Bittersweet ending for Huskies at U Sports women’s hockey nationals

While it wasn’t the Cinderella ending the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team had hoped for, graduating seniors like Camryn Drever had tears of joy after finishing their collegiate careers on home ice.

“After we shook hands with UBC, I kind of went and stood in the crease and took it all in. I was like, ‘This is the last moment of my career as a Huskie,’ ” said Drever, the team’s goalie.

“My fifth-years told me it goes by in a blink of an eye. They weren’t kidding. I didn’t understand it until now.”

The Canada West player of the year was one of seven Huskies who saw their university careers come to a close on home ice as Saskatchewan fell to the visiting UBC Thunderbirds 4-1 in the consolation final on Sunday.

Drever, who helped her team to victory with a 37-save performance on Saturday against St. Francis Xavier University, made 23 stops in the consolation final.

Huskies captain Kennedy Brown also made an impact during her final game in green and white.

Brown, who returned to the program in the fall following a devastating knee injury, brought the fans at Merlis Belsher Place to their feet, cutting UBC’s lead to 2-1 after the first period. But the Huskies got no closer during the game, finishing in sixth place in the eight-team tournament.

The Concordia Stingers, who defeated the Huskies 4-0 Thursday, claimed their second U Sports women’s hockey title in three years with a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Varsity Blues 3-1 in the gold-medal game.