Riders drop delayed preseason finale 27-20 against Winnipeg
Saskatchewan Roughriders Phalen Sanford (00) tackles Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver Keric Wheatfall (88) during the first half of pre-season CFL football action in Regina, on Friday, May 30, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu
Although it doesn't count towards the standings, the Saskatchewan Roughriders dropped a Friday night affair against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 27-20, going winless for the 2025 preseason.
The Riders scored their first touchdown of the preseason with under 30 seconds remaining in the game to make the score closer.
It was a game which saw a majority of back-ups get time for both teams. Several Saskatchewan starters, including Trevor Harris, A.J. Ouelette, Kian Schaffer-Baker and more did not dress. While more than a dozen Bomber regulars did not travel to Regina Friday.
The game was delayed by over an hour from its originally scheduled 7 p.m. kickoff time due to air quality caused by wildfire smoke in the province's north.
Once underway, Winnipeg would jump ahead quick with two fast touchdowns in the first quarter.
Chris Streveler started the game for Winnipeg and marched the Bombers down the field to score first.
On the second drive of the game for Winnipeg, everyday starter Zach Collaros needed just two passes to get to the endzone to give the blue and gold a two-score lead. The drive would be the only appearance for the two-time CFL MOP who was 2/2, 80 yards passing and a TD.
Collaros will serve a suspension in Week 2 of the season for failing to make himself available for a drug test. Winnipeg has a bye Week 1.
The Riders' offense continued to sputter this preseason, notching just 252 yards total offense - mostly on the final drive of the game. Similar to their first preseason game, the legs of Rider kickers would account for all the points scored by Saskatchewan.
Brett Lauther finished the night 3/3 on field goals, including making a 53-yard field goal in the third quarter before Dawson Hodge got a chance to kick in the second half. Hodge made his lone attempt from 31 yards.
With Harris getting the night off, Jake Maier started at the pivot position for Saskatchewan.
Maier played the entirety of the first half under centre going 9/15, throwing for 113 yards, one interception and no touchdowns.
Jake Maier
Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Jake Maier (9) looks downfield during the first half of pre-season CFL football action against Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Regina, on Friday, May 30, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu
(Heywood Yu/The Canadian Press)
Jack Coan would enter the game to play the second half. The second-year quarterback out of Notre Dame threw for 189 yards on 18 completions and 25 attempts with no touchdowns nor interceptions.
A bright spot on the Rider offense was returning wideout Joe Robustilli. The sophomore wide receiver caught six passes for a game-high 119 yards receiving.
Regina-product Mitch Picton also saw lots of playing time Friday, making seven catches for 77 yards receiving.
Saskatchewan lost both their preseason matchups against Winnipeg after losing 15-9 May 24.
The Roughriders open the regular season against the Ottawa Redblacks at home Thursday June 5. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium and on TSN.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
27 minutes ago
- CTV News
Problems persist for those needing before and after school childcare
Parents were promised the system for signing kids up for before and after school care was fixed, but as CTV's Spencer Turcotte reports, there's still uncertaint
CBC
40 minutes ago
- CBC
It's blackfly season — here's what you need to know to avoid bites
It's blackfly season — here's what you need to know to avoid bites 8 minutes ago Duration 1:43
CBC
40 minutes ago
- CBC
How Montreal Victoire's Erin Ambrose is using fashion to stand up for the 2SLGBTQ+ community
Social Sharing In a photo shoot, Montreal Victoire defender Erin Ambrose sports a bucket hat and a grey t-shirt that shows a fist in the air, covered in a hockey glove and draped in a rainbow flag. "Be you," is written on the glove. It's an eye-catching shirt, and in her second year of creating her own Pride apparel line with CCM Hockey, it's the defender's favourite design so far. "I just think it's a very powerful thing," Ambrose said in an interview with CBC Sports. "You think of just the symbol of a fist up in the air and what that does stand for." For Ambrose, it's not just a fashion statement. The hockey-gloved fist in the air is a sign of protest, an act of standing up for a community that's increasingly been under attack over the last couple of years. It's the boldest item that's been released as part of Ambrose's collaboration with CCM Hockey so far, and one that Ambrose is proud to wear. "It's so important because as welcome as I feel in the community, as accepted as I feel in my day-to-day life, I know that I am still a minority in saying that," Ambrose said. For Ambrose, it's also a way of merging two parts of her. There's Ambrose the hockey player, an Olympic gold medallist and 2024 Defender of the Year in the PWHL. You're probably used to seeing her in Team Canada colours or a Victoire jersey. But there's also Ambrose the person, an openly gay woman who wears her heart on her sleeve, and is always thinking of ways she can make the 2SLGBTQ+ community safer for everyone. The shirts, hats and sweat suit that are part of her clothing line reflect that part of Ambrose — someone who's grown in what she wears and how she feels comfortable representing herself. Making a statement "As I've gotten older, I also am getting more comfortable wearing the rainbow around," the 31-year-old from Keswick, Ont. said. " There are still places I might think twice about it and I wish that wasn't the case. But at the same time, I have no problem walking my dog with the [Pride] graphic T-shirt on." The hints of rainbow are subtle in some of the designs, ranging from the boldness of the gloved fist to bright colours highlighted in the CCM logo. Erin Ambrose on the importance of embracing Pride in the PWHL 16 hours ago Duration 2:53 Montreal Victorie's Erin Ambrose talks about the impact of celebrating Pride and sharing her identity off the ice. But it may actually be the rainbow CCM logo, one that's historically been associated with men playing sports, that says the most. "I think it actually makes the biggest statement because CCM allowed for their logo to be put in rainbow, and we're talking about a hockey company that has been around for over 100 years," Ambrose said. "That doesn't usually happen." Ambrose was approached to create the line by Dale Williams, CCM Hockey's global sports marketing manager. The company wanted to create a Pride line and wanted Ambrose, who CCM Hockey describes as "a force who's transforming her sport," to be the face of it. Year 1 was about creating the basics, but Year 2 of the line takes it a step further. "With the 2025 Erin Ambrose 23 collection, we wanted to bring hockey into a space where it hasn't traditionally had a strong presence," said Marrouane Nabih, CCM Hockey's CEO. "It goes beyond the rink, showcasing authenticity, style and a sense of belonging." A life-changing fan interaction The league launched at a time when the NHL moved away from wearing custom jerseys for Pride and other causes, and for a brief time, barred players from using Pride tape in warmups. But the PWHL is different. A significant number of players in the league are part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Some, like Ambrose, Boston Fleet forward Jamie Lee Rattray and Ottawa Charge forward Emily Clark, have used their platforms to advocate for the community they are part of. It's created a different atmosphere at PWHL games. Last year, a fan drove from New York to Montreal for that team's Pride game. They dressed in a full rainbow onesie, which caught Ambrose's eye. She gave them a puck and tracked them down after the game to give them a stick, too. That fan later wrote Ambrose a letter to say how much that night changed their life. "It was such a little moment, but I was like, no, this is actually way bigger than just one fan making the drive because I know they're not the only person that would feel more comfortable coming to a PWHL game than an NHL game," she said. When a teenaged Ambrose was rising through the hockey ranks and struggling with her own sexuality, she couldn't have imagined her favourite player wearing Pride gear. As she progressed in hockey, she's been around more teammates who are out and open. She thinks about how much of a difference that might have made for players years ago. She can't go back in time, but she knows she has an ability and a platform now to help other people feel more comfortable or even just develop more understanding.
