The sweetest of title sweeps

Huskies capture 17^th Canada West crown with emotional win

Marty Smuk, Matthew Spafford, Stephanie Vause and Darla Smuk all rock.

    To say the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team was playing with heart may be the biggest understatement ever.

    On Saturday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, the Dogs weren’t going to be denied a Canada West title. Trailing their “Forever Rivals” the University of Alberta Golden Bears 1-0 entering the third period, the Huskies stormed out and scored three straight goals before a raucous sold out crowd of 1,066 spectators. U of A managed to pot one reply with seven seconds to play, but all that did was make the final on the scoreboard 3-2 in favour of the host Huskies.

    In the record books, the Huskies go down as sweeping the Golden Bears 2-0 in the best-of-three Canada West men’s hockey championship series. With their 17^th conference title win in team history, the Dogs will travel to Halifax for the University Cup, which is the Canadian Interuniversity Sport final eight championship tournament, along with the Golden Bears. That tourney runs from March 17 to 20.

    What the statistical sheet won’t show was that the Huskies were playing for something more. Besides playing for the logo on the front of the jersey and for the pride of the school and Saskatoon as a city, these Huskies were playing to honour the memory of a former teammate and alumnus.

Logan McVeigh, left, got the Ruthy jumping with a third period goal.

    After a battle with cancer that lasted over a year, Cody Smuk passed away in late June of 2015. The gritty forward, 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. Words can’t do justice to the impact he had on the Huskies athletic program and the community of Saskatoon.

    The Huskies men’s team retired Smuk’s #24 on Oct. 24, 2015. All season, they have warmed up with all players wearing his #24 jersey. Smuk’s father, Marty, mother, Darla, and fiancée, Stephanie Vause, have been to every home game.

    When it came time for the team picture with the Dr. W.G. Hardy Trophy and the championship banner, Huskies captain Kendall McFaull and third-year forward Josh Roach helped bring Marty, Darla and Vause on to the ice to be part the photograph. As the group approached the team, they received an ovation from the players, coaches and staff.

    Fifth-year forward Matthew Spafford teared up talking about his good friend and former teammate after the contest. His thoughts drifted to the 2014 University Cup championship tournament in Saskatoon, where Smuk played his final games with the Huskies. The Huskies made it to the championship game falling 3-1 to the Golden Bears at what is now known as the SaskTel Centre.

    “He (Smuk) is the driving force,” said Spafford. “I screwed up and didn’t get him one in my third year.

    “I know he is looking down on us right now, and he is helping us win, so it means everything.”

Levi Cable slips home the Huskies third goal of the night.

    Fifth-year defenceman Zak Stebner also couldn’t help but think his side might have had an extra boost. For Stebner, Smuk, who was nicknamed “Marty,” was a big part of the Huskies success in the 2015-16 campaign.

    “We are always playing for Marty,” said Stebner, “It is a big part of why we work so hard.

    “We try to work as Marty did, and he was a hard working dude. We figured if we could match just a fraction of how hard he works we will be successful, and I think that we exemplified that tonight.”

    At first, it looked like the Golden Bears were going to play spoilers. James Dobrowolski scored at the 3:31 of the first period to put U of A up 1-0. The goal only silenced the crowd for a short time, and it didn’t stall the Huskies.

    The Dogs responded with a big push back. Their efforts to net the equalizer also helped accidently create a pair of second period breakaways for Golden Bears forwards Brett Ferguson and Jordan Hickmott.

Zak Stebner hoists the Dr. W.G. Hardy Trophy.

    Huskie goaltender Jordon Cooke, who was named Canada West’s most outstanding player and goaltender of the year, stoned both chances. Cooke’s stop on Hickmott came late in the second and seemed to help add to the belief that the Huskies would rally.

    Early in the third, the Huskies push back resulted in the host side scoring two goals just 15 seconds apart from each other. Jesse Ross got the first tally, Logan McVeigh potted the second tally, and the Ruthy was rocking louder than it had at any point in the season.

    At the 11:57 mark, Levi Cable slipped home a low shot from a bad angle past Golden Bears goaltender Luke Siemens to increase the Huskies edge to 3-1.

    U of A rearguard Jordan Rowley, who was named Canada West’s top defenceman, netted the contest’s final goal with seven seconds to play.

    Cooke made 26 saves to earn the win in goal for the Huskies, who are rated third in the CIS top ten rankings. Siemens stopped 28 shots in net for the Golden Bears, who are rated fourth in the CIS top ten.

    While the Golden Bears played tough in both games of the series, the Huskies weren’t going to be denied in penning another cool chapter of a special season.

The Huskies are the 2016 Canada West champions.

    Even the rookies on the Huskies can feel something great has been happening. McVeigh, who is playing his first year with the Huskies after finishing his Western Hockey League career with the Kamloops Blazers, can feel the positive impact Smuk has had after his death.

    “It feels good just to get a win for him and his family,” said McVeigh. “It feels great to get them involved with our picture and come on the ice. It was great.”

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

Huskies look to continue magic in post-season

A Matthew Spafford goal will likely blow the roof off Rutherford Rink.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team was expected to make some noise in 2015-16, but they blew past all expectations.

    In the Canada West Conference pre-season coaches’ poll, the Huskies were voted second behind the University of Alberta Golden Bears, who have won the last two Canadian Interuniversity Sport titles. Early season excitement for the Dogs had be to tempered by the fact they finished sixth in Canada West in 2014-15 with a 10-15-3 record and dropped a best-of-three first round playoff series to the Mount Royal University Cougars 2-1. The losing mark ended a run where the Huskies had recorded winning records for 18 seasons.

    That down year looks like just a weird blip on the radar screen now.

    The Huskies stormed through the 2015-16 regular season campaign matching their club record for wins finishing first overall in Canada West with a 22-6 record. U of S also won 22 games posting a 22-3-3 mark in 1999-2000 and a 22-5-1 record in 1987-88.

    Now they get to enjoy the spoils of fact all their opponents in the Canada West playoffs have to play under the rusty rafters of the ancient Rutherford Rink. After going out to support the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s during a bye week, the Huskies men’s team found out their opponent for a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series will be University of Calgary Dinos, who posted 12-12-4 record in the regular season.

Huskies forward Levi Cable turns the corner on Dinos rearguard Dan Gibb.

    Game 1 is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Ruthy. Game 2 and Game 3, if necessary, follow on Saturday and Sunday respectively at the Rutherford Rink with a 7 p.m. puck drop set for both nights. The Huskies won all four of their regular season meetings with the Dinos.

    U of C advanced to play the Huskies after taking a best-of-three quarter-final series against the U of Manitoba Bisons 2-1 in Winnipeg.

    One of the big backbones to the U of S success has been the play of sophomore goaltender Jordon Cooke. Cooke set a new Huskies record for wins in a regular season at 19 posting a 19-5 record, a .921 save percentage, a 2.52 goals against average and two shutouts. The old record 18 regular season wins was shared between Jeff Calvert (1998-99) and Ryan Holfeld (2012-13).

    Cooke’s success has also been helped by the fact the Huskies have one of the best group of defencemen in the country. Their top six blue-liners in captain Kendall McFaull, Connor Cox, Jesse Forsberg, Jordan Fransoo, Zak Stebner and David Stumborg have been outstanding.

    The only worry comes on Stebner’s front, as the fifth-year veteran has been out with a knee injury since the Dogs dumped the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 6-2 back on Jan. 23 in Vancouver. Chances are good Stebner will be a go, and the Huskies will gladly welcome back the five goals, 10 assists and plus-14 rating he put up in the plus-minus department in 22 games.

Goalie Jordan Cooke has been huge for the Huskies all season.

    Fransoo topped all Huskies rearguards in offence putting up three goals and 16 assists in 26 games to go along with a plus-14 rating.

    The Huskies, who are rated third in the CIS top ten rankings, were able to take off this season due to huge impact of the rookie forward line of Kohl Bauml, Levi Cable and Andrew Johnson. Bauml and Cable were standouts in the WHL for the Everett Silvertips and Kootenay Ice respectively. Johnson came to the Huskies after a strong season in the junior A ranks with the West Kelowna Warriors after kicking around the WHL with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Seattle Thunderbirds and Swift Current Broncos over four-plus seasons.

    The trio appeared in all 28 of the Huskies regular season games. Bauml led the team in scoring with 12 goals and 21 assists, Cable was second with 16 goals and 12 assists, and Johnson was third with 13 goals and 13 assists.

    U of S also received solid offensive contributions from the rest of their forward group including Josh Roach, who had five goals and 13 assists in 25 games, Michael Sofillas, who picked up five goals and 10 assists in 24 appearances, Logan McVeigh, who netted seven goals and seven assists, and Jesse Ross, who had six goals and eight assists in 26 outings.

    The biggest cheers at Rutherford will likely be for fan and campus favourite Matthew Spafford, if he lights up the scoreboard. The fifth-year forward had two goals and an assist in 13 appearances.

Rearguard Jordan Fransoo works the point for the Huskies.

    The Dinos won’t be pushovers, as their roster is filled with former WHL players who are used to navigating the ups and downs of a season in a highly competitive league. Forwards Elgin Pearce and Chris Collins both topped the Dinos in regular season scoring netting 27 points. Pearce had 11 goals and 16 assists, while Collins netted 10 goals and 17 assists.

    Max Ross led all Dinos rearguards in scoring with five goals and 13 assists.

    Dinos starting goaltender Steven Stanford didn’t have one of his best years between the pipes posting a 9-8-4 record, a .881 save percentage, a 3.18 goals against average and two shutouts. The former star of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades returned to form in the Dinos first round series victory posting a 2-1 record, a .932 save percentage and a 1.69 goals against average.

    The last time the Huskies and Dinos met in the post-season came back in 2012, when the Huskies claimed the Canada West championships series with a 2-1 triple overtime victory in a series deciding Game 3 on a winner from Brett Ward.

    The winner of this year’s series will earn a berth to the CIS championship tournament, which runs March 17 to 20 in Halifax. The series victor will also face the winner of the other best-of-three Canada West semifinal series between the Golden Bears and Mount Royal University Cougars in a best-of-three Canada West championship series.

    Four good teams remain in the Canada West post-season hunt. If the Huskies have their way, they will add a few more magical moments at what should be a crazy atmosphere at a packed Rutherford Rink.

Stars set to shine again on playoff stage

Captain Danielle Nogier and the Stars open the post-season on Friday.

  The Saskatoon Stars begin their playoff journey hoping to earn another trip to the Esso Cup.

    The defending Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League champs topped the regular season standings for a second straight year at 24-4, which was just shy of matching their 25-3 record in 2014-15. They open the post-season by taking on the Battlefords Sharks in a best-of-five quarter-final series. The Sharks finished last in the eight team league with a 3-23-2 record.

    It is beyond obvious to say the Stars will be heavy favourites to sweep this series. Game 1 is set for 7:15 p.m. Friday at the Agriplace Arena.

    Mackenna Parker, who is 15-years-old, finished second in the SFMAAAHL scoring race topping the Stars with 14 goals and 21 assists in 25 games played. Grace Shirley, who is 14-years-old, was second in Stars scoring with 18 goals and 14 assists. Offensive defender Willow Slobodzian led Saskatoon’s blue-liners in scoring with three goals and 12 assists.

    Standout 16-year-old netminder Emma Johnson is expected to carry the load for Saskatoon in goal. She posted a 13-4 record, a career best .942 save percentage, a 1,47 goals against average and three shutouts.

    Jordan Kulbida led the Sharks in scoring with five goals and seven assists. Chloe Marshall has been stellar in goal for the struggling Sharks posting a .906 save percentage. Her 2-12 record and 3.62 goals against average are a result from the high volume of shots she faced night in and night out.

    The 2016 post-season will mark the final times 17-year-olds Hollie Coumont, Rayah DeCorby, Danielle Girolami and captain Danielle Nogier will suit up for the Stars as they will all graduate from the midget ranks.

    Game 2 of the series is set for Sunday in Battleford, while Game 3 will be Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. at the Agriplace Arena.

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

Totally unpredictable

Parity at an all-time high in Canada West women’s hockey

U of R Cougars forward Stephanie Sawchuk turns to drive to the goal.

    There are no guarantees in Canada West Conference’s women’s hockey league.

    How competitive has the eight-team circuit been this year?

    Only 12 points in the standings separates last place from first place. With each team have about seven to eight games remaining on their respective regular season schedules, every club is looking at scenarios where they can finish from first to last, especially considering three points are awarded for regulation wins.

    Every team has experienced ups and downs, and the players and coaches on each squad can list times where they let points in the standings slip through their fingers. At the moment, the University of Regina Cougars have the best showing in the past 10 games posting a 7-3 mark over that stretch.

    The University of Calgary Dinos, who have the conference’s top two scorers in Iya Gavrilova and Sasha Vafina, had sat alone in the league’s cellar for most of the season. With their 3-2 regulation win over the Mount Royal University Cougars at the Crowchild Classic on Thursday night, the Dinos pulled to within five points of the Cougars for sixth place and the conference’s final playoff berth.

    U of C has also won four in a row and is starting to look like a squad worthy of hosting the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship tournament. The Dinos (7-10-4) actually now sit in a tie for seventh in the league standings with the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns (8-11-1) at 23 points.

    U of C compiled its 23 points off on five regulation wins, two extra wins and four extra time losses. U of L has 23 points thanks to six regulation wins, two extra time wins and one extra time setback.

Huskies forward Elizabeth Salyn battles two Dinos for the puck on the boards.

    The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (12-6-2) and the University of Alberta Pandas (11-7-2) sit tied for first in the standings with 35 points. UBC collected its 35 points on nine regulation wins, three extra time wins and two extra time setbacks. All 11 of U of A’s victory have come in regulation time to help the Pandas grab a share of first.

    In another interesting twist, the Pandas do not have a single player sitting in the top ten of the conference’s scoring race. Rookie Alex Poznikoff tops the Pandas in scoring with eight goals and four assists, but she sits 13^th overall in the conference’s scoring race.

    The U of R Cougars (12-7-1, nine regulation wins) are a point back of both UBC and U of A for top spot, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies (11-6-3, eight regulation wins) are two points out of first place and the University of Manitoba Bisons (10-8-2, 10 regulations wins) are three points back of first.

    Mount Royal (10-10-1, seven regulation wins) holds sixth place with 28 points.

    Down the stretch you can be certain there will be a lot of scoreboard watching. No team has been able to go through a lengthy consistent winning stretch.

    If a club can post a lengthy winning stretch, that team might have home ice advantage for the entire Canada West playoffs.

    In reality, it seems the deck will keep getting reshuffled after each of the last four regular season weekends plays out.

Random observations – picture worth 1,000 words

Matthew Spafford celebrates scoring for the Huskies.

    This picture of Matthew Spafford’s goal celebration for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team is piling up the views on Twitter and Facebook. Spafford was celebrating after scoring against the U of C Dinos in last Friday’s 4-3 double overtime win at the ancient Rutherford Rink. In the right corner of the picture, it looks like Spafford is about to high-five Rod Alm, who was named the Huskies fan of the year in 2013. It is safe to say most of the Huskies athletes know who Alm is. The shot show great emotion of the moment. When it comes to snapping a photo like this, it is really only 20 per cent skill and 80 per cent luck.    
·             Feisty forward Marley Ervine will hit a milestone, when her Huskies women’s hockey team hosts the Thunderbirds at 7 p.m. Friday at the Rutherford Rink. Ervine will suit up for her 129^th career regular season game, which will tie her for second all-time in the history of the Huskies women’s hockey program with Chelsey Sundby. Kandace Cook tops the Huskies career regular season games played list at 131. Ervine sits third in the Canada West scoring race with a career high eight goals and 12 assists.
·             It seemed Mike Gibson wasn’t in the good books of a number of the alumni of the University of Regina Rams football team. Gibson resigned as Rams head coach on Sunday after just one season having guided the club to an 0-8 mark. Gibson joined the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos on Monday as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator. A number of Rams alumni voiced their displeasure with Gibson over social media after he resigned his U of R post.
·            On Thursday, the U of R Rams named Mark McConkey as acting head coach. McConkey was the team’s offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and academic coach. That move was a head scratcher considering McConkey’s last season as a Rams player was 2012. You would think the U of R would name Paul Dawson, who is the Rams long time defensive coordinator, as acting head coach. McConkey doesn’t have a lot of coaching experience and only joined the CIS ranks in April of last year.
·         On the WHL front, how about those Lethbridge Hurricanes? After missing the playoffs for the last six straight seasons, the Hurricanes sit first in the entire WHL with a 34-12 record and are riding an eight game winning streak. They have to be considered the top story in major junior hockey.
·             Brock Hirsche, who is the captain of the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns men’s hockey team, revealed on Tuesday he is battling testicular cancer. Last year, Pronghorns goaltender Dylan Tait and team athletic therapist Brennan Mahon both beat that same disease. Hirsche is well known in hockey circles in Western Canada, and he will undoubtedly have a lot of people pulling for him.
·            On Thursday, the Saskatoon Blades revealed dressing room attendant Bobby Kirkness suffered a heart attack, while on vacation last week. Kirkness was later diagnosed with leukemia. Well loved by the Blades players, the news of Kirkness’s health woes have to be tough to take in the dressing room of “the Bridge City Bunch.” The Blades host the Brandon Wheat Kings on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.
·             By now, most in the general public know the massive cuts Postmedia made to its operations on Tuesday. The media company owns a large concentration of Canada’s newspapers including the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. A number of good people saw their jobs and careers on a lot of fronts come to an end. On the sports front, expect anything that is not the NHL, UFC, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Raptors to receive less coverage. All around, it is a sad situation.
·             The Saskatchewan Rush’s home opener was a hit. A crowd of 9,147 went to the SaskTel Centre last Friday to see the Rush fall 13-11 to the Vancouver Stealth. There as a lot of talk after that contest about how fun it was to watch the high-tempo National Lacrosse League. The Rush return to action on Jan. 29, when they host the Colorado Mammoth at 7:30 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

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

Luck falls Huskies way

The Huskies celebrate an overtime winning goal.

    Lady Luck was on the side of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team.

    For a short time, it appeared the Huskies would fall victim to a comeback by the visiting University of Calgary Dinos on Friday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink. The Dogs led 3-1 after two periods of play only to see the Dinos rally back to force overtime after tying things up 3-3.

    After a scoreless five minute four-on-four overtime period, the Huskies received a huge break during the five-minute three-on-three session that followed. Sophomore Huskies forward Michael Sofillas fed the puck to linemate John Lawrence who proceeded to break towards the Dinos net for a scoring chance.

    Lawrence’s initial shot was stopped, but Dinos forward Elgin Pearce accidentally knocked the puck into his own goal while attempting to sweep it out of harm’s way.

    The Huskies themselves looked stunned for a moment before realizing they had pulled out a 4-3 victory at the 1:53 mark of the second overtime frame. The home side’s bench proceeded to empty out for a victory celebration in the offensive zone, while the crowd at Rutherford gave one of their loudest ovations of the season.

    For a while, it appeared the Huskies wouldn’t need any overtime goals to extend their current winning streak to four games. After playing through a scoreless opening 20 minutes, the Huskies drew first blood, when sophomore forward Cameron Blair sniped a shot past Dinos goaltender Steven Stanford to give the hosts a 1-0 edge.

John Lawrence picked up the Huskies OT winning goal.

    The Dinos tied things up at 1-1 just three minutes later, when Spencer Edwards potted a goal from in close off a scramble type situation.

    The Huskies jumped back out front 2-1 working on a power play, when Michael Sofillas slipped home his fourth goal of the season.

    Before the second period ended, Huskies centre Sean Aschim stole the puck from a Dinos defenceman in the University of Calgary zone and immediately fed a pass to his linemate Matthew Spafford, who was alone in front of the goal. The fifth-year forward wasted little time in tucking home his second tally of the campaign to put the Huskies up 3-1.

    While play though the first 40 minutes was fairly even, the Dinos came with a huge push back in the third period outshooting the Huskies 12-5. At the 5:55 mark, Dinos rookie forward Mitch Cook picked up his first goal of his Canadian Interuniversity sport regular season career to cut the gap to 3-2.

    With 29 seconds remaining in the third, Dinos fourth-year forward Dylan Walchuk deflected home a point shot from defenceman Drydn Dow to force a 3-3 tie. The Huskies protested that Walchuk’s goal was knocked home with a high stick, but the officials ruled the goal was good.

    The Dinos carried play in the first overtime period recording the only five shots on goal in the frame.

    The Huskies lone shot on goal in the second overtime period eventually led to Pearce’s accidental own goal.

    Jordon Cooke made 35 saves to earn the win in goal for the Huskies (16-3), who are ranked third in the CIS top ten rankings. Stanford, who is a graduate of the WHL's Saskatoon Blades, turned away 19 shots in goal for the Dinos (7-8-4).

    The Huskies and Dinos will go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

Russians power Dinos past Huskies

Iya Gavrilova had a goal and two assists for the Dinos on Friday night.

    Iya Gavrilova and Sasha Vafina came through when the University of Calgary Dinos women’s hockey team needed them the most.

    The two members of Russian’s 2014 Olympic team combined for three goals and two assists to push the Dinos past the visiting University of Saskatchewan Huskies 4-2 at the Father David Bauer Arena in Calgary.

    Gavrilova, who has two assists, netted the winner at the 12:59 mark of the third period, which broke a 2-2 tie. Vafina scored twice, while Stephanie Zvonkovic had the Dinos other tally.

    Feisty forward Marley Ervine and Lauren Zary replied with singles for the Huskies.

    Hayley Dowling made 24 saves to earn the win in goal for the Dinos. Jerrica Waltz turned away 21 shots to take the loss in goal for the Huskies.

    The Huskies, who are rated sixth in the CIS top ten rankings, fell to 11-6-2. The Dinos improved to 5-10-4, but they still sit last in the eight team Canada West Conference.

    Both squads go at it again on Saturday in Calgary.

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

Ervine finds OT magic

Huskies halt Bisons five-game winning streak with 3-2 win

Marley Ervine is all smiles after scoring an OT winner.

    Marley Ervine was in the right place at the right time, when the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team needed her the most.

    With the Huskies locked in a 2-2 draw with the visiting University of Manitoba Bisons in a three-versus-three double overtime period, Ervine was sprung in on a breakaway after a turnover near the Bisons blue-line. The feisty fifth-year forward laser beamed a shot past Bisons goalie Rachel Dyck to give the Huskies a 3-2 victory on Friday night at the Rutherford Rink.

    The goal came after Ervine was snakebitten on a number of chances throughout the contest.

    “It felt pretty good,” said Ervine. “I felt like I had a few chances tonight. It was finally nice to see one be successful.

    “I was pretty tired, so I just thought get a quick shot off and maybe have a rebound, if I don’t score on the first one. I just wanted to get the puck on (goal) for sure.”

    The victory ended a five game winning streak for the Bisons (7-5-1) and put a wrap on a three-game skid for the Huskies (8-3-2), who were rated eighth in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport top ten rankings.

    Momentum swung back and forth during regulation. The visitors jumped ahead 1-0, when fifth-year forward Kayleigh Wiens scored on a wraparound just 1:27 into the second period.

    The Huskies battled back to go ahead 2-1 heading into the second intermission. First, rookie forward Elizabeth Salyn roofed home her first career regular season CIS goal through a screen to tie things up at 1-1.

    About three minutes after that tally, standout forward Kaitlin Willoughby blew past the Bisons defence to score on a breakaway to give the hosts a 2-1 edge.

    In the third, the Bisons found the equalizer with 6:45 to play in the frame, when defender Erica Rieder scored from close in.

Marley Ervine gets set to drive a shot on goal for the Huskies.

    When the contest advanced into overtime, the Huskies held a decided edge in territorial play through a five-minute four-on-four period, and they maintained that advantage in a second five-minute frame with three-on-three play.

    The offensive zone pressure finally resulted in the turnover that created Ervine’s overtime goal. As university teams play only on weekends, the Huskies three-game skid meant they last celebrated victory on Oct. 30 in Edmonton, when they downed the University of Alberta Pandas 3-2 after a tiebreaking shootout.

    Ervine was pleased to see her team get back in the win column and also put an end to the Bisons winning streak in the process.

    “It definitely feels nice,” said Ervine. “It is nice to hear the win song in the dressing room for the first time in a long time.

    “Our league is so tight that anyone can beat anyone, so it is nice to see that we can kind of knock a team off their pedestal for a bit here.”

    Cassidy Hendricks turned away 19 shots to earn the win in goal for the Huskies, while Dyck made 24 stops to take the extra time loss for the Bisons.

    Both teams go at it again on Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

Huskies men’s team eclipses last season’s win total

Josh Roach powers a Huskies victory with a three-point night.

    A three-point night from Josh Roach helped the U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team to surpass last season’s win total before the current campaign hit its halfway point.

    On Friday night in Winnipeg, Roach had a goal and two assists to help the Huskies double up the host U of Manitoba Bisons 6-3. The win allowed the Huskies, who are rated third in the CIS rankings, to improve to 11-2. Last season, the Huskies posted a 10-15-3 mark.

    Against the Bisons on Friday, the Huskies found themselves locked in 2-2 draw after 20 minutes and a 3-3 tie after 40 minutes. The visitors surged for three goals in the third to round out the contest’s scoring.

    Matthew Spafford, Parker Thomas, Jesse Forsberg, Levi Cable and Jordan Fransoo all netted singles for the Huskies, while Blake Voth turned away 26 shots to earn the win in goal.

    Warren Callis, Shaq Merasty and Brett Stovin, who is a former captain of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, replied with singles for the Bisons (5-6-2). Byron Spriggs turned away 33-of-38 shots to take the loss in goal.

    Both teams face each other again on Saturday in Winnipeg.

    If you want to pass along any comments about this blog post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. Check out more game photo on Twitter @StanksSports.

Road destruction bashes Blades

Traffic leading to the SaskTel Centre has seen its share of congestion.

    If you smash it, it will keep the fans away.

    It seems the powers that control the roads leading to the SaskTel Centre are bent on making life difficult for the Saskatoon Blades these days, when it comes to attracting fans to their games. If you’ve tried to attend a WHL game at the rink located on the north end of the Bridge City, it might take you 30 minutes to move from the intersection of Idylwyld Drive and Circle Drive to reach the rink at the worst of times due to the road construction that surrounds the facility. Normally, that trip should take you 10 minutes at its worst and five minutes at its best.

    The biggest construction problem is the overpass located just south of the rink that helps traffic flow down Highway 11 and the Yellowhead Highway has been completely shut down since about the start of August. The maintenance required to fix that overpass is so bad that it is still under construction.

    To make matters worse, the Idylwyld Service road between 60^th Street and Marquis Drive is under construction. Combine that with a handful of other construction projects going on in the north industrial sector makes driving in the area of the SaskTel Centre a nightmare, as traffic congests on the untouched arteries. In another frustrating twist, most of these projects have sprung up during September.

    First, there is no debate the road improvements are needed. With that said, people have to wonder why those in charge with making road construction plans for the City of Saskatoon decided to do so many things at once late in the construction season. If you live on the prairies, you know starting at any time from right now there could be a freak snowfall and full out winter can strike at any time.

    For the Blades, the construction has to be viewed as a big thing that has hurt early regular season attendance. When Mike Priestner and his family took over ownership of the hockey team before the 2013-14 season, the office staff they brought in have been working tirelessly to make going to Blades games a fun experience.

    As the team was rebuilding from hosting the 2013 Memorial Cup and making a big blockbuster trade to land Brayden Schenn for the 2011 post-season run, the Blades management crew knew there were going to be rough times on the ice during a rebuilding phase.

A view of the ripped up overpass just south of the SaskTel Centre.

    They were having success selling the fun aspect of going to games with various in-rink promotions and theme nights. While finishing last overall in the WHL last season, they drew 6,718 spectators to their second last regular season game and 8,929 spectators to their final home date.

In past years, it was common for about 2,300 to attend those final games, if the Blades were out of the playoff picture.

    Going into the current campaign, there was excitement the Blades were going to see more tangible results from their rebuild on ice being guided by second-year head coach and general manager Bob Woods and assistant coach Dean Brockman. There also had to be expectations that the Blades could carry the draws of the big crowds from last season into the current campaign.

    They drew 4,780 for their regular season opener on Sept. 25, when they dumped the Prince Albert Raiders 7-2.

    Unfortunately, those that live in Saskatoon know how fickle the residents of the city can be, and the hassles caused by road construction will keep people away. Some will note early regular season attendance at Blades games is traditionally low, but the construction projects will play a huge reason to keep people away. Even opposing team bus drivers are finding it cumbersome to navigate their way to the rink.

    Attendance quickly dropped after the opener. Last Friday, the paid attendance for the Blades 3-2 overtime loss to the Medicine Hat Tigers was 3,550. On Sunday, the announced paid attendance was 3,506 for the 5-4 overtime setback to the Vancouver Giants. There were definitely a lot of no shows for the Giants game, because you could almost park right up beside the facility about five minutes before puck drop.

    The Blades are in action again on Wednesday, when they host the Kootenay Ice at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    On the plus side, the Blades have been exciting over their first four games posting a win and three overtime losses to gain five out of a possible eight points in the standings. If they are in the thick of the playoff picture by midseason when all the construction shouldn’t be a worry, they will have a huge chance to attract a lot of curious onlookers.

    Since the Priestners took over, it feels like the Blades have been given a restart. When the first real exciting playoff push comes, it is possible to envision fans jumping on board with big enthusiasm, because everything will feel new again.

WHL hopes new program has big impact on players off ice

    The WHL took a step forward in helping players respond to the day-to-day challenges they face away from the game.

    Working in partnership with the Calgary Police Service, the league launched the WHL Player Impact Program on Monday which will give players new comprehensive training and education in regards to topics like responsible social media use, relationships and consent, drugs and alcohol, gambling, diversity issues and how they looked upon to be positive role models.

    The program will be delivered by a WHL club liaison officer through the WHL Security Network, which was formed last season to provide players guidance with off-ice issues.

    Any steps the league takes to help players away from the rink has to be viewed as a good thing. With the WHL containing players aged from 16 to 20, they are still in a stage where they will encounter a lot of life challenges for the first time, so any type of fallback they can have will be beneficial.

    As far as topics like social media use and diversity issues, it is quite easy for players and people in general in this age group to say something they didn’t mean to be offensive come out accidentally sounding that way. Any help with pitfalls in that area has to be appreciated.

    Here is hoping this program will help players with their lives away from the game.

Catching up with Lazaruk

Les Lazaruk in the press box.

    I caught up with Saskatoon Blades play-by-play voice Les Lazaruk for a Saskatoon Express feature this week.

    Lazaruk has been calling Blades games on the radio since the start of the 1994-95 season. 

    He got his start in media working in print, which saw him hold short stints writing for the Winnipeg Free Press and the defunct Winnipeg Tribune. 

    He is viewed as one of the broadcasters in the league, and he had called 1,584 contests heading into the 2015-16 campaign.

    You can check out the story on Lazaruk right here.

Home sweet home for Hilltops

Evan Kopchynski is back in action for the Hilltops.

    All roads through the Canadian Junior Football League playoffs will lead through Saskatoon.

    The defending CJFL champion Saskatoon Hilltops locked up home field advantage through the 2015 post-season by bombing the Wildcats in Edmonton 41-17 on Sunday. The Toppers improved to 7-0 and will finish first overall in the Prairie Football Conference. The PFC champ will also host the CJFL title game, the Canadian Bowl, this season, so the Hilltops have officially finished off their road schedule.

    Against the Wildcats, quarterback Jared Andreychuk completed 10-of-25 passes for 254 yards and three touchdown passes, while only throwing one interception. Running back Logan Fischer carried the ball 18 times for 153 yards scoring one major.

    Receiver Evan Kopchynski hauled in five passes for 134 yards scoring two touchdowns. Kopchynski had been out of the Saskatoon lineup since Sept. 5, when he injured his knee in a home win over the Regina Thunder.

    Matt Kozun and Blake Adams both had sacks for Saskatoon on the defensive side of the ball. Including action in the regular season and playoffs, the Hilltops have won 15 straight games.

    With one week to play in the PFC regular season, the playoff picture is pretty much set. The Hilltops, Thunder (5-2), Calgary Colts (4-3) and Winnipeg Rifles (3-4) will advance to the post-season. The Wildcats (1-6) and Edmonton Huskies (1-6) are officially out of playoff contention.

    The Hilltops will host one PFC semifinal, and the Thunder, who have locked up second place, will host the other semi. The Colts and Rifles could flip spots for third and fourth place depending on the results of the final week of the regular season.

    The Hilltops will close their regular season schedule this coming Sunday, when they host the Colts at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

Men’s hockey Huskies get going

Matthew Spafford is entering his final season with the Huskies.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team officially start their regular season this coming weekend.

    They travel to Calgary this coming Friday and Saturday to face the University of Calgary Dinos. The Huskies first two appearances at home come Oct. 16 and 17, when they host the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns at 7 p.m. on both nights at the ancient Rutherford Rink.

    The Dogs will lean a bit more on the young side this year as forward Matthew Spafford and defenceman Zak Stebner are the only two players in their fifth year of eligibility. Both are strong character guys who will provide a lot of leadership in the dressing room. The team also includes only two fourth-year players in forward Jesse Ross and goaltender Blake Voth, who returns after taking a season off.

    U of S brings in 10 first year player, and the class include a number of former WHL players including Kohl Bauml, who potted 30 goals for the Everett Silvertips last season, and Levi Cable, who netted 28 goals last season for the Kootenay Ice.

    The Huskies women’s hockey team is back in action this weekend looking to build on their 2-0 record. They host the Dinos this Friday and Saturday at the Rutherford Rink at 7 p.m. on both nights.

So you want to go into media?

    If you want to enter the Canadian media industry, be warned that it is quite a battle where you seem to be constantly trying to survive in the short term.

    The other day I was checking over the list of names from my 25-person graduation class from the University of Regina’s School of Journalism and Communications as it was then known. I officially received my degree in the year 2000.

    Out of the 25-person graduation class, I know of nine people who are still in the mainstream media. There are five people who have moved on to other walks of life not media related. There are 10 others I don’t know what fate has sent their way, but if they are like me, they are no longer in the mainstream media or in the media at all.

    The most famous names from my class are Ken Wiebe, who is the Winnipeg Jets beat writer for the Winnipeg Sun, and Bonnie Allen, who is a standout with CBC.

    Most media programs try to create their literature that says you can have a career like Wiebe and Allen have had, but that is far from the case. Both of them are the rare exception of the fact they are extremely talented, and the doors often opened for them in a timely fashion.

    With the way the media industry in Canada is these days, you chances of getting a real break to be in a position to make an impact that matters shrinks by the day. When you are on the journey to get that break, you have to be lucky enough to avoid the pitfalls you have no control over that will see you fall out of the industry.

    If you are just getting into the industry, I predict you will you will be out of it in five years. If someone was looking to start a media career in Canada, I would advise them to do something else, but if you do follow the path, find something else to do if you don’t become “The Golden Person” type star within five years.

    I just wanted to throw my two cents into the picture as food for thought on that subject.

Happy birthday Enner

    Leaving off on high note, I want to wish a big happy 26^th birthday to former Medicine Hat Tigers forward and current member of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres Tyler Ennis.

    Ennis once scored six goals in one night, when the Tigers downed the Prince Albert Raiders 6-2 at     The Arena in Medicine Hat. Those highlights are always cool to look at, and with the legendary Bob Ridley making the call, they can be found by clicking here.

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

Super send-off for Smuk

A Dodge Ram takes Cody Smuk and family to the airport in Saskatoon.

    It seemed like Cody Smuk's smile could be seen for miles, when he approached the Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport early Sunday morning.
    The former forward with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, his fiancée Stephanie Vause, his mother Darla and father Marty were on their way to begin their air journey to Germany. He is heading overseas to seek alternative treatment for cancer in his chest, which revolves around a tumour. Smuk has been battling cancer since May of last year.
    As the black Dodge Ram truck driven by Smuk's father Marty approached the airport, they encountered a large gathering of well wishers. A huge group of family and friends lined the snowy road leading to the entrance to the airport and cheered as the black Dodge drove past. Vause and Darla gave waves through the windows.
    The gathering included members of various Huskies teams including a large contingent of past and present players from the men's hockey team, who were Cody Smuk's former teammates.
    A number of people arrived at about 8:30 a.m., which was about 45 minutes before the 25-year-old arrived at the airport. The send-off occurred in spite of the fact the weather hadn't been the greatest.

Some of Cody Smuk's supporters came out with signs of support on Sunday.

    About 20 centimetres of snow fell on Saskatoon on Saturday, and a number of power outages in the city early Sunday morning likely made a few people late for the festivities, as alarm clocks lost power. The streets were mired in slush and huge puddles.
    Still, the obstacles didn't deter anyone. During his four seasons with the Huskies, Smuk built a reputation as a hard-working and team-first player. He was very good-natured, easy going and quickly became popular with large masses of the student body.

    Those in the community of Saskatoon had taken the local product into their hearts. During his hockey career, Smuk played four WHL seasons split between the Chilliwack Bruins, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Moose Jaw Warriors, and he developed lots of support in those centres.
    It didn't surprise anyone that a big group of people came out to wish him well.
    The gathering felt warm and full of hope. Just to be part of the group was uplifting in itself.
    A couple of crews came out from local television stations. Recent women's basketball grad Kabree Howard and men's hockey forward Matthew Spafford handled most of the interviews and said a lot of upbeat things.

Part of the gathering that came out to pass on good wishes to Cody Smuk.

    In Germany, Smuk will undergo a vaccine treatment. Doctors there plan to boost Smuk's immune system by taking a sample of the tumour in his chest and create a vaccine for it. Other treatments will be decided upon once Smuk arrives.
    When he returns, a steak night fundraiser is being planned for Thursday, June 4, at the Kinsmen/Henk Ruys Soccer Centre. The warm feeling that was present on Sunday morning will likely return for the June 4 fundraiser.
    All those that support Smuk hope that fate would allow that night to turn into a victory party.

    If you have any comments about this blog, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. Smuk's family is still raising funds to pay for the trip to Germany. Those looking to help Smuk with his cancer battle can do so by clicking here.

Huskies implosion disappointing

The Huskies tackle Bisons tailback Kienan LaFrance.

            Even after a couple of days, the implosion by the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team is still a head scratcher.

            During a Canada West semifinal playoff match on Friday night at Griffiths Stadium, the Huskies took a 37-18 lead over the visiting University of Manitoba Bisons, and then the wheels fell off. The Bisons rallied for an improbable 47-39 victory.

            What made the rally a head shaker was the fact the Bisons offence didn’t really play a part in the comeback.

            Just 2:59 into the second half, Huskies tailback Tyler Chow hauled in an 18 yard pass from quarterback Drew Burko to put the hosts up 37-18. Manitoba proceeded to drive down to the Saskatchewan one yard line, but the Huskies came up with a huge goal-line stand on a third down gamble.

            Everything was going the Huskies way. A trip to the Canada West final seemed like just a matter of time.

            When momentum jumped sides, it did so in a big way.

            On the ensuing Saskatchewan possession, Bisons defensive back Jayden McKoy returned an interception 54 yards for a major and the collapse was on. After that score, the Huskies fumbled away the ensuing kickoff to Manitoba.

            Saskatchewan’s defence held, but a 32-yard field goal by Bisons kicker Ryan Jones cut the lead to 37-28. The troubles didn’t stop there.

            McKoy would block a punt and teammate Jordan Linnen recovered the ball and ran it 21 yards for another Bisons touchdown to make the score 37-35 before the third quarter ended.

            At the start of the fourth quarter, a bad long snap on a Huskies punt resulted in a safety that tied the score 37-37.

            The Bisons then put together an offensive drive that resulted in a 24-yard field goal to go up 40-37. Manitoba later conceded a safety to allow the Huskies to close to 40-39.

            That set the stage for the final Huskies mistake with just over two minutes to play in the fourth. After driving down to the Manitoba nine yard line, Burko tried to throw an out pass to the wide side of the field, which really wasn’t the smartest play call for a first and goal situation in that part of the field.

            Linnen made the pick and returned it 98 yards up field. Manitoba quickly scored the insurance touchdown on a gadget play pass as receiver Nic Demski hit quarterback Jordan Yantz for a major from nine yards out to make the score 47-39.

            At that point, a number of the 3,013 spectators at Griffiths Stadium began to leave. Some were harping criticism at the Huskies, which was similar to the jabs fans for the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders level on that squad when things are going bad.

            The pain of the team’s recent playoff struggles were up at the forefront. The setback marked the sixth straight playoff loss for the Huskies, and they are 1-9 in their last 10 post-season matches. When momentum turned on Friday, one wonders of those ghosts returned to haunt the Huskies again.

            With that in mind, the Huskies were a solid 6-2 in the regular season and entered the playoffs on the strength of two convincing wins and hosted their first playoff home game since 2010. The notion was bantered around about making wholesale changes, but that would be a mistake.

            They have a solid core slated to return next season. The best option for the Huskies is to keep building on that core going forward.

            Thanks to the recent post-season struggles, that might not be what some fans want to hear.

Goals finally pour in

Huskies celebrate a goal against the Mount Royal Cougars.

            The Huskies men’s hockey team finally found the goal gusher they were so desperately seeking.

            With a 4-1 loss to the visiting Mount Royal University Cougars on Friday at the ancient Rutherford Rink, the Huskies saw their losing skid grow to seven games. During that stretch, they scored a total of nine goals.

            A goal gusher came during a rematch on Saturday at the Rutherford Rink, where the Huskies score a season high six times rolling off a 6-3 victory. The best looking tally was a tick-tack-toe short-handed marker that saw Craig McCallum and Michael Sofillas combine to set up rearguard Connor Cox late in the second to make the score 4-2.

            Sofillas, Cameron Blair, Matthew Spafford, McCallum and Jesse Ross netted singles for the Huskies (5-7). Jordon Cooke made 26 saves to earn the win in goal.

            Cody Cartier had a hat trick for the Cougars (7-5), while Cam Lanigan made 22 saves taking the loss in goal.

            The Huskies will try to fight back to the .500 mark this coming weekend with a home-and-home series with the University of Regina Cougars. The two clubs play this coming Friday in Regina and Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink. 

Flinton is just too good

Julia Flinton wheels with the puck for the Huskies.

            It is just plain fun watching Julia Flinton play hockey for the Huskies women’s hockey team.

            The smooth skating defender had a pair of goals including the double overtime winner for the Huskies on Saturday in Calgary against the Mount Royal Cougars. Chelsey Sundby also had a goal and an assist in the 3-2 win by the Huskies, while Cassidy Hendricks made 29 saves to earn the win in goal.

            Sarah Weninger and Jocelyn Froehlich had singles for the Cougars (1-7-2), while Jess Ross made 23 saves taking the loss in goal.

            The Huskies look to Flinton to provide an offensive spark from the backend and the fourth-year agricultural and bioresources student hasn’t disappointed with three goals and three assist in 10 games. Out of her three tallies, two have been game winners.

            In late October, Flinton was named to the Canadian team that will play 2015 Winter Universiade in Granada, Spain. The Winter Universiade runs from Feb. 4-14 in 2015, which means Flinton won’t be available for the Huskies final four regular season games.

            The Canadian team selection is deserved. Flinton has a natural ability to quarterback the play from the back end, which is a very rare quality. When she is in control of the play, it is beautiful sight to see.

            Flinton has helped the defending Canada West champion Huskies win five in a row to improve to 7-3. The Huskies also beat the Cougars 3-1 last Friday at Mount Royal in Calgary.

            They return to action this coming weekend with a home and home series with the Regina Cougars, which marks a rematch of last season’s Canada West final. The two clubs battle Friday at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink and on Saturday in Regina.

If you have any feedback on this blog, feel free to email comments to stankssports@gmail.com.