Veteran besties put special cap on Stingers U Sports title win

Concordia downs Varsity Blues 3-1 in championship tilt

The Stingers celebrate winning a U Sports championship.

Rosalie Begin-Cyr and Emmy Fecteau added a fairy tale capper to their U Sports careers.

On Sunday at Merlis Belsher Place, the pair were on the ice for a third period power-play as their Concordia University Stingers held a 2-0 lead over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in the title game of the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship tournament. Fecteau, who is the Stingers 24-year-old captain, got the puck to third-year centre Zoe Thibault.

Thibault drove to the net with the puck and made a drop pass to Begin-Cyr, who wired home a power-play goal through a screen to put the Stingers up 3-0 at the 5:10 mark of the frame. That tally allowed the Stingers to cruise to a 3-1 victory to take the Golden Path Trophy as U Sports champions in a contest played before 1,196 spectators.

The Stingers raise the Golden Path Trophy.

“I think it is the best way to finish your career as a university (player) and as a senior,” said Begin-Cyr, who is the Stingers star right-winger. “We had a great team, and I think it was like we expected from the beginning.

“We wanted to finish better than last year, so it was perfect.”

Fecteau was pleased to Begin-Cyr score her power-play goal in the third period as the two have been basically forever hockey teammates dating back before their time with the Stingers.

“I’m very happy,” said Fecteau, who is a star centre for the Stingers. “It has been 15 years that I have been playing with Rosalie (Begin-Cyr).

Rosalie Begin-Cyr had a goal and an assist for the Stingers.

“She is also my roommate. We’ve been living together for seven years, so I was really pumped for her.”

The Stingers appeared in the U Sports title for the third straight year on Sunday. The Stingers won the championship in 2022 downing the Nipissing Lakers 4-0 in the event’s final, when the tournament was held in Charlottetown, P.E.I. Last year, the Stingers fell 4-3 in overtime in the U Sports title game to the Mount Royal Cougars, when the tournament was held in Montreal.

Begin-Cyr, who is 25-years-old, and Fecteau were part of the winning experience in 2022 and the disappointment in 2023. Playing in their final campaign with the Stingers, they did not want to repeat the experience from a year ago.

Emmy Fecteau had an assist for the Stingers.

Begin-Cyr exhausted her U Sports eligibility playing her fifth-year in 2023-24. Fecteau is in her fourth-year of eligibility, but she will be completing her teaching English as a second language program and is planning to move on to the next step in her life whether it be with the PWHL or the working world.

Both players said the loss to the Cougars helped drive the team to return to the U Sports title game and win it this season.

“It was a good motivation,” said Begin-Cyr, who had an assist to go along with her goal. “From the beginning of the year, it was really like our motivation.

“It was a tough loss.”

Emilie Lussier scored the Stingers first goal on Sunday.

“I think we wanted to show who Concordia is, and we worked so hard to be here today in the final of the championship and to win,” said Fecteau. “We worked for each other.

“It was team first all the way, and it paid off.”

The Stingers posted a perfect 25-0 record in the regular season in 2023-24 and captured the Reseau du Sport Etudiant du Quebec title. They entered the U Sports championship tournament as the top seed.

At the title tourney, the Stingers blanked the host and eighth seeded U of Saskatchewan Huskies 4-0 in a quarter-final on Thursday and slipped past the OUA champion and fourth seeded University of Waterloo Warriors 3-1 in a semifinal on Saturday.

Jessymaude Drapeau (#15) banks home the Stingers second goal.

In Sunday’s final, the Stingers got out to a hot start. Just 69 seconds into the opening frame, Stingers first-year left-winger Emilie Lussier collected the rebound of her own shot at the left side of the Varsity Blues goal. She quickly tucked home a second shot to give the Stingers a 1-0 lead.

At the 8:19 mark of the First, Stingers third-year left-winger Jessymaude Drapeau skated just below the icing line at the right side of the Varsity Blues net. Drapeau, who would be named tournament MVP, deflected the puck from that spot off the pads of Varsity Blues netminder Erica Fryer into the Toronto net to push the Stingers lead out to 2-0.

Jessymaude Drapeau celebrates scoring for the Stingers.

Varsity Blues head coach Vicky Sunohara thought the Stingers game speed at the start might caught her squad a little off guard.

“I think that we were pretty surprised with the pace,” said Sunohara, whose squad was playing their third game in three days. “I thought that we had a slower start, which we talked about that they are a strong team, a fast team, and they transition well and that we need to go from the drop of the puck.

“Playing three games in three days is tough. Our team was ready, but I thought that we were back on our heels a little bit for the first few shifts.”

In the second, the Stingers had a glorious chance to increase their lead while working on the power play. Lussier received a backdoor feed at the right side of the Varsity Blues goal, but Fryer slid across the crease to rob the Concordia forward.

Taylor Delahey had a big chance to score early in the third.

With about two minutes remaining in the second, the Stingers broke into the Varsity Blues zone on a three-on-one break. Lussier came up the left wing with the puck and passed it across the face of the Toronto goal to linemate Zoe Thibault. Fryer again slid across the crease of her net to rob Thibault.

Early in the third, the Varsity Blues had a big chance to get a traction goal when first-year centre Taylor Delahey got in along on the Stinger goal. She tried to put a low shot into the net, but Stingers netminder Jordyn Verbeek came up with a kick save.

Shortly after Verbeek’s save on Delahey, Begin-Cyr potted her power-play goal for the Stingers to increased Concordia’s lead to 3-0.

Erica Fryer, right, makes a big stop for the Varsity Blues.

The Varsity Blues kept trying to battle back. With Fryer pulled for an extra attacker, third-year defender Emma Potter scored for the Varsity Blues with 46.8 seconds remaining in the third to cut the Stingers lead to 3-1. Potter’s tally proved to be too little, too late as the 3-1 score in favour of the Stingers held up as the contest’s final outcome.

Verbeek stopped 19 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Stingers. Fryer turned away 22 shots to take the setback in net for the Varsity Blues.

Stingers HC Julie Chu shouts instructions from the bench.

“Getting to nationals itself is hard,” said Stingers head coach Julie Chu. “We talked about how honoured we are to be here to have earned that opportunity.

“Getting to win is definitely something we don’t take for granted. We know there are tremendous teams that are here at nationals. For us, it is a huge accomplishment.

“It is something that we take a lot of pride in. If we would have lost today, there is a lot of pride in that locker room and a lot of pride for the journey that we took to be able to be the team that we are today win or lose. That is what we try to focus on with our players.”

The Stingers enjoy a goal from Rosalie Begin-Cyr, centre.

The Varsity Blues were making their first appearance in the U Sports title game since losing the 2003 championship final 5-4 in overtime to the University of Alberta Pandas, when the championship tourney was held in Regina.

Toronto went into this year’s tournament as the sixth seed. The Varsity Blues placed second in OUA East at 19-8-1 and fell in OUA final 2-1 in overtime to the visiting Warriors on March 9.

At the U Sports championship tournament, the Blues slipped past the AUS champion and third seeded University of Brunswick Red 2-1 in a quarter-final on Friday. In a semifinal on Saturday, the Varsity bested the Universite de Montreal Carabins 2-1 after taking a tiebreaking shootout 1-0.

The Stingers faithful cheer on their team.

“It is amazing that we are playing, and we’re still playing on March 17th,” said Sunohara. “We talked about that.

“It means you have had a pretty successful season. We have a lot veterans that really, really work hard and put their heart and soul into coming to the rink and competing every day. They’ve started something special.

“We have 13 graduating this year, so they’ve really contributed and put the program in a great place for first years and young ones to come in and say, ‘Hey, this is what the expectations are.’ This is the culture that they’ve built.”

Sunday’s win marked the fourth time the Stingers have won the U Sports championship. Concordia also captured the U Sports title the first two times it was contested in 1998 and 1999, when U Sports was known as the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union (CIAU). 

Captain Emmy Fecteau receives the Golden Path Trophy.

The first win in 1998 also came against the Varsity Blues by a 4-1 final score, when the Stingers claimed the national title as the host squad.

Begin-Cyr and Fecteau said it was special to win the U Sports title once again.

“Winning is always great,” said Begin-Cyr. “We like winning, and that is part of hockey.

“It is not easy to win, but at the end of the way that is why we play hockey to win.”

“It feels great,” said Fecteau. “I have no words to describe it.

“I’m so happy. I’m so proud of my teammates. I’m very happy.”

In Sunday’s bronze medal game, the Carabins slipped past the Warriors 2-1 after taking a tiebreaking shootout 1-0 in Sunday’s bronze medal game.

The Stingers enjoy lifting up the Golden Path Trophy.

Sunday’s consolation final saw the Canada West Conference champion and second seeded UBC Thunderbirds down the host Huskies 4-1.

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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Stingers down resilient Warriors 3-1 in U Sports semifinal

Concordia advances to third straight U Sports title game

Zoe Thibault (#7) scored the Stingers first goal on Saturday.

For a third straight year, the Concordia University Stingers will play for a U Sports women’s hockey title.

On Saturday at Merlis Belsher Place, the Stingers, who are the Reseau du Sport Etudiant du Quebec champions, outlasted a resilient University of Waterloo Warriors squad 3-1 in the first of two semifinals at the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship tournament. The Warriors, who are the OUA champions, road a 37 save performance from netminder Mikayla Schnarr to stay in the game.

The Warriors were down 2-1 and went on the power play with 2:39 remaining in the third when Stingers defender Camille Richard was penalized for body checking. With 1:20 remaining in the third, Stingers third-year right-winger Jessymaude Drapeau took the puck from a pair of Warriors players in the centre ice zone and jetted down the right wing into the Waterloo zone.

Drapeau cut across the front of the Warriors net, put on a deke and tucked home a short-handed goal that sealed the 3-1 victory for the Stingers in a contest played before 647 spectators.

With the win, the Stingers advance to the gold medal final to face the sixth seeded University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday at 6 p.m. at Merlis. The Stingers are making their third straight appearance in the U Sports championship game. The Stingers captured the U Sports title in 2022 downing the Nipissing University Lakers 4-0 in the event’s final, when the tournament was held in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

The Stingers faithful cheers on their team on Saturday.

Last year, the Stingers fell 4-3 in overtime in the U Sports title game to the Mount Royal University Cougars, when the tournament was held in Montreal.

With Saturday’s setback to the Stingers, the Warriors will play in tournament’s bronze medal game against the seventh seeded University de Montreal Carabins set for 2 p.m. at Merlis.

The Stingers came storming out of the gate in Saturday’s semifinal jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first period while holding a 12-6 edge in shots on goal. Third-year centre Zoe Thibault and second-year left-winger Courtney Rice netted singles for the Stingers in the opening frame.

Concordia pressed to get further ahead on the scoreboard in the second holding a 14-6 edge in shots on goal, but they were held at bay by the heroics of Schnarr.

Working on a power play to start the third, the Warriors came up with a big traction moment. Holding the puck at the right side boards, Warriors fourth-year centre Leah Herrfort passed the puck across the front of the Stingers net backdoor to skilled third-year left-winger Tatum James. James tucked home her fourth goal of the tournament to cut the Stingers lead to 2-1.

The Stingers celebrate their win on Saturday.

James’ goal energized the Warriors, but the Stingers were able to stay composed and protect their lead. That set the stage for Drapeau to ice the victory for Concordia with her short-handed tally.

Jordyn Verbeek stopped 19 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Stingers.

Going into Sunday’s championship final, the Stingers will be trying to win their fourth U Sports title in team history having won the U Sports women’s hockey crown the first two times it was contested in 1998 and 1999.

The Warriors were trying to make the U Sports title game for the first time in team history.

Varsity Blues claim Cinderella battle with Carabins, other notes

Erica Fryer (#30) makes a save in goal for the Varsity Blues.

The glass slippers proved to be a better fit for the University of Toronto Varsity Blues.

In the second semifinal of the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship tournament played on Saturday night at Merlis Belsher Place played before 817 spectators, it was a battle of Cinderella teams between the sixth seeded Blues and the seventh seeded University de Montreal Carabins. Neither team wanted to see the clock strike midnight in their respective quests to win a national title.

The two squads went to overtime locked in a 1-1 tie, and the 1-1 tie remained after the two squads played through a 10-minute overtime period of four skaters versus four skaters hockey. In the sixth round of the tiebreaking shootout, Varsity Blues first-year right-winger Ashley Delahey tucked home a shot past Carabins fifth-year netminder Aube Racine.

Third-year right-winger Amelie Poire-Lehoux came up net to shoot for the Carabins, and she was turned away by Varsity Blues netminder Erica Fryer. That stop by Fryer allowed the Varsity Blues to take the tiebreaking session 1-0 and the game 2-1.

With the win, the Varsity Blues advance to play in Sunday’s U Sports championship game against the top seeded Concordia University Stingers set for 6 p.m. on Sunday at Merlis.

The Carabins will take part in Sunday’s bronze medal game against the fourth seeded University of Waterloo Warriors at 2 p.m. at Merlis.

Ashley Delahey scored the tiebreaking shootout winner.

For the Varsity Blues, they will be playing in the U Sports title game on Sunday for the first time since 2003. In the 2003 U Sports championship tournament played in Regina, the Varsity Blues fell 5-4 in overtime to the University of Alberta Pandas.

The Varsity Blues lone U Sports title win came in the 2001 U Sports championship tournament held in Calgary, when they downed the University of Regina Cougars 4-3. The Varsity Blues went up 3-0 in that contest, but the Cougars rallied to tie the score at 3-3 in the third. Later in the third, the Varsity Blues netted the winning goal.

In Saturday’s clash between the Varsity Blues and Carabins, third-year defender Kalie Chan gave the U of T side a 1-0 lead firing home a shot from just above the top of the left faceoff circle at the 9:55 mark of the opening period. Delahey picked up the lone assist on Chan’s tally.

It appeared for the longest time Chan’s lone tally would stand up as the only goal of the contest.

At the 5:01 mark of the third, the Carabins found the equalizer that forced a 1-1 tie score. Carabins fifth-year centre and captain Jessika Boulanger had the puck on the right faceoff dot in the Varsity Blues zone.

She passed the puck across the face of the goal for a backdoor setup to first-year left-winger Juliette Rolland at the left side of the net. Rolland made no mistake knocking home the equalizer. Defender Jade Picard picked up a second assist on Rolland’s goal.

The Varsity Blues start to celebrate a berth in the U Sports title game.

That set the stage for the game to go to overtime and a tiebreaking shootout, where Delahey scored the only goal in the tiebreaking session in the sixth round.

Fryer stopped 25 shots over 70 minutes and all six shooters she faced in the shootout to pick up the win in goal for the Varsity Blues. Racine turned away 23 shots over 70 minutes and five out of six shooters in the shootout.

The Varsity Blues are appearing in the U Sports title game for the fourth time in team history.

The Carabins last appeared in the U Sport championship contest in 2016 blanking the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 8-0, when the national championship tournament was held in Calgary. The Carabins have appeared in four U Sports championship games winning twice.

• The host University of Saskatchewan Huskies downed the Saint Xavier X-Women in the first consolation semifinal on Saturday 3-1 at the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship tournament at Merlis. Defender Brooklyn Stevely had a goal and an assist for the Huskies. Netminder Camryn Drever made 37 saves to pick up the win in goal for U of S.
• The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds blanked the University of New Brunswick Red 4-0 in the second consolation semifinal on Saturday 4-0 at the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship tournament at Merlis. Chanreet Bassi scored twice for the Thunderbirds, while Joelle Fiala and Sierra LaPlante netted singles.
• The consolation final between the Huskies and Thunderbirds at the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship tournament is set for 10 a.m. Sunday at Merlis.
• Stingers captain Emmy Fecteau might be the best two-way player at the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship tournament going on at Merlis. Fecteau has one goal in the Stingers two wins, and she is able to play in all situations for her squad.
• Stevely returned to the Huskies for the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship tournament after she missed the entire 2023-24 campaign to that point battling and beating ovarian cancer. A trio of Saskatoon media outlets did great work on Stevely’s story. Darren Zary’s piece in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix on Stevely can be found by clicking right here. A story by Brooke Kruger and Scott Roblin of Global News Saskatoon on Stevely can be found by clicking right here. Shane Clausing’s story for 650 CKOM on Stevely can be found by clicking right here.
• Sunday’s U Sports title game features two teams in the Concordia University Stingers and the University of Toronto Blues that appeared in the U Sports championship contest held back in 1998. In that game, the Stingers, who were the host squad, claimed a 4-1 victory.

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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Grawbarger makes Varsity Blues dreams come true

Sophie Grawbarger scored the winner for the Varsity Blues.

“You Make My Dreams (Come True)” may never have sounded sweeter for the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women’s hockey team.

With the NHL’s Toronto Maples Leafs have dropped the famous Hall and Oates tune early in the 2023-24 campaign as their goal song after five full seasons, the Varsity Blues decided to pick the medley as their goal song, and they are two victories away from winning a national championship with it. Being two wins away from winning a championship is something the Maple Leafs have only dreamt about since 1967.

On Friday night at Merlis Belsher Place, the Varsity Blues were locked in a 1-1 tie with the University of New Brunswick Reds in the fourth quarter-final of the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship tournament. With 2:21 remaining in the third, Varsity Blues third-year left-winger Sophie Grawbarger elected to take control of the contest in her own hands.

After getting the puck in the centre ice zone, Grawbarger drove hard down the middle of the ice into the UNB zone. She got in close to the Reds goal and put a backhand shot over the shoulder on the stick side of Reds netminder Kendra Woodland into the UNB net to give U of T a 2-1 lead.

That 2-1 score held as the final in front of a gathering of 771 spectators to allow the sixth seeded Varsity Blues to advance to the tournament’s semfinal round. They will face the seventh seeded University de Montreal Carabins in Saturday’s second semifinal slated for 7 p.m. at Merlis.

The first semifinal on Saturday sees the top seeded Concordia University Stingers take on the fourth seeded University of Waterloo Warriors at 4 p.m. at Merlis.

The Reds will play a consolation semifinal against the second seeded University of British Columbia Thunderbirds set for 1 p.m. at Merlis on Saturday.

In the clash between the Varsity Blues and Reds, the two sides played a fairly even first period.

The Reds were denied an equalizer with 18.9 seconds left in the third.

First-year right-winger Ashley Delahey scored at the 12:32 mark of the first to put the Blues up 1-0. Second-year defender Mackenzie Keenan tallied just 49 seconds later for the AUS champion Reds to even the score at 1-1.

The shots on goal between the two sides were tied 9-9 after 20 minutes. The Varsity Blues and Reds skated through a fairly tight checking contest from that point with U of T holding a 7-4 edge in shots on goal in the second period and 6-4 advantage in shots in the third frame.

After the Blues went up 2-1, the Reds made a last gasp push with Woodland pulled for an extra attacker looking for an equalizer that would force overtime. The Reds were successful in creating a hectic mad scramble where Varsity Blues netminder Erica Fryer was able to cover up the puck with 18.9 second remaining in the frame.

Fryer stopped 16 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Varsity Blues. Woodland turned away 20 shots to take the setback in net for the Reds.

The Varsity Blues are searching for their first U Sports crown since winning their lone title in 2001, when they down the University of Regina Cougars 4-3, when the national championship tournament was held in Calgary.

Unfortunately if the Varsity Blues are able to win the U Sports title, they won’t be able to celebrate the accomplishment at one time famed Saskatoon night hotspot in Beily’s Ultra Lounge, which closed in February of 2015. The famed closing tune at Beily’s was “You Make My Dreams (Come True).”

T-birds nationals jinx continues, Carabins take quarter-final

The Carabins enjoy an empty-net goal from Laurie-Anne Ethier (#10).

It seems like a black cloud hangs over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds when it comes to playing in the U Sports Women’s Hockey Championship tournament.

The Thunderbirds jinx at nationals continued even with entering this year’s event having won the Canada West Conference title for a third straight year and being the tournament’s second seed. They fell 4-2 to the seventh seeded Universite de Montreal Carabins in the third quarter-final played on Friday at Merlis Belsher Place before 2,150 spectators.

The teams were tied 1-1 after 20 minutes and were locked in a 2-2 early in the third before the Carabins scored twice more to secure victory. The Carabins were third in Reseau du Sport Etudiant du Quebec at 13-10-2 and went 3-3 in post-season falling to the Concordia University Stingers in the RSEQ final.

In 2022, the Thunderbirds entered nationals held in Charlottetown, P.E.I., as the third seed and fell in the quarter-final 1-0 to the Nipissing University Lakers. Last year, the Thunderbirds entered nationals held in Montreal as the second seed. They fell 3-1 to the Stingers in the semifinal and rebounded to claim the bronze medal game 3-2 over the Carabins.

Friday’s clash between the Thunderbirds and Carabins was tightly contested. Carabins fourth-year centre Mylene Lefebvre scored at the 6:58 mark of the opening frame to give her squad a 1-0 lead. Thunderbirds second-year forward Cassidy Rhodes potted the equalizer at the 13:45 mark of the first to even the score at 1-1.

With 11:01 remaining in the second, Thunderbirds third-year left-winger Grace Elliott was awarded a penalty shot, but she was turned away by Carabins fifth-year netminder Aube Racine.

After the two sides played through a scoreless second, Carabins fourth-year left-winger Joannie Garand wired home a shot from the right wing into the Thunderbirds net to put Montreal up 2-1.

Jade Picard had a goal and two assists for the Carabins.

A short time later, Carabins defender Rose-Michelle Cardin was given a double minor penalty for head contact. On the first part of the double minor, Thunderbirds third-year defender Sophia Gaskell slipped home a smart shot from the point to once again even the score this time at 2-2 just 90 seconds after Garand’s tally.

With 6:10 remaining in the third, Carabins second year defender Jade Picard popped collected the rebound at the left side of the Thunderbirds net from a Garand shot and popped home a tally that gave the Carabins a 3-2 lead. Carabins second-year right-winger Laurie-Anne Ethier scored into an empty-net with 2:01 remaining in the third to round out the Carabins 4-2 victory.

Racine made 24 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Carabins. Third-year goalie Elise Hugens turned away 18-of-21 shots to take the setback in net for the Thunderbirds.

Picard had a pair of assists to go with her goal and was a plus-three in the plus-minus department. Garand and Lefebvre both had an assist to go with their respective goals.

The Carabins went 0-for-7 on the power play, while the Thunderbirds were 1-for-3 with a one skater advantage.

The Carabins advance to play in a tournament semifinal against the sixth seeded University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merlis.

The Thunderbirds will take part in a consolation semifinal against the University of New Brunswick Reds on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Merlis.

Blades close in on clinching first overall in WHL

Alexander Suzdalev scored twice for the Blades on Friday.

With first place in the WHL’s East Division and Eastern Conference locked up, the Saskatoon Blades have turned their full focus towards finishing first overall in the WHL.

On Friday, the Blades took a big step in getting closer to finishing first overall when they won their fifth straight downing the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors 6-3 in a regular season clash before 6,257 spectators at the SaskTel Centre. With the five straight wins, the Blades improve their WHL leading record to 47-12-2-3.

“The Bridge City Bunch” needs to collect five standings points over their last four games to lock up first place overall in the WHL. Only the B.C. Division champion Prince George Cougars (45-15-1-3) and the U.S. Division leading Portland Winterhawks (45-15-2-1) could pass the Blades in the overall WHL standings.

The last time the Blades finished first overall in the WHL was back in the 2010-11 campaign when they posted a 56-13-1-2 record. The 56 victories are a Blades franchise record for wins in one regular season.

In Friday’s contest with the Warriors, the two sides engaged in a back-and-forth struggle over the first 40 minutes. The two sides were locked in a 2-2 draw after the first period and a 3-3 tied after the second before the Blades exploded for the only three goals in the third.

Blades star import winger Alexander Suzdalev blew up Platform-X when he scored a power-play goal on a Michigan style lacrosse shot with four seconds remaining in the opening frame to force a 2-2 tie. Suzdalev finished the night having scored a pair of goals.

Blades star left-winger Brandon Lisowsky had a big night recording a pair of goals and an assist in the win. With 38 goals on the season, Lisowsky is trying to hit the 40-goal plateau for the first time in his WHL career.

Steady left-winger Tyler Parr has a goal and an assist for the Blades, while overage left-winger Easton Armstrong netted a single, which allowed him to hit 30 goals scored for one season for the first time in his WHL career. Blades captain Trevor Wong, star centre Fraser Minten and offensive-defenceman Tanner Molendyk each recorded two assists in the win.

Wong leads the WHL with 83 assists to go along with 13 goals for 96 points. The Vancouver product is trying to hit the 100-point plateau for the first time in his WHL career.

Blades import right-winger Egor Sidorov was held off the scoresheet as he sits on the cusp of a big milestone. Sidorov had scored 49 goals so far this season, which is good for fourth best in the WHL. Along with trying to hit the 50-goal plateau, Sidorov is trying to become the first Blades player to score 50-or-more goals in a season since the 1995-96 campaign.

In the 1995-96 season, both Frank Banham and Mark Deyell hit the 50-goal plateau for the Blades. Banham record 83 goals in that campaign, which is still a franchise record for most goals in a season, and Deyell posted 61 goals.

In the setback to the Blades, offensive-defenceman Denton Mateychuk, Atley Calvert and Jagger Firkus all netted single for the Warriors. Mateychuk had an assist to go with his goal, and Brayden Yager had a pair of assists for the Moose Jaw side.

Rookie netminder Evan Gardner made 26 saves to earn the win in goal for the Blades, who are rated fifth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings. Jackson Unger turned away 36 shots to take the setback in net for the Warriors, who fell to 41-20-0-3 to sit second overall in the Eastern Conference.

The Blades and Warriors go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

Raiders fall to Pats, inch closer to playoff berth

Justice Christensen scored for the Raiders on Friday.

The Prince Albert Raiders stumbled in Regina but got closer to locking up a playoff berth due to an assist from the Edmonton Oil Kings.

On Friday night at the Brandt Centre in Regina, the Raiders dropped a 5-2 decision in a WHL regular season clash to the host Pats before 3,782 spectators despite having a 34-19 edge in shots on goal. The Pats improved to 22-36-4-2 to remain last in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

Out in Edmonton, the host Oil Kings downed the visiting Calgary Hitmen 6-2, which allowed the Raiders to get closer to locking up a berth in the WHL Playoffs. The Oil Kings improved to 25-36-3-1 to sit second last in the Eastern Conference.

With the loss to the Pats, the Raiders fell to 30-29-2-3, but they still sit in eighth place and hold the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. The Hitmen fell to 26-30-7-1 with the loss to the Oil Kings. Calgary sits ninth in the Eastern Conference five standings points behind the Raiders.

At the moment, the Raiders need to collect four more standings points in their final four games to lock up a berth in the WHL Playoffs. The Lethbridge Hurricanes (31-28-5) and the Brandon Wheat Kings (30-28-6-1) both sit two standings points ahead of the Raiders.

The Hurricanes hold sixth place in the Eastern Conference over the Wheat Kings due to having a greater number of wins.

In Friday’s encounter between the Raiders and Pats, Tye Spencer gave the Pats a 1-0 lead at the 10:13 mark of the opening frame. Just 77 seconds later, overage centre Turner McMillen tallied for the Raiders to even the score at 1-1.

Anthony Wilson and Jaxsin Vaughan netted singles for the Pats in the second to give the host side a 3-1 edge going into the second intermission. Pats captain Tanner Howe scored just 10 seconds into the third to increase Regina’s advantage to 4-1.

Raiders offensive-defenceman Justice Christensen potted a power-play goal with 4:46 remaining in the third to trim Regina’s lead to 4-2.

Braxton Whitehead popped home an empty-net goal with 1:42 remaining in the third to round out the 5-2 final in favour of the Pats.

Kelton Pyne stopped 32 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Pats. Max Hildebrand turned away 14-of-18 shots to take the setback in goal for the Raiders.

The Raiders return to action on Saturday when they travel to Brandon to face the Wheat Kings (7 p.m. local time, Westoba Place).

The Pats return to action on Sunday when they host their archrivals the 41-20-0-3 Moose Jaw Warriors (4 p.m., Brandt Centre).

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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Flashback Friday - “West is the Best”

Cougar hockey star rips up CIAU women’s league

By Darren Steinke
Special to CIAU.ca

Brandy West in action for the Cougars in the 2000-01 campaign.

    (*Note – This piece originally ran on the CIAU.ca website on January 4, 2001. Unfortunately in Canadian sports, pieces like this usually get lost for the ages. I rediscovered this piece and decided to run it as a flashback post, so it could see the light of day once again.*)

    In CIAU women’s hockey, there are players, there are stars, there are superstars and then there is Brandy West.

    West is the undeniable premier player in the CIAU. In her first two years with the Cougars, she has been a CWUAA first team all-star twice, the CWUAA rookie-of-the-year in 1999, the CWUAA player-of-the-year twice and a CIAU all-Canadian twice.

    Over her first two seasons, this third-year forward has scored 63 goals and recorded 47 assists for 110 points in 50 games. Up to the Christmas break of this season, West has averaged 2.17 points per game in regular season play. She is arguably the greatest female athlete in the history of all University of Regina Cougars programs.

    “She probably works as hard as anybody on the ice and off the ice as well,” says head coach Sarah Howald. “She is the first one in the gym in the summer and the last one out as well.

    “She has got the goal scoring tough that not very many people are blessed with.”
    West, who hails from Langbank, Saskatchewan, started playing hockey with the boy’s team in Kennedy, Saskatchewan at age seven. She joined the team after spending a year watching a friend play.

Brandy West was the CIAU player-of-the-year in 2000-01.

    Even though she played on a boy’s team, West says she was treated like any other play. The sport was a way of life in her home-town area.

    “It was what you did after school,” she says. “You went outside and played shinny out in the dugout.

    “That is what you did in the winter.”

    After growing up playing hockey, West decided to attend the University of Regina to get her education degree. Since the sport of women’s hockey was growing, the U of R did not have a team in CIAU women’s hockey during her first year. She spent that season playing on a women’s club team.

    When the University of Regina established a Cougars Women’s Hockey Team in her second year, West decided to tryout. She did not realize what she was about to accomplish.

    “It was unexpected,” says West, who is the Cougars team captain. “I came out and tried my hardest.

    “I started out with some good players and put some in.”
    The move also brought Howald into West’s life. Aside from her grandfather John Cancade, West says the biggest influence in her hockey career has been Howald.

    “She has given me new things to try,” says West.
    This five-foot-six forward’s efforts on and off the ice have been appreciated by her teammates. They see her as the team’s leader.

Brandy West, right, takes part in a ceremonial faceoff in February of 2001.

    “She always puts the team before herself,” says teammate Tanya Hutcheon. “She is an open ear. You can always talk to her.”

    Guen Kernaleguen, who plays defence for the Cougars, says West is usually cheerful and good-natured.

    “I think she is definitely a role model for a lot of female athletes,” says Kernaleguen. “She brings spectators, and she brings other female athletes out.”

    Despite her individual success and the success of the Cougars, West has obtained her accomplishments in relative obscurity compared to the other Cougars women’s programs. The U of R’s traditionally strong and established women’s basketball program often overshadows West and her team. It is a situation that does not bother West.
    “This whole thing is real new for me, so any recognition at all is kind of like an honour,” says West. “You see the basketball team, and they are winning all the time.

    “Those are the teams that are going to get the recognition.”

    However, West’s Cougars are on a path to establish a tradition of excellence that will match their basketball counterparts. After the Cougars Women’s Hockey Team completed their first season with a 7-19 overall record, the U of R met the heavily favoured University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the Canada West quarter-final in the 1999 playoffs.

Brandy West, left, and the Cougars are all smiles after a goal in 2000-01.

    West scored four goals as the Cougars eliminated the Huskies with a 5-3 victory. She regards that game as the most memorable moment of her hockey career.
    After losing in the 1999 Canada West semifinal 4-1 to the University of Alberta Pandas, the Cougars moved on to post an impressive 18-4-2 overall record last season. This success did not translate into playoff success.

    The Cougars finished fourth in the 2000 Canada West Championship tournament after suffering one-goal losses to the University of Calgary Dinosaurs and the University of Manitoba Bisons.

    West believes this is the year the Cougars can make a long playoff run.

    “This year we are going to be close,” says West. “We are going to come a long way this year.”

Besides hoping to help the Cougars obtain their playoff goals, West also has a dream of playing hockey after university.

    “I’d like to go all the way to the Olympic team,” says West. “I will keep trying as long as I can.”

Howald sees this type of potential in West.

    “I don’t think it is out of reach for her,” says Howald. “I think she has a shot at national team at some point.”

    Until that time, the Cougars look forward to having West as a key part of their team. They are also glad she still has two years of eligibility remaining after this year.

    “I think when she is gone it will be a big loss for our team,” says Hutcheon. “It will be a big letdown when she leaves the rink.”

The Cougars are 2001 CWUAA champs. (Photo from Erin Balfour-Marshall)

    (*Epilogue – West was named the CIAU player-of-the-year for her exploits in the 2000-01 campaign. West topped the Cougars in regular season scoring with 22 goals and 15 assists for 37 points powering the Cougars to a first place finish in Canada West with a 13-1 record. In February of 2001, West led the Cougars to their only Canada West title to date. They swept the Pandas in the best-of-three Canada West Championship series 2-0 at Exhibition Stadium in Regina. West helped the Cougars advance to the CIAU championship in Late February of 2001 in Calgary, where they fell 4-3 to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. West’s jersey from the 2000-01 campaign sits in the Hockey Hall of Fame.*)

    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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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.