A unique championship night you wish could last forever

Huskies first Canada West title at Merlis a lasting memory

Collin Shirley (#11) and family celebrate a Canada West title win.

Had anyone known how the world was going to change in the three proceeding weeks, maybe the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team and their supporters would have soaked in the Canada West title win a little longer?

Likely, that goes down as 20-20 vision thinking.

On February 29, 2020, the Huskies downed the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 3-1 in Game 2 of the Canada West Championship series to sweet the best-of-three set 2-0. The series clinching game was played before a standing room record crowd of 2,667 spectators at Merlis Belsher Place.

The Huskies pour off their bench after their Canada West title win.

The best place to be was on the ice surface with the Huskies family and friends following the win, which was the first conference title the team won since moving to Merlis before the start of the 2018-19 campaign. Laughter and jokes filled the air and smiles could be seen all over the place.

People were racing to get photos taken by mobile phone cameras posted on their social media accounts most notably on Instagram. A lot of the pictures included the Dr. W.G. Hardy Trophy and the Canada West championship banner.

The Huskies raise the Dr. W.G. Hardy Trophy.

A lot of other photos were pictures filled with all sorts of combinations of Huskies players, Huskies coaches, Huskies staff members, family members and friends.

It was as joyful a Saturday night as anyone could have asked for. Looking back on that night, everyone who had a link with the Huskies soaked in and enjoyed that night like they should have.

No one knew how the world would change.

After a full week of practices at home, the Huskies departed for Halifax, N.S., for the David Johnston University Cup, which is the U Sports men’s hockey national championship tournament.

Tanner Lishchynsky takes the Dr. W.G. Hardy Trophy for a spin.

On the U Sports awards night on March 11, 2020, Huskies netminder Taran Kozun was named the recipient of the Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy as the U Sports player of the year, and he took honours as the U Sports goaltender of the year.

Huskies fifth-year right-winger Levi Cable captured the R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award as the most sportsmanlike player in U Sports. Huskies centre Jared Dmytriw was named to the U Sports all-rookie team.

Before the awards night took place, talk of a coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was starting to filter into conversations. Teams at the David Johnston University Cup were told there would be no post-game handshakes during the tournament and players to use their own personal water bottle during practices and games.

Jeff Faith, left, and Evan Fiala ham it up.

On March 12, 2020, the Huskies got to play their quarter-final game falling 3-2 to the University of Western Ontario Mustangs. The Huskies were missing a number of players including Cable as a flu bug worked through the team.

 At the end of the night, word came down that the rest of the U Sports men’s hockey championship has been cancelled due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. In other locations, the remainder of the U Sports women’s hockey national championship tournament and the U Sports men’s and women’s volleyball national championship tournaments were also cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic fears.

On March 13, 2020, a large number of sports governing bodies in Canada had halted sanctioning of events including Hockey Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a crazy twist, pretty much all of the Huskies who were battled the flu recovered by the morning of March 13, 2020. Due to the fact they couldn’t return to Saskatoon until taking their scheduled return flights after the tournament was supposed to end on March 15, 2020, the Huskies players, coaches, staff and families took in some site seeing before journeying back west.

Levi Cable was the most sportsmanlike player in U Sports.

At the moment, the Huskies still haven’t returned to the ice for any games since that Canada West title clinching win over the Thunderbirds and that quarter-final U Sports tournament loss to the Mustangs.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grip the world, all U Sports nationals for the 2020-21 campaign were cancelled and all regular season play for the Canada West Conference in 2020-21 was cancelled. Ultimately, all four conferences that play under the U Sports umbrella cancelled their 2020-21 campaigns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For almost a year now, the world has experienced various levels of restrictions brought on to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Merlis Belsher Place has been turned into a COVID-19 field hospital in waiting. The processing of some COVID-19 tests and COVID-19 vaccinations take place there now.

Jared Dmytriw made the U Sports all-rookie team.

The developments in the world make those that were at Merlis Belsher Place on February 29, 2020 look even more fondly back on that day. On that day and night, no one was really even thinking about a COVID-19 pandemic.

That day and night played out like most championships winning game days would.

During the 2019-20 campaign, the Huskies men’s hockey team had a season where it seemed the intangibles all fell into place.

The Huskies actually stumbled out of the gates going 0-3-1 over their first four regular season games in 2019-20. They roared back to finish second in the Canada West Conference with a 22-4-2 record.

U of S ended up hosting the Canada West Championship series after the first place University of Alberta Golden Bears, who were 23-5 in the regular season, were upset in their Canada West semifinal series by the Thunderbirds, who were fifth in Canada West with a 9-14-5 regular season record.

Taran Kozun was the U Sports player of the year.

With Merlis being the site of the Canada West Championship series, the Huskies faithful came out in droves. The Huskies slipped past the Thunderbirds 3-2 in Game 1 of the series on February 28, 2020 playing in front of 2,281 spectators.

That set the stage for the record gathering of 2,667 spectators in the Huskies series clinching win in Game 2 on February 29, 2020.

The Huskies came out flying in Game 2 going ahead 2-0 after 20 minutes on goals from Carson Stadnyk and Cable. Cable, who was playing in his 175^th consecutive game for the Huskies including action in the U Sports regular season and post-season, netted his second of the contest with 2:37 remaining the second period, while U of S was working on the power play.

Carson Stadnyk came through with key goals.

The hosts took that 3-0 lead into the second intermission holding a 23-13 edge in shots on goal.

Thunderbirds left-winger Jake Kryski scored to put the visitors on the board with a power-play goal with 3:16 remaining in the third to round out the 3-1 final in favour of the Huskies.

Kozun made 17 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies. Saskatoon product Rylan Toth turned away 26 shots to take the setback in goal for the Thunderbirds.

Pandemonium filled the ice after time expired on the third period clock.

One of the most heartwarming scenes from the post-game celebration was when legendary Huskies head coach Dave Adolph gave his gold medal to Ben Bauml, who is the younger brother of Huskies fifth-year centre Kohl.

Ben, who has Down syndrome and is non-verbal, has been Kohl’s biggest fan throughout Kohl’s hockey career. The brothers have a tight bond.

Huskies fans cheer after their team scores a goal.

Ben attended all of the Huskies home games and became a big part of the team’s culture. He joined the Huskies in the dressing room for post-victory celebrations, and he was in the front row for the on-ice team picture after the Canada West title game victory.

Adolph wanted to make the night a little extra special for Ben with the gift of the Canada West gold medal.

No one knew at the time that would ultimately be Adolph’s last victory behind the bench as Huskies head coach. He announced on December 7, 2020 that he would be retiring.

Adolph’s retirement becomes official this coming May 1. All-world hockey bench boss, Mike Babcock will be coming home to Saskatoon to take over as the Huskies head coach for the next two seasons.

Looking back, all those linked with the Huskies wished those celebrations on the night of February 29, 2020 could have gone on a little longer.

The Huskies pose for a team photo after a Canada West title win.

With how the world changed following that night, the Huskies first Canada West title win at Merlis is treasured that much more.

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

-------                                     

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.

Mustangs upset Huskies, COVID-19 scare ends both U Sports hockey nationals

Carson Stadnyk scored for the Huskies on Thursday.

    It was an upset that should have been the story of the day at the David Johnston University Cup.

    By the time Thursday came to the end, the upset was a footnote in the day’s events.

    The University Cup opened on Thursday in Halifax, N.S., with the seventh seeded University of Western Ontario Mustangs downing the second seeded University of Saskatchewan Huskies 3-2 in a quarter-final match. After the opening day’s action came to a conclusion, U Sports cancelled the rest of its elite-eight men’s national hockey championship due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

    Late in the day Thursday, Hockey Canada announced it was cancelling all its sanctioned activities including national championships affective Friday due to the outbreak of coronavirus. Due to this announcement, U Sports called off its men’s national championship tournament and the U Sports women’s elite eight national championship tournament, which was being held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

    Both events were slated to hold their bronze and gold medal matches on Sunday.

    A national champion in U Sports men’s hockey won’t be crowned for the first time in 58 years, and a national champion in U Sports women’s hockey won’t be crowned for the first time in 22 years.

    That means the David Johnston University Cup and the Golden Path Trophy will be unclaimed this season.

Sam Ruopp had a goal for the Huskies on Thursday.

    The encounter between the Mustangs and Huskies was a battle, and due to the fact it was played early Thursday afternoon, everyone believed the winner would get to play in a semifinal contest on Saturday.

    Defenceman Reed Morison game the Mustangs a 1-0 lead scoring on the power play with 2:51 remaining in the first period.

    Huskies fourth-year right winger Carson Stadnyk evened the score at 1-1 scoring at the 5:37 mark of the second period.

    Before the second period ended, the Mustangs jumped ahead 3-1 with a short-handed marker from centre Cordell James and an even-strength marker from defenceman Stephen Desrocher.

    Sean Montgomery, who was a career five-season member of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, picked up assists on the Mustangs first and third goals.

    The Huskies didn’t go quietly. Third-year defender Sam Ruopp scored with 43 seconds remaining in the third period to cut the Mustangs lead to 3-2.

    U of S was unable to find the equalizer in the time that remained.

    Luke Peresinni made 26 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Mustangs. Taran Kozun, who was named the U Sports player of the year and goaltender of the year on Wednesday, turned away 22 shots to take the setback in goal for the Huskies.

    Ironman Levi Cable was scratched from Thursday’s game with an undisclosed ailment that brought his consecutive games streak to an end at 175 contests for the Huskies including action in the U Sports regular season and post-season.

Kohl Bauml played his final game for the Huskies on Thursday.

    Thursday’s events brought an end to the U Sports careers of four forwards in their fifth-years with the Huskies in Cable, Kohl Bauml, Andrew Johnson and Logan McVeigh.

    Dave Adolph guided the Huskies into the University Cup for the 16^th time, and a national title has eluded the U of S side in each visit. Even had the Huskies won, fate would have ultimately prevented a championship win with the coronavirus scare.

    The Huskies posted a 22-4-2 record in the regular season to finish second in the Canada West Conference and went 4-0 in the Canada West playoffs to win the conference title.

    The Mustangs finished eighth in the Ontario University Athletics West conference with an 11-13-4 record. In the post-season, the Mustangs went on a Cinderella run upsetting the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, who finished first in the OUA West, and Ryerson University Rams, who finished second in the OUA West.

    Both of those best-of-three series went the distance.

    The Mustangs fell to the Guelph University Griffins in a best-of-three series in the OUA West final that went the distance. Western proceeded to down the Concordia University Stingers 5-2 in the OUA bronze medal game to earn a berth at nationals.

Taran Kozun made 22 saves in goal for the Huskies on Thursday.

    Following the clash with the Mustangs and Huskies, the third seeded Saint Mary’s University Huskies upset the Guelph University Griffins 5-1 in another quarter-final encounter.

    At the women’s nationals in Charlottetown, the seventh seeded Mount Royal University Cougars upset the University of Toronto Varsity Blues 2-1 in overtime in the first quarter-final. The second quarter-final saw the third seeded Saint Francis Xavier University X-Women slip past the University of Montreal Carabins 3-2 in overtime.
    In the end, all teams had their hearts broken as both U Sports hockey nationals were called off. It was an unprecedented end coming out of an unprecedented time in history as the world reacts to the coronavirus pandemic.

Contacts fall in last meaningful hockey game in Saskatoon

Riley Girod, right, jets up ice for the Contacts.

    It was a game where the celebrations were muted.

    On Thursday at Merlis Belsher Place, the Moose Jaw Warriors took on the Saskatoon Contacts in Game 3 of a Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League semifinal series. The Warriors led the best-of-five series 2-0 and were looking for the sweep.

    Late in the evening Thursday, Hockey Canada put out a release saying it was cancelling all its sanctioned events including national championships effective on Friday due to coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

    Both teams were told before they took the ice that this would be the final game of their respective seasons.

    The Warriors won 5-3 to sweep the series 3-0.

    Alex Bernauer gave the Contacts a 1-0 lead scoring 61 seconds into the contest.

    Atley Calvert netted the equalizer for the Warriors just 3:36 later, and Warriors forward Ben Wourms-Rowe scored twice to give the visitors a 3-1 edge heading into the first intermission.

    With 2:25 remaining in the second, the Contacts cut the gap to 3-2 with a goal from forward Riley Girod.

    The Warriors extended their edge to 5-2 in the third with power-play goals coming from the sticks of Ethan Peters and Maximus Wanner.

    Contacts rookie forward Tye Spencer rounded out the game’s scoring netting a buzzer beater with 0.1 seconds remaining on the third period clock.

The Warriors and Contacts do fist bumps in the traditional handshake line.

    Chase Hamm made 39 saves to take the setback in goal for the Contacts. Dylan Ernst turned away 41 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Warriors.

    The two sides took part in the handshake line giving fist bumps with their gloves on. The Contacts finished third in the SMAAAHL regular season standings with a 30-12-2 record, while the Warriors were fourth with a 30-13-0-1 record.

    While the Warriors technically advanced to the SMAAAHL championship series, there wasn’t much celebrating due to the fact they won’t play another series.

    At game’s end, it seemed both side were still processing the finality.

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

-------                                     

    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.

Huskies’ Kozun gets big double honours at U Sports awards

Cable captures most sportsmanlike player honour

Taran Kozun was named the U Sports player of the year.

    Taran Kozun achieved a significant first when it came to winning U Sports men’s hockey awards.

    On Wednesday at the men’s hockey awards gala in Halifax, N.S., the third-year netminder from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies was named the recipient of the Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy as the U Sports player of the year, and he took honours as the U Sports goaltender of the year.

    Kozun became the first player in U Sports history to claim both awards in the same season. On top of those honours, he was named a U Sports first team all-Canadian all-star.

    The 25-year-old 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 became the second goalie in the history of the Canada West Conference to score a goal as well during those regular season appearances.

    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.

Levi Cable was named the most sportsmanlike player in U Sports.

    In the Canada West playoffs, the Huskies swept the University of Calgary Dinos in a best-of-three semifinal series 2-0 and pulled out the brooms again for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds taking the best-of-three Canada West Championship series 2-0.

    Last season, Kozun was named both the Canada West goaltender of the year and the U Sports goaltender of the year as well as a U Sports first team all-Canadian all-star.

    Kozun wasn’t the Huskies only major award winner.

    The team’s ironman in fifth-year right-winger Levi Cable captured the R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award as the most sportsmanlike player in U Sports.

    The 25-year-old appeared in all the Huskies 28 regular season games posting 10 goals, 14 assists, a plus-13 rating in the plus-minus department and didn’t record a single minute in the penalty box.

    The Hudson Bay, Sask., product has appeared in 175 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.

    Huskies centre Jared Dmytriw was up for the Clare Drake Award and the rookie of the year for U Sports, but that honour went to Saint Mary’s University Huskies forward Mitchell Balmas.
    Dmytriw was named to the U Sports all-rookie team. He led the Huskies in scoring this season appearing in all of the team’s 28 regular season games posting 10 goals, 18 assists and a plus-20 rating.

Jared Dmytriw was named to the U Sports all-rookie team.

    The Huskies begin play at the David Johnston University Cup U Sports elite-eight national championship tournament on Thursday in Halifax as the event’s second seeded team. They will face the seventh seeded University of Western Ontario Mustangs, who were the bronze medalist of the Ontario University Athletic conference.

    The semifinals of the University Cup will be held on Saturday and the gold and bronze medal matches are slated for Sunday.

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

-------                                     

    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.

Canada West champion Huskies have the right mix

Will this group win an elusive second U Sports nationals?

Jeff Faith, left, and Evan Fiala ham it up.

    Could the intangible characteristic of chemistry be the thing that pushes the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team to a U Sports national title?
    As of right now, the Huskies have that characteristic in spades. They have the right mix.

    Due to the fact it is almost impossible to measure intangibles by statistics, someone might say it is totally bonkers to outright say a team has the right mix or chemistry to win a national title.

    Still on a gut feeling, things just feel right with this Huskies team. It seems every player, coach and staffer is where they are supposed to be in the here and now.

    When the Huskies travel to Halifax, N.S., for the David Johnston University Cup that runs March 12 to 15, they will encounter a number of powerhouse U Sports squads from Eastern Canada that can prove having the right mix might not be enough to win a U Sports national title.

Evan Fiala is popular in Saskatoon’s hockey community.

    The David Johnston University Cup is played in an elite-eight format to determine the U Sports national champion. In a one-and-done event, any number of factors on any given day can do in a team like a hot goaltender, a hot scorer or a positive bounce for the opposition.

    With all that in mind, you have to feel excited about this Huskies team.

    Their perseverance showed early after starting the regular season 0-3-1 due to a number of injuries on defence. At that point, thoughts about the Huskies finishing first or second in Canada West to earn a first round series bye seemed distant.

    It seemed reasonable to think they could rally to earn the right to host a first round playoff series.

    Despite other injuries that came up during the campaign, the Huskies rolled off a 22-1-1 run over 24 games to finish the regular season with a 22-4-2 record to place second in Canada West. 

Collin Shirley is a big favourite in Saskatoon’s hockey community.

    Had they earned just one more point in the standings, they would have finished on top of the conference.
    They are currently rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings.

    The Huskies got healthy as the post-season drew near. Currently, the only player still out due to a long term injury is fourth-year forward and assistant captain Wyatt Johnson, who has a past history of battling concussion injuries. He still tries to be a source of support for the team

    The Dogs rolled off 11 straight wins to close the regular season and have extended that streak to 15 games after sweeping their Canada West semifinal and championship series.

    On Saturday at Merlis Belsher Place, the Huskies completed a 2-0 sweep of the best-of-three Canada West final with a 3-1 victory over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in Game 2. Merlis was rocking as 2,667 spectators jammed into the main rink, which was a record crowd for the facility.

Levi Cable has played 175 consecutive games for the Huskies.

    The win marked the first time the Huskies captured the Canada West title since 2016.

    The Huskies are heading back to U Sports nationals for a fifth straight year. The overall depth in talent on the Huskies might have been a touch greater the three previous campaigns.

    They still have good talent this season, but it also seems to be the right amount of talent. They have balanced scoring from all four of their forward lines.

    They have a strong shutdown defensive unit playing in front of a star netminder in Taran Kozun, who was named both the Canada West player of the year and goaltender of the year.

    It seems like everyone on this Huskies team fits into their roles. They know who will be scorers, the defensive forwards, the power play quarterbacks on defence, the shutdown rearguards and Kozun holds the last line of defence.

Merlis Belsher, second from left, greets Huskies goalie Taran Kozun.

    Actually, the Huskies have another great goaltender as their backup in Travis Child, but in this case, he is performing the role of supportive goaltending partner exceptionally well.

    These Huskies don’t get derailed by those who play the role of agitator on opposing squads.

    This Huskies team just has some good old guys you have to like.

    Canada West second team all-star forward Collin Shirley and sophomore defensive defenceman Evan Fiala are arguably two of the team’s most popular players in minor hockey rinks across Saskatoon.

    Both are local products as Shirley grew up in Saskatoon and Fiala comes from the bedroom community of Clavet, which is located just outside the southeast corner of the city limits.

The noisemakers came out at Merlis on Saturday.

    Other that seem to subjectively be favourites around local area rinks are Johnson, Kohl Bauml and Carson Stadnyk.

    The Huskies have a strong fifth-year group who have been key contributors to the team and strong in the classroom in Bauml, Levi Cable, Andrew Johnson and Logan McVeigh. Cable has played in 175 consecutive games with the Huskies in the U Sports regular season and post-season showing unmatched durability.

    Fourth-year left-winger Jordan Tkatch can played skilled or grease it up, and that style of play has allowed him to still have a strong backing in Prince Albert, where he played for the WHL’s Raiders.

Carson Stadnyk has been clutch for the Huskies.

    Sophomore left-winger Layne Young seems just happy to be on the team, and he has become a key offensive contributor. Rookie centre Jared Dmytriw transitioned from being the captain of the Vancouver Giants, who appeared in last season’s WHL final, to playing like a natural with U Sports veteran experience on the Huskies.

    Captain Tanner Lishchynsky and fellow fourth year veteran Colby Harmsworth might be one of the best shutdown defensive pairings in amateur hockey in Canada.

    Sophomore rearguard and second team Canada West all-star Gordie Ballhorn and third-year blue-liner Sam Ruopp bring strong offensive skill to the back end.

    Rookie Jeff Faith plays a utility role and has a fun goofy side to his personality as well.

    You can keep going down the roster, but the Huskies are a team that is made up of guys that are just good guys. They have guys that have a bit of character too.

Tanner Lishchynsky leads a group that has a good vibe.

    The right tone around that team is just there.

    It would be sweet if they were able to bring home the Huskies second U Sports national title. The Huskies have a storied history winning the Canada West championship 18 times, and 12 of those title wins have come since the first U Sports national title was awarded in 1963.

    When they get to nationals, it seems like the unfairness of sports takes frequent bites out of the Huskies. They have had a number of teams stocked with talented good guys, and all but one have been unable to win the big prize.

    Since winning a national title in 1983, the Huskies have fallen in the U Sports championship game on four occasions in 1987, 2005, 2014 and 2017.

Layne Young, right, shares a special moment with his parents.

    Huskies head coach Dave Adolph, who is the U Sports leader in all-time career victories, had guided his team to the University Cup 15 times and still hasn’t seen his squad win the championship game. The man who has one of the best senses of humour in U Sports and is a stellar coach deserves to have experienced victory in at least one U Sports championship game as a coach.

    He was a player on the 1982-83 Huskies team that won both the Canada West title and the U Sports national championship.

    The 1982-83 Huskies lived the saying, “Win today and walk together forever.”

The Huskies hope to repeat this scene at U Sports nationals.

    When that team has a reunion, only one or two players are usually not able to attend. The members of that Huskies squad are well-known for their tight bonds.

    You can bet the current Huskies team will do everything that they can control to have that bond too.

    If the hand of fate decides to give them a break or two that most past Huskies teams haven’t had at this stage of things, that would be a good thing too.

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

-------                                     

    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.

Huskies had great season but still get in their own way

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Taran Kozun had a costly misadventure with the puck.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alex Forsberg engaged in some rough stuff too.

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

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

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

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

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

Kohl Bauml lost his cool in a U Sports semifinal.

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

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

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

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

Parker Thomas scored his final U Sports goal on Sunday.

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

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

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

-------

    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.

Hounds bounce Bears from SFMAAAHL playoffs, advance to face defending champion Stars

Kaitlyn Ross made 21 saves in a series-clinching win for the Hounds.

    The Notre Dame Hounds appear to be hitting their top stride at the right time.

    On Wednesday at the Duncan McNeill Arena in Wilcox, Sask., the host Hounds made good on their second chance to eliminate the Prince Albert Northern Bears from the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League playoffs. The Hounds jumped out to a 4-0 lead and skated to a 5-1 victory in Game 4 of a best-of-five SFMAAAHL first round series.

    The win allowed the Hounds to take the best-of-five set 3-1.

    Notre Dame had a chance to end the series on Monday in Prince Albert, but the Bears staved off elimination with a 3-2 victory.

    In Game 4, the Bears only goal came when forward Jadyn Kushniruk, who was playing in her final season of midget AAA eligibility, scored with less than a minute to play in the second period to cut a 4-0 Notre Dame lead to 4-1.

    Forward Sophie Young scored the Hounds first goal and recorded two assists to lead Notre Dame offensively. Kaitlyn Gilroy, who is an underage 14-year-old rookie forward, scored twice for the Hounds including her squad’s fifth goal at the 3:17 mark of the third period to dampen any hopes of a Bears comeback.

    Claire Nimegeers and Ally Kosteniuk each had a goal and an assist for Notre Dame. Kendra Zuchotzki had two assists for the Hounds.
    Star netminder Kaitlyn Ross made 21 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Hounds.

    Lexi Beuker turned away 13 shots to take the setback in goal for the Bears.

Sophie Young had a goal and two assists for the Hounds.

    The Bears finished the regular season with a 17-9-2, while the Hounds had a 12-13-3 record.

    Prince Albert made it to the SFMAAAHL championship series in three of the last four years winning the league title in 2017 and ultimately advancing to the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament.
    The Bears and Hounds met a year ago in a best-of-five SFMAAAHL semifinal series, where Prince Albert prevailed in four games.

    The Hounds advance to play the defending SFMAAAHL champion Saskatoon Stars in a best-of-five SFMAAAHL semifinal series. Notre Dame doesn’t get much time to rest as Game 1 is set for Friday at 8:15 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place on the University of Saskatchewan campus in Saskatoon.

    The Stars finished first in the SFMAAAHL with a 27-1 record. Saskatoon won all four regular season encounters with Notre Dame, and all of those contests were played in February.

    The Stars prevailed over the host Hounds 3-1 in the championship game of the Mandi Schwartz Memorial Tournament held last December in Wilcox.

    Game 2 of the SFMAAAHL semifinal series between the Stars and Hounds is set for Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Duncan McNeill Arena in Wilcox. Game 3 is slated for Tuesday at 7:45 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    The Stars haven’t played a game since downing the Hounds 6-0 on Feb. 17 in Wilcox.

    The other SFMAAAHL best-of-five semifinal series sees the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats, who were 17-10-1 in the regular season, taking on the Regina Rebels, who were 17-7-4 in the regular season. Game 1 of that series is set for Saturday at 4:45 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.

Huskies end Cinderella run of Gryphons

Evan Fiala scored for the Huskies on Thursday.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team made the clock strike midnight on the Cinderella run of the University of Guelph Gryphons.

    On Thursday at the Enmax Centre in Lethbridge, Alta., the fifth-seeded Huskies dumped the fourth-seeded Gryphons 6-1 in a quarter-final contest at the David Johnston University Cup U Sports national championship tournament.

    The Huskies entered the University Cup posting a 25-3 record to top the Canada West Conference regular season standings. In the process, the Huskies set new team records for most wins in a regular season at 25 and most standings points in a regular season at 50.

    U of S fell in the deciding third game of the Canada West Championship series 1-0 to the University of Alberta Golden Bears.

    The Gryphons finished fifth in the Ontario University Athletics’ West Division with a 13-11-4 record before going on a tear in the OUA playoffs. They advanced to the OUA championship game falling 4-1 to the Queen’s University Gaels.

    In Thursday’s quarter-final match, the Huskies jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period by goals from Logan McVeigh and Evan Fiala. The goal for Fiala, who is a rookie defenceman, was the first of his U Sports career.

    Carson Stadnyk scored his first of the game on the power play at the 1:46 mark of the second period to give the Huskies a 3-0 lead.  

    Scott Simmonds, who topped the Gryphons in regular season scoring, potted a goal for his side at the 7:53 mark of the second to cut the Huskies lead to 3-1.

    Wyatt Johnson scored on the power play to give the Huskies a 4-1 advantage before the second period ended.

    In the third, Stadnyk netted his second of the game and Levi Cable collected a single to round out the scoring for the Huskies.

Collin Shirley had four assists for the Huskies on Thursday.

    Collin Shirley had four assists for the U of S. Johnson had a pair of helpers to go with his goal for the Huskies.

    Captain and star offensive-defenceman Jesse Forsberg had a pair of assists for the Dogs.

    Taran Kozun turned away 31 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies. Andrew Masters turned away 21 shots to take the setback in goal for Gryphons.

    On Wednesday, Kozun was named the U Sports goaltender of the year and a first team all-Canadian all-star. Forsberg took home honours as a second team all-Canadian all-star in his final season of U Sports eligibility.

    With the win, the Huskies advance to the “frozen four” portion of the U Sports national championship tournament taking on the top-seeded Golden Bears in a semifinal contest on Saturday at 1 p.m. local time at the Enmax Centre. The game will be shown live on Sportsnet 360 at 1 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

    The Golden Bears dumped the host and eighth-seeded University of Lethbridge Pronghorns 7-1 in the late quarter-final game on Thursday.

    On Wednesday, Golden Bears star centre Luke Philp was named the winner of the Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy as the player of the year for U Sports. He was also named a U Sports first team all-Canadian all-star.

    Golden Bears blue-liner Jason Fram took home honours as the defenceman of the year for U Sports and was named a first team all-Canadian all-star. U of A left-winger Grayson Pawlenchuk was named to the U Sports all-rookie team.

    The title game for the University Cup is set for 6 p.m. local time Sunday at the Enmax Centre and will be shown live on Sportsnet 360 at 6 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

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

-------

    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.