"An Important 'Czech Mark' for Team Canada"

A good bounce back effort for Team Canada today at the World Under-18 Hockey Championship.

Mathew Dumba had a goal and an assist (for the third straight game) as Canada beat the host Czech Republic 6-2, improving their round-robin record to 2-1.

During a quick phone chat right after the game, Wallin told me he really liked what he saw in what he called a 'game seven' situation for his squad.

"It's early in the tournament to be in that position but things happen that quickly. I thought the guys really responded to the challenge. They stepped up."

"We came off a game the other night against Finland where we were just absolutely rotten." Wallin told me, in reference to Canada's 4-3 loss on Saturday. "We had guys on their own page and everybody was cheating, not playing systems and whatnot."

Today's was an important win for Canada in that it clinched them a spot in the quarterfinals. It also sets up a showdown for first place in their pool versus the United States. The task will be a daunting one to say the least.

"The U.S. is undefeated in the tournament, they haven't given up a goal yet. They're a team that's been together for two years so they know each other well and are very organized."

That being said, Wallin is confident that his team has what it takes to get the job done.

"We've got a real good group of players. They're great people, they've really gelled well off the ice. But ultimately the game is played on the ice and they have to play together as a team. And today I really thought they took a step in the right direction."

Wednesday's game versus the United States starts at noon Alberta time and will be shown on TSN.

(NOTE - Thanks to Cam Moon for tearing Jesse away from a conversation with Steve Yzerman so that we could have our phone interview. Sorry about that, Stevie!)

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As we ended our chat, I quickly asked Jesse for a quick thought on Brent Sutter. It's been an eventful few days for Wallin's mentor and Rebels boss. But as you would expect with all that he's been up to, Wallin didn't have much to say at this time.

"I haven't talked to anyone back there [Red Deer] other than my wife so I've only caught what she's told me and what I've found on the internet. He's an excellent hockey coach and I'm excited that he got the opportunity for the World Championships. He'll do an excellent job there."

Sutter Sacked, Bitz Sits While Weber Walks

I have always been a firm believer in "three and out" when it comes to sports.

If a head coach can't make significant progress within three years time... whether it be winning a championship or making the playoffs depending on your goal, or ever just a significant improvement in the standings... then it's time to make a change.

Therefore, it certainly did not surprise me (not that it surprised many others) to see the Calgary Flames and Brent Sutter go their separate ways.

As much as I like Brent as a coach, he really did do a great job while trying to succeed with an extremely inadequate Flames roster, the time for change was obvious. The scary question for Flames is what kind of change is in store?

Earlier this week, Sutter made it clear that he would be more than comfortable in coming back next season to guide a younger, rebuilding Flames team. Days later, he is on the outside. Does that mean GM Jay Feaster (along with President Ken King and principle owner Murray Edwards) are stuck in the 're-tool not re-build' mindset? You have to think that's the case otherwise Sutter would be an ideal candidate to lead such a rebuild given his track record of working with younger players.

That being said (as first tossed out there by @reb_rebellion) would Sutter be a good fit behind the bench in Edmonton? He probably would.

Anyhoo... Brent will no doubt take plenty of time before deciding on his next move. Don't rule out the possibility of him coaching Canada's entry at the World Hockey Championship.

One thing I can most certain of... Jesse Wallin isn't going anywhere. He is firmly entrenched at the Red Deer Rebels' General Manager and Head Coach. And deservedly so as he's doing an admirable job in both roles (though I did have some fans actually tell me he should have been fired after this past season). If Brent does not end up working in the NHL next season, my expectation would be to see him carry out his role as Rebels Owner / President with more of a first hand presence... while also doing a bit more ranchin' out at the homestead.

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Good to see the NHL come down on Vancouver's Byron Bitz, suspending him for two games for his hit to the head on Los Angeles forward Kyle Clifford (who, by the way, will not be playing for the Kings tonight in game two).

Sadly, Sheriff Shanahan dropped the ball by not doing the same with Nashville's Shea Weber. At a time when the NHL is supposedly taking hardline stance on head shots, Weber essentially got a free pass for driving Henrik Zetterberg's head into the glass (from behind at that). Regardless of the fact that the Detroit star forward was not seriously injured on the play, Weber's intent to inflict injury was apparent. It was a potentially dangerous play that is simply unacceptable... will be quite interesting to see what happens should a similar incident happen again at some point during the playoffs.

Sanguin, Pierce Take RDC Honours

With all due respect to the other (outstanding) nominees... last night's
announcement of the 2011-12 Red Deer College Female Athlete of the Year was rather anti-climactic.

After winning a national title and ACAC Female Athlete of the Year honours, Cross Country Runner Jodi Sanguin was named as RDC's top female athlete at their year-end awards banquet last night.

It marked the perfect end to a brilliant five-year career which Sanguin admits almost never got started.

"I actually didn't plan on running until [RDC coach] Brian Stackhouse called me every day for a week. And, yeah, it all started from there."

To say her decision to join the team was a good one would be like saying Led Zeppelin was 'just alright.' Sanguin went on to become a 5-time CCAA All-Star. This past season she led the RDC Cross Country Running team to gold at provincials and bronze at nationals. She says her individual gold medal win at nationals was most definitely her career highlight.

"It had been my goal early in the season. So I started training early July. Put in some more mileage and ended the season with what I had planned."

Chatting with legendary Red Deer Advocate scribe (and Alberta Sports Hall of Famer) Danny Rode, Sanguin leaves RDC as perhaps their most decorated female athlete of all-time. And Danny's been around long enough to know exactly what he's talking about ;)

The remarkable turnaround season for Kings Basketball helped land Forward Robert Pierce RDC's Male Athlete of the Year honours.

After sitting at the bottom of the standings at the holiday break, the Kings made a number of roster changes and then rallied to make their first appearance at nationals since 1998. Individually, Pierce established himself as one of the ACAC's top scorers and rebounders. But not before the Windsor, Ontario native went through quite a culture shock.

"They told me it was gonna be cold. I didn't really expect is was gonna be this cold," Pierce joked after receiving his award. "I had to get an extra parka, you know. Leggings and all that other stuff. But it was great. Great group of guys and everything. Everyone at the school, Red Deer as a whole, Alberta. Everyone's real kind. It was great."

As good as was Red Deer was to him, Pierce did his best to give back as well.

"Helping in the community, it's been a while since I've volunteered for stuff. And it's good to see the youth and teachers. Little kids looking up to the college kids. It's great"

Pierce has yet to make a decision when it comes to his plans for next year but says RDC is definitely high on his list of options.

Other highlights from last night's year-end awards banquet...
- RDC tied NAIT for the most Academic All Canadians in the entire country
- The Academic Excellence awards are given to student-athletes who have a minimum GPA of 3.0. RDC honoured 72 students-athletes who achieved this standard... that is over half of their entire Student-Athlete population
- 6 RDC teams competed at ACAC finals, 4 also went on to compete at CCAA nationals

Dumba Discusses Draft, Team Canada

Ok... so he didn't so much discuss it with me as he did politely comment on it and move on.

But either way, Mathew Dumba doesn't seem too concerned about his final ranking from NHL Central Scouting for this June's entry draft. A ranking which saw him fall from 7th among North American based skaters to 11th.

"Anything can happen at a draft," Dumba said over the phone from the Czech Republic. "It's a team's perspective and if a team wants you that's what they're gonna do."

Fair enough. We'll see how things unfold when the first round of the draft takes place in Pittsburgh on June 22nd.

In the meantime, Dumba has more pressing issues to worry about as he and the rest of Team Canada get set for their first round robin game at the World U-18 Hockey Championship (tomorrow, 8am Alberta time vs. Denmark).

"It's tough playing these other teams because a lot of them have been together year-round," he said in reference to Canada's two pre-tournament games (5-3 win over Germany, 5-4 OT win over Czech Rep.) "We just come together on short notice and have to play our best hockey. There's definitely a learning curve with that. Guys weren't always in the right places and little things like that. Little details which we've worked on this week."

It should come as no surprise that Team Canada has taken on a style of play we've come to expect from a Jesse Wallin coached hockey club.

"We're gonna be a very hard working team. Hard-nosed, gritty, greasy team that's gonna go out there and battle the whole time. We've got some big strong forwards that will go to the net. And on defence we've got guys who can skate and move the puck. It's pretty fun."

I also asked Mat if any of his teammates had asked him about what to expect in having Wallin as their coach. Dumba says they found that out for themselves rather quickly.

"It was our first game versus Germany. We didn't play the best period and he came in [to the dressing room] and was 'real firm.'

Yup. Sounds familiar.

Anyhoo... it should be made official today that Dumba will wear the "C" for Team Canada starting tomorrow. After that we'll 'see' what happens throughout the tournament, the NHL Entry Draft, and beyond.

TG

Optimist Rebels Win Pacific Title, Advance To Telus Cup

He was first credited with scoring the game winner on Friday night when in fact it was Ty Mappin's goal. This time, Dylan Thudium made sure he would get his just due.

Thudium scored 2:02 into the second overtime to give the Red Deer Optimist Rebels a 4-3 win over the Vancouver NW Giants. Red Deer wins the Pacific Region Midget AAA Final 2-0 and will play at the Telus Cup national championship tournament, April 23 - 29.

Funny enough, Mappin's name was the one announced as having scored the game winner. But make no mistake, it was Thudium who clinched the series for Red Deer.

"Tanner Lomsnes made a good play on the wall just to chip out front" Thudium said in describing his overtime goal. "Then I just grabbed it quick and ripped it at the net and it went right bar [post] and in. I was pretty lucky actually. I didn't try and pick that spot, I just fired it at the net."

Lucky, perhaps. But this blogger is a firm believer that you have to be good to be lucky. And the Optimist Rebels were indeed good. Exceptionally so. But it didn't start out that way.

Neither the Optimist Rebels or the NW Giants seemed to be at their best in the opening period. But Vancouver did have two or three point blank scoring chances only to be thwarted by Red Deer goalie Dasan Sydora.

The floodgates opened up in the second period. Adam Helewka, Vancouver's leading scorer in both the regular season and playoffs, scored the Giants first goal of the series 2:42 into the second period which definitely energized the road squad (though they were the designated "home" team for game two). Giants Captain Taylor Tanti, son of former NHLer Tony Tanti, gave his team a two-goal lead at the 8:50 mark, creating a sense of frustration for the Optimist Rebels. Red Deer players, notably goaltender Dasan Sydora, were furious in thinking the goal should not have counted (feeling the net was knocked out of position). But nevertheless, Vancouver led 2-0.

Cue the turning point for Red Deer. Seeing the frustration and feeling the need to regroup, Optimist Rebels Head Coach Doug Quinn called a timeout.

"We were playing well but after they scored the body language did not look good at all" Quinn noted following the game. "It [the timeout] was just a matter of trying to refocus and realize there's a lot of game left."

Point taken. Just 55 seconds after the timeout, Thudium scored his first goal of the game to get the Optimist Rebels on the board and the Red Deer fans (approx. 1200 of them) on their feet and back in the game.

If the timeout was one thing that tilted the game in Red Deer's favour, depth on their bench was the other. Red Deer continued to roll out three forward lines in the second period while Vancouver had already cut down to two lines. It was quite noticeable as the game went on and with just over a minute left in the second period Logan Fisher tipped home a Stefan Danielson point shot for a game tying powerplay goal. 2-2 through 40 minutes.

Nick Glackin's goal 6:59 into the third period gave Red Deer its first lead of the game and you kind of got the sense that the Optimist Rebels would pull away with it from there. But give Vancouver credit, they kept battling and tied the game less than three minutes later at 9:44. Josh Thrower, who seems like a lock to play in the WHL for the Calgary Hitmen after his stellar performance in this series, rifled a point shot past a screened Dasan Sydora. 3-3. Overtime beckoned.

And overtime nearly ended as quickly as it began. The Mappin, Thudium, Lomsnes line came out flying and nearly jammed the puck into the next on their opening shift. But Vancouver goalie Liam Smith, who got the start despite Braden Krogfoss' MVP-style performance in game one, held the fort. He would continue holding the fort through the rest of the 10 minute overtime period. Red Deer outshot Vancouver 11-0 but to no avail. The NW Giants held on long enough to force a second overtime period.

From there, Thudium netted the game and series winner sending Red Deer to the Telus Cup for the second time in three years.

The Optimist Rebels will take a couple of days to enjoy their triumph in the regional final before returning to practice on Tuesday.

(more to come tomorrow) - TG

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GAME SCORING SUMMARY

1ST PERIOD
(NO SCORING)
SHOTS - RD 13, VAN 7

2ND PERIOD
2:42 VAN Helewka (Landon)
8:50 VAN Tanti (unassisted)
9:45 RD Thudium (Mappin, Lomsnes)
18:55 RD Fisher (Danielson, Topping) PPG
SHOTS - RD 14/27 VAN 7/14

3RD PERIOD
6:59 RD Glackin (Bakke, Mappin)
9:44 VAN Thrower (Carvalho) PPG
SHOTS - RD 8/35 VAN 9/23

OVERTIME
(NO SCORING)
SHOTS - RD 11/46 VAN 0/23

2ND OVERTIME
2:02 RD Thudium (Lomsnes)*
SHOTS - RD 3/49 VAN 1/24

* Goal was originally credited to Ty Mappin on the scoresheet, but it was indeed Dylan Thudium who scored the goal

Optimist Rebels One Win Away From Telus Cup

Check out TSN's latest story on Red Deer Rebels defenceman Mathew Dumba as he gets set to lead Team Canada into battle at the World U-18 Hockey Championship in the Czech Republic.

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The scene played out last night at the Red Deer Arena was one we have already seen numerous times during the Red Deer Optimist Rebels playoff run.

Stifling defensive play. Dozens of shots on the opponent's net. Fast-paced. Low scoring.

Ty Mappin scored the only goal of the game with just 2:19 left in the third period. The Optimist Rebels took game one of the Pacific Region Midget AAA Championship 1-0 over the Vancouver NW Giants. Red Deer grabs a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.

Mappin (who had three or four great scoring chances go for naught earlier in the period) was the beneficiary of a great setup by Tanner Lomsnes... who charged into Vancouver territory down the left wing side, blew past the defender and circled the net before sliding the puck through the crease to an open Mappin. Dylan Thudium was also in the area but admitted after the game that it was indeed Mappin who netted the game winning goal.

Lomsnes' solid effort did not go unnoticed by Red Deer Optimist Rebels Head Coach Doug Quinn.

"Tanner is one of the players that has certainly stepped up for us throughout the playoffs" Quinn commented following the game. "He's taken his game to another level. That line [with Mappin and Thudium] has really carried us."

At the other end of the rink, Dasan Sydora did what he's done all playoffs long for Red Deer. He wasn't tested often, Vancouver had 16 shots on the night, but faced some quality chances. Especially so in the third period when both teams were pressing hard for the elusive first goal. Sydora earned his fifth shutout in 11 playoff games played. His goals against average drops to a miniscule 0.91 while his save percentage rises to a sparkling .963.

Quinn said it was exciting for his players to play in front of a raucous hometown crowd [estimated at approx. 1000] but felt it also may have played a role in what he felt was a slow start to the game for the Optimist Rebels.

When it comes to the Vancouver NW Giants, Braden Krogfoss was their best player on the night (he and Lomsnes were selected as the Players of the Game for their respective teams). The 16-year-old netminder turned aside 37 of the 38 shots he faced and gave his team a chance to win right up until the final whistle. Now when you look at the Giants stats, they have split their games fairly evenly between Krogfoss and his goaltending partner, Liam Smith. It will be very interesting to see who Head Coach Todd Harkins goes with tonight for game two.

Giants defenceman Josh Thrower was given plenty of ice time to audition for his WHL team. The 6'0" 186 lb. defender was selected in the 2nd round of the WHL Bantam Draft by the Calgary Hitmen... and both GM Kelly Kisio and Assistant Coach Brent Kisio were in attendance last night to see him play first hand. I think they'll be pleased with what they saw for the most part. Aside from a couple of minor miscues, Thrower played very well for the amount of ice time he received... which was a lot.

Vancouver's leading scorer Adam Helewka (9 points in playoff games coming into last night, 53 points in 40 regular season games) was held at bay last night. But judging by those numbers it'll be tough to do that two nights in a row. No doubt he'll have something to say about how tonight's game turns out.

"We had a kind of nervous energy and sometimes that can tire a body out. But, we found a way to win and that's all that matters right now."

It's safe to say that Quinn and the rest of the Optimist Rebels would love to see another large crowd on-hand tonight at the Red Deer Arena as they try to clinch the series and a trip to the Telus Cup in Leduc. Game time tonight is at 7pm.

If you're unable to make it to the game, check out www.imediatv.ca as I'll have live play-by-play coverage. We had great response to our first broadcast last night, thanks to everyone who tuned in! We hope to have you back again tonight (and tell some friends!)

Czeching In with Jesse Wallin

We will find out sometime today what Canada's team will look like for the World U-18 Hockey Championship.

Two things are certain... Mathew Dumba will be on the roster (and is a good bet to wear the "C"). Jesse Wallin will have this team working its collective arses off during each and every shift.

Wallin (along with the voice of the Rebels Cam Moon, who gets the sweet gig of doing media relations for the team) is currently in Toronto. That's where the squad will assemble before heading to the Czech Republic later this week.

Assembling a team for the U-18's is much like it is for the World Championship, you don't necessarily get to choose from the 'cream of the crop' when it comes to players. Nevertheless, Wallin is confident his assembled crew will be a competitive one.

"Our goaltending sounds like it's gonna be solid" Wallin told me when I stopped by his office on Monday. "Our defence, we should have four real solid guys and some good depth. And up front, we're gonna have a good mix of size and skill on our top couple of lines."

"A lot of players are still playing with their club teams so you're basically taking the best of what's available. But at the same time, I think we've got some depth in our country and it may not be the best team we could put together [if we had the whole crop to choose from] but yet I think we'll still put a pretty competitive team together."

As most of you know, this is Wallin's second go-round with the U-18's. He served as an Assistant Coach under Pat Quinn when Canada won gold in 2008. Wallin doesn't foresee any big differences in his role until the tournament gets underway.

"Pat was quite a presence and, of course, very experienced. We just kinda worked around him and supported him. So this time certainly having to be the guy taking that lead will be a great challenge for me, but it's definitely one I'm excited about.

Given the nature of the U-18 tournament, Wallin says having previous experience will definitely come in handy.

"I don't know of any other situation where it happens quite like this. There's no training camp whatsoever. It's just get the team together, get on the plane and go overseas. You really have to get your team to bond in a hurry."

We'll get our first look at how things are coming together when Canada takes on Denmark for its first game of the tournament next Thursday (12th) versus Denmark.

HERE'S THE FULL AUDIO FROM MY CHAT WITH WALLIN THIS PAST MONDAY.

NOTES... Wallin is also looking forward to visiting with some familiar faces while in the Czech Republic (his first time in the country in what will be his fifth trip to Europe overall). Rebels goalie Patrik Bartosak has promised to drop by for at least one day to visit with his junior coach (and his teammate Dumba for that matter). Also, former Rebels sniper Andrej Kudrna, who is playing pro hockey in his native Czech Republic, is hoping to connect with Wallin and Dumba at some point during the tournament.