Four Sask. players named to Canada world junior hockey championship team
16h ago
Berkly Catton, Brayden Yager, Caden Price and Tanner Howe were all named.
The University of Saskatchewan Huskies displayed resilience and erased an early 2-0 deficit to defeat the Mount Royal Cougars 7-3 in game two of their Canada West semi-final playoff series at Merlis Belsher Place on Saturday.
Mount Royal came out to a blazing start facing elimination after dropping game one to the Huskies on Friday.
Less than ten minutes into the opening period the Cougars found themselves up 2-0 with goals from Zack Henry and Ryley Lindgren.
“Those guys got a little character too,” acknowledged Huskies Head Coach Dave Adolph.
“They weren’t going to go away you knew that,” stated Adolph. “They felt that they had a slow start last game, we had a fast one, so we showed a little resilience there.”
Fourth-year forward Andrew Johnson was able to score a shorthanded goal, his first of the year, to cap off a first period Huskies comeback that also sent the team into the locker room after one with a lead.
Johnson affirmed that there was no panic amongst the group when they found themselves trailing early in the game.
“We were pretty calm”, stated Johnson. “Guys were frustrated and competitive, but at the same time, we were able to channel that energy and play harder. We knew that wasn’t good enough.”
The Cougars came out with another fast start to the second period tying the game at three thanks to Zack Henry’s second goal of the game.
That, however, is where Mount Royal’s momentum would end.
The Huskies would answer Henry’s tying goal with a couple of quick power-play goals from Carson Stadnyk and Alex Forsberg.
Saskatchewan lit the lamp seven times on Mount Royal netminder Riley Morris.
Huskies forward Levi Cable, who erased the first-period Cougar lead with two goals of his own, ended the night with a hat trick scoring the final of the Huskies seven late in the third to cement a Huskies semifinal sweep.
With the sweep of Mount Royal, Saskatchewan clinched a birth at the University Cup as well as set a Canada West Final showdown against an all too familiar opponent— The Alberta Golden Bears.
Game one of the Canada West Final is set Friday night at Merlis Belsher Place.
Huskies Head Coach Dave Adolph states definitively what the championship series against Alberta will be like.
“When the Bears and Huskies play it’s an absolute war.”