Huskies grease out 2-1 win in Game 1 of Canada West semi

Cable plays 172^nd consecutive game, scores for U of S

Levi Cable (#10) celebrates his first period goal for the Huskies.

    Levi Cable was pumped his teammates ensured he didn’t have to lament the one that got away.
    With his University of Saskatchewan Huskies holding a slim 2-1 lead over the University of Calgary Dinos in Game 1 of a best-of-three Canada West men’s hockey playoff semifinal series, Cable had a chance to ice the contest skating in on an empty opposition net inside the final two minutes of the third period.

    Uncharacteristically, the fifth-year right-winger fired the puck wide of the mark on that golden chance. The missed opportunity didn’t come back to haunt the Huskies, who ensured the 2-1 score in their favour held up before 1,480 spectators at Merlis Belsher Place.

Levi Cable played in his 172nd consecutive game on Friday.

    “It made it a little more stressful than it needed to be,” said Cable about the missed chance. “The rest of the guys all came together and made sure it wasn’t one that I was feeling for a long time.”

    With the win, the Huskies lead the series 1-0. They will attempt to close things out in Game 2 on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merlis.

    Friday’s game marked the 172^nd straight contest Cable has played for the Huskies including action in the U Sports regular season and post-season.

    The 25-year-old Hudson Bay, Sask., product has never missed a game playing with the Huskies suiting up for 140 regular season game, 20 contests in the Canada West playoffs and 12 games in the U Sports national men’s hockey championship tournament – the David Johnston University Cup.

Levi Cable has never missed a game in his U Sports career.

    He netted the game’s first goal on Friday.

    “I’ve just been lucky to play that many games in a row,” said Cable. “The trainers are keeping me together.

    “It was nice to come out here and score the first one. It is always good to get that one out of the way. The boys played well.

    “I’m just glad we came out with a win.”

    With seven minutes remaining in the first period, Cable took a short pass from fifth-year centre Kohl Bauml and wired home a shot from the front of the Dinos goal to put the host side up 1-0. Cable and Bauml have played together on the same line on a consistent basis since joining the Huskies before the start of the 2015-16 campaign.

    “We know were each other is lots of times without even having to look,” said Cable. “It just makes it easy.

    “We know where the other guy will be at all times.”

Ryan Graham scored for the Dinos on Friday.

    Just 2:48 later, the Dinos evened the score at 1-1, when third-year left-winger Ryan Graham fired home a shot from the front of the Huskies goal shortly after an offensive zone faceoff.

    With 41.5 seconds remaining in the first, Huskies third-year left-winger Collin Shirley potted a tally in close at the right side of the Dinos goal to put the Huskies up 2-1.

    The contest became a gritty slugfest from that point in time over the final two frames resulting in a lot of hits from physical play and very few scoring chances. Overall in the contest, the Huskies held a 19-12 edge in shots on goal.

    In the final seconds of the third, sophomore defenceman James Shearer had the final chance to score for the Dinos to force overtime, but his shot from the right slot was turned away by Huskies star netminder Taran Kozun.

Collin Shirley (#11) celebrates putting the Huskies up 2-1.

    “I knew that it was going to be an absolute grease match,” said Huskies head coach Dave Adolph. “We’ve been talking about it for two weeks.

    “They are a big strong team that likes to be physical and wear you down. We knew that we had to try and answer that bell. I thought the first 10 minutes of the third period we got outplayed pretty bad, and then somehow we found a way to grease ourselves back in it.”

    A big key to the Huskies victory on Friday was keeping the Dinos top forward unit of centre Matt Alfaro, right-winger Kaden Elder and left-winger Coda Gordon in check.  That trio combined for no points and only one shot on goal.

    The Huskies would often counter that unit with the fourth-year defensive pairing of captain Tanner Lishchynsky and Colby Harmsworth.

    “Obviously, you have to match strength on strength when you are playing a good team like Calgary,” said Adolph. “That Alfaro line is as dangerous as any that I have seen in probably 10 years in U Sports.

A scrum develops after Collin Shirley scored for the Huskies.

    “You have to throw some guys out there and trust that they can get the job done. (We got) the first check mark tonight.”

    With his goal on Friday, Cable has collected 13 goals, three assists and a plus-seven rating in his 20 games in the Canada West playoffs. In his 12 games at the University Cup, Cable has six goals and five assists.

    In his 140 career regular season games, Cable posted 51 goals, 64 assists and a plus-50 rating in the plus-minus department.

    Before joining the Huskies, Cable played in 267 career WHL regular season games with the Kootenay Ice from 2010 to 2015 posting 55 goals, 62 assists and a plus-13 rating.

Taran Kozun (#31) made 11 saves to back the Huskies to victory.

    When the dust settled on Friday, Cable was pleased his team came out victorious in his 172^nd consecutive game for the Huskies as they battled against a quality opponent.

    “It was tough,” said Cable. “They are a really good team.

    “They are good defensively, and they have a couple of lines who can score. They made it tough on us, and it was a close game right till the end. The greasy ones are sometimes fun, and they are fun to win.

    “I’m just glad we won.”

    Kozun stopped 11 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies, who are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings. Matthew Greenfield turned away 17 shots to take the setback in goal for the Dinos, who are rated eighth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings.

The Huskies celebrate their win on Friday night.

    The Huskies finished second in the Canada West regular season standings with a 22-4-2 record, while the Dinos were third in Canada West with an 18-7-3 mark.

    As is the nature of a best-of-three Canada West playoff series, the Dinos will have last line change for Game 2, and Adolph expects Dinos head coach Mark Howell will shorten his bench a little.

    “You have to be real careful,” said Adolph. “I can’t tell you exactly what we are going to do.

    “We did it I think to execution tonight that if we didn’t quite get the match or a late change that there were two guys out there that were ready to go. We will be fine.

    “It will be another one-goal game tomorrow night.”

If a series-deciding Game 3 is necessary, it will be held on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Merlis.

Huskies’ Bohlken and Bourassa named Canada West all-stars

Leah Bohlken was named a first team Canada West all-star.

    A pair of veterans from the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team were recognized among the best in the Canada West Conference.

    On Wednesday, fifth-year defender Leah Bohlken was named a first team Canada West all-star, and fourth-year right-winger Bailee Bourassa was honoured as a Canada West second team all-star.

    Bohlken was named a first team conference all-star for the second year in a row. This past season in her final campaign of U Sports eligibility, Bohlken played in all of the Huskies 28 regular season games posting five goals, six assists and a plus-eight rating in the plus-minus department.

    The 22-year-old product of Moose Jaw, Sask., was a member of Canada’s women’s hockey team that won a silver medal last year at the FISU Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

Bailee Bourassa was named a second team Canada West all-star.

    Bourassa cracked the Canada West all-star team for the first time in her career. The 21-year-old Weyburn, Sask., product played in all of the Huskies 28 regular season games posting 12 goals, seven assists and a plus-five rating.

    Bourassa’s 12 goals and 19 points were both career highs.

    With the contributions of Bohlken and Bourassa, the Huskies finished third in the Canada West Conference with a 17-7-2-2 record.

    They were swept in a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series 2-0 by the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, who claimed an overtime win and a double overtime victory to get the sweep.

    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 hockey teams hit final sprint for playoff byes

Taran Kozun leads the Huskies men’s hockey team on to the ice.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies hockey teams are so close to earning playoff byes players could get giddy dreaming about a weekend off.

    Going into their respective final four regular season games, the Huskies men’s and women’s hockey teams are solidly in the running to claim respective top two finishes in their respective Canada West Conference standings. That type of finish would earn them byes into their respective best-of-three Canada West semifinal series.

    Both teams had moments in the campaign where it appeared a top two finish might not be possible. Both squads have gone on impressive tears to make what once looked maybe impossible possible.

    The Huskies men’s team’s defensive unit was decimated by injuries at the start of the campaign, and they stumbled out of the gates with an 0-3-1 record often missing as many as four regulars on the back end.

    Throughout the rest of the season, the injury bug kept biting the Huskies, but that didn’t stop them on going on a remarkable 18-1-1 run over their past 20 regular season games.

    With having won their last seven in a row, the Huskies sit second in the Canada West men’s standings with an 18-4-2 record. Their 38 points in the standings equals the first place U of Alberta Golden Bears (19-5), but the Golden Bears hold the standings tiebreaker winning three out of the four head-to-head regular season encounters between the two sides.
    Both teams inched a little closer to locking up positions in the top two of the Canada West standings, when the Mount Royal University Cougars downed the U of Calgary Dinos 5-4 in double overtime on Thursday in Calgary.

Collin Shirley leads the Huskies men’s hockey team in scoring.

    The Dinos sit third in Canada West with a 16-6-3 record for 35 points in the standings, while Mount Royal sits fourth with a 16-7-0-2 record for 34 points.

    If the Huskies and Golden Bears earn four more standings points over their final eight games, they will both be assured of finishing in the top two of Canada West.

    The Huskies are riding a seven-game winning streak and travel to Winnipeg, Man., to face the U of Manitoba Bisons on Friday and Saturday. The Bisons sit fifth in Canada West with a 9-12-1-2 record.

    A sweep over the Bisons would guarantee the Huskies at least a second place finish in the Canada West standings.

    The Huskies have vaulted to this point thanks to the efforts of third-year starting netminder Taran Kozun, who has a 14-3-2 record, a 1.96 goals against average, a .929 save percentage and four shutouts. Kozun became the first goalie in the history of the Huskies program to score a goal this season too.

    The Huskies scoring has been evenly spread throughout their roster this season. Third-year left-winger Collin Shirley tops the Huskies in scoring with nine goals and 15 assists for 24 points.

    Rookie centre Jared Dmytriw is second in team scoring with nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points. Fifth-year right-winger Levi Cable is third in team scoring with 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points.
    Sophomore defenceman Gordie Ballhorn tops the backend in scoring with two goals and 10 assists for 12 points.

    The Huskies men’s team have shown they can persevere, and that tangible might be the strongest it has ever been in recent campaigns.
    As for the Huskies women’s team, they looked like they might be on the outside looking in when it came to finishing in the top two of the Canada West standings posting a 6-4-2-1 record after 13 regular season games.

    At that point, the Huskies caught fire winning nine of their last 11 games including their last six in a row.

Jessica Vance (#30) is having a solid season for the Huskies women’s team.

    The Huskies have a 15-6-2-1 record. Due to the fact you earn three standings points for regulation wins in women’s hockey, the Huskies sit third in Canada West with 46 standings points coming off 13 regulation wins, two extra time wins and three extra time setbacks.

    They trail the U of Calgary Dinos by three points in the standings but have a game in hand. The Dinos have a 16-7-0-2 record for 49 points coming off 15 regulation wins, one extra time win and two extra time setbacks.

    The Dinos moved ahead of the Huskies in the standings downing the Mount Royal University Cougars 4-1 on Thursday in Calgary. That game was played in front of 10,002 spectators at the Scotiabank Saddledome, which is a U Sports record for a women’s hockey game.

    The Huskies hold the standings tiebreaker with the Dinos and have won all four head-to-head encounters between the two teams.

    The U of Alberta Pandas sit first in Canada West with a 17-7 record with 50 standings points coming off 16 regulation wins and one extra time win.

    The Huskies will try and do their best to hold serve this season weekend hosting the rebuilding U of Manitoba Bisons (8-15-1) on Friday and Saturday at Merlis Belsher Place with 7 p.m. and 5 p.m. respective start times on both nights.

    U of S has surged upward in the standings allowing the second fewest goals in Canada West at 34.

    The strength of their team is star fourth-year veteran goalie Jessica Vance, who has an 11-3-2 record, a 1.30 goals against average, a .938 save percentage and five shutouts. Vance was a member of the Canadian women’s hockey team that won silver at the FISU Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, last year.

    She has played well enough to earn invites to camps in Canada’s national women’s team system.

Bailee Bourassa leads the Huskies women’s team in scoring.

    Vance is aided by a veteran defensive unit that includes three fifth-year players in Leah Bohlken, Emma Nutter and Morgan Willoughby. Bohlken was a member of Canada’s silver medal winning team at last year’s Winter Universiade.

    She tops the Huskies in defender scoring with five goals and four assists for nine points.

    The veteran back end includes steady fourth-year defender Kayla Kirwan, who missed about 10 games earlier in the season battling the injury bug.

    The Huskies offence has been paced thanks to a strong season from fourth-year right winger Bailee Bourassa, who leads the team in scoring with 11 goals and six assists for 17 points. Bourassa’s goal and point totals are career highs.

    No matter how their respective final four regular season games unfold, the Huskies are guaranteed to start the post-season by hosting a best-of-three series. They just hope that first series will come in the Canada West semifinal round, because that gets them one step closer to their respective U Sports national championship tournaments.

Regret being jaded with Willoughby, Bohlken on social media

Morgan Willoughby anchors the back end for the Huskies women’s team.

    A social media misstep made by myself has kind of been eating at my insides for a number of weeks now.

    Back on Jan. 5, I took a break from writing posts on this blog, and I resumed my work on this site last Friday. Around the period before and after when I announced I was taking a break, I was feeling really jaded.

    In the days before and after I took my break, fifth-year defenders Morgan Willoughby and Leah Bohlken of the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team shared items on their social media channels stating TSN should broadcast the world under-18 women’s hockey championships like it does for the world juniors on the men’s side.

    Canada made the final in both tournaments, which were played earlier this month. Canada fell 2-1 in overtime in the under-18 women’s final to the United States in Bratislava, Slovakia.

    In the final of the men’s world juniors in Ostrava in the Czech Republic, Canada downed Russia 4-3 to win gold.

    Before I took my break, Willoughby shared a post on her Facebook account that said the world under-18 women’s hockey championships should have been broadcast on TSN like the men’s world juniors was.

    In the comments section, I wrote basically something that said the will wasn’t there to broadcast the world under-18 women’s hockey championships and there was a similar lack of will to cover women’s hockey at any level by mainstream media outlets. I left the impression that seeing world under-18 women’s hockey championships would be something that would never happen.

    At the start of my break, Bohlken shared a petition asking TSN to broadcast the world under-18 women’s hockey championships. I did sign and share the petition.

    I also put a jaded comment on Bohlken’s post stating I hoped that would help and noted the only two media outlets at the time that ever paid me on a freelance basis to write articles on women’s sports. I also said there wasn’t a lot of will for that sort of thing.

    With Willoughby’s shared post on Facebook, at least mostly just those on her friends list could see it. Bohlken’s shared post was on Twitter, so everyone could see that as Twitter is a public social media forum.

    In both cases I shouldn’t have made the jaded comments. I regret the comments and apologize to both ladies.

Leah Bohlken gives the Huskies an offensive spark on the back end.

    Both have sizable followings of younger players in Saskatchewan coming up through the female game, and those younger players get pumped up when Willoughby and Bohlken take a stand on something.

    In sharing those social media posts, Willoughby and Bohlken are both individually standing up for what is right. When they do that, they should be supported.

    Willoughby is from Prince Albert, Sask., and she has the same honour code as one of that community’s biggest hockey heroes in Dave Manson, who is an alumnus of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders and a long time NHLer. Her following is particularly strong in Prince Albert.

    She always seems to do the responsible thing, put others before herself and likes to ensure everyone is getting along on the social front. Willoughby can play gritty and tough on the ice, which is something the girls playing in the younger levels of hockey seem love.

    Bohlken has a lot of street cred with the female players in the younger levels of minor hockey just due to the fact she was on Canadian women’s team that won silver at the FISU Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, last year.

    The younger female players took notice when Bohlken had nine goals, seven assists and a plus-three rating in the plus-minus department in her 27 regular season appearances for the Huskies last season.

    She can also play very tough and physical on the ice.

    From what I understand, Bohlken is a big favourite among the current players that play for her former Regina Rebels female midget AAA hockey team. Her younger sister, Larissa, is a key defender for the Rebels.

    I remember the elder Bohlken made a statement once before on Twitter a couple of seasons back saying all hockey arenas should have the proper amenities for female players like male players. She noted she had to change a few times in broom closets playing on boys teams growing up.

    Again, Bohlken is totally in the right.

    When Willoughby and Bohlken want to take stands on issues on social media channels and they are in the right, I should be supporting them instead of making jaded comments.

    Of course, it is well-known how the troll aspect goes on social media forums. I shouldn’t add to that, when people are in the right.

    When university level players like Willoughby and Bohlken do take stands on social media channels and are in the right, girls playing in the younger levels of minor hockey do see it and do see those players taking stands as being more kick ass.

    For me, I should know better, and it is a lesson learned on that front.

    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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Vance picks up 18th career shutout for Huskies

Jessica Vance makes one of her 21 saves in goal for the Huskies.

    Jessica Vance just continues to cement herself as one of the all-time greats in the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey program.

    On Saturday at Merlis Belsher Place, Vance turned away all 21 shots she faced to back the Huskies to a 1-0 victory over the Mount Royal University Cougars before 556 spectators. The fourth-year netminder earned her 18^th career regular season shutout with the win.

    Besides holding the team record for career regular season shutouts with the Huskies, Vance now sits alone in third spot for the most career shutouts in the history of the Canada West Conference. 

Jessica Vance has 18 career regular season shutouts for the Huskies.

    Vance is one shutout ahead of former University of Manitoba Bisons goalie Stacey Corfield, who collected 17 shutouts over five seasons from 2005 to 2010.

    “It is pretty good I guess,” said Vance, who is in her third season with the Huskies. “Just going into every game, my goal is to get the team the win.

    “It is nice to have that individual side along with it. All that matters is we get the wins, and hopefully, our team can go far this year.”

    During her career with the Huskies, Vance has appeared in 51 regular games posting a 33-12-5 record, a 1.11 goals against average and a .951 save percentage to go with her 18 shutouts. The 22-year-old Prince Albert, Sask., product has the second most regular season victories in the history of the Huskies women’s hockey program.

Cougars LW Tianna Ko and Huskies G Jessica Vance collide.

    She has the fifth most regular season career saves in team history at 1,095 and has played the fourth most career minutes in goal in regular season action at 3,071.

    “I know about it, but I just try not to play attention,” said Vance about her milestones. “I think knowing it just gives me confidence.

    “I try not to think about it during the game or anything like that. I just want to get the win for my team.”

    In Saturday’s win over the Cougars, Vance showed how good her focus was as the only shot she had to face in the first period came off a breakaway.

Leah Bohlken had the Huskies only goal on Saturday.

    With just under five minutes to play in the opening frame, the Huskies first power play of the contest expired, and the Cougars were able to pass the puck up to defender Tori Williams as she stepped out of the penalty box. She was serving a minor infraction for holding.

    Williams jetted up ice, but was stoned by Vance on the scoring opportunity.

    Huskies fifth-year offensive defender Leah Bohlken said that bailout stop was big for her team. The Huskies held a 12-1 edge in shots on goal over the opening 20 minutes and the domination would have gone for naught has the Cougars scored on their one breakaway chance.

    “If the puck ends up in the back of the net, it kind of takes your momentum right down,” said Bohlken. “To have her (Williams) pop out of the box there and get the puck and Vance made that huge save, that just continues on the momentum and makes it even stronger.

The Huskies celebrate Leah Bohlken’s goal.

    “That is like a huge pick me up for everyone after she makes a save like that. It was a good chance that Jess stopped.”

    Just 14 seconds into the second, Bohlken wired home her fourth of the season on a midrange drive to give the host side a 1-0 lead.

    After Bohlken’s goal, the Cougars hit another gear trying to find the equalizer.

    Vance stopped 12 shots in the second period and eight shots in the third to preserve the shutout win for the Huskies. She said she didn’t expect the game to swing like it did.

    “I’ve never played in a game like that before,” said Vance. “That was pretty crazy.

    “You just have to stay focused. That is obviously something that I work on. It worked out good for me today.”

    Bohlken said she has been impressed with the milestones Vance continues to accumulate with the team.

Bailee Bourassa jets into the offensive zone for the Huskies.

    “She has been a huge part of this team obviously,” said Bohlken. “With her getting shutouts, it means we only have to score one goal.

    “That is huge for anybody in our league. Goals are hard to come by. With her getting those shutouts, that helps us each and every game, because it means we don’t have to score as many goals to win.

    “Watching her through her successes, everybody is behind her. Every time she does well, I know she always gets a tap on the pads from everyone, and we are all really supportive and happy that she is doing so well.”

    Zoe DeBeauville turned away 21 shots to take the setback in goal for the Cougars, who fell to 8-8 to sit fifth in the Canada West Conference.
    The Huskies have won three straight games to improve to 9-4-2-1.

Zoe DeBeauville makes one of her 21 stops in goal for the Cougars.

    They are tied with the University of Alberta Pandas (10-6) for second and third in the Canada West standings with 29 standing points.

    The Pandas compiled their 29 points on nine regulation victories and one extra time win. The Huskies collected their 29 points on eight regulation victories, one extra time win and three extra time losses.

    The two squads sit four standings points behind the University of Calgary Dinos for first place and are only seven standings points ahead of the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns for sixth place.

    The Huskies are departing on that note for their exam and Christmas break.
    “Knowing that the conference is so tight, if we keep playing how we can, it is in our hands basically,” said Vance. “It is how tight it is.

The Huskies celebrate their win on Saturday.

    “We come away with a couple of wins on lots of the weekends we can finish first. It is anyone’s hands.”

    Bohlken believes her team has to be happy with how things have gone leading up the exam and Christmas break.

    “I think it has been really good,” said Bohlken. “Going into the Christmas break, this is definitely what we wanted was to come off the weekend with a sweep.

    “Any weekend where you can get a sweep is huge. Sitting tied for second, honestly right now, that doesn’t mean a whole lot, because you lose two games and you can fall to sixth. We know that after the break we have to pick up right where we left off here.

    “It is a really nice momentum builder here, and as long as we keep going the way that we are going, I think we are going to peak at the right time.”

    The Huskies return to action on Jan. 3 in the new year, when they travel to Edmonton to face the Pandas.

Banged up Huskies win eight straight

Andrew Johnson had a goal and two assists for the Huskies on Saturday.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team have mastered overcoming the injury bug as well as their opponents.

    On Saturday, the Huskies won their eighth straight game downing the Mount Royal University Cougars 3-2 at the Flames Community Arena in Calgary, Alta.

    The Huskies won Saturday’s game dressing just 17 skaters, which is one under the full complement of 18. Those out of the lineup with various ailments included defencemen Colby Harmsworth and Cody Spagrud along with forwards Jordan Tkatch, Donovan Neuls, Kohl Bauml and Wyatt Johnson.

    Fifth-year forward Andrew Johnson was in on all of the Huskies goals collecting one goal and two assists in the win.

    He gave the Huskies a 1-0 lead in the first period and setup linemate Levi Cable for the squad’s second goal at the 2:07 mark of the second to give the visitors a 2-0 edge.

Taran Kozun made 26 saves in goal for the Huskies on Saturday.

    Rookie forward Sean Richards scored for the Cougars before the second period ended to cut the Huskies lead to 2-1.

    At the 7:27 mark of the third, Johnson set up linemate Layne Young to put the Huskies up 3-1.

Richards set up linemate Chris Gerrie for a Cougars goal that cut the Huskies lead to 3-2 with 1:42 remaining in the third period. The Cougars were unable to net the equalizer after that tally.

    Taran Kozun made 26 saves to pick up with win in goal for the Huskies. The Huskies are tied with the U of Calgary Dinos for the second and third place spots in the Canada West Conference with identical 11-3-2 records.

    Wyatt Hoflin turned away 34 shots to take the setback in goal for the Cougars, who drop to 10-4-0-2 and sit fourth in Canada West.

    The Huskies will now have lots of time to try and get healthy as they head into their exam and Christmas break. They return to action on Saturday, Jan. 3 in the new year when they host the U of Alberta Golden Bears (14-2) at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

Machart named overall MVP for Huskies football

Adam Machart was named the Huskies overall team MVP.

    If you are in the running for the Hec Crighton Trophy, it is almost an automatic you will be the team MVP for your U Sports football program.

    After a record season, running back Adam Machart was named the overall most valuable player for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team at the team’s award banquet held Friday night at the Hilton Garden Inn.

    Machart carried the ball 156 times for 1,334 yards and eight touchdowns and caught 20 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns.

    He set a Huskies team record for most rushing yards in a regular season and most combined yards in one regular season at 1,538.

    He was a Canada West all-star, a unanimous selection as the Canada West player of the year and a U Sports all-Canadian all-star. Thanks to being the Canada West player of the year, Machart was in the running for the Hec Crighton Trophy as the most outstanding player in U Sports football.

    The Hec Crighton ultimately went to University of Western Ontario Mustangs quarterback Chris Merchant.

    The Huskies team offensive most valuable player award went to quarterback Mason Nyhus. In his third year of eligibility and first year starting for the team, Nyhus completed 138-of-228 passes for 1,739 yards, 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions during the regular season.

Nelson Lokombo, right, was the Huskies defensive MVP.

    Defensive back Nelson Lokombo claimed the Presidents’ Trophy as the U Sports defensive player of the year this season. Naturally, Lokombo was named the Huskies defensive player of the year.

    Lokombo topped the Huskies with four interceptions, and he returned two of those interceptions for touchdowns during the regular season.

    The Abbotsford, B.C., product posted 23.5 total tackles, 2.5 sacks and four pass breakups during the regular campaign as well.

    Lokombo was a Canada West all-star, the Canada West defensive player of the year and a first team all-Canadian all-star.

    Defensive tackle Evan Machibroda claimed the Huskies team award as lineman of the year. The fifth-year veteran piled up 22 total tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery during the regular season.

    Machibroda was a Canada West all-star, the most outstanding lineman in Canada West and a first team all-Canadian all-star.

Ramsey Derbas was the Huskies freshman of the year.

    Outside linebacker Ramsey Derbas was a unanimous selection for rookie of the year in Canada West, and he took the Huskies freshman of the year award. The 18-year-old led the Huskies with 43 total tackles to go along with an interception and a half sack.

    Fourth-year running back Jace Peters captured honours as the Huskies special teams play of the year.

    Fourth-year defensive back Clovis Lumeka was named the Huskies most improved player.

    Outside linebacker Ben Whiting captured the Huskies coaches award. In his fifth and final season with the Huskies, Whiting finished third on the team with 39.5 total tackles.
    The Huskies finished second in the Canada West Conference regular season standings this season with a 5-3 record.
    They downed the U of Alberta Golden Bears 28-23 in a Canada West semifinal match before falling 29-4 to the eventual Vanier Cup champion U of Calgary Dinos in the Canada West final.

    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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Slobodzian back in Hockey Canada groove with Summer Showcase invite

Stars grad looks to earn time with national development team

Willow Slobodzian takes part in a skating session in Saskatoon.

  Willow Slobodzian will never take an invite to a Hockey Canada camp lightly.
    The 19-year-old defender, who is a graduate of the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA team, is one of 45 players slated to skate at the National Women’s Development Team Selection Camp, which runs Aug. 2 to 11 in Calgary, Alta.
    Athletes at this camp are playing for the chance to compete against the United States in a three-game series from Aug. 14 to 17 in Lake Placid, N.Y.

    The development team selection camp is part of Team Canada Summer Showcase that features more than 240 of Canada’s top men’s and women’s players. 
    Camp action is already underway on the men’s side.

Willow Slobodzian has played two seasons with the NCAA’s Big Red.

    Slobodzian was a member of Canada’s under-18 women’s team in the 2017-18 campaign, and she helped Canada win bronze at the under-18 women’s worlds in Dmitrov, Russia, in January of 2018.
    Last summer, she didn’t receive invites to any of Hockey Canada’s summer camps, so the Clavet, Sask., product is pumped to be going back this year.

    “I’m excited,” said Slobodzian, who stands 5-foot-7. “To say I am not a little nervous, I would be lying.

    “I wasn’t there last year, so it will fun definitely to go play with some old teammates and some teammates that I currently have. Overall, it will be a great time. I’m just really excited.”

    Slobodzian is coming off a successful sophomore campaign with the Cornell University Big Red women’s hockey team, where she appeared in all of her squad’s 36 games posting four goals, eight assists and a plus-22 rating in the plus-minus department.

Willow Slobodzian played for Canada’s under-18 women’s team.

    Cornell, which is located in Ithaca, N.Y., advanced to the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Frozen Four women’s hockey championship tournament in Hamden, Connecticut.
    The Big Red fell 2-0 in a semifinal match to the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.

    Slobodzian plays on a deep defensive unit at Cornell that includes Jamie Bourbonnais and Micah Zandee-Hart, who have both skated with Canada’s senior national women’s team. Both are eligible to return for their senior years with the Big Red.

    Bourbonnais will be at national development team selection camp along with Big Red forwards Grace Graham and Kristin O’Neill, who will both be seniors next season. O’Neill has skated with Canada’s senior national team as well.

    While Slobodzian enjoys the fact she will see some familiar faces at the national development team selection camp, she is focusing on her mental game heading into that event.
    “I think what is important for me personally is just going in there believing in myself and knowing that I was invited for a reason and that I belong there,” said Slobodzian. “I’ve prepared myself all summer, and whatever happens, happens.

Willow Slobodzian played in the NCAA’s Frozen Four.

    “It is very controllable. It is up to me to see how I do. I know if I put my mind to it I can do as well as I can.”

    Slobodzian said it has helped her game playing in a Cornell team that has a deep defensive unit and is well coach. She said her hockey smarts have improved during her two seasons with the Big Red.

    “Working with Jaime (Bourbonnais) and Micah (Zandee-Hart) and all the other girls, we all push each other in practices,” said Slobodzian. “We all push each other during games as well.

    “It is just amazing. We push each other, and we are always getting better. It is great to work with them, because everyone has like high goals in mind.”

    Slobodzian will also see some familiar faces from her midget AAA days. The list of invites includes her former Stars teammates in sisters Sophie and Grace Shirley, who are both skilled forwards and regulars in Hockey Canada’s system.
    Sophie had a huge freshmen campaign helping the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team win the NCAA championship. She appeared in 41 games posting 20 goals, 18 assists and a plus-36 rating and was named the Western Collegiate Hockey Association conference rookie of the year.

Willow Slobodzian had a memorable sophomore season with the Big Red.

    Grace captained the Stars last season. In her final midget AAA campaign, she led the Stars in scoring with 27 goals and 21 assists in 25 regular season games.

    Grace helped the Stars win their fourth Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League title in the last five years. The Stars appeared in the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament in each of those seasons.

    Slobodzian is looking forward to seeing the Shirley sisters again.

    “It will be awesome,” said Slobodzian, who helped the Stars win SFMAAAHL titles in 2015 and 2016. “It will feel like old times I think.

    “I love those girls. We have great friendships. It will make the camp that much more fun and enjoyable.

    “Being on the ice with them too, I’ll definitely enjoy it. They are great players. It is fun to play with them.”

    Brooke Hobson, who is a former captain with the Prince Albert Northern Bears female midget AAA team, rounds out the Saskatchewan representation at the national development camp. 

Willow Slobodzian in action with the Stars in 2016.

    Hobson posted six goals, 22 assists and a plus-27 rating in 38 games helping the Northeastern University Huskies women’s team advance to a quarter-final match in the NCAA championship tournament.
    The Big Red downed the Huskies 3-2 in overtime in that quarter-final encounter in Boston, Mass. Slobodzian had an assist in that encounter.

    She enjoyed her sophomore campaign with the Big Red.

    “The season was unreal,” said Slobodzian. “It was so much fun.

    “Being able to go as far as we did was an amazing experience. Throughout the whole season, our team just got better and better and came closer together. It was just a really great year overall.

    “I loved it.”

    In 2017-18, Slobodzian joined the Big Red for her freshman campaign, while she was still eligible to play a 17-year-old season in the midget AAA ranks. Slobodzian appeared in 25 games with the Big Red that season posting three goals, five assists and a plus-13 rating.

    She said she entered her second season with the Big Red with more confidence, because she felt more comfortable balancing the rigours of school as an arts and sciences major and hockey.

Willow Slobodzian, sitting, enjoys the Stars SFMAAAHL title win in 2016.

    Looking towards her junior season after Hockey Canada activities wrap up, Slobodzian believes special things can be in store for her Big Red squad.

    “Returning for my junior year, personally I want to see our team start right we ended off as a great close group and continue to move on from there and not have to take any steps backwards with the incoming freshmen and losing some seniors,” said Slobodzian, who was the Stars captain in 2016-17. “I really hope that we can just start off where we left.

    “To not go as far as we did last year would be a huge disappointment, because I know we have a very special group of girls that can do the same thing we did last year even if not more. I’m really excited. I’m hoping for the best for our team.”

Lind, Messier highlight invites to under-18 women’s camp

Taylor Lind is the SFMAAAHL’s second all-time leading scorer.

    Two of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League’s all-time bests will be featured at Hockey Canada’s National Women’s under-18 Selection Camp.

    Now graduated Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats captain Taylor Lind and now graduated Saskatoon Stars star offensive-defender Ashley Messier are among the 44 players slated skate at the under-18 camp from Aug. 2 to 11 in Calgary, Alta. The under-18 camp is part of the Team Canada Summer Showcase that is going on right now with men’s camps.

    The players at the under-18 women’s camp are competing for the chance to go up against the United States in a three-game series from Aug. 14 to 17 in Lake Placid, N.Y.

    Last season with the Wildcats, Lind topped the SFMAAAHL in scoring for the second time in three years posting 29 goals and 31 assists for 60 points appearing in all of her team’s 28 regular season games.

    The skilled centre is the second all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL posting 93 goals and 77 assists for 170 points in 83 career regular season games.

    The Shaunavon, Sask., product is eligible to return to the Wildcats to play her 17-year-old season in the midget AAA ranks. Lind will be moving up to the NCAA ranks in the fall suiting up for the St. Cloud State University Huskies women’s hockey team in St. Cloud, Minn.

    The star forward originally committed to play for the Lindenwood University Lions women’s hockey team in St. Charles, Missouri, but after the Lions head coach was released by the team, Lind entered the transfer portal and joined St. Cloud State.

Ashley Messier was a stellar offensive-defender for the Stars.

    Messier, who is from Wilcox, Sask., had another stellar campaign playing on the Stars blue-line last season appearing in all of her team’s 28 regular season games setting new career highs in goals (five), assists (27) and points (32). For her efforts, Messier captured the SFMAAAHL’s Colleen Sostorics Top Defenceman award and helped the Stars win the SFMAAAHL title and advance to the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament.

    In three campaigns with the Stars, Messier has appeared in 84 regular season games posting 11 goals and 58 assists.

    Last year, Messier went to camp with the United States under-18 women’s team and played against Canada in a three-game exhibition series.

    Messier is eligible to return for her 17-year-old season in the midget AAA ranks but will play for the Selects Girls Hockey Academy at Bishop Kearney High School in Rochester, N.Y., for her Grade 12 year. She has committed to play for the Cornell University Big Red women’s hockey team in the NCAA ranks starting in the 2020-21 campaign.

    Rounding out the Saskatchewan invites for the under-18 camp is feisty defender Brooklyn Stevely. Stevely had a solid campaign last season for the Regina Rebels. She appeared in all of her team’s 28 regular season games collecting one goal and 15 assists.

    Stevely helped the Rebels advance to the SFMAAAHL championship series and was named a first team SFMAAAHL all-star.

    She is eligible to return to the midget AAA ranks for her 17-year-old season but has elected to play for the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy women’s prep team in Kelowna, B.C.

Bohlken, Bourassa join U Sports all-stars at Summer Showcase

Leah Bohlken had a breakout season for the Huskies.

    Two of the top players from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team will have a chance to further cement a place on Hockey Canada’s radar.

    Defender Leah Bohlken and forward Bailee Bourassa are among the 21 players who will suit up for the U Sports women’s all-star team as part of activities involving the selection camp for Canada’s National Women’s Development team.

    The U Sports team will take part in training camp activities and take part in a series of five exhibition games from Aug. 2 to 11 in Calgary, Alta. The five exhibition games include one contest against France, two against Japan and two against Canadian national development team hopefuls.

    Last year, the U Sports squad won three out of four exhibition games including two contests against Canadian national development team hopefuls.

    Last season in her fourth year with the Huskies, Bohlken had a breakout campaign appearing in 27 regular season games posting career highs in goals (nine), assists (seven) and points (16). The Moose Jaw, Sask., product posted plus-three rating in the plus-minus department.

    Bohlken was a first team Canada West all-star.

    Last March, Bohlken helped Canada’s women’s team win a silver medal at the FISU Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. Canada fell in a 2-0 heartbreaker in the gold medal final to the host Russian side.

    Bourassa completed her third year with the Huskies appearing in 27 regular season games posting career highs in goals (five), assists (11) and points (16). The Weyburn, Sask., product posted a plus-one rating.

Bailee Bourassa had a career season with the Huskies.

    Before joining the Huskies, Bourassa played for her hometown Weyburn Gold Wings female midget AAA team. She scored the winning goal in the championship game to allow the Gold Wings to down the Edmonton Thunder 2-1 in the 2014 Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament in Stoney Creek, Ont.

    Also suiting up for the U Sports squad is Saskatoon product Hannah Koroll, who plays for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds women’s hockey team. Koroll, who is an alum of the Prince Albert Northern Bears female midget AAA team, completed her rookie season with the Thunderbirds appearing in 28 regular season games posting two goals, five assists and a plus-one rating.

    Regina product Miranda Hatt rounds out the Saskatchewan born players on the U Sports team. Hatt finished her rookie season with the Saint Mary’s University Huskies appearing in 25 regular season games posting four goals, 14 assists and a plus-six rating.

    The U Sports squad is led by forward Alex Poznikoff of the University of Alberta Pandas. Poznikoff was named the U Sports player of the year last season and topped the Canada West Conference in scoring with 15 goals and 22 assists for 37 points in 27 regular season games.

    Poznikoff had a plus-34 rating and helped the Pandas win their 13^th Canada West title.

    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. Thank you for stopping in.