Assiniboia welcomes Weyburn Red Wings with open arms during ammonia shutdown
2h ago
Billets were found for all Red Wings players in just four hours.
Heading into the weekend, championship and playoff aspirations were on the minds of Saskatoon-based sports teams.
Now, those teams will hit the reset button in hopes of qualifying for — or taking home — any championship hardware.
Hockey dogs in tough
Both the women’s and men’s University of Saskatchewan hockey teams were swept in their respective Canada-West finals.
The women’s team were up against a stingy defensive effort from the Manitoba Bisons.
Manitoba managed a 1-0 overtime win on Friday when Caitlyn Fyten scored the game’s only goal 9:52 into the extra frame.
Canada-West rookie of the year Lauren Taraschuk lead the way with 25 saves for the win and another shutout.
She entered game two of the series without allowing a goal for a combined time of 224:15 over her last three games.
That streak ended on Saturday as both teams were able to break the defensive deadlock, but it was Manitoba who faired better.
The Bisons won game two 5-2 in front of their home crowd, thanks to a 3-1 second period score for the Bisons.
Both teams now head to London, Ont. for the U Sports Championship on March 15.
The men’s dogs were unable to prevent the powerhouse University of Alberta Golden Bears from having its way over the weekend.
Saskatchewan was in tough without its scoring and veteran leaders. It’s entire top line and starting goalie were unavailable for the weekend due to injuries, as the Golden Bears skated to 5-2 and 5-1 wins for the series sweep.
Both of those teams will also advance to the national championships on March 15 in Fredericton, N.B.
Saskatchewan showdown goes to the Cougars
The Huskies women’s basketball team lost the battle of the undefeated on Friday night in Regina.
Heading into the one-game Canada West final, the Huskies were undefeated on the road, while the Cougars were undefeated on home court.
The Cougars were crowned champions after a 75-55 win. The win is the third Canada-West banner for the Cougars program, and first since 2013.
Both teams are back at it on Thursday when the national tournament begins in Regina.
WHL playoff race heating up
The Saskatoon Blades joined in on the losing weekend, falling out of the final playoff spot in the Western Hockey League’s eastern conference in the process.
Saskatoon is in the midst of a playoff battle with the Prince Albert Raiders with only seven games remaining in the regular season.
Both teams are trending in opposite directions.
Saskatoon has lost four straight games to fall four points behind the Raiders for the final playoff spot, while the Raiders have rattled off six straight victories to leap frog the Blades in the standings.
Prince Albert now has 69 points, while the Blades have 65.