As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association hasn’t held a provincial championship of any kind since curling and wrestling competitions in March 2020.

That will change this weekend as the SHSAA will hold their provincial golf championships on Friday and Saturday at the Valley Regional Park Golf Course in Rosthern.

“We’re well-aware of the COVID-19 situation currently in our province, but we made the decision to continue with the provincial golf championship as we feel that we can offer it safely,” SHSAA executive director Jeff Kitts said on Thursday.

“We feel like we almost deserve it to our student-athletes in Saskatchewan, especially those who missed a year or are in their Grade 12 year. We’re definitely excited to have the chance to get this going this weekend.”

During the last few months, the SHSAA has been getting in touch with teachers, coaches, students and officials for their return to school sport surveys, which were done in collaboration with the University of Saskatchewan.

“One of the big things that we found was the recognition from the athletes of how disengaged they were at times in school and just how much school sports matters to them,” Kitts said.

“It’s a big deal for our kids, our families and even our teachers-coaches, as they also found a bit of a loss last year of not having that way to engage with their students like they normally would.”

Due to the ongoing pandemic, this weekend’s golf championships will have a different look to it.

“We’ve eliminated some of the bells and whistles that we would normally have,” Kitts said. “We had our coaches meeting online, there will be no opening ceremonies and there won’t be a mass awards ceremony like we would normally have at the end of the tournament.

“We weighed a lot of options in terms of how we would approach this weekend, but we found that there wasn’t a lot of transmission on the courses during the many golf tournaments that have been held in our province and it’s one activity that can be continued to offer safely.”

Carlton and St. Mary will each have a golfer taking part in the event, as Max McDougall will represent the Crusaders in the male competition and Neaeh Campbell will compete for the Marauders in the female tournament.

Weyburn’s Darien Herlick and Hunter Kutcher of Regina Riffel were the joint low qualifiers in the male district tournaments, while reigning Golf Saskatchewan women’s amateur champion Ella Kozak of Yorkton Sacred Heart is the low qualifier for the female event.

In terms of other SHSAA provincials that are slated for this school year, the Carlton Crusaders girls’ team is slated to host the 5A provincials at Prime Ministers Park from Oct. 29 and 30.

The Hoopla basketball tournament, which was originally slated to be held in Prince Albert in 2021, has been pushed back until March 2023 so that Regina can host the event this year.

The provincial capital was to have had the event in 2020, but it was cancelled due to an impasse in negotiations with the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation and the Provincial Government, though the playoffs would have been affected by the response to COVID-19.

It’s not often that an opposing player gets a hearty cheer from Prince Albert Raiders fans at the Art Hauser Centre.

That was the case last Friday night, however, as local forward Tanner Howe found the back of the net for the Regina Pats during a pre-season Western Hockey League contest.

“To hear those cheers was differently a nice feeling,” Howe said after Regina’s 8-6 setback.

“I knew there was a couple of fans supporting me tonight, but to hear them cheer after I scored that goal was pretty cool.”

Howe, who turns 16 years of age on Nov. 28, officially became a member of the Pats last March as the fourth round pick in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft signed a standard player agreement with the club.

He then suited up in eight games in the East Division Hub at the Brandt Centre, where he potted his first career goal on April 25 against the Brandon Wheat Kings and earned his first career assists on April 27 against the Winnipeg Ice.

“That time in the Hub helped me big time,” Howe said. “I got to play against bigger guys and learn from them, in addition to seeing just how quicker the game is in the WHL.

“You need to learn how to make quick plays right away, as there’s always going to be guys on you.”

That experience with the Pats also helped him in his off-season training as Howe is looking to earn a full-time spot on the roster for the 2021-22 campaign, which will start on Oct. 1 against the Raiders at the Art Hauser Centre.

“I worked a lot on explosiveness with my legs and other small things,” said Howe, who had 98 points in 62 games over two seasons with the Prince Albert Venice House Pirates Under-15 program and recorded four points in five games last year for the Prince Albert Mintos.

“I switched up things a little bit though compared to what I had done in the past, and a lot of that was due to the speed of the game at this level.”

While the Pats haven’t reached the post-season since they hosted the Memorial Cup in 2018 and last won a playoff series during their run to the league final in 2017, there is a substantial amount of buzz surrounding this year’s side, especially in The Queen City.

In addition to having Seattle Kraken second round pick Ryker Evans on the blueline and junior hockey phenom Connor Bedard up front, the Pats have also welcomed Columbus Blue Jackets defensive prospect Stanislav Svozil and former Lethbridge Hurricanes forward and first round pick Zack Stringer to their lineup.

“I think we’ll be a deep team for sure and I think we can make a run for it,” Howe said. “It’s important for us to be ready for every game and make sure that we are prepared. “That’s something that we’ve been working on here in the pre-season. We need to play hard and also be hard to play against.”

It was a month ago when Keaton Sorensen found out that he was being dealt from his hometown Red Deer Rebels to the Prince Albert Raiders.

While a change of scenery is something that might take some time for a junior hockey player to get used to, the move to Saskatchewan was one that the 19-year-old forward was eager to take on.

“Don’t get me wrong, my time in Red Deer was awesome, but it’s sometimes a good thing to get a change of scenery and join a new team,” Sorensen said.

“Everybody’s been really welcoming so far and it’s felt like I’ve been in Prince Albert forever. I’ve become friends with the guys here really quickly and it’s been an awesome experience.”

Sorensen isn’t a stranger to the province as he spent three years playing with the Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox, which included being a part of the 2018-19 Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League championship team and leading the league in scoring that season with 33 goals in 42 games.

“Having been there for a few years, I guess you can say I know the flatlands a little bit,” joked Sorensen, who had 16 points in 76 games in a Rebels uniform over the last two years.

“I look at myself as a playmaker, but I like to do my job in the defensive zone. The offensive zone is the extra part where you get rewarded if you do things right.”

Sorensen has proven to be one of the most impactful performers for the Raiders since the start of training camp and he carried that performance into the team’s pre-season opener on Friday night, as he had two assists in an 8-6 triumph over the Regina Pats.

“I thought it was a good game overall for us as we got used to playing at normal game speed again,” Sorensen said. “It was awesome to have fans in the building as well instead of playing in front of an empty building like we did last year.

While the Raiders still have three more exhibition contests before the regular season begins against the Pats on Oct. 1, Sorensen likes the direction that team is heading in.

“Everybody has bought in really quickly,” Sorensen said. “Everybody has come together and they want to win. The teams that do that the quickest are the ones that have success.”

Friday’s contest, which was the first WHL game of any kind at the Art Hauser Centre since a regular season matchup between the Raiders and the Brandon Wheat Kings on March 6, 2020, was a wild affair with both teams trading goals throughout the night and dressing younger lineups as many veteran players are attending NHL training camps.

“We told the new guys before the game that they are playing the same sport that they have been playing since they were young,” Sorensen said.

“We also told them that you just have to go out there and do what you do best. You’re here for a reason and you just have to play like you have been during practice all week, which I think they were able to do all night.”

Evan Herman and Cale Sanders both scored twice for the Raiders in their pre-season opener, while Tyson Laventure dished out three helpers.

Eric Pearce, Michael Horon and Dallyn Peekeekoot each had a goal and an assist in the triumph, which saw Adam McNutt light the lamp and Max Hildebrand stop 21 shots.

Pats forward Connor Bedard showed why he’s one of the most hyped players in all of junior hockey on Friday as he sniped home a pair of goals and earn an assist in a losing effort.

“I think for all of us that was a good taste of what WHL hockey is going to be like, especially for us younger guys that have only played a few games in the league,” Bedard said.

“Prince Albert plays a fast and aggressive game and we fought back well, but this was a good learning experience for us tonight and we all know that we have to play better.”

Cole Dubinsky had a two-assist night for the visitors, who also got goals from Tom Cadieux, Cole Carrier, Borya Valis and Prince Albert product Tanner Howe.

Mintos alumni Spencer Welke suited up between the pipes for the Pats and turned aside 25 shots.

The two sides will square off again on Saturday in a 7 p.m. affair at the Brandt Centre in Regina.

The Raiders will return to the Art Hauser Centre next Friday for a 7 p.m. meeting with the Saskatoon Blades, before concluding the pre-season the following night with a 7 p.m. matchup with their archrivals at the Legends Centre in Warman.

Post-Game Notes

While the Raiders were starting their exhibition slate on Friday, the Pats were taking part in the third pre-season matchup as they had split a home-and-home set with the Winnipeg Ice last weekend.

Special teams played a big role in the contest as each side scored a pair of power-play makers and combined for three shorthanded goals during the first period.

Tikhon Chayka, Carter Serhyenko, Nolan Allan, Kaiden Guhle, Landon Kosior, Reece Vitelli, Ozzy Wiesblatt and Uladzislau Shyla did not dress for the Raiders, while the Pats were without the services of Luke Bateman, Stanislav Svozil, Jake Johnson, Ryker Evans, Zack Stringer, Colby Wotton, Zane Rowan, Logan Nijhoff, Drew Englot and Matteo Michels.

Pre-Season Scores

Tuesday, Sept. 13

• Moose Jaw 3 Brandon 1 (Denton Mateychuk – Two Assists)

Friday, Sept. 17

• Portland 3 Spokane 0 (Dante Giannuzzi and Lochlan Gordon – Combined 23-Save Shutout – Kurtis Smythe – Two Assists – Game Played in Kennewick, Wash.)
• Lethbridge 3 Medicine Hat 2 (Nolan Bentham – Two Assists)
• Red Deer 3 Calgary 0 (Chase Coward – 34 Saves – Kai Uchacz – Two Goals)
• Saskatoon 4 Edmonton 3 (Brendan Lee – One Goal and One Assist)
• Moose Jaw 6 Swift Current 1 (Nathan Pilling – Two Goals)
• Kamloops 5 Prince George 3 (Dylan Sydor – One Goal and Two Assists)
• Everett 1 Tri-City 0 (Dylan Anderson Overtime Winner – Koen MacIness – 30 Saves – Second Shutout of the Pre-Season)
• Kelowna 7 Victoria 3 (Max Graham – One Goal and Two Assists)

Pre-Season Schedule

Saturday, Sept. 18

• Everett vs. Seattle – 3 p.m. (in Kennewick, Wash.)
• Edmonton vs. Saskatoon – 4 p.m.
• Red Deer vs. Calgary – 7 p.m. (in Siksika, Alta.)
• Lethbridge vs. Medicine Hat – 7 p.m.
• Swift Current vs. Moose Jaw – 7 p.m.
• Prince Albert vs. Regina – 7 p.m.
• Portland vs. Tri-City – 7 p.m.
• Kamloops vs. Prince George – 8 p.m.
• Victoria vs. Kelowna – 8 p.m.

Unlike the other 11 teams in the Saskatchewan Male Under-18 AAA Hockey League, the Prince Albert Mintos hadn’t had an exhibition game until Thursday night.

Although it took a few minutes to find their rhythm, the Mintos would find their rhythm and came out on the right end of a 7-4 contest against the Tisdale Trojans at the Art Hauser Centre.

“I think the first few minutes showed that we hadn’t played a game in a long time,” Mintos head coach Tim Leonard joked. “Tisdale had a game under their belts already (a 3-2 loss to the Saskatoon Contacts on Sept. 11) so there were a little more ready than we were.

“We fell behind 2-0 but I told the kids that we just needed to relax and catch up to the tempo that Tisdale was playing at. We adjusted, played quicker and better hockey, and answered the challenge.”

Thursday’s contest was highlighted by two impressive offensive performances by Mintos forwards and linemates Zach Bansley and Jacob Cossette.

Bansley, who is returning to the team for his second season, had two goals and three assists to move into a tie for the pre-season scoring lead with Mason Bueckert (Warman Wildcats), Trae Wilkie (Saskatoon Blazers) and Tarin Smith (Blazers), though it took multiple games for that trio to reach the five-point mark.

Cossette, who suited up for the Trojans last year, potted three goals and dished out a helper before leaving the game midway through the third period after being on the receiving end of a hard hit in front of the Mintos bench.

His hat-trick performance was the second of the pre-season in the Under-18 circuit, as he joined Estevan Bears forward Carson Birnie in achieving that accomplishment.

“Zach and Jacob were both at WHL camps recently with Lethbridge and Prince Albert, which was a great experience for both guys,” Leonard said. “They got  to experience that physicality and tempo that goes with being at that level, and I think that should help them going forward.”

Travis Swanson and Matthew Cudmore also scored for the Mintos, who received a 16-save performance from Nicolas Jensen.

The Trojans got their goals from Pavel McKenzie, Carter Ralston, Parker Dunn and Madden Wallis, while Cody Wilson turned aside 27 shots.

The Mintos are now gearing up for a home-and-home series with the Warman Wildcats in their final two contests of the pre-season.

They will meet up at the Art Hauser Centre at 7 p.m. Saturday before traveling to the Legends Centre in Warman for a 3:30 p.m. affair Sunday.

“Normally I would say it’s good to have that many games in a short amount of time, but after being off for a year it would have been a little nicer if it was spaced out a bit more,” Leonard joked.

“It is what it is though and we’ve got to get these games in before the season starts next weekend. We were able to get some affiliated players into our lineup tonight and we’ll do that for these two games against Warman.

“After that, we’ll see who will be coming back from WHL training camps and will start to implement our systems a bit more before opening weekend.”

The Mintos will start their 2021-22 campaign at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 25 against the Swift Current Legionnaires at the Art Hauser Centre.

They will then host the Regina Pat Canadians at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 26.

Pre-Season Scores

Saturday, Sept. 4

• Estevan 2 Regina 0 (Kaden Perron and Eric Smith – Combined 26-Save Shutout)

Thursday, Sept. 9

• Saskatoon Blazers 6 Battlefords 0 (Cole Peardon – Two Goals and One Assist – Alex Garrett (Calgary Hitmen Prospect) and Eric Kahl – Combined 25-Save Shutout)

Friday, Sept. 10

• Notre Dame 4 Swift Current 3 (Cole Wirun – Two Assists)

Saturday, Sept. 11

• Estevan 5 Notre Dame 2 (Carson Birnie (Red Deer Rebels Draft Pick) – Three Goals)
• Saskatoon Contacts 3 Tisdale 2 (Carter Mason – Two Goals)

Sunday, Sept. 12

• Saskatoon Blazers 4 Regina 3 (Trae Wilkie Shootout Winner – One Goal and One Assist)

Tuesday, Sept. 14

• Yorkton 5 Moose Jaw 4 (Roper Blanchard (Battlefords North Stars Draft Pick) – One Goal and Two Assists)

Wednesday, Sept. 15

• Saskatoon Blazers 4 Battlefords 0 (Tyler Phipps – Two Goals – Eric Kahl – 23 Saves)
• Warman 3 Saskatoon Contacts 2 (Mason Bueckert (Saskatoon Blades and La Ronge Ice Wolves Draft Pick) Overtime Winner – Two Goals)

Thursday, Sept. 16

• Regina 5 Notre Dame 1 (Matthew Ronn (Saskatoon Blades and Estevan Bruins Draft Pick) – One Goal and Two Assists)

A hardcore college football fan may have felt like they were watching the mid-90’s Nebraska Cornhuskers at Max Clunie Field on Thursday night.

In their first game in nearly two years, the St. Mary Marauders rushing attack dominated the Bedford Road Redhawks as the hosts cruised to a 78-0 triumph in their opening contest of the 2021 Saskatoon Secondary Schools Athletic Directorate campaign.

“We’re a run-first offence by design and that’s what we want to do,” Marauders head coach Curt Hundeby said.

“That’s not to say there isn’t any passing in our offence, but with the temperatures and the wind like it was tonight, it wasn’t overly conducive to pass the ball. We stuck with the run and it proved to be effective.”

Thursday’s contest was the first competitive SSSAD football game in Prince Albert since a playoff seeding game in Oct. 17, 2019, which saw the Marauders pick up a 23-11 triumph over the Carlton Crusaders.

“A 600-day wait is a long time,” said Grade 12 student Cole Otterson, who plays at linebacker, tight end and kicker for the Marauders. “I don’t think I could be more excited like I was to get back out there.

“The emotions were running high, especially for our young guys, and we just wanted to make sure that we all kept things under control and did our job through the whole game.”

The Marauders took control of the game early against the Redhawks, as they raced out to a 24-0 advantage in the first quarter.

“We challenged our guys to do their assignments well and to do their job to the best of their ability,” Hundeby said. “There were some hiccups and mistakes that you get in the first game of the season, but for the most part I thought our guys did the little things right.”

“Everybody was flying out there,” Otterson added. “We all did what we were supposed to and it was a good way to start the year.”

Thomas Ratt led the way with three rushing touchdowns, while Ashton Harris, Stanley Livingstone, Kenneth Gonzalez, Brady Robin, Uliks Ibishi and Otterson also scampered into the endzone.

The Marauders will look to continue their winning ways next Friday as they’ll travel to Saskatoon to face the Walter Murray Marauders.

“As this game went on, we cleaned up the large number of penalties that we took early on against Bedford Road, but that’s going to be a big focus for us in practice this week,” Otterson said.

“If you go up against a good team and you take a lot of penalties, that’s going to cost you the game.”

The Carlton Crusaders were in action on Friday afternoon as they started their season in Saskatoon against the Tommy Douglas Tigers.

A recap of that game will be posted on the Daily Herald website this weekend and will also appear in Tuesday’s edition of the paper.

The Crusaders home opener will take place at 6:30 p.m. Thursday when they’ll host the Bethlehem Stars at Max Clunie Field.

Esso Cup hosts taking part in Calgary Firestarter tournament this weekend

As the Prince Albert Northern Bears gear up for a new campaign, one of their biggest early season goals is to build up their team chemistry.

The 2022 Esso Cup hosts started that process this past weekend as they played the Lloydminster Steelers in a home-and-home series.

“I think we were all pretty anxious to have these games and to finally have a starting point for our season, especially for us as a staff so that we can reflect and look back on some actual games,” Bears head coach Jeff Willoughby said.

“It takes some time for the players to get used to each other and I thought we saw them get better over the course of both games.”

Saturday’s matchup in Lloydminster and Sunday’s contest at the Art Hauser Centre were the first for the Bears since Nov. 22, 2020, when they won a wild 9-5 road contest against the Battlefords Sharks.

“Honestly, it was a great feeling to be back playing with the girls,” Bears forward Jasmine Kohl said. “I really missed being with them and also being in that mindset of getting ready for games through our practices.

“At times last year it felt like we were just practicing for nothing with no games being played, but now we’re back doing what we love to do.”

After dropping a 4-2 contest to the Steelers on Saturday, the Bears bounced back with an impressive 7-1 result on Sunday.

Kelsey Ledoux led the way in the rematch with three assists, while Brooklin Fry had a pair of goals and Taylor Leitch dished out two helpers.

“It’s been a long time since we have played a game so it was great to be back out on the ice,” Leitch said. “It was a little nerve-wracking during the opening shifts on Saturday, especially with that being our first game in almost a year, but I think we all got back into the swing of things right away.

“We had a lot of confidence in moving the puck in our second game with Lloydminster and we were playing pretty fast out there, which allowed us to have a good day on offence.”

Erin Kirkland, Claudia Lammers, Bree Purcell, Jacquelyne Chief and Kohl also scored on Sunday, while Rayna Fraklin replied for the Steelers.

The Bears got goals from Kohl and Kassie Ferster in Lloydminster on Saturday.

Scoring details for the Steelers were not available.

With their first two pre-season games out of the way, the Bears will now travel to Calgary this week for the Firestarter tournament, which starts on Thursday and runs until Saturday.

Their Pool A slate will begin on Thursday with games against the host Calgary Fire and the Northern Capitals from Prince George, before a meeting with the Sharks on Friday.

“I think facing those different teams, especially those that aren’t in our league, will push us to be better when our regular season starts in October and be that top team that we want to be,” Kohl said.

The Bears will be traveling to Swift Current for a Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League showcase event on Oct. 2 and 3 before opening up their regular season on Oct. 9 with a road game against the Regina Rebels.

They will return to the Art Hauser Centre on Oct. 21 for a 7 p.m. meeting with the Sharks.

Pre-Season Scores

• Wednesday, Sept. 8

• Regina 6 Weyburn 1 (Megan Hayhurst – Two Goals and One Assist)

Monday, Sept. 13

• Regina 4 Weyburn 0 (Payton Schlamp – 24 Saves)

Pre-Season Schedule

Wednesday, Sept. 22

• Notre Dame vs. Swift Current – 7:30 p.m. (Gull Lake)

Thursday, Sept. 30

• Swift Current vs. Notre Dame – 8 p.m.

SSSAD season starts this week

Friday’s controlled scrimmage between the Carlton Crusaders and the St. Mary Marauders might have been the most eagerly awaited meeting between the two football teams.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both squads have been unable to play since the conclusion of the 2019 Saskatoon Secondary Schools Athletic Directorate season.

That long wait will finally end this week as the two sides will open up their regular season slates.

“I was talking to one of my administrators recently and I told them I felt like I was out of coaching shape,” Marauders head coach Curt Hundeby joked. “We’re taking things one step at a time right now but we’re excited about the young group of guys that we have as they are out here playing a sport that they know and love.”

“A lot of days have passed since there was a high school football game on this field, so it’s pretty exciting to be out here again,” Crusaders head coach Lindsay Strachan added. “We’ve been going hard in practice for about two weeks now and this is a nice reward for these guys as they get to line up against a different team.”

When each program last suited up, they were coming off trips to their respective SSSAD Division finals.

The Crusaders won the Division III championship on Oct. 25, 2019 with a 35-14 win over the Bedford Road Redhawks in Saskatoon, while the Marauders reached the Division II title game but lost a 38-28 road contest to the Aden Bowman Bears.

“It almost feels like we’re starting over the program, especially in terms of the learning that needs to happen during training camp,” Strachan said. “We’re very light on Grade 11 and 12 players, but we have a ton of Grade 9 and 10 players that will be stepping into our team and adapting to the steep learning curve that comes with playing high school football.”

“This is a different year because instead of teaching all of the terminologies to a handful of new guys, you are doing that with the majority of the team,” Hundeby added.

“When you look at our roster this year, we only have three players that were with us in 2019. Everyone’s learning how to be part of a team right now and we’re trying to move in small steps before we start to run a little bit.”

While the roster turnover is dramatic, both coaches are pleased about what they have seen during the first weeks of practice.

“We’re not a large group but we have a really good group of leaders that are passionate about football,” Hundeby said. “They have already been leading both on and off the field and we’re going to be leaning on those Grade 12 players to start the season.”

“We have a young team but I feel like we have one of the most athletic groups here in a while,” Strachan added. “They’ve been soaking up everything we have been trying to teach them over the last couple of weeks and it’s been a real pleasure for us to work with them. They are great kids.”

The Marauders will open up their season at Max Clunie Field on Thursday as they’ll welcome Bedford Road for a 6:30 p.m. contest.

Meanwhile, the Crusaders will travel to Saskatoon on Friday for a 3 p.m. meeting with the Tommy Douglas Tigers before hosting the Bethlehem Stars at Max Clunie Field on Friday, Sept. 24 at 6:30 p.m.

“I feel like this is going to be a super tough season to predict, especially in terms of what everyone has coming back,” Strachan said. “I think it will be a pretty interesting year.”

“If there’s ever been a season with a whole bunch of unknowns, this is it,” Hundeby added. “I’m sure the strong schools will be strong once again, but you just never know until the games start happening.”

The annual Canadian Tire Classic between Carlton and St. Mary is slated to be held at Max Clunie Field on Friday, Oct. 8 at 6:30 p.m.

The two sides played to a 27-27 tie in their 2019 regular season meeting, but it was the Marauders that took home the trophy the following week with a 23-11 triumph in a SSSAD playoff seeding game.

When Kindersley Klippers head coach and general manager Ken Plaquin was playing in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League as a member of the Humboldt Broncos in the late 1980’s, it was a few seasons after the Prince Albert Raiders had left the Junior A circuit to become one of the top teams in the Western Hockey League.

“My first season in Humboldt (1987-88) was Mike Modano’s first season with the Raiders and I remember just how exciting a time it was here at the rink and just how good the Raiders were when they moved into the WHL,” Plaquin said.

Prior to their leap into Major Junior hockey, the Raiders were the best team in the SJHL.

They made the league final in nine straight seasons, captured the championship in 1974 and won seven in a row from 1976 to 1982, in addition to winning the Centennial Cup in 1977, 1979, 1981 and 1982, the last of which was won at the then-named Communiplex.

The SJHL returned to one of its most historic venues on Sunday as the Klippers took on the Flin Flon Bombers in a pre-season game at the Art Hauser Centre.

“We were both looking for another exhibition game to play before the season started and we had played Kindersley a few years back in Warman,” Bombers head coach and general manager Mike Reagan said. “When I contacted the Klippers I asked them if they wanted to meet in Prince Albert if the rink was available, and it turned out to be a great fit for everyone, especially with the Mintos supplying their dressing room for us to use and the Raiders lending their support.

“It’s nice to come to Prince Albert as there’s a lot of players from the area that play in the SJHL and there’s also a lot of fans that follow the league that are from Prince Albert and the surrounding area. For them to be able to come here and catch a game is good for the league and we hope to make this an annual thing.”

In addition to helping to promote the SJHL, Sunday’s contest was also an important one for both sides as they try to figure out their roster for the 2021-22 campaign, which is slated to get underway on Friday, Sept. 24.

“It takes some time for everyone to get familiar with one another, especially since we didn’t really have a season of any kind last year due to the (COVID-19) pandemic,” Reagan said. “I think everyone in the league is in that situation right now as we’re all just in a feeling-out process to see what guys fit best in certain situations.”

“This is the longest off-season a lot of guys have ever had and our returning guys only had a couple of regular season games last year before the league shut down,” Plaquin added. “We still have another week to go here before the season gets underway, but everyone’s looking forward to it.”

The Klippers ended up earning bragging rights from Sunday’s encounter as they picked up a 5-3 win over the Bombers.

Logan Linklater and Ethan King led the way for Kindersley with a goal and an assist each, while Jaxon Georget, Mason Svarich and Carson Baylis also found the back of the net.

Nathan Gagne scored twice in the loss for the Bombers, who also got a goal from Kylynn Olafson.

As both teams continue to prepare for the upcoming campaign, a lot of eyes will be on the SJHL as the Estevan Bruins will host the Centennial Cup tournament next spring.

“They are the favourites right now but I think everyone’s going to be elevating their play when they go up against them,” Reagan said. “I know when Flin Flon hosted the tournament in 2001, we were upset in the semifinal by Nipawin, and then Weyburn lost in the opening round to Humboldt in 2005 when they hosted (the then-named RBC Cup) and won it.”

“It’s going to be a wide-open year,” Plaquin added. “No one’s going to know the other team’s players until they see them in person and I think there’s going to be a lot of younger kids that will get a chance to play.”

The tone of the Prince Albert Raiders’ training camp was set in stone last Wednesday at the Art Hauser Centre as the team held their first on-ice practice since the conclusion of the 2021 East Division Hub in Regina.

“We did things a little bit differently this year before we had our scrimmages,” Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt said. “‘Truey’ (Jeff Truitt), ‘Mac’ (Ryan(McDonald) and Doan (Smith) went out there with ‘Guardo’ (Kelly Guard) went out there and ran a practice, which was pretty typical to what you would see in the middle of the season with a good tempo and going quickly into the next drill.

“Even the veteran guys were saying ‘oh my goodness, that was pretty intense,’ but I think it was a good thing for the young guys to see right away and get into their mind about the pace that we like to play at.”

That fast-paced style was also evident during the team’s scrimmages on Thursday and Friday, in addition to their Green and White intrasquad game on Saturday afternoon.

“I thought the on-ice portion of the training camp got gradually better, more intense and crisper as the weekend went on,” Hunt said. “It looked a little bit like keep away in the neutral zone at first, but as the games went on there was a much better pace and a good compete level.

“We’re really with how the veterans led the way within their respective teams, especially with showing an example for the younger guys during the on-ice practices and during our fitness tests.”

Another highlight for Hunt was having fans back in the stands in the Art Hauser Centre to see the Raiders for the first time since March 2020, when the Western Hockey League campaign was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The league resumed play last March, but the Raiders played all 24 of their East Division games in the Brandt Centre with no spectators.

“It was great to be in the building again, especially on Saturday when you had the horn going off for the goals in the Green and White game,” Hunt said. “It was a pretty awesome feeling, especially for our older players who have so many great memories of playing here.

“To see the Raiders faithful come back and have that buzz around town again is great to see as we get ready for our regular season opener at home against Regina on Oct. 1.”

Before the Raiders can kick off the 2021-22 campaign, they have four pre-season contests to play in, with the first taking place on Friday at the Art Hauser Centre when the Regina Pats come to town for a 7 p.m. matchup.

“We had a team building exercise on Sunday and then we’ll get back to work in practice this week,” Hunt said.

“We’re going to be focussing on the aspects of our systems that allow us to play our game at that the high standards we’re used to here and what it means to play ‘The Raider Way,’ which has given us so much success.”

While a pre-season roster has yet to be announced by the Raiders, it is expected that they will have a younger lineup for the start of exhibition play as forwards Ozzy Wiesblatt (San Jose Sharks) and Reece Vitelli (Arizona Coyotes) will be at National Hockey League camps, along with blueliners Kaiden Guhle (Montreal Canadiens), Nolan Allan (Chicago Blackhawks) and Landon Kosior (Los Angeles Kings).

“Our practices are always open so the fans are welcome to come watch and speculate,” Hunt said. “That’s part of the fun at this time of year as everyone talks around the water cooler about the new season.

“We’ve got some decisions to make and with the guys going to NHL camp it will allow our younger players to have an opportunity to show what they can do, especially as they go up against opponents who are as desperate as they are to try and make their club.”

WHL Pre-Season Scores

Friday, Sept. 10

• Portland 5 Seattle 1 (Dawson Pasternak – One Goal and Two Assists – Game held in Everett)
• Everett 2 Spokane 0 (Koen MacInnes – 27 Saves)
• Regina 5 Winnipeg 4 (Zack Stringer – One Goal and One Assist)

Saturday, Sept. 11

• Spokane 4 Seattle 3 (Blake Swetikoff Shootout Winner – Sam Oremba – Two Goals – Game held in Everett)
• Tri-City 4 Everett 0 (Tomas Suchanek 32 Saves – Rhett Melnyk Two Goals)
• Edmonton 5 Red Deer 3 (Jacob Boucher – Two Goals)
• Winnipeg 6 Regina 5 (Conor Geekie Shootout Winner – Two Goals and One Assist – Cole Dubinsky – One Goal and Three Assists)

Sunday, Sept. 12

• Seattle 4 Tri-City 3 (Mekai Sanders – Two Assists – Game held in Everett)
• Portland 6 Everett 2 (Robbie Fromm-Delorme – One Goal and One Assist)

WHL Pre-Season Schedule

Tuesday, Sept. 14

• Brandon vs. Moose Jaw – 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 17

• Portland vs. Spokane – 4 p.m. (Game held in Kennewick)
• Medicine Hat vs. Lethbridge – 7 p.m.
• Calgary vs. Red Deer – 7 p.m.
• Regina vs. Prince Albert – 7 p.m.
• Edmonton vs. Saskatoon – 7 p.m.
• Moose Jaw vs. Swift Current – 7 p.m.
• Prince George vs. Kamloops – 8 p.m.
• Everett vs. Tri-City – 8 p.m.
• Victoria vs. Kelowna – 8 p.m.