Stars flashback to the past, roll over Northern Bears 7-2

The Stars celebrate Makena Kushniruk’s first period goal.

Someone should have checked the lineup card, because you would have thought Mackenna Parker, Grace Shirley, Anna Leschyshyn, Joelle Fiala, Kaitlin Jockims, Ashley Messier and Chace Sperling were dressed for the Saskatoon Stars on Sunday afternoon.

The Stars scored early - with captain Mackena Kushniruk tallying just 14 seconds into the first period - and often rolling over their traditional rivals the Prince Albert Northern Bears 7-2 at the SaskTel Centre.

The result was a stark contrast to the previous day, when the two sides met in Prince Albert at the Art Hauser Centre. In that encounter, the host Bears jumped out to a 3-0 lead ultimately posting a 3-1 victory holding a 35-26 edge in shots on goal.

Sydney Mercier had two goals and two assists for the Stars.

In that contest that was the regular season opener for both sides, Kiara Stewart, captain Paris Oleksyn and Haley Kicia staked the Bears out to their 3-0 lead. Left-winger Sydney Mercier replied for the Stars on the power play with 76 seconds remaining in the third.

Janae Neufeld made 25 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Bears. Kaitlyn Cadrain turned away 32 shots to take the setback in goal for the Stars.

In the return match on Sunday at the SaskTel Centre, the Stars hit the ice with some serious jump in their stride.

Makena Kushniruk had a goal and two assists for the Stars.

Their top line of Kushniruk, Mercier and Emma Gaudet combined for four goals and five assists. The hosts led 2-0 after the first, 4-1 after the second before rounding out the 7-2 final.

It seemed like the spirit of the Stars old long time home in the Agriplace Arena made the walking distance trip over to the neighbouring SaskTel Centre.

In those old days at Agriplace Arena, the Stars now graduated greats used to fill opposing net on a nightly basis causing the flashing green lights on the rink’s stanchions to stay seeming permanently on as “Chelsea Dagger” by The Fratellis echoed through the building’s rafters.

That generation of the Stars won league titles 2015, 2016 and 2018 at the Agriplace Arena before moving to Merlis Belsher Place and capturing another league championship in 2019.

The Stars celebrate Kaylee Baun’s first period goal.

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Stars aren’t able to use Merlis Belsher Place as a home arena this season as it has been converted into a field hospital in waiting. As a result, they have been forced to move out to the SaskTel Centre along with the Saskatoon Contacts of the SMAAAHL and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s and women’s hockey teams from U Sports.

With most of the players from their SFU18AAAHL championship teams having moved on due to graduation, the Stars went through a reloading campaign last season posting a sound 12-14-4 record.

Kushniruk is the only holdover from the last Stars team that called Agriplace home. She was a sophomore on the Stars last team to win the Fedoruk Cup as league champions in 2019, while the other holdovers in Cadrain, Haylee Kos, Alison Olorenshaw, Bridget Rezansoff, Halle Helperl and Kaylee Baun were all rookies.

Kaitlyn Cadrain made 29 saves for the Stars on Sunday.

The Fedoruk Cup wasn’t award last season due to the under-18 female AAA playoffs being cancelled nationally due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Just to be clear, the current Stars do not have the special talent level their league championship teams had that resulted in dominant lopsided wins game in and game out. The current Stars have talent, but they have to rely on their work ethic being strong to win on a nightly basis making them create their own current identity along the way.

Still, it had to feel good that for one night they could emulate their special squads from the past against an opponent who has been their biggest rival.

After Kushniruk put the Stars up 1-0, they went up 2-0, when Baum potted home a loose puck beside the Prince Albert net for a power-play goal.

Emma Gaudet nets her first career Stars regular season goal.

In between those tallies, Cadrain turned away Oleksyn, who tried to score on a backhanded attempt on a penalty shot.

While the Stars held a 2-0 edge after 20 minutes, the Bears didn’t go away. Kicia blasted home a goal at the 10:52 mark of the second to cut the Stars lead to 2-1.

Before the second frame ended, the Stars responded with two goals 61 seconds apart to surge ahead 4-1.

Working on the power play, Kushniruk found Mercier with a pass open at the ride side of the Bears net, and Mercier popped home her first tally of the contest to give the Stars a 3-1 edge.

The Saskatoon lead expanded to 4-1 when 15-year-old rookie center Keyra Buziak found a loose puck at the left side of Bears net and fired the puck into an open cage to record her first career SFU18AAAHL goal.

Keyra Buziak scored her first career Stars regular season goal.

At the 8:20 mark of the third, Sophia Zuck scored for the Bears to cut the Stars lead to 4-2.

Saskatoon proceeded to close out the contest with a three goal surge with tallies coming off the sticks of Helperl, Gaudet and Mercier, who collected her second marker on the afternoon. Gaudet’s tally was her first career SFU18AAAHL career goal skating in her second season with the Stars.

Cadrain made 29 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Stars. Brooke Archer, who is a 15-year-old rookie making her first career SFU18AAAHL regular season start, turned away 27 shots to take the setback in goal for the Bears.

Assuming all goes in a positive direction on the COVID-19 pandemic front, the Bears will return to action this coming Saturday when they host the Battlefords Sharks at 4:30 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre. The Stars are off until Saturday, Nov. 28 when they are slated to host the Sharks at 2 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

The Stars begin to celebrate their victory on Sunday.

The result of Sunday’s game between the Stars and Bears will likely not foreshadow how the rest of the season will go.

For one game, the Stars got to revel in the spoils of a great outing.

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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Pedersen takes charge for SFMAAAHL leading Rebels

Late grandfather a big influence for standout defender

Sydney Pedersen weaves her way to a highlight goal for the Rebels.

    Sydney Pedersen always sees herself a “granddaddy’s girl.”
    The 16-year-old star defender for the powerhouse Regina Rebels of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League still thinks a tonne about one of her biggest supporters and influences in her late grandfather, Jim Pedersen.

    Jim had a lengthy career as a hockey scout, which included working for 26 years with the NHL’s Dallas Stars and being part of their Stanley Cup winning team in 1999. He was part of Prince Albert Raiders organization when they won the WHL title and Memorial Cup as CHL champions in 1985. He passed away in July of 2018 at age 81.

    Growing up in Milestone, Sask., Sydney felt destined to play the sport. Her father, Lee, played the sport as well as her uncles, Reid and Rod. Reid would work for a time in management with the WHL’s Regina Pats, while Rod worked as a play-by-play voice for about two decades in the WHL with the Raiders for two seasons and the Pats for a very lengthy stretch.

Sydney Pedersen, right, cuts past a Stars defender.

    When it comes to lacing up the skates herself, Sydney said the reasons she started out in hockey will lead back to her late grandfather in Jim.

    “It was kind of almost decided before I was even born that I would play hockey,” said Sydney, who is skating through her third full season with the Rebels. “I am the second oldest grandchild.

    “I am the only one that decided to play hockey, and that is kind of how my grandpa and I’s relationship built too.”

    Sydney likely would have gotten high grades from her late grandfather with her play on Saturday at Merlis Belsher Place. She has a huge outing collecting a goal and four assists as the Rebels blanked the host Saskatoon Stars 7-0 in a SFMAAAHL regular season clash.

Sydney Pedersen rushes the puck up ice with confidence.

    After 16-year-old defender Emma DeCorby scored to give the Rebels a 1-0 lead in the first period, Pedersen picked up assists on all four of the Rebels goals in the second frame as the visitors increased their edge to 5-0.

    She picked an assist on Neena Brick’s goal just 49 seconds into the second. Pedersen teamed up with Brick to set up Alexis Petford for a power-play on a backdoor setup.

    Following that tally, Pedersen combined with Tavia Terry to send Hanna Bailey into the Stars zone on a rush that resulted in Bailey netting a short-handed goal.

    Pedersen picked up her fourth assist feeding a point shot through a maze of players that was tipped home by Rebels sophomore 15-year-old forward Molly Flynn.

Sydney Pedersen, right, is having a career season with the Rebels.

    With 6:24 remaining in the third, Pedersen scored her goal by taking the puck in the centre ice zone, weaving through Stars defenders on an individual rush and smartly tucking the puck home from tight quarters in front of the Saskatoon net. That tally gave the Rebels a 6-0 lead.

    Petford rounded out the scoring with her second tally of the contest a short time after Pedersen’s goal.

    Besides the offensive fireworks, Pedersen turned some heads finishing one of her checks hard in the defensive zone in the third period.

    Jim was able to see Sydney play for the Rebels during her rookie season. She said it felt different when she hit the ice for her second season in Regina knowing Jim wouldn’t physically be in the crowd anymore.

Sydney Pedersen, left, is strong close out opposition player in the D-zone.

    “We were extremely tight,” said Sydney, who stands 5-foot-7. “When he passed on, it was really hard to get used to that with him not being there all the time.

    “He hardly ever missed a game, and he would be at the rink every practice and everything, when I played in Milestone in my younger years. I was the only grandchild to play, so that even made it more of a relationship kind of thing.”

    Before embarking on her third season, Sydney verbally committed to playing for the Robert Morris University Colonials women’s hockey team in the NCAA ranks for the start of the 2021-22 campaign.

Sydney Pedersen, left, celebrates a goal from Molly Flynn (#16).

    After making that commitment, she has followed with a stellar campaign netting career highs in goals (six), assists (12) and points (18) appearing 13 out of the Rebels 14 regular season games. Pedersen has helped Rebels rise to first in the SFMAAAHL with a 13-0-1 record.

    Pedersen was named one of the Rebels two main captains along with 17-year-old star forward Lauren Focht. During road games, Pedersen serves as the club’s captain, and Focht takes up those duties during home games.

    Rebels head coach Mike Merk said Pedersen was named one of the club’s captains due to her character and the fact she leads by example.

    “She shows up every game,” said Merk. “I think that was one thing for me.

    “I like to look at players that are going to kind of take my lead and reiterate the messages going in. Early in the season when we made the decision, she was one that kind of stood out. She does a really good job with that leadership role.”

Sydney Pedersen is an anchor on the back end for the Rebels.

    Merk said Pedersen is a pretty consistent performer on the ice too and is pretty fun to watch. She came through on both those fronts in Saturday’s win.

    “She (Pedersen) had a really good game,” said Merk. “Sydney is strong defensively, but she also had a lot of offensive punch to her game as well.

    “She is really an anchor on the back end. I’ve got a good defensive corps right now that we can either play a run and gun style or we can actually sit back and shut down. It is nice having girls like her back there.

    “Her confidence right now with the puck and ability to rush the puck I think is where I am seeing her growth happen.”

    Pedersen said she had to come out with a little more jump on Saturday. She didn’t think she was at her best, when the Rebels rallied from a 3-1 third period deficit to down the Stars 4-3 on Friday at Merlis Belsher Place.

Hanna Bailey had a short-handed goal for the Rebels.

    “I didn’t have a great game yesterday, so I knew that I have to come out and play better today,” said Pedersen. “I think as a whole we played better today, and it is way easier to get going, when you have good forwards and good D-partners beside you.”

    Arden Kliewer turned away 32-of-37 shots starting in goal for the Stars (5-11-2). Kaitlyn Cadrain played the third period in relief turning away 14-of-16 shots sent her way.

    Chantel Weller turned away all 11 shots she faced to pick up the win in goal for the Rebels and earn her fourth shutout of the season.

    The Stars now head off on their Christmas break, and they will return to regular season action on Jan. 11 in the new year, when they host the Weyburn Richardson Pioneer Gold Wings at 1:45 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    The Rebels travel to Prince Albert on Sunday to take on the Northern Bears at 1 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre. After that contest, both of those squads will head out on their respective Christmas breaks.

Alexis Petford watches her power-play goal find its way home.

    Last season, the Rebels finished second overall in the SFMAAAHL regular season standings with a 17-7-4 mark. They advanced to the best-of-five SFMAAAHL championship series and were swept 3-0 by Stars squad that had a lot of veteran star players.

    Pedersen believes her team learned a lot from that experience.

    “Last year we were actually really young, so I think coming into playing the Stars in the final we were quite immature towards that,” said Pedersen. “I think that just gave us that much more experience for this coming up year in playoffs.

    “Our younger players now know what it is like. Playoff hockey is completely different from league, so they have a little taste of what it is.”

    This season, Pedersen is trying to enjoy each moment as much as possible. She felt privileged the coaches named her the captain for road games, and she believes she is surrounded by a special bunch of teammates out on the ice.

The Rebels celebrate their win on Saturday.

    “There is a super great group of girls in there,” said Pedersen. “We’re all tight-knit and were all equal, so it is awesome to be part of that.”

    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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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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    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.

Jockims on fire as Stars roll past Sharks in Battleford

Kaitlin Jockims picked up seven points for the Stars on Thursday.

    It seemed like everything Kaitlin Jockims touched turned to gold.

    On Thursday night at the Battleford Arena in Battleford, the veteran star winger piled up three goals and four assists for seven points to help power her Saskatoon Stars past the host Battlefords Sharks 10-2 in a Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League regular season clash. That marked the most points Jockims had ever recorded in a SFMAAAHL regular season game.

    Jockims picked up an assist on the Stars first goal and scored her team’s second goal to give the visitors a 2-0 edge after the first period. She netted her second goal of the contest at the 2:02 mark of the second period to give the Stars a 3-0 advantage.

    Saskatoon cruised from there to hold a 5-1 lead after the second period before rolling on to a convincing victory.

    Thanks to her monster game, Jockims sits second in the SFMAAAHL scoring race piling up 19 goals and 23 assists for 42 points in 22 regular season games. All of her offensive totals are career highs.

Grace Shirley had four points for the Stars on Thursday.

    Saskatoon captain Grace Shirley also had a memorable night. She netted a hat trick and picked up an assist to equal former teammate Mackenna Parker as the Stars all-time leading scorer in regular season play.

    Since joining the Stars as an associate player call up in the 2014-15 campaign, Shirley has appeared in 103 career regular season games piling up 93 goals and 65 assists for 158 points.

    Parker, who was Saskatoon’s captain last season, appeared in 104 career regular season games for the Stars from 2014 to 2018 collecting 82 goals and 76 assists for her 158 points.

    Ashley Messier, Halle Helperl, Calli Arnold and Jayda Sachs all picked up singles for the Stars.

Sydney Rowley and Brooklyn Rowley replied with singles for the Sharks.

    Kaitlyn Cadrain turned away 17 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Stars, who improved to 23-1 and have first placed clinched in the SFMAAAHL. Yelena Zaleschuk turned away 36 shots to take the setback in goal for the Sharks, who fell to 10-12-4 to sit sixth in the SFMAAAHL.

    The Stars return to action Saturday, when they host the Notre Dame Hounds at 12:30 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    The Sharks hit the ice again on Feb. 16, when they travel to Melville to face the Prairie Fire at 7 p.m. at the Horizon Credit Union Centre.

Hounds blank Rebels for fifth straight win

Chantel Weller made 19 saves in goal for the Rebels on Thursday.

    Kaitlyn Ross was the wall for the Notre Dame Hounds.

    The 17-year-old veteran netminder had a monster outing on Thursday making 38 saves to help her Hounds blank the Rebels in Regina 2-0 at the Co-operators Centre in a SFMAAAHL regular season contest. The shutout was the fourth of the season for Ross and the eighth of her SFMAAAHL career.

    Veteran 17-year-old forward Lyndsey Janes scored to give the Hounds a 1-0 lead with 6:32 remaining in the third period and she sealed the win with an empty-net goal inside of the final minute of the frame.

    Chantel Weller turned away 19-of-20 shots to take the setback in goal for the Rebels.

    The Hounds have won their last five straight games to improve to 11-9-3 to sit fifth in the SFMAAAHL.

    The Rebels fell to 16-6-3 and sit second in the SFMAAAHL standings.

    The Hounds travel to Saskatoon on Saturday to face the Stars at 12:30 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    The Rebels hit the ice again on Feb. 15, when they travel to Prince Albert to face the Northern Bears at 7 p.m. at the Kinsmen Arena.

    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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Kushniruk on fire for Stars

Saskatoon forward has points in eight straight games

Makena Kushniruk has 16 points in the Stars last eight regular season games.

    Makena Kushniruk is suddenly all for playing through the Christmas break.

    The 15-year-old sophomore winger for the Saskatoon Stars has been on fire for a little over a month. On Saturday, Kushniruk had two goals including the winner in the third period to lift the defending Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League champions to a 3-2 regular season victory over the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats at Merlis Belsher Place.

    With those goals, Kushniruk has points in her last eight straight regular season games totaling 10 goals and six assists over that period of time. In helping the Stars post an 18-0 regular season record, Kushniruk has piled up 12 goals and 13 assists to sit fourth in the SFMAAAHL scoring race.

Makena Kushniruk (#10) celebrates her winning goal for the Stars.

    She has way surpassed her offensive totals from her rookie campaign last season, where she had three goals and eight assists appearing in all of the Stars 28 regular season contests.

    Kushniruk said her consecutive games point streak has greatly improved her confidence. As a rookie last season, she admitted there were times she was overwhelmed playing on a team that contained numerous standout veterans like Grace Shirley, Joelle Fiala, Anna Leschyshyn and Mackenna Parker. Parker graduated from the squad at the end of last season.

    “Last year was a little intimidating,” said Kushniruk. “I felt like I couldn’t take the puck.

    “I thought I always had to pass it to an older player, because they have more experience. I know now that it is not about that, and that I have the ability to do it.”

    More often than naught this season, Kushniruk has found herself as the trigger person playing on a forward line with Fiala, who is an ultra-skilled playmaker.

Makena Kushniruk, right, clears the puck on the penalty kill.

    With the Stars locked in a 2-2 tie in the third period with the Wildcats, Kushniruk tipped home a sweet set up pass from Fiala to net the winning goal for Saskatoon with 8:38 to play in the frame.

    “It feels just so good,” said Kushniruk about scoring the winning goal. “It doesn’t really matter if it was me or anyone else on the team.

    “It is just that we got the goal in and came out with the win.”

    Stars head coach Greg Slobodzian was pleased to see Kushniruk has found her offensive touch.

Joelle Fiala assisted on the Stars winning goal.

    “She had a real good summer this year, and she really developed,” said Slobodzian. “When she started this season, she came to camp and she was one of our best forwards at camp.

    “She sort of stumbled out of the gate at the beginning of the season. It wasn’t happening, and she started to get frustrated. We just sort of calmed her down a little bit and made her realize you still have put the effort in.

    “As soon as she started moving her feet, she is really smart, good with the puck and has that composure that I talk about all the time, things just started working for her. She has a hot hand right now.”

    Slobodzian said it has been big for the Stars to have another forward breakout offensively outside of the trio of Shirley, Leschyshyn and Fiala.

    “If you look at the scoresheet the last couple of games, I don’t know if Grace Shirley has a goal,” said Slobodzian. “For us to still come out on top with everyone else chipping in, it is a real good sign that we are building what we need to go deep.

    “Any time those players can start putting the numbers on the board and then consistently like Makena (Kushniruk), what it does is the other teams all of sudden have to look out for another player. It gives more room for those Grace Shirleys and Joelle Fialas.”

Anna Leschyshyn, right, scored the Stars first goal on Saturday.

    On Dec. 9, Kushniruk netted the winning goal in the third period for the Stars in the championship final of the Mandi Schwartz Memorial Tournament in Wilcox, Sask. Saskatoon downed the host Notre Dame Hounds 3-1 in the title game.

    Kushniruk said she appreciates the fact her Stars won the Mandi Schwartz Tournament and have started 18-0 in the regular season. The Stars are now off until Jan. 10 in the new year, when they travel to Battleford to face the Battlefords Sharks.

    Kushniruk admits she would have loved to continue playing through the break considering the hot streak she is on personally.

Amaya Giraudier makes one of her 25 saves for the Wildcats.

    “I am a little bit worried coming off from like a two-week break,” said Kushniruk, whose older sister Jadyn plays for the Prince Albert Northern Bears. “I’m probably going to be like going to the ODR (outdoor rink) or something and just like still being on the ice and just always practising whether it is going to the gym or finding some open ice.”

    The Wildcats took a 1-0 first period lead in Saturday’s game on a goal from Layne Hryhoriw.

    Leschyshyn sent the teams into the first intermission locked in a 1-1 tie sniping home a low on ice shot with 21.5 seconds to play in the opening frame.

    Makena Kushniruk scored her first of the contest 16 seconds into the second period to give the Stars a 2-1 advantage.

    Brooklyn Rublee scored the equalizer for the Wildcats to force a 2-2 draw heading into the second intermission.

Ashley Messier gets set in the offensive zone for the Stars.

    With 12:05 remaining in the third period, Wildcats forward Baylee Kirwan was stopped on a penalty shot by Stars netminder Kaitlyn Cadrain.

    That set the stage for Kushniruk to score the winner in the third period.

    Cadrain made 18 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Stars. Amaya Giraudier turned away 25 shots to take the setback in net for the Wildcats, who fell to 6-9-1.

    The Wildcats return to regular season action on Jan. 5 in the new year, when travel to Battleford to take on the Battlefords Sharks.

    Kushniruk is looking forward to resuming play with the Stars after the Christmas break.

    “I am really excited,” said Kushniruk. “It is nice to have a little break.

The Stars celebrate their win over the Wildcats.

    “When we get back to the rink, we’re going to be working hard together.”

    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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Stars’ Shirley hits 80 career SFMAAAHL goals in style

Grace Shirley scored the OT winner for the Stars on Sunday.

    Grace Shirley always seems to rise to the occasion in big moments.

    With that said, it should come as no surprise the Saskatoon Stars captain hit another major milestone on an overtime winning goal.

    On Sunday afternoon with the Stars locked in a 2-2 tie with the Prince Albert Northern Bears at Merlis Belsher Place, Shirley drove home the winning goal on the power play from the front of the Bears net with 72 seconds remaining in the extra session. Shirley’s goal gave the Stars a 3-2 victory, and she became just the third player to score 80 career regular season goals in the history of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League.

Grace Shirley, left, celebrates her OT winning goal with Joelle Fiala (#27)

    In 92 career regular season games, Shirley has collected 80 goals and 57 assists for 137 points to sit as the fourth all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL. She was caught off guard when told she reached 80 career regular season goals.

    “I guess it is pretty cool,” said Shirley. “I like didn’t realize it or anything.

    “It is kind of nice to hear that. I’m just happy that we got the win, because I definitely think we deserved it.”

    The other players that scored 80 or more regular season goals in the history of the SFMAAAHL were Olivia Howe, who piled up 107 goals in 106 regular season games playing for the Notre Dame Hounds from 2008 to 2012, and Shirley’s former Stars teammate Mackenna Parker, who collected 82 goals in 104 regular season games. Parker graduated from the Stars as their captain at the end of last season.

Paris Oleksyn scored the Bears first goal on Sunday.

    Shirley has built a history of scoring big overtime goals for the Stars. In her rookie season in 2015-16, she scored the overtime winner in the deciding game of the SFMAAAHL championship series to give the Stars their second league title.

    Stars head coach Greg Slobodzian said he never stops being amazed by his talented captain.

    “She (Shirley) is definitely a player that likes to rise to the occasion,” said Slobodzian. “She has done it for us a few times in overtime.

    “She did it again. As soon as it went in, my assistant coaches looked at me and said, ‘Wow, great move.’ Her in front of the net like that, there are pretty good odds it is going in.”   

Abby Soyko drives home the Bears second goal on Sunday.

    Shirley admitted the moment of scoring her 80^th career regular season goal was made more memorable because it came in overtime against the Bears, who are the Stars biggest rivals.

    “They are a really good team,” said Shirley. “They battled hard.

    “It was definitely a close game. It was nice to get the win over them for sure.”

Sunday’s game had a few changes in momentum.

    The Stars went ahead 1-0 in the first period on a goal from forward Kaitlin Jockims.

    The Bears jumped in front 2-1 scoring twice in a span of 83 seconds near the midway point of the second period. Prince Albert’s tallies came off the sticks of Paris Oleksyn and captain Abby Soyko, who scored off a hard drive to the Saskatoon net.

Ashley Messier had the equalizer for the Stars on Sunday.

    The Stars evened things up at 2-2 with 1:42 remaining in the second period on a hard mid-range blast from offensive-defender Ashley Messier.

    The two sides played through a scoreless third to set things up for Shirley’s heroics in overtime.

Kaitlyn Cadrain made 28 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Stars. Scout Anderson turned away 30 shots to take the overtime setback in the Bears net.

    The Stars improved to 10-0 with the win, while the Bear record moved to 5-4-1.

    Saskatoon and Prince Albert went at it on Saturday at Merlis Belsher Place with the Stars posting a 6-0 victory.

    Slobodzian expected a push back by the Bears in Sunday’s clash.

Goalie Kaitlyn Cadrain makes one of her 28 saves in goal for the Stars.

    “Teams answer the bell,” said Slobodzian. “They don’t like to chase the puck all night.

    “Today was the exact same. P.A. came and gave us what I expected. Their goaltender played well.

    “Those are the types of games that you want to play. I wish we were playing those games every day. That is how you get better as a group.”

    In Saturday’s 6-0 win by the Stars, Shirley and Chace Sperling each had a goal and an assist for Saskatoon. Anna Leschyshyn, Kaylee Baun, Calli Arnold and Jayda Sachs all had singles for the Stars.

    Jockims and Abby DeCorby had two assists each to help power the Saskatoon side.

    Arden Kliewer made 17 stops to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Stars. Lexi Beuker turned away 30 shots to take the setback in goal for the Bears.

Grace Shirley has scored 80 career regular season goals.

    Shirley said her squad has to be a little sharper, when they play teams a second time in a two-game weekend series.

    “We just have to come into our second game more focused and not thinking it is going to be easy,” said Shirley. “Every game, you need to put your best foot forward and just go hard all the time.

    “I think we just need to come into every game more focused and just with the mindset to work hard and kind of even finish off stronger than our first game. I think that will be something we work on for sure. We’ll take the two wins for sure here.”

    The Stars return to action this coming Saturday when they host the Weyburn Richardson Pioneer Gold Wings at 2:15 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    The Bears next game is Nov. 24, when they host the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert.

    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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Stars’ Fiala surpasses 100 career points in SFMAAAHL

Shirley ties for second on Saskatoon’s all-time scoring list

Joelle Fiala collected her 100th career regular season point.

    Joelle Fiala was oblivious to the fact she became just the 20^th player to hit a lofty milestone in the history of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League.

    Playing against the host Prairie Fire in Melville last Saturday, Fiala collected a goal and three assists to help her Saskatoon Stars post a 5-0 victory. When the Clavet, Sask., product assisted on the Stars final goal, she became the 20^th player to score 100 career points in regular season play in the SFMAAAHL.

    When the two sides met again last Sunday in Melville, Fiala had a goal and an assist to help the Stars claim another 5-0 victory. Thanks to the points she recorded in those two outings, Fiala has 39 goals and 63 assists for 102 points in 88 career SFMAAAHL regular season games all played with the Stars.

    The news of the milestone came as a surprise to the skilled forward, when she was told about it.

    “I didn’t know I did (it),” said Fiala, who has three goals and four assists over the Stars first four games this season. “I wasn’t really paying attention, but it is really exciting.

    “I definitely thought before I was on the Stars that is not something that would happen for me. It is really exciting that I’ve been able to work towards that.”

    Entering the current campaign, Fiala needed to collect five points to total 100 career points in SFMAAAHL regular season play. She never thought about hitting that milestone as the season started and progressed through its early stages.

    Fiala was pumped to hear she was just the 20^th player to hit that milestone in scoring.

    “Now that I’ve achieved that, I just have to keep on pushing through,” said Fiala, who stands 5-foot-8.

    Committed to play for the Robert Morris University Colonials women’s hockey team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ranks next season, Fiala is one of three players on the Stars roster to have scored 100 or more points in regular season play.

Joelle Fiala current has 102 career regular season points.

    Captain Grace Shirley has 126 points coming off of 73 goals and 53 assists in 86 regular season games. Anna Leschyshyn has 116 points coming off 56 goals and 60 assists in 91 career regular season games.
    Former Stars superstar Mackenna Parker graduated from the club at the end of last season finishing as the second all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL with 158 points coming off 82 goals and 76 assists in 104 career regular season games. Parker is the Stars all-time leading scorer.

    Fiala said fact the Stars have had four players break the 100-point barrier over the past two seasons shows how good the team has been in recent years. The Stars have won three out of the last four SFMAAAHL titles and fell in the Esso Cup gold medal national championship game 2-1 to the Alberta based St. Albert Slash last April.

    “We’ve all made each other better in different ways and push each other,” said Fiala. “We’re all equal, and we are all going to be pushing towards the same thing.”

    Fiala wasn’t the only Stars player to hit a milestone last weekend. Collecting a goal and two assists in the Stars victory over the Prairie Fire last Saturday, Shirley equaled former Stars captain Lauren Zary for second on the team’s all-time scoring list.

    Zary collected her 126 points off 44 goals and 82 assists playing 103 career regular season games for the Stars from 2008 to 2012. Following her time with the Stars, Zary played for the Brown University Bears women’s hockey team in the NCAA ranks and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team in U Sports. Her 82 career assists is the Stars team record.

    Shirley will sit alone for second on the Stars all-time regular season scoring list and fifth on the all-time SFMAAAHL regular season scoring list, when she collects her next point.

    “I really try not to focus on that too much,” said Shirley, who has three goals and five assists over the Stars first four games. “I don’t try to think about it too much.

Fiala was pumped to find out she scored her 100th point.

    “I kind of like just want to go out there and work my hardest, and I want our team to do well. I don’t really think I am too worried about that right now.”

    Shirley, who stands 5-foot-8, believes she will reflect more on her milestones, when she hangs up her skates.

    “I think in the moment you are focusing on getting better and kind of how the team is and team success,” said Shirley, who has committed to play for the NCAA powerhouse University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team next season. “Maybe it is something to look back on in the future.

    “I think right now it is just kind of focusing on developing and having a good season with the team.”

    Stars head coach Greg Slobodzian was proud to see both Fiala and Shirley reach their most recent milestones.

    “It is always rewarding for them and for a coach to sort of be around while they get them,” said Slobodzian. “Those two girls are very special players.

    “They deserve all the milestones that they will achieve and all the awards that they will achieve. It is not going to stop with the Stars obviously. They are going to go on and have very healthy and positive careers in the game of hockey.

    “Getting the chance to be around them when they are young like this, it is a lot of fun. Those little achievements and awards mean a lot. It is not only for them, but for the team as well. Everyone feeds off of it when someone does well.”

    Also in last Saturday’s win, the Stars receive singles from Kaitlin Jockims, Leschyshyn and Jayda Sachs. Kaitlyn Cadrain, who is a 15-year-old rookie, turned away 17 shots to pick up her first career regular season SFMAAAHL shutout and win in her first career start.

    Cheyenne Jamieson turned away 32 shots to take the setback in goal for Melville.

    In last Sunday’s win, Jockims had a hat trick for the Stars, while Haylee Kos, who is an underage 14-year-old rookie forward, had a single for her first career SFMAAAHL goal.

    Arden Kliewer, who is the Stars 16-year-old veteran netminder, turned away 18 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Stars, who are 4-0.

Grace Shirley has piled up 126 career regular season points with the Stars.

    Jamieson turned away 30 shots to take the setback in goal for the Prairie Fire, who are 0-2.

    The Stars return to action this coming Saturday, when they travel to Weyburn to face the Richardson Pioneer Gold Wings (0-4).

    Fiala, Shirley and Leschyshyn are three of five active players in the SFMAAAHL who have scored 100 or more career regular season points. Taylor Lind, who is the all-time leading scorer for the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats, has 117 career points coming off 66 goals and 51 assists in 60 career regular season games.

    Abby Soyko, who is the all-time leading scorer for the Prince Albert Northern Bears, has 103 points coming off 53 goals and 50 assists in 112 career regular season games.

    The SFMAAAHL’s inaugural season was played in 2006-07.

    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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