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| Evan Fiala brings the puck up ice for the Huskies. |
After he
graduated from the WHL as the captain of the Saskatoon Blades at the end of the
2017-18 campaign, Fiala, who resides just outside of Saskatoon in Calvet,
Sask., didn’t want to stray too far from his stomping grounds.
The
defensive defenceman signed on to play with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays,
who are based in North Charleston, South Carolina, to finish off the 2017-18
campaign after the Blades failed to make the WHL playoffs. Fiala skated in 10
regular season games scoring one goal in that stretch and four post-season
games with the Stingrays.
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| Evan Fiala controls the puck behind his own net. |
“The fact
they were in my hometown pretty much is huge,” said Fiala, who still skates in almost every situation with a big smile on his face. “I’ve got family,
and I’ve got a good fanbase here that has always supported me.
“It made
the decision pretty easy.”
As a rookie
in 2018-19, Fiala played in 25 regular season games for the Huskies posting
four assists and a plus-eight rating in the plus-minus department. U of S
finished first in the Canada West Conference with a 25-3 record.
Fiala had a
plus-five rating playing in all five of the Huskies games in the Canada West
Conference playoffs.
At the
University Cup national championship tournament last March, he played in all
three of the Huskies games in that event posting a goal and a plus-three
rating.
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| Evan Fiala (#27) had two assists on Friday night. |
Fiala has
played in all five of the Huskies games in the current campaign posting four
assists and a minus-one rating.
When he
joined the Huskies, Fiala knew they had graduated their captain in Kendall
McFaull at the conclusion of the 2017-18 campaign. McFaull was a stellar
defenceman who was strong in his own zone.
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| Evan Fiala’s mom Julie Fiala, left, watches Friday night’s game. |
“You have
to prove yourself no matter what situation you are in,” said Fiala, who stands
6-foot-4 and weighs 210 pounds. “Thankfully, things have worked out that I’ve
been able to play the games I have.
“Hopefully,
I can keep that spot.”
During his
WHL career that ran from 2014 to 2018, Fiala appeared in 266 regular season
games split between the Spokane Chiefs and the Blades posting 17 goals, 53
assists, 500 penalty minutes and a plus-21 rating. He said the U Sports game is
played at a higher pace than what is seen in the WHL due to the fact the
players are more experienced being aged usually anywhere from age 19 to 26.
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| Evan Fiala passes the puck to a teammate. |
“Everyone
is bigger. It is a tonne of fun also. Everyone is usually where they need to be.
“Everyone
has been through it. They understand situations, and that is what makes the
guys in there good. Everyone is on the same page.”
Fiala
enjoyed playing with the Huskies veteran players last season, and he said they
played a big role in helping him get used to the U Sports league. He said star offensive
defenceman Jesse Forsberg really made him feel like he belonged.
Forsberg
was the Huskies captain last season in his fifth and final campaign of eligibility.
“We had a fantastic
veteran group last year Jesse (Forsberg) especially,” said Fiala. “He is
definitely missed.
“He was a
good role model also. You’re not going to see a more passionate guy.”
Going into
this season, the Huskies appeared to have strong defensive unit on paper, but
the injury bug decided to wreak havoc on things in the early going.
The Dogs
were short four defencemen at one time due to injury and are still without
third-year rearguard Sam Ruopp and fourth-year blue-liner Colby Harmsworth.
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| Evan Fiala (#27) can be a presence when things get rough. |
Fiala said
the players currently dressing for games on the Huskies back end are starting to
find their groove in filling the void left by Ruopp and Harmsworth.
“Those are
two big sets of shoes to fill,” said Fiala. “Spags (Cody Spagrud) and Franny
(Kendall Fransoo) have done an amazing job.
“They are
great D-men to play with. It definitely helps our squad.”
In Friday’s
game, the Huskies opened the scoring at the 8:01 mark of the first period, when
left-winger Carter Folk blew home a shot from in front of the Lethbridge goal
after taking a drop pass from Fiala.
Just over
five minutes later, the Huskies went up 2-0, when centre Logan McVeigh tipped
home a point shot from Spagrud.
Working on
a power play 87 seconds into the second frame, Huskies right-winger Carson
Stadnyk took the puck at the right side of the Pronghorns goal, did a spin-o-rama
and tucked home a shot past Pronghorns starting netminder Taz Burman. The tally
gave the host side a 3-0 edge.
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| Evan Fiala monitors action in the offensive zone from the point. |
Backup Nik
Amundrud turned away 22-of-24 shots in relief.
At the 3:16
mark of the second, Huskies defenceman Shane Collins wired home a shot from in
front of the Pronghorns for a 4-0 lead.
Before the
second period ended, the Huskies went ahead 5-0, when Stadnyk netted his second
of the contest on shot coming off a rush up the left wing. Fiala picked up his
second assist of the contest on Stadnyk’s second tally.
Taran Kozun
stopped 18 shots to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Huskies.
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| Evan Fiala (#27) and the Huskies celebrate Friday’s win. |
“I’m right
here right now, and it has been so far so good,” said Fiala. “I will focus on
this season and see what happens in the future.”
The Huskies
and Pronghorns (3-2) go at it again on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Merlis Belsher
Place.
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comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them
to stankssports@gmail.com.
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