PWHL buzz heartwarming

A PWHL post on Platform-X.

The Professional Women’s Hockey League is hot.

The new professional women’s hockey circuit had an outstanding first six days, which has created a lot of buzz. On New Year’s Day this past Monday, the first PWHL regular season contest was played at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto. The host Toronto side dropped a 4-0 decision to New York before a sellout crowd of 2,537 spectators.

On Saturday at the Xcel Energy Centre in Saint Paul, Minn., the host Minnesota side drew a professional women’s hockey record crowd of 13,316 spectators to a 3-0 home opening win over Montreal. That broke the mark of 8,318 spectators that turned out Tuesday at TD Place in Ottawa to see the host side fall 3-2 in overtime to Montreal in the PWHL’s second ever contest.

It would be safe to say that women’s hockey has had a strong following since the sport made its debut in the Winter Olympics in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. The United States 3-1 victory over Canada in the gold medal game of that women’s hockey tournament cemented the rivalry between those squads as real.

Since that tournament, the rivalry in women’s hockey between Canada and the United States is one of the greatest in all sports.

Women’s hockey has flourished since that time. Numerous elite level women’s hockey programs exist in the university and college ranks in Canada and the United States.

With those elements present, there shouldn’t have been any doubt an appetite would exist for professional women’s hockey specifically in North America. A year ago at this time, the women’s game at the professional level in North America was broken into two groups in the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association and the Premier Hockey Federation – formerly the National Women’s Hockey League.

Kaitlin Willoughby in action for the Huskies in 2017-18.

That all changed on June 30, 2023. In the 14 months leading up to that date, the PWHPA had been working with the Mark Walter Group and Billie Jean King Enterprises in a bid to launch its own league. Walter’s firm purchased the assets of the PHF on June 30, 2023.

That started the unified group down the road to hitting the ice with the six-team PWHL.

After the circuit hosted its first five games over six days starting on January 1, it feels like the honeymoon period is on. At this point, the PWHL keeps hitting homer after homer and everything is great.

On the media front, I’ve covered the women’s game since 1997 spanning the gamut going up and down of casual follower to heavily involved follower. 

Since moving to Saskatoon in the summer of 2014, I covered the women’s game especially in Saskatchewan fairly heavily until the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic gripped the world causing shutdowns and stoppages in the world in North America starting on March 11, 2020.

When all sports in North America started to proceed more regularly in August of 2021, life took me away from covering women’s hockey like I did before the pandemic shutdowns happened. I’ve covered the sport only casually since that time.

Still, I am happy for everyone involved with the PWHL. I wanted to highlight a handful of those involved with the circuit, and the names might not be ones you would be expecting. For those that have followed my work, some of these names will come as no surprise.

Emily Clark meets a group of youngster in November 2018.

First, I was happy for New York head coach Howie Draper. When New York blanked Toronto 4-0 on New Year’s Day, Draper became the first person to collect a head coaching win in the history of the PWHL.

The 56-year-old put a tonne of time into the women’s game being hired as the inaugural head coach of the University of Alberta Pandas Women’s Hockey Team on September 1, 1997, and he was the only head coach the team had known until joining New York’s PWHL club on September 15, 2023.

Draper guided the Pandas to eight U Sports championships and 14 Canada West Championships. No program has won more U Sports or Canada West titles in women’s hockey than the Pandas.

He piled up 667 career wins as Pandas head coach and got to serve in various roles with Hockey Canada’s women’s program.

U Sports women’s hockey is often overshadowed by women’s hockey in the NCAA Division I ranks. In my opinion across each of those circuits as a whole, the coaches on the U Sports teams are as good or a step better than the coaches on the NCAA Division I squads.

Draper getting the first PWHL head coaching win feels like it validates that opinion.

Sophie Shirley in action for the Stars in 2014-15.

I’m happy for Toronto forward Kaitlin Willoughby. Willoughby is one of the all-time greats for the Prince Albert Northern Bears under-18 AAA team and the U of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Hockey Team. She played for Canada twice at the FISU Winter Universiade.

As rookie pro who turned 24-years-old in the 2018-19 campaign, Willoughby helped the Calgary Inferno win the Clarkson Cup as champions of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.  

While Willoughby received rookie minutes, it was said that she did really well that season and needed to be elevated up the roster to play more minutes.

The CWHL folded after the 2018-19 campaign, and the PWHPA was formed in the aftermath. Willoughby hung in with the PWHPA for the next four seasons, and it would have been easy at any point during that time for her to focus on her nursing career and play the game at the recreational level.

She kept at it and is playing in the PWHL’s inaugural season at age 28.

I’m happy for Toronto forward Emily Clark. Clark grew up in Saskatoon as a hockey star, and she is an alumna of the Saskatoon Stars under-18 AAA team.

Jaime Bourbonnais in action in November 2018.

She is a well-known veteran on Canada’s Senior National Women’s Team. She is idolized by many young female players in Saskatoon and Saskatchewan and dare I say across Canada. Clark holds her hockey roots in her heart and enjoys when she can give back to the game in her hometown.

I’m happy for Boston forward Sophie Shirley. She was one of the greatest hockey discoveries I ever made when I saw her piling up points as the 15-year-old sophomore star with her hometown Stars.

Shirley has put up points everywhere she has gone in hockey and owns three NCAA Division I championship rings playing for the U of Wisconsin Badgers Women’s Hockey Team. 

She is still 24-years-old, and I can still see her reaching new heights in the game with this avenue.

I’m happy for New York offensive-defender Jaime Bourbonnais. I first met her at the 4 Nations Cup when it was held in Saskatoon in November of 2018. 

She was 20-years-old at that time and then one of the youngest players on Canada’s Senior National Women’s team.

Bourbonnais’s positivity was infectious, and the mood of any room she stepped into got a whole lot better. When it comes to hockey, I have a soft spot for offensive-defenders, and Bourbonnais plays that role so well it is easy to drift into just being a fan.

I’m happy for New York offensive-defender Brooke Hobson. As captain of her hometown Bears squad that won the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League title and advanced to the Esso Cup national championship tournament in 2016-17, Hobson was both confident and kick ass.

Brooke Hobson for the Bears in action in 2017.

When the Bears swept the Hartney, Man., based Westman Wildcats 2-0 in a best-of-three female under-18 AAA Western regional playdown series at the Art Hauser Centre, the spotlight fit Hobson just fine. 

With the Bears trailing Game 2 of that series 6-3 in the third period, Hobson potted a pair of goals that started a 7-6 comeback win.

She has a rocket shot from the point that seemed gifted to her by a Higher Power. Hobson worked hard to get all the good things that have come her way in hockey.

I’m happy for TSN broadcaster Claire Hanna. Hanna has always been a strong advocate for women’s sports.

She also has street cred having been a star libero with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds Women’s Volleyball Team winning three U Sports titles. 

Hanna was once a player in Canada’s national team program for volleyball.

Covering a circuit like the PWHL has been one of Hanna’s dreams. If she had Taylor Swift’s bank account, Hanna would be one of the owners of the circuit.

I’m happy for play-by-play broadcaster Daniella Ponticelli. The former play-by-play voice of the Huskies Women’s Hockey Team, Ponticelli was on the call for the PWHL’s first two games.

Ponticelli is best known for calling both hockey and football at a high level as a play-by-play voice, and it feels she was born for the moment to call PWHL games.

Howie Draper works the Pandas bench as head coach in Jan. 2023.

Again, everything about PWHL’s first six days was sensational. Here is a cheers to the continued success of the newest women’s professional hockey league.

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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Athletes should try to expand their identity

Ultimately competitive sports comes to an end for all

Tim Vanstone salutes Prince Albert Raiders fans after his last game.

Competitive sports will come to an end for all athletes.

Whether that end comes today, tomorrow or more than 20 years from now, all athletes eventually leave competitive sports. The end can come via injury, a health matter that pops up, a decision by a coach or manager or you ultimately get brought down physically by Father Time.

Father Time is undefeated, even though NFL greatest of all-time quarterback Tom Brady is trying to do his best to change that record.

When the end comes, the biggest hurdle athletes deal with is loss of identity. For athletes that compete at the highest level their sport has to offer, they have usually been life consumed by their sport to the point that they don’t have any other way to identify themselves besides being an athlete.

With sport specialization taking place at younger ages in Canada, that only adds to streamlining a person into seeing themselves as an athlete. Outside of school, the only people school aged athletes deal with are usually other athletes and coaches.

It gets to the point that the idea of going to a function like a school dance is laughable.

You are a hockey player, a football player, a baseball player, a softball player, a gymnast, a lacrosse player, a swimmer, a hurdler in track and field or a competitor in whatever sport discipline you pursue.

The Saskatoon Blades enjoy a win in December of 2020.

Back on June 8, 2015, Claire Hanna likely wrote the gold standard piece regarding athlete transition and identity on her personal blog, where she went through what it was like to be cut from Canada’s senior national women’s volleyball team. If you want to check that piece out, you can do so by clicking right here. It is well worth your time to read Hanna’s piece.

Now in 2021, it is crazy to think there are people out there that don’t even think of Hanna as a star volleyball player or know of her ties to the sport. They see her as a sports media personality for CTV Regina.

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has clamped down the world since March of 2020, athletes have had to deal with the loss of identity issue in one form or another earlier than they had to.

In Canada, most athletes that are under the age of 18 have seen their lives in sports ground to a halt. The lucky ones have been able to train on a regular basis.

The extremely lucky ones have participated in a handful of competitions.

The unlucky ones have had to keep motivated training at home as they aren’t able to get into any sports facilities due to restrictions brought in via public health orders.

Athletes have had to deal with how these changes have impacted their mental health. It would not be an exaggeration to say some have taken the halt of sports a lot harder than others.

U of Saskatchewan Huskies football players enjoy a TD in 2019.

For a lot of athletes, it seems like they have lost the purpose for their very existence.

What seems to be forgotten is the root problem is that sports have become the thing that defines these athletes as a person. Sports become who you are versus what you do.

To think this can happen to a person under the age of 18 or like someone who is 11 or 12-years-old is crazy. They are only just starting out on the grand marathon of life.

For the athletes that have hit the point where sports defines them as a person, they got conditioned to think that way, because there is such an emphasis in sports specialization to pursue a chosen sport at all costs with tunnel focus.

This is often instilled in athletes even as young as age 11 or 12.

For these athletes, it is lost that they are also a son, a daughter, a grandson, a granddaughter or a student at the school they attend. These identifiers are not as sexy as being an athlete, but those identifications are there.

To be fair, even those in the adult working world can fall into that trap. If anyone is doing anything that consumes them, they can fall into that trap.

For athletes, the best way to manage the funk where sport becomes the thing that defines who you are is to find another interest. If an athlete is out of action due to restrictions that were put in place to combat COVID-19, now might be the opportune time to find another interest.

The Saskatoon Stars enjoy a win in 2020.

Finding another interest doesn’t have to mean finding a career, but you can do things like taking first aid training to maybe lean towards maybe working as a paramedic one day.

Interests could mean being a fan of a musical artist or band. You might even take up playing an instrument like a guitar or drums or you might become a singer.

You might get into things like following science fiction and get to know all the ins and outs of a franchise like Star Wars. You might take an interest in comic book heroes put out by D.C. or Marvel.

You might even get into following the sports entertainment spectacle of professional wrestling in the WWE or AEW. After I started following WWE and AEW a little more closely back in January, I found out talent like Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, Britt Baker, Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre have interacted with youngsters that are training to be just like them.

It should be noted this training does not include trying moves you see in WWE and AEW programming outside of a supervised training environment.

Besides those suggestions, you could also take up a hobby of making your own clothes or perfecting your cooking skills in the kitchen.

Come to think of it, high level athletes that come from farm or ranching families might have the advantage of being a bit more rounded, because they have been likely helping out with activities on the family farm or ranching operation at a very young age.

The U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey season end in 2020.

Overall, it will be beneficial for competitive and high level athletes if they can find ways to expand their identity even in a small way.

Even after the COVID-19 pandemic passes, the day will still come when competitive sports come to an end for all athletes.

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, Thunderbirds rivalry is for real

Should that be played up in U Sports women’s hockey?

The Huskies and Thunderbirds scrum at the end of their 2018 playoff series.

    Should a women’s hockey rivalry be played up in U Sports?
    I have been struggling with that question since a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series was cemented between the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.

    Game 1 of the series is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place. Game 2 is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merlis, and if necessary, Game 3 is slated for 7 p.m. at Merlis.

    The Huskies finished third in Canada West with a 17-7-2-2 record, while the Thunderbirds were sixth with a 10-13-4-1 mark.

    This will mark the fourth time the two sides have faced each other in the post-season since 2014 and the third time since 2017. Due to the recent playoff encounters, a lot of ill will has built up between the two sides causing the squads to become archrivals.

    When these teams last met in the post-season, the lasting image was of then Huskies captain Kaitlin Willoughby trying to get after Thunderbirds centre Mathea Fischer after a Thunderbirds player hit Huskies star netminder Jessica Vance at the third period buzzer.

The officials break up the Huskies and Thunderbirds in 2018 playoffs.

    A huge scrum developed in front of the Huskies goal, and tensions were high enough that a brawl could have resulted.

    That was how a 2-1 Huskies victory concluded of Game 2 of a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series, which U of S swept 2-0.

    The post-game handshakes from that Game 2 weren’t actual handshakes but a series of “low fives” like you would see at a minor sports event played at the eight-year-old age level.

    Huskies head coach Steve Kook received a one game suspension, when it was deemed his players broke an archaic league rule by coming up the bench at the end the game before the referee’s command.

    Both teams return a lot of players from that 2018 series to this year’s tilt including Vance and Fischer. Since that series, it is safe to say there has been bitterness in the encounters between these two teams.

    Even with that back story, I have wondered if it worth playing up the rivalry angle leading up to this series. 

Huskies D Morgan Willoughby and T-birds D Celine Tardif talk dinner plans.

    While the rivalry is a great one, it isn’t the Prince Albert Raiders taking on the Saskatoon Blades in the Western Hockey League. On that circuit, the fact the fans get passionately into that rivalry makes in that much better.

    The Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert is usually packed for those games, and it is fair to expect 5,000 to 6,000 spectators to appear at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon when those teams meet.

    Fans will bring signs to the rink to show their dislike for the rival and beaks will go off on various social media lines.

    Comparatively, games in U Sports women’s hockey are mostly family and friends games when it comes to attendance and receive extremely little play in the mainstream media. If attendance exceeds 200 for a U Sports women’s hockey game, it is deemed a success.

    One of the few exceptions to that reality was the last Crowchild Classic in Calgary, Alta., that featured the women’s game between the U of Calgary Dinos and the Mount Royals University Cougars in the primetime spot. 

Huskies D Isabella Pozzi (#8) nails a Thunderbirds player this season.

    That contest on Jan. 30 drew 10,002 spectators to the Scotiabank Saddledome to see the Dinos down the Cougars 4-1. That attendance figure is a U Sports record for women’s hockey.

    The Huskies women’s team has been one of the attendance leaders in Canada West since moving into Merlis for the start of the 2018-19 campaign. In 2018-19, the Huskies averaged 650 spectators through 14 home regular season games to lead all women’s hockey teams in Canada West.

    This season, the Huskies averaged 496 spectators for their 14 home regular season dates to sit second behind the Dinos, whose figure was propped up being pegged as the home team for the Crowchild Classic.

    Also, it seems like to me U Sports women’s hockey is patronized, where you should cheer players like an eight-year-old athlete who has learned a skill.

    U Sports women’s hockey teams are elite squads made up of highly skilled athletes, but they don’t get anywhere near the following to make it worthwhile to play up the rivalry angle.

Huskies D Emma Nutter (#21) and T-birds C Mathea Fischer trade words.

    If you do, you come off as a jerk.

    Plus, I don’t believe the appetite is there for U Sports programs to play up a rivalry angle. If you do and things get over the line out of hand, teams ultimately have to answer to university presidents and university board of directors.

    Both traditionally have had no patience for sports teams going overboard with rivalries as university are deemed institutions of higher learning. The academics thumb their noses at athletes who get too worked up over rivalries.

    Outright suspensions from school have to be the biggest worry in that scenario too.

    I always feel the fan codes of conduct are used as a deterrent with regards to cheering at a U Sports event.

    On the Huskies hockey front, the last time a crowd was extremely engaged in a playoff series was the 2016 men’s Canada West final between the Huskies and their “forever rivals” the U of Alberta Golden Bears. The Huskies hockey teams were playing out of the ancient Rutherford Rink back then, and that place was rocking like the Art Hauser Centre during Raiders Western Hockey League playoff games.

    I don’t condone going out and getting offensive with heckles. If a fanbase wants to do the Winnipeg, Man., fan thing and chant someone on their team is better than someone on the opposition, go for it.

Hannah Koroll would be great, if she played for the Huskies.

    As for me, I think I will finish off going down the “jerk” road in the women’s hockey rivalry between the Huskies and Thunderbirds, because I believe rivalry sells tickets.

    Being based in Saskatoon, I can’t wait for the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team to take on the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds women’s diving – er – I mean women’s hockey team. I wonder if the Thunderbirds prefer to work from the three-foot board or the 10-foot board?

    Thunderbirds sophomore defender and Saskatoon Holy Cross High School grad Hannah Koroll is a good player. She would be a great player, if she played for the Huskies women’s hockey team.

    Actually, you could get your dislike in the jealously department on for Koroll, because she is a 13 out of 10 in the looks department, great in school, and if she want to be, she can be the best player on the ice in any game she skates in. She might end up being like Tom Brady one day.

    Anyways, take a screenshot of this post and send it to the Thunderbirds women’s hockey team to see, if you like. I don’t care.

    This post might get me unfriended on all social media lines by celebrity University of British Columbia Thunderbirds women’s volleyball team alumna Claire Hanna. I don’t care.

There won’t be a lot of love between the Huskies and Thunderbirds.

    As Rod Pedersen used to say as the play-by-play voice of the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats when they would take on the Moose Jaw Warriors in major junior hockey’s greatest rivalry, “Let’s get it on, because we don’t get along.”

    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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Rookie Maier steals show for Blades once again

16-year-old netminder makes 34 stops in 3-2 win over Raiders

Blades netminder Nolan Maier makes one of his 34 saves on Sunday.

    Nolan Maier had cautious expectations venturing into his first full season of junior hockey as a 16-year-old rookie.

    Starting 10 straight WHL regular season games for the Saskatoon Blades wasn’t part of those expectations. With Blades veteran 19-year-old goalie Ryan Kubic out day-to-day with a knee injury, Maier made his 10^th straight start playing goal for the club on Sunday at the SaskTel Centre in the team’s annual “Teddy Bear Toss” game.

    The Yorkton, Sask., product turned away 34 shots to help the Blades pull out a 3-2 victory against their archrivals, the Prince Albert Raiders, before 4,023 spectators. Maier, who has made 12 appearances for the Blades, seems to keep raising his level of play with each game of experience he adds.

Blades goalie Nolan Maier turns away pressure from the Raiders.

    “Playing in pre-season, I didn’t feel like I played to my potential, and I wasn’t comfortable there,” said Maier. “Now, I am playing these games, and having my confidence up, I feel really good about my game.

    “I know I can play at this level.”

    Maier came up with big saves for the Blades early and often.

    In the first period, he denied Raiders star overage centre Jordy Stallard on a couple of big chances. First, Maier stoned Stallard in close and then the puck stopper made a smart save on a flip shot from the Raiders forward.

    With the Blades holding a 3-2 edge in the third, Maier had to come up with a big bailout stop. A Saskatoon defenceman gave the puck away in his own zone to Raiders 17-year-old rookie left-winger Nikita Krivokrasov.

Blades goalie Nolan Maier turns away a shots during a net scramble.

    Krivokrasov had a breakaway on the Blades goal, but he was robbed by Maier’s glove hand.

    “He (Maier) has done really well,” said Blades star overage centre Cameron Hebig. “He has been battling hard for us.

    “Coming in as a 16-year-old, he prepares well, and he carries himself well. It is nice to have a goalie like that who cares and wants to win for us and battles hard for us.”

    Sunday’s contest was a back-and-forth one. At the 4:58 mark of the first period, Hebig tucked home the “Teddy Bear Toss” goal popping home a feed that came across the front of the Prince Albert net from linemate Braylon Shmyr.

Cameron Hebig, front row centre, scored the Blades teddy bear goal.

    “I think everyone was excited to get going, especially with the teddy bear toss,” said Maier, whose team improved to 12-16-2-1. “We wanted to do it for our fans.

    “It felt really good coming out of the first period (up) 1-0.”

    The Raiders pulled even at 1-1 at the 3:48 mark of the second, when Stallard roofed a power-play goal top corner on Maier.

    The Blades jumped back in front 2-1 almost three minutes later, when Czech defenceman Libor Hajek sprung right-winger Brad Goethals on a breakaway with a stretch pass.
    Goethals’ first shot was stopped by Raiders netminder Ian Scott, but the Saskatoon forward knocked home the rebound to give the host side the lead.

Overage centre Cameron Hebig jets into the offensive zone for the Blades.

    Prince Albert forced a 2-2 tie heading into the second intermission, when Raiders captain Curtis Miske knocked home a greasy goal by the left side of the Saskatoon net during a net scramble situation.

    The Blades went ahead for good at the 5:04 mark of the third, when 18-year-old left-winger Alec Zawatsky roofed home his third of the season to put the hosts up 3-2.

    Scott turned away 21 shots to take the setback in goal for the Raiders (12-12-5-2).

    The Blades pulled to within four points of the Raiders in the standings for the second wildcard playoff berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

    “It was a really gutsy effort on our half,” said Blades head coach Dean Brockman. “Guys found a way to get it done.

Overage centre Jordy Stallard had the Raiders first goal.

    “It certainly wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win. This is the team we are trying to catch, so that was big for us.”

    Brockman said he has been pleased with how Maier has come on. The netminder started the regular season in the junior A ranks with his hometown Yorkton Terriers and joined the Blades on a full-time basis on Nov. 14 after playing for Team Canada Black at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge held jointly in Dawson Creek and Fort St. John, B.C.

    “He is a super kid,” said Brockman. “I would have never have guessed that he could start 10 in a row and play the way he did today.

    “I can’t say enough about him. He gives us a chance to win, and that is all I can ask.”

    So far this season, Maier, who stands 6-feet and weighs 168 pounds, has appeared in 12 games posting a 4-6-1 record, a 3.78 goals against average, a .894 save percentage and one shutout.

Alec Zawatsky scored the winning goal for the Blades on Sunday.

    Maier said he didn’t really think about the fact he was making his 10^th straight start and just focuses on his next upcoming game.

    “I didn’t think I would be getting much of a shot I’ve got at the very start like I am now,” said Maier. “In saying that, I feel great with the opportunity Dean (Brockman) gave me.

    “It sucks that Ryan (Kubic) is hurt, but I am just trying to make the most of my opportunity now.”

    Brockman said he might not fully realize how amazing Maier’s start has been, when you consider the netminder is still a 16-year-old rookie. The bench boss said you can tell Maier is getting more used to the WHL game.

    “Obviously, he is going to improve and get better,” said Brockman. “I think it is just more comfortability.

    “He just has a composure about himself, and he’s got that will to win, and that is what I love about him.”

    The Blades return to action on Tuesday, when they host the Lethbridge Hurricanes (14-13-2) at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. The Raiders also resume their schedule on Tuesday, when they travel to Swift Current to take on the Broncos (22-7-2).

Hanna delivers kick butt talk before “Girls Rock Game”

Claire Hanna give a girl empowerment talk on Saturday.

    Former Canadian national women’s volleyball team player and Global sports reporter Claire Hanna captivated an audience that filled two lower bowl sections at the SaskTel Centre.

    Hanna deliver a girls empowerment talk before the Saskatoon Blades “Girls Rock Game” on Saturday. Hanna gave her speech before the host Blades fell to the visiting Kamloops Blazers 4-1.

    During her address that was taken in by a number of young girls, Hanna told how the first sport she took up was badminton before switching over to volleyball. She talked about what it was like to overcome the disappointment of being cut by the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds women’s volleyball team.

    Hanna told the story of how she switched positions from middle to libero and returned to the team’s active roster to become part of three straight U Sports national championship victories from 2008 to 2010.

A number of young girls listened in on Claire Hanna’s speech on Saturday.

    She also talked about the power of speaking up and told how she confronted the decision makers at the UBC student newspaper after they buried the story of her volleyball team’s national championship win in 2008. Hanna went into detail of how that encounter ended up with unexpected positive results in helping the student newspaper with sports coverage.

    Besides discussing her university days, Hanna talked about her time playing for Canada and transitioning to her career in media. Hanna did a tremendous job in delivering an uplifting message, and it should have made the little girls in the audience feel good about what they can do in their respective futures.

    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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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Blades fall to Thunderbirds to close U.S. road trip

Seth Bafaro scored for the Blades on Tuesday night.

    The Saskatoon Blades just missed returning from their road trip through the WHL’s U.S. Division with a winning record over that five-game jaunt.

    On Tuesday night at the ShoWare Centre in Kent, Washington, the Blades concluded their five-game road swing with a 4-1 setback against the Seattle Thunderbirds before 4,003 spectators. With the loss, the Blades posted a 2-3 record playing each of the WHL’s five clubs based in the United States.

    Overall, the Blades record fell to 11-15-2-1, while the Thunderbirds, who are rebuilding after winning the WHL championship last season, improved to 13-13-2-1.

    The Thunderbirds got out to a quick start in Tuesday’s encounter as 17-year-old rookie centre Tyler Carpendale scored at the 2:19 mark of the opening frame.

    Just over four minutes later, Blades defenceman Seth Bafaro scored from the point to even the score at 1-1.

    Seattle controlled play in the second outshooting Saskatoon 17-3 in the frame. Due to the stellar play of Blades 16-year-old rookie goalie Nolan Maier, the Thunderbirds only managed to exit the second stanza holding a 2-1 edge.

    Finnish import winger Sami Moilanen potted his 16^th over the season at the 2:57 mark of the second frame, and the officials had to go to a video review to confirm Moilanen did indeed score due to the fact he was on the border of the crease of the Saskatoon goal.

Netminder Nolan Maier stopped 31-of-34 shots for the Blades on Tuesday.

    Just 85 seconds into the third, the Thunderbirds went ahead 3-1 on an unassisted goal by 17-year-old left-winger Dillon Hamaliuk. The Blades pushed back holding a 14-12 in shots on goal in the third, but the Thunderbirds salted away victory with an empty-net goal by Blake Bargar in the game’s final seconds.

    Maier turned away 31-of-34 shots to take the setback in goal for the Blades. Matt Berlin made 26 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Thunderbirds.

    The Blades return to action on Saturday, when they host the Kamloops Blazers at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. That contest is the team’s “Girls Rock Game,” where the Blades are partnering with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Saskatoon.

    The Blades have a special ticket offer for girls groups in the city where 20 tickets can be purchased for $100, and it allows the group to attend a girl empowerment talk featuring Claire Hanna, who is a former member of Canada’s national women’s volleyball team and a sports reporter for Global Saskatoon. Hanna’s talk is slated to run from 5:30 to 6 p.m. pre-game at the SaskTel Centre.

    On Sunday at 2 p.m. at the SaskTel, the Blades host the arch-rivals the Prince Albert Raiders in their annual “Teddy Bear Toss” game. Spectators are invited to throw stuffed animals on to the ice surface after the Blades score their first goal.

Stars’ Leschyshyn commits to Syracuse University

The Stars’ Anna Leschyshyn has committed to Syracuse University.

    Anna Leschyshyn has verbally committed to play for the Syracuse University Orange Women’s hockey team for the start of the 2019-20 National Collegiate Athletic Association campaign.

    Leschyshyn is a star 16-year-old power forward with the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA team. The Saskatoon product sits third in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League scoring race piling up 13 goals and 15 assists helping the Stars jump out to a 13-0 start.

    In 72 career regular season games with the Stars, Leschyshyn, who stands 5-foot-10, has 43 goals and 45 assists. She is the daughter of long time former NHL defenceman and Saskatoon Blades grad Curtis Leschyshyn, who is one of the Stars assistant coaches.

    Anna’s older brother, Jake Leschyshyn, is an 18-year-old centre with the WHL’s Regina Pats. Jake has seven goals and six assists in 24 appearances so far this season with the Pats.

    The Stars resume regular season play on Dec. 16, when they travel to Swift Current to take on the Diamond Energy Wildcats.

Dorsett pens a heartfelt thanks to his supporters

Derek Dorsett, seen here in 2007, penned a heartfelt letter to his supporters.

    Feisty forward Derek Dorsett, who was forced to retire from the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks last week due to a back injury, released a heartfelt thanks to his supporters on Tuesday.

    About a year ago, the Kindersley, Sask., product underwent a cervical-fusion surgery to heal up a damaged disk in his back. About two weeks ago, Dorsett’s doctors in Los Angeles, Calif., discovered another herniated disk near the rebuilt section of his back, and he was advised to not play again. His retirement was officially announced last Thursday.

    Dorsett had gotten out to a great start with the Canucks netting seven goals and two assists in 20 regular season games. After spending his first professional season with the American Hockey League’s Syracuse Crunch in 2007-08, Dorsett started playing in the NHL on a full-time basis with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2008-09.

    He appeared in 515 regular season games with the Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and Canucks netting 51 goals, 76 assists and 1,314 penalty minutes. Over his hockey career, Dorsett, who stands 6-feet and weighs 192 pounds, became one of the game’s best agitators, but he was also viewed as one of the best teammates no matter where his career took him.

    Dorsett played for the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers from 2004 to 2007 and was one of the franchise’s all-time greatest fan favourite players. He recorded 49 goals, 79 assists and 593 penalty minutes in 180 regular season games with the Tabbies.

    His letter to his supporters can be found right here.

    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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