Written by Kacie Albert

As the regular season for the 2021 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Canada Cup Series wound to a close Saturday evening in front of a raucous crowd at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Jordan Hansen (Okotoks, Alberta) delivered a perfect 3-for-3 performance to win the PBR Saskatoon Classic and crack the Top 5 in the race for the 2021 PBR Canada Championship.

Only one event remains before the 2021 PBR Canada National Finals, presented by Command Tubular Products, in Edmonton, Alberta, on Nov. 12-13 at Rogers Place when more than $175,000 will be awarded. The Touring Pro Division will travel to Yorkton, Saskatchewan, on Nov. 5-6.

Hansen was one of 15 riders to deliver a score in Round 1, covering Black Jack (Skori Bucking Bulls) for 82 points.

The reserved Albertan then climbed the leaderboard when he tied for third in Round 2 courtesy of an 84-point effort aboard New Tattoo (Wild Hoggs Bucking Bulls).

With the fourth pick in the championship-round bull draft, Hansen selected 2019 PBR Canada Bull of the Finals Finning Lil Shorty (Flying Four Bucking Bulls). A new rivalry, the 28-year-old matched the striking bovine athlete jump-for-jump en route to an event-best 89.5-point score.

Hansen earned a critical 81 national points, propelling him inside the Top 5 in the race for the 2021 PBR Canada Championship and accompanying $50,00 bonus. After beginning the event ranked No. 6 in Canada, Hansen is now No. 3, 96.66 points behind No. 1 Dakota Buttar (Kindersley, Saskatchewan).

Buttar’s efforts at the PBR Saskatoon Classic came to a heartbreaking conclusion in Round 2 when he sustained a groin injury during his 3.47-second buckoff atop Thor’s Hammer (Wild Hoggs Bucking Bulls).

The home province hopeful’s 84.5-point score aboard Grey Tower III (Vold Rodeo/Robinson) in Round 1, however, secured him a 13th-place finish and 4 national points.

Attempting to become the first-ever back-to-back PBR Canada Champion, Buttar remained No. 1 in the nation, now 53.66 points out front of the No. 2 contender.

Cody Coverchuk (Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan) was second, netting 76 national points.

Coverchuk was electric in the opening rounds of competition, tying for second in Round 1 via his 85.5-point score on Langham Kid (Two Bit Bucking Bulls) before surging to the event lead when he topped Round 2 courtesy of an 84.5-point trip on Pure Feeling (Vold Rodeo).

With his pick of the pen in the final round, Coverchuk initially drafted Al Capone (Wild Hoggs/Sure Fire), however was awarded a re-ride after the bull made contact with the chutes once the gates opened.

Coverchuk then faced a familiar foe in re-ride draw Uptown Funk (Vold Rodeo). Emerging the dominant athlete in Saskatoon, Coverchuk reached the requisite 8 for 84.5 points, falling one point short of the event win.

The silver finish allowed Coverchuk to climb from No. 4 to No. 2 in the national standings. He now trails No. 1 Buttar by a mere 53.66 points.

Should Coverchuk be crowned the 2021 PBR Canada Champion, he would become just the third multi-time PBR Canada Champion in league history, joining the likes of three-time titleholder Aaron Roy (Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan) and two-time national Champion Zane Lambert (Ponoka, Alberta).

As the final rider to go a perfect 3-for-3, Tim Lipsett (Lumsden, Saskatchewan) finished a season-best third to earn a much-needed 56.5 national points.

Following an 81-point ride aboard Big Easy (Skori Bucking Bulls) in Round 1, Lipsett punched his ticket to the championship round when he covered Finning JB Muley (Flying Four Bucking Bulls) for 84 points in Round 2.

Lipsett then elected to go head-to-head against World Finals bucker Tractorland’s Pound Sand (Wild Hoggs/Corey Chmelnyk) in the championship round, the very bull who was crucial in Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York) and Buttar’s marches to the national title in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

Poised, Lipsett remained seated, taking the powerful animal athlete to the whistle for an 88.5-point score.

Lipsett is now No. 15 in the national standings, within 57 points of the Top 10.

Fourth was Jake Gardner (Fort St. John, British Columbia).

Gardner began the league’s 13th tour stop in Saskatoon with an 85-point ride aboard Devils Boy (Two Bit Bucking Bulls) in Round 1. However, he was bested in the second round when he was brought down in a quick 2.27 seconds by Tractorland.ca (Wild Hoggs/Trevor Williams).

Quick to rebound, Gardner regained his title-contending form in the championship round, tying for the high-marked ride of the event when he covered Freaked Out (X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle/Lazy S Bucking Bulls) for 89.5 points.

Despite spending most of the season stateside, Gardner’s successes since returning to Canada in late September have allowed him to surge to No. 7 in the national standings. Seeking his first PBR Canada Championship in 2021, Gardner trails the No. 1 position by 152.33 points.

Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was Dakota Louis (Browning, Montana).

Going 2-for-3, Louis bookended his outing inside SaskTel Centre with qualified rides, making the 8 on Kool Aid (R Saga Ranch Ltd.) for 84 points in Round 1 and Night Blood (Vold Rodeo/Robinson) for 87 points in the championship round.

In the bull pen, Norse God (Wild Hoggs Bucking Bulls) and Gaume Farms Stickin “n” Movin (Eno Bucking Bulls) tied for the Bull of the Event, each scored 45 points for their trips in the championship round. Norse God bucked off Dawson Shannon (Drayton Valley, Alberta) in 2.19 seconds, while Gaume Farms Stickin “n” Movin dispatched Tyler Craig (Crossfield, Alberta) in 3.1 seconds.

The 2021 PBR Canada Sup Series will next travel to Edmonton, Alberta, and Rogers Place for the 2021 PBR Canada National Finals, presented by Command Tubular Products. Action will get underway at 7:30 p.m. MST on both Friday, November 12 and Saturday, November 13.

PBR Canada Cup Series
PBR Saskatoon Classic
SaskTel Centre – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
(Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Jordan Hansen, 82-84-89.5-255.50-81 Points.
2. Cody Coverchuk, 85.5-84.5-84.5-254.50-76 Points.
3. Tim Lipsett, 81-84-88.5-253.50-56.5 Points.
4. Jake Gardner, 85-0-89.5-174.50-49.5 Points.
5. Dakota Louis, 84-0-87-171.00-29 Points.
6. Jared Parsonage, 81.5-0-86.5-168.00-13.5 Points.
7. Coy Robbins, 83-84.5-0-167.50-18.5 Points.
8. Dawson Shannon, 85.5-81.5-0-167.00-15.5 Points.
9. Tyler Craig, 83.5-82.5-0-166.00-7 Points.
10. Micheal Ostashek, 79-0-86.5-165.50-4.5 Points.
11. Nick Tetz, 80-82.5-0-162.50-3.5 Points.
12. Callum Miller, 86.5-0-0-86.50-15 Points.
13. Dakota Buttar, 84.5-0-0-84.50-4 Points.
14. Ashton Sahli, 83.5-0-0-83.50-1.5 Points.
15. Todd Chotowetz, 82.5-0-0-82.50
Zane Lambert, 0-0-0-0.00
Aaron Roy, 0-0-0-0.00
Chad Hartman, 0-0-0-0.00
Wacey Finkbeiner, 0-0-0-0.00
Weston Davidson, 0-0-0-0.00
Riley Gagnon, 0-0-0-0.00
Fabian Dueck, 0-0-0-0.00
Nicholas Klinck, 0-0-0-0.00
Dylan Somerville, 0-0-0-0.00
Landon Schmidt, 0-0-0-0.00
Blake Smith, 0-0-0-0.00

2021 PBR Canada National Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5's, Points, Total Winnings)
1. Dakota Buttar, 26, 5, 15, 314.16, $30,500.98
2. Cody Coverchuk, 24, 3, 10, 260.50, $17,991.53
3. Jordan Hansen, 6, 0, 3, 217.50, $10,549.57
4. Zane Lambert, 16, 2, 8, 214.00, $13,878.04
5. Lonnie West, 13, 2, 6, 173.00, $11,808.01
6. Callum Miller, 22, 1, 6, 170.50, $11,883.90
7. Jake Gardner, 8, 1, 3, 161.83, $7,524.81
8. Griffin Smeltzer, 21, 1, 7, 135.50, $12,462.25
9. Nick Tetz, 18, 2, 7, 124.16, $12,710.48
10. Aaron Roy, 19, 0, 3, 121.33, $4,970.24
11. Jared Parsonage, 22, 3, 4, 119.00, $11,329.66
12. Garrett Green, 8, 1, 3, 114.00, $5,893.49
13. Ashton Sahli, 25, 0, 3, 106.00, $9,035.79
14. Coy Robbins, 16, 0, 2, 65.50, $3,517.23
15. Tim Lipsett, 18, 0, 0, 64.33, $1,895.00
16. Todd Chotowetz, 12, 0, 3, 61.50, $3,194.29
17. Micheal Ostashek, 21, 0, 3, 61.00, $3,604.28
18. Tanner Eno, 10, 1, 3, 57.50, $5,518.36
19. Logan Biever, 13, 0, 2, 54.50, $2,937.76
20. Tyler Craig, 23, 0, 2, 41.83, $4,094.90