The Davidson Peewee Huskies display their banner upon winning the provincial “C” championship with a 9-3 victory over the Watrous Hawks on March 24.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — The Peewee Huskies came back at full strength last weekend to clinch the provincial “C” championship with a 9-3 win over the Watrous Hawks.
Though they were at a one-goal deficit heading into the March 24 game, coach Chad Allan said the team travelled to Watrous knowing that the win was within their reach if they worked hard enough.
“It was a good effort by everybody,” he said. “I think the kids did very well.”
The Huskies captured a 3-1 lead in the first period and did not let up for the remainder of the game. At the end of the second period they were up 6-2.
Captain Nolan Allan, who had led the team in scoring throughout the season, contributed two goals and three assists.
The final game also saw a strong performance by what the head coach called the “supporting cast,” with a more balanced distribution of scoring than usual.
Kade McConnell and Brodie Ringdal both scored twice, while Derek Griffin, Jackson Allan and Drayson Tichit had one goal each.
Also contributing with assists were Jackson Allan, Brodie Ringdal, Ethan Schilling, Anika Lakinger, Drayson Tichit, Gavin Arend, Deiondre Boychuk, Logan Anderson and Derek Griffin.
Chad Allan lauded the Huskies’ two goalies, Logan Nelson-Schneider and Brodie Ackland, for their efforts throughout the provincial run.
The first game in the two-game, total-point series resulted in a 4-3 win for Watrous on March 20.
Davidson had defeated Maple Creek, Southey and Gravelbourg in earlier rounds to reach the final round of provincials.
In addition to those named, the team roster included Jaden Wall, Tyler Bahnman, Logan Farrell, McKenna Doell, Heather Gust and Aiden Gray. Ryan McConnell served as assistant coach.
Davidson’s Ben Nykiforuk and Coronach’s Brady Resch fight for the ball during the 1A provincial final at Moose Jaw’s Vanier Collegiate on March 19.
By Joel van der Veen
MOOSE JAW — Like all good cliffhangers, the story of the Davidson Raiders’ road to the provincial championship is filled with twists and turns.
The senior boys basketball team from Davidson School weathered its share of surprises — including serious injuries to two key players — on its way to the top.
Ultimately, coaches said, the team as a whole was firing on all cylinders to clinch a 67-61 win over Coronach in the 1A final, giving the boys the provincial title for the first time in school history.
“It was the most pure and perfect team effort that I’ve ever been part of,” said head coach Kim Rettger. “Every kid just busted their arse. . . It was just electric in that gym on Saturday.”
“I knew we could do it,” said assistant coach Ian Kadlec, adding that the only question was “whether or not everything would line up for us.”
The Raiders faced a familiar foe, the LCBI Bisons, in the opening game on March 18 at Central Collegiate in Moose Jaw.
They had defeated the Bisons in all three matches this past season, and the head coach said he had warned the boys not to be too overconfident.
As it turned out, Rettger said, his team was focused on not losing, while the Bisons had their eyes on a win.
In the game that ensued, the Raiders struggled with a high number of turnovers, as well as combating LCBI’s “smothering defense,” in Rettger’s words. Davidson led 38-35 at half-time.
A crisis arose in the fourth quarter when Andrew Read broke his ankle, following an awkward landing on a rebound.
Rettger recalled Read’s response to the injury — telling his coach, “I’m sorry I got hurt” — and said it’s reflective of his spirit of competition and sportsmanship.
Without Read’s efforts on defense and rebounds, the other teammates needed to step up, and they did so admirably, said the coach.
Rettger said Gabe Ebenal had a particularly strong game, contributing 25 points as the team’s high scorer.
“I think he was the guy that put us over the top,” said Rettger, noting that Ebenal had coped with an ankle sprain all year and a broken wrist sustained in January. “He just shot the lights out.”
A one-handed floater shot by Huck Rettger broke a tie near the game’s close to give Davidson a 73-71 victory over LCBI.
Meanwhile, the Coronach Colts had defeated the Beauval Valley View Voyageurs 78-70 in the other semi-final.
With one of his starters out of the picture, Rettger said the team would need a smart rotation and a minimum of fouls in the final game on March 19.
Parker Smith took Read’s place, and the head coach said he did an admirable, amazing job, playing a smart defense.
He also complimented Huck Rettger, the high scorer in the final with 36 points, noting, “He just was pulling shots from all over the court . . . He was something to watch.”
The Raiders were ahead by as much as 24 points during the first half and still held a 37-23 lead at half-time.
However, the team was beset by another crisis in the third period when Parker Smith suffered a concussion, striking his head on the floor.
It was up to the team as a whole to soldier on, and Rettger said they proved they were up to the challenge, adding, “You could never question their effort.”
Kadlec encouraged forward Ben Nykiforuk to track Colton Thurlow — at 6’5″, a considerable presence — resulting in the Coronach centre fouling out in the fourth quarter.
Coronach’s coaches called a time out with around 100 seconds left in the game, giving Rettger one last chance to give his team a pep talk.
“You have to play a minute and 40 seconds of perfect, no-mistakes basketball,” he told them. “You have to trust in yourself and make no mistakes.”
The second half saw Davidson excelling as a team, causing turnovers, scoring baskets and putting every last ounce of effort into that victory.
When the buzzer sounded, giving the Raiders a 67-61 win over the Colts, Rettger said there was no doubt that they had earned it.
The victory marked the first time a Davidson team has won a provincial basketball title, and with a significant local presence in the audience, Rettger said the win became a true community event.
He expressed his appreciation to assistant coaches Dave Nykiforuk, Kattlyn Williams, Luke Edwards and Ian Kadlec, noting in particular the commitment made by the latter two, who regularly travelled from out of town to work with the team.
Kadlec said he was able to share his expertise in working with Team Saskatchewan, working on a new offense and also using video replays to help the Raiders correct their mistakes and develop strategies.
In addition to the bond the boys have shared, Rettger said the hours of practice and preparation taught them about working hard to achieve their goals.
“There’s no guarantee that you will,” he said,” but if you don’t put the effort in, you’ll never have the chance.”
The senior girls basketball team from Kenaston School poses following their bronze medal win at 1A provincials in Moose Jaw on March 19.
By Joel van der Veen
KENASTON — Winning the bronze medal at Hoopla last weekend may not have been the way Kenaston’s senior girls hoped their season would end.
But given the challenging year they’ve had, coach Gene Zdunich said, simply making it to provincials seemed out of reach at some points.
“It was a real struggle this season, we had so many injuries and so many people sick,” Zdunich said Tuesday.
“Just surviving it and getting to Hoopla was kind of the high point,” he said. “I didn’t know how far we were going to go in the playoffs.”
The Kodiaks hosted 1A regionals on March 11 and 12, easily defeating both Eston and Paradise Hill and paving the way for them to compete in provincials in Moose Jaw the following weekend.
They began the weekend with a close, physical game against Fillmore on March 18. Their competitors held a narrow lead for most of the game, with Kenaston tying the score at 44-44 with 35 seconds remaining.
However, Fillmore broke the tie with a string of successful foul shots, earning a 48-44 victory.
“We just couldn’t seem to catch a break,” said Zdunich, adding that in the closing minutes, “A lot of it was not in our hands.”
The Kodiaks thus moved on to the consolation game against Asquith on Saturday, which they easily won with a score of 81-34.
“Asquith’s a pretty young team,” said Zdunich, adding that competing in a faster-paced game came more naturally to his players.
Ann Ulmer was the high scorer for Kenaston in both games, scoring 17 points on Friday night and 38 points in the consolation match.
However, Zdunich said both games saw a true team effort from the Kodiaks, adding, “All of our kids worked so hard.”
He noted that he was also working with a younger team this year, with no Grade 12 players on board. On the plus side, the Kodiaks will be able to build on their past success next year, as no players are graduating.
Kenaston’s senior girls have reached 1A provincial finals 12 times since 1971, including a three-year string from 2013 to 2015.
The Kodiaks won gold in 1972, 1973, 1999 and 2013. In the latter year, they defeated Middle Lake 51-38 in the final.
The Davidson Peewee Huskies pose for a team photo following their win over the Gravelbourg Stars in provincial “C” semi-finals on March 13.
DAVIDSON — The Peewee Huskies are headed to provincial “C” finals following a win over the Gravelbourg Stars last weekend.
Davidson hosted the Stars on March 13, following a 7-3 win in Gravelbourg a week earlier.
The Huskies’ Nolan Allan scored the only goal of the first period, assisted by Derek Griffin and Logan Anderson.
The second period opened with back-to-back goals for Davidson within 18 seconds of each other — the first by Jackson Allan and the second by Tyler Bahnman.
Gravelbourg’s Owen Neubeker scored with five minutes left in the period, while Nolan Allan scored for Davidson with 1:18 remaining, assisted by Brodie Ringdal, to bring the score to 4-1.
Nolan Allan scored an unassisted goal midway through the third period, bringing the final tally to 5-1.
Davidson heads into the final provincial series against the Watrous Winterhawks. The first game was scheduled for March 20 in Davidson, followed by the second game on March 24 in Watrous.
Meanwhile, the Peewee Cyclones continued in East Central Minor Hockey League playoffs with a 6-4 win over Watrous 1 on March 16.
Nolan Allan scored four goals for the Cyclones while Brodie Ringdal and Jackson Allan each contributed one goal. The third game in the series was scheduled for Friday night in Watrous.
The Davidson Bantam Huskies pose following their win over Viscount-Colonsay on March 15.
DAVIDSON — The Bantam Huskies finished the season with a 7-3 win over Viscount-Colonsay, taking the B-side championship in East Central Minor Hockey League playoffs.
Davidson hosted the final game in the best-of-three series on March 15, following a 3-2 loss to Vi-Co on March 6 and a 3-2 win on March 8.
Travis Griffin opened the game with an unassisted goal for Davidson, while their opponents were held scoreless through the first period.
Vi-Co’s Hunter Breckner scored to start the second period, followed by a second goal by Griffin, assisted by Deacon Nolting and Riley Berry.
Davidson’s third goal was scored by Derek Schmiedge, assisted by Josh Warkentin and Phoenix Prpick, bringing the score to 3-1 at the end of the second period.
Back-to-back goals by Derek Schmiedge and Hunter Wall — scored within 32 seconds of each other near the start of the third period — bolstered Davidson’s lead.
Hunter Herback then scored for Davidson, assisted by Hunter Wall and Derek Schmiedge, followed by a second goal for Vi-Co’s Hunter Breckner.
Connor Tetzlaff scored for Vi-Co with seven minutes remaining, followed by a goal for Davidson by Riley Berry, assisted by Josh Warkentin and Derek Schmiedge, bringing the final tally to 7-3.
The bantam boys had finished the regular season with 12 wins and nine losses. Derek Schmiedge was the team’s high scorer for the season with 32 goals and 22 assists, followed by Maguire Scheidt and Riley Berry.
Mark Scheidt coached the Davidson team this season, assisted by Greg Lemcke and Rob Warkentin. Leah Herback served as team manager.
Dana Ebenal and Val Keeler head down the ice during the Ladies Bonspiel on March 12.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — Thirteen teams took part in this year’s Ladies Bonspiel, hosted by the Davidson Curling Club on March 11 and 12.
Competition took place over two days with the finals taking place on Saturday night. Prizes were donated by close to 40 local businesses, organizations and residents.
Organizer Marla Dezotell said there was one full team taking part from Saskatoon, along with numerous out-of-town players joining local teams.
“It turned out to be a lot of fun,” she said, adding that the weekend was “enjoyed thoroughly by all.”
Finishing in first prize in the A event was Beth Booker’s rink, consisting of herself, third Tracey Palmer, second Teaka White and lead Terry Firby. Booker’s team defeated the Agnes Viczko rink to claim the title.
Donna Cross’s rink defeated Stacey Belisle’s team to win the final in the B event. In addition to Cross, the winning team included lead Lois Dueck, third Selma Nelson, second Karen Reich and fifth Vonne Johnson.
Andrea Pottie’s team defeated Lindsay Cross’s rink to win in the C event, while Laura Williams triumphed over Liza Dahl to claim the title in the D event.
