Egland scores Teddy Bear Toss goal but Pats lose in OT
10h ago
Over 3,000 stuffed animals were tossed onto the ice.
Team Saskatchewan is looking to once again prove it’s Canada’s amateur football powerhouse.
The defending champion will look for its second straight gold medal in the Football Canada Cup on Saturday against Team Quebec. Kickoff in Kingston, Ont., is set for 4 p.m. Saskatchewan time.
“I’m really excited for it,” Team Sask quarterback Noah Pelletier said. “We’re doing lots of preparing for it and I think we’re really ready for this. This is what we’ve been preparing for for a long while. I know everyone’s excited and I hope it’s a good game.”
This is the fourth straight year Team Sask has qualified for the final.
Pelletier, who is heading into his Grade 12 year at Balfour Collegiate in Regina, is one of the returning players from the 2018 championship squad. It was the team’s second gold medal, with the first coming in 2010.
“Last year it was nice to be around a winning environment,” Pelletier said. “Just seeing how we’re acting (this year) and seeing how we’re preparing and playing, I know that we’re also in a winning environment again and that’s just good to see.”
It wasn’t an easy road to the final this year for the team. It led 23-0 late in the third quarter against Team Ontario on Wednesday, but Ontario made a game out of it, scoring 15 unanswered points. Team Sask was able to avoid the meltdown and won 23-15.
This is the third year Pelletier has been a part of Team Saskatchewan. He and LeBoldus running back Ryker Frank returned to the team this year. Both were a part of the 2017 U16 Western Challenge silver medal-winning team and both represented Canada at the 2018 International Bowl.
“There’s always great people, great coaches and it’s always great being able to represent your province,” Pelletier said.
It’s not just the big city centres like Saskatoon and Regina that make up the squad.
The team also has players from Assiniboia, Viscount, Rosetown and Hafford. Head coach Jeff Stusek said team officials look at all leagues in the province when trying to find talent.
“We have important grassroots programs across the province, including six- and nine-man players,” Stusek said. “Teams that are out there provide good coaching.
“The Saskatchewan Roughriders have been a part of supporting grassroots football as well and it helps grow the program. Ten of our 40 players come from nine- or six-man programs so that’s pretty cool.”
Stusek is in his second season as the team’s head coach after being the team’s special-teams coach for two seasons.
Stusek said the Football Canada Cup is the premier amateur national football championship for high school-level players.
“These are the 300 best players in the country that are coming together,” Stusek said. “For Saskatchewan to be able to compete at that, it sort of speaks to all the people and all the programs that have contributed to football in Saskatchewan.”
Along with finding players among the many Saskatchewan communities, Stusek said the team does the little things right as well.
“We’re highly disciplined, we’re on time, we’re early for everything,” Stusek said. “We operate as a team, not as individuals and it serves us well. We’re disciplined on the field, we’re structured and it gives us a chance against a province like Ontario that has 13 million people.”
Despite the recent success at the tournament, Stusek said Team Sask still feels like the underdogs.
“I’m not looking for the respect but this team doesn’t get the respect it deserves because it’s a great team and it operates very well and the players are super-committed and dedicated,” Stusek said.
The game can be viewed via a live online stream on the Football Canada website.