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ABOVE : Quarterback Darian Durant waits for the perfect opportunity to make a pass . ( Photo by Dean Hofer )
RIGHT : Wide Receiver Rob Bagg , who has been with the Roughriders since 2008 , is one of the few familiar faces left on the team after multiple trades took place . ( Photo by Dean Hofer )
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First Home Game Fell Short The Riders opened their 2016 season at home on June 30 when the Argonauts came to town at Mosaic Stadium . The green and white fell a little short losing 30-17 to Toronto . This is the ‘ Farewell Season ’ in Mosaic Stadium which has been home for them since 1936 . The first quarter did not go so well for the Riders . A 57 yard punt return resulted in the first Argo major and soon after Ricky Ray found Hazelton to take a quick 14-0 lead . The Riders cut the lead to 14-7 when Durant found Chiles in the end zone . The Argos capitalized on a Rider fumble by Bryant Moniz and went into the half with a 21-10 lead .
Both the Rider and Argo defenses were impressive in the second half . The Rider defense only allowed 87 yards of offense while the Argos only let the green and white tally 17 offensive yards . It was an exchange of field goals for the rest of the game with the final 30-17 .
Durant was happy to get back into the lineup and looked good throwing for 315 yards and a touchdown . He ’ ll get some rhythm back on Friday when they travel to Edmonton . Coach and general manager Chris Jones is not done with his new lineup yet . He recently traded Shawn Lemon to Toronto . Newsome and A . C . Leonard were on the field for most of the game as defensive ends with Lemon only seeing action for 8 defensive plays . Leonard tallied two sacks for the Riders . In return the Riders strengthened their O-line with offensive lineman Matt Sewell and also added international quarterback Mitchell Gale . Next action for the Riders is Friday when they face the Edmonton Eskimos .
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By : Tyler Janzen
Friday July 1st was a big day in the NHL as it was the first day of free agent eligibility , also known as Free Agent Frenzy . This is the day that every year the contract of NHL stars come to an end and allow for other teams to make offers if their original team passes up on the opportunity . While teams still have control of the player they are able to trade them before the deadline . Some huge deals were made before Canada day including the Edmonton Oilers trading away forward Taylor Hall to New Jersey for defenceman Adam Larsson . However , there was one trade that shocked the NHL fan base . Montreal Canadians traded away All-Star and Olympic Defenceman P . K Subban for Nashville Predators long time Captain Shea Weber , also an All-Star and Olympian . Both deals involved just two players and no draft picks . Even with those blockbuster trades the free agent market was packed with talent . The big names on the list this year were Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lighting , Milan Lucic of the LA Kings , and Kyle Okposo from the New York Islanders . Stamkos decided to stay in Tampa Bay for another 8 years and $ 68 million dollars ( around $ 8.5 million per year ). The rest of the day was almost a blur , with players being signed left and right . Lucic chose to sign with the Edmonton Oilers for 7 years and $ 42 Million . He is a huge asset to the Oilers as he acts as a big goal scoring insurance policy for their young stars . Okposo signed with the Buffalo Sabres , also for 7 years at $ 42 million . Some big signings for Canadian teams included the Calgary Flames signing forward Troy Brouwer to a 4 year $ 18 million dollar contract . Also the Vancouver Canucks signed the highly sought after right winger Loui Eriksson to a 6-year $ 36 million dollar contract .
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Week two in the CFL was really week one for the Green and White and they came out of it with a loss at the hands of the Toronto Argonauts . It may have been the extra-long wait to begin the season but the Riders came out flat , not putting up any points in the first quarter . The defence was also absent for the first quarter giving up 14 points . Sasky came out firing in the second and got their first points of the season . The defence proceeded to shut down the Argo ’ s next drive but when the riders got the ball back they gave up a fumble recovery for a touchdown that put them back down 21- 7 . Both teams were held to just field goals on the secondhalf and Toronto came out on top with a 30-17 victory . The other games saw the Ottawa Redblacks top the Montreal Alouettes 28-13 , the Ti-Cats took a beating from the B . C . Lions on Canada Day losing 28-3 , and finally my Calgary Stampeders put up some points in a 36-22 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers . The Roughriders next matchup is a friday nighter against the Edmonton Eskimos .
Huge news coming out of the NBA on Monday as Oklahoma City Thunder Forward Kevin Durant announced he will be signing with the Golden State Warriors . The Warriors finished number one in the league last year but OKC was hot on their tails . With the addition of Durant the odds of the Warriors taking the Championship is a staggering 3-2 . Durant will combine with the splash brothers ( Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson ) to form a big three that can handle just about any defence that comes to them . The next season in the NBA will definitely be interesting to watch . I ’ m going to assume that a few records will be shattered .
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