SASKATOON, Sask. — The Saskatchewan Huskies earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Victoria Vikes on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 26) at Griffiths Stadium, with
Tao Hein scoring the decisive goal late in the second half to lift the Huskies to an important conference win.
Facing a Victoria side that generated plenty of pressure throughout the afternoon, Saskatchewan relied on timely finishing and a standout performance from goalkeeper
Jaron Slopinski, who made seven saves in the victory.
The Huskies opened the scoring in the 11th minute through
Dante Molina.
Tao Hein made a perfect chip pass from centre field over several Defenders before Molina found the back of the net for the first goal of the 2026 season, giving Saskatchewan an early 1-0 advantage and energizing the home side.
Despite taking the lead, Saskatchewan spent much of the opening half absorbing pressure from Victoria. The Vikes outshot the Huskies 7-2 in the first 45 minutes and forced Slopinski into a series of key stops to preserve the lead. The Saskatchewan goalkeeper turned away efforts from Owen Lemmer, Felipe Morales Moya, and Evan Larson before Victoria eventually found an equalizer in the 41st minute.
The tying goal came off the foot of Ole Cameron, who finished a setup from Fin Tugwell to send the teams into halftime deadlocked at 1-1.
The second half remained tightly contested, with Victoria continuing to test the Huskies defensively. Slopinski came up with several more important saves, including stops on Jack Napier-Ganley and Takin Keshavarz, allowing Saskatchewan to stay level as the match entered its final stages.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 81st minute.
After steady pressure from the Huskies, defender
Sergio Molina skillfully delivered the ball forward to Hein, who made no mistake with his opportunity. The fourth-year forward finished for his team-leading fourth goal of the season, restoring Saskatchewan's lead and ultimately providing the game-winning marker.
From there, the Huskies showed resilience to close out the match. Victoria pushed for another equalizer and finished with a 13-7 advantage in shots, but Saskatchewan's defensive group and Slopinski stood firm. The visitors came closest to leveling the score deep into stoppage time when a late attempt struck the post, allowing the Huskies to escape with all three points.
While Victoria controlled stretches of play and carried the edge in chances, Saskatchewan capitalized on its opportunities when they mattered most. Hein played a role in both Huskie goals, recording a goal and an assist, while Slopinski's seven-save performance proved crucial in securing the victory.
The win moves the Huskies back to .500 in conference play at 3-3-0 and gives them valuable momentum as they head into a Sunday match against the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack.
