McVeigh’s winner gives Huskies sweep of Cougars

U of S to defend Canada West title, earns berth to nationals

Logan McVeigh, top, celebrates scoring for the Huskies.

    Even in the confines of a short series, Logan McVeigh was looking to eliminate any little voices of doubt that might be lurking.

    The sophomore centre led the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team in scoring during the course of a 28-game regular season netting 13 goals and 18 assists. Along with third-year winger Michael Sofillas and fourth-year winger Josh Roach, McVeigh was on a forward unit that became the team’s top line.

    In the Huskies 4-3 victory in Game 1 of their Canada West semifinal series against the Mount Royal University Cougars on Friday at the ancient Rutherford Rink, McVeigh’s line was unable to get on the scoreboard.

    With the Huskies locked in a 2-2 draw with the Cougars late in the second period in Game 2 on Saturday night at Rutherford, McVeigh’s unit was still searching to get on the scoreboard.

Logan McVeigh, left, finishes a check for the Huskies.

    That all changed with 3:39 to play in the second, when McVeigh took a pass from Sofillas, sped down the left wing and roofed home a shot to put the Huskies up 3-2. That tally stood up as the winner in a 3-2 final, which allowed the Huskies to sweep a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series 2-0 and advance to the best-of-three conference championship series.

    “Our line was struggling a little bit to start that game,” said McVeigh. “To get that goal, that game winner, it is huge for us going into next weekend.

    “Just to see that puck go into the back of the net is huge for confidence. We’re looking forward to next weekend.”

    For the second straight year, the series victory allows the Huskies to lock up a berth to the University Cup national championship tournament, which runs March 16 to 19 at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. Before nationals rolls around, the Huskies will attempt to win the Canada West championship for a second year in a row.

    The Huskies open the best-of-three Canada West championship series this coming Friday at 7 p.m. at Rutherford against the U of Alberta Golden Bears. The Golden Bears advanced to the Canada West final downing the U of Calgary Dinos 3-2 in Game 2 of their Canada West semi in Edmonton, which allowed U of A to sweep the set 2-0.

    The Huskies and Golden Bears met in last year’s final, which saw the Huskies pull out a 2-0 series sweep.

Winger Michael Sofillas circles in the offensive zone for the Huskies.

    At the University Cup last year, the Huskies finished fourth, and McVeigh was pumped his club had another trip locked up to that event. The Huskies will make their fifth appearance at nationals in the last six years.

    “It is exciting for sure,” said McVeigh. “We have a big job here to do next weekend against U of A.

    “Going back to nationals is huge for our organization, our team. We are excited to get out there (to nationals). We have to take care of Canada West first.”

    Against the Cougars in Game 2, the Huskies showed their resiliency. At the 5:55 mark of the first, Cougars captain Matthew Brown got in alone on Huskies star netminder Jordon Cooke and slipped home the opening goal of the game to give the visitors a 1-0 edge.

Levi Cable (#10) blasts home the Huskies first goal on Saturday.

    Just 49 seconds later, the Huskies responded with the equalizer to force a 1-1 draw when second-year winger Levi Cable blasted home a shot from the front of the Cougars goal past netminder Cam Lanigan.

    At the 13:49 mark of the second, Devin Gannon tucked home the Cougars second goal of the contest past Cooke to put the visitors up 2-1. Just 26 seconds later, sophomore forward Andrew Johnson one-timed a setup pass from rookie linemate Connor Gay to allow the Huskies to tie the contest up at 2-2.

    That set the stage for McVeigh to net his winner.

    “Our team moto is never say die,” said McVeigh. “We always think we have a chance to win no matter what the score is.

    “A tie game like that, we are going for win. We are not going for the tie or overtime.”

Cam Lanigan makes a stop in goal for the Cougars.

    The Cougars came out hard in the third outshooting the Huskies 13-5 in the frame. Cooke stood on his head stopping a breakaway chance from Gannon and another from David Stephens.

McVeigh wasn’t surprised by Mount Royal’s push back.

    “They have a solid team,” said McVeigh. “They work hard every shift.

    “It seems like they are always coming at us. We play defensively very well and of course, we have our MVP goaltender that stood on his head for a couple of breakaways and that helps.”

    Cooke made 29 stops to earn the win in goal for the Huskies. Lanigan turned away 23 shots to take the loss in goal for the Cougars.

    Mount Royal finished fourth in Canada West with a 15-11-2 record, but lost nine of its last 11 games including action in both the regular season and playoffs.

Jordon Cooke, right, makes a breakaway save for the Huskies.

    The Huskies now turn their attention to their forever rivals in the Golden Bears. The Dogs topped the Canada West standings with a 21-5-2 record and are rated second in the U Sports top 10 rankings.     The Golden Bears finished second in Canada West with an 18-8-2 mark and are rated fifth in the U Sports top 10 rankings.

    During the regular season, the Huskies took three out of the four matches against the Golden Bears.

    “We go against U of A every year it seems like,” said McVeigh. “It is a big goal of ours to take care of Canada West first and then go out to nationals and try to win that. For sure, we are going to try and do that.”

    Game 2 of the Canada West championship series is set for Saturday, March 4 at 7 p.m. at Rutherford. If a Game 3 is necessary, it will be held Sunday, March 5 at 7 p.m. at Rutherford.

Johnson, Hendricks keep Huskies women’s team alive

Rachel Johnson, (#19) scored the goal that kept the Huskies alive.

    Rachel Johnson and Cassidy Hendricks made certain their U Sports careers would live to see one more day with the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team.

    On Saturday night in Vancouver, Johnson, who is a fifth-year forward, scored at the 2:56 mark of the opening period on a setup from rookie linemate Bailee Bourassa, and Hendricks, who is a star fifth-year netminder, made 23 saves to power the Huskies to a 1-0 victory over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. Rookie Amelia Boughn turned away 17 shots to take the loss in the Thunderbirds goal.

    The Huskies victory in Game 2 of the best-of-three Canada West semifinal series with the Thunderbirds forces a series deciding Game 3 Sunday afternoon in Vancouver. UBC took Game 1 of the series 2-0 on Friday in Vancouver.

    The Thunderbirds went into the series as heavy favourites finishing first in Canada West with a 23-4-1 mark and being rated first in the U Sports top 10 rankings. The Huskies finished fourth in the conference with a 15-10-3 record, but they split the four head-to-head regular season meetings with UBC.

    The winner of Game 3 advances to a best-of-three championship series against the U of Alberta Pandas. The Pandas swept the other Canada West semifinal series 2-0 downing the U of Manitoba Bisons 3-2 in Game 2 of that series on Saturday in Edmonton.

    Besides advancing to the Canada West championship series, the winner of Game 3 between the Huskies and Thunderbirds earns a berth to the U Sports women’s national championship tournament to be held March 16 to 19 at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont.

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

“Willo” strikes again for Huskies

Star forward delivers a classic finish for U of S

Kaitlin Willoughby, centre, celebrates her OT winner.

    Kaitlin Willoughby played like she was from another world and delivered what was the biggest moment of the season so far for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team.

    On Saturday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, Willoughby’s Huskies went into overtime locked in a 4-4 draw with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, who are ranked first in the CIS top ten rankings. Of the opening faceoff of the extra session, Huskies captain Lauren Zary won the draw to Willoughby who went to work.

    She sped down the left wing into the Thunderbirds zone, cut to the net and sniped the winning goal top corner past diving Thunderbirds defender Kelly Murray and netminder Amelia Boughn. The tally nine seconds into the extra session delivered the Huskies to a 5-4 victory. Willoughby’s winner erased the disappointment in the fact the Huskies saw leads of 3-0 and 4-2 disappear.

    The 21-year-old Prince Albert product also scored the most famous overtime winner in the history of the Huskies women’s hockey program in her rookie campaign back in the 2013-14 season. Her double overtime winner in the series deciding Game 3 of the Canada West championship series against the U of Regina Cougars gave the Huskies a 2-1 victory in that contest and a 2-1 victory in the series.

Kaitlin Willoughby gets set to snip her OT winner.

    That shot came from a mid-range distance near the left boards. Her OT winner on Saturday was way more spectacular.

    Actually, Willoughby, who is in her fourth year of eligibility, arguably played the two best games of her university career this past weekend launching herself on to Canada’s women’s hockey team for the FISU Winter Universiade. The event runs from Jan. 29 to Feb. 8 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and Willoughby departs in short order to join the Canadian team to prepare for that event. That means she will miss the Huskies next four games.

    Against the Thunderbirds on Friday and Saturday at Rutherford, Willoughby played with intensity and with a huge chip on her shoulder. She assisted on the Huskies only goal on Friday in their 2-1 double overtime loss to the Thunderbirds. Her OT winner on Saturday was the only point she had in that contest.

    In both games, Willoughby could have had larger nights statistically. On the ice, she seemed a step faster than she normally is and much more powerful physically than she usually is. It felt like she won every one-on-one physical battle or any other battle where she was outnumbered.

    Her passes were that much more crisp and Boughn, who played both nights in net for the Thunderbirds, had to be that much more on her toes to stop Willoughby’s shots. For large stretches especially in Friday’s game, Willoughby basically imposed her will on what was going on and dominated play. If you were at the Ruthy on both nights this weekend, you realized you saw something special, when Willoughby stepped on the ice.

Kaitlin Willoughby celebrates scoring her OT winner.

    Despite her heroics over her career, Willoughby isn’t as big of a star as she should due to all the cuts in the mainstream media. When she scored her OT winner on Saturday, there were no mainstream outlets to spread the news and images of that moment, because they were all concentrated at the home opener of the Saskatchewan Rush of the National Lacrosse League.

    In a past era, mainstream outlets had the ability to staff both events. As far as female athletics go at the University of Saskatchewan, Lisa Thomaidis, who is the head coach of the Huskies women’s basketball team, is the only one who has a far reaching high profile.

    When Thomaidis’s hoopsters won a national title last season, it marked the swan song of fifth-year veteran star post player Dalyce Emmerson, who also happens to be a Prince Albert product. Emmerson, who was a Canada West player of the year in 2014, was well-known on campus, but it never felt like she was a household name in the community of Saskatoon at large.

Kaitlin Willoughby clears the puck out of harms way in the defensive zone.

    Willoughby and her younger sister and Huskies teammate, Morgan, are well-known in their hometown, but the neither are household names in Saskatoon. With her resume of heroics and due to the fact she plays in Saskatoon on a regular basis, Kaitlin Willoughby should be a household name. She is arguably the biggest female star right now in the Huskies Athletics program.

    It seems female athletes need to be on Olympic teams or go to the NCAA to get any notoriety these days. That wasn’t always the case.

    One just has to look at Regina for one example in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the University of Regina Cougars women’s basketball team came into national prominence under then head coach Christine Stapleton. The Cougars hoopsters of Stapleton’s era won a number of conference titles and a national title in 2001.

Kaitlin Willoughby breaks into the offensive zone for the Huskies.

    During that time, the Cougars women’s basketball team was elevated to a level of importance that matched the Regina Rams football team and the Regina Pats WHL club. Stapleton’s players became celebrities in the community, and are still remembered to this day.

    The Cougars biggest star of that time was Cymone Bouchard, who was viewed in Regina like she was Michael Jordan. Bouchard’s rise through the athletic scene in Regina was well covered, as she was a star in every sport she played growing up and in high school. When she chose to play basketball in university and play for the Cougars, her choices were treated as major news.

    With the Cougars, Bouchard filled weekly highlight reels with unbelievable plays, and would go to the mall and often have to sign autographs for 30 little girls that immediately recognized her. She spent time in Canada’s national team program, and for about three years after she exhausted her eligibility with the Cougars, she was often viewed by girls in Regina and hoopsters in other communities as “the idol.”

Kaitlin Willoughby zips up the left wing for the Huskies.

    Bouchard had the total package. She was attractive and extremely athletic, but more importantly, she immediately elevated the Cougars team by her presence and had an extremely impressive self-confidence. She was also very personable to interact with, which made her the ideal athlete to look up too.

    The Cougars and Bouchard received that elevated platform, because they got a push.

    In the current media slashed era, Emmerson didn’t get that same push, which looking back has to be viewed as a missed opportunity.

    Willoughby has earned the chance to get that same type of push. In her case, it feels like there is another missed opportunity that is falling through the cracks, and she still has another full season of eligibility left to play.

The Huskies mob Kaitlin Willoughby after she scores her OT winner.

    She would perfectly fit the role of household name role model. Anyone would be wise to check out a Huskies game and see her play before she exhausts her eligibility. Willoughby won’t disappoint.

    As far as the other scoring went in Saturday’s U of S win, Rachel Johnson, Emily Upgang, Kori Herner and Bailee Bourassa all netted singles for the Huskies (12-7-3) on Saturday. Cassidy Hendricks turned away 17 shots to pick up the win in the U of S net.

    Nicole Saxvik scored twice for the Thunderbirds (18-3-1), while Kelly Murray and Hannah Clayton-Carroll had singles. Boughn stopped 21 shots to take the loss in the UBC net.

    The Huskies return to action this coming Friday, when they travel to Regina to face the Cougars.

    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' Zary rediscovers offensive touch

Lauren Zary breaks into the offensive zone on a rush for the Huskies.

    For the majority of her post-secondary hockey career, it seemed like a dark cloud hung over Lauren Zary in the offensive zone.

    Basically, if she didn’t have bad luck, she would have no luck at all. The speedy forward’s work ethic could never be questioned, but the on ice drive often didn’t result in points on the scoresheet.

    In four seasons of midget AAA hockey from 2008 to 2012, Zary built a storied career with her hometown Saskatoon Stars. She piled up 44 goals and 82 assists in 103 career regular season games.

    Her shining moment came in the championship contest of 2011 Mac’s Tournament, when she recorded two goals and two assists to help the Stars claim the tournament title with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Thunder. That victory marked the first time the Stars captured the prestigious Mac’s title.

    After graduating from the Stars and completing her high school studies at Centennial Collegiate, Zary packed up for Providence, Rhode Island, to play for the Brown University Bears women’s team in the Division I ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the fall of 2012. In two seasons at Brown, Zary notched just two assists in 26 games and seemingly skated away from hockey.

    Returning home to Saskatoon, she enrolled in engineering at the University of Saskatchewan in the fall of 2014 and decided to resume her hockey career with the Huskies women’s team, who were coming off winning their first Canada West conference championship. Thanks to a then recently introduced Canadian Interuniversity Sport eligibility repatriation rule, Zary could join the Huskies without have to sit out for an entire season.

Lauren Zary (#13) battles on a draw for the Huskies.

    As an added bonus, the Huskies also contained a few of her former Stars teammates.

    During the 2014-15 campaign, Zary, who made the dean’s honour roll, started to become a bit of a factor in the offensive zone picking up six goals and eight assists in 28 regular season games. This season, she had two goals and five assists in the 16 games the Huskies played before the Christmas break.

    When the Huskies opened their second semester schedule on the weekend, Zary had a breakthrough offensively helping her squad sweep a pair of games against the visiting University of Lethbridge Pronghorns at the ancient Rutherford Rink.

    On Friday night, Zary, who stands 5-foot-5, had a goal and an assist to help the Huskies double up the Pronghorns 4-2. Kori Herner, Marley Ervine and Kaitlin Willoughby had singles for the Huskies, while Cassidy Hendricks made 24 saves to earn the win in goal.

    Brett Campbell and Lauren Fredrich responded with singles for the Pronghorns, while Alicia Anderson turned away 29 of 32 shots in the U of L net.

    On Saturday night, Zary again had a goal and an assist to help the Huskies slip past the Pronghorns 4-3. Her helper came on the Huskies first goal, which saw Willoughby wire a shot off the post and in. In the contest’s third period, Zary scored on the power play, when she flipped a shot past Pronghorns netminder Jessica Lohues.

Lauren Zary, right, celebrates her goal Saturday with her teammates.

    Rachel Johnson and Herner each had singles in Saturday’s win. Jerrica Waltz started in goal for the U of S and stopped 11 of 13 shots over two periods of action. Hendricks started the third period for the Huskies, who were locked in a 2-2 tie with the Pronghorns at that time. She turned away six of seven shots fired her way to pick up the win in goal.

    Jocelyn Sabourin, Tricia Van Vaerenbergh and Chelsea Kasprick replied with singles for the Pronghorns, who fell to 8-9-1. Lohues stopped 30 shots to take the loss in the U of L net.

    With the wins, the Huskies, who are rated seventh in the CIS top ten rankings, improve to 11-5-2 to sit second in the Canada West conference. In the congested Canada West women’s standings, the Huskies are just two points back of the University of Alberta Pandas for first place, but are only six points ahead of the Mount Royal University Cougars, who sit sixth overall.

    The Huskies return to action this coming Friday, when they take on the University of Calgary Dinos (4-10-4) in Calgary.

    For the moment, Zary seems to have found a comfort zone playing on a line with Willoughby and one of her former Stars teammates in Ervine. If Zary can remain a factor offensively, the Huskies chances of finishing near the top of the Canada West standings will increase greatly.

    Zary’s work ethic on the ice and in the classroom will always be there. It would be nice if an extended run of good luck would come her way too.

Dogs take care of business in Lethbridge

John Lawrence fights for a faceoff for the Huskies.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team looks intent on proving their impressive results before the Christmas break were no fluke.

    The Huskies, who are rated fourth in the CIS top ten rankings, opened the second semester by traveling to Lethbridge to sweep a series with the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns. The wins allowed the Huskies, who are 9-0 on the road, to improve their Canada West leading record to 15-3. They sit five points up on the second place University of Alberta Golden Bears, who were swept away by the University of Manitoba Bisons in Winnipeg.

    In Lethbridge on Friday night, the Huskies slipped past the Pronghorns 3-1. Rookie Levi Cable, John Lawrence and Jesse Ross netted singles for the Huskies, while Jordon Cooke made 37 stops to earn the win in goal. Jay Merkley replied for the Pronghorns, while cancer survivor Dylan Tait turned away 39 of 41 shots to earn the win in goal.

    On Saturday night, the Huskies found another gear storming out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and cruising to a 7-2 victory. Lawrence and fifth-year defenceman Zak Stebner both had a pair of goals for the Huskies, while Kohl Bauml, Jesse Forsberg and Logan McVeigh each had singles. Cooke turned away 24 shots to pick up another victory in net.

    Zane Jones and Tim Campbell replied with singles for the Pronghorns. Tait turned away 13 of 16 shot before being pulled at the 14:07 mark of the opening frame. Warren Shymko stopped 23 of 27 shots in relief.

    The Pronghorns have lost six in a row to fall to 6-11-1.

    The Huskie return to action this coming Friday, when they host the University of Calgary Dinos (7-8-3) at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

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

Cox heroic in OT for Huskies

Connor Cox tucks home the OT winner for the Huskies.

    Connor Cox believes he accomplished a first on Saturday night for his hockey career.

    The 23-year-old defenceman netted the winning goal in double overtime to lift the University of Saskatchewan Huskies to a 4-3 victory over the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns at the ancient Rutherford Rink. At the 2:49 mark of a five minute three-on-three overtime period, Huskies rookie forward Kohl Bauml sprung Cox on a partial breakaway slipping a pass behind a Pronghorns defender.

    Cox cut across the face of the Lethbridge goal and slipped home the winner short side, when Pronghorns goaltender Dylan Tait tried to come out for a poke check.

    “It was pretty special for me,” said Cox, who spent five seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Saskatoon Blades and Everett Silvertips before joining the Huskies. “I don’t think I have ever gotten an overtime goal for myself in a career, not that I can remember anyways.

    “It was pretty exciting for me. That is two overtime wins for the boys this year. It is pretty special every time that you can go that.”

    The Huskies other overtime victory this season was a 6-5 triumph on the road over the University of Calgary Dinos on Oct. 9.

Connor Cox celebrates scoring an OT winner for the Huskies.

    In the extra time win at home over the Pronghorns in a Canadian Interuniversity Sport clash, Cox almost couldn’t believe he found himself in a one-on-one situation with an opposing goaltender. Defencemen don’t really get too many chances in deep in the offensive zone.

    “To be honest, I actually panicked at the start, because I wasn’t sure what I was doing down there,” said Cox. “It was a partial break.

    “I saw Taiter come out for the poke check, and I saw the short side open up. I just chipped it over the pad and got it past him.”

    Saturday’s contest between the Huskies and Pronghorns was a back-and-forth match, where the hosts held a 1-0 lead after the first period and a 2-1 edge after the second frame.

    In the third, the Pronghorns jumped ahead 3-2 thanks to a pair of goals coming from the stick of Brandon Clowes. It appeared the visitors were going to sneak out of “the Bridge City” with a victory, but that changed when Pronghorns forward Justin Valentino took a hooking infraction with 2:22 to play in the third.

    On the ensuing power play, Bauml centred a smart pass out to linemate Andrew Johnson, who potted the equalizer for the Huskies to tie things up at 3-3 with 54 seconds to play.

    Kendall McFaull and Bauml also had singles for the Huskies, who improved to 4-0. Ryon Moser picked up the Pronghorns (1-2-1) other goal.

    Jordon Cooke made 31 saves to earn the win in goal for the Huskies. Tait turned away 46 shots taking the extra time setback in the Pronghorns net.

Kohl Bauml had a goal and two assists for the Huskies on Saturday night.

    The teams played through a scoreless five minute four-on-four overtime period before moving into a three-on-three session, where Cox picked up the winner. Cox, who is from Lethbridge, said he wasn’t sure if his winner was the most fancy goal he had ever scored.

    “It sure felt the best for sure,” said Cox. “Playing against a bunch of guys I know from back home was pretty special for me and going against a goaltender that I know pretty well in Dylan Tait it felt pretty good.

    “I don’t know if it was the nicest, but I am just happy it went in.”

    The Huskie return to action this coming Friday, when they travel to Regina to face the University of Regina Cougars (1-3).

Huskies women’s squad hands Pronghorns first loss

Leah Bohlken had a pair of assists on Saturday for the Huskies.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team knocked the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns out of the undefeated ranks during a successful visit to southern Alberta.

    On Saturday in Lethbridge, the Huskies dumped the Pronghorns 3-1 in a CIS contest to improve to 4-1-0-1. Kennedy Harris, Rachel Johnson and Kori Herner all netted singles for the Huskies, while Leah Bohlken picked up a pair of assists. Tricia Van Vaerenbergh replied for the Pronghorns, who fell to 5-1.

    Cassidy Hendricks made 20 saves to earn the win in goal for the Huskies. Alicia Anderson made 31 stops to take the loss in goal for the Pronghorns.

    During that win, steady Huskies veteran defender Alyssa Dobler was given a major penalty and a game misconduct for a checking from behind infraction, which might be reviewed for a possible suspension.

    The Huskies and Pronghorns also met on Friday in Lethbridge, and Jocelyn Sabourin netted the winner at the 3:12 mark of overtime to lift the host side to a 4-3 victory.

    Harris, Courtney Cormack and Kaitlin Willoughby all picked up singles for the Huskies, while Hendricks made 31 saves in goal. Cormack’s tally was her first in CIS regular season play.

    Brett Campbell, Mackenzie Gal and Katelyn Breitkreuz all had singles for the Pronghorns, while Anderson made 27 saves in goal.

    The Huskies return to action this coming Friday, when they host the U of Regina Cougars (4-2) at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this blog post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. Check out more game photos on Twitter @StanksSports.

New and old power Huskies sweep

The Huskies celebrate a goal from Marley Ervine (#9) on Saturday.

    It seemed like everyone had a part in bringing out the brooms, when the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team opened their Canada West regular season.

    The Huskies swept a two-game series against the visiting Mount Royal University Cougars on Friday and Saturday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink and the contributions of both rookies and veterans were key to the early success. That will be a theme the Huskies hope to build upon as the 2015-16 campaign progresses due to the fact their roster contains nine rookies along with a large contingent of holdovers from the 2013-14 Canada West championship winning team.

    Friday’s 2-1 victory was aided by the efforts of the newcomers. Before the Huskies rookies could come through with big moments, Maggie Shykula-Ross gave the Cougars an early 1-0 edge.

    The hosts answered back before the opening 20 minutes expired. Rookie defender Morgan Willoughby, who was the former captain of the Prince Albert A & W Bears midget AAA team, potted a goal on a Huskies power play to tie things up at 1-1 going into the first intermission.

Jerrica Waltz earned her first shutout victory for the Huskies on Saturday.

    After a scoreless second, rookie forward Brooklyn Haubrich, who is a graduate of the Swift Current Wildcats midget AAA squad, netted the winner for the Huskies on another power-play chance.

    Fourth-year veteran goaltender Cassidy Hendricks made 23 stops to up her Huskies team record for career victories to 35. Jess Ross turned away 27 shots to take the setback in the Cougars net.

While the rookies accounted for the big moments in Friday’s win, the veterans came through in Saturday’s 2-0 follow up victory.

    The Huskies opened up the scoring in Saturday’s win with their third power-play goal of the weekend. Marley Ervine and Kaitlin Willoughby combined to set up fourth-year forward Rachel Johnson for her first goal of the season at the 13:58 mark of the opening frame. The tally was a big one for Johnson, who missed most of the second half of last season with an anterior cruciate ligament tear in her knee.

    Ervine, who is in her fifth year of eligibility, fired home an insurance goal in the second roofing a shot top corner on Cougars goaltender Emma Pincott, who turned away 27 shots taking the loss in the Mount Royal net.

Huskies captain Paige Anakaer (#11) tries to poke a puck home.

    Early in the third period, Cougars forward Rachel Piitz almost got her team back in the game wiring a shot off the post. The was the closest the visitors came to beating Huskies sophomore netminder Jerrica Waltz, who made 25 saves to earn her first career Canadian Interuniversity Sport regular season shutout.

    Overall on Saturday, the Huskies played good structural game, but they did go through the odd stretches where they were pinned in their own zone.

    The Dogs couldn’t have asked for any better results from their special teams. They were 3-for-6 on the power play and killed off all four shorthanded situations they faced over two games.

    The Huskies return to action this coming Friday and Saturday, when they host the University of Calgary Dinos (0-2) at 7 p.m. on both nights at the Rutherford Rink.

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

Repeat not in cards for Huskies

Huskies forward Kandace Cook inspired with her heart and determination.

    Winning a championship is hard and repeating as champ is even harder.
    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women's hockey team learned how true that statement is. Their 2014-15 campaign officially came to an end on Saturday, when they were swept out of the Canada West playoffs by the U of Calgary Dinos. The Dinos claimed a best-of-three quarter-final series 2-0 thanks to a 5-1 victory on Friday and a 3-2 win on Saturday in Calgary.
    The Dogs season wrapped up about a month earlier than it did a year ago, when they won their first Canada West title and a bronze medal at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship tournament. The medal win at nationals was also a first for the program.
    Entering the 2014-15 season, the Huskies returned a large number of players from that championship squad. Even with the returnees, the majority of pre-season predictions had them finishing around third in the conference. As far as the team went, hopes were high that the accomplishments from 2013-14 could be matched or improved upon.
    The Huskies built an 11-3-2 record to sit first overall in Canada West heading into the Christmas break. They started the second semester getting swept by the Dinos in Calgary dropping two games by a combined score of 9-3.
    The players on the U of S squad admitted they weren't very good in those outings. The result seemed to set a tone for the semester, as those setbacks were the start of a seven-game skid.
    Over the final five regular season games, the Huskies showed signs of coming out of their funk posting three wins to finish at 14-10-4 good for fifth overall in Canada West. Their confidence appeared to have returned heading into the post season.

Huskies defensive forward Chelsey Sundby was a heart and soul player.

    Just 61 seconds into Game 1 of their quarter-final series with the Dinos, Janelle Parent scored to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. Erika Mitschke scored on a power play just under six minutes late to increase the Dinos' lead to 2-0.
    Parent added her second of the game in the second, and Bronwyn Stevens and Iya Gavrilova potted singles to give the host a 5-0 lead at the 4:43 mark of the third.
    Following the fifth goal, the Huskies pulled starting netminder Cassidy Hendricks, who stopped 25 of 30 shots fired her way. Jerrica Waltz turned aside all five shots she faced in relief.
    Carissa Fischer made 24 saves in goal for the Dinos and her bid for a shutout was stopped thanks to a third period goal by Huskies defender Kira Bannatyne in the 5-1 final.
    In Game 2 on Saturday, Jenna Smith put the Dinos up 1-0 in the first, but standout sophomore Kaitlin Willoughby potted the equalizer for the Huskies to knot things up at 1-1. Gavrilova put the Dinos up 2-1 before the second period ended, and Smith added her second of the contest early in the third to put the hosts up 3-1.
    Canada West first team all-star defender Julia Flinton scored with under a minute to play in the third to pull the Huskies to within 3-2. The Dogs couldn't net the equalizer in the final seconds.
    Hendricks made 26 saves in the loss, while Fischer made 17 saves in the win.
    A lack of scoring depth proved ultimately to be the biggest thing that hurt the Huskies in the second semester. Forward Rachel Johnson was lost with a knee injury during a Jan. 16 home contest at the Rutherford Rink, where the Huskies dropped a 1-0 decision to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. Rookie forward Chelsea Wilson left the team due to family reasons having last played in a 5-2 road loss to the Dinos on Jan. 10.
    When those two players were playing in the first semester, the Huskies had an easier time creating offence. After they left, the Huskies became essentially a one-line team offensively relying on the forward unit of Willoughby, fifth-year forward Kandace Cook and Marley Ervine for goals.
    As a whole, the Huskies scored 58 goals over their 28 game regular season, which ranked sixth in the eight team Canada West. The graduation of Cami Wooster, who was the captain of the Canada West title team, also was a big blow when it came to offensive production, as she led that club with 16 goals and 31 points.

Defender Julia Flinton was a first team Canada West all-star.

    Besides the difficulties with putting the puck in the net, the Huskies also went through a lot of stretches in the second semester where they had trouble breaking out of their own zone, when opponents were in hard on the forecheck.
    When next season rolls around, the Huskies will be without Cook and fifth-year forward Chelsey Sundby due to graduation. Cook had a breakout year offensively with career highs in goals (13) and points (22). Sundby, who is more of a defensive forward, picked up a career high five goals this season and matched her career high in points with seven.
    Both were heart and soul members of the team, whose compete level was always high game in and game out. They will be missed going forward.
    The Huskies will return a key base of players, but they need to find recruits at forward to help them on the offensive end of the rink. They can build around players like Willoughby, who had 10 goals and 16 assists for a team high 26 points. It is possible players currently on the roster could have breakout seasons in 2015-16 with another year of experience under their belts.
    While the way the 2014-15 campaign finished was far from what the Huskies envisioned, the returning players should still shoot for the bar that was set in the 2013-14 Canada West title season. The first CIS title for women's hockey was awarded in 1998, and since that time, the Huskies have only won one conference title.
    When the 2014 Canada West title win happened, it was really special for all those involved. The players that continue to wear the Huskies jersey in the future should strive to one day experience that same feeling and maybe one day exceed that with a first national title win.

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

New rule adds to dogfight in Can West women’s hockey

Lauren Zary wheels with the puck for the Huskies.

            Wow! Two regulation wins later and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies jump from a tie for fifth into a tie for first in the Canada West women’s hockey standings.

            Last weekend, the Huskies swept away the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns by scores of 3-0 and 2-0 on Friday and Saturday night respectively at the ancient Rutherford Rink. The victories allowed the Huskies to improve to 9-3-2 and vault into a four-way tie for first in the conference with 26 points at the halfway point of the regular season.

            The four-way tie was caused because the women’s Canada West conference is using a news system for tallying points in the standings this season, which is similar to one used in the Olympics. Regulation time wins are worth three points, extra time wins two points and one point is awarded for an extra time loss.

The same system is being utilized in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League.

            The Huskies recorded their 26 points thanks to six regulation wins. The other three teams with 26 points include the Alberta Pandas (9-5) with eight regulation wins, the Manitoba Bisons (9-4-1) with seven regulation wins, and the UBC Thunderbirds (8-3-3) also with seven regulation wins.

            The Calgary Dinos are a point back of that foursome with a 7-3-4 record. All of their wins have come in regulation. The Regina Cougars sit holding the final playoff berth in the conference at 9-4-1, but they only have 22 points in the standings due to only winning three times in regulation.

            If the standings were still tallied the old way where a win in any form was worth two points, the Huskies would have been alone in first with 20 points. The Bisons, Thunderbirds and Cougars would have all been tied for second with 19 points. The final two playoff berths would be held by the Pandas and Dinos tied with 18 points.

            So what does one make of the logjam?

            The rule for putting in three points for a regulation win was put in to reward a squad for earning victory in the regular three periods of play. The idea of this rule has been bantered around at the NHL level. In theory, it was expected earning three points for a regulation win would create more separation in the standings.

            In the Canada West women’s standings where there isn’t that much difference between the teams, the standings are still tight even with three points being awarded for a regulation win.

            The Regina Cougars could argue they are the biggest loser under the new system. To be fair, they found the heart to get six wins done in extra time, but are given no reward for having that heart. That is the downfall of a system that awards three points for a regulation win as opposed to giving two points for any type of win.

            For me, the jury is still out on which system is better. The final judgment will likely be made during the Canada West league meetings in the off-season.

            As for the Huskies at this point in time of the season, there are always things to improve on, but they have to be really happy with where they sit. They have been very consistent in executing game plans, overcoming points of adversity and taking each step of the way very professionally.

They are not visibly too high after wins or too low after setbacks, and that is a very impressive thing to see.

In the sweep of the Pronghorns, the Huskies big players came through. Goaltender Cassidy Hendricks made 34 save over the two matches to up her shutout total to three on the season.

Marley Ervine, Kaitlin Willoughby and Julia Flinton had singles on the first night. Rachel Johnson scored twice on the second night.

They conclude play before heading into the Christmas break and final exam period this coming Friday and Saturday hosting Mount Royal University Cougars (2-9-3) at 7 p.m. each night at the Rutherford Rink.

Back to .500

Michael Sofillas in action for the Huskies.

            The Huskies men’s hockey team extended their winning streak to three games earning a pair of wins on the road against the Pronghorns.

            On Friday, the Huskies exploded for a 3-0 lead and held on for a 3-2 win. Michael Sofillas, who is starting to find an offensive touch, scored twice, while Sean Aschim had a single. Ryan Holfeld made 31 saves for the win.

            On Saturday, the Huskies posted a much more convincing 5-1 victory. Josh Roach scored twice, while Matthew Spafford, Sofillas and Parker Thomas all had singles. Jordon Cooke made 29 saves to pick up the win.

            The Huskies (8-8) have been up and down in the goal scoring department this season, so they will be looking to keep the offensive numbers up during their final two games before the Christmas break. They travel to Calgary this coming Friday and Saturday to take on the Mount Royal University Cougars (10-6).

            Those two clubs split their two meetings earlier this month at the Rutherford Rink.

Collins is on fire

The Huskies men's basketball team huddles around their bench.

            Dadrian Collins was sinking threes like he was a secret character on that 1990s legendary video game NBA Jam on Saturday.

            The fifth-year forward went off for the Huskies men’s basketball team from beyond the arch going 8-for-8 from downtown on Saturday at the Physical Activity Complex on the U of Saskatchewan campus. He hit seven of his threes in the game’s first half. Overall, he finished the contest with 28 points helping the Huskies cruise to a 95-70 victory over the University of Victoria Vikes.

            One night earlier, the Huskies downed the Vikes 82-70, and fourth-year guard Michael Scott led the way for the Dogs with 19 points. The Huskies sit at 4-2 in regular season play.

            The Huskies women’s team earned a sweep over the Vikes winning 71-62 on Friday and 89-68 on Saturday. Star post Dalyce Emmerson led the way leading the Huskies with 17 and 20 points on respective nights.

 One year anniversary of Grey Cup joy

           

Mosaic Stadium at the close of the 101st Grey Cup.

            Most people in Saskatchewan will be able to remember where they were a year ago today.

            The Saskatchewan Roughriders blasted the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 45-23 in the 101^st Grey Cup at Mosaic Stadium, which I still refer to commonly as Taylor Field. It was the last Grey Cup to be played as Mosaic, as a new stadium is currently being built in Regina.

            The contest also marked the first time the Roughriders were in the Grey Cup final at home and the only time they would win the legendary trophy on the field they have called home since 1910.

            I was at the game in person and being there in person was beyond anything you could have imagined for the bucket list. I have been at Taylor Field in many difference capacities for many football games at various levels, and the 101^st Grey Cup was definitely the most memorable.

            I also remember partying until like 5:30 a.m. out in the streets and in various locations in Regina. I think it took like two days to sleep that all off.

            The night had a euphoric experience from a fan perspective I had never seen before or since. I could not imagine what the feeling was like for the players, and I had a few buds on the team.

            As for players, I was most happy for quarterback Darian Durant, who put so many years of hard work in with the team and finally won the big one as the starter. In my handful of dealings with him, it is very evident he cares a lot about the Roughriders franchise, and I still don’t think the team’s fan base fully appreciates that fact.

            I was also really happy for my old Regina Rams bud Neal Hughes, who won his second Grey Cup ring. He took the victory with the joy of a little kid playing minor football on Regina’s Leibel Field.

            In my heart, I hope that wasn’t the last Grey Cup win he tasted as a player. The 34-year-old fullback was limited to playing just two games because of a nagging foot injury this past season. After 11 seasons in the league, there is no certainty his playing days will continue.

            With that said, it is great for today to look back and remember how great the day was.

If you have any feedback on this blog, feel free to email comments to stankssports@gmail.com.