Dinos’ Wood soaks in homecoming series win

U of C downs Huskies 2-0 in series deciding Game 3.

Gabriella Durante, left, and Dana Woods celebrate a Dinos series win.

Dana Wood got to run it back in Saskatoon.

The fifth-year captain of the University of Calgary Dinos women’s hockey team has experience her share of success in her hometown of Saskatoon. For three seasons from 2015 to 2018, Wood played defence for the Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA team.

During that period of time, Wood helped the Stars win two SFU18AAAHL titles, two Western regional playdown series and make two appearances in the Esso Cup female under-18 AAA national championship tournament. Wood’s final game with the Stars came in the championship final of the 2018 Esso Cup played at the County Lifestyle Centre in Bridgewater, N.S. The Stars fell in that contest 2-1 to the St. Albert Slash from Alberta.

Dana Wood is playing her final season with the Dinos.

On Sunday at Merlis Belsher Place on the University of Saskatchewan campus, Wood and the Dinos faced the host Huskies in a series deciding Game 3 of a Canada West quarter-final series. The 23-year-old picked up an assist on the Dinos winning goal as they blanked the Huskies 2-0 to take the series 2-1.

The Huskies claimed Game 1 of the set 2-1 on Friday at Merlis, and the Dinos claimed Game 2 by a 2-0 scored on Saturday at Merlis. Wood had numerous family and friends in attendance among the 307 spectators on Sunday and throughout the weekend. It felt like old times for her to experience a playoff series win in her hometown.

“It was super awesome,” said Wood, who had career highs in goals (three), assists (nine), points (12) and plus-minus (plus-nine) appearing in all of the Dinos 28 regular season games. “I think everyone kind of wanted to stay in Calgary.

A number of Dana Wood’s family and friends came to cheer the Dinos.

“It was between U of S and MRU for who we were going to play for this round. Most people wanted to stay in Calgary to avoid the seven drive, but I was so excited to come home. I just knew that we would get so many fans out.

“I think we have seven girls from Saskatchewan at least. We had so many fans come out too. It felt like I was playing at home partially, so it was super fun.”

With the series win, the Dinos advance to play the defending Canada West champion University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in a best-of-three Canada West semifinals series in Vancouver. The dates and times for that set this coming weekend are still to be announced.

Dana Wood had a career high 12 points for the Dinos this season.

Skating in her final campaign with the Dinos, Wood is pumped her final post-season run with the team is going to the Canada West semifinal round.

“I just have a craving for that really high level of competition getting far into playoffs,” said Wood, who stands 5-foot-3. “Those are the games you want to play in.

“I got really used to playing in those games when I was younger. It feels awesome to be back in that mindset. The excitement can’t be beat.”

On Sunday, the Dinos and Huskies played through a fairly even opening frame with the host side holding a 13-11 edge in shots on goal.

Dinos captain Dana Wood is an alumna of the Saskatoon Stars.

A big early turning point came at the 13-minute mark of the opening frame. Huskies centre Kate Ball destroyed Dinos centre Jolie Nafziger with a big open ice hit in the centre ice zone. Ball was given a minor penalty for interference.

The Dinos struck near the end of the ensuing power play. During a net scramble, a rebound came out to Dinos third-year right-winger Josie McLeod at the right side of the U of S net. McLeod popped home the power-play marker to give the visitors a 1-0 lead with Wood and rookie left-winger Kyla Mitenko picking up helpers.

At the 11:34 mark of the second, the Dinos got a key insurance goal to go ahead 2-0. Dinos fifth-year star right-winger Elizabeth Lang sprung Dinos veteran star left-winger Courtney Kollman on a breakaway. Kollman ripped a shot past Huskies star fifth-year netminder Camryn Drever to give the visitors a two-goal edge.

Josie McLeod, right, celebrates scoring the Dinos first goal.

Sophomore Dinos centre Sydney Mercier, who is another Saskatoon product and Stars alumna, picked up a second assist on Kollman’s tally.

Wood said getting the first period power-play marker and the breakaway tally in the second put her squad in a good spot for the rest of the contest.

“It (McLeod’s power-play goal) took a weight off our shoulders,” said Wood. “When Court (Courtney Kollman) got her goal too, that really sealed it in a little bit more.

“That one goal lead is always just you are on the edge of your seat. You don’t want to go to overtime in these games. It is like anybody’s game, if that is the case.

Courtney Kollman scored for the Dinos in the second period.

“That one goal lead is always a little sketchy. That two-goal lead was just like a weight off the back.”

The Huskies had some moments where they could have gotten some traction near the end of the frame. With just over four minutes remaining in the second, star fifth-year centre Kennedy Brown was denied with a drive from the front of the Dinos goal by U of C star netminder Gabriella Durante.

Inside the final minute of the second, Huskies third-year defender Kendra Zuchotzki tried to feed a shot through a maze of players, but the puck deflected off a player and went wide of the Dinos goal. In the final seconds of the second, Zuchotzki was stoned by Durante on a mid-range drive.

Gabriella Durante stopped 31 shots to get the Dinos shutout win.

The Huskies pressed to continue to get back in the contest in the third holding a 10-7 edge in shots on goal for the frame. Wood was pleased with how her squad was able shut things down defensively.

“It was just chaos a little bit,” said Wood. “It was just reckless abandon throw your body in front of pucks kind of thing and do what needed to be done.

“Being on defence, you always have that mindset. Our forwards really turned it around and were getting high and bearing down on pucks and playing defensive-offence, which was really, really nice from a defensive perspective. That was huge for us.”

Camryn Drever stopped 22 shots in goal for the Huskies on Sunday.

Durante stopped 31 shots to pick up a second straight shutout win in goal for the Dinos. Drever turned away 22 shots to take the setback in goal for the Huskies.

The Huskies finished fourth in the Canada West regular season standings with a 19-7-1-1 record, while the Dinos were fifth in Canada West with a 12-14-2 mark.

While eliminated from the Canada West Conference playoffs, the Huskies will have a second post-season life. They will host the elite-eight style U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship Tournament from March 14 to 17 at Merlis.

As for the Dinos, they turn their attention to the Thunderbirds knowing they will be huge underdogs going into that series. The Thunderbirds, who are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 Rankings, topped the Canada West regular season standings with a 24-1-1-2 record and closed the regular season with 13 straight wins.

“We are just fired up,” said Wood, who squad split their two regular season games with the Thunderbirds. “That was all the conversation was about in our room.

The Dinos celebrate their series win over the Huskies.

“We had our celebration on the ice, but as soon as we got back in the room, it was just about next weekend and getting in the right mindset for that knowing that they are a really strong opponent. We have to bring it exactly what we brought this weekend if not more. It is going to be a battle here.”

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Golden Bears say “not so fast,” even series with Huskies 1-1

Series deciding Game 3 of Can West quarter Sunday at 6 p.m.

U of A’s Adam Hall (#12) battles U of S’s Landon Kosior for the puck.

The University of Alberta Golden Bears weren’t going to make life easy for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

Facing elimination from the U Sports post-season in a best-of-three Canada West Conference men’s quarter-final playoff series, the Golden Bears came out with a gutty effort on Saturday at the Huskies home rink in Merlis Belsher Place. Trailing 2-1 after 20 minutes, Golden Bears third-year forward Tyler Preziuso scored the equalizer on a power play at the 6:07 mark of the second period to force a 2-2 tie.

Playing at even strength, Preziuso potted his second of the night at the 8:08 mark of the third to put the visitors up for good by the game’s final score of 3-2 to the disappointment of most of the 1,342 spectators in attendance.

Connor McClennon had a goal for the Golden Bears on Saturday.

The win allowed the Golden Bears to even the series at 1-1. The Huskies and Golden Bears will now meet in a series-deciding Game 3 on Sunday at 6 p.m. at Merlis. U of S took Game 1 of the series 4-2 on Friday at Merlis.

In Game 2 on Saturday, the Huskies went ahead 1-0 scoring 78 seconds into the contest on a power-play tally from fourth-year forward Justin Ball.

Just 62 seconds later, a pair of former members of the WHL’s now defunct Winnipeg Ice franchise combined to pull the Golden Bears even with the Huskies at 1-1. Second-year forward Jakin Smallwood set up rookie forward Connor McClennon for the equalizer for the visitors.

At the 12:32 mark of the first, Huskies star third-year forward Chantz Petruic scored with his team working on a two-man advantage to give the host side a 2-1 lead.

Justin Ball had a goal for the Huskies on Saturday.

That set the stage for Preziuso to come through with his equalizer and winner.

Second-year netminder Ethan Kruger stopped 28 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Golden Bears.

Third-year goalie Jordan Kooy stopped 15-of-16 shots playing the first period in goal for the Huskies. He was pulled after the opening frame due to illness. Roddy Ross played the rest of the way in relief turning away 17-of-19 shots to take the setback in goal for the Huskies.

The Huskies, who are rated eighth in the U Sports Top 10 Rankings, finished fourth in the Canada West regular season standings with a 20-6-1-1 record. 

The Golden Bears placed fifth with an 18-8-2 mark.

The winner of the series between the Huskies and Golden Bears will advance to face the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series. The Thunderbirds, who are rated fifth in the U Sports Top 10 Rankings, topped the Canada West regular season standings with a 22-4-1-1 mark.

The Golden Bears celebrate their win on Saturday.

The Mount Royal University Cougars, who are rated third in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, swept the other Canada West quarter-final series 2-0 against the MacEwan University Griffins in Calgary. The Cougars took Game 1 of the series 4-1 on Friday and Game 2 of the set 6-4 on Saturday.

The Cougars finished third in the Canada West regular season with a 21-6-0-1 mark. The Griffins were sixth in the Canada West regular season with a 9-17-0-2 record.

Mount Royal will face the defending Canada West champion U of Calgary Dinos in a best-of-three conference semifinal series with the dates and times of the contest still to be announced. The Dinos, who are rated sixth in the U Sports Top 10 Rankings, placed second in the Canada West regular season with a 21-5-1-1 mark.

Huskies WHKY forced to go to series deciding Game 3

Game 2 of a Canada West Conference women’s hockey series between the U of Saskatchewan Huskies and the U of Calgary Dinos belonged to the Saskatoon Stars.

On Saturday, a pair of alums of the Stars under-18 AAA program accounted for both Dinos goals as they blanked the Huskies 2-0 before 424 spectators at Merlis Belsher Place to push the best-of-three quarter-final set to a series deciding Game 3 in the U Sports post-season. Game 3 is set for Sunday at 2 p.m. at Merlis.

The Huskies took Game 1 of the series 2-1 on Friday at Merlis.

In Saturday’s clash, Sydney Mercier, who is a second year Dinos forward and a Stars graduate, scored just 22 seconds into the contest to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Fifth-year forward Elizabeth Lang and third-year forward Courtney Kollman picked up assists on Mercier’s tally.

With 3:55 remaining in the second, rookie Dinos offensive-defender Brooklin Fry banged home a rebound in front of the U of S net on the power play to give the visitors a 2-0 edge. Lang and Mercier, who is from Saskatoon, picked up assists on that tally.

Fry played last season with the Stars, and the Shell Lake, Sask., product skated for two seasons with the Prince Albert Northern Bears under-18 AAA team from 2020 to 2022.

Dinos fourth-year netminder Gabriella Durante made 28 saves to pick up the shutout win in goal. Huskies fifth-year star netminder Camryn Drever turned away 14 shots to take the setback in net for the Huskies.

The Dinos were 1-for-3 on the power play, while the Huskies failed to score on four power-play opportunities.

The Huskies finished fourth in the Canada West regular season standings with a 19-7-1-1 record, while the Dinos were fifth in Canada West with a 12-14-2 mark.

The winner of their series advances to play the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, who are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 Rankings, in a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series in Vancouver. The Thunderbirds, who are the defending Canada West champions, topped the Canada West regular season standings with a 24-1-1-2 record and closed the regular season with 13 straight wins.

The Mount Royal University Cougars, who are the defending U Sports champions, swept the U of Manitoba Bisons 2-0 in the other best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series in Calgary. The Cougars took Game 1 on Friday 6-0 and closed out the series with a 5-1 win on Saturday.

The Cougars, who are rated sixth in the U Sports Top 10 Rankings, finished third in Canada West with a 20-7-1 mark, while the Bisons were sixth in the conference with a 10-17-1 record.

Mount Royal will face the storied U of Alberta Pandas in a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series in Edmonton with the times of the games still to be determined. The Pandas, who are rated fourth in the U Sports Top 10 Rankings, finished second in Canada West with a 21-3-1-3 mark.

Raiders pull out miraculous OT win in Lethbridge

Sloan Stanick scored the OT winner for the Raiders on Saturday.

The Prince Albert Raiders worked a miracle in Lethbridge.

Taking on the host Hurricanes in a WHL regular season contest on Saturday night, the Raiders trailed 3-0 after 40 minutes of play while being outshoot 24-11. They rallied scoring three goals in the third including two tallies in the last minute of the frame and the winner 17 seconds into overtime to pull out a 4-3 victory before 3,666 stunned spectators at the Enmax Centre.

The Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead in the first period on a goal from 17-year-old left-winger Trae Wilke. The opening 20-minutes also feature a fight between Raiders defenceman 18-year-old defenceman Terrell Goldsmith and Hurricanes 20-year-old defenceman Joe Arntsen late in the frame.

In the second, the Hurricanes pushed their lead out to 3-0 on goals from breakout star 17-year-old right-winger Miguel Marques and rookie 17-year-old defenceman Kale Tipler. Tipler’s tally was his career WHL regular season goal.

At the 8:46 mark of the third, Raiders 18-year-old rookie import left-winger Krzysztof Macias potted his 19^th goal of the season to cut the Hurricanes lead to 3-1. Things proceeded to get really crazy from there.

With just under 41 seconds to play, Raiders offensive-defenceman Justice Christensen fired a shot on Hurricanes netminder Harrison Meneghin that got out from under the puck stopper and trickled over the goal-line. Originally, there was no goal called on the play, but the officials went to a video review and confirmed Christensen did indeed score to trim the Hurricanes lead to 3-2.

Christensen’s ninth goal of the season would go down as a short-handed marker. The Raiders had star netminder Max Hildebrand pulled for an extra attacker.

After getting back to even strength with Hildebrand again pulled for an extra attacker, Hurricanes centre Sean Tschigerl fanned on a clearing attempt that would have sealed victory for the hosts. The puck went to Raiders overage centre Turner McMillen who buried the equalizer that tied the contest up at 3-3 with 4.8 seconds remaining in the frame.

Just 17 seconds into overtime, Raiders star 20-year-old winger Sloan Stanick blew home his 24^th goal of the season from the front of the Lethbridge net to deliver the visitors to a 4-3 victory.

Hildebrand stopped 29 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Meneghin turned away 22 shots to take the extra time setback in net for the Hurricanes.

The Raiders improved to 26-25-1-3 having won their last three straight games. They sit seventh in the WHL’s Eastern Conference three standings points ahead of both the Hurricanes and the Calgary Hitmen.

The Hurricanes record moved to 24-24-5 and they are tied with the Hitmen (23-23-6-1) for the eighth and ninth positions in the Eastern Conference standings. The Hurricanes and Hitmen each have two games in hand on the Raiders.

Lethbridge gets back at it on Monday traveling to Red Deer to take on the 28-19-2-6 Rebels (2 p.m. local time, Peavey Mart Centrium).

The Raiders return home to host the Brandon Wheat Kings on Thursday (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre). The “Hockey Town North” crew will played nine out of their last 13 regular season games at home.

Minten’s OT winner gives Blades 10^th straight win

Fraser Minten had the OT winner for the Blades on Saturday.

Fraser Minten might be developing a habit of coming through for the Saskatoon Blades in overtime.

On Saturday in Medicine Hat, the Blades went into overtime locked in a 3-3 tie in a WHL regular season contest with the host Tigers at Co-op Place. Just 68 seconds into the extra session, the Blades had the puck in the Medicine Hat zone on a two-on-one break.

Blades star 19-year-old left-winger Brandon Lisowsky had the puck coming down the left wing. He passed the puck across the front of the Medicine Hat net to Minten coming down the right wing. Minten measured up his scoring chance and blew home a goal to the top right corner of the Medicine Hat net to deliver the Blades to a 4-3 victory to the disappointment to most of the 3,626 spectators in attendance.

The overtime tally was second such goal for Minten on the season and also his second goal on Saturday to go with a plus-three rating in the plus-minus department.

The Blades, who are rated first in the CHL Top 10 Rankings, now have victories in their last 10 straight games improving their WHL leading record to 41-9-2-3. The Tigers continue to lead the WHL’s Central Division as their record moved to 32-17-4-2.

The Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period of Saturday’s clash. The markers came from 18-year-old left-winger Hunter St. Martin scoring his 20^th goal of the campaign and centre Shane Smith, who turned 19-years-old in January, potting his 27^th goal of the season with the Tigers working on the power play.

Smith’s power-play goal came with Blades captain Trevor Wong serving a double minor for high-sticking. Wong’s infraction will be automatically reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

With 4:08 remaining in the first, Lisowsky netted his 31^st of the season to give the Blades a big traction tally cutting the Tigers lead to 2-1. Lisowsky potted his second of the contest and 32^nd of the season with 5.8 seconds remaining in the second to even the score at 2-2.

At the 4:57 mark of the third, Minten netted his first of the contest to give the Blades a 3-2 lead. Tigers sophomore 17-year-old centre Tomas Mrsic scored for the host side with 7:32 remaining in the third to even the score at 3-3.

That set the stage for Minten to become the hero for the visitors in overtime scoring the winning goal.

Blades star netminder Austin Elliott stopped 20 shots to pick up the win in goal. Tigers 17-year-old rookie netminder Ethan McCallum turned away 20 shots to take the extra time setback in net.

Wong picked up a pair of assists in the win.

The Blades return to action on Monday when they travel to Brandon to take on the 27-21-5-1 Wheat Kings (2 p.m. local time, Westoba Place).

The Tigers also return to action on Monday when they travel to Edmonton to face the 18-32-2-1 Oil Kings (2 p.m. local time, Rogers Place).

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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Huskies’ Kozun gets big double honours at U Sports awards

Cable captures most sportsmanlike player honour

Taran Kozun was named the U Sports player of the year.

    Taran Kozun achieved a significant first when it came to winning U Sports men’s hockey awards.

    On Wednesday at the men’s hockey awards gala in Halifax, N.S., the third-year netminder from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies was named the recipient of the Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy as the U Sports player of the year, and he took honours as the U Sports goaltender of the year.

    Kozun became the first player in U Sports history to claim both awards in the same season. On top of those honours, he was named a U Sports first team all-Canadian all-star.

    The 25-year-old had an outstanding campaign for the Huskies appearing in 22 regular season games posting a 17-3-2 record, a 1.87 goals against average, a .931 save percentage and five shutouts. He also became the second goalie in the history of the Canada West Conference to score a goal as well during those regular season appearances.

    The Nipawin, Sask., product topped the Canada West Conference in wins and save percentage, while posting the lowest goals against average. His five shutouts equalled a record for regular season play in Canada West which he set last season along with U of Alberta Golden Bears goalie Zach Sawchenko.
    Thanks to Kozun’s efforts, the Huskies finished second in the Canada West Conference with a 22-4-2 record.

Levi Cable was named the most sportsmanlike player in U Sports.

    In the Canada West playoffs, the Huskies swept the University of Calgary Dinos in a best-of-three semifinal series 2-0 and pulled out the brooms again for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds taking the best-of-three Canada West Championship series 2-0.

    Last season, Kozun was named both the Canada West goaltender of the year and the U Sports goaltender of the year as well as a U Sports first team all-Canadian all-star.

    Kozun wasn’t the Huskies only major award winner.

    The team’s ironman in fifth-year right-winger Levi Cable captured the R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award as the most sportsmanlike player in U Sports.

    The 25-year-old appeared in all the Huskies 28 regular season games posting 10 goals, 14 assists, a plus-13 rating in the plus-minus department and didn’t record a single minute in the penalty box.

    The Hudson Bay, Sask., product has appeared in 175 consecutive games for the Huskies including the U Sports regular season and post-season. Cable has appeared in every game he could possibility suit up for with the Huskies.

    He is the third player in the history of the Huskies to play in 140 career regular season games, and he collected 51 goals, 64 assists and a plus-50 rating in those outings.

    Huskies centre Jared Dmytriw was up for the Clare Drake Award and the rookie of the year for U Sports, but that honour went to Saint Mary’s University Huskies forward Mitchell Balmas.
    Dmytriw was named to the U Sports all-rookie team. He led the Huskies in scoring this season appearing in all of the team’s 28 regular season games posting 10 goals, 18 assists and a plus-20 rating.

Jared Dmytriw was named to the U Sports all-rookie team.

    The Huskies begin play at the David Johnston University Cup U Sports elite-eight national championship tournament on Thursday in Halifax as the event’s second seeded team. They will face the seventh seeded University of Western Ontario Mustangs, who were the bronze medalist of the Ontario University Athletic conference.

    The semifinals of the University Cup will be held on Saturday and the gold and bronze medal matches are slated for Sunday.

    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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Dinos killer – Huskies’ Stadnyk does in U of C in double OT

Carson Stadnyk, right, reacts to his double OT winner on Saturday.

    Who else would you expect to do in the University of Calgary Dinos but Carson Stadnyk?

    On Saturday at Merlis Belsher Place, Stadnyk and his University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team went into double overtime against the Dinos locked in a 4-4 tie in Game 2 of a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series.

    Just 77 seconds into the second overtime frame, Stadnyk got the puck in the Dinos zone off a turnover, circled across the front of the U of C net and fired home the winning goal through a screen to give the Huskies a 5-4 victory.

    The goal from the fourth-year right-winger sent the crowd of 1,647 spectators at Merlis into bedlam and allowed the Huskies to sweep the best-of-three series 2-0.

    “We were all getting tired and so were they,” said Stadnyk. “We just got the one extra bounce.

Carson Stadnyk is mobbed by his teammates after his double OT winner.

    “We just couldn’t be more happy right now.”

    With the win, the Huskies advance to the best-of-three Canada West champions series to play the winner of the other best-of-three Canada West semifinal series between the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds and the University of Alberta Golden Bears in Edmonton, Alta.

    The Thunderbirds and Golden Bears are tied in 1-1 in their best-of-three set with Game 3 slated for Sunday in Edmonton. The Golden Bears, who are rated fourth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, topped the Canada West regular season standings with a 23-5 record, while the Thunderbirds finished fifth with a 9-14-4-1 mark.

The celebration continues after Carson Stadnyk’s double OT winner.

    U of S also earns a berth for the fifth straight year to the U Sports elite eight national championship tournament – the David Johnston University Cup. The David Johnston University Cup runs March 12 to 15 in Halifax, N.S.

    Saturday’s game wasn’t the first time Stadnyk broke the hearts of the Dinos in the post-season. When the Huskies and Dinos previously met in the post-season in a Canada West semifinal series in 2018, a series-deciding Game 3 was required.

    With the two squads locked in a 1-1 tie in that Game 3 played at the Huskies former home in the ancient Rutherford Rink, Stadnyk broke the deadlock scoring the game and series winner with 24 seconds remaining in the third period. The Huskies added an empty-net goal to seal a 3-1 victory in that contest.

Merlis Belsher Place was feeling good after Carson Stadnyk’s winner.

    In the latest clash on Saturday, the Huskies held a 4-1 lead at one point in the second period before the Dinos rallied to even things up at 4-4 and force overtime.

    “When we were up by three, they worked their way back and made a comeback,” said Stadnyk, who had an assist to go with his goal. “That was pretty tough on us.

    “We just had to do what we do best. We just had to watch their top players, because they have a lot of good players over there. Our guys who had that responsibility did their job.

    “We just came out lucky, and we are just happy to be moving on.”

Carson Stadnyk had a goal and an assist for the Huskies on Saturday.

    Huskies head coach Dave Adolph was pleased to see Stadnyk net the winner after giving a strong effort on Saturday night. The veteran bench boss was reminded about the 2018 series with the Dinos at game’s end.

    “That was the first thing the guys said it was Stadnyk that got it two years ago,” said Adolph. “He had about four or five great looks tonight that didn’t go in, and I thought Shirls (Collin Shirley) had a couple too.

    “That is the way hockey goes. I am glad we are on the right end of it.”

    As for the rest of the game itself, the Huskies jumped ahead 1-0 at the 3:47 mark of the first period thanks to a gaff by Dinos sophomore defenceman James Shearer. Shearer had the puck behind his own net, and he tried to fire a pass up the centre of the ice.

    He put the puck right on the tape of the stick of Huskies right-winger Jeff Faith, who quickly fired home the gift for the contest’s opening goal.

The Huskies celebrate a first period goal from Jeff Faith (#5).

    At the 9:22 mark of the opening frame, the Dinos evened things up at 1-1, when rookie right-winger Kaden Elder scored on a two-man advantage.

    The Huskies caught a break 50 seconds into the second when Dinos defenceman Jake Kearley received a double minor for spearing.

    At the 2:18 mark of the second, the Huskies scored on the power play to go ahead 2-1, when second-year centre Donovan Neuls fired home a shot from the right slot after receiving a beauty set up pass from linemate Kohl Bauml.

    Shirley, who is a standout left-winger, extended the Huskies advantage to 3-1 tucking home a goal close in at the left side of the Dinos net at the 5:57 mark of the second.

    Just under three minutes later working again in the Dinos zone, Shirley slipped a pass across the face of the U of C goal to rookie centre Jared Dmytriw, who popped a tally to put the host side up 4-1.

Collin Shirley had a goal and an assist for the Huskies on Saturday.

    If it appeared the issue was sealed, the Dinos pushed back with goals coming from the sticks of Dane Gibson and Tim Vanstone to cut the Huskies lead to 4-3 heading into the second intermission.

    With 1.7 seconds remaining in the second, a huge scrum developed after one of the Huskies players was dropped with an elbow by one of the Dinos players. The Huskies came out of that with a two-minute power play but were unable to score on that man advantage.

    In the third, Dinos defenceman Ryan Gagnon worked his way in front of the net, and he netted the goal that created a 4-4 tie and forced overtime.

    “Tip your hat to the University of Calgary,” said Adolph. “That is a really good team.

Some of supporters for Huskies D Evan Fiala in the crowd on Saturday.

    “I don’t know that there is anybody that is as physical and greasy as they are. That is a team that is pretty worthy of probably playing in a national championship.”

    In the first overtime period, both sides had solid chances to end the game. Huskies start goaltender Taran Kozun robbed Vanstone with a glove save.

    Huskies fifth-year right winger Levi Cable looked like he would snipe the winner, but Dinos goalie Matthew Greenfield got his glove hand on a piece of Cable’s shot to direct the puck just wide of the goal.

Ryan Gagnon had the equalizer for the Dinos on Saturday.

    Cable was playing in his 173^rd consecutive game for the Huskies on Saturday including action in the U Sports regular season and post-season. He has never missed a game with the Huskies.

    Everything that happened in the contest to that point set the stage for Stadnyk to get the winner in the second overtime.

    Kozun stopped 29 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies. Greenfield turned away 26 shots to take the setback in goal for the Dinos.
    Saturday’s win was the 13th straight for the Huskies including action in the regular season and post-season.

    The Huskies, who are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, finished second in the Canada West regular season standings with a 22-4-2 record, while the Dinos, who are rated eighth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, were third in Canada West with an 18-7-3 mark.

Levi Cable (#10) almost had the winner in the first overtime period.

    Adolph thought the series with the Dinos would be a good one and the two teams delivered.

    “There are ice bags everywhere,” said Adolph. “I think both teams were just absolutely punished here.

    “I really respect (Dinos head coach) Mark Howell as a coach, and I really respect the Dinos as a program. I just hope that we always finish on the winning side, because that one could have gone either way tonight.”

    Stadnyk said his team is excited to be returning to U Sports nationals for a fifth straight year. Before that rolls around, Stadnyk would love it if the Huskies could win their first Canada West title since the 2015-16 campaign.

    If the Thunderbirds win against the Golden Bears on Sunday, the Huskies would host the Canada West championship series. If the Golden Bears win on Sunday, the Huskies would travel to Edmonton to play the Canada West final.

The Huskies salute the crowd at Merlis Belsher Place.

    “Hopefully, we get that chance to do it this time around,” said Stadnyk. “Whoever we play going forward, hopefully, we have a good chance.”

    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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Huskies grease out 2-1 win in Game 1 of Canada West semi

Cable plays 172^nd consecutive game, scores for U of S

Levi Cable (#10) celebrates his first period goal for the Huskies.

    Levi Cable was pumped his teammates ensured he didn’t have to lament the one that got away.
    With his University of Saskatchewan Huskies holding a slim 2-1 lead over the University of Calgary Dinos in Game 1 of a best-of-three Canada West men’s hockey playoff semifinal series, Cable had a chance to ice the contest skating in on an empty opposition net inside the final two minutes of the third period.

    Uncharacteristically, the fifth-year right-winger fired the puck wide of the mark on that golden chance. The missed opportunity didn’t come back to haunt the Huskies, who ensured the 2-1 score in their favour held up before 1,480 spectators at Merlis Belsher Place.

Levi Cable played in his 172nd consecutive game on Friday.

    “It made it a little more stressful than it needed to be,” said Cable about the missed chance. “The rest of the guys all came together and made sure it wasn’t one that I was feeling for a long time.”

    With the win, the Huskies lead the series 1-0. They will attempt to close things out in Game 2 on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merlis.

    Friday’s game marked the 172^nd straight contest Cable has played for the Huskies including action in the U Sports regular season and post-season.

    The 25-year-old Hudson Bay, Sask., product has never missed a game playing with the Huskies suiting up for 140 regular season game, 20 contests in the Canada West playoffs and 12 games in the U Sports national men’s hockey championship tournament – the David Johnston University Cup.

Levi Cable has never missed a game in his U Sports career.

    He netted the game’s first goal on Friday.

    “I’ve just been lucky to play that many games in a row,” said Cable. “The trainers are keeping me together.

    “It was nice to come out here and score the first one. It is always good to get that one out of the way. The boys played well.

    “I’m just glad we came out with a win.”

    With seven minutes remaining in the first period, Cable took a short pass from fifth-year centre Kohl Bauml and wired home a shot from the front of the Dinos goal to put the host side up 1-0. Cable and Bauml have played together on the same line on a consistent basis since joining the Huskies before the start of the 2015-16 campaign.

    “We know were each other is lots of times without even having to look,” said Cable. “It just makes it easy.

    “We know where the other guy will be at all times.”

Ryan Graham scored for the Dinos on Friday.

    Just 2:48 later, the Dinos evened the score at 1-1, when third-year left-winger Ryan Graham fired home a shot from the front of the Huskies goal shortly after an offensive zone faceoff.

    With 41.5 seconds remaining in the first, Huskies third-year left-winger Collin Shirley potted a tally in close at the right side of the Dinos goal to put the Huskies up 2-1.

    The contest became a gritty slugfest from that point in time over the final two frames resulting in a lot of hits from physical play and very few scoring chances. Overall in the contest, the Huskies held a 19-12 edge in shots on goal.

    In the final seconds of the third, sophomore defenceman James Shearer had the final chance to score for the Dinos to force overtime, but his shot from the right slot was turned away by Huskies star netminder Taran Kozun.

Collin Shirley (#11) celebrates putting the Huskies up 2-1.

    “I knew that it was going to be an absolute grease match,” said Huskies head coach Dave Adolph. “We’ve been talking about it for two weeks.

    “They are a big strong team that likes to be physical and wear you down. We knew that we had to try and answer that bell. I thought the first 10 minutes of the third period we got outplayed pretty bad, and then somehow we found a way to grease ourselves back in it.”

    A big key to the Huskies victory on Friday was keeping the Dinos top forward unit of centre Matt Alfaro, right-winger Kaden Elder and left-winger Coda Gordon in check.  That trio combined for no points and only one shot on goal.

    The Huskies would often counter that unit with the fourth-year defensive pairing of captain Tanner Lishchynsky and Colby Harmsworth.

    “Obviously, you have to match strength on strength when you are playing a good team like Calgary,” said Adolph. “That Alfaro line is as dangerous as any that I have seen in probably 10 years in U Sports.

A scrum develops after Collin Shirley scored for the Huskies.

    “You have to throw some guys out there and trust that they can get the job done. (We got) the first check mark tonight.”

    With his goal on Friday, Cable has collected 13 goals, three assists and a plus-seven rating in his 20 games in the Canada West playoffs. In his 12 games at the University Cup, Cable has six goals and five assists.

    In his 140 career regular season games, Cable posted 51 goals, 64 assists and a plus-50 rating in the plus-minus department.

    Before joining the Huskies, Cable played in 267 career WHL regular season games with the Kootenay Ice from 2010 to 2015 posting 55 goals, 62 assists and a plus-13 rating.

Taran Kozun (#31) made 11 saves to back the Huskies to victory.

    When the dust settled on Friday, Cable was pleased his team came out victorious in his 172^nd consecutive game for the Huskies as they battled against a quality opponent.

    “It was tough,” said Cable. “They are a really good team.

    “They are good defensively, and they have a couple of lines who can score. They made it tough on us, and it was a close game right till the end. The greasy ones are sometimes fun, and they are fun to win.

    “I’m just glad we won.”

    Kozun stopped 11 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies, who are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings. Matthew Greenfield turned away 17 shots to take the setback in goal for the Dinos, who are rated eighth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings.

The Huskies celebrate their win on Friday night.

    The Huskies finished second in the Canada West regular season standings with a 22-4-2 record, while the Dinos were third in Canada West with an 18-7-3 mark.

    As is the nature of a best-of-three Canada West playoff series, the Dinos will have last line change for Game 2, and Adolph expects Dinos head coach Mark Howell will shorten his bench a little.

    “You have to be real careful,” said Adolph. “I can’t tell you exactly what we are going to do.

    “We did it I think to execution tonight that if we didn’t quite get the match or a late change that there were two guys out there that were ready to go. We will be fine.

    “It will be another one-goal game tomorrow night.”

If a series-deciding Game 3 is necessary, it will be held on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Merlis.

Huskies’ Bohlken and Bourassa named Canada West all-stars

Leah Bohlken was named a first team Canada West all-star.

    A pair of veterans from the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team were recognized among the best in the Canada West Conference.

    On Wednesday, fifth-year defender Leah Bohlken was named a first team Canada West all-star, and fourth-year right-winger Bailee Bourassa was honoured as a Canada West second team all-star.

    Bohlken was named a first team conference all-star for the second year in a row. This past season in her final campaign of U Sports eligibility, Bohlken played in all of the Huskies 28 regular season games posting five goals, six assists and a plus-eight rating in the plus-minus department.

    The 22-year-old product of Moose Jaw, Sask., was a member of Canada’s women’s hockey team that won a silver medal last year at the FISU Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

Bailee Bourassa was named a second team Canada West all-star.

    Bourassa cracked the Canada West all-star team for the first time in her career. The 21-year-old Weyburn, Sask., product played in all of the Huskies 28 regular season games posting 12 goals, seven assists and a plus-five rating.

    Bourassa’s 12 goals and 19 points were both career highs.

    With the contributions of Bohlken and Bourassa, the Huskies finished third in the Canada West Conference with a 17-7-2-2 record.

    They were swept in a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series 2-0 by the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, who claimed an overtime win and a double overtime victory to get the sweep.

    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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Goal a constant talking point for Huskies’ Kozun

Dogs open Canada West semi against Dinos on Friday

Taran Kozun scored a goal by shooting the puck into an empty net.

    Taran Kozun’s goal has become a never ending conversation piece for the 25-year-old goaltender.
    On Jan. 18, Kozun made 22 saves backing the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team to a 3-0 U Sports regular season shutout win over the University of Calgary Dinos at the Father David Bauer Arena in Calgary, Alta. Normally, the shutout win would be the highlight of the night for a puckstopper.

    On this outing, Kozun netted his team’s final goal of the contest scoring into an empty net with 2:49 remaining in the third period. With that tally, Kozun became just the second goalie in the history of the Canada West Conference to score a goal.

    “Everybody likes talking about it, so you kind of got to go with it,” said Kozun, who is still fielding questions about the tally over a month later. “If a goalie scores, talk is going to come with it.

Taran Kozun has been a first team Canada West all-star two straight years.

    “I’d kind of like to (keep it) a secret a little bit, but what are you going to do. Everybody wants to talk about it. Even when you go back home, everybody has to mention it and talk about it and see what happens.

    “I tell the story lots, and it is all not that bad. It would be nice to just be able to go home and not talk about it, but it is alright.”

    Kozun was actually the first goalie in the history of the Canada West Conference to score a goal by shooting the puck into the opposing net.

    Way back on October 26, 2012, U of Alberta Golden Bears netminder Curtis Mucha was credited with his team’s first goal in a 7-1 victory over the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns in Lethbridge, Alta. In that instance, a member of the Pronghorns accidentally passed the puck the length of the ice into his own empty net during a delayed penalty call.

Taran Kozun was the Canada West goaltender of the year last year.

    Since Mucha was the last Golden Bears player to touch the puck, he was credited with the goal.

    Kozun admitted he tried in the past to score a goal during his days playing in the WHL with the Kamloops Blazers and Seattle Thunderbirds from 2011 to 2015.

    “I probably tried about five times throughout my junior career,” said Kozun, who is in his third season of U Sports eligibility. “I think I missed the net four times and hit my D-man in the back on one other one.

    “I figured I’d try it again. You never know what is going to happen.”

    Kozun will once again be facing the team he victimized for his goal. The Huskies, who are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, will take on the Dinos, who are rated eight in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, in a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series.

Taran Kozun was the U Sports goaltender of the year last year.

    The Huskies finished second in the Canada West regular season standings with a 22-4-2 record, while the Dinos placed third with an 18-7-3 mark. U of S won three out of the four head-to-head encounters in the regular season between the two sides.

    The Dinos swept the U of Manitoba Bisons 2-0 in a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series to get to this point, while the Huskies had a bye into the semfinal set.

    Game 1 between the Huskies and Dinos is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place. Game 2 is slated for Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merlis, and if necessary, Game 3 follows on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Merlis.

    Of course, Kozun, who is from Nipawin, Sask., is best known for stopping the puck. During his final major junior campaign in 2014-15 with the Thunderbirds, Kozun was named a first team WHL Western Conference all-star and he claimed the WHL’s Top Goaltender award.

Taran Kozun had five shutouts in each of the past two seasons.

    Last season in his first full campaign as the Huskies starting goalie, Kozun was named a first team Canada West all-star, the Canada West goaltender of the year, a first team U Sports all-Canadian and the U Sports goaltender of the year.

    On Wednesday, he was named a first team Canada West all-star once again. 
    Kozun appeared in 22 regular season games posting a 17-3-2 record, a 1.87 goals against average, a .931 save percentage and five shutouts.

    He topped Canada West in wins, goals against average, save percentage and shutouts. 
    The five shutouts equal a record he set last year along with Golden Bears netminder Zach Sawchenko.

Collin Shirley was a second team Canada West all-star.

    Kozun helps the Huskies maintain a strong presence in goal that started in 2002 with Thomas Vicars, who gave way to Jeff Harvey, was passed on to Ryan Holfeld, who handed down to Jordon Cooke and was inherit by Kozun. 
    All five of those netminder have won 40 or more career regular season games stopping pucks for the Huskies.

    “The smartest coach has the best goaltender,” said Huskies head coach Dave Adolph with a sly grin.

    To say Adolph was happy to bring Kozun on board before the start of the 2017-18 campaign is a sizable understatement. 
    Kozun took over the starter’s roll that season when Cooke was injured in Game 1 of a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series against the Dinos, which the Huskies claimed 2-1.

    “Taran Kozun has been one of the top goalies in the country since he has been 18,” said Adolph. “We are real fortunate to have him in terms of the progression after Jordon Cooke.”

    Kozun was happy he was named a first team Canada West all-star for a second straight campaign.

Gordie Ballhorn was a second team Canada West all-star.

    “It is a huge honour just for me, but it also shows that the team played in front of me,” said Kozun. “I feel like for a goalie getting an all-star and doing well a lot of it comes down to the D in front of him and the forwards coming out to help me out and making my job as easy as possible and being able to play as a team in the D-zone.

    “It makes your goalie look pretty good.”

    Things didn’t look good for the Huskies at the start of the campaign, when they stumbled to an 0-3-1 start after their first four regular season games. A large number of injuries – specifically on defence – hurt the Huskies in the early going.

    The Huskies posted a 22-1-1 mark from there and have won 11 straight heading into the playoffs.

    “It was a tough start for everybody myself included,” said Kozun. “It was a long summer off.

    “Getting back into things, we just quite weren’t ready to go as a team. It is the way it goes some years. Some years you come out flying, and the next year you might come out a little slower than in other years.
    “It got us into the mindset right off the start that if we play the wrong way we are not going to win. Throughout the second half, we proved to ourselves that if everybody buys into the system that is going on out on the ice that we have a good chance to win every night.”

Jared Dmytriw was named to the Canada West all-rookie team.

    Kozun was joined on the Canada West all-star team by left-winger Collin Shirley and defenceman Gordie Ballhorn, who were both named second-team all-stars.

    Shirley had nine goals, 17 assists and a plus-16 rating appearing in all of the Huskies 28 regular season games. Ballhorn has four goals and 15 assists skating in 24 regular season contests.

    Centre Jared Dmytriw was named to the Canada West all-rookie team after leading the Huskies in scoring with 10 goals and 18 assists appearing in all 28 regular season games.
    Matthew Alfaro, who is a third-year forward with the Dinos, took home first-team Canada West all-star honours after leading the conference in regular season scoring with 15 goals and 21 assists.

    Dinos fifth-year forward Coda Gordon was named a second team Canada West all-star finishing second in U of C team regular season scoring with eight goals and 20 assists.

Taran Kozun (#31) hopes to enjoy a number of post-season wins.

    Dinos forward and Saskatoon product Kaden Elder and netminder Brodan Salmond were placed on the Canada West all-rookie team.
    Elder had 13 goals and eight assists in 25 regular season games with the Dinos. Salmond played in 15 regular season games posting a 9-2-3 record, a 2.40 goals against average, a .900 save percentage and one shutout.

    The Dinos like to utilize fourth-year veteran Matthew Greenfield in a platoon-type fashion with Salmond.

    Kozun said his Huskies will have their work cut out for them.

    “It is going to be a really close series,” said Kozun. “Every time we play them even last year and this year, it is usually a one or two-goal game.

    “We have to make sure that we are ready to go to play full 60, because they play a full 60. They play a hard full 60. They have three or four lines that are really good, and they have six D that can play.

    “They have two of the better goalies in the league over there too, so we are really going to have to make sure that we buy in. If we are not ready to go, they can take it to us pretty quickly.”

Young Stars on the rise

Emily Holmes scored the winning goal for the Stars on Thursday.

    The Saskatoon Stars have caught fire during a season where they have undergone a massive rebuild under an entirely new coaching staff.

    On Thursday at Merlis Belsher Place, the Stars scored three times in the third period to down the visiting Battlefords Sharks 4-1 in a Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League regular season contest. The win was a third in a row for the Stars, who have posted a 7-1-1 record in their last nine games.

    Thanks to that surge, the Stars have improved their record to 12-12-0-3 to sit fourth in the SFMAAAHL just two standings points back of the 14-11-2 Notre Dame Hounds.

    In the SFMAAAHL, teams earn three standings points for regulation wins, two for extra time wins and one point for an extra time setback.

Arden Kliewer makes one of her 29 saves in goal for the Stars on Thursday.

    The Hounds have 41 standings points coming on 11 regulation wins, three extra time wins and two extra time setbacks.

    The Stars have 39 points with all their wins coming in regulation and three extra time setbacks.

    In Thursday’s clash with the Sharks, Sydney Mercier scored early in the first period to give the Stars a 1-0 lead. Madison Glynn replied for the Sharks with 3:02 remaining in the third to even the score at 1-1.

    Defender Emily Holmes score 46 seconds into the third to put the Stars up 2-1. Mercier scored on the power play to complete a two-goal night to give the Stars a 3-1 advantage.
    Ava Metzger sealed the win with an empty-net tally with less than 35 seconds to play in the third to round out the game’s scoring.

The Stars celebrate their win on Thursday.

    Arden Kliewer made 29 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Stars. Yelena Zaleschuk turned away 18-of-21 shots to take the setback in goal for the Sharks (9-17-1).

    The Stars finish out the regular season playing three times on the road. If they can finish fourth or higher in the league standings, the Stars will have home ice advantage for a best-of-three SFMAAAHL quarter-final series.

    The highest Saskatoon can finish in the SFMAAAHL standings is third and the lowest is fifth.

    The Stars return to action on Saturday, when they travel to Regina to face the SFMAAAHL leading Rebels (22-1-1).

    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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