Bourassa finds groove with Huskies

Rookie forward brings clutch playoff history from Weyburn

Bailee Bourassa, left, smiles after scoring for the Huskies.

    When Bailee Bourassa joined the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team, she came with a playoff pedigree.

    The 18-year-old rookie forward will always be remembered in her hometown of Weyburn, Sask., for scoring the winning goal in the championship game of the 2014 Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament. Her tally helped her hometown Weyburn Gold Wings top the Edmonton Thunder 2-1 at the Gateway Ice Centre in Stoney Creek, Ont.

    With that goal, Bourassa cemented herself with hometown hero status by helping deliver a national championship to her community.

    “That was probably one of the best experiences of my entire life,” said Bourassa. “It was one of the best teams I have ever been a part of.

    “The girls were great. That was one of my best years of hockey. It was just an unreal experience being there and like how big of a deal it actually was.

    “Being the underdogs to come out on top was just an awesome feeling.”

Bailee Bourassa circles past a couple of defenders in the offensive zone.

    As a rookie with the Huskies, Bourassa has experienced the typical learning curve that comes with joining the U Sports level. She also exited the regular season on a high.

    On Saturday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, Bourassa wired home a setup from fifth-year defender Alyssa Dobler on the power-play shortly before the midway point of the second period in a match against the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns. The goal gave the Huskies a 2-0 edge that ultimately held up as the final outcome in a contest that closed the regular season for both sides.

    In that one moment, Bourassa displayed the scoring prowess that allowed her to net 21 goals and nine assists in 26 regular season games with the Gold Wings in her final midget AAA campaign in 2015-16.

    “It felt awesome, because our line was kind of on a dry streak,” said Bourassa, who stands 5-foot-8. “We finally put one in there, and it felt really good.”

    During her rookie campaign, Bourassa appeared in 25 regular season games with the Huskies netting four goals and five assists.

Bailee Bourassa bursts into the offensive zone for the Huskies.

    In the 12 games the Huskies played since returning from the Christmas break, Bourassa found the back of the net three times and collected a couple of helpers.

    While adjusting to the university game, Bourassa quickly found a high comfort level with the Huskies.

    “I love it so far,” said Bourassa. “All the girls are awesome, and they are welcoming.

    “That was one thing I was kind of nervous about was like meeting new people. Honestly, I don’t think this could have been a better group of girls to be with.”

    In four seasons in the midget AAA ranks, Bourassa appeared in 107 regular season games with the Gold Wings piling up 40 goals and 43 assists.

    She was even more prolific in the playoffs picking up 19 goals and 10 assists in 35 career Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League post-season games. When she came to the Huskies, she knew she wasn’t going to step in and be the standout right away.

Bailee Bourassa looks for a shooting lane.

    “It is definitely different, because you go from being one of the top players to like having to start at the bottom and work yourself back up,” said Bourassa. “It has been a really good experience so far, and I am enjoying it.”

    Now Bourassa will get her first taste of post-season action at the post-secondary level. The Huskies (15-10-3) finished fourth in the Canada West conference and will host their provincial rivals the U of Regina Cougars (14-13-1) in a best-of-three first round series. Game 1 is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

    In that clash, Bourassa will be trying to score on former Gold Wings teammate in Cougars netminder Jane Kish. Kish, who is also from Weyburn, turned away 29 shots for the Gold Wings in their 2014 Esso Cup championship game win.

    Bourassa is expecting her first her first university playoff series to be a battle.

    “I think that it is going to be a fairly even matched series,” said Bourassa. “Our games against them all year were pretty tight.

    “It is going to be whoever works harder is going to win the game.”

    On Saturday against the Pronghorns, the Huskies went up 1-0 in the first period when star forward Kaitlin Willoughby converted a beauty setup pass from linemate Courtney Cormack. The tally gave Willoughby a new career high for goals in a season at 11. She recorded 10 goals in each of her first three seasons with the Huskies.

The Huskies celebrate their win over the Pronghorns.

    Fifth-year veteran goalie Cassidy Hendricks started the game between the pipes for the Huskies and turned away three shots in one period of work. She was the goalie of record when she was pulled before the start of the second period and picked up her 57^th career regular season win. The North Vancouver product is the Huskies all-time career leader in victories and is third all-time in the Canada West conference in career wins.

    Jasey Book played the final two frames in relief for the Huskies and stopped all 10 shots she faced.

    Alicia Anderson was stellar in goal for the Pronghorns turning away 40 shots to keep her side in the game. The Pronghorns finished last in Canada West with a 4-21-3 record.

    When the Huskies and Cougars clash in the playoffs, it will be their first meeting in the post-season since the 2014 Canada West championship series. The Huskies won that best-of-three series, when Willoughby scored the winner in double overtime to give the U of S a 2-1 victory in a series deciding Game 3.

Huskies men’s team eliminates Pronghorns

Wyatt Johnson scored twice on Saturday for the Huskies.

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team ended the regular season by helping end the post-season hopes of the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns in Lethbridge.

    Powered by a goal and two assist performance from defenceman Tyler Borstmayer, the Huskies slipped past the Pronghorns 5-4. The Huskies built a 3-0 lead and never trailed in the contest despite a spirited Pronghorns comeback attempt.

    Wyatt Johnson scored twice for the Huskies, while Jaimen Yakubowski and Michael Sofillas had singles. Daniel Wapple made 29 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Dogs, who finished the regular season topping the Canada West standings with a 21-5-2 mark.

    Jay Merkley scored twice for the Pronghorns, who received singles from Justin Valentino and Ryan Chynoweth. Garret Hughson turned away 24 shots to take the loss in the U of L goal.

    With the setback, the Pronghorns finished seventh in Canada West with an 11-14-3 record. U of L was officially eliminated from the playoff picture, when the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds downed the Mount Royal University Cougars 2-1 on Saturday night in Calgary.

    The Thunderbirds improved to 12-13-3 and passed the Pronghorns for sixth place and the final playoff berth in Canada West. UBC opens the Canada West playoffs taking on the U of Calgary Dinos (18-9-1) in a best-of-three first round series in Calgary.

    The Huskies have a bye into the semifinal round of the Canada West post-season thanks to their first place finish.

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

Huskies lock up home playoff series for second year in a row

U of S takes care of business, gets gift from Dinos

The Huskies are all smiles after a goal from Kaitlin Willoughby.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team looked after what they could control and proceeded to benefit from a gift from the U of Calgary Dinos.

    As a result of those two developments, the Huskies will open the Canada West playoffs hosting a first round playoff series for a second straight year.

    On Friday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, the Huskies downed the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns 3-1 to put a halt on a three-game skid. Out in Calgary on the same night, the Dinos upset the U of Regina Cougars with a 4-3 regulation win.

    Those results guaranteed the Huskies will finish fourth in Canada West. The Huskies improved to 14-10-3 with their win, and they have 41 points in the Canada West standings coming off 10 regulation wins, four extra time wins and three extra time losses.

Forward Emily Upgang picked up the Huskies third goal on Friday.

    The Cougars fell to 13-13-1 with their loss, and they have 37 points in the standings coming off 10 regulation wins, three extra time wins and one extra time loss. In Canada West women’s play, three points are awarded in the standings for a regulation win.

    The Huskies and Cougars will also face each other in a best-of-three Canada West quarter-final series. Game 1 is slated for 1 p.m. on February 17 at the Rutherford Rink.

    U of R was locked into fifth place in Canada West after the Mount Royal University Cougars dropped a 1-0 regulation decision to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds on Friday in Vancouver. Mount Royal fell to 10-13-4 and will finish sixth in Canada West with 33 points coming off nine regulation wins, one extra time win and four extra time losses.

    Against the Pronghorns on Friday, the Huskies accomplished a number of positives. U of S was able to control play and keep U of L pinned in its own zone for long stretches.

Morgan Willoughby, right, clears the puck out of the defensive zone.

    The Dogs received goals from three different players, went 1-for-5 on the power play and killed off all three Pronghorns power-play chances.

    After scoreless first period that was controlled by the Huskies, sophomore winger Courtney Cormack put the hosts up 1-0 slipping home a power-play goal from the front of the Pronghorns net at the 5:14 mark of the second.

    With 4:02 to play in the second, star forward Kaitlin Willoughby wired home her 10^th of the season top corner on Pronghorns netminder Jessica Lohues to put the hosts up 2-0. Willoughby was playing in her first game with the Huskies since returning from the FISU Winter Universiade in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where she helped Canada’s women’s hockey team win a silver medal.

Courtney Cormack (#16) smiles after scoring a goal for the Huskies.

    The Pronghorns proceeded to give the Huskies a scare in the third period, when third-year forward Delaney Duchek netted her fourth of the season at the 6:20 mark of the third to cut the Huskies lead to 2-1.

    U of S sealed victory with 4:20 to play, when rookie forward Emily Upgang knocked home a loose puck that took a high positive bounce towards her by an open side of the Pronghorns goal to cement the 3-1 victory.

    Huskies star goaltender Cassidy Hendricks had to be mentally sharp turning away 11 shots to pick up the win in goal. Lohues stopped 25 shots to take the loss in goal for the Pronghorns, who sit last in Canada West with a 4-20-3 mark.

    The two teams go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

Cooke slams door on Pronghorns

Jordon Cooke came up big again for the Huskies.

    Jordon Cooke played like his usual self which spelled doom for the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns men’s hockey team on Friday night in Lethbridge.

    The Leduc product made 36 saves to back his U of Saskatchewan Huskies to a 4-1 road victory over the host Pronghorns. The opening 20 minutes were extremely dicey for the Huskies, who were outshot 21-8, but they still managed to head into the first intermission locked in a 0-0 draw thanks to the stellar play of Cooke.

    Just past the midway point of the second, Huskies third-year forward Parker Thomas scored to put the visitors up 1-0. Third-year Defenceman David Stumborg, who was appearing in his first game of the season, tallied to put the Huskies up 2-0 at the 7:29 mark of the third.

    The Pronghorns answered back just over a minute later, when Sam McKechnie scored to cut the Huskies edge to 2-1.

    U of S sealed victory with a late power-play goal from John Lawrence and an empty-net marker from Michael Sofillas.

    Garret Hughson turned away 36-of-39 shots in the Pronghorns goal.

    The Huskies improved to 20-5-2 with the win, and they had first in Canada West already locked up heading into this weekend’s action. The Dogs have also won 11 of their last 13 games.

    The Pronghorns fell to 11-13-3. They are locked in a battle with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, who are also 11-13-3, for sixth place and the conference’s final playoff berth. The Pronghorns and Thunderbirds split their four head-to-head meetings, but U of L holds the tiebreaker besting UBC 6-5 in points earned in the standings in the head-to-head matches.

    The Huskies and Pronghorns go at it again on Saturday in Lethbridge. If the Pronghorns win, they would qualify for the post-season.

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

Road to Esso Cup runs through Saskatoon

Stars clinch first in SFMAAAHL for a third straight year

Abby Shirley (#18) is having a career year with the Stars.

    The Saskatoon Stars run of excellence just keeps getting greater.

    On Monday, the Stars locked up first place in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League for a third straight year with an impressive 6-2 victory over Prairie Fire in Melville, who sit second overall in the SFMAAAHL. The win also allowed the Stars to lock up home ice advantage throughout the post-season up until the Esso Cup national championship tournament due to the fact the SFMAAAHL hosts this year’s Western regional playdown series.
    The Esso Cup runs April 23-29 in Morden, Man.

    Against the Prairie Fire on Monday, Stars 15-year-old forward Grace Shirley scored her team’s first three goals and assisted on another to power Saskatoon to victory. Jordyn Holmes, Abby Shirley and Kianna Dietz all added singles for the visitors, while Joelle Fiala had three assists.

Jordan Ivanco made 27 saves to earn the win in goal for Stars, who improved to 21-2-1.

    Megan Leblanc and Heather Fiske replied with singles for the Prairie Fire. Ashlyn Taillon turned away 24 shots to take the loss in goal for the Prairie Fire. The Prairie Fire rebounded from that setback on Wednesday at home downing the Notre Dame Hounds 4-2 to move their record to 19-6-1.

    As the post-season nears, the Stars might have a deeper team offensively than their squads that won the SFMAAAHL title in each of the past two years and advanced to the Esso Cup. So far this season, six members of the Stars are all averaging over a point per game.

    Mackenna Parker leads the way in team scoring with 19 goals and 20 assists. Grace Shirley is second with 17 goals and 15 assists.

    Both Anna Leschyshyn and Fiala each have 30 points. Leschyshyn’s totals come from 14 goals and 16 assists, while Fiala has eight goals and 22 assists.

    In her final season of midget AAA eligibility, Abby Shirley is having her best campaign with 13 goals and 16 assists, which are both career highs. Julia Rongve is also having her best campaign in the midget AAA ranks in her final season of eligibility with nine goals and 17 assists.

    The Stars have four games remaining before beginning post-season play. They travel to Battleford this Saturday and Sunday to face the Sharks.

    The Stars return home on Feb. 18, when they host the Regina Rebels at 7:45 p.m. at the Agriplace Arena. The Stars and Rebels concluded the SFMAAAHL regular season on Feb. 19 at 2:15 p.m. with another showdown at the Agriplace Arena.

First place Huskies tune up for playoffs

Josh Roach breaks into the offensive zone.

    The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team is looking to head into the Canada West playoffs on a high note.

    For the second straight season, the Huskies have locked up first place in the Canada West standings and have home ice advantage throughout the conference playoffs. While the Dogs have been on a roll winning 10 of their last 12 games, they dropped their last outing 4-0 last Saturday to the U of Manitoba Bisons at the ancient Rutherford Rink on the U of S campus.

    U of S locked up first place that night when the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns downed the U of Alberta Golden Bears 4-3 in double overtime in Edmonton.

    The Huskies (19-5-2), who are rated second in the U Sports top 10 rankings, close the regular season on the road traveling to Lethbridge to face the Pronghorns (11-12-3) on Friday and Saturday. The Pronghorns need to earn two more points in the Canada West standings to lock up sixth place and the final playoff berth in the conference.

    U of L should give the Huskies, who will likely try to use all their healthy players this weekend, a stiff test. The two clubs split their games earlier this season at Rutherford.
    On Oct. 21, 2016, the Huskies downed the Pronghorns 3-2 in overtime. One night later, the Pronghorns earned a 5-3 victory over the Huskies.

    The Huskies have a bye into a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series, which they will host Feb. 24 to 26.

Huskies women’s team aims for home post-season series

The Huskies celebrate a goal from Rachel Johnson (#19).

    The U of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team is looking to lock up hosting a first round Canada West playoff series for a second straight year, if they can take care of business in their final two regular season games.

    The Huskies (13-10-3) will try to put the skids on a three-game losing streak, when they host the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns (4-19-3), who have lost eight straight, in a two game series. The two clubs face each other on Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Rutherford.

    The Huskies hold fourth place in the Canada West standings with 38 points collected from nine regulation wins, four extra time wins and three extra time losses. They sit a point ahead of the U of Regina Cougars (13-12-1), who have 10 regulation wins, three extra time wins and one extra time loss. In Canada West women’s hockey play, you earn three points in the standings for a regulation win.

    The Cougars close their regular season by traveling to Calgary to face the U of Calgary Dinos (4-19-3) on Friday and Saturday night.

    The sixth place Mount Royal University Cougars (10-12-4) have an outside shot of leaping both the Huskies and Regina Cougars for fourth place, but Mount Royal must win its final two games in regulation for that scenario a possibility. Mount Royal travels to Vancouver to face the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds on Friday and Saturday. The Thunderbirds have locked up first overall in Canada West with a 22-3-1 record.

    The Huskies will lock up fourth place and home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, if they sweep their series with the Pronghorns with two regulation victories.

Will Willo’s Hockey Canada foray have staying power?

Kaitlin Willoughby breaks up ice for the Huskies.

    When the Huskies women’s hockey team hits the ice this weekend, they will have star forward Kaitlin Willoughby back in the fold.

    Willoughby returned to Saskatoon on Thursday after playing for Canada’s women’s hockey team at the FISU Winter Universiade in Almaty, Kazakhstan.  On Monday, Canada fell in the gold medal final 4-1 to Russia.

    In five tournament games, Willoughby collected a goal and five assists. During the Winter Universiade, her exploits were followed in a significant way locally on social media.

    A post on this blog from Jan. 21 documenting her heroics scoring the overtime winner in a Huskies 5-4 victory over the UBC Thunderbirds and advancing her departure to the Winter Universiade was extremely well viewed. That post is the fourth all-time most viewed post on this blog.

    Other stories and briefs on Willoughby also popped up in various Saskatoon media outlets and in outlets in her hometown of Prince Albert.

    Now the question is will her Hockey Canada foray have any staying power?

    I personally hope it does. After the Huskies play their final two regular season games and complete their playoff run, Willoughby will have one season of U Sports eligibility remaining. I hope this can further turn into something where she becomes more of a local inspiration for young girls taking up the sport.

    Willoughby’s appearance at this year’s Winter Universiade drew a lot more attention than when recently graduated Huskies offensive defender Julia Flinton helped Canada win silver back in 2015 Winter Universiade in Granada, Spain. Flinton’s appearance seemed to be quickly forgotten outside of anyone that was involved with the Huskies women’s hockey team.

    In December of 2013, Cara (Wooster) Muench was a member of Canada’s gold medal winning team at the Winter Universiade in Trentino, Italy, as a recent graduate of the Huskies program. She got to make a few media appearances, but her profile is pretty much forgotten. Her twin sister Cami Wooster is more remembered at least in Saskatoon’s girls minor hockey ranks due to the fact she captained the Huskies to a Canada West title win in her final campaign with the team in 2013-14.

    Breanne George, who is the all-time leading scorer for the Huskies women’s program, was a member of Canada’s gold medal winning team at the 2011 Winter Universiade in Erzurum, Turkey, but you would be really hard pressed to find anyone in the general public that remembers her time at the U of S. Actually, it is a safe bet that a number of the current members of the Huskies women’s hockey team likely don’t know who George is.

    As a rookie, Willoughby scored the double overtime winner in the series deciding Game 3 of the 2014 Canada West championship series against the U of Regina Cougars, and she was the U Sports rookie of the year. Those accomplishments help to further keep her in the public consciousness.

    Here is hoping the momentum she created at this year’s Winter Universiade can keep rolling.

Dach should give Blades an added draw

The Blades recalled Kirby Dach from midget AAA.

    Fans of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades had to be happy to hear on Wednesday that Kirby Dach would be joining the club for the rest of the season.

    Dach, who turned 16 in January, was selected by the Blades in the first round and second overall in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft. The Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., product has appeared in four games on a call up basis with the Blades and has collected an assist and an even rating in the plus-minus department.

    Due to a huge amount of injuries, the Blades recalled Dach from the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers midget AAA team on an emergency basis for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs. In 22 games with the Rangers, Dach had six goals and 20 assists.

    The skilled forward, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 170 pounds, recorded 14 goals and 21 assists in 34 games last season playing as an underage player with the Rangers midget AAA squad. Hockey Alberta, Fort Saskatchewan Minor Hockey and the WHL all worked together to accommodate the Blades request to call up Dach.

    In his four appearances with the Blades, Dach dressed for two home games, and spectators generally came away with good impressions. He will be a player that fans will be watching.

    During the 2014-15 campaign in the bantam AAA ranks, Dach turned heads netting 29 goals and 71 assists in 33 regular season games with the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers squad at that level.

    Besides the addition of Dach, right-winger Mason McCarty returns to the Blades lineup after having been out with a lower body injury since late last November. He last dressed for the Blades on Nov. 25, 2016 in their 3-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings at the SaskTel Centre.

    The Blades (21-26-5-1) return to action Friday when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors (32-15-7-1) at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Back in the Express with the Leschyshyns

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express this week with a big feature story on the Leschyshyn family.

    The story features former NHLer Curtis Leschyshyn watching 17-year-old son, Jake, and 15-year-old daughter, Anna, follow in his footsteps. Jake is a standout centre with the WHL’s Regina Pats, while Anna has been turning heads as a forward with the Saskatoon Stars of the SFMAAAHL.

    The story on the Leschyshyn family can be found right here.

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

Clark loves returning to junior hockey roots made with Blades

Wendel Clark waves to the crowd at the SaskTel Centre.

    Wendel Clark is always fond of his Saskatoon homecomings.

    Before he became a legendary power forward with the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, Clark starred as a defenceman for the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades for two seasons from 1983 to 1985. During that time, he appeared in 136 regular season games collecting 55 goals and 100 assists. In the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, the Leafs selected Clark first overall, and he is still the only Blades player to ever be selected first overall in an NHL Entry Draft.

    While he will always be best remember for his time with the Leafs, Clark will never shy away from renewing his links with the Blades. The Kelvington, Sask., product was in “the Bridge City” on Saturday to be honoured as part of the Blades “Homegrown Hockey Heroes” promotion, which was held as part of their 4-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels.

    Starting from a pre-game dinner and hot stove and right through to the end of that night’s game, Clark did his best to accommodate the numerous fan requests that came his way.

    “It is great being back all the time,” said Clark, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 197 pounds. “Whenever you get back in the old arena with the old uniform playing and seeing the alma mater as we say playing the game, it is fun.

    “Your avid fans watch all the eras, and they know all the players and remember what they like from each of the players in each of the different eras. That is a great thing when you come back to the junior hockey rinks.”

    During his days with the Blades, Clark never got to play in the SaskTel Centre, which hosted its first Blades game on Feb. 9, 1988. He suited up for the Blades when they played out of the now demolished Saskatoon Arena, which was located in the city’s downtown core.

Wendel Clark, right, signs an autograph for a young fan.

    Playing with the Blades out of that facility, which was full of character, helped Clark connect with the city. Clark said the connections he made remain his best memories with the Blades.

    “It is your first time really away from home and the friends you met as teammates and your billets you become lifelong friends (with) and just all the people around town,” said Clark. “When you get a great city like Saskatoon to be able to play junior hockey in, it is some of your best memories is playing junior hockey.”

    On the ice, Clark remembers being in countless battles with the Blades long time arch rivals the Regina Pats, and witnessed what was a new rivalry take shape at the time with the Prince Albert Raiders, who left junior A for the major junior ranks in 1982 and won the Memorial Cup in 1985.

    “You play them 12 or 14 times,” said Clark, who is widely regarded as the best player to ever suit up for the Blades. “There had to be a love hate just because of how much you played each other.”

Clark also suited up for Canada at the world junior championships during the 1984-85 campaign, where he helped Canada win gold in Helsinki, Finland. During that tournament, he netted four goals and two assists in seven games.

    During those world juniors, Clark gained a new respect for one of his junior hockey rivals in Raiders head coach Terry Simpson, who was also the head coach of Clark’s world junior team.

    “Terry (Simpson) was renowned,” said Clark. “He built all those teams in tier two and then he went on.

    “I had Terry (as a coach) after the world juniors as well with the Leafs as an assistant coach. He was just one of those guys that was always around the game. He loved the game and was student of the game by how much he changed and learned.

    “Anywhere he coached, he had great hockey teams.”

A bobblehead doll of Wendel Clark as a member of the Saskatoon Blades.

    Clark spent most of his career with the Leafs, but also suited up for short stints with the Quebec Nordiques, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks in his NHL days that went from 1985 to 2000. He appeared in 793 regular season games piling up 330 goals, 234 assists and 1,690 penalty minutes.

    The 50-year-old recently finished writing an autobiography called “Bleeding Blue: Giving My All for the Game.” The book provided another avenue to interact with the fans.

    “The book is great,” said Clark. “I did the tour in November just before Christmas with it.

    “It did well, and I had a lot fun with it. I told a lot of stories and reminisced. Now, it has calmed down from the book selling tour, but it was a fun thing to do.”

    While he will always be remembered for his playing days with the Leafs, Clark will always look forward to the next time he gets to run back to Saskatoon.

Kustra and Shmyr down with concussions

    On Monday, the Blades reported that defenceman Jake Kustra and left-winger Braylon Shmyr both suffered concussions from hard hits they received during Saturday’s win over the Rebels.

    Kustra was injured with 10:41 to play in the third, when he was hit into the boards by Rebels winger and former Blade teammate Cameron Hausinger. Following the hit, Kustra was taken off the ice by a stretcher.

    Besides suffering a concussion, Kustra sustained a laceration to his head. The Yorkton, Sask., product has appeared in 30 games this season netting a goal and three assists.

    Hausinger was given a checking to the head major and a game misconduct for that hit. The replay in the building showed Kustra had slipped trying to avoid the hit, which resulted in him being in a vulnerable position.

    Shmyr was injured after receiving a high hit from Rebels defenceman Colton Bobyk. Shmyr leads the Blades in scoring netting a career high 27 goals and equaling a career high with 22 assists in 53 games.

    With Kustra and Shmyr following concussion injury protocols, the Blades didn’t set any timelines for any possible returns. The WHL hasn’t announced if there will be any suspensions from Saturday’s game.

    Saskatoon also lost winger Lukus MacKenzie to injury in Saturday’s win. MacKenzie injured his shoulder in a second period fight with Rebels winger Evan Polei.

    The Blades return to action Friday, when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

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

Battling Blades take feisty encounter with Rebels

Blades D Jackson Caller, left, engages with Rebels C Michael Spacek.

    It was a rare rowdy Saturday night at the SaskTel Centre that saw tensions escalate between the Saskatoon Blades and the visiting Red Deer Rebels.

    The 4,211 spectators in attendance got to witness all sorts of fireworks in the third period of a WHL contest between the two teams that included a shouting match between the each clubs’ coaches from the edge of their benches, a couple of big collisions that resulted in two Blades players being helped off the ice and a big scrum at game’s end.
    When the dust settled, the Blades skated away with a 4-2 victory, which ended a four game losing streak.

    “For us, it is about winning,” said Blades head coach Dean Brockman. “It is about the composure. We stopped the four-game losing streak, and really, that is what we should be talking about.

    “For us, it is a huge win. Hopefully, we haven’t lost too many pieces of the puzzle. We’ve fought through that adversity all year.”

Rebels HC, GM and owner Brent Sutter yells at the Blades bench.

    Tensions rose as Saskatoon held a 3-1 edge with 10:41 to play in the third period. The trigger came when Blades defenceman Jake Kustra went down after taking a hit from Rebels winger Cameron Hausinger, who is a former Blade, by the left corner boards of the Saskatoon zone. Kustra had to be taken off the ice by stretcher, and Hausinger was given a major penalty for checking to the head and a game misconduct.

    The replay in the building showed that Kustra slipped and was placed in a vulnerable position, when he was trying to avoid Hausinger’s hit.

    As Kustra was being tended to on the ice, Rebels head coach, general manager and owner Brent Sutter hopped up on the edge of his team’s bench to engage in a shouting match with Blades assistant coach Ryan Keller and Brockman. Building security moved in to ensure the spectators didn’t get involved.

Blades AC Ryan Keller and HC Dean Brockman yell at the Rebels bench.

    Most of the power play from Hausinger’s infraction was later wiped out, when Blades winger Caleb Fantillo received a double minor for high sticking.

    With 29.6 seconds to play and Saskatoon holding a 4-2 edge, Rebels defenceman Colton Bobyk nailed Blades star winger Braylon Shmyr with a high hit dropping Shmyr to the ice. Saskatoon defenceman Evan Fiala tried to engage Bobyk, but was only able to get in a slash before the officials jumped in. Both rearguards were given 10-minute misconducts, and Fiala received a minor for slashing.

    After being tended to by the trainers, Shmyr managed to leave the ice for the Saskatoon dressing room under his own power.

    “Anytime you see one of your own guys go down whether it be a clean hit or not it is always tough to watch,” said Blades centre Jesse Shynkaruk. “We’re on the bench there, and it is tough seeing Kusy (Kustra) get dragged off and Shmyrsie (Shmyr) too.

A scrum occurs by the Rebels net in the second period.

    “The boys battled, and we won it for those two guys tonight. It was all for them.

    “It was a little tense. We kind of got into it with the other team there. We just have to draw attention back to the game and finish off the last 10 minutes.”

    The game ended with a big scrum ensuing by the left corner boards in the Saskatoon zone. The highlight was a jawing match between Rebels centre Michael Spacek and Blades defenceman Jackson Caller.

    The officials broke the scrum up before it could escalate, and no penalties were assessed.

    As far as scoring went, Shynkaruk scored twice and had an assist for the Blades, while Shmyr and Gage Ramsay netted singles. Austin Glover and Evan Polei responded with singles for the Rebels. Polei was involved in a second period fight with Blades winger Lukus MacKenzie.

Blades S Evan Fiala mixes it up with Rebels captain Adam Musil.

    Logan Flodell made 22 stops to earn the win in goal for the Blades (21-26-5-1). Lasse Petersen took the loss starting in goal for the Rebels (23-22-5-3) turning away just three-of-six shots. He was pulled at the 10:22 mark of the opening frame.

Riley Lamb stopped 20-of-21 shots playing in relief for Red Deer.

    “All of us were definitely worked up when Kusy (Kustra) got hit,” said Flodell. “I think we settled down and played pretty well.

    “We got the win and killed off the penalties. It was good.”

    After the game, Brockman was still trying to piece together the shouting match with Sutter.

    “I am not even sure exactly what started or what happened,” said Brockman. “Tempers are pretty high at that point. It is obviously a pretty emotional game and that can happen.

The Blades celebrate their victory over the Rebels.

    “After the bad hit, I mean tempers are obviously going to fly. Hockey is a game of emotion and physicality.
    “To be honest, I am looking down my bench to see who I have to put out next. I didn’t see the first hit, and I didn’t see the hit on (Braylon) Shmyr either.”

    With the win, the Blades move into eighth place and currently hold the final playoff berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. They sit a point ahead of the Calgary Hitmen (19-24-7-2), but the Hitmen have a game in hand.

    The Blades return to action this coming Friday, when the host the Moose Jaw Warriors at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. The Rebels return home to Red Deer to host the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Wednesday.

Suspensions could be on the horizon

    The WHL office could possibly issue suspensions for actions that went down in Saturday’s clash between the Blades and Rebels.

    The major penalty for checking to the head given to Hausinger and the double minor for high sticking assessed to Fantillo will be automatically reviewed by the league for further discipline.

    The Blades could send a tape to the league office asking for supplemental discipline for Bobyk over his high hit on Shymr, which wasn’t penalized.

    From what I saw on the replays, I don’t believe Hausinger or Fantillo will be suspended, but there could be a suspension to Bobyk for head contact. With that said, the league has access to various camera angles besides the replays that were shown in the building, so any outcome is possible.

    Richard Doerksen, who is the WHL’s vice-president of hockey, is usually pretty bang on when it comes to issuing or not issuing suspensions.

    The Blades didn’t have any injury updates on Kustra or Shmyr after the game.  

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

Character line has Huskies on verge of locking up first

Logan McVeigh has been on fire for the Huskies.

    The good guys are coming through to make a nice feel good story for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team.

    The forward line of second-year centre Logan McVeigh, third-year winger Michael Sofillas and fourth-year winger Josh Roach have emerged as the Dogs’ top offensive unit this season. On Friday night at the ancient Rutherford Rink, the trio combined for three goals and four assists to lead the Huskies to a 5-3 victory over the U of Manitoba Bisons.

    The win allowed the Huskies, who are rated second in the U Sports top ten rankings, to improve to 19-4-2. They need to earn one more point in the standings to clinch first in the Canada West Conference and home ice advantage through the conference playoffs for a second straight year.

    Coming into the 2016-17 campaign, McVeigh, Sofillas and Roach weren’t expected to be the Huskies top scoring forwards. They all have offensive ability and were expected to contribute on the scoreboard, but they are all best known for leading the way on the ice by example with their work ethic.

Josh Roach, left, celebrates a goal with Michael Sofillas.

    Working together as a unit, all three are having career seasons offensively. McVeigh leads the team in scoring with 13 goals and 16 assists. The Kenaston, Sask., product picked up a goal and two assists on Friday, and he has points in four consecutive games totaling six goals and four assists over that time.

    Sofillas, who had an assist on Friday, is third in team scoring piling up 11 goals and 13 assists, while Roach has eight goals and 16 assists to sit fourth in Huskies scoring. Roach had a pair of goals and an assist in Friday’s win.

    McVeigh is having the breakout campaign he had desperately been seeking since he piled up 20 goals and 34 assists in 39 regular season games in the midget AAA ranks with the Saskatoon Contacts back in 2009-10.

Josh Roach zips up ice for the Huskies.

    During a WHL career that spanned five seasons, McVeigh played for four teams including the Kamloops Blazers, Prince Albert Raiders, Medicine Hat Tigers and Regina Pats. He appeared in 328 regular season games collecting 55 goals and 96 assists.

    In each of his WHL stops, McVeigh was well respected by teammates, coaches and team staff. His compete level was always high and consistent, but he was never able to hit overdrive with his offensive output.

    Sofillas played two full seasons with the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes before finishing his junior career in Manitoba’s junior A ranks in 2013-14, where he netted 14 goals and 24 assists playing in 54 regular season games with the Dauphin Kings and Winkler Flyers. His WHL career totals didn’t approach what he put up in the MJHL.

    Roach played four seasons as a defenceman in the junior A ranks appearing in 203 regular season games with the Humboldt Broncos and Flin Flon Bombers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. He totalled 43 goals and 105 assists over that time.

    The offensive defenceman was converted to a forward with the Huskies, where he has flourished. He has also been an assistant captain with the Huskies since his sophomore year.

    McVeigh, Sofillas and Roach all carry reputations of being guys you want to represent your team in the community and to see them take off in one of Canada’s top elite but still underrated leagues is truly special.

Michael Sofillas (#15) celebrates a win with goalie Jordon Cooke.

    Against the Bisons on Friday, the visitors recorded the first six shots on goal before the Huskies went up 1-0 on their first shot of the game coming off the stick of Jordan Tkatch. Just 53 seconds later, Roach netted his first of two goals on the night to put the Huskies up 2-0 on their second shot of the contest.
    Remi Laurencelle pulled the Bisons to within 2-1 before Huskies winger Levi Cable rifled home a goal top corner to give the hosts a 3-1 edge heading into the first intermission.

    McVeigh scored early in the second to give the Dogs a 4-1, before the Bisons attempted a rally. Blake Heinrich scored for the visitors before the second period expired, and Brett Brooks slipped home a goal on a power play in the third to cut the Huskies edge to 4-3.

    Roach sealed victory with an empty-net tally.

    Huskies superstar goaltender Jordon Cooke made 27 saves to pick up the win in goal for U of S. Byron Spriggs stopped 27 of 31 shots to take the loss in net for the Bisons (12-11-2).

    The two teams go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Rutherford Rink.

Huskies women’s team blanked in Winnipeg

Cassidy Hendricks was solid in goal again for the Huskies.

    The Huskies women’s hockey team didn’t find any luck around the net Friday night in Winnipeg falling 3-0 to the host Bisons.

    Jordyn Zacharias scored the Bisons first goal at the 3:29 mark of the opening frame and their third marker at the 10:35 mark of the second period.
    Megan Neduzak picked up a single 49 seconds into the second stanza to count for U of M’s other tally.

    Rachel Dyck made 24 saves to pick up the shutout in the U of M net. Cassidy Hendricks stopped 28 shots to take the loss in the U of S net.

    The Bisons, who are ranked fifth in the U Sports top 10 rankings, improved to 18-5-2 with the win.
    The Huskies, who were shutout for a second straight contest, fell to 13-9-3. The Huskies sit fourth in the Canada West conference.

    The two teams go at it again on Saturday in Winnipeg.

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

Please don’t let new U of S rink die on political rhetoric

Huskies trainers clear up during a “rust break” at the Rutherford Rink.

    So close, yet so far.

    Those that are linked with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies hockey programs have to be feeling some level of anxiety, if you have followed the latest news regarding the fundraising efforts to build a new twin-pad rink complex on campus.

    In early January, the City of Saskatoon was asked for an additional $3-million to support the new arena complex on campus, which will cost $41-million to build. The facility will be called Merlis Belsher Place, which is named after the U of S alumnus who donated $12.25-million towards the project. The City of Saskatoon has already agreed to put $1-million in towards the facility.

    When the latest request for an additional $3-million was made, it was also stated the fundraising campaign for the new rink was $6-million short of its goal.

    On Monday, Tim Hodgson, who is the chair of the Home Ice Campaign committee that is raising funds for the new rink, appeared before the City of Saskatoon’s planning, development and community services committee to address the latest funding request. The city committee voted unanimously to bump the debate on spending an additional $3-million to the next meeting of city council on Feb. 27.

    If you have ever been to the ancient Rutherford Rink on the U of S campus, you will realize it needs to be replaced in the worse way possible. The 87-year-old facility is best known for its “rust breaks” or “rust delays,” when a puck hits the roof causing rust from the steel beams in the ceiling to rain down on the ice. The training staffs of the Huskies hockey teams proceed to race on to the ice to clean up the mess.

    Actually, it is surprising Rutherford hasn’t been condemned. Back in 1997, then Huskies athletic director Ross Wilson said he was actively pursuing a new rink, and Rutherford needed to be replaced at that time. Since that time, the process to replace Rutherford has had way too many stops and starts.
    After the request was made to the City of Saskatoon for an additional $3-million, those that are connected to the Huskies hockey programs must have a little fear that things might fall through again.
    There hasn’t been any ground breaking to start construction of the new facility despite being $6-million away from raising the total funds that are needed for the project.

    The new facility would allocate one rink to be used by the Huskies men’s and women’s teams for games and practices. The second rink will be mainly used by the Saskatoon Minor Hockey Association, which will gain an additional 1,500 additional hours of ice time per year.

Wyatt Johnson fires a shot on goal at the Rutherford Rink.

    The last new sheet of indoor ice was built in Saskatoon in 1998 with the second pad at the private Rod Hamm Memorial/Harold Latrace Arena. The last public rink was built in 1981, when a hockey ice pad was added to the ACT Arena.

    In my opinion, most of the minor hockey rinks in Saskatoon are dumps. They aren’t dumpy at the level of the Rutherford Rink, but they are still dumps.

    When you step into the six-sheet minor hockey ice palace that is the Co-operators Centre in Regina, you are pretty much embarrassed to say you play out of any of the facilities in Saskatoon.

    The Home Ice Campaign is so close to realizing its fundraising goal you could almost see yourself skating on the campus rink.

    It would likely cost the City of Saskatoon $6-million or more to add an ice pad to any of their existing rinks, so the investment in the new U of S facility would be a wise one.

    Unfortunately, the request for more funding will raise all sorts of political rhetoric. Those that want the new rink will point to the cost overruns of the Remai Modern Art Gallery noting the city would likely write a cheque if that project needed another $3-million or more.

    Others will say the money should be put into roads or other infrastructure.

    What all of that talk does is distract people away from the fact a new rink is needed on campus and for the city. A number of community leaders like Belsher have stepped up to really push the envelope to make a first rate facility a reality.

The Huskies women’s team celebrates a goal at the Rutherford Rink.

    If you think ice time for minor hockey in Saskatoon is tight now, imagine if Rutherford did get condemned forcing two elite level U Sports hockey teams to find times for their games and practices amongst the existing facilities in the city. That theoretical development would likely toast the campus recreation hockey program at the U of S for a time too.

    The reality of getting a new rink on campus has never been closer than it has been at this moment. It would be extremely sad if this opportunity slipped away.

    The twin-pad rink is needed. Whether the funds come from the city or possibly other donor, please find some way to get this done.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. It should be noted that I made a donation to the Home Ice Campaign. If you want to donate to the Home Ice Campaign, you can do so by clicking here.