I realize this is the oldest cliche in the book, but time really does fly when you are having fun.
After nearly three years, my time on the sports desk here with the Prince Albert Daily Herald has come to a close and I will be moving back to my hometown of Lethbridge, Alta. to begin a new position later this month.
Prior to moving to PA, I had never lived outside of Lethbridge and I was completely jumping into the unknown. I had never spent any significant time in the city or even the province of Saskatchewan as a whole before I moved in on my 22nd birthday.
There was definitely some anxiety and a little bit of fear about moving eight hours from home and not knowing a soul here, especially with the reputation Prince Albert has. Looking back, I am so thankful I took that leap of faith and took the opportunity to come to Prince Albert.
I wanted to thank a lot of people for my time here. First off, thank you to Daily Herald publisher Donna Pfeil and editor Jason Kerr for giving a kid from Southern Alberta a chance to tell the sports stories here in Prince Albert and to give me the freedom to tell those stories in whatever angle I felt was best.
Thank you to all the coaches, players, volunteers and organizers that I’ve gotten the chance to speak to throughout my time here. Even if it was just a normal, everyday conversation that wasn’t for any story, it helped me feel at home despite being so far away.
Special thank you to Jason, Donna, Michael Oleksyn, Nick Nielsen and everyone else who helped me get around when I was without a vehicle for three months last winter and dealing with my overly optimistic timeline of when I would get wheels back.
During my time here, there have been some incredibly special stories to tell in the sports world.
After more then two years of delays, it was special to see the work of the Esso Cup Host Organizing Committee finally come to fruition in 2023. The final of that tournament between the Stoney Creek Sabres and Fraser Valley Rush was one of the best I got the chance to watch live during my time here.
It was a pleasure to watch as Stryker Zablocki who first made a name for herself on the national stage at that Esso Cup as a 15-year-old to then blossoming as one of Canada’s key contributors on route to a gold medal at the 2025 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championships earlier this year.
One story that was difficult for me to write about on a personal level was the feature on Bruce Vance shortly after his passing from cancer last fall. Although I only knew Bruce for a very short time, it was always a pleasure when I saw him at various sporting events around the city.
I lost my father to cancer in January of 2019 and it was incredibly powerful to me to hear how Bruce was determined to not let his illness slow him down, despite how much pain he was in on a daily basis.
In the high school sports scene, the St. Mary Marauders accomplished something that won’t be seen in the province for many years to come as both the boys and girls volleyball teams took home provincial gold in Prince Albert in 2023.
It was a pleasure having a front row seat to Carlton’s first ever provincial football title last fall in a game that will go down as an instant classic, going down to the wire.
The strides that the Prince Albert Raiders made during my time here was incredibly special to watch. After finishing 11th place in the conference in the 2022-23 season, the team got better each and every season culminating in a division crown and an incredibly memorable comeback in the first round of the playoffs against Edmonton.
I still get goosebumps watching the video of Lukas Dragicevic’s goal to take the lead with three minutes left against Saskatoon that won the division and the replay of the decisive Game 7 against Edmonton. Curtis Hunt and company have done an incredible job and I predict a deep playoff run is in the near future. I look forward to making a return visit to watch some playoff hockey at the Art Hauser Centre.
There are plenty of fond memories I have during my time here in Prince Albert that I will look back on for years to come. One of best has to be when I had the opportunity to be a part of the Lakeland baseball team coaching staff alongside Corey Borthwick and Jason Van Otterloo at the Saskatchewan Summer Games last summer in Lloydminster.
Although medaling was not in the cards, the only win that team had in the tournament was incredibly special. It was a rainy, windy morning game that didn’t matter too much in the grand scheme of things in the tournament, but it’s always sweet to pull off a win against a big city team like Regina.
That game had a little bit of everything from a strong pitching performance from Nash Noble, a well executed but illegal hidden ball trick attempt in extras and a few clutch hits for the walk off win. I hope all the players from that team will look back at that weekend fondly, even with no podium finish.
While my time in Prince Albert has come to a close, I will have nothing but good things to say about the city and sports community for years to come.
Thanks for everything Prince Albert.
