Grizzlys down Eagles
CANMORE — Taylor Bourne scored twice in the third period Tuesday to lead the Olds Grizzlys to a 4-3 Alberta Junior Hockey League win over the Canmore Eagles.
Brandon Clowes and Evan Thompson also tallied for the Grizzlys, while the Eagles, who led 2-0 early in the second period, got goals from Cody Cartier, Kory Roy and Trey Phillips.
Brandon Thiessen made 25 saves for the Grizzlys, who are in Camrose Thursday to face the Kodiaks and host the Drumheller Dragons and Canmore Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.
Eagles netminder Steve Papciak stopped 39 shots.
High School Basketball
Tyler Cassidy netted 14 points and John Goranson pulled down 21 rebounds as the visiting Notre Dame Cougars defeated the Sylvan Lake H.J. Cody Lakers 64-60 in senior high school boys basketball action Monday.
In the senior girls contest, Madi Quinn drained 16 points to help the Cougars beat the Lakers 48-32.
Both Notre Dame teams will compete in the Lindsay Thurber tournament Friday and Saturday.
* Notre Dame got 12 points from Kelvin Agonoy in a 55-42 win over the previously undefeated Camrose Trojans in JV boys play Monday.
In girls action, the Cougars fell 81-32 to the Trojans. Paige Watson scored 10 points in a losing cause.
The Notre Dame JV tournament is this weekend.
* The senior girls Cougars suffered two losses before posting their lone win at the Father Troy tournament in Edmonton during the weekend — 97-31 over Edmonton Bishop McNally.
Natalie Potvin poured in 31 points for the Cougars, who also got 24 from tournament all star Molly Li and 12 from Taylor Penner.
Ladies Basketball
Trudie Lefurgey and Jill de Jonge dropped in 20 points each as the Hot Shots downed Lacombe 91-40 in A Pool play in the North Star Sports Ladies’ Basketball League play Monday.
Amy MacKenzie had 10 points and Paula Chapman nine for Lacombe.
In other A action, the Collins Barrow Storm downed the RDC Royals 54-50 and the North Stars beat Triple Threat 68-30.
Kayla Newans had 21 points and Andrea Meding 14 for the Storm with Crista Oke dropping in 17 points and Danielle Erasmus 12 for the Royals.
Nadine Cunningham led the North Stars with 22 points while Shari Demale added 20. Ingrid Kleinlugtenbeld had 10 points and Tamara Steer eighth for Triple Threat.
• In Pool B play the Spartans defeated the Big Ballers 55-46 and The Bank downed Wild Bills 44-42.
Carla Stewart had 20 points and Cassie Stewart 18 for the Spartans with Mandy Hallgren and Emma Blair hitting eight points each for the Big Ballers.
Rebecca Zonruiter with 14 points and Charissa Cummings with eight led The Bank with Tracy Klaussen hitting 12 points and Joy Knopp nine for Wild Bills.
Conway places in top positions
Amber Conway of the Red Deer Ski Club placed first and second in the 10-year-old division of Nancy Greene races at Canyon during the weekend.
Samantha Sylvestre finished second and ninth in the same division and Brad Gould was runner-up in the five-year-old boys category.
Other Red Deer results:
Girls nine-year-old: Jasmine Photinopolos, fiftth and sixth; Briana Forner-Walker, ninth.
Girls seven: Oleandra Burton, fourth and sixth.
Boys 10: Kale Chessor, sixth and sixth; Reid Esquirol, seventh and seventh.
Boys nine: Josh Schimmel, third and fourth; Owen Green, fourth and fifth; Jared Oakes, seventh and sixth.
Boys eight: Seth Becker, fifth and sixth.
Boys seven: Travis Chessor, seventh and sixth; Derek Gamroth, eighth and seventh; Darius Metcalfe, ninth and eighth.
Generals to host Chinook League final
The Bentley Generals will host the Fort Saskatchewan Chiefs in the opening game of the best-of-three Chinook Hockey League final Friday at 8 p.m.
The Generals will visit the Chiefs for the second game Saturday. A third and final game, if necessary, will be played next Wednesday at Bentley.
Riders’ Jeremy O’Day joins front office
REGINA — Saskatchewan Roughriders offensive lineman Jeremy O’Day is leaving the gridiron for a front-office position with the team.
O’Day announced his retirement Tuesday, ending his 14-year CFL playing career. O’Day, who spent 12 seasons with the Riders, has been named the team’s football operations co-ordinator.
“It has truly been an honour to be involved with such a great organization,” O’Day said in a release.
“I’ll never forget the amazing feeling of running onto the field at Mosaic Stadium.”
O’Day ranks 12th on the Riders’ all-time list with 202 regular season games played. He was a three-time CFL all-star and the team’s nominee for most outstanding offensive lineman on four occasions.
O’Day spent his first two seasons with Toronto and won a Grey Cup in 1997.
“It has always been a dream of mine to continue on with the Roughriders after my playing career.
“I look forward to continuing to help this organization be the best team possible.”
Argos lock up Owens through 2013
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Turning down the lure of another shot at the NFL, star kick-returner Chad Owens left money on the table to re-sign with the Toronto Argonauts through the 2013 season Tuesday.
“Definitely, the potential for a whole lot more money,” Owens said on a conference call. “
You’re talking about the NFL, the potential to make millions, but I tried to take the money out of the equation.
“If the NFL and CFL paid players the same, I’d be back in Toronto anyway.
“As an athlete, I got everything you could want and then some from the city of Toronto, from that organization.”
The 28-year-old was the CFL’s outstanding special teams player last season, when he led the CFL in combined yards (3,288), punt return yards (1,060), punt return average (12.6), kickoff return yards (1,216), missed field goal return yards (425) and tied for the league lead with four kick-return touchdowns.
The Flyin’ Hawaiian also became the fifth player in league history to accumulate 1,000 punt and kickoff return yards in the same season.
Owens reportedly worked out with four NFL teams before deciding to stay put. The threat of a lockout played a role in his decision.
“I looked at everything. That was part of it,” he said. “I didn’t think it was going to be that hard of a decision. My whole goal growing up as a kid was to go and play in the NFL and I had those opportunities, and another opportunity presented itself this off-season. It ended up being very hard for me, very emotional for me and my family.
“I’m just happy everything is done and I can put my 110 per cent focus into preparing for training camp and to prepare for the chance to win the Grey Cup.”
Freestylers finish with firsts
The Central Alberta Freestyle Ski Club had a pair of first-place finishes in the big air division of a freestyle ski meet at Canyon Ski Resort during the weekend.
Lia Sayers won the jumps and bumps division while Connor Armitage took the men’s M3 title.
Megan Cressey was a double silver medalist, finishing second in the F5 moguls and big air while Genevieve Sikora was second in both events in the jumps and bumps division.
Laura Arnusch placed second in the jumps and bumps moguls with Taylor Anderson second in M2 big air.
Bryana Cressey was second and Lakoda Thomas third in the F4 moguls while Logan Cressey placed third in both M6 moguls and big air.
Central Alberta athletes will compete in the second provincial competition of the season at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary this weekend.
Other top 10 finishers were:
Moguls
Female
Jumps and bumps: Gillian Corsiatto, fourth; Cassie Drok, sixth; Lia Sayers, seventh; Jade Sinnamon, 10th.
F4: Lakota Thomas, fourth.
Male
Jumps and bumps: Pascal Smith, fourth.
M2: Taylor Anderson, fifth; Ray Boudreau, sixth.
M3: Bryce Scott, fourth.
Big Air
Female
Jumps and bumps: Jade Sinnamon, fourth; Laura Arnusch, sixth; Gillian Corsiatto, eighth; Cassie Drok, ninth.
Male
M3: Bruce Scott, ninth.
Sting take U16 title in Vancouver
The Central Alberta Sting went undefeated in winning the U16 AA title at the Pacific Ring ringette tournament in Richmond, B.C., during the weekend.
The Sting finished second in their pool with a 2-0-2 record before beating the BC Northern Lights 7-6 in the semifinal and the Calgary Classics 3-1 in the final.
In pool play they tied the Classics 3-3 and the Lower Mainland Thunder 5-5 while defeating the Thompson-Okanagan Dynomite 9-2 and the Northern Lights 7-5.
The Sting’s next action is the AA provincials, Feb. 25-27 in Edmonton.
• The Red Deer High Performance Coatings U12 A Edge settled for silver in the Edmonton Silver Ring tournament during the weekend, falling 6-3 to the St. Albert Fury while getting two goals from Holly Daniel and a single from Jenna St. Pierre.
The Edge reached the final with a 6-2 win over the Edmonton Eclipse in the semifinals as Lizzy Cundict scored three times and Alison Harman, Christina Morigeau and Shannel Holtz once each.
The Edge were undefeated in round-robin play, beating the Calgary NW Syke 7-1, Calgary Bow View Sonic 5-1 and the Edmonton X-Polsion 10-3.
St. Pierre had two goals against the Syke with singles added by Hayley Lalor, Shae DeMale, Cundict, Madison Caine and Brooklyn Park.
DeMale connected twice against the Sonic with Holtz, Jenna Hollman and Daniel adding one goal each.
St. Pierre had a hat trick against the X-Polsion while Lalor and Holtz had two goals each and Morigeau, Park and Kaylee Sawchuk potting single markers. Goaltender Mandi Fitzsimons allowed only five goals in three games during the round-robin.
