March 23, 2008
SASKATCHEWAN DEFEATS BROCK 4-1 IN CIS MEN'S HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
MONCTON (CIS) - The No.4-seeded Saskatchewan Huskies out-shot the No.5-Brock Badgers 29-3 in the first 36 minutes of play en route to an easy 4-1 win Friday afternoon in the third game of the 2008 Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's hockey championship, at the Moncton Coliseum.
The Huskies (1-0), making their eighth appearance at the University Cup tournament in 11 years, will face the top-ranked and defending national champion UNB Varsity Reds (1-0) Saturday at 2 p.m. Atlantic Time (Rogers Sportsnet) in the third and final Pool-A contest for a spot in Sunday's gold-medal final.
The duel will be a rematch of last year's University Cup opener when UNB prevailed 2-1 on its way to capturing the second CIS title in school history.
\"We got to watch them (UNB) yesterday. I thought their game is pretty similar to ours. They work hard, they chase pucks, they have a very good first line,\" said Huskie captain Brent Twordik of Saskatoon, who was named Saskatchewan player of the match after tallying the game-winning goal with three minutes and 20 seconds left in the first period. \"We were really disappointed after that loss last year. We spent the entire year waiting to get back here.\"
The V-Reds, showing a 20-0 overall record in the new year, dominated Brock 6-1 in the 2008 opener on Thursday.
The Badgers return to St. Catharines, Ont. from their first ever appearance at the championship with an 0-2 mark.
\"They (Brock) were in a very difficult situation, losing their opener yesterday following a fantastic season. We know the feeling, we've been there,\" said Saskatchewan head coach Dave Adolph. \"From our perspective, we knew if we got out strong we'd have a good chance of winning.\"
Saskatchewan, taking the ice for the first time since being crushed 8-3 and 5-0 two weeks ago in the best-of-three Canada West final, dominated from start to finish against the OUA finalists.
The Huskies out-shot their rivals 17-2 in the first period and 13-7 in the middle stanza on their way to a 37-16 advantage for the game.
Canada West most sportsmanlike player Curtis Austring (Stewart Valley, Sask.) and Twordik scored in the second half of the first period to give Saskatchewan a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.
Fourth-year defenceman Derek Endicott (Saskatoon) and freshman Casey Lee (Kindersley, Sask.) doubled the Huskies lead in the second frame.
Brock's Jonathon Labelle (Prévost, Que.) ended Jeff Harvey's bid for a shutout with 1:54 remaining in the contest scoring his second of the tournament during a two-man advantage.
Harvey, a first-team Canada West all-star from St. Albert, Alta. was barely tested in his return from a harmstring injury that had sidelined him since January 26.
\"In a sense, it was pretty unreal to get only three shots for almost two periods. It was definitely different,\" Harvey said. \"But I guess it was a good way to come back, to get a nice cushion and ease back into it.\"
At the other end of the ice, Matt Harpwood was stellar in a losing cause and earned Brock player-of-the-game honours following a 33-save effort. The fourth-year senior from Welland, Ont. had stopped 42 pucks against UNB on Thursday.
The Huskies came out fast and furious and, without Harpwood's heroics, could have been up by four or five goals at the first intermission.
Harpwood stoned Jeff Schmidt (Kindersley, Sask.) on a breakaway three minutes into the contest, then stopped sophomore Jason Wagar (Hanley, Sask.) from up close two and a half minutes later.
At the 9:30 mark, he robbed Twordik of a sure goal with a pad save while the Badgers were a man down.
Austring finally solved the Harpwood mistery with 9:25 left before the break beating him low on the stick side after walking out of the corner untouched.
Twordik made it a two-goal affair roofing a wrister glove side on Saskatchewan's 16th shot of the opening frame.
Endicott made it 3-0 2:57 into the second period during a power play tipping in a perfect pass from fifth-year veteran Mason Wallin (Prince Albert, Sask.).
Lee rounded out the scoring for the Huskies with a perfect shot high on the glove side, after receiving the puck from sophomore Brad Erickson (Saskatoon).
(Source: CIS)
The Huskies (1-0), making their eighth appearance at the University Cup tournament in 11 years, will face the top-ranked and defending national champion UNB Varsity Reds (1-0) Saturday at 2 p.m. Atlantic Time (Rogers Sportsnet) in the third and final Pool-A contest for a spot in Sunday's gold-medal final.
The duel will be a rematch of last year's University Cup opener when UNB prevailed 2-1 on its way to capturing the second CIS title in school history.
\"We got to watch them (UNB) yesterday. I thought their game is pretty similar to ours. They work hard, they chase pucks, they have a very good first line,\" said Huskie captain Brent Twordik of Saskatoon, who was named Saskatchewan player of the match after tallying the game-winning goal with three minutes and 20 seconds left in the first period. \"We were really disappointed after that loss last year. We spent the entire year waiting to get back here.\"
The V-Reds, showing a 20-0 overall record in the new year, dominated Brock 6-1 in the 2008 opener on Thursday.
The Badgers return to St. Catharines, Ont. from their first ever appearance at the championship with an 0-2 mark.
\"They (Brock) were in a very difficult situation, losing their opener yesterday following a fantastic season. We know the feeling, we've been there,\" said Saskatchewan head coach Dave Adolph. \"From our perspective, we knew if we got out strong we'd have a good chance of winning.\"
Saskatchewan, taking the ice for the first time since being crushed 8-3 and 5-0 two weeks ago in the best-of-three Canada West final, dominated from start to finish against the OUA finalists.
The Huskies out-shot their rivals 17-2 in the first period and 13-7 in the middle stanza on their way to a 37-16 advantage for the game.
Canada West most sportsmanlike player Curtis Austring (Stewart Valley, Sask.) and Twordik scored in the second half of the first period to give Saskatchewan a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.
Fourth-year defenceman Derek Endicott (Saskatoon) and freshman Casey Lee (Kindersley, Sask.) doubled the Huskies lead in the second frame.
Brock's Jonathon Labelle (Prévost, Que.) ended Jeff Harvey's bid for a shutout with 1:54 remaining in the contest scoring his second of the tournament during a two-man advantage.
Harvey, a first-team Canada West all-star from St. Albert, Alta. was barely tested in his return from a harmstring injury that had sidelined him since January 26.
\"In a sense, it was pretty unreal to get only three shots for almost two periods. It was definitely different,\" Harvey said. \"But I guess it was a good way to come back, to get a nice cushion and ease back into it.\"
At the other end of the ice, Matt Harpwood was stellar in a losing cause and earned Brock player-of-the-game honours following a 33-save effort. The fourth-year senior from Welland, Ont. had stopped 42 pucks against UNB on Thursday.
The Huskies came out fast and furious and, without Harpwood's heroics, could have been up by four or five goals at the first intermission.
Harpwood stoned Jeff Schmidt (Kindersley, Sask.) on a breakaway three minutes into the contest, then stopped sophomore Jason Wagar (Hanley, Sask.) from up close two and a half minutes later.
At the 9:30 mark, he robbed Twordik of a sure goal with a pad save while the Badgers were a man down.
Austring finally solved the Harpwood mistery with 9:25 left before the break beating him low on the stick side after walking out of the corner untouched.
Twordik made it a two-goal affair roofing a wrister glove side on Saskatchewan's 16th shot of the opening frame.
Endicott made it 3-0 2:57 into the second period during a power play tipping in a perfect pass from fifth-year veteran Mason Wallin (Prince Albert, Sask.).
Lee rounded out the scoring for the Huskies with a perfect shot high on the glove side, after receiving the puck from sophomore Brad Erickson (Saskatoon).
(Source: CIS)
