Raiders’ grad Kosior is cool with school

Landon Kosior in action for the Huskies in February of 2024.

Landon Kosior is in the post-season groove.

The graduate of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders is looking forward to his second go in the playoffs in the U Sports ranks skating on the blue-line of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Men’s Hockey Team. The Huskies topped the Canada West Conference regular season standings with a 23-5 record and will host the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in a best-of-three conference semifinal series.

Games 1 and 2 will go Friday and Saturday respectively with a 7 p.m. start time on each night at Merlis Belsher Place. If necessary, a series-deciding Game 3 is set for Sunday at 6 p.m. at Merlis. The Thunderbirds finished fourth overall in Canada West with an 18-8-0-2 mark.

“Coming into the year just with the guys that we were bringing back, we kind of knew that we should have a pretty good team,” said Kosior, who stands 6-feet and weighs 190 pounds. “I think it has gone just as we had hoped.

“That being said, the playoffs are coming up. That is the main goal of the year is to win a championship, so the real season starts now.”

This story of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click right here.

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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Thunderbirds slip past Huskies 2-1 after tiebreaking shootout

Kara Kondrat, left, makes a pass in the offensive zone.

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Hockey Team went stride for stride with the top team in the Canada West Conference but just couldn’t get the win.

On Friday night at Merlis Belsher place, the Huskies played the Canada West leading University of British Columbia Thunderbirds to a 1-1 draw through regulation and a three-on-three overtime period forcing the U Sports regular season contest to go to a tiebreaking shootout. In the shootout, Thunderbirds standout right-winger Chanreet Bassi scored the only goal in the tiebreaking session coming in the fourth round to give her side a 2-1 overall victory in the game played in front of 300 spectators.

Elise Hugens made 24 saves for 65 minutes for the Thunderbirds.

The Thunderbirds, who are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 Rankings, improved to 11-0-1-1 with the win. The Huskies, who are rated 10 in the U Sports Top 10 Rankings, saw their record move to 8-3-1-1.

“It was as advertised,” said Huskies head coach Steve Kook. “It was physical.

“It was fast. I thought we played the right way. We were trying to get pressure, and I thought we did that.

“I thought our young ‘D’ played well again against a team that put a lot of pressure on our D-zone. Our kill did a heck of a job.”

Camryn Drever made 37 saves over 65 minutes for the Huskies.

The two sides played a fairly structured and tight checking game. Through the structure, both sides would have momentum surges that were turned away by the goalies on each side.

Huskies all-world netminder Camryn Drever made 37 saves through regulation and overtime, and she turned away three-of-four shooters in the shootout. She turned away shots that came in on goal off deflections and somehow found pucks that came in through screens in front of the net.

Thunderbirds netminder Elise Hugens made 24 saves through regulation and overtime, and she turned away all four shooters she faced in the shootout. She made her fair share of difficult saves too.

Mackenzie Kordic scored in regulation for the Thunderbirds.

The two sides played through a scoreless tie over the first 40 minutes of the contest.

Just 34 seconds into the third, the Thunderbirds broke though on the scoreboard as second-year right-winger Mackenzie Kordic potted her 10th goal of the season. Kordic drove down the right wing, cut to the right faceoff dot and snapped a shot past Drever to give the Thunderbirds a 1-0 edge.

The lead didn’t last as the Huskies pulled even at 1-1 just over six minutes later. While working on the power play, Huskies left-winger Sophie Lalor fed a pass to defender Isabella Pozzi. Pozzi one-timed a rocket shot to the top left corner of the Thunderbirds net for the equalizer.

Isabella Pozzi scored on the power play in regulation for the Huskies.

The Huskies went 1-for-5 on the power play in the contest, while the Thunderbirds failed to score on five power-play opportunities.

Kook said Drever was outstanding on Friday night, and he was impressed with his team’s work on the penalty kill. The bench boss said his netminder is driven to stop everything.

“Cam (Drever) red all of those cross ice and even that one that went the other way for the one-timer,” said Kook. “Cam feels bad about the loss right now.

“Her and the kill were the stars of the game for us.”

Sophie Lalor fires a shot on goal for the Huskies.

With standout veteran defender Brooklyn Stevely out due to injury, the Huskies went with a younger look on defence. Rookies Jacquelyne Chief and Makenna Stevens dressed as one pair.

Sophomore Shelby Williamson and third-year McKenna Bolger made up another defensive pair. Pozzi, who is in her fifth year, and Kendra Zuchotzki, who is in her third year, were the veteran pair on the back end.

Kook is showing faith in the youngsters too. When the Thunderbirds went on a power play in overtime, Chief was sent out to start the penalty kill on the four-on-three situation.

“I think for me, my nerves definitely like come up a bit,” said Chief. “When we’re like in overtime, it is like, ‘OK, go kill.’

Huskies D Jacquelyne Chief, left, battles UBC LW Cassidy Rhodes.

“I’m like, ‘You want me out there?’ It is kind of a surprise. I feel like since they have that trust in me I just have to live up to it.

“I think I do my part.”

The Thunderbirds had scoring chances, but the Huskies were able to come away with a successful kill.

After the kill, the Huskies got momentum. Near the end of the overtime frame, Lalor and Pozzi both had prime scoring chances, but they were turned away by Hugens.

Huskies third-year centre Mallory Dyer had a chance in close for a buzzer beater, but she drove the puck over top of the net.

Jasper Desmarais circles in the offensive zone with the puck.

In the shootout, Bassi put on a few fakes in her approach to the net before firing home the winner.

The two sides go at it again on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place. Kook said he offered encouragement to his squad looking ahead to Saturday’s encounter.

“I said we played the right way,” said Kook. “Our job right now is to make sure that we get our nutrition and do the right things, so that we are ready to go tomorrow.

The Thunderbirds celebrate their shootout victory.

“That is the beauty of this league. You get another kick at it. We played the right way.

“If we do this again tomorrow, I’d be happy with our effort.”

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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Huskies good and feeling alright as Hardy Cup champs

U of S repeats as Canada West Conference title winners

The Huskies raise the Hardy Cup as Canada West champs.

Scott Flory didn’t want to break up the party.

The head coach had just guided his University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team to a 23-8 victory over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds before 1,916 spectators at Griffiths Stadium in the Canada West Conference championship game on Saturday. With the win, the Huskies captured the Hardy Cup for the second straight year and 21^st time in program history.

Following the trophy presentation, the players celebrated with their family and friends on the field getting various pictures taken. After about 25 minutes, Flory with a big smile on his face started rounding up his players for a quick team meeting.

Kicker David Solie is pictured with some family members.

Flory was telling his players as he rounded them up the meeting wouldn’t take long and then they can get back to celebrating. He would tell parents with a big grin that he just needed their sons for a short time, and then they can get back together after the meeting was held.

Even Huskies team staffers were chuckling as they tried to help rounding up players. It felt like an exercise in herding cats.

Overall, it might have been -15 C throughout the conference championship game, but you couldn’t miss the warm family feeling that existed between the host side and their supporters. Once again under the direction of Flory who became the Huskies head coach before the start of the 2017 campaign, the U of S side is off on another long playoff run.

Huskies HC Scott Flory holds court with a post-game TV interview.

The next stop on the ride will be the Uteck Bowl this coming Saturday, when the Huskies (9-1) travel to Antigonish, N.S., to take on the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men (9-0). A big contingent of Huskies supporters will make the trip across about 75 per cent of Canada to that contest at StFX Stadium, which will also be shown on CBC Gem and CBC Sports.ca and heard by local broadcasters on HuskieFAN at 11 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

Last year, the Huskies claimed the Uteck Bowl with a 14-10 victory over the Universite de Montreal Carabins at The CEPSUM in Montreal, Quebec. U of S then advanced to the U Sports title contest – the Vanier Cup – where they fell 27-21 to the University of Western Ontario Mustangs at Stade Telus – Universite Laval in Quebec City, Quebec.

QB Mason Nyhus has won all of his 16 career home starts.

In 2022, the Huskies, who have won three Canada West championships under Flory’s watch, are intent on getting back to the Vanier Cup and winning the U Sports championship for the first time since 1998, when U Sports was still known as the CIAU.

On these journeys, the Huskies and their supporters don’t get ahead of themselves and always stay mindful to be in the present. Everyone with the team knows that time goes by too fast when you’re linked to something good.

The first order of business was to take care of business in the Hardy Cup. Saturday’s game was your classic frigid tilt that is commonly held on the Prairie Provinces in November.

A mix of the Huskies veteran and young generations would all have big moments to ensure the Hardy Cup continued to reside at the U of S.

David Solie made all three of his field goals on Saturday.

After playing through a scoreless opening quarter, the Huskies took a 9-0 lead after veteran kicker/punter David Solie hit field goals from 30, 24 and 21 yards out. The second field goal was set up by Huskies veteran defensive back Charlie Ringland forcing a fumble that was recovered by a massive pile of teammates who dove in to get the loose ball.

The Thunderbirds didn’t go away as they are guided by one of U Sports all-time great sideline bosses in head coach Blake Nill. Late in the second quarter, the Thunderbirds put together a 70-yard drive the concluded with a one-yard touchdown dive by running back Lucas Mastrodomenico with 30.6 seconds remaining in the frame to cut the Huskies edge to 9-7.

Lucas Mastrodomenico (#30) squeaks in a UBC major score.

At the 5:37 mark of the third quarter, the Thunderbirds had a chance to jump in front, but kicker Owen Brown pushed a 25 yard field goal attempt wide for a single point that trimmed the U of S advantage to 9-8. That was as close as the Thunderbirds would get.

Huskies fifth-year star quarterback Mason Nyhus, who was named the player of the year for Canada West, proceeded to engineer a game-turning scoring drive that ran 14 plays, covered 67 yards and ate the final 7:31 of the third quarter.

On the final play of the third quarter, Nyhus hit first-year receiver Jordin Rusnack with an eight-yard outlet pass for a touchdown to push the Huskies lead out to 16-8. 

Jordin Rusnack scores a TD on an eight-yard reception.

That touchdown catch was Rusnack’s only reception of the contest, but it came at a critical time for the Huskies.

In the fourth quarter, the Thunderbirds offence had difficulty sustaining any drives.

Thanks to a well placed Solie punt and a key special teams tackle by veteran defensive back Logan Bitz, the Thunderbirds were forced to start a drive at their own seven yard line with 9:05 remaining in the stanza.

On the first play of that drive, Thunderbirds second year starting quarterback Derek Engel was intercepted by Huskies defensive back Finn Marcotte-Cribb, and Marcotte-Cribb had an uncontested nine-yard run for a touchdown to push the Huskies lead out to 23-8.

Finn Marcotte-Cribb (#27) returns an interception for a TD.

The Thunderbirds proceeded to turn the ball over on the first play of their ensuing offence series, when Engel was picked off by Huskies veteran star defensive back Nixen Voll. Voll returned the ball 27 yards to the UBC 28 yard line.

The Huskies weren’t able to convert Voll’s interception into points. Nyhus was intercepted by first year Thunderbirds defensive back Ben Sangmuah at the UBC 15 yard line on the ensuing U of S series.

While there was still 6:41 remaining in the fourth quarter, it felt like the 23-8 score was going to be cemented as the final outcome which it was. The Thunderbirds were unable to advance past their own 45 yard line the rest of the contest.

The game ultimately ended with a knee down by Nyhus to spark the post-game conference championship celebration by the hosts.

Ryker Frank, right, had 63 yards rushing and 70 yards receiving.

Nyhus quietly put together a solid outing competing 22-of-28 passes for 232 yards and one touchdown, while throwing one interception. Set to graduate from the team once their playoff run concludes, Nyhus played his final home game on Saturday, and he won all 16 of his U Sports home starts during his time with the Huskies.

Huskies second year running back Ryker Frank led his side in both rushing and receiving yards. Frank carried the ball 23 times for 63 yards and caught a game high eight passes for 70 yards.

Engel connected on 15-of-31 passes for 149 yards while throwing two interceptions for the Thunderbirds.

The Huskies faithful salutes their team at game’s end.

Running back Isaiah Knight topped the Thunderbirds in rushing with 17 carries for 54 yards, while receiver Edgerrin Williams was the top pass catcher for the visitors hauling in six passes for 68 yards. UBC was held to 231 yards of total offence.

Huskies second-year linebacker Seth Hundeby led the hosts with 7.5 tackles to go with a quarterback sack. Thunderbirds second-year linebacker Ryan Baker topped the visitors with 10.5 tackles.

Saturday’s win allowed the Huskies to run their home winning streak up 18 games. Their last loss at home came back on September 14, 2018, when they dropped a 37-28 decision to the University of Calgary Dinos.

The Hardy Cup victory on Saturday added another memorable moment to the rich history of the Huskies football program and another milestone for all involved with the team in recent years.

The Huskies celebrate winning the Hardy Cup.

After the Hardy Cup game on Saturday, the Huskies took time to soak in their accomplishment. Come Sunday morning, the focus turns towards making another lifetime memory at the upcoming Uteck Bowl.

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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Lunch bucket effort lifts Huskies past Thunderbirds 4-2

The Huskies celebrate a third period goal from Abby Shirley.

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey showed they can win gaining three yards in a cloud of dust.

On Friday night at Merlis Belsher Place, the Huskies brought out their steel toed boots and work gloves to down the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 4-2 in a U Sports regular season clash played before 538 spectators.

The Huskies got two of their tallies from the gritty area in front of the net. Another tally was a smart point shot that found its way through a screen.

The effort allowed the Huskies to win their fourth straight improving to 6-1-2, while the Thunderbirds fell to 6-3.

Jordyn Holmes scored the winning goal for the Huskies.

While the Huskies goals were more of the gritty type tallies, the two sides got up and down the ice quite well after a bit of a slow start over the first 10 minutes.

During the first 10-minutes Thunderbirds offensive-defender Hannah Koroll likely had the best scoring chance going coast-to-coast on a rush only to be turned away Huskies third-year netminder Camryn Drever.

The teams hit another gear in the final 10-minutes of the opening frame. The Huskies were denied by Thunderbirds netminder Elise Hugens on two solid chances that included a slot drive from Huskies captain Bailee Bourassa and close in chance by left-winger Sophie Lalor.

The Huskies held a 10-9 edge in shots on goal after the opening 20 minutes.

Sophie Gaskell had the Thunderbirds first goal on Friday.

Just 81 seconds into the second period, the Thunderbirds got on the scoreboard first when rookie defender Sophia Gaskell floated home a point shot through a screen that deflected off the post of the Huskies goal into the net for a 1-0 lead.

The Huskies evened things up at 1-1 just over five minutes later when third-year defender Isabella Pozzi slipped a point shot through a screen into the Thunderbirds net. The tally was Pozzi’s first career U Sports goal.

U of S proceeded to catch a break at the 11:23 mark of the second, when Thunderbirds left-winger Grace Elliott and Thunderbirds defender Rylind MacKinnon received minor penalties for a head hit and bodychecking respectively.

Isabella Pozzi scored her first career U Sports goal on Friday.

On the ensuing two-person advantage, Huskies third-year centre Kennedy Brown shoveled home a power-play goal during a net scramble in front of the Thunderbirds net to put the host side up 2-1.

The Thunderbirds proceeded to respond just over two minutes later working on a power play of their own, when right-winger Mackenzie Kordic potted her third of the season to even things up at 2-2.

The Huskies were able to go into the second intermission with the lead. With 3:31 remaining in the second period, gritty right-winger Jordyn Holmes banged in a goal from the front of the UBC net to give the host side a 3-2 advantage.

Holmes picked up an assist on Pozzi’s goal to finish the contest with two points.

At the 5:54 mark of the third, the Huskies potted a key insurance goal on a rare four-versus-three power play. 

The Thunderbirds celebrate a goal from Mackenzie Kordic.

Bourassa and centre Kate Ball teamed to set up Abby Shirley in the left slot, who drove home her fourth of the season to increase the Huskies edge to 4-2.

From that point in the game, Drever slammed the door in the Huskies net. She made 29 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies.

The Edmonton product, who helped the St. Albert Slash win two Esso Cups as national female under-18 AAA champions in 2017 and 2018, has had a strong start this season for the Huskies. In her seven starts, Drever has a 5-1-1 record, 1.42 goals against average, a .943 save percentage and one shutout.

Captain Bailee Bourassa had an assist for the Huskies on Friday.

Elise Hugens turned away 27 shots to take the setback in net for the Thunderbirds, who are rated ninth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings. Left-winger Ireland Perrott picked up assists on both UBC goals.

The two teams go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.

NOTES – After the entire 2020-21 U Sports hockey season was lost due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world, the Huskies and Thunderbirds iced kind of younger teams compared to when they last met in the Canada West Conference playoffs in February of 2020, when the Thunderbirds swept a best-of-three quarter-final series 2-0 with two overtime wins.

Kennedy Brown scored the Huskies second goal on Friday.

The Huskies have one fifth-year player and one fourth-year player. The Thunderbirds have one fifth-year player and four fourth-year players.

In the 2019-20 campaign, the Huskies had eight fifth-year players and four fourth-year players, while the Thunderbirds had three fifth-year players and five fourth-year players.

Following Friday’s game, both teams lined up on their respective blue-lines and saluted the crowd at Merlis Belsher Place. After that salute, the Thunderbirds left the ice and the Huskies did their traditional end of game salute to the crowd at centre ice.

The Thunderbirds roster contained third-year centre Joelle Fiala, who made a homecoming to Merlis Belsher Place. Fiala was playing at Merlis since last suiting up with the Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA team helping them win a Western regional playdown series in April of 2019.

The Huskies celebrate their win over the Thunderbirds.

The Clavet, Sask., product played two seasons in the NCAA Division I ranks with the Robert Morris University Colonials women’s hockey team from 2019 to 2021. She joined the Thunderbirds after Robert Morris University folded both its men’s and women’s hockey teams following the 2020-21 campaign.

Fiala is still the eighth all-time leading scorer in the history of the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey league piling up 47 goals and 83 assists in 112 regular season games from 2015 to 2019. She is the Stars career leader in regular season assists.

Toth holds Huskies men’s team at bay

Rylan Toth backstopped the Thunderbirds to victory on Friday.

University of British Columbia men’s hockey team netminder Rylan Toth slammed the door on the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

On Friday at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver, B.C., Toth made 24 saves that included turning away a first period penalty shot to backstop the Thunderbirds to a 4-1 victory before 750 spectators.

Toth, who is from Saskatoon, helped the Thunderbirds, who are rated fourth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, improve to 7-1-1, while the Huskies, who are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, fell to 7-2.

The Huskies won their first seven straight games before dropping their last two outings.

Just 65 seconds into the contest, Toth turned away Huskies forward Zane Franklin on a penalty shot.

Fourth-year forward Tyler Sandhu gave the Thunderbirds a 1-0 lead in the first period, but Huskies first-year forward Dawson Holt evened the score at 1-1 with a power-play goal going into the first intermission.

Matt Revel, Cyle McNabb and Scott Atkinson netted singles in the second to pace the Thunderbirds to their 4-1 victory. Atkinson’s tally came short-handed.

Roddy Ross turned away 25 shots to take the setback in goal for the Huskies.

The two sides go at it again in Vancouver on Saturday.

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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Celebration is deserved for CFL Draft selections

Nelson Lokombo in action for the Huskies in 2019.

They’ve worked their butts off and deserve a moment of celebration.

On Tuesday, the annual CFL Draft was held by the beleaguered Canadian professional football circuit which wasn’t able to hit the field for a season in 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

Due to public health orders and restrictions that are still in place to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, the start of a possible 2021 CFL season has been pushed back from June 10 to August 5. Each team is slated to play 14 regular season games each as opposed to the normal length of 18 regular season games.

As it stands right now, the last CFL game that was played was on Nov. 24, 2019 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alta., when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers thumped the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 33-12 to win the Grey Cup.

While the CFL wasn’t able to hit the field in 2020, players who were selected in Tuesday’s CFL Draft should take every opportunity to enjoy the moment. They put in a lot of hard work and made a tonne of sacrifices to get to this point.

The draftees that play out of Canada had to preserver though an unprecedented 2020, where the football league in U Sports and the CJFL weren’t able to hold campaigns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Connor Berglof in action for the Huskies in 2019.

Football has been a passion for a long time for the draftees. Being selected in the CFL Draft is still a huge accomplishment.

The latest CFL Draft was a good day for both the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and the University of Regina Rams.

The Huskies had three players taken in the draft including defensive backs Nelson Lokombo and Josh Hagerty along with centre Connor Berglof.

The Rams had two players selected in linebacker Robbie Lowes and running back Kyle Borsa.

On the Huskies front, Lokombo was the most well-known CFL prospect as he was named the U Sports defensive player of the year and a first team all-Canadian all-star in 2019.

That season, Lokombo, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 190 pounds, topped the Huskies with four interceptions, and he returned two of those interceptions for touchdowns during the regular season.

The Abbotsford, B.C., product posted 23.5 total tackles, 2.5 sacks and four pass breakups during the regular campaign, which saw the Huskies post a 5-3 record.

Josh Hagerty in action for the Huskies in 2019.

The 22-year-old, who has played three complete seasons with the Huskies, can play every position in the defensive secondary and could likely slide into an outside linebacker spot if needed.

Connor Berglof kept up the Huskies reputation as being “O-line U” getting selected in the third round and 24^th overall by the Ottawa Redblacks. 

The graduate of Saskatoon’s Tommy Douglas Collegiate Tigers high school football team was the Huskies starting centre in 2019 and picked up all-Canadian all-star honours in his third campaign of U Sports eligibility.

The 24-year-old Berglof, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 300 pounds, became the third starter from the Huskies O-line in 2019 to be selected in the CFL Draft.

In the 2020 CFL Draft, left guard Mattland Riley was picked in the first round and seventh overall by the Roughriders, and right tackle Nick Summach was selected in the seventh round and 57^th overall by the Edmonton Football Club.

Hagerty rounded out the Huskies that were picked in the 2021 CFL Draft going in the sixth round and 47^th overall to the Toronto Argonauts.

Robbie Lowes (#32) recovers a fumble for the Rams in 2018.

The 22-year-old, who is a graduate of Regina’s Campbell Collegiate Tartans high school team, had 13.5 tackles and one interception playing six regular season games for the Huskies in 2019. Hagerty, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 200 pounds, has played three seasons for the Huskies and has a huge upside.

He has the potential to be one of those players where people will look back and not believe he was a sixth round CFL Draft selection.

On the Rams side of things, both Lowes and Borsa were selected by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Lowes was the first to go off the board being taken in the fourth round and 34^th overall. The 25-year-old, who is a graduate of Regina’s Michael A. Riffel High School Royals football team, collected 35 total tackles, two forced fumbles, two blocked kicks, one interception and one fumble recovery helping the Rams post a 3-5 record in 2019.

Lowes, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 205 pounds, played two complete seasons with the Rams after spending three seasons in the CJFL split between the Regina Thunder and the Langford, B.C., based Westshore Rebels.

Kyle Borsa in action for the Rams in 2018.

The Bombers picked Borsa in the fifth round and 39^th overall. The 22-year-old last played for the Rams in 2018 and was forced to miss the 2019 U Sports football season serving a 16-month suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.

In the 2018 campaign, Borsa, who stands 6-feet and weighs 185 pounds, appeared in all eight of the Rams regular season games carrying the ball 96 times for 613 yards scoring six touchdowns. He caught 16 passes for 227 yards with one of those receptions going for a major score.

Borsa piled up 1,340 all-purpose yards in 2018, which was the second highest total for a Rams player in one season in the team’s U Sports history.

Also, former Rams linebacker Nick Cross, who played the 2019 campaign with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, went in the first round and ninth overall to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The 21-year-old Cross, who stands 6-feet and weighs 182 pounds, appeared in all eight regular season games for the Thunderbirds in 2019 piling up 66.5 tackles and returned one interception 17 yards for a touchdown.

Cross is a graduate of Regina’s Dr. Martin Leboldus High School Golden Suns football team.

Nick Cross, left, with Nicholas Dheilly in 2019.

For the players that were selected in Tuesday’s CFL Draft, their hard work resulted in the realization of a dream.

No matter what is happening in the world outside of the control of these players, their draft selections are an accomplishment they have every right to savour and enjoy.

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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A unique championship night you wish could last forever

Huskies first Canada West title at Merlis a lasting memory

Collin Shirley (#11) and family celebrate a Canada West title win.

Had anyone known how the world was going to change in the three proceeding weeks, maybe the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team and their supporters would have soaked in the Canada West title win a little longer?

Likely, that goes down as 20-20 vision thinking.

On February 29, 2020, the Huskies downed the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 3-1 in Game 2 of the Canada West Championship series to sweet the best-of-three set 2-0. The series clinching game was played before a standing room record crowd of 2,667 spectators at Merlis Belsher Place.

The Huskies pour off their bench after their Canada West title win.

The best place to be was on the ice surface with the Huskies family and friends following the win, which was the first conference title the team won since moving to Merlis before the start of the 2018-19 campaign. Laughter and jokes filled the air and smiles could be seen all over the place.

People were racing to get photos taken by mobile phone cameras posted on their social media accounts most notably on Instagram. A lot of the pictures included the Dr. W.G. Hardy Trophy and the Canada West championship banner.

The Huskies raise the Dr. W.G. Hardy Trophy.

A lot of other photos were pictures filled with all sorts of combinations of Huskies players, Huskies coaches, Huskies staff members, family members and friends.

It was as joyful a Saturday night as anyone could have asked for. Looking back on that night, everyone who had a link with the Huskies soaked in and enjoyed that night like they should have.

No one knew how the world would change.

After a full week of practices at home, the Huskies departed for Halifax, N.S., for the David Johnston University Cup, which is the U Sports men’s hockey national championship tournament.

Tanner Lishchynsky takes the Dr. W.G. Hardy Trophy for a spin.

On the U Sports awards night on March 11, 2020, Huskies netminder Taran Kozun was named the recipient of the Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Trophy as the U Sports player of the year, and he took honours as the U Sports goaltender of the year.

Huskies fifth-year right-winger Levi Cable captured the R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award as the most sportsmanlike player in U Sports. Huskies centre Jared Dmytriw was named to the U Sports all-rookie team.

Before the awards night took place, talk of a coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was starting to filter into conversations. Teams at the David Johnston University Cup were told there would be no post-game handshakes during the tournament and players to use their own personal water bottle during practices and games.

Jeff Faith, left, and Evan Fiala ham it up.

On March 12, 2020, the Huskies got to play their quarter-final game falling 3-2 to the University of Western Ontario Mustangs. The Huskies were missing a number of players including Cable as a flu bug worked through the team.

 At the end of the night, word came down that the rest of the U Sports men’s hockey championship has been cancelled due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. In other locations, the remainder of the U Sports women’s hockey national championship tournament and the U Sports men’s and women’s volleyball national championship tournaments were also cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic fears.

On March 13, 2020, a large number of sports governing bodies in Canada had halted sanctioning of events including Hockey Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a crazy twist, pretty much all of the Huskies who were battled the flu recovered by the morning of March 13, 2020. Due to the fact they couldn’t return to Saskatoon until taking their scheduled return flights after the tournament was supposed to end on March 15, 2020, the Huskies players, coaches, staff and families took in some site seeing before journeying back west.

Levi Cable was the most sportsmanlike player in U Sports.

At the moment, the Huskies still haven’t returned to the ice for any games since that Canada West title clinching win over the Thunderbirds and that quarter-final U Sports tournament loss to the Mustangs.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grip the world, all U Sports nationals for the 2020-21 campaign were cancelled and all regular season play for the Canada West Conference in 2020-21 was cancelled. Ultimately, all four conferences that play under the U Sports umbrella cancelled their 2020-21 campaigns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For almost a year now, the world has experienced various levels of restrictions brought on to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Merlis Belsher Place has been turned into a COVID-19 field hospital in waiting. The processing of some COVID-19 tests and COVID-19 vaccinations take place there now.

Jared Dmytriw made the U Sports all-rookie team.

The developments in the world make those that were at Merlis Belsher Place on February 29, 2020 look even more fondly back on that day. On that day and night, no one was really even thinking about a COVID-19 pandemic.

That day and night played out like most championships winning game days would.

During the 2019-20 campaign, the Huskies men’s hockey team had a season where it seemed the intangibles all fell into place.

The Huskies actually stumbled out of the gates going 0-3-1 over their first four regular season games in 2019-20. They roared back to finish second in the Canada West Conference with a 22-4-2 record.

U of S ended up hosting the Canada West Championship series after the first place University of Alberta Golden Bears, who were 23-5 in the regular season, were upset in their Canada West semifinal series by the Thunderbirds, who were fifth in Canada West with a 9-14-5 regular season record.

Taran Kozun was the U Sports player of the year.

With Merlis being the site of the Canada West Championship series, the Huskies faithful came out in droves. The Huskies slipped past the Thunderbirds 3-2 in Game 1 of the series on February 28, 2020 playing in front of 2,281 spectators.

That set the stage for the record gathering of 2,667 spectators in the Huskies series clinching win in Game 2 on February 29, 2020.

The Huskies came out flying in Game 2 going ahead 2-0 after 20 minutes on goals from Carson Stadnyk and Cable. Cable, who was playing in his 175^th consecutive game for the Huskies including action in the U Sports regular season and post-season, netted his second of the contest with 2:37 remaining the second period, while U of S was working on the power play.

Carson Stadnyk came through with key goals.

The hosts took that 3-0 lead into the second intermission holding a 23-13 edge in shots on goal.

Thunderbirds left-winger Jake Kryski scored to put the visitors on the board with a power-play goal with 3:16 remaining in the third to round out the 3-1 final in favour of the Huskies.

Kozun made 17 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies. Saskatoon product Rylan Toth turned away 26 shots to take the setback in goal for the Thunderbirds.

Pandemonium filled the ice after time expired on the third period clock.

One of the most heartwarming scenes from the post-game celebration was when legendary Huskies head coach Dave Adolph gave his gold medal to Ben Bauml, who is the younger brother of Huskies fifth-year centre Kohl.

Ben, who has Down syndrome and is non-verbal, has been Kohl’s biggest fan throughout Kohl’s hockey career. The brothers have a tight bond.

Huskies fans cheer after their team scores a goal.

Ben attended all of the Huskies home games and became a big part of the team’s culture. He joined the Huskies in the dressing room for post-victory celebrations, and he was in the front row for the on-ice team picture after the Canada West title game victory.

Adolph wanted to make the night a little extra special for Ben with the gift of the Canada West gold medal.

No one knew at the time that would ultimately be Adolph’s last victory behind the bench as Huskies head coach. He announced on December 7, 2020 that he would be retiring.

Adolph’s retirement becomes official this coming May 1. All-world hockey bench boss, Mike Babcock will be coming home to Saskatoon to take over as the Huskies head coach for the next two seasons.

Looking back, all those linked with the Huskies wished those celebrations on the night of February 29, 2020 could have gone on a little longer.

The Huskies pose for a team photo after a Canada West title win.

With how the world changed following that night, the Huskies first Canada West title win at Merlis is treasured that much more.

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.