Huskies hockey started off on Oct. 6 with both teams playing the University of Regina, the men’s team facing off against the Cougars in Regina and the women’s team taking to their home turf. The weekend was split with a win and a loss.

The men’s team was victorious over their provincial rivals in a runaway game that ended with a score of 8-2. Scoring started just shy of 11 minutes into the first period and came at a rapid clip, with the Huskies putting three in the net before a minute was up. Going into the second, the Huskies didn’t let up, scoring another two before Regina answered with a goal on a powerplay.

The Huskies women’s hockey team at their first game of the season.

Starting off the third with a four-point lead, the Huskies deepened that lead with another three goals before the final buzzer rang. Regina only came up with one more power-play goal before the game ended in a decisive Huskies victory. Many of the Huskies were active, as all eight of the their goals came from different players, and the team made more than double the amount of shots — 45 in total — than did their opponents.

The women’s team was slightly less fortunate, however, dropping their game to the Cougars in a 3-2 defeat. After just a minute and a half of play, the Huskies had their first goal, courtesy of first-year Chloe Smith. Regina answered with a goal of their own a few minutes later, followed by another Regina goal to secure the lead.

While the Huskies managed to tie up the game early into the second period, a short-handed goal by the Cougars finished off the scoring and left the women’s team with a loss going into the season.

Both team’s quickly had other games, as they exchanged venues to close out the weekend of provincial rivalry on Oct. 7. The women’s team travelled to Regina and faired better away from their home ice, while the men’s team defended their territory well in another landslide victory against the Cougars.

The Huskies women’s team had two on the board before Regina answered in the second period. Saskatoon would then follow up with another two goals, putting themselves in a solid 4-1 lead. The Cougars attempted to rally late in the third, with two goals in the last two and a half minutes, but fell short and lost the game 4-3 to the now 1-1 Huskies women’s team.

Saturday was also a successful night for the men’s team, who took another victory from the U of R Cougars. Although scoring didn’t start until the second period, the Huskies dominated, scoring six goals while simultaneously holding off the Cougars, resulting in a 6-0 victory for the undefeated men’s Huskies. Once again the men’s team showed versatility, as each of their six goals were scored by different players.

With the women’s and men’s teams ending their season-opening weekends with records of 1-1 and 2-0, respectively, Huskies hockey is certainly alive and well this season. From here, the Huskies will continue their seasons on Oct. 13, with weekend games against the Lethbridge Pronghorns. However, the women’s team will be hitting the road, while the men’s team stays home to host Lethbridge.

—

Jack Thompson / Sports & Health Editor

Photos: David Hartman