Submitted
U11 Stampeders Top Yorkton Tourney
The Swan Valley U11 Stampeders continued their winning ways over the Feb. 19-20 weekend travelling to Yorkton to capture the A-Side Championship.
The team got a taste of Saskatchewan competition and answered the bell at every turn.
Game one pitted the Stamps against the Southeast Kraken. A solid outing by the Kraken's goalie kept his team in it but when the dust settled the Stamps came away with a 7-1 victory.
Skyler Dutkewich opened the scoring half-way through the second period with a beauty deflection and that seemed to fire the kids up. Konnor Dixon netted a Natural Hat Trick along with Dane Anderson (2) and Tripp Warburton answering for the Stamps.
Megan Mykula secured the win between the pipes. After a quick break, the Stamps were back at it against the Blackstrap Battalion.
The Stamps scored early and often and rode to a comfortable 15-6 win. Game highlights included Rylan Hagglund scoring a Hat Trick, which included a beauty bar-down breakaway goal! Goaltender Chay Williamson, along with the win, recorded his first assist.
Other goal scorers were Tripp Warburton (3), Konnor Dixon (2), Madden Atkinson (2), Benson Bordian, Landen Rooks, Dominic Campbell and Dane Anderson. After their first two games were completed, the Stamps had the rest of the day to relax for Sunday's final. They proceeded to relax as a group of 9- and 10-yearolds do.....with absolute MAYHEM!
Swimming, water-sliding and mini sticks were all topped off with a huge pizza party at the hotel.
The team, along with their families, had a great evening with lots of laughs and a ton of NOISE! Sunday afternoon the A Final was set against the host Yorkton Terriers. The Stamps opened the scoring with the redhot Rylan Hagglund sniping another one on a pass from Anderson. Yorkton would answer right back with a goal of their own but Konnor Dixon and Tripp Warburton would also score before the period ended. Assists going to Atkinson, Buchanan, Grandfield and Anderson.
The second period saw the game shift. With the host team scoring with one second left in the second period, the teams went into the dressing room tied at 2. The Stamps regrouped over the break and came out firing in the third. Dominic Campbell got the boys rolling with a quick goal. Anderson fired in two and Dixon, with the insurance marker, secured the win for the Stamps. Assists to Atkinson, Dixon and Warburton. Megan Mykula closed the door in the third and recorded the win in net.
When the dust settled it was another successful weekend for the U11 Stampeders. It's hard to say what the kids enjoyed more, winning the tournament or the PARTY at the hotel!
The Stampeders had a three-game weekend set vs Brandon last weekend followed by Provincials the weekend of March 4-6. Stay tuned for updates as the U11 Stamps look for gold in Dauphin!
Keeping Active Is Easy When You Are Out On The Farm
A large yard on the farm provided an ideal place for throwing and kicking a football at various targets.
The practice paid off as in Grade 8 our school played flag football in a league against our rivals from Elphinstone and Rossburn.
Even though we ended up only winning one game, we enjoyed being part of a team effort. Attempting to complete a pass or kicking a convert after a touchdown was always a thrilling experience. In the ensuing high school and university years, a variety of other sports-related activities provided excellent recreational times.
Sports-related activities initially occurred on Saturday nights during the early 1960s by listening to the hockey broadcasts on CBC radio. One had to use their imagination to visualize the plays described by Foster Hewitt and Danny Gallivan. When my parents purchased a black and white television, one could finally watch their favourite players skating for the original six NHL teams.
My parent’s farm was located nine miles from town. Playing any organized sport was not deemed part of the usual farm routine. After I bought a pair of used skates and a hockey stick, the next best option included building my own rink and practicing my hockey skills. Countless hours were spent shooting a puck against a sheet of plywood.
I did get to play in a game in full hockey equipment with a group of high school classmates at the Elphinstone arena.
All of the moves that I learned on the outdoor rink had a very minimal impact in an actual game situation against participants who played regular organized hockey.
Several years later, while attending Brandon University, a group of us regularly got together to play hockey at an outdoor community rink. Those were great times just playing for the fun of it.
Our hockey skills helped us when we entered a broomball tournament for one of the “Spirit Week” activities. We lost in the finals to a team of varsity team hockey players.
In 1972-73, the Brandon University Bobcat hockey team joined the newly-formed Great Plains Athletic Conference. Lakehead University, the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg provided the opposition.
My friends and I attended the games at the old arena. We braved several snowstorms walking from the university to the rink to support our team. A group of us even travelled in a friend’s car to watch the Bobcats play in Winnipeg. We arrived back at Brandon very late that night. Luckily the Husky
Restaurant was still open so we really enjoyed a snack of fries and gravy.
My friends and I utilized the university gym to play floor hockey, badminton or shoot some hoops. We also enjoyed attending the varsity basketball games.
Our loyalty to our university school sports teams was evident at the home games with vociferous cheering in a win or lose situation. Since some of the athletes were in my classes or lived at the university residence we cheered extra hard for them. One of the team members, Bob Fosker, played for the Bobcats basketball team. He lived several doors down from my room at the men’s residence at Darrach Hall. Bob loved to sing and there were times when we met at my friend Frank’s room to play and sing some tunes. Bob and I ended up recording several songs on Frank’s four track reel to reel recorder.
Frank’s keyboard skills also came in handy when he volunteered to play music during stoppages in play during the Bobcats basketball games. Every time he played, the crowd showed its school spirit with loud cheers. During one game the opposition coach was so annoyed with the loud cheering that he came over and unplugged Frank’s keyboard and amp.
As soon as he walked away, Frank plugged in the keyboard and amp and kept on playing and we kept on cheering.
Many years later it’s still fun to participate in activities such as slow pitch baseball, bowling or pickleball. It's also great to see my grandchildren starting their journey involving sports-related activities.
Anyone up for floor hockey in the basement or playing catch with a nerf football in the front yard?
All Roads Lead To Ochre Beach
By Ed Stozek
For the Herald
August 6, 1951 marked the first annual water regatta at Ochre Beach.