GAME INFORMATION
Date: Friday, Nov. 12 & Saturday, Nov. 13
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Opponent: Trinity Western Spartans
Location: Saskatoon, SK
Venue: Merlis Belsher Place
Watch: Canadawest.tv
The number-two ranked team in the nation is back at home this weekend.
And they'll put that billing on the line once again, as the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men's hockey team returns to Merlis Belsher Place for the first time since Oct. 22.
They'll take the ice with an undefeated 4-0-0 record after taking care of business on road trips to Winnipeg and Regina, outscoring their opponents 18-5 along the way.
The Huskies are fresh off a 6-2 victory over the Regina Cougars in the Queen City on Friday night, which seen five different skaters find twine. The difference in the contest was perhaps the offensive production while on the penalty kill. After entering hte third with a two-goal lead, the Dogs put it away in the final 20 as Justin Ball and Carter Folk each recorded their second tallies of the year, with both coming as shorthanded markers to extend the team's Canada West winning streak to 15 games dating back to the 2019-20 season.
None of those wins however have came against the Trinity Western Spartans, as this weekend presents Saskatchewan with their first-ever opportunity to take on the Langley, B.C. based program — one of two teams new to the Canada West in 2021-22, along with the MacEwan Griffins.
However, the Spartans welcome to the conference hasn't been all that warm — they are 0-4-0 and have been outscored 22-1 this season.
If things haven't been tough enough already for Trinity Western, they enter a barn where Saskatchewan hasn't lost in since Jan. 3, 2020. The Huskies have been dominant on home ice since Merlis Belsher Place opened prior to the 2018-19 season, holding a 24-5 all-time record in the building in regular-season action.
The home stand will provide two of the four remaining games at Merlis Belsher Place in the calendar year for Saskatchewan, who won't return back home until Dec. 3 and 4, when they welcome the Mount Royal Cougars to the Bridge City.
The meetings are the only between the Huskies and Spartans in 2021-22.
5 Things:
- Saskatchewan is one of two remaining undefeated teams in the conference, along with the UBC Thunderbirds (6-0-0).
- The Huskies are looking to start 6-0 for the first-time since the 2015-16 season.
- With just one goal on the man-advantage, this weekend provides the Huskies with a chance to get the power play ticking. Saskatchewan ranks eighth out of nine teams in the conference with their 6.3 per cent clip.
- While their power play has struggled, their penalty kill has not. The Huskies have allowed just three power play goals this season, while scoring two with a man short. Their 85.0 per cent clip is second in the conference.
- After scoring just 10 goals in 244 games over four seasons with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Ty Prefontaine scored twice — including his first in the green and white — in the Huskies 6-2 win over the Cougars.
By The Numbers:
2 - The Huskies stayed put at number-two in the nation in the latest U SPORTS Top 10, trailing only the UNB Reds. Fellow Canada West teams in the rankings are #3 UBC, #5 Mount Royal, #6 Alberta and #7 Calgary.
11 - Depth scoring doesn't appear to be a problem for the Huskies through four games, with 11 different skaters finding twine.
1.00 - While it's only been two starts for Travis Child; so far, so good. Child leads the Canada West with his sparkling 1.00 goals-against-average. The third-year netminder also ranks second in save-percentage with his 0.935 clip.
4 - Donovan Neuls, Connor Hobbs and Jared Dmytriw all enter the weekend on four-game point streaks, with points in all four games this season. Hobbs had three assists in Friday night's win over Regina and now leads all rookie defensemen with six points this season,
Scouting the Spartans:
Estevan, Sask. native Barret Kropf is the head coach of Trinity Western as they enter their first season in the Canada West. While Kropf is new to the U SPORTS ranks, he has been at the helm of the program since 2013. Prior to joining the Spartans, Kropf has served in roles with the Notre Dame Hounds, as well as the chaplain of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Among this new-look Spartans team are three Saskatoon-born players. Michael Spafford and Jarrett Penner are in their first-years with the program, while Labelle makes the transition with Trinity Western from the BCIHL to Canada West. Meanwhile, Spafford, who's older brother Matt is an alumni of the Huskies, joins after spending parts of three seasons with the Canmore Eagles (AJHL), while Penner enters the program after three seasons in the SJHL between the Notre Dame Hounds and Humboldt Broncos.
Rosetown, Sask. native Kolby Johnson is the lone member of the Spartans to find twine this season. Johnson, who is a transfer from York University, spent time with the Prince George Cougars and Prince Albert Raiders in the WHL.
Kropf has brought 25 different skaters into his four lineups this season.
U SPORTS Top 10:
