What an NCAA rule change might mean for junior hockey in Sask.
Nov 18, 2024
Previously, WHL players were declared ineligible to play NCAA hockey in the U.S.
After experiencing the sting of having her Olympic dream snatched away four years ago in South Korea, Canada’s Meryeta O’Dine got her chance at redemption.
The wait was worth it.
The product of Prince George, B.C., raced to a bronze medal in the women’s snowboard cross Wednesday at the Beijing Olympics.
The 24-year-old held off Australia’s Belle Brockhoff in the final to claim a place on the podium.
O’Dine was set to make her Olympic debut at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games but suffered a concussion two days before the event.
Her road to the Olympics has been full of adversity. She suffered a catastrophic back injury in March 2019, at a World Cup event in Spain.
Then, a year later, O’Dine lost her brother to cancer. She didn’t race for a year, returning to the sport just 13 months ago.
Tess Critchlow (Big White, B.C.) finished third in a semifinal Wednesday and fell into the small final, where she finished second.
Audrey McManiman (St-Ambroise-de-Kildare, Que.) was third in her quarterfinal and didn’t advance to the semifinals. The same fate befell Zoe Bergermann (Erin, Ont.), who was fourth in her quarterfinal
O’Dine’s bronze was Canada’s third snowboard medal of the Games. Max Parrot (Bromont, Que.) and Regina’s Mark McMorris won gold and bronze, respectively, in the men’s slopestyle.
Later Wednesday, Canada picked up a silver in the men’s 1,500-metre short-track speed skating event.
Making his Olympic debut, Steven Dubois (Terrebonne, Que.) came through the chaos of a 10-man final to finish second. It was the third Olympic medal for Canada in the event.
Dubois finished just 0.035 seconds back of gold medallist Daeheon Hwang of South Korea.
Pascal Dion (Montreal) was eliminated in a semifinal.
In the women’s short-track 3,000m relay, Canada finished first in its semifinal. The final is set for Sunday.
The silver and bronze medals bring Canada’s medal count to eight.
Alpine skiing: In the women’s slalom, Erin Mielzynski (Collingwood, Ont.) placed 16th, Laurence St-Germain (St. Ferreol-les-Neiges, Ont.) was 17th, Ali Nullmeyer (Toronto) finished 21st and Amelia Smart (Invermere, B.C.) wound up 27th.
Curling: Brad Gushue (St. John’s N.L.) and his team of Mark Nichols (St. John’s, N.L.), Brett Gallant (Charlottetown, P.E.I.) and Geoff Walker (Edmonton) opened the men’s competition with a 10-5 victory over Denmark.
Canada stole two in the sixth end to take a 7-4 lead and added three in the eighth to put the game away.
The Gushue foursome is to face Norway early Thursday.
The women’s team skipped by Jennifer Jones (Winnipeg) is to begin play Thursday morning against South Korea.
Freestyle skiing: In the men’s freeski big air competition, Evan McEachran (Oakville, Ont.) finished ninth in the 12-man final.
Luge: Tristan Walker (Cochrane, Alta.) and Justin Snith (Calgary) placed seventh in the men’s doubles two-run medal round.