TOP 10 SASK THINGS OF 2019 For Capital GMC

2019 featured its share of ups and downs on the Saskatchewan sports scene but we can all agree it was one HELLUVA lot better than 2018 for reasons which require no explanation here. So sit back and enjoy this reflection on the last 365 days in the 306:

10 – HILLTOPS ON TOP: On November 17 the Saskatoon Hilltops won their 6th consecutive Canadian Bowl with an 11-6 win over the host Langley Rams. Football pundits on the RP Show agreed this is not a poor reflection of the calibre of Canadian junior football, but rather a nod to the excellence of the Hilltops program.

9 -RATTLE THE RIM: Pro basketball returned to Saskatoon in a big way, with the Saskatchewan Rattlers winning the inaugural CEBL championship with a 94-83 home win over the Hamilton Honey Badgers on August 25. Saskatonians were slow to get on board because they’d been burned by pro hoops so many times before but by the end, thousands were flocking to Sasktel Centre.

8 – JONNY BE GOOD: On May 13 we broke the news the Riders had signed free agent punter Jon Ryan, realizing a dream for the Regina-raised, Super Bowl champion. The team introduced J.R. at a news conference the next day. Ryan would go on to have an All Star season.

7 – STARS SHINE: First-year head coach Brayden Klimosko guided his Battlefords North Stars to a landslide Canalta Cup victory, taking the SJHL championship with a 7-2 win over Melfort in Game 5 on April 20 at the Civic Centre. The Stars didn’t put up much of a fight in the ensuing Anavet Cup but Klimosko said that easily provides a goal for 2020.

6 – YOUNG GUNS: Saskatoon skip Kirk Muyres drew the 4-foot in the 10th end to seal a 6-5 win over Regina’s Matt Dunstone to win the 2019 Tankard final in Whitewood. It was a clash of the new face of mens curling in Sask as Muyres celebrated with his twin brother Dallan and teammates Kevin & Dan Marsh. Regina’s Braeden Moskowy was the architect of the Dunstone rink which also features Catlin Schneider & Dustin Kidby. It was their first year together. 

5 – FEEL THE RUSH: The Saskatchewan Rush were stunned with an 11-10 overtime loss to the Colorado Mammoth in the NLL’s Western Semifinal at the sold-out SaskTel Centre. It’s the earliest the Rush had been knocked out of the playoffs in history and players said they were “in shock” after the game.

4 – NEW GAINER: In Saskatchewan’s home-opener on July 1, there was a backlash in the Rider Nation as beloved mascot Gainer The Gopher underwent an off-season makeover which included a slimmed down body and fiendish lime eyes. Football maven John Frenzy referred to New Gainer as “a creep”. By the next game, Gainer’s eyes were switched back.

3 – RAIDERS WIN THE DUB: For the first time since 1985, the WHL championship trophy resided in Prince Albert, SK. The Raiders claimed the title with a heart-stopping 3-2 OT win over the Vancouver Giants in Game 7 at the Art Hauser Centre. The Raiders didn’t put up much of a fight at the Memorial Cup in Halifax however GM Curtis Hunt explained they emptied their tank to win it all against Vancouver.

2 – OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW: On January 14 Chris Jones stepped down as VP of Football, GM, Head Coach & Defensive Coordinator of the Roughriders to take a position with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. Within days former Rider player Jeremy O’Day was installed as GM and by the end of the month, Craig Dickenson was named head coach. Dickenson would go on to win West Division CFL Coach of the Year.

1 – FAJARDO-VILLE: Ironically on February 14 the Riders announced the signing of free agent QB Cody Fajardo in a move which drew little fanfare. However the 27-year old Brea, CA product would capture the hearts of the Rider Nation, leading the club to a 13-5 record and homefield in the Western Final. Fajardo was named the West Division MVP and the last two Riders to do that were Kerry Joseph and Ron Lancaster. It was another brilliant move by O’Day, and paved the way for much good fortune in Riderville in the immediate years ahead.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
RP
@rodpedersen