REGINA — For the second straight season, a seven-game losing streak has eliminated the Saskatchewan Roughriders from the CFL playoff picture.
The Riders had their playoff hopes dashed Saturday with a 29-26 loss to the Toronto Argonauts. The 6-12-0 Riders needed a victory to keep pace with the Calgary Stampeders for the third and final playoff spot in the West Division. Although the Riders and the 6-11-0 Stampeders are tied for third place, Calgary gets the playoff berth because it won the season series 2-1.
The Riders led at the end of each of the first three quarters (10-7, 17-16 and 23-19) on Saturday but were outscored 10-3 in the fourth quarter by the Argos. The game, and the season, was a case of déjà vu for Riders head coach Craig Dickenson.
“It just felt like we were that close the whole season and then just couldn’t, for some reason, get over the hump,” said Dickenson.
“And today I thought was similar to a lot of games where we played well for probably 50 minutes of it but had spurts here or there where we turned the ball over a couple of times and gave up a couple big plays and next thing you know, we’re trailing … We just didn’t do enough this year. Didn’t coach well enough, didn’t play well enough at times, and it just didn’t turn out like we’d hoped.”
With backup quarterback Cameron Dukes taking over for starter Chad Kelly in the third quarter, the Argos earned the victory on a five-yard touchdown run by Dan Adeboboye with 1:02 left in the fourth quarter.
The Riders had two possessions in the final minute but couldn’t move into range for a potential game-winning field goal.
For Dolegala, Saturday’s loss and the losing streak were painfully agonizing.
“I mean, it’s brutal, to be honest. We ran it for a while there and it just felt like nothing would really go our way,” said Dolegala. “It was a combination of a lot of things. Each game was different but, in some aspects, felt the same. It just was not good enough football.”
Veteran linebacker Larry Dean, who posted back-to-back seasons of 100 or more tackles for the Riders, tried to express the disappointment of he and his teammates.
“We don’t have a seat at the table. That’s the end goal, just to have a chip in a chair but we don’t have either so that’s always disappointing, especially in back-to-back seasons,” said Dean.
“We worked so hard, diligently, every day, true professionals showing up and just don’t get the end result and that’s always upsetting.”
The Argos improved to 15-2-0 with the victory and now have an opportunity to leave a legacy by posting the best regular-season record in franchise history. The Argos posted 15-3-0 records in both 1996 and 1997. If they beat the Ottawa Redblacks in the regular season finale on Oct. 28, the Argos will finish with a 16-2-0 record.
Trailing for the majority of the game, Argos head coach Ryan Dinwiddie praised his players for finding a way to win in the fourth quarter.
“We allowed them a lot of yards early on with some big windows that they were throwing into. They hit the one screen for, I think, for 50 yards. Those things we can’t have but, in the end, they made the plays they needed to. They really stepped up in the second half,” said Dinwiddie.
Dickenson’s contract expires at the end of the season and is facing an uncertain future with the Riders. In his post-game media conference, he accepted the responsibility for Saskatchewan’s struggles over the past two seasons.
“At the end of the day, it’s all on me. Like I said a month ago, it was a different team than last season, but we didn’t win any more games. We felt like the formula was to get a little better, character wise, and I felt we did,” said the coach.
“We tried to put a little more emphasis on the offensive line, which I felt like we did, but it didn’t translate into wins. So, at the end of the day, this season was a failure. We didn’t get to where we wanted to which was get in the playoffs and compete for a championship. We weren’t able to do that.”
Three Argos also hit personal milestones Saturday. Running back OJ Ouellette gained 50 yards on 11 carries, giving him 1,009 rushing yards on the season. DaVaris Daniels had six receptions for 84 yards to push him over the 1,000-yard mark. He now has 1,009 yards receiving.
Quarterback Chad Kelly played the first three quarters, completed 15 of 20 passes for 243 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Kelly eclipsed the 4,000-yards passing plateau and now sits at 4,092 yards for the season.
Ouellette and Damonte Coxie also scored touchdowns for the Argos. Kicker Alfredo Gauchuz Lozada kicked three field goals.
The Riders got big games from Dolegala, Shawn Bane Jr. and Samuel Emilus. Dolegala was 29 of 44 passing for 436 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Bane Jr., who signed with the Riders during the off-season as a free agent, completed an outstanding season with eight receptions for 136 yards. He finished the season with 1,104 yards. Emilus caught seven passes for 137 yards and also eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the season, finishing with 1,097 yards.
Bane Jr., Emilus and Antonio Pipkin had touchdowns for Saskatchewan with kicker Brett Lauther chipping in two field goals.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2023.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
