SASKATOON, Sask. — The Saskatchewan Huskies continued their strong start to the 2026 Canada West season on Friday afternoon (Sept. 11), controlling play from start to finish in a convincing 3-0 victory over the MacEwan Griffins at Griffiths Stadium. The win improves Saskatchewan's record to 2-0-0, while MacEwan falls to 0-3-0.
The Huskies wasted little time establishing themselves as the better side. After applying early pressure in the attacking third, Saskatchewan found the breakthrough in the ninth minute when defender
Makariy Pryadko opened the scoring. The third-year left back finished off a fantastic setup from
A.J. Calado with a one-touch chip past the Griffin keeper to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead and ignite the home crowd.
Saskatchewan carried most of the play throughout the opening half, generating five shots and earning four corner kicks while limiting MacEwan's opportunities. The Griffins managed just four shots in the first 45 minutes, with goalkeeper
Jaron Slopinski called upon for only two saves. The Huskies nearly doubled their advantage before halftime, but MacEwan goalkeeper David Sithole kept his team within striking distance with a pairof key stops.
Any hopes of a MacEwan making their way into the contest were quickly dampened early in the second half. Saskatchewan doubled its lead in the 50th minute when midfielder
Ethan Cabral found the back of the net with a long-distance strike from outside the penalty area.
From there, Saskatchewan continued to dictate possession and territory. Cabral was at the center of much of the offensive creativity, finishing with a goal and an assist while recording five shots, four of them on target. Forward
Tao Hein was equally dangerous, matching Cabral with five shots and four on goal as the Huskies repeatedly tested the MacEwan back line.
The Huskies finally put the result beyond doubt in the 87th minute. Cabral turned provider, slipping a pass to Hein, who tipped the ball past Sithole before burying his third goal of the season on an open net and extending the lead to 3-0. The late tally was a fitting reward for a Saskatchewan attack that generated 14 shots and placed 11 on target during the match.
Defensively, the Huskies were just as impressive. Fifth-year keeper Slopinski recorded the his 11th career shutout with four saves, tying former Huskie goalkeeper Mark Diakiw for the program record. Meanwhile the back line limited MacEwan to only nine total shots and four on goal.
The Huskies return to Griffiths Sunday afternoon (Sept. 13) for an afternoon matchup with the Alberta Golden Bears in the 10th edition of the Bateman Cup.
