Huskies suffer power outage

Power play goes 0-for-11 in 2-0 loss to rival Cougars

Rachel Johnson (#19) tries to bury a scoring chance for the Huskies.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team was powerless on the power play, and it cost them their five-game winning streak.

    On Friday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, the Huskies failed to cash in on 11 power-play chances in a 2-0 setback to their provincial rivals the University of Regina Cougars. The Huskies entered the contest riding a five game winning streak, which allowed them to be rated ninth in the U Sports top ten rankings.

    The Cougars came flying out of the gates scoring twice in a span of 2:20 early in the first period to put the Huskies back on their heels. Feisty forward Kylee Kupper potted the first goal for the visitors while working on a power play and sophomore Jaycee Magwood netted the second tally. Cougars captain Alexis Larson picked up assists on both goals.

Alexis Larson picked up a pair of assists for the Cougars.

    U of R scored once on six power-play opportunities.

  After getting the early lead, Cougars netminder Jane Kish slammed the door shut in goal making 28 saves to pick up the shutout. She also had a lot of help in front as her teammates cleared away rebounds and also blocked a fair number of shots helping the Cougars improve to 4-3.

    The Cougars shot blocking started to make the Huskies double clutch in the offensive zone, especially while working on other power play. The U of S players just couldn’t seem to find their flow when they attempted to set up scoring chances.

    In the third period, the Huskies failed to score on two separated lengthy five-on-three power-play chances.

    Cassidy Hendricks made 18 stops taking the setback in goal for the Huskies (5-2).

    The two team go at it again on Saturday in Regina at 7 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre.

Blue-liners on fire for Huskies

Tanner Lishchynsky picked up his first U Sports goal.

    The defencemen for the U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team were playing with a hot hand on Friday night in Regina.

    Three different blue-liners found the back of the net for the Dogs as they downed the host U of Regina Cougars 4-1 at the Co-operators Centre. Captain Kendall McFaull scored in the first period, and fellow rearguards Jesse Forsberg and rookie Tanner Lishchynsky added singles in the second. Lishchynsky’s tally was his first in his U Sports career.

    The Cougars tried to battle back as Landon Peel scored early in the third, but Parker Thomas restored the Huskies three-goal edge scoring just past the midway point of the frame.

    Jordon Cooke made 25 saves to earn the win in goal for the Huskies (5-1-1). Andy Desautels turned away 33 shots taking the setback in goal for the Cougars (1-4).

    The two teams go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

Football Dogs roll into playoffs with 48-9 romp over U of A

Colton Klassen (#7) powers in for a Huskies touchdown.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies football team is hitting on all cylinders heading into the post-season.

    On Friday night before 2,686 spectators at Griffiths Stadium, the Huskies romped over the University of Alberta Golden Bears 48-9. Huskies receiver Chad Braun returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown to give the Huskies a 7-0 with 5:29 to play in the first quarter. The hosts rolled to 23-0 edge at halftime and led 33-0 at one point in the third quarter before cruising to the finish.

    The Huskies attack was a balanced one as they piled up 223 yards rushing as a team and 278 yards passing as a team. Starting quarterback Kyle Siemens completed 13-of-25 passes for 188 yards and one interception. Former starter and current backup Drew Burko, who is in his fifth year of eligibility, finished things off for the Huskies in relief connecting on 10-of-14 passes for 90 yards.

    Tyler Chow topped the Huskies in rushing piling up 79 yards on eight carries, and he scored one major. Colton Klassen ran the ball 10 times for 78 yards and score two touchdowns.

    Third-year kicker Sean Stenger connected on all six of his field goal attempts. He finished the regular season making 22-of-26 of his field goal attempts. Stenger’s 22 made field goals also set a new Huskies team record breaking the old mark of 19 set by Grant Shaw in 2009.

    Golden Bears quarterback Ben Kopczynski completed 17-of-36 passes for 170 yards and one interception. He also ran the ball 10 times for 66 yards scoring one touchdown.

Kyle Siemens (#19) fires a pass downfield for the Huskies.

    The two squads also traded safety touches.

    The Golden Bears finished last in the six-team Canada West conference with a 1-7 mark.

    The Huskies improved to 5-3 with the win, and they are riding a three-game winning streak heading into the playoffs. U of S could still finish second in Canada West, if the U of Calgary Dinos (5-2) fall to the UBC Thunderbirds (3-4) on Saturday in Vancouver.

    The Dogs and Dinos split their two regular season encounters, but the Huskies hold a standings tiebreaker having outscored U of C 57-55 in those two contests.

    If the Huskies host a Canada West semifinal playoff game, it will be held Nov. 5 at Griffiths Stadium.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.