Bears’ Herner aims to top sister she idolizes

Jessie Herner has anchored the Bears defence.

    Jessie Herner never had to look far to find her hockey hero.

    Growing up in Kindersley, Sask., Jessie always wanted to be like her older sister Kori, who is seven years Jessie’s senior. Jessie discovered her passion for the game by going to rink to see Kori play.

    “I followed my older sister Kori,” said Jessie. “I used to watch her, when I was younger.

    “I just wanted to be like her.”

    Jessie was able to make it to the rink to see Kori play for the Saskatoon Stars of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League for two seasons from 2011 to 2013 and for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team for five campaigns from 2013 to 2018.

    These days, Jessie is a sturdy 17-year-old defender for the SFMAAAHL’s Prince Albert Northern Bears. On Saturday at Merlis Belsher Place, she had her team’s winning goal and an assist as the Bears downed the host Stars 4-1 in a regular season clash.

    Kori is now one of the 24-year-old assistant coaches with the Stars.

    Jessie is skating through her fourth full season in the SFMAAAHL spending her rookie campaign in 2016-17 with the Battlefords Sharks before joining the Bears.

    When it comes to playing the game, Jessie has a confident admission when it comes to grading where she is at compared to Kori.

Jessie Herner, left, battles for a puck in the corner.

    “I loved watching her,” said Jessie, who stands 5-foot-4. “I always wanted to be like her, but I know I am a better hockey player than her now.”

    With that said, Jessie saw what could be accomplished in hockey by following Kori’s career. Jessie was in the ancient Rutherford Rink on March 2, 2014, when the Huskies won a series deciding Game 3 of the Canada West championship series 2-1 in double overtime against the University of Regina Cougars.

    That victory came in Kori’s rookie year with the Huskies.

    “It was awesome seeing her win something like that,” said Jessie. “She was my idol out there, so I loved watching her.

    “Now that she is done, I get to play against her now, so that is also pretty cool.”

    During the summers, the two were often together on the softball diamonds in Kindersley and area. Kori often coached the teams Jessie pitched for.

    “We won two provincial titles together, so that was pretty cool,” said Jessie. “For her ball team, I play up with her sometimes.

Jessie Herner had a goal and an assist for the Bears on Saturday.

    “I was the bat girl when she was with Unity, when they won the one year.”

    Coming up through the minor hockey ranks in Kindersley and area, Jessie played hockey in boys leagues until her first year of bantam hockey, when she suited up for the West Central Wheat Kings girls’ team.

    Jessie said she still carries friendships from her time in boys’ hockey into the present day.

    “You are always with your best friends every day, and you start playing with the boys,” said Jessie. “I was with one of my best friends Ty Bahm.

    “He plays for the (Prince Albert Midget AAA) Mintos now. I was always with him, and we just had a good time together.”

    Jessie enjoyed all the friendships she has made in hockey throughout the years. A number of friendships were formed from attending tryout camps for various Saskatchewan provincial teams.

    At age 14, Jessie figured she had to play in Saskatchewan’s female midget AAA league, if she was going to move on to skating in the post-secondary ranks. When the chance came to join the Sharks, Jessie took it.

    “I was pretty nervous to move away,” said Jessie. “I was also excited, because I got to live with Kori that year in Saskatoon.

Jessie Herner has been solid for four SFMAAAHL seasons.

    “I just knew that if I wanted to get somewhere I needed to start moving on and not staying at home. I needed to get somewhere where I could be shown out there.”

    Jessie lived with Kori in Saskatoon and commuted up to Battlefords to play for the Sharks. As a 15-year-old sophomore in 2017-18, she elected to join the Bears, who entered that campaign as the defending SFMAAAHL champions.

    During that first campaign with the Bears, Jessie continued to live with Kori in Saskatoon and commuted up to Prince Albert to join the Bears.

    Jessie lived with a billet family for half of last season in Prince Albert, and is staying with a billet family through to the end of the current campaign.

    During her time in the SFMAAAHL ranks, Jessie believes she has grown as a player.

    “I’ve improved a lot over the last four years I’d say,” said Jessie. “My first year I was a little shaky out there, because I was one of the youngest girls out there.

    “This year, I’ve just brought my confidence right up, and I’m feeling really good.”

Jessie Herner will join the U of Saskatchewan Huskies next season.

    Next season, Jessie will continue to follow in Kori’s footsteps and join the Huskies in the U Sports ranks.

    “I wanted to stay close to home,” said Jessie. “I knew Kori was once here, and she loved it.

“I thought I would follow her and try it out.”

    Before she joins the Huskies, Jessie is looking forward to suiting up for the Bears as the host team for the Esso Cup female midget AAA national hockey championship tournament. It runs in “Hockey Town North” from April 19 to 26 in the new year.

    “It is just bringing us all closer together,” said Jessie. “We’re just building up to be ready for that and show that we’re actually a team that deserves to be there.”

    Against the Stars on Saturday, the Bears jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first period. Emma Tremblay, Paris Oleksyn and Taylor Leitch all had singles along with Jessie.

    Sydney Mercier replied for the Stars in the third.

    Janae Neufeld made 22 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Bears, who improved to 8-6. Kaitlyn Cadrain started in goal for the Stars turning away 6-of-10 shots in the first period.

    Arden Kliewer played the final two frames in relief stopping all 23 shots sent her way. The Stars fell to 5-8-2.

The Bears celebrate their win over the Stars on Saturday.

    The Bears and Stars go at it again on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. at Merlis Belsher 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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Upbeat and personable Herner closes out time with Huskies

Kori Herner celebrates scoring a goal for the Huskies.

    Kori Herner admitted the finality of the fact her U Sports career is nearing an end has become more real to her.

    The fifth-year speedy winger for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team has taken in the 2017-18 campaign in similar fashion to her first four seasons with the team. 

    With the Huskies about to play their first game at the U Sports final eight national championship tournament in London, Ont., the Kindersley, Sask., product said things felt different knowing she has at most three games to play in her university career.

    “It actually just settled in (on Saturday) that these last couple of practices are my last practices ever,” said Herner. “It gives me more motivation to be the best I can be out there and finish my hockey career strong.”

Kori Herner (#10) wins a battle for the puck

    The Huskies, who are seeded seventh, face the second seeded Saint Mary’s University Huskies, who won the Atlantic University Sport conference title, in the first of two quarter-final games on Thursday. The tournament semifinal games are slated for Saturday and the bronze and gold medal games are set for Sunday. The tournament winner will capture the Golden Path Trophy.

    For Herner, it seems like yesterday she was a rookie helping the U of S Huskies win a Canada West title and a bronze medal at the U Sports nationals, which were held in Fredericton, N.B., in March of 2014.

    “We were watching the video of Can West on the bus,” said Herner, who stands 5-foot-5. “It literally seems like it was a couple of days ago that we were in that final.

    “It is just surreal how fast time actually goes like from being a rookie and hearing the fifth-years saying like just take it all in and enjoy every moment, because time does go by fast. It flies by.”

Kori Herner (#10) makes her way to the Rutherford Rink ice surface.

    The 22-year-old is one of four fifth-year players on the Huskies this season including star captain Kaitlin Willoughby, checking centre Kennedy Harris and defensive defender Kira Bannatyne. Herner has always been an uplifting presence in the Huskies dressing room and viewed as one of the squads most approachable players among her teammates.

    With that said, she added it was strange being one of the older players on the team this past season.

    “It is weird, because you always have those girls you look up to that are older than you, and now it like our time,” said Herner, who had five goals and five assists appearing in all of the Huskies 28 regular season games. “We are the ones being looked up to compared to the young girls on the team.”

Kori Herner zips into the offensive zone with the puck.

    The former captain of the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA team was arguably the Huskies best player when it came to interacting with children and young fans. During summer breaks, Herner could usually be found coaching children in summer hockey activities or softball.

    “I’ve always coached kids and worked with kids, and that is what I am planning to do in the future is become a teacher,” said Herner. “I get along with them well and love to make them laugh and have fun with them.”

    Herner said she enjoyed working the Huskies summer hockey camps and goofing around with the kids and making them laugh. Some of those fun sessions included having kids drag on her arms as she skated around the rink.

Kori Herner is hugged by teammate Chloe Smith.

    Coaching has allowed Herner to be move involved in the life of her younger sister Jessie, who is a defender with the Prince Albert Northern Bears female midget AAA team. Kori has been involved coaching Jessie for about the last seven years in hockey and the last five years in softball.

    Jessie, who wears #10 like her older sister, turned 16-years-old in early January and has two more seasons of midget AAA eligibility to use.

    “She (Jessie Herner) wants to follow through and play with Huskies, so I think that is pretty cool,” said Kori. “Seeing her developing and coaching her, it is a lot different seeing her come up.

    “I think she can be a better hockey player than me.”

    Herner said it is an adjustment going from midget AAA to the university level. Playing two seasons for the Stars from 2011 to 2013, Herner appeared in 56 regular season games collecting 23 goals and 38 assists. In 125 regular season games with the Huskies, she netted 18 goals and 14 assists.

Kori Herner sets to make a pass in the offensive zone.

    “I guess I don’t have the puck luck like I used to like I’ve had with a couple of spurts here and there,” said Herner. “Goaltending is better.

    “The hockey girls are better. It is just harder hockey.”

    There have been times with the Huskies that Herner turned back the clock to her Stars days. In her final regular season home game on Feb. 3, she scored two beauty goals in a 3-2 victory over the University of Alberta Pandas. 
    On her second goal of that night, Herner blew down the left wing past a Pandas defender, cut to the front of the U of A goal and tuck home a shot between the legs of netminder Dayna Owen.

    Herner hopes to create some magical moments like that at nationals.

    “I hope I pot a couple of goals to get the team on top,” said Herner. “I just want to play my best, and hopefully, our team ends up winning.”

    She said it will be hard to hang of the skates for good as far as playing competitive hockey is concerned when nationals comes to an end.

    “(I will miss) the team aspect and being around the girls all the time,” said Herner. “I think it will be weird not coming to the rink every day.

    “(I will miss) a little bit of the competition wise with hockey. There is no more competitive hockey for me anymore.”

Kori Herner sets up to fire a shot on goal.

    At nationals, the Huskies will be led by Willoughby, who topped the team in scoring with nine goals and 10 assists in 26 regular season appearances. 
    Over her five seasons, the Prince Albert, Sask., product has cemented her legacy as one of the Huskies most dynamic players ever.

    Bannatyne and third-year defender Emma Nutter topped the Huskies blue-liners in scoring each netting two goals and four assists appearing in all of the squad’s 28 regular season games.

    Canada West player-of-the-year and first team all-Canadian all-star Jessica Vance was sensational in goal posting a 14-3-1 record, a 0.77 goals against average, a .964 save percentage and nine shutouts in 18 regular season appearances.

Kori Herner gets ready to drive a shot on goal.

    The Huskies finished second in the Canada West standings with a 19-7-2 record and were 2-2 in the Canada West playoffs.

    Fifth-year forward Breanna Lanceleve topped Saint Mary’s University in scoring recording 10 goals and 18 assists in 24 regular season games. 
    Fourth-year defender Hannah Askin led all Saint Mary’s University defenders in scoring with three goals and 13 assists in 23 regular season appearances.

    Rebecca Clark is expected to start in goal for Saint Mary’s University, and she posted a 14-3-1 record, a 1.15 goals against average, a .945 save percentage and six shutouts in 19 regular season appearances.

    Saint Mary’s University posted a 20-3-1 record during the regular season and a 4-1 mark in the AUS playoffs.

    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.