Linking the country ...

Basketball

• cishoops.ca has write-ups from games all across the country. No doubt the most noticeable scores included Cape Breton's 97-78 win over Ottawa on the Gee-Gees' home floor. Former NCAA D-1 point guard Paris Carter (Hartford, New Mexico State) sounds like the real deal at point guard.
  
  Mark Wacyk's write-up describes Ottawa as "porous" defensively. That's never been known to be good.
  
  
• Two more scores worth noting: Carleton won by just five points over Fraser Valley, 75-70 out in Victoria, with Mike Kenny (20 points, 4-of-7 threes) having a great second half.
  
  From this vantage point, it kind of calls to mind the last coaching matchup between Dave Smart and Fraser Valley's Barnaby Craddock, Carleton's 52-49 win over Craddock-coached Brandon in the 2007 national final. (Remember, that was the last game before the switch to FIBA rules and the 24-second shot clock.
  
  Carleton is also facing Alberta and host UVic this weekend. Those will be tough, tough games for the retooling Ravens.
  
  
• Meantime, how about McMaster (6-0 in pre-season) beating St. Francis Xavier 88-52? Granted the game was on Mac's home floor, but they were up by 26 points at halftime over a tournament team. Keenan Jeppesen, who helped Western win back-to-back OUA West titles, had 19 points in 27 minutes for the Marauders. St. FX shot just 31% for the night.
  
  
• Continuing with the OUA West, Laurier hosted Saint Mary's last night and Kale Harrison picked up 33 for the Hawks in their 81-73 win. This game is notable if only for being the shortest CIS basketball game ever attended by our Rob Pettapiece, who got there at 7:28, left at 9:02, and didn't miss a minute of action. (The first half took 30 minutes to play.)
  
  
• Queen's big man Mitch Leger, who missed the second half of last season with a knee injury, went off for 39 points and 12 rebounds in the Golden Gaels' 94-90 overtime win over the UQAM Citadins.
  
  
• Nice homecoming for Cape Breton forward Kari Everett: Twenty-three points, 12 rebounds in the Capers' win over McGill at the Don Grant women's tournament in Moncton. Defending OUA East champion Ottawa is also there; it beat Dalhousie last night with Emilie Morasse and Hannah Sunley-Paisley combining for 35 points. (Moncton Times & Transcript)
  
  
• Tyrell Mara and his Trinity Western teammates are big on good works. (Little Man on Campus)
  

Football

• It's been a while since OUA fans have heard people talking about Guelph wideout-kick returner Jedd Gardner, who was in a lot of "best receiver in the OUA" conversations earlier on in the season. (Always OUA)
  
  
• The opposing coaches in today's University Rush tilt, Guelph's Kyle Walters and McMaster's Stefan Ptaszek, are both new fathers. The Ptaszeks' newborn son, Stefan Carl, weighed in at 9 lbs., 14 oz.; think he might be a future football player?
  
  (It's the second child for Ptaszek and his spouse, Karen. I have friends my age who are expecting their fifth child.) (Hamilton Spectator)
  
  
• (Possibly not) former Waterloo Warriors running back Tanner Forsyth and linebacker Bill Thomas are having some early success as they attempt to make Canada's developmental bobsled team, taking a perhaps permanent break from football. They might be as likely to compete in the 2014 Sochi Olympics as some NHL players, depending on if Gary Bettman gets his way (excuse the editorializing). (The Liberal)

Hockey

• Former Western winger Sal Peralta has signed with the IHL's Quad Cities Mallards.