Huskies created trouble for U of A netminder Kurtis Mucha, who was eventually pulled.

The games were both played at Credit Union Centre with an estimated attendance of 1,800 fans each game — one of the highest Canada West conference totals this year. Both teams were locked at the top of the Canada West standings with duplicate 13-3 records.

By the end of the weekend, the Huskies walked away in sole possession of top spot in the Canada West.

On Jan. 13, the Dogs prevailed 5-2 after jumping off to an early two-goal lead in the first period.

Strong play throughout the second period that led to a power play goal by the Huskies Shaun Vey would put Saskatchewan up 3-0.

The Golden Bears made it close, however, after scoring two goals to finish the second frame including one with only 5.8 seconds left.

Huskies Brennan Bosch and Derek Hulak’s markers in the third sent the Huskies to the locker room with the win.

Dogs goaltender David Reekie sealed the victory by stopping 35 of the Bears’ 37 shots. Alberta netminder Real Cyr stopped 18 of 22.

The matchup on Jan. 14 saw the Huskies down 3-1 going into the second period. A hat-trick from captain Kyle Ross and a total of four unanswered goals in the second period, however, secured the win for Saskatchewan.

Ryan Holfeld stopped 33 of the 37 shots for the Huskies while Alberta goaltender Kurtis Mucha was pulled after letting in five goals on 24 shots. Cyr stopped all three shots he faced in relief of Mucha.

This was their first sweep of the Golden Bears since 2007 and it propelled them two games ahead of their Alberta rivals.

Saskatchewan now sits atop the conference with a 15-3-2 record while Alberta is 13-5-2.

The Huskies also have the top three scorers in the Canada West: Derek Hulak has seven goals and 28 assists for 35 points, Kyle Bortis has 14 goals and 19 assists for 33 points and Kyle Ross has 14 goals and 12 assists for 26 points.

Hulak, who has more assists than most players in the conference have points, scored in both games on the weekend. He is used to playing at CUC because he played with the Blades from 2006 to 2010.

“It was nice playing in front of a big crowd. It’s a great barn, a great facility to play in,” said Hulak.

He believes that “hard work and depth” has led to the Huskies success so far this year.

Captain Kyle Ross attributes the success to “patience and consistency.”

Ross is in his fifth year with the Huskies but said he’s not worried about the lack of leadership for the coming seasons.

There’s “a whole lot of great guys and a whole ton of leadership. There won’t be any problems down the road,” said Ross.

When asked about the Dogs’ upcoming matchups, Ross explained, “There’s a lot of parity in the league, and they’ll all be pretty tough — especially the next couple weekends which will determine the playoff picture.”

The next Huskies games are on the road Jan. 20 and 21 against the Manitoba Bisons. The Bisons are third in the conference with a 12-4-2 record.

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Photo: Pete Yee