Huskies’ Bauml to soak in final home hurrah

Dogs aim to take Canada West final against Thunderbirds

Kohl Bauml will play his final home games for the Huskies this weekend.

    For Kohl Bauml, this weekend’s Canada West Championship series is one of those life comes at you fast moments.
    The fifth-year centre will be skating in the final home games he could possibly play in his U Sports career, when his University of Saskatchewan Huskies face the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in a best-of-three series that will determine the champion for the Canada West Conference in men’s hockey.

    Game 1 of the series is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place. Game 2 of the series follows on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merlis, and if necessary, Game 3 will be held on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Merlis.

    “It has come quick,” said Bauml. “I don’t think many people expected us to be able to be at home this weekend.

    “We are going to try and take advantage of it. We’ve been really good at home this year. UBC is coming in hot.

Kohl Bauml will play in his fifth straight Canada West final for the Huskies.

    “They’ve been playing really good hockey. Their goaltender has been lights out, so we have to try and change that.”

    The 25-year-old will be making his final home hurrah along with fellow fifth years in right-winger Levi Cable, left-winger Andrew Johnson and centre Logan McVeigh. Cable is the Huskies ironman having played in 173 consecutive games for the team including action in the U Sports regular season and post-season.

    The Huskies are appearing in the Canada West final for a fifth straight year, and this year’s Canada West title series offers a much different storyline to the previous four the U of S fifth-years have skated in.

    Over the previous four campaigns, the Huskies have battled their “forever rivals” in the University of Alberta Golden Bears in a clash of the top two teams in the conference.

    This year, the Huskies enter the Canada West final as a decided favourite against a decided underdog in the Thunderbirds, who are enjoying a Cinderella run.

Kohl Bauml and the Huskies will be favoured in the Canada West final.

    Both teams are guaranteed berths to the David Johnston University Cup, which is the U Sports men’s hockey national championship tournament. The U Sports national championship tournament is played in an elite-eight format. It runs from March 12 to 15 in Halifax, N.S.

    The Huskies, who will go to U Sports nationals for a fifth straight year, finished second in the Canada West Conference with a 22-4-2 record and swept the University of Calgary Dinos 2-0 in a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series. The Dogs have won 13 straight games including action in the regular season and post-season and are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings.

    The Thunderbirds finished fifth in Canada West with a 9-14-4-1 record. They upset the Mount Royal University Cougars, who were fourth in Canada West with an 18-8-0-2 record, in a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series 2-1.

Kohl Bauml has 108 career regular season points with U of S.

    The Thunderbirds then shocked the Golden Bears, who were first in Canada West with a 23-5 mark, in a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series 2-1. The upsets have allowed the Thunderbirds to sneak into the U Sports Top 10 rankings in the ninth position.

    UBC is making its first appearance in the Canada West title series for men’s hockey since 1978 and will make its first appearance at U Sports nationals since 1977.

    Thunderbirds netminder and Saskatoon product Rylan Toth has been the difference for the UBC side. He has started all six of UBC’s games in the post-season posting a 4-2 record, a 2.83 goals against average and a .923 save percentage.

    During the regular season, Toth appeared in 23 games for the Thunderbirds posting an 8-10-4 record, a 2.78 goals against average and a .902 save percentage.

    Bauml said a number of Huskies got to know Toth a bit after getting to play some three-on-three hockey with him about three years back. The speedy forward said the UBC netminder is a genuine good guy.

    “I am happy for him to have his success against U of A,” said Bauml, who stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 170 pounds. “Hopefully that doesn’t continue against us, but it was nice to see him put in such a good weekend for himself personally and have his team be rewarded for it.”

Kohl Bauml will play in a fifth straight Canada West final for the Huskies.

    Rookie centre Jared Dmytriw topped the Huskies in scoring collecting 10 goals and 18 assists appearing in all of his team’s 28 regular season games.

    Sophomore Gordie Ballhorn topped all Huskies defenceman in regular season scoring with four goals and 15 assists appearing in 24 regular season games.

    Star third-year netminder Taran Kozun played in 22 regular season games posting a 17-3-2 record, a 1.87 goals against average, a .931 save percentage and five shutouts. He also scored a goal.

    Third-year forward Tyler Sandhu topped the Thunderbirds in scoring piling up 12 goals and 11 assists appearing in all 28 of his squad’s regular season games.

    Fourth-year veteran Jerret Smith led all Thunderbirds blue-liners in scoring with three goals and 12 assists appearing in 27 regular season games.

AndrewJohnson will be playing his final home weekend with the Huskies.

    While Bauml is facing his last chance to the Huskies win Canada West and U Sports titles, he said his squad talked about how these opportunities don’t come along all that often during a team chapel session on Tuesday.

    During Bauml’s career, the Huskies captured the Canada West title just once back in his rookie season in 2015-16, and appeared in the U Sports championship game once falling 5-3 to the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds in 2017.

    Bauml said message was to not take these opportunities for granted, and it is directed to the whole squad.

    “That was one of the things we talked about was not letting an opportunity slip away,” said Bauml. “We’ve been close four out of my four years so far.

    “This is kind of the last chance for me, A.J. (Andrew Johnson), Logy (Logan McVeigh) and Cabes (Levi Cable). We were kind of just saying like, ‘Hey, let’s not let this one slip away.’ We don’t know how many chances that we are going to get this close every again.

Levi Cable will experience his final home hurrah with the Huskies.

    “It is not guaranteed that we get to the nationals every year, so we have to try and take advantage of one of these years.”

    Huskies head coach Dave Adolph said it is special that his fifth-year players will be able to play the Canada West Championship series at home. The Huskies are closing out the home schedule in their second season playing out of Merlis Belsher Place after moving out of their long time old home in the ancient Rutherford Rink.

    Adolph caught a media story about the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team hosting a winner take all Canada West title game on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Physical Activity Complex against the U of Alberta Pandas. The veteran hockey bench boss saw how significant that opportunity was for the Huskies women’s basketball fifth-year team members in Sabine Dukate, Megan Ahlstrom and Vera Crooks.
    “It (the media story) was talking about what an honour it was for their fifth-year girls to actually have an opportunity to play at home,” said Adolph. “I think our guys feel the same way.

Logan McVeigh will skate in his final home games with the Huskies.

    “This hasn’t been our home for very long, but I think Kohl (Bauml) and Levi (Cable) and Logan (McVeigh) and certainly Andrew Johnson remembers the last banner that they won at Rutherford, and it was special.”

    While Bauml wants to do everything he can for his team to capitalize on the chance they have this weekend, he said it is bittersweet knowing that his playing days with the Huskies are coming to a close. The graduate of the WHL’s Everett Silvertips said he keeps in contact with his former Huskies teammates from previous seasons, and everyone from this year’s squad has become buds.

    “I’ve had the five best years of my life at the university here with these guys,” said Bauml, who posted 38 goals and 70 assists in 133 career regular season games with the Huskies. “It is cliché and everything, but the friends that you make here they last you a lifetime.

    “You look at the alumni group that we have and they are all buddies from back in the 80s and 90s and early 2000s. It is stuff like that you see what you have to look forward to in the future but also being able to remember the stuff that you did in the past that is going to be most special to me.”

Kozun takes two huge Canada West awards

Taran Kozun was the Canada West player of the year.

    It was Taran Kozun’s day on Wednesday when it came to winning Canada West Conference awards.

    The third-year star netminder with the U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team was named the Canada West player of the year and goaltender of the year. 
    Kozun had an outstanding campaign for the Huskies appearing in 22 regular season games posting a 17-3-2 record, a 1.87 goals against average, a .931 save percentage and five shutouts. He also scored a goal.

    The Nipawin, Sask., product topped the Canada West Conference in wins and save percentage, while posting the lowest goals against average. His five shutouts equalled a record for regular season play in Canada West which he set last season along with U of Alberta Golden Bears goalie Zach Sawchenko.

    Thanks to Kozun’s efforts, the Huskies finished second in the Canada West Conference with a 22-4-2 record.

    The graduate of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers and Seattle Thunderbirds became the first player to capture the Canada West player of the year and goaltender of the year honours in the same campaign since former Huskies star Jordon Cooke pulled that same distinction off in the 2015-16 campaign.

Jared Dmytriw was the Canada West rookie of the year.

    Last season, Kozun was named both the Canada West goaltender of the year and the U Sports goaltender of the year.

    “I said to somebody the other day he has been the best goalie in probably Canada since he has been 18,” said Huskies head coach Dave Adolph. “He was phenomenal in Seattle.

    “He was the goaltender of the year in the Western Hockey League (in 2015). He was probably one of the most highly touted 20-year-olds coming out of the Western Hockey League and decided to go pro. Somehow, he fell in our lap, so we are pretty fortunate to have him.”

    Kozun wasn’t the only major Canada West award winner from the Huskies men’s hockey team.

    Centre Jared Dmytriw was named the Canada West rookie of the year after an outstanding first-year campaign.

    He led the Huskies in scoring with 10 goals and 18 assists appearing in all of the Huskies 28 regular season games. He was a plus-20 in the plus-minus department.

    The former captain of the WHL’s Vancouver Giants has played a key role in helping the Huskies advance to the Canada West Championship series.

Levi Cable captured the Canada West sportsmanship and ability award.

    Huskies ironman Levi Cable captured the Canada West sportsmanship and ability award. The fifth-year right-winger appeared in all the Huskies 28 regular season games posting 10 goals, 14 assists, a plus-13 rating and didn’t record a single minute in the penalty box.

    The Hudson Bay, Sask., product has appeared in 173 consecutive games for the Huskies including the U Sports regular season and post-season. Cable has appeared in every game he could possibility suit up for with the Huskies.

    He is the third player in the history of the Huskies to play in 140 career regular season games, and he collected 51 goals, 64 assists and a plus-50 rating in those outings.

    U of Manitoba Bisons fifth-year defenceman Adam Henry took home honours as Canada West’s top defenceman and the student-athlete community service award.

    U of Regina Cougars bench boss Todd Johnson was named the Canada West coach of the year.

Haubrich captures student-athlete community service award

Brooklyn Haubrich took home student-athlete community service award.

    Graduating fifth-year captain Brooklyn Haubrich took home a big award for her impact and leadership off the ice.

    On Wednesday, the feisty forward for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team was named the winner of the Canada West Conference student-athlete community service award.

    The 23-year-old product of Hodgeville, Sask., coaches a team of youth funded by the Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon allowing families to enjoy the game who otherwise wouldn’t be able to.

    She is a mentor in the Big Sister/Little Sister program, makes monthly visits to various elementary schools as a Huskie Homeroom Mentor and has worked to provide on-ice opportunities to female hockey players in rural communities throughout Saskatchewan.

    The agricultural and bioresources student has been a U Sports academic all-Canadian in her first four seasons with the Huskies.
    Haubrich has been the Huskies captain for the past two campaigns.

Brooklyn Haubrich was the Huskies captain the past two seasons.

    This season, she appeared in 27 regular season games with the Huskies collecting eight assists and a plus-five rating in the plus-minus department.

    During her five seasons with the Huskies, Haubrich appeared in 129 regular season games posting eight goals, 28 assists and a plus-12 rating.

    She helped the Huskies finish third in the Canada West Conference with a 17-7-2-2 record. The Huskies were swept 2-0 in a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final against the UBC Thunderbirds dropping an overtime decision and a double overtime heartbreaker.

    Haubrich is a graduate of the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats female midget AAA team. The area she comes from has a huge community conscious, so it is fitting Haubrich would capture the Canada West student-athlete community service award.

    U of Calgary Dinos netminder Kelsey Roberts was named the Canada West player-of-the-year. Forward Madison Willan of the U of Alberta Pandas captured honours at the Canada West rookie of the year.

    Dinos head coach Danielle Goyette was named the Canada West coach of the year.

When UBC last made the Can West men’s hockey final in 1978

Tyler Sandhu's T-birds last appeared in the Canada West final in 1978.

    The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds last appeared in the Canada West Championship series for men’s hockey way back in 1978, and it is pretty obvious a lot has changed since then.

    When the Thunderbirds last appeared in the Canada West final, Cam Cole was the statistician for Canada West that put together the year in review report for the 1977-78 campaign. Cole is best remembered for going on to be a sports scribe at the Edmonton Journal, National Post and Vancouver Sun.

    With the Edmonton Journal, Cole covered the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers dynasty era from 1983 to 1990, where the team won the Stanley Cup five times.

    The Canada West Conference for men’s hockey include just four teams in the 1977-78 campaign including the Thunderbirds, U of Alberta Golden Bears, U of Calgary then known as the Dinosaurs and the U of Saskatchewan Huskies. The four squads played a 24-game regular season against each other.

    The Thunderbirds, who were 14-10 in the regular season, fell 2-1 in the best-of-three Canada West Championship series to the Golden Bears, who were 20-4 in the regular season.

    The Golden Bears took Game 1 of the series 4-2, but the Thunderbirds rebounded with a 2-1 victory in Game 2. U of A romped to a 9-1 anti-climatic win in a series-deciding Game 3.

    The Golden Bears advanced on to win the U Sports national title. Their roster contained a defenceman named Randy Gregg, who became a key member of the Oilers Stanley Cup dynasty.
    The Thunderbirds finally made it back to the best-of-three Canada West Championship series this season, and they will open that series with Game 1 on Friday at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place against the U of Saskatchewan Huskies.

Ennis six-goal night anniversary with WHL’s Tigers

A Tyler Ennis Medicine Hat Tigers card.

    Today marks the 11^th anniversary in one of the most incredible individual performances in the history of the WHL.

    On Feb. 27, 2009, Tyler Ennis scored six goals for the Medicine Hat Tigers Tigers as they downed the Prince Albert Raiders 6-2 in front of an appreciative sellout crowd of 4,006 spectators at The Arena in Medicine Hat, Alta.

    The skilled and speedy right-winger was tallying goals of the spectacular variety. On his fifth goal of the night, Ennis turned Raiders rookie defenceman Ryan Aasman inside out in scoring that particular marker.

    Aasman is currently a head coach in the junior A ranks with the Grande Prairie Storm of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

    Ryan McDonald and Igor Revenko replied with singles for the Raiders on the night Ennis had his goal explosion.

    Ryan Holfeld made 26 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Tigers. Steven Stanford turned away 28 shots taking the setback in net for the Raiders.

    Covering the game for the Medicine Hat News that night, I gave Ennis all three of my game stars, which was the only time I had ever done that.

    Ennis pile up 43 goals, 42 assists and a plus-11 rating in 61 regular season appearances in that campaign with the Tigers, which was his final season in the WHL. He helped Canada win gold at the world junior tournament that season posting three goals and four assists in six tournament games.

    Ennis is now an NHL veteran who has played 606 career regular season games and is currently skating for his hometown Edmonton Oilers.

    His six-goal night with the Tigers is still a thing of beauty to watch, and it is even that much better with the call of Bob Ridley, the Tigers iconic play-by-play voice.

    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 drop 3-2 heartbreaker to Cougars after shootout

Second place and bye in Canada West playoffs eludes U of S

It is on to UBC for captain Brooklyn Haubrich and the Huskies.

    One rival leaves and another one is on the way.

    On Saturday before 735 spectators at Merlis Belsher Place, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team closed out the U Sports regular season falling to their provincials rivals the University of Regina Cougars 3-2 after a tiebreaking shootout.

    The Cougars took the shootout 1-0 after star captain Jaycee Magwood scored in the fourth round.

    The clash between the two sides had the intensity of a playoff tilt. As both clubs look towards their respective upcoming post-season runs, Huskies fifth-year captain Brooklyn Haubrich said it was good for her team to get the feel of a high-intensity game before the post-season comes around, even though the setback stung.

The Cougars third period equalizer gets past Huskies goalie Jessica Vance.

    “It hurts,” said Haubrich. “Obviously, we didn’t want to lose.

    “We didn’t want to end our regular season on a losing note. I think there are a lot of positives that we can take into playoffs. There are good battles out there.

    “Any time you play Regina, everyone is hyped up and ready to go. I’m hoping we can bring that energy into playoffs and put this one behind us. It is a new season next weekend, so move forward.”

    The Huskies were hoping to move into second place in the Canada West Conference at the start of Saturday’s game. They finished third with a 17-7-2-2 record.

    Had the Huskies won on Saturday, they still wouldn’t have been able to move into second place due to the fact the U of Calgary Dinos got past the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns 3-1 on Saturday in Calgary, Alta. 

The Cougars celebrate a third period equalizer from Paige Hubbard.

    The Dinos finished second with an 18-7-1-2 mark, while the Pronghorns placed last in the eight team conference and missed the post-season with a 9-16-1-2 record.

    The U of Alberta Pandas, who are rated fifth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, finished first in Canada West with a 20-8 record after blanking the U of Manitoba Bisons 4-0 in Winnipeg, Man.

    The Bisons finished seventh in Canada West with a 10-17-1 record and will miss the post-season.

    The Pandas and Dinos both have byes past the first round of the Canada West playoffs.

    The Huskies will host their archrivals the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in a best-of-three Canada West quarterfinal series, and Game 1 is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at Merlis. 

Sophie Lalor scored for the Huskies in the third period.

    The Thunderbirds finished sixth in Canada West with a 10-13-4-1 record.

    The Huskies and Thunderbirds have been frequent playoff foes and last met in the post-season in 2018, when the Huskies swept a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series 2-0 at the ancient Rutherford Rink. The end of the Huskies 2-1 series clinching victory in Game 2 included a huge scrum in front of the U of S net that nearly turned into a brawl.

    Haubrich admitted the ill will from past games with the Thunderbirds hasn’t been forgotten by her side.

    “I think we are just going to have to be mentally tough,” said Haubrich. “I think we are going to have to keep our head on our shoulders.

Morgan Willoughby scored for the Huskies in the third period.

    “We know what it is like to play them. Lots of us have been around long enough that we know what they are like. It is going to be a gong show.

    “There are going to be lots of penalties. We’re just going to have to keep our head on straight so that we can push through that adversity.”

    As for Saturday’s game against the Cougars, the star goaltenders took centre stage over the opening 20 minutes making a number of tough stops. Jessica Vance stopped 11 shots for the Huskies, while Jane Kish turned away nine shots for the Cougars.

    The Cougars jumped ahead 1-0, when left-winger Merissa Zerr netted a gritty in close power-play goal at the right side of the Huskies net at the 3:59 mark of the second. 

Jaycee Magwood recorded her 100th career U Sports regular season point.

    The host side protested that the whistle had blown on the scramble play, but the protests fell on deaf ears.

    In the third, the Huskies evened the score 1-1 at the 11:47 mark, when left-winger Sophie Lalor wired home a power-play goal with her team working on a two-person advantage. Lalor potted her goal from the right boards after receiving a great backdoor pass from Huskies star right-winger Bailee Bourassa.

    With 5:41 remaining in the third, Huskies fifth-year defender Morgan Willoughby fired home a post shot through a screen for her first goal of the campaign to put the host side up 2-1.

    Just when the Huskies appeared they would skate away with a victory, the Cougars tied the contest up at 2-2, when rookie right-winger Paige Hubbard netted her fifth goal of the season during a net scramble with 40.6 seconds remaining in the third. That tally forced the contest to go to overtime.

Jane Kish was stellar in goal for the Cougars.

    Hubbard and Zerr both picked up assists on each other’s goals in the contest. 
    Magwood, who is in her fifth and final year of eligibility, picked up assists on both U of R goals in regulation. That allowed her to surpass 100 points for her U Sports regular season career.

    In 130 career regular season games with the Cougars, Magwood has 48 goals and 53 assists for 101 points.

    The two sides weren’t able to break the deadlock after a five minute overtime period of four-on-four play and a five minute extra session of three-on-three play.
    During the extra sessions, the goalies on either side were knocked down once by opposing players.

    All that dramatics set the stage for Magwood to score the only goal in the tiebreaking shootout.

    “It felt like we were in the playoffs already,” said Haubrich. “You get that desperate feeling when you are in playoffs, and that is kind of how we felt tonight.

    “We were playing desperate hockey, and we were hungry. It is just tough it didn’t turn out for us.”

Huskies RW Abby Shirley, right, tries to escape tight checking.

    Vance stopped 26 shots in goal for the Huskies over 70 minutes of play and three out of four shooters in the shootout. Kish turned away 34 shots in goal for the Cougars and all four shooters she faced in the shootout.

    The Cougars were a perfect 4-0 this season in games that went to a tiebreaking shootout.

    With the win, the Cougars finish fifth in Canada West with a 14-13-1 record with 38 points in the standings. They will travel to Calgary, Alta., to face the Mount Royal University Cougars in a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series with Game 1 of the series slated for Friday.

The Cougars celebrate their win on Saturday.

    Mount Royal finished fourth in Canada West with a 14-14 record with 40 points in the standings.
    In Canada West women’s hockey, teams receive three points for regulation wins, two points for extra time wins and one point for extra time setbacks. Mount Royal earned 40 points on 12 regulation wins and two extra time victories.

    U of R earned 38 points on nine regulation wins, five extra time wins and one extra time setback.

Haubrich said Saturday’s loss left her side with a hollow feeling, but she expects her squad will refocus quickly.

    “Talking to lots of friends and family here, they are like, ‘You know what, it is over with, and you have a brand new season,’” said Haubrich. “It is fun and exciting.

    “In playoffs, you always feel like it is a brand new fresh start. I’m excited for us to get rolling. I think we have a lot to prove come playoffs, so I’m excited.”

Huskies thump Cougars, finish second in Canada West

Taran Kozun picked up his 41st career regular season win on Saturday.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team controlled what they could control, but first place in the Canada West Conference didn’t come their way.

    On Saturday playing before 543 spectators at the Co-operators Centre in Regina, the Huskies, who are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, won their 11th straight game romping over the host U of Regina Cougars 6-2 in a U Sports regular season clash. That win allowed the Huskies to finish the regular season with a 22-4-2 record to place second in the Canada West standings.

    In Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday, the host U of Alberta Golden Bears, who are rated fourth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, dumped the U of Manitoba Bisons 5-2. The Golden Bears improved their winning streak to four straight games finishing the regular season with a 23-5 record, while the Bisons finished sixth in Canada West with a 9-15-2-2 record.

    Both the Huskies and Golden Bears had 46 points in the standings, but the Golden Bears took first place having won three out of four head-to-head encounters with the Huskies.

Against the Cougars on Saturday, the host side took a 1-0 lead in the first period on a goal from fourth-year centre Tristan Frei.

    The Huskies jumped ahead 3-1 in the second period with goals coming off the sticks of Layne Young, Kohl Bauml and Gordie Ballhorn.

    At the 4:05 mark of the third period, right-winger Connor Odelein scored for the Cougars to cut the Huskies lead to 3-2.

Levi Cable has played 174 consecutive games for the Huskies.

    The Huskies thwarted any thoughts of a comeback by the host side closing the contest with three straight goals coming from the sticks of Logan McVeigh, Carter Folk and Andrew Johnson.

    Young, who is a sophomore left-winger, had two assists to go with his goal. McVeigh had a helper to go with his tally.

    Fifth-year right winger Levi Cable had three assists to help pace the Huskies offence. Cable played in all 140 regular season games he could possibly appear in during his U Sports career.

    Currently, Cable is the Huskies current ironman appearing in 174 consecutive games between the regular season and post-season.

    Taran Kozun stopped 11 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies. Kozun picked his 41^st career regular season victory which moved him to sixth on the Huskies career regular season wins list.

    The Nipawin, Sask., product passed Ross McKay, who won 40 regular season games for the Huskies from 1984 to 1987.

    Dawson MacAuley turned away 30 shots to take the setback in goal for the Cougars. The Cougars finished seventh in the Canada West standings missing the playoffs with an 8-17-2-1 record.

    The Huskies and Golden Bears have byes past the first round of the Canada West playoffs.

    Both teams are slated to host best-of-three Canada West semifinal series expected to be slated for Feb. 21 to 23.

Huskies’ great George saluted at Merlis

Breanne George, centre, drops the ceremonial faceoff on Saturday.

    One of the all-time greats in the history of the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team made her way back to Saskatoon to receive a much deserved salute.

    Former Huskies star forward Breanne George received her Canada West Hall of Fame plaque before Saturday’s U Sports regular season game between her former squad and the U of Regina Cougars. George received a rousing ovation from the 735 onlookers in attendance.

    The 30-year-old dropped the puck for the ceremonial faceoff between the two sides.

    The Cougars would claim the contest 3-2 after a tiebreaking shootout.

    In a crazy twist, George never actually played a regular season game for the Huskies at Merlis. She played her whole U Sports career during a time when the Huskies still called the ancient Rutherford Rink home.

Breanne George, centre, receives her Hall of Fame plaque.

    Huskies women’s and men’s hockey teams moved into Merlis Belsher Place before the start of the 2018-19 campaign.

    George was inducted as part of the inaugural class to the Canada West Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

    She played for the Huskies women’s team from 2007 to 2012 and is still the squad’s most prolific scorer. George 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.
    George was the first member of the Huskies women’s hockey team to be named the MVP of the Canada West Conference and a U Sports all-Canadian.

    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.

Breanne George, left, visits some of her old teammates.

    George is currently a physiotherapist in Sherwood Park, Alta.

    Along with saluting George, the Huskies saluted their eight players who are in their fifth-years of eligibility and are set to graduate after this season in Leah Bohlken, Courtney Cormack, Shyan Elias, Brooklyn Haubrich, Rachel Lundberg, Emma Nutter, Elizabeth Salyn and Morgan Willoughby.

    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’ Lundberg first time lucky in triple OT

U of S advances to Canada West semifinal series

The Huskies celebrate a triple OT winner from Rachel Lundberg, middle.

    Rachel Lundberg made her first career U Sports post-season goal a big one.

    On Sunday, the fourth-year right-winger drove home the winning tally with 10.7 seconds remaining in triple overtime to deliver the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team to a 2-1 victory over the Mount Royal University Cougars in Game 3 of a Canada West quarter-final playoff series.

    The win before 420 spectators at Merlis Belsher Place allowed the Huskies to take the best-of-three set 2-1 and advance in the U Sports playoffs to a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series against the University of Alberta Pandas. Game 1 of that series is set for Friday in Edmonton.

    “I can’t describe it,” said Lundberg. “I think I blacked out.

Rachel Lundberg scored the triple OT winner for the Huskies.

    “Everybody was around me. It was so good to be done the game. (I’m) very tired, but I’m so happy that I could do it for my team.

    “Everybody was contributing. They were doing great, so I am happy that it ended well.”

    Lundberg’s goal was her first point in 18 post-season games. Normally a checking forward, the Calgary product had one assist in 27 regular season games this season and two goals and five assists in 99 career regular season contests.

    Her winning goal was created thanks to some hard work on the forecheck by Huskies left-winger Shyan Elias. Elias stole the puck from a Cougars defender in the right corner of the Mount Royal zone, circled up the right side wall and fed a crisp pass over to an open Lundberg in the left slot.

    Lundberg quickly fired the winner to the low left corner of the Mount Royal goal to end a contest that lasted 109 minutes and 50 seconds.

    “I had come off the bench, because Abby Shirley had changed,” said Lundberg. “I saw that she (Elias) was turning it over and everybody seemed to be looking at her.

Shyan Elias assisted on the Huskies triple OT winning goal.

    “I just got into the slot and got ready for the pass and was screaming her name.”

    The Huskies most famous overtime win came back in March 2, 2014, when they claimed the Canada West title 2-1 in double overtime in a series deciding Game 3 against the University of Regina Cougars at the ancient Rutherford Rink. In recent years, the Huskies have felt misfortune in overtime.

    In last year’s playoffs, they dropped a 1-0 overtime heartbreaker to the University of Manitoba Bisons in Game 1 of the Canada West Championship series. The Bisons swept that series and ultimately won the U Sports national title.

    Huskies head coach Steve Kook believed his side wouldn’t experience any disappointments against Mount Royal on Sunday.

Tatum Amy scored to allow the Cougars to force overtime.

    “We’ve been in too many of these that have gone the other way,” said Kook. “I honestly had the feeling that it was going to be undeniable for us tonight.

    “Just the way the girls were on the bench. For the first time in an overtime game, I wasn’t nervous. It felt enjoyable being out there.

    “The girls carried the play. We (the coaches) didn’t have to do much today.”

    The Huskies finished fourth in the Canada West Conference during the regular season with a 16-10-1-1 and were favoured to beat the Cougars, who finished fifth in Canada West with a 12-14-2 record. The two squads split their four head-to-head regular season games.

    After a scoreless opening frame on Sunday, the Huskies took a 1-0 lead at the 1:53 mark of the second period, when right-winger Bailee Bourassa blew home a beauty feed from captain Brooklyn Haubrich.

    As the Huskies held a big edge in shots on goal and spent lengthy stretches in the Mount Royal zone, it appeared Bourassa’s goal would hold up to be the winner.

Bailee Bourassa scored the Huskies first goal on Sunday.

    With 5:02 to play in the third, the Cougars were able to go on the power play. Shortly after that power play expired, Cougars sophomore centre Tatum Amy drove home a goal that evened things up at 1-1 with 2:59 remaining in the third period to force overtime.

    During the three overtime periods, the Huskies outshot the Cougars 34-10. Despite the fact they had chances to end things numerous times early in the three extra sessions, Lundberg said the Huskies never got discouraged.

    “I think we were pretty poised, because I think we controlled quite a bit of the game,” said Lundberg. “We didn’t give up a lot of opportunities especially throughout overtime.

    “I think we knew that if we just stayed on our path that good would come from it.”

    Jessica Vance stopped 24 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies.

The Huskies press trying to get the winning goal in overtime.

    Zoe DeBeauville turned away 58 shots to take the setback in goal for the Cougars.

    Going forward, the Huskies playoff journey will increase another level in difficulty. They will be underdogs in their Canada West semifinal series against the Pandas.

    The Pandas finished first in Canada West with a 23-5 record, and they are rated first in the U Sports Top 10 rankings. U of A claimed three of four head-to-head regular season encounters with U of S in the current campaign.

    For the moment, the Huskies just wanted to take some time to savour their overtime win on Sunday.

The Huskies celebrate their triple OT playoff victory on Sunday.

    “This almost rivals the one that we won in 2014,” said Kook. “Not quite, but this was pretty close.”

    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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Cougars trap Huskies to perfection, force playoff series deciding Game 3

The Cougars celebrate a third period power-play goal.

    The Mount Royal University Cougars women’s hockey team were the excellence of execution when it game to playing the neutral zone trap.

    Facing elimination in a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final playoff series, the Cougars put the clamps down on the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and skated to a 3-0 victory in Game 2 on Saturday night at Merlis Belsher Place. The Cougars win evens the set at 1-1 and a series-deciding Game 3 will be held on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    Following Saturday’s U Sports post-season clash, Huskies head coach Steve Kook said his team didn’t have one of their better efforts.

    “I didn’t think we won very many puck races,” said Kook. “I didn’t think we won very many puck battles.

The Cougars battle for the puck at the side of the Huskies net.

    “They played a real good road game, a boring style of road game, but it was effective. Anytime that we generated anything or had anything outside of our zone it was one versus four. It was hard to generate anything out of that.

    “We’ll have to try and figure out a way to get past their four players.”

    The Cougars had their game plan working to perfection right from the outset. Over the opening 10 minutes of the first period, the Huskies held a 2-0 edge in shots on goal, but it felt like the host side was barely in the offensive zone.

Daria O’Neill had a pair of assists for the Cougars.

    Mount Royal had U of S pinned in its own zone for very lengthy stretches.

    At the 13:22 mark of the first, the Cougars broke through on the scoreboard. Third-year right-winger Anna Purschke drove down the right wing on a rush and roofed a shot over the shoulder of Huskies star netminder Jessica Vance into the top right corner of the U of S goal.

    Trotter’s drive was Mount Royal’s first shot on goal of the game, and the Huskies were still sitting at two shots on goal at that point in the contest.

    “That reminded me of our first playoff series last year against UBC in Game 2,” said Huskies captain Brooklyn Haubrich. “They got a goal and it kind of deflated us, and we were able to comeback.

    “I was hoping that would be the case tonight, but unfortunately, that wasn’t. Hopefully, we can rebound tomorrow.”

Cougars RW Anna Purschke battles Huskies RW Abby Shirley for the puck.

    After the Cougars goal, the Huskies were able to get some more shots on net. They held an 8-2 advantage on shots on goal after the first period and a 16-7 edge in shots on goal after the second frame.

    Those shots resulted in very few quality scoring chances against Cougars netminder Zoe DeBeauville.

    At the 3:39 mark of the third, the Cougars jumped ahead 2-0 on a goal by standout rookie right-winger Breanne Trotter.

    Following that tally, the Huskies tried to mount a push back, but the Cougars ensured they remained muddled up in the centre ice zone.

Camryn Amundson jets up ice for the Cougars.

    “We tried to get some offensive zone time, but I think that was probably the one that killed us a little bit in terms of energy,” said Kook about the Cougars second goal. “We’re a good skating club, but it doesn’t mean a whole hell of a lot of beans if we don’t go to try and retrieve the puck first.

    “If we get the puck, we have to find some space. If it is through the middle, we have to get going that way. It is not always along the boards. We would just make it too easy on these guys.”

    The Cougars put the capper on the win netting a power-play goal with 1:36 remaining in the third period. Mount Royal left-winger Jayden Thorpe tipped home a point shot from defender Daria O’Neill to round out the 3-0 win for the visitors.
    O’Neill finished with two assists on the night.

    Vance stopped nine shots to take the setback in goal for the Huskies. DeBeauville turned away all 19 shots she face to earn her first career shutout in post-season play for the Cougars.

Huskies D Emma Nutter checks Cougars RW Anna Purschke.

    “Kudos to them, their systems were a lot more disciplined I would say today,” said Haubrich. “They were able to get a good trap on us.

    “Tomorrow, we’re going to have to look through some video and try and find a way that we can penetrate that trap.”

    The winner of Game 3 on Sunday between the Cougars and Huskies will advance to face the University of Alberta Pandas in a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series. The Pandas finished first overall in the Canada West Conference.

    The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds swept the University of Regina Cougars 2-0 in the other best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series with a 5-1 win in Game 2 of that set on Saturday in Vancouver, B.C. 

Bailee Bourassa brings the puck up ice for the Huskies.

    The Thunderbirds advance to play the defending Canada West Conference and U Sports national champion University of Manitoba Bisons in a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series.

    While she would have preferred to see her Huskies down Mount Royal on Saturday, Haubrich is looking forward to the excitement of a series deciding Game 3.

    “You have to love those as a player,” said Haubrich. “Those are fun to play in.

    “With this rink and this atmosphere, I’m really excited. The energy will be great.”

    NOTES – The Huskies claimed Game 1 of their series with Mount Royal 5-0 on Friday at Merlis Belsher Place, but that victory was costly in the injury department.

    U of S lost third-year defensive forward Danielle Nogier in that contest to a broken arm, and she is out for the remainder of the U Sports playoffs. 

The Cougars celebrate their Game 2 win on Saturday.

    Defender Morgan Willoughby had a goal and an assist in Game 1 before suffering a concussion injury. She was out for Game 2 and is highly doubtful for Sunday’s Game 3.

    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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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.