Stingers down resilient Warriors 3-1 in U Sports semifinal

Concordia advances to third straight U Sports title game

Zoe Thibault (#7) scored the Stingers first goal on Saturday.

For a third straight year, the Concordia University Stingers will play for a U Sports women’s hockey title.

On Saturday at Merlis Belsher Place, the Stingers, who are the Reseau du Sport Etudiant du Quebec champions, outlasted a resilient University of Waterloo Warriors squad 3-1 in the first of two semifinals at the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship tournament. The Warriors, who are the OUA champions, road a 37 save performance from netminder Mikayla Schnarr to stay in the game.

The Warriors were down 2-1 and went on the power play with 2:39 remaining in the third when Stingers defender Camille Richard was penalized for body checking. With 1:20 remaining in the third, Stingers third-year right-winger Jessymaude Drapeau took the puck from a pair of Warriors players in the centre ice zone and jetted down the right wing into the Waterloo zone.

Drapeau cut across the front of the Warriors net, put on a deke and tucked home a short-handed goal that sealed the 3-1 victory for the Stingers in a contest played before 647 spectators.

With the win, the Stingers advance to the gold medal final to face the sixth seeded University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday at 6 p.m. at Merlis. The Stingers are making their third straight appearance in the U Sports championship game. The Stingers captured the U Sports title in 2022 downing the Nipissing University Lakers 4-0 in the event’s final, when the tournament was held in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

The Stingers faithful cheers on their team on Saturday.

Last year, the Stingers fell 4-3 in overtime in the U Sports title game to the Mount Royal University Cougars, when the tournament was held in Montreal.

With Saturday’s setback to the Stingers, the Warriors will play in tournament’s bronze medal game against the seventh seeded University de Montreal Carabins set for 2 p.m. at Merlis.

The Stingers came storming out of the gate in Saturday’s semifinal jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first period while holding a 12-6 edge in shots on goal. Third-year centre Zoe Thibault and second-year left-winger Courtney Rice netted singles for the Stingers in the opening frame.

Concordia pressed to get further ahead on the scoreboard in the second holding a 14-6 edge in shots on goal, but they were held at bay by the heroics of Schnarr.

Working on a power play to start the third, the Warriors came up with a big traction moment. Holding the puck at the right side boards, Warriors fourth-year centre Leah Herrfort passed the puck across the front of the Stingers net backdoor to skilled third-year left-winger Tatum James. James tucked home her fourth goal of the tournament to cut the Stingers lead to 2-1.

The Stingers celebrate their win on Saturday.

James’ goal energized the Warriors, but the Stingers were able to stay composed and protect their lead. That set the stage for Drapeau to ice the victory for Concordia with her short-handed tally.

Jordyn Verbeek stopped 19 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Stingers.

Going into Sunday’s championship final, the Stingers will be trying to win their fourth U Sports title in team history having won the U Sports women’s hockey crown the first two times it was contested in 1998 and 1999.

The Warriors were trying to make the U Sports title game for the first time in team history.

Varsity Blues claim Cinderella battle with Carabins, other notes

Erica Fryer (#30) makes a save in goal for the Varsity Blues.

The glass slippers proved to be a better fit for the University of Toronto Varsity Blues.

In the second semifinal of the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship tournament played on Saturday night at Merlis Belsher Place played before 817 spectators, it was a battle of Cinderella teams between the sixth seeded Blues and the seventh seeded University de Montreal Carabins. Neither team wanted to see the clock strike midnight in their respective quests to win a national title.

The two squads went to overtime locked in a 1-1 tie, and the 1-1 tie remained after the two squads played through a 10-minute overtime period of four skaters versus four skaters hockey. In the sixth round of the tiebreaking shootout, Varsity Blues first-year right-winger Ashley Delahey tucked home a shot past Carabins fifth-year netminder Aube Racine.

Third-year right-winger Amelie Poire-Lehoux came up net to shoot for the Carabins, and she was turned away by Varsity Blues netminder Erica Fryer. That stop by Fryer allowed the Varsity Blues to take the tiebreaking session 1-0 and the game 2-1.

With the win, the Varsity Blues advance to play in Sunday’s U Sports championship game against the top seeded Concordia University Stingers set for 6 p.m. on Sunday at Merlis.

The Carabins will take part in Sunday’s bronze medal game against the fourth seeded University of Waterloo Warriors at 2 p.m. at Merlis.

Ashley Delahey scored the tiebreaking shootout winner.

For the Varsity Blues, they will be playing in the U Sports title game on Sunday for the first time since 2003. In the 2003 U Sports championship tournament played in Regina, the Varsity Blues fell 5-4 in overtime to the University of Alberta Pandas.

The Varsity Blues lone U Sports title win came in the 2001 U Sports championship tournament held in Calgary, when they downed the University of Regina Cougars 4-3. The Varsity Blues went up 3-0 in that contest, but the Cougars rallied to tie the score at 3-3 in the third. Later in the third, the Varsity Blues netted the winning goal.

In Saturday’s clash between the Varsity Blues and Carabins, third-year defender Kalie Chan gave the U of T side a 1-0 lead firing home a shot from just above the top of the left faceoff circle at the 9:55 mark of the opening period. Delahey picked up the lone assist on Chan’s tally.

It appeared for the longest time Chan’s lone tally would stand up as the only goal of the contest.

At the 5:01 mark of the third, the Carabins found the equalizer that forced a 1-1 tie score. Carabins fifth-year centre and captain Jessika Boulanger had the puck on the right faceoff dot in the Varsity Blues zone.

She passed the puck across the face of the goal for a backdoor setup to first-year left-winger Juliette Rolland at the left side of the net. Rolland made no mistake knocking home the equalizer. Defender Jade Picard picked up a second assist on Rolland’s goal.

The Varsity Blues start to celebrate a berth in the U Sports title game.

That set the stage for the game to go to overtime and a tiebreaking shootout, where Delahey scored the only goal in the tiebreaking session in the sixth round.

Fryer stopped 25 shots over 70 minutes and all six shooters she faced in the shootout to pick up the win in goal for the Varsity Blues. Racine turned away 23 shots over 70 minutes and five out of six shooters in the shootout.

The Varsity Blues are appearing in the U Sports title game for the fourth time in team history.

The Carabins last appeared in the U Sport championship contest in 2016 blanking the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 8-0, when the national championship tournament was held in Calgary. The Carabins have appeared in four U Sports championship games winning twice.

• The host University of Saskatchewan Huskies downed the Saint Xavier X-Women in the first consolation semifinal on Saturday 3-1 at the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship tournament at Merlis. Defender Brooklyn Stevely had a goal and an assist for the Huskies. Netminder Camryn Drever made 37 saves to pick up the win in goal for U of S.
• The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds blanked the University of New Brunswick Red 4-0 in the second consolation semifinal on Saturday 4-0 at the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship tournament at Merlis. Chanreet Bassi scored twice for the Thunderbirds, while Joelle Fiala and Sierra LaPlante netted singles.
• The consolation final between the Huskies and Thunderbirds at the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship tournament is set for 10 a.m. Sunday at Merlis.
• Stingers captain Emmy Fecteau might be the best two-way player at the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship tournament going on at Merlis. Fecteau has one goal in the Stingers two wins, and she is able to play in all situations for her squad.
• Stevely returned to the Huskies for the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship tournament after she missed the entire 2023-24 campaign to that point battling and beating ovarian cancer. A trio of Saskatoon media outlets did great work on Stevely’s story. Darren Zary’s piece in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix on Stevely can be found by clicking right here. A story by Brooke Kruger and Scott Roblin of Global News Saskatoon on Stevely can be found by clicking right here. Shane Clausing’s story for 650 CKOM on Stevely can be found by clicking right here.
• Sunday’s U Sports title game features two teams in the Concordia University Stingers and the University of Toronto Blues that appeared in the U Sports championship contest held back in 1998. In that game, the Stingers, who were the host squad, claimed a 4-1 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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Grawbarger makes Varsity Blues dreams come true

Sophie Grawbarger scored the winner for the Varsity Blues.

“You Make My Dreams (Come True)” may never have sounded sweeter for the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women’s hockey team.

With the NHL’s Toronto Maples Leafs have dropped the famous Hall and Oates tune early in the 2023-24 campaign as their goal song after five full seasons, the Varsity Blues decided to pick the medley as their goal song, and they are two victories away from winning a national championship with it. Being two wins away from winning a championship is something the Maple Leafs have only dreamt about since 1967.

On Friday night at Merlis Belsher Place, the Varsity Blues were locked in a 1-1 tie with the University of New Brunswick Reds in the fourth quarter-final of the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship tournament. With 2:21 remaining in the third, Varsity Blues third-year left-winger Sophie Grawbarger elected to take control of the contest in her own hands.

After getting the puck in the centre ice zone, Grawbarger drove hard down the middle of the ice into the UNB zone. She got in close to the Reds goal and put a backhand shot over the shoulder on the stick side of Reds netminder Kendra Woodland into the UNB net to give U of T a 2-1 lead.

That 2-1 score held as the final in front of a gathering of 771 spectators to allow the sixth seeded Varsity Blues to advance to the tournament’s semfinal round. They will face the seventh seeded University de Montreal Carabins in Saturday’s second semifinal slated for 7 p.m. at Merlis.

The first semifinal on Saturday sees the top seeded Concordia University Stingers take on the fourth seeded University of Waterloo Warriors at 4 p.m. at Merlis.

The Reds will play a consolation semifinal against the second seeded University of British Columbia Thunderbirds set for 1 p.m. at Merlis on Saturday.

In the clash between the Varsity Blues and Reds, the two sides played a fairly even first period.

The Reds were denied an equalizer with 18.9 seconds left in the third.

First-year right-winger Ashley Delahey scored at the 12:32 mark of the first to put the Blues up 1-0. Second-year defender Mackenzie Keenan tallied just 49 seconds later for the AUS champion Reds to even the score at 1-1.

The shots on goal between the two sides were tied 9-9 after 20 minutes. The Varsity Blues and Reds skated through a fairly tight checking contest from that point with U of T holding a 7-4 edge in shots on goal in the second period and 6-4 advantage in shots in the third frame.

After the Blues went up 2-1, the Reds made a last gasp push with Woodland pulled for an extra attacker looking for an equalizer that would force overtime. The Reds were successful in creating a hectic mad scramble where Varsity Blues netminder Erica Fryer was able to cover up the puck with 18.9 second remaining in the frame.

Fryer stopped 16 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Varsity Blues. Woodland turned away 20 shots to take the setback in net for the Reds.

The Varsity Blues are searching for their first U Sports crown since winning their lone title in 2001, when they down the University of Regina Cougars 4-3, when the national championship tournament was held in Calgary.

Unfortunately if the Varsity Blues are able to win the U Sports title, they won’t be able to celebrate the accomplishment at one time famed Saskatoon night hotspot in Beily’s Ultra Lounge, which closed in February of 2015. The famed closing tune at Beily’s was “You Make My Dreams (Come True).”

T-birds nationals jinx continues, Carabins take quarter-final

The Carabins enjoy an empty-net goal from Laurie-Anne Ethier (#10).

It seems like a black cloud hangs over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds when it comes to playing in the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship tournament.

The Thunderbirds jinx at nationals continued even with entering this year’s event having won the Canada West Conference title for a third straight year and being the tournament’s second seed. They fell 4-2 to the seventh seeded Universite de Montreal Carabins in the third quarter-final played on Friday at Merlis Belsher Place before 2,150 spectators.

The teams were tied 1-1 after 20 minutes and were locked in a 2-2 early in the third before the Carabins scored twice more to secure victory. The Carabins were third in Reseau du Sport Etudiant du Quebec at 13-10-2 and went 3-3 in post-season falling to the Concordia University Stingers in the RSEQ final.

In 2022, the Thunderbirds entered nationals held in Charlottetown, P.E.I., as the third seed and fell in the quarter-final 1-0 to the Nipissing University Lakers. Last year, the Thunderbirds entered nationals held in Montreal as the second seed. They fell 3-1 to the Stingers in the semifinal and rebounded to claim the bronze medal game 3-2 over the Carabins.

Friday’s clash between the Thunderbirds and Carabins was tightly contested. Carabins fourth-year centre Mylene Lefebvre scored at the 6:58 mark of the opening frame to give her squad a 1-0 lead. Thunderbirds second-year forward Cassidy Rhodes potted the equalizer at the 13:45 mark of the first to even the score at 1-1.

With 11:01 remaining in the second, Thunderbirds third-year left-winger Grace Elliott was awarded a penalty shot, but she was turned away by Carabins fifth-year netminder Aube Racine.

After the two sides played through a scoreless second, Carabins fourth-year left-winger Joannie Garand wired home a shot from the right wing into the Thunderbirds net to put Montreal up 2-1.

Jade Picard had a goal and two assists for the Carabins.

A short time later, Carabins defender Rose-Michelle Cardin was given a double minor penalty for head contact. On the first part of the double minor, Thunderbirds third-year defender Sophia Gaskell slipped home a smart shot from the point to once again even the score this time at 2-2 just 90 seconds after Garand’s tally.

With 6:10 remaining in the third, Carabins second year defender Jade Picard popped collected the rebound at the left side of the Thunderbirds net from a Garand shot and popped home a tally that gave the Carabins a 3-2 lead. Carabins second-year right-winger Laurie-Anne Ethier scored into an empty-net with 2:01 remaining in the third to round out the Carabins 4-2 victory.

Racine made 24 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Carabins. Third-year goalie Elise Hugens turned away 18-of-21 shots to take the setback in net for the Thunderbirds.

Picard had a pair of assists to go with her goal and was a plus-three in the plus-minus department. Garand and Lefebvre both had an assist to go with their respective goals.

The Carabins went 0-for-7 on the power play, while the Thunderbirds were 1-for-3 with a one skater advantage.

The Carabins advance to play in a tournament semifinal against the sixth seeded University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merlis.

The Thunderbirds will take part in a consolation semifinal against the University of New Brunswick Reds on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Merlis.

Blades close in on clinching first overall in WHL

Alexander Suzdalev scored twice for the Blades on Friday.

With first place in the WHL’s East Division and Eastern Conference locked up, the Saskatoon Blades have turned their full focus towards finishing first overall in the WHL.

On Friday, the Blades took a big step in getting closer to finishing first overall when they won their fifth straight downing the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors 6-3 in a regular season clash before 6,257 spectators at the SaskTel Centre. With the five straight wins, the Blades improve their WHL leading record to 47-12-2-3.

“The Bridge City Bunch” needs to collect five standings points over their last four games to lock up first place overall in the WHL. Only the B.C. Division champion Prince George Cougars (45-15-1-3) and the U.S. Division leading Portland Winterhawks (45-15-2-1) could pass the Blades in the overall WHL standings.

The last time the Blades finished first overall in the WHL was back in the 2010-11 campaign when they posted a 56-13-1-2 record. The 56 victories are a Blades franchise record for wins in one regular season.

In Friday’s contest with the Warriors, the two sides engaged in a back-and-forth struggle over the first 40 minutes. The two sides were locked in a 2-2 draw after the first period and a 3-3 tied after the second before the Blades exploded for the only three goals in the third.

Blades star import winger Alexander Suzdalev blew up Platform-X when he scored a power-play goal on a Michigan style lacrosse shot with four seconds remaining in the opening frame to force a 2-2 tie. Suzdalev finished the night having scored a pair of goals.

Blades star left-winger Brandon Lisowsky had a big night recording a pair of goals and an assist in the win. With 38 goals on the season, Lisowsky is trying to hit the 40-goal plateau for the first time in his WHL career.

Steady left-winger Tyler Parr has a goal and an assist for the Blades, while overage left-winger Easton Armstrong netted a single, which allowed him to hit 30 goals scored for one season for the first time in his WHL career. Blades captain Trevor Wong, star centre Fraser Minten and offensive-defenceman Tanner Molendyk each recorded two assists in the win.

Wong leads the WHL with 83 assists to go along with 13 goals for 96 points. The Vancouver product is trying to hit the 100-point plateau for the first time in his WHL career.

Blades import right-winger Egor Sidorov was held off the scoresheet as he sits on the cusp of a big milestone. Sidorov had scored 49 goals so far this season, which is good for fourth best in the WHL. Along with trying to hit the 50-goal plateau, Sidorov is trying to become the first Blades player to score 50-or-more goals in a season since the 1995-96 campaign.

In the 1995-96 season, both Frank Banham and Mark Deyell hit the 50-goal plateau for the Blades. Banham record 83 goals in that campaign, which is still a franchise record for most goals in a season, and Deyell posted 61 goals.

In the setback to the Blades, offensive-defenceman Denton Mateychuk, Atley Calvert and Jagger Firkus all netted single for the Warriors. Mateychuk had an assist to go with his goal, and Brayden Yager had a pair of assists for the Moose Jaw side.

Rookie netminder Evan Gardner made 26 saves to earn the win in goal for the Blades, who are rated fifth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings. Jackson Unger turned away 36 shots to take the setback in net for the Warriors, who fell to 41-20-0-3 to sit second overall in the Eastern Conference.

The Blades and Warriors go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

Raiders fall to Pats, inch closer to playoff berth

Justice Christensen scored for the Raiders on Friday.

The Prince Albert Raiders stumbled in Regina but got closer to locking up a playoff berth due to an assist from the Edmonton Oil Kings.

On Friday night at the Brandt Centre in Regina, the Raiders dropped a 5-2 decision in a WHL regular season clash to the host Pats before 3,782 spectators despite having a 34-19 edge in shots on goal. The Pats improved to 22-36-4-2 to remain last in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

Out in Edmonton, the host Oil Kings downed the visiting Calgary Hitmen 6-2, which allowed the Raiders to get closer to locking up a berth in the WHL Playoffs. The Oil Kings improved to 25-36-3-1 to sit second last in the Eastern Conference.

With the loss to the Pats, the Raiders fell to 30-29-2-3, but they still sit in eighth place and hold the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. The Hitmen fell to 26-30-7-1 with the loss to the Oil Kings. Calgary sits ninth in the Eastern Conference five standings points behind the Raiders.

At the moment, the Raiders need to collect four more standings points in their final four games to lock up a berth in the WHL Playoffs. The Lethbridge Hurricanes (31-28-5) and the Brandon Wheat Kings (30-28-6-1) both sit two standings points ahead of the Raiders.

The Hurricanes hold sixth place in the Eastern Conference over the Wheat Kings due to having a greater number of wins.

In Friday’s encounter between the Raiders and Pats, Tye Spencer gave the Pats a 1-0 lead at the 10:13 mark of the opening frame. Just 77 seconds later, overage centre Turner McMillen tallied for the Raiders to even the score at 1-1.

Anthony Wilson and Jaxsin Vaughan netted singles for the Pats in the second to give the host side a 3-1 edge going into the second intermission. Pats captain Tanner Howe scored just 10 seconds into the third to increase Regina’s advantage to 4-1.

Raiders offensive-defenceman Justice Christensen potted a power-play goal with 4:46 remaining in the third to trim Regina’s lead to 4-2.

Braxton Whitehead popped home an empty-net goal with 1:42 remaining in the third to round out the 5-2 final in favour of the Pats.

Kelton Pyne stopped 32 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Pats. Max Hildebrand turned away 14-of-18 shots to take the setback in goal for the Raiders.

The Raiders return to action on Saturday when they travel to Brandon to face the Wheat Kings (7 p.m. local time, Westoba Place).

The Pats return to action on Sunday when they host their archrivals the 41-20-0-3 Moose Jaw Warriors (4 p.m., Brandt Centre).

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

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Heart of the Huskies delivers Uteck Bowl win

U of S off to U Sports title game – the Vanier Cup

The Huskies are going to the Vanier Cup.

For a lengthy stretch, it seemed these Dogs wouldn’t have their day.

Going into the fourth quarter of the Uteck Bowl on Saturday at The CEPSUM in Montreal, Quebec, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team trailed the Universite de Montreal Carabins 9-1. The Carabins held a 303-167 edge in total yards after three quarters and seemingly had the ball for most of the game up until that point in time.

The Huskies defence had bent but didn’t break. The Carabins were still in search of their first touchdown of the contest.

It was the type of day where points were at a premium as both squads played in conditions that included winds that would blow at 46 kilometres per hour.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Huskies offence, which had seemingly been stuck in quicksand for a lot of the first 45 minutes to that point, was set up with a second-and-goal situation from the Carabins nine yard line.

U of S had driven the ball 63 yards in five plays to get to that position on the field. The Huskies needed a play to change the complexion of the contest.

At that moment, Huskies star quarterback Mason Nyhus hit star running back Adam Machart with a swing pass that resulted in a nine-yard touchdown reception.

The Huskies attempted a two-point conversion, and a Nyhus pass to receiver Sam Baker, who is a CFL Draft pick of the Toronto Argonauts, fell incomplete.

Adam Machart scored the winning TD for the Huskies.

The Carabins still led 9-7, but Machart’s major score gave the Huskies a major traction point and extra life. Business was picking up the battle department as the Huskies were intent on making sure they would not be denied of victory on this day.

The host side proceeded to get a single on a missed 37-yard field goal from kicker Michael Arpin at the 5:24 mark of the frame. The Carabins lead increased, but it was still a slim one at 10-7.

U of S ultimately got the ball on its own 27 yard line with 1:55 remaining in the game.

Nyhus proceeded to drive the Huskies down the field hitting star utility player Colton Klassen, Baker and fifth-year tight end Kyle Newton with big pass completions.

From the Carabins 13 yard line, Machart broke off an electrifying touchdown run to put the Huskies in front 14-10 with five seconds to play.

The Carabins were unable to create a miracle on their last offensive play and the 14-10 score in favour of the Huskies stood up as the final outcome to disappoint most of the sellout crowd of 5,100 spectators.

For the first time since 2006, the Huskies were on their way to the U Sports championship game – the Vanier Cup.

The victory over the Carabins was the biggest win for the Huskies team since they knocked off the University of Ottawa Gee Gees 35-28 in Ottawa, Ont., in the 2006 Mitchell Bowl.

The Huskies also came into the clash with the Carabins as underdogs. In the final U Sports Top 10 rankings, the Carabins were rated first, and the Huskies were fourth.

The Carabins were also coming off a bye week having last played on November 14, when they knocked off the visiting Universite Laval Rouge et Or 28-19 to win the Dunsmore Cup to become the champions of the Reseau du Sport Etudiant du Quebec.

Adam Machart ran for 158 yards on Saturday.

The Huskies were in action just even days earlier downing the University of Manitoba Bisons 45-17 at Griffiths Stadium on the U of S campus to claim the Hardy Cup as Canada West Conference champions.

With the win in the Uteck Bowl, the Huskies, who were 5-1 in the regular season, were moving on to the U Sports title game improving their overall record to 8-1 and their overall winning streak to eight games.

The Carabins, who had a 7-1 regular season record, saw their eight game overall winning streak come to an end as their overall record would finish up at 9-2.

The Huskies will face the University of Western Ontario Mustangs in the Vanier Cup to be played this coming Saturday at Stade Telus – Universite Laval in Quebec City, Quebec.

The Mustangs romped to a 61-6 victory over the visiting St. Francis Xavier University X-Men in London, Ont., in the other U Sports semifinal – the Mitchell Bowl – on Saturday. The Mustangs, who are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, improved to 9-1 overall with the win, while the X-Men, who were rated seventh in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, saw their record conclude a 8-1 overall.

While the Huskies were underdogs against the Carabins, it appeared the weather conditions would favor the visitors at the start of the Uteck Bowl. Besides the winds gusting to 46 kilometres per hour, the temperature at kickoff was -3 C, and those elements on paper seemed to be of benefit to the visitors.

The wind would plague the kicking game for most of the day.

The Huskies had the game’s first possession and got in position for kicker David Solie to try a 25-yard field goal. Solie’s kick sailed wide and was good for a single to put the Huskies in front 1-0 at the 5:13 mark of the first quarter.

Arpin made a 23-yard field goal with 2:08 remaining in the first quarter to give the Carabins a 3-1 lead.

At the 9:21 mark of the second quarter, Arpin missed a 25-yard field goal attempt, but the kick was good enough for a rouge to put the Carabins up 4-1 going into the halftime break.

Mason Nyhus engineers a game-winning drive.

During the second quarter, Huskies defensive end Riley Pickett found himself playing the role of villain in the eyes of the Carabins faithful. Pickett sacked Carabins quarterback Jonathan Senecal twice in the second quarter.

On the second sack late in the frame, Pickett drove thru Senecal on a hard but clean hit. Senecal stayed down on the turf and had to be looked at by the Carabin trainers.

He walked off the field under his own power and returned to the contest at the start of the second half.

When Senecal was down, the Carabins fans showered boos and heckles at Pickett.

Pickett soaked in the taunts from the fans like he was WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

In the third quarter, Arpin hit a 15-yard field goal and the Huskies conceded a safety due to bad field position to allow the Carabins to take a 9-1 edge into the fourth quarter.

That set the stage for the Huskies dramatic rally in the final 15 minutes of the contest.

Machart was named the game’s offensive MVP. He carried the ball 20 times for 158 yards and caught six passes for 24 yards to go with his two major scores.

Pickett had six total tackles to go with his two sacks in being named the game’s defensive MVP.

Nyhus completed 17-of-26 passes for 138 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.

Senecal had a monster game completing 31-of-41 passes for 398 yards. He didn’t throw any touchdown passes or interceptions.

Carabins star receiver Hassane Dosso caught 10 passes for 182 yards.

Colton Klassen had a key catch on the Huskies winning drive.

Linebacker Lane Novak led the Huskies with 7.5 total tackles, while defensive lineman Michael Brodrique topped the Carabins with seven total tackles.

The Carabins had the ball for 35 minutes and 34 seconds putting up 457 yards of total offence.

The Huskies put up 299 yards of total offence with 24 minutes and 26 seconds of time of possession.

Despite the statistical advantage by the Carabins, they couldn’t overcome the heart of the Huskies.

As a result, the Huskies prevailed on the scoreboard, and when two good teams play each other in the post-season, it is all about just finding a way to win.

Now, the Huskies will try to find a way to party like its 1998, when they last won the Vanier Cup 24-17 over the Concordia University Stingers in Toronto, Ont., at Rogers Centre, which was then known as the Skydome. That marked the third time the Huskies won the U Sports title, with the other two victories coming in 1990 and 1996.

The Huskies will face another monster test in the Mustangs in this year’s Vanier Cup.

With the heart the Huskies have shown to this point, they might just go all the way in winning that one last game.

Vanier Bound! #HuskiePride pic.twitter.com/JbwBjHVRDY

— Huskie Athletics (@HuskieAthletics) November 28, 2021

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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