Epic comeback caps Bears most memorable night at Hauser

The Bears celebrate clinching a berth to the Esso Cup in 2017.

It was a game where it appeared the Prince Albert Northern Bears were going to have to rely on a second chance to nail down an Esso Cup berth.

After capturing their second Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League title in team history in March of 2017, the Bears hosted the Hartney, Man., based Westman Wildcats in a best-of-three female midget AAA Western regional playdown.

The Bears took Game 1 of the series 6-4 on March 31, 2017 at the Art Hauser Centre.

Brooklyn Anderson (#7) had the late third period winner.

In Game 2 of the series on April 1, 2017, the Bears found themselves down 6-3 with 13:24 remaining in the third period. At that point in time, it appeared the two sides would play in a series deciding Game 3 the next night.

All of a sudden, the Bears made a frantic comeback. With exactly two minutes to play in the third, rookie forward Brooklyn Anderson tipped home a point shot from tough as nails defender Jordan Ashe to give the Bears a 7-6 lead.

Prince Albert held on from there to ensure that score would be the final result in order to capture the Lanchbery Family Trophy. The Bears swept the series 2-0 to qualify for the Esso Cup – the female under-18 AAA championship tournament – for the first time in team history.

The Bears celebrate Brooklyn Anderson’s late third period winner.

“It feels amazing,” said Anderson after the game. “I know the team was really excited to get there.

“We weren’t losing this. We wanted to get there, and we got there, so that is awesome.

“I saw Jordan (Ashe) had it on the point, and I knew that I just needed to get in front of the net. It is exactly what I did, and it just went off my stick and in.”

The Bears in 2016-17 were the carbon copies of the romantic image of their WHL cousins the Prince Albert Raiders, when the Raiders are at their best.

If you wanted to play run and gun, the Bears could run and gun. If you wanted to get down in the trenches, the Bear would get down in the trenches.

Captain Brooke Hobson was the Bears best player.

While fighting is technically banned in the female game of hockey, the Bears had the toughness to take care of things in a flat out brawl, if their opponents chose to play that way. The Bears had a team that was built for any type of game.

Overall, head coach Jeff Willoughby liked the high tempo offensive games the best being a fan of the 1980s NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. It seemed fitting the Bears most memorable home game turned out to be a 7-6 shootout that saw a championship trophy and banner handed out at the end of the contest.

The Bears finished second overall in the SFU18AAAHL with what was at the time the best record in team history at 22-6.

When they got to the best-of-five SFU18AAAHL championship series, the Bears swept away their archrivals the Saskatoon Stars 3-0. The Stars had topped the league standings with a 25-2-1 mark.

Camryn Amundson (#9) jets up ice for the Bears.

The Bears had a well-rounded roster, but their best player was captain and ultra-talented offensive-defender Brooke Hobson. Hobson was a member of Canada’s under-18 national women’s team and turned heads with a shot that seemed to be gifted to her from a Higher Power.

Veteran forward Camryn Amundson skated through an inspired season in 2016-17. She played in 27 regular season games setting career highs in goals (13), assists (14) and points (27).

Her older sister Shaye had passed away tragically in a single-vehicle accident in June of 2016. On the ice, it seemed like Shaye was still there helping her younger sister play.

Abby Soyko had the equalizer for the Bears.

The Bears roster had some classic Prince Albert hockey elements.

 They had the great power forward in Abby Soyko. At age 15 that season, Soyko topped the Bears in scoring with 18 goals and 13 assists for 31 points in 27 regular season games.

The Bears had players that could put up points with a finesse offensive game like Kate Ball, who had 15 goals and 15 assists appearing in all of the Bears 28 regular season games.

They had gritty checkers like centre Ireland South, who also showed some offensive touch netting 11 goals and 10 assists in 26 regular season games.

Finesse defender Hannah Koroll was solid and made the game look easy to play at both ends of the ice.

Of course, the Bears had Ashe on the back end, and she was the Bears version of Raiders legend Dave Manson on defence.

Kate Ball had a big offensive season for the Bears in 2016-17.

In goal, the Bears had the reliable duo of Ryan Fontaine and Brooklyn Elek, and the team couldn’t go wrong playing either in big games.

Overall, the Bears had their own unique collective personality, where it seemed it was always a good day to go to the rink. Ultimately, everyone on the roster stepped up with big performances and moments at different points in the campaign to make it a special one.

When the Bears showed up for Game 2 of their series with the Wildcats, they had an estimated 1,200 supporters waiting for them at the Art Hauser Centre.

A sweep in the short set wasn’t guaranteed as the Wildcats had some star players like forward Ashton Bell, who was the captain of Canada’s under-18 national women’s team.

Hannah Koroll made playing the game look easy.

The Wildcats scored on their first two shots of the game to go ahead 2-0, but the Bears stormed back to take a 3-2 lead early in the second period.

The visitors proceeded to score four straight goals to go ahead 6-3 with 13:24 remaining in the third.

Josee Casavant and Bell had each scored twice for the Wildcats, while Camryn Clyne and Haley Wickham had singles.

Ball, Amundson and Story Navrot replied with singles for the Bears up to that point in time.

With 12:22 remaining in the third, the Bears got traction when forward Miranda Heidt slipped a pass across the front of the Westman goal to Hobson. The Bears captain potted a tally to cut the Wildcats edge to 6-4.

Hobson struck again with 7:54 remaining in the third, when she blew home a point shot to further trim the Wildcats lead to 6-5.

Jordan Ashe brought grit and toughness to the Bears.

Soyko proceeded to even things up at 6-6 with a power-play goal with 3:13 remaining in the frame. That set the stage for dramatics on Anderson’s winner.

Elek made 24 stops to pick up the win in goal. Kaitlyn Slator turned away 19 shots to take the setback in goal for the Wildcats.

“Both teams kind of just let it loose,” said Willoughby after the game. “It was kind of run and gun and fun to play in and fun to coach.

“I’m sure all the fans got more than their money’s worth here. It was incredible to coach in I will say that first of all. There was lots of intensity on the bench.

“The girls didn’t get down too low, didn’t get up too high. It was very good.”

The Bears raise the Lanchbery Family Trophy.

The win marked the first time the Bears accepted a championship trophy and banner on home ice. 

The two times they clinched the SFU18AAAHL title were both on the road.

The Bears on ice celebration with their parents and fans seemed to last a good two hours after their series clinching win ended.

Later that same month, the Bears finished fifth overall in the round robin standings at the Esso Cup tournament, which was held in Morden, Man. They just missed out making the playoff round with a 2-3 record.

The Bears are all smiles after their epic comeback win.

Looking back now, the excitement Prince Albert that season had for the Bears in 2016-17 seemed to be a prelude in “Hockey Town North” for the huge excitement that followed for the Raiders in their special 2018-19 campaign.

Of course in 2018-19, the Raiders topped the WHL standings with a 54-10-2-2 record and went on to win the WHL title thanks to Dante Hannoun’s overtime winner of Game 7 of the league championship series at the Art Hauser Centre.

In 2016-17, it was Anderson’s late third period goal and the Bears that took centre stage at the Art Hauser Centre. Prince Albert rallied around the Bears as they collected championship trophies and banners.

Camryn Amundson enjoys her moment with the trophy.

The Bears crafted a story in 2016-17 which will be passed down through generations in P.A.

That season, the Bears truly embodied the romantic image of “Hockey Town North.”

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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Esso sweet Esso – Stars return to nationals for fourth time in last five years

The Stars captains celebrate their Western regional win.

    With the Saskatoon Stars one win away from returning to nationals, Jayda Sachs came to the rink feeling a little down.

    The veteran forward of five Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League seasons was dwelling on the fact she could be playing her home game at Merlis Belsher Place on Saturday. The down mood didn’t last long for Sachs, who turned 18-years-old in March.

    In Game 2 of a best-of-three Western regional playdown series, the Stars dominated the visiting Westman Wildcats from Hartney, Man., posting a 3-0 victory along with a 42-4 edge in shots on goal.

Jayda Sachs scored the Stars third goal on Saturday.

    Having claimed Game 1 by a 3-2 final on Friday at Merlis, the Stars swept the series 2-0 to capture the Lanchbery Family Trophy.

    They will return to the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament for a second straight year and for the fourth time in the last five years. The Esso Cup runs April 21 to 27 in Sudbury, Ont.

    “There is nothing really better than this feeling,” said Sachs, who played her first two SFMAAAHL campaigns with the Prince Albert Northern Bears before joining the Stars. “This is where we want to get to as a team and then move on to Esso.

    “Especially my last year, this is a pretty special thing. To have my family all being here, this is what we work towards all year as a team. This is a pretty special feeling.”

    To cap the Game 2 victory, Sachs scored the Stars final goal with 1:32 remaining in the third period with linemates Kaitlin Jockims and Makena Kushniruk picking up assists on the play.

Halle Helperl scored the Stars first goal on Saturday.

    “I thought about, ‘Oh, what if I score today?’” said Sachs. “My brothers were bugging me about it.

    “As soon as that puck went in the net, I was just like oh this is a great feeling, and to have everybody here to see it happen, it was amazing.”

    The Stars controlled play from wire to wire, and it took a sensational 39 save performance from Wildcats netminder Natalie Williamson to keep her team in the game.

    After a scoreless first, the Stars broke through on the scoreboard at the 9:57 mark of the second, when a shot from veteran defender Chace Sperling was deflected home by Stars underage rookie forward Halle Helperl. Helperl’s tally turned out to be the series winner.

Ashley Messier scored the Stars second goal on Saturday.

    “It was a good feeling, because it was the first goal,” said Helperl, who had six goals and eight assists in the Stars 28 regular season games. “I just was kind of standing there, and the puck was just coming.

    “I felt it on the side of my leg, and I didn’t know where it went. It was in the net.”

    Helperl was pumped about the chance to go to nationals for the first time.

    “It feels amazing,” said Helperl. “We’re on our way to Esso, so everyone is obviously super excited. It is a really good feeling.”

    With the way Saturday’s game was going, the Stars lead grew to an insurmountable one, when standout offensive defender Ashley Messier fired home a power-play goal from the point with 4:40 remaining in the second period. Messier’s shot just trickled over the goal-line between the legs of Williamson.

Netminder Natalie Williamson made 39 saves in goal for the Wildcats.

    Messier believed her Stars would have closed out Saturday’s win even if she didn’t score an insurance marker.

    “I guess it was nice to have another goal,” said Messier. “We would have done it no matter what happened I think.”

    Messier was named the top defender at last year’s Esso Cup, and can’t wait to make the return trip this year.

    “Going back, it is really exciting,” said Messier. “We know what to expect, or at least I do this time.

    “I am really excited to see how our new girls will like it, because I know my first time it was just amazing. We’re going to get it this time. We’re not going to let it slide.”

Jayda Sachs celebrates her goal with netminder Arden Kliewer.

    The most underrated aspect of the Stars win on Saturday was the mental focus of third-year veteran netminder Arden Kliewer. Kliewer stayed sharp enough to make four saves to earn the shutout win in goal.

    Two of Kliewer’s stops were quality scoring chances that came after long stretches of inactivity.

    When the dust settled, Stars head coach Greg Slobodzian was proud of how his team played and was happy his players received a tip of the hat from Wildcats head coach Guy Williams.

    “Shaking the other coach’s hand he gave us the ultimate compliment,” said Slobodzian. “He said, ‘You know what, that is a full 60-minute team you have right there.’

    “Years gone by sometimes that hasn’t been the case. Feeling that way going towards Sudbury, Esso Cup, I’m really happy about it. Just seeing everybody on the ice, it is about what is going on right now.

The Stars pour off their bench to celebrate going to Esso Cup.

    “The glow of being a champion and moving on and seeing grandmas out here hugging their granddaughters is just fantastic.”

    At last year’s Esso Cup in Bridgewater, N.S., the Stars entered the championship game posting a 6-0 record at that point in the tournament having outscored the opposition 28-4. They lost a 2-1 heartbreaker in the gold medal game to the Alberta based St. Albert Slash, who claimed the national title for a second straight year.

    Messier said the goal of her squad is to take care of some unfinished business this time.

The Stars and Merlis Belsher are all smiles after a Western regional win.

    “We kind of let it go last year,” said Messier. “Now we are going to come for it this time.”

    The Stars open Esso Cup on April 21 taking on the still to be determined champion from Ontario.

Sachs said the Stars are intent on finishing the campaign winning the team’s first national championship.

    “We’re pretty excited,” said Sachs. “It is good to have the experience of it for sure.

    “I think from last year losing in the final there we are even more motivated to win it this year.”

    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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A sweep return to Esso Cup for SFMAAAHL champion Stars

Clock strikes midnight on Selects’ “Cinderella” campaign

The Stars are going back to the Esso Cup. (Photo courtesy Jason Schneider)

    The Saskatoon Stars offensive firepower proved to be too much for the Eastman Selects to handle.

    The Stars swept a best-of-three Western regional playdown series between the two clubs 2-0 over the weekend at the T.G. Smith Centre in Steinbach, Man. The Stars claimed Game 1 on Friday night 7-0 and closed out the series with a 6-2 victory in Game 2 on Saturday.

    With the series victory, the Stars advance to the six-team Esso Cup national female midget AAA championship tournament to be held April 22 to 28 in Bridgewater, N.S. This will mark the third time over the last four years the Stars have advanced to the Esso Cup. They won a bronze medal at the 2015 tournament in Red Deer, Alta., and finished fourth at the 2016 tournament in Weyburn, Sask.

    In the series with the Selects, the Stars entered as the favourites finishing first in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League with a 24-3-1 regular season record. They advanced through the SFMAAAHL playoffs win a 6-0 record.

    The Selects, who are based out of Ste. Anne, Man., finished fifth in the seven team Manitoba Female AAA Midget Hockey League with a 13-12-5 record. They proceeded to roll off three upset best-of-five series victories to capture the MFMHL title for the first time in team history.

    In quarter-final series, the Selects swept the Shoal Lake based Yellowhead Chiefs 3-0, and the Chiefs were 14-10-6 in regular season play. In a semifinal series, the Selects got past the Winnipeg Avros 3-1, and the Avros topped the MFMHL standings with a 25-5 record.

    In the MFMHL finals, the Selects faced the defending league champion Pembina Valley Hawks, who are based out of Morden. The Hawks finished second in the MFMHL with a 20-8-2 record. On the strength of a pair of overtime victories to close out the series, the Selects prevailed 3-1 to capture the Manitoba championship.

Captain Mackenna Parker scored three goals for the Stars this past weekend.

    Saskatoon received goals from five different players in their 7-0 victory in Game 1 on Friday. Captain Mackenna Parker and Grace Shirley each scored twice, while Kaitlin Jockims, Calli Arnold and Jordyn Gerlitz each netted singles. Jordan Ivanco made 13 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Stars.

    Raygan Kirk stopped 15-of-19 shots fired her way starting in goal for the Selects before being pulled after the first period. Meagan Relf turned away 28-of-31 shots playing the rest of the way in relief.

    In Saturday’s 6-2 victory by the Stars in Game 2, Anna Leschyshyn scored twice for Saskatoon, while Jockims, Parker, Kianna Dietz and Jayda Sachs had singles. Ivanco turned away 17 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Stars.

    Chelsea Dinnin and Samantha Christensen replied with singles for the Selects. Kirk turned away 39 shots going the distance taking the setback in goal for the Selects.

    The Stars have nine players on their roster remaining from the team’s 2016 appearance in the Esso Cup including Ivanco, Dana Wood, Leschyshyn, Parker, Dietz, Shirley, Gerlitz, Joelle Fiala and Jordyn Holmes. Their experience is expected to be key for the squad going forward.

    Besides capturing the Lanchbery Family Trophy as Western regional playdown series winners, the Stars honoured the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League on Saturday wearing green and gold tape on their skates and sticks. The junior A Broncos’ team bus was involved in a tragic accident on Friday with a semi-trailer truck, and 15 people on the bus died as a result.

Today we play for a chance to represent Saskatchewan at the @HC_EssoCup but we are reminded this is a game that brings us together as 1 #WILL Today we play for the @HumboldtBroncos #SaskProud 💚💛 pic.twitter.com/bxt7cclQ7j

— Saskatoon Stars (@StoonStarsAAA) April 7, 2018

    The Selects raised $700 for the GoFundMe account to support the Broncos.

On behalf of the @StoonStarsAAA and the Eastman Selects at the Western Regional Series we are proud to donate $700 to the Humboldt Broncos. Thank you to all who made this possible. #WesternRegionalSeries #PrayersForHumboldt #HockeyIsFamily pic.twitter.com/B8IRGynFyC

— Eastman Selects (@Eastmanfemale) April 7, 2018

    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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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. If you want to donate to the GoFundMe account to support the Humboldt Broncos, you can do so by clicking here. Thank you for stopping in.

Stars look to halt Selects’ “Cinderella” playoff run

The Stars are looking to advance to the Esso Cup.

    It will be a classic David versus Goliath matchup when the Saskatoon Stars tangle with the Ste. Anne, Man., based Eastman Selects in a best-of-three Western regional female midget AAA hockey playdown series.

    The two clubs open the best-of-three set on Friday at 3 p.m. Manitoba time at the T.G. Smith Centre in Steinbach, Man. Game 2 is set for Saturday at 5 p.m. local time and Game 3, if necessary, will be held Sunday at 12:30 p.m. local time. Both of those contests will also be at the T.G. Smith Centre.

    The series winner advances to the Esso Cup national female midget AAA championship tournament, which runs April 22 to 28 in Bridgewater, N.S. Saskatoon earned a berth in the Esso Cup in 2015 and 2016.

    The Stars play the role of Goliath posting a 24-3-1 regular season record to finish first in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League for a fourth straight year. They advanced through the SFMAAAHL playoffs with a 6-0 record and won the SFMAAAHL title sweeping the Prince Albert Northern Bears 3-0 in a best-of-five series. The Bears won the SFMAAAHL title, the Western regional series and advanced to the Esso Cup last year.

    The Selects play the role of David posting a 13-12-5 regular season record to finish fifth in the seven-team Manitoba Female AAA Midget Hockey League. They proceeded to roll off three upset best-of-five series victories to capture the MFMHL title.

    In quarter-final series, the Selects swept the Shoal Lake based Yellowhead Chiefs 3-0, and the Chiefs were 14-10-6 in regular season play. In a semifinal series, the Selects got past the Winnipeg Avros 3-1, and the Avros topped the MFMHL standings with a 25-5 record.

Joelle Fiala piled up 40 points in regular season play for the Stars.

    In the MFMHL finals, the Selects faced the defending league champion Pembina Valley Hawks, who are based out of Morden. The Hawks finished second in the MFMHL with a 20-8-2 record. On the strength of a pair of overtime victories to close out the series, the Selects prevailed 3-1 to capture the Manitoba championship.

    Stars captain Mackenna Parker topped the SFMAAAHL in scoring with 33 goals and 27 assists in 23 regular season games. She equaled the Stars team record for most points scored in one regular season at 60 first set by Emily Clark, who is a member of Canada’s senior national team, in the 2011-12 campaign.

    Stars forward Anna Leschyshyn finished second in SFMAAAHL scoring with 24 goals and 29 assists appearing in all 28 regular season games. Skilled centre Grace Shirley was fourth in SFMAAAHL scoring recording 30 goals and 18 assists in 23 regular season games with the Stars.

Parker and Shirley were members of Canada’s under-18 women’s hockey team.

    Winger Joelle Fiala piled up 18 goals and 22 assists to finish seventh in league scoring appearing in all 28 regular season games for the Stars.

    Sophomore defender Ashley Messier, who turned 16 in late March, was the Stars power-play quarterback leading all the team’s rearguards in scoring with three goals and 23 assists.

    The Stars have been rotating both of their goalies this season. Jordan Ivanco, who is the team’s 17-year-old veteran, posted a 12-1-1 record, a 1.76 goals against average, a .917 save percentage and one shutout in 14 regular season appearances. Arden Kliewer, a sophomore who turned 16 in early February, posted a 12-2 record, a 2.08 goals against average, a .906 save percentage and one shutout in 14 regular season appearances.

Ashley Messier quarterbacks the power play for the Stars.

    Centre Kylie Lesuk topped the selects in scoring with 12 goals and 10 assists in 29 regular season games. Left-winger Chelsea Dinnin was second in team scoring with seven goals and 11 assists in 24 regular season games.

    Defender Breanna McLennan was the power-play quarterback topping all Selects blue-liners in scoring with two goals and 15 assists appearing in all 30 of her team’s regular season games.

    Raygan Kirk is the Selects starter in goal, and she posted a 6-6-2 record, a 1.81 goals against average, a .937 save percentage and two shutouts in 14 regular season appearances.

    The last time a club from Manitoba claimed the Lanchbery Family Trophy as the Western regional playdown series winner was the Hawks in 2012.

Parker wins big Hockey Canada award

Congratulations to Mackenna Parker (Clavet, Sask.), the 2018 Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Female Player-of-the-Year Award winner! 🏆

This annual award is given to the player that most demonstrates good values, leadership and strong community involvement. 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/zEYZldsMlL

— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) April 6, 2018

    On Thursday, Hockey Canada named Saskatoon Stars captain Mackenna Parker as this year’s winner of the Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Female-Player-of-the-Year Award.

    The award is given annually to a player that most demonstrates good values, leadership and strong community involvement.

    Of course, Parker topped the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League in regular season scoring with 33 goals and 27 assists in 23 regular season games. She was named the winner of the SFMAAAHL’s most valuable player award and a first-team all-star.

    Parker is completing her final season of midget AAA eligibility and will graduate sitting second on the SFMAAAHL’s all-time regular season scoring list with 82 goals and 76 assists in 104 regular season games.

    In January, Parker helped Canada win bronze at the under-18 women’s world championship, which was held in Dmitrov, Russia.

Blades continue coaching makeover, release Thoma

Assistant coach Bryce Thoma addresses the Blades players during a practice.

    The Saskatoon Blades continued to makeover their coaching staff releasing assistant coach Bryce Thoma on Wednesday.

    Thoma, 35, joined the Blades in July of 2016 as a member of the coaching staff led by head coach Dean Brockman. Brockman was released by the Blades on March 18, which came one day after the club concluded the regular season missing the WHL playoffs finishing sixth in the East Division with a 35-33-3-1 record.

    Before joining the Blades, Thoma was a head coach and general manager in the junior A ranks with Weyburn Red Wings of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. From 2008 to 2013, he served as an assistant coach with the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels under Jesse Wallin for most of that stint before working under team owner Brent Sutter, who reassumed the head coach position in November of 2012.

    Thoma, who is a Saskatoon product, is best remembered for playing four seasons with the Rebels as a defenceman from 1999 to 2003 collecting 15 goals and 49 assists in 261 regular season games. He was a member of the Rebels WHL and Memorial Cup championship team in the 2000-01 campaign.

    Following the conclusion of his WHL playing career, Thoma played three seasons for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team from 2003 to 2006 collecting seven goals and 24 assists in 69 regular season games.

    Like Brockman, Thoma had signed a contract extension with the Blades last August that was slated to expire at the end of the 2019-20 campaign.

    Besides working with the Blades, Thoma is on the staff of Sadoway Conditioning in Saskatoon.

    On Thursday, a trio of players from the Blades including centre Kirby Dach and Chase Wouters along with netminder Nolan Maier were named to Canada’s men’s team for the under-18 world championships, which are slated to be held April 19 to 29 in Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk, Russia.
    They will be joined on the Canadian team by winger Cole Fonstad of the Prince Albert Raiders.

    The Canadian team will begin to assemble in Etobicoke, Ont., for practices starting on Sunday before departing to Russia on April 10.

Back in the Express with Rush comic book story

James Zintel shows off the Saskatchewan Rush comic book.

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express this week with a story on a comic book about the National Lacrosse League’s Saskatchewan Rush.

    The Rush had Saskatoon-based comic book creator James Zintel create a comic book about the team. It was sold as part of the Rush home game against the Rochester Knighthawks on March 24 at the SaskTel Centre, which the Rush marketed as their superheroes night.

    Zintel created a product that featured the Rush players, the Original 16 Crush Dance Team, Grandma Rush, Bruiser the Bulldog and the Rush Hulk.

    The Rush return to action on Saturday in a heavyweight clash against the Colorado Mammoth that is set for 7:30 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. The Rush sit first overall in the NLL with an 11-3 record, while the Mammoth are second overall with a 10-5 mark.

    The story on the Rush comic book can be round 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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DeCorby, Johnson blast Stars back into Esso Cup

The Saskatoon Stars celebrate Rayah DeCorby's game-winning goal.

    SHOAL LAKE, Man. ­-- Rayah DeCorby has developed a habit of scoring timely post-season goals for the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA hockey team.

    The 18-year-old defender drove home a point blast through a screen with 6:41 to play in the third period to give the Stars a 2-1 edge on the host Yellowhead Chiefs at the Shoal Lake Communiplex on Saturday. DeCorby followed that up by firing home an empty-net tally with 38.7 seconds to play to cement a 3-1 victory for the Stars in Game 2 of best-of-three Western regional playdown series.

    The win allowed the Stars to sweep the series 2-0, claim the Lanchbery Family Trophy and advance to the Esso Cup national championship tournament for a second straight year. Saskatoon took Game 1 of the series with the Chiefs by a 2-1 score on Friday in Shoal Lake. This year’s Esso Cup runs from April 17 to 23 in Weyburn. 

    In Saturday’s victory over the Chiefs, DeCorby was pleasantly surprised to find out her point blast to put the Stars up 2-1 found its mark.

Stars goalie Emma Johnson kicks away a shot on goal.

    “I didn’t know it went in at first,” said DeCorby. “I was just trying to get shots on net, get it through hoping to create some options for everyone else in front of the net.”

    She was elated to be able to help her squad return to the Esso Cup.

    “I am beyond excited,” said DeCorby, who is playing out her final year of midget eligibility. “It is a great way to finish it off.”

    Back on March 26, DeCorby netted the first tally that sparked a three-goal surge to allow the Stars to rally from a 3-1 deficit to down the Diamond Energy Wildcats in Swift Current 4-3 in overtime to clinch the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League championship series.

    On Saturday, the Yellowhead Chiefs scored first, when forward Sam Geekie fired home a power-play goal top corner through a screen at the 11:14 mark of the second period. The Chiefs outshot the Stars 19-8 over the first 40 minutes and could have had a larger lead if not for the stellar play of Saskatoon goaltender Emma Johnson. Johnson made 32 saves on Saturday, which included a series of nice glove stops.

Rayah DeCorby wheels with the puck behind her net.

    For large stretches of Saturday’s contest, the Chiefs had the Stars pinned in their own zone. The hosts were good at chipping the puck in deep and coming in hard on the forecheck to create turnovers. On average, the Chiefs were a little bit physically bigger than the Stars, which helped the hosts win a lot of one-on-one battles down low.

    Despite the pressure, Johnson stayed composed making big save after big save.

    “She’s been absolutely stellar,” said Stars head coach Greg Slobodzian. “We’re a little bit worried about workload.

    “She’s never played this much before, because we’ve always rotated through the season. We’ve been running with her, and she’s handled it so well.

    “She’s had a few ups and downs, and she’s handled everything like a professional. She’s just been outstanding.”

    Despite all the Chiefs chances, Saskatoon tied things up just 18 seconds into the third, while working on the power play. Mackenna Parker and Julia Rongve combined to set up gifted 14-year-old forward Anna Leschyshyn, who popped home the equalizer to knot the score at 1-1.

    That set the stage for DeCorby to come through with her two late tallies in the third.

    “We didn’t play extremely well in the first two periods, but I think after the second period we knew that we had a lot more to give,” said Johnson. “It was nice to come out and come together as a team and be able to pull that off.”

    Emma Greenwood turned away 13-of-15 shots taking the loss in goal for the Chiefs.

Stars forward Abby Shirley (#18) tried to battle her way down the boards.

    While Saturday’s game was a tough one for the Stars to win, Slobodzian was pleased with the resilience his players showed.

    “The girls, I just can’t say enough about them,” said Slobodzian. “They just find ways to do it, and it is just a sign of a great team.

    “Even though we didn’t play pretty hockey, we did all the little things that we needed to do, and we got it done. It felt great.”

    Slobodzian was pumped the Stars will return to the Esso Cup for a second straight year.

    “As soon as that buzzer rang, I looked at the coaches and it was like we’re going back boys,” said Slobodzian. “To be able to do it two years in a row from our league, that is saying a lot.

    “We come from such a great league, and Manitoba is a great league. Whoever comes out of this region has such a good chance, and it is because the league is such a good league.”

The Stars celebrate with Lanchberry Family Trophy and banner.

    The Stars won a bronze medal at last year’s Esso Cup. For the returning players, the sting of a 2-1 extra time semifinal loss after a tiebreaking shootout to the host Red Deer Chiefs still remains. Johnson said the aim was to go all the way this time.

    “I think we want a bit of redemption,” said Johnson. “Last year, we didn’t like the way that we went out losing in a shootout, so it is nice to go back and have a chance to set things right.”

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