Huskies’ Shirley gains new confidence with first goal

Abby Shirley jets up the ice for the Huskies.

    The old saying that good things can happen if you put the puck on goal paid off for Abby Shirley.

    The 18-year-old rookie right-winger with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team netted her first career U Sports regular season goal on a play that looked rather unassuming. Early in the third period of Saturday’s clash against the visiting University of Lethbridge Pronghorns at the ancient Rutherford Rink, Shirley fired a shot from a bad angle along the left boards in the offensive zone, and the puck found its way past netminder Alicia Anderson.

    The goal gave the Huskies a 2-1 lead and held up as the game winner in a 3-1 victory.

    “I was actually going to go for a line change, but then the puck game right in front of me,” said Shirley. “I was like I might as well get it on net. It slipped in somehow.

    “It was a good way to get my first one I guess.”

    Shirley admitted to being startled when she saw the red light go on behind the Pronghorns goal.

    “I actually didn’t even know it went in,” said Shirley. “I don’t know what was going through my mind, and then I just threw my hands up in the air.

    “It is just a feeling I guess.”

    Shirley, who stands 5-foot-5, has seen a bit of everything in her first campaign with the Huskies. The Delisle, Sask., product has been in and out of the Huskies lineup appearing in 13 of the team’s 18 regular season games to date collecting one goal, two assists and a plus-four rating in the plus-minus department. Those types of experiences are often common for rookies at the U Sports level.

    When she has played, Shirley has mainly been a defensive forward, but she has had her opportunity to play all sorts of different roles. One of her assignments that isn’t common for a rookie forward has been playing the point on the power play.

    “I was quite nervous actually,” said Shirley about the power play duty. “Then, I got into the groove a bit with lots of practice, and it felt pretty good.”

    Huskies head coach Steve Kook said Shirley’s confidence has improved as the season has gone on, and that was noticeable in Saturday’s win over the Pronghorns.

Abby Shirley reacts to scoring her first goal with the Huskies.

    “I didn’t see any hesitation in her game, so that is a little bit of maturity on her part,” said Kook. “That is what is helping her game a little bit, and that is what is making me feel a little bit more comfortable to put her in those situations (like playing the power play).

    “As a rookie, you worry about making so many mistakes. It just seems like she is just playing hockey right now and not thinking so much. That is what has allowed her ability to come out.”

    Kook said Shirley has some natural talents she can rely on as her career with the Huskies progresses.

    “First year is pretty good here,” said Kook. “We will see how she handles getting a little bit more playing time in the second and third year.

    “Her natural ability is to be able to shoot the puck even though she is just pint sized. Her natural ability is to see open ice, and that is why we have her on the top end on our power play.”

    Shirley came to the Huskies after a solid career with the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA team. She played three seasons for the Stars from 2014 to 2017 collecting 31 goals and 32 assists in 77 career regular season games. The speedy winger played a key part in helping the Stars win Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League championships and appear in the Esso Cup national championship tournament in 2015 and 2016.

    Last season with the Stars, she had a breakout campaign netting 14 goals and 18 assists in 25 regular season games. Shirley quickly noticed all the players at the university level were stronger and bigger, so that created an obvious adjustment.

    “It is a lot different,” said Shirley. “You don’t have as much time.

    “It is a lot more just pucks to the net and shots other than just like having time with it and trying to make nice plays. It is just really like quick plays.”

    Shirley said one of her easier adjustments was fitting in with her teammates, when she got over some initial moments of being star struck. She went through times of just being in awe of star fifth-year captain Kaitlin Willoughby.

Abby Shirley (#27) was all smiles after scoring for the Huskies.

    “I love this group of girls,” said Shirley. “There are lots of girls I look up to like Willo (Kaitlin Willoughby) of course.

    “She is such a good offensive player. Her hands are unbelievable, and I look up to her for sure.

“We’re like a family. I’m really close with everyone, and I just love them.”

    While she knows she has been more of a defensive forward so far this season, Shirley would like to have a few other goal celebrations as the campaign progresses.

    “It feels really good actually just knowing that like you are helping out the team,” she said.

    The Huskies (11-6-1) return to action on Friday, when they travel to Winnipeg to take on the University of Manitoba Bisons (13-4-1).

North Stars captain commits to Huskies men’s team

    On Tuesday, the U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team Battlefords North Stars captain Layne Young has committed to play for the green and white starting in the 2018-19 campaign.

    Young, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 200 pounds, has been a standout for the Stars since joining the junior A club on a full-time basis at the start of the 2014-15 campaign. In 145 regular season career games with the Stars, Young has 73 goals and 138 assists.

    The 20-year-old leads the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League in scoring this season with 22 goals and 43 assists in 33 appearances. The Frenchman Butte, Sask., product helped the Stars with the SJHL championship last season.

    “We are thrilled to have Layne join our program,” said Huskies head coach Dave Adolph in a release. “He understands that we place a significant value on elite junior A players from the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

    “They all are extremely dedicated to getting better, and Layne knows he will have to earn his way here. He is hardworking with a boat load of skill and drive.”

    Young will enter the College of Agriculture to study in Ag-Business.

    “I saw a lot of positives joining the Huskies,” said Young in a release. “The University of Saskatchewan has a great agriculture program as well as a new rink that will help make the Huskies continue to be a top program in Canada.”

    Young refers to the brand new Merlis Belsher Place that is being constructed at the U of S and is scheduled to open for Young’s rookie campaign.

    The Huskies (14-3-1), who are rated fourth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, return to action on Friday, when they host the U of Manitoba Bisons (11-5-2), who are rated ninth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

    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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Pretty or gritty - Huskies need to keep finding ways to win

Abby Shirley (#27) celebrates scoring for the Huskies.

    It doesn’t matter if it is pretty, gutty or both, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team has to keep finding ways to win.

    On Saturday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, the Huskies won their third straight downing the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns 3-1 playing both pretty and gutty. This season, goals have come at a premium more than ever in U Sports’ Canada West Conference for women’s hockey, and it seems the first team to score will win the game via a shutout.

    The Huskies are going to have to duplicate their effort from Saturday for the rest of the campaign as the 2017-18 season hits the home stretch with the playoffs approaching. The win over the Pronghorns featured a lot of positives.

    The biggest positive was the fact the Huskies came from behind to win the game. At the 8:42 mark of the second, Pronghorns centre Kyra Greig scored a gritty goal in close to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Jessica Vance has been stellar in goal for the Huskies.

    The Pronghorns have played a number of gritty games this season and are battling to get into a playoff position. The Huskies had controlled the majority of the play to that point in time, and you had to wonder if the visitors were going to steal a win.

    In the opening 20 minutes, the Huskies outshot the Pronghorns 14-6, and the host side had a lengthy list of quality scoring chances. Pronghorns netminder Alicia Anderson stood on her head to ensure the hosts weren’t able to get ahead.

    Shortly before Greig’s goal in the second, Huskies defender Madison Colbow unloaded a point blast that hit Anderson and slowly trickled just wide of the Pronghorn’s net.

    With the 3:36 to play in the second, the Huskies tied the contest in a pretty fashion. Huskies feisty forward Brooklyn Haubrich broke into the offensive zone on a two-on-one rush with star captain Kaitlin Willoughby.

    Haubrich fed a nice pass across the front of the goal to Willoughby, who roofed the equalizer past Anderson to force a 1-1 tie.

Brooklyn Haubrich set up a beauty goal for the Huskies.

    At the 3:53 mark of the third, the Huskies went ahead 2-1 in gutty fashion when a bad angle shot by rookie right-winger Abby Shirley from the left boards of the offensive zone found its way past Anderson.

    From that point, the Pronghorns came with a huge push back playing desperate and keeping the Huskies pinned in their own zone.

    Huskies sophomore netminder Jessica Vance slammed the door making 18 saves in total to ensure the slim edge held up. Inside of the final two minutes of the third, Vance had to slide across her crease to deny Pronghorns defender Mattie Apperson, who pinched down to the right post of the Huskies net for a golden scoring chance.

    Following that stop, Willoughby iced the contest with an empty-net goal with 37 seconds to play. With her two goals, Willoughby moved to within a point of catching Danny Stone for second on the Huskies all-time career regular season scoring list.

The Pronghorns react to a goal by Huskies captain Kaitlin Willoughby.

    Willoughby now has 48 goals and 57 assists for 105 career regular season points. Stone, who played for the Huskies from 2008 to 2013, had 57 goals and 49 assists for 106 career regular season points. Both are grads from the Prince Albert Northern Bears female midget AAA team.

    On Saturday night, Willoughby played one of her best games of the season and likely should have finished with a monster night in the points department.
    However, the 2017-18 campaign is the season of the goalie in the Canada West Conference and passing Stone will have to wait.

Kaitlin Willoughby, right, scored twice for the Huskies on Saturday night.

    Anderson turned away 26-of-28 shots to take the setback in goal for the Pronghorns, who fell to 5-11-2 to sit last in the eight team Canada West and five points back of the U of Calgary Dinos for the conference’s final playoff berth.

    The Huskies improved to 11-6-1 to sit third overall in Canada West, with seven of those 11 victories coming by shutout. The top four positions in the Canada West standings are separated by just six points, so they can change on a game by game basis.

    The Dogs will get back at it again this coming Friday and Saturday, when they travel to Winnipeg to take on the U of Manitoba Bisons, who top Canada West with a 13-4-1 record.

    The green and white are capable of defeating every team in the conference, so the upcoming contests with the Bisons provide another couple of opportunities to find ways to pull out wins.

Dogs win streak ends in Lethbridge

Logan McVeigh had a goal for the Huskies on Saturday night.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team fell just short of making a comeback to keep their six game winning streak alive.

    On Saturday night in Lethbridge, the host U of Lethbridge Pronghorns built a 3-0 edge and held on to a 4-2 victory in a U Sports regular season match at the Nicholas Sheran Arena. The Pronghorns victory brought an end to the Huskies winning streak.

    Dalton Sward gave the Pronghorns a 1-0 lead in the first period. Ryon Moser and Ryan Chynoweth each netted singles in the second period to extend the Pronghorns advantage to 3-0.

    The Huskies attempted to rally in the third. Michael Sofillas scored just past the midway point of the frame to cut the Pronghorns lead to 3-1. Logan McVeigh scored for the Dogs with 1:15 to play in the third to further trim the Pronghorns advantage to 3-2.

    Connor Sanvido scored into an empty net inside of the final minute of the third to seal U of L’s victory.

    Jordon Cooke turned away 23 of 26 shots to take the setback in goal for the Huskies, who are rated third in the U Sports Top 10 rankings. Garret Hughson stopped 34 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Pronghorns.

    The Huskies fell to 14-3-1, but they still sit second overall in the Canada West Conference two points behind the 15-2-1 U of Alberta Golden Bears. The Golden Bears were in Winnipeg and dropped a 5-4 overtime decision and a 3-1 setback on Friday and Saturday respectively to the U of Manitoba Bisons.

    The Pronghorns improved to 8-9-1 to sit in a three-way tie for fourth overall in Canada West with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds and the Mount Royal University Cougars, who are both 8-9-1.

    The Huskies return to action this coming Friday, when they host the Bisons (11-5-2) at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

Hometown heroes power Blades to seventh straight win

Gage Ramsay (#20) and Cameron Hebig, centre, powered the Blades.

    Gage Ramsay and Cameron Hebig gave their families and friends a Saturday night to remember at the SaskTel Centre.

    The two Saskatoon products combined on three goals to help their hometown Blades slip past the Kootenay Ice 4-2 in a WHL regular season clash before 3,241 spectators. The victory was the Blades seventh in a row and 10^th in their last 11 games.

    Ramsay, who is a 19-year-old winger, netted the Blades first two goals at the 3:07 and 12:46 marks of the first period, and Hebig picked up assists on both of those tallies.

    Saskatoon exited the first period with a 3-0 lead, when 18-year-old right-winger Josh Paterson picked up his 20^th goal of the season with 2:47 to play in the frame.

    Hebig, who is the Blades star overage centre, netting his 30^th goal of the season at the 8:33 mark of the third to give Saskatoon a 4-0 lead, and Ramsay drew an assist on that marker.

Keenan Taphorn and Brett Davis netted singles late in the third for the Ice.

    Netminder Nolan Maier, who is a 16-year-old rookie, won his 10^th straight start in goal for the Blades making 27 saves. Bailey Brkin took the setback starting in goal for the Ice turning away 14-of-17 shots and was pulled after the first period. Duncan McGovern turned away 13-of-15 shots playing the rest of the way in relief for Kootenay.

    The Blades improved to 21-17-2-1 to hold the first wildcard playoff position in the WHL’s Eastern Conference two points ahead of the Memorial Cup hosting Regina Pats (20-19-3). The Prince Albert Raiders (15-17-6-2) are trying to catch the one of either the Blades or the Pats for a wildcard berth. The Raiders trail the Blades and Pats by seven and five points respectively in the standings.

    Prince Albert has two games in hand on Regina and one game in hand on Saskatoon.

    The Ice fell to 18-21-3 to sit second in the WHL’s Central Division.

    The Blades return to action on Sunday, when the travel to Brandon to face the Wheat Kings.

    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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Swift Current connection powers Huskies to 2-0 win

Kayla Kirwan, right, celebrates scoring for the Huskies.

    It was a good night to be connected to Swift Current.

    Out in Buffalo, New York, on Friday night, Swift Current Broncos star right-winger Tyler Steenbergen had a golden moment playing for Canada at the world junior hockey championships. Locked in a 1-1 tie with Sweden in the gold medal game, Steenbergen tipped home a point shot from Conor Timmins with 1:40 to play in the third period to give Canada a 2-1 edge. Canada added an empty-net goal to pull out a 3-1 victory before 17,544 spectators at the KeyBank Centre.

    In Saskatoon on Friday night, a pair of alums from the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats female midget AAA team came through in the clutch for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team before a cozy gathering of 235 spectators at the ancient Rutherford Rink.

Kayla Kirwan controls the puck at the point for the Huskies.

    Defender Kayla Kirwan and centre Chloe Smith each netting singles to power the Huskies to a 2-0 U Sports regular season victory in their “Play For a Cure” game against the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns.

    The Huskies were raising money for breast cancer research in their 10^th annual match, where they fundraise for a cancer fighting charity.

    Wearing special pink jerseys for the contest, Smith said the fact that this was her squad’s cancer fundraising game wasn’t far from the minds of the Huskies players, so the night was a special one.

    “It feels good,” said Smith, who is in her rookie season with the Huskies. “Our coaches were talking about it at the start of the game here.

    “We weren’t playing just to win the game. We were playing for a cure for cancer, so it was pretty cool that we got all dressed up in these jerseys and represented that and raised some money for a great cause.

Chloe Smith, right, drives a shot on goal for the Huskies.

    “Plus on the good side, we won. It was a good night overall.”

    The Huskies came storming out of the game outshooting the Pronghorns 17-2 over the opening 20 minutes of the contest. Pronghorns netminder Alicia Anderson was doing her best to give the visitors a chance. She made a number of big stops including robbing Huskies left-winger Emily Upgang with a glove grab on a perfectly executed backdoor set up.

    Anderson was eventually beat with the Huskies working the power play with nine seconds to play in the first period. A shot from Huskies star captain Kaitlin Willoughby rebounded to an open area in front of the Pronghorns’ net to provide a second-chance opportunity.

Kayla Kirwan charges up ice for the Huskies.

    Kirwan swooped in from the point and popped home her second goal of the season over a fallen Anderson to give the Huskies a 1-0 edge. Brooklyn Haubrich, who is another Wildcats alum, picked up a second assist on Kirwan’s tally.

    “We’ve struggled pretty hard with the power play, but the second half we have a new system, and it seems to be working,” said Kirwan, who team was 3-for-55 on the power play on the season entering Friday’s contest. “We are getting more shots off, and that seems to be our focus.”

    Kirwan said the Huskies coaches have been telling the defenders make some calculated aggressive plays on the power play, so the 19-year-old sophomore from Gull Lake, Sask., decided to pinch down, when she saw a loose puck.

    “They (the Huskies coaches) always tell us to get ready to shoot down,” said Kirwan. “You always want to make it a three-on-two or a four-on-two, whatever it takes.

    “I saw the opportunity, and I buried it.”

    Netminder Jessica Vance, who is having an outstanding season for the Huskies, wasn’t tested often over the first 40 minutes, but she came through with some big stops. Early in the second, the Pronghorns entered the Huskies zone on a three-on-one rush, and Vance walled off Pronghorns left-winger Alli Borrow from potting a feed that came across the face of the Huskies net with the help of a backchecking Willoughby.

Huskies goalie Jessica Vance makes one of her 18 saves in a shutout win.

    At the 7:45 mark of the third, Smith charged down the left wing on a rush and floated a beauty shot over Anderson’s shoulder to the top right corner of the Pronghorns goal to give the Huskies a 2-0 edge. The tally was Smith’s third goal of the campaign.

    “It feels good,” said Smith. “I was kind of waiting for another chance.

    “To shoot the puck a little bit more, that is my goal the second half. I did that today, and it paid off for me so it was exciting. I was just shooting it on net, saw the open corner and that is where it went.”

    Traditionally, the Wildcats players who have come to the Huskies have been able to step in and play well. Kirwan gave credit to a veteran bench boss for that development.

    “I think I’d have to credit (Wildcats head coach) Terry Pavely,” said Kirwan. “He has been an unreal coach. He has helped us get here.”

The Huskies begin celebrating their win over the Pronghorns.

    While Kirwan and Smith were teammates on the Wildcats, Smith said the overall minor hockey system in the Swift Current area has been key in helping the Wildcats grads.

    “We have good coaching, and Swift Current is a pretty big hockey town and all the towns around it,” said Smith. “We kind of grew up together playing against each other, and we just have a good development program.”

    Vance turned away 18 shots to pick up her fourth shutout win in goal for the Huskies (10-6-1). Anderson turned away 29 shots to take the setback in goal for the Pronghorns (5-10-2).

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

Wildcats grads pumped for Steenbergen

Broncos RW Tyler Steenbergen had a golden moment for Canada.

    Kayla Kirwan and Chloe Smith were all focused on helping their U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team blank the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns 2-0 on Friday night at the Rutherford Rink, but they were pumped to hear special news linked to their hometown area.

    Shortly after they stepped off the ice, the two alums of the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats female midget AAA team found out Tyler Steenbergen of the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos had scored the gold medal winning goal for Canada at the world junior hockey championships.

    Steenbergen tipped home a point shot from Conor Timmins with 1:40 to play in the third period to break a 1-1 tie and put Canada up 2-1 on Sweden. Canada rounded out a 3-1 win with an empty-net goal in the title game at world juniors played before 17,544 spectators at the KeyBank Centre in Buffalo, New York, on Friday night.

    During his time in Swift Current, Steenbergen has blossomed into a star right-winger for the Broncos, and the 19-year-old is in his fourth season with the team. Before joining Canada for world juniors, Steenbergen had piled up 35 goals and 26 assists in 27 regular season games with Broncos in the current campaign.

    While Steenbergen is from Sylvan Lake, Alta., Kirwan said Steenbergen’s gold medal winning goal at world juniors looks good on Swift Current, because he has played there for his whole WHL career.

    “It is really cool,” said Kirwan. “I think it is pretty awesome that he’s coming from such a small town, and I know we kind of take pride in that too.”

    Smith said athletes in Swift Current are pretty good at supporting each other, so the emotions got immediately pumped up hearing about Steenbergen’s big goal.

    “It is pretty cool,” said Smith. “It always nice to hear that guys from your hometown are doing good in their hockey careers.

    “It is exciting, good for him (and) good for Canada.”

    Steenbergen, who is an NHL Draft selection of the Arizona Coyotes, has 111 goals and 97 assists in 238 career regular season games with the Broncos.

    Dillon Dube scored Canada’s first goal early in the second period, while Tim Soderlund tallied for Sweden to force a 1-1 tie before the second frame ended.

    That set the scene for Steenbergen’s winner. Alex Formenton rounded out the scoring for Canada with an empty-net goal.

    Carter Hart turned away 35 shots to pick up the win in goal for Canada, who went 6-0-1 at the tournament. Filip Gustavsson stopped 24 of 26 shots to take the setback in goal for Sweden, who finished the event with a 6-1 record.

Huskies men’s team takes thriller against Pronghorns

Alex Forsberg scored twice for the Huskies.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team sure likes to engage in thrillers with the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns.

    The two sides engaged in another standout contest that saw the Huskies prevail 3-2 in a U Sports regular season match before a gather of 273 spectators at the Nicholas Sheran Arena in Lethbridge. The win was a sixth straight victory for the Huskies.

    Winger Alex Forsberg scored twice in the first period to give the Huskies a 2-0 edge. At the 4:14 mark of the second, forward Russell Maxwell scored for the Pronghorns to cut the Huskies edge to 2-1.

    Forward Jordan Tkatch potted his second of the season shortly after the midway point of the second to give the Huskies a 3-1 edge. Forward Connor Sanvido tallied with 1:46 remaining in the second period for the Pronghorns to cut the Huskies edge to 3-2. The Pronghorns were unable to net the equalizer in the third.

    Jordon Cooke turned away 19 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies (14-2-1). Garret Hughson turned away 37 shots to take the setback in goal for the Pronghorns (7-9-1).

    Defenceman Colby Harmsworth and forward Parker Thomas each picked up a pair of assists for the Huskies in the win.

    The two teams go at it again on Saturday in Lethbridge.

Kustra caps Blades comeback

Jake Kustra scored the winning goal for the Blades on Friday night.

    Defensive defenceman Jake Kustra picked a great time to go for it offensively for the Saskatoon Blades.

    Locked in a 2-2 draw with the visiting Red Deer Rebels, Kustra pinched low to the left side of the Rebels goal on an offensive rush, and he knocked home a sweet backhand feed from overage left-winger Braylon Shmyr that came across the front of the Red Deer goal to give the Blades a 3-2 lead with 9:25 to play in the third period. Kustra’s second goal of the season held up to be the winner to delight most of the 3,169 spectators at the SaskTel Centre on Friday night.

    Shmyr potted his 20^th of the season late in the first period to give the Blades a 1-0 lead. The Rebels stormed back going ahead 2-1 in the second period on singles from the sticks of Reese Johnson and Alex Morozoff.

    With 3:18 remaining in the second period, Bradly Goethals netted his ninth goal of the season to pull the Blades even at 2-2. That set the stage for Kustra’s winner in the third.

    Nolan Maier, who is a 16-year-old rookie, turned away 22 shots to win his ninth straight start in goal for the Blades. Riley Lamb turned away 24 shots to take the setback in goal for the Rebels.

    The Blades, who had won six straight, improved to 20-17-2-1. They hold one of the two wildcard playoff spots in the WHL’s Eastern Conference along with Regina Pats (20-18-3). Both the Blades and Pats have 43 points in the standings and are seven points ahead of the Prince Albert Raiders (14-17-6-2), who are in pursuit of one of those two post-season spots.

    The Blades return to action on Saturday when they host the Kootenay Ice (18-20-3) at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    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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Bourassa finds groove with Huskies

Rookie forward brings clutch playoff history from Weyburn

Bailee Bourassa, left, smiles after scoring for the Huskies.

    When Bailee Bourassa joined the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team, she came with a playoff pedigree.

    The 18-year-old rookie forward will always be remembered in her hometown of Weyburn, Sask., for scoring the winning goal in the championship game of the 2014 Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament. Her tally helped her hometown Weyburn Gold Wings top the Edmonton Thunder 2-1 at the Gateway Ice Centre in Stoney Creek, Ont.

    With that goal, Bourassa cemented herself with hometown hero status by helping deliver a national championship to her community.

    “That was probably one of the best experiences of my entire life,” said Bourassa. “It was one of the best teams I have ever been a part of.

    “The girls were great. That was one of my best years of hockey. It was just an unreal experience being there and like how big of a deal it actually was.

    “Being the underdogs to come out on top was just an awesome feeling.”

Bailee Bourassa circles past a couple of defenders in the offensive zone.

    As a rookie with the Huskies, Bourassa has experienced the typical learning curve that comes with joining the U Sports level. She also exited the regular season on a high.

    On Saturday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, Bourassa wired home a setup from fifth-year defender Alyssa Dobler on the power-play shortly before the midway point of the second period in a match against the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns. The goal gave the Huskies a 2-0 edge that ultimately held up as the final outcome in a contest that closed the regular season for both sides.

    In that one moment, Bourassa displayed the scoring prowess that allowed her to net 21 goals and nine assists in 26 regular season games with the Gold Wings in her final midget AAA campaign in 2015-16.

    “It felt awesome, because our line was kind of on a dry streak,” said Bourassa, who stands 5-foot-8. “We finally put one in there, and it felt really good.”

    During her rookie campaign, Bourassa appeared in 25 regular season games with the Huskies netting four goals and five assists.

Bailee Bourassa bursts into the offensive zone for the Huskies.

    In the 12 games the Huskies played since returning from the Christmas break, Bourassa found the back of the net three times and collected a couple of helpers.

    While adjusting to the university game, Bourassa quickly found a high comfort level with the Huskies.

    “I love it so far,” said Bourassa. “All the girls are awesome, and they are welcoming.

    “That was one thing I was kind of nervous about was like meeting new people. Honestly, I don’t think this could have been a better group of girls to be with.”

    In four seasons in the midget AAA ranks, Bourassa appeared in 107 regular season games with the Gold Wings piling up 40 goals and 43 assists.

    She was even more prolific in the playoffs picking up 19 goals and 10 assists in 35 career Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League post-season games. When she came to the Huskies, she knew she wasn’t going to step in and be the standout right away.

Bailee Bourassa looks for a shooting lane.

    “It is definitely different, because you go from being one of the top players to like having to start at the bottom and work yourself back up,” said Bourassa. “It has been a really good experience so far, and I am enjoying it.”

    Now Bourassa will get her first taste of post-season action at the post-secondary level. The Huskies (15-10-3) finished fourth in the Canada West conference and will host their provincial rivals the U of Regina Cougars (14-13-1) in a best-of-three first round series. Game 1 is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

    In that clash, Bourassa will be trying to score on former Gold Wings teammate in Cougars netminder Jane Kish. Kish, who is also from Weyburn, turned away 29 shots for the Gold Wings in their 2014 Esso Cup championship game win.

    Bourassa is expecting her first her first university playoff series to be a battle.

    “I think that it is going to be a fairly even matched series,” said Bourassa. “Our games against them all year were pretty tight.

    “It is going to be whoever works harder is going to win the game.”

    On Saturday against the Pronghorns, the Huskies went up 1-0 in the first period when star forward Kaitlin Willoughby converted a beauty setup pass from linemate Courtney Cormack. The tally gave Willoughby a new career high for goals in a season at 11. She recorded 10 goals in each of her first three seasons with the Huskies.

The Huskies celebrate their win over the Pronghorns.

    Fifth-year veteran goalie Cassidy Hendricks started the game between the pipes for the Huskies and turned away three shots in one period of work. She was the goalie of record when she was pulled before the start of the second period and picked up her 57^th career regular season win. The North Vancouver product is the Huskies all-time career leader in victories and is third all-time in the Canada West conference in career wins.

    Jasey Book played the final two frames in relief for the Huskies and stopped all 10 shots she faced.

    Alicia Anderson was stellar in goal for the Pronghorns turning away 40 shots to keep her side in the game. The Pronghorns finished last in Canada West with a 4-21-3 record.

    When the Huskies and Cougars clash in the playoffs, it will be their first meeting in the post-season since the 2014 Canada West championship series. The Huskies won that best-of-three series, when Willoughby scored the winner in double overtime to give the U of S a 2-1 victory in a series deciding Game 3.

Huskies men’s team eliminates Pronghorns

Wyatt Johnson scored twice on Saturday for the Huskies.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team ended the regular season by helping end the post-season hopes of the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns in Lethbridge.

    Powered by a goal and two assist performance from defenceman Tyler Borstmayer, the Huskies slipped past the Pronghorns 5-4. The Huskies built a 3-0 lead and never trailed in the contest despite a spirited Pronghorns comeback attempt.

    Wyatt Johnson scored twice for the Huskies, while Jaimen Yakubowski and Michael Sofillas had singles. Daniel Wapple made 29 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Dogs, who finished the regular season topping the Canada West standings with a 21-5-2 mark.

    Jay Merkley scored twice for the Pronghorns, who received singles from Justin Valentino and Ryan Chynoweth. Garret Hughson turned away 24 shots to take the loss in the U of L goal.

    With the setback, the Pronghorns finished seventh in Canada West with an 11-14-3 record. U of L was officially eliminated from the playoff picture, when the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds downed the Mount Royal University Cougars 2-1 on Saturday night in Calgary.

    The Thunderbirds improved to 12-13-3 and passed the Pronghorns for sixth place and the final playoff berth in Canada West. UBC opens the Canada West playoffs taking on the U of Calgary Dinos (18-9-1) in a best-of-three first round series in Calgary.

    The Huskies have a bye into the semifinal round of the Canada West post-season thanks to their first place finish.

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

Forsberg blasts Huskies to OT victory

Rearguard scores twice in comeback over Pronghorns

Jesse Forsberg celebrates his OT winner.

    A pair of Jesse Forsberg point blasts broke the hearts of the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns men’s hockey team.

    On Friday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, the Pronghorns led the host University of Saskatchewan Huskies 2-1 going into the third period before Forsberg stepped up to the forefront. At the 11:55 mark of the third, the third-year defenceman wired a point blast past Pronghorns goaltender Garret Hughson to tie the contest up at 2-2.

    The contest proceeded to go to overtime, and at the 3:31 mark of the extra session while working on a four-on-three power play, Forsberg drove home the winner from the point to give the Huskies to a 3-2 victory.

    During the Huskies first five games, Forsberg has jumped out to a fast start netting three goals and three assists. The Waldheim, Sask., product is looking to surpass his Canada West career high totals of three goals and seven assists recorded in 16 regular season games last season.

    Forsberg’s heroics allowed the Huskies, who are rated third in the U Sports top 10 rankings, to find a way to improve to 4-1 against a foe that came out playing at a high level.

    In the opening frame, the Pronghorns had the Huskies pinned for lengthy stretches in their own zone holding a 17-6 edge in shots on goal. Thanks to stellar play of netminder Jordan Cooke, the hosts exited the first 20 minute locking in a 1-1 draw.

    Third-year centre Justin Valentino beat Cooke on the power play during a net scramble to put the Pronghorns up 1-0. The Huskies gained some traction when Logan McVeigh and Carson Stadnyk combined to set up Michael Sofillas for his third of the season to force a 1-1 tie with 2:50 remaining in the first.

Josh Roach charges into the offensive zone for the Huskies.

    The teams played an even second, but Cooke had to make a few bailout saves, when the Huskies made a number of turnovers in the centre ice zone.

    One of those turnovers did result in Valentino’s second of the night to give the Pronghorns a 2-1 edge with 6:07 to play in the second. After U of L received a giveaway in the centre ice zone, Valentino score after his side applied a stretch of sustained pressure in the offensive zone.

    The Huskies came out flying in the third playing their best hockey of the contest. After Forsberg picked up the equalizer, he almost didn’t have a chance to be the overtime hero.

    In the dying seconds of the third period, Huskies captain Kendall McFaull was set up alone at the side of the Pronghorns goal, but Hughson stretched over to deny the scoring chance.

    Cooke made 33 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies. Hughson turned away 30 shots to take the extra time setback in goal for the Pronghorns, whose record moved to 1-1-1.

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

Huskies women’s team wins fourth straight

Kaitlin Willoughby zips up ice for the Huskies.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team won their fourth straight game overcoming a hot opposing goaltender.

    On Friday night in Lethbridge, U of Lethbridge Pronghorns netminder Alicia Anderson had a sensational outing making 43 saves, but the Huskies, who are rated 10^th in the U Sports top 10 rankings, weren’t kept at bay forever. They skated away with a 4-2 victory.

    Aislinn Kooistra gave the Pronghorns a 1-0 lead at the 5:40 mark of the first.

    The Huskies found the equalizer with 3:11 to play in the first, when sophomore winger Courtney Cormack netted her first of the season.

    U of S surged ahead 3-1 in the second, when fourth year veterans Kaitlin Willoughby and Kori Herner both netted singles. Jodi Gentile scored for the Pronghorns to cut the Huskies edge to 3-2 heading into the second intermission.

    Sophomore forward Shyan Elias scored for the Huskies on the power play in the third to help the visitors seal victory. Former Swift Current Wildcats star netminder Jasey Book turned away 14 shots to pick up her first career regular season victory for the Huskies in her first start. The Huskies improved to 4-1 with the win.

    The Pronghorns fell to 1-3-1 with the loss.

    Anderson, who is in her second season with the Pronghorns, has stopped 160-of-169 shots in three starts in the current campaign to post a .947 save percentage and a 2.98 goals against average. She has faced an average of 56 shots a game.

    The two teams go at it again on Saturday in Lethbridge.

CIS re-branded as U Sports

The U Sports logo.

    On Thursday, the governing body for university sports in Canada launched a re-brand of its name and logo.

    From now on, the governing body that was known as Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) will now be known as U Sports. The U Sports name will be used in both English and French. It oversees the competition involving teams at 56 universities, a total of around 12,000 student athletes, about 500 coaches and 21 national championships in 12 different sports.

    The logo is a simple standing “U” with a maple leaf in the middle. The maple leaf in the new logo evolved from a unique leaf found on an old CIAU (Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union) letterhead from the 1980s. The governing body for university sports in Canada ran under the CIAU name until switching to the CIS name in 2001.

    The change comes under the watch of current U Sports CEO Graham Brown, who was hired in the fall of 2015.

    In recent years, there has been some talk about changing the name for the governing body for university sports in Canada to a moniker that was viewed as less clunky. The U Sports name definitely achieves that objective.

    While it is not normal for a league to change its name in the middle of a season, the change still came during the early stages of the university sports season in Canada. The streamlined name comes just in time before most of the fall semester only sports begin their respective playoff cycles.

    The early reviews for the new name have been good, so here is hoping the re-branded U Sports will be able to attract more national attention and sponsorships it deserves.

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