Huskies’ Whiting hits final sprint in U Sports

Ben Whiting is playing his final games with the Huskies.

    The end of the line with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team is becoming more real for Ben Whiting with each passing day.

    Over the last four years, the standout outside linebacker has watched the Huskies graduating fifth-year players be introduced individually to the crowd at Griffiths Stadium before the team’s last home game. The fifth-years run out of the tunnel and between two lines of team alums, who are dressed in their old game jerseys from their playing days.

    Now, Whiting is a fifth-year player, and he will make that same run to the field on Saturday, when the Huskies host the University of Alberta Golden Bears at 2 p.m. at Griffiths. The contest will close the U Sports regular season schedules for both sides.

    “It definitely flew by,” said Whiting, who is a graduate of Saskatoon’s Marion M. Graham Collegiate Falcons football team. “You watch the fifth-years when you are a rookie running through, and you think it is going to not sneak up on you like it did.

Ben Whiting, right, tackles a Thunderbirds running back.

    “It definitely snuck up on me, and (it was) definitely a goal that I wanted to reach for myself when I came here. I’m glad that I am being able to reach it.”

    Whiting is one of six players on the Huskies roster who are in their fifth and final seasons of U Sports eligibility. The five others are defensive back Payton Hall, linebacker Eric Thakurdeen, defensive lineman Evan Machibroda, and offensive linemen Andrew Serke and Tanner Secord.

    Saturday’s game has quite a bit on the line too. The Huskies and Golden Bear both have 4-3 records going into the contest and the winner will be assured of at least a second place finish in the Canada West Conference standings and will host a Canada West semifinal playoff game.

Ben Whiting sizes up the opposition offence.

    The Huskies, who are the defending Canada West champions, could still finish first in Canada West, if they win on Saturday and the University of Calgary Dinos (5-2) fall at home to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (2-5).

    While there are a lot of implications for the Huskies based on the result of Saturday’s game with the Golden Bears, Whiting admits it will be somewhat unique on a personal level reflecting of the fifth-year introductions.

    “I wouldn’t say (it is) different, but maybe just a little more special,” said Whiting, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 225 pounds. “At the end of the day, it is just another game, a must win, and that is how we’re going into it with that mentality.”

    Whiting sits second on the Huskies with 37.5 total tackles this season behind super-rookie Ramsey Derbas, who is having a breakout campaign with 43 total tackles. On the Huskies career list for most total tackles, Whiting sits third with 206 total tackles.

Ben Whiting, left, gives congrats to Nixen Voll after an interception.

    When he graduated from Marion M. Graham, Whiting decided to join the Huskies because he wanted to play in his hometown and due to the fact his grandfather, Don Brock, played for the Huskies from 1959 to 1961.

    Whiting’s older brother, Sam, played for the Huskies men’s soccer team. Ben would later be joined on the football team by his younger brother Tom, who is in his third year with the Huskies.

    Ben and Tom have been starting together for the past two seasons.

    “That is pretty cool,” said Ben Whiting. “Honestly, there are not a lot of people that can say that they can do that at this level.

    “I’m willing to bet that we are the highest chemistry of any linebacker corps in Canada, so that is pretty cool. It is something special for sure, but I don’t think I am going to be able to fully appreciate it until maybe I am done with football. It is super awesome lining up with him every day.”

Ben Whiting (#4) enjoys play beside brother Tom Whiting (#47).

    Huskies head coach Scott Flory admitted he likely wouldn’t be able to say enough when it came to talking about how much Ben Whiting has meant to the program.

    “That is pretty hard to summarize in a few words,” said Flory. “Ben (Whiting), he is a consummate leader.

    “He is an outstanding football player. He is an outstanding young man. He has meant a lot to this program.

    “He is going to make the most of his time left here with the program.”

    During Flory’s first season as head coach in 2017, the Huskies linebacker group was fairly depleted for much of the season due to injury. Whiting missed a pair of contests during that campaign.

    When Whiting returned from injury, the level of playoff the Huskies defence went up quite a bit. It seemed like Whiting was always around the ball.

Ben Whiting (#4) breaks up a passing play against the Bisons.

    “I think that just shows the quality of a person and a player he is, because he makes everyone around him better,” said Flory. “He elevates play of guys around him.

    “That is the true mark of a leader and an outstanding player.”

    Whiting said he is able to get to the ball due to football smarts. He said he isn’t the fastest guy or the strongest guy on the field, so he has to rely on his ability to read and anticipate plays.

    During his time with the Huskies, Whiting said the obvious biggest highlight was the playoff run last year, where the team won the Canada West title with a 43-18 victory over the Dinos to make a U Sports semifinal bowl game. 

Ben Whiting (#4) tackles a Bisons quarterback.

    The Huskies were eliminated from the post-season falling in the Mitchell Bowl 47-24 to the University of Western Ontario Mustangs in London, Ont.

    “Again, it is kind of one of those things that you can’t really appreciate fully until the moment is over and done with,” said Whiting. “We just took each game one at a time and put our best foot forward and we were able to string a little win streak there and make a playoff push at the end.”

    After dropping a 38-37 heartbreaker to the Thunderbirds last Saturday in Vancouver, B.C., Whiting would like to see the Huskies build momentum to the upcoming playoffs with a win over the Golden Bears this coming Saturday.

    The Golden Bears claimed the previous meeting between the two sides 19-17 on Sept. 21 in Edmonton, Alta. A win this coming Saturday would ensure Whiting would play at least one more home game.

Ben Whiting (#4) has relished taking the field with the Huskies.

    “It is no secret we tend to play a lot better at home,” said Whiting. “Any home game we can get, we’re definitely going to be playing our best for it.

    “We want to play at Griffiths Stadium every game.”

    Flory said this Saturday’s game against the Golden Bears is a big bounce back opportunity for his team, and he believes squad will have a good outing.

    “You have to win your home games,” said Flory. “We’ve got to be able to do that at home here in front of our home crowd.

    “That is a good football team in University of Alberta coming in here, and we have to be able to respond especially after last week. It will be a good football game, and I know our guys will be prepared and be ready to play.”

Hypothetically, females who could join WHL coaching ranks?

Emily Clark surrounded by her fans at the SaskTel Centre in 2018.

    When the Moose Jaw Warriors hired Olivia Howe to be a coaching assistant on Oct. 11, the imagination began to wonder who else could join coaching staffs in the WHL from the female hockey ranks.

    Howe, who is a 25-year-old product from Moose Jaw, was an inspired hire by her hometown WHL club.

    She ripped up the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League for four seasons from 2008 to 2012 as a skilled forward with the Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox. She became the circuit’s all-time leading scorer piling up 107 goals and 100 assists for 207 points in 106 regular season games.

    Howe helped the Hounds win the Esso Cup in 2011 as Canadian national female midget AAA hockey champions.

    She also attended Hockey Canada’s female under-18 selection camps in 2010 and 2011.

    Following her time with the Hounds, Howe, who stands 5-foot-10, joined the NCAA women’s ranks and became a star with the Clarkson University Golden Knights for four seasons from 2012 to 2016. She appeared in 152 overall games posting 42 goals and 58 assists.

    She helped the Golden Knights win their first NCAA title in 2014.

Emily Clark waves to the SaskTel Centre crowd.

    After graduating from Clarkson, Howe returned to Wilcox to become an assistant coach with the Notre Dame Hounds team that played in the Junior Women’s Hockey League. She has scouted the women’s game for Neutral Zone, which is a hockey scouting news site that identifies and ranks prospects for the NCAA and U Sports.

    It is conceivable that the Warriors four WHL rivals in Saskatchewan could each one day bring a female on to their coaching staffs. The following are one possible hypothetical for each club.

    In Saskatoon, the Blades could bring on board hometown hero Emily Clark, whenever she decides to hang up her skates. Clark’s power forward style of play mirrors that of famous Blades alum Wendel Clark. Believe it or not, the Emily and Wendel are not related.

    Emily Clark was a star for her hometown female midget AAA team in the Saskatoon Stars. She just finished up a four-year career in the NCAA ranks winning a national championship with the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team.

    In 147 career games with the Badgers, Clark piled up 70 goals, 76 assists and a plus-135 rating in the plus-minus department. She is a veteran with Canada’s senior national women’s team, so it would likely be some time before she decides where life will take her after her hockey playing days are done.

    Once again, this is a hypothetical scenario. Clark does have a great relationship with the Blades, so it is possible to imagine she could work for the franchise as a coach one day.

    Up in “Hockey Town North,” one name quickly jumps to mind for a female possibly joining the coaching staff of the team of Mike Modano and Dave Manson, the franchise where honour still matters and the defending WHL champions – the Prince Albert Raiders.

Kaitlin Willoughby skates with the Huskies in 2017.

    The name of that player would be Kaitlin Willoughby, who is the most popular female player to come out of the “Gateway to the North” via Canwood, Sask.

    Willoughby moved to Prince Albert when she played for the female midget AAA Northern Bears and her family later relocated to that centre.

    She went on to star for the University of Saskatchewan women’s hockey team becoming the second all-time leading scorer in the history of the program piling up 50 goals and 61 assists for 111 points in 132 regular season games. Out of Willoughby’s 50 goals, 10 of her tallies were game winners.

    She played a key role helping the Huskies win their only Canada West title to date in 2014 and appear at U Sports nationals in 2014 and 2018.

    Willoughby played for Canada’s women’s hockey team at the Winter Universiade in 2017 and this past March helping the Canadian side will silver medals at each event. Last season, she helped the Calgary Inferno win the Clarkson Cup as champions of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, which ended up folding this past spring.

    Willoughby gets bonus points for her actions in the final moments of the Huskies 2-0 sweep of a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in February of 2018.

    In the Huskies 2-1 Game 2 series clinching win in their final outing at the ancient Rutherford Rink, Willoughby, who was the Huskies captain, found herself heading to the penalty box with 35 second remaining in the third. She took a roughing penalty for going after a Thunderbirds player that hit Huskies netminder Jessica Vance.

Kaitlin Willoughby is involved in this post-game scrum in 2018.

    When the buzzer sounded to end the game, the Thunderbirds again hit Vance. Willoughby raced out of the penalty box, threw her stick away into the right corner of her defensive zone, barrelled into the middle of a scrum and confronted Thunderbirds centre Mathea Fischer.

    The whole Huskies team came off their bench and assembled like a gang behind their leader in Willoughby as she went after the Thunderbirds forward. The whole scene was a very Prince Albert Raiders mirror type image, where a message was sent to the opposing team to let them know a bell had to be answered if anything underhanded happens on the ice.

    Currently, Willoughby is still playing with the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association barnstorming tour that is hitting various centres across North America.

    She is a nurse, so it is unlikely she would give up that secure career to join the coaching ranks of the WHL.

    In Swift Current, Taylor Lind would be the perfect choice to one day end up on the coaching staff of the WHL’s Broncos. Lind is in her first season playing for the NCAA’s St. Cloud State University Huskies women’s team, so it will likely be a while yet before she hangs up the skates.

Taylor Lind in action for the Wildcats in 2018.

    Lind, who is from Shaunavon, Sask., had a phenomenal run in the female midget AAA ranks with the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats. Playing in 83 regular season games, Lind set career team records in goals (93), assists (77) and points (170).

    She is the second all-time leading scorer in the history of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League. Lind is still 17-years-old and still had a year of midget eligibility remaining to take a run at the SFMAAAHL’s all-time scoring record held by Howe.

    She graduated from high school a year early and elected to join the NCAA ranks.

    Lind is a special player who can do it all, so she will likely be playing the game for some time to come. She is a popular hero in Swift Current as that centre’s female version of Joe Sakic. Lind would be a natural addition to join the Broncos coaching staff one day.

    For the Regina Pats, they could bring on board Brandy West-McMaster, who is one of the game’s pioneers as an original member of the University of Regina Cougars women’s hockey team. West-McMaster played for the Cougars in their first five campaigns of existence as a U Sports team from 1998 to 2003.

    She is still the program’s all-time leading scorer piling up 80 goals and 53 assists for 133 points in 66 career regular season games. West-McMaster was the U Sports player of the year in women’s hockey in the 2000-01 campaign, when the Cougars won their only Canada West Conference title to date.

Brandy West-McMaster in action for the Cougars in 2000.

    The Cougars advanced to the U Sports national championship game falling 4-3 to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues.

    After her playing days concluded, West-McMaster has coached at various levels of the women’s game including being an associate coach with Wilfred Laurier University, an assistant coach for the Notre Dame Hounds female midget AAA team that won the Esso Cup national title in 2011 and an assistant coach with the Cougars.

    She is currently an assistant coach with the SFMAAAHL’s Regina Rebels.

    With all that said, it would be hard to bring West-McMaster to the WHL, because she is an instructor at the U of Regina and can be found coaching her two daughters, Bailey and Keeley, as they come up the minor hockey ranks.

    In a hypothetical world, West-McMaster has the grace and class suited for a royal franchise like the Pats, who are the world’s oldest major junior team. Her experience would be a big asset as well.

    On top of looking at Saskatchewan’s WHL adding a hypothetical female coach, I have to make one more bonus selection for a WHL club outside of the “Land of the Living Skies.”

    If you could pry her away from her teaching career in Calgary, Alta., Jenna Cunningham would be cool addition to the coaching staff of her hometown Medicine Hat Tigers.

    Cunningham was the highly athletic skilled forward who could score goals at will. The style of game she played suits the on-ice philosophy of the high flying finesse-style Tigers, who transition up and down the ice with great speed and score piles of goals with pretty passing plays.

    Cunningham, who is a member of the Medicine Hat’s Sports Wall of Fame, played with the now defunct Medicine Hat Encana Hawks female midget AAA team that advanced to the semifinal round of the Mac’s Tournament, when the female division debuted in the 2004-05 campaign.

    She had a star career with the Dartmouth University Big Green women’s hockey team piling up 63 goals and 62 assists for 125 points in 113 games from 2006 to 2010.

    Cunningham was an original member of the Inferno, when they were officially formed before the start of the 2013-14 campaign. She appeared in 108 career regular season games with the Inferno piling up 40 goals and 28 assists.

    When the Inferno won their first Clarkson Cup in 2016, captain Brianne Jenner made sure that Cunningham was the first teammate she passed the championship trophy to. The move recognized Cunningham’s dedication to the team and female hockey.
    As I said, all of those are hypothetical placements, but sometimes, it is cool to dream of what could be.

    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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Moe break out of rut, powers Raiders to 4-2 victory

Spencer Moe delivered a big two-goal night for the Raiders on Friday night.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Spencer Moe admitted he will play a little more free and easy going forward.

    On Friday, the 19-year-old right-winger potted his first two goals of the season including the winner to push his Prince Albert Raiders to a 4-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes in a WHL regular season contest at the Art Hauser Centre.

    Moe scored his winner with 4:51 to play in the third period to break a 2-2 tie and give the Raiders a 3-2 edge to the delight of 2,502 spectators in the building.

    His linemate in 18-year-old rookie centre Ilya Usau sealed the win with an empty-net goal with 17.2 seconds remaining in the third.

    Heading into Friday’s game, Moe had just two assists in the Raiders previous seven outings. He admitted he was gripping the stick a little too tightly.

The Raiders celebrate Spencer Moe’s first period goal.

    “It makes me relieved,” said Moe. “A lot of stress was building up on me.

    “I think with the two goals today it has kind of put me back to where I really wanted to be and how I really wanted to start the season.”

    Moe got out to a good start on Friday scoring at the 11:28 mark of the first period to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead. Taking a setup pass from Usau, Moe blasted home his first of the year from the front of the Lethbridge goal.

    The speedy Calgary product said he really could feel the stress lift at that point in the game.

    “I could feel it off my back,” said Moe, who stands 5-foot-7 and weighs 170 pounds. “I felt a lot better.

    “Just the fact the first one was out, I was hungrier, and I felt a lot better.”

    Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid was pleased to see Moe break out of his rut.

Spencer Moe looks for an opening to score on a second period breakaway.

    “I was happy for him,” said Habscheid. “He has been snake bit a little bit.

    “The first couple of goals of the year, so he’ll skate a little bit lighter tomorrow.”

    The Raiders, who are rated fifth in the CHL Top 10 rankings, ultimately needed Moe to break through on the scoreboard, because Friday’s contest with the Hurricanes was a battle.

    Lethbridge evened things up at 1-1 just under two minutes later when 16-year-old rookie left-winger Ty Nash fired home a backdoor setup from linemate Justin Hall. 
    The tally was the first WHL career goal for Nash.

Spencer Moe had just two assists this season entering Friday’s game.

    Prince Albert went ahead 2-1 with 3:38 remaining in the second when overage star defenceman Zach wristed home a point shot through a screen.

    Overage defenceman Koletrane Wilson pulled the Hurricanes even at 2-2 with 5:39 to play in the third.

    Moe netted his second of the night and the winner to put the Raiders up 3-2 just 48 seconds after Wilson’s tally.

    On an offensive rush, Moe converted a set up pass from left-winger Cole Fonstad to break the 2-2 tie.

    “We were just doing a normal neutral zone transition there,” said Moe, who was stopped on a second period breakaway chance. “I kind of caught up to the middle there and gave it to Fonny (Fonstad) on the side.

    “I beat my checks up the ice, and he just gave it to me right in the middle. I just happen to find the back of the net there.”

Cole Fonstad had three assists for the Raiders.

    The line of Moe, Fonstad and Usau combined for seven points. Moe had his two goals, Fonstad had three assists, and Usau had a goal and an assist.

    Entering Friday’s game, Fonstad had a goal and two assists, while Usau had two goals and an assist. Both had appeared in all of the Raiders first seven games along with Moe.

    “We’re building chemistry,” said Moe of the line that was formed this season. “It’s been growing every game.

    “We’ve been playing pretty good, but we haven’t been producing a lot. In the past couple of games, we’ve been producing, which is a good thing to see.”

    Last season, Moe played in 66 regular season games for the Raiders posting nine goals, 24 assists and a plus-14 rating in the plus-minus department. He centred the Raiders third line and was often utilized as an energetic checker during the team’s run to winning the WHL championship.

    Moe knows that his role is a lot different this season, as the Raiders graduated a number of forwards from last season.

Ilya Usau had a goal and an assist for the Raiders on Friday.

    “I am a fourth-year guy on this team,” said Moe. “I am supposed to be one of the veteran guys that the younger guys and everyone can lean on.

    “That wasn’t a role for me last year, especially with the players that we had, but now it is on all the other guys, older guys’ shoulders there. We just have to step up our game.”

    Boston Bilous made 32 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. The Raiders won their third straight improving to 6-0-2.

    Bryan Thomson, who is a 17-year-old rookie netminder, turned away 21-of-24 shots to take the setback in goal for the Hurricanes (3-3).

    Habscheid said the Hurricanes provided a big challenge for his side.

    “It was a struggle,” said Habscheid. “This game didn’t come easy.

The Raiders salute the Art Hauser Centre faithful after Friday’s win.

    “I thought Lethbridge worked hard. They played heavy. It was a good game for us to feel that, because we had to grind it out.

    “We had to find a way. We didn’t have our A-game for sure, but in the end, you have to find a way to win.”

    The Raiders return to action on Saturday when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors (5-2) at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

    The Hurricanes head to Saskatoon on Saturday to face the Blades (5-3-0-1) at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    Early on in the season, Moe likes the fact his Raiders will keep battling for a win no matter what challenges come their way.

    “We have a mindset now,” said Moe. “We’ve been through what happened last year winning a championship and knowing what it takes.

    “We’re hungry for it. We hate losing. It is something that will strive us for the rest of the season.”

Warriors add SFMAAAHL all-time great Howe to coaching staff

Olivia Howe stopped to chat with @mosaicincanada Warriors TV about being named our new Coaching Assistant. pic.twitter.com/QG7PfyqAom

— Moose Jaw Warriors (@MJWARRIORS) October 11, 2019

    The Moose Jaw Warriors turned a few heads in the hockey world on Friday with an outside the box coaching hire.

    The Warriors have added a Saskatchewan female hockey great to their coaching staff in Olivia Howe. Howe will be a coaching assistant with the team after serving as a guest coach during the club’s training camp.

    Howe will help out the Warriors with on ice practice sessions and being an “eye in the sky” during game days.

    It is believed Howe is the first female to be named to a WHL team’s main coaching staff. As an added bonus, the 25-year-old is a product of Moose Jaw as well.

    “It’s been really surprising the feedback and reaction I’ve got,” said Howe on a video interview posted on the Warriors Twitter page. “I’m really excited to start here.

    “It’s a great opportunity. Being from Moose Jaw, it’s just awesome.”

    In a video interview on the Warriors team website, Alan Miller, who is the club’s general manager, said Howe impressed during her stint as a guest coach. As a result, talks ensued with head coach Tim Hunter, associate coach Mark O’Leary and assistant coach Scott King about finding a way to keep Howe with the team.

    “She came in here, did a very good job and made a strong impression on our hockey staff and our coaching staff,” said Miller. “We wanted to find an opportunity to bring her on to our hockey staff.

    “Working with Mark O’Leary, Scott King and Tim Hunter, we’ve put together this job description and this position and this opportunity for Olivia to help our team. We believe that it is an exciting opportunity for her.

    “We think that she will do real well, and she is a great addition to our club.”

    Howe enjoyed the opportunity to work the Warriors training camp.

    “Alan (Miller) asked me to do the training camp, and it was really exciting,” said Howe. “I didn’t hesitate, obviously.

    “I just needed to get out there and be at this level of hockey working with the males out here. It has been really exciting. It is definitely a lot different coming from the female game, so there is a lot to learn.”

    Howe ripped up the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League for four seasons from 2008 to 2012 as a skilled forward with the Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox. She became the circuit’s all-time leading scorer piling up 107 goals and 100 assists for 207 points in 106 regular season games.

    Howe helped the Hounds win the Esso Cup in 2011 as Canadian national female midget AAA hockey champions.

    She also attended Hockey Canada’s female under-18 selection camps in 2010 and 2011.

    Following her time with the Hounds, Howe, who stands 5-foot-10, joined the NCAA women’s ranks and became a star with the Clarkson University Golden Knights for four seasons from 2012 to 2016. She appeared in 152 overall games posting 42 goals and 58 assists.

    She helped the Golden Knights win their first NCAA title in 2014.
    After graduating from Clarkson, Howe returned to Wilcox to become an assistant coach with the Notre Dame Hounds team that played in the Junior Women’s Hockey League. She has scouted the women’s game for Neutral Zone, which is a hockey scouting news site that identifies and ranks prospects for the NCAA and U Sports.

    “It is great to have another perspective in the dressing room and in the coaches’ office – a female, who has played at the highest level in the NCAA and won a national championship,” said Hunter in a video interview on the Warriors website. “She is a real tall girl, so she has a real presence on the ice.

    “She speaks loudly to the players (and very) direct. She’s got a good message, and we are excited for her.”

    The Warriors fell 4-1 on home ice at Mosaic Place to the visiting Vancouver Giants on Friday night.

    Howe isn’t the first female coach to join the staff of a high level hockey team on the men’s side in Western Canada over the last few months.

    In July, Venla Hovi, a former star with the University of Manitoba Bisons women’s team and Finland’s national women’s team, joined the staff of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets as a hockey development coach. Hovi helped the Bisons win a U Sports national title in 2018 and Finland win a silver medal at this year’s women’s world hockey championships.

    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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Kliewer holds fort in goal as Stars unsung hero

Arden Kliewer has been a standout in goal for the Stars.

    Arden Kliewer remembers being awestruck during her first few practices as a regular with the Saskatoon Stars.

    Joining the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League powerhouse club as a 14-year-old underage rookie goalie in 2016-17, Kliewer looked around and couldn’t believe she was on the same ice surface as veteran standouts like Willow Slobodzian, Abby Shirley, Julia Rongve, Mackenna Parker, Grace Shirley, Anna Leschyshyn and Joelle Fiala.

    “It was definitely a little bit intimidating with those girls, especially because they are such high performing athletes,” said Kliewer. “You can tell kind of as where they ended up.

    “I definitely kind of came in there a little bit intimidated. I was three years younger than some of those girls. One I got into the flow of the team, everything kind of settled down.

    “It just felt like normal teammates.”

Arden Kliewer is skilled at playing the puck.

    Still, it was a big deal for Kliewer to make the Stars. She was thankful the opportunity came a little sooner than she expected due an early departure.
    “Kind of ever since I knew that the Stars were a thing, it was kind of a goal of mine that I wanted to come and play for this team,” said Kliewer, who stands 5-foot-8. “That summer, I wasn’t really expecting to come to tryouts just because knew there wasn’t a spot.

    “I kind of remember being at the lake and my dad said that he had gotten an email from (head coach) Greg (Slobodzian) saying that Emma Johnson was not going to be returning, and that they like me to come to fall camp. That is kind of how it happened.”

    Johnson elected to not return to the Stars for her 17-year-old season in order to focus on playing basketball. She currently plays hoops for the University of Western Ontario Mustangs Women’s Basketball team.

    Kliewer started out as a goalie partner with veteran Jordan Ivanco during her first two seasons with the Stars. During that time, Ivanco usually got the call to play in the team’s biggest games.

    Now Kliewer is the third-year veteran who gets the call in the Stars biggest games. In 2018-19, she had her best regular season to date posting a 16-0 record, a 1.21 goals against average, a .941 save percentage and seven shutouts.

Arden Kliewer takes away the lower part of the net.

    Kliewer said the fact her team plays well in front of her has helped her have an outstanding season.
    “I think it just kind of goes to trust,” said Kliewer. “I trust my teammates, and they trust me as well (and) that just kind of goes a long way with each other.

    “We have great practices, so we just kind of get ready for it.”

    Stars head coach Greg Slobodzian said Kliewer has played a big part in the success the Saskatoon club has had over the past three seasons.

    “She has been absolutely huge whether it was when she first came in and sort of pushed our other goaltender,” said Slobodzian. “Then this year she took Kat (Kaitlyn Cadrain) our rookie and just sort of showed her what our work habits needed to be like.

    “She (Kliewer) is just so steady back there and so consistent. It is tough, because sometimes she doesn’t get the recognition that she deserves, because she is only seeing a handful of shots. The way that she breaks a forecheck with her passing skills and how she handles the puck we’ve never really had that.

Arden Kliewer has been spectacular in her third season with the Stars.

    “It adds a whole another dimension. Obviously, she is going to play a huge role here.”

    Kliewer said she has enjoyed playing a mentor role in helping Cadrain along.

    “I mean it is definitely a little bit different,” said Kliewer. “I kind of just like wanted to help her out in her first year.

    “I wanted to make sure she kind of understands the league. It is definitely a lot more responsibility knowing that I am the older goalie. It has been a good season.

    “I think this one has probably been my best season by far.”

    Growing up playing hockey in Saskatoon, Kliewer admits she was destined to be a goalie.

    “My dad was a goalie,” said Kliewer. “My grandpa was a goalie, so I think it just kind of ran in the family that at some point I was going to end up being a goalie.

Arden Kliewer (#30) clears the puck up the boards for the Stars.

    “I always kind of wanted to be like my dad when I was younger. I think that is just kind of how it happened.”

    Arden credits her father, Rob, and mother, Lindsay, on being big influences in helping her along in hockey.

    The young netminder was excited to play a big part in helping the Stars win a second straight SFMAAAHL title and return to the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament for a second straight year.

    The Stars lost last year’s national title game 2-1 to the Alberta based St. Albert Slash, who won the national crown for a second straight year.

    Saskatoon is playing through this year’s Esso Cup currently being held in Sudbury, Ont.

    The Stars will face the Slash in a semifinal contest on Friday.

Jayda Sachs, left, and Arden Kliewer pose with the Fedoruk Cup.

    “It is definitely a little bit of a different experience,” said Kliewer. “Kind of this year, we want to go back with a little bit of a chip on our shoulders kind of to prove to everyone that last year we deserved to walk away with that championship.”

    Kliewer said she was ready to step in goal for the Stars in their key contests at nationals.

    When the dust settles, she would love to be playing in the national final once again and hopefully helping the Stars come away with a gold medal win.

    “It would be huge to kind of go back there, especially when it is on TV again,” said Kliewer. “It would kind of bring back those memories, and I think it would definitely be something that our team would want to close off this year for sure.

    “We would want to come out of that with that championship.”

Stars top Esso Cup prelim round, Leschyshyn sets records

Anna Leschyshyn set two records at the Esso Cup on Thursday.

    An early hiccup couldn’t prevent the Saskatoon Stars from finishing first in the preliminary round of the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament.

    The Stars opened this year’s Esso Cup on Sunday at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex in Sudbury, Ont., downing the Ontario-based Stoney Creek Sabres 6-4.

    On Monday, the Stars dropped a surprising 7-3 decision to the As de Quebec to fall to 1-1 with two tough games coming up on their schedule.

    Saskatoon reset and slipped past the two-time defending Esso Cup champion St. Albert Slash 3-2. The Stars entered the third period of that contest locked in a 2-2 tie with the Alberta squad.

    Halle Helperl, a rookie winger who turned 15-years-old in January, netted the winning goal for the Stars with 5:28 remaining in the third period.

    Against the host Lady Wolves on Wednesday, the Stars entered the third period trailing 2-1 before rallying for a 3-2 victory. Defender Emily Holmes scored the equalizer for the Stars with 4:23 remaining in the third period, and captain Grace Shirley netted the winner with 41.9 seconds remaining in the third.

Emily Holmes started a Stars comeback on Wednesday.

    On Thursday, the Stars won their third straight round robin game romping past the Halifax Fire 11-1. That win allowed the Stars to finish first in the preliminary round standings with a 4-1 record.
    In the romp over the Fire, Stars star winger Anna Leschyshyn netted five goals and three assists for eight points. Her five goals set a record for most goals in one Esso Cup game, and her eight points set a record for most points in one Esso Cup game.

    The old record of most points in one game of seven was shared by Taylor Woods and Olivia Howe. Both players netted seven points in the same game playing for the Notre Dame Hounds, when the Hounds bombed the Kings County Kings 14-2 on April 19, 2011.

    The Hounds went on to win the Esso Cup title that year.

    In that Hounds victory, Woods set the old record for most goals scored in one Esso Cup game at four. Kate Gallant of the Durham West Lightning would also match the old record of most goals scored in one Esso Cup game at four in 2017.

    The Stars will face the Slash, who were 2-2-1 in the preliminary round, in one of Friday’s two semifinals. The other semifinal sees an all-Ontario encounter between the Lady Wolves (4-1) and the Sabres (3-2).

    The Fire and As de Quebec both missed the playoff round each posting 1-4 records.

    The Esso Cup concludes on Saturday with bronze and gold medal games. The gold medal contest will be shown live on TSN2 at 2 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

    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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Stars’ Shirley hits 80 career SFMAAAHL goals in style

Grace Shirley scored the OT winner for the Stars on Sunday.

    Grace Shirley always seems to rise to the occasion in big moments.

    With that said, it should come as no surprise the Saskatoon Stars captain hit another major milestone on an overtime winning goal.

    On Sunday afternoon with the Stars locked in a 2-2 tie with the Prince Albert Northern Bears at Merlis Belsher Place, Shirley drove home the winning goal on the power play from the front of the Bears net with 72 seconds remaining in the extra session. Shirley’s goal gave the Stars a 3-2 victory, and she became just the third player to score 80 career regular season goals in the history of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League.

Grace Shirley, left, celebrates her OT winning goal with Joelle Fiala (#27)

    In 92 career regular season games, Shirley has collected 80 goals and 57 assists for 137 points to sit as the fourth all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL. She was caught off guard when told she reached 80 career regular season goals.

    “I guess it is pretty cool,” said Shirley. “I like didn’t realize it or anything.

    “It is kind of nice to hear that. I’m just happy that we got the win, because I definitely think we deserved it.”

    The other players that scored 80 or more regular season goals in the history of the SFMAAAHL were Olivia Howe, who piled up 107 goals in 106 regular season games playing for the Notre Dame Hounds from 2008 to 2012, and Shirley’s former Stars teammate Mackenna Parker, who collected 82 goals in 104 regular season games. Parker graduated from the Stars as their captain at the end of last season.

Paris Oleksyn scored the Bears first goal on Sunday.

    Shirley has built a history of scoring big overtime goals for the Stars. In her rookie season in 2015-16, she scored the overtime winner in the deciding game of the SFMAAAHL championship series to give the Stars their second league title.

    Stars head coach Greg Slobodzian said he never stops being amazed by his talented captain.

    “She (Shirley) is definitely a player that likes to rise to the occasion,” said Slobodzian. “She has done it for us a few times in overtime.

    “She did it again. As soon as it went in, my assistant coaches looked at me and said, ‘Wow, great move.’ Her in front of the net like that, there are pretty good odds it is going in.”   

Abby Soyko drives home the Bears second goal on Sunday.

    Shirley admitted the moment of scoring her 80^th career regular season goal was made more memorable because it came in overtime against the Bears, who are the Stars biggest rivals.

    “They are a really good team,” said Shirley. “They battled hard.

    “It was definitely a close game. It was nice to get the win over them for sure.”

Sunday’s game had a few changes in momentum.

    The Stars went ahead 1-0 in the first period on a goal from forward Kaitlin Jockims.

    The Bears jumped in front 2-1 scoring twice in a span of 83 seconds near the midway point of the second period. Prince Albert’s tallies came off the sticks of Paris Oleksyn and captain Abby Soyko, who scored off a hard drive to the Saskatoon net.

Ashley Messier had the equalizer for the Stars on Sunday.

    The Stars evened things up at 2-2 with 1:42 remaining in the second period on a hard mid-range blast from offensive-defender Ashley Messier.

    The two sides played through a scoreless third to set things up for Shirley’s heroics in overtime.

Kaitlyn Cadrain made 28 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Stars. Scout Anderson turned away 30 shots to take the overtime setback in the Bears net.

    The Stars improved to 10-0 with the win, while the Bear record moved to 5-4-1.

    Saskatoon and Prince Albert went at it on Saturday at Merlis Belsher Place with the Stars posting a 6-0 victory.

    Slobodzian expected a push back by the Bears in Sunday’s clash.

Goalie Kaitlyn Cadrain makes one of her 28 saves in goal for the Stars.

    “Teams answer the bell,” said Slobodzian. “They don’t like to chase the puck all night.

    “Today was the exact same. P.A. came and gave us what I expected. Their goaltender played well.

    “Those are the types of games that you want to play. I wish we were playing those games every day. That is how you get better as a group.”

    In Saturday’s 6-0 win by the Stars, Shirley and Chace Sperling each had a goal and an assist for Saskatoon. Anna Leschyshyn, Kaylee Baun, Calli Arnold and Jayda Sachs all had singles for the Stars.

    Jockims and Abby DeCorby had two assists each to help power the Saskatoon side.

    Arden Kliewer made 17 stops to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Stars. Lexi Beuker turned away 30 shots to take the setback in goal for the Bears.

Grace Shirley has scored 80 career regular season goals.

    Shirley said her squad has to be a little sharper, when they play teams a second time in a two-game weekend series.

    “We just have to come into our second game more focused and not thinking it is going to be easy,” said Shirley. “Every game, you need to put your best foot forward and just go hard all the time.

    “I think we just need to come into every game more focused and just with the mindset to work hard and kind of even finish off stronger than our first game. I think that will be something we work on for sure. We’ll take the two wins for sure here.”

    The Stars return to action this coming Saturday when they host the Weyburn Richardson Pioneer Gold Wings at 2:15 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    The Bears next game is Nov. 24, when they host the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert.

    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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