Retirement brings Adolph era of Huskies hockey to a close

U Sports wins leader brought dry humour, honesty

Dave Adolph, centre, makes adjustments from the Huskies bench.

In talking about an injury to one of his players, Dave Adolph decided to show some leg.

Following a playoff win by the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team this past season, Adolph, who is Huskies head coach, was asked in a post-game media scrum about left-winger Collin Shirley leaving the contest early after favouring one of his legs.

The bench boss said his standout player was fine. Adolph proceeded to pull up one of his pant legs to point out the area of the leg Shirley sustained a big bruise to reinforce the skilled forward would be fine from that minor ding.

At times, you almost never knew when the dry humour from Adolph was going to surface. Often, the right situation presented itself to bring it out.

During a Thursday practice this past February, the Huskies were having one of their energetic practices to music, which is a weekly tradition on that day. Adolph is always excited and energetic in a fun way during those sessions.

He would blow his whistle to begin the next drills in that session, and he allowed the players to take control of what was happening on the ice.

Adolph looked like he was going to jump into one of the drills but never did.

Dave Adolph behind the Huskies bench at the Rutherford Rink.

I was able to call him over to the bench to fire off a fun interview question. When Adolph was a defenceman with the Huskies, he helped the Huskies win a national title in 1983 in his fifth and final year of eligibility alongside high scoring captain Willie Desjardins, who is a former NHL bench boss and head coach and general manager of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers.

I mentioned to Adolph that if the Tigers were having a high energy practice like the one the Huskies were having, Desjardins would be trying to score to prove he still had it.

I asked Adolph why he wasn’t trying to score?

“I scored a hat trick once, and I am good,” said Adolph. “There is no need to over-extend it.”

On another occasion back in 2017, the Huskies advanced to the U Sports title of the University Cup national championship tournament to face the host University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds in Fredericton, N.B.

A reporter asked Adolph, who had already been named the U Sports coach of the year for men’s hockey that season, what it would mean if the Huskies could win that title game.

Adolph responded in a matter of fact tone that it would allow him come back and coach next season.

He often would give jabs to long time Saskatoon StarPhoenix sportswriter Darren Zary, and Zary could dish it right back and those exchanges never became personal. Of course, the two have seemingly known each other forever and those exchanges were always seen as fun at the end of the day and created a memory.

Dave Adolph eyes up the on ice action.

U Sports is set to lose one of its all-time biggest beauties, who happens be the circuit’s all-time leader in career regular season victories for men’s hockey at 488.

On Monday, the Huskies announced Adolph would be retiring from his position effective May 1, 2021. Due to the fact all U Sports hockey action has been cancelled for the 2020-21 campaign due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world, the 61-year-old veteran bench boss has already coached his final game with the team.

“After a lot of self-discussion, I’ve decided that now is the right time to step back as the men’s hockey coach,” said Adolph in a release. “Over the last 28 years, the team has accomplished more than I could have imagined, and my family and I are all proud to be members of the Huskie men’s hockey program.”

Overall, Adolph has put in 37 complete seasons with the Huskies men’s hockey team.

He patrolled the blue-line for five seasons. Adolph skated in the 1977-78 campaign, took a season off and returned for four straight campaigns from 1979 to 1983. In total, Adolph appeared in 117 regular season games collecting 10 goals and 34 assists.

The defenceman’s playing days were capped in 1983 by the Huskies winning the U Sports – then known as the CIAU - title game 6-2 over the Concordia University Stingers at the University Cup tournament held in Moncton, N.B.

Following his playing days, Adolph became a teacher at Saskatoon’s Aden Bowman Collegiate and rejoined the Huskies as an assistant coach for five seasons from 1984 to 1989.

The Swift Current, Sask., product then left “The Bridge City” to become the head coach of the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns men’s hockey team for four seasons from 1989 to 1993.

Adolph returned to his alma mater becoming the Huskies head coach before the start of the 1993-94 campaign.

Between his time with the Pronghorns and Huskies, Adolph coached in 1,016 games including action in the U Sports regular season, Canada West Conference playoffs and University Cup tournament collecting 568 wins, 402 losses including extra time setbacks and 46 ties.

The Huskies team picture from their 2016 Canada West title win.

In U Sports regular season action, Adolph has coach in 868 games posting a U Sports career record 488 wins, 334 losses including extra time setbacks and 46 ties.

With just the Huskies, Adolph has coached in 904 games including action in the U Sports regular season, Canada West Conference playoffs, and University Cup tournament collecting 536 wins, 330 losses including extra time setbacks and 38 ties. He was named the Canada West coach of the year for men’s hockey on four occasions.

In U Sports regular season action as Huskies head coach, Adolph has been behind the bench for 756 games posting 456 wins, 262 losses including extra time setbacks and 38 ties.

All those wins were piled up with the Huskies calling the ancient Rutherford Rink and then Merlis Belsher Place home.

After the Huskies missed the post-season in the first two seasons under Adolph’s watch, he has guided the Huskies to their current active streak of making the playoffs for 25 campaigns in a row. Adolph has coached the Huskies to seven Canada West titles and 16 appearances in the U Sports championship tournament - the University Cup.

A quote on Twitter from one of Adolph’s former captains in star offensive-defenceman Jesse Forsberg gives a glimpse into why Adolph was successful.

What a legend! Not an easy gig coaching guys with big egos out of junior. Won’t find a more passionate or loyal guy. Believed in me to grow from an average junior player with a hot temper to an All-Canadian..with a hot temper. Going to be tough to replace. What a career! #3types

— Jesse Forsberg (@jbforsberg) December 7, 2020

Forsberg wrote, “What a legend! Not an easy gig coaching guys with big egos out of junior. Won’t find a more passionate or loyal guy. Believed in me to grow from an average junior player with a hot temper to an All-Canadian with a hot temper. Going to be tough to replace. What a career! #3types.”

Dave Adolph, back row right, focuses on the play on ice.

To be fair, Forsberg might have been a bit too hard in describing what the players were like when they came to the Huskies. What Forsberg’s comment did get at was the managing that Adolph had to do.

The players that came to Adolph out of the junior ranks were guided by a wide variety of coaches like Desjardins, Peter Anholt, Michael Dyck, Marc Habscheid, Don Hay, Lorne Molleken and Brent Sutter.

Players that arrive to a new team after being under the tutelage of those bench bosses have a programmed set idea of what things are supposed to look like when they are going right. Each of those visions will be slightly different from each other.

Adolph was able to mold the commonalities to get everyone to bond and jell together, while dealing with regular university politics too.

All of sudden, mottos like “no one outworks the Dogs” or “we all play the Cody Smuk way” became part of who the players were.

The “we all play the Cody Smuk way” motto came in tribute to hard-working, team-first, glue guy forward Cody Smuk, who passed away from cancer at age 26 in June of 2015. The players aspired to continue to hold those qualities high.

The players also learned pretty quickly that Adolph knows the game of hockey real well too.

Dave Adolph, back row left, keeps cool during a timeout.

It was common to see players that weren’t maybe viewed as professional prospects in junior develop into professional prospects by the end of their time with the Huskies. In a number of cases, those players should have been catching the eye of the NHL, but that will have to go down as the NHL’s loss.

Upon arrival, players learned they had become part of a new family in Huskies hockey that dated back to 1910. For players who had a strong identification with their junior teams like Brennan Bosch and Ryan Holfeld did with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers and Derek Hulak did with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, they learned they could have that same strong identification with the Huskies.

Adolph will always be proud to note the players took care of their school work in the classroom too, which set them up for life after hockey.

Of course, the toughest pill to swallow on the wins and losses front was the fact the Huskies made the U Sports title game three times with Adolph as head coach and fell in all three appearances.

The most heartbreaking was arguably in 2005. The Huskies held a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes and ended up in a 4-3 overtime loss to the host University of Alberta Golden Bears, who are the Huskies “forever rivals,” at the rink once known as the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Alta.

Adolph deserved to win at least one U Sports national title as Huskies head coach. The fact that didn’t happen leans more to the lesson that life and sports isn’t fair sometimes.

You can a major number of things right, but the big team goal might still be never achieved.

Molleken as Blades head coach and general manager and Jack Brodsky as Blades owner went through a similar fate in the major junior ranks never being able to win a WHL title or a Memorial Cup title as CHL champions. They both did a large amount of things right and deserved to achieve those big accomplishments in WHL and Memorial Cup titles at least once.

The Huskies team photo from the 2020 Canada West title win.

Adolph did things the right way and had his own dry sense of humour spin on things while doing them. He was one of kind, and the head coach that takes the Huskies men’s hockey team into the era after the COVID-19 pandemic will have monster shoes to fill.

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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Fiala perfect fit for Huskies

Evan Fiala brings the puck up ice for the Huskies.

    Home is where the heart is for Evan Fiala.

    After he graduated from the WHL as the captain of the Saskatoon Blades at the end of the 2017-18 campaign, Fiala, who resides just outside of Saskatoon in Calvet, Sask., didn’t want to stray too far from his stomping grounds.

    The defensive defenceman signed on to play with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays, who are based in North Charleston, South Carolina, to finish off the 2017-18 campaign after the Blades failed to make the WHL playoffs. Fiala skated in 10 regular season games scoring one goal in that stretch and four post-season games with the Stingrays.

Evan Fiala controls the puck behind his own net.

    For the 2018-19 campaign, Fiala wanted to play close to home, and he was hoping the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team would come calling. The Huskies came calling, and Fiala jumped at the chance to join the storied and historic U Sports squad.

    “The fact they were in my hometown pretty much is huge,” said Fiala, who still skates in almost every situation with a big smile on his face. “I’ve got family, and I’ve got a good fanbase here that has always supported me.

    “It made the decision pretty easy.”

    As a rookie in 2018-19, Fiala played in 25 regular season games for the Huskies posting four assists and a plus-eight rating in the plus-minus department. U of S finished first in the Canada West Conference with a 25-3 record.

    Fiala had a plus-five rating playing in all five of the Huskies games in the Canada West Conference playoffs.

    At the University Cup national championship tournament last March, he played in all three of the Huskies games in that event posting a goal and a plus-three rating.

Evan Fiala (#27) had two assists on Friday night.

    On Friday night before 1,064 spectators at Merlis Belsher Place, the 22-year-old collected a pair of assists and a plus-two rating helping the Huskies blank the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns 5-0. The victory was the first for the Huskies in the 2019-20 regular season helping them improve to 1-3-1.

    Fiala has played in all five of the Huskies games in the current campaign posting four assists and a minus-one rating.

    When he joined the Huskies, Fiala knew they had graduated their captain in Kendall McFaull at the conclusion of the 2017-18 campaign. McFaull was a stellar defenceman who was strong in his own zone.

Evan Fiala’s mom Julie Fiala, left, watches Friday night’s game.

    Fiala was aware there was a spot open to get on the ice right away, but he knew that spot wasn’t just going to be given to him.

    “You have to prove yourself no matter what situation you are in,” said Fiala, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 210 pounds. “Thankfully, things have worked out that I’ve been able to play the games I have.

    “Hopefully, I can keep that spot.”

    During his WHL career that ran from 2014 to 2018, Fiala appeared in 266 regular season games split between the Spokane Chiefs and the Blades posting 17 goals, 53 assists, 500 penalty minutes and a plus-21 rating. He said the U Sports game is played at a higher pace than what is seen in the WHL due to the fact the players are more experienced being aged usually anywhere from age 19 to 26.

Evan Fiala passes the puck to a teammate.

    “It is definitely a step up,” said Fiala. “It is faster.

    “Everyone is bigger. It is a tonne of fun also. Everyone is usually where they need to be.

    “Everyone has been through it. They understand situations, and that is what makes the guys in there good. Everyone is on the same page.”

    Fiala enjoyed playing with the Huskies veteran players last season, and he said they played a big role in helping him get used to the U Sports league. He said star offensive defenceman Jesse Forsberg really made him feel like he belonged.

    Forsberg was the Huskies captain last season in his fifth and final campaign of eligibility.

    “We had a fantastic veteran group last year Jesse (Forsberg) especially,” said Fiala. “He is definitely missed.

    “He was a good role model also. You’re not going to see a more passionate guy.”

    Going into this season, the Huskies appeared to have strong defensive unit on paper, but the injury bug decided to wreak havoc on things in the early going. 

Evan Fiala (#27) can be a presence when things get rough.

    The Dogs were short four defencemen at one time due to injury and are still without third-year rearguard Sam Ruopp and fourth-year blue-liner Colby Harmsworth.

    Fiala said the players currently dressing for games on the Huskies back end are starting to find their groove in filling the void left by Ruopp and Harmsworth.

    “Those are two big sets of shoes to fill,” said Fiala. “Spags (Cody Spagrud) and Franny (Kendall Fransoo) have done an amazing job.

    “They are great D-men to play with. It definitely helps our squad.”

    In Friday’s game, the Huskies opened the scoring at the 8:01 mark of the first period, when left-winger Carter Folk blew home a shot from in front of the Lethbridge goal after taking a drop pass from Fiala.

    Just over five minutes later, the Huskies went up 2-0, when centre Logan McVeigh tipped home a point shot from Spagrud.

    Working on a power play 87 seconds into the second frame, Huskies right-winger Carson Stadnyk took the puck at the right side of the Pronghorns goal, did a spin-o-rama and tucked home a shot past Pronghorns starting netminder Taz Burman. The tally gave the host side a 3-0 edge.

Evan Fiala monitors action in the offensive zone from the point.

    The Pronghorns elected to pull Burman after the Huskies third goal. He turned away 13-of-16 shots fired his way.

    Backup Nik Amundrud turned away 22-of-24 shots in relief.

    At the 3:16 mark of the second, Huskies defenceman Shane Collins wired home a shot from in front of the Pronghorns for a 4-0 lead.

    Before the second period ended, the Huskies went ahead 5-0, when Stadnyk netted his second of the contest on shot coming off a rush up the left wing. Fiala picked up his second assist of the contest on Stadnyk’s second tally.

    Taran Kozun stopped 18 shots to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Huskies.

Evan Fiala (#27) and the Huskies celebrate Friday’s win.

    Fiala was happy the Huskies broke through on the win column. The education major could potentially play three more seasons at U of S, but he said he doesn’t look past what is happening in the present day.

    “I’m right here right now, and it has been so far so good,” said Fiala. “I will focus on this season and see what happens in the future.”

    The Huskies and Pronghorns (3-2) go at it again on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    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 had great season but still get in their own way

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Taran Kozun had a costly misadventure with the puck.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alex Forsberg engaged in some rough stuff too.

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

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

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

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

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

Kohl Bauml lost his cool in a U Sports semifinal.

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

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

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

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

Parker Thomas scored his final U Sports goal on Sunday.

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

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

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

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“Rat Line” pulls Golden Bears even with Huskies in Canada West Championship series

The Golden Bears celebrate a goal from captain Riley Kieser.

    Needing a win to stay alive in the Canada West Championship series, the “Rat Line” hit top gear for the University of Alberta Golden Bears men’s hockey team.

    U of A’s forward unit centred by captain Riley Kieser flanked by Cole Sanford at right wing and Trevor Cox at left wing played like three Theo Fleurys on the ice. They brought agitation and skill knocking the University of Saskatchewan Huskies off their game on Saturday and accounted for the Golden Bears first two goals.

    When the dust settled at Merlis Belsher Place, the Golden Bears skated away with a 3-0 victory over the Huskies in Game 2 of the best-of-three Canada West final before a packed crowd of 2,643 spectators. The win by the Golden Bears evens the series at 1-1 and forces a series deciding Game 3 on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Merlis.

Riley Kieser had a goal and an assist for the Golden Bears.

    The Huskies claimed Game 1 by a 4-2 score on Friday at Merlis.

    Following Saturday’s game, Kieser said the Golden Bears entered Game 2 with the goal of coming out with a better work ethic, more intensity and were trying to avoid getting too pretty in the skill department.

    “We won one-on-one battles,” said Kieser. “We got pucks in deep and made them work in their defensive zone. It was a lot more fun game to play.”

    Kieser’s line seemed to be in the centre of all sorts of little skirmishes in the opening frame. It appeared that unit in particular had a different sort of high intensity to their game playing at their “pest best.”

    After a scoreless first period, Kieser opened the game’s scoring 19 seconds into the second period, when he ripped home a goal from the top of the left faceoff circle. Sanford picked up an assist on the tally.

Cole Sanford had a pair of assists for the Golden Bears.

    “It is always helpful to get that first goal,” said Kieser. “It definitely gives you confidence.

    “We weren’t able to get that yesterday, but we got it today and just rolled with it.”

    At the 13:46 mark of the second period, the “Rat Line” struck again to put the Golden Bears up 2-0. Kieser had the puck behind the Huskies net and slipped a beauty centring pass to Cox in front of the U of S goal.

    Cox fired home the insurance marker with Sanford picking up an assist on the play as well.

    The trio also has all sorts of playoff experience coming in both the WHL and U Sports.

    Kieser helped the Edmonton Oil Kings win the WHL and Memorial Cup championships in his final season of major junior hockey in 2013-14. Upon joining the Golden Bears, he helped U of A win the David Johnston University Cup as U Sports national champions in his first campaign with the team in 2014-15 and last season.

Trevor Cox had a goal for the Golden Bears.

    Cox and Sanford helped the Medicine Hat Tigers advance to the WHL Eastern Conference Championship series in 2013-14 and were key players helping the Golden Bears win the Canada West Conference and U Sports national titles last season.

    “It is great to play with those two guys,” said Kieser. “They definitely bring a lot to the game.

    “They play with a lot of intensity and a lot of work ethic. I think all four of our lines came out hard tonight, but we were fortunate on a couple of goals, so that definitely set tone.”

    Grayson Pawlenchuk, who was the Canada West rookie of the year, capped the Golden Bears victory scoring a power-play goal from a bad angle at the 9:11 mark of the third period.

Trevor Cox (#36) and Riley Kieser (#14) agitated the Huskies.

    Zach Sawchenko stopped 20 shots to pick up the shutout win for the Golden Bears. Taran Kozun made 27 saves to the setback in goal for the Huskies.

    Saturday’s clash, which was the 510^th overall meeting between the two sides, was very much a rivalry game that included both teams delivering a lot of extra shots after whistles. The officials would attend to a scrum at one end of the ice, and something underhanded would happen at the other end of the ice.

    Huskie sophomore defenceman Sam Ruopp was slammed hard on a couple of occasions including being the victim of a hard hit from behind by Cox in the first period and being nailed by another U of A player in the third period.

Saturday’s game was filled with lots of rough stuff.

    Near the end of the contest, the Huskies became totally unraveled.

    With 2:11 remaining in the third, Huskies sophomore forward Alex Forsberg tackled Cox and was given a tripping minor, a roughing minor and a 10-minute misconduct. Huskies captain Jesse Forsberg, who is Alex’s older brother, also received a 10-minute misconduct at that point in the game.

    At the 19:22 mark of the third, Huskies left-winger and agitator Jaimen Yakubowski was given a roughing major, while centre Wyatt Johnson and right-winger Carter Folk were given 10-minute misconducts during the same stoppage.

Golden Bears RW Brandon Magee and Huskies D Jesse Forsberg get tied up.

    Folk actually gave a love tap cross check to a linesman, which resulted in his misconduct.
    The Huskies finished the game with 58 minutes in penalties, while the Golden Bears had 12 minutes of infraction accessed against them.

    “It is always a good feeling to know that they are getting frustrated,” said Kieser. “You just want to keep playing your game, play the right way and you will get rewarded, and that is what we did today.”

    When the puck drops for Sunday’s series deciding Game 3 between these “forever rivals,” Kieser believes the Huskies will be over their frustrations and his side has to be ready for a most focused push back from the U of S side.

The Golden Bears celebrate their win on Saturday night.

    “It is do or die again,” said Kieser. “We came out battling for our lives today, and we’re going to do the same tomorrow.
    “It is going to be a great game.”

    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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Wyatt’s moment – Huskies centre gets winner in Game 1 of Canada West final

Wyatt Johnson (#26) celebrates scoring for the Huskies on Friday.

    What a difference a year makes for Wyatt Johnson when it comes to the Canada West Championship series.

    A year ago, the two-way centre was in his sophomore season with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team, and he was unable to play in the best-of-three Canada West final against the University of Alberta Golden Bears due to a concussion injury. The Golden Bears swept that year’s series 2-0 in Edmonton, Alta., and ultimately captured the U Sports national title.

    Now in his third season with the Huskies, Johnson was on the ice Friday night at Merlis Belsher Place as his squad opened the Canada West Championship series taking on the Golden Bears for a fourth year in a row.

Wyatt Johnson breaks into the offensive zone for the Huskies.

    The graduate of the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels and Spokane Chiefs made the biggest play in the Huskies 4-2 victory over their “forever rivals” in Game 1. With U of S holding a 2-1 edge in the second period, Johnson converted a picturesque passing for a power-play goal to give the Huskies a 3-1 advantage to the delight of the 2,583 spectators that jammed into the brand new rink.

    “It is unreal,” said Johnson about playing in this year’s Canada West final. “Obviously, last year was tough watching.

    “I played it in my first year, so I knew what to expect. It is awesome to be back.”

    The Huskies were working on a five-on-three power play when Johnson scored. Offensive defenceman and Huskies captain Jesse Forsberg started the play by slipping a pass to the right side of the Golden Bears net to Huskies winger Collin Shirley.

Taran Kozun makes one of his 24 saves in goal for the Huskies.

    Shirley quickly fed a backdoor pass to Johnson, who fired his goal into an empty cage.

    Johnson was pumped his team took Game 1, which means the Huskies will have a chance to wrap up the series in Game 2 on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place. If the Golden Bears force a series-deciding Game 3, it will be held on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Merlis.

    Following Friday’s win, Johnson was already looking focusing on what his team has to do to close out the series.

    “Every game, everybody rises in intensity,” said Johnson, who had five goals and 10 assists in 22 regular season games with the Huskies in the current campaign. “Every game as you get into playoffs, everybody starts bearing down on pucks more, and the intensity rises.

Brandon Magee scored the Golden Bears first goal.

    “We have to up our level, and I am sure they will over there too.”

    While the Huskies and Golden Bears know each other well, the 509^th overall meeting between the two squads on Friday started with a bit of a feeling out period.

    Just 2:32 into the opening frame, Huskies fiery left-winger Jaimen Yakubowski roofed home the game’s first goal short side over the left shoulder of Golden Bears star netminder Zach Sawchenko to give the host side a 1-0 lead.

    Huskies head coach Dave Adolph thought Yakubowski’s tally gave his side some early traction.

    “We were pretty uptight,” said Adolph. “The whole game was played kind of uptight, and the ice wasn’t great.

    “We thought in this brand new facility that things would be a little bit better, but the puck was bouncing everywhere on both teams. It was a little unnerving. I think that we scored the first goal and that might have been the difference in the night.

    “I think if they would have scored we would have been a little bit more nervous. Jaimen Yakubowski scores and it kind of just calms the sails a little bit.”

Huskies LW Jaimen Yakubowski is turned away on a scoring chance.

    Before the first period ended, the Golden Bears pulled even at 1-1, when right-winger Brandon Magee wired home a power-play goal from the top of the left faceoff circle.

    The Huskies hit another gear in the second period. At the 4:06 mark of the frame, Huskies fifth-year right-winger Parker Thomas slipped home a shot from the front of the U of A goal to put his squad up 2-1.

    Johnson’s power-play goal came just under three-and-a-half minutes later.

    “You never really separate yourself from this team, and I think they would probably say the same thing,” said Adolph. “I think we were opportunistic.

Parker Thomas had a goal on Friday for the Huskies.

    “We got a five-on-three power play and scored. You have to do that in a clutch game, and that might have been the difference on the night.”

    When it appeared the Huskies had total control of the game, the Golden Bears got themselves back into the contest, when fourth-year right-winger Jayden Hart scored on the power-play with 40.4 seconds remaining in the second period to cut the U of S edge to 3-2.

    The Huskies argued both the puck was knocked in with a high stick and star netminder Taran Kozun was interfered with to no avail.

    The hosts sealed the win with 4:02 remaining in the third period, when Huskies rookie defenceman Gordie Ballhorn sprung sophomore right-winger Carter Folk on a partial breakaway. Folk wired home a shot glove side to put the Huskies up 4-2.

Huskies G Taran Kozun,left, gets tangled with Golden Bears LW Trevor Cox.

    Kozun turned away 24 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies. Sawchenko stopped 21 shots to take the setback in goal for the Golden Bears.

    Friday’s encounter included a number of scrums and some chippy play, which is expected when the Huskies and Golden Bears face each other.

    Golden Bears top agitator Trevor Cox tried to do his thing, which included standing in front of Kozun and waving his stick in the air in the third period. The two got tangled together later on in the frame.

    Cox’s linemate, Cole Sanford, also tried to stir things up too.

    Adolph said his side always has to be aware that both Cox and Sanford are dynamic players, which adds to the challenge of countering the duo.

Huskies captain Jesse Forsberg, left, fights to get to a loose puck.

    “Not only are they a little pesky, but they are also highly skilled,” said Adolph. “If they can get you chasing them around a little bit, their skill will prevail.

    “I think that we were calm enough tonight to handle it. We have to do it again. It is a best of three.”

    When the teams hit the ice for Game 2 on Saturday, the Huskies will be trying to win the Canada West title for the first time since 2016, when they swept the Golden Bears 2-0 at the ancient Rutherford Rink.

    Johnson said the players on his team are aware of what they can accomplish with one more win.

    “Obviously, the excitement is huge,” Johnson. “We try and stay even keel, but everyone knows what is on the line tomorrow.

The Huskies celebrate their Game 1 victory on Friday.

    “We have to come a do a job.”

    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 break longstanding wins record with sweep of Cougars

Kozun breaks into goaltending record books too

Parker Thomas and Taran Kozun mark a Huskies win.

    It had been tied on a couple of occasions before finally being broken.

    On Saturday before 1,670 spectators at Merlis Belsher Place, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team thumped the Mount Royal University Cougars 6-1 in a U Sports regular season contest to improve to 23-3. With their 23^rd win, the Huskies set a new team record for wins in one regular season.

    The old record of 22 wins was posted on three occasions. The former mark of 22 victories was first established in the 1987-88 season, when the Huskies posted a record of 22 wins, five losses and one tie.

    The Dogs reached 22 wins again in the 1999-2000 regular season posting a record of 22 wins, three losses and three ties. The record was last equaled in the 2015-16 campaign when the Huskies posted a 22-6 record. That season marks the last time the Huskies won the Canada West title.

Taran Kozun has posted 19 wins in goal this season for the Huskies.

    U of S equaled its former wins record on Friday downing Mount Royal 1-0 in double overtime before 1,713 spectators at Merlis Belsher Place.
    Fourth-year winger Levi Cable scored the only goal of the contest at the 1:35 mark of a second five-minute overtime period with captain Jesse Forsberg picking up the assist.
    Taran Kozun made 14 saves to pick up the shutout in goal for the Huskies. Rookie Riley Morris turned away 44 shots to take the setback in goal for the Cougars.

    In Saturday’s encounter between these two squads, the Huskies led 1-0 after the first period and 2-0 after the second frame. They expanded their edge to 6-0 in the third before the Cougars rounded out the game’s scoring with the final goal.

    Forsberg scored twice for the Huskies, while Carter Folk, Donovan Neuls, Collin Shirley and Sam Ruopp had singles. Connor Chartier had the lone reply for the Cougars.

    Kozun made 25 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies.

Levi Cable had the double OT winner for the Huskies on Friday.

    Fourth-year netminder Colin Cooper turned away 34 shots to take the setback in goal for the Cougars, who fell to 12-12-2 to remain fourth in Canada West.

    When Chartier beat Kozun at the 15:58 mark of the third period, that goal ended a shutout streak that lasted an impressive 267 minutes and 32 seconds for the Huskies puck stopper. Kozun’s streak, which spanned over five games, set a new Canada West Conference record for the longest consecutive shutout streak in regular season play.
    Before being beaten by Chartier, Kozun last allowed a goal to Brooks Maxwell of the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns at the 14:11 mark of the second period in a 5-4 Huskies win in Lethbridge on Jan. 19.

    The old Canada West record for longest consecutive shutout streak in regular season play was held by former University of Calgary Dinos goalie Kris Lazaruk. During the 2014-15 campaign, Lazaruk posted a shutout streak lasting 255 minutes and three seconds that spanned over five games.

Jesse Forsberg had a big weekend for the Huskies.

    With the sweep of the Cougars in the books, Kozun, who is in his sophomore season, has posted an impressive 19-3 record, a 1.79 goals against average, a .926 save percentage and five shutouts in goal for the Huskies this season.

    The Nipawin, Sask., product has matched the Huskies team record for most wins in one regular season by a goaltender. He shares the record with former teammate a recent Huskies grad in Jordon Cooke.
    Cooke recorded 19 wins in two separate regular seasons in 2015-16 and 2016-17.

    As a team, the Huskies are one point shy of matching their team record for most standings points collected in one regular season, which currently sits at 47 points set in the 1999-2000 campaign.

    The Huskies, who are rated third in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, have won their last eight straight games, and with their 23-3 mark, they top the Canada West standings with a one point lead over the defending conference and U Sports national champion University of Alberta Golden Bears (22-3-1).
    The Golden Bears, who are rated first in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, have won 11 straight and have recorded points in their last 19 regular season games. 

Donovan Neuls scored for the Huskies on Saturday.

    If the Huskies can win their final two regular season games, they will lock up first place in the Canada West regular season standings for the third time in the last four years.

    They close the regular season by traveling to Winnipeg to face the University of Manitoba Bisons (6-18-2) on Friday and Saturday.

    The Golden Bears conclude their regular season with a pair of games against the Dinos (18-6-1-1). The two squads meet Friday in Calgary and Saturday in Edmonton.

    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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