Reconnecting for training helps mental health for sports world

Huskies DT Evan Machibroda pressures and opposing quarterback.

    It is safe to say those in the sports community aren’t taking for granted the chance to get out and train in the current day.

    Of course, athletes all over North America had to go through a lengthy stretch of not being able to train together due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In North America, massive shutdowns took place from March 11 to 13.

    When those shutdowns took effect, athletes and those in the general public who wanted to stay in shape had to find ways to do workouts and exercise on their own.

    In most places in North America, reopening plans started taking shape throughout May.

    In Saskatchewan, athletes and those in the general public looking to stay in shape have been able to train together at gyms and fitness centres since Phase 3 of the provinces reopening plan took place on June 8.

    Since June 8, further restrictions have been lifted in Saskatchewan, but life hasn’t returned to what it was before the shutdowns occurred due to COVID-19.

    Still, some sports like golf have been able to once again hold competitive events in Saskatchewan.      The sports of softball and baseball are expecting to start playing games at the house and city league levels in a matter of days.
    While there hasn’t been a lot of mingling at training centres, those attending sessions at training centres are visibly happy when they get to see others they haven’t seen for sometime due to the lockdown.

David Solie (#15) boots a field goal for the Huskies.

    A number of the athletes have jobs in the working world. In these present days, these athletes go through long stretches where they just see people from their work environments.

    When gyms and fitness centres opened up, those athletes had an avenue to see people outside of their work worlds.

    I’ve seen that play out first hand, when I wear my hat working as the communications coordinator at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I’ve seen athletes from various sporting communities usually take part in workouts with Ignite Athletes with a little extra jump in their steps.

    The majority that I know come from the football world.

    From the U Sports world, one of the first persons I saw on the grounds was University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team kicker David Solie. When Solie saw me, he smiled.

    When we got talking, he said he was happy to get out of his house after being cooped up for so long.

    He works as one of the staffers at the complex too, but you could tell he had a new appreciation for being able to get out and about.

    I saw Brant Morrow, who is a defensive back for the six-time defending CJFL champion Saskatoon Hilltops, shortly after June 8 passed and had a catch up chat with him. He appeared really happy to see familiar faces again.

    One of the best visits I had was a chance encounter with Huskies offensive utility player Colton Klassen and now graduated Huskies defensive tackle Evan Machibroda at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

Ryder Klisowsky (#61) locks up on a block for the Hilltops.

    Klassen was selected by the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL Draft held on April 30. Machibroda was selected by the Edmonton Eskimos in the 2019 CFL Draft and signed a contract with the club from the Alberta capital on Jan. 28.
    Both are training and staying ready for a CFL season they hope takes place in 2020. We hung out for about 20 minutes catching up and telling all sorts of old stories.

    I also crossed paths with now graduated Saskatoon Hilltops left guard Ryder Klisowsky. Klisowsky is training to join the University of Manitoba Bisons football team for the 2021 U Sports season since the 2020 U Sports football campaign was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    He admitted he was happy to see familiar faces, when he went out to train.

    While most sports are still trying to navigate a return to play, it can’t be understated how much of a breath of fresh air it is to go out and train.

    For athletes, a new appreciation appears to have been built for that aspect of their lives.

Andrews departs as Pats play-by-play voice, other notes

Thank you Regina! pic.twitter.com/d2pmLNmrxD

— Phil Andrews (@Phil_Andrews_) June 29, 2020

    Phil Andrews’ successor is going to have monster shoes to fill as the play-by-play voice of the WHL’s Regina Pats.

    On Monday, Andrews resigned his posts as the Pats play-by-play voice and director of media and communications effective July 31, 2020. Andrews has been the Pats play-by-play voice for the past nine seasons and added the role of director of media and communications in 2016.

    The 31-year-old had quite the run as the Pats play-by-play voice. Andrews called the rise of the great Pats teams that had the likes of Adam Brooks, Sam Steel, Austin Wagner, Connor Hobbs, Jake Leschyshyn, Nick Henry, Robbie Holmes, Chase Harrison, Josh Mahura and Tyler Brown.

Adam Brooks had lots of highlight moments called by Phil Andrews.

    That group came up under the guidance of head coach and general manager John Paddock, who shed the head coach role before the start of the 2018-19 campaign, and assistant coach and assistant general manager Dave Struch, who became the head coach and assistant general manager before the 2018-19 season.

    Andrews called games with professionalism, class and flair. He saw the Pats win first round playoff series in 2015 and 2016.

    The 2016 post-season saw the Pats fall 2-1 in a series deciding Game 7 to the Rebels in Red Deer in the second round. At the time, the Pats hadn’t played in a WHL final semifinal series since 1993 and were heartbreakingly close when they bowed out to the Rebels.

    That set the stage for the Pats to top the WHL in 2016-17 with a 52-12-7-1 record. In the 2017 playoffs, the Pats advanced all the way to the WHL final for the first time since 1984.

    They fell in the 2017 WHL final to the Seattle Thunderbirds, where the Thunderbirds closed out the series with a 4-3 win in overtime in Game 6 played at the Brandt Centre in Regina.

    In May of 2018, the Pats hosted the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup. The Pats made the final of the 100^th edition of the Memorial Cup falling 3-0 to Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan, who are based out of Bathurst, New Brunswick.

    Over all that time, Andrews became engrained as the Pats play-by-play voice making iconic calls of big plays made by Brooks, Steel, Hobbs, Brown and company.

Sam Steel seemed larger than life thanks to Phil Andrews’ calls.

    Anytime you saw the Pats stars making a highlight, you could hear Andrews’ voice.

    It was a cool development considering Andrews grew up in Saskatoon. A lot of fans of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades hate the Pats more than any other team in the league including the Blades archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders.

    Combining Andrews’ talent and his relative youth, I felt he would be the one guy out of all the current WHL play-by-play voices who would find his way into being the play-by-play voice of an NHL team.

    Andrews said the time has come to be more present with his wife, Megan, and their three children. Phil mentioned over Twitter they would be returning to Saskatoon.

    Andrews will be a winner in life no matter what he does. The impact he made calling plays for the world’s oldest major junior team in the Pats, whose history dates back to 1917, will not be forgotten in “The Queen City.”

• Last Saturday, the MLB’s Pittsburgh Pirates signed right-handed pitcher and Muenster, Sask., product Logan Hofmann to a rookie contract. The Pirates selected Hofmann in the fifth round and 138^th overall in the MLB Draft held on June 11.
• In the CHL Import Draft held on Tuesday, the Prince Albert Raiders selected forward Uladzislau Shyla from Minsk, Belarus, in the first round and 45^th overall. 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. With the selection of Shyla, the Raiders released 19-year-old Belarusian centre Daniil Stepanov on Tuesday. Stepanov had six goals and five assists in 49 games last season split between the Raiders and Moose Jaw Warriors.
• In the CHL Import Draft held on Tuesday, the Saskatoon Blades picked centre Brad Lambert from Lahti, Finland, in the first round and 33^rd overall. Lambert, who will turn 17-years-old in December, picked up 18 goals and 20 assists for 38 points in 42 games last season with the HIFK Helsinki-U20 team. Lambert, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 172 pounds, did spend some years growing up in Saskatoon before his family relocated to Finland for the start of the 2017-18 season.
• The North Bay Battalion of the OHL had the first overall selection in Tuesday’s CHL Import Draft. The Battalion used that pick to take winger Matvei Petrov from Moscow, Russia. The 17-year-old, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 163 pounds, had five goals and four assists in 21 games with MHK Krylia Sovetov from Russia’s top junior circuit.
• On Wednesday, Saskatchewan Rush defender Kyle Rubisch was named a first team National Lacrosse League all-star. In the Rush’s 10 games last season, Rubisch had two goals and six assists.
• The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame located in Regina is targeting to open on Sept. 1. The museum is undergoing renovations which were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Museums were allowed to reopen in Saskatchewan on Monday according to the province’s reopening plan.
• With how the number of cases of COVID-19 have spiked in the United States, people in Saskatoon and the province of Saskatchewan might feel better about the decision that the Merlis Belsher Place hockey rink facility on the University of Saskatchewan grounds is a field hospital in waiting. The Merlis Belsher Place field hospital in waiting might be termed a “Linus blanket” field hospital in waiting as everyone hopes it never needs to be used for that purpose.
• It was 10 years ago today the Saskatchewan Roughriders downed the defending Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes 54-51 in double overtime as both teams opened their respective 2010 CFL regular season schedules. Roughriders star quarterback Darian Durant connected with star receiver Weston Dressler on a three-yard touchdown pass for the winning score on Saskatchewan’s second overtime possession. A sellout crowd of 30,048 spectators at Regina’s historic Taylor Field celebrated in raucous style after Dressler’s winning score. Seems weird to think it has been a decade since that all-time CFL classic contest was played.  

    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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Cononavirus scare results in weird and eerie week

At work in the home office on Saturday night.

    If I need a quick reminder of how the world has changed, all I have to do is turn on my mobile phone.

    The first thing that comes up is an emergency services warning stating that due to the COVID-19 pandemic anyone who has returned to Saskatchewan from outside the country must mandatorily self-isolate for 14 days and failure to do so will result in a $2,000 fine.

    A short time ago back on Friday, March 6, I was covering a WHL regular season game that saw the host Saskatoon Blades down the Regina Pats 2-1 in overtime at the SaskTel Centre. Sophomore left-winger Kyle Crnkovic scored the winner 74 seconds into the extra session to allow the Blades to lock up a berth in the WHL playoffs.

    At that time, life was proceeding as normal.

    Tuesday, March 10 seemed like the last normal day. From that day until now, you will likely be able to find a number of posts on social media lines that didn’t age well due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
    Because of the scare it has created, most people in Saskatoon are virtually living in lockdown and self-isolating at the time I am making this post go live.

The Huskies sign autographs for little fan on March 11.

    Looking back at March 10, I suspect I’m not the only one who has made social posts that said things that didn’t age well. I stumbled on a CBC timeline story about COVID-19, and it showed a Saskatchewan provincial government press conference from Wednesday, March 11.

    During that press conference, it was said the party was on for the Juno Awards, which are Canada’s national music awards, slated for this past Sunday in Saskatoon. Words of reassurance were offered noting there was low risk in Saskatchewan with regards to COVID-19.

    The conference occurred before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and the NBA suspended play that same day.

    The Junos were cancelled the next day as cancellations and postponements poured in across the sports world.
    On March 11, there were a total of 110 COVID-19 cases in Canada and one death. At the time of making this post go live, there were 1,328 COVID-19 cases in Canada and 19 deaths.

    On March 12, the Saskatchewan government confirmed its first presumptive case of COVID-19. As of today, Saskatchewan has 25 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 19 presumptive cases.
    The Saskatchewan government declared a state of emergency this past Wednesday. Since that time, more and more measures have been taken to shut down society in the province, which has been mirrored in the rest of the country.

The Huskies pose for a picture at the March 11 rally.

    Over the past 10 days, it is safe to presume most in Canada have seen video of what has taken place in Italy, where that country of just over 60-million people has seen its health care system overrun by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    At the time this post went live, Italy leads the world in COVID-19 deaths at 4,825. In a 24-hour period on Saturday, Italy had 793 deaths due to COVID-19.
    The drastic measures in Canada and Saskatchewan have been taken to try and prevent the health system from being overrun like Italy’s has.

    In my view, we are faced with the options of bad and less bad. The decision makers in Canada have decided to go the less bad route and try and not let COVID-19 run wild through the country.

    When this scare does ultimately pass, it will likely leave behind a devastating economic toll. At the moment, we are all in this together, so we will all face that reality when it comes.

    Knowing how it seems a lot of people have short memories, I can already see people being upset when we are in economic shambles when the COVID-19 pandemic passes. The fact death was escaped all of sudden gets forgotten.

    If you search hard enough, you will likely find a person or two that prefers to die now than face life after the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The reality is the world will be a much different place after the COVID-19 pandemic passes. Still, it is unhealthy to dwell on what the future can be even a month or two down the road.

I made Thursday a hockey jersey day.

    As for me, I have really only started to full out process what has gone on since March 11 starting on Friday. I had to get caught up on work related projects that were started before all the craziness began to occur.

    Strange as it sounds, this past Monday and Tuesday were basically normal work days for me. I had been tracking the developments of closures and cancellations and new restrictions brought in by governments during those normal work days too.

    As of Thursday night after I was all caught up, I began to wonder what Friday would be like, when I had more time to think about what all has happened.
    My mind began to worry for old friends I made over my life who have gone into the nursing profession.

    I remembered how fun it was to attend the celebration rally for the U Sports national champion University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team at the Physical Activity Complex during the lunch hour on March 11. The gold medal winners from the Huskies track and field and wrestling teams were also honoured.

    All that occurred before the NBA suspended play.

    I do wonder what different things I would have done had the COVID-19 pandemic not happened. For a short time when cancellations or postponements happened, there were other things on the go that filled the time that was committed to what I was originally going to go to.
    On Saturday, March 14, I was to have been in Medicine Hat, Alta., to celebrate Bob Ridley calling his 4,000^th game as the play-by-play voice of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers.

    Tonight was to have been a special night in Saskatoon, as the Blades were to honour their long time former head coach and general manager Lorne Molleken, who always treated my family unbelievably well. I had been looking forward to tonight at the SaskTel Centre.

I have been working out in my basement dungeon.

    I don’t think I have totally comprehended how odd and eerie the world is at the present time in the shadow of COVID-19.

    I have spent more down time with my mom. We took a drive to downtown Saskatoon, and it was unsettling to see that part of the city be basically abandoned.

    As downtown Saskatoon neared, there seemed to be less and less life out in the street.

    I’ve had moments where I was thankful I was no longer working in the mainstream media, because I know reporters would be working 18-hour days when something like the COVID-19 pandemic breaks out. The sports staffers all of sudden end up helping the news staffers.

    I’ve had moments where I’ve gone emotionally in the tank. I’ve had other moments where I have felt good thinking about all the special moments I have covered in my career covering sports.

    In a lot of ways, I have had way more good experiences than most will ever have in their lives.

    I am glad there are things that have run their normal course. The NFL has been business as usual with that league’s free agency period underway.

    I will note it feels uncomfortable to hear all-time great quarterback Tom Brady signed a two-year $50-million US guaranteed contact with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at age 42. You could divide that figure and give out $50,000 US to 1,000 persons in these challenging times and it would be more of a benefit to society than giving all that cash to one person to throw a football.

Some of my mementos that have been collected over the years.

    With that noted, the NFL is not immune to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sean Payton, who is the star head coach of the New Orleans Saints, has been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, and he is self-isolating at home.

    At the moment, the only certainty is uncertainty.

    As I said before, all anyone can do is take things one day at a time and remember we are all going through this difficult time right now together.

    Hopefully by following self-isolation and other directions by the governments in Canada, we will get to the other end of this sooner than later.

Watson goes Rocky IV training in self-isolation, other notes

View this post on Instagram

Today I put my at home gym together in my family’s shop! Had to get creative with some of my exercises but I got the workout done! Currently I am in self-quarantine after traveling home last week and since all the gyms are closed I thought it would be a great time to finally buy/make the at home gym I always wanted. I’m still preparing and training no matter what happens. Sending love and positivity to everyone, let me know if you want more workout videos! ⁣ #higherlove #positivity #training #weights #athome #quarantine

A post shared by Sage Watson (@sagewatson) on Mar 17, 2020 at 6:02pm PDT

    One of the most inspiring videos I saw this week came from the Instagram account of elite Canadian track and field athlete Sage Watson.

    The 25-year-old, who holds the Canadian record for the women’s 400-metre hurdles, returned home to her family ranch near Seven Persons, which his just southwest of Medicine Hat in Alberta. Watson came back home after training in Arizona and has put herself in self-isolation for 14 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    She competed at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

    Watson is currently training to go to the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, which are slated to start on July 24 and run through to August 9.

    At her family ranch, Watson has been running on gravel roads and working out in a gym she created.

    She posted one of her gym workouts, which included doing box jumps on hay bales. That scene was reminiscent of the fictional character in boxer Rocky Balboa training in the snowy countryside of Russia in the movie Rocky IV.

    Watson does a great job of creating a lot of inspiring posts on her Instagram account, and I would encourage you to give her a follow @sagewatson like more than 55,300 others already have.

• When the SFMAAAHL handed out its league awards on March 13, Regina Rebels forward Neena Brick was named the winner of the league’s Hayley Wickenheiser Most Valuable Player award, the Kelly Bechard Top Scorer award and a first-team all-star. Brick piled up 30 goals and 28 assists for 58 points to help the Rebels top the SFMAAAHL regular season with a 27-2-1 record. The female midget AAA playoffs across Canada were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Saskatoon Stars graduating goaltender Arden Kliewer was named a second team SFMAAAHL all-star. On a young rebuilding Stars team, Kliewer posted a 6-10-1 record, a 2.78 goals against average, a .921 save percentage and one shutout. Over her four seasons with the Stars, Kliewer posted a 44-13-2 record, a 1.91 goals against average, .923 save percentage and 11 shutouts. She sits second in the history of the SFMAAAHL for career regular season wins. Kliewer helped the Stars win the SFMAAAHL title and appear in the Esso Cup national female midget AAA hockey championship tournament in 2018 and 2019. The 18-year-old will join the University of Regina Cougars women’s hockey team next season.
• With the WHL having cancelled the rest of its regular season game due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 18-year-old Spokane Chiefs left-winger Adam Beckman won the regular season scoring title. The Saskatoon product appeared in 63 games with the Chiefs piling up 48 goals and 59 assists for 107 points. He posted a plus-44 rating in the plus-minus department.
• The Dog’s Breakfast fundraiser for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team originally scheduled for April 30 has been postponed until Thursday, September 3 at Prairieland Park. The Huskies made the postponement announcement on Friday. Jim McMahon, who was the quarterback of the NFL’s famed 1985 Chicago Bears that won the Super Bowl, will be the guest speaker. Glen Suitor, who was a safety with the CFL’s 1989 Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders, will be the master of ceremonies. Tickets for the Dog’s Breakfast can be found by clicking right here.
• Now graduated Saskatoon Hilltops left guard Ryder Klisowsky has elected to continue his post-secondary football career in the U Sports ranks joining the University of Manitba Bisons, Klisowsky, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 310 pounds, played with the Hilltops for the past five seasons helping the storied club win the CJFL national title in each of those campaigns. The Hilltops have won the last six straight CJFL titles overall.

    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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Hilltops get 10 PFC all-star nods

Ben Abrook was named a PFC all-star for the first time.

    Some of the Saskatoon Hilltops biggest stars highlighted the all-star nods handed out by the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference on Tuesday.

    The Hilltops, who finished the regular season with an 8-0 record for the second straight year, received 10 all-star selections ahead of hosting the PFC final this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. against the Edmonton Huskies at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

    Tuesday’s PFC all-star selections included power running back Ben Abrook, left tackle Mason Ochs, defensive back Colton Holmes and veteran defensive tackle Jesse McNabb.

    On offence, Abrook, who is in his third year with the Hilltops and first year as the club’s full-time starter at running back, had a sensational campaign leading the PFC in rushing with 1,215 yards coming off 199 carries and scoring eight touchdowns.

    Two of the men who opened huge holes for Abrook on the Hilltops offensive line also found their way on to the all-star squad. Ochs, who attended the training camp of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders, was a unanimous selection and was named an all-star for the third consecutive year.

Mason Ochs (#73) was a PFC all-star for the third straight year.

    Fifth-year left guard Ryder Klisowsky earned his first PFC all-star nod.

    Pass catchers Connor Graham and Keegan Dicks made the all-star team for the first time. Graham, who is in his fifth season, hauled in 28 receptions for 599 yards and scored six touchdowns. Dicks, who is in his third season, caught 31 passes for 494 yards and scored four touchdowns.

    McNabb, who is in his final campaign of CJFL eligibility, was named an all-star on the defensive side of the ball for a second consecutive season recording 26.5 total tackles and three sacks.

    Holmes, who also attended Roughriders training camp and was on the CFL club’s practice roster, was a unanimous selection at defensive back and took all-star honours for a second straight year. 

Jesse McNabb was a PFC all-star for the second straight year.

    He posted 17.5 total tackles, two pass knockdowns, one fumble recovery and one interception.

    Fifth-year linebacker Jadyn Pingue was named an all-star for the first time. He collected 33.5 total tackles, one pass knockdown, one fumble recovery and one interception.

    Third-year safety Brant Morrow made the all-star team as well. Morrow posted 18.5 total tackles, three interceptions, two pass knockdowns, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He returned one of his interceptions 113 yards for a touchdown in a 34-16 victory over the Thunder in Regina on Aug. 25.

Rylan Kleiter (#7) was named a PFC all-star as a place kicker.

    Rylan Kleiter made the all-star team at place kicker. 
    He connected on 18-of-22 field goal attempts for an 81.8 per cent success rate with a long of 42 yards.

    Kleiter kicked 33 conversion attempts, recorded one rouge and hauled in two touchdown receptions as a receiver to lead the PFC in scoring with 100 points.

    The Hilltops, who are currently 9-0 overall, advanced to the PFC final downing the Edmonton Wildcats 31-7 in a PFC semifinal contest last Sunday at SMF Field. The Huskies, who are 7-2 overall, took the other PFC semifinal last Sunday in Regina downing the host Thunder 20-17.

    That clash likely could be the game of the year in the CJFL.

Bear’s rise to the Oilers uplifting, other notes

Ethan Bear raised the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2017.

    One of the best stories at the start of the NHL season has to be the fact Ethan Bear is a full-time member of the Edmonton Oilers.

    The skilled defenceman has a huge backing from the Saskatchewan’s Ochapowace First Nation, where he is from. During his time in the WHL from 2013 to 2017, Bear starred with the Seattle Thunderbirds appearing in 264 regular season games piling up 66 goals and 126 assists for 192 points and a plus-50 rating.

    When the Thunderbirds would play road games in the Eastern Conference, a huge contingent of Bear’s family and friends followed the team over the course of the trip.

    When Seattle won the best-of-seven WHL Championship series 4-2 against the Regina Pats in 2017, it was estimated Bear had 500 supporters at each of the three games held in the Saskatchewan capital.

    The Thunderbirds clinched the series with a 4-3 overtime victory in Game 6 at the Brandt Centre in Regina, and Bear got to take a skate with the Ed Chynoweth Cup in front of his supporters.

    Now as a third-year in the professional ranks, Bear has cracked the Oilers main roster. In the Oilers first 10 games, Bear has two goals, an assist and a minus-one rating helping the Edmonton club post a 7-2-1 record.

    His supporters from Ochapowace can be noticed at Rogers Place. If Bear elevates to star status, you can expect his Oilers jersey will become one of the biggest sellers in the league.

• The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey teams that won three straight Canada West Conference titles from 1981 to 1983 and the U Sports title in 1983 were announced as inductees to the Canada West Hall of Fame. Those Huskies squads were guided by legendary head coach Dave King and featured high-scoring star forward Willie Desjardins, who was the captain of the U Sports national title winner.
• In the U Sports Top 10 rankings that were released on Tuesday, the U of S Huskies men’s hockey team were rated eighth with a 2-3-1 regular season record. The Huskies have battled injuries on defence, which has hampered the squad’s performance on the ice. The ranking shows the respect the Huskies program has nationally.
• The U of S Huskies football team was rated seventh in the U Sports Top 10 rankings that were released on Tuesday. The Huskies (4-3) will face the U of Alberta Golden Bears (4-3) on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium. The winner will be guaranteed at least a second place finish in Canada West and host a conference semifinal playoff game.
• U of S Huskies women’s hockey team star netminder Jessica Vance is two wins away from becoming the third player in program history to record 30 career wins in regular season play. Vance has appeared in 44 career games with the Huskies posting a 28-11-4 record, a 1.09 goals against average, a .953 save percentage and 16 shutouts.
• In eight overall games with the defending NCAA champion U of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team so far this season, star forward and Saskatoon product Sophie Shirley has eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points. Shirley is an alumna of the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA team.
• The new Joker movie was really good. It is a definite movie that should be seen in theatres. I have to warn you in my opinion it was messed up too in a disturbing way. You have to expect a dark script for a movie involving The Joker as a character. This one was dark but still done in an artistic way. It is the type of movie you will likely only watch once. My cousin, Justin Chomitzky, did a great review of the movie that can be found right here.
• It was super sad to hear Aly Jenkins, who was the lead on Sherry Anderson’s curling team, died during childbirth on Sunday. A GoFundMe page has been started to help Jenkins husband, Scott, and the couple’s three children Brady, Avery and Sydney. The GoFundMe page 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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Hilltops right guard Elderkin becomes Internet star

This photo of Taylon Elderkin has gone viral on the Internet.

    Taylon Elderkin seems to constantly chuckle when he thinks about seeing an off day surprise.

    The standout right guard on the Saskatoon Hilltops offensive line was on his way to work on Monday, when he found out he was tagged in a picture running the football in a CJFL regular season game one day earlier.

    Last Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Hilltops thumped the visiting Winnipeg Rifles 49-22, and Elderkin carried the ball early in the third quarter for 13 yards.

    A photo taken by myself of that run has gone viral on the Internet over various social media lines.

    “It definitely wasn’t expected,” said Elderkin with a chuckle. “I don’t know.

    “One of our guys sent it in to that lineman page, and yeah. It definitely took off a lot more than what I thought.”

    Elderkin said Luciano Jolly, who is a backup centre on the Hilltops offensive line, sent the picture of Elderkin running with the football to a site called Linemanprobs.com, which sells clothing and accessories geared toward offensive linemen.

The Taylon Elderkin run on Instagram.

    The site circulated the picture on its social media platforms with the caption, “Coach just hear me out.”

    Elderkin kept hearing about the photo from his Hilltops teammates throughout the day on Monday, which is an off-day for the team.

    “In our group chat, they just kept sending messages,” said Elderkin, who stands 6-feet and weighs 290 pounds. “(Hilltops left tackle) Mason (Ochs) was like, ‘It is rising and rising.’

    “I think eventually it got to like 20,000 likes or something.”

    On Instagram, the photo has surpassed 20,500 likes. On Twitter, it has attracted over 1,200 likes. On Facebook, the photo has drawn over 750 reactions and has been shared over 540 times.

    All of those numbers were current as of Thursday night.

The Taylon Elderkin photo on Twitter.

    “For a 13-yard run, it is something else,” said Elderkin. “I guess I’d rather see more publicity on (Hilltops running back) Ben (Abrook) making 1,000 yards.

    “I’m getting bugged a lot, so it is kind of different and fun at the same time.”

    In the romp over the Rifles, Elderkin and the Hilltops offensive line opened huge holes to allow Abrook to pile up 206 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 18 carries.

    Abrook blew past the 1,000-yard mark in rushing. 
   After that contest concluded, Abrook had carried the ball 180 times for 1,114 yards and seven touchdowns helping the Hilltops, who are the five-time defending CJFL champions, improve to 7-0.

    In the aftermath, Elderkin came away from that contest with the fame. 
    Legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant said the team’s coaching staff has a few chuckles over the photo.
    Sargeant first saw the photo on Monday, when his wife, Kris, showed it to him over a social media line.

The Taylon Elderkin photo on Facebook.

    “I’m not a Facebook or a Snapchat or whatever it is, but I’m happy for him (Elderkin) and happy for the program and happy for the offensive linemen,” said Tom Sargeant. “You always want to give those guys some love.
    “To celebrate having a 1,000-yard rusher in Ben Abrook, that is certainly one way to recognize that. That has just been a tradition of the Hilltops. We’ve been doing this for about the last eight or 10 years, where we honour a fifth-year player, and they get to handle a ball, and we see what we can do.

    “I think he (Elderkin) is in second place. Nathan Heide is still in first with 19 yards, and Tay is now in second place with 13 yards. It is good to see the O-line always get some recognition.”

    Elderkin, who will turn 22-years-old in December, joined the Hilltops on a full-time basis in 2016, and Sargeant said the North Battleford, Sask., product has been a joy to coach.

    “What a super kid,” said Sargeant. “He started slow, but by the middle of his first year, he was a starter.

    “No one has played more football on this team than Taylon Elderkin. He is a very unassuming guy. He is just a great teammate.
    “He is loyal. Whatever you need, he is going to give you everything he has got. He is one of the reasons we’ve had a lot of success running the ball and protecting our quarterback, because Taylon loves and is great at playing the game of football.”

Another photo of Taylon Elderkin’s 13-yard rumble down the field.

    Elderkin said he has taken some good-natured jabs the last few days including ones from graduated teammate like former Hilltops offensive lineman Cord Ivanco, who is the equipment manager for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team.

    As the years go on, Elderkin said the picture of his carry going viral will always be a discussion point to have a few laughs over.
    “It will definitely be in there,” said Elderkin. “It is something you will look back on your last season.

    “Being able to do that, it could have been (left guard) Ryder (Klisowsky), because at the beginning of the year, we rock, paper, scissors for it. I came out on the lucky side of that.”

Hilltops RG Taylon Elderkin (#67) assists in pass blocking in the trenches.

    Elderkin is ready to experience another memorable moment in his final season. This coming Sunday, the Hilltops close their regular season schedule hosting the Edmonton Wildcats (2-5) at 1 p.m. at SMF Field.

    As a team tradition, the Hilltops players, who are playing out their final campaigns of CJFL eligibility, will be introduced one by one and walk on to the field with their parents. Elderkin will be taking that final walk out of the tunnel with his mother, Melissa, and he is looking forward to that moment in time.

    “The season has definitely gone by pretty quick,” said Elderkin. “Being able to do that with my mom, she supported me throughout my entire football career.

    “Doing that with her, I think that is going to be real special for me and for her too.”

Abrook takes PFC offensive player of the week honours

Ben Abrook jets home on a 52-yard touchdown run.

    A monster outing allowed Saskatoon Hilltops star power running back Ben Abrook to take offensive player of the week honours for the Prairie Football Conference for the second time this season.

    Last Sunday, the 21-year-old carried the ball 18 times for 206 yards and scored two touchdowns as the Hilltops hammered the Winnipeg Rifles 49-22 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. On Wednesday, Abrook was named the PFC offensive player of the week.

    The huge outing allowed Abrook, who is in his third year with the Hilltops, to blow past the 1000-yard mark in rushing. In helping the Hilltops post a 7-0 record, Abrook has carried the ball 180 times for 1,114 yards and seven touchdowns.

    The Hilltops close their regular season schedule this coming Sunday taking on the Edmonton Wildcats at 1 p.m. at SMF Field.

    It is unlikely Abrook will catch the Hilltops record for most yards gained rushing in one regular season.

    That mark is held by current Hilltops running backs coach Andre Lalonde. In his final campaign as a Hilltops running back in 2013, Lalonde ran the ball 182 times for 1,367 yards and seven touchdowns in eight regular season games.

    Lalonde was the CJFL’s offensive player of the year and an all-Canadian all-star that season.

    Earlier this season, Abrook took PFC offensive player of the week honours for his performance when the Hilltops downed the Regina Thunder 28-21 on Sept. 7 at SMF Field.

Kleiter three-peats for PFC special teams player of the week

Rylan Kleiter (#7) is a three-peat player of the week for the PFC.

    Another week means another Prairie Football Conference special teams player of the week award has come the way of Saskatoon Hilltops receiver/kicker Rylan Kleiter.

    On Wednesday, Kleiter was named the PFC’s special teams player of the week for a third straight week. He received his third player of the week honours for his efforts last Sunday, when the Hilltops dumped the Winnipeg Rifles 49-22 at SMF Field.

    Kleiter connected on 4-of-5 field goal attempts hitting from 12, 27, 40 and 15 yards out. He scored a single off a 40 yard missed field goal.

    Kleiter kicked off six times for 340 yards averaging 56.7 yards per kick. He took on the Hilltops punting duties punting the ball four times for 144 yards for a 36 yard average.

    The fourth-year player connected on all five of his conversion attempts.

    Going into the final week of the PFC’s regular season, Kleiter leads the conference in scoring with 88 points coming off 16 field goals, 27 one-point converts, one single and two touchdowns.

Sargeant’s pride shows through for Hilltops fifth years

Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant has a lot of pride in his fifth years.

    Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant admits that his team’s final home game of the regular season always pulls at his heartstrings.

    The Hilltops close their regular season schedule this coming Sunday, when they host the Edmonton Wildcats at 1 p.m. at SMF Field.

    The ’Toppers always honour their players, who are playing out their final campaigns of CJFL eligibility, before the final home game. Most of those players have usually played five full seasons with the team.

    The graduating players will be introduced one by one, and they will walk out to the field with their parents. The Hilltops have been holding this tradition for a large number of years.

    The Hilltops have 15 players who will exhaust their eligibility after this season including Patrick Arno, John Brown, Taylon Elderkin, Connor Graham, Caleb Haight, Tristan Hering, Tyler Hermann, Colton Holmes, Riley Keating, Logan Kelsey-Stern, Ryder Klisowsky, Jesse McNabb, Kirk Morrow, Jadyn Pingue and Tanner Rhode.

    “A lot of emotions are going to come through me and just make me realize how proud and how fortunate I am to be a part of these young men’s lives,” said Sargeant. “To see their parents who we spend a lot of time with over the last five years, it is now.

    “We have to make sure that we represent those families. We always talking about coaching and playing for our fifth-year players and their families and make sure we put them in good spots so that they can keep climbing this mountain. There is nothing better than to be a fifth-year player with the Saskatoon Hilltops and leaving as a champion.

    “We believe they are going to do that whether or not, because they are part of this process. We’re going to work darn hard to make sure good things happen for them all the way to the end.”

    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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Hilltops grind way to 4-0 start, control destiny going forward

Hilltops RB Ben Abrook fights his way for an extra yard.

    It was far from easy, but the Saskatoon Hilltops are 4-0 in a reloading season.

    The five-time defending Canadian Junior Football League champions expected to be in for a challenging campaign in 2019 having graduated a large number of players after going 11-0 in 2018. They opened the 2019 season with a meat grinder of a schedule starting with three straight road games before hosting their home opener.

    In those first four games, the Hilltops took on the Winnipeg Rifles once, the Edmonton Huskies once and the Regina Thunder twice. Those three teams were slated to be the three other toughest clubs in the six-team Prairie Football Conference.

QB Tyler Hermann has two fourth quarter comebacks this season.

    In 2018, the Hilltops were impressive trailing on the scoreboard for a total of 81 seconds throughout their 11 overall games. Their closest game on the scoreboard was downing the Huskies in the PFC final 28-9.

    With the turnover the Hilltops experience in personnel, their conference rivals had to be feeling they could finally take the venerable Saskatoon side down.

    Facing four early big season games, the Hilltops showed off their big game mystique. Often veteran players came through in big moments allowing the team to pull out victory.

    Third-year power running back Ben Abrook has been a tank for the blue and gold. Over four games, he has carried the ball 123 times for 642 yards and four touchdowns.

    He has paced the Hilltops offence running behind a powerful and veteran offensive line in left tackle Mason Ochs, left guard Ryder Klisowsky, centre Patrick Arno, right guard Taylon Elderkin and right tackle Jonathan Chisholm. Chisholm is the only new starter on the unit, but he is in fourth year with the team.

Mason Ochs, left, locks up on a block for the Hilltops.

    In the season opener in Winnipeg, the Hilltops posted a solid 34-20 win with fifth-year receiver Connor Graham hauling in five passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns. The Rifles were pesky, but the Hilltops subdued them winning the turnover battle 6-1.

    On August 25 in Regina, the Hilltops downed the host Thunder 34-16. With the win, legendary Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant picked up his 200^th win combining action in the CJFL’s regular season and post-season.

    Still, this game had its nervous moments. The Hilltops held a slim 14-9 edge and the Thunder had the ball on the Saskatoon four yard line with one play remaining in the third quarter.

    Hilltops third-year safety Brant Morrow played the role of hero intercepting a pass and racing 113 yards in the other direction for a touchdown that sparked the Hilltops to a sound win.

    The Hilltops really got pushed in their next two games resulting in fifth-year quarterback and first year starter Tyler Hermann getting credited with two fourth quarter comebacks. 

Hilltops HC Tom Sargeant, right, get the game ball for career win 200.

    In a rarity, Saskatoon entered the fourth quarter in back-to-back games trailing on the scoreboard.

    On Sept. 1 in Edmonton, the Hilltops fell behind the host Huskies 14-0 in the first quarter, 19-7 at halftime but down just 19-17 after three quarters.

    The Huskies got ahead 22-17 in the fourth quarter before Abrook powered home for the winning touchdown with 1:47 remaining in the frame to give the Hilltops a 24-22 victory. Abrook finished that game carrying the ball 29 times for 204 yards and one touchdown.

    On Sept. 7, the Hilltops finally hosted their home opener at Saskatoon Minor Football Field against the Thunder. Regina held a slim 18-17 edge heading into the fourth quarter, and the Hilltops offence looked stalled to that point in the second half.

Hilltops receiver Keegan Dicks, right, looks to get past a Thunder defender.

    After kicker/receiver Rylan Kleiter gave the Hilltops a 20-18 lead with a 22 yard field goal, the Thunder jumped back in front on a 45 yard field goal from kicker Eric Maximuik with 1:24 remaining in the fourth quarter.

    The Hilltops proceeded to drive down to the Thunder one yard line, where Hilltops backup and short-yardage quarterback Doug Fleming fumbled the ball away to the Regina side. The play was negated by an offside penalty against the Thunder.

    Had the fumble stood up, the Thunder would have likely been able to run out the clock as both clubs had used up their timeouts at that point in the contest.

Brant Morrow (#22) made a game-changing play.

    The Hilltops hopes were still alive because of a break.

    Abrook proceeded to dive home for the winning touchdown from a yard out on the next play, and the Hilltops added a two-point convert for a 28-21 victory.

    Going into the second half of their regular season schedule, the Hilltops are still riding a 23 game winning streak overall including action in the regular season and playoffs. The Hilltops have won their last 26 straight road games including three victories in the CJFL championship game –the Canadian Bowl.

    So far in 2019, Sargeant said he and his staff have to keep finding ways to do things better in the coaching department. When he evaluates games, Sargeant said there have been times he and his staff haven’t put their players in the best positions to succeed.

    The players themselves know they have to be better.

    There is a realization by all parties everyone a lot of players are learning and growing in new roles as the campaign goes on.

The Hilltops defensive line springs into action.

    Looking ahead, the Hilltops will have lots of opportunity to improve. On paper, their last four regular season games are considerably easier than their first four regular season games.

    Right now, the Hilltops need to win three out of their last four regular season games to once again lock up first place in the PFC. They play the Calgary Colts (1-3) once and the Edmonton Wildcats (1-3) twice along with one more date against the Rifles.

    No one likes to count wins before the happen, but the Hilltops should collect three victories from their encounters with the Colts and Wildcats. If the Colts or Wildcats were able to beat the Hilltops, it would be a monumental upset.

The Hilltops keep making and enjoying coming through with big plays.

    The Hilltops begin the second half of their regular season on Sunday, September 22, when they host the Colts at 1 p.m. at SMF Field.

    Saskatoon one again controls its own destiny. Getting to that point over their first four games has been tougher than previous years.

    The Hilltops will have ample time to get things tuned up to their storied standards before the post-season rolls around.

    At the moment, they are beatable, but when the chips are down, they still find ways to pull through.

    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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