“Ammer” an answer for Blades

Blades goaltender Nik Amundrud focuses on the play coming up ice.

    As the Saskatoon Blades continue to retool and rebuild, the position they likely won't have to tinker with is in goal.
    When it comes to any level of hockey, the goaltending position always faces the most scrutiny and the most pressure. A team needs to be sold in net, if it has any hope of victory.
    The Blades appear to have two good ones in Nik Amundrud and Brock Hamm, who are both rookies in their 17-year-old seasons of eligibility. Amundrud joined the Blades shortly after the start of the regular season in trade with the Everett Silvertips, which saw star forward Nikita Scherbak leave the Bridge City. Hamm joined the Blades in January from the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan junior A ranks after a goaltending spot opened up when Trevor Martin was dealt to the Red Deer Rebels.
    Out of the two puckstoppers, Amundrud has the bigger sample size of work to grade as he has been with the Blades pretty much for the whole campaign. Over the course of the season, his improvement curve has been very good. Had he been on a club that is just sneaking into the playoffs that has a little bit of a scoring punch, he is at the point that he might be able to create an upset in the first round and turn some heads.
    As it is, the Melfort product should be given big credit for doing his part to give the Blades a chance to win on most nights. On the season, his 7-22-2 record, 3.94 goals against average and .895 save percentage aren't going to raise too many looks. The fact he has managed to post three shutout victories should.

Amundrud turns away a Wheat Kings' scoring chance.

    Standing 6-foot-1 and weighing 165 pounds, Amundrud has developed a reputation for making acrobatic type saves. Playing on a team that is last in the WHL at 19-47-4, Amundrud has faced all sorts of quality scoring chances on a nightly basis.
    He has makes numerous tough stops game in and game out to keep the Blades alive in games. Eventually, the volume of good chances he faces does ended up catching up to him, which sees the opposition pot enough goals to skate away with victory.
    Being a rookie 17-year-old goaltender in the WHL is huge challenge for anyone to face at any point in time. Amundrud's challenge has been that much bigger.
    With the Blades working hard to rebuild their roster from hosting the 2013 Memorial Cup and from loading up for the 2011 post-season, Amundrud has seen a revolving door of players arrive and leave the team's dressing room. At times, he would see the person he became a best friend with get deal off to another city.
    Thanks to all these moves, Amundrud has had various players playing out in front of him, who are all at different points in their respective learning curves. On the young squad, he has arguably had the most consistent effort.
    Under an optimal situation, a rookie 17-year-old or 16-year-old goaltender will enter the WHL and be an apprentice backup to an established veteran who helps show the youngster the ropes. During the second half of the season, Amundrud hasn't had that luxury.
    He has been paired with another talented youngster in Hamm. In half a season, Hamm has posted a 6-7 record with a 3.61 goals against average and a .904 save percentage.
    Before joining the Blades, Hamm was able to build up confidence posting a 2.72 goals against average and a .918 save percentage in 21 starts in Humboldt in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, where he had a 9-10 record.
    Amundrud faced a situation that could have broken his confidence. He wasn't going to have any easy nights. If he struggled, the Blades would have no chance to win.

Nik Amundrud gets set in the Blades' goal.

    The fact his confidence wasn't shattered shows he has good character. On Saturday at the SaskTel Centre, Amundrud was putting up another 33-save gem against the Brandon Wheat Kings, who lead the WHL with a 51-11-4-3 record. The Wheaties are so deep this year that everyone one of their forward lines and defensive pairings is good.
    Still, the tilt before 6,718 spectators went into the third period locked in a 1-1 tie. Brandon potted two goals in the third to pull out a 3-1 victory.
    The Blades are making smart player moves, and it is fair to say their roster next season will be better than it was this season. Goaltending is always a tough thing to judge and Hamm may be the guy that ultimately carries the load or two other netminders might be brought in to take out the current incumbents.
    What Amundrud has done has been impressive. He has given them a chance to win and be in almost every game he has started. With the experience he has gained, you have to believe he will be even better in his sophomore season.
    As other parts of the team are tinkered with, it is nice to know you have someone to rely on in goal.

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

Stars sweep away Wildcats

The Saskatoon Stars celebrate their Game 3 SFMAAAHL semifinal series win.

    The Saskatoon Stars weren't going to be denied a chance to play for a league title.
    Facing a determined Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats side in front of a packed gathering this afternoon at the Agriplace Arena, the Stars fell behind 1-0, before surging 3-1 thanks to three straight tallies in the second period. The visitors rallied back netting a goal in the third, but that was as close as they would come to a comeback.
    The Stars held on for a 3-2 victory in Game 3 of a best-of-five Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League semifinal series between the two clubs. Saskatoon swept the series 3-0 and advances to a best-of-five league championship series.
    The Stars will play the winner of the other league semifinal series between the Prince Albert A & W Bears and the Weyburn Southern Range Golden Wings. The series between the Bears and Wings is tied 1-1 heading into tonight's Game 3 in Prince Albert.
    In the afternoon clash between the Stars and Wildcats, Taylor Kirwan gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead early in the second period. The Stars rallied back with singles coming from the sticks of Julia Rongve, Brittany Heuchert and Sophia Shirley to head into the second intermission with a 3-1 lead.

Brittany Heuchert, the assistant captain, celebrates her goal for the Stars.

    Shirley, who picked up assists on Rongve's and Heuchert's goals, tipped home a shot from linemate Courtney Cormack on the power play with 6:40 play in the second period, and that tally stood up for the winner.
    Kirwan added her second of the game with 3:44 to play in the third to pull Swift Current to within 3-2, but the speedy Wildcats couldn't find the equalizer.
    Karlee Fetch made 25 saves to earn the win in goal for the Stars. Jasey Book turned away 27 shots taking the loss in goal for the Wildcats.
    With Saturday's victory, the Stars improved their overall record to 37-3 in the 2014-15 campaign including play in the regular season, post-season and Mac's Midget Tournament.

    If you have any comments about this blog, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. Check out the Twitter handle @stankssports to see more photos of the Stars Game 3 win over the Wildcats.

The shining Stars of Saskatoon

Nara Elia led the SFMAAAHL in scoring this season.

    So good. So young.
    Nara Elia and Sophia Shirley look like they are ready to play hockey in the university ranks right now. However, two full seasons still have to pass before the two top scores from the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League can jump to the post-season ranks.
    The talented duo are helping lift their hometown Saskatoon Stars to heights the program has never seen.
    The nation got a first glimpse of them on New Year's Day. In the nationally televised female final of the prestigious Mac's Midget Tournament, Elia set up Shirley for three goals as the Stars doubled up the Calgary Fire 4-2. The win completed a 6-0 run for the Stars at the Mac's, which they also won back in 2011.
    In the SFMAAAHL regular season, Elia won the league scoring title piling up 23 goals and 17 assists. Shirley was a second – a point back – with 22 goals and 17 assists. Those accomplishments are amazing as Elia turned 16 in February and Shirley is still 15.
    The large majority of players in the midget AAA are older than them, and yet they can make a lot of those veterans look out of place.

Sophia Shirley was second in SFMAAAHL scoring.

    When they hit the ice on the Stars top line, you notice them pretty fast as they make the puck dance in the offensive zone. The chemistry they have to make plays is inspiring. They are seeing a game that no one else on the sheet of ice they are playing on is seeing.
They play on a team that is deep in talent. To be fair, placing them on the Stars roster might be the equivalent of giving Superman brass knuckles to take out the bad guys. They make their coaches look like better coaches, because they are that good.
    As a result of the superhuman efforts of Elia, who stands 5-foot-7, and Shirley, who stands 5-foot-4, the Stars rocketed to first place in the Saskatchewan league with a 25-3 mark. Add in results from the Mac's and the playoffs, the Stars are an incredible 36-3 overall.
    During semifinal round of the SFMAAAHL playoffs, the Stars dynamic duo has shown they can once again take their game up another level, when the stakes get higher and the competition gets tougher.
    In Game 1 of a best-of-five series against the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats on Tuesday at the Agriplace Arena, Shirley laser beamed the game's first goal top corner on Wildcats goaltender Jasey Book. Book appeared to have a look of disbelief after that rocket beat her.
    After the Wildcats tied the game 1-1 early in the second, Elia got the puck to Shirley down low, and she potted a pretty goal on a deke move to put the Stars up 2-1. The duo teamed up to set up linemate Julia Rongve to put the Stars up 3-1. Brittany Heuchert, a veteran 17-year-old forward, potted the Stars final goal in the third period in the 4-2 victory.

Nara Elia wheels with the puck for the Stars.

     The performance of the Stars two superstars was legit solid. The Wildcats were a respectable 15-11-2 in the regular season and are also a fast skating club. They also had to be a confident team, because they dumped the Stars 5-2 in the final regular season contest for both clubs back on Feb. 22 in Swift Current.
    Elia and Shirley showed they were ready for the challenge. The only downer in Game 1 came from the fact Elia was lost to injury in the third period after being on the receiving end of a head hit from Wildcats forward Chloe Smith, who was given a major penalty and a game misconduct on the play.
    In Game 2 on Thursday in Swift Current and playing without Elia, the Stars showed their depth pulling out a 3-2 overtime win. Shirley had an assist, but the supporting cast came through. Danielle Nogier and Kianna Dietz scored in regulation, while 17-year-old Courtney Cormack, who recently committed to playing for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women's team, potted the overtime winner.

Sophia Shirley battles for a draw for the Stars.

    The Stars will try to close out the Wildcats on Saturday in Saskatoon (2 p.m., Agriplace Arena). Elia likely won't be available for that next title, but her absence just makes her team a little bit more human.
    Shirley and the rest of the Stars have more than enough to finish the job against the Wildcats and earn a berth into the league championship series.
    Before Saskatoon's post-season run ends, Elia will likely return at some point and will once again be teamed with Shirley. With that combo together again, the Stars might be too much for anyone to handle. As it stands right now, few teams have been able to hang with the Stars as it is.

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

Rare chance escapes Huskies

Ben Baker quarterbacks an offensive set for the Huskies.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men's basketball team were minutes if not seconds away from a dream Saturday night.
    Playing at the Physical Activity Complex before a crowd of 1,802 spectators, the Huskies were trying to win their first Canada West championship on home court. For a program that has one modern era Canada West title win and one national championship coming in the 2009-10 campaign, Saturday's conference title game against the University of Victoria Vikes presented a unique opportunity.
    It was obvious from the outset the crowd was energized with hopes of celebrating a title win at game's end. The PAC was alive and rocking way beyond anything that was seen in the regular season, when an average of about 600 people turned out for hoops games. It was a dream those involved with Huskie Athletics had envisioned when the PAC replaced Education Gym as the home of the program's teams in 2003.
    The PAC was full of a large number of members from all the other Huskies teams, whose respective competitive seasons had come to an end. There was also a big representation for the community at large, who were checking the game out intrigued by the excitement.
    The raucous gathering witnessed an epic contest, which showed Canadian Interuniversity Sport hoops at its best. Unfortunately, the home side didn't win.
    The Vikes pulled out a 70-67 victory. When it came time for the banner and trophy presentations, most of the crowd had bolted for the exits.

Matthew Forbes battles in the post for the Huskies.

    By making the Canada West final, both teams earned spots in the CIS men's championship tournament, which starts this coming Thursday and runs through to Sunday at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto hosted by Ryerson University. In Friday's Canada West semifinal games, the Huskies knocked off the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 81-75, while Vikes dumped the University of Fraser Valley Cascades 86-61.
    Even with their spots at nationals all locked away, the Huskies and Vikes played like their seasons were on the line.
    The Vikes led by 14 points at one point in the second quarter, but the Huskies roared back to hold a 10-point edge at one point in the third quarter in a back-and-fourth contest.
    Huskies guard Ben Baker, who was the Canada West defensive player of the year, was outstanding in leading the Huskies with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Evan Ostertag came off the bench to provide huge energy for the home side and 17 points.
    Vikes guard Marcus Tibbs had a huge outing for the Vikes leading all scorers with 25 points, while dishing out seven assists.
    The Vikes held a 41-32 lead at halftime, but the Huskies rebounded to hold a 60-56 edge after three quarters. The teams were locked in a 65-65 draw with 3:44 to play in the fourth quarter, when the defences came to dominate on both sides.
    The Vikes outscored the Huskies 5-2 over the final 3:44. The hosts also had a basket taken off the scoreboard due to an offensive charging foul.
    Tibbs put the Vikes up 67-65 with a jumper. Huskies forward Matthew Forbes hit a pair of three-throws to force a 67-67 tie.
    With an even score, Tibbs hit a baseline jumper, which resulted in the game-winning points. Vikes forward Chris McLaughlin, who is the Canada West player-of-the-year, hit a foul shot to give the visitors their 70-67 edge.
    Baker attempted a three in the game's final seconds to try to force overtime, but facing huge defensive pressure, his shot was off target.

The U of Victoria Vikes celebrate a Canada West title.

    Had the Huskies won, they would have been able to soak in the attention from family, friends, classmates and fellow Huskie athletes in the post-game celebrations. The chance for a rare home celebration was gone. They had finished first in the Pioneer Division to earn the chance to host the Canada West Final Four, but those types of regular seasons don't come around that often, even if the team is good.
    With all that said, the Huskies can make the disappointment of not winning the Canada West title go away, if they can capture a second national title. They enter the eight-team CIS tournament as the lowest seed and open against the Carlton University Ravens, who have won the last four CIS titles and 10 CIS titles in total.
    The Huskies will be the underdogs going forward. Back in 2009-10, the Huskies were also the underdogs in a national title run that came virtually out of nowhere. They finished that campaign with 13 straight victories to win it all.
    While winning a national title would make the setback in the Canada West final mostly forgettable, a home court victory party would have been a nice memory to have.

Heartbreak in Vancouver

Kelsey Trulsrud - a heart and soul Huskie.

    A March Madness type finish proved to be the difference in preventing the U of S Huskies women's basketball team from winning the Canada West title for a second straight season.
    On Saturday night in Vancouver, the Huskies led the host UBC Thunderbirds 68-67 with about 15 seconds to play. Huskies guard Kelsey Trulsrud was at the free-throw line for a pair of shots trying to extend the lead for the visitors.
    Trulsrud missed both attempts. Thunderbirds guard Kris Young hauled in the rebound from the second miss, went coast-to-coast and hit a runner off the glass with 7.8 seconds to play to give the Thunderbirds a 69-68 victory. The Huskies couldn't get a shot off with their final possession.
    Young, who was the Canada West player-of-the-year, topped the Thunderbirds with 21 points, while forward Harleen Sidhu added 18 points to aid the winning effort by the hosts.
    Laura Dally had a huge night for the Huskies leading the team with 21 points, which included making 4-of-8 shots from three-point land. Trulsrud, who is one of those heart-and-soul players you need in the dressing room, had a strong outing too recording 15 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. One of the Huskies most unsung players, it was more unfortunate than anything that she wasn't able to make the two foul shots in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.
    The Huskies entered the Canada West final riding a 16-game winning streak and had downed the University of Alberta Pandas 77-61 in a Canada West semifinal match on Friday.
    Both the Huskies and Thunderbirds earned spots to the eight-team CIS women's championship tournament that begins Thursday in Quebec City at the Universite Laval.

Schlemko can be a good surprise

David Schlemko at the 2007 Memorial Cup.

    It only took one NHL game for Calgary Flames supporters to know who David Schlemko was.
    In his debut with the Flames, the veteran 27-year-old defenceman scored a spectacular winning goal in a tiebreaking shootout to give Calgary a 4-3 road victory over the Bruins in Boston last Thursday. The tally was replayed on numerous sports highlight shows.
    The Edmonton product is also in the final year of his current contract and has been bounced around this season. He started the season with the Arizona Coyotes. Entering the current campaign, Schlemko had played his entire professional career with the Coyotes organization.
    After recording a goal, three assists and a minus-five rating in 20 regular season games this season with the Coyotes, Schlemko was put on waivers and claimed by the Dallas Stars. He played five games with the Stars before being placed on waivers again, where he was claimed by the Flames.
    Going back to his major junior days with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Schlemko developed a reputation as being an even-keel player with a nice offensive touch and someone who is just an all-around good guy. He also became well known as a shootout specialist, who score goals in the tiebreaking session with an arsenal of moves.
    In the NHL ranks, Schlemko has only received two opportunities in the shootout, and he scored on both of them.
    Before joining the Flames, Schlemko had appeared in 212 NHL regular season games dating back to the 2007-08 campaign. As NHL teams have a tendency to constantly bring in young prospects, it looked like with two waiver placements that Schlemko might get forced out of the league. That happens to a number of players in his situation, even though he could hardly be considered old for a professional hockey player.
    If he is given a fair opportunity and allowed to use his strengths, Flames supporters will likely see their team received a gift in being able to pick up Schlemko. When the Flames campaign does end, the likelihood is very high Schlemko will do enough that Flames management will be convinced to sign him to a new deal.

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

Madness starts early for Huskies

Matthew Forbes slams down a huge basket for the Huskies.

    One elimination game down, and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men's basketball team hopes to experience a lot more do-or-die matches in March.
    The Huskies didn't take the easy road in claiming a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final playoff series 2-1 against the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack. In all three games, U of S fell behind by sizable margins, but managed two successful comebacks to stay alive in the post-season. In a series deciding Game 3 on Sunday at the Physical Activity Complex, the Wolfpack led the host Huskies 39-29 at one point in the second quarter.
    The visitor's led was cut to 43-42 at halftime after Huskies guard Evan Ostertag hit a three at the buzzer. The hosts took a 61-57 lead after the third quarter and rolled in the fourth quarter to an 84-71 victory. The win was capped by a monster dunk by Huskies post Matthew Forbes inside of the contest's final minute.
    Thanks to that win, the Huskies will have the rare privilege of host the men's Canada West Final Four tournament this coming Friday and Saturday at the Physical Activity Complex. The opening match at 6 p.m. on Friday sees the U of Victoria Vikes, who were 15-5 in the regular season, take on the Abbotsford, B.C., based University of the Fraser Valley Cascades, who were 17-3 in the regular season. At 8 p.m., the U of British Columbia Thunderbirds, who were 14-6 in the regular season, face the Huskies, who were 15-5 in the regular season.
    The Huskies host the final four, because they topped the Conference's Pioneer Division. The Cascades topped the Explorer Division.
    Before the Huskies could think about hosting the final four, they had to down a determined Wolfpack side. Games 1 and 2 were held at St. Joseph High School due to the fact the U of Saskatchewan was hosting the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Men's Volleyball Championship tournament. The atmosphere at the packed high school gym was raucous on both nights.
    In Game 1 last Friday, the Wolfpack, who were 11-9 in the regular season, jumped out to a 27-19 lead after the first quarter and held a 49-43 edge at halftime. The Huskies dominated the second half and rolled to a 96-82 victory. Veteran post Matthew Forbes led the way for the Huskies with 20 points, while second-year forward Shane Osayande came off the bench and hit all seven of his shot attempts to finish second in team scoring with 14 points.

Dadrian Collins drives the lane for the Huskies at St. Joseph High School.

    In Game 2 last Saturday, the Huskies faithful packed the gym at St. Joseph High School hoping the first half scare the Kamloops, B.C., based Wolfpack gave the U of S side would only happen for one game. It didn't.
    The Wolfpack stormed out to a 16-0 lead and held a 40-25 edge at halftime. The Huskies rallied in the second half and closed to within 71-69 late in the game. The visitors scored to go up 73-69 and closed out an 81-75 victory to tie the series 1-1.
    Andrew Henry and Dadrian Collins led the Huskies with 12 points each in the Game 2 setback.
    Game 3 back at the PAC wasn't an easy one for the Huskies to pull out. Wolfpack fifth-year guard Brett Rouault went off for a game-high 33 points mostly due to hitting 7-of-10 shots from three-point range.
    Forbes countered topping the Huskies with 30 points to help the hosts get their series clinching 84-71 win.
    Going forward in the post-season, the Huskies would like to have some better starts, but they should have some confidence knowing the can pull out big comeback victories if they need to.
    Now, they face was is essentially another elimination game. The two teams that make the final of the Canada West Final Four advance to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Final Eight championship tournament hosted by Ryerson University in Toronto.
    The winners of the semifinal games of the Canada West Final Four this coming Friday will ensure they will play in the final weekend of the 2014-15 campaign. Being at home for basically a do-or-die match, you have to like the Huskies chances of advancing, even if they do fall behind once again.

Huskies women's hoopsters hit the road

Kabree Howard dishes the ball for the Huskies.

    The Huskies women's basketball team will be on the road for the duration of their playoff run.
    They had a chance of hosting the women's Canada West Final Four tournament had the U of Regina Cougars upset the UBC Thunderbirds in a best-of-three quarter-final series in Vancouver. 
    The favoured Thunderbirds prevailed. UBC took Game 1 on Friday 75-59 and Game 2 on Saturday 68-63.
    As a result, the women's Canada West Final Four opens on Friday in Vancouver. The Huskies, who were 17-3 in the regular season, face the U of Victoria Vikes, who were 13-7 in the regular season. 
    The Thunderbirds, who were 17-3 in the regular season, take on the U of Alberta Pandas, who were 16-4 in the regular season, in the other semifinal.
    The Huskies enter the final four having won 15 straight games combined in the regular season and playoffs.

Men's CIS volleyball championships a hit

The Huskies salute their home crowd after their last regular season game.

    Huskie Athletics should get all sorts of high praise for host an outstanding Canadian Interuniversity Sport Men's Volleyball Championship tournament.
    There had to be a bit of fear with regards to how well attended the event would be at the Physical Activity Complex if the host Huskies weren't able to advance to the semifinal round. The Huskies did not qualify for the Canada West playoffs finishing the regular season with a 12-12 record and were seeded eighth in the eight-team event.
    They played hard in the quarter-final round but committed too many errors in being swept away by the top seeded McMaster University Marauders by scores of 26-24, 25-20 and 25-18. Officially attendance was 2,223 at the PAC, which seats 2,500. Those that were there said it was hard to find a seat, and spectators filled the standing space that rung round the track at the top of the stands.
    With the Huskies knocked to the consolation side, attendance stayed fairly strong. A total of 1,841 spectators attended Friday's semifinal round and 2,127 were out for the medal round games on Saturday. Those numbers have to be considered huge successes.
    Overall, this year's CIS Men's Volleyball Championship tournament was viewed as being extremely well run.
    In the title game, U of Alberta Golden Bears repeated as champs sweeping the Trinity Western University Spartans 25-19, 25-17 and 25-15. McMaster swept Dalhousie University 3-0 in the bronze medal game.
    The host Huskies downed Universite de Laval 3-1 in a consolation semifinal match and took the consolation final 3-1 over York University to finish fifth.
    Once again, Canada West showed it is the powerhouse conference in men's volleyball, as its three entries finished in the top five of the CIS tournament. That powerhouse showing takes a whole new light considering the Huskies just missed making the Canada West Conference playoffs and were still fifth at nationals.
    Canada West Conference teams have claimed 20 of the last 21 championships in CIS men's volleyball.

Stars advance to final four

Courtney Cormack, left, and Danielle Nogier celebrate a goal.

    The Saskatoon Stars will enjoy a little bit of time off before they resume their quest to earn a provincial title.
    On Sunday, the Stars completed a 3-0 sweep of their best-of-five Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League quarter-final series over the Notre Dame Hounds. Saskatoon took Game 1 in Wilcox 7-2 on Thursday, and Games 2 and 3 at the Agriplace Arena by respective scores of 9-5 and 10-0 on Saturday and Sunday.
    Those results weren't much of a surprise as the Stars finished first in the league at 25-3, while the Hounds were last in the eight-team circuit at 4-22-2.
    The Stars top forwards Nara Elia and Sophia Shirley each had six goals and six assists in the series. Their linemate Julia Rongve had three goals and six assists. Forward Courtney Cormack have five goals and an assist in the three games.
    Saskatoon's opponent for the semifinal round is still to be determined as two quarter-final series were still ongoing after Sunday. The post-season road will definitely become more challenging from here on out for the Stars, who won the female title in the Mac's Midget AAA Tournament on Jan. 1.
    As they progress through the playoffs, they will pick up more and more attention in the Saskatoon area as a number of other local teams see their campaigns come to an end.
    At the moment, the Stars are still one of the best kept secrets in the Bridge City. By the end of March, they will likely have an increased profile.

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

Huskies hockey was good for me

The Huskies men's hockey team salutes the fans at the Rutherford Rink.

    Believe it or not, there were times this season I was scared with a paralyzing fear about to going to the Rutherford Rink.
    When I was there, I didn't want to be anywhere else on during the 2014-15 Canadian Interuniversity Sport hockey season.
    For those that follow my posts on Twitter, they know I have battled with issues regarding anxiety. I went public with this realization when I discovered it in late 2012.
    My battles with anxiety were one of the 30 reasons that went into a big decision I made with my family. I would move away from my home of 10 years in Medicine Hat, where I had no family members, to Saskatoon, which contains a large number of relatives from my mom's side of the family.
    When I arrived as a permanent resident in late July, I had my heart set on going to most of the home games involving the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men's and women's hockey teams. I big time thank the players and staffs of both teams for being good about me being around the rink writing blogs and taking pictures. As the season went on, I really feel I got better with a lot of my issues on the anxiety front.
    The members of the Huskies men's hockey team know my story the best. I met most of those players through my time covering the WHL as a beat writer, which included covering the Medicine Hat Tigers for 10 seasons.
    I have long friendships with former Huskies captain Brennan Bosch, who graduated after last season, and goaltender Ryan Holfeld, who played his final game with the Huskies last weekend. Both were former members of the WHL's Tigers, and they know my story fairly in depth.
    When I was in Saskatoon on a medical leave in November of 2012, I visited with them at length regarding how I ended up in the situation I was in. I have always felt extremely safe in my friendships with them, but I never envisioned leaning on them in this way. I later discovered Holfeld's brother, Troy, has had battles with anxiety and depression, which I think also helped when I talked with the veteran netminder about my anxiety issues.

The Huskies women's team salutes the fans at the Rutherford Rink.

    I watched Bosch and Holfeld play with the Huskies on about four different occasions on visits from Medicine Hat. Through the Huskies men's team, I started meeting players from the Huskies women's hockey team. I watched them win their first Canada West title on March 2 of last year with a 2-1 double overtime victory over the U of Regina Cougars.
    Those visits were always so good for me, because I arrived at the rink just to watch the Huskies play without any worries about covering the game. I enjoyed going to games again, and some of that love of just going to the games was lost in my final years in Medicine Hat.
    While I worked with great people in the Hat at the Medicine Hat News, my troubles developed thanks to changing stresses in the workplace that affected everybody. As a result, the joy I had in going out to cover events wasn't always there.
    When I started watching Huskies hockey home games as a Saskatoon resident, there were a number of times my sense of anxiety would heighten, and I did not expect that would happen. I was always fine when the games themselves were in progress, but I did have shaky moments before and after the games.
    The first moment of slight fear came from actually encountering players from the Huskies women's team. The player I knew the best was Cami Wooster, who was the team's captain in the Canada West championship season, and she had graduated and was no longer around.
    She knew about my battles, but the other players didn't. I had a bit of a fear the players would look at me as being some sort of weak person or a life failure due to what happened to me.
    Marley Ervine and Brooke Mutch were two remaining players from the 2013-14 season I talked with a bit in the past. When I saw them for the first time this past season, I made sure to tell them my anxiety story. I always felt it was best to be up front with this.

Goaltender Ryan Holfeld gets set in the Huskies' net.

    I also thought their coaches had to be concerned that their players were befriending this dude that has had battles with mental health. All good coaches constantly worry about their players, but I have long ago learned it is more of a good type worry. The only coach I had dealt with before this season was assistant coach Julie Paetsch and those meetings occurred during a couple of social occasions involved with the Saskatoon Valkyries women's football team.
    As the season went on, I got to meet and befriend more of the players and staff from Huskies women's team, so those fears went away.
    At first, I only went to the Huskies games to watch. I then started to write blog posts. After I purchased a new digital SLR camera body, I began taking pictures and posting them on Twitter.
    As I became more comfortable, I would get brave and experiment with doing some of the things I would normally do once again.
    I would still have weird other type fears come out of nowhere. In November, I almost stopped straight out going to games. Out of the blue, I had this fear people would see me as this sad old sports reporter that was trying to hold on to a past life and should forget about writing blog posts or shooting games.
    My mind would reason only few people cared about what was going on with the Huskies hockey teams as the men's team would average just over 600 spectators per game and the women's team attracted about 200 spectators per game, who were mostly family and friends. It was far from what seemed like the endless amounts of people that gave their opinions on the three different WHL teams I covered over 15 seasons.
    When I was at the Rutherford Rink, all those fears were gone.

Brooke Mutch follows through on a shot for the Huskies.

    Also, a couple of other turning points helped in November. I ended up going out with the Huskies men's team on a social occasion during a time my mind was really troubled, and that helped a lot. I also learned the players on the women's team really liked the action pictures I took of them, and that really raised my spirits.
    As the second semester arrived, the road blocks in my mind weren't showing up. I decided that if I enjoyed going to the games I would keep going to them. If I enjoyed writing the blog posts and taking pictures, I would keep doing those things. Flat out, I just liked being there.
    I was feeling like my normal self throughout all of game day again. At the start of the week, I actually began looking forward to going to games on Friday and Saturday nights on a consistent basis again for the first time in years.
    The friendships I was making at the rink were helping me get better. I know in my life I will always have to deal with anxiety in some way, but you have to try and keep making baby steps every day.
    Thanks to the relationships I developed with the Huskies hockey teams, I believe I made a lot of baby steps in the 2014-15 season. Day to day, I feel like myself again on a more consistent basis.

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

Holfy valiant in last stand for Huskies

Huskies goaltender Ryan Holfeld gets focused for action.

    Ryan Holfeld did all he could do to extend his CIS career to another weekend.
    As has been the case a number of times this season, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men's hockey team couldn't score enough goals to support him.
    On Sunday night at the Flames Community Arena in Calgary, Holfeld was once again in net for the Huskies this time in a deciding Game 3 of a Canada West quarter-final series against the Mount Royal University Cougars. The fifth-year netminder kept making save after save and finished the contest making 41 stops in total.
    As far as the scoreboard was concerned, the effort went for naught. The Huskies were unable to score and fell 3-0 to bring their 2014-15 campaign to an end. Cam Lanigan made 23 stops in the Cougars goal to pick up the shutout.
    In defeat, Holfeld was once again heroic. He again gave his Huskies every opportunity to earn victory.
    His teammates paraded to the penalty box allowing the Cougars to have 15 power-play chances. Holfeld, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 185 pounds, only surrendered one goal on those chances, and it likely should have been more. Playing like a focused pro, he wouldn't let the game get away from his squad.
    This past weekend, Holfeld left one last big memory over three games of work to once again show just how amazing he could play in goal. He stopped 100-of-108 shots fired his way for a .926 save percentage and a 2.66 goals against average.
    In Game 1 of the series Friday in Calgary, he made 25 stops through regulation as the Huskies and Cougars played to a 1-1 draw. MacKenzie Johnston gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead in the first period, while Sean Aschim netted the equalizer for the Huskies in the third.
    The Huskies dominated play in the final frame of regulation outshooting the Cougars 14-3. During the regular season, the Dogs scored the third fewest goals in the eight-team Canada West Conference, and their struggles around the net were showing up again.
    Just 36 seconds into overtime, Holfeld was beaten by Cougars forward Matthew Brown on the first shot of the extra session to help the hosts skate away with a 2-1 win. Once again, the netminder had to suffer through a heartbreaking loss. His Huskies arguably had what would be their best outing of the series as Lanigan made 31 stops to pick up the win.

Ryan Holfeld makes a stop in goal for the Huskies.

    In Game 2 on Saturday in Calgary, Sebastien Pare gave the Cougars an early 1-0 lead. Before the opening 20 minutes finished, the Huskies finally had an offensive spark going up 3-1 with singles coming off the sticks of Jesse Ross, Zak Stebner and Connor Cox. Overall, the Huskies scored three times on five shots in the first.
    The visitors played a strong second, but the Cougars came out with a whole pile of pressure in the third. Pare would net his second of the contest, and Emerson Hrynyk tied the contest up at 3-3 with 7:20 to play in the stanza.
    From there, the Holfeld kept the Cougars at bay, and the Huskies were able to stave off elimination. With 29 seconds to play in the third, rookie forward Michael Sofillas scored to give the visitors a 4-3 victory, which ended a six game skid including the regular season and playoffs.
    Holfeld made 34 stops to earn the win. Lanigan turned away 23 shots in goal for the Cougars. The series and the battle between two former members of the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers was tied 1-1.
    As it turned out, the OT loss in Game 1 was the one that got away for the Huskies. In Game 3 on Sunday, Tyler Fiddler scored 30 seconds into the first to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead. They outshot the Huskies 26-6 in the second and added two more goals on singles from Jamie King and Tyler Jewitt.
    The Cougars were on their way to face the Calgary Dinos in a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series this coming weekend. 
    Holfeld's career was left to tick away.
    The 25-year-old LeRoy, Sask., product goes down as one of the best goaltenders the Huskies men's program ever had. In the regular season, he finished with a 53-34-2 record, a .919 save percentage, a 2.43 goals against average and eight shutouts. His 2,452 career saves in regular season play is a record for the Huskies men's team.
    During the 2014-15 regular season, he split time in goal with rookie Jordon Cooke, who came off a stellar WHL career with the Kelowna Rockets. The Huskies posted their first losing record in 19 years with a 10-15-3 mark due in large part to their goal-scoring struggles.
    Holfeld was still sensational recording a .922 save percentage, a 2.42 goals against average and one shutout in posting a 5-8-1 record.
    In his first four seasons at the U of S, the Huskies never finished lower than third in the Canada West standings. While those Huskies teams had a larger number of high end forwards, Holfeld did steal his share of games.

Ryan Holfeld (#31) gets congratulated after a win in early Jan.

    Due to mostly being made up of graduates of the major junior and junior A ranks, the players in Canada West are good at critiquing their own performances, and when Holfeld stole a win, there were a lot of players telling him thank-you afterwards, while vowing to play better going forward. He was key in helping the Huskies win a Canada West title in 2012.
    Away from the rink, Holfeld endeared himself to his teammates and players on other Huskies teams for being a comedian that would say the most humourous things out of the blue. He also knew when it was time to be serious and was the teammate others could confide to, if they were having troubles in their lives.
    Holfeld also excelled in the classroom, which allowed him to be accepted into law school after his third year with the team. Over the past two seasons, he was usually busy studying, when he wasn't at the rink. He was still able to squeeze in time to visit with family and friends for short periods after games.
    For all that he was able to do in his five seasons with the Huskies, it would have been nice if he could have gotten one more series win.
    On and off the ice, he will always be viewed as one of most proud success stories of the U of S athletic program.

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