NEUGSIE’S AROUND THE RINKS

By: Jamie Neugebauer
Voice of the ND Hounds/DUBNetwork MJ Warriors Beat Writer

• One last lap for Bill: Big-time kudos to Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League commissioner Bill Chow as he announced that he was stepping down at the end of this year. A truly decent person, I really think Bill led the league with patience, common sense, and kindness, and I for one definitely think we owe him a lot of gratitude as a league. No commissioner of any league is going to be popular everywhere, but I liked him, and he will be missed. A friend for life, as well.
• Dekay: Big-time kudos to Prairie Hockey Academy U18 Prep forward Ethan Dekay, who committed to Michigan Tech Division I NCAA, supposedly for the 2024-2025 season. He’s also committed to the mighty Brooks Bandits for next year, and let me tell you, watching him around Notre Dame when PHA is in town, he is electric. Great speed, wicked release, very talented.
• The Finnish way: Pretty interesting rosters around the Olympic Games, but I like the way the Finns have a team really familiar with each other. There are a ton of guys on that team with NHL experience too – Leo Komarov, Valtteri Filppula, Markus Granlund, and Sami Vatanen – a bunch play for Jokerit in the KHL. I think they’ll be 1-2 with the Russians.
• OJ Beauties: Love to see a couple of my Ontario Junior Hockey League alumni beauties around the Olympics too! I mentioned Ryan Sproul on China, but Jack McBain was great as a 16-year-old for the Toronto Jr. Canadians when I was there, as well as Eddie Pasquale for Wellington Dukes, and Daniel Winnik (before my time) of the Wexford Raiders. I got my Junior A start in the OJ back in 2011, after years covering Ontario University Sport, and a year working for the Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers in 2007.
• Great to see: As the Canadian women kick off the Olympic hockey tournament Wednesday evening, it’s cool to see that Saskatchewan’s own Alex Blair and Cianna Lieffers, and Notre Dame Hounds alum Lacey Senuk are all going to be officials at the event. Lieffers is one of the best referees – regardless of gender – in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, and seems like a really kind person the time or two I’ve spoken to her, so great for her! They all have huge futures officiating the game. Canada will face Switzerland at 10 P.M. Sask time Wednesday night!
• Coming down to it in CanWest!: I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the Canadian University game, and with the shortened 20-game season, it’s really coming down to the end of the regular season fast! The Top 6 in CanadaWest make the playoffs, so the Regina women need a few results to get in, starting with taking care of business, tough as it will be, at home to the No. 2 ranked Manitoba Bisons this weekend. The three-points-for-a-win is helpful, and there are a ton of permutations that could happen in tightly-packed standing with four games to go, but if things go their way, UofR could end the weekend as high as fifth, and as low as eighth, where they are right now. I’ll have the call from the Co-operator’s Arena on Saturday afternoon.
• HUUUUGE WIN FOR THE COUGS!: Believe it or not, the UofR men have only two games left, but got a huge result this past weekend by beating the mighty UBC Thunderbirds at home. This weekend, they close out the regular season in Winnipeg against a Manitoba Bisons club right behind them in the standings for the final playoff spot. Todd Johnson’s Cougars will be the only team done the regular season after this weekend coming up, so essentially these games are as must-win as they can get. Either way, it’s been a really great building season for Regina after years in the dumps! Like the women, Top 6 advance, so it’ll be white-knuckling for the Cougars in a couple of weekends from now regardless of how they do.
• Kudos to the Ship: Big-time kudos to Flin Flon Bombers forward Gabriel Shipper who committed to Division III NCAA Bowdin College in Maine this past weekend. Shipper, who was by no means a guarantee to make the Bombers out of camp, is one of the smallest players in the SJ, but would be right up there with the fastest skaters, and has plenty of skill. His numbers are not eye-popping – 16 points in 35 games – but he’s impossible to miss on the ice as a menace on all 200-feet. Good for a kid who never gave up!
• Crazy February: Because of Notre Dame’s long Christmas break and long shut down for Covid in January, February is going to be nuts! The Hounds have 14 games at minimum, with three make-ups more to still be scheduled, and a bunch more than that to start March! I love calling hockey games, I can rarely get enough, but fire up the coffee: I’m going to need it! I’ll take this 11 times out of 10 compared to a shutdown!
• Only a small step away: Finally, a couple of huge wins for Canada’s Men’s National Soccer Team. They cannot quite qualify for the 2022 World Cup this window, but victories over Honduras in Honduras, and at home against the US of A are enormous, and the Canadians still sit in first place in the region’s qualifying standings. Jump onboard the hype train, bandwagon now, folks! It’s glorious!

(Follow Jamie on Twitter at @Neugsie)