Nunes Sports and Stuff

  Over a decade in Sherwood Park as a volunteer for the Crusaders, last night in Spruce Grove was fun. As a new season ticket holder for the Saints, with handfuls of Crusaders fans in attendance giving me the gears for switching allegiances, the 2026-27 season started with a nail biting win! Entering the Thompson Family Arena one wondered who the scratches for the Saints were going to be. The question answered itself when Blair Erickson and Owen Cronan were on the concourse distributing tickets for the first intermission shoot to win game. ROOKIES REPORT    Eight Saints made their BCHL debuts with defenseman Michael Zuyev and forward Lucas Cilan out to take the opening draw. Zuyev was paired with incumbent Kohyn Pipke, which after seeing the chemistry he had with another rookie in Cole Bent during the preseason finale somewhat surprised. Owen Leckelt and Scott Sandilands were the two experienced forwards flanking Cilan. Zuyev earned the honour of being the first Saint ...

  Opening night in the BCHL! It is go time for the Spruce Grove Saints! Per Brian Wiebe of BCHL Network, ahead of 2025-26 season the league simplified their roster rules, " every team must roster a minimum of 10 Canadians. The rest of the lineup – whether Americans or players from Europe and beyond – is wide open"   From the BCHL June 2026 Annual General Meeting notes the only roster modification noted was the downsizing to a 23-man instead of 25.  The lineup the Spruce Grove Saints posted on their website lists 15 Canadians! As of this writing, the Blackfalds Bulldogs and Brooks Bandits rosters each have just the minimum 10 Canadians while the Okotoks Oilers and Sherwood Park Crusaders rosters are not yet posted. Of the 15 Canadians on the Saints, 7 are defenseman. That means if Brodie Kay (United Kingdom) misses a game, the Saints will ice an all-Canadian D unit. Both goaltenders for Spruce Grove are also Canadian.  8 of the 15 Canadians are Albertan. Forward...

  You cheer for your team whether they win or lose. That is the most basic definition of sports fandom. The childlike innocence of focusing solely on the game being played instead of the distractions of the outside world. Sure there are temper tantrums along the way when your team loses badly or slumps but akin to being angry at your dog when it does something wrong, the anger never really has a chance of surviving. Well holy hell have the Edmonton Oilers, Edmonton Elks and our contignent of BCHL teams burdened us with happenings outside the actual game being played that makes it difficult to focus on just wins and losses. The chase for the Stanley Cup has led the Oilers to hiring a general manager that many thought would never work in hockey again after how he completely mishandled a "bigger than the game" situation while in Chicago. After embarassing the organization with his handling of the firing of the incumbent coach, he and the Club hired a coach that needed to be clea...

First Spruce Grove Saints game as a season ticket holder. Weird cheering for them ( here is why)  So excited for this season, actually attending an exhibition game. Coming from over a decade in Sherwood Park I absolutely love how bright Thompson Family Arena is! Impressed by both goaltenders, interested by the size difference between Colten Scott (listed at 5'11") and Joseph Quintilio (listed at 6'4"). Got a lot of Kohyn Pipke and Cole Bent as a defensive pairing. Both are listed under 6 feet, neither ever looked overmatched. Pipke caught a lot of my attention as he looked comfortable playing physical in all three zones. Big 6'7" Blair Erickson struggled the first half of the game seemingly always a second behind. The young man caught up to the game in the second half.  Nikolas Salo (he is from Singapore, the Tommy you are thinking off is from Sweden) was burned badly on Blackfalds' second goal but otherwise didn't look like someone getting their feet...

  YES, that is me in the mascot suit. NO, this article will not be asking you to pledge or donate. This is the sharing of good times had volunteering and/or participating in these events. The Sherwood Park Terry Fox Run at Broadmoor Lake Park and the Celiac Edmonton Ride Walk Run held at Rundle Park  are events, not infomercials, actual fun events. The story behind the mascot, whether my boss at the Sherwood Park Crusaders was Spencer Love (currently the founder of Love Pro Wrestling), Adam Sergerie (currently a pro scout for the Vancouver Canucks) or Adam Girard (currently with the Cru), the players were always a part of this day held just beyond their home rink the Sherwood Park Arena. Last year was the first year as a participant (human not mascot) and was a 5 KM brisk walk with my sister.  The premise of the Terry Fox run is very serious but the day itself is filled with smiles, bonding, and memory making. You do not need to be a participant to make a difference on S...

  The Ravenwood Music Festival  was held in Sherwood Park on the July 10th and 11th in Broadmoor Park. They bill themselves as the chillest music festival around and I am here to confirm that it is in effect the most laid back night(s) out you can have. You bring your own chair, you sit yourself down, enjoy. Well except for that bit in the middle of Pushing Ginger covering Roxette's "The Look" when everyone in attendance was told "get to your vehicles now, the storm we have been tracking is about to hit". Twenty minutes of mayhem later, the sun came out. We all felt like the itsy bitsy spider as mister sun dried everything up for us as we made our way back to catch the headliner. Appearing for the second consecutive year "Ahead by a Century", a Tragically Hip cover band, rocked their set. Night two's headliner was Captain Tractor. They were the reason I bought the tickets but the two acts before them stole the night for me. Donita Large took the s...

***originally posted on Shotgun Sports Network *** The British Columbia Hockey League ( BCHL ) heads into the 2026-27 season with twenty teams, five of them from Alberta. Back on June 3rd, one of the notes from the 2026 Annual General Meeting Recap was "Governors identified Alberta expansion as a priority" ( hello Cold Lake? ). This is a league that removed itself from Hockey Canada ahead of the 2023-24 season to remove borders on player availability. It makes no sense to continue using a territorial name like BCHL. Founded in 1961 as the Okanagan-Mainline Junior Hockey League, the name BCHL did not come about until the 1995-96 season. As previously mentioned, the board of governers voted to leave Hockey Canada in 2023. That same season, news broke that five Alberta teams were leaving the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) to join the BCHL. The Alberta Five Since 2018-19 the Brooks Bandits have won their league every season there has been a championship to be won, whether ...

 ***posted originally on Shotgun Sports Network*** Between 2012-18 and 2022-2026, I was a face you would recognize but not a name you would know at the Sherwood Park Arena volunteering for the Sherwood Park Crusaders. This past weekend I purchased season tickets to their "Suburb Series" rivals, the Spruce Grove Saints. Sorry Sherwood Park This will not be a spilling of the tea as to why the allegiance has changed, it is a chance to express another thank you to the unsung heroes of a hockey club. The nameless faces who volunteer (some are paid) their time as goal judges, penalty box workers, clock operaters, announcers, security, ticket sales and scanners, these are people that are vital to Junior A Clubs being successful and each one of them will be missed. The budding Sherwood Park traditions of The Ravenwood Music Festival , Highland Games and Terry Fox Run will continue to stay on my calendar. The hope the Club builds their new arena remains but the next visit will be wea...