Will this group win an elusive second U
Sports nationals?
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| Jeff Faith, left, and Evan Fiala ham it up. |
As of right now, the Huskies have that characteristic in spades. They have the right mix.
Due to the
fact it is almost impossible to measure intangibles by statistics, someone
might say it is totally bonkers to outright say a team has the right mix or
chemistry to win a national title.
Still on a
gut feeling, things just feel right with this Huskies team. It seems every
player, coach and staffer is where they are supposed to be in the here and now.
When the Huskies
travel to Halifax, N.S., for the David Johnston University Cup that runs March
12 to 15, they will encounter a number of powerhouse U Sports squads from
Eastern Canada that can prove having the right mix might not be enough to win a
U Sports national title.
The David
Johnston University Cup is played in an elite-eight format to determine the U
Sports national champion. In a one-and-done event, any number of factors on any
given day can do in a team like a hot goaltender, a hot scorer or a positive
bounce for the opposition.
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| Evan Fiala is popular in Saskatoon’s hockey community. |
With all
that in mind, you have to feel excited about this Huskies team.
Their
perseverance showed early after starting the regular season 0-3-1 due to a
number of injuries on defence. At that point, thoughts about the Huskies
finishing first or second in Canada West to earn a first round series bye
seemed distant.
It seemed
reasonable to think they could rally to earn the right to host a first round
playoff series.
Despite
other injuries that came up during the campaign, the Huskies rolled off a
22-1-1 run over 24 games to finish the regular season with a 22-4-2 record to
place second in Canada West.
Had they earned just one more point in the
standings, they would have finished on top of the conference.
They are currently rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings.
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| Collin Shirley is a big favourite in Saskatoon’s hockey community. |
They are currently rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings.
The Huskies
got healthy as the post-season drew near. Currently, the only player still out
due to a long term injury is fourth-year forward and assistant captain Wyatt
Johnson, who has a past history of battling concussion injuries. He still tries
to be a source of support for the team
The Dogs
rolled off 11 straight wins to close the regular season and have extended that
streak to 15 games after sweeping their Canada West semifinal and championship
series.
On Saturday
at Merlis Belsher Place, the Huskies completed a 2-0 sweep of the best-of-three
Canada West final with a 3-1 victory over the University of British Columbia
Thunderbirds in Game 2. Merlis was rocking as 2,667 spectators jammed into the
main rink, which was a record crowd for the facility.
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| Levi Cable has played 175 consecutive games for the Huskies. |
The Huskies
are heading back to U Sports nationals for a fifth straight year. The overall
depth in talent on the Huskies might have been a touch greater the three
previous campaigns.
They still
have good talent this season, but it also seems to be the right amount of
talent. They have balanced scoring from all four of their forward lines.
They have a
strong shutdown defensive unit playing in front of a star netminder in Taran
Kozun, who was named both the Canada West player of the year and goaltender of
the year.
It seems
like everyone on this Huskies team fits into their roles. They know who will be
scorers, the defensive forwards, the power play quarterbacks on defence, the
shutdown rearguards and Kozun holds the last line of defence.
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| Merlis Belsher, second from left, greets Huskies goalie Taran Kozun. |
These
Huskies don’t get derailed by those who play the role of agitator on opposing
squads.
This
Huskies team just has some good old guys you have to like.
Canada West
second team all-star forward Collin Shirley and sophomore defensive defenceman
Evan Fiala are arguably two of the team’s most popular players in minor hockey
rinks across Saskatoon.
Both are
local products as Shirley grew up in Saskatoon and Fiala comes from the bedroom
community of Clavet, which is located just outside the southeast corner of the
city limits.
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| The noisemakers came out at Merlis on Saturday. |
The Huskies
have a strong fifth-year group who have been key contributors to the team and
strong in the classroom in Bauml, Levi Cable, Andrew Johnson and Logan McVeigh.
Cable has played in 175 consecutive games with the Huskies in the U Sports
regular season and post-season showing unmatched durability.
Fourth-year
left-winger Jordan Tkatch can played skilled or grease it up, and that style of
play has allowed him to still have a strong backing in Prince Albert, where he
played for the WHL’s Raiders.
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| Carson Stadnyk has been clutch for the Huskies. |
Captain
Tanner Lishchynsky and fellow fourth year veteran Colby Harmsworth might be one
of the best shutdown defensive pairings in amateur hockey in Canada.
Sophomore
rearguard and second team Canada West all-star Gordie Ballhorn and third-year
blue-liner Sam Ruopp bring strong offensive skill to the back end.
Rookie Jeff
Faith plays a utility role and has a fun goofy side to his personality as well.
You can
keep going down the roster, but the Huskies are a team that is made up of guys
that are just good guys. They have guys that have a bit of character too.
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| Tanner Lishchynsky leads a group that has a good vibe. |
It would be
sweet if they were able to bring home the Huskies second U Sports national title.
The Huskies have a storied history winning the Canada West championship 18
times, and 12 of those title wins have come since the first U Sports national
title was awarded in 1963.
When they
get to nationals, it seems like the unfairness of sports takes frequent bites
out of the Huskies. They have had a number of teams stocked with talented good
guys, and all but one have been unable to win the big prize.
Since winning
a national title in 1983, the Huskies have fallen in the U Sports championship game
on four occasions in 1987, 2005, 2014 and 2017.
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| Layne Young, right, shares a special moment with his parents. |
He was a
player on the 1982-83 Huskies team that won both the Canada West title and the U
Sports national championship.
The 1982-83
Huskies lived the saying, “Win today and walk together forever.”
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| The Huskies hope to repeat this scene at U Sports nationals. |
You can bet
the current Huskies team will do everything that they can control to have that
bond too.
If the hand
of fate decides to give them a break or two that most past Huskies teams haven’t
had at this stage of things, that would be a good thing too.
If you have any
comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them
to stankssports@gmail.com.
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