SASKATOON, SK – After a long winter break, the Saskatchewan Huskies were back at Merlis Belsher Place for their first game of 2023. The fourth ranked Huskies welcomed the fifth ranked Trinity Western Spartans (9-7-2) and would take the night with a 2-1 victory.

Goaltenders for the night would be Camryn Drever for Saskatchewan and Mabel Maltais for Trinity Western. Drever has had an incredible season for the Huskies, as evidenced by her selection to Team Canada's women's hockey team for the upcoming FISU World University Winter Games, with an SV% of 0.94 in the regular season so far.
 
Saskatchewan's Kara Kondrat opened scoring in the first period at 5:05 with Jayde Cadieux and Sophie Lalor nabbing the assists. Late in the period, with Kendra Zuchotzki and Kelsey Hall in the penalty box, the Spartans would capitalize on the two-man advantage with a goal from Kara Yackel at 19:36. The teams would end the period tied at 1-1. 
 
The second period proved to be a defensive battle, as both teams looked to take the lead. The Spartans would find themselves in penalty trouble, heading to the box three times. The Huskies looked to take advantage of the powerplays but would be shut down by Mabel Maltais, who would end the night with twenty saves for the Spartans. 
 
After some adjustments during the second intermission, the Huskies and Spartans settled down in the third period. Defences were tightened and controlled, while offences looked to push hard and fast to the net. It would be Saskatchewan's Kenzie Lausberg at 8:01 in the third period who would seal the deal for the Huskies, giving Saskatchewan the lead and their first win of the year.
 
The Huskies improve to 11-5-3 and maintain fourth place in the Canada West standings. Game two of the weekend series is on Saturday night at 7:00 PM. Tickets are available at huskietickets.com.