SASKATOON, Sask. - After a tough loss at the hands on the Thunderbirds last night, the Huskies were hungry and looking for one more win at home as their season nears its end. But before any action ensued between the two units, the Huskies had to honour three graduating players. Taylor Wilkinson, Brooklyn Stevely, and Jasper Desmarais played their final home game at Merlis Belsher Place and each of them were honoured for their years of dedication to the Huskies Women's Hockey program. 

The Huskies weren't going to go down without a fight and it was evident in each players demeanor on the ice. After a tough back and fourth in the opening 10 minutes it would be the nations top scorer Grace Elliott who was able to sneak one past the Huskies Colby Wilson and get the Thunderbirds on the board first.

The Dogs found themselves in a bit of penalty trouble in the ladder half of the first frame but thanks to a rock solid penalty kill and a stellar performance from Wilson between the pipes, they were able to keep UBC's lead to only one going into the second.

UBC's Elliott was able to bury another one early into the second increasing their lead to 2-0. Both teams had found their way to the penalty box a few times at this point in the game and it was the Huskies turn to go on the power play and create a chance for themselves to get on the board. Despite a few good chances from the Dogs, they weren't able to get one by UBC's Mya Lucifora and were sent right back to even strength play. 

Even though the Huskies remained in a two goal deficit for the remainder of the second period, you could tell that the entire squad had a fire in them that wouldn't be easily put out. A common trait for each player on the team throughout the entire season has been determination, and you could tell that every player in green was determined to get a few pucks in the net and shut down this Thunderbird squad.

The third and final period saw the Thunderbirds put another goal on the board thanks to Jaylyn Morris to bring the score up to 3-0. Colby Wilson stood strong in net to keep 45 of 48 UBC shots out and to keep the game within reach for the Huskies. The Dogs had their fair share of chances in the third but it wasn't enough to beat Lucifora and UBC would take the game 3-0 and sweep the weekend series. 

The Huskies head off to Manitoba next weekend to close out their season against the Bisons. As always you can tune in on CanadaWest.TV presented by BioSteel or listen on HuskieFAN.ca.

Saturday was the final home game for three Huskie student-athletes in Taylor Wilkinson, Brooklyn Stevely, and Jasper Desmarais, who were recognized prior to puck drop. 

Jasper Desmarais joined her hometown Huskies ahead of the 2020-21 season. In her rookie season, she suited up for 16 games and has since been a key contributor, taking the ice in 91 regular season games and 8 in the postseason. During her time in green & white she has recorded 9 points, 2 goals, and 7 assists. A U SPORTS Bronze medalist in 2021-22, Jasper will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Brooklyn Stevely made the trip north from her hometown of Regina to join the Huskies ahead of the 2020-21 season. In her rookie season she would suit up in 17 regular season games before taking the ice in every post season game on the Huskies' way to a U SPORTS Bronze medal. A consistent presence on the Huskie blueline since then, Stevely has appeared in 81 career games, recording 20 points (2 G, 18 A). Last year, she was named a 2023-24 U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian and will be graduating with a Bachelor of Science Kinesiology and Bachelor of Education.

Taylor Wilkinson burst onto the Canada West women's hockey season as a rookie in 2022-23. Appearing in 20 games, she recorded 10 points on her way to being named a member of the conference All-Rookie team. In the two seasons since then, she has taken the ice in 49 games to close out her career with 21 points, 5 goals, and 16 assists. In addition to her rookie-season award, Taylor has been named a U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian twice in 2022-23 and 2023-24 and will graduate with a Bachelor of Science Kinesiology and Bachelor of Education.