Huskies seek redemption in rematch with Bisons

Mason Nyhus and the Huskies are set for the Bisons.

    The Bisons game stench remains for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team.

    The Huskies, who are rated seventh in the U Sport Top 10 rankings, came into the current campaign with a tonne of excitement and optimism after winning the Canada West Conference title last season. The high hopes were put on ice during Week 1 of the regular season.

    The Huskies traveled to Winnipeg, Man., on Aug. 30 to face the University of Manitoba Bisons in the regular season opener for both sides. The Bison exited IG Field with a convincing 43-19 victory.

    What hurt the Huskies most in that clash was their self-inflicted wounds. They lost the turnover battle 7-0 giving the ball away on three fumbles, two interceptions and twice on downs.

    The Huskies outgained the Bisons in total offensive yards 487 to 359, but the turnovers more than nullified the advantage in offensive yard gained.

    On Friday, the Huskies (3-2) will have a chance to bury that Week 1 encounter in their collective memories, when they host the Bisons (3-2) in another U Sports regular season contest at 7 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium.

    “Honestly, we got kind of punched in the mouth the last time we played them,” said Huskies quarterback Mason Nyhus. “I wish it didn’t happen.”

The Huskies defence aims to pounce on the Bisons.

    The Huskies are coming into their upcoming clash with the Bisons having downed the previously undefeated University of Calgary Dinos 29-15 last Friday at Griffiths Stadium.
    The Bisons have won two straight having slipped past the University of Regina Rams 27-26 last Saturday at IG Field.

    Star running back Adam Machart enters the clash with the Bisons lead all of U Sports in rushing with 712 yards coming on 86 carries and scoring five touchdowns. He expects his squad to have some extra jump for the battle with the Bisons after having beaten the Dinos.

    “It is a super big confidence booster,” said Machart. “Obviously, we kind of know what we are capable of, and I think we showed a little bit of that tonight.

    “We just have to keep on carrying that on.”

Adam Machart rumbles home for a touchdown.

    While the Huskies defence limited the Bisons to 359 yards of total offence in the Week 1 encounter, the Dogs didn’t like the fact they weren’t able to produce a single takeaway.
    Tom Whiting, who is a third-year linebacker, said he hasn’t forgotten what happened in the regular season opener.

    “You always have to keep it in the back of your mind just to dig into later,” said Whiting.

    Friday’s clash potentially has big ramifications in determining how the final Canada West standings could look. The winner of the battle between the Huskies and Bisons will still be in the thick of the race for first or second place and the chance to at least host one of the conference’s two semifinal playoff games.

    The Dinos and the University of Alberta Golden Bears are tied for first and second in the conference with identical 4-1 records.
    They face each other on Saturday at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.

    The Huskies dropped a heartbreaking 19-17 decision to the Golden Bears in Edmonton, Alta., on Sept. 21.

The Huskies want to keep hitting higher gears as the season goes on.

    Huskies head coach Scott Flory said his team will eventually have to figure out how to be better away from Griffiths Stadium.
    “I just told the players that we just need to bottle what we are doing at home and take it with us on the road,” said Flory. “The concerning part for me is two of those road games where we showed up like that.

    “We’ll find a way to correct that.”

    For now, the goal for the Huskies is to have a better performance against the Bisons than what happened in Week 1. Nyhus said how that contest played out due to the errors the Huskies made should be enough to get his team going.

    “I guess I’ll use it for a bit of motivation just watching film and see what they did to us,” said Nyhus. “They are probably going to repeat it, so we’re going to have to beat it.”

Machart gets second player of the week nod

Huskies RB Adam Machart had a huge game against the Dinos.

    On Monday, it was déjà vu time for Adam Machart in the player of the week front.

    The star running back for the U of Saskatchewan Huskies football team was named the offensive player of the week for the Canada West Conference for the second time this season.

    Last Friday, Machart, who stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 185 pounds, had a huge game as the Huskies downed the previously undefeated U of Calgary Dinos 29-15 at Griffiths Stadium.

    In that contest, Machart carried the ball 23 times for 171 yards and one touchdown. On top of that, he hauled in three passes for 35 yards and one major score.

    The defensive player of the week for Canada West was U of Manitoba Bisons linebacker Reilly Gordon, and the special teams player of the week was U of Alberta Golden Bears kicker Jonathan Giustini.

    Machart’s previous offensive player of the week nod came after the Huskies downed the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 40-7 on Sept. 6 at Griffiths Stadium.

    So far this season, Machart has carried the ball 86 times for 712 yards and five touchdowns. He needs to gain one more yard to sit alone with the eighth best single season rushing yardage total in the history of the Huskies program. He has caught 14 passes for 137 yards and two major scores this season as well.

    Machart has equalled Doug Rozon’s performance in rushing yards from the 1997 campaign, when Rozon piled up 712 yards on 131 carries and scored three touchdowns.

Smith moves on from Huskies women’s hockey

Chloe Smith, centre, celebrates a significant goal at Rutherford in 2018.

    The last member of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team to ever score a goal at the ancient Rutherford Rink has moved on to be an alumna of the program.

    After two seasons, power forward Chloe Smith has decided to move her life in a different direction. The 20-year-old has elected to not rejoin the Huskies for a third season.

    On her Instagram account, Smith has tabbed herself as a Huskies alum and member of her hometown Swift Current Fire Auxiliary.

    Smith was an education major during her two seasons with the Huskies, but she always longed to pursue a career in firefighting. It really came off that a career in firefighting was something Smith really wanted in a deep way.

    While I don’t have any confirmation on this front, it would be a strong educated guess that Smith is likely following the firefighter path.

    Smith, who stands 5-foot-7, came to the Huskies after playing four seasons with her hometown Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats from 2013 to 2017 in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League.

    She appeared in 110 career regular season games piling up 42 goals and 62 assists for 104 points. Smith is the 19^th all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL.
    During her rookie campaign with the Huskies in 2017-18, Smith forever cemented her spot in the team’s history.

Chloe Smith in action for the Huskies last season.

    On Feb. 24, 2018, she scored the winning goal that broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Huskies a 2-1 victory over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in Game 2 of Canada West semifinal series.

    Smith’s second period goal in that contest allowed the Huskies to sweep the best-of-three series 2-0.

    That was the final game the Huskies women’s team ever play at the Rutherford Rink, and Smith holds the distinction of being the last member of the Huskies women’s team to score a goal in that facility and score the last women’s playoff series winner in that building.

    It seemed Smith might be Kaitlin Willoughby’s successor in becoming the Huskies next high profile star forward. Willoughby played out her final season of eligibility as Huskies captain in Smith’s rookie campaign.

    Willoughby had the Huskies first goal in the 2-1 victory over the Thunderbirds in that final game for the women’s program at Rutherford.

    A feature I put together on Smith that was posted on Sept. 23, 2017 is still my sixth all-time most viewed post surpassing 5,750 page views.

    Smith appeared in 26 regular season games in 2017-18 collecting three goals and three assists. She skated in 26 regular season game last season collecting three goals and five assists.

    While she was still looking for a breakout season offensively, Smith still had the potential to hit another gear in that department. If she has a change of heart, she still has three seasons of eligibility to use.

Chloe Smith will succeed in any path she takes in life.

    With all that said, it is likely tougher in the present day to be a U Sports athlete than it has at any time in history. U Sports athletes put in countless hours in the classroom and into preparing for their sport and honestly get very little recognition in the current day.

    When Canada’s media industry was larger, U Sports athletes received more recognition.

    If a U Sports athletes’ career goals do not match up with their path of study, the time comes to make a hard decision to move on, because it is hard to just take classes in or to play a sport.

    Smith is one of those who will be a great success in any path she takes in life.

    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 advance to SFMAAAHL final for fifth straight year

Saskatoon eliminates Notre Dame with 3-1 win in Game 4

Joelle Fiala scored the winning goal for the Stars on Thursday.

    A slight scare ultimately couldn’t keep the Saskatoon Stars from returning to the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League championship series for a fifth straight year.

    On Thursday at the Duncan McNeill Arena in Wilcox, the Stars fell behind 1-0 to the host Notre Dame Hounds before rallying for a 3-1 victory in Game 4 of a SFMAAAHL semifinal series. With the win, the Stars take the best-of-five series 3-1.

    Saskatoon advances to the best-of-five SFMAAAHL championship series to play for the Fedoruk Cup for a fifth straight year. The Stars won the league title in 2015, 2016 and last season.

    They will face the Regina Rebels in this year’s league final. Saskatoon topped the SFMAAAHL regular season standings with a 27-1 record, while Regina finished second with a 17-7-4 mark. Game 1 of the SFMAAAHL final is set for Saturday at 7:45 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    The Stars were forced to play a Game 4 of their semifinal series against the Hounds on Thursday after Notre Dame prevailed 2-1 in double overtime in Game 3 on Tuesday at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon.

    Notre Dame hit the scoreboard first in Game 4 when 16-year-old defender Jada Livingston scored at the 10:21 mark of the first period to give the host side a 1-0 edge.

Kaitlyn Ross made 25 saves in goal for the Hounds on Thursday.

    Coming out after the first intermission, the Stars proceeded to control play the rest of the way.

    At the 3:58 mark of the second, Stars 15-year-old sophomore forward Makena Kushniruk potted the equalizer that forced a 1-1 tie.

    Veteran centre Joelle Fiala netted what would be the game and series winner for the Stars just over four minutes after Kushniruk’s tally to put Saskatoon ahead 2-1.

    Veteran forward Anna Leschyshyn added a key insurance marker at the 9:27 mark of the third to round out the 3-1 victory for the visitors.

    Arden Kliewer made 12 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Stars. Kaitlyn Ross turned away 25 shots to take the setback in goal for the Hounds in the final outing of her stellar midget AAA career.

    Notre Dame finished fifth in the SFMAAAHL with a 12-13-3 regular season record and eliminated the Prince Albert Northern Bears 3-1 in a best-of-five SFMAAAHL quarter-final series.

    Last season, the Stars swept the Bears 3-0 in the best-of-five SFMAAAHL championship series. Saskatoon will be making a record eighth overall appearance in the league final.

Bohlken’s OT winner pushes Rebels into SFMAAAHL final

Larissa Bohlken scored the OT winner for the Rebels.

    Larissa Bohlken found some magic in overtime to become a playoff hero for the Regina Rebels.

    On Wednesday at the Fairview Arena in Swift Current, Bohlken, who is a sophomore defender, scored the winner at the 4:13 mark of overtime to give her Rebels a 3-2 victory over the host Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats in Game 4 of a SFMAAAHL semifinal series. With the win, the Rebels take the best-of-five series 3-1.

    Regina advances to the best-of-five SFMAAAHL championship series to play for the Fedoruk Cup for the first time since 2014. The Rebels fell in that year’s league final to the Weyburn Richardson Pioneer Gold Wings, who advanced on to win the Esso Cup as national female midget AAA hockey champions.

    Regina won the SFMAAAHL championship in the 2012-13 season and advanced to the Esso Cup national championship tournament finishing fourth.

    The Rebels will face the defending SFMAAAHL champion Saskatoon Stars in the best-of-five SFMAAAHL final. Game 1 for the SFMAAAHL championship series is set for 7:45 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon.

    Against the Wildcats on Wednesday, the Rebels took a 2-0 lead in the second period with goals coming from the sticks of veteran forward Lauren Focht and Bohlken, who scored her first of two on the night.

    The Wildcats evened things up at 2-2 early in the third period with goals coming from the sticks of 17-year-old veteran forward Carissa Hogan and SFMAAAHL MVP Taylor Lind. Lind scored short-handed to force the 2-2 tie with 14:14 remaining in the third period.

Taylor Lind scored for the Wildcats on Wednesday.

    Both Hogan and Lind ultimately played the final games of the respective stellar midget AAA careers.

    After the Wildcats tied things up, that set the stage for Bohlken to score her second goal of the night to become the overtime hero for the Rebels.

    Chantel Weller stopped 21 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Rebels. Amaya Giraudier turned away 29 shots to take the setback in goal for the Wildcats.

    The Rebels finished second in the SFMAAAHL regular season standings with a 17-7-4 mark, while the Wildcats placed third with a 17-10-1 record.

    The Rebels and Wildcats split the first two games of their SFMAAAHL semifinal series. Regina went ahead 2-1 in the series taking Game 3 on Tuesday 4-2 at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.

    In that contest, Emma DeCorby, Kaylee Dyer, Focht and Jordan Fry netted singles for the Rebels. Kamryn Johnson and Sara Kendall replied with singles for the Wildcats.

    Weller made 27 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Rebels. Giraudier turned away 19 shots to take the setback in goal for the Wildcats.

    The Rebels swept away the Melville Prairie Fire 3-0 in a best-of-five SFMAAAHL quarter-final series. The Wildcats swept away the Battlefords Sharks 3-0 in another best-of-five SFMAAAHL quarter-final series.

    Back in 2013, the Rebels swept the Prince Albert Northern Bears 3-0 in the best-of-five SFMAAAHL championship series.

    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 a win away from returning to SFMAAAHL final

Grace Shirley had two big playoff games for the Stars.

    It appears the rust factor hasn’t hampered the Saskatoon Stars.

    After going 25 days between games, the Stars jumped out to a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League semifinal series against the Notre Dame Hounds. The Stars, who are the defending SFMAAAHL champions, will be looking to close the series out in Game 3 on Tuesday at 7:45 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    Saskatoon concluded its regular season schedule blanking the Hounds 6-0 in Wilcox, Sask., back on Feb. 17. The Stars topped the regular season standings with a 27-1 record.

    Due to a schedule break to allow SFMAAAHL players to take part in the Canada Winter Games that were held in Red Deer in late February and earlier this month and the fact the Stars had bye into the semifinal round of the post-season, the Stars hit the ice last Friday having gone 25 days without playing a game.

    In Game 1 of their SFMAAAHL semifinal series with the Hounds on Friday, the Stars posted a 6-1 victory at Merlis Belsher Place. The Stars led 1-0 after the first period, 4-0 after the second period and were up 6-0 in the third before the Hounds replied with their single goal.

    Captain Grace Shirley had a goal and three assists for the Stars, while Anna Leschyshyn had a pair of goals. Makena Kushniruk, Joelle Fiala and Kaitlin Jockims had singles for Saskatoon, while offensive defender Ashley Messier had a pair of assists.

    Kaitlyn Gilroy replied for the Hounds, who finished fifth in the SFMAAAHL regular season with a 12-13-3 record.

    Arden Kliewer made 17 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Stars. Kaitlyn Ross turned away 32 shots to take the setback in goal for the Hounds.

    The series shifted to the Duncan McNeill Arena in Wilcox for Game 2 on Sunday, where the Stars pulled out a 3-1 win. Saskatoon led 1-0 after the first period and 3-0 after the second frame before the Hounds answered back with a goal in the third.

Kaitlyn Ross made a number of big saves for the Hounds.

    Alison Olorenshaw, Jockims and Messier netted singles for the Stars. Shirley assisted on all three Saskatoon goals.

    Brynn Maclean had a single for the Hounds.

    Kliewer made 16 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Stars. Ross turned away 24 shots to take the setback in net for the Hounds.

    The Stars SFMAAAHL league award winners and all-star selections were announced, when their series with the Hounds began.

    Kushniruk claimed the Fiona Smith Most Sportsmanlike Player award, and Messier captured the Colleen Sostorics Top Defenceman award, while being named a first team all-star.

    Shirley and Jockims were named first team all-stars at forward.

    Kliewer was named a second team all-star along with Leschyshyn at forward and Chace Sperling on defence.

    If the Hounds are able to win Game 3, they will host Game 4 on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Duncan McNeill Arena.

    If a series deciding Game 5 is required, it will be held this coming Friday at 8:30 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

Rebels, Wildcats SFMAAAHL semi even at 1-1

Neena Brick had two strong games for the Rebels against the Wildcats.

    It appears the SFMAAAHL semifinal series between the Regina Rebels and the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats will be a lengthy one.

    The Rebels and Wildcats split the first two games of their best-of-five set. Game 3 is slated for Tuesday at 8 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.

    In Game 1 of their series on Saturday at the Co-operators Centre, the host Rebels skated to a 3-0 victory.

    Samantha Sichkaruk, Jordan Fry and Neena Brick all scored singles for the Rebels.

    Chantel Weller turned away 11 shots to pick up the shutout win in goal for Regina.

    Amaya Giraudier turned away 32 shots to take the setback in net for the Wildcats.

    Swift Current played without two key veterans in Game 1 as captain Taylor Lind, who is the SFMAAAHL’s MVP, and defender Tobi Fontaine were both nursing minor undisclosed injuries.

Crystal Wale came up big in a Game 2 win for the Wildcats.

    Both Lind and Fontaine were back in action for the Wildcats in Game 2 on Sunday at the Fairview Arena in Swift Current. They weren’t able to pick up any points, but their supporting cast helped deliver the Wildcats to a 3-1 win.

    Ashlee Wolfe and Crystal Wale netted singles to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead in the first period.

Brick replied for the Rebels with the lone goal in the second period to cut the Wildcats edge to 2-1.

Ryleigh White scored for the Wildcats on the power play with 3:04 remaining in the third period to cement Swift Current’s victory.

    Giraudier stopped 40 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Wildcats, who were third in the SFMAAAHL’s regular season with a 17-10-1 record. Weller turned away 22 shots to take the setback in goal for the Rebels, who were second in the SFMAAAHL’s regular season with a 17-7-4 mark.

Game 4 of the series between the Rebels and Wildcats is slated for Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. at the Fairview Arena in Swift Current.

    If a series deciding Game 5 is needed, it will be held this coming Friday at 8 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.

Stars alums off to NCAA’s Frozen Four

Emily Clark will be playing in her last NCAA Frozen Four.

    A trio of alums from the Saskatoon Stars are headed to the Frozen Four of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s national women’s hockey championship tournament in Division I play.

    Last Saturday, Stars grads Emily Clark and Sophie Shirley, who are both forwards, helped the top seeded University of Wisconsin Badgers blank the Syracuse University Orange 4-0 in a quarter-final contest at the LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wisconsin, before 2,423 spectators.

    Clark, who played for the Stars from 2009 to 2012, had assists on the Badgers first two goals, which were both scored by Annie Pankowski. Shirley, who played for the Stars from 2012 to 2015, was held without a point for the Badgers on Saturday.

    Both Clark and Shirley are members of Canada’s national women’s hockey team program. Clark skates with the senior women’s team, and Shirley is a member of the national development team.

    Clark missed time at the beginning of the season due to an injured left leg. Skating in her fourth and final season with the Badgers, Clark has appeared in 32 overall games recording 14 goals, 13 assists and a plus-22 rating in the plus-minus department.

    Shirley had had an outstanding rookie season with the Badgers appearing in 39 overall games recording 20 goals, 18 assists and a plus-35 rating.
    The Badgers have a 33-4-2 overall record this season and advance to the Frozen Four for a sixth straight year. The Frozen Four runs this coming Friday to Sunday at the People’s United Center in Hamden, Connecticut.

    In one semifinal on Friday, the Badgers face the fourth seeded Clarkson University Golden Knights (30-7-2). The Golden Knights won the NCAA title the last two straight years.

Willow Slobodzian in action with the Stars in 2017.

    The third Stars alum heading to the Frozen Four is Willow Slobodzian, who is a defender for the Cornell University Big Red.

    Slobodzian, who played for the Stars from 2014 to 2017, had an assist for the Big Red as they won a 3-2 overtime thriller against the third seeded Northeastern University Huskies in a quarter-final match at the Matthews Arena in Boston, Mass.

    Gillis Frechette had the OT winner for Cornell.

    Cornell heads to the Frozen Four for the first time since 2012.

    The Big Red improved their overall record to 24-5-6, while the Huskies finish at 27-6-5.

    The Huskies roster contains Prince Albert Northern Bears alum Brooke Hobson, who had an assist for Northeastern University in the setback. Hobson played for the Bears from 2011 to 2017.

    In 35 games with the Big Red this season, Slobodzian had four goals, eight assists and is a plus-22.

    Hobson finished her second season with the Huskies appearing in 38 games recording six goals, 22 assists and a plus-27 rating.

    The Big Red will take on the second seeded University of Minnesota Golden Gophers (31-5-1) in the other NCAA semifinal set for this coming Friday.

    The semifinal winners will meet this coming Sunday in the NCAA championship game.

    For anyone in Saskatchewan that gets the Big Ten Network on their television packages, the Big Red semifinal game this coming Friday featuring Slobodzian will be shown live at 2 p.m. Saskatchewan time. The Badgers semifinal game featuring Clark and Shirley will follow at 5 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

    Sunday’s NCAA championship game will be shown life at 12:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time on the Big Ten Network.

Willoughby to play for CWHL title with Inferno

Kaitlin Willoughby in action with the Huskies in 2018.

    Kaitlin Willoughby will try to close her rookie season as a professional with a Canadian Women’s Hockey League title.

    This coming Sunday, the 23-year-old forward from Prince Albert, Sask., who originally hails from Canwood, Sask., will travel with her Calgary Inferno to Toronto to face Les Canadiennes de Montreal in a one-game league championship final for the Clarkson Cup. The Clarkson Cup will be played at the Coca-Cola Coliseum and will be shown life on Sportsnet at 10 a.m. Saskatchewan time.

    The Inferno topped the CWHL regular season standings with a 23-4-0-1 record. Les Canadiennes finished second with a 21-6-0-1 mark.

    Willoughby has appeared in 27 games with the Inferno collecting one goal and five assists. On March 11, she captained Canada’s women’s hockey team to a silver medal win at the FISU Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

    Canada fell 2-0 in the gold medal game to the host Russian side. In six games at the tournament, Willoughby had a goal, three assists and was a plus-five.

    Before joining the Inferno, Willoughby was a star for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team from 2013 to 2018 finishing as the squad’s second all-time leading scorer posting 50 goals and 61 assists for 111 points in 132 career regular season games.

    From 2008 to 2013, Willoughby appeared in 96 regular season games with the SFMAAAHL’s Prince Albert Northern Bears piling up 34 goals and 63 assists for 97 points.

    While playing for the Inferno and for Canada at the FISU Winter Universiade, Willoughby is competing her studies in nursing at the U of Saskatchewan.

    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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Bears stay alive in post-season with Game 3 win over Hounds

Abby Soyko scored the winner for the Bears on Monday.

    The Prince Albert Northern Bears added at least 60 minutes of life to their 2018-19 season.

    On Monday at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert, the Bears staved off elimination from the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League playoffs with a 3-2 victory in Game 3 of a best-of-five first round series with the Notre Dame Hounds. With the win, the Bears cut the Hounds lead in the series to 2-1.

    Notre Dame will have its next chance to wrap up the series hosting Game 4 on Wednesday at 8 p.m. at the Duncan McNeill Arena in Wilcox. If the Bears are able to win that contest, the two squads would meet in a series deciding Game 5 on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

    The Hounds claimed Game 1 of the series by a 3-2 score last Thursday in Prince Albert, and took Game 2 by a 5-1 score last Saturday in Wilcox.

    In Monday’s encounter, the Bears took a 1-0 lead in the first period on a goal from Miranda Heidt. The hosts went up 2-0 when veteran forward Jasper Desmarais scored on the power play at the 6:57 mark of the second period.

    Before the second intermission rolled around, the Hounds cut the Bears lead to 2-1 on a goal from star forward Lyndsey Janes.

    At the 9:11 mark of the third period, star captain Abby Soyko put the Bears up 3-1 with a power-play goal.

    Jada Livingston scored for the Hounds with 6:10 remaining in the third period to cut the Bears lead to 3-2. Notre Dame was unable to net the equalizer from that point.

    Lexi Beuker turned away 15 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Bears, who were 17-9-2 during the regular season. Star netminder Kaitlyn Ross turned away 31 shots to take the setback in goal for the Hounds, who were 12-13-3 in the regular season.

    During the series, Soyko was named a second team SFMAAAHL all-star at forward. Bears forward Jadyn Kushniruk, who is playing her final season of midget AAA eligibility, was named the winner of the Carol Scheibel Top Scholastic Player award.

    The Bears off-ice crew of Dwight Sachkowski, Gary Schwan, Ron Wildey and Lloyd McBeath won the Esso Volunteer Award.

    The winner of this series will advance to face the defending SFMAAAHL champion Saskatoon Stars in a best-of-five semifinal series. The Stars finished first overall in the SFMAAAHL with a 27-1 record.

Wildcats sweep away Sharks in OT

Taylor Lind is the MVP of the SFMAAAHL.

    The Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats punched their into the SFMAAAHL semifinal round in dramatic fashion.

    On Sunday at the Fairview Arena in Swift Current, the Wildcats downed the Battlefords Sharks 2-1 in overtime in Game 3 of a best-of-five SFMAAAHL first round series. With the win, the Wildcats swept the best-of-five set 3-0.

    In the series clinching win, sophomore 15-year-old forward Baylee Kirwan scored the winner on a power play at the 2:22 mark in overtime to deliver the Wildcats to victory. Sara Kendall and Maddy McCleary picked up assists on the winning tally.

    Star captain Taylor Lind gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead scoring a power-play goal 40 seconds into the second period. Brooklyn Rublee and Ryleigh White had assists on Lind’s tally.

    Veteran forward Ensley Fendelet, who is playing her final season of midget AAA eligibility, potted the equalizer for the Sharks to force a 1-1 tie and overtime with 2:18 remaining in the third period.

    Harper Davey stopped 20 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Wildcats, who were 17-10-1 during the regular season. Haylie Biever turned away 37 shots to take the setback in goal for the Sharks, who were 11-13-4 in the regular season.

    The Wildcats are 14-1 including action in the regular season and playoffs since returning to play after the Christmas break.

    During the series with the Sharks, Lind was named the winner of the Hayley Wickenheiser Most Valuable Player award, a first team SFMAAAHL all-star at forward and formally received the Kelly Bechard Top Scorer award. Sharks captain Ali Aitken was named a second team SFMAAAHL all-star at forward.

    The Wildcats will face the Regina Rebels in a best-of-five SFMAAAHL semifinal series. Game 1 of that series is set for 4:45 p.m. at Saturday at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.

Rebels douse Prairie Fire in three games

Neena Brick is the top rookie of the SFMAAAHL.

    An offensive explosion allowed the Regina Rebels to sweep the Melville Prairie Fire out of the SFMAAAHL playoffs.

    On Sunday at the Co-operators Centre in Regina, the Rebels broke a 1-1 tie scoring three times in the third period to down the Prairie Fire 4-1 in Game 3 of a best-of-five SFMAAAHL first round series. With the win, the Rebels sweep the best-of-five set 3-0.

    Brooklyn Stevely gave the Rebels a 1-0 lead at the 2:29 mark of the first period. Samantha Thompson netted the equalizer for the Prairie Fire scoring on the power play at the 13:23 mark of the first period to force a 1-1 tie.

    Facing elimination, the Prairie Fire ensured the 1-1 score held up heading into the third period.

    The Rebels scored three times in the first 5:18 of the third to cement the final outcome. Neena Brick scored twice and Samantha Sichkaruk had a single in the Rebels three-goal surge.

    Payton Schlamp turned away 21 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Rebels, who were 17-7-4 during the regular season. Cheyenne Jamieson turned away 38 shots to take the setback in goal for Prairie Fire, who were 10-16-2 during the regular season.

    During the series, Brick was named the winner of the Dana Antal Top Rookie award, while Stevely was named a first team SFMAAAHL all-star defender.

    Prairie Fire veteran defender Allison Hayhurst was named a second team SFMAAAHL all-star. Melville head coach Casey O’Brien claimed the Shannon Miller and Wally Kozak Top Coach award.

    The Rebels advance to face the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats in a best-of-five SFMAAAHL semifinal series. Game 1 of that series is set for 4:45 p.m. at Saturday at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.

Canada just short of women’s hockey gold at Universiade

🇨🇦🥈 Medalist in Women’s 🏒 at @Krasnoyarsk2019.

Final is 2-0 for 🇷🇺.

3rd consecutive silver at Winter Universiade and 7 for 7 in Final Universiade games for #uCAN

4th 🏅 of this Universiade for 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/eGOHUwiWXK

— U SPORTS Team Canada (@USPORTSIntl) March 11, 2019

    A heroic 40 save performance from Jessica Vance wasn’t enough to capture a gold medal for Canada’s women’s hockey team at the FISU Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

    Vance, who is the star netminder for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team, made 40 saves on Monday as Canada fell 2-0 to host Russia in the gold medal final at the Winter Universiade. Canada’s women’s hockey team captured a silver medal in each of the last three Winter Universiades.

    Thanks to Vance’s puck stopping, Canada and Russia entered the third period locked in a 0-0 tie. At the 6:53 mark of the third, Canada was given a delay of game penalty for shooting the puck over the glass while in the defensive zone.

    On the ensuing power play, Liana Ganeeva scored to give Russia a 1-0 lead. Alevtina Shtareva scored into an empty-net inside of the game’s final 15 seconds to seal a 2-0 win for the host side.

Nadezhda Morozova turned away 34 shots to pick up the shutout win in goal for Russia.

    Besides including Vance, the Canadian roster contained Leah Bohlken, who is a star defender for the Huskies, and Kaitlin Willoughby, who was the former star captain with the Huskies and now plays professionally for the Calgary Inferno of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.

    Vance and Willoughby are both alums of the Prince Albert Northern Bears female midget AAA team. Before joining the Huskies, Bohlken spent time in the SFMAAAHL briefly with the Weyburn Richardson Pioneer Gold Wing and mainly with the Regina Rebels. She also played for the Notre Dame Hounds entry in the Junior Women’s Hockey League.

    Willoughby was the captain of the Canadian team and was a member of Canada’s women’s hockey team that won silver at the 2017 Winter Universiade in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

    With the conclusion of Monday’s gold medal game, the 2018-19 hockey seasons for Vance and Bohlken have come to an end as the Huskies were eliminated from the U Sports playoffs back on Feb. 23.

    Willoughby’s season still has one more game. She will join the Inferno to play for the Clarkson Cup to become CWHL champions on March 24 in Toronto against Les Canadiennes de Montreal. The Clarkson Cup is a one-game championship final.

    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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Rebels lock up second in SFMAAAHL in fierce series split with Bears in P.A.

P.A. captain Soyko heats up as regular season draws to close

The Rebels locked up second place in the SFMAAAHL.

    Regina Rebels locked up second place, while Prince Albert Northern Bears star captain Abby Soyko found a way to steal the show.

    The two powerhouse clubs from the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League engaged in and split a fierce two-game battle at the Kinsman Arena in Prince Albert on the weekend.

    On Friday night, the Bears jumped out to a 2-1 lead, but three straight second period goals by the Rebels swung the momentum of that contest. Regina took 4-2 lead thanks to that surge and ultimately posted a 4-3 victory.

    Hanna Bailey, Samantha Sichkaruk, Sydney Pedersen and Jordan Fry netted singles for the Rebels. Rhea Peterson, Brooklyn Anderson and Kate Ball replied with singles for the Bears. Soyko assisted on the Bears final two goals of the contest.

    Chantel Weller made 24 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Rebels. Scout Anderson turned away 40 shots to take the setback in goal for the Bears.

    That win by the Rebels allowed them to lock up second place in the SFMAAAHL.

Samantha Sichkaruk helped the Rebels lock up second place.

    On Saturday, Lauren Focht scored 52 seconds into the game to give the Rebels an early 1-0 lead.

Soyko responded for the Bears at the 6:09 mark of the first period to even things up at 1-1.

Pedersen and Kaylee Dyer proceeded to score for the Rebels before the opening frame ended to give Regina a 3-1 advantage.

    From there, the Bears started a progressive comeback. Soyko netted the only goal of the second to cut the Rebels lead to 3-2.

    With 59 seconds remaining in the third, Miranda Heidt recorded the equalizer to even things up at 3-3 and force overtime.

    In overtime, Soyko completed the hat trick to deliver the Bears to a 4-3 victory.

    Lexi Beuker turned away 36 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Bears. Payton Schlamp turned away 46 shots to take the setback in goal for the Rebels.

    On the weekend, the Bears wore special tribute jerseys for the Humboldt Broncos junior A team to pay respect for all those effected by the team’s bus crash on April 6, 2018. The jerseys will be auctioned off at the Bears first home playoff game in March in support of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Mental Assistance Fund.

Abby Soyko was on fire for the Bears on the weekend.

    Soyko had a number of ties with those involved in the Broncos bus crash.

    With the results in those two games, the Rebels saw their record move to 17-6-4. They close the SFMAAAHL regular season by hosting the Notre Dame Hounds on Wednesday at 8 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.

    The Bears saw their regular season come to a close with their weekend encounters with the Rebels. Prince Albert finishes the regular season with a 17-9-2 record.

    Soyko, who is playing her final season of midget AAA eligibility, posted 65 goals and 63 assists for 128 points in 136 regular season games played with the Bears over five seasons. The 17-year-old captain is the Bears all-time leader in regular season goals and points and shares the team career regular season assists record with former Bears captain Kaitlin Willoughby.
    Soyko is the ninth all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL in regular season play.

    Willoughby, who currently plays professionally with the Calgary Inferno of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, recorded 34 goals and 63 assists for 97 points playing in 96 career regular season games with the Bears from 2008 to 2013.
    The Rebels will face the Melville Prairie Fire in a best-of-five first round playoff series. The Bears will take on the Notre Dame Hounds in a best-of-five first round series. The SFMAAAHL playoffs are expected to start around March 7.

Captain Abby Soyko completed a three-goal night with an overtime winner Saturday as the Prince Albert Northern Bears split a weekend series with the Regina Rebels.

Now the Bears have to wait to find out their playoff opponent. https://t.co/HzLGQdisFG pic.twitter.com/yG9XqlxMYg

— Lucas Punkari (@lpunkari) February 17, 2019

Stars roll past Hounds

Captain Grace Shirley had a four-goal night for the Stars on Sunday.

    Saskatoon Stars are motoring into the SFMAAAHL playoffs riding a six-game winning streak.

Over the weekend, the Stars swept away the Notre Dame Hounds in a two game series at the Duncan McNeill Arena in Wilcox, Sask., to improve their winning streak to six games.

    On Saturday, the Stars blanked the Hounds 4-0 scoring all of their goals in the second period.

    Joelle Fiala scored twice for the Stars, while Alison Olorenshaw and Makena Kushniruk had singles. Arden Kliewer turned away 12 shots to pick up her seventh shutout win of the season in goal for the Stars.

    Kaitlyn Ross turned away 31 shots to take the setback in goal for the Hounds.

On Sunday, Stars star captain Grace Shirley scored four goals to power her side to a 6-0 victory. Chase Sperling and Anna Leschyshyn netted singles for the Stars.

    Rookie Kaitlyn Cadrain stopped 13 shots to pick up her third career SFMAAAHL shutout in goal for the Stars. Rayanne Mckenzie turned away 19 shots to take the setback in goal for the Hounds.

    The Stars top forwards in Shirley, Leschyshyn and Fiala are all playing out their final seasons of midget AAA eligibility.

    Shirley, who is the Stars captain, finishes up as the third all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL in regular season play. She collected 97 goals and 69 assists for 166 points in 107 regular season games. She is the Stars all-time leader in career regular season goals and points.

    Leschyshyn concludes regular season play as the fifth all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL. She recorded 72 goals and 80 assists for 152 points in 115 regular season games. Leschyshyn is just the fifth player in the history of the SFMAAAHL to record 80 or more career regular season assists.

Joelle Fiala became the Stars leader in career regular season assists.

    Fiala closes regular season play as the eighth all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL. She posted 47 goals and 83 assists for 130 points in 112 regular season games. She recorded her final career regular season assist on Sunday to pass former team captain Lauren Zary as the Stars all-time leader in that category.

    Zary collected 44 goals and 82 assists for 126 points playing 103 regular season games with the Stars from 2008 to 2012. She is the 10^th all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL in regular season play and moved on to play post-secondary hockey first with the Brown University Bears in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ranks and then the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the U Sports ranks.

    Fiala sits in a tie with Chelsea Perepeluk for the second and third spots in the SFMAAAHL career regular season assists list. Perepeluk, who is the SFMAAAHL’s 14^th all-time leading scorer in regular season points, recorded 36 goals and 83 assists in 108 regular season games played with the Regina Rebels from 2010 to 2015.

    The Stars already had first place in the SFMAAAHL locked up heading into the weekend, and they will have a bye to a best-of-five league semifinal series in the post-season. Saskatoon posted its best regular season record ever at 27-1 beating out its previous best mark of 25-2-1 from the 2016-17 campaign.
    The Stars collected a new team record 78 points in the standings coming off 24 regulation wins and three extra time victories. Their previous record of 76 points came back in 2016-17 coming from 25 regulation wins and one extra time setback.

    The Hounds are cemented to finish fifth in the SFMAAAHL with an 11-13-3 record. They close the SFMAAAHL regular season by traveling to Regina to face the Rebels on Wednesday at 8 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre.

    Notre Dame will face the Prince Albert Northern Bears in a best-of-five first round playoff series. The SFMAAAHL playoffs are expected to start around March 7.

Wildcats vault into third with sweep of Gold Wings

Taylor Lind won her second SFMAAAHL scoring title this season.

    Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats jumped into a third place finish in the SFMAAAHL standings with a sweep of the Weyburn Richardson Pioneer Gold Wings on the weekend.

    On Saturday at the Fairview Arena in Swift Current, the Wildcats downed the Gold Wings 6-1. Star captain Taylor Lind and Sara Kendall scored twice for the Wildcats, while Brooklyn Rublee and Tobi Fontaine had singles.

    Dakota Bowler replied with a single for the Gold Wings.

    Harper Davey turned away 21 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Wildcats. Daneka Dickson turned away 37 shots to take the setback in goal for the Gold Wings.

    On Sunday at the Fairview Arena, Lind powered the Wildcats with a hat trick and an assist to a 6-0 victory.

    Ashlee Wolfe, Sara Kendall and Carissa Hogan had singles for the Wildcats. Davey stopped all 20 shots she faced to pick up her first shutout win of the season.

    Amara Lewendon turned away 42 shots to take the setback in goal for the Gold Wings. Weyburn missed the playoffs finishing with a 1-26-1 record.

    Lind finished her regular season career as the second all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL in regular season play. She piled up 93 goals and 77 assists for 170 points in 83 regular season games. The Shaunavon, Sask., product is the Wildcats all-time leader in career regular season goals, assists and points.

Sara Kendall had three goals on the weekend for the Wildcats.

    For the second time in three seasons, Lind won the SFMAAAHL scoring title posting 29 goals and 31 assists for 60 points this season. Her assist and point totals are career highs.

    Next season, Lind is slated to the join the Lindenwood University Lions women’s hockey team in St. Charles, Missouri, in the NCAA ranks. She has one season of midget AAA eligibility remaining but is set to graduate high school a year early.

    The Wildcats are 11-1 since returning to action after the Christmas break to vault to a third place finish in the SFMAAAHL standings with a 17-10-1 record to just edge out the Prince Albert Northern Bears, who were 17-9-2.

    Swift Current recorded 50 points in the standings due to winning 15 games in regulation, winning twice in extra time and posting one extra time loss. The Bears posted 49 points in the standings coming off 13 regulation wins, four extra time wins and two extra time setbacks.

    The Wildcats will face the Battlefords Sharks in a best-of-five first round series. The SFMAAAHL playoffs are expected to start around March 7.

Sharks, Prairie Fire close with hard-fought split

Madison Sansom scored twice for the Sharks on Saturday.

    The Battlefords Sharks and the Melville Prairie Fire conclude their respective SFMAAAHL regular seasons with a head-to-head split in a two game series.

    On Saturday at the Horizon Credit Union Centre in Melville, the Sharks led 1-0 after the first period and extended their edge to 3-0 early in the third. The Prairie Fire battled back cutting the Sharks lead to 3-2, but Battlefords sealed with win with an empty-net goal with under 10 seconds to play in the third.

    Brooklyn Rowley and Madison Sansom each scored twice for the Sharks. Megan Hayhurst and Ava Metzger replied with singles for the Prairie Fire.

    Haylie Biever turned away 30 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Sharks. Cheyenne Jamieson turned away 21 of 24 shots taking the setback in goal for the Prairie Fire.

    The two side played a barnburner at the Horizon Credit Union Centre on Sunday in Melville. The two side were locked in a 1-1 tie exiting the first period.

    The Sharks took a 2-1 lead early in the second period, but the Prairie Fire exploded for three straight goals to take a 4-2 edge into the second intermission. Melville held on for a 5-4 victory.

    Jordyn Blais scored twice for the Sharks, while Kiana McNinch and Sydney Rowley had singles. Metzger scored twice and had an assist for the Prairie Fire, while Megan Hayhurst, Jordyn Bear and Heather Fiske had singles.

Allison Hayhurst played her 139th regular season game on Sunday.

    Biever turned away 25 shots to take the setback in goal for the Sharks. Jamieson turned away 14-of-16 shots starting and picking up the win in goal for the Prairie Fire. Haley Schrader played the final 22 minutes of Sunday’s contest turning away 17-of-19 shots in relief.

    The Sharks finished sixth in the SFMAAAHL standings with an 11-13-4 record. They were just edged out by the Notre Dame Hounds (11-13-3) for fifth place.

    The Hounds have 35 points in the standings coming off 10 regulation wins, one extra time win and three extra time setbacks. The Sharks finished with 33 standings points coming off seven regulation wins, four extra time wins and four extra time setbacks.
    Battlefords win and standings point totals were team records. The Sharks previous record for wins in one regular season was 10 posted in the SFMAAAHL’s second season in 2007-08, when they posted 10 wins, 16 losses and two ties.
    Battlefords previous high for standings points was 26 posted in 2014-15 coming from a 9-18-1 record, where the team won seven times in regulation, twice in extra time and had one extra time setback.

    The Prairie Fire were seventh overall in the SFMAAAHL with a 10-16-2 mark.

    Prairie Fire defender Allison Hayhurst became the third person in the history of the SFMAAAHL to play in 139 career regular season games. Hayhurst, who turned 18-years-old earlier this month, has 22 goals and 47 assists for 69 points in her 139 career regular season games.

    She had assists in each of the Prairie Fire’s last two games.

    The Sharks will face the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats in a best-of-five first round series. The Prairie Fire will meet the Regina Rebels in a best-of-five first round series. The SFMAAAHL playoffs are expected to start around March 7.

    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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Shirley passes Parker to become Stars all-time top scorer

Grace Shirley became the Stars all-time leading scorer on Sunday.

    It seemed fitting that Grace Shirley became the successor to capture one of the Saskatoon Stars biggest individual records that was held by a friend and former teammate.

    On Sunday, Shirley picked up three assists to become the Stars all-time leader in career regular season points as they downed the Notre Dame Hounds 7-3 in a Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League game at Merlis Belsher Place. With the three helpers, Shirley, who is the Stars captain, has 93 goals and 68 assists for 161 points in 105 carer regular season games. Her goal total is also a Stars career regular season record.

    She passed Mackenna Parker, who was the Stars captain last season, as the team’s leader in career points. Parker recorded 82 goals and 76 assists for 158 points playing 104 career regular season games for the Stars from 2014 to 2018. She is now a freshman with the Boston University Terriers women’s hockey team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ranks.

    Shirley and Parker are the third and fourth respective all-time leading scorers in the history of the SFMAAAHL.

    Shirley picked up her record breaking point assisting on the Stars first goal, which was scored by 15-year-old sophomore forward Calli Arnold. The captain proceeded to pick up assists on the Stars third and fourth tallies as they built a 4-0 lead after the first period.

Kaitlin Jockims had three points for the Stars on Sunday.

    The Stars built a 6-1 advantage after the second period and cruised to victory from there.
    Kaitlin Jockims and Alison Olorenshaw each had a pair of goals and an assist for the Stars. Anna Leschyshyn had a goal and two assists for Saskatoon, while Arnold had a pair of goals.

    Claire Nimegeers, Brynn Maclean and Lyndsey Janes replied with singles for the Hounds.

    Arden Kliewer turned away 11 of 12 shots starting and picking up the win in goal for the Stars. Kaitlyn Cadrain turned away five-of-seven shots playing the third period in relief.

    Rayanne Mckenzie turned away 16-of-22 shots starting in goal for the Hounds. She was pulled late in the second period after the Stars sixth goal.

    Kaitlyn Ross turned away 19-of-20 shots playing the rest of the way in relief.

    With the win, the Stars improved their record to 25-1 and were already assured of finishing first in the SFMAAAHL before Sunday’s game. The Hounds fell to 11-11-3 to sit fifth in the SFMAAAHL.

Besides Shirley’s record, Stars 17-year-old centre Joelle Fiala hit a milestone in the win. She picked up an assist on the Stars sixth goal.

    With that helper, Fiala equaled former Stars captain Lauren Zary for the Stars record in career regular season assists at 82.

    Fiala has 45 goals and 82 assists for 127 points in 110 career regular season games with the Stars. Zary recorded 44 goals and 82 assists for 126 points in 103 career regular season games played with the Stars from 2008 to 2012.

    Following her career with the Stars, Zary moved on to play with the Brown University Bears women’s hockey team in the NCAA ranks and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team in the U Sports ranks.

Joelle Fiala has equaled the Stars record for career assists.

    Fiala and Zary are the eighth and ninth all-time leading scorers respectively in the history of the SFMAAAHL.

    Leschyshyn is also closing in on both Fiala and Zary for the Stars career assists record. In 113 career regular season games, Leschyshyn has 71 goals and 78 assists for 149 points to sit as the fifth all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL.

    The Stars and Hounds will go at it again twice more. They will face each other this coming Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Duncan McNeill Arena in Wilcox and on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the Duncan McNeill Arena.

    Saskatoon concludes its regular season with those two contests.

    Following those games, the Hounds conclude their regular season on Feb. 20 by traveling to Regina to take on the Rebels at 8 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre.

Fontaine, Lind deliver Wildcats double OT comeback win

Tobi Fontaine scored for the Wildcats on Sunday.

    A couple of key players came up big to allow the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats to win an overtime thriller on Sunday.

    Hosting the Melville Prairie Fire at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex, the Wildcats fell behind 1-0 in the first period thanks to a short-handed goal scored by Prairie Fire sophomore 15-year-old forward Jordyn Bear. The tally was Bear’s 10^th goal of the season.

    The Wildcats evened things up at 1-1 with 7:04 remaining in the second period on a goal coming from veteran 17-year-old defender Tobi Fontaine.

    In a three-on-three double overtime period, Wildcats star captain Taylor Lind scored the winner with 72 seconds remaining in the frame.

    Amaya Giraudier stopped 28 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Wildcats. Cheyenne Jamieson turned away 36 shots to take the extra time setback in goal for the Prairie Fire.

    The Wildcats are 9-1 since returning from the Christmas break. Their one loss was a 5-2 setback to the Prairie Fire on Saturday in Swift Current.

    The Wildcats sit fourth in the SFMAAAHL with a 15-10-1 record. The Prairie Fire sit sixth in the SFMAAAHL with a 9-15-2 mark.

    The Wildcats close their regular season hosting the Weyburn Richardson Pioneer Gold Wings in a pair of games at 7:45 p.m. and 12:45 p.m. this coming Saturday and Sunday respectively at the Fairview Arena.

    The Prairie Fire conclude their regular season hosting the Battlefords Sharks in a pair of games at 7 p.m. and 1 p.m. this coming Saturday and Sunday respectively at the Horizon Credit Union Centre.

Five top 10 all-time SFMAAAHL scorers still active

Taylor Lind is the SFMAAAHL’s second all-time leading scorer.

    The Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League has hit a unique moment that might never come again in the history of the circuit.

    As the SFMAAAHL regular season nears an end, five the league’s top 10 all-time leading scorers in regular season play are still active. All five members of that group are slated to graduate from their teams after the current campaign.

    The next time a player will come along to break into the top 10 of the SFMAAAHL’s career points list is uncertain.

    At the moment, Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats star captain Taylor Lind is the second all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL. In 81 career regular season games, she has 88 goals and 76 assists for 164 points.

    Lind does have one year of midget eligibility remaining, but she is slated finish high school a year early and will join the Lindenwood University Lions women’s hockey team next season in St. Charles, Missouri, and play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ranks.

    Saskatoon Stars captain Grace Shirley sits third in SFMAAAHL career scoring. She has 93 goals and 68 assists for 161 points in 105 career regular season games.

    Anna Leschyshyn, who is another Stars forward, sits fifth on the SFMAAAHL’s career scoring list. She has 71 goals and 78 assists for 149 points in 113 career regular season games.

    Joelle Fiala, who is a star centre with the Stars, sits eighth on the SFMAAAHL’s career scoring list. She has 45 goals and 82 assists for 127 points in 110 career regular season games.

    Prince Albert Northern Bears captain Abby Soyko occupies the 10^th spot on the SFMAAAHL’s career scoring list. She has 62 goals and 61 assists for 123 points in 134 career regular season games.

    Olivia Howe is the all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL. Playing for the Notre Dame Hounds from 2008 to 2012, Howe appeared in 106 regular season games piling up 107 goals and 100 assists.

    The Hounds won the Esso Cup as national champions in the 2010-11 campaign with Howe.

    Following her time with the Hounds, Howe played four season with the Clarkson University Golden Knights women’s hockey team and helped them win their first NCAA title in the 2013-14 campaign.

    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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