Hossa to miss season with skin disorder
Summerside Intermediate School (SIS) continued its dominance of P.E.I. School Athletic Association flag football recently.
SIS teams won a total of seven medals – three gold, three silver and one bronze – in the four divisions of the P.E.I. School Athletic Association flag football AA and A provincial championships. Last season, the Owls earned two gold, three silver and one bronze.
Boys
In AA boys at Eric Johnston Field in Summerside, the SIS Raiders beat Francois Buote in one semifinal 32-31, and the SIS Giants beat Montague 55-12 in the other to set up an all-SIS gold-medal game.
The Giants jumped out to a quick 19-0 lead on touchdowns by Ben MacDougall, Kyle Cameron and a spectacular onehanded grab by Finn Turner. However, the Grade 8 Raiders weren’t going to go down without a fight, and two second-half touchdowns by Parker Fisher and Connor Keough cut the Giants’ lead to 19-12.
The undefeated Giants were able to hang on with a critical game-clinching drive that ran out the clock to win their third straight P.E.I. championship. The final score was 19-12. Montague defeated Francois Buote 51-26 to win the bronze medal. The Miscouche Mustangs captured their first-ever A boys’ title with a 30-14 win over the SIS 49ers in the gold-medal game. Both teams advanced with convincing wins – Miscouche beat East Wiltshire 57-27, and the 49ers outlasted Stonepark 39-12.
East Wiltshire posted a 33-18 win over Stonepark to win the bronze medal.
Girls
History was made as Cornwall hosted the girls’ provincials. For the first time ever, one school won gold in both the AA and A girls’ divisions as the SIS Packers and SIS Dolphins capped undefeated seasons.
In AA girls, the Packers, who were runners-up last season, beat the SIS Chargers in a very competitive championship game 26-6.
In the semifinals, the Packers defeated Montague 20-6 while the Chargers won a very exciting game with East Wiltshire in triple overtime.
East Wiltshire beat Montague to claim the bronze medal. A touchdown pass from Katie Acorn to Andrea Caron on the second-last play of the game gave the Dolphins a thrilling 20-18 victory over East Wiltshire in a very exciting A championship game. The Dolphins advanced with a win over Stonepark while East Wiltshire beat the SIS Steelers in the other semifinal.
In the bronze-medal game, the Steelers beat Stonepark. The Summerside Intermediate School Giants won the P.E.I. School Athletic Association AA Boys Flag Football League championship in Summerside recently. The Giants defeated the SIS Raiders 19-12 in the gold-medal contest. Members of the Giants are, front row, from left: Caleb O’Very, Colby MacArthur, Finn Turner and Charlie Turner. Back row: John Turner (coach), Justin Caron, Ben MacDougall, Colin Goodwin, Austin Arsenault and Kyle Cameron. The Summerside Dolphins pulled out a dramatic 20-18 victory over East Wiltshire in the championship game of the P.E.I. School Athletic Association A Girls Flag Football League in Cornwall recently. Members of the Dolphins are, front row, from left: Chelsea Ellands, Lauren Clark, Katie Acorn and Callie MacAlduff. Back row: Jordyn Connell (coach), Brooke Blanchard, Reghan Betts, Aidan Murphy, Paige Maclean, Andrea Caron and Rob Connell (coach). The Miscouche Mustangs won their first-ever P.E.I. School Athletic Association A Boys Flag Football League championship in Summerside recently. The Mustangs defeated the Summerside Intermediate School 49ers 30-14 in the final. Members of the Mustangs are, front row, from left: Connor Murphy, Kegan DesRoches, Scott MacDonald (coach), Ryan Murphy, Charlie DesRoches and Connor Murphy. Back row: Cody McCormack, Isaac Arsenault, Keiran Arsenault, Sammy Jones and Jack Reilly. Chicago Blackhawks winger Marian Hossa will miss the entire upcoming NHL season because of severe side effects from medication to treat a progressive skin condition he’s been dealing with for years.
The team announced the medical update Wednesday, one that could have a significant impact on the veteran’s career and the franchise’s future. The 38-year-old Hossa has four years left on his contract and says “playing hockey is not possible” for him next season. “While I am disappointed that I will not be able to play, I have to consider the severity of my condition and how the treatments have impacted my life both on and off the ice,” Hossa said in a statement released by the Blackhawks, adding he’s been privately undergoing treatment for the last few years under the supervision of Chicago’s medical staff.
Dr. Michael Terry said the team supports Hossa’s decision not to play and that the skin disorder is “becoming more and more difficult to treat and control with conventional medications while he plays hockey.” “We feel in the most certain terms this is the appropriate approach for Marian in order to keep him functional and healthy in the short term and throughout his life,” Terry said. General manager Stan Bowman calls Hossa’s absence a significant loss.
Hossa, a 19-year veteran, has only missed 46 games over the past six seasons. He had 26 goals and 19 assists last season and has been considered one of the best defensive forwards in the league throughout his career.
“His teammates and coaches know he battled through some very tough physical difficulties but never complained or missed games despite the challenges he faced,” Bowman said.