“Willo’s” Huskies legend keeps growing

Star forward powers U of S with hat trick in 4-3 playoff win

Kaitlin Willoughby, right, celebrates one of her three goals.

    The presence of a couple of former teammates helped give Kaitlin Willoughby an extra kick to play at an all-world level.

    On Friday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, the 21-year-old star forward with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team could peer into the alumni box to see her former linemates Cami Wooster and Marley Ervine were in attendance for Game 1 of a best-of-three playoff series against the rival University of Regina Cougars. 

    When Willoughby was a rookie in the 2013-14, the trio played an extremely important part in helping the Huskies win their first Canada West title.

    That season, Wooster was the super talented captain in her fifth and final year of eligibility, while Ervine was a third-year heart and soul feisty forward. Together, they had a huge influence in helping Willoughby become the U Sports rookie of the year, and their influence continues help Willoughby be the spectacular player and person she is to this very day.

Kaitlin Willoughby gets set for an offensive zone faceoff.

    “They always text me before games too saying they are going to be cheering me on,” said Willoughby, who helped Canada win silver at the FISU Winter Universiade earlier this month in Almaty, Kazakhstan. “That means a lot to like have those girls there just knowing what we’ve done together in the past.

    “It is just awesome to see them there.”

    The Prince Albert product proceeded to put on a show her former teammates could be proud of. She netted a hat trick to power the Huskies to a 4-3 victory before a three-quarters full house at Rutherford.

    Willoughby’s first goal came short-handed on a setup from defender Brooke Patron to put the Huskies up 1-0 early in the second period. After the Cougars went up 2-1, she rocketed home a power-play goal top corner to force 2-2 tie heading into the second intermission.

Kaitlin Willoughby wires home her hat trick goal.

    At the 4:52 mark of the third, Willoughby wired home her third goal of the night to put the Huskies up 3-2.

    “My first goal was pretty lucky there,” said Willoughby. “I just threw it on net.

    “That is what happens when you keep grinding it out. The second two shots I was actually aiming.”

    The contest was also a physical one, and Willoughby didn’t shy away from that aspect of the game either. Besides winning a number of individual battles, she turned heads in the second, when she knocked Cougars defender Krista Metz to the ice. Metz stands an imposing 5-foot-11, and she has a height advantage of five inches on Willoughby.

    Willoughby said her side got locked into the game when Cougars sophomore forward Jaycee Magwood went hard to the net on a rush and nailed Huskies goaltender Cassidy Hendricks early in the first.

Kaitlin Willoughby does a flyby celebration after one of her three goals.

    “I think right off the start we were just like OK we are not letting them have anything tonight,” said Willoughby. “We are not letting that happen again.

    “We beared down, and we battled through.”

    The Huskies lead increased to 4-2, when speedy fourth-year forward Kori Herner scored just two minutes after Willoughby netted her hat trick tally.

    Magwood capitalized on a Huskies giveaway to cut the host’s edge to 4-3 with 3:42 to play. That set the stage for Willoughby to add her final impact on the win.

    With under 35 seconds to play, she broke up ice with the puck and was tripped by Cougars rookie forward Merissa Zerr. That infraction helped put an end to the visitor’s comeback hopes.

    Huskies interim head coach Robin Ulrich said Willoughby definitely stepped up in the series opener.

    “That is an example of what an exceptional player she is and just a difference maker in the game,” said Ulrich. “She is a game breaker, and that is why she is one of the best players in the league.

    “She can make the difference.”

The Huskies celebrate their 4-3 Game 1 victory over the Cougars.

    Tamara McVannel and Magwood both replied with singles for the Cougars.

    Hendricks turned away 28 shots to earn the win in goal for the Huskies. Jane Kish turned away 25 shots to take the loss in goal for the Cougars. Kish hadn’t given up a goal to the Huskies in two regular season starts.

    The win puts the Huskies in position to sweep the series in Game 2 on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

    The overall intensity of Game 1 was fairly high, and Willoughby expected it to be that way that night and for the rest of the series.

    “We go into the game thinking that it is going to be like an intense game,” said Willoughby. “We don’t take anyone lightly.

    “We went out there, and we had some fun with it. I think things just bounced our way tonight.”

    If a series deciding Game 3 is needed, it will be held Sunday night at 7 p.m. at Rutherford.

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

Huskies heroic in defeat, but the sting hurts all the same

The Bisons and Huskies shake hands after their playoff series.

    Overtime in hockey is called sudden death for a reason, and the initial sting of losing hurts worse the longer it goes.

    On Sunday night, the ancient Rutherford Rink featured another classic game, but unfortunately for the host University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team, they were able to come out on the winning side. At the 9:02 mark of a fifth overtime period, University of Manitoba Bisons standout forward Venla Hovi broke the hearts of the host Huskies and their supporters scoring the winning goal to deliver her side to a 2-1 victory in a match that finished at approximately 12:01 a.m. Monday.

    Hovi’s goal also ended the Huskies season as the Bisons took a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final playoff series between the two clubs 2-1. The Bisons advance on the Canadian Interuniversity Sport playoff trail to take on the University of Alberta Pandas in a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series.

    The Huskies were left to digest the end of their season, which was not an easy thing to do. They dropped what was the longest game ever in Canada West women’s hockey history spanning 139 minutes and two seconds.

    The Dogs were also involved in the match that formerly held the record, which was also another 2-1 setback at the Ruthy coming back on March 1, 2014 against the University of Regina Cougars in Game 2 of the Canada West championship series which lasted 122 minutes and 30 seconds.

    That loss drew that series even at 1-1. The Huskies had an opportunity to bounce back the next night, which they did defeating the Cougars 2-1 on a Kaitlin Willoughby double overtime winner to take the Canada West title.

The Bisons celebrate Venla Hovi's winner in the fifth overtime period.

    In the loss to the Bisons, there is no chance to come back and play another game, because it was a series deciding Game 3.

    The effort the Huskies put up in defeat was valiant and heroic.

    They could have folded early on. Just 11 seconds into the contest, the Bisons went up 1-0 on a two-on-one break caused by a Huskies turnover. Hovi set up linemate Lauryn Keen, who put the Bisons up 1-0.

    The early U of M goal seemed to stun everyone in attendance.

    The Huskies push back was incredible. They peppered Bisons goaltender Amanda Schubert with shot after shot, while also playing some of their best hockey of the season. Their team game was solid, and they worked as a unit of five in all three zones.

    Finally at the 10:38 mark of the third period, centre Lauren Zary finally popped home the equalizer to knot the score up at 1-1. When the third period drew to a close, the two teams were going to overtime with the Huskies holding a 30-12 edge in the shots on goal department. In all reality, they deserved to have the edge on the scoreboard at that point.

    Off the two teams went into overtime. In extra time, the Huskies had to overcome some stormy seas. They killed off two Bisons power plays, where each came in the first and second overtime respectively.

Marley Ervine played in her 155th straight game for the Huskies.

    In the third overtime, the Huskies had their chance with the man advantage, but they could not find the winner. They failed to score on five power-play opportunities on Sunday night and were scoreless on 13 total power plays in the post-season. Those misfires came back to ultimately haunt the Dogs.

    The contest had become a duel of goaltenders, with experienced fourth-year veteran Cassidy Hendricks turning away shot after shot for the Huskies and the heart on her sleeve Schubert holding her ground in the Bisons’ goal.
    Hendricks would make 40 stops in the contest, while Schubert turned away 66 shots.

    On the U of S side, everyone had top grade efforts. The future is bright with rookies like defender Leah Bohlken and energetic forwards Rachel Lundberg and Brooklyn Haubrich. In that trio, you can see part of the heart and soul of the team over the next four seasons.

    Veterans who were part of the Canada West winner in 2014 like Alyssa Dobler, Kira Bannatyne, Kori Herner, Kennedy Harris, Rachel Johnson, Hailey Tyndall and Willoughby emptied the tank.

    The now graduating fifth-years in Brooke Mutch, Hanna McGillivray, Julia Flinton, Paige Anakaer and Marley Ervine did everything they could to extend their careers. Ervine, the feisty forward who appeared in all 155 regular season and post season games in her five seasons with the team, was still firing lasers in what was the final overtime frame.

Captain Paige Anakaer battles along the boards for the Huskies.

    Flinton’s end-to-end rushes as an offensive defender were as smooth as ever. Captain Anakaer battled with a heart that was unmatched and made her an inspiration to her teammates. Mutch and McGillivray were rocks as usual on the back end, and they created their own chances to net the winning goal.

    Maybe in a few days, the Huskies will reflect on how special their effort was in the series-deciding Game 3 against the Bisons. They left everything out there and have nothing to be ashamed of. To put it bluntly, “They brought it.”

    In the immediate aftermath of the marathon OT loss, the hurt is real and gut wrenching. When one sees the tears of the fifth year grads upon leaving the rink, even the hardest and most cynical of hearts had to melt.

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

“Willo” calls Huskies hatty

Winger nets three as Dogs take playoff opener 3-0

Kaitlin Willoughby (#17) celebrates her hat trick goal with her teammates.

    Kaitlin Willoughby called her shot and backed up her words.

    The standout left-winger for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team told head coach Steve Kook she was going to get a hat trick in the club’s playoff opener in a text message chat. Willoughby did just that on Friday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink netting all three of her team’s goals in the Huskies 3-0 victory over the University of Manitoba Bisons. 

    The win allowed the Huskies to take Game 1 of a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final playoff series, and they will look to close things out on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

    “I was sick last night, and I missed practice,” said Willoughby. “Steve texted me this morning and said, “So Willo are you good to go?”

    “I texted him and I said, “Yeah, I am good to go this weekend, and I am going to score a hat trick tonight.” When I scored my hat trick, I turned around to the bench and said like, “Told ya.” I felt really good about tonight.”

    The three-goal night was a first for the Prince Albert product during her three campaigns in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport ranks. Her offensive instincts put the Huskies up 1-0 at the 13:32 mark of the first period.

    With linemate Lauren Zary speeding down the left wing with the puck, Willoughby zipped up through centre to create a two-on-one rush. Zary fed Willoughby a perfect pass and the graduate of the Prince Albert A & W Bears midget AAA team broke towards the goal and put a backhander past Bisons netminder Rachel Dyck.

Kaitlin Willoughby circles in the offensive zone with the puck.

    After a scoreless second, Willoughby netted her second marker seven minutes into the third tipping a home a point shot from star offensive-defender Julia Flinton and iced the game with an empty-net tally with 1:32 to play.

    “It was perfect timing,” said Kook about Willoughby’s three-goal night. “You need your best players to play good in big games like that.

    “Sometimes, you get games like that and the opposition keys pretty well on some of your top players. I thought she handled the pressure well and played really well through a lot of traffic out there.”

    The Huskies got out to a bit of slow start on Friday due to having to kill a couple of early penalties. From that point, the hosts began to string a number of strong shifts together.

    “Early on, it was a little disconcerting with starting with two PKs,” said Kook. “In hindsight, having to kill two power plays off in a hurry probably allowed us to get into the game mentally probably quicker than we would have otherwise.”

    Cassidy Hendricks made 21 saves to earn her first shutout victory of the overall 2015-16 campaign. She made at least four huge stops at critical times that could have allowed the Bisons to build some momentum.

    Dyck turned away 28 of 30 shot taking the loss in goal for the Bisons.

    Willoughby said her squad has to go into Saturday’s game with a clean slate and added there were a lot of positives to build off of from Friday night.

    “I am really happy with our team’s effort tonight,” said Willoughby. “I think there is a couple of things we just need to work on like just clean up our D-zone a bit.

    “Other than that, I think we are going to be good. We are going to be flying this weekend.”

Captain Paige Anakaer returned from injury to the Huskies lineup.

    NOTES – Huskies captain Paige Anakaer played in her first game for the U of S after suffering a knee injury in a 2-1 home loss to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds back on Jan. 22. She centred an energy/checking line containing rookie wingers Brooklyn Haubrich and Rachel Lundberg, who helped pin the Bisons for long stretches in their own zone.

    Fifth-year feisty forward Marley Ervine played in her club best 153rd consecutive game for the Huskies including action in the regular season, post-season and the CIS championship tournament. She had a helper and was a plus-two in the plus-minus department.

    Most if not all the members of the U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team was at the Ruthy on Friday night and their cheering helped create an atmosphere that felt at times similar to that of the former home barn of the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors - the late Moose Jaw Civic Centre. The visiting Bisons appeared to be rattled at times due to the noise.

    Friday’s win was the first in the post-season for the Huskies since they downed the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks 6-3 in the bronze medal game of the CIS championship tournament in Fredericton, New Brunswick, in March of 2014.

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

Post-season picture breaks for possible long Huskies run

Marley Ervine, right, celebrates a goal with a pair of teammates.

    The last time the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team hosted a post-season game at home they won the Canada West title in 2014.

    The way this season’s playoff picture has shaped up it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Huskies venture back to the conference final and land a spot in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship tournament, which runs March 17 to 20 in Calgary.

    With that said, no guarantees can be made in the Canada West women’s hockey ranks in 2015-16 judging by the regular season standings. The Huskies finished a solid in the eight-team circuit with a 14-9-5 record, and were six points shy of first place and nine points from missing the post-season all together. They locked up a playoff berth in their third last contest of the regular season.

    Any of the six teams that are alive in the post-season can envision themselves in post-season glory.

    The Huskies open a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series on Friday against the University of Manitoba Bisons, who finished fifth in Canada West with a 13-13-2 mark, on Friday at 7 p.m. at the ancient Rutherford Rink. Game 2 follows on Saturday and Game 3, if necessary, will be Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford on both nights.

    The Bisons played the Huskies extremely tough in four head-to-head contests, where each side won twice. The fact that Huskies have home ice advantage will likely give them that extra kick to get out of the first round.

Julia Flinton topped the Huskies in scoring.

    With a series victory, the Huskies would likely travel to Vancouver to face the second place University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (16-9-3) in the semifinal round. The fate of a possible series there likely revolves around the health of Thunderbirds veteran star goalie Danielle Dube, who was injured last Saturday in goal mouth collision in a 4-3 road loss in Winnipeg to the Bisons. 

    Dube was carted off the ice, and if she is unable to play or is less than 100 per cent, the chances of beating the Thunderbirds in Vancouver get easier.

    If the Huskies get past that round with that scenario, they would actually end up hosting the Canada West final at home, because the conference’s other first and third place clubs would be taken down by a red hot U of Calgary Dinos team.

    The Dinos are assured of a spot at the eight-team CIS championship tournament due to the fact they host the event. They struggled during the first half of the campaign before closing the regular season winning nine of their last 11 games to qualify for the Canada West playoffs with a 12-12-4 record.

    Their Russian imports Iya Gavrilova and Sasha Vafina have played some of their best hockey finishing first and second respectively in conference scoring. Gavrilova had 20 goals and 23 assists, while Vafina had 14 goals and 21 assists. 

    Third-year netminder Hayley Dowling has had a breakout campaign posting a 10-5-1 record, a 2.30 goals against average, a .915 save percentage and two shutouts. She started every contest in U of C’s season ending hot stretch.

    The Dinos have the game breakers offensively and are solid in goal. As a sixth seed, they have a good chance of running the table on the road and have to be looked at as the favourites to win the Canada West title.

Marley Ervine has played 152 straight games for the Huskies.

    U of C heads to Regina this weekend to face the University of Regina Cougars in a best-of-three quarter-final series. The Cougars led the conference in wins at 17 posting a 17-10-1 record, but fell to third place due to the fact five of their victories came in overtime. In Canada West women’s hockey, three points are awarded in the standings for regulation wins and two points are given for extra time victories, and the Cougars lost a chance to finish first due to that statistical factor.

    The Cougars have won seven of their last 10, so the series with U of C will be a battle, but the Dinos might be too hot to stop at this point. If the Dinos win their quarter-final series, they would advance to play the first place University of Alberta Pandas (16-9-3) in the semifinal round. 

    The Pandas won both meetings between these two clubs in Edmonton, but the Dinos have looked more like a first place team down the stretch. The Dinos will have a strong shot to knock off their provincial rivals.

    In the crazy Canada West season, it is realistic to see the Huskies host the Dinos in a best-of-three conference final, which would ensure the Huskies a berth at nationals. With that said, both the Huskies and Dinos could as easily be done in round one.

    An intangible that might help the Huskies is the fact they still have 12 holdovers from their Canada West winning championship squad in 2014. Out of those dozen holdovers, five are set to exhaust their fifth and final years of eligibility in Brooke Mutch, Hanna McGillivray, Marley Ervine, captain Paige Anakaer and star offensive defender Julia Flinton. 

Captain Paige Anakaer might return from a knee injury.

    Anakaer has been out with a knee injury suffered in a 2-1 home loss on Jan. 22 to the Thunderbirds, but the Moose Jaw product has been skating.

    All five have been heart-and-soul members of the team, and you can likely expect one last flash from this group. Flinton had her best season leading the Huskies in scoring with a career best 26 points coming on four goals and career high 22 assists. She was also a career-best plus-15 in the plus-minus department.

    Ervine, the feisty forward from Kindersley, had career bests in goals (nine), assists (15), points (24) and plus-minus (plus-8). Besides holding the Canada West record for career regular season games at 136, Ervine has never missed a game in her five seasons with the Huskies appearing in 152 straight contests including action in the regular season, post-season and CIS championship tournament. She would love to continue to grow that mark.

    The post-season is stage ready. The Huskies have great chance to step up into a leading role.

Blades finally find that little extra

The Blades celebrate a victory over the Broncos on Wednesday.

    The Saskatoon Blades finally found that little extra push to get back in the win column.

    On Wednesday, the Blades downed the visiting Swift Current Broncos 4-3 before 3,768 spectators at the Sasktel Centre thanks to doing a lot of little things right. The hosts blocked numerous shots, won a number of key puck battles, went 2-for-6 on the power play and killed off the five power-play opportunities the Broncos had.

    Starting goaltender Brock Hamm, who has been plagued by inconsistency, made 39 saves to earn the win in goal, which included a number of game-saving stops. Saskatoon also received goals from four different sources as Dustin Perillat, Josh Paterson, Cameron Hebig and Braylon Shmyr all potted singles.

    Saskatoon also overcame some rough spots. The Broncos scored in the closing seconds of the second period to cut a two-goal Blades lead to 2-1. With the Blades holding a 4-2 edge, the Broncos scored with 1:58 to play in the third to create a frantic finish, but the hosts successfully closed out the game.

    The Blades improved to 20-33-4 and sit 11 points behind the final playoff berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference held by the Edmonton Oil Kings (24-26-6-1). Saskatoon only has 15 games remaining in its regular season schedule and would need to post a huge winning streak to have a chance of earning a post-season berth for the first time since 2013.

    A more realistic expectation for the Blades might be to focus on repeating their effort from Wednesday night each time they hit the ice through to their last 15 contests. With 20 wins and 44 points, the Blades have bested those totals from a season ago. They are still taking little steps forward, even if the big post-season step likely doesn’t come just yet.

Stars close regular season with first locked up

Grace Shirley swoops into the offensive zone for the Stars.

    The Saskatoon Stars will finish their Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League regular season looking to tune up for the post-season.

    The defending SFMAAAHL champions last hit the ice on Jan. 31, when they thumped the Melville Prairie Fire 8-0 at the Agriplace Arena. They proceeded to play the waiting game to see if they would need to win one of their final two regular season outings to lock up first place in the eight-team league for a second straight year.

    The Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats were the only club that could catch the Stars in the standings, if they won their final six regular season games in regulation. When the Wildcats fell 5-4 after a tiebreaking shootout to the Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox on Feb. 3, the Stars (22-4) captured first overall.

    Saskatoon heads to Battleford for clashes with the last place Sharks (3-21-2) on Saturday and Sunday.

    Stars forwards Mackenna Parker and Grace Shirley are likely long shots at this point to win the league’s scoring title. Both trail Regina Rebels forward Kennedy Bobyck who tops all scorers with 16 goals and 22 assists for 38 points. Bobyck recently turned 15 years of age.

    Parker is second in the league scoring race with 32 points coming on 14 goals and 18 assists. Shirley is third in SFMAAAHL scoring with 30 points coming on 18 goals and 12 assists.

    All eight clubs in the SFMAAAHL advance to the post-season.

Late (Heisler) McGregor forever a legend in Regina

Crystal (Heisler) McGregor circa 2001.

    It has been almost two years since Crystal (Heisler) McGregor passed away of cancer, but she is still a key figure in the sports scene in Regina.

    In the late 1990s and early 2000s, McGregor was the point guard on the University of Regina Cougars women’s basketball team, when the Cougars were the most exciting women’s hoops squad in Canadian Interuniversity Sport. They ran teams out of the gym with their high tempo transition attack and never seemed to fatigue in the process.

    McGregor was the quarterback at the point guard position who dished off assists at will and had deadly accuracy from three-point range sporting her trademark #11 jersey. She was a key member of the Cougars CIS championship team in 2001.

    The graduate of Regina's Sheldon-Williams Collegiate is more remembered for her always upbeat personality away from the court and infectious smile. She was very caring and had a natural ability to make everyone around her feel comfortable and welcome.

    During McGregor’s years with the Cougars, little girls around the Queen City grew up with dreams of playing for the Cougars women’s hoops team. McGregor attained legendary status in the Regina sporting scene, as she moved on to coach basketball at the school and club levels following her playing days.

    On May 15, 2014, she passed away at age 35 after a battle with cancer that lasted over two years. Her motto during that battle was to “Dance In the Rain.” Her husband, Paul, became a single father with two young children in daughter, Aija, and son, Zayden. Aija was only eight-years-old at the time of Crystal’s death, and Zayden was age two.

    On Friday night, the Cougars basketball teams are inviting back all their alumnae and alumni and their families for their games that night with the U of Saskatchewan Huskies at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health and Sport on the U of R campus. Free tickets will be distributed to the alumnae and alumni and their families.  

    The women’s game is set for 6 p.m. and the men’s game is slated for 8 p.m. Aija’s club team also plays a mini game during halftime of the Cougars women’s contest.

    Special tributes will be held for Crystal McGregor and funds will be raised for the Shine On Foundation, which helps give financial support to moms who are fighting an advanced cancer diagnosis and help them and their families create lifelong positive memories.

    You can bet there will be a special vibe in the Cougars home gym on Friday night. It will be another example of how McGregor’s memory continues to inspire and bring people together.

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

Huskies home for round one

Dogs dump rival Cougars 6-2 to close regular season

The Huskies celebrate their 6-2 victory over the Cougars on Saturday night.

    The goal gusher finally came for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team, and they will host a home playoff series because of it.

    On Saturday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, the Huskies used a four-goal third period surge to dump their provincial rivals the University of Regina Cougars 6-2 to close their Canadian Interuniversity Sport regular season schedule. The six-goal outburst was the highest for the Huskies in any game this season. In their previous nine contests, the Huskies netted just 12 goals, which included falling 2-1 to the Cougars in double overtime on Friday in Regina.

    Saturday’s victory allowed the Huskies to improve to 14-9-5 to finish fourth in the Canada West conference. They will host the fifth place University of Manitoba Bisons (13-13-0-2) in a best-of-three first round series that is expected to start this coming Friday at the Rutherford Rink.

    “Everyone hates the Rutherford Rink, and we love bringing teams in here,” said Huskies fourth-year forward Rachel Johnson, who scored twice in Saturday’s win. “To play here instead of Manitoba is definitely big and to have the momentum going into playoffs is also huge.”

Kaitlin Willoughby scored twice for the Huskies on Saturday.

    The Huskies drew first blood in Saturday’s contest scoring on the power play, when feisty forward Marley Ervine tipped home a point shot from star defender Julia Flinton. The hosts proceeded to go up 2-0 before the first period ended, when Kaitlin Willoughby deflected home a shot from linemate Lauren Zary.

    U of R responded with a huge push back in the second period as standout sniper Kylie Gavelin netted her 11^th of the season, while Bailey Braden potted the equalizer at the 9:27 mark to tie things up at 2-2.

    The Huskies countered the Cougars surge with their big third period outburst. The surge began at the 2:36 mark when Willoughby scored her second of the contest on a brilliant individual rush down the right wing where she roofed a backhander top shelf.

    Just 52 seconds after that tally, Johnson scored the first of her two goals on the night. The Edmonton product picked up her second marker just past the midway point of the frame popping home a shot while falling to the ice. Checking forward Kennedy Harris rounded out the scoring flipping home a long distance empty-net goal with the Cougars working a power play.

    Cassidy Hendricks made 29 stops to earn the win in goal for the Huskies. Toni Ross, who set a Cougars record for wins in a season at 17, turned away 15 of 20 shots taking the loss in goal for the U of R.

Rachel Johnson, centre, celebrates her second of two goals for the Huskies.

    “Coming into tonight and absolutely playing a great game, six goals, we haven’t done that in a long time,” said Willoughby, who finished with 10 goals on the season for a third straight campaign.       “It just means a lot that we can play at home next weekend. I think home ice is huge for us, especially that first weekend so we can gain some momentum.”

    The Prince Albert product was pleased to net her first multi-goal game of the season.

    “It was really nice actually,” said Willoughby. “The one goal I honestly had to do nothing. Zary made an amazing play.

    “The second I just found the top corner, which was awesome. It felt good. I am feeling really good going into playoffs now for sure.”

    The Cougars, who were rated 10^th in the CIS top ten rankings, entered Saturday’s game needing a regulation win to potentially finish first in Canada West and earn a bye into the semifinal round of the post-season. They dropped to 17-10-1 to finish third, which means they have to face the red hot University of Calgary Dinos in a first round best-of-three series. The Dinos finished with a 12-12-4 record after winning nine of their past 11 games.

Goalie Cassidy Hendricks makes a kick save for the Huskies.

    In a weird twist, the Cougars actually recorded the most wins in the conference. In Canada West women’s play, three points are awarded in the standings for regulation wins and two points are given for extra time victories, and the Cougars finished behind both the University of Alberta Pandas (16-9-3) and the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (16-9-3) due to claiming victory 12 times in regulation. The Pandas had 15 regulation wins and the Thunderbirds had 13 regulation victories.

    The Huskies head into the post season having split their four encounters with the Bisons. Johnson is hoping her squad can find some magic to help capture a second conference title in three seasons. The Huskies won their first Canada West crown two years ago.

    “It is going to be a battle, but we are looking forward to it,” said Johnson. “Hopefully, we can do what we did back in 2014.”

Rally falls short for Huskies men’s team

Kohl Bauml scored for the Huskies on Saturday night.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team finished their regular season with a comeback attempt that came up just short in Regina on Saturday night.

    The host U of Regina Cougars jump out to a 3-0 lead at the 5:54 mark of the first period before the offence got going for the visitors. The Huskies rallied back to force a 3-3 tie heading into the second intermission, but fifth-year U of R forward Brock Appleyard netted the only goal in the third and his second tally of the night to give the Cougars a 4-3 victory.

    Stephen Langford and Sanfred King each had singles for the Cougars, while Mitch Kilgore turned away 27 shots to earn the win in goal. The Cougars finished last in Canada West with a 7-21 mark.

    Sean Aschim, Levi Cable and Kohl Bauml replied with singles for the Huskies. Blake Voth, who was making his fourth start of the campaign, turned away 27 shots taking the loss in goal for U of S.

    The Huskies, who were rated third in the CIS top ten rankings, had first place in Canada West locked up going into their last four games and finished with a 22-6 record. Their 22 victories equals a club record for wins in a regular season. The Huskies men’s team earned 22 wins in 1999-2000 finishing 22-3-3 and in 1987-88 recording a 22-5-1 mark.

    On Friday, the Huskies downed the Cougars 5-3 at the Rutherford Rink to allow Jordon Cooke to set a new school record for individual goaltending wins in a season at 19. During the regular season, Cooke posted a 19-5 record, a 2.52 goals against average, a .921 save percentage and two shutouts.

    The old record of 18 wins in a regular season was shared by Jeff Calvert (1998-99) and Ryan Holfeld (2012-13).

    The Huskies have a bye into the semifinal round of the playoffs and will be off next weekend waiting to see who they will play in a best-of-three series.

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

Huskies bash Bisons, pile up milestones

Andrew Johnson scored twice in the Huskies runaway victory on Friday.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men's hockey team looked every bit like a club that tops the Canadian Interuniversity Sport top ten rankings.
    For the second time this season, the Huskies were voted number one in the weekly CIS top ten rankings entering play this weekend. Hosting the University of Manitoba Bisons at the ancient Rutherford on Friday night, the Huskies actually fell behind 1-0 just 31 second in, when Bisons forward Warren Callis potted the rebound from an Adam Henry point shot.

    The Huskies roared back with five straight goals and cruised to an 8-3 victory.

    U of M’s lead lasted to the 4:49 mark of the opening frame, when Huskies rookie forward Kohl Bauml netted his 10^th goal of the season to tie things up at 1-1. Just 15 seconds later, Jaimen Yakubowski potted his second goal of the season to put the Huskies up 2-1.

    Before the opening frame ended, rookie forward Andrew Johnson netted a pair of goals just 17 seconds apart from each other to give the Huskies a 4-1 lead. At the 11:46 mark of the second, Josh Roach scored on the power play to put the Huskies up 5-1 and pretty much put the competitive phase of the contest on ice.

    Jordan Fransoo, Michael Sofillas and Cameron Blair potted singles to round out the Huskies scoring. Fransoo’s tally came on a pretty tick-tack-toe passing play, when the hosts were working on a two-man advantage. Bauml and defenceman Connor Cox picked up the helpers on that fancy tally.

Jordan DePape and Brett Stovin, who is a former captain of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, picked up singles to conclude the scoring for the Bisons.

Jordan Fransoo potted a beauty power-play goal for the Huskies on Friday.

    Jordon Cooke made 23 saves to earn the win goal for the Huskies. The victory in net was the 17^th of the season for Cooke, who is one win shy of equaling the club record for wins in a season. The team record of 18 goaltending wins in a season is held jointly by Jeff Calvert (1998-99) and Ryan Holfeld (2012-13).

    Rookie Justin Paulic stopped 36 shots going the distance in goal for the Bisons, who fell to 10-11-2.

    The Huskies stretched their winning streak to eight games and improved to 20-3. They hit the 20-win mark in the regular season for the third time in team history.

    The last time the Huskies won 20-or-more games in a regular season came back in 1999-2000, when the Dogs posted their best ever regular season record at 22-3-3.

    U of S also sits eight points up on the University of Alberta Golden Bears for first place in the Canada West standings. With the Golden Bears dropping a 6-4 decision to the University of Calgary Dinos on Friday night in Edmonton, the Huskies need to earn just three points in the standings in their final five regular season games to lock up first overall in Canada West.

    The Huskies could cement first overall on Saturday night, if they beat the Bisons (7 p.m., Rutherford Rink) and the Golden Bears fall in any fashion at home against the Dinos.

    NOTE – U of S was without standout fifth-year defenceman Zak Stebner, who is nursing a leg injury.

Huskies women’s team ends skid

Brooklyn Haubrich drives to the net for the Huskies.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team brought their four game losing streak to an end on Friday night in Winnipeg.

    Having been snakebitten around the net in recent weeks, the Huskies, who are rated 10^th in the CIS top ten rankings, scored three times on the nine shots they had on goal to slip past the host University of Manitoba Bisons 3-1.

    Huskies rookie forward Shyan Elias, who is from Winnipeg, picked up her first CIS regular season goal at the 8:45 mark of the opening frame. Just under two minutes later, fourth-year forward Lauren Zary picked up her career high seventh tally of the campaign to give the visitors a 2-0 edge.

First-year forward Brooklyn Haubrich potted the only goal in the second to put the Huskies up 3-0. Alanna Sharman replied with the Bisons loan goal in the third.

    Cassidy Hendricks made 22 saves to earn her 10^th win in goal of the season for the Huskies (12-8-3). The fourth-year netminder became the first goalie in the history of the Huskies women’s program to win 10 or more games in a season in four straight campaigns.

    Rachel Dyck made six stops in goal for the Bisons (10-11-2).

    These two teams will go at it again on Saturday in Winnipeg.

    NOTES - On Wednesday, the Huskies announced Danielle Nogier, who is the captain of the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA team, has committed to play for the U of S in the 2016-17 campaign. Known for her work as a defensive forward, Nogier has five goals and two assists for the Stars, who lead the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League with a 20-4 record.

    Her brother, Nelson, is a standout defensive defenceman with the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels and is a draft selection of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. Danielle's father, Pat, played goal for the Huskies men's hockey team from 1988-91.

    The Huskies were without captain Paige Anakaer, who is nursing a leg injury, on Friday.

    Feisty forward Marley Ervine played in her 131^st career regular season game on Friday for the Huskies to equal Kandace Cook for first on the club’s all-time list.

Stars learn about defeat

Abby Shirley charges into the offensive zone for the Stars.

    The Saskatoon Stars aren’t used to defeat, especially when it is suffered at the hands of a come-from-behind effort by their opponent.

    After winning the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League championship last season, the Stars picked up where they left off this season leading the SFMAAAHL with a 20-4 record. The fourth setback might have been the toughest one.

    Last Sunday at the Agriplace Arena, the Stars jumped out to a 2-0 lead on the visiting Prince Albert A & W Bears and held a decisive edge in shots on goal and territorial play through the contest’s first 30 minutes. With 7:05 to play in the second, the Bears scored on the power play to gain some traction, and the momentum of the game turned completely around.

    Prince Albert scored on another power play before the second period concluded to tie things up at 2-2 and potted a third power-play marker with 12:42 to play in the third to go up 3-2. The 3-2 Bears edge held up as the final outcome in the contest.

    While the Stars had lots of time to get the equalizer, it seemed they were trying to immediately create two or three breakaways to get a goal. In doing that, they played right into the defensive shut down game the Bears began to employ, which resulted in a number of turnovers in the centre ice zone.

    After the game ended, the youth of the Stars team came to the surface. A lot of the players broke out in tears. Most of that reaction stems from the fact the majority of the players on Saskatoon roster are around age 15.

    The disappointment energy was opposite of the bounce off the wall happiness energy the Stars displayed when they won the SFMAAAHL title.

    In the setback to Prince Albert, the Stars were reminded of a fact that former Saskatoon Blades head coach and general manager Lorne Molleken often alluded to in that there are two teams on the ice trying to win a hockey game. He often gave credit to the fact the opponent has some good players who will make some outstanding plays to help their side.

    The big lesson for the Stars is to not get discouraged or go in a shell when a good opponent does something great. When an opponent does something great, it presents an opportunity to respond in a good fashion to show perseverance.

    The Stars have a strong coaching staff and a strong parent group, so the players will have good support in going through this learning experience. If the Stars win all of their last four regular season games in regulation, they will still finish first overall in the SFMAAAHL.

    They return to action on Saturday night, when they host the Melville Prairie Fire (7-13-1) at 7:45 p.m. at the Agriplace Arena. The Stars and Prairie Fire will also meet on Sunday at 2:15 p.m. at the Agriplace Arena.

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

Finish eludes Huskies

UBC goalie Danielle Dube set up to stop  U of S winger Kaitlin Willoughby.

    It seemed like everyone on the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team had the hands of stone around the net.

    On Friday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, the Dogs had to lament their missed chances in a 2-1 setback to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. The Huskies, who lost their third in a row, had numerous opportunities to score, but the ability to finish eluded them in the up tempo contest.

    The rotten luck started late in the opening frame when feisty forward Marley Ervine rang a shot off the crossbar of the UBC goal.

    After a fairly even opening 20 minutes, the Thunderbirds seemed to score out of nowhere at the 4:53 mark of the second, when fourth-year forward Katie Zinn potted her third goal of the season to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

    Just over five minutes later, the Thunderbirds went ahead 2-0 on some nice work down low in the offensive zone. Third year Thunderbirds forward Melissa Goodwin slipped a pass to the front of the Huskies goal from the left corner boards in the U of S zone, and linemate Haneet Parhar tucked home her fifth of the season past Huskies goaltender Cassidy Hendricks.

    The Huskies, who are rated eighth in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport top ten rankings, proceeded to make a big push back, which saw them buzz the UBC zone. During one surge of pressure, Huskies standout winger Kaitlin Willoughby found herself alone at the right side of the Thunderbirds goal, but she was unable to put a backhanded chance past UBC netminder Danielle Dube.

The Thunderbirds celebrate a goal from Haneet Parhar (#12).

    In the final seconds of the second, another big scoring chance eluded the Huskies. After crossing into the Thunderbirds zone, Willoughby wired a shot on the UBC goal.

    The puck hit Dube and fell to the ground bouncing loose in the crease area. Ervine crashed into the area but was unable to bat the puck into the net.

    Despite the missed chances, a third period rally seemed possible for the hosts, when Lauren Zary scored on the power play just 46 seconds into the frame to cut the deficit to 2-1.

    From that point, both teams proceeded to trade scoring chances as action went back and forth up and down the ice. A couple of scrums also ensured after stoppages as the intensity on both sides increased.

    The Huskies best chance to net the equalizer came with under two minutes to play, when Hendricks was pulled for an extra attacker.

    On a rush into the offensive zone, Huskies third-year forward Kori Herner slipped a shot through a screen. Dube made the stop but gave up a juicy rebound.

    Herner slipped past a UBC defender but fanned on an attempt to shovel the loose puck home.

Dube made 25 stops to help the Thunderbirds win their fourth in a row and improve to 13-6-2. UBC is rated 10^th in the CIS top ten rankings. Hendricks made 16 stops for the Huskies, who fell to 11-7-3.

    The Huskies and Thunderbirds will go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

    NOTES – Ervine played in her 129^th career regular season game for the Huskies on Friday night to match Chelsey Sundby for second on the team’s all-time list. Kandace Cook sits first in the Huskies career regular season games played list having suited up for 131 contests.

    Huskies captain Paige Anakaer left Friday’s game in the second period with a leg injury.

U of S men’s team remains undefeated on the road

Kohl Bauml had a goal in the Huskies road win.

    The U of S Huskies men’s hockey team continued to cement their reputation as road warriors.

    On Friday night in Vancouver, standout rookie forwards Kohl Bauml and Levi Cable potted singles in the first period to power the Huskies to a 2-0 victory over the UBC Thunderbirds. Netminder Jordon Cooke made 25 saves to pick up his second shutout of the season.

    The win allowed the Huskies to improve to 10-0 on the road this season. U of S has also won six straight and is rated second in the CIS top ten rankings.

    The Huskies upped their Canada West leading record to 18-3. Friday’s win allowed the Huskies to ensure they can finish no lower than third in Canada West, and they will host at least one playoff series at the Rutherford Rink.

    The Thunderbirds fell to 9-9-3 to sit fifth in Canada West.

    Both teams go at it again on Saturday in Vancouver at the UBC campus.

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

Totally unpredictable

Parity at an all-time high in Canada West women’s hockey

U of R Cougars forward Stephanie Sawchuk turns to drive to the goal.

    There are no guarantees in Canada West Conference’s women’s hockey league.

    How competitive has the eight-team circuit been this year?

    Only 12 points in the standings separates last place from first place. With each team have about seven to eight games remaining on their respective regular season schedules, every club is looking at scenarios where they can finish from first to last, especially considering three points are awarded for regulation wins.

    Every team has experienced ups and downs, and the players and coaches on each squad can list times where they let points in the standings slip through their fingers. At the moment, the University of Regina Cougars have the best showing in the past 10 games posting a 7-3 mark over that stretch.

    The University of Calgary Dinos, who have the conference’s top two scorers in Iya Gavrilova and Sasha Vafina, had sat alone in the league’s cellar for most of the season. With their 3-2 regulation win over the Mount Royal University Cougars at the Crowchild Classic on Thursday night, the Dinos pulled to within five points of the Cougars for sixth place and the conference’s final playoff berth.

    U of C has also won four in a row and is starting to look like a squad worthy of hosting the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship tournament. The Dinos (7-10-4) actually now sit in a tie for seventh in the league standings with the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns (8-11-1) at 23 points.

    U of C compiled its 23 points off on five regulation wins, two extra wins and four extra time losses. U of L has 23 points thanks to six regulation wins, two extra time wins and one extra time setback.

Huskies forward Elizabeth Salyn battles two Dinos for the puck on the boards.

    The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (12-6-2) and the University of Alberta Pandas (11-7-2) sit tied for first in the standings with 35 points. UBC collected its 35 points on nine regulation wins, three extra time wins and two extra time setbacks. All 11 of U of A’s victory have come in regulation time to help the Pandas grab a share of first.

    In another interesting twist, the Pandas do not have a single player sitting in the top ten of the conference’s scoring race. Rookie Alex Poznikoff tops the Pandas in scoring with eight goals and four assists, but she sits 13^th overall in the conference’s scoring race.

    The U of R Cougars (12-7-1, nine regulation wins) are a point back of both UBC and U of A for top spot, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies (11-6-3, eight regulation wins) are two points out of first place and the University of Manitoba Bisons (10-8-2, 10 regulations wins) are three points back of first.

    Mount Royal (10-10-1, seven regulation wins) holds sixth place with 28 points.

    Down the stretch you can be certain there will be a lot of scoreboard watching. No team has been able to go through a lengthy consistent winning stretch.

    If a club can post a lengthy winning stretch, that team might have home ice advantage for the entire Canada West playoffs.

    In reality, it seems the deck will keep getting reshuffled after each of the last four regular season weekends plays out.

Random observations – picture worth 1,000 words

Matthew Spafford celebrates scoring for the Huskies.

    This picture of Matthew Spafford’s goal celebration for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team is piling up the views on Twitter and Facebook. Spafford was celebrating after scoring against the U of C Dinos in last Friday’s 4-3 double overtime win at the ancient Rutherford Rink. In the right corner of the picture, it looks like Spafford is about to high-five Rod Alm, who was named the Huskies fan of the year in 2013. It is safe to say most of the Huskies athletes know who Alm is. The shot show great emotion of the moment. When it comes to snapping a photo like this, it is really only 20 per cent skill and 80 per cent luck.    
·             Feisty forward Marley Ervine will hit a milestone, when her Huskies women’s hockey team hosts the Thunderbirds at 7 p.m. Friday at the Rutherford Rink. Ervine will suit up for her 129^th career regular season game, which will tie her for second all-time in the history of the Huskies women’s hockey program with Chelsey Sundby. Kandace Cook tops the Huskies career regular season games played list at 131. Ervine sits third in the Canada West scoring race with a career high eight goals and 12 assists.
·             It seemed Mike Gibson wasn’t in the good books of a number of the alumni of the University of Regina Rams football team. Gibson resigned as Rams head coach on Sunday after just one season having guided the club to an 0-8 mark. Gibson joined the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos on Monday as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator. A number of Rams alumni voiced their displeasure with Gibson over social media after he resigned his U of R post.
·            On Thursday, the U of R Rams named Mark McConkey as acting head coach. McConkey was the team’s offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and academic coach. That move was a head scratcher considering McConkey’s last season as a Rams player was 2012. You would think the U of R would name Paul Dawson, who is the Rams long time defensive coordinator, as acting head coach. McConkey doesn’t have a lot of coaching experience and only joined the CIS ranks in April of last year.
·         On the WHL front, how about those Lethbridge Hurricanes? After missing the playoffs for the last six straight seasons, the Hurricanes sit first in the entire WHL with a 34-12 record and are riding an eight game winning streak. They have to be considered the top story in major junior hockey.
·             Brock Hirsche, who is the captain of the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns men’s hockey team, revealed on Tuesday he is battling testicular cancer. Last year, Pronghorns goaltender Dylan Tait and team athletic therapist Brennan Mahon both beat that same disease. Hirsche is well known in hockey circles in Western Canada, and he will undoubtedly have a lot of people pulling for him.
·            On Thursday, the Saskatoon Blades revealed dressing room attendant Bobby Kirkness suffered a heart attack, while on vacation last week. Kirkness was later diagnosed with leukemia. Well loved by the Blades players, the news of Kirkness’s health woes have to be tough to take in the dressing room of “the Bridge City Bunch.” The Blades host the Brandon Wheat Kings on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.
·             By now, most in the general public know the massive cuts Postmedia made to its operations on Tuesday. The media company owns a large concentration of Canada’s newspapers including the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. A number of good people saw their jobs and careers on a lot of fronts come to an end. On the sports front, expect anything that is not the NHL, UFC, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Raptors to receive less coverage. All around, it is a sad situation.
·             The Saskatchewan Rush’s home opener was a hit. A crowd of 9,147 went to the SaskTel Centre last Friday to see the Rush fall 13-11 to the Vancouver Stealth. There as a lot of talk after that contest about how fun it was to watch the high-tempo National Lacrosse League. The Rush return to action on Jan. 29, when they host the Colorado Mammoth at 7:30 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

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