Rebels’ Focht a great made in Regina story

Lauren Focht is the Rebels all-time leading scorer.

    Lauren Focht keeps piling up the highlights and milestones with her elite hometown team.

    On Tuesday at Crescent Point Place in Weyburn, Focht became the all-time leading scorer in regular season for her Regina Rebels female midget AAA hockey team. The skilled forward, who turned 18-years-old in January, picked up a goal and an assist as the Rebels thumped the host Richardson Pioneer Gold Wings 8-2 in a Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League regular season game.

    The effort gave Focht 66 goals and 56 assists for 122 points in 102 regular season games. That put Focht one point ahead of Emma Waldenberger for top spot on the Rebels all-time regular season scoring list.

    Waldenberger collected 60 goals and 61 assists for 121 points playing in 109 career regular season games for the Rebels from 2010 to 2014.

    Besides being the Rebels all-time leader in career points, Focht, who stands 5-foot-3, is also the Rebels leader in all-time career goals. Her 66 tallies ranks eighth on the SFMAAAHL all-time career regular season goals list.

Lauren Focht is the Rebels all-time leader in career goals.

    Focht’s 122 career points are good for 11^th place on the SFMAAAHL’s all-time career regular season points list. Over the Rebels final three games, she has a chance to move past former Saskatoon Stars captain Lauren Zary for 10^th on the SFMAAAHL’s all-time scoring list.

    Zary piled up 44 goals and 82 assists for 126 points playing 103 regular season games with the Stars from 2008 to 2012.

    Focht hasn’t just burst on the scene with the Rebels. She has produced consistent offensive numbers with the team over her four seasons never falling below 23 points in any campaign.

    This season, Focht currently sits second in team scoring with 14 goals and 22 assists for 36 points. Her assist total is a career high showing her playmaking abilities can be just as good as her scoring touch around the net.

    Focht is a Rebels co-captain along with gifted offensive defender Sydney Pedersen.

Actually, Focht doesn’t actively pay attention to her personal statistics and is more focused on team success. You get the feeling she relishes the fact she gets to be one of the sparkplugs that makes the deep Rebels machine go.

    Last season, the Rebels showed they were ready to play with Canada’s best in the female midget AAA hockey ranks. 

Lauren Focht been one of the Rebels most consistent players.

    They finished second in the SFMAAAHL with a 17-7-4 record, advanced to the league championship series and fell to a powerhouse Stars club that was loaded with superstar veterans.

    The Rebels gave the Stars their only regular season loss in the 2018-19 campaign.

    With another year of experience under their collective belts, the Rebels have already locked up first place in the SFMAAAHL with an impressive 26-1-1 record and they are Canada’s top rated female midget AAA hockey team according to the My Hockey Rankings site. The Rebels last topped the SFMAAAHL standings in the 2013-14 campaign.
    The current Rebels have a drive and self-belief that is powerful and beyond the teenage years of the players.

    In Tuesday’s win over the Gold Wings, the Rebels offensive output came from a number of sources. Pedersen and Neena Brick both had two goals and an assist. Kaylee Dyer had a goal and an assist, while Megan Hayhurst and Shaelyn Myers had singles.

    Alexis Petford had a pair of assists, while Penny Bellefontaine and Jasmine Lamotte had single assists.

    Jayden Baker and Lauren Demmans both had a goal and an assist for the Gold Wings.

Lauren Focht (#22) doesn’t actively follow her personal statistics.

    Payton Schlamp made 16 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Rebels. Veteran Chloe Burt turned away 49 shots to take the setback in net for the Gold Wings, who fell to 5-22-2.

    The Rebels return to action this coming Thursday, when they host the Battlefords Sharks at 8 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre.

    Brick, who has been Focht’s linemate for much of the current campaign, leads the SFMAAAHL in scoring with 28 goals and 27 assists for 55 points skating in her sophomore 16-year-old campaign.

    With all that noted, Focht has produced a great made in Regina story. Her family is talented in the game too, as older brother Carson has 31 goals and 20 assists in 55 regular season games with the Calgary Hitmen heading into WHL action on Friday.

    It is almost too bad Carson, who turned 20-years-old in February, didn’t play for the WHL’s Regina Pats.

    When the Rebels season wraps up, Lauren Focht will continue her hometown journey in hockey joining the University of Regina Cougars women’s hockey teams in the U Sports ranks. Focht’s addition is a huge addition for the Cougars.

Many more special moments could awaiting Lauren Focht and the Rebels.

    While it is a big jump to play in the U Sports ranks and success is in no way guaranteed, you have to love that the chance is there for the hometown product to do big things with her hometown university team.

    Until then, Focht and the Rebels are well positioned to make a memorable post-season. With the WHL’s Pats still going through a massive rebuild, Focht and her teammates can capture the imagination of the sports scene in “the Queen City” along with the Regina Pat Canadians, who topped the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League standings.

    Some more special hockey memories are just waiting to be made in the Saskatchewan capital.

    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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T-birds upset Golden Bears

UBC to face Huskies in Canada West final in Saskatoon

Thunderbirds G Rylan Toth stoned the Golden Bears. 

    A veteran from two Memorial Cup tournaments did in the University of Alberta Golden Bears.
    On Sunday before 1,408 spectators at the Clare Drake Arena in Edmonton, Alta., third-year netminder Rylan Toth made 40 saves to back his University of British Columbia Thunderbirds to a 2-1 victory over the host Golden Bears in a deciding Game 3 of a Canada West semifinal series.

    With the win, the Thunderbirds take the best-of-three set 2-1 in a monumental upset.

    The Golden Bears finished first in the Canada West Conference in the regular season with a 23-5 record and were rated fourth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings. They had won the last three straight Canada West titles and the David Johnston University Cup as U Sports national champions in 2018.

    The Thunderbirds were fifth in Canada West with a 9-14-4-1 record. They upset the Mount Royal University Cougars 2-1 in a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series to set up the semifinal series with the Golden Bears.

    Mount Royal was fourth in Canada West with an 18-8-0-2 record.

    On Friday, UBC posted a 3-2 overtime victory over U of A in Game 1 of that Canada West semifinal. Toth made 51 saves in that surprising outcome.

    The Golden Bears rebounded on Saturday taking Game 2 of the series by a convincing 6-1 final.

    That set the stage for Sunday’s series deciding Game 3. In that encounter, Golden Bears forward Steven Owre scored in the opening frame to give the host side a 1-0 lead.

    With 5:17 remaining in the second period, Thunderbirds third-year forward Austin Glover scored to put his squad on even terms at 1-1.

    Just 2:18 into the third period, third-year forward Tyler Sandhu tallied to put the Thunderbirds up 2-1. The visitors held tough to ensure that score would be the final outcome.

    The Golden Bears outshot the Thunderbirds 21-6 in the third and 41-19 over the entirety of the contest.

    Matt Berlin turned away 17 shots to take the setback in goal for the Golden Bears.

Tyler Sandhu scored the upset series winner for the Thunderbirds.

    Toth has started all six of UBC’s games in the post-season posting a 4-2 record, a 2.83 goals against average and a .923 save percentage.

    Before joining UBC, the 23-year-old Saskatoon product played three seasons in the WHL from 2015 to 2017 with the Red Deer Rebels and Seattle Thunderbirds.

    Toth was the Rebels starting goaltender when they hosted the 2016 CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup. He backed the Rebels into that year’s WHL Eastern Conference Championship series, where they fell to the eventual WHL champion Brandon Wheat Kings.

    In the Memorial Cup, Toth backstopped the Rebels into the semifinal contest, where they fell 3-1 to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.

    Following that season, Toth was traded to Seattle for his overage campaign. He helped Seattle win the WHL title in the 2016-17 campaign on a roster that contained star centre Mathew Barzal, who is now a member of the NHL’s New York Islanders, and defenceman Ethan Bear, who is a member of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers.

    Toth played in the 2017 Memorial Cup in Windsor, Ont., where Seattle bowed out with an 0-3 record.

    Having shocked the Golden Bears, the UBC Thunderbirds advance to the best-of-three Canada West Championship series to face the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

    The Huskies finished second in Canada West with a 22-4-2 record and are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings. U of S won all four head-to-head regular season encounters with UBC.

    The Huskies will host all three games of the Canada West title series. Game 1 is slated for this coming Friday at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place. 
    Game 2 follows this coming Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merlis, and if necessary, a series-deciding Game 3 is set for this coming Sunday at 7 p.m. at Merlis.

    U of S last won the Canada West title in 2016. UBC has never won the Canada West crown in men’s hockey.

    Both teams are guaranteed berths to the David Johnston University Cup, which is the U Sports men’s hockey national championship tournament. The U Sports national championship tournament is played in an elite-eight format. It runs from March 12 to 15 in Halifax, N.S.

Focht on verge of becoming Rebels all-time leading scorer

Lauren Focht is on the cusp of the Rebels all-time scoring record.

    Regina Rebels co-captain Lauren Focht captured a major team record and is on the cusp of getting another.

    On Saturday at the Co-operators Centre in Regina, Focht collected a goal and an assist as her Rebels blanked the visiting Saskatoon Stars 4-0 in a Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League regular season game. With her tally, the skilled forward, who turned 18-years-old in January, became the Rebels all-time leader in career regular season goals.

    Focht had 64 career regular season goals at the end of that contest to put herself one clear of the total of 63 posted by former Regina career goals leader Kennedy Bobyck, who played for the Rebels from 2014 to 2017.

    Allee Gerrard, Emma DeCorby and Tavia Terry all had singles for the Rebels on Saturday. Terry tallied into an empty net.

    Payton Schlamp made 26 saves to earn her fourth shutout of the campaign for the Rebels.

    Kaitlyn Cadrain turned away 34-of-37 shots to take the setback in goal for the Stars (12-13-3).

    On Sunday at the Co-operators Centre, Focht had a goal and an assist as the Rebels blanked the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats 5-0 in another SFMAAAHL regular season clash.

    The win allowed the Rebels to lock up first place in the SFMAAAHL with a 24-1-1 record. The Wildcats fell to 19-6-1 and are guaranteed to finish second.

    Alexis Petford had a goal and three assists for the Rebels. Neena Brick had a pair of goals and an assist for Regina. Shaelyn Myers had a single for the host side.

Lauren Focht is the Rebels all-time leader in career goals.

    Chantel Weller made 23 saves to pick up her fifth shutout win of the season for the Rebels.
    Cheyenne Jamieson turned away 27 shots to take the setback in goal for the Wildcats.

    With her performance over the Rebels last two games, Focht has 65 goals and 55 assists for 120 points in 101 career regular season games. She is tied for second on the Rebels all-time regular season scoring list with Bobyck.

    Bobyck had 63 goals and 57 assists for 120 points in 80 career games with the Rebels.

    Focht needs one more point to equal Emma Waldenberger as the Rebels all-time leading scorer in regular season play and two points to sit alone as the Rebels all-time leading scorer.

    Waldenberger piled up 60 goals and 61 assists for 121 points playing in 109 career regular season games with the Rebels from 2010 to 2014.

    Focht, who is a Regina product, has committed to play for the University of Regina Cougars women’s hockey team in the fall. Waldenberger played five seasons for the Cougars from 2014 to 2019.

    On Tuesday, Focht will have her first chance to become the Rebels all-time leading scorer, when they travel to Weyburn to face the 5-21-2 Richardson Pioneer Gold Wings at 7:30 p.m. at Crescent Point 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.

Stars’ number retirement further cements Clark as hero

Emily Clark, centre, with Anica Gauthier (#22) and Bridget Rezansoff (#17).

    For little girls in Saskatoon and area, Emily Clark is a larger than life hero.

    On Friday, Clark’s hero status received another big boost upwards when the Saskatoon Stars retired her #13 before their 4-3 Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League regular season setback to the league leading Regina Rebels.

    The skilled forward played three seasons for the Stars from 2009 to 2012 appearing in 82 regular season games collecting 45 goals and 46 assists for 91 points.

    Her best season came in her final campaign in 2011-12. During that season with the Stars, Clark appeared in 26 regular season game collecting 26 goals and 34 assists for 60 points.

    Clark’s 34 helpers are still a Stars record for most assists in one regular season. Her 60 points is still a team record for most points in one regular season, but it was matched in the 2017-18 campaign by Mackenna Parker, who tallied a club record 33 goals and 27 assists in 23 regular season games.

Emily Clark, left, and her father, Del Clark, watch her number get raised up.

    Little girls know Clark best from playing with Canada’s senior national women’s hockey team, which included winning a silver medal at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in February of 2018.
    They also know about her being a member of the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team that won an NCAA championship last season.

    When Clark makes appearances back in her hometown of Saskatoon, it helps connect the 24-year-old to her local area fans and makes her more real to them. As an added bonus, Clark is really good when it comes to interacting with children.

    The Stars did a great job with Clark’s jersey retirement night. Her young fans would have been in awe of her highlight package that was shown on the video scoreboard that was supplied by the Badgers communications department.

Emily Clark, centre, shakes hands with Rebels captain Sydney Pedersen.

    Clark’s goals on that video were incredible.

    It is hoped that one day number retirement ceremonies for female athletes like Clark will be a more common thing. At the moment, it isn’t common to see a sports team retire a number for a female athlete.

    During my time in media dating to beginnings in student media back in 1996, Clark’s number retirement was the first one I have attended for a female athlete. For as long as I have physically walked on Earth, Clark’s number retirement ceremony is the only one I have seen in person or on a video broadcast for a female athlete.
    Despite coming a long way over the last 20 years, female sports still fights an uphill battle for exposure. With the media cuts that have come down in Canada over the last 20 years, the will by management to cover female sports is close to nil unless a legend defeating tennis player like Bianca Andreescu comes along.
    Mainstream outlets are more concerned these days with focusing resources on conflicts in government politics.

Emily Clark, left, interacts with a couple of young fans.

    Even in Saskatoon, it is easy to list female athletes who should have a bigger following.

Libby Epoch, who is a fourth-year point guard for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team, should be a household name. She has been part of Canada’s national team system, but you would be hard pressed to find someone outside of Huskie Athletics who knows who she is.

    Berit Johnson is a third-year member for the U of S Huskies women’s wrestling team. Last season, she won a silver medal at the U Sports nationals and won a junior national title at the Canadian championships.

    At age 20, she has the potential to make big waves in her sport, but barely anyone knows anything about her outside her sport.

Emily Clark, left, is pictured with one of her fans.

    Netminder Jessica Vance from the U of S Huskies women’s hockey team has a big following from her hometown in Prince Albert, Sask., but she should still have a bigger profile than she does in Saskatoon.
    When any of these ladies does something significant and it gets attention, little girls see it and believe they can do that too and also have a positive impact on society.

    Locally, Clark is the female athlete from Saskatoon and area who has the biggest following.

    When little girls in Saskatoon and area encounter Clark, it is a big “oh wow” experience for them.

    That even goes for girls in their teenage years. Parker was a ball of happy mush when she equalled Clark’s Stars record for most points in one regular season, because Clark is her hero.

    After the Stars retired Clark’s number on Friday night, you can be sure there were a number of little girls who left Merlis Belsher Place that night believing they could do something great and special too.

Focht hits 60 in Rebels 5-2 victory

Lauren Focht scored her 60th career goal on Sunday.

    Lauren Focht hit another big career milestone before her Regina Rebels embarked on their Christmas break.

    On Sunday at the Art Hauser Centre, Focht netted her 60^th career regular season goal in her Rebels 5-2 victory over the host Prince Albert Northern Bears in a SFMAAAHL regular season contest. The 17-year-old star forward netted her milestone goal on a power play in the third period, which gave her club a 4-2 lead at that point in the contest.

    Alexis Petford and Neena Brick picked up assists on Focht’s 60^th career tally.

    Focht becomes just the 12^th player in the history of the SFMAAAHL to score 60 or more goals and just the third member of the Rebels to pull off that feat.

    Emma Waldenberger scored 60 career regular season goals in four campaigns with the Rebels from 2010 to 2014. Waldenberger also posted 61 career assists for a total of 121 points in 109 career regular season contests.

    She is the Rebels all-time leader in regular season points.

    Kennedy Bobyck scored 63 regular season goals over three campaigns with the Rebels from 2014 to 2017. She collected 57 assists for 120 points in 80 career regular season games.

    Focht is in her fourth full season with the Rebels, and has collected 45 assists and 105 points in 90 career regular season games with her hometown team. She is one of 19 players in the history of the SFMAAAHL to record 105 or more regular season points.

    In Sunday’s clash with the Bears, the Rebels took a 1-0 lead in the opening frame with a goal from Allee Gerrard.

Lauren Focht has 105 points in 90 career regular season games.

    Bears forward Paris Oleksyn replied with a pair of goals in the opening frame to give the host side a 2-1 advantage.

    Before the first period expired, Shaelyn Myers scored for the Rebels to force a 2-2 tie.

    Brick scored the only goal in the second period to give the Rebels a 3-2 advantage. Focht and Megan Hayhurst sealed a Regina victory with power-play goals in the third.

    Chantel Weller stopped 18 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Rebels, who top the SFMAAAHL standings with a 14-0-1 record.

    Janae Neufeld turned away 26 shots to take the setback in goal for the Bears.

    The Bears, who will host the Esso Cup national female midget AAA championship tournament in April of the new year, fell to 9-7-1, but they continue to sit third in the SFMAAAHL.

    Sunday’s contest finished off a stretch for the Rebels where they played three contests in less than 48 hours. They won all three of those games in regulation time.

    Both the Rebels and Bears now depart on their respective Christmas breaks.

    The Rebels return to regular season action on Saturday, Jan. 4 in the new year when they host the Battlefords Sharks (7-9) at 8 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.

    The Bears return to regular season play on Friday, Jan. 3 in the new year when they host the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats (11-1) at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser 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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    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.

Cheering for Dach to rock ’n’ roll in the NHL

Kirby Dach in action for the Blades last season.

    Kirby Dach is in the NHL and here is hoping he rock ’n’ rolls it in “The Show.”

    The Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., product is one of the rare players who has made it to the NHL on a full-time basis at age 18. The skilled centre will turn 19-years-old on Jan. 21 in the new year.

    Last season with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, Dach piled up 25 goals, 48 assists and a plus-15 rating in the plus-minus department in 62 regular season games. He netted five goals and three assists in the Blades 10 post-season games as they advanced to the second round of the WHL playoffs and fell 4-2 in a best-of-seven series to the eventual league champion Prince Albert Raiders.

    At the NHL Entry Draft that was held last June in Vancouver, B.C., Dach, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 197 pounds, was selected in the first round and third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. The national television cameras received a priceless picture of surprise and joy from Dach.

    After that selection, there were questions about whether Dach would return to the Blades for his 18-year-old campaign. In most cases, an 18-year-old can train all they want, but the body physically isn’t capable or is only starting to be capable of holding the strength and power that young athlete wants to build.

Kirby Dach has played 20 regular season games in the NHL this season.

    With that in mind, players that young are usually returned to junior instead of playing against other NHLers, who are built like fast, tank-like machines.

    If you are gifted at playing the sport, you can overcome the physical limitations of strength and power to play in the NHL at a young age.

    Dach is one of the most gifted 18-year-olds you will meet being both a great player on the ice and a super person off the ice. He is one of those that does really well in school too and is really bright.

    During an interview before last season’s playoffs, I asked Dach if he would like to be a hero in Saskatoon forever like Adam Brooks and Sam Steel are in Regina for their post-season exploits with the Pats and Glenn Gawdin and Tyler Steenbergen are in Swift Current for winning a WHL title with the Broncos in 2018.

    You could see the light go on in Dach’s head, and he admitted he wanted that. In total, he spent two full seasons in Saskatoon and part of the 2016-17 campaign with the Blades as an underage player. He was ready to what he had to in order to be part of something special with his team.

Kirby Dach in action for the Blades in February of 2017,

    The Blackhawks likely saw that characteristic too. That was probably another factor that helped Dach make it to the NHL.

    If an NHL team lays out a path for him to make it into the circuit, he is one of the few at age 18 that has the drive and the smarts to make it happen.

    As time has gone on, it is apparent the Blackhawks have had a love in with Dach. The signed him three-year, entry-level contract on July 8.

    He didn’t report to Blades training camp and went straight to Blackhawks training camp activities.

On Sept. 10, Dach was on the receiving end of a dirty hit during a game at a rookie tournament in Traverse City, Michigan, and was placed in concussion protocol.

    Despite that setback, the Blackhawks showed patience in allowing him to heal up and proceeded to give him an opportunity to show he was ready to stay with the NHL club.

    Dach has now played in 20 NHL regular season games with the Blackhawks posting five goals, five assists and a plus-one rating. He had points in five straight games during a stretch from Nov. 10 to 19 where he netted four goals and three assists.

    In Chicago, Dach is playing under a head coach in 34-year-old Jeremy Colliton, who can identify with Dach’s path through the game.

Kirby Dach in action for the Blades in 2017-18.

    Colliton, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 201 pounds, was a star at every level of minor hockey growing up in Blackie, Alta., and became a star in the WHL with the Prince Albert Raiders from 2001 to 2005. He was a two-time member of Canada’s world junior team and played for the gold medal winning super squad in the 2004-05 campaign that contained Sidney Crosby.

    While Colliton wasn’t a first round draft selection, he was taken in the second round and 58^th overall by the New York Islanders in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Colliton isn’t that far removed from all those experiences and can easily help Dach navigate all the ups and downs in joining professional hockey.

    Right from the time Dach was drafted, the Blackhawks allowed him to have his foot in the door. Dach saw the opportunity and is seizing it. That is a great thing for him.

    While supporters of the Blades would have loved to have Dach back in Saskatoon, you still have to be happy Dach is getting a real chance to make it in the NHL.

    On any major junior team on any single year in Canada, I estimate about three players on average will get the chance to play one game in the NHL. The NHL is a tough business that tends to give up on and cycle numerous players out of the league or even out of the game quickly.

    Former Blades standout defenceman Darren Dietz played four seasons in the professional ranks in North America from 2013 to 2017 before departing to the Kontinental Hockey League. 

Kirby Dach had 73 points for the Blades last season.

    During the 2015-16 campaign, Dietz played 13 NHL regular season games with the Montreal Canadiens recording one goal, four assists and a minus-one rating.

    He didn’t play himself out of the North American professional ranks but was cycled out of them for teams to focus on the next crop of draft selections and free agent signings.

    As a reminder, Dietz had a strong final campaign with the Blades in 2012-13 posting 24 goals, 34 assists and a plus-nine rating appearing in all of the club’s 72 regular season games.

    At age 26, Dietz is the captain of Barys Nur-Sultan of the KHL.

    Nikita Scherbak skated for the Blades as an import forward for one season in 2013-14 playing sensationally on a club that was at the start of going through a major rebuild after hosting the Memorial Cup the previous season. The Russian product piled up 28 goals, 50 assists and a minus-six rating in 65 regular season games.

    He was selected in the first round and 26^th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. After playing one more season of major junior with the Everett Silvertips, Scherbak played professionally for four seasons in North America starting in 2015-16 to this past season.

Kirby Dach taking advantage of his chance in Chicago.

    Scherbak played 37 regular season games in the NHL over that time with the Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings collecting six goals, two assists and a minus-eight rating. He returned home to play in the KHL this season at age 23 and is with his second club on that circuit in the current campaign.

    Tommy Vannelli, who was an offensive defenceman, was selected in the second round and 47^th overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He starred for two seasons in the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers from 2013 to 2015 to prepare for a career in the professional ranks.

    Following his time with the Tigers, Vannelli played three seasons in the North American professional ranks from 2015 to 2018 and never once skated in an NHL regular season or post-season game. After the 2017-18 campaign, Vannelli was out of hockey as a player at age 23.

    Emerson Etem joined the Medicine Hat Tigers as the skilled speed demon from Long Beach, Calif., as a 17-year-old in the 2009-10 campaign. 
    He had an amazing three season with the Tigers from 2009 to 2012 piling up 143 goals, 109 assists and a plus-78 rating in 202 regular season games. He was selected in the first round and 29^th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

    Including being a call up for the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch at the end of the 2011-12 campaign, Etem spent time over eight seasons in the North American professional ranks concluding with nine appearances with the AHL’s Ontario Reign last season.

Kirby Dach is one of the few 18-year-olds to play in the NHL.

    Etem skated in 173 regular season games in the NHL with the Ducks, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks recording 22 goals, 24 assists and a minus-seven rating.

    At age 27, Etem is working as a hockey coach in Medicine Hat and plays senior hockey in the White Mud Hockey League, where he has picked up seven goals and seven assists in three regular season games with the Cabri Bulldogs.

    You can go on and on listing players that were cycled out of the NHL quickly or played in the minor professional ranks and never saw the ice for an NHL regular season or post-season game.

    What Dach is doing at age 18 is incredible. Players never know when they will get a real chance to make the NHL.

    Dach is receiving his, and he is making the most of it at age 18. It should make you want to chant, “go Kirby go!”

Rebels’ Focht joins SFMAAAHL’s 100-point club

Lauren Focht in action with the Rebels last season.

    A one-assist game turned into a memorable outing for Regina Rebels captain Lauren Focht.

    On Sunday at the Co-operators Centre in Regina, the 17-year-old forward assisted on her team’s fifth goal scored by linemate Neena Brick in a 6-0 win over the Prince Albert Northern Bears. That assist allowed Focht to become the 21^st player in the history of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey league to score 100-or-more points in their regular season career.

    Starting in her rookie campaign in 2016-17, Focht has appeared in 87 regular season games collecting 57 goals and 43 assists for 100 points. She becomes the fifth member in the history of the Rebels to score 100-or-more points in SFMAAAHL regular season play along with Emma Waldenberger, Kennedy Bobyck, Chelsea Perepeluk and Delaney Frey.

    Waldenberger is the Rebels all-time leading scorer piling up 60 goals and 61 assists for 121 points in 109 regular season games played from 2010 to 2014.

Lauren Focht has 100 points in 87 regular season games.

    Brick scored twice on Sunday for the Rebels, and Focht registered her assist for her 100^th point on Brick’s second tally. Sydney Pedersen, Molly Flynn, Tavia Terry and Shaelyn Myers all had singles for the Rebels.

    Chantel Weller made 14 saves to pick up her third shutout of the season for the Rebels, who lead the SFMAAAHL with an 11-0-1 record.

    Janae Neufeld turned away 27 shots to take the setback in goal for the Bears (7-6).

    The Rebels return to regular season action on Friday, Dec. 20, when they travel to Saskatoon to take on the Stars at 7:30 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    The Bears return to regular season play on Saturday, Dec. 14, when they travel to Saskatoon to face the Stars at 2:15 p.m. at Merlis.

    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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Arnold OT hero for Stars in Game 1 of SFMAAAHL final

Calli Arnold netted the OT winner for the Stars on Saturday night.

    Calli Arnold stepped into the spotlight for the Saskatoon Stars on Saturday night.

    The 15-year-old sophomore winger netted the winning goal at the 3:26 mark of overtime to give the Stars a 2-1 victory over the Regina Rebels in Game 1 of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League championship series at Merlis Belsher Place. Game 2 of the best-of-five series is slated for Monday at 7:45 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.

    Arnold’s goal was her first tally of the playoffs with veteran linemates Anna Leschyshyn and Joelle Fiala picking up assists.

    Going into the post-season, Arnold, who is from Dodsland, Sask., had a breakout out year netting 12 goals and 15 assists appearing in all of the Stars 28 regular season games.

Chantel Weller made 29 saves in goal for the Rebels on Saturday.

    The Stars jumped out to a 1-0 lead in Saturday’s contest as offensive-defender Ashley Messier netted a power-play goal at the 2:12 mark of the first period.

    Veteran forward Lauren Focht, who turned 17-years-old in January, scored for Regina at the 14:48 mark of the opening frame to force a 1-1 tie.

    The goaltenders for both sides had stellar performances in the SFMAAAHL title series opener.

    Arden Kliewer made 32 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Stars. Chantel Weller turned away 29 shots to take the setback in goal for the Rebels.

    Saskatoon finished first in the SFMAAAHL regular season with a 27-1 mark, while Regina was second with a 17-7-4 record. The Stars won three out of the four head-to-head regular season games with the Rebels.

    Game 3 of the series is set for Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

Stars alums Clark and Shirley win NCAA title with Badgers

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Worth the wait. NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

A post shared by emclark.26 (@emclark.26) on Mar 24, 2019 at 6:26pm PDT

    Saskatoon Stars alums Emily Clark and Sophie Shirley experienced a career highlight they will never forget.

    On Sunday, the two skilled forwards helped the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team win their fifth National Collegiate Athletic Association title in team history. The top seeded Badgers blanked the second seeded University of Minnesota Golden Gophers 2-0 in the championship game of the women’s Frozen Four at the People’s United Centre in Hamden, Connecticut.

    Clark is a senior forward with the Badgers who was playing in her final NCAA career game. Shirley is a freshman with the Badgers.

    Both were held off the scoresheet in the championship final.

    Sophia Shaver and Annie Pankowski netted singles for the Badgers.

    Kristen Campbell, who is from Brandon, Man., made 27 saves to earn the shutout win in goal for the Badgers, who finished with a 35-4-2 overall record. Alex Gulstene turned away 30 shots to take the setback in goal for the Golden Gophers, who finished with a 32-6-1 overall record.

    Sunday’s win marked the first time the Badgers captured the NCAA title since 2011. A national championship in NCAA women’s hockey was first awarded in 2001.

    The Badgers blanked the fourth seeded Clarkson University Golden Knights 5-0 in a semifinal game on Friday. Clark had an assist in that contest.

    The Golden Knights won the NCAA title in each of the previous two years.

    Both Clark and Shirley are members of Canada’s national women’s hockey team program. Clark skates with the senior women’s team, and Shirley is a member of the national development team.

    Clark, who played for the Stars from 2009 to 2012, missed time at the beginning of the season due to an injured left leg. Skating in her fourth and final season with the Badgers, Clark has appeared in 34 overall games recording 14 goals, 14 assists and a plus-25 rating in the plus-minus department.

    Shirley, who played for the Stars from 2012 to 2015, had had an outstanding rookie season with the Badgers appearing in 41 overall games recording 20 goals, 18 assists and a plus-36 rating.

    The Golden Gophers blanked the Cornell University Big Red 2-0 in Friday’s other semifinal.

    Stars alum Willow Slobodzian is a sophomore defender for the Big Red. In 36 games with the Big Red this season, Slobodzian, who played for the Stars from 2014 to 2017, had four goals, eight assists and is a plus-22.

Willoughby captures Clarkson Cup with Inferno

All smiles from the 2019 Clarkson Cup Champs! pic.twitter.com/SgeQZAWTFh

— Hockey Hall of Fame (@HockeyHallFame) March 24, 2019

    Kaitlin Willoughby capped her rookie season as a professional hockey player in championship style.

    The speedy winger helped the Calgary Inferno win the Clarkson Cup as Canadian Women’s Hockey League champions with a 5-2 win over Les Canadiennes de Montreal in the circuit’s title game in Toronto, Ont., on Sunday.

    Willoughby wasn’t able to collect any points in Sunday’s final Ricoh Coliseum, but she still finished a year playing key minutes on a stacked Inferno squad this past season.

    The Inferno led Sunday’s clash with Les Canadiennes 2-0 after the first period and 3-2 after the second framed before cruising to a three-goal victory.

    Zoe Hickel scored twice for the Inferno, while Halli Krzyzaniak, Brianna Decker and Rebecca Johnston had singles. Ann-Sophie Bettez scored both goals for Les Canadiennes.

    Alex Rigsby turned away 25 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Inferno. Emerance Maschmeyer stopped 26-of-30 shots taking the setback in goal for Les Canadiennes.

    The Inferno topped the CWHL regular season standings with a 23-4-0-1 record. Les Canadiennes finished second with a 21-6-0-1 mark.

    Willoughby has appeared in 27 regular season games with the Inferno collecting one goal and five assists. On March 11, the 23-year-old forward from Prince Albert, Sask., who originally hails from Canwood, Sask., captained Canada’s women’s hockey team to a silver medal win at the FISU Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

    Canada fell 2-0 in the gold medal game to the host Russian side. In six games at the tournament, Willoughby had a goal, three assists and was a plus-five.

    Before joining the Inferno, Willoughby was a star for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team from 2013 to 2018 finishing as the squad’s second all-time leading scorer posting 50 goals and 61 assists for 111 points in 132 career regular season games.

    From 2008 to 2013, Willoughby appeared in 96 regular season games with the SFMAAAHL’s Prince Albert Northern Bears piling up 34 goals and 63 assists for 97 points.

    While playing for the Inferno and for Canada at the FISU Winter Universiade, Willoughby is competing her studies in nursing at the U of Saskatchewan.

    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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