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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Rider Nation soaks in Taylor Field atmosphere one last time

The crowd at Taylor Field soaks in the final Roughriders home game there.

    REGINA – Rider Nation truly lived in the moment when it came to attending the last Saskatchewan Roughriders game at Taylor Field/old Mosaic Stadium.

    On Saturday, Roughriders fans flocked in from all across the province and I dare say even across Canada to be part of the last CFL dance of the historic stadium in Regina. It was a nostalgia trip where one received comfort in reliving the familiar.

    The atmosphere was similar to a Labour Day Classic or even the game days around the 2007 and 2008 campaign. In 2007 and 2008, game days were surrounded with excitement by the fact the Roughriders were one of the league’s elite teams after about 15 years of being bad to mostly a middle of the pack club.

    While there were those similarities, the atmosphere was also different. The finality of what was going to take place was in the back of everyone’s minds. This was a night to say farewell and thanks to a park that contains so many great shared memories.

The Rider Cheer Team performs a routine on the practice field.

    People were arriving on Saturday three hours before the 5 p.m. kickoff against the B.C. Lions to tailgate in the parking lots near the facility.

    The tailgate party on the practice field was also packed. The air was filled with the sounds from the Regina-based rock band Big Bad Storm. The Rider Cheer team also came to put on a special performance to the sounds of the Rider Drum Line.

    As usual, the Rider Pep Band played outside the stadium’s front gates about 40 minutes before kickoff.

    At halftime, Canadian country music star and Langenburg, Sask., product Jess Moskaluke got the sellout crowd of 33,427 going with a short but energetic set.
    The post-game ceremony provided a great light and fireworks show that walked people back through time reliving the history of the place.

Jess Moskaluke starred at halftime.

    There were also huge cheers as mascot Gainer the Gopher took a last lap in his old car with the gopher hole roof.

    There were also appearances by Roughriders legends George Reed, Roger Aldag and Gene Makowsky, who each emerged from Rider cap jackets like Jedi Knights. Franchise quarterback Darian Durant completed the quartet to give representation for each of the club’s four Grey Cup championship teams, and he also gave a heartfelt address to the fans.

    Of course, Rider Nation was in top form. A number of Rider fans arrived wearing various trademark costumes. While Halloween was only a couple of days away, game days provide enough reason to dress up.

    The fans are the reason Taylor Field had the amazing atmosphere it did. Those that went to games became part of a community in a community. The regulars that came to each game got to know the neighbours that sat around them and those that sat at various other spots around the building.

    In a lot of cases, the regulars only get to see each other on game days. One of the best known regulars is Connie Dobson, who is also known as #TheTravelingRiderFan. She has made the jaunt from Edmonton to Regina for every Roughriders home game for over a decade. She has also followed the team on a regular basis on the road.

    While cheering hard for the Riders, Dobson also gives credit when the other teams do something well. Over the years, she has befriended and earned the respect of Roughriders players and a number of players from other CFL clubs too. Dobson is the textbook picture of the model fan.

Terrell Sinkfield Jr. makes an acrobatic TD catch for the Lions.

    Speaking of fans, you also saw small representations of fans wearing gear of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Edmonton Eskimos and the Lions to ensure their clubs had representation at this monumental game. It has become common place for fans of other CFL teams to make the trek to Taylor Field to see at least one game in the legendary park and feel the passion of Rider Nation up close.

    The only thing that didn’t go to plan was the action on the field during game time. As engaged as the crowd was, the Roughriders fell to the Lions 24-6 and dropped to 5-12 in the standings. B.C. improved to 11-6.

    All season, the Roughriders have been plagued by struggles on the offensive and defensive line due to injury and personnel turnover. Against the Lions, the Roughriders offensive line missed way too many blocks, and the defensive line didn’t apply much pressure on Lions quarterback Jonathon Jennings.

    The green and white will need to address both of those areas in the off-season.

Roughriders mascot Gainer the Gopher makes one last pass in his old car.

    In the end, the loss on the field didn’t dampen the night’s festivities. The members of Rider Nation have seen their share of downs, but they always persevere and look forward to next year.

    Next year provides the chance to back the Roughriders in a new Mosaic Stadium that looks like a palace. It is also specially constructed to trap noise. It won’t take long to indulge in the comforts of the new home park.

    Even with that in mind, the memories of the old park will never fade away.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Huskies big underdogs tonight

The U of S Huskies DBs listen to teaching points at practice.

            It is battle for first place just looking at the Canada West football standings, but realistically, it should be viewed as a mismatch.

            When the University of Saskatchewan Huskies head into their third regular season game tonight at 7 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium, they will be huge underdogs against the University of Calgary Dinos. Going in, this can’t be viewed as your typical battle between clubs with identical 2-0 records.

            Having won the last six straight Canada West titles, the Dinos are the class of the conference. So far in the regular season, they have outscored their opposition 130-14 in their two wins. Until some other team on the field can prove otherwise, the Canada West title is the Dinos to lose.

            On top of that, the Dinos have beaten the Huskies the past five times the two squads have done battle. On what is Support the Troops night in appreciation for the Canadian Armed Forces, the Huskies appear to be heading into their own Waterloo.

            During the opening week of the season, the Dinos pasted the University of Alberta Golden Bears 71-3 in Calgary. Last Saturday, the Huskies needed overtime to get past those same Golden Bears 42-41.

             On the plus side, the Huskies do have nothing to lose and everything to gain. If they stomped, it would have been expected. If they pull out the upset, it would be their biggest victory in years.

            The best part about the Huskies is they are prepared by a standout coaching staff. Head coach Brian Towriss will do his best to ensure his players are put in the best positions to succeed.

            At this point in the season, that might not be enough to stop the Dinos from improving to 3-0.

            Besides the action on the football field, rising country star Jess Moskaluke is slated to perform at the tailgate party before the game. The tailgate party is set to start at 5 p.m.

Blades back at it versus the Raiders

            When the Saskatoon Blades battle the Prince Albert Raiders, how can you not get excited, if you are a local hockey fan from either community.

            Blades versus Raiders is one of those traditional WHL rivalries that doesn’t lose its lustre. The rivalry may go through fluxuations in intensity, but it never grows old.

            The two clubs face each other tonight at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert before closing a home-and-home series on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Credit Union Centre or the soon to be called SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.

            For fans in Toontown, the Blades will likely be better than the 16-51-2-3 record they put up last season. Most of the troubles in that campaign came from the fact the team had a huge turnover after playing host to the Memorial Cup tournament in May of 2013.

            There is a lot of optimism among Blades fans, but first thing is first. The double blue will try to stop the music man at the Raiders games in Prince Albert from playing “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” after tonight’s match. 

Hilltops back in old form

            Now that was more like it for the Saskatoon Hilltops.

            Last Saturday, the Toppers were on a roll in Edmonton squashing the Huskies 68-17. The win allowed Saskatoon to get back to 2-2.

            The Hilltops coaching staff was looking for one night where they could just come out on a roll. Before that win, the Hilltops fell to 1-2 on Sept. 6 falling 26-25 at home to the defending Canadian Junior Football League champion Regina Thunder, despite having led 25-3 at one point in the third quarter.

            In the win over the Edmonton Huskies, the Hilltops piled up 359 yards on the ground and 282 yards through the air. Running back Wayndel Lewis carried the ball 16 times for 274 yards and scored two touchdowns.

            Quarterback Jared Andreychuk completed 15 of 28 passes for 260 yards, four touchdown passes and one interception.

            The Hilltops return to action on Sunday, when they travel to Calgary to face the 1-3 Colts. The Colts should prove to be a test, because they are now guided by head coach Matthew (Snoop) Blokker. Blokker came over to Calgary in the off-season after guiding the Vancouver Island Raiders to seven British Columbia Football League titles in the past eight seasons.

Pulling for Smuker

            The U of S Huskies men’s hockey team has been back on the ice in exhibition action, but with one big absence anyone linked to the team wishes was not there.

            The Huskies will progress through the campaign without Cody Smuk suiting up in his #24 jersey to take up a position on a forward line.

            Shortly after the Huskies won a silver medal at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship tournament at home in March, the hard-working Saskatoon product was diagnosed with testicular cancer along with a tumour in his right lung.

            Once Smuk made his situation public, the community of Saskatoon rallied around him. During a fundraising campaign in June, over $20,000 was raised in a three-day period for the 25-year-old, who was slated to play his fifth and final year of eligibility. To date, just over $33,000 has been raised.

            Obviously, Smuk, his girlfriend Stephanie Vause and their families have gone through a number of ups and downs.

            Recently, Smuk sent a message to friends through Facebook that the battle was going good, but he was still in one of those wait and see periods.

            The former WHLer, who last played major junior with the Moose Jaw Warriors in 2010, is one of the best good guys you will ever meet in sports and is known for being one of those must-have guys in the dressing room.

            Since moving to Saskatoon in July, I have been wearing my “Get Smuk’d Cancer” bracelet pretty much every day in support of Smuk.

            Here is hoping Smuk’s current wait goes by fast and victory in this battle comes sooner than later.

            For those wanting to donate to help the young man who has engaged in a few cancer fighting fundraising initiatives before being diagnosed himself, they can do so right here.

If you have any feedback on this blog, feel free to email comments to stankssports@gmail.com.