Repeat not in cards for Huskies

Huskies forward Kandace Cook inspired with her heart and determination.

    Winning a championship is hard and repeating as champ is even harder.
    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women's hockey team learned how true that statement is. Their 2014-15 campaign officially came to an end on Saturday, when they were swept out of the Canada West playoffs by the U of Calgary Dinos. The Dinos claimed a best-of-three quarter-final series 2-0 thanks to a 5-1 victory on Friday and a 3-2 win on Saturday in Calgary.
    The Dogs season wrapped up about a month earlier than it did a year ago, when they won their first Canada West title and a bronze medal at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship tournament. The medal win at nationals was also a first for the program.
    Entering the 2014-15 season, the Huskies returned a large number of players from that championship squad. Even with the returnees, the majority of pre-season predictions had them finishing around third in the conference. As far as the team went, hopes were high that the accomplishments from 2013-14 could be matched or improved upon.
    The Huskies built an 11-3-2 record to sit first overall in Canada West heading into the Christmas break. They started the second semester getting swept by the Dinos in Calgary dropping two games by a combined score of 9-3.
    The players on the U of S squad admitted they weren't very good in those outings. The result seemed to set a tone for the semester, as those setbacks were the start of a seven-game skid.
    Over the final five regular season games, the Huskies showed signs of coming out of their funk posting three wins to finish at 14-10-4 good for fifth overall in Canada West. Their confidence appeared to have returned heading into the post season.

Huskies defensive forward Chelsey Sundby was a heart and soul player.

    Just 61 seconds into Game 1 of their quarter-final series with the Dinos, Janelle Parent scored to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. Erika Mitschke scored on a power play just under six minutes late to increase the Dinos' lead to 2-0.
    Parent added her second of the game in the second, and Bronwyn Stevens and Iya Gavrilova potted singles to give the host a 5-0 lead at the 4:43 mark of the third.
    Following the fifth goal, the Huskies pulled starting netminder Cassidy Hendricks, who stopped 25 of 30 shots fired her way. Jerrica Waltz turned aside all five shots she faced in relief.
    Carissa Fischer made 24 saves in goal for the Dinos and her bid for a shutout was stopped thanks to a third period goal by Huskies defender Kira Bannatyne in the 5-1 final.
    In Game 2 on Saturday, Jenna Smith put the Dinos up 1-0 in the first, but standout sophomore Kaitlin Willoughby potted the equalizer for the Huskies to knot things up at 1-1. Gavrilova put the Dinos up 2-1 before the second period ended, and Smith added her second of the contest early in the third to put the hosts up 3-1.
    Canada West first team all-star defender Julia Flinton scored with under a minute to play in the third to pull the Huskies to within 3-2. The Dogs couldn't net the equalizer in the final seconds.
    Hendricks made 26 saves in the loss, while Fischer made 17 saves in the win.
    A lack of scoring depth proved ultimately to be the biggest thing that hurt the Huskies in the second semester. Forward Rachel Johnson was lost with a knee injury during a Jan. 16 home contest at the Rutherford Rink, where the Huskies dropped a 1-0 decision to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. Rookie forward Chelsea Wilson left the team due to family reasons having last played in a 5-2 road loss to the Dinos on Jan. 10.
    When those two players were playing in the first semester, the Huskies had an easier time creating offence. After they left, the Huskies became essentially a one-line team offensively relying on the forward unit of Willoughby, fifth-year forward Kandace Cook and Marley Ervine for goals.
    As a whole, the Huskies scored 58 goals over their 28 game regular season, which ranked sixth in the eight team Canada West. The graduation of Cami Wooster, who was the captain of the Canada West title team, also was a big blow when it came to offensive production, as she led that club with 16 goals and 31 points.

Defender Julia Flinton was a first team Canada West all-star.

    Besides the difficulties with putting the puck in the net, the Huskies also went through a lot of stretches in the second semester where they had trouble breaking out of their own zone, when opponents were in hard on the forecheck.
    When next season rolls around, the Huskies will be without Cook and fifth-year forward Chelsey Sundby due to graduation. Cook had a breakout year offensively with career highs in goals (13) and points (22). Sundby, who is more of a defensive forward, picked up a career high five goals this season and matched her career high in points with seven.
    Both were heart and soul members of the team, whose compete level was always high game in and game out. They will be missed going forward.
    The Huskies will return a key base of players, but they need to find recruits at forward to help them on the offensive end of the rink. They can build around players like Willoughby, who had 10 goals and 16 assists for a team high 26 points. It is possible players currently on the roster could have breakout seasons in 2015-16 with another year of experience under their belts.
    While the way the 2014-15 campaign finished was far from what the Huskies envisioned, the returning players should still shoot for the bar that was set in the 2013-14 Canada West title season. The first CIS title for women's hockey was awarded in 1998, and since that time, the Huskies have only won one conference title.
    When the 2014 Canada West title win happened, it was really special for all those involved. The players that continue to wear the Huskies jersey in the future should strive to one day experience that same feeling and maybe one day exceed that with a first national title win.

    If you have any comments about this blog, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Huskies finally light lamp

Kandace Cook takes a draw for the Huskies.

            The University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Hockey team was definitely fond of red for one night.

            The Huskies players might never have felt so relieved than to see the red lap behind the opposition net light up three times like it did Saturday night.

            During the early portion of the regular season, the defending Canada West champs struggled to put the puck in the net. Those struggles continued during their home opener on Friday night, when they raised their conference championship banner at the Rutherford Rink. The Dogs fired 31 shots on goal and came away falling 4-0 to the University of Alberta Pandas.

            After that loss to the Pandas, the Huskies had scored six goals in five games.

            On Saturday night, the Pandas took a 1-0 lead on a goal from Ashley Morin early in the first period. The Huskies then broke their jinx around the opposing goal scoring twice to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

            Rookie Chelsea Wilson popped home the first goal, while Kandace Cook slid home the second tally on a nice individual rush. Those goals really seemed to give a lift to the Huskies side.

            Jessica Kampjes scored for the Pandas at the 8:09 mark of the second to force a 2-2 tie. Cook put the Huskies ahead for good scoring on the power play before the second ended putting her side up 3-2, which stood as the final outcome.

            Lindsey Post stopped 32 shots suffering the loss in goal for the Pandas (4-2), while Cassidy Hendricks made 36 stops earning the win in goal for the Huskies (3-3).

            While three goals isn’t a huge number to post on the scoreboard, it is a big number to put up on the Pandas, who are a traditional CIS powerhouse in women’s hockey. The surge marked the most goals the Huskies put in the back of the net since downing the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 5-4 in a shootout in the season opener for both teams on Oct. 3 in Vancouver.

            The surge against the Pandas doesn’t totally eliminate the Huskies scoring woes. Only six different players have found the back of the net so far this season, so there is still a whole host of other players in search of their first tally of the season. As a collective, the team has to feel a gorilla was slammed to the ground.

            Now the task is to duplicate and improve on Saturday’s effort this coming weekend against another tough opponent.

            The Huskies host the 4-0-2 University of Calgary Dinos at 7 p.m. on both this coming Friday and Saturday nights. The Dinos roster contains Hayley Wickenheiser, who is an icon on Canada’s national women’s team.

            Wickenheiser, who is in her fourth year of eligibility, completed her kinesiology degree last year and is enrolled in graduate studies. She had been attempting to get into medical school. 

Victory costly for Hilltops

Wayndel Lewis (#22) on the run for the Hilltops.

            Let the Wayndel Lewis watch begin.

            The Saskatoon Hilltops blasted the Winnipeg Rifles 43-13 on Sunday in what was a costly playoff victory at the Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Toppers advanced to host the Prairie Football Conference final against the Calgary Colts this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at SMF.

            In the win over the Rifles, the Hilltops lost Lewis, who is their star tailback, on their first offensive series of the second half. Lewis rushed for 90 yards on 14 carries before leaving with an injured left ankle.

            He had an outstanding regular season leading the PFC with 1,063 yards rushing on 130 carries, while scoring nine touchdowns.

            If Lewis in unable to go against the Colts, Logan Fischer will likely carry the bulk of the load at tailback against the Colts. 

Home sweet home for Huskies soccer

Jenelle Zapski of the Huskies.

            It will be playoff Sunday on the soccer pitch at PotashCorp Park.

            Both U of S Huskies soccer teams will host Canada West single-elimination quarter-final matches. The men’s team entered the final weekend of regular season play already guaranteed first place in the Prairies Division.

They closed the regular campaign on a stumble falling 2-1 and drawing 2-2 against the Mount Royal University Cougars last Saturday and Sunday respectively. The Huskies posted their best regular season finish ever at 9-1-2, while the Cougars were tied with Thompson Rivers for last overall in Canada West at 2-8-2.

The women’s team finished up posting 3-0 and 3-1 victories over the U of Regina Cougars on Saturday and Sunday respectively at PotashCorp Park. The wins vaulted the Huskies to second in the Prairies Division with a 7-2-3 mark.

In the two wins, third year Huskies striker Jenelle Zapski scored four goals to finish the regular season with a team record 14 tallies. The previous regular season record for goals was 11 scored by Elizabeth Hudon in the 2010 campaign.

This coming Sunday, the Huskies women’s team hosts the MacEwan Griffiths (7-3-2) at 12 p.m., and the Huskies men’s team takes on the University of Winnipeg Wesmen (4-7-1) at 2:15 p.m.

Riders looked better with Joseph

Kerry Joseph (#5) calls signals for the Roughriders.

            Oh, the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

            The CFL team everyone in Saskatchewan loves, and a team that appears to also have a million general managers, when you read various social media feeds or listen to call-in shows.

            There was definite dejection by the green and white faithful, when the Riders dropped their fourth in a row, with the latest setback being a 24-19 decision to the Edmonton Eskimos on Sunday at Mosaic Stadium.

            The Roughriders dropped to 9-7, but the offence looked better with 41-year-old veteran quarterback Kerry Joseph at the controls. Joseph’s statistics weren’t going to blow you away. He was 17-for-36 passing for 213 yards, two touchdown throws and two interceptions.

            The starting signal caller for the team’s 2007 Grey Cup championship season looked a lot more in control and poised compared to Tino Sunseri and Seth Doege.

            The Roughriders lost starting quarterback Darian Durant due to an arm injury in a 30-24 road victory over the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg on Sept. 7. Saskatchewan was 8-2 after that victory.

            Since Durant went down, the quarterback position was influx, which lead to Joseph’s signing. The loss to the Eskimos was Joseph’s first start this season, and his stats would have been a lot better outside of a number of drops by the receivers. The drop problem also occurred this season with Durant throwing pinpoint passes as well.

            Joseph, who had originally retired in the off-season having last suited up for the Eskimos, gives the Roughriders their best chance to win now. If Durant can’t return this season, the Roughriders would be best advised to go with Joseph, who was the CFL’s most outstanding player in 2007, the rest of the way. With Joseph, the Roughriders have a more realistic shot of making a championship run this season as an underdog as opposed to Sunseri and Doege, who have been inconsistent.

           

If you have any feedback on this blog, feel free to email comments to stankssports@gmail.com.

The right mix

Huskies women’s hockey team has intangibles to make another memorable season

           

The U of S Huskies pose with the Canada West banner and trophy.

They are a group that is hard to dislike, and they appear to have the “it” factor to create another memorable season. 

            The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team had a historical campaign in 2013-14 winning their first Canada West title and capturing a bronze medal at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship tournament.

            Most of that team returns for the 2014-15 campaign. Watching them interact with each other during and after their two exhibition wins last weekend against the Red Deer College Queens of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference, it was obvious to see a strong bond exists between the Huskies players.

            They like being together, and they like hitting the ice at the Rutherford Rink or any other rink. They are confident in their abilities on the ice, and they are confident and comfortable with themselves are as persons on the ice and away from the rink.

            When any team has all those attributes, that club becomes a very difficult opponent to face and defeat.

             On the ice this season, the Huskies will face their share of challenges. As the defending conference champ, every one of their opponents will view a match against them as a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

            Even the Queens came out in last weekend’s exhibition series at the Rutherford Rink looking to prove something. On Saturday, the visitors came out with a big initial push, and their effort didn’t waver.

            The composure of the Huskies showed through. Even when they didn’t have the momentum, it didn’t seem like they were in trouble. They built a 2-0 lead and held off a late Queens charge for a 2-1 win.

            During Sunday’s rematch, the Huskies took their game to another level. After giving up an early power-play goal, they kept the Queens contained in their zone with an aggressive forecheck. The hosts rolled to a 5-1 win, and they were buzzing all over the place.

            Individually, the Huskies have a lot of players that can be difference makers. Kaitlin Willoughby, last year’s CIS rookie of the year, looks physically stronger and more powerful on the ice than a season ago. She also has an offensive skill set that very few players have.

            Forward Marley Ervine provides a lot of feistiness and grit, which seems to be a trademark of players regardless of gender that come from her hometown of Kindersley.

            Fifth year forward Kandace Cook can seemly be set up with a variety of linemates up front, and she makes herself and her linemates shine through.

            Veteran rearguards Brooke Mutch, Hanna McGillivray and Julia Flinton are super solid on the back end. They can both shut things down on the defensive side, and control play when they have the puck. Flinton, a second team Canada West all-star, has the best playmaking ability and vision offensively out of that group.

            Third-year netminder Cassidy Hendricks was a second team Canada West all-star last season, and she proved she doesn’t get fazed when it comes time to play in the clutch. During the 2-1 best-of-three Canada West championship series win over the University of Regina Cougars, Hendricks made a huge amount of key stops with all three games going to overtime resulting in 17 periods and 296 minutes of hockey.

            Rookie forward Chelsea Wilson also showed flashes against the Queens, which could mean she could potentially come through in key moments as the season progresses.

            I have seen few teams personally in my time that had the veteran presence, the intangibles and overall “it” factor the Huskies have.

The Medicine Hat Tigers in 2006-07 had it in the major junior ranks and went on to win a WHL title and earn a berth in the Memorial Cup final.

            The 2000-01 U of  R Cougars women’s basketball team had it and went on to win a conference and a CIS title. The 1998 Regina Rams had it and went on exit the Canadian Junior Football League as national champs before joining the university ranks.

            For the Huskies to have success, the focus can’t be on the end result. All the players on the three other teams I mentioned just enjoyed where they were at that moment of time in their everyday lives in their respective campaigns.

            The Huskies just need to enjoy going to the rink with the aim of getting better each day, because at the end of a long stretch they will be a lot better.

            They have to enjoy and cherish the everyday interactions with their friends and buds on the ice, because that helps make the rink one of the best places to be.

            Also, they have to enjoy the game. At one point in time, they all got into hockey because it is a fun game where you simply score more goals than the other team, and that must be something that is never lost.

            When they do all those things, the Huskies will arrive at the end of the season before they know it, and they shouldn’t be surprised if they are in a lot of important post-season games as a result. They will have a chance to accomplish all their end goals.

If you have any feedback on this blog, feel free to email comments to stankssports@gmail.com.