Pigskin picks
The B division Hunter’s Ale House Mudmen, 6-1 on the regular season, meet the Windsor A side in Nova Scotia rugby playoff action today.
Game time is 4 p.m. at Co-op Field in Charlottetown.
The top two teams in the B division tangle with the lower four seeds from the A division with the winners advancing to the B Division championship game. The Mudmen have had a number of standouts this past month or so, especially speedy Charlottetown Rural flanker Sylvain Dougay, Rural grads Mark and Ryan Lloyd, rugged James Coyle and Alex (Meatball) Hall, who traded in his golf clubs for the rugby cleats and has been impressive.
Baseball
In Kings County Baseball League playoff action, The Alley Stratford Athletics sidelined the Northside Gill Construction Brewers 6-1 Wednesday night.
They play the Peakes Tee Bombers in the final, which opens Sunday at 4 p.m. in Peakes.
Dan O’Shea tossed a complete game, four-hitter as Stratford rallied from a 2-0 series deficit to win the best-offive series. The Athletics have a strong attack with Adam Smith, Marshall Ellis, Shawn MacDougall, Ryne MacIsaac and Dominic Ryan, which makes this series a tough one to call. Peakes, however, has more offence with catcher Mitchell Power, shortstop Matt Bradley, slugging second baseman Dillon Doucette and a little more depth in pitching with Rob Phalen and lefty Josh Coffin, that’s why the Prophet likes Peakes in this series.
Golf
The Mike Kelly Golf Classic went last Saturday at Fox Meadow and it’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since the baseball-hockey standout passed away.
In the golf tournament, goalie coach Jamie Blanchard and his stacked team of exPanthers great Dave Shellington, Stephen Stewart and Jamie (Fozzy) Gallant took top honours. Many of the players that I talked to last Saturday were impressed with the play of Tanner McCabe in training The NFL’s opening week provided a number of shockers, including poor performances by New England, the New York Giants, Seattle and Cincinnati. I was 3-for-4 last Saturday, so we’ll try these four.
New York Jets at Oakland Raiders – Giving up 13 points on the spread to any NFL club is a tough proposition, but we’ll up give the points and take Oakland to cover.
Detroit Lions at New York Giants – The Giants are without star receiver Odell Beckham, yet they are three-point chalk over the hometown Lions. The Lions aren’t much, are weak defensively camp thus far and as well with defenceman Alex McQuaid.
Hockey
On the Quebec major junior front, the Charlottetown Islanders attracted a big crowd Thursday at Eastlink Centre for advance sale of their season ticket packages, which tells me interest is very high. They lost a lot of firepower and experience from last year, so let’s hope they have numerous surprises in training camp.
Recently a number of former NHLers were in town and ex-Habs and Bruins standout Chris Nilan took the time to visit local sportsman Ed Power, who is battling health issues. Power is a lifelong Detroit fan but, nevertheless, Chris dropped over to talk hockey, which was a neat gesture. Ed’s buddy, Gerard Ellsworth, is spearheading a ticket drive to help offset some of the medical costs.
On the topic of the Power family, Kenny Power led the way last Monday at Belvedere Golf Club as his team of Chucker Carmichael, Sock MacDonald and Gerry Moore took their Monday afternoon club honours.
Veteran Mike Coady and Craig Fitzpatrick posted best rounds of the day.
Congrats to Anderson Creek golf course owner Blair MacLauchlan, who not only has a beautiful, well-maintained property but golfers are treated to complimentary P.E.I. muscles at the end of their round. It took me an hour to get brother Tex out of there last week.
Basketball
The Island Storm is busy getting ready for training camp and its home opener is set for Eastlink Centre on Nov. 18 and it looks like Moncton and coach Joe Salerno will be the visitors.
The Storm has signed Julius Barton, a six-foot-10 forward from Kentucky State, who played pro in Europe last season. More on the Storm as opening day draws closer.
Harness racing
The P.E.I. Colt Stakes goes today at the city track with a doubleheader card, racing at 1 and 7 p.m. This is a chance to see many of the best two- and three-year-olds in the Maritimes.
I’ve always maintained we have the best fans in the harness racing world. For example, Dawson Peterson, who turned 95 yesterday, never misses a race card at the city track. Have a happy 95th Dawson and good wagering luck today.
A big card in Mohawk tonight with the $593,000 Maple Leaf Trot with the likes of Hannelore Hanover and Homicide Hunter. Also there’s two divisions of the $40,000 Metro Stakes eliminations with Pedro Hanover in one division and Dr. Ian Moore’s Shadow Moon in another.
The aged-mare Milton Stakes goes for $256,000 with standouts like Pure Country (Mark MacDonald) and Lady Shadow.
Sunday at the Red Mile sees Pure Country’s brother in the $275,000 Kentucky sire stake final but out of the 10hole.
The biggest test of the season for two-year-old trotters, the $400,000 William Wellwood Memorial, goes Monday night at Mohawk with the three MacDonald brothers racing in the same race. Mark drives Samo Different Day for Jimmy Takter, James handles Sweeet Talkin Hall for Mark Stacey and Anthony is aboard TheStable.ca’s Lawmaker.
The very best two-year-old pacers that the east coast has to offer will be at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park for today’s program as the capital oval plays host to a doubleheader program featuring the P.E.I. Colt Stakes.
The 12-dash program kicks off at 1 p.m.with the P.E.I. Colt Stakes for two-year-old pacing colts and fillies.
The pacing colts have four $6,200 divisions in Races 3, 5, 7 and 10. Doublejacksandaces leads the field in Race 3 with Jason Hughes in the bike from Post 4 for owner Donald MacRae of Vernon Bridge. The twoyear-old son of Shadow Play set his lifetime best of 1:59.3 in his latest outing.
Race 5 has Oceanview Magnum strutting his impressive summary of three wins and three seconds into Post 4 with P.E.I.’s leading driver Marc Campbell at the line for trainer Earl Watts and Island owners Harris Johnston, Roger Burns and John Howatt and Quebec co-owner Claude Poirier.
Summerside Raceway track record holder Sock It Away tasted defeat for the first time in his six race career in his latest start and has Post 2 in P.E.I. Colt Stakes action in Race 7 with Campbell driving for trainer Kevin MacLean and owner Reg MacPherson of Stratford as the morning line favorite.
Half Cut dealt Sock It Away his first lifetime loss but will draw clear of that foe in Race 10 with Mark Bradley driving for trainer Tom Weatherbie. The son of Stonebridge Terror has Post 5 on Saturday for owners Kyle and Joseph Gardiner, Michael Currie and Jerry MacKinnon.
EVENING CARD
Taces Of Purple made it known Old Home Week that she was the new divisional leader among Sophomore pacing filles and will look to continue that trend with rail control on the second half of a P.E.I. Colt Stakes doubleheader tonight at the CDP.
The 12-dash card has a 7 p.m. first race post time with the Robert Phillips trained Traces Of Purple leaving from Post 1 in Race 7 of the program in a $7,600 division of the P.E.I. Colt Stakes for three-year-old pacing fillies. Gilles Barrieau drives the morning line favourite for coowners Phillips of Pinette and Kevin Harvey of Nova Scotia. The other filly splits hit the track in Race 2 and 10.
Elektra Express rides her summary of nine wins and three seconds from just 11 starts into Race 2 with Post 2 for trainerdriver Marc Campbell and owner Danica Ellis of Nova Scotia. The daughter of Western Paradise will look to add to her seasonal total of $45,011 in purses.
Newly minted Maritimer champion Kinda Like Her will leave from Post 6 in Race 10’s $7,600 division for trainer Sean Dooley and owner Dooley Boys Racing Stable of Halifax.
A quartet of P.E.I. Colt Stakes divisions hit the track in Races 1, 4, 8 and 11 for $6,300 purses.
Mick Dundee was exceptional in his latest outing setting a lifetime best of 1:55.1 for ownertrainer-driver Don MacNeill but must overcome Post 7 as the morning line choice in his P.E.I. Colt Stakes split.
Dial The Bossman is the morning line favorite in Race 4 with Jason Hughes driving for trainer Tom Weatherbie and owner Doug MacPhee of New Haven, while Ashes To Ashes has rail control in Race 8 for trainer Jackie Matheson and Island owners Alan Conway, Lynn Livingstone and Linda Somers with Barrieau in the driver’s seat.