DAVIDSON—The Davidson Cyclones sent Raymore out of Senior A Provincial playoffs by beating the Rockets 7-3 on Jan. 30.
Davidson jumped to an early 2-0 lead in the first period with a goal from Kyle Boris (Zach Sim and Derek Allan) four minutes in the frame. The Cyclones powerplay showed its muscle with under two minutes left in the period when Derek Allan (Brett Ward and Rhyse Dieno) scored, making it look easy, to put the Cyclones up 2-0 to end the first period.
The Rockets came out firing in the second period, scoring two goals to tie it up at 2-2. The Cyclones responded, with Pat Cey, from Colton Allan and Carter Smith, scoring to regain the lead. Less than a minute later Sim (Derek Allan and Rhyse Dieno) added the insurance while on the powerplay. Smith put the Cyclones up 5-2 with Cody Danberg and Cey in on the assist.
In the third period the Cyclones scored two more goals Cey, from Smith and Sim, and Derek Allan, from Bortis and Dieno, to take a comfortable 7-2 lead. The Rockets sputtered to life late in the third period to score on Cyclones netminder Mark Zoerb, who was solid for the Cyclones, to end the game 7-3 for Davidson.
With the win, the Cyclones advanced to the second round of provincials and hosted the Balcarres Broncs Sunday at Davidson in Game 1 of the best of three-game series.
Balcarres beat the Cyclones 4-3 to take a 1-0 lead in the series. The Cyclones will be celebrating Valentine’s Day Saturday in Balcarres where they hope to take the Broncs for a ride.
Game 3, if needed, is back in Davidson Feb. 16.
Category Archives: featured
Local athletes bound for Canada Winter Games
Local athletes will be among the thousands of Canadians competing at the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, B.C. later this week.
Saskatchewan is represented by 300 athletes, coaches, managers, technicians and participant assistants to the games, which showcases some of the best young athletes Canada has to offer.
Loreburn is sending two athletes to the games that go from Feb. 13 to March 1. Ian Abbot, 20, is on Team Sask’s 10-member badminton team and Jasey Book, 16, will be a goalie for Team Sask’s female hockey team. Book currently plays for the Swift Current Wildcats in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League.
Chamberlain’s Carson Ackerman, 17, will be skipping Team Sask’s male curling team in the games. The team is coached by Carson’s dad Patrick and has been together for just over a year.
Carson is joined by Mitchell Dales of Melville, who is third; second is Kacey Rodland of Moose Jaw and Brett Behm, also of Moose Jaw, as lead. The rink won the Saskatchewan Winter Games last February, which qualified them for the Saskatchewan trials for the Canada Winter Games.
Patrick said the team started training in March 2014 and curled in about eight bonspiels in October and November to prepare for the trials, which were held in December in Regina. They also curl in Superleague in Moose Jaw. The Ackerman rink won the trials and the privilege to represent Saskatchewan at the Winter Games.
“They’re a good group of boys and they want to be there,” he says.
Their desire is important. Ackerman says it requires a big commitment from the teenage boys, whose weekends and some weeknights are spent at the curling rink.
He said CurlSask has developed a program geared to developing the province’s young curlers so that the province remains a force on the national and international curling scene.
CurlSask has assigned the Ackerman rink with a mentor coach to help them with skills or mental training. Travis Brown of Loreburn gives the team advice as needed.
“Travis is on my speed dial,” Patrick says.
Team Sask leaves for Prince George Thursday, has practice scheduled for Saturday and plays its first game against Quebec Sunday, Feb. 15.
Events will be streamed live on the Internet, so people should check the Canada Games website. Ackerman said the final, which is set for Friday, Feb. 20 will be televised on TSN.
Minister of Rural Health visits local health centres
By Kevin Gilby
CRAIK—Minister of Rural and Remote Health Greg Ottenbreit made an impromptu stop at the health centres in Davidson and Craik, Tuesday, Jan. 27.
“On our way through, we stopped in, and had an impromptu tour of the Craik facility, and ended up speaking with the doctor there, we got a little bit of a tour from his perspective,” Ottenbreit said. “I’ve had a few different invitations, many via email, to come out and look at the [Craik] facility.”
RM of Craik Reeve Hilton Spencer happened to be in the health centre at the time and was “very happy to see him there.”
After his stop in Craik, Ottenbreit then stopped in Davidson and touched base with Dr. Lang. He toured their facilities “so we can have a first hand perspective on what the facilities are like.”
Ottenbreit said, “They are both great little facilities serving the areas for a long time in a really good fashion. I was glad I looked at both so you can really see what their residents were telling us.”
During his visits with the physicians, he to listened to some of their concerns about the proposed three-physician group practice as well as possible concerns over contractual matters.
Subsequent to the visits, the doctors accepted an invitation to speak further about their concerns in the Health Ministry offices in Regina the following day. Ottenbreit said the dialogue was productive and believes that “it’s progressing fairly positively at this point.”
One of the issues Ottenbreit wanted to impress upon the doctors was the benefits of working in a group practice. In particular, he said based on experiences from other group environments, physicians find it beneficial to have someone contractually being able to support them for holidays, sick leaves, training, or any other need that may arise.
Ottenbreit said that Dr. Karam may have felt that the work on establishing a contract was being held up but he assured him that any delay was due to it being “such a moving target.” Furthermore, a draft contract was written on Jan. 23 and forwarded to Dr. Karam for his consideration.
According to Ottenbreit, the draft is a three party contract between the physician, the Five Hills Health Region (FHHR), and the Heartland Health Region (HHR). Under the contract, Dr. Karam would be providing his regular office hours in Craik Health Centre four days a week as well as providing some on-call coverage for emergency and acute care in the Davidson Health Centre.
Previously, FHHR was proposing Dr. Karam sign a contract with the HHR whereupon his services would be ‘hired’ back to the community of Craik. “Because of the division between regions,” Ottenbreit said, “Legally, it was hard to contract it like Five Hills initially wanted.”
To read more, please see the Feb. 2, 2015 print edition of The Davidson Leader.
Cattle prices expected to remain strong
CRAIK—The barn at Riskan Hope Farm is looking better these days.
A fresh coat of paint now covers the weather worn wood siding and new asphalt shingles have replaced the original cedar shakes.
“It was getting in pretty rough shape,” says its owner Dave Luther. “With cattle prices up a bit, I decided I had to do something. It’s a landmark.”
Cattle prices are at record highs. Luther said he sold a bunch of cows in the spring to local producers and put some of the profits back into the old barn.
He wants it looking good for its 100th birthday in 2019.
Years of hard work are finally paying off for Canadian cattle producers like the Luthers.
A shortage of cattle in the U.S. due to drought and harsh winters and declining herd sizes in Canada have pushed up beef prices.
According to Statistics Canada, Canadian beef and veal exports to the U.S. were up by 11 per cent in 2014 compared to 2013.
The published price of 700-800 pound feeder steers in Saskatchewan, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture, was $250.50 (per cwt) as of Jan. 23, compared to $163.10 a year ago.
Alberta Beef Producers predict beef supplies to tighten further this year due to strong North American and global demand.
It’s a welcome trend for an industry that has spent more than a decade recovering from the BSE crisis that began in May 2003.
Luther said back in 2003 a breeding cow was worth about $300 and “slaughter cows then were worth nothing. Farmers almost had to pay them to take them.”
As a result many farmers got out of raising livestock.
“I can count 10 guys without any problem around here who got out of them because of BSE and they’ll never get back into them,” Luther said.
With the demand high, butcher John Sperling said by summer he may have trouble sourcing beef to stock his local butcher shop JMR Meats in Davidson.
Much of the meat he sells is the product of local farms. He said the price of beef is up by a third over last year. In 2014 a side of beef cut and wrapped was selling for between $2.79 and $2,89 a pound. Now it’s retailing at $4/lb.
Public buildings targeted in Craik break-ins
By Kevin Gilby
CRAIK—The RCMP were kept busy in the middle of January dealing with a rash of break-ins in the town of Craik.
On, or about, the evening of Jan. 15, the Town Office, Palliser Library, and Oral History room were all broken into. The Craik Legion Hall was also illegally entered at a later date.
Town administrator Sarah Wells says that the break-in at the town office resulted in two office doors needing to be replaced but nothing was reported missing. She suspects that the office was likely the first target, and when that didn’t prove fruitful, other targets were sought.
Jo McAlpine, Palliser librarian, reported that the thief, or thieves, attempted to enter the library via the front glass door. Despite damaging the door frame, the thieves ended up gaining entry by forcing a window near the rear of the building open.
McAlpine said, “The Craik Library lost less than $20 in photocopy money but it will cost the town a lot more to fix the door and window that were damaged in the break-in. With a bank just down the block there is never more a few quarters in the library cash.”
According to McAlpine, the thieves also entered the Oral History room where approximately $5 in loose change was taken. No other items were reported missing.
Then, between Jan. 16 and 19, the Craik Legion Hall was broken into. Lions President Kati Exelby said, “We know this time-line because when the walking club was there Friday everything was in its place. The cleaner of the hall discovered that someone had broke in when she went to clean on Sunday.”
“There may have been a couple dollars in one of the drawers of the cabinet that they wrecked beyond repair. Luckily for us nothing else was damaged” Kati adds. “We cannot figure out how they got in, but unfortunately they did.”
The Craik RCMP initiated an investigation into the break-ins. It is unknown if the same individual or individuals are responsible for the break-ins.
Warm weather exposes leaky roof
By Kevin Gilby
DAVIDSON—Town council met Jan. 20 to discuss ongoing and future town business. Items discussed include:
• The town discussed installing two new large bay garage doors on the south side of the town shop in the coming year. The town wishes to install at least one door with windows but may complete both doors budget permitting.
• Richardson International requested permission from the town to upgrade/work on the access road to their grain terminal south of Davidson. The access road, near the Shell service station resides on town property. The town, satisfied that the work would be done to specifications, moved to allow the work to take place.
• Discussion for water and sewage rates was tabled so that administrators Gary Edom and Donna Bessey may prepare their assessment for council’s consideration.
• The town moved to retain 2014 council remuneration rates for the next fiscal year.
• During an Air Cadet’s meeting at the town auditorium, it was reported that the roof was leaking on account of unseasonably warm weather. During the summer, work was done to all of the roofing on the town hall with the exception of the auditorium on account of funding considerations. Councillors noted that the new flooring in the auditorium was not damaged and that they must rush to obtain quotes to fix the auditorium roof as soon as possible. Town Administrator Gary Edom anticipates the cost of the repair work to be approximately $160,000 and that the town will have to secure a loan to complete the work. During the interim, the town moved to ensure that snow on the roof be kept to a minimum.