Cutlines:
1) The Estevan Sharks Water Polo Club hosted their annual home tournament in January.
2) The Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs faced Weyburn in the annual McLeod Series showdown in February.
3)
The first two months of the year are among the busiest time for sports in the community. Hockey and curling are into playoffs and championships, and high school basketball, water polo and much more are in full swing. Here are some of the sporting highlights from the first two months of 2019:
January:
Special Olympics Estevan began what was a busy year for the organization with a Try It Camp Jan. 4 at the Estevan Leisure Centre’s multipurpose room. Nearly a dozen youths and their parents tried out different activities that were offered, some of which were available through Active Start for younger children and Fundamentals for older kids.
The Estevan Bruins were relatively quiet prior to the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s trade deadline on Jan. 10. They dealt goaltender Matt Lucaks to Notre Dame for future considerations. Then the club pulled off a three-way trade that also involved the Flin Flon Bombers and the B.C. Hockey League’s Cowichan Capitals that would eventually lead to the Bruins acquiring standout goaltender Keenan Rancier from the B.C. Hockey League Prince George Spruce Kings in the offseason.
The Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs senior boys basketball team finished second at their annual home tournament Jan. 11 and 12. They went 2-1 at the tournament, defeating Weyburn 84-64 and Swift Current 82-69 to reach the final, which they dropped 82-72 decision to the Notre Dame Hounds.
A meeting was held Jan. 16 regarding the possibility of bringing a junior football team to Estevan. The Southeast Junior Roughnecks would compete in a league in Manitoba, and give athletes in Estevan, Weyburn and other communities who have finished playing high school football the opportunity to keep playing the game. The team has moved forward with preparations, and even held practices in the summer and fall.
The Power Dodge Curling Club’s annual junior bonspiel Jan. 18 and 19 attracted some of the top young curlers in the province. In the U18 bonspiel, the Brecklin Gervais rink, competing out of the Kronau Curling Rink, defeated the Caitlyn Green rink from Estevan in the A final. Gervais was the Saskatchewan representative for the Canada Winter Games in February in Alberta. The Southern Plains Co-op U15 bonspiel featured 10 teams, with each team playing three games. The The Estevan Sharks water polo club hosted its annual home tournament at the RM of Estevan Aquatic Centre on Jan. 20, with teams from Weyburn and Regina joining the Sharks for play in three separate divisions. All of the Sharks teams did well during the day.
Estevan teams took the top two spots during the Estevan Extreme Volleyball program’s 13U home tournament on Jan. 26 at Pleasantdale School. The Estevan Storm defeated the Estevan Thunder 2-0 (25-17, 25-21) in the first place game. The Kipling Women’s Volleyball Club’s Roof team and Carnduff were also entered.
February:
The Yellow Grass Wheat Kings finished the Big Six Hockey League’s regular season with the best record at 15-3, two points better than the Redvers Rockets (14-4). Dylan Herzberg of the Bienfait Coalers was the top scorer in the league with 30 goals and 51 points, while Tanner Erickson of the Wheat Kings was the top goaltender with a 2.06 goals-against average.
Five members of the Estevan Sharks water polo program were selected to be part of the Team Saskatchewan contingent that travelled to Croatia in February. Josie Andrist, Alex Andrist, Cameron Gillingham, Mikayla Hack and Taeghen Hack furthered their skills in the European nation, which is a hotbed for the sport.
The Brent Gedak rink had a tough weekend at the SaskTel Tankard men’s provincial curling championships in Whitewood from Feb. 6-10. The Gedak rink, curling out of the Power Dodge Curling Centre, went 0-3 at the Tankard, which had a triple knockout elimination draw.
The Power Doge Curling Centre hosted the district high school playdowns on Feb. 8 and 9, and the Estevan Comprehensive School (ECS) Elecs 1 team took top spot in the mixed division. Estevan defeated Ogema 7-5 in the A final to advance to regionals, which were held in Yorkton the following month. Members of the team were skip Kaylee Carlson, third Devin Fichter, second Caitlyn Green and lead Justin Hertes. Hertes was filling in for Parker Lavoie. Pauline Ziehl Grimsrud was their coach.
The South East Aaron Well Servicing midget AA Goldwings wrapped up top spot overall in the Saskatchewan Female Hockey League. The Goldwings (18-2) concluded the season by sweeping the Notre Dame Hounds in a home and home series. The Goldwings finished three points ahead of the Saskatchewan Comet Impact for first place overall.
The Estevan Comprehensive School (ECS) Elecs senior boys and girls basketball teams came up just short in their effort to regain the McLeod Series trophy from the Weyburn Comprehensive School Eagles. Estevan’s senior girls and boys basketball teams dropped both games played in Estevan on Feb. 13, with the girls losing 67-59 and the boys 87-85. Weyburn won the annual best-of-four series 3-1, but the Eagles only had a seven-point cumulative edge, 289-282, in those four games. ECS carried a three-point edge entering the final two games in Estevan.
Squash trainers David and Sandra Sutherland of Regina brought a learn to play clinic to the Estevan Leisure Centre on Feb. 16. Fun and energy-consuming workshops took place at the squash courts. There was something new that players of all skill levels, from beginners to advanced, could learn during the clinic. The success of the clinic led to the creation of a squash league for the city.
Many of Saskatchewan’s top young mixed doubles curling teams were at the Power Dodge Curling Centre from Feb. 15-18 for the CurlSask U18 Mixed Doubles provincials. The tandem of Braden Fleischhacker and Abbey Johnson, competing out of the Weyburn Curling Club won the A final. Six of the teams who entered advanced to the adult mixed doubles provincials in Weyburn later that month.
Estevan’s Hunter Eagles was named the MVP of the Sask. Selects Under-14 (U14) team that competed at the International Pigskin Classic in San Antonio. Eagles played middle and outside linebacker on defence, and also returned punts and kickoffs, and was involved in special teams coverage. The Selects had several teams at the tournament.
The Montreal Canadiens alumni defeated a team of local residents dubbed the OSI-Can Bruins 18-7 at Affinity Place on Feb. 26. The alumni team showed their speed and puck skills, while also entertaining the crowd with humourous moments. The Habs alumni team’s most well-known member, though, was their coach, Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Steve Shutt. Shutt won five Stanley Cups with the Canadiens in the 1970s. Proceeds of the game were directed to the Royal Canadian Legion’s Estevan branch.
Jared Fornwald scored 6:22 into the second overtime period to lift the Estevan Apex midget AA Bruins to a 4-3 victory over the Notre Dame Hounds in the fifth and deciding game of their best-of-five Saskatchewan Minor AA Hockey League first round playoff series on Feb. 26. Estevan was down 3-1 with 2:16 to play, but then rattled off two goals in a 36-second span to tie the game.
The Dec. 27 edition of Southeast Lifestyles will have sports highlights from March and April.
