U Sports hockey a hidden gem in Canada’s sports scene

The U of S Huskies and Mount Royal University Cougars battle it out.

The Rodney Dangerfield leagues in hockey are those that exist in U Sports.

While it might not totally be accurate to say the men’s and women’s hockey leagues that make up U Sports get no respect, they don’t get the overall love they likely deserve. The coaching in U Sports hockey is as good as you will find anywhere in the sport, and the athletes train at an elite level, are highly skilled and some of the best you will find in the 18 to 26 age group.

It can be argued that the hockey played in U Sports might be the best hockey you will find played at the amateur level in Canada.

On the men’s side the bulk of the rosters for most teams are made up of former players from one of the three major junior leagues that play under the CHL umbrella in the OHL, QMJHL and WHL. Often, those players join their U Sports teams as 21-year-olds and are mature players.

A lot of the top scorers from the CHL don’t automatically move on to the professional level. They will often go the university route to obtain a degree in order to pursue a fallback career before trying to pursue a professional hockey playing career.

In the WHL, players get a year of tuition, compulsory fees and textbooks paid for at a post-secondary institution for every season they spend on that major junior circuit. Players who don’t get drafted by an NHL team or sign with an NHL club as a free agent often decide to go the post-secondary route.

Joelle Fiala in action for the Thunderbirds.

The level of play in U Sports is really high due to the experience of the players. New players find out everyone knows systems play really well, and when you start a rush up ice, everyone is where they are supposed to be and doing what they are supposed to be.

In the major junior ranks, there is constant learning going on with that aspect of the game.

The thing you won’t find in the U Sports ranks that you will in the major junior ranks are players who are first round NHL Entry Draft selections, or players that will become first round NHL Entry Draft selections. On other words, you won’t find Regina Pats phenom centre Connor Bedard or Moose Jaw Warriors star centre Brayden Yager on a U Sports roster.

You will find former CHL stars and standouts on U Sports rosters like WHL alums Riley Sawchuk, Riley Stotts, Jakin Smallwood, Matt Fonteyne, Connor Hobbs, Jared Dmytriw and Carl Tetachuk.

On the women’s side, the bulk of the rosters are made up of the top players that graduate from Canada’s female under-18 AAA ranks right out of high school. Unlike the men’s side, there is no major junior level in Canada for women’s hockey.

The women’s U Sports ranks are missing who would be the equivalent of the first round NHL Entry Draft selections in the female game. Those players usually flock to the NCAA Division I ranks in the United States.

You won’t see Saskatoon products Sophie Shirley or Emily Clark in the U Sports ranks. Shirley is playing through her final season with the University of Wisconsin Badgers having been part of two NCAA championship winning teams in 2019 and 2021.

Jared Dmytriw in action for the Huskies.

Clark also played her university level career with the Badgers and was a member of the NCAA championship team during her final campaign in 2018-19. Clark is best known as a veteran with Canada’s Senior National Women’s team being a part of gold medal winners at worlds in 2021 and 2022 and the Winter Olympics in 2022.

With that noted, players have come back from the NCAA Division I ranks to play in the U Sports women’s ranks. High scoring forward Amy Potomak decided she didn’t want to finish up her university eligibility with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.

 The Aldergrove, B.C., product chose to be closer to home and is finishing her final campaign of college eligibility with the Trinity Western University Spartans in Langley, B.C.

Joelle Fiala, who is a forward that plays a gritty and high scoring game, played her first two seasons with the Robert Morris University Colonials. 

After Robert Morris University elected to suspend both its men’s and women’s hockey programs in May of 2021, Fiala, who is from Clavet, Sask., elected to return to Canada and play for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the U Sports ranks.

Many stars and standouts from Canada’s female under-18 AAA ranks remained in Canada and flourished in the U Sports ranks like Tatum Amy, Madison Willan, Hannah Koroll, Abby Soyko and Camryn Drever.

Men’s and women’s U Sports teams will play some of the best hockey seen in Canada often before very little fanfare. Among the 18 teams that make up the Canada West Conference in men’s and women’s play, only five squads averaged more than 300 spectators per game for the 2022-23 regular season that just wrapped up.

Camryn Drever in action for the Huskies.

Those teams include the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, the University of Alberta Golden Bears, the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds and the University of Calgary Dinos on the men’s side along with the U of S Huskies Women’s Team.

The Huskies Men’s Team had the top attendance in Canada West averaging 1,290 spectators per game.

With playoffs set to begin this coming weekend, chances are those attendances should have a little bit of an increase.

With all that noted, those that haven’t seen a U Sports men’s or women’s hockey game are missing out. Those that have made those contests have gotten to witness something special on a nightly basis.

Towriss gets Kinsmen Sportsman of the Year nod, other notes

Brian Towriss keeps piling up accolades.

The accolades are still coming for Brian Towriss.

Back on February 3, the retired University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team head coach was officially recognized as the Kinsmen Sportsman of the Year for 2021. He was one of three Sportsmen of the Year who were honoured at the 61^st annual Saskatoon Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Dinner that was held at TCU Place.

The dinner was held for the first time since February of 2020 after being cancelled in 2021 and 2022 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

Towriss, who was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2017, guided the Huskies as head coach from 1984 to 2016. During that time, Towriss posted a 167-96-1 regular season record and a 29-22 post-season record for a 196-118-1 combined slate.

He guided the Huskies to 11 Canada West Conference titles and three Vanier Cup titles as U Sports champions coming in 1990, 1996 and 1998.

Towriss played defensive tackle for the Huskies from 1974 to 1977. He was an assistant coach with the Huskies from 1980 to 1983 before becoming the team’s head coach.

Dave Moore was named the Sportsman of the Year for 2020 for his lifetime work as a softball umpire and a curling volunteer. Derek Bloski took the honours as the Sportsman of the Year for 2022 for his lifetime work as a hockey official and coach and softball coach.

The U of S Huskies Football Team was named the Kinsmen Team of the Year for 2022. The Huskies topped the Canada West Conference regular season standings with a 7-1 mark, won the Canada West title for a second straight year and advanced to the Vanier Cup for a second straight year.

The Huskies fell in the 2022 Vanier Cup 30-24 to the University Laval Rouge et Or at Western Alumni Stadium in London, Ont. In the 2021 Vanier Cup played at Stade Telus – Universite Laval in Quebec City, Quebec, the Huskies dropped a 27-21 decision to the University of Western Ontario Mustangs.

Emily Clark, who is a veteran forward with Canada’s Senior National Women’s Hockey Team, was named the Kinsmen Athlete of the Year for 2022. In 2022, Clark helped Canada win gold at the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, in February.

An Emily Clark hockey card.

At the women’s worlds hosted in late August and early September in 2022 in Herning and Frederikshavn, Denmark, Clark helped Canada win gold at that tourney for a second straight year. This past January, Clark was named Sask Sport’s Female Athlete of the Year for 2022.

Also at the Kinsmen dinner, the Kinsmen Lloyd Saunders Athletic Scholarship Awards were given to soccer player Sophie Lavallee and football player Dawson Lennea.

The $2,000 scholarship is designated to further the recipient’s education at the post-secondary level. Outstanding high school athletic involvement, community involvement and community service are some of the key selection criteria.

Lavallee graduated from Holy Cross High School in June of 2022. In her Grade 12 year at Holy Cross, she was captain of the Crusaders senior girls’ soccer team and led them to city and provincial championships in an undefeated season. Lavallee is attending MacEwan University studying arts and science and is a member of the Griffiths Women’s Soccer Team.

Lennea graduated from Bishop James Mahoney High School in June of 2022. Besides playing football, Lennea also took part in hockey, curling, cross country running, track and field, gold and badminton. He was a member of the Saints Football Team at Bishop James Mahoney.

After his high school graduation, Lennea is continuing his education at the U of S studying in arts and science and is a member of the Huskies Football Team.

The annual Saskatoon Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Dinner brought in a trio of Toronto Blue Jays players as special guests in Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alek Manoah and Jordan Romano. Beside the MLB players, Sportsnet broadcaster Jamie Campbell was brought in as a special guest as well.

Other special guests included Saskatchewan born and raised pitchers Andrew Albers and Dustin Molleken, who both pitched in the MLB, along with Brayden Lenius and Derrick Moncrief, who play with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

• On Monday, the WHL announced that former Brandon Wheat Kings head coach, general manager, governor and owner Kelly McCrimmon was named the recipient of the WHL Governors Award. McCrimmon joined the Wheat Kings as an assistant general manager in 1988-89. He became a part owner of the team in 1992-93 and the team’s sole owner in 2000-01. He sold the team following the 2019-20 campaign. McCrimmon is currently the general manager of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.
• Lukas Dragicevic has turned into the player to watch for the WHL’s Tri-City Americans. The 17-year-old defenceman leads the Americans in scoring with 59 points coming off 13 goals and 46 assists to go with a plus-four rating in the plus-minus department. Dragicevic, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 181 pounds, sits second in scoring among WHL defencemen. The Richmond, B.C., product is rated 12^th among North American Skaters in the NHL Central Scouting Mid-Term Rankings.
• On February 9, I had new content appear on the Howe Happening blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a feature on baseball player and Saskatoon product Nolan Machibroda signing with the MLB’s Minnesota Twins. That piece can be found by clicking right here. I also created a photo roundup that mainly highlighted the busy activity happening at the Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval and the Indoor Training Centre. That piece can be found by clicking 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.

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Shirley, Leschyshyn, Fiala era comes to an end for Stars

The Saskatoon Stars have produced many memorable moments like this.

    It is one of those times when you are stuck in denial.

    After the Saskatoon Stars fell 3-2 after a tiebreaking shootout to the Ontario-based Stoney Creek Sabres in the bronze medal game of the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament on Saturday, it hits you that the Stars season is done.

    The conclusion of that contest held at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex in Sudbury, Ont., brings forward another reality.

    Grace Shirley, Anna Leschyshyn and Joelle Fiala will never skate for the Stars again.

    When August comes, they will be departing for the United States to play for women’s hockey teams in the NCAA ranks. Shirley will join the University of Wisconsin Badgers, Leschyshyn will suit up for the Syracuse University Orange and Fiala will play for the Robert Morris University Colonials.

Grace Shirley, right, at the Stars 2015 SFMAAAHL title win.

    All three joined the Stars on a full-time basis as 14-year-old underage rookies in the 2015-16 campaign and quickly shot up to star status.

    That trio were the constants in the Stars last three appearances at Esso Cup including last year and in 2016. This season, Shirley was the Stars captain, while Leschyshyn and Joelle Fiala served as assistant captains along with offensive defender Ashley Messier, who turned 17-years-old in late March.

    Shirley and Leschyshyn each played a handful of games for the Stars as associate player call ups in 2014-15.

    Leschyshyn was on the ice the night the Stars won their first Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League title on March 25, 2015. She picked up an assist in the Stars 2-0 victory over the Prince Albert Northern Bears that clinched the SFMAAAHL championship series.

    The Stars took Shirley to that year’s Esso Cup tournament in Red Deer, Alta., and she dressed for all seven of Saskatoon’s games.

Captain Grace Shirley in action for the Stars this season.

    Shirley is the only player to hit the ice for all 28 games the Stars have played at Esso Cup posting 16 goals and six assists for 22 points.

    They are linked extremely tight to the identity of the team. To think they will no longer be in the Stars lineup next season seems difficult to fathom.

    When the Stars returned to the Esso Cup for the fourth time in the last five years, hopes were high that this would be there year. They would make the one or two plays they hadn’t made in past years and one or two breaks would go their way allowing Shirley, Leschyshyn and Fiala to graduate as national champions.

Anna Leschyshyn in action for the Stars on March 25, 2015.

    Like the past three visits that didn’t turn out to be.

    Playing in one of the tournament’s tougher fields of six teams, the Stars finished first in the preliminary round standings with a 4-1 record.

    To show how unpredictable the results could be, the preliminary round loss the Stars suffered was a 7-3 drubbing to the As de Quebec on Monday.

    Saskatoon followed that up with a pair of one-goal wins in regulation including a 3-2 victory over the Alberta-based St. Albert Slash on Tuesday and a 3-2 triumph over the host Sudbury Lady Wolves on Wednesday.

    On Thursday, Leschyshyn set Esso Cup single game records for goals (five) and points (eight) in the Stars 11-1 win over the Halifax Fire.

Anna Leschyshyn in action for the Stars this season.

    Leschyshyn took home the award as the tourament’s top scorer with six goals and seven assists for 13 points. Messier took home honours as the tournament’s top defender posting three assists in seven games.

    The Slash and Lady Wolves ultimately met in Saturday’s championship game, where the Slash won a third straight national title with a 4-1 victory.

    The Stars made the national “frozen four” like their three previous visits to the Esso Cup and like those previous visits more heartbreak ensued.

    On Friday, the Stars faced the Slash in one of two semifinal contests. Defender Dayle Ross scored for the Slash 30 seconds into the third period to break a scoreless deadlock.

Joelle Fiala (#27) celebrates scoring in the 2016 SFMAAAHL final.

    Shirley and Fiala combined to set up standout forward Kaitlin Jockims to score the equalizer for the Stars with 1:34 remaining in the third to force a 1-1 tie and overtime.

    Captain Madison Willan scored 2:46 into overtime to deliver a 2-1 victory to the Slash.

    Arden Kliewer made 26 saves to take the setback in goal for the Stars. Brianna Sank turned away 22 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Slash.

    Out of the four times the Stars had played in a national semifinal, they picked up one win and lost two games in extra time. In Saskatoon’s first visit to the Esso Cup in 2015, they dropped a 2-1 decision after a tiebreaking shootout to the host Red Deer Chiefs.

    In Saturday’s bronze medal game against the Sabres, the Stars took a 1-0 lead at the 2:57 mark of the second period, when Fiala and Jayda Sachs combined to set up Calli Arnold for her third goal of the tournament.

Joelle Fiala in action for the Stars this season.

    Just 48 seconds into the third, the Stars expanded their lead to 2-0, when Arnold set up Shirley for her seventh marker of the tourney.

    The Sabres rallied scoring twice to force a 2-2 tie and overtime with singles coming from Tessa Holk and Alicia Juras. Juras netted the equalizer with 4:30 remaining in the third, when the Sabres were short-handed.

    Saskatoon held a 24-7 edge in shots on goal through the third period and overtime.

    The Sabres took the tiebreaking shootout 4-1 scoring on all four of their chances. Jenna Duarte, Alicia Juras, Vanessa Upson and Alyssa Kawa all scored for the Sabres.

    Fiala tallied in the shootout for the Stars.

    Rookie Kaitlyn Cadrain turned away 19 shots in regulation and overtime in goal for the Stars. Megan Warrener stopped 37 shots in regulation and overtime in goal for the Sabres and two-of-three shooters in the shootout.

    The shootout at Esso Cup is conducted under international rules. 

Grace Tam played with heart in her final season for the Stars.

    The bronze medal clash provided another heartbreaker that didn’t go the Stars way at Esso Cup.

    The toughest aspect for the Stars to digest from their Esso Cup appearances is that they could have legitimately one the event two to three times. Out of their four appearances, they took home a bronze medal in 2015 and fell to the Slash 2-1 in last year’s title game.

    They still had a spectacular season in 2018-19 posting a 47-3-2-1 overall record that included winning the prestigious Mandi Schwartz Memorial Tournament, the SFMAAAHL title and the Western regional playdown series. Saskatoon posted its best ever record in regular season play at 27-1.

    Shirley, Leschyshyn and Fiala were generational greats the Stars may never replace.

    Shirley appeared in 107 career regular season games becoming the Stars all-time leader in goals (97) and points (166). She graduates as the third all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL.

Kaitlin Jockims concluded her time with the Stars as a hot scorer.

    Leschyshyn appeared in 115 career regular season games becoming the Stars third all-time leading scorer posting 72 goals and 80 assists for 152 points. She graduates as the fifth all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL.

    Fiala appeared in 112 career regular season games becoming the all-time leader in assists at 83. She had 47 goals and 130 points to become the team’s fourth all-time leading scorer and the eighth all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL.

    At the moment, no one is near cracking 100 points in SFMAAAHL career regular season play, so Shirley, Leschyshyn and Fiala will likely remain high on the all-time scoring list for some time.

Abby DeCorby was solid on defence for the Stars.

    All total, the Stars will graduate seven players this year as Jockims, Sachs and defender Grace Tam and Abby DeCorby have all exhausted their midget AAA eligibility along with Shirley, Leschyshyn and Fiala.

    A year ago, the Stars graduated Mackenna Parker, who is the SFMAAAHL’s third all-time leading scorer, Kianna Dietz, Jordyn Holmes, Jordyn Gerlitz, Jordan Ivanco and Dana Wood. In 2017, the graduates included Julia Rongve, Abby Shirley and Willow Slobodzian.

    The bulk of the players who were responsible for the Stars run of success over the past five seasons under head coach Greg Slobodzian are gone.

    The returning players and future additions will create their own identity with the team.

    Will they match the accomplishments the team posted over the last five seasons? That in all reality is too much to ask.

Jayda Sachs picked up points during important moments for the Stars.

    In NHL terms, how often have the Edmonton Oilers matched what their club accomplished with a roster of generational players in the 1980s following their last Stanley Cup win in 1990?

    Of course, they have never duplicated the run they had in their heydays in the 1980s.

    The era of Shirley, Leschyshyn and Fiala marked a unique time in the history of the Stars that contained lots of good times. It is too much to ask for a run like they’ve had to happen again.

    Their time with the team was truly something to behold.

    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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Sting of gold medal loss fuels Stars at Esso Cup

The Stars to make their fourth trip to Esso Cup a golden one.

    Out of the massive amount of games the Saskatoon Stars have won, a single setback sticks our prominently in the minds of the returning players from last season.

    A year ago, the Stars made it to the championship game of the Esso Cup female midget AAA national hockey championship tournament for the first time in team history.

    In the title game at the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre in Bridgewater, N.S., the Stars dropped a 2-1 heartbreaker to the Alberta-based St. Albert Slash, who captured the national title for a second straight year.

    The Stars had been 14-0 at that point in the post-season and were riding a 24-game winning streak. Saskatoon finished the 2017-18 campaign with a 44-7-1 overall record.

Captain Grace Shirley will go down as one of the Stars all-time greats.

    The Stars topped the regular season standings in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League as well, but the Esso Cup championship game loss created a tough way to end the campaign on.

    “I think coming into the season we were all having that in the back of our minds,” said Stars captain Grace Shirley. “It pushed us and it motivated us.

    “I think that is why we had some of the success that we did this year is just because we were motivated and we want to win the gold this year.”

    The Stars are going back to the Esso Cup for the fourth time in the last five years. This year’s tournament starts Sunday and run through to April 27 at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex in Sudbury, Ont.

    Saskatoon begins round robin play taking on Ontario provincial finalist the Stoney Creek Sabres on Sunday. The host Sudbury Lady Wolves captured the Ontario female midget AAA provincial crown, which allowed Stoney Creek to qualify for the nationals as the runner-up in the Ontario final.

Arden Kliewer is set to carry the big game load for the Stars.

    The Sabres were 11-7-4 in the regular season in the Lower Lakes Female Hockey League and are 5-2 so far in the post-season.

    The Stars finished first in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League for a fifth straight year. This season, they posted their best regular season record ever at 27-1.

    Saskatoon has an 8-1 record so far in the post-season winning the SFMAAAHL title and a Western regional playdown series to qualify for the Esso Cup tournament. Overall, the Stars have a 43-2-1 record in the 2018-19 campaign.

    A year ago, Stars netminder Arden Kliewer watched from the bench as veteran Jordan Ivanco, who was the squad’s 17-year-old veteran, had a solid game stopped 16 shots to take the setback in goal for the Stars in the title game to the Slash.

    What was tougher to watch was the face Camryn Drever turned away 14 shots to pick up the win in the Slash goal and was assisted by the fact her teammates blocked a tonne of shots.

    “Even just kind of closer to Esso just kind of thinking about last year, it is definitely still part of it that stings a little bit,” said Kliewer. “Especially just because how we lost to them, we were so close.

Kaitlin Jockims has piled up the points this season for the Stars.

    “We were on that big winning streak. And then all of a sudden, the one game we had to lose was that final. It is really still sticking around there.”

    Kliewer is one of 13 returning players from last year’s squad for the Stars this season. In her third campaign with the team, she is having her best season with the Stars.

    Kliewer, who turned 17-years-old in February, was outstanding in the regular season posting a 16-0 record, a 1.21 goals against average, a .941 save percentage and seven shutouts. She will be called up tend goal for the Stars most critical contests at Esso Cup.

    “I’m getting a little nervous knowing that I’m going to be kind of the go to for the tournament,” said Kliewer. “I am definitely excited to kind of go there and help my team like I have throughout the season and kind of show Canada that we deserve to win this.”

Anna Leschyshyn has been one of the Stars constant top performers.

    Shirley led the Stars in regular season scoring with 27 goals and 21 assists for 48 points. She was the second leading scorer in the SFMAAAHL.

    Kaitlin Jockims, who is another standout 17-year-old forward, finished second in Stars team scoring with 21 goals and 24 assists for 45 points. All of those totals were career highs for Jockims.

    Anna Leschyshyn was third in team scoring with 18 goals and 21 assists for 39 points and is also looking to graduate from the midget AAA ranks after this season on a high note.

    Joelle Fiala, who is also playing her final midget AAA season, was fourth in team scoring with 11 goals and 24 assists for 35 points.

    The Stars have a strong defensive unit that can get things done offensively as well. Ashley Messier, who just turned 17-years-old in late March, led all Stars defenders in regular season scoring with career highs in goals (five), assists (27) and points (32).

Joelle Fiala has made her mark as one of the Stars all-time best playmakers.

    Chace Sperling, who turned 17-years-old in January, had a breakout year on the back end posting career highs in regular season play in goals (eight), assists (12) and points (20).

    Stars head coach Greg Slobodzian is full of anticipation for this return trip to the Esso Cup.

    “I can’t remember being this excited for going back actually,” said Slobodzian. “Whether it is a feeling of not really unfinished business, I think you are going back with 13 girls that had such a great experience but came up short.

    “Now, they know exactly what it takes. A lot of things have to happen in regards to whether it is staying healthy, the things that you can’t control. I think we’re really, really prepared.

    “Whenever you are prepared for something it is exciting to jump into. I think that is the feeling we have as a group.”

Ashley Messier is one of the Stars most dynamic players.

    In the opener against the Stars, the Sabres will be looking to get big games from forwards Tiana Faccio, Regan Minor and Vanessa Upson.

    The Esso Cup nationals are a six team tournament, and this year’s field features the Stars, Sabres, Lady Wolves, the defending champion Slash, the Halifax Fire from Nova Scotia and the As de Quebec from Quebec City, Quebec.

    The six teams play each other once in a round robin, and the top four teams advance to two semifinal games. The semifinal games are slated for April 26. The bronze and gold medal games follow on April 27.

    Shirley was on the Stars roster in their three previous visits to the Esso Cup in 2015, 2016 and last season. She played in the 2015 tournament as an associate player call up.

    In total, she has appeared in 21 games at the Esso Cup tournament collecting nine goals and four assists.

    She gives the Slash full marks for winning last year’s title game, but believes her team will find a way to come out on top this year.

    “I think they (the Slash) are a good team, and we don’t want to take anything away from them,” said Shirley. “At the end of the day, I think we just need to focus on what we can do.

The Saskatoon Stars hope to enjoy a celebration like this at Esso Cup.

    “If we go out there and if we play our game, then I think hopefully we’ll find success that way.”

    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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Stars advance to SFMAAAHL final for fifth straight year

Saskatoon eliminates Notre Dame with 3-1 win in Game 4

Joelle Fiala scored the winning goal for the Stars on Thursday.

    A slight scare ultimately couldn’t keep the Saskatoon Stars from returning to the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League championship series for a fifth straight year.

    On Thursday at the Duncan McNeill Arena in Wilcox, the Stars fell behind 1-0 to the host Notre Dame Hounds before rallying for a 3-1 victory in Game 4 of a SFMAAAHL semifinal series. With the win, the Stars take the best-of-five series 3-1.

    Saskatoon advances to the best-of-five SFMAAAHL championship series to play for the Fedoruk Cup for a fifth straight year. The Stars won the league title in 2015, 2016 and last season.

    They will face the Regina Rebels in this year’s league final. Saskatoon topped the SFMAAAHL regular season standings with a 27-1 record, while Regina finished second with a 17-7-4 mark. Game 1 of the SFMAAAHL final is set for Saturday at 7:45 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    The Stars were forced to play a Game 4 of their semifinal series against the Hounds on Thursday after Notre Dame prevailed 2-1 in double overtime in Game 3 on Tuesday at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon.

    Notre Dame hit the scoreboard first in Game 4 when 16-year-old defender Jada Livingston scored at the 10:21 mark of the first period to give the host side a 1-0 edge.

Kaitlyn Ross made 25 saves in goal for the Hounds on Thursday.

    Coming out after the first intermission, the Stars proceeded to control play the rest of the way.

    At the 3:58 mark of the second, Stars 15-year-old sophomore forward Makena Kushniruk potted the equalizer that forced a 1-1 tie.

    Veteran centre Joelle Fiala netted what would be the game and series winner for the Stars just over four minutes after Kushniruk’s tally to put Saskatoon ahead 2-1.

    Veteran forward Anna Leschyshyn added a key insurance marker at the 9:27 mark of the third to round out the 3-1 victory for the visitors.

    Arden Kliewer made 12 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Stars. Kaitlyn Ross turned away 25 shots to take the setback in goal for the Hounds in the final outing of her stellar midget AAA career.

    Notre Dame finished fifth in the SFMAAAHL with a 12-13-3 regular season record and eliminated the Prince Albert Northern Bears 3-1 in a best-of-five SFMAAAHL quarter-final series.

    Last season, the Stars swept the Bears 3-0 in the best-of-five SFMAAAHL championship series. Saskatoon will be making a record eighth overall appearance in the league final.

Bohlken’s OT winner pushes Rebels into SFMAAAHL final

Larissa Bohlken scored the OT winner for the Rebels.

    Larissa Bohlken found some magic in overtime to become a playoff hero for the Regina Rebels.

    On Wednesday at the Fairview Arena in Swift Current, Bohlken, who is a sophomore defender, scored the winner at the 4:13 mark of overtime to give her Rebels a 3-2 victory over the host Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats in Game 4 of a SFMAAAHL semifinal series. With the win, the Rebels take the best-of-five series 3-1.

    Regina advances to the best-of-five SFMAAAHL championship series to play for the Fedoruk Cup for the first time since 2014. The Rebels fell in that year’s league final to the Weyburn Richardson Pioneer Gold Wings, who advanced on to win the Esso Cup as national female midget AAA hockey champions.

    Regina won the SFMAAAHL championship in the 2012-13 season and advanced to the Esso Cup national championship tournament finishing fourth.

    The Rebels will face the defending SFMAAAHL champion Saskatoon Stars in the best-of-five SFMAAAHL final. Game 1 for the SFMAAAHL championship series is set for 7:45 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon.

    Against the Wildcats on Wednesday, the Rebels took a 2-0 lead in the second period with goals coming from the sticks of veteran forward Lauren Focht and Bohlken, who scored her first of two on the night.

    The Wildcats evened things up at 2-2 early in the third period with goals coming from the sticks of 17-year-old veteran forward Carissa Hogan and SFMAAAHL MVP Taylor Lind. Lind scored short-handed to force the 2-2 tie with 14:14 remaining in the third period.

Taylor Lind scored for the Wildcats on Wednesday.

    Both Hogan and Lind ultimately played the final games of the respective stellar midget AAA careers.

    After the Wildcats tied things up, that set the stage for Bohlken to score her second goal of the night to become the overtime hero for the Rebels.

    Chantel Weller stopped 21 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Rebels. Amaya Giraudier turned away 29 shots to take the setback in goal for the Wildcats.

    The Rebels finished second in the SFMAAAHL regular season standings with a 17-7-4 mark, while the Wildcats placed third with a 17-10-1 record.

    The Rebels and Wildcats split the first two games of their SFMAAAHL semifinal series. Regina went ahead 2-1 in the series taking Game 3 on Tuesday 4-2 at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.

    In that contest, Emma DeCorby, Kaylee Dyer, Focht and Jordan Fry netted singles for the Rebels. Kamryn Johnson and Sara Kendall replied with singles for the Wildcats.

    Weller made 27 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Rebels. Giraudier turned away 19 shots to take the setback in goal for the Wildcats.

    The Rebels swept away the Melville Prairie Fire 3-0 in a best-of-five SFMAAAHL quarter-final series. The Wildcats swept away the Battlefords Sharks 3-0 in another best-of-five SFMAAAHL quarter-final series.

    Back in 2013, the Rebels swept the Prince Albert Northern Bears 3-0 in the best-of-five SFMAAAHL championship series.

    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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Hounds stay alive, take double OT thriller over Stars

The Hounds celebrate a double OT winner from Lyndsey Janes.

    The belief factor just took a big jump up to another stratosphere for the Notre Dame Hounds.

    Facing elimination from the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League playoffs, the Hounds came through with arguably one of their best performances of the campaign against the defending league champion Saskatoon Stars on Tuesday night.

    At the 14:54 mark of double overtime, Hounds star 17-year-old forward Lyndsey Janes scored a power-play goal from the right side of the Saskatoon net to give her squad a 2-1 road victory at Merlis Belsher Place in Game 3 of a SFMAAAHL semifinal series.

    With the win, the Hounds cut the Stars lead in the best-of-five series to 2-1. Notre Dame will host Game 4 on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Duncan McNeill Arena in Wilcox.

Lyndsey Janes scored the double OT winner for the Hounds on Tuesday.

    If a series deciding Game 5 is needed, it will be held Friday at 8:30 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    The Hounds appeared to be facing a tall task in trying to extend their series with the Stars. Heading into action on Tuesday, Saskatoon had won all seven encounters with Notre Dame in the 2018-19 campaign including action in the regular season, post-season and the championship game of the Mandi Schwartz Memorial Tournament, which the Hounds host.

    The Stars posted their best ever regular season record at 27-1 to top the SFMAAAHL standings. The Hounds finished fifth with a 12-13-3 mark.

Joelle Fiala had the Stars goal on Tuesday.

    The Hounds were also outscored by the Stars 9-1 over Games 1 and 2 of their SFMAAAHL semifinal series.

    Still, the Hounds displayed confidence at the start of Tuesday’s contest. In the first period, they were able to slow the game down with a neutral zone trap and held a 7-5 edge in shots on goal.

    The visitors continued to control play through the first half of the second period before the momentum changed.

    The Stars finally broke through on the scoreboard at the 10:05 mark of the second, when 17-year-old veteran standout forward Joelle Fiala scored from close in. At the time of Fiala’s goal, the Hounds held a 15-8 edge in shots on goal.

    Early in the third, the Stars had two golden chances to extend their edge and seal the game from star forward Anna Leschyshyn and defender Chace Sperling, but Hounds star 17-year-old goaltender Kaitlyn Ross slammed the door shut on both occasions.

Kaitlyn Ross made one of her 40 saves in goal for the Hounds.

    Thanks to Ross’s play in goal, the Hounds were able pull even at 1-1, when Janes set up defender Kas Kingston for a power-play goal at the 9:33 mark of the third.

    Before the third ended, Fiala had a prime chance from the front of the Notre Dame goal to put the Stars back out in front, but she was denied by the glove had of Ross.

    In the first overtime period that was 10 minutes in length, Stars netminder Arden Kliewer made a number of big saves to keep the game going as Notre Dame held a 7-3 edge in shots on goal.

Ross’s biggest save in that first extra frame came early, when she denied a drive from Stars star captain Grace Shirley.
    In the second overtime frame, Ross’s glove hand robbed Stars sophomore forward Makena Kushniruk from netting the winning goal.

Arden Kliewer made 32 saves in goal for the Stars.

    That set the stage for Janes to come through with the winner after 84 minutes and 54 seconds of game action.

    Ross turned away 40 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Hounds. Kliewer made 32 saves to take the setback in goal for the Stars.

    On Tuesday, the Hounds showed they won’t bow out of the SFMAAAHL playoffs quietly.

    On the other side, the Stars have journeyed through the SFMAAAHL campaign with very little adversity until now. Now the Stars players are going to have to show their character in rebounding from Tuesday’s heartbreaking setback.

    All of a sudden, the SFMAAAHL semifinal series between the Stars and Hounds has intrigue, because Saskatoon can’t be penciled automatically into the league championship series.

    The Hounds now truly believe they can win, and you could see it in their eyes, when they departed Merlis Belsher Place on Tuesday night.

Back in the Express with Messier

Ashley Messier is the Stars best defender.

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express this week with a feature story on Saskatoon Stars offensive defender Ashley Messier.

    Messier joined the Stars as a 14-year-old underage player in 2016-17. Now in her third season, she has been one of the squad’s standouts for some time.

    Now a 16-year-old veteran, Messier set career highs this season with five goals and 27 assists helping the Stars post their best regular season record ever at 27-1.

    Recently, Messier was named the winner of the SFMAAAHL’s Colleen Sostorics Top Defenceman award, and she claimed honours as a first team all-star.

    Messier’s family also has big connections to the game.

    The story on Messier can be found by clicking 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.

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Last hurrah for special SFMAAAHL grad class

Allison Hayhurst has been the heart and soul of the Prairie Fire.

    This might be one of the most bittersweet playoffs in the history of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League due to the final hurrahs that will take place.

    As the SFMAAAHL post-season kicked into motion on Thursday night, the players from arguably one of the circuit’s most special grad classes are skating their final handful of games in their midget AAA careers. While these grads will be moving on after their various teams conclude their playoff runs, these games provide a great chance to see and salute a fantastic group of individuals.

    These playoffs feature five of the league’s top nine all-time leading scorers in regular season play. It is highly likely the SFMAAAHL won’t see something like this again during the rest of its history, or it will be a very long time before something like this happens again.

Taylor Lind left her mark as one of the SFMAAAHL’s all-time bests.

    The SFMAAAHL’s graduating class this season includes a well-respected defender who will likely be the last to hit a lofty games played total.

    The graduating class includes Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats star captain Taylor Lind.

    Lind finished her regular season career as the second all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL in regular season play. She piled up 93 goals and 77 assists for 170 points in 83 regular season games. The Shaunavon, Sask., product is the Wildcats all-time leader in career regular season goals, assists and points.

    For the second time in three seasons, Lind won the SFMAAAHL scoring title posting 29 goals and 31 assists for 60 points this season. Her assist and point totals are career highs.

    Next season, Lind is slated to the join the Lindenwood University Lions women’s hockey team in St. Charles, Missouri, in the NCAA ranks. She has one season of midget AAA eligibility remaining but is set to graduate high school a year early.

Grace Shirley has come through in many clutch moments for the Stars.

    If she did play another season, odds were good that she could have overtaken Olivia Howe as the all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL. Howe piled up 107 goals and 100 assists in 106 regular season games played with the Notre Dame Hounds from 2008 to 2012.

    A trio of stars from the Saskatoon Stars make up the special grad class.

    Captain Grace Shirley finished up as the third all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL in regular season play. She collected 97 goals and 69 assists for 166 points in 107 regular season games. She is the Stars all-time leader in career regular season goals and points.
    Anna Leschyshyn concluded regular season play as the fifth all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL. 

Anna Leschyshyn piled up 152 career regular season points.

    She recorded 72 goals and 80 assists for 152 points in 115 regular season games. Leschyshyn is just the fifth player in the history of the SFMAAAHL to record 80 or more career regular season assists.

    Joelle Fiala closes regular season play as the eighth all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL. She posted 47 goals and 83 assists for 130 points in 112 regular season games. She is the Stars all-time leader in career regular season assists.

    Shirley, Leschyshyn and Fiala have been key contributors in the Stars success over the last four seasons, which included appearing at the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament in 2016 and winning a silver medal at the Esso Cup last season. They will try to make the Stars march to the Esso Cup for the fourth time in five seasons.
    Prince Albert Northern Bears captain Abby Soyko finished as the ninth all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL. 

Joelle Fiala is the Stars all-time leader in career assists.

    She posted 65 goals and 63 assists for 128 points in 136 regular season games played for the Bears over five seasons. Soyko is the Bears all-time leader in regular season games played, goals and points and shares the team career regular season assists record with former Bears captain Kaitlin Willoughby.

    Willoughby, who plays professionally with the Calgary Inferno of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, recorded 34 goals and 63 assists for 97 points playing in 96 career regular season games with the Bears from 2008 to 2013. At the moment, Willoughby is the captain of Canada’s women’s hockey team competing at the FISU Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

    The valedictorian of the class might be defender Allison Hayhurst from the Melville Prairie Fire.

Hayhurst became the third person in the history of the SFMAAAHL to play in 139 career regular season games. The other two players to hit that mark are both former Prairie Fire defenders.
    Karli Reeve suited up for 139 regular season games playing for the Prairie Fire from 2007 to 2011 collecting seven goals and 23 assists. Erin Armstrong, who was one of Hayhurst’s former teammates, played in all 140 of the Prairie Fire’s regular season games from 2013 to 2018 collecting six goals and 18 assists.

Abby Soyko pushed the Bears to new heights in her career.

    Hayhurst became a player who was sound at both ends of the ice. While being great defensively, the Wapella product had 22 goals and 47 assists for 69 points in her 139 career regular season games. She quarterbacked the power play for the Prairie Fire and was “the franchise” of that team.

    As the rules will be changed next season to further limit underage players from playing in the midget AAA ranks, Hayhurst might be the last player to play in 139 career regular season games. She will depart to the U Sports ranks next season playing for the Nipissing University Lakers women’s hockey team.

    The exploits of this grad class is special. Together, they ensured and are continuing to ensure in the post-season that the SFMAAAHL had an amazing and unique campaign in 2018-19. It is a campaign the likes of which the SFMAAAHL will never see again.

    NOTES – All three of the SFMAAAHL’s best-of-five quarter-final series began on Thursday. In Prince Albert, the visiting Hounds slipped past the host Northern Bears 3-2, the host Wildcats in Swift Current downed the visiting Battlefords Sharks 6-2 and the host Regina Rebels blanked the Prairie Fire 5-0. The Stars have a bye into a best-of-five semifinal series.

Hilltops’ “Sarge” named Sask Sport’s coach of the year

Tom Sargeant was named Sask Sport’s coach of the year.

    The Canadian Junior Football League’s coach of the year award has eluded Tom Sargeant since 2003, but Sask Sport named him tops in the province for a second time.

    On Wednesday, Sargeant, who is the legendary head coach of the Saskatoon Hilltops, was named the coach of the year by Sask Sports. The honour is given by Sask Sport to an outstanding coach in province’s amateur sport scene each year.

    This marks the second time Sargeant was named the coach of the year by Sask Sport. He took that same honour after the Hilltops CJFL championship campaign in 2012.

    In 2018, Sargeant led the Hilltops through what will go down as one of their most storied seasons in team history. On November 17, 2018, Sargeant guided the Hilltops to a 58-21 victory in the CJFL’s championship game – the Canadian Bowl – at Saskatoon Minor Football field.

    The win allowed the Hilltops to complete a perfect 11-0 season and become the first club ever to win five straight CJFL titles and eight CJFL championships over a nine year period.

    The 11-0 campaign marked the fourth time in team history the Hilltops posted a perfect season. The 2018 Hilltops had the distinction of only trailing on the scoreboard for a combined 81 seconds over the whole campaign.

    The championship win mark the 21^st time the Hilltops captured the CJFL title. During his career with the Hilltops, Sargeant has 12 national championship rings as the Hilltops head coach, two as an assistant coach with the team and one as a player. His first championship ring as a player was earned way back in 1985.

    Besides holding down the duties as Hilltops head coach, Sargeant has been the Hilltops offensive coordinator in each of the past two seasons.

    Sargeant was deserving of the Sask Sport coach of the year award, and the honour is that much greater considering how many outstanding coaches there are in Saskatchewan across all amateur sports.

    Sargeant was the coach of the year for the Prairie Football Conference in 2018. He was named the CJFL coach of the year in 2000 and 2003.

Blades alum Holtby second fastest to 250 NHL wins

    Saskatoon Blades alum Braden Holtby hit an impressive milestone in his NHL career.

    On Wednesday, Holtby made 27 saves to back his defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals to a 5-3 victory over the Flyer in Philadelphia. The 29-year-old product of Lloydminster, Sask., earned his 250^th career NHL regular season victory that night.

    He hit that mark in his 409^th game making him the second fastest player in the history of the NHL to reach that milestone. Legendary Montreal Canadiens goalie Ken Dryden was the only netminder to reach 250 fasters hitting that milestone in his 381^st game.

    In his 409 NHL regular season games all with the Capitals, Holtby has posted a 250-105-39 record, a 2.47 goals against average, a .918 save percentage and 34 shutouts.

    So far this season, Holtby has record a 25-16-4 record, a 2.94 goals against average, a .909 save percentage and two shutouts.

    During his time in the WHL, Holtby played for the Blades from 2006 to 2009 posting an 82-75-15 record, a 2.87 goals against average, a .905 save percentage and seven shutouts. He was selected by the Capitals in the fourth round and 93^rd overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

    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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