Stars clip Wings in Game 1

The Stars celebrate a third period goal from Jordyn Holmes, right.

    A tougher opponent proved to be no problem at all for the Saskatoon Stars.

    The Stars opened their best-of-five Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League semifinal series with a 5-0 victory over the Weyburn Southern Range Gold Wings at the Agriplace Arena on Monday night.

    In the quarter-final round, the Stars swept a best-of-five series 3-0 against the Battlefords Sharks, who were 3-23-2 during the regular season. The Stars outscored the Sharks 28-3 in that series.

    Weyburn finished fourth overall in the SFMAAAHL regular season with an 18-9-1 record, and the Gold Wings are still expected to give the Stars, who topped the league regular season standings with a 24-4 record, a tough test. The Gold Wings also host the Esso Cup national championship tournament in April.

    In Monday’s series opener, the Stars jumped ahead 1-0 at the 11:14 mark of the first period on what appeared to be a lucky break goal by Rayna Jacobson. The officials weren’t sure Jacobson poked the puck in the net during a scrum of sticks around the Weyburn goal, but they awarded a tally after a conference discussion.

    With 61 seconds to play in the first, Julia Rongve put the Stars up 2-0 on a wraparound, where the puck just trickled out from under Gold Wings goalie Chantel Burke into the net.

Mackenna Parker potted the Stars third goal in their win on Monday.

    Mackenna Parker, who was the second leading scorer in the SFMAAAHL, put the Stars up 3-0 early in the second. Abby Shirley converted a fancy passing play from linemates Grace Shirley and Joelle Fiala to give the Stars a 4-0 edge heading into the second intermission.

    Jordyn Holmes added Saskatoon’s final goal late in the third.

    Emma Johnson made 14 stops to earn her fifth career shutout in SFMAAAHL post-season play for Saskatoon. Chantal Burke turned away 40 shots taking the loss in goal for Weyburn.

    The Stars and Gold Wings will go at it again in Game 2 of the series on Friday in Weyburn. Game 3 is set for Sunday at 4:45 p.m. at the Agriplace Arena. If necessary, Game 4 is set for Tuesday, March 15 in Weyburn and Game 5 would be on Wednesday, March 16 at the Agriplace Arena at a time to be determined.

    Saskatoon won three of the four games against Weyburn in the regular season.

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

The sweetest of title sweeps

Huskies capture 17^th Canada West crown with emotional win

Marty Smuk, Matthew Spafford, Stephanie Vause and Darla Smuk all rock.

    To say the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team was playing with heart may be the biggest understatement ever.

    On Saturday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, the Dogs weren’t going to be denied a Canada West title. Trailing their “Forever Rivals” the University of Alberta Golden Bears 1-0 entering the third period, the Huskies stormed out and scored three straight goals before a raucous sold out crowd of 1,066 spectators. U of A managed to pot one reply with seven seconds to play, but all that did was make the final on the scoreboard 3-2 in favour of the host Huskies.

    In the record books, the Huskies go down as sweeping the Golden Bears 2-0 in the best-of-three Canada West men’s hockey championship series. With their 17^th conference title win in team history, the Dogs will travel to Halifax for the University Cup, which is the Canadian Interuniversity Sport final eight championship tournament, along with the Golden Bears. That tourney runs from March 17 to 20.

    What the statistical sheet won’t show was that the Huskies were playing for something more. Besides playing for the logo on the front of the jersey and for the pride of the school and Saskatoon as a city, these Huskies were playing to honour the memory of a former teammate and alumnus.

Logan McVeigh, left, got the Ruthy jumping with a third period goal.

    After a battle with cancer that lasted over a year, Cody Smuk passed away in late June of 2015. The gritty forward, who played for the Huskies from 2010 to 2014, was known for his hard work and being the ultimate glue guy in the dressing room. Words can’t do justice to the impact he had on the Huskies athletic program and the community of Saskatoon.

    The Huskies men’s team retired Smuk’s #24 on Oct. 24, 2015. All season, they have warmed up with all players wearing his #24 jersey. Smuk’s father, Marty, mother, Darla, and fiancée, Stephanie Vause, have been to every home game.

    When it came time for the team picture with the Dr. W.G. Hardy Trophy and the championship banner, Huskies captain Kendall McFaull and third-year forward Josh Roach helped bring Marty, Darla and Vause on to the ice to be part the photograph. As the group approached the team, they received an ovation from the players, coaches and staff.

    Fifth-year forward Matthew Spafford teared up talking about his good friend and former teammate after the contest. His thoughts drifted to the 2014 University Cup championship tournament in Saskatoon, where Smuk played his final games with the Huskies. The Huskies made it to the championship game falling 3-1 to the Golden Bears at what is now known as the SaskTel Centre.

    “He (Smuk) is the driving force,” said Spafford. “I screwed up and didn’t get him one in my third year.

    “I know he is looking down on us right now, and he is helping us win, so it means everything.”

Levi Cable slips home the Huskies third goal of the night.

    Fifth-year defenceman Zak Stebner also couldn’t help but think his side might have had an extra boost. For Stebner, Smuk, who was nicknamed “Marty,” was a big part of the Huskies success in the 2015-16 campaign.

    “We are always playing for Marty,” said Stebner, “It is a big part of why we work so hard.

    “We try to work as Marty did, and he was a hard working dude. We figured if we could match just a fraction of how hard he works we will be successful, and I think that we exemplified that tonight.”

    At first, it looked like the Golden Bears were going to play spoilers. James Dobrowolski scored at the 3:31 of the first period to put U of A up 1-0. The goal only silenced the crowd for a short time, and it didn’t stall the Huskies.

    The Dogs responded with a big push back. Their efforts to net the equalizer also helped accidently create a pair of second period breakaways for Golden Bears forwards Brett Ferguson and Jordan Hickmott.

Zak Stebner hoists the Dr. W.G. Hardy Trophy.

    Huskie goaltender Jordon Cooke, who was named Canada West’s most outstanding player and goaltender of the year, stoned both chances. Cooke’s stop on Hickmott came late in the second and seemed to help add to the belief that the Huskies would rally.

    Early in the third, the Huskies push back resulted in the host side scoring two goals just 15 seconds apart from each other. Jesse Ross got the first tally, Logan McVeigh potted the second tally, and the Ruthy was rocking louder than it had at any point in the season.

    At the 11:57 mark, Levi Cable slipped home a low shot from a bad angle past Golden Bears goaltender Luke Siemens to increase the Huskies edge to 3-1.

    U of A rearguard Jordan Rowley, who was named Canada West’s top defenceman, netted the contest’s final goal with seven seconds to play.

    Cooke made 26 saves to earn the win in goal for the Huskies, who are rated third in the CIS top ten rankings. Siemens stopped 28 shots in net for the Golden Bears, who are rated fourth in the CIS top ten.

    While the Golden Bears played tough in both games of the series, the Huskies weren’t going to be denied in penning another cool chapter of a special season.

The Huskies are the 2016 Canada West champions.

    Even the rookies on the Huskies can feel something great has been happening. McVeigh, who is playing his first year with the Huskies after finishing his Western Hockey League career with the Kamloops Blazers, can feel the positive impact Smuk has had after his death.

    “It feels good just to get a win for him and his family,” said McVeigh. “It feels great to get them involved with our picture and come on the ice. It was great.”

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

Huskies nail it down in Game 1

Dogs dump Golden Bears 4-0 in Canada West final opener

Captain Kendall McFaull celebrates his goal with Logan McVeigh.

    You can bet fans likely forgot about their wait to get into the ancient Rutherford Rink on Friday night.

    Before the puck dropped for Game 1 of the Canada West men’s hockey championship series between the host University of Saskatchewan Huskies and the University of Alberta Golden Bears, fans were lined up over a lengthy stretch outside the Huskies home rink looking to get a ticket to see the action. When they finally found a place to view the contest, the host side did not disappoint.

    The Huskies played one of their best games of the season and blanked their “Forever Rivals” 4-0 before a crammed gathering of 1,066 spectators. U of S will try to lock up the best-of-three series in Game 2 Saturday at 7 p.m. before what should be another raucous crowd at the Ruthy.

    During the regular season, the Golden Bears, who have won the last two University Cups, claimed three of four head-to-head meetings with the Huskies. In those four outings, the Golden Bears played their best hockey of the 2015-16 campaign, and the lone U of S victory came by a 3-2 score back on Oct. 30, 2015 thanks to a 44-save performance from netminder Jordon Cooke.

    On Friday night, the Dogs, who topped the Canada West standings with a 22-6 mark, showed they can take their game up to another level.

Parker Thomas scored a key insurance goal for the Huskies.

    In the opening 20 minutes, the Huskies, who are rated third in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport top ten rankings, went toe-to-toe with the Golden Bears, who are rated fourth in the CIS top ten, trading scoring chances, hits and end-to-end rushes. The best collision came near the end of the frame, when Golden Bears forward Brett Ferguson and Huskies defenceman Zak Stebner smashed into each other. It was hard to tell who initiated the hit.

    The strong play of Cooke and Golden Bears netminder Luke Siemens ensured the two clubs entered the first intermission locked in a 0-0 draw. Fans were treated to intense playoff hockey at its best.

    The Dogs started assert control in the second. Working on a power play, they broke through on the scoreboard at the 5:57 mark, when “Captain Clutch” Kendall McFaull wired home a shot from the slot to the top corner of the U of A goal to give the hosts a 1-0 edge.

    U of S came at U of A in waves, and after the second period ended, the Huskies held a 24-18 edge in shots on goal.

    The Golden Bears, who finished second in Canada West with a 19-7-2 mark, didn’t go away. They mounted a big push back at the start of the third displaying the effort that allowed them to win the past two Canadian Interuniversity Sport titles.

Goalie Jordon Cooke and the Huskies defence fend of the Golden Bears.

    Cooke answered the bell for the Huskies showing why he was named the most outstanding player and goaltender of the year for Canada West on Wednesday. The Leduc product wowed fans with his glove saves.

    He set the tone early in the third robbing Ferguson at point blank range right in front of the U of S goal. It was a sign that this wasn’t going to be the visitors’ night.

    Backed by Cooke throwing up a wall in goal, the Huskies started to turn the game’s momentum back in their favour.

    With 6:30 to play in the third, Huskies forward Jaimen Yakubowski picked off a bad Golden Bears pass, slipped a nifty pass of his own to linemate Parker Thomas and watched Thomas tuck home his first of the post-season to give the Huskies a 2-0 edge.

    Just 44 seconds after that goal, Huskies forward Levi Cable was hacked down on a breakaway by Golden Bears defenceman Dylan Bredo. Cable actually slipped the puck into the net, but the officials said the goal became dislodged before the puck went in.

    That temporary disappointment was erased, when Cable was awarded a penalty shot on the play. The standout rookie and graduate of the Western Hockey League’s Kootenay Ice totally undressed Siemens on a deke and popped home a tally that put the hosts up 3-0.

The Huskies celebrate Levi Cable's penalty shot goal.

    The Golden Bears pulled Siemens in the final minutes to get something going offensively, but third-year Huskies forward John Lawrence rounded out the contest’s scoring with an empty netter.

Cooke made 28 saves to earn his first career post-season CIS shutout. Siemens turned away 30 of 33 shots sent his way.

    While Friday’s game pleased the hometown crowd, this series could still go to a deciding Game 3, which is set for 7 p.m. on Sunday at the Rutherford Rink.

    Both teams are loaded with WHL grads, who know how to bounce back and make adjustments.

    With that said, Friday’s win was by far the best game the Huskies have had against the Golden Bears this season. If the Huskies can duplicate their effort in Game 2 on Saturday, they will give themselves a good chance to celebrate their 17^th conference championship and first since 2012.

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

The Ruthy will be a rockin'

Huskies and Golden Bears to battle in a take no prisoners Canada West final

Huskies captain Kendall McFaull, left, checks U of A's Brett Ferguson.

    Right now, nationals mean as much as manure produced by the USask Cows.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies and the University of Alberta Golden Bears have berths locked up for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport men’s hockey championship tournament, but the University Cup will seem far away for these “Forever Rivals” over the next two to three days. The Huskies and Golden Bears are set to lock horns for the 481^st, 482^nd and possibly the 483^rd time, when they battle in a best-of-three Canada West championship series at the ancient Rutherford Rink.

    Game 1 is set for 7 p.m. Friday, Game 2 follows on 7 p.m. Saturday and Game 3, if necessary, will be held at 7 p.m. on Sunday. These teams will not coast to save themselves for the CIS final-eight tournament, which runs March 17-20 in Halifax. Their series battle for the Dr. W. G. Hardy Trophy will resemble a battle for the Stanley Cup.

    Out all the rivalries that exist in Canadian university sports, Huskies versus Golden Bears in men’s hockey is arguably the granddaddy of them all, and it is definitely the granddaddy rivalry out of all leagues in Canada West. No other Canadian university teams have met more often and consistently since their first encounter in the 1910-11 campaign, when the Golden Bears dumped the Huskies 16-0 in Saskatoon on Feb. 27, 1911.

U of A's Kruise Reddick, left, battles Huskies centre Kohl Bauml for a draw.

    This is one of those rivalries that is still real, and all one has to do is look at the four regular season encounters between these two clubs in the 2015-16 campaign to see that is true.

    The Huskies topped the Canada West standings with a 22-6 mark, and their 22 victories matched a team record set in both 1987-88 and 1999-2000. They are rated third in the CIS top ten rankings.

    The Golden Bears finished second with a 19-7-2 record, are rated fourth in the CIS top ten and have won the last two straight University Cup titles. While they returned most of their roster from a season ago, the Golden Bears had some stumbles this season losing games to opponents they don’t usually drop game to.

    When it came to encounters with the Huskies, the Golden Bears peaked up their effort like they were about to take on the Soviet Union national team from 1972 that contained Vladislav Tretiak and Valeri Kharlamov. U of A’s best four efforts of the campaign came in games against the U of S.

    In the first battle on Oct. 30, 2015, the Huskies rode a 44 save performance by goaltender Jordon Cooke to a 3-2 victory at the Ruthy. The Huskies captured momentum near the end of the second period and controlled the third to erase a 2-1 deficit to pull out victory.

U of A's James Dobrowolski is stoned by Huskies goalie Jordon Cooke.

    One night later at the Rutherford Rink, the Golden Bears hit another gear to pull a 4-2 victory, while outshooting the Huskies 55-22. Cooke, who won Canada West’s most outstanding player and goaltender of the year awards on Wednesday, was spectacular in that setback.

    The rivalry went up another level when the two team met at the Clare Drake Arena in Edmonton on Feb. 5 and 6. The Huskies entered those matches with first place locked away in the Canada West standings, but the Golden Bears seemed to be out to send a message.

    They claimed the Feb. 5 contest 3-0, and the game featured 96 minutes in penalties. On Feb. 6, the Golden Bears skated away with a 5-2 win, while the chippy stuff continued as the clubs combined for 42 penalty minutes.

    There was also some gloating by some members of the Edmonton-based sports media on Twitter regarding the sweep by the underdog Golden Bears against the powerhouse Huskies. It seemed weird to consider a team like the Golden Bears, who have won 15 national titles, as underdogs.

    Going into the weekend, both teams can try and find ways to justify that they are somehow an underdog. The Golden Bears have to be given a slight edge due to the fact they have won the last two University Cups and have played their best when the Huskies have been the opposition. 

Huskies forward Michael Sofillas, left, tries to zip past U of A's Dylan Bredo.

    U of A’s roster is loaded with fifth-year players who have gotten it done in both the CIS and Western Hockey League in forwards Brett Ferguson, Kruise Reddick, Jordan Hickmott, James Dobrowolski and Levko Koper, as well as defencemen Thomas Carr and Jordan Rowley.

    The Huskies are a younger team as far as average age is concerned, but they have a group that is mentally tough and can get the job done. Cooke is a goaltender that should have an NHL contract, and the only reason that item didn’t come his way is because he stands 5-foot-10.

    Their defensive group of captain Kendall McFaull, Connor Cox, Jesse Forsberg, Jordan Fransoo, Zak Stebner, David Stumborg and Tyler Borstmayer match up well with the best the CIS has to offer. The forward group including Canada West rookie of the year Kohl Bauml, Levi Cable, Andrew Johnson, Logan McVeigh, Michael Sofillas, Jesse Ross and Cameron Blair are more than capable of providing enough offence to make it happen.

    You can also expect the crowd that will stuff into the Ruthy will be looking to explode the first time fifth year all-heart forward Matthew Spafford does something special.

Huskies forward Josh Roach slips past a couple of U of A checkers.

    The most vocal component of the home crowd will likely be the members of the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team, who will be looking to give their classmates another intangible edge.

    The 2016 Canada West championship series will likely mirror the 2007 WHL championship series, which was a seven game classic featuring the Medicine Hat Tigers and Vancouver Giants. The Tigers and Giants raged a war even though they both had berths secured for that year’s Memorial Cup tournament. 

    That WHL title series ended when the Tigers took Game 7 in double overtime at their long time storied home rink in The Arena on a winning goal from Brennan Bosch, who went on to become a Huskies captain and hero.

    The current Huskies don’t have Bosch in their lineup, but they would love it if the 2016 Canada West championship series had a similar finish to the one Bosch’s junior team had in the 2007 WHL final.

Blades fun in the Express

    I was back in Saskatoon Express this week with a fun story regarding the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades.

    On Saturday when the Blades host the Kootenay Ice at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre, they will hold their Home Grown Hockey Heroes night. The Blades hope this will be the first of an annual tradition, where they celebrate home-grown hockey heroes who could either be from Saskatchewan or former members of the Blades.

    For the first Home Grown Hockey Heroes night, the Blades are bringing in Hockey Hall of Fame member Bryan Trottier, who played for the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins from 1975 to 1994. Trottier, who is from Val Marie, has a special connection with Blades account executive/hockey advisor Dustin Kohn, who played in the WHL from 2003 to 2007 with the Calgary Hitmen and Brandon Wheat Kings.

    Anyone who has ever met Trottier knows Saturday will be a cool night to be at the SaskTel Centre. The story about Kohn and Trottier and the night’s events can be found here.

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

Stars romp to final four

The Saskatoon Stars were all smiles after their playoff win on Wednesday.

    Quietly, the Saskatoon Stars have to be glad they’ve seen the last of the Battlefords Sharks this season.

    On Wednesday night at the Agriplace Arena, the Stars bombed the Sharks 12-0 to sweep a best-of-five Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League quarter-final series 3-0 between the two clubs. The series was a mismatch on paper and played out that way on the ice. The Stars topped the SFMAAAHL’s regular season standings with a 24-4 mark, while the Sharks finished last in the eight-team circuit with a 3-23-3 record.

    During the three-game series, the Stars outscored the Sharks 28-3. Those two squads also faced each other in their final two regular season games, which meant Wednesday’s game was a fifth straight head-to-head meeting. Overall, the Stars took all seven of their games with the Sharks including action in the regular season and playoffs.

    In the final tilt between the two teams on Wednesday, the Stars led 4-0 after the first period and 9-0 after the second. The defending SFMAAAHL champs also held a 72-13 edge in shots on goal.

    Abby Shirley and Grace Shirley both scored twice and each had a pair of assists for the Stars. Mackenna Parker, Brooke Hausermann, Joelle Fiala, Danielle Nogier, Kalista Senger, Anna Leschyshyn, Julia Rongve and Rayah DeCorby all netted singles for Saskatoon. Emma Johnson made 13 saves to earn the shutout in goal.

Grace Shirley had two goals and two assists for the Stars on Wednesday.

    Shelby Tornato took the loss in goal for the Sharks stopping 45 of 55 shots fired her way. Chloe Marshall turned aside 15 of 17 shots sent her way entering the game in relief early in the third period.

    The Stars road towards making a return trip to the Esso Cup national championship tournament becomes a lot tougher from here on out. The two SFMAAAHL best-of-five semifinal series are expected to be highly competitive.

    Saskatoon has home ice advantage throughout the SFMAAAHL playoffs. The Stars will face either the Weyburn Gold Wings, who host the Esso Cup from April 17-23, or Melville Prairie Fire in the semifinal round. The Gold Wings posted an 18-9-1 mark in the regular season, while the Prairie Fire were 9-17-2.

    Melville trails a best-of-five quarter-final series 2-1 to the Prince Albert A & W Bears, who made last year’s SFMAAAHL final. The Prince Albert series with Melville is the only SFMAAAHL quarter-final series that is still going.

    The Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats will have home ice advantage for the other best-of-five SFMAAAHL semifinal series.

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

Supporting cast seals sweep

Huskies head to nationals for fourth time in five years

Huskies defenceman Tyler Borstmayer celebrates his first career CIS goal.

    The unsung heroes delivered when the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team needed them the most.

    All season, the Huskies prided themselves on the fact they had more depth and balance throughout their lineup than they did a season ago. That showed when the team topped the Canada West standings with a 22-6 mark.

    During the clutch moments, the rookie line of Levi Cable, Kohl Bauml and Andrew Johnson seemed to lift the Dogs to another level. Their ability as a unit to flat out create offence has been a game changer.

    In a long playoff run, teams can’t just rely on their top offensive line. The deeper you go in the post-season the harder it becomes to score. Others need to step up and deliver on the scoreboard.

    Others did just that on Saturday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, as the Huskies posted a 5-3 victory over the U of Calgary Dinos to sweep a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series 2-0. U of S’s high scoring rookie line accounted for one goal, which Cable dumped into an empty net with 12 seconds to play to lock up the final outcome.

    With the Dinos doing their best to limit the Huskies top unit, U of S had to look towards other sources to score and pull out victory.

Cameron Blair has three assists for the Huskies on Saturday.

    The challenge to have others score also got that much bigger, when the Dinos jumped out to a 2-0 just 5:44 into the contest on singles from Ryan Suchorab and Danny Gayle. The tallies silenced a packed Ruthy for a short time, and one had to wonder if a series deciding Game 3 was going to be needed on Sunday.

    Despite the Dinos fast start, the Huskies, who are rated third in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport top ten rankings, gained some traction when gritty rookie forward Jaimen Yakubowski, who had three points in 15 regular season games, tallied at the 11:50 mark of the opening frame. Yakubowski’s goal re-energized the packed and raucous crowd at the Rutherford Rink and was an early momentum changer.

    While the Huskies continued to mount pressure, Dinos netminder and former Saskatoon Blades star Steven Stanford was doing his best to keep the host side at bay. U of S broke through again on the scoreboard at the 13:49 mark of the second, when an on ice point shot from sophomore defenceman Tyler Borstmayer found its way to the back of the Dinos goal. Borstmayer’s first ever CIS goal pulled the Huskies even at 2-2.

Parker Thomas played a strong energy game for the Huskies.

    With 3:43 to play in the second, Kendall McFaull, who is earning a reputation as the Huskies “Captain Clutch,” put home an accurate off-speed point drive to put the Dogs up 3-2. Early in the third, the Huskies lead expanded to 4-2, when Connor Cox, who is a former Saskatoon Blades blue-liner, laser beamed home another point shot through a screen.

    In the four-goal outburst, sophomore forward Cameron Blair quietly helped set up three tallies. He almost matched his regular season total of assist in one game. Blair played in all of the Huskies 28 regular season games collecting seven goals and four assists.

    The Dinos still didn’t go quietly. U of C star forward Elgin Pearce potted his sixth of the post-season with 1:17 to play in the third to cut the Huskies edge to 4-3. U of S clamped things down defensively from there, and Cable’s goal ensured a comeback was not to be.

    Stanford, who stopped 77 shots in a 4-3 double overtime loss to the Huskies in Game 1 on Friday, turned aside 38 of 42 shots to take the loss in goal for the Dinos in Game 2.

    Cooke made 21 stops to earn the win in goal for the Huskies, who took all six of their encounters with the Dinos this season.

The crowd at the packed Rutherford Rink cheers a Huskies goal.

    Besides the offence, the Huskies also received strong contributions from players like energy forward Parker Thomas, who was key for the green and white on the forecheck.

    U of S advances to host the best-of-three Canada West championships series against their forever rivals - the U of Alberta Golden Bears. The Golden Bears, who have won the last two CIS titles, swept their semifinal series slipping past the Mount Royal University Cougars 4-3 in Edmonton on Saturday. Game 1 of the Canada West championship series will start this Friday at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

    The Huskies also earned a berth to the eight-team CIS championship tournament, which runs March 17-20 in Halifax. That will mark their fourth appearance at nationals in the last five years.

    If the Huskies want their playoff success to continue, they need the X-factors to keep producing along with their top players. If that keeps happening, they might just win it all for the second time in team history.

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

Captain Kendall comes through

McFaull nets double OT winner in Huskies 4-3 playoff victory

The Huskies celebrate Kendall McFaull's double overtime winner.

    Kendall McFaull’s most unlikely power-play goal might have been the biggest of his hockey career.

    With 3:33 remaining in a second overtime period, McFaull slipped home a bad angle shot to give his University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team a 4-3 Canada West playoff victory over the U of Calgary Dinos on Friday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink. McFaull’s power-play marker came from an awkward angle from the left side of the Dinos goal and gives the Huskies 1-0 lead in a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series between the two clubs.

    The Huskies, who are rated third in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport top ten rankings, will try to lock up the series in Game 2 on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

    “It feels great,” said McFaull about his overtime winner. “It was definitely the biggest goal of my career. I thought we had tonnes of chances early to put it away, and we still couldn’t get it.

    “It is nice the guys stuck with it. We never tailed off and kept going after it.”

McFaull’s winner spoiled a spectacular performance by Dinos goaltender Steven Stanford. The former star of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades turned away an incredible 77 shots taking the loss in goal.

Kendall McFaull was the Huskies' hero on Friday.

    The Huskies peppered Stanford with shots from all sorts of angle, but the Calgary product kept giving his side a chance to stay in the game. One of his best stops came in the first overtime session, when he turned away Huskies centre Logan McVeigh from close in with a kick stop.

    “He (Stanford) was definitely playing strong,” said McFaull. “He made some huge saves and tried to change the momentum of the game, but the guys just stuck to it. We kept coming back at him.”

    Jordon Cooke made 34 saves to pick up his first career Canadian Interuniversity Sport playoff win in goal for the Huskies. While he wasn’t as busy as Stanford, Cooke had to come up with a game-saving stop early in the second overtime, when he sprawled out to deny high-scoring Dinos forward Elgin Pearce on a breakaway.

    The two teams entered the third locked in a 2-2 tie. Just 70 seconds into the frame, Chris Collins netted his second goal of the post-season to put the Dinos up 3-2.

    The Huskies responded with a big push back and second-year forward Michael Sofillas potted the equalizer with 6:42 to play in the third.

    Josh Roach and Kohl Bauml each had the other singles for the Huskies. Dylan Walchuk and Kevin King picked up singles for the Dinos.

    Near the halfway point of the first overtime, fifth-year forward Max Ross thought he scored the winning goal for the Dinos and even celebrated, but the puck did not find its way to the back of the Huskies goal.

    On the overtime winner, McFaull had to dig the puck out from under McVeigh before scoring the winner.

Steven Stanford made 77 stops in a brilliant effort for the Dinos.

    “The puck was just sitting in his feet,” said McFaull. “I got lucky and was able to scoop it out and put it into the net.”

    If Game 3 is needed to decide this series, it will be held on Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink. Including play in the regular season, the Huskies have won all five of their encounters with the Dinos in the 2015-16 campaign.

    In the other Canada West men’s semifinal series, the U of Alberta Golden Bears took Game 1 of their best-of-three set with a 7-1 victory over the Mount Royal University Cougars in Edmonton on Friday.

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