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| Logan McVeigh (#14) sets to embrace teammates after scoring an OT winner. |
The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team
always seems to have a battle on their hands, when the University of Lethbridge
Pronghorns come to town.
On Friday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, the Huskies
needed some late game heroics to rally from a 3-2 deficit and pull out an
exciting 4-3 double overtime victory. Trailing the Pronghorns 3-2 late in the
third, the Huskies pulled netminder Jordon Cooke for an extra attacker.
With 75 seconds to play, Huskies right-winger Levi Cable
attempted a wraparound and his shot rebounded out to teammate Collin Shirley,
who was alone in front of the Pronghorns goal. Shirley fired the equalizer home
into an empty right side of the U of Lethbridge goal to force a 3-3 tie and
send the U Sports regular season contest to overtime.
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| Centre Logan McVeigh gets set to fire a shot on goal for the Huskies. |
After a scoreless five minute four-on-four overtime period,
the Huskie won the contest 44 seconds into a three-on-three second overtime
session with a breakaway goal from centre Logan McVeigh. After a shot block in
the Huskies end, McVeigh found himself in a race with Pronghorns captain
Mitchell Maxwell for the puck into the centre ice zone.
Maxwell toe picked and went down to allow McVeigh to have a
clean rush into the Pronghorns zone. McVeigh smartly tucked a backhand shot
past Pronghorns netminder Garret Hughson to win the game.
Hughson had a spectacular night turning away 46 shots to
take the loss in goal for the Pronghorns, who fell to 1-1-1.
“It was a tight finish,” said McVeigh, whose Huskies
improved to 3-0. “Coming back late in games, that is what good teams do.
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| Winger Collin Shirley (#11) celebrates scoring a game-tying goal. |
“We want to be that good team that can be down a goal late
in the third and comeback, so that is good for us.”
The Pronghorns protested at first thinking McVeigh hauled down
Maxwell to get the breakaway. At full speed, it could appear that McVeigh
committed an infraction, but that wasn’t the case.
“They were pretty upset about it,” said McVeigh. “I thought
it was just a battle for the puck.
“I managed to stay on my feet, and he managed to fall over.
It was just a hockey play.”
The Huskies actually never held the lead in Friday’s
encounter until McVeigh potted the winner in overtime.
In the first period, rookie right-winger Tyler Maltby gave
the Pronghorns a 1-0, but fifth-year left-winger Josh Roach tallied for the
Huskies to send the teams into the first intermission locked in a 1-1 tie.
The Huskies brought tonnes of pressure Hughson’s way in the
second period, but the Pronghorns exited the frame with a 2-1 edge, when
Maxwell fired home a shot from the slot with 59 seconds remaining in the
stanza.
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| Pronghorns G Garret Hughson (#29) pokes the puck out of danger. |
Just over three minutes later, sophomore right-winger Torrin
White tipped home a point shot from Maxwell to put the Pronghorns up 3-2.
That set the stage for the late heroics coming from Shirley
and McVeigh for the Huskies. The pair have teamed up with Forsberg to form a
dangerous offensive line for the Huskies in the early going of the campaign.
“I love playing with Collin (Shirley) all the time,” said
McVeigh. “To see him getting that equalizer late in the third, it is awesome.
“Thankfully, I managed to get the overtime (winner).”
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| Netminder Jordon Cooke (#32) makes a big stop for the Huskies. |
Friday’s game was a real high tempo contest with a lot of
back-and-fourth action up and down the ice.
The two sides go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Rutherford, and McVeigh is expecting another tough contest.
The two sides go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Rutherford, and McVeigh is expecting another tough contest.
“They are not usually that great of a team in the standings,
but they always play us well,” said McVeigh. “They always play well in this
rink.
“Their goaltender played a heck of a game. They always play
us hard, and thank goodness we got the win.”
Anderson steals victory for Pronghorns women’s
team
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| Kira Bannatyne had an assist for the Huskies. |
The third-year Calgary product turned away 44 shots to back
the host U of Lethbridge Pronghorns to a 2-1 overtime victory over the Huskies
at the Nicholas Sheran Arena. Alli Borrow scored at the 4:02 mark of a
four-on-four overtime period to give the Pronghorns (2-1) the win.
The Huskies outshot the Pronghorns 21-9 in the opening frame,
but came away only with a 1-0 lead on a tally from third-year forward Elizabeth
Salyn. Rookie centre Chloe Smith and fifth-year defender Kira Bannatyne picked up assists on the play.
Pronghorns fourth-year forward Brett Campbell scored to
force a 1-1 tie at the 2:52 mark of the second.
The Huskies, who were playing without star fifth-year
captain Kaitlin Willoughby due to a suspected undisclosed injury, couldn’t find
the go ahead goal despite hold a big edge in territorial play. Jasey Book
stopped 20 shots to take the loss in net for the Huskies (1-1-1).
The two teams go at it again on Saturday night in
Lethbridge.
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comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them
to stankssports@gmail.com.
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