Huskies’ Whiting hits final sprint in U Sports

Ben Whiting is playing his final games with the Huskies.

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

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

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

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

Ben Whiting, right, tackles a Thunderbirds running back.

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

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

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

Ben Whiting sizes up the opposition offence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ben Whiting (#4) tackles a Bisons quarterback.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hypothetically, females who could join WHL coaching ranks?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Emily Clark waves to the SaskTel Centre crowd.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kaitlin Willoughby skates with the Huskies in 2017.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Taylor Lind in action for the Wildcats in 2018.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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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“Dinos jinx” at Griffiths Stadium buried by Huskies

The Huskies enjoy a third quarter touchdown run from Adam Machart.

    The University of Calgary Dinos started the night with some shock and awe.

    On Friday night before 2,931 spectators at Griffiths Stadium, the Dinos had the first possession in a U Sports regular season football clash against the host University of Saskatchewan Huskies. The visitors swiftly drove 87 yards on six plays culminating in a two-yard touchdown run by short-yardage quarterback Josiah Joseph to jump in front 7-0. 
    U of C drove the ball seemingly at ease, and it appeared the “Dinos jinx” at Griffiths Stadium would continue for the host Huskies.
    U of S countered with a shock and awe drive of its own on the ensuing series. The Huskies drove 80 yards in four plays to score a touchdown that evened things up at 7-7.
    Star running back Adam Machart rolled off a 49-yard run on that series and capped the drive taking a short pass from quarterback Mason Nyhus 11 yards for a major score.

Adam Machart had a monster game for the Huskies.

    From that point, the Huskies, who are rated ninth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, wrestled away control of the contest posting a 29-15 victory to improve their regular season record to 3-2. The win ended with Huskies rush end Riley Pickett sacking Joseph.
    The Dinos, who are rated fourth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, suffered their first setback of the campaign falling to 4-1.
    “It is a really good feeling, a confidence booster for us,” said Machart. “It shows we’re here to win.
    “We’re a really good team I think, and it is a good feeling for all of us.”
    Entering Friday’s encounter, the Dinos prevailed in their last six straight visits to Griffiths Stadium. The last time the Huskies prevailed at home over the Dinos came back on Oct. 15, 2010 with a 36-17 triumph.
    The Dinos had won their previous 12 straight regular season encounters entering Friday’s clash. The last time the Dinos dropped a regular season contest came back on Oct. 28, 2017, when they were hammered by the visiting University of Alberta Golden Bears 53-3 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alta.

Nixen Voll makes one of his two interceptions for the Huskies.

    In the post-season, the Huskies beat the Dinos 43-18 in last year’s Canada West Conference final to claim the Hardy Cup at McMahon Stadium.
    Huskies head coach Scott Flory did not read anything extra into the fact his squad ended the Dinos winning streak in the regular season or broke up any other positive runs U of C had.
   “That just goes to show how good a team they are, how well coached they are and how well prepared they are,” said Flory. “They are a good football team.
    “We have a tonne of respect (for the Dinos), and our guys were locked in all week. We just need that on a consistent basis that is all.”
    On the ensuing kickoff after Machart’s touchdown reception, Huskies kicker David Solie booted the ball into the Dinos end zone, where it was downed for a single point to give the host side an 8-7 lead.

Robinson Rodrigues (#33) dives in for a Dinos touchdown.

    The Dinos retook the lead on the final play of the first quarter, when star quarterback Adam Sinagra hit running back Robinson Rodrigues for a 19-yard touchdown pass to give the visitors a 14-8 edge.

    In the second quarter, Solie scored a single off a missed field goal from 40 yards out and hit a field goal from 47 yards out to cut the Dinos lead to 14-12.
    With 3:20 remaining before halftime, Nyhus hit fourth-year receiver Yol Piok with a 10-yard touchdown strike to give the Huskies a 19-14 advantage.
    Last Saturday, Nyhus sat out the Huskies 19-17 road loss in Edmonton, Alta., to the University of Alberta Golden Bears due to the fact he was undergoing concussion protocol. The third-year pivot was injured late in the third quarter of the Huskies 44-9 road win over the University of Regina Rams on Sept. 13 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Sask.
    Flory was happy to have Nyhus back in the fold.

Sterling Taylor IV, right, makes an interception for the Dinos.

    “He makes this engine tick,” said Flory. “Him and (Adam) Machart make this offence go.

    “The O-line was doing great. The receivers were making plays down the field, and that is what we need. The defence responded.
    “They adjusted and came out with a great second half and that is what we need.”
    Early in the third quarter, the Huskies had a chance to fatten their lead, but Nyhus had pass into the Dinos end zone intercepted by U of C defensive back Sterling Taylor IV.
    Dinos kicker Joe Cant scored a single on a 32-yard missed field goal to cut the Huskies lead to 19-15 with 3:58 to play in the third quarter.

Mason Nyhus (#8) threw two touchdown passes for the Huskies.

    On the final play of the third quarter, Machart rumbled in for a major score from 11 yards out to give the Huskies a 26-15 edge.

    Solie rounded out the 29-15 final with a 30-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
    “I thought we had a decent game on offence,” said Nyhus. “Our defence played great obviously against a great Calgary offence.

    “We definitely left some points on the board that we should have had. That red zone interception, that can’t happen. I have to either give that to (Colton) Klassen or throw that away.
    “I am disappointed in myself in that, but all in all, I was happy to get the win for sure.”
    Nyhus completed 15-of-32 passes for 233 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Receiver Jesse Kuntz led the Huskies with 98 yards receiving on four catches.
    Machart had a huge game running the ball 23 times for 171 yards to go with his touchdown on the ground. He caught three passes for 35 yards to go with his major score through the air.

Huskies LB Tom Whiting (#47) stands over a fallen Dinos running back.

    Machart said he is ready to step up, when the Huskies need him to be the focus of their offence.

    “I enjoy it,” said Machart. “I love running the football.

    “I love this game. I love my O-line. I love my guys.

    “Whatever I can do to help the cause, I’ll do it.”

    Sinagra, who won the Hec Crighton Trophy as the MVP of U Sports football last season, completed 18-of-27 passes for 287 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He left the game after taking a big hit near the end of the third quarter causing Joseph to finish out the fourth quarter in a relief appearance.

    Joseph completed 10-of-15 passes for 106 yards.

The Huskies faithful sings  “Sweet Caroline.”

    Second-year receiver Jalen Philpot topped the Dinos with seven catches for 143 yards.

    U of C collected 107 yards rushing as a team in the contest.

    Defensive tackle Evan Machibroda had a sack for the Huskies. Second-year defensive back Nixen Voll had a pair of interceptions.

    Max Baatar had a sack for the Dinos, while Grant McDonald and Daniel Teitz split a sack. Deane Leonard had an interception for U of C.

    Huskies third-year linebacker Tom Whiting figured the Dinos were going to enter Friday’s contest all fired up looking to get some payback for what happened in last year’s Canada West final. 

Huskies DL Nathan Cherry (#90) celebrates a stop in the fourth quarter.

    Whiting was pleased with how his side dealt with the Dinos’ intensity.

    “We knew they were coming in here with a chip on their shoulder,” said Whiting, who had eight total tackles for the Huskies. “We just had to play our football, that’s it.

    “We just play week to week. We just worry about the game ahead of us, and we want to go 1-0 on the week.”

    The Huskies return to action this coming Friday when they host the University of Manitoba Bisons at 7 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium.

    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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