Failed third down gamble does in Huskies in Vanier Cup

Mustangs take U Sports title with 27-21 victory

Mason Nyhus threw for 303 yards for the Huskies on Saturday.

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football team gambled and lost.

The University of Western Ontario Mustangs were able to turn one early third quarter play into an avalanche that allowed them to win the Vanier Cup as U Sports champions 27-21 on Saturday at Stade Telus – Universite Laval in Quebec City, Quebec, before 5,840 spectators.

On the final play of the first half, Huskies kicker David Solie booted a 24 yard field goal to give his squad a 12-10 lead.

On the opening kickoff of the third quarter, Huskies kick returner Josh Ewanchyna ran the ball back 44 yards to the Mustangs 51 yard line. The Huskies appeared to be in a good spot to build on their slim lead.

The ensuing offensive possession saw the U of S face a third and one situation from the Mustangs 42 yard line. The Huskies sent in their short-yardage offence to make the conversion.

Ewanchyna lined up at running back, got the ball and was tackled inches short of the first down by third-year Mustangs linebacker Zach Lindley to cause a turnover on downs.

At that point, momentum jumped on the side of the Mustangs in a big way.

Two plays after that failed gamble, Mustangs first-year quarterback Evan Hillock connected with veteran receiver Griffin Campbell on a 50-yard pass and run touchdown toss to put the London, Ontario-based squad up 17-12.

That score was the start of what seemed like an avalanche run that saw the Mustangs outscore the Huskies 17-2.

At the 7:43 mark of the third quarter, the Huskies pinned the Mustangs in bad field position causing the Ontario side to concede a safety to trim the Mustangs edge to 17-14.

After getting out of that jam, the Mustangs closed the third quarter with Hillock connecting with Campbell on a perfectly executed bubble screen pass play that went 17 yards for a major score. After that seven-play scoring drive that covered 72 yards, the Mustangs were now exiting the third quarter holding a 24-14 advantage.

Josh Ewanchyna scored the Huskies final TD on Saturday.

The Mustangs surge concluded with a 37 yard field goal from kicker Brian Garrity at the 2:59 mark of the fourth quarter to increase Western’s lead to 27-14.

While there was still lots of time remaining in the fourth quarter at that point, the Huskies were never able to get a game-changing big play to get the traction they needed to start the rally. The Huskies defence wasn’t able to get any interceptions or fumble recoveries.

The Mustangs defence did a great job in not giving up the big play.

The Huskies did move the ball offensively, but they needed to put together efficient multiple play drives to score. U of S’s longest play on offence in the game was a 26-yard pass to star fifth-year utility player Colton Klassen.

After the Huskies got the Mustangs offensive momentum to fizzle out, the Dogs put up a major on a one-yard touchdown run from Ewanchyna to cut the Mustangs lead to 27-21 with 28 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

U of S attempted an onside kick to try and get the ball back for a miracle finish, but Western blocked the play up perfectly to allow sophomore running back Keon Edwards to field the ball. The Mustangs proceeded to run out the clock with two running plays and a kneel down to take their eighth U Sports championship in team history with the 27-21 win.

Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall was a part of four of those wins guiding the squad to a Vanier Cup champions in 2017 and serving as a Mustangs assistant coach for Vanier Cup title victories in 1989 and 1994.

While the weather conditions were expected to favour the Huskies being -11 C with an eight kilometre an hour wind creating a field that was frozen and slippery, the Mustangs came out and played a solid game in those conditions like they were a U Sports or CFL team based in one of the Prairie provinces.

On the first offensive series of the game, Western put together a five-play scoring drive that covered 70 yards that culminated in a 25-yard touchdown run by fifth-year running back Trey Humes for a 7-0 lead.

Before the first quarter ended, the Huskies got a 26-yard field goal from Solie to cut the Mustangs lead to 7-3.

At the 5:03 mark of the second quarter, the Huskies jumped ahead 9-7, when star quarterback Mason Nyhus hit third-year receiver Daniel Perry on a 22-yard touchdown toss. Solie’s point after attempt was stuffed at the line of scrimmage, which prevented the Huskies from going up by three points.

The Mustangs retook the lead with 3:20 remaining in the second quarter on a 23-yard field goal from Garrity for a 10-9 edge.

Adam Machart had 78 yards rushing and 82 yards receiving.

That set the stage for Solie to make his kick that put the Huskies in front 12-10 at halftime and lead up to the failed third down gamble on the Huskies first series of the third quarter.

While the failed gamble ultimately snowballed on the Huskies and was the turning point in the contest, the U of S coaching staff made the right call in deciding to go for it at that point in the game.

Huskies head coach Scott Flory coaches in a style that is a mix of his former Huskies head coach in the legendary Brian Towriss and two of his former CFL head coaches with the Montreal Alouettes in the late great icon in Don Matthews and cerebral standout Marc Trestman.

Matthews was the type of coach that believed at certain points in any contest you have to gamble and go out and win the game.

The Huskies throughout their history are known for their great offensive lines, and U of S can be rightfully dubbed “O-line U.”

Putting in a jumbo set for a third-and-one gamble, you have to believe your players can go out and get that yard. If the Huskies succeed in that gamble, they might have finished that first possession drive of the third quarter scoring a touchdown for a 19-10 advantage.

At that point, the game plays out quite a bit differently that it did.

Even if the Mustangs got the stuff, the Huskies had to believe there was still plenty of time to recover from that missed chance.

To the Mustangs credit, they made that Huskies missed gamble turn into a costly one.

When the dust settled, Nyhus finished having an outstanding game for the Huskies completing 28-of-40 passes for 303 yards, one touchdown pass and no interceptions. Huskies star running back Adam Machart ran the ball 16 times for a team high 78 yards and caught eight passes for 82 yards.

Klassen topped the Huskies with 95 receiving yards coming on seven catches.

Riley Pickett had 1.5 tackles for a loss for the Huskies.

Defensive back Cameron Skinner led the Huskies with seven total tackles, while defensive end Riley Pickett had 1.5 tackles for a loss. He shared a tackle for a loss with fifth-year linebacker Clovis Lumeka.

Hillock showed he is potentially on the cusp of a stellar career with the Mustangs completing 18-of-29 passes for 274 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He took home the Ted Morris Memorial Trophy as the game’s most outstanding player.

Campbell caught six passes for a game high 104 yards to go with his two touchdowns.

The Mustangs piled up 209 yards rushing as a team with five different players getting rushing attempts.

Mustangs fourth-year defensive back Daniel Valente Jr. had a game high 8.5 tackles taking home the Bruce Coulter Award as the defensive player of the game.

Defensive linemen Deionte Knight and Malcolm Hinds had single sacks for the Mustangs.

The Mustangs finished the campaign with a 10-1 overall record, while the Huskies concluded the season with an 8-2 overall mark.

The Vanier Cup loss brings an end to the U Sports careers of seven Huskies players in Klassen, Lumeka, Kyle Newton, Carter Dahl, Finley Easton, Nick Summach and Yol Piok, who were all played out their fifth and final seasons of eligibility.

That group helped the Huskies win a Canada West Conference title in 2018 and another conference championship this season in making the run to the Vanier Cup game.

Before those two post-season runs, the last time the Huskies had won the Canada West title and advanced to the Vanier Cup game was 2006.

The Huskies are still searching for their first Vanier Cup win since 1998. In total, they’ve won the U Sports title on three occasions including 1990 and 1996.

After the Huskies weren’t able to hit the field in 2020 as the Canada West Conference season and the Vanier Cup were cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) campaign that has gripped the world, the 2021 return season for the Huskies was a remarkable one.

Colton Klassen had 95 yards receiving on Saturday.

They returned a strong core group of players that took the program to heights it hasn’t reached in some time.

The Huskies have once again been able to see what the Vanier Cup looks like. You can bet this will help motivate the returning players and add to the realization that reaching the U Sports mountaintop again is something that can be realistically achieved in future seasons.

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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Five Huskies get all-Canadian nods in lead up to Vanier

Dogs play in U Sports title game on Saturday

David Solie was named a first team all-Canadian all-star.

While team success is always the most remembered thing in football, it always good to take time to celebrate individual honours.

Ultimately, it is the players and individual stories in the game that help followers draw a closer connection to the sport.

On Thursday night at the annual U Sports football awards show held in Quebec City, Quebec, five members of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies were named all-Canadian all-stars.

At the ballroom in the Hotel le Concorde Quebec, running back Adam Machart, left tackle Noah Zerr, defensive end Nathan Cherry and kicker David Solie were named first team all-Canadian all-stars, while Connor Berglof, who plays both centre and right guard, was named a second team all-Canadian all-star.

Solie earned his first team all-Canadian all-star nod at punter. Berglof claimed his second team all-Canadian all-star position at centre.

The awards were handed out as the Huskies close in on playing in the U Sports championship game – the Vanier Cup – for the first time since 2006.

The Huskies (8-1 overall) face the University of Western Ontario Mustangs (9-1 overall) in the Vanier Cup on Saturday at Stade Telus – Universite Laval in Quebec City, Quebec (12 p.m. Saskatchewan time, CBC). The Mustangs head into that clash as favourites, but the weather might favour the Huskies as it is expected to be -10 C with a 60 per cent chance of snow according to Environment Canada.

The Dogs are looking for their first Vanier Cup win since 1998, while the Mustangs last won the U Sports title in 2017. The Huskies have won the Vanier Cup three times, and Mustangs claimed the top prize in U Sports football seven times.

On the individual front, Machart picked up a first team all-Canadian nod after a solid campaign. He led the Huskies in rushing yards during the regular season piling up 415 yards on 60 carries and scoring two touchdowns appearing in five of U of S’s six regular season games.

During those five regular season contests, Machart hauled in 14 passes for 241 yards and one touchdown. This was the second consecutive season Machart was named a first team all-Canadian all-star.

Noah Zerr, right, makes a blog in a double team.

U Sports didn’t hold any national championships and most of that circuit’s teams didn’t play in the 2020-21 campaign due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

Zerr was named an all-Canadian for the first time with his first team all-Canadian all-star nod. On September 1, Zerr was rated 20^th among the top 20 prospects for the 2022 CFL Draft as ranked by the Canadian Football League Scouting Bureau.

Cherry also picked up his first all-Canadian honour with his first team all-Canadian all-star selection. He had a monster year at defensive end recording 5.5 sacks and 13.5 total tackles playing all six of the Huskies regular season games.

Solie took all-Canadian status for the first time with his first team all-Canadian all-star award thanks to his outstanding year punting the ball. Appearing in all six of the Huskies regular season games, Solie punted the ball 36 times for 1,563 yards for an average of 43.4 yards per kick.

Berglof claimed all-Canadian status for a second straight season. In 2019, he was named a first team all-Canadian all-star at centre.

This season, Berglof was named a second team all-Canadian all-star at centre. The CFL Draft selection of the Toronto Argonauts played most of the regular season at centre for the Huskies.

He was moved to right guard near the end of the regular season and remained at that spot through the post-season.

The work Zerr, Berglof and the rest of the Huskies offensive line put in saw quarterback Mason Nyhus only get sacked four times and the Huskies lead U Sports in rushing yards per carry.

As for the major award winners in U Sports football, University of Waterloo Warriors quarterback Tre Ford won the Hec Crighton Award as the most outstanding player of the year.

Mustangs defensive end Deionte Knight claimed J.P. Metras Award as the most outstanding lineman.

University of Alberta Golden Bears linebacker Josiah Schakel took the Presidents’ Trophy as the most outstanding defensive player.

Connor Berglof (#68) throws a block for the Huskies.

Concordia University Stingers receiver Jaylan Greaves claimed the Peter Gorman Trophy as the rookie of the year.

Late University of Ottawa Gee-Gees defensive lineman Francis Perron was posthumously awarded the Russ Jackson Award for outstanding community service. Perron passed away after the Gee-Gees first regular season game, when they fell 11-10 to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in Toronto on September 18.

Queen’s University Golden Gaels head coach Steve Snyder captured the Frank Tindall Trophy as the coach of the year.

University of Guelph Gryphons offensive line coach Michael MacDonald took the Gino Fracas Award as the Volunteer coach of the year for U Sports.

Alums send pump up messages to current Huskies team

Tyler Siwak (#19) in action for the Huskies in 2002.

The alumni of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football put together video of pump up messages for the current team going into this year’s Vanier Cup.

The Huskies play the University of Western Ontario Mustangs in the U Sports football championship game on Saturday at Stade Telus – Universite Laval in Quebec City, Quebec.

The video was shared over the social media channels for the Huskie Football Alumni and the University of Saskatchewan. The messages were great and a number of them were colourful.

The video showed how many beauties played on the team and were characters that have character like Murray Sadownick, Cal Hobbs, Brent Schneider, Kelly Bates, Tyler Siwak, Lyndon Rush, Ben Coakwell, Ivan Brown, Laurence Nixon, Parker Siemens, Rylund Hunter, Ben Heenan and Tanner Secord.

Secord, who played his fifth and final year in 2019 on the offensive line, told former teammate and current fourth-year centre and right guard on the offensive line Conner Berglof that he was allowed to smile after the current team wins on Saturday.

Feel free to check out the video below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Huskies FB Alumni (@huskiealumni)

Hockey men’s Huskies romp past MRU 7-2

Jaxan Kaluski had two goals and an assist for the Huskies.

It was all Dogs all night at Merlis Belsher Place on Friday night.

In a U Sports men’s hockey regular season contest, the host University of Saskatchewan Huskies thumped the Mount Royal University Cougars 7-2 holding a 37-17 advantage in shots on goal before 1,673 spectators. The Huskies, who are rated fourth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, led 2-0 after the first period and 4-0 after the second frame.

Jaxan Kaluski had two goals and an assist for the Huskies. Jared Dmytriw and Vince Loschiavo each picked up a goal and two assists in the win.

Captain Gord Ballhorn, Donovan Neuls and Owen Hardy had singles for the Huskies.

Riley Sawchuk and Tyson Helgesen replied with singles for the Cougars.

Roddy Ross made 15 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies (8-3). Riley Morris turned away 30 shots going the distance in goal for the Cougars (6-5-1).

Those two squads go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

MRU blanks Huskies women’s team 1-0

Bailee Bourassa had eight shots on goal for the Huskies.

Zoe De Beauville was a brick wall the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team wasn’t able to overcome.

The netminder for the Mount Royal University Cougars women’s hockey team made 28 saves to backstop her squad to a 1-0 U Sports regular season win over the Huskies at the Flames Community Arena in Calgary on Friday. The shutout was the third of the season for De Beauville.

Cougars captain Amy Tatum scored on the power play at the 11:12 mark of the first period to account for the game’s only goal. Emma Bergesen and Breanne Trotter picked up assists.

The Cougars, who are rated fifth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, improved to 8-1-2 with the win.

Camryn Drever made 24 stops to take the setback in goal for the Huskies 6-3-2. Huskies captain Bailee Bourassa had eight shots on goal.

The Cougars were 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Huskies were unable to score on five power-play chances.

The two sides go at it again on Saturday in Calgary.

Expect Bombers to pull out win on Irving’s last call, other notes

Andrew Harris and the Bombers to give their all for Bob Irving.

On the CFL front, the Saskatchewan Roughriders might be heading into a buzz saw, when they head into Winnipeg to face the host Blue Bombers in the West Final on Sunday.

On sports talk shows based out of Saskatchewan, locals have been phoning in their support for the Roughriders saying they will win as the Bombers battle rust. The Bombers topped the entire CFL standings with an 11-3 record and closed the regular season losing two straight games that wouldn’t effect where they were in the standings.

The Roughriders, who were second in the West Division with a 9-5 mark, have won five of their last six games including a thrilling 33-30 overtime victory over the Calgary Stampeders in the West semifinal at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

The Bombers head into the West Final at IG Field in Winnipeg with extra motivation.

The West Final will be the last game Bob “Knuckles” Irving calls as the iconic play-by-play voice of the Bombers. The 71-year-old has filled that roll with CJOB in Winnipeg since 1974.

Irving is a total professional when it comes to calling the game. He has piled up many accolades including induction into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and having the press box at IG Field named in his honour as the Bob Irving Media Centre.

He has called Bombers games through many ups and downs and seen the team win Grey Cup championships in 1984, 1988, 1990 and 2019.

Irving means a lot to the team. While the Bombers were favourites in this game anyways, you have to believe they will dig down to find another gear to get this one for Irving.

You can expect veterans like star running back and hometown hero Andrew Harris, who is returning from injury, will try his best to allow Irving to depart on a high.

Irving will be inducted to the Bombers ring of honour before Sunday’s game.

He is a true media professional, and he gets uncomfortable when the story becomes about him or a fuss is made over him.

Hopefully, he lets himself enjoy the ride this time.

If the Bombers do win as expected, it would be cool if the management and broadcasters at TSN work things out to allow Irving to call the Grey Cup game in Hamilton on Dec. 12 as an extra treat for a national audience. That won’t likely happen, but it would be the right thing to do, if the Bombers are in that game.

• On Monday, the Winter Universiade, which was set to run Dec. 11 to 21 in Lucerne, Switzerland, was cancelled due to concern over the omicron variant of the coronavirus (COVID-19). The COVID-19 pandemic has gripped the world since March of 2020. Switzerland had imposed border restrictions on travelers from several countries where the new omicron variant has been discovered causing the cancellation of the games. Several countries including Canada have introduced new travel restrictions due to the omicron variant. The Winter Universiade was originally supposed to be held back in January but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic as vaccines were just starting to be distributed at that time.
• As the Universite Laval Rouge et Or won’t be playing in the Vanier Cup, it is unknown who the neutral crowd at Stade Telus – Universite Laval in Quebec City, Quebec, will cheer for in the U Sports football championship game on Saturday. The University of Saskatchewan Huskies take on the University of Western Ontario Mustangs for the title. Since London, Ont., is way closer to Quebec City than Saskatoon, Mustangs fans might travel to give their side more of a home field advantage. Fans in Quebec City may cheer on the Huskies due to the fact they had to travel further to get to the game and the Mustangs developed a slight rivalry with the Rouge et Or after meeting the Vanier Cup in 2017 and 2018. The Mustangs took the 2017 Vanier Cup and the Rouge et Or claimed the 2018 title game.
• The Bodog sports betting site has the University of Western Ontario Mustangs favoured in an opening spread by 9.5 points over the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in Saturday’s U Sports football championship game – the Vanier Cup. The game will be played at Stade Telus – Universite Laval in Quebec City, Quebec. You can check those odds out by clicking right here.
• On Friday, Nov. 26, former WHLer and University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team alum Matt Swaby passed away in a farming accident. His celebration of life was held today in Prince Albert. Swaby played defence for the Prince Albert Mintos under-18 AAA team from 2002 to 2004, the WHL’s Tri-City Americans from 2004 to 2007, the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings from 2007 to 2008 and the U Sports’ Huskies from 2008 to 2011. He leaves behind his wife Carla and their three boys Thomas, 6, Blake, 4 and Cody, 2. Swaby was a friend to all and a GoFundMe campaign has raised over $221,000 for the family. Anyone looking to donate to the GoFundMe campaign for the family can do so by clicking right here.

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, Mustangs to add chapter to head-to-head history with Vanier Cup clash

Storied U Sports programs collide for sixth time

Adam Machart has delivered big plays for the Huskies.

As two of U Sports most storied football programs, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and the University of Western Ontario Mustangs are historic familiar foes.

On Saturday, the two sides will face each other for a sixth time when they collide in the U Sports championship game – the Vanier Cup (12 p.m. Saskatchewan time, CBC). The two sides enter the contest to be played at Stade Telus – Universite Laval in Quebec City, Quebec, each riding eight-game winning streaks.

The Huskies, who have won the Vanier Cup three times, are 8-1 overall and rated fourth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings. The Mustangs, who have won the Vanier Cup seven times, are 9-1 overall and are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings.

In the previous five encounters between the two squads, the Mustangs claimed victory on four occasions.

The Huskies and Mustangs last met in the 2018 Mitchell Bowl at Western Alumni Stadium, which was then known as TD Stadium, in London, Ont.

The teams were tied 17-17 at halftime before the Mustangs shot out to claim a 47-24 victory. There are still a few holdovers from that game, which should create some familiarity between the two sides.

The Huskies and Mustangs first went at in way back in 1974 in London, Ont., in the Churchill Bowl. The Churchill Bowl used to serve as one of U Sports semifinal games and was last rewarded in 2002.

In the 1974 Churchill Bowl, the Mustangs romped to a 41-17 victory and moved on to win the second Vanier Cup in program history.

The two sides wouldn’t meet again until the 1989 Vanier Cup. At that point, Brian Towriss was cemented as head coach of the Huskies, and Larry Haylor was entrenched as head coach of the Mustangs. They took the helms of their respective programs in 1984.

Both men would find their way into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame as builders.

Mason Nyhus fires a pass downfield for the Huskies.

Entering that contest, the Mustangs were an established power having won the Vanier Cup four times. The Huskies were a team on the rise.

Before 32,877 spectators at what is now known as Rogers Centre and then known as the Skydome in Tononto, Ont., the Mustangs were too much for the Huskies and stormed to a 35-10 victory to capture the Vanier Cup for a fifth time.

Mustangs’ receiver Tyrone Williams was named the game’s MVP hauling in five catches for 157 yards and one touchdown. Williams would go on to win two Super Bowls as a member of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys in 1992 and 1993 and one Grey Cup as a member of the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts in 1996.

The Huskies would win their first Vanier Cup in 1990 and collide with the Mustangs again this time in the 1994 Vanier Cup that was played once more at Rogers Place in Toronto. Going into this U Sports title clash, both programs were now established powerhouses.

This battle would go down as an all-time U Sports classic and the moment memorable encounter between the two sides.

The Mustangs took 31-14 lead into the fourth quarter before the Huskies offence hit high gear. The Huskies went on a roll and assumed a 37-34 lead with 64 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter on a 34-yard touchdown reception from David Blackburn.

With four seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Mustangs kicker Frank Jagas kicked a 42-yard field goal to force a 37-37 tie and send the Vanier Cup to overtime for the first time ever.

Under the overtime rules U Sports used at the time, the teams played two halves that were 10-minutes in length. The Huskies and Mustangs exited the first 10-minute half with the game now tied 40-40.

The Mustangs scored the only 10 points of the second overtime half to claim a 50-40 victory and their sixth Vanier Cup title.

Nick Wiebe (#43) has had a strong season at middle linebacker.

Huskies star quarterback Brent Schneider was named the game’s MVP, and he completed 36-of-67 passes for 528 yards and four touchdowns, while throwing five interceptions.

The Huskies would win their second Vanier Cup in 1996 before next meeting the Mustangs in the 1998 Churchill Bowl. This clash would take place at the Huskies storied home field of Griffiths Stadium and the fourth time would be a charm when it came to achieving victory for the Dogs.

Huskies star running back Doug Rozon zipped to a 49-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter and the hosts ran to a 33-17 victory. Rozon finished the contest carrying the ball 23 times for 214 yards to go with his major score, and he caught three passes for 37 yards.

The Huskies advanced onward to win their third Vanier Cup title.

After that Churchill Bowl encounter, the Huskies and Mustangs wouldn’t meet again until the 2018 Mitchell Bowl. The Mustangs entered that Mitchell Bowl as defending Vanier Cup champions having thumped the Universite Laval Rouge et Or 39-17 in the 2017 U Sports title game.

The Mustangs rode the golden arm of star quarterback Chris Merchant to win the seventh Vanier Cup in program history in 2017.

 After downing the Huskies in the 2018 Mitchell Bowl, the Mustangs fell 34-20 in the Vanier Cup to the Rouge et Or, who were playing in their home park in Stade Telus – Universite Laval.

This year’s clash will see Huskies head coach Scott Flory and Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall face each other for a second time.

Flory, who was an offensive lineman on the Huskies Vanier Cup winners in 1996 and 1998, rejoined the program in 2014 as an assistant coach after playing 15 years with the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes. He took on the head coach role in 2017 as Towriss’s successor.

Sam Bakers sheds a defender after making a catch.

In a short time, Flory has name a name for himself in the head coach role guiding the Huskies to two Canada West Conference titles and making the Vanier Cup in four seasons on the job.

Marshall has been a career coach whose time as a sideline boss spans five decades. He was a Mustangs assistant coach under Haylor when the Mustangs won the Vanier Cup over the Huskies in 1989 and 1994.

He guided the McMaster University Marauders as head coach from 1997 to 2003 and went on to become head coach of the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 2004 to 2006.

Marshall rejoined the Mustangs as head coach in 2007 and has guided the program to seven Ontario University Athletics conference championships and a Vanier Cup title in 2017.

Both teams bring a cast of standout players to the contest.

The Huskies are guided by gunslinger Mason Nyhus at quarterback, have a big playmaker at running back in Adam Machart and sure handed pass catchers in Sam Baker and utility player Colton Klassen.

As is tradition with the Huskies, their offensive line makes things go, and they have a great one again with Nick Summach at right tackle, Connor Berglof at right guard, Oluwayombo Olabimtan at centre, Derek Beaubien at left guard and Noah Zerr at left tackle. Berglof has starred for a lengthy stretch at centre before moving over to right guard.

On defence, the Huskies look to defensive ends Riley Pickett and Nathan Cherry, linebackers Nick Wiebe and Clovis Lumeka and defensive back Charlie Ringland to make momentum changing plays.

The Mustangs start first year signal caller Evan Hillock at quarterback. He took over the starter’s role in the Mustangs second regular season game and guided the offence with a steady hand.

Hillock appears to be on the cusp of a great U Sports career.

The Huskies look to celebrate one more big win.

Sophomore Keon Edwards is the Mustangs game breaker at running back and veteran receiver Savaughn Magnaye-Jones is the team’s big play pass catcher.

Centre Elliot Beamer, guard Phil Grohovac and tackle Zach Fry anchor the offensive line.

The Mustangs are filled with standouts on defence including defensive end Deionte Knight, defensive tackle Malcolm Hinds and free safety Daniel Valente. Knight has been a terror when it comes to tracking down and sacking quarterbacks.

This latest chapter of head-to-head encounters between the Huskies and Mustangs has the potential to be as memorable as the 1994 Vanier Cup.

On Saturday, they will confront each other for a prize only one can win.

HuskieFAN a home run for Huskies

In a sports media world in Canada that continues to shrink, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies found an inventive way to get more coverage.

At the start of this season, the Huskies partnered with Pattison Media to launch the HuskieFAN app and website. The coverage HuskieFAN has provided to date has been outstanding.

HuskieFAN’s coverage is focused on Huskies football and men’s and women’s hockey.

Huskies football games are streamed digitally and carried on the radio waves on the AM dial by 750 Beach Radio based out of Melfort, Sask.

All men’s and women’s hockey home and away games are broadcast digitally with HuskieFAN app staff providing play-by-play call for those contests.

Pattison media gained extra attention here for becoming the first private broadcaster in Canada to commit to broadcasting a full season of women’s hockey with Daniella Ponticelli taking on the role of play-by-play voice of the Huskies women’s team. Ponticelli is also the current anchor for Global News Morning in Regina.

Well-known veteran broadcaster Wray Morrison is the senior producer, host and partnership coordinator for HuskieFAN. He has comfortably filled the role calling Huskies football games, and he has shown his hidden talent of being a pretty good writer creating written content for the HuskieFAN site.

On the HuskieFAN’s biggest adds might Katie Brickman-Young, who is a former sportwriter for the now defunct Moose Jaw Times-Herald. She is also a communications advisor for the Federated Co-operatives Limited.

Brickman-Young is a seasoned and experience WHL beat writer, and she is strong at finding different hooks to pull readers into feature, advancer and game story pieces.

HuskieFAN has pulled in Jeff D’Andrea, who is a sports reporter with Pattison Media’s paNOW in Prince Albert, Sask., to do play-by-play of some men’s hockey games along with providing strong written content. D’Andrea is known as a veteran on the WHL beat covering the Prince Albert Raiders.

Matt Morrison, who is Wray’s son, has provided analysis on Huskies football broadcasts. He is likely one of the industries more under-appreciated broadcasters.

Ben Tompkins, who is news and sports reporter with Pattison Media, will add content to HuskieFAN from time to time too.

This partnership between Pattison Media and the Huskies has turned out to be a great one, because it is giving the consistent beat coverage the Huskies football, men’s and women’s hockey team deserve. HuskieFAN has stories on the other Huskies teams too.

Overall, it is great an avenue has been found to get consistent coverage to the football team and the two hockey squads. That type of attention for U Sports programs is unfortunately not the norm anymore in Canada.

It is great all involved took a chance on this idea.

On the full disclosure front, I was approached by a manager at Pattison Media about contributing to HuskieFAN, but I couldn’t make it work with my current work life schedule and trying to be more present on the family front.

The approach came during a time when my main focus was on a big family wedding that was happening at the start of September and the timing for me was all wrong.

Still, I am happy to see HuskieFAN has taken off like it has, and good people are doing a great job with it. Feel free to check it out at huskiefan.ca.

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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Expect bandwagon to fill for Huskies football

Noah Zerr gets family time with the Hardy Cup.

If you have the urge to jump on the bandwagon for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football team, follow the old Nike slogan and “just do it.”

For the first time since 2006, the Huskies (8-1 overall) will play in the U Sports championship game – the Vanier Cup. They will take on the University of Western Ontario Mustangs (9-1 overall) in the U Sports title game on Saturday at Stade Telus – Universite Laval in Quebec City, Quebec (12 p.m. Saskatchewan time, CBC TV).

As the week goes and the time for the championship clash nears, you can expect more and more people in Saskatoon and likely the province of Saskatchewan will jump on the Huskies bandwagon.

They should jump on the Huskies bandwagon, and that goes for anyone that wants to back the Dogs.

The players and coaches on the team are incredibly likeable.

The team has been building to this moment with a journey that included winning the Hardy Cup as Canada West Conference champions in 2018 as well as this season.

Plus, the nostalgia factor will come into play when it comes to jumping on the bandwagon. The Huskies have made nine previous trips to the Vanier Cup and come out the victors on three occasions in 1990, 1996 and 1998.

Adam Machart has piled up big yards at running back.

Current Huskies head coach Scott Flory and current defensive co-ordinator Warren Muzika were players at right tackle and linebacker respectively on the Huskies 1998 Vanier Cup winner.

As all nine of those championship appearances were shown on national television and the Huskies made other regular national TV appearances during the 1990s and 2000s, a lot of people carry warm memories from those years.

Legendary Huskies head coach Brian Towriss oversaw all of those runs to appearing in the Vanier Cup championship game before retiring after the 2016 season. He became the all-time leader in U Sports head coaching victories at 196 in both regular season and post-season play.

Towriss found his way to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. He is accompanying the current Huskies on the road in the post-season.

Towriss is one of the great storytellers you will find anywhere at any level of sports. During down moments, it would be a great experience for any current players to squeeze in a visit with Towriss to hear those tales.

There have been a number of opportunities to hear those old stories too.

After Huskies beat the University de Montreal Carabins in the Uteck Bowl last Saturday in Montreal, Quebec, the team elected to stay in the province. They bussed to Quebec City the next day to being preparing for the Vanier Cup.

Colton Klassen has been a heart and soul player for the Huskies.

The current players are a great bunch. They are group that is easy to get behind.

While the 2020 Canada West season and the Vanier Cup was cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world, a large number of players that were on the roster in 2019 returned to the Huskies this season. That development is a testament to how good the culture is on the squad.

The Huskies will try to help seven players in their fifth and final seasons of eligibility graduate as U Sports national champions in Colton Klassen, Kyle Newton, Carter Dahl, Finley Easton, Clovis Lumeka, Nick Summach and Yol Piok.

Klassen is arguably the best known of the group. The 2020 CFL Draft selection of the Montreal Alouettes is the Huskies star utility player and a three time Canada West all-star.

Back on October 26, 2019, Klassen went down with a gruesome dislocated right ankle near the end of the first quarter in a 22-9 victory over the University of Alberta Golden Bears.

He hit the comeback trail and recovered to the point the Alouettes were comfortable with selecting him in the eighth round and 69^th overall in the CFL Draft held on April 30, 2020.

Piok has become a mental health advocate after coming forward with his own story of his battles with mental health. Behind the scenes, the Regina product has made a big positive impact off the field.

Fans at cheer on the Huskies at the Hardy Cup.

When it comes to excitement on the field, the Huskies most exciting player is arguably star quarterback Mason Nyhus. The fourth-year signal caller plays in the gun slinging mold of Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre of the NFL.

Nyhus puts up numbers and wins. His decision making has also been top notch this season, and he has been calculated when it comes to taking chances to win games.

Star running back Adam Machart has solidified himself as one of the Huskies all-time greats. He can run with speed, finesse and power and catch passes out of the backfield like a standout receiver.

He is also one of the game’s top true gentlemen.

Sure handed receiver Sam Baker might be the most consistent pass catcher in U Sports. When the stakes get higher, he becomes a bigger playmaker.

Throughout their history, the Huskies have been known for their great offensive lines, and the U of S can rightfully be dubbed “O-line U.”

Riley Pickett has piled up the sacks this season.

This year’s starting line has been stellar once again with Summach at right tackle, Connor Berglof at right guard, Oluwayombo Olabimtan at centre, Derek Beaubien at left guard and Noah Zerr at left tackle.

Of course, the guys on the offensive line are some of the most down to earth persons you will meet anywhere.

On defensive, defensive end Riley Pickett likely received some extra notoriety in being named the defensive player of the game in the Uteck Bowl recording two sacks and six total tackles. Pickett was the target of boos and taunts from the Carabins faithful in Montreal, and he took it all in stride.

Always an upbeat and highly positive person off the field, Pickett knows that boos in opposing team stadiums are as good as cheers when he is at home and also come as a sign he is playing well. He doesn’t get phased by whatever the game throws at him.

Nathan Cherry had a strong season playing the other defensive end spot for the Huskies to form a great pass rushing duo with Pickett.

At linebacker, the Huskies are so deep you could argue they have nine guys who could be starters. Lumeka and Nick Wiebe are viewed as arguably the biggest playmakers.

Mason Nyhus is the Huskies gunslinger at quarterback.

Sophomore outside linebacker Ramsey Derbas has already been entrusted to be a team captain, which shows the leadership ability he has at a young age.

At defensive back, Charlie Ringland goes about the game in a quiet businesslike fashion, and he has the ability to creep up and play in the box as well as cover top receivers. He has great politeness off the field too.

Place kicker and punter David Solie might be the most easy going player on the team. He doesn’t get rattled in crazy situations or when the pressure is on.

Overall, the players, coaches and staff of the Huskies football team are all the perfect persons you would want representing the U of S, Saskatoon as a city and Saskatchewan as a province.

They allow alums of the program and fans to live out great moments in the present and remember great moments of the past.

At the moment, it feels like everything with the Huskies experience of being the Vanier Cup is new again, because it has been so long since the program has been in this game and even longer since the Dogs have won that contest.

The Huskies have a group that deserves to be cheered on.

QB Mason Nyhus (#8) makes a young fan’s day after a win.

If they can win this last game and go all the way, you likely won’t be able to find the words to describe how special that would 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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Mustangs upset Huskies, COVID-19 scare ends both U Sports hockey nationals

Carson Stadnyk scored for the Huskies on Thursday.

    It was an upset that should have been the story of the day at the David Johnston University Cup.

    By the time Thursday came to the end, the upset was a footnote in the day’s events.

    The University Cup opened on Thursday in Halifax, N.S., with the seventh seeded University of Western Ontario Mustangs downing the second seeded University of Saskatchewan Huskies 3-2 in a quarter-final match. After the opening day’s action came to a conclusion, U Sports cancelled the rest of its elite-eight men’s national hockey championship due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

    Late in the day Thursday, Hockey Canada announced it was cancelling all its sanctioned activities including national championships affective Friday due to the outbreak of coronavirus. Due to this announcement, U Sports called off its men’s national championship tournament and the U Sports women’s elite eight national championship tournament, which was being held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

    Both events were slated to hold their bronze and gold medal matches on Sunday.

    A national champion in U Sports men’s hockey won’t be crowned for the first time in 58 years, and a national champion in U Sports women’s hockey won’t be crowned for the first time in 22 years.

    That means the David Johnston University Cup and the Golden Path Trophy will be unclaimed this season.

Sam Ruopp had a goal for the Huskies on Thursday.

    The encounter between the Mustangs and Huskies was a battle, and due to the fact it was played early Thursday afternoon, everyone believed the winner would get to play in a semifinal contest on Saturday.

    Defenceman Reed Morison game the Mustangs a 1-0 lead scoring on the power play with 2:51 remaining in the first period.

    Huskies fourth-year right winger Carson Stadnyk evened the score at 1-1 scoring at the 5:37 mark of the second period.

    Before the second period ended, the Mustangs jumped ahead 3-1 with a short-handed marker from centre Cordell James and an even-strength marker from defenceman Stephen Desrocher.

    Sean Montgomery, who was a career five-season member of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, picked up assists on the Mustangs first and third goals.

    The Huskies didn’t go quietly. Third-year defender Sam Ruopp scored with 43 seconds remaining in the third period to cut the Mustangs lead to 3-2.

    U of S was unable to find the equalizer in the time that remained.

    Luke Peresinni made 26 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Mustangs. Taran Kozun, who was named the U Sports player of the year and goaltender of the year on Wednesday, turned away 22 shots to take the setback in goal for the Huskies.

    Ironman Levi Cable was scratched from Thursday’s game with an undisclosed ailment that brought his consecutive games streak to an end at 175 contests for the Huskies including action in the U Sports regular season and post-season.

Kohl Bauml played his final game for the Huskies on Thursday.

    Thursday’s events brought an end to the U Sports careers of four forwards in their fifth-years with the Huskies in Cable, Kohl Bauml, Andrew Johnson and Logan McVeigh.

    Dave Adolph guided the Huskies into the University Cup for the 16^th time, and a national title has eluded the U of S side in each visit. Even had the Huskies won, fate would have ultimately prevented a championship win with the coronavirus scare.

    The Huskies posted a 22-4-2 record in the regular season to finish second in the Canada West Conference and went 4-0 in the Canada West playoffs to win the conference title.

    The Mustangs finished eighth in the Ontario University Athletics West conference with an 11-13-4 record. In the post-season, the Mustangs went on a Cinderella run upsetting the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, who finished first in the OUA West, and Ryerson University Rams, who finished second in the OUA West.

    Both of those best-of-three series went the distance.

    The Mustangs fell to the Guelph University Griffins in a best-of-three series in the OUA West final that went the distance. Western proceeded to down the Concordia University Stingers 5-2 in the OUA bronze medal game to earn a berth at nationals.

Taran Kozun made 22 saves in goal for the Huskies on Thursday.

    Following the clash with the Mustangs and Huskies, the third seeded Saint Mary’s University Huskies upset the Guelph University Griffins 5-1 in another quarter-final encounter.

    At the women’s nationals in Charlottetown, the seventh seeded Mount Royal University Cougars upset the University of Toronto Varsity Blues 2-1 in overtime in the first quarter-final. The second quarter-final saw the third seeded Saint Francis Xavier University X-Women slip past the University of Montreal Carabins 3-2 in overtime.
    In the end, all teams had their hearts broken as both U Sports hockey nationals were called off. It was an unprecedented end coming out of an unprecedented time in history as the world reacts to the coronavirus pandemic.

Contacts fall in last meaningful hockey game in Saskatoon

Riley Girod, right, jets up ice for the Contacts.

    It was a game where the celebrations were muted.

    On Thursday at Merlis Belsher Place, the Moose Jaw Warriors took on the Saskatoon Contacts in Game 3 of a Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League semifinal series. The Warriors led the best-of-five series 2-0 and were looking for the sweep.

    Late in the evening Thursday, Hockey Canada put out a release saying it was cancelling all its sanctioned events including national championships effective on Friday due to coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

    Both teams were told before they took the ice that this would be the final game of their respective seasons.

    The Warriors won 5-3 to sweep the series 3-0.

    Alex Bernauer gave the Contacts a 1-0 lead scoring 61 seconds into the contest.

    Atley Calvert netted the equalizer for the Warriors just 3:36 later, and Warriors forward Ben Wourms-Rowe scored twice to give the visitors a 3-1 edge heading into the first intermission.

    With 2:25 remaining in the second, the Contacts cut the gap to 3-2 with a goal from forward Riley Girod.

    The Warriors extended their edge to 5-2 in the third with power-play goals coming from the sticks of Ethan Peters and Maximus Wanner.

    Contacts rookie forward Tye Spencer rounded out the game’s scoring netting a buzzer beater with 0.1 seconds remaining on the third period clock.

The Warriors and Contacts do fist bumps in the traditional handshake line.

    Chase Hamm made 39 saves to take the setback in goal for the Contacts. Dylan Ernst turned away 41 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Warriors.

    The two sides took part in the handshake line giving fist bumps with their gloves on. The Contacts finished third in the SMAAAHL regular season standings with a 30-12-2 record, while the Warriors were fourth with a 30-13-0-1 record.

    While the Warriors technically advanced to the SMAAAHL championship series, there wasn’t much celebrating due to the fact they won’t play another series.

    At game’s end, it seemed both side were still processing the finality.

    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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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Huskies’ Kozun gets big double honours at U Sports awards

Cable captures most sportsmanlike player honour

Taran Kozun was named the U Sports player of the year.

    Taran Kozun achieved a significant first when it came to winning U Sports men’s hockey awards.

    On Wednesday at the men’s hockey awards gala in Halifax, N.S., the third-year netminder from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies was named the recipient of the Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy as the U Sports player of the year, and he took honours as the U Sports goaltender of the year.

    Kozun became the first player in U Sports history to claim both awards in the same season. On top of those honours, he was named a U Sports first team all-Canadian all-star.

    The 25-year-old had an outstanding campaign for the Huskies appearing in 22 regular season games posting a 17-3-2 record, a 1.87 goals against average, a .931 save percentage and five shutouts. He also became the second goalie in the history of the Canada West Conference to score a goal as well during those regular season appearances.

    The Nipawin, Sask., product topped the Canada West Conference in wins and save percentage, while posting the lowest goals against average. His five shutouts equalled a record for regular season play in Canada West which he set last season along with U of Alberta Golden Bears goalie Zach Sawchenko.
    Thanks to Kozun’s efforts, the Huskies finished second in the Canada West Conference with a 22-4-2 record.

Levi Cable was named the most sportsmanlike player in U Sports.

    In the Canada West playoffs, the Huskies swept the University of Calgary Dinos in a best-of-three semifinal series 2-0 and pulled out the brooms again for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds taking the best-of-three Canada West Championship series 2-0.

    Last season, Kozun was named both the Canada West goaltender of the year and the U Sports goaltender of the year as well as a U Sports first team all-Canadian all-star.

    Kozun wasn’t the Huskies only major award winner.

    The team’s ironman in fifth-year right-winger Levi Cable captured the R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award as the most sportsmanlike player in U Sports.

    The 25-year-old appeared in all the Huskies 28 regular season games posting 10 goals, 14 assists, a plus-13 rating in the plus-minus department and didn’t record a single minute in the penalty box.

    The Hudson Bay, Sask., product has appeared in 175 consecutive games for the Huskies including the U Sports regular season and post-season. Cable has appeared in every game he could possibility suit up for with the Huskies.

    He is the third player in the history of the Huskies to play in 140 career regular season games, and he collected 51 goals, 64 assists and a plus-50 rating in those outings.

    Huskies centre Jared Dmytriw was up for the Clare Drake Award and the rookie of the year for U Sports, but that honour went to Saint Mary’s University Huskies forward Mitchell Balmas.
    Dmytriw was named to the U Sports all-rookie team. He led the Huskies in scoring this season appearing in all of the team’s 28 regular season games posting 10 goals, 18 assists and a plus-20 rating.

Jared Dmytriw was named to the U Sports all-rookie team.

    The Huskies begin play at the David Johnston University Cup U Sports elite-eight national championship tournament on Thursday in Halifax as the event’s second seeded team. They will face the seventh seeded University of Western Ontario Mustangs, who were the bronze medalist of the Ontario University Athletic conference.

    The semifinals of the University Cup will be held on Saturday and the gold and bronze medal matches are slated for Sunday.

    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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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.