Blades OT victory is Flortastic

Newcomer Florchuk nets winner in 4-3 victory over Pats

Eric Florchuk celebrates his OT winner with for the Blades.

    Eric Florchuk welcome to Saskatoon.

    Acquired just before the WHL trade deadline on Jan. 10 in a deal with the Victoria Royals, the Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., product had a head turning performance in his first home game with the Saskatoon Blades. The skilled left-winger scored the Blades first goal on Saturday night at the SaskTel Centre.

    He finished the night tipping home a shot from centre Kirby Dach at the 1:37 mark of overtime to deliver the Blades to a 4-3 overtime victory against the Memorial Cup hosting Regina Pats. Florchuk’s goal sparked the crowd of 4,346 into a frenzy minus the sizable contingent in attendance that came to cheer for the Pats.

    “These games help bring a team together,” said Florchuk, who was selected in the first round and 13^th overall in the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft. “I think this game today was a huge start for us going forward.

Eric Florchuk scored twice for the Blades.

    “These guys have made me feel like I am at home, part of the team. It has been awesome here.”

    Florchuk debuted with the Blades in the three road contests they played before Saturday’s game. Saskatoon posted one victory in that stretch. Florchuk collected four assists in those outings, but the win over the Pats marked the first time he found the back of the net with the Saskatoon side.

    Against the Pats, the Blades coaching staff placed Florchuk on a line with Dach at centre and Max Gerlach at right wing. Florchuk and Dach, who was selected in the first round and second overall by the Blades in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft, grew up playing hockey together in Fort Saskatchewan. Dach returned to the Blades lineup on Saturday after missing 10 games due to an upper body injury.

    Florchuk said he found his chemistry with Dach along with a few other forwards.

    “I think that the organization really wanted me,” said Florchuk. “There was probably a good fit for me being here playing with Kirby (Dach) before growing up with minor hockey all through our years.

    “Even playing with Chase Wouters, it was a great fit for me.”

    The Blades got off to a good start on the scoreboard going ahead 2-0 in the first period with Florchuk’s first goal of the game and a tally from Wouters.

Chase Wouters had a first period goal for the Blades.

    Wouters converted a nice setup pass from overage left-winger Braylon Shmyr from across the face of the Regina goal on a rush.

    While the Blades had the early edge, a now deep Pats team that experienced a big makeover with a number of deals in the days leading up to the WHL trade deadline came at the home side in waves and carried play for much of the contest.

    Nolan Maier, who is the Blades outstanding rookie goalie who turned 17-years-old earlier this month, put on a clinic making miraculous save after miraculous save.

    The Pats pushed back to take a 3-2 lead, but the goals came grudgingly against a determined Maier. Pats overage left-winger Jesse Gabrielle scored with 1:47 to play in the first period to cut the Blades lead to 2-1.

    Former Blades winger and Saskatoon product Cameron Hebig scored for the Pats at the 5:32 mark of the second period to force a 2-2 tie. The Pats acquired Hebig in a deal just before the WHL trade deadline on Jan. 10.

    With 1:17 to play in the second period, Pats superstar captain Sam Steel tucked home a puck close in on the Saskatoon goal to give the visitors a 3-2 edge.

Nolan Maier makes one of his 45 saves on Saturday night.

    While the Pats worked their way into the lead, Maier said his team’s confidence didn’t waiver, and he thought his side’s intensity was where it needed to be.

    “We knew they had some key players in the lineup,” said Maier. “Their whole team is there, and that is what they are going to have for Memorial Cup.

    “We were just really fired up. After not having a very strong weekend by us in our Central (Division) road trip, we needed this one.”

    The Blades came out with a determined effort in the third period. With 7:38 to play in the frame, Blades overage captain Evan Fiala wired home the equalizer to force a 3-3 tie to the top right corner of the Regina goal past Pats rookie netminder Max Paddock.

    That tally set the stage for the dramatic finish in overtime.

Pats captain Sam Steel, left, take the puck from Max Gerlach of the Blades.

    Blades head coach Dean Brockman was pleased to see Florchuk and Dach come through in the clutch along with the effort his side put in.

    “That was the hardest working game we’ve played for a while, so that is a good sign,” said Brockman. “He (Florchuk) made some good plays going to the net and went to the net with your stick down as everybody should tell you.

    “Kirby (Dach) made some good plays to get it (the puck) to him. We talk about getting contributions from everybody, and those guys made theirs tonight.”
    Maier made 45 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Paddock turned away 28 shots to take the setback on goal for the Pats.

    Brockman said Saturday’s victory should do wonders for building team unity.

The Blades celebrate their overtime victory.

    “The old cliché is winning is a lot better than losing,” said Brockman. “When you win, you have to gain some confidence.

    “We lost a little bit on the road and gained it back here tonight.”

    The Blades improved to 23-21-2-1 to hold the second wildcard spot in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. The Pats record moves to 24-20-5, and they hold the first wildcard sport in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a four point edge on the Blades. Saskatoon has two games in hand.

    The Blades return to action on Sunday, when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors (37-7-1-2) at 2 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. The Warriors are entering this contest after enjoying an off day on Saturday. Against the Warriors, the Blades are hosting their “Welcome the World” game, which will feature a citizenship ceremony for about 30 people.

Cooke steals victory for Huskies, sets saves milestone

Jordon Cooke is now third all-time in career saves for the Huskies.

    Jordon Cooke came through with arguable his best performance of the season, when the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team needed it the most.

    On Saturday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, the Huskies superstar netminder turned away all 40 shots he faced to back his side to a 2-0 victory in a U Sports regular season contest over the University of Calgary Dinos before 387 spectators.

    With that performance, Cooke, who is in his fourth year of eligibility, has amassed 2,232 career saves with the Dogs. The 24-year-old Leduc, Alta., product now sits third on the all-time career saves list with the Huskies men’s hockey team.

    Jeff Calvert, who played for the Huskies from 1994 to 1999, now sits fourth on the Huskies career saves list with 2,217 stops. Jeff Harvey, who played for the Huskies from 2005 to 2010, sits second on the Huskies career saves list with 2,308 stops, and Ryan Holfeld, who toiled with the Dogs from 2010 to 2015, tops the Huskies career saves list with 2,602 stops.

    Against the Dinos on Saturday, third-year defenceman MacKenzie Johnston scored to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead in the second period with Josh Roach and Logan McVeigh drawing assists. Roach scored for the Dogs in the third with Colby Harmsworth picking up a helper.

    The clash had a rough ending as Dinos forward Riley Sheen received a head checking major penalty and a game misconduct and Huskies captain Kendall McFaull was given a cross-checking major and a game misconduct with 11 seconds remaining in the third period. Both infractions will likely be reviewed for possible suspensions by Canada West.

    The Huskies, who are rated third in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, improved to 18-3-1 to remain tied for first in the Canada West Conference with the University of Alberta Golden Bears, who are also 18-3-1. The Golden Bears are rated fourth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings. Both teams are guaranteed to host at lead one best-of-three playoff series in the Canada West post-season.

    Matthew Greenfield turned away 24 shots to take the setback in goal for the Dinos. The Dinos fell to 6-13-3 to remain seventh in Canada West.

    The Huskies return to action on Friday, when they travel to Vancouver, B.C., to take on the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.

Vance keeps rolling for Huskies women’s team

Jessica Vance picked up her sixth shutout of the season for the Huskies.

    Another game resulted in another shutout from Jessica Vance.

    The 20-year-old sophomore netminder for the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team made 15 stops to pick up her sixth shutout of the season as the Huskies blanked the U of Calgary Dinos 1-0 in a U Sports regular season clash before 124 spectators at the Father David Bauer Arena in Calgary. In her first full season with the Huskies, Vance has posted a 9-3 record, a 0.84 goals against average and a .961 save percentage.

    Sophomore winger Emily Upgang potted the Huskies lone goal at the 11:05 mark of the third period with linemates captain Kaitlin Willoughby and Brooklyn Haubrich picking up assists.

Kelsey Roberts turned away 38 shots to take the setback in goal for the Dinos.

    The Huskies improved to 14-7-1 to sit fourth in the Canada West Conference. Their win allowed them to lock up a berth and also the right to host at least one best-of-three series in the Canada West playoffs.

    The Dinos fell to 6-14-2 to sit seventh in Canada West.

    Out of the 88 regular season games played to date in the Canada West Conference for women’s hockey, 42 of them have been shutouts. The Huskies lead the conference with nine shutouts as a team, and Vance’s six shutouts have her sitting first for shutouts by an individual goalie.

    The Huskies return to action on Friday, when they host the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

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

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Forsberg hits stride with Huskies

Skilled winger gets in groove after returning from injury

Alex Forsberg (#29) celebrates scoring for the Huskies.

    Alex Forsberg is in his element when he is on the ice playing hockey.

    The 23-year-old rookie left-winger with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team showed that fact off in one shining moment at the ancient Rutherford Rink on Friday night. 

    With his Huskies locked in a 1-1 tie with the visiting University of Calgary Dinos, Forsberg stormed down the right wing on a rush and wired home a shot to the top right corner of the U of C goal to give his side a 2-1 lead at the 4:22 mark of the second period.

    That tally held up to be the winner in a 4-1 Huskies victory in a U Sport regular season clash before about 500 spectators.

Alex Forsberg works rush in the offensive zone.

    “It was good,” said Forsberg of his goal. “I didn’t have the greatest weekend last weekend.

    “I knew I need to be better. It was good to get that one out of the way. It was good to get a win all around.”

    Forsberg came to the Huskies after a stellar overage season playing with the WHL’s Victoria Royals, where he piled up 31 goals and 60 assists in 71 regular season games. He sat out the entire 2016-17 campaign nursing an injured shoulder.

    The Waldheim, Sask., product said being out of the lineup helped from the fact he focused more on adjusting to his classroom studies in the arts and science program. Usually, rookie athletes at the university level go through a period of shock, when they initially start balancing their classroom studies with their sport.

    Still, Forsberg admits he would have liked to have experienced that adjustment last season.

    “I hadn’t actually been in school for three years playing junior, so I was a little bit rusty,” said Forsberg. “Obviously if I could go back, I would play last year no doubt in my mind.

    “I’m happy everything is all healed up, and I am back.”

    In 18 regular season appearances this season with the Huskies, Forsberg has piled up eight goals and nine assists. He is still expecting to be better.

Jesse Forsberg helped his younger brother, Alex, with university life.

    “It is a little bit of an up and down season, but it is kind of expected out of a first year guy,” said Forsberg. “I think I just need to be more consistent, and good things will happen.”

    Forsberg said it was a big help coming to the Huskies with older brother Jesse already on the team. Jesse is in his fourth year with the Huskies, and he has established himself as a star offensive defenceman and an assistant captain.

    The two were teammates during the 2011-12 WHL season with the Prince George Cougars.

    “It is just (like having) another friend on the team,” said Alex. “We live together. We do everything together. It is good that way.

    “Obviously, he has been here for a long time, so he can kind of show me the ropes. He is a leader on our team, so if I get out of line, it is better coming from him than it is from someone else.”

    As for Friday’s game, the Dinos jumped out to a 1-0 at the 2:41 mark of the second period, when right-winger Mitch Cook netted his fifth goal of the season. Just 28 seconds later, sophomore left-winger Carson Stadnyk netted the equalizer for the Huskies.

Levi Cable potted a pair of goals for the Huskies on Friday night.

    Forsberg put the Huskies ahead for good scoring 73 seconds after Stadnyk’s goal.

    Third-year right-winger Levi Cable rounded out the scoring for the Huskies scoring twice early in the third period. Cable netted his first goal on a short-handed breakaway sniping a shot to the top right corner of the Dinos goal.

    He picked up his second tally on a U of S power play. A shot from Huskies defenceman MacKenzie Johnston hit the post of the U of C goal and slid to a stop in front of the goal-line in the crease of the net. Cable snuck in and tapped the loose puck home.

    Huskies star netminder Jordon Cooke turned away 37 shots to pick up the win in goal. Rookie puck stopper Jordan Papriny stopped 38 shots to take the setback in goal for the Dinos.

Netminder Jordon Cooke fires a pass up ice for the Huskies.

    The Huskies, who have won their last three straight and nine of their last 11 games, improved to 17-3-1 to remain tied for first in the Canada West Conference with the University of Alberta Golden Bears (17-3-1).  The Dinos fell to 6-12-3 to remain seventh in Canada West and three points behind the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns (8-11-2) for sixth place and the conference’s final playoff berth.

    Last year, the Huskies lost in a series deciding Game 3 in the Canada West championship to the Golden Bears and fell in the U Sports national championship game 5-3 to the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds.

    Forsberg would like for the current campaign to turn into a special one for the Huskies, but he doesn’t want to take his mind off the moment.

    “Obviously you look at the team, we have a lot of returning players,” said Forsberg. “I don’t want to look too far into the future.

    “We’re just focusing right now and the rest will come.”

    The two teams go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Rutherford.

Huskies women’s hockey team pulls out eighth shutout victory

Jessica Vance picked up her fifth shutout of the season for the Huskies.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team pulled out their eighth shutout victory of the season on Friday night in Calgary.

    The Huskies blanked the host U of Calgary Dinos 2-0 in a U Sports regular season clash before 161 spectators at the Father David Bauer Arena. Captain Kaitlin Willoughby netted her eighth of the season at the 11:21 mark of the second period with Kayla Kirwan and Brooklyn Haubrich drawing assists.

    Defender Emma Nutter sealed the win with an empty-net goal, which was her first of the campaign, in the final seconds of the third.

    Dinos netminder Kelsey Roberts did her best to try and steal a victory turning away 38-of-39 shots fired her way.

    Huskies netminder Jessica Vance made seven stops to pick up the shutout win in goal for her side. The Huskies lead the Canada West Conference with eight shutouts on the season as a team. Vance has five of those shutouts, and she is tied for the season individual lead with Roberts.

    The Huskies improved to 13-7-1 with the win, while the Dinos fell to 6-13-2.

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

Huskies football lands Hilltops’ Pickett

Rush end Riley Pickett (#43) is taking his talents to the Huskies.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team landed a major recruit on Friday, and they hope a pile of sack celebrations result because of it.

    The Dogs landed a commitment from Saskatoon Hilltops star rush end Riley Pickett. The 20-year-old helped the Hilltops win the Canadian Junior Football League title in each of the last three years.

    Last season, Pickett, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 240 pounds, was named a CJFL all-star recording 15 solo tackles and nine sacks in eight regular season games. The graduate of Saskatoon’s Centennial Collegiate combined with star fifth-year veteran Tom Schnitzler to wreak havoc on opposing offensive lines.

    Pickett will give the Huskies a big piece when it comes to solidifying their defence at the U Sports level.

Back in the Express with Shmyr

Overage left-winger Braylon Shmyr has been stellar for the Blades.

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express recently with a feature story on Saskatoon Blades overage left-winger Braylon Shmyr.

    The Calgary product came to the Blades in a trade with the Brandon Wheat Kings part way through the 2015-16 WHL campaign. Over 46 games this season, Shmyr has piled up 24 goals and a career high 38 assists to lead the Blades in scoring.

    The Blades (22-21-2-1) return to action on Saturday for their “Local Heroes Night” game when they host the Regina Pats (24-20-4) at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. Before the game, the Blades will be honouring the men and women of the army, navy, air force, RCMP, Saskatoon Police Service and first responder force.

    On Sunday, the Blades host the Moose Jaw Warriors (37-7-1-2) at 2 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. Against the Warriors, the Blades are hosting their “Welcome the World” game, which will feature a citizenship ceremony for about 30 people.

    The story on Shmyr appeared in the Express before the WHL’s trade deadline, and it 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.

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Blades drop wild one in Calgary

Braylon Shmyr scored twice for the Blades on Tuesday.

    It arguably hadn’t been this easy to score since Country Thunder last summer in Craven, Sask.

    On Tuesday in Calgary, the host Hitmen outgunned the Saskatoon Blades 6-5 in a wild-west type WHL regular season affair before 4,868 spectators at the Scotiabank Saddledome. The contest included a missed penalty shot by Hitmen centre Tristen Nielsen and a disallowed goal from Blades centre Josh Paterson for kicking the puck into the goal inside the crease.

    Outside of the scoring, Blades overage captain Evan Fiala bested Hitmen overage centre Conner Chaulk in a second period tilt.

    The setback concluded a three-game road trip for the Blades, who won once over that stretch.

    The two sides traded goals in the first period with star overage winger Braylon Shmyr scoring for the Blades to give the visitors a 1-0 edge, and sophomore left-winger Riley Stotts replying for the Hitmen.

    The second period got really wild. At the 3:28 mark, rookie 17-year-old left-winger Brandon Machado netted his first career WHL regular season goal to give the Blades a 2-1 edge. Just 40 seconds after that tally, Jakob Stukel potted the equalizer for the Hitmen to tie things up at 2-2.

    The Hitmen were awarded a penalty shot at the 7:48 mark, when Blades 16-year-old forward Tristen Robins, who was called up from the Rink Hockey Academy Prep team in Winnipeg, Man., was called for hooking Nielsen down.

Brandon Machado scored his first goal for the Blades.

    Blades rookie netminder Nolan Maier, who turned 17 earlier this month, got a piece of Nielsen’s shot and the puck just went wide of the Saskatoon goal.

    Nielsen scored at the 11:26 mark of the frame to give the Hitmen a 3-2 edge, but Shmyr potted his second of the night for the Blades at the 15:49 mark to force a 3-3 tie. The Hitmen jumped ahead 4-3 at the 17:38 mark of the second, when import defenceman Vladislav Yeryomenko scored on a five-on-three power play.

    Early in the third Paterson thought he scored the equalizer for the Blades, but his goal was waved off after a video review that concluded he kicked the puck into the net inside of the crease of the Calgary goal.

    Hunter Campbell, who is a 16-year-old rookie right-winger, scored for the Hitmen at the 9:20 mark of the third and Jake Kryski added another marker for the host side 42 seconds later to give Calgary a 6-3 lead.

    The Blades attempted to roar back as centre Chase Wouters scored at the 13:21 mark and winger Max Gerlach fired home his 20^th goal of the campaign at the 16:53 mark of the third to cut the Hitmen lead to 6-5. The visitors weren’t able to find the equalizer in the final 3:07 of the frame.

    Maier turned away 23 shots to take the setback in goal for the Blades (22-21-2-1). Nick Schneider stopped 22 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Hitmen (14-25-5-1).

Josh Paterson lost a goal after a video review.

    The Blades cashed in on three-of-five power-play chances, while the Hitmen were one-for-four with the man advantage.

    Saskatoon has lost four of its last five games but still holds a seven point lead on the Prince Albert Raiders (16-19-6-2) for the second wildcard berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. The Raiders have three games in hand on the Blades.

    The Blades return to action when they host the Regina Pats on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. This marks the first time the Blades have met the Pats, who are hosting this year’s Memorial Cup in May, since the Regina side was made over in the days leading up to the WHL trade deadline on Jan. 10.

Stars’ Leschyshyn hits 100-point plateau

Anna Leschyshyn scored her 100th career SFMAAAHL point on Sunday.

    Anna Leschyshyn hit a major milestone with a big offensive outing for the Saskatoon Stars.

    On Sunday at the Agriplace Arena, Leschyshyn had two goals and two assists to pace the Stars to a 12-1 victory over the Weyburn Richardson Pioneer Gold Wings. With that performance, Leschyshyn became the 17^th player in the history of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League to crack the 100-point plateau in regular season play.

    In 80 career regular season games with the Stars, Leschyshyn has piled up 50 goals and 50 assists for 100 points.

    The 16-year-old forward, who has verbally committed to play for the Syracuse University Orange Women’s hockey team for the start of the 2019-20 campaign, is one of three players on the Stars current roster who have scored at least 100 points in their regular season career.

    Grace Shirley has 104 points coming on 60 goals and 44 assists in 75 regular season games. Captain Mackenna Parker had 143 points coming on 72 goals and 71 assists in 97 career regular season games. Parker is the second all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL.

    Both Shirley and Parker helped Canada win a bronze medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation’s Under-18 Women’s World Championship, which wrapped up Saturday in Dmitrov, Russia.

    In Sunday’s win over the Gold Wings, 14-year-old rookie forward Makena Kushniruk had two goals and three assists for the Stars, while veteran forward Kianna Dietz, who turned 18 earlier this month, had two goals and two assists.

    Joelle Fiala had a pair of goals for the Stars, while Jordyn Holmes, Kaitlin Jockims, Jayda Sachs and Jordyn Gerlitz all had singles. Holmes, who has committed to join the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team next season, appeared in her 100^th career regular season game for the Stars on Sunday.

    Jayden Lindholm had the lone reply for the Gold Wings.

    Jordan Ivanco made 12 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Stars (17-3-1). Amara Lewendon turned away 41 shots going the distance in goal for the Gold Wings (0-19-1).

    Leschyshyn’s father, Curtis, played defence for 16 seasons in the NHL from 1988 to 2004, and her brother, Jake, is a star centre for the WHL’s Regina Pats.

    The Stars return to action on Saturday, when they host the Notre Dame Hounds at 7:45 p.m. at the Agriplace Arena.

Wildcats’ Lind on verge of 100-point mark

Taylor Lind in action with the Wildcats last season.

    Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats superstar centre Taylor Lind is set to record her 100^th career point in only her second season in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League.

    In just 48 career regular season games, Lind, who turned 16 earlier this month, has piled up 60 goals and 39 assists for 99 career regular season points. The Shaunavon, Sask., product is only the ninth player to score at least 60 career goals in her SFMAAAHL career, and she is trying to become the 18^th player to hit the 100-point plateau.

    She turned heads last season winning the SFMAAAHL scoring title piling up 36 goals and 22 assists appearing in all 28 of the Wildcats regular season games.

    Besides climbing the SFMAAAHL’s all-time scoring list, Lind is closing in on becoming the Wildcats all-time leading scorer, and she is looking to pass former teammate Chloe Smith for that distinction. Smith, who now plays for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team, is the Wildcats all-time leading scorer piling up 42 goals and 62 assists in 110 regular season game played from 2013 to 2017.

    Lind has committed to play for the Lindenwood University Lions women’s hockey team, who play out of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division I ranks, at the start of the 2019-20 campaign. Lindenwood University is located in St. Charles, Missouri.

    Lind comes from a strong hockey family. Older sister, Tenelle, is in her 17-year-old season playing defence for the Wildcats and older brother, Kole, is a 19-year-old star right-winger for the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets.

    The Wildcats (10-7-3) return to action on Wednesday, when they travel to Wilcox, Sask., to face the Notre Dame Hounds (13-5).

Canada West women’s hockey goalies combine for 36 shutouts

Jessica Vance has four shutouts for the Huskies this season.

    If you needed extra proof it is the season of the goalie in women’s hockey in the Canada West Conference, all you have to do is look at the goalie statistics.

    In the 80 combined regular season games played to date by the eight teams on the circuit, 36 of them have been shutouts. The University of Saskatchewan Huskies (12-7-1) are the team with the most shutouts at seven. All three of the Huskies goalies this season have picked up shutouts with Jessica Vance leading the way with four, Chloe Marshall has two blanks, and Jasey Book has one shutout.

    Kelsey Roberts of the University of Calgary Dinos has the most individual shutouts on the circuit with five, and her team is seventh in the conference and outside of the playoff picture with a 6-12-2 record.

    This season every team in the Canada West Conference does have strong goaltending, so it will be interesting to see if the shutout totals keep growing over the remaining 32 regular season game left on the schedule.

    In another interesting twist, the voters for the U Sports Top 10 rankings have given the Canada West teams respect for their goaltending play. In this week’s rankings, the defending U Sports champion University of Alberta Pandas (13-4-3) are rated first, the University of Manitoba Bisons (14-5-1) are rated second and the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (14-4-2) are rated third.

    All eight of the teams in Canada West return to action on Friday.

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

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Roach writing memorable farewell tour with Huskies

Josh Roach leads Canada West in scoring with 10 goals and 20 assists.

    Josh Roach is going all in to try and make his swan song his most memorable campaign with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team.

    On personal front, the 25-year-old ensured statistically his fifth-and-final season with the Dogs would be his most productive offensively picking up a pair of assists in a 4-1 U Sports regular season victory over the University of Manitoba Bisons on Saturday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink. With those helpers, Roach has career highs in goals (10), assists (20) and points (30), and he leads the Canada West Conference in scoring with a three-point edge over Luke Philp of the University of Alberta Golden Bears.

Josh Roach had two assists for the Huskies on Saturday.

    To go along with the points, Roach has posted a plus-16 rating in the plus-minus department, which is also a career high. He still has eight regular season games to go to build on those totals.

    “Obviously, it is nice,” said Roach, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 190 pounds. “You start the season, and you set personal goals for yourself.

    “To reach them with a month left in the season is obviously something pretty special.”

    Roach is building off a solid 2016-17 campaign where he recorded eight goals and 18 assists in 24 regular season games. For most of the past two campaigns, he has been part of a character forward unit that has developed into a dynamic scoring force with centre Logan McVeigh and left-winger Michael Sofillas.

    “Me and my linemates have been clicking,” said Roach, who is a Huskies assistant captain. “We’ve played the last few years out there, so we are comfortable out there.

Josh Roach has played in three University Cup tournaments.

    “We can feed off of each other and know where each other are. Playing with consistent guys who think the same way as you definitely helps.”

    During his time with the Huskies, the local product has gone through what seems like a lifetime of experiences. In three of his first four seasons, Roach and the Huskies appeared in the U Sports national championship tournament – the University Cup – in 2014, 2016 and 2017. The Huskies fell in the tournament’s title game in 2014 and 2017.

    Amongst those appearances at nationals was an emotional Canada West championship win at the Rutherford Rink in early March of 2016, which marked the high point in a campaign where the Dogs were playing to honour the memory of the late Cody Smuk. Smuk was the team’s all-heart, glue guy type gritty forward, who played from 2010 to 2014 and passed away from cancer in June of 2015.

Josh Roach is a plus-16 so far this season.

    Roach was one of Smuk’s former teammates, and during the on ice Canada West title celebrations in 2016, Roach and Huskies captain Kendall McFaull helped bring Smuk’s family on to the ice for the team picture with the trophy and championship banner.

    Roach said that day is still his most memorable moment with the Huskies, and the education student can’t believe how quickly his time with the team is passing by.

    “Looking back on it, it doesn’t seem like that,” said Roach. “Everybody says when you come in that enjoy it, because it goes by fast.

    “You don’t expect it when you first start, but it is crazy looking back now.”

    The skilled winger said his four seasons in the junior A ranks from 2009 to 2013 with the Humboldt Broncos and then the Flin Flon Bombers in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League helped prepare him to play at the Canadian university level. He was an offensive defenceman during his hockey career until being moved up to forward due to his scoring touch in his first campaign with the Huskies.

    From 2009 to 2012, Roach was a standout with the Broncos, and he helped them win a league championship and advance to the semifinal of the Royal Bank Cup, which is the national championship tournament for the junior A level.

Left-winger Michael Sofillas is one of Roach’s key linemates.

    During his time in Humboldt, Roach played under then Broncos head coach and general manager Dean Brockman, who is now the head coach of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, and that experience proved to be very valuable.
    “Having a players’ coach like Dean (Brockman) throughout my junior career obviously was something a lot of guys don’t get to experience,” said Roach. “He definitely helped me along in my career. I have a lot to thank for him.”

    Against the Bisons on Saturday night, Roach picked up helpers on the Huskies second and third goals. The Huskies jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period on singles from left-winger Collin Shirley and Sofillas.

    Defenceman Blake Heinrich scored for the Bisons at the 10:10 mark of the third period to cut the Huskies lead to 2-1.

Centre Logan McVeigh is Roach’s other key linemate.

    U of S sealed victory with a power-play goal from offensive defenceman Jesse Forsberg with 1:39 remaining in the third period and an empty-net tally from right-winger Parker Thomas with 45 seconds to play in the third. The win allowed the Huskies to officially lock up a berth in the Canada West playoffs.

    Jordon Cooke turned away 24 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies, who are rated fourth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings. Byron Spriggs turned away 39-of-42 shots to take the setback in goal for the Bisons.

    Roach said that victory over the Bisons was an up and down game for his team.

    “I thought we had our moments when we played well,” said Roach. “We were pretty sloppy in our own end.

    “We definitely didn’t play to our strengths. Fortunately, we were able to come away with the ‘W.’”

Josh Roach has been part of many Huskies victory celebrations like this one.

    The win allowed the Huskies to improve to 16-3-1 and move into a tie for first in Canada West with the Golden Bears, who are also 16-3-1. The Golden Bears are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings.

    The Bisons fell to 11-7-2 and sit nine points behind the Huskies and Golden Bears in the Canada West standings.

    Roach is looking forward to the sprint to the finish.

    “Obviously, we want to finish strong,” said Roach. “If we can do our job and set ourselves up pretty good going into the post-season, I think we will be good.

    “We just have to play our game and just keep at it.”

    The Huskies return to action on Friday, when they host the University of Calgary Dinos (6-11-3) at 7 p.m. at Rutherford.

Early Bisons goal does in Huskies women’s hockey team

Jessica Vance stopped 19 shots for the Huskies on Saturday.

    The U of Manitoba Bisons women’s hockey team ensured an early goal would prove costly to the visiting U of Saskatchewan Huskies.

    On Saturday at the Wayne Fleming Arena in Winnipeg, Man., fourth-year forward Nicole Carswell scored her first goal of the season at the 2:41 mark of the first period, and that tally proved to be enough to give the Bisons a 1-0 victory in a U Sports regular season clash over the Huskies. Bisons netminder Lauren Taraschuk turned away 26 shots to pick up her third shutout of the season and bring an end to the Huskies four-game winning streak.

    Jessica Vance turned away 19 shots to take the setback in goal for the Huskies after coming out victorious in her five previous straight starts.

    The Bisons, who are rated first in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, improved to 14-5-1 to sit second in the Canada West Conference one standings point behind the first place University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (14-4-2).

    The Huskies fell to 12-7-1 to sit fourth in Canada West and five standings points back of the Thunderbirds.

    U of S returns to action on Friday with a road encounter in Calgary against the U of Calgary Dinos (6-12-2).

Gerlach delivers OT win to Blades

Max Gerlach scored the overtime winner for the Blades on Saturday night.

    Max Gerlach showed off the type of excitement he can bring to the Saskatoon Blades in dramatic fashion.

    On Saturday night at the Centrium in Red Deer, the 19-year-old centre netted two goals and an assist to deliver the Blades to a dramatic come-from-behind 3-2 WHL regular season overtime victory over the host Rebels before 4,301 spectators. Gerlach was acquired by the Blades in a deal with the Medicine Hat Tigers that came before the WHL’s trade deadline on Wednesday.

    The Rebels jumped ahead 2-0 on a first period goal by Grayson Pawlenchuk and a second period tally from Mason McCarty.

    Before the second period ended, Gerlach potted his first goal as a member of the Blades to cut the Rebels edge to 2-1.

    With 1:43 to play in the third period, Gerlach teamed with Blades captain Evan Fiala to set up right-winger Josh Paterson for his 21^st goal of the season to tie things up at 2-2.

    At the 1:21 mark of overtime, Gerlach laser beamed his second goal of the contest to the top left corner of the Red Deer net to win the game for the Blades.

    Rookie Nolan Maier turned away 23 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades, who improved to 22-19-2-1 to hold the second wildcard spot in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a seven point edge over the Prince Albert Raiders (16-19-6-2). The Raiders have one game in hand on the Blades.

    Rookie Ethan Anders turned away 35 shots to take the setback in goal for the Rebels, who fell to 10-23-8-3.

    The Blades return to action on Sunday, when they travel to Cranbrook, B.C., to take on the Kootenay Ice (18-22-3).

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

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Huskies win, everyone pitches in

Carson Stadnyk, right, looks to try a wraparound for the Huskies.

    It seemed like everyone was getting in on the action for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team.

    On Friday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, six different player scored for the Huskies as they dumped the visiting University of Manitoba Bisons 6-2 in a U Sports regular season contest before 393 frigid spectators.
    The contest provided an interesting clash as the Huskies came in rated fourth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings and had dropped a 4-2 decision last Saturday in Lethbridge to the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns.

Logan McVeigh had three assists for the Huskies.

    The Bisons were rated ninth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings and were coming in high on confidence having won their last two outings by sweeping the University of Alberta Golden Bears in a two-game series on Jan. 5 and 6 in Winnipeg and having won four straight overall. The Golden Bears are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings.
    U of S didn’t take the Bisons lightly jumping out of the gates with a fast start. Just 51 seconds into Friday’s clash, fourth-year right-winger Parker Thomas knocked home his fifth goal of the season at the left side of the Bisons net to give the Huskies a 1-0 edge.

    The hosts went ahead 2-0 with 1:29 to play in the first when sophomore left-winger Carson Stadnyk netted his fourth of the campaign. The Huskies outshot the Bisons 16-7 over the opening 20 minutes.

Josh Roach leads Canada West in scoring with 10 goals and 18 assists.

    The Bisons found their legs in the second period coming with a big push back. Sophomore centre Remi Laurencelle scored 63 seconds into the second on the power play for the Bisons to cut the Huskies edge to 2-1.

    At the 8:11 mark of the second, the Bisons cashed in on a three-on-one opportunity down close near the Huskies goal. Bisons third-year defenceman Adam Henry pinched down to the left side of the Huskies goal and converted a tick-tack-toe passing play from forwards Zach Franko and Michael St. Croix to tie things up at 2-2.

    Just as the Bisons seemed to have all the momentum, the Huskies recaptured it when gritty fifth-year centre John Lawrence wired home his sixth of the season from the left slot to give the hosts a 3-2 edge with 9:05 to play in the second.

Michael Sofillas had a goal and an assist for the Huskies.

    Centre Jordan Tkatch and right-winger Josh Roach netted singles at the 2:58 and 10:21 marks respectively of the third period to put the Huskies up 5-2.

    With 66 seconds to play in the third, the Huskies rounded out the scoring when right-winger Levi Cable and centre Logan McVeigh teamed up to spring left-winger Michael Sofillas on a breakaway towards an empty net, and he potted the puck easily into the vacated cage.

    Taran Kozun turned away 27 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies, who sit second in the Canada West Conference with a 15-3-1 record. Byron Spriggs turned away 34-of-39 shots taking the setback in goal for the Bisons, who sit third in Canada West with an 11-6-2 mark.

Netminder Taran Kozun begins to celebrate a win with two teammates.

    Roach, Sofillas and Stadnyk all had an assist each to go along with their respective goals. Roach continues to lead Canada West in scoring piling up 10 goals and 18 assists in 19 regular season games.

    McVeigh finished with three assists on the night to give him 18 helpers on the campaign to match his career high.
    The Kenaston, Sask., product was a plus-three in the plus-minus department.

Offensive defenceman Jesse Forsberg had a stellar night collecting three assists and posting a plus-four rating in the plus-minus department.

    The two teams go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Rutherford.

Vance returns to haunt Bisons

Jessica Vance picked up a special win in Winnipeg.

    Jessica Vance posted arguably one of her sweetest victories in her U Sports career on Friday night in Winnipeg, Man.

    The sophomore netminder with the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team turned away 22 shots to back her squad to a 3-1 regular season victory over the host U of Manitoba Bisons, who are rated first in the U Sports Top 10 rankings. The Bisons were the Prince Albert, Sask., product’s first team, but she found herself buried on U of M’s goaltending depth chart.

    After dressing for one game as a backup early last season for the Bisons, Vance elected to leave the U of M side and joined the Huskies to play closer to home.

    Her teammates provided good offensive support in Friday’s clash before 400 spectators at the Wayne Fleming Arena. Just 2:38 into the opening frame, sophomore defender Kayla Kirwan netted her third goal of the season with checking winger Danielle Nogier drawing an assist.

    After a scoreless second period, the Huskies went ahead 2-0 at the 12:02 mark of the third, when third-year winger Rachel Lundberg netted her first goal of the campaign with rookie center Chloe Smith drawing an assist.

    Bisons fourth-year forward Lauryn Keen scored just over two-and-a-half minutes later to cut the Huskies edge to 2-1.

Kayla Kirwan scored for the Huskies on Friday night.

    Huskies sophomore left-winger Emily Upgang sealed the victory for the visitors scoring into an empty net with 72 seconds remaining in the third.

    Fifth-year netminder Rachel Dyck turned away 16-of-18 shots to take the setback in goal for the Bisons (13-5-1).

    To show how much the goalies are ruling the Canada West Conference in women’s hockey, Keen topped the conference in scoring last season with nine goals and 25 assists appearing in all 28 of her squad’s regular season games. Keen has five goals and four assists in 17 regular season games so far in the current campaign.

    Vance continued her stellar season winning her fifth straight start. She now has a 7-2 record, a 1.00 goals against average, a .958 save percentage and four shutouts on the campaign.

    With Vance in net, the Huskies have won their last four straight games to improve to 12-6-1.

    The two teams face each other again on Saturday in Winnipeg.

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

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Blades come out winners in a bonkers WHL trade deadline day

Max Gerlach (#9) battles for the puck for the Blades.

    A former standout veteran WHL executive once told me anybody in the league can be traded depending on what you want to give up.

    That played out to be true on Wednesday’s WHL trade deadline day, where 17 deals were made on that day alone before the deadline of 4 p.m. Saskatchewan time. That doesn’t include all the massive amount of moves that were made in the 10 days leading up to trade deadline day.

    When you step back and look at what was given up to get standouts that might be rentals for a maximum of five months, some of the WHL general managers and executives were out of their minds. Way too many deals were made in the fashion of an armchair general manager running a fantasy sports NHL team.

Netminder Tyler Brown (#31) helps out on the Blades bench.

    On the Saskatoon Blades front, credit has to be given to them for taking advantage of some good opportunities when they came about. Some of their good fortune was used to get a couple of good players they might not have originally thought they could pick up.

    Blades general manager Colin Priestner, his scouts and executive staff on the hockey side of things made the right hockey moves when it came to popular veterans Libor Hajek and Cameron Hebig when the Regina Pats camp calling. The Pats were stocking up their roster to be a solid host side when they host the Memorial Cup tournament from May 17 to 27. The Blades took advantage of a team in need.

    On Monday, Saskatoon sent Hajek, who is a 19-year-old import Czech defenceman and has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, to Regina in exchange for 19-year-old defenceman Dawson Davidson, 16-year-old forward prospect Tristen Robins and a first round selection in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft.

Dawson Davidson jets up ice for the Blades.

    On Wednesday morning, the Blades and the Pats combined for another blockbuster. The Blades sent overage star centre and local product Hebig and 19-year-old goaltender Ryan Kubic to the Pats in exchange for overage star netminder Tyler Brown, 17-year-old right-winger Bryan Lockner, a first and a second round selection in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft, a third round selection in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft and a third round selection in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft.

    The Blades proceeded to deal Lockner, a first round selection in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft and a second round selection in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft to the Medicine Hat Tigers in exchange for 19-year-old star centre Max Gerlach.

    Before deadline passed on Wednesday afternoon, the Blades made one more deal acquiring centre Eric Florchuk, who turned 18 on Wednesday, from the Victoria Royals for a first round selection in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft, a first round selection in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft and a fourth round selection in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft that was originally obtained from the Brandon Wheat Kings in an earlier deal. 

Bryan Lockner (#28) was dealt to the Tigers by the Blades.

    Florchuk was originally selected by the Royals in the first round and 13^th overall in the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft.

    After the dust settled, the Blades managed to help themselves in the present as the arrivals of Brown, Gerlach and Davidson make up for the departures of Kubic, Hebig and Hajek. As a bonus, Brown is a big upgrade over Kubic, and Gerlach has the potential to return next season as an overager, while Hebig, who has an NHL entry-level contract signed with the Edmonton Oilers, will exhaust his major junior eligibility.

    Saskatoon now has one of the best goaltending tandems in the league with Brown being pair up with rookie sensation Nolan Maier, who turned 17 on Wednesday.

Max Gerlach zips into the offensive zone for the Blades.

    The Blades also helped themselves in the near future with the additions of Florchuk, who could potentially play the next three seasons in the WHL, and Robins, who appeared in one game with the Pats this season and could potentially play the next four campaigns in the WHL. Florchuk was in transit to join the Blades for the rest of the current campaign on Wednesday, while Robins currently plays for the Rink Hockey Academy prep team in Winnipeg, Man.

    On the WHL Bantam Draft front, the Blades came away with one less first round pick, one less fourth round selection, and they added two third round selections. The movement on the draft picks front won’t cause the Blades any pain, when it comes to building in the future.

Jaegar White, left, and Max Gerlach were teammates at Wednesday’s start.

    Overall, the Blades have to come away from this season’s action at the trade deadline feeling good about themselves. Their grade is an ‘A’ for what they accomplished.
    It should be noted they were able to do what they did on the trade front, because they didn’t want to trade Hajek or Hebig. Being in that position in a genuine state allowed the outrageous offers to materialize. 

    At the other end of the spectrum, the Pats might regret the fact they let Brown get away. They weren’t able to make a deal with another netminder, so they have to go through the rest of the season with Kubic, Max Paddock and Jacob Wasserman as their goals. Paddock and Wasserman are both in their 17-year-old rookie seasons.

    Only six players remain on the Pats roster who were full-time members of their squad that advanced to the WHL championship last season. They include forwards Sam Steel, Jake Leschyshyn, Nick Henry, Robbie Holmes and defencemen Josh Mahura and Liam Schioler. Regina is in for a challenging future in regards to playing the rest of the current campaign and a majorly challenging future when next season rolls around.

Rookie sensation Nolan Maier is now part of stellar goalie tandem. 

    The Blades will be a major contender to earn their first playoff berth since 2013 this season. Their prospects are also bright for future seasons.

    On Wednesday night with Gerlach and Davidson on the ice and Brown dressed as the backup goalie, the Blades dropped a 3-2 decision to the Tigers before 2,709 spectators at the SaskTel Centre.

Chase Wouters had a goal and an assist for the Blades, while Braylon Shmyr had a single. Gerlach picked up an assist in the setback.

    Gary Haden, Lockner and David Quenneville replied with singles for the Tigers.

    Maier made 43 stops to take the setback in goal for the Blades (21-19-2-1). Jordan Hollett turned away 31 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Tigers (23-16-3). Hollett was with the Pats last season and was dealt to the Tigers shortly after Regina lost out in the WHL championship series last May.

The Blades hope to celebrate a number of goals with their new additions.

    The Blades hold the second wildcard berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference, and they have a seven point cushion in the standings over the Prince Albert Raiders (15-18-6-2). The Raiders have two game in hand on the Blades.

    Saskatoon is a point behind Regina in the standings for the first Eastern Conference wildcard berth after the Pats record moved to 21-19-4 after a 4-3 loss in overtime at home to the Edmonton Oil Kings on Wednesday night. The Blades have a game in hand on the Pats.

    The Blades return to action on Saturday, when they travel to Red Deer to face the Rebels.

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

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