Second half surge powers Hilltops on “Opening Day”

Saskatoon claims 38-13 victory in lackluster game

Drake Douglas returned six punts for 113 yards.

It was a great afternoon to look upon Saskatoon Minor Football Field in a stunned fashion.

The Saskatoon Hilltops and Edmonton Huskies have played many classic games, but Sunday’s CJFL regular season opener for both clubs played in perfect weather conditions wasn’t one of them. The defending CJFL champion Hilltops piled up 28 second half points to claim a 38-13 victory.

When one looks at the final score, you would think it was a dominating victory by the storied Saskatoon side. The final score covered up how lackluster the contest actually was.

For a lot of the game and especially the first half where the hosts held a 10-5 edge, the Hilltops felt flat. The Huskies felt flat and officiating crew on the field felt flat. With respect to the officials, they were likely the least flat out of the three groups on the field.

Isaac Michayluk had seven total tackles and an interception.

Sunday’s game was the mixed bag of what can happen on an “Opening Day” in football. On “Opening Day,” it seems like every crazy thing that can occur does occur.

In the turnover department, the Hilltops gave away the ball twice on fumbles. The Huskies also had possessions end twice on fumbles, and they were also intercepted twice and turned the ball over on downs once.

Even more prevailing was the significant number of dropped passes by both teams and missed blocking assignments. Both teams also took penalties at inopportune times, and it seemed at times the officials had moments where they were as haphazard as the players.

Hilltops DE Kai Kukurudza chases Huskies QB Kieran Beeler.

Still, most of the 1,003 in attendance at SMF Field came away happy with seeing the Hilltops win. For the fans, how the game unfolded was likely lost to a certain extent due to the outcome being soundly in favour of the host side.

The Hilltops defensive unit has to be given credit for being the exception on Sunday for not having an off day. Even with the graduation of a number of key veterans last season, the Hilltops defence only allowed only four points.

The Huskies got the first score of the game going up 2-0, when the Hilltops conceded a safety on the final play of the first quarter due to bad field position. With 6:25 remaining in the third quarter, the Huskies got their only touchdown of the contest when safety Tanner Berezowski returned a fumble 24 yards for a major to make the score of the contest at that point in time 24-12 in favour of the Hilltops.

Hilltops CB Justin Adamko (#12) defends against Huskies receiver.

Veteran Hilltops defensive tackle Johnathon Stevens was a beast recording two quarterback sacks and six total tackles. Middle linebacker Isaac Michayluk recorded 6.5 total tackles and an interception. Defensive end Kai Kukurudza posted four total tackles, one quarterback sack and one interception.

Linebackers Noah Gedir and Rudolph Osborne each had one fumble recovery for Saskatoon. The Hilltops limited the Huskies to 138 yards on the ground and 66 yards through the air.

After an opening quarter where the offences of both teams were stuck in quicksand, the Hilltops looked to have broken through on the scoreboard early in the second quarter. Star quarterback Trey Reider hit star receiver Drake Douglas with a 31-yard pass for a touchdown on a go route, but the score was nullified by a holding penalty.

Trey Reider runs into the end zone for a second quarter TD.

On the very next play, Reider took off with the ball on a scramble and ran to pay dirt from 41 yards out to put the Hilltops in front 7-2.

The Huskies responded a short time later with a 41-yard field goal from veteran kicker Laine Santos to trim the Hilltops edge to 7-5. The hosts proceeded to push their lead out to 10-5 at halftime forcing the Huskies to concede a safety due to bad field position and getting a rouge from a 31-yard missed field goal from kicker Ryden Gratton.

Saskatoon came out on fire in the second half going up 24-5 at the 4:35 mark of the third quarter on a one-yard rushing touchdown by power running back Corbin Ebben and a six-yard run by Reider.

Drake Douglas had seven catchers for 122 yards and two TDs.

The Huskies responded with Berezowski’s fumble return for a touchdown. Santos added a single from a 39 yard missed field goal to further cut the Hilltops lead to 24-13 with 4:36 remaining in the third quarter.

Just before the third quarter ended, Reider connected with Douglas on a 20-yard touchdown toss to push the Hilltops advantage out to 31-13. The Huskies weren’t able to continue with a comeback push after that score.

Fourth-year quarterback Brexton Elias entered the contest near the end of the fourth quarter for mop up action. He hit Douglas for a seven-yard touchdown pass with 2:27 remaining in the fourth quarter to round out the 38-13 final in favour of the Hilltops.

Carson Eddy ran the ball 23 times for 92 yards for the Huskies.

Douglas, who is playing out his final season of CJFL eligibility, was on and had a huge game for the Hilltops. He caught seven passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns. On special teams, Douglas returned six punts for 113 yards.

Reider completed 14-of-26 passes for 168 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Ebben led the Hilltops with 60 yards on 13 carries to go with his major score on the ground.

Veteran Jackson Harnett started the game at quarterback for the Huskies completing 5-of-9 passes for 45 yards. He was replaced by Kieran Beeler in the second quarter. Beeler completed 4-of-15 passes for 21 yards while throwing two interceptions.

Part of the crowd of 1,003 that came to see Sunday’s game.

Running back Carson Eddy, who is playing out his final campaign of CJFL eligibility, carried the ball 23 times for 92 yards.

Linebacker Matthew Alloway led the Huskies with 7.5 total tackles. Defensive back Camden Collett had a fumble recovery for Edmonton.

While the Hilltops improved their overall winning streak to 13 games, Sunday’s outing gave legendary head coach Tom Sargeant, his staff and players plenty of things to work on. The Hilltops get back at it this coming Sunday when they travel to Winnipeg to face the Rifles (0-1) at 1 p.m. local time at Maple Grove Rugby Park.

HC Tom Sargeant, centre, knows his Hilltops need to keep improving.

As the 2024 campaign goes on, you can expect the flat effort in the win over the Huskies to be an abnormality, because the Hilltops will do everything they can to play to their expected high standard. Still, how the win over the Huskies played out will ensure the Hilltops stay humble as they get refocused.

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

-------

If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Valkyries’ Thorstad aims to make lasting impact in football as player, coach

Reed Thorstad (#12) is a heart and soul member of the Valkyries.

It seemed Reed Thorstad was destined to have football as a part of her life due to family ties, but she ultimately got involved with the game due to finding her own love for the sport.

Her father, Brian Thorstad, has coached football at various levels in the city of Saskatoon and in the province of Saskatchewan for decades. Reed carved out her main identity in the sport as a veteran receiver and backup quarterback for the Saskatoon Valkyries having joined Western Women’s Canadian Football League powerhouse squad back in 2015.

When she was growing up, Reed said her father wanted her to enjoy playing sports, and it didn’t matter what those sports were. Whatever sport Reed tried, Brian was supportive and often took on the role of coach.

“He’s coached me in lots of different sports,” said Reed, whose Valkyries blanked the Wolfpack in Winnipeg 59-0 on Sunday to improve to 2-0 in WWCFL regular season play. “He coached me in hockey, football and basketball when I was young.

“I think (he instilled) just like the general love of sports. We’d be playing catch in the backyard and going to the park and all kinds of things. Sometimes, I still make him do that with me.”

Reed said she initially got into playing football through the encouragement of friends.

Reed Thorstad (#12) is a dependable receiver for the Valkyries.

“I started playing flag football when I was about nine,” said Reed. “It was kind of like a few connections to friends.

“They were getting a team going. My dad coached me a lot growing up, and there is a good crew of us in Saskatoon that have played for a long time together, and I just always loved it. It was one of my favourite sports.”

Through her high school years at Walter Murray Collegiate, Reed continued to play all sorts of sports. At that time, she started going to a number of flag football nationals with Team Saskatchewan. From there, Reed was introduced to the idea of joining the Valkyries.

“Coming out of high school, it was actually Marci Halseth that convinced me to come play Valkyries,” said Reed. “I think just my love of football has just like grown from there.

“I love the complexity of the game for sure.”

A year after graduating from Walter Murray, Reed joined a Valkyries team that was stocked with veteran players, and a number of those players were with squad since it first hit the field in 2011. Halseth, who was a star receiver at that time and is now a receivers coach, was one of those veteran players who had been with the Valkyries from their inception.

The composition of the team started to change shortly afterwards. In Thorstad’s second season, the Valkyries roster was basically a 50-50 split of veterans and newcomers, who were in their first or second year with the team.

Reed Thorstad helped the Valkyries win WWCFL titles in 2016 and 2019.

Thorstad’s long time friend in Alex Eyolfson joined the Valkyries in 2016. The pair rotated quarters playing quarterback for most of that campaign helping the Valkyries win their fifth WWCFL title.

In 2017, Thorstad played receiver more and backed up at quarterback with Eyolfson taking the starting role. A few more long time veterans left the Valkyries following the 2016 campaign.

While there were still veterans that had been with the Valkyries since the team’s first season and two are still currently with the team in defensive lineman Jaime Lammerding and linebacker Beth Lalonde, players like Thorstad and Eyolfson found themselves taking on a bigger role in the leadership department.

“I think there was some kind of feeling out of like who was going to step into those leadership roles,” said Thorstad. “I think something that came from that is that we have like so many different leaders on the team now and have for the last few years.

“I think the leadership is spread out between almost everyone on the team that has been around for a year or two at least has stepped into be a leader at certain points in time. I think it is really neat that we have like so many people that can do that.”

Thorstad’s most memorable moment with the Valkyries was when the team won a sixth WWCFL championship in 2019. During that campaign, the Valkyries were rocked when defensive position coach Justin Filteau died in a plane crash on June 1 of that year.

Reed Thorstad can play QB at an elite level.

After learning of Filteau’s passing, the Valkyries dedicated their 2019 season to their late coach and posted a 9-0 overall record in that campaign.

“Probably my favourite moment was in 2019 when we won the championship, and it really felt like that whole season was for Filteau after he passed away,” said Thorstad. “I feel so proud of how our team came together that season and just like the dynamic that we had in supporting each other and fighting for that championship despite the challenges that came.

“That is something that I feel really proud to be a part of, and I feel really lucky to be a part of the team. Those relationships and that team dynamic that was built that season has really continued. I still feel that on this team this year too, so that is really exciting.”

Valkyries head coach Pat Barry said Thorstad’s presence on the Valkyries has been valuable in so many ways.

“She is like having an extra coach on the field,” said Barry. “I can say that, because I brought her in to coach with me in high school at Evan Hardy.

“She has a fantastic offensive mind. I’m just so pleased to have her around and continue to be a part of this team. She is a big part of what we do.

“When we need someone to come in and fill a position whether it is offence or special teams, Reed can fill that.”

On top of playing for the Valkyries, Thorstad found herself following in her father’s footsteps taking a more active role in coaching the sport. Along with being an assistant coach at Evan Hardy, Thorstad coaches flag football in the Rush female flag league overseen by Saskatoon Minor Football.

Reed Thorstad enjoyed coaching at the Playground to Pros camp.

In April, Thorstad worked as a guest coach with Saskatoon Minor Football’s annual Playground to Pros camp alongside a number of CFL veterans. The camp helps develop skills and fundamentals at the grassroots level of the game.

“I think that every single sport that I’ve played I’ve really loved thinking about the strategy,” said Thorstad, who is a teacher at City Park School. “I love getting my brain going on that kind of stuff.

“I started coaching when I was in high school, and I have two younger sisters. I feel like that kind of made it easy to help out with their teams. I’m also a teacher, so I feel like it kind of comes with the territory with that too.

“I do really love coaching both flag, and I’d love to get into coaching tackle more. The Playground to Pros camp was really fun, and then I was coaching senior football at Hardy. I want to keep getting involved with tackle football and coaching as well.”

While she is getting more into coaching, Thorstad is still getting better as a player on the field. She turned a lot of heads at the training camp that Football Canada held in Ottawa, Ont., to evaluate players for its Senior National Women’s Team.

In the Red-White game that closed that camp, Thorstad was named MVP for Team White playing quarterback. Playing the first half in Team White’s 30-16 victory, Thorstad completed 14-of-19 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns.

Reed Thorstad is pictured with the Playground to Pros camp coaches.

It is expected Football Canada will name its Senior National Women’s Team roster by the end of this week.

Besides potentially making the Senior National Women’s Team, Thorstad wants to help the Valkyries win another WWCFL title this season. The Valkyries resume their regular season on Saturday, May 28, when they host their provincial rivals the Regina Riot at 7 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

Looking into the future, Thorstad expects to keep playing the sport for some time to come.

“I’m 26 right now,” said Thorstad. “I feel like I want to be around for a few more years.

“I feel like I still have lots to learn. I think that probably like the plan one day whenever I decide that I’m done is I’d love to help coach the Valkyries or coach women’s football in some way. I think I’ll be playing for another couple few years.

Reed Thorstad plans to keep playing football for a few more years.

“We’ll see what happens.”

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

-------

If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Dach gets sweet gift with Team Canada WJC selection camp

Kirby Dach in action with the Blades in January of 2019.

It appears the opportunity to play for Canada at the world junior hockey championships will likely unfold for Kirby Dach, and that is a good thing.

At first, it appeared the 19-year-old Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., product wouldn’t ever get the chance to play at a world juniors, because the skilled centre progressed too quickly when it came to playing the game of hockey.

During the 2018-19 campaign, Dach had a spectacular 17-year-old sophomore campaign with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades posting 25 goals, 48 assists and a plus-15 rating in the plus-minus department in 62 regular season games.

He added five goals and three assists appearing in all 10 of the Blades games in the 2019 WHL playoffs.

Thanks to those efforts, Dach, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 197 pounds, was selected in the first round and third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He signed a three-year NHL entry-level contract with the Blackhawks going into last season.

He progressed well enough through summer that he was able to crack the Blackhawks roster as an 18-year-old rookie. Dach played regular minutes with the Blackhawks appearing in 64 regular season games recording eight goals, 15 assists and a minus-one rating.

The Blackhawks deemed Dach to be so valuable that they didn’t make him available to Canada for the world junior championship tournament played in Ostrava in the Czech Republic in the 2019-20 season. Canada captured the gold medal downing Russia 4-3 in the tournament final played on Jan. 5.

Kirby Dach made the NHL last season as an 18-year-old rookie.

With the NHL targeting January 1, 2021 as the opening day for the start of the upcoming season, the Blackhawks announced on Thursday that Dach was being loaned to Hockey Canada for the upcoming world juniors, which are slated to run Dec. 25, 2020 to January 5, 2021 in a bubble format at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alta.

Dach is one of 47 players who will take part in the selection camp for Canada’s world junior team that will start on Nov. 16 in Red Deer and run for 28 days to Dec. 13. Players will begin living in a bubble environment when they arrive in camp on Nov. 16 and won’t leave that environment until the world juniors wrap up on Jan. 5, 2021.

The bubble environment is being utilized due to the fact the world is firmly in the grips of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Canadian selection camp itself is closed to the public and the media due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Had the world unfolded like normal, Dach likely wouldn’t have been made available for world juniors.

Going into that event, Dach will have experience on his side. He suited up with the Blackhawks as part of the NHL’s modified post-season played in the hub cities of Toronto and Edmonton in August and September.

The Blackhawks played exclusively in Edmonton winning a best-of-five qualification series against the host Oilers 3-1 before falling in five games in a best-of-seven Western Conference quarter-final series to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Dach appeared in all of the Blackhawks nine post-season games posting one goal, five assists and a plus-three rating.

It will not be a new experience for Dach when it comes to living in a bubble environment. In the current day, players are more connected to each other than ever thanks to social media, and other attendees at the camp will be able to talk to Dach about his bubble environment experiences.

Kirby Dach is in Hockey Canada’s plans for world juniors.

While suiting up in the NHL is the ultimate dream for hockey players growing up in Canada, another ultimate dream of playing for Canada at world juniors.

At the moment, Dach will get to revisit the ultimate dream of playing for Canada. Back in August of 2018, Dach helped Canada win gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup held jointly at Rogers Place in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta.

Dach had two goals and five assists playing in all of Canada’s five games at that event. He played at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup along with Blades teammate in netminder Nolan Maier and with Blades head coach Mitch Love on the Canadian team staff as an assistant coach.

The Hlinka Gretzky Cup is a best-versus-best tournament featuring the top national teams in the world in the under-18 age group.

Back in November of 2017, both Dach and Maier played for Canada Black at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge held jointly in Dawson Creek and Fort St. John, B.C. Dach had a goal and six assists in five games at that event.

At this year’s world junior selection camp for Hockey Canada, Dach will be reunited with Love, who will serve as an assistant coach for Canada for the second straight year.

For a short time, Dach will be back with his age group and will likely get an opportunity to be a leader amongst that group. That group includes 15 invitees from the WHL.

The invitees include offensive-defenceman Kaiden Guhle of the Prince Albert Raiders along with Prince Albert product and Brandon Wheat Kings offensive defenceman Braden Schneider.

Kirby Dach helped Canada win gold at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

A pair of Saskatoon products from the WHL received invites in centre Connor Zary from the Kamloops Blazers and left-winger Adam Beckman from the Spokane Chiefs. Beckman topped the WHL in scoring last season piling up 48 goals and 59 assists for 107 points to go with a plus-44 rating in 63 regular season games.

Left-winger Alexis Lafreniere, who is slated to be with the NHL’s New York Rangers on a full-time basis this coming season, might still be added the selection camp roster too.

Of course, the spectre of the COVID-19 pandemic hangs over this event, and there is still a chance world juniors might not happen.

Still at this moment in time, Dach is on a path to skate for Canada at world juniors and realize a dream he had watching the event annually over the Christmas season growing up. It is a dream he should every chance to make a reality, if world events allow it.

SMF high school academy league shines, other notes

Daniel Wiebe (#5) runs the ball for Team Green 1.

The fall Northern Sask Academy League was good, like really good.

Back in August when the Saskatoon Secondary Schools Athletic Directorate cancelled high school football for the city due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Saskatoon Minor Football stepped in to fill the void. SMF signed up high school aged players from Grades 10 to 12 for the fall North Saskatchewan Academy.

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team ran some high school programming too, but SMF was hoping to get in some games likely under a six-man format.

For about the past month and a half, SMF held games in league play through the fall Northern Sask Academy League. The players that signed up for the high school academy were split into six teams for league games, which were play in 12-versus-12 format.

The league ended up being a best-versus-best circuit from the Saskatoon high school ranks. The level of play at the games that took place at Saskatoon Minor Football Field was outstanding.

The circuit wrapped up with a trio of games on Wednesday night. Team Green 1 got past Team Black 35-28, Team White downed Team Blue 22-8 and Team Yellow slipped by Team Green 2 by score of 25-13.

Toryn Swystun-Bernes (#77) locks in a block for Team Blue.

The league saw numerous players make big plays including running backs Kayden Miller and Daniel Wiebe, linebacker Zach Zary and Toryn Swystun-Bernes, who played both offensive and defensive line.

It seemed like the big plays that were made felt that much bigger, because the level of play felt like it was a step up from regular high school football.

If you were able to watch the streamed broadcasts over SMF’s Facebook site, you could tell the SMF crew did a fantastic job with the game presentation. At the park, the public address announcing and the music that played between breaks and after scores was spot on.

The crew with SMF deserve a tonne of credit for making this league happen during these COVID-19 pandemic times, and the level of play from the circuit was beyond what anyone could imagine.

The fall Northern Sask Academy League games were definitely the gem of the Saskatoon sports scene during the fall months this year.

• On Monday, the sports scene in Edmonton and nationally had a somber day with the passing of 57-year-old Joey Moss, who was a dressing room attendant for the NHL’s Oilers and the CFL’s Edmonton Football Club. Moss, who had Down syndrome since birth, had been with both teams since the mid 1980s and became an institution in Edmonton’s sports scene.
• On Monday, David Braley, who was the owner of the CFL’s British Columbia Lions, passed away at age 79 after battling an undisclosed long term illness. Braley had previously owned the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts. He first got involved with the CFL in 1987 as the Tiger-Cats owner. He was credited with playing a big part in keeping the CFL alive in tough times. On Thursday, 3DownNation reported Braley put aside a substantial amount of money in his will to fund the Lions for several seasons in the future if need be.
• On Tuesday, three members of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders were named to NHL Central Scouting’s “Players to Watch” list. Defenceman Nolan Allan was given a ‘B’ rating, while defenceman Landon Kosior and netminder Carter Serhyenko were given ‘C’ ratings.
• On Tuesday, centre Colton Dach from the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades was named to NHL Central Scouting’s “Players to Watch” list. He was given a “C” rating.
• On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series downing the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 in Game 6 of the best-of-seven series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The Dodgers took the set 4-2. The media eyes focused on the fact Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner was pulled from the game after the seventh inning, when he was notified he tested positive for COVID-19. Turner returned to the field to celebrate victory with his teammates and posed for a team photo without a facemask. On Wednesday, the commissioner’s office of the MLB said it was investigating Turner for his actions in returning to the field for victory celebrations. The MLB dodged a bullet with the Dodgers winning Tuesday’s game to end the 2020 MLB campaign. Had the Rays won, a series deciding Game 7 may not have been held on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see of initial uproar of Turner returning to the field after his positive COVID-19 test will have any staying power as the MLB off-season motors on.
• On Wednesday, the Kansas City Mavericks of the ECHL announced they had signed University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team goalie Taran Kozun. The 26-year old Kozun appeared in 22 regular season games with the Huskies last season posting a 17-3-2 record, a 1.87 goals against average, a .931 save percentage and five shutouts. He also scored a goal. Kozun backstopped the Huskies to a Canada West Conference championship and was named the U Sports play of the year and goaltender of the year. He also took home honours as the Canada West player of the year and goaltender of the year.
• On Wednesday, the National Lacrosse League announced it was targeting to start its upcoming regular season and 35^th campaign on the weekend of April 9 to 11, 2021.
• On Wednesday, golf legend Jack Nicklaus put out a tweet endorsing to re-elect Donald Trump as president of the United States. On Friday, Nicklaus told Tom D’Angelo of The Palm Beach Post he believed the number of deaths due to COVID-19 being reported in the United States are inflated. On Friday, hockey icon Bobby Orr took out a full page ad in the New Hampshire Union Leader endorsing Trump’s re-election bid. Both Nicklaus and Orr are taking major heat for their stands, while being defended by Trump supporters. While both Nicklaus and Orr are free to vote and endorse who they like, they aren’t immune from the fact that the easiest way for a sports figure to take a hit in their prestige is to say something about the world of politics.  
• On Thursday, the Clemson University Tigers football team in the top level of the NCAA ranks announced star quarterback Trevor Lawrence has tested positive for COVID-19. He will not be available for today’s game when the Tigers (6-0) host the Boston College Eagles (4-2). Lawrence is predicted to be the top pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, if he chooses to leave university early. He is viewed as a favourite to win the Heisman Trophy as the top player in NCAA football.
• On Thursday, the OHL announced it plans to start its upcoming regular season on Feb. 4, 2021. Originally, the OHL had targeted to start its regular season on Dec. 1. The shortened regular season will consist of 40 games. The playoff field for the OHL will be shrunk from 16 teams to eight teams. The first round will be a best-of-five format and the second and third rounds will be best-of-seven series. The Memorial Cup tournament to determine a CHL champion is slated to start June 17, 2021 in either Oshawa or Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. The WHL is planning to start its regular season on January 8, 2021. The QMJHL began its regular season on Oct. 1, but eight teams in the province of Quebec still won’t be playing this weekend being located in what the provincial government there terms are “red zones” due to COVID-19 outbreaks.
• On Friday, the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades added 36-year-old Tyler Dietrich as a new assistant coach. Dietrich played centre in the WHL from 2000 to 2005 with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Medicine Hat Tigers and Everett Silvertips appearing in 133 regular season games collecting 31 goals and 47 assists. He has been coaching for the last 20 years and led Hockey Canada’s video coaching program for the last four seasons. Dietrich comes aboard as 36-year-old assistant coach Ryan Keller has made the decision to scale back his responsibilities with the team to spend more time with his family. He will remain with the Blades as a skills and development coach.
• On Friday, the Government of Manitoba announced a one day record of 480 new COVID-19 cases for the province. Manitoba’s capital city of Winnipeg was moved to the red or critical level, which is the highest stage of pandemic response. Movie theatres, concert halls, sports facilities and restaurant dining rooms will be ordered to close starting Monday. The rest of Manitoba will move to the orange or restricted level starting Monday. The measures will be in place for at least two weeks. There have already been increased restrictions in recent weeks in Ontario and Quebec as COVID-19 case numbers rise. As COVID-19 case numbers continue to rise in the rest of Western Canada, it would be wise to expect more restrictions could be coming down the line. That isn’t being typed to create fear. It is just an education expectation after watching other jurisdictions in Canada. Also, everyone is operating on their own agendas, so it is easy to expect COVID-19 numbers will continue to go upwards.
• On Friday, Gregg Drinnan wrote in his Taking Note blog on Friday night all the havoc that is being caused in the sports scene in Winnipeg and Manitoba due to the incoming COVID-19 restrictions. That piece 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.

-------                                     

If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.