Huskies men’s hockey, women’s volleyball advance to Canada West finals

A Game 3 victory over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds by the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team on Sunday night means Saskatchewan will host the Canada West final next weekend.

The team has also clinched a birth in the national championship tournament, which starts on March 20.

Read More:

• Almost perfect Saturday for the Huskies in Canada West playoffs
• Mixed fortunes for Huskies teams with Canada West hockey loss, volleyball wins
• Trump takes to social media to defend hockey legend Wayne Gretzky

The Huskies defeated the Thunderbirds 4-2 on Sunday night in front of a sold-out crowd of 2,605 at Merlis Belsher Place.

🚨 FINALS BOUND 🚨

The Huskies defeat the Thunderbirds 4-2 to punch their ticket to the @CanadaWest Final and a spot in the @usports Nationals!

The Huskies will host the final next weekend, game one Friday at 7 PM.#HuskiePride | #PowerofthePack pic.twitter.com/6Imx58F3mG

— Huskie Men's Hockey (@HuskieMHKY) March 3, 2025

In the first period, the Huskies jumped out to a 2-0 lead with goals from Parker Gavlas and Dawson Holt less than three minutes apart. The Dogs were able to hold onto that 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

In the second period, the Thunderbirds didn’t back down. Two goals from the UBC’s Chris Douglas and Cyle McNabb and one from the Huskies’ Trevor Wong made it a 3-2 Huskies lead heading into the third period.

In the third, Chantz Petruic scored a powerplay goal with less than eight minutes to play, giving the Huskies a 4-2 lead and, eventually, the victory.

The Huskies will now regroup and shift their attention to facing the Mount Royal Cougars in the Canada West final on home ice at Merlis Belsher Place. The best-of-three series will be played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday if a third game is needed. Game 1 on Friday is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Huskies and Cougars played twice this year in Saskatoon and split the weekend series. The Cougars are the only team this season to hand the Huskies a regular-season loss on home ice.

The Cougars are making history this weekend in Saskatoon, as it’s the first time the team has qualified for the Canada West final.

Huskies women’s volleyball defies odds in Vancouver

Against all odds, the University of Saskatchewan women’s volleyball team pulled off an improbable upset victory in Vancouver this weekend.

After having to win a play-in series last weekend against Trinity Western University, the eighth-seeded Huskies had to hop on a plane and travel to Vancouver and face Fraser Valley University, the number-one team in Canada West women’s volleyball.

The Huskies posted a regular-season record of 10-10, while Fraser Valley were 17-3 during the season.

After splitting the first two games of the best-of-three series on Friday and Saturday, the Huskies dominated in Game 3 on Sunday afternoon, defeating Fraser Valley in straight sets 25-20, 29-27 and 26-24 to advance to the Canada West final in Edmonton next weekend.

The victory also means the Huskies women’s volleyball team has clinched a spot in nationals later this month in Winnipeg.

Big W for the Dogs! See you next weekend at the @CanadaWest Final Four in Edmonton. 😤😈#HuskiePride | #PowerofthePack | #WintheWest pic.twitter.com/y3OUxMWPwO

— Huskie Women's Volleyball (@HuskieWVB) March 2, 2025