Playing women’s hockey powers always a learning experience for Finland

Netminder Noora Raty made 44 saves on Tuesday for Finland.

    Venla Hovi doesn’t shy away from the obvious, when it comes to Finland’s women’s national women’s hockey team.

    When her Finnish side plays either the United State or Canada, the veteran winger knows her side is in for a huge challenge. The odds of coming out with a win are heavily weighted in the favour of the two traditional powerhouse nations in women’s hockey.

    With that in mind, Hovi said gaining the experience of playing those two squads is always huge for the players that play for her country’s national team.

    “I think for a lot of players especially who play in the Swedish or in the Finnish league, the pace is obviously not like this,” said Hovi, who stands 5-foot-7. “It is kind of mental game to you know get your system going and knowing that you need to move the puck faster.

Brianna Decker had a goal for the United States.

    “You need to react faster all the time (and) have your head on a swivel to kind of know who is coming behind you. It is just mostly like mentally just preparing at the speed and pace will be faster than usual.”

    In the opening game of the 4 Nations Cup tournament on Tuesday afternoon at the SaskTel Centre, Finland took on the United States, but it took a while before the predictable result occurred.

    The Finns took a 1-0 lead at the 11:59 mark of the first period on a goal from Hovi’s line. Right-winger Emma Nuutinen came through with the goal, and centre Tanja Niskanen and defender Nelli Laitnen picked up the assists.

    Finland’s lead held up after the first period ended, where the United State held a 9-3 edge in shots on goal.

    In the second, the U.S.A. juggernaut awoke. The States score five times in the second period and cruised to a 5-1 victory.

    Dani Cameranesi, Sydney Brodt, Hilary Knight, Cayla Barnes and Brianna Decker all netted singles for the U.S.A.

The United States celebrates one of their second period goals.

    Noora Raty was sensational making 44 saves to take the setback in goal for Finland.

    Maddie Rooney turned away nine shots to pick up the win in goal for the States.

    Hovi, who helped the University of Manitoba Bisons women’s hockey team win a U Sports national title last March, said it was a big thing for her side to lead the game for as long as they did. The 31-year-old said you could tell the mood was possible for an upset the longer Finland stayed ahead.

    “Obviously the longer we get to carry it, they will get frustrated,” said Hovi. “They always have chances.

    “They can’t score right off the hop, and the longer we go, there is some frustrations, so it is obviously good for us. We just need to fix our second period. It has been our problem for a while.

    “We need to concentrate on that.”

    On an obvious front, teams like Finland don’t have the depth the United States or Canada does.

Venla Hovi, left, sets a screen in front of the United States goal.

    Hovi has been a standout herself for some time. She helped her country win two bronze medals at the Winter Olympics including 2010 in Vancouver B.C., and last February in PyeongChang, South Korea.

    As rookie with the Calgary Inferno of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, Hovi has two goals and four assists in her first six games.

    Overall, she liked her team’s effort on Tuesday. Finland had some absences due to the flu. The Finns were two skaters short of the full complement of 18.

 

Hannah Brandt (#20) of the United States battles a Finnish centre for a draw.

  “It was a good battle,” said Hovi. “We were missing a lot of players.

    “We don’t play with three lines usually, so it was obviously physically harder to. We usually run four lines, but now we’re kind of waiting for some of those players to be able to play.”

    In the setback, she said her side did a lot of positive things.

   “I think we defended really, really hard in the first and the third period (and) blocked the middle,” said Hovi, who is also an assistant coach with the Bisons women’s team this season. “Every time we got the puck, we moved it fast.

    “I thought it was a great team effort. Like I said, we need to fix the second period and be more ready in our D-zone.”

Finnish goalie Noora Raty covers the puck during a net scramble.

    Finland returns to action at the 4 Nations Cup on Wednesday, when they face Sweden at 3 p.m.

The United States faces Canada on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

    The 4 Nations Cup runs in its entirety at the SaskTel Centre with the medal round games being held on Saturday.

    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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Rookie Olorenshaw quickly overcomes nerves in joining SFMAAAHL powerhouse Stars

Alison Olorenshaw had a goal and an assist for the Stars on Sunday.

    Alison Olorenshaw was impressed with how quickly the Saskatoon Stars star players helped put her initial jitters to rest.

    When the 15-year-old rookie winger joined the defending Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League champions, she couldn’t believe she was skating on the same ice surface with the Stars veteran stars like Grace Shirley, Joelle Fiala, Anna Leschyshyn and Ashley Messier.     

    Olorenshaw knew Shirley was a member of Canada’s under-18 women’s hockey team, Fiala had attended selection camp for Canada’s under-18 women’s squad and Messier was at the selection camp for the United States under-18 women’s team.

    The newcomer had thoughts running through her head that asked what was she doing being on the same ice surface as those players. To her relief, Olorenshaw found she was welcomed with open arms.

    “It just kind of feels natural,” said Olorenshaw, who stands 5-foot-7. “They make you feel a part of the team all the time.

    “Just playing with the older players, it is just really encouraging towards your own play and your team’s play.”

Alison Olorenshaw (#12) goes hard to the net for the Stars.

    On Sunday at Merlis Belsher Place, Olorenshaw found herself skating on the left wing on a line centred by Shirley in a SFMAAAHL regular season game against the Battlefords Sharks. Olorenshaw scored her first career SFMAAAHL regular season goal and teamed with Shirley to set up rookie 15-year-old defender Bridget Rezansoff for the game winner early in the third period of a 5-3 Stars victory.

    During the early part of the season, Olorenshaw has enjoyed becoming friends with Shirley and the other Stars veterans.

    “It was really cool,” said Olorenshaw. “They were really nice.

    “Watching them on the ice, it is just amazing how good they are. Just watching them skate around and passing it and how fast they play, it is really encouraging for the younger players.”

    Olorenshaw is experiencing some of her own early personal success. She had a goal and four assists in her first seven regular season appearances with the Stars.

The Stars celebrate a goal from Bridget Rezansoff, second from left.

    One person who knew Olorenshaw belonged in Saskatoon’s mix of players was Stars head coach Greg Slobodzian.

    “We were really excited about all the girls that we added to the team, but she was one that really fit into how I like to play,” said Slobodzian. “She plays with a whole bunch of composure with the puck on her stick.

    “That is the first thing I noticed, and I’ve been watching her for a few years now. I was really, really happy and excited that she chose to come our way. (She has) a great attitude.”

    The veteran bench boss said there has been some fun bumps early on with the rookie forward. Slobodzian said Olorenshaw still isn’t used to him cracking a joke.

    One episode came to mind during Saturday’s game, when the Stars downed the Sharks 8-0 at Merlis Belsher Place.
    “She (Olorenshaw) doesn’t know when I am kidding and when I am not kidding yet,” said Slobodzian. “She missed a pass, a really easy pass, so I asked her if she wanted the goalie stick out there.

Captain Grace Shirley has helped the Stars’ rookies feel welcomed.

    “She sort of looked at me like if I was serious, and all the girls were laughing.”

    Slobodzian said Olorenshaw’s talent on the ice can’t be denied.

    “She can shoot,” said Slobodzian. “She has to work on her skating a little bit, because we like to play so fast. Her mind is fast enough to play the way we want to play.”

    In Sunday’s win, Olorenshaw said she enjoyed picking up the assist on the winning goal more than finding the back of the net on one of her own shots. She was pleased to collect her first SFMAAAHL regular season goal and an assist, but she downplayed the statistical accomplishments too.
    “It was really good,” said Olorenshaw. “That was mostly my teammates.

    “That was because of them. They are the ones that got me the puck, and they are the ones that put the puck in the net. It was more of them than me.”

    Olorenshaw had an assist in Saturday’s win. Kaitlin Jockims had a hat trick for Saskatoon in that contest, while Jayda Sachs, Chase Sperling, Calli Arnold, Shirley and Makena Kushniruk had singles. Fiala and Leschyshyn each had three assists to help power the Stars offence.

    Arden Kliewer turned away 26 shots to pick up the shutout win in the Stars net.

    Haylie Biever stopped 37 shots in the Sharks net.

Kaitlin Jockims had a hat trick for the Stars on Saturday.

    Sunday’s encounter was more hotly contested where victory wasn’t sealed for the Stars until Leschyshyn scored the game’s final goal with 52.6 seconds to play in the third period.

    Halle Helperl and Sachs had singles for the Stars in that game, while defender Abby DeCorby had a pair of assists.

    Kaitlyn Cadrain made 17 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Stars, who improved to 8-0. Biever turned away 42 shots to take the setback in goal for the Sharks, who fell to 2-5-1.

    Slobodzian was impressed with the battle the Sharks showed in Sunday’s game.

    “They work really hard, and they have some girls that have some really good offensive skill,” said Slobodzian. “Their goalie, obviously, played really well and game them a chance.

    “At the end of the day, our team right now is not playing as consistently as I want. We have to figure out what it is going to take to be that really good team again, because we know we have it.
    “We’ve seen it, but then, we’ve also seen some real shaky hockey. It is not easy playing the way we want to play, and the girls, they just have to learn that those expectations are there every shift.”

The Stars celebrate their victory on Sunday.

    Going forward, Olorenshaw wants to keep improving and enjoy every moment she has playing with the Stars.

    “I find it awesome,” said Olorenshaw. “I’m not going to take it for granted, because this is a really cool experience just to be able to play with some of the girls on this team and watch them.

    “It is very encouraging, and you learn so much just from watching how fast they play and how they act around the team and things like that.”

    The Stars return to action this coming Saturday, when they host the Prince Albert Northern Bears at 2:30 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

Bears halt three-game skid

Jasper Desmarais scored for the Bears on Sunday.

    The Prince Albert Northern Bears put the stop to a rare three-game losing streak in SFMAAAHL regular season play over the weekend.

    Having dropped two games to the Rebels in Regina on Oct. 27 and 28, the Bears lost their third straight on Saturday in Melville falling to the host Prairie Fire 3-2 at the Horizon Credit Union Centre.

    Alli Soyko and Miranda Heidt netted singles for the Bears.

    Lexi Beuker started in goal for the Bears stopping 10-of-13 shots before being pulled at the 10:01 mark of the second period. Scout Anderson turned away all 15 shots she faced in relief.

    Anica Gauthier, Heather Fiske and Jordyn Bear all had singles for the Prairie Fire. Cheyenne Jamieson stopped 45 shots to pick up the win in goal for Melville.

    When those two same clubs met again on Sunday at the Horizon Credit Union Centre, the Bears skated away with an 8-4 victory to halt their losing streak.

    Captain Abby Soyko scored twice for the Bears, while Jasper Desmarais, Kate Ball, Haley Kicia, Brooklyn Anderson, Kailee Peppler and Tobi Fontaine all had singles.

    Anderson turned away 21 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Bears (5-3).

    Kailey Ottenbreit, Ava Metzger, Kyla Bear and Megan Hayhurst netted singles for Melville.

Janae Neufeld turned away 23 shots to take the setback in goal for the Prairie Fire (3-3).

    The Bears return to action this coming Saturday, when they travel to Saskatoon to take on the Stars at 2:30 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

Stars alum Shirley WCHA rookie of the month

#WCHA Rookie of the Month, Powered by @GoodWoodHockey: @sophieshirley8 (@BadgerWHockey)

6⃣🚨 (1st NCAA freshmen)
4⃣🍎
🔟 points (1st WCHA rookies / 2nd NCAA)
2⃣ game-winning goals (t-1st NCAA freshmen)

Helped No. 1 #Badgers to 9-1-0 record.#OnWisconsin | #WeAreWCHA | #WMNSHKY pic.twitter.com/IcNUYAfjCl

— WCHA Women's Hockey (@WCHA_WHockey) November 1, 2018

    Sophie Shirley is finding life in the National Collegiate Athletic Association women’s hockey ranks suits her just fine.

    The 19-year-old centre was named the rookie of the month for September and October in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association women’s conference on Thursday. Playing for the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team, Shirley had six goals and four assists in 10 games the Badgers played in September and October. Out of her six goals, two have been game winners.

    So far in her freshman campaign, Shirley has been named the WCHA rookie of the week once and the NCAA third star of the week once.

    Overall this season, Shirley, who stands 5-foot-9, has seven goals and five assists in 12 games with the Badgers, who are consistently one of the top teams in the NCAA year in and year out. The Badgers are 11-1 so far this season.

    The Saskatoon product played a total of 58 regular season games for her hometown Stars female midget AAA team from 2012 to 2015 piling up 41 goals and 27 assists.

    In her final season with the Stars in 2014-15, Shirley finished second in scoring in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League netting 22 goals and 17 assists in 27 regular season games and was named the league’s most valuable player. In the 2015 SFMAAAHL playoffs, Shirley amassed 12 goals and 12 assists as the Stars won nine straight games to claim their first league championship and advance to the Esso Cup national championship tournament.

    Shirley moved on to play in the Junior Women’s Hockey League with the Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox, Sask., and the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C.

    Last season, Shirley played for the Calgary Inferno of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League collecting eight goals and 11 assists in 26 regular season games. She was named CWHL’s rookie of the year.

4 Nations Cup still a great showcase without Clark

Emily Clark signs autographs for her hometown area fans on Thursday.

    The 4 Nations Cup will still be a great showcase of women’s hockey despite the absence of Emily Clark on the roster of Canada’s team.

    The 22-year-old forward won’t be able to play in the event due to an injury to her left leg. Clark suffered her injury while playing for the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The Saskatoon product’s injury occurred in the opening minutes of a Badgers 4-2 home win on Oct. 13 against the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs.

    Clark helped Canada’s senior national women’s hockey team win a silver medal at the Winter Olympics held last February in PyeongChang, South Korea. Clark is an alumna of the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA hockey team.

    The 4 Nations Cup features the senior women’s national teams from Canada, the United States, Finland and Sweden. This year’s tournament, which is being held at the SaskTel Centre, begins on Tuesday with Finland taking on the United States at 12 noon, and Canada will face Sweden at 7 p.m.
    The event runs through to Saturday.

    On Sunday, Canada blanked Finland 6-0 in an exhibition tilt at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert. Melodie Daoust and Rebecca Johnston each had a goal and two assists for Canada. Captain Marie-Philip Poulin and Sarah Nurse each had a goal and an assist.

    Renata Fast and Natalie Spooner each netted singles for Canada.

    Shannon Szabados turned away nine shots playing the first 30 minutes in goal for Canada, and Emerance Maschmeyer stopped eight shots over the final 30 minute of Sunday’s contest.

    Eveliina Suonpaa made 25 saves going the distance in goal for Finland.

    Poulin said her side enjoyed playing a game once again in their home country.

    “It’s always so much fun,” said Poulin. “I think we reach out to the community.

    “Seeing little girls out there in the stands with their eyes wide open, I think that’s what we play for. Seeing those little girls may dream to be a part of this team, I think that’s quite awesome.”

    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 playoff upset of T-Birds a monumental one

Sean Stenger (#23) hit the OT playoff winning field goal.

    Sean Stenger made the kick that was heard around the U Sports football world.

    On Saturday at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver B.C., the fifth-year kicker and all-time leading scorer for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team booted a 38-yard field goal in overtime to give his squad a 31-28 victory over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in a Canada West Conference semifinal playoff match.

    Stenger’s kick before 738 spectators gave the Huskies their first post-season victory since November 7, 2009, when they downed the University of Regina Rams 53-23 at Griffiths Stadium in a Canada West semifinal match. In the process, the Huskies ended a playoff losing streak that had spanned eight games.

    Before Saturday’s game, the Huskies were 1-11 in their previous 12 post-season contests.

    Both the Huskies and the Thunderbirds posted 5-3 regular season records heading into their playoff clash. UBC earned second place in the conference and home field advantage for the post-season encounter due to beating the Huskies 20-10 in the lone regular season encounter between the two sides on October 12 in Vancouver.

    While the two sides had identical records, this was a game the Huskies, who failed to make the post-season last year, weren’t supposed to win.

Jesse Kuntz caught the TD pass that forced overtime.

    Their playoff struggles since last making the Vanier Cup and falling to the Universite Laval Rouge et Or 13-8 at Griffiths Stadium on November 25, 2006 have been well publicized.
    The playoff stumbles weren’t the only thing standing in the Huskies way.

    They were heading on the road to play a Thunderbirds team that has Blake Nill as head coach. Nill’s teams had made the Canada West title game – the Hardy Cup – for the last 10 straight years and claimed victory on seven of those occasions.

    That run included seven straight appearances with the University of Calgary Dinos from 2008 to 2014 and three straight appearances the past three years with the Thunderbirds.

    Going into the playoffs this season, the Thunderbirds had won their last three straight games. Despite their early struggles, it appeared UBC had righted the ship.

    Teams coached by Nill just don’t lose at this point in the U Sports playoffs. Playing at home and riding a hot streak, it was supposed to be impossible to see an opponent come out with a victory.

    The Huskies were expected to put in a good effort and proceed to bow out into the off-season with the fifth-year grads crying tears of sadness.
    The Dogs defied all odds and came away winning a post-season classic that the Huskies players will remember for the rest of their lives.
    After falling behind 10-0, the Huskies stormed back to take a 20-10 lead in the third quarter. UBC forced a 20-20 tie early in the fourth quarter, but the Huskies went in front by a single point 21-20 on a 46-yard punt single by Stenger.

Kyle Siemens delivered a TD toss that forced overtime.

    It appeared that would be the last U of S lead on the day.

    The Thunderbirds mounted an 11-play, 75-yard drive that ended with star fourth-year quarterback Michael O’Connor hitting standout receiver Trivel Pinto with a four-yard touchdown pass with 1:46 remaining in the fourth quarter. The two connected on a pass for a two-point convert to give the Thunderbirds a 28-21 advantage.

    On the ensuing Huskies possession, Thunderbirds defensive back Stavros Katsantonis intercepted fifth-year Huskies star quarterback Kyle Siemens at the UBC 33 yard line with 75 seconds remaining in the frame.

    Thanks to having a couple of timeouts to use, the Huskies forced the Thunderbirds to punt after two running plays. On the punt, a no yards penalty and an unnecessary roughness facemask penalty on the Thunderbirds allowed the Huskies to start a march at the UBC 47 yard-line with 51 seconds remaining on the clock.

    Siemens drove the Huskies offence that distance in four plays and connected with receiver Jesse Kuntz on a 14-yard touchdown reception with 21 seconds to play in the stanza to tie things up at 28-28 and force overtime.
    In the shootout style overtime format, the Thunderbirds had the first possession. UBC kicker Greg Hutchins missed a 33-yard field goal and Huskies running back/receiver Colton Klassen ran the ball out of the end zone to ensure the score remained tied at 28-28.

Tyler Chow ran in two major scores for the Huskies.

    Stenger hit his winning field goal on the Huskies ensuing possession.

    This was a win where the Huskies found a way to get it done.

    O’Connor completed 28-of-41 passes for 435 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Besides throwing a touchdown toss to Pinto, O’Connor threw major scores to Ben Cummings from 25 yards out and Blake Whiteley from 24 yards out.

    Siemens, who has thrown the second most passing yards in the history of the Huskies program, had a more pedestrian day hitting on 19-of-31 passes for 222 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

    Fifth-year running back Tyler Chow grinded out 89 yards rushing on 21 carries and ran home touchdowns from one and 16 yards out. He hauled in six passes for 54 yards to go along with his efforts on the ground.

    Hutchins hit field goals from 12 and 21 yards out to round out UBC’s scoring.

    Stenger hit field goals from 33 and 37 yards out in regulation for the Huskies.

    Defensively, Bowan Lewis had 10.5 total tackles for the Huskies, while linebackers and brothers Thomas and Ben Whiting had nine and seven total tackles respectively.

Thomas Whiting had nine tackles for the Huskies.

    Under second-year head coach Scott Flory, this playoff victory by the Huskies was monumental and a big step forward for the football program.
    The Huskies showed they can finally win again in the U Sports football post-season, and they knocked off a team guided by a head coach in Nill, who continually guides teams on long playoff runs.

    Now, the Huskies get to travel to Calgary, Alta., to face the Dinos, who are a combined 9-0 in the regular season and post-season, in the Hardy Cup final to determine the Canada West champion this coming Saturday at McMahon Stadium at 1 p.m. Calgary time.

    The Dinos took the other Canada West semifinal 37-13 last Saturday in Calgary against the University of Manitoba Bisons. U of C will be appearing in the Hardy Cup final for the 11^th straight year.

    U of S is once against faced with the task of manufacturing another monumental upset.

    Still, it appears you can’t count these football Huskies out. The belief is there that anything is possible.

Here's your game-winning kick from Sean Stenger 🔥#HuskiePride #WinTheWest pic.twitter.com/B6a7NntrSb

— Huskie Football (@skhuskies) November 4, 2018

Hilltops to face Rams in Canadian Bowl

Congratulations to the @LangleyRams on advancing to the 2018 Canadian Bowl with a 39-14 victory over the @CanesFootball63 in the #CJFL National Semi-Final pic.twitter.com/3GxYgY4Kw6

— CJFL News (@CJFLnews) November 4, 2018

    The Jevon Cottoy show powered the Langley Rams into the Canadian Bowl.

    On Saturday in Langley, B.C., the 22-year-old receiver hauled in nine passes for 190 yards and scored three touchdowns, ran in a major from a yard out and kicked a 54-yard punt single to power the Rams to a 39-14 romp over the Hamilton Hurricanes in a Canadian Junior Football League national semifinal contest. Quarterback Duncan Little hit Cottoy with the three touchdown tosses in the semifinal game at McLeod Stadium in Langley, B.C.

    With the win, the Rams, who improved to 10-3 overall, advance to the CJFL title game – the Canadian Bowl – to face the four time defending champion Saskatoon Hilltops on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Hilltops are 10-0 overall on the campaign and trying to complete their fourth perfect season in team history and first since 2003.

    The Hurricanes finished the 2018 campaign with a 10-1 overall record.

    The Hilltops and Rams are familiar foes in the Canadian Bowl as they will meet in the CJFL title game for the third time in seven years.

    The previous two encounters were both held in McLeod Stadium.

    In 2012, the Hilltops claimed one of the all-time classic CJFL title encounters downing the Rams 23-21. In 2014, the Hilltops ran away with a 39-14 victory, which started their current run of winning four straight CJFL championships.

    The Hilltops will be trying to win their 21^st CJFL title in their upcoming Canadian Bowl clash with the Rams.

    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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Pats’ top line too much for Blades to handle

Pats captain Jake Leschyshyn tries to beat Blades goalie Dorrin Luding.

    REGINA, Sask. – Don’t tell the Regina Pats top line that this season is supposed to be a write off.

    Regina’s first line of captain Jake Leschyshyn, left-winger Nick Henry and right-winger Austin Pratt combined for five goals and three assists to help the Pats outgun the visiting Saskatoon Blades 6-5 in a WHL regular season tilt before 5,600 spectators at the Brandt Centre on Saturday night.

    That trio didn’t seem to care the Pats are stuck in a rebuilding campaign following a season where the club hosted the Memorial Cup and on the heels of the 2016-17 campaign that saw the team finished first overall in the WHL regular season standings and advanced to the league championship series falling to the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Captain Jake Leschyshyn had two goals and an assist for the Pats.

    The Pats are devoid of the stars that helped them through those two special seasons outside of Leschyshyn, who has signed a NHL entry-level contract with the Las Vegas Golden Knights, and Henry, who is an NHL Entry Draft selection of the Colorado Avalanche.

    Both have spent their entire WHL playing careers with the Pats. Leschyshyn became a full-time member of the world’s oldest major junior franchise in 2015-16 campaign and Henry came on board during the 2016-17 season. They each had a pair of goals and an assist in Saturday’s win.

    It was obvious to see both have a lot emotionally invested in the Regina team with the effort they gave in Saturday’s wild 1980s style high-scoring contest, which saw the starting goalies for both squads get chased from the game.

LW Nick Henry (#21) had two goals and an assist for the Pats.

    Pratt is known for his gritty work ethic, and he has no quit now in his second campaign with the Pats having come over in a trade with the Red Deer Rebels last season. The Lakeville, Minn., product had a goal and an assist to help the Regina cause on Saturday.

    As a unit, they give the Pats enough to potentially play the role of spoiler on any given night. They did just that helping the Pats improve to 5-12 while the Blades fell to 10-7-2.

    The Blades struck first at the 3:12 mark of the opening frame with a power-play goal coming from overage right-winger Max Gerlach, who would score twice on the night.

Austin Pratt had a goal and an assist for the Pats.

    The Pats proceeded to take leads of 3-1 and 4-2 before the Blades scored three straight to go into the second intermission up 5-4. Blades captain Chase Wouters supplied the go-ahead goal on the power play burying a nice set up pass from star 17-year-old centre Kirby Dach, who had three assists in the setback.

    That set the moment for the Pats top line to take centre stage with some third period heroics.

    At the 9:03 mark of the third, Pats overage defenceman Aaron Hyman, who had three assists in the win, hit Henry with a breakout pass into the Saskatoon zone. Blazing down the left wing, Henry slipped a pass across the face of the Saskatoon goal to Leschyshyn, who buried a marker that forced a 5-5 tie.

    With 4:12 remaining in the third, Henry labeled a shot to the top left corner of the Saskatoon goal on the power play to provide the winning tally for the Pats.

    The Blades were 3-for-6 on the power play, while the Pats scored on both their chances with the man advantage.

Kirby Dach backed the Blades offence with three assists.

    Tristen Robins and Seth Bafaro each had singles for the Blades. Duncan Pierce had the lone tally that didn’t come from the Pats top line.

    Nolan Maier turned away 5-of-8 shots starting in goal for the Blades before being pulled 31 seconds into the second after the Pats went ahead 3-1. Dorrin Luding stopped 14-of-17 shots in relief and took the loss in goal for Saskatoon.

    Max Paddock turned away 21-of-26 shots playing the first 40 minutes of Saturday’s affair in goal for the Pats. Dean McNabb took over at the start of the third period and turned away all six shots he faced to pick up the win in goal for Regina.

    The Pats return to action this coming Friday, when they host the Tri-City Americans at 7 p.m. at the Brandt Centre. The Blades next game is also this coming Friday, when they travel to Medicine Hat to face the Tigers.

    While the Pats are in a reloading stage, Leschyshyn, Henry and Pratt showed how much of a factor heart can play in the outcome of a WHL game and provided a tough lesson for the Blades to learn in the process.

The Pats celebrate their victory on Saturday night.

    The Blades are now 3-5-2 in their last 10 outings after starting hot out of the gate with a 7-2 mark in their first nine contests. Saskatoon has hit a lull where the newness of the WHL schedule ends and the 68-game regular season becomes more of a grind.

    Going forward, the players on the Blades need to try and match the level of emotional attachment to their team like Leschyshyn, Henry and Pratt have for the Pats.

    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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White’s third-period winner puts Blades on Ice

Jaeger White had the winning goal for the Ice on Thursday.

    Jaeger White believes he hit the jackpot when it comes to playing with potential linemates as an overage player in the WHL.

    The 20-year-old Medicine Hat product was traded from his hometown Tigers to the Kootenay Ice on Aug. 14. With the ice, White has found himself playing right wing on a forward line centred by 17-year-old star Peyton Krebs, who is targeted to be a possible high selection in next year’s NHL Entry Draft.

    The two combined for a highlight reel goal in a Thursday WHL regular season clash between the Ice and the host Saskatoon Blades at the SaskTel Centre. With the two sides locked in a 2-2 tie in the third period, Krebs and White broke into the Blades zone on a rush.

    Krebs slide a pass across the face of the Saskatoon net to White, who promptly buried his ninth goal of the season to give the Ice a 3-2 at the 9:32 mark of the frame.

The Ice celebrate White’s winning goal.

    With 64 seconds to play in the third, Krebs blasted home and insurance marker to give the Ice a 4-2 victory before 3,802 spectators.

    “Obviously, I am really fortunate to play with Peyton (Krebs),” said White, who has nine goals and six assists appearing in all 16 of the Ice’s regular season games in the current campaign. “He has unbelievable skills.

    “I try to just keep it simple out there and do the right things for him. We found some success so far this year.”

    Scoring the winning goal helped White out on his individual game. Entering play on Thursday, he was held pointless in each of the Ice’s three previous outings.

    “I’ve been in a little bit of a slump, so that was obviously a big goal and good for my confidence,” said White. “To get the two points and help the team out is nice.”

    The Blades drew first blood in Thursday’s clash, when feisty left-winger Riley McKay forced a turnover on the forecheck in the offensive zone. The puck found its way to Blades centre Tristen Robins behind the Ice net.

Jaeger White (#21) had a strong game on the forecheck.

    Robins centred a pass to the front of the net to Kristian Roykas-Marthinsen, and the Norwegian import right-winger quickly buried his sixth goal of the season to give the Blades a 1-0 lead at the 11:45 mark of the first period.

    The Ice tied things up at 1-1 just 46 seconds later. On rush down the right wing, Krebs sent a shot on the Saskatoon goal off a spin move, and right-winger Nick Bowman potted the equalizer on the rebound.

    While White is Krebs’ linemate, the veteran winger said he hasn’t needed to pass on any advice to sophomore centre.

    White first began playing in the WHL on a full-time basis as a 16-year-old with the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the 2014-15 campaign. He has been a journey man in the major junior ranks being a member of six different teams and hitting the ice to play for five of those squads.

Cameron Hausinger had two assists for the Ice on Thursday night.

    “I am always there, if he (Krebs) needs someone,” said White. “He is a super intelligent kid.

    “He is mature beyond his years. I’m there when he needs me, but for the most part, he is a pretty smart kid. He has a good head on him.”

    With 14.1 seconds remaining in the second period, the Blades jumped back out in front 2-1, when left-winger Gary Haden knocked home a loose puck in the crease of the Ice goal.

    Just seconds after that goal, Blades netminder Nolan Maier stoned Ice centre Brett Davis on a chance from in front of the Saskatoon goal.

    Thursday’s game derailed for the hosts in the third period. At the 6:02 mark, Meier tried to pass the puck down the boards in his own zone.

Peyton Krebs had a goal and two assists for the Ice on Thursday night.

    The puck landed on the stick of Ice right-winger Cameron Hausinger. Hausinger passed the puck in front of the Saskatoon goal to linemate Brad Ginnell, who fired home his fourth goal of the season to force a 2-2 tie.

    Ginnell’s goal kicked the Ice into high gear resulting in the tallies from White and Krebs that followed. Hausinger picked up his second assist of the contest on Krebs’s goal.

    “I thought we had an unbelievable third period and overall a good game,” said White, who had a strong game on the forecheck. “Obviously, that is a good team over there.

Peyton Krebs, left, and Duncan McGovern celebrate the Ice’s win.

    “We were really proud of our effort tonight.”

    Maier made 27 saves to take the setback in goal for the Blades (9-6-2). Duncan McGovern stopped 32 shots to pick up the win in the Ice (6-7-2-1) net.

    The Ice face a big challenge on Friday, when they travel to Prince Albert to face the WHL leading Raiders (15-1). The Raiders have been the top rated team in the CHL Top 10 rankings for the past three weeks.

    Going forward, White is happy he has found a home for his overage season with the Ice.

    “It is nice to finish off the year and play as a 20-year-old,” said White. “I am really happy to finish it out with Kootenay.

    “We have a good team here, a lot of guys that want to be here and succeed. For sure, we are going to push for playoffs.”

    The Blades return to action on Friday, when they travel to Moose Jaw to take on the Warriors (6-4-3).

Clark out of Four Nations Cup with leg injury

Emily Clark waves to the SaskTel Centre crowd.

    One look at Emily Clark and it was obvious that she wouldn’t be available to play for Canada at the Four Nations Cup women’s hockey tournament.

    The 22-year-old Saskatoon product is a forward on Canada’s senior national women’s hockey team and helped Canada win a silver medal at the Winter Olympics held last February in PyeongChang, South Korea. Clark took part at a pre-game ceremony at the Saskatoon Blades contest on Thursday night at the SaskTel Centre sporting a walking boot on her left leg.

    The skilled forward suffered a left leg injury while playing for the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Clark’s injury occurred in the opening minutes of a Badgers 4-2 home win on Oct. 13 against the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs.

    Hockey Canada announced on Thursday that Clark and forward Sarah Potomak, who is from Aldergrove, B.C., would be unable to play in the Four Nations Cup due to injury.
    Kristin O’Neill, who is from Oakville, Ont., and Jamie Lee Rattray, who is from Kanata, Ont., will replace Clark and Potomak on the Canadian roster for the Four Nations Cup, which will run in its entirety at the SaskTel Centre.

    Clark is an alumna of the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA hockey team.

    The Four Nations Cup opens on Tuesday with Finland taking on the United States at 12 noon, and Canada will take on Sweden at 7 p.m. The four-team tournament runs through to Nov. 10.

    Canada will face Finland in pre-tournament game on Sunday in Prince Albert at 6 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

Back in the Express with Four Nations Cup advancer

    I was back in the pages of Saskatoon Express this week with a cover story to advance the Four Nations Cup hockey tournament.

    The Four Nations Cup is an annual elite women’s hockey tournament that features the senior national teams from Canada, the United States, Finland and Sweden. It starts on Tuesday and runs through to Saturday, Nov. 10 with all games being held at the SaskTel Centre.

    The Four Nations Cup itself started in 1996 as the Three Nations Cup featuring Canada, the United States and Finland. The event became the Four Nations Cup in 2000, when Sweden joined the field.

    My Express story on that event can be found by clicking right here.

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

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Hilltops’ focus incredible so far in “drive for five”

The Hilltops celebrate with the PFC championship trophy last Sunday.

    Saskatoon Hilltops most impressive statistical accomplishment so far this season involves the number 81.

    Between the regular season and playoffs, the Hilltops have trailed on the scoreboard for a total of 81 seconds in all their games building a 10-0 record in the 2018 campaign. On Sept. 22, the Regina Thunder held a 17-16 edge over their archrivals late in the first half in a clash at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

    The Thunder’s lead lasted for a stretch of 81 seconds. They were forced to relinquish the lead, when they had to give up a safety due to bad field position to fall behind 18-17.

    Saskatoon hit high gear from that point surging to a 48-24 victory.

    Last Sunday, the Hilltops improved to 10-0 downing the Edmonton Huskies 28-9 in the Prairie Football Conference final at SMF Field. That marked the fifth straight year the Hilltops have won the PFC title.

    With that victory, the Hilltops will host the Canadian Junior Football League championship game – the Canadian Bowl – on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. at SMF Field. Saskatoon will try to win an unprecedented fifth straight CJFL championship in that contest.

QB Jordan Walls piled up the PFC awards.

    The Hilltops will face the winner of a CJFL semifinal contest to be played this coming Saturday between the Ontario Football Conference champion Hamilton Hurricanes and the British Columbia Football Conference champion Langley Rams in Langley, B.C.

    Saskatoon’s focus has been incredible so far this season. The coaches, staff and players have lived each day for that day as the season has gone on.

    Collectively, they have embraced and enjoyed each moment as it has come.

    They focused on letting this season write its own story. As a result, the team will get a chance to win a fifth straight CJFL title.

    The Hilltops had to do the same thing last year in becoming the first team to win four straight CJFL titles. In the 2017 campaign, no one really talked openly about winning a fourth straight CJFL title until the Toppers locked up a spot in the Canadian Bowl.

    Knowing the PFC champion would host the Canadian Bowl this season, it would be safe to say winning a CJFL title for the fifth straight year was in the back of everyone’s mind that is part of the Hilltops organization. A veteran team was returning as well to take a crack at a fifth straight national championship.

Bobby Ehman (#48) and the Hilltops defence have been solid this season.

    A total of eight players in their fifth-years with the team will have the chance to hold the distinction of being part of a CJFL national championship club in every season they played with the Hilltops. All of those returning fifth-year players are key members of the team.

    Quarterback Jordan Walls racked up the PFC awards being named an all-star, the most outstanding quarterback, the most outstanding offensive player of the year and the most valuable player.

    Receiver Jason Price was named a PFC all-star and the most outstanding receiver for the conference. Offensive lineman Kirk Simonsen was named a PFC all-star and receiver Adam Ewanchyna was named a PFC all-star as a return specialist.

    Linebacker Cody Peters had a big haul of PFC honours being named an all-star, the most outstanding linebacker and most outstanding defensive player.

    Bobby Ehman did an admirable job taking over at middle linebacker from Cameron Schnitzler, who starred at that position and graduated after last season.

RB Josh Ewanchyna, right, jets to the end zone for a touchdown.

    Adam Benkic proved he could still fly around at outside linebacker and on special teams. He was named the special teams player of the week for the PFC after the Hilltops won the conference title.

    Defensive end Connor Guillet was dogged by injury all last season and returned to record 2.5 sacks appearing in six of the Hilltops eight regular season games this season. He has played so well you wonder what he might have been able to do had he not been injured.

    The Hilltops swept the PFC player of the week awards after the conference title victory with third-year running back Josh Ewanchyna taking offensive player of the week honours and fourth-year defensive tackle Garth Knittig being named the defensive player of the week.

    Ewanchyna was named a PFC all-star and the conference’s most outstanding offensive back, and Knittig was named a PFC all-star and the conference’s most outstanding defensive lineman.

    Head coach Tom Sargeant got his due being named the PFC’s coach of the year. Sargeant and his coaching staff might have pulled off one of their best jobs ever with how well they have guided this year’s team.

Hilltops HC Tom Sargeant, middle, is the PFC coach of the year.

    The fact the players have stayed focused on the task at hand is a credit to the work of the coaches.

    With such a group of super people in the fold, it is only human to envision what it would be like to win a fifth straight CJFL title from time to time.

    Because of the day-to-day work put in this season, the Hilltops can embrace the fact they have a chance to do something uncommon and win a fifth straight CJFL championship in their next game. If they pull off that victory, a whole host of other milestones will come.

    They would cap the run of five straight championships with a perfect season, which would be the fourth in team history and first since going 12-0 in 2003. In 2003, the Hilltops crushed the Victoria Rebels 59-0 in the Canadian Bowl in Chilliwack, B.C.

    The current Hilltops can keep building on their current overall winning streak of 18 games and post-season winning streak of 15 games.

    They are also trying to capture their eighth CJFL championship in the last nine years and 21^st CJFL title in team history.

    While the Toppers will work to stay focused in a break of 19 days between games before taking the field on Nov. 17, that break might provide a chance to turn the end of the season into a celebration of the venerable CJFL team attracting many alums and supporters of the club.

The Hilltops are looking to draw a big crowd for the Canadian Bowl.

    The lengthy stretch off between games will allow alums who live outside of Saskatoon to potentially make plans to venture back to “The Bridge City” to see the Toppers play in a Saturday CJFL championship game. You only have to hang around the Hilltops for a short time to realize a lot of people hold the squad close to their hearts.

    The Nov. 17 contest will allow supporters from all points on the map to make plans to return for this title tilt.

    The 2018 campaign has been special for the Hilltops. All that is left is to make one big splash with a final send off.

    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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