 |
| Grace Shirley had two big playoff games for the Stars. |
After going 25 days between games, the Stars jumped out to a
2-0 lead in their best-of-five Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League
semifinal series against the Notre Dame Hounds. The Stars, who are the
defending SFMAAAHL champions, will be looking to close the series out in Game 3
on Tuesday at 7:45 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.
Saskatoon concluded its regular season schedule blanking the
Hounds 6-0 in Wilcox, Sask., back on Feb. 17. The Stars topped the regular
season standings with a 27-1 record.
Due to a schedule break to allow SFMAAAHL players to take
part in the Canada Winter Games that were held in Red Deer in late February and
earlier this month and the fact the Stars had bye into the semifinal round of
the post-season, the Stars hit the ice last Friday having gone 25 days without
playing a game.
In Game 1 of their SFMAAAHL semifinal series with the Hounds
on Friday, the Stars posted a 6-1 victory at Merlis Belsher Place. The Stars
led 1-0 after the first period, 4-0 after the second period and were up 6-0 in
the third before the Hounds replied with their single goal.
Captain Grace Shirley had a goal and three assists for the
Stars, while Anna Leschyshyn had a pair of goals. Makena Kushniruk, Joelle
Fiala and Kaitlin Jockims had singles for Saskatoon, while offensive defender
Ashley Messier had a pair of assists.
Kaitlyn Gilroy replied for the Hounds, who finished fifth in
the SFMAAAHL regular season with a 12-13-3 record.
Arden Kliewer made 17 saves to pick up the win in goal for
the Stars. Kaitlyn Ross turned away 32 shots to take the setback in goal for
the Hounds.
The series shifted to the Duncan McNeill Arena in Wilcox for
Game 2 on Sunday, where the Stars pulled out a 3-1 win. Saskatoon led 1-0 after
the first period and 3-0 after the second frame before the Hounds answered back
with a goal in the third.
 |
| Kaitlyn Ross made a number of big saves for the Hounds. |
Brynn Maclean had a single for the Hounds.
Kliewer made 16 saves to pick up the win in goal for the
Stars. Ross turned away 24 shots to take the setback in net for the Hounds.
The Stars SFMAAAHL league award winners and all-star
selections were announced, when their series with the Hounds began.
Kushniruk claimed the Fiona Smith Most Sportsmanlike Player
award, and Messier captured the Colleen Sostorics Top Defenceman award, while
being named a first team all-star.
Shirley and Jockims were named first team all-stars at
forward.
Kliewer was named a second team all-star along with
Leschyshyn at forward and Chace Sperling on defence.
If the Hounds are able to win Game 3, they will host Game 4
on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Duncan McNeill Arena.
If a series deciding Game 5 is required, it will be held
this coming Friday at 8:30 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.
Rebels, Wildcats SFMAAAHL semi even at 1-1
 |
| Neena Brick had two strong games for the Rebels against the Wildcats. |
The Rebels and Wildcats split the first two games of their
best-of-five set. Game 3 is slated for Tuesday at 8 p.m. at the Co-operators
Centre in Regina.
In Game 1 of their series on Saturday at the Co-operators
Centre, the host Rebels skated to a 3-0 victory.
Samantha Sichkaruk, Jordan Fry and Neena Brick all scored
singles for the Rebels.
Chantel Weller turned away 11 shots to pick up the shutout
win in goal for Regina.
Amaya Giraudier turned away 32 shots to take the setback in
net for the Wildcats.
Swift Current played without two key veterans in Game 1 as
captain Taylor Lind, who is the SFMAAAHL’s MVP, and defender Tobi Fontaine were
both nursing minor undisclosed injuries.
 |
| Crystal Wale came up big in a Game 2 win for the Wildcats. |
Ashlee Wolfe and Crystal Wale netted singles to give the
Wildcats a 2-0 lead in the first period.
Brick replied for the Rebels with the lone goal in the
second period to cut the Wildcats edge to 2-1.
Ryleigh White scored for the Wildcats on the power play with
3:04 remaining in the third period to cement Swift Current’s victory.
Giraudier stopped 40 shots to pick up the win in goal for
the Wildcats, who were third in the SFMAAAHL’s regular season with a 17-10-1
record. Weller turned away 22 shots to take the setback in goal for the Rebels,
who were second in the SFMAAAHL’s regular season with a 17-7-4 mark.
Game 4 of the series between the Rebels and Wildcats is slated
for Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. at the Fairview Arena in Swift Current.
If a series deciding Game 5 is needed, it will be held this
coming Friday at 8 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.
Stars alums off to NCAA’s Frozen Four
 |
| Emily Clark will be playing in her last NCAA Frozen Four. |
Last Saturday, Stars grads Emily Clark and Sophie Shirley,
who are both forwards, helped the top seeded University of Wisconsin Badgers
blank the Syracuse University Orange 4-0 in a quarter-final contest at the
LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wisconsin, before 2,423 spectators.
Clark, who played for the Stars from 2009 to 2012, had
assists on the Badgers first two goals, which were both scored by Annie
Pankowski. Shirley, who played for the Stars from 2012 to 2015, was held
without a point for the Badgers on Saturday.
Both Clark and Shirley are members of Canada’s national
women’s hockey team program. Clark skates with the senior women’s team, and
Shirley is a member of the national development team.
Clark missed time at the beginning of the season due to an
injured left leg. Skating in her fourth and final season with the Badgers,
Clark has appeared in 32 overall games recording 14 goals, 13 assists and a
plus-22 rating in the plus-minus department.
Shirley had had an outstanding rookie season with the
Badgers appearing in 39 overall games recording 20 goals, 18 assists and a
plus-35 rating.
The Badgers have a 33-4-2 overall record this season and advance to the Frozen Four for a sixth straight year. The Frozen Four runs this coming Friday to Sunday at the People’s United Center in Hamden, Connecticut.
The Badgers have a 33-4-2 overall record this season and advance to the Frozen Four for a sixth straight year. The Frozen Four runs this coming Friday to Sunday at the People’s United Center in Hamden, Connecticut.
In one semifinal on Friday, the Badgers face the fourth
seeded Clarkson University Golden Knights (30-7-2). The Golden Knights won the
NCAA title the last two straight years.
 |
| Willow Slobodzian in action with the Stars in 2017. |
Slobodzian, who played for the Stars from 2014 to 2017, had
an assist for the Big Red as they won a 3-2 overtime thriller against the third
seeded Northeastern University Huskies in a quarter-final match at the Matthews
Arena in Boston, Mass.
Gillis Frechette had the OT winner for Cornell.
Cornell heads to the Frozen Four for the first time since
2012.
The Big Red improved their overall record to 24-5-6, while
the Huskies finish at 27-6-5.
The Huskies roster contains Prince Albert Northern Bears
alum Brooke Hobson, who had an assist for Northeastern University in the
setback. Hobson played for the Bears from 2011 to 2017.
In 35 games with the Big Red this season, Slobodzian had
four goals, eight assists and is a plus-22.
Hobson finished her second season with the Huskies appearing
in 38 games recording six goals, 22 assists and a plus-27 rating.
The Big Red will take on the second seeded University of
Minnesota Golden Gophers (31-5-1) in the other NCAA semifinal set for this
coming Friday.
The semifinal winners will meet this coming Sunday in the
NCAA championship game.
For anyone in Saskatchewan that gets the Big Ten Network on
their television packages, the Big Red semifinal game this coming Friday
featuring Slobodzian will be shown live at 2 p.m. Saskatchewan time. The
Badgers semifinal game featuring Clark and Shirley will follow at 5 p.m.
Saskatchewan time.
Sunday’s NCAA championship game will be shown life at 12:30
p.m. Saskatchewan time on the Big Ten Network.
Willoughby to play for CWHL title with
Inferno
 |
| Kaitlin Willoughby in action with the Huskies in 2018. |
This coming Sunday, the 23-year-old forward from Prince
Albert, Sask., who originally hails from Canwood, Sask., will travel with her
Calgary Inferno to Toronto to face Les Canadiennes de Montreal in a one-game
league championship final for the Clarkson Cup. The Clarkson Cup will be played
at the Coca-Cola Coliseum and will be shown life on Sportsnet at 10 a.m.
Saskatchewan time.
The Inferno topped the CWHL regular season standings with a
23-4-0-1 record. Les Canadiennes finished second with a 21-6-0-1 mark.
Willoughby has appeared in 27 games with the Inferno
collecting one goal and five assists. On March 11, she captained Canada’s women’s
hockey team to a silver medal win at the FISU Winter Universiade in
Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
Canada fell 2-0 in the gold medal game to the host Russian
side. In six games at the tournament, Willoughby had a goal, three assists and
was a plus-five.
Before joining the Inferno, Willoughby was a star for the
University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team from 2013 to 2018
finishing as the squad’s second all-time leading scorer posting 50 goals and 61
assists for 111 points in 132 career regular season games.
From 2008 to 2013, Willoughby appeared in 96 regular season
games with the SFMAAAHL’s Prince Albert Northern Bears piling up 34 goals and
63 assists for 97 points.
While playing for the Inferno and for Canada at the FISU
Winter Universiade, Willoughby is competing her studies in nursing at the U of
Saskatchewan.
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