Friday, 7 February 2020

Huskies run winning streak to 10 straight games

U of S still alive in race for first in Canada West

Huskie C Logan McVeigh, right, collides with a Cougars player.
    The end is coming fast at Logan McVeigh.
    The fifth-year centre with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey seems to keep experiencing finalities every time he steps on the ice. On Friday, the Kenaston, Sask., product played his final U Sports regular season home game, and he ensured it had a memorable moment.
    At the 4:53 mark of the second period in a clash against the University of Regina Cougars, McVeigh blasted home his seven goal of the campaign from the front of the visitor’s net. That goal was the final tally in a 4-0 Huskies victory before a season high 1,889 spectators at Merlis Belsher Place.
    “It was weird,” said McVeigh. “It is weird to be in my fifth year to begin with.
    “Now, I scored my last goal at Merlis in a regulation game. It was different, but it was exciting. I managed to sneak one in, and we managed to get the win which makes it even sweeter.”
Logan McVeigh (#14) enters the ice for the start of Friday’s game.
    The win allowed the Huskies to run their current winning streak to 10 games. They improved to 21-4-2 to remain in the hunt for first place in the Canada West Conference.
    They weren’t able to get ahead of the U of Alberta Golden Bears, who thumped the U of Manitoba Bisons 8-0 on Friday in Edmonton, Alta. The Golden Bears improved to 22-5 with the win.
    Both the Huskies and Golden Bears have 44 points in the standings to hold the first and second spots in Canada West. The Golden Bears hold the standings tiebreaker having won three out of the four head-to-head games with the Huskies.
    Both squads have locked up byes past the first round of the Canada West playoffs and will host best-of-three semifinal series.
Logan McVeigh scored the Huskies fourth goal on Friday.
    The Cougars fell to 8-16-2-1 with the setback. After the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds downed the Mount Royal University Cougars 3-2 in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday, the U of R Cougars were officially eliminated from Canada West playoff contention.
    The U of R Cougars and Huskies will close their respective regular season schedules against each other on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.
    The Golden Bears host the Bisons again on Saturday in Edmonton in the final regular season contest for both of those squads.
    McVeigh said the cards will fall where they will fall as far as the first place race goes.
    “It would be nice to be in first place,” said McVeigh, who stands 6-feet and weighs 190 pounds. “It doesn’t looking like it is going to happen here with Alberta playing Manitoba.
The Huskies celebrate Logan McVeigh’s second period goal.
    “Maybe Manitoba can squeak a win out tomorrow. If second place does come, it is OK.”
    Against the U of R on Friday, the Huskies jumped ahead 1-0 at the 6:09 mark of the first period on a goal from sophomore defenceman Gordie Ballhorn.
    The lead expanded to 2-0 at the 13:50 mark of the opening frame, when left-winger Andrew Johnson put a backhand shot past Cougars netminder Brandon Holtby.
    Before the opening frame ended, rookie right-winger Jeff Faith netted his fourth of the season to put the Huskies up 3-0.
    If there were thoughts of a Cougars comeback, the Huskies landed a knockout blow with McVeigh’s second period tally.
Gordie Ballhorn scored for the Huskies on Friday.
    McVeigh thought it was great his Huskies had offensive contributions from multiple sources. Rookie centre Jared Dmytriw was the only U of S player to have a multiple point night with two assists.
    “It is nice playing a team like that where everyone can contribute offensively,” said McVeigh. “We have a well rounded team.
    “I think it showed tonight. Hopefully, we can carry that on and get the goals and assists and everything going into playoffs as well.”
    During the season, the Huskies had to play through a number of injuries resulting in everyone on their roster seeing ice time. McVeigh said that experience that was gained through the campaign is showing off now.
Taran Kozun made 20 saves for his fifth shutout of the season.
    “Everyone had to get their ice time in,” said McVeigh, who has seven goals, eight assists and a plus-seven rating in the plus-minus department appearing in all of the Huskies 27 regular season games. “Now that everyone is starting to get healthy, it shows on the ice.
    “Everyone is contributing, and everyone is there to step up. If the next guy goes down, there are always players coming in.”
    Taran Kozun stopped 20 shots to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Huskies, and he hit a trio of milestones as well. The Nipawin, Sask., product has five shutouts on the campaign, which equals the single Canada West regular season record, which he set in the 2018-19 campaign.
    Kozun shares that record with former Golden Bears netminder Zach Sawchenko, who also had five shutouts in the 2018-19 campaign.
The Huskies celebrate a 10th straight win on Friday.
    Friday’s shutout win was the 11th of Kozun’s U Sports regular season career which is a new Huskies team record. The old record of 10 was shared by Jeff Harvey, who played for the Huskies from 2005 to 2009, and Jordon Cooke, who played for the Huskies from 2014 to 2017.
    Kozun’s 11 career regular season shutouts are tied for the second most in the history of the Canada West Conference. Dustin Schwartz had 11 career regular season shutouts playing for the Golden Bears from 2001 to 2005.
    Kozun picked up his 40th career regular season victory as well on Friday, and he is the seventh netminder in the history of the Huskies to accomplish that feat.
    Brandon Holtby turned away 35 shots to take the setback in goal for the Cougars.
    Looking forward, McVeigh is happy he will get to enjoy a weekend off before the Huskies start their run in the post-season. The 25-year-old hopes his last playoff run will be a long one.
    “It was nice to get that second place locked up, so we know we have this weekend off here,” said McVeigh. “We have nice break here, get some practises in and get ready for playoffs.
    “It is the best time of the year. Hopefully, we can carry on this winning streak and keep going.”

Bourassa’s double OT winner lifts Huskies over Cougars

Bailee Bourassa scored the double OT winner for the Huskies.
    Bailee Bourassa broke the hearts of the U of Regina Cougars women’s hockey team and their followers on Friday night.
    Playing in front of 877 spectators at the Co-operators Centre in Regina, Bourassa scored in double overtime time to give her U of Saskatchewan Huskies a 2-1 victory over the U of Regina Cougars in a U Sports regular season contest. Linemate Abby Shirley and offensive defender Leah Bohlken picked up assists on the winning goal.
    The Cougars had a large number of their alums in attendance as they honoured their fifth-year players in Jaycee Magwood, Tamara McVannel and netminder Jane Kish.
    The host side led 1-0 after second-year forward Jenna Merk scored at the 15:22 mark of the second period.
    Shirley potted the equalizer for the Huskies at the 9:55 mark of the third with Shyan Elias and Sophie Lalor picking up assists.
    That set the stage for Bourassa to win it in overtime with her 12th goal and 18th point of the campaign, which are both career highs.
    Bourassa’s 12 tallies are the most goals any player on the Huskies women’s team has scored in one regular season since Kandace Cook posted 13 goals in the 2014-15 campaign.
    Jessica Vance stopped 16 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies, who improved to 17-7-2-1. Jane Kish turned away 19 shots to take the setback in goal for the Cougars, whose record moved to 13-13-1.
Abby Shirley had a goal and an assist for the Huskies.
    The win allowed the Huskies, who are third in the Canada West Conference, to have a shot to vault into second place and earn a bye through the first round of the Canada West playoffs to host a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series.
    The Huskies have 51 standings points coming off 14 regulation wins, three extra time wins and three extra time setbacks.
    In Canada West women’s hockey, teams earn three standings points for regulation wins, two standings points for extra time wins and one standings point for extra time setbacks.
    The U of Calgary Dinos (17-7-1-2) sit second in Canada West with 53 standings points with 16 regulation wins, one extra time win and three extra time setbacks.
    The Huskies hold the standings tiebreaker against the Dinos having won all four head-to-head encounters between the two sides.
    Both squads have one game remaining on their respective regular season schedules. If the Huskies win their final game in regulation and the Dinos lose their final regular season contest in any fashion, the Huskies will finish second.
    If the Dinos lose their final regular season game in regulation and the Huskies win their final game in any fashion, the Huskies would finish second in that scenario too.
    The Huskies close their regular season schedule against the Cougars on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place. That game will conclude the Cougars regular season schedule.
Jessica Vance made 16 saves in goal for the Huskies on Friday.
    The Dinos finish their regular season schedule hosting the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns (9-15-1-2) on Saturday in Calgary. The Pronghorns, who have been eliminated from post-season contention, will close their campaign with that Saturday clash against the Dinos.
    The Dinos could still top the Canada West standings with a regulation win combined with a regulation loss by the U of Alberta Pandas (19-8) in their final regular season game.
    The Pandas top the Canada West standings with 56 points coming on 18 regulation wins and one extra time win. The Dinos hold the standings tiebreaker against the Pandas having one three out of the four regular season encounters between the two sides.
    The Pandas close their regular season schedule on Saturday taking on the U of Manitoba Bisons (10-16-1) in Winnipeg, Man. The Bisons have been eliminated from playoff contention and will close their 2019-20 campaign on Saturday.

Canada West Hall of Fame calls Huskies’ great Desjardins

Willie Desjardins’ picture at Merlis Belsher Place.
    Willie Desjardins, who was arguably the greatest captain out of any U of Saskatchewan Huskies teams, was officially named to the inaugural class for the Canada West Hall of Fame on Friday.
    Desjardins had an outstanding career with the Huskies men’s hockey team playing five seasons for the squad from 1978 to 1983. During that time, he appeared in 121 regular season games piling up 68 goals and 121 assist for 189 points. Desjardins career offensive totals were all Huskies team records at the time of his graduation.
    Over Desjardins final three seasons, the Huskies won three straight Canada West titles from 1981 to 1983.
    During his final season in 1982-83, Desjardins was the Huskies captain when they won the David Johnston University Cup as U Sports national champions. The Huskies downed the Concordia University Stingers 6-2 in the U Sports championship tournament title game, which was held in Moncton, N.B.
    In three tournament games, Desjardins posted four goals and seven assists for 11 points. The star forward’s 11 points is still a record for one tournament. He was named the MVP of the 1983 U Sports championship tournament.
    Desjardins was a Canada West all-star on four occasions during his career with the Huskies, and he was the Canada West MVP during the 1982-83 campaign. He was a U Sports all-Canadian all-star in the 1980-81 campaign.
    On top of the conference honours, Desjardins was twice awarded the E. Kent Phillips Trophy as the overall male athlete of the year for U of S. In 1983, Desjardins claimed the Rusty McDonald Cup as the U of S all-around male athlete for being outstanding in the characteristics of leadership, sportsmanship, athletics and academics.
    Following his playing days with the Huskies, Desjardins embarked on an outstanding coaching career that include time in U Sports, the WHL, the NHL, the AHL and Canada’s national team program.
    He is currently the head coach and general manager of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers.
As a head coach, Desjardins led the U of Calgary Dinos to a Canada West title in 1990.
    Desjardins guided the Tigers to WHL titles in 2004 and 2007. He won an AHL championship as head coach of the Texas Stars in 2014.
Members of the Huskies 1980 to 83 teams at Merlis Belsher Place on Friday.
    In 2018, Desjardins was at the helm when Canada’s national men’s hockey team won a bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.
    As an assistant coach, Desjardins helped Canada’s world junior team win a gold medal in 2009.
    Last October, the Huskies squads that won three straight Canada West titles from 1981 to 1983 were named to the inaugural class of the Canada West Hall of Fame. Members from those Huskies teams were honoured before the Huskies 4-0 victory over the U of Regina Cougars in a U Sports regular season game on Friday at Merlis Belsher Place.

Huskies’ George named to Canada West Hall of Fame

Breanne George pictures in the Huskies hockey history book.
    The high-scoring Breanne George had a decorated career with the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team, and she picked up a huge honour in her post-playing days.
    On Tuesday, George was inducted as part of the inaugural class to the Canada West Hall of Fame.
    George played for the Huskies from 2007 to 2012 and is still the squad’s most prolific scorer. The star forward holds the Huskies career records for most regular season goals (86) and points (149).
    Her 63 career regular season assists ranks third in Huskies team history.
    George holds the Huskies record for most goals in one regular season at 28 and points at 46. Those marks were achieved in the 2009-10 campaign.
    She topped the Canada West Conference in goals and points in the 2009-10 season and was named the Canada West MVP.
    The Saskatoon product was a first team Canada West all-star in 2010 and 2011 and a second team Canada West all-star in 2012. She was a first team U Sports all-Canadian in 2010 and 2011.
    In 2011, George played for Canada’s women’s team at the FISU Winter Universiade in Erzurum, Turkey. She had seven goals and 12 points in seven games helping Canada win gold.
    George is currently a physiotherapist in Sherwood Park, Alta.
    For a flashback to the past, check out this interview George did for the Huskies YouTube channel back in October of 2010 at the ancient 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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Wednesday, 5 February 2020

Rebuilding Pats win third in a row, best Blades after shootout

Zack Smith reacts to scoring his shootout winner for the Pats.
    The rebuilding Regina Pats are playing like the games matter.
    The Pats are skating through just their second season since host the CHL championship tournament - Memorial Cup – in May of 2018. They went all in making a number of trades to make their roster an experience veteran one in the 2017-18 campaign.
    Due to going all in, they are still going through the stages of a major rebuild, but when they hit the ice, they are trying to play like a playoff berth is one the line. That approach is resulting in some wins.
    On Wednesday night before 2,850 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, the Pats downed the host Saskatoon Blades 3-2 after a tiebreaking shootout for a third straight victory. The visitors took the tiebreaking session 2-1.
Zack Smith helped the Pats win their third straight game.
    In the shootout, Carson Denomie scored in the first round for the Pats, and overage left-winger Riley McKay tallied in the second round for the Blades.
    With the teams even at 1-1 in the tiebreaking session, Pats rookie 18-year-old right-winger Zack Smith had the final shot in the third round. The Martensville, Sask., product put a backhand shot past Blades netminder Nolan Maier to give the Pats the win.
    “Strucher (Pats head coach Dave Struch) really stressed that we play the right way and play as a team and don’t play selfish,” said Smith. “I think we did that really well tonight.
    “That is the kind of team we are. We have to just chip pucks and go forecheck hard. That is what we did tonight.”
Riley Krane scored the Pats first goal on Wednesday.
    Due to the fact his hometown is just outside of Saskatoon’s northern border, Smith had his share of family and friends in attendance on Wednesday. He was proud of his shootout winner.
    “I just went in, gave the goalie a little fake, he bit a little bit and pulled to my backhand,” said Smith. “I pretty much had a lot of the net open, so I just put it there.
    “It felt good.”
    The win allowed the Pats to improve to 16-26-3-2. They started the campaign with a 1-10 record but have gone 15-16-3-2 over their last 36 games.
    While not mathematically eliminated from post-season contention, their chances of making playoffs are extremely slim.
Martin Fasko-Rudas scored the Blades first goal on Wednesday.
    They trail the Blades, who saw their record move to 25-20-2-3, by 18 points in the standings for the second wildcat position and the final playoff berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.
    With that noted, Struch believes his side is building a lot of character playing like a playoff position was on the line.
    “We want to get into the race,” said Struch. “We got off to a real difficult start this year for whatever reason.
    “We wanted to chase the race not that it was a playoff race. We wanted to try and get into it. Every night for us is a playoff game.
    “Every practice for us is a playoff game, so our guys have been doing this for five months already. It seems like it is easy for our guys to do it.”
Pats C Drew Englot screens Blades G Nolan Maier.
    The Pats struck 44 seconds into Wednesday’s contest when right-winger Riley Krane blew a shot past Blades netminder Nolan Maier.
    The Blades had a big chance to even the score at the 8:30 mark, when left-winger Alex Morozoff was hooked down on a break to the Regina goal by Pats defenceman Steven Zonneveld.
    With 52.5 seconds remaining in the first period, Blades overage defence Nolan Kneen engaged Krane in a good tilt.
    The Blades evened the score at 1-1 at the 13:04 mark of the second period on a power-play goal from import Slovakian right-winger Martin Fasko-Rudas. 
The Blades celebrate a third period goal from Jayden Wiens.
    Fasko-Rudas gathered the rebound of a point shot from overage defenceman Scott Walford and tucked the puck behind Pats netminder Donovan Buskey.
    Just 1:22 later, the Pats jumped back out in front 2-1. Pats import Czech winger Jan Cikhart got the puck in the right side of the Saskatoon goal on the forecheck and centred a pass to 17-year-old centre Drew Englot.
    Englot fired in a shot that Maier got a piece of, but the puck trickled into the goal to put the Blades ahead.
    The Blades evened the score at 2-2 at the 3:34 mark on the third on a positive bounce play. A shot from Blades left-winger Braden Plaschewsky deflected off linemate Jayden Wiens, who was hooked down by a Pats player, into the Regina goal.
    Overall, Struch was pleased with the effort of his players even when mistakes were made.
    “This is the way we play,” said Struch, whose Pats have won both their encounters with the Blades this season in extra time. “That is every single game.
    “Yeah, we make mistakes. Some nights we make more than others. Tonight, it is just a matter of our identity.
Riley McKay turns up ice for the Blades.
    “These guys play hard for each other.”
    Before the midway point of the third, the Pats had a good chance to go ahead on a power play, but defenceman Ryker Evans wired a point shot off the post.
    Late in the frame, Maier made a key left pad stop on Pats captain Austin Pratt to keep the two sides even on the scoreboard.
    In overtime, both sides had big chances to net the winner. Fasko-Rudas had the last big chance, but his shot right before the buzzer was turned away by Buskey.
    That set the stage for the Pats to win it in the tiebreaking shootout.
    Maier stopped 23 shots in goal for the Blades through 65 minutes and one of three shooters in the shootout. Buskey turned away 23 shots in goal for the Pats and two of three shooters in the shootout.
The Pats celebrate their win on Wednesday night.
    The Pats return to action on Friday, when they travel to Swift Current to take on the Broncos (7 p.m., Innovation Credit Union i-Plex).
    The Blades get back at it on Saturday, when they travel to Moose Jaw to take on the Warriors (7 p.m., Mosaic Place).
    Smith said his club is feeling good going into the weekend.
    “I think we are all pretty confident right now,” said Smith. “We’ve won three in a row.
    “We’re just going to keep this confidence going into Swift Current and hopefully beat them a few times on the weekend and see where we can go from there.”

Wouters chipping in, challenges others to join in faceoff charity

Captain Chase Wouters (#44) gets set to take a draw for the Blades.
    Saskatoon Blades captain Chase Wouters is chipping and challenging others to join him in the Nutrien Faceoff for Hunger.
    Since the start of the season, Nutrien has said it will donate $10 to the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre for every faceoff Wouters wins this season. After Wednesday’s action, Wouters lead the WHL with the most faceoffs at 665.
    Last Thursday in a video posted on his Twitter account, Wouters said he would donate $1 out of his own pocket for every faceoff he won over the Blades final 21 regular season games for the Nutrien Faceoff for Hunger to go to the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre.
    Wouters challenged anyone who saw the video to join him in donating a dollar for every draw he won over the Blades final 21 regular season games. The fourth-year veteran had 625 faceoff wins when the Blades entered the final 21 regular season games.
    Over Twitter, Blades play-by-play voice Les Lazaruk, Saskatoon Police Chief Troy Cooper and Saskatoon city councillor Troy Davies have said they have accepted Wouters’ challenge and will join in on the charitable endeavour.

    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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Sunday, 2 February 2020

Huskies squeak out ninth win in a row, nail down playoff bye

Jared Dmytriw had the winning goal for the Huskies on Saturday.
    Riley Lamb nearly robbed the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team.
    The first year netminder for the University of Manitoba Bisons came up with an incredible 42 save performance on Saturday night at the Wayne Fleming Arena in Winnipeg, Man. The 21-year-old gave his Bisons a prime opportunity to steal a victory, but his effort wasn’t enough to keep the Huskies at bay.
    The Huskies overcame an early 2-0 first period deficit and ultimately rallied for a 4-3 victory in the U Sports regular season clash to pull out a ninth straight victory. The win allowed the Huskies, who are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, to improve to 20-4-2 to ensure they will have a bye through the first round of the Canada West playoffs and will host a best-of-three semifinal series.
    The Huskies and their “forever rivals” the U of Alberta Golden Bears (21-5) are guaranteed to finish in the top two positions of the Canada West Conference standings. Both squads have two games remaining on their respective regular season schedules.
    Both teams have 42 points to hold down the first and second spots in the Canada West standings. The Golden Bears hold the standings tiebreaker having won three out of the four head-to-head meetings between the two sides.
Kohl Bauml scored for the Huskies on Saturday.
    Against the Bisons on Saturday, the Huskies fell behind 2-0, when Bisons defenceman Ryan Carlson scored 48 seconds into the first period and again at the 3:15 mark of the opening frame.
    The Huskies battled back to even the score at 2-2 heading into the first intermission with goals coming from the sticks of rookie winger Justin Ball and fifth-year winger Kohl Bauml.
    U of S held a 16-5 advantage in shots on goal after the opening 20 minutes.
    In the second, fifth-year centre Logan McVeigh scored 65 seconds into the frame to give the Huskies a 3-2 lead. The Huskies were unable to add to their advantage despite holding a 19-3 edge in shots on goal.
    At the 7:01 mark of the third, Bisons fifth-year offensive defenceman Adam Henry netted his 10th goal of the season to even the score at 3-3.
    Rookie centre Jared Dmytriw potted his 10th of the season and the game winner with 2:58 remaining in the third to put the Huskies ahead for good at 4-3.
    Sophomore netminder Travis Child turned away 16 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies.
    The Bisons fell to 9-13-2-2 to sit fifth in the Canada West standings.
    After starting 0-3-1, the Huskies have rolled off a 20-1-1 record over their past 22 outings. 
Logan McVeigh scored for the Huskies on Saturday.
    They have battled the injury bug throughout the campaign including a rash of injuries at the start of the season on defence.
    The Huskies can still finish first in Canada West, if the Golden Bears, who are rated fourth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, suffer a loss in one of their final two games.
    The Huskies close their regular season schedule with a home-and-home series with the University of Regina Cougars, who sit seventh in Canada West with an 8-15-2-1 record. The Cougars need to win both games against the Huskies to give themselves the best shot to move into the top six of the Canada West standings and earn a playoff berth.
    The two sides meet this coming Friday at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place and again this coming Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.
    The Golden Bears close out their regular season schedule hosting the Bisons this coming Friday and Saturday in Edmonton.

Major third period collapse costly for Huskies women’s team

Elizabeth Salyn had a goal and an assist for the Huskies on Saturday.
    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team saw a golden opportunity to move into second in the Canada West Conference standings slip through their fingers.
    On Saturday at Merlis Belsher Place, the Huskies built a 3-0 victory over the U of Manitoba Bisons after 40 minutes of play. With star fourth-year netminder Jessica Vance playing goal and the Huskies carrying the reputation of being one of the best defensive teams in the conference, it seemed like that lead would be insurmountable.
    Unexpectedly, the Bisons rallied for four straight goals in the third period to skate away with a 4-3 victory in the U Sports regular season contest.
    The Bisons improved to 9-16-1 with the win but still remained last in the eight-team Canada West Conference. Due to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds slipping past the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns 2-1 in Vancouver, B.C., on Saturday, the Bisons were officially eliminated from playoff contention.
    The Huskies entered Saturday’s clash with the Bisons riding a seven-game winning streak. With the loss, the Huskies fell to 16-7-2-1 to sit third in the Canada West standings with 49 points coming off 14 regulation wins, two extra time wins and three extra time setbacks.
    U of S trails the U of Calgary Dinos (16-7-1-2) by one point for second place. The Dinos have 50 points in the standings coming off 15 regulation wins, one extra time win and three extra time setbacks.
    In Canada West women’s hockey, teams are awarded three points in the standings for regulation wins, two points for extra time wins and one point for extra time setbacks.
    The top two teams in Canada West earn byes past the first round of the playoffs and the opportunity to host best-of-three Canada West semifinal series.
Shyan Elias had an assist for the Huskies on Saturday.
    Both the Huskies and Dinos have two games remaining on their respective regular season schedules. The Huskies hold the standings tiebreaker over the Dinos having won all four head-to-head encounters between the two sides.
    The Huskies can’t finish any lower than third or any higher than second in Canada West.
    The U of Alberta Pandas (19-7) top the Canada West standings with 56 points coming off 18 regulation wins and one extra time win. The Pandas, who are rated fifth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, need to earn one more point in the standings to lock up first in Canada West.
    The Dinos hold the standings tiebreaker against the Pandas having one three out of four head-to-head encounters between the two sides.
    In Saturday’s clash between the Huskies and the Dinos, fifth-year centre Elizabeth Salyn scored to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead in the first period with fifth-year veteran left-winger Shyan Elias and third-year right winger Abby Shirley picking up assists. 
    Fifth-year left-winger Rachel Lundberg and sophomore forward Kara Kondrat each netted their first goals of the campaign in the second period to put the Huskies up 3-0.
    Salyn had an assist on Lundberg’s goal to finish with a two-point night.
    At that point, things fell apart for the host side. Just 1:42 into the third, third-year left-winger Mekaela Fisher scored for the Bisons to cut the Huskies lead to 3-1.
    At the 10:44 mark of the third, fourth-year right-winger Sheridan Oswald tallied for the Bisons to cut the Huskies edge to 3-2.
    With 1:26 remaining in the third, Bisons fifth-year captain Jordyn Zacharias scored the equalizer to force a 3-3 tie. Just seven seconds after that tally, Bisons rookie right-winger Kate Gregoire scored the winner for the visitors to cement the final score a 4-3.
    Zacharias had two assists to go with her goal.
    Vance turned away 16 shots to take the setback in goal for the Huskies. Fifth-year veteran Amanda Schubert turned away 20 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Bisons.
    The Huskies also failed to score on three third period power-play chances as the Bisons roared back on the scoreboard to add to the collapse for the host side.
Kara Kondrat had a goal for the Huskies on Saturday.
    The Huskies close their regular season with a home-and-home series against the U of Regina Cougars, who sit fourth in Canada West with a 13-13 record. The two sides meet this coming Friday at 7 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.
    They then go at it on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merlis.
    The Dinos close their season with a home-and-home series with the Pronghorns (9-14-1-2). They go at it this coming Friday in Lethbridge and again this coming Saturday in Calgary.

    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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Saturday, 1 February 2020

Barlage pumped Hurricanes bump Blades jinx

Humboldt product scores key goal in Lethbridge win

Logan Barlage (#27) celebrates scoring for the Hurricanes.
    Logan Barlage was happy his family and friends didn’t have to see him lose at the SaskTel Centre.
    The third-year centre from Humboldt, Sask., is having a breakout season with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who have been floating in the top six of the overall WHL standings for much of the season. Despite the fact the Hurricanes are having a strong campaign, they hadn’t beaten the Saskatoon Blades in the first three head-to-head meetings between the two sides.
    Going into action on Saturday, the Blades had won five straight head-to-head meetings with the Hurricanes dating back to last season.
    That all changed on Saturday at the SaskTel Centre as Barlage scored a goal to help the Hurricanes skate away with a 4-3 victory to disappoint much of the 4,243 spectators in attendance.
    “It is good to win in front of family, and I think our team really needed this win,” said Barlage. “We’ve been talking about playing playoff hockey, and I think that we did that tonight.
Hurricanes C Logan Barlage (#27) screens Blades G Nolan Maier.
    “I am proud of the group.”
    Barlage entered the WHL on a full-time basis as a 16-year-old rookie before the start of the 2017-18 campaign with the Swift Current Broncos. The Broncos selected Barlage in the first round and fourth overall in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft.
    He was dealt shortly before the trade deadline of his rookie campaign to the Hurricanes, because the Broncos were loading up with veteran players to go on a run that ultimately saw them win the WHL title.
    Still, Barlage hadn’t piled up the points like he had coming up through minor hockey. During his first full season in 2017-18, Barlage had seven goals and 13 assists in 71 regular season games split between the Broncos and Hurricanes.
    Last season, Barlage had 15 goals and 24 assists appearing in all of the Hurricanes 68 regular season games. Despite not lighting up the scoreboard, Barlage said he just tried to focus on his effort and not dwell on his statistics.
Logan Barlage (#27) is having a breakout campaign for the Hurricanes.
    “It was just every day you have to get better,” said Barlage, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 205 pounds. “You can’t really worry about the points.
    “Obviously, sometimes you do that especially in your draft year. I think this year I really learned not to worry about it, because you never know how the season is going to go. I just focus on myself and getting better every day.”
    Barlage has found his stride this season posting 18 goals and 28 assists in 47 regular season games. He said the fact the Hurricanes coaches kept their faith in him helped create the breakout.
    “I think there has been lots of opportunity for me,” said Barlage. “I get to play lots.
    “I think that comes along with it learning how to play against other top players and just how to keep working on your skills and getting better every day. I think that has been big.”
Koletrane Wilson scored a goal for the Hurricanes on Saturday.
    When Barlage plays close to home, he likes to win. Due to the fact Humboldt is about 112 kilometres east of Saskatoon, Barlage had a number of family and friends in attendance at the SaskTel Centre on Saturday night.
    For most of the first period, it looked the Blades would have a good chance to continue their winning ways over the Hurricanes.
    The Blades stormed out of the gates getting a flurry of scoring chances.
    Just moments into the game, Blades left-winger Kyle Crnkovic drove a shot off the post of the Lethbridge goal.
    Shortly after that chance, Hurricanes netminder Carl Tetachuk had to slide across his crease to stone Blades star centre Tristen Robins on a point-blank shot.
    Tetachuk proceeded to deny Robins on a drive from the right slot to prevent the Blades from scoring on a third golden chance.
Brett Davis scored twice for the Hurricanes on Saturday.
    The Blades broke through at the 5:51 mark of the opening frame when Crnkovic deflected home a shot from the left boards from Slovakian import winger Martin Fasko-Rudas to give the host side a 1-0 lead.
    The Hurricanes evened things up at 1-1 with 52.2 seconds remaining in the opening frame, when overage right-winger Brett Davis ripped home a power-play goal from the right slot to the stick side of Blades netminder Nolan Maier.
    That tally gave the Hurricanes a huge jump.
    Just 28 seconds into the second, Lethbridge right-winger Justin Hall passed the puck out from behind the Saskatoon net to Barlage, who potted his 18th of the season to give the Hurricanes a 2-1 edge.
    Barlage admitted his goal was key in helping the Hurricanes build off the fact they tied the contest shortly before the first intermission.
    “I think it is a good momentum booster when we score goals and our team gets up for each other,” said Barlage. “When we had momentum, I think we really play off that, so I think it was an important goal.”
Kyle Crnkovic scored a pair of goals for the Blades on Saturday.
    The Hurricanes expanded their edge to 3-1 just under six minutes later with a short-handed goal by Davis. Davis got the puck in his down zone, blew past Blades right-winger Colton Dach who was manning the left point, zipped into the Saskatoon zone and put his second of the contest past Maier.
    Shortley after that tally, Blades feisty left-winger Riley McKay and Hurricanes right-wigner Nick Dorrington engage in a fight that mainly turned into a hugging match.
    With 4:52 remaining in the second, the Hurricanes surge continued as overage defenceman Koletrane Wilson fired a point shot through a screen to put the visitors up 4-1.
A group of young fans get into the action at the SaskTel Centre.
    Barlage said the whole surge resulted from the fact his team scored in the final minute of the first period and inside the first minute of the second.
    “We came in feeling good about the period,” said Barlage, who turned 19-years-old last month. “Then we go back out there and score a couple and get the lead.
    “I think that was ultimately why we won.”
    Before the second ended, the Blades got some traction and Crnkovic banked a shot from the left corner of the Lethbridge zone off Davis into the Hurricanes goal with 52.4 second remaining in the frame. That tally cut the Lethbridge lead to 4-2.
    Just 90 seconds into the third, the Blades trimmed the Lethbridge lead to 4-3 executing a perfect two-on-break. Right-winger Zach Huber broke down the right wing with the puck, fed a pass across the face of the Lethbridge goal to Dach, who netted his eighth goal of the season.
Hurricanes D Alex Cotton (#28) is stopped by Blades G Nolan Maier.
    McKay had a chance to net the equalizer on a breakaway during a power play for the Blades, but he was denied by Tetachuk. The Hurricanes held on from that point.
    Tetachuk stopped 26 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Hurricanes (30-12-2-5). Maier turned away 17 shots to take the setback in goal for the Blades (25-20-2-2).
    Due to the fact the Hurricanes have three players in their 19-year-old years to go with their three overagers, Barlage, who is technically in his 18-year-old season, said his squad could still be considered a younger major junior team.
    Going forward, Barlage said his squad needs to keep striving to reach playoff intensity.
The Hurricanes celebrate their win on Saturday.
    “I think we just have to keep on playing hard,” said Barlage. “I think that is one thing I need to work on my game, and I continue to work on.
    “Since we have a young team, I think we just need to play that hard hockey and get ready for playoffs.”
    The Hurricanes return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Red Deer to take on the Rebels.
    The Blades get back at it on Wednesday when they host the Regina Pats at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.
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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.
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