There really isn't much I can say about Alberta's win at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts that hasn't already been said. But let's quickly re-cap some of what Heather Nedohin and her crew went through on their way to their title win...
- the team struggled out of the gate, going 1-2 on opening weekend... many wondered if this team had what it took to even make the playoffs never mind win it all
- they flirted with the 500-mark all week long before winning both of their games on Thursday to claim the fourth and final playoff berth
- in the 3/4 playoff game Saturday morning vs. Quebec... Jessica Mair fell while sweeping only to have Laine Peters literally push her out of the way to avoid burning the shot
- we all saw the final measurement in the semifinal in which Nedohin beat out Jennifer Jones' shot rock by mere millimetres
- Mair had her stopwatch fly off her broom while sweeping during the final... luckily she was able to prevent it from touching the Alberta stone as it made it's way down the ice
- remarkably, Team Alberta avoid the devastating effects of the flu which ravaged a number of other teams!
A few things I really liked about Alberta's championship performance...
- they proved that one of my favorite theories does actually prove to be true at least once in a while... that all you have to do is make the playoffs and anything can happen
- the supporting cast of Laine Peters, Jessica Mair, and Beth Iskiw... outside of perhaps Team Manitoba... were the best crew throughout the entire Scotties. They were superb in every match and consistently set the table for Nedohin to come through with one of her big time shots when needed
- with their (specifically Heather's) use of some often colourful language... the Nedohin rink did what I consider a great job of representing our province... since that's what it sounds like at most local curling clubs anyway... s***balls... awesome!
Kudos to Chair Sherri Ryckman and her crew for doing a fabulous job of hosting the Scotties. Although they fell short of reaching their 100,000 attendance goal they came pretty darn close (the report for draw 22 has the final attendance listed at 94,997 but that number could end up being a bit higher). It ranks as the 5th-highest attendance total in the 31-year history of the event. Red Deer's '04 Scotties ranks second at over 115,000 fans.
Interesting note... as per Terry Jones' article in today's Edmonton Sun... the Canadian Curling Association is so impressed with Red Deer that they are now considering bringing the Brier back to our city. This was once considered to nothing more than a pipe dream after the infamous 'Redneck Brier' of 1994. But apparently it could actually happen as soon as in 2017. Stay tuned.
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The clock continues to move closer to midnight for the Red Deer Rebels and their desperate chase for a WHL playoff spot.
After a 4-0 loss in Prince Albert and a 4-3 OT win in Saskatoon the Rebels still remain ten points back of the Brandon Wheat Kings for 8th in the Eastern Conference.
The Rebels have just 11 regular season games remaining.
They will receive a boost to their line up in the form of Conner Bleackley. His UFA Bisons were swept out of the AMHL playoffs over the weekend, making him available for duty. He will be in the line up for tomorrow night's game in Moose Jaw.
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Speaking of Midget AAA... the Red Deer Optimist Rebels will take on the Calgary Buffaloes in second round playoff action starting tomorrow night...
Red Deer Optimist Rebels vs Calgary Buffaloes
G1 Feb 28 Red Deer Buffaloes Red Deer Arena 7:00 pm
G2 Mar 3 Buffaloes Red Deer South Fish Creek 6:45 pm
G3 4 Red Deer Buffaloes Red Deer Arena 3:00 pm
G4 7 Buffaloes Red Deer South Fish Creek 8:15 pm
G5 9 Red Deer Buffaloes Red Deer Arena 8:00 pm
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Doomsday is also looming for the Bentley Generals. They lost twice in Horse Lake over the weekend... 3-0 and 6-3... and now trail the Chiefs in their best-of-seven Senior AAA provincial semifinal three games to one. The Gens six-year run as provincial champions is now in serious jeopardy. The winner of this series will take on the Stony Plain Eagles in the provincial final. The Eagles swept the Sylvan Lake Admirals 4-0 in the other semifinal series.
The Innisfail Eagles trail their Senior A/AA provincial series three games to none.
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The Red Deer Vipers were knocked out of the Heritage Junior B playoffs by the Mountainview... who will battle the Blackfalds Wranglers in the North Division Final after the Wranglers knocked off Three Hills in the second round.
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A pretty solid weekend for Red Deer College teams...
Kings Volleyball settled for silver... losing to Mount Royal in Saturday's ACAC Final... but they do still earn a spot at Nationals next month in Abbostford.
Queens Volleyball ended their season by winning bronze at Provincials in Medicine Hat.
Men's curling (Shane Parcells, Dawson Abraham, Stephen Hood and Dylan Hoarbeat) won gold at provincials while the women's team came in fourth.
Kings basketball swept their opening round playoff series... two games to none over Keyano College.
Queens Hockey trail their playoff series versus Mount Royal two games to none after a tough 5-4 overtime loss yesterday at the Red Deer Arena.
Showing posts with label Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Show all posts
Monday, February 27, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Midnight Looming for Rebels, Scott(ies) Playoff Thriller
The doomsday clock is that much closer to midnight for the Red Deer Rebels.
Cole Holowenko made 43 saves for his second shutout of the season (both of them vs. the Rebels) in a 4-0 win last night for the Prince Albert Raiders.
Combined with the Brandon Wheat Kings 3-2 shootout win over the Swift Current Broncos, the Rebels playoff deficit has reached double digits... 10 points out with 12 games remaining.
You do the math.
The Rebs came out firing in the first period. You definitely got the sense by listening to Cam Moon's call of the period that if the Rebels could get one past Holowenko early it would be the start of a big night for the boys.
But that didn't happen. Instead, the Raiders tender held the fort until Trochu's own Mike Winther got P.A. on the board at 13:38 of the first. Shane Danyluk made it 2-0 at 18:02. Justin Maylan made it 3-0 at 19:25. Three goals in 5:47 and this game was over. McNeil added an empty-netter (from 200 feet away mind you) for some window dressing and a 4-f final score.
That makes three losses this season to the the basement dwellers of the Eastern Conference. When it comes time to do the autopsy on this Rebels season you can be sure that those six squandered points will be part of the discussion.
Anyhoo... the Rebels visit the Saskatoon Blades tonight. Mooner has the pregame show on 106.7 The Drive starting at 5:50pm Alberta time.
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I didn't realize just how good last night's MAN/BC playoff game here at the Scotties was until I read Vic Rauter's (@TSNVicRauter) tweets...
"One of the best games I can remember..a pleasure to be part of...from first rock to last..great entertainment..thanks BC and Man."
"Scotties playoffs always special...jones and scott make it more so."
On an aside... he also put things in perspective in regards to certain parts of our hospitality... "Love Alberta..no prov sales tax..gas 1:08 ltr..shop..shop..shop."
But I digress. What it treat it was to be at the Enmax Centrium for BC's 7-5 win in the one versus two playoff game. Both skips showed up ready to play in this one. It looked as though BC might pull away with it making for early handshakes (sorry, fist bumps) on the night. Jennifer Jones put a halt on that though with some brilliant play through the middle ends. But in the end Kelly Scott was just that much better than her former junior curling teammate. As fun as it would be to have the host Alberta team playing in tomorrow's final... I'm sure fans would be just fine with a BC / MAN re-match should it turn out that way.
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My lone thought on the Ales Hemsky contract (two years, $10-million) with the Oilers --> if his on-ice production matches his desire to remain an Oiler then it's a good deal for both sides
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Friday was a great night for Red Deer College teams (@rdcathletics)...
- Kings Volleyball Keyano to advance to today's ACAC gold medal game at Briercrest
- Queens Volleyball beat NAIT to advance to today's semifinal at Medicine Hat
- Kings Basketball beat Keyano 73-70 in game one of their best-of-three series
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The Stony Plain Eagles took a commanding three games to none lead in their Senior AAA provincial semifinal series with 5-3 win over the Sylvan Lake Admirals. The Eagles can book their spot in the provincial final with at win at home tonight.
The Bentley Generals are in Horse Lake for games three and four of their semifinal series tonight and tomorrow. The series is tied 1-1 with each time winning in overtime last weekend.
The Innisfail Eagles fell 3-2 to the Carstairs Redhawks in Senior A/AA action.
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The Blackfalds Wranglers are off to the third round of Heritage Junior B playoffs. They beat Three Hills 4-1 last night to win their second round series in five games.
The Red Deer Vipers are on the verge of elimenation after losing 5-4 last night to Mountainview. The Colts now lead that series three games to one.
Cole Holowenko made 43 saves for his second shutout of the season (both of them vs. the Rebels) in a 4-0 win last night for the Prince Albert Raiders.
Combined with the Brandon Wheat Kings 3-2 shootout win over the Swift Current Broncos, the Rebels playoff deficit has reached double digits... 10 points out with 12 games remaining.
You do the math.
The Rebs came out firing in the first period. You definitely got the sense by listening to Cam Moon's call of the period that if the Rebels could get one past Holowenko early it would be the start of a big night for the boys.
But that didn't happen. Instead, the Raiders tender held the fort until Trochu's own Mike Winther got P.A. on the board at 13:38 of the first. Shane Danyluk made it 2-0 at 18:02. Justin Maylan made it 3-0 at 19:25. Three goals in 5:47 and this game was over. McNeil added an empty-netter (from 200 feet away mind you) for some window dressing and a 4-f final score.
That makes three losses this season to the the basement dwellers of the Eastern Conference. When it comes time to do the autopsy on this Rebels season you can be sure that those six squandered points will be part of the discussion.
Anyhoo... the Rebels visit the Saskatoon Blades tonight. Mooner has the pregame show on 106.7 The Drive starting at 5:50pm Alberta time.
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I didn't realize just how good last night's MAN/BC playoff game here at the Scotties was until I read Vic Rauter's (@TSNVicRauter) tweets...
"One of the best games I can remember..a pleasure to be part of...from first rock to last..great entertainment..thanks BC and Man."
"Scotties playoffs always special...jones and scott make it more so."
On an aside... he also put things in perspective in regards to certain parts of our hospitality... "Love Alberta..no prov sales tax..gas 1:08 ltr..shop..shop..shop."
But I digress. What it treat it was to be at the Enmax Centrium for BC's 7-5 win in the one versus two playoff game. Both skips showed up ready to play in this one. It looked as though BC might pull away with it making for early handshakes (sorry, fist bumps) on the night. Jennifer Jones put a halt on that though with some brilliant play through the middle ends. But in the end Kelly Scott was just that much better than her former junior curling teammate. As fun as it would be to have the host Alberta team playing in tomorrow's final... I'm sure fans would be just fine with a BC / MAN re-match should it turn out that way.
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My lone thought on the Ales Hemsky contract (two years, $10-million) with the Oilers --> if his on-ice production matches his desire to remain an Oiler then it's a good deal for both sides
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Friday was a great night for Red Deer College teams (@rdcathletics)...
- Kings Volleyball Keyano to advance to today's ACAC gold medal game at Briercrest
- Queens Volleyball beat NAIT to advance to today's semifinal at Medicine Hat
- Kings Basketball beat Keyano 73-70 in game one of their best-of-three series
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The Stony Plain Eagles took a commanding three games to none lead in their Senior AAA provincial semifinal series with 5-3 win over the Sylvan Lake Admirals. The Eagles can book their spot in the provincial final with at win at home tonight.
The Bentley Generals are in Horse Lake for games three and four of their semifinal series tonight and tomorrow. The series is tied 1-1 with each time winning in overtime last weekend.
The Innisfail Eagles fell 3-2 to the Carstairs Redhawks in Senior A/AA action.
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The Blackfalds Wranglers are off to the third round of Heritage Junior B playoffs. They beat Three Hills 4-1 last night to win their second round series in five games.
The Red Deer Vipers are on the verge of elimenation after losing 5-4 last night to Mountainview. The Colts now lead that series three games to one.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Scotties Playoffs Are Set
So after many of us media types spent most of Thursday pouring over numerous possible scenarios... there will be no tiebreakers needed at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
The final draw of the round-robin, draw number 17, ended with four teams left standing from the original field of twelve...
Draw Results...
SASK - 11
CAN - 5
MAN - 5
ON - 3
AB - 7
NS - 6
BC - 7
NB - 6
Playoff teams...
1. Manitoba 9-2
2. BC 8-3
3. Quebec 7-4
4. Alberta 7-4
(Quebec gets the #3 seed thanks to their round-robin win over Alberta)
After watching the tournament unfold throughout this week... I am of the opinion that the four teams left truly are the four best teams. And, as cliche as it might sound, I also feel that any of the four teams is fully capable of beating the others.
To the chagrin of many, neither Regina-based rink made it to the playoffs... and funny enough it was a head-to-head duel between the two rinks that sealed this fate. Sask (Englot) defeated Canada (Holland) 11-5 to knock the defending champs out of the tournament.
Soooooo here's the remaining schedule...
Friday, 7:30pm - Manitoba (1) vs. BC (2) with the winner advancing to the Final
Saturday, 11:00am - Quebec (3) vs. Alberta (4) winner advances to the semi-final
Saturday, 4:00pm - Semifinal (loser of 1/2 vs. winner of 3/4)
Sunday, 8:30am - Bronze Medal Game (loser of semifinal vs. loser of 3/4 game)
Sunday, 1:30pm - Gold Medal Game (winner of 1/2 game vs. winner of semifinal)
TOTAL ATTENDANCE for the Scotties now sits at 67,982 (5139 for draw 17). The lack of any tiebreaker games means it is quite unlikely that total attendance will crack the 100,000 mark.
The best news coming out of all of this... I get to have my regularly scheduled nap on Friday... something I have not had the luxury of doing yet this week... woo hoo :)
TG
The final draw of the round-robin, draw number 17, ended with four teams left standing from the original field of twelve...
Draw Results...
SASK - 11
CAN - 5
MAN - 5
ON - 3
AB - 7
NS - 6
BC - 7
NB - 6
Playoff teams...
1. Manitoba 9-2
2. BC 8-3
3. Quebec 7-4
4. Alberta 7-4
(Quebec gets the #3 seed thanks to their round-robin win over Alberta)
After watching the tournament unfold throughout this week... I am of the opinion that the four teams left truly are the four best teams. And, as cliche as it might sound, I also feel that any of the four teams is fully capable of beating the others.
To the chagrin of many, neither Regina-based rink made it to the playoffs... and funny enough it was a head-to-head duel between the two rinks that sealed this fate. Sask (Englot) defeated Canada (Holland) 11-5 to knock the defending champs out of the tournament.
Soooooo here's the remaining schedule...
Friday, 7:30pm - Manitoba (1) vs. BC (2) with the winner advancing to the Final
Saturday, 11:00am - Quebec (3) vs. Alberta (4) winner advances to the semi-final
Saturday, 4:00pm - Semifinal (loser of 1/2 vs. winner of 3/4)
Sunday, 8:30am - Bronze Medal Game (loser of semifinal vs. loser of 3/4 game)
Sunday, 1:30pm - Gold Medal Game (winner of 1/2 game vs. winner of semifinal)
TOTAL ATTENDANCE for the Scotties now sits at 67,982 (5139 for draw 17). The lack of any tiebreaker games means it is quite unlikely that total attendance will crack the 100,000 mark.
The best news coming out of all of this... I get to have my regularly scheduled nap on Friday... something I have not had the luxury of doing yet this week... woo hoo :)
TG
Scotties Playoffs Looming, Rebels Heading East
Heather Nedohin says she wanted to be in a position to control her own destiny heading into the final day of round-robin action at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
To a certain extent she has done just that. Alberta sits at 5-4 (tied with New Brunswick) after splitting their games on Wednesday (9-8 win over Sask, 6-5 loss to Que). Manitoba leads at 7-2. BC, Canada, and Quebec are 6-3. That means Nedohin and crew likely need to win both of their games today to at the very least make it to a tiebreaker.
And the opportunity is definitely there for Alberta to do just that as they take on a pair of sub-500 teams today (2-7 Newfoundland at 8:30am and 4-5 Nova Scotia tonight at 7:30).
The key to success really will be the play of Nedohin. All three of her teammates are tied for either first or second when it comes to shooting percentage for their respective positions. Nedohin continues to hover in the top five or six.
Total Scotties attendance heading into Thursday - 55,114. An average of 3937 per draw (you can expect that average to spike this weekend)
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Had a chance to speak with Jesse Wallin yesterday to get a quick Rebels update.
They practice once more today before heading out on a four game road trip through Saskatchewan...
Friday - at Prince Albert
Saturday - at Saskatoon
Tuesday - at Moose Jaw
Wednesday - at Regina
There isn't much of an update to the team's injury situation overall, but there is good news regarding Adam Kambeitz. The Rebels Captain is ahead of schedule with his recovery from a high ankle sprain suffered on January 27 vs. Tri-City. Kambeitz was expected to start skating again yesterday and will accompany the Rebels on their road trip. He won't play in any of the four games, but the fact that he is skating and travelling again is a big step for this club.
Other notes from the sick bay... Kayle Doetzel's recovery from broken ribs is unfortunately taking longer than first hoped. The rookie defenceman will not be going to Saskatchewan and is still another week or two from being ready to return to game action. Bartosak, Borejko, Mayor, Hamilton and Weller are all out with their various long-term ailments.
That means that once again the Rebels will try to call on some of their prospects to fill out their roster. It's a tricky time of year for that as midget teams everywhere are entering league playoffs. For example... Conner Bleackley, who has already played his 15-year-old maximum of five games with the Rebels, starts AMHL playoffs with the UFA Bisons. Scott Feser and the Red Deer Optimist Rebels have a bye this weekend, but Feser has only one potential game left to play for the Rebels, so we've potentially seen the last of him with the big club this season (the Optimists are in good shape to make a run at the provincial title and a Telus Cup appearance).
Dexter Bricker, Trace Elson, Haydn Fleury are potentially available to play. Elson is most likely to slide in as his St. Albert midget team is off this weekend. In fact, Wallin says they are already making arrangements to have him play Friday and Saturday.
To a certain extent she has done just that. Alberta sits at 5-4 (tied with New Brunswick) after splitting their games on Wednesday (9-8 win over Sask, 6-5 loss to Que). Manitoba leads at 7-2. BC, Canada, and Quebec are 6-3. That means Nedohin and crew likely need to win both of their games today to at the very least make it to a tiebreaker.
And the opportunity is definitely there for Alberta to do just that as they take on a pair of sub-500 teams today (2-7 Newfoundland at 8:30am and 4-5 Nova Scotia tonight at 7:30).
The key to success really will be the play of Nedohin. All three of her teammates are tied for either first or second when it comes to shooting percentage for their respective positions. Nedohin continues to hover in the top five or six.
Total Scotties attendance heading into Thursday - 55,114. An average of 3937 per draw (you can expect that average to spike this weekend)
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Had a chance to speak with Jesse Wallin yesterday to get a quick Rebels update.
They practice once more today before heading out on a four game road trip through Saskatchewan...
Friday - at Prince Albert
Saturday - at Saskatoon
Tuesday - at Moose Jaw
Wednesday - at Regina
There isn't much of an update to the team's injury situation overall, but there is good news regarding Adam Kambeitz. The Rebels Captain is ahead of schedule with his recovery from a high ankle sprain suffered on January 27 vs. Tri-City. Kambeitz was expected to start skating again yesterday and will accompany the Rebels on their road trip. He won't play in any of the four games, but the fact that he is skating and travelling again is a big step for this club.
Other notes from the sick bay... Kayle Doetzel's recovery from broken ribs is unfortunately taking longer than first hoped. The rookie defenceman will not be going to Saskatchewan and is still another week or two from being ready to return to game action. Bartosak, Borejko, Mayor, Hamilton and Weller are all out with their various long-term ailments.
That means that once again the Rebels will try to call on some of their prospects to fill out their roster. It's a tricky time of year for that as midget teams everywhere are entering league playoffs. For example... Conner Bleackley, who has already played his 15-year-old maximum of five games with the Rebels, starts AMHL playoffs with the UFA Bisons. Scott Feser and the Red Deer Optimist Rebels have a bye this weekend, but Feser has only one potential game left to play for the Rebels, so we've potentially seen the last of him with the big club this season (the Optimists are in good shape to make a run at the provincial title and a Telus Cup appearance).
Dexter Bricker, Trace Elson, Haydn Fleury are potentially available to play. Elson is most likely to slide in as his St. Albert midget team is off this weekend. In fact, Wallin says they are already making arrangements to have him play Friday and Saturday.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Wednesday Wind-Up
I was originally planning to write on the contrast between two of the contending teams at the 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. That contrast that had existed between Alberta and Team Canada up until yesterday. But I think I can still get my original thought across...
Heading into Tuesday's games Alberta had been receiving stellar play from the three supporting players (Lead - Laine Peters, Second - Jessica Mair, Third - Beth Iskiw) while Skip Heather Nedohin battled with inconsistency.
But that changed on what Nedohin referred to as "Turnaround Tuesday." She was superb in back to back wins, 7-4 over BC and 10-5 over PEI, as Alberta improved its record to 4-3. Nedohin's personal shooting only improved by three percent, from 76 to 79, but she climbed from sixth to third amongst all skips for the week.
One of the two skips she still trails when it comes to shooting percentage is Amber Holland. Team Canada came into yesterday with a 4-1 record thanks almost exclusively to her clutch play, leading the pack at 81%. (After Tuesday's games... Jennifer Jones leads skips at 83% while Holland sits second at 79%).
The big difference between Team Canada and Alberta... the supporting cast. Most notably, Kim Schneider has had plenty of ups and downs and sits 8th amongst thirds at 77%. Tammy Schneider (battling through a knee injury on her sliding leg) is 5th among seconds, and Heather Kalenchuk is 5th among leads.
That brings me back to my original thought... As a team, Alberta is now second only to Manitoba... curling at 83% for the week (Manitoba - 85%). Team Canada is fifth at 79%. You have to think that as the week rolls on Alberta would have the advantage based solely on overall team play.
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Another big story at this week's Scotties is the bug story... the virus that is taking it's toll on a number of the players. Kerry Galusha was the hardest hit yesterday. The NT/YT Skip missed both of her team's games due to illness. In fact, the Territories were forced to play with just three players in their Tuesday morning game versus Quebec as Wendy Miller was also sick in bed. BC has been hit hard by the bug as well. Rock handles are now being wiped down before every draw and there are plenty of bottles of hand sanitizers in circulation. Players have also taken to giving fist and elbow bumps instead of the traditional handshakes. Here's hoping the virus is a non-issue by the time the playoffs come around this weekend.
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The Red Deer Rebels have lost another point in their chase for a playoff spot. The Brandon Wheat Kings earned a single point in their 5-4 shootout loss last night to the Kootenay Ice. That puts the Wheaties eight points up on the Rebels for eighth in the WHL Eastern Conference. The Rebels kick off their four-game Saskatchewan road trip Friday night in Prince Albert (6pm Alberta time on 106.7 The Drive).
Meantime... the newest episode of 'Southside Dodge Rebels This Week' is now online. It feature highlights from all four games from the recent BC road trip as well as feature stories on both Charles Inglis and Cam Moon! Check it out... www.rebelsthisweek.com and follow us on twitter @rebelsthisweek
Heading into Tuesday's games Alberta had been receiving stellar play from the three supporting players (Lead - Laine Peters, Second - Jessica Mair, Third - Beth Iskiw) while Skip Heather Nedohin battled with inconsistency.
But that changed on what Nedohin referred to as "Turnaround Tuesday." She was superb in back to back wins, 7-4 over BC and 10-5 over PEI, as Alberta improved its record to 4-3. Nedohin's personal shooting only improved by three percent, from 76 to 79, but she climbed from sixth to third amongst all skips for the week.
One of the two skips she still trails when it comes to shooting percentage is Amber Holland. Team Canada came into yesterday with a 4-1 record thanks almost exclusively to her clutch play, leading the pack at 81%. (After Tuesday's games... Jennifer Jones leads skips at 83% while Holland sits second at 79%).
The big difference between Team Canada and Alberta... the supporting cast. Most notably, Kim Schneider has had plenty of ups and downs and sits 8th amongst thirds at 77%. Tammy Schneider (battling through a knee injury on her sliding leg) is 5th among seconds, and Heather Kalenchuk is 5th among leads.
That brings me back to my original thought... As a team, Alberta is now second only to Manitoba... curling at 83% for the week (Manitoba - 85%). Team Canada is fifth at 79%. You have to think that as the week rolls on Alberta would have the advantage based solely on overall team play.
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Another big story at this week's Scotties is the bug story... the virus that is taking it's toll on a number of the players. Kerry Galusha was the hardest hit yesterday. The NT/YT Skip missed both of her team's games due to illness. In fact, the Territories were forced to play with just three players in their Tuesday morning game versus Quebec as Wendy Miller was also sick in bed. BC has been hit hard by the bug as well. Rock handles are now being wiped down before every draw and there are plenty of bottles of hand sanitizers in circulation. Players have also taken to giving fist and elbow bumps instead of the traditional handshakes. Here's hoping the virus is a non-issue by the time the playoffs come around this weekend.
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The Red Deer Rebels have lost another point in their chase for a playoff spot. The Brandon Wheat Kings earned a single point in their 5-4 shootout loss last night to the Kootenay Ice. That puts the Wheaties eight points up on the Rebels for eighth in the WHL Eastern Conference. The Rebels kick off their four-game Saskatchewan road trip Friday night in Prince Albert (6pm Alberta time on 106.7 The Drive).
Meantime... the newest episode of 'Southside Dodge Rebels This Week' is now online. It feature highlights from all four games from the recent BC road trip as well as feature stories on both Charles Inglis and Cam Moon! Check it out... www.rebelsthisweek.com and follow us on twitter @rebelsthisweek
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Tuesday Morning Thoughts
The host team has yet to make use of "home ice advantage" at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
Alberta sits with a 2-3 record after a tough 8-5 loss Monday night to New Brunswick. They are now one of six rinks who have two wins thus far.
Skip Heather Nedohin struggled to find her draw weight all game long. On numerous occasions, Nedohin had a chance to put one or more points on the board for her team but came up light. To her credit, the Alberta skip took full responsibility for her shaky play...
"I think I let the team down. I didn't play as well as I wanted to. We had lots of opportunities and unfortunately I thought I let them slip away."
New Brunswick capitalized to improve their record to 3-2... along with Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Speaking of Manitoba, "Officer Down" was my buddy's cry when Jill Officer slipped and fell in the sixth end of their game versus Team Canada. Officer's slip up resulted in Jennifer Jones' shot being burned... turning a sure Manitoba single into a steal of two for Canada (would have been 2-1 for Manitoba, instead became 3-1 lead for Canada).
It's a tough loss for Manitoba for sure. But of any rink here this week they have the veteran experience necessary to put this one behind them and move on to their next match. Jones was especially classy when chatting with the media afterward...
"That's curling and there's nobody else I'd rather have sweeping my rocks than Jill."
It was the third in a series of unusual slips ups in Monday's evening draw. New Brunswick nearly burned a rock of their own when Jillian Babin fell while sweeping. It was extremely close, but after looking at the replay on the overhead video screen, the correct call was made in determining that Babin did not make contact with the shot. New Brunswick went on to score three in the end.
Team Canada second Tammy Schneider slipped while coming out of the hack and injured her knee. She was walking around the concourse following the match and should be back in action as early as today.
Attendance wise... 33,372 fans have come through the gates at the Enmax Centrium, an average of nearly 4200 per draw (4171.5 to be exact).
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Holy crap, what a game!
Chris Falloon scored 18:47 into overtime, giving the Bentley Generals a come from behind 4-3 over the Horse Lake Chiefs.
The best-of-seven Senior AAA Provincial Semifinal series is now tied 1-1. Horse Lake won the series opener 6-5 in OT in Bentley on Sunday.
The Gens found themselves in trouble early in game two, trailing 2-0 after the opening period. Former Lethbridge Hurricane / Prince George Cougar / Regina Pat Jesse Dudas and Scott had the goals for Horse Lake.
Thanks in large part to great goaltending by former New York Islanders draft pick Jase Weslosky, it took until 16:56 of the second period for Bentley to hit the scoreboard... thanks to Kootenay Ice and Kamloops Blazers alumnus Kyle Sheen.
After Travis Dunstall (Kamloops, Medicine Hat, Everett) made it 3-1 early in the third period, Travis Brigley and Curtis Austring would score just over three minutes apart to tie the game 3-3 and set the stage for overtime.
The Generals were the dominant team through much of overtime as they appeared to have run the Chiefs out of steam. Eventually, at 18:47 of the extra frame, Chris Falloon (Prince George Cougars) put home the game winner... setting off quite a celebration in the sold out arena.
Horse Lake has done an excellent job of putting together a solid hockey club this year. Most notably Weslosky, Dudas, Taje, former Fort St. John Flyer Kip Noble, and Mike Lalonde. All brought in with the goal of knocking the Generals off of their perch.
A few recent additions have given the Generals some much needed depth of their own. Former Rebel ('01 Memorial Cup Champion) Kyle Wanvig had an assist yesterday and played some solid minutes especially late in the game. Former FSJ Flyer Donny Lloyd has been a good addition to their defence corps, especially with perennial all-star Don Morrison out of the lineup this weekend. Falloon has also fit in just fine.
Travis Yonkman was outstanding in his own right for the Generals yesterday. He'll need to be equally outstanding next weekend when Bentley heads to Horse Lake for games three and four.
** Thanks to @eagleswinger10 for making sure I make mention of the other senior playoff series in our area...
The Stony Plain Eagles lead the other Senior AAA semifinal series 2-0 over the Sylvan Lake Admirals (7-3, 5-3). Game three goes this Friday night in Sylvan Lake at 8:30pm.
The Innisfail Eagles trail their Senior A/AA series with the Carstairs Redhawks 2-0 (2-8, 4-5 OT). Game three goes Friday night in Innisfail at 8:30pm.
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What a night it was in the Heritage Junior B Hockey League. Two games. Two overtime finishes. The Mountainview Colts beat the Red Deer Vipers 76 in double overtime. The Blackfalds Wranglers beat the Three Hills 3-2 in FIVE overtimes!
Alberta sits with a 2-3 record after a tough 8-5 loss Monday night to New Brunswick. They are now one of six rinks who have two wins thus far.
Skip Heather Nedohin struggled to find her draw weight all game long. On numerous occasions, Nedohin had a chance to put one or more points on the board for her team but came up light. To her credit, the Alberta skip took full responsibility for her shaky play...
"I think I let the team down. I didn't play as well as I wanted to. We had lots of opportunities and unfortunately I thought I let them slip away."
New Brunswick capitalized to improve their record to 3-2... along with Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Speaking of Manitoba, "Officer Down" was my buddy's cry when Jill Officer slipped and fell in the sixth end of their game versus Team Canada. Officer's slip up resulted in Jennifer Jones' shot being burned... turning a sure Manitoba single into a steal of two for Canada (would have been 2-1 for Manitoba, instead became 3-1 lead for Canada).
It's a tough loss for Manitoba for sure. But of any rink here this week they have the veteran experience necessary to put this one behind them and move on to their next match. Jones was especially classy when chatting with the media afterward...
"That's curling and there's nobody else I'd rather have sweeping my rocks than Jill."
It was the third in a series of unusual slips ups in Monday's evening draw. New Brunswick nearly burned a rock of their own when Jillian Babin fell while sweeping. It was extremely close, but after looking at the replay on the overhead video screen, the correct call was made in determining that Babin did not make contact with the shot. New Brunswick went on to score three in the end.
Team Canada second Tammy Schneider slipped while coming out of the hack and injured her knee. She was walking around the concourse following the match and should be back in action as early as today.
Attendance wise... 33,372 fans have come through the gates at the Enmax Centrium, an average of nearly 4200 per draw (4171.5 to be exact).
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Holy crap, what a game!
Chris Falloon scored 18:47 into overtime, giving the Bentley Generals a come from behind 4-3 over the Horse Lake Chiefs.
The best-of-seven Senior AAA Provincial Semifinal series is now tied 1-1. Horse Lake won the series opener 6-5 in OT in Bentley on Sunday.
The Gens found themselves in trouble early in game two, trailing 2-0 after the opening period. Former Lethbridge Hurricane / Prince George Cougar / Regina Pat Jesse Dudas and Scott had the goals for Horse Lake.
Thanks in large part to great goaltending by former New York Islanders draft pick Jase Weslosky, it took until 16:56 of the second period for Bentley to hit the scoreboard... thanks to Kootenay Ice and Kamloops Blazers alumnus Kyle Sheen.
After Travis Dunstall (Kamloops, Medicine Hat, Everett) made it 3-1 early in the third period, Travis Brigley and Curtis Austring would score just over three minutes apart to tie the game 3-3 and set the stage for overtime.
The Generals were the dominant team through much of overtime as they appeared to have run the Chiefs out of steam. Eventually, at 18:47 of the extra frame, Chris Falloon (Prince George Cougars) put home the game winner... setting off quite a celebration in the sold out arena.
Horse Lake has done an excellent job of putting together a solid hockey club this year. Most notably Weslosky, Dudas, Taje, former Fort St. John Flyer Kip Noble, and Mike Lalonde. All brought in with the goal of knocking the Generals off of their perch.
A few recent additions have given the Generals some much needed depth of their own. Former Rebel ('01 Memorial Cup Champion) Kyle Wanvig had an assist yesterday and played some solid minutes especially late in the game. Former FSJ Flyer Donny Lloyd has been a good addition to their defence corps, especially with perennial all-star Don Morrison out of the lineup this weekend. Falloon has also fit in just fine.
Travis Yonkman was outstanding in his own right for the Generals yesterday. He'll need to be equally outstanding next weekend when Bentley heads to Horse Lake for games three and four.
** Thanks to @eagleswinger10 for making sure I make mention of the other senior playoff series in our area...
The Stony Plain Eagles lead the other Senior AAA semifinal series 2-0 over the Sylvan Lake Admirals (7-3, 5-3). Game three goes this Friday night in Sylvan Lake at 8:30pm.
The Innisfail Eagles trail their Senior A/AA series with the Carstairs Redhawks 2-0 (2-8, 4-5 OT). Game three goes Friday night in Innisfail at 8:30pm.
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What a night it was in the Heritage Junior B Hockey League. Two games. Two overtime finishes. The Mountainview Colts beat the Red Deer Vipers 76 in double overtime. The Blackfalds Wranglers beat the Three Hills 3-2 in FIVE overtimes!
Monday, February 20, 2012
"Holiday" Monday Mayhem
Holy Toledo... so much to write about and simply no time to sit and write it! I'll add more later tonight or tomorrow morning. In the meantime, here's the quickie version...
- With an impressive 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants, the Red Deer Rebels finished their BC road trip with a 2-1-1 record. Normally, this would provide a real good feeling. But when you look and see that they are still seven points out of a playoff spot 2-1-1 simply doesn't help much. The Rebels do deserve full credit for playing well in all four BC games (they likely deserved to win in both PG and Kelowna) but the reality of their situation looms overhead like a dark cloud. They will need at least 2-1-1 from their upcoming four game jaunt through Saskatchewan to have a hope of staying in the playoff race
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- To the Scotties... the more I hear and see from Alberta skip Heather Nedohin, the more I like. She has bigger 'brass ones' than a lot of players in men's curling and pulls no punches when it comes to being accountable. She went toe-to-toe with Amber Holland and Team Canada last night only to come out on the short end of a 6-5 thriller. Alberta is 1-2 coming into today's action but has played well for the most part in all three games (including their Sunday afternoon win over Jennifer Jones and Manitoba). As I write this, they are closing out a win over Ontario to improve to 2-2 for the week and should be right in the mix later on this week (along with Canada, BC, Manitoba, and likely a couple of other rinks)
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The Bentley Generals lost a heartbreaker 6-5 in overtime to the Horse Lake Chiefs in game one of their Senior AAA provincial semifinal series. Game two is at 2pm today at the Red Deer Arena and I fully plan on taking a quick break from curling to be at that game.
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Congrats to the Red Deer Optimist Rebels. They clinched first place overall in the Alberta Midget Hockey League with an 8-1 thrashing of Lethbridge in their final regular season game yesterday afternoon. Of note... the game featured a whopping 183 penalty minutes (and I hear it could have been even more) that'll happen when first plays worst.
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(more to come later)
TG
- With an impressive 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants, the Red Deer Rebels finished their BC road trip with a 2-1-1 record. Normally, this would provide a real good feeling. But when you look and see that they are still seven points out of a playoff spot 2-1-1 simply doesn't help much. The Rebels do deserve full credit for playing well in all four BC games (they likely deserved to win in both PG and Kelowna) but the reality of their situation looms overhead like a dark cloud. They will need at least 2-1-1 from their upcoming four game jaunt through Saskatchewan to have a hope of staying in the playoff race
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- To the Scotties... the more I hear and see from Alberta skip Heather Nedohin, the more I like. She has bigger 'brass ones' than a lot of players in men's curling and pulls no punches when it comes to being accountable. She went toe-to-toe with Amber Holland and Team Canada last night only to come out on the short end of a 6-5 thriller. Alberta is 1-2 coming into today's action but has played well for the most part in all three games (including their Sunday afternoon win over Jennifer Jones and Manitoba). As I write this, they are closing out a win over Ontario to improve to 2-2 for the week and should be right in the mix later on this week (along with Canada, BC, Manitoba, and likely a couple of other rinks)
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The Bentley Generals lost a heartbreaker 6-5 in overtime to the Horse Lake Chiefs in game one of their Senior AAA provincial semifinal series. Game two is at 2pm today at the Red Deer Arena and I fully plan on taking a quick break from curling to be at that game.
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Congrats to the Red Deer Optimist Rebels. They clinched first place overall in the Alberta Midget Hockey League with an 8-1 thrashing of Lethbridge in their final regular season game yesterday afternoon. Of note... the game featured a whopping 183 penalty minutes (and I hear it could have been even more) that'll happen when first plays worst.
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(more to come later)
TG
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Let The Games Begin!
"Do you wanna get rocked?"
After weeks upon months of anticipation... the 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts is underway here in Red Deer.
Firstly, kudos to everyone involved with putting together last night's opening banquet at the Sheraton (Lyn Radford and her crew did a fantastic job!). A wonderful time was had by all... and the free shots of scotch didn't hurt, too much :)
Today, it was all about getting off and running with the actual curling (yes, they tell me there actually some games played amidst all of the parties and beverages). And this afternoon's opening draw did not disappoint when it came to providing some early excitement. Team Canada (Holland) capitalized on a couple of missed shots by Newfoundland and Labrador to win 7-4. The other three matches all went to extra ends as Ontario beat PEI 7-6, BC beat Quebec 7-6, and NT/YT beat Alberta 8-7 in a game which had a pretty darn good ending.
Trailing by one point with her last shot in the 10th end, Alberta skip Heather Nedohin had an open shot to draw for one and force an 11th end. Instead, she tried and angle-raise in an attempt to tap out an NT/YT rock and score the deuce for the win. The shot didn't quite work out and Nedohin settled for the single... but I absolutely love the call.
"I thought we had a shot for the win" Nedohin stated following the loss. "We play to win."
The victory improved on an already fantastic day for NT/YT skip Kelly Galusha. Prior to her upset win over Alberta, Galusha won the Ford Hot Shots competition and a brand new car (with her big brother and Alberta champion men's skip Kevin Koe in the crowd). Pretty darn good day (heading into their game versus PEI anyway).
If today's opening draw is any indication... we are in for one heck of a tournament!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Another Rebels Injury Update
Here's the latest update after chatting today with Rebels Assistant Coach Bryce Thoma...
Defenceman Devan Fafard is the closest to returning to the Rebels lineup. He skated on Monday and is doubtful for Wednesday's game in Prince George but could be ready for Friday's game in Kamloops. That would get the team back up to six d-men as Kevin Pochuk has been given permission by his midget AAA club (Winnipeg Wild) to go play for the Rebels for all four games in BC.
The next closest to making his return is Kayle Doetzel. The rookie d-man is still nursing broken ribs and will not make the trip to BC but should be ready for next week's road trip to Saskatchewan.
Everyone else (Bartosak, Borejko, Hamilton, Mayor, Kambeitz, Weller) is still out for the foreseeable future.
Good news for Joel Hamilton as he was able to walk and take a shower today (@JHamilton181 "Finally walked and even took a shower! #muchneeded #yourlettinthestankout"). Sounds like his recovery from his back injury is off to a solid start.
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Another episode of 'Southside Dodge Rebels This Week' will debut tomorrow. Thanks to Calvin at Exposure Productions (@rebelsthisweek) for another fun afternoon of interviews and taping. After 21 weeks it's almost like we know what we're doing haha. Check out our show online at www.rebelsthisweek.com and locally on Shaw Cable channel 10.
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The expanded Rebels office continues to take shape. New emblems can now be seen on the exterior walls and staffers could be moving into their new digs before the end of this month!
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On the inside... workers were busy installing the ice for the 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts which gets underway on Saturday! I'll have more on that later this week.
Defenceman Devan Fafard is the closest to returning to the Rebels lineup. He skated on Monday and is doubtful for Wednesday's game in Prince George but could be ready for Friday's game in Kamloops. That would get the team back up to six d-men as Kevin Pochuk has been given permission by his midget AAA club (Winnipeg Wild) to go play for the Rebels for all four games in BC.
The next closest to making his return is Kayle Doetzel. The rookie d-man is still nursing broken ribs and will not make the trip to BC but should be ready for next week's road trip to Saskatchewan.
Everyone else (Bartosak, Borejko, Hamilton, Mayor, Kambeitz, Weller) is still out for the foreseeable future.
Good news for Joel Hamilton as he was able to walk and take a shower today (@JHamilton181 "Finally walked and even took a shower! #muchneeded #yourlettinthestankout"). Sounds like his recovery from his back injury is off to a solid start.
---
Another episode of 'Southside Dodge Rebels This Week' will debut tomorrow. Thanks to Calvin at Exposure Productions (@rebelsthisweek) for another fun afternoon of interviews and taping. After 21 weeks it's almost like we know what we're doing haha. Check out our show online at www.rebelsthisweek.com and locally on Shaw Cable channel 10.
---
The expanded Rebels office continues to take shape. New emblems can now be seen on the exterior walls and staffers could be moving into their new digs before the end of this month!
---
On the inside... workers were busy installing the ice for the 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts which gets underway on Saturday! I'll have more on that later this week.
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