Huskies make history

The Huskies celebrate.

            It was a dream finish for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s soccer team at the Canada West Final Four tournament.

            On Saturday at PotashCorp Park, the amazing Huskies captured their first ever Canada West title downing the University of Alberta Golden Bears 4-2. The Golden Bears led 2-1 at halftime, but the Huskies roared back with three unanswered goals in the second half.

            Jordian Farahani scored twice for the Huskies, while Bobbi Nicholat and David Brown had singles. Michal Bandula picked up the win in goal.

            Jermele Campbell and Niko Jankovic relied with singles for the Golden Bears, while Connor James suffered the loss in goal.  

Both the Huskies and the Golden Bears will advance to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship tournament, which will be hosted by the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers from Nov. 6-9 in Charlottetown.

            Traditionally, the University of Saskatchewan was never known as a soccer school. That reputation is changing quickly.

            Last year, the Huskies men’s team made their first appearance at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship tournament with an 8-5-2 record. They bettered that make this season finishing first in the Prairies Division with a program best 9-1-2 mark.

            The Canada West title game was played before 646 spectators, which is a large gathering for the Huskies soccer team. The green and white ensured their home faithful didn’t go away disappointed. A day earlier, the Huskies downed the University of Victoria Vikes 2-0 in a semifinal contest.

            Going into the CIS championship tournament, you have to like the Huskies odds of winning it all. They return to the national stage as an experienced team having been there before. Now the goal is to ensure the plane ride home from Charlottetown will be a happy one.

Women’s squad captures bronze

Huskies defender Jennifer Miller.

            The Huskies women’s soccer squad also carved out a piece of history claiming their first ever medal in the Canada West Final Four tournament.

            The Huskies opened this year’s tournament in Langley, B.C., falling 1-0 in a semifinal to the host Trinity Western University Spartans on Friday night. Natalie Arnett had the lone goal for the Spartans, while Christina Oliverio picked up the win in the Trinity Western net. Cara Santaga suffered the loss in goal for the Huskies.

            On Saturday, the Huskies rebounded with a 2-0 victory in the bronze medal match over the University of Alberta Pandas. Star striker Jenelle Zapski scored both of the Huskies goals, while Kyleigh Vause picked up the win in goal. Kelti Biggs took the loss in goal for the Pandas.

            The Huskies had a strong regular season posting a 7-2-3 record to finish second in the Prairies Division. All their players can potentially return next season, which likely means they will have a good chance to improve on the bronze medal finish.

Zapski and defender Jennifer Miller, who were named Canada West second team all-stars, are definitely players to watch as the team moves forward.

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Huskies impress with sweep

Defending Canada West champs down Wickenheiser and Dinos

Goalie Cassidy Hendricks kicks out a shot for the Huskies.

Well that was definitely the definition of team effort.

            The University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Hockey team was in top form on the weekend and passed a big early season test. Sitting with a 3-3 record going into the weekend, the defending Canada West champs faced a University of Calgary Dinos team that had some big additions from a season ago.

            The Dinos roster contained Canadian National team icon Hayley Wickenheiser and Russian national team standouts Iya Gavrilova and Alexandra Vafina. All three were not with the Dinos last season because it was Olympic year. Wickenheiser and Gavrilov helped the Dinos win a Canadian Interuniversity Sport title in 2012, while Vafina is in her first year of eligibility on the Calgary side.

            With that trio in the fold, the Dinos entered the weekend leading the Canada West standings with four wins and two overtime losses.

            Even with all those additions, the Huskies pulled out a sweep in a two-game series at the ancient Rutherford Rink. On Friday, the Huskies rallied from a 3-1 deficit to pull out a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory. Brown University transfer Lauren Zary potted the winner at 2:52 into extra time.

            On Saturday, the Huskies scored three times in the second period to go up 3-0 and cruised to a 3-1 victory.

            All of the Huskies forward lines and defensive pairings played strong system wise, forechecked hard and took away a lot of the passing lanes the Dinos thought they had, when they tried to work up ice.

            The hosts also played physical too. That was best shown when Huskies defenceman Brooke Mutch crushed Dinos forward Jenna Smith in the second period of Friday’s encounter.

            Mutch was given an elbowing penalty, but her team killed off the infraction. It also seemed to spark a turn of momentum in that contest.

            The Dinos led 3-1 at the time of the hit. When Mutch’s penalty was killed, the Huskies closed the second period scoring on a power play of their own, when fifth-year forward Kandace Cook tallied to make it 3-2.

Edmonton product Rachel Johnson scored another Huskies power-play goal early in the third to knot things up at 3-3 as a prelude to Zary’s heroics in the extra session.

            Kaitlin Willoughby, who was the CIS rookie of the year last season, was huge for the Dogs offensively on Friday netting her team’s first goal and collecting two assists.

The Huskies celebrate a Kandace Cook goal on Saturday.

            Cook and Zary scored again on Saturday, while Chelsey Sundby had her team’s third goal.

            Cassidy Hendricks kept adding to her reputation as a money goalie turning away 69-of-73 shots in the two contests. She also had a couple of key bailout saves on the weekend too.

            Dinos netminders Hayley Dowling and Carissa Fischer combined to turn away 60-67 shots over the two contests.

            Now 5-3, the Huskies have a bye week before traveling to Calgary to face the Mount Royal University Cougars on Nov. 7 and 8.

            NOTE – The women’s Canada West conference is using a news system for tallying points in the standings this season, which is similar to one used in the Olympics. Regulation time wins are worth three points, extra time wins two points and one point is awarded for an extra time loss. Under that system, the Huskies are currently fifth in the eight-team Canada West with 13 points.

            The same system is being utilized in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League. 

 

Football team locks up home playoff date

Keegan Arnyek (#16) returns a missed field goal for a TD.

            The U of S Huskies football team has a home playoff game in the bag.

            On Saturday, the Huskies locked up second place in Canada West with a 41-23 victory over the University of Alberta Golden Bears before 3,605 spectators at Griffiths Stadium. The win was a huge bounce back game for the Huskies, who were trounced 41-8 in their previous outing at the hands of the University of Manitoba Bisons in Winnipeg.

            The contest against the Golden Bears was close for a lengthy time, before the Huskies pulled away. Just past the midway point of the fourth quarter and the Huskies leading 27-17, the Golden Bears were attempting a field goal to cut the U of S lead to seven.

            The field goal was missed, and Keegan Arnyek returned the miss 116 yards for a spectacular touchdown. The return was aided by some huge blocks from Geoffrey Hughes and Mark Ingram.

            With the win, the Huskies improve to 5-2 and close the regular season traveling to Vancouver to take on the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds this coming Saturday.

            The Huskies will host a Canada West semifinal playoff game on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium.

Soccer team makes history 

 

 

Erica Hindmarsh in action for the U of S Huskies.

           The U of S Huskies Women’s Soccer team made history on Sunday.

            The Huskies captured their first playoff win downing the MacEwan University Griffins 2-1 at PotashCorp Park. Carmen Gorlick and Erica Hindmarsh scored for the Huskies, while Cara Santaga picked up the win in goal.

            With the win, the Huskies advance to the women’s Canada West final four tournament, which opens this coming Friday in Langley, B.C. The Trinity Western University Spartans host the tourney, which will include the University of Alberta Pandas and the Fraser Valley Cascades.

            The Huskies men’s soccer team cruised to a 5-1 Canada West quarter-final victory over the University of Winnipeg also on Sunday at PotashCorp Park. Brett Levis scored twice for the Huskies, while Garrett Peters, Bobbi Nicholat and Sam Whiting all had singles. Michal Bandula picked up the win in goal.

            With the win, the Huskies will host the men’s Canada West final four tournament this coming Friday and Saturday. The tourney will include the U of A Golden Bears, the UBC Thunderbirds and the University of Victoria Vikes.

           

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Huskies men’s soccer, a hidden gem

The Huskies celebrate a goal by Luigi Bekwayo's (#9).

            “That is the best Huskies team I have ever seen.”

            Those words were by an alumnus of the University of Saskatchewan men’s soccer team, while he watched his former squad down the University of Alberta Golden Bears 6-1 at PotashCorp Park on Sunday. That same alumnus also said during his years the team wasn’t that good.

            For a number of years, the Huskies men’s soccer team wasn’t a headline grabber and played with little fan attention. That changed last season when the program qualified for its first appearance at a Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship tournament with an 8-5-2 record. Club regular season records were set for wins (eight) and points in the standings (26) in the process.

            Sunday’s win was a treat. The Huskies and Golden Bears entered the day as the top two teams in the Prairies Division of the Canada West Conference. The hosts stormed out to a 3-0 just 17 minutes into the contest.

            The edge expanded to 4-0 by halftime and was 5-0 before Cj Gilroy scored for the Golden Bears on a penalty kick.

            David Brown, Tyler Redl and Luigi Bekwayo each scored twice for the Huskies. Most of the goals came with the team quickly heading up field in transition and with some smart strikes by the goal scorers. The effort didn’t let up at any point in the contest by the hosts, even with substitutes coming off the bench in droves in the second half.

            Michal Bandula picked up the win in goal for the Huskies, while Connor James suffered the loss for the Golden Bears, who fell to 4-3-3.

            On the day, the Huskies were a total treat to watch. They improved to 7-0-1 to sit first in the Prairies Division with the win and officially locked up a playoff berth.

            The stands at PotashCorp Park were also packed, and spectators also lined the sidelines to the sides of the stands. That was also a cool sight to see.

            The Huskies can wrap up first place in the division by winning two of their final four games. They return to action this coming Saturday and Sunday, when they host the University of Winnipeg Wesmen at PotashCorp Park at 2:15 p.m. each day.

            At the moment, the Huskies are no longer a blip on the radar screen.

 

Mission accomplished for women’s team

            The Huskies women’s soccer team did what they needed to do to keep control of their own playoff fate.

            On Sunday, the Huskies blanked the lowly University of Lethbridge Pronghorns 5-0 at PotashCorp Park. Erica Hindmarsh and Jenelle Zapski each scored twice for the Huskies, while Kelly Cerkowniak picked up a single. The hosts led 3-0 after 21 minutes and never looked back.

            Cara Santaga picked up the win in goal for the Huskies, while Micaela Stone suffered the loss in goal for the Pronghorns, who fell to 1-7-2.

            After two straight wins over the Pronghorns, the Huskies sit third in the Prairies Division of Canada West with a 5-2-3 record. The top four teams in the division make the playoffs.

            With two games left, the Huskies have to wait for a bye week to finish to see if they are still holding on to a playoff spot. The University of Alberta Pandas (4-1-3) and University of Regina Cougars (4-2-2) will make up their two games in hand on the Huskies and could potentially knock the Dogs to fifth place.

            The Huskies close their regular season schedule by hosting the Cougars on Oct. 18 and 19 at PotashCorp Park at 12 p.m. each day. With the way things sit now, those matches will likely be playoff type games. U of S will make the post-season by winning those two contests regardless of what else happens in the league.

           

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Crunch time for Huskies soccer

Kelly Cerowniak in action for the Huskies.

             It is make or break time for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies soccer teams this weekend.

            Both squads did their part Friday at PotashCorp Park to ensure it is “make” time. The men’s soccer team downed the University of Alberta Golden Bears 4-1, and the women’s squad blanked the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns 3-0.

            While it is only early October, the regular season is nearing a close, and both teams are trying to roll off a final sprint. The Huskies men’s team wants to inch closer to first place in the Prairies Division of Canada West. The Huskies women’s team wants lock up a playoff berth.

            In the men’s game, Garrett Peters and Luigi Bekwayo staked the Huskies out to a 2-0 lead. Cj Gilroy scored for the Golden Bears early in the second half to cut the host’s lead to 2-1. The Huskies pulled away with singles from Bobbi Nicholat and Jordian Farahani.

            Michal Bandula picked up the win in goal for the Huskies, while Connor James suffered the loss for the Golden Bears.

            With the win, the Huskies improve to 6-0-1 to sit four points up on the 4-2-3 Golden Bears for first in the division. If the Huskies just post a tie in Sunday’s encounter with the Golden Bears (2:15 p.m. PotashCorp Park), they will be sitting pretty in the race for first.

            After Sunday’s match, the Huskies will have four games remaining on their schedule. They play the University of Winnipeg Wesmen (2-5-1) twice and the Mount Royal University Cougars (1-4-1) twice. As it stands right now, the Huskies would only need to win two of those final four encounters to capture top spot in the division.

            On the women’s side, the Huskies need wins to keep their playoff hopes alive in the tightly packed Prairies Division. They entered Friday’s game holding a slim one-point edge for fourth place and the division’s final playoff berth.

            In the shutout win of the Pronghorns, Kelly Cerkowniak scored twice in the first half to give the Huskies a 2-0 edge, and Prince Albert product Erica Parenteau rounded out the scoring with a single in the second half.

            Cara Santaga picked up the win in goal for the Huskies, while Myriah Marino took the loss in the Pronghorns net.

The victory helped end a four-game winless skid, as the Huskies improved to 4-2-3. The Pronghorns fell to 1-6-2.

            The two teams meet again on Sunday at 12 p.m. at PotashCorp Park. If the Huskies win, it will put them in a good position to play the waiting game.

            They close out the regular season by hosting the University of Regina Cougars (4-2-2) on Oct. 18 and 19. By that time, the picture of what the Huskies still need to do to get in the playoffs should become clearer. If the Huskies don’t earn a win over Lethbridge on Sunday, they could be forced into a position where they need to win both of their final two games to make the post-season.

            The best part for both soccer squads is they control their own respective destinies. At this point in the campaign, that is all the players on either team wants.

            If they can keep winning, there could be the odd home playoff game at PotashCorp Park.

           

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