Bisons’ Taraschuk keeps cementing status as one of U Sports’ best goalies

Lauren Taraschuk (#35) makes one of her 31 saves for the Bisons on Friday.

    When Lauren Taraschuk has her surreal calm going on, it spells trouble for the opposition.

    The 19-year-old star netminder was on top of her game on Friday night at Merlis Belsher Place. She made 31 saves to back the University of Manitoba Bisons to a 2-1 victory over the host University of Saskatchewan Huskies in a U Sports women’s hockey regular season contest before 536 spectators.

    Taraschuk used her 6-foot frame to perfection to take away a lot of the Bisons net, moved fluidly in goal with little to no wasted movement and her left glove catching hand was golden.

    “I felt just on,” said Taraschuk. “I felt really on my game tonight, even though my legs are absolutely gassed.

Lauren Taraschuk backstopped the Bisons to a national title.

    “I’ve tried to put that aside, and I just stay focused on each shot and just made the saves as they came.”

    She needed to be on.

    The Huskies pinned the Bisons for extended periods of time in their own zone ultimately holding a 32-15 edge in shots on goal.

    The visitors were able to score first as skilled centre Jordyn Zacharias netted her 11^th goal of the season at the 11:55 mark of the first period to give U of M the edge.

    With 25.5 seconds to play in the opening frame, Huskies left-winger Emily Upgang tipped home a mid-range shot from U of S captain Brooklyn Haubrich to tie things up at 1-1.

    Having departed from Winnipeg, Man., early Friday morning for that night’s game, Taraschuk admitted the bus legs had an effect on the Bisons side in the clash with the Huskies.

    “I can say that wasn’t our best for sure,” said Taraschuk, whose squad improved to 21-4-2-1 to remain second in the Canada West Conference. “It is tough coming off the bus after a long ride, but that is still no excuse.

Lauren Taraschuk makes a glove save on a high shot.

    “We weren’t really moving our feet. We can definitely can be better.”

    Still, the sophomore goalie believed if she kept making saves her teammates would make one play to take the lead.

    That play came 34 seconds into the third period, when Bisons fifth-year defender Alexandra Anderson roofed home a screen shot from the left slot past Huskies star netminder Jessica Vance into the U of S goal. That tally gave the Bisons their 2-1 lead.

    Taraschuk ensured Anderson’s goal stood up as the winner making 11 saves in the third period alone to close out the victory for the defending Canada West and U Sports national champs, who are currently rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings.

Lauren Taraschuk holds her ground in her crease.

    Vance made 13 saves to take the setback in goal for the Huskies, who fell to 15-10-1-1 and will finish fourth in Canada West.

    “It definitely helps with the team that I have in front of me,” said Taraschuk. “It definitely did last year just get my confidence up as a rookie.

    “Carrying through this year, I am very confident with the team that I have in front of me. If I can focus on my game, I know they are going to do their job up front. If I can do my part, then we’ll get the win.”

    Of course, last season was a whirlwind campaign for Taraschuk. The graduate from Winnipeg’s J.H. Bruns Collegiate was just looking for playing time as a rookie with the Bisons having fifth-year veteran Rachel Dyck on their roster.

Lauren Taraschuk played big in the Bisons goal on Friday.

    Taraschuk would have a spectacular first season posting a 10-2 record, a 0.71 goals against average, a .961 save percentage and five shutouts in regular season play. She was named the Canada West rookie of the year and to the U Sports all-rookie team.

    She go on a legendary run in the playoffs. After the Bisons fell in the first game of a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series at home to the University of Alberta Pandas, Taraschuk was inserted as the starter for Game 2.

    She would never leave the crease of the U of M goal again recording seven straight post-season victories to back the Bisons to their first national title. Over those seven games, Taraschuk turned away 153 of the 157 shots she faced and stoned another two shooters in a tiebreaking shootout in a national semifinal victory over the Concordia University Stingers.

Emily Upgang had the Huskies lone goal on Friday.

    “As soon as I started to get rolling in the second half there and through playoffs, it was a blast,” said Taraschuk. “Coming in as a rookie, you don’t see that a lot, but it was pretty cool.”

    The grad of the Winnipeg Avros female midget AAA team credits her Bisons goalie coach, Gavin McHale, for helping her develop her calm in goal. McHale, who played in the WHL from 2004 to 2006 with the Seattle Thunderbirds and Lethbridge Hurricanes, is also one of the emergency backup goalies that can be used in NHL games in Winnipeg.

    “I’ve definitely learned a lot from him,” said Taraschuk. “I think I’ve also brought a lot of it from just being me and how I am as a goalie.

    “I tend to be very calm, and it throws some people off because some people say it is not normal. I think it just really works for me being calm and confident in the net. It just helped me playing my game.”

Alexandra Anderson, left, scored the winning goal for the Bisons.

    Taraschuk has had a solid sophomore campaign posting a 17-4-3 record, a 1.54 goals against average, a .934 save percentage and one shutout. Going into this season, she said her mindset was the same as last season but there were, of course, some differences.

    “Coming in this year, I kind of knew I was number one, and I had a role to play on this team,” said Taraschuk. “It has been different, because of the amount of ice time that I’ve had. I think I have been managing it well and just taking care of my body each and every day.

    “It has been great. It has been a huge turnaround from last year, but I just kept rolling right from last year to now.”

Abby Shirley and the Huskies couldn’t net a third period equalizer.

    The Bisons and Huskies will go at it again on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place to close their respective regular season schedules.

    When her time with the Bisons comes to an end, Taraschuk said she would love to have the chance to be one of the few goalies that continues playing high level hockey beyond the post-secondary level.

    For now, she wants to keep playing well for the Bisons. With the post-season just around the corner, she said the experience of winning the conference title and nationals last year provides big motivation to do it again this year.

    “The feeling that we experienced last year was something that everyone wants to experience, and not a lot of people get that chance,” said Taraschuk. “Definitely, that is in the back of our minds right now.

Lauren Taraschuk, left, and Lauren Warkentin fist bump for the Bisons win.

    “We definitely focus on one game at a time. I think once playoffs come that is definitely going to be a goal of ours. Not saying it is not a goal right now, but I think it will be more in the back of our heads as soon as playoffs come.”

    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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Bohlken delivers in clutch for Huskies in 3-2 win over Dinos

Leah Bohlken scored the winning goal for the Huskies on Saturday.

    Leah Bohlken has developed a habit of being in the right place at the right time for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Hockey team.

    On Saturday night at Merlis Belsher Place, the Huskies found themselves in a 2-2 tie in the third period with the visiting University of Calgary Dinos in a U Sports regular season contest. While working on the power play, Bohlken, who is a fourth-year defender, swooped down from the point to collect a loose puck in front of the Dinos net.

    The loose puck was the result of a rebound from a shot taken by Huskies third-year forward Emily Upgang.

    Bohlken got to the puck and fired it into an empty cage with 5:53 to play in the third period. 

The Huskies celebrate Leah Bohlken’s winning goal.

    Her goal stood up as the winner to allow the Huskies to skate away with a 3-2 victory before 504 spectators.

    “That was nice to put that one in,” said Bohlken, who leads the Huskies with three game-winning goals this season. “Upper (Upgang) came up to me after, and she was like, “Finally, I assisted one of yours,” so I thought that was pretty funny.

    “She is always down in front of the net working hard. Our coaches have been telling us to get into those gritty spots. It is not going to be nice to be there, but get there.

    “I just kind of crashed the net. I was in the right place at the right time, so it was good.”

    Saturday’s win allowed the Huskies to sweep their weekend series with the Dinos. U of S claimed Friday’s encounter at Merlis Belsher Place by a 3-0 final.

Diane Hitchings celebrates giving the Dinos an early 1-0 lead.

    The two contests were the first games for both sides since returning from their respective Christmas breaks.

    Besides sweeping the weekend series, the Huskies won all four of their regular season encounters with the Dinos in the 2018-19 campaign.

    With Saturday’s win, the Huskies improved to 11-6-1 to remain fourth in the Canada West Conference. The Dinos fell to 2-14-2 to remain last in Canada West.

    “Whenever you can get a sweep over another team, that is huge, especially in our league with it being as close as it is,” said Bohlken, who has team high seven goals to go along with four assists appearing in all of the Huskie 18 regular season games. “Especially coming back after Christmas, you want to start your second half out well.

Shyan Elias had a pair of assists for the Huskies.

    “I think that we did that.”

    The Dinos, who upset the Canada West leading 15-3 University of Alberta Pandas last Nov. 23 in Calgary, proved to be pesky against the Huskies on Saturday.

    U of C jumped ahead 1-0 on a goal by fourth-year forward Diane Hitchings, who potted the rebound of a shot taken by linemate Taylor Beck.

    Before the first period ended, the Huskies evened things up on the power play at 1-1, when sophomore forward Abby Shirley fired home the rebound of a shot taken by linemate Shyan Elias.

    The Huskies finished the night going 2-for-7 on the power play. They were 2-for-5 on the power play in Friday’s win.

    “To put some in off the power play, that is huge,” said Bohlken. “The second night is always tough, because they have a chance to look at your power play and see what you do and see where you put the puck.

The Huskies mark Abby Shirley’s second period equalizer.

    “It is hard to adjust that. Maybe the first couple of power plays we were kind of getting used to like how they were playing us differently and taking away seams. We realized that we need to just calm down a little bit and find different seams.”

    The Dinos retook the lead at the 6:02 mark of the second, when a turnaround shot by U of C forward Sage Desjardins fooled Huskies rookie netminder Camryn Drever to give the visitors a 2-1 edge.

    Just when it appeared the Dinos were going take a one-goal advantage into the third period, Shirley tied things up at 2-2 with her second of the night coming with 48.5 seconds remaining in the second period. Again, she fired home the rebound of a shot taken by Elias.

Emily Upgang tried to score the winning goal on this chance.

    That set the stage for Bohlken to net the winner in the third period.

    Drever stopped 15 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies. Kira Wasylak turned away 28 shots to take the setback in goal for the Dinos.

    With the sweep of the Dinos complete, the Huskies turn their attention to their next two games against their provincial rivals the University of Regina Cougars (8-7-3).

    The two teams meet this coming Friday at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place and this coming Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.

    “Coming off two wins is great,” said Bohlken. “Regina being our provincial rival, it is going to be a tough game. It always is.

The Huskies celebrate their 3-2 victory on Saturday.

    “One home game and one away game, which is a nice change up from playing either two at home or two away. I think we just have to start focusing for it. We kind of have momentum now.

    “We know what we are doing is good, and it is working. We just need to go and refine what we have been doing, make those like little passes and make a few tweaks and get ready for Regina.”

    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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13th career shutout extra special for Huskies’ Vance

Goalie’s mom honoured in team’s “Play For a Cure” night

Huskies G Jessica Vance and her teammates celebrate Friday’s win.

    It wasn’t close to the busiest night she ever had playing goal, but Jessica Vance’s 13^th career regular season U Sports shutout will always be dear to her heart.

    On Friday night playing before 654 spectators at Merlis Belsher Place, Vance stopped 11 shots to back the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Hockey team to a 3-0 victory over the University of Calgary Dinos. Friday’s contest was the Huskies 11th annual “Play For a Cure” game, and the team was playing in honour of Vance’s mom, Liane.

    Liane was diagnosed with colorectal cancer last summer. She is still undergoing treatment for the disease, but since it was detected early, she has a good prognosis.

Jessica Vance covers up one of her 11 saves on Friday.

    This wasn’t the first time Jessica has seen a family member battle cancer. Her dad, Bruce, is a colorectal cancer survivor.

    He was diagnosed shortly after attending the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders 2013 Grey Cup victory in Regina and is closing in on being cancer free for five years.

    When Bruce went through his cancer battle, Jessica was starring for her hometown Prince Albert Northern Bears female midget AAA hockey team. She said the hockey rink is the happy place for her and her family.

    “You just go out there, and you just play your game,” said Jessica, who was Canada West Conference MVP and a U Sports first team all-Canadian all-star last season. “They love the sport of hockey too, so it makes them happy and myself playing too.”

    Jessica took part in a pre-game festivities, where Liane dropped the puck for a ceremonial faceoff.

Jessica Vance was the Canada West Conference MVP last season.

    Follow the game, Jessica took part in on ice photos with her family. She was perky and upbeat at night’s end.

    The 21-year-old, who has four shutouts this season, said she has focused on being as positive as possible this season as her mom battles cancer. Just recently, the Vance clan found out one of their family dogs, Bella, is battling cancer.

    “You try not to let it affect you too much,” said Jessica, whose Huskies improved to 10-6-1 with the win. “I’ve been through it before.

    “My family has been through it before. We kind of just know how to take it and know how to deal with it. I think playing hockey really helps too.

    “It was a big night for my mom and us, so it was fun.”

Liane Vance, centre, watches Friday’s Huskies game. 

    The opening 20 minutes of Friday’s game was the busiest stanza for Jessica, who made six saves in the frame. The Dinos held a 6-4 edge in shots on goal after the first period.

U of S took over the contest from that point on.

    The Huskies held 21-4 edge in shots on goal in the second period. They finally broke through scoring on the power play at the 17:02 mark of the second frame.

    Working down low in the right corner of the Dinos zone, Huskies fourth-year defender Leah Bohlken fed a pass across the face of the Dinos goal to third-year forward Emily Upgang, who made an easy backdoor tap to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.

Bruce Vance is a cancer survivor.

    With 1:58 remaining in the third, Bohlken scored on the power play herself, when her shot from the right corner boards deflected off a Dinos player into the U of C goal to give the Huskies a 2-0 lead.

    Huskies rookie forward Kennedy Brown rounded out the scoring with an empty-net goal with 16.6 seconds remaining in the third period. Brown’s goal was the first of her U Sports regular season career.

    Kelsey Roberts turned away 30-of-32 shots to take the setback in goal for the Dinos (2-13-2).

    “It is pretty special,” said Jessica about the night. “It was nice that I could get a shutout too.

    “It just kind of all makes it even more special, so it was good.”

    When the game itself got going, Jessica said it felt natural to focus on the task at hand

    “After puck drop, you just have to treat it like a normal game,” said Jessica, who is in her third year of U Sports eligibility. “You just try to not think about anything else.

Emily Upgang scored a power-play goal for the Huskies.

    “Maybe, you’ll have that extra kick, because there is something special to play for tonight.”

    Liane and Bruce try to make as many of Jessica’s games as possible like they did on Friday. It is rare for them to miss a home game, and last season, they made it to a number of Jessica’s road games.

    Jessica said her parents have been the biggest influences in helping her along in hockey. Bruce, who held a number of roles with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders from 2001 to 2015, was the team manager for the Bears, when Jessica played for them.

    With the Bears, Jessica played five seasons from 2010 to 2015 appearing in 91 regular season games posting a 48-36 record, a 2.27 goals against average, a .926 save percentage and 16 shutouts. Her career games played and win totals are still Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League records.

    Jessica moved on to play for the Bisons before joining the Huskies. In her two seasons with the Huskies, Jessica has appeared in 30 regular season games posting a 21-7-2 record, a 0.95 goals against average and a .957 save percentage to go with her 13 shutouts.

Jessica Vance (#30) poses for a post-game team picture.

    She is thankful for everything her parents have done for her.

    “I wouldn’t be where I am today without them,” said Jessica. “From footing the bill in AAA to me wanting to be a goalie, it is not cheap.

    “I literally wouldn’t be here today without them. They support me in whatever I want to do.”

    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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Special mix pushed Huskies back into nationals

U of S women’s hockey team enjoyed a standout campaign

Jessica Vance, middle, enjoys a shutout win with the Huskies.

    Early on, it was apparent the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team might have something special going on in the 2017-18 season.

    During the first weekend of the pre-season last Sept. 8 and 9, the Huskies traveled to Athabasca, Alta., for a two-game series against the University of Alberta Pandas, who entered the campaign as the defending U Sports champions. The Huskies fell 3-2 after a tiebreaking shootout in the first contest and won the second outing 2-1.

    Those games provided an early sign that the Huskies wanted to get running right from the start. On a subjective level, it felt like they had a unity that was a step better than it had been the previous three campaigns. They seemed to have a great will to overcome any adversity that got in their way.

    The Huskies had 14 U Sports academic all-Canadians on their roster in 2016-17, and 11 of those player returned for this past season. To have that many academic all-Canadians on a hockey team roster is something that most teams don’t have.

Kaitlin Willoughby was an outstanding captain for the Huskies.

    The work ethic those players have in the classroom definitely transferred on to the ice. The rest of the team also shared that same drive in the classroom and on the ice even if the grades didn’t translate into a U Sports academic all-Canadian standing.

    As a result, the Huskies took off in 2017-18. Expected to finish around fourth or fifth in the Canada West standings like they had the three previous seasons, U of S didn’t crack into the U Sports Top 10 rankings until well into their playoff run.

    Outside expectations didn’t matter to those on the team’s inner circle, because the Huskies pushed through to finish second overall in the Canada West Conference with a 19-7-2 record. The 19 wins were a team record for the Huskies in the regular season.

    In the playoffs, they swept away the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series 2-0 at the ancient Rutherford Rink. The Thunderbirds had won the Canada West title in each of the previous two campaigns. The Huskies went 6-0 this season against the Thunderbirds.

    On top of advancing to the best-of-three Canada West championship series, the Huskies earned their third berth ever into the U Sports national championship tournament and first since 2014.

    U of S was swept out of the Canada West championship series 2-0 by the University of Manitoba Bisons in Winnipeg, Man.

Kennedy Harris was stellar as a defensive forward for the Huskies.

    At the U Sports national championship tournament that wrapped up Sunday in London, Ont., U of S defeated the Saint Mary’s University Huskies 2-1 in a quarter-final game before dropping a 2-1 decision to the host University of Western Ontario Mustangs in the semifinal round and falling by a 4-0 score to the Concordia University Stingers in the bronze medal game.

    The Bisons would win the U Sports title game 2-0 against the Mustangs.

    Going into the season, the biggest question surround the Huskies was who would replace graduated veteran Cassidy Hendricks as the team’s starting goalie. Little did anyone know at the start, the 2017-18 campaign would become the season of Jessica Vance.

    The 20-year-old, who transferred over from the Bisons, made her debut for the Huskies last Nov. 10 in Vancouver, B.C. The Prince Albert, Sask., product made 33 stops to earn a 2-0 shutout victory over the Thunderbirds.

Kira Bannatyne was consistently steady on the back end for the Huskies.

    Vance didn’t look back posting a 14-3-1 record, a 0.77 goals against average, a .964 save percentage and nine shutouts. She topped the conference in most wins, best save percentage and most shutouts to be named the MVP of the Canada West conference and a first team U Sports all-Canadian.

    Her shutout total equaled former University of Alberta Pandas netminder Stacey McCullough for the second most shutouts ever recorded in the Canada West Conference in one U Sports regular season. McCullough posted nine shutouts in the 2000-01 campaign.

    Lindsey Post, who is another former Pandas netminder, holds the Canada West record for most shutouts in one U Sports regular season at 10 recorded in the 2014-15 campaign.

    Thanks to Vance’s efforts, the Huskies posted 12 total shutouts as a team in the campaign to equal a Canada West Conference team record for one season. Chloe Marshall had two shutouts and Jasey Book had one shutout for the U of S. The Pandas also posted 12 shutouts coming in the 2008-09 campaign.

Kori Herner provided an uplifting presence on and off the ice.

    In front of Vance, the Huskies deployed a strong group of defenders who were adept at shutting things down in their own zone. The regular starting six of Morgan Willoughby, Emma Nutter, Leah Bohlken, Kayla Kirwan, Kira Bannatyne and Ava Thiessen were as sound as any group you can find in the country.

    The “all in” togetherness the Huskies displayed has to be credited to the team’s leadership group in star captain Kaitlin Willoughby, who was a second team Canada West all-star and a tournament all-star at the U Sports nationals, and assistant captains Kennedy Harris and Brooklyn Haubrich. Willoughby was an outstanding captain, and she topped the Huskies in scoring for the third time in her five-year career posting nine goals and 10 assists in 26 regular season appearances this past season.

    She had an inspiring lead by example presence, and her graduation leaves a huge crater of a hole to be filled next season.

    Fifth-year speedy winger Kori Herner’s departure will also provide a big void, because she provided a big upbeat and uplifting presence on and off the ice. The Huskies will also have to replace the consistency Harris brought as a defensive forward and Bannatyne brought to the back end as both also completed their fifth seasons.

    The Huskies had a young forward group that got better as the season progressed. Sophomore winger Emily Upgang appeared in all 28 regular season games finishing second in team scoring with seven goals and seven assists. Haubrich, who is in her third year and known for being feisty, had one goal and nine assists for a career high 10 points.

Victory celebrations were common for the Huskies in 2017-18.

    Sophomore forward Bailee Bourassa and rookie forwards Chloe Smith and Abby Shirley have tonnes of potential to grow offensively. Elizabeth Salyn, who was in her third year, and Danielle Nogier, who was in her sophomore season, have cemented roles as defensive forwards.
    The coaching staff led by head coach Steve Kook did an admirable job ensuring the team was ready night in and night out.

    Everyone on the Huskies roster added to the special vibe that helped them return to the Canada West championship series and qualify for nationals both for a third time.

    For those that return to the team next season, their challenge will be to recreate that vibe going forward to keep giving the Huskies a chance at post-season success.

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

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Huskies will be outlaws in Canada West final

Host Bisons are the feel good story in Winnipeg

Huskies W Kori Herner (#10) breaks in on Bisons F Venla Hovi.

    It might be fitting that the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team will be wearing road black uniforms to start the Canada West finals, because they won’t be considered the good gals.

    When they arrive in Winnipeg, Man., for the best-of-three Canada West championship series, the Huskies will discover the host University of Manitoba Bisons are being trumpeted as the city’s feel good story. It is a deserved story angle considering the Bisons topped the Canada West regular season standings with a 22-5-1 record and are rated first in the U Sports Top 10 rankings.

    Including action in the regular season and playoffs, the Bisons have won 11 out of their last 12 games. They just came off winning an emotion best-of-three Canada West semifinal series, where sophomore forward Jordyn Zacharias scored the winning goal at the 13:30 mark of a fourth overtime period to give the Bisons a 1-0 win in a series deciding Game 3 last Sunday against the defending U Sports national champion University of Alberta Pandas.

    The Bisons players have been making the rounds among the media outlets in Winnipeg and working the social media lines to encourage people to come out to the Wayne Fleming Arena for the conference championship series.

Jordyn Zacharias led the Bisons in scoring.

    They are making their 10th appearance in the Canada West finals, but this will be the first time they play host to the series.

    Besides that fact, this will also mark the first time the Bisons and Huskies have gone head-to-head for the conference title.

    Game 1 of the series is set for Friday in Winnipeg, and Games 2 and 3 follow on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
    Both the Huskies and Bisons have berths lock up at the U Sports nationals, which run March 15 to 18 in London, Ont., and are hosted by the University of Western Ontario Mustangs.

    Odds are high the Huskies will encounter a NHL Winnipeg Jets style playoff crowd that will attempt to turn the Wayne Fleming Arena into a smaller version of Bell MTS Place.

    The feel good story for the local side in the Manitoba capital should sell, because the Bisons have a pretty likeable team. That should show through, when they appear on camera.

    As is fitting for a Winnipeg-based hockey squad, the Bisons have their own “Finnish Flash” in Venla Hovi. The fourth-year forward just returned from the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, having helped Finland’s women’s hockey team win a bronze medal.

    Due to national team commitments in her home country, Hovi was limited to playing 12 regular season games with the Bisons, but she tallied four goals and eight assists. Zacharias, who was a first-team Canada West all-star, topped the Bisons in scoring with 12 goals and nine assists appearing in all 28 of her team’s regular season games.

Goalie Lauren Taraschuk was the Canada West rookie-of-the-year.

    Fourth-year forward Alanna Sharman, who was a second-team Canada West all-star, was second in Bisons team scoring with three goals and 17 assists appearing in all 28 of her team’s regular season games.

    Fourth-year defender Erica Rieder was the Bisons power-play quarterback recording seven goals and four assists appearing in all 28 of her team’s regular season games while being named a first-team Canada West all-star. On top of her offensive production, Rieder was a plus-13 in the plus-minus department.

    Captain Caitlin Fyten, who is in her fifth and final season with the Bisons, is a calming influence on defence recording three goals, six assists and plus-seven rating in 25 regular season appearances.

    Netminder Lauren Taraschuk, who was named the rookie-of-the-year for Canada West, has taken over the starter’s role in goal for the Bisons in the post-season. She made 12 appearances in the regular season posting a 10-2 record, a 0.71 goals against average, a .961 save percentage and five shutouts.

    The Huskies are also having a memorable season. They finished second in Canada West with a 19-7-2 record and are rated eighth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings. The 19 wins marks a new team record for the Huskies for victories in one regular season.

    In the four head-to-head regular season meetings between the Bisons and Huskies, each side won twice.

Captain Kaitlin Willoughby (#17) led the Huskies in scoring.

    U of S equaled the Canada West record for most shutouts by a team in one regular season at 12 matching the mark accomplished by the Pandas in the 2008-09 campaign.

    Huskies sophomore netminder Jessica Vance was the Canada West MVP and a first-team Canada West all-star posting a 14-3-1 record, a 0.77 goals against average, a .964 save percentage and nine shutouts.

    She tied for the second most individual shutouts posted in one regular season in the history of the Canada West Conference equaling the nine put up by former Pandas netminder Stacey McCullough in the 2000-01 campaign. Former Pandas goalie Lindsey Post holds the Canada West record for most shutouts in one regular season at 10 set back in the 2014-15 campaign.

    Captain Kaitlin Willoughby was a second-team Canada West all-star, and she had another stellar season topping the Huskies in scoring with nine goals and 10 assists in 26 regular season appearances.

    Sophomore left-winger Emily Upgang finished second in Huskies team scoring netting seven goals and seven assists appearing in all 28 of her team’s regular season games.

    Fifth-year Winnipeg product Kira Bannatyne and third-year Cochrane, Alta., product Emma Nutter finished tied for scoring among Huskies defenders each posting two goals and four assists appearing in all 28 of the Huskies regular season games.

Goalie Jessica Vance was named the Canada West MVP.

    The Huskies enter the Canada West finals having swept the two-time defending Canada West champion University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in a heated rivalry series.

    U of S has enough veterans on its roster that experience should help the Huskies deal with an excited crowd that will back the Bisons.

    The Bisons are trying to win their third Canada West title in team history. Their last victory came back in 2011.

    The Huskies are trying to capture their second Canada West title in team history with their first win coming in 2014.

    The Herd will be favoured in this series, but the Huskies are capable of spoiling the championship hopes of the host side. The ingredients are there to possibly make this Canada West championship series a classic.

    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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Puck luck finally falling in favour of Huskies’ Haubrich

U of S grinds out victory in Canada West semifinal opener

Brooklyn Haubrich scored win winning goal for the Huskies.

    Brooklyn Haubrich slammed a gorilla off her back.

    The third-year feisty centre with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team is finally having some luck around the net after going through a goal drought of just over two years in length. On Friday afternoon at the ancient Rutherford Rink, Haubrich completed a tick-tack-toe passing play from linemates Emily Upgang and captain Kaitlin Willoughby to score for the Huskies.

    Haubrich’s goal put the Huskies up 1-0 with 6:24 to play in the first period in Game 1 of a Canada West semifinal series against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.

    Willoughby centred a pass from behind the UBC net perfect to Haubrich in front of the goal, and she wasted no time in burying her tally. The Hodgeville, Sask., product’s marker held up as the winner as the Huskies blanked the Thunderbirds, who have won the last two Canada West titles, 2-0.

The Huskies celebrate Brooklyn Haubrich’s first period goal.

    “Honestly, I feel like I’m having good contact with the puck,” said Haubrich. “Obviously, that shot was a shot I just didn’t even thing.

    “I just tried to bury it, and I did. I feel good. I feel like I can put pucks to the net.

    “It is a good feeling going into playoffs.”

    With the win, the Huskies lead the best-of-three series 1-0. They will look to close out the set in Game 2 on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Rutherford.

    Between the regular season and playoffs, the Huskies have won all five head-to-head encounters with the Thunderbirds in 2017-18.

Huskies C Brooklyn Haubrich rubs a UBC player off in the boards.

    Haubrich’s only regular season goal in the 2017-18 U Sports campaign came on February 10, when she scored into an empty net to cap a 3-0 victory over the Mount Royal University Cougars in Calgary. That contest was the Huskies last game before playoffs.

    Before that goal against the Cougars, Haubrich’s previous tally came in her rookie season with the Huskies, when she scored in a 3-1 win on January 29, 2016 against the University of Manitoba Bisons in Winnipeg.

    In her rookie campaign in 2015-16, Haubrich appeared in all 28 of the Huskies regular season games recording four goals and three assists. Last season, she was limited to 18 regular season games due to battling a concussion injury around midseason. She had three assists in that campaign playing on a checking line.

Captain Kaitlin Willoughby drives a shot on goal for the Huskies.

    This season, Haubrich has centred the Huskies top line with Upgang and Willoughby. The high-energy forward, who stands 5-foot-4, appeared in all of the Huskies 28 regular season games recording one goal, nine assists and a plus-13 rating in the plus-minus category.

    While she didn’t find the back of the net until the last regular season game, Haubrich said Upgang and Willoughby were always behind her no matter what happened.

    “It got a little frustrating, when they would set me up point blank, and I couldn’t bury for them,” said Haubrich. “They’ve been so good this year, and they’ve been kind of carrying me along for the ride I guess you could say.

Emily Upgang picked up an assist in the Huskies win on Friday.

    “They are so skilled. My goal was all kudos to them. They did all the work for it.

    “They’ve been awesome. I can’t be happier to play with anyone else.”

    Huskies head coach Steve Kook was pleased to see Haubrich come through on the scoreboard and believed his snakebitten by extremely hard-working centre would find the back of the net. Kook was happy to see Haubrich score against the Thunderbirds on Friday.

    “She (Haubrich) was in the right spot at the right time,” said Kook. “We talked about being in the right spot and arriving on time.

    “If being on time and doing things right is feisty, then that is good. We don’t know when she is going to pot the goal, but she generates a whole lot of chances for us.”

Kira Bannatyne (#20) lets out a yell after scoring for the Huskies.

    In the win over the Thunderbirds, the Huskies had one of their best performances of the season. Just past the halfway point of the third period, they received a key insurance marker form fifth-year defender Kira Bannatyne.

    Taking the puck from left-winger Bailee Bourassa, Bannatyne went coast-to-coast and beat Thunderbirds sophomore netminder Tory Micklash with a smart mid height shot blocker side.

Micklash made 30 saves to give the Thunderbirds a chance to win the game.

    Star sophomore netminder Jessica Vance, who is a first team Canada West all-star, turned away 22 shots to pick up the shutout in goal for the Huskies in her first career U Sports post-season start.

    The Thunderbirds had their chances to score. Early in the second period, fourth year left-winger Emily Costales rang a shot off the post.

Netminder Jessica Vance made 22 saves to pick up a shutout for the Huskies.

    Late in the third period, the Thunderbirds pulled Micklash while working on a power play in a push to try and tie the game.

    While Vance had a strong game, she had help from her defence. Third-year defender Morgan Willoughby had a couple of key shot blocks in the third and she broke up another potential scoring chance in the third in front of the Huskies goal.

    Kook was pleased with his side’s overall performance.

    “I thought for the first 10 minutes we were pretty good at handling what they were chucking at us,” said Kook. “They came at us full force there.

    “We knew that the first 10 minutes was going to be a little bit of a whirlwind. I thought we handled that pretty good. We calmed down and started to play our game a little bit.

The Huskies celebrate their Game 1 victory over the Thunderbirds.

    “The last five minutes for us was outstanding. We just played with a lot of composure. I think that was the difference maker for us.”

    Haubrich said her team will face a big challenge in trying to eliminate the Thunderbirds, who are rated fifth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, from the post-season on Saturday.

    “We know this team is going to come out flying, and I think we have to be able to match their level,” said Haubrich, who is a former captain of the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats female midget AAA team. “Hopefully, we can come out on top and beat them in two.”

    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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Blades OT victory is Flortastic

Newcomer Florchuk nets winner in 4-3 victory over Pats

Eric Florchuk celebrates his OT winner with for the Blades.

    Eric Florchuk welcome to Saskatoon.

    Acquired just before the WHL trade deadline on Jan. 10 in a deal with the Victoria Royals, the Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., product had a head turning performance in his first home game with the Saskatoon Blades. The skilled left-winger scored the Blades first goal on Saturday night at the SaskTel Centre.

    He finished the night tipping home a shot from centre Kirby Dach at the 1:37 mark of overtime to deliver the Blades to a 4-3 overtime victory against the Memorial Cup hosting Regina Pats. Florchuk’s goal sparked the crowd of 4,346 into a frenzy minus the sizable contingent in attendance that came to cheer for the Pats.

    “These games help bring a team together,” said Florchuk, who was selected in the first round and 13^th overall in the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft. “I think this game today was a huge start for us going forward.

Eric Florchuk scored twice for the Blades.

    “These guys have made me feel like I am at home, part of the team. It has been awesome here.”

    Florchuk debuted with the Blades in the three road contests they played before Saturday’s game. Saskatoon posted one victory in that stretch. Florchuk collected four assists in those outings, but the win over the Pats marked the first time he found the back of the net with the Saskatoon side.

    Against the Pats, the Blades coaching staff placed Florchuk on a line with Dach at centre and Max Gerlach at right wing. Florchuk and Dach, who was selected in the first round and second overall by the Blades in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft, grew up playing hockey together in Fort Saskatchewan. Dach returned to the Blades lineup on Saturday after missing 10 games due to an upper body injury.

    Florchuk said he found his chemistry with Dach along with a few other forwards.

    “I think that the organization really wanted me,” said Florchuk. “There was probably a good fit for me being here playing with Kirby (Dach) before growing up with minor hockey all through our years.

    “Even playing with Chase Wouters, it was a great fit for me.”

    The Blades got off to a good start on the scoreboard going ahead 2-0 in the first period with Florchuk’s first goal of the game and a tally from Wouters.

Chase Wouters had a first period goal for the Blades.

    Wouters converted a nice setup pass from overage left-winger Braylon Shmyr from across the face of the Regina goal on a rush.

    While the Blades had the early edge, a now deep Pats team that experienced a big makeover with a number of deals in the days leading up to the WHL trade deadline came at the home side in waves and carried play for much of the contest.

    Nolan Maier, who is the Blades outstanding rookie goalie who turned 17-years-old earlier this month, put on a clinic making miraculous save after miraculous save.

    The Pats pushed back to take a 3-2 lead, but the goals came grudgingly against a determined Maier. Pats overage left-winger Jesse Gabrielle scored with 1:47 to play in the first period to cut the Blades lead to 2-1.

    Former Blades winger and Saskatoon product Cameron Hebig scored for the Pats at the 5:32 mark of the second period to force a 2-2 tie. The Pats acquired Hebig in a deal just before the WHL trade deadline on Jan. 10.

    With 1:17 to play in the second period, Pats superstar captain Sam Steel tucked home a puck close in on the Saskatoon goal to give the visitors a 3-2 edge.

Nolan Maier makes one of his 45 saves on Saturday night.

    While the Pats worked their way into the lead, Maier said his team’s confidence didn’t waiver, and he thought his side’s intensity was where it needed to be.

    “We knew they had some key players in the lineup,” said Maier. “Their whole team is there, and that is what they are going to have for Memorial Cup.

    “We were just really fired up. After not having a very strong weekend by us in our Central (Division) road trip, we needed this one.”

    The Blades came out with a determined effort in the third period. With 7:38 to play in the frame, Blades overage captain Evan Fiala wired home the equalizer to force a 3-3 tie to the top right corner of the Regina goal past Pats rookie netminder Max Paddock.

    That tally set the stage for the dramatic finish in overtime.

Pats captain Sam Steel, left, take the puck from Max Gerlach of the Blades.

    Blades head coach Dean Brockman was pleased to see Florchuk and Dach come through in the clutch along with the effort his side put in.

    “That was the hardest working game we’ve played for a while, so that is a good sign,” said Brockman. “He (Florchuk) made some good plays going to the net and went to the net with your stick down as everybody should tell you.

    “Kirby (Dach) made some good plays to get it (the puck) to him. We talk about getting contributions from everybody, and those guys made theirs tonight.”
    Maier made 45 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Paddock turned away 28 shots to take the setback on goal for the Pats.

    Brockman said Saturday’s victory should do wonders for building team unity.

The Blades celebrate their overtime victory.

    “The old cliché is winning is a lot better than losing,” said Brockman. “When you win, you have to gain some confidence.

    “We lost a little bit on the road and gained it back here tonight.”

    The Blades improved to 23-21-2-1 to hold the second wildcard spot in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. The Pats record moves to 24-20-5, and they hold the first wildcard sport in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a four point edge on the Blades. Saskatoon has two games in hand.

    The Blades return to action on Sunday, when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors (37-7-1-2) at 2 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. The Warriors are entering this contest after enjoying an off day on Saturday. Against the Warriors, the Blades are hosting their “Welcome the World” game, which will feature a citizenship ceremony for about 30 people.

Cooke steals victory for Huskies, sets saves milestone

Jordon Cooke is now third all-time in career saves for the Huskies.

    Jordon Cooke came through with arguable his best performance of the season, when the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team needed it the most.

    On Saturday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, the Huskies superstar netminder turned away all 40 shots he faced to back his side to a 2-0 victory in a U Sports regular season contest over the University of Calgary Dinos before 387 spectators.

    With that performance, Cooke, who is in his fourth year of eligibility, has amassed 2,232 career saves with the Dogs. The 24-year-old Leduc, Alta., product now sits third on the all-time career saves list with the Huskies men’s hockey team.

    Jeff Calvert, who played for the Huskies from 1994 to 1999, now sits fourth on the Huskies career saves list with 2,217 stops. Jeff Harvey, who played for the Huskies from 2005 to 2010, sits second on the Huskies career saves list with 2,308 stops, and Ryan Holfeld, who toiled with the Dogs from 2010 to 2015, tops the Huskies career saves list with 2,602 stops.

    Against the Dinos on Saturday, third-year defenceman MacKenzie Johnston scored to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead in the second period with Josh Roach and Logan McVeigh drawing assists. Roach scored for the Dogs in the third with Colby Harmsworth picking up a helper.

    The clash had a rough ending as Dinos forward Riley Sheen received a head checking major penalty and a game misconduct and Huskies captain Kendall McFaull was given a cross-checking major and a game misconduct with 11 seconds remaining in the third period. Both infractions will likely be reviewed for possible suspensions by Canada West.

    The Huskies, who are rated third in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, improved to 18-3-1 to remain tied for first in the Canada West Conference with the University of Alberta Golden Bears, who are also 18-3-1. The Golden Bears are rated fourth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings. Both teams are guaranteed to host at lead one best-of-three playoff series in the Canada West post-season.

    Matthew Greenfield turned away 24 shots to take the setback in goal for the Dinos. The Dinos fell to 6-13-3 to remain seventh in Canada West.

    The Huskies return to action on Friday, when they travel to Vancouver, B.C., to take on the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.

Vance keeps rolling for Huskies women’s team

Jessica Vance picked up her sixth shutout of the season for the Huskies.

    Another game resulted in another shutout from Jessica Vance.

    The 20-year-old sophomore netminder for the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team made 15 stops to pick up her sixth shutout of the season as the Huskies blanked the U of Calgary Dinos 1-0 in a U Sports regular season clash before 124 spectators at the Father David Bauer Arena in Calgary. In her first full season with the Huskies, Vance has posted a 9-3 record, a 0.84 goals against average and a .961 save percentage.

    Sophomore winger Emily Upgang potted the Huskies lone goal at the 11:05 mark of the third period with linemates captain Kaitlin Willoughby and Brooklyn Haubrich picking up assists.

Kelsey Roberts turned away 38 shots to take the setback in goal for the Dinos.

    The Huskies improved to 14-7-1 to sit fourth in the Canada West Conference. Their win allowed them to lock up a berth and also the right to host at least one best-of-three series in the Canada West playoffs.

    The Dinos fell to 6-14-2 to sit seventh in Canada West.

    Out of the 88 regular season games played to date in the Canada West Conference for women’s hockey, 42 of them have been shutouts. The Huskies lead the conference with nine shutouts as a team, and Vance’s six shutouts have her sitting first for shutouts by an individual goalie.

    The Huskies return to action on Friday, when they host the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

    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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