Shirley, Leschyshyn, Fiala era comes to an end for Stars

The Saskatoon Stars have produced many memorable moments like this.

    It is one of those times when you are stuck in denial.

    After the Saskatoon Stars fell 3-2 after a tiebreaking shootout to the Ontario-based Stoney Creek Sabres in the bronze medal game of the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament on Saturday, it hits you that the Stars season is done.

    The conclusion of that contest held at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex in Sudbury, Ont., brings forward another reality.

    Grace Shirley, Anna Leschyshyn and Joelle Fiala will never skate for the Stars again.

    When August comes, they will be departing for the United States to play for women’s hockey teams in the NCAA ranks. Shirley will join the University of Wisconsin Badgers, Leschyshyn will suit up for the Syracuse University Orange and Fiala will play for the Robert Morris University Colonials.

Grace Shirley, right, at the Stars 2015 SFMAAAHL title win.

    All three joined the Stars on a full-time basis as 14-year-old underage rookies in the 2015-16 campaign and quickly shot up to star status.

    That trio were the constants in the Stars last three appearances at Esso Cup including last year and in 2016. This season, Shirley was the Stars captain, while Leschyshyn and Joelle Fiala served as assistant captains along with offensive defender Ashley Messier, who turned 17-years-old in late March.

    Shirley and Leschyshyn each played a handful of games for the Stars as associate player call ups in 2014-15.

    Leschyshyn was on the ice the night the Stars won their first Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League title on March 25, 2015. She picked up an assist in the Stars 2-0 victory over the Prince Albert Northern Bears that clinched the SFMAAAHL championship series.

    The Stars took Shirley to that year’s Esso Cup tournament in Red Deer, Alta., and she dressed for all seven of Saskatoon’s games.

Captain Grace Shirley in action for the Stars this season.

    Shirley is the only player to hit the ice for all 28 games the Stars have played at Esso Cup posting 16 goals and six assists for 22 points.

    They are linked extremely tight to the identity of the team. To think they will no longer be in the Stars lineup next season seems difficult to fathom.

    When the Stars returned to the Esso Cup for the fourth time in the last five years, hopes were high that this would be there year. They would make the one or two plays they hadn’t made in past years and one or two breaks would go their way allowing Shirley, Leschyshyn and Fiala to graduate as national champions.

Anna Leschyshyn in action for the Stars on March 25, 2015.

    Like the past three visits that didn’t turn out to be.

    Playing in one of the tournament’s tougher fields of six teams, the Stars finished first in the preliminary round standings with a 4-1 record.

    To show how unpredictable the results could be, the preliminary round loss the Stars suffered was a 7-3 drubbing to the As de Quebec on Monday.

    Saskatoon followed that up with a pair of one-goal wins in regulation including a 3-2 victory over the Alberta-based St. Albert Slash on Tuesday and a 3-2 triumph over the host Sudbury Lady Wolves on Wednesday.

    On Thursday, Leschyshyn set Esso Cup single game records for goals (five) and points (eight) in the Stars 11-1 win over the Halifax Fire.

Anna Leschyshyn in action for the Stars this season.

    Leschyshyn took home the award as the tourament’s top scorer with six goals and seven assists for 13 points. Messier took home honours as the tournament’s top defender posting three assists in seven games.

    The Slash and Lady Wolves ultimately met in Saturday’s championship game, where the Slash won a third straight national title with a 4-1 victory.

    The Stars made the national “frozen four” like their three previous visits to the Esso Cup and like those previous visits more heartbreak ensued.

    On Friday, the Stars faced the Slash in one of two semifinal contests. Defender Dayle Ross scored for the Slash 30 seconds into the third period to break a scoreless deadlock.

Joelle Fiala (#27) celebrates scoring in the 2016 SFMAAAHL final.

    Shirley and Fiala combined to set up standout forward Kaitlin Jockims to score the equalizer for the Stars with 1:34 remaining in the third to force a 1-1 tie and overtime.

    Captain Madison Willan scored 2:46 into overtime to deliver a 2-1 victory to the Slash.

    Arden Kliewer made 26 saves to take the setback in goal for the Stars. Brianna Sank turned away 22 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Slash.

    Out of the four times the Stars had played in a national semifinal, they picked up one win and lost two games in extra time. In Saskatoon’s first visit to the Esso Cup in 2015, they dropped a 2-1 decision after a tiebreaking shootout to the host Red Deer Chiefs.

    In Saturday’s bronze medal game against the Sabres, the Stars took a 1-0 lead at the 2:57 mark of the second period, when Fiala and Jayda Sachs combined to set up Calli Arnold for her third goal of the tournament.

Joelle Fiala in action for the Stars this season.

    Just 48 seconds into the third, the Stars expanded their lead to 2-0, when Arnold set up Shirley for her seventh marker of the tourney.

    The Sabres rallied scoring twice to force a 2-2 tie and overtime with singles coming from Tessa Holk and Alicia Juras. Juras netted the equalizer with 4:30 remaining in the third, when the Sabres were short-handed.

    Saskatoon held a 24-7 edge in shots on goal through the third period and overtime.

    The Sabres took the tiebreaking shootout 4-1 scoring on all four of their chances. Jenna Duarte, Alicia Juras, Vanessa Upson and Alyssa Kawa all scored for the Sabres.

    Fiala tallied in the shootout for the Stars.

    Rookie Kaitlyn Cadrain turned away 19 shots in regulation and overtime in goal for the Stars. Megan Warrener stopped 37 shots in regulation and overtime in goal for the Sabres and two-of-three shooters in the shootout.

    The shootout at Esso Cup is conducted under international rules. 

Grace Tam played with heart in her final season for the Stars.

    The bronze medal clash provided another heartbreaker that didn’t go the Stars way at Esso Cup.

    The toughest aspect for the Stars to digest from their Esso Cup appearances is that they could have legitimately one the event two to three times. Out of their four appearances, they took home a bronze medal in 2015 and fell to the Slash 2-1 in last year’s title game.

    They still had a spectacular season in 2018-19 posting a 47-3-2-1 overall record that included winning the prestigious Mandi Schwartz Memorial Tournament, the SFMAAAHL title and the Western regional playdown series. Saskatoon posted its best ever record in regular season play at 27-1.

    Shirley, Leschyshyn and Fiala were generational greats the Stars may never replace.

    Shirley appeared in 107 career regular season games becoming the Stars all-time leader in goals (97) and points (166). She graduates as the third all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL.

Kaitlin Jockims concluded her time with the Stars as a hot scorer.

    Leschyshyn appeared in 115 career regular season games becoming the Stars third all-time leading scorer posting 72 goals and 80 assists for 152 points. She graduates as the fifth all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL.

    Fiala appeared in 112 career regular season games becoming the all-time leader in assists at 83. She had 47 goals and 130 points to become the team’s fourth all-time leading scorer and the eighth all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL.

    At the moment, no one is near cracking 100 points in SFMAAAHL career regular season play, so Shirley, Leschyshyn and Fiala will likely remain high on the all-time scoring list for some time.

Abby DeCorby was solid on defence for the Stars.

    All total, the Stars will graduate seven players this year as Jockims, Sachs and defender Grace Tam and Abby DeCorby have all exhausted their midget AAA eligibility along with Shirley, Leschyshyn and Fiala.

    A year ago, the Stars graduated Mackenna Parker, who is the SFMAAAHL’s third all-time leading scorer, Kianna Dietz, Jordyn Holmes, Jordyn Gerlitz, Jordan Ivanco and Dana Wood. In 2017, the graduates included Julia Rongve, Abby Shirley and Willow Slobodzian.

    The bulk of the players who were responsible for the Stars run of success over the past five seasons under head coach Greg Slobodzian are gone.

    The returning players and future additions will create their own identity with the team.

    Will they match the accomplishments the team posted over the last five seasons? That in all reality is too much to ask.

Jayda Sachs picked up points during important moments for the Stars.

    In NHL terms, how often have the Edmonton Oilers matched what their club accomplished with a roster of generational players in the 1980s following their last Stanley Cup win in 1990?

    Of course, they have never duplicated the run they had in their heydays in the 1980s.

    The era of Shirley, Leschyshyn and Fiala marked a unique time in the history of the Stars that contained lots of good times. It is too much to ask for a run like they’ve had to happen again.

    Their time with the team was truly something to behold.

    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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Kliewer holds fort in goal as Stars unsung hero

Arden Kliewer has been a standout in goal for the Stars.

    Arden Kliewer remembers being awestruck during her first few practices as a regular with the Saskatoon Stars.

    Joining the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League powerhouse club as a 14-year-old underage rookie goalie in 2016-17, Kliewer looked around and couldn’t believe she was on the same ice surface as veteran standouts like Willow Slobodzian, Abby Shirley, Julia Rongve, Mackenna Parker, Grace Shirley, Anna Leschyshyn and Joelle Fiala.

    “It was definitely a little bit intimidating with those girls, especially because they are such high performing athletes,” said Kliewer. “You can tell kind of as where they ended up.

    “I definitely kind of came in there a little bit intimidated. I was three years younger than some of those girls. One I got into the flow of the team, everything kind of settled down.

    “It just felt like normal teammates.”

Arden Kliewer is skilled at playing the puck.

    Still, it was a big deal for Kliewer to make the Stars. She was thankful the opportunity came a little sooner than she expected due an early departure.
    “Kind of ever since I knew that the Stars were a thing, it was kind of a goal of mine that I wanted to come and play for this team,” said Kliewer, who stands 5-foot-8. “That summer, I wasn’t really expecting to come to tryouts just because knew there wasn’t a spot.

    “I kind of remember being at the lake and my dad said that he had gotten an email from (head coach) Greg (Slobodzian) saying that Emma Johnson was not going to be returning, and that they like me to come to fall camp. That is kind of how it happened.”

    Johnson elected to not return to the Stars for her 17-year-old season in order to focus on playing basketball. She currently plays hoops for the University of Western Ontario Mustangs Women’s Basketball team.

    Kliewer started out as a goalie partner with veteran Jordan Ivanco during her first two seasons with the Stars. During that time, Ivanco usually got the call to play in the team’s biggest games.

    Now Kliewer is the third-year veteran who gets the call in the Stars biggest games. In 2018-19, she had her best regular season to date posting a 16-0 record, a 1.21 goals against average, a .941 save percentage and seven shutouts.

Arden Kliewer takes away the lower part of the net.

    Kliewer said the fact her team plays well in front of her has helped her have an outstanding season.
    “I think it just kind of goes to trust,” said Kliewer. “I trust my teammates, and they trust me as well (and) that just kind of goes a long way with each other.

    “We have great practices, so we just kind of get ready for it.”

    Stars head coach Greg Slobodzian said Kliewer has played a big part in the success the Saskatoon club has had over the past three seasons.

    “She has been absolutely huge whether it was when she first came in and sort of pushed our other goaltender,” said Slobodzian. “Then this year she took Kat (Kaitlyn Cadrain) our rookie and just sort of showed her what our work habits needed to be like.

    “She (Kliewer) is just so steady back there and so consistent. It is tough, because sometimes she doesn’t get the recognition that she deserves, because she is only seeing a handful of shots. The way that she breaks a forecheck with her passing skills and how she handles the puck we’ve never really had that.

Arden Kliewer has been spectacular in her third season with the Stars.

    “It adds a whole another dimension. Obviously, she is going to play a huge role here.”

    Kliewer said she has enjoyed playing a mentor role in helping Cadrain along.

    “I mean it is definitely a little bit different,” said Kliewer. “I kind of just like wanted to help her out in her first year.

    “I wanted to make sure she kind of understands the league. It is definitely a lot more responsibility knowing that I am the older goalie. It has been a good season.

    “I think this one has probably been my best season by far.”

    Growing up playing hockey in Saskatoon, Kliewer admits she was destined to be a goalie.

    “My dad was a goalie,” said Kliewer. “My grandpa was a goalie, so I think it just kind of ran in the family that at some point I was going to end up being a goalie.

Arden Kliewer (#30) clears the puck up the boards for the Stars.

    “I always kind of wanted to be like my dad when I was younger. I think that is just kind of how it happened.”

    Arden credits her father, Rob, and mother, Lindsay, on being big influences in helping her along in hockey.

    The young netminder was excited to play a big part in helping the Stars win a second straight SFMAAAHL title and return to the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament for a second straight year.

    The Stars lost last year’s national title game 2-1 to the Alberta based St. Albert Slash, who won the national crown for a second straight year.

    Saskatoon is playing through this year’s Esso Cup currently being held in Sudbury, Ont.

    The Stars will face the Slash in a semifinal contest on Friday.

Jayda Sachs, left, and Arden Kliewer pose with the Fedoruk Cup.

    “It is definitely a little bit of a different experience,” said Kliewer. “Kind of this year, we want to go back with a little bit of a chip on our shoulders kind of to prove to everyone that last year we deserved to walk away with that championship.”

    Kliewer said she was ready to step in goal for the Stars in their key contests at nationals.

    When the dust settles, she would love to be playing in the national final once again and hopefully helping the Stars come away with a gold medal win.

    “It would be huge to kind of go back there, especially when it is on TV again,” said Kliewer. “It would kind of bring back those memories, and I think it would definitely be something that our team would want to close off this year for sure.

    “We would want to come out of that with that championship.”

Stars top Esso Cup prelim round, Leschyshyn sets records

Anna Leschyshyn set two records at the Esso Cup on Thursday.

    An early hiccup couldn’t prevent the Saskatoon Stars from finishing first in the preliminary round of the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament.

    The Stars opened this year’s Esso Cup on Sunday at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex in Sudbury, Ont., downing the Ontario-based Stoney Creek Sabres 6-4.

    On Monday, the Stars dropped a surprising 7-3 decision to the As de Quebec to fall to 1-1 with two tough games coming up on their schedule.

    Saskatoon reset and slipped past the two-time defending Esso Cup champion St. Albert Slash 3-2. The Stars entered the third period of that contest locked in a 2-2 tie with the Alberta squad.

    Halle Helperl, a rookie winger who turned 15-years-old in January, netted the winning goal for the Stars with 5:28 remaining in the third period.

    Against the host Lady Wolves on Wednesday, the Stars entered the third period trailing 2-1 before rallying for a 3-2 victory. Defender Emily Holmes scored the equalizer for the Stars with 4:23 remaining in the third period, and captain Grace Shirley netted the winner with 41.9 seconds remaining in the third.

Emily Holmes started a Stars comeback on Wednesday.

    On Thursday, the Stars won their third straight round robin game romping past the Halifax Fire 11-1. That win allowed the Stars to finish first in the preliminary round standings with a 4-1 record.
    In the romp over the Fire, Stars star winger Anna Leschyshyn netted five goals and three assists for eight points. Her five goals set a record for most goals in one Esso Cup game, and her eight points set a record for most points in one Esso Cup game.

    The old record of most points in one game of seven was shared by Taylor Woods and Olivia Howe. Both players netted seven points in the same game playing for the Notre Dame Hounds, when the Hounds bombed the Kings County Kings 14-2 on April 19, 2011.

    The Hounds went on to win the Esso Cup title that year.

    In that Hounds victory, Woods set the old record for most goals scored in one Esso Cup game at four. Kate Gallant of the Durham West Lightning would also match the old record of most goals scored in one Esso Cup game at four in 2017.

    The Stars will face the Slash, who were 2-2-1 in the preliminary round, in one of Friday’s two semifinals. The other semifinal sees an all-Ontario encounter between the Lady Wolves (4-1) and the Sabres (3-2).

    The Fire and As de Quebec both missed the playoff round each posting 1-4 records.

    The Esso Cup concludes on Saturday with bronze and gold medal games. The gold medal contest will be shown live on TSN2 at 2 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

    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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Sting of gold medal loss fuels Stars at Esso Cup

The Stars to make their fourth trip to Esso Cup a golden one.

    Out of the massive amount of games the Saskatoon Stars have won, a single setback sticks our prominently in the minds of the returning players from last season.

    A year ago, the Stars made it to the championship game of the Esso Cup female midget AAA national hockey championship tournament for the first time in team history.

    In the title game at the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre in Bridgewater, N.S., the Stars dropped a 2-1 heartbreaker to the Alberta-based St. Albert Slash, who captured the national title for a second straight year.

    The Stars had been 14-0 at that point in the post-season and were riding a 24-game winning streak. Saskatoon finished the 2017-18 campaign with a 44-7-1 overall record.

Captain Grace Shirley will go down as one of the Stars all-time greats.

    The Stars topped the regular season standings in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League as well, but the Esso Cup championship game loss created a tough way to end the campaign on.

    “I think coming into the season we were all having that in the back of our minds,” said Stars captain Grace Shirley. “It pushed us and it motivated us.

    “I think that is why we had some of the success that we did this year is just because we were motivated and we want to win the gold this year.”

    The Stars are going back to the Esso Cup for the fourth time in the last five years. This year’s tournament starts Sunday and run through to April 27 at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex in Sudbury, Ont.

    Saskatoon begins round robin play taking on Ontario provincial finalist the Stoney Creek Sabres on Sunday. The host Sudbury Lady Wolves captured the Ontario female midget AAA provincial crown, which allowed Stoney Creek to qualify for the nationals as the runner-up in the Ontario final.

Arden Kliewer is set to carry the big game load for the Stars.

    The Sabres were 11-7-4 in the regular season in the Lower Lakes Female Hockey League and are 5-2 so far in the post-season.

    The Stars finished first in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League for a fifth straight year. This season, they posted their best regular season record ever at 27-1.

    Saskatoon has an 8-1 record so far in the post-season winning the SFMAAAHL title and a Western regional playdown series to qualify for the Esso Cup tournament. Overall, the Stars have a 43-2-1 record in the 2018-19 campaign.

    A year ago, Stars netminder Arden Kliewer watched from the bench as veteran Jordan Ivanco, who was the squad’s 17-year-old veteran, had a solid game stopped 16 shots to take the setback in goal for the Stars in the title game to the Slash.

    What was tougher to watch was the face Camryn Drever turned away 14 shots to pick up the win in the Slash goal and was assisted by the fact her teammates blocked a tonne of shots.

    “Even just kind of closer to Esso just kind of thinking about last year, it is definitely still part of it that stings a little bit,” said Kliewer. “Especially just because how we lost to them, we were so close.

Kaitlin Jockims has piled up the points this season for the Stars.

    “We were on that big winning streak. And then all of a sudden, the one game we had to lose was that final. It is really still sticking around there.”

    Kliewer is one of 13 returning players from last year’s squad for the Stars this season. In her third campaign with the team, she is having her best season with the Stars.

    Kliewer, who turned 17-years-old in February, was outstanding in the regular season posting a 16-0 record, a 1.21 goals against average, a .941 save percentage and seven shutouts. She will be called up tend goal for the Stars most critical contests at Esso Cup.

    “I’m getting a little nervous knowing that I’m going to be kind of the go to for the tournament,” said Kliewer. “I am definitely excited to kind of go there and help my team like I have throughout the season and kind of show Canada that we deserve to win this.”

Anna Leschyshyn has been one of the Stars constant top performers.

    Shirley led the Stars in regular season scoring with 27 goals and 21 assists for 48 points. She was the second leading scorer in the SFMAAAHL.

    Kaitlin Jockims, who is another standout 17-year-old forward, finished second in Stars team scoring with 21 goals and 24 assists for 45 points. All of those totals were career highs for Jockims.

    Anna Leschyshyn was third in team scoring with 18 goals and 21 assists for 39 points and is also looking to graduate from the midget AAA ranks after this season on a high note.

    Joelle Fiala, who is also playing her final midget AAA season, was fourth in team scoring with 11 goals and 24 assists for 35 points.

    The Stars have a strong defensive unit that can get things done offensively as well. Ashley Messier, who just turned 17-years-old in late March, led all Stars defenders in regular season scoring with career highs in goals (five), assists (27) and points (32).

Joelle Fiala has made her mark as one of the Stars all-time best playmakers.

    Chace Sperling, who turned 17-years-old in January, had a breakout year on the back end posting career highs in regular season play in goals (eight), assists (12) and points (20).

    Stars head coach Greg Slobodzian is full of anticipation for this return trip to the Esso Cup.

    “I can’t remember being this excited for going back actually,” said Slobodzian. “Whether it is a feeling of not really unfinished business, I think you are going back with 13 girls that had such a great experience but came up short.

    “Now, they know exactly what it takes. A lot of things have to happen in regards to whether it is staying healthy, the things that you can’t control. I think we’re really, really prepared.

    “Whenever you are prepared for something it is exciting to jump into. I think that is the feeling we have as a group.”

Ashley Messier is one of the Stars most dynamic players.

    In the opener against the Stars, the Sabres will be looking to get big games from forwards Tiana Faccio, Regan Minor and Vanessa Upson.

    The Esso Cup nationals are a six team tournament, and this year’s field features the Stars, Sabres, Lady Wolves, the defending champion Slash, the Halifax Fire from Nova Scotia and the As de Quebec from Quebec City, Quebec.

    The six teams play each other once in a round robin, and the top four teams advance to two semifinal games. The semifinal games are slated for April 26. The bronze and gold medal games follow on April 27.

    Shirley was on the Stars roster in their three previous visits to the Esso Cup in 2015, 2016 and last season. She played in the 2015 tournament as an associate player call up.

    In total, she has appeared in 21 games at the Esso Cup tournament collecting nine goals and four assists.

    She gives the Slash full marks for winning last year’s title game, but believes her team will find a way to come out on top this year.

    “I think they (the Slash) are a good team, and we don’t want to take anything away from them,” said Shirley. “At the end of the day, I think we just need to focus on what we can do.

The Saskatoon Stars hope to enjoy a celebration like this at Esso Cup.

    “If we go out there and if we play our game, then I think hopefully we’ll find success that way.”

    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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Esso Cup gold eludes Stars as Slash repeat as champs

Ashley Messier was named the Stars play of the game in the Esso Cup final.

    The tears became visible in the faces of the Saskatoon Stars seconds after the third period of the Esso Cup final expired.

    Despite pressing in a frantic final minute on Saturday at the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre in Bridgewater, N.S., the Stars couldn’t find an equalizer to send the contest to overtime and the reality that the St. Albert Slash had prevailed 2-1 started to sink in.

    At one end of the rink, the Slash were celebrating history. The Alberta club became the first team to win the Esso Cup twice and in consecutive years in the 10-year history of the female midget AAA hockey national championship tournament.

    The Slash defeated the Quebec based Harfangs du Triolet 1-0 in overtime in last year’s Esso Cup championship game held in Morden, Man., and 10 players from that Slash team returned to be part of this year’s squad.

    The Stars were processing the emotional hurt. They were making their third appearance in the last four years at the Esso Cup and there was a steadfast believe that this would be their season to win it all.

    Saskatoon was 14-0 in the post-season entering Saturday’s game and was riding a 24 game winning streak dating back to the regular season. The Stars last loss before Saturday came back on Jan. 7, when they fell 4-3 to the Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox, Sask.

    Saskatoon was 6-0 at the Esso Cup and had outscored the opposition 28-4 in the process heading into the event’s gold medal game. The Stars had beaten the Slash 4-1 in a round robin contest on Tuesday.

A couple of Stars players console each other after Saturday’s loss.

    In the Esso Cup championship game, the Stars played well in a contest that was tightly contested. The Slash held an 18-15 edge in shots on goal and blocked a large number of other Saskatoon shots.

    During the frantic final minute, Stars standout centre Grace Shirley and slick defender Ashley Messier had prime scoring chances and their shots were blocked by skilled Slash left-winger McKenzie Hewett. The Stars players will likely be replaying those moments in their minds in the hours following the end of Saturday’s contest.

    In the first half of the first period, the Stars came wheeling out of the gate pretty good. Gritty left-winger Jordyn Holmes was stoned by Slash star netminder Camryn Drever on an early chance, and Shirley and standout centre Joelle Fiala fired shots from good positions just wide of the St. Albert goal.

    The Slash started executing their game plan, forechecked the Stars hard and pinned them in their own zone. At the 17:11 mark of the first period, a turnover in the Saskatoon zone landed on the stick of Slash captain Tyra Meropoulis.

    Meropoulis fired a shot on goal, followed the rebound of her own shot, deked around Stars netminder Jordan Ivanco and slid the puck into the Saskatoon cage to give St. Albert a 1-0 lead.

    The Slash kept up their forechecking pressure and trapped the Stars fairly well when the Saskatoon side entered the centre ice zone funneling the advancing skaters to the boards. Stars right-winger Anna Leschyshyn had three shots on goal from solid chances, but she was turned away by Drever.

The Slash celebrate with the Esso Cup.

    Inside of the final minute of the second, the Slash went up 2-0 as a result of their tough forecheck. Meropoulis caused a turnover in the Saskatoon zone and got puck down to linemate Jayme Doyle at the left side of the Saskatoon goal.

    Doyle slid the puck across the face of the Saskatoon net to winger Madison Willan, who put home a backhander to give her side a 2-0 lead.

    Just seconds into the third, the Slash missed the Saskatoon goal on a scoring chance and Stars netminder Jordan Ivanco made a big stop on Willan.

    A short time after that save, Shirley stole the puck from a Slash player at the St. Albert blue-line creating a two-on-run rush. She fed a pass across the face of the St. Albert goal to hard-working forward Kianna Dietz, who knocked the puck into an empty part of the net to cut the Slash lead to 2-1 just 47 seconds into the third.

    With Dietz’s goal coming after a couple of big saves by Ivanco, it felt like the comeback was going to be on. A short time after Dietz’s tally, Stars superstar captain Mackenna Parker, who was named the MVP and was the leading scorer of the Esso Cup, was stopped in close.

    The Stars controlled play for most of the third period holding a 6-2 edge in shots on goal. Saskatoon had a number of other shots get blocked.

    Slash centre Shyla Kirwer came up with two key shot blocks on Shirley and Messier, when the Stars were working on the power play in the second half of the third.

    Defender Mackenzie Butz was named the player of the game for the Slash, while Messier took that same honour for the Stars.

Grace Shirley set up the Stars goal on Saturday.

    Drever made 14 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Slash. Ivanco made a number of quality stops turning away 16 shot taking the setback in goal for the Stars.

    Earlier in the day, the Pionnieres de Lanaudiere from Quebec slipped past the Brampton Canadettes from Ontario 2-1 in the bronze medal game.

    The Stars finished the 2017-18 campaign with a 44-7-1 overall record, and one of their losses was a tight one to a good team in a national final. The Slash finished the 2017-18 campaign with a 43-11-1 overall record and sport a 13-1 mark over the last two years at the Esso Cup.

    For the Stars, the hurt is there at the end of the game because the journey to get to the national championship contest was meaningful. Saturday marked the Stars 52^nd game, and the team stated on Twitter they have been together for eight months, 143 days and 82 practices.

    When the season ends, you reflect on everything that happened over that period of time. With the success the Stars had, the team gets pulled that much closer together.

    Entering the national final, everyone on the team believed they were going to win that game. When the win doesn’t happen, it is tough to take, because you reflect on the journey to get there.

    Overlooked is the fact the season was extremely successful, and it is a major accomplishment in any campaign to play in a national championship game. That in itself makes the season a success.

    For most of the Stars, their bonds go beyond what happened this season. Parker, Dietz, Holmes, Jordyn Gerlitz, Jordan Ivanco and Dana Wood all exhausted their midget eligibility with the end of Saturday’s game.

    Parker, Dietz, Holmes, Gerlitz, who wasn’t able to play in this year’s Esso Cup due to a broken collarbone, and Shirley were with the Stars in all of their Esso Cup appearances. Shirley was an associate player call up in the 2015 Esso Cup in Red Deer, Alta.

    Gerlitz will go down as the first Stars player to score a Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League championship series clinching goal, when the Stars won their first SFMAAAHL title in 2015. That group grew up before your eyes over the last four years from all the experiences they went through together.

Captain Mackenna Parker and the Stars had a memorable season.

    Ivanco, Wood, Leschyshyn and Fiala have been with the Stars since the start of the 2015-16 season. Messier, Kaitlin Jockims, Grace Tam, Chace Sperling, Jayda Sachs, Abby DeCorby and Arden Kliewer all finished their second complete season with team.

    Calli Arnold, Makena Kushniruk and Emily Holmes, who is Jordyn Holmes’ younger sister, were the fresh faced rookies who were quickly adopted into the Stars family by the veterans. They all played big roles on the team as the season progressed.

    The Stars came up just short in basking in the euphoria of a national championship win. At some point in time, the hurt over the disappointment of the setback will lessen.

    The memories and experiences that came from the accomplishments made along the way to get there can never be taken away.

    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 punch ticket to Esso Cup gold medal game

Saskatoon to play in national final for first time ever

Arden Kliewer stopped 23 shots in goal for the Stars on Friday.

    Arden Kliewer gave the Saskatoon Stars the traction they needed to earn the right to play for a national title.

    Often, those that play goal for the Stars are overlooked as the powerhouse club from the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League is best known for offence. Early in an Esso Cup tournament semifinal game on Friday at the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre in Bridgewater, N.S., the Stars needed Kliewer to be sharp.

    The sophomore netminder, who turned 16 in February, made a number of key stops early as the Pionnieres de Lanaudiere from Quebec took a quick 1-0 lead. Kliewer’s performance allowed the time for the Stars offence to get on track.

    In the second period, the Stars burst out to score four times to go ahead 4-1 and cruised from that point to a 5-1 victory.

    With the win, Saskatoon advances to the gold medal game of the Esso Cup female midget AAA hockey national championship tournament for the first time in team history. They will face the defending champion St. Albert Slash from Alberta in the final.

    The Slash outlasted the Brampton Canadettes from Ontario 2-1 after a tiebreaking shootout in Friday’s other semifinal.

    The gold medal game will be played on Saturday and show live on TSN at 4 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

    In the clash between Saskatoon and Lanaudiere, the Pionnieres got off to a big start early. Just 2:38 into the first period, centre Maya Labad broke down the right wing into the Saskatoon zone on a rush and wired home a shot to the top left corner of the Stars goal to give the Pionnieres a 1-0 lead.

    The Quebec side had a couple of other big chances to extend the lead in the opening 20 minutes.

Grace Shirley had the Stars first two goal on Friday.

    Labad was robbed on a breakaway by Kliewer, and Kliewer turned away another dangerous drive from the point that came through a screen of bodies in front of the Saskatoon goal.

    Just 45 seconds into the second, Kliewer stoned the Pionnieres on a dangerous two-on-one chance.

    After that stop, the Stars proceeded up ice and Grace Shirley wired home a shot to the top left corner of the Pionnieres goal to force a 1-1 tie at the 1:24 mark of the frame. From that point, the Stars hit high gear.

    At the 12:22 mark of the second period, the Stars broke into the Pionnieres zone on a two-on-one break. Left-winger Jordyn Holmes broke down the left wing with the puck and fed a pass across the front of the Pionnieres goal to Shirley, who quickly roofed a shot to the top right corner of the net to give the Stars a 2-1 lead.

    Just 22 seconds later, superstar captain Mackenna Parker scored to put the Stars up 3-1. Before the second ended, Parker wired home her second tally of the game in close to the top left corner of the Pionnieres goal to put the Stars up 4-1.

    After the Stars fourth goal, the Pionnieres pulled starting goalie Leila Cecilia Lotke Salinas, who stopped 16-of-20 shots sent her way. Sarah Vanier turned away 12-of-13 shots playing the rest of the way in relief.

    Kliewer came up with a couple of big saves in the third to protect the Stars three-goal edge. She turned away Pionnieres centre Ann-Frederik Naud on a rush and denied Labad on a short-handed breakaway.

    Shortly after the breakaway stop on Labad, Stars 16-year-old veteran defender Abby DeCorby blasted home a power-play goal to put the final touches on the Saskatoon victory. Stars skilled sophomore left-winger Kaitlin Jockims picked up her third assist of the contest on DeCorby’s goal.

    Kliewer stopped 23 shots to pick up the win in goal for Saskatoon in one of her best performances of the season helping the Stars improve their record at this year’s Esso Cup to 6-0. The Pionnieres fell to 2-3-1 at the Esso Cup with the setback.

Kaitlin Jockims had three assists for the Stars on Friday.

    The Pionnieres fell to 2-3-1 at the Esso Cup with the setback. They will face the Canadettes (3-3) in a bronze medal game to be held on Saturday.

    Saskatoon fell in its two other semifinal appearances at the Esso Cup. At the 2015 tournament in Red Deer, Alta., the Stars dropped a heartbreaking 2-1 decision after a tiebreaking shootout to the host Chiefs. At the 2016 Esso Cup in Weyburn, Sask., the Stars came out on the wrong end of a 4-0 score to the Brantford Ice Cats from Ontario, who moved on to win the event’s championship game.

    With their win on Friday, the Stars improve their overall record to 44-6-1 in the 2017-18 campaign and have a perfect 14-0 record in the post-season. Including action from the regular season and post-season, the Stars have won their last 24 straight games.

    The Stars are trying to become the first Saskatchewan based team to win the Esso Cup’s gold medal game since the Weyburn Gold Wings in 2014.

    The Slash improved to 5-1 at this year’s Esso Cup. They dropped a preliminary round contest to the Stars 4-1 on Tuesday. That was St. Albert’s only setback at the Esso Cup in the past two years, and the Slash are 12-1 at the female midget AAA hockey national championship tournament during that time.

From 1⃣0⃣0⃣ teams to 2⃣...

The @StoonStarsAAA and @stalbert_slash will meet Saturday night at the @lclc_ns for the #EssoCup.

Watch it LIVE on TSN 1⃣/3⃣/5⃣ at 7 p.m. AT (4 p.m. in Alberta and Saskatchewan). pic.twitter.com/M0TtJvKumI

— Esso Cup (@HC_EssoCup) April 28, 2018

Parker, Messier take home individual tourney awards

Mackenna Parker was named the MVP of the Esso Cup.

    In what has been an outstanding season, more accolades came the way of the Saskatoon Stars on Friday.

    Two members of the Stars took home three of the Esso Cup’s major individual awards. Superstar captain Mackenna Parker was named the tournament’s most valuable player and claimed the top scorer award on the basis of round robin play.

    Parker led all scorers in the preliminary round with five goals and six assists for 11 points in five games. With Friday’s semifinal games in the books, Parker still topped the tournament in scoring with 13 points coming off seven goals and six assists.

    Ashley Messier took home the award as the top defender at the Esso Cup. Messier had a goal and five assists in the Stars five preliminary round games, and she had a goal and six assists in six contests overall at the female midget AAA national hockey championship tournament.

    McKenzie Hewitt of the St. Albert Slash claimed honours as the top forward at the Esso Cup. She has four goals and two assists in six overall games at this year’s Esso Cup.

    Forward Paige Whaley of the Brampton Canadettes was named the tourney’s most sportsmanlike player. Sarah Vanier of the Pionnieres de Lanaudiere was named the event’s top goaltender.

Stars join select company with coming TV appearance

The U of R Cougars played in the 2001 U Sports final shown on TSN.

    When the Saskatoon Stars hit the ice for Saturday’s gold medal game at the Esso Cup female midget AAA hockey national championship tournament, it is believe they will be the fourth high level female hockey team from Saskatchewan to play in a national championship game on national television.

    The Stars gold medal game will be shown at 4 p.m. Saskatchewan time on TSN.

    It is believed the University of Regina Cougars Women’s Hockey Team was the first high level female hockey team from Saskatchewan to play in a national final in television. The Cougars fell 4-3 in the U Sports women’s championship final in 2001 to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues Women’s Hockey Team in a nationally televised game on TSN. At the time, U Sports was known as the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union.

    At the 2010 Esso Cup in Regina, the Notre Dame Hounds from Wilcox, Sask., made it to the championship game shown on TSN and fell 4-3 to Thunder Bay Queens from Ontario.

    The Hounds returned to the Esso Cup’s championship game in 2011 in St. Albert, Alta., and posted a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Thunder in a nationally televised game on TSN.

    The Weyburn Gold Wings are the third high level female team from Saskatchewan to appear in a national final on national television. The Gold Wings downed the Thunder 2-1 in the 2014 Esso Cup championship game held in Hamilton, Ont., and that contest was also shown on TSN.

    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 sink defending Esso Cup champion Slash

Saskatoon a win away from locking up first in round robin play

Mackenna Parker had the winning goal for the Stars on Tuesday.

    The Saskatoon Stars picked up their biggest win at this year’s Esso Cup knocking off the defending champs.

    On Tuesday, the Stars improved to 3-0 in round robin play at the female midget AAA hockey championship tournament downing the defending national champion St. Albert Slash from Alberta 4-1. The Stars trailed 1-0 early before rallying with four straight goals at the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre in Bridgewater, N.S.

    The Slash are trying to become the first team to win the Esso Cup in consecutive years. They fell to 2-1 with the setback.

    Saskatoon has opened the Esso Cup on an impressive run. The Stars blanked the Brampton Canadettes from Ontario 5-0 on Sunday and the Pionnieres de Lanaudiere from Quebec 3-0 on Monday.

    With the victory over the Slash, the Stars have defeated the teams from the three provinces in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta that traditionally do well at the Esso Cup, which is being held for the 10^th time this year.

    In Tuesday’s encounter between the Slash and Stars, St. Albert jumped in front 1-0 on a goal from Allison Reich at the 7:19 mark of the first period.

    Just over six minutes later, the Stars evened things up at 1-1 on a goal from rookie left-winger Calli Arnold, who turned 15 earlier this month. Stars superstar captain Mackenna Parker scored to give the Stars a 2-1 lead just 30 seconds after Arnold scored.

    Saskatoon held a 9-5 edge in shots on goal after the first period.

Jayda Sachs had an assist for the Stars on Tuesday.

    The Slash came with a big push back in the second holding a 12-7 edge in shots on goal, but they were unable to solve Stars 17-year-old veteran goalie Jordan Ivanco. Saskatoon continued to hold a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes.

    The Stars proceeded to find another gear in the third period. Defender Dana Wood and right-winger Jayda Sachs set up Joelle Fiala for a goal to give Saskatoon a 3-1 edge.
    Anna Leschyshyn netted the Stars final tally to seal victory for the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League champs. Saskatoon held a 16-4 edge in shots on goal in the third period.

    Ivanco stopped 20 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Stars. Camryn Drever turned away 28 shots to take the setback in goal for the Slash.

    The Slash went a perfect 7-0 at last year’s Esso Cup tournament to win the national championship. They saw their nine game overall winning streak at the Esso Cup come to an end with Tuesday’s loss.

    With the win, the Stars clinch a berth in one of Friday’s two semifinal matches. Saskatoon needs to win one of its final two games in round robin play to lock up first place in the round robin standings.

    On Wednesday, the Stars return to action taking on the host Metro Boston Pizza (0-2-1) squad. The Stars conclude their round robin schedule on Thursday against the Northern Subway Selects (1-1-1) from New Glasgow, N.S.

    Six teams take part in the Esso Cup, and the top four clubs advance on to two semifinal games to be held Friday. The tournament’s bronze and gold medal games are slated for Saturday, and the gold medal final will be shown live at 4 p.m. Saskatchewan time on TSN.

Back in the Express with Mandarich

    I was back in the Saskatoon Express this week with a story on former NFL offensive lineman Tony Mandarich.

    Mandarich will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Dogs’ Breakfast, which will be held May 3 at 6:45 a.m. at Prairieland Park. The Dogs’ Breakfast raises funds for scholarships for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team.

    Born and raised in Oakville, Ont., Mandarich became a star in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s top football division with the Michigan State University Spartans being named a consensus all-American in 1988 and the Big 10 Conference lineman of the year in 1987 and 1988.

    He was dubbed by Sports Illustrated as “the best offensive lineman prospect ever” and selected in the first round and second overall by the Packers in the 1989 NFL Draft behind quarterback Troy Aikman, who would later enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

    After three lacklustre seasons, the Packers released Mandarich and Sports Illustrated labeled him “The NFL’s Incredible Bust” in a 1992 article.

    He battled drugs and alcohol abuse until his family intervened in March of 1995 and helped him enter rehab and become sober. In an often overlooked epilogue to his time in the NFL, Mandarich returned to the league playing three season for the Indianapolis Colts, which included starting all 16 games in the 1997 campaign.

    A shoulder injury pushed him into retirement following the 1998 season.

    These days, Mandarich lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, pursuing a passion as a full-time photographer, creative and digital artist creating commercial and advertising campaigns for clients.

    The Saskatoon Express story on Mandarich can be found right here.

    Anyone looking for tickets to the Dogs’ Breakfast can do so by clicking here.

    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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