Cougars stymie Huskies offence to force game 3

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey are suddenly in a fight for its season after a 3-0 loss to the Mount Royal Cougars Saturday at Merlis Belsher Place.

The loss tied  the Canada West quarterfinal series at 1-1 after the Huskies’ 5-0 win on Friday. That means Sunday’s game three will decide which team moves on to the Canada West semifinals.

Head coach Steve Kook noticed a sharp contrast in the way his team played game one and two.

“I don’t think we won very many puck races, I don’t think we won very many puck battles,” he said following the game. “They played a really good road game — a boring style of road game, but it was effective.”

Kook is referring to the tight checking and non-urgent forecheck the Cougars displayed all night. Anytime a Huskie player gathered the puck, there were usually three or four opponents nearby.

“We’re a good skating club, but it doesn’t mean a whole hell of a lot of beans if we don’t go try and retrieve the puck first,” Kook said of ways around the trap game.

“We got to find some space, if it’s through the middle (of the ice) then we got to get going through that way.”

Mount Royal took the victory by converting their first shot of the game more than 13 minutes into the first period.

Anna Purschke rushed down the right wing and sent a shot over the glove of Huskies goaltender Jessica Vance for the only scoring chance in the first period.

From that point, the Huskies managed a few scoring opportunities on the Cougars but were unable to convert.

After a scoreless second period, it was the Cougars adding to the one-goal lead less than four minutes into the third period as the Breanne Trotter found herself unmarked in front of the Huskies net for a tap in goal.

A power play goal by Jayden Thorpe with 1:36 remaining in the third period would ice the game for the Cougars.

Even with the Huskies season hinging on a decisive game three, Huskies captain Brooklyn Haubrich is ready to get back on the ice, especially with the Huskies faithful behind her.

“You got to love (elimination games) as a player,” she said. “Those are fun to play, and with this rink and this atmosphere, I’m really excited. The energy will be great.”

For Kook, it’s the elimination games and three-game series that show the subtle differences between conferences in USPORTS.

“That’s Canada West,” he said. “That’s why whoever comes out of the west is best suited at a national championship because we play these types of games every weekend.”