Colts surge past Hilltops for top spot in PFC

Balance of power shifts in CJFL with Calgary victory

Defensive back Dylan Niedermaier returns an interception for the Colts.

    The Calgary Colts were ready to take care of business, and they did just that.

    On Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Colts took a big step to joining the upper echelon of the Canadian Junior Football League downing the defending league champion Saskatoon Hilltops 36-21. The Colts stormed out to a 36-0 lead after three quarters against their biggest nemesis before the venerable Hilltops tried to make a desperate rally in the fourth quarter.

    Having hired British Columbia Football Conference legend Matthew (Snoop) Blokker as head coach before the start of the 2014 season, the Colts have been on the rise. After going 0-8 in 2013 the season before Blokker came on board, the Colts advanced to the Prairie Football Conference final in each of the last two years posting a 9-7 record in regular season play only to fall to the Hilltops. The storied Hilltops advanced to win the Canadian Bowl after each of those victories.

Quarterback Bailey Wasdal (#4) dives in for a Colts touchdown.

    Coming into this first and only regular season encounter with the Hilltop in the 2016 campaign, the Colts visibly had a different demeanor. When the dust settled, they improved to 3-0 to sit alone in first place in the Prairie Football Conference, while the Hilltops fell to 2-1.

    “We came in here with a different kind of mentality than we had in previous years,” said Colts starting quarterback Bailey Wasdal. “We came in ready. We weren’t scared.

    “We knew we were coming home with two points. I wasn’t too surprised with the way we came out flying. We just have to be better in the second half.”

    Calgary’s defence set the tone early as defensive back Dylan Niedermaier returned an interception 40 yards deep into Saskatoon territory. That set up a short drive that ended with Wasdal hitting receiver Jake Creasey on a nine-yard scoring toss to put the visitors up 7-0 just over four minutes into the contest.

The Colts celebrate a fumble return touchdown by Dallas Burke (#17).

    Due to bad field position, the Hilltops were forced to concede a safety with 1:59 to play in the first quarter to give Calgary a 9-0 edge. The Colts proceeded to go up 16-0 just as the opening frame expired as Wasdal hit receiver Richard Sindani with a 12-yard scoring toss coming off a swing pass play.

    Things only got worse for the Toppers in the second quarter, when Colts defensive back Luk Catellier made an interception to set up another Calgary scoring drive. That ensuing offensive series was capped by a one-yard touchdown dive by Wasdal to put the Colts up 23-0.

    The hole got deeper for the hosts, when the Hilltops proceeded to muff the ensuing kickoff. The ball was recovered by Colts receiver Dallas Burke, who ran the ball home 20 yards for another major score to put the Colts up 30-0 with 6:44 to play in the second quarter.

    Colts kicker Stephen Fabian booted a 37-yard field goal to give Calgary a 33-0 edge at halftime.

    “We definitely did a lot of things well, and it is going to show in the film for sure,” said Wasdal. “I think we came out trying to be physical, and I think that is what we did.

Dylan Minshull (#21) ran for 169 yards on 22 carries for the Colts.

    “We kind of asserted ourselves in the first half, and we just showed that we weren’t afraid. We were ready to bang, and we came out doing that.”

    Fabian nailed a 40-yard field goal early in the third quarter to put the Colts up 36-0.

    The Hilltops attempted a comeback in the fourth quarter. Just 15 seconds into the frame, Hilltops receiver Jason Price outfought a couple of Colts defenders for the ball to pull in a 12-yard scoring toss from quarterback Jared Andreychuk to cut Calgary’s lead to 36-7.

    Andreychuk proceeded to hit Price on a deep 32-yard connection for another Hilltops major score to trim Calgary’s lead to 36-14 with 8:08 to play in the game. With 2:53 remaining on the clock, running back Logan Fischer muscled in a major on the ground from three yards out to pull the Hilltops to within 36-21.

    The rally was sniffed out on Saskatoon’s next offensive series, when Andreychuk was intercepted by Colts defensive back Jordan Rae.

    Andreychuk completed 19-of-34 passes for 227 yards, two touchdowns, but he was intercepted three times. Fischer piled up 110 yards rushing on 23 carries.

Jason Price hauls in a 32-yard TD catch for the Hilltops.

    Wasdal completed 18-of-23 passes for 165 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for the Colts. Calgary running back Dylan Minshull piled up 169 yards rushing on 22 carries.

    The Colts defence forced five takeaways in the contest, while the Hilltops were only able to force one turnover from the opposition.

    While both teams have six games remaining on their respective regular season schedules, the Colts hold the standings tiebreaker with Sunday’s win over the Hilltops going forward.

    “It is absolutely huge,” said Wasdal. “We had our own destiny in our own hands.

    “We had to get it done against the Hilltops. We just have to get it done the rest of the season, and we will have that home field playoff game.”

    The Hilltops return to action this coming Sunday, when they travel to Edmonton to take on the Wildcats (0-3). The Colts host the Edmonton Huskies (1-2) on Saturday.

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

PFC final provides intrigue

Will the up and coming Colts knock off the storied Hilltops?

Head coach Tom Sargeant, centre, gets fired up on the Hilltops bench. 

    The Prairies Football Conference championship game is anything but a lock for the venerable Saskatoon Hilltops.

    The up and coming Calgary Colts are out to prove it is their time.

    For the second straight year, the Hilltops and Colts will meet for the conference title. Saskatoon topped the PFC’s regular season standings with a 7-1 mark, and their only loss was a 34-4 setback to the Colts in a match that closed the regular campaign for both sides. The Toppers starters rested for most of that game, but the Colts moved the ball in that contest no matter who was on the field.

    Saskatoon enters the contest as favourites and as the established powerhouse. They are in search of their 18^th Canadian Junior Football League championship, and in the previous 17 national title wins, Tom Sargeant has been part of 11 of those victories as a player (once), assistant coach (two times) and head coach (eight times).

    Calgary are the upstarts, who are two seasons removed from a 0-8 campaign. Last season, the Colts hired legendary British Columbia Football Conference head coach Matthew (Snoop) Blokker, and he guide the Colts to a 4-4 record and berth in the PFC final. In year two under Blokker, the Colts finished the regular season with a 5-3 mark.

    Last season, the Colts appearance in the PFC final was a surprise one and a bonus for a rebuilding program. This year, the Colts had expectations to make it this far, and they also have hopes of advancing to the Canadian Bowl and possibly winning their first CJFL title since 1990.

The Colts are out to make a statement that they have arrived, and it is their time.

Hilltops quarterback Jared Andreychuk fires off a pass against the Colts.

    The Hilltops are loaded up with 16 players in their fifth and final year of eligibility. They want to send a not so fast message to the upstarts that their time hasn’t arrived just yet.

    Saskatoon has a big edge in the experience department in big games. The Toppers players know how to rebound, if plays and moment doesn’t slid their way for a time.

    While they usually win going away, they have the ability to regroup and rally back, and that was shown on Sept 12, when they trailed the Thunder in Regina 25-10 in the fourth quarter and rallied for a 26-25 victory. In that contest, Hilltops quarterback Jared Andreychuk engineered a 75-yard two-minute drill touchdown drive near the end of the fourth quarter to win the game.

    The Colts have also received strong play from the quarterback position from John Kiesman, who spent time with the University of Regina Rams.

    Sunday’ clash might be decided by the special teams. In the first meeting on Aug. 16 between those two clubs, the Hilltops held a 13-10 third quarter lead, but blew the contest open, when linebacker Bobby Ehman blocked a Colts punt. Topper defensive lineman Dillon Buckle recovered the blocked kick in the Calgary end zone for a Saskatoon touchdown, and the Hilltops went on to claim a 31-10 victory in Calgary.

    When the Colts thumped the Hilltops on Oct. 11 in Saskatoon, Calgary had troubles on at least three long snaps in punt formation. You can expect Hilltops special teams coach Matt Yausie will unleash a full out punt block to force a big play until the Colts show they have corrected their execution troubles in that situation. That might make the difference in this year’s PFC title game.

    Saskatoon Minor Football Field should be the site of some great drama on Sunday. It almost makes you wish these team could kick things off right now.

    If you have any comments you want to make about this blog post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Hilltops sleepwalk into playoffs

The Colts defence nails Hilltops backup running back Colin Stumborg.

    You have to love the honesty of “The Sarge.”

    Saskatoon Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant entered the press box for post-game radio interviews after his club fell 34-4 to the Calgary Colts and the first words out of his month were, “Sorry guys. We were that bad.”

    The Hilltops entered their final regular season game with first place already locked up in Prairie Football Conference as well as home-field advantage through the Canadian Junior Football League playoffs. With that already in mind, the Saskatoon coaches had to deal the challenging decision to play or rest their regulars with a chance to post a perfect 8-0 regular season mark.

    The coaches elected to rest the regulars after the first quarter. With that said, it appeared the Hilltops players both starters and backups were already looking forward to the playoffs.

    Calgary played Sunday’s clash at Saskatoon Minor Football Field like it mattered and the result turned out to be a rare setback that saw the Hilltops fall in blowout fashion. Saskatoon finished the regular season with a 7-1 record and saw its 15 game winning streak including regular season and post-season play come to an end.

    While the Hilltops wanted to prevent losing any players to injury, the final result on the scoreboard against the Colts, who finished at 5-3, was shocking. That last time most in Saskatoon can recall the Hilltops suffering that lopsided a setback came in the days when the Regina Rams were still in the CJFL.

    The Rams hammered the Hilltops 48-10 in the 1998 PFC final, which was the last encounter by those two clubs, on route to winning the Canadian Bowl before moving on to the Canadian university ranks.

    The most disappointing thing about Saskatoon’s loss to Calgary on Sunday was it felt like the whole Hilltops team was off.

    A promising early offensive series by the Hilltops was nixed, when receiver Davis Mitchell fumbled the ball away. That turnover didn’t cost the Toppers, but Calgary took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter on a 42-yard field goal from Kyle Bryne.

Dylan Minshull ran for 195 yards on 33 carries for the Colts.

    Near the end of the first quarter, Hilltops starting quarterback Jared Andreychuk appeared to hit receiver Evan Turkington with a four-yard scoring toss, but the touchdown was called back due to a penalty. The drive ended when Andreychuk was sacked, and he fumbled the ball away to the Colts defence. That was the starting signal caller’s last play of the contest, as the Toppers stuck with a plan to allow everyone on their roster to hit the field.

    Early in the second quarter, Brett Thorarinsson hit a 37-yard field goal for the Hilltops to pull them into a 3-3 tie with the Colts. From there, the contest was taken over by the visitors.

The Colts went ahead 10-3 with 29.7 seconds to play in the second quarter on an 11-yard touchdown run by Dylan Minshull.

    Saskatoon opened the third quarter getting a point on a kick-off single from Liam Murphy, who took over the team’s kicking duties in the second half, to cut the Colts lead to 10-4.

    Calgary then hit full gear. Minshull ran in another major from 11 yards out, and Bryne hit a 30-yard field goal to extend Calgary’s lead to 20-4 at the end of the third quarter. Minshull, who had 195 yards rushing on 33 carries, scored his third major of the day on a nine-yard romp in the fourth quarter, and Colts starting quarterback John Kiesman hit receiver Kyle Brick on a 15-yard aerial major to round out the game’s scoring.

    Saskatoon turned the ball over four times on an interception and three fumbles. Calgary committed two turnovers off an interception and a turnover on downs.

    In the second half, both teams elected to keep the ball on the ground for most of the time with a lot of bland running plays. That tactic is used to dull video future opponents can use for study purposes.

    Besides the soft effort, it also felt like the Hilltops let a good team like the Colts off the hook in a way. The Colts moved the ball well even then the Hilltops had their starters in, and the win has to help the Calgary players get over a mental block when it comes to beating the Hilltops.

    Guided by a strong head coach in Matthew (Snoop) Blokker, the Colts could see the Hilltops down the road in a possible PFC final match.

The Hilltops lost star DL Blake Adams to a left knee injury on Sunday.

    With that in mind, the injury worries were there Hilltops, and the injury bug did bite. In the short time the starters were on the field, Saskatoon star defensive end Blake Adams suffered a left knee injury in the second quarter, and he stood on the sidelines on crutches for the whole second half. If the fifth-year veteran can’t go in the post-season, his absence will provide a sizable hole in the Hilltops lineup.

    The Colts will travel to Regina this coming Sunday in one PFC semifinal match to face the Thunder (6-2). The Thunder also closed their regular season on Sunday dumping the visiting Edmonton Huskies 29-6.

    The Hilltops host the Winnipeg Rifles (4-4) in the other PFC semifinal this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at SMF. The Rifles concluded their regular season traveling to Edmonton on Sunday to slip past the host Wildcats 36-33.

    The Edmonton Huskies and Wildcats finished at the bottom of the PFC standings with respective 1-7 marks.

    If you have any comments you want to pass along about this blog post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. Check out Twitter for more game photos @StanksSports.

Hilltops face first big test in Colts

Davis Mitchell hauls in a pass for the Hilltops.

    Success won’t be a given for the Saskatoon Hilltops entering the 2015 campaign.

    Since the modern version of the franchise was born in 1947, the Hilltops have traditionally been one of the dominant programs in the Canadian Junior Football League winning 17 national championships. They are the defending Canadian Bowl champions and have captured the CJFL’s crown in four of the last five years.

    On the road to repeating as CJFL champs, the Hilltops hardest challenge might be getting out of the Prairie Football Conference. Saskatoon has been one of the dominant teams in the PFC since the loop was formed in 1976.

    While that dominance hasn’t changed over the last 15 years, the quality of the circuit’s other teams has improved, and during that span of time, the conference’s other squads have taken turns being a real threat towards the Hilltops’ run of success. The Edmonton Huskies displaced the Hilltops at the top of the CJFL mountain winning back-to-back Canadian Bowls in 2004 and 2005.

    The Edmonton Wildcats took the PFC title in 2006 and 2009 advancing to the Canadian Bowl in both of those campaigns only to fall to the Vancouver Island Raiders.

    This year, the Hilltops two biggest conference threats are likely the Regina Thunder and the Calgary Colts. The Thunder captured the CJFL championship in 2013 and won both their head-to-head matches with the Hilltops last season.

    The Colts are entering their second season under the guidance of head coach Matthew (Snoop) Blokker. Blokker joined the Colts after obtaining legendary status as the head coach of the Vancouver Island Raiders of the British Columbia Football League. He guided the Raiders to three Canadian Bowl championships, and he was the BCFC’s winningest coach posting an 89-13-2 mark at the helm of both the Raiders and Victoria Rebels during his career.

    Under Blokker, the Colts went from being an 0-8 club in 2013 to a team with a 4-4 regular season record in 2014. Calgary advanced to the PFC final before being thumped 27-7 by the Hilltops in Saskatoon at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

    The Hilltops travel to Calgary to take on the Colts at McMahon Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. Saskatchewan time in a match that opens the 2015 regular season for both clubs. With Saskatoon returning most of its roster from last year’s CJFL title winning team, you can bet the Colts are viewing the 2015 regular season opener as a Super Bowl type game. If the Colts can pull out an upset victory, it would be a statement win showing the rest of the CJFL they are a contender.

    Calgary enters Sunday’s contest  fresh off a 33-14 exhibition win over the Regina Thunder in a neutral site game at Medicine Hat on Aug. 8.

Jared Andreychuk fires a pass downfield for the Hilltops.

    The Colts added John Kiesman at quarterback looking to make an upgrade at that position. Kiesman suited up previously for the CIS's University of Regina Rams and the CJFL's Winnipeg Rifles. Brett Hunchak and Cole Meyer quarterbacked the Colts in 2014.

    Receiver Jevon Cottoy made the PFC’s all-rookie team last season topping the Colts with 26 catches for 524 yards and four touchdown receptions. Calgary also returns the CJFL’s defensive player of the year in Jakub Jakoubek. In 2014, the big play linebacker had 48 tackles, 16 assisted tackles, four knockdowns, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions.

    The Colts were also strong at forcing turnovers posting a plus-14 in the takeaway/giveaway category.

    The Hilltops head into 2015 with a roster that contains 15 players in their 22-year-old years, and the Toppers have the potential to be better than they were a year ago.

    Saskatoon posted a 9-2 overall record last season including action in the regular season and playoffs.

    Quarterback Jared Andreychuk completed 99-of-201 passes for 1,624 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. During the 2014 post-season, Andreychuk and the offence performed at an extremely high level, where the signal caller posted back-to-back 300-plus yard passing games in the PFC final and the Canadian Bowl.

    Now in his fourth season, Andreychuk could put up numbers that make his 2014 totals look pedestrian. He also big time benefits from the fact he gets to air the ball out to a group of talented receivers that includes Evan Turkington, Evan Kopchynski and Davis Mitchell. Turkington attended training camp with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

    Star tailback Wayndel Lewis, who was the CJFL’s offensive player of the year in 2014, graduated from the Hilltops program and will suit up for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the upcoming CIS season. Third year veteran Logan Fischer will give the Hilltops a strong presence at tailback. When Lewis missed last year’s PFC final and Canadian Bowl due to injury, Fischer ran for a combined 274 yards in those two contests on 47 carries.

    The offensive line is solid with Terry Thesen at right tackle, Nathan Heide at right guard, Jordan Hydomako at centre, Drayke Unger at left guard and Tyler Hoath at left tackle all expect to start. Thesen, Heide and Hydomako are all in their fifth years, while Unger and Hoath are on their fourth years.

The Hilltops defence forces a turnover during the squad's alumni game.

    Defensively, the Hilltops were strong at forcing takeaways posting a plus-17 in the takeaway versus giveaway category. Defensive back Dylan Larson was the defensive player of the game in last year’s Canadian Bowl, and he will be part of a strong secondary including fifth-year safety and captain Austin Thorarinson. Fifth-year veteran Quinn Pierce should help anchor a strong group of linebackers.

    Fifth year veterans Blake Adams and Matt Kozun are keystones on the defensive line, while third-year vet Blake Hermann will be a force off the edge. Kozun was also in camp with the Roughriders.

    For Week 1 of the PFC season, the clash between the Hilltops and Colts will make for an interesting early measuring stick.

    NOTE – Second year defensive halfback James Vause, who will be in his first year as a starter, traded in his old #4 jersey for #24 this season. Vause wanted to wear #24, because that was the number worn by Cody Smuk, who was the gritty and hard-working former forward with the U of Saskatchewan Men’s Hockey team. Smuk passed away of cancer in June, and he was engaged to Vause’s older sister, Stephanie.

Eight is great for Canada

    It seems all Canada does at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup is win gold.

    On Saturday, Canada captured gold for the eighth straight year at the annual summer under-18 tournament held in the Czech Republic. In the championship final, Canada dumped Sweden 7-3 at the Alcaplast Arena in Breclav in the Czech Republic.

    Pierre-Luc Dubois, who play for Cape Breton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, led the way for Canada with a pair of goals and an assist. The red and white received singles from Michael McLeod, Tyler Benson, Tanner Kaspick, Jordan Kyrou and Beck Malenstyn. Netminder Dylan Wells made 15 stops to pick up the win in goal for Canada.

    Jesper Bratt, William Fallstrom and Alexander Nylander replied with singles for Sweden. Filip Gustavsson stopped 10-of-14 shots starting in goal for Sweden before being pulled after Canada went ahead 4-0 at the 16:54 of the first. Isak Wallin turned away 18-of-21 shots playing the rest of the way in relief.

    Canada was a perfect 7-0 at the Ivan Hlinka tourney guided by head coach Stan Butler and assistant coaches Shaun Clouston and Darren Rumble. The bench bosses guided an impressive collection of young talent, who should be fun to watch for years to come.

Shirley makes waves at under-18 camp

Sophie Shirley in action for the Saskatoon Stars.

    Saskatoon product Sophie Shirley was hoping to leave a positive impression with the Hockey Canada brass.

    The 16-year-old forward was in Calgary taking part in the selection camp for Canada’s under-18 women’s team, which wrapped up on Saturday. Shirley is the fifth youngest player among the 42 invites looking to crack a spot on the 23-player squad that will travel to Lake Placid, N.Y., for a three-game series against the United States’s under-18 squad from Aug. 20-23.

    Shirley had a goal and two assists in four camp exhibition games playing for Team White. She is listed as now standing 5-foot-8 in height, which means she has grown four inches over the summer since last playing for the Saskatoon Stars girls’ midget AAA team.

    As a 15-year-old sophomore last season with the Stars, Shirley had a spectacular campaign. She netted 22 goals and 17 assists helping the Stars post a 25-3 regular season record to allow Saskatoon to finish first in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League.

    Shirley was named the most valuable player of the SFMAAAHL and proceeded to pick up 12 goals and 12 assists in nine games, as the Stars won their first league title. At the Esso Cup national championship tournament held in April in Red Deer, Shirley was named the event’s MVP, and she led the tourney in scoring potting nine goals and seven assists.

    As Shirley is one of a handful of 16-year-olds at Canada’s under-18 camp, she is gaining valuable experience being on Hockey Canada’s radar. If she doesn’t make the under-18 team this year, she will more than likely be a big prospect for the team next year.

    If you have any comments about this blog 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.