Huskies drop 3-2 heartbreaker to Cougars after shootout

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

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

    One rival leaves and another one is on the way.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Cougars celebrate a third period equalizer from Paige Hubbard.

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

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

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

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

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

Sophie Lalor scored for the Huskies in the third period.

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

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

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

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

Morgan Willoughby scored for the Huskies in the third period.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jane Kish was stellar in goal for the Cougars.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Cougars celebrate their win on Saturday.

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

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

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

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

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

Huskies thump Cougars, finish second in Canada West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Levi Cable has played 174 consecutive games for the Huskies.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Huskies’ great George saluted at Merlis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    She played for the Huskies women’s team from 2007 to 2012 and is still the squad’s most prolific scorer. George holds the Huskies career records for most regular season goals (86) and points (149).

    Her 63 career regular season assists ranks third in Huskies team history.

    George holds the Huskies record for most goals in one regular season at 28 and points at 46. Those marks were achieved in the 2009-10 campaign.

    She topped the Canada West Conference in goals and points in the 2009-10 season and was named the Canada West MVP.
    The Saskatoon product was a first team Canada West all-star in 2010 and 2011 and a second team Canada West all-star in 2012. She was a first team U Sports all-Canadian in 2010 and 2011.
    George was the first member of the Huskies women’s hockey team to be named the MVP of the Canada West Conference and a U Sports all-Canadian.

    In 2011, George played for Canada’s women’s team at the FISU Winter Universiade in Erzurum, Turkey. She had seven goals and 12 points in seven games helping Canada win gold.

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

    George is currently a physiotherapist in Sherwood Park, Alta.

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

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

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Huskies romp over Cougars

The Huskies celebrate a goal from Abby Shirley, second from left.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Hockey team landed the knockout blows early in this one.

    Playing before 563 spectators at Merlis Belsher Place on Friday, the Huskies stormed out to a 3-0 lead in the first period over their provincial rivals the University of Regina Cougars. The hosts expanded their lead to 4-0 in the second and cruised to a 4-1 victory in the U Sports regular season encounter.

    A total of 11 players recorded at least one point for the Huskies in the dominant performance. The Huskies have faced their challenges when it comes to scoring goals this season, so Friday’s outburst was a welcome one.

Abby Shirley had a goal and an assist for the Huskies on Friday.

    “It felt really good to come out like that strong, and have a good start to it and then continue it all throughout the game,” said Huskies winger Abby Shirley, who had a goal and an assist in the win. “These are some huge games playing against Regina, obviously, and tensions are pretty high every time we meet.

    “It felt really good to come out on top.”

    The Huskies jumped in front 1-0 at the 6:56 mark of the opening frame, when captain Brooklyn Haubrich knocked home a rebound in front of the Cougars net. The tally was Haubrich’s first goal of the season, and it was a welcome development for the feisty forward.

    “That was a sigh of relief,” said Haubrich. “That was a long time coming for me.

Brooklyn Haubrich scored her first goal of the season on Friday.

    “It felt good just to get the monkey off my back.”

    Just 44 seconds later, Shirley collected the puck at the point and hit winger Bailee Bourassa with a long backdoor pass alone at the left side of the Cougars goal, and Bourassa tucked in her fifth goal of the season to give the Huskies a 2-0 lead.

    While those goals sent the Cougars reeling, the visitors were knocked down to the mat with 66 seconds remaining in the first.

    At that point in the contest, fourth-year Huskies standout defender Leah Bohlken sprung energetic rookie forward Kennedy Brown in on a breakaway, and Brown slipped home a backhander to give the hosts a 3-0 advantage.

    “We haven’t had a game like this all season,” said Haubrich. “I would say it was fun to just get ahead and get some good feeling.

    “A lot of good things were happening on the ice. It was fun to put together a full 60 on our part.”

The Cougars and Huskies engaged in a handful of scrums.

    The Cougars pulled starting goaltender Jane Kish after the first period. She turned away 11-of-14 shots sent her way to take the setback in goal. Morgan Baker stopped 21-of-22 shots playing the final two periods in relief.

    The Huskies lead grew to 4-0 at the 16:22 mark of the second, when Shirley potted her fifth goal of the season in close on the Cougars net.

    As the Huskies took command of the game, Haubrich believed her side played with fairly even emotions, which helped lead to the final outcome.

    “I think the reason we were successful tonight is we didn’t get too high on the score,” said Haubrich. “We just said it was a 0-0 period, and we wanted to win the period.

Jessica Vance makes one of her 26 stops in goal for the Huskies.

    “I think we were able to keep our intensity just by not getting too ahead of ourselves.”

    With 66 seconds remaining in the second period, Cougars star forward Jaycee Magwood roofed a shot to the top corner of the Huskies goal to cut the U of S lead to 4-1. Magwood’s goal wasn’t enough to provide a spark to trigger a comeback.

    Huskies star netminder Jessica Vance made 26 saves to pick up the win in goal. She turned away Magwood on an early second period breakaway, when the Cougars were trying to find any type of momentum at that point in the game.

The Huskies celebrate their win over the Cougars on Friday.

    The Huskies improved to 12-6-1 with their third straight win.

    The Cougars fell to 8-8-3 with the setback.

    The two sides will go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.

Shirley said her team is expecting the Cougars to make a big push back in Saturday’s encounter.

    “The coaches were just saying in the room we can’t get too excited now,” said Shirley. “The job isn’t done.

    “Tomorrow, we really have to play like we did today and not let them get in our heads. Just coming out strong like we did today I think is a really huge key thing for tomorrow.”

Back in the Express with Lieffers

Cianna Lieffers has developed into an elite level referee.

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express this week with a cover story on elite hockey referee Cianna Lieffers.

    The 24-year-old worked the 4 Nations Cup women’s hockey tournament last November in Saskatoon. That event featured the senior national teams from Canada, the United States, Finland and Sweden.

    Lieffers, who graduated with two degrees from the University of Saskatchewan, resides in Saskatoon, and she took up officiating at age 11 in her hometown of Cudworth.

    She is a regular on the U Sports women’s hockey and Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League circuits.

    My story on Lieffers can be found by clicking here.

    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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Adversity will make Slobodzian stronger

Expect Stars grad to “bring it” at Hockey Canada camp

Willow Slobodzian controls the puck at the point for the Stars.

    Over the past 12 months, it seemed like adversity piled up on Willow Slobodzian, but you can expect it to help her in hockey.

    Growing up in Clavet and playing her minor hockey in the Saskatoon area, Slobodzian made the game look easy. The offensive-defender skates beautifully and effortlessly, has vision on the ice to see a game no one else sees and can fire home the puck with a gift of a deadly accurate shot.

    There might not be a sweeter sight than Slobodzian going coast-to-coast and wiring home a goal past a startled netminder.

    As she progressed to play with the Saskatoon Stars of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League, tales started to rise up from the local rinks about how good Slobodzian was growing up, and you don’t know if they are true or not. There were a number of stories of her going to all-boys hockey camps growing up and coming away with the camps award as the best defender.

Willow Slobodzian looks to make a pass in the offensive zone.

    Slobodzian, who turned 17 in January, never confirmed those stories when asked about them. She would smile, laugh and shy away from the queries.

    Off the ice, Slobodzian was the most perfect well-manner teenager you could ever meet. During interviews and interactions with others, she carried herself in a fashion similar to the way Wayne Gretzky did in his iconic NHL playing days.

    Slobodzian spoke with politeness, insight and class. She always had great things to say about her teammates, coaches and opponents.

    It seemed like she would have a charmed life in hockey.

    Last summer, new doors started opening in the sport for her. In July of 2016, she attended a women’s high-performance camp hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation in Finland.

    In August of 2016, she took part in Hockey Canada’s under-18 women’s team selection camp. From that camp, Slobodzian was selected to play for Canada in a three-game series against the United States later on that month, but she was left off the roster for the under-18 worlds held in January in the Czech Republic.

Willow Slobodzian gets set to make a pass to her defensive partner.

    That marked the first time Slobodzian, who stands 5-foot-7, had been cut from any hockey team she tried out for. After the initial shock, she didn’t let that get her down.

    She returned to play her third and final season for the Stars and was named the team’s captain for her final campaign. Saskatoon romped through the regular season with a 25-2-1 record and advanced to the SFMAAAHL title series for a third straight year. The Stars won the Fedoruk Cup in 2015 and 2016 and earned a berth in the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament in both those years.

    This time, the Stars season ended in March after they were swept 3-0 in a best-of-five series by a stellar Prince Albert Northern Bears side.

    Shortly after that series ended, Slobodzian’s life was turned upside down, when she discovered she would have to find a new post-secondary hockey home.

Willow Slobodzian sneaks in from the point.

    She had committed to joining the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks women’s hockey team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, but the team was folded in a shocking announcement on March 29.

    Global’s sports department in Saskatoon localized the story, and Slobodzian spoke to them about the situation shortly after it happened. Often in today’s media landscape in Canada, it is starting to be more common place that teenagers in sports are almost viewed as little kids, and they don’t get asked about tough subjects very often.

    The way Slobodzian handled her interview after the Fighting Hawks folded at age 17 showed more maturity than most adults have especially when you consider that tough situation was totally out of her control.

    Slobodzian caught on with the NCAA’s Cornell University Big Red women’s hockey team a short time after the Fighting Hawks women’s team folded and will join the Big Red in Ithaca, New York, for the upcoming season.

    Having graduated from Clavet High School in June, Slobodzian is heading back for a second shot to make Canada’s under-18 women’s team. She will take part in Hockey Canada’s National Teams’ Summer Showcase that runs from Aug. 5 to 13 in Calgary.

    Slobodzian is one of 42 players that are part of the under-18 camp. The invitees include now former Stars teammates and forwards Mackenna Parker and Grace Shirley along with SFMAAAHL defenders Hannah Koroll from the Bears and Taylor Kirwan from the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats.

Willow Slobodzian helped the Stars win two SFMAAAHL titles.

    The players will be dived into two teams that will play two intrasquad games against each other. Each will team will also play two games against an under-18 team from Russia. Besides game action, the players at camp will participate in several practices, off-ice dryland training, fitness testing and classroom sessions.

    From the selection camp, 23 players will be selected to play for Canada’s under-18 team in a three-game series against the United States that runs from Aug. 17 to 20 in Lake Placid, New York. Following the series, Hockey Canada scouts along with the team’s coaching staff will continue to evaluate players to choose Canada’s roster for the 2018 under-18 women’s world championships, which will be held Jan. 6-13 in Dmitrov, Russia.

    Going into this year’s under-18 Hockey Canada camp, Slobodzian will be motivated. In sports, athletes often have to rise past disappointments, and Slobodzian has another golden chance to show she can persevere.

Willow Slobodzian gets set to drive a shot on goal.

    During her three seasons with the Stars, she never missed an SFMAAAHL regular season or post season game. Between the SFMAAAHL regular season and playoffs, Slobodzian appeared in 113 career games collecting 25 goals and 59 assists.

    In the 2015-16 campaign, Slobodzian was named the SFMAAAHL’s top defender and a first team all-star. She was an SFMAAAHL first team all-star this past season.

    She is also physically tough, which might be one of her most underrate traits. One time while playing on Saskatchewan’s provincial team, she was hammered hard into the boards by a member from the University of Regina Cougars women’s hockey team during an exhibition game.

    Slobodzian injured her shoulder, but she played through the injury and was still effective. Besides already being a great player, that moment made her a warrior.

    Slobodzian has always achieved great things, and you can expect she will continue to achieve great things. Her dream and goal is to play for Canada women’s team at the Olympics, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see those hopes become a reality one day.

Shirley, Willoughby and Magwood off to Summer Showcase

Sophie Shirley (#8) helped the Stars win an SFMAAAHL title in 2015.

    Sophie Shirley, Kaitlin Willoughby and Jaycee Magwood will all be participating in Hockey Canada’s National Teams’ Summer Showcase.

    Shirley, who has been part of Canada’s under-18 women’s team for the past two seasons, will be one of 25 players skating as part of Canada’s National Women’s Development Team selection camp. They will be competing for spots on the Canadian team that will compete at the 2018 Nations Cup in Fussen, Germany in January.

    Besides her time with Canada’s under-18 women’s team, Shirley, who is an 18-year-old forward, officially dressed for her first two games with Canada’s Senior National Women’s team in December of 2016 as part of a two-game series in Sarnia, Ont., and Plymouth, Mich., against the United States.

Kaitlin Willoughby gets set to drive a shot on goal.

    The Saskatoon product also played 36 games last season with the Okanagan Hockey Academy’s female prep team based out of Penticton, B.C., collecting 32 goals and 28 assists.

    Shirley helped the Saskatoon Stars win their first SFMAAAHL title in the 2014-15 campaign and earn a bronze medal at the Esso Cup national female midget AAA championship tournament. She was named the SFMAAAHL’s most valuable player that season.

    The players at the development team selection camp will participate in several practices, intrasquad games, off-ice dryland training, fitness testing and classroom sessions.

    They will also play two games against a national team from Japan and two games against a team of all-star players from the U Sports women’s league.

Jaycee Magwood sets to unload a turnaround shot.

    The roster of the U Sports team was announced on Tuesday and it includes Willoughby and Magwood, who both helped Canada win a silver medal at the 2017 Winter Universiade in Almaty, Kazakhstan in February.

    Willoughby is a star centre with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s team. She led the Huskies in scoring last season despite missing time due to her Team Canada commitments recording 11 goals, 10 assists and a plus-nine rating in the plus-minus department in 24 regular season games.

    Her goal total and plus-minus rating were both career highs, and in four seasons, the Prince Albert product has piled up 41 goals and 51 assists in 106 regular season games.

    Magwood is a star forward with the University of Regina Cougars women’s team. She led the Cougars in scoring recording 12 goals, 12 assists and a plus-eight rating. In two seasons, the Killarney, Man., product has posted 23 goals and 27 assists in 52 regular season games.

    The U Sports all-star team consists of 21 players, and they will also the national team from Japan twice.

Amundson commits to Mount Royal

Camryn Amundson drives into the offensive zone for the Bears.

    Speedy Prince Albert Northern Bears forward Camryn Amundson has found a post-secondary home following the completion of her midget AAA career.

    On Monday, the Bears set out a tweet that said Amundson had committed to joining the Mount Royal University Cougars women’s hockey team in U Sports. Last season, Amundson piled up 13 goals and 14 assists in 27 regular season games with the Bears.

    She played a key role in helping the Bears win their second league title recording five goals and three assists as Prince Albert rolled through the SFMAAAHL playoffs to capture the Fedoruk Cup with nine straight wins. The Bears swept a best-of-three Western regional playdown series 2-0 against the Hartney, Man., based Westman Wildcats to advance to the Esso Cup national female midget AAA championship tournament for the first time.

    Amundson will play her 17-year-old and final season of midget AAA eligibility with the Bears in the fall.

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

“Willo’s” Huskies legend keeps growing

Star forward powers U of S with hat trick in 4-3 playoff win

Kaitlin Willoughby, right, celebrates one of her three goals.

    The presence of a couple of former teammates helped give Kaitlin Willoughby an extra kick to play at an all-world level.

    On Friday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, the 21-year-old star forward with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team could peer into the alumni box to see her former linemates Cami Wooster and Marley Ervine were in attendance for Game 1 of a best-of-three playoff series against the rival University of Regina Cougars. 

    When Willoughby was a rookie in the 2013-14, the trio played an extremely important part in helping the Huskies win their first Canada West title.

    That season, Wooster was the super talented captain in her fifth and final year of eligibility, while Ervine was a third-year heart and soul feisty forward. Together, they had a huge influence in helping Willoughby become the U Sports rookie of the year, and their influence continues help Willoughby be the spectacular player and person she is to this very day.

Kaitlin Willoughby gets set for an offensive zone faceoff.

    “They always text me before games too saying they are going to be cheering me on,” said Willoughby, who helped Canada win silver at the FISU Winter Universiade earlier this month in Almaty, Kazakhstan. “That means a lot to like have those girls there just knowing what we’ve done together in the past.

    “It is just awesome to see them there.”

    The Prince Albert product proceeded to put on a show her former teammates could be proud of. She netted a hat trick to power the Huskies to a 4-3 victory before a three-quarters full house at Rutherford.

    Willoughby’s first goal came short-handed on a setup from defender Brooke Patron to put the Huskies up 1-0 early in the second period. After the Cougars went up 2-1, she rocketed home a power-play goal top corner to force 2-2 tie heading into the second intermission.

Kaitlin Willoughby wires home her hat trick goal.

    At the 4:52 mark of the third, Willoughby wired home her third goal of the night to put the Huskies up 3-2.

    “My first goal was pretty lucky there,” said Willoughby. “I just threw it on net.

    “That is what happens when you keep grinding it out. The second two shots I was actually aiming.”

    The contest was also a physical one, and Willoughby didn’t shy away from that aspect of the game either. Besides winning a number of individual battles, she turned heads in the second, when she knocked Cougars defender Krista Metz to the ice. Metz stands an imposing 5-foot-11, and she has a height advantage of five inches on Willoughby.

    Willoughby said her side got locked into the game when Cougars sophomore forward Jaycee Magwood went hard to the net on a rush and nailed Huskies goaltender Cassidy Hendricks early in the first.

Kaitlin Willoughby does a flyby celebration after one of her three goals.

    “I think right off the start we were just like OK we are not letting them have anything tonight,” said Willoughby. “We are not letting that happen again.

    “We beared down, and we battled through.”

    The Huskies lead increased to 4-2, when speedy fourth-year forward Kori Herner scored just two minutes after Willoughby netted her hat trick tally.

    Magwood capitalized on a Huskies giveaway to cut the host’s edge to 4-3 with 3:42 to play. That set the stage for Willoughby to add her final impact on the win.

    With under 35 seconds to play, she broke up ice with the puck and was tripped by Cougars rookie forward Merissa Zerr. That infraction helped put an end to the visitor’s comeback hopes.

    Huskies interim head coach Robin Ulrich said Willoughby definitely stepped up in the series opener.

    “That is an example of what an exceptional player she is and just a difference maker in the game,” said Ulrich. “She is a game breaker, and that is why she is one of the best players in the league.

    “She can make the difference.”

The Huskies celebrate their 4-3 Game 1 victory over the Cougars.

    Tamara McVannel and Magwood both replied with singles for the Cougars.

    Hendricks turned away 28 shots to earn the win in goal for the Huskies. Jane Kish turned away 25 shots to take the loss in goal for the Cougars. Kish hadn’t given up a goal to the Huskies in two regular season starts.

    The win puts the Huskies in position to sweep the series in Game 2 on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

    The overall intensity of Game 1 was fairly high, and Willoughby expected it to be that way that night and for the rest of the series.

    “We go into the game thinking that it is going to be like an intense game,” said Willoughby. “We don’t take anyone lightly.

    “We went out there, and we had some fun with it. I think things just bounced our way tonight.”

    If a series deciding Game 3 is needed, it will be held Sunday night at 7 p.m. at Rutherford.

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

Huskies vs. Cougars - The rivalry will return and be real

Huskies captain Lauren Zary, right, slips a past past a Cougars forward.

    They will say the right things leading up to the first game day, but those words will fail to hide the intensity that is to come.

    On Friday, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies will face the University of Regina Cougars in Game 1 of a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final women’s hockey playoff series at 7 p.m. at the Ancient Rutherford Rink. Game 2 is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. at Rutherford, and if necessary, Game 3 will be held on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Rutherford.

    Don’t be deceived. There is no way anyone on either team wants to be on the losing side of this series.

    The women’s hockey rivalry between the Huskies and Cougars is a rivalry in its purest form. In Western Hockey League terms, this is old Regina Pats taking on the Moose Jaw Warriors, the Saskatoon Blades tangling with the Prince Albert Raiders in the 1980s and 1990s or the Medicine Hat Tigers battling the Red Deer Rebels in the 2000s.

Kaitlin Willoughby has to play at an all-world level to power the Huskies.

    To see proof of that, all one has to do is look back at the last post-season encounter between the Huskies and Cougars, when they engaged in an epic clash in the 2014 Canada West championship series.

    Every game in that series went to overtime, and the best-of-three series between the two sides featured 17 periods of hockey that totaled up to 296 minutes of ice time.

    The series deciding Game 3 was a war. While there were only four minor penalties called in the contest, there were numerous scrums after every whistle where punches were thrown. The game was physical, but it was also played with a lot of skill and heart before a packed crowd of 760 people.

    When the dust settled, the Huskies came away with a 2-1 victory in double overtime, where Kaitlin Willoughby, who was named that season’s U Sports rookie of the year, netted the winner with a shot from the left side wall.

    The Huskies return eight players from that series as do the Cougars, and the veterans do have long memories of what happened in the past. The majority of the players on both sides came up through the minor hockey system in Saskatchewan and know each other well. Those links give this series that much more of an edge.

Jaycee Magwood had a stellar campaign for the Cougars.

    Out of all the teams in Canada West the Huskies could face at home in the post-season, the Cougars are likely the opponent that will be the least affected by the deficiencies and the unique characteristics of the Rutherford Rink.

    They have probably already addressed in team meetings the atmosphere they are going to face. That will include anticipating the fact the majority of the members of the Huskies men’s hockey team, who are on a bye weekend before beginning their post-season run, will likely be in attendance to give the gears to the opposition wearing green and gold.

    Veteran Cougars head coach Sarah (Howald) Hodges, who has had lengthy involvement with Canada’s national women’s team program, always ensures her teams are well prepared. While she may appear to be quiet, she is no nonsense and holds her players to very high expectations. Her players always bring the effort to meet those expectations.

    Expect the Cougars to enter Rutherford as the outlaws looking to wreak the party.

    As far as the regular season went, not much separated these two clubs. The Huskies finished fourth in Canada West with a 15-10-3 record, while the Cougars were fifth with a 14-13-1 mark.

Kylie Gavelin is aiming for a memorable farewell run.

    The biggest difference came in the four regular season encounters, where the Cougars took three of those meetings and outscored the Huskies 7-3.

    Normally, you would assume the Huskies would have the advantage playing at home, but this series is a tossup.

    In order to win, the Huskies have to rely on Willoughby, who is now in her fourth year, captain Lauren Zary and fifth-year veteran goalie Cassidy Hendricks. Willoughby topped the Huskies in scoring with 11 goals and 10 assists in 24 regular season games. The Prince Albert product has been playing at an all-world level for over a month and just came off of helping Canada’s women’s team win a silver medal at the FISU Winter Universiade in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

    Zary appeared in all 28 regular season games for the Huskies netting five goals and 15 assists. Hendricks, who backstopped the Huskies to the 2014 Canada West title, had another stellar year in the U of S net posting an 11-9-3 record, a 1.67 goals against average, a .928 save percentage and two shutouts.

Rachel Johnson dumps a puck into the offensive zone.

    After Zary, the Huskies individual scoring falls off. Fifth-year veteran forward Rachel Johnson finished third in team scoring with six goals and six assists in 28 games.

    Also on the down side, U of S struggled on the power play all season. The Dogs cashed in on only 14-of-132 power-play chances for a 10.6 per cent clip that ranked second last in Canada West and likely cost U of S some wins.

    The Cougars have more a little more scoring depth, and their forward unit includes two players that also played for Canada at the Winter Universiade in Jaycee Magwood and Kylie Gavelin. Magwood, who is a sophomore, topped the Cougars in scoring with 12 goals and 12 assists in 24 games. Gavelin, who is in her fifth and final season, had seven goals and nine assists in 24 games.

    U of R also received solid seasons from third-year forward Emma Waldenberger and four-year forward Kylee Kupper, who both appeared in all 28 regular season games. Waldenberger had nine goals and eight assists, while Kupper had eight goals and eight assists.

    Fifth-year captain Alexis Larson, who also suited up for Canada at the Winter Universiade, eats up a lot of minute on the Cougars blue-line picking up two goals, nine assists and a plus-two rating in 24 regular season games.

Jane Kish (#31) has had a strong season in goal for the Cougars.

    In goal, the Cougars will rely on sophomore Jane Kish to carry the load. During the regular season, the Weyburn, Sask., product posted a 10-9 record, a 2.28 goals against average, a .915 save percentage and three shutouts. Kish backed her hometown Weyburn Gold Wings to an Esso Cup title for female midget AAA hockey national supremacy in 2014.

    One of the big wildcards in the series might be the fact the Huskies are led by positive and upbeat first-year interim head coach Robin Ulrich, who was once a Huskies captain. Ulrich is strong at connecting with her players, and that seems to bring out the best in those wearing the green and white.

    At even strength, the Huskies play as a unit of five has been very strong this season. They need to continue that strong play to transition the puck up ice to create scoring chances.

    On both sides, the ultimate key to the series might be which team can stay the most composed, when the intensity cranks up. When the series wraps up, the winner might just be battle hardened enough to go on a long run that might result in a berth at nationals that run March 16-19 at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

Back in the Express with Hendricks

Goaltender Cassidy Hendricks has had a stellar career with the Huskies.

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express this week with feature story on Hendricks.

    The story went to press right before the Huskies played their final two regular season games, so it doesn’t contain a final update of the impressive final career totals put up by the North Vancouver, B.C., product.

    During her five-year career in regular season play, Hendricks appeared in 117 games, recorded a 57-44-13 record, a 2.04 goals against average, a .922 save percentage and 12 shutouts.
    She ranks third on the all-time Canada West career wins list and first in all-time minutes played at 6,973.

    The story on Hendricks can be found right here.

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