Advertisement 1

Playoff primer: Huskies hockey teams in Calgary for Canada West quarter-finals

“It’s sort of a clean slate for us in terms of our mindset and we’re ready to go.”

Article content

By now, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies should be used to overtime.

The Huskies, whose program has endured some of the longest games in Canada West and U Sports women’s hockey history, head to Calgary to possibly face more of the same this weekend.

Article content

“We’re comfortable in overtime, aren’t we?” said U of S head coach Steve Kook.

The Huskies will face the University of Calgary Dinos in Canada West conference quarter-final action Friday, Saturday, and, if necessary, Sunday.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content

“We’re used to it. We match up well. We’ve had four games with them — all went to overtime. Two games there; two games here.”

Saskatchewan finished the regular season with a 14-11-3 record. Calgary was 15-9-4.

The key is to “try and get a good start,” especially in Game 1 on Friday, Kook said.

“They’ve had pretty good crowds the last little bit, especially with their men getting a first-round bye, I expect their men’s team to be there in full force,” he noted. “That rink there, surprisingly for having a big, empty building, it can get pretty loud and it did the last time. We’re not going to be home team Game 1. If we can get out to a good start, get on the forecheck a little bit, and try and get some of that momentum. We’re going to be home team for Game 2 and that will help.”

The Huskies expect to get a couple of players back who have been out since the Regina Cougars series in Jessica Patterson and Kelsey Hall.

“This will be the closest we’ve had to being a full lineup all year long,” said Kook. “We will have some options.”

Team captain Kennedy Brown remains out of the lineup after undergoing season-ending knee surgery.

Article content
Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

Every player on the Huskies women’s hockey roster has U Sports eligibility remaining after this season, including a number of players currently playing out their fourth year of eligibility, as Saskatchewan will host the U Sports national championship tournament in 2024.

“Nobody has indicated that they’re going to graduate (in the off-season),” said Kook. “I think the ability to host (U Sports) is what the attraction is for them.”

MEN’S HOCKEY

Saskatchewan is also in Calgary for the Canada West men’s quarter-final playoff series.

The Huskies (14-10-4) will play the Mount Royal University Cougars (19-5-4) in a best-of-three Friday, Saturday and, if needed, Sunday afternoon.

Game-time is 2 p.m. local all three days.

The two teams are coming off a weekend series in Saskatoon that had no bearing on the Canada West conference final standings for the Huskies, who could do no better than fifth place. The Cougars swept the Dogs two straight, humiliating the host Huskies in the finale 8-1.

That’s a score the Dogs will be out to avenge.

“Yeah, we got whacked around a little bit on Saturday,” said U of S head coach Brandin Cote. “Some of it was more circumstantial — and a few bad breaks here and there — and it just kind of spiralled. When I look back at our game, it wasn’t good but it wasn’t as terrible as you would have thought based on the score.

Advertisement 4
Story continues below
Article content

“We’ve gone back and taken some of the positives out of it, for sure. Any time you have a bit of a setback and things don’t go the way you want, you want to respond, and, to me, it’s a great opportunity for our guys to now be in the playoffs against the same team that we never really had a ton of success with in terms of points during the regular season, but our guys are excited about it.

“It’s sort of a clean slate for us in terms of our mindset and we’re ready to go.”

Cote hopes his team seizes the opportunity.

“They’ve got their top line that’s very dynamic and so we’re going to have to find a way to put a stop to them,” said Cote. “They’re going to have the (line) match two of the three games potentially. That’ll be a challenge. We’ve got some guys in the back end who could do the job with them.

“I think, overall, if you look at our lineup, up and down, we match up really well against them,” said Cote. “If we play big and physical, and get in front of them, and take away their speed a little bit, and frustrate them, keep them to the outside on the big rink, I think we’ve got a good opportunity.”

dzary@postmedia.com

Recommended from Editorial
  1. Former Monsanto chief strategy officer Kerry Preete, one of the co-owners and managing partners for the WHL's Portland Winterhawks, is the lead donor for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Excellence Fund for the men's hockey team. (DARREN ZARY PHOTO/POSTMEDIA NEWS)
    Preete a lead donor for Huskies Hockey Excellence Fund
  2. University of Saskatchewan Huskies celebrate a 2-0 win over the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds in the bronze-medal game at the 2022 U Sports women's hockey championship at Charlottetown, P.E.I. March 27, 2022. (Mike Needham/U Sports)
    Saskatchewan lands U Sports women's hockey national championship in 2024
Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Latest National Stories
    This Week in Flyers