Willo sparks Huskies, makes Universiade team

Kaitlin Willoughby zips up ice for the Huskies.

    Kaitlin Willoughby showed it was a wise decision to name her to the Canadian women’s hockey team for the FISU Winter Universiade.

    On Saturday in Vancouver, the 21-year-old forward sparked her University of Saskatchewan Huskies to 5-3 upset win over the host and defending Canada West champion University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. Dating back to October of 2014, the Huskies had lost their previous eight straight head-to-head encounters with the Thunderbirds.

    In the first period of Saturday’s game, Willoughby scored two power-play goals to give her side a 2-0 edge. The tallies also sparked the Huskies offensively as they never trailed and never allowed UBC to get back on even terms the rest of the way.

    Brooke Patron, Rachel Johnson and Elizabeth Salyn all netted singles. Johnson’s tally came on a penalty shot. Cassidy Hendricks made 24 stops to earn the win in goal.

    Cassandra Vilgrain scored twice for the Thunderbirds, while Kenzie Robinson added a single. Amelia Boughn turned away 18 shots to take the loss in the UBC goal.

    Willoughby was named to the FISU Winter Universiade team on Friday. She attended Hockey Canada’s Women’s Development Camp in August to compete for a spot on the FISU team. The Winter Universiade will run Jan. 29 to Feb. 8, 2017 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Kaitlin Willoughby is one of the Huskies biggest offensive threats.

    Since entering the Canadian Interuniversity Sport ranks at the start of the 2013-14 campaign, Willoughby has been a high impact offensive player netting 32 goals and 41 assists in 84 career regular season games. She is also one of those few players that can change a game individually, which means her line has always received extra attention from opposition teams for pretty much her whole career with the Huskies.

    During her first season, the Prince Albert, Sask., product was named the CIS rookie of the year, and she helped the Huskies win their first Canada West title and a bronze medal at the CIS championship tournament.

    She permanently carved her place in the history of the Huskies women’s hockey team in the 2014 best-of-three Canada West championship series with the University of Regina Cougars. In a series deciding Game 3, Willoughby potted the double overtime winner to give the Huskies a 2-1 victory at the ancient Rutherford Rink.

    If the Canadian FISU team needs a big play in the clutch, it would always be a prudent decision to have Willoughby and her blazing speed on the ice.

    For now, Willoughby, who is in her fourth year of CIS eligibility, will keep trying to help the Huskies find success on the ice. U of S’s next test is a big one as they host the always powerful University of Alberta Pandas (2-0) this coming Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. on both nights at Rutherford.

Swift Current’s Smith could be valuable addition to Huskies

Swift Current product Chloe Smith could be a big addition to the Huskies.

    Earlier this month, the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey announced the signing of Chloe Smith, who could prove to be a big addition to the team.

    The 17-year-old Smith is completing her final season of midget AAA eligibility as the captain of her hometown Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats. She joined the Wildcats as an underage 14-year-old way back at the start of the 2013-14 campaign.

    Smith, who stands 5-foot-7, is one of those rare power forward types that can mix it up physically in all the areas of the ice, which is something you do need in the women’s game. Her toughness is combined with a set of soft hands around the net and a sound offensive skill set that makes her an extremely attractive player at the university level.

    My first impression of Smith came during her 15-year-old season, when her Wildcats were taking on the host Saskatoon Stars in Game 1 of a Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League best-of-five semifinal series at the Agriplace Arena on March 10, 2015.

    Just 39 seconds into the third period, Smith nailed Stars superstar forward Nara Elia, who is a Hockey Canada national women’s team program prospect, with huge head hit that knocked Elia out of the game. Smith was given a major penalty for a head hit, a game misconduct and also had to sit out a one-game suspension for the incident. It was the type of hit in the men’s game that would have been deemed clear about seven years ago.

    I remember her emerging later on that day from the Wildcats dressing room wearing her track suit as her Wildcats fell 4-2. Looking at Smith’s face, you could see a wide range of emotions as she was trying to process what had happened.

Chloe Smith gets set to take a draw for the Wildcats.

    You could see there was disappointment, because she wasn’t on the ice to help her team and her competitiveness was also present too. Before being ejected, she had played with a lot of fire.

    As a 15-year-old sophomore, she piled up 10 goals and nine assists on 28 regular season games. Knowing all that and seeing her at the moment she came out of the Wildcats dressing room, my thought was some university team should sign her to a scholarship right there if they could. My gut feeling was this was a player you want on your team, because her teammates will see someone that will go to war with them and bring her best at all times.

    Last season, Smith had an impressive 16-year-old campaign collecting 13 goals and 19 assists in 26 games to lead the Wildcats in scoring. She added another four goals and nine assists in 12 playoff games as the Wildcats advanced to the best-of-five SFMAAAHL championship series, where they fell in four games to the Stars.

    Anytime you went to a Wildcats game, you knew you were going to see a pretty good performance from Smith.

    Despite what happened on the play where she drilled Elia, Smith has played tough and avoided sitting lengthy stretches in the penalty box. In 84 career regular season games with the Wildcats, she only has 38 minutes in penalties.

    Smith will play for Saskatchewan’s provincial team at the National Women’s Under-18 Championship that runs Nov. 9 to 13 in Regina. It wouldn’t be surprising to see her make an impact in that best-versus-best event.

    When she joins the Huskies in the fall of 2017, Smith will see a few familiar faces. The U of S roster contains a trio of her former Wildcats teammates in Brooklyn Haubrich, Kayla Kirwan and Jasey Book. That group will help Smith make the transition to the next level.

    If she continues to play to her present power forward form, she has the potential to be a popular player in the green and white.

Huskies men’s team closes sweep with blowout win

Parker Thomas was one of seven goal scorers for the Huskies on Saturday.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team showed the all out power they could potentially have this season in an impressive win over the UBC Thunderbirds on Saturday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink.

    The Huskies thrashed the Thunderbirds 7-0, and the goals came off the sticks of seven different players. Parker Thomas, Jesse Forsberg, Kendall McFaull, Jordan Fransoo, Josh Roach, John Lawrence and Levi Cable all netted singles.

    Jordon Cooke made 28 saves to earn the shutout in the U of S goal.

    Matt Hewitt turned away 23-of-29 shots before being pulled at the 10:28 mark of the third period. Derek Dun stopped four-of-five shots in relief.

    The Huskies were an impressive 5-for-8 on the power play, and they killed off all six power-plays the Thunderbirds were given.

    U of S swept a two-game series with UBC having already earned a 4-1 victory on Friday night at Rutherford.

    The Huskies were ranked first in the Canada West pre-season coaches’ poll. Thanks to a strong recruiting class and a solid group of returning players, the Huskies have a good chance to repeat as conference champions.

    With that in mind, they are only two games into their regular season, and there is still a long way to go.

    The Huskies return to action this Friday and Saturday when they travel to Edmonton to face their forever rivals the University of Alberta Golden Bears, who are opening their regular season slate. U of S swept away U of A in last season’s best-of-three Canada West championship series.

These upcoming encounters will provide a big test.

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

Bitz thankful for Hilltops blitz surprise

Rookie DB gets first sack in 43-9 romp of Wildcats

Hilltops DB Logan Bitz sacks Wildcats QB Austin Ericson.

    Logan Bitz almost couldn’t believe the Thanksgiving Day weekend surprise the Saskatoon Hilltops coaching staff had in store for him.

    Shortly before halftime of the Hilltops clash with the Edmonton Wildcats on Sunday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the rookie defensive back received a play call from the Saskatoon coaching staff for him to blitz the quarterback from the halfback position. As Hilltops defensive coordinator Jeff Yausie very rarely calls a blitz play, Bitz looked towards the bench to see if the call was for real.

    Looking at Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant, Bitz knew the call was indeed a genuine one.

    “Sarge looked at me, and he gave me that look that if I don’t do good it is never going to be called again,” said Bitz. “I just made the most of my opportunity and had a good time with it.”

    The Saskatoon St. Joseph High School graduate came clean off the edge and blindsided Wildcats backup quarterback Austin Ericson. Bitz could feel a surge of excitement as he neared the Edmonton signal caller.

Logan Bitz has turned heads as a rookie.

    “It is pretty good as a DB to get your first sack of your career,” said Bitz, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 170 pounds. “It felt good.

    “Normally I am in pass coverage, so it feels nice to get an open shot on some guy and then just celebrate with my teammates.”

    The Hilltops made a whole host of big plays in a 43-9 romp over the Wildcats in the Canadian Junior Football League regular season clash. Saskatoon piled up 625 yards of net offence, while holding Edmonton to 126 offensive yards. During the onslaught, the Wildcats lost started quarterback Colton Hippe to a broken leg in the second quarter on what seemed like a routine tackle.

    For Bitz, the win and his sack continued what has been a memorable rookie campaign. He was named a co-winner of the Prairie Football Conference’s special teams player of the week award after the Hilltops thumped the Okanagan Sun 58-2 on Sept. 17 in Kelowna, B.C.

    Bitz has earned a spot on the 40-man travel roster for three of the Hilltops four road games so far this season. Overall, he loves the atmosphere with the team.

    “It is amazing,” said Bitz. “It is a real family oriented thing. Everyone is friends with everybody.

    “It is really good. They do lots of family activities. Families are just really involved.”

    Against the Wildcats on Sunday, the Hilltops jumped out to a 10-0 lead after the first quarter and increased their advantage to 40-7 by halftime.

    Starting quarterback Jared Andreychuk completed 11-of-16 passes for 279 yards, four touchdown passes and no interceptions. He connected with Sam Mike on two aerial TDs from 65 and nine yards out. Andreychuk also hit Jay Price with a 48-yard touchdown strike and Ryan Turple with a 25-yard major through the air.

Hilltops DB Logan Bitz celebrates his quarterback sack.

    Late in the second quarter, the Hilltops coaches pulled Andreychuk to allow backups Jordan Walls and Tyler Hermann to finish out things in relief.

    Price had three catches for 118 yards, while Mike caught five passes for 106 yards. Rooking running back Joshua Ewanchyna piled up 106 yards rushing on seven carries and scored one touchdown along the ground.

    Defensive end Blake Hermann had a sack and blocked a punt. The Hilltops also received another punt block from defensive lineman Riley Pickett.

    James Vause kicked two 25-yard field goals for the hosts.

    Receiver Isaac Fagnan accounted for the Wildcats lone major score on a 95-yard kickoff return. Both teams conceded one safety touch.

    Bitz wants to help the Hilltops win a third straight Canadian Bowl, and he believes in the team’s mantra of helping send the fifth year players out on a big high. On a personal level, he said a national championship win would set a big standard for the rest of his own career.

Receiver Ryan Turple jukes a Wildcats DB on a 25-yard TD reception.

    With that in mind, Bitz knows it is a big challenge for a rookie to keep making the Hilltops 40-man travel roster and later the playoff roster. He aims to keep playing well enough to stay on the field.

    “I am just excited to keep going and hopefully keep playing,” said Bitz. “This game was a game that it was helping decide that top 40 going into playoffs and obviously next week going to Winnipeg. I am just excited to see if I do go or not.”

    With the win, the Hilltops improve to 7-1 to stick second in the PFC. They are trying to chase down the Calgary Colts, who fell to 7-1 on Sunday after dropping a 30-23 decision to the Thunder in Regina. The Thunder sit fourth in the PFC with a 4-4 mark.

    The Colts hold the tiebreaker in the standings over the Hilltops taking the only head-to-head meeting between the two squads 36-21 back on Aug. 28 in Saskatoon.

Hilltops guard Drayke Unger rumbles downfield on a rare carry.

    Saskatoon can still finish first in the PFC depending on a couple of results in the final weekend of play for the regular season. The Hilltops need to down the Rifles (2-6) this coming Sunday in Winnipeg and hope the Colts fall to the Edmonton Huskies (5-3) this coming Saturday in Edmonton. The Huskies, who are third in the PFC, and Thunder have locked up the conference’s final two playoff berths.

    The Wildcats fell to 0-8, and they close their schedule this coming Sunday in Edmonton against the Thunder.

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

Blades’ Flodell slams door on Winterhawks

Logan Flodell makes one of his 34 stops to power the Blades past Portland.

    Logan Flodell has become the man of the hour during the early part of the WHL season for the Saskatoon Blades.

    The 19-year-old Regina product continued his hot start making 34 stops to help his Blades slip past a high flying Portland Winterhawks 3-1 before 3,016 spectators Saturday night at the SaskTel Centre. 

    In his four starts with the Blades since coming over in a trade with the Seattle Thunderbirds on Sept. 17, Flodell has posted a 3-1 record, a 1.75 goals against average, a .947 save percentage and one shutout.

    Flodell’s latest win came on the heels of making a 31-save shutout performance on Thursday, when the Blades blanked their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders 2-0.

    “It is good to get the win for the boys,” said Flodell, who team has won three straight to improve to 4-2. “Definitely, they played really well in front of me.

    “They kept the shots to outside like they did last game against P.A., and it is always good to get another win.”

Blades goaltender Logan Flodell keeps the Winterhawks at bay.

    Last season with the Thunderbirds, Flodell had a strong campaign appearing in 42 regular season games posting a 22-13-4 record, a 2.68 goals against average, a .904 save percentage and three shutouts. He was Seattle’s starter until the Thunderbirds acquired overage netminder Landon Bow in a deal shortly before the WHL’s trade deadline.

    Bow played every minute of the post-season for the Thunderbirds as they marched all the way to the WHL championship series, where they fell to the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Flodell was expecting to be with the Thunderbirds this season, so being traded didn’t cross his mind.

    “Definitely, it was a bit of a shock,” said Flodell, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 166 pounds. “I wasn’t aware of it until I got told of course.

Blades goalie Logan Flodell tracks a shot into his chest.

    “I am honoured to be here. It is a great organization. I am proud to play for the Saskatoon Blades.

    “Seattle was an amazing city to play in, and I thank them for everything. It is awesome to be here.”

    He did admit it was difficult to leave the only WHL team that he had known, which contained a roster of core guys he has grown with.

    “We had a great group of guys last year, and they have a good group of guys this year,” said Flodell. “It was tough leaving a bunch of good friends.

    “It is hockey. You get traded all the time. They have a great group of guys here, and we are going to make the experiences last.”

    The Blades jumped ahead 1-0 in Saturday’s game, when high energy right-winger Mason McCarty potted his third of the season on a turnaround shot. Before the first period ended, Jake Gricius potted a goal for the Winterhawks to tie the score at 1-1.

    With 2:44 to play in the second, left-winger Braylon Shmyr scored an absolute highlight reel goal for the hosts to put the Blades ahead 2-1. Shmyr came flying down the left win on a one-on-one rush, undressed Winterhawks defenceman Henri Jokiharju on a deke move and roofed a shot top corner on goaltender Kole Kehler.

Braylon Shmyr scores a highlight reel goal to put the Blades up 2-1.

    Over the first 40 minutes, Flodell kept making key saves to give the Blades a chance to pull ahead. Portland held a 21-14 edge in shots after two periods.

    In the third, he made a couple of game-saving stops that could have gotten the visitors rolling. First, Flodell robbed Winterhawks centre Alex Overhardt with a kick save after the visitors put together a pretty passing play on a three-on-one rush to create a golden scoring chance for the Cherry Hills, Colorado, product. A short time later, Flodell stoned Portland right-winger Evan Weinger on a breakaway.

    Last season, the Blades didn’t receive enough of these type of key saves, when they gave up the second most goals in the league at 318. Blades head coach Dean Brockman said Flodell’s play has been key to helping his club get some traction heading into games.

    “He (Flodell) had been huge,” said Brockman. “We’ve got a pretty young group.

    “When you’ve got young players and if they are going to make mistakes, he has been there to kind of solve the little mistakes that we are making. For us, that is huge. When you get a guy that is playing as well as he is, probably the puck looks like a beach ball right now for him.”

The Blades celebrate their 3-1 victory over the Winterhawks.

    Centre Josh Paterson sealed the win for the Blades with an empty-net tally with 64 seconds remaining in the contest.

    Kehler turned away 20-of-22 shots taking the loss in goal for the Winterhawks, who fell to 5-3.

Flodell was also pleased he didn’t feel any fatigue playing in two games over three nights. He noted that is part of life in the WHL.

    “I felt pretty good in there,” said Flodell. “It is what you have to do, especially if you want to be a starting goaltender.

    “You have to be able to play back to back. I thought I did pretty well tonight.”

The Blades return to action Sunday when they host the Edmonton Oil Kings at 2 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

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

Huskies good out of the gate

Dogs dump Thunderbirds 4-1 in regular season opener

Jordan Fransoo starts a rush up ice for the Huskies.

    Matt Hewitt couldn’t hold off the University of Saskatchewan Huskies forever.

    The fourth-year goaltender from the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds men’s hockey team looked poised to steal the regular season opening game between the two squads on Friday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink. Hewitt was standing on his head turning away the various waves of pressure applied by the Huskies, but his armour finally cracked.

    With 4:01 to play in the second period, third-year defenceman Jordan Fransoo snuck home a point shot to put the Huskies up 1-0. The tally came on the Huskies sixth power-play opportunity and proved to be a just reward for all the chances the hosts were creating.

    At the 2:15 mark of the third period, the Huskies offence continued to roll when centre Logan McVeigh slipped home his first of the season. Just over four minutes later while working on another power play, McVeigh picked up his second goal of the game tapping home a loose puck in the crease of the UBC net to put the Dogs up 3-0.

The Huskies crash in on Thunderbirds goaltender Matt Hewitt.

    Thunderbirds forward Luke Lockhart replied with a single with 4:57 to play to cut the Huskies lead to 3-1, but that was as close as the visitors would get.

    The Huskies locked things down defensively, and Michael Sofillas potted an empty net goal to cement a 4-1 victory.

    U of S enters the current campaign as defending Canada West champions, and for the first time out, the Huskies had to be satisfied with their effort. Hewitt turned away 33 of 36 shots to allow the Thunderbirds to stay in a contest, where they spent numerous stretches getting pinned in their own zone.

    Jordon Cooke, who was named the most outstanding goaltender for Canadian Interuniversity Sport last season, turned away 18 shots to steady the Huskies in their own end.

    U of S also has a lineup that features nine first-year players, which included a good looking forward line made up of Carson Stadnyk, Wyatt Johnson and Connor Gay. The recruiting class was filled with individuals who had outstanding careers in the Western Hockey League, which was one of the reasons the Dogs topped the Canada West pre-season coaches’ poll.

    With a huge influx of new players, one had to wonder how quickly it would take this new group to jell.

    Early on, it’s apparent the chemistry is coming. The Huskies rolled four forward lines that came at the Thunderbirds with speed. In all reality, the home side likely deserved to be rewarded with a few more goals.

Veternan D Connor Cox had two assists for the Huskies.

    The power play looked sound and going 2-for-7 with the man advantage puts a big check mark in that area. The Huskies also killed off all five power play chances the Thunderbirds had, which included a five-minute kill, when Huskies left-winger Jaimen Yakubowski was given a major penalty for checking from behind and a game misconduct.

    That power-play chance came just over four minutes in the second period, when the contest was still tied 0-0. On that kill, the Huskies never let UBC really get set offensively, and the visitors were constantly sent back into their own zone after the Dogs cleared the puck down the ice.

    While the Huskies turned heads with the newcomers they brought in, the returnees accounted for all the offence, which included two assist nights coming from fourth-year defenceman Connor Cox and fourth-year winger Josh Roach.

    The Huskies and Thunderbirds will go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink. With the way the Huskies looked and considering the potential they could reach, a ticket buyer will never go wrong in making a trip to the U of S campus to see this group in action.

Vilgrain too much for Huskies women’s team to handle

Cassidy Hendricks made 19 stops in the Huskies setback to the Thunderbirds.

    The newest addition to the roster of the UBC Thunderbirds women’s hockey team had an impressive coming out party at the expense of the U of Saskatchewan Huskies on Friday night in Vancouver.

    Calgary product Cassandra Vilgrain transferred to the Thunderbirds from the University of New Hampshire Wildcats of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and potted a goal and two assists to lead her new team to a 4-0 regular season opening victory over the U of S. Vilgrain is in her fourth year of eligibility, and she gives the Thunderbirds, who enter the season as defending Canada West champs, an added dimension offensively.

    Nicole Saxvik, Alexa Ranahan and Madison Patrick, who is the older sister of Brandon Wheat Kings star and high first round NHL draft prospect Nolan Patrick, all picked up singles for the Thunderbirds. Amelia Boughn made 17 stops to earn the shutout in the UBC goal.

    Fifth-year veteran Cassidy Hendricks turned away 19 shots taking the loss in goal for the Huskies.

U of S held a 9-4 edge in shots on goal after the first period before momentum swung in the Thunderbirds favour, when Saxvik opened the game’s scoring 3:51 into the second period.

    The two teams go at it again on Saturday in Vancouver.

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

Can hockey Huskies roll again?

Captain Kendall McFaull celebrates netting a Huskies goal.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team won’t be sneaking up on anyone this time.

    Entering the 2015-16 campaign, the Huskies had expectations to do well, but those expectations were tempered after posting a 10-15-3 mark in 2014-15, which ended a run of 18 straight seasons where the Dogs posted a winning record. Doubts were put to rest quickly.

    The Huskies seemed to be on a magical ride in 2015-16 cruising to the top of the Canada West standings with a 22-6 mark. Their 22 wins matched a club record, which occurred in the 1999-2000 campaign with a 22-3-3 mark and in 1987-88 with a 22-5-1 record.

    They played an exciting and wide open style offensively, while remaining sound in the defensive zone. Goaltending was rock solid thanks to Jordon Cooke, who won the award as the top netminder in Canadian Interuniversity Sport after posting a 19-5 record, a .921 save percentage, a 2.52 goals against average and two shutouts.

    The Huskies were also pushed by an emotional spark playing to honour the memory of alumni Cody Smuk, who passed away of cancer in late June of 2015. Smuk’s number was retired before a home game on Oct. 24, 2015, and the Huskies warmed up at home all season all wearing Smuk’s #24 jersey.

    In the playoffs, the Huskies swept away the U of Calgary Dinos in a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series and pulled out the broom again to take down their forever rivals the U of Alberta Golden Bears in the Canada West championship series. Both rounds were playing in front of raucous crowds at the ancient Rutherford Rink.

    After taking the Canada West title, the Huskies brought out Smuk’s parents, father Marty and mother Darla, and his fiancée Stephanie Vause to be part of the on ice team picture.

    It seemed like everything was lining up to create a feeling that the Huskies would win their first CIS title since 1983 no matter what the odds were.

    At the University Cup in Halifax, N.S., the Huskies dropped a 2-1 triple overtime heartbreaker to the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men in a semifinal match. U of S closed the tournament falling 5-2 in the bronze medal contest to the St. Mary’s University Huskies 5-2.

    Entering the 2016-17 campaign, the Huskies top the pre-season Canada West coaches’ poll. They open the regular season on Friday hosting the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds at 7 p.m. at Rutherford.

    Emotion will not likely play as big of a role this time around. Captain Kendall McFaull, Connor Cox, John Lawrence and Josh Roach are the only remaining Huskies players who were teammates with Smuk in his final season in 2013-14.

    They also have to make up for the loss of last season’s fifth year graduates in Zak Stebner and Matthew Spafford. Stebner was a sound defensive defenceman and a calming presence in the dressing room. Spafford brought heart and character to the squad, which made him arguably the team’s most popular play amongst the student body at the U of S campus.

    The Huskies return a strong core including last year’s team scoring leader in Kohl Bauml and goals leader Levi Cable. That group will have to jell with an outstanding group of nine first-year players that made the final cuts topped by standout forwards Alex Forsberg, Connor Gay and Carson Stadnyk. If the returnees and newcomers establish chemistry early, the Huskies have the potential to be more formidable than last season.

    The 2016-17 campaign will eventually write its own unique tale. The Huskies might just add another impressive chapter to their already storied history.

Familiar new face behind bench for Huskies women’s team

Kaitlin Willoughby was at Hockey Canada's Women's Development camp.

    The U of S Huskies women’s team enter the 2016-17 campaign with new but familiar face taking over as head coach on a one-year interim basis.

    Former captain Robin Ulrich will be the Huskies new top bench boss as Steve Kook takes a professional leave of absence. Ulrich played defence for the Huskies from 2004-09 and was named a Canada West first team all-star and won the conference’s student-athlete community award.

    Ulrich was an assistant coach with the team the past five seasons. The last two were a little less involved than the first three due to becoming a high school physical education teacher at Lampman School.

    She is extremely popular with the alumnae of the Huskies women’s team, who will no doubt be pulling for her, and she is surrounded by a strong support staff of assistant coaches.

    Ulrich also comes in knowing most of the players. The Huskies still have eight holdovers from their 2013-14 Canada West championship winning team, when Ulrich was a full-time assistant coach. The vets will no doubt ease the transition for the new bench boss.

    Fourth-year forward Kaitlin Willoughby tops the list of key returnees. The Prince Albert, Sask., product had an exciting summer attending Hockey Canada’s Women’s Development camp in August.

Cassidy Hendricks returns for her fifth and final season looking to add to her Huskies record for most career regular season wins, which currently sits at 46.

    Veteran forwards Lauren Zary and Rachel Johnson will likely give a strong punch to the offence, while Alyssa Dobler and Kira Bannatyne will be key in anchoring the back end in the defensive zone.

    Second-year defender Leah Bohlken will see an increased role as a quarterback on the power play, and former Weyburn Gold Wings captain Bailee Bourassa has the potential to chip in a few goals in her rookie campaign.

    Intensity won’t likely be a problem for the Huskies on their opening weekend. They travel to Vancouver to take on the defending Canada West champion University of British Columbia Thunderbirds on Friday and Saturday. Over the past couple of seasons, the battles between the Huskies and Thunderbirds have usually gotten a bit chippy.

    During the past two campaigns, offensive has come at a premium in Canada West women’s play. If the Huskies can find a groove early offensively, it might give them a bigger boost in the long run.

Back in the Express with Lukowich looking up to Howe

Former NHLer Morris Lukowich is a great story teller.

    I was back in the Saskatoon Express this week with a story that was pretty fun to write.

    I caught up with Morris Lukowich, who scored his fair share of goals playing in the NHL from 1979 to 1987. Lukowich, who grew up playing minor hockey in Saskatoon in the 1960s and early 1970s, looked up to the late Gordie Howe.

    Always the great story teller, Lukowich talked about his first meeting with the hockey icon and later becoming his teammate with the Houston Aeros of the now defunct World Hockey Association.
    Drafted by both the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL and the Aeros after starring for the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, Lukowich had the chance to hang out with Howe on a recruiting trip to Houston.
    That story can be found right here.

Leafs/Sens game was great for those who got there

    The biggest challenge of watch Tuesday night’s NHL pre-season game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators might have been just getting there.

    When I went to the game, I arrived at the junction of 51^st Street and Idylwyld Drive at about 6:30 p.m., and it took me 50 minutes to get from there to the SaskTel Centre. I didn’t even get to the arena’s parking lot. I parked at a used car dealership on Marquis Drive and booted it to the rink to make it inside by puck drop due to fact I was covering the game for The Canadian Press.

    Upon arriving at the SaskTel Centre’s main entrance, it looked like there was only one open route into the parking lot and no cars were coming in off Bill Hunter Avenue.

    The SaskTel Centre staff played damage control posting on Twitter, “Folks in traffic… our ingress plan is the same as Rush games and Garth Brooks. No specific reason for the congestion.”

    After seeing that Tweet, I started to question if I saw what I really saw. I attended the last two National Lacrosse League playoff games for the Saskatchewan Rush, which were sold out, and I remember cars streaming in off Bill Hunter Avenue.

    The locals that called into talk radio in Saskatoon on Wednesday morning seemed to see the same thing I did when it came to getting to the SaskTel Centre on Tuesday night.

    The frustration of getting in turned out to be a minor headache due to the fact the game itself was great and way better than the NHL pre-season games that were held at the SaskTel Centre the past two years.

    The Leafs and Senators iced lineups that will be close to the ones they use in the regular season. Ottawa pulled out a 3-2 victory after Bobby Ryan scored 21 seconds into overtime. Ryan scored on a nice backdoor play, while his side was working the power play. As for other thoughts on the night:

•         The first period fight between Senators right-winger Chris Neal and Leafs agitator Brandon Prust was a dandy. Both guys were throwing bombs, which really engaged the crowd.
•          Most of the 13,094 in attendance were cheering for the Leafs. At times, you almost through you were in the Air Canada Centre due to the number of “Go Leafs Go” chants that filled the air. The fans also booed Senators defenceman and former Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf almost every time he touched the puck.
•          Young forwards Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner both showed really good jump for the Leafs. Here is hoping the two 19-year-olds can keep up their respective efforts in the regular season.
•          The player who had the toughest luck was Leafs 22-year-old prospect goaltender Antoine Bibeau. He entered the contest at the start of the third period, and besides coming in cold, he barely faced any shots. Bibeau gave up two goals on the four shots and ended up being the netminder that took the loss on the night. He came into the game with the Leafs trailing 1-0, saw his side take a 2-1 advantage before he let two tallies in to take the loss.
•          The story I wrote for The Canadian Press on this contest can be found 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.

New Mosaic gets “A” grade

Rams down Huskies 37-29 in first game at new stadium

Rams LB Michael Stefanovic cuts off Huskies RB Tyler Chow.

    REGINA - It is safe to say the 16,500 patrons that took in the first event at new Mosaic Stadium were satisfied to say the least about Saskatchewan’s new state of the art sports facility.

    The host University of Regina Rams and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies engaged in the first contest and overall event held at new Mosaic on Saturday afternoon before a record crowd to witness a Canada West conference football match. The attendance mark broke the previous football record of 10,199 for a match between the U of Manitoba Bisons and the U of Alberta Golden Bears at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg on Aug. 30, 2013.

    The clash between the Rams and the Huskies also surpassed the overall attendance record for a Canada West contest, when 12,859 spectators took in a men’s hockey match between the U of Calgary Dinos and the Mount Royal University Cougars on Jan. 21 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary.

Part of the crowd of 16,500 that attended the Rams vs. Huskies clash.

    Until Saturday’s contest, the largest attendance for a university level football game in Saskatchewan since the Rams joined the Canadian Interuniversity Sport ranks in 1999 came back on Nov. 25, 2006.      
    On that day 12,567 spectators crammed into Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon to see the host Huskies fall to the Universite Laval Rouge et Or 13-8 in that year’s Vanier Cup.

    New Mosaic Stadium gets an “A” grade for its first event. As far as the fan experience goes, there were small quicks like the fact it was hard to hear the public address system in the end zone seats and the massive new big video screen wasn’t working yet to provide replays.

    With that said, there isn’t a bad seat in the house that cost $278-million to build. The site lines from any spot in the facility are great. It is also nice to sit in a sizable theatre seat as opposed to being crammed on to the bench seats of old Mosaic Stadium.

Rams QB Noah Picton throws the first TD at new Mosaic.

    The spot that received the most compliments was the standing room area in the south end zone. If you are on the lowest level of that space, it feels like you can reach out and touch the play. It is also in perfect position for players to attempt a “Lambeau Leap” after scoring a touchdown.

    It was easy to move along the spacious concourse area with the exception of the one corner where a big beer selling and barbeque food area was set up. There was more than ample washroom space as well, which was something that obviously lacked at old Mosaic.

    With that said, there were the odd fans in one men’s washroom that joked they would miss the troughs that existed in the old stadium.

    Saturday’s game also provided a little glimpse as far as atmosphere goes at least on a possible CFL level. It was easy to see that the majority of the fans that came to the Rams/Huskies game were mainly fans of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and maybe only casual fans of the university game. Their obvious first purpose was to see what Roughriders new home would look like.

    That curiousity was share by a number of Roughriders players who were also present for the CIS clash.

    Most spectators that attend Rams or Huskies football contests lean more to being university football fans first and CFL fans second.

Rams receiver Ryan Schienbein scores the first touchdown at new Mosaic.

    The influx of new spectators provided a rare opportunity for the Rams and Huskies to showcase the university game to a new audience. The two teams did not disappoint.

    The game’s first half contained a myriad of spectacular offensive football plays, which saw the Rams take a 24-18 lead into the halftime break. The first touchdown at the new stadium came courtesy of an 11-yard catch by Rams receiver Ryan Schienbein from quarterback Noah Picton near the midway point of the first quarter to give the hosts an early 7-0 edge.

    The newcomers apparently liked what they saw and most stuck around for the second half, where the Rams surged ahead 37-18 by the end of the third quarter and held off a Huskies fourth quarter rally to pull out the 37-29 win. The victory allowed the Rams to remain first in Canada West at 4-1, while the Huskies remained in fifth place at 2-3.

The standing area was a hit at new Mosaic.

    The teams made errors inside of the contest’s final two minutes, but ardent university fans were the ones that mainly moaned about those mishaps.

    Picton’s reputation has grown as the CIS season has progressed as possibly being a CIS most valuable player candidate, and he gave the new spectators a show completing 29-of-42 passes for 370 yards, four touchdown passes and two interceptions. Schienbein was the favourite target hauling in 13 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns.

    The fans seemed to be draw into the game, and you could feel the crowd noise. The wave also started up in the fourth quarter to provide another nice touch.

    There is a realistic relation that this might be the only university football match many of the newcomers - who mainly watch CFL clashes - will take in for some time.

The Rams celebrate their victory at new Mosaic.

    If even a small percentage decide to attend future Rams and Huskies home games, that development would be a good bonus.

    Now the wait is on for new Mosaic’s big test, which will be the first time it hosts a Roughriders game. Thanks to Saturday’s university contest, the first CFL game has a huge head start on being a big hit.

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

Déjà vu for Hilltops at old Mosaic Stadium

Saskatoon posts second straight comeback win in Regina

Tailback Joshua Ewanchyna scores the Hilltops winning TD

    REGINA - The Saskatoon Hilltops last old Mosaic moment was a déjà vu one in the comeback department.
    On Saturday night at old Mosaic Stadium, the venerable Hilltops fell behind the host Regina Thunder 26-16 with 2:21 to play in the fourth quarter, when Thunder backup quarterback Brock Sich scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak. The Toppers were down, but not out in the Canadian Junior Football League clash.

    The visitors rallied with two touchdowns to pull out a 30-26 victory before 2,301 spectators. First, quarterback Jared Andreychuk hit receiver Sam Mike on an 18-yard touchdown toss with 1:37 to play to cut the Thunder lead to 26-23.

    After forcing the Thunder to go two-and-out on their ensuing series, the Hilltops drove down to the Regina one with the aid of three big Thunder penalties. From the one, Hilltops running back Joshua Ewanchyna ran in the winning score with 48 seconds to play.

Jared Andreychuk led another Hilltops rally.

    “It was unreal,” said Andreychuk. “We got down a little bit late.

    “Our spirits were down a little bit, but we had a shot, and we took advantage of it. We got into hurry up offence, and you don’t have to think about things. You just do it.

    “They started playing cover three (zone defence) in the fourth, and we took advantage of that, and we made some things happen.”

    The final Thunder series ended quickly. On their first play after the returning the Hilltops kickoff, Thunder starting quarterback Sawyer Buettner was intercepted by linebacker Cody Peters to seal the Saskatoon victory.

    Andreychuk had a huge night completing 21-of-43 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns. Besides Mike’s fourth quarter catch, Andreychuk hit running back Logan Fischer for a six-yard scoring throw in the second quarter and Mike for a 14-yard scoring connection in the third quarter.

    The fifth-year signal contributions grew in importance after Fischer left the game with a lower body injury shortly before halftime.

    “We had to put the ball in Jared’s hands, and he embraced that,” said Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant. “The receivers stepped up.

    “Our passing game is getting better and better. We are ready for bigger and better things. You win these games that is character.”

Linebacker Cody Peters makes an interception for the Hilltops.

    Saskatoon’s victory at old Mosaic almost mirrored their trip to the historic facility last season. Just over a year ago on Sept. 12, 2015, the Hilltops trailed the Thunder 25-10 heading into the fourth quarter but rallied for a 26-25 victory. Andreychuk hit slotback Evan Turkington with the winning touchdown pass with 75 seconds to play in that contest, and linebacker Cole Benkic sealed the win with an interception after the Hilltops went ahead late.

    “I had déjà vu a couple of times in that game,” said Andreychuk. “Definitely that back shoulder throw to Sam (Mike) in the third quarter kind of got that going a little bit.

    “It kind of reminded me of Turk (Turkington) last year at the end of the game. It was just a fun one.”

    Buettner connected on 29-of-50 passes for 319 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in the loss for the Thunder on Saturday. Receiver Kristopher Calcutt made an acrobatic 10-yard reception in the third quarter to account for the Thunder’s major through the air.

    The teams entered the fourth quarter locked in a 16-16 tie. Early in the fourth quarter, Thunder kicker James Reid booted a 21-yard field goal to give the hosts a 19-16 lead to set the stage for the dramatics in the final three minutes of the game.

Sawyer Buettner fires a pass downfield for the Thunder.

    Reid also hit field goals from 38, 30 and 17 yards out in the contest to round out the home side’s scoring. The Hilltops scoring was rounded out by a conceded safety by the Thunder and a long punt single by Des Vessey. The Hilltops failed to convert one of their convert attempts due to a botched snap.

    Since falling 36-21 to the Calgary Colts at Saskatoon Minor Football Field on Aug. 28, the Hilltops have won their last four straight games to improve to 6-1.

    “From the Calgary game until now, we are a totally different team,” said Sargeant. “I have a proud coaching staff.

    “They have a belief in how we do business, and the players always respond and do what we need them to do.

    “What I am so proud about is we stay the process, we believe in each other, we coach hard and they play hard and good results happen.”

Hilltops DL Dillon Buckle closes in on a Thunder ball carrier.

    With two games left on their regular season schedule, the Hilltops are ensured of at least a second place finish in the Prairie Football Conference, and they will host a first round playoff match. The Colts lead the conference standings with a 6-0 mark.

    The Thunder fall to 3-4 to sit fourth in the PFC.

    The Hilltops return to action on Oct. 9, when they host the Edmonton Wildcats at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Thunder will host the Colts at 1 p.m. at old Mosaic Stadium also on Oct. 9.

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