Huskies find magic in unique and special season

Women’s hockey squad ventures on in playoffs

The Huskies celebrate a goal earlier this season.

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Hockey team is leaving a mark on a season that is like no other.

A year ago at this time, players were focusing on university assignments and exams. They never even got to play a game in the 2020-21 campaign as it was cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that still grips the world.

On top of that, they were kicked out of their home rink as Merlis Belsher Place was serving as a potential field hospital in waiting and was being used to administer COVID-19 vaccine shots.

Now fast forward to this past Saturday. The Huskies were playing in Winnipeg, Man., and they blanked the host University of Manitoba Bisons 3-0 in Game 2 of a Canada West quarter-final playoff series.

That win allowed the Huskies to sweep the best-of-three set 2-0 to advance in the U Sports playoffs. They overcame an opponent they weren’t able to beat in the four head-to-head encounters in the regular season.

The Bisons finished fourth in the Canada West regular season standings with a 13-7 mark just ahead of the Huskies who were 11-7-2.

Thanks to those playoff wins over the Bisons, the Huskies were back in Merlis Belsher Place this week conducting practices preparing for their best-of-three Canada West semifinal series against the Mount Royal University Cougars in Calgary, Alta.

The Cougars topped the Canada West regular season standings with a 16-2-2 mark.

Bailee Bourassa led the Huskies in scoring this season.

Game 1 of the series is set for Friday (8 p.m. Saskatchewan time, HuskieFAN.ca), and Game 2 follows on Saturday (7 p.m., Saskatchewan time, HuskieFAN.ca). If necessary, Game 3 will be held on Sunday (7 p.m. Saskatchewan time, HuskieFAN.ca). All of those contests will be played at the Flames Community Arena.

Going into the 2021-22 campaign, the Huskies likely didn’t know what to expect. In late August of 2021, they moved back into Merlis Belsher Place, so they had at least the security of knowing they were going to be in their home rink.

Still, they never knew if the rug was going to be pulled out from under them on the COVID-19 front and the season would grind to a halt. With that noted, there was a sense of purpose from the Huskies and the rest of the teams in the conference to push through with the campaign to keep the Canada West Conference relevant.

That was true for the teams in men’s hockey along with that teams that play in all the various other sports under the conference’s umbrella.

With that noted, you have to suspect long time Huskies head coach Steve Kook had some sleepless nights navigating the program through the unique ups and downs of the COVID-19 pandemic since the middle of March of 2020. Kook would collect his 200^th career win in the 2021-22 campaign.

Going into the season, the Huskies would also be searching for a new identity on the ice since last playing a game in February of 2020, when they were eliminated from the U Sports playoff picture. Following the 2019-20 campaign, the Huskies lost eight players due to graduation.

Camryn Drever earned her first two U Sports playoff wins.

After losing a whole season, the Huskies had players contemplating life decisions, which including moving on from playing the sport of hockey. Out of the four players from the 2019-20 campaign who were playing their fourth years of eligibility on the team, only forward Bailee Bourassa came back to play her fifth and final season of U Sports eligibility.

She elected to pursue her master’s degree in nursing, while taking on the role of captain for the Huskies.

Forward Abby Shirley is the only player on the Huskies roster skating in her fourth year of eligibility.

The presence of Bourassa and Shirley helped give a steady hand to a younger generation of players looking to make their mark with the program.

Bourassa led the team in scoring with seven goals and four assists appearing in all of the Huskies 20 regular season games. Shirley skated in 18 regular season games collecting five goals and four assists.

Last Friday, Shirley arguably had her greatest on ice moment with the Huskies netting her first career U Sports hat trick in a 4-2 victory over the Bisons in Game 1 of their Canada West quarter-final series in Winnipeg.

The younger generation stepped up too as third-year forward Kennedy Brown had the Huskies lone other tally that proved to be the game winner breaking a 2-2 tie with four minutes remaining in the third period.

In the Huskies 3-0 series clinching victory in Game 2 against the Bisons this past Saturday, the U of S side received singles from third-year forward Sophie Lalor, rookie defender Brooklyn Stevely and Brown.

Abby Shirley picked up her first career U Sports hat trick.

During those two playoff wins, rookie defenders Larissa Bohlken, Kendra Zuchotzki and Emily Holmes have each picked up a pair of assists.

The Huskies also have an ace card to play in third-year netminder Camryn Drever. While she didn’t have any U Sports playoff starts going into the 2021-22 season, the Edmonton, Alta., product is an experienced post-season performer.

Before joining the U Sports ranks, Drever was the star goaltender for the St. Albert Slash, and she backstopped them to two straight Esso Cup titles as national under-18 AAA hockey champions in 2017 and 2018. She earned a reputation as a clutch player in those runs.

The Huskies series sweep over the Bisons marked Drever’s first two post-season wins at the U Sports level. She made 18 saves in the Huskies Game 1 victory and 21 stops for the shutout in the Huskies Game 2 win.

During the regular season, Drever appeared in 16 games posting an 8-7-1 record, a 1.49 goals against average, a .939 save percentage and two shutouts.

The 2021-22 campaign has been kind of a mulligan type of season, because no one could truly know what to expect when a whole league comes back after a season off.

At the moment, the Huskies have a legit shot to create more post-season magic. The Cougars won both regular season encounters between the two sides, but both games were only decided by respective 1-0 final scores.

The winner of this series will advance to the Canada West Championship series and lock up a berth in the U Sports final eight championship tournament, which is set for March 24 to 27 in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

The Huskies want to have more victory celebrations.

The Huskies might ultimately bring home a couple of championship trophies.

Even if the championship trophies don’t come, the program accomplishments this season already have to be viewed as a major victory.

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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Hardy turned into party for Huskies and their fans

U of S wins 20^th Canada West football title in program history

The Huskies celebrate winning the Hardy Cup.

A home win hadn’t felt this good for a long time for all involved with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team.

On Saturday, the Huskies romped to a 45-17 victory over the Manitoba Bisons to capture the Hardy Cup to become Canada West Conference champions for the 20^th time in program history. A vocal, raucous, engaged and supportive crowd of 2,500 turned out at the Huskies long time storied home in Griffiths Stadium to revel and soak in the conference title win.

The win allowed the Huskies to capture the Canada West title for the second time in the past three seasons.

Adam Machart, right, tears upfield for the Huskies on a run.

With U Sports electing not to host any nationals and the Canada West season getting canceled in the 2020-21 campaign due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world, the Huskies previous Canada West Championship win came on November 10, 2018, when they traveled to Calgary, Alta., and thumped the host University of Calgary Dinos 43-18.

However, it has been an even longer time since the Huskies and their faithful were able to enjoy a home conference championship win. 

Before Saturday, the last time the Huskies won the Canada West title at home came way back on November 12, 2005 when the Huskies downed the University of Alberta Golden Bears 30-17.

The fans at Griffiths Stadium cheer on the Huskies.

The 2,811 in attendance at Griffiths Stadium that day likely didn’t know 16 years would pass before the Huskies won the Canada West crown at home again. Back in 2005, the Huskies were carrying expectations to win the Hardy Cup and even the Vanier Cup as U Sports champions year in and year out.

In 2005, that Canada West title win was a primer to a heavyweight battle that was to come in the Huskies next home game, when they hosted the Universite Laval Rouge et Or in the U Sports semifinal Mitchell Bowl.

QB Jackson Tachinski had a rushing TD for the Bisons.

On November 19, 2005 in one of the all-time greatest games played at Griffiths Stadium and a U Sports all-time classic, the Huskies slipped past the Rouge et Or 29-27 before 5,147 spectators.

The Huskies advanced on to face the Wilfred Laurier University Golden Hawks in the Vanier Cup that was played on November 26, 2005 at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, Ont., in a battle of undefeated 11-0 teams.

U of S fell in heartbreaking fashion 24-23, when Golden Hawks kicker Brian Devlin nailed a game-winning field goal from 32 yards out with 19 seconds to play in the contest.

Even with that end result in the Vanier Cup noted, the Huskies 2005 victory over the Rouge et Or in the Mitchell Bowl was the team’s biggest win at Griffiths Stadium until this season’s Huskies squad claimed the Hardy Cup on their fabled home field.

Michael Ritchott had a 53-yard TD run for the Bisons.

Add in the fact the Huskies weren’t able to take the field in 2020-21, the Dogs and their fans had every reason to feel elated and joyful over the win against the Bisons. The celebration was well deserved.

After winning the Canada West title in 2018, the Huskies fell in the Mitchell Bowl 47-24 to the host University of Western Ontario Mustangs in London, Ont.

Coming back in 2019, belief was high amongst the Huskies that they would win the Hardy Cup again and advance even further in the post-season. They faced the Dinos again in the Canada West final in Calgary, but fell this time 29-4.

The Dinos advanced on to win the Vanier Cup.

Riley Pickett celebrates making a sack for the Huskies.

Still, optimism was high surrounding the Huskies that the best was yet to come, and 2019 was a learning experience with the squad having to deal with some untimely key injuries. One of those injuries was an especially gruesome dislocated right ankle injury to star utility player Colton Klassen in the squad’s last game of the regular season.

When the 2020 football campaign was lost for the Huskies, one had to wonder who would be back in 2021 and what would the actual season look like?

Despite the questions and uncertainty, a number of key players returned to the team. All 10 Huskies players that were named Canada West all-stars for the 2021 campaign were returnees.

That included Klassen, quarterback Mason Nyhus, running back Adam Machart, receiver Sam Baker, centre Connor Berglof, right tackle Nick Summach, left tackle Noah Zerr, punter David Solie, and defensive ends Riley Pickett and Nathan Cherry.

Mason Nyhus threw two TD passes for the Huskies.

Solie handles all the Huskies place kicking duties along with the punting duties.

Credit goes to head coach Scott Flory for ensuring the strong culture that existed with legendary retired head coach Brian Towriss continued in the Huskies program in the current day to create an environment that players still wanted to comeback even with unprecedented uncertainties.

In a shortened six-game regular season, the Huskies topped the Canada West standings with a 5-1 record. They downed the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 39-17 in a Canada West semifinal on November 13 to set up Saturday’s clash with the Bisons.

The Bisons finished second in the Canada West regular season with a 4-2 record and fought through lots of adversity themselves to get to the Canada West title game.

Adam Machart scores his first TD on a 10-yard reception.

They had to deal with more strict restrictions Manitoba had in place to battle the COVID-19 pandemic that created a later start on when they could get together as a team. Receivers coach Scott Naujoks passed away from cancer in late September and star fifth-year quarterback Des Catellier was lost to a campaign ending ankle injury in the Bisons first game of the regular season.

First year quarterback Jackson Tachinski took Catellier’s place as the starter.

Under veteran head coach Brian Dobie, the Bisons have traditionally found ways to play good with emotion.

They stormed out to a 16-0 lead in the first quarter on Saturday. Tachinski scored a touchdown on a one-yard quarterback sneak, the Huskies had to concede a safety due to a bad punt snap, and Bisons running back Michael Ritchott ripped off an electrifying 53-yard touchdown run in the image of Willard Reaves, who was the star running back of the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 1980s.

Sam Baker fends off a defender after making a catch.

Defensive back Arjay Shelley made a long return after an interception to set up Tachinski’s major.

Huskies supporters had to wonder if a Bisons upset was in the cards.

With just over five minutes to play in the first quarter, Pickett sacked Tachinski down at the Bisons one-yard line to force U of M to conceded a safety. While that only cut the Bisons lead to 16-2, Pickett’s play provided the traction moment to get the Huskies going.

That safety started a run that saw the Huskies score 38 points to take a 38-16 lead at the 6:45 mark of the fourth quarter.

In the second quarter, Machart hauled in a 10-yard touchdown catch from Nyhus and Solie booted a 44-yard field goal to trim the Bisons lead to 16-12 at halftime.

Lane Novak, left, returns an interception for the Huskies.

The Huskies took the lead for good, when Machart ran home a major score from three yards out to give the hosts a 19-16 advantage at the 4:01 mark of the third quarter. Machart added a four-yard touchdown run before the third quarter ended to increase the Huskies advantage to 26-16.

U of S started the fourth quarter forcing the Bisons to concede a safety, scoring a major on a 17-yard touchdown toss from Nyhus to Klassen and Solie hitting a field goal from 26 yards out to take a 38-16 lead.

The Bisons interrupted the scoring run with a long punt single from kicker Cole Sabourin to cut the Huskies advantage to 38-17.

Huskies rookie running back Ryker Frank concluded the game’s scoring with 50-yard sprint up the middle touchdown run.

Colton Klassen, right, celebrates his 17-yard TD reception.

Machart had a huge day carrying the ball 20 times for 223 yards and two touchdowns, while catching two passes for 28 yards and a major score. Frank almost broke the 100-yard mark in rushing carrying the ball seven times for 97 yards to go with his major score.

Nyhus completed 20-of-31 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing one interception.

Cherry and linebacker Seth Hundeby had sacks for the Huskies. Linebacker Lane Novak, defensive backs Nixen Voll and Cam Skinner each had single interceptions for U of S.

The Bisons, who finished the campaign with a 5-3 overall record, were limited to 288 yards of total offence as a team for the contest.

The Griffiths Stadium faithful salutes the Huskies at game’s end.

When the Huskies were pouring on the points, the crowd at Griffiths Stadium cheered louder than it had all season. The park had quite the atmosphere, and at the final gun, all on the Huskies side were enjoying the day.

After the trophy presentation, the Huskies players celebrated with their families, who came on to the field. Many pictures were taken on camera phones as the moment was soaked in on the field for a lengthy stretch of time.

Now, the Huskies will hit the road to Montreal, Quebec, to face the Universite de Montreal Carabins (9-1 overall) in the U Sports semifinal Uteck Bowl this coming Saturday.

Clovis Lumeka, left, and Adam Machart, centre, receive the Hardy Cup.

The Carabins will be well rested as they knocked off the Rouge et Or 28-19 in Dunsmore Cup on November 14 to become champions of the Reseau du Sport Etudiant du Quebec.

With that noted, the Huskies win Saturday over the Bisons to capture the Hardy Cup at home was a big moment for the team, especially in recent history.

It might spring the Huskies, who are 7-1 overall, to bigger moments and wins over the next two weekends even with the rest and home field advantage the Carabins will have.

The Huskies raise the Hardy Cup as Canada West champs.

Still with what the Huskies have already been able to accomplish, they’ve shown the team is back on track successfully navigating the unprecedented hurdles brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The celebrations and good vibes that took place at Griffiths Stadium were a fitting memory to create.

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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Flashback Friday – 2000 Rams were unbelievable

Magical playoff run highlights second CIAU season

Darryl Leason sets fire a pass for the Rams in 2000.

    (*NOTE – I originally wrote this piece in December of 2000 at the request of University of Regina Rams head coach Frank McCrystal. I believe it originally ran in a provincial football publication. I recently rediscovered it and decided to share it once again.*)

    The 2000 Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union season was almost a script out of a Disney movie for the University of Regina Rams.

    After going 0-8 in their inaugural year in the university league, the Rams, the former 15-time national champions in junior football, played in the last game they could possibly play in 2000. They made a miraculous playoff run which culminated in a 42-39 loss in the Vanier Cup to the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.

    “I think at the start of the season people didn’t give us much of a chance,” says Rams quarterback Darryl Leason, who led the CIAU with 2,277 yards passing. “I was confident right from the start of the season it was going to be something special.

Head coach Frank McCrystal guided the Rams to a Vanier Cup appearance.

    “The Rams have a rich history of playing in championship games. It doesn’t surprise anybody in the Rams organization the team made it to the Vanier Cup.”

    The Rams began their journey to the Vanier Cup by opening the regular season with a 31-25 home win over the University of Calgary Dinosaurs. It was Regina’s first regular season win over a CIAU opponent.

    However, a three game losing streak at mid-season dropped the Rams to 2-4. Most football experts were writing them off, but Regina maintained its confidence heading into their final home game against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.

    “I think we were doing the right things, but there was a miscue here or there to make us not succeed,” says Rams head coach Frank McCrystal. “We knew, that if we stayed to the course, we were eventually going to succeed.”

Jason Clermont (#11) jets up field after making a catch in 2000.

    After falling behind 14-0 to the Thunderbirds, the Rams scored 30 straight second quarter points on route to a 47-37 victory.

    “That is when we felt we knew what kind of weapons we had on offence,” says Rams slotback Jason Clermont, who was named a second team CIAU all-Canadian. “We knew what we could do.”

    Regina’s win over the Thunderbirds was the start of a five game winning streak. The Rams would defeat the University of Alberta Golden Bears, Dinosaurs, University of Manitoba Bisons and the Saint Mary’s University Huskies on the road to the Vanier Cup.

    The Rams did not bow out of the Vanier Cup without a fight. After trailing the Gee-Gees 35-10 at halftime, Regina made a furious rally to lose by three.

Jon Ryan unloads a punt for the Rams in 2000.

    While the loss hurt at first, the Rams have been able to appreciate their success as the weeks have gone on.

    “The defence came up big in the third and fourth quarter,” says Clermont. “We were in a position where we could come back and win the football game.

    “It is a big accomplishment (to get to the Vanier Cup). There have been guys that don’t go there their whole career.”

    While the Rams enjoyed success in the football field in 2000, the Regina community and the province of Saskatchewan came around the team to support it. This included a sold out fundraising luncheon at Regina’s Delta Hotel and a huge Vanier Cup party at the U of R’s campus bar, the Owl.

Darryl Leason (#8) marks a Rams touchdown in 2000.

    “It was a great accomplishment for the university and the community as a whole that they could support a team that achieved the success we’ve achieved,” says McCrystal. “It was just a great partnership between institution and community that allowed this type of success to take 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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Huskies squeak out ninth win in a row, nail down playoff bye

Jared Dmytriw had the winning goal for the Huskies on Saturday.

    Riley Lamb nearly robbed the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team.

    The first year netminder for the University of Manitoba Bisons came up with an incredible 42 save performance on Saturday night at the Wayne Fleming Arena in Winnipeg, Man. The 21-year-old gave his Bisons a prime opportunity to steal a victory, but his effort wasn’t enough to keep the Huskies at bay.

    The Huskies overcame an early 2-0 first period deficit and ultimately rallied for a 4-3 victory in the U Sports regular season clash to pull out a ninth straight victory. The win allowed the Huskies, who are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, to improve to 20-4-2 to ensure they will have a bye through the first round of the Canada West playoffs and will host a best-of-three semifinal series.

    The Huskies and their “forever rivals” the U of Alberta Golden Bears (21-5) are guaranteed to finish in the top two positions of the Canada West Conference standings. Both squads have two games remaining on their respective regular season schedules.

    Both teams have 42 points to hold down the first and second spots in the Canada West standings. The Golden Bears hold the standings tiebreaker having won three out of the four head-to-head meetings between the two sides.

Kohl Bauml scored for the Huskies on Saturday.

    Against the Bisons on Saturday, the Huskies fell behind 2-0, when Bisons defenceman Ryan Carlson scored 48 seconds into the first period and again at the 3:15 mark of the opening frame.
    The Huskies battled back to even the score at 2-2 heading into the first intermission with goals coming from the sticks of rookie winger Justin Ball and fifth-year winger Kohl Bauml.

    U of S held a 16-5 advantage in shots on goal after the opening 20 minutes.

    In the second, fifth-year centre Logan McVeigh scored 65 seconds into the frame to give the Huskies a 3-2 lead. The Huskies were unable to add to their advantage despite holding a 19-3 edge in shots on goal.

    At the 7:01 mark of the third, Bisons fifth-year offensive defenceman Adam Henry netted his 10th goal of the season to even the score at 3-3.

    Rookie centre Jared Dmytriw potted his 10^th of the season and the game winner with 2:58 remaining in the third to put the Huskies ahead for good at 4-3.

    Sophomore netminder Travis Child turned away 16 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies.

    The Bisons fell to 9-13-2-2 to sit fifth in the Canada West standings.

    After starting 0-3-1, the Huskies have rolled off a 20-1-1 record over their past 22 outings. 

Logan McVeigh scored for the Huskies on Saturday.

    They have battled the injury bug throughout the campaign including a rash of injuries at the start of the season on defence.
    The Huskies can still finish first in Canada West, if the Golden Bears, who are rated fourth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, suffer a loss in one of their final two games.

    The Huskies close their regular season schedule with a home-and-home series with the University of Regina Cougars, who sit seventh in Canada West with an 8-15-2-1 record. The Cougars need to win both games against the Huskies to give themselves the best shot to move into the top six of the Canada West standings and earn a playoff berth.

    The two sides meet this coming Friday at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place and again this coming Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.

    The Golden Bears close out their regular season schedule hosting the Bisons this coming Friday and Saturday in Edmonton.

Major third period collapse costly for Huskies women’s team

Elizabeth Salyn had a goal and an assist for the Huskies on Saturday.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team saw a golden opportunity to move into second in the Canada West Conference standings slip through their fingers.

    On Saturday at Merlis Belsher Place, the Huskies built a 3-0 victory over the U of Manitoba Bisons after 40 minutes of play. With star fourth-year netminder Jessica Vance playing goal and the Huskies carrying the reputation of being one of the best defensive teams in the conference, it seemed like that lead would be insurmountable.

    Unexpectedly, the Bisons rallied for four straight goals in the third period to skate away with a 4-3 victory in the U Sports regular season contest.

    The Bisons improved to 9-16-1 with the win but still remained last in the eight-team Canada West Conference. Due to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds slipping past the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns 2-1 in Vancouver, B.C., on Saturday, the Bisons were officially eliminated from playoff contention.

    The Huskies entered Saturday’s clash with the Bisons riding a seven-game winning streak. With the loss, the Huskies fell to 16-7-2-1 to sit third in the Canada West standings with 49 points coming off 14 regulation wins, two extra time wins and three extra time setbacks.

    U of S trails the U of Calgary Dinos (16-7-1-2) by one point for second place. The Dinos have 50 points in the standings coming off 15 regulation wins, one extra time win and three extra time setbacks.
    In Canada West women’s hockey, teams are awarded three points in the standings for regulation wins, two points for extra time wins and one point for extra time setbacks.
    The top two teams in Canada West earn byes past the first round of the playoffs and the opportunity to host best-of-three Canada West semifinal series.

Shyan Elias had an assist for the Huskies on Saturday.

    Both the Huskies and Dinos have two games remaining on their respective regular season schedules. The Huskies hold the standings tiebreaker over the Dinos having won all four head-to-head encounters between the two sides.

    The Huskies can’t finish any lower than third or any higher than second in Canada West.

    The U of Alberta Pandas (19-7) top the Canada West standings with 56 points coming off 18 regulation wins and one extra time win. The Pandas, who are rated fifth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, need to earn one more point in the standings to lock up first in Canada West.

    The Dinos hold the standings tiebreaker against the Pandas having one three out of four head-to-head encounters between the two sides.

    In Saturday’s clash between the Huskies and the Dinos, fifth-year centre Elizabeth Salyn scored to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead in the first period with fifth-year veteran left-winger Shyan Elias and third-year right winger Abby Shirley picking up assists. 
    Fifth-year left-winger Rachel Lundberg and sophomore forward Kara Kondrat each netted their first goals of the campaign in the second period to put the Huskies up 3-0.
    Salyn had an assist on Lundberg’s goal to finish with a two-point night.

    At that point, things fell apart for the host side. Just 1:42 into the third, third-year left-winger Mekaela Fisher scored for the Bisons to cut the Huskies lead to 3-1.

    At the 10:44 mark of the third, fourth-year right-winger Sheridan Oswald tallied for the Bisons to cut the Huskies edge to 3-2.

    With 1:26 remaining in the third, Bisons fifth-year captain Jordyn Zacharias scored the equalizer to force a 3-3 tie. Just seven seconds after that tally, Bisons rookie right-winger Kate Gregoire scored the winner for the visitors to cement the final score a 4-3.

    Zacharias had two assists to go with her goal.

    Vance turned away 16 shots to take the setback in goal for the Huskies. Fifth-year veteran Amanda Schubert turned away 20 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Bisons.

    The Huskies also failed to score on three third period power-play chances as the Bisons roared back on the scoreboard to add to the collapse for the host side.

Kara Kondrat had a goal for the Huskies on Saturday.

    The Huskies close their regular season with a home-and-home series against the U of Regina Cougars, who sit fourth in Canada West with a 13-13 record. The two sides meet this coming Friday at 7 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.

    They then go at it on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merlis.

    The Dinos close their season with a home-and-home series with the Pronghorns (9-14-1-2). They go at it this coming Friday in Lethbridge and again this coming Saturday in Calgary.

    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.

Nutter hits special first in Huskies seventh straight win

The Huskies celebrate a power-play goal from Emma Nutter.

    Defensive defender Emma Nutter hit a milestone moment scoring one of her rare goals in her U Sports career.

    On Friday at Merlis Belsher Place, Nutter slipped home a point shot through traffic for a power-play goal for her University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team. That goal came at the 10:27 mark of the first period of a U Sports regular season game against the University of Manitoba Bisons to give the host side a 1-0 edge.

    The fifth-year veteran’s tally held up to be the game winner in a 3-0 victory for the Huskies in a contest played before 401 spectators.

    The marker was the fifth regular season goal of Nutter’s U Sports career. It was the Cochrane, Alta., product’s first game winning goal in 126 career regular season games.

Emma Nutter scored her first career U Sports game winner on Friday.

    “It feels pretty special,” said Nutter. “It is the first one.

    “It is not that common for me, but I have my team behind me. We had practised that kind of formation on the power play all week. It was working for me then.

    “I was not expecting it, but I was hopeful that would happen.”

    Nutter’s goal pushed the Huskies winning streak to seven games as they improved to 16-6-2-1. They have 49 points to sit third in the Canada West Conference standings coming on 14 regulation wins, two extra time wins and three extra time setbacks.

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

Emma Nutter is best known for playing physical in her own zone.

    The Huskies trail the U of Calgary Dinos by one point for second in the conference. The Dinos dropped a 2-1 double overtime decision to the Mount Royal University Cougars on Friday in Calgary.

    With that result, the Dinos saw their record move to 16-7-1-2. They have 50 points in the standings coming off 15 regulation wins, one extra time win and three extra time setbacks.

    The Huskies have a game in hand on the Dinos that will be made up on Saturday, when the U of S side goes at it again with the Bisons at 5 p.m. at Merlis.

    The U of Alberta Pandas (18-7) top the Canada West standings with 53 points coming on 17 regulation wins and one extra time win.

Emma Nutter is one of eight fifth-year players on the Huskies.

    The Huskies, Dinos and Pandas are guaranteed to finish in the top three of the Canada West standings and the first and second place squads will have byes to host best-of-three Canada West semifinal playoff series.

    With the Huskies having just three regular season games left on their schedule, Nutter said she knows her squad is close to sitting in a position to gain a playoff bye, but she doesn’t try to get caught up in the possible math involving the standings. She just focuses on winning each game as it comes.

    “Without sounding uninterested, I don’t tend to look at the stats a lot,” said Nutter. “I think for me every game is as important as the next.”

    Individually, Nutter has two goals, two assists and a plus-one rating in the plus-minus department appearing in all of the Huskies 25 regular season games in the current campaign. Both of her goals this season have come on the power play.

Emma Nutter has scored both her goals this season on the power play.

    She is one of eight fifth-year players who are skating through their final campaign with the Huskies. Rounding out the group of eight is captain Brooklyn Haubrich, forwards Elizabeth Salyn, Shyan Elias, Rachel Lundberg and Courtney Cormack and defenders Leah Bohlken and Morgan Willoughby.
    Willoughby is Nutter’s regular defensive partner.

    “It hasn’t hit me yet, and I don’t know when it will,” said Nutter about the notion she is playing through her final season. “I know that when it does it is going to hit me hard, and that is not going to be fun for me.

    “This whole experience I honestly don’t have any words for it. It has been so rewarding in that I get to play alongside 23 or 24 of my best friends. This team this year I would consider pretty close.

Camryn Drever made 22 saves in a shutout win for the Huskies.

    “The group of eight of us is very close. It is going to be sad, when we part ways. It has been a special year this year for sure.”

    On her power-play goal, Nutter said she just trying to get her point shot on net looking for one of her teammates to get a stick on the puck to deflect it home.

    “I tend to shoot pretty low and on the ice just for either a rebound so someone in front can get it or someone can get a stick on it for sure,” said Nutter, who is best known for overpowering opponents in the defensive zone with her physical play. “We worked with that in practice.

    “(Huskies head coach) Steve (Kook) kind of said to me we want you to be the shooter on that side. I was hitting them in practice.”

Jordyn Holmes scored her first U Sports regular season goal on Friday.

    Nutter’s goal was the highlight of a first period controlled by the Huskies, who outshot the Bisons 10-3 in the frame.

    The Bisons made a push back in the second outshooting the Huskies 9-8, but the Huskies exited the stanza still holding their 1-0 edge.

    With 2:58 remaining in the third, Huskies sophomore centre Kennedy Brown fired home a goal to the top left corner of the Bisons goal while being hooked down to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.

    Sophomore right-winger Jordyn Holmes rounded out the scoring with an empty net tally for the Huskies. The tally was the first career U Sports regular season goal for Holmes.

    Camryn Drever stopped 22 shots to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Huskies. The sophomore more has three shutouts this season and four in her U Sports regular season career.
    Erin Fargey turned away 25-of-27 shots in goal for the Bisons, who fell to 8-16-1 to remain last in the eight-team Canada West Conference.

The Huskies celebrate their seventh straight win on Friday.

    Nutter was pleased with how Friday’s game went for her side.

    “All things considered, we could have come out a lot stronger, a lot faster and a lot quicker,” said Nutter. “As the game progressed, we put our heads down and went to work.”

    With the post-season just around the corner, Nutter said she wants to help the Huskies win a second Canada West title in team history and help the program capture its first U Sports title.

    She has a firm belief that this will be the year those things will happen for her team.

    “Between the eight of us fifth years and the rest of the team honestly, that has been the goal from day one,” said Nutter. “It always has been every year.

    “It is the same goal and same mindset. I think all the younger girls have bought in. They bought in early (and) that is a good sign.”

McVeigh’s OT winner pushes Huskies win streak to eight

Logan McVeigh scored the double OT winner for the Huskies.

    Logan McVeigh’s overtime heroics ensured the U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team stayed on fire.

    On Friday at the Wayne Fleming Arena in Winnipeg, Man., McVeigh scored at the 2:26 mark of a second overtime period to give the visiting Huskies a 3-2 victory over the host U of Manitoba Bisons in a U Sports regular season contest. The fifth-year centre’s winner in the three-versus-three session allowed the Huskies to improve their winning streak to eight games and stay in the race for first place in the Canada West Conference.

    The Huskies and their “forever rivals” the U of Alberta Golden Bears both have 40 standings point to sit in the top two spots in Canada West. The Golden Bears (20-5) sit first in the conference over the Huskies (19-4-2) due to winning three out of the four head-to-head regular season meetings between the two sides.

    Both teams have three games remaining in their respective regular season schedules.

    The Mount Royal University Cougars sit third in Canada West with a 17-7-0-2 record.

Taran Kozun made 34 saves in goal for the Huskies on Friday.

    In Friday’s encounter between the Huskies and Bisons, Donovan Neuls and Carson Stadnyk netted singles for the Huskies in regulation. McVeigh picked up an assist on Stadnyk’s goal for a two-point night.

    Sean Christensen and Devon Skoleski replied with singles for the Bisons in regulation.

    Taran Kozun made 34 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies. Tyler Brown turned away 24 shots to take the extra time setback in goal for the Bisons (9-12-2-2).

    The Huskies and Bisons face each other again on Saturday in Winnipeg.

    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 specials teams deny steal attempt by Bisons’ Brown

Carson Stadnyk (#16) scored in the first period for the Huskies on Friday.

    The special teams of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team ensured University of Manitoba Bisons rookie netminder Tyler Brown didn’t commit highway robbery.

    On Friday playing before 1,355 spectators at Merlis Belsher Place, the Huskies scored twice on the power play and once short-handed to down the Bisons 4-1 in a U Sports regular season clash. The win was the third straight for the Huskies, who improved to 6-3-2.

    The Huskies could have won in even more convincing fashion had it not been for the work of Brown, who turned away 47-of-50 shots fired his way. The final U of S tally came into an empty net.

    Brown, who stands 6-feet and weighs 182 pounds, starred for the WHL’s Regina Pats from 2014 to 2018, and he backstopped them to the WHL championship series in 2017, where they fell 4-2 in the best-of-seven set to the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Donovan Neuls scored a short-handed goal for the Huskies.

    On Jan. 10, 2018, Brown was dealt to the Saskatoon Blades in a blockbuster trade and finished out his last half season in the WHL playing for “The Bridge City Bunch.”

    He joined his hometown Bisons before the start of last season but was a medical redshirt for the campaign after undergoing surgery to fix a nagging injury from his time in the WHL.

    Against the Huskies on Friday, Brown looked ever y bit the netminder that helped the Pats finish first overall in the 2016-17 WHL regular season and come up two wins short of a WHL title.

    Early in the first period, Huskies winger Carson Stadnyk burst off the right wing across the face of the Bisons net, but his shot was turned away by a kick save from Brown.

Tyler Brown makes one of his 47 saves for the Bisons.

    That was the first of many stellar saves that came from the 22-year-old Bisons puck stopper.

Friday’s game also got off to a really rough start.

    Shortly after Brown’s save on Stadnyk, Bisons defenceman Carter Doerksen drove his shoulder into the jaw of Huskies forward Carter Folk in open ice in the U of M zone. The hit started a scrum.

Doerksen was given a major penalty for checking to the head and a game misconduct. The hit will automatically be reviewed by the Canada West Conference for a possible suspension.

    Folk was helped off the ice and didn’t return.

Taran Kozun makes one of his 19 saves in goal for the Huskies.

    Near the end of that five minute power play at the 10:46 mark of the opening frame, Stadnyk netted his seventh of the campaign from the right side of the Bisons goal on a net scramble.

    The Huskies proceeded to go up 2-0 with 24.1 seconds remaining in first when centre Donovan Neuls sped into the Bisons zone on the left wing and ripped a shot top corner of Brown.

    The host side needed both of those tallies.

    In the second period, Brown turned away all 14 shots fired his way. He stopped Huskies left-winger Collin Shirley, who had a chance all alone in front of the U of M goal.

    Brown also robbed Huskies centre Kohl Bauml on a backhand chance and sucked up a shot from the left slot coming from Huskies second-year left-wing Layne Young.
    Brown’s heroics allowed the Bisons to put a scare into the Huskies in the third period.

Logan McVeigh, left, and Taran Kozun mark the Huskies win on Friday.

    The visitors broke through on the scoreboard at the 4:10 mark of the third period, when winger Devon Skoleski tucked home a shot from close in to cut the Huskies edge to 2-1.

    Moments after that tally, Bisons forward Geordie Keane was given a double minor for high sticking which helped kill momentum for the visitors. Near the start of the second half of that power play, the Bisons went down two men as forward Jonah Wasylak was penalized for throwing his stick.

    On the ensuing two-man advantage, Huskies right-winger Levi Cable roofed home an insurance goal to put the Huskies up 3-1.

    Huskies centre Kohl Bauml rounded out the game’s scoring with an empty-net tally with 2:13 remaining in the third.

    Taran Kozun stopped 19 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies. Brown’s stellar play couldn’t prevent the Bison from falling to 5-5-0-1.

    The two sides go at it again Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

Young cancer survivor drops ceremonial faceoff with Smuks

Joel Bachman, centre, drops the puck for the ceremonial faceoff.

    Friday’s U Sports regular season game at Merlis Belsher Place was the annual “Huskies Fight Cancer” night for the U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team, and they had a special young guest on hand.

    A 10-year-old goalie named Joel Bachman took part in a team practice this week. Bachman was diagnosed with a brain tumour at age six, and he underwent extensive treatments and is now cancer free.

    At practice, Bachman took part in drills along with Huskies star starting goalie Taran Kozun and second-year backup Travis Child.

    On Friday, Bachman got to go to centre ice to drop the puck for the ceremonial faceoff before the Huskies clash with the U of Manitoba Bisons at Merlis Belsher Place. He was joined by parents of late Huskies hard-working glue-guy forward Cody Smuk in Marty and Darla Smuk.

    Cody passed away in June of 2015 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

    Before Bachman dropped the puck, the 1,355 spectators in attendance and players, coaches and staffers from the Huskies and Bisons displayed signs that had the words, “I Fight For” written on top.

    Below those words was a white space to allow everyone to write a name on their respective sign.

    After those signs were displayed, Bachman dropped the puck for the Faceoff.

    During the game, the Huskies had a number of fundraisers going on to raise funds for Choc ’La Cure, which raises funds for equipment at the Saskatoon Cancer Centre.

    The Huskies claimed a 4-1 victory in Friday’s contest with the Bisons.

Vance hits rare heights with 30 career wins with Huskies

Jessica Vance picked up her 30th career regular season win on Friday.

    Jessica Vance had a huge milestone night playing against her former U Sports squad.

    On Friday night at the Wayne Fleming Arena in Winnipeg, Man., Vance made 14 saves to back the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team to a 1-0 victory over the host U of Manitoba Bisons. With Friday’s victory, Vance became the third netminder in the history of the Huskies women’s program to win 30 career regular season games.

    Vance, who is from Prince Albert, Sask., spent the 2015-16 campaign with the Bisons as a medical red shirt before sitting out a year to join the Huskies for the 2017-18 campaign. She never played a game in goal with the Bisons.

    Since joining the Huskies, the graduate of the Prince Albert Northern Bears female midget AAA team quickly rose to star status being named the Canada West player of the year in 2017-18 helping the Huskies earn a berth at U Sports nationals.

    Vance is still the all-time leader for the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League in career wins (48) and games played (91) in regular season action.

    In the history of the Huskies women’s hockey program, Vanessa Frederick and Cassidy Hendricks both hit the 30-career win barrier with the squad.

    Frederick played for the Huskies from 2007 to 2010 and in 2011-12 posting a 31-21 record, a 2.30 goals against average, a .914 save percentage and five shutouts in regular season play.

    Hendricks suited up for the Huskies from 2012 to 2017 posting a 57-44-13 record, a 2.04 goals against average, a .922 save percentage and 12 shutouts in regular season play.

    Vance, who is in her third season with the Huskies, has posted a 30-12-5 record, a 1.10 goals against average, a .952 save percentage and 17 shutouts in regular season play.

    The 22-year-old is the Huskies all-time leader in career regular season shutouts, and she is tied with former Bisons goaltender Stacey Corfield for the third most career regular season shutouts in the history of the Canada West Conference. Corfield collected her 17 shutouts playing five seasons for the Bisons from 2005 to 2010.

    Offensive defender Leah Bohlken scored on a second period power play for the Huskies to account for the lone tally in the contest.

    Vance made a diving paddle stick stop with a 60 seconds to play in the third period on Bisons rookie forward Kate Gregoire to preserve the win.

    The Huskies improved to 6-3-2 with the victory.

    Erin Fargey turned away 29 shots to take the setback in goal for the Bisons (2-8-1).

    The two sides go at it again on Saturday at the Wayne Fleming Arena .

Hilltops’ Pingue named CJFL defensive player of the year

Jadyn Pingue was named the CJFL’s top defensive player.

    The individual accolades keep piling up for fifth-year Saskatoon Hilltops middle linebacker Jadyn Pingue, and latest award bears the name of one of the team’s all-time great.

    At the CJFL’s awards banquet on Friday in Langley, B.C., Pingue took home the Larry Wruck most outstanding defensive player of the year award. Wruck was one of the Hilltops all-time greatest linebackers suiting up for the club in the early 1980s before moving on to be a standout with the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos from 1985 to 1996.

    Pingue’s award win marks two straight years a Hilltops player has taken the CJFL’s Larry Wruck most outstanding defensive player of the year award. Last year, Hilltops linebacker Cody Peters won the CJFL’s most outstanding defensive player honours in his final year of junior football eligibility.

    The 2019 campaign has been an outstanding one for Pingue. On Wednesday, he was named a CJFL all-Canadian all-star. The fifth-year veteran was named the most outstanding defensive player and most outstanding linebacker for the Prairie Football Conference earlier in the post-season.

    Appearing in seven out of the Hilltops eight regular season games, Pingue posted 33.5 total tackles, one pass knockdown, one fumble recovery and one interception

    On Saturday, the Hilltops, who are 11-0 overall, will face the host Langley Rams, who are 12-0 overall, in the CJFL championship game – the Canadian Bowl – at McLeod Stadium (3 p.m. Saskatchewan time, 92.9 The Bull).

    The Hilltops are trying to win an unprecedented sixth straight CJFL title, and they thumped the Rams 58-21 in last year’s Canadian Bowl in Saskatoon.

Stars alum Messier officially inks with Cornell

Ashley Messier in action with the Stars last April.

    Ashley Messier made her university hockey intentions official on Friday.

    In September of 2017 at age 15, Messier verbally committed to play for the Cornell University Big Red women’s hockey team in the NCAA ranks. At that time, Messier was entering her second season with the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA team.

    Now playing for the Selects Hockey Academy in Rochester, New York, for her Grade 12 year, Messier officially signed with the Big Red on Friday, and will join the powerhouse NCAA program at the start of next season.

    From 2016 to 2019, Messier played three seasons with the Stars piling up 11 goals and 58 assists for 69 points in 84 regular season games as an offensive defender.

    She helped the Stars reach the championship game of the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament in April of 2018. The Stars fell 2-1 to the Alberta-based St. Albert Slash, but Messier was named the top defender of the tournament.

    Last season with the Stars, Messier, who is from Wilcox, Sask., recorded five goals and 27 assist to help the Stars post their best regular season record ever at 27-1 to top the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League standings.

    The Stars again advanced to Esso Cup and finished fourth. Messier again captured honours as the event’s top defender.

    Messier was named the Colleen Sostorics top defender of the SFMAAAHL last season and a first team SFMAAAHL all-star. She was a second SFMAAAHL all-star in 2017-18.

    Messier, who stands 5-foot-3, helped Team Saskatchewan advance to the final of the National Women’s under-18 Champion held last Saturday in Winkler, Man. Team Saskatchewan fell in the title game to Team Ontario Red 3-1.

    The silver medal win was Saskatchewan’s best finish at the event that contains provincial under-18 women’s hockey teams from across the country. The 17-year-old Messier was named the most valuable player of the tournament.
    The Big Red roster contains Messier’s former Stars teammate in offensive defender Willow Slobodzian.

    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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