What an NCAA rule change might mean for junior hockey in Sask.
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Previously, WHL players were declared ineligible to play NCAA hockey in the U.S.
The Saskatoon Hilltops’ run atop amateur football in Canada has come to an end.
The Hilltops lost to the Langley Rams 17-14 on Saturday to end their bid for a seventh straight CJFL national championship.
It’s the first time Langley has beaten the Hilltops in its five tries against them over the past nine years.
The Hilltops arrived in Langley as 22-time Canadian Bowl champions. The last time the Hilltops lost in a playoff game was in the 2013 PFC championship game against the Regina Thunder. Before that, they won three straight national championships.
The first quarter ended with the Rams leading 1-0. The second quarter saw the Rams score another field goal before Toppers quarterback Damon Dutton found Dillan Heintz for the game’s first touchdown. The score remained 7-4 until halftime.
The defensive stalemate continued into the third quarter with both teams unable to gain any momentum. Even an interception return to the Hilltops’ goal line left the Rams’ offence walking off the field empty-handed after three tries.
Another defensive stop after a Dutton interception forced the Rams into kicking a field goal to tie the game at 7-7.
A fake field goal toss to Presley Peterson gave the Hilltops a 14-7 lead heading into the final quarter.
Langley then scored the tying touchdown with 5:01 remaining before the Rams kicked an eight-yard field goal for the win.
The loss snapped the Hilltops’ 22-game playoff winning streak. Dutton finished with 10 completed passes and 107 yards.
Next week will mark Langley’s third straight trip to the Canadian Bowl, where they’re to meet the London Beefeaters.
London won the Ontario Football Conference final Saturday 15-14 over the St. Clair Fratmen thanks to a single as time expired.