Noise on hockey major junior transfers misplaced

Jake Neighbours in action for the Oil Kings in 2019.

When it comes to people being upset over the transfer of major junior hockey players, the noise of the bark might be the most minor annoying thing.

In Western Canada, the idea of major junior transfers really came to light publicly on Oct. 23, when the WHL announced it had granted temporary transfers to WHL roster players to continue their development playing competitive hockey in junior A, junior B or the under-18 levels.

These loans are slated to expire on Dec. 20.

At the moment, the WHL is still planning to start its upcoming regular season on January 8, 2021. WHL clubs are planning to open training camps after the Christmas break.

Of course, the sport of hockey is trying to deal with the fact the world is in the grips of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Those in hockey are trying to do the best they can to keep the sport motoring along like those in all other aspects in life are trying to adjust to the pandemic the best they can.

Due to the pandemic, revenues that usually run to the sports world, including hockey, have been cut dramatically. As a result, many junior A hockey teams have moved more to a pay to play type of format.

Those transferring down from the WHL will have their hockey related expenses covered by their major junior club. If WHL players that transfer down have signed NHL contracts, they likely are already benefitting from getting some extra resources from their NHL team.

Cole Fonstad in action for the Raiders in 2018-19.

There have been some in the worlds of junior A, junior B and the under-18 levels who have cried foul, because a WHL veteran is taking the spot of a player that paid to play.

I think what people are forgetting is the fact that we are in the middle of a pandemic. At the moment, the best way for athletes to get games in at any level is to play in leagues that are as regionally based as possible.

Leagues that have to frequently cross borders provincially or with the United States are going to have the toughest time to get going.

At the moment, Everett Silvertips overage left-winger Cole Fonstad, who helped the Prince Albert Raiders win a WHL title in 2019, is playing for his hometown Estevan Bruins in junior A’s Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

Fonstad is connected with his community and odds are high he had connections with the Bruins. If he wants to play for his hometown junior A team during these crazy pandemic times, he should be allowed to do that, and that is exactly what happened in his case.

As a bonus, he gets a rare chance to play at home. The Bruins are slated to open their SJHL regular season schedule by traveling to Melville on Friday to face the Millionaires. The Bruins are scheduled to host the Millionaires on Saturday in Estevan.

Ozzy Wiesblatt in action for the Raiders last season.

Some of those raising their arms up against these major junior transfers say it will spoil the chemistry on teams in the junior A, junior B and under-18 ranks. These arguments are made with the belief that everything in the sports world will play out as scheduled without any speed bumps.

Newsflash – the world is in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic. A positive COVID-19 test on any of these hockey teams could throw a schedule in flux. Just look at the headaches the CHL’s Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has dealt with for at least the past four weeks with multiple positive COVID-19 tests on some teams.

A number of clubs had to stop activities for being located in areas of the province of Quebec that are designated red zones.

Starting this past Monday, all hockey activities in the Manitoba capital city of Winnipeg have ceased for a period of 14 days at the moment as that centre works to halt the increase of new COVID-19 cases.

All it takes is one public health order from stopping any of these teams and leagues in their tracks.

There are no guarantees the junior A Centennial Cup national championship tournament for the 2020-21 campaign will go ahead. The Keystone Cup tournament to crown a junior B champion for Western Canada might not be played.

The Telus Cup tournament to determine an under-18 AAA male national championship hockey team and the Esso Cup tournament to determine an under-18 AAA female national championship hockey club are still at the risk of not going forward.

Rhett Rhinehart in action for the Blades last season.

It is still entirely possible the WHL season won’t get off the ground and the same goes for the OHL season.

Nothing is operating as it normally should in these COVID-19 pandemic times, and people have to remember that.

Raiders right-winger Ozzy Wiesblatt and Edmonton Oil Kings left-winger Jake Neighbours have been loaned to the junior A Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Wiesblatt went in the first round and 31^st overall in October’s NHL Entry Draft to the San Jose Sharks and has since signed with the Sharks.

Neighbours was picked in the first round and 26^th overall in that same NHL Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues. He has since signed with the Blues.

Let them play and keep getting competitive games with the Bandits.

The Saskatoon Blades loaned veteran defenceman Rhett Rhinehart, who will turn 19-years-old near the end of the month, to Flin Flon Bombers, who are a junior A team in Manitoba that plays in the SJHL.

Let Rhinehart skate with the Bombers.

It is possible these transfers could remain with their respective junior A through the end of the 2020-21 campaign and still not play for a national title.

Alex Bernauer in action for the Contacts last season.

At the under-18 AAA level, forward Alex Bernauer of the Saskatoon Contacts might have been a 17-year-old rookie with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades had times been normal.

The Contacts roster contains dynamic 15-year-old forwards Riley Heidt and Brayden Yager, who are pegged to be in the WHL as 16-year-olds in 2021-22. In April’s WHL Bantam Draft, Heidt was picked in the first round and second overall by the Prince George Cougars and Yager went in the first round and third overall to the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Let all three of those talented forwards be teammates on the Contacts.

The major junior transfers are something that is reasonable and should be applauded for being done to make the best out of these COVID-19 pandemic times.

ACAC cancels winter season, other notes

Megan Nagy (#1) makes a block for the Rattlers in 2012.

The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference will not be having a 2020-21 campaign

On Wednesday, the ACAC announced it was cancelling its extended 2021 winter semester season due to the fact most of its member institutions were extending on-line program delivery into the winter semester due to a surge of COVID-19 cases in the province of Alberta.

In June, the ACAC had cancelled its fall season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Combined with Wednesday’s announcement, the ACAC will not be hosting any athletic competitions for the 2020-21 campaign.

In a statement on Wednesday, the ACAC announced it supports its member institutions’ efforts in protecting the health and safety of students and the broader community.

The released added that no status for the 2021-22 campaign has been determined at this time.

On Tuesday, the Medicine Hat College Rattlers said they had made the decision to forgo competing in the ACAC winter season in basketball, volleyball and futsal.

The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association, which is the national umbrella the ACAC plays under, had officially cancelled all of its national championship tournaments in June.

• On Wednesday, the Alberta Junior Hockey League announced a member of the Whitecourt Wolverines had tested positive for COVID-19. The junior A exhibition encounters between the Wolverines and Drayton Valley Thunder have been cancelled. The two sides were set to play Friday night in Drayton Valley and Saturday night in Whitecourt.
• On Wednesday, the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers shut down their facility after receiver Kendrick Bourne tested positive for COVID-19. He immediately went into self-quarantine and is on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list. Later on Wednesday, receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel and offensive tackle Trent Williams were added to the 49ers reserve/COVID-19 list for being in close contact with Bourne. All four of those players are out of the 49ers lineup for their upcoming game. The 49ers (4-4) are as still slated to host the Green Bay Packers (5-2) on Thursday night.
• Gregg Drinnan put together another round up on how the COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc on the sports world in his Taking Note blog on Tuesday. His Tuesday post 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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Moe break out of rut, powers Raiders to 4-2 victory

Spencer Moe delivered a big two-goal night for the Raiders on Friday night.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Spencer Moe admitted he will play a little more free and easy going forward.

    On Friday, the 19-year-old right-winger potted his first two goals of the season including the winner to push his Prince Albert Raiders to a 4-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes in a WHL regular season contest at the Art Hauser Centre.

    Moe scored his winner with 4:51 to play in the third period to break a 2-2 tie and give the Raiders a 3-2 edge to the delight of 2,502 spectators in the building.

    His linemate in 18-year-old rookie centre Ilya Usau sealed the win with an empty-net goal with 17.2 seconds remaining in the third.

    Heading into Friday’s game, Moe had just two assists in the Raiders previous seven outings. He admitted he was gripping the stick a little too tightly.

The Raiders celebrate Spencer Moe’s first period goal.

    “It makes me relieved,” said Moe. “A lot of stress was building up on me.

    “I think with the two goals today it has kind of put me back to where I really wanted to be and how I really wanted to start the season.”

    Moe got out to a good start on Friday scoring at the 11:28 mark of the first period to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead. Taking a setup pass from Usau, Moe blasted home his first of the year from the front of the Lethbridge goal.

    The speedy Calgary product said he really could feel the stress lift at that point in the game.

    “I could feel it off my back,” said Moe, who stands 5-foot-7 and weighs 170 pounds. “I felt a lot better.

    “Just the fact the first one was out, I was hungrier, and I felt a lot better.”

    Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid was pleased to see Moe break out of his rut.

Spencer Moe looks for an opening to score on a second period breakaway.

    “I was happy for him,” said Habscheid. “He has been snake bit a little bit.

    “The first couple of goals of the year, so he’ll skate a little bit lighter tomorrow.”

    The Raiders, who are rated fifth in the CHL Top 10 rankings, ultimately needed Moe to break through on the scoreboard, because Friday’s contest with the Hurricanes was a battle.

    Lethbridge evened things up at 1-1 just under two minutes later when 16-year-old rookie left-winger Ty Nash fired home a backdoor setup from linemate Justin Hall. 
    The tally was the first WHL career goal for Nash.

Spencer Moe had just two assists this season entering Friday’s game.

    Prince Albert went ahead 2-1 with 3:38 remaining in the second when overage star defenceman Zach wristed home a point shot through a screen.

    Overage defenceman Koletrane Wilson pulled the Hurricanes even at 2-2 with 5:39 to play in the third.

    Moe netted his second of the night and the winner to put the Raiders up 3-2 just 48 seconds after Wilson’s tally.

    On an offensive rush, Moe converted a set up pass from left-winger Cole Fonstad to break the 2-2 tie.

    “We were just doing a normal neutral zone transition there,” said Moe, who was stopped on a second period breakaway chance. “I kind of caught up to the middle there and gave it to Fonny (Fonstad) on the side.

    “I beat my checks up the ice, and he just gave it to me right in the middle. I just happen to find the back of the net there.”

Cole Fonstad had three assists for the Raiders.

    The line of Moe, Fonstad and Usau combined for seven points. Moe had his two goals, Fonstad had three assists, and Usau had a goal and an assist.

    Entering Friday’s game, Fonstad had a goal and two assists, while Usau had two goals and an assist. Both had appeared in all of the Raiders first seven games along with Moe.

    “We’re building chemistry,” said Moe of the line that was formed this season. “It’s been growing every game.

    “We’ve been playing pretty good, but we haven’t been producing a lot. In the past couple of games, we’ve been producing, which is a good thing to see.”

    Last season, Moe played in 66 regular season games for the Raiders posting nine goals, 24 assists and a plus-14 rating in the plus-minus department. He centred the Raiders third line and was often utilized as an energetic checker during the team’s run to winning the WHL championship.

    Moe knows that his role is a lot different this season, as the Raiders graduated a number of forwards from last season.

Ilya Usau had a goal and an assist for the Raiders on Friday.

    “I am a fourth-year guy on this team,” said Moe. “I am supposed to be one of the veteran guys that the younger guys and everyone can lean on.

    “That wasn’t a role for me last year, especially with the players that we had, but now it is on all the other guys, older guys’ shoulders there. We just have to step up our game.”

    Boston Bilous made 32 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. The Raiders won their third straight improving to 6-0-2.

    Bryan Thomson, who is a 17-year-old rookie netminder, turned away 21-of-24 shots to take the setback in goal for the Hurricanes (3-3).

    Habscheid said the Hurricanes provided a big challenge for his side.

    “It was a struggle,” said Habscheid. “This game didn’t come easy.

The Raiders salute the Art Hauser Centre faithful after Friday’s win.

    “I thought Lethbridge worked hard. They played heavy. It was a good game for us to feel that, because we had to grind it out.

    “We had to find a way. We didn’t have our A-game for sure, but in the end, you have to find a way to win.”

    The Raiders return to action on Saturday when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors (5-2) at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

    The Hurricanes head to Saskatoon on Saturday to face the Blades (5-3-0-1) at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    Early on in the season, Moe likes the fact his Raiders will keep battling for a win no matter what challenges come their way.

    “We have a mindset now,” said Moe. “We’ve been through what happened last year winning a championship and knowing what it takes.

    “We’re hungry for it. We hate losing. It is something that will strive us for the rest of the season.”

Warriors add SFMAAAHL all-time great Howe to coaching staff

Olivia Howe stopped to chat with @mosaicincanada Warriors TV about being named our new Coaching Assistant. pic.twitter.com/QG7PfyqAom

— Moose Jaw Warriors (@MJWARRIORS) October 11, 2019

    The Moose Jaw Warriors turned a few heads in the hockey world on Friday with an outside the box coaching hire.

    The Warriors have added a Saskatchewan female hockey great to their coaching staff in Olivia Howe. Howe will be a coaching assistant with the team after serving as a guest coach during the club’s training camp.

    Howe will help out the Warriors with on ice practice sessions and being an “eye in the sky” during game days.

    It is believed Howe is the first female to be named to a WHL team’s main coaching staff. As an added bonus, the 25-year-old is a product of Moose Jaw as well.

    “It’s been really surprising the feedback and reaction I’ve got,” said Howe on a video interview posted on the Warriors Twitter page. “I’m really excited to start here.

    “It’s a great opportunity. Being from Moose Jaw, it’s just awesome.”

    In a video interview on the Warriors team website, Alan Miller, who is the club’s general manager, said Howe impressed during her stint as a guest coach. As a result, talks ensued with head coach Tim Hunter, associate coach Mark O’Leary and assistant coach Scott King about finding a way to keep Howe with the team.

    “She came in here, did a very good job and made a strong impression on our hockey staff and our coaching staff,” said Miller. “We wanted to find an opportunity to bring her on to our hockey staff.

    “Working with Mark O’Leary, Scott King and Tim Hunter, we’ve put together this job description and this position and this opportunity for Olivia to help our team. We believe that it is an exciting opportunity for her.

    “We think that she will do real well, and she is a great addition to our club.”

    Howe enjoyed the opportunity to work the Warriors training camp.

    “Alan (Miller) asked me to do the training camp, and it was really exciting,” said Howe. “I didn’t hesitate, obviously.

    “I just needed to get out there and be at this level of hockey working with the males out here. It has been really exciting. It is definitely a lot different coming from the female game, so there is a lot to learn.”

    Howe ripped up the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League for four seasons from 2008 to 2012 as a skilled forward with the Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox. She became the circuit’s all-time leading scorer piling up 107 goals and 100 assists for 207 points in 106 regular season games.

    Howe helped the Hounds win the Esso Cup in 2011 as Canadian national female midget AAA hockey champions.

    She also attended Hockey Canada’s female under-18 selection camps in 2010 and 2011.

    Following her time with the Hounds, Howe, who stands 5-foot-10, joined the NCAA women’s ranks and became a star with the Clarkson University Golden Knights for four seasons from 2012 to 2016. She appeared in 152 overall games posting 42 goals and 58 assists.

    She helped the Golden Knights win their first NCAA title in 2014.
    After graduating from Clarkson, Howe returned to Wilcox to become an assistant coach with the Notre Dame Hounds team that played in the Junior Women’s Hockey League. She has scouted the women’s game for Neutral Zone, which is a hockey scouting news site that identifies and ranks prospects for the NCAA and U Sports.

    “It is great to have another perspective in the dressing room and in the coaches’ office – a female, who has played at the highest level in the NCAA and won a national championship,” said Hunter in a video interview on the Warriors website. “She is a real tall girl, so she has a real presence on the ice.

    “She speaks loudly to the players (and very) direct. She’s got a good message, and we are excited for her.”

    The Warriors fell 4-1 on home ice at Mosaic Place to the visiting Vancouver Giants on Friday night.

    Howe isn’t the first female coach to join the staff of a high level hockey team on the men’s side in Western Canada over the last few months.

    In July, Venla Hovi, a former star with the University of Manitoba Bisons women’s team and Finland’s national women’s team, joined the staff of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets as a hockey development coach. Hovi helped the Bisons win a U Sports national title in 2018 and Finland win a silver medal at this year’s women’s world hockey championships.

    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 rally around Bilous in shutout win over Blades

Boston Bilous makes one of his 26 saves in goal for the Raiders.

    Boston Bilous cemented his first shutout with the Prince Albert Raiders with two big exclamation points.

    On Saturday in a WHL regular season contest played before 6,221 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, Bilous’s Raiders were holding a slim 1-0 lead over the host Saskatoon Blades, and the hosts had a power play for the final 75 seconds of the third period after a tripping penalty was assessed to Raiders left-winger Justin Nachbaur.

    With just under a minute to play, Bilous robbed Blades agitator type forward Riley McKay at the right side of the Prince Albert net.

 

Boston Bilous (#35) is embraces by Justin Nachbaur.

  After the Raiders cleared the puck, the Blades had one last rush into the offensive zone by 17-year-old left-winger Kyle Crnkovic. Crnkovic crossed the blue-line to enter the Raiders zone wired a shot that appeared tabbed for the top right corner of the Prince Albert goal.

    Bilous made a glove save and the third period buzzer went right after the puck was secured in his mitt. That final stop was the 18-year-old’s 26^th save of the contest and it preserved a 1-0 victory for the Raiders.

    “Those saves are big, but I mean our team blocks (shots) too,” said Bilous, whose team improved to 1-0-1. “That game could have been tied up if my teammates weren’t blocking shots for me.

    “I’m fortunate to make saves on breakaways and come up with a few.”

    Saturday’s game concluded a regular season opening home-and-home series between the two clubs. 
    The Blades took the first meeting claiming a 3-2 overtime victory on Friday in Prince Albert.

Blades goalie Nolan Maier stops Cole Fonstad (#24) of the Raiders

    Before Friday’s clash, the Raiders, who are the defending WHL champions, unveiled the four championship banners they won last season banners for finishing first in the East Division, first in the WHL regular season standings, winning the WHL Eastern Conference title and the WHL crown last season.

    The Blades, who are rated third in the CHL’s pre-season Top 10 rankings, spoiled the party escaping the Art Hauser Centre on Friday with a win, so Bilous was pleased his club could return the favour on Saturday in Saskatoon.

Kyle Crnkovic (#16) fires a last ditch shot on goal for the Blades.

    “It was definitely a sour taste losing with all those ceremonies and our home opener,” said Bilous, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 182 pounds. “It is how you respond.

    “It is their home opener, and we were looking to do the same to them.”

    Bilous and Blades netminder Nolan Maier stole the show on Saturday over the opening 40 minutes of the contest making 20 saves each.

    Bilous’s best stop over that period of time came in the second period when he stoned Blades right-winger Cyle McNabb from point blank range after McNabb received a smart set up pass from Colton Dach.

Cole Fonstad scored the only goal of Saturday’s game.

    In the final seconds of the second, Maier made a key right pad kick save on Nachbaur.

Early in the third period, Bilous made a blocker stop on McKay off a breakaway opportunity.

    Maier countered making key stops on Raiders centres Cole Nagy and Ilya Usau.

    With 7:58 remaining in the third, the Raiders broke through with the only goal of the contest. Import centre Aliaksei Protas got the puck to star left-winger Cole Fonstad.

    From near the left faceoff dot in the Saskatoon zone, Fonstad roofed home a shot to the top right corner of the Blades net that ultimately gave his side a 1-0 win.

    “It was great play by Alex (Protas) stopping up and messing with the D-man’s gap there,” said Fonstad. “I just try to pick up speed and get wide and he found me with a great pass.

The Raiders celebrate a goal from Cole Fonstad (#24).

    “I tried to get it off as quick as I could. It was good to step up. I’m an older guy now, and that is my job.

    “I didn’t like my first period or so. Then I thought we started clicking more as the game got on and started getting faster and picking up the pace more. We just have to keep getting better every game.”

    After Fonstad’s goal, Maier made key stops on Raiders left-winger Eric Pearce and turned away right-winger Ozzy Wiesblatt.

    Those stops set the stage for Bilous to make his two key stops inside of the final minute of the third period to cement the Raiders win.

    Maier turned away 25 shots to take the setback in goal for the Blades (1-1).

    “It could have gone either way really a 1-0 game,” said Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid. “We make a shot, and it goes in.

    “If that shot goes wide and they make a shot, it could have went the other way. Both were good games. It could have gone either way both nights.”

Raiders D Nolan Allan, left, and Blades C Colton Dach exchange words.

    While Saturday’s win marked the first time Bilous earned a shutout for the Raiders, it was the second shutout of his WHL career. Bilous’s first shutout came when he was still a member of the Edmonton Oil Kings back on Sept. 28, 2018.

    That night, Bilous made 15 saves as the Oil Kings blanked the visiting Swift Current Broncos 5-0 at Rogers Place.

    The Raiders acquired the Bilous in a deal right before the WHL trade deadline last season on Jan. 10. He backed up star netminder Ian Scott, who is now playing in the system of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs.

    “He (Bilous) was a big part of our team last year,” said Habscheid. “We talked about that all the time.

    “We had (defenceman Loeden) Schaufler, who didn’t play a lot. Those guys were really important keys to our team, because they always kept the guys up. They never complained.

Blades RW Riley McKay, left, is checked by Raiders D Max Martin.

    “They always were team first, and they deserve as much of part of that trophy last year as anyone.”

    Habscheid said he could see the Raiders skaters were pushing to get the shutout for Bilous on Saturday.

    “Boston (Bilous) gets his chance, and because he was such a good teammate, you can just tell in the room guys pull for him,” said Habscheid. “They want to play in front of him.

    “They want to do what they can to help him out, and when you are a goaltender, that is half the battle. He is real popular with this team. He is a real good person, and guys want to win for him.

Aliaksei Protas (#21) had the assist on the lone goal of Saturday’s game.

    “He got the shutout so kudos to him.”

    Fonstad said it was special to see Bilous get the shutout.

    “Last year, he was just such a good teammate,” said Fonstad. “He didn’t play much, but he was always a guy talking and just motivating guys.

    “He didn’t say a peep, when he wasn’t playing. We knew this year he was going to have a big year. He worked hard in the summer, and came back in great shape, confident, and it is paying off for him.

    “We are happy for him. Those are the guys you want to play for. He does all the right things, so you always want to give your extra for him.”

Scott Walford jets up ice for the Blades.

    Bilous said all his teammates contributed to helping him post a shutout.

    “Shutouts in my opinion are a result of how your team plays,” said Bilous. “Obviously, you’re going to make saves in a shutout.

    “If I don’t have my teammates, I don’t get a shutout.”

    With the regular season opening home-and-home series in the books, the Blades return to action this coming Friday when they host the Winnipeg Ice at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    The Raiders also get back at it this coming Friday when they travel to Regina to take on the Pats.

    When the Blades and Raiders meet again, Habscheid expects the action on the ice to be much different on the ice. 

The Raiders celebrate their win on Saturday night.

    The veteran bench boss both clubs are still going through bumps of transitioning their rosters from last season to this season.
    Both teams are dealing with a shuffled deck from when the Raiders topped the WHL standings with a 54-10-2-2 record and the Blades finished fourth overall in the league with a 45-15-8 mark in 2018-19.

    “It is so early,” said Habscheid. “I’m old and grey as you can see.

    “It is a long ways to go. We have a lot of turnover, but we have some veterans too. I just like the way our moxy was.

    “We are defending champions, and we expect our guys to play a certain way and to carry that mantle. That trophy is ours until somebody takes it away from us, and that has kind of been our line of thinking so far and that will continue on.”

Golden Bears sink Huskies on last minute field goal

Adam Machart (#20) had 180 yards rushing for the Huskies on Saturday.

    Kicker Jonathan Giustini came up clutch for the University of Alberta Golden Bears, and it spelled doom for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

    With 46 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Giustini nailed a 45-yard field goal to give the Golden Bears a 19-17 victory over the Huskies in a U Sports regular season game on Saturday in Edmonton.

    The Huskies built a 10-8 lead at halftime in a bit of a back-and-forth match on a one-yard touchdown run from running back Adam Machart and a 37 yard field goal from kicker David Solie.

    The Golden Bears replied with field goals from Giustini from 39 and 13 yards out. He had a single from a single from a missed field goal from 17 yards out. Kickoff specialist Brent Arthur had a single off a kickoff.

    In the third quarter, the Golden Bears jumped ahead 15-10 when quarterback Brad Launhardt hit running back Jonathan Rosery on a 43-yard touchdown pass.

    Before the third quarter came to an end, Giustini extended the host side’s edge to 16-10 with a single from a 30 yard missed field goal.

    With 8:52 remaining in the fourth quarter, Huskies quarterback Ethan Watson connected with star utility player Colton Klassen on a 15-yard touchdown pass to put the visitors up 17-16.

    That set the stage for Giustini to come through at the end.

Ethan Watson made his first U Sports start at QB on Saturday.

    Watson started in place of Mason Nyhus. Nyhus left the third quarter with an injury in the Huskies 44-9 romp over the University of Regina Rams on Sept. 13 in “the Queen City.”

    He is going through concussion protocol, and the Huskies sat him out as a precaution for the clash with the Golden Bears.

    Watson, who making his first career U Sports start, completed 17-of-32 passes for 134 yards, one touchdown and one interception on Saturday. Machart ran the ball 18 times for 180 yards to go with his one touchdown.

    Launhardt completed 21-of-38 passes for 330 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Rosery carried the ball 14 times for 73 yards and caught four passes for 78 yards.

    Receiver Ben Kopczynski caught eight passes for 141 yards for the Golden Bears.

    Defensive end Nicholas Dheilly had a pair of sacks for the Huskies, while defensive back Nelson Lokombo had an interception.

    Linebacker Jassen Brown had a sack and an interception for the Golden Bears. Josiah Schakel, Shaydon Philip and Riley Szsfranski all had sacks for U of A.

    The Huskies fell to 2-2 with the setback, while the Golden Bears have won three straight to improve to 3-1.

    The Huskies return to action this coming Friday when they host the University of Calgary Dinos (4-0) at 7 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium.

    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.

Raiders’ core group enjoyed journey to WHL’s peak

Raiders LW Parker Kelly, right, always makes time for the fans.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Parker Kelly is in his element, when he is amongst the fans.

    The Prince Albert Raiders power forward, who recently turned 20-years-old, soaked in every moment of a rally held for the team on Thursday night at the Art Hauser Centre. The rally concluded with the Raiders players signing autographs for a lengthy stretch after the formal part of the program for the fans.

    Kelly was smiling away and being his jovial self, while greeting the team’s supporters. The Camrose, Alta., product was intent on signing every autograph request and satisfying every picture query.

Parker Kelly in action for the Raiders in the WHL final.

    Thursday’s rally attracted about 600 fans, but sometimes it was hard to pin down the estimate. It was obvious some of the team’s faithful came fresh from games at the neighbouring softball fields as young players were still wearing the uniforms of their local minor ball teams.

    Some came from the neighbouring track facility and were wearing their track and field gear.

    Kelly was happy to see all the supporters, who came down to celebrate what was a special and remarkable season for the Raiders.

    After going through a 13-year stretch where they missed the playoffs seven times and were eliminated in the first round six times starting in 2006, the Raiders had their season in the sun in 2018-19.

    They finished first in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2 record and were rated second in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

The Raiders faithful give their team a standing ovation on Thursday.

    They won the WHL final in a 3-2 victory in overtime in Game 7 against the Vancouver Giants with overage centre Dante Hannoun scoring the winner. With that win, the Raiders captured the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

    Prince Albert advanced to the Memorial Cup tournament in Halifax, N.S. and bowed out after posting an 0-3 record. The Raiders closed play at the Memorial Cup on Tuesday falling 5-2 to the OHL champions Guelph Storm.

    Kelly was pumped to see the turnout on the final night the 2018-19 Raiders would get together as some members of the team were slated to start returning home on Friday.

Raiders fans had their picture taken with the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

    “It is unbelievable,” said Kelly. “It is kind of starting to sink in now.

    “You see all the people here after a long work day coming to support us, a little celebration we had tonight, it is really cool to see all the support we have and how many people love coming to watch us play. We appreciate it so much.

    “It is such an underrated town. It has to be one of the best places to play, when it is packed. We really appreciate these guys.”

    Kelly was part of a core group of eight players that were with the Raiders in 2016-17, when the club finished third last in the WHL with a 21-44-5-2 record. The other members from that group included Brayden Pachal, who became the team’s captain this season, Zack Hayes, Max Martin, Spencer Moe, Cole Fonstad, Sean Montgomery and netminder Ian Scott.

    Together, they pushed the Raiders into the playoffs with a 32-27-9-4 regular season record in 2017-18, where they fell in a heartbreaking seven game first round series to the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Raiders centre Sean Montgomery, right, satisfies a fan request.

    That set the stage for the magical campaign in 2018-19, where the Raiders topped the WHL standings and won the WHL title for the first time since the 1984-85 campaign. The 1984-85 Raiders were able to capture the Memorial Cup as CHL champions.

    Kelly was part of the team’s WHL Bantam Draft class in 2014 with Scott and Hayes and was proud the core group from the 2016-17 campaign could grow and persevere.

    “I go back to what Habby (Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid) said in his interview about us getting sand kicked in our faces and us being made fun of,” said Kelly. “All I can just say is look at us now - we’re champs.

    “We’re going to have rings on our figures. I’ve been through thick and thin with those guys, and you know what, we’re going to be brothers for life.”

Sean Montgomery was a heart and soul career Raiders player.

    Montgomery is the elder statesman of the entire Raiders team. The Calgary, Alta., product was selected in the sixth round and 114^th overall in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft.

    He would go on to play a team record 345 career regular season games for the Raiders collecting 72 goals and 72 assists. Montgomery enjoyed sharing the ride with the core group of eight that has been together since the 2016-17 season.

    “That has been awesome,” said Montgomery. “We’ve had a few tough years, but we learned from those years and grew from them and now we won.”

    The Raiders acquired Pachal in a trade with the Victoria Royals on Jan. 9, 2017. Pachal remembered the taunts he first endured with the Raiders after joining them for the second half of the 2016-17 campaign.

    “We didn’t forget that, and now we are at the top,” said Pachal. “We lost with class, and now we’ve won with class.

Captain Brayden Pachal addresses the team’s faithful on Thursday.

    “It is an amazing feeling. Obviously, becoming close with all those core guys is amazing, but at the same time it is tough. There are a lot of us that won’t be back next year.

    “We played our last game as a group together. It is a tough one. It is bittersweet.”

    Habscheid has gotten emotional talking about his team since the club concluded play at the Memorial Cup. He has a big sense of pride for his players and what they accomplished this season.

    The veteran bench boss said it has been fun seeing the journey the core group of eight has been on together since the 2016-17 season.

    “We just stayed with it,” said Habscheid. “We just kept believing and kept working.

    “You know hard work pays off, and it showed. These guys are league champions, and they resurrected a franchise that needed a little shot in the arm. They provided that for the franchise and for the city.”
    Kelly admitted there were stretches this season where he was really locked in and focused on the task at hand.

A scene that will be remembered forever in Prince Albert.

    During those stretches where the team is working hard day after day, Kelly said he might have not taken enough time to reflect how fun the ride has been.

    The prospect of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators said events like the rally that was held for the Raiders on Thursday more than made up for the times he might have been too locked in.

    “You kind of miss how fun a whole season is with your brothers and playing with them every night, going to war with them,” said Kelly. “When you finally get to raise a trophy and have a celebration like this, it is unbelievable.

    “There are really no words to put it other than it is just so surreal right now. Like we always say, we’ll be brothers forever and we’ll walk together for the rest of our lives.”

Huskies punch ticket to all-QMJHL Memorial Cup title game

    The Memorial Cup’s title game will be a rematch of the QMJHL championship series.

    On Friday, the QMJHL champion Rouyn-Noranda Huskies slipped past the OHL champion Guelph Storm 6-4 in a Memorial Cup semifinal game before a sellout crowd of 10,595 spectators at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, N.S.

    The Huskies and Storm entered the third period locked in a 3-3 tie.

    Huskies centre Felix Bibeau scored the first two goals of the third to put Rouyn-Noranda up 5-3.

    With 73 seconds remaining in the third period, Storm captain Isaac Ratcliffe scored his second of two goals on the night to cut the Huskies lead to 5-4.

    Huskies captain Rafael Harvey-Pinard sealed victory for his side scoring into an empty net with 2.9 seconds remaining in the third. Harvey-Pinard had two assists to go with his goal.

    Alex Beaucage, Joel Teasdale and Tyler Hinam had singles for the Huskies. Jack Hanley and Cedric Ralph replied with singles for the Storm.

    Samuel Harvey stopped 34 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies. Anthony Popovich turned away 33-of-38 shots to take the loss in goal for the Storm.

    Huskies offensive defenceman Noah Dobson was stopped on a penalty shot.

    With the win, the Huskies will play for the CHL championship advancing to the Memorial Cup title game on Sunday to play the host Halifax Mooseheads (5 p.m. Saskatchewan time, Sportsnet).
    The only other time there was an all-QMJHL title game at the Memorial Cup came back in 2006, when the QMJHL finalists Quebec Remparts downed the host and QMJHL champion Moncton Wildcats 6-2 in 2006.

    The Huskies beat the Mooseheads 4-2 in the best-of-seven QMJHL final. The Huskies downed the Mooseheads 4-3 in a round robin game on Wednesday.

    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.

    Friday’s game brought an end to a remarkable run for Guelph. The Storm finished eighth overall in the OHL’s regular season with a 40-18-6-4 mark.

    Guelph trailed the London Knights 3-0 in a best-of-seven second round series and rallied for four straight wins for a 4-3 series victory.

    In the best-of-seven Western Conference final, the Storm fell behind the Saginaw Spirit 3-1 before rallying for three straight wins to take the series 4-3.

    In the best-of-seven OHL final, the Storm fell behind 2-0 to the Ottawa 67’s before rallying for four straight wins to take the series 4-2.

    At the Memorial Cup tournament, the Mooseheads, Huskies and Storm all had 2-1 records in the round robin portion of the 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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Huskies, bad luck beat Raiders

Prince Albert faces elimination from Memorial Cup

Noah Gregor had three points for the Raiders on Monday.

    Is the magic running out for the Prince Albert Raiders?
    The ending of Monday’s round robin game at the Memorial Cup tournament in Halifax, N.S., might be a bad omen for the WHL champions.

    The Raiders entered the third period locked in a 3-3 tie with the QMJHL champion Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in a clash played before 9,186 spectators at the Scotiabank Centre.

    Inside of the final five minutes of the third period, the puck luck did not go the way of the Raiders. The Huskies scored two gritty goals and put a third into an empty net for a 6-3 victory.

    With 4:32 remaining in the third, the Huskies jumped ahead 4-3, when 19-year-old right-winger Tyler Hinam scored his second of the night.

    Huskies star offensive defenceman Noah Dobson drove down the right wing into the Prince Albert zone and threw a pass to the front of the Raiders net. The puck sat loose in front of the Prince Albert goal and Hinam beat everyone to the puck firing home what turned out to be the winning tally.

    With 3:07 remaining in the third, the Huskies received another bit of puck luck to go up 5-3. A centring pass from Huskies centre Peter Abbandonato deflected off the skate of Raiders defenceman Zack Hayes right to Huskies left-winger Joel Teasdale, who was in perfect shooting position right in front of the Prince Albert net.

    Teasdale blew home his second goal of the contest to put the Huskies up two.

    Dobson added an empty-net tally with 1:41 remaining in the third to round out the Huskies three-goal surge and the 6-3 final.
    The result ruined a great game for Raiders star overage centre Noah Gregor, who had a goal and two assists in the contest.

Brayden Pachal had a goal for the Raiders.

    The win allows the Huskies to improve to 1-1. They will conclude round robin play on Wednesday with a game against the host Halifax Mooseheads, who are 2-0 in the tournament.

    The Raiders fell to 0-2 at the tournament with the loss. They will need to beat the OHL champion Guelph Storm, who are 1-1, in a round robin game on Tuesday (5 p.m. Saskatchewan time, Sportsnet) to earn a likely berth into a standings tiebreaker game on Thursday.

    Prince Albert could conceivably end up in Friday’s semifinal, but would need to blowout the Storm on Tuesday and hope the Huskies lose on Wednesday. The Raiders are hampered in any tiebreaking scenario posting by far the worst goals for-and-against ratio after two games with four goals for and 10 goals against.

    If the Raiders lose on Tuesday, their season is over.

    This marks the second time the Raiders are facing elimination from the current post-season.

    Their only other elimination game came back on May 13, when overage centre Dante Hannoun scored in overtime in Game 7 of the WHL final in a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants. Of course, that victory allowed the Raiders to win their second WHL championship and the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

    Monday’s result also marks the 12^th straight time the WHL champion has lost a game at the Memorial Cup tournament. The last time a WHL champion posted a win at the Memorial Cup came back on May 29, 2015, when the Kelowna Rockets hammered the host Remparts 9-3 in Quebec City, Quebec, in a semifinal contest.

    The clash between the Raiders and Huskies featured the squads that posted the two largest regular season win totals in the CHL in 2018-19.
    The Raiders posted the WHL’s best regular season record at 54-10-2-2 and were also rated second in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

    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.

Cole Fonstad had a goal for the Raiders on Monday.

    Monday’s game started with the goalies on each side giving up a weak goal.

    At the 4:34 mark of the opening frame, Hinam snuck home his first of the contest from a bad angle standing along the right corner boards by the icing line in the Prince Albert zone to give Rouyn-Noranda a 1-0 lead. It was an uncharacteristic shot allowed by Raiders star netminder Ian Scott.

    Just under four minutes later, Raiders star left-winger Cole Fonstad scored on a wraparound to even things up at 1-1. Fonstad’s shot just snuck under the skate of Huskies star netminder Samuel Harvey, who didn’t have a strong seal on the post of his net.

    At the 13:47 mark of the first, the Raiders jumped ahead 2-1, when Gregor found captain Brayden Pachal pinching down from the point on a backdoor feed. Pachal, who rounded into an offensive defenceman this season, fired the puck into an empty right side of the Rouyn-Noranda goal.

    With 1:28 remaining in the first, the Huskies scores a picturesque power-play goal to even things up at 2-2. Felix Bibeau and Rafael Harvey-Pinard combined to set up Teasdale for an open backdoor chance to the right side of the Prince Albert net.

    Teasdale made no mistake knocking home his first goal of the contest.

    At the 12:59 mark of the second, the Huskies jumped ahead 3-2. Huskies import left-winger Jakub Lauko centred a pass from behind the Prince Albert net to Bibeau, who was alone in front of the goal.

Bibeau quickly wired home a shot to put Rouyn-Noranda up one.

    The Raiders evened things up at 3-3 with 2:17 remaining in the second, when Gregor took a smart drop pass from Fonstad and snapped home a shot from the right slot.

    That set the stage for the Huskies goal surge late in the third period.

Raiders netminder Ian Scott deal with some bad breaks on Monday.

    Scott turned away 27-of-32 shots to take the setback in goal for the Raiders. Harvey stopped 30 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies.

    Monday’s game was a much improved performance by both teams from their respective opening contests at the event. The Raiders fell 4-1 to the host Mooseheads on Friday.  The Huskies dropped a 5-2 decision to the Storm on Saturday.

    Prince Albert was way better than the 6-3 final in Rouyn-Noranda’s favour on Monday.

    Before any possible tiebreaking scenarios can be discussed, the Raiders need to post a win on Tuesday. If the Raiders don’t win on Tuesday, they will be the first club heading home from this year’s Memorial Cup as their spectacular 2018-19 campaign will have come to an end.

Hangover not kind for 2018 Memorial Cup teams

Titan goalie Evan Fitzpatrick makes a save in last year’s Memorial Cup.

    The 2018-19 campaign was not kind to the participants of the 2018 Memorial Cup held a year ago in Regina, Sask.

    None of the four teams from last year’s CHL championship tournament qualified for this year’s event currently going on in Halifax, N.S.

    Actually, three out of the four clubs had dreadful rebuilding campaigns.

    The Acadie-Bathurst Titan won the Memorial Cup a year ago as the QMJHL champions. They finished second overall in the QMJHL regular season with a 43-15-8-2 record.

    After going through a huge turnover on their roster and seeing head coach Mario Pouliot leave to become the head coach and general manager of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, the Titan finished last this season in the QMJHL at 8-54-5-1.

    The Swift Current Broncos entered the 2018 Memorial Cup as WHL champions. The Broncos finished second overall in the WHL regular season in 2017-18 with a 48-17-5-2 record.

    After undergoing a massive turnover in the organization, the Broncos finished last in the WHL this season with an 11-51-4-2 record.

    The host Regina Pats fell 3-0 in the Memorial Cup championship game to the Titan a year ago. The Pats finished seventh overall in the WHL regular season with a 40-25-6-1 record in 2017-18.

Regina had serious roster turnover and finished third last in the WHL this season with a 19-45-1-3 record.

Glenn Gawdin finish off his CHL days at last year’s Memorial Cup.

    The Titan, Broncos and Pats stacked up their rosters with older players in an attempt to win the Memorial Cup.

    The Hamilton Bulldogs entered the 2018 Memorial Cup as champions of the OHL. The Bulldogs had the third best record in the OHL regular season in 2017-18 with a 43-18-4-3 record.

    The Bulldogs were the only participant from last year’s Memorial Cup that managed to earn a playoff berth this season. Hamilton posted a 29-34-3-2 record to finish in eighth and capture the final post-season berth in the OHL’s Eastern Conference.

    Hamilton was swept 4-0 in a best-of-seven first round playoff series against the Ottawa 67’s.

    The four participants at last year’s Memorial Cup showed just how quickly life can change in major junior hockey. The Titan, Broncos and Pats are expected to feel the effects of loading up to make it to that event still in the upcoming 2019-20 campaign.

    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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