Playing up rivalries in U Sports women’s hockey a mistake – only for now

Thunderbirds sweep Huskies in epic rivalry series

The T-birds mob Hannah Clayton-Carroll after her OT2 winner.

    It was a column that was a bigger bust than Alexandre Daigle’s NHL career.
    In a column I published on this blog on Thursday, I ask, “Should a women’s hockey rivalry be played up in U Sports?”

    After Game 1 of a Canada West quarter-final series won 3-2 in overtime by the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds over the University of Saskatchewan Huskies drew 324 spectators at Merlis Belsher Place, the answer is a resounding “No.” But, it is only a resounding “no” for now, and it didn’t have any reflection on the two teams in question – just the attendance.

Members of the Huskies react to falling in an epic rivalry clash.

    On Saturday at Merlis, the two sides followed up battling toe-to-toe in what could go down as one of the most epic games in U Sports women’s hockey in Game 2 of the set. The Thunderbirds prevailed in double overtime, when right-winger Hannah Clayton-Carroll tipped home a shot from UBC captain Mathea Fischer through the five-hole on Huskies star netminder Jessica Vance.

    The Thunderbirds took the game 1-0 and swept the best-of-three series 2-0. They advance to play the University of Alberta Pandas in a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series beginning this coming Friday. 
    On Saturday, a total of 417 spectators watch the Thunderbirds and Huskies - two archrivals - stand up for the honour their game.

    It was a beautiful sight to behold.

    The only thing missing was the background of a packed sellout crowd and the fan atmosphere like you see in some of the old storied rinks of the Western Hockey League during playoff time like the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert, the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current or The Arena, which is now decommissioned in Medicine Hat, Alta.

Hannah Clayton-Carroll (#22) had the double overtime winner for UBC.

    With the way the Thunderbirds and Huskies played in their quarter-final series, to say they deserved that is an obvious understatement. Game 2 was one that could have been played on national television.

    The blog post I published on Thursday trying to play up the rivalry between the Thunderbirds and Huskies, which can be found by clicking here, sat between 70 to 80 page views for most of the day Friday with a slight surge over the dinner hour.

    In the piece, I outlined the past bitter rivalry between the Thunderbirds and Huskies, detailed the challenges promoting rivalry in U Sports and proceeded to take some digs at the Thunderbirds to play into the rivalry.

Huskies Morgan Willoughby, left, and UBC’s Hannah Koroll in a stare down.

    With an attendance of 324 spectators and minimal page views on the post, you can’t justify at this moment in time going the route of creating a rivalry column to increase interest in the series. The attendance figure was the lowest for the Huskies women’s hockey team this season.

    Over 14 regular season home dates, the Huskies women’s team had the second best average attendance at 496 per game.

    It is a big mistake to produce a rivalry column right now, because the interest beyond the family and friends of the two teams isn’t there.

    Basically all you do is upset some of the parents on both sides of the rivalry, and of course that inevitably happened. There is an unwritten rule in minor sports that parents can be your worst enemy in the community, if they feel you have wronged their kid.

Kennedy Brown (#2) breaks out of the pack for the Huskies.

    The parents on both sides have sizable emotional investment in their athletes and have put countless hours in over the years helping their kids get to this point. All the players on both sides are where they are, because they are elite people. Of course, some parents are going to be protective of that.

    There were a lot parents that were all into the rivalry as well, so I am uncertain how I might be grading an overreaction by some on the front that didn’t like the rivalry piece.

    While members of the Thunderbirds and Huskies are elite athletes of young adult age spanning 18 to 24, the low attendance figures at this moment do not justify writing a rivalry column along the lines that you would write involving the Western Hockey League’s Prince Albert Raiders taking on the Saskatoon Blades.

Mathea Fischer (#26) brings the puck up ice for the Thunderbirds.

    The Raiders usually are in standing room at their 2,580 seat rink when they play the Blades, and the Blades can expect 4,000 to 5,000 spectators when the Raiders come to town. The interest is there to create a rivalry column to stir the pot.

    I was trying to transfer some elements from last year’s memorable six-game second round WHL playoff series between the Raiders and Blades into the series between the Thunderbirds and Huskies.

    At the moment for U Sports women’s hockey, the best way to advance a playoff series is a feature article on a popular player. 

The epic T-birds-Huskies clash was just missing a Raiders type home crowd.

    Usually, my page views for features on female hockey players, not just in U Sports, do well, even if attendance isn’t high.

    The risk of doing a rivalry column where attendance is just limited to family and friends is it can potentially increase tension between the parents groups and friends groups. The tensions can be increased with a controversial finish. I have seen that happen in the past in hockey.

    Friday’s classic encounter had a controversial finish.

Morgan Willoughby works the point for the Huskies.

    Fischer knocked in the winning goal with a high stick inside of the final 20 seconds of the first overtime period of that contest.

    It was a bang-bang play hard for the officials to see, but it was clear on replay. There are no instant replay reviews in U Sports women’s hockey.

    That type of finish combined with a rivalry column can create a lot of hostility between parents groups.

    As Friday went on and I saw the rivalry post wasn’t gaining views, I started to wonder if attendance would not be good. I was at the Indoor Training Centre at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex that day, and I learned it was reading week next week at the University of Saskatchewan and most of Saskatoon’s high schools.

    I got the impression attendance wouldn’t be high at the women’s hockey games, because athletes at the training centre who were not in season were focused on getting away to ski trips and vacations. 

Hannah Koroll starts a rush up ice for the Thunderbirds.

    In the current age of elite sport, athletes put more time into their craft than in any other era, so I don’t blame those athletes on wanting to get some down time.

    Fairly confident there wasn’t going to be a big attendance figure for Game 1, I figured it would be best to stay away just in case there was some type of controversy or incident, because due to the rivalry column, I would be the easy target to blame for any possible incidents had they occurred.

    That is a risk you also take in writing a rivalry column. I elected to follow the Game 1 proceedings online with the thought of trying to prevent any further hostilities.

    I figured it would be the best for everyone to get the night’s sleep and refocus for Saturday.

    Full marks go to the Thunderbirds on rallying from down 2-0 to get the win in Game 1. The fact that Saskatoon product and former Prince Albert Northern Bears captain Hannah Koroll got the third period equalizer was really nice.

The Thunderbirds and Huskies engaged in numerous physical battles.

    She scored a power-play goal on a beauty play pinching down from the post to the side of the U of S net to pot the tally. Former Medicine Hat Tigers captain Kris Russell scored many goals on that exact play, so that was a pretty sweet play.

    Actually, the two games Koroll played on Friday and Saturday were the best two games I ever saw her play. I saw her be a key member helping the Bears win the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League title in 2017 and advance to the Esso Cup national female midget AAA championship tournament.

    Believe it or not, I do want to see her do well and reach her full potential in the game.

Thunderbirds goalie Tory Micklash dives for a loose puck.

    I know I took jabs at her in a couple of pieces this season including the rivalry piece. When you are trying really hard to fire jabs at someone, it does mean they are one of your favourites, and honestly that is the case here whether you believe it or not. She is an all-world talent.

    Hockey players that have come through Prince Albert aim to emulate the romantic vision of the WHL’s Raiders of being the team of Mike Modano and Dave Manson - franchise where honour still matters. Koroll lived up to that this weekend.

Jessica Vance clamps on to a save for the Huskies.

    On the U Sports front, you always have to be mindful of how much time universities in Canada put into oversight. I apologize to all parties involved for any time they had to put into addressing the rivalry column that they didn’t want to. In the current world, I know how time becomes more and more a stressed commodity.

    Friday night while Game 1 was on at my home, I had to do catch up on other projects, and I completed the catch up.

    At the moment, I still feel the time I spent on the rivalry column would have been better spent doing a feature on a popular player to advance the series. Of course due to the community support in “Hockey Town North,” I have found Prince Albert area players are consistently popular, so talking to defender Morgan Willoughby and Vance of the Huskies are can’t miss subjects.

T-birds LW Ireland Perrott, left, avoids Huskies LW Shyan Elias.

    Koroll too is a can’t miss subject. I think the picture I shot of her and Willoughby, who is another former Bears captain, having a stare down in Game 2 will ultimately be a popular one in Prince Albert. It encompassed what that hockey community is about.

    During the Game 2 clash, Vance turned away 28 shots to take the setback in goal for the Huskies. Tory Micklash stopped 38 shots to get the shutout for the Thunderbirds.

    Both sides had multiple great scoring chances in Game 2, and they transitioned up and down the ice at a frightening pace. 

Emma Nutter controls the puck on the point for the Huskies.

    The officials put the whistles away for most of the game, and there were actually a lot of great hits too.

    While I think the rivalry column is a mistake at this time, I do not regret the exercise, because I believe something really special came out of it. If I didn’t write the rivalry column, maybe the games that happened wouldn’t have occurred.

    The Thunderbirds and Huskies proved U Sports women’s hockey can play in the big time and how great the game can be. It is society’s loss that interest in the game is only contained in a small niche group of people.

    Both teams proved they can handle a series being hyped like a rivalry series in the Western Hockey League, which of course is a guy’s league. Shame on anyone that doubted that.

The T-birds-Huskies series ended with genuine respectful handshakes.

    Being human, there was a small sliver in me that maybe doubted that, so shame on me.

    At the end of Game 2, the handshake line was a genuine one with respect, and you could tell the players on both the Thunderbirds and Huskies knew in their hearts they made their point.

    I would love to see U Sports women’s hockey reach the interest leagues like the Western Hockey League have. Today isn’t that day.

    The rest of us need to catch up to where the Thunderbirds and Huskies are, and the rivalry column wouldn’t carry the feeling of being a risk. It would just be another fun part of the game.

    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, Thunderbirds rivalry is for real

Should that be played up in U Sports women’s hockey?

The Huskies and Thunderbirds scrum at the end of their 2018 playoff series.

    Should a women’s hockey rivalry be played up in U Sports?
    I have been struggling with that question since a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series was cemented between the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.

    Game 1 of the series is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place. Game 2 is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merlis, and if necessary, Game 3 is slated for 7 p.m. at Merlis.

    The Huskies finished third in Canada West with a 17-7-2-2 record, while the Thunderbirds were sixth with a 10-13-4-1 mark.

    This will mark the fourth time the two sides have faced each other in the post-season since 2014 and the third time since 2017. Due to the recent playoff encounters, a lot of ill will has built up between the two sides causing the squads to become archrivals.

    When these teams last met in the post-season, the lasting image was of then Huskies captain Kaitlin Willoughby trying to get after Thunderbirds centre Mathea Fischer after a Thunderbirds player hit Huskies star netminder Jessica Vance at the third period buzzer.

The officials break up the Huskies and Thunderbirds in 2018 playoffs.

    A huge scrum developed in front of the Huskies goal, and tensions were high enough that a brawl could have resulted.

    That was how a 2-1 Huskies victory concluded of Game 2 of a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series, which U of S swept 2-0.

    The post-game handshakes from that Game 2 weren’t actual handshakes but a series of “low fives” like you would see at a minor sports event played at the eight-year-old age level.

    Huskies head coach Steve Kook received a one game suspension, when it was deemed his players broke an archaic league rule by coming up the bench at the end the game before the referee’s command.

    Both teams return a lot of players from that 2018 series to this year’s tilt including Vance and Fischer. Since that series, it is safe to say there has been bitterness in the encounters between these two teams.

    Even with that back story, I have wondered if it worth playing up the rivalry angle leading up to this series. 

Huskies D Morgan Willoughby and T-birds D Celine Tardif talk dinner plans.

    While the rivalry is a great one, it isn’t the Prince Albert Raiders taking on the Saskatoon Blades in the Western Hockey League. On that circuit, the fact the fans get passionately into that rivalry makes in that much better.

    The Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert is usually packed for those games, and it is fair to expect 5,000 to 6,000 spectators to appear at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon when those teams meet.

    Fans will bring signs to the rink to show their dislike for the rival and beaks will go off on various social media lines.

    Comparatively, games in U Sports women’s hockey are mostly family and friends games when it comes to attendance and receive extremely little play in the mainstream media. If attendance exceeds 200 for a U Sports women’s hockey game, it is deemed a success.

    One of the few exceptions to that reality was the last Crowchild Classic in Calgary, Alta., that featured the women’s game between the U of Calgary Dinos and the Mount Royals University Cougars in the primetime spot. 

Huskies D Isabella Pozzi (#8) nails a Thunderbirds player this season.

    That contest on Jan. 30 drew 10,002 spectators to the Scotiabank Saddledome to see the Dinos down the Cougars 4-1. That attendance figure is a U Sports record for women’s hockey.

    The Huskies women’s team has been one of the attendance leaders in Canada West since moving into Merlis for the start of the 2018-19 campaign. In 2018-19, the Huskies averaged 650 spectators through 14 home regular season games to lead all women’s hockey teams in Canada West.

    This season, the Huskies averaged 496 spectators for their 14 home regular season dates to sit second behind the Dinos, whose figure was propped up being pegged as the home team for the Crowchild Classic.

    Also, it seems like to me U Sports women’s hockey is patronized, where you should cheer players like an eight-year-old athlete who has learned a skill.

    U Sports women’s hockey teams are elite squads made up of highly skilled athletes, but they don’t get anywhere near the following to make it worthwhile to play up the rivalry angle.

Huskies D Emma Nutter (#21) and T-birds C Mathea Fischer trade words.

    If you do, you come off as a jerk.

    Plus, I don’t believe the appetite is there for U Sports programs to play up a rivalry angle. If you do and things get over the line out of hand, teams ultimately have to answer to university presidents and university board of directors.

    Both traditionally have had no patience for sports teams going overboard with rivalries as university are deemed institutions of higher learning. The academics thumb their noses at athletes who get too worked up over rivalries.

    Outright suspensions from school have to be the biggest worry in that scenario too.

    I always feel the fan codes of conduct are used as a deterrent with regards to cheering at a U Sports event.

    On the Huskies hockey front, the last time a crowd was extremely engaged in a playoff series was the 2016 men’s Canada West final between the Huskies and their “forever rivals” the U of Alberta Golden Bears. The Huskies hockey teams were playing out of the ancient Rutherford Rink back then, and that place was rocking like the Art Hauser Centre during Raiders Western Hockey League playoff games.

    I don’t condone going out and getting offensive with heckles. If a fanbase wants to do the Winnipeg, Man., fan thing and chant someone on their team is better than someone on the opposition, go for it.

Hannah Koroll would be great, if she played for the Huskies.

    As for me, I think I will finish off going down the “jerk” road in the women’s hockey rivalry between the Huskies and Thunderbirds, because I believe rivalry sells tickets.

    Being based in Saskatoon, I can’t wait for the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team to take on the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds women’s diving – er – I mean women’s hockey team. I wonder if the Thunderbirds prefer to work from the three-foot board or the 10-foot board?

    Thunderbirds sophomore defender and Saskatoon Holy Cross High School grad Hannah Koroll is a good player. She would be a great player, if she played for the Huskies women’s hockey team.

    Actually, you could get your dislike in the jealously department on for Koroll, because she is a 13 out of 10 in the looks department, great in school, and if she want to be, she can be the best player on the ice in any game she skates in. She might end up being like Tom Brady one day.

    Anyways, take a screenshot of this post and send it to the Thunderbirds women’s hockey team to see, if you like. I don’t care.

    This post might get me unfriended on all social media lines by celebrity University of British Columbia Thunderbirds women’s volleyball team alumna Claire Hanna. I don’t care.

There won’t be a lot of love between the Huskies and Thunderbirds.

    As Rod Pedersen used to say as the play-by-play voice of the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats when they would take on the Moose Jaw Warriors in major junior hockey’s greatest rivalry, “Let’s get it on, because we don’t get along.”

    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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Wheat Kings wipe out Blades 5-1

P.A. product Schneider posts goal, assist and plus-three rating

Braden Schneider had a goal, an assist and was a plus-three for Brandon.

    Braden Schneider had a Prince Albert moment playing for the Brandon Wheat Kings.
    With his team holding a 3-0 advantage on the host Saskatoon Blades, the 18-year-old defenceman saw his goaltender Jiri Patera get knocked to the ice via a trip from veteran Blades right-winger Zach Huber. Schneider, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 208 pounds, confronted Huber, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 197 pounds, starting a scrum.

    Schneider was given minor penalties for cross-checking and roughing, while Huber was assessed minors for goaltender interference and roughing.

    Schneider, who is a Prince Albert, Sask., product and played for the Prince Albert Raiders bantam AA team and the Prince Albert Mintos midget AAA club, admitted a little bit of his personality from his hometown coming out in that moment.

Braden Schneider (#2) takes part in Brandon’s head butt goal celebration.

    “I think I am a competitive guy,” said Schneider. “I think any guy on our team would do the same.

    “I think we are just a tight-knit group, and I think we have each others’ back no matter what happens. If we think it is dirty, we will be standing up for each other for sure.”

    Had the officials stretched the call and given out fighting majors in that moment, Schneider would have ended up with the Gordie Howe hat trick. Still, he had a great night posting one goal, one assist and a plus-three rating in the plus-minus department.

Braden Schneider controls the puck at the point for the Wheat Kings.

    Overall, the Wheat Kings rolled to a 5-1 victory in Wednesday’s WHL regular season clash played before 2,815 spectators at the SaskTel Centre.

    Schneider said it was cool to have nights where seemingly everything went right for his side, but he added that isn’t always the case.

    “All our guys rose to the occasion,” said Schneider. “After the game, we reset and get ready for the next one, because the next one is just as big.”

    On a personal front, Schneider is having a breakout campaign in his third season in the WHL. He has posted six goals and 28 assists for 34 points to go with a plus-11 rating in 49 regular season appearances with the Wheat Kings.

Braden Schneider is having a breakout season with the Wheat Kings.

    Schneider’s assist and point totals are already career highs. He said the experience he gained over his first two major junior campaigns is helping out now.

    “Everyone is a bit bigger, a bit faster and a bit stronger,” said Schneider. “It is a little bit of an adjustment from midget, but once you get used to it, it almost seems easier.

    “I know where the little soft spots are now, and I am using my guys and carrying the puck a little bit more and shooting a little bit more. I think just the comfort level and the opportunity is helping me find the net a little bit more.”

    Wednesday’s game got off to an auspicious start for the Blades, which seemed to foreshadow what was to come. About a couple of minutes into the opening frame, Blades netminder Nolan Maier had the puck behind his net and nonchalantly sent a backhand pass into the left slot right to Wheat Kings centre Jake Chiasson.

Braden Schneider starts a rush up ice for the Wheat Kings.

    Chiasson wasn’t able to capitalize on the gift firing a shot wide of the Saskatoon goal.

    The Wheat Kings proceeded to a pot a goal seconds into a power-play at the 6:02 mark of the frame. Off a draw on from the faceoff circle to the left of the Saskatoon goal, Wheat Kings captain Connor Gutenberg slipped a pass across the face the Blades net to linemate Cole Reinhardt, who buried his 26^th goal of the season.

    Before the first ended, the Blades had a couple of strong chances to net the equalizer. 

Ridly Greig had two goals and two assists for Brandon.

    Patera made a glove stop on a drive by feisty Blades left-winger Riley McKay and then stoned Huber from point blank range.

    With 2:31 remaining in the first, the Wheat Kings expanded their edge to 2-0 off an offensive rush, where a pinching Schneider potted a backdoor pass from centre Luka Burzan at the left side of the Saskatoon goal.

    The assist was Burzan’s 100^th of his WHL career.

    Just 12 seconds into the second, Gutenberg netted his 11^th of the season to put the Wheat Kings up 3-0.

Connor Gutenberg had a goal and three assists for Brandon.

    The Wheat Kings took further control of the contest with 2:07 remaining in the second, when centre Ridly Greig fired home a power-play goal from the right boards to put the visitors up 4-0.
    The only thing that seemingly didn’t go right for the Wheat Kings was that Greig was stopped on a penalty shot about a couple of minutes before his power-play goal.

    “It is a lot easier to play, when everyone is going like that, and we are playing the way we want to be playing,” said Schneider. “We came prepared tonight, and it was a big game. “

    The Blades showed a bit of fight at the start of third. Following a penalty kill, overage Blades defenceman Nolan Kneen jetted into the Brandon zone on a breakaway and fired home his 11^th of the season to the top right corner of the Wheat Kings net.

    If there were any dreams of a comeback by the home side, the Wheat Kings burst that bubble scoring a short-handed goal on a two-on-one break with nine minutes remaining in the third. 

Nolan Kneen had the Blades lone goal on Wednesday.

    Greig potted his second of the night converting a setup pass from right-winger Ty Thorpe to give the visitors a 5-1 advantage.

    Greig had a pair of assists to go with his two goals for a four-point night. Gutenberg had three helpers to go with his goal for a four-point night as well.

    Patera turned away 22 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Wheat Kings (28-19-3-2). Maier turned away 27 shots to take the setback in goal for the Blades (27-21-2-3).

    Back on Dec. 28, the Wheat Kings had a 15-17-1-2 record, and there was uncertainty in which direction their season could go. In their 17 outings since, the Wheat Kings have posted a 13-2-2 record.

    “I think everyone is just buying in to what we are given,” said Schneider. “When we do that, we are a pretty tough team to beat.

Jiri Patera makes one of his 22 saves for the Wheat Kings.

    “I think everyone has learned their role and is buying into the system. I think it is all just coming around full circle for us. I think at the start some people were starting to write us off.

    “We were a little inconsistent. We were trying to find our stride, and I think once we found it, it was pretty scary.”

    The Blades and Wheat Kings will go at it again on Friday in Brandon (7:30 p.m. local time, Westoba Place).

    Schneider expects the intensity will be a lot higher in Friday’s encounter than it was on Wednesday.

    “The challenge is that they are going to be coming harder than they did tonight,” said Schneider. “I think the challenge for us is to be prepared and be ready to go and reset.

The Wheat Kings celebrate their win on Wednesday.

    “We know that they are going to be coming for blood from us.”

    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.

Robins rescues Blades

Breakout centre nets OT winner to thwart Warriors comeback

Tristen Robins (#11) celebrates his overtime winner.

    Tristen Robins stopped the Moose Jaw Warriors from getting out of Saskatoon with a big steal.
    On Sunday afternoon at the SaskTel Centre, the host Saskatoon Blades took a 3-1 lead in a WHL regular season contest into the third period over the visiting Warriors. Despite the fact the host side controlled most of the contest, the Warriors potted two early third period goals to force a 3-3 tie and ultimately overtime.

    With 49.1 seconds remaining in overtime, Robins deflected home a shot from linemate Kyle Crnkovic to deliver the Blades to a 4-3 victory before 3,687 spectators. The goal capped a three-point night for Robins, who had a pair of assists in regulation.

Tristen Robins had a goal and two assists for the Blades on Sunday.

    He was pumped to come through with the winner in overtime.

    “It is a little more dramatic getting it in the last minute,” said Robins. “It was for sure quite a rush.”

    Robins is having a breakout sophomore season leading the Blades in scoring posting 26 goals and 30 assists for 56 points to go with a plus-10 rating in the plus-minus department.

    The 18-year-old centre had two goals, two assists and a plus-four rating on Saturday when the Blades hammered the Warriors 8-2 in Moose Jaw.

    Blades head coach Mitch Love was pleased with how Robins played in Sunday’s win.

Tristen Robins leads the Blades in scoring this season.

    “He was good,” said Love. “When you watch him play hockey, when he is really moving his feet and he is skating, you know he is dialed in.

    “The puck touches offensively when his legs are moving seem to have a little more pop off his stick. He plays a lot of minutes for us. He seems to never run out of gas.

    “I thought him and Crnkovic were good tonight. They had a lot of jam. They were both the two guys that were out on the ice there along with (overage defenceman Scott) Walford in overtime that got us the win.”

    The Blades came out with a lot of jump at the start of Sunday’s contest. Just 2:05 into the first period, Saskatoon centre Evan Patrician got in close on the Moose Jaw goal on a rush down the right wing and snapped a shot past Warriors netminder Brock Gould to put the host side up 1-0.

Nolan Kneen played in his 300th WHL regular season game on Sunday.

    Shortly after that tally, Blades overage defenceman Nolan Kneen nailed Warriors right-winger Kade Runke with a big hit. Kneen, who started his WHL career with the Kamloops Blazers, was playing in his 300^th career WHL regular season game on Sunday, and he admits there are times he feels like the elder statesman.

    “My body is feeling it for sure,” said Kneen, who finished with a plus-one rating on Sunday. “It is not every day someone hits 300.

    “It is pretty special, and I am honoured to have that.”

    The hit parade continued a couple of minutes later when Czech import defenceman Radek Kucerik nailed Warriors centre Kyle Crosbie.

    Just when it seemed the Blades had all the momentum, the Warriors evened the score at 1-1 at the 7:47 mark of the opening frame. 

Ryder Korczak scored the equalizer for the Warriors in the third period.

    Warriors centre Garrett Wright fired home the equalizer from the front of the Saskatoon goal after receiving a pass from linemate Martin Lang from behind the Blades net.

    The Blades went back out in front 2-1 at the 11:39 mark of the opening frame, when Slovakian import right-winger Martin Fasko-Rudas blew home a setup pass from Robins for a power-play goal.

Gould closed the opening frame making a couple of big glove saves off Blades wingers Colton Dach and Riley McKay.

    The Warriors puck stopper did his best to keep his squad in the game as the Blades dominated played in the second period outshooting the visitors 14-5 in the frame.

Brock Gould makes one of his 44 saves in goal for the Warriors.

    With 1:21 remaining in the second and the two teams playing four-on-four hockey, the Blades picked up an insurance marker to go up 3-1 when Walford blew home his 11^th of the season from the top of the left faceoff circle in the Moose Jaw zone.

    Early in the third, the Warriors changed the game’s momentum in a big way. At the 5:04 mark of the frame, 18-year-old right-winger Logan Doust scored for the Warriors to cut the Blades lead to 3-2.

    Just 80 seconds after that tally, Doust sprung linemate Ryder Korczak on a breakaway, and the 17-year-old centre beat Blades netminder Koen MacInnes on a backhander to even the score at 3-3.

Scott Walford had a goal for the Blades on Sunday.

    “We find a way to do it to ourselves a lot of nights,” said Love. “If you look at the goals, we got really puck focused any time when pucks were behind our net and exposed the middle part of the rink in our own end.

    “If you look at the Korczak situation, we win a clean draw in the offensive end, and we need to get a puck to the net. We don’t elevate, and he (Doust) picks it off and goes. He (Korczak) is a good player, and he puts it in the back of your net.

    “We make life a lot harder on ourselves than we need to sometimes, but that being said they had 22 shots on net. I didn’t think we gave up a tonne of chances to them.”

    Shortly after the Warriors evened the score, Korczak broke down the left wing into the Blades zone on another dangerous rush, but MacInnes came up with a glove stop.

Evan Patrician had the Blades first goal on Sunday.

    That set the stage for the contest to go to overtime, where Robins netted his winner.

    “We gave up a couple of tough goals there in the defensive zone,” said Robins. “We’re just fortunate to get the bounce in overtime.”

    MacInnes stopped 19 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades (27-20-2-3). Gould turned away 44 shots to take the extra time setback in goal for the Warriors (12-34-3).

    The Blades return to action on Wednesday when they host the Brandon Wheat Kings (27-19-3-2) at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    The Warriors are back at it on Wednesday when they travel to Spokane to face the Chiefs.

    Love expects his squad will be in for a big battle against the Wheat Kings on Wednesday.

The Blades celebrate their overtime win on Sunday.

    “If you don’t have a good start against Brandon on home ice on Wednesday, we’re going to be in big trouble against that team,” said Love. “They play hard, they forecheck hard, they are physical, they have some skill and they are playing with some confidence and some swag right now themselves over the last month and a half.

    “We’re finding ourselves in a little bit of a fight here in the East Division. We are excited for that opportunity, and we’ll see what happens Wednesday.”

    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 drop 3-2 heartbreaker to Cougars after shootout

Second place and bye in Canada West playoffs eludes U of S

It is on to UBC for captain Brooklyn Haubrich and the Huskies.

    One rival leaves and another one is on the way.

    On Saturday before 735 spectators at Merlis Belsher Place, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team closed out the U Sports regular season falling to their provincials rivals the University of Regina Cougars 3-2 after a tiebreaking shootout.

    The Cougars took the shootout 1-0 after star captain Jaycee Magwood scored in the fourth round.

    The clash between the two sides had the intensity of a playoff tilt. As both clubs look towards their respective upcoming post-season runs, Huskies fifth-year captain Brooklyn Haubrich said it was good for her team to get the feel of a high-intensity game before the post-season comes around, even though the setback stung.

The Cougars third period equalizer gets past Huskies goalie Jessica Vance.

    “It hurts,” said Haubrich. “Obviously, we didn’t want to lose.

    “We didn’t want to end our regular season on a losing note. I think there are a lot of positives that we can take into playoffs. There are good battles out there.

    “Any time you play Regina, everyone is hyped up and ready to go. I’m hoping we can bring that energy into playoffs and put this one behind us. It is a new season next weekend, so move forward.”

    The Huskies were hoping to move into second place in the Canada West Conference at the start of Saturday’s game. They finished third with a 17-7-2-2 record.

    Had the Huskies won on Saturday, they still wouldn’t have been able to move into second place due to the fact the U of Calgary Dinos got past the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns 3-1 on Saturday in Calgary, Alta. 

The Cougars celebrate a third period equalizer from Paige Hubbard.

    The Dinos finished second with an 18-7-1-2 mark, while the Pronghorns placed last in the eight team conference and missed the post-season with a 9-16-1-2 record.

    The U of Alberta Pandas, who are rated fifth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, finished first in Canada West with a 20-8 record after blanking the U of Manitoba Bisons 4-0 in Winnipeg, Man.

    The Bisons finished seventh in Canada West with a 10-17-1 record and will miss the post-season.

    The Pandas and Dinos both have byes past the first round of the Canada West playoffs.

    The Huskies will host their archrivals the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in a best-of-three Canada West quarterfinal series, and Game 1 is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at Merlis. 

Sophie Lalor scored for the Huskies in the third period.

    The Thunderbirds finished sixth in Canada West with a 10-13-4-1 record.

    The Huskies and Thunderbirds have been frequent playoff foes and last met in the post-season in 2018, when the Huskies swept a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series 2-0 at the ancient Rutherford Rink. The end of the Huskies 2-1 series clinching victory in Game 2 included a huge scrum in front of the U of S net that nearly turned into a brawl.

    Haubrich admitted the ill will from past games with the Thunderbirds hasn’t been forgotten by her side.

    “I think we are just going to have to be mentally tough,” said Haubrich. “I think we are going to have to keep our head on our shoulders.

Morgan Willoughby scored for the Huskies in the third period.

    “We know what it is like to play them. Lots of us have been around long enough that we know what they are like. It is going to be a gong show.

    “There are going to be lots of penalties. We’re just going to have to keep our head on straight so that we can push through that adversity.”

    As for Saturday’s game against the Cougars, the star goaltenders took centre stage over the opening 20 minutes making a number of tough stops. Jessica Vance stopped 11 shots for the Huskies, while Jane Kish turned away nine shots for the Cougars.

    The Cougars jumped ahead 1-0, when left-winger Merissa Zerr netted a gritty in close power-play goal at the right side of the Huskies net at the 3:59 mark of the second. 

Jaycee Magwood recorded her 100th career U Sports regular season point.

    The host side protested that the whistle had blown on the scramble play, but the protests fell on deaf ears.

    In the third, the Huskies evened the score 1-1 at the 11:47 mark, when left-winger Sophie Lalor wired home a power-play goal with her team working on a two-person advantage. Lalor potted her goal from the right boards after receiving a great backdoor pass from Huskies star right-winger Bailee Bourassa.

    With 5:41 remaining in the third, Huskies fifth-year defender Morgan Willoughby fired home a post shot through a screen for her first goal of the campaign to put the host side up 2-1.

    Just when the Huskies appeared they would skate away with a victory, the Cougars tied the contest up at 2-2, when rookie right-winger Paige Hubbard netted her fifth goal of the season during a net scramble with 40.6 seconds remaining in the third. That tally forced the contest to go to overtime.

Jane Kish was stellar in goal for the Cougars.

    Hubbard and Zerr both picked up assists on each other’s goals in the contest. 
    Magwood, who is in her fifth and final year of eligibility, picked up assists on both U of R goals in regulation. That allowed her to surpass 100 points for her U Sports regular season career.

    In 130 career regular season games with the Cougars, Magwood has 48 goals and 53 assists for 101 points.

    The two sides weren’t able to break the deadlock after a five minute overtime period of four-on-four play and a five minute extra session of three-on-three play.
    During the extra sessions, the goalies on either side were knocked down once by opposing players.

    All that dramatics set the stage for Magwood to score the only goal in the tiebreaking shootout.

    “It felt like we were in the playoffs already,” said Haubrich. “You get that desperate feeling when you are in playoffs, and that is kind of how we felt tonight.

    “We were playing desperate hockey, and we were hungry. It is just tough it didn’t turn out for us.”

Huskies RW Abby Shirley, right, tries to escape tight checking.

    Vance stopped 26 shots in goal for the Huskies over 70 minutes of play and three out of four shooters in the shootout. Kish turned away 34 shots in goal for the Cougars and all four shooters she faced in the shootout.

    The Cougars were a perfect 4-0 this season in games that went to a tiebreaking shootout.

    With the win, the Cougars finish fifth in Canada West with a 14-13-1 record with 38 points in the standings. They will travel to Calgary, Alta., to face the Mount Royal University Cougars in a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series with Game 1 of the series slated for Friday.

The Cougars celebrate their win on Saturday.

    Mount Royal finished fourth in Canada West with a 14-14 record with 40 points in the standings.
    In Canada West women’s hockey, teams receive three points for regulation wins, two points for extra time wins and one point for extra time setbacks. Mount Royal earned 40 points on 12 regulation wins and two extra time victories.

    U of R earned 38 points on nine regulation wins, five extra time wins and one extra time setback.

Haubrich said Saturday’s loss left her side with a hollow feeling, but she expects her squad will refocus quickly.

    “Talking to lots of friends and family here, they are like, ‘You know what, it is over with, and you have a brand new season,’” said Haubrich. “It is fun and exciting.

    “In playoffs, you always feel like it is a brand new fresh start. I’m excited for us to get rolling. I think we have a lot to prove come playoffs, so I’m excited.”

Huskies thump Cougars, finish second in Canada West

Taran Kozun picked up his 41st career regular season win on Saturday.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team controlled what they could control, but first place in the Canada West Conference didn’t come their way.

    On Saturday playing before 543 spectators at the Co-operators Centre in Regina, the Huskies, who are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, won their 11th straight game romping over the host U of Regina Cougars 6-2 in a U Sports regular season clash. That win allowed the Huskies to finish the regular season with a 22-4-2 record to place second in the Canada West standings.

    In Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, the host U of Alberta Golden Bears, who are rated fourth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, dumped the U of Manitoba Bisons 5-2. The Golden Bears improved their winning streak to four straight games finishing the regular season with a 23-5 record, while the Bisons finished sixth in Canada West with a 9-15-2-2 record.

    Both the Huskies and Golden Bears had 46 points in the standings, but the Golden Bears took first place having won three out of four head-to-head encounters with the Huskies.

Against the Cougars on Saturday, the host side took a 1-0 lead in the first period on a goal from fourth-year centre Tristan Frei.

    The Huskies jumped ahead 3-1 in the second period with goals coming off the sticks of Layne Young, Kohl Bauml and Gordie Ballhorn.

    At the 4:05 mark of the third period, right-winger Connor Odelein scored for the Cougars to cut the Huskies lead to 3-2.

Levi Cable has played 174 consecutive games for the Huskies.

    The Huskies thwarted any thoughts of a comeback by the host side closing the contest with three straight goals coming from the sticks of Logan McVeigh, Carter Folk and Andrew Johnson.

    Young, who is a sophomore left-winger, had two assists to go with his goal. McVeigh had a helper to go with his tally.

    Fifth-year right winger Levi Cable had three assists to help pace the Huskies offence. Cable played in all 140 regular season games he could possibly appear in during his U Sports career.

    Currently, Cable is the Huskies current ironman appearing in 174 consecutive games between the regular season and post-season.

    Taran Kozun stopped 11 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies. Kozun picked his 41^st career regular season victory which moved him to sixth on the Huskies career regular season wins list.

    The Nipawin, Sask., product passed Ross McKay, who won 40 regular season games for the Huskies from 1984 to 1987.

    Dawson MacAuley turned away 30 shots to take the setback in goal for the Cougars. The Cougars finished seventh in the Canada West standings missing the playoffs with an 8-17-2-1 record.

    The Huskies and Golden Bears have byes past the first round of the Canada West playoffs.

    Both teams are slated to host best-of-three Canada West semifinal series expected to be slated for Feb. 21 to 23.

Huskies’ great George saluted at Merlis

Breanne George, centre, drops the ceremonial faceoff on Saturday.

    One of the all-time greats in the history of the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team made her way back to Saskatoon to receive a much deserved salute.

    Former Huskies star forward Breanne George received her Canada West Hall of Fame plaque before Saturday’s U Sports regular season game between her former squad and the U of Regina Cougars. George received a rousing ovation from the 735 onlookers in attendance.

    The 30-year-old dropped the puck for the ceremonial faceoff between the two sides.

    The Cougars would claim the contest 3-2 after a tiebreaking shootout.

    In a crazy twist, George never actually played a regular season game for the Huskies at Merlis. She played her whole U Sports career during a time when the Huskies still called the ancient Rutherford Rink home.

Breanne George, centre, receives her Hall of Fame plaque.

    Huskies women’s and men’s hockey teams moved into Merlis Belsher Place before the start of the 2018-19 campaign.

    George was inducted as part of the inaugural class to the Canada West Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

    She played for the Huskies women’s team from 2007 to 2012 and is still the squad’s most prolific scorer. George 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.
    George was the first member of the Huskies women’s hockey team to be named the MVP of the Canada West Conference and a U Sports all-Canadian.

    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.

Breanne George, left, visits some of her old teammates.

    George is currently a physiotherapist in Sherwood Park, Alta.

    Along with saluting George, the Huskies saluted their eight players who are in their fifth-years of eligibility and are set to graduate after this season in Leah Bohlken, Courtney Cormack, Shyan Elias, Brooklyn Haubrich, Rachel Lundberg, Emma Nutter, Elizabeth Salyn and Morgan Willoughby.

    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.