All posts by admin

Davidson, Sports

Raiders junior girls enjoy strong season

The Davidson Raiders junior girls basketball team are still focusing on learning the fundamentals of the game, but their strong play this season such as at their recent home tournament is moving them to take on new challenges.

“I have new players and so we work on the basics like ball handling, passing and proper technique when you’re shooting (like) how to do layups, but I also have some older kids who are well past that and are really strong players,” said Raiders coach Cathy Rettger. “They’re ready for new stuff, so I have been trying to introduce new things for them like having the forwards set a screen for the guards and being able to work a give-and-go. It’s fairly straightforward plays that they can go to when they need to in a game.”

The girls showed off their newfound knowledge at the Raiders home tournament Jan. 25 when the team went 2-1 with victories over the Central Butte Bulldogs and St. Gabriel Saints. Their only setback came at the hands of a tough Eston Mustangs team that went undefeated in the tournament.

“I really wanted to have everybody playing,” said Rettger, noting the final scores weren’t that important. “I had all my girls on a shift, so it didn’t matter if they were Grade 7 or Grade 9. I try to get them all to play as much as possible and as equally as possible. That tournament was really just about lots of basketball. There was no championship. It was just a round-robin and it was a chance for the girls that age to have lots of experience playing in games.”

Rettger said the team is enjoying a really good season so far going 6-2 in league play and coming out undefeated in two small tournaments in Central Butte and Loreburn. She said as far as finishing first, that usually goes to Kenaston and it appears that will be the case again this year.

“In our league I expect that we should finish second just based on the games we’ve had so far because we’ve played against Outlook and Loreburn and we’ve won those games consistently,” she said, adding there is still a possibility of Davidson making it to districts with a second place finish. “If whoever is hosting (districts) also made it to districts then there is a bye and the second place team can go. I don’t know if that will be us or not.”

Wherever the team finishes, Rettger said it has been great working with such a “fun group of girls” this season. She said everyone is coming together with the older girls helping the younger players catch on to the sport, which has made teaching the game a lot easier.

“The younger kids have that sort of support from the older girls helping them and teaching them and putting them in the right position and making sure they have their man when they head out onto the court,” she said. “They do a really good job together.”

Sports

Kenaston’s McVeigh welcomes trade to Pats

Kenaston’s Logan McVeigh will face his former teammates for the first time this Tuesday when the Medicine Hat Tigers skate into Regina for a game against the Pats.

McVeigh, 19, was acquired by Regina at the Jan. 10 WHL trade deadline along with Saskatoon’s Daniel Wapple, 18, for 16-year-old goaltender Nick Schneider and a third round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. The trade marked the second year in a row McVeigh has been moved at the deadline and the third straight year the 6-foot 185-lb centre has moved to another city mid-season.

“I’m happy (with the trade),” said McVeigh. “My parents, I’m sure they’re very happy. I’m just down the road and Kenaston is where I grew up, so it’s very exciting. I’ve always grown up watching the Pats and Blades and all the local teams by us, so it’s awesome to be close to home again.”

Since the trade McVeigh has suited up for six games with the Pats (25-21-3-2) scoring one goal for the Eastern Conference’s sixth place club, which brings his total to eight on the year to go along with 10 assists. Regina forward Chandler Stephenson gained an assist on McVeigh’s first marker with his new club, which is something the two players have done many times before in their days together with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts.

The Pats also have Boston Leier on their roster, a player McVeigh enjoyed “good chemistry” with last year when both lined up together for the Tigers. The veteran WHL forward capped off his best season last year tallying 10 goals and 20 points in 35 games while playing alongside Leier in Medicine Hat.

“Coming into a locker room never gets easier (with) meeting 20 new guys,” he said. “Lots of times you don’t know the guys you’re coming in to see, but there is a lot of Saskatchewan guys on this team and that makes it a lot easier. It is awesome to come into the room and see guys like Boston and Chandler, guys that I know very well and played with before. Coming in they give me a hug and welcome me to the team and introduce me to everybody and make things a lot easier for me.”

After being picked in the second round by the Kamloops Blazers in the 2009 bantam draft, McVeigh has gone on to record 42 goals and 108 points in 245 WHL games with the Pats, Tigers, Prince Albert Raiders and Blazers. Last year marked the only time McVeigh has seen playoff action, when he tallied two goals and five points in eight games with the Tigers, and he is looking forward to post-season play again this year in Regina.

“We’re right in the thick of things for the playoffs,” said McVeigh. “It’s exciting going in to the last few games of the regular season and hopefully we’ll be in a good spot (come) the playoffs.”

Davidson, featured

Vandals hit and destroy Davidson road sign

The Craik detachment of the RCMP is asking for the public’s assistance in solving a recent vandalism case.

A road sign on the boulevard of Railway Street at Francis Street in Davidson was hit and destroyed by a vehicle sometime during the early morning hours of Jan. 19. Prior to hitting the sign the perpetrators drove the vehicle through the snow between the trees on the boulevard.

Craik RCMP constable Smith said no witnesses to the crime have come forward as of yet and all they have to go on is “tire tracks in the snow.” He said if anyone has any information on the vandalism case to please contact the Craik RCMP detachment or Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers.

According to a RCMP press release, the suspect vehicle would most likely have damage to the front end. Smith said this was the only vandalism crime in Davidson that was reported to them over the weekend, but they do see a few each year.

“There is no high time for vandalism or low time,” he said about whether the crime is committing less in the winter compared to the summer months. “We get a couple (calls) a year out of Davidson.”

Davidson

Davidson students vie for chess mastery

High school students in Davidson have found a reason to remain quiet in the library and it’s not because they’re afraid to interrupt other kids’ studies.

The game of chess has taken over the Davidson School library every Wednesday afternoon with grades seven to 12 students honing their skills in the game of pawns and kings at a weekly chess club.

“We as a staff decided we wanted to offer a wide range of activities for students,” said Davidson School teacher and chess club instructor Ian Osmond. “We wanted a variety that didn’t include just sports and some things like the drama, the yearbook and now the chess club will add to that. It just gives kids more variety for what our students can do here.”

Osmond said students at the school have demonstrated a lot of enthusiasm towards the chess club since its inception this past November. He said many kids signed up right away, but their numbers each week have fluctuated depending on whether volleyball or basketball games are occurring in the same 3:30 p.m. time slot.

“Whenever students can make it on Wednesdays they like to come out,” he said. “It’s been good. The students are playing at lunch hours too, so obviously it’s catching on.”

The first chess club dates included lessons by Osmond on how to play the game as some students had not touched a bishop or knight before, but once the kids got down the basic moves the club has evolved into more of just a come and play. Osmond said playing the strategy game is giving the kids a good educational experience while also allowing them to have some fun and build relationships along the way.

“This is great for problem solving skills and for being able to see a few moves ahead,” he said. “I think it really builds that critical thinking. I also think it’s great for building camaraderie between opponents and building the skills that you need for playing with etiquette. Chess is a great thing for that.”

Davidson, Sports

Raiders win home tournament

The Davidson Raiders senior boys basketball team defeated the Southey Screaming Eagles 57-45 in the championship game of Davidson’s home tournament held earlier this month, which secures the blue and white another milestone in what is shaping up to be a memorable season.

“It was a really tough game, one of the toughest games we’ve had the whole tournament,” said Raiders forward Pat Nordmarken, who scored six points against Southey. “We knew it would be a close game, but I’m really glad the team pulled through. We had some tough times, but we were able to win the game.”

Both clubs came out of the gate strong in the final exchanging scores back and forth leading to a close 12-10 lead for the Eagles after the first quarter. A strong inside game from forward Vanner McDonnell and key outside shooting by guard Huck Rettger helped Davidson take a 26-23 lead heading into the half. The third quarter was an offensive struggle for both clubs as each team’s defence stepped up their game resulting in a 38-33 Raiders lead after three. The fourth quarter featured a quick offensive surge halfway through the frame with five different Raiders getting on the score sheet pulling the home side to a lead they would not give up.

“I was really pleased with the overall effort,” said Raiders coach Kim Rettger. “We had to play a wide open full court press virtually the entire tournament, but really this game because they have a team that shoots from the outside and shoots from the inside. We were working hard (outside the key) and we came back with rebounding the ball and it was back and forth. They attacked us really well. It was a struggle.”

Nordmarken said the two games Davidson played before the final, a 56-50 win over the Moose Jaw Central Collegiate Cyclones on the first night of the Jan. 17-18 tourney and a 91-66 showing the next afternoon against the Langham Vikings, were both hard-fought games that could have gone either way.

“Moose Jaw Central were really good for being a Grade 9 and 10 team and I’m pretty sure when they get older they’ll be a really good team to play against,” he said. “When we played Langham, that was a really insane game. I’m glad that we were able to score that many points.”

Rettger said his team displayed a well-balanced attack throughout the tournament where they were able to run a strong transition press by slowing the game down and making good decisions with the ball. He said this is not the easiest thing for a young team to do because they generally want to run the offence quick, but all players who saw time on the court bought into the plan and worked hard at executing it.

“I could think of 12 different guys that had various moments where they had a run, but it wasn’t just one kid all tournament or one particular game,” he said. “Lots of them had really great moments. In this kind of tournament where we have three really close games, it takes everyone.”

To read more please see the January 27 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Davidson, Sports

Cyclones get caught napping by Pirates

A spirited third period couldn’t make up for a lackadaisical first 40 minutes for the Davidson Cyclones last Wednesday at home as they fell 5-2 to the first place Lanigan Pirates.

Cyclones head coach Jason Shaw said his team didn’t come ready to play against the Pirates (15-5-1), which was evidenced by the away side going up by a goal only 18 seconds into the game and controlling play for much of the first two periods. He said Davidson (12-7-1) came back strong in the third, but Lanigan goaltender David Reekie had other ideas about letting the home whites back into the game.

“It just brings us back to earth,” said Shaw about the Cyclones first loss in 2014. “We have to work hard. We didn’t get off to a good start in Watrous (a 5-2 Davidson win four days earlier). We were down 2-0 after one and came back and (Lanigan) was again not a great start. We came on in the third, so I think we just have to get going right from the drop of the puck and play three full periods then we’ll be all right. From now on they’re all playoff-type games.”

Shaw said the Cyclones recent stretch of six straight wins, before the Pirates plunked them out of a shot at first place, still gives them a chance at second heading into the Long Lake Hockey League playoffs next month. He said the team has to come out strong against the Watrous Winterhawks Jan. 25 and the Nokomis Chiefs this Wednesday to pick up the coveted position.

“We are tied with Drake and Watrous right now (with 25 points), but we still have a game in hand on both of them,” he said. “There could be a possibility where three teams end up with 27 points, but I don’t think the tiebreaker works out in our favour.

“We want to try and win these last two and make sure we get second place. That gives us a first round bye and home ice in the second round of league playoffs.”

Cyclones forward Chad Manz, who was back on the ice against Lanigan after a three-week stint on the injured list, said they didn’t have a good effort versus the Pirates, but every team has games like that at times. He said they can ill afford to have any more stinkers this year and have to bounce back in these last two games.

“This one against Watrous, because that’s who we’re battling for second, is the most important one,” said Manz. “That’ll determine second place. If we lose on (Jan. 25) we can’t get second, but we’re in control of our own destiny. We pretty much have to beat Nokomis too, but that shouldn’t be a problem.”

To read more please see the January 27 print edition of The Davidson Leader.