THE VOICE

Putting on the 'Hat

2011-09-13T17:26:00.002-06:00

And the new chapter has begun.

I have officially moved to Medicine Hat to become a Reporter/Producer for Shaw TV. My years and experience in Whitecourt were excellent, and I will never forget the relationships and the memories.

One of which was with the late Elias Lachance, who officially had his number 22 jersey retired last Friday and Sunday in Spruce Grove and in Whitecourt. A classy move by a great organization that is going for their 4th straight championship this season. I'm looking forward to listening to Gino's broadcasts. You can check out his blog called the "De Paoli Debacle" on the right hand side....

Holidays were great in Winnipeg. I was able to relax and re-focus for this next step. Made a brief visit to the Med Hat Arena today to meet some of the front office staff, which I will be spending plenty of time around over the coming months. The Tigers are down to 31 players on their roster, and have 2 pre-season games left against Red Deer and Lethbridge on the road, before opening up at home to the Hurricanes next weekend.

The trip to the 'peg also included the Banjo Bowl, which was awful. I haven't blogged much about the CFL at all this summer, which is disappointing because I have lots to say. The "Swaggerville" Bombers have been knocked down to earth by the Riders. The East division which looked to be so so strong to start the year has plateaued. Actually, all 8 teams seem to have leveled off. Calgary looks to be the top team right now in the CFL, and in my opinion, the BC Lions aren't too far behind them. Their record doesn't reflect how good the team really is. Sure, Winnipeg has lost 2 ugly games in a row. And no, you can't pin the whole game on officiating. But they had a shot at the Labour day game. They got outplayed in the Banjo Bowl, flat out. But the Labour Day game was a refereeing catastrophe. The Arogs will continue to be awful, the Riders will get better and the Eskimos will fall to 4th place in the West. While the East will flip flop back and forth between the Als and Bombers for 1st, depending on the health of Buck Pierce (that's a shock.)

As for the NHL pre-season getting underway, wow it was cool to see the "Winnipeg Jets" in action last night. A 4-0 pre-season win in the young stars game over San Jose. Nothing to jump for joy about, unless you grew up in Winnipeg like I did. It is still pretty cool to hear their name being announced.

That's it for me. I should have a new email addy set up very shortly, so please don't send mail to dave@xm105.com anymore because that won't work.

Packing up

2011-08-31T21:35:00.003-06:00

This is a pretty weird experience.

Packing up my room, my belongings again for yet another new adventure. I have moved 3 times since arriving in Whitecourt from house to house to house, but now the day I have been anticipating for a few months is finally here. I'm pretty sure I will go through some odd emotions in the next 48 hours as I get ready for my week off and then the next chapter in life...........the final morning show with Andrew on Friday. Expect some interesting antics during that one!

A few quick notes to cover off as I head into la la land.

- I will continue to blog about the Wolverines when I move to Medicine Hat. I have already been asked about that. It would be hard to totally unplug from it after it being my passion for the last 3 years.

- I will have to start loving baseball! Ha ha I love watching local baseball, and I follow the MLB. But its just difficult for me to sit down and watch an entire game when guys make 100 million a year to swing a bat :) Ok, ok I know. I give them a rough time. But they are in the bigs!

- I have also been asked what my exact job description will be once I arrive in Medicine Hat, where in the large sense I'm not 100 percent positive yet. I know I will be doing a lot of Tigers coverage which will be sweet. Training camp got underway over a week ago, and they will be in St Albert for a pre-season invitational tourney on Sunday and Monday. I'm going in to a winning situation, which I am no stranger to. The Tigers picked up 100 points last year and finished 3rd in the East. The Whitecourt Wolverines won 3 straight league titles, lost 2 playoff games in 3 years and 6 regular season games in the 3 seasons I was there.........oh and did I mention 3 consecutive championships? Lol so I'm ready for the "challenge."

- The Drayton Valley Thunder are 6-0 after beating Spruce Grove 4-3 tonight in Barrhead. I know as they say, its "only" pre season. Since winning 30 games in 2006-07, they have won 12, 7, 12 and 12 games from 07-11, for a total of 43 games. Needless to say they are overdue, and it would be great to see them turn it around.

- Wolverines training camp begins on Friday night and runs right through the weekend. Apparently Jordan Panasiuk will not be back between the pipes, as he is off to Edmonton to attend school. That will leave the number 1 job clearly to Braeden Johnson, who was part of the 1A, 1B rotation last year. Johnny also played the majority of the games in the provincials..........on a side note, as a going away present for myself I ordered a Jordan Panasiuk jersey to remember the remarkable 8 game 35 minute 36 second shutout streak from last season......Head Coach Richard Kazda arrives in Whitecourt tonight from Ontario. And some very, very prominent rumors around town are citing Joey Bouchard back and involved with the organization again. Some off season decisions left him out of the mix for this year, but it sounds like he will be back. Whether that is 100 percent truth, remains to be seen.

- So Wade Belak died today. Yikes. Another tough guy this summer. Boogaard, Rypien and now Belak. Its not as if the province of Saskatchewan hasn't lost enough already. (Yikes, that was a total unintentional shot at the Riders. Meaning all 3 guys hail from or spent time in Sask.) Thoughts and prayers are with the families...............speaking of which, Elias Lachance's cross is now up at the crash site where he died outside of Drayton Valley on highway 22. Teammates and friends put it up tonight. Elias will have his jersey retired on opening night, September 24th against Peace River. The irony? The last team that he watched in the Whitecourt twin arenas last spring in game 5. Family and friends also started up the Elias Lachance Memorial Fund to raise money for kids who cannot afford to play. That will be officially started next Friday night in Spruce Grove, a game between his 2 former teams.

- And quickly, I already changed my Twitter name to "Dave_ShawTV" from "theradioface" in preparation for the move. Feel free to follow my tweets. And a quick shoutout to Stuart Thompson of the Whitecourt Star for the full page article on my departure. Stuart has great passion for this town, and will no doubt make a name for himself in this industry. I loved re-living some of the moments in the last 3 years, including the 2009 provincials and the "phantom goal" when the Wolverines were up 2-1 in the 3rd. That one would have put them up 3-1. Things you will never forget.

Anyway I still have lots of packing to do. Comments or questions? For the time being send them to dave@xm105.com

Thanks as well to those who have stopped by, said hi and sent emails off with their well wishes. I appreciate every one of them I receive.

A New Journey

2011-08-28T23:11:00.007-06:00

I'm back to bloggerville.............after spending the summer basking in the glory of Swaggerville!

Love it. As a Winnipeg Blue Bomber fan, its great to finally see your team succeed after years of "rebuilding" and being "not quite good enough." Or setting CFL records, like last year, for losing 9 games by 4 points or less.

Yikes.

There is only 1 record I care about, and that would be erasing the "1990" memory of the last Grey Cup. But, this entry won't be about CFL. I will save that for another day. This one, is to put truth to, and elaborate on what has already leaked out everywhere.

I am no longer the voice of the Whitecourt Wolverines, and have taken my radio face into the television industry. I have accepted a job offer to move to Medicine Hat to be a Sports Producer/Reporter for Shaw TV, covering the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League. To say that I am excited, is a definite under statement.

The truth is, as soon as the NWJHL season was over, I was already looking elsewhere. I had been applying for jobs, had a few EXCELLENT offers that I had to turn down. The second I saw this one posted, I took a stab at it.

I will be moving to "the gas city" this Saturday, September 3rd and then begin my week of "detox" as I am calling it before beginning my new venture. Ha ha detox is a little extreme, but I will need some personal time to unplug and prepare for the next step. This opportunity in Whitecourt was absolutely excellent. Being mentored by Neil Shewchuk at XM Country was largely why I was able to grow as much as I did. His experience in the industry and knowledge of the ins and outs of this business set me up well for what lied ahead.

As I mentioned in my last entry awhile back, Gino De Paoli will be taking over the reigns of play by play. He called a few games last year in the SJHL for Melfort, Nipawin and Humboldt and will fill in well. His knowledge of not only hockey, but sports in general will make him entertaining to listen to. Here is a brief video I made of what you can expect from him:

I told him that he could change whatever he wanted, but under one condition. That he kept the "Lets Get Rowdy" song for post games. I have been using that for 3 seasons, and it has developed a relationship with the team. I'm excited to tune in and hear what kind of magic he has to put on display.

So, with that being said, Wolverines training camp is next weekend.

Who can you expect back? I have been asked that many, many times lately. Well, surprisingly Zach Mills. That is the biggest shock, and likely just as much to him. He had a couple of tryouts this off season with Westside in the BCHL, Drayton and most recently with the Grande Prairie storm this weekend. He will be coming back to Whitecourt, from what it sounds like after unfortunately getting the early exit. Tyler Kunz and Brandon Dea also got cut from GP this weekend, too. We may see them in Wolverine colors. Goaltender and Whitecourt's Mitchell Martell looks to still be in the running for a gig with the Storm..............I ran into Riley Hellekson in Sangudo on Saturday, he said he will be back. However, he will be missing his linemates. Will Cloutier sounds like he is exploring other options, which is no surprise. And of course, Wayne Quaife is now over age. Captain Dylan Towns has moved on to play college hockey, and that will leave the "C" wide open for grabs.....

Which could be interesting, but not as interesting as another battle. Which 2 veterans will be cut. Alberta Junior B allows you to carry 4 twenty one year olds on your roster. This weekend, one of these 6 men will not be back with the Wolverines:

Ryan Whelen - Drayton Valley

Mitch Rose - High Prairie

Mason Lyle - Athabasca

Dion Leblue - Hinton

Jesse Scrimbit - Sicamous, BC

Dustin Urdea - North Vancouver, BC

That will be a hard decision for Head Coach Richard Kazda. You have to think he may lean heavily towards the longer term vets, considering Elias Lachance died in the off season, and this year will be his tribute. But Scrimbit and Urdea both had strong showings last year, with Urdea a bit of limited ice time down the stretch drive.

The AJHL will be hosting a pre season game on the Sunday at the Scott Safety Centre. Tickets are 8 bucks for adults, students and seniors 5 bucks. Spruce Grove vs the St Albert Steel. Spruce will be in Barrhead this Wednesday against Drayton. The Thunder absolutely destroyed them tonight 8-1. Ya, it IS only pre-season. But it would be great to see that franchise turn things around this season......

I have lots of packing to do this week, but I will try to blog a little more regularly now that I know I'm leaving. I try to get to it in the summer, but I honestly detest baseball so I don't have anything nice to say! And Twitter gets used predominantly, which is my immediate source of connecting to the outside world.

Feel free to email me if you have any questions before I head out. It will be shutting down after Friday.

dave@xm105.com

No Title

2011-07-13T21:12:00.002-06:00

So clearly it is easy to get distracted in the summer months!

So much has happened since the last time I was on here. Not only did the Canucks NOT win the Stanley Cup, but I converted to a Winnipeg Jets fan from the 'Nucks.

I will make this entry fairly short for no other reason than that!

As it stands, so far I will be the play by play voice of the Whitecourt Wolverines for the 4th season, beginning in September. We have hired Gino De Paoli from our sister station in Melfort to share the duties with me. Jordan James took a gig in Dawson Creek with their TV station. You can check out his blog on the right side as "The De Paoli Debacle."

The Wolverines announced this week that Marc Chayer has taken over duties as the President of the NWJHL, in place of the outgoing Al Spence. Whitecourt will also host an AJHL exhibition game between Spruce Grove and St Albert on September 4th. Barrhead will host Drayton Valley and Spruce on August 31st.

And another note regarding the NWJHL, the Slave Lake Wolves are taking a "leave of absence" from the league, which is no surprise. Slave has been through their fair share of trials in the last 2 months, not to mention the trials the team has gone through during the 3 seasons I have been covering the league. Best of luck and best wishes to that organization.

That's it for now. I am hoping to make some CFL observations tomorrow some time. I usually make predictions each year and did way with that for 2011...............

Comments? Questions? dave@xm105.com

Finals musings

2011-06-09T14:49:00.003-06:00

Now that I use Twitter on a MUCH more regular basis to vent out my ideas, I think it would be time I compiled all of them into one post! The great thing is, my feed is available on the right hand side so its not as if we aren't connected at all.......

First off....lets talk about the Rome hit.

My thoughts? Brutal call by the NHL. And here is why:

Rome's hit was late, yeah, it was. Did he intend to injure him? No. But did he intend to hit him into next week? Absolutely. What NHL player doesn't do that when they see a guy with his head down in open ice. And the play happened so quickly that sometimes you get greedy and want to finish the check anyway. The things that really hurt Horton were:

Looking off to follow the pass and not watch what was in front of him. Yes, I can respect the fact that he was looking to watch where the play was going to develop. But, dude, you are at the blue line in the middle of the ice. Did you not think anyone was going to be there? And Rome didn't hit him in the head, it was in the middle of the chest. The part that really hurt him was when his head hit the ice. Nothing else.

So the suspension? 4 games is pathetic. You are telling me that Chara's hit on Pacioretty, that Eager's hit on Sedin, that McGinn's hit on Rome, that Seabrook's hit on Bieksa and Torres hit on Seabrook were NOWHERE NEAR as bad as that hit? NOT a chance. Now, NHL, you set a precedent for every other hit. And if you didn't, then that was bush league bogus disciplinary double standard.

Now, onto the hockey.

So, the Canucks have been outscored 12-1 in the past 2 days. A friend of mine put on Facebook today a pretty funny status that I will respect:

What time is it in Vancouver? 12 past Luongo.

I will admit, very creative.

So anyway, here are my thoughts:

1) Manny Malholtra's return did more bad than good.

- Yes, he wins key face-offs. And yes, what an emotional story it was and how could you NOT put him in the lineup. But, the Burrows-Sedins, Raymond/Kesler/Higgins and Torres/Lapierre/Hansen lines have been together for what, almost 2 complete series? And then you mix them up? Well, not totally mix up. But when you throw an extra body in there to give him more ice time, that screws things up. I guarantee you that a few players on the team are pointing fingers (quietly) at Manny Malholtra coming back. And if not, then he should only come on for key face offs and see limited 4th line play.

2) Rome's suspension didn't affect the Canucks?

- Horton is a top forward, and Rome is a 5th D "plug" is the common argument I hear. Well, with Hamhuis gone, Bieksa is the only gritty and tough D man who can handle regular shifts. Rome was seeing upwards of 20 minutes a game and could handle it. Alberts can't. And oh my goodness, did Ballard every show he couldn't last night. What a joke of a signing that was. He should be wearing a Leafs jersey for how bad of a contract that is. Rome is another option for AV to lean on as a shut down guy. So yes, Rome's suspension hurt Vancouver just as much as Horton hurt Boston.

3) Tim Thomas is good, but not GREAT.

- Ok, hammer on me all you want. Insult me. Go for it. But the bottom line is, look at his play, at large, over the playoffs. Of all the goaltenders in the conference finals (Rolo, Niemi, Lou and Thomas) Timmy T has let in the MOST greasy goals in total. No tender has lost more games for his team in the playoffs up til now, than Tim Thomas. Granted, he did steal a few. But for the love of God, he isn't incredible 100 percent of the time. The last 2 games he has done nothing but look behind him every time a puck comes near him, kicks out greasy rebounds all day and is lucky to make some saves. Yes, that requires luck, which is part of being a goalie. But, his forwards and D have adapted to his style and they are there to clear all of the pucks away and make him look brilliant. Don't believe me? Watch the last 3 games again. Game 1 he was excellent. But the last 3, really should have been Canuck blow outs. But their D and forwards are making him look awesome.

4) Conn Smythe

- For the Canucks its Kevin Bieksa, and for Boston it is Brad Marchand. Not Thomas. Not Kesler. Not a sister and not Luongo. Kevin Bieksa has been the Canucks most consistent player from game 1 to the last game so far. And in my opinion, that is what an MVP should be based off of. Not a great performance in the finals. Which, yes, is key to winning a trophy. But a playoff MVP was great all series. And Kevin Bieksa has been that. And for Boston, no player has elevated his game consistently night in and night out like Marchand. He has gotten better and better and better each game. He aggravates players, he is becoming more responsible defensively and his nose has its own Twitter account.

5) Sedins need size with them

- The Bruins are too strong for the Sedin sisters, and the Canucks need to put someone who is big and tough that can open up some ice down low again. The Bruins have figured out the cycle game, and the Canucks only like to score cutesy poo goals as I have said ALLLLL post season long. Should have gone out and picked up a big strong forward at the deadline. So what should AV do? Put Oreskovich with the Sedins, bump Burrows down with Kesler and Raymond, and then put Higgins back with Hansen and Lapierre. Torres can play 4th line since he takes a million penalties anyway and can be an energy player. I would say put Torres with the Sedins, but he will be in the box all day. I said at the start of the year, and Don Cherry said it in the Chicago series, that the Canucks will NOT win a cup with the Sedins if they keep playing cutesy poo crap. Hopefully Oreskovich can help that.

That's it that's all. Feel free to criticize. I'm in the industry of public criticism. But look at it from a different view. You will see it the same way I do.

I'm Back!!!!

2011-06-01T16:58:00.002-06:00

Yes, I am. And yes, NHL is in Winnipeg.

I wouldn't say I lost the desire to blog over the last few weeks, but there have certainly been enough situations in my life that have led me to take a little bit of time to gather my thoughts. I really, really missed doing regular entries.

So, the NHL is back in Winnipeg? I confess that I was able to contain my excitement for most of the last few months during the speculation. And really, it has to go through board of governor approval on June 21st before it is TRULY final. But the sale of the Atlanta Thrashers has gone through. Reports are saying in the ballpark of 170 million bucks. Not too shabby.

I received a text message from a very close friend who knows the game of hockey at all levels inside and out...........It actually came in about an hour before the announcement was made.

"I heard an ownership group led by Kyle Mulligan has found the cash and decided to keep the team in Atlanta."

To that I replied with a large LOL.

Kyle Mulligan, being the golf pro in Lloydminster who had a major hand in the AJHL Bobcats' and their pitch to remain in the border city. No hard feelings at all with that situation, but I found that kind of funny.

Because that is how a deal is SUPPOSED to be done. That's how it should feel. A city that doesn't support their team, gets moved and to a place that will appreciate them 100 times more. Awful parallel, because the Bobcats of Lloydminster saw their local support step up, but its fresh in the mind still.

Congrats, Winnipeg. I remember all too well what it felt like in 1996 when they lost to the Wings and it was all done. I still have my program from the final regular season game against LA. I still have all of the newspaper clippings from 1995 when it was announced. I pulled those out this morning.

So, what will the team be named? And will I still be a Canucks fan? Ha ha ha ya a few questions that I have been getting bombarded with over recent weeks. I think you name the team the Thrashers or Jets. I doubt it will remain the Thrashers, because they have a chance at starting fresh. And the argument could be made that how could you NOT go back to the Jets again?

And finally, will I still cheer for the Canucks? Well, the irony. I used to HATE the Vancouver Canucks growing up. They were awful in the mid 80's and when the Jets played them in the playoffs I couldn't stand to even see the jersey. Actually, I cheered for the Rangers in the 1994 cup final.

But, after the Jets left and my father passed away, it was a combination of both that made me cheer for Vancouver. 1) He would always get free tickets from work, and it was always the Canucks games we would go to because no one wanted to go. So memories of the good times with him. 2) The Moose are the farm team of Vancouver, and being in Winnipeg at the time, you watch Kesler/Bieksa and such move up, you still cheer for them.

So..................in saying that..........

My finals predictions. I went 1 for 2 last round. Stupid Boston had to wake up.

Boston vs Vancouver - Stanley Cup Final

- This is the year. And as much as I wanted Tampa to make it so I could bring home 20 bucks in our pool, I really wanted Boston there because it has been since 1990. Ryan Kesler had a week to heal, and he will play excellent. Zdeno Chara will slow the Sedins down a little bit, but he can't play 55 minutes and shut down all 4 Vancouver lines. The Canuck powerplay is too good, the team is too deep and the goaltending is better. Tim Thomas, in my opinion, is 1 very, very bad game away from Rask coming in to save his butt. He has let in BRUTAL goals, then his team stepped up to save his ass. That won't be the case against Vancouver, because Luongo will slam the door shut. Ya, Bobby Luo hasn't been awesome, but he was very, very good last series. Tim Thomas flops, flails, and flies everywhere and the Sedins will expose that with their passing back and forth. Big points from Daniel and Henrik, and a bust out series for the 3rd line. The Canucks beat the Hawks in 7, the Preds in 6, the Sharks in 5..............so, the Bruins in 4? Well, I doubt it. But they will have their way with them. Yes, and then I can go back to being a Jets fan after watching my team win the cup.

Canucks in 5

Its good to be back. And CFL rookie training camp started today!!!

NHL Conference finals

2011-05-14T17:47:00.002-06:00

Well I went 4 for 4 last round, and I am now 9 for 12 overall. The Boston and Tampa game begins in 13 minutes so I will finish this off as quick as I can.

East:

Boston vs Tampa

- The Bruins are a good team, but were made to look like they were the second coming of the Oilers of the '80's because Philly had no business being in the second round. Suddenly Boston's powerplay could score, suddenly they knew how to score overall and suddenly they find themselves in the conference finals for the first time since 1992. That may have been the boost they needed to wake up. However, one problem. Tampa is a better team. They have amazing goaltending in Dwayne Rolosson, deep scoring with the Downie/Berg/Moore line and they trap and trap and trap you until you don't know how to skate anymore. Boston is a more physical team, but I don't see them advancing because Montreal was good but not great and Philly was a Junior C team. Tampa beat the the top team in the East and came from behind to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins. They have been playing playoff hockey. I would rather see the Bruins win because they have great fans and are fun, but I have Tampa in my station pool so I'm not going to complain.

Prediction: Tampa in 6

West

Vancouver vs San Jose

- This is the series I think any good western Canadian hockey fan has been wanting for years. You know, those hockey fans that don't cheer for a lame team from eastern Canada? (Toronto Maple Laughs). This will be great, quick, wide open hockey with great shooting and excellent skating and hitting. We will see some very good goaltending and which ever team takes more penalties is likely screwed. Both teams have a tendency to fall asleep in the 3rd period so that's a relief to the other guy who goes down 3-0 in the 1st. Henrik and Daniel have been absolutely beyond useless and brutally awful as I have said all year. However, the tight and physical Nashville series may have been enough to wake them up. Lots of open ice in this series may give them time to re-connect and make some of that cutesy poo crap they love. All in time to lose to Tampa in the final because they are too creative. Trade them in the off season if the Canucks don't win the cup. But I think they will come alive in this series and nicely compliment the other 10 players on their team that have played a very good playoffs.

Prediction: Canucks in 6

That's it. I would love to see the Canucks win. Guys who will have a great series: Hamhuis, Bieksa, Higgins, Kesler and Daniel.

We'll see how I do! Oh, and I'm still first in my TSN pool of 12 guys with 109 points. My roster is now locked for the rest of the playoffs. I have Luongo in net, Ohlund, Bieksa, Erhoff, and Dan Boyle. Dan Sedin, Kesler, Lecavalier, Downie, St Louis and Logan Couture.

Wow!

2011-04-28T17:54:00.002-06:00

What an incredible first round of NHL action! 9 straight days with an OT game, an NHL record. I know I have honestly lost so much sleep during the post season because of hockey games. I almost forgot entirely about blogging over the past week. My Twitter account has been getting used to a greater extent lately than the good ol' blog......

So I went 5 for 8 on my first round predictions.

1- I thought Anaheim was a better team than that. Well truth be told, I didn't think Nashville was THAT good.

2- Bravo, Buffalo. You threw the series away. The Sabres were my dark horse pick, as previously mentioned. And they had the series up until the second period of game 6. The Flyers tending was absolutely atrocious, as predicted. But they couldn't hold a lead.

3- Phoenix was way to distracted with the off ice issues of the team's potential move. Right at the start of the playoffs is when the rumors started to gather hardcore steam. I think, actually, the day after I made my predictions. That, and no matter how old the team is, you put the red and white Red Wings jersey in a playoff game and they can perform.

4- One other observation about the first round. I have debated and debated this until the cows come home over the last 2 weeks. I think the Sedins are useless, and the Canucks will never win a cup until they get traded. Bravo, they can bring you 100 points each in the regular season. But as soon as the playoffs start, they disappear. Ok, so they had 7 and 5 points in the first round. But simple examples like Henrik having a clear cut path to the net with less than 5 minutes remaining in game 7 and he passes it off. I almost kicked my friends TV screen when that happened. If you had a pair of big, strong, hard nosed Canadian or American hockey players, the series would have been over in 5 games. Way to go. A collective minus 6 for the first round.

5- The losses weren't Roberto Luongo's fault. And I'm sick of people bashing him. The one part I will agree on, was when he got asked if the loss felt better than a gold medal win. Ok, I'm sorry, trick question. Picture yourself the spot he was in: Overcome with emotion. Been criticized all series. Your backup played in front of you. You were the Hawks whipping boy for 2 years. You win in OT. Which one feels better? A game a year and a half ago or what you were JUST GOING THROUGH. Ya, that could have been a "slap in the face" to Canada. But picture where he was at. I'm sure he is regretting what he said. Anyway, to get back on track, I blame AV for not pulling Luongo until the 6th goal in game 4. That is where it all went wrong. If that was on home ice, ok, leave him in. But IN Chicago? Brutal. So the next game, he gets shelled again 5-0 and DUH!!!!!!!!!!! Where do you think his confidence would go!!!!!!!!!! Luo bounced back in game 7 and had a heck of a game. Oh, and honorable mention to Corey Crawford who had a very good series. He didn't make a plethora of those "game breaking, wow! How did that NOT go in" saves. But he stayed in the whole series and didn't lose the Hawks any of the games.

Ok........

Now that is out of the way.......

Round 2.

West:

Vancouver vs Nashville

- The Preds are the nicely rested after polishing off the Ducks in 6, and remind me a lot of the Anaheim Ducks and their march to the finals in 2003. Don't really have a HUGE abundance of guys who could score (other than Paul Kariya), and they just got STELLAR goaltending. Could there be a potential of this happening to Nashville? Absolutely. They wait for you to make mistakes and capitalize. They grind you down. Their highest point getter in the regular season only had 50 points (Erat) and their tender is up for the Vezina (Rinne). This could be the making of an upset. The first game I think, will be. Vancouver will be coming off that emotional OT win against Chicago, and they certainly didn't face an AWESOME tender in round 1. In order for Vancouver to win, they will need to learn how to shoot from everywhere, anywhere, and hope for rebounds. Including the Sedin sisters to shoot on breakaways (shakes head.) The Canucks forwards will have a tougher test with Weber on the back end. But, Luongo will have the series of his life, now that Chicago is done with. But not before dropping game 1.

Prediction: Canucks in 6

Detroit vs San Jose

- I have a feeling, just have a feeling that this is the year of the San Jose Sharks. Goaltending has been average. Niemi wasn't awesome, but he was good when he needed to be. Joe Thornton actually scored a clutch goal, they are deep up front with Clowe, Pavelski and Couture complimenting Marleau and Heatley. Devin Setoguchi even popped one in. They had the epic comeback from down 4-0 against LA to win in OT (Seto's goal). I dunno. But, you can't count out Detroit. Too many veterans. They man handled Phoenix. But again, for no massively obvious reason I'm taking San Jose. That, and I have a steak on the broiler right in front of me and am getting very hungry.

Prediction: Sharks in 7

East

Washington vs Tampa

- This will be the most exciting series to watch if you live shots at the net and goals being scored. Tampa's awesome comeback from being down 3-1 in the series. I have them in our station hockey pool, and are my only remaining team. Dwayne Rolosson is the guy to look at. He was excellent. And he will be the difference maker. How about Steve Downie for TB in the 1st round, eh? 7 points? And the Hart trophy candidate Marty St Louis leading the way with 8. Ovie and the Caps are big and physical this year, more than ever before. But Tampa will make them choke. I'm going to say 5 of these go to OT.

Prediction: Tampa in 7

Boston vs Philadelphia

- Philly was lucky to get out of the first round. Beyond lucky. Items they looked at to use as a goaltender? A garbage can. 2 sticks with a mountain bike. A mr sieve plastic goalie. And Michael Ryder of the Bruins. What an embarrassment to playoff hockey their tending was. But, they managed to fight their way back in game 6 because Buffalo couldn't finish them off. The broad street bullies are back. Hits to the head, hits from behind, slashes, dives, you name it. Philly hurts, hits and intimidates. And they are taking on the team who can't score on the powerplay. This should be an interesting one. UFC should sanction it. But it should be fun to watch. Great US hockey market vs great US hockey market. And the Bruins blew the 3-0 series lead last year which would have put them in the conference final. Can it happen again? I'm going to guess Tim Thomas steals the show.

Prediction: Bruins in 6

That's it. I'm going to go eat steak.

Chat soon!

Saturday afternoon

2011-04-23T13:37:00.002-06:00

The weather is beautiful, the sun is shining, and I will return back to work from holidays on Monday.

In the meantime, I have listened to this about 150 times in the last week. And now here it is for you to take in. Elias Lachance's final interview during game 5 in the second intermission. The most remarkable and memorable game in Wolverines history, and no surprise, it included an interview with a guy that no one will ever forget.

If you want a copy of the interview or the game, please email me at dave@xm105.com

Holiday Monday

2011-04-18T10:36:00.002-06:00

Meaning that its Monday, and I'm on holidays!

- A bit of a surprise, but the Blackfalds Wranglers won the Western National Junior B Championships last night. The Heritage League champs beat the host Sherwood Park Crusaders 2-1 in the gold medal game for the Keystone Cup. Wolverine fans would remember Blackfalds as the team they smoked 9-4 in the provincials. The same game, where Jordan Panasiuk made a HUGE save off of sniper Kyle Maas in a breakaway at the start of the 3rd period, which would have made it 4-3. Instead, the Wolverines scored 4 goals in 1:49 to make it 8-2. I texted Shawn Gervais to give him the news last night. His reply: "Wow, we were that close."

- Watched a few hours of the playoffs last night. I didn't get a chance to see the Raffi Torres hit until late last night on Sportscenter. Its too bad that he will likely get suspended for at least 5 games. His first game back from suspension, and now he hits Seabrook. I may be using a slight bias on this since the Canucks are my team. But here is my view. Seabrook had a severe case of A.D.D. on the play. He wouldn't take his eyes off the puck as he followed it around the boards. Torres fully expected him to put his head up and ram him into next week. I'm a total supporter of eliminating head shots in the game, but now we are taking the "big hits" out of the game. And a D man like Brent Seabrook should know better than to hang his head to the ice in a vulnerable position behind the net. Should Torres be suspended? Ya, for maybe a game. But again, wrong hit and wrong time. If that was a knee on knee hit, he gets 1 game or maybe 2. But a head shot in THIS day and age? He is toast. Too bad.

- Elias Lachance's funeral has been officially announced. It will be Thursday at 1pm at the McKenzie center in Drayton Valley. The family has requested for no more food to be dropped off at their house. I chatted with the Kennedy family yesterday, and the basement is full of food. The Wolverines will be arriving at the funeral in the team bus. Still can't believe it.

I will be in Saskatoon until Wednesday, then driving back to spend the weekend back in Whitecourt.

Holidays begin

2011-04-16T00:25:00.004-06:00

I have officially started my week of holidays today, but not the way I had planned. I was originally going to leave the station at 10 this morning, quickly pack up and head off to Saskatoon for the week............hoping to get there around 7, go out on the town and get ready for the Blades playoff game tomorrow night.

But, well, the Blades were eliminated on Wednesday night and well, we all know what happened yesterday. The Whitecourt Wolverines released an official statement on the death of Elias Lachance:

It is with heaviest of hearts that tonight the Management and Staff of both the Whitecourt Wolverines and Scott Safety learned of the tragic loss of Elias Lachance who died earlier today in what has been reported as a traffic collision.

Elias had played for the Wolverines for 2 seasons and was a member of the 2009 & 2010 Championship teams. Most recently, he played with the Wolverine Alumni last weekend.

His friends, the organization in both the Wolverines and Scott Safety families are shocked and extremely saddened over the loss of such a fine young man who had only begun his journey through what was sure to be a promising and fulfilling life.

In closing, all that can be truly said is that Elias was one of the most memorable people I have ever had the pleasure to meet and he left an indelible impression on anyone he came in contact with.

I am personally devastated at this news and cannot express into words the feeling this news has brought to me and my family.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Family and Friends of Elias tonight.

Marc Chayer

Scott Safety

---------

So that definitely changed my position on the vacation. The Drayton Valley RCMP news release did not confirm the name, but the details were that a Ford pickup swirved out of control, crossed the median and struck Lachance's Dodge Dakota which hit him head on.

The news has been rough to digest. I managed to hold together fairly well all morning, until the release came in at about 8:15. After that, I took off from the station for nearly 2 hours to get things together. I'm still not sure how to react or what to think. I will say this, though. I saw Elias on Saturday night. And I have been keeping in touch with him over the last few months. I know how much he wanted to play in that alumni hockey game last Saturday in Whitecourt. He called Vice President Joey Bouchard and settled their differences, just so he could put the past behind him. He told me he was a changed man, and on Saturday said that "he was the happiest he has been in quite some time." And he was able to wear that Wolverine jersey one more time, and put on a show for the crowd in Whitecourt for one last game.

And if this isn't a tribute to you, then I don't know what is: I normally average around 250-300 blog hits on an average day. During playoffs and provincials, it was up around 400. That was my all time high since I have caught onto the social media wave just over 2 years ago. My blog hits for today? 1045. Almost 700 more hits than I have ever received. Clearly, people love you Elias. Including me.

So I will be thinking of you when I'm on the road to Saskatoon tomorrow for my vacation. And I will be praying for your family and the Kennedy family.

Other notes from today..........

- The Keystone Cup western national junior B championship finished off day number 2 today. The Sherwood Park Knights, the hosts, are undefeated at 3-0. The Alberta champion Blackfalds Wranglers are 2-1, after edging the VIJHL champions 7-6. Both Alberta teams are 1, 2 in the pool. Tomorrow is the final day of the round robin, with the medal round on Sunday.

- The Alberta Cup finishes off on Sunday, too. The Northwest Sharks squad is 3-0 after beating Calgary North 5-3 tonight. Drayton Valley's Kord Pankewicz picked up an assist during the 1st game, but hasn't registered a point since. I'm not sure if he left the tournament to go back to Drayton due to Elias's death.

- The Spruce Grove Saints lost 3-1 to the defending champs Vernon Vipers in the Doyle Cup rematch. The winner goes on to the RBC in Camrose next month.

- And some brief NHL notes from my Canucks game tonight: I thought Chris Higgins played a very, very solid game. A good workmanlike, hard hat and lunch pail game. Was all over the ice, laid hits and never gave up on the puck........is it just me, or is this not J. Hansen's coming out party? And I love how much intensity Victor Oreskovich has been playing with. Its too bad he doesn't really have a "nose for the net." But, he is filling his role perfectly. Boom. Bang. Boom. Crunch. And at this rate, Pat Kane and JT will mail it in by the end of game 3 with bruised bones, broken arms and rattled ear drums. And Duncan Keith. The Vancouver forwards are relentless with the physical game. I'm happy so far. As I said before......no Buff, no win for Chicago. Its over in 4. Maybe, maybe 5. But likely 4.

Thanks for the many, many Facebook posts, Twitter messages and emails over the last 24 hours. I really appreciate it. I won't have access to my email directly over the next few days since I will be on holidays. If you need to get a hold of me, I will be checking messages periodically and blogging regularly.

dave@xm105.com

RIP Elias Lachance

2011-04-15T00:13:00.002-06:00

Life is crazy.

I have sat here for the last 2 hours, choking back tears, letting them flow, choking them back, and trying to make sense of this whole thing. 20 year old Elias Lachance, former Whitecourt Wolverine forward died in a car accident outside of Drayton Valley tonight. I really don't know what to say or how to react to it all just yet. I know that I woke up this morning, late for work by about 20 minutes. Was a little bit behind schedule, trying to edit some interviews, put a news cast together, battle with Lloyd FM in Lloydminster over their attempts to take shots at Andrew and I. Then I was angry at Jordan when he came into work today, I didn't eat breakfast and had food for the first time at 12 oclock.

But, all of that pales in comparison to what the Kennedy and Lachance families are going through right now. I'm so, so sorry for your loss. Elias was one of my closest friends on the Wolverines in the 3 years I have been doing play by play. When I finally figure out how I want to react to this and what I want to say, I will. But in the meantime, I'm going to attempt to go to sleep, and just pray to my Lord that the Drayton Valley RCMP didn't send me a press release yet. Because I'm not sure if I can hold myself together during the morning show reading.....

"20 year old Elias Lachance of Drayton Valley died in a car accident last night. Weather was said to have been a factor."

Life is precious. I love you, "Hollywood" Lachance. You were a good friend, and a helluva hockey player. We will see you one day soon.

Lloydminster Bobcats approved to stay by AJHL

2011-04-13T17:23:00.004-06:00

Hot off the press....

The Lloydminster Bobcats will remain in the city of Lloyd, as the 106 owner panel has been approved by the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Rumors had been flying over the past few weeks that golf pro and Mayor Jeff Mulligan's brother Kyle Mulligan will be the new president of the team. But that's not the case. Rob Heffner is the new team prez.

More details will surface over the next couple of days. On Brent Stark's side of things, he is still letting the lawyers take care of all of the details. My thoughts? Good for the city of Lloyd for stepping up. Now you have a second chance. Buy tickets. Appreciate your team. Because what an embarrassment it would be to the AJHL if they continue to put up less than 1,000 people per game.

That's that! Congrats Lloydminster and congrats Mulligan family!

A few comments right from the Lloyd FM radio station's Facebook page regarding the Bobcats:

Not supportive at all. This town has nothing better to be excited about than the failing Junior hockey teams. Priorities. You will have me convinced if even HALF of the people who "donated" to the Bobkitty cause even show up to any of the games. I find it sad that we can round up that amount of money for a junior hockey team yet we can't seem to get our local SPCA into their new building after HOW many years??? Last time I checked, hockey is no charity.

-----

ff the Bobcats. No one even goes to the games. And i guess its safe to say the those same people will be dishin out the moola for next season?? Its only a matter of time.

Let the games begin!

2011-04-13T14:20:00.003-06:00

OH YA BABY!

NHL playoffs are here. The one reprieve from the lame MLB season starting and littering my TV with boring, out of shape, steroid filled baseball players making 400 million a year. The NHL playoffs are here!

Now, time for the predictions. But first, I should mention the Lloydminster Bobcats final proposal to the AJHL board of governors is today at 4 oclock. Will be interesting to see how that pans out.

Beginning in the west.

1 Vancouver vs 8 Chicago

- As a Canucks fan, I can't wait to watch this one tonight. I'm literally going to explode with excitement. The last 2 years the boys got destroyed because of big Dustin Byfuglien. But, he is no longer. And that will be the HUUUUUUUUUGE difference of this series. No big strong forward in front of the net = no extra room for Patty Kane, Sharp and JT to circle around. The Canucks won't KILL the Hawks, but they won't have a problem beating them.

Prediction: Canucks in 4

2 San Jose vs 7 Los Angeles

- Coming in to the season, the Kings were one of the hands on favorites to win lord Stanley's mug. But, now that Kopitar and Justin Williams are injured, that will change things. The Kings are still good, and the addition of Dustin Penner made them a little bigger up front....which (no pun intended) is HUGE in the playoffs (see previous comment of Dustin Byfuglien). But, this is San Jose's year.......FINALLY. All of the pressure is on the Canucks, Washington, Philly, Boston.................but no one is talking about San Jose. And that is why they will make it to the cup.

Prediction: Sharks in 6

3 Detroit vs 6 Phoenix

- This is the final dance for the Detroit Red Wings. An aging, powerhouse franchise will see an early exit by a team that has faced nothing but off ice distractions for the past 2 years. Why? I have no clue. No other reason than it just has a playoff feel. Bryzgalov has some playoff magic. Shane Doan is a great leader and because I had 3 BLT bagels for breakfast. Its that simple.

Prediction: Coyotes in 7

4 Anaheim vs 5 Nashville

- The Ducks are the hottest team in the NHL and Corey Perry will win the Hart trophy. Where the heck did these guys come from? And how the balls is Teemu Selanne putting up the kind of points he is at 198 years old. Wow. The Ducks have Cinderella written all over them. Up until, of course, the conference finals when they lose to San Jose. But for now, they will take down Nashville in a series that will be better off if you just watch the highlights on TSN. Yawn.

Prediction: Ducks in 5

East

1 Washington vs 8 NY Rangers

- The pressure is on the Caps, just as much as the Vancouver Canucks. Alex Semin continues to be great at getting injured. Jason Arnott was a great pickup for the Caps down the stretch to add some depth. But can the Varlamov/Neuvirth tandem be enough to take the Caps the distance? Who knows. But the Rangers without Callahan won't get far. This series will go 6, but that's it.

Prediction: Capitals in 6

3 Boston vs 6 Montreal

- Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Are you kidding me? Really? I don't believe in that "hockey gods" crap, but someone definitely had a sense of humor in creating this one. Montreal was already exposed as being small, soft and weak during the year. The Bruins will not let last year's 3-0 choke job happen to them again. Montreal fans boo the American anthem during every game, and someone may actually bring a bazooka onto the ice.

Prediction: Bruins in 5

2 Philadelphia vs 7 Buffalo

- I had the Sabres picked as the MASSIVE upset of the first round. Until I took a quick glance at their roster and realized three quarters of their players are still battling and over coming injuries. This series will go 2 ways. 1) The Flyers will beat, slap, slam, hammer and pound the living junk out of the Sabres in every game to the tune of 6 and 7 goal spreads. Or 2) The Flyers will end up putting Chris Pronger in net because their goaltenders are about as reliable as kleenex water wings at an olympic breast stroke contest. I'm hoping for the latter, because I have Buffalo as my east dark horse.

Predction (And upset of the 1st round) Sabres in 7

4 Pittsburgh vs 5 Tampa Bay

- I'm sorry, how do the Penguins keep winning games? No Malkin and No Crosby, yet they win. And win. And win. This will be one of the most exciting series to watch in the first round. Simply because MAF will be peppered with rubber, and Dwayne Rolosson will make some big saves when he needs to. Hello Tampa, if you win this series, that is a GIANT leap of momentum into the 2nd round. Your reward? Light up the mediocre Capitals goaltending.

Prediction: Lightning in 6

And there you have it. Even the pro's are proned to put their feet in their mouth. So I can't wait to get lambasted over these. Or, I'm a genius. Should be fun.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

3 Days until holidays

2011-04-12T21:47:00.002-06:00

I'm just getting ready for bed and gearing up for the morning show tomorrow. A few quick notes to hammer through, though.

- Swan Hills native Leland Irving and the Abbotsford Heat missed the playoffs. The west division's 5th seed crossed over to take the 4th spot in the north division, thus, sending Leland's career year into an early exit. They finished the season with 86 points. The Oilers farm team, the Oklahoma City Oil Barons squeaked in with 91. And now, they will get even better since they get their entire roster back with the NHL season in the books (LOL)......Leland finished the year with a league best 8 shutouts, a 2.30 GAA, a .913 save percentage, was 30-24-2 on a team that was 38-32-10.

- The Keystone Cup for the Western National Junior B Championships begins on Thursday in Sherwood Park. The Blackfalds Wranglers are the Alberta reps. This will be their first visit to the dance since moving from Lacombe. The Lacombe Wranglers won the provincials in 2007, but did not pick up a medal in westerns. The hosts are the Knights. The Saskatchewan team is the Pilot Butte Storm from the Prairie Junior Hockey League. From Manitoba, its the Arborg Ice Dawgs from the Keystone Junior League. The Peninsula Panthers from the Vancouver Island Junior League will be the reps. Revelstoke from the KIJHL won last year, and the past 2 reps have been from the PIJHL. The Thunder Bay Northern Hawks will make the trip again, for the 3rd straight year. The first time 3 years ago, they made it as the hosts. The tournament runs from Thursday to Sunday in Sherwood Park. Sherwood Park were the last Alberta winners in 2008. Saskatchewan has won the most Keystone cups at 10, with Alberta 2nd at 8.

- The NHL draft lottery was tonight, and the Devils were the surprising winners jumping up to 4th, which guaranteed the Oilers the top pick. The lowest they could have fallen down was to 2nd spot. Do they keep the pick? Do they trade? Take Nugent-Hopkins, Larssen or Landeskog? In my opinion, you take Larssen. A good, strong, puck moving defenseman. And if you take Nuge, then I wouldn't be surprised if they make a trade. I have not been quiet about this. They need to move Hemsky. He is awful and injury proned. A good compliment player on a very good team, but a joke of a guy to build a team around. His muffin soft shoulders have crumbled with injuries. A lot of NHL teams would pay a good price to get a Hemsky, including the very naive Toronto Maple Laughs. But, then again, what assets do you get in return? Kessel? No thanks. But I wouldn't be surprised if the Oil use Nuge as trade bait, if they do take him.

- Playoffs officially begin tomorrow night. I will run through my predictions when I get home from work tomorrow. We did our draft at work on Monday, and if you haven't got into one, here is a great suggestion. You still have time. Grab 7 other friends. This only works with 8 guys. No more, and no less:

Put the names into a hat. Draw 1-8. Get a piece of paper. Write 1 to 16 down along the columns. Each guy picks a team. Whoever picks 1st, also picks 16th. 2nd, will pick 15th. And so on. Until each guy has 2 teams. Put money into the pot, if you choose. And voila. A poor man's hockey pool.

- Oh, and I finished 4th in my hockey draft out of 9 guys. Only 6 points back of 3rd. Not too bad. I had 5 injuries in the last week, and managed to hold off the pack. Ryan Callahan, Anze Kopitar, Rick Nash, Paul Stastny and JM Liles all got injured within the stretch of 10 days, and it was past our roster movement deadline. #fail. Thank God for Corey Perry and Alex Tanguay who kept me alive.

That's it for now. Oh, I should say I drew 8th and 9th in the team draft and came out with Tampa and Buffalo. Not that bad. However, I may kick myself at this. Anaheim went 10th. I had a crack at them, and passed. Yeah, what was I thinking. I don't know. I'm banking on Ryan Miller getting extremely hot over the next few weeks (fingers crossed.)

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Monday morning April 11

2011-04-11T06:18:00.005-06:00

Good morning.... -Went to the AJHL finals game 5 on Friday night in Spruce Grove. The Saints won 5-1 and dominated the game from puck drop to final whistle. It was a great hockey atmosphere, a fairly nice rink and most of the comments from spectators were "I would rather watch this than the Oilers. Its much better hockey." The truth. It was a nice way to kick off a relaxing weekend.

-Saturday night's Wolverines awards banquet was great. The black vs gold alumni game saw team black (alumnis) don Michigan Wolverines style jerseys (Boston Bruins retro with a W), and take the contest 5-3.

Winners were:

Team MVP: Wayne Quaife

Playoff MVP: Wayne Quiafe

Rookie of the Year: Zach Mills

Top Forward: Riley Hellekson

Top Defensemen: Dylan Towns

Top Scorer: Will Cloutier

Most Improved: Tyler Kunz

Most Sportsmanlike: Will Cloutier

Most Dedicated: Ryan Whelen

Unsung Hero: Mitch Rose

Heart and Soul: Wayne Quaife/ Zach Mills

Fan Favourite: Braeden Johnson

Perseverance: Mason Lyle

Best Defensive Forward: Mitch Ternan

Humanitarian: Zach Mills

That's it for the 2010-11 season. Owner Brent Stark said in his speech that "I'm not sure what's going to happen next year, but whatever does happen I will guarantee there is good product on the ice. I'm not sure what my involvement will be with this franchise anymore." Rumors had been flying of the possiblity of him pulling out of junior B altogether, and even maybe moving the team to another location (Barrhead, Edson, High Prairie). Or if he isn't involved, letting the community run the team. But, to go along with that, more rumors are swirling about his AJHL irons being in the fire. He hasn't given up on a team yet, apparently.

Oh, and the final date for the Lloydminster Bobcats/ Stark proposal has been moved now to Wednesday, from the Saturday April 9th deadline. Lawyers are working hard to settle "matters."

That's it for now. I will break down my NHL playoff predictions in the next 24 hours. 5 days until holidays..... Comments? dave@xm105.com ! It won't let me. I apologize. I will fix it when I get home this afternoon.

Thursday afternoon...

2011-04-07T12:48:00.002-06:00

- So Raffi Torres of the Vancouver Canucks has officially been suspended for 4 games by the NHL for his hit on Jordan Eberle on Tuesday night. My thoughts? Four games is too much. Way too much. Two at the very most. But I had a feeling that it would be more than that, just because of the time and the location of the hit. In this day and age in the NHL, you should expect to be suspended by the show if you darn well shoot a puck at a guys head by accident. Any and EVERY head shot will be examined. And there is nothing wrong with that. Torres got Eberle in the corner with his head down. Eberle must have been looking for a loose contact lens. Ya, Torres did put his shoulder up a bit, but I don't think he was trying to hit his head. It's nowhere near a Matt Cooke hit. If it was open ice, then I would say 4 wouldn't be enough. But the Canucks were down 1-0 late in the game, and the hit put him out for 5 and his team gave up a powerplay goal to the Oilers. That's punishment enough!!!!! 2 games. Not 4. But, again, wrong location and wrong time. If that was a high stick, I would say he wouldn't have even been suspended. But a hit to the head.......you are toast.

- The Wolverines banquet and alumni game is good to go this weekend. I chatted with VP Joey Bouchard this morning and he is excited to see some old faces take over the rink. Elias Lachance has officially been added to the alumni roster. Elias played in the capital league this year, and sounds like he cannot wait for the opportunity to play with the old boys. Tickets are still available at Scott Safety for the banquet.

- The Fort McMurray Oil Barons have been selected to travel to Russia and play in the World Junior Club Cup from August 30th to September 4th. 8 teams from Canada, USA, Russia, Finland, Switzerland and Sweden will compete. The event is put on by the IIHF. What a big year for Fort Mac, who also hosted the "northern classic" against the Drayton Valley Thunder on November 26th. They played in front of an outdoor crowd of 5,726. Also a big year for play by play man Kenny Trenton, who is a former employee of our company, Fabmar Communications Inc.

- I have been catching up with emails, email requests for audio, play by play clips, interviews and all other requests this week. So if you have sent one to me over the last few months and I wasn't able to get back to it, that is what I will be doing this week. A little bit of housekeeping now that the season is over with. I am pretty sure I have replied to all of them, but I know there is definitely one I missed.

Comments? email me at dave@xm105.com

Ready for the weekend

2011-04-06T21:09:00.003-06:00

The final weekend of junior hockey in Whitecourt. And honestly, I am glad. Its been an excellent season overall for me. Many great memories like Panasiuk's shutout streak that brought attention from CTV, Sportsnet and Don Cherry. All of that, for a junior B hockey goaltender.

So, this Saturday will be the alumni game at 1pm in Whitecourt. Some former players matched up against the current roster. Noteworthy omissions from the alumni team are Elias Lachance and Devin Rooks.

Here is the alumni team, coached by VP Joey Bouchard:

G: Ryan Demharter

G: Kent Ryan

Defense:

Jesse Stymiest

Kyle Knapp

Neil Maisonneuve

Shamus Graham

Brad Hore

Ryan Hore

Darcy Charrois

Shane Jaddock

Forward:

Jordan Stead

Brent McKennitt

Kjell Reid

Layne Brown

Tyler Stubbs

Brandon Anderson

Corbin Gavin

Jeff Chalifoux

Sean Black

PJ Stratton

Against the current roster containing veterans Mitch Rose, Wayne Quaife, Mitch Ternan, TJ Short, Mason Lyle, Dion Leblue, Zach Mills and Ryan Whelen.

The banquet will be right after the game at 5 oclock. And after that, I'm glad its all over. I can't wait to swing the golf clubs this year (funny, many Toronto Maple Leaf fans have the same status)

I'm heading to Spruce Grove on Friday night to watch the Kodiaks and Saints in game 5.

If you want a copy of play by play for the finals and provincials, I hope to bring them again to the banquet. I still have a million from last year.

Fire off an email to me at dave@xm105.com

Tuesday evening

2011-04-05T18:21:00.005-06:00

Ok, so I have almost got my voice back. Hitting the morning show again today was a bit of a gong show, but the strength is nearly back after a busy weekend in Leduc.

The 2010-11 season is totally over for the Whitecourt Wolverines. And before I get into anything else, I should also make note of a rumor that had been flying around. The Alberta Junior Hockey League's Storm are NOT moving to Whitecourt. A little April fools joke on behalf of the newspaper in Grande Prairie. Some advice: If you are going to pull a prank, at least spell Brent Stark's name right.

Here is the link

That rumor was squashed right away when I read the article. I only heard about it this afternoon. It just so happens that one of my best friends has worked in the WHL for years, working for both the Oilers and Oil Kings. Nice try, though. A pretty decent April fools joke.

As for the team, a lot of players are icing their wounds and hitting the reality of the off season. Wayne Quaife, as previously stated, played the rest of the regular season with a severely screwed up shoulder. He also had a sore hip, sore back and a bum knee. TJ Short injured his shoulder in the finals, and was playing on a bum knee. Will Cloutier had a hip pointer and also took a good bump in the Peace River series in game 2, and was experiencing some headaches. Zach Mills also hurt his hip in the game against Blackfalds. That the game of hockey. Cloutier finished the tourney with 5 goals. Quaife had none.

The black vs gold alumni game will be this Saturday at 1 oclock at the twin arenas. I'm still waiting on a full roster from VP Joey Bouchard.

Hoping to get Swan Hills native Leland Irving on the airwaves sometime this week during the morning show. He picked up his AHL leading 7th shutout last night to move his team back into playoff position in the AHL's North division. He is also sporting a newly shaved head, and so are 14 of his other teammates from the cancer fundraiser on Saturday night.

That's it for tonight. Again. Don't believe any rumor about the Oil Kings and Grande Prairie deal. It would be great for the city to have WHL, but Edmonton won't be the team to move.

Oh, and if you want samples of any play by play from the finals or provincials, send me an email to dave@xm105.com

And that's a wrap

2011-04-03T18:28:00.002-06:00

A wrap is what I have around my throat right now. I totally lost my voice from doing 5 hockey games in 3 and a half days. It wouldn't have been so bad if I was somewhat separated from the noise as I was in the past............but my booth location was right in the stands this year which made me very exposed to the elements (crowd noise, music) and I had to yell ALL of the time! Which is a testament to how many fans came out....good on you.

This will be brief. I'm going to eat, shower and relax for the rest of the evening. I will break down the weekend tomorrow when I have had some down time. But to a big surprise, the Blackfalds Wranglers won the championship by a score of 2-1 over Beaumont. Ya, I KNOW! What?????????????

Wolverines wallop them 9-4, including 4 goals in 1:49 in the 3rd period. Who knows. The game this morning was a good time, though. Rosters were mixed up between Peace River and Whitecourt, and approved by Hockey Alberta. Most provincial tierings don't have a bronze medal game to begin with, and junior b hasn't had one for 6 years. A very, very classy move by both coaches to have a little fun with it. The last memory of Quaife, Ternan, Short and Navs captain Kelsey Dyck will be a fun integrated game by the 2 teams.

The rest of the province will look at it and go "what? what?" But the NWJHL will look at it like "round of applause."

Anyway, I'm done for the night. We will chat tomorrow. Tea.......

Semi finals loss

2011-04-03T00:40:00.002-06:00

I'm not sure if it's just me, but this year's provincials seems tougher than the past 2 years. Competition, schedule and the especially the ice surface.

Peace River lost to Blackfalds 5-2 today in the semi finals, and the Wolverines lost 6-1 to Beaumont in their semi. Blackfalds will take on Beaumont in the gold medal game at 1:30 on Sunday afternoon. Whitecourt will play Peace River at 10:30am for bronze.

Jordan James will be coming down to help me out with the broadcast tomorrow. It will be a fun time, that's for sure. My voice is shot after 4 games in 3 days. It was a pleasure to watch the hockey this weekend. And one thing that I have to point out if I haven't already, is my ever increasing amount of respect for Peace River Coach Darcy Haugan. He is one very, very well spoken individual. A class act and a heck of a post game interview tonight after a tough loss.

What a treat for the Whitecourt and Peace River fans to go head to head for one last time to close out the season. And what a year it was. The hundreds of Whitecourt fans who came out to watch deserve one last hurrah.

Anyway I should get to bed. I have an early morning. We will chat in the am.

Semi finals

2011-04-02T15:46:00.003-06:00

The Whitecourt Wolverines will play the Beaumont Chiefs in the semi finals of the Alberta Junior B Provincial Championships in Leduc.

Deja vu from last year. A rematch of the 2010 finals, when the Wolverines got smacked 7-0. And a similar situation to last year, where they had to cast out their demons before they made the finals. Whitecourt smacked Lloydminster 7-3. Lloyd beat the Wolverines in the finals the year before.

And on the other side? Peace River and Blackfalds. Its a bad thing to look ahead. But who would have been able to plan this any better. IF, IF, IF Whitecourt were to win and Peace River wins...................wow. The rivalry to the big stage. Yikes. Unreal.

Anyway lots of hockey is left to be played before then. And I need a nap.

8:30 is the Whitecourt start time tonight. Peace River 8pm.

What if, part 2.......

2011-04-01T22:49:00.002-06:00

Now onto pool A....

Peace River tied the Calgary Blazers tonight by a score of 2 all. I know many people would love to see a Peace River/ Whitecourt provincial final for 2 reasons. The first, an NWJHL team has never won the Russ Barnes trophy. And 2, that would take the 4 year rivalry to the big stage. But, I know 9 returning veterans that would LOVE to play Beaumont in the finals instead. A crack at redeeming last year's loss.

So, here is the road to glory for Peace River. The Navigators take on Beaumont tomorrow, and Darcy Haugan's toughest test yet.

If the Navigators beat Beaumont......

Then that's a tall drink of water to chug. The Chiefs are the only undefeated team in the tournament (aside from Leduc, but I mean have won both games) and have outscored their opponents 12-4. But if Darcy's squad pulls off a win, then the Navs will take top spot with 5 points and a 2-0-1 record. Calgary and Okotoks would be non factors, because the Bisons are already eliminated after losing twice and Beaumont already has 4 points. So the Navs would take top seed.

If the Navigators tie Beaumont......

Then the Chiefs would finish first overall in pool A with a 2-0-1 record and Peace River would finish second with a 1-0-2 record. Calgary and Okotoks would be eliminated, regardless of the outcome.

And if the Navigators lose to Beaumont......

Then that's where it makes the difference. They would end up with a 1-1-1 record, and would await the outcome of the Okotoks and Calgary game. Calgary would need to win in order to enter the tie breaker, which would automatically hit the 3rd level (since Peace and Calgary tied today, and would both have 1 win apiece). Again, the one with the highest percentage will advance.

For the semi finals.....

The top seed in each pool will play the 2nd seed in the opposite pool. Then the 2 winners would go head to head on Sunday afternoon at 1:30.

Tomorrow's games are at 9:30 and 12:30. We will see what happens. In the meantime, I think Shawn Gervais may do a few more tweaks to the line up to keep fresh bodies rotated. I wouldn't be surprised if he came right back with Jordan Panasiuk between the pipes again.

Well I should head to bed. Aaron Rawlake the president of the Northeast League will be joining me for color commentary tomorrow morning.

What if....

2011-04-01T22:13:00.003-06:00

The Whitecourt Wolverines beat Blackfalds 9-4 tonight.

What a performance by Jordan Panasiuk between the pipes. An incredible game. Panny came up huge, and no save was bigger than the one to start the 3rd period. Dave Jantzie broke in alone with less than 15 seconds into the frame, and Panny closed the legs to keep it a 4-2 game.

Only moments later, Ryan Whelen deflected a Tyler Kunz shot to make it 5-2. Then another one. Then another. Then another. And then, another. 4 goals in 1:49, and that was all she wrote. It was 8-2 in a matter of seconds, when it could have easily been 4-3. And no looking back. The boys let up a little bit after that, but managed to get the game back under control. Ryan Whelen scored for the first time in 20 games. Kai Ohs popped one home for the first time in 24 games. I got the gears after the game from Ohs who didn't like that one very much. But, I don't come up with those numbers. They are available on the stats sheet.....both of those guys have contributed in many other ways. Whelen mentioned that in the post game. Your prototypical role player on the team, and just does his job with a smile. Even after he scored. He touched gloves, picked up his work boots and punched the clock (went to the bench and put it behind him).

So, in saying that, a few scenarios can play out tomorrow. Basically, the Wolverines need to win or tie Cold Lake in order to make the semis.

If the Wolverines beat Cold Lake.......

Then the Ice are totally eliminated from the tournament. They will have a record of 0-2-1. That would put Whitecourt in 1st place in pool B with a 2-0-1 record. Leduc plays Blackfalds right after. Basically, whoever wins that one will head to the semis as the 2nd seed, if of course, the Wolverines win.

If the Wolverines tie Cold Lake......

Then they will finish with a record of 1-0-2 with 4 points and would need Leduc and Blackfalds to tie to be guaranteed the top seed. If either team wins, then it comes down to the tie breaker. The first, is wins. So if Blackfalds wins, then they would finish in the top spot of pool B with 2 victories. If Leduc wins, then it would need to go to a 3rd tie breaker. The first is wins. Both would have 1. The second is head to head, which they tied. The third is a format of total goals for divided by goals for plus goals against. The team with the highest percentage advances.

Now, if the Wolverines LOSE to Cold Lake........

Then they will end with a 1-1-1 record, and that's where things get interesting....especially if Leduc and Blackfalds tie. Then all 4 teams would finish with 3 points, and Leduc would be ousted because of the zero victory factor. It would then go to a head to head, which would solve nothing. Then you would go to the goals for/against format. But, if Leduc or Blackfalds wins, then either one of those teams would finish in the top seed with 4 points, and the Wolverines would get bumped by Cold Lake due to the head to head tie breaker.

Confused?

I will post this one and work on the other pool. Chat in a bit!

AJHL to Whitecourt is officially dead

2011-04-01T20:43:00.003-06:00

Here is a news release that Brent Stark issued earlier this afternoon:

31 March 2011

Statement to the Media,

From:

Brent Stark

President

Whitecourt Wolverines

Re: Proposed purchase of the Lloydminster Bobcats A.J.H.L Franchise.

It is with great disappointment that I would like to advise our fans and supporters that my efforts to secure a Junior A Franchise for Whitecourt, Alberta are not going to be successful as I have been advised that Mr. Wayne Russell is not going to live up to his commitment to sell the Lloydminster Bobcats to The Starks Sports Society.

The A.J.H.L has advised me that they have been informed by Wayne Russell, of the Bobcats organization, that he is now only going to entertain a sale of the team to the “Friends of the Bobcats” and should the league not approve that sale, he will not sell the team to anyone else. This communication from Wayne Russell has come as a surprise to all involved considering the time and effort that was made by all parties to enter into an original letter agreement to sell the Bobcats to myself and our organization.

While my character and credibility was often questioned and maligned by the many comments made by individuals close to the groups involved in this process, the Whitecourt organization remained silent with regard to these comments and actions, trusting in the word of the key players close to the actual facts. In the original draft letter agreement I committed to leave the team in Lloydminster, for at least one more season, to give a fair and honest effort to revitalize the club in Lloydminster, but I removed that commitment in the letter agreement at the request of the Mayor (Mayor Mulligan of Lloydminster) and Wayne Russell as they wanted the letter agreement to provide that the team would be moved immediately at the conclusion of the season. To the great fans of the Lloydminster Bobcats, who so valiantly displayed their desire and affection for the team, I was willing to work with all of you to revitalize the club in Lloydminster, but the actions of others prevented this from occurring.

I have been throughout this process, sensitive to the community of Lloydminster and Mr. Russell’s standing within it and our approach throughout has been honest, forthright and transparent in regards to the sale process.

The promise I made (which I had the full intention of delivering on) to the close friends and supporters of our organization in the Whitecourt / Woodlands Region, to realize on our dream of becoming home to a Junior A Franchise, has been delivered a blow by Mr. Russell. Through our business and our current hockey organization we have always strived to demonstrate our passion for the community and the pride we have in its people. Our Wolverines are once again Champions verifying the fact that this is the toughest place to play in our league. Our records are untarnished as is our reputation as citizens, business people and hockey fans.

The hockey world knows and understands that Whitecourt will be the next entry into the A.J.H.L and that while other franchises may suffer financially, we on the other hand demonstrated in less than 24 hours our ability to bring over 1000 fans to the season ticket ranks in our effort to welcome Junior A Hockey. For your support and dedication to the Wolverines all I can say is thank you and when one

needs to wonder why I would like to see Junior A hockey here, I simply have to point to the fans who game after game support their local hockey – you have earned my ongoing commitment to treat you fairly, honestly and in a forthright and transparent manner.

In closing I am reminded that we must go through life viewing ourselves through someone else’s eyes and being able to say we are proud of what we see. I know I can do that today, I know the fans and supporters of Whitecourt can do that today and I know the A.J.H.L can do that today.

Thank you

Brent Stark

April Fools day 2011

2011-04-01T11:26:00.002-06:00

No pranks on me today, which is good. Last year we set up the big plot that I was "fired" by my superiors at XM Country. We had a phone call to the hotel in Peace River, I hung up on them it was glorious. The funny part was it was all my idea. I had scripts laid out back at the station, times, everything. I actually tried to get something like that going again here, but of no luck. So, we move forward.

Today is a new day, and Beaumont is pounding on Okotoks right now as we speak. Their game got underway at 10am this morning. Head Coach Shawn Gervais said after the game last night that the team needs to be more physical. And that is an understatement. Clearly the opening ceremonies that were right before the game, the idea that you are playing a team who didn't even make the playoffs.........those things allowed them to take Leduc for granted. Full marks to the Riggers. They came out and, well, worked (no pun intended) like all hard working Alberta oil patch men, cough, people do. Should be politically correct!

Today's game is at 4 oclock. Jordan James will join me for some color commentary. He is making the trek down from Whitecourt.

We all have our moments

2011-04-01T01:02:00.002-06:00

We certainly do.

The Whitecourt Wolverines would like to forget about the first 50 minutes of Thursday's game against the Leduc Riggers in the provincials. A team that hadn't played a game in 8 weeks. Ugly. And I had one of those moments tonight, too.

Mitch Ternan delivered a thunderous hit, and a line came out of my mouth that I couldn't control. Very uncharacteristic of me. To that, I sat in the stands after the game for a solid 10 minutes looking up at the rafters going "you gotta be kidding me."

And I'm guessing that's how Joey Bouchard, Brent Stark, Brandon Anderson, Tyler Stubbs, Murray Summers and Shawn Gervais all felt. Watching these boys let up on hits, fire passes into the feet and goof up the puck in their own zone time and time again.

But, the good news is. Tomorrow is another day. Every day is a new day. It was only 1 game, and 1 sentence. But stuff that just sticks to your brain. Gotta shake stuff like that off and move on. A big game for them (and me) tomorrow against Blackfalds. They, shockingly beat Cold Lake 6-5 today. Peace River smacked Okotoks 8-5.........it was 6-0 in the 1st period. Beaumont beat Calgary 6-1, which was no surprise.

That's the breakdown. What a day. I'm going to go to bed.

Tomorrow is a new one.

AJHL to Whitecourt update

2011-03-31T12:26:00.002-06:00

The Alberta Junior Hockey League has issued a release regarding the latest on the AJHL:

League Statement: Bobcats Ownership Change

2011 March 31st

The current ownership group of the Lloydminster Bobcats has brought forth one bid for the Alberta Junior Hockey League to review regarding a transfer in ownership of the franchise. The bid is from a local group, the Lloydminster Bobcats Junior A Hockey Team 2011 Inc., and will be presented to the AJHL Transaction Committee on Friday, April 1st, 2011. The committee will review the bid and make recommendations to the AJHL Board of Governors following the April 1st meeting. A formal announcement regarding the status of the bid will follow at a later date.

Bang

2011-03-31T00:20:00.002-06:00

A few things first.....

- Stopped by Wolverines practice tonight. Richard Hubscher has insanely smooth hands and his line could be the key to success in the series. A pleasure to watch him move the puck tonight. Mitch Ternan, once again, picked corners like no tomorrow in practice. Would be great to see him get it done during the games. Game 1 will be at 8pm tomorrow. Jordan James will be joining me for color commentary for Friday's game. Aaron Rawlake, the president of the Northeast league will join me on Saturday morning. And if the team goes beyond, Jordan will join for the rest.

-------------

Bang?

Bang. That's the title of this entry. What do you think of when you see that word? A gun, obviously, right? Maybe a string of hair along the front of your face.....in which I would know nothing about. Or the sound of something crashing into the ground.....or the boards.

Bang!

Would be the sound of a missile launching, a train wreck or a body smashing into the glass. But lets stick with the sound of a bullet firing out of a gun. You blink, and its gone.

Bang. Just like that.

September 26th, 2010 the Grande Prairie Wheelers beat the Whitecourt Wolverines 3-1 at the Coca Cola Centre. I interviewed Brandon Kunz after the game and asked him what it was like to play his first game of junior hockey. I chatted with Wheelers head coach Jesse Reed who was standing outside of a very, very pumped up dressing room. He said "we wanted to come out and stick it back in their face after they embarrassed us in the finals last year." (And 11-3 loss for the championship.) Whitecourt outshot GP 57-21 during that game, and went 0-14 on the powerplay.

Bang! Or I guess, oh snap?

Whitecourt started off the year on an 8 game road trip due to the arena renovations, and the first game back on home ice was a pair of wins against the same Grande Prairie Wheelers. The 2nd, was a beauty top shelf OT winner by Zach Mills.

When I read back on all of that, it honestly seems like yesterday. I can remember where I was standing in the booth, what joking comments I made about certain situations and how stinking cold it was outside. I remember thinking to myself "good, we finally have some competition this year" after that OT win.

And just like that, we are in April. Well, March. Nearly April. I can't believe we are already back here again. You know what else I remember very well? Last April. The 7-0 loss to Beaumont in the finals. How hard it was on a few players who really gave it their all, and some others that well just couldn't pull the trigger to break the goose egg.

Bang.

We are back here again. To provincials. Another kick at the can for the Whitecourt Wolverines. There are only a hand full of players left from last year who can remember that feeling of leaving Peace River, totally humiliated by their fortune. If only a few bounces went this way, and that way, and this way. They waited an entire year to get another shot at Lloyd, and destroyed them in the semi finals. Only to get pumped by Beaumont in the final. The team, that if they didn't score in the last minute of the final round robin game against Whitecourt, would not have even made the semis. A Wolverines 5-3 win rather than 5-4 would have put Blackfalds in there by goal formula. Something as simple as that. Every little bit counts. Every shot, and every hit. And what sound do those make? Shots and hits? Yup.

Bang.

That is really what this is about. Finishing the checks. Shooting. Smack and crash and boom and pound you to the ground, make you bleed and ice your wounds hockey. No fear. No regrets. The desire to go out and run over everyone and anyone in your way. No holding back. Just go. 100 percent. Because guess what? To put it bluntly, no one remembers the runners up when you look back through history. No one says "wow, that guy was the best 2nd leading scorer in the history of that league." Or "wow that team was so good at losing 1 goal games." If the Whitecourt Wolverines want to do what a Northwest Junior Hockey League team has never done in history, and win the big one. To beat their own demons. To right the wrong from the last 2 years, they need to be fully aware of the task that lies ahead.

Bang.

And here come the comments of "its just as important to win silver as it is gold." I'm not denying that. And I'm not downplaying the achievement of a medal at any level. But true memories are made by championships. A gold medal. A league title. A broken leg from a blocked shot that sets up an OT winner. Sacrificing your body on a big hit at center to set up an odd man rush for your team. Or laying out a thunderous hit to wear a team down. They all have one thing in common.

Pain.

I don't know what you think of when you hear the word "bang." But, for me, its a startling sound. It makes me jump back. My heart skip a beat. Well, I know that's how quite a few of these players will be feeling heading into the provincials this weekend. Nervous. startled. And maybe even a racing heart. And, the select few will only be able to remember pain from recent memory.

What do you think of when you hear the word "bang?" Are you one to run and hide, or do you head to the action? I know that when Coach Shawn Gervais gave the speech that inspired this entry in Dawson Creek, he referred to intensity. No regrets.

And that is what this weekend in Leduc is about. One last shot at the gold. No looking back.

Because before you know it......................

Bang. Its over.

Just like that.

One day until provincials

2011-03-30T11:59:00.004-06:00

Good morning..........or afternoon I guess it is now. The Wolverines will be hitting the highway to Leduc tomorrow morning. I will expand on that in a little bit.

But first, I want to chat about an awesome fundraiser that a friend of mine is taking part in. And I feel bad that I haven't brought it up yet. Abbotsford Heat goaltender Leland Irving will be shaving his head for cancer research this weekend. His brother in law Christian did the same thing last year. Here is the link for the article. That's an awesome story. Please take the time to read it if you can, and donate some money. Leland is one of the classiest and nicest guys you will ever meet.

We will chat a little bit later tonight. I have TJ Short coming in for the Dawson's Crease interview very shortly. Oh, and please keep firing off emails if you won't be around for provincials. Some kind words to tell the boys. As I said, I read them on the bus ride before the games. Sports@xm105.com

Monday morning loop

2011-03-28T06:38:00.004-06:00

Good morning.... - The Okotoks Bisons beat the Blackfalds Wranglers 7-3 in the Heritage League finals last night, which will put the Wranglers into the Wolverines side of the provincials pool this weekend. Whitecourt will take on Blackfalds on Friday at 4pm. The Wolverines beat them in the tourney opener last year in Nampa. - A very busy weekend of provincial hockey tournaments, as things begin to wrap up and spring leagues get underway. Camrose beat Okotoks 2-1 for the gold medal in the peewee AA minors in Whitecourt. The host Brutes lost 8-0 in the semi finals to Okotoks. I watched the final game along with Grandpa Watmore. Wow, what an incredible display of hockey for kids that are 11 years old. - The midget AA Whitecourt Mustangs lost 8-4 in the semis to Beaumont, but should be proud of their accomplishments on the weekend. They tied Vermillion, the defending champs in the 1st game 4 all. Then smacked Provost 10-4. Beaumont ended up winning the gold medal. Wetaskiwin won the Female Midget B's in Barrhead. The host Blackhawks ended up at 0-3-1. The Edson Selects were 2-2. The Mayerthorpe Mafia lost in the D semi finals to the eventual champions Oyen by a score of 9-3. - I'm looking for a color commentator for Saturday night's provincial semi finals game, if the Wolverines make it. Anyone interested please email me at dave@xm105.com. And also, if you have some kind words or well wishes you want to send if you are not able to make the trip, email them too. I read them off on the bus before each game to get the guys jacked up. Back to the morning show. Comment below if you choose or send me an email. And for some reason, this entry will not let me break it up into paragraphs. I have tried 7 times, now. I apologize for the congestion!

And another

2011-03-27T19:39:00.003-06:00

Wayne Quaife's championship post game interview...

Championship Audio

2011-03-27T18:56:00.004-06:00

I pulled together a few clips of the countdown and the tide turning goals. If you want any of the clips, fire me off an email to dave@xm105.com

And the countdown.......

Back to Business again

2011-03-27T18:03:00.002-06:00

- That was nice to disconnect for a few days and just enjoy a weekend to celebrate my birthday. I went to the Comedy Factory in Edmonton last night with a buddy of mine, which was good. The opening act was an entire (what seemed like 15 minutes) of crude jokes based on one female body part. I'm sorry, I could have pulled a kid out of grade 5 to do that. The other 2 guys were pretty good. So, now I'm 32. And I don't feel any different than I did on Saturday morning.

- I guess I have a lot of things to cover off. First, lets recap the championship win. I have audio on my laptop that I just finished cutting up and will post on here by the end of the night. This Wolverines team keeps clawing their way back into games. And I'm very, very impressed with the fight in the Peace River Navigators, too. Wayne Quaife pops in a hat trick including the game winning goal, holds the trophy up at center ice and then proposes to his girlfriend Amber. Unreal. I have copies of that clip if anyone wants one (we will get to that in a second).

- So the attention turns to Leduc this Thursday. Whitecourt's first game will be against Leduc at 8 pm. Then, on Friday a tilt against the Heritage runner up. Okotoks and Blackfalds were tied at 1 in their best of 3 with the last game at 1:15 today. The score still wasn't posted by the time I started writing this. Saturday morning vs Cold Lake at 9:30. The semis are Saturday night at 8 and the gold medal game on Sunday afternoon at 1:30.

- A quick blurb about the AJHL situation. So, the March 25th deadline came and went. In chatting with Brent Stark, he said it sounds like Wayne Russell activated his right to refusal of the deal within the 60 days (which was Friday). Apparently lawyers have taken over the ordeal for the next 2 weeks, and between April 2nd and 9th a decision will be made. I can say this, Brent was very disappointed with what he said has been going on "behind the scenes." We will see what will happen. On and on and on and on. March 4th. March 25th. April 9th. Yikes. From what it looks like, now, not so rosy for Whitecourt anymore.

- I spent some time watching the peewee AA minor provincials at the twin arenas this weekend. Camrose beat Okotoks 2-1 in the finals. Whitecourt lost to Okotoks this morning 8-0 in the semis. What an incredible weekend of hockey overall. There were a ton of players that stood out, but Keenan Roszko on Whitecourt was incredible. His shot, his hustle. He picked corners like no tomorrow. He finished the tourney with 4 goals and 10 points for the Brutes. Jordan interviewed Keenan and we'll run the story tomorrow morning on XM Country. That, and a total recap of all of the local provincial tourneys. Female Midget B's were in Barrhead, the Whitecourt Mustangs battled hard in Rimbey but lost in the semis. Lots of hockey. Get up early tomorrow at 5:30 and listen until 9am.

- I am beginning to compile emails from family and friends of Wolverine players who are out of town and won't be able to make it to Leduc. Every year I read the comments on the bus before the games. Please send them to sports@xm105.com before Thursday morning. Leave a little message if you would like, some words of encouragement.

That's it for tonight. Birthday was good. Weekend was quiet. We'll chat with you tomorrow.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

What a day

2011-03-25T13:23:00.002-06:00

The Wolverines are champs! And what a game it was last night. I am ripping all of the audio from our wire right now so I can post some snippets of the play by play and interviews on here later this afternoon or evening.

Wayne Quaife proposed to his girlfriend last night at center ice after scoring a hat trick and the game winning goal to take the tile.

And today WAS also the deadline for the Lloydminster Bobcats potential move. Things have taken an interesting spin. Listen to the XM Country news at 4pm today for a complete break down with Brent Stark.

I will blog in another hour or so. I need to cut up some audio from our MP Rob Merrifield about the government being toppled by the coalition.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

The Ride

2011-03-24T16:36:00.002-06:00

And yet another trip down highway 43 north, the turn off to Valleyview and on the way to Peace River. Where it all got started, and where it will end.

Or will it? Game 6 tonight and the Wolverines have a 3-2 lead in the best of 7 series. One that has been remarkably dramatic. And even more than most expected it to be. These 2 teams were only separated by 7 points in the regular season, and both represented the NWJHL in provincials last year. And, will do so again next weekend. Both teams have undergone serious facelifts over the past 2 seasons.

So I'm not sure if we can live up to the drama of Tuesday night's game 5 which will forever be known as "the comeback." I just finished listening back to the play by play of the 3rd period and that even gave me chills going through it again. I have been doing play by play for this team for 3 years. That's a total of 137 games to date. And I have never experienced something like I did on Tuesday night. Most broadcasters don't get the opportunity to cover a team that wins back to back championships (with the possibility of a 3rd straight), ride a beautiful team bus and have a meal covered on the road trip. But I have been more than blessed since I started here back in April of 2008. I often get the gears for being so passionate about what I do. People love the line "dude you are in your 30's and you are covering junior B hockey. Big deal."

To that, I say "you are right. Big deal."

I love what I do. And I do what I do to the best of my ability for the glory of someone or something far beyond me.

But when I look back 3 seasons and kind of take a mental inventory of the whole experience, its funny how everything always comes full circle. I arrived one month after the 2008 finals loss to the Navs. My predecessor Landon Kelly has moved on to the big ship in Edmonton to cover the Oilers, and left me with the experience of a lifetime. So as we head to Peace for the final time tonight, I can't help but be anything but excited and blessed for the experience.

What, am I writing a goodbye letter? ha ha hardly. There are many things over the next 24 hours that are uncertain. Heck, 6 months that are uncertain. I'm just along for the ride. But it is nice to finally see a team that can challenge Whitecourt. Put up a fight. And they definitely will do that tonight. Both teams are banged up. Can you imagine if the 2 coaches originally agreed on a best of 5 instead of 7 for the finals? Both teams are already headed to Leduc next weekend. What a way to finish!

And what a way to finish this season off. So, in saying that......

Tomorrow is March 25th. The deadline for the Alberta Junior Hockey League offer of Brent Stark vs the City of Lloydminster. And if the AJHL comes to Whitecourt, will that spell the end of junior B? Who knows. Heck, I don't even know if I still have a job! It will be interesting to see what the end result of tomorrow's deadline will bring. I will have Brent Stark on the air tonight in the 1st intermission to discuss his thoughts the night before the wedding.

I hope he doesn't get cold feet.

I know I certainly don't about tonight. I'm very grateful for the experience. So on our way to Peace River to finish off what they started.

I'm not sure who is more excited about the game tonight. Shawn Gervais could win a title in the rink where he coached for nearly his entire career. Assistant Coach Brandon Anderson, Wayne Quaife and Ternan saw that banner raised to the rafters in game 7 of 2008. Assistant Coach Tyler Stubbs played his last junior game on April 3rd, 2010 in that rink.

It may all come full circle tonight. And if it doesn't, then we do it all again on Sunday night in Whitecourt. The day after my 32nd birthday. And I will do it with no regrets, loving every minute of it.

------------

I have been asked a few times about the schedule for provincials next weekend, so I will lay it out:

Thursday March 31st at 8pm vs Leduc (hosts)

Friday April 1st at 4pm vs Heritage runner up (Okotoks or Blackfalds)

Saturday April 2nd at 930 am vs Cold Lake

Saturday April 2nd at 8pm - Semi finals

Sunday April 3rd at 1pm - Gold medal game

Beaumont won the capital league in 5 games over Edmonton and will return. We are still waiting on the winner of the Heritage and Calgary

On the air tonight at 8 with Jordan James

"The Comeback"

2011-03-23T17:26:00.004-06:00

I think last night's 5-4 win in game number 5 will forever be known as "the comeback."

When I look back in my 3 years, I can think of other labels for games. Like "the OT winner" from game 3 in 2010 in Dawson Creek (Kjell Reid, Kjell Reid).

Or the "one man-performance" when Rod Lavoie scored 4 goals in the 3rd period in 2009 to lead the team to a come from behind win in the 3rd period in Sexsmith.

There was the "mysterious goal" in the provincial finals in 2009 against Lloydminster. The Wolverines were up 2-1, and a turn around shot from Brandon Anderson hit the back of the net and came out quickly, but the referee never signalled it as a goal. The team ended up losing the game 4-2. I was broadcasting from a closet in Cold Lake RIGHT BEHIND the net when the puck went in.

Or, the "game to forget," which needs no introduction. Last year's 7-0 provincial finals loss on Easter Sunday to the Beaumont Chiefs. The team hit 4 goal posts in the 1st period, including one on an empty net.

So last night, was the comeback. Down 3-1 with 7 minutes left, a 5 on 3. A goal RIGHT AWAY to put the team back into it. A point shot from Zach Mills that was deflected by Riley Hellekson in front. Then another powerplay marker by Tyler Kunz to tie it up. But the unthinkable, the Wolverines take yet ANOTHER penalty with 3 minutes left on the game clock. That's 3 straight games in a row. Josh Peters scores top shelf on Braeden Johnson which you would think would be the dagger. But, not if you looked on Wayne Quaife's face. I watched him the entire time from up in the booth. He came on the ice, all calm and cool. Told his bench calm down, calm down, we got this one. He looked over with a deadly stare to the Peace River bench (I can only imagine what he was thinking) and then lined up for the draw. A penalty was called a few seconds later. The glorious chance. The team gets it deep. Rose comes on the ice as the extra attacker as Johnson goes to the bench. The puck comes into the zone after a mad scramble and Rosey pops it in! The crowd goes wild! The Wolverines have tied it.

Then, the unthinkable. Another 2 key veterans line up at the circle. Somehow Short and Ternan squirt free and end up going in on a 2 on 1. Short goes to pass the puck to Ternan, it goes off the D man's skate and slides past Cole Robert inside the near post. GAME WINNER! 38 seconds left!

The comeback....

"Character"

2011-03-23T00:12:00.002-06:00

I'm heading to bed to get up for the morning show tomorrow.

But what a game tonight. I saved the play by play calls and hope that Andrew and I will be able to run them tomorrow morning on the air.

Very impressed with the character of the team. I can really see them pulling together as a unit.

A 5-4 come from behind win in the 3rd period, and even after they allowed a powerplay goal with under 2 minutes left in the hockey game to put the Navigators ahead 4-3. Incredible. I have been doing play by play for 3 seasons and I finally get some drama (and the kind I didn't have to create on my own!!!!)

Off to bed.

Will chat tomorrow

First Day of Spring

2011-03-20T19:27:00.003-06:00

A changing of season. And what do we get? 900 feet of snow this afternoon. Awesome. But a season change is inevitable.

Kind of like what happened last night in the game between the Wolverines and the Peace River Navigators. Inevitable.

After 65 straight regular season and playoff wins on home ice, Whitecourt lost 5-4 in overtime to the Peace River Navigators. I guess if there ever was a team who was going to break the record, it would be Peace River. After all, it was Peace River who were the last ones to beat the Wolverines way back in March of 2008 in game 6 of the league finals. And, it was Peace River, who the very night before on their home ice, did something that no team has been able to do, since game 7 of the 2008 finals..............beat the Wolverines in the playoffs.

And oh ya, one last thing. What team scored on Jordan Panasiuk to break his shutout record on January 21st? Ya, unreal. But it was Peace River.

The changing of the seasons. All good things must come to an end.

The end of the old and start of the new. That's the cool thing about a "change in season." Old things are sent off, and new beginnings can be made.

Each and every year sports teams look forward to "next season" and "new beginnings" and "putting the past behind us." Well, in a way, that could kind of be what happened yesterday.

For years since the 2008 finals and that heart breaking game 7 loss, the team had rolled over their opponents. I would dare say that the only "real" competition came in the form of Grande Prairie during a few contests here and there. But other than that, it has been a cake walk. Up until provincials, and then the brick wall.

But if you look at the benchmark, I suppose, you can't help but look back to when it all started. The start of this particular "season of life" for the Wolverines for lack of a better term. Have you heard that term before? "Season of life?" You know, we go through peaks and valleys. Trials, ups and downs. I categorize them as "seasons."

So this "season" of winning for the Wolverines started way back in the finals loss to Peace. The 65 game home winning streak. The 31 straight playoff losses. The "I hate losing" mentality. Blow teams out to the point of the competition afraid to play you, and force them to quit.

So, that "season" came to an end. And interestingly enough, on the change of the "season" to spring, which is today. The "spring equinox" as they would call it. The sign of warmer things to come.

In last night's contest, what did we see? Well, most of the talk seemed to be solely around why 3 affiliate players managed to crack the lineup while 3 veterans and one regular looked on. Now that sounds like something from a past "season" for the team. But, I know Head Coach Shawn Gervais well enough to know that he always has a reason to why he does things. Complacency of the players, maybe? Sometimes during "seasons" of life, we have the influence of a higher power. Who knows if that had anything to do with it.

But one thing was evident last night. This team the Wolverines are playing aren't your inconsistent Grande Prairie Wheelers (who I have said time and again, if they play to the top of their game 100 percent of the time could beat anyone.) or your Fort St John Huskies (who can't seem to get 18 guys in a dressing room at the same time). These are your Peace River Navigators. The streak busters. The hard working, blue collar, get in your face and make you take penalties squad that only finished 7 points back of Whitecourt in the standings.

Have no fear, warmer days are to come. We have a series. And this is some of the best junior hockey the town of Whitecourt has seen in 3 years. The return of TJ Short into the line up last night was the big, BIG reason why the hockey game was close. Cloutier, Quaife and Hellekson took the welcome rest from the scoring load. Short just raised the intensity of the entire contest. The Ohs experiment on forward during the first period seemed to work, but Navs coach Darcy Haugan's team used his inexperience up front to their advantage in the 2nd period.

I know a lot of people will be pointing fingers today looking for answers as to why this team keeps changing their line combos over and over and over. Why you are playing 3 affiliates while a 3 year veteran, a forward with junior A experience and 2 regular roster players sit and watch.

Good question. And frankly, well, I don't have the answer to that.

But I will ask you this. You wanted more exciting games, no more blow outs. We got it. You want more local players in the line up. We got them. You wanted a higher level of hockey? Well, that is still yet to come.....

Maybe. We will find out on Friday. That's for next season. And not this "season."

Or is it for this "season?" Season, as in trial. Is it something the Wolverines need to learn how to do? Fight through adversity. Get angry. Get ticked off at the coach for sitting out. Get frustrated because some guy took my roster spot.

Well, for someone who has gone through many "seasons" in life, I would say yes. In order to grow as people, we need to get angry. Get disappointed. Go through heart break, and then turn around and slam it down the throat of those who stood up and said "I told you so."

So anyway, that's a big conclusion to draw from a pair of hockey games. But, in the big picture, I don't know if it I'm too far off.

The benchmark for this Whitecourt team has always been "since that loss in 2008."

"Will this team match up to last year?"

"What about to 2009?"

That's the great thing about a new season. The first day of spring. Warmer things to come. A new beginning.

So what will come first? The end of this "season," or the end of this season?

Well the series is tied at 2. And if the Wolverines win 2 in a row and take the championship in Peace River on Thursday night, that will definitely be the end of the NWJHL season and a "season" for 2 guys like Wayne Quaife and Mitch Ternan who have used 2008 as their benchmark.

Then what comes the very next day? March 25th. The deadline for the potential AJHL to Whitecourt deadline.

But, for now, lets save that for next season. And worry about this one, first. Because warmer days are definitely ahead for this squad.

Take a deep breath

2011-03-20T02:03:00.002-06:00

And realize that its all going to be okay. The Whitecourt Wolverines have faced their real, real first test of adversity in the 2010-11 season and the whole sky is falling in. They lost their first playoff game in 31 contests yesterday on a late powerplay goal in Peace River. The panic button wasn't pushed, but players and fans started scratching their heads.

Tonight, they lost their first game on home ice in 65 contests. That's not too shabby of a streak. A 5-4 loss in overtime to a Peace River team that is far more intense than they have been given credit for. Including by yours truly. Lines were shuffled around again tonight, which has been raising some eyebrows around town. But I'm far too sleepy right now to elaborate more on that thought. It was a fun game to call, and a fun game to watch. And now we have a series. I keep growing more and more respect for Navs coach Darcy Haugan the more I talk to him. An excellent interview. And the same goes with Shawn Gervais, who has his hands full at this very moment. But, the good thing is, game 5 is back in Whitecourt again on Tuesday night.

I will write more tomorrow morning. The sky isn't falling. Don't worry. But my eyelids are, though.

Goodnight!

Saturday morning

2011-03-19T10:46:00.002-06:00

What a game last night between the Wolverines and Peace River Navigators. When I say what a game, I mean a close one to do play by play for. It wasn't really "what a game" to the sense of "I will remember that one for a long time." But in a sense, I kind of will.

The very first playoff loss since the 2008 finals against Peace River. The Wolverines had won 30 consecutive playoff games up until last night. And if they played more than 25 minutes of hockey, it could have been a different story. But full credit to Navs' coach Darcy Haugan for being prepared and executing his game plan. From the original whistle, the Navigators won the majority of the draws, physically took it to Whitecourt, sustained pressure in their end, limited the Wolverines chances and blocked a million shots.

Braeden Johnson was the sole reason that hockey game wasn't 11-0 after 20 minutes of play. He made some beyond spectacular saves time and time and time and time again. It looked a little bit like lines 2-4 had trouble finding chemistry and communicating with each other. The defense played a fairly decent game, including midget affiliate Connor Dea, but the fierce forecheck of the Navs made it difficult to move the puck urgently.

The top line was clutch, again, accounting for all 3 Whitecourt goals. Peace River's scoring came from all 4 lines last night. The Navigators don't beat you with extreme skill or make you go "wow, what a play" countless times in a hockey game. But they play great playoff hockey. Block shots, responsible plays off the glass. Quick passes and screen the opposing goaltender. Now whether or not Matt Luongo's penalty with 3 minutes left in the game was justified leaves much for the imagination. But we can't totally point the fingers at someone else. The guys need to hit, be physical, be in the Peace River forward's faces and take it to them.

I thought Jared Cardinal's goal for Peace was excellent. He walked in from the point, waited for 2 Whitecourt forwards to dive to block the shot and walked around them.....wired it low blocker on Johnson. A perfectly placed puck. On a side note, Brendan Dickson and Joel Balfour of Peace River came up to the booth before the game last night and chatted for a bit. A couple of character guys. We laughed about how I say Dickson looks 7 feet tall on skates.

That's my take on last night's game. Sorry for the lack of blogging in the past couple of days. But tonight will be a BIG game. Head down to the twin arenas and check out the action at 8. It would be nice to see a good crowd. I can guarantee this. The game will be better than watching the Oilers! Quaife, Cloutier, Hellekson etc and company won't frustrate you as much as Ryan Jones, Theo Peckham ( who is playing FORWARD TONIGHT!) and Tom Gilbert. Ah, the star studded Oilers club. Game 5 will be on Tuesday night.

- Some side notes: The Cold Lake Ice beat the Lloydminster Bandits 4-1 last night to sweep the Northeast series and book themselves a ticket to the provincials. In the Capital league, the Beaumont Chiefs lost 4-3 to the Edmonton Royals last night. That series is now at 2-1.

- The Lloydminster Bobcats officially submitted their application to the AJHL to counter Brent Stark's offer. They scraped together 100 owners who put in $5,000 each. The AJ board of directors will vote next Friday March 25.

- Ryan Whelen will be my guest in Dawson's Crease tonight in the 1st intermission.

That's it for today. See you tonight? I hope. It will be a great game. The 3 year home undefeated streak is on the line.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Wednesday morning loop

2011-03-16T06:53:00.003-06:00

Good morning.....

Nothing really overly exciting has crossed my mind to chat about this morning. Tune in to Andrew and myself from now until 9am on XM Country.

I have been away from the mornings for a couple of days, and it feels weird getting up again at 4:30. But its worth it!

Oh, and the playoff beard for the Wolverines continues to grow and grow and grow. Every year when I start to do it, I think "oh hey, what a great idea!" But then by mid March I always regret the need to shampoo my face.

If you want to ride the fan bus to the game on Friday against Peace River, call Lexi Ames. You have to register by today at 5 if you want a chance at the draw for Oilers tickets to the game tomorrow at 5.

Comments?

dave@xm105.com

Bored

2011-03-15T01:09:00.004-06:00

So the Lloydminster Bobcats to Whitecourt deadline is officially 11 days away (its still March 14th to me) and I noticed on Twitter that Mayor Jeff Mulligan has made a new entry to his blog about the whole process.

So, I posted a few questions to him under the comments section that I would love to have answered. Just in case he doesn't post them (I don't see why he wouldn't), I thought I would post them here for you all to see.

----

Mr Mayor,

I have a few questions. First off, why were the two lines of losses from the original press release subtracted when it got circulated to the media?

"$65,000 -$150,000 in net losses annualy" etc

That line was eliminated before being circulated to media.

I would also like to know that if the Bobcats DO end up staying, and there are 100 owners and the team continues to lose money hand over fist like it has year after year, will the community still want to support it?

Thirdly, How much money have the Lloydminster Bobcats lost, in total, over the last 5 years?

And finally, why did you not agree to keep the team in Lloydminster for one more season upon sale to Brent Stark. Why did you ask the deal be "re-drawn" to move to Whitecourt in fall of 2011, rather than 2012 as previously proposed.

Thank you for reading these comments. I eagerly anticipate your reply.

---

The link to the actual post is http://mulliganformayor.blogspot.com/2011/03/lloydminster-junior-bobcats-update.html

He put it on Twitter today for everyone to read. Its from March 4th, but it has new comments.

And that was that. Oh, and I was browsing the AJHL website yesterday and came across this link.

Click here

Just a fun read. Anyway, I'm anxiously awaiting reply. It was interesting how an "anonymous" person posted questions about his reply to a Whitecourt fan who was asking questions about the team. But I can't help but agree with Mully' about that one. When people post "anonymous" and are critical and cynical its tough to give them the time of day.

Nonetheless, I will wait.

Comments? dave@xm105.com or leave them below........with a name. (LOL)

Weekend recap

2011-03-13T23:40:00.003-06:00

That whole time change thing really messes me up, sleep-wise. Setting my clock 5 minutes ahead kicks my ass let alone an hour ahead. I ended up crashing for a 5 hour nap this afternoon after a very, very awesome weekend of hockey.

I was telling Wolverines Coach Shawn Gervais on the bus ride to Peace River yesterday that I barely slept on Friday night......which is the truth. I had so much adrenaline running through my veins after the overtime game on Friday, that I may have got 5 hours sleep. So the trek to Peace was a 3 hour crash for me. And last night's game had its moments, too.

Our station programming always has a habit of running a little late leading into the hockey broadcast on Saturday, so we didn't end up getting on the air until about 3 minutes or so into the action. But another great skating, hard hitting affair. Games that I absolutely love to call. Brent McKennitt was supposed to join me for color but ended up getting called in to work at the last minute. He said he will join me next Friday night in Peace....

- So the Wolverines won 7-4 and have a 2-0 lead in the best of 7 series. Riley Hellekson scored a beauty goal streaking down the left wing and charged to the net, to slide the puck underneath the pads of Cole Robert. Cloutier scored shorthanded after blocking a shot from Kevin Monfette and heading in all alone on a breakaway. Monfette was pretty ineffective and didn't see a whole lot of ice in the 3rd period, which is a blow to the Navigators. Need his quarterbacking abilities. Tyler Kunz fired a nice turn around shot to begin the 3rd period and what turned out to be the eventual game winning goal (Owner Brent Stark came on the air in the 2nd intermission and said the Wolverines would win by 3 goals when it was 4-3)

- Richard Hubscher was the Kammec Mechanical player of the game on Saturday night after scoring once. Chatting with Gervais today, he feels Hubs has really elevated his game as of late. Mason Lyle also scored in the 3rd after reading a nice rebound and hammering it into the empty net. I loved his sound byte in the post game interview "I went out there and stuck it to the coach." Lyle was a healthy scratch on Friday night, and has been inconsistent offensively for most of his career. Good, solid physical play this year, though.

- Wayne Quaife scored on the powerplay in the 1st period, and continued to live up to his nickname of the "Nav killer." I wish I had stats from all 4 years on his games against Peace River (the website changed its server and only has stats from this year and last.)

- Alex Balfour ran Jordan Panasiuk on Friday night, and I'm not sure if it was him again last night. The name escapes me. But that's 2 running of the tenders in back to back games, and the referee hesitated to even call the penalty last night. He waited so long, I wasn't even sure he was going to do it. Balfour also ran Vant Erve of Grande Prairie in the first series, and a spectator told me that Tyler wasn't the same after.

- Chatted with Navigators Coach Darcy Haugan briefly on the way out of the rink on Saturday night. He said he was challenged by the fact that the Wolverines make you pay off of every tiny little mistake that you make. (Cloutier shorthanded goal) And we talked about the OT winner, which was a direct result of a Navs player (I believe it was Peters) who missed an open net, and Whitecourt went the other way and popped in the game winner.

- The Wolverines have only allowed 4 powerplay goals against in the post season so far (9 games), and have also scored 4 shorthanded goals.

- Lexi and Bryan Ames are organizing the fan bus to head to Peace River this Friday night. If you want to hop on it, call her at 706-0292 or Bryan at 706-5575. A packed bus made the trip to Peace on Saturday night, and sounded awesome in the stands. Game 3 is in Peace River, with games 4 and 5 back in Whitecourt.

- TJ Short will likely be back in the lineup next weekend. His "lower body" injury looks to be ready to go. His size will make an immediate impact.

- F Derek Johnston will join practice this week, from what it sounds like. The Edmonton native joined a few practices before the January 10th deadline, and battled a few injuries. VP Bouchard picked him up from the NAHL's Dawson Creek Rage.

- Beaumont beat the Edmonton Royals 3-2 tonight in the Capital League Finals game 1. The defending league champion Beverly Warriors got eliminated by the Royals in 4 games. A crowd of Wolverine players went down to watch.

- I checked out a few games of the novice hockey tournament in Whitecourt on Saturday morning. Watched the game between Edson and Whitecourt. I was amazed at how quickly a few of those kids could accelerate. It was great to have a bunch of the kids in our XM Country studios on Friday morning.

- Listen for the Wolverines Den at 4:05 on Monday on XM Country. A weekly recap in narrated 3 minute segment with Shawn Gervais.

Bed time.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

What a day

2011-03-12T01:19:00.002-07:00

Where does one guy start? From the horrifying earthquake in Japan to the potential of Vancouver Island being hit by a tsunami to getting ready for a broadcast tonight to a thrilling overtime victory.

I would like to get a good night's sleep for the game tomorrow. Feeling a bit of a sore throat after a lot of yelling tonight, so I will be brief.

Will Cloutier scored a big time clutch goal tonight in OT. Well, a pair of them. But you know that old saying in hockey..........just when the goaltender makes a great save at one end, or if you don't finish the job at one end, the other team heads down the other end and scores? That's exactly what happened in OT.

Dickson or Peters, one of the 2, I don't remember which, had the puck hop over his stick from a sure goal on the side of the net in the Whitecourt end. Riley Hellekson skates 2 on 2 down the other end and right as he is about to wire it home, he fires a pass to Cloutier who puts it into the yawning cage. Just incredible. And what a game. A very, very well coached one by both teams. Darcy's Peace River unit for collapsing down low and not allowing any pucks to hit the net from the Wolverines in the 1st period. And well, much of the same through the second. Then for Gervais to adjust into the 3rd and find a way to get some of those pucks through.

Well disciplined, well coached, and good contact. Its not too often that you see teams match top line vs top line, but with the size of the Dickson-Peters-McNabb line they played well against Cloutier-Quaife-Helly.

I will elaborate more on the bus to Peace tomorrow. I'm pretty bagged. Very long day today. I think Brent McKennitt may join me for some color commentary tomorrow. Just waiting on confirmation. That will be awesome. We are trying to coordinate schedules to have him come along for provincials, but I want to give Jordan the option of a few games, too. Nonetheless, always a pleasure to have Brent along.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

How we see the finals

2011-03-10T19:07:00.003-07:00

The Whitecourt Wolverines will enter the Northwest Junior Hockey League finals tomorrow night for quite possibly the final time tomorrow night (pending the AJHL situation). But, lets not let that be a distraction or discredit the OUTSTANDING series this has the potential to be. I know that I have got some flack over the years as being spoiled by covering a team that always wins and gets treated as well as we do. But this series has the makings of being the best hockey I have ever had the chance to do play by play for........in league play.

So in saying that...here are the predictions for the final round from yours truly and the other 3 play by play guys in the league.

First, from moi.

1 Whitecourt (33-2) vs 2 Peace River (29-5-1)

The rivalry re-visited from 2007-08. 1200 fans packed into the Whitecourt twin arenas, filled the stairs, the aisles, the stands and the railings. Completely packed and rowdy barn. And this series has the makings to re-live that all over again. Two very, very well coached teams and both coaches have a lot of history against each other. Shawn Gervais and Darcy Haugan both of oodles of respect for one another, but I doubt like each other very much. You won't see a plethora of head shots, hits from behind or 20 plus roughing minors in these games. Special teams will make or break these games. You go in the box, you are going to pay. Both units are very well conditioned. The only teams to run more than 1 practice a week in the league. The only teams with a solid fan base and the burning desire to win. I can't wait to get in the booth for these games. I'm honestly jacked right now. Game 1 goes in Whitecourt, with 2 and 3 in Peace River. I'm gonna say this series ends just like the regular season with, for the first time, a championship on home ice. And every win will be by 2 goals or less.

Prediction: Whitecourt in 5

Peace River's Damien Gnass:

This is the best North Peace Navigators team I have seen in a long
time. They have solid goaltending. A great set of six d-men who have
had the same pairings most of the season. And 4 consistent lines.
This team is fired up.
Now with that being said, the Whitecourt Wolverines have proven that
they are the team to beat. The two-time champs haven't lost at home
for what seems like centuries.
Clearly the homer in me has made me biased here, but i also believe
that this prediction is quite possible.
Navs in 7

Fort St John's Mike Feeney:

I don't know why I think this. Because the Wolverines never lose at home and rarely lose on the road and hardly ever lose in the playoffs. The smart play here would be Whitecourt in 4 maybe 5 but for some unknown reason I think Peace River makes a series of it. I will say Whitecourt in 6.

And Dawson Creek's Mike Garvie:

6-0, 4-2, 5-4 loss, 6-1, 3-2 nearly a season sweep of the Navigators by the Wolverines. No reason to think that won't continue. We knew it was going to come down
to these two teams in the finals, and Peace River undoubtedly will give
the Wolverines a run for their money, but there's a reason Whitecourt's
moving to Jr. A. I say Peace River will make it interesting, but that's
about it. Wolverines in 6.

And Jordan James has decided to weigh in:
Whitecourt will dig deep, 110 percent backs against the wall and LOL. Whitecourt in 5.

Thursday morning loop

2011-03-10T06:11:00.004-07:00

Good morning. Feeling A LOT better today. I had a 5 hour nap yesterday afternoon in attempt to shake this bug. That's pretty extreme for a pm crash, but with 2 hockey games this weekend I knew that I had to deal with it right away. So I'm feeling way, way better.

- Had a chance to stop by Wolverines practice as usual last night. Pretty much the ENTIRE roster was there in preparation for IMO their toughest finals competition in the 3 years I have been doing play by play. Forward Joel Harnden is back again, and looks to have beefed up a little bit on this go around. F Austin Caldwell also showed off his speed, as did D man Connor Dea. Team Owner Brent Stark came by practice and was very, very impressed with his acceleration. Dustin Long, Jordan Jakubow and Connor Tetlock were there, too. William Cloutier took to the ice without pads last night, but will resume with full gear this morning. TJ Short is still battling a lower body injury, but was on the ice shooting pucks around. And Vice President Joey Bouchard helped run the practice with Head Coach Shawn Gervais. You know this team means business, when...

- One thing that I also noticed, that temporary ugly boarded wall has now been taken down along the upstairs concourse. You get a look at how wide open the whole area will be once it's complete. Washrooms, more wheelchair access and extra room for concessions or a merch table. For the most part, likely just traffic overflow. Looks very, very nice. Its not open yet, but the wall is down.

- The complete schedule has been released for the finals. Game 1 will be in Whitecourt tomorrow night. Games 2 and 3 will be in Peace River on Saturday and then next Friday. Saturday and Tuesday back in Whitecourt for 4 and 5. Game 6 in Peace River on Saturday night and then Sunday at 1pm in Whitecourt on March 27th.

- A quick shoutout to the guys at Lloyd FM in Lloydminster. They had the cahonies to call Andrew and I before the 7am news yesterday morning and give us the gears about the Bobcats situation. The video has been posted online under our station's Facebook page and "Move the Bobcats to Whitecourt and make them the Wolverines." I found it hilarious. I also liked the comments posted by Bobcats fans that "wow, you really ruined their day" and " you sure gave it to them." To that, I give you an "LOL" and "LMAO" and "ROTFLMAO." And oh yes, a #fail. One thing people overall don't understand about "showbiz," is that it always comes back at you. And us broadcasters live for that stuff. I laughed my butt off after the call.

- One last thing.......Lloydminster lost 3-2 to Spruce Grove last night and are now down 3-0 in that best of 7 AJHL series. Just over 1200 people in attendance in Lloyd. STILL not the highest showing of fans this season. STILL. Even though their team is "on the ropes."1386 was the highest for the home opener back on September 10th.

Back to the morning show. Comments or questions?

Dave@xm105.com

Latest Wolverines Press Release

2011-03-09T17:33:00.002-07:00

Hot off the press as of 5 oclock this afternoon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SEASON TICKET BLOWOUT

In what can only be described as an unprecedented success by any measure, the Whitecourt Wolverines have received and are processing orders for over 1050 season ticket requests in support of the club’s bid to join the premier hockey of the A.J.H.L.

In only 19 hours, what was thought may take weeks to accomplish the fans of the Wolverines throughout the Woodlands / Whitecourt Region simply overwhelmed the phone lines with the order requests.

At this time, the Wolverine front office is working to get back to all the phone requests submitted.

In an afternoon meeting today, Brent Stark commented by saying “This comes as no surprise to me at all. I’ve said it all along that this town and community has Junior A written all over it. We have proved over the last 4 years that we can not only compete, but dominate and that we were ready to go to the next level. I’ve heard from the fans at every home game and when they finally had their chance to say something, they did so loud and clear!”

He also went on to say that the fans had been looking for a way to communicate to the AJHL that they wanted a team here and felt that this message had been felt by the league executive.

The Whitecourt Wolverines bid to join the A.J.H.L has been a focal point of the organization since its inception and with the current application, Stark felt that this move on the part of the team was the final item needed to demonstrate to viability of Junior A Hockey in Whitecourt.

“When you look at where we are on the map, it makes sense.” Says Stark. “The location of Whitecourt creates new rivals for the Drayton Valley Thunder and the G.P Storm. Add in the facts that we have the world class Millar Centre and the Arena just completing their renovations and you have a Junior A team in a very comfortable environment. The Mayor and Council should be proud of what they have accomplished and we are proud to be able to validate their investments with our application.”

“The fans in this town are great. I have said more than once that I owe Whitecourt everything for the success of what I have been allowed to achieve in both my personal life and for my company and its 250 employees. To have the town and the entire region step up like this is why we are here and will remain in Whitecourt.”

In the meantime, the only application to purchase the Lloydminster Bobcats is from Brent Stark. The March 4^th deadline expired with no new qualified applicants stepping forward in Lloydminster. The A.J.H.L Governors will be expected to hand down a final decision shortly after March 25^th as any application and sale is subject to final approval by the league before ownership becomes official.

Also covered in the meeting of the Wolverines Board was the current squad and the dynamite season they are in the process of closing out. With the Peace River Navigators on the way to Whitecourt to renew the old rivalry, the team is refocusing on the task at hand; Repeating as the N.W.J.H.L Champions for a third straight year and moving on to the Provincial Tournament to capture the elusive gold medal.

Stark in talking about the Wolverines success had this to say; “We should not minimize the team we have nor should we forget to quick what they have accomplished here this year. They have maintained our unbeaten streak at home, added to our consecutive playoff wins by another 2 series sweeps over Slave Lake and Dawson Creek and only lost 2 games all year. Now the boys are going into the finals and we gotta get behind them.”

He went on to say that the goal of winning the Provincial Gold and the National Title have been targets for the club in all the 4 years it has existed. Twice the team has medalled taking Silver 2 years running. Stark and Bouchard both agreed that without a gold medal win, it has always felt that a job was left undone at seasons end despite the fact that the team has been the number 2 ranked Junior B club in the province.

The Going for Gold starts Friday Night at 8:00 pm in Whitecourt.

-------

Something tells me I will chat with him again in the next couple of days...

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Wednesday morning

2011-03-09T06:16:00.004-07:00

Good morning....

Picked up what could be classified, I guess, as the 24 hour flu. Had a hard time getting to sleep last night. Stuffed up, the shivvers and all that goes with it. Hopefully will get in a good nap today.

-Ok, so I have had a million text messages and questions about this season ticket drive for the Wolverines and the AJHL. From what it sounds like, the team's phone lines were lit up last night with 223 sold in the first hour. Should be interesting as we approach the March 25th deadline.

- Peace River smacked Grande Prairie 7-3 last night and will be in Whitecourt on Friday to begin the NWJHL playoffs, and not only that, have booked themselves a ticket to the provincials. Its kind of funny how things come full circle, eh. IF this is the last year of the Junior B Whitecourt Wolverines, then they get a chance to "right the wrong" as Wayne Quaife said in a chat last weekend. Which ironically, is his final year of junior. The Wolverines lost in 7 games to Peace River in the 2007-08 finals. And the BEST part of it for me........I may get to see a REAL hockey series. I will post my predictions by Friday.

- So Edson didn't get picked for Kraft Hockeyville 2011. That sucks. Bentley and Brandon, Manitoba were the west reps. McKenzie and Fort Nelson the pacific reps. Great job to all of the organizers who took part.

- And so much is being said about Bruins D man Zdeno Chara and his hit on Max Pacioretty of the Habs last night. My thoughts? He knew exactly what he was doing. Some other big ogre in the NHL needs to straighten him out.

Back to the morning show. Comments? Leave them below or email me at dave@xm105.com

Monday night

2011-03-07T20:55:00.004-07:00

I had a pretty nice day off today. Had breakfast with Wolverines Communications Director Marc Chayer, went to the doctor and then caught up on the "Castle" tv series. Good show. That, and Stana Katic is drop dead gorgeous. That always helps!

- I have been having a whole wack of trouble trying to upload video to my blog over the last 48 hours. I have tried small files, medium and large. Nothing works. I'm not sure what's up, but I have Brent's interview all cued up and ready to post.

- In chatting with Chayer this morning, he says the Wolverines organization is 'status quo' right now and just waiting in limbo. March 25th will come and that's when everything will be decided by AJHL President Craig Cripps and the board of directors. Tickets for the 2011-12 season in Lloydminster are already on sale. They seem to be confident the team will stick around. Apparently it is the mayor's kids who started the Facebook group now to "save the Bobcats." Everywhere I go in Whitecourt, no matter if its buying groceries, taking a walk or getting fuel, everyone is talking about it. I will say this........come time for September, the town of Whitecourt will be ready for the AJHL. Just in case you are wondering, the twin arena capacity is 1300 people.

- Leland Irving and the Abbotsford Heat of the American Hockey League have 15 games left in the season, and are currently 1 point back of Lake Erie for the 4th and final playoff spot in the west. The Flames 1st rounder is 2nd in the league in wins at 26 and 2nd in shutouts with 5.

- The NHL regular season is winding down, too. Philly seems to be reeling as of late. I have said before, and Boston looks impressive. Chicago has won 8 in a row, and who cares if its Corey Crawford in net. Antti Niemi was garbage awful but lead them to a cup. I am hoping with all that is holy that the Toronto Maple Laughs miss the playoffs by 1 point again (2007), and on the last game of the regular season. Maybe an OT winner that someone puts in their own net. That would be stellar.

- The official voting for Hockeyville 2011 begins tomorrow. Make sure to vote for the town of Edson! Voting begins at 7 tomorrow night. The winner of the contest gets a $100,000 arena upgrade plus an NHL exhibition game in their community.

- We haven't talked a lot about the Wolverines year end banquet. The target date is April 9th. I'm not sure when tickets will officially go on sale, but plans are coming together well. The AJHL deal is the main focus, and once that is out of the way more info will likely come along. An alumni vs current roster game will be taking place. Joey Bouchard vs Shawn Gervais behind the benches. The year end celebration is usually in May, but they wanted to make it a little bit earlier this year.

- The official first game of the finals against either Peace River or Grande Prairie will be on Sunday. A time has yet to be confirmed. But the date will be Sunday. Game 5 in that series is tomorrow night, with Peace up 3-1.

Back on the air tomorrow.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Sunday night

2011-03-06T23:31:00.004-07:00

Some housekeeping to take care of...

- The Whitecourt Bantam AA Jets lost in overtime 4-3 today to the Lloydminster Blazers. What is up with Lloydminster these days? (LOL) Not laughing at the loss. Tough one for those guys. Been "tweeting" with Connor O'Dwyer of the Jets tonight. I told him if he got a hold of me a few hours earlier then he would have had an interview. Actually, you can read that because my Twitter feed is on the right hand side. Anyway, congrats on a great season, guys. Well done, Tom McLean and staff.

- The Peace River Navigators felt the wrath of a jacked up Grande Prairie Wheelers team tonight. A 7-3 loss in GP. That, is the team. THAT, is the team I was referring to. Can dominate you physically. Can explode offensively. And are a very, very frustrating team to play. We'll see how they respond on Tuesday night.

- I tallied up a few AJHL attendance figures today, just for the heck of it. Brent Stark told me at the beginning of February that in his conversation during negotiations, low attendance figures were part of the reason for the Bobcats being up for sale. So, I still have a few more to do. But here is what I have come up with:

For cities around the same size as Lloyd (population roughly 25,000 people):

First off, the Bobcats, according to the AJHL website averaged 692 fans per home game this year. With a rink of 1,800 seats, thats a capacity percentage of 38.44 %.

Brooks has a population of around 22,000 and averages 856 fans per game. Their arena capacity is 1,700 people for a capacity percentage of 50.35. Brooks, is about an hour and a half from Calgary. Much like Lloyd, which is roughly the same distance to Edmonton.

Spruce Grove has a population of 25,000 people and averages a very low 381 people per game. Even though they are the top team in Canada. Their arena capacity is 2,000 for a rate of a dismal 19.05 %. But, keep in mind they are pretty much right in Edmonton with the WHL, the Oilers and a bazillion other hockey teams.

So, the Lloydminster Bobcats only fill their arena just over a third full. Their highest attendance was the home opener of 1,386 fans. The highest after the AJHL showcase weekend? 763 fans. The rest of the crowds were around 520-698 people. And since the offer was put in for the Bobcats? Playoff crowds were 942 and 825. Ok, better. But still can't sell out. And didn't all year long.

So we found out who the starter of the 100 owners with 5 grand each was. The brother of the Mayor of Lloydminster. I have been tweeting with the Lloyd Bobcats page, and they have been removing all Whitecourt fans who join the "Save the Bobcats" facebook group. As a matter of fact, Brent Stark and I have both been blocked before we could even join.

So in saying that, I have Brent's interview from Friday night. I will upload it in 2 parts.

The one thing that I did say while talking to the Bobcats was that they can go ahead and verbally assault me if they want. In which I should make clear, they have been positive. But I have a few friends who have joined the group to be a "spy" since I'm not allowed in. And they say people are taking shots at me. Its my job to report on this. If you want to hang me up as the bad guy, go ahead. But I'm the easy target. And to make one thing perfectly clear, I believe in the power of social networking. I don't believe in having 100 owners to a team.

Sunday

2011-03-06T14:29:00.003-07:00

The Whitecourt Wolverines beat the Dawson Creek Canucks 5-2 last night to sweep the best of 7 NWJHL semi final series.

That was the 29th consecutive Northwest Junior Hockey League playoff victory for the Wolverines, dating back to March of 2008 when the Peace River Navigators beat them in game 7 of the finals. And since Game 6 on home ice, they have not lost one at the twin arenas during regular season and playoffs.

But last night was on the road, and in a hostile environment. The crowd wasn't impressed on many levels. They felt the officiating was far too lopsided (when in fact, it was just flip flopped from Friday night). Shawn Gervais felt Canucks' boss Mike Lazinchuk was allowing his players to take runs at the Wolverines. Connor Tetlock got run from behind and was taken to hospital. Wyatt Kuenzl of Dawson Creek was running around looking for someone to fight. So, Gervais said he sent Dustin Urdea out there to take him on. Kuenzl said no, and then jumped Zach Mills from behind instead (according to Gervais).

Kai Ohs came up to chat in the second intermission, and we both kind of chuckled at the fact that Dawson Creek has been in every game of the series and every period. "Why are they running around taking penalties and doing dumb things, when they are still very much in the hockey game." Canucks were down 4-1 going into the third, but at this point had taken three 5 minute majors. They had a fighting chance. But instead they took the chance at fighting (zing).

I dunno, my hands are clean of that. As I said at the start of this series (please refer back to the predictions) that I love watching the Dawson Creek Junior Canucks. A fun, hard hitting and skating team. But when they get down by a few goals, they implode. Don't know who you can pin that on......

And now Grande Prairie and Peace River in the other semi final series. I have had a number of people post this week on my blog with "anonymous" labels and won't leave their names. So, I will address the most recent.

Mr Anonymous....

As the only NWJHL play by play guy who runs a consistent blog (Mike Feeney of Moose FM does a good job to post here and there on his), I tend to leave myself out there and open to scrutiny. That's fine. I am human and can make mistakes. But as for not respecting Grande Prairie, you are sadly mistaken. The Wheelers, for most of the year, if they played to their top potential could have been able to beat the Wolverines on countless occasions. IF they played to the top of their potential. Each and every game has been close (just as I predicted, if you read back) but the Wheelers can't squeak out the wins. I think GP will win this one at home, and go to a 5th game. But Darcy Haugan's coaching is the difference. And that's not disrespecting Jesse Reed. And if you think it is, then take it and do what you want with it.

Now that's out of the way and a great segue, apparently the Lloydminster Bobcats (according to their website) have raised nearly $300,000 as of late yesterday afternoon. They have until March 25th to bring the money together. Lets also not forget that AJHL President Craig Cripps must also approve it, too. Regardless of if the efforts are brought together. Good for you, city of Lloyd for banding together. IMHO as I like to put out there (which leaves me in hot water a lot), where was this effort in September? And will it stay like that for the next 5 years? If it can, good for you. Wolverines middle management has expressed their concern over the "too little too late" push for the city of Lloyd.

What else is going on in the world of sports today?

The AJHL's 2nd round is underway. The Bobcats will battle the Spruce Grove Saints today. More hills to climb.

Beaumont is tied with North Edmonton, and Beverly with the Edmonton Royals in the Capital Junior League. Game 3 for both series is today.

Cold Lake will take on Lloydminster in the NEAJBHL for a date to provincials. League President Aaron Rawlake has told me he expects the Ice to take down the Bandits in this series, they may have the deeper team. But you can never count Lloyd out (that, can be a double meaning).

Jordan James was telling me he was watching some girls basketball GCAA action in Mayerthorpe last night. Hilltop beat St Joes in overtime. Jordan poked fun at how passionate some of the parents were.

I'm off until Tuesday. Comments? Feel free to post them below or through email at dave@xm105.com

Saturday Part 2

2011-03-05T12:20:00.005-07:00

Packed things up in the hotel room and have a little bit of down time before we head out to kill some afternoon in all that Northeastern BC has to offer.

- So the Wolverines won 5-4 last night to take a strangle hold on the best of 7 semi final series against the Dawson Creek Junior Canucks. Forward TJ Short left the game in the 3rd period with a "lower body injury" and will be out of action for the time being. We will call it "day to day" in good, playoff etiquitte. That would be the second serious lower body injury the 21 year old has sustained in the last 3 months. This is the most character I have seen out of him since Joey Bouchard signed the Regina native back in January of 2009. I'm hoping he is able to make a recovery. I know I really beat to death the 21 years old and last year of junior eligibility storyline.....but it really means the world to these kids. The doctor will re-evaluate his progress in a week.

- Head Coach Shawn Gervais has been recently vocal about the importance of getting ready for the pressure that teams will bring forward as the games get more intense. Dawson Creek brought a lot of that last night. His biggest concern now seems to be what the forwards are doing in the neutral zone with the puck before they hit the attack zone. He really wants guys to be aggressive, attack the puck and don't be afraid to get hit.

- Dylan Towns was experiencing flu like symptoms last night, and will be a game time decision. I imagine with Kai Ohs serving a suspension after the tilt at the end of the game, that Towns will play, but limited minutes. He had some difficulty moving the puck out of his own end last night. Mason Lyle and Dion Leblue played great games defensively, as did Jesse Scrimbit.

- Wayne Quaife popped in a pair of goals to bring his team back in the game last night, and to no surprise of the coach who praised his "emotional leader" in the post games. He did say he found himself still hammering on his number 1 unit a lot on the bench. Feels they can still hit another gear. That physical side is lacking....

- Braeden Johnson got run a couple of times, but he is ok. Was his right calf muscle that kind of cramped up when Scrimbit landed on him. And he was no worse for wear after getting bumped by McLean (which is a HUGE loss for the Canucks. Colter will be suspended for his fight in the last 10 minutes). IMHO again, I think that rule should go. You should be allowed 1 fight in the last 10 minutes to police the game. Then each additional fight after that is a suspension. I hate it when there are 4 fights in a row during a blowout. But 1 fight after a hit like Johnson took was ok, to me. But Zach Mills cross checking McLean from behind, that was a different story. Not cool, Millsy. But he knew that.

- Last year after Kjell Reid scored the OT winner, the Wolverines came in and spanked the Canucks 9-2 in game 4. I mentioned that to Gervais this morning and he isn't expecting the same result.

- Gervais did mention how disappointed he was in the officiating. When your team takes dumb penalties, then you deserve to go to the box. But a number of the calls he wasn't even sure where they came from. 18 power plays in total, from my calculations. Wolverines 3 for 8 and Dawson Creek was 1 for 10. He did heavily praise his penalty kill, which is now a sparkling 35 for 37 in the post season. Said the Junior Canucks PP unit made some great decisions, but his penalty killers were always in better position. And Johnson was great in net, despite seeing 4 pucks behind him.

- Affiliates F Joel Harnden and D Connor Dea will be joining the squad this week. Their St Albert Midget AAA team lost out in double OT on Thursday night in the AMHL playoffs. Harnden's tenacity and gritty game style will be a welcome addition. This will be his 2 tour of duty with Whitecourt. Dea is a Whitecourt native, and will play for his home town for the 1st time.

- The Bantam AA Whitecourt Jets are alive and kicking in the ERBHL division finals. A spirited 5-3 home ice win last night to force a 3rd and deciding game against, guess who? Lloydminster. Hilarious. That contest will be in the border city on Sunday at 1. Parker Wakuruk scored twice, Tristan Bryson got the game winner and the "human point machine" Justin Jacobsen had 2 assists.

- The Capital Junior League semi finals have both series tied at 1 a piece. The Beaumont Chiefs surprisingly got smacked 10-2 by the Edmonton Red Wings. The Beverley Warriors also lost, 7-2 to the Royals.

On the air tonight shortly before 8 oclock. Dion Leblue will be my guest in Dawson's Crease during the 1st intermission.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Saturday Morning

2011-03-05T09:49:00.004-07:00

I had a fairly decent sleep last night after quite the long day. Bus trip up to Dawson Creek, trying to play phone tag with Brent Stark for the AJHL situation and then onto the airwaves last night. Ok, lets get the AJHL thing out of the way first, then we can move on to the game last night.

So I had Owner Brent Stark on the air during the 1st intermission of our broadcast. I flat out asked him if he had ever heard of a junior hockey team asking 100 owners in the community to step up and put down 5 grand each to buy it. Upon further research, I discovered that the whole idea was launched via Facebook. Someone in the community couldn't find anyone to step up, so they went public. I can't blame them. That's a passionate hockey fan base. Ok, so lets evaluate this.

No business man has currently stepped up to put an offer down. The Mayor himself set a deadline of March 4th to move the team from Lloydminster. The actual deadline was March 25th, but the Mayor wanted them out sooner.......IF they were going to move. Mr "JETSport" who is a faithful poster and reader informed us that 2 offers had come in to purchase the team. But one of them were rumored to have pulled out at the last minute (maybe when they looked at the books). AJHL President Craig Cripps declined comment but IMHO I would guess that he isn't very impressed that one of his organizations can't find a local owner.

The one funny thing about Brent's demeanor.......he isn't afraid to pull punches. He isn't afraid to look you in the eye and tell you the truth. And he won't shy away from praise. Once I get back to the station I will post the audio on my blog (its in our archives there, and I'm in Northeastern BC). Even IF the city of Lloyd sells 800 season tickets as part of this pledge. Even IF 100 people come up and put down 5 grand each. Then the AJHL still has to approve it. Ok, not knocking that. I was in Winnipeg when the Jets left. I know all about a city loving their local team (an odd comparison, but level with me).

Then the question was asked. Good. You have your team. Lets say it gets approved. Now you have no arena, no credible ownership and low attendance with limited recruitment and a crappy rapport. I'm not saying the case is the EXACT same with Lloyd. Their arena just underwent a facelift 5 years ago, but is still old. From what it sounds like Wayne Russell has deep pockets but is sick of losing $150,000 a year. The city battles to fill the building and can't seem to put a winning team together (which brings in revenue streams).

Now, will Brent Stark change all of that? I can't guarantee it, but I can say this. Stark and Joey Bouchard have brought in guys from Newfoundland, Quebec, Ontario, recruited from New Jersey, California and Sweden (Leroy Eklow) to play for the Wolverines. A JUNIOR B team. Yes, they have run all over the NWJHL pounding on teams and on some nights, embarrassing them on a JUNIOR B budget. You don't think, that once the AJHL comes to town.........that budget will only get bigger? The Whitecourt twin arenas just underwent a face lift of renos (with rumors flying all over about the potential of a new rink in 5-10 years, maybe sooner) plus the insane amount of oil money and corporate sponsorship just waiting to invest.

Oh, and did I mention that Brent's company, Scott Safety, has had its hand prints all over the AJHL All star game for 3 years?

That's why he isn't worried. So, if you are a Lloydminster Bobcat fan and you are keeping the dream alive while Daniel enters the lion's den to take on the Spruce Grove Saints, then good luck. I'm behind you. Really, I am. I love to see a community get involved. But, what's your plan after this year? Suddenly convince an entire city to commit to putting 12-1500 people in the rink every night, every year and suddenly pump crazy amounts of cash into a team that has battled for the spotlight against the bantams, midgets and seniors?

I dunno. All the power to you. Good for you if you can do it. But don't judge Brent Stark and Whitecourt before you know what's going on.

And believe me, Brent Stark knows business.

------

So last night's game ( I can get side tracked pretty easily when it comes to things I'm passionate about)

Wolverines won 5-4 (and I will post the first half and finish this section off right away..)

To be continued....

Pre-game

2011-03-04T16:06:00.003-07:00

The bus just left Boston Pizza in Grande Prairie, on our way to Dawson Creek for game 3 tonight of the NWJHL semi final series. But the big story has nothing to do with the Junior B Wolverines.

So, to further expand on the previous blog entry:

I spoke with Brent Stark again about an hour ago. We also spoke with AJHL President Craig Cripps, who said "the league has no comment on the issue right now." But basically all 16 board members have to vote off on the idea of a community owned team. Cripps would not talk about if the city of Lloyd was actually allowed to pool together as a community and have 100 owners (what's the point of a March 4th deadline to bring some cash together if cash was not raised and a new deadline is set). Stark did say that the local Mayor sped the deadline up from 60 days to 40 in order to get the deal over and done with.

I don't know. If a team that has been in a city of oil and gas workers can't get someone together to round up 500 grand to buy a junior hockey franchise, doesn't that tell you enough? I don't have anything against Lloyd. I love getting fuel at Fas Gas and eating at Arby's on the way through to Saskatoon. Wonderful experiences. But as Brent originally said back at the beginning of February...........Bantam AAA. Midget AAA. Junior B. Senior hockey. And Junior A?

Well Brent will tell us his thoughts tonight during the 1st intermission of my broadcast. Whitecourt would be great for the AJHL. Sold out fan base. Guaranteed sellouts every game. Rowdy fans. Competitive hockey. A radio station that carries the play by play and travels all over the province with the team. And an Owner who has money and wants to pump more money into it and watch the team succeed.

Anyway, not a distraction whatsoever (LOL). Back to game prep for tonight.

And the wait continues

2011-03-04T14:37:00.002-07:00

What an interesting day so far.

Just on the bus to Dawson Creek, and was in and out of cell phone range. The Whitecourt Wolverines management have very few words to say about what went down this afternoon. Brent Stark was very brief on his comments.

So in a nut shell, the city of Lloyd has 21 days for 100 people to bring together $5,000 each in order to match Brent Stark's proposal to current owner Wayne Russell. On top of that, the city must sell 800 season tickets. And then after that, the AJHL will have to approve the deal.

I will have a complete 1 on 1 interview with Brent Stark tonight during the 1st intermission of my broadcast in Dawson Creek. I'm guessing he won't be very impressed. I have "my people" at our radio station attempting to establish contact with the AJHL president to get his reaction.

An interesting development, nonetheless. Looks to me like Lloyd is feeling a bit of life after coming back from behind and beating Grande Prairie 3-2 in the series and heading to the 2nd round.

So, in a nut shell? Brent Stark's offer still stands. The city of Lloyd will have until March 25th to match the offer by being a community owned team. And after that, if the AJ doesn't approve, then the team is Brent's.

Yikes.

Anyway you will hear from Mr Stark tonight during the 1st intermission of my broadcast. Puck drops at 8

D day is near

2011-03-03T19:09:00.005-07:00

Today marks the 6 year anniversary of the Fallen Four murders in Mayerthorpe. March 3, 2005 four officers were gunned down outside of a quonset hut. I have to admit, I was obviously more than aware of the situation but never REALLY had it hit home until I have recently started to become friends with local RCMP members.

I had the opportunity to speak with the Staff Sargent at the time, Tom Pickard a while back. It was incredible the stories he could tell and the community that rallied around those men and women on that day. So if you have a quick second tonight, remember where you are in your life and that you should be thankful for what you have.

My hats off to all men and women in the line of duty from firefighters to soldiers to RCMP. Thank you.

---

So tomorrow is the official deadline for an offer to be approved within the town limits of Lloydminster. Such reliable sources as hockeytalk.net are saying that 2 offers have surfaced to keep the aging and unsuccessful franchise within the town. A brief chat with Wolverines Vice President Joey Bouchard last weekend, and with Communications Director Marc Chayer today have left them both in different tones. Chayer was a man of few words, while Bouchard was confident in the system and his ownership team. The deadline is 1 PM mountain time tomorrow for an offer to be placed as a counter to Brent Stark's $500,000.

Then after that, the AJHL has until March 25th to approve the sale of the team. Or if an offer comes up, until March 25th to approve the offer to remain in Lloydminster. Stark has already said he would move the team from the border city upon approval to begin play in the 2011-12 season. The organization has not said what would happen to the junior B team, but rumors have the franchise moving to either Edson, Barrhead or High Prairie. The prior 2 being the most likely. I don't see the NWJHL approving a franchise to High Prairie, since Peace River tends to grow quite a bit of their talent from there, too.

I will be on the bus to Dawson Creek while the deadline does come along, tomorrow. We will bring Owner Brent Stark live on the air on XM Country when the news breaks. And I will have a one on one interview with the boss tomorrow night during the 1st intermission of my broadcast. A side note......the Lloydminster Bobcats and Grande Prairie Storm are in game 5 of their best of 5 series tonight, with the series tied at 2.

----

Back to the semi finals. Peace River and Grande Prairie will play game 3 tonight. The Wheelers have blown 1-0 leads in both of the previous games heading into the 3rd. I will guess that if Peace River wins tonight the series is over. I would even go as far as saying I think the Navs already have it wrapped up. Grande Prairie has great players, but Head Coach Darcy Haugan likely has his guys wound up so tight they are ready to explode.

Chatted a bit with Wolverines Forward TJ Short tonight. He said he is ready to come out in a big way and be very physical this weekend. "if we get away from being physical, that's not our game style anymore." I expect some banging, bruising, crashing games tomorrow and Saturday.

---

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Wednesday night

2011-03-02T18:28:00.004-07:00

And back to normal life again. I was just beat after the weekend for some reason. This cold snap is even less bearable now that its March...

- I have checked the "search" category of my blog over the past couple of days, and it has gone through the roof with "Justin Jacobsen" hits over and over again. I attended the Bantam AA Whitecourt Jets provincial qualifying game on Monday night. A good, fast paced hockey game. I chatted with Justin after the game and kind of felt bad that it was the first time I had met him and a few of the players. He just looked dejected after the loss, but was happy to give me a few minutes for some great audio. For a 13 year old kid he knew the answers I was looking for. The Jets begin their division finals in the ERBHL tonight, in Lloydminster. The game in Whitecourt is Friday at 730.

- Its unfortunate with the workload that I carry, it makes it difficult to attend a plethora of minor hockey games over all different communities. Believe me. Nothing would make me more excited than to attend novice, atom, peewee, bantam and midget games in every town of our listening area all week long. Or go around all weekend. But I also co-host the morning show all from Monday to Friday. Travel with the Wolverines and am also the News Director at our station. Most radio stations don't give 4 of those hats to one person. I tried to attend every game last year and burned myself out. This year it goes in stride. But I love watching local games. Just love it.

- The Whitecourt Wolverines will play game 5 (if necessary) back in Whitecourt at 4 oclock on Sunday, now. The time needed to be changed due to some scheduling issues. So, if the team drops one on Friday or Saturday, it will make for one huge test on Sunday. This is where Whitecourt conditioning comes into play. Peace River and Grande Prairie is into game 3, which will be played on Thursday night. GP blew another 1-0 lead going into the 3rd, and lost 3-1 last night. This time, the game was in Grande Prairie.

- The Wheelers weren't the only GP team who has difficulty holding onto a lead right now. The AJHL's Storm blew a 2-o series lead and have allowed the Lloydminster Bobcats back into the series, after a 5-1 win last night and a 3-2 win on the weekend. Game 5 goes tomorrow night in Grande Prairie.

- Guess what Friday is? March 4th. The deadline for an offer to come up in Lloydminster to keep the Bobcats there. Vice President Joey Bouchard said on the air on Saturday night he is confident in his ownership group and the offer to bring the team here next season. The Lloydminster franchise has not won anything since its 1982 inception, and a "leaked document" shows them losing 65-150 grand a year.

- Wolverines defensemen Zach Mills is still day to day after an "upper body injury" last weekend at home to Dawson Creek. He should suit up for the games this weekend.

- Head Coach Shawn Gervais has not been happy with the team's lack of intensity on the ice, again. He said Dawson Creek has been beating them to every puck in the corner and has had more urgency. Expect a very, very furious group to come out on Friday night.

- The Capital League playoffs are into the semi finals. The Beverly Warriors (defending CJHL champs) are taking on the Edmonton Royals. The Beaumont Chiefs (defending provincial champs) are leading the Edmonton Red Wings 1-0 after a 5-3 win last night. Only 1 of these teams goes to provincials this year, not 2.

- In the Northeast, its the Lloydminster Bandits (yet again) leading Vegreville 3-0, and Cold Lake leading Wainright 2-0. Cold Lake finished with the league's best record.

- The Heritage has Blackfalds against Red Deer (the 2 teams who went to last year's provincials) and Okotoks leads Coaldale 1-0.

- And in the Calgary league (which is usually inferior) however Whitecourt DID lose to them in last year's provincials. The Blue Royals finished atop of the standings, yet again this year. Their playoffs begin tonight.

And I didn't blog on NHL trade deadline day. Why? Because I slept it away. I was impressed that the Oilers moved Dustin Penner, however I'm not impressed that Ales Hemsky is still in Edmonton. Ya, he is plus 4 on a team that is way, way, way below .500. To me, he is Vince Carter when he was in Toronto. Is there and is playing, but keeps getting injured and would rather be somewhere else so he can try to win a championship.

Off to Wolverines practice tonight at 9.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

No title

2011-02-27T20:42:00.001-07:00

Wolverines beat Dawson Creek 5-2 to take a 2-0 lead in the series. I'm beat. I just finished MC'ing the RCMP vs EMS charity hockey game. Tune in tomorrow morning at 6 am to hear how it went.

Goodnight

I like food

2011-02-27T01:05:00.005-07:00

Supper was good. Or was it lunch? I lose track of those things.

- Wolverines beat Dawson Creek by a score of 5-1 in game 1 of the best of 7 semi finals. And this easily could have gone to overtime if 3 things were to happen.

1) The Junior Canucks could shoot a puck below 4 feet off the ice. Many, many, many, many, many chances on the powerplay and on odd man rushes were fired 2-4 feet over top of the net. A very, very exciting hockey game that had me on the edge of my seat, too.

2) The Junior Canucks could win a face off. Whelen, Quaife, Hubscher and Short were dominant in the draws. Just dominant. Allowing Whitecourt to pummel Jack Surgenor with shots for most of the game. The draws that were won, the Canucks created chances. But again, missed the net.

3) If Jack Surgenor made some key saves. HA HA HA HA ARE YOU KIDDING ME? He is the only reason it wasn't 11-1 after 20 minutes. He was outstanding. Just outstanding. The last time I saw an opposing goaltender play that good in this rink was Nolan Bowker for Beaverlodge last February towards the end of the regular season. Just excellent. Its a shame the first 2 points couldn't come true.

5-1 wasn't really the score. The crowd loved it. They actually genuinely cheered with excitement. When Riley Hellekson scored to tie it up late in the 1st the pop was equivalent to Zach Mills' OT winner on October 23rd. Dawson Creek played an excellent game. Just couldn't capitalize.

The Wolverines on the other hand, won draws put lots of rubber at Surgenor and blocked a bazillion shots. Which all made up for the fact that they had problems breaking out of their zone (.........deja vu...........didn't I type this EXACT blog entry like 30 times EXACTLY one year ago today......) But I'm not too worried about the defense and the puck movement, this year. Well, not as suspect as it was last year, which was more than exposed in provincials. Braeden Johnson made some ridiculous saves between the pipes, showing that he is ready for the big performance. And Mitch Rose declined a post game interview. Yet again. Man that ticks me off. I don't know if I have ever spoken to Rosey for more than 2 minutes at a time, but he is such an intelligent and passionate, intense player. And hides all of that under the "shy guy" image. Rose was lights out tonight. A great individual effort on the PK (kind of individual, Hubscher was there to cash in with a "gino.") Sprawled along the ice and tried the ol' Ovechkin move from a few years back almost.

Game 2 goes tomorrow at 2. I'm guessing it...............well.............I dunno. Will be physical? ha ha yup we will leave it at that.

Tyler Kunz will be suspended for the contest due to a fight (that's a generalization. He adjusted Stefanyk's face with his fist) with less than 10 minutes left in the game. That's a HUGE loss to Dawson Creek. Stefanyk plays big minutes on the back end.

Oh, and one last thing. Jordan and I are co-MC's for the RCMP vs EMS hockey game tomorrow at 615. Admission is free with a food bank donation. Come and check it out. I will be on skates (LOL)

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Round 2

2011-02-26T15:00:00.007-07:00

Ok, so I'm ready to head off to the rink. What a crazy week it has been, and next week will only get busier. Jordan James is fighting off the flu right now, so that has made things a little more exciting in my life! (we are roomies, and I am trying to avoid catching it.)

Predictions for the 2nd round, with mine first.

Whitecourt vs Dawson Creek

- The Dawson Creek Canucks are a team I love to watch. I have only done one of their games this season, and that's unfortunate. Most of the games against Whitecourt don't last longer than 2 hours, very few whistles (unless they are penalty calls) and very physical. A team that if the Wolverines didn't exist, would have a better record. They scored 5 powerplay goals against Whitecourt in the 5 regular season games this year. The one knock (aside from their coaching staff NOT updating the post season stats on the website) is their composure after they are down a couple of goals. Dumb penalties etc. Should be some fun games, for sure. But won't be more than the usual.

Wolverines sweep

Peace River vs Grande Prairie

- The Grande Prairie Wheelers. Started the year off with a win against Whitecourt. Surprised everyone. The team we all knew they could be. Then they lose games this year to Slave Lake and a pair to Beaverlodge (who are a better team at home). Which Grande Prairie will stand up? Former captain Cory Littman is gone, which many say was a good thing. Nick Fitzpatrick is gone for the year with a knee injury. They swept Beaverlodge handily when nearly everyone was calling Blades upset. And Peace River? 2 words. Darcy Haugan. No matter who is wearing a Dallas Stars jersey......cough, Navigators jersey they will bring it. And the winner of this series goes to provincials. Can Jesse Reed out coach Darcy Haugan? If GP wins, its because they wear Peace down physically. But I don't know if the Wheelers can stay as one unit for the whole series. It would be great if they could. Too much inconsistency this year. A shocking 5 of these games go to OT.

Peace River in 6

And now the rest of the guys from around the league, beginning with Peace River's Damien Gnass.

Whitecourt vs. Dawson Creek
How can I put this politely...
The Jr. Canucks have no chance in hell. oh right, polite. A closely
contested hard fought sweep.
WC in 4

Peace River vs. Grande Prairie
Every game this year between these two teams has been a gem. It all
started on opening night when the Navs were down by three with three
minutes to go and came back to win it in OT. Exciting overtimes,
shootouts, and close battles. The navs still seem to have the edge
though.
PR in 6

Dawson Creek Play by Play Mike Garvie:

PR v GP

Similar to Damien's comments, it should be an interesting series but
superior goaltending and better transition offense is likely going to
expose some gaps in Grande Prairie's game. I think the Navs have gotten
better as the season's worn on, though. PR in 5.


Jr. Can v Whitecourt

I'm sure the Jr. Canucks will take every opportunity to lay a devastating
hit to try and spoil Whitecourt's opportunity in the finals. Wolverines in
4.
And Fort St John's Mike Feeney
Whitecourt in 4

The Wolverines are too good for Dawson Creek who aren't as good as the Huskies made them look in the first round.

Peace River in 5

GP is a good team and I think they made the right move with Littman. They have good goaltending and guys who can score. But I think the Navs as a team haven't reached the level that I think they can get to. In this series PR finds another gear and pulls away from the Wheelers.
We will be on the air shortly after 8. Jordan Panasiuk and Will Cloutier will be presented their league awards before puck drop. Game 3 and 4 have been changed to Friday and Saturday in Dawson, not Wednesday and Friday.
Comments? dave@xm105.com

Wednesday Morning

2011-02-22T06:54:00.003-07:00

This was originally supposed to be entered yesterday, but I got side tracked at work.

-Congrats to Shawn Hogan of Whitecourt for winning the annual Whitecourt Trailblazers poker rally sled draw. Not too bad, and on his birthday, too (Sunday). President Ken Linford said 360 riders showed up on Saturday and around 300 on Sunday, even considering temps were in the -30's overnight. Great to hear.

- Had a comment posted on a recent blog entry that there are 2 interested parties to purchase the Lloydminster Bobcats and keep them in Lloyd. I'm pretty sure Wolverines Owner Brent Stark knew he would have some opposition. But for as long as I have known Brent, I know he is always 4 steps ahead of everyone else.

- How about the Whitecourt Bantam AA Jets team? They are into the 2nd round of the playoffs against Grande Prairie, to begin this weekend. And how about Justin Jacobsen? He lead the ERBHL this year in scoring, and was just edged out on the final weekend. Through 31 games, he picked up 42 goals and 28 assists. That, was also good enough to lead the league in goals. The Jets finished 2nd in their Rural Black West division, and will take on the GP Storm, the top team, in the 2nd round.

- How about Elias Lachance? Does that name ring a bell? The Drayton Valley native and former Whitecourt Wolverine is playing for the Spruce Grove Regals of the Capital Junior Hockey League. Through 4 playoff games, he has 5 goals and 1 assist and his team is tied at 1 in the series with the defending league champs, the Beverley Warriors. Game 3 in the best of 5 goes tonight. Good for you, Hollywood!

- How about the Edmonton Eskimos releasing Jason Maas? Kind of a surprising move, but I'm guessing that GM Eric Tillman will go after some more Canadian talent at QB. Maas works in Whitecourt during the off season, and is good friends with former Wolverine Layne Brown.

Back to the morning show. Still no update on what time game 2 against Dawson Creek will be this weekend. I will chat with Wolverines assistant coach Murray Summers today.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Family Day

2011-02-21T12:23:00.002-07:00

Just on my way to the city to enjoy another day off.....

- Just chatted with Wolverines coach Shawn Gervais. The Wolverines Den will run today at 4:05 right after the news. A weekly feature on the team. Gervais said he was in Peace River last night to watch the Vipers and Navigators game. Says he was very impressed with Sexsmith and the pressure he put on Peace. The Vipers will be a very, very good team next year if they keep their players.

- Grande Prairie will battle Peace in the 2nd round to decide who will accompany the Wolverines off to provincials. Whitecourt will play Dawson Creek. No disrespect to the Canucks, but they have yet to beat Whitecourt since I have done play by play for this team for the last 3 years. I will post some predictions in the next couple of days. I was fairly bang on with all of them, except for GP. They surprised everyone.

- Game 1 will now be on Saturday night at 815, not Friday. Game 2 is targeting Sunday afternoon, but nothing has been confirmed with Hockey Alberta. Game 3 will be in Dawson Creek on Wednesday night.

- The Drayton Valley Thunder ended up picking up a pair of points from Spruce Grove, even though they lost the final regular season game. Spruce Grove had three 16 year old players on their roster, which is 1 more than they are allowed. So they had to forfeit the 2 points, leaving Drayton with 13 wins to end the season.

Off to the city.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

The Long Weekend

2011-02-20T12:26:00.002-07:00

I don't remember the last time that I had 3 days off while still in town, and without any other commitments to attend. The Slave Lake Wolves forfeited the contest on Saturday night, allowing me one entire day to do nothing but chill out and tie up loose ends. Those loose ends, being the pillow. I didn't realize that I was that burnt out. It was kind of funny. Both of my roomies and I crashed in the late afternoon yesterday, foiling the plans that we each individually made.

I had planned on going to the city to watch former Wolverine Kjell Reid play in game 2 of the playoffs for NAIT, but I passed out. They ended up losing 4-2 to Concordia, knocking them out of the playoffs. Kjell scored in the 3rd period. He had 1 goal and 1 assist in the 2 playoff games. Kjell finished the season with 6 goals and 10 assists through 27 regular season games in his 1st year playing college. I should also mention tied for 2nd on the team in scoring. The funny stat? 20 minutes in penalties. A far cry below where he usually ends up (well into the 100's)

So my apologies to Kjell, but sleep took top priority after an odd week......

- Wolverines won 9-0 on Friday night, and Head Coach Shawn Gervais' plan was successful. "Beat them so hard they won't want to come back on Saturday." And it worked. He had the team so wound up and so ready to play that Slave was barely in the Wolverine zone for most of the game. Defense was excellent in cutting paths to the net, preventing high percentage scoring opportunities. And Braeden Johnson made the stops he needed to, in order to preserve his 2nd shutout as a Wolverine. The line of Hubscher, Luongo and Rose continued to dominate. Play of the game went to Wayne Quaife for threading a pass to Cloutier who slid through the crease and tapped in a powerplay goal. Mitch Rose is really hitting his stride lately as Gervais and I chatted about on the bus ride home. He showed how rock solid he is through a few hits on the ice, and not to mention a slick backhander in the 1st period. Clayton Tilleman scored shorthanded and even strength.

- Grande Prairie finished off Beaverlodge 4-0 last night to sweep the series. That series, if anything should be a HUGE eye opener to the rest of the league. Beaverlodge was one of the hottest teams down the stretch, and thanks to their goaltender Nolan Bowker. But, as previously advertised, the top 2 teams in the NWJHL head to provincials. I think that Grande Prairie wants to go. And in my opinion? They are more of a threat than Peace River. The Navs have the edge in coaching experience, but GP is far more physical. Those teams will meet in the 2nd round beginning next weekend. Sexsmith and Peace go head to head for game 3 today, and will likely end in a Navs win.

- Dawson Creek smoked Fort St John 8-3 last night and that ended the series. I would have figured that Fort St John's players could have shown up for the game. They even had 17 players. No disrespect to Bob Kalb who has been around, but my guess is he won't be back next season. From the outsiders perspective, he has lost the dressing room. Every team needs to re-build. And the big picture, again, guys can work pipeline or play junior B. I'm guessing its the pay.

- I will lay out some predictions in the next few days for the next round. I'm going to kick back and enjoy the heritage classic today, followed by another nap. A busy week ahead at work with the provincial budget out, 2 hockey games next weekend and 5 am starts (as usual).

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Game 2 in Slave

2011-02-18T19:04:00.002-07:00

We are all set up and ready to go for tonight's broadcast. The booth is very, very chilly tonight. #Fail on my behalf for not bringing my toque. I just shaved before I got on the bus.....the dome...not the face. I'm growing the beard out again for the playoffs. No, it likely won't get as greasy as last year's, so nothing to worry about.

So, I usually ask the players what they listen to in order to get ready for each game on their ipod. And me? You bet. I have a set of songs I listen to so the blood gets flowing for the broadcast. The sad thing is that I may be just as jacked to get on the air right now as they are to get on the ice.

I. Love. My. Job.

The Dave Dawson warm up album:

1) Nickelback - Burn it to the ground

2) Hail the villain - Take back the fear

3) Hail the villain - Runaway

4) Fallout boy - I don't care

5) Fefe Dobson - Ghost

6) Lady Gaga - Poker face

7) Kevin Rudolf - Let it Rock

And after that, the blood is flowing, I'm bouncing off the walls and ready to scream my lungs out when they boys put one in the 4 x 6.

A quick correction. Fort St John and Dawson ARE playing tonight. I will keep you updated.

On the air in 45 minutes

Ready to go

2011-02-18T14:46:00.003-07:00

I'm soaking in and enjoying every minute of every day for the next 2 months. I absolutely love this time of year. Playoffs are here, weather starts to warm up a bit, and games actually become fun again...

- As I was getting ready for tonight's broadcast, I had to look back on one of my recent blog entries. Just want to clarify a comment I made about Ryan Whelen. He is "always injured" isn't a shot on Wheels or his durability. He plays through pain all of the time. And just has some bad luck when it comes to those. So don't read into that. One "person" already did today and was giving me the gears about it. (cough, you know who you are)

- Chatted with Leland Irving a few days ago. I will air his interview in its entirety tonight during Dawson's Crease in the 1st intermission. Tanner Oleksow's recovery interview will be aired tomorrow. I still have Jordan Jakubow and Clayton Tilleman to catch up with from the new players, and then its on to the vets.

- Grande Prairie pumped Beaverlodge 7-4 last night in the tiny Blades barn. I'm impressed with the Wheelers and it looks like they mean business. Its do or die for Beaverlodge tomorrow, and they will have to win in GP. Peace River and Sexsmith go head to head tonight. Fort St John and Dawson will resume tomorrow.

- The NHL has been trade crazy for the last 24 hours. The Bruins finally pulled the trigger on acquiring Kaberle from the Laughs. I will be sure NOT to watch TV for the next 4 days until Toronto media is done dissecting it. Rich Peverley to the Bruins for Wheeler was also a decent move, for now. Peverley is very underrated, and how about picking up Valabik? Now Boston has 2 guys who stand 7 feet tall on skates. IMO the Bruins are now the team to beat in the west. (The Flyers were)

- I'm predicting that Ales Hemsky gets moved from Edmonton before the trade deadline. I have been having this endless debate with Jordan James about how I feel Hemsky is totally over rated and he says he is so good. Hemsky isn't the kind of guy you can put on a team and hopes he makes an impact to turn your team around. If I wanted to build my team around someone, Hemsky would not be included in the plans. If your team is already laced with talent, then sure. Bring in a guy who doesn't shoot, doesn't hit, gets injured all the time but has great vision to pass the puck. (oooh I can't wait to get criticized for this one)

- The Drayton Valley Thunder close out their regular season tonight at home to Spruce Grove. Make that 4 years in a row the Thunder have missed the playoffs. I don't think they will next year.

- Today is officially the half way point since Wolverines Owner Brent Stark put in an offer to buy the Lloydminster Bobcats of the AJHL. A quick recap: Brent threw down $500,000 as a memorandum of understanding to current Owner Wayne Russell. He accepted it. Now if no one steps up before March 4th, Brent will have ownership upon AJHL approval. Then he would re-locate the team to Whitecourt to begin play in September. As for the Bobcats? They lose in upwards of $150,000 annually, have not won ANYTHING since their inception in 1982. That includes a top record in the league, the Enerflex, the Doyle or the RBC Cup.

- Whitecourt Mayor Trevor Thain stopped by the station this morning. The arena was supposed to pass an inspection on Wednesday, but the town was not satisfied with the progress. Crews will be working right through the weekend to get it up to snuff. The new inspection will be early next week. What's the issue? Good question. The Building Canada fund deadline was March 31st. The contractor had set the early completion date of before Christmas, which is what caused the negative publicity. But, I'm very impressed with how it looks on the inside. Once the curtain's raised on the building, it will be...................well.................a Junior A facility :)

On the air at 8pm tonight. Have had some very positive feedback so far on the Wolverines post game "Lets Get Rowdy" song. Be sure to listen for it tonight before the post games.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Lets Get Rowdy for the Playoffs

2011-02-17T21:44:00.003-07:00

A little compilation that will be played during the post game after every Wolverines win.

And we will change it up a little bit for the provincials.....

A Night Off!

2011-02-17T21:10:00.003-07:00

My only night off this week. And I'm loving it. A man night filled with NBA Jam for Sega Genesis, hockey debates and watching the Oilers. Yes, NBA Jam. I know you are jealous.

- So last night, the Whitecourt Wolverines beat up Slave Lake 13-2, but the way the game started really didn't have makings of your typical blowout. The Wolves were agressive, taking a few penalties to open the contest. They were physical, and stuck to their game plan. As I mentioned last night, full credit to Mike Loroff and Colter Tkach for playing spectacular in the 1st frame. Tkach streaked down the left wing and rocketed one over Panasiuk's shoulder.......Panny was hugging his post a little too much, teasing Tkach with the glove side. Tkach absolutely rocketed one over his shoulder. But like most lower tier teams, they can only play physical against Whitecourt for 30 minutes, and that's it. Wolverines conditioning kicked in, and so did the powerplay. The team tied a season high with 5 goals on the man advantage. Quaife had yet another hat trick, giving him back to back 3 goal games. Cloutier put up 5 points, Mills and Leblue 4 each. Rose also had a hatty. Honorable mention to Dion Leblue for giving the puck away with 2 minutes left right in front of his net, then sprawling face first to block the shot. I'm sorry, when your team is up 11 goals? Yup. And he didn't even think twice to do it.

- Forward Mitch Ternan missed the game last night with a sore right shoulder. He aggravated it in the first shift in the game on Sunday. He will likely be back for the next series. Ryan Whelen also sat. He still has a sore foot (When Wheels is healthy, that's news)

- Matt Luongo was in the box serving a 10 minute misconduct last night for taking his mouth guard out while on the ice. When it expired, he was in the coach's dog house for a bit. He ended up coming out and scoring.

- I'm always curious to see what kind of game will be played in Slave. I like to broadcast out of the rink. The lighting is very good, the post game broadcast accessibility is prime and the crowds are always decent. Even though they have been last for the last 2 years. It would be nice to see a close game tomorrow. All 3 Slave Lake goaltenders can win a game for the team, but likely won't be until next year (Olansky, Malbeuf and Chartier)

- Tanner Oleksow has had his neck brace off for about 3 weeks. He has been to a few Wolverine games recently. He looked so different, that when he walked in I didn't even recognize him. So he went out on the ice for the "score and win" 2nd intermission competition. The 1st time he touched a stick. The first time he stepped on the ice since November 14th. And he takes a shot, and HE SCORES! His first goal of the season. We will air the interview in its entirety tomorrow morning on XM Country.

- Did you catch the Wolverines version of "Lets Get Rowdy" last night? I will be uploading it as soon as I get a chance. Aaron Pritchett's tune has been used as a post game song for 3 years, and we plugged in a few goal calls to add some post season excitement. I am saving goal calls and game highlights to upload and put into highlight reel features. I'm in the process of editing Wayne Quaife's from last night.

- I only had 2 hours of sleep last night. Was just wired to get into the booth and get onto the air. Left work at 10 today and crashed for 4 hours. Can't wait to get it going again tomorrow!

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Bed Time

2011-02-16T23:34:00.002-07:00

I will be quick. The Wolverines beat Slave Lake 13-2 tonight to take a 1-0 lead in the series. I was honestly cheering for Slave to put up a fight tonight, and was going to give a player of the game nod to either Colter Tkach or Mike Loroff if it was close. They both played excellent. But as I said at the end of the 1st period, the game will likely blow wide open. And it did. 2-1 after 20 and then pow. Game over. Teams can't compete with Whitecourt's conditioning. Well, that, and the Wolves got hammered on 5 times on the PP.

I start work tomorrow morning at 5 am. So its bed time.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

How We See it

2011-02-16T12:17:00.003-07:00

Ok, as promised, I have compiled a list of predictions from the other 3 play by play guys in the league. Jordan James has opted not to take part in the events. First round is best of 5. The 2nd and finals are best of 7.

First, my thoughts.

1 Whitecourt (33-2) vs 8 Slave Lake (8-27)

- Pretty simple one to predict. The key will be how does the team adjust to game 2 in Slave Lake on Friday night when officiating can be sub par, at best sometimes. The Wolves have good players. Its just unfair to match them up against a powerhouse like Whitecourt. The league should find another way to do playoffs. Colter Tkach is as tough as they come on the back end. Kamel Morad is a big boy, too. And Alex MacIsaac has hands. But unfortunately, a full Whitecourt team will pound them into a kennel.

Prediction: Wolverines sweep

2 Peace River (29-5-1) vs 7 Sexsmith (10-23-2)

- I am having a hard time calling this a sweep. Just because of the amount of respect I have for both coaches. The easy outsider could say the Navs and Darcy Haugen have this one in 3 blowouts. But I have lots of respect for Vipe's Bench boss Neil McGill and VP James Lenting. I think the game in Sexsmith goes to OT. And Vipers goaltender Braydon Glinnum will have to play the way he knows he can for this to be more than a sweep. But Peace River is scary. Sorry, Neil and James. But another year and I think the Vipers finish in the top 4 of the standings.

Prediction: Navigators sweep

3 Grande Prairie (20-9-6) vs 6 Beaverlodge (11-20-4)

- This one has everyone calling upset. Even though the series started last night with a GP 5-1 home ice win, I'm not convinced. The dressing room seems to have been a bit of a circus at times this season. Wheelers leading scorer Cory Littman was recently stripped of his captaincy and decided to leave and play senior. Former AJHL's Storm Lyndin Lewis was added and has helped the team. But Beaverlodge. Last year they did the same thing. Why? Goaltending. Nolan Bowker was amazing against the Huskies. Even with Aaron Dumas no longer a Blade, they found ways to win this year, and that was on the Moulds' brothers shoulders. This goes 5 games, and I think GP will rise above. And yes, I will be man enough to admit that if the Blades won the game last night I would have predicted they win. But I see the home team winning each game.

Prediction: Wheelers in 5

4 Dawson Creek (15-19-1) vs 5 Fort St John (14-21)

- The series that both teams wanted. And the only team more confusing this season than GP are the Fort St John Huskies. If play by play man Mike Feeney and I weren't good friends, I would write the Huskies off as disappointment of the year and watch this series crash and burn. But the problem seems to be guys not committed, and when they do show up they have skill. Then again, that seems like its always the case there. Go in the patch and make a bajillion bucks an hour or play junior B. Hmmmmm. But, since this series is a 40 minute travel schedule, it will be physical. 3 of them go to overtime and it goes the distance. But, who says a trip to the playoffs will change an attitude that has been circling porcelain all season long. It won't.

Prediction: Canucks in 4

I just didn't have the stones to predict Beaverlodge to upset. Even though I would much rather travel to the GP suberb than an extra hour to Dawson Creek for the 2nd round. But, the Dawson Creek rink is a beauty to broadcast out of. Either or works for me.

And now the rest of the guys officially cut and pasted from my email inbox.

-----------

Dawson Creek's Mike Garvie:

Slave Lake v Whitecourt

Best vs Worst. Pretty simple here, the skill level of the Wolverines
versus that of Slave Lake simply doesn't match up, which is one of the
reasons why the Wolverines are being rumoured to move up to the Junior A
level. Two losses versus 27. Not hard to see where this one's going. 3-0
Whitecourt.


Peace River v Sexsmith

Same story as Whitecourt, basically. The teams are just too disparate to
really see much of a chance here for the Vipers, especially considering
they only tend to ice 13 players per road game. They're better at home,
but the Navigators goaltending in Cole Robert, an athletic and
never-give-up sort of goaltender, will make this tough. Outside chance of
3-1 Peace River, but likely a goose-egg affair.


Beaverlodge v Grande Prairie.

Naturally tempted to give the edge to Grande Prairie but here's the thing
about Beaverlodge: they have absolutely no understanding of the term "give
up." If there's a darkhorse to come out of the bottom four, it's
Beaverlodge. Still have to say it'll go Grande Prairie but I expect the
Blades to steal one, maybe even two here. 3-2 GP.


Junior Canucks v Huskies

One of the more intense rivalries in the NWJHL, and the closest by far in
terms of standings, this one has to go the way of the Canucks, and that's
no disrespect to the Huskies. Fact of the matter is they had to forfeit
their last game of the season because 10 players are injured. Unless
there's a miracle in the doctor's office, this is three and out for FSJ.

----------

Peace River's Damien Gnass:

Whitecourt vs. Slave Lake
Hmmmm let me see. 66 vs. 16 points in the standings. Good Luck
Wolves, you're going to need it. Unlike in nature, the Wolverines
have more bite here. WC in 3

Peace River vs. Sexsmith
The last time these teams met the Navs shut em out. They outcored
them 33-10 this season. 42-10 if you include the exhibition game. No
contest. PR in 3

Grande Prairie vs. Beaverlodge
This will be the closest series, only because of the home ice
advantage of the Blades. Playing in that tin can isn't easy for
anyone. GP in 4

Dawson Creek vs. Fort St. John
It's a rebuilding year for the Huskies. Not to mention an injury
riddled season. When you can only ice two lines at home, you know
you're in trouble.
DC in 3
------
Fort St John's Mike Feeney:

I am just going to skip over Peace River and Whitecourt. Those are both sweeps.

Grande Prairie vs Beaverlodge

I know for a fact the lads on Beaverlodge are very confident going into the playoffs. They have been playing well as of late. My instincts tell me GP is too good. But I am going to go with Beaverlodge. Tough barn to win in and I think they can steal one on the road. Blades in 5

Dawson Creek vs Fort St John
It's been a strange season here in FSJ. Injuries, work commitments, guys quitting, and various other problems have hit the Huskies so far. The news that Dylan Apsassin is doubtful for the first few games of the series is another blow to the Huskies who likely won't get Wongstedt back until the second round, if they make it. The only factor in their favour is just how close Dawson Creek is to Fort St John. The Huskies will still struggle to get a full bench but they should have 3 lines and 3 D pairs for most of this series. I just can't see Hildebrand, Sidhu, Norris and especially the former Jr Canucks Howes (if he is in the lineup) and Calliou letting this team lose to Dawson Creek. The Huskies also won the season series 3 games to 2. I think Fort St John will surprise Dawson Creek. Huskies in 4.
----

Wolverines game begins tonight at 8pm in Whitecourt. 
Comments? dave@xm105.com

Its Game Time

2011-02-16T06:34:00.003-07:00

Good morning.....

- Beginning with a quick congratulations to Will Cloutier and Jordan Panasiuk for picking up league awards. Will secured the top scorer with 69 points (33 goals and 39 assists through 33 games.) Panasiuk was the blatantly obvious choice with a sparkling 18-0 record, 10 shutouts including the stretch of 8 straight. Neither of those players were good enough for MVP, however. And honestly.......I'm ok with that. Beaverlodge forward Cody Moulds picked up the honors. His 15 goals and 38 points were a big reason the Blades are favoured to knock off the Wheelers in the 1st round.....I will run down the rest of the winners later on.

- I have gathered together some predictions from the other play by play guys in the league. I will post my break down after the morning show, and same with the other guys. I was actually pretty bang on with a lot of them last year.

- The Wolverines have won 22 straight playoff games, dating back to the the 2008-09 year.....which was also my first season with the team. I don't think that Head Coach Shawn Gervais is feeling the pressure to keep it up.

- CFL free agency is underway. I'm expecting the Eskimos to land a linebacker with the departures of Mark Restelli and Adam Braidwood.

That's it for now.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Monday morning

2011-02-14T06:43:00.003-07:00

Happy Valentines Day!

- The Whitecourt Wolverines finished off the regular season last night at 33-2. Wayne Quaife scored 3 times for his 2nd hat trick of the season, and his 31st on the year. That is a personal best for the "Wayne Train." His line of Cloutier and Hellekson were dominant, once again.

- Mitch Ternan scored for the 1st time in 12 games last night. He played on a line with Mustangs Midget AA affiliates Dustin Long and Connor Tetlock for the first period and a bit. Scored, then left the game with a sore shoulder. Ternan actually aggrevated it earlier in the contest, but told Coach Shawn Gervais "its ok, I want to go out and score first, then I will sit." So he did, and then he sat. Brandon Kunz jumped into his spot.

- Zach Mills sat out last night serving a 1 game suspension for an altercation against Dawson Creek last weekend. No big deal? Kind of, actually. He was 1 of only 3 players this season to appear in every game for the Wolverines, up until last night. Dylan Town and Will Cloutier were the other 2.

- Will Cloutier won the scoring title with 69 points, eclipsing Kjell Reid and Quaife's total from last year of 61 (Cody Kalb of FSJ won the title with 71) But still nowhere near Rod Lavoie's total of 91 points in the 2008-09 season for Whitecourt. 46 goals and 45 assists.

- Dustin Long and Connor Tetlock played a whole pile of powerplay and penalty kill during last night's game. Long had the best chance to score among the 2, heading in on a 2 on 1 and he must have got a little too excited. He put a bit of a weak wrist shot into the glove of Curtis Malbeuf. Full credit to both of those teenagers for blocking some shots during the PK.

- Playoff matchups are set, as I mentioned on Saturday. The Fort St John Huskies forfeited yesterday's contest, because they only had 7 players available to head to GP.

- Swan Hills native Leland Irving continues to post impressive numbers in the American Hockey League. The Calgary Flames 1st round draft pick in 2006 picked up his 2nd shutout of the week on Saturday night, and now has 5 on the year. Leland leads the AHL with a 24-16-2 record between the pipes, and has propelled his Heat to 3rd spot in the north division. Abbotsford has won 4 in a row, and are now 6-3-0-1 in their last 10.

- The radio internet auction for our station ends tonight at 8pm. If you haven't checked out some of the items that are available online, make sure you do. The fishing package to Prince Rupert is valued at 4500 bucks, and is still below the retail value. Beds from the Brick, lots of stuff on there. www.xm105.com

That's it for now. Back to the morning show.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Hockey Day in Canada

2011-02-12T23:17:00.005-07:00

- I just got home from a pretty nice and relaxing kick back day today. Spent the night in Edmonton last night, and went to see "Just Go With It" with Adam Sandler. The movie was ok. The previews really made it look better than the actual movie. It had its funny moments, but overall I will give it a #fail. Then watched a little bit of hockey today. The Canucks looked sharp against the Flames tonight. That powerplay is just lethal. Burrows and Erhoff got me 5 points in my fantasy draft tonight.

- I was finally able to get a hold of Jesse Scrimbit for Dawson's Crease during the 1st intermission of tomorrow's broadcast. I think this was the 4th attempt at trying to bring him into the studio to record it. Our schedules couldn't coordinate a time, and now we finally worked it out. Jesse is a very, very passionate young man. You will have to listen to the feature tomorrow.

- So I went 2 for 2 in my NWJHL predictions last night, and 1 for 3 tonight. I was thinking of picking Sexsmith to take Grande Prairie tonight, but for some reason I took GP. The Vipers won 4-1. The Wheelers are BY FAR the most confusing team to read this year. With the late addition of Lyndin Lewis, you have Cory Littman and Kyle Weegar has quietly been creeping up in the scoring lead....you would figure they could put up a fight. So the playoffs are set after Beaverlodge got pumped by FSJ tonight and Peace beat Dawson 4-2 in a meaningless game. The Huskies will in fact finish in 5th, meaning they will play Dawson Creek in the 1st round. Much to the approval of both teams, I imagine. A quick 40 minute travel schedule for the entire series. You could almost play a game every 2nd night. The rest of the playoffs look like this:

1 Whitecourt vs 8 Slave Lake

2 Peace River vs 7 Sexsmith

3 Grande Prairie vs 6 Beaverlodge

4 Dawson Creek vs 5 Fort St John

I will post my predictions, as well as I have challenged the 3 other play by play guys in the league to email me theirs. I hope to post them all in the blog by Tuesday or Wednesday morning. Playoffs begin Wednesday night. But first, the game tomorrow. A few notes to get you ready:

- Wayne Quaife is 2 goals away from 30. The NW site had him listed as shy of 30 last year, and that's because one of his goals in the last game of the year was given to Corbin Gavin who was on the bench. So we will call it 30. But I'm expecting he will score 4 and finish with 32.

- Riley Hellekson has had a point in every game for the last 13. Since joining the team on November 27th, he has averaged 2.1 points per game and is now 4th on the team in scoring. I would not be surprised if he passes Mitch Rose into 3rd spot (Rosey has 33, Helly has 30)

- William Cloutier also has a 13 game point streak going.

- Zach Mills, Will Cloutier and Dylan Towns are the only players on the team who will have played in all 33 regular season games this season (the 2 forfeits don't count, unfortunately)

I will be on the air at 4 pm for the broadcast, Jordan will be doing color. I expect Slave to show up with a depleted roster. A few players are still serving suspensions from a line brawl last weekend against Dawson Creek. One of those, is forward Alex MacIsaac (One of their top players).

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Nap time

2011-02-11T14:03:00.005-07:00

- Got word late last night (or was it this morning) its all a blur........that the make up game between Beaverlodge and Fort St John will be tonight in Beaverlodge. That suddenly turns into a HUGE game for both teams. The funny thing is? For travel schedule in the playoffs, I'm sure the Blades would almost rather lose both tonight and tomorrow. They are paired up with Grande Prairie right now in the 6th spot, and that's paradise (only a 20 minute drive.) Same goes for Fort St John and Dawson Creek in 4 and 5. If the Huskies lose both, then they slip down to 6th and have to take on GP in round 1. Beaverlodge is 2 points back of Fort St John, and the schedule genius..........we see it in every league at least once at the end of the season......Both of the Blades last 2 games are against the Huskies. Funny how that works out. So to make a long story short, we will have a MUCH better idea of the playoff picture by the end of tonight.

- Jesse Scrimbit will be my guest in Dawson's Crease during the 1st intermission of Sunday's broadcast. Once I'm done working my way through the roster, I will proceed with former players to see what they are up to.

- A quick shoutout to Nolan Bowker, the goaltender of Beaverlodge. Him and the Blades team are part of the twitter world. He is really starting to return to the form that saw him nearly upset the Huskies in the playoffs last year, and get a shot at the BCHL. He has struggled to find rhythm most of the year, but could be a big performer over the next week or so. Favorite tweet from him after a big game last Friday "I was hoping to have a shot to be a Whitecourt Bobcat." To that I say "LOL."

- Its officially been 8 days since Brent Stark put an offer in to buy the AJHL's Bobcats. I haven't heard any rumblings of offers stepping up in Lloyd. I do have a few "contacts" there. March 4th again is the deadline for someone to keep the team in Lloydminster. On a related note, I stopped by the Whitecourt twin arenas on Wednesday. Its starting to look very, very nice. The town is still looking at February 15th as a total completion date, last I heard. Pending inspection, of course.

Hockey Day in Canada is tomorrow. Perfect excuse for me to park my rear on the lawn chair (couch) and watch some puck. Oh, and I have a few surprises lined up for the playoffs and provincials for my on air presentation....

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Thursday veg night

2011-02-10T20:05:00.003-07:00

- Got word that the Slave Lake Wolves WILL in fact be showing up on Sunday, that's a for sure. The game will in fact be completely meaningless since the Wolves are now guaranteed to finish last. Sexsmith beat them 7-2 last night. Even more surprising? Beaverlodge beat Grande Prairie. But, in Beaverlodge, so that's not TOTALLY surprising considering the way they played Whitecourt last Friday. I will elaborate more on that in a quick sec...

- Wolverines forward Brennan Romanovitch will indeed no longer be a member of the team. He has officially been sent home by the coaching staff for "off ice issues."

- Swan Hills native Leland Irving is making sure the AHL brass realize how much of a mistake they made by not giving him an allstar nod. Ok, I'm likely making a bigger deal out of this than he would prefer or that it needs to be. A 1-0 shutout for him last night. That's 4 on the season, leaving him 1 away from the league lead.

- So Ottawa trades Mike Fisher tonight. I'm sorry, but who didn't see that one coming? Funny Twitter comment of the night goes to Darren Millard who tweeted "Are they going to put on the tickets that he is Carried Underwood's husband?" A reply said "Absolutely! If it sells tickets!"

- Ok, so back to the NWJHL. 7 games remain on the league schedule this weekend for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So, to get practiced up for the playoffs, why not throw down a few predictions to see how things will end up? I thought so, too............well one problem. A game before Christmas was cancelled between the Huskies and Beaverlodge, and nothing has been made up on the schedule. Everyone has 2 games this weekend except for the Blades and Wolverines. The playoff positions that won't change are Whitecourt, Peace River, Grande Prairie and Slave Lake. Everyone else can potentially shift at least 1 spot, depending on the outcome of that rescheduled game.......

So lets start with Friday's games:

Dawson Creek 6 vs Sexsmith 5

Peace River 9 @ Slave Lake 3

Saturday:

Grande Prairie 4 @ Sexsmith 2

Beaverlodge 7 @ Fort St John 2

Peace River 8 @ Dawson Creek 5

Sunday:

Grande Prairie 11 vs Fort St John 4

Whitecourt 12 vs Slave Lake 0

I cannot put into words how excited I am for playoffs. I have a very good feeling about this team, after watching practice last night. The biggest difference? Goaltending and a solid puck moving defense from top to bottom. I will say right now. My playoff dark horse will be Matt Luongo. He will score some clutch goals.

Anyway I'm going to head to bed. A long day today, and wasn't one of my better ones recently. Will be nice to have a Friday off and head to the city to catch up with a good friend.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Bleh

2011-02-10T19:57:00.003-07:00

Here is a copy of the post game interview after Jordan Panasiuk's final shutout on January 7th. Right after this was when Don Cherry, CTV and Sportsnet's Gene Principe got word of the 8 game streak.

Love the "I have no idea who Darren Dreger is" comment. An "LMAO" to that one.

And another

2011-02-09T19:17:00.004-07:00

Oh what the heck, why not. I was going through old audio on my laptop and came across a couple of gems. The first call was a goal during the semi finals in last year's provincials in Peace River. And the second, the infamous "Kjell Reid! Kjell Reid" double overtime winner in game 3 against Dawson Creek in round 2 last year.

This should be fun. I think a few of these are definitely due in the next couple of weeks ie Quaife, Panasiuk etc

I'm jacked for playoffs.................Just....slightly....

New Discovery

2011-02-09T18:43:00.005-07:00

So I have finally figured out how to turn audio into a video format and upload them into my blog. I know a few people had already requested the Jordan Panasiuk segment from Don Cherry's Grapeline during his hot streak.

Not really an epic discovery, but nonetheless I figured out how to do it. This is from January 19th. I will also post some snippets of play by play, interviews and stuff on here now that Iam internet savvy enough.

Enjoy.

Hump Day

2011-02-09T05:40:00.002-07:00

I know everyone hates that name, but I just couldn't resist puting it as my heading...

- Just getting ready for the first newscast this morning. Jordan was at the Fort Assinaboine open forum last night talking about the potential school closure. The final decision will be made on March 16th. You can hear about it on www.xm105.com

- A quick plug for our radio internet auction at our station that kicked off yesterday morning. Lots of great items to choose from. $83,000 worth of stuff, actually. Our biggest EVER! To give you an idea of how much we have? Our sister station in Melfort who has twice and nearly 3 times the sales staff we do............have just over $100,000 in stuff. Check it out on our station website! Bidding ends next Monday.

- Swan Hills native Leland Irving picked up his American Hockey League leading 21st win of the season last night, and while stopping 21 shots in a 4-3 win over the Hamilton Bulldogs. Leland is 21-16-2 through 43 games this year, has a .906 save percentage and a 2.46 GAA with 3 shutouts..............even more impressive? On a team that is only 2 games above .500 and is 5th in their division out of 7 teams. Cough, yeah, he was rightfully snubbed of an allstar game nod (shakes head over and over) He is also in the final year of his contract with the Flames.

- Onoway's Troy Bourke and the Prince George Cougars were in Edmonton last night to battle the Oil Kings. He didn't register a point, and his team saw a 5-2 lead in the 3rd period slip away and eventually lost the game 6-5.

- A quick note on the NWJHL....a big tilt tonight when it comes to who the Wolverines will play in the playoffs. Slave Lake has 3 games this week, and the only one they could win would be tonight against Sexsmith. Now that the brass has entered the game sheets on the league website, the Wolves are in fact only 2 points out of 7th. If they beat Sexsmith, and both teams lose their last remaining games then the Vipers will slip down to 8th. Slave would have 9 wins, and Sexsmith 8. Interesting. Every other team in the league has either 2 or 3 games this week to finish up the season this weekend. Whitecourt obviously has just the one on Sunday against Slave (who are rumored to not be showing up.)

- The NHL trade deadline is at the end of the month, and some trade talk is heating up. The rumor yesterday had the Oilers acquiring the rights to Ryan Ellis and a draft pick from the Atlanta Thrashers for Ales Hemsky. If I'm the Oilers, I think that's a great idea. Hemsky is a plug. Injury proned, to put it more appropriately. Has always achieved well below the bar his whole career. Clear cap space and a headache. While you are at it, get rid of Tom Gilbert.

That's it for today. On the air in 7 minutes.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Tuesday Morning

2011-02-08T06:37:00.003-07:00

Good morning...

- Spoke with Wolverines Coach Shawn Gervais yesterday for our weekly segment on our station "the Wolverines Den" that airs at 4:05 on Mondays. He said he was very, very happy with Wayne Quaife's heart during the 2 games. He calmed the bench down when they were down by a goal in Beaverlodge, and stood up for Dion Leblue and fought when he was sucker punched on Saturday against Dawson Creek.

- Rumors are circulating that the Slave Lake Wolves may forfeit the game on Sunday, which is the final regular season game for Whitecourt. Slave has yet to score a goal on the Wolverines this season, so one would be able to assume that. The playoffs begin next Wednesday at 8pm in Whitecourt, followed by Friday and Saturday for games 2 and 3.

- An interesting note on the NWJHL website....the weekly poll is asking "what are your thoughts about Whitecourt's potential move to the AJHL? 56 percent of the responses say its a good idea, with 31 saying they don't care. The other 13 is opposed. Not puting the cart before the horse, but a few names of towns that could house the Wolverines if they move would be High Prairie, Edson or maybe Barrhead. But, that's just speculation. March 4th is the deadline for new ownership for the team to step up in Lloydminster.

- The Bantam AA Whitecourt Jets are having themselves quite the season in the Edmonton Rural Bantam League. Both the midgets and bantams joined a new league which has been far more competitive. The Jets are in 12th place in the 31 team league, 2nd in the "Rural Black West" division of 5 teams. Playoffs begin this weekend. Justin Jacobsen leads the league with 42 goals and 27 assists in 30 games. Remarkable!

- The Edmonton Eskimos signed receiver Chris Baumann yesterday to a 3 year deal worth 125 grand a year. Many believed he was going to land in Winnipeg. He was, actually. A good friend of mine is Chris' cousin and Baumann told his family he wanted to play for the Bombers. He is from Brandon, and really wanted to play for his home province. The deal breaker, though? A conversation with Winnipeg coach Paul Lapolice that apparently didn't go that well. After that, Baumann entertained other offers. He will be right at the top of the list with Canadian talent this year. A very, very underrated pass catcher.

- I heard word the broadcast quality was a little choppy on Friday night for the game in Beaverlodge. That's because you can barely find a cell phone signal in that barn. My apologies for those of you that couldn't hear Jordan's broadcast. If the 2 teams meet in the playoffs, we will need to find another alternative...

- Apparently Wolverines forward Brennan Romanovitch is looking to return to the team. He was told to go home after off ice issues were hampering his abilities. Mitch Rose was going through the same thing, but turned it around in a big way on the weekend. We will see if Romo ends up coming back to the team. He has talent, but I don't blame the coaching staff for not wanting a player around who has "off ice issues." Romo is a good kid.

- Back to the morning show. Just wanted to re-connect after my weekend away in Winnipeg. I will be doing all of the games for the rest of the way for the Wolverines. Big thanks to Jordan for easing up my schedule and getting some experience of his own.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Jordan's Thoughts

2011-02-06T10:43:00.004-07:00

I'm heading back to Whitecourt tonight, but in the meantime here is Jordan James' take on the two games so far this weekend.

The Wolverines skated away this weekend with 4 points…but it wasn’t as easy as they thought it was going to be.

Friday night in Beaverlodge, the boys came out very flat to start the game. Obviously pre-game preparation wasn’t up to snuff. The Blades popped one by Panny on the powerplay in the first and it stayed that way until the intermission.

Beaverlodge may not be the most skilled team in the league, but their home barn is unique, and boy did that team know how to take advantage of it. The ice is small, the corners square and the ceiling is low. Beaverlodge played a top notch game, very paitent, just playing dump in chase while clogging the neutural zone.

With such a small ice surface it was very difficult for the Wolverines to play their style of game, creating opportunites off the rush. The black and gold seemed to get a bit of their legs under them, tying the game at 2 after forty minutes of play.

Nolan Bowker played one heck of a game and he almost stole the game for the Blades in the third. Beaverlodge scored fairly early into the 3^rd period. After a few minutes after that, it was like it finally sunk in for the Wolverines that a loss in Beaverlodge could be possible.

From about the 13 minute mark on Whitecourt threw everything they had at, but Bowker stood tall. Each and everytime, the Blades would gain the red line, dump it deep, hang back, and hammer the Wolverine forwards trying to skate in through the neutral zone.

It was a very physical game, and it tested the toughness of the team, which didn’t seem to expect such a fight from the Beaverlodge skates.

Early in the game, all the skaters were getting regular shifts. TJ in his first game was quite physical and played well. Connor Tetlock as an AP filled in just fine. However, once the game neared crunch time, Gervais went with two lines that look to be the go-to lines for the games ahead. Quaife, Cloutier, Helleckson, and Tilleman, Hubscher, Luongo. Those six really stepped it up in the 3^rd once the pressure was on. Helly popped in the tying goal with just 4 minutes left to play, a laser of shot that beat Bowker cleanly. Then less than a minute later, Luongo scored off an offensive face-off win to make in 4-3.

In those dying minutes, Beaverlodge switched to an offensive mentality and had a few chances to tie it up. But a few good stops and defensive plays preserved the W and kept Panasiuk’s perfect record intact.

Overall the game seemed to be a combination of poor play from Whitecourt in the first 40 minutes, and some excellent play on behalf of the Blades. Sure made for some exciting hockey though with the comeback. The wolverines made it hard on themselves, but proved they could rise to the occasion. The game probably should never have been that close, considering the scores of previous games, but Head Coach Shawn Gervais said in the post game that it really gave the team a chance to see who the leaders are, and who steps up at the right time. There may not have been a lot to times this season where the boys were challenged, but come playoffs that experience will be vital.

Saturday night, Whitecourt seemed to have learned their lesson and came out flying at home vs Dawson Creek. After 1, it was 3-0 for the home team. Notable mention, Wayne Quaife got into a fight right after scoring a goal and was tossed with a game misconduct. Towns got the scoring started with a beautiful end to end rush capped off with a backhander that fooled Surgenor.

The rest of the game then ran pretty much like most of the games this season…Whitecourt busting it wide open with a few goals, and the opposition scoring too little too late. That was the case tonight. DC capitalized on a 2 man advantage in the 3^rd, but by then it was 8-3. That ended up being the final score.

Highlights: Rose was a healthy scratch on Friday, but stepped up with a 3 goal performance on Saturday to make a statement. He was a threat each time he had the puck in the offensive zone. Tilleman was a creative force, and Towns impressed me with a solid game defensively and offensively.

Brandon and Tyler Kunz saw a lot of ice in the last two periods Saturday. It was a chippy game and the brothers gave it right back, pounding bodies on the same line.

Johnson on Saturday didn’t see a whole lot of rubber but made some great saves at times.

Whelen and Mills in the second really showed a lot of character, diving in front of shots on PK in the second, even when up by like five goals. Both guys hobbled to the bench but really gritted it out through the game.

The lines were shaken up from Friday to Saturday. The new look lines had some really good moments Cloutier-Helleckson-Rose Tilleman-Hubscher-Short Kunz-Whelen-Kunz with Luongo switching through the lines (this was after Quaife got kicked out)

Mills did get a major and a game for slashing with 2 and half minutes left in the game, so he probably won’t be able to play the next game on Feb 13 vs Slave Lake.

Game on Sunday has been cancelled. Fort St John forfeited, giving the wolverines an easy win. (funny how it seems everytime that happens, it’s my scheduled game…) However, speaking with the guys, they are disappointed not to have another game to work on things before the real hockey gets underway. On the plus side, it does mean plenty of recovery time after this weekend. Really physical both games.

A weekend away

2011-02-04T10:16:00.002-07:00

I have officially landed in Winnipeg for a wedding this weekend. It kind of worked out perfectly that the AJHL situation happened yesterday and not today. I already had plans to board a plane at 6:30am today to be in a friend's wedding party tomorrow. That would have been a pure disaster if it happened today. But, in essence, it worked out well because now I don't have to be bombarded with questions by people at the Wolverines games this weekend, and I can take some down time....

So, anyway I'm hoping the Bobcats do end up moving to Whitecourt, which is painfully obvious. No shot at Lloydminster or their management, but Brent Stark put it perfectly yesterday.

"Lloydminster is a saturated market. You have Junior A, Junior B, Senior and Midget AAA."

My additional comments to that are the Bobcats have never won anything in their history. They were founded in 1982 (3 years after I was born) and have never won a division title, league title, finished atop the regular season standings, a Doyle or an RBC.

SINCE 1982!!!

Ok, so they have gone through 3 different name changes and 2 different league changes. But the highest they have finished since 2000 was going to the AJ's North finals. Then in 2004, they lost in the 2nd round. I understand that the AJHL is WAY beyond junior B and the NWJHL. Like we are talking Vancouver Canucks vs Maple Laughs. Light years beyond in credibility and talent.

But in 4 years of Whitecourt Wolverine existence....

Brent Stark's franchise has won 2 league championships (on the way to a 3rd consecutive), 2 provincial finals appearances, and 3 straight seasons of being undefeated on home ice. Not to mention the development of players who have gone on to play college hockey (Darcy Charrois, Arizona......Kjell Reid, NAIT) and so on.

Brent Stark knows how to win. And how to find talent. And not only that, he knows how to make a profit. He built Scott Safety from bottom up to the very profitable and respectable business it is. Which, don't forget, was also the title sponsor of the AJHL All-star game for 2009 and 2010.

Lastly, the part that I found interesting. I was provided with the information that the Lloydminster Bobcats are dealing with annual net losses of between $65,000 to $150,000 annually.

ANNUALLY?

Yikes. That information was supposed to be made public at the press conference yesterday according to the original press release. From what I have been told, it sounds like the city does not want that to be made public. Ya, I don't blame them. And I don't know Bobcats current Owner Wayne Russell from a hole in the ground. But another direct quote from Stark:

"Wayne exemplifies everything a business man should have and more. He is the pinnacle of honesty, respect and genuine loyalty."

By processing that information, if he has agreed to receive a cheque for a potential sale? Hmmmm.

So anyway, personally, it would be awesome to have the AJHL in Whitecourt. I know that the town, management and the fans are seeking a higher level of product than what the NWJHL has to offer. So for Brent's sake, I'm hoping March 4th rolls around and he has a crack at brining the team to Whitecourt.

Because what does he do? Make money. Win. Win. And build respect.

Hmmm. That doesn't sound very attractive to a league or players, eh? Ya, will probably have a tough time recruiting someone to want to play for a team that makes money and wins.

So that's my take. I'm going to unplug for a couple of days and let Jordan take the reigns of the broadcasts this weekend. If I have any new info on the AJHL or anything exciting, I will let you know.

Comments? dave@xm105.com (I won't reply until I'm back to the office on Sunday night)

Wolverines plan to purchase Lloydminster Bobcats

2011-02-03T16:42:00.002-07:00

The Owner of the Whitecourt Wolverines, Brent Stark, has put in a proposal to purchase the Lloydminster Bobcats of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

The town of Lloydminster has 60 days to find a local owner, or upon league approval, the team will relocate to Whitecourt for September 2011.

I will expand on the details in an hour. I need to write up the story to hit the air waves for our 5pm newscast on our station.

Questions? dave@xm105.com

AJHL?

2011-02-03T13:48:00.003-07:00

Everyone is remaining fairly tight lipped right now about the whole thing. A press conference will be held at 3:30 in Lloydminster today to address the rumors of the Bobcats moving their team to Whitecourt for the 2011 season.

That's all the information I have for now. I have established contact with Team Owner Brent Stark, and he refused to comment until after the press conference at 3:30. We will have him on the air waves shortly after 4 pm on XM Country.

AJHL to Whitecourt???

2011-02-03T11:20:00.003-07:00

I have just received word that the AJHL's Lloydminster Bobcats could very well be headed to Whitecourt for next season.

I have been trying to get a hold of Owner Brent Stark, and have left many messages and sent texts. Nothing so far. I will keep you posted when more info comes along.

Stark has been trying to purchase a team for 3 seasons. I have very limited info. Stay tuned to our station for the latest. www.xm105.com

I hope to have something in the next 10 minutes

Healthy Again!

2011-02-01T19:44:00.003-07:00

- My apologies......I turn into a big suck when I get sick. Only the really important things I tend to focus on, then after that the rest are minor details. Such as blogging. So I return tonight.

- Saturday's hockey game: Yet another dominant performance. Jordan Panasiuk has now not been scored on since October 30th at the twin arenas. That's pretty slick. Riley Hellekson burst out with a 6 point game after being frustrated by "only" putting up a goal against Slave on Friday night. Speaking of frustrated, Mitch Rose found himself in the dog house a little bit over the last week. Well, it was coming for quite some time. Head Coach Shawn Gervais feels Mitch can play at a much higher level right now than he is. But you will likely see that come to an end this weekend. I'm sorry, Beaverlodge, I apologize in advance. But Rose will likely take out his anger on you...........when TJ Short returns to the roster. He is healthy and ready to go. He has been itching, and I mean itching to get back to action. I'm hoping he stays healthy. Final year of junior. You want to talk about heart and soul.....................well, actually, there are 20 other guys on the team that have as much heart as TJ does. But you can bet he will do everything he can to finish off his hockey career on a winning note..........So it turns out Brennan Romanovitch will still be with the team, for now. He was released, but is back again. Great skills on the ice. Kind of like Rose, a bit. Has all the potential in the world. When he hits it, look out. But off ice stuff is a distraction.........for now, he will likely be back this weekend..............Mitch Ternan hasn't had a puck hit the net from his stick in 12 games, and the streak will not end this weekend. He will be away............but as I said. A guy like Ternan, a timely goal. He even promised Shawn Gervais the same thing. Could he be the new "Kjell Reid, Kjell Reid, Kjell Reid" for those of you that remember last year's round 2........

- Speaking of the former Wolverine, Reid scored a key goal with a minute left in a game on Saturday night against Concordia to send it to OT. He was going in on a 2 on 1, and "sniped it top cheddar" as he told me via text message. He is second on NAIT in scoring with 6 goals and 8 assists in 23 games.

- I have request after request, and have been checking the search stats for the blog. The video is on facebook, its on youtube, and now the link is available. The Whitecourt Wolverines interview with Jordan Panasiuk from CTV. Click here

- A thank you to the town of Whitecourt for working on getting my phone line reconnected at the twin arenas. I'm not sure what happened that they both got cut off last weekend, but I appreciate them getting it all fixed up for Jordan this weekend.

- Rumors are circulating that the St Albert Steel of the AJHL could be on the move, again. There were talks last year about them leaving town. Leduc may be in the running for them, if they do move. And before you even ask about them moving to Whitecourt.................well, don't.

- A quick shutout to Austin Caldwell and Jake Chizma of the Barrhead Steelers Midget AA team. They both picked up hat tricks in a 10-3 win over Wainwright on the weekend.

That's it for now. Good to be healthy again.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Bed time

2011-01-30T01:20:00.003-07:00

- The Wolverines smoked Fort St John 10-0 tonight to improve to 29-2 on the year. I'm going to hit the sack right away, so I'll break the game down tomorrow. Was happy that I made it through the broadcast fairly well. I was worried I may have lost my voice after battling this flu bug. Its going around everywhere right now................a few notes to leave you with before I head into la la land. Jordan Panasiuk has not been scored on in Whitecourt since October 30th against Sexsmith. Brennan Romanovitch was officially released by the Wolverines today. Mitch Rose will be out of the line up for the next week, and Jesse Scrimbit played one heck of a set of games this weekend. I'm getting heat from a few of the players for "pinning" Ohs and Scrimby as the goats for Panny's streak coming to an end. Not at all. I just like to have fun in the Dawson's Crease interviews, and I said to Ohs last night "how bad was Scrimbit during the CTV interview?" Can't please everyone. If anything Mitch Ternan should be upset with me for constantly brining up the fact that he hasn't scored in what is now 11 games....

Anyway, hopefully I feel better tomorrow. There are quite a few emails I need to get to from the past few weeks that I haven't caught up with (including from family members of players who are no longer on the roster) so you know who you are, and I will get to you. I apologize.

Anyway, going to slam back some medicine and hit the sack.

Chat with you tomorrow

Sniff Sniff Achoo

2011-01-29T16:46:00.003-07:00

As I said before, I'm battling some sniffles like a lot of people are. After doing public address for the Wolverines game last night, I slept for 12 hours. Woke up this morning with the shivers and in a cold sweat, but am feeling a bit better for the game tonight. So my apologies for not blogging last night, I just wanted to get to bed.

A few observations from the twin arenas....

- Brandon Kunz looked very comfortable on forward last night. Rumor has it he will remain there for the rest of the season. A nice hat trick for the Whitecourt native. And the 3rd goal was just a beauty pass from across the crease, right onto his tape.

- Wayne Quaife didn't end up fighting Alex McIsaac last night, but he did pop in a goal on a breakaway. Justin Olansky slid back into the net and took the puck with him. He is now 4 goals away from 30 (his career high)

- Clayton Tilleman, Matt Luongo and Richard Hubscher were easily the best line on the ice last night. They combined for 6 goals and 10 points (if an NWJHL hockey pool existed, these guys would be great candidates for the next few weeks. Expect this line to remain together tonight, unless Gervais does some more tinkering.)

- Mitch Rose and Brennan Romanovitch were scratches last night for "disciplinary reasons." Romo has been benched a few times this year due to that. In my opinion, when he is in a uniform and at the top of his game, he has incredible vision and decision making. Unfortunately, its his decision making off the ice which is hurting him.

- Tanner Oleksow, if you remember that name, came up to the booth last night and said hi. He has his brace off now. I didn't even recognize him at first. We chatted for a few minutes, and I hope to have more info on him within the coming days.

- The NHL fantasy draft was last night for tomorrow's allstar game. I didn't read up on the rules, and you weren't allowed to select a D man last. I found it hilarious that Kessel was last, though. I texted a friend of mine who is a HUUUUUUUUUUGE Toronto Maple Laughs fan and said "You think if Brian Burke was one of the captains, he would have traded the 1st overall pick and taken Kessel?" Zing. (The Leafs gave up 2 first round picks to Boston for Dr Plug. If Toronto craps the blankets like they will again this year, that's another top 6 pick for the Bruins.)****round of applause*****

- Just going to lay down for a pre-game nap. I'm hoping I survive the airwaves tonight. Jordan James is skiing in Jasper with a few buddies, so I will be on solo duty tonight. Matt Luongo will be my guest in Dawson's Crease during the 1st intermission.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Sick

2011-01-27T21:03:00.003-07:00

A big thanks to Andrew and Jordan for passing along their flu like symptoms to me. Andrew has had a sore throat for 3 days, and I was convinced that I wasn't going to get it. And so much for that. Cheers to sounding like I was chugging a bag of dry oatmeal while reading the news this morning (some may argue I always sound like that...insert "lol" there)

- A bit of a dark day for our company "Fabmar Communications Ltd" yesterday. We applied for a license to open a station in Humboldt, Saskatchewan and were denied. The CRTC awarded Golden West with the license. Not sure when that will officially open up.

- As far as we know, both Whitecourt Wolverines games this weekend will be played. A winter storm warning is in effect for the area on Saturday, and we are expecting 15 cm of snow. So, there could be a chance Fort St John doesn't make the trip. That won't be the end of the world for me, because it would be nice to kick this sore throat. Jordan James will handle play by play duties for Friday's game against Slave Lake.

- The NHL fantasy draft for Allstar weekend will be tomorrow. The most talk is around who will be picked last. Many people feel that Phil Kessel of the Maple Laughs could go last. In my opinion, Jordan Staal would be the best candidate to go dead last but.......since his brother is one of the captains, that will likely not happen. Maybe Erik Karlsson. I think it would be hilarious to put Ovechkin last. He hasn't been able to find the net this year. And if anything, it would likely inspire him to light everyone up. So not the best idea!

- I went for a tour of the Whitecourt twin arenas yesterday. I know many, many people have been up in arms about the completion date. My favorite quote from Project Manager Peter Yakulic: "If we would have waited to open this up in February, everyone would walk in and be wowed. But since its a gradual process, that wow factor has escaped." And that's so true. The main entrance is going to be just beautiful. The project deadline, originally was March 31st. The rink should be open, upon fire inspection, by February 15th. And that date, looks to be rock solid.

- If you want a good slapstick tv show to watch, check out "InSecurity" on CBC. I watched it the other night for the first time. Absolutely hilarious. Its a cop comedy, and its humor much like the Office. I imagine Wolverines forward Dustin Urdea would be all over it, just by the name. (his big insult or comment is that things are "insecure."

- I will keep it short and sweet tonight. Still not feeling super hot. I'm going to chug some cold medicine and go to bed.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Tuesday January 25

2011-01-25T06:55:00.003-07:00

Good morning...

- Back on the morning show today. Andrew and I are talking about how to stay healthy when all of your co-workers are sick. I'm healthy, and the rest of them have had pink eye, sinus explosiveness or a nasty cough. This should be interesting....we will open up the phone lines to get your opinions.

- Jordan Panasiuk was on CTV news again last night, as a recap of the streak. A brief sports story aired at 6 about the 8 games, 35 minutes and 36 second streak and how we will likely never see something like that again.

- I have to apologize to Vipers goaltender Braydon Glinnum, who got a snub from me on my last 2 blog entries. He faced 60 shots in a 3-0 losing cause to the Wolverines on Sunday. He was outstanding, making many brilliant saves. If it wasn't for an ineffective Vipers powerplay, that game could have gone the other way.

- Thank you as well to James Lenting, Neil McGill and the Vipers brass for providing me with a phone line on Sunday. Its unfortunate that Sexsmith play by play man in training "Jonathan" unplugged my line during post game interviews, however. That kind of stuff happens, what can you do.

- I'm pretty excited for CFL free agency which is coming around the corner. I have to confess I'm more of a CFL fan than NFL. Some would look at me wide eyed about that, but I like the Canadian game more. Ricky Ray just signed a contract extention through 2013 with Edmonton. I think he will have a HUGE bounce back year from last year. The new coaching staff, and Eric Tillman on board for an off season will shore up the Canadian talent. I'm thinking the Stamps will go after Bombers' DB Jonathan Heffney since Brandon Browner has departed for the NFL....I'm pretty excited about what this year has to offer for my team.

- And did you hear about Leafs D man Mike Komisarek punching a woman at a bar in California recently? He got slapped, and he decked her. Maybe he should have saved that for the ice. Some things in life you just don't do, and that's one of them. An open invitation to any tough guy to lay a whooping on him. That's not cool.

- And lastly, Taylor Hall steps in to take the place of Ales Hemsky and Jordan Eberle at the Allstar game. I'm sorry, Sam Gagner anyone? How has he been shafted 3 times. He has been having a better season than......ok, maybe not all 3. The teams will be selected on Friday, with the game running on Sunday.

- Jordan will be doing play by play on Friday night for me. I have friends coming in from out of town on Friday. Slave Lake forward Alex McIsaac posted on Wayne Quaife's wall challenging him to a fight......so I'm guessing that's a guarantee that they are coming this time? I hope so. Would be the first home game since January 8th for the Wolverines.

That's it for now. Comments? dave@xm105.com

Mondays

2011-01-24T12:19:00.002-07:00

- Took the day off today after a pair of road games over the weekend. For a complete weekend wrap up, you can listen to the Wolverines Den today at 4:05 on XM Country. www.xm105.com . Oh, and Don Cherry's Grapeline at 5:45 today will also have a mention about the conclusion of Jordan Panasiuk's streak that ended on Friday.

- If you missed the broadcast yesterday afternoon, I spoke with forward TJ Short in the 1st intermission about his road to recovery. His injury is described as a "leg contusion" and he has already begun physio. He should be skating with team again and is targeting the first weekend in February as a return date.

- Leland Irving and the Abbotsford Heat were on CBC on Sunday afternoon again during back to back weeks. Unfortunately, they lost again yesterday (same as last Sunday) by a score of 5-3. Leland allowed 4 goals on 24 shots.

- The Drayton Valley Thunder lost 6-2 and 6-4 to Canmore and the Calgary Canucks on the weekend. They are now winless in their last 8 games, and are 8-37-6 with 11 games left in the regular season.

- Former Wolverine Kjell Reid picked up a powerplay goal during an 8-2 loss to SAIT. Kjell plays for NAIT, and is 2nd on his team in scoring with 5 goals and 13 points through 21 games. He also has 18 PIM and 2 different sets of stitches on his face.

- Another former Wolverine, Elias Lachance has 9 goals and 13 assists for 22 points in 28 games with the Stony Plain Flyers of the Capital Junior League. The unfortunate part? The Flyers are in the league's basement with 1 win and 2 OTL's. But Elias leads the team in scoring, which is good for him.

- And lastly, I have been asked a few times about when playoffs and provincials start for the Wolverines. The regular season ends on February 13th, with playoffs beginning only a few days after. Its hard to say when the exact first game will be, but I imagine it will be against Slave Lake which leads me to believe it could even be on the Wednesday night. The latest the finals can go will be the weekend of March 26th. Provincials in Leduc begin on March 31st and run until April 3rd, again. The same dates as last year. And well, I'm not going to talk about Western Nationals in the interest of going 0 for 2 in the last 2 attempts. (cough, April 15)

- I should also give an update to how the blockbuster trade has panned out in my fantasy hockey pool. Well, for the first time this season, Ovechkin got a hat trick. And the points went to Jordan. But that's ok, because Mike Ribiero, Visnovsky and Fleury have all been on fire. And I'm cashing in on the points.

That's it for now. Comments? Questions? dave@xm105.com

I can do that, too

2011-01-23T19:29:00.003-07:00

I know he won't admit it. I know he was thinking it, and I know his teammates were thinking of it.

I'm talking about Wolverines Goaltender Braeden Johnson while watching Jordan Panasiuk's shutout streak. Neither of them seem to want to give me anything that a broadcaster loves to hear.

"Oh ya, I was happy for him, but deep down inside I wanted to show off to everyone." Or "ya, I was motivated to get out there tonight and put a shutout on. It has been bothering me in the back of my mind."

Nothing. Zilch. That would be what we call a "hash tag fail" in the Twitter world. But, good. I'm glad.......

So Braeden Johnson gets the call this afternoon in Sexsmith, one game after Jordan Panasiuk's historic shutout streak ends at 8 and a half games. And, well, its not as if Johnson wasn't playing during Panny's streak. And its also not as if either one of them doesn't give the team equal opportunity to win. But Braeden Johnson was gonna get his, and he did tonight. And what was the first thing he said after the game? It was all the team. We won it as a team...

Bah humbug. But, he is right. Head Coach Shawn Gervais said on Friday night in Peace River that the team wasn't taking enough shots on goal. Cue the floodgates, 60 on Braydon Glinnum tonight. Gervais was upset about gap control and intensity in weeks before.......cue excellent neutral zone positioning that paralyzed the Vipers puck movement......and one incredible trolly track hit by Zach Mills on Kelby Eaton....the unfortunate part for Eaton, was that he stepped a bit to his right which made the collision land knee on knee. The good part about it? He is able to breathe and didn't end up on a stretcher.

No, it wasn't your perfect game, per say. There were still a few miscues. Defense still had delusions of grandeur at times when carrying the puck. Mills had a heck of a game, as did Tyler Kunz. Matt Luongo, Mitch Ternan and Richard Hubscher were outstanding. Wayne Quaife continues to be hampered by a bit of a scoring slump. He now only has 2 goals in his last 5 games.....which for most players would be a decent pace, but the Wayne train is used to putting points up in big numbers, and is still 5 shy of 30. Will Cloutier had a pair, and flew around the ice with precision, even though the small ice surface limited the space for the top 3 to dominate.

So in a nut shell, the Whitecourt Wolverines pulled one out. Braeden Johnson had some luck, but made some key saves when the team needed him to. The powerplay scored twice, the penalty kill was great. The team played like, well, a team. And is what they continue to do.

But I know deep, deep down inside somewhere for Johnson, he is thinking "ya, that felt good." Or maybe "It was a frustrating stretch, but it felt good to get the shutout."

Or was he? I don't know. Likely not. I may be making a bigger deal out of it than I really need to. But what I'm not making up, is the fact that this is one well oiled team that is learning what it really means to play as a team.

And when it comes time for provincials, it may be their time to say....

"I can do that, too" with a trophy over their head.

And lets hope, I'm not making that up.

All Good Things Must Come to an End

2011-01-22T00:11:00.002-07:00

You know how I love my cliches.

It makes life as a broadcaster that much easier when I can find something corny, catchy or cheesy to hook onto and use that as a lead. So, for tonight, nothing is more topical than "all good things must come to an end."

And of course, I'm talking about Jordan Panasiuk's shutout streak, which eventually was going to end. And it did tonight in the 2nd period, at the 1:24 marker on a breakaway goal by Alex Balfour. A defensive breakdown that lead to a breakaway, and a five hole backhander that evaded the High Prairie native, and sent the Peace River faithful into a frenzy. And that's all she wrote? Pack it in? Here come the floodgates?

Nope, not even close. The exact opposite, actually. It seemed like the team ended up being a little deflated after the fact, and the polar opposite for the 19 year old puck stopper. He made highlight reel save after save after save to keep his team in it. Much like he did for the last 2 months to create this phenomenon.

But, ya, the streak did come to an end. So that's really a tick off, eh? Now that the team is starting to garner massive media attention from all over Canada. What if it ONLY went one more game?

Who knows. Because, eventually, all good things do usually come to an end, right? Ya, they do. And this 2 week layoff for the Wolverines did tonight. Finally. I'm not sure if that was a "good" thing to have that much time off. It gave the new players a few more weeks to learn the systems, build relationships with their teammates and gain some momentum down the stretch. You could certainly tell there was a hint of rust for most of the game. They had trouble getting pucks towards the net. The powerplay moved the puck well, but just couldn't get guys into good scoring positions............

Riley Hellekson was a stud again, tonight. That trio of Cloutier and Quaife is unstoppable, right now. The Luongo, Hubscher and Rose line was very good, too. Hubscher has incredible speed and creativity....Adam Hodge never gives up. Ever. Such a quiet demeanor when you are around him. But he brings it on the ice. Just brings it. And he almost decapitated a Peace River player in the 3rd. He was about 6 inches away from a hospital visit. Coach Gervais has told me on numerous occasions that he loves how hard Hodge works......credit to Dustin Urdea for his hand eye coordination tonight of batting in a goal that was 2 feet over his head.......A heck of a game for the back end, tonight. Especially......ok, I can't really single anyone out. They all played well. Leblue made some great plays. Mills came back to break up some big plays. Tyler Kunz also jumped back from forward to break up a breakaway.......

Bonehead play of the night goes to Navs' forward Kyle Smith for plowing Richard Hubscher into the Peace River bench when it was open. I'm sure that's not the first time anyone has done that, and I'm sure a Wolverine in the past probably has (the name Chalifoux rings a bell) but that's not cool. Plays like that have total disregard for the game of hockey....but a big thumbs up to the town of Peace River tonight. What a jam packed crowd. Word on the street had the gate attendance around 7-800 people. That's incredible for a regular season tilt. Ya, I know Panny's streak had a lot to do with that, but good on local media and the town for their passion.....

So, now that Jordan's streak has officially been written in the record books as 8 hours, 35 minutes and 36 seconds. Now that I got back into the booth and did only my 3rd game in nearly 5 weeks. Now that the Junior B Whitecourt Wolverines are 26-2 and on their way to a 3rd straight league championship........

If the old saying goes, "all good things come to an end", then I guess its only a matter of time before a new cliche would be appropriate.

How about.....

"Out with the old, and in with the new?"

Ok, I like that one. And I like what the future holds, on many levels. For Jordan Panasiuk, for yours truly and for the Whitecourt Junior B Wolverines.

"All good things must come to an end?"

I got a better one.

"Good things come to those who wait."

And I can't wait for what's next.

Comments? dave@xm105.com

How They Match Up

2011-01-21T17:48:00.002-07:00

Snowy, slippery roads on the way to Peace River. Pretty jacked to get it going on the air waves again tonight. The first time back on the air in 13 days for a game (waaaaaaaaaay too long)

Whitecourt Wolverines (25-2) at Peace River Navigators (21-4-1)

Goals for: 167 Goals for: 133

For per game: 6.2 For per game: 5.1

Goals against: 40 Goals against: 56

Ag. per game: 1.5 Ag per game: 2.2

Powerplay: 38/152 Powerplay: 40/161

PP %: 25 PP %: 24.84

Penalty Kill: 146/164 Penalty Kill: 115/127

PK %: 89.02 PK %: 90.55

Shorthanded for: 9 Shorthanded for: 2

Shutouts: 9 Shutouts: 4

That should get you ready for the game tonight. On the air at 8pm. Mitch Ternan will not dress. He is serving a suspension from the fight in the last 10 minutes against Grande Prairie on the 8th. TJ Short has the blood clot in his right leg, and will be out for an extended period of time.

Will be on the air at 7:55 for pre game show.

Tune in at www.xm105.com

Finally back in action

2011-01-21T06:51:00.003-07:00

Good morning....

Mid morning show with Andrew Joseph. Tune in online at http://www.xm105.com/ .

- The Whitecourt Wolverines are on the ice tonight again, FINALLY...and in Peace River to take on the Navigators. I will break down the matchup while on the bus later on. This is the final regular season meeting. The Wolverines have the series at 3-1 so far.

- Today is hockey day in Edson to raise awareness for the Kraft Hockeyville competition. The deadline to submit an entry is January 31st. Wear a jersey, put a flag on your car, put a flag in your window or just show your support. Fox Creek, Sangudo and Westlock have also submitted applications from the local listening area. A tad shocked that Mayerthorpe and Whitecourt haven't put one in yet....

- A mild correction on a previous entry. The Fort St John Huskies are in Whitecourt on the 29th, not the 5th. Chatting with management, it looks almost 100 percent that the make up game from the one cancelled last Saturday will be on Sunday Feburary 6th. Just finalizing plans.

- Also, the highest amount of hits the "Best Kept Secret" blog entry has garnered has reached a new level. 82 hits on Wednesday. That's a 1 day record, not all time total as previously eluded to.
- I'm looking forward to getting back on the air tonight at 8pm. I will have the play by play for tonight's game. Jordan James will be doing the game on Sunday at 2pm

That's it for now. Tune in to our morning show!

Comments? dave@xm105.com

Not AGAIN???

2011-01-19T16:10:00.002-07:00

And those are the words of Wolverines Owner Brent Stark.

The Slave Lake Wolves have forfeited tonight's contest at the Whitecourt twin arenas, and the 2 points will be given to the NWJHL's top team.

A little frustrating for the organization dealing with back to back #fails

The next game will be in Peace River on Friday, and you can bet the only thing that will keep Darcy Haugen from preventing that game would be a tomahawk missile hitting the Peace and District arena.

I will be interviewing Brent Stark later tonight for the sports tomorrow morning.

The Numbers

2011-01-18T21:47:00.006-07:00

- Getting ready for tomorrow's Wolverines broadcast. This will be the end of an 11 day layoff for me when I hit the airwaves at 8pm tomorrow. The last games were January 7th and 8th at home to Peace River and Grande Prairie. Before that, the last time I did play by play for a game? December 11th. 3 games in just over 5 weeks. That's just not enough for a guy who has play by play running through his veins.

- Tomorrow's Don Cherry's Grapeline feature on XM Country that runs at 6:45 am, 5:45 pm and during the 2nd intermission will be the 3rd time the Wolverines have drawn national media attention in the last 10 days. Before you even ask, I will have copies readily available per your request.

- Wolverines forward Will Cloutier is on pace for 72 points this season. The NWJHL record is held by Rodney Lavoie, former Prince Albert Raider forward with 46 goals and 45 assists.

- Wolverines forward Mitch Ternan has not scored in his last 9 games, 1 in his last 13, 2 in his last 17 and 3 in his last 20. The Barrhead native has 4 goals this season. But like I have said before, he scores big goals when you need them. If he doesn't put up any tomorrow night, I'm expecting him to score the game winner on Friday in Peace River.

- Former Wolverine Kjell Reid picked up another 2 stitches on the weekend, to go with his 2 assists when his Nait Ooks tied Briercrest 2 all on the weekend.

- Onoway's Troy Bourke has 2 assists in 6 games since returning from his bronze medal performance at the U-17's in Winnipeg. He has 10 goals and 13 assists, 10 PIM and is a plus 10 playing for the Prince George Cougars. PG is 5th in the WHL's west division with 47 points.

- I was checking out the stats on my blog last week, just for the fun of it. Since its creation on Wednesday December 10th, 2008....My blog has had 16, 944 page views. More recently, for the month of December 2010, my blog was viewed 2, 649 times and January 11th's "Best Kept Secret" blog is my all time highest viewing entry with 67 page views.

- The most popular search that lead to my blog since last week, is surprise.......Jordan Panasiuk with 21 searches. Others were "Jordan Panasiuk CTV News, Jordan Panasiuk on Sportsnet, Jordan Panasiuk CTV interview and Tanner Oleksow." The lead referring site is my employer, XM05.com with 262 website clicks. The Wolverines website forwarded 69 views last week.

- And finally, where are people viewing my blog from? To no surprise, 678 clicks in Canada last week, 73 from the US, 16 from the Netherlands, and 14 from Kuwait. Other clicks came from Russia, Germany, UK, Mexico, Sweden and Ukraine.

That's it for now. I just finished watching a very, very painful Oilers game. They really, really need to do something with their D. Too bad for Ryan Whitney, who clearly was the anchor (understatement) of the back end. Captain Obvious.......but Tom Gilbert has to go. There, I said it.

That's it for now. Oh, I almost forgot. There are 3 possible days that the Fort St John Huskies can pick for a make-up date from last Saturday's cancellation:

1) Sunday January 30th (which would give the Wolverines 3 games in 3 days. The Huskies play Wednesday and Saturday that week.)

2) Sunday February 6th (Fort St John is in Whitecourt on Saturday night, and is the most likely scenario)

3) Friday February 11th (Whitecourt only plays on Sunday, and the Huskies would then play at home Saturday, and in Grande Prairie on Sunday.)

Comments? Questions? dave@xm105.com

Monday and a day off

2011-01-17T19:33:00.003-07:00

- Watched a bit of the Abbotsford/Toronto AHL game yesterday afternoon. Swan Hills' Leland Irving stopped 29 of 31 shots in a losing cause to the Marlies. Still shocked he didn't get voted in to the AHL Allstar game. He is in the final year of his contract, and it would be nice to see him get moved to an organization that will give him a shot. I'm hoping Calgary moves Kipper at the deadline, because, well, really....they should have traded him and Iginla last year #OldandWashedUp ........Iginla still has another 4 or 5 years in him on the right team. But the Flames are a joke (not an Oiler fan or a Flames hater, just to clear that up)

- The Wolverines organization was very, very disappointed that Saturday's game against Fort St John was cancelled due to weather. Understandable, but frustrating at the same time. They jumped through hoops to put the Tanner Oleksow thing together (it just so happened that his team the Whitecourt Mustangs played RIGHT before) and the likelihood of CTV coming up to check it out.......all a big let down. No word yet on when the game will be re-scheduled to. The Huskies still have to make up a game against Beaverlodge from before Christmas when the team's zamboni broke down.

- Those of you who can't seem to get enough of Jordan Panasiuk and his shutout streak, are in for a treat. XM Country (my employer) runs a feature called "Don Cherry's Grapeline" every morning at 6:45 and evening at 5:45.....I also run it during my hockey broadcasts in the 2nd intermission. Well, this Wednesday, Panny will be featured. I was emailing with the show producer from Toronto on the weekend. So be sure to keep your ears peeled for that (the irony, that we have a hockey broadcast on Wednesday night. So if you miss the previous 2, it will run 2nd intermission.)

- Was checking out TSN's broadcast of the top 30 prospects for this year's NHL entry draft tonight. I'm hoping the Oilers tank the rest of the year and draft Adam Larssen. They sure could use a defenseman. I'm sorry, but am I the only one who doesn't think Tom Gilbert should be flipping burgers? For the 4 million a year they are paying him until 2014, you would think he would be able to score on the powerplay. Jeff Petry has been better. Heck, Theo Peckham has been better. Too bad for Ryan Whitney. Looks like he will be heading for ankle surgery, and his year is done. I would be surprised if they don't pull off a deal in the next few weeks for a D man. I think Bieksa or Salo from the Canucks is a good fit. Edmonton has 9 million dollars in cap space. The only thing is both of them are UFA's this year. And my Canucks bias has more to do with that than anything. Would be nice to see Gillis pick up a Stortini or McIntyre type player for Vancouver.

-I have been getting request after request for the CTV video about the Wolverines. Team Communications Marc Chayer has requested a copy of it, and I will make it available when I get a copy.

- People also keep asking me about Junior A to Whitecourt and the progress. The best I can get out of Owner Brent Stark and VP Bouchard, is things are going "well." And they will be able to say more "soon." So for now, I hope that is "enough."

- I decided to trade Alex Ovechkin in my pool. Made a blockbuster 9 player swap with Jordan. I sent Ovie, Kane, Robidas and Pavelic for Thornton, Heatley, Ribiero, Vishnovsky, and Fleury. So if you have Ovie in your pool, you are welcome. He will likely start to light it up again. The truth is, he likely will. Its not as if he isn't shooting. He leads the league with 208 shots on goal. Its only a matter before they start to go in again. And, well, I've fallen to 5th so I had to do something.

Castle is on in 6 minutes. Then its back to bed, and up at 5am tomorrow.

Comments? Questions? dave@xm105.com

And another one bites the dust

2011-01-15T11:07:00.003-07:00

Tonight's big game between the Whitecourt Wolverines and Fort St John Huskies has been officially cancelled. The Huskies apparently were not able to find a bus that is functioning properly.

So, we will keep you posted as to when the make up date will be. Dates will be limited, since the team now plays every single weekend for the rest of the year. I don't imagine a mid week game travelling 6 hours down the highway from Fort St John would be any better. That's junior hockey, these things happen.

So, now I have a 3 day weekend!

Its Friday!

2011-01-14T07:28:00.001-07:00

And I have an evening off......

I opened up my Facebook status to suggestions of what to do. So far I've been encouraged to babysit, play old NHL video games or go and see the NAIT Ooks play in Edmonton against Briercrest.......A former Whitecourt Wolverine Kjell Reid is playing for them. He is tied for 2nd in scoring, in fact with 10 points.

Did you see the Oilers game last night? Some guy in the 2nd period came on the TV....you may know him. You know, that guy that was on CTV News on Monday.....that would be Jordan Panasiuk. The goaltender that is making a name for himself not only in the community, but all over the country. That 8 game shutout streak was talked about by Gene Principe in the 2nd period. Devan Dubnyk was posting a 2-0 shutout midway through the period, and Gene said "that's got nothing on this shutout streak" as he lead into 2 pictures of him. Yup, no best kept secret anymore. Panny was on Sportsnet West. So, what's next? Your guess is as good as mine. If he blanks Fort St John tomorrow, I would be very curious to see.......

So the game tomorrow night. Director of Communications Marc Chayer came by today to finalize plans. It will be dubbed "Get Well Tanner" night. The team has purchased a banner for Tanner Oleksow, the midget hockey player who broke his neck after a hit from behind. When you walk through the door at the twin arenas, sign the banner that will be presented to the 17 year old after. He will be dropping the ceremonial puck, and speaking briefly before hand about the importance of safety when on skates........students, seniors and children will get in for free.

I'm excited for the night. I was texting with Tanner last night, and he said he can't wait to get the brace off on the 27th and begin physio.

I have decided to rent a movie and stay in. Still a little snowy for me. We'll see you at the rink tomorrow!

Comments? dave@xm105.com