Raiders hope to find next Hannoun

Dante Hannoun (#17) enjoys a WHL title winning OT goal on May 13, 2019.

The Prince Albert Raiders would love to relive the Dante Hannoun trade and the moments that came in the months after it.

Way back on January 3, 2019, the Raiders sat on top of the entire WHL standings and were looking for a way to slightly tweak their roster without throwing any wrenches into the chemistry that had been built. On that day, they acquired 20-year-old centre Dante Hannoun, a fourth round pick and an eighth round selection in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft from the Victoria Royals in exchange for 20-year-old centre Kody McDonald, 18-year-old centre Carson Miller and a third round selection in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft. The deal came seven days before that season’s WHL trade deadline.

Hannoun, who stands 5-foot-6 and weighs 160 pounds, had been a high-scoring career WHL member of the Royals until coming to “Hockey Town North.” In just a little over five months as a member of the Raiders before exhausting his WHL eligibility, Hannoun appeared in 28 regular season games with the club posting 10 goals, 21 assists and a plus-16 rating in the plus-minus department. Prince Albert topped the WHL’s overall standings with a 54-10-2-2 record.

Hannoun skated in all 23 contests the Raiders played in the 2019 WHL Playoffs recording 14 goals, 10 assists and a plus-11 rating. He tied for the team high in game-winning goals at four with Brett Leason and Noah Gregor, but everyone who lives in Prince Albert knows one of Hannoun’s winners overshadowed all the others.

On May 13, 2019, the Raiders hosted Game 7 of the WHL Championship Series against the Vancouver Giants in front of a sellout crowd of 3,289 spectators at the storied and historic 2,580-seat Art Hauser Centre. Locked in a 2-2 with 1:35 remaining in overtime, Hannoun tapped home a backdoor feed at the right side of the Giants net that came from Gregor to deliver the Raiders to a 3-2 victory in the game and a 4-3 win in the series.

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

Get ready for another classic Game 7 Tuesday

The Raiders celebrate Dante Hannoun’s OT winner on May 13, 2019. 

How many Prince Albert Raiders fans remember Dante Hannoun’s overtime goal?

The above query is a rhetorical one for most in “Hockey Town North.” If a Raiders fan has trouble remembering the Dante Hannoun goal, they were either not born yet, recently began following WHL hockey or are living under a rock.

The moment came in what was arguably the most exciting Game 7 played in the history of the WHL. It occurred in the league championship series in 2019 at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre.

You don’t even need to see video footage to picture it. For most Raiders fans, that scene is ingrained in their memory.

The Raiders were locked in a 2-2 tie in overtime with the Vancouver Giants. The winner was going to the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup.

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

“Tour de Bedard” hits Prince Albert with big buzz

Connor Bedard, left, reacts to scoring a goal in P.A. on Feb. 18, 2022.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. - “Hockey Town North” can’t escape the hype for Connor Bedard.

On Friday, the 17-year-old phenom centre and his Regina Pats visit the Art Hauser Centre for the final time in the 2022-23 regular season for a 7 p.m. clash with the host Prince Albert Raiders. With the way the schedule has worked out, Friday’s game marks the only time Bedard will play in Prince Albert in the 2022-23 campaign barring any type of post-season encounter.

He missed the December 9, 2022 contest at the Art Hauser Centre that the Pats claimed 3-2 due to participation in the selection camp for Canada’s world junior team in Moncton, N.B.

When the Pats last visited the Art Hauser Centre for a 4-3 overtime win on December 30, 2022, Bedard was playing for Canada at world juniors, which were being held in Moncton, N.B., and Halifax, N.S.

Canada won gold taking the gold medal final 3-2 in overtime over Czechia this past January 5 in Halifax. Barring something unforeseen, Bedard will be the first overall selection in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft which will be held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, from June 28 to 29. He is rated first among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting’s Mid-Term Rankings.

On Wednesday, the Raiders announced Friday’s encounter with the Pats was sold out. With standing room, attendance at the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre was capped at 3,289 spectators the last time the Raiders sold out a game.

That came back on May 13, 2019, when the Raiders claimed Game 7 of that year’s WHL Championship Series 3-2 in overtime against the Vancouver Giants with Dante Hannoun scoring the dramatic winner in the extra session.

Connor Bedard drives home a goal on April 2, 2022.

Raiders head coach Jeff Truitt said his squad is looking forward to what awaits his team on Friday.

“It is enjoyable,” said Truitt. “That is what you want.

“You want a packed house here. They are always boisterous and energetic which is going to help us. We need to bring our best game.

“They’ve got the best player in junior hockey right now. We have to find a way to slow him down and obviously get (standings) points that we need. That is what we are striving for and that is what we need.”

The last time Bedard played at the Art Hauser Centre was near the tail end of the 2021-22 campaign on April 2, 2022. He scored the Pats lone goal in a contest the Raiders took 6-1 before their biggest home crowd of that campaign at 3,040 spectators.

At the moment, that attendance figure stands as the Raiders biggest home crowd until the puck is dropped for Friday’s game between the Pats and the Raiders. Currently, the Raiders biggest draw for any home contest in the current campaign came in a 5-2 season opening setback to the Saskatoon Blades on September 23, 2022, which saw 2,798 spectators turn out to the Art Hauser Centre.

After playing for Canada at world juniors, Bedard’s stock and brand grew even more from his performance at that event. Bedard, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 185 pounds, topped the tourney in goals (nine), assists (14), points (23) and had the best plus-minus (+13).

The North Vancouver, B.C., product was named the most valuable player at world juniors along with picking up accolades being named the event’s best forward and a tournament all-star.

Connor Bedard (#98) sets for a faceoff on April 2, 2022.

His tallies for assists and points were new Canadian records for a single world juniors along with setting a new record for points in a tournament by any player aged 18 or younger. In 16 career games played at world juniors, Bedard set new Canadian career records at the event for goals (16) and points (36).

Due to the increase in fandom for Bedard, the Pats had to suspend online sales of their jerseys shortly after the WHL trade deadline passed on January 10 after it was beyond a shadow of a doubt that Bedard would finish his major junior season playing for Regina. A notice on the Pats website said the move was made due to lower inventory levels.

On eBay, Bedard’s first Pats team issued hockey card with a top mint grade of 10 has sold for around $3,400 on a number of occasions. You can find a number of Bedard hockey cards on eBay for around $25, but anything that has a mint grade of 10 usually has bids starting at $1,250.

As for Bedard jerseys, sellers on eBay have autographed versions of his blue Pats jersey for sale in prices ranging from $998 to $2,200. Hockey Canada Bedard jerseys start at $200 for unsigned replica jerseys and go up $2,500 for an autographed jersey.

On January 21, the Pats hosted their Nickelodeon Night, where they wore SpongeBob SquarePants jerseys in their 5-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. The Pats online auctioned off their jerseys from that night with the proceeds going to the Children’s Miracle Network. The club raised $29,550 and Bedard’s jersey had the highest bid at $13,025.

Since returning to world juniors, Bedard has drawn season high crowds for each of the Pats opponents on the road. That included attracting 17,223 spectators to the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, where the Pats downed the host Hitmen 6-5 after a tiebreaking shootout before a national audience on TSN.

Connor Bedard breaks down the ice in P.A. on April 2, 2022.

When the Pats bus has arrived at an opposing team’s rink, it has been common to see a gathering of 50 people to be waiting to get Bedard’s autograph. When the Pats have had autograph signings at home, people have been waited up to four to six hours due to lengthy lines to get Bedard’s autograph.

Even with the buzz around Bedard, Raiders gritty forward Niall Crocker expects Friday’s sellout crowd will firmly be behind the host side.

“There should be a lot of energy for us,” said Crocker. “I’m just pumped up for that.”

The Raiders currently sit 11^th overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 20-28-3 record and are 10 points back of post-season berth. They will begin the final quarter section of their regular season schedule with Friday’s encounter with the Pats.

The Pats enter the contest with a 25-22-2-1 record and their 53 standings points sees them tied for sixth through eighth in the Eastern Conference with the Swift Current Broncos (25-23-1-2) and the Calgary Hitmen (23-23-5-2). The Medicine Hat Tigers sit ninth in the Eastern Conference with a 23-23-5-2 mark one point back of those three squads.

The top eight teams in the Eastern Conference qualify for the WHL Playoffs.

Bedard enters the clash with the Raiders having posted 48 goals and 48 assists for 96 points to go with a plus-32 rating in the plus-minus department in 39 games with the Pats. He leads the WHL in goals and points.

If Bedard has a big night, he could hit some milestones against the Raiders including scoring 50 goals in 40 games and hitting the 100-point plateau. So far this season, big nights by Bedard have regularly hit the national highlight shows on TSN and Sportsnet.

Raiders 18-year-old sophomore goaltender Max Hildebrand said he and his teammates will focus on the task at hand of getting the win which would likely mean keeping Bedard off the highlight reels.

Connor Bedard in action in P.A. on Feb. 18, 2022.

“It is just another game for us,” said Hildebrand. “He (Bedard) is a good player.

“We’ll shut him down, but it is just another game.”

NOTES – Raiders centre Hayden Pakkala, who turned 19-years-old in late January, won’t be available for the Raiders on Friday as he sits out the first of a two-game WHL imposed suspension. Pakkala was suspended for receiving a boarding major and a game misconduct for a hit he threw last Saturday on Swift Current Broncos 20-year-old defenceman Sam McGinley in a 4-1 Raiders victory at the Art Hauser Centre. The Raiders have lots of tickets available for their game this Saturday when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors and centre Brayden Yager at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre. Yager, who turned 18-years-old in January, is a highly touted prospected who is expected to be selected in the first round of the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.

Remembering when “Tootoomania” ran wild at the Comuniplex

Jordin Tootoo (#22) battles Grant McNeill (#8) on Feb. 22, 2003.

An appearance by Connor Bedard isn’t the first time an opposing player has created a lot of buzz in a visit to Prince Albert.

On Wednesday, the Raiders announced their game versus Bedard and his Regina Pats at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre is sold out.

Way back in the 2002-03 season, “Tootoomania” was running wild in the WHL. After Canada claimed the silver medal at that season’s world juniors held in Halifax and Sydney, N.S., the hype was high to get out to see Jordin Tootoo of the Brandon Wheat Kings.

The Wheat Kings high energy right-winger, who stood 5-foot-9 and weighed 182, could play with skill and energy along with delivering big hits. Tootoo had arguably one of the highest complete levels ever seen in the WHL.

Having grown up in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, and being of Inuit decent, Tootoo was and still is viewed as a big hero in the Indigenous community. After he returned to the Wheat Kings following world juniors, the Indigenous community came out in huge numbers to see Tootoo play during the final months of his WHL career before he moved on to the NHL with the Nashville Predators in the 2003-04 campaign.

The Wheat Kings last two visits of the 2002-03 campaign came in February of 2003. Tootoo had turned 20-years-old on the second of that month.

On February 18, 2003, the Raiders drew 3,185 to the Art Hauser Centre that was then known as the Comuniplex in the building’s old 2,826 seat Smarty box configuration. The Wheat Kings claimed a 5-1 victory and Tootoo posted a plus-two rating in the plus-minus department. Tootoo stuck around to sign autographs for about 800 people following that contest.

Four days later on February 22, 2003, Tootoo and the Wheat Kings made their final stop in Prince Albert and a sellout crowd at that time of 3,504 spectators came out for that contest. Tootoo netted the winning goal and his 30^th tally of the season in a 3-1 Wheat Kings victory. Before that contest, Indigenous leaders from nearby communities presented Tootoo with various tributes and gifts.

In both games, the Indigenous community came out in large numbers to support Tootoo, and their cheers drowned out the regular Raiders faithful. Tootoo received big cheers every time he touched the puck.

“Let’s go Tootoo,” chants also echoed through the rafters of the then Comuniplex.

Tootoo finished the 2002-03 campaign appearing in 51 regular season games for the Wheat Kings posting 35 goals, 39 assists, 216 penalty minutes and a plus-13 rating.

From 2003 to 2018, Tootoo played 14 seasons of professional hockey including 13 campaigns in the NHL. He appeared in 723 NHL regular season games posting 65 goals, 96 assists and 1,010 penalty minutes with the Predators, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils and Chicago Blackhawks.

Tootoo was selected in the fourth round and 98^th overall by the Predators in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

Now a number of years into retirement, Tootoo is remember as a great teammate by those who played with him and a respected foe by those who played against him. He is active with helping the Indigenous community with outreach and charity work, and he left a competitive legacy on the ice that will never be forgotten.

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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Habscheid era gave Raiders renewed energy boost

Transition to Truitt should be seamless

Marc Habscheid raises the Ed Chynoweth Cup on May 13, 2019.

For fans and anyone involved with the Prince Albert Raiders, they likely held on to a deep hope that Marc Habscheid would coach the team forever.

Anyone that has interacted with junior hockey knows that hoping someone would coach a team forever is an unrealistic notion. For the people of “Hockey Town North,” they saw Habscheid as a natural fit to be the head coach of that franchise, and during his time with the team, the Raiders classic positive traits shone like they hadn’t since the legendary storied era of Terry Simpson.

The Raiders were indeed the team of Dave Manson and Mike Modano – the franchise where honour still matters. The players had a great work ethic and were skilled, tough and classy.

The coaches and team staffers gave the club a family feeling that gave the club a renewed stronger link to the community.

Of course, one of the all-time great Raiders moments was made during Habscheid’s days. That was the team’s Game 7 win in the 2019 WHL Championship Series at the Art Hauser Centre where Dante Hannoun’s overtime winner gave the Raiders a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants.

The sellout crowd of 3,289 spectators at the 2,580-seat building on that May 13^th day in 2019 erupted like never before as they watched their Raiders raise the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions. That was part of a magical Raiders season that saw the team finish first overall in the WHL regular season with a 54-10-2-2 record.

Those moments were so great that no one amongst the Raiders faithful wanted to speak about what it would be like when Habscheid moves on. In junior hockey especially in the major junior ranks in which the Raiders play, coaches and management move on just like players do.

Marc Habscheid mans the Raiders bench in September of 2019.

For Habscheid, that day came this past July 14, when he resigned his position as head coach of the Raiders. The 59-year-old wanted a new challenge and a professional opportunity in Europe becoming the first head coach of the Bemer Pioneers Vorarlberg located in Feldkirch, Austria, would do just that.

Jeff Truitt, who is one of Habscheid’s long time friends, was promoted from the role of Raiders assistant coach to head coach on July 22. Keaton Ellerby, who is a former NHL defenceman and alumnus of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers and Moose Jaw Warriors, would be hired as a new Raiders assistant coach on August 2.

Truitt, who is 57-years-old, joined the Raiders staff as an assistant coach before the start of the 2018-19 WHL championship season. He played a big role as a players’ coach in the Raiders success taking on a spot that was held by Manson.

Following the 2017-18 campaign, Manson left the Raiders to become an assistant coach with the Bakersfield Condors, who are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. Manson is now an assistant coach with the Oilers.

Ellerby, who is 33-years-old, will be taking on his first coaching position since retiring as a player having played last season with the Sheffield Steelers of the Elite Ice Hockey League in the United Kingdom. The Priddis, Alta., product will be focusing his attention on the Raiders defence, and his experience in the professional ranks will help him greatly in that role.

The transition with Truitt taking over as head coach and Ellerby coming on board as an assistant coach should be seamless for the Raiders.

Marc Habscheid sits fifth on the WHL’s career wins list.

Still, Raiders supporters must have felt a slight sense of panic when news broke that Habscheid was leaving. Habscheid became Raiders head coach on November 1, 2014 as a midseason replacement for Cory Clouston.

Before Habscheid arrived, Raiders supporters had a compromised confidence in their team. Until Habscheid came on board, the Raiders hadn’t made it past the first round of the WHL playoffs since reaching the Eastern Conference Championship Series in 2005, where they fell in a heartbreaking seven-game series to the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Peter Anholt was the head coach and Donn Clark was the general manager of a Raiders club in 2004-05 that was extremely popular in Prince Albert that went on a playoff foray that was known locally as “The Run.”

In the years leading up to Habscheid’s arrival, it felt like there was a plateau to any type of success the Raiders could potentially achieve. When Habscheid became the Raiders head coach, it came as a surprise to the Raiders faithful.

Habscheid was a star coach that experienced a fair amount of success in the WHL. While he grew up on a farm just outside of Swift Current, Raiders supporters never thought someone like Habscheid would become a head coach of their team, especially given the fact he didn’t have any ties to the Prince Albert area.

Once Habscheid arrived, it felt like he had always been a part of the community. He knew the Raiders history well and made it a focus his Raiders teams would emulate the positive characteristics the successful Raiders teams of the past did.

Jeff Truitt raises the Ed Chynoweth Cup on May 13, 2014.

When Curtis Hunt became the Raiders general manager before the start of the 2015-16 campaign, his arrival was a joyful surprise too for the Raiders faithful. 

As player, Hunt was a rookie defenceman with the Raiders when the team won the WHL championship and the Memorial Cup as CHL champions in 1984-85, and he later became the Raiders captain in his final season with the team as a player in 1986-87.

Habscheid and Hunt kind of became a hockey power couple. During the 2016-17 season, they assembled a core group of eight young players in forwards Sean Montgomery, Parker Kelly, Cole Fonstad and Spencer Moe, defencemen Brayden Pachal, Zack Hayes and Max Martin and netminder Ian Scott.

They took their lumps in the first half of the 2016-17 campaign and played tough hockey in the second half of that season finishing with a 21-44-5-2 record. 

The Raiders faithful were impressed by how much that group improved along with that group’s maturity and work ethic.

A guarded feeling started to take root in Prince Albert that something special might be coming with the Raiders again. Hunt kept adding pieces and Habscheid kept making things come together.

 The Raiders made the WHL playoffs in 2017-18 with a 32-27-9-4 record and fell in tough seven game first round series to the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Dante Hannoun (#17) reacts to his OT goal to win the 2019 WHL title.

When the Raiders won their first seven straight games to start the 2018-19 season, the Art Hauser Centre was packed from about October 13, 2018 onwards. 

It was in the minds of the Raiders faithful that the special season was happening, and no one wanted miss a thing.

It got to the point there were ticket buyers who would make 90-minute drives in from out of town to see the Raiders play at their storied home rink. 

Of course, the team finished first overall in the WHL regular season standings and proceeded to win the league title on Hannoun’s overtime winner in Game 7 of the league championship series in writing a spectacular tale for the 2018-19 campaign.

Along the way, Habscheid was able to play into the fact the fans enjoyed watching the Raiders down their archrivals in the Saskatoon Blades, which saw Habscheid have some verbal exchanges with former Blades head coach Mitch Love. You almost forgot that Habscheid was a star Blades centre from 1979 to 1982.

Many fun team building things happened along the way too. That was best seen on February 9, 2019, when Habscheid picked up his 500^th career WHL regular season win as a head coach with a 6-5 victory over the Hurricanes in Lethbridge. 

The Raiders did a fun team picture in the dressing room where Habscheid wore a top hat the team usually gave to the hardest working player.

Curtis Hunt, left, and Marc Habscheid were a great Raiders duo.

The team proceeded to head to a Lethbridge area Dairy Queen, where Habscheid paid for whatever the players wanted to order as part of the milestone celebration.

It also meant a tonne to Habscheid when the 2018-19 WHL champion Raiders rallied to support him after his father, Nicholas, passed in June of 2018.

When the Raiders faithful reflect on those memories and the fact Habscheid has the fifth most career regular season wins in the history of the WHL at 582, there is a little fear at first when you hear he is leaving.

Still, Hunt remains the Raiders general manager and Truitt has built a career as the good guy coach who wins wherever he goes. They will continue to build a Raiders team that is in a reload phase but still made the WHL playoffs last season with a 28-35-4-1 record.

The Raiders are still in good hands for the foreseeable future. The team’s faithful will be able to get behind a team they can be proud of.

With that said, Habscheid’s era with the club will be one that will always be celebrated, and he will always identify with the team.

Marc Habscheid and Jeff Truitt enjoy the 2019 WHL title win.

Habscheid showed it is still possible for the Raiders to reach the biggest heights and achieve the biggest dreams.

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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Great to see Raiders play meaningful game at Hauser

The Raiders celebrate a goal on Friday night.

It crazy to think the Prince Albert Raiders went 574 days before playing a meaningful game again at their storied home rink – the Art Hauser Centre.

Way back on March 6, 2020, the Raiders dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the Brandon Wheat Kings at the Hauser. Prince Albert sat first in the WHL’s East Division at the time and was skating through a great follow up season after capturing the WHL Championship in the 2018-19 campaign.

The 2,795 spectators that were in the 2,580 seat facility that night had no idea they wouldn’t see the Raiders play at home again for another 574 days.

The Raiders hit the road for two contests before the WHL season was first postponed on March 12, 2020 before the rest of the 2019-20 campaign was outright cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that had gripped the world.

For the 2020-21 campaign, the Raiders played an abbreviated 24-game regular season in a bubble format in Regina against the WHL’s four other Saskatchewan franchises and the circuit’s two clubs from Manitoba.

On Friday, the Raiders finally played a meaningful game at the Art Hauser Centre hosting the Regina Pats in the regular season opener for both clubs.

Prince Albert raised a banner for finishing first in the East Division in the 2019-20 campaign. A total of 2,578 spectators came out to see the host side fall 3-1.

Keaton Sorensen soaked in playing in front of the Raiders faithful

Still, it produced so many good emotions just to see the Raiders back out on the ice surface at the Hauser for a meaningful game.

When the first shutdowns started to happen in North America to battle the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11 and 12, 2020, there had to be fear at that time the sports world in North America might change forever, which could include the loss of the Raiders and many other teams.

The attachment to seeing Raiders games at the Hauser is intensified, when you realize the building had its signature moment just two years ago. Of course, that moment occurred on May 13 when Dante Hannoun scored the overtime winner for the Raiders in Game 7 of the WHL Championship series against the Vancouver Giants.

Hannoun’s tally gave the Raiders a 3-2 victory and a night the Raiders and their faithful will remember forever as they captured the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

There had to be a fear that those types of magical moments might not come true.

Most of the worst case fears on the North American sports front didn’t come true thankfully.

When the Raiders did take the ice at the Art Hauser Centre on Friday, their faithful brought the great atmosphere that the building is known for.

Dallyn Peekeekoot jets up ice for the Raiders.

It was amazing to see numerous fans return to the building and occupy the seats that they have had for years. Eventually if you go to enough Raiders games, you start to feel like you know the majority of people in the building.

Following Friday’s game, Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid said the absence makes you cherish the time spent at the legendary rink that much more.

“Sometimes in life, you take things for granted,” said Habscheid. “You don’t really appreciate them until it gets taken away.

“It got taken away from us for a year and a half. I think everyone whether it be the players, the staff, the coaches, the fans and everybody realizes that it is pretty special to be able to play.”

Veteran 19-year-old left-winger Keaton Sorensen was acquired in an off-season trade from his hometown Red Deer Rebels, and he played his first regular season game as a member of the Raiders on Friday. He enjoyed the atmosphere the fans brought.

“It was an awesome change,” said Sorensen, who scored the Raiders lone goal on Friday night. “Playing in front of no fans is tough with gaining kind of energy.

“You kind of had to make you own energy, so having fans behind us was a great change for sure.”

There were so many aspects of the Hauser that were missed. They include how the Ches Leach Lounge was the perfect social hub, the concession food which has often been tabbed the best on the WHL circuit and hearing “The Song In Prince Albert is Go Raiders Go” echo in the building’s rafters.

Remy Aquilon salutes the fans during pre-game on Friday.

Of course, fans are waiting for the first time later this season when “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” can be played postgame when the Raiders beat their archrivals the Saskatoon Blades.

If you are a hockey fan, seeing a Raiders game at the Art Hauser Centre is one of those bucket list things you have to do. 

You get to feel the WHL atmosphere at its best.

It is warms the heart to know many more special memories can be made at this fabled hockey home in “Hockey Town North.”

Pats finishing kick does in P.A.

Sloan Stanick scored twice for the Pats on Saturday.

The Prince Albert Raiders had key forwards Ozzy Wiesblatt and Reece Vitelli back in the fold Saturday, but their presence couldn’t stop a finishing surge by the Regina Pats.

In a game seen national on CBC from the Brandt Centre in Regina, the two sides were locked in a 2-2 draw until the 14:22 mark of the second period, when Pats right-winger Sloan Stanick scored his second of the afternoon to give the hosts a 3-2 lead.

Pats left-winger Zack Stringer scored 37 seconds into the third period, and 16-year-old phenom centre Connor Bedard found the back of the net at the 13:30 mark of the third to give the Pats a 5-2 victory to the delight 4,292 spectators in attendance.

Wiesblatt returned to the Raiders after been at the training camp of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, and Vitelli, who is an overager, came back after attending the NHL training camp of the Arizona Coyotes.

Wiesblatt, who is a right-winger, and Vitelli, who is a centre, scored singles for the Raiders in the setback.

Stanick had an assist to go with his two goals for the Pats. Regina centre Cole Carrier had a goal and two assists in the win.

Carter Serhyenko made 29 stops to take the setback in goal for the Raiders (0-2). Matthew Kieper turned away 19 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Pats (2-0).

The Pats downed the Raiders 3-1 the previous night in Prince Albert. The Raiders departed Prince Albert at 6:15 a.m. on Saturday to make the 1 p.m. start in Regina.

Prince Albert’s two best defencemen are still away at NHL training camps including Kaiden Guhle, who is at Montreal Canadiens camp, and Nolan Allan, who is at Chicago Blackhawks camp.

The Raiders return to action this coming Friday, when they travel to Brandon to take on the Wheat Kings. The Pats are next in action on Wednesday, when they travel to Winnipeg to take on the Ice.

Raiders alternate jersey with traditional logo gets axed

The Raiders wear throwback uniforms on Feb. 15, 2019.

The Prince Albert Raiders new alternate jersey with the team’s traditional logo has been axed.

On Friday, the Raiders launched new home, away and alternate third jerseys. The alternate jersey was patterned after the uniform the team wore from 1982 through to the end of the 1995-96 campaign.

That era included the Raiders Memorial Cup win as CHL Champions in 1985. The Raiders are celebrating 50 years of existence, and the return of their traditional logo was part of those festivities to mark the club’s history.

The alternate jersey contained the Raiders traditional logo, which depicts an Arab on skates holding a sword in one hand a hockey stick in the other. The logo was designed in the Raiders third season 1973-74, when the club was still in the junior A ranks skating in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

On Saturday night at 9:29 p.m. Saskatchewan time, the WHL issued a statement from commissioner Ron Robison regarding the Raiders new alternate uniform.

“On Friday night the Prince Albert Raiders unveiled an alternate third jersey, which was inspired by a highly successful era in club history,” said Robson. “We recognized the dated design is insensitive and offensive.

“After consultation with the Prince Albert Raiders, this uniform and brand will be discontinued effective immediately. On behalf of the WHL and the Prince Albert Raiders, we regret this uniform design was approved and sincerely apologize for any harm it may have caused.”

The release said there would be no further comment from the WHL or the Raiders.

The Raiders last wore a uniform like their now discontinued alternates for about a couple of games in their 2018-19 WHL Championship season.

The Raiders did get into hot water over their traditional logo before. In late 2014, the Raiders unveiled a new mascot named “Boston Raider” which was patterned heavily after the old logo.

Due to a national uproar, the mascot was mothballed shortly after being unveiled.

By the sounds of the statement by Robson late Saturday night, it appeared the traditional logo will be discontinued along with the alternate jersey. The Raiders still sold a lot of merchandise featuring the team’s traditional logo.

In Prince Albert, it is safe to say the traditional logo is revered there, and a lot of people in that northern Saskatchewan city will be upset about news from late Saturday night.

The WHL’s statement on the alternate Raiders jersey was posted on Twitter, and the lynch mob has chimed in there with outrage the alternate jersey was approved.

It in the climate of the current world, it was getting harder each passing day for the Raiders to bring back their traditional logo. Outside of Prince Albert, the opposition to the logo is quite large, and it has become large enough that the team’s activities get grounded to a halt dealing with the criticism.

It seemed like what happened on Saturday was inevitable.

Back in Daily Herald

My column in the Prince Albert Daily Herald last Wednesday.

This past Wednesday, I returned to the pages of the Prince Albert Daily Herald.

I will be writing columns on the WHL for the Daily Herald, which will appear every second Wednesday. I was a sports reporter for the Daily Herald from 2001 to 2004, and the crew there is a fantastic bunch.

Back in 2019, I got to write pieces for the special section the Daily Herald put out when the Raiders went to the Memorial Cup. I also wrote a column for the publications 125^th anniversary.

My column this past Wednesday focused on the Art Hauser Centre being one of the WHL’s last great storied rinks and the hype train for Regina Pats 16-year-old phenom centre Connor Bedard is a good thing for the circuit.

That column 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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Does a reality check wait as pro sports ramps up in N.A.?

A Sidney Crosby card.

    Business is hitting a higher gear for pro sports in North America as we are only days away from seeing Sidney Crosby and the NHL crew play actual games.

    Actually, we are just three days away from that moment. On Tuesday, Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins face their archrivals the Philadelphia Flyers in an exhibition tilt in Toronto, which is the NHL’s hub city for all Eastern Conference action.

    Following that contest, the Toronto Maple Leafs will battle the Montreal Canadiens in Toronto.

    Out in Edmonton on Tuesday which will be the hub city for Western Conference teams, the Edmonton Oilers take on their archrivals the Calgary Flames.

    The post-season official begins on Aug. 1 with five contests that will open the play-in round, which contains eight series that are best-of-five in length.

    The NHL was last in action with five regular season games on March 11. On March 12, the league suspended play due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

    Now about four-and-a-half months later, the 2019-20 NHL campaign is set to resume with games played in arenas without fans in Toronto and Edmonton. The players and team staffs are being kept in nice hotels away from the general public in a bubble type situations.

    The NHL isn’t the only circuit that has gotten going. Major League Baseball held its opening day on Thursday with a pair of games. The New York Yankees downed the Nationals in Washington 4-1 in a game that was shortened to six innings due to weather and the host Los Angeles Dodgers thumped the San Francisco Giants 8-1.

A Carey Price card.

    In Canada on Friday, there was some excited online chatter as the Toronto Blue Jays slipped past the Rays in Tampa Bay 6-4 in the opening regular season game for both those clubs.
    The Blue Jays will be playing the majority of their home games at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, N.Y., after they were unable to get approval from the Government of Canada to get around COVID-19 restrictions to host games in Toronto.

    The WNBA regular season tipped off Saturday with six games at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. That circuit is set to play its entire campaign at that facility.

    The Canadian Elite Basketball League started its month long Summer Series tournament with a pair of games at the Meridian Centre in St. Catherines, Ont., marking the first professional sports action in Canada since March 11. The entire CEBL tournament will take place at the Meridian Centre.
    On July 30, the NBA resumes its regular season with a pair of games at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida.

    NFL players are slated to report to training camps on Tuesday.

A Bo Horvat card.

    The NASCAR Cup Series season and UFC cards have been going full speed ahead since May.

    Those in the amateur sports world in Canada and United States will have their figures crossed looking to see how life unfolds in North America’s pro sports world.

    If these pro sports circuits can finish their seasons with as few hiccups as possible, it increases the optimism the amateur sports world can get going more in full swing.

    In Saskatchewan, sports like golf, baseball and softball are taking part in meaningful competitions on the amateur side.

    If action in the North American pro sports circuits gets derailed by a surge of positive COVID-19 tests, that scenario could cause action that is already going on the amateur sports world to get rolled back. A surge in positive tests is possible as the amount of new COVID-19 cases in the United States seems to increase by an average of 60,000 a day at the moment.

    In Germany, the pro soccer Bundesliga restarted on May 16, and Bayern Munich won an eighth straight league crown. The Bundesliga officially wrapped up on July 6, when Werder Bremen played Heidenheim to a 2-2 draw in a relegation game and avoided being knocked out of Germany’s top professional tier.

    The Bundesliga proved what could be done if focus is maintained regarding virus testing and medical protocols.

    Even with the success the Bundesliga had and the momentum the pro sports circuits in North America have, there is still uneasiness on the amateur side of sports in North America.

A Brendan Gallagher card.

    This past Monday, the Southwestern Athletic Conference postponed all fall sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic including football, and it is an NCAA Division I conference. The SWAC still aims to get football going with a seven-game conference schedule for football starting with an eight-week training period in January 2021.
    The QMJHL has started to adjust its plans for the 2020-21 campaign. That circuit will shorten its regular season from 68 to 60 regular season games with the regular season slated to start Oct. 1. The league’s 18 teams will be split into three divisions of six clubs each and squads will only play in-division games.

    At the moment, fans of professional sports in North America have to be pumped action has already started to happen or will happen. In Canada, there will be lots of excitement for the NHL as the Oilers, Flames, Leafs, Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets will all be part of the play-in round.

    Still, could there be a COVID-19 reality check waiting around the corner that could bring everything to a halt?

    That is the big fear as things play out.

Winterton will always be linked to Raiders, other notes

View this post on Instagram

The Raiders are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former Team President and Wall of Honour inductee Doug Winterton. The organization offers its condolences to Doug's family and friends.

A post shared by Prince Albert Raiders (@paraidershockey) on Jul 22, 2020 at 1:41pm PDT

    It is hard to imagine going to a Raiders hockey game in Prince Albert without Doug Winterton in attendance.

    Whenever the Raiders do resume playing home games with fans at the Art Hauser Centre in a world that is caught in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic, Winterton won’t be sitting his is seat located in the first row of the west end of the facility a couple of sections north of goal on that side of the building.

    He sat in that spot of the Art Hauser Centre next to his wife, Joan, for as long as anyone can remember.

    This past Monday, Doug Winterton passed away of natural causes at age 91. He was born on December 23, 1928 and moved to Winnipeg at age 21, where he met Joan.

    They lived in Manitoba and Alberta before settling in Prince Albert in 1972.

    Upon arriving in Prince Albert, Winterton became involved with the Raiders, who were still playing in the Junior A ranks in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League at that time, and the Cooke Municipal Golf Club.

    Winterton served as the Raiders secretary for seven years and was the club’s president from 1978 to 1980. He was a charter member of the Raiders booster club, and he and Joan were billets for a lengthy stretch during the club’s time in the SJHL.

    Doug Winterton’s involvement and support of the Raiders continued when the club moved to the major junior hockey ranks joining the WHL in 1982.

    This past season, Winterton could still be found volunteering his time to help out in the media and scouts lounge even after he celebrated his 91^st birthday. He was inducted to the Raiders Wall of Honour on September 27, 2013.

    Winterton could tell you stories about the Raiders recalling the team’s entire history for hours and hours. While he had fond memories of the Raiders past, he was really proud of the players coaches and staff of the organization in recent years.

Doug Winterton enjoyed watching the Raiders win the WHL title in 2019.

    When Brayden Pachal, Sean Montgomery, Parker Kelly, Cole Fonstad, Spencer Moe, Zack Hayes, Max Martin and netminder Ian Scott first began playing together in 2016-17 going through growing pains as youngsters posting a 21-44-5-2 regular season record, Winterton saw something special.

    During that 2016-17 season, he would tell anyone that came into the Raiders media and scouts lounge about how much he enjoyed watching how hard that group worked and how much that group was improving as the campaign went on. Winterton said he believed that group of players could do something special.

    On May 13, 2019, Winterton was in his seat to see that core group of eight players help the Raiders as veteran team members win the WHL title. The Raiders claimed Game 7 of the WHL Championship series with an epic 3-2 overtime win over the Vancouver Giants with Dante Hannoun scoring for the Prince Albert side in the extra session.

    Doug and Joan were on their feet cheering and stayed to witness the on-ice post-game celebrations with the Ed Chynoweth Cup for a lengthy amount of time.

    Doug Winterton will be remembered as one of the Raiders most passionate supporters. In spirit, you get a sense he will still be a fixture at their games.

• On Thursday, the Prince Albert Raiders announced they have signed CHL Import Draft selection Uladzislau Shyla to a WHL Standard Player Agreement. Shyla, who is from Minsk, Belarus, was selected by the Raiders in the first round and 45^th overall in the CHL Import Draft held on June 30. The 17-year-old, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 147 pounds, had 10 goals and nine assists in 55 games for Belarus’s under-18 team this past season.
• Veteran Regina Leader-Post sports columnist Rob Vanstone was featured in a CTV story in his quest to lose weight and improve his health. CTV’s sports reporter Claire Hanna produced an uplifting piece and that story can be found by clicking right here.
• On Thursday, 15-year-old Brooklin Fry won the Saskatchewan women’s amateur golf championship at The Legends Golf Course in Warman. The Shell Lake product posted a 7-over-par 223 to take the title. Fry, who is set to enter her rookie season with the Prince Albert Northern Bears female under-18 hockey team, had won the Saskatchewan junior girls’ golf title on July 16 in Swift Current. The Saskatchewan men’s mid-amateur golf championship also wrapped up at The Legends Golf Course on Thursday with Danny Klughart of Prince Albert taking that title for a second straight year. On Friday, Saskatoon product Ty Campbell captured the Saskatchewan men’s amateur golf championship at The Legends Golf Course.
• On Friday, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who is from Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., announced he was opting out of the NFL season due to the COVID-19 pandemic via Twitter. The 29-year-old is the starting right guard for the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. He has played for the Chiefs since 2014. Duvernay-Tardif graduated from McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine in May 2018 with a doctor of Medicine and a master of surgery. He began working at a long-term care facility in April in Montreal and remained in that role through June. Duvernay-Tardif has decided to continue to work in the health care system and is waiting for another role. Before joining the Chiefs, Duvernay-Tardif played in the U Sports football ranks for the McGill University Redmen.
• Gregg Drinnan continues to do an ace job rounding up how the COVID-19 pandemic has hammered the sports world in his Taking Note blog. His latest offering 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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    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.

Fun with photos

Garth Knittig (#59) dives in for a TD for the Hilltops.

    Defensive lineman touchdowns always make great photos.

    Anyway how saw big old Garth Knittig fly through the air like a bird in the 2017 PFC final for the Saskatoon Hilltops would know that was true. 
    The defensive tackle, who was dubbed “the Delisle Destroyer,” looked like a stout thick building standing 5-foot-10 and weighing 285 pounds getting some serious air time taking the ball on a short-yardage plunge and diving in over top of the Regina Thunder defence from a yard out.

    Knittig’s score came with 96 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and it put the Hilltops up 36-24 over the Thunder. The score would be cemented as the final outcome of the contest at Saskatoon Minor Football Field on Oct. 22, 2017.

    Before Knittig’s touchdown, the Hilltops were holding on to a 29-24 lead against their Regina rivals late in the fourth quarter and wanted to ensure the Thunder didn’t have a chance to pull out any last minute heroics.

    On Knittig’s goal-line short-yardage score, he actually wasn’t supposed to get the ball. He was in the Hilltops short-yardage offensive package to be a blocking fullback.

    Hilltops star quarterback Jordan Walls didn’t hear the play call correctly and was supposed to hand off to a regular ball carrier. He also didn’t question what he heard, because Knittig was a strong, tough and hard-working defensive tackle.

    Everyone in the Hilltops huddle would have been in favour of getting Knittig into the end zone. Little did anyone know, Knittig could run the one-yard dive play as well as Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen, who was an all-time NFL great with the Los Angeles version of the Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Garth Knittig gets set on defence in the 2017 PFC final.

    After that win, the Hilltops advanced on to win a fourth straight CJFL title.

    The image of Knittig’s score in that PFC final is one of the many photos I have captured over the years I enjoy looking at. Since I started this blog in late August of 2014, readers have constantly said they like the photos I have posted.

    Readers might not always like what I have to write, but I don’t think I have ever received a bad word regarding a picture I have posted. Most of those pictures have been from sports events that I have covered.

    Actually, I have usually received great feedback from my picture taking at sporting events. The first photos I ever took came from the second school year I worked at the University of Regina student news paper, The Carillon, in 1997-98.

    I shot a tonne of photos during my time at the Prince Albert Daily Herald from 2001 to 2004.

    I then went through a period of time where I didn’t shoot extensively. When I joined the Medicine Hat News in September of 2004, I was brought on to be a WHL beat writer that covered the Medicine Hat Tigers.

    While I did write about other sports, my main focus was on the Tigers and stories on the WHL league front.

    When I first got to the news, we had a deep editorial staff with three talented photographers. I wasn’t needed to fill that role.

The Hilltops celebrate winning the PFC title in 2017.

    During my time there, the News was sold to Glacier Media and the budget cut era began to take hold at that outlet. I took up shooting photos once again during the 2010-11 hockey season and have kept doing that craft since then.

    I actually like shooting photos more than I do writing.
    During these days that pass under the cloud of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it seems doom and gloom can overcome life.

    I figured I would share 10 more photos in no particular order I have taken over the years that look cool. I saw on my Instagram account I have posted at the moment 1,299 photos I have taken that I really like.

    That volume makes it hard to cut down to a handful of favourities. I figured this could be a fun post I could do on continuing basis even after the pandemic ends.

    With all that said, I hope you enjoy the first batch of photos I have collected for this post. 

Hannoun’s Game 7 OT winner gives WHL title to Raiders

    This will go down as the most iconic photo I have ever taken.

    Overage centre Dante Hannoun (#17) reacts to scoring the overtime winner for the Prince Albert Raiders in Game 7 of the WHL Championship series played on May 13, 2019 at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert.

    Hannoun’s goal gave the Raiders a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants. It also gave the defining moment in the history of the Raiders legendary home rink in the Art Hauser Centre.

Rams’ Hughes the Huskies in the dust

    University of Regina Rams running back Neal Hughes was one of that program’s all-time top playmakers before going on to a 10-year CFL career with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

    Before he won two Grey Cup rings with the Roughriders, Hughes blasts away from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies defence in this photo take on Sept. 15, 2001. He ran the ball 17 times for 141 yards and scored two touchdowns and caught six passes for 80 yards and a major score.

    The Rams won the Hall of Fame game 31-21 before 7,238 spectators on the frozen concrete of Taylor Field.

Smith’s joyful Ruthy moment with Huskies

    Chloe Smith only played two seasons for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team, but that was enough time to carve out a memorable moment.

    In this photo taken on Feb. 24, 2018, Smith (centre) celebrates scoring the winning goal for the Huskies who downed the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 2-1 in Game 2 of a Canada West semifinal series. She was in her rookie season with the Huskies when she scored this goal.
    The win allowed the Huskies to sweep the best-of-three series 2-0.

    Smith’s tally goes down as the final U Sports women’s playoff series winner scored at the ancient Rutherford Rink.

Shirley so good at age 15 with Stars

    So good, so young.

    Sophie Shirley is pictured in action here for the Saskatoon Stars at age 15 during a Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League semifinal series against the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats at the Agriplace Arena.
    At the time standing just 5-foot-4, Shirley weaved her magic piling up 12 goals and 12 assists helping the Stars win all nine of their league playoff games in 2015 and capture their first Fedoruk Cup as SFU18AAAHL champions.

    She finished second SFU18AAAHL regular season scoring with 22 goals and 17 assists in 27 games.

    Now standing 5-foot-9, Shirley is a star centre with the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team and a member of Canada national women’s development team. She helped the Badgers win an NCAA national title in 2019 and has a decorated list of accomplishments in hockey having just turned 21-years-old.

Huskies’ Machart follows Riley to the end zone

    Running back Adam Machart rocked and rolled for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in 2019.

    In this picture taken on Sept. 6, 2019, Marchart follows the block of left guard Mattland Riley in the Huskies homecoming game against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds at Griffiths Stadium.

    Machart had a big night carrying the ball 15 times for 134 yards and scoring two touchdowns. He caught an additional five passes for 39 yards in a 40-7 Huskies victory before 6,278 spectators.

    That was the beginning of a huge campaign for Machart. He set a new Huskies team record for most rushing yards in a season piling up 1,334 yards on 156 carries, where he scored eight touchdowns.

    Machart also caught 20 passes for 204 yards and scored three majors through the air. His 1,538 all-purpose yards were a new Huskies team record for one regular season.

    Riley would be selected in the first round and seventh overall by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL Draft held this past April 30.

Cornwall blows roof of SaskTel Centre for Rush

    Jeff Cornwall gave the Saskatchewan Rush a dream finish to their first campaign playing out of the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.

    On June 4, 2016, Cornwall, who is a Rush defender, scored a on a coast-to-coast rush with 12 seconds to play in the fourth quarter to break a 10-10 tie with the Buffalo Bandits and put the Rush ahead 11-10 sending 15,182 spectators into delirium. That 11-10 score held up as the final in Game 2 of the National Lacrosse League Championship Series.

    The Rush swept the best-of-three set 2-0 to capture their second NLL title in team history. Their first came the previous season in what was their final campaign based in Edmonton.

    This photo shows the Cornwall (centre in front) celebrating his winning goal in 2016. I like the zoomed out photos of this moment the best, because they show how crazy the SaskTel Centre crowd was.

Moskaluke performs on Canada in 2017

    Just to show I can take pictures of happenings outside of the sports world, I had to throw in this picture of Jess Moskaluke.

    In this picture, Moskaluke is performing at Diefenbaker Park in Saskatoon on Canada Day of 2017. I guess it wouldn’t be much of an admission to say I love taking pictures of Jess Moskaluke performing in concert.

    I’ve only done that twice in my life. I hope I will have another opportunity to take pictures of her in action in the future.

    She has quite the stage presence, and of course, a fantastic singing voice.

Steel’s all-heart goal celebration for the Pats

    Sam Steel represented everything that was good about the WHL’s Regina Pats.

    The star centre gave his heart and soul to the historic major junior team every time he stepped on the ice.

    This picture was taken on April 17, 2017, and it was of Steel’s celebration in scoring the Pats first goal in a series deciding Game 7 of a second round playoff series against the Swift Current Broncos.      This picture shows Steel was locked into performing heroics with the Pats.

    He finished the night with two goals in a 5-1 Pats victory. The Pats trailed in the series 3-1 before pulling out three straight wins to take the set.

    It still marks the only time in the post-season the Pats have rallied back to win a series in which they trailed 3-1.

Caller versus Loewen

    This at the moment goes down as my best photo from a hockey fight, but the fight actually wasn’t as good as the photo was.

    On Dec. 9, 2017, the Saskatoon Blades hosted the Kamloops Blazers in a WHL regular season game at the SaskTel Centre. At the 11:45 mark of the first period, Blades 18-year-old defenceman Jackson Caller fought Blazers powerhouse 19-year-old left-winger Jermaine Loewen.

    Moments before this fight, Loewen had driven Caller’s defensive partner, Evan Fiala, hard into the boards.

    Caller, who stood 6-foot-2 and weighed 189 pounds, hung in a little bit with Loewen, who stood 6-foot-4 and weighed 221 pounds. Loewen overpowered Caller and won the fight without dispute.

    The fight was one-sided, but an early still made the bout look more competitive than it was. The Blazers took the game 4-1.

Willoughby plays hero for Huskies

    Kaitlin Willoughby had a number of big moments for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team, but one picture I took of her goes down as an all-time classic.

    This photo taken on Jan. 21, 2017 shows Willoughby celebrating her overtime winner that gave the Huskies a 5-4 victory over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in a U Sports regular season game at the ancient Rutherford Rink.

    Willoughby’s tally was a highlight reel one that saw her speed down the left wing in the Thunderbirds zone, cut to the net and snipe the winner top corner past diving Thunderbirds defender Kelly Murray and netminder Amelia Boughn.

    Willoughby, who was in her fourth season with the U of S at the time of this photo, finished as the Huskies second all-time leading scorer with 50 goals and 61 assists for 111 points in 132 regular season games.

    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.