Frustration mounts for Huskies

Kandace Cook (#21) tries to bury a shot for the Huskies.

   The frustration and disappointment spread out all around for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women's hockey team.
   The defending Canada West champs saw their losing skid extend to six games dropping both games of a series last weekend against the University of Manitoba Bisons at the ancient Rutherford Rink. The setback that moved the slide to six proved to be the most disappointing, which saw the Bison pull out a 4-3 overtime victory on Saturday night.
   Following that loss, the Huskies' players tried their best to still appear upbeat, but the emotions of being sombre pretty much took over. Having sat first overall in the Canada West Conference going into the Christmas break, they were stunned and speechless to have fallen to 11-8-3 to sit fifth overall in the conference. It was obvious to tell the group as a whole isn't used to an extended losing stretch.
   On Friday, the Huskies had a few defensive zone breakdowns and fell 5-2 to the Bisons. Chelsey Sundby and Lauren Zary had singles for the Huskies, while Cassidy Hendricks turned away 22 of 26 shots taking the loss in goal.
   Alana Serhan had a hat trick for the Bisons, while Lauryn Keen and Kayleigh Wiens had singles. Rachel Dyck made 17 stops to pick up the win in goal.
   On Saturday night, the Huskies played their best game since returning from the break and led 2-1 after the first period thanks to a pair of goals by Zary, while Cassandra Taylor had the reply for the Bisons. The edge held up going into the second intermission.
   In the third, the Bisons went ahead 3-2 thanks to tallies by Serhan and Maggie Litchfield-Medd. Marley Ervine potted the equalizer for the Huskies to force a 3-3 tie and send the contest to overtime.
   Just 65 seconds into the extra session, Alanna Sharman scored the winner for the Bisons, who improved to 16-5-1 to sit second overall in Canada West. Dyck made 20 saves to pick up the win in goal for Manitoba.
Rookie Jerrica Waltz made her first career start in goal for the Huskies and made 29 stops taking the loss for her side.

Marley Ervine drives a shot on goal for the Huskies.

   In Saturday's match, both side basically manufactured their goals by driving hard to the net and potting gritty type tallies. The Bisons also blocked a huge number of Huskies shots, especially in the third, to add to the frustration for the host squad.
   The Huskies played technically better for longer stretches on Saturday than they had during any other of their outings during the skid. In the end, it wasn't enough to break back into the win column.
   U of S has been hurt by injuries in attempting to break their skid. On the weekend, the Huskies returned defender Hanna McGillivray, who missed three games due to a concussion. Forward Rachel Johnson is walking around Rutherford sporting a serious knee brace. She suffered that injury in the Huskies 1-0 home loss to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds on Jan. 16.
   Rookie forward Chelsea Wilson left the team due to family reasons having last played in the Huskies 5-2 road loss to the U of Calgary Dinos in Calgary on Jan. 10. Johnson had five goals and four assists in 19 games, while Wilson had a goal and seven assists in 18 games. In a Canada West Conference where goals have come at a premium, losing that offensive production is a blow to the Green and White.
   Had the Huskies split with each of their first three weekend series since the break, they would be in the thick of possibly challenging for first overall in the conference. The overtime loss to the Bisons allowed the Huskies to officially lock up a playoff berth, but they would need to win most of their final six games to have a chance to host an opening round playoff series.
   They now head on the road for five straight games. The first two of those contests will be this coming Friday and Saturday in Edmonton against the Canada West leading U of Alberta Pandas (16-6). The Pandas lead the Bisons by two points in the standings due to a 15-12 edge in regulation wins.
   The Huskies will head into those clashes with the Pandas as underdogs. In the glass half full analogy, the Dogs also have nothing to lose and everything to gain in those clashes.

Unfamiliar territory for Huskies men's hockey team

Josh Roach rushes up ice for the Huskies.

   The U of S Huskies men's hockey team ended up with a distinction they would have loved to have avoided.
   After dropping two games to the University of Manitoba Bisons in Winnipeg on the weekend, the Huskies fell to 10-14-2. With two games to play in the regular season, the Huskies will finish with a losing record for the first time since the 1995-96 campaign, when they posted an 11-14-3 mark. The Huskies had gone 18 straight seasons without posting a losing record, which had to be commended for being impressive.
   Thanks to having a roster that contained 12 first year players, the Huskies were unable to extend that run to an 19^th straight campaign.
   On Friday, the Huskies dropped a 2-1 decision to the Bisons in double overtime. Craig McCallum gave the Huskies a 1-0 lead early in the first period. In the closing seconds of the second period, the Bisons tied things up with goal from Jordan DePape.
   The game advanced through a four-on-four overtime session still tied 1-1. In the final seconds of a three-on-three overtime session, Taylor Dickin potted the winner for the Bisons.
   Ryan Holfeld made 44 stops taking the extra time loss in goal for the Huskies. Byron Springs made 30 saves picking up the win in goal for the Bisons.
   Manitoba drilled Saskatchewan 6-2 on Saturday night. Aaron Lewadniuk, Brett Dudar, Jory Coates, Jesse Paradis, Joel Schreyer and DePape netted singles for the Bisons. Springs made 27 stops to earn the win in goal helping the Bisons improve to 14-12.
   Josh Roach and Michael Sofillas had singles for the Huskies. Jordon Cooke turned away 11 of 15 shots taking the loss in goal. Holfeld turned away 11 of 13 shots in relief.
   The Huskies locked up a berth in the Canada West playoffs, when the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds blanked the U of Regina Cougars 1-0 on Saturday night in Vancouver. U of S is also locked into finishing sixth overall in the conference, which means the Huskies won't host a home playoff series this year. Playoff home games are normally a fixture at the Rutherford Rink.
   The Dogs host their final two home contests of the 2014-15 campaign this coming Thursday and Friday at Rutherford against the U of Alberta Golden Bears to close out the regular season for both clubs. Game time is 7 p.m. both nights. The Golden Bears have locked up first overall in Canada West currently sporting a 22-3-1 mark.
   Those games will also mark the 85^th anniversary of the Huskies playing at the Rutherford Rink.

Dogs help battle cancer

The Play For The Cure table at the Rutherford Rink.

   The Huskies hockey teams are both involved in fundraising games to help battle cancer.
   The women's team held their seventh annual Play For The Cure game on Friday. This year the proceeds went to Choc 'la Cure in honour of Cody Smuk, who is an alumnus of the men's hockey team and is battling cancer. The women's team also wore jerseys donated by the family of second-year forward Kennedy Harris. They were worn in memory of Harris's grandmother, Yvette Marie Hyatt, who passed away of cancer.
   The jerseys were auctioned off through a silent auction, and a number of items were available through a raffle on a table set up in the concession area at the Rutherford Rink. The silent auction raised over $2,500.
   Smuk wasn't able to be at Friday's game, because he was in hospital undergoing chemotherapy treatments. Smuk's parents, Marty and Darla, and fiancée, Stephanie Vause, were in attendance.
   This coming Thursday and Friday, the men's team will be raising funds for their former team member in their final home games of the season against the Golden Bears. Funds are being raised for "Marty's Men," which is the Relay for Life team for Smuk. His nickname is "Marty."
   Smuk helped the Huskies win silver at last year's University Cup national championship tournament. His cancer diagnosis came a couple of months later.

Blades on a roll

Nik Amundrud, left, and Josh Uhrich celebrate Uhrich's goal.

   The young Saskatoon Blades might be giving local WHL fans a glimpse of the future.
   On Sunday night, the Blades rolled off their fifth straight win blanking the Prince Albert Raiders 3-0 before 4,136 spectators at the Sasktel Centre. Currently the run is the longest winning streak the Bridge City Bunch has had during a rebuilding 2014-15 season.
   Goaltender Nik Amundrud made 24 saves to earn his second shutout of the season. Overage captain Brett Stovin potted his 19^th of the season on a breakaway in the first period. Garrett Armour and Josh Uhrich added singles in the third.
   Nick McBride turned away 35 shots suffering the loss in goal for the Raiders (19-27-1).
   The Blades are going with a young roster for the rest of the season that contains just two overagers and four players in their 19-year-old seasons. They still sit second last in the entire WHL, but have improved to 14-29-2-1.
   Work ethic has not been a problem for the Blades this season, and head coach and general manager Bob Woods and rest of the team's coaches have to be happy to see some wins are finally happening as a result of the hard work.
   The Blades have also played an open and aggressive style of offensive game during the winning stretch, which has resulted in 23 goals being scored over those five victories. The success has been earned.
   For most of the season, opposing teams could believe they would be pushed by the Blades but would eventually get a character-building victory. With what the Blades have been able to accomplish, opposing teams can't just expect that victory will eventually come in a head-to-head encounter. Saskatoon has to be viewed as a worrisome opponent.
   The Blades will try to extend their winning streak on Wednesday, when they travel to Prince Albert to face the Raiders.

   If you have any feedback about this blog, feel free to email comments to stankssports@gmail.com.

Huskies implosion disappointing

The Huskies tackle Bisons tailback Kienan LaFrance.

            Even after a couple of days, the implosion by the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team is still a head scratcher.

            During a Canada West semifinal playoff match on Friday night at Griffiths Stadium, the Huskies took a 37-18 lead over the visiting University of Manitoba Bisons, and then the wheels fell off. The Bisons rallied for an improbable 47-39 victory.

            What made the rally a head shaker was the fact the Bisons offence didn’t really play a part in the comeback.

            Just 2:59 into the second half, Huskies tailback Tyler Chow hauled in an 18 yard pass from quarterback Drew Burko to put the hosts up 37-18. Manitoba proceeded to drive down to the Saskatchewan one yard line, but the Huskies came up with a huge goal-line stand on a third down gamble.

            Everything was going the Huskies way. A trip to the Canada West final seemed like just a matter of time.

            When momentum jumped sides, it did so in a big way.

            On the ensuing Saskatchewan possession, Bisons defensive back Jayden McKoy returned an interception 54 yards for a major and the collapse was on. After that score, the Huskies fumbled away the ensuing kickoff to Manitoba.

            Saskatchewan’s defence held, but a 32-yard field goal by Bisons kicker Ryan Jones cut the lead to 37-28. The troubles didn’t stop there.

            McKoy would block a punt and teammate Jordan Linnen recovered the ball and ran it 21 yards for another Bisons touchdown to make the score 37-35 before the third quarter ended.

            At the start of the fourth quarter, a bad long snap on a Huskies punt resulted in a safety that tied the score 37-37.

            The Bisons then put together an offensive drive that resulted in a 24-yard field goal to go up 40-37. Manitoba later conceded a safety to allow the Huskies to close to 40-39.

            That set the stage for the final Huskies mistake with just over two minutes to play in the fourth. After driving down to the Manitoba nine yard line, Burko tried to throw an out pass to the wide side of the field, which really wasn’t the smartest play call for a first and goal situation in that part of the field.

            Linnen made the pick and returned it 98 yards up field. Manitoba quickly scored the insurance touchdown on a gadget play pass as receiver Nic Demski hit quarterback Jordan Yantz for a major from nine yards out to make the score 47-39.

            At that point, a number of the 3,013 spectators at Griffiths Stadium began to leave. Some were harping criticism at the Huskies, which was similar to the jabs fans for the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders level on that squad when things are going bad.

            The pain of the team’s recent playoff struggles were up at the forefront. The setback marked the sixth straight playoff loss for the Huskies, and they are 1-9 in their last 10 post-season matches. When momentum turned on Friday, one wonders of those ghosts returned to haunt the Huskies again.

            With that in mind, the Huskies were a solid 6-2 in the regular season and entered the playoffs on the strength of two convincing wins and hosted their first playoff home game since 2010. The notion was bantered around about making wholesale changes, but that would be a mistake.

            They have a solid core slated to return next season. The best option for the Huskies is to keep building on that core going forward.

            Thanks to the recent post-season struggles, that might not be what some fans want to hear.

Goals finally pour in

Huskies celebrate a goal against the Mount Royal Cougars.

            The Huskies men’s hockey team finally found the goal gusher they were so desperately seeking.

            With a 4-1 loss to the visiting Mount Royal University Cougars on Friday at the ancient Rutherford Rink, the Huskies saw their losing skid grow to seven games. During that stretch, they scored a total of nine goals.

            A goal gusher came during a rematch on Saturday at the Rutherford Rink, where the Huskies score a season high six times rolling off a 6-3 victory. The best looking tally was a tick-tack-toe short-handed marker that saw Craig McCallum and Michael Sofillas combine to set up rearguard Connor Cox late in the second to make the score 4-2.

            Sofillas, Cameron Blair, Matthew Spafford, McCallum and Jesse Ross netted singles for the Huskies (5-7). Jordon Cooke made 26 saves to earn the win in goal.

            Cody Cartier had a hat trick for the Cougars (7-5), while Cam Lanigan made 22 saves taking the loss in goal.

            The Huskies will try to fight back to the .500 mark this coming weekend with a home-and-home series with the University of Regina Cougars. The two clubs play this coming Friday in Regina and Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink. 

Flinton is just too good

Julia Flinton wheels with the puck for the Huskies.

            It is just plain fun watching Julia Flinton play hockey for the Huskies women’s hockey team.

            The smooth skating defender had a pair of goals including the double overtime winner for the Huskies on Saturday in Calgary against the Mount Royal Cougars. Chelsey Sundby also had a goal and an assist in the 3-2 win by the Huskies, while Cassidy Hendricks made 29 saves to earn the win in goal.

            Sarah Weninger and Jocelyn Froehlich had singles for the Cougars (1-7-2), while Jess Ross made 23 saves taking the loss in goal.

            The Huskies look to Flinton to provide an offensive spark from the backend and the fourth-year agricultural and bioresources student hasn’t disappointed with three goals and three assist in 10 games. Out of her three tallies, two have been game winners.

            In late October, Flinton was named to the Canadian team that will play 2015 Winter Universiade in Granada, Spain. The Winter Universiade runs from Feb. 4-14 in 2015, which means Flinton won’t be available for the Huskies final four regular season games.

            The Canadian team selection is deserved. Flinton has a natural ability to quarterback the play from the back end, which is a very rare quality. When she is in control of the play, it is beautiful sight to see.

            Flinton has helped the defending Canada West champion Huskies win five in a row to improve to 7-3. The Huskies also beat the Cougars 3-1 last Friday at Mount Royal in Calgary.

            They return to action this coming weekend with a home and home series with the Regina Cougars, which marks a rematch of last season’s Canada West final. The two clubs battle Friday at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink and on Saturday in Regina.

If you have any feedback on this blog, feel free to email comments to stankssports@gmail.com.

Who hoo! It is playoff time

Drew Burko (#2) slings a pass for the Huskies.

            Playoffs! Please tell me about playoffs.

            I don’t know how someone could not be excited when post-season play arrives for football. With my sporting background being linked to football, I am likely biased that way. On the other hand, this is Saskatchewan, and football is number one.

            The next couple of days are going to be fun. Tonight at 7 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies (6-2) host the University of Manitoba Bisons (4-4) in one Canada West semifinal playoff match.

            On Saturday, the venerable Saskatoon Hilltops are in Langley, B.C., to take on the host Langley Rams for the Canadian Junior Football League championship, the Canadian Bowl. The Toppers are in quest of their 17^th national title, and kickoff is set for 3 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

            First up is the Huskies and their intriguing match with the Bisons. Last year in Winnipeg, the Bisons slipped past the Huskies in a Canada West semifinal 37-36.

            As strange as this sounds, the Huskies will be hosting their first home playoff game since 2010. They haven’t won a playoff contest since defeating the University of Regina Rams at Griffiths back in 2009.

            In other words, there is pretty much a whole generation of students at the University of Saskatchewan that have never seen the Huskies football team win a playoff contest, and a small representation of that current student body likely remembers the 2010 home post-season game, where the Huskies fell 31-30 to the University of Alberta Golden Bears. The Huskies are also 1-7 in post-season play over the past seven campaigns.

            The team’s three Vanier Cup titles in the 1990s and the four Vanier Cup appearances between 2002 to 2006 seem like a distant memory.

            The Huskies recent troubles in the post-season also coincide with the run of the University of Calgary Dinos winning the last six straight Canada West titles under head coach Blake Nill. In Canada West, you have the Dinos and then everyone else.

            This season has the potential to be different. Huskies have had some up and down games, but they managed a 6-2 finish. They enter the playoffs with solid back-to-back wins downing the Golden Bears 41-23 on Oct. 25 at Griffiths and the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 38-18 last Saturday in Vancouver.

            The win over the Thunderbirds was a good one, because the Huskies had nothing to gain in the standings, and they played that contest out hard.

            The Bisons are the last team from Canada West to win the Vanier Cup back in 2007, which was the year before the Dinos began their current conference title run. This season, the Bisons have been all over the map posting a 4-4 mark looking impressive one week and then a question mark the next week.

            In Week One, the Huskies downed the Bisons 44-24 at Griffiths. On Oct. 17, the blowout margin went the other way as the Bisons stomped the Huskies 41-8 in Winnipeg.

            It will be interesting to see which team advances tonight. The other Canada West semifinal features the heavily favoured Dinos (6-2) against the Rams (3-5). Barring something unforeseen, the winner of the tilt versus the Bisons and Huskies will be traveling to Calgary in a week’s time.

Jared Andreychuk gets set to unload a pass for the Hilltops.

            In the CJFL, the Hilltops (8-2 overall) roll into the Canadian Bowl riding a seven-game winning streak. The Rams (9-3 overall) have won three straight.

            Saskatoon has improved significantly as the season has gone on. The Rams have 15 players in their 22-year-old graduation year and experience will be on their side. The Hilltops have only five graduating players.

            These teams met in the Canadian Bowl two years ago, and the Hilltops battled back from a 15-point third quarter deficit to pull out a 23-21 victory. Expect this year’s game to likely be as close.

            The Hilltops will have veteran receive Chad Braun back in the lineup, who missed five games due to foot and knee injuries. Dynamic running back Wayndel Lewis, who rushed for 1,063 yards in the regular season, will be out for a second straight game with his injured left ankle.

            The one weird thing with the CJFL was the fact the Ontario Football Conference wasn’t eligible to compete for the Canadian Bowl this season. The OFC changed it age rules, which has provisions to allow players to play until the age of 24.

            With that development, the Canadian Bowl doesn’t have the national championship title feel like it did in past years.

            Despite that fact, the Hilltops and Rams both earned their way into the title game, and a championship victory is always a great thing to achieve.

A salute to Huskies men’s soccer squad

Brett Levis motors down the pitch for the Huskies.

            The Canadian Interuniversity Sports men’s soccer championships turned out to be a heartbreaker for the U of S Huskies men’s soccer team.

On Thursday night, the host University of Prince Edward Island Panthers downed the Huskies 2-0 in extra time in Charlottetown. Jared Murphy scored at the 110^th minute and Logan Dawson tallied at the 119^th minute to lift the host Panthers to victory.

Brett MacDonald earned the win in goal for the Panthers, while Michal Bandula was saddled with the loss for the Huskies.
            On Friday, the Huskies were eliminated from the tournament dropping a 4-3 decision after penalty kicks to the Universite de Montreal Carabins.
            Bryce Marinus, Garrett Peters and Sam Whiting netted singles in regulation for the Huskies. Bandula again took the loss in goal. Vincent Perret, Alan Torrent and Louis Simard picked up singles for the Carabins. Simard and Samuel Dufort both saw action in goal for Montreal.
           The Carabins took the shootout 3-2, with Maxime Laurey, Mircea Ilcu and Fernando Herrera picking up goals. Luigi Bekwayo and Carson MacDonald netted the Huskies markers in the shootout.
           After they get over those two setbacks, the Huskies can reflect on what was a special season. A program best 9-1-2 record in the regular season and the team's first ever Canada West title were impressive accomplishments.
           Also, a few more casual local spectators have taken notice of the Huskies soccer program. The team would have loved to have sent fifth-year captain Jordain Farahani into graduation as a national champ.

The Huskies could potentially return the rest of their roster next season. One can already imagine the exciting possibilities that await this club a year from now.

 

Goals dry up

 

 

Ryan Holfeld tends goal for the Huskies.

             It appears all the graduations up front are catching up to the Huskies men’s Hockey team.

            After opening the regular season with four straight wins, the Huskies have lost six straight in the ultra-competitive Canada West Conference. During the skid, the Huskies have managed to score just eight goals. The losses have come at the hands of the Golden Bears (9-1), the Dinos (8-2) and the Bisons (5-5), with the last four setbacks coming on the road.

            The Huskies return home to face the Mount Royal University Cougars (6-4) at 7 p.m. both tonight and Saturday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink.

            As far as preventing goals goes, not much more can be asked of the Huskies. Fifth-year goaltender Ryan Holfeld has stellar numbers with a 1.78 goals against average, a .938 save percentage and one shutout. Rookie Jordon Cooke has a 2.63 goals against average, a .919 save percentage and one shutout.

            The Huskies graduated their top four scorers last season in forwards Derek Hulak, Kenton Dulle, Andrew Bailey and Brennan Bosch. Hulak was the Canada West MVP last season and is now playing for the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League.

            That foursome just doesn’t get replaced right away. At this point, a goal gusher would go a long way to restoring confidence offensively for the Huskies. Getting just three goals in a game might be enough to get a win with the way the goaltending and defence has played.

If you have any feedback on this blog, feel free to email comments to stankssports@gmail.com.

Hilltops deliver in the clutch

The Hilltops celebrate Wayndel Lewis's rushing major.

            The Saskatoon Hilltops savoured the fact that this one didn’t get away.

            The powerhouse Canadian Junior Football League franchise locked up first place in the Prairie Football Conference with an exciting 28-23 victory over the Edmonton Wildcats on Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Wildcats were desperate needing a win to make the playoffs, and they gave the hosts a battle.

            Victory wasn’t sealed until the final play of the game, when Hilltops defensive back Arnold Osam knocked down a Hail Mary throw from Wildcats quarterback Jordan Olson. Olson had driven the Wildcats to the Saskatoon 34 yard line before launching his final heave.

            The victory, which improved the Hilltops to 6-2, was big on a number of fronts. First, the Toppers were reminded about how challenging it can be to play a team fighting for its playoff life. The Wildcats missed the post-season with a 3-5 mark.

            Saskatoon opens the post-season hosting the Winnipeg Rifles (3-5) this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at SMF. The Rifles edged out the Wildcats for the PFC’s final playoff berth on the strength of a head-to-head win in the lone regular season meeting between the two teams.

            While the Rifles enter the playoffs on a four-game losing skid, the Hilltops will have to bring their intensity up one more notch, because the winner moves on and the loser goes home from here on out.

            The other big thing the Hilltops have to love about their win over the Wildcats is they were able to make the plays to seal out the contest. The end zone knock down at the end of the contest supplies proof the Hilltops players can make big plays, when everything is on the line.

            Saskatoon had developed a habit of letting close games slip away, especially when they play the defending CJFL champion Regina Thunder. Anyone associated with the Hilltops still remembers the team building a 25-3 lead at home against the Thunder on Sept. 6 only to fall 26-25. Regina’s scored three touchdowns in the final two minutes of that game to cause a surprising rally.

Wayndel Lewis dives in for a score.

            Another big highlight in the win was watching Hilltops running back Wayndel Lewis break the 1000- mark in rushing for the season. The Warman product piled up 140 yards on 23 carries, and he scored a spectacular touchdown diving into the end zone in the fourth quarter to put the Toppers up 28-16.

            Lewis finished the regular season rushing for 1,063 yards on 130 carries, while reaching pay dirt nine times.

            During the post-season, the Hilltops will likely have to make a few more big plays in the clutch, as they search for their 16^th CJFL title. When any player grows up, they dream of making a big play to win a post-season game. Each step along the playoff journey creates another opportunity to do just that.

Blades slam gorilla to the ice

 

The Saskatoon Blades celebrate Saturday's win.

            It is likely a big understatement to say the Saskatoon Blades were pretty elated to get their first win of the season.

            On Saturday at the Sasktel Centre, the Blades rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat their arch rivals the Prince Albert Raiders 3-2. The Blades opened the season losing their first six straight games, which marked the first time in franchise history that had ever occurred.

            The win came after the Blades watch leads of 2-0 and 3-1 disappear on Thursday at the Sasktel Centre in a 5-3 setback to the Tri-City Americans. Saskatoon put up a good effort in that loss, which added to the disappointment of the end result on that night.

            In the win over the Raiders (3-4), the Blades put together their most complete effort of the season holding a 37-23 edge in the shots on goal department. They also had more offensive zone time than the visitors and were strong in the puck possession department.

            With all that said, the Blades are still rebuilding from hosting the Memorial Cup in 2013 and loading up to try and make a long run in the 2011 post-season. They will be flat out outmatched in outings against the WHL’s league leading teams. If they can keep repeating Saturday’s effort, they will at least have a chance, when the going gets tougher.

            I also think they have ownership group in the Priestner family that wants to do the right thing. With that in mind, the reality is a powerhouse team won’t be built overnight.

Soccer Huskies lock up first 

 

            The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s soccer team will be home for the playoffs.

            The Huskies locked up first in the Prairies Division of the Canada West Conference sweeping the University of Winnipeg Wesmen in a two-game series at PotashCorp Park. The Huskies downed the Wesmen 8-0 on Saturday and 3-1 on Sunday.

            Riding a five-game winning streak, the Huskies improved to 9-0-1. They close the regular season by traveling to Calgary to play the Mount Royal University Cougars this coming Saturday and Sunday.

            No matter what happened in those contests, the Huskies will host a quarter-final single-elimination playoff game on Oct. 26. If they win that match, they would host the Canada West Final Four tournament, which is set for Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

            Currently, the Huskies have never hosted the Canada West Final Four tournament for men’s soccer.

Adversity bites hockey Huskies 

 

            The U of S Huskies men’s hockey team received its first taste of adversity this season dropping a pair of games to the University of Manitoba Bisons on the weekend at the ancient Rutherford Rink.

            The Bisons downed the Huskies 4-1 on Friday night and prevailed 5-2 on Saturday night.

            In Friday’s loss, the Huskies seemed to be their own worst enemies. Giveaways and defensive zone breakdowns saw veteran U of S goaltender Ryan Holfeld get put into some no-win situations.

            In Saturday’s loss, the Huskies inability to convert on the power play turned out to be a big difference. U of S was 1-for-10 with the man advantage, while the Bisons were 2-for-5. The Dogs also failed to score on two five-on-three opportunities.

            With those results in the books, the Huskies and Bisons both have 4-2 records.

            After playing five of their first six games at home, the Huskies head on the road for four tough games. They travel to Edmonton to face the University of Alberta Golden Bears (5-1) on Oct. 17 and 18 and to Calgary to battle the University of Calgary Dinos (4-2) on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

If you have any feedback on this blog, feel free to email comments to stankssports@gmail.com.