Special mix pushed Huskies back into nationals

U of S women’s hockey team enjoyed a standout campaign

Jessica Vance, middle, enjoys a shutout win with the Huskies.

    Early on, it was apparent the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team might have something special going on in the 2017-18 season.

    During the first weekend of the pre-season last Sept. 8 and 9, the Huskies traveled to Athabasca, Alta., for a two-game series against the University of Alberta Pandas, who entered the campaign as the defending U Sports champions. The Huskies fell 3-2 after a tiebreaking shootout in the first contest and won the second outing 2-1.

    Those games provided an early sign that the Huskies wanted to get running right from the start. On a subjective level, it felt like they had a unity that was a step better than it had been the previous three campaigns. They seemed to have a great will to overcome any adversity that got in their way.

    The Huskies had 14 U Sports academic all-Canadians on their roster in 2016-17, and 11 of those player returned for this past season. To have that many academic all-Canadians on a hockey team roster is something that most teams don’t have.

Kaitlin Willoughby was an outstanding captain for the Huskies.

    The work ethic those players have in the classroom definitely transferred on to the ice. The rest of the team also shared that same drive in the classroom and on the ice even if the grades didn’t translate into a U Sports academic all-Canadian standing.

    As a result, the Huskies took off in 2017-18. Expected to finish around fourth or fifth in the Canada West standings like they had the three previous seasons, U of S didn’t crack into the U Sports Top 10 rankings until well into their playoff run.

    Outside expectations didn’t matter to those on the team’s inner circle, because the Huskies pushed through to finish second overall in the Canada West Conference with a 19-7-2 record. The 19 wins were a team record for the Huskies in the regular season.

    In the playoffs, they swept away the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series 2-0 at the ancient Rutherford Rink. The Thunderbirds had won the Canada West title in each of the previous two campaigns. The Huskies went 6-0 this season against the Thunderbirds.

    On top of advancing to the best-of-three Canada West championship series, the Huskies earned their third berth ever into the U Sports national championship tournament and first since 2014.

    U of S was swept out of the Canada West championship series 2-0 by the University of Manitoba Bisons in Winnipeg, Man.

Kennedy Harris was stellar as a defensive forward for the Huskies.

    At the U Sports national championship tournament that wrapped up Sunday in London, Ont., U of S defeated the Saint Mary’s University Huskies 2-1 in a quarter-final game before dropping a 2-1 decision to the host University of Western Ontario Mustangs in the semifinal round and falling by a 4-0 score to the Concordia University Stingers in the bronze medal game.

    The Bisons would win the U Sports title game 2-0 against the Mustangs.

    Going into the season, the biggest question surround the Huskies was who would replace graduated veteran Cassidy Hendricks as the team’s starting goalie. Little did anyone know at the start, the 2017-18 campaign would become the season of Jessica Vance.

    The 20-year-old, who transferred over from the Bisons, made her debut for the Huskies last Nov. 10 in Vancouver, B.C. The Prince Albert, Sask., product made 33 stops to earn a 2-0 shutout victory over the Thunderbirds.

Kira Bannatyne was consistently steady on the back end for the Huskies.

    Vance didn’t look back posting a 14-3-1 record, a 0.77 goals against average, a .964 save percentage and nine shutouts. She topped the conference in most wins, best save percentage and most shutouts to be named the MVP of the Canada West conference and a first team U Sports all-Canadian.

    Her shutout total equaled former University of Alberta Pandas netminder Stacey McCullough for the second most shutouts ever recorded in the Canada West Conference in one U Sports regular season. McCullough posted nine shutouts in the 2000-01 campaign.

    Lindsey Post, who is another former Pandas netminder, holds the Canada West record for most shutouts in one U Sports regular season at 10 recorded in the 2014-15 campaign.

    Thanks to Vance’s efforts, the Huskies posted 12 total shutouts as a team in the campaign to equal a Canada West Conference team record for one season. Chloe Marshall had two shutouts and Jasey Book had one shutout for the U of S. The Pandas also posted 12 shutouts coming in the 2008-09 campaign.

Kori Herner provided an uplifting presence on and off the ice.

    In front of Vance, the Huskies deployed a strong group of defenders who were adept at shutting things down in their own zone. The regular starting six of Morgan Willoughby, Emma Nutter, Leah Bohlken, Kayla Kirwan, Kira Bannatyne and Ava Thiessen were as sound as any group you can find in the country.

    The “all in” togetherness the Huskies displayed has to be credited to the team’s leadership group in star captain Kaitlin Willoughby, who was a second team Canada West all-star and a tournament all-star at the U Sports nationals, and assistant captains Kennedy Harris and Brooklyn Haubrich. Willoughby was an outstanding captain, and she topped the Huskies in scoring for the third time in her five-year career posting nine goals and 10 assists in 26 regular season appearances this past season.

    She had an inspiring lead by example presence, and her graduation leaves a huge crater of a hole to be filled next season.

    Fifth-year speedy winger Kori Herner’s departure will also provide a big void, because she provided a big upbeat and uplifting presence on and off the ice. The Huskies will also have to replace the consistency Harris brought as a defensive forward and Bannatyne brought to the back end as both also completed their fifth seasons.

    The Huskies had a young forward group that got better as the season progressed. Sophomore winger Emily Upgang appeared in all 28 regular season games finishing second in team scoring with seven goals and seven assists. Haubrich, who is in her third year and known for being feisty, had one goal and nine assists for a career high 10 points.

Victory celebrations were common for the Huskies in 2017-18.

    Sophomore forward Bailee Bourassa and rookie forwards Chloe Smith and Abby Shirley have tonnes of potential to grow offensively. Elizabeth Salyn, who was in her third year, and Danielle Nogier, who was in her sophomore season, have cemented roles as defensive forwards.
    The coaching staff led by head coach Steve Kook did an admirable job ensuring the team was ready night in and night out.

    Everyone on the Huskies roster added to the special vibe that helped them return to the Canada West championship series and qualify for nationals both for a third time.

    For those that return to the team next season, their challenge will be to recreate that vibe going forward to keep giving the Huskies a chance at post-season success.

    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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Former Stars shine for Huskies in U Sports quarter-final win

Kennedy Harris scored the winning goal for the Huskies on Thursday.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team turned to their Saskatoon Stars to get through the first round of U Sports’ “March Madness.”

    Trailing the second seeded Saint Mary’s University Huskies 2-1 in the second period of U Sports elite eight national championship quarter-final match on London, Ont., the alumnae of the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA hockey team took turns in making plays to help seventh seeded U of S rally for a 3-2 victory on Thursday.

    With 2:18 to play in the second period at the Thompson Arena, rookie winger Abby Shirley slipped home a shot from a bad angle past Saint Mary’s netminder Rebecca Clark to force a 2-2. Before joining U of S, Shirley helped the Stars win Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League championships in 2015 and 2016 and earn appearances in the Esso Cup national female midget AAA hockey championships in both of those years. The Stars won a bronze medal in 2015.

    Shirley played three seasons with the Stars from 2014 to 2017.

Abby Shirley scored the equalizer for the Huskies.

    After Shirley, who is the youngest Stars grad on the U of S roster at 18 years of age, netted the equalizer for U of S, the Dogs wearing the green and white turned to their eldest Stars grad for the game winner.

    With 8:22 to play in the third period and working on a power play, Shirley got the puck to fifth-year checking centre Kennedy Harris in front of the Saint Mary’s net, and Harris quickly fired the winning goal past Clark to give U of S a one-goal victory.

    Harris played for the Stars for two seasons from 2011 to 2013 and helped them reach the SFMAAAHL championship series in 2012. At age 22, Harris is the oldest grad from the Stars on the U of S roster by 23 days over fifth-year speedy winger Kori Herner.

    Herner had a chance to pot an insurance goal late in the third, but she was stopped on a short breakaway by Clark. Herner played two seasons for the Stars from 2011-13 and helped the reach the SFMAAAHL title series in 2012.

    Holding their one-goal edge, U of S faced adversity late in the third taking a penalty with about 11 seconds to play creating a defensive zone faceoff. Saint Mary’s pulled Clark for another attacker to hold a six-on-four advantage with the number of skaters on the ice.

Kori Herner just missed scoring for the Huskies late in the third.

    U of S lost the defensive zone faceoff, but sophomore defensive forward Danielle Nogier broke after the puck and sent it into the centre ice zone to prevent Saint Mary’s from having any scoring chances. Nogier played for the Stars for three seasons from 2013-16, which included helping the midget AAA club reach the Esso Cup tournament in her final two seasons with the squad.

    In the first period, U of S came at Saint Mary’s hard holding an 18-9 edge in shots on goal. The green and white jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a highlight reel goal from fifth-year star captain Kaitlin Willoughby, who is a graduate of the Prince Albert Northern Bears female midget AAA team.

    On a one-on-one rush, Willoughby got an angle on a Saint Mary’s defender and roofed a backhand shot past the defender and Clark.

    The game’s momentum changed at the 1:44 mark of the second period, when Saint Mary’s scored on a positive bounce goal to tie things up a 1-1. Defender Beatrice Harrietha shot a puck that deflected off feisty U of S centre Brooklyn Haubrich to Saint Mary’s forward Caitlin Pejkovic, who deflected the puck into the U of S net.

    Just past the midway point of the frame, Saint Mary’s went ahead 2-1 on a beautifully executed two-on-one rush. Fifth-year winger Laura Polak sent a beauty pass across the front of the goal to star Saint Mary’s captain Breanna Lanceleve, who knocked the puck into an empty cage.

Danielle Nogier made the last defensive play to seal the Huskies win.

    That set the stage for the U of S comeback.

    Jessica Vance, who was a first team U Sports all-Canadian all-star, turned away 29 shots to pick up the win in goal for U of S. Clark turned away 35 shots to take the setback in the Saint Mary’s net.

    Saint Mary’s University posted a 20-3-1 record during the regular season and a 4-1 mark in the Atlantic University Sport playoffs on route to winning a conference title.

    U of S finished second in the Canada West standings with a 19-7-2 record and were 2-2 in the Canada West playoffs. U of S fell to the University of Manitoba Bisons in the Canada West championship series.

    U of S advances to the “frozen four” portion of the U Sports national championship tournament to play in a semifinal match on Saturday. The green and white will face the host and third seeded University of Western Ontario Mustangs, who blanked the sixth seeded Universite de Montreal Carabins 4-0 in Thursday’s other quarter-final.
    The Mustangs posted a 17-5-2 record in the regular season and went 5-0 in the Ontario University Athletics conference playoffs to win the OUA conference title.  

Saskatchewan's @HuskieAthletics have beaten the @SMUHuskies, and advance to the Semi-Finals!

Les Huskies de la Saskatchewan ont vaincu les Huskies de Saint Mary's 3-2 et accèdent à la demi-finale de hockey féminin U SPORTS! Regardez-la en direct sur https://t.co/sy4IIJnkfs pic.twitter.com/nTCbfD05l4

— U SPORTS Hockey (@USPORTS_Hockey) March 15, 2018

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Upbeat and personable Herner closes out time with Huskies

Kori Herner celebrates scoring a goal for the Huskies.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kori Herner zips into the offensive zone with the puck.

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

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

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

Kori Herner is hugged by teammate Chloe Smith.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kori Herner sets up to fire a shot on goal.

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

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

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

Kori Herner gets ready to drive a shot on goal.

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

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

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

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

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

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Huskies send Thunderbirds packing in intense rivalry clash

Chloe Smith is mobbed by her linemates after scoring the series winning goal for the Huskies.

    It was a game that possibly foreshadowed a passing of the torch.

    In an intense rivalry clash against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, the leader of today and maybe the leader of the future gave the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team an emotional and hard fought victory at the ancient Rutherford Rink on Saturday afternoon.

    Captain Kaitlin Willoughby and rookie centre Chloe Smith delivered clutch second period goals to erase a 1-0 deficit and deliver the Huskies to a 2-1 victory in Game 2 of a Canada West semifinal series.

Kaitlin Willoughby had a big power-play goal.

    With the win, the Huskies sweep the best-of-three set 2-0. They advance to the best-of-three Canada West Championship series to play the winner of the other conference semifinal between the host University of Manitoba Bisons and the defending U Sports national champion University of Alberta Pandas. The Pandas lead that best-of-three series 1-0 going into play today.
    Between the regular season and playoffs, the Huskies won all six head-to-head meetings with the Thunderbirds.

    The Huskies also earn a berth into the U Sports national championship tournament to be held March 15 to 18 hosted by the University of Western Ontario Mustangs in London, Ont.

    “It feels pretty good,” said Smith. “Words can’t do it justice right now.

    “I think we are all pretty excited. We got in the spot that we wanted to be this year in second place. We battled through and finished off UBC, so I think everyone is pretty excited right now.”

    The Huskies victory over the Thunderbirds on Saturday was similar to a rivalry game from the Western Hockey League in the 1980s. There were all sorts of battles all over the ice, big hits, beaks and dives from the visitors.

    “We actually talked a bit before the game about our mental attitude,” said Willoughby about dealing with the intensity of the rivalry. “We have to stay positive.

    “Every so often we just have to check our emotions on the bench and say, “How are we feeling right now?” We have to make sure that we are staying positive, because when you think positive, I’m a believer that positive things will happen.

Saturday’s clash between the Huskies and Thunderbirds had a few hits.

    “That was our saying constantly. We just had to help each other out. From the beginning, we did that, and that is how we got through today. It was a battle out there. That was probably one of the hardest hockey games I’ve ever playing in my life.”

    Despite all the extra-curricular activities, the Thunderbirds, who won the last two straight Canada West titles, came out flying in the opening 15 minutes of the first period. At the 10:38 mark of the opening frame, Thunderbirds fifth-year defender Alexa Ranahan scored with a point shot through a screen to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

    With 8:33 to play in the first, the Thunderbirds held an 8-3 edge in shots on goal. The Huskies started to build momentum near the end of the frame working on a four-minute power play due to the fact Thunderbirds fifth-year left-winger Kathleen Cahoon received a double minor for butt ending a U of S player with her stick.

Jessica Vance made 27 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies.

    The Huskies didn’t score on that power play but held and 11-9 edge in shots on goal after the frame.

    Smith said the Huskies coaches settled things down in the first period.

    “I think everyone just had a lot of nerves,” said Smith. “We were up one game.

    “UBC was kind of getting under our skin a little bit. Our coaches came in and told the girls look, just calm down and play our game. We know how to play and that is what we did, so that is what changed for the second period and the third.”

    In the second, Willoughby and Smith delivered their heroic moments.

    At the 11:20 mark of the second, Willoughby one-timed a power-play goal from the left wing boards past Thunderbirds netminder Amelia Boughn to make the crowd at the Rutherford erupt. The Prince Albert, Sask., product’s goal tied things up at 1-1.

Emma Nutter had a big third period hit for the Huskies.

    Just over three minutes later, Smith drove into the offensive zone and blew home what would turn out to be the winning goal to give the Huskies a 2-1 lead.

    In the final seconds of the second, Huskies netminder Jessica Vance robbed Thunderbirds right-winger Cassandra Vilgrain to preserve the one-goal edge for the host side.

    “That first period was not a good period for us hockey wise and mental wise,” said Huskies head coach Steve Kook. “They pulled it together.

    “We have a heck of leadership group over there. Whatever they said and whatever they found within themselves to calm down or just play hockey, that is the female game.

    “You can get wrapped up in a whole bunch of stuff, but if you take care of the puck, then things generally work out, and that is what we did.”

    The intensity hit big heights in the third, but Vance held the fort making 27 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies. Fourth-year netminder Amelia Boughn turned away 25 shots to take the setback in goal for the Thunderbirds.

A scrum breaks out at the end of the game in front of the Huskies goal.

    The physical play kept up as Thunderbirds fourth-year centre Logan Boyd hit Huskies fifth-year defender Kira Bannatyne early in the third, and Huskies physical third-year defender Emma Nutter wiped out Cahoon near the midway point of the frame.

    As the clock ticked to zero, a huge scrum developed in front of the Huskies goal, which included Willoughby exchanging words with Thunderbirds centre Mathea Fischer.

    Smith said the Huskies received huge leadership from their captain.

    “Kaitlin (Willoughby) has been leading our team all season long,” said Smith. “She is an unreal captain.

    “She is hands down unreal on the ice. She always creates plays and helps out our team. On and off the ice, she is always a voice in the dressing room and gets our spirits up.

The Huskies alums cheer on the current Huskies.

    “She is a fantastic captain, and it is nice to have her on our side.”

    Willoughby was happy to see Smith net the game winner.

    “It was awesome,” said Willoughby. “I love seeing girls like that score.

    “Everyone is a great contribution to our team, and they are the reasons that we are here. Chloe (Smith), she has had lot of chances in the games, and I was so glad that she could capitalize on that tonight.”

    Willoughby is one of four players remaining on the Huskies that was part of the Canada West championship winning team from the 2013-14 campaign that also won a bronze medal at U Sports nationals.

The Huskies celebrate their series sweep over the Thunderbirds.

    The others include Bannatyne, who had a number of shot blocks and broke up a few scoring chances on Saturday, and checking centre Kennedy Harris and speedy right-winger Kori Herner.

    The Huskies captain is looking forward to what is ahead.

    “It feels amazing,” said Willoughby. “I think it feels even better than the first time.

    “I’m so excited. Emotions are high right now, but it is all settling in, and I couldn’t be happier right now.”

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Sister Act – Willoughbys deliver memorable win to Huskies

Morgan Willoughby celebrates her winning goal for the Huskies.

    In one of the only times they can remember, the Willoughby sisters combined to create a heroic moment on the ice.

    On Saturday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, it appeared seniors’ night was going to have a sombre tone for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team. The Huskies held a 2-0 lead over the defending U Sports national champion University of Alberta Pandas heading into the third period before the visitors mounted a comeback.

    Pandas star centre Alexandra Poznikoff scored her 12^th of the season while being hauled down from behind on a breakaway to cut the Huskies lead to 2-1. The scoring chance was created by a centre ice zone turnover by the Huskies.

Morgan Willoughby scored her second goal of the season.

    With 2:09 to play in the third, the Pandas caught the Huskies on a bad line change, and U of A fifth-year centre Deanna Morin blew home the equalizer past U of S netminder Jessica Vance to force a 2-2 tie.

    On the ensuing shift, the Willoughbys took control. Star fifth-year captain Kaitlin Willoughby drove hard to left post of the Pandas goal and found younger sister Morgan Willoughby with a beauty backhand pass heading alone towards the U of A goal backdoor down the right wing.

    Morgan blew home a shot for her second goal of the season past Pandas netminder Dayna Owen with 1:49 to play in the frame to the delight of most of the 323 spectators in attendance. The third-year defender’s tally held up as the winner in a 3-2 victory for the Huskies in the U Sports regular season clash.

    “It felt pretty good,” said Morgan. “Obviously as a defenceman, you don’t expect a lot out of yourself to get many points in a year, so it always feels extra special when I do get to score a goal.

    “Kaitlin drove down the middle of the ice, and I just saw that nobody saw me coming backdoor. I called for it, and I was praying that she heard me, and it was a perfect pass for me to get a goal.”

Kaitlin Willoughby set up her younger sister for the Huskies winning goal.

    Morgan’s goal created an upbeat night for the Huskies, who were honouring their fifth-year veterans in Kaitlin, Kira Bannatyne, Kennedy Harris and Kori Herner. After the game, the foursome took a number of photos on the ice with family, and they attended a team fifth-year dinner function later that night.

    Kaitlin, who plays right wing, was pumped she could find her sister in a critical moment.

    “I couldn’t honestly think of a better ending than me and Morgan scoring that goal together and having my family all in that stands right there too,” said Kaitlin. “In the corner of my eye, I could see Morgan, and she was calling really loud.

Kori Herner had a big night scoring twice for the Huskies.

    “I was like you know what I could go for the shot or else I could slide it over to her. I trusted in her, and it worked.”

    Growing up first in Canwood playing minor hockey together before moving to Prince Albert to play for the Northern Bears female midget AAA team, Kaitlin, who is 22-years-old, said she never had a magical on ice goal moment like what happened in Saturday’s game with Morgan, who is 20-years-old. That mainly comes from the fact Kaitlin plays forward, while Morgan is on defence.

    “That was like the textbook like connecting play,” said Kaitlin. “We’ve never scored a game-winning goal like that together. It was awesome.”

    Herner also had a big night for the Huskies. At the 3:18 mark of the first period, winger Emily Upgang passed the puck from behind the Pandas net to Herner, who was alone in front of the goal. Herner’s initial shot was stopped, but she backhanded home her rebound to give the Huskies a 1-0 edge.

Huskies D Kira Bannatyne (#20) battles Pandas C Alexandra Poznikoff.

    Just 46 seconds into the second, the speed winger blew past a Pandas defender down the left wing, cut to the front of the U of A goal and tucked home a shot between Owen’s legs to give the Huskies a 2-0 edge.

    Before the game, Herner was telling a couple of her teammates she was looking to break a 14-game goalless drought. Before scoring twice on Saturday, the Kindersley product’s last goal came back on November 17, 2017 in Edmonton, when the Huskies dropped a 3-1 decision to the Pandas.

Goalie Jessica Vance dives to keep a puck away from her goal.

    “Before the game, I looked at Smitty (Chloe Smith) and Liz (Elizabeth Salyn) and I was like I hadn’t scored since we played Alberta last, so I am going to go out and put it in,” said Herner. “I did it once.

    “Liz was like you are going to go again. It just happened. I just finally had luck.”

Herner was pumped her team could pull off a dramatic finish to get the win.

    “For my fifth year ending off my career here, it was a really special moment,” said Herner. “It was unbelievable.”

    The Pandas had the Huskies pinned in their zone for much of the third period holding a 21-5 edge in shots on goal for the frame. Vance came up with a number of huge saves to prevent the Pandas from getting more than the two goals they collected in the stanza. The Prince Albert product turned away 35 shots overall to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies.

Deanna Morin scored for the Pandas to tie the game at 2-2 late in the third.

    Owen turned away 19 shots to take the setback in goal for the Pandas.

    With the win, the Huskies keep their hopes alive for finishing in one of the top two spots in the Canada West Conference and earning a bye in the playoffs to host a best-of-three conference semifinal series.

    The Huskies sit tied with the Pandas for third and fourth place in the conference with 52 points in the standings. In the Canada West women’s hockey standings, teams earn three points for regulation wins, two points for extra time wins and one point for extra time losses.

    The Huskies are 17-7-2 and have collected their 52 points from 16 regulation wins, one extra time win and two extra time setbacks. The Pandas, who are rated first in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, are 18-5-3 and have collected their 52 points from 13 regulation wins, five extra time wins and three extra time setbacks.

Kori Herner celebrates her first of her two goals.

    The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, who are rated fifth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, have an 18-5-3 record and sit second in Canada West with 53 points build from 14 regulation wins, four extra time wins and four extra time setbacks.

    The University of Manitoba Bisons, who are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, have a 20-5-1 record and top the Canada West standings with 58 points built from 17 regulation wins, three extra time wins and one extra time setback. The Bisons need to earn just one more point in the standings to clinch at least a second place finish in Canada West and two points to lock up top spot in the conference.

Huskies RW Kaitlin Willoughby, right, breaks past Pandas D Taylor Kezama.

    All teams in Canada West have two regular season games remaining on their respective schedules.      The Thunderbirds and Pandas finish the regular season playing each other on back-to-back nights this coming Friday and Saturday in Edmonton.

    The Huskies close their regular season schedule by traveling to Calgary to face the Mount Royal University Cougars, who sit fifth in Canada West with a 10-15-1 record, on back-to-back nights this coming Friday and Saturday.

    The Willoughby sisters had about 40 family members in attendance in Saturday’s win against Pandas to see Kaitlin’s final regular season home game.

The Huskies salute the crowd at Rutherford after their win.

    Kaitlin was sentimental on Saturday, but she said she is expecting her team to make a long post-season run that includes making an appearance at the U Sports women’s hockey nationals that run March 15 to 18 in London, Ontario.

    “I said just to all of them like I want to thank you all for how much they support me, because I’ve honestly received so much support from them throughout the five years,” said Kaitlin. “I was like but I am not saying it is over.

    “You guys come see all my playoff games. I’m saying thanks now, because it is a very sentimental night, but at the same time, it is like I know we still have a lot of hockey left. We’re playing until mid-March. I know that for sure. We are going for it.”

Cooke captures saves milestone, Dogs fall to Golden Bears

Jordon Cooke sits second all-time on the Huskies career saves list.

    Star netminder Jordon Cooke moved up to second on the all-time career saves list for the U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team, but the Huskies still saw their losing streak increase to four games.

    On Saturday before 1,881 spectators at the Clare Drake Arena in Edmonton, Cooke made 27 saves as his Huskies fell 3-1 to their “Forever Rivals” the University of Alberta Golden Bears in a U Sports regular season clash. The Golden Bears, who are rated third in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, have won six in a row to improve to 22-3-1.

    They locked up first place in the Canada West Conference with their win over the Huskies on Saturday.

    With his performance on Saturday, Cooke now has 2,333 career saves in his four campaigns with the Huskies and he sits second on their all-time career saves list. He moved past Jeff Harvey, who now sits third on the Huskies all-time career saves list with 2,308 stops. Harvey played for the Huskies from 2005 to 2010.

    Ryan Holfeld, who played for the Huskies from 2010 to 2015, tops the Huskies all-time career saves list with 2,602 stops.

    In Saturday’s clash, Tyson Baillie scored for the Golden Bears in the first period and Steven Owre tallied in the second period to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.

    Gritty forward Parker Thomas scored his seventh of the season at the 3:23 mark of the third for the Huskies to cut the Golden Bears edge to 2-1.

Parker Thomas had the Huskies lone goal on Saturday in Edmonton.

    Owre added his second of the contest at the 12:53 mark of the third to round out the two-goal win for U of A. The Rocklin, Calif., product picked up an assist on the Golden Bears first tally to finish with a three-point night.

    Brendan Burke turned away 28 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Golden Bears.

    The end of the game had some excitement as Golden Bears head coach Serge Lajoie was given a game misconduct for not controlling his bench. Golden Bears forward Cole Sanford was given a cross-checking penalty at that time, while Huskies offensive defenceman Jesse Forsberg was given a 10-minute misconduct.

    The Huskies, who are rated fifth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, fell to 18-7-1 to remain second in Canada West. The Huskies need to earn two more points in the standings over their final two regular season games to lock up a second place finish in Canada West and earn a bye in the playoffs to host a best-of-three conference semifinal series.

    The University of Manitoba Bisons, who are rated 10^th in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, have won five straight to sit third in Canada West three points behind the Huskies with a 16-8-2 record. The Bison have two games remaining on their regular season schedule.

    U of S can’t finish any lower than third in Canada West.

    The Huskies close their regular season schedule by hosting the Mount Royal University Cougars (12-12-2) in back-to-back nights this coming Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. each night at the Rutherford Rink.

    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 too tough for T-Birds

The Huskies and Thunderbirds engaged in a battle on Saturday night.

    If anyone doubted the physical and mental toughness of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team, those doubts were buried under the falling rust of the ancient Rutherford Rink on Saturday night.

    The Huskies engaged the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, who are rated third in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, in a classic physical playoff style game, where you almost forgot that bodychecking is against the rules in women’s hockey. The two sides battled to a 1-1 tie after regulation and remained deadlocked after two five-minute overtime periods.

    In a tiebreaking shootout, Huskies captain Kaitlin Willoughby scored the only goal to give the Huskies a 1-0 win in the draw breaking session and a 2-1 victory in the U Sports regular season contest. The Huskies blanked the Thunderbirds 2-0 on Friday night, so it was expected the UBC squad would come with a serious push back.

The Huskies and Thunderbirds engaged in a lot of scrums on Saturday.

    The Huskies handled that push back on all fronts and claimed all four head-to-head regular season meetings with the Thunderbirds in the current campaign.

    Games between the Huskies and Thunderbirds had always been pretty heated, as the two sides have developed a pretty hot rivalry. Fifth-year Huskies centre Kennedy Harris said her side was pretty pumped to sweep all four games in the season series.

    “It is unreal,” said Harris. “We’ve beat them all four games this year, so it is pretty special.

    “We have something special in that dressing room. It is definitely exciting, and we can just build on that.”

    Saturday’s encounter began with a little gamesmanship with the Thunderbirds stepping on the ice after the Huskies and skating by their pre-game huddle. Usually, the visiting team steps on the ice first at Rutherford.
    The physical aspect took shape early when about a minute into the game Thunderbirds centre Mathea Fischer nailed Willoughby with a hip check.

The Huskies and Thunderbirds battle along the boards.

    The Huskies star winger was run later in the opening frame by Thunderbirds right-winger Cassandra Vilgrain.

    The Huskies came with the physical play too in the opening 20 minutes as fifth-year defender Kira Bannatyne nailed Thunderbirds left-winger Emily Costales.

    Both teams ended up with seven power play chances in the contest. There were spots where it appeared the officiating crew was overwhelmed by the intensity of the contest.

    “This group in here we were able to motivate ourselves and get back up and just be the bigger team there I guess,” said Harris.

A Huskies forward gets roughed up by a Thunderbirds player.

    The Thunderbirds took a 1-0 lead with three minutes to play in the second, when right-winger Hannah Clayton-Carroll fed a nice setup pass to centre Logan Boyd who potted her sixth goal of the season.

    As 48 of the 96 regular season games in the Canada West Conference for women’s hockey have ended in shutouts this season, it seemed like Boyd’s tally could be the different in Saturday’s clash.

    The Huskies weren’t deterred by the deficit.
    They came out hard in the third period and outshot the Thunderbirds 12-5 in the frame.
    With 7:25 to play in the third and working on the power play, Harris spotted a loose puck at the right side of the UBC goal and knocked home her second of the season to force a 1-1 tie.

    “I don’t think the goalie had a clue where it was, so it was nice to sneak one in there,” said Harris. “We needed it at that moment. It was good.”

Morgan Willoughby was a force in the physical game.

    Before the third period ended, Huskies defender Morgan Willoughby, who is Kaitlin’s younger sister, threw arguably the hit of the night, when she sent Clayton-Carroll flying through the air with a hip check.

    In the first overtime period, it appeared the Huskies would be in trouble when third year defender Leah Bohlken was given a bodychecking penalty.
    The hosts killed off the infraction and controlled the two extra sessions from there.

    “It is always tough coming off a penalty, but our PK has been so good all year,” said Harris. “It obviously motivates you to just push a little harder back.

    “It is obviously tough getting it early in the period, but we definitely handled it pretty well I think.”

    Jessica Vance turned away 21 shots over 70 minutes and all three shooters she faced in the shootout to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies.

Kennedy Harris netted the equalizer for the Huskies.

    Amelia Boughn turned away 39 shots over 70 minutes and two of three shooters she faced in the shootout to take the setback in goal for the Thunderbirds.

    With the win, the Huskies (16-7-1) move into a tie with the Thunderbirds (16-5-3) for third place in the Canada West standings with 48 points.
    The Huskies earned their 48 points from 15 regulation victories, an extra time win and an extra time loss.
    The Thunderbirds have their 48 points from 13 regulation victories, three extra time victories and three extra time losses.

    In Canada West women’s hockey, teams earn three points in the standings for regulation wins, two points for extra time wins and one point for an extra time loss.

Kaitlin Willoughby finished the night with a signature goal celebration.

    Both the Huskies and Thunderbirds trail the defending U Sports national champion University of Alberta Pandas (17-5-3) by two points for second place.

    The Pandas, who sit first in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, have 50 points in the standings coming on 13 regulation wins, four extra time wins and three extra time losses.

    The Huskies return to action this coming Friday when they host the Pandas at 7 p.m. at the ancient Rutherford Rink.
    Before focusing on the Pandas, Harris said her team was going to take time to enjoy what the accomplished against the Thunderbirds.

    “We can definitely take the chance to celebrate this one,” said Harris. “It is exciting.

    “We will just build and take that into next weekend and into practices this week.”

Dogs drop 3-1 heartbreaker in Vancouver

MacKenzie Johnston scored for the Huskies on Saturday.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team’s hope of capturing first in the Canada West Conference for a third straight year took a hit on Saturday night.

    Taking on the host University of British Columbia Thunderbirds at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver, the Huskies saw a 1-0 first period lead fade away into a 3-1 setback in a U Sports regular season match.

    Defenceman MacKenzie Johnston scored to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead at the 8:05 mark of the first period with right-winger Josh Roach and centre Logan McVeigh picking up assists. From that point, the Thunderbirds went on to gut out a sixth straight victory.

    Thunderbirds rearguard Riley Guenther netted the equalizer at the 2:30 mark of the second period to force a 1-1 tie. Defenceman Jerret Smith potted a single to put the Thunderbirds up 2-1 at the 3:24 mark of the third. Forward Chase Clayton sealed the 3-1 victory UBC with an empty-net tally inside of the final five seconds of the third.

    Jordon Cooke turned away 27-of-29 shots to take the setback in goal for the Huskies. Rylan Toth stopped 27 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Thunderbirds.

    The Thunderbirds improved to 14-9-1 to sit fourth in Canada West.

    The Huskies fell to 18-5-1 to sit second in Canada West four points behind the first place U of Alberta Golden Bears (20-3-1). The Huskies are rated third in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, while the Golden Bears are rated fourth.

    The Golden Bears can’t finish any lower than second in Canada West, and due to that fact, they have a bye locked up into a best-of-three semifinal series in the Canada West playoffs.

    Both the Huskies and Golden Bears have four games remaining on their respective regular season schedules. They meet head-to-head this coming Friday and Saturday in Edmonton.

Shmyr nets 100^th goal in Blades shootout win

Braylon Shmyr scored his 100th career goal on Saturday.

    Overage left-winger Braylon Shmyr netted a big milestone in a barnburner of a win for the Saskatoon Blades.

    Shmyr had a goal and an assist to help power the Blades to a 4-3 victory after a tiebreaking shootout over the Prince George Cougars in a WHL regular season clash on Saturday night before 3,817 spectators at the SaskTel Centre. Shmyr’s tally was his 100th career regular season goal dating back to his time with the Brandon Wheat Kings.

    With the Cougars leading 3-2 late in the third period, Shmyr assisted on Max Gerlach’s goal that tied the game up at 3-3 with under 40 seconds to play in the third. Gerlach’s goal came about 16 seconds after Blades feisty forward Caleb Fantillo had his potential game-tying goal wiped out after a video review that ruled he scored by knocking the puck in with a high stick.

    Saskatoon claimed the tiebreaking shootout 2-1 after it went six rounds. Kirby Dach and Josh Paterson scored for the Blades, while Ilijah Colina tallied for the Cougars.

    During regulation time, Paterson had the Blades first goal, while Joel Lakusta, Colina and Ryan Schoettler replied with singles for the Cougars.

    Tyler Brown turned away 36 shots and five-of-six shooters in the shootout to pick up his first win in goal for the Blades after being acquired before the WHL’s trade deadline on Jan. 10 in a deal with the Regina Pats.

    Isaiah DiLaura turned away 35 shots and four-of-six shooters in the shootout to take the setback in goal for the Cougars, who saw their record move to 18-24-4-4 to sit in the basement of the WHL’s Western Conference.

    The Blades improved to 25-23-2-1 to sit in the second wildcard spot in the WHL’s Eastern Conference, and they are two points back of the Memorial Cup hosting Pats (25-21-5) for the first wildcard spot. The Prince Albert Raiders (20-20-7-2) trail the Blades by four points and the Pats by six points in the Eastern Conference wildcard race and have two games in hand on both clubs.

    The Blades return to action on Wednesday, when they host the Red Deer Rebels at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    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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