The Stars most memorable night at Agriplace Arena

First provincial title won in March of 2015

Kianna Dietz celebrates scoring for the Stars.

It might have been one of the most hyper championship celebrations of all time.

On March 25, 2015, the host Saskatoon Stars blanked the Prince Albert A & W Bears 2-0 in Game 3 of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League championship series. With the win, the Stars swept the best-of-five set 3-0 and captured the Fedoruk Cup.

After the game’s final seconds ticked away at the Agriplace Arena, the Stars poured off their bench in a highly energetic celebration. They were bouncing all over the walls like young kids on a sugar rush the day after Halloween.

The pure excitement like came from the fact the Stars roster was young. The Saskatoon side had six players in their 15-year-old years and five players skating in their 14-year-old underage years.

Sophie Shirley controls the puck in the offensive zone.

Anna Leschyshyn dressed in that championship winning game as a 13-year-old associate player call up. Grace Shirley had also been playing regular season and post-season games as a 13-year-old associate player call up too.

The image of the Stars engaging in just pure and unfiltered joy was actually quite entertaining and even cute to watch. That win marked the first time the Stars won a provincial title on a circuit that is now known as the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League.

They beat their tradition rival to do it as well in a Bears side that is now known as the Prince Albert Northern Bears.

Nara Elia gets set to dangle past the Bears defence.

Looking at the Stars players, you could see they knew they did something special.

Going into that title winning game, there weren’t any thoughts about post-game celebrations on the Stars side. The focus was on beating the Bears.

The Bears had 17-year-old veteran Jessica Vance in goal who is still the SFU18AAAHL’s all-time leader in regular season goaltending wins. They had a couple of talented 17-year-old veteran forwards who could put up the points in Madison Casavant and Tylor Lindsey.

They had a 15-year-old offensive defender in Brooke Hobson, who had a shot that seemed to be given to her as a gift from the heavens and was a skilled power-play quarterback. 

The Stars celebrate a title winning goal from Jordyn Gerlitz.

Captain Morgan Willoughby, who was a 17-year-old veteran defender, was playing with grit returning halfway through the season from a serious knee injury.

Prince Albert had younger players who might be X-factors too in 14-year-old rookie underage defenders Hannah Koroll and Jordan Ashe along with 13-year-old rookie underage forward Abby Soyko.

The Bears were guided by head coach Jeff Willoughby, who was already a league veteran and two-time league coach of the year at that point in time.

The Stars countered with the two best players in the league in centre Sophie Shirley, who is Grace’s older sister, and winger Nara Elia, who were all-world talents skating in their 15-year-old sophomore years.

Captain Paige Michalenko was a steady veteran presence.

Elia scored the double overtime winner in Game 1 of the championship series with Sophie and 15-year-old winger Abby Shirley picking up assists.

In Game 2 of the series in Prince Albert, Sophie had two goals and an assist as the Stars blanked the Bears 3-0. In the Stars eight games of their post-season run to that point in time, Sophie had an incredible 12 goals and 12 assists.

The Stars were leaning on the talented Emma Johnson, who was a 15-year-old sophomore, to deliver in goal.

The five players the Stars had playing as 14-year-old underagers were already performing like veterans in forwards Mackenna Parker, Kianna Dietz, Jordyn Holmes and Jordyn Gerlitz along with supremely talented offensive defender Willow Slobodzian.

Goalie Emma Johnson keeps the Bears at bay in the third.

While the Stars were young, they were steadied by the presence of 17-year-old veterans in defender and captain Paige Michalenko, forwards Courtney Cormack and Brittany Heuchert and netminder Karlee Fetch.

Jenna Nash was having a strong season playing defence in her 17-year-old season until a knee injury brought her campaign to an end shortly before playoffs started. Nash was still around offering support to her teammates.

Danielle Nogier, who was a 16-year-old centre, did a thankless job as a tight checking defensive shutdown forward. Hollie Coumont, who was a 16-year-old defender, provided points while being a colourful character who had character.

Hollie Coumont was a character who had character.

Julia Rongve, who was played in her 15-year-old sophomore season, usually skated on the top line with Sophie Shirley and Elia and fulfilled any role the team asked of her.

 The Stars depth was rounded out by 16-year-old defender Danielle Girolami, 15-year-old defender Rayna Jacobson and 15-year-old utility player Kalista Senger. All three played important minutes at different points in the campaign.

Veteran hockey coach Greg Slobodzian took on the duties as Stars head coach that season and shared the league’s coach of the year honours in that campaign with Chad Kish, who was the head coach of the Weyburn Southern Range Gold Wings.

Anna Leschyshyn picked up an assist on the Stars second goal.

The crowd was squished into the Agriplace Arena for the Game 3 clash for the league title between the Stars and Bears on that March day in 2015.

Vance and Johnson took centre stage in the opening 20-minutes with the Stars holding a slim 8-7 edge in shots on goal. Sophie and Elia were working their magic, but weren’t able to get the host side on the scoreboard.

The Stars supporting cast stepped into the spotlight in the second period and made the ultimate difference in the contest.

At the 7:31 mark of the frame, Dietz set up Gerlitz for the tally that put the Stars up 1-0. Gerlitz, who was a speed and high energy forward, would go down as first player to score an SFU18AAAHL championship winning goal for the Stars.

The Stars begin celebrating their league title win.

Again, Gerlitz and Dietz were playing in their 14-year-old rookie underage seasons for the Stars.

Just 14 seconds later, a net scramble occurred in front of the Prince Albert net. A sprawling Vance and Morgan Willoughby couldn’t stop Dietz from popping home the all important insurance goal.

Dietz immediately raised her arms in the air and she was mobbed by her teammates on the ice. While she was a rookie, Dietz had already established herself as the glue gal in the Stars dressing room. She had a deep love for her teammates and team.

Leschyshyn picked up a helper on that tally.

The Stars raise the Fedoruk Cup.

The Bears attempted to battle back but the damage was done.

Johnson slammed the door the rest of the way officially making 22 saves to pick up the shutout win in goal. Vance turned away 20 shots taking the setback in net for the Bears.

The Stars forward unit of Nogier, Cormack and Heuchert performed a perfect shutdown job on the Bears in the final minute of the third period.

When time expired, the Stars were finally league champions.

In 2010, 2011 and 2012, the Stars made the league final but came up empty handed against Olivia Howe and her Notre Dame Hounds dynasty team.

Brittany Heuchert, left, and Hollie Coumont kiss the Fedoruk Cup.

The 2014-15 campaign was the time everything came through for the Saskatoon side in a magical season.

The Stars advanced to the Esso Cup female under-18 AAA national championship hosted that year in Red Deer, Alta., in April of 2015. Saskatoon fell to the host Red Deer Chiefs in a semifinal game 2-1 after a tiebreaking shootout.

The Stars rebounded and won the bronze medal game 5-1 against the Central Plains Capitals from Portage la Prairie, Man.

Overall, the Stars posted a 45-5 record in 2014-15.

Still, the most memorable night was winning the league championship at Agriplace.

The Stars pose for a team picture after winning the Fedoruk Cup.

Due to the fact a soldout concert wrapped up at the neighbouring SaskTel Centre, the Stars and their families were trapped by traffic at Agriplace following the championship win, and that was a good thing.

After the Stars players got showered and changed, the celebration continued for 90 minutes in the lounge area at the facility. It provided the opportune time for fellowship.

The memories made by all those with the Stars that night were ones that last for a lifetime. They truly were “the Shining Stars of Saskatoon.”

Shirley hits milestones with Badgers

Another day, another milestone for #Badgers @sophieshirley9!

A day after earning her 100th career point, Sophie potted her 50th career goal today! #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/EfRtjL343u

— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) November 29, 2020

Sophie Shirley added a couple of big milestones to her already well-decorated hockey resume over the past couple of days.

On Friday, the gifted centre, who is in her junior year, picked up an assist as her University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team fell in their NCAA regular season opener 3-2 to the Ohio State University Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio.

The helper was Shirley’s 100^th career NCAA point.

On Saturday, the 21-year-old Saskatoon product scored twice to power the Badgers past the Buckeyes 5-0 in the second clash of a two-game series in Columbus, Ohio.

Shirley’s first tally was her 50^th career NCAA goal. In 79 career games with the Badgers, Shirley has 51 goals and 51 assists for 102 points.

During her rookie campaign in 2018-19, Shirley piled up 20 goals and 18 assists for 38 points in 41 games helping the Badgers win an NCAA national championship.

Last season, Shirley recorded an incredible 29 goals and 32 assists for 61 points in 36 games for the Badgers. She was a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award as the top player in NCAA women’s hockey.

The Badgers weren’t able to complete their post-season run in 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

Shirley played two complete seasons for the Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA team and three games as an associate player call up in the 2012-13 season. In 58 career regular season games with the Stars, Shirley piled up 41 goals and 27 assists for 68 points.

At the moment, the Badgers are set to return to action this coming Friday, when they are scheduled to travel to Minneapolis, Minn., to play the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Hear what #Badgers @sophieshirley9 had to say after UW’s 5-0 win at OSU! pic.twitter.com/hgEhcg5Ih5

— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) November 28, 2020

Clark celebrates 25^th birthday on Saturday

Emily Clark meets her fans at the SaskTel Centre in Nov. 2018.

Emily Clark, who has made her mark as one of Saskatoon’s all-time hockey greats, celebrated her 25^th birthday on Saturday.

Clark, who is a member of Canada’s senior national women’s hockey team, played three seasons for her hometown Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA hockey team from 2009 to 2012. The supremely talented forward appeared in 82 regular season games for the Stars piling up 45 goals and 46 assists for 91 points.

During her final campaign with the Stars in 2011-12, Clark set the team record for most points scored in one regular season at 60. She piled up 26 goals and 34 assists for 60 points in 26 regular season games.

Her Stars record for most points in one regular season was matched by centre Mackenna Parker in the 2017-18 campaign, when Parker piled up 33 goals and 27 assists for 60 points in 23 regular season games.

Emily Clark, centre, with her old Stars teammates in Dec. 2019.

Clark’s number 13 was retired by the Stars in December of 2019.

Clark won two gold medals representing Canada at the women’s under-18 world hockey championships in 2011-12 and 2012-13.

She was a member of Canada’s women’s hockey team that won a silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Clark played four seasons with the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team from 2014 to 2019 posting 70 goals and 76 assists for 146 points in 147 career NCAA games. She helped the Badgers win an NCAA national championship in her final season with the team in 2018-19.

In all her hockey stops, Clark has been popular with all her teammates. She continues to be one of the game’s top role models.

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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Kulbida roars in hockey and softball’s fast lanes

Jordan Kulbida is a solid two-way forward with the Cougars.

    Jordan Kulbida was always a stellar softball player, but there was a time she wasn’t sure if she should bring hockey into her life even though she wanted to.

    These days, Kulbida is a 21-year-old solid two-way forward with the University of Regina Cougars women’s hockey team in the U Sports ranks and ace pitcher with the Saskatoon G Force senior women’s softball team. She can also hit and field well on the diamond too.

    Back when she was about 12-years-old, Kulbida was playing softball, but she hadn’t taken up hockey. Her friend, Nara Elia, was playing the sport, and Kulbida wanted to try it out.

    With that noted, Elia was really good and Sophie Shirley was among the talented group of players that were on the ice. Elia would go on to play for Canada’s under-18 women’s team and currently is a standout with the Boston University Terriers women’s hockey team in the NCAA ranks.

Jordan Kulbida is an ace pitcher with the G Force.

    Shirley has gone on to be cemented in Canada’s national team system and currently stars for the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team. She helped the Badgers win an NCAA national title in 2018-19.

    “Since I did start so late in my life, I was so nervous, because all these girls were so good,” said Kulbida, who has played three full seasons with the Cougars. “They had been to all these camps and like skating stuff, and I had never done any of that.

    “I was like, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this.’ All the girls were so nice, and they were so welcoming. All those girls that I grew up with like Nara and all of them, some of them I played with them.

    “For the most part, I played against lots of those girls. They pushed me, and they helped me become better. They were all very supportive, and it was awesome.”

Jordan Kulbida in action with the Cougars in 2017.

    Kulbida quickly discovered her love for hockey. She found her groove in that game making the Battlefords Sharks as a 16-year-old rookie in the 2015-16 season in the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League.

    During her second and final campaign with the Sharks in 2016-17, Kulbida was named team captain, and she piled up 17 goals and five assists appearing all of the team’s 28 regular season games.

    While she got into hockey, Kulbida kept going with softball playing with the Saskatoon Selects program through to the summer of 2018.

    In 2017, Kulbida cracked the roster for Saskatchewan’s women’s softball team that played at the Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg. Saskatchewan came away with a fourth place finish at that event.

    Kulbida believes softball will always be part of her life.

    “Honestly, I just loved like the atmosphere,” said Kulbida. “I was always with like the same group of girls, because it was like zone ball, when we were younger.

    “I became like really close with like all those girls. We were such good friends, and we had like such good parents and such good coaching. It was so awesome.

Jordan Kulbida plays in the outfield for the G Force.

    “I loved traveling with the team and going to tournaments. It was just so much fun. Getting to play the game that you love with all your best friends is like anything that anyone can ever ask for.”

    Due to playing in the Canada Summer Games and making nationals with the Selects, Kulbida was approached by post-secondary schools in the United States about playing softball.

    While those opportunities were there, Kulbida’s desire to play university hockey during her Grade 12 year increased. Even with the fact the goals were going into the net during her final year with the Sharks, Kulbida had her doubts if the opportunity to play university hockey would present itself.

    That all changed when she met Cougars head coach Sarah Hodges.

    “I wasn’t sure I was going to be good enough,” said Kulbida. “When Sarah (Hodges) came and talked to me at the (Athol Murray College of) Notre Dame camp (in Wilcox, Sask.), she was like, ‘I see some really good potential in you.’

Jordan Kulbida started playing hockey at around age 12.

    “I loved hockey so I was like, ‘Yeah. Sure. I should give it a shot.’ I’ve loved the past three years at the University of Regina.

    “It has been a huge eye-opener for sure. It has been super fun.”

    In 81 career regular season games with the Cougars, Kulbida has recorded 14 goals and 14 assists. Last season, she netted career high seven goals and tied her career high in points at 10 in 26 regular season games.

    By joining the Cougars, Kulbida was able to continue her duel sports life. She played for both the Selects and G Force in the summer of 2018 and with the G Force in the summer of 2019 and this past summer.

    Kulbida said her continuing efforts in softball have been supported by Hodges.

    Hodges was a multisport athlete herself playing for the Dartmouth College Big Green women’s hockey team in the NCAA ranks from 1992 to 1996 as a star utility player piling up 146 points while also being a member of the school’s track and field team as a javelin thrower. On top of those sports, Hodges also played competitive rugby.

Jordan Kulbida has played softball for most of her life.

    “She (Hodges) thinks it is good that I have other interests in my life,” said Kulbida. “She knows that I play softball, and she loves it.

    “Her daughters are getting into softball too, and she always like asks me for advice or how to help them. I am able to help her in that way, so that is really awesome to be able to give back to the community like that. She is super supportive of it.

    “She loves it that I am a double sport athlete.”

    Kulbida has found that she has been a good fit with the G Force. She adds it has been fun being one of the younger athletes on the teams, as a lot of her teammates are about two years older than her.

    Kulbida has been impressed with talents her teammates bring to the game. Growing up when she wasn’t pitching, Kulbida would usually play shortstop.

    With the G Force, they have a spectacular shortstop in Brielle McCullough, and Kulbida said it is amazing to see the plays McCullough makes. Kulbida is pumped to be part of the G Force team.

Jordan Kulbida has played three full seasons with the Cougars.

    “It is so awesome,” said Kulbida. “It is such a great group of girls.

    “Those girls have mostly been together since they were little, (and) they’ve been so welcoming and so kind to me. It has been so fun. I love all the girls, and I love hanging out with them.

    “Going to a game is like the most exciting thing ever, because we are there, we are having fun and we are also winning, so that is good. The coaching staff like Dave (McCullough) and Tony (Rupps) and Cory (Volk) are all awesome. I really enjoy it.”

    While she was able to play softball this past summer, Kulbida is keeping her fingers crossed she will get to play meaningful games with the Cougars for the 2020-21 season. U Sports has cancelled all its fall national championships due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Jordan Kulbida expects to play for the G Force well into the future.

    The Canada West Conference, which the Cougars play out of, has set Oct. 8 as the latest date about making a decision on whether the seasons for men’s and women’s hockey, men’s and women’s basketball and men’s and women’s volleyball will continue. At the moment, all those sports are targeted to start in early January.

    Kulbida is enrolled in kinesiology and health studies at the University of Regina and like all students is doing her courses online. She is still living in Saskatoon at the moment and continuing to work at her summer job.

    She said the Cougars have set a date of Oct. 5 to have all their players return to Regina, but the team has been flexible and understanding about everyone’s real life living situations.
    Whenever she can get back on the ice, Kulbida is looking forward to continuing her career with the Cougars.

Jordan Kulbida hopes to play more hockey after her Cougars days.

    She would like to have a chance to continue to play hockey for a campaign or two after her university career wraps up to in order keep playing hockey, while continuing to play for the G Force.

    “My first three years (with the Cougars) went by so fast,” said Kulbida. “I can’t believe that I am going into my fourth year already.

    “I look back and everything, and I am like, ‘Wow. That is crazy and all the good memories and everything.’ I’ve looked at maybe going to play hockey in Europe after I am done at the University of Regina.

    “Hopefully, I will get a cool opportunity to go play there (in Europe) for a year, because that would be awesome. We will see.”

    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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Blades hot trio burns Tigers

Dawson Davidson had three assists for the Blades.

    Saskatoon Blades hot trio proved to be too much for the Medicine Hat Tigers to handle.

    Offensive defenceman Dawson Davidson, overage right-winger Max Gerlach and veteran left-winger “Uncle” Gary Haden all extended their respective lengthy consecutive game points streaks to help the Blades dump the Tigers 6-3 in a WHL regular season contest before 2,646 spectators at the Canalta Centre in Medicine Hat on Wednesday.

    Davidson picked up three assists and now has points in 14 straight games collecting two goals and 22 assists over that span of time.

    Gerlach fired home two goals and now has points in 12 straight games posting 11 goals and 10 assists in his run.

    Haden had one assist and now has points in his last nine straight games recording 10 goals and eight assists over his streak.
    Gerlach and Haden are former members of the Tigers.

    The Tigers opened the game’s scoring, when captain James Hamblin potted his 31^st goal of the season at the 2:44 mark of the first period.

    Before the opening frame ended, Gerlach netted his first of two goals on the night to even things up at 1-1.
    In the second, the Blades jumped ahead 3-1 on goals from right-winger Ryan Hughes and Gerlach potting his second of the night.

Max Gerlach had a pair of goals for the Blades.

    With 4:19 remaining in the second, 17-year-old left-winger Nick McCarry scored for the Tigers to cut the Blades lead to 3-2.

    Any momentum the Tigers built with that tally was erased when Blades centre Eric Florchuk potted his 18^th goal of the season with 22.5 seconds to play in the second period to put the visitors up 4-2.

    By the 3:52 mark of the third, the Blades extended their advantage to 6-2 with goals coming from the sticks of Tristen Robins and captain Chase Wouters.

    Those tallies chased starter Mads Sogaard from the Tigers net. The import netminder turned away 22 of 28 shots fired his way.

    Jordan Hollett stopped all five shots he faced playing the rest of the way in relief.

    Tigers left-winger Ryan Jevne rounded out the game’s scoring with 3:38 remaining in the third period.

    Star netminder Nolan Maier made 25 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Blades, who won all four of their head-to-head meetings with the Tigers this season.

Gary Haden had an assist for the Blades.

    The Blades have won their last five straight improving to 35-13-8 and have standings points in their last 11 straight games posting a 9-0-2 mark over that time. They need to earn just eight more points in the standings to lock away a playoff berth without the help of any other results in the league.

    Saskatoon has matched its win total from last season. During the 2017-18 campaign, the Blades posted a 35-33-3-1 mark in missing the WHL playoffs for a fifth straight year.

    The Tigers fell to 31-19-3-2 with the setback.

    Saskatoon was still without star centre Kirby Dach, who is listed as out day to day after taking a puck in the throat last Saturday in a 4-1 victory over the Broncos in Swift Current.
    Blades import right-winger Kristian Roykas-Marthinsen took a double minor for high sticking in the third period of Wednesday’s game, which will be automatically reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

    The Blades return to action on Friday, when they travel to Cranbrook, B.C., to play the Kootenay Ice at 7 p.m. local time.

    The Tigers hit the ice again also on Friday, when they travel to Calgary to face the Hitmen at 7 p.m. local time.

Made the trip to Med Hat @BladesHockey @GaryHaden GO BLADES GO! pic.twitter.com/U2vDb4YlRa

— Jackie Haden (@MotherHaden) February 14, 2019

Raiders buck Broncos for fifth straight win

Parker Kelly netted a pair of goals for the Raiders.

    The line of Parker Kelly, Dante Hannoun and Spencer Moe were making magic for the Prince Albert Raiders on Wednesday night.

    The trio combined for three goals and four assists to power the Raiders to a 3-1 victory in a WHL regular season against the Broncos before 2,273 spectators at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current.

    Hannoun netted the Raiders first goal at the 2:24 mark of the second period with Moe and import defenceman Sergei Sapego picking up the assists.

    A little over three minutes later, Kelly potted his first of two goals of the night with Hannoun and Raiders captain Brayden Pachal picking up helpers.

    The Broncos cut the gap to 2-1 at the 2:49 mark of the third period, when 17-year-old import right-winger Joona Kiviniemi netted his 14^th goal of the campaign.

Spencer Moe had two assists for the Raiders.

    The Raiders, who are rated second in the CHL’s Top 10 rankings, sealed victory with 4:37 remaining in the third period Kelly wired home his second goal of the contest from the front of the Swift Current net off a beauty setup pass from Hannoun behind the Broncos goal. Moe picked up his second assist of the game on the play.

    Boston Bilous turned away 15 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders, who improved their WHL leading record to 46-7-0-2 with five straight wins. Isaac Poulter, who is a 17-year-old rookie, stopped 40 shots to take the setback in goal for the Broncos (10-39-2-2).

    Prince Albert was without the services of star right-winger Brett Leason and star netminder Ian Scott who are both listed as day to day with lower body injuries.

    The Raiders return to action on Friday, when they host the Brandon Wheat Kings at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

    The Broncos hit the ice again on Friday, when they host the Lethbridge Hurricanes at 7 p.m. at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex.

Stars alums get major win with Boston University

We're the best of Boston in 2019 thanks to this overtime goal! #GoBU pic.twitter.com/OkKjydJW6b

— BU Women's Hockey (@TerrierWHockey) February 13, 2019

    Saskatoon products Nara Elia and Mackenna Parker got to taste victory in one of the most storied university hockey tournaments in the United States.

    On Tuesday, the two alums of the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA team helped the Boston University Terriers women’s hockey team claim a 3-2 overtime victory over the Harvard University Crimson in the championship game of the 41^st annual Women’s Beanpot tournament at the Bright-Landry Hockey Centre before 1,329 spectators in Cambridge, Mass.

    The win marked the first time the Terriers have won the Beanpot tournament since 1981.

    The Beanpot tournament consists of the four Boston area university teams going against each other for city bragging rights. It features the Terriers, Crimson, the Boston College Eagles and the Northeastern University Huskies.

    Just to show how important the event is, the women’s final received major coverage in the Boston Herald.

    The men’s version of the tournament just wrapped up its 67^th edition. Northeastern won the men’s tournament 4-2 over Boston College on Monday at the TD Garden.

    In both women’s and men’s play, the four teams face each other in semifinal contests, where the winners advance to championship games.

    In the women’s final on Tuesday, redshirt junior co-captain Sammy Davis scored the winning goal for the Terriers at the 13:28 mark of sudden death overtime on a power play.

    In regulation, Reagan Rust and Natasza Tarnowski netted singles for the Terriers. Kaitlin Tse and Kristi Della Rovere replied with singles for the Crimson.

    Corinne Schroeder made 30 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Terriers, who are 17-6-7 overall. Lindsay Reed turned away 51 shots taking the setback in goal for the Crimson, who are 10-12-3 overall.

    Boston University is rated seventh in the National Collegiate Athletic Association women’s hockey rankings for division one schools.

    Elia is in her sophomore season with the Terriers and has posted six goals and nine assists in 29 games. She appeared in 58 regular season games with the Stars from 2012 to 2015 piling up 31 goals and 31 assist for 62 points and helped the Stars win their first Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League championship in 2014-15.

    Parker, who was the Stars captain last season, is a freshman and has 10 goals and four assists so far this season playing in all of the Terriers 30 games. She played in 104 regular season games with the Stars from 2014 to 2018 piling up 82 goals and 76 assists for 158 points.

    Parker was a member of all three of the Stars SFMAAAHL championship teams to date coming in the 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2017-18 campaigns.

    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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Stars had magical three-year run, now guard starts to change

Saskatoon graduates trio that were key to success

From left, Julia Rongve, Willow Slobodzian and Dana Wood reflect on a loss.

    It feels like an era is transitioning to a close for the Saskatoon Stars.

    On Tuesday, the Stars 2016-17 campaign came to an end with a 4-2 loss to the Prince Albert Northern Bears at the Agriplace Arena in Game 3 of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League championship series. The Bears swept the best-of-five SFMAAAHL championship series 3-0 and captured their second league title in team history.

    Saskatoon saw its two-year run of winning consecutive league titles and advancing to the final four of the Esso Cup national championship tournament come to an end. From 2014 to 2016, the Stars posted a 90-18 overall record, won two SFMAAAHL titles, two Western regional banners and a Mac’s Tournament title.

Julia Rongve jets up ice for the Stars.

    In 2016-17, they topped the SFMAAAHL standings for a third straight year after posting a 25-2-1 mark. The Stars also set a new team record for most points collected in the standings at 76.

    Saskatoon made the final of the Mac’s Tournament in Calgary falling 5-4 in overtime to the Alberta based Rocky Mountain Raiders, while posting a 5-1 record at that event in the process. 

    The Stars won six straight playoff games sweeping the Weyburn Southern Range Gold Wings in a quarter-final series and the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats in a semifinal series. The run of success came to an end against a talented and well-coached Prince Albert side.

    One of the cool things about female midget AAA hockey is you get to build teams where you can have a core group of players around for like three years. In midget AAA hockey on the boys side, you usually only return on average six players from the previous season due to losing players to the major junior ranks and the junior A ranks.

    While the Stars can return most of the players from their team this past season, they will lose three key pieces from their run of success to graduation in forwards Julia Rongve and Abby Shirley as well as offensive defender Willow Slobodzian. Those three were the consistent cogs throughout the whole run of success the Stars had the past three seasons and their departure feels like a chapter in team history is coming to a close.

Abby Shirley played with grit and skill.

    Rongve played an unsung hero role for the Stars for four seasons appearing in 112 career regular season games posting 24 goals and 52 assists. During her 15-year-old season in 2014-15, she was the third part of a dynamic scoring line that includes Sophie Shirley and Nara Elia, who both moved on to play for Canada’s under-18 women’s team.

    Rongve’s efforts were often overshadowed by the spectacular performances of her linemates, but she still netted six goals and 17 assists in 28 regular season games. Her production didn’t drop after Shirley and Elia left the Stars. In her final campaign with the Stars, Rongve, who stands 5-foot-8, picked up career highs in goals (nine) and assists (20), and she appeared in all 28 regular season games for a fourth straight campaign.

    She was still often overshadowed by the work of one of her other teammates, and you almost took it for granted that she would come out and give a strong performance. No matter who was on the Stars team, Rongve was always one of the club’s top six forwards.

    Abby Shirley grew into one of the Stars top offensive threats during her three campaigns with the team. The Delisle product appeared in 77 career regular season games posting 31 goals and 32 assists.

    In her final campaign with the Stars, Shirley dressed in 25 regular season games and set career highs for goals (14) and assists (18). On the ice, Shirley played with great speed and tenacity. She wasn’t afraid to battle in the corners and the hard areas, even though she stands just 5-foot-5.

    She often displayed great skill, when she worked in the offensive zone. 

Willow Slobodzian was one of the Stars most dynamic players.

    With her combination of grit and finesse, Shirley will be a good addition to the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team in the fall.

    Slobodzian, who the Stars captain this past season, was arguably the team’s most exciting player, and she was worth the price of admission to watch on a night in and night out basis. She helped control the blue-line for the Stars for three seasons appearing in 84 career regular season games collecting 15 goals and 46 assists.

    In her final campaign with the Stars, Slobodzian, who stands 5-foot-7, appeared in all 28 regular season games for a third straight year, matched her career high in goals at six and set a new career high in assists at 21. 

    Slobodzian was named the top defender in the SFMAAAHL in the 2015-16 campaign, and she made creative plays no one else could make through her entire career.

    An extremely smooth skater on the ice, Slobodzian might be the most polite and well-manner person you could meet off the ice. 

The Stars celebrate an SFMAAAHL semifinal series win. 

    Those characteristics are very prominent when you talk with her. She will no doubt be a great addition to the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks women’s hockey team in the fall.

    The Stars will still have a good team next season returning a number of players possessing high-end talent. Potential returnees include forwards Mackenna Parker, Grace Shirley, Joelle Fiala, Anna Leschyshyn and Kaitlin Jockims, veteran grinders Jordyn Gerlitz, Kianna Dietz and Jordyn Holmes, defenders Abby DeCorby, Chace Sperling and Ashley Messier, and goaltenders Jordan Ivanco and Arden Kliewer.

    Still, the dynamics of the team will be different without Rongve, Abby Shirley and Slobodzian. It will up to the returnees to carry the torch that is being passed on.

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

Shirley, Rongve power Stars past Sharks

Grace Shirley (#14) drives hard to the net for the Saskatoon Stars.

    Julia Rongve always seems to be the perfect fit to play on a line that features a Shirley.

    Two years ago, Rongve was part of a dynamic 15-year-old sophomore forward line featuring Sophie Shirley and Nara Elia with the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA team. Playing with Shirley and Elia, who were both recently named to Canada’s under-18 national team, Rongve piled up six goals and 17 assists in 28 regular season games in 2014-15.

    These days Rongve is a 17-year-old veteran with the Stars, and she has been playing in a line with Sophie Shirley’s younger sister, Grace. Last season, Grace Shirley exploded on to the scene with the Stars piling up 18 goals and 14 assists as a 14-year-old rookie, and she is having another standout campaign as a 15-year-old sophomore.

    On Sunday at the Agriplace Arena, Grace Shirley and Rongve combined for three goals and five assists to power the Stars to a 7-2 victory over the Battlefords Sharks.

The Stars celebrate a goal from Julia Rongve.

    For most of the first period, it seemed like Sharks were going to keep the Stars offence at bay as Battlefords netminder Chantel Weller turned away a number of solid scoring chances from the Saskatoon side.

    With 1:56 to play in the first, the Stars broke through for a 1-0 lead, when winger Joelle Fiala rifled home a power-play goal from the front of the Sharks net.

    Early in the second, Shirley and Rongve played a key part in helping the Stars score twice in a 35-second span to go ahead 3-0. They combined to set up 14-year-old rookie defender Chace Sperling for her fifth goal of the season. After that tally, Rongve proceeded to set up Shirley for her first goal of the night.

    Saskatoon’s edge expanded to 4-0, when offensive defender Willow Slobodzian scored a highlight reel goal on a solo end-to-end rush.

    Shirley and Rongve proceeded to combine for their most memorable goal of the night off an offensive zone faceoff. On an offensive draw with under seven minutes to play in the second, Shirley pushed towards with goal with the puck, fed a beauty pass across the face of the Sharks goal to Rongve, who tapped the puck into an open cage to give Saskatoon a 5-0 edge.

Joelle Fiala potted the Stars first goal on Sunday.

    Early in the third, the Stars found themselves in penalty trouble and 16-year-old forward Keara Amson scored twice for the Sharks on the power play to cut Saskatoon’s edge to 5-2 with 16:12 to play in the frame.

    With just over five minutes to play in the third and working on a power play of their own, Rongve set up Shirley for her second tally of the contest put Saskatoon in front 6-2. Anna Leschyshyn rounded out the Stars scoring with a single.

    Jordan Ivanco made 22 stops to earn the win in goal for the Stars. Weller stopped 47 shots to take the loss in net for the Sharks (3-11-1).

    Thanks to Sunday’s performance, Rongve now has eight goals and 12 assists in 17 games. Her goal total is a career high, and she will likely pass her career highs in assists and points, which were set playing alongside Sophie Shirley and Elia.

    Grace Shirley has 10 goals and 13 assists in 17 games this season, and she has a good chance to pass all her offensive totals from her rookie campaign.

Willow Slobodzian scored a short-handed goal on a coast-to-coast rush.

    The Stars head into the Christmas break sitting first overall in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League with a 14-2-1 record good for 43 points in the standings. They sit four points up on the Prince Albert Northern Bears (14-3) and the Melville Prairie Fire (14-4).

    The Bears and Prairie Fire trail the Stars due to the fact three of their wins have come in extra time, while all of Saskatoon’s victories have come in regulation. In the SFMAAAHL, you earn three points in the standings for a regulation victory and two points for an extra time win.

    Saskatoon’s Christmas break comes to an end on Dec. 27, when the Stars open play at the prestigious Mac’s Tournament in Calgary against the Prince George, B.C., based Northern Capitals.

    The Stars next regular season game is Jan. 7 in the new year, when they host the Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats at 7:45 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.

Willo sparks Huskies, makes Universiade team

Kaitlin Willoughby zips up ice for the Huskies.

    Kaitlin Willoughby showed it was a wise decision to name her to the Canadian women’s hockey team for the FISU Winter Universiade.

    On Saturday in Vancouver, the 21-year-old forward sparked her University of Saskatchewan Huskies to 5-3 upset win over the host and defending Canada West champion University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. Dating back to October of 2014, the Huskies had lost their previous eight straight head-to-head encounters with the Thunderbirds.

    In the first period of Saturday’s game, Willoughby scored two power-play goals to give her side a 2-0 edge. The tallies also sparked the Huskies offensively as they never trailed and never allowed UBC to get back on even terms the rest of the way.

    Brooke Patron, Rachel Johnson and Elizabeth Salyn all netted singles. Johnson’s tally came on a penalty shot. Cassidy Hendricks made 24 stops to earn the win in goal.

    Cassandra Vilgrain scored twice for the Thunderbirds, while Kenzie Robinson added a single. Amelia Boughn turned away 18 shots to take the loss in the UBC goal.

    Willoughby was named to the FISU Winter Universiade team on Friday. She attended Hockey Canada’s Women’s Development Camp in August to compete for a spot on the FISU team. The Winter Universiade will run Jan. 29 to Feb. 8, 2017 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Kaitlin Willoughby is one of the Huskies biggest offensive threats.

    Since entering the Canadian Interuniversity Sport ranks at the start of the 2013-14 campaign, Willoughby has been a high impact offensive player netting 32 goals and 41 assists in 84 career regular season games. She is also one of those few players that can change a game individually, which means her line has always received extra attention from opposition teams for pretty much her whole career with the Huskies.

    During her first season, the Prince Albert, Sask., product was named the CIS rookie of the year, and she helped the Huskies win their first Canada West title and a bronze medal at the CIS championship tournament.

    She permanently carved her place in the history of the Huskies women’s hockey team in the 2014 best-of-three Canada West championship series with the University of Regina Cougars. In a series deciding Game 3, Willoughby potted the double overtime winner to give the Huskies a 2-1 victory at the ancient Rutherford Rink.

    If the Canadian FISU team needs a big play in the clutch, it would always be a prudent decision to have Willoughby and her blazing speed on the ice.

    For now, Willoughby, who is in her fourth year of CIS eligibility, will keep trying to help the Huskies find success on the ice. U of S’s next test is a big one as they host the always powerful University of Alberta Pandas (2-0) this coming Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. on both nights at Rutherford.

Swift Current’s Smith could be valuable addition to Huskies

Swift Current product Chloe Smith could be a big addition to the Huskies.

    Earlier this month, the U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey announced the signing of Chloe Smith, who could prove to be a big addition to the team.

    The 17-year-old Smith is completing her final season of midget AAA eligibility as the captain of her hometown Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats. She joined the Wildcats as an underage 14-year-old way back at the start of the 2013-14 campaign.

    Smith, who stands 5-foot-7, is one of those rare power forward types that can mix it up physically in all the areas of the ice, which is something you do need in the women’s game. Her toughness is combined with a set of soft hands around the net and a sound offensive skill set that makes her an extremely attractive player at the university level.

    My first impression of Smith came during her 15-year-old season, when her Wildcats were taking on the host Saskatoon Stars in Game 1 of a Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League best-of-five semifinal series at the Agriplace Arena on March 10, 2015.

    Just 39 seconds into the third period, Smith nailed Stars superstar forward Nara Elia, who is a Hockey Canada national women’s team program prospect, with huge head hit that knocked Elia out of the game. Smith was given a major penalty for a head hit, a game misconduct and also had to sit out a one-game suspension for the incident. It was the type of hit in the men’s game that would have been deemed clear about seven years ago.

    I remember her emerging later on that day from the Wildcats dressing room wearing her track suit as her Wildcats fell 4-2. Looking at Smith’s face, you could see a wide range of emotions as she was trying to process what had happened.

Chloe Smith gets set to take a draw for the Wildcats.

    You could see there was disappointment, because she wasn’t on the ice to help her team and her competitiveness was also present too. Before being ejected, she had played with a lot of fire.

    As a 15-year-old sophomore, she piled up 10 goals and nine assists on 28 regular season games. Knowing all that and seeing her at the moment she came out of the Wildcats dressing room, my thought was some university team should sign her to a scholarship right there if they could. My gut feeling was this was a player you want on your team, because her teammates will see someone that will go to war with them and bring her best at all times.

    Last season, Smith had an impressive 16-year-old campaign collecting 13 goals and 19 assists in 26 games to lead the Wildcats in scoring. She added another four goals and nine assists in 12 playoff games as the Wildcats advanced to the best-of-five SFMAAAHL championship series, where they fell in four games to the Stars.

    Anytime you went to a Wildcats game, you knew you were going to see a pretty good performance from Smith.

    Despite what happened on the play where she drilled Elia, Smith has played tough and avoided sitting lengthy stretches in the penalty box. In 84 career regular season games with the Wildcats, she only has 38 minutes in penalties.

    Smith will play for Saskatchewan’s provincial team at the National Women’s Under-18 Championship that runs Nov. 9 to 13 in Regina. It wouldn’t be surprising to see her make an impact in that best-versus-best event.

    When she joins the Huskies in the fall of 2017, Smith will see a few familiar faces. The U of S roster contains a trio of her former Wildcats teammates in Brooklyn Haubrich, Kayla Kirwan and Jasey Book. That group will help Smith make the transition to the next level.

    If she continues to play to her present power forward form, she has the potential to be a popular player in the green and white.

Huskies men’s team closes sweep with blowout win

Parker Thomas was one of seven goal scorers for the Huskies on Saturday.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team showed the all out power they could potentially have this season in an impressive win over the UBC Thunderbirds on Saturday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink.

    The Huskies thrashed the Thunderbirds 7-0, and the goals came off the sticks of seven different players. Parker Thomas, Jesse Forsberg, Kendall McFaull, Jordan Fransoo, Josh Roach, John Lawrence and Levi Cable all netted singles.

    Jordon Cooke made 28 saves to earn the shutout in the U of S goal.

    Matt Hewitt turned away 23-of-29 shots before being pulled at the 10:28 mark of the third period. Derek Dun stopped four-of-five shots in relief.

    The Huskies were an impressive 5-for-8 on the power play, and they killed off all six power-plays the Thunderbirds were given.

    U of S swept a two-game series with UBC having already earned a 4-1 victory on Friday night at Rutherford.

    The Huskies were ranked first in the Canada West pre-season coaches’ poll. Thanks to a strong recruiting class and a solid group of returning players, the Huskies have a good chance to repeat as conference champions.

    With that in mind, they are only two games into their regular season, and there is still a long way to go.

    The Huskies return to action this Friday and Saturday when they travel to Edmonton to face their forever rivals the University of Alberta Golden Bears, who are opening their regular season slate. U of S swept away U of A in last season’s best-of-three Canada West championship series.

These upcoming encounters will provide a big test.

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