South Final Update: The Huskies beat Redvers 8-7 and have a one-point lead heading into this Saturday’s (March 14) final game of the South Final series in Davidson at 4 p.m. The team with the most points in the best of two game series will advance to the Provincial ‘D’ Final.
By Tara de Ryk
DAVIDSON—Davidson’s Pee Wee Huskies put away the Kincaid Outlaws Feb. 28 to advance to the South Final of the Saskatchewan Hockey Association (SHA) ‘D’ playoffs.
The win earned the Huskies a four-hour bus ride down to Redvers on Saturday to take on the Rockets, who were tops in the Moose Mountain Hockey League.
“It should be a good test for us,” Huskies Coach Barkley Prpick said before the game. “They sound like a decent squad.”
Having never played the Rockets or seen them play, the Huskies ventured into unknown territory Saturday. The aim was to win the game and rack up as many points as possible to give the Huskies a decent cushion for this Saturday’s game in Davidson.
The Huskies are glad to have Reid Babiarz back in the lineup; the 12-year-old player was off the roster for a bit after he broke his wrist skiing.
Prpick said he’s counting on his players to continue playing smart, disciplined hockey. He wants his team to keep the puck deep and make Redvers work for their 200 feet of ice instead of turning it over at the blue line.
“If we stay out of the penalty box, keep everyone fresh, we should be all right,” Prpick said.
Game 2 of the series takes place in Davidson this Saturday, March 14 at 4 p.m.
The winner of the Davidson/Redvers two games total points series will play the winner of the Macklin/Big River series for the SHA Provincial ‘D’ championship.
“Hopefully we’ll keep the rink full. The kids feed off the crowds,” Prpick said.
The Huskies split the South Semi-Final series against the Kincaid Outlaws.
The Huskies lost the game 3-4 in Davidson, but a 6-4 win the week before in Kincaid gave the Huskies a 2-point lead to take the best of two games total points series.
The first period of the Feb. 28 game remained scoreless. Kincaid was first on the scoreboard three minutes into the second period putting the puck by Huskies netminder Nathan Chomyshen. Davidson’s Kade McConnell tied it up ten minutes into the frame with helpers from Nolan Allan and Tyler Bahnman. The Outlaws responded to regain the lead and end the period with a 2-1 advantage.
Halfway through the third period Hunter Herback, from Allan, scored to tie the score 2-2. Kincaid responded two minutes later to regain the lead and then added another for a 4-2 lead. Allan, with four minutes remaining, scored to put the Huskies within one point. This was how the game would end with the Huskies recording the 3-4 loss, but it was enough for the Huskies to win the series.
While the Huskies keep their provincial playoff run alive, they’re also busy in Last Mountain Minor Hockey League playoffs. The pee wees are in the midst of a best of three games series against Wynyard. The pee wees will host Wynyard this Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Category Archives: featured
Craik takes health care rally to Legislature
By Kevin Gilby
CRAIK— Undeterred by the Craik Health Centre’s physician position going up for competition on Feb. 27, 70 people from Craik and Central Butte areas travelled by chartered bus and cars to the Legislature Building in Regina last Monday to let the government know they are frustrated over their dealings with the Five Hills Health Region (FHHR).
Gathering in front of the Legislature, the group rallied for their hospital and for physician Dr. Levi Karam while leaders of the opposition parties addressed the crowd acknowledging the group’s concerns. Dr. Karam was present for the rally, shaking hands and receiving well wishes and words of encouragement from those in attendance.
Karam spoke briefly to reporters about the government before the beginning of Question Period stating, “If they come out to Craik and say what can we do to help you deliver better health care in Craik? One thing, let the ambulance stop. Period.”
Filling the west gallery of the Legislative Assembly, the visitors were welcomed by Opposition leader Cam Broten, Premier, Brad Wall and Minister of Rural and Remote Health Greg Ottenbreit.
Despite repeated calls from Broten for Wall to meet with the delegation after question period, the Premier only replied that, “We want the best possible health care for the people of Craik and area, for people all up and down No. 11” while listing the services presently provided to the community.
After question period, Ottenbreit met with Craik Mayor Rick Rogers, RM of Craik Reeve Hilton Spencer, Ret. Rev. David Ashdown, and Dr. Karam. During the meeting, the delegates “pushed hard for the ambulance services to be restored” to the community and to remove emergency on-call travel requirements from the physician contract under dispute.
“I think we made a few points,” Spencer told the group after the meeting. “We’ll have to wait and see. He doesn’t want to give up on the ambulance, but Dr. Karam was going at it pretty hard that we have to have it.”
Speaking generally about discussions with the community, Ottenbreit said, “We’ve agreed to everything the opposition brought forward in their petition, which was no closure of the facility, no renovation of the facility, and hire a doctor.”
“We’ve even gone further in writing and verbal form that the facility won’t close or no renovations will go on in the facility” he says. “I think the region was moving in that direction previously, but they’ve agreed to that they won’t go in that direction.”
Ottenbreit said that the community “presented something that is basically a full-on hospital service, we presented something in a very enhanced primary care model that will serve the Craik community very well.”
To read more, please see the March 9 print edition of The Davidson Leader. To subscribe, Phone 306-567-2047
Bullish over bulls
BLADWORTH—Optimism for the cattle industry generated by record high cattle prices were reflected in the turnout and response to Palmer Charolais with Nielson Land & Cattle Co. annual bull sale March 2.
“It was a good crowd for the blustery day we had…standing room only during the sale,” Larry Nielson, of Nielson Land & Cattle Co., said.
There were from 150 to 200 people crowded into the shop at Palmer Charolais west of Bladworth. Gale-force winds that whipped up the snow didn’t deter people from turning out. Others phoned in their bids.
The sale average of last Monday’s sale was considerably higher than last year’s average, Nielson said.
He said the prices for his family’s purebred black Angus and red Angus bulls and heifers at this year’s sale were much higher than last year.
Palmer Charolais experienced similar results for their purebred Charolais bulls, the overall average on the their bulls was $7,276, which is up from last year.
“Everybody I talked to at the sale or on the phone about the sale was very optimistic about cattle,” said Velon Herback of Palmer Charolais.
People are optimistic, so they are spending more money on bulls than they had in the past.
“Everything relates to prices in cattle,” Herback said.
Junior Raiders win West Central Districts
DAVIDSON—Davidson School’s junior boy Raiders defeated Biggar’s St. Gabriel Saints 43-26 last Wednesday to win the West Central District Championship.
“The kids played really well,” coach Kim Rettger said of the team’s effort.
Rettger, who coaches the senior boy Raiders, subbed as coach while the team’s head coach Garret Bailey was away at a conference.
Going into districts, the Raiders had anticipated meeting the Saints in the final.
Rettger said the team had a plan to deal with St. Gabe’s 6’2” big man.
“The key was to stop him so we put Blake Allan on him the whole game. Blake kept their big guy in check,” Rettger said.
The Raiders began the game playing a box-and-one zone defence, which Rettger said worked fairly well and then changed to a man-to-man defence that gave the Raiders even better results.
“Parker (Smith) was fabulous rebounding so was Clay (Murfitt) and Mark (Rettger) shot the lights out,” Rettger said.
Mark led the Raiders in scoring with 22 points. Parker had 16 points in the win.
The Raiders were able to get all their players on the court throughout the game, whereas St. Gabriel stayed with its starting five.
“We never ran away with the score, but we had control the whole game,” Rettger said.
The Raiders’ first game against Eston, whom the Raiders expected to beat handily started tougher than the team expected, despite the 62-37 score.
“They played well enough to win but it didn’t pan out as easy as they thought.”
Rettger said at the half, it was anybody’s game.
He switched up the defences, going away from a zone to man-to-man, which worked better for the team, plus in the second half, Rettger said the boys played much better.
Parker Smith had 26 points for the win, Mark Rettger had 17, Clay Murfitt put up 8 points and Blake Allan chipped in with 7 points.
Seniors at Conferences
Basketball season is over for the junior Raiders, but the action is just heating up for Davidson School’s senior teams that begin playoffs this weekend. The senior boys are hosting 1A conference finals this weekend. Teams from Kenaston, Allan, Central Butte, LCBI and Davidson will be vying for first and second place and a chance to advance to regional playoffs next weekend.
The senior girl Raiders will be in Regina competing for the 2A conference championship. They’ll come up against Regina Harvest City, Langenberg and Moose Jaw Cornerstone.
Craik citizens rally to save local health care
By Kevin Gilby
CRAIK – Community members and leaders of the Town of Craik and the RM of Craik rallied last Friday in front of the Craik Health Centre to proclaim their distrust and concern about how the Five Hills Health Region is treating their physician and health centre.
Over 70 people braved the cold weather holding signs and cheering the speakers.
RM Reeve Hilton Spencer, brought the crowd up to speed with a meeting he and Dr. Karam had with Greg Ottenbreit, Minister of Rural and Remote Health, the night before the rally to discuss their concerns. They were also accompanied by Gerald Muirhead who was credited with building the health centre while a member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.
Furious at the outcome, Spencer told the crowd, “in two months, we’ve gone from the reason being why EMS can’t stop in Craik is because it’s too confusing, to EMS can’t stop in Craik because the health region or government could get sued!”
Upset over the lack of communication, Spencer insisted that the Five Hills and Heartland Health Regions, along Greg Ottenbreit meet with the towns of Craik and Davidson.
To read more, please see the March 2 print edition of The Davidson Leader.
Sun West puts out call for proposals for Kenaston Distance Learning Centre
KENASTON—Sun West School Division is proceeding with plans to build its new $5.2 million Distance Learning Centre.
Proposals to build the stand-alone building adjacent to Kenaston School are due next Wednesday.
Sun West’s board of education received an update on the project at its meeting last Tuesday.
In February, Sun West put out a call for proposals to design and build a 15,000 square foot office building to house teaching staff and programming for the distance learning program.
The new building is required due to the rapid growth of the distance learning program that began in 2012 using vacant classrooms in Kenaston School.
The program took off and now, with 440 students, the Distance Learning Centre has the largest enrolment in the division. Within five years, Sun West is projecting that 716 students will be enrolled in its DLC.
The new office building will accommodate approximately 90 teachers who teach a wide variety of subjects and courses delivered online to students throughout the province.
This school year, Sun West had to find additional space in Kenaston for more DLC teachers so office space in the village’s curling rink was leased.
To read more, please see the March 2 print edition of The Davidson Leader.