Golden Bears still have Huskies number, three-peat as Canada West champions

The Golden Bears celebrate their Canada West title win.

    When the championship trophies are on the line, it always seems to be the University of Alberta Golden Bears time.

    In a classic series deciding Game 3 of the Canada West final, the Golden Bears men’s hockey team once again found a way to prevail over their “forever rivals” the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

    On Sunday at Merlis Belsher Place, the Golden Bears downed the Huskies 1-0 to claim the Canada West title for a third straight year to the disappointment of a packed crowd of 2,614 spectators. With the win, the Golden Bears locked up the best-of-three series 2-1.

    The Huskies claimed Game 1 of the series on Friday 4-2, but the Golden Bears rebounded to take a 3-0 victory in Game 2 on Saturday.

    Sophomore Golden Bears netminder Zach Sawchenko made 20 saves to earn the shutout win in Game 2, and he turned away 29 shots to pick up a second consecutive shutout in Game 3.

Luke Philp had the only goal in Game 3 on Sunday.

    The Huskies had their share of quality chances to take Game 3, which included a last gasp opportunity off an offensive zone faceoff to the left of the U of A goal with 1.1 seconds remaining in the third period. Huskies rookie centre Donovan Neuls won the draw back to rookie defenceman Gordie Ballhorn, who rang a shot off the post of the U of A net.

    “It is a game of inches,” said Sawchenko. “It has been a crazy weekend.

    “There has just been bounces. I can’t stress enough. It has been a game of inches this weekend.

    “There was a post in Game 2, post in Game 1 and post in Game 3. It really could have gone either way. We’re just happy to be on this end of it.”

    The win allowed the Golden Bears, who are the defending U Sports national champions, to capture the Canada West title for a third straight year.

Gordie Ballhorn (#3) skates away after hitting a post with a last second shot.

    The Golden Bears and Huskies have met in the conference final for four straight years, and U of S took the first of those meetings back in 2016.

    Dating back to the 1996-97 season, the Golden Bears and Huskies have clashed 17 times in the Canada West Championship series, and U of A has won 12 of those encounters.

    Still on Sunday when the teams met for the 511th overall time, it appeared the Huskies might get some breaks to take this round. U of S started Game 3 holding a 6-1 edge in shots on goal, but the Golden Bears, who are rated first in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, thought they took the lead with 9:26 remaining in the opening frame.

Goalie Zach Zawchenko makes one of 29 saves in a shutout performance.

    Huskies sophomore netminder Taran Kozun was playing the puck behind his own net, and he had it stolen off his stick by Golden Bears left-winger Taylor Cooper. Cooper got the puck to right-winger Cole Sanford, who slid it into an empty right side of the U of S goal.

    The tally was disallowed as the officials ruled the net was knocked ajar.

    In the second period, the Huskies had a glorious chance to go ahead, when right-winger Parker Thomas centred a pass from the right side of the U of A goal to left-winger Alex Forsberg. Forsberg was denied at point blank range by Sawchenko.

Taran Kozun makes one of his 27 saves in goal for the Huskies.

    The Golden Bears netted the game’s lone tally with 2:16 remaining in the second period while working on the power play. Golden Bears left-winger Trevor Cox had the puck along the left side boards in the U of S zone and fed a pass to centre Steven Owre, who was sitting beside the left post of the Huskies net.

    Owre slipped a backdoor pass across the face of the U of S goal to Luke Philp. Philp, who claimed Canada West player of the year honours for a second straight season, fired the puck in an empty right side of the Huskies cage. He said he felt relieved to see the puck go in.

    “It was about time I think,” said Philp. “We had our fair share of chances.

    “We did a good job with both units getting chances, but we couldn’t seem to find the net for a while there. That felt great to get that first one. We did a good job sticking with it.”

Steven Owre had an assist on the Golden Bears lone goal.

    The Huskies didn’t go away.

    Moments after Philp’s goal, Huskies fourth-year right-winger Levi Cable had a breakaway into the U of A zone, but he fired his shot attempt over top of the goal.

    In the third period, Forsberg was sent in alone on the U of A goal, but his rolling shot attempt was turned away by Sawchenko.

    Huskies left-winger Collin Shirley had a big scoring chance too on the doorstep at the left side of the Golden Bears net, but he was stoned by Sawchenko.

    Then came the dramatics when Ballhorn wired his shot off the U of A goal.

    Philp had lost the game’s final faceoff to Neuls and admitted he had a moment of panic.

    “I was thinking, ‘What the heck just happened?,’” said Philp. “I didn’t know what happened.

    “I thought he was going to go forward with it on the faceoff. Last second, he won it back. He did a good job there, but thank God it didn’t go in.”

    Kozun turned away 27 shots to take the setback in goal for the Huskies, who are rated third in the U Sports Top 10 rankings. 

Golden Bears D Jason Fram battles Huskies LW Collin Shirley.

    Huskies captain Jesse Forsberg left Sunday’s game late in the third period with an injury.

    Both the Golden Bears and Huskies have earned berths to the David Johnston University Cup national championship tournament slated for March 14 to 17 in Lethbridge, Alta.

    The Canada West final was expected to be tight. The Huskies topped the conference standings in the regular season with the best record in team history at 25-3. The Golden Bears were second sitting one point back in the standings with a 24-3-1 mark.

The Golden Bears receive their Canada West gold medals.

    U of A head coach Ian Herbers said his team wanted to back to nationals as conference camps and was pleased his team captured the Dr. W.G. Hardy Trophy on Sunday. The Golden Bears have won the U Sports national title 16 times.

    “That was one of our steps,” said Herbers. “We wanted to make sure we came in here, and we win a Canada West (title).

    “We knew it would be a tough challenge. They are a very good team over there. They play hard, and we knew it would be a good challenge.

    “It is another step for us to help in our development and get us ready for nationals.”

The Golden Bears are all smiles during their post-game team picture.

    Sawchenko was in goal as a rookie last season for the Golden Bears Canada West title clinching win and their national championship win. He said he is looking forward to playing more hockey at the upcoming David Johnston University Cup in Lethbridge.

    “It is a good feeling,” said Sawchenko. “At the end of the day, it is not the end of the road for us.

    “Canada West is great, but we have our eyes on the big prize now, and that is a national 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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Will fate finally fall way of Huskies men’s hockey team?

U of S faces “forever rivals” in Canada West final again

Parker Thomas (#23) jets down the wing for the Huskies.

    Will the 2018-19 campaign finally be the year of the Dog?

    Or more accurately, will the 2018-19 campaign finally be a dream season for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team where they go all the way.

    Formed in 1910, the Huskies are one of the most storied programs in the history of U Sports. Year in and year out, they are one of the powerhouse squads in Canadian university hockey.

    The Huskies, who have won 17 Canada West titles, are backed by a sizable fanbase and a very large and loyal group of alumni. For the alums, being part of the Huskies holds a special meaning they take to their souls from the fact the program has had such a positive impact on their lives.

    For coaches, staffers and supporters, they hold the Huskies dear to their hearts.

Golden Bears F Stephane Legault battles Huskie D Tanner Lishchynsky.

    Despite the special history the Huskies have, fate has only allowed U of S to win the University Cup, what is now known as the David Johnston University Cup, just once as U Sports national champions in 1983. The Huskies have appeared in the David Johnston University Cup national championship tournament 19 times and advanced to the event’s title game on seven occasions.

    Since winning the their only national title in 1983, the Huskies have make the U Sports final four times in 1987, 2005, 2014 and 2017 and come up on the short end of the scoreboard on each of those occasions.

    Part of both excitement and cruelty in university sports is one loss can do you in at a national championship tournament. With U Sports switching to a final-eight format that is played through single elimination for both the men’s and women’s national hockey championship tournaments, Canadian university hockey teams began to experience the pure form of “March Madness.”

Huskies G Taran Kozun was named Canada West’s goaltender of the year.

    Ultimately, one loss at a national championship tournament doesn’t take away from the fact a team that appeared there had a strong season. It is hard to get to nationals.

    When you look at the Huskies “forever rivals,” the University of Alberta Golden Bears, it really feels like the Huskies have be short changed by the hand of fate.

    The Huskies and Golden Bears are the first two university men’s hockey teams to be formed in Western Canada, and they first met head-to-head on February 27, 1911.

    The Golden Bears have won the David Johnston University Cup 16 times. They claimed both the Canada West and U Sports national titles last season. Over the last five seasons, the Golden Bears have won three national titles.

    Over the years, it seems the Golden Bears have always been there to crush the Huskies hopes. Last year, the two sides met in U Sports national semifinal contest that saw the Huskies take a 2-0 lead only for the Golden Bears to rally back for a 3-2 overtime victory as skilled forward and agitator Trevor Cox netted the winner.

Golden Bears F Trevor Cox scored a big playoff goal against the Huskies.

    In 2018-19, the Huskies had a dream regular season posting a 25-3 record to finish first in the Canada West Conference. The Huskies regular season win total and standings points total of 50 were team records.

    Despite the outstanding campaign by the Dogs, the Golden Bears were right at their heels finishing second in Canada West with a 24-3-1 record.

    The two sides split their four regular season encounters and will face each other in the best-of-three Canada West Championship series for a fourth straight year. Game 1 is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

    Game 2 is slated for Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merlis, and if necessary, Game 3 will be held on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Merlis.

    The Huskies and Golden Bears have combined to win the last 22 straight Canada West titles.

Golden Bears F Luke Philp was the Canada West player of the year.

    You can be sure Cox will be reminding the Huskies players of past post-season heartbreaks as part of trash talking sessions on the ice.

    One wonders if the Huskies dreams of winning conference and national titles will again be dashed by the Golden Bears.

    By making it to the conference final, both teams will play in the David Johnston University Cup national championship tournament slated for March 14 to 17 in Lethbridge, Alta.

    The last time the Huskies won the Canada West title might have been their most memorable conference championship to date. On March 5, 2016 at the ancient Rutherford Rink, the Huskies swept the Golden Bears in the Canada West title series 2-0 with a 3-2 victory in Game 2.

    That year, it felt like the Huskies were ordained to win it all.

Logan McVeigh (#14) celebrates a goal in the 2016 Canada West final.

    They were playing to honour the memory of gritty forward and alumnus Cody Smuk, who passed away due to cancer in June of 2015. Smuk, who played for the Huskies from 2010 to 2014, was known for his hard work and being the ultimate glue guy in the dressing room.

    The Huskies brought Smuk’s jersey on to the ice for the post-game celebrations and his family on to the ice for the team picture with the Dr. W.G. Hardy Trophy and the Canada West championship banner. A number of Smuk’s teammates were still with the Huskies at that time.

    Unfortunately, a 2-1 triple overtime loss in a national semifinal contest to the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men dashed the hopes of winning a U Sports national title. The X-Men’s winning goal came on a power play from a borderline weak checking from behind penalty on Huskies winger Levi Cable.

    Those events made the Huskies 2016 foray to the David Johnston University Cup one of the most heartbreaking ever.

Kendall McFaull shows Cody Smuk's jersey to the crowd in 2016.

    This year, the Huskies will again give it their best shot to win the Canada West and U Sports national titles. Huskies head coach Dave Adolph was named the Canada West coach of the year for the fourth time in his 26 seasons with the team.

    Sophomore Huskies netminder Taran Kozun was named the Canada West goaltender of the year for a sensational season.

    The Golden Bears captured four major individual Canada West awards. Third-year forward Luke Philp was named the player of the year for a second straight campaign after leading Canada West in scoring with 21 goals and 24 assists for 45 points.

Carson Stadnyk was a first team Canada West all-star.

    Third-year rearguard Jason Fram claimed defenceman of the year honours, forward Grayson Pawlenchuk was the rookie of the year and fifth-year forward Riley Kieser captured the student-athlete community service award.

    As far as Canada West all-star selections went, Kozun, forward Carson Stadnyk and defenceman Jesse Forsberg picked up first team selections from the Huskies, while forward Kohl Bauml was a second team all-star. Huskies defenceman Gordie Ballhorn made the all-rookie team.

    The conference all-stars from the Golden Bears included Philp and Fram on the first team and netminder Zach Sawchenko, Kieser and forward Cole Sanford named to the second team. Pawlenchuk was named to the all-rookie team.

    The Huskies have won 12 straight games including action in the regular season and playoffs and are rated third in the U Sports Top 10 rankings.

    The Golden Bears have won 15 straight games including action in the regular season and playoffs and are rated first in the U Sport Top 10 rankings.

The Huskies and Golden Bears will faceoff for the Canada West final.

    These teams have one of the best pure rivalries in sports and the Canada West title series will be hotly contested.

    While both sides are deserving of going all the way, the Huskies wouldn’t mind a little help from the hand of fate for once.

    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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Expect Golden Bears and Huskies to play for keeps

“Forever Rivals” battle in Canada West final once again

The Huskies and Golden Bears will renew their rivalry.

    Don’t expect the participants in the Canada West Conference championship series to coast into the University Cup.

    For the third straight year, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team will face the University of Alberta Golden Bears for the Canada West title. The Huskies won the conference title in 2016, while the Golden Bears took the conference crown last year.

    As has been the case for the previous three years, the two participants in the Canada West final automatically earned berths into the U Sports national championship tournament the University Cup.   
    The University Cup runs March 15 to 18 and is being hosted by the defending U Sports champion University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds in Fredericton, N.B., for a second straight year.

    While the Huskies and Golden Bears knew they had berths locked up at the University Cup each of the past two years, they still played for keeps when they met in the Canada West final. In case anyone has forgotten, this is an old school pure sports rivalry.

    These two teams do have some respect for each other, but there is also a healthy dislike for one another that goes along with that respect. The dislike becomes obvious in the head-to-head encounters.

Jesse Forsberg had another stellar season on the Huskies back end.

    Unlike the past two years, the Canada West championship series this year won’t be held at the ancient Rutherford Rink.
    On the strength of finishing first in Canada West with a 23-4-1 record, the Golden Bears will host this year’s best-of-three series at the Clare Drake Arena in Edmonton, Alta., with Game 1 set for Friday. The Golden Bears are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings.

    The Huskies, who finished second in Canada West with a 20-7-1 mark, will be the underdogs. They are rated third in the U Sports Top 10 rankings.

    Fans in Edmonton love getting into this rivalry, and it is expected the Golden Bears will do their best to cram over 2,500 spectators into their home rink.

    The Huskies are also beat up on the injury front. Star netminder Jordon Cooke is on crutches and is out for the rest of the post-season. On Wednesday, he was named Canada West’s goalie-of-the-year for a third straight year.
    The team’s first line of Michael Sofillas, Josh Roach and Logan McVeigh are all battling injuries along with sophomore forward Wyatt Johnson.

    Johnson, who has a concussion, isn’t expected to be available. Roach has the highest likelihood of being ready for Game 1 out of the trio from the injured first line.

Luke Philp topped Canada West in scoring.

    The Golden Bears have all their top players at their disposal. Sophomore forward Luke Philp topped Canada West in scoring with 11 goals and 29 assists. He was named Canada West’s player-of-the-year.
    Fellow sophomore forward Trevor Cox was fourth in Canada West scoring with seven goals and 27 assists.

    Fourth-year forward Stephane Legault was fifth in conference scoring with eight goals and 22 assists. Centre Steven Owre, who was named Canada West’s rookie-of-the-year, sat ninth in Canada West scoring with 17 goals and 11 assists.

    Defensive forward and captain Riley Kieser had another solid campaign appearing in 25 regular season games recording five goals, eight assists and a plus-14 rating in the plus-minus department.

    Jason Fram, who was named Canada West’s defenceman-of-the-year, is the quarterback on the power play for the Golden Bears netting nine goals and 14 assists appearing in all 28 regular season games to lead all defencemen on his team in scoring.

    Sophomore Brendan Burke is expected to carry the load in goal for U of A. In 15 appearances in the regular season, Burke posted an 11-2-1 record, a 2.03 goals against average, a .921 save percentage and two shutouts.
    Burke combined with goaltending partner Zach Sawchenko to take Canada West honours as the due with the lowest goals against average at 2.14.

    Roach, who was named Canada West’s sportsmanship and ability award winner, topped the Huskies in scoring collecting 13 goals and 24 assists in 27 regular season games to finish second in scoring in Canada West. Jesse Forsberg had another strong season for the Dogs recording five goals, 15 assists and a plus-15 rating to further cement his reputation as an elite offensive defenceman.

Huskies D Tanner Lishchynsky, left, tracks Golden Bears F Taylor Cooper.

    Due to all their injuries, the Huskies will have to rely on their character guys to carry the load. Their gritty forward unit of fifth-year centre John Lawrence, fourth-year right-winger Parker Thomas and rookie left-winger Alex Forsberg has turned heads as being the line that can play physical and provide offence.

    Forsberg, who has quite a bit of offensive skill, finished third in team scoring for the Huskies posting 11 goals and 12 assists in 24 regular season appearances. Thomas, who is the most gritty player on the unit, had career highs in goals (seven) and assists (10) appearing in 27 regular season games. Lawrence, who is known as a defensive forward, had eight goals and eight assists to go along with a plus-15 rating appearing in all 28 of the Huskies regular season games.

    The Huskies do have depth up front and will look to get scoring by committee from the likes of Kohl Bauml, Levi Cable, Collin Shirley, Carson Stadnyk and Connor Gay.

    Captain Kendall McFaull, who was named the winner of Canada West’s student-athlete community service award, anchors a steady defensive back end.

The Golden Bears hold up Huskies centre John Lawrence.

    Taran Kozun, who was the WHL goaltender of the year in the 2014-15 campaign when he was with the Seattle Thunderbirds, will carry the load in goal for the Huskies in relief of the injured Cooke. Kozun posted a 4-0-1 record, a 2.00 goals against average, a .924 save percentage and one shutout in five regular season appearances in his rookie campaign. In the playoffs, Kozun has a 2-1 record, a 2.09 goals against average and a .913 save percentage.

    During the regular season, the Golden Bears won three out of the four head-to-head meetings with the Huskies, and U of A will be sizable favourites to take the Canada West championship over a U of S side that is hampered by injuries.

    Don’t expect the Huskies to go quietly. They have shown their perseverance so far in the post-season, and they will put in the effort to ensure there are no guarantees of the final outcome of this series.

    Due to the intensity of this rivalry, there will likely be some unpredictable plot twists. Expect to see some compelling must-watch drama in these encounters.
    NOTE - University of British Columbia Thunderbirds head coach Sven Butenschon took home honours as the Canada West coach-of-the-year, while the Mount Royal University Cougars won the Canada West Fair Play Trophy as the team with the fewest penalty minutes during the regular season at 312.

Vance named Canada West MVP

Huskies G Jessica Vance was named the Canada West MVP.

    Jessica Vance couldn’t have been shutout from capturing the highest individual honour in Canada West women’s hockey.

    On Wednesday, the 20-year-old netminder for the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team was named the most valuable player of the Canada West Conference. Vance posted a 14-3-1 record, a 0.77 goals against average, a .964 save percentage and nine shutouts.

    She tied for the second most individual shutouts posted in one regular season in the history of the Canada West Conference equaling the nine put up by former U of Alberta Pandas netminder Stacey McCullough in the 2000-01 campaign. Former U of Alberta Pandas goalie Lindsey Post holds the Canada West record for most shutouts in one regular season at 10 set back in the 2014-15 campaign.

    Thanks to Vance’s effort, the Huskies set a new team record for most wins in one regular season at 19 finishing second in the conference with a 19-7-2 record.

    In the post-season, the Huskies will play the U of Manitoba Bisons in a best-of-three Canada West championship series that beings win Game 1 on Friday in Winnipeg, Man. Game 2 and if necessary Game 3 will be held Saturday and Sunday respectively in Winnipeg.

    The Bison finished first in Canada West with a 22-5-1 record.

    The Herd is rated first in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, while the Huskies are rated eighth.

Bisons G Lauren Taraschuk was named the Canada West rookie-of-the-year.

    U of M netminder Lauren Taraschuk was named the Canada West rookie-of-the-year on Wednesday. The 18-year-old Winnipeg, Man., product appeared in 12 regular season games posting a 10-2 record, a 0.71 goals against average, a .961 save percentage and five shutouts. Taraschuk has become the Bisons main starter in goal for the post-season.

    Bisons head coach John Rempel was named the Canada West coach of the year for a second straight year.

    Third-year Defender Mikayla Ogrodniczuk of the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds won Canada West’s student-athlete community service award.
    Both the Huskies and Bisons have berths lock up at the U Sports nationals, which run March 15 to 18 in London, Ont., and are hosted by the University of Western Ontario Mustangs.

    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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The WHL at its best

Rebels and Pats have delivered a spectacular series

Adam Brooks (#77) of the Pats battles Rebels captain Luke Philp.

    It is almost sad that the WHL playoff series between the Red Deer Rebels and Regina Pats has to end.

    While the Victoria Royals and the Kelowna Rockets have been engaged in a thrilling second round series played in front of the Shaw TV cameras out west, the series out east between the Rebels and Pats has been the WHL at its best.

    The Rebels lead the best-of-seven set 3-2 with Game 6 set for Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Brandt Centre in Regina. Game 6 sold out on Saturday afternoon. From a pure hockey fan standpoint, you almost hope a series deciding Game 7 would be needed, which would be held Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Enmax Centrium in Red Deer.

    The Rebels versus Pats series has had everything. You have seen the odd tight defensive game, a lot of stellar offence, red hot work on the power play, great goaltending and the odd interesting storyline. You also have two buildings that have been rocking, which has added to the overall atmosphere.

    With all the action that has taken place, you almost wish the series could go on forever.

Haydn Fleury is strong in all situations.

    The main storyline that has come out of the last two games has been the return of Rebels starting goaltender Rylan Toth, who had been out with a lower body injury since the middle of February. He was in a walking boot just before playoffs started.

    Trevor Martin took over the starter’s role and ran with it. During the playoffs, the Ardrossan, Alta., product started out playing like a money goalie, and he was a key reason the Rebels took Games 1 and 2 against the Pats.

    The Pats, who have a lot of gifted players, started to get more and more pucks past Martin, when the series shifted to Regina. “The Queen City Kids” took Game 3 by a 6-3 score and Game 4 by 6-4 count.

    In Game 4, the Rebels pulled Martin at the 12:18 mark of the second period after he stopped 18 of 22 shots. Toth entered in relief stopping nine of 10 shots fired his way before the Pats added an empty netter.

    The Rebels started Toth for Game 5 on Friday in Red Deer and the Saskatoon product turned away 28 of 29 shots fired his way in a 5-1 victory. Now the question becomes can Toth continue to deliver.

    During the series, a lot of players have delivered. Rebels captain Luke Philip has two goals and five assists to top his team in scoring for the series. Brandon Hagel has delivered too with a goal and five assists for Red Deer.

    Others like Adam Musil have come through at key times, like when Musil tipped home the power-play game winner in the Rebels 4-3 victory in Game 2.

    Defenceman Josh Mahura, who missed 70 regular season games with a serious knee injury, has been a force recording two goals, two assists and a plus-five rating in the plus-minus department. He has shown signs of being an elite player.

Connor Hobbs has been a rock on the Pats back end.

    Mahura's play has almost overshadowed the fact that Rebels star rearguard Haydn Fleury, who has been a member of Canada world junior team, has continued to handle himself well playing in all situations.

    For the Pats, Adam Brooks and Cole Sanford have been the offensive stars they have always been. Brooks, who led the WHL in scoring during the regular season, has a goal and seven assists, while Sanford has three goals and four assists.

    Overage captain Colby Williams and Connor Hobbs have been dynamite on the back end for Regina. Williams, who is from Regina, has a goal and four assists, while Hobbs, who is from Saskatoon, has two goals and three assists.

    Pats centre Jake Leschyshyn, who is in his 16-year-old rookie season, has come through in key gritty moments in Regina picking up a goal and two assists in the series.

    The power play success for both sides has been off the charts. Red Deer has connected on 7-of-19 chances for a 36.8 per cent success rate. Regina has cashed in on 11-of-30 chances for a 36.7 per cent success rate.

    In the stands, the Rebels have drawn crowds of 5,845, 4,802 and 6,185 in their three home dates. The Red Deer fan base is loyally behind Rebels head coach, general manager and owner Brent Sutter, who has always been a strong community minded person in that centre. Sutter and his family are enduring figures in the hearts of the Rebels faithful.

The Pats and Rebels battle for the puck along the boards.

    The Pats have drawn crowds of 6,247 and 6,171 in their two home games. As the oldest junior hockey franchise in the world dating back to 1917, the Pats have an entrenched and loyal following in Regina. The passion gets cranked up a few notches in the post-season making the Brandt Centre a tough place to play for the opposition.

    This series has been one to remember, but someone has to win it and advance to the WHL Eastern Conference championship series to face the defending conference champion Brandon Wheat Kings.

    For now, fans in both Red Deer and Regina should enjoy the present and the remaining action of this series while it lasts.

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

WHL trade deadline not all fun and games

Adam Helewka is a recent Rebels addition.

    Fans might find the WHL’s trade deadline fun, but it far from that for a lot of people associated with the league.

    This year’s deadline passes at 12 p.m. Mountain Time on Sunday, and its conclusion is often greeted with relief. As soon as the Christmas break ends, anxiety heightens on the part of the players from that point until the deadline passes. It is recognized that this short time span becomes the last chance for some clubs to bolster their rosters for a long playoff run, while other teams might be looking towards the future.

    Players that might think they are safe might get thrown into a multi-person blockbuster deal, because you often have to give up a good asset to acquire a good asset. Most of the brain trusts in the league are pretty sharp, so it is pretty hard for one club to fleece another club in a trade.

    During this lead up, players often wonder if they will have to leave friends they have made and the billet families they have gotten to know in short order to venture into a new world. That will often leave their parents and agents scrambling to help them relocate to a new centre.

    The lead up to the deadline is also hard for general managers. They often work mobile phones day and night mostly in an effort to tire kick to see what is out there. The deals result from only a small amount of the tire kicking.

    While working the phones, general managers often give up whatever short family and personal time they already have. When the deadline passes, that sacrifice no longer has to be made.

    Believe it or not, the trade deadline is often not fun for a number of the media outlets that cover the league. Most of the media outlets in WHL centres have a minimum of resources to work with. Reporters are often trying to squeeze in a trade story along with covering other local sporting events in their respective communities and satisfying the technical aspects that come with producing stories in print or broadcast.

Jake DeBrusk's addition adds to the Rebels offence.

    Trades often break at the strangest times, and reporters are often left scrambling to rework their schedules.

    The only person that seems to have any control on what goes on is Richard Doerksen, who is the WHL’s vice-president of hockey. All of the league’s trades go through Doerksen, who gives deals the final stamp of approval.

    When I interviewed for a trade deadline feature about a couple of years back, Doerksen said the only time trades can’t be made are from 11 p.m. at night to 7 a.m. in the morning, because he shuts his mobile phone off during those hours in order to sleep. He still has somewhat of a set schedule.

    During the final stretch leading up to this season’s trade deadline, the Red Deer Rebels, who will host this year’s Memorial Cup tournament, have to be viewed as the big winners so far. When action resumed after the WHL’s Christmas break on Dec. 27, 2015, the Rebels sat third overall in the 22-team league with a 23-12 mark.

    Since that time, the Rebels have swung three big deals that have bolstered their chances to enter the Memorial Cup tournament as possible WHL champions. On Dec. 27, 2015, they acquired 19-year-old winger Jake DeBrusk from the Swift Current Broncos in exchange for 18-year-old forward Lane Pederson, a first round pick in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft and a third round selection in the 2016 Bantam Draft.

Taden Rattie is caught in a scrum against the Blades.

    DeBrusk had been the face of the Broncos franchise and will likely add some strut to the Rebels lineup. He has 14 goals and 22 assists in 30 games this season.

    On Jan. 1, the Rebels acquired high-scoring overage winger Adam Helewka from the Spokane Chiefs. The Chiefs picked up overage winger Wyatt Johnson, 15-year-old prospect Eli Zummack, a second round selection in the 2016 Bantam Draft and a fifth round pick in the 2017 Bantam Draft. Helewka has 19 goals and 18 assists in 22 total games this season, while Johnson had been the Rebels captain.

    Red Deer’s third major move came on Sunday, when they picked up overage centre Luke Philp from the Kootenay Ice in exchange for overage winger Presten Kopeck, 17-year-old defencaman Ryan Pouliot, the rights to 16-year-old forward Tanner Sidaway, and a second round and a third round selection in the 2016 Bantam Draft. Kopeck was dealt a day later to the Chiefs in exchange for overage winger Riley Whittingham and a fourth round selection in the 2017 Bantam Draft.

    Philp has 13 goals and 16 assists in 22 games with the Ice, but he is still out with an ankle injury he suffered back on Nov. 21, 2015.

    In a minor move on Dec. 28, 2015, the Rebels picked up 18-year-old winger Taden Rattie from the Portland Winterhawks for a fourth round selection in the 2016 Bantam Draft. Rattie, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 190 pounds, recorded seven goals, five assists and 155 penalty minutes in 53 games at the junior A level last season with the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Whitecourt Wolverines, and he should add a physical presence.

Landon Bow was traded by the Broncos.

    The additions of DeBrusk, Helewka and a healthy Philp make the Rebels that much more of an extremely dangerous offensive team. Red Deer (28-13) hosts the Lethbridge Hurricanes (28-12) on Friday in a battle for first overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

    The Rebels would benefit from having a little more depth on defence, but a running theme among scouts that watch the WHL is that this is a thin campaign when it comes to the number of good rearguards and goaltenders that are in the league. The asking price for those spots will be at a premium.

    With that in mind, the Seattle Thunderbirds were able to acquire standout overage goaltender Landon Bow from the Swift Current Broncos in exchange for 18-year-old netminder Taz Burman and overage winger Jamal Watson on Tuesday.

    A hockey family reunion was created in a Monday deal involving the Saskatoon Blades and the Brandon Wheat Kings. The Blades sent 17-year-old defenceman Schael Higson, overage rearguard Mitch Wheaton and second round selection in the 2017 Bantam Draft to the Wheat Kings for 18-year-old winger Braylon Shmyr and overage defenceman Colton Waltz.

    Waltz’s younger sister, Jerrica, is a sophomore goalie for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team.

Kennedy to get WHL Alumni Achievement Award

    On Thursday, the WHL announced that Sheldon Kennedy will be presented with the WHL Alumni Achievement Award.

    Kennedy will receive the honour in a pre-game ceremony in Swift Current before the host Broncos take on the Moose Jaw Warriors at 2 p.m. at the Credit Union i-plex. The Brandon, Man., product was a star winger for the Broncos from 1986 to 1989 and was the captain of the 1989 Memorial Cup championship Broncos squad.

    Kennedy is best remember for coming forward about how he was sexually abused by his former coach in Swift Current, Graham James. James was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in a federal prison after pleading guilty to sexual offenses against Kennedy and another player.

    Since that revelation in the 1990s, Kennedy has been an unprecedented leader in the cause of awareness and prevention of child abuse, and was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2014.

    On Friday, Kennedy will be in Swift Current as that centre launches a new initiative called “Youth Certification and Safe Places,” which is a certification and registration strategy that requires background checks for anyone that works directly with children.

    It has been good to see Kennedy and the community of Swift Current move forward in a number of positive ways in recent years.

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