C.U. Blueliner Does Magazine Cover Shoot ....

It seems strapping C.U. Blue liner Blaine "Soup Dog" Campbell is seriously thinking of a career change. The transformation began two summers ago, when then a heavier, heartier ,Campbell had a chance meeting with fashion Macho man and provocateur Sean Avery -- by some accounts the most hated player in the National Hockey League. "He is ridiculously obsessed with fashion and fitness," Avery commented. "He loves it more than anything in the world. It's something he has always wanted to do." Following a strict diet and nutrional regieme, the one time "Wing and Whiskey King", recently made the top ten list of Canada's "Fittest and Sexiest Old Time Hockey Players". Campbell , a recent no-show the last few games, and has some teammates wondering if there is any truth to the "Play Girl" cover shoot rumors running over the wire. His publicist has advised that he will be unavailble to comment until early in the new year.

C.U. goes 4-0-1 in last 5...

After settling for a tie in Minitonas against the Valley Outlaws in a game dubiously dubbed "The Hit that was felt throughout the Valley", C.U. strung together a rather nice run of four wins.The latest game saw the third match up of the season with cross town rivals Swan River Raiders.  C.U. wasted no time jumping out to an early 3-0 lead and held on to win 6-5. Puck stopper Mike "Smitty" Smith was outstanding, quelling any Raider Nation comeback. Potting two goals apiece, the brother's Gray put on a performance that has been equaled only  by the Sedin twins of the Vancouver Canucks. C.U. rounds out the week with a Wednesday night tilt with the Kenville Flyer's, followed by a Friday "Wing and Beer fest" in Minitonas against the Logger's.

That's number 5... Oh Yeah Riders on to the Grey Cup...

Credit Union OldTymer's recorded their fifth win of the season with a 10 - 3 victory over the Swan River Friendship Center. The story of the night had to be the play of the  line of McDonald , Keowan and Mordan aka the M-k-M line , accounting for eight of the ten tallies. Leading the charges , both Ryan "Cowboy" Keowan and A.P. standout Riley "Ripper" Morden notched three apiece. Morden, the more mobile and heir apparent " goal scorer" of the Morden family, had numerous scoring chances.  Had he the misfortune of being blessed with the hands of his father, finding the back of the net may have been a real challenge for the youngster. Logging 60 minutes each, defensive partners Craig "Away on Business" Zamzow and Warren "Wheels" Gray made goal keeper Mike  "Smitty" Smith' s night relatively quiet. The defensive duo executed the  transition game seamlessly, finishing the game with an impressive plus 7 rating. C.U. finishes the "Six in Seven" tour with games against the Valley Outlaws and the Minitonas Loggers.

This ones for us Hands !!!

Reich earns Second Win....

The Swan Valley Credit Union Oldtymers erased a two-goal deficit after 30 minutes for a thrilling 9-8 victory over the Silver Seven in Minitonas Thursday night. A back-and-forth second period saw the two teams tied 8-8 with approximately two minutes to play when Jake "The Snake" Gray slipped an off-speed snipe past Justin "Big K" Poole. Despite leaking more oil than a 1976 Dodge Aspen, Rick "Red Light" Reich closed the door for the remainder of the period, and when the discussion of an additional 10 minutes was mentioned by the host team, Reich was already in the dressing room, helping to secure another victory. An "Icon" to the throwback era of the "Stand Up" goaltender, Reich reportedly has not had his pads kiss the ice surface since 1979.

Other goal scorers included Blaine "Soupy" Campbell, Craig "Back from Brandon" Zamzow, and Jeff "No Miss" Knight. A punishing hit by Darren "Diesel" Knight left bewildered rookie Derek "Good Night" Holtom dazed and confused. Unconfirmed reports have Kevin " Special K" Kopecky putting in extra practice time working on his penalty shot move...

The Oldtymers are back in action Sunday when they take on the Friendship Centre. They'll go for four wins in seven days without the services of the slightly concussed Holtom, who will either be celebrating a trip to the Grey Cup for his beloved Riders, or trying to fix a hole in his basement wall while choking back tears.

Two in a Row....

Monday night saw C.U. deliver a 9-4 beating at the hands of Swan River Action. Former C.U. masked man Ricky "Red Light" Reich shook off two years of rust, going 3 for 3 in saves in the shootout, recording his first W in years. . Brian "Big Crunch" Gilroy continued his scoring prowess, potting four, and yes, registering his first helper of the season. Scoring streaks also continued for  rookies Darren "Lungs" Knight and Derek    "Hands" Holtom.

Wednesday night had C.U. hosting the Swan River Raiders in the much anticipated rematch. The Raiders handed C.U. their only loss of the season, a 10-5 drubbing in the club's season opener. Picking up where they left off, the Raiders wasted no time peppering C.U. goaltender Mike "Smitty" Smith . The savy veteran net minder continued his outstanding play, holding the Raiders scoreless. Playing the old "Rope a Dope", for the first period, Brian "Golden Boy" Gilroy got the party started for C.U. early in the second with his first of three on the night. Gliroy was overheard offering words of encouragement to struggling rookie/crooner Ryan "Cowboy" Keowan. "Pen this for your next big hit  Cowboy -Take this puck and shove it, it ain't going in for me know more ! Rounding out the scoring for C.U. were Jeff "Nifty" Knight and Jeremy "Jake " Gray with a pair each, singles going to Keowan, Holtom , and Darrren "Lungs" Knight securing a 10-2 victory. C.U. continues it's "six games in seven nights" tour Thursday with a tilt in Minitonas against the Phoenix clad Silver Seven.

C.U. Clip Flyer's Wings...

A more than impressive season debut  by shifty left winger Brian "Big Crunch" Gilroy, helped C.U. secure their second win of the season. Any questions or concerns about Gilroy's commitment to an off season training regime, or to the up and coming season, were quickly put to rest as the flashy forward accounted for seven goals in the 14-4 victory. Not since the days of  skating with the Dauphin Kings Triple A Midget team has Gilroy posted game day numbers like this. When asked about his" buying" into the two way defensive system, and the strict weight management program layed out by the organization, Gilroy was quoted " McDonald. look at my hands man ! Do they look forty  f#ckin  pounds over weight  to you ?? I'ts all in the hands baby, it's all in the hands ! "  Although falling well  short of the "10 goals in one game" record held by former C.U. Old Timer  Marvin "Sniper" Clarkson, one can only speculate if the record book may have been re-written had a sleeker , well conditioned Gilroy made this season debut. Skating for the first time with the organization, power forward Darren "Knock Down" Knight made his presence felt early. It is a well known fact that in  the past 10 - 15 years the only ice action the burly forward has seen  has  been stirring  the cubes in his favorite cocktail. Knight, disorientated, out of breath, and running on pure instincts, found himself parked in front of the opposing net all night long. Brother of veteran C.U. goal scorer Jeff "No Miss" Knight, his  physical presence will be a welcoming edtion to C.U.'s flashy front end. Splitting this season between C.U.'s minor league affiliate Easterville Eagles and the parent club, Dana "Hand Cuffs" Harris also made his season debut.  Harris and rookie Ryan "Cowboy" Keowan were relentless in their fore check, and evened out many Flyer odd man rushes. Continuing his unselfish play, defense men Warren "Wheels " Gray completed many tape to tape passes finishing the evening with 10 helpers and a whopping plus 12. C.U.s next action is Nov. 16 , the first of  a  "4 games in 6 nights"  stretch.

C.U. lives by the "Code"...

C.U. back in the win column... Rookies Shine !

The rookie line of  Kevin "Special K " Kopecky, Ryan "Cowboy" Keown, and Derek "Hands" Holtom combined for 6 goals, as C U. earned their first "W" of the season, downing Swan River Action 12-3. The win was particularly sweet for "Hands", as this was the first time facing his former team. Holtom, an off-season acquisition, walked away from a 5 year deal that would have seen the fleet footed forward finish his career with the "Green Machine". Signing an unconditional, one year-one way contract with C.U., Holtom seems to have found his stride early, and has shown a youthful exuberance that has been sadly missed in the C.U. locker room the past few seasons. Not to be shown up, the tenacious two way play of Ryan "Cowboy" Keown, has opened more than a few eyes in upper management. Rounding out the Trio, Kevin "Special K" Kopecky adds the savy and play making of a well seasoned veteran. Picked up in the L.P. dispersal draft, "Special K" could be the missing link needed to help bring back another championship. Making season debuts, veteran defense men Blaine "Soup Dog" Campbell, and flashy forward Jeff " No Miss" Knight , had solid one way games. Looking for any possible edge, the quest for the perfect skate continues for diminutive forward Rob "Give it  Away" McDonald. One veteran blue liner was quoted " Instead of McDonald spending money on another pair of skates, perhaps the little fucker should be on the look for a set of hands". Next Wednesday has the Kenville Flyers coming into the friendly confines of the corral for a 10:15 tilt.