Linking the country ...

Football
  • Offensive lineman Dylan Steenbergen does not regret being a Montreal Alouettes practice squadder instead of playing in the Vanier Cup with Calgary. (Calgary Herald)

  • Retired Calgary coach Peter Connellan will be following the Vanier Cup from Arizona. (Calgary Herald)

  • Calgary QB Erik Glavic and Queen's QB Dan Brannagan met many times in summer leagues. Brannagan's teams usually won. (Sun Media, Le Journal de Quebec)

  • Queen's rush end Shomari Williams, the Mitchell Bowl MVP, is eager for the challenge posed by facing the 6-foot-6 Glavic. (Journal de Quebec)

  • Calgary and Queen's had to taste some canvas before they could get close to the champagne. Note that Golden Gaels coach Pat Sheahan also used an analogy likening Queen's to Harvard. (Journal de Quebec)

  • The Gaels' all-Canadian receiver, Scott Valberg, had a slow start to his football career. (Kingston Whig-Standard)

  • Queen's practises on a turf field in Kingston, so switching from grass might not affect them so much. (Queen's held Ottawa to eight points on turf.) (Kingston Whig-Standard)

  • Vanier Cup referee Doug Brenton worked his way back from a leg injury to earn the assignment. (Halifax Chronicle-Herald)
Hockey
  • Former OHL goalie Josh Unice, who was on two league championship teams, is considering joining Western. (Rangers Rap)

  • Interim UPEI coach Forbes MacPherson is happy to be coaching in his home province. (Fredericton Daily Gleaner)

  • Dalhousie forward Ben Breault credits ECHL teammate Jordan Morrison with talking him into joining the Tigers. (Halifax Chronicle-Herald)
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10 comments:

  1. Another bit of trivia and apologies if noted already. Both coaches for teams appearing at Vanier this year have sons playing first string and there is chance that one of the offspring will be tackling the other maybe even in the first few minutes of play at PEPS.

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  2. Both Taylor Nill and Devan Sheahan play offence. It would have to come on special teams!

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  3. The Josh Unice news is troubling for myself, a Laurier student, considering Josh took classes AT Laurier while playing with the Rangers yet doesnt feel the need to join us.

    Granted, Ryan Daniels looks like he will be a star over the next 5 years, but surely Unice could outplay him.

    Freaking Western, gets all the breaks...

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  4. It said "potential destination" for Unice. We don't know for sure.

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  5. Knowing Western...he'll go

    >.<

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  6. Luke, I did not know that you were a Laurier student as well (I probably could have checked, oh well). I have likely seen you at a few games. I have been to 8 of their games this year, and followed 2 via webcast as well. I do not think we should read too much into this. This stuff happens all the time. My friend's brother currently plays for Barrie and attends their local college. He and most of the guys on the team attend the college roughly one night a week and take one class together, simply so that they can tell their parents they are using their education money. If he was to look at going to college/university next year, he would no doubt look for the best fit, regardless of having taken classes in Barrie. He simply takes the classes there because he lives in Barrie right now. On that note the OHL just recently (on the 23rd) released their list of 355 players currently receiving their scholarships. That being said, it would be nice to see more guys coming from Kitchener end up playing at Laurier (similar to what Guelph is trying to work with the Storm). I know playing with the Rangers was instrumental in Rizk deciding to stay in the area once his OHL days were over.

    While Unice was a fairly high draft choice, I don't necessarily think that he would be that amazing as a pickup. Don't get me wrong, I would put up no fight if he came to Laurier, but you said "surely" that he could outperform Ryan Daniels. I am not so sure. It is definitely possible, but I am not as certain as you. Unice has two years with an above .900 save percentage, and they both came playing in front of OHL champions Kitchener, and OHL (and memorial cup) champions, Windsor. This year, I have heard nothing but terrible opinions from most Windsor fans, most of whom feel his 3 games this year, were 3 more than he should have played. It seems to me (and I could be wrong) that Unice is not shopping himself to Western (or the USHL for that matter) because he has advanced from major junior, but because as a 19 year old (and now as an overager), he simply could not find himself a starting (or any) job in the OHL. While goalies like Daniels and MacDougald at Laurier did not make the NHL, at least they were assets up until the end of their OHL days. At this point, it is still too early to tell, but I am not 100% convinced that if Unice was picked up by Laurier right now, he takes over the starting position.

    On a note of recruiting, Zack Shepley (who seems to have not played last season), formerly a stay at home defenceman of the Plymouth Whalers, has been added to the Laurier roster. Seeing as how Laurier has been playing with only 6 defencemen, I suppose this is a positive note, especially with injuries as a concern. I thought we would have had 7, but do you know what has happened with Garrett Sinfield?

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  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. I'm going to coin the greatest Simpson's quote of all time in describing Josh Unice, "He's history's greatest monster."

    I live in Kitchener and saw way too many Rags' games for my own good. I can personally atest that Unice shrinks as the moment gets bigger. Unice was why the Rags failed to win the Mem Cup in '08.

    The Rags had a 3-0 lead over the Bulls in the OHL Final until the Unice-Act found its stride; he gave up bad goal after bad goal. Kitchener managed to pull that series out but the damage had already been done.

    The fatique of the four extra games left the Rags running on fumes. When the Chiefs finally got an edge on the Rags in the Mem Cup final, due to more poor goaltending by Unice, Kitchener had nothing left to come back with.

    The fact that Unice was a part of the championship-Spitz last season means absolutely nothing. Unice was a through-in that the Rags insisted upon to allow Timmins and Bortuzo to head to Windsor. Unice, had he played well in '08, could have displaced Engleage in the latter part of the regular season but he could not make the stops when the heat was on. The fact that Unice left the Spitz this season speaks volumes.

    Western, whatever you do, wash your hands of Unice; the kid is bad news.

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  9. You echoed what I had read about last year's big Kitchener - Windsor deal. I had heard that Kitchener insisted upon getting rid of Unice before they would move Timmins to Windsor.

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  10. Unice committed to Western....now the Mustangs have Grieco, Unice and Hunt- meaning someone is out of the loop and going to be upset...

    more importantly, Brady Morrison, formerly of Queen's , committed to Laurier for next year. He is a big pick-up...

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