Willoughby will always be an all-time champ in life

Huskies defender under appreciated in her playing career

Morgan Willoughby skates out for a game on Feb. 8.

    Morgan Willoughby might have been one of the most popular players on the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team who never got her full due.
    Last Saturday, the fifth-year defender played the final game of her U Sports career when her Huskies fell 1-0 in double overtime in Game 2 of a Canada West quarter-final series to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. Having lost Game 1 of the set 3-2 in overtime one night earlier, the Thunderbirds swept the best-of-three series 2-0 in two epic clashes between archrivals.

Morgan Willoughby (#9) in action for the Huskies last Saturday.

    The loss on Saturday by the Huskies brought an end to the careers of eight fifth-year players who gave their heart and soul to the program in Willoughby, Leah Bohlken, Courtney Cormack, Shyan Elias, captain Brooklyn Haubrich, Rachel Lundberg, Emma Nutter and Elizabeth Salyn. Fourth-year defender Kayla Kirwan, who emptied the tank during her time with the team, is finishing her agricultural and bioresources studies and has elected at the moment to not return for her fifth year.

    Willoughby always puts others before herself and would hate to be put above any teammates she ever played with. I believe in this case an exception can be made, because she always seemed to do the right thing, and I feel we all took advantage of that characteristic.

Morgan Willoughby in action for the Huskies in October of 2015.

    You got so used to her be reliable you would never ask how she was doing on any particular day. It was like you never questioned Willoughby was going to come to the rink every day and be an effective physical defensive defender.

    When the opposing team’s top line hits the ice, you put Willoughby and Nutter, who is her long time defensive partner, on the ice, and you just expect them to handle it.

    If there are misunderstandings with the players in the dressing room or between coaches and players, it was like Willoughby will handle it and nothing will be a problem.

Morgan Willoughby (#28) enjoys a Huskies win in October of 2015.

    When the players from the Huskies go out to community events where they wear their jerseys, Willoughby is the first to return the jersey or any team items that were brought out to be used as the event. Other players often would do the young person thing and forget their jerseys in laundry piles at home for a couple of days.

    Willoughby was fiercely competitive, but she was always under control to never let that competitive streak make her go over the line on the ice or off the ice. That said, if there was something that had to be taken care of on the ice due to an underhanded play and a figurative bell needed to be answered, Willoughby would take care of that.

Morgan Willoughby pictured with teammates at 2016 Huskie Salute.

    With all that said, Willoughby only had 28 penalty minutes in her U Sports regular season career, and her presence alone lessened the motivation for anyone to start trouble.

    All these intangibles allowed Willoughby to be named an assistant captain for her final two seasons for the Huskies. While in that role, you never worried about what she was thinking or feeling. She would make the team go and that was never questioned.

    Physically, Willoughby, who stands five-foot-eight, had all the tools to be a solid defensive defender. Few could skate as well as she could.

Morgan Willoughby works the point in October of 2016.

    Of course with being a defensive defender, her statistics won’t blow anyone away. In 117 career U Sports regular season games, Willoughby had six goals, eight assists and a minus-four rating in the plus-minus department. The minus rating was due to the fact she consistently played against the opposition’s top forward units.

    This season, Willoughby appeared in 26 regular season games collecting one goal, two assists and a plus-five rating.

    If she had the scoring touch of former Huskies great offensive defender Julia Flinton to go with her current skill set and personality make up, Willoughby would have been on Hockey Canada’s radar to be brought into camps for Canada’s national women’s team system.

    Actually, it always seemed Willoughby would be destined to be underappreciated in some form, because the 22-year-old came up through the sport in the shadow of sister Kaitlin, who is two years Morgan’s senior.

    Kaitlin was the talented high scoring forward who could play with grit, and everyone marvelled at what she could do.

Morgan Willoughby in action in October of 2016.

    Morgan was often greeted with, “Oh, you’re Kaitlin’s sister, how sweet.”
    Kaitlin, of course, played five seasons for the Huskies from 2013 to 2018 and finished as the program’s second all-time leading scorer piling up 50 goals and 61 assists for 111 points in 132 career regular season games. Kaitlin was a plus-30 during her regular season career too.

    Kaitlin and Morgan played together on the Huskies for three seasons from 2015 to 2018.

    Good luck to anyone trying to find one time where Morgan ever got upset or jealous about Kaitlin being in the spotlight at any time. I am pretty sure it never happened with the Huskies or at any time in the respective lives of both young ladies.

    Morgan was always super proud of Kaitlin and tried her best to be viewed as her older sister’s biggest supporter.

    Believe it or not, I had been planning to write a column about Morgan Willoughby after her career ended for about the last four months.

    In my view, our interactions have had their bumps over the years, and it was never her fault.

    I never saw our interactions being in an outstanding, straight line fashion with no adversity like my interactions have been with a number of female players from Saskatoon, Prince Albert and surrounding areas who have been popular and have had a sizable impact in the local game.

Morgan Willoughby controls the puck in February of 2017.

    Some of those players include Jordan Ashe, Kianna Dietz, Ashley Messier, Mackenna Parker, Sophie Shirley, Willow Slobodzian, Abby Soyko and Cami Wooster.

    From my side, the bumps started and quickly peaked in the 2016-17 campaign, which was Morgan’s second season with the Huskies. At the moment, 2016-17 campaign still goes down as my least favourite covering the Huskies program as a whole, and that came about due to a number of things that happened that season.

    First from my view, I ended up getting on bad terms with Kaitlin. As usual, Morgan ended up being the go-between that helped navigate the rough waters. That navigation went partially into the 2017-18 campaign as well.

    Morgan didn’t have to play that role, but I am thankful on my side that she did. As time went on, I felt really bad on my side that Morgan was placed in that spot at all.

    That situation had the unfortunate timing of developing at around the same time when the awkward separation occurred where legendary Huskies football head coach Brian Towriss retired from the team and working at the U of S. 

Morgan Willoughby, right, moves in on a check in February of 2017.

    That whole situation when it developed in December of 2016 wasn’t handled well by the U of S and Huskie Athletics, and it was largely viewed in the public the Huskies had heartlessly cut Towriss adrift.

    There was a time the story on Towriss’s departure was the number two trending national story in Canada.

    That situation even consumed my life for the two-week period around the Christmas season that year when it went down. I have always respected Towriss a tonne having known him for a long time, and I was feeling a lot of pressure to do something to hold the Huskie Athletics accountable.

Morgan Willoughby (#9) salutes a home crowd with sister Kaitlin (#17).

    I was overwhelmed by messages that said anyone associated with Huskie Athletics was basically dirt and scum. I had alums from various Huskies programs including women’s hockey message me saying they were embarrassed to have ever been part of the overall Huskie Athletics program.

    With all that negative messaging happening and negative emotions swirling around Huskie Athletics at an all-time high, I ended up by chance attending the same public New Year’s Eve social function as both the Huskies women’s and men’s hockey teams. I didn’t know the two Huskies hockey teams were going to be at that function, which I was given an invite to.

Morgan Willoughby (#9) celebrates a goal in November of 2017.

    I don’t think they realized I was there, but I thought the two Huskies hockey teams got a little too rambunctious on that night out. Looking back now, I believe the teams acted in a more normal young person rambunctious manner that night, but with all that was going on at that time, I didn’t take it that way.

    I remember seeing Morgan out that night, and she was as always being the responsible one.

    I remember her looking absolutely stressed trying to ensure no one got really out of hand. The Huskies hockey teams left that social function a short time after I discovered them there.

    At that time, I hadn’t learned the lesson to let things sit for a day and then proceed to reflect on them.

    That night I sent Morgan a bad email saying she had no honour and the Huskies hockey teams she deeply cared about had no honour. I knew saying that would be the worst thing you could ever say to Morgan to hurt her.

Morgan Willoughby (#9) in action for the Prince Albert Northern Bears.

    Morgan is an alumna of the Prince Albert Northern Bears female midget AAA team and was a captain of that team for two seasons.

    In Prince Albert, those that play hockey in that centre try to live up to the romantic vision of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders in being the team of Mike Modano and Dave Mansion – the franchise where honour still matters.

    To think that Morgan had a point at any time in her life where she didn’t have honour is totally ridiculous. She has so many characteristics and traits in common with Manson it is actually crazy to think about.

Morgan Willoughby jets up ice in January of 2018.

    She always had honour and always lived up to that romantic vision – Kaitlin too, who happens to be another former Bears captain.

    I apologize to both thinking otherwise even for the shortest span of time that anyone can imagine.

    Thinking the Huskies hockey teams don’t have honour is dumb too, and I apologize for thinking that as well.

    Even with being that mean, Morgan still worked to be the one to bring everyone together, and as usual, she succeeded.

    My dealings with Kaitlin improved and approximately all four times we’ve crossed paths since her Huskies career ended have been outstanding.

    (*Side note – big props to current Huskies football head coach Scott Flory for bringing the family back together there and growing the family over the years since that rough time on the football side.*)

Morgan Willoughby, middle, walks to the ice in February of 2018.

    Still, it kept crossing my mind, “Don’t be mean to Morgan.”

    There are times I still feel like I slipped up on that front, and I feel ashamed of myself every time it happens even in the smallest instance.

    I believe I unintentionally made life hard on her during what turned out to be her final weekend with the Huskies.

    Leading up to the Huskies series with the Thunderbirds, I wrote a rivalry column about the two teams and inserted some old school Western Hockey League showmanship used to sell tickets by taking some jabs at the Thunderbirds.

    The Huskies had a strong regular season finishing third in the Canada West Conference with a 17-7-2-2 record, and they looked to have the potential to win the conference and possibly U Sports nationals.

Morgan Willoughby in action in January of 2019.

    The Thunderbirds underachieved during the regular season with a stellar and skilled roster finishing sixth in Canada West with a 10-13-4-1. They were 2-11-3 in their last 16 regular season games.

    In the emotional aftermath of the series, it is only human nature to think that there were players on the Huskies roster that felt that rivalry column cost the Huskies the series and post-season glory. There has been a big surge in page views for that rivalry column after the Thunderbirds claimed that Canada West quarter-final.

    The jabs in that column towards the Thunderbirds and Saskatoon product, Thunderbirds defender and former Bears captain Hannah Koroll, who has the potential to be one of the best players the Thunderbirds have ever had, was poking the bear, and that was very clear to see in that series.

Morgan Willoughby celebrates her final U Sports goal on Feb. 8.

    While the two games of that set were phenomenal, that was likely little consolation to the Huskies. Knowing how competitive Morgan is, I suspect those sort of thoughts have to cross her mind over the past few days as she has reflected on things.

    As usual, Morgan played like a warrior despite the outside noise. She did everything in her power to help her team.

    After the shock of the double overtime heartbreaking loss in Game 2, Morgan’s only focus was caring for and coming to the emotional aid of her teammates despite her career being over. That was clearly visible on the ice.

    Once again what she was feeling was secondary to helping her teammates.

Morgan Willoughby (#9) hugs Emma Nutter after last Saturday’s game.

    I apologize for every moment I made life slightly hard for Morgan and for taking her for granted.

    More importantly, I want to thank Morgan Willoughby for everything she did for me during her hockey career and especially during her time with the Huskies. 
    I also want to thank her for her leadership over the years and for being the perfect example of being a leader.

    I deeply appreciate everything she has done for me.

    She deserved to get a national championship ring throughout her hockey playing career, and it is one of the unfair aspects of sport that will never happen. Still, she will always be a champion in the game of life.

    With saying that, I suspect there are others out there that have taken Morgan Willoughby for granted too.

Morgan Willoughby will always be an all-time champ in life.

    I hope you all will correct that oversight and thank her and tell how much she truly is appreciated.

    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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Physical defender Bohlken lights up scoreboard for Huskies

U of S beings playoff journey hosting Mount Royal

Leah Bohlken smiles after scoring a goal this season.

    Leah Bohlken still cherishes the lessons taught to her by a special friend, when she first joined the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team.

    Way back at the start of the 2015-16 season, Bohlken arrived on campus at the U of S as a fresh faced defender from Moose Jaw, who was about to celebrate her 18^th birthday near the start of the school year.

    She quickly became friends with a player, who is regarded as the best defender the Huskies women’s team ever had.

    “My first year coming on to the team I played with Julia Flinton, and that was pretty huge for me,” said Bohlken. “Being older and playing, she helped me a lot through that year.

    “She taught me a lot kind of like the more you experience the better you become. I kind of saw that through her. You just have to give it time, and things come in time.”

Leah Bohlken fires a shot through a screen for the Huskies.

    Flinton, who is still the Huskies all-time leader in career regular season points among defenders, was in her fifth and final season, when Bohlken was a rookie.

    To Bohlken’s pleasant surprise, the two were placed together as a defensive pairing. Flinton took Bohlken under her wing.

    Besides learning from Flinton through talks, Bohlken watched Flinton on the ice in order to pick up pointers on how to be better.

    “I remember making one pass to her on one power play,” said Bohlken. “This is one vivid memory that I have.

    “I went D-to-D, and she went down low backdoor to a girl that I had now idea was there. Flinton just saw her plain as day, and they put it in. I was like, “That was the nicest goal I have ever seen.””

    Now in her fourth year with the Huskies, Bohlken has established her own presence as an offensive force for the Huskies. In 27 regular season games, she had a team high nine goals and seven assists for 16 points.

Leah Bohlken tied for the Huskies team lead in points this season.

    She finished in a tie for the lead in team scoring with third-year right-winger Bailee Bourassa, who had five goals and 11 assists in 27 games.

    Bohlken’s goal, assist and point totals are all career highs.

    Her goal total for one season has surpassed Flinton’s best for one campaign.

    “It is new to me for sure, but it has been good,” said Bohlken, who was a plus-three in the plus-minus department. “I’ve been kind of finding the right places this year.

    “It is kind of all coming together. Every year I think you work on something, and then you see it kind of improve throughout the year. This year, it has been points.

    “I can’t take it from one end to the other and go score. It is all the other girls on the ice helping me too.”

Leah Bohlken had nine goals for the Huskies this season.

    Thanks to Bohlken’s efforts, the Huskies finished with a 16-10-1-1 record to finish fourth in the Canada West Conference and have secured home ice advantage for a best-of-three quarter-final playoff series at Merlis Belsher Place.

    The Huskies face the Mount Royal University Cougars, who concluded the regular season on a three-game winning streak and finished fifth in Canada West with a 12-14-2 record. Game 1 of the series is set for Friday at 7 p.m.

    Game 2 is slated for Saturday at 7 p.m., and if necessary, Game 3 is set for Sunday at 7 p.m.

Bohlken’s production has been a sweet sight for Huskies head coach Steve Kook.

    “I’m happy for the breakthrough year that Leah is having,” said Kook. “She’s always lead by example putting in extra time on the ice and the weight room.  

    “In past seasons, she’s always produced quality scoring chances. I’m happy she’s getting rewarded for her hard work. With scoring at a premium in our conference this season, we’re going to need all the scoring we can get.”

Leah Bohlken had career highs in all offensive categories.

    Bohlken is one of those offensive defenders that likes to quarterback the play from the point. A lot of her goals are the result of her rocket shot.

    With that said, she has capitalized on the odd opening to sneak down low from the point to score from the front of the net.

    “Leah has been making great reads off the puck and has been putting herself in good spots on the ice and the puck finds her,” said Kook. “Whether you call it secondary scoring or scoring by committee it’s something that all our players can do in order to help us generate offense in the second half of our season.”

    While Bohlken stands 5-foot-6, she can play gritty and physical too. That was a characteristic of Flinton’s play as well.

    Bohlken said she gained the physical side of her game from her older brother, Brett, who played two full seasons with the Moose Jaw Generals midget AAA team from 2011 to 2013.

Leah Bohlken is best known for playing tough in her own zone.

    “Apparently the day after I got out of the hospital, my mom took me to the rink, and I was in watching my brother play,” said Leah, who has been a U Sports academic all-Canadian in her first three seasons with the Huskies. “I kind of looked up to my brother.

    “He is two years older than me. We’d play mini sticks downstairs, and I’d remember we would play hit hockey. That kind of gave me the playing style that I have today being hard and tough.

    “That kind of got me into it. Then I just stuck with it, and I loved it.”

    Bohlken always received great support from her parents in father, Dean, and mother, Dawn. She remembers her dad taking pride in her physical game, when she played in boys’ leagues.

    “My dad would probably tell a story about me going and rocking one of the guys in one of our little league practices,” said Bohlken. “From right then, I kind of knew whenever I got on the ice that was the sport that I wanted to play.”

Leah Bohlken breaks into the offensive zone around a checker.

    It helped that her family was big into the sport too. Dean played the game as well, and younger sister, Larissa, is a 16-year-old defender with the Regina Rebels female midget AAA team. Larissa stands 5-foot-8.

    “My sister, she is younger than me, but I look up to her,” said Bohlken. “She is taller than me, so I guess I actually look up to her.

    “It is kind of everybody that you play with and meet I think you take a little bit from everybody in how they play.”

    Now as one of the Huskies veterans, Bohlken, who is an assistant captain, tries to take the younger players under her wing like Flinton once did.

Leah Bohlken can quarterback the power play on the back end.

    Bohlken said the veterans want to continue the cycle of helping the younger players along and making them feel they are part of something special.

    “I think that we continue to do that every year,” said Bohlken. “I hope all the players feel like that.

    “This team is a great team to a part of. Everybody kind of helps out each other. You learn things from everybody.”

    The Huskies are in the mix holding the potential to make a long playoff push. This season they would have to it without the services of star captain Kaitlin Willoughby, who graduated after last season.

    Willoughby currently plays in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League with the Calgary Inferno and attended a tryout camp for Canada’s senior national women’s hockey team last September.
    Bohlken said Willoughby’s departure was a huge loss for the team and everyone has to step up to fill the void she left.

Leah Bohlken (#4) believes the Huskies can make another long playoff run.

    The standout defender said belief is high among the Huskies that they can return to U Sports nationals for a second straight year noting Willoughby left a great mark on the returning players.

    “Willoughby, she is a very special player,” said Bohlken. “You know that from watching her.

    “She also left leaving a lot of girls with a lot of help too. She was that fifth year where you come in, and she takes everybody underneath her wing. Everybody kind of got to experience what I did with Flinton that first year.

    “When she (Willoughby) left, she didn’t leave as big of a gap as what one would think, because she was helping players all year long to fill that gap.”

    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’ Bohlken buries Pandas in double overtime

The Huskies celebrate Leah Bohlken's double OT winning goal.

    Leah Bohlken appears to be a perfect fit as the new main power-play quarterback for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team.

    On Friday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, the 19-year-old Moose Jaw product set up one goal on the power play and blasted home the double overtime winner on another power play. Bohlken’s efforts allowed the Huskies to pull out a 2-1 victory in their regular season home opener over the University of Alberta Pandas.

    While working with a four-on-three advantage in a second five-minute frame, Bohlken pinched down from the point into the left slot and converted a perfect backdoor pass from Huskies star winger Kaitlin Willoughby for the winning tally.

    “That was unreal,” said Bohlken. “That was a beautiful pass from Willow (Willoughby). (Lauren) Zary is working hard in the zone.

    “Everybody worked hard to keep it from going into our net. When you can put one away like that, I think it is pretty insane. It makes you pretty happy.”

    Bohlken assumed the role as the main power-play quarterback on the point in her sophomore season due to the graduation of first-team all-Canadian all-star Julia Flinton. Last season, Bohlken was paired up on the back end with Flinton on the Huskies top power-play unit.

Leah Bohlken controls the puck at the point for the Huskies.

    “I think last year she (Julia Flinton) helped me out a lot,” said Bohlken, who recorded two goals and six assists in 28 regular season games in 2015-16. “She walked me through and kind of showed me the ropes.

    “I got multiple opportunities from the coaches. Playing with her definitely helped. I’ve had practise from last year, so coming into this year, Flinton is not there on the point with me, but there is another girl that is right there in Kayla Kirwan.

    “I played a little bit with Kira Bannatyne. They are both there. They are both really good hockey players.”

    The Huskies converted on 2-of-8 power-play chances on Friday and could have had more goals with a little better finish around the net. On the team’s fourth power-play chance early in the second, feisty forward Brooklyn Haubrich nailed the post and winger Rachel Johnson missed an open cage.

    After starting out 0-for-4 on the power play, the Huskies cashed in on their fifth power-play chance at the 13:45 mark of the second. Kennedy Harris and Bohlken combined to get the puck over to captain Lauren Zary, who popped home her first goal of the season.

Huskies goalie Cassidy Hendricks stops Pandas forward Alex Poznikoff.

    When quarterbacking the power play, Bohlken’s style is a little different from Flinton’s. Flinton would often rush coast-to-coast with the puck and try to create a scoring chance via that route. Bohlken prefers to control things from the blue-line and set in a play from that spot.

    “I think that is important for any defence is to control the puck and look for your forwards down low (and) look for your defence partner,” said Bohlken. “To not panic with the puck is a huge thing.

    “I still do panic with it, but it is something that I am working on. I think like tonight is an example of how practice pays off. You have to be calm with it.

    “I am not perfect yet. I don’t think I will ever be perfect, but I am trying.”

Kaitlin Willoughby had a key assist for the Huskies.

    The Huskies did have one hiccup on the power-play that allowed the Pandas to even things up at 1-1 just before the seven-minute mark of the third, when Bohlken wasn’t on the ice.

    During a rush attempt into the offensive zone, the Huskies turned the puck over at the U of A blue-line. The Pandas quickly transitioned up ice the other way getting a short-handed goal from captain Sasha Lutz.

    After the Huskies controlled play for the first 40 minutes, the Pandas had a big territorial advantage in the third period and in the two overtime frames. Momentum swung back to the home side, when the Huskies went on their eighth and final power-play chance.

    The Pandas also failed to score on seven power-play opportunities, which also contributed to the final outcome of the contest.

    Cassidy Hendricks made 26 saves to earn the win in goal for the Huskies (2-1). Lindsey Post turned away 24 shots to take the extra time setback in goal for the Pandas (2-0-1), who entered Friday’s encounter rated eighth in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport top 10 rankings.

    The Huskies and Pandas will go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Rutherford.

    “Every game is a battle,” said Bohlken. “You have to come out in (every) period ready to play or else any team can take advantage and any team can get a goal like we did.

    “It wasn’t our best third period start, and it wasn’t our best third period. It wasn’t our best game. We still have a lot more in us.

    “Hopefully, we can get to playing our best and win some more games.”

Golden Bears prevail in OT over Huskies men’s squad

Michael Sofillas had a goal in a double OT setback for the Huskies.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team wasn’t able to find a magical finish in overtime in Edmonton.

    Taking on their forever rivals the U of Alberta Golden Bears, the Huskies saw a 2-1 lead disappear late in the third period before falling 3-2 in double overtime. Bears forward Jamie Crooks potted the equalizer with 8.9 second to play in the third.

    He proceeded to bag the winner at the 1:40 mark of a second five-minute overtime period firing home the winner high glove side on Huskies star netminder Jordon Cooke.

    Rookie Trevor Cox put U of A up 1-0 with a short-handed goal in the first period. Third-year forward Michael Sofillas potted the equalizer in the second for the Huskies to knot the score up at 1-1. Rookie Wyatt Johnson put the Dogs ahead 2-1 with an early third period goal.

    Cooke made 29 saves to take the extra time setback in goal for the Huskies (2-0-1). Kenny Cameron turned away 31 shots to backstop the Bears to victory in their regular season opener.

    The Huskies entered the game rated third in the CIS top 10 rankings, while the Bears were fourth. Both teams face each other again Saturday in Edmonton.

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

Rebels face huge challenge in Wheat Kings

Rest gives Brandon an edge in WHL Eastern Conference finals

Adam Helewka and his Rebels will battle the Wheat Kings.

    One of the slogans the Red Deer Rebels have gone by in the 2016 WHL playoffs is “#allheartrebels,” and they are going to need all of that heart and more against the Brandon Wheat Kings.

    The Rebels advanced to the best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference championship series after taking a thrilling and memorable seven-game set against the Regina Pats. Red Deer will be making its first appearance in the conference final since 2004.

    In the Wheat Kings, the Memorial Cup hosting Rebels face their toughest test of the post-season to date. The Wheaties have been resting since dumping the Moose Jaw Warriors 7-3 in Game 5 of a second round series at Westman Place last Friday in Brandon.

    With Brandon hosting Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals this Friday, a one week break means the Wheat Kings will be rested, but rust shouldn’t really be a factor. The Wheaties are also deep, and they have one of the best team cultures in the league.

    You can bet there are Red Deer hotel and restaurant staffers who are looking forward to the arrival head coach, general manager and owner Kelly McCrimmon and his Wheat Kings bunch in the central Alberta centre for Games 3 and 4, because Brandon is known for being one of the best mannered and classiest clubs off the ice. Those off-ice characteristics transfer to success on the ice as well. Brandon finished second overall in the WHL regular season standings with a 48-18-4-2 mark.

John Quenneville had been hot in the post-season for the Wheat Kings.

    Under head coach, general manager and owner Brent Sutter, the Rebels have traditionally been known for their heart and never quit work-ethic. Those characteristics allowed the Rebels to overcome a talented and spirited young team in the Regina Pats, who will likely be a force for years to come.

    Red Deer is as deep and talented as Brandon due to the fact Sutter loaded up his roster to be strong due to hosting the Memorial Cup in May. The Rebels were sixth overall in the WHL with a 45-24-1-2 record.

    With all things being equal, this series should be a tossup, but it may not be. Since April 13, the Rebels have endured three different eight-hour bus trips between Red Deer and Regina. Red Deer faces a 12-hour haul to get to Brandon.

    The Rebels have only two off days between their 2-1 victory over the Pats in Game 7 of their second round series on Tuesday and the start of the conference finals on Friday. The bus hours and the volume of games played does take its toll on a team.

Haydn Fleury fires a shot on goal for the Rebels.

    If the Rebels are to win the series, they are going to need starting netminder Rylan Toth to steal a couple of games. Toth returned after missing about two months due to a low body injury in a relief appearance in Game 4 of the series with the Pats and has gone the distance since. The Saskatoon product has a 2.31 goals against average and a .929 save percentage in the post-season.

    The 19-year-old entered the season as the Rebels money goalie. Toth is also aided by what has become strong group of starting six defencemen in Haydn Fleury, Kayle Doetzel, Nelson Nogier, Josh Mahura, Colton Bobyk and Austin Strand. That group just has to play smart, and Toth’s job becomes that much easier.

    With that in mind, Brandon’s big offensive players have been rolling in the team’s 11 post-season games, where five players are averaging over a point a game in John Quenneville (7g, 9a), Reid Duke (6g, 10a), Tim McGauley (6g, 7a), Nolan Patrick (5g, 8a) and Jayce Hawryluk (2g, 10a).

    Kale Clague, captain Macoy Erkamps and Ivan Provorov have been dynamite on the back end for Brandon. Jordan Papirny has gone the distance in goal in the playoffs posting 2.65 goals against average, a .898 save percentage and one shutout.

Captain Macoy Erkamps steadies Brandon's back end.

    Adam Helewka (8g, 4a) and Jake DeBrusk (5g, 7a) have topped the Rebels in post-season scoring. Captain Luke Philp, Michael Spacek, Evan Polei, Brandon Hagel and Adam Musil have all added key contributions at different times. Musil had the series winner against the Pats.

    While both teams have good players, the rest factor in Brandon’s favour looms large as a series-deciding intangible. The lengthy series definitely favours the Wheat Kings.

“Retired” Meachem still on WHL beat

    Veteran Red Deer Advocate sports writers and editor Greg Meachem retired, but he didn’t stay out of action for long.

    Shortly after his retirement, the Rebels brought Meachem on board to write web stories on the team on reddeerrebels.com. Meachem’s presence ensures the Rebels top the WHL in the best written content on any team website in the league.

    Big props have to be given to Sutter and his staff for ensuring Meachem remained active in covering the team. He is one of the best on the WHL beat. It seems Meachem is enjoying his new role as well.

Back on the cover of the Express thanks to Flinton

Julia Flinton looks to make a setup pass for the Huskies.

    I was back in the Saskatoon Express this week writing the cover story on the duel life of Julia Flinton, who recently wrapped up her career with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team.

    During her playing career with the Huskies, Flinton returned home to Williams Lake, B.C., in the off-season to be a forest firefighter. The 23-year-old will return home to follow that career on a full-time basis now.

    My sit down chat with Flinton ranks up there with as one of my most favourite interviews I have ever done. Flinton topped all Huskies defenders in career scoring with 14 goals and 66 assists in 131 regular season games.
    Flinton was also part of the Notre Dame Hounds squad that won the Esso Cup female midget AAA national hockey championship in 2011. 

    The Saskatoon Express on Flinton can be found here.

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

Hockey Huskies to experience March Madness

Jordon Cooke was named the CIS's goalie of the year.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team will have a different experience at the University Cup compared to their past visits to the national championship tournament.

    The Huskies last appeared at the University Cup as the host team in 2014. That year, the University Cup ran under its long time traditional six-team format. The competing teams were played in two pools of three and the first place team in each pool advanced to the title game after round robin competition within the pool.

    That format often at times could be confusing to follow. If a team lost its first game by a goal, that club still had a chance to make the final. You had to hope the team that beat you lost its next game, and you usually had to win your last round-robin game in blowout fashion to make the title contest.

    It often took a university’s best math ace to figure out the goal spread that was needed in that final contest to advance.

    Last year, the University Cup converted over to a final-eight format that is often used for various other sports in Canadian Interuniversity Sport and down in the United States in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. That means the eight-team field plays single elimination games through a quarter-final, semifinal and championship final rounds.

    The Huskies were eliminated in the first round of the Canada West playoffs last season, so they weren’t part of the University Cup tournament.

    This year they will get their first taste of a hockey style March Madness at nationals hosted in Halifax, N.S.

    U of S is the second seed and will face the seventh seeded Carleton University Ravens in one quarter-final match on Thursday.

    The Huskies, who are making their 17^th appearance at nationals, topped the Canada West standings with a 22-6 record and claimed the Canada West championships with four straight post-season wins. The Ravens were 20-8 in the regular season, have gone 5-2 in the post-season so far and won a bronze medal in the Ontario University Athletics conference playoffs.

Kohl Bauml was named to the CIS all-rookie team.

    An elite-eight tournament is easy to follow, because every team knows you win you move on, or you lose and you have no chance to make the final. If you fall in the semifinal round, you can still play for a bronze medal.

    Most players on the Huskies have limited experience playing in this type of tournament. As their roster is made up players main from the major junior ranks and also members of the junior A ranks, those players are more used to best-of-seven series. The best-of-three series that are played in conference playoffs usually feel like the post-season on speed.

    Single elimination leads to a possibility of a hot goaltender or a strange goal creating an upset. In extra time, the joy of victory becomes that much more heightened, while the agony of defeat is that much more training. The drama also increases, if a game’s finish comes during that stage.

    For now, the Huskies, or any of the other seven competing teams, can’t look past their quarter-final games.

    If the Huskies prevail on Thursday, they will advance to one of Saturday’s semifinals to face the winner of the quarter-final match between the third seeded St. Francis Xavier University X-Men and the sixth seeded University of Alberta Golden Bears. U of A has won the last two University Cups.

    The University Cup final is set for Sunday (5:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time, Sportsnet 360).

    Before the quarter-final round starts, a couple of Huskies picked up individual honours on Wednesday. Jordon Cooke was named the CIS goaltender of the year and a first team all-Canadian all-star. Forward Kohl Bauml was named to the CIS all-rookie team.

Flinton collects all-Canadian honour

Julia Flinton was named a first team all-Canadian all-star.

    Julia Flinton collected one last accolade to further cap her five-year career with the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team.

    The Williams Lake, B.C., product was named a first team all-Canadian all-star at the CIS women’s hockey awards night held on Wednesday in Calgary, where the CIS women’s tournament will run Thursday to Sunday.

    Flinton led all CIS defenders in scoring netting four goals and 22 assists in 28 games. She also posted a plus-15 rating in the plus-minus department.

    During her career, Flinton was named a Canada West first team all-star twice, a Canada West second team all-star once, and she made the tournament all-star team at the 2014 CIS championship tournament, where the Huskies won a bronze medal. She was also a member of Canada’s FISU games team in 2015.

    Flinton leaves the Huskies as their all-time career leader in assists with 66 helpers and their fourth all-time leading scorer with 80 points in 131 games. Besides having a spectacular finesse game, Flinton was also tough and departs the Huskies as their all-time career leader in penalty minutes with 176 thanks to taking the odd infraction for bodychecking.

Hoop Dogs aim to capture elusive national crown

Laura Dally received all-star honours.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team hopes this year’s trip to nationals will finally be a golden one.

    The Huskies are making their eighth trip in the last nine years to the CIS championship tournament. In the previous seven visits, they made the championship final once falling 63-49 to the University of Windsor Lancers in 2011. That started a run of five straight CIS titles for the Lancers, who did not qualify for this year’s national championship tournament that will be held in Fredericton, N.B.

    U of S is seeded second in the elite-eight tourney and faces the seventh seeded U of Ottawa Gee-Gees in a quarter-final match on Thursday. The Huskies topped the Canada West standings with an 18-2 record and captured their third conference championship in six years winning four straight post-season games. They downed the U of Regina Cougars 73-62 in the Canada West final.

    The Gee-Gees topped the OUA standings with a 17-2 record, but fell in the conference title game to the Ryerson University Rams 66-60.

    If the Huskies win their quarter-final, they will advance to a semifinal contest on Saturday to take on the winner of the match between the third seeded Saint Mary’s University Huskies and the sixth seeded U of Alberta Pandas.

    The CIS final is set for Sunday (12 p.m. Saskatchewan time, Sportsnet 360).

    On Wednesday, fifth-year Huskies guard Laura Dally was named a first team all-Canadian all-star.

Stars return to SFMAAAHL final

Joelle Fiala had a goal and an assist on Tuesday for the Stars.

    The Saskatoon Stars will try to keep the Fedoruk Cup in Saskatoon.

    Saskatoon returned to the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League championship series for a second straight year after knocking off the Weyburn Southern Range Gold Wings 2-0 in Weyburn on Tuesday. The Stars claimed the best-of-five SFMAAAHL semifinal series between the two clubs 3-1.

    Joelle Fiala and Grace Shirley accounted for all of Saskatoon’s offence in the series clincher each picking up a goal and an assist. Emma Johnson made 26 saves to earn her sixth career SFMAAAHL playoff shutout.

    Chantal Burke turned away 21 shots taking the loss in goal for Weyburn.

    The Stars will face the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats in the best-of-five league championship series. The dates of the games are still to be announced.

    The Wildcats semifinal series with the Prince Albert A & W Bears went to a deciding fifth game on Wednesday in Swift Current. The hosts prevailed 2-1 in double overtime against the visiting Bears thanks to a breakaway winner by Josee Casavant.

    The Bears thought they netted the winner in the first overtime, but the goal was waved off.

    Saskatoon claimed last year’s SFMAAAHL title sweeping a best-of-five series with the Bears 3-0.

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