Cougars gut out road win over energized Huskies

Bailey Braden (#8) celebrates her winning goal with Jane Kish (#31).

    In sports, you can play well and lose, and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team got a lesson in that fact during their regular season opener.

    The Huskies came out with a very strong effort on Friday night against their provincial rivals the University of Regina Cougars and outshot the visitors 44-18 at the ancient Rutherford Rink. Powered by a 42-save effort from third-year goaltender Jane Kish, the Cougars skated away with a 3-2 victory in the opening game of the Canada West regular season for both sides.

    The Cougars played the perfect gritty defensive road hockey game, took advantage of their scoring opportunities when they came and skated away with victory.

    U of S fired a steady barrage of shots on Kish and tried to go high on the netminder that stands 5-foot-4. Kish stood tall in a stellar effort.

Chloe Smith (#13) celebrates her first career U Sports goal.

    The Huskies were unable to score on four power play chances despite have good puck moment. One positive bounce for the Cougars resulted in a short-handed goal from fifth-year winger Bailey Braden, who scored the winning goal to break a 2-2 tie at the 16:14 mark of the second period. The Cougars also managed to cash in on their lone power-play chance.

    U of S jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 79 seconds into Friday’s game, when rookie centre Chloe Smith banged home her first career regular season U Sports goal during a net scramble situation. Moments later, the Huskies thought they had a goal from winger Courtney Cormack, but it was waved off after the officials determined the puck didn’t cross the goal-line.

    Around the midway point of the opening frame, the Cougars surged ahead 2-1 scoring two goals 1:56 apart from each other. First, Cougars fourth-year forward Emma Waldenberger scored in close on the U of R’s lone power-play chance to tie things up at 1-1.

Chloe Smith (#13) breaks into the offensive zone for the Huskies.

    After that tally, Shaelyn Vallotton had the Cougars second goal of the surge taking a perfect pass from linemate Jordan Kulbida across the face of the U of S goal, and tucked the puck into an open caged to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.

    The Huskies gained momentum scoring early in the second, when sophomore winger Bailee Bourassa wired home a wrist shot to the top left corner of the Cougars goal to force a 2-2 tie. A short time after getting the equalizer, U of S had a big chance to go ahead but star captain Kaitlin Willoughby was denied in close twice by Kish.

    With 3:46 to play in the second, the Huskies were working on a power play, but they were caught on a line change, when the puck took a bounce off the boards resulting in an odd person situation favouring the Cougars in the Huskies zone.

Goalie Jane Kish made 42 saves to back the Cougars to a gutty road win.

    Cougars rookie Czech winger Martina Maskova won a race to a loose puck and slid a pass while on her butt to an open Braden in front of the Huskies net. Braden snapped a shot past Book to put the Cougars up 3-2.

    In the third, the Huskies held a 14-2 edge in the shots on goal department, but the Cougars kept a lot of those chances to the outside. The visitors keyed on protecting their lead defensively by dumping the puck into the Huskies zone and trapping the host side as they came up the ice.

    The Huskies thought they scored with 7:19 to play in the frame during a net scramble, but the officials quickly waved off that tally saying the puck didn’t go into the net.

    The Huskies had two solid chances inside of the final minute of the third to try and get the equalizer. A screen shot by Willoughby was turned aside by Kish.

Kayla Kirwan (#11) misses a last attempt to get the equalizer for the Huskies.

    With about 15 seconds to play, Huskies sophomore defender Kayla Kirwan pinched in deep to the left side of the Cougars goal and had Kish falling down leaving the top of the goal exposed.

    Kirwan lifted a backhander over top of the Cougars goal ending the Huskies last real chance to force overtime.

    Book turned away 15 shots to take the loss in the Huskies net.

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

McVeigh’s three helpers power Huskies to win

    Logan McVeigh was the main setup man and eight different players found the back of the net to power the U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s team to a season opening win on Friday night in Regina.

    McVeigh, who topped the Huskies in scoring last season, had three assists to back the Huskies to an impressive 8-2 victory over the U of Regina Cougars at the Co-operators Centre in Regina in the Canada West regular season opener for both sides.

    Just past the midway point of the first period, the Huskies scored three goals 59 seconds apart from each other coming from the sticks of Andrew Johnson, Alex Forsberg and Levi Cable. Wyatt Johnson and fifth-year captain Kendall McFaull potted singles in the second to give the visitors a 5-0 lead.

Carson Stadnyk, Parker Thomas and Josh Roach rounded out the scoring for the Huskies in the third. Zachary Zborosky and Tyler King responded with singles on the power play for the Cougars in the third.

    Jordon Cooke made 20 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies. Michael Herringer turned away 37 shots to take loss in goal for the Cougars.

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

Steenbergen on fire early for Broncos

Tyler Steenbergen (#17) has 10 goals in four games.

  It seems like no one can stop Swift Current Broncos star winger Tyler Steenbergen in the early part of the WHL season.

    On Friday night at the SaskTel Centre, Steenbergen had an impressive night firing home four goals and collecting an assist powering the Broncos past the host Blades 6-2 before 3,536 spectators. In helping the Broncos vault out to a 4-0 start, the 19-year-old Sylvan Lake, Alta., product has 10 goals, six assists and is a plus-12 in the plus-minus department. He also took home Canadian Hockey League player of the week honours for the week ending Oct. 1.

    Against the Blades on Friday night, the Broncos jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period thanks to singles coming from captain Glenn Gawdin and centre Kaden Elder. Steenbergen proceeded to score three straight in the second to give the Broncos a 5-0 lead and added his fourth goal of the night in the third.

    Braylon Shmyr and Bradly Goethals netted singles for the Blades in the third.

    Logan Flodell turned away 19 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Broncos. Joel Grzybowski stopped 18 shots to take the loss in goal for the Blades (1-3).

    The Broncos return to Swift Current on Saturday to host the Kootenay Ice (2-3-1) at 7 p.m. at the Credit Union i-plex. The Blades travel to Regina to face the Pats (2-3-1) at 7 p.m. at the Brandt Centre.

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

Bisons bounce back, tie series

Huskies team play disintegrates when adversity hits

The Bisons celebrate a second period goal by Venla Hovi (#9).

    It is amazing in hockey how momentum can shift when a team that is down gets some traction.

    After posting a solid 3-0 win in Game 1 of their best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series on Friday night, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team looked early like they would post a repeat performance in Game 2 Saturday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink. Instead, the visiting University of Manitoba Bisons turned the tide of the whole series with one play to skate away with a convincing 5-1 victory to even the series 1-1. 

    The teams will play a series deciding Game 3 on Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

    Huskies came out buzzing on Saturday night riding the wave they created from their Game 1 victory. They had golden chance early on to go ahead, when a point shot from fifth-year defender Hanna McGillivray rattled off the post.

    The hosts did draw first blood, when star offensive defender Julia Flinton popped home an off-speed point shot with 1:17 to play in the opening frame to give the Huskies what would be a short-lived 1-0 lead.

    With 13 seconds to play in the first, the series turned on a play that seemed to come out of the blue. The Bisons broke into the Huskies zone on a 2-1 and a set up pass from Alanna Sharman was deflected home in the air at about knee level by Venla Hovi, who is an import player from Finland. 

    The Bisons bench came alive on the tally that tied things up at 1-1, and the visitors played like a different team than they had the whole series.

Huskies goalie Cassidy Hendricks faced a lot of breakaways.

    Just before the 10-minute mark of the second period, the Bisons worked the puck around well down low causing the Huskies to lose focus on their positional play. Lauryn Keen slipped the puck over to Hovi, who was left open at the right side of the Huskies goal. She netted her second of the contest to put U of M ahead 2-1.

    At that point, the Huskies team play unraveled. Players would zip up ice individually with the puck hoping to make something happen instead of trying to create a play with their teammates.

    During other stretches, the Huskies would try to make a fancy pass in areas like the centre ice zone, when the more prudent decision would have been to get the puck deep in the offensive zone and charge in hard on the forecheck.

    The Bisons continued to play with sound structure, which helped create even more golden scoring chances. After a Huskies turnover, Keen,  while being taken down, sent Sharman in on a breakaway, and she deked out Huskies netminder Cassidy Hendricks to make the score 3-1 for U of M. Hendricks had thwarted Sharman on an earlier breakaway when the contest was still tied.

    After drawing assists on the first three U of M goals, Keen scored at the 5:03 mark of the third on another breakaway to put the visitors up 4-1. Kayleigh Wiens rounded out the scoring for the Bisons with a third breakaway goal, which came unassisted after a U of S turnover.

Alanna Sharman had a breakaway goal for the Bisons.

    Hendricks made 19 stops to take the loss in goal for the Huskies. Amanda Schubert, who was making her first start of the playoffs, stopped 22 shots to earn the win in goal for the Bisons.
    Heading into Game 3 on Sunday, the Huskies will be able to see on video everything they did wrong is easy to correct. Individually, the players have to keep their focus up.

    They also have to concentrate on playing as a group of five in all three zones. When the puck goes into the defensive zone, everyone has to dart back. When they bring the puck up ice through the centre ice zone, they have to attack that area with speed and together as a unit.

    In the offensive zone, they have to worry about making smart decisions, which means deciding at times to not thread a pass through three or four bodies, but get the puck down low and work a cycle. Those that don’t have the puck in the offensive zone need to move into an area to offer an outlet to support the puck carrier.

    The series is there for the taking. If the Huskies stay focused and play as a unit of five in all three zones, they will give themselves a chance to advance. They have done that in the past, and they have to remember they have the ability to do it again.

Cougars advance to face Thunderbirds

Bailey Braden had a series winning goal for the Cougars.

  In Regina on Saturday night, the University of Regina Cougars swept away the University of Calgary Dinos in the other Canada West women’s hockey best-of-three quarter-final series.

    Bailey Braden scored on a first period power play and Toni Ross made 29 saves to power the Cougars to a 1-0 victory over the Dinos. Hayley Dowling stopped 27 shots to take the loss in the U of C net.

    The Cougars took the best-of-three series 2-0. In Game 1, they dumped the Dinos 4-1, while holding a 45-14 edge in the shots on goal department.

    The Dinos, who finished sixth in the Canada West standings, had stormed into the playoffs winning nine of their last 11 regular season games before bowing out. They will play in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship tournament as the host squad. The eight-team national championship event runs March 17-20 in Calgary.

    The Cougars, who were third in Canada West, advance to face the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series.

    The winner of Game 3 between the Huskies and Bisons on Sunday advances to face the first place University of Alberta Pandas in the other Canada West best-of-three semifinal series. Sunday’s Game 3 with the Bisons will mark the final time the Huskies play at home in the 2015-16 campaign.

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