Josh Sim of the Davidson Cyclones and Craig McCallum of the Watrous Winterhawks battle for the puck during Wednesday’s game.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — A 4-3 loss in overtime to Watrous marked the start of the Davidson Cyclones’ regular season.
The team hosted the Winterhawks on Wednesday at the Communiplex with an estimated crowd of 140 in attendance.
Cyclones manager Kirk Johnson said it was a good showing, given that the team had no pre-season games and little time on the ice together.
“We had one practice in town together and we had one skate in the city,” he said, adding that the team is starting to “get the rust off and get going.”
He described Wednesday’s game as a back-and-forth competition, noting that the Cyclones were unable to take advantage of multiple power plays in the third period.
For the full story, see the Nov. 7 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
Scott Sigfusson is pictured in action during Frontier Days in Swift Current. (Photo courtesy of Teresa Bellows)
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — Another season of hard work paid off for local cowboy and rodeo champion Scott Sigfusson.
“I’m a super competitive person,” he told the Leader in late October. “You just hope to go out and do the best you can do and let the chips fall where they will.”
Sigfusson ended this season as the Canadian Cowboys Association (CCA) high-point champion, taking both the finals rodeo title in Swift Current and the year-end title.
This is his fourth time claiming the high-point title, which he earned for the first time in 2012 and now for three years running.
At the finals event he finished third in calf roping, fourth in steer wrestling and sixth in team roping.
The last event of the current season was the Manitoba Rodeo Cowboys Association (MRCA) finals, held the last weekend of October in Brandon.
There, Sigfusson finished the weekend as both tie-down roping champion and high-point champion, also competing in the steer wrestling and team roping events.
In total, he competed in roughly 70 events this year — enough to make the season feel like “a pretty big blur” by the end.
“It’s a super busy summer,” said Sigfusson, who turns 28 in December. “Weren’t very many days spent at home, that’s for sure.”
For the full story, see the Nov. 7 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
Hanley’s Colten Olyniuk (14) carries the ball as Hafford’s Ryan Krsacok (44) tries to head him off during an Oct. 22 playoff game.
By Joel van der Veen
HANLEY — Even as their field turned to mud, the Hanley Sabers played a clean game as they hosted the Hafford Vikings last weekend.
Hanley took on the Vikings on Oct. 22 in the first round of senior football playoffs, racking up a 56-6 win on a drizzly afternoon.
Sabers coach Mark Anderson said there’s been a clear refinement in the team’s performance as they’ve moved from the regular season into playoffs.
In recent weeks, he said, “they’ve really started to buckle down and play some more disciplined football.”
Ongoing training proved beneficial as the team faced the Vikings on Saturday.
Anderson said Hafford was among the most athletic teams they have faced in recent memory, though they suffered from a short lineup and having to run players in both directions as a result.
For the full story, please see the Oct. 31 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
Davidson’s Rylan Slemming (left, filling in as running back) and Cole Murfitt head up the field during the Oct. 15 game in Assiniboia.
By Joel van der Veen
ASSINIBOIA — As they headed down Highway 2 last weekend, the Davidson Raiders knew the odds weren’t in their favour.
The Raiders had played the Assiniboia Rockets twice in the regular season, ending up with close losses on both occasions.
Heading into conference playoffs, Davidson was also coping with the loss of several players due to injury or absence.
“Coming in, I knew it was going to be a tough game,” said quarterback Andrew Read.
“I kind of had it in the back of my head that maybe, just maybe, we could pull an underdog story out.”
The Oct. 15 conference playoff game ended with a 49-12 loss for Davidson, bringing another season to an end.
The team’s two starting running backs, Addison Ouellette and Dawson George, had been sidelined after suffering concussions in previous games.
Similarly, Noel Matovich was off the defensive line with a shoulder injury.
Meanwhile, Jacob Schilling and Derek Schmiedge were in Delisle on Saturday competing in the provincial cross country meet.
The team suffered further losses during the game, as kicker Morgan Manz received a concussion and backup quarterback and kicker Carson George twisted his knee.
Offensive co-ordinator Greg McJannet said the high number of absences left the coaches struggling to fill lineups.
For the full story, please see the Oct. 24 edition of The Davidson Leader, or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
Craik’s Grace Dolman, pictured here with coach Tamarra Erlandson, competed in her first provincial cross country meet on Oct. 15 in Delisle.
By Joel van der Veen
CRAIK — Days after competing in the provincial cross country meet, Grace Dolman is planning for next year.
The 12-minute run in gym class will keep her primed over the winter, while she also wants to run in multiple track events, both shorter sprints and longer distances.
She’ll then have the whole summer to train for cross country season.
Dolman said she enjoys running because she can challenge herself, working towards her own goals.
“There has to be progress in between to get to a different stage,” she said. “You have to train and you have to work for it.”
Grace, a Grade 9 student in Craik and the daughter of Neil and Carla Dolman, competed in her first provincial cross country meet on Oct. 15 in Delisle.
Running in the midget girls division, she completed the 3-km route in 14:09, putting her in 41st place out of 98 runners.
Around 500 runners took part in the provincial meet, competing in six age categories.
“It was just exciting and a little nerve-wracking,” said Grace. “There were so many people.”
The route began at Delisle Composite School, continuing to the adjacent golf course and back. In particular, a steep incline at the north end of the course proved taxing for many runners.
Grace’s mother Carla, who watched from a distance, said that hill “sucked the wind out of quite a few (competitors) . . . It was a challenging course, for sure.”
Given the unfamiliar territory and hilly terrain, Dolman said she was pleased with the result.
For the full story, please see the Oct. 24 edition of The Davidson Leader, or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
The Hanley Sabers’ Conor Prosofsky presses forward as the Davidson Raiders’ Ryan Skinner (left) and Dawson George attempt to bring him down during Tuesday’s senior football game.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — The Hanley Sabers proved themselves an all-season team on Tuesday, defeating the Davidson Raiders on a wet field surrounded by snow.
Temperatures hovered below the freezing mark throughout the game, and most spectators abandoned the stands by the second half for the comfort of their vehicles.
Both teams pressed on, but Hanley held onto an early lead and eventually won 77-44.
Even with the scoring gap, Sabers head coach Mark Anderson said his team had to keep up their efforts, knowing the Raiders could catch up with a few well-executed plays.
“They were a pretty happy group,” said Anderson. “We worked pretty hard to prepare for this one.”
He said they tried to correct the mistakes from their last game against Davidson, tightening their defence and working to keep Raiders quarterback Andrew Read under control.
Anderson said the Sabers also showed improvement in their passing. He had particular praise for quarterback Conor Prosofsky, saying some of his throws were “post-secondary worthy.”
Though the snow and weather were factors in the Raiders’ performance, coach Jason Low said the team ultimately fell short against the Sabers.
“Hanley was just better than us on that day,” said Low. “I don’t think we necessarily played poorly. They just played better.”
Strategy adjustments in the second half helped the team recover somewhat, along with rotating in younger players.
For the full story and photos, please see the Oct. 17 edition of The Davidson Leader, or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
