Sophie Lalor scored her 10th goal of the regular season on Saturday.
Sophie Lalor became a member of “Club 10.”
On Saturday night, Lalor became the first member of the
University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Hockey Team to hit the 10-goal
plateau in regular season play in four years. The fourth-year winger scored the
Huskies first goal in a 2-1 U Sports regular season victory over the visiting
MacEwan University Griffins before 450 spectators are Merlis Belsher Place.
The win was the sixth straight for the Huskies, who are
rated 10th in the U Sports Top 10 Rankings.
Lalor netted her milestone goal with a power-play marker at
the 11:18 mark of the first period, which gave the Huskies a 1-0 lead in the
contest. With the tally, Lalor finished the night having recorded 10 goals and
eight assists to go with a plus-eight rating in the plus-minus department
appearing in all of the Huskies 22 regular season games.
The Penticton, B.C., product’s 10 goals and 18 points are
career highs. Her eight assists equals a career high set back in the 2019-20
season.
Before Lalor hit the 10-goal mark, the last Huskies player
to score 10-or-more goals in one regular season was heart-and-soul forward
Bailee Bourassa back in the 2019-20 campaign. In 2019-20, Bourassa appeared in
all of the Huskies 28 regular season games recording 12 goals, seven assists
and a plus-five rating.
Offensive-defender Isabella Pozzi, who is in her fifth season of U Sports eligibilty, picked up the lone assist
on Lalor’s power-play goal against the Griffins. With the helper, Pozzi now has
career highs in goals (four), assists (eight) and points (12) this season to go
along with a plus-six rating.
The Huskies outshot the Griffins 18-7 in the opening 20
minutes, but the visitors managed to send the contest into the first
intermission locked in a 1-1 draw. At the 14:41 mark of the first period,
forward Joie Simon netted the equalizer for the Griffins with rookie defender
Ali Macaulay picking up the lone assist on the play.
Sophie Lalor has career highs in goals (10) and points (18).
The teams played through a fairly even second period with
the Huskies holding a 12-11 edge in shots on goal for the frame.
At the 9:13 mark of the third, Huskies third-year winger
Kelsey Hall potted her seventh goal of the season that held up as the winner in
the Huskies 2-1 victory. The tally was Hall’s third game winner of the
campaign.
On the season, Hall has career highs in goals (seven),
assists (six) and points (13) to go with a plus-four rating appearing in all
the Huskies 22 regular season games.
Rookie forward Ava Bergman picked up the lone assist on Hall’s
goal. The helper was Bergman’s first career regular season point in U Sports
play. She has appeared in six regular season contests for the Huskies in the
current campaign.
Colby Wilson made 20 saves to pick up the win in goal for
the Huskies. Brianna Sank turned away 34 shots to take the setback in goal for
the Griffins.
With the win, the Huskies improve to 16-4-1-1 to sit fourth
in the Canada West Conference. The lowest they can finish in the Canada West
standings is fourth, which means they will have home ice advantage for at least
one series in the conference playoffs. The Huskies will host the U Sports Women’s
Hockey Championship Tournament from March 14 to 17 at Merlis Belsher Place.
The Huskies sit two standings points behind the defending U
Sports champion Mount Royal University Cougars (18-4) for third in the
conference and four standings points back of the U of Alberta Pandas (18-2-1-1)
for second in the conference. The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds
top the Canada West standings with a 20-1-1-2 mark.
The Griffins fell to 3-20-1 with the loss and sit last in the
nine-team Canada West.
Isabella Pozzi picked up an assist on Saturday.
The Huskies return to action on Friday when they travel to
Edmonton to take on the Pandas (7 p.m. local time, Clare Drake Arena).
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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The Huskies had an impressive showing at U Sports nationals.
The University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Hockey team
penned a happy ending to the most unique chapter in team history.
On Sunday at the MacLauchlan Arena in Charlottetown, P.E.I.,
the Huskies blanked the University of New Brunswick Reds 2-0 in the bronze
medal game at the U Sports elite-eight women’s hockey championship tournament.
The bronze medal win equaled the Huskies best result at U Sports nationals
matching what the team accomplished in 2014.
The Huskies have made four trips to U Sports nationals in
team history, and in a normal sports campaign, advancing that far in the
post-season would be a success story in itself.
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped
the world, things in the sports world and outside the sports world haven’t
operated like normal since the first stoppages in North America started back on
March 11, 2020.
The 2020 U Sports men’s and women’s hockey tournaments along
with the men’s and women’s volleyball tournaments got their first day of action
in on March 12, 2020 before the rest of the action at those events was cancelled
due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
U Sports didn’t hold any national championships in the
2020-21 campaign. The Canada West Conference that the Huskies play out of didn’t
take part any meaningful games in 2020-21.
On the Huskies front, no one knew what to expect out of the
2021-22 campaign after the whole conference had a season off. No one knew if
there were going to be any stops or starts as the campaign went along.
The Huskies lost Jordyn Holmes to a broken leg at nationals.
Actually, there was no guarantee that the season would be
played to a completion.
Still, the Huskies marched through the regular season
posting an 11-7-2 record to finish fifth in the Canada West Conference
standings. In the Canada West playoffs, the Huskies swept the University of
Manitoba Bisons 2-0 in a best-of-three quarter-final series in Winnipeg and
swept the Mount Royal University Cougars 2-0 in a best-of-three semifinal
series in Calgary, Alta., to advance to the Canada West Championship Series and
earn a spot at U Sports nationals.
In the Canada West final, the Huskies were swept 2-0 in the
best-of-three set by the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in
Vancouver. The series closed with the Thunderbirds taking Game 2 of the series
1-0 in overtime.
After that bump in the road, the Huskies reset and ventured
off to Charlottetown for U Sports nationals with a sizable contingent of
supporters in family and friends. The Huskies were so good at nationals that it
is possible they could have possibly won the whole thing, if two or three
breaks went their way.
They opened play on the event’s second day on Friday taking
on the Ontario University Athletics champion Brock University Badgers in a
quarter-final contest. The fifth- seeded Huskies played arguably their best
game of the season in that outing blanking the fourth-seeded Badgers 4-0.
At the 6:12 mark of the second period of that contest,
rookie forward Sara Kendall ran it back to her days with the Swift Current
Innovation Credit Union Wildcats under-18 female AAA team opening the contest’s
scoring on a sweet backhanded wraparound.
The Huskies surged for three goals in the third with singles
coming off the sticks of rookie defender Brooklyn Stevely and third year
forwards Kara Kondrat and Nicole Fry. Kondrat picked up an assist on Fry’s
empty-net tally and was named the Huskies player of the game in what might have
been her best game at the U Sports level.
Kendra Zuchotzki turned heads as a rookie on defence.
Star third-year netminder Camryn Drever made 27 saves to
pick up the shutout win for the Huskies. Netminder Tiffany Hau stopped 29-of-32
shots sent her way to take the setback in goal for the Badgers.
While the win over the Badgers was a great game for the
Huskies, they did face adversity. Before Kendall scored her goal to give the
Huskies a 1-0 lead, the team’s gritty, speedy, heart and soul third-year
forward Jordyn Holmes broke her left leg on a crash into the boards and was
lost for the rest of the tournament.
She had to have surgery on Saturday in Charlottetown to help
start her injury recovery process.
In a semifinal on Saturday, the Huskies faced the top seeded
Concordia University Stingers, who were the champions of the Reseau du Sport
Etudiant du Quebec. Before the game, Holmes standing ovation from the crowd,
when she arrived to cheer on her team.
In the semifinal contest, the Stingers came away with a 2-0
victory with Audrey Belzile and Maria Manarolis potting singles in the second
period. Stingers netminder Alice Philbert made 20 saves to pick up the shutout
win in goal.
Drever turned away 37 shots to take the setback in goal for
the Huskies. The Huskies put up a big fight but weren’t able to find a traction
moment to start a comeback.
They almost got that traction moment with four minutes
remaining in the third, when Kendall rang an in close shot off the post of the
Stingers goal.
Camryn Drever cemented herself as a top goalie in U Sports.
The Stingers would advance on to blank the sixth seeded
Nipissing University Lakers 4-0 in the U Sports championship game on Sunday to capture the Golden Path Trophy.
Before the tournament’s title game was played, the Huskies
took the ice for the bronze medal game against the second seeded Reds, who were
the Atlantic University Sport conference champions.
At the 7:51 mark of the first, the Huskies jumped ahead 1-0
on a blast from the left point by rookie defender Kendra Zuchotzki.
At the
14:08 mark of the second, rookie forward Jasper Desmarais ran it back to her
days with the Prince Albert Northern Bears under-18 AAA scoring a beauty goal
on a three-on-one rush that ultimately sealed the 2-0 victory.
Desmarais blew down the right wing, got in close and roofed
home a shot past Reds netminder Kendra Woodland.
Woodland made 23 stops to take the setback in goal for the
Reds.
Drever turned aside all 17 shots she faced to pick up the
shutout win in goal for the Huskies. The alumna of the St. Albert Slash female
under-18 AAA team posted four shutouts in the Huskies nine total post-season
games.
When Drever joined the Huskies, she came with the reputation
of being a clutch goaltender having backstopped the Slash to Esso Cup titles in
2017 and 2018 as national female under-18 AAA hockey champions. Following this
post-season run, Drever has cemented her place as one of the top goaltenders in
all of U Sports.
Following the win over the Reds, Huskies veteran head coach
Steve Kook got to put the first bronze medal around the neck of the team’s
fifth-year captain in Bailee Bourassa. Bourassa is the lone fifth-year player
on the squad.
Bailee Bourassa is a golden role model on and off the ice.
After receiving her medal, Bourassa presented the rest of
the bronze medals to the rest of the team.
Bourassa finished her degree in
nursing and returned to the Huskies after deciding to pursue her master’s degree
in nursing taking on the role of captain.
Having helped her hometown Weyburn Gold Wings in and Esso
Cup title in 2014, Bourassa wanted to help the Huskies get a good restart this season
after a season off in 2020-21.
She played a big part in helping the Huskies
stay relevant and show you can play high-level hockey in Canada’s U Sports
ranks and get a sound education that can take you on to a great career when the
playing days come to a close.
Bourassa has become the perfect example of the golden role
model on and off the ice. She has always represented the team in the community
with class and grace.
Forward Abby Shirley, who is the long fourth-year player on
the team, was another key returnee who helped show the way and be a leader for
the Huskies young generation.
Third-year defender Isabella Pozzi provided a steady hand to
the Huskies back end, and she was named to the U Sports championship tournament all-star team. The Huskies have a rookie group on the back end who came
into their own in the post-season and have the potential to be even better in
future seasons in Stevely, Zuchotzki, Larissa Bohlken and Emily Holmes, who is
Jordyn’s younger sister.
While she didn’t get any goals at U Sports nationals, third-year
forward Kennedy Brown came through in clutch moments in the Canada West
playoffs. She had her chances at nationals and will be another key returnee in
future seasons.
Kennedy Brown came through with clutch post-season goals.
Overall, the journey the Huskies took to win a bronze medal
at U Sports national on Sunday was unlike any season the Huskies have played to
date.
All the time players spent training on their own or as a team in a
2020-21 campaign that didn’t happen seemed worth it for sure after Sunday’s
win.
During training time when there was no certainty of when the
next game was going to be, some players had to be questioning if it was time to
close the book as far as competitive hockey was concerned.
Credit has to go to all teams in U Sports for making the
season happen and able to be played to a conclusion where a national champion
was crowned.
After the NCAA still crowned a national women’s hockey
champion in the Division I ranks in 2020-21, minor hockey players in the female
game in Canada had to wonder if going down to the United States was ultimately
going to be the place where they could play high-level hockey at the
post-secondary level in the future.
Now, U Sports is back as a destination female players in
Canada’s minor hockey system that want to continue playing high-level hockey at
the post-secondary level.
The Huskies have shown they will continue to be a place
where good things can happen in the classroom and on the ice whether you come
from the province of Saskatchewan or any other community in Canada.
The Huskies renewed their legacy of being a great team to play for.
Ultimately, that reminder might be the lasting legacy of the
2021-22 Huskies team.
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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Bailee Bourassa leads the Huskies to U Sports nationals.
The Canada
West Championship series didn’t go their way, but the University of
Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Hockey team still has a chance to claim an even
bigger prize.
On Sunday
and Monday, the Huskies traveled from Saskatoon all the way to Charlottetown,
P.E.I., for the U Sports elite-eight women’s hockey championship tournament.
The Huskies were given the fifth seed on Sunday in the quest for the Golden
Path Trophy.
They will
open the tournament taking on the Ontario University Athletics champion Brock
University Badgers on Friday at the MacLauchlan Arena. The game will be webcast
on cbcsports.ca and CBC Gem, or fans can listen to the call from Huskies
Women’s Hockey play-by-play voice Daniella Ponticelli on HuskieFAN.ca at 12
p.m. Saskatchewan time.
The U
Sports championship tournament opens on Thursday with the event’s first two
quarter-final contests.
The Huskies
head to U Sports nationals having to reset after being swept 2-0 by the
University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the best-of-three Canada West
Championship series. Heading into the Canada West Final, the Huskies were 4-0
in the post-season having swept a pair of best-of-three playoff series on the
road.
Both the
Huskies and Thunderbirds already locked up berths to the U Sports championship
tournament due to advancing to the Canada West Final.
In Game 1
of the Canada West Championship series held on March 11 at the Doug Mitchell
Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver, B.C., the Thunderbirds jumped out to a
3-0 lead in the first period with Grace Elliott, Mia Bierd and Ashley McFadden
netting singles.
Sophie Lalor had 10 points in 20 regular season games.
From the
point, the Huskies found themselves chasing the game. Shay-Lee McConnell scored
a short-handed goal for the Thunderbirds in the second period to round out the
scoring in a 4-0 victory.
Huskies
star goaltender Camryn Drever made 39 saves in that Game 1 loss. Thunderbirds
rookie netminder Elise Hugens made 13 saves to pick up the shutout victory.
In Game 2
at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre on March 12, the Huskies and
Thunderbirds went to overtime locked in a 0-0 tie. Just 98 seconds into
overtime, Thunderbirds forward Chanreet Bassi scored the contest’s only goal in
a 1-0 victory for the host side that allowed UBC to capture the Canada West
title.
Drever made
34 saves to give the Huskies a chance to steal the win in that contest. Hugens
made 14 saves to pick up a second straight shutout victory.
The Huskies
head into their U Sports quarter-final having posted an 11-7-2 record in the
regular season and a 4-2 mark in the post-season. The Badgers posted a 7-5-3-1
record in regular season play and a 3-0 mark in the post-season.
The most
exciting thing about the U Sport championship tournament is the fact it is
played in a single-elimination format. Anything can happen in a single game
situation.
With Drever
between the pipes, the Huskies have the goalie that can win them three straight
games to capture a U Sports national title.
Camryn Drever, right, is a clutch post-season performer.
Before
joining the U Sports ranks, Drever was the star goaltender for the St. Albert
Slash, and she backstopped them to two straight Esso Cup titles as national
under-18 AAA hockey champions in 2017 and 2018. She earned a reputation as a
clutch player in those runs.
While the
offensive dried up for the Huskies against the Thunderbirds in the Canada West Final, they have for the most part been able to get enough scoring by committee
through the regular season and the first four games of the post-season to pull
out wins.
Huskies
lone fifth-year player in forward Bailee Bourassa topped the team in regular
season scoring with 11 points coming on seven goals and four assists playing in
all the Huskies 20 contests. Bourassa returned to the Huskies after deciding to
pursue her master’s degree in nursing and took on the role as the team’s
captain.
She will be playing her final U Sports games this weekend,
and with all that she has done for the team, it would cool if the Huskies team could
help her graduate on a big high note.
Forward
Abby Shirley is the Huskies lone fourth-year player and she led the way in
post-season scoring with five points coming on three goals and two assists in
six games. She also had nine points in the regular season coming off five goals
and four assists appearing in 18 games.
Bourassa
and Shirley are the only players remaining on the Huskies roster from the last
time they went to nationals back in the 2017-18 campaign.
Third-year
forward Kennedy Brown has emerged as one of the Huskies newest heroes during
the post-season. In the Huskies six post-season games to date, Brown has four
points coming on three goals and one assist. Out of Brown’s three goals, two of
them have been game winners.
Sophie
Lalor, who is a third-year forward, hit double digits in regular season scoring
picking up 10 points on five goals and five assists appearing in all of the
Huskies 20 regular season games. In the Huskies six post-season games, Lalor
has one goal that was a game winner and one assist.
Rookie Larissa Bohlken is part of a strong group of young defenders.
Third-year
defender Isabella Pozzi has been the veteran rock on the back end. On the blue-line,
the Huskies have relied on a group of rookies to come through with big minutes
in Larissa Bohlken, Kendra Zuchotzki, Brooklyn Stevely and Emily Holmes.
With being
at nationals, the Huskies are going to have to work their way through a
challenging field.
If they win their quarter-final game, the Huskies will face
the winner of the Friday’s other quarter-final between the top seeded Concordia
University Stingers and the eighth seeded and host University of Prince Edward
Island Panthers in one of Saturday’s two semifinals.
The Stingers
were 11-3-1 in the regular season and 4-0 in the post-season, while the
Panthers were 13-7-0-2 in the regular season and 0-1 in the post-season. The
Stingers were the champions of the Reseau du Sport Etudiant du Quebec.
The field
also contains the second seeded University of New Brunswick Reds, who are the
champions of the Atlantic University Sport conference. The Reds posted a
15-3-1-2 record in the regular season and a 5-0 mark in the post-season.
The
Thunderbirds are the tournament’s third seed having posted a 14-6 record in
regular season play and a 4-0 mark in the post-season.
The event’s
bronze medal and championship games will be held on Sunday.
The Huskies
are making their third appearance and U Sports nationals since 2014 and fourth
appearance all-time in team history. Current Huskies head coach Steve Kook has been
with the team for three out of four runs to the U Sports championship tournament.
The Huskies aim to hold a few goal celebrations at nationals.
Kook missed the first appearance in 2004 joining the team as an assistant coach before the start of the 2004-05 campaign. He was the head coach for the appearances in 2014 and 2018 along with this season. He provides steady guidance for the team.
These trips
to nationals are never a guaranteed thing, even if a team has a good season. In
the three previous appearances, the Huskies medaled just once capturing a
bronze in 2014.
Of course,
the current campaign comes on the heels after all 2020-21 U Sports nationals
were scrapped and most U Sports teams didn’t take the ice for games due to the
coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.
If the
Huskies were able to win it all, it would provide the icing on the cake for all
the ups and downs they have gone through since March of 2020.
Raiders fall to Ice 3-2 in OT, stay in thick
of WHL playoff chase
Reece Vitelli scored for the Raiders on Tuesday.
The Prince Albert Raiders are down to a 10-game sprint to
try and make the WHL playoffs.
On Tuesday night, the Raiders dropped a 3-2 decision in
overtime to the visiting Winnipeg Ice before 2,120 spectators at the Art Hauser
Centre. With 15.3 seconds remaining in overtime, Ice 19-year-old power forward
Jack Finley potted his 20th goal of the season to win the game for
the Winnipeg side.
With the extra time setback, the Raiders picked up one
standings point. They sit ninth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with
24-29-4-1 record for 53 standings points with 10 games remaining on their
regular season schedule.
The Raiders are in the thick of the race for the final two
playoff berths in the Eastern Conference.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes sit seventh overall in the Eastern
Conference and hold the conference’s second last playoff berth with 56
standings points coming on 26-28-3-1 record. They have 10 games remaining on
their regular season schedule.
The Swift Current Broncos are positioned one point behind
the Hurricanes in the standings with 55 points sitting eighth overall in the
Eastern Conference and hold the conference’s final playoff berth with a
24-30-5-2 record. The Broncos have seven games remaining on their regular
season schedule.
The Regina Pats are 10th overall in the Eastern
Conference with 51 points coming on a 23-29-3-2 record. The Pats have 11 games
remaining on their regular season schedule.
The Calgary Hitmen sit 11th overall in the
Eastern Conference with 50 points coming on a 21-30-6-2 record. The Hitmen have
nine games remaining on their regular season schedule.
On Tuesday, the Broncos won their fourth game in a row
downing the visiting Regina Pats 5-3 at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex in
Swift Current.
Between the Raiders and Ice on Tuesday, the Prince Albert
side jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first period on a goal by captain Reece
Vitelli. The Ice took a 2-1 lead scoring twice in the second with goals coming
from the sticks of Cole Muir and Alessandro Segafredo.
At the 7:22 mark of the third, import rookie right-winger
Vladislav Shilo netted his sixth of the season for the Raiders to even the
score at 2-2 and force overtime.
That set the stage for Finley to come through with his
winner.
Import rookie netminder Tikhon Chaika turned away 39 shots
to take the extra time setback in goal for the Raiders. Daniel Hauser stopped 25
shots to pick up the win in goal for the Ice.
The Ice have picked up points in their last 12 straight
games with 10 wins, one overtime loss and one shootout loss. They improve to
44-9-3-2 and tied the 45-12-2-1 Edmonton Oil Kings for first overall in the WHL
with 93 standings points.
Winnipeg has two games in hand on Edmonton.
The Ice return to action on Wednesday when they travel to
Saskatoon to take on the 33-21-3-1 Blades (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).
The Raiders get back into action on Friday when travel to
Brandon to face the 28-24-3-2 Wheat Kings (6 p.m. Saskatchewan time, 900 CKBI).
Albers signs minor league deal with
Mariners, other notes
Andrew Albers signed a minor league contract with the Mariners.
It looks like Andrew Albers will get to enjoy one more
season throwing pitches under the sun.
On Monday, the 36-year-old left-handed pitcher and North
Battleford, Sask., product signed a minor league deal with the MLB’s Seattle
Mariners. After playing three seasons with the Orix Buffaloes in Japan from
2018 to 2020, Albers return to North America last season throwing in AAA
baseball with the St. Paul Saints and seeing time at the MLB level with the
Minnesota Twins.
At the AAA level, Albers was a starter and saw action in 18
total games posting an 8-4 record, a 3.88 earned-run average, 88 strikeouts and
11 walks.
At the MLB level, Albers made five appearances with the
Twins posting a 1-2 record, a 7.58 ERA, 12 strikeouts and nine walks.
Albers, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 200 pounds, saw time
with the Mariners MLB side back in the 2017 campaign. During that season, he
appeared in nine games posting a 5-1 record, a 3.51 ERA, 37 strikeouts and 10
walks.
Albers is
one of the true good guys to come not only out of the baseball scene but the
sports scene in Saskatchewan. During this past off-season, he spent countless
hours at the Indoor Training Centre on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds
coaching young pitchers to help them get better at the game.
He decided
to live in Saskatoon in order to train for this upcoming season and to give
back to the local and provincial baseball scene.
Albers has
a lot of people in the province pulling for him to have his best season yet.
On Saturday in State College,
Pennsylvania, the Ohio State University Buckeyes downed the University of
Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs 3-2 in the NCAA Division I women’s hockey
championship game. The win marked the first time the Buckeyes won the NCAA
Division I women’s hockey title. Nadine Muzerall turned the Buckeyes into
a powerhouse after becoming the team’s head coach before the start of the
2016-17 campaign. In the semifinal round, the top ranked Buckeyes took out
the fifth seeded Yale University Bulldogs 2-1. The Yale roster contains
rookie defender and Saskatoon product Emma DeCorby, who is an alumna of
the Regina Rebels female under-18 AAA team. Minnesota Duluth downed the
Northeastern University Huskies in the other semifinal 2-1. The Huskies
roster contained veteran defender Brooke Hobson, who is an alumna of the
Prince Albert Northern Bears female under-18 AAA team. Hobson has now
exhausted her NCAA eligibility. In the quarter-final round, the Huskies
downed the University of Wisconsin Badgers 4-2. The Badgers roster
contains Saskatoon products, forwards and sisters Sophie and Grace
Shirley, who are alumnae of the Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA team.
In the first round, the Syracuse University Orange fell 4-0 to the Quinnipiac
University Bobcats. The Orange roster contains forward and Saskatoon
product Anna Leschyshyn, who is an alumna of the Stars.
Ilya Usau, who is an alumnus of the WHL’s
Prince Albert Raiders, signed an NHL entry-level contract with the
two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday. The
20-year-old forward from Minsk, Belarus, spent this past season with
Dinamo Minsk in the KHL posting nine goals and 17 assists in 40 regular
season games. Usau spent one season with the Raiders in 2019-20 recording
22 goals and 30 assists in 58 regular season games.
On Monday, Zack Hayes, who is a former
captain of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, made his NHL regular season debut
for the Vegas Golden Knights as they dropped a 3-0 decision to the
Minnesota Wild in St. Paul, Minn. The 22-year-old defenceman suited up for
his second NHL regular season contest on Tuesday as the Golden Knights
dropped a 4-0 decision to the Jets in Winnipeg. Hayes played 272 WHL
regular season games for the Raiders from 2015 to 2020 recording 15 goals,
64 assists and a plus-97 rating in the plus-minus department.
On Tuesday, Hockey Canada announced it was
moving this year’s Esso Cup female under-18 AAA championship tournament
and the Telus Cup under-18 AAA championship tournament. Hockey Canada said
both tournaments will be held May 16 to 22 in a centralized location in
Alberta. Host centres were not named for either event and no reasons were
given for the move. The Prince Albert Northern Bears were supposed to host
the Esso Cup from April 17-23. The Sydney Mitsubishi Rush were supposed to
host the Telus Cup in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, from April 18 to 24. The
Bears and Rush are slated to play in the host team spots, when the Esso
and Telus Cups are played in their new Alberta host centre or centres.
Moose Jaw Warriors centre and Saskatoon
area product Brayden Yager, who is playing his 16-year-old sophomore
season in the WHL, has 54 points on 32 goals and 22 assists in 56 games
this season. He broke the Warriors record for most goals by someone in
their 16-year-old season of eligibility. The old record of 29 goals was
held by Theo Fleury set back in the 1984-85 campaign. Fleury went on to
become one of the NHL’s most famous star players most notably with the
Calgary Flames.
A total of five WHL teams were listed in
the latest CHL Top 10 rankings that were released on Tuesday. The Edmonton
Oil Kings were ranked first, the Winnipeg Ice were rated second, the
Kamloops Blazers were listed fifth, the Everett Silvertips were ranked
sixth and the Portland Winterhawks took the seventh spot.
Left-winger Arshdeep Bains and centre Ben
King of the Red Deer Rebels have become the front runners to win the WHL
scoring title. Bains, who is in his overage season, leads the WHL scoring
with 94 points coming off of 34 goals and 60 assists appearing in all the
Rebels 60 games. King, who is in his 19-year-old season, sits second in
the scoring race with 93 points coming off 47 goals and 46 assists
appearing in all of the Rebels 60 games. Saskatoon Blades veteran star
left-winger Kyle Crnkovic, who had led the WHL in scoring at times this
season, sits third in the WHL scoring race with 87 points coming on 35
goals and 52 assists.
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The
University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Hockey team is leaving a mark on a
season that is like no other.
A year ago
at this time, players were focusing on university assignments and exams. They
never even got to play a game in the 2020-21 campaign as it was cancelled due to
the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that still grips the world.
On top of
that, they were kicked out of their home rink as Merlis Belsher Place was serving
as a potential field hospital in waiting and was being used to administer
COVID-19 vaccine shots.
Now fast
forward to this past Saturday. The Huskies were playing in Winnipeg, Man., and
they blanked the host University of Manitoba Bisons 3-0 in Game 2 of a Canada
West quarter-final playoff series.
That win
allowed the Huskies to sweep the best-of-three set 2-0 to advance in the U
Sports playoffs. They overcame an opponent they weren’t able to beat in the
four head-to-head encounters in the regular season.
The Bisons
finished fourth in the Canada West regular season standings with a 13-7 mark
just ahead of the Huskies who were 11-7-2.
Thanks to
those playoff wins over the Bisons, the Huskies were back in Merlis Belsher
Place this week conducting practices preparing for their best-of-three Canada
West semifinal series against the Mount Royal University Cougars in Calgary,
Alta.
The Cougars
topped the Canada West regular season standings with a 16-2-2 mark.
Bailee Bourassa led the Huskies in scoring this season.
Game 1 of
the series is set for Friday (8 p.m. Saskatchewan time, HuskieFAN.ca), and Game
2 follows on Saturday (7 p.m., Saskatchewan time, HuskieFAN.ca). If necessary, Game
3 will be held on Sunday (7 p.m. Saskatchewan time, HuskieFAN.ca). All of those
contests will be played at the Flames Community Arena.
Going into
the 2021-22 campaign, the Huskies likely didn’t know what to expect. In late
August of 2021, they moved back into Merlis Belsher Place, so they had at least
the security of knowing they were going to be in their home rink.
Still, they
never knew if the rug was going to be pulled out from under them on the
COVID-19 front and the season would grind to a halt. With that noted, there was
a sense of purpose from the Huskies and the rest of the teams in the conference
to push through with the campaign to keep the Canada West Conference relevant.
That was
true for the teams in men’s hockey along with that teams that play in all the various
other sports under the conference’s umbrella.
With that
noted, you have to suspect long time Huskies head coach Steve Kook had some
sleepless nights navigating the program through the unique ups and downs of the
COVID-19 pandemic since the middle of March of 2020. Kook would collect his 200th
career win in the 2021-22 campaign.
Going into
the season, the Huskies would also be searching for a new identity on the ice
since last playing a game in February of 2020, when they were eliminated from the
U Sports playoff picture. Following the 2019-20 campaign, the Huskies lost
eight players due to graduation.
Camryn Drever earned her first two U Sports playoff wins.
After
losing a whole season, the Huskies had players contemplating life decisions,
which including moving on from playing the sport of hockey. Out of the four
players from the 2019-20 campaign who were playing their fourth years of
eligibility on the team, only forward Bailee Bourassa came back to play her
fifth and final season of U Sports eligibility.
She elected
to pursue her master’s degree in nursing, while taking on the role of captain
for the Huskies.
Forward Abby
Shirley is the only player on the Huskies roster skating in her fourth year of
eligibility.
The
presence of Bourassa and Shirley helped give a steady hand to a younger
generation of players looking to make their mark with the program.
Bourassa
led the team in scoring with seven goals and four assists appearing in all of
the Huskies 20 regular season games. Shirley skated in 18 regular season games
collecting five goals and four assists.
Last
Friday, Shirley arguably had her greatest on ice moment with the Huskies
netting her first career U Sports hat trick in a 4-2 victory over the Bisons in
Game 1 of their Canada West quarter-final series in Winnipeg.
The younger
generation stepped up too as third-year forward Kennedy Brown had the Huskies
lone other tally that proved to be the game winner breaking a 2-2 tie with four
minutes remaining in the third period.
In the
Huskies 3-0 series clinching victory in Game 2 against the Bisons this past Saturday,
the U of S side received singles from third-year forward Sophie Lalor, rookie
defender Brooklyn Stevely and Brown.
Abby Shirley picked up her first career U Sports hat trick.
During
those two playoff wins, rookie defenders Larissa Bohlken, Kendra Zuchotzki and
Emily Holmes have each picked up a pair of assists.
The Huskies
also have an ace card to play in third-year netminder Camryn Drever. While she
didn’t have any U Sports playoff starts going into the 2021-22 season, the
Edmonton, Alta., product is an experienced post-season performer.
Before
joining the U Sports ranks, Drever was the star goaltender for the St. Albert
Slash, and she backstopped them to two straight Esso Cup titles as national
under-18 AAA hockey champions in 2017 and 2018. She earned a reputation as a
clutch player in those runs.
The Huskies
series sweep over the Bisons marked Drever’s first two post-season wins at the
U Sports level. She made 18 saves in the Huskies Game 1 victory and 21 stops
for the shutout in the Huskies Game 2 win.
During the
regular season, Drever appeared in 16 games posting an 8-7-1 record, a 1.49
goals against average, a .939 save percentage and two shutouts.
The 2021-22
campaign has been kind of a mulligan type of season, because no one could truly
know what to expect when a whole league comes back after a season off.
At the
moment, the Huskies have a legit shot to create more post-season magic. The
Cougars won both regular season encounters between the two sides, but both
games were only decided by respective 1-0 final scores.
The winner
of this series will advance to the Canada West Championship series and lock up
a berth in the U Sports final eight championship tournament, which is set for
March 24 to 27 in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
The Huskies want to have more victory celebrations.
The Huskies
might ultimately bring home a couple of championship trophies.
Even if the
championship trophies don’t come, the program accomplishments this season
already have to be viewed as a major victory.
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Cable plays 172nd consecutive
game, scores for U of S
Levi Cable (#10) celebrates his first period goal for the Huskies.
Levi Cable
was pumped his teammates ensured he didn’t have to lament the one that got
away.
With his
University of Saskatchewan Huskies holding a slim 2-1 lead over the University
of Calgary Dinos in Game 1 of a best-of-three Canada West men’s hockey playoff semifinal
series, Cable had a chance to ice the contest skating in on an empty opposition
net inside the final two minutes of the third period.
Uncharacteristically,
the fifth-year right-winger fired the puck wide of the mark on that golden
chance. The missed opportunity didn’t come back to haunt the Huskies, who ensured
the 2-1 score in their favour held up before 1,480 spectators at Merlis Belsher
Place.
Levi Cable played in his 172nd consecutive game on Friday.
“It made it
a little more stressful than it needed to be,” said Cable about the missed
chance. “The rest of the guys all came together and made sure it wasn’t one that
I was feeling for a long time.”
With the
win, the Huskies lead the series 1-0. They will attempt to close things out in
Game 2 on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merlis.
Friday’s
game marked the 172nd straight contest Cable has played for the
Huskies including action in the U Sports regular season and post-season.
The
25-year-old Hudson Bay, Sask., product has never missed a game playing with the
Huskies suiting up for 140 regular season game, 20 contests in the Canada West
playoffs and 12 games in the U Sports national men’s hockey championship
tournament – the David Johnston University Cup.
Levi Cable has never missed a game in his U Sports career.
He netted
the game’s first goal on Friday.
“I’ve just
been lucky to play that many games in a row,” said Cable. “The trainers are
keeping me together.
“It was
nice to come out here and score the first one. It is always good to get that
one out of the way. The boys played well.
“I’m just
glad we came out with a win.”
With seven
minutes remaining in the first period, Cable took a short pass from fifth-year
centre Kohl Bauml and wired home a shot from the front of the Dinos goal to put
the host side up 1-0. Cable and Bauml have played together on the same line on
a consistent basis since joining the Huskies before the start of the 2015-16
campaign.
“We know
were each other is lots of times without even having to look,” said Cable. “It
just makes it easy.
“We know
where the other guy will be at all times.”
Ryan Graham scored for the Dinos on Friday.
Just 2:48
later, the Dinos evened the score at 1-1, when third-year left-winger Ryan
Graham fired home a shot from the front of the Huskies goal shortly after an
offensive zone faceoff.
With 41.5
seconds remaining in the first, Huskies third-year left-winger Collin Shirley
potted a tally in close at the right side of the Dinos goal to put the Huskies
up 2-1.
The contest
became a gritty slugfest from that point in time over the final two frames
resulting in a lot of hits from physical play and very few scoring chances.
Overall in the contest, the Huskies held a 19-12 edge in shots on goal.
In the
final seconds of the third, sophomore defenceman James Shearer had the final
chance to score for the Dinos to force overtime, but his shot from the right
slot was turned away by Huskies star netminder Taran Kozun.
Collin Shirley (#11) celebrates putting the Huskies up 2-1.
“I knew
that it was going to be an absolute grease match,” said Huskies head coach Dave
Adolph. “We’ve been talking about it for two weeks.
“They are a
big strong team that likes to be physical and wear you down. We knew that we
had to try and answer that bell. I thought the first 10 minutes of the third
period we got outplayed pretty bad, and then somehow we found a way to grease ourselves
back in it.”
A big key
to the Huskies victory on Friday was keeping the Dinos top forward unit of
centre Matt Alfaro, right-winger Kaden Elder and left-winger Coda Gordon in
check.That trio combined for no points
and only one shot on goal.
The Huskies
would often counter that unit with the fourth-year defensive pairing of captain
Tanner Lishchynsky and Colby Harmsworth.
“Obviously,
you have to match strength on strength when you are playing a good team like
Calgary,” said Adolph. “That Alfaro line is as dangerous as any that I have
seen in probably 10 years in U Sports.
A scrum develops after Collin Shirley scored for the Huskies.
“You have
to throw some guys out there and trust that they can get the job done. (We got)
the first check mark tonight.”
With his
goal on Friday, Cable has collected 13 goals, three assists and a plus-seven
rating in his 20 games in the Canada West playoffs. In his 12 games at the
University Cup, Cable has six goals and five assists.
In his 140
career regular season games, Cable posted 51 goals, 64 assists and a plus-50
rating in the plus-minus department.
Before
joining the Huskies, Cable played in 267 career WHL regular season games with
the Kootenay Ice from 2010 to 2015 posting 55 goals, 62 assists and a plus-13
rating.
Taran Kozun (#31) made 11 saves to back the Huskies to victory.
When the
dust settled on Friday, Cable was pleased his team came out victorious in his
172nd consecutive game for the Huskies as they battled against a
quality opponent.
“It was
tough,” said Cable. “They are a really good team.
“They are
good defensively, and they have a couple of lines who can score. They made it
tough on us, and it was a close game right till the end. The greasy ones are
sometimes fun, and they are fun to win.
“I’m just
glad we won.”
Kozun
stopped 11 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies, who are rated second
in the U Sports Top 10 rankings. Matthew Greenfield turned away 17 shots to
take the setback in goal for the Dinos, who are rated eighth in the U Sports
Top 10 rankings.
The Huskies celebrate their win on Friday night.
The Huskies
finished second in the Canada West regular season standings with a 22-4-2
record, while the Dinos were third in Canada West with an 18-7-3 mark.
As is the
nature of a best-of-three Canada West playoff series, the Dinos will have last
line change for Game 2, and Adolph expects Dinos head coach Mark Howell will
shorten his bench a little.
“You have
to be real careful,” said Adolph. “I can’t tell you exactly what we are going to
do.
“We did it
I think to execution tonight that if we didn’t quite get the match or a late
change that there were two guys out there that were ready to go. We will be
fine.
“It will be
another one-goal game tomorrow night.”
If a series-deciding
Game 3 is necessary, it will be held on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Merlis.
Huskies’ Bohlken and Bourassa named Canada
West all-stars
Leah Bohlken was named a first team Canada West all-star.
A pair of veterans
from the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team were recognized among
the best in the Canada West Conference.
On Wednesday,
fifth-year defender Leah Bohlken was named a first team Canada West all-star,
and fourth-year right-winger Bailee Bourassa was honoured as a Canada West
second team all-star.
Bohlken was
named a first team conference all-star for the second year in a row. This past
season in her final campaign of U Sports eligibility, Bohlken played in all of
the Huskies 28 regular season games posting five goals, six assists and a
plus-eight rating in the plus-minus department.
The
22-year-old product of Moose Jaw, Sask., was a member of Canada’s women’s
hockey team that won a silver medal last year at the FISU Winter Universiade in
Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
Bailee Bourassa was named a second team Canada West all-star.
Bourassa
cracked the Canada West all-star team for the first time in her career. The
21-year-old Weyburn, Sask., product played in all of the Huskies 28 regular
season games posting 12 goals, seven assists and a plus-five rating.
Bourassa’s
12 goals and 19 points were both career highs.
With the
contributions of Bohlken and Bourassa, the Huskies finished third in the Canada
West Conference with a 17-7-2-2 record.
They were
swept in a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series 2-0 by the University
of British Columbia Thunderbirds, who claimed an overtime win and a double
overtime victory to get the sweep.
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U of S still alive in race for first in
Canada West
Huskie C Logan McVeigh, right, collides with a Cougars player.
The end is
coming fast at Logan McVeigh.
The
fifth-year centre with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey
seems to keep experiencing finalities every time he steps on the ice. On
Friday, the Kenaston, Sask., product played his final U Sports regular season
home game, and he ensured it had a memorable moment.
At the 4:53
mark of the second period in a clash against the University of Regina Cougars,
McVeigh blasted home his seven goal of the campaign from the front of the
visitor’s net. That goal was the final tally in a 4-0 Huskies victory before a
season high 1,889 spectators at Merlis Belsher Place.
“It was
weird,” said McVeigh. “It is weird to be in my fifth year to begin with.
“Now, I
scored my last goal at Merlis in a regulation game. It was different, but it
was exciting. I managed to sneak one in, and we managed to get the win which
makes it even sweeter.”
Logan McVeigh (#14) enters the ice for the start of Friday’s game.
The win
allowed the Huskies to run their current winning streak to 10 games. They
improved to 21-4-2 to remain in the hunt for first place in the Canada West
Conference.
They
weren’t able to get ahead of the U of Alberta Golden Bears, who thumped the U
of Manitoba Bisons 8-0 on Friday in Edmonton, Alta. The Golden Bears improved
to 22-5 with the win.
Both the
Huskies and Golden Bears have 44 points in the standings to hold the first and
second spots in Canada West. The Golden Bears hold the standings tiebreaker
having won three out of the four head-to-head games with the Huskies.
Both squads
have locked up byes past the first round of the Canada West playoffs and will
host best-of-three semifinal series.
Logan McVeigh scored the Huskies fourth goal on Friday.
The Cougars
fell to 8-16-2-1 with the setback. After the University of British Columbia
Thunderbirds downed the Mount Royal University Cougars 3-2 in Vancouver, B.C.,
on Friday, the U of R Cougars were officially eliminated from Canada West playoff
contention.
The U of R
Cougars and Huskies will close their respective regular season schedules
against each other on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.
The Golden
Bears host the Bisons again on Saturday in Edmonton in the final regular season
contest for both of those squads.
McVeigh
said the cards will fall where they will fall as far as the first place race
goes.
“It would
be nice to be in first place,” said McVeigh, who stands 6-feet and weighs 190
pounds. “It doesn’t looking like it is going to happen here with Alberta
playing Manitoba.
The Huskies celebrate Logan McVeigh’s second period goal.
“Maybe
Manitoba can squeak a win out tomorrow. If second place does come, it is OK.”
Against the
U of R on Friday, the Huskies jumped ahead 1-0 at the 6:09 mark of the first
period on a goal from sophomore defenceman Gordie Ballhorn.
The lead
expanded to 2-0 at the 13:50 mark of the opening frame, when left-winger Andrew
Johnson put a backhand shot past Cougars netminder Brandon Holtby.
Before the
opening frame ended, rookie right-winger Jeff Faith netted his fourth of the
season to put the Huskies up 3-0.
If there were
thoughts of a Cougars comeback, the Huskies landed a knockout blow with McVeigh’s
second period tally.
Gordie Ballhorn scored for the Huskies on Friday.
McVeigh thought
it was great his Huskies had offensive contributions from multiple sources.
Rookie centre Jared Dmytriw was the only U of S player to have a multiple point
night with two assists.
“It is nice
playing a team like that where everyone can contribute offensively,” said
McVeigh. “We have a well rounded team.
“I think it
showed tonight. Hopefully, we can carry that on and get the goals and assists
and everything going into playoffs as well.”
During the
season, the Huskies had to play through a number of injuries resulting in everyone
on their roster seeing ice time. McVeigh said that experience that was gained
through the campaign is showing off now.
Taran Kozun made 20 saves for his fifth shutout of the season.
“Everyone
had to get their ice time in,” said McVeigh, who has seven goals, eight assists
and a plus-seven rating in the plus-minus department appearing in all of the
Huskies 27 regular season games. “Now that everyone is starting to get healthy,
it shows on the ice.
“Everyone
is contributing, and everyone is there to step up. If the next guy goes down,
there are always players coming in.”
Taran Kozun
stopped 20 shots to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Huskies, and he hit
a trio of milestones as well. The Nipawin, Sask., product has five shutouts on
the campaign, which equals the single Canada West regular season record, which
he set in the 2018-19 campaign.
Kozun
shares that record with former Golden Bears netminder Zach Sawchenko, who also
had five shutouts in the 2018-19 campaign.
The Huskies celebrate a 10th straight win on Friday.
Friday’s
shutout win was the 11th of Kozun’s U Sports regular season career
which is a new Huskies team record. The old record of 10 was shared by Jeff
Harvey, who played for the Huskies from 2005 to 2009, and Jordon Cooke, who played
for the Huskies from 2014 to 2017.
Kozun’s 11
career regular season shutouts are tied for the second most in the history of
the Canada West Conference. Dustin Schwartz had 11 career regular season
shutouts playing for the Golden Bears from 2001 to 2005.
Kozun
picked up his 40th career regular season victory as well on Friday,
and he is the seventh netminder in the history of the Huskies to accomplish
that feat.
Brandon
Holtby turned away 35 shots to take the setback in goal for the Cougars.
Looking
forward, McVeigh is happy he will get to enjoy a weekend off before the Huskies
start their run in the post-season. The 25-year-old hopes his last playoff run
will be a long one.
“It was
nice to get that second place locked up, so we know we have this weekend off
here,” said McVeigh. “We have nice break here, get some practises in and get
ready for playoffs.
“It is the
best time of the year. Hopefully, we can carry on this winning streak and keep
going.”
Bourassa’s double OT winner lifts Huskies over
Cougars
Bailee Bourassa scored the double OT winner for the Huskies.
Bailee
Bourassa broke the hearts of the U of Regina Cougars women’s hockey team and
their followers on Friday night.
Playing in
front of 877 spectators at the Co-operators Centre in Regina, Bourassa scored
in double overtime time to give her U of Saskatchewan Huskies a 2-1 victory over
the U of Regina Cougars in a U Sports regular season contest. Linemate Abby
Shirley and offensive defender Leah Bohlken picked up assists on the winning
goal.
The Cougars
had a large number of their alums in attendance as they honoured their
fifth-year players in Jaycee Magwood, Tamara McVannel and netminder Jane Kish.
The host
side led 1-0 after second-year forward Jenna Merk scored at the 15:22 mark of
the second period.
Shirley
potted the equalizer for the Huskies at the 9:55 mark of the third with Shyan
Elias and Sophie Lalor picking up assists.
That set
the stage for Bourassa to win it in overtime with her 12th goal and
18th point of the campaign, which are both career highs.
Bourassa’s
12 tallies are the most goals any player on the Huskies women’s team has scored
in one regular season since Kandace Cook posted 13 goals in the 2014-15
campaign.
Jessica
Vance stopped 16 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies, who improved
to 17-7-2-1. Jane Kish turned away 19 shots to take the setback in goal for the
Cougars, whose record moved to 13-13-1.
Abby Shirley had a goal and an assist for the Huskies.
The win
allowed the Huskies, who are third in the Canada West Conference, to have a
shot to vault into second place and earn a bye through the first round of the
Canada West playoffs to host a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series.
The Huskies
have 51 standings points coming off 14 regulation wins, three extra time wins
and three extra time setbacks.
In Canada
West women’s hockey, teams earn three standings points for regulation wins, two
standings points for extra time wins and one standings point for extra time
setbacks.
The U of
Calgary Dinos (17-7-1-2) sit second in Canada West with 53 standings points
with 16 regulation wins, one extra time win and three extra time setbacks.
The Huskies
hold the standings tiebreaker against the Dinos having won all four
head-to-head encounters between the two sides.
Both squads
have one game remaining on their respective regular season schedules. If the
Huskies win their final game in regulation and the Dinos lose their final
regular season contest in any fashion, the Huskies will finish second.
If the
Dinos lose their final regular season game in regulation and the Huskies win
their final game in any fashion, the Huskies would finish second in that
scenario too.
The Huskies
close their regular season schedule against the Cougars on Saturday at 7 p.m.
at Merlis Belsher Place. That game will conclude the Cougars regular season
schedule.
Jessica Vance made 16 saves in goal for the Huskies on Friday.
The Dinos
finish their regular season schedule hosting the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns
(9-15-1-2) on Saturday in Calgary. The Pronghorns, who have been eliminated from
post-season contention, will close their campaign with that Saturday clash
against the Dinos.
The Dinos
could still top the Canada West standings with a regulation win combined with a
regulation loss by the U of Alberta Pandas (19-8) in their final regular season
game.
The Pandas
top the Canada West standings with 56 points coming on 18 regulation wins and
one extra time win. The Dinos hold the standings tiebreaker against the Pandas
having one three out of the four regular season encounters between the two
sides.
The Pandas
close their regular season schedule on Saturday taking on the U of Manitoba
Bisons (10-16-1) in Winnipeg, Man. The Bisons have been eliminated from playoff
contention and will close their 2019-20 campaign on Saturday.
Canada West Hall of Fame calls Huskies’
great Desjardins
Willie Desjardins’ picture at Merlis Belsher Place.
Willie
Desjardins, who was arguably the greatest captain out of any U of Saskatchewan
Huskies teams, was officially named to the inaugural class for the Canada West
Hall of Fame on Friday.
Desjardins
had an outstanding career with the Huskies men’s hockey team playing five seasons
for the squad from 1978 to 1983. During that time, he appeared in 121 regular
season games piling up 68 goals and 121 assist for 189 points. Desjardins
career offensive totals were all Huskies team records at the time of his graduation.
Over
Desjardins final three seasons, the Huskies won three straight Canada West
titles from 1981 to 1983.
During his
final season in 1982-83, Desjardins was the Huskies captain when they won the
David Johnston University Cup as U Sports national champions. The Huskies
downed the Concordia University Stingers 6-2 in the U Sports championship
tournament title game, which was held in Moncton, N.B.
In three
tournament games, Desjardins posted four goals and seven assists for 11 points. The star forward’s 11 points is still a record for one tournament. He was named the MVP of the
1983 U Sports championship tournament.
Desjardins
was a Canada West all-star on four occasions during his career with the
Huskies, and he was the Canada West MVP during the 1982-83 campaign. He was a U
Sports all-Canadian all-star in the 1980-81 campaign.
On top of
the conference honours, Desjardins was twice awarded the E. Kent Phillips
Trophy as the overall male athlete of the year for U of S. In 1983, Desjardins
claimed the Rusty McDonald Cup as the U of S all-around male athlete for being outstanding
in the characteristics of leadership, sportsmanship, athletics and academics.
Following
his playing days with the Huskies, Desjardins embarked on an outstanding
coaching career that include time in U Sports, the WHL, the NHL, the AHL and
Canada’s national team program.
He is
currently the head coach and general manager of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers.
As a head
coach, Desjardins led the U of Calgary Dinos to a Canada West title in 1990.
Desjardins
guided the Tigers to WHL titles in 2004 and 2007. He won an AHL championship as
head coach of the Texas Stars in 2014.
Members of the Huskies 1980 to 83 teams at Merlis Belsher Place on Friday.
In 2018,
Desjardins was at the helm when Canada’s national men’s hockey team won a
bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.
As an assistant
coach, Desjardins helped Canada’s world junior team win a gold medal in 2009.
Last
October, the Huskies squads that won three straight Canada West titles from
1981 to 1983 were named to the inaugural class of the Canada West Hall of Fame.
Members from those Huskies teams were honoured before the Huskies 4-0 victory
over the U of Regina Cougars in a U Sports regular season game on Friday at
Merlis Belsher Place.
Huskies’ George named to Canada West Hall of
Fame
Breanne George pictures in the Huskies hockey history book.
The high-scoring
Breanne George had a decorated career with the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s
hockey team, and she picked up a huge honour in her post-playing days.
On Tuesday,
George was inducted as part of the inaugural class to the Canada West Hall of
Fame.
George
played for the Huskies from 2007 to 2012 and is still the squad’s most prolific
scorer. The star forward holds the Huskies career records for most regular season goals (86)
and points (149).
Her 63
career regular season assists ranks third in Huskies team history.
George
holds the Huskies record for most goals in one regular season at 28 and points
at 46. Those marks were achieved in the 2009-10 campaign.
She topped
the Canada West Conference in goals and points in the 2009-10 season and was
named the Canada West MVP.
The Saskatoon product was a first team Canada
West all-star in 2010 and 2011 and a second team Canada West all-star in 2012.
She was a first team U Sports all-Canadian in 2010 and 2011.
In 2011,
George played for Canada’s women’s team at the FISU Winter Universiade in
Erzurum, Turkey. She had seven goals and 12 points in seven games helping
Canada win gold.
George is
currently a physiotherapist in Sherwood Park, Alta. For a flashback to the past, check out this interview George did for the Huskies YouTube channel back in October of 2010 at the ancient Rutherford Rink.
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