Heckling part of life in major junior hockey

Raspberry treatment can hurt worse depending on situation

Giorgio Estephan in action for the Hurricanes in the 2017 WHL playoffs.

    For as long as major junior hockey has existed or junior hockey for that matter, heckling has been part of the game, and it will be part of the game for the foreseeable future.

    Depending on the situation, the raspberry treatment can hit deeper to the core.

    When the Swift Current Broncos and Lethbridge Hurricanes advanced to meet each other in the best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference championship series, one of the big plot lines that came to mind revolved around a blockbuster trade the two teams made with each other on Jan. 9, which was one day before the WHL’s trade deadline.

    In that deal, the Hurricanes sent star overage captain Giorgio Estephan, star 19-year-old netminder Stuart Skinner and winger Tanner Nagel, who turned 20 in late January, to the Broncos.

    In exchange, the Broncos sent overage star netminder Logan Flodell, rookie centre Logan Barlage, who turned 17 in early January, sophomore centre Owen Blocker, who turned 18 in late March, sophomore defenceman Matthew Stanley, who turned 20 in early February, a first round selection and a third round selection in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft and a future conditional second round pick in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft to the Hurricanes.

    The on ice battle has been intriguing. The Broncos entered the series as favourites having finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season with a 48-17-5-2 record, while the Hurricanes were 16^th overall with a 33-33-6 mark.

    The Broncos lead the series 3-2 taking all three games held in Swift Current by a one-goal margin each time out. The Hurricanes won both contests held in Lethbridge by respective 5-1 scores. Game 6 is set for Monday at the Enmax Centre in Lethbridge with a 7 p.m. local time start.

    The other main compelling story has been the fact Estephan and Skinner have been the targets of heckles during the games held in Lethbridge. Social media lines have contained sizable debate about the treatment both players have received in their former WHL home rink on whether it is warranted or not.

Stuart Skinner in action with the Hurricanes in 2017.

    As far as Hurricanes fans are concerned, there are some that say Estephan and Skinner shouldn’t be heckled and others are fine with what has gone down.

    I remember a visit I once had with former Saskatoon Blades owner Jack Brodsky. He told me that the fans paid money for the ticket, and if they don’t like the product they see on the ice, they have a right to “boo” or voice their displeasure with the product. The context of that visit did focus on the hometown fans being critical of the home team.

    For myself, I am good with fans booing or heckling players on the ice. I realize the players can range in age from the 15-year-old call up to the overager that just celebrated his 21^st birthday. Major junior is supposed to help prepare players for life in the professional ranks, and dealing with hecklers is part of that training too.

    If you don’t learn how to deal with that in rinks with 5,000 spectators, how do you deal with that in professional rinks with 18,000 spectators?

    Historically in major junior hockey, there have been players who have relished being the villain in opposition rinks like Sean O’Connor when he played for the Moose Jaw Warriors, Tanner Shultz when he played for the Blades or Derek Dorsett when he played for the Medicine Hat Tigers. They are looking forward to the hecklers on the road.

    Of course, there is a line. Fans shouldn’t do anything that physically harms a player, yell something derogatory based on race or scream you wished a certain player was dead.

    In the case of Estephan and Skinner, it feels like an unwritten code of respect has been broke. Of course, hockey is full of unwritten codes.

    Both were selected in the WHL Bantam Draft by the Hurricanes and played in Lethbridge for an extended time. Estephan, who was picked fourth overall in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft, was with the Hurricanes for four-and-a-half seasons, and Skinner, who was selected 17^th overall in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft, played there for three-and-a-half seasons. They were in Lethbridge long enough to establish lifelong connections.

    On top of that, both joined the Hurricanes during a dark era, when the team missed the playoffs for six consecutive seasons from 2009-10 to 2014-15. After the Hurricanes went 12-55-2-3 in the 2013-14 season, it seemed a death watch was surrounding the team. The Hurricanes existence in Lethbridge was called into question at times.

Giorgio Estephan in action for the Broncos in this year’s WHL playoffs.

    Lethbridge was not a prime destination in the WHL, and it seemed like players that were there couldn’t wait to leave.

    Things started to change when the Hurricanes hired Peter Anholt as the club’s assistant general manager before the start of the 2014-15 campaign. The veteran coach and hockey executive became the team’s head coach and general manager halfway through that campaign.

    Before the start of the 2015-16 season, he stepped back as head coach and made the inspired move to hire Brent Kisio for that role.

    On the players’ front, Estephan and Skinner were part of a group along with former Hurricanes captain Tyler Wong who wanted to be part of the solution in turning the team around. They played a huge part in helping the Hurricanes top the Central Division in 2015-16 with a 46-24-1-1 record.

    In 2016-17, they helped the Hurricanes post a 44-21-4-3 mark to sit seventh overall in the league. They helped the Hurricanes win two seven game series in the playoffs to advance to the WHL Eastern Conference championship series falling to the Regina Pats in six games.

    Wong graduated after that campaign, and Estephan and Skinner worked to assist a reloading Hurricanes club during the first half of this past season. They were not asking to be traded, and when an opportunity to make the deal with the Broncos came about, the Hurricanes gained players that could help in the present along with players and assets to be of aid in the future.

    Both Estephan and Skinner are pretty good persons too.

    Skinner sounded off on the Hurricanes fans following the Broncos 5-1 loss in Lethbridge in Game 4 last Wednesday. For everything they did in Lethbridge, the fan heckles Estephan and Skinner received in their playoff return to Lethbridge felt at least uncomfortable.

    Fans have the right to boo and give the raspberries to who they want, but in this case, it feels wrong. It feels like an unwritten hockey code was broken.

Stuart Skinner in action for the Broncos in this year’s WHL playoffs.

    In another case, netminder Tyler Brown backstopped the Pats into the WHL Championship series last year, where they fell in six games to the Seattle Thunderbirds. He was dealt by the Pats to the Blades in a blockbuster trade on Jan. 10.

    Brown had been the target of distain from a sizable group of Pats fans on social media and sports talk radio, when the team hovered around .500 for the first half of the season. When Brown returned to Regina with the Blades on Jan. 24, he was given a standing ovation and a video tribute.

    Of course, the big difference was Brown never did play against the Pats in the post-season.

    When the playoff series between the Broncos and Hurricanes wraps up, here is hoping the Lethbridge fans that got on both Estephan and Skinner remember what they did do for the Hurricanes and tip the cap to both whey they return to Lethbridge in the future.

    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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Hurricanes prove they are for real in battle with Broncos

Hurricanes LW Taylor Ross speeds by Broncos C Giorgio Estephan.

    The Lethbridge Hurricanes didn’t remain in the purgatory of reloading for long.

    After two games in the WHL Eastern Conference championship series, the underdog Hurricanes have given the favoured Swift Current Broncos all they can handle. The Broncos lead the best-of-seven series 2-0 on the strength of two wins in Swift Current. They took Game 1 on Friday 3-2 and Game 2 on Saturday 4-3 in overtime.

    Those two games could have easily gone the other way. Actually, had an early overtime shot by sophomore defenceman Calen Addison been an inch to the left on Saturday night at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex, the Hurricanes would be heading home to play Game 3 at the Enmax Centre on Tuesday at 7 p.m. local time with the series even at 1-1.

    With how the first two games have played out, it could be argued that would have been a just result. The Hurricanes host Game 4 at 7 p.m. local time on Wednesday at the Enmax Centre.

    The Broncos finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 48-17-5-2 record. They made it to the conference final eliminating the Memorial Cup hosting Regina Pats, who finished seventh overall in the regular season with a 40-25-6-1 mark, in a tough seven game series in the first round and taking out the Moose Jaw Warriors, who topped the WHL regular season standings with a 52-15-2-3 record, in a difficult seven game series in the second round.

Hurricanes RW Dylan Cozens poke checks Broncos RW Tyler Steenbergen.

    The Hurricanes finished 16^th overall in the regular season standings with a 33-33-6 mark, and with the WHL utilizing a hybrid format of playing through the division in playoffs, they had an easier bracket to navigate through.

    Lethbridge took out the Red Deer Rebels, who finished 17^th overall in the regular season with a 27-32-10-3 mark, in five games in the first round, and disposed of a tougher Brandon Wheat Kings side, who finished eighth overall in the regular season with a 40-27-3-2 record, in five games in the second round.

    These teams are familiar with each other thanks to the fact Hurricanes general manager Peter Anholt and Broncos head coach and director of player personnel Manny Viveiros, who are both good friends, made a blockbuster deal on Jan. 9 - one day before the WHL’s trade deadline.

    In that trade, the Hurricanes sent overage captain and star centre Giorgio Estephan, star 19-year-old netminder Stuart Skinner and winger Tanner Nagel, who turned 20 in late January, to the Broncos.

Jordy Bellerive has developed into a star for the Hurricanes.

    In exchange, the Broncos sent overage star netminder Logan Flodell, rookie centre Logan Barlage, who turned 17 in early January, sophomore centre Owen Blocker, who turned 18 in late March, sophomore defenceman Matthew Stanley, who turned 20 in early February, a first round selection and a third round selection in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft and a future conditional second round pick in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft to the Hurricanes.

    Following the Broncos overtime win on Saturday, Viveiros stated his side expected the Hurricanes to be far from a pushover.

    “We’re not surprised with how good Lethbridge is,” said Viveiros. “We knew they are a good hockey team.

    “They have good goaltending, and they are well coached. They are going to give us everything they have to give. If we don’t play well, they can beat us. We have to play as well as we can.”

    When the Hurricanes and Broncos made their trade on Jan. 9, it appeared the Hurricanes had decided to look to the future acquiring younger players and draft picks, while the Broncos were strengthening their roster for a long playoff run this season. As it has turned out, both teams have made a long post-season foray.

    In 2016-17, the Hurricanes had an older roster and posted a 44-21-4-3 record to finish seventh overall in the WHL. They advanced to the Eastern Conference championship series falling in six games to the Regina Pats, who topped the league regular season standings in that campaign with a 52-12-7-1 mark.

Logan Flodell has been stellar in goal for the Hurricanes.

    That Hurricanes team was powered by the exploits of star captain Tyler Wong and star offensive defenceman Brennan Menell, who now plays for Iowa Wild of the AHL. The Iowa Wild are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.

    At the moment, the Hurricanes only have six hold overs from their team at this time last year in centres Jordy Bellerive and Jadon Joseph, right-winger Dylan Cozens, and defencemen Addison, Ty Prefontaine and Igor Merezhko.

    In advancing to the conference final this season, the Hurricanes have built an obvious togetherness. They are playing for each other and are intent on doing everything they can to ensure the 2017-18 campaign continues into the WHL Championship series.

    On Friday night, the Hurricanes outshot the Broncos 41-30 in Game 1, and a stellar 39 save performance from Skinner allowed the Broncos to pull out victory. On Saturday night, the Hurricanes outshot the Broncos 39-33 and led 3-2 after the second period. The Broncos scored to force overtime, and Addison rang a shot off the post of the Swift Current goal early in the extra session to almost deliver victory to the Hurricanes.

    Estephan recorded a hat trick that night including the overtime winner to give the Broncos the win.

The Hurricanes plan to celebrate a few more goals in the post-season.

    As far as playing style goes, the Hurricanes appear to be a younger version of the Broncos. Both squads like to get up and down the ice, play with skill and make some big hits.

    The similarities have made the series entertaining to watch.

    The rapid improvement of the Hurricanes, while surprising, doesn’t come as a total shock. Anholt has one of the smartest hockey minds you will find anywhere, and third-year head coach Brent Kisio is one of the circuit’s elite bench bosses.

    If the Hurricanes can win Game 3, this series could still be a long way from being over. Even if the series ends up being a short one, the Hurricanes are poised to go down fighting.

    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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Estephan vaults into Broncos’ penthouse with OT winner

Star centre hopes to avoid one specific doghouse in Lethbridge

The Broncos celebrate Giorgio Estephan’s overtime winner.

    SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. – Giorgio Estephan has his figures crossed that he avoids his girlfriend’s doghouse when he returns to Lethbridge.

    On Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 2,890 spectators at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex, Estephan capped a hat trick performance scoring the winning goal for the Swift Current Broncos at the 9:41 mark of overtime in Game 2 of the WHL Eastern Conference championship series.

    The overage star centre tapped home a midrange shot in the extra session from defenceman Sahvan Khaira to give the Broncos a 4-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

    With the win, the Broncos took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 3 is set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. local time at the Enmax Centre in Lethbridge.

Giorgio Estephan had a hat trick for the Broncos on Saturday.

    Estephan spent the first four-and-a-half seasons of his WHL career with the Hurricanes, and he came to the Broncos as part of a blockbuster trade on Jan. 9. His girlfriend is from Lethbridge, and the personable Estephan hopes he doesn’t get into trouble for his performance.

    “I hope she is happy,” said Estephan with a chuckle. “She is from Lethbridge, but I mean, she cheers for both teams.

    “She knows a lot of guys on the team too, so she is a good sport for sure.”

    The Edmonton, Alta., product’s overtime marker concluded a classic back-and-forth playoff encounter. The Broncos took a 2-0 lead by the end of the first period, but the Hurricanes rallied to go ahead 3-2 by the end of the second frame.

    Broncos star Finnish import left-winger Aleksi Heponiemi wired home a shot from the slot on the power play to force a 3-3 tie at the 9:23 mark of the third period.

    Early in overtime, Hurricanes defenceman Calen Addison wired a shot off the post the Swift Current goal.

    That set the stage for Estephan to net his winner.

An ice crew member cleans up Giorgio Estephan’s hat trick hats.

    “It was a hard fought game,” said Estephan. “There was definitely times throughout the game where everybody gets frustrated.

    “I think we stuck with our game plan. We stuck with things that were making us good. You could see at times how good we were rolling.

    “It felt pretty good at the end for sure.”

    The Broncos jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the first period, when Estephan netted his first two goals of the night 55 second apart from each other. He scored the first tally on the power play receiving a pass from Broncos captain Glenn Gawdin across the face of the Lethbridge goal firing the puck into an empty cage.

    On the second goal, Estephan worked a perfect give-and-go with linemate Max Patterson on a rush into the Lethbridge zone to net the second tally.

    The Hurricane stormed back in the second. The visitors picked up their first goal off a positive bounce play, when Hurricanes captain Jordy Bellerive deflected home a shot off Broncos right-winger Tanner Nagel into the Swift Current net.

The Broncos fans cheer one of their team’s goals on Saturday.

    With 4:09 remaining in the second, standout sophomore right-winger Dylan Cozens was chopped down on a break towards the Swift Current net by Broncos star defenceman Colby Sissons and was awarded a penalty shot. On the penalty shot, Cozens roofed a shot to the top left corner of the Swift Current goal to force a 2-2 tie.

    The Hurricanes pulled ahead 3-2 with 1:17 to play in the second, when 18-year-old centre Jadon Joseph popped home a loose puck during a net scramble.

    That set the stage for Heponiemi to tie things up for the Broncos in the third and for Estephan to win it in overtime.

Dylan Cozens scored on a penalty shot for the Hurricanes.

    “We were playing a good game,” said Hurricanes head coach Brent Kisio. “Obviously, (we had) a slow start, but I thought the second and third period we played really well.

    “OT, we have a lot of chances. It is obviously tough, but there was some questionable calls out there especially at the end. They (the officials) just decided to put the whistles away.”

    Stuart Skinner turned away 36 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Broncos. Logan Flodell stopped 29 shots to take the setback in goal for the Hurricanes.

    Broncos head coach and director of player personnel Manny Viveiros was pleased to see Estephan come through with a big outing.

    “He stepped up, and that is why we brought him in with our club like that,” said Viveiros. “He does a lot of stuff for us. He is a great kid in the room and off the ice.

    “On faceoffs, he makes a big difference. He is a real smart player. He knows where to be in certain times, and I am very happy for him.”

Aleksi Heponiemi (#20) celebrates scoring his third period goal.

    The first two games of the series have hurt the Broncos in the injury department. In their 3-2 victory in Game 1 on Friday, Broncos Russian import defenceman Artyom Minulin left with an injury and didn’t dress for Game 2.

    In the first period of Game 2, Gawdin skated gingerly to the bench after being on the receiving end of a hard hit into the boards from a Hurricanes player and didn’t return to the game. Viveiros didn’t rule out either returning for Game 3.

    The bench boss was pleased his club could find a way to be resilient once again.

    “We were fortunate again to get a win tonight, but that is playoff hockey so I’m certainly not going to apologize for that by any means here,” said Viveiros, who Broncos finished second overall in the WHL in the regular season with a 48-17-5-2 record. “I thought we played well in spurts again this evening.

    “At times, myself, I made some mistakes, and they capitalized on it right away. Our guys worked hard. We’re up with a 2-0 lead, and they come back and get three quick goals on us.

Calen Addison almost scored the OT winner for the Hurricanes.

    “I thought our kids responded after the second period. We got back to playing the way we felt we need to play if we are going to have a chance to win this series here. You get into overtime and anybody can win, and we’re just fortunate enough to get that one extra chance.”

    So far in the post-season, the Hurricanes have won all six contests they have hosted at the Enmax Centre. Kisio likes his team’s chances of getting a win in Game 3.

    “Our group doesn’t lack confidence,” said Kisio, who Hurricanes finished 16^th overall in the WHL with a 33-33-6 mark. “We will be fine.

    “We’re going to get back into this series. We’ll go home, and we will get it done.”

The Broncos scramble to get the puck out of the defensive zone.

    Having played at the Enmax Centre for the Hurricanes, Estephan admitted his Broncos are going to be in for a challenge when they take the ice in Lethbridge for Game 3 on Tuesday and Game 4 on Wednesday.

    “I’ve been there and seen what the crowd is capable of,” said Estephan. “They are going to come out buzzing.

    “We have to be able to handle their pressure especially early on in the game and push back as best we can. We all know they are going to come at us. Why wouldn’t they?

The Broncos celebrate their Game 2 victory over the Hurricanes.

  “They’ve been coming at us all series so far. We just have to be prepared to manager their attack.”

    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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Heponiemi delivers WHL Eastern Conference championship series opener to host Broncos

Finnish product’s first playoff goal downs Hurricanes 3-2

The Broncos celebrate Aleksi Heponiemi’s game-winning goal.

    SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. - Aleksi Heponiemi will never be mistaken for an “all about me guy.”

    On Friday night at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex, the left-winger from Tampere, Finland, scored his first career WHL playoff goal, and it delivered his Swift Current Broncos to a 3-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes in Game 1 of the WHL Eastern Conference championship series. Game 2 of the best-of-seven set goes Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex.

    During Friday’s encounter, the Broncos and Hurricanes were locked in a 2-2 tie, when Heponiemi blasted home the winning goal from the right slot with 8:49 to play in the third period to the delight of most of the sellout crowd of 2,980 spectators.

Aleksi Heponiemi had a goal and an assist on Friday.

    The star sophomore import forward now has one goal and 27 assists in 29 career WHL playoff games.

    After the contest, you wouldn’t have known Heponiemi scored his first career WHL playoff goal or that his tally was a game winner with the way he talked about it during the post-game media scrum.

    “Obviously, it feels good,” said Heponiemi. “It always good to get it at some point.

    “Obviously, I am going to shoot the puck a bit more. It is going to come, if it comes.

    “It doesn’t matter who scores the goal in playoffs. It is a team sport, and that is what it is all about is winning.”

    Heponiemi seemed more concerned about the fact his squad was outplayed by the Hurricanes over lengthy stretches of the contest. Lethbridge held a 41-30 edge in shots on goal, and the Broncos pulled out victory thanks to a 39 save performance from 19-year-old star netminder Stuart Skinner.

    “Obviously, the first game was huge to win,” said Heponiemi. “The way we won today wasn’t our best game. We have to be way better.”

Captain Jordy Bellerive (#15) drives to the goal for the Hurricanes.

    The Broncos thought they scored 65 seconds into Friday’s game, but the officials immediately called off the tally ruling one of the Swift Current players made incidental contact with Hurricanes overage netminder Logan Flodell.

    The Hurricanes controlled the majority of the play in the opening frame outshooting the Broncos 18-10. Skinner had to make a number of key stops including turning away Hurricanes left-winger Egor Zudilov on a turnaround shot near the end of the stanza.

    The Broncos capitalized on a break at the 6:15 mark of the second period to go ahead 1-0. Flodell accidentally slipped to the ice in his goal, and Broncos left-winger Cole Gable centred the puck to linemate Max Patterson, who lifted the game’s first tally over the fallen goalie.

Stuart Skinner makes one of his 39 saves in goal for the Broncos.

    The hosts increased their advantage to 2-0 at the 13:05 mark of the second on the power play, when Heponiemi fed a pass across the front of the Lethbridge net to linemate Giorgio Estephan, who popped home his fifth marker of the post season.

    The Hurricanes thought they scored with 8.3 seconds to play in the second, but the officials immediately ruled off that tally saying the puck was knocked to the ice by a Lethbridge player with a high stick.

    “Obviously the second period, I thought we didn’t play the way we needed to play,” said Hurricanes head coach Brent Kisio. “I thought our first and third period were much more of our team game. We fought back into the game.”

    Early in the third period, the Hurricanes capitalized on a break that went their way.

Calen Addison scored the equalizer for the Hurricanes in the third period.

    On a rush into the Swift Current zone, Hurricanes left-winger Taylor Ross had the puck poked off his stick by Broncos defenceman Noah King. The puck landed on the stick of Hurricanes defenceman Matthew Stanley, who quickly blasted home his second of the post-season to cut the Broncos edge to 2-1.

    With 10:04 to play in the third, Hurricanes sophomore rearguard Calen Addison, who turned 18 earlier this month, fired home a power-play goal from the point to force a 2-2 tie.

    After Heponiemi put the Broncos up 3-2, the Hurricanes didn’t go away. Working down low in the Swift Current zone, Hurricanes captain Jordy Bellerive had a beauty chance to score in close, but he slid the puck wide of the Broncos net.

The fans at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex cheer a Broncos goal.

    Hurricanes overage left-winger Brad Morrison, who leads the WHL in post-season scoring, was stoned in close by Skinner a short time later.

    Broncos head coach and director of player personnel Manny Viveiros said Friday’s game could have easily had a different outcome.

    “We didn’t expect the game to be over after the second period,” said Viveiros. “We’ve been pretty resilient this year, when we have given up leads or been behind to get back in games.

    “I thought Lethbridge was really good tonight. They put us on our heels. They made us make mistakes.

    “We were fortunate tonight. Stuart Skinner played very well for us. A little bit more puck luck for Lethbridge, and I think they could have easily won the game tonight.”

The Broncos and Hurricanes did engage in some scrums.

    Flodell turned away 27 shots putting on a solid performance in goal for the Hurricanes. He arguably made the save of the night shortly after the third period started. The Regina product had slipped to the ice in his net but reached up to make a glove save on a point drive from Broncos standout defenceman Colby Sissons. That stop prevented the hosts from expanding the 2-0 lead they had at the time.

    The Broncos came into this series as favourites finishing second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 48-17-5-2 record, while the Hurricanes were 16^th overall with a 33-33-6 mark.

Stuart Skinner, left, and Colby Sissons celebrate the Broncos victory.

    The Hurricanes are a younger team that is in a reloading campaign, but they showed they are ready to play with the Broncos. Bellerive said his side wasn’t disheartened with Friday’s outcome.

    “We knew it was going to be a tough game obviously in their barn the first night,” said Bellerive, who had assists on both Hurricanes goals. “I think we have a lot of positives to look at. I think it puts us in a good spot moving forward.

    “We’re pretty positive. Obviously, we’re disappointed with the loss. We played a great game and a lot of positives to look on to moving forward.”

    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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Broncos to experience déjà vu with Hurricanes

WHL Eastern Conference finals foes made major trade on Jan. 9

Broncos RW Giorgio Estephan will see some old friend in Lethbridge.

    Giorgio Estephan isn’t sure what it will be like to face a team he used to lead about four months ago in a high stakes series.

    The Edmonton, Alta., product, who turned 21-years-old in early February, started the 2017-18 WHL campaign as the captain of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He spent the first four-and-a-half seasons of his career in the major junior ranks with the Hurricanes before he was dealt to the Swift Current Broncos in a blockbuster trade on Jan. 9.

    Now, Estephan’s Broncos will battle the Hurricanes in this year’s best-of-seven Eastern Conference championship series. Game 1 is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current. A year ago, Estephan played a key part in helping the Hurricanes reach the Eastern Conference Championship series ultimately falling in six games to the Regina Pats.

    “Anytime you’re going back to a place where you’ve played pretty much your whole career, it is definitely going to be interesting,” said Estephan, who had 30 goals and 56 assists in 69 regular season games split between the Broncos and Hurricanes in the 2017-18 campaign. “I have a billet dad there and he is pretty much my second dad.

    “My girlfriend is from there. It will definitely be an interesting series. This is definitely one that I will get a little bit more for sure.”

    Estephan won’t be the only player seeing familiar faces. In that blockbuster deal on Jan. 9 that came a day before the WHL’s trade deadline, the Hurricanes also sent star 19-year-old netminder Stuart Skinner and winger Tanner Nagel, who turned 20 in late January, to the Broncos.

Broncos G Stuart Skinner used to be Hurricanes mainstay.

    In exchange, the Broncos sent overage star netminder Logan Flodell, rookie centre Logan Barlage, who turned 17 in early January, sophomore centre Owen Blocker, who turned 18 in late March, sophomore defenceman Matthew Stanley, who turned 20 in early February, a first round selection and a third round selection in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft and a future conditional second round pick in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft to the Hurricanes.

    Skinner, who posted a 30-21-4 record, a 3.07 goals against average, a .905 save percentage and six shutouts in 56 regular season appearances split between the Broncos and Hurricanes in 2017-18, spent the first three-and-a-half seasons of his WHL career in Lethbridge, and his links run deep in that community as well.

    “I have tonnes of friends there, and I know a lot of fans,” said Skinner. “Obviously my billets, Shannon and Peter Stewart and their three kids, it is going to be fun playing in front of all of them.

    “I might not say hi to them after the first game but maybe after the second game just so I can get my rest. It is going to be a lot of fun.”

    Both teams were trying to accomplish different goals, when they made their trade on Jan. 9. The Broncos were having a stellar regular season ultimately finishing second overall in the league with a 48-17-5-2 record and were looking to further bolster their roster for a long playoff run.

    The Hurricanes came off a stellar 2016-17 campaign and appeared to be going through a reloading phase and ultimately finished 16^th overall in the league with a 33-33-6 record. They made the trade to acquire youth and some draft selections.

    The Broncos first eliminated the Memorial Cup hosting Regina Pats, who finished seventh overall in the regular season, and then the Moose Jaw Warriors, who topped the league’s regular season standings, in respective seven game series to reach the Eastern Conference Championship series.

    The Hurricanes first took out the Red Deer Rebels, who finished 17^th overall in the WHL, and then the Brandon Wheat Kings, who finished eighth overall, in respective five game series to return to the Eastern Conference finals for a second straight year.

Tanner Nagel (#25) was dealt to the Broncos by the Hurricanes.

    In the WHL playoffs, the teams are bracketed to play through their division in a modified format that contains two wildcard entries.

    Since the trade between the Broncos and Hurricanes, the two teams met once in the regular season back on Feb. 2 in Lethbridge, and the Hurricanes rolled to a 5-2 victory. Swift Current claimed the three previous head-to-head encounters before the Jan. 9 deal.

    “I visualized about this since the trade,” said Skinner. “They told me that they were going to meet in the Eastern Conference finals.

    “I didn’t doubt it. They are a good hockey club. I know them really well.

    “I am really excited to play against them, and I’m excited to see what we can do. I am sure it is going to be a lot of fun, and it is going to involve a lot of emotions. I’m super excited for it.”

    Estephan also said his former teammates in Lethbridge told him the two sides would meet in the conference finals. He will not take anything away from the run his old club is on.

    “We played them our last time in Lethbridge, and they spanked us,” said Estephan. “They are a good team.

    “They are a fast team, a young team who has nothing to lose. They are playing like it, and they’ve steam rolled through two rounds.

    “They are a good team that we definitely have to watch out for and can’t take for granted for sure.”

    Broncos captain Glenn Gawdin said playing old teammates who are now with the Hurricanes should add some intrigue to the series.

    “It is kind of crazy how things worked out,” said Gawdin. “Just the way it ended up, obviously we are playing them.

    “It is going to be a good rival. Both teams are going to try to prove that we got the better end of it.”

Glenn Gawdin believes the Hurricanes will be a tough foe for his Broncos.

    Broncos head coach and director of player personnel Manny Viveiros thinks it is neat the way the playoffs have unfolded with his club meeting the Hurricanes for a conference title. He believes the series will be a good one.

    “When we made that deal with Lethbridge, it was for us to give an opportunity to get through our side, because our side was a real difficult side,” said Viveiros. “I am not surprised they got through too, because they are a good hockey team.

    “We had to give up some really good hockey players to get good hockey players. It is going to be a little bit weird at first. When it is all said and done, the kids that we have now they are Swift Current Broncos now.

    “The kids that we moved over to Lethbridge they are Lethbridge Hurricanes now. It is going to make for an interesting series.”

Hunter believes Warriors are moving forward

The Warriors salute their fans at Mosaic Place on Monday.

    In stepping back to look at the big picture, head coach Tim Hunter was pleased with how the 2017-18 campaign played out for his Moose Jaw Warriors.

    For the first time in team history, the Warriors finished first overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 52-15-2-3 record and were rated second in the final CHL Top 10 rankings. With the WHL’s East Division playing out as one of the toughest divisions the league had seen in some time, the Warriors faced a couple of big challenges in the playoffs.

    The Warriors claimed a tough seven-game series in the first round against a physical and skilled Prince Albert Raiders side, who finished 14^th overall in the league with a 32-27-9-4 record. Moose Jaw proceeded to bow out of the post-season in a tough and physical seven-game series against the Swift Current Broncos, who finished second overall in the WHL with a 48-17-5-2 mark.

    Looking at the Warriors history, Hunter referenced the fact this season marked only the fourth time in history the club topped a division dating back to its origins in Winnipeg, Man., in the 1980-81 campaign. Since the start of the 2012-13 campaign, the Warriors have won two playoff series and missed the playoffs for three straight seasons from 2012-13 to 2014-15.

    “(It was) a great regular season for us,” said Hunter. “We put two banners in the rafters here that are few and far between in this organization over the years.

    “It is a great stepping stone. You don’t become a great organization overnight. I think we are heading in the right direction for this organization to be better in the future.

Tanner Jeannot was one of the Warriors star overage players.

    “There are lots of prospects here, and there are lots of good young players who will be back next year. This organization will have a good team at the end of next year.”

    The Warriors dropped Game 7 of their series to the Broncos 6-0 on Monday night before 4,765 spectators at the 4,414 seat Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw. Hunter said a number of players on his team finished out playing with a lot of injuries which contributed to the lopsided outcome in their final game.

    “It is human nature to be frustrated when you don’t win and you are not in the game from the get go,” said Hunter. “I am sure the players are just as frustrated.

    “It is just one of those nights that didn’t go right. To win in the playoffs, everything has to go right, and it didn’t for our team. We played 14 really hard games, and we were really banged up.

    “It is tough to play and have confidence when you are not 100 per cent, and we weren’t.”

    Monday’s loss marked the final outing for star overage forwards in Jayden Halbgewachs, Tanner Jeannot and Brayden Burke.

    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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Battle hardened Broncos provide big challenge for Blades

Division rivals open WHL regular season at SaskTel Centre

Blades head coach Dean Brockman oversees a team practice.

    Dean Brockman knows his Saskatoon Blades are going to have their hands full opening the regular season against a battle hardened division rival.

    The Blades face the Swift Current Broncos in the regular season opener for both teams on Friday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. Last season, Saskatoon posted a 28-35-7-2 record to finish fifth in the East Division, ninth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and five points back of the Calgary Hitmen (30-32-8-2) for the conference’s second and final wildcard berth.

    The Broncos posted a 39-23-4-6 mark to finish third in the East Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference. After eliminating the Moose Jaw Warriors in a tough seven-game series in the first round of the WHL playoffs, they went to a series deciding Game 7 in the second round against the Regina Pats before bowing out of the post-season with a 5-1 loss in that contest.

    Swift Current returns a number of players from their team last season, and Brockman, who is the Blades head coach, knows it is tough to face any club that gains experience from a strong playoff run.

    “It is always a challenge,” said Brockman. “We know that their top two lines and their back end will be as good as any of the contenders in our division.

    “Certainly when they have the Hepos (Aleksi Heponiemi) and the Gawdins (Glenn Gawdin) and those types of guys, you have to be aware of them. I think certainly they are a great challenge, and they will be a challenge throughout the year.

    “The experience that they got last year with their playoff run just makes them more hungrier for this year. For us, it is going to be definitely be a battle right from the start.”

    Gawdin is the Broncos captain, and the 20-year-old centre potted 26 goals and 33 assists in 52 games last season. Heponiemi is a high-flying 18-year-old Finnish winger who piled up 28 goals and 58 assists appearing in all of the Broncos 72 regular season games.

    Swift Current’s most dangerous offensive player is likely 19-year-old winger Tyler Steenbergen, who topped the Broncos in scoring with 51 goals and 39 assists.

    On defence, the Broncos are anchored by 19-year-olds Colby Sissons and Russian Artyom Minulin. Minulin became an effective power-play quarterback piling up eight goals and 42 assists in 70 regular season games.

Goalie Joel Grzybowski takes part in a drill at Blades practice.

    Of course, the Broncos acquired overage netminder Logan Flodell from the Blades in a trade on Wednesday. Flodell was a second team WHL Eastern Conference all-star last season posting a 22-20-4 record, a 2.81 goals against average, a .912 save percentage and three shutouts.

    While the Broncos have a number of dangerous players, Brockman said his Blades have to focus on their own performance.

    “I think every game is a measuring stick whether you show up or you don’t show up, (and) how good were you and how bad were you,” said Brockman. “We don’t want to use Swift as the measuring stick.

    “We want to be playing hard, you know a hard working hockey team. We just want to have those trademarks right from the start. We want to be a team that makes it difficult for them to play here and make it hard and try and match their work ethic and do better.”

    Like last year, the Blades will start the season without the services of star centre Cameron Hebig, but under different circumstances. Hebig missed all of last season due to injury.

    The local product starts his overage season sitting out Saskatoon’s first two games due to a league imposed suspension for receiving a checking from behind major penalty and a game misconduct in the Blades final pre-season game last Saturday, which was a 2-1 victory over the Oil Kings in Edmonton. Hebig had five goals and an assist in four pre-season games.

    Overage winger Braylon Shmyr topped the Blades in scoring with 35 goals and 31 assists in 66 regular season games. Saskatoon is loaded with a number of strong young forwards in 17-year-olds Michael Farren and Chase Wouters and 16-year-old Kirby Dach, who the Blades selected in the first round and second overall in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft.

    On defence, the Blades are anchored by overage captain Evan Fiala and Czech import Libor Hajek. Fiala was returned to the Blades on Tuesday after attending training camp with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. Hajek was at the Tampa Bay Lightning’s NHL training camp, and he was assigned back to the Blades on Thursday.

    Saskatoon starts the season with a new goaltending tandem in 19-year-old Ryan Kubic, who was acquired in a trade with the Vancouver Giants on Wednesday, and 18-year-old rookie Joel Grzybowski. Kubic was the Giants starting goaltender for the past two seasons, and Grzybowski had a stellar campaign last season in the junior A ranks with the Battlefords North Stars.

    “We definitely have some young guys that are going to be really good players in our league,” said Brockman. “Hopefully, we’ve insulated them enough with some of the older guys.

Blades assistant coach Bryce Thoma keeps things loose with humour.

    “As your guys take progressions and steps, some guys have to take bigger steps than others. It is a good mix. We’ll find out whether the chemistry is there to get that mix over the top or not.

    “Time will tell. Our group is always learning and always working.”

    The Blades will be trying to make the post-season for the first time since 2013. Brockman said he is aware of the importance of the overall view of the campaign, but in order to get to the playoffs, he said his team’s focus has to be on the present.

    “You have to look big picture, but again, I want to look right what is in front of us,” said Brockman. “If you get looking too far ahead, you’ll be looking behind.

    “You have to make every day count and every game count. If you look at it in away last year, I think we missed it by five. If you get a point per month (extra), you are in the playoffs.

    “We have to really, really focus on what we have in front of us and not look too far ahead.”

Engele puts meaning behind the Pac-Man

Blades assistant coach Jerome Engele speaks are a presser on Monday.

    The Saskatoon Blades have created a real buzz, when they officially announced in late August they were returning to their famed Pac-Man logo and look on a regular basis.

    The Blades used the Pac-Man look throughout the 1980s and in the early 1990s. Even when it was not in use, it was still the signature look that was associated with the Blades. The team also had the majority of its most successful and memorable seasons wearing that look.

    Besides drawing approval from fans, the return of the Pac-Man look has been warmly received by the team’s alumni. During a press conference on Monday to announce the Blades would be honouring former captain and long-time Saskatoon Police Services officer Bruce Gordon before Friday’s home opener, veteran assistant coach and retired Saskatoon Police Services officer Jerome Engele spoke about what the Pac-Man logo meant.

    Engele’s words carried pretty good weight and meaning, when you consider he played five seasons for the Blades as a defenceman from 1966 to 1971, was the team’s head coach in 1979-80 and has been an assistant coach for a number of stints starting in the 1989-90 season.

    “We strive very hard to teach our young people coming here about integrity, honesty, hard work and with that responsibility that comes along with it outside of this arena,” said Engele. “Like our police world, you’re wearing a badge.

    “That badge we’re held at another level through the Police Act that we are responsible to, so we are held at a level higher that what the public is. Our Blades are also held at that level away from the rink. We expect them to treat everybody with respect.”

Future wedding bells to ring for Howe and Parkinson

Davis Parkinson, left, and Corey Howe at the SaskTel Centre in Sept. of 2016.

    While the Saskatoon Blades will honour their former captain Bruce Gordon before Friday’s home opener, a year ago the team honoured the Saskatoon area’s greatest sporting hero ever in the late hockey icon Gordie Howe, which produced an interesting tidbit.

    A year ago, Howe’s ashes and those of his late wife, Colleen, were interred at the base of the Gordie Howe statue that sits in front of the SaskTel Centre. During the festivities to honour Howe, the Blades helped play up the love story between grandson Corey Howe, who was raised in Ohio, and a young woman named Davis Parkinson, who was raised in Saskatoon.

    In April of 2016, Corey moved to Saskatoon, because he wanted Parkinson in his everyday life. The connection made for a cute story in the local media, and off camera, the two chuckled when they talked about how Blades president Steve Hogle played things up.

    Out of the obscure pieces of information that seem to come my way, I discovered that the young couple had gotten engaged. They are slated to be married on Aug. 25, 2018.

    If you have ever seen Corey Howe and Davis Parkinson together, they make a really sweet and cute couple, and both have a great sense of humour. Here is hoping they have a spectacular wedding day, and they make a lifetime of wonderful memories together.

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

Blades come out looking good with goalie moves

Ryan Kubic takes part in his first practice with the Blades.

    You never want to trade an all-star netminder, but sometimes the business of major junior hockey pushes you to make that move.

    On Wednesday, the Saskatoon Blades acquired 19-year-old goalie Ryan Kubic from the Vancouver Giants in exchange for a second round pick in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft. Right after that move, the Blades dealt overage puck stopper Logan Flodell, who was a second team WHL Eastern Conference all-star last season, to the Swift Current Broncos in exchange for a fifth round selection in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft and a second round pick in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft.

    Moving Flodell allowed the Blades to get down to the Canadian Hockey League limit of three overage players. The 20-year-olds who remain on Saskatoon’s roster include high-scoring forwards Cameron Hebig and Braylon Shmyr and defenceman Evan Fiala, who is also the club’s captain.

    The loss of Flodell, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 170 pounds, is a big one. He played a key part in helping the Blades get close to earning a playoff berth last season posting a 22-20-4 record, a 2.81 goals against average, a .912 save percentage and three shutouts.

    Saskatoon put together a 28-35-7-2 record to finish ninth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and five points back of the Calgary Hitmen (30-32-8-2), who locked up the conference’s second and final wildcard berth.

Blades GM Colin Priestner speaks with reporters.

    Kubic, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 186 pounds, has played his entire WHL career with the Giants appearing in 109 regular season games posting a 32-58-12 record, a 3.53 goals against average, a .895 save percentage and five shutouts. The St. Andrews, Man., product has been in Vancouver on a full-time basis for the past two seasons, where he accumulated 106 of his career starts.

    The Giants have been in the midst of rebuilding during Kubic’s career and have finished second last in the entire WHL in each of the past two campaigns. Last season, Vancouver posted a 20-46-3-3 mark, which was the third worst record in franchise history dating back to when the Giants started in 2001.

    Kubic has been shelled over the past two campaigns, and he made a club record 1,681 saves for the season in 2016-17 posting a 15-32-6 record, a 3.67 goals against average, a .895 save percentage and one shutout. He was named the Giants rookie of the year in 2015-16 and played for one of the Canadian entries at the World under-17 Hockey Challenge held in November of 2014 in Sarnia, Ont.

    During his time in the WHL, Kubic played behind weak defensive units, but he still managed to keep his stock up as a strong goaltender. He became expendable, when the Giants decided to go with a younger tandem in goal in sophomore David Tendeck, who turns 18 in November, and rookie Todd Scott, who is a 17-year-old Albertville, Minn., and is pegged with having a huge upside.

    When you are a general manager in major junior hockey, it is always prudent to kick tires and figure out all your options on the trade front.  Blades general manager Colin Priestner has to be given big credit for doing the background work to make the moves he did on Wednesday.

    This season, there is a glut of players on the 20-year-old front in the WHL, where every club has at least three overage players and most teams need to shed players to get down to the league limit of three. Due to that fact, it is not easy to move an overager to another team.

Ryan Kubic gets set in goal during a drill in practice.

    WHL clubs have until Oct. 10 to cut down to three overage players, and the Blades could have been in a spot where they might have had to waive one of the four overagers they had on that day.

Priestner knew he had to take advantage of an opportunity, if one presented itself.

    “They were difficult deals to make, because any way we went with the four (overage) guys we were going lose a great player in one of the four,” said Priestner. “I wanted to get ahead of this before the season started and the pre-season ended and just have it shored up and have our 20-year-olds know that these are our guys.”

    Now Priestner has a capable starting netminder playing behind a defensive unit that was stronger than the one in Vancouver and can potentially suit up for two complete seasons. The Blades get to keep Fiala, who is the heart of the defensive unit and one of the club’s best ambassadors in the community.     

    They will also benefit from having the talents of Hebig and Shmyr, who are both top end forwards that will likely put up strong offensive numbers.

    The Blades scored the second fewest goals as a team in the league last season at 190, so it is always prudent to keep players like Hebig and Shmyr, who both have a history of putting up points. The presence of Hebig and Shmyr will allow the Blades to gradually work their younger forwards into bigger roles.

Logan Flodell had an all-star season in 2016-17 with the Blades.

    “This gives us a chance to have Shmyr and Hebig together on that first line,” said Priestner, whose Blades face the Broncos on Friday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre in the regular season open for both sides. “It is shaping up to be one of the best lines in the league and a line that we can throw up against anybody.

    “I just didn’t feel comfortable rushing those (younger) guys into first line roles. I knew they would battle and they’d bring everything they have, but I think they are going to be able to thrive under those circumstances. I think we are a much more well-balanced team now.”

    With Flodell arriving in Swift Current, the Broncos might be looking to cut the overage netminder they currently have in Taz Burman, who has put up good numbers playing for three different teams in his WHL career but has never been a starter for a full campaign. The Broncos still have a trio of overage forwards on their roster in Glenn Gawdin, Arthur Miller and Conner Chaulk. Swift Current has the potential of being one of the WHL’s stronger teams this season.

    As for the Blades, they have their overage question settled, because Priestner made the best out of what was a tough situation on that front. Had he held on to Flodell, the Blades could have had a bigger hole to fill on their roster when Oct. 10 rolled around.

Pats top CHL pre-season rankings despite departures

Sam Steel and his Pats top the CHL’s pre-season rankings.

    In what has to be viewed as a bit of a surprise, the Regina Pats, who will host the Memorial Cup this coming May, topped the Canadian Hockey League’s pre-season top 10 poll.

    A panel of NHL scouts selects the CHL top 10 rankings, and they must think that everyone else’s rosters in major junior hockey has been shuffled as much or more than the Pats roster has this past off-season.

    Regina finished first overall in the WHL last season posting a 52-12-7-1 record and advanced to the WHL Championship series. The Pats fell in the best-of-seven WHL title series 4-2 to the Seattle Thunderbirds.

    The fact the Pats topped the CHL pre-season poll is a curious one, when you consider they lost a number of quality players. Captain Adam Brooks, who was arguably one of the top three forwards in the league, was lost to graduation as was winger Dawson Leedahl and defenceman Chase Harrison.

    Imports Sergey Zborovskiy and Filip Ahl are both heading on to careers in the professional ranks in North America and Europe respectively, and they would have ate both import and overage spots had they returned. Overage defenceman Connor Hobbs appears to be a lock to play in the system of the NHL’s Washington Capitals this year. Overage winger Austin Wagner is a question mark, because he is slated to miss the first half of the season due to shoulder surgery.

    Backup goaltender Jordan Hollett was traded to the Medicine Hat Tigers, and star 18-year-old winger Nick Henry is expected to miss an extended span of time due to shoulder surgery.

    The top CHL ranking should also be questioned due to the fact a WHL club has won only one of the last nine Memorial Cup championship tournaments with the Edmonton Oil Kings victory back in 2014. In the last Memorial Cup tournament held in May in Windsor, Ont., the Thunderbirds lost all three of their games and were outscored 18-3 in the process.

    Until teams from the WHL start doing better in the Memorial Cup tournament like winning the event on a little more of a frequent basis, the top team in the CHL rankings should be either from the Ontario Hockey League or the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Teams from the OHL have won five of the last nine Memorial Cup tournaments included the last three in a row.

    In August, I wrote a column that said the Pats might stumble out of the gate, and it can be found right here.

Borbandy to stay with Huskies

Walk on defender Teagan Borbandy will stick with the Huskies in 2017-18.

    Defender Teagan Borbandy will be sticking with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team for the 2017-18 season.

    Huskies head coach Steve Kook passed on confirmation on Monday that Borbandy had earned a spot on the team. She was trying out for the Huskies as a walk on.

    The Langdon, Alta., product, who is celebrating her 20^th birthday today, is entering her third season of U Sports eligibility having played the past two campaigns with the Red Deer College Queens women’s hockey team in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference ranks. In 29 career regular season games with the Queens, Borbandy, who is a defensive defender that stands 5-foot-4, has two assists and 22 penalty minutes.

    She helped the Queens win an ACAC title in the 2015-16 campaign. Before joining the Queens, Borbandy played three seasons with the De Winton, Alta., based Rocky Mountain Raiders female midget AAA team from 2012 to 2015, and finished her time with the Raiders as captain.

    The Huskies are 3-1 in pre-season play having posted 6-0 and 2-0 victories this past Saturday and Sunday respectively over the Mount Royal University Cougars in Calgary.

    The Dogs continue their pre-season schedule this coming Friday, when they host the MacEwan University Griffins at 7 p.m. at the ancient Rutherford Rink. The two teams go at it again this coming Saturday at 2 p.m. at Rutherford.

    U of S opens the regular season on Oct. 6 hosting the U of Regina Cougars at 7 p.m. at Rutherford.

Back in the Express with Willoughby named captain

Huskies star forward Kaitlin Willoughby takes the puck from an opponent. 

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express this week with a story about Kaitlin Willoughby being named the captain of the Huskies women’s hockey team.

    The 22-year-old forward is entering her fifth and final year of eligibility with the Huskies. The Prince Albert product first turned heads in the U Sports ranks being named the rookie of the year for women’s hockey in the 2013-14 campaign.

    She scored the double overtime winner in a series deciding Game 3 of the 2014 Canada West conference championship series against the U of R Cougars to give the Huskies their first conference championship. The Huskies proceeded to win a bronze medal at that season’s U Sports nationals.

    In 106 career regular season games, Willoughby has piled up 41 goals and 51 assists. She is on the verge of being the fourth player in the history of the Huskies women’s to score 100 career points.

    The story on Willoughby becoming captain can be found right here.

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