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.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
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
•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
Friday, November 19, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
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.
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
-- 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
Monday, November 15, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, November 8, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
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.
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.
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