UFC 125 Picks

UFC 125 Predictions

Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard
Prediction: Edgar

Chris Leben vs Brain Stann
Prediction: Leben

Thiago Silva vs Brandon Vera
Prediction: Silva

Nate Diaz vs Dong Hyun Kim
Prediction: Diaz

Takanori Gomi vs. Clay Guida
Prediction: Guida

Marshall's Law

It appears the Saskatchewan Roughriders have found their man at Head Coach. Greg Marshall is believed to be named the Head Coach for the Riders as soon as next week.

A lot of people criticized Ken Miller's decisions as a Head Coach. And while Miller wasn't perfect, 2 straight trips to the Grey Cup he should be remembered as a successful coach. (If you think Miller was bad, I got 2 words for you Ray Jauch)
I really like the choice of Marshall.

The first reason I like Marshall, is because he's a player coach. Wherever Marshall has gone as a Defensive Coordinator in the CFL, he's had success. Saskatchewan in the 90's, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Hamilton all excelled with the tutelage of the former Ottawa Roughrider Defensive End.

Another reason I like Marshall as the new Head Coach is because he's a defensive genius. With Doug Berry as the offensive coordinator last year, it was big year for many Rider players on offence including Darian Durant. But the defence struggled a lot last year. The Riders need to be better defensively next year, and even though the Riders haven't added a player yet, the defence just got better.

If the Riders add Richie Hall as defensive coordinator, I think that the Riders came away with the possible answer to the Head Coaching position.

First Half Awards

With the Christmas Holidays almost out of the way, the second half of the SJHL season will begin shortly for the Estevan Bruins.

Looking back at the first half here are my picks for some awards through the first half of the season.

MVP- Troy Hunter. I went back and forth between selecting Hunter and Ryan Andersen. While Andersen has the edge in points, he also went through a cold spell at the end of December. Hunter has been probably the most consistent forward through the season for the Bruins. Unlike Andersen, Hunter has been playing with numerous linemates and has shifted from the wing to centreman. This award is far from being settled in the second half.

Honorable Mentions... Ryan Andersen, Mark Cross.

Top Defenceman- Joel Kot. Ty Ariss. Lucas Stubel. Obviously this award is very tough to decide, since all 3 guys bring a little something to the team. Kot is the offensive force that every team needs, as he has a good grasp of controlling the powerplay. His shoulder injury may hurt his chances in the second half. Ariss is solid both offensively and defensively. It seems like if Ariss has a good game the Bruins win, if he has an off night, the Bruins lose. And Stubel maybe the top defensive d-man for the Bruins. With the injury to Kot, he may have to take a bigger role offensively in the second half.

Rookie of the Year- Cole Olsen. We may see the best from Olsen in the second half, when the Bruins were rolling early in the year, Olsen was doing a solid job centering the third line. After a little funk through the end of November, Olsen seemed to find his stride on a line with Ben Findlay and Justin Waskewitch. That line may be the line that determines if the Bruins are a top 3 team, or a team that battles in the Survivor Series.

Honorable Mention- Josh Jelinski, Ryan Ostertag.

Perrault's Hits Helping Off the Ice

The Estevan Bruins Hockey Club is proud to announce that they, together with Packers Plus Energy Services, have created a partnership with the youth moral building charity “IMPACT SOCIETY”.

For every hit that Bruins Defenseman #4 Dominic Perrault makes on the ice during Estevan Bruins Home Games,Packers Plus will donate $75.00 to the Impact Society. Perrault stands at 6’3 and has a huge presence on the ice,being a force for the Bruins as an extremely strong open ice hitter.

“The Impact Society is a charity that has programs which help teens to become filled with confidence, hope,character, respect, and passion instead of fear, anger, or apathy. The Impact Society is one of Canada’s national centres of excellence for strength-based community development. The organization offers the first and only nationwide experiential-learning program that turns teachers, students, parents, even whole companies and other partners into everyday HEROES.”

The Estevan Bruins and Packers Plus will be donating to The Impact Society’s main program, HEROES™ with all money raised going back into our community with the goal to build the HEROES™ program right here in Estevan.

The Impact Society’s HEROES™ program has been credited with helping thousands of youth develop healthy behaviours and turn around many who are at risk, reducing crime & property damage, preventing suicide, developing positive role models, and improving family communication.”

“I am honoured to have been chosen as the Impact on Ice player and to be a part of this valuable program” said Perrault, “This is the Estevan Bruins opportunity to contribute to all at-risk youth right here in Estevan!”.

This program has been running with the Calgary Flames since October, 2009 with defenseman Robyn Regehr donating $75.00 to the Impact Society for each hit he makes, and Packers Plus Energy Services matching the donation. In total, Regehr and Packers Plus have donated $7000 to the Impact Society. Robyn and his wife Kristina are Honorary Co-Chairs of the Impact Fund Development Committee.

Perrault’s hits will be announced during the game, and will be tallied at the end of each home game. For more information, watch for the “Estevan Bruins Impact on Ice” web page to pop up at www.estevanbruins.com, where you will find links to the Impact Society’s Website, a tally as to how much money Perrault and the Bruins have raised, and a video message from Robyn Regehr himself. This page will be launched in January 2011.

Final Tuneup Before the Holidays

It's the final game for the Bruins before the christmas holidays and depending how the night's events unfold they could be sitting in either 2nd or 4th.

With 2 months remaining on the SJHL schedule, there is still plenty to be settled in the Sherwood Conference. You have to like the Bruins down the stretch to finish the year off. The Bruins are team full of veterans including Troy Hunter, Joel Kot, Joel Danyluk, and Ben Findlay who were in the RBC Cup a year ago. The Bruins also have a favorable schedule, with the majority of their games at the Civic Auditorium. The Bruins play well on the small surface at the Civic Auditorium and other teams seem to have trouble playing in the small surface.

The Bruins have the chance to go 500 through their toughest part of the schedule, and that is nothing to sneeze at. Especially with a couple of road games delayed, the Bruins have faced plenty of adversity in the first half of the season, which should only make them stronger in the second half.

Finding the Rebound

I am going to go out on a limb and predict a Bruins over La Ronge win tonight. Why you may ask? I think it was because of their off day, yesterday.

It wasn't like the Bruins had a big strategy meeting yesterday, or spent hours and hours reviewing game film. Rather they just reversed their spirits.

They were obviously down when they lost a 2-1 lead in the 3rd period on Wednesday night in La Ronge. And it started to show early yesterday, but by the end of the day the team bonded and it seemed like the 3rd period collapse against La Ronge soon became a distant memory.

With the team looking like the confident bunch that started off the road trip, I think they have payback on their mind tonight, when they have their rematch with the Ice Wolves.

Off Day

It was a tough start for the Bruins on their 4 game road trip up North. The game last night in La Ronge started with a 75 minute delay with the officials unable to make it in time for the game.

The Bruins still battled for a 2-1 lead after the first 40 minutes, but then the wheels came off for the Bruins. La Ronge would tie it up in the third, before exploding for 4 3rd period goals in a 2 minute span.

In a classy pre-game introduction, the crowd of La Ronge gave a loud ovation for Joel Danyluk, Danyluk with the Ice Wolves in their run for the SJHL championship. Ice Wolves Head Coach Bob Beatty said the community was very fond of Joel, and it was obvious last night. Even though Danyluk let in 7 goals, he still made 48 saves and played a great game, but he didn't get the result he deserved.

Off day today, before the Bruins face the Ice Wolves Part 2. And hopefully it likes the first 50 minutes of Game 1.

Up North

I'm currently settled in the Northern part of the province as the Bruins are ready to kick off a 4 game trip in La Ronge and Flin Flon tonight in La Ronge.

This trip is a real big measuring stick for the Bruin's season, and will go a long way to figure out where the Bruins finish in the standings.The Bruins begin the roadtrip 14 points back of Yorkton for top spot in the Sherwood. The Bruins do have 5 games in hand on the Terriers, but 4 of them will come off the board after this weeks road trip.

The Bruins were struggling heading into the showcase losing their previous 5, but emerged from the weekend in Weyburn with 3 points, but maybe more importantly the goaltending was solid. Not that Joel Danyluk or Shea Cooper were struggling badly, but with the team on the road for the next 4 games, playing against 2 tough teams, you are going to need solid goaltending, and both players played their best hockey over the last couple of weeks.

Tonight's game will be the first for Danyluk, and Ben Findlay back in La Ronge for the first time after winning the SJHL championship with the Ice Wolves. Even though they have gotten their championship rings and faced the Ice Wolves once in Estevan, I'm sure both players are going to have an extra jump in their games tonight.

Kicking off the Showcase

Moments before the opening game of the SJHL Showcase for the Bruins, as they are set to take on the Melville Millionaires. The Bruins have gone 0-4-1 in their last 5 games. One thing I noticed in the last 5 games, I have been sick. Today is the first game where I've felt a 100% since the Bruins beat Kindersley, so hopefully the good luck karma rubs off on them today.

A familiar face in Melville's net, Alex Sirard. The former Bruin has gotten off to a 2-0 start since being picked up by Battleford. He is just one of the new Mils who will be in the their lineup since their last meeting with the Bruins back in October.

The Bruins welcome Cole Gibson and Matt Szpak in the lineup this afternoon. Gibson will be on a line with Troy Hunter and Chris Daniels. While Szpak will skate with Dominic Perrault on the blueline.

Leaving For Paradise..

Looking forward to the next 2 days...Riders vs Alouettes in the Grey Cup...Flames vs Wild in Calgary...thats my plan for the next 2 days. Obviously I'm excited to see my 2 favorite teams live, back to back.

Stay tuned for photos and thoughts when I return from my trip to paradise.

Highway 39 Rivalry Renews

With both me and my computer catching a nasty flu or virus, its been hard updating the blog.

Both now moments before the Bruins contest with Weyburn tonight, here are some key notes.

Newly acquired Chris Daniels is skating on a line with Ben Findlay and Justin Waskewitch and wearing number 11.

Other than no other changes to the Bruins lineup with Joel Danyluk starting in net.

Former Bruin goalie Riley Hengen starts for Weyburn.

Going to be another classic tonight in Weyburn.

West Final Preview

It's here..the Western Final. It seemed like we have been waiting for this game since the middle of July when it seemed almost certain that these 2 teams would finish 1-2 in the West. The Roughriders struggles late the season, provided a scare that this matchup wouldn't happen. But in the minus 20 weather it's going to happen, Stamps and Riders.

I think for the Riders to win, they need a quick start. I think the longer the score is close, the Riders will have the bigger advantage. I just think the Riders offence is a little bit more explosive than the Stamps, but not by much. But if the Riders can take an early lead, and do their best to eliminate the running game of Joffery Reynolds and Jon Cornish. If the Riders can turn the Stamps into a one dimensional offence, then the game will turn into the Riders favor.

I think the key players for the Riders are going to be Andy Fantuz on offence. Last time these 2 teams met, Fantuz was neutralized by Brandon Browner, if Fantuz can win that matchup, the Riders stand a great chance of scoring on offence.

On defence, I think Brent Hawkins has to provide pressure all day. If the Riders can get into the head of Burris and knock him off his rhythm, they stand a chance of winning.

I think the Riders will win this game, and I think the defence will play a big role in the outcome. I think the secondary will grab a couple of picks, and the offence will go back to lighting up the scoreboard like they did early in the season. 31-25 Riders win.

UFC 123 Picks

UFC 123

•Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida --- Jackson
•Matt Hughes vs. B.J. Penn -- Hughes
•Joe Lauzon vs. George Sotiropoulos-- Sotiropoulos
•Tim Boetsch vs. Phil Davis -- Davis
•Maiquel Falcao vs. Gerald Harris --Harris

The Kirky Trek

What a road trip, and there is still one game left to go.

It was one of those weird games last night for the Bruins, they were trailing 4-1 halfway in the third before coming back to take the lead with less than a minute, but a night after the Bruins scored with a minute left, the Northstars scored with a second left on the clock to send the game in overtime, and then in OT Battlefords would win it.

But if you are the Bruins, you have to look at the positive and think about how the Bruins stole a point from the Northstars, and were able to walk away with something from Battlefords. I think if the Northstars would have lost the game, that would be considered a collapse since they were leading by 3 with 9 minutes left.

Also for the Bruins, they gave the extra points to a Bauer Conference team. While the Kindersley game was a 4 point win essentially, the Bruins just lost 1 point with the OT loss. There's nothing wrong giving up a point on the road.

Tonight in Humboldt, it should be another great game between these 2 teams, the Bruins are 1-0-1 this season against the Broncos. Including a 9-4 win a couple of weeks ago in Estevan. I always look forward to coming back to Humboldt since it's my home town, and I look forward to the third installment of the Bronco and Bruins series.

Bruins vs Northstars Preview

While it may take me sometime to recover from last night's buzzer beater from Ben Findlay...the Bruins will be back in action against Battlefords tonight.

Some quick game notes

-- Bruins will go with the same lineup up front, since their only 2 scratches Brett Rock and Dominic Perrault are currently suspended. Perrault is eligible to be back in the lineup tomorrow in Humboldt

-- Shea Cooper will be in net for the Bruins. Joel Danyluk is coming off a 40 save night and with the Bruins in action tomorrow in Humboldt, tonight's the perfect night to give Cooper a start.

-- Ryan Anderson's 9 game point streak was snapped, but Dylan Smith kept his 8 game streak alive last night.

-- Joel Kot didn't look out of place in his first game back in the lineup, we can probably expect more minutes from him tonight.

-- Ty Ariss may have had the best game I have seen him play as a Bruin last night, at both ends of the ice, Ariss took care of business.

You can tune into tonight's game on CJ1280 and discoverestevan.com beginning at 7:20. You can also watch on tv on Access Cable at 7:30. At 6:30 it's Lockertalk with Mark Cross, Lucas Stubel and Josh Jelinski of the Bruins.

The Ultimate Buzzer Beater

I have never..ever seen a finish like I did tonight with the Estevan Bruins 5-4 win tonight against the Kindersley Klippers. Ben Findlay banked a shot off the back wall off of Klippers goalie Dustin Nickel and it went in the net, just as the buzzer went off.

It was so bang-bang that it got me off guard calling it. So many things had to happen on that play. First Findlay had to play the angle right and bank the shot off the back wall. Second was the bounce off the goalie's skate, and then was simply time. The buzzer rang just as the clock went to 0:00. I admit that being in a visiting rink, I thought the Bruins weren't going to get the call, but in the end it worked out for the Bruins and they got a much needed win on the road.

The Bruins now head to Battlefords, is there anyway that this win can be topped.

Bruins vs Klippers

The Bruins will kick off a 3 game road trip in Kindersley tonight and some quick game notes

-- The Bruins will be without Dominic Perrault for 2 games and Brett Rock for 3 games. Both suspensions are stemming from 2 incidents in the win over La Ronge on Sunday.

-- Joel Kot and Taylor Bramwell will draw back into the lineup. Kot has been out for the last 2 weeks, and I think he would have been playing even with the suspensions to Perrault and Rock.

-- Kyle Trimp is in for Taylor Epp.

-- Joel Danyluk will start in net for the Bruins after sitting out the win against La Ronge.

-- The Bruins are 1-0 against Kindersley. A 6-2 win over the Klippers on October 30.

Catch the game on CJ1280 and Discoverestevan.com beginning at 7:20

Close..But Not Quite

It was quite the start to the play by play season on Friday, when the Bruins took on the Yorkton Terriers. The Bruins were trailing 1-0 after 14 seconds after Robbie Ciolfi scored early for the Terriers.

The Bruins did tie it up, but Yorkton would regain the lead, and eventually would take a 4-1 lead after 2 periods. But like they have done all season, the Bruins made a 3rd period comeback. The Bruins got a goal from the Captain Troy Hunter, which would be followed by Taylor Epp scoring a beautiful goal and going top shelf on Terriers goal Devin Peters. Epp made an impressive move around a Terriers defenceman before getting the goal.

The Bruins wouldn't be able to tie the game, but the Bruins proved again, they are such a hard team to put away.

The Bruins did rebound a win against La Ronge on Sunday, and will now hit the road on Wednesday against the Kindersley Klippers.

Quitting. The Love and Hate Sides of It.

The big storyline in the NFL this week was which Head Coach was going to lose his job first Brad Childress or Wade Phillips.

While the Vikings have been a giant soap opera since August, they pulled out a gutsy win on Sunday. Trailing 24-10 late to Arizona. Brett Favre cooked up another comeback. A lot of people may have been surprised by the Vikings comeback considering the feuds that have been reported between Favre and Childress. Percy Harvin had 120 yards in the win, and he was apprently feuding with Childress during the week. Both Favre and Harvin had career days in the win. Childress still might be fired next week, but give the Vikings credit for fighting back, even if deep down they don't like their coach.

The Cowboys had no choice as Wade Phillips had to go. The Cowboys gave up 41 to the Giants, 35 to the Jaguars and 45 to the Packers. Considering the Phillips is in charge of the D, those numbers should be enough evidence that the defence was a problem. But the play that showed the Cowboys had quit on Phillips was CB Mike Jenkins and his "non-tackle." That play showed that the Cowboys no longer were going to battle for their coach.

The weird thing about this is, the Viking players probably hate Childress and they battle back for the win against Arizona. And the Cowboys love Phillips, but in the end they just didn't care.

A Quick Change

So much can change in a week's span in Riderville. A week ago there was nothing but panic, after dropping their 4th straight game after a loss to BC on Halloween.

But what changed people's mind after Saturday's win over Edmonton. The offence looked like the unit that is capable of scoring 50 points like they did in Week 1 against Montreal. Darian Durant looked like the player who was the player of the month in July as tossed deep and with some velocity. If Durant is the better quarterback on the field in any game the Riders play, the Green and White usually have a good chance to win.

Wes Cates may have only picked up 11 carries and 42 yards on Saturday, but he did show a little bit of a jump. Personally I think the Riders will need to lean on Cates a little bit more in the playoffs, I think he's going to need 15 carries at least on Sunday, in order for the Riders to win.

The defence was bent, but it didn't break. The D has improved over the last couple of weeks, but still gave up over 150 yards to Dan Porter on Saturday. While it has shown improvements, the Riders D still has to be a shut down unit on Sunday, if the Riders are constantly giving up giving big plays, then they stand to lose the West Semi-Final.

The special teams...well besides missing 2 field goals, the special teams didn't give up any big plays, that's reason for cheer.

I think the big reason for some confidence is the fact they are playing BC. While the Lions did win on Saturday, they do feature an offence that will likely being using the pass. Travis Lulay had over 40 pass attempts in the win over Hamilton on Sat.

If the Riders play like they did early in the season, or even the team that beat Edmonton, then the Riders should win. But then again sometimes bad habits can come back again.

Love or Hate

Love him or hate him...Eric Tillman is back in Regina today.

The question will be, does a person cheer him or boo him if they acknowledge him at today's Rider game.

If you are going by strictly on field success, its a no-brainer. You have to cheer him. He is only one of 3 GMs in Rider history to lead the team to the Grey Cup. Granted a lot of players from that roster came from Roy Shivers, I think the most important move for that 2007 team was to hire Kent Austin. I mean 1 year and 1 Grey Cup, it just goes without saying.

Now there will be some people who will boo him because of his off the field stuff. Some will say Tillman let down the organization with his mistake, and they may be right.

But you could say the punishment was served for his mistake. He lost his job, a job he told me himself that was the greatest one in the world. I think its time to move on. He has moved on to Edmonton and you can expect the Eskimos to be a threat again in the CFL.

So while there may be some boos..I know if they mention Eric Tillman...I will stand up and cheer.

History Making

Words cant describe the last couple of days to say the least.

For the past couple of years I have been helping coach the Estevan High School Elecs football team, and as expected with a brand new football tea,. The program struggled in its first year the Elecs had troubles in their first year. They didn't win a game.

This year the team was in contention, but weren't able to pull out that elusive first win. They lost games by 5 points twice and 2 points.

But thanks to a league where every team makes the playoffs, the Elecs made the playoffs and got a shot at Swift Current this past Tuesday. Estevan managed to pull off an 11-6 win. A win they deserved. For the amount of work the players put in the last 2 years, the amount that coaches and the entire community put in, no doubt they deserved a win, and even better they got a playoff win.

To make things more memorable, on the trip back, the Elecs bus hit the ditch and the team had to spend the night at the school in Weyburn. While it wasn't the most ideal situation, the team was so ecstatic with their first win, there was nothing that could dampen their spirits. The team took it the right way and probably became a better team because of it.

The Elecs now head to the semi-final against the Vanier Vikings, a team the Elecs lost 15-10 earlier this season. Since the Elecs accomplished a playoff win that no thought was possible, really what do they have to lose.

Bizarro Sunday

New Orleans losing to Cleveland?...The Oakland Raiders scoring 59 points...in one game?...Buffalo providing a stiff challenge to Baltimore?....

Yes the unbelievable hap pended on Sunday in the NFL, once again showing why it's the funniest league to follow, cause really anything can happen.

Cleveland lead by a rookie QB in Colt McCoy and some trick plays came out on top against the New Orleans Saints, the defending Super Bowl champs. Maybe New Orleans isn't as good as last year, or maybe Cleveland is better than expected, but nobody could have seen this coming.

Oakland scoring 59 points...it happened. Darren McFadden is starting to show why he was a top 5 pick, and maybe Oakland isn't as bad as expected, but 59 points...it did indeed happened.

But this is why I love the NFL anything can happen, there is so much unpredictability. But with so much unpredictability comes great parity..and we as fans get too enjoy it.

The Best So Far?

It's hard to pick a game of the year in the SJHL being how I have only been able to watch one team, and we are only just one month into the season. But the matchup between the Humboldt Broncos and Estevan Bruins on Tuesday was a great game.

The first period featured some great goaltending, by both Andrew Bodnarchuk and Joel Danyluk. In the second there was rough and tough play which featured 3 fights, including 2 of the best centres in the league in Ben Findlay and Steve Taylor. Then in the third it was some fast paced action which featured a last minute goal by the Bruins to send the game into OT.

While the Broncos came out on top, the game could've gone either way and you never know. These could be the teams battling for the Credit Union Cup in April. And as a Humboldt native who does the play for play for the Bruins, I would have no problem with that.

UFC 120 Picks

UFC 120 Picks

Michael Bisping vs Yoshihiro Akiyama

Winner: Akiyama

Carlos Condit vs Dan Hardy

Winner: Condit

John Hathaway vs Mike Pyle

Winner: Hathaway

Cheick Kongo vs Travis Browne

Winner: Kongo

James Wilks vs Claude Patrick

Winner: Wilks

Bad Case of Attitude

Football is a sport where sometimes the best talent doesn't guarantee you the most amount of wins. Character is required in order to get some wins in football.

Case in example is the BC Lions deciding to release Casey Printers this week after he ripped out his own teammate on the sidelines in their loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

There is no doubt Printers is the most talented QB BC had. But his attitude prevented the Lions from becoming winners this season. The difference from last season to this season for Printers was attitude. He started last year 5th on the depth chart and worked, and earned his number spot on the depth chart.

This season now with the number 1 job, Printers couldn't get the Lions rolling. And this late in the season after a big loss, it takes a big change for like BC to bounce back. And the quickest way to change the attitude of a team is get rid the player with the worst attitude on the team. And in BCs case it was Printers.

Locker Chatter

First Radio and now television.

Last week was the premiere episode of Locker Talk. A television show that I host, that looks into the sporting issues in sports, locally in Estevan as well on the national stage.

Doing a sports show is something that I have always dreamed about, so it lead to some big nerves while filming the first episode last week. It was great that I was talking to the coaches of the ECS Football team, guys who I coached with cause it made doing the show a little bit easier.

As the first episode rolled on, I felt more at ease and a little bit confident. It really started to come together.

I always want to improve and make every episode better than the last. So hopefully last week was the worst episode ever. But I'm looking each show better and better and making the show something that everyone wants to tune into each and every week.

So coming up this week in Episode we are talking about University of Regina basketball coming to Estevan, Officiating in Sports, the Estevan Bruins and a little bit of Rider talk.

UFC 119 Picks

Cro Cop vs Mir

Pick: Cro Cop

Bader vs Nogueira

Pick: Bader

Serra vs Lytle

Pick: Serra

Denham vs Sherk

Pick:Sherk

Stephens vs Guillard

Guillard

Back to the Season Grind

Within 2 nights the Bruins are going to experience the biggest and the smallest ice surfaces that the SJHL have to offer...The olympic ice size in the Duncan McNeil Arena will provide a chance for guys like Ben Findlay, Justin Waskewitch and Michael Hengen among others to display their offensive skill in the larger surface.

It will be interesting to see the Bruins facing a new team after beating Melville in a pair of wins. While they did look impressive, how much stock can be taken when they only beat one team in the opening weekend. The SJHL is already proving to be full of parity. The Bruins are the only undefeated team in the Sherwood, while in the Bauer Humboldt, La Ronge, and Flin Flon are unbeaten after week 1. It will be another dog fight throughout the whole league until the end of the Feb. when the playoffs begin.

After a long week (well it seemed like it) I am just excited to be heading back to the rink and watching live hockey.

Fast Start

There is no doubt that the Bruins got off to a fast start in the very young SJHL season. A pair of wins over Melville is no small feat, but the fact they had 13 goals from 12 different players is probably the most impressive stat. Their is no doubt that the Bruins have 4 solid lines, and all of them offer something different to the team, which bodes well for the team this season.

Joel Danyluk was named the goalie of the week, after posting a pair of wins in the opening weekend of the season. I think the most impressive thing that Danyluk does, is making the big save at the biggest time. The Bruins haven't trailed yet this season and the big reason for that is Danyluk. So far he has taken the ball and ran with it.

Dylan Smith was named to the Canada West Junior A Evaluation camp in BC next week. The Bruin players haven't had much luck with these camps. Brody Haygarth suffered a serious injury a couple years ago at this same camp.
Smith might have been the best Bruin up front so far this season, and offers a good blend of skill and strength. I think of all the 8 SJHL players that was named to the camp, he has to be among the top 3 considered. Even though if Smitty is named to the team he would be away from the Bruins for a week, there is no doubt I am rooting for the native of Big River to crack that team.

Just a note about that Junior A team, one time there was a player named Kyle Turris who played for Canada West..he would end being drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes with the 3rd overall pick..true story.

Part 2 of Talking With Narco

Part 2

Talking With Narco Part 1

In a couple of weeks we will be celebrating Don Narcisse Day on Aug.12. This past April I had the chance to talk to the future hall of famer.

Here is Part 1 of the interview.

Pics From Spectra Place

Some pictures from the newest arena in Estevan. Spectra Place is set to host its first Bruin Game on Jan. 2 of 2011

Comeback Reflection

Hard to believe its only been a week since the Riders completed the Canada Day Comeback. 54-51 may soon become the regular season equivalent of 43-40 (89 Grey Cup score). Like the Grey Cup, the Riders made a big comeback in the end to win the game.
Call me crazy but I had no doubt that the Riders would come back. Maybe I have seen too many movies, or maybe because its just the nature of the CFL. The Green and White machine just would not be stopped. But I think the reason is simply the Riders offence, when your number 6th receiver is Jason Clermont, you have depth. Its going to be hard for defences to slow down the Riders offence. On the D yes they did let up 51 points to Montreal, but this is a unit that will need some time to gel. I still like their LBs and their secondary and in time I think the ends will pick up their play. We may still be talking about Chick and Baggs, but hopefully in the end we are talking about this team getting a Grey Cup.
Its only Week 2, but the 100th season is off to a great start.

Turning Over A New Season

So summer has officially begun and hopefully the rain can go away. Everywhere in Saskatchewan, the last couple of months have been nothing but disastrous for any outdoor team. Weather forecasters are predicting a dry summer and some cooler than normal temperatures, but not as bad as last year. So hopefully this means that means the provincial baseball teams can get their games. Especially since it has been nothing short of a terrible season weather wise.

Of course they are predicting some heavy rain for the fall, but don't worry, its football season. Nothing can stop football, unless its lightning and thunder.

Football Talk

Finally some live football action. It maybe only the preseason, but it was still great to be back at Taylor Field to see the first glimpse of the 2010 edition of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Some highlights of the game.

- If there was any doubt that Ryan Dinwiddie would be the backup, they were silenced on Sunday. Dinwiddie went 13 for 19 with 2 touchdown passes and seemed to be in sync with the rest of the offense. I thought that the backup QB battle would be one of the most interesting battles in camp, but with Dinwiddie's strong game, the release of Todd Reesing and the play of Cole Berequist and Kent Smith there should be no doubt that if Darian Durant goes down with an injury it will be the ex Bomber who will coming in, to take over the helms.

- The Riders receiving core should be the best one in the league 1-6. Prechae Rodriguez looked like he will be a huge upgrade for Gerran Walker, Weston Dressler looks like he has fully recovered from his leg injury and Jason Clermont seems poised to rebound in 2010 after a sub-par year. While we may not see the numbers like he put up in BC, Clermont should be more of a factor in 2010. And I didnt even mention the Riders other 3 Canadian superstars.

- Barrin Simpson will make an huge impact this season. Possibly motivated after a forgettable year in Winnipeg, Simpson looked like he was shot out of cannon on Sunday. The defense lost 3 big members from last season, but Simpson's leadership could aid the loss of Eddie Davis, Stevie Baggs and John Chick.

The Riders finish the preseason in Calgary on Sunday.

Over Already?

As each we approach the final week of the hockey season, I find myself asking one question...How many days until it all begins again? Being a play by play announcer of a hockey team you have to find a way to love hockey to death or else your job is just hell. And there is no doubt I love hockey to death.

A big reason why I am excited is because the potential of the Bruins team next season in Estevan. With the acquisitions of Joel Danyluk, and Ben Findlay from La Ronge and Devon Mitzner from Dauphin the Bruins have the makings of possible championship club, which would be a nice debut for the rink that is set to open up in the new year here in Estevan.

I can't wait til July..at least then I have some football to watch.

The Hot Stove Is Never Cold

It seems like there is so no such thing as an offseason anymore in the world of hockey. Yes there are no longer any games played on the ice, but with the constant rumors and speculation it seems there is more excitement in the summer than the winter.

Case in point with the Estevan Bruins. The team will be picking up 5 players in future considerations in deals with the SJHL champion La Ronge Ice Wolves, MJHL Champions and RBC Cup runner up Dauphin Kings, and the Battleford Northstars.

It is exciting to think that the Bruins will be adding 3-4 players who were playing in the RBC Cup this past month in Dauphin. Bringing in those players who will have a chip on their shoulders since they all came up short to the Vernon Vipers, will only help the Bruins squad.

Also congrats to former Bruin goalie Chris Neamonitis who has accepted a scholarship to Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. Nemo was the veteran presence at the end of the season, and provided the Bruins quality goaltending night in and night out. Congrats to Nemo!

Not Soon Enough

Is it ever too early to think about Rider season? Maybe the real question for me is, Do I have stop thinking about Rider season? With the NHL playoffs soon reaching it's final four, the CFL season is just around the corner.

How can any Rider fan not be excited for the upcoming season? Offensively the club just got stronger with acquisitions in Prechae Rodriquez, and Dominique Dorsey. On defense their were tough losses, but picking up Barrin Simpson should offset the loss in the middle, and it will be interesting to see who will step up on the D-End to replace the Chick-Baggs combo.

After talking to a few Riders this off season, you can tell the team is fired up and ready to go. And hopefully the team can cap off the fairy tale season with a Grey Cup win in Edmonton.

Bittersweet Time Of Year

Yes the NHL playoffs are here. Which is the best thing in the world, unless you are a Calgary Flames fan like me. Granted I might be spoiled since my team has been in the playoffs since 04, but still it sucks not being a 100 percent behind some team right now.
The games are faster, the hits are harder, the game just has so much intensity. There is nothing like the playoffs.

Now since the Flames are not in the playoffs. Who am I rooting for? Well I guess Washington and Buffalo. Washington because I am a OV8 fan. And I like Buffalo cause really has that city ever won a championship?

While its sad I cant crank out my Flames intensity this playoff, I am looking forward to 2 solid months of playoff hockey

Meeting Yzerman

So in like 2 hours I am going to meet Steve Yzerman, the man who picked the Olympic team. One of the classiest players in hockey. I can think there is only one person in hockey right now I would rather talk to. Give you who a hint. He wears number 12. But the best thing this is Yzerman's first speaking engagement since winning the Medal. That alone is great!