Huskies need someone to play hero role offensively

Kish’s 31 saves backs Cougars to 2-0 victory

The Huskies and Cougars scramble in front of the U of Regina net.

    REGINA - The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team needs someone to throw on the superhero cape.

    So far during regular season play, the Huskies have lacked the scoring punch needed to pull off any comebacks. As soon as the opposition gets ahead, it seems like the final outcome is cemented on the scoreboard.

    On Friday night at the Co-operators Centre in Regina, the Huskies put in an effort to get a positive result against the host U of Regina Cougars. Collectively, it seemed like everyone was holding on to their sticks too tightly on the Dogs side and there was no finish.

    The visitors failed to score on four power play chances and fell victim to a 31 shutout performance from Cougars star netminder Jane Kish. That was enough to allow the Cougars to skate away with a 2-0 victory in a U Sports regular season clash.

Tamara McVannel had a power-play goal for the Cougars.

    The Huskies, who have lost four of their last five games, fell to 8-6-1 with the loss to remain fourth in the Canada West Conference. The Cougars improved to 7-7-1 to sit fifth in Canada West and four points back of the Huskies.

    The Cougars scored early when Czech import right-winger Martina Maskova flipped a shot past Huskies netminder Chloe Marshall at the 2:42 mark of the first period. The hosts picked up an insurance marker at the 11:45 mark of the second, when defender Tamara McVannel slid home a power-play goal from the point through a screen.

    Those tallies proved to be enough to cement the Cougars second win in their last eight games.

    Marshall was solid making 17 saves including a breakaway stop on Maskova in the third to take the setback in goal for the Huskies.

    In their seven losses, the Huskies have fallen three times by a single goal and four times by two goals. In 15 games, the Huskies have allowed 23 goals against which ties the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds for the third fewest goals against in Canada West. The Dogs have also outshot the opposition in six of the seven games they have lost this season.

Netminder Jane Kish made 31 saves to pick up the shutout win.

    U of S has scored just 25 goals on the campaign, so offence has been the Huskies biggest struggle.

    In Friday’s loss, the Huskies showed that their power play has been a huge weakness all season. On the campaign, the Huskies are connecting on 2-of-49 power-play opportunities for a 4.1 per cent success rate, which ranks last in the eight-team Canada West. They have allowed one short-handed goal against.

    At any level of hockey, that is just not good enough. To make matters worse for the Huskies, their power play struggles date back to last season.

    To be fair to the Huskies, no one is scoring in the women’s Canada West hockey conference this season.

    The U of Lethbridge Pronghorns have giving up the fewest goals in the Canada West at 21, and the U of Calgary Dinos have given up the second fewest goals at 22. Both those squads sit outside the top five in the conference standings. 

Emily Upgang had some dangerous offensive chances.

    The total goals given up by the Pronghorns are two less than the Huskies have surrendered.

    Venla Hovi, who is a star forward for the U of Manitoba Bisons, is the only player averaging at least a point a game in the conference with three goals and eight assists in 11 appearances.

    When the Huskies have been down, star fifth-year forward Kaitlin Willoughby, who is the third all-time leading scorer in team history, was able to put on the superhero cape and deliver a number of victories in the past.

    The Prince Albert product missed two games due to injury and admitted during a recent mainstream media interview that she has been playing hurt this season. Inside of the final minute of Friday’s loss, she had a glorious chance to score on a net scramble with Kish down but flipped the puck over an open goal.
    It was the type of chance Willoughby, who has four goals and five assists in 13 appearances, usually scored on in the past.

    Willoughby still entered the offensive zone with speed, but she didn’t look like herself in the opposition end often electing to pass the puck and getting only one shot on goal. At the moment, it feels like Willoughby isn’t the threat in the offensive zone that she once was.

Kaitlin Willoughby struggled in the offensive zone on Friday.

    Forwards Emily Upgang, Bailee Bourassa and Brooklyn Haubrich along with defenders Leah Bohlken and Morgan Willoughby, who is Kaitlin’s younger sister, all had effective chances in the offensive zone, but couldn’t bury any of their opportunities. Rookie centre Chloe Smith had a number of strong rushes up ice and seemed to have success creating plays despite not registering a shot on goal.

    At some point in time, the Huskies will need one or two of these players to step into the hero role in close games, if they want to make waves this season.

    Right now, the Huskies are stuck in a funk where basically the first goal of the game wins, and that is a recipe that doesn’t invite long term success.

    The Huskies and Cougars go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the ancient Rutherford Rink in Saskatoon.

Third period rally boosts Huskies win streak to four

Jordon Cooke picked up his 53rd career win on Friday.

    In Saskatoon on Friday night, the U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team needed a third period rally to extend their winning streak to four games.

    The Huskies entered the third period of a U Sports regular season clash locked in a 1-1 tie with the visiting U of Regina Cougars at the Rutherford Rink. At the 3:57 mark of the third, Zak Zborosky scored for the Cougars to give them a 2-1 lead.

    U of S wasted little time in responding. Just 19 seconds after Zborosky’s goal, Jordan Tkatch scored his first of the season for the Huskies to tie the contest up at 2-2.

    Huskies star centre Logan McVeigh netted the winner at the 9:01 mark of the third to deliver his team to a 3-2 victory.

    Jordan Burns scored for the Cougars in the first period to give the visitors a 1-0 lead, while Collin Shirley tallied in the second period for the Huskies to tie the contest up at 1-1.

    Jordon Cooke made 21 saves to pick up his 53^rd career regular season win playing goal for the Huskies (12-2-1). Cooke is now tied with former teammate Ryan Holfeld for second all-time on the Huskies career wins list. Holfeld won 53 games playing for the Huskies from 2010 to 2015.

    Dawson MacAuley turned away 34 shots to take the setback in goal for the Cougars (3-10-2).

    The two teams go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre in Regina.

    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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“Willo’s” Huskies legend keeps growing

Star forward powers U of S with hat trick in 4-3 playoff win

Kaitlin Willoughby, right, celebrates one of her three goals.

    The presence of a couple of former teammates helped give Kaitlin Willoughby an extra kick to play at an all-world level.

    On Friday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, the 21-year-old star forward with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team could peer into the alumni box to see her former linemates Cami Wooster and Marley Ervine were in attendance for Game 1 of a best-of-three playoff series against the rival University of Regina Cougars. 

    When Willoughby was a rookie in the 2013-14, the trio played an extremely important part in helping the Huskies win their first Canada West title.

    That season, Wooster was the super talented captain in her fifth and final year of eligibility, while Ervine was a third-year heart and soul feisty forward. Together, they had a huge influence in helping Willoughby become the U Sports rookie of the year, and their influence continues help Willoughby be the spectacular player and person she is to this very day.

Kaitlin Willoughby gets set for an offensive zone faceoff.

    “They always text me before games too saying they are going to be cheering me on,” said Willoughby, who helped Canada win silver at the FISU Winter Universiade earlier this month in Almaty, Kazakhstan. “That means a lot to like have those girls there just knowing what we’ve done together in the past.

    “It is just awesome to see them there.”

    The Prince Albert product proceeded to put on a show her former teammates could be proud of. She netted a hat trick to power the Huskies to a 4-3 victory before a three-quarters full house at Rutherford.

    Willoughby’s first goal came short-handed on a setup from defender Brooke Patron to put the Huskies up 1-0 early in the second period. After the Cougars went up 2-1, she rocketed home a power-play goal top corner to force 2-2 tie heading into the second intermission.

Kaitlin Willoughby wires home her hat trick goal.

    At the 4:52 mark of the third, Willoughby wired home her third goal of the night to put the Huskies up 3-2.

    “My first goal was pretty lucky there,” said Willoughby. “I just threw it on net.

    “That is what happens when you keep grinding it out. The second two shots I was actually aiming.”

    The contest was also a physical one, and Willoughby didn’t shy away from that aspect of the game either. Besides winning a number of individual battles, she turned heads in the second, when she knocked Cougars defender Krista Metz to the ice. Metz stands an imposing 5-foot-11, and she has a height advantage of five inches on Willoughby.

    Willoughby said her side got locked into the game when Cougars sophomore forward Jaycee Magwood went hard to the net on a rush and nailed Huskies goaltender Cassidy Hendricks early in the first.

Kaitlin Willoughby does a flyby celebration after one of her three goals.

    “I think right off the start we were just like OK we are not letting them have anything tonight,” said Willoughby. “We are not letting that happen again.

    “We beared down, and we battled through.”

    The Huskies lead increased to 4-2, when speedy fourth-year forward Kori Herner scored just two minutes after Willoughby netted her hat trick tally.

    Magwood capitalized on a Huskies giveaway to cut the host’s edge to 4-3 with 3:42 to play. That set the stage for Willoughby to add her final impact on the win.

    With under 35 seconds to play, she broke up ice with the puck and was tripped by Cougars rookie forward Merissa Zerr. That infraction helped put an end to the visitor’s comeback hopes.

    Huskies interim head coach Robin Ulrich said Willoughby definitely stepped up in the series opener.

    “That is an example of what an exceptional player she is and just a difference maker in the game,” said Ulrich. “She is a game breaker, and that is why she is one of the best players in the league.

    “She can make the difference.”

The Huskies celebrate their 4-3 Game 1 victory over the Cougars.

    Tamara McVannel and Magwood both replied with singles for the Cougars.

    Hendricks turned away 28 shots to earn the win in goal for the Huskies. Jane Kish turned away 25 shots to take the loss in goal for the Cougars. Kish hadn’t given up a goal to the Huskies in two regular season starts.

    The win puts the Huskies in position to sweep the series in Game 2 on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

    The overall intensity of Game 1 was fairly high, and Willoughby expected it to be that way that night and for the rest of the series.

    “We go into the game thinking that it is going to be like an intense game,” said Willoughby. “We don’t take anyone lightly.

    “We went out there, and we had some fun with it. I think things just bounced our way tonight.”

    If a series deciding Game 3 is needed, it will be held Sunday night at 7 p.m. at Rutherford.

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