Huskies had great season but still get in their own way

Levi Cable, left, and Taran Kozun celebrate a Huskies win.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team had a great season in 2018-19, which will overshadow the hiccups at the end of the campaign.

    Still, it feels like some of the Huskies players in the generation after the era of Derek Hulak and the late Cody Smuk like to get in their own way a little too often. Under head coach Dave Adolph, the Huskies players in the current generation have improved on cutting down the self-inflicted wounds.

    Unfortunately, the self-inflicted errors seem to pop up at the worst times possible, and those times often involve games with their “forever rivals” the University of Alberta Golden Bears.

    The most recent round of Huskies having “oops” moments came at the David Johnston University Cup, which wrapped up Sunday in Lethbridge, Alta. The majority of the “oops” moments came in a semifinal game of the U Sports national championship tournament on Saturday between the Huskies and the Golden Bears, which was the 512^th overall meeting between the two sides.

Carter Folk (#13) threw a bad hit in a U Sports semifinal game.

   The first error came when Huskies sophomore right-winger Carter Folk nailed Golden Bears super pest Trevor Cox from behind into the boards at the Enmax Centre. Folk received a major penalty for checking from behind and a game misconduct.
    While the Golden Bears didn’t score on the five-minute power play due to the Huskies outstanding penalty killing, Folk’s penalty helped swing the momentum of the game in U of A’s favour.

    The Huskies played strong in a scoreless first period and had a 16-13 advantage in shots on goal. After Folk’s penalty, the Golden Bears held an 18-5 advantage in shots on goal in the second period and a 32-17 advantage in that department over the final 40 minutes of the contest.

    Folk is a physical forward who plays on the edge, and sometimes goes over that edge. The replays of his hit on Cox looked bad.

    With the period about to end, it was a hit that didn’t need to be delivered. With Cox being an agitator, one was left to wonder if Folk couldn’t resist getting in an extra shot on a player that had been a thorn in the side of the Huskies.

    No matter what, it wasn’t a smart play.

Taran Kozun had a costly misadventure with the puck.

    After the teams played through a scoreless second, Golden Bears captain Riley Kieser gave his side a 1-0 lead at the 1:38 mark of the third period. That set the stage for another big Huskies gaff.

    At the 10:32 mark of the third, Huskies netminder Taran Kozun, who was named the U Sports goaltender of the year, was a little too casual when he decided to backwards pass the puck behind his own net.
    Kozun passed the puck right to Golden Bears left-winger Grayson Pawlenchuk, who quickly helped set up U Sports player of the year Luke Filip to put U of A up 2-0.

    Due to the fact the Huskies weren’t able to score in that semifinal game, it could be argued that Kozun’s error didn’t cost U of S the contest. It did create a huge hill to climb as only 9:28 remained in the third period.

    If the Huskies need to score once to force overtime, it tightens up the pressure on the Golden Bears defence and goaltending for the rest of the contest. A two-goal advantage at that juncture gave the Golden Bears comfortable control of the proceedings.

    You can bet Kozun felt awful about what happened. On an obvious error like that, you hope he remembers the importance of being alert at all points of the game in future seasons.

    Of course, there were the fireworks that happened inside of the final 31 seconds of the third period. After Pawlenchuk scored an empty-net goal to cement a 3-0 Golden Bears victory, frustrations boiled over and fists started to fly as a major scrum ensued.

Captain Jesse Forsberg was involved in some rough stuff in a U Sport semi.

    From that melee, Huskies fifth-year captain Jesse Forsberg and his younger brother in Huskies left-winger Alex Forsberg both received instigator minors, fighting majors and game misconducts.

    Huskies left-winger Collin Shirley and Golden Bears defenceman Graeme Craig each received roughing minors and 10-minute misconducts. Golden Bears defenceman Sawyer Lange received a fighting major and a game misconduct.
    Right before the game ended, Huskies fourth-year centre Kohl Bauml was booted for receiving a slashing major and a game misconduct.

    When you see these penalties on a game sheet, one starts to wonder if the Huskies crossed the line and how far reaching would the suspensions be?

    When you see the video, it looks like the common scrum and everything from it would quickly blow over.

    On Twitter, a number of Golden Bears supporters and a handful of members from the Edmonton sports media fired off harsh criticisms at Huskies players and the Huskies men’s hockey program.

Alex Forsberg engaged in some rough stuff too.

    It seems to be forgotten that members of the Golden Bears like to partake in pest work that is a bit underhanded like Cox, Cole Sanford and Brandon Magee, so the U of A side can’t be dismissed as perfect angels either.

    Actually in the cases of Jesse Forsberg and Bauml, they have always been viewed as favourites by the rink staff at the Huskies former home in the ancient Rutherford Rink and their new one in the magnificent Merlis Belsher Place. It is common for them to have almost daily short visits with rink staffers and take genuine interest in how everyone’s day is going.

    Going back to his WHL days with the Prince George Cougars, Seattle Thunderbirds and Moose Jaw Warriors, Forsberg developed a reputation that he could get rambunctious, let his emotions get the best of him and ultimately cost his team.
    During his five seasons with the Huskies, Forsberg improved a tonne when it came to playing an under control game. Under Adolph and his coaching staff, Forsberg became a star offensive-defenceman and became the player he should have been in the WHL, where he was type casted to be a tough guy.

    He developed to the point he could play in the NHL, but NHL executives tend to overlook 25-year-old players from U Sports.

    Following the loss to the Golden Bears, the Huskies moved on to play in Sunday’s bronze medal game without the two Forsbergs and Folk, who were all suspended. Bauml did suit up for the Huskies on Sunday.

Kohl Bauml lost his cool in a U Sports semifinal.

    U of S showed a lot more discipline giving up only three power-play chances to the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men. The Huskies dominated play holding a 49-16 edge in shots on goal, but came out on the wrong end of a 5-1 final score.

    Fifth-year hard working right-winger Parker Thomas had the Huskies lone goal in his final U Sports game coming inside of the final minute of the third period, when the X-Men were up 5-0. Thomas, Jesse Forsberg and Huskies left-winger Michael Sofillas all exhausted their U Sports eligibility with Sunday’s setback.

    On a side note, the Golden Bears fell in the national final 4-2 on Sunday to the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds.
    In the overall scheme of things, the Huskies 2018-19 season won’t be defined by what took place in their final two games at U Sports nationals. Ultimately, the only thing that will be remember from the David Johnston University Cup for the Huskies was the fact they finished fourth at that event.

    The 2018-19 campaign will be remembered for the fact the Huskies finished first in the Canada West Conference at 25-3 posting a new team record for regular season wins at 25 and standings points at 50.

Parker Thomas scored his final U Sports goal on Sunday.

    Kozun’s outstanding individual season will be a big highlight. In the regular season, the sophomore posted a 20-3 record, a 1.81 goals against average, a .926 save percentage and five shutouts. His win total was a new Huskies individual record for most victories in one regular season.
    The Huskies played with the heart and hustle that has been a trademark for the program.

    Going forward, their supporters have to hope they keep finding ways to play a little better to each situation they encounter and keep limiting the times they shoot themselves in the foot, especially when they play the Golden Bears.

    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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“Rat Line” pulls Golden Bears even with Huskies in Canada West Championship series

The Golden Bears celebrate a goal from captain Riley Kieser.

    Needing a win to stay alive in the Canada West Championship series, the “Rat Line” hit top gear for the University of Alberta Golden Bears men’s hockey team.

    U of A’s forward unit centred by captain Riley Kieser flanked by Cole Sanford at right wing and Trevor Cox at left wing played like three Theo Fleurys on the ice. They brought agitation and skill knocking the University of Saskatchewan Huskies off their game on Saturday and accounted for the Golden Bears first two goals.

    When the dust settled at Merlis Belsher Place, the Golden Bears skated away with a 3-0 victory over the Huskies in Game 2 of the best-of-three Canada West final before a packed crowd of 2,643 spectators. The win by the Golden Bears evens the series at 1-1 and forces a series deciding Game 3 on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Merlis.

Riley Kieser had a goal and an assist for the Golden Bears.

    The Huskies claimed Game 1 by a 4-2 score on Friday at Merlis.

    Following Saturday’s game, Kieser said the Golden Bears entered Game 2 with the goal of coming out with a better work ethic, more intensity and were trying to avoid getting too pretty in the skill department.

    “We won one-on-one battles,” said Kieser. “We got pucks in deep and made them work in their defensive zone. It was a lot more fun game to play.”

    Kieser’s line seemed to be in the centre of all sorts of little skirmishes in the opening frame. It appeared that unit in particular had a different sort of high intensity to their game playing at their “pest best.”

    After a scoreless first period, Kieser opened the game’s scoring 19 seconds into the second period, when he ripped home a goal from the top of the left faceoff circle. Sanford picked up an assist on the tally.

Cole Sanford had a pair of assists for the Golden Bears.

    “It is always helpful to get that first goal,” said Kieser. “It definitely gives you confidence.

    “We weren’t able to get that yesterday, but we got it today and just rolled with it.”

    At the 13:46 mark of the second period, the “Rat Line” struck again to put the Golden Bears up 2-0. Kieser had the puck behind the Huskies net and slipped a beauty centring pass to Cox in front of the U of S goal.

    Cox fired home the insurance marker with Sanford picking up an assist on the play as well.

    The trio also has all sorts of playoff experience coming in both the WHL and U Sports.

    Kieser helped the Edmonton Oil Kings win the WHL and Memorial Cup championships in his final season of major junior hockey in 2013-14. Upon joining the Golden Bears, he helped U of A win the David Johnston University Cup as U Sports national champions in his first campaign with the team in 2014-15 and last season.

Trevor Cox had a goal for the Golden Bears.

    Cox and Sanford helped the Medicine Hat Tigers advance to the WHL Eastern Conference Championship series in 2013-14 and were key players helping the Golden Bears win the Canada West Conference and U Sports national titles last season.

    “It is great to play with those two guys,” said Kieser. “They definitely bring a lot to the game.

    “They play with a lot of intensity and a lot of work ethic. I think all four of our lines came out hard tonight, but we were fortunate on a couple of goals, so that definitely set tone.”

    Grayson Pawlenchuk, who was the Canada West rookie of the year, capped the Golden Bears victory scoring a power-play goal from a bad angle at the 9:11 mark of the third period.

Trevor Cox (#36) and Riley Kieser (#14) agitated the Huskies.

    Zach Sawchenko stopped 20 shots to pick up the shutout win for the Golden Bears. Taran Kozun made 27 saves to the setback in goal for the Huskies.

    Saturday’s clash, which was the 510^th overall meeting between the two sides, was very much a rivalry game that included both teams delivering a lot of extra shots after whistles. The officials would attend to a scrum at one end of the ice, and something underhanded would happen at the other end of the ice.

    Huskie sophomore defenceman Sam Ruopp was slammed hard on a couple of occasions including being the victim of a hard hit from behind by Cox in the first period and being nailed by another U of A player in the third period.

Saturday’s game was filled with lots of rough stuff.

    Near the end of the contest, the Huskies became totally unraveled.

    With 2:11 remaining in the third, Huskies sophomore forward Alex Forsberg tackled Cox and was given a tripping minor, a roughing minor and a 10-minute misconduct. Huskies captain Jesse Forsberg, who is Alex’s older brother, also received a 10-minute misconduct at that point in the game.

    At the 19:22 mark of the third, Huskies left-winger and agitator Jaimen Yakubowski was given a roughing major, while centre Wyatt Johnson and right-winger Carter Folk were given 10-minute misconducts during the same stoppage.

Golden Bears RW Brandon Magee and Huskies D Jesse Forsberg get tied up.

    Folk actually gave a love tap cross check to a linesman, which resulted in his misconduct.
    The Huskies finished the game with 58 minutes in penalties, while the Golden Bears had 12 minutes of infraction accessed against them.

    “It is always a good feeling to know that they are getting frustrated,” said Kieser. “You just want to keep playing your game, play the right way and you will get rewarded, and that is what we did today.”

    When the puck drops for Sunday’s series deciding Game 3 between these “forever rivals,” Kieser believes the Huskies will be over their frustrations and his side has to be ready for a most focused push back from the U of S side.

The Golden Bears celebrate their win on Saturday night.

    “It is do or die again,” said Kieser. “We came out battling for our lives today, and we’re going to do the same tomorrow.
    “It is going to be a great 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 hammer Cougars

Men’s hockey Dogs open post-season with impressive 5-1 romp

Alex Forsberg had two goals and two assists for the Huskies on Friday.

    The red hot University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team stayed red hot in their U Sports post-season opener.

    Riding a 10-game winning streak to end the regular season to lock up first place in the Canada West Conference, the Huskies rolled to an impressive 5-1 victory over the Mount Royal University Cougars in Game 1 of a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series on Friday night at Merlis Belsher Place. U of S will try to sweep the series in Game 2, which is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    The Huskies came out of the gates quickly to stun the visiting Cougars.

The Huskies celebrate Alex Forsberg’s second goal on Friday.

    At the 3:45 mark of the first period, fourth-year winger Levi Cable scored the first Huskies post-season goal in their brand new rink to take a 1-0 lead.

    The hosts expanded their lead to 2-0 at the 6:19 mark of the first when sophomore winger Alex Forsberg scored a power-play goal on a four-on-one rush.

    From that point, the Cougars never really got into the game. The Huskies held 14-6 edge in shots on goal going into the first intermission.

    They proceeded to play the bulk of the second period in Mount Royal’s zone.

    Fifth-year right-winger Parker Thomas scored at the 4:36 mark of the second to give the Huskies a 3-0 advantage. Forsberg banged home a gritty goal from the front of the Cougars net for his second tally of the night giving the Huskies a 4-0 lead at the 13:03 mark of the second to delight the 1,580 spectators in attendance.

Levi Cable scored twice for the Huskies on Friday.

    Besides his two tallies, Forsberg picked up assists on the Huskies first and third goals for a huge four-point night. He was also a plus-three in the plus-minus department.

    After 40 minutes, the Huskies had a 4-0 lead on the scoreboard and a 30-12 edge in shots on goal.

Had this game been a boxing match, the referee might have stopped the proceedings at that point in the contest. The Huskies were that good.

    Cable roofed home his second tally of the night at the 4:10 mark of the third to put the Huskies up 5-0.

    Mount Royal’s high point of the night came with 4:11 remaining in the third, when sophomore forward Bradley Kennedy scored on the power play to end the shutout bid of Huskies star netminder Taran Kozun.

Parker Thomas scored early in the second period on Friday.

    Kozun made 19 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies. Riley Morris turned away 36 shots to take the loss in goal for the Cougars.

    Playing their inaugural season in the newly built Merlis Belsher Place, the Huskies, who are rated third in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, have had a special campaign posting their best regular season record in team history at 25-3. They entered their series with the Cougars as big favourites.

    Mount Royal finished fifth in Canada West with a 12-11-5 mark and went on the road to Vancouver, B.C., to down the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 2-1 in a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series last weekend.

Huskies captain Jesse Forsberg, left, sizes up a scoring chance.

    The Huskies play on the ice this season has looked as good as their impressive new home rink. They can roll all four of their forward lines and not lose a step.

    Their starting six on defence make up one of the best blue-lines you will see in U Sports. While Kozan has received most of the accolades with an impressive season in goal, back-up netminder Travis Child is fairly accomplished in his own right.

    When you saw the Huskies play on Friday, it was easy to see why four of their players were named Canada West Conference all-stars, while one of the first-year players cracked the all-rookie team. Kozun, captain and star offensive defenceman Jesse Forsberg and forward Carson Stadnyk were named to the first all-star team. Winger Kohl Bauml cracked the second all-star team, while defenceman Gordie Ballhorn made the all-rookie team.

    At the moment, the Huskies are one win away from returning to the Canada West Championship series and the U Sports national championship tournament, the University Cup.

    One has to wonder how far will their roll go?

Playoff berth clinch put on hold for Blades

Max Gerlach scored for the Blades on Friday.

    The Saskatoon Blades hopes to lock up a berth in the WHL playoffs were put on hold by the live-or-die sprint the Brandon Wheat Kings are on at the moment.

    On Friday, the Blades had a chance to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2013, if they earned a regulation time win against Wheat Kings in a WHL regular season clash at Westoba Place in Brandon. The Wheat Kings romped to a 6-2 victory before 3,875 spectators to erase any thoughts the Saskatoon side had of celebrating a playoff berth.

    The win was the sixth straight for the Wheat Kings, who improved to 29-22-3-4. They now hold the second wildcard spot in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a two-point standings lead on the Red Deer Rebels (29-23-4-1). Red Deer has a game in hand on Brandon.

    The Blades, who are rated 10th in the CHL’s Top 10 rankings, saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end. Going into Friday’s clash with the Wheat Kings, the Blades were riding a stretch of earning standings points in 13 straight contests posting 11 wins and two extra time setbacks over that stretch. They still sit third overall in the WHL standings with a 37-14-8 mark.

    Saskatoon started Friday’s game with optimism taking a 1-0 just 2:18 into the first period on Ryan Hughes’s 24^th tally of the season.

    Near the midway point of the first, the Blades had a glorious chance to go up by two goals, when veteran left-winger Gary Haden was awarded a penalty shot. Haden was stopped by Wheat Kings netminder Jiri Patera, and that save seemed to change the feel of the contest.

    Brandon rolled off five straight goals to go ahead 5-1.

    Ridly Greig and Zach Wytinck netted singles before the first period ended to give the Wheat Kings a 2-1 advantage. Luka Burzan, who scored his 35^th goal of the season, Caiden Daley and captain Stelio Mattheos, who potted his 40^th goal of the campaign, had singles in the second to put Brandon up 5-1.

    Overage right-winger Max Gerlach netted his 37^th goal of the season for the Blades at the 4:47 mark of the third to cut Brandon’s lead to 5-2.

    Ben McCartney netted a short-handed goal for Brandon shortly after the midway point of the third to round out the game’s scoring.

    Nolan Maier started and took the setback in goal for the Blades turning away 17-of-22 shots sent his way. Dorrin Luding played the third period in relief for Saskatoon and stopped five-of-six shot sent his way.

    Patera turned away 37 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Wheat Kings.

    The Blades return home on Saturday to host the Kootenay Ice (11-38-7-2) at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. Saskatoon can clinch a playoff berth on Saturday night with a win and a regulation loss by either the Wheat Kings or Rebels that same night.

    The Wheat Kings travel to Prince Albert on Saturday to face the WHL leading Raiders (48-8-1-2) at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre. The Rebels host the Edmonton Oil Kings (33-18-4-4) at 7 p.m. local time at the Enmax Centrium.

Scott, Leason power Raiders to shutout win over Ice

Brett Leason had three assists for the Raiders on Friday.

    Ian Scott and Brett Leason made big returns to the Prince Albert Raiders lineup.

   On Friday before 2,380 spectators at the Art Hauser Centre, Scott and Leason both came off the injury list to help the Raiders blank the Kootenay Ice 4-0. Scott, who is the team’s star netminder, made 21 saves to pick up his fifth shutout of the season. Leason, who is the team’s star right-winger, picked up assists on three of the Raiders goals.

    Both Scott and Leason last dressed for the Raiders in their 8-2 victory over the Hitmen in Calgary on Feb. 8. Since that contest, both were out with lower body injuries.

    Against the Ice on Friday, the Raiders, who are rated second in the CHL’s Top 10 rankings, built a 2-0 lead after the first period and held a 3-0 lead after the second frame. They rounded out the game’s scoring with a final tally in the third to improve their WHL leading record to 48-8-1-2.

    Overage centre Sean Montgomery scored twice for the Raiders, while captain Brayden Pachal and Ozzy Wiesblatt had singles.

    Curtis Meger turned away 26 shots to take the loss in goal for the Ice (11-38-7-2).

    The Raiders return to action on Saturday, when they host the Brandon Wheat Kings at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

    The Ice travel to Saskatoon on Saturday to face the Blades at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Pandas put Huskies on the ropes in Canada West semi

Jessica Vance made 25 saves in goal for the Huskies on Friday.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team faces a major challenge in trying to keep their season a live.

    On Friday in Edmonton, Alta., the Huskies were blanked 2-0 by the host U of Alberta Pandas at the Clare Drake Arena in Game 1 of a best-of-three Canada West Conference semifinal series. The Huskies need to win Game 2 on Saturday in Edmonton to remain alive in the U Sports playoffs and force a series deciding Game 3 on Sunday in Edmonton.

    The Pandas, who are rated first in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, jumped out to a 1-0 lead, when star fourth-year forward Alex Poznikoff scored at the 1:37 mark of the first period. Amy Boucher gave the Pandas a 2-0 advantage scoring with 4:45 remaining in the third period.

    Kirsten Chamberlin made 17 saves to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Pandas. Jessica Vance turned away 25 shots to take the setback in goal for the Huskies.

    The Pandas finished first in Canada West with a 23-5 record and won their last seven straight regular season games heading into the post-season.

    The Huskies finished fourth in Canada West with a 16-10-1-1 record. They eliminated the Mount Royal University Cougars 2-1 in a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series last weekend to advance to play the Pandas.

    The Pandas have won their last three games including action in the regular season and playoffs with the Huskies by identical 2-0 scores. All three of those contests were played at the Clare Drake Arena.

    Overall, the Pandas have downed the Huskies in their last four straight encounters including action in the regular season and playoffs.

    On Wednesday, Huskies physical offensive-defender Leah Bohlken was named a first team Canada West all-star.

    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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Bauml regains top offensive form with Huskies

Kohl Bauml scored twice for the Huskies on Friday night.

    Kohl Baum has found the groove that has eluded him since his rookie season with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team.

    On Friday at Merlis Belsher Place, Bauml potted a pair of goals in the second period to lift the Huskies to a 4-0 victory over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in a U Sports regular season clash before 1,998 spectators. With those goals, Bauml has recorded points in his last five straight games posting four goals and four assists over that span of time.

Kohl Bauml, right, has points in his last five straight games.

    The fourth-year forward had nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points appearing in all of the Huskies 23 regular season games to date. The Saskatoon product is having his best season since he led the Huskies in scoring as a rookie in the 2015-16 campaign posting 12 goals and 21 assists for 33 points appearing in all of the Huskies 28 regular season games.

    Last season, Bauml, who stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 170 pounds, posted his lowest offensive totals in a U Sports campaign recording four goals and nine assists for 13 points. His work ethic was there, but the offensive numbers didn’t come.

The Huskies celebrate Kohl Bauml’s first goal on Friday night.

    The Huskies have a deep and talented squad, so when Bauml wasn’t able to contribute offensively on the scoresheet, others did.

    Now that Bauml has rediscovered his top offensive form, he helps make the Huskies that much more of a contender for the Canada West Conference title and the U Sports national championship.

    U of S is currently riding a five game winning streak and sits first in Canada West with a 20-3 record holding a one point lead over the 19-3-1 University of Alberta Golden Bears, who are the defending Canada West and U Sports champions. The Huskies are also rated third in the U Sports Top 10 rankings.

Collin Shirley scored the Huskies fourth goal on Friday night.

    Against the Thunderbirds on Friday night, Bauml, who has built a reputation as being one of the Huskies best ambassadors in the community, scored one goal off of grit and another off of finesse.

    With the Huskies holding a 1-0 lead thanks to a first period goal from sophomore defenceman Sam Ruopp, Bauml extended the host side’s edge to 2-0 potting the rebound of a shot taken by linemate Levi Cable at the 6:57 mark of the second frame.

    Just under four minutes later, Bauml scored a power-play goal to put the Huskies up 3-0 converting a backdoor feed from a beauty set up pass from centre Logan McVeigh.

    From that point, Bauml’s Huskies teammates ensured the Thunderbirds weren’t able to get up off the ground.

    With 40.6 seconds remaining in the third period, sophomore forward Collin Shirley tipped home an Alex Forsberg shot from the right side boards on another power play to give the Huskies a 4-0 advantage.

Evan Fiala was sound on defence for the Huskies.

    During the course of the contest, the Huskies had the Thunderbirds pinned in their own zone for extended periods and had the potential to really bury the visitors. The score could have looked worse had it not been for a stellar 37-save performance from UBC netminder and Saskatoon product Rylan Toth.

    The Thunderbirds fell to 11-10-2 with the loss, but they still sit fifth in the Canada West standings and have a playoff berth locked up.

    Sophomore goalie Taran Kozun, who has become a star this season between the pipes for the Huskies, stopped all 17 shots sent his way to pick up his third shutout of the campaign.

    The two teams go at it again tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    Bauml is one of the Huskies top good guys, and it is always great to see good things happen to good people.

    Hopefully, he will have a lot more big offensive moments as the season and the upcoming post-season rolls along.

Taran Kozun made 17 saves to pick up the shutout in goal for the Huskies.

    NOTE – Friday’s game was the “Huskies Fight Cancer Game” for the men’s hockey team. Money was raised for equipment purchases for the Saskatoon Cancer Centre through Choc ’la Cure. The Huskies had superkid Roan, who is battling leukemia, drop the puck for a pre-game ceremonial faceoff. 

    He was joined at centre ice by Marty and Darla Smuk. Marty and Darla are the parents of Huskies alum Cody Smuk, who passed away from cancer in June of 2015.

    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 withstand Golden Bears trash, win rivalry clash in OT

The Huskies and Golden Bears players engaged in numerous battles Friday.

    Logan McVeigh delivered a sweet and satisfying end to a bitter rivalry game for his University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team.

    On Friday night at Merlis Belsher Place, the Huskies built a 3-1 lead on their “forever rivals” the University of Alberta Golden Bears only to see the visitors rally back to force overtime in a U Sports regular season contest. Golden Bears right-winger Grayson Pawlenchuk banged home the equalizer at the left side of the Huskies net with 2.4 seconds to play in the third period forcing a 3-3 tie.

    Just 72 seconds into overtime, McVeigh roofed home the winner for the Huskies from the left slot in the U of A zone to send the 2,089 spectators at the new U of S home rink into a joyful celebration over the 4-3 final score in favour of the home side.

Logan McVeigh scored the OT winner for the Huskies.

    McVeigh’s winner allowed the Huskies, who are rated third in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, to improve their winning streak to an impressive 13 games and continue to sit first in the Canada West Conference with a 14-1 record.
    The Golden Bears, who are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, saw their seven game winning streak come to an end as their record moved to 11-3-1 to remain second in Canada West.

    The Huskies battle with the Golden Bears, who are the defending U Sports national champions, was a testy one.
    The two sides often talk about respect for one another in the week leading up to their games, but that talk is unable to hide the visible dislike on the ice.

    On the opening faceoff, Golden Bears ultra-pest left-winger Trevor Cox was chirping Huskies right-winger Levi Cable in an attempt to get Cable off his game.

    From that point, Cox and a few other U of A players did their best to antagonize Huskies fifth-year captain Jesse Forsberg with trash talk and numerous little shots after the whistle.

Golden Bears LW Trevor Cox hits Huskies RW Carson Stadnyk.

    Opponents of the Huskies have often tried to rekindle an over aggressive mean streak Forsberg once had, but as has been the case over the last three seasons, the Huskies star offensive-defenceman didn’t let the shenanigans get the best of him.

    In one of the stranger exchanges Forsberg had with the Golden Bears players, he was given an unsportsmanlike penalty for a dive after taking a cheap shot crosscheck long after the whistle from U of A defenceman Ryan Rehill late in the second period.

    Another battle on the ice saw Golden Bears defenceman Ben Carroll often mix it up with Huskies hard-working right-winger Parker Thomas. Carroll got away with drilling Thomas from behind early in the third period.

    The Huskies were dishing out their share of shots too.

    With just over seven minutes remaining in the second period, Huskies right-winger Carson Stadnyk bowled over Golden Bears netminder Zack Sawchenko on a rush into the offensive zone.

Golden Bears D Ryan Rehill drops Huskies captain Jesse Forsberg.

    Stadnyk received a high cross check from Cox in retaliation that was not penalized.
    Late in the third period, Huskies rugged first-year defenceman Evan Fiala nailed Golden Bears fifth-year left-winger Stephane Legault from behind in the offensive zone.

    The extra-curricular activities added spice to the game.

    Still, the first 15 minutes of Friday’s encounter kind of started slow as both teams seemed to be feeling each other out.
    The Huskies got on the board at the 10:09 mark of the opening frame, when McVeigh stole the puck just inside the U of A blue-line from a Golden Bears player and  fed a pass to linemate Jaimen Yakubowski, who put a backhand shot past Sawchenko for a 1-0 lead.

Huskies LW Collin Shirley stares down Golden Bears LW Stephane Legault.

    The Golden Bears drew even at 1-1 just 77 seconds into the second, when Cox converted a backdoor feed from linemate Luke Philp, while working on the power play.

    Just over two minutes later, the Huskies went ahead 2-1, when left-winger Alex Forsberg connected on a backdoor feed from Stadnyk on a U of S power-play chance.

    Only 69 seconds after Forsberg’s goal, Cable sniped home a bad angle shot past Sawchenko to give the Huskies a 3-1 lead.

    The Golden Bears actually worked on five more power-play chances in the second period after Cox scored with the man advantage, but Huskies netminder Taran Kozun made a number of key saves to keep the visitors at bay.

Alex Forsberg had a goal for the Huskies on Friday night.

    U of A cut the Huskies lead to 3-2 with a short-handed marker from sophomore centre Steven Owre at the 8:55 mark of the third. That set the stage for the dramatics at the end of the third and in overtime.
    Centre Kohl Bauml had assists on three of the Huskies goals.

    Kozun made 28 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies.   
    Sawchenko turned away 19 shots to take the overtime setback in the Golden Bears net.

    While Friday’s game had its rivalry sparks, the Huskies did a decent job of keep their composure against the Golden Bears agitators.
    When the dust settled, that likely made the biggest difference in U of S coming out with a win. The Dogs have won two out of three head-to-head encounters with U of A this season.

The Huskies celebrate their OT win over the Golden Bears.

    The Huskies will try to duplicate and better their effort on Saturday, when they host the Golden Bears again at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    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 will be underdogs at this year’s University Cup

Levi Cable, left, Taran Kozun and the Huskies are playing with house money.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team has nothing to lose and everything to gain at this year’s University Cup.

    The Huskies are usually viewed as one of the contenders at the U Sports national men’s hockey championship tournament when they get there. Last year, the Huskies advanced to the tournament’s championship game, where they fell 5-3 to the host University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds.

    This year is a little bit of a different story as the University Cup tournament returns to Fredericton, N.B., for a second consecutive time. The Dogs limp into the University Cup as a beat up team on the injury front.

    They will be without star netminder Jordon Cooke, who suffered a knee injury in a 6-4 playoff win over the University of Calgary Dinos on Feb. 22. Cooke went down after being crashed into in the Huskies goal.

    Cooke had been named the goalie-of-the-year for Canada West this season for a third straight year. He was the U Sports goaltender-of-the-year and a first team U Sports all-Canadian in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 campaigns.

Jesse Forsberg has been key in controlling the back end for the Huskies.

    The absence of the Leduc, Alta., product is a huge one without even adding in the fact he is the Huskies second all-time career leader in regular season wins (59) and saves (2,358).

    Sophomore forward Wyatt Johnson is battling a concussion. First line forwards Michael Sofillas and Josh Roach have also been battling injuries, but there is a chance they could be in the lineup for the Huskies. Roach has a higher likelihood of returning than Sofillas.

    Centre Logan McVeigh returned to the Huskies for the Canada West championships series after missing three games with a broken jaw, which is an injury he is playing with.

    Besides the injuries, the Huskies head to nationals after being swept in the best-of-three Canada West title series by the University of Alberta Golden Bears 2-0 in Edmonton.

    The Huskies had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in Game 1 of that series played on March 2, before the Golden Bears rolled to a 5-2 victory. One night later in Game 2, the Golden Bears jumped out to a 5-0 lead before coasting to a 5-1 victory.

    Both of those emotionally charged contests attracted respective crowds of 2,896 and 2,963 to the Clare Drake Arena who likely wanted to see the Huskies lose as much as see the Golden Bears win on both of those nights.

Taran Kozun (#31) carries the load in goal for the Huskies.

    However, the “Madness of March” brings opportunity. In elite-eight single elimination tournaments like the University Cup, odds increase for underdog squads like the Huskies to produce upsets. The tournament kicks off with two quarter-final games on Thursday.

    The Huskies, who are seeded sixth, play in Friday’s second quarter-final game against the third seeded McGill University Redmen, who are the champions of the Ontario University Athletics conference.

    The Redmen posted a 22-4-2 record in the regular season and a 7-2 mark in the OUA playoffs. Centre Jerome Verrier topped the Redmen in regular season scoring with 12 goals and 29 assists. Second-year forward Christophe Lalonde topped the Redmen with 13 goals in the regular season, while also posting eight assists in 25 appearances.

    Defenceman Dominic Talbot-Tassi quarterbacked the Redmen’s offence on the back end topping all of the team’s rearguards in scoring with eight goals and 17 assists in the regular season.

Josh Roach has a good chance of returning from injury at nationals.

    Netminder Louis-Philip Guindon carries the load in goal as the start for the Redmen posting an 18-4-2 record, a 2.22 goals against average, a .917 save percentage and three shutouts.

    The Huskies posted a 20-7-1 record during the regular season and 2-3 mark in the Canada West playoffs.

    Roach led the Huskies in regular season scoring with 13 goals and 24 assists in 27 appearances. McVeigh was second in team scoring with seven goals and 22 assists in 27 appearances.

    Rookie Alex Forsberg had a strong season recording 11 goals and 12 assists in 24 regular season games. Older brother Jesse Forsberg was stellar on the back end leads all Huskies defencemen in scoring with five goals and 15 assists in 24 appearances.

    Alex Forsberg plays left wing on the Huskies grittiest line - which should likely be the team’s most noticeable line - with fifth-year veteran John Lawrence at centre and fourth-year veteran Parker Thomas at right wing.

    Taran Kozun will carry the load in goal for the Huskies in the absence of Cooke. In five regular season starts, Kozun posted a 4-0-1 record, a 2.00 goals against average, a .924 save percentage and one shutout. He was the WHL goaltender of the year in the 2014-15 campaign while playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds.

    The team is guided a stellar coaching staff led by longtime veteran head coach Dave Adolph who have pretty much seen everything.

The Huskies hope to celebrate a few magical goal moments at nationals.

    While the Huskies are beat up, they have enough depth to be a problem for any team they face. They still have the potential to be in one of the two semifinal games on Saturday playing the winner of quarter-final contest between the Golden Bears and the Acadia University Axemen and in Sunday’s gold medal game.

    The Huskies are playing with house money in this trip to nationals. It provides an opportunity to write a unique chapter in their storied history.

    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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#24 shines brightly on Huskies in thrilling Game 3 playoff win

Carson Stadnyk reacts to scoring his Game 3 series winning goal for the Huskies.

    When the dust settled, it seemed like the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team was ordained to win their final playoff game at the ancient Rutherford Rink.
    On Saturday night, the Dogs were locked in a 1-1 tie late in the third period with the University of Calgary Dinos in a series deciding Game 3 of a Canada West best-of-three semifinal set. Inside of the final 30 seconds, Huskies offensive defenceman Jesse Forsberg flipped a smart pass into the Dinos zone to spring sophomore left-winger Carson Stadnyk on a breakaway.

Carson Stadnyk (#16) pots his series winning goal for the Huskies.

    Stadnyk broke towards the U of C goal and flipped a shot past Dinos rookie goalie Jordan Papirny with exactly 24 seconds remaining to play in the frame to give the Huskies a 2-1 edge. Third-year right-winger Levi Cable added an empty-net goal with three seconds to play to round out a 3-1 victory for the Huskies.

    The win allowed the Huskies to take the best-of-three series with the Dinos 2-1.

    “I just blacked out,” said Stadnyk about his series winning goal. “I didn’t even know what was going on.

    “Jesse (Forsberg) just flicked it to the middle, and it just went off my hand twice. It just quickly went past their D-man. I had no time to shoot, so I just flicked it.

Carson Stadnyk rushes up ice for the Huskies.

    “Just from there, I had no idea what happened.”

    U of S advances to the best-of-three Canada West championship series to face the defending conference champion University of Alberta Golden Bears. Game 1 of that series is expected to start on Friday in Edmonton, Alta. That means all futures Huskies men’s hockey playoff games will be held at Merlis Belsher Place, which is the new twin pad rink being constructed at the U of S.

    The Huskies, who are rated fifth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, also earned a berth in the U Sports national championship tournament, which runs March 15 to 18 and is being hosted by the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds in Fredericton, N.B.

    When Stadnyk scored, the time remaining in the third period matched the #24 worn by the late Cody Smuk, who was the Huskies hard-working, glue guy and heart and soul forward who passed away from cancer in June of 2015.

Alex Forsberg scored the first goal on Saturday for the Huskies.

    Only four players remain on the Huskies roster that were teammates with Smuk during his final season in 2013-14 in captain Kendall McFaull, Connor Cox, Josh Roach and John Lawrence.

    Smuk would have definitely smiled seeing the current Huskies enjoying a final playoff Rutherford memory.

    After Stadnyk scored, he was buried under a dogpile by the four other Huskies skaters on the ice.

    “I just remember running to Jesse (Forsberg), and I had no idea,” said Stadnyk. “I just got pounded on, and it was awesome.

    “Even coming to the bench, we were all loving it.”

    Alex Forsberg scored for the Huskies at the 2:52 mark of the first period to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. A tight checking and very physical contest ensued from that point with both teams throwing a number of big hits.

The Game 3 clash between the Huskies and Dinos was physical.

    When centre Logan Fisher scored for the Dinos at the 6:38 mark of the third to tie things up at 1-1, it appeared Saturday’s clash could head for overtime. All that tally did was set up the dramatics at the end of the third period.

    “They have a hell of a team over there,” said Stadnyk. “It just came down to one play, and we were on the right side of the one play.

    “We got the luck there. We’re a tight group of guys here. It was just awesome to win that and just go from here now with these guys.”

    Rookie netminder Taran Kozun made 23 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies. The Nipawin, Sask., product has been playing in place of star netminder Jordon Cooke, who was injured early in the Huskies 6-4 victory over the Dinos in Game 1 on Thursday.

Goalie Taran Kozun catches a high dump in for the Huskies.

    Cooke is on crutches and his return during the rest of the Huskies playoff run is uncertain.

    Kozun, who was named the WHL goaltender of the year in the 2014-15 campaign when he was with the Seattle Thunderbirds, was solid playing in relief of Cooke.

    “It is a huge opportunity and a huge win,” said Kozun. “I’ve battled with Cookie all year (in practice).

    “He is one hell of a goalie, (and) one hell of a leader. Everything I’ve done out there today is all from watching him all year (like) how calm he stays all the time.

    “I’m just trying to do my best to be like him. I just have to thank the boys for stepping up big too. They made my night a lot easier just playing hard every night.”

    Papirny turned away 29-of-31 shots to take the setback in goal for the Dinos, who are rated 10^th in the U Sports Top 10 rankings.

    Huskies head coach Dave Adolph had some fun in the post-game media scrum saying his team designed the dramatic finish.

Netminder Jordan Papirny makes a stop for the Dinos.

    “A good NFL coach they run it down,” said Adolph. “They run the clock down to the last 10 seconds and work it inside the five yard-line and make sure the opposition doesn’t have any time left on the clock to run a play, and that is what we did.

    “That was our plan was to get the rolling bouncing puck to Connor McDavid, and then watch him dribble it in.”

    On the more serious front, Adolph said depth was key in helping his Huskies get past the Dinos. The Huskies entire first line of Michael Sofillas, Roach and Logan McVeigh were all out due to injury along with sophomore centre Wyatt Johnson.

    The U of S bench boss hopes to have a few of his injured players back by the time U Sports nationals comes around, but he was pleased with how the team’s talented reserves filled in.

The Huskies celebrate an empty-net goal from Levi Cable (#10).

    “Guys step up,” said Adolph. “Carson Stadnyk stepped up.

    “I thought Collin Shirley had a great night. Kozie (Taran Kozun) is a really good player. Man does he handle the puck.

    “Sam Ruopp stepped in tonight. That is what it is all about. It is all the unsung heroes that now get an opportunity to see what it is all about.”

    Adolph said another big thing that helped the Huskies was the return of one of his long time assistant coaches who stepped away at the end of last season.

    “We brought Troy Walkington back,” said Adolph. “Nobody ever talks about that.

    “He wasn’t going to coach this year. He was just going to be around. We asked him to come back and run our power play, and our power play has been spectacular the last three weeks.

    “There are a lot of guys that deserve an awful big thank you.”

The Huskies celebrate their Canada West semifinal series win.

    Now the Huskies turn their attention to the next step in the playoff trail. Stadnyk said his team can be excited about earning a berth at U Sports nationals, but the squad’s first focus has to be the Canada West Conference championship series.

    “We still have one more series to go here,” said Stadnyk. “We are going to go there as hard as we can and be a tight knit group and do what we do best.”

    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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