Durant trade ends era for Roughriders

The Roughriders traded Darian Durant to Montreal.

    Darian Durant couldn’t play for the Saskatchewan Roughriders forever, but his departure is something most fans in Rider Nation are still digesting.

    Early Friday morning, news spread quickly that the Roughriders traded Durant’s CFL rights to the Montreal Alouettes in exchange for a fourth round selection (32^nd overall) in this year’s CFL Draft and a conditional selection in next year’s draft. Montreal has until Feb. 14 to sign Durant, or the veteran franchise quarterback can become a free agent.

    Durant, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 214 pounds, had been with the Roughriders for 11 seasons and became the club’s unquestioned starter in 2009. He was part of the Roughriders 2007 Grey Cup championship team as a backup to Kerry Joseph and powered the Roughriders to a Grey Cup championship at home as a starter in 2013. The Florence, South Carolina, product also started for the Roughriders in heartbreaking Grey Cup losses in 2009 and 2010.

    Injuries also kept Durant off the field for significant time in 2014 and 2015.

    Way back on July 12, 2008, Durant made his first start with the Roughriders and threw them to a thrilling 33-28 road victory over the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton. From 2009 to 2014, he was part of a core group of players that powered the “green and white” to success year after year including Weston Dressler, John Chick, Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg, Mike McCullough and Neal Hughes.

    Out of that group, only Bagg remains. Last season, Durant and Bagg were the two lengthy veteran mainstays.

Darian Durant runs in a winning overtime TD for the Roughriders.

    Other key figures that passed through the Roughriders during Durant’s era included Gene Makowsky, Ben Heenan, Ty Brackenridge, Andy Fantuz, Tristan Jackson, Eddie Davis, Lance Frazier and Ricky Foley. At the moment, the Roughriders don’t have a face for the franchise. Arguably, veteran offensive linemen Brendon LaBatte and Chris Best are the team’s two most recognizable players.

    Outside of the past two seasons, most of Durant’s time with the Roughriders is linked with winning. It seems like only yesterday that Durant hooked up with Getzlaf on a long touchdown toss with less than two minutes to play to beat the Stampeders in Calgary 24-23, but that game was actually played on Aug. 1, 2009.

    Later that season, Durant watched from the sidelines when the Roughriders fell 28-27 to the Alouettes due to the infamous too many men call at the end of the game. That penalty gave a second chance for the Als to kick a winning field goal after the first attempt was missed. Had the miss stood, the Roughriders would have won that contest.

    The 34-year-old leaves the Roughriders sitting second in team history for career pass attempts (3,584), completions (2,226), yards (28,507) and touchdown passes (152).

    Durant’s legacy is more than just numbers. Being the starting quarterback of the Roughriders might be the hardest job in the CFL due to intense fan scrutiny, and Durant exceled at it. He became a fan favourite despite still having a few vocal detractors.

    In social settings, he always put his teammates in front of himself ensuring they were having a good time. During Durant’s years with the team, I had a few buds that played with the Roughriders over the years, and I got to see that part up close. That is a big sign of a good leader.

Darian Durant fires a pass downfield for the Roughriders.

    At the moment, the Roughriders don’t seem to have a successor in place for Durant. Saskatchewan head coach and general manager Chris Jones needs to find the team’s next franchise quarterback.

    Set to begin play at new Mosaic Stadium, the Roughriders need to surpass their 5-13 record from 2016, or the heat Jones feels now will really get out of control. If you are going to make a move to unload a player of Durant’s status and quality, you better have a guy waiting in the wings to do the job.

    When the NFL’s Green Bay Packers parted way with Brett Favre in 2008, Aaron Rodgers was ready to become the Packers starting quarterback. The Roughriders are not in that type of situation.

    With the way Jones has handed roster moves during his first season with the team, he doesn’t inspire confidence like a Wally Buono, John Hufnagel or the late Cal Murphy.

    It appears more rough times still await the Roughriders.

Wickenheiser calls it a career

A story on Hayley Wickenheiser from the 2013 Medicine Hat News.

    It was a low-key retirement announcement that was classic Hayley Wickenheiser.

    On Friday, the Canadian hockey icon announced over Twitter she was leaving the game. The Tweet included a photo of her relaxing on a bench by an outdoor rink.

    The 38-year-old wrote, “Dear Canada. It has been the great honour of my life to play for you. Time to hang em up!! Thank you! #grateful #graduationday #canada.”

    You would expect someone of Wickenheiser’s stature to announce her retirement at a huge news conference at the headquarters of Hockey Canada in Calgary. With that said, that isn’t her style. When news of Durant’s trade broke, you almost think Wickenheiser went into action to make her retirement announcement now in order to try and avoid being the centre of attention.

    The Shaunavon, Sask., product first made Canada’s senior national women’s hockey team at age 15 in 1994, and was part four Olympic gold medal winning squads and one Olympic silver medal winning team.

    I remember catching up with her for a story in the Medicine Hat News in October of 2013, when Canada’s women’s team was preparing for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. It was conceivable that Wickenheiser might play in the 2018 Winter Olympics, but it was highly realistic 2014 could be her last run. Canada’s national team system was being filled with numerous talented young players.

    At that time, Wickenheiser said she hadn’t made any decisions on her future but admitted to having little nostalgic moments.

    I asked her what it was like to be idolized by girls across Canada, and I received a unique response. Wickenheiser said she was glad female athletes in Canada have a lot of role models to look up to in sport.

    “When I grew up, I didn’t have female role models really in sport,” said Wickenheiser at the time. “Now there is myself and all the girls that I play with and players like Christine Sinclair in soccer.

    “You’ve got a lot of different female athletes that are high profile now in Canada, and that is really good for young girls that are coming up in sports.”

    Words aren’t enough to describe the impact Wickenheiser has had on the sporting scene in Canada. Here is hoping the next step of her life is as successful and rewarding as her playing days, and she gets into the Hockey Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

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

Labour Day Classic in Regina a hit on social front

Bombers fans relish first victory since 2004

The Bombers are greeted by a mass of their faithful on the way to their bus.

    REGINA - Wow, it seems it takes longer to recover from the festivities of the Labour Day Classic weekend the older you get, but I know for myself I wouldn’t have it any other way.

    It is now two days after the Winnipeg Blue Bombers slipped past the Saskatchewan Roughriders 28-25 on a last play field goal by Justin Medlock in the annual clash of the two prairie rivals before a sellout crowd of 33,427 at old Mosaic Stadium in Regina. On this back to work Tuesday following the long weekend, a lot of people will still be talking about this clash during breaks and around the water cooler in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

    Regardless of who wins, this game and weekend is always a victory for the fans. This is the best weekend on the CFL calendar to be a fan. I have worked the Labour Day Classic on a couple of occasions, which was great, but I definitely prefer being a straight fan on this weekend.

Bombers and Roughriders fans have some fun at “Wayne's World.”

    One of the best things of this annual affair is the chance for fans of both the Roughriders and Bombers to get out and socialize. When you are out at the lounges or nightclubs or even the beautiful park area around Wascana Lake in Regina, the majority of both sets of fans realize they aren’t that different when it comes to supporting their teams. They respect each other for the passion they have for their clubs.

    I know on Saturday night a few shots went down respecting that fact along with getting in on toast to the memory of the late legendary Bombers head coach and general manager and also former Roughriders coach Cal Murphy.

    In the immediate aftermath of the game, there were a small minority of Saskatchewan fans that viewed their displeasure about how the contest ended due to the fact the winning field goal was set up by a questionable pass interference call on Roughriders defensive back Justin Cox.

Weston Dressler always has time for the fans.

    Being a fan on the Roughriders side, I was disappointed as well, and I thought that call was blown. With that said, I am have seen my share of Roughriders losses, so I am mature enough to the point they don’t really affect me.

    I appreciate any chance I have to get out to a CFL game, especially the Labour Day Classic. For me, this was the 16^th time I was at the annual affair between the Roughriders and Bombers, and Saskatchewan holds a 14-2 edge in those battles.

    This may sound strange, but I kind of enjoyed watching the Bombers fans celebrate their team’s win. A large group of regulars annually make the trip out from Winnipeg, and they are a great bunch.

When the Bombers won, they weren’t really rubbing the fact into the faces of the Roughriders supporters. The Bombers fans were in a state of joyful disbelief.

    One Winnipeg fan came up to me and said this was his 12^th Labour Day Classic, and he had attended all of the previous 11 games that the Bombers had lost in a row. He was just so overjoyed his team won.

    The Winnipeg celebrations drifted out to “Wayne’s World,” which is the back yard of a house that is across and alley neighbouring the West Side of Mosaic Stadium.
    The Bombers supporters then drifted over to the team bus, where the players went through high-fiving and posing for selfie pictures with the huge gathering of their faithful as echoes of “Here we go Bombers, here we go!” filled the air.

I made some new friends at the Labour Day Classic.

    The scene reminded me of following the Roughriders out on the road to Calgary, and the same scene basically repeated itself outside of McMahon Stadium after a Saskatchewan victory.

    This past Sunday, the Bombers fans were enjoyed their day in the sun along with five straight wins as they should be. 

    I am old enough to know that days in the sun like this always seen to pass by way too quick, so you should absolutely soak them in while you can.

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

Roughriders are a big joke

Saskatchewan’s CFL franchise deserves all the criticism it gets

QB Darian Durant calls a play in the huddle for the Roughriders.

    You have to think some Saskatchewan Roughriders fan somewhere is getting the urge to throw his or her jersey on the field.

    While I don’t condone that type of behaviour, all you have to do is check social media lines and sports talk shows in Saskatchewan to feel the frustration of Rider Nation. After Saturday’s 53-7 stinker of a loss to the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton, it is getting harder and harder to see the light at the end of the tunnel for the Roughriders, who fall to 1-7 on the season and are 6-29 in their last 35 outings in the regular season and playoffs.

    A lot of TV viewers undoubtedly switched over from the game telecast on TSN over to see the impressive and heartfelt final performance of the Tragically Hip live from Kingston, Ont., on CBC. The iconic performance of Hip frontman Gord Downie, who is battling terminal brain cancer, will ensure the Roughriders performance will be forgotten for a short moment. The criticism for the “Green and White” won’t stay at bay for long.

    Outside of a handful of plays against the Tiger-Cats at Tim Hortons Field, the Roughriders weren’t in Saturday’s game at all. The second half really felt like it was mail it in time. You would like to see signs of improvement, but the team just keeps regressing.

    In the worlds of legendary former NFL head coach Bill Parcells, “You are what your record says you are.”

    Right now, the Roughriders are a very brutal CFL football team.

    There have been a number of things that have been hard to stomach, and a handful of them are as follows.

Release of Chick a huge mistake

John Chick signs autographs at Roughriders training camp in 2015.

    In the loss to the Tiger-Cats, Roughriders fans again had to mull over the fact that defensive lineman John Chick was no longer part of the team.

    Chick was cut by the Roughriders back on Jan. 14. During his time with the Roughriders, Chick became a fan favourite thanks to the combination of his stellar play and the fact he was very active representing the team in the community.

    The 33-year-old product from Gillette, Wyoming, was with the Roughriders from 2007 to 2009 and was a key cog in the club’s 2007 Grey Cup championship win. After a stint in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars, Chick rejoined the Roughriders in 2013 and helped them win the Grey Cup later on that year on home turf at Mosaic Stadium. He remained with the Roughriders until being released in January.

    A day after releasing Chick, the Roughriders signed defensive lineman Shawn Lemon as a free agent. Lemon helped the Calgary Stampeders win the Grey Cup in 2014 and was a key member helping the second year Ottawa Redblacks reach the Grey Cup last year. At age 27, he was also six years younger than Chick, and a lot of people saw Lemon as Chick’s replacement.

    Lemon played one regular season game with the Roughriders and was traded to the Toronto Argonauts.

    If you are going to bring in a younger player to replace an established star, you better be sure the younger player stays with your team longer than the established star does, if the star player signs with another team.

    Chick resurfaced with the Tigers-Cats and has 16 tackles, seven sacks and two forced fumbles in eight games. He recorded two of his sacks on Saturday against the Roughriders.

    To make matters worse, the Roughriders defensive line has struggled all season especially with getting pressure on the quarterback.

Departures of Dressler and Getzlaf also hurt

Chris Getzlaf signs an autograph for a young Roughriders fan in 2008.

    The Roughriders lack of success on the field also has fans missing receivers Weston Dressler and Chris Getzlaf.

    Dressler was released the same day Chick was and Getzlaf was allowed to become a free agent after last season. Dressler, who turned 31 in July, is currently on the six-game injured list with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Getzlaf, 33, signed with the Edmonton Eskimos.

    The Roughriders have gotten good production from their receivers for most of the season, but there is a feeling among the fans the presence of Dressler and Getzlaf would result in more points. In Dressler’s case, he is also an accomplished kick returner, and if he wasn’t going to be used as a receiver, he is better than any returner the Roughriders currently have on their roster.

    Both Dressler and Getzlaf played with a lot of heart and genuinely cared about the team and the fans. Without Dressler and Getzlaf, the fans feel less connected to the team.

Roster fines were earned

Stamps QB Bo Levi Mitchell escapes the Roughriders rush.

    On Aug. 11, the CFL fined the Saskatchewan Roughriders $60,000 for roster violations and deducted $26,000 from their 2016 salary cap.

    The CFL said the Roughriders were in violation of policies that prohibit practice with ineligible players, having players participate in practice who are on the six-game injured list and having free agents practise with players who are under contract. The league’s investigation spanned over several weeks.

    Since those fines were announced, it seems like everyone has chimed in with their thoughts.

The bottom line was the Roughriders were caught violating the rules, and they paid for it. The whole situation also brought out Jones’ weakness on the personnel front.

    After Jones came on board, it seems players have be coming and going out of the Roughriders dressing room through a revolving door. At some point in time, you need to stick with a group of players and run with them. If you are shuffling guys on and off your roster, you can’t build any chemistry on and off the field that is needed to win.
    Roughriders fans got their backs up for a short time regarding a Twitter comment Calgary Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell made about Saskatchewan’s roster situation a couple of days before the fines were announced. Mitchell’s words didn’t have a lasting impact as the losses mounted.
    When the Stampeders beat the Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium 19-10 on Aug. 13, the hecklers weren't even that harsh to Mitchell.

Defence is brutal

Members of the Roughriders suspect defence get ready for a play.

  In too many games this season, it feels like the Roughriders defence is non-existent.

    Over eight games, the Roughriders have held their opponents to under 30 points twice and under 20 points just once. If you are looking for you offence to score over 40 points a game to win in the CFL, you are in a lot of trouble.

    Against the Tiger-Cats on Saturday, the Roughriders allowed 421 yards through the air and 88 yards along the ground. You might think the rushing defence would be a strong point, but the CFL has been more of a passing league than normal this season.

    The Roughriders have been giving up huge amounts of yards through the air all season comparable to the yards given up to the Tiger-Cats. Besides the fact their defensive line has struggled, there are times when the receivers from the opposing team have been wide open to the point you can’t see a Roughriders defensive back anywhere.

    Jones built a reputation as being an outstanding defensive coordinator in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders and Toronto Argonauts before becoming a head coach first with the Eskimos and now with the Roughriders. When you become a head coach, it is never a good sign when the side of the ball that is your specialty is not getting the job done.

Can the Roughriders break their funk?

Roughriders QB Darian Durant stays cool under pressure.

    You never say never.

    While star quarterback Darian Durant had a rough outing against the Tiger-Cats throwing his first four interceptions of the season, he gives the Roughriders a chance to win every time he steps on the field. His composure was evident on Saturday even when things went downhill.

    Unfortunately, losing has become a habit for this team, and as anyone can see over the Roughriders last 35 games in the regular season and playoffs, losing is a hard habit to break.

    The Roughriders travel to Edmonton on Friday to take on the defending Grey Cup champion Eskimos (4-4), who appear to be getting on track after two-straight wins.

    For the moment, it seems like things are going to get worse before they get better.

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

Oh what a Rush

The Rush's Crush Dance Team has been very visible in Saskatoon.

    If you live in Saskatoon, it almost seems impossible to escape the hype surrounding the Saskatchewan Rush.

    On Friday, the province’s National Lacrosse League team opens its much anticipated home schedule hosting the Vancouver Stealth at 7:30 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. That SaskTel Centre will be the place to be on Friday night. The anticipation level was upped a few notches when the Rush posted a thrilling 10-8 comeback victory over the Roughnecks in Calgary on Jan. 2.

    The Rush enter the current NLL campaign as defending league champions having won the Champion’s Cup last season in Edmonton. After spending 10 seasons in the Alberta capital, the Rush were forced to relocate after they were unable to secure a home venue.

    As the NLL is a well-established league, people in Saskatoon have been jumping on the bandwagon to support a club that has the makings to be a league power for some time. After the club opened its business office on 2^nd Avenue South across from Midtown Plaza, more and more residents have been spotted around “The Bridge City” sporting Rush gear. The excitement over the team is also trickling throughout the province.

    After seeing their season opener broadcast on TSN, it looks like the Rush will be a whole lot of fun to watch. It really seems like the hype is warranted.

    Actually, the Rush has a huge opportunity to really build a fan base rapidly in Saskatchewan. Out of the club’s 18 regular season games, it is possible to view 13 of them, if you attend all nine home games and the four road contests that are shown on TSN. If the Rush repeat their accomplishments of a season ago, their players will become household names.

    If all goes well, TSN might be showing post-season games from the SaskTel Centre.

    For now, feel free to enjoy the fact that the hype is likely very real. Allow yourself to enjoy the Rush.

Huskies Saskatoon’s most exciting hockey team

The Huskies celebrate a goal at the Rutherford Rink.

    While the Rush have a lot of hype, a well-established local team that dates back to 1910 is having a pretty good season to say the least.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team has been Saskatoon’s most exciting hockey club this season, and the Dogs have reclaimed a spot as one of the premier teams in Canadian Interuniversity Sport. After posting an uncharacteristic 10-15-3 last season, the Huskies top the Canada West standings with a 15-3 mark so far this season.

    With an infusion of a number of talented young forwards, the Huskies have returned to playing a real up tempo style this season that has been fun to watch. Everyone has been chipping in too, as 10 players have 10 or more points so far in the current campaign.

    The dynamic rookie line of Kohl Bauml, Levi Cable and Andrew Johnson are first, second and third respectively in team scoring. Bauml has five goals and 13 assists, Cable 11 goals and five helpers and Johnson has popped home eight goals and seven assists.

    Defence was a strong spot for the Huskies last season, and that hasn’t changed with a veteran group including Zak Stebner, Kendall McFaull, Connor Cox, Jordan Fransoo and Jesse Forsberg leading the way.

    Sophomore goalie Jordon Cooke, who is a graduate of the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets, has been spectacular recording a 13-3 record, a 2.43 goals against average, a .926 save percentage and one shutout. He has shown the ability to steal games, which helped him be named the Canadian Hockey League’s goalie of the year back in 2014.

    Cooke has been overlooked for a serious professional shot due to the fact he stands only 5-foot-10, but there is no denying he has professional level talent.

    The Huskies host the University of Calgary Dinos (7-8-3) on both Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the ancient Rutherford Rink. If you haven’t seen the Huskies men’s team play in a while, now would definitely be a good time to check out a game and get reacquainted with the team.

Releases of Dressler and Chick tough to swallow

    Saskatchewan residents received a reminder of how cruel the business of professional sports can be.

    On Thursday, the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders released beloved veterans John Chick and Weston Dressler, which caused immediate shock and dismay among “Rider Nation.” The move was made to give the club’s new management group - led by new head coach and general manager Chris Jones - more room to work with under the salary cap.

    The moves caused the Roughriders to be the province’s biggest sporting news story on a cold day on Jan. 14. Actually, it is quite common for the Roughriders to be the biggest sports newsmakers on any given winter day.

    Chick and Dressler are two of the team’s biggest stars, who have been long established as premier players in the CFL. What makes their respective releases that much more tough to swallow is the fact they have been entrenched in the province’s community since joining the “Green and White.”

    Both are the perfect examples of players you want representing your team in the community. They are personable and friendly guys who are very approachable. While they are not from Saskatchewan originally, they are basically viewed as neighbours.

    Their release is almost the equivalent of watching a close family member go work in a country far away.

    Roughriders fans have experienced this same gut punches in the past, when the team released other popular stars that had reputations just like Chick’s and Dressler’s like Don Narcisse, Bobby Jurasin and Dan Farthing. All of those departures were emotionally hard to take. Unfortunately, that is the dark side of professional sports.

    With that in mind, Chick was a key part of the Grey Cup championship teams in 2007 and 2013, and Dressler also earned a Grey Cup ring in 2013. Both will be future member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, and they will always be Roughriders legends.

Golf allows Nelson to travel the world

Wyatt Nelson-Zook, left, hangs with his father Gerry Nelson.

    One of my big recent thrills was getting the opportunity to write a long feature story Canadian blind golf champion Gerry Nelson for the Saskatoon Express.

    The 52-year-old Saskatoon resident lost his sight due to complications from diabetes at the age of 25. From that huge setback, Nelson built as storied career as a blind golfer.

    When you get the chance to sit down and visit with Nelson, he can captivate you with the vast amount of stories he can tell like the late great iconic CFL head coach and general manager Cal Murphy could.

    Nelson can often be found at the SaskTel Centre as a regular in the crowd at Saskatoon Blades WHL games along with his 12-year-old son Wyatt Nelson-Zook. Wyatt gives his father the play-by-play of the contest.

    Gerry Nelson’s amazing story can be found 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.

Roughriders win and 33,427 people lose their minds

Members of Rider Nation celebrate Sunday's Roughriders win

            It is amazing how a win can cure all for a short time.

            Heading into Sunday’s game at Mosaic Stadium with the Ottawa Redblacks, the faithful that make up Rider Nation weren’t sure what would happen to their Saskatchewan Roughriders. With starting quarterback Darian Durant out with an elbow injury for an extended time, Rider Priders weren’t sure what would happen to their team.

            Understudy Tino Sunseri looked like he lacked confidence and appeared visibly nervous in a 28-3 road loss to the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton back on Sept. 14, which marked the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, product’s CFL first start.

            Against the Redblacks, the Roughriders fell behind 22-10 at halftime, and the score would have been more lopsided had Weston Dressler not returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown for the hosts.

            Saskatchewan came to life in the second half and eventually forced the game to go to overtime tied up at 32-32. The equalizing score came when Sunseri, who looked a lot more confident in his second start, led a two-minute drill 78-yard touchdown drive that was capped by a one-yard run by running back Anthony Allen and a diving two-point convert reception by Dressler.

            Chris Milo kicked a 22-yard field goal for the Riders in their second possession of the shootout style overtime format.

            On Ottawa’s ensuing possession, Roughriders linebacker Brian Peters blocked a 38-yard field goal attempt by Redblacks kicker Brett Maher to preserve a 35-32 win and send the sellout crowd of 33,427 into hysteria.

            At that moment, the fans in the stands were jumping up and down, cheering and hugging the neighbours that sat beside them even if they didn’t know them. They were just happy the Roughriders won at that point in time regardless of how they team got to the end result.

            For a short time, the team’s troubles were forgotten.

Dressler is a beast

            So how fun is it to watch Weston Dressler play football?

            Rider Nation got a real treat on Sunday from the veteran slotback during the Saskatchewan Roughriders 35-32 overtime win over the Ottawa Redblacks at Mosaic Stadium.

            Late in the second quarter, Dressler gave the Roughriders a spark with a 78-yard punt return touchdown. He easily topped that with two plays in the second half.

            Early in the fourth quarter, the Bismarck, North Dakota, product caught a seven-yard crossing pass and turned the play into a 60-yard receiving touchdown, where he spun and ducked out of numerous tackle attempts going down the left sideline. It was arguably the most spectacular play in the CFL this season.

            In order to force overtime, Dressler made a diving catch for a two-point convert late in the fourth quarter to cause a 32-32 tie.

            On the day, Dressler caught seven passes for 125 yards, returned five punts for 103 yards and one rushing attempt for five yards, scored two touchdowns and hauled in the two-point convert. 

Huskies close to a shocker

             The University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team shouldn’t worry too much about letting this one get away.

            On Friday at Griffiths Stadium, they were in position for most of the night to pull off a monster upset over the University of Calgary Dinos in a battle for first place in the Canada West Conference. The Huskies led 24-21 at halftime and were locked in a 24-24 draw for most of the second half.

            The Dinos, who have won the last six straight Canada West titles, scored two touchdowns in the final 3:31 of the fourth quarter to pull out a 38-24 victory.

            While most of the 5,801 engaged spectators were likely disappointed about the final outcome, they also spoke with pride about the effort their team put in against the powerful Dinos (3-0).

            The Huskies (2-1) have a lot to build off of in defeat. They might get another shot at the Dinos in the post-season. 

Blades still a work in progress 

            Some of the initial optimism with the Saskatoon Blades got tempered thanks to the Prince Albert Raiders.

            The Raiders swept the Blades in a home-and-home series that opened the WHL regular season for both teams. In the second of those losses on Saturday, the Blades fell at home 3-1 to the Raiders before 6,337 spectators at the building that is still known at the moment as the Credit Union Centre.

            The Blades had trouble busting through the trapping system that the Raiders utilized. Going 0-for-5 on the power play also didn’t help the cause for the host side.

            The effort was there from the Saskatoon side. The Raiders won because they the superior team, when it came to executing systems on the ice.

            With all that said, the Blades are still rebuilding from loading up to be the host team for the Memorial Cup in 2013 and loading up to try and make a long playoff run in 2011, when they finished first overall in the WHL.

            The rebuild could still be seen from a number of moves from Monday. The Blades dealt Nikita Scherbak, who was their leading scorer last season, to the Everett Silvertips in exchange for 1997-born goaltender Nik Amundrud, a first round selection in the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft and a second round selection in the 2016 Bantam Draft.

            The deal helped Saskatoon recover some of the lost high end draft picks that were traded away in 2011 and 2013 and get a goaltending prospect who will get the chance to play now.

            The team also released overage goaltender Troy Trembley and 18-year-old defenceman Ross Hnidy. The double blue still have to make some cuts, when players return from NHL camps. Saskatoon is currently carrying 14 forwards, nine defencemen and three goaltenders. 

Hilltops roll 

            The Saskatoon Hilltops improved to 3-2 after posting a second straight blowout victory.

            On Sunday, they traveled to Calgary and bombed the Colts 47-19. Things were close for a bit as Saskatoon led 17-10 at halftime. Turnovers played a key as the Hilltops intercepted four Colts (1-4) passes and recovered one fumble from the host side. Saskatoon didn’t commit any turnovers.

            After two weeks on the road, the Hilltops return home to the newly renovated and named Saskatoon Minor Football Field this coming Sunday to take on the Winnipeg Rifles for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Rifles also sport a 3-2 record after falling 43-20 last week to the defending CJFL champion Regina Thunder.

 The jinx was in Huskies women’s hockey team 

            Oops, that was a bit unintentional.

            It appears I gave the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team almost a mafia style kiss of death heading into the Mandi Schwartz Challenge tournament last weekend in Regina. The Huskies are the defending Canada West champs, who return most of their players from that squad. I wrote in this blog that it was perfectly fine to optimistic about their upcoming season.

            They then went winless in a pre-season tourney hosted by the University of Regina Cougars. According to the Cougars website, the Huskies fell 1-0 to the University of Manitoba Bisons, 2-0 to the York University Lions and 5-0 to the host Cougars, who fell to the Huskies in last season’s Canada West final.

            When one team gets played up in a blog like I wrote about the Huskies, that article usually finds its way into the dressing rooms of their future opponents and are used for motivation, especially given the fact not a whole lot of media coverage is given to Canadian Interuniversity Sport women’s hockey in Canada.

            Due to the media cuts that have come down in Canada, teams like the Huskies women’s hockey team won’t draw a whole lot of media coverage, even with having won a conference title, due to the fact resources media companies have are stretched thin. Those teams won’t get much of a spotlight until they go to a national championship type tournament.

I just wanted to give a little recognition to a great bunch of people, who have won a conference title. I still believe the Mandi Schwartz Challenge tourney will be a blip on the radar, and the Huskies will have a memorable year in the long run.

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