Rams vs Manitoba

THE GAME:
After a tumultuous 0-3 start, the University of Regina Rams are now right back in the Canada West playoff picture thanks to a big 38-14 road win over Alberta last Saturday. A win for the Rams over Manitoba on Friday night puts Regina into a tie for fourth place in the conference standings with just three games remaining on the Canada West slate. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium and will be broadcast live on Access7, on the web at 620ckrm.com, and via webcast at www.canadawest.tv.

THE HEADLINES:
• The Rams have won four consecutive games over the Bisons dating back to Oct. 24, 2008
• Converted slotback Zach Oleynik got the call for the Rams at quarterback last Saturday, becoming the fourth player in as many games to start at QB for Regina this season — Oleynik is expected to get the start at pivot for the Rams on Friday
• Regina's Chris Bodnar remains the CIS leader with an average of 45.2 yards per punt
• After rushing for 165 yards against the Golden Bears, Rams running back Adrian Charles ranks second in both Canada West and the CIS with 503 rushing yards this season and is on pace to become the first player in Rams history to hit the 1000-yard barrier in a single season
• Manitoba quarterback Khaleal Williams ranks second in Canada West with 1160 passing yards this season (just 13 behind UBC's Billy Greene), while receiver Tyson Takasaki is third in the conference in both receptions (18) and receiving yards (299)

UNIVERSITY OF REGINA RAMS (1-3):
After a painful 0-3 start, the mood around the Rams' clubhouse has dramatically improved this week following a big 38-14 road win over the Alberta Golden Bears last Saturday.

The win was crucial for so many reasons — not only did a Rams offence that had sputtered through the first three weeks of the season finally get going in a big way, but the victory put the Rams just one win back of Saskatchewan and Manitoba in the Canada West standings.

Zach Oleynik will get the start at quarterback for the Rams again after a sparkling debut against Alberta. Running back Adrian Charles is ranked second in both Canada West and the CIS (behind Calgary's Steven Lumbala) in rushing yards, while slotback Jared Janotta is tied for third in the conference in receptions (18) and touchdown catches (3).

Defensively, Jamir Walker is tied for the Canada West lead with two interceptions (both of which came last week at Alberta) and leads the conference outright with five passes defended. Logan Brooks is tied for the Canada West lead with four sacks and is just two short of tying Sean Brimacombe's Rams single-season record of six (2005).

The Rams will have a week off before returning to action with a critical matchup at UBC on Oct. 15.
(Courtesy Cougar Athletics)

Heading Home !!

Looking forward to getting home. I had a great time in Sask except for being at the Rider massacre. BC put the boots to the Green team !
Mom has sold her house and Nancy and I helped her move into the Manor. Mom is very happy with how things have gone, she's surrounded by good people.
Can't wait to see my sweetheart !

Off to the 306

I'll try to add a few comments over the next few days, but I'm going to be away from internet for most of my trip.

Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose !!!

Kyle Chandler, who played Coach Taylor  in "Friday Night Lights", just won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor  in a dramatic series . FNL is a series that I really got into. Great writing, great cast, great story. The series was so close to what many have experienced as coaches, especially high school coaches. It was a must-watch every week . Too bad the series is over. The finale , "Always", which also won an Emmy, was incredible.

Bring on the Leos !!!

REGINA -- Dario Romero recovered a Steven Jyles fumble late in the fourth quarter and Chris Milo kicked the deciding field goal as the Saskatchewan Roughriders extended their winning streak to three games on Saturday with a 30-20 victory over the Toronto Argonauts.

Milo's third field goal of the game made it 23-20 with less than three minutes left to play and gave the Roughriders (4-7) a lead they didn't relinquish. The game-winning kick was from 23 yards out.

His second - from 30 yards - was the product of a James Patrick interception early in the fourth.

Patrick's pick of Toronto (2-9) quarterback Jyles was the first of two for Saskatchewan, which scored 16 points in the fourth quarter. Milo opened the quarter with an 11-yard field goal.

Chris McKenzie returned Jyles' second interception 33 yards for a touchdown with less than a minute left in the game.

Despite having ball possession for 20 minutes 24 seconds of the first half, Toronto's struggles to find the end zone continued. The Argos managed just 12 points as Noel Prefontaine kicked field goals from 18, 41, 35, and 32 yards.

It was 9-0 for the Argos before the Riders got on the scoreboard. Darian Durant connected with Chris Getzlaf on passes of 28 and 27 yards, the latter being for Getzlaf's fifth touchdown in his last three games.

Trailing 12-7 at halftime, the Riders took their first lead of the game early in the third when Weston Dressler scored on a six-yard touchdown run that was set up with a 64-yard reception by Getzlaf.

Andre Durie replied with Toronto's first offensive touchdown in three games, catching a 32-yard pass from Jyles in the end zone.

Entering the game, Toronto hadn't scored a touchdown on offence since the first half of their Aug. 18 win over Saskatchewan. That contest was the final one for Greg Marshall as Riders head coach and Doug Berry as offensive coordinator. Both were fired the next day.

Durant finished 21-of-34 passing for 279 yards. Jyles was 19-for-33 for 254 yards. Getzlaf led all receivers with seven catches for 170 yards.

Game Day !!!!

Riders host Toronto today. The teams have gone in different directions since the Argos outlasted sask in their last meeting. Riders have won their last 2 while Argos lost twice to BC, while failing to score  a TD in each game. The starting qbs for each team were former teammates with the Riders, Durrant vs. Jyles.
Lets keep it rollin'
Now we're on our way,
Our Pride is showin'
Its growing every day,
We got that Rider Pride !

DINOS 51 RAMS 1

REGINA, Sask. – The No. 3-ranked University of Calgary Dinos remained unbeaten on the season after thumping the Regina Rams by a 51-1 score on Friday night in a Canada West game at Mosaic Stadium.

Calgary improves its conference record to 3-0 on the season, as the Dinos and Saskatchewan (2-0) remain the only two undefeated teams in Canada West. The Rams fall to 0-3 with the loss.

The Dinos scored the game's first touchdown with just 16 seconds left in the second quarter to take a 13-point lead into halftime, then exploded in the third. Chris Dobko, Steven Lumbala, and Jake Harty all scored majors for Calgary as the visitors put up 24 points in the third stanza.

Calgary added to the score early in the fourth on Dobko's third touchdown reception of the game, and Denzel Morrison capped off the scoring with a 16-yard run late in the contest.

Dobko ended up with five catches for a game-high 79 yards and now leads the conference in receptions (16), receiving yards (229), and touchdown catches (4). He becomes the first Dino to register three touchdown receptions in one game since Jamie Elliott had three against the Rams on Sept. 20, 2002.

Harty had six catches for 72 yards and a touchdown, while starting quarterback Eric Dzwilewski was 10-for-17 for 90 yards and three touchdowns. Steven Lumbala had 16 rushes for 110 yards, while Anthony Woodson had 53 rushing yards and Morrison ended up with 52.

Sam Hurl, Michael Lau, and Cory Roboch led the Calgary defence with five total tackles apiece. Lau and Wyatt Getty had interceptions for the Dinos, while Jordan Verdone had four total tackles and registered Calgary's lone sack.

Drew Redekopp blocked two punts for the Dinos, getting in front of a Chris Bodnar boot in the first quarter and again in the third quarter.

Adrian Charles led the Rams with 57 rushing yards, while first-year quarterback Frankie Gray scrambled eight times for 55 yards. Gray also ended up with 55 passing yards in the loss, completing nine of his 20 passes. Stefan Charles and Logan Brooks both had sacks for Regina.

The team statistics were predictably swayed heavily in Calgary's favour, with the Dinos' 27-8 advantage in first downs perhaps the most telling of them all. Calgary also enjoyed a 332-177 yard advantage in total offence while having possession for over 36 minutes.

Calgary will meet Saskatchewan at home in what should be a pivotal contest next weekend, while the Rams will be back in action on the road next Saturday against Alberta (0-2).

Change of Season

Its a little chillier in the morning now, and the weeks of +30 seem to be over. One thing for sure, the days are getting shorter! Must be Fall around the corner.

We'll be starting the woodturners meetings on the 26th again. I'll miss that one as I'm heading back to the 306 to help my mother move. It will be a busy week so I don't think I'll get a lot of visiting in. Next trip for sure .

SWAG- Saskatchewan wins another game

This picture tells the story. Craig Butler's sack of Buck Pierce changed the momentum of the game as Riders beat Wpg 45-23 .

9-11

Ten years ago, the images from New York changed the world forever. I was teaching at Campbell Collegiate and got to the school about 10 to 8. My colleague Ken said a plane had just hit the tower. We both thought it was some small cessna or something like that. He said to watch it on CNN. I went up to my room, switched on the tv and saw a second plane hit the other tower. The reports coming in confirmed the worst. A report that the pentagon had been hit too.
My first fear was that my son in Ottawa might be vulnerable, because it looked like war. An email to him at work was returned that he was safe, but his wife (who worked for the govt in communications) was not allowed to leave work as the communications depts from all the govt agencies were being kept together in one building away from parliament.
The task at hand was to inform and reassure my students. No formal classes were taught that day, but a lot of dialogue took place. Some students felt uncomfortable because of their background, but all were reassured that the deeds were done by fanatics, not true believers.
Yes the world has changed.

Busy day today

Helene and I helped Alex set up for Artwalk in Lake Country. Its a juried show and Alex was selected for her multi-media fibre art . her display and work is very impressive. The show runs Sat and Sun in Windfield,

HUSKIES 33 RAMS 10

SASKATOON, Sask. - The University of Regina Rams suffered a 33-10 road loss to the No. 5-ranked Saskatchewan Huskies on Friday night at Griffiths Stadium. The Rams held a 10-3 lead after a Chris Bodnar field goal near the end of the first quarter, but were held off the scoreboard for the final 45 minutes of the contest as the Huskies collected 30 unanswered points to secure the victory.
Making matters worse for the visitors, the Rams (0-2) lost a quarterback for the second consecutive game. Making his first CIS start, Dylan Hart was injured in the third quarter and was replaced by third-stringer Frankie Gray.
Saskatchewan, which improves to 2-0 with the win, was led offensively by Dexter Janke's two-touchdown performance. Janke had a 101-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter — the sixth-longest reception in Canada West history — and added a two-yard touchdown run early in the fourth.
Jahlani Gilbert-Knorren completed 16 of his 32 passes for 358 yards and two touchdowns and added 40 rushing yards for the Huskies. Janke ended up with 62 rushing yards and a game-high 141 receiving yards.
Four different Huskies registered interceptions, including Tony Michalchuk, Bryce McCall, Mitch Friesen, and Luke Thiel. Levi Steinhauer had two sacks, while Michalchuk led all players with 12 total tackles.
For the Rams, Hart was 11-for-20 and had 79 passing yards before leaving the game with a suspected back injury. Gray — who at this time last year was quarterbacking at Campbell Collegiate in Regina — completed five of his seven passes for 63 yards.
Rams running back Adrian Charles had a game-high 89 rushing yards. Brenden Owens led all players with six receptions.
Regina's lone touchdown of the game came early in the contest. A 50-yard punt by Chris Bodnar pinned Saskatchewan deep in its own end zone, and on the ensuing play Janke lost the ball and Rams linebacker Austin Bates came up with the fumble recovery in the end zone to give the Rams an early lead.
The Rams had a chance to make it a one-possession game late in the third quarter. Down 23-10, Steve Famulak's fumble recovery gave Regina the ball on Saskatchewan's 42-yard line. Two big rushes by Charles and a pass to Connor Haas by Gray brought the Rams down to the four, but the drive was snuffed out after Saskatchewan recovered a fumble by Gray on second-and-goal. The Huskies followed that up with a seven-play, 77-yard drive to go ahead by 20 with 12 minutes to play.
The Rams will be back in action at home next Friday against Calgary (2-0). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium.

Sad Passing

Reprinted with permission from the Winnipeg Free Press:

BY: Gary Lawless

KELLY MCCRIMMON has made a living as a hockey executive, carving out a reputation as a shrewd businessman and demanding coach but on Wednesday he was just a little brother.

The owner and GM of the Western Hockey League's Brandon Wheat Kings, along with the rest of the McCrimmon family, were mourning the death of longtime NHLer Brad McCrimmon on Wednesday.

"Brad was my hero," answered an emotional McCrimmon when asked what he would remember about his brother. "We were a year apart. We grew up together and did everything together. We were a close family and I was his biggest fan. I mean that."

The McCrimmon boys grew up in Plenty, Sask., before hockey took them off the farm. Brandon was a touchstone for the brothers as Brad made a name there as one of the best junior players in the country and Kelly followed in his footsteps, joining the Wheaties where they were teammates for the 1978-79 season under the tutelage of legendary junior coach Dunc McCallum.

"Brad was a man's man and a true pro. He never judged and he found the good in people," said McCrimmon. "He was confident and humble and he had a good heart."

Kelly McCrimmon moved into management, eventually purchasing the Wheat Kings and has an eye for talent.

"Brad was a very successful pro but before that he was a tremendous junior with excellent Wheat Kings teams in Brandon," said McCrimmon. "He was a top player at his position in the NHL and then became an excellent and respected coach."

McCrimmon says he'll remember his brother for his family contributions more than those he made on the ice.

"Brad was a meat and potatoes guy," he said. "He didn't seek praise or notoriety. His work and his family were his life. He was a solid man and not prone to emotional outbursts. His daughter Carlyn, 21, and his son Liam, 14, were so important to him. He was an excellent father and husband to Maureen. He loved them so much."

Hockey Off-Season

Another hockey tragedy this morning. A Russian plane carrying a KHL team crashed killing 43 and leaving 1 critically injured. More details are coming out. So sad !

This was on the cbc.ca website:

A passenger jet carrying a KHL hockey team has crashed while taking off in western Russia, killing at least 43 people, according to officials. Russian media reports that several foreign players were on board.
The emergency situations ministry said the 120-seat Yak-42 plane carrying the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team crashed Wednesday after leaving an airport near the city of Yaroslavl, on the Volga River northeast of Moscow. It said two people survived and are critically injured.

CBC SPORTS: Air crashes involving sports teams

Russia Today reported on its website that several of the victims were foreign players for the club, but the news agency did not list any names.
The team's website lists Canadian Brad McCrimmon, a former NHL player, as head coach, and says the team includes Canadian player Ramzi Abid, who played 68 NHL games for the Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Atlanta Thrashers and Nashville Predators between 2002 and 2007.
The 2010 official photograph of the KHL's Locomotiv Yaroslavl. It is unclear how many of those pictured were on board a passenger jet that crashed Wednesday northeast of Moscow. Locomotiv Yaroslavl
The team's 2011 roster also includes former Vancouver Canuck Pavol Demitra and former Ottawa Senator Karel Rachunek, as well as former NHLers Josef Vasicek and Karlis Skrastins. Former NHLers Igor Korolev and Alexander Karpovtsev are listed as the team's assistant coaches.
But it is unclear whether any of those players were on board the plane that crashed Wednesday. Russian officials said Locomotiv player Alexander Galimov survived the crash along with a crewmember.
Shortly after news of the crash emerged, Riley Armstrong, who was also listed on the team's roster, posted a Twitter message saying he was not on board the flight because he is attending a team training camp in St. John's.
"I'm safe but thanks for the kind words," he said on Twitter. "Pray and think of the players and their families on that flight."
CBC Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman reported that some of the names being speculated about are from an old KHL roster.
"Let's just wait a little. What an awful tragedy," he said on Twitter.
Russia's emergency situations ministry says a Yak-42 jet similar to the one shown crashed immediately after takeoff on Wednesday as it was carrying the Lokomotiv KHL hockey team from Yaroslavl, Russia en route to Minsk, Belarus.(Courtesy Pawel Kierzkowski)
The team was heading to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, where it was to play Thursday against Dinamo Minsk in the opening game of the season of the Kontinental Hockey League.
The KHL is a league of several ex-Soviet nations rivalling the NHL in terms of salary and attracting high-calibre talent to Russia in recent years.
McCrimmon, originally from Dodsland, Saskatchewan, is a former assistant coach for the New York Islanders, Calgary Flames, Atlanta Thrashers and Detroit Red Wings. His NHL career spanned 18 seasons and 1,222 games with five teams, including the Flames, the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit.

Also Sidney Crosby will be addressing his future today. He's been battling post-concussion syndrome and his immediate hockey future could be in doubt.
On the wood front, I've been getting used to my new Ellsworth grind gouge. I really like its weight and length. I'm trying to see what the best way is to sharpen it. It works very good as a rougher and scraper.

CFL news

Argos say " goodbye Cleo ". Sometimes you just can't make lemonade out of Lemons !

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. -- The Cleo Lemon era with the Toronto Argonauts is over.

The Argos have released the veteran quarterback less than two seasons after signing him to be their starter.

The former NFL pivot appeared in 25 regular-season and two playoff games with Toronto, compiling a 11-14 record overall.

Toronto was just 2-6 with him under centre this season.

The Argos released Lemon after he was benched in the second half of their 29-16 home loss to the B.C. Lions on Friday night.

Lemon was 11-of-15 passing versus the Lions for just 57 yards.

The move comes with veteran quarterback Steven Jyles scheduled to come off the nine-game injury list this week. Argos head coach/GM Jim Backer has said Jyles will immediately be added to the Argos' 46-man roster.

Lemon completed 430-of-680 passes with Toronto (63.2 per cent) for 5,069 yards but had more interceptions (23) than touchdowns (22).

Toronto also added rookie quarterback Zack Eskridge on the practice roster

Go Figure !

Riders bounced the Blue Bombers 27-7 to win the annual Labor Day Classic . A great win !!!!!

Rod Pederson posted this report.

REGINA -- The Saskatchewan Roughriders thoroughly outclassed the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Sunday afternoon in Labour Day Classic XLV, beating the Manitobans 27-7, and netting Ken Miller a victory in his first game back on the Rider sidelines.

From the opening kickoff, the Roughriders were a completely different team from the one which lost seven of its first eight games before the coaching change. Quarterback Darian Durant threw a pair of touchdown passes to Chris Getzlaf and one more to Weston Dressler while kicker Chris Milo chipped in with a pair of field goals.

The Riders led 7-0, 10-4 and 20-7 by quarter as they snapped a four game losing streak and improved to 2-7 while the Bombers fell to 7-2. The Bombers had two players disqualified late in the game, and refused interviews with Rider Radio immediately following the game.

The two teams meet again next Sunday in the Banjo Bowl at Canad Inns Stadium. Phone your postgame comments into the Sports Cage After Hours hotline at 546-CAGE and we'll air the best calls on tomorrow's Sports Cage on 620 CKRM from 5-7pm.

RP
@sportscage

Game Day !!

Today is the annual Labor Day classic between the Riders and Blue Bombers. 1-7 vs 7-1. Staggerville vs. Swaggerville.
Lets hope that Riderville prevails !!

Rams drop 1st.

REGINA, Sask. – The UBC Thunderbirds opened up the 2011 Canada West season with a 21-10 win over the No. 6 ranked Regina Rams on Friday night at Mosaic Stadium.

The first five minutes of the game couldn’t have possibly gone any better for UBC. Quarterback Billy Greene fired a 63-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Grieve on the Thunderbirds’ opening drive to give the visitors the early lead. On the ensuing Rams possession, fifth-year quarterback Marc Mueller suffered a shoulder injury at the end of an eight-yard rush and didn’t return. The report is he'll be out two weeks with a stretched tendon in his shoulder. Mueller reportedly said to medical personnel "I'm okay, how are the Rams taking it?"

UBC (1-0) added to the lead three minutes into the second quarter, as Brandon Deschamps finished off a short drive that started deep in Rams territory following a Chris Mark interception. Regina (0-1) finally got on the board just before halftime with a 42-yard Chris Bodnar field goal.

Joey Gabrick extended the lead to 21-3 with an eight-yard touchdown reception in the opening stages of the third quarter. With first-year quarterback Dylan Hart controlling the Rams offence after Mueller’s injury, the home side answered back with a 10-play, 70-yard drive that was finished off with an 11-yard touchdown catch by Jared Janotta.

The Janotta major cut the lead to 11, but turned out to be the final points of the contest.

Billy Greene completed 15 of his 25 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns and also led UBC with 38 rushing yards. Grieve had three catches for a game-high 109 yards, while Micha Theil led UBC with four receptions. Canada West all-star Serge Kaminsky had a fantastic game on the defensive side of the ball for the Thunderbirds, getting through the line for three sacks and adding a game-high seven total tackles.

Adrian Charles had a huge game on the ground in the loss for the Rams, ending up with 192 yards on 26 rushes. Hart completed 14 of 28 passes for 134 yards, while Janotta ended up with eight catches for 99 yards.

The Rams will travel to Saskatoon next Friday to square off against Saskatchewan (1-0) at Griffiths Stadium. UBC hits the road again next weekend for a Friday clash against Calgary.

NOTES: UBC’s win snaps a four-game losing streak to the Rams that dated back to 2007 ... the two teams will also meet on Saturday, Oct. 15 in Vancouver.

(Courtesy U of R Athletics)

If its raining , it must be Vancouver

The title says it all. But at least its not snow, right Calgary ?
We're getting supplies for Helene 's studio and visiting family. And just maybe a side trip to Lee Valley !