Shirley, Leschyshyn, Fiala era comes to an end for Stars

The Saskatoon Stars have produced many memorable moments like this.

    It is one of those times when you are stuck in denial.

    After the Saskatoon Stars fell 3-2 after a tiebreaking shootout to the Ontario-based Stoney Creek Sabres in the bronze medal game of the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament on Saturday, it hits you that the Stars season is done.

    The conclusion of that contest held at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex in Sudbury, Ont., brings forward another reality.

    Grace Shirley, Anna Leschyshyn and Joelle Fiala will never skate for the Stars again.

    When August comes, they will be departing for the United States to play for women’s hockey teams in the NCAA ranks. Shirley will join the University of Wisconsin Badgers, Leschyshyn will suit up for the Syracuse University Orange and Fiala will play for the Robert Morris University Colonials.

Grace Shirley, right, at the Stars 2015 SFMAAAHL title win.

    All three joined the Stars on a full-time basis as 14-year-old underage rookies in the 2015-16 campaign and quickly shot up to star status.

    That trio were the constants in the Stars last three appearances at Esso Cup including last year and in 2016. This season, Shirley was the Stars captain, while Leschyshyn and Joelle Fiala served as assistant captains along with offensive defender Ashley Messier, who turned 17-years-old in late March.

    Shirley and Leschyshyn each played a handful of games for the Stars as associate player call ups in 2014-15.

    Leschyshyn was on the ice the night the Stars won their first Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League title on March 25, 2015. She picked up an assist in the Stars 2-0 victory over the Prince Albert Northern Bears that clinched the SFMAAAHL championship series.

    The Stars took Shirley to that year’s Esso Cup tournament in Red Deer, Alta., and she dressed for all seven of Saskatoon’s games.

Captain Grace Shirley in action for the Stars this season.

    Shirley is the only player to hit the ice for all 28 games the Stars have played at Esso Cup posting 16 goals and six assists for 22 points.

    They are linked extremely tight to the identity of the team. To think they will no longer be in the Stars lineup next season seems difficult to fathom.

    When the Stars returned to the Esso Cup for the fourth time in the last five years, hopes were high that this would be there year. They would make the one or two plays they hadn’t made in past years and one or two breaks would go their way allowing Shirley, Leschyshyn and Fiala to graduate as national champions.

Anna Leschyshyn in action for the Stars on March 25, 2015.

    Like the past three visits that didn’t turn out to be.

    Playing in one of the tournament’s tougher fields of six teams, the Stars finished first in the preliminary round standings with a 4-1 record.

    To show how unpredictable the results could be, the preliminary round loss the Stars suffered was a 7-3 drubbing to the As de Quebec on Monday.

    Saskatoon followed that up with a pair of one-goal wins in regulation including a 3-2 victory over the Alberta-based St. Albert Slash on Tuesday and a 3-2 triumph over the host Sudbury Lady Wolves on Wednesday.

    On Thursday, Leschyshyn set Esso Cup single game records for goals (five) and points (eight) in the Stars 11-1 win over the Halifax Fire.

Anna Leschyshyn in action for the Stars this season.

    Leschyshyn took home the award as the tourament’s top scorer with six goals and seven assists for 13 points. Messier took home honours as the tournament’s top defender posting three assists in seven games.

    The Slash and Lady Wolves ultimately met in Saturday’s championship game, where the Slash won a third straight national title with a 4-1 victory.

    The Stars made the national “frozen four” like their three previous visits to the Esso Cup and like those previous visits more heartbreak ensued.

    On Friday, the Stars faced the Slash in one of two semifinal contests. Defender Dayle Ross scored for the Slash 30 seconds into the third period to break a scoreless deadlock.

Joelle Fiala (#27) celebrates scoring in the 2016 SFMAAAHL final.

    Shirley and Fiala combined to set up standout forward Kaitlin Jockims to score the equalizer for the Stars with 1:34 remaining in the third to force a 1-1 tie and overtime.

    Captain Madison Willan scored 2:46 into overtime to deliver a 2-1 victory to the Slash.

    Arden Kliewer made 26 saves to take the setback in goal for the Stars. Brianna Sank turned away 22 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Slash.

    Out of the four times the Stars had played in a national semifinal, they picked up one win and lost two games in extra time. In Saskatoon’s first visit to the Esso Cup in 2015, they dropped a 2-1 decision after a tiebreaking shootout to the host Red Deer Chiefs.

    In Saturday’s bronze medal game against the Sabres, the Stars took a 1-0 lead at the 2:57 mark of the second period, when Fiala and Jayda Sachs combined to set up Calli Arnold for her third goal of the tournament.

Joelle Fiala in action for the Stars this season.

    Just 48 seconds into the third, the Stars expanded their lead to 2-0, when Arnold set up Shirley for her seventh marker of the tourney.

    The Sabres rallied scoring twice to force a 2-2 tie and overtime with singles coming from Tessa Holk and Alicia Juras. Juras netted the equalizer with 4:30 remaining in the third, when the Sabres were short-handed.

    Saskatoon held a 24-7 edge in shots on goal through the third period and overtime.

    The Sabres took the tiebreaking shootout 4-1 scoring on all four of their chances. Jenna Duarte, Alicia Juras, Vanessa Upson and Alyssa Kawa all scored for the Sabres.

    Fiala tallied in the shootout for the Stars.

    Rookie Kaitlyn Cadrain turned away 19 shots in regulation and overtime in goal for the Stars. Megan Warrener stopped 37 shots in regulation and overtime in goal for the Sabres and two-of-three shooters in the shootout.

    The shootout at Esso Cup is conducted under international rules. 

Grace Tam played with heart in her final season for the Stars.

    The bronze medal clash provided another heartbreaker that didn’t go the Stars way at Esso Cup.

    The toughest aspect for the Stars to digest from their Esso Cup appearances is that they could have legitimately one the event two to three times. Out of their four appearances, they took home a bronze medal in 2015 and fell to the Slash 2-1 in last year’s title game.

    They still had a spectacular season in 2018-19 posting a 47-3-2-1 overall record that included winning the prestigious Mandi Schwartz Memorial Tournament, the SFMAAAHL title and the Western regional playdown series. Saskatoon posted its best ever record in regular season play at 27-1.

    Shirley, Leschyshyn and Fiala were generational greats the Stars may never replace.

    Shirley appeared in 107 career regular season games becoming the Stars all-time leader in goals (97) and points (166). She graduates as the third all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL.

Kaitlin Jockims concluded her time with the Stars as a hot scorer.

    Leschyshyn appeared in 115 career regular season games becoming the Stars third all-time leading scorer posting 72 goals and 80 assists for 152 points. She graduates as the fifth all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL.

    Fiala appeared in 112 career regular season games becoming the all-time leader in assists at 83. She had 47 goals and 130 points to become the team’s fourth all-time leading scorer and the eighth all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL.

    At the moment, no one is near cracking 100 points in SFMAAAHL career regular season play, so Shirley, Leschyshyn and Fiala will likely remain high on the all-time scoring list for some time.

Abby DeCorby was solid on defence for the Stars.

    All total, the Stars will graduate seven players this year as Jockims, Sachs and defender Grace Tam and Abby DeCorby have all exhausted their midget AAA eligibility along with Shirley, Leschyshyn and Fiala.

    A year ago, the Stars graduated Mackenna Parker, who is the SFMAAAHL’s third all-time leading scorer, Kianna Dietz, Jordyn Holmes, Jordyn Gerlitz, Jordan Ivanco and Dana Wood. In 2017, the graduates included Julia Rongve, Abby Shirley and Willow Slobodzian.

    The bulk of the players who were responsible for the Stars run of success over the past five seasons under head coach Greg Slobodzian are gone.

    The returning players and future additions will create their own identity with the team.

    Will they match the accomplishments the team posted over the last five seasons? That in all reality is too much to ask.

Jayda Sachs picked up points during important moments for the Stars.

    In NHL terms, how often have the Edmonton Oilers matched what their club accomplished with a roster of generational players in the 1980s following their last Stanley Cup win in 1990?

    Of course, they have never duplicated the run they had in their heydays in the 1980s.

    The era of Shirley, Leschyshyn and Fiala marked a unique time in the history of the Stars that contained lots of good times. It is too much to ask for a run like they’ve had to happen again.

    Their time with the team was truly something to behold.

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

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Hilltops approach “drive for five” in similar way to past seasons

Jason Price, right, zips downfield on a touchdown catch for the Hilltops.

    Saskatoon Hilltops plan to soak in each moment, because they expect the 2018 season will pass quickly.

    The Toppers are embarking on a quest to win an unprecedented fifth straight Canadian Junior Football League title. Last November, they became the first team to win four straight CJFL titles, when they romped over the host AKO Fratmen in Windsor, Ont., 56-11 in the Canadian Bowl.

    The Hilltops open this year’s regular season on Saturday, when they travel to Regina to face the Thunder at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium. Saskatoon tops the CJFL’s power rankings, while Regina is rated eighth.

    While the CJFL campaign is still in its infancy, Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant expects time will pass at a rapid pace.

    “When we had our kickoff meeting, I talked to the fifth years,” said Sargeant. “In a blink of an eye, they are in their fifth year, and this is it.

    “We’re very proud that people stay loyal and committed to this program. The biggest reason we win is because of our fifth-year players. We coach and honour that.

The Hilltops celebrate a touchdown last season at Mosaic Stadium.

    “We expecting big things, expecting them to make a lot of plays and have a lot of fun with it. That is what Hilltop football stands for. It is about family, about fun and about playing together and going for the ultimate goal we set is winning the championship for our fifth-year players.”

    With those words, the Hilltops will approach their “drive for five” in similar fashion to past seasons. For as long as anyone can remember, Sargeant has talked about playing to honour the fifth-year players by helping them depart their playing days as champions.

    Naturally, fifth-year star quarterback Jordan Walls is focused on embracing every moment in his final campaign with the team. He admits to becoming more aware about how quickly time goes by.

    “I’ve tried not to think about it too much about the last year,” said Walls, who topped the CJFL’s pre-season top 50 players to watch list. “It is in the back of your mind.

    “It is taking it one day at a time. It is hanging out with your buddies, having fun in the locker room and getting to business on the practice field.”

QB Jordan Walls fires a pass downfield for the Hilltops.

    Walls is confident the Hilltops will play under control and not get over anxious trying to figuratively win a fifth-straight Canadian Bowl on every play.
    “We’re just approaching it like business as usual,” said Walls. “We’ve got a veteran squad here.

    “We have lots of guys returning from last year. We’re excited to finally get on the field for Saturday for sure.

    “They are not handing out the Canadian Bowl after every game. We’ve got a long season ahead. We just have to approach it every week, take our practices seriously and then get into the games, respect our opponents and get at it.”

    Sargeant said the Hilltops did a great job of staying in the moment last season in posting an 11-1 overall record in winning a fourth straight national title, and the 20^th CJFL championship in team history. The sideline boss said that experience will help, but the Hilltops of the current year will ultimately write their own story.

    “It is always good to learn from the past, but every year each team creates their own identity and what they stand for,” said Sargeant, whose team has won seven out of the last eight Canadian Bowl games. “This team is already different than last year’s team.

Hilltops HC Tom Sargeant is already to go.

    “I think we are going to do things a little differently. We have to coach and build towards their strengths. They have to build their own individual and team confidence so when they come out and play, this uniform certainly stands for unbelievable tradition and high expectations.

    “They have to match that and honour that knowing they have the biggest bullseye in Canada. We embrace that. We are excited about that. We can’t wait to get this show on the road.”

    The two sides met in the Prairie Football Conference final last October, which the Hilltops claimed 36-24 after scoring a late fourth quarter touchdown to seal victory.

    “It is always a challenge playing Regina,” said Walls. “They come in and they are tough and they are physical.

    “They fly around, and they make a lot of plays. They never quit. That is something we found out a lot last year, especially the two games at SMF Field.

    “They were down, and at times, they looked like they were out. They clawed back and fought back every drive and made the game come right down to the wire.”

    When the Hilltops travel to Regina, they are usually followed by a large convoy of fans from Saskatoon. The Toppers supporters have done a great job of making the crowds mixed ones during their stops in Regina.

    Actually, the Hilltops fans in recent years have done a great job in creating a presence at most of the club’s road games. Sargeant said that type of support is appreciated and is special for the team.

The Hilltops fans like to flood the stands on team road trips.

    “It seems like every game is a home game,” said Sargeant. “We have great support and a great following. That is what makes us so proud.

    “Everyone is for one another. There is not a lot of big egos around here. Everyone is just working hard and knowing that we have a big job ahead of us.

    “We love the pressure. We love the challenges. We love what is in front of us, and I love this team. If we do the right things, good things happen for the Saskatoon Hilltops.”

Blades trio gets boost with Hlinka Gretzky Cup win, other notes

Kirby Dach stood out playing for Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

    Victory at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup should give a Saskatoon Blades trio some great positive vibes heading into the 2018-19 season.

    Centre Kirby Dach, netminder Nolan Maier and first year Blades head coach Mitch Love all helped Canada take the event’s gold medal game 6-2 over Sweden last Saturday at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alta. Love was an assistant coach on the Canadian side working under head coach Andre Tourigny, who is the head coach of the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s.

    The Hlinka Gretzky Cup is a best-versus-best tournament featuring the top national teams in the world in the under-18 age group.

    Dach, who will enter is 17-year-old sophomore season with the Blades, captured the attention of media and hockey personnel at that event with his play. The Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., product, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 181 pounds, recorded two goals and five assists in the five games Canada played, which were all wins.

    Sweden actually jumped ahead 2-0 early in the gold medal game, and Dach netted the equalizer for Canada with 5:25 remaining in the first period to even things up at 2-2. That was part of Canada’s six-goal surge to finish that contest.

    Maier, who stands 6-feet and weighs 168 pounds, started four games for Canada posting a 3.12 goals against average, a .872 save percentage and one shutout. The Yorkton, Sask., product, who will enter his 17-year-old sophomore season with the Blades, made 34 saves in Canada’s 6-5 overtime victory in a semifinal game Aug. 10 against the United States.

Nolan Maier played four game for Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

    There was a bit of a controversy in the semifinal clash with the United States, because Canada scored inside of the final second of the third period to tie things up at 5-5 and force overtime. 
    Video review showed the puck went into the net after time expired on the equalizer, but the goal counted as all teams agreed before the tournament that video review couldn’t be used. The original call on the ice was the shot was a goal.

    Maier had a rough start in the gold medal game turning away one of three shots sent his way before being pulled for Taylor Gauthier, who plays for the WHL’s Prince George Cougars, at the 11:33 mark of the first period. Gauthier turned away all 16 shots he faced in relief in Canada’s win.

    Despite being pulled in the final game, the tournament was still an overall good experience for Maier playing in a high-level event.

    Love kept adding to what is starting to become a lengthy resume with his accomplishments contributing to Canada’s gold medal win from behind the bench. The 34-year-old product of Quesnel, B.C., has worked his way up the coaching ladder to get to the point to become the head coach of the Blades.

    He joined the Blades after spending seven seasons on the staff of the Everett Silvertips. Love came on board with the Silvertips in 2011 as an assistant coach and strength and conditioning coach. He was an assistant coach and an assistant to the general manager this past season.

    As one of the Silvertips bench bosses, Love helped Everett finish third overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 47-20-2-3 mark this past season. In the playoffs, the Silvertips advanced all the way the WHL Championship series, where they fell 4-2 in the best-of-seven set to the Swift Current Broncos.

Blades HC Mitch Love was an AC for Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

    During his years with the Silvertips, Love was also an assistant coach for a couple of Canadian teams at the Under-17 World Hockey Challenge in 2015 and 2016. The under-17 tournament saw Love earn a gold medal working with Team Canada White.
    Overall, Dach, Maier and Love became the first members of the Blades to be part of Canada’s entry at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup since defenceman Duncan Siemens helped Canada win goal in 2010, when the event was still known as the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.

    As another bonus, Dach, Maier and Love got a head start in getting to work together for the first time before training camp rolls around. The Blades players are expected to start cycling back to Saskatoon after the weekend for training camp activities that will likely start mid to late next week.  

    The Blades missed the WHL playoffs last season despite posting a solid 35-33-3-1 record playing out of a tough East Division.

• Blades forward Gage Ramsay announced his retirement from junior hockey on Friday. Ramsay, who will turn 20-years-old in October, appeared in 63 regular season games with the Blades last season collecting six goals and 14 assists. In 166 career regular season games split between the Vancouver Giants and the Blades between 2014 and 2018, Ramsay posted 18 goals and 19 assists. He has elected to pursue post-secondary studies and will attend Saskatchewan Polytechnic in September.
• Saskatoon Stars defender Abby DeCorby has committed to join the Ryerson University Rams women’s hockey team for the 2019-20 season. DeCorby, who stands 6-feet, hasn’t missed a regular season game in her two full campaigns with the Stars recording seven goals and 21 assists in 56 regular season games in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League. The defensive defender had three goals and 12 assists in 28 regular season games last season. She is entering her final season with the Stars, and will turn 17-years-old in early November. DeCorby played in the SFMAAAHL as an underage player in the 2015-16 campaign registering two goals and four assists playing all 28 regular season games with the Prince Albert Northern Bears.
• Medicine Hat, Alta., has to be in full party mode, as the Medicine Hat Mavericks captured their third Western Major Baseball League title in team history on Thursday night. The Mavericks took the best-of-five set claiming a series deciding Game 5 by an 8-2 final over the Regina Red Sox at Athletic Park in Medicine Hat. Mavericks infielder Carson Johnson was named the WMBL playoff MVP. In 13 playoff games, Johnson had 18 hits and five walks in 54 at bats.
• The Delisle Chiefs of the junior B Prairie Junior Hockey League announced Eric Ditto and David Richard will be returning to the club’s coaching staff for the upcoming campaign. Ditto, 27, enters his fourth season as the team’s head coach joining the club partway through the 2014-15 campaign. Richard, 29, enters his second season as an assistant coach. Back in the 2004-05 campaign, Richard helped the Saskatoon Contacts midget AAA team win a Telus Cup national title playing forward. He moved on to play four seasons in the WHL with the Seattle Thunderbirds recording 42 goals and 60 assists in 256 regular season games. Former Saskatoon Blades and Prince Albert Raiders forward Dustin Cameron makes his debut with the Chiefs as an assistant coach. From 2004 to 2010, Cameron, 29, appeared in 284 regular season games with both the Blades and Raiders piling up 86 goals and 84 assists. He was the Raiders captain in his final two campaigns in the WHL running from 2008 to 2010.
• After spending four seasons as an assistant coach with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s and men’s hockey teams, Scott Dutertre is leaving Saskatoon to become an assistant coach with the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos. The Broncos made that announcement on Monday. Dutertre is well-known in the Saskatoon area coaching players individually in skill development camps. The Broncos also hired Brandin Cote as an assistant coach. Both Dutertre and Cote will be working under the guidance of new Broncos head coach and director of hockey operations Dean Brockman.
• Defenceman Connor Cox has signed on with the professional hockey ranks. Cox will join the Dundee Stars in Scotland for the upcoming season. Cox, 26, just finished a five-year playing career with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team in the U Sports ranks appearing in 120 regular season games from 2013 to 2018 collecting nine goals and 40 assists. He graduated with his business degree and a major in finance. Before joining the Huskies, Cox played five seasons in the WHL from 2008 to 2013 with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Blades and Silvertips appearing in 278 regular season games collecting 12 goals and 93 assists.

Help return gear to Huskies’ alum Cooke

    Former U of Saskatchewan Huskies goalie Jordon Cooke experience an unwelcome downer embarking on his first season of professional hockey.

    Cooke departed to France to play for Gap Rapaces, but Air Canada lost all his goalie gear and his suit during the voyage from Canada to France. Cooke shared on Twitter on Thursday that Air Canada informed him his gear can’t be located.

    The 25-year-old was a member of the Huskies for the past four seasons, and he posted a 16-7 record, a 2.29 goals against average, a .920 save percentage and three shutouts last season.

    This is a shot in the dark, but here is Cooke’s initial tweet about his missing gear in case anyone finds these items.

Help needed! In my travels to France, one of my hockey bags has gone missing and I am in need of helping find some of the more easily identified gear. @AirCanada and @AirCanadaRouge are hopefully searching but if stolen, I need the public eye’s help. Thanks in advance! pic.twitter.com/1TBwtkRmK3

— Jordon Cooke (@jordoncooke32) August 12, 2018

Tiger-Cats’ Crawford gets engaged

    The feel good social media post of the week goes to Hamilton Tiger-Cats long snapper Aaron Crawford.

    One of the CFL’s top good guy, Crawford brought his girlfriend from the Hamilton, Ont., area to his hometown of Medicine Hat, Alta., with the Tiger-Cats enjoying a bye week.

    He proposed to her at the Methanex Bowl, which is the stadium in that Hat that hosts high school and minor football, and she said, “Yes.”

    The couple brought Crawford’s Tiger-Cats jersey and his Crescent Heights High School Vikings football jacket for the occasion.

    I should note Crawford and I were teammates for the 2006 season for the now defunct Medicine Hat Marauders senior tackle football team of the Alberta Football League, so I am happy to see this development.

    Those in Saskatchewan might remember that Crawford played for the CJFL’s Thunder as a linebacker in 2006 and 2007. The Tiger-Cats return to action on Aug. 23, when they host the Edmonton Eskimos.

    Crawford posted engagement photos on Instagram on Friday.

Took her back to my hometown, my roots. Shared a lot of past memories and stories. Then made a new one drafting her to the home team 🏈 She said yes! #engaged #futurewife #blessed #love #alberta #newbeginnings #footballislife #shesaidyes💍 #Mrs47 #footballwife

A post shared by Aaron Crawford (@adjc44) on Aug 17, 2018 at 10:52am PDT

    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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Stars punch ticket to Esso Cup gold medal game

Saskatoon to play in national final for first time ever

Arden Kliewer stopped 23 shots in goal for the Stars on Friday.

    Arden Kliewer gave the Saskatoon Stars the traction they needed to earn the right to play for a national title.

    Often, those that play goal for the Stars are overlooked as the powerhouse club from the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League is best known for offence. Early in an Esso Cup tournament semifinal game on Friday at the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre in Bridgewater, N.S., the Stars needed Kliewer to be sharp.

    The sophomore netminder, who turned 16 in February, made a number of key stops early as the Pionnieres de Lanaudiere from Quebec took a quick 1-0 lead. Kliewer’s performance allowed the time for the Stars offence to get on track.

    In the second period, the Stars burst out to score four times to go ahead 4-1 and cruised from that point to a 5-1 victory.

    With the win, Saskatoon advances to the gold medal game of the Esso Cup female midget AAA hockey national championship tournament for the first time in team history. They will face the defending champion St. Albert Slash from Alberta in the final.

    The Slash outlasted the Brampton Canadettes from Ontario 2-1 after a tiebreaking shootout in Friday’s other semifinal.

    The gold medal game will be played on Saturday and show live on TSN at 4 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

    In the clash between Saskatoon and Lanaudiere, the Pionnieres got off to a big start early. Just 2:38 into the first period, centre Maya Labad broke down the right wing into the Saskatoon zone on a rush and wired home a shot to the top left corner of the Stars goal to give the Pionnieres a 1-0 lead.

    The Quebec side had a couple of other big chances to extend the lead in the opening 20 minutes.

Grace Shirley had the Stars first two goal on Friday.

    Labad was robbed on a breakaway by Kliewer, and Kliewer turned away another dangerous drive from the point that came through a screen of bodies in front of the Saskatoon goal.

    Just 45 seconds into the second, Kliewer stoned the Pionnieres on a dangerous two-on-one chance.

    After that stop, the Stars proceeded up ice and Grace Shirley wired home a shot to the top left corner of the Pionnieres goal to force a 1-1 tie at the 1:24 mark of the frame. From that point, the Stars hit high gear.

    At the 12:22 mark of the second period, the Stars broke into the Pionnieres zone on a two-on-one break. Left-winger Jordyn Holmes broke down the left wing with the puck and fed a pass across the front of the Pionnieres goal to Shirley, who quickly roofed a shot to the top right corner of the net to give the Stars a 2-1 lead.

    Just 22 seconds later, superstar captain Mackenna Parker scored to put the Stars up 3-1. Before the second ended, Parker wired home her second tally of the game in close to the top left corner of the Pionnieres goal to put the Stars up 4-1.

    After the Stars fourth goal, the Pionnieres pulled starting goalie Leila Cecilia Lotke Salinas, who stopped 16-of-20 shots sent her way. Sarah Vanier turned away 12-of-13 shots playing the rest of the way in relief.

    Kliewer came up with a couple of big saves in the third to protect the Stars three-goal edge. She turned away Pionnieres centre Ann-Frederik Naud on a rush and denied Labad on a short-handed breakaway.

    Shortly after the breakaway stop on Labad, Stars 16-year-old veteran defender Abby DeCorby blasted home a power-play goal to put the final touches on the Saskatoon victory. Stars skilled sophomore left-winger Kaitlin Jockims picked up her third assist of the contest on DeCorby’s goal.

    Kliewer stopped 23 shots to pick up the win in goal for Saskatoon in one of her best performances of the season helping the Stars improve their record at this year’s Esso Cup to 6-0. The Pionnieres fell to 2-3-1 at the Esso Cup with the setback.

Kaitlin Jockims had three assists for the Stars on Friday.

    The Pionnieres fell to 2-3-1 at the Esso Cup with the setback. They will face the Canadettes (3-3) in a bronze medal game to be held on Saturday.

    Saskatoon fell in its two other semifinal appearances at the Esso Cup. At the 2015 tournament in Red Deer, Alta., the Stars dropped a heartbreaking 2-1 decision after a tiebreaking shootout to the host Chiefs. At the 2016 Esso Cup in Weyburn, Sask., the Stars came out on the wrong end of a 4-0 score to the Brantford Ice Cats from Ontario, who moved on to win the event’s championship game.

    With their win on Friday, the Stars improve their overall record to 44-6-1 in the 2017-18 campaign and have a perfect 14-0 record in the post-season. Including action from the regular season and post-season, the Stars have won their last 24 straight games.

    The Stars are trying to become the first Saskatchewan based team to win the Esso Cup’s gold medal game since the Weyburn Gold Wings in 2014.

    The Slash improved to 5-1 at this year’s Esso Cup. They dropped a preliminary round contest to the Stars 4-1 on Tuesday. That was St. Albert’s only setback at the Esso Cup in the past two years, and the Slash are 12-1 at the female midget AAA hockey national championship tournament during that time.

From 1⃣0⃣0⃣ teams to 2⃣...

The @StoonStarsAAA and @stalbert_slash will meet Saturday night at the @lclc_ns for the #EssoCup.

Watch it LIVE on TSN 1⃣/3⃣/5⃣ at 7 p.m. AT (4 p.m. in Alberta and Saskatchewan). pic.twitter.com/M0TtJvKumI

— Esso Cup (@HC_EssoCup) April 28, 2018

Parker, Messier take home individual tourney awards

Mackenna Parker was named the MVP of the Esso Cup.

    In what has been an outstanding season, more accolades came the way of the Saskatoon Stars on Friday.

    Two members of the Stars took home three of the Esso Cup’s major individual awards. Superstar captain Mackenna Parker was named the tournament’s most valuable player and claimed the top scorer award on the basis of round robin play.

    Parker led all scorers in the preliminary round with five goals and six assists for 11 points in five games. With Friday’s semifinal games in the books, Parker still topped the tournament in scoring with 13 points coming off seven goals and six assists.

    Ashley Messier took home the award as the top defender at the Esso Cup. Messier had a goal and five assists in the Stars five preliminary round games, and she had a goal and six assists in six contests overall at the female midget AAA national hockey championship tournament.

    McKenzie Hewitt of the St. Albert Slash claimed honours as the top forward at the Esso Cup. She has four goals and two assists in six overall games at this year’s Esso Cup.

    Forward Paige Whaley of the Brampton Canadettes was named the tourney’s most sportsmanlike player. Sarah Vanier of the Pionnieres de Lanaudiere was named the event’s top goaltender.

Stars join select company with coming TV appearance

The U of R Cougars played in the 2001 U Sports final shown on TSN.

    When the Saskatoon Stars hit the ice for Saturday’s gold medal game at the Esso Cup female midget AAA hockey national championship tournament, it is believe they will be the fourth high level female hockey team from Saskatchewan to play in a national championship game on national television.

    The Stars gold medal game will be shown at 4 p.m. Saskatchewan time on TSN.

    It is believed the University of Regina Cougars Women’s Hockey Team was the first high level female hockey team from Saskatchewan to play in a national final in television. The Cougars fell 4-3 in the U Sports women’s championship final in 2001 to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues Women’s Hockey Team in a nationally televised game on TSN. At the time, U Sports was known as the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union.

    At the 2010 Esso Cup in Regina, the Notre Dame Hounds from Wilcox, Sask., made it to the championship game shown on TSN and fell 4-3 to Thunder Bay Queens from Ontario.

    The Hounds returned to the Esso Cup’s championship game in 2011 in St. Albert, Alta., and posted a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Thunder in a nationally televised game on TSN.

    The Weyburn Gold Wings are the third high level female team from Saskatchewan to appear in a national final on national television. The Gold Wings downed the Thunder 2-1 in the 2014 Esso Cup championship game held in Hamilton, Ont., and that contest was also shown on TSN.

    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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