Stars advance to SFMAAAHL final for fifth straight year

Saskatoon eliminates Notre Dame with 3-1 win in Game 4

Joelle Fiala scored the winning goal for the Stars on Thursday.

    A slight scare ultimately couldn’t keep the Saskatoon Stars from returning to the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League championship series for a fifth straight year.

    On Thursday at the Duncan McNeill Arena in Wilcox, the Stars fell behind 1-0 to the host Notre Dame Hounds before rallying for a 3-1 victory in Game 4 of a SFMAAAHL semifinal series. With the win, the Stars take the best-of-five series 3-1.

    Saskatoon advances to the best-of-five SFMAAAHL championship series to play for the Fedoruk Cup for a fifth straight year. The Stars won the league title in 2015, 2016 and last season.

    They will face the Regina Rebels in this year’s league final. Saskatoon topped the SFMAAAHL regular season standings with a 27-1 record, while Regina finished second with a 17-7-4 mark. Game 1 of the SFMAAAHL final is set for Saturday at 7:45 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    The Stars were forced to play a Game 4 of their semifinal series against the Hounds on Thursday after Notre Dame prevailed 2-1 in double overtime in Game 3 on Tuesday at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon.

    Notre Dame hit the scoreboard first in Game 4 when 16-year-old defender Jada Livingston scored at the 10:21 mark of the first period to give the host side a 1-0 edge.

Kaitlyn Ross made 25 saves in goal for the Hounds on Thursday.

    Coming out after the first intermission, the Stars proceeded to control play the rest of the way.

    At the 3:58 mark of the second, Stars 15-year-old sophomore forward Makena Kushniruk potted the equalizer that forced a 1-1 tie.

    Veteran centre Joelle Fiala netted what would be the game and series winner for the Stars just over four minutes after Kushniruk’s tally to put Saskatoon ahead 2-1.

    Veteran forward Anna Leschyshyn added a key insurance marker at the 9:27 mark of the third to round out the 3-1 victory for the visitors.

    Arden Kliewer made 12 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Stars. Kaitlyn Ross turned away 25 shots to take the setback in goal for the Hounds in the final outing of her stellar midget AAA career.

    Notre Dame finished fifth in the SFMAAAHL with a 12-13-3 regular season record and eliminated the Prince Albert Northern Bears 3-1 in a best-of-five SFMAAAHL quarter-final series.

    Last season, the Stars swept the Bears 3-0 in the best-of-five SFMAAAHL championship series. Saskatoon will be making a record eighth overall appearance in the league final.

Bohlken’s OT winner pushes Rebels into SFMAAAHL final

Larissa Bohlken scored the OT winner for the Rebels.

    Larissa Bohlken found some magic in overtime to become a playoff hero for the Regina Rebels.

    On Wednesday at the Fairview Arena in Swift Current, Bohlken, who is a sophomore defender, scored the winner at the 4:13 mark of overtime to give her Rebels a 3-2 victory over the host Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats in Game 4 of a SFMAAAHL semifinal series. With the win, the Rebels take the best-of-five series 3-1.

    Regina advances to the best-of-five SFMAAAHL championship series to play for the Fedoruk Cup for the first time since 2014. The Rebels fell in that year’s league final to the Weyburn Richardson Pioneer Gold Wings, who advanced on to win the Esso Cup as national female midget AAA hockey champions.

    Regina won the SFMAAAHL championship in the 2012-13 season and advanced to the Esso Cup national championship tournament finishing fourth.

    The Rebels will face the defending SFMAAAHL champion Saskatoon Stars in the best-of-five SFMAAAHL final. Game 1 for the SFMAAAHL championship series is set for 7:45 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon.

    Against the Wildcats on Wednesday, the Rebels took a 2-0 lead in the second period with goals coming from the sticks of veteran forward Lauren Focht and Bohlken, who scored her first of two on the night.

    The Wildcats evened things up at 2-2 early in the third period with goals coming from the sticks of 17-year-old veteran forward Carissa Hogan and SFMAAAHL MVP Taylor Lind. Lind scored short-handed to force the 2-2 tie with 14:14 remaining in the third period.

Taylor Lind scored for the Wildcats on Wednesday.

    Both Hogan and Lind ultimately played the final games of the respective stellar midget AAA careers.

    After the Wildcats tied things up, that set the stage for Bohlken to score her second goal of the night to become the overtime hero for the Rebels.

    Chantel Weller stopped 21 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Rebels. Amaya Giraudier turned away 29 shots to take the setback in goal for the Wildcats.

    The Rebels finished second in the SFMAAAHL regular season standings with a 17-7-4 mark, while the Wildcats placed third with a 17-10-1 record.

    The Rebels and Wildcats split the first two games of their SFMAAAHL semifinal series. Regina went ahead 2-1 in the series taking Game 3 on Tuesday 4-2 at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.

    In that contest, Emma DeCorby, Kaylee Dyer, Focht and Jordan Fry netted singles for the Rebels. Kamryn Johnson and Sara Kendall replied with singles for the Wildcats.

    Weller made 27 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Rebels. Giraudier turned away 19 shots to take the setback in goal for the Wildcats.

    The Rebels swept away the Melville Prairie Fire 3-0 in a best-of-five SFMAAAHL quarter-final series. The Wildcats swept away the Battlefords Sharks 3-0 in another best-of-five SFMAAAHL quarter-final series.

    Back in 2013, the Rebels swept the Prince Albert Northern Bears 3-0 in the best-of-five SFMAAAHL championship series.

    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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Hounds stay alive, take double OT thriller over Stars

The Hounds celebrate a double OT winner from Lyndsey Janes.

    The belief factor just took a big jump up to another stratosphere for the Notre Dame Hounds.

    Facing elimination from the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League playoffs, the Hounds came through with arguably one of their best performances of the campaign against the defending league champion Saskatoon Stars on Tuesday night.

    At the 14:54 mark of double overtime, Hounds star 17-year-old forward Lyndsey Janes scored a power-play goal from the right side of the Saskatoon net to give her squad a 2-1 road victory at Merlis Belsher Place in Game 3 of a SFMAAAHL semifinal series.

    With the win, the Hounds cut the Stars lead in the best-of-five series to 2-1. Notre Dame will host Game 4 on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Duncan McNeill Arena in Wilcox.

Lyndsey Janes scored the double OT winner for the Hounds on Tuesday.

    If a series deciding Game 5 is needed, it will be held Friday at 8:30 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    The Hounds appeared to be facing a tall task in trying to extend their series with the Stars. Heading into action on Tuesday, Saskatoon had won all seven encounters with Notre Dame in the 2018-19 campaign including action in the regular season, post-season and the championship game of the Mandi Schwartz Memorial Tournament, which the Hounds host.

    The Stars posted their best ever regular season record at 27-1 to top the SFMAAAHL standings. The Hounds finished fifth with a 12-13-3 mark.

Joelle Fiala had the Stars goal on Tuesday.

    The Hounds were also outscored by the Stars 9-1 over Games 1 and 2 of their SFMAAAHL semifinal series.

    Still, the Hounds displayed confidence at the start of Tuesday’s contest. In the first period, they were able to slow the game down with a neutral zone trap and held a 7-5 edge in shots on goal.

    The visitors continued to control play through the first half of the second period before the momentum changed.

    The Stars finally broke through on the scoreboard at the 10:05 mark of the second, when 17-year-old veteran standout forward Joelle Fiala scored from close in. At the time of Fiala’s goal, the Hounds held a 15-8 edge in shots on goal.

    Early in the third, the Stars had two golden chances to extend their edge and seal the game from star forward Anna Leschyshyn and defender Chace Sperling, but Hounds star 17-year-old goaltender Kaitlyn Ross slammed the door shut on both occasions.

Kaitlyn Ross made one of her 40 saves in goal for the Hounds.

    Thanks to Ross’s play in goal, the Hounds were able pull even at 1-1, when Janes set up defender Kas Kingston for a power-play goal at the 9:33 mark of the third.

    Before the third ended, Fiala had a prime chance from the front of the Notre Dame goal to put the Stars back out in front, but she was denied by the glove had of Ross.

    In the first overtime period that was 10 minutes in length, Stars netminder Arden Kliewer made a number of big saves to keep the game going as Notre Dame held a 7-3 edge in shots on goal.

Ross’s biggest save in that first extra frame came early, when she denied a drive from Stars star captain Grace Shirley.
    In the second overtime frame, Ross’s glove hand robbed Stars sophomore forward Makena Kushniruk from netting the winning goal.

Arden Kliewer made 32 saves in goal for the Stars.

    That set the stage for Janes to come through with the winner after 84 minutes and 54 seconds of game action.

    Ross turned away 40 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Hounds. Kliewer made 32 saves to take the setback in goal for the Stars.

    On Tuesday, the Hounds showed they won’t bow out of the SFMAAAHL playoffs quietly.

    On the other side, the Stars have journeyed through the SFMAAAHL campaign with very little adversity until now. Now the Stars players are going to have to show their character in rebounding from Tuesday’s heartbreaking setback.

    All of a sudden, the SFMAAAHL semifinal series between the Stars and Hounds has intrigue, because Saskatoon can’t be penciled automatically into the league championship series.

    The Hounds now truly believe they can win, and you could see it in their eyes, when they departed Merlis Belsher Place on Tuesday night.

Back in the Express with Messier

Ashley Messier is the Stars best defender.

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express this week with a feature story on Saskatoon Stars offensive defender Ashley Messier.

    Messier joined the Stars as a 14-year-old underage player in 2016-17. Now in her third season, she has been one of the squad’s standouts for some time.

    Now a 16-year-old veteran, Messier set career highs this season with five goals and 27 assists helping the Stars post their best regular season record ever at 27-1.

    Recently, Messier was named the winner of the SFMAAAHL’s Colleen Sostorics Top Defenceman award, and she claimed honours as a first team all-star.

    Messier’s family also has big connections to the game.

    The story on Messier can be found by clicking right here.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Hounds bounce Bears from SFMAAAHL playoffs, advance to face defending champion Stars

Kaitlyn Ross made 21 saves in a series-clinching win for the Hounds.

    The Notre Dame Hounds appear to be hitting their top stride at the right time.

    On Wednesday at the Duncan McNeill Arena in Wilcox, Sask., the host Hounds made good on their second chance to eliminate the Prince Albert Northern Bears from the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League playoffs. The Hounds jumped out to a 4-0 lead and skated to a 5-1 victory in Game 4 of a best-of-five SFMAAAHL first round series.

    The win allowed the Hounds to take the best-of-five set 3-1.

    Notre Dame had a chance to end the series on Monday in Prince Albert, but the Bears staved off elimination with a 3-2 victory.

    In Game 4, the Bears only goal came when forward Jadyn Kushniruk, who was playing in her final season of midget AAA eligibility, scored with less than a minute to play in the second period to cut a 4-0 Notre Dame lead to 4-1.

    Forward Sophie Young scored the Hounds first goal and recorded two assists to lead Notre Dame offensively. Kaitlyn Gilroy, who is an underage 14-year-old rookie forward, scored twice for the Hounds including her squad’s fifth goal at the 3:17 mark of the third period to dampen any hopes of a Bears comeback.

    Claire Nimegeers and Ally Kosteniuk each had a goal and an assist for Notre Dame. Kendra Zuchotzki had two assists for the Hounds.
    Star netminder Kaitlyn Ross made 21 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Hounds.

    Lexi Beuker turned away 13 shots to take the setback in goal for the Bears.

Sophie Young had a goal and two assists for the Hounds.

    The Bears finished the regular season with a 17-9-2, while the Hounds had a 12-13-3 record.

    Prince Albert made it to the SFMAAAHL championship series in three of the last four years winning the league title in 2017 and ultimately advancing to the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament.
    The Bears and Hounds met a year ago in a best-of-five SFMAAAHL semifinal series, where Prince Albert prevailed in four games.

    The Hounds advance to play the defending SFMAAAHL champion Saskatoon Stars in a best-of-five SFMAAAHL semifinal series. Notre Dame doesn’t get much time to rest as Game 1 is set for Friday at 8:15 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place on the University of Saskatchewan campus in Saskatoon.

    The Stars finished first in the SFMAAAHL with a 27-1 record. Saskatoon won all four regular season encounters with Notre Dame, and all of those contests were played in February.

    The Stars prevailed over the host Hounds 3-1 in the championship game of the Mandi Schwartz Memorial Tournament held last December in Wilcox.

    Game 2 of the SFMAAAHL semifinal series between the Stars and Hounds is set for Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Duncan McNeill Arena in Wilcox. Game 3 is slated for Tuesday at 7:45 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    The Stars haven’t played a game since downing the Hounds 6-0 on Feb. 17 in Wilcox.

    The other SFMAAAHL best-of-five semifinal series sees the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats, who were 17-10-1 in the regular season, taking on the Regina Rebels, who were 17-7-4 in the regular season. Game 1 of that series is set for Saturday at 4:45 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.

Huskies end Cinderella run of Gryphons

Evan Fiala scored for the Huskies on Thursday.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team made the clock strike midnight on the Cinderella run of the University of Guelph Gryphons.

    On Thursday at the Enmax Centre in Lethbridge, Alta., the fifth-seeded Huskies dumped the fourth-seeded Gryphons 6-1 in a quarter-final contest at the David Johnston University Cup U Sports national championship tournament.

    The Huskies entered the University Cup posting a 25-3 record to top the Canada West Conference regular season standings. In the process, the Huskies set new team records for most wins in a regular season at 25 and most standings points in a regular season at 50.

    U of S fell in the deciding third game of the Canada West Championship series 1-0 to the University of Alberta Golden Bears.

    The Gryphons finished fifth in the Ontario University Athletics’ West Division with a 13-11-4 record before going on a tear in the OUA playoffs. They advanced to the OUA championship game falling 4-1 to the Queen’s University Gaels.

    In Thursday’s quarter-final match, the Huskies jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period by goals from Logan McVeigh and Evan Fiala. The goal for Fiala, who is a rookie defenceman, was the first of his U Sports career.

    Carson Stadnyk scored his first of the game on the power play at the 1:46 mark of the second period to give the Huskies a 3-0 lead.  

    Scott Simmonds, who topped the Gryphons in regular season scoring, potted a goal for his side at the 7:53 mark of the second to cut the Huskies lead to 3-1.

    Wyatt Johnson scored on the power play to give the Huskies a 4-1 advantage before the second period ended.

    In the third, Stadnyk netted his second of the game and Levi Cable collected a single to round out the scoring for the Huskies.

Collin Shirley had four assists for the Huskies on Thursday.

    Collin Shirley had four assists for the U of S. Johnson had a pair of helpers to go with his goal for the Huskies.

    Captain and star offensive-defenceman Jesse Forsberg had a pair of assists for the Dogs.

    Taran Kozun turned away 31 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies. Andrew Masters turned away 21 shots to take the setback in goal for Gryphons.

    On Wednesday, Kozun was named the U Sports goaltender of the year and a first team all-Canadian all-star. Forsberg took home honours as a second team all-Canadian all-star in his final season of U Sports eligibility.

    With the win, the Huskies advance to the “frozen four” portion of the U Sports national championship tournament taking on the top-seeded Golden Bears in a semifinal contest on Saturday at 1 p.m. local time at the Enmax Centre. The game will be shown live on Sportsnet 360 at 1 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

    The Golden Bears dumped the host and eighth-seeded University of Lethbridge Pronghorns 7-1 in the late quarter-final game on Thursday.

    On Wednesday, Golden Bears star centre Luke Philp was named the winner of the Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy as the player of the year for U Sports. He was also named a U Sports first team all-Canadian all-star.

    Golden Bears blue-liner Jason Fram took home honours as the defenceman of the year for U Sports and was named a first team all-Canadian all-star. U of A left-winger Grayson Pawlenchuk was named to the U Sports all-rookie team.

    The title game for the University Cup is set for 6 p.m. local time Sunday at the Enmax Centre and will be shown live on Sportsnet 360 at 6 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

    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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Hounds’ Ross robs Rebels to close SFMAAAHL regular season

Kaitlyn Ross had a spectacular season for the Hounds.

    Kaitlyn Ross closed Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League regular season with arguably one of her best performances of the campaign.

    On Wednesday night at the Co-operators Centre in Regina, the 17-year-old Notre Dame Hounds veteran netminder was sensational making 50 saves to allow her squad to slip past the host Rebels 2-1. Notre Dame picked up the win while being outshot 51-22.

    The performance adds to a spectacular final regular season for Ross, where she posted a 10-6-1 record, 1.88 goals against average, a .942 save percentage and four shutouts. The Redcliff, Alta., product’s save percentage led the SFMAAAHL.

    Ross has committed to join the Mount Royal University Cougars women’s hockey team in the U Sports ranks next season.

    As for Wednesday’s win over the Rebels, the Hounds took a 1-0 lead at the 7:22 mark of the first period on a goal from Sophie Young with Claire Nimegeers picking up an assist. After 20 minutes, the shots on goal were even at 8-8.

Sophie Young had a goal for the Hounds on Wednesday.

    In the second period, the Rebels threw everything including the kitchen sink at Ross holding a 23-8 edge in shots on goal in the stanza. They finally beat the Hounds star goalie on a tally from star forward Lauren Focht with 1:53 remaining in the frame.
    Defender Larissa Bohlken picked up an assist on Focht’s goal.

    The Rebels kept applying the pressure in the third holding a 20-6 edge in shots on goal for the frame.

    Despite the best efforts by the host side, Hounds 17-year-old forward Raea Gilroy scored the winner for the visitors with 2:59 remaining in the third. Olivia Leier picked up the assist on Gilroy’s marker.

    Chantel Weller made 20 saves to take the setback in goal for the Rebels.

    The clash between the Hounds and Rebels wrapped up the regular season schedule for the entire SFMAAAHL. The two sides entered this encounter knowing the final result wouldn’t change any positioning in the SFMAAAHL standings.

    The Rebels finished second in the SFMAAAHL with a 17-7-4 record. That marked Regina’s highest regular season finish since last topping the SFMAAAHL standings back in the 2013-14 campaign with a 25-2-1 record.

    The Rebels will face the Melville Prairie Fire (10-16-2) in a best-of-five first round playoff series.

Lauren Focht scored for the Rebels on Wednesday.

    The Hounds finished fifth in the SFMAAAHL with a 12-13-3 record. They will take on the Prince Albert Northern Bears (17-9-2) in a best-of-five first round SFMAAAHL playoff series.
    The Rebels and Prairie Fire announced Tuesday the dates for their best-of-five series. It begins on March 7 at 8 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre. Game 2 follows on March 9 at 8 p.m. at the Horizon Credit Union Centre in Melville.

    The series shifts back to the Co-operators Centre for Game 3 on March 10 at 7:45 p.m.

    If necessary, Game 4 is slated for the Horizon Credit Union centre for March 12 at 7:45 p.m., and Game 5 is scheduled for the Co-operators Centre on March 14 at 8 p.m.

    The rest of the SFMAAAHL post-season series are set to begin around March 7.

    The SFMAAAHL has taken a short hiatus due to the fact many of the players on the circuit will be participating in the Canada Winter Games, which are currently being held in Red Deer, Alta. The Canada Winter Games conclude on March 2.

    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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Messier lifts Stars past Hounds

Ashley Messier reacts to her winning goal for the Stars.

    In a tight and physical game, Ashley Messier delivered the biggest blow with a rocket shot to deliver the Saskatoon Stars another victory.

    Facing the Notre Dame Hounds in a Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League regular season game at Merlis Belsher Place, the Stars entered the third period locked in a 0-0 tie.

    With nine minutes to play in the third period, Messier, who is skilled offensive defender, took a pass from defensive partner Emily Holmes, broke down the right wing of the Notre Dame zone and roofed home a rocket shot past Hounds star netminder Kaitlyn Ross. The 16-year-old’s tally was the only marker of the contest as the Stars held on for a 1-0 victory.

    “I just got the pass from Emily (Holmes) and went high,” said Messier. “I know that her glove is really good, so I just tried to stay away from that.”

    While Saturday’s encounter marked the first time the Stars and Hounds met in the regular season, they faced each other in the final of the Mandi Schwartz Memorial Tournament last Dec. 9. 

The Stars celebrate Ashley Messier’s winning goal on Saturday.

    As Notre Dame hosted that prestigious event, the Hounds were the host squad.

    The Stars prevailed in that contest 3-1, and Messier said the way Saturday’s game played out felt familiar to that tournament championship encounter.

    “It was pretty similar to our one at Mandi,” said Messier. “I would say they are always low scoring and hard fought games and that was just another one today.”

    Ross was outstanding in the Hounds net turning away 28 shots to take the setback in goal.

    Arden Kliewer turned away all 19 shots she faced picking up her sixth shutout win of the season in goal for the Stars. She has nine shutouts in her SFMAAAHL career.

Ashley Messier has 30 points this season for the Stars.

    Messier said the Stars were trying to do their best to screen Ross and make her move side to side to produce better scoring chances.

    “(We have to) make sure we do get the shots through, because they are good at blocking up top as well,” said Messier. “(We have to) make sure we have people at the net to get it in, because they are not always going to be really nice goals against a goalie like this.”

    Before Messier scored, the Stars looked like they were going to break the scoreless tie, while working on the power play. Stars captain Grace Shirley got the puck at the right side of the Notre Dame net, and she rang a backhand off the post.

    Shortly after Shirley’s chance with the game still tied at 0-0, the Hounds had a chance to score during a mad scramble in front of the Stars net, but Notre Dame couldn’t get the puck into the Saskatoon goal.

Kaitlyn Ross made 28 saves in goal for the Hounds.

    The Hounds checked the Stars incredibly tight, and Messier said Notre Dame clogged things up, when the Saskatoon skaters tried to bring the puck up through centre ice.

    “I would say that it is a more physical game, and the refs were letting a lot go, which was fine,” said Messier. “They (the Hounds) are patient and they trap.

    “They do set up a trap, so it is kind of hard to get around on, but we got there today.”

    Individually, Messier is having her best season. The 16-year-old third-year veteran has career highs in goals (five), assists (25) and points (30). She stayed modest taking her career highs in stride.

    “It is good,” said Messier. “It is nice to know that you are improving or doing better.

Captain Grace Shirley fires a shot on goal for the Stars.

    “It is not the most important thing, but it is nice.”

    With the win, the Stars improved to 24-1. They came into Saturday’s game having already locked up first place in the SFMAAAHL.

    The Hounds saw their five game winning streak come to an end as they fell to 11-10-3.

    The two sides go at it again on Sunday at 2:15 at Merlis Belsher Place.

    Following that game, the Stars close their regular season by traveling to Wilcox to play the Hound in two respective games on Feb. 16 and 17.

    Messier said playing the Hounds four straight times will help the Stars gear up for the post-season.

    “I’m assuming there will be a lot more games like this,” said Messier. “It is going to be hard fought right to the very end, which is going to be good for us going into playoffs.”

Bears’ Soyko moves to 10^th on SFMAAAHL career scoring list

Abby Soyko has 123 career regular season points.

    Prince Albert Northern Bears captain Abby Soyko hit a big personal milestone on Saturday.

    The skilled 17-year-old forward moved alone into 10^th place on the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League’s career regular season scoring list.

    Soyko hit the milestone teaming up with sister Allie Soyko to set up Kate Ball for the Bears first goal in a 11-0 victory over the Weyburn Richardson Pioneer Gold Wings at Crescent Point Place in Weyburn.

    Abby Sokyo also picked up a goal for a two-point night in the win. Over five seasons, Soyko has appeared in 134 regular season games recording 62 goals and 61 assists for 123 career points.

    She is two points clear of Taylor Woods and Emma Waldenberger, who sit tied for 11^th and 12^th spot on the all-time regular season scoring list.

    Woods appeared in 84 regular season games for the Notre Dame Hounds from 2008 to 2011 recording 55 goals and 66 assists for her 121 points. Waldenberger played 109 regular season games for the Regina Rebels from 2010 to 2011 posting 60 goals and 61 assists for her 121 points.
    Soyko is the Bears all-time leader in career goals and points.

Scout Anderson picked up her first career shutout on Saturday.

    In Saturday’s clash between the Bears and Gold Wings, 17-year-old forward Miranda Heidt had a pair of goals and five assists for the Bears. Jaydn Kushniruk had a pair of goals and two assists for Prince Albert, while Jasper Desmarais had a goal and three assists for the Bears.

    Ball finished with a pair of goals and an assist. McKenzie Mayo, Paige Dawson and Haley Kicia rounded out the Bears scoring with singles.

    Scout Anderson, who is a 14-year-old rookie, made 24 saves to earn her first career SFMAAAHL regular season shutout for the Bears (16-8-2). Daneka Dawson turned away 39 shots to take the setback in goal for Gold Wings (1-24-1).

    The Bears return to action on Friday, when they host the Regina Rebels at 7 p.m. at the Kinsmen Arena in Prince Albert.

    Weyburn travels to Swift Current this coming Saturday to face the Diamond Energy Wildcats at 7:45 p.m. at the Fairview Arena.

Prairie Fire upset Wildcats 5-2

Allison Hayhurst had a goal and an assist for the Prairie Fire.

    The Melville Prairie Fire brought an end to the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats eight-game winning streak with a big upset victory.

    On Saturday at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current, the Prairie Fire built a 2-0 lead after the first period, a 3-0 advantage after the second period and expanded their edge to 5-0 in the third. The Wildcats responded with two goals to make the final 5-2 in Melville’s favour.

    Starla Mann scored twice for the Prairie Fire, while fifth-year veteran defender Allison Hayhurst had a goal and an assist.

    Megan Hayhurst and Heather Fiske rounded out Melville’s scoring with singles.

    Sara Kendall and Kenedee Klevgaard replied with singles for the Wildcats.

    Cheyenne Jamieson made 28 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Prairie Fire (9-15-1).

    Amaya Girauder started and took the setback in goal for the Wildcats (14-10-1) turning away 15-of-20 shots sent her way. Harper Davey turned away all five shots she faced in relief entering the contest in the third period after Melville’s fifth goal.

    Wildcats star captain Taylor Lind, who leads the SFMAAAHL scoring race and is the circuit’s second all-time leading scorer, was held without a point for just the second time this season.

    The Prairie Fire and Wildcats go at it again on Sunday at 1:15 p.m. at the Fairview Arena in Swift Current.

    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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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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