GAME INFORMATION

Friday, Mar. 25 vs. Brock Badgers 12:00 p.m. MacLauchlan Arena. Charlottetown, PEI (Watch Live on CBC.ca/CBC gem, Listen Live on HuskieFAN)
Saturday, Mar. 26 vs. TBD MacLauchlan Arena. Charlottetown, PEI (Watch Live on CBC.ca/CBC gem, Listen Live on HuskieFAN)
Sunday, Mar. 27 vs. TBD MacLauchlan Arena. Charlottetown, PEI (Watch Live on CBC.ca/CBC gem, Listen Live on HuskieFAN)

It's been more than four years in the making, but at last — the Huskies women's hockey team is back at the U SPORTS National Championship as they descend on Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

The Huskies officially continue their pursuit of the program's first national title on Friday afternoon, when the puck drops in their quarter-final clash against the Brock Badgers.

Saskatchewan earned the No. 5 seed after finishing the conference campaign as Canada West finalists. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ice is Brock, who are ranked No. 4 after claiming their first-ever OUA Championship this weekend. 

Saskatchewan will enter the matchup — which will be the first-ever between the pair of programs — with an undefeated 3-0 record in national quarter-finals, which includes a 3-2 victory in 2018 over the Saint Mary's Huskies.

Abby Shirley and Bailee Bourassa are the lone remaining Huskies from that 2017-18 squad, which went on to finish fourth at nationals. Shirley was instrumental in the win over Saint Mary's, scoring a game-tying goal in the second period of the 2018 quarter-final, knotting the game up at 2-2, then assisted on the eventual game-winner in the third-period. 

Bourassa — the team's lone fifth-year forward — will put a bow on her time as a Huskie this weekend, as she gets set to play in her final games of her career in the green-and-white. It's been a storied career for Bourassa, who has etched her name in the programs record books, sitting sixth all-time in career goals. But the Weyburn, Sask. product is hoping she's got more in store, beginning on Friday.

The national championship experience of Bourassa and Shirley will be heavily counted upon this weekend, as they look to lead Saskatchewan to their second-ever nationals medal — the last being a bronze medal in 2014.

If they're going to do it, it's safe to say Camryn Drever will be a big reason why. The first-year starter assumed the starting job after Jessica Vance graduated from the program and was instrumental in helping the Huskies get to this point. While this will be her first U SPORTS National Championship, Drever is no stranger to the national stage. She won a pair of Esso Cups, the nations under-18 national championship, as a netminder with the St. Albert Slash — including Alberta's first in provincial history in 2017.

The Huskies have defied the odds all season long, winning four-straight road contests en route to nationals, including a series-sweep over the nation's number-two ranked team. Now, they'll look to win three more — beginning with Brock Friday afternoon.

Thoughts from Bourassa:

Bourassa on the excitement level within the program:

"I think that now that we're actually finally here, it feels real. We just had our first skate here and everyone's pretty excited. We're  focusing on the things that we do well and paying attention to the little details and going from there, but everyone is super pumped to be here, especially after our long travel day yesterday."

Bourassa on the matchup against the Badgers:

"We haven't watched any video on them yet or anything, but I think we do know that this is their first time at a national championship. But that being said, our team is also super young, and only two of two players have actually been to a national youth sports championship — me and Abby. I think we're going to have two teams super excited and super eager to win this. Brock is kind of coming off a high, they obviously won their league, and we lost to UBC, so we're really hungry for a win here to start the tournament."

Bourassa on the opportunity at hand:

"We've had a lot of conversations about making sure we don't waste this opportunity because they're far and few between. This might be the only time some girls ever get to experience this because you just never know. Some girls go through the program never getting a national championship. So we've talked a lot about as a group, making sure we seize this opportunity and we put our best foot forward on the ice because you never know if you're going to get the same opportunity again."

Bourassa on the opportunity to finish her Huskies career at a national championship"

"It's pretty special for the girls to get us here and for me to be able to finish my last year on the Huskies at a national championship is — it's kind of surreal. I've said this a few times — we've been a totally new team since the Christmas break and it's been exciting to see everyone grow into their role and our team to grow as a whole. It's also kind of exciting for me knowing that I'm going to leave the program on this note and in such good hands. I'm so proud of these girls and all the adversity we've overcome. We've kind of been the underdogs all year and I think that that is just kind of a great story one day and I'm always gonna remember this team going forward."   

1. Charlottetown was rewarded the 2022 National Championship after the city played host in 2020, before the event was cancelled after the opening day to due COVID-19. Including 2020, this will mark the third-time in program history the PEI capital city will play host to the event. 
2. The Huskies are looking to become the third Canada West team in the last four seasons to win the Golden Path Trophy.
3. Shirley led the way for the Huskies in the conference playoffs, as her six postseason points was tied for the most in the Canada West. Kennedy Brown, whos overtime winner against Mount Royal punched the team's ticket to nationals, is tied with Shirley for the team-lead in goals with three.
4. Cassidy Maplethorpe will be the player to watch for Brock. After 16 points in 13 regular-season games, the third-year forward continued her tremendous year in the playoffs. Maplethrope led the OUA with five points in three postseason games, including one in Saturday's 2-1 McCaw Cup win over the Nipissing Lakers.
5. Along with Brock and Saskatchewan, the Concordia Stingers, UNB Reds, UBC Thunderbirds, Nipissing, McGill Martlets and host UPEI Panthers round out the rest of the eight teams. With a quarter-final victory on Friday, Saskatchewan would square up with the winner of Concordia/UPEI in the national semifinal on Saturday.
6. Concordia enters the tournament with the No. 1 seed after winning the RSEQ on Thursday over McGill with a two-game sweep in the best-of-three series.
7. Nipissing goaltender Chloe Marshall spent one season with the Huskies, before she ultimately transferred to Lethbridge with Jessica Vance assuming the starter job between the crease.
8. The U SPORTS major awards and All-Canadians will be announced at a gala on Wednesday night, while the tournament officially commences on Thursday afternoon when UNB takes on McGill.

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (all times ATLANTIC TIME)

Thursday, March 24

• 3 p.m.: Quarter-final #1 – No. 7 McGill vs. No. 2 UNB
• 7 p.m.: Quarter-final #2 – No. 6 Nipissing vs. No. 3 UBC

Friday, March 25

• 3 p.m.: Quarter-final #3 – No. 5 Saskatchewan vs. No. 4 Brock
• 7 p.m.: Quarter-final #4 – No. 8 UPEI vs. No. 1 Concordia

Saturday, March 26

• 10 a.m.: Consolation #1 – Loser Quarter-final #1 vs. Loser Quarter-final #2
• 1 p.m.: Consolation #2 – Loser Quarter-final #3 vs. Loser Quarter-final #4
• 4 p.m.: Semifinal #1 – Winner Quarter-final #1 vs. Winner Quarter-final #2
• 7 p.m.: Semifinal #2 – Winner Quarter-final #3 vs. Winner Quarter-final #4

Sunday, March 27

• 11 a.m.: Fifth-place game
• 2:30 p.m.: Bronze Medal
• 6 p.m.: Gold Medal