Huskies, Willoughby kick aside funks heading into playoffs

Morgan Willoughby had the winning goal for the Huskies.

    Morgan Willoughby was pumped she kicked away a personal funk, while helping the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team beat some recent funks.

    Entering Saturday’s regular season clash against the defending Canada West and U Sports national champion University of Manitoba Bisons at Merlis Belsher Place, the fourth-year defender was still in search of her first goal of the season. The Huskies had also taken their lumps recently losing four out of their last five games heading into Saturday’s contest, which concluded the regular season for both sides.

    With the Huskies taking a 1-0 lead out of the first period, Willoughby got the puck in the offensive zone, skated up the right side wall and fired home a shot through a screen to put the host side up 2-0 at the 9:13 mark of the second period.

    Her goal ultimately held up as the winner as the Huskies skated away with a 2-1 victory before 532 spectators.

Morgan Willoughby guards the defensive zone.

    “I found that I have been getting a lot of offensive chances lately,” said Willoughby, who had a goal and three assists in 24 regular season games with the Huskies this season. “Even yesterday, everyone is like, “Oh, you are going to score Morgan. I know you are.”

    “I just kept it up. I knew it was coming soon, so it was a good time for it to happen.”

    Playing in her 90^th career regular season game with the Huskies, the assistant captain found some veteran poise that resulted in her goal.

    “What I did different that time was I was patient with the puck,” said Willoughby. “I walked around a girl and waited to shoot.

    “I didn’t just fire it without looking, just patience basically.”

    The Huskies got out to a bit of a slow start before hitting another gear with eight minutes remaining in the first period. 

Netminder Jessica Vance stands her ground in the Huskies goal.

    While working on a power play, they broke through on the scoreboard when rookie centre Kennedy Brown banged home a shot from the front of the Bisons goal with 3:36 remaining in the opening frame to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

    After Willoughby gave the Huskies a two-goal edge, Bisons fourth-year centre Jordyn Zacharias netted her 12^th goal of the season with her team working on a power play to cut the U of S lead to 2-1.

    While the Bisons got back into the game, they didn’t really build on any momentum from Zacharias’s goal. 

Emily Upgang moves the puck out of trouble in the defensive zone.

    U of M held a 9-5 edge in shots on goal in the third period, but the Huskies locked things down defensively, especially in the final 10 minutes of the third.

    The Bisons best chance to score came off a fire drill scramble in front of the U of S net with about a minute remaining in the frame, but the Huskies were able to clear the puck away.

    Willoughby was pleased with how her team played defensively.

    “I know just lately we have been struggling a bit on our D side of things,” said Willoughby. “It is always important (to remember) that D-zone is first.

    “You can be offensive unless we get out of our zone clean. Yeah, it is important.”

Erin Fargey stopped 27 shots in goal for the Bisons.

    Jessica Vance turned away 18 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies, who finished fourth in Canada West with a 16-10-1-1 record.

    Rookie Erin Fargey made her third start of the year in goal for the Bisons and turned away 27 shots in the setback. The Bisons, who are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, finished second in Canada West with a 20-5-2-1 record.

    “I think honestly, when we play with pace, we play our best,” said Willoughby. “We know that we are a quick team, and that is when things start working out well for us.”

    Willoughby liked how her team looked in both of their games this weekend. On Friday, they dropped a 2-1 decision to the Bisons at Merlis Belsher Place while holding a 32-15 edge in shots on goal.

    A stellar performance by Bisons star netminder Lauren Taraschuk prevented the Huskies from posting a victory that night.

Huskies C Chloe Smith checks Bisons D Erica Rieder.

    Having fallen to the Mount Royal University Cougars 6-1 in Calgary on Feb. 2 in their last game before playing the Bisons the past two nights, Willoughby said her team believed they would turn things around.

    “I think that we all had a positive mentality coming into this weekend,” said Willoughby. “We kind of had a downfall against Mount Royal last weekend, but we knew what we all expected out of each other.

    “I think we definitely performed, so it was awesome. I think we’re on a pretty good high right now going into playoffs. I think it is really important that we move from this weekend with the momentum that we have.

    “I think we will have a solid start to our playoff series.”

The Huskies celebrate their win on Saturday.

    The Huskies will host Mount Royal in a best-of-three Canada West quarterfinal series to start the post-season. Game 1 is set for this coming Friday at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    The Cougars finished fifth in Canada West with a 12-14-2 record and have won their last three straight games. The Huskies and Cougars split their four head-to-head games in the regular season.

    Willoughby said it was big for her team to start the post-season at home. The Huskies have a 10-3-1 record at Merlis Belsher Place this season.

    “Obviously, any home ice in playoffs is huge,” said Willoughby. “It is too bad that we aren’t guaranteed more than one round.

    “I think it will be a good push for us to start off playoffs in our home rink. We always play well here. It will be good.”

Huskies men’s team runs the table for first

Parker Thomas scored in his final U Sports game in Winnipeg.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team successfully ran the table to lock down first place in the Canada West Conference.

    On Saturday in Winnipeg, the Huskies blanked the host U of Manitoba Bisons 3-0 at the Wayne Fleming Arena in a clash that closed the regular season for both sides. The victory was the 10^th in a row for the Huskies, who improved to 25-3 to lock up the top spot in Canada West for the third time in four years.

    The Dogs will have home ice advantage throughout the Canada West playoffs.

    In the process of finishing first, the Huskies, who are rated third in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, set new team for wins in one regular season at 25 and standings points at 50.

    The Huskies old record for most wins in a regular season of 22 was posted on three occasions. The former mark of 22 victories was first established in the 1987-88 season, when the Huskies posted a record of 22 wins, five losses and one tie.

    The Dogs reached 22 wins again in the 1999-2000 regular season posting a record of 22 wins, three losses and three ties. The record was last equaled in the 2015-16 campaign when the Huskies posted a 22-6 record. That season marks the last time the Huskies won the Canada West title.

Carson Stadnyk scored for the Huskies on Saturday.

    The old record for most points in the standings stood at 47, and it was set in the 1999-2000 campaign.

    The Huskies needed to finish on a hot run to secure first place over the defending Canada West and U Sports national champion U of Alberta Golden Bears.

    The Golden Bears, who are rated first in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, finished the regular season winning 13 straight games and had recorded points in their last 21 regular season games. They finished second in Canada West just one point behind the Huskies with a 24-3-1 record.

    In Saturday’s clash between the Huskies and Bisons, rookie forward Donovan Neuls scored in the first period to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead. Third-year forward Carson Stadnyk netted a goal in the second period to give the visitors a 2-0 edge.

    The Huskies rounded out the scoring in the third period with a tally coming off the stick of fifth-year forward Parker Thomas. Thomas, who is from Winnipeg, was playing in his final career U Sports game in his hometown.

    Rookie Travis Child made 18 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies and his first career regular season U Sports shutout. Fifth-year netminder Byron Spriggs turned away 31 shots to take the setback in goal for the Bisons in his final career U Sports game.

    The Bisons finished seventh in Canada West with a 6-20-2 record and did not make the post-season.

Donovan Neuls scored for the Huskies on Saturday.

    While the Huskies set a new standard for their best regular season record ever, starting goaltender Taran Kozun set a new record for most individual goaltending wins in one regular season at 20, when the Huskies slipped past the Bisons 3-2 on Friday in Winnipeg.

    The sophomore for Nipawin, Sask., posted a 20-3 record, 1.81 goals against average, a .926 save percentage and five shutouts this season.

    The old record of 19 wins was posted by Jordon Cooke on two occasions in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 regular seasons.

    Due to finishing first, the Huskies have a bye into the semifinal round of the Canada West playoffs. They will host a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series starting with Game 1 on Feb. 22 at 7 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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Bisons’ Taraschuk keeps cementing status as one of U Sports’ best goalies

Lauren Taraschuk (#35) makes one of her 31 saves for the Bisons on Friday.

    When Lauren Taraschuk has her surreal calm going on, it spells trouble for the opposition.

    The 19-year-old star netminder was on top of her game on Friday night at Merlis Belsher Place. She made 31 saves to back the University of Manitoba Bisons to a 2-1 victory over the host University of Saskatchewan Huskies in a U Sports women’s hockey regular season contest before 536 spectators.

    Taraschuk used her 6-foot frame to perfection to take away a lot of the Bisons net, moved fluidly in goal with little to no wasted movement and her left glove catching hand was golden.

    “I felt just on,” said Taraschuk. “I felt really on my game tonight, even though my legs are absolutely gassed.

Lauren Taraschuk backstopped the Bisons to a national title.

    “I’ve tried to put that aside, and I just stay focused on each shot and just made the saves as they came.”

    She needed to be on.

    The Huskies pinned the Bisons for extended periods of time in their own zone ultimately holding a 32-15 edge in shots on goal.

    The visitors were able to score first as skilled centre Jordyn Zacharias netted her 11^th goal of the season at the 11:55 mark of the first period to give U of M the edge.

    With 25.5 seconds to play in the opening frame, Huskies left-winger Emily Upgang tipped home a mid-range shot from U of S captain Brooklyn Haubrich to tie things up at 1-1.

    Having departed from Winnipeg, Man., early Friday morning for that night’s game, Taraschuk admitted the bus legs had an effect on the Bisons side in the clash with the Huskies.

    “I can say that wasn’t our best for sure,” said Taraschuk, whose squad improved to 21-4-2-1 to remain second in the Canada West Conference. “It is tough coming off the bus after a long ride, but that is still no excuse.

Lauren Taraschuk makes a glove save on a high shot.

    “We weren’t really moving our feet. We can definitely can be better.”

    Still, the sophomore goalie believed if she kept making saves her teammates would make one play to take the lead.

    That play came 34 seconds into the third period, when Bisons fifth-year defender Alexandra Anderson roofed home a screen shot from the left slot past Huskies star netminder Jessica Vance into the U of S goal. That tally gave the Bisons their 2-1 lead.

    Taraschuk ensured Anderson’s goal stood up as the winner making 11 saves in the third period alone to close out the victory for the defending Canada West and U Sports national champs, who are currently rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings.

Lauren Taraschuk holds her ground in her crease.

    Vance made 13 saves to take the setback in goal for the Huskies, who fell to 15-10-1-1 and will finish fourth in Canada West.

    “It definitely helps with the team that I have in front of me,” said Taraschuk. “It definitely did last year just get my confidence up as a rookie.

    “Carrying through this year, I am very confident with the team that I have in front of me. If I can focus on my game, I know they are going to do their job up front. If I can do my part, then we’ll get the win.”

    Of course, last season was a whirlwind campaign for Taraschuk. The graduate from Winnipeg’s J.H. Bruns Collegiate was just looking for playing time as a rookie with the Bisons having fifth-year veteran Rachel Dyck on their roster.

Lauren Taraschuk played big in the Bisons goal on Friday.

    Taraschuk would have a spectacular first season posting a 10-2 record, a 0.71 goals against average, a .961 save percentage and five shutouts in regular season play. She was named the Canada West rookie of the year and to the U Sports all-rookie team.

    She go on a legendary run in the playoffs. After the Bisons fell in the first game of a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series at home to the University of Alberta Pandas, Taraschuk was inserted as the starter for Game 2.

    She would never leave the crease of the U of M goal again recording seven straight post-season victories to back the Bisons to their first national title. Over those seven games, Taraschuk turned away 153 of the 157 shots she faced and stoned another two shooters in a tiebreaking shootout in a national semifinal victory over the Concordia University Stingers.

Emily Upgang had the Huskies lone goal on Friday.

    “As soon as I started to get rolling in the second half there and through playoffs, it was a blast,” said Taraschuk. “Coming in as a rookie, you don’t see that a lot, but it was pretty cool.”

    The grad of the Winnipeg Avros female midget AAA team credits her Bisons goalie coach, Gavin McHale, for helping her develop her calm in goal. McHale, who played in the WHL from 2004 to 2006 with the Seattle Thunderbirds and Lethbridge Hurricanes, is also one of the emergency backup goalies that can be used in NHL games in Winnipeg.

    “I’ve definitely learned a lot from him,” said Taraschuk. “I think I’ve also brought a lot of it from just being me and how I am as a goalie.

    “I tend to be very calm, and it throws some people off because some people say it is not normal. I think it just really works for me being calm and confident in the net. It just helped me playing my game.”

Alexandra Anderson, left, scored the winning goal for the Bisons.

    Taraschuk has had a solid sophomore campaign posting a 17-4-3 record, a 1.54 goals against average, a .934 save percentage and one shutout. Going into this season, she said her mindset was the same as last season but there were, of course, some differences.

    “Coming in this year, I kind of knew I was number one, and I had a role to play on this team,” said Taraschuk. “It has been different, because of the amount of ice time that I’ve had. I think I have been managing it well and just taking care of my body each and every day.

    “It has been great. It has been a huge turnaround from last year, but I just kept rolling right from last year to now.”

Abby Shirley and the Huskies couldn’t net a third period equalizer.

    The Bisons and Huskies will go at it again on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place to close their respective regular season schedules.

    When her time with the Bisons comes to an end, Taraschuk said she would love to have the chance to be one of the few goalies that continues playing high level hockey beyond the post-secondary level.

    For now, she wants to keep playing well for the Bisons. With the post-season just around the corner, she said the experience of winning the conference title and nationals last year provides big motivation to do it again this year.

    “The feeling that we experienced last year was something that everyone wants to experience, and not a lot of people get that chance,” said Taraschuk. “Definitely, that is in the back of our minds right now.

Lauren Taraschuk, left, and Lauren Warkentin fist bump for the Bisons win.

    “We definitely focus on one game at a time. I think once playoffs come that is definitely going to be a goal of ours. Not saying it is not a goal right now, but I think it will be more in the back of our heads as soon as playoffs come.”

    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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Here’s hoping hype of U Sports national champion Bisons doesn’t fade away

Jordyn Zacharias celebrates a goal in the Canada West finals.

    They were played up as the feel good story last February and March in Winnipeg.

    During that time, the University of Manitoba Bisons women’s hockey team went on a historic run. They accomplished a lot of firsts.

    The Herd topped the Canada West standings for the first time in team history with a 22-5-1 mark, hosted the best-of-three Canada West Championship Series for the first time in team history sweeping away the U of Saskatchewan Huskies 2-0 and captured the U Sports national title for the first time in team history. 

    In the elite-eight style national championship tournament held in London, Ont., last March, the Bisons blanked the host University of Western Ontario Mustangs 2-0 in the tournament’s final game.

    Over that period of time, the Bisons were given a big push from the media outlets in the Manitoba capital. It seemed like their players were appearing everywhere.

Venla Hovi came from Finland to star for the Bisons.

    The NHL’s Winnipeg Jets were a backer before the Bisons national title win. They showed the Bisons score on the MTS Place scoreboard when the Herd won Game 1 of the Canada West Championship Series 1-0 in overtime over the Huskies.

    After winning the national title, congratulations poured in for the Bisons from various sports teams and groups in Winnipeg. The team was honoured before a Jets game in late March.

    The Bisons visited City Hall and were given Outstanding Achievement Award Medals from the City of Winnipeg.

    They were on the cover of various local publications.

    They were the toast of the town.

    Bisons head coach Jon Rempel, who was named the U Sports coach of the year for the first time in his career, guided a crew on the ice that you had to like. They were approachable and sociable. On an obvious front, they played the game extremely well.

Caitlin Fyten led the Bisons to a national title as captain.

    They had a star winger from Finland in Venla Hovi, and it seems Finnish players always do well in Winnipeg considering the time Teemu Selanne spent with the original NHL Jets and Patrik Laine is enjoying with the current NHL Jets.

    Hovi was complimented with a strong group of forwards in Alanna Sharman, Jordyn Zacharias, Lauryn Keen, Alana Serhan, Sheridan Oswald and Courtlyn Oswald. The defence was anchored by captain Caitlin Fyten and Regina, Sask., product Erica Rieder, who was a second team all-Canadian all-star.

    In goal, rookie Lauren Taraschuk rose to prominence winning Canada West rookie of the year honours and being named to the U Sports all-rookie team.

    Still when a women’s team has success like the Bisons did, it seems their accomplishments disappears too quickly from the minds of the general public.

Lauren Taraschuk rose to star status as a rookie playing goal for the Bisons.

    In 2016, the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity released a study regarding the connection between women and sport in Canada. A couple of the facts revolved around media coverage.

    An analysis was done on Canada’s primary national sports networks in English and French in 2014. The study said only four per cent of the coverage on those networks was dedicated to women’s sports and over half of that number was dedicated to coverage of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

    A study was done on the Saturday sports section front pages in two of Canada’s highest circulated national newspapers from June 2008 to May 2010 and June 2013 to May 2015. Over those time frames, 5.1 per cent of the coverage was dedicated to women’s sports.

Erica Rieder was a second team all-Canadian on defence.

    Of course, that study only considered a small sampling size of the print industry.

    It can be argued since that time the coverage of women’s sports in Canada has decreased thanks to massive cuts in the mainstream media, which has often targeted sports departments. Sports coverage seems to get more and more focused on just the NHL, which causes everything else in the sports scene to be out of luck.

    The Bisons national championship victory over the Mustangs wasn’t even broadcast on television.

    Despite those numbers, it would be sweet to see the Bisons women’s hockey team buck that trend and have some staying power. They rocked at the sport Canada as a country loves the most.

    They created excitement for the U of Manitoba campus that hasn’t been seen for some time.
    During the Canada West Championship Series, the Wayne Fleming Arena on the U of Manitoba campus was a smaller version of the Jets home rink atmosphere wise.

Bisons fans created a crazy atmosphere at the Wayne Fleming Arena.

    Overall, Bisons teams have combined to win 44 U Sports national titles, but only five of those have come since the start of the 2003-04 campaign. The national title win by the Bisons women’s hockey team was a first for the school since the 2013-14 campaign, when the Bisons women’s volleyball team won a U Sports national crown.

    The Bisons women’s hockey team will undergo some transition going into next season. In July, assistant coach Sean Fisher was elevated to interim head coach as Rempel received a six-month reassignment of duties to allow for professional development. Rempel had been the head coach of the Bisons women’s hockey team for the past 14 seasons.

Alanna Sharman (#24) is one of the Bisons star forwards.

    The Herd lost Fyten, Serhan, Charity Price, Karissa Kirkup and goalie Rachel Dyck to fifth-year graduation. Hovi, who arguably had the best Twitter account in U Sports, still had a year of eligibility remaining, but she has returned home to Finland, where she has been a member of that country’s senior national women’s team for a number of years.

    Despite those changes, the Bisons women’s hockey team possesses a kick butt street cred in Winnipeg. If any of the players from the Bisons women’s hockey team are seen around town wearing their team gear, they are automatically deemed as cool.

    Winnipeg has some independent media outlets, so here is hoping the ongoing story of the Bisons women’s hockey team doesn’t fade away.

📷 This is how it feels to win a @USPORTSca championship. pic.twitter.com/nBCWsx4jjA

— U of Manitoba Bisons (@umbisons) March 18, 2018

    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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Conference championship not meant to be for Huskies

Bisons sweep Canada West title series with Game 2 win

 

Canada West finals loss sinks in for Kaitlin Willoughby, right, and the Huskies.

  WINNIPEG, Man. - For a moment, it looked like Kaitlin Willoughby was going to do it again.

    Just when all hope seemed lost for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team, the star fifth-year captain hit high gear.

    On Saturday night before a raucous crowd of 860 spectators at the Wayne Fleming Arena, the host University of Manitoba Bisons surged out a 3-0 lead in the second period in Game 2 of a best-of-three Canada West conference championship series with the Huskies. The Huskies needed to win to force a deciding Game 3 on Sunday.

    With 4:45 to play in the second, Willoughby drove into the Bisons zone on an individual rush and scored to cut the host side’s lead to 3-1.

Captain Kaitlin Willoughby scored twice for the Huskies.

    Just 78 seconds into the third, Willoughby drove home a shot from the half-wall on right side boards to further trim the Bisons lead to 3-2. It appeared the Prince Albert, Sask., product was going lift her team to victory with another stellar playoff performance.

    Inside of the final five minutes of the third, the hosts halted the comeback attempt by the visitors.

    With 4:56 to play in the frame, Bisons third-year centre Jordyn Zacharias cut across the front of the U of S net and tucked a key insurance goal to give U of M a 4-2 lead. Fourth-year centre Courtlyn Oswald scored into an empty net with 72 seconds to play in the third to round out a 5-2 victory for the Bisons.

    The win allowed the Bisons sweep the Canada West championship series 2-0 and give U of M its third conference title in women’s hockey and first since the 2010-11 campaign.

Jordyn Zacharias celebrates her third period goal for the Bisons.

    “I said to the girls if we’re still down by two goals and there is four minutes left, we are not giving up,” said Willoughby. “I said we’re not quitters, and we are going to play hard the whole game no matter what.

    “I’m really proud of our team, because I know that is what we did.”

    Both teams had already locked up berths to the U Sports nationals to be held March 15 to 18 in London, Ont., by the University of Western Ontario Mustangs by making it to the Canada West championship series. With that in mind, the Bisons and Huskies preferred to head to nationals as conference champions.

    The Huskies were looking to win the school’s second Canada West women’s hockey title in team history.

    After the loss to the Bisons on Saturday, a real sombre atmosphere hung over the Huskies dressing room area.

    Willoughby scored the Canada West championship winning goal for the Huskies as a rookie in their 2-1 double overtime victory over the University of Regina Cougars in a series deciding Game 3 in March of 2014. 

Natasha Kostenko, left, scored in the Bisons second-period surge.

    She dealt with a mix of emotions following Saturday’s loss to the Bisons.

    “Just being in my fifth year, it makes it hard, because I know I am not going to be here in this position again,” said Willoughby. “I wanted to finish it off strong with a Canada West championship.

    “At the same time, this is the beauty of it. We know we can go to nationals here, and we know we have a second shot. I think this is honestly going to fuel us, because we know how much it hurts and we don’t want to feel this way again at nationals.”

    In Saturday’s game, the two sides played through a tight checking opening frame. Despite zipping up and down the ice, the scoring chances by either side were limited.

Lauren Taraschuk, left, turns away a shot playing goal for the Bisons.

    The Bisons, who are rated first in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, surged out to a 3-0 lead in the second period. Fifth-year left-winger Charity Price tucked home a goal at the right side of the Huskies net to give the host side a 1-0 lead.

    Fifth-year left-winger Alanna Sharman followed that tally up with a breakaway goal, and fourth-year right-winger Natasha Kostenko completed the Bisons goal gusher scoring with 7:23 remaining in the second.

    When Willoughby scored her first goal of the game, her tally ended a playoff shutout streak for Bisons netminder Lauren Taraschuk that lasted 259 minutes and 30 seconds. Taraschuk, who was the rookie-of-the-year for the Canada West Conference, made 18 stops to back the Bisons to victory.

Kaitlin Willoughby passes the puck up ice on a rush for the Huskies.

    “It was just really focusing on doing my part,” said Taraschuk, whose Bisons topped the Canada West regular season standings with a 22-5-1 record. “We worked so hard for this all year, and I’m just doing what I can to help my team out.”

    After the Huskies closed to within 3-2, Taraschuk was pumped her team stayed composed to score twice more to seal victory. The 18-year-old puck stopper was elated to experience the thrill of winning a Canada West title so early in her U Sports career.

    “There are absolutely no words to describe this feeling,” said Taraschuk. “We laid it all out there.”

    “It is an absolute family. We love each other.

Netminder Jessica Vance clears the puck away from the Huskies net.

    “We stuck together through thick and thin all season. We’re really proud of each and every one of us.”

    Jessica Vance, who was Canada West’s player-of-the-year, turned away 22-of-26 shots fired her way to take the setback in goal for the Huskies.

    Huskies head coach Steve Kook liked how his side battled in the setback.

    “It is not the end result that hurts,” said Kook, whose team is rated eighth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings. “You compete in a game like that, and you just keep pushing.

    “The game got decided way at the end of the game here. You are pushing and pushing.

    “All of sudden, it is taken away from you at the end of the game. They are just processing that right now.”

The Bisons celebrate their Canada West title win.

    Kook said making it to the conference finals was still a big accomplishment noting that this was only the third time the Huskies women’s hockey program has advanced this far in the post-season. The veteran bench boss said time will come when the players will reflect fondly on what happened.

    “I know they are not going to appreciate it right now,” said Kook, whose Huskies finished second in the Canada West regular season standings with a 19-7-2 mark. “The program really appreciates the work that they did.

    “Our alumni are going to be proud of the things they did. I think it is going to take tonight, maybe tomorrow, maybe Tuesday to process, “Hey, this is pretty good. We’re top two in a very tough conference.”

The disappointed Huskies will now regroup for nationals.

    “At some point, it is going to get there. Maybe not tonight. That was the message.”

    While the Huskies weren’t able to bring the Canada West championship trophy - the Catherwood Cup - back to Saskatoon, Willoughby plans to do everything she can to help her team conclude the 2017-18 campaign on a high note at nationals.

    “We are just going to reset on Monday,” said Willoughby. “We are going to go back to practice, and we are going to work our asses off.

    “We are going to hopefully come out on top in two weeks.”

    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 will be outlaws in Canada West final

Host Bisons are the feel good story in Winnipeg

Huskies W Kori Herner (#10) breaks in on Bisons F Venla Hovi.

    It might be fitting that the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team will be wearing road black uniforms to start the Canada West finals, because they won’t be considered the good gals.

    When they arrive in Winnipeg, Man., for the best-of-three Canada West championship series, the Huskies will discover the host University of Manitoba Bisons are being trumpeted as the city’s feel good story. It is a deserved story angle considering the Bisons topped the Canada West regular season standings with a 22-5-1 record and are rated first in the U Sports Top 10 rankings.

    Including action in the regular season and playoffs, the Bisons have won 11 out of their last 12 games. They just came off winning an emotion best-of-three Canada West semifinal series, where sophomore forward Jordyn Zacharias scored the winning goal at the 13:30 mark of a fourth overtime period to give the Bisons a 1-0 win in a series deciding Game 3 last Sunday against the defending U Sports national champion University of Alberta Pandas.

    The Bisons players have been making the rounds among the media outlets in Winnipeg and working the social media lines to encourage people to come out to the Wayne Fleming Arena for the conference championship series.

Jordyn Zacharias led the Bisons in scoring.

    They are making their 10th appearance in the Canada West finals, but this will be the first time they play host to the series.

    Besides that fact, this will also mark the first time the Bisons and Huskies have gone head-to-head for the conference title.

    Game 1 of the series is set for Friday in Winnipeg, and Games 2 and 3 follow on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
    Both the Huskies and Bisons have berths lock up at the U Sports nationals, which run March 15 to 18 in London, Ont., and are hosted by the University of Western Ontario Mustangs.

    Odds are high the Huskies will encounter a NHL Winnipeg Jets style playoff crowd that will attempt to turn the Wayne Fleming Arena into a smaller version of Bell MTS Place.

    The feel good story for the local side in the Manitoba capital should sell, because the Bisons have a pretty likeable team. That should show through, when they appear on camera.

    As is fitting for a Winnipeg-based hockey squad, the Bisons have their own “Finnish Flash” in Venla Hovi. The fourth-year forward just returned from the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, having helped Finland’s women’s hockey team win a bronze medal.

    Due to national team commitments in her home country, Hovi was limited to playing 12 regular season games with the Bisons, but she tallied four goals and eight assists. Zacharias, who was a first-team Canada West all-star, topped the Bisons in scoring with 12 goals and nine assists appearing in all 28 of her team’s regular season games.

Goalie Lauren Taraschuk was the Canada West rookie-of-the-year.

    Fourth-year forward Alanna Sharman, who was a second-team Canada West all-star, was second in Bisons team scoring with three goals and 17 assists appearing in all 28 of her team’s regular season games.

    Fourth-year defender Erica Rieder was the Bisons power-play quarterback recording seven goals and four assists appearing in all 28 of her team’s regular season games while being named a first-team Canada West all-star. On top of her offensive production, Rieder was a plus-13 in the plus-minus department.

    Captain Caitlin Fyten, who is in her fifth and final season with the Bisons, is a calming influence on defence recording three goals, six assists and plus-seven rating in 25 regular season appearances.

    Netminder Lauren Taraschuk, who was named the rookie-of-the-year for Canada West, has taken over the starter’s role in goal for the Bisons in the post-season. She made 12 appearances in the regular season posting a 10-2 record, a 0.71 goals against average, a .961 save percentage and five shutouts.

    The Huskies are also having a memorable season. They finished second in Canada West with a 19-7-2 record and are rated eighth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings. The 19 wins marks a new team record for the Huskies for victories in one regular season.

    In the four head-to-head regular season meetings between the Bisons and Huskies, each side won twice.

Captain Kaitlin Willoughby (#17) led the Huskies in scoring.

    U of S equaled the Canada West record for most shutouts by a team in one regular season at 12 matching the mark accomplished by the Pandas in the 2008-09 campaign.

    Huskies sophomore netminder Jessica Vance was the Canada West MVP and a first-team Canada West all-star posting a 14-3-1 record, a 0.77 goals against average, a .964 save percentage and nine shutouts.

    She tied for the second most individual shutouts posted in one regular season in the history of the Canada West Conference equaling the nine put up by former Pandas netminder Stacey McCullough in the 2000-01 campaign. Former Pandas goalie Lindsey Post holds the Canada West record for most shutouts in one regular season at 10 set back in the 2014-15 campaign.

    Captain Kaitlin Willoughby was a second-team Canada West all-star, and she had another stellar season topping the Huskies in scoring with nine goals and 10 assists in 26 regular season appearances.

    Sophomore left-winger Emily Upgang finished second in Huskies team scoring netting seven goals and seven assists appearing in all 28 of her team’s regular season games.

    Fifth-year Winnipeg product Kira Bannatyne and third-year Cochrane, Alta., product Emma Nutter finished tied for scoring among Huskies defenders each posting two goals and four assists appearing in all 28 of the Huskies regular season games.

Goalie Jessica Vance was named the Canada West MVP.

    The Huskies enter the Canada West finals having swept the two-time defending Canada West champion University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in a heated rivalry series.

    U of S has enough veterans on its roster that experience should help the Huskies deal with an excited crowd that will back the Bisons.

    The Bisons are trying to win their third Canada West title in team history. Their last victory came back in 2011.

    The Huskies are trying to capture their second Canada West title in team history with their first win coming in 2014.

    The Herd will be favoured in this series, but the Huskies are capable of spoiling the championship hopes of the host side. The ingredients are there to possibly make this Canada West championship series a classic.

    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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