GAME INFORMATION
Date: Friday, Jan. 14 (Women) & Saturday, Jan. 15 (Men)
Time: 7:00 PM
Opponent: Regina Cougars
Location: Saskatoon, Sask.
Venue: Merlis Belsher Place
Watch: canadawest.tv
Listen: HuskieFAN
The University of Saskatchewan Huskies men's and women's hockey team both will battle their provincial rival Regina Cougars this weekend — each getting back in action for the first-time since Dec. 4.
On the men's side, the Huskies enter the weekend on a two-game winning streak and sit just three points back of first-place UBC. With only eight games remaining in the regular-season, the Huskies will attempt to climb their way up the Canada West standings and optimally, into a highly-coveted top-two seed. Finishing first or second would grant the green-and-white a quarter-final bye and automatic path into the conference semifinals.
The Huskies have some reinforcements for the stretch run, as slated to make his debut between the pipes for the green-and-white on Saturday night is Jordan Kooy. Kooy is one of two newcomers to the program, along with forward Aiden Bulych, who joins the team from the Swift Current Broncos.
Kooy and Bulych will look to play a part in what has been a one-sided rivalry in recent memory. The Huskies have not lost a conference clash against their provincial rivals since Feb. 13, 2016, with their last on home ice to Regina coming back on Nov. 21, 2013; a trend they will look to continue this weekend.
But this is an improved Regina program. They've been one of the surprise stories of the Canada West season, sitting in a tie for fifth in the conference with 13 points. The Cougars have picked up at least a point in their last six games, with five wins over that stretch.
Saskatoon product Tyler Heidt has played a part in the Regina resurgence, as the blue liner enters the weekend with a five-game pointstreak. Heidt has 10 points in 12 games in his first year with the Cougars after transferring from Merrimack College (NCAA D1). Tyler is the brother of Miranda, a forward on the Huskies women's team.
Connor Chaulk leads the Cougars in scoring. Chauk has 13 points in 12 games and has already tied his single-season high of six goals, which he tallied in 28 games back in 2019-20. Chaulk was one of two goalscorers in Regina's 6-2 defeat to Saskatchewan back on Nov. 5.
On the Saskatchewan side of things, Zane Franklin leads the conference in rookie scoring with 16 points in 15 games, while trailing only Mount Royal's Nolan Yaremko and Riley Sawchuk for the Canada West lead in points. Jared Dmytriw sits tenth in conference points with 13 in 12 games.
Meanwhile, on the women's side, the Huskies begin their home-and-home at home, as they play host to the Cougars on Friday night at Merlis Belsher Place before trekking south for the second half of the doubleheader.
Saskatchewan is back on home ice for the first-time since Nov. 27 and is looking to make a move up the jam-packed Canada West. The Huskies are right in the thick of things, entering the weekend fifth in the conference with a 6-4-2 record despite falling in their last three contests.
The Huskies are hoping to right their wrongs this weekend against a Cougars team who they've had the upper-hand against in recent memory. Saskatchewan holds an 8-3-3 record against the Cougars over the last four seasons.
Regina will also be looking to get back in the win column after they ended the calendar year with a 4-1 loss to the Calgary Dinos. The Cougars currently sit just four points back of the Huskies and in seventh place in the Canada West, meaning this weekend is a big one for the program as they look to return to the postseason.
With 11 points in 12 games, Lilla Carpenter-Boesch has had a tremendous season for the Cougars. For the Huskies, Sophie Lalor leads the program with seven points and ranks first in the Canada West with 54 shots on goal this season.
A large reason for Saskatchewan's success this season has been due to their netminders. Camryn Drever and Colby Wilson have each been spectacular between the pipes for the Huskies. Wilson, a first-year goaltender has yet to lose in regulation for the green-and-white, holding a 0.47 goals-against-average and .981 save percentage — both ranking first in the conference among netminders with at least two starts this season. Drever, meanwhile, holds a 5-4-1 record with a 1.40 goals-against-average and .946 save percentage in her first season as the starting goaltender.
With a current marked increase of COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan and the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, and the guidance of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the games this weekend will be played without spectators in attendance, but fans can watch all of the action on CanadaWest.TV.
