Carlton Crusaders football player Taz Smith-Windsor had a successful season on the gridiron, and now he’s capping it off with an incredible opportunity.

The grade 11 student was named to the Canadafootballchat.com Prospects Game, which will feature the brightest stars from high schools across the country on Friday, May 27, and will be broadcasted on TSN.

“I was pretty shocked,” Smith-Windsor said when he was selected to play in the game. “I was definitely nervous when I was waiting to see if I would get an email or not, but I was so excited when I found out that I made the final roster.”

Smith-Windsor not only spent time with the Crusaders, but he spent time playing in Saskatoon as well with the North Sask Academy, and in Moose Jaw with the Sask. Selects program in the winter. He feels his time in Saskatoon gave him the best shot at cracking the roster, since he was playing out of position with Carlton.

“I was happy with my season in high school, but I think the football I played in Saskatoon as a defensive back helped as well,” he explained. “My high school gave me an opportunity to really succeed, and that helped my a lot to get selected for the prospects game.”

This season with the Crusaders, Smith-Windsor spent time on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. He played running back and linebacker with Carlton. While he may not have played his primary position in the fall, he was still able to learn a lot more about the high school level game. To make his season even cooler, Taz was able to play alongside his little brother Sullivan, who was in the pocket calling the shots at quarterback.

“It was a blast. I don’t think I’ve had a more fun high school season,” Taz said. “I got to play on the same side of the ball as Sullivan, and we made a lot of good plays together, he threw me a few touchdown passes which was really special. He’s a great leader on our team, and I got to spend that season with him and I’m looking forward to the next one.”

To make it into the national spotlight is one thing. To do it after a two year pandemic where showcasing your skills was made more difficult is another. Smith-Windsor proved his capabilities in his first high school football season, as well as the time he spent in Saskatoon and Moose Jaw. He explained how he was able to keep sticking with the sport he loves, and how he came out of the pandemic as a highly touted defensive player.

“My high school head coach, Lindsay Strachan, did a great job of trying to keep us active in the sport, even while adhering to the government policies and guidelines around COVID-19,” he explained. “He ran practices while we were all wearing masks and working in small groups. I worked with him and went to all of the camps that were still running, and then I did everything I could to better myself. Hopefully it will pay off.”

While scouts will be filling the stands and taking in the game in Ottawa on the 27, Smith-Windsor says he will be focused on playing his own game, and not letting the pressure of the bright lights get to him. It will be his first game under a national spotlight, and he hopes to make a good impression on those in attendance.

“Absolutely there is some pressure with the game, but I think if I just play my own game and stick to the defense that we’re running and execute that, I should be okay. I’m sure my coaches and teammates will put me in a position to succeed and do my job.”

@kyle_kosowan•sports@paherald.sk.ca

Win and they’re in. That’s all the Prince Albert Northern Bears have to do on Friday to punch their ticket into the semi finals at the Esso Cup. They’re currently holding onto third place in the six team standings, but the Notre Dame Hounds and Northern Selects are nipping at their heels with just one game remaining in round robin play.

The Bears fell 4-2 to the Hounds on Thursday night, but head coach Steve Young was happy with the way his team fought throughout the game.

“I thought it was a good game, and both teams worked very hard,” he said. “Notre Dame is a team that we’re used to seeing, and they do a lot of good things right. We wanted to make sure that we were doing the same thing, but we faltered a couple of times. We felt that we played a hard game against them, which is good for our team.”

Prince Albert and Notre Dame played a scoreless first period, but the Hounds jumped out to a big 3-0 lead in the second period with the help of a pair of powerplay goals. Ryann Perrett opened the scoring 11:56 into the middle frame with an even strength marker, before adding her second of the night on the man advantage 15:26 into the second. Keara Merriman gave the Hounds a 3-0 lead with 1:37 to go in the frame on another man advantage.

“We know Notre Dame has a very good powerplay and that’s a strength that they have,” Young said. “I think the toughest thing that we have found in this tournament is that they have so many officials, so you have to adjust to what the different officials are calling. Once we got that figured out, I think we got better, but we knew Notre Dame’s powerplay was going to be key, and it was for them on Thursday.

Payten Evans widened the gap 3:52 into the third to put Notre Dame up 4-0, but Tristyn Endicott scored twice for the Bears in the final frame to make it a 4-2 final. Despite going down 4-0 in the third period, Young was proud of the way his team kept fighting to score a couple of goals.

“We know this tournament is one game at a time, and it’s important that you work hard from start to finish,” he explained. “I’ve been very proud of the girls, and we have to continue to play strong.  We went hard at them and we did what we needed to do.”

The Bears head into their most important game yet of the Esso Cup on Friday night, when they battle the Northern Selects, who are just one point behind Prince Albert in the standings. A win in any fashion would secure their spot in the knockout stage, but any loss combined with a Hounds win would send the Bears home empty handed. If both the Bears and Hounds lose in regulation, Prince Albert would advance. If the Bears lose in regulation and the Hounds lose in overtime, Notre Dame would advance.

“These girls have figured out that they deserve to be here just like the other teams, and they have continued to work hard,” Young said. “For the hockey club, I want to see them continue to work hard and be rewarded for it today.”

@kyle_kosowan•sports@paherald.sk.ca

Finding out that you’ve been drafted to a WHL team while sitting in class would be a pretty cool way to start a school day. That was the case for Luke Moroz, who was selected 15th overall by the Prince Albert Raiders in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft.

“I was quite speechless, I didn’t really know what to say,” Moroz said in an interview with the Prince Albert Daily Herald. “I was actually sitting in science class, so it was pretty nuts. Our teacher had the draft up on the whiteboard, and a bunch of my other hockey friends from different classes came in and we all celebrated together, so that was a lot of fun.”

Moroz lit the lamp all season long, leading the Sask. AA league with 108 points (47G-61A) in 27 regular season games. He added an additional 27 points (15G-12A) in 7 playoff games. He hopes to bring the same offensive punch to a Raider team who could certainly use it.

“I plan to bring on everything I have, whether it’s offence or defence or whatever I can do to help the team win,” the Regina product said. “I always give it 100 per cent every day and bring the team up when times are tough. When there are droughts in the season, just try to stay consistent.”

For fans looking forward to seeing the offensive prowess of Moroz in years to come, he explained what he can bring to the table, and what to expect of him in his time with the organization.

“On ice I would say I’m a fast, high IQ, good hockey sense player that can move the puck well and play with speed,” he explained. “Off the ice I would say I’m a pretty good person. People like to be around me.”

The Raiders selected defenceman Ryan Gower with their second round pick, 32nd overall. The McCreary, Manitoba product played for the Parkland Rangers U15AAA team, putting up 34 points (13G-21A) in 32 games. He added another four points (1G-3A) in five playoff contests.

Like Moroz, it was hard at first to express his emotions, but once it sunk in that he had been drafted, it was easy to feel excited.

“It hit me pretty hard and I didn’t really know what was going on for a few minutes,” he told the Daily Herald. “Once it kind of sunk in, it was an exciting feeling.”

As soon as he found out he had been taken by Prince Albert, Gower jumped on his phone and immediately started doing research about the city and the team. He says it’s an organization that he can’t wait to be a part of.

“I’ve looked into Prince Albert and it looks like a great organization, and it just seems like a place that I would be very happy to be,” he explained. “There’s a lot there that I can see and learn about, and just really get interested in the team and the whole city. On the hockey aspect of it, they have a great organization, and an amazing hockey community. It just seems like it would be a really fun place to play.”

Gower was very modest when asked about where he was selected in the draft. He says he didn’t expect to be taken that early, but was very happy to hear his name called in the second round.

“I actually expected to go a lot later than that. That was another thing that kind of shocked me that I went in the second round. It’s not something that I ever really thought I would get picked that high in.”

Prince Albert Raiders draft summary:

Round one (15 overall): Luke Moroz (forward)

Round two: (32 overall): Ryan Gower (defenceman)

Round three (60 overall): Oli Chenier (forward)

Round three (64 overall): Dayce Derkatch (forward)

Round four (76 overall): Jaxon Herchak (defenceman)

Round five (98 overall): Liam Bursaw (forward)

Round six (120 overall): Ethan Bibeau (forward)

Round six (126 overall): Noah Smith (defenceman)

Round seven (142 overall): Will Shepard (forward)

Round eight (164 overall): Mikey Thomas (forward)

Round ten (208 overall): Cooper Anderson (goalie)

Round eleven (230 overall): Hubert Clarke (defenceman)

The Raiders also had two picks in the 2022 U.S. Prospects Draft on Wednesday. They selected forward Dylan Nolan tenth overall and Gordon Jennings in the second round 35th overall.

With the first overall pick in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft, the Medicine Hat Tigers selected forward Gavin McKenna.

@kyle_kosowan•sports@paherald.sk.ca

Whether it’s the country music nights in the hotel rooms or simply just enjoying the moment at the 2022 Esso Cup, it’s helped the Prince Albert Northern Bears find a new jump in their step, and they now have two wins to show for it.

They picked up their first win of the tournament in convincing fashion, beating the Remparts du Richelieu 9-4 on Tuesday night, and followed that up with a 6-5 win over the previously undefeated Fraser Valley Rush on Wednesday.

“Things are just working for us right now,” head coach Steve Young said. “We don’t want to take this for granted, and we’re still going to work hard. We’ve been able to put some pucks in the net, and the girls have been rewarded for their work.”

The Bears poured 60 shots on goal on Tuesday night against the Quebec champs, while going 5/9 on the man advantage. After a 4-4 deadlock through 40 minutes, Prince Albert pulled away with five third period goals. Erin Kirkland scored a hat trick in the win, while Julia Cey and Brooklin Fry each added two goals and an assist. Brooke Archer stopped 18 of 22 shots in her first start of the tournament.

“When you go through the first game of the tournament, everything is new,” Young said. “When we got through that, I think the girls got a lot more relaxed for the second game. As we’ve said, we’re here, and we’re here to play, and that’s what our girls have been doing.”

Prince Albert found themselves trailing 2-0 to the Rush on Wednesday night, but managed to fight back to a 3-3 tie after the first period. Goals from Sasha Malenfant, Tristyn Endicott, and Sophia Zuck helped break even after 20 minutes, while Prince Albert was outshot 16-13 in the opening frame.

The Bears struck twice more in the second period, while the Rush scored just once to give Prince Albert a 4-3 lead heading into the third. Taylor Leitch sniped a shot home on a powerplay in the middle frame, while Zuck potted her second goal of the contest with 2:32 to go in the period. Vienna Rubin had the lone goal for Fraser Valley in the second period.

Claudia Lammers kicked things off in the third period with her first goal of the tournament 5:20 in. Her goal gave the Bears a 6-4 lead, and would stand up to be the game winner, as Gillain Lapierre scored for the Rush to make it 6-5. Paige Fischer turned aside 25 of 30 shots sent her way for her first win of the tournament, as the Bears took the game by a 6-5 final.

“Any time you get a win, no matter who it’s against, it helps with your confidence,” Young added. “We know every team in this tournament is tough, and anyone can beat anyone. Those wins have given us some extra confidence heading into our next game.”

Prince Albert’s next game will be against a familiar foe on Thursday night. They take on the Notre Dame Hounds, who captured the SFU18AAAHL. In five regular season meetings this year, the Bears went 0-4-0-1 against the champs from Sask. However, the Hounds have gotten off to a slow start to their Esso Cup run. The team is 1-2, and have lost two straight games after an opening day win.

The Bears will look to improve their record to 3-1, while the Hounds are hoping to pull back even at 2-2. Puck drop for Thursday’s contest is 5 p.m.

@kyle_kosowan•sports@paherald.sk.ca

The Prince Albert Royals 18U squad had a good outing at the dish, but lost an offensive battle 13-6 to the North Battleford Beavers on Wednesday night at Andy Zwack Field. The loss drops the club to 2-4 in the early stages of the season, while the Beavers improved to 4-3. North Battleford took two games out of the three game set, after splitting their first two meetings on Sunday.

“We came back and we kept it close, and we were leading for a while,” coach Pat Robin said. “Later on in the game it went a little haywire for us. We made a couple of errors that ended up costing us, and that just can’t happen. This was a game that we would have liked to win, but sometimes baseball doesn’t play out the way you want it. We did some good things, and there are always positives to leave with.”

Dylan Risling and Noah Puetz led off the game with back to back singles for the Beavers. Both runners would cash in on back to back ground outs to give North Battleford an early 2-0 lead. In the bottom half of the first, Lukas Robin wasted no time putting some offense up for the Royals, as he hit a double on the first pitch of the inning. He would come into score after stealing third and tagging up on a fly ball to left field, and the score was 2-1 after the first inning.

Royals starting pitcher Dawson Patterson proceeded to throw back to back clean innings, allowing just one walk in the second and third combined, while striking out a pair of batters.

After a strikeout and a fly out began the bottom of the third inning, Prince Albert’s offense came back to life, as they scored two more runs to take a 3-2 lead. They hit three singles in a row, and were able to capitalize on a pair of throwing mistakes. Patterson and Nick Dutchak picked up third inning RBI’s to put the Royals in front 3-2 at the midway point in the game.

“I think the more we play, the better we’re going to get,” Robin said. “We’re dealing with a lot of new baseball players on this team, and there is a lot of learning.”

The Beavers responded in the top of the fourth, as they scored three runs of their own to retake the lead. Ryan Taylor hit a lead off double to get things started. He stole third and came in to score on the next at bat. Trayton Troesch and Quaid Watson also crossed home plate in the frame, as North Battleford led 5-3.

Puetz pitched four and two thirds innings for the Beavers, surrendering five earned on seven hits.

The two teams traded a pair of runs each in the fifth inning, but the Beavers added one more in the sixth to take an 8-5 lead into the seventh and final frame. Patterson handed the ball over to the bullpen after pitching five innings, giving up six earned and striking out two.

Three different Royals pitchers made appearances in the seventh inning, which they allowed five more runs in to trail 13-5. Prince Albert added one more run in the bottom half to make it a 13-6 final.

“There are going to be some games where we’re up against a wall,” Robin added. “There are some really good ball teams with some really good players. It’s a big learning curve this year, and we’re a very young team. We can play a game that’s very clean, but North Battleford came out and they hit well tonight.”

The Royals are back in action on Sunday for a pair of games in Muenster. They’ll take on the Muenster Red Sox and the Weyburn Beavers. The team’s next home game is on Wednesday night when they welcome the Saskatoon Blue Jays.

@kyle_kosowan•sports@paherald.sk.ca

After getting stomped by the Regina White Sox in their home opener on Saturday, the Prince Albert Royals 18U squad picked up a split on Sunday in North Battleford against the Beavers. The Royals took game one by an 8-5 score, before narrowly dropping a 6-5 decision in game two.

“It was a good bounce back, and overall just a good day,” coach Pat Robin said.

Game one

It was another strong outing for Nick Dutchak on the bump, who made his second pitching appearance of the year. The right-handed hurler went six innings, allowing five hits and four earned runs, while striking out six batters and walking five. Kolby Brown came in for the seventh not allowing a hit and walking one batter.

The Royals opened the scoring in the top of the first, jumping out to a 4-0 lead. Dawson Patterson started things off with a single that drove in a run. Bronson Parker lined into a fielder’s choice two batters later, but Kayden Burns came in to score, making it a 2-0 lead. After a walk loaded the bases, Cody Morash was sat down on strikes, bringing up Brown to the plate with two outs.

Beavers pitcher Trayton Troesch proceeded to walk the next to batters he faced, which brought in two runs with the bases still loaded. North Battleford finally got out of the top half of the first trailing by four early.

The Beavers displayed some offense of their own in the bottom half, scoring four runs to tie the game. Dutchak began his outing with a strikeout, but gave up a double to Noah Puetz the next at bat. Dutchak gave up a walk to Ryan Taylor, putting runners on first and second. Troesch drove in a run with an RBI groundout, making it a 4-1 game with two outs in the bottom half of the first.

Dutchak walked the next batter and gave up two more singles, which allowed the Beavers to score three more runs to tie the game. The Royals finally got out of the inning after a groundout to the pitcher, making it a 4-4 game after one.

“We scored four runs in the top of the first and then we gave up four in the bottom half,” Robin said. “That’s fine, it happens. There might have been an error that helped them out, but that’s just baseball. After that, Nick had three clean innings in the second, third, and fourth. We started making plays, and made less errors after that.”

The Royals took a 6-4 lead after scoring runs in the fourth and fifth innings. The Beavers added a run of their own in the bottom of the fifth, but Prince Albert put the game away with a two run sixth inning, making it 8-5. The Royals sealed the win in the bottom of the seventh when catcher Lukas Robin channeled his inner Yadier Molina, catching Quaid Watson stealing second.

Game two

The Beavers opened the scoring in the bottom of the second, thanks to a pair of steals by Dylan Risling. After singling, Risling stole second, and stole third as well. Robin tried to throw him out at third, but his throw was wild and made its way past the third baseman covering. Risling advanced home on the error, making it 1-0.

Prince Albert scored three in the top of the third. After a walk and a single put Kayden Burns and Dawson Patterson on base, Bronson Parker put the Royals on the board with a huge two RBI triple. Cody Morash doubled two batters later, driving in Parker to put the Royals on top 3-1.

Getting the start on the mound for the Royals, Patterson threw five strong innings, allowing four hits and giving up just one earned run, while striking out five batters and walking one.

Prince Albert added two more runs in the top of the sixth, thanks to some good hitting and a wild pitch. Robin and Burns both touched home plate in the sixth to extend the lead to 5-1.

The game took a complete 180 in the bottom half, as the Beavers scored four to cut the deficit to just one run. With Robin in to pitch in the sixth, he hit the first batter he saw in the game, and gave up a single and a double his next two batters, which brought in the first run of the inning. After striking out the next batter, Robin got Troesch to groundout, but another run came in to score, making it a 5-3 score. A wild pitch in the next at bat allowed Caleb Hoiseth to score making it 5-4.

An error in the bottom of the seventh allowed the Beavers to stay alive with two outs. When the game could have been put away, the mistake let North Battleford tie the game. After another walk issued by Robin, the winning run came in to score in the next at bat after a wild pitch. Risling came in to score as the sixth run, splitting the Sunday set with the Beavers taking game two by a 6-5 final.

“Patterson pitched really well for us,” Robin said. “That was his first start after he spent a lot of time as catcher. I didn’t want to push him with the pitch count too much, but he was rolling through the game well. I decided to take him out because he was tired, and it showed. It was his first outing and he was nearing 70 pitches, which was good.

“I brought Lukas in, and decided to keep him in after we gave up those three runs in the sixth. He was still feeling good, so he pitched the seventh. It didn’t end the way it should have ended. The runner scored on the curveball in the dirt, and that sealed the win for North Battleford. But overall it was a good day.”

The Royals and Beavers will wrap up their three game series on Wednesday back in Prince Albert at Andy Zwack Field. Opening pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

@kyle_kosowan•sports@paherald.sk.ca

For the first time since 1998-99, the Estevan Bruins are SJHL champions, and for the second time in four years, Eric Pearce and Boston Bilous were able to lift a championship trophy above their heads.

Both players were part of the 2018-19 WHL championship winning Prince Albert Raiders, and were able to relive a game seven win in the final all over again. The Bruins beat the Flin Flon Bombers 2-0 in game seven of the SJHL final to win the Canalta Cup.

“It’s very exciting, and it’s been a long time since this city has won a trophy,” Bilous said. “To do it in game seven against a team like Flin Flon was pretty special. It’s something we will remember for the rest of our lives. It was a great series, and we couldn’t be happier for this city.”

It’s been a memorable run for Bilous over these past four years, as hockey has taken him all across the province. Midway through the 2019-20 WHL season, the 2001 born netminder was traded from the Raiders to the Moose Jaw Warriors. He found a home in Moose Jaw for the remainder of his WHL tenure, starting 13 games in the Regina hub centre during the COVID shortened 2020-21 campaign. Bilous posted a 3.81 GAA with a .865 SV% in those starts.

This season his game saw a major improvement in Estevan. He started a career high 40 games, boasting an incredible 2.11 GAA and a .923 SV%. He says while the path to get to the Canalta Cup may not have been the most conventional, he is still thrilled to be a part of it.
“I was fortunate enough to win in Prince Albert and be a part of that,” he said. “That’s another memory that’s going to stick with me for the rest of my life.

The route may have been a little different these last few years, but to win one in PA, and go through COVID with everyone, it was a bit of a weird time. You go from not playing as much hockey, and then to come back for the first full season and win a cup with Estevan, it’s pretty special.”

Eric Pearce saw his own game take a similar change for the good when he joined the Bruins. After a frustrating start to the 2021-22 season in the WHL, where he was traded from the Raiders to the Brandon Wheat Kings, and then released by the Wheaties, Pearce says it didn’t take him long to get settled in with his new team in Estevan.

“I don’t think it took me too long to get comfortable,” he said. “It’s a little bit of a different league, and it obviously takes some time just to adjust to that change. Just getting in with the team, I knew a couple of the guys, obviously one of them was Boston from when we were in PA. I moved in with him and we became roommates, which made the transition a lot easier. It was just a really enjoyable year.”

Pearce reminisced on the 2019 WHL championship in Prince Albert with the Raiders. To do it all over again with Bilous is something that he doesn’t take for granted.

“It’s something that we have both talked about these last couple of days,” Pearce said. “Just the memories that we are going to have forever, and to be able to enjoy that with each other is pretty special.”

It became clear right from his first game with the Bruins that Pearce would be an offensive weapon. After registering four assists in nine games in the WHL this season, Pearce exploded in the SJHL, scoring 48 points (20G-28A) in 40 games. He finished fifth in team scoring, and shattered his career high in points, as his previous best was 16 points in the 2020-21 season with Prince Albert.

“I got to step into a bigger role in Estevan, and show that side of my game where maybe I haven’t been able to show these last couple of years in the WHL,” he explained. “But I think I learned a lot from playing in the WHL too, playing more of a defensive role. I think I brought that here, and completed the whole two-way game. I thought it turned out pretty good.

“Having those four or five years of experience in the WHL helped me to perfect my game and tweak it here or there. I think it came full circle in the SJHL.”

It’s the same sort of story for Bilous as well, who was finally able to step into his own spotlight with the Bruins this season. After being in the large shadow of Ian Scott in the 2018-29 season, the goaltender was able to confidently step into the role as Estevan’s number one guy.

“The role was definitely different from when I played in PA,” Bilous said. “I sat behind Ian Scott and tried to learn as much as I could. I was so grateful for that opportunity. I knew the workload was going to be a lot more this year, and I really just wanted to give my team a chance every night. I’ve said this a lot, but we have a great team. We have great forwards, great defencemen, and I just wanted to stop as many pucks as I can for them.

“Every year I think you re-evaluate and try to grow. When you go through tough situations, try to learn from those and grow from them. I think that’s something I’ve always been conscious of, is just trying to grow from opportunities.”

When asked which championship was nicer to win, Bilous laughed as he gave his answer.

“I’ve been asked this a lot, but it’s a tie. They’re 1A, 1B, they’re both amazing.”

Pearce received the same question, but says winning the Canalta Cup has a bit of a nicer feeling for him at the moment.

“I’d probably say the SJHL feels a little nicer right now,” he said. “The WHL championship at the time felt really good, but looking back on it in a couple of years, I don’t know if I will be able to decide.”

The Prince Albert Royals 18U squad are getting set for their first home game of the season when they welcome the Regina White Sox to Andy Zwack Field on Saturday afternoon. After starting the year on the road, coach Pat Robin says it will be nice to finally enjoy the luxury of a home crowd.

“I think everybody is excited,” Robin said. “The boys and the parents are looking forward to it. We got an email from the coach in Regina asking what the weather is going to be like and we have some parents coming in tonight and staying at hotels. Everyone is excited to get going.”

The Royals had just one game this week to prepare for Saturday’s game. They played an exhibition game against the Prince Albert senior men’s team on Monday night. Despite not having any extra time to practice throughout the week, Robin thinks his team benefited from that game against the older guys.

“Right now these guys realize that they’re jockeying for positions,” he said. “Last game we got some really good pitching which was good to see. It was a good experience for them, and that’s what they need. They need that time on the mound to get that confidence up.”

In their second game of the season against Assiniboia, errors played a large role in their blowout loss. This time around against Regina, Robin knows that his group will need to sharpen up their defensive play, and is confident that they can do so.

“We can’t give up a lot of errors in a game, because you obviously won’t win,” he explained. “If we limit our errors, we’ll be competitive. I told the boys if we pitch how we have and make contact like we did against the senior team, we’ll be competitive in every game. Our bats have to be there too. We need to generate runs and get on base to win a game. But if our pitching and our defence is good at this level, then we’ll be able to stay in games.

“When we play strong teams, they’re going to put the ball in play, and we’re going to have to make plays. I’ve moved some kids around already defensively, and hopefully the kids will grow and improve.”

After their game on Saturday, the Royals travel to North Battleford on Sunday for a double header. Their following game will be a game at home once again against North Battleford on Wednesday night.

@kyle_kosowan • sports@paherald.sk.ca