Bruins Alumni Golf Tournament To Take Swing Again

 With Woodlawn Golf Course set to reopen tomorrow, The Estevan Bruins Alumni will be holding their Par 3 Golf Tournament at the end of the month. Here's the press release from the Bruins


The Estevan Bruins Alumni is proud to announce that they will be holding the Boston Pizza Bruin Alumni Hole-In-One/Par 3 Golf Tournament on Saturday May 26th, 2012.

This exciting day is packed full of activities, including the golf tournament and a supper after the event at the Woodlawn Golf Club Clubhouse to celebrate the Estevan Bruins Alumni Association and the Estevan Bruins Jr. “A” Hockey Club. This tournament is not exclusive to Bruins Alumni. We encourage all Bruins fans and supporters to register a team or join as an individual to support the Estevan Bruins Hockey Club and the Alumni.
 
This par 3 golf tournament consists of a guaranteed $20 000 hole-in-one prize for the first hole-in-one at each hole. There are also cash prizes for long put and close approach on each hole. The tournament will be held at the Estevan Woodlawn Golf Club. Registration is at 12:00pm, and the tournament will start at 1:00pm.
Registration costs for this tournament are $500 per 4 man team or $125/person.


Extra supper tickets are also available for $20 per person. The registration deadline is May 11th. Registration forms can be obtained in the following ways:
Internet: www.estevanbruinsalumni.com
Email: Lisa Sikorski at lisa@gmrelectric.com
In Person: GMR Electric Motors at 106 Perkins Street, Estevan
Phone: GMR Electric Motors (306) 637.2525
Drop off: 106 Perkins Street

There will also be registration forms available throughout the community in the upcoming weeks.
For more information about this event, please contact Brad Pierson at 421-7983

Scott Schultz Camp Is Coming to Estevan

Estevan Football players will have a great opportunity to learn from former Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive lineman Scott Schultz later this spring. Schultz will be running a two day camp in Estevan on June 2 and 3 and its open for all football players from Atom to High School.Schultz has offered a football camp for many years in his hometown of Moose Jaw. Estevan Minor Football President Steve McLellan is excited about this unique opportunity for the local football players to learn from Schultz.

The camp will be broken up into two days. The first day will be for the Atom and Peewee football players and the second day will be for the Bantam and High School players. The players will have a chance to learn skills at each position. McLellan says blocking, catching, tackling and all other football skills will be taught at the camp.

At Schultz's camps in Moose Jaw he usually brings a long list of guest coaches who have played or coached in the CFL, or in the CIS. The other coaches who will be helping with the instruction of the camp haven't been announced yet.

Registration for the camp was offered at the City Wide Registration a couple of weeks and McLellan said they will continue taking registrations for the camp.

Schultz will be in Estevan the week before the camp as he will be speaking at the Estevan Bruins Sportsman's Dinner on Friday May 25.

Two Cent Tuesday

The Estevan Football Fundraising Dinner was a lot of fun on Saturday. Jay Onrait was a big hit with the crowd as he recalled a couple of funny stories from his time in Estevan and in Regina last month when he spoke at the University of Regina Rams fundraising dinner.  I chatted a few minutes with him after our interview and we ended up talking about the NFL. It turns out Onrait is a Seattle Seahawk fan, he recalled watching Dave Kreig and Steve DeBerg as a kid growing up. I asked what about Dan McGwire (Mark’s brother) he started laughing and said yeah, I try to block that from my memory.

It was great to speak with Don Narcisse. He’s such a class act and it’s a shame that someone recently stole his Hall of Fame and Plaza of Honor Fame rings. I hope that they turn up again sooner than later because Narcisse doesn’t deserve something like that to happen to him.

The next dinner coming to Estevan is the Bruins Sportsman’s Dinner on May 25. Marty McSorley is the headline speaker and I excited about that because I had the chance to meet him last month in Saskatoon and I missed out. Also among the speakers will be ex-Roughrider Scott Schultz and the MC is the voice of the Roughriders, Rod Pedersen. I ran into Schultz and Pedersen in Weyburn on Friday and both are excited to be speaking in Estevan. Pedersen and Schultz previously spoke in Estevan at the Minor Football Dinner in 2010, and both did a great job then and I expect both will do a great job next month.

It was great to be back in Spectra Place on the weekend watching the Bruins Spring Camp. There were a few standouts from the camp that can make some noise in fall camp. Hudson Morrison was one player who had a lot of people talking on the weekend. Morrison has some Junior A experience with Waywayseecappo and could be an instant difference maker if he elects to sign with the Bruins. The scouting staff was also impressed with a few players on the blueline like Jordan Greig, David Robertson, Brett Dumaine and Blake McMillen. Some of the forwards who stood out included Brendon Halbgewachs, Dayton Picard, Ben Williams, Wyatt Garagan and Connor Venne. For now it will be quiet with the Bruins until they begin signing the prospects to cards in the beginning of June.

It was good seeing some of the Bruins from last season at camp this weekend. Matthew Dochylo, Tanner Froese, Ben Johnstone and Michael Hengen helped out with some of the officiating at the camp. Speaking of Dochylo and Hengen, they are scheduled to be my guests this week on Locker Talk.

Congratulations to the Humboldt Broncos for capturing the Canalta Cup in Weyburn on Friday. The Broncos were very impressive in the clinching game and they are playing their best hockey right now. I know a lot of people in Weyburn were upset about Jesse Ross being suspended for the game, but it’s hard to imagine that Ross would have been the difference maker in Game 6.

For the most part I’ve loved the NHL playoffs. Too me there’s probably nothing better in sports than overtime in the NHL playoffs. I don’t have that big of a problem of the amount of fighting in the playoffs, but I do have a problem with the amount of head shots being thrown at players. I really think the NHL lost control when they didn’t suspend Shea Weber.

Who would’ve thought that Ilya Bryzgalov wouldn’t be the goalie who will be suffering a meltdown in the Penguins and Flyers series.

The best move Dean Lombardi made at the trading deadline was not moving Dustin Brown.

I wonder what’s going to happen if the Rangers and Devils met in the second round, could it end up like the Flyers and Penguins series.

I believed John Hufangel when he said “We got them where we want them” I don’t believe Kevin Bieksa when he says that.

Have a great day everyone.

Estevan Football Dinner with Brendon LaBatte, Don Narcisse and Jay Onrait Q an A

It was a very successful night at the Estevan Football Fundraising Dinner last night. Among the highlights were the speakers Brendon LaBatte, Don Narcisse and Jay Onrait and MC Michael Ball. Last night's dinner was LaBatte's first speaking engagement as a member of the Roughriders. Onrait returned to Estevan after last summer's Kraft Celebration Tour. (Dan O'Toole appeared via video message) and Narcisse appeared in Estevan for the first time. Narcisse donated Estevan Minor Football a pair of Hall of Fame Induction ceremony tickets in 2010.

The live auction was able to raise over $18,400. (There was also a silent auction and 50/50) And the Saskatchewan Roughriders donated Estevan Football $12,900 as apart of their Centennial Legacy Fund. (above is the presentation from LaBatte to EMF President Steve McLellan) Before the dinner I had the chance to speak with all three speakers.

Brendon LaBatte

Don Narcisse

Jay Onrait

Bruins Spring Camp Thoughts With Keith Cassidy

The future was on display this weekend in Estevan as the Bruins held their spring camp. There were about 80 kids from the ages of 14-18 in town this weekend trying to impress the Bruins coaching and scouting staff. I had a chance to speak with Bruins Head Coach Keith Cassidy to get his thoughts on the weekend

Bruins Spring Camp Preview with Keith Cassidy

The Estevan Bruins will begin their offseason this afternoon with their spring camp at Spectra Place. Camp begins with registration at 12:00 followed by a on ice sessions leading up to Sunday afternoon.

I had a chance to speak with Bruins Head Coach Keith Cassidy about this weekend's camp yesterday.

Bruins Sportsman Dinner Returns

Courtesy of the Estevan Bruins

The CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins are proud to announce their annual Celebrity Sportsman’s Dinner is back and that one of the NHL’s most colourful personalities will help mark its return.
Former NHL defenceman, and current analyst on Sportsnet, Marty McSorley will serve as the featured speaker at this year’s dinner, which will be held on Friday, May 25 in Spectra Place.
A two-time Stanley Cup champion, McSorley is best known for his years with the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings where he established himself as one of the league’s toughest players and top stay at home defencemen. McSorley played a remarkable 961 games for six different NHL franchises. During that time he compiled 359 points and 3,381 penalty minutes, the fourth most in NHL history.
Since his playing career ended, McSorley has stayed busy in hockey as a coach and, most recently, an analyst for Sportsnet. He has also dabbled in acting, taking on roles in a handful of TV shows and movies. During his appearance at the dinner McSorley will talk about his incredible career, which included playing alongside such legendary players as Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Mario Lemieux as well as his many battles along the way.
Joining McSorley on stage will be one of the most popular Saskatchewan Roughriders in recent memory, Scott Schultz. The Moose Jaw native spent a number of seasons on the Riders defensive line and was a member of the 2007 Grey Cup championship team. He was also a CFL all-star in 2005. The always entertaining Schultz, who retired in 2009, will speak about his time in football which included a stint in the NFL before he became a key piece of the Riders resurgence.
Also scheduled to speak is former Winnipeg Jets star Morris Lukowich. Originally from Speers, Saskatchewan, Lukowich was a prolific scorer in both the WHA and NHL, racking up 637 points in 800 games between both leagues.
The Bruins are also happy to announce that Rod Pedersen, the play-by-play voice of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and host of the popular sports talk show the SportsCage will serve as emcee for the event. Like McSorley, Pederson is a colourful and entertaining personality and the Bruins are excited to have the Milestone product involved with the event.
This year’s dinner marks the event’s return to the Estevan Bruins organization. For the past five years the dinner was used to raise money for Spectra Place and was a massive success with well over $1 million collected during that period. The Bruins organization was proud to assist in the fund raising for Spectra Place and look forward to maintaining the high level set by the fundraising dinner committee. The club also looks forward to the continued support of the community during what is a key fundraiser for the franchise.
Along with our guests, the evening will also include a prime rib dinner as well as the awarding of the Estevan and District Male and Female Athletes of the Year Award, the Volunteer Coach of the Year Award.
As well, there will be a silent and live auction, which will include some fantastic sports memorabilia including an autographed Marty McSorley jersey.
Tables for this event will go on sale on Monday April 12th at 9:30am and will sell quickly. To purchase a table for the dinner or for further information, please contact the Estevan Bruins office at 634-7730.

Locker Talk Tonight with Dylan Smith

Tonight on Locker Talk, Estevan Bruins forward Dylan Smith will be my guest. We will be talking about the upcoming NHL playoffs and we give our predictions. Last year Smith correctly predicted that the Bruins would beat the Canucks in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The main topic for tonight's show is Smith playing for the Estevan Big Dogs of the Prairie Gold Lacrosse League this season. Smith and Tanner Froese are two Bruin players who are suiting up for the Big Dogs.

Here's a sneak preview of tonight's show.



Locker Talk can be seen on Access 7 tonight at 6:30. Saturday at 12:00 pm and Sunday Night.

Daku Will Fight for Hard Knocks Heavyweight Championship on June 1 in Estevan

If you tuned into Locker Talk a couple of weeks ago, you would've seen Derek Daku talk about his hope to face Devon Smith and possibly for the Heavyweight Championship.

Today Daku's wish was officially granted as Hard Knocks announced that Daku will meet Smith with a chance to become the Heavyweight Champion on the next card in Estevan on June 1.

Daku recently returned to Estevan after some training in Las Vegas with UFC veterans like Roy "Big Country" Nelson and Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz.

I had a chance to speak with Daku today about his upcoming title fight here in Estevan.

Two Cent Tuesday

Welcome to a new weekly feature on the blog where I'll give my 2 Cents on a few topics and provide updates on some other sport matters.

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---The Estevan Bruins will begin the offseason with their spring camp on Friday afternoon. The players will register and take part in on-ice sessions until Sunday afternoon. I’ll have more on the spring camp later this week.

---This Saturday it’s the biggest fundraiser for Estevan Football as they will hold their football fundraising dinner at the Curling Rink. The guest speakers are Don Narcisse, Brendon LaBatte and Jay Onrait. This past weekend Estevan Minor Football announced that the dinner was officially sold out.

---With the NHL regular season over, it’s a perfect time for me to look back at my  preseason predictions. I was able to correctly guess 11 out of the 16 playoff teams. In the Western Conference I was 6 for 8. I thought Calgary and Anaheim would make the postseason while I didn’t think Phoenix and Nashville would make it. While in the East I was 5 for 8. I thought Tampa Bay, Buffalo, and Carolina would make the postseason while I thought Ottawa, New Jersey and Florida would fall short.

--My preseason prediction for the Stanley Cup was Los Angeles and Boston. 

---My first round predictions. Eastern Conference. Rangers over Ottawa in 5. Boston over Washington in 7. New Jersey over Florida in 6. Pittsburgh over Philly in 7. Western Conference.  Los Angeles over Vancouver in 6. St. Louis over San Jose in 7. Chicago over Phoenix  in 6. Nashville over Detroit in 7.

--- My Stanley Cup Prediction Rangers over Nashville.

--- I think Jarome Iginla has played his last game with the Calgary Flames. I think the team will move into a  full rebuild mode and it will begin with the trade of Iginla and possibly Mikka Kipprusoff.

--- There’s plenty of excitement heading into the baseball season if you’re a Blue Jay fan. I think the Blue Jays can finish as high as second in the AL East. The Jays really need their 3-5 starters to be solid for them during the season. I believe the Jays will add another arm to their rotation thru a trade. Although after last night the bullpen concerns are still there from last season.

--- My World Series prediction. I’ll say Detroit over San Francisco.

--There will be some MMA news on the blog later today about the upcoming Hard Knocks card in Estevan at the beginning of June.

--Speaking of MMA, Canadian fans like me are anxious to hear what kind of card will be coming to Calgary in July. Jose Aldo will defend his Featherweight Title against an unnamed opponent. Even though we don’t know who Aldo’s opponent will be, I like Aldo’s odds of leaving Cowtown with the belt. It will be interesting to see what the rest of the card will look like. The beauty of MMA is sometimes the biggest names don’t make for the best cards. Although I'm still hoping for some big names in the co-main event. 

-- Thanks for reading the blog this morning, I'll be talking to you later.

n   

Strongeagle Commits To Rams

For the second straight season a Estevan Elec football player is heading to the University of Regina Rams. The Rams have announced that Chris Strongeagle has committed to the team for the 2012 season.

Rams Head Coach Frank McCrystal said Strongeagle could have a bright future ahead with the Rams in a release last week.

"Chris is a big, aggressive student-athlete who brings incredible potential to our team as either on offensive or defensive lineman. With his size and strength, he's very possible a future Canada West all-star."

Strongeagle played defensive tackle and offensive guard for the Elecs in 2011 and was named the Top Defensive Lineman for the Elecs.

Strongeagle will join former Elec Zach Rensby who will be entering his second year with the Rams.

Bruins 3 on 3 Minor Hockey League Starts Today

The Estevan Bruins are giving minor hockey players a chance to extend their season as they will begin their 3 on 3 hockey league tonight at Spectra Place. There will be games on weekdays throughout the entire month of April.

The Estevan Bruins spent a lot of time in the winter helping out with many activities with Estevan Minor Hockey and they want to continue that into the offseason. Bruins Head Coach Keith Cassidy says "This program was developed to extend the season for the players, and to allow them to play hockey in a fast paced and unstructured environment, which will foster creativity, conditioning and skill development." Cassidy also noted that the Bruins will likely offer more activities for minor hockey players when the season is about to begin in the fall.

There will be four different groups that will be taking part in the 3 on 3 league. There will be a novice group, a atom group, a peewee group and a combined bantam/midget league. With the league being a non-contact league both boys and girls can take part in the league.

Cassidy said there was strong interest in the league as they had about 70% of their spots filled within the first three days. He is expecting some hiccups with this year being the first year the Bruisn have organized the league but he is expecting this to be a very exciting venture for the hockey team.

Along with the 3 on 3 hockey league, the Estevan Bruins will be taking a look at some of next year's prospects next weekend with their spring camp at Spectra Place beginning on Friday, April 13.