Local Athletes At Sask.Summer Games

While the world is tuning into the Olympics in London, Saskatchewan will be tuning into the  Meadow Lake for the Saskatchewan Summer Games.

Today's the first day of the games and on the schedule will feature sports such as baseball, swimming, tennis, soccer and basketball.

Local athletes competing today including in Swimming Abbie Reich, Lanelle Biolokraly, Racquelle Gibbons, Sameul Beahm, Colin Sutter, Zachary Beahm, Thomas Wakely and Emily Marshall from Estevan. Repersening Oxbow is Lindsey McNab, Janissa Cooleym, Morgan McFarlane, and Carter McFarlane.

The lone player from Estevan on the Boys Basketball team is Wyatt Haux.

In Baseball players from Estevan are Mitchell Clark and Colton Gingras. Other local players are Jesse Mack (Macoun) Preston Hutt (Lampman) Carson Perkins (Bienfait) Kirkland Chauus (Carlyle) Dustin Schill (Wawota) Talen King (Carlyle).

Other sports featuring local athletes but don't get started today including in Athletics, Quinn Brown (Arcola), William Chamney (Estevan), Keena McKnight (Estevan), Kelsely Hengen (Arcola), and Kristina Chamney (Estevan).

In Archery Chayse Graham of Roche Percee, Nolan Graham (Roche Percee) Tanisha McKinnon (Alameda).

The games will conclude on Saturday.

Summer Break Roughrider and UFC 149 In Calgary Pics

Last week I had a brief holiday in Calgary where I took in the Saskatchewan Roughrider and Calgary Stampeders game along with all of the UFC 149 festivities. Here's some pictures I took while I was in Calgary.


I started my vacation last Thursday by attending the UFC 149 press conference at Flames Central. In attendance were UFC Canada President (former CFL commissioner) Tom Wright, UFC President Dana White and the fighters in the three main bouts at UFC 149 Urijah Faber, Renen Barao, Tim Boestch, Hector Lombard, Shawn Jordan and Cheick Kongo. Here's a few pictures from the press conference.

UFC President Dana White taking questions during at the press conference

Kongo vs Jordan

Lombard vs Boestch

Faber vs Barao

Following the press conference on Thursday I went to the Riders vs Stampeders game at McMahon Stadium. The last time I was in Calgary for a CFL was in 1995 when the Stampeders hosted the Birmingham Barracudas. The QB's were Doug Flutie and Matt Dunigan with Birmingham pulling out a late victory. The game also featured the first ever apperance of Jeff Garcia in the CFL.

I'm not sure how the crowd looked on TV but I would definitely say the crowd was half Rider green with the other half being Stampeder red. It was disappointing to see the Riders blow the lead and lose their first game of the season, but I really did enjoy watching the Riders on the road. I would say the Stampeder fans enjoyed the win but half of them left during the 4th Quarter.



On Friday I attended the weigh-ins for the UFC fighters, here's the pics of the three featured fights.

Kongo and Jordan

Lombard and Boestch

Faber vs Barao

Then on Saturday it was time for UFC 149 at the Saddledome. I thought it was a tale of two cards. The prelim fights (the fights not shown on the PPV) were excellent with Ryan Jimmo of New Brunswick recording the quickest knockout in UFC history at 7 seconds. The match of the night was Bryan Caraway and Mitch Gagnon with Caraway recording a submission win in the third round. I thought the Court McGee and Nick Ring was a good fight although I didn't agree with the judges decision of Ring claiming victory, I scored the fight 29-28 for McGee.

The PPV card got off to a great start with Matt Riddle recording a submission win over Chris Clements. But after that the card went down hill big time. The Brian Ebersole-James Head, Shawn Jordan-Cheick Kongo, and Tim Boestch-Hector Lombard fights were three of the worst UFC fights I have ever seen. You know the fights were bad when even Dana White admits that the card was one of the worst in UFC history. While the crowd was booing the Faber-Barao fight I didn't think the fight was that bad, the problem was that it had to follow the previous three bouts. Here's some pics from my seats of the fights.

Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan hyping the PPV

Saskatchewan's Mitch Clarke vs Anton Kuivanen

Carvalho vs Pineda

Caraway vs Gagnon

Moments after Ryan Jimmo recorded a 7 second knockout

Rivera vs Delorme

Ring vs McGee

Clements vs Riddle

Ebersole vs Head

Kongo vs Jordan

Lombard vs Boestch

Faber vs Barao

Even though the Riders didn't win and UFC 149 will go down as one of the worst cards in UFC history, I had a fun time in Calgary and I really enjoyed my holiday. I'm back at work until next weekend then I will start my summer holidays for two weeks.

Just a couple of local sporting notes while I was away on holidays.

--- Estevan hosted the Peewee and Bantam Baseball Provincials last weekend. The Estevan Haulers claimed the Bantam Provincials and will now move on to Western Canadians in Morden, Manitoba on August 17-19. The Peewee TS&M Tornadoes lost in the semi-finals to Lloydminster. The Muenster Red Sox claimed the championship.

-- There were three fighters who competed at Hard Knocks 26 in Prince Albert. Estevan's Greg Alberts defeated James Sanderson, Tapout via Guillotine, Round 1 0:37. Jordan O’Connor defeated Estevan Mike Geib, Tapout via Guillotine, Round 1 2:49. Estevan's Josh Heinz defeats Randy Coyer, Tapout via Kimura, Round 1 0:43. Derek Daku was scheduled to fight Jesse Haywood from Vancouver but Haywood missed his flight so Daku didn't competed on the card. Unfortunately Heinz suffered an injury at work this week and will not be competing on the card in Estevan in September, but it looks like he will be back in the winter time.

Q and A with Hard Knocks Derek Daku and Josh Heinz

Hard Knocks 26 will be taking place on Thursday night in Prince Albert at the Art Hauser Centre. There will be four fighters from Estevan Combat Sport who will be competing on the card. Derek Daku, Josh Heinz, Mike Seib and Greg Alberts.

Daku will be meeting Jesse Haywood from BC in a heavyweight bout. Heinz will meet Randy Coyer from Thompson Manitoba in a light heavyweight match. Seib will square off with Jordon O'Connor of Kenora, Ontario. And Alberts will sqaure off with James Sanderson of La Ronge.

I had a chance to speak with Daku and Heinz and got their thoughts about their upcoming fights.

2012-13 Estevan Bruins Schedule and Notes

The SJHL has released the schedule for the 2012-13 season. The Estevan Bruins schedule is listed below. Some key games include the first game Thursday September 20 @ Melville in the only game on opening night. The home opener is the following night against Melville. The Bruins will visit the defending SJHL champion Humboldt Broncos on Sunday September 30. The Bruins will play on New Year's Day in Weyburn. The Bruins will be spending a lot of time at Spectra Place at the end of the season as they will play 10 out of their final 14 games at home. The Bruins play on the final day of the regular season Tuesday February 26 at home against Notre Dame.

The SJHL previously announced the schedule this year would see Sherwood Conference teams play each other 8 times and they would play each Bauer Conference team two times but the league has decided to not go ahead with the change. I know there were a lot of people who were against the change and I'm sure they will be happy with the current format.

In terms of broadcasting, since CJ1280 doesn't cover Bruins games until the end of the World Series, I believe the first Bruins game will be November 6 against Notre Dame. The only rink that I won't be broadcasting from this season is in Humboldt since the Bruins visit the Broncos in September and October.  Last year the only game I didn't broadcast from was La Ronge.

There will be 25 Bruins games broadcasted on CJ1280 once again this season. The broadcasting schedule will be released in late August/early September.

Without further ado, here's the Bruins schedule for the 2012-13 season. All week day games start at 7:30 and Sunday games are 6:00 unless it's listed else where.

Thursday September 20 @Melville

Friday September 21 vs Melville

Tuesday September 25 vs Melfort

Friday September 28 @ Nipawin

Saturday September 29 @ La Ronge

Sunday September 30 @ Humboldt

Saturday October 6 vs Weyburn

Tuesday October 9 vs Yorkton

Friday October 12 @ Humboldt

Saturday October 13 @ Flin Flon

Saturday October 20 vs Flin Flon

Sunday October 21 @ Weyburn

Friday October 26 vs Battlefords

Tuesday October 30 @ Yorkton

Thursday November 1 @ Notre Dame

Saturday November 3 vs Nipawin

Tuesday November 6 @ Notre Dame

Friday November 9 vs Kindersley

Wednesday November 14 @ Melville

Friday November 23 vs La Ronge

Saturday November 24 vs Kindersley

Tuesday November 27 @ Yorkton

Friday November 30 @ Melfort

Saturday December 1 @ Flin Flon

Sunday December 2 @ La Ronge 3:00

Tuesday December 4 @ Notre Dame

Friday December 7 vs Humboldt

Saturday December 8 vs La Ronge

Tuesday December 11 vs Yorkton

Saturday December 15 @ Yorkton

Tuesday December 18 vs Melville

Sunday December 30 vs Weyburn

Tuesday January 1 @ Weyburn 3:00

Friday January 4 vs Melville

Saturday January 5 @ Melville

Friday January 11 @ Battlefords

Saturday January 12 @ Kindersley

Tuesday January 15 vs Notre Dame

Friday January 18 @ Nipawin

Saturday January 19 @ Melfort

Friday January 25 vs Flin Flon

Saturday January 26 vs Battlefords

Tuesday January 29 vs Notre Dame

Saturday February 2 vs Melfort

Tuesday February 5 vs Yorkton

Thursday February 7 vs Nipawin

Saturday February 9 @ Kindersley

Sunday February 10 @ Kindersley

Monday February 11 @ Battlefords

Friday February 15 vs Humboldt

Sunday February 17 vs Kindersley

Friday February 22 vs Weyburn

Saturday February 23 @ Weyburn

Tuesday February 26 vs Notre Dame

Ex-Bruin Harris Attending Washington Capitals Development Camp

Photo courtesy of uconnhuskies.com

Former Estevan Bruin and Estevan native Brant Harris has been invited by the Washington Capitals to attend their development camp this week in Arlington Virgina. 

Harris spent this past season as a sophomore with the UConn Huskies finishing the season with 18 goals and 13 assists. 

Here’s a link to a story on Harris invite from the UConn Huskies.

http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-hockey/spec-rel/071012aac.html

Two Cent Tuesday

-- The picture above is the ice being installed at Spectra Place with the Fleck's Hockey School starting next week.

-- Congrats to former Estevan Bruin and Estevan native Brant Harris on attending the Washington Capitals Development Camp this week.

-- I attended the Rider game on Sunday and was happy with a win over the Eskies. I know a lot of people said it was a boring game, but I thought the Riders defence was very entertaining as they terrorized Steven Jyles and Kerry Joseph all game. If Odell Willis and Brent Hawkins can keep providing a consistent pass rush then the defence should be one of the leagues best.

-- Some people were disappointed with the teams offence but the stat I'm would point out in that game was 0 turnovers from the Riders offence. They are far from mid season form. In order for that to happen the Riders need Chris Best and Brendon LaBatte to be healthy, and big contributions at receiver from  someone other than Chris Getzlaf and Weston Dressler,

-- The BC Lions are the perfect opponent for the Riders this week. They will provide the proper gauge on far the Riders have come early this season.

-- I went 4-0 on my CFL picks. I'm going with this week Montreal, Winnipeg, Sask, Hamilton

-- Hopefully Alex Anthopoulos listens to Jose Bautista's interview today where he said the Jays need to trade more starting pitching. The Blue Jays are in position to trade a prospect or two for a pitcher at the deadline.

-- The MLB All Star Game is my favorite all star game to watch in sports. Of  course it has the Home Run Derby and also there isn't a big drop off in the quality of a regular season game and the All-Star Game in baseball. I think the home field advantage in the World Series stipulation is really dumb and should be removed.

-- Anderson Silva proved why he's one of the greatest of all time with his win over Chael Sonnen. Sonnen dominated the first round, but the "Spider" came back in the 2nd round and recorded the TKO. I really hope within the next year we see Silva face Jon "Bones" Jones in a super fight

-- What the heck was Forrest Griffin thinking after his fight with Tito Ortiz? I almost want to see Tito come back for one fight after that lack of respect after his final fight.

Enjoy the heat, but enjoy the AC even more. 

Weekend Watching

The big news from the Bruins this week was the announcement of scholarships for Defenceman Dominic Perrault and Matthew Dochylo to Mount Royal and SAIT in Calgary. We’ll likely hear an announcement about the hockey future of the other 20 year old graduate from the Bruins this past season in  Derek Whitehill later in the summer.

I made a prediction in this blog a couple of weeks ago that the Minnesota Wild would be spending a lot of free agency at Zach Parise and Ryan Suter in hopes of landing one. I didn’t think they would get both, but good for them.  A hockey market like Minnesota deserves some hockey success and hopefully this leads to a Winter Classic in Minnesota very soon.

What a shocker in Hamilton in Week 1 of the CFL. I’m one of the most optimistic Rider fans you’ll ever meet, but I didn’t even think there was any chance the Riders would leave Steel Town with a dominating win. I love the offensive strategy from the Riders in Week 1. Kory Sheets has a chance to be a top three running back this season. The more times he touches the ball, the better the Riders will be. I also liked the Riders short and effective passing game. 

I went 2-2 in my CFL picks last week as I guessed the Riders and BC would win last week. This week I’m picking all the home teams. Montreal, BC, Toronto, Saskatchewan.

If you’re a UFC fan like me, you’ve been waiting for the rematch of Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen for the last two years. Sonnen was within two minutes of becoming the first fighter to beat Silva in UFC before the Spider quickly turned the tables and submitted Sonnen back in August of 2010. My prediction for tomorrow night is Sonnen wins by decision and there will be controversy somehow.

Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin will meet in the final fight of Ortiz’s career. I’m picking Ortiz comes out on top with a win. 

Other UFC 148 main card picks

Cung Le over Patrick Cote

Dong Hyun Kim over Demian Maia

Chad Mendes over Cody McKenzie

Unless the Toronto Blue Jays trade for some pitching than they will finish 81-81. With the extra Wild Card in the MLB, I would like to see the Jays be buyers at the deadline and go after a veteran pitcher.

Perrault and Dochylo Both Heading to Calgary Next Year

The CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins officially announced a pair of scholarships.

Dominic Perrault and Matthew Dochylo will be off to Calgary, Perrault will be playing with the Mount Royal Cougars while Dochylo will be playing with the SAIT Trojans.

Both players spent the last two seasons with the Bruins after being acquired early in the 2010-11 season.

Dochylo  ended the season with 10 goals and 16 assists last year while Perrault had 4 goals and 15 assists.

Perrault scored the final game winning goal in the Civic Auditorium with his OT winning goal in 2011. Dochylo scored the final goal for the Bruins in the 2011-12 season.