Plenty of Nothing

Lillehammer versus Comet Halden

Source.

Lillehammer host Comet Halden.

IK Comet was founded in 1961. The team was promoted to the EliteHockey Ligaen in 2004 and reached fifth place in 2007-08, but the next year they were deducted 10 points for poor financial management and the year after that they went bankrupt.

They made it back to the top league in 2023-24 and finished tenth out of ten, but came second in the four-team qualifier, and so they stayed up.

Comet wear 1990-91 Minnesota North Star colours. Their rink Halden Ishall holds 2,200 spectators.

Halden is a town of 31,000 in the south-east of Norway on the Iddefjord, right by the border with Sweden. The town has a 17th-Century fortress named Fredriksten, to keep out the Swedes. But unlike nearby Fredrikstad Fortress, built by King Frederick II, this one is named after his grandson Frederick III.

Previous results:

2024/9/5        Lillehammer 4 - 2 Comet    exhibition

2024/8/29      Comet 2 - 0 Lillehammer    exhibition

Bowhead Whale

Fire Down on the Labrador by David Blackwood. Source.

Saint Olave

Norway's Saint Olaf helped defend London from the Danes in 1014, and they're still naming things after him because of it. This mosaic is on the exterior of St Olaf House in Southwark. Source.

A Submerged Mosaic at Baiae

Source.

Chesterfield's Crooked Spire

The Church of St Mary and All Saints, Chesterfield. Source.

Channel Markers

This detail from Reid's New Map of the River and Firth of Clyde (1899) shows the channel markers off Greenock, and local businesses in red. Cappielow is just above the '-dyke' in Cartsdyke. Source.

Raith Rovers visit Cappielow. Raith are seventh with 7 points, Morton eighth with 6 points. Morton's league record continues to duplicate 2016-17. If they want to carry on with that they must win today.

Morton can finish the day anywhere from fifth to ninth. (How often have I written that sentence?)

Raith Rovers ended Falkirk's 43-game unbeaten streak last weekend.

Grant Gillespie played for Raith Rovers in 2018-19. Nobody on the Rovers squad has played for Morton.

Rovers' manager Neill Collins has been in the job four weeks.

The last Morton player to score against Raith Rovers was Iain Wilson, October 31, 2023.

What makes a Championship club a Championship club? Having played in League One recently. (See below.)

Former Morton player Chris Aitken has been appointed manager at Stranraer.

Today's is Morton's official 150th anniversary game.

[Morton win 2 - 0 on goals by Stuparević and Garrity.]

The other Championship matches:

Airdrieonians (10th) [1 - 1] Dunfermline Athletic (9th)

Falkirk (2nd) [2 - 0] Ayr United (1st)

Partick Thistle (6th) [0 - 0] Livingston (3rd)

Queen's Park (4th) [1 - 0] Hamilton Academical (5th)

Other matches:

Albion Rovers 2 - 1 Civil Service Strollers (October 1)

UCD 1 - 1 Bray Wanderers (yesterday)

Inverurie Loco Works [2 - 3] Nairn County

Civil Service Strollers [4 - 2] Gala Fairydean Rovers

Fraserburgh United [0 - 6] Culter

FC Isle of Man 0 - 1 Ramsbottom United

HFX Wanderers [1 - 1] Vancouver FC

This is effectively a playoff game. Winner moves into fifth place. 

Þór/KA [0 - 1] Vikingur

This ends the 2024 Besta deild kvenna. [Þór/KA finish third.]

Mito HollyHock [2 - 2] Shimizu S-Pulse (tomorrow)

Sfida Setagaya [4 - 2] Shizuoka Bonita (tomorrow)

ReinMeer Aomori [2 - 2] Briobecca Urayasu (tomorrow)

Morton Women [1 - 5] Stirling University (tomorrow)

Scottish Junior Cup, R2 (tomorrow):

Bo'ness United [3 - 1] Kilsyth Rangers

CSL semi-finals (tomorrow):

Serbian White Eagles vs Unity

[The CSL has cancelled playoffs and declared Serbian White Eagles league champion.]

UEFA Champions League, league stage matchday two (October 1):

Dortmund 7 - 1 Celtic

UEFA Europa League, league stage matchday two (October 3):

Rangers 1 - 4 Lyon

UEFA Conference League, league stage matchday one (October 3):

Dinamo Minsk 1 - 2 Hearts

Shamrock Rovers 1 - 1 APOEL

Molde 3 - 0 Larne

Fiorentina 2 - 0 The New Saints

AFC Champions League Elite league stage, matchday 2:

Kawasaki Frontale 0 - 1 Gwangju (October 1)

Vissel Kobe 2 - 1 Shandong Taishan (October 2)

Yokohama F. Marinos 4 - 0 Ulsan HD (October 2)

AFC Champions League Two group stage, matchday 2:

Eastern (Hong Kong) 2 - 3 Sanfrecce Hiroshima (October 3)

AFC Women's Champions League group stage, matchday 1 (tomorrow):

Urawa Red Diamonds [17 - 0] Odisha (India)

North of Scotland Cup, semi-finals (October 2):

Brora Rangers 3 - 0 Lossiemouth

Clachnacuddin 7 - 0 Inverness Athletic

West of Scotland Cup, Round One:

Craigmark Burtonians (W2) [2 - 2] Largs Thistle (WP) [Largs win on PK]

Largs are currently second in the WoS Premier Division.

West Park United (W4) [5 - 2] Campbeltown Pupils (W4)

St Cadoc's (WP) [6 - 0] BSC Glasgow (W4)

Newmains United (W4) [1 - 2] St Peter's (W4)

Ashfield (W1) [2 - 2] Neilston (W2) [Ashield win on PK]

Greenock Juniors (W3) [1 - 4] Darvel (WP)

Thorn Athletic (W3) [2 - 1] Benburb (WP) Upset

Johnstone Burgh (WP) [5 - 1] Vale of Leven (W3)

Carluke Rovers (W4) [1 - 1] Glasgow University (W3) [Carluke win on PK] Upset

Ardrossan Winton Rovers (W1) [1 - 1] Clydebank (WP) [Clydebank win on PK]

Clydebank are first in the WoS Premier Division.

Dalry Thistle (W3) [4 - 2] Maryhill (W2) Upset

Giffnock (W4) [0 - 1] Pollok (WP)

Glenafton Athletic (WP) [1 - 4] Shotts Bon Accord (WP)

East Kilbride Thistle (W4) [2 - 1] Caledonian Locomotives (W2) Upset

Thornliewood United (W1) [4 - 0] Eglinton (W4)

And Round Two:

Arthurlie (W1) [1 - 1] Ardeer Thistle (W3) [Arthurlie win on PK]

Cumbernauld United (W1) [1 - 0] Kello Rovers (W4)

Kilsyth Athletic (W3) [3 - 0] Girvan (W3)

Lugar Boswell Thistle (W3) [1 - 5] Forth Wanderers (W2)

Muirkirk Juniors (W2) [2 - 1] Knightswood (W4)

Renfrew (W1) [4 - 1] Finnart (W3)

Rossvale (W4) [0 - 4] Kilbirnie Ladeside (W1) 

Saltcoats Victoria (W4) [0 - 5] Hurlford United (WP)

Vale of Clyde (W1) [0 - 6] Auchinleck Talbot (WP)

Historical matches:

1901/10/5      Morton 1 - 1 Kilmarnock

1940/10/5      Morton 4 - 0 Albion Rovers

2002/10/5      Elgin City 0 - 1 Morton

Goal by Alex Williams.

When was the last time the 2024-25 Championship clubs were in League One, and how many years had they been there?

2023-24        5 years        Falkirk

2023-24        1 year          Hamilton Academical

2022-23        1 year          Dunfermline Athletic

2022-23        10 years      Airdrieonians

2021-22        1 year          Queen's Park

2020-21        1 year          Partick Thistle

2019-20        3 years        Raith Rovers

2017-18        1 year          Ayr United

2016-17        1 year          Livingston

2014-15        1 year          Morton

Maynard Street

Luleå versus MoDo

Aneta Tejralová for MoDo. Source.

Luleå host MoDo.

MoDo play at the Hägglunds Arena in Örnsköldvik in Västernorrland on the Gulf of Bothnia. The name MoDo is short for Mo och Domsjö, a pulp and paper company and the club's first sponsor.

MoDo have been in the SDHL from the start, and won the regular season in 2012-13 and 2013-14. Last season they finished in second place behind Luleå, and lost to Luleå in the finals.

Ottawa's Aneta Tejralová played for MoDo in the first part of 2023-24, Johanna Fällman played for them from 2008-09 to 2011-12. PWHL Minnesota's Michaela Cava played for them in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

MoDo have four Canadians on their squad: Lauren Bellefontaine, Brooke McQuigge, Alexie Guay and Darcie Lappan.

Luleå lost four players to the PWHL this summer, Dominika Lásková, Daniela Pejsova, Noora Tulus and Ronja Savolainen, but gained two, Akane Shiga and Johanna Fällman. 

The Hockey News is horrified that North American player agents representing SDHL players must get certified in Sweden.

Luleå's 2024-25 roster:

Frida Axell (G)

Sarah Grahn (G)

Johanna Fällman (D)    Played for PWHL New York last season.

Jenni Hiirikoski (D)    Finnish.

Tilde Sjödin (D)

Hedvig Sturk (D)

Anna Andersson (D)

Erica Rieder (D)    Canadian, formerly of MoDo.

Astrid Lindeberg (D)

Nadia Mattivi (D)    Italian.

Akane Shiga (F)    Japanese. Played for PWHL Ottawa last season.

Wilma Sjölund (F)

Reece Hunt (F)    Canadian.

Petra Nieminen (F)    Finnish.

Stella Sjöberg (F)

Ella Bergström (F)

Sara Lindqvist (F)

Jaycee Magwood (F)    Canadian.

Emma Nordin (F)    Formerly of KRS Vanke Rays in the Russian league.

Viivi Vainikki (F)    Finnish.

Linnea Johansson (F)    Formerly of Linköping.

[Turns out the SDHL website also has a fallacious Spelschema page, with all games listed one day early. The EliteHockey Ligaen and SDHL sites are both 'powered by Sportality'.]

[Luleå 1 - 2 MoDo.]

Stjernen versus Lillehammer

Source.

Lillehammer visit Stjernen (tomorrow) at the 2,473-capacity Stjernehallen in Fredrikstad.

Fredrikstad was founded in the 16th Century by King Frederick II in the days of the Danish Norwegian union. The city is built around a 17th Century star fortress. Stjernen means star.

The hockey club was founded is 1960 and has been Norwegian champion twice, in 1981 and 1986. They wear red and white.

Stjernen finished last season in sixth place. Lillehammer was 18 points behind them in seventh place. Both teams went out in the quarter-finals.

Stjernen has one Canadian, defenseman Brendan Ellis from Kelowna, who played for Lillehammer from 2017 to 2021 and was a Nottingham Panther for a while.

[Stjernen 2 - 1 Lillehammer.]

Canadian Parliament, Kingston

This wing of the Kingston General Hospital served as the Parliament Building for the Province of Canada from 1841 to 1844. Source.