Linking the country ...

Football

• Regina linebacker Bruce Anderson had a blocked punt and an interception to help Regina rally to beat Simon Fraser 26-24. (Regina Leader-Post)
  
  
• Sam Malian will start at quarterback for Windsor vs. Laurier on Saturday, but all his backups are injured. Receiver Mike Harrington and d-back Daryl Townsend are the next options, really.
  
  
• Former Ottawa Gee-Gees O-lineman Qasim Khan (Obby's brother) is trying out with the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers. (Winnipeg Sun)
  
  
• Is it out of line to ask for a moratorium on articles about placekickers being close to breaking a school or conference record? The Sun Media article on Calgary Dinos' Aaron Ifield is about the fourth such piece to appear in a big-city daily in the last three weeks. Is it too much to ask for a feature on a player who actually practises with the whole team?
  
  
• Le Pony Express has plenty on Ottawa hanging a half-a-hundred on Guelph. (Ottawa Sun, Guelph Mercury)
  
  
• It is a bye week in the QUFL, but not for Deux Fans at Allez Les Bleus. They have posted a Q & A with Montreal receiver Mathieu Razanakolona, the guy whom Laval's Frederic Plesius almost sent into orbit last week.
  

Hockey

• Lakehead coach Joel Scherban was not a happy camper after the Thunderwolves beat York 4-1. The Swedish freshman, Victor Anilane, apparently fit in well on a line with Mark Soares and Scott Dobben. (TBNewsWatch)
  
  
• A stick tap to coach Graham Wise's Ryerson Rams for beating Concordia 4-3 on the road, helping the former Mid-East teams go 2-1 vs. ex-Far East squads in the OUA. Brent Small scored the game-winner with 8:57 remaining. (See the OUA East preview.)
  
  
• Nipissing had a welcome-to-the-OUA moment (several, more likely) in an 8-3 loss to No. 5 UQTR. (North Bay Nugget)
  
  
• How about St. Thomas drubbing Dalhousie 10-4 in its final tune-up for the AUS regular season? Devin Praught had a hat trick and Matt Eagles had a four-point night.
  
  
• Reigning CIS silver medallist Laurier tied the Chinese Olympic women's team 2-2 on Friday.
  
  
• The Toronto Star covered the story about Ryerson needing $20 million to finalize funding for the Maple Leaf Gardens reno. The comments about spending taxpayer money are kind of hilarious. Do people realize if they had to pay the full cost of transportation, no one would be able to afford to drive?
  

Basketball

• CanBallReport is Tweeting scores every night and all weekend to help hoopheads get their fix.
  
  
• The Alberta Pandas and Bishop's Gaiters are each fairly young ... the Pandas edged BU 54-50 at their home tourney on Friday.


• cishoops.ca should have a busy weekend ahead.

One last thing ...

• The New York Times picked up a wire service story about the increasing number of U.S. students applying to Canadian universities. The observations about "the absence of big-time college football and basketball" or how, "They may not match U.S. universities for the rah-rah sports experience or the plush facilities" may be laughed off as examples of the American superiority complex (it goes both ways). The fact the writer felt it necessary to point out, "And wired residences and classrooms are now commonplace" was just too much.
  
  Yes, Canada has had the Internet just as long as the United States. Perhaps that AP writer should use a Blackberry to look that up.