scored a highlight reel playoff goal against the Raiders.

    Of course, Dach turned heads with a highlight reel goal in Game 2 of the series against the Raiders that was shown on national television.
    Throughout his hockey career, Dach has consistently made highlight reel plays. He closed off his time in the bantam AAA ranks netting 29 goals and 71 assists in 33 regular season games with his hometown Fort Saskatchewan Boston Pizza Rangers in 2014-15.

    He went to the Fort Saskatchewan Boston Pizza Rangers midget AAA team as an underage 14-year-old player and netted 14 goals and 21 assists in 34 regular season games in 2015-16.

    Thanks to those efforts, the Blades selected Dach in the first round and second overall in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft.

    Due to injuries, the Blades received special permission late in the 2016-17 campaign to allow Dach to play for an extended stay during his 15-year-old season. He appeared in 19 regular season games posting six goals, four assists and a plus-three rating.

    On Feb. 20, 2017, Dach scored his first two career WHL regular season goals in spectacular fashion in a 4-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors at the SaskTel Centre.

Kirby Dach has been a high-end offensive player his whole hockey career.

    Being one of the few that skates in a full-time role on the top two lines with a major junior team as a 16-year-old rookie, Dach recorded seven goals and 39 assists in 52 regular season games in the 2017-18 campaign.
    That set the stage for Dach to play for Canada’s under-18 at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last August in Edmonton and Red Deer. He had a goal and six assists in five games helping Canada to a gold medal finish.

    From there, Dach went on to a solid campaign for the Blades, where he earned the role of being one of the team’s assistant captains in January.

    Besides his scoring, Dach turned heads early on with his strong two-way play. Even during his 16-year-old season, he was committed to working hard in the defensive zone.
    One Dach’s best games last season came on Dec. 9, 2018, when the Blades blanked the Raiders 1-0 at the SaskTel Centre. Dach didn’t have any points in that game, but he was a visible force at both ends of the ice.
    In the history of the Blades franchise, Dach becomes the 19^th player to be selected in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft. The last time a Blades player was selected as high as he was came back in 1988, when defenceman Curtis Leschyshyn was selected third overall by the Quebec Nordiques.

Kirby Dach will get a chance to make Canada’s world junior team.

    On Friday night, Dach got to rightfully celebrate a huge milestone for all the hard work he put into his hockey career.

    The draft selection caps a highlight week. On Wednesday, Hockey Canada announced Dach was invited to the national junior team summer development camp that starts July 27 and runs through to Aug. 4 in Plymouth, Mich.

    He will be highly-touted for a spot on Canada’s squad that will play at the upcoming world juniors that run from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5, 2020 in Ostrava and Trinic in the Czech Republic.

    It is possible Dach might not be available for world juniors or even return to the Blades. He could potentially sign an NHL entry-level contract with the Blackhawks, and being the third overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft, his odds of making the NHL club next season increased.

    If Dach does return to the Blades, he will have an opportunity to play major junior on the same team with his younger brother, Colton, who will be a 16-year-old rookie for Saskatoon next season. The Blades selected Colton in the first round and sixth overall in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft.
    Kirby Dach will face extra scrutiny for the rest of his hockey career due to his high NHL Entry Draft selection. 

Kirby Dach (#77) celebrates scoring a goal for the Blades.

    He will likely find Jeremy Colliton, who is the Blackhawks young 34-year-old head coach, will be a great resource in navigating those waters.

    Colliton, who is a two-time member of Canada’s world junior team and a former member of the Raiders, is extremely intelligent and is familiar with all sorts of pressure situations in the game.

    For the moment, Dach gets to enjoy one of the most memorable moments of his life.

    The decisions regarding his hockey future will unfold in the days and weeks to come.

    In the present, he should be allowed to soak in a great day.

Byram heads rest of WHL field in NHL Draft first round

Bowen Byram was selected fourth overall by the Avalanche.

    Bowen Byram was the defenceman you had to take in this year’s NHL Entry Draft.

    The star of the WHL’s Vancouver Giants didn’t have to wait long before being selected at this year’s NHL Entry in Vancouver, B.C.

    The Colorado Avalanche selected Byram fourth overall in the first round that was held on Friday. The draft concludes with rounds two to seven on Saturday.

    Byram was the first rearguard to be selected in the draft and the second player from the WHL to have his name called following centre Kirby Dach of the Saskatoon Blades, who went third overall to the Chicago Blackhawks.

    Byram, who turned 18-years-old earlier this month, had a sensational season in 2018-19. He piled up 26 goals, 45 assists and a plus-33 rating in the plus-minus department in 67 regular season games with the Giants.

    He helped the Giants advance to the WHL final, there they fell 3-2 in overtime in a series deciding Game 7 to the Prince Albert Raiders.

    In 22 post-season games, Byram, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 195 pounds, had eight goals, 18 assists and a plus-10 rating.

    A total of seven WHL players were taking in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft.

Dylan Cozens was selected seventh overall by the Sabres.

    Lethbridge Hurricanes centre Dylan Cozens was selected seventh overall by the Buffalo Sabres. Playing in all of the Hurricanes 68 regular season games, Cozens had 34 goals, 50 assists and a plus-32 rating.

    Cozens rounded out the WHL players that were taken with the top 10 selections in the draft.

    The other first round NHL Entry Draft selections from the WHL included centre Peyton Krebs of the Winnipeg Ice, who are formerly the Kootenay Ice, going 17^th overall to the Vegas Golden Knights.

    Defenceman Lassi Thomson of the Kelowna Rockets went 19^th overall to the Ottawa Senators, and Rockets left-winger Nolan Foote went 27^th overall to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

    Moose Jaw Warriors left-winger Brayden Tracey was the final WHL player taken in the first round going 29^th overall to the Anaheim Ducks.

    The United States National Team Development Program had eight players selected in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft. That included centre Jack Hughes going first overall to the New Jersey Devils, centre Alex Turcotte going fifth overall to the Los Angeles Kings and centre Trevor Zegras going ninth overall to the Ducks.

    Right-winger Brett Leason and left-winger Aliaksei Protas of the Raiders are still eligible to be selected in the NHL Entry Draft.

WWCFL semifinals hit the field this weekend

Katie Hungle (#99) and the Riot are set for their WWCFL semifinal game.

    The road to the Western Women’s Canadian Football League championship game has narrowed to two semifinal contests that will be played this weekend.

    On Saturday in Edmonton, the host Storm host the two-time defending champion Regina Riot. The Storm enter this match having won four games in a row, and they are 4-1 including action in the regular season and playoffs.

    The Riot are trying to win a second straight road game in order to return home and be the host team for the WWCFL title game for a second straight year. The Riot have a 2-3 record including play in the regular season and playoffs.

    The other WWCFL semifinal is slated for Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field in Saskatoon featuring the host Valkyries taking on the Lethbridge Steel.

    The Valkyries are 5-0 including action in the regular season and playoffs and are 6-0 overall including action in the pre-season. The Steel are 3-2 including action in the regular season and playoffs.

    The winners of the two semifinal advance to the WWCFL championship game slated for June 29 at 4 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

    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 have chance to post biggest home win since 1982

Raiders netminder Ian Scott focuses on the play down ice.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Tonight could be a night in Prince Albert that gives citizens those good chills for years to come.

    When the Prince Albert Raiders hit the ice tonight at 6 p.m. local time against the Vancouver Giants in Game 6 of the WHL Championship series, the Raiders will be looking to post their biggest home since 1982. If they down the Giants in front of a sellout crowd of 3,289 spectators at the 2,580 Art Hauser Centre, the Raiders will win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as champions of the WHL.

    If the Giants prevail on Sunday, the Raiders will have a second opportunity to win the best-of-seven series at home in Game 7 on Monday. Prince Albert leads the WHL final 3-2.

    Believe it or not, the opportunities for hockey teams to win major championships on home ice are a rare thing.

    The last time the Raiders posted a victory in “Hockey Town North” which is as significant as what they will be trying to do in the WHL final came 37 years ago.

Bowen Byram leads the Giants in post-season scoring with 25 points.

    In May of 1982, the Raiders down the Guelph Platers 8-4 to win the Centennial Cup at the Art Hauser Centre which was then known as the Comuniplex and graduated from the junior A ranks as national champions. That win allowed the Raiders to sweep what was then the best-of-seven junior A championship series 4-0 and gave them their fourth Centennial Cup title.

    The Raiders proceeded to move up to the major junior ranks joining the WHL for the 1982-83 campaign.

    When the Raiders won the WHL title in 1985, they swept the best-of-seven league final 4-0 with the series clinching victory occurring in Kamloops against the Blazers.

    On May 18, 1985 in Drummondville, Que., the Raiders downed the Shawinigan Cataractes 6-1 in the championship game of the Memorial Cup tournament. The Cataractes were the host team of the event.

    The Raiders two most significant victories at the major junior level happened on the road.

    Actually, the last time the Raiders clinched a playoff series on home ice came back in 2005, when they blanked the Medicine Hat Tigers 3-0 in Game 6 of a second round series.

    Following that series win against the Tigers, the Raiders advanced to the WHL Eastern Conference Championship series falling to the Brandon Wheat Kings in the maximum of seven games.

Brett Leason leads the Raiders in post-season scoring with 25 points.

    After the 2005 post-season, the Raiders wouldn’t win another playoff series until this year. Of course, they have won three straight playoff series to make it to the WHL final.

    Each of those series was clinched on the road.

    The Raiders faithful hasn’t had the chance to see their team win a series on home ice since 2005.

Of course, the Giants aren’t planning to make things easy. They are trying to force a series deciding Game 7.

    On top of that, Vancouver is attempting to become the first team to overcome a 3-1 series deficit to win the WHL final since the Victoria Cougars pulled the trick in 1981 against the Calgary Wranglers.

    During the WHL regular season, the Raiders and Giants were the circuit’s top two teams.

    The Raiders topped the WHL regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2 record and were rated second in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

    Vancouver finished second overall in the WHL with a 48-15-3-2 mark and was rated sixth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

    The winner of the WHL final will earn a berth to the Memorial Cup, and this year’s CHL championship tournament is being held May 17 to 26 in Halifax, N.S.

    Raiders star right-winger Brett Leason tops the Raiders in post-season scoring with 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points. Standout overage centre Dante Hannoun is second in Raiders post-season scoring with 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points.

David Tendeck will aim to hold the fort in goal for the Giants.

    Star netminder Ian Scott has been the only Raiders goalie to see the ice in the playoffs. In Prince Albert’s 21 post-season games to date, Scott has posted a 15-6 record, a 1.94 goals against average, a .927 save percentage and five shutouts.
    Star offensive defenceman Bowen Byram leads the Giants in post-season scoring with eight goals and 17 assists for 25 points. Overage centre Davis Koch is second in Giants playoff scoring with three goals and 16 assists for 19 points.

    David Tendeck has emerged as the Giants post-season starter in goal. Appearing in 15 of the Giants 20 playoff games, Tendeck has posted a 10-4 record, a 2.41 goals against average and a .914 save percentage.

    The Raiders want to get the rare championship victory party started in P.A.

    Can the Giants still spoil the proceedings?

    We’ll find out at game time.

Huskies win second QMJHL title in last four years

    The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies returned to the pinnacle of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

    On Saturday, the visiting Huskies blanked the Mooseheads in Halifax, N.S., 4-0 before 9,602 spectators at the Scotiabank Centre in Game 6 of the QMJHL Championship series. With the win, the Huskies took the best-of-seven series 4-2 and captured their second league crown in four years.

    The Huskies last won the QMJHL championship in 2016 and advanced to the championship game of the Memorial Cup tournament held that year in Red Deer, Alta. Rouyn-Noranda dropped a 3-2 overtime heartbreaker in the title game to the London Knights.

    Against the Mooseheads in Saturday’s QMJHL title clinching game, the Huskies led 1-0 after the first period, 2-0 after the second frame before rounding out the 4-0 final with a pair of goals in the third.

    Rafael Harvey-Pinard had a pair of goals for the Huskies including an empty-net tally, while Tyler Hinam and Alex Beaucage had singles.

    Samuel Harvey made 28 saves to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Huskies. Alexis Gravel turned away 31-of-34 shots to take the setback in goal for the Mooseheads.

    Huskies defenceman Noah Dobson was named the MVP of the QMJHL playoffs posting eight goals and 21 assists in 20 games.

    The Huskies topped the QMJHL regular season standings with a 59-8-0-1 record and were rated first in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

    The Mooseheads finished first in the QMJHL’s Eastern Conference in the regular season with a 49-15-2-2 mark and were rated eighth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

    As Halifax is playing host to the Memorial Cup from May 17 to 26, both clubs already have berths locked up in the CHL championship tournament.

    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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